Split (3)

train · 25k rows

text stringlengths 1.55k 332k	label int64 0 8
the terms and words used in the specification and claims should not be interpreted as conventional or dictionary meanings , and thus , should be interpreted as meanings and concepts corresponding to the technical idea of the present invention , on the basis of the principle that the inventor may appropriately define the concept of the terms in the best way in order to describe his / her own invention . accordingly , the example embodiments of the present invention may , however , be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as being limited to the example embodiments of the present invention set forth herein ; rather , that alternate embodiments included in other retrogressive inventions or falling within the spirit and scope of the present disclosure can easily be derived through adding , altering , and changing , and will fully convey the concept of the invention to those skilled in the art . fig1 is a view illustrating a communication connection system configuration of a monitoring device and a relay . referring to fig1 , the relay 100 may be connected to the monitoring device 200 through a dnp communication method . the relay 100 may receive a monitoring data request signal from the monitoring device 200 . the relay 100 may transmit the monitoring data , which are collected according to a request of the monitoring device 200 , to the corresponding monitoring device 200 . the monitoring device 200 operates as a master and the relay 100 operates as an outstation , so that necessary data may be obtained . fig2 is a block diagram of a relay according to an embodiment of the present invention . referring to fig2 , the relay 100 may include a power supply unit 110 , a detection unit 120 , a storage unit 130 , a communication unit 140 , a control unit 150 , and a display unit 160 . the power supply unit 110 may supply dc power to various kinds of components constituting the relay 100 . for example , the power supply unit 110 may include a transformer for converting a commercial ac power of 220 v into a dc power of 5 v and a diode rectifier circuit . the detection unit 120 may detect / receive monitoring data . when the monitoring data are contact point state data , the detection unit 20 may include a contact point input unit ( not shown ) and a contact point output unit ( not shown ). additionally , when the monitoring data are electricity amount data , the detection unit 120 may include a detection current input unit ( not shown ) and a detection voltage input unit ( not shown ) in order to receive each phase current value of three - phase power supply line of the power supplied to a motor ( not shown ). additionally , the detection unit 120 may further include a current transformer for detecting each phase current value . moreover , when setting value data are monitoring data , the detection unit 120 may further include a user interface unit ( not shown ). the storage unit 130 may store monitoring data detected according to an embodiment of the present invention or may update pre - stored monitoring data with newly - inputted data . the storage unit 130 may include hdd , eeprom , and flash memory . the storage unit 130 may store monitoring data detected according to an example embodiment of the present invention or may update pre - stored monitoring data with newly - inputted data . the communication unit 140 may include a communication module for receiving a monitoring data request signal or transmitting the requested monitoring data to the monitoring device 200 . the communication unit 140 may include a communication module for transmitting dnp type data through a tcp / ip method according to an example embodiment of the present invention . the control unit 150 may process various kinds of data in order to control the power supply of the relay 100 or the input / output signals to an external device . for example , the control unit 150 may determine the failure of a motor and a failure factor on the basis of a current value or input data received from the detection unit 120 . the control unit 150 generates a control signal to stop the power supply of a motor when the motor is failed . then , the control signal may be outputted to a contact point output unit ( not shown ) and a failure factor may be displayed on the display unit 160 . additionally , the control unit 150 compares the data inputted from the detection unit 120 with a reference value in order to determine whether the over - current , phase loss , inter - phase inequity , reverse phase , and grounding occur and control the failure data according thereto to be stored in the storage unit 130 . the control unit 150 may detect setting value data from the monitoring data first and may store them . the control unit 150 may control the detected setting value data and the detected monitoring data to be stored in a corresponding point of a point list defined by a dnp method . the display unit 160 displays input terminal information or output terminal information so that a user may confirm the information . the display unit 160 may display a failure factor or state of a motor in addition to the above information . the display unit 160 may include a light emitting diode , a liquid crystal display , and a lamp . fig3 is a table representing a point list of monitoring data according to an example embodiment of the present invention . referring to fig3 , the monitoring data may include contact point state data , setting value data , and electricity amount data , for example . additionally , each of contact point state data , setting data , and electricity amount data may include an item and an index . the monitoring data of fig3 according to an example embodiment of the present invention may vary according to the definition and types of the monitoring data and user setting . additionally , according to an example embodiment of the present invention , when a change on the monitoring data of a relay occurs , this may be defined as an event and may be processed as the monitoring data of a relay . an event described in this specification may include a change on monitoring data having a high priority such as a change on an input contact point state of a relay , a change on an output contact point state , and a change on setting value data . the contact point data may include data , which are transmitted to an input contact point and an output contact point of a relay . the input contact point may be defined as a local operation panel ( lop ) selection input contact point , an on input contact point for operating a motor , a reverse rotation input contact point , a stpo input contact point , a reset input contact point , a flow switch ( f - s ) mode selection input contact point , a com 1 , com 2 , external trip input contact point , a delta start input contact point , and a y start input contact point . the input contact point may correspond to a terminal number . the definition of the input contact point and correspondence between terminal numbers may vary according to a circuit configuration of a motor control device itself and a connection state of an external device . in relation to monitoring data according to an example embodiment of the present invention , contact point state data may represent information inputted from an input contact point . an output contact point may include at least one output contact point defined as a start output contact point such as delta start or y start . the start output contact point may output a control signal according to each start method . additionally , an output contact point may include a contact point defined as a state contact point such as an lop state output contact point and an auto state output contact point , which displays state information on a motor according to an operation mode . the state contact point may output a control signal for controlling the display unit 160 in order to display a motor state according to each operation mode . when an event for data inputted from an input contact point or an output contact point occurs , a relay according to an example embodiment of the present invention may detect and store the data as monitoring data . in more detail , when a signal is transmitted from an input / output contact point , this is detected as an event , and is classified with an input contact point state and an output contact point state . then , as shown in fig3 , an index may be assigned to one point of a point list of monitoring data and stored . setting value monitoring data may include an operation mode that a user sets and a value according thereto . for example , when a user sets ‘ over - current mode ’ as ‘ use ’, a ‘ true ’ value may be stored in a ‘ 0 ’ index of setting value monitoring data . a user may set ‘ over - current factor critical value ’ and ‘ over - current factor operation time ’, which are determined as ‘ over - current ’. a relay stores setting value data in a point list of monitoring data , and when a user changes a specific setting value , this is detected as an event in order to update a corresponding point list . moreover , contact point state monitoring data and setting value monitoring data may be monitoring data detected as an event . event oriented monitoring data may be data that may be non - periodically set or changed according to user setting in a relay and a device connected thereto , not data detected during a predetermined period . the above event oriented monitoring data may not be monitored periodically in the relay 100 , and then , may be detected as an event and stored in a point list . electricity amount data may include data about each phase voltage , current , and driving frequency in the case of a three phase motor . electricity amount data may be monitored periodically unlike the event oriented data such as contact point state and setting value data . accordingly , non - event oriented data may be described as data used for relatively predicting a change of its value . the non - event oriented data may be defined as monitoring data in addition to the event oriented monitoring data . a relay may detect and store electricity amount data observed periodically by setting electricity amount data as monitoring data . fig4 is a data processing flowchart according to an example embodiment of the present invention . a monitoring data processing operation shown in fig4 represents an initial operation of a relay , for example , an operation when a relay is turned on or is reset . referring to fig4 , the control unit 150 confirms first setting value data received from a user whose information is pre - stored in the storage unit 130 in operation s 402 . user setting value data are data that are not frequently changed , and according to its value , it is determined whether event oriented data such as contact point state monitoring data are detected . the control unit 150 may confirm a communication state with respect to a monitoring device in operation s 404 . that is , communication is connected between the relay and the monitoring device , and after this is confirmed , data transmission becomes possible therebetween . the control unit 150 may control the detection unit 120 to detect monitoring data . the detection unit 120 may detect event oriented monitoring data first in operation s 406 . an operation for detecting and storing the event oriented monitoring data will be described with reference to fig5 . fig5 is a monitoring data collecting flowchart according to an example embodiment of the present invention . fig5 illustrates that the relay 100 performs an operation for detecting and storing monitoring data on the basis of an event . referring to fig5 , the control unit 150 of the relay 100 confirms whether the communication unit 140 has a normal communication connection state with respect to the monitoring device 200 . if the communication connection state with respect to the monitoring device 200 is normal , the control unit 150 may determine the detection time of the monitoring data in operation s 504 . that is , the control unit 150 may perform a detection operation at the detection time of the monitoring data periodically or in real time . according to an example embodiment of the present invention , the case that detection is periodically made at a predetermined time will be described as one example . when the detection time of the monitoring data is confirmed on the basis of the determination result , the control unit 150 may determine whether an event oriented monitoring data are detected in operation s 506 . if the event oriented monitoring data are not detected , according to a predetermined rule , a non - event oriented monitoring data may be detected and stored in operation s 510 . on the contrary , when the event oriented monitoring data are detected , the control unit 150 may store the detected monitoring data in a corresponding point of a point list defined by a dnp method in operation s 508 . for example , when contact point state data are detected from the event oriented monitoring data , a detected value may be stored in a contact point state point of a point list . additionally , when setting value data are detected , a detected value may be stored in a corresponding point of a point list . that is , by detecting and storing monitoring data on the basis of an event , a large amount of data may be efficiently stored and managed . additionally , by storing monitoring data on the basis of an event , when a data transmission request made from the monitoring device 200 , a corresponding point may be immediately transmitted . thus , data transmission is also effective . accordingly , the monitoring data stored in the above manner may be read according to whether a signal for requesting the monitoring data is received from the monitoring device 200 . the control unit 150 may determine whether the transmission request signal of the monitoring data is received from the monitoring device 200 through the communication unit 140 in operation s 408 . the control unit 150 may check the request signal of the monitoring data from the monitoring device 200 periodically in order to detect it . or , a transmission request may be checked in real time . additionally , even if a signal for requesting the transmission of monitoring data is not received from the monitoring device 200 , the detection unit 120 continuously detects and stores the monitoring data . when it is detected that a signal for requesting monitoring data is received from the monitoring device 200 , the control unit 150 may check the type of the requested monitoring data in operation s 410 . that is , the monitoring device 200 may request only event oriented monitoring data including setting value data or contact point state data , or only non - event oriented monitoring data . additionally , the monitoring device 200 may request only monitoring data having a specific index value . for example , as shown in the table of fig3 , only the data for an input value of a contact point 2 corresponding to an index ‘ 1 ’ among contact point state data may be requested . accordingly , when a signal for requesting monitoring data is received from the monitoring device 200 , the control unit 150 may extract only specific monitoring data that the monitoring device 200 requests and then may transmit them . the control unit 150 may check the type of the requested monitoring data from the monitoring device 200 , and may extract corresponding monitoring data in operation s 412 . the control unit 150 may transmit the extracted monitoring data to the corresponding monitoring device 200 through the communication unit 140 in operation s 414 . when a communication termination event occurs , the control unit 150 may terminate a communication connection state with respect to the connected monitoring device 200 in operation s 416 . that is , the control unit 150 determines whether a transmission operation of the monitoring data is terminated , and then , continuously detects and stores the monitoring data except the case that monitoring data cannot be transmitted due to the failure of the relay 100 itself . although embodiments have been described with reference to a number of illustrative embodiments thereof , it should be understood that numerous other modifications and embodiments can be devised by those skilled in the art that will fall within the spirit and scope of the principles of this disclosure . more particularly , various variations and modifications are possible in the component parts and / or arrangements of the subject combination arrangement within the scope of the disclosure , the drawings and the appended claims . in addition to variations and modifications in the component parts and / or arrangements , alternative uses will also be apparent to those skilled in the art .	7
in order to take advantage of high speed operation of the rns alu , high speed conversion of integer and fractional data , from binary to residue format , is required . fig1 and fig2 disclose a streamlined version of the conversion apparatus described in u . s . patent publication no . 2013 / 0311532 , which is incorporated herein by reference . the streamlined apparatus requires less clock cycles for the conversion process , therefore , it is generally faster . fig1 and fig2 illustrate a j + k digit converter apparatus of the present invention by means of example . fig1 discloses a first plurality of j binary digit stages , and fig2 discloses a second plurality of k number of rns digit stages . the converter is an enhanced version of the forward fractional converter of u . s . patent application ser . no . 13 / 475 , 979 . the apparatus accepts a fractional only binary value into the b_in port shown at top of fig1 . the b_in port accepts binary data using a series of binary digit latches , b 0 — in 100 through b j - 1 — in 103 . the digit latches may have the same maximum bit width q as the residue digits of fig2 in one embodiment . these latches are for input holding only , and may be replaced by a bus in some embodiments . in the first clock cycle , the binary value ( b 0 ) through ( b j - 1 ) input at b_in is latched into conversion data registers a 0 150 through a j - 1 153 . also , modulus registers m 0 120 through m 3 123 are initialized with the value of one using hardware not shown for sake of clarity . this initialization ensures the values of digit registers a 0 through a j - 1 are not destroyed , but are preserved in the next following clock cycle . as taught in u . s . patent publication no . 2013 / 0311532 , a plurality of modulus values is associated to an rns fractional range . as shown in fig1 and by means of example , f number of modulus values are associated with the fractional range , such as modulus m f - 1 111 . all f number of modulus values are stored , or pre - stored , into a memory or shift register , shown by modulus shift register 110 . upon each clock of the conversion , the modulus values stored in modulus shift register 110 are sequentially shifted into modulus data register m 0 , where m 0 feeds m 1 , and so on and so forth through m j - 1 as shown . at each clock cycle , each modulus value serves as an operand to a specific digit multiplier of a digit processing block , such as multiplier 130 thru 133 , thereby multiplying the current state of the digit a 0 150 thru a j - 1 153 by a different modulus value . during each clock cycle , a carry value may be generated by each digit multiplier , illustrated by data path 170 for example . in one preferred embodiment , the carry value data width equals the data width of the binary input digit , so designated as q in fig1 . each carry value propagates towards the left and is latched by the next digit processing unit in fig1 . in fig1 , the high order bits of the last digit multiplier , shown by example as multiplier 133 , is output by digit output bus 161 to the second plurality of rns digit processing stages as shown in fig2 . likewise , the modulus value shifted into the last modulus register stage 123 is output by bus 160 to the second plurality of rns digit processing stages of the converter shown in fig2 . during operation , at some number of clock cycles , modulus values stored in modulus shift register 110 begin appearing at modulus output bus 160 ; likewise , carry values begin appearing at digit out bus 161 . in fig2 , a second plurality of digits stages is shown by means of example . the modulus out bus 160 of fig1 connects and drives modulus crossbar 160 of fig2 . likewise , the digit output bus 161 of fig1 connects to and drives digit crossbar bus 161 of fig2 . in fig2 , at each clock cycle , residue digit processing units 220 , 221 , 222 , 223 multiply , in a modular fashion , the value of the modulus output value 160 by the current value of digit registers 260 , 261 , 262 , 263 respectively . each multiplier result is summed , in a modular fashion , to the value on the digit out bus 161 and stored back into the digit register 260 , 261 , 262 , 263 respectively . the adders 250 , 251 , 252 , 253 and multipliers 240 , 241 , 242 , 243 perform modular arithmetic , and support a multiply , add and accumulate operation for a specific and unique pair - wise prime digit modulus respectively . in one preferred embodiment , digit function blocks , such as digit function blocks 220 , 221 , 222 , 223 , act in unison and perform a similar operation , but with a different modulus value . when the last modulus and carry value exit the apparatus of fig1 via modulus out data path 160 and digit out data path 161 , they are processed by the plurality of rns digit function blocks of fig2 , and the final result is stored in digit accumulator registers 260 , 261 , 262 , 263 . a final converted result , in residue fractional format , may be transferred out of the converter using digit buses 270 , 271 , 272 , 273 . the residue multiply and add operation performs the same arithmetic calculations as the later stages of the fractional converter of fig2 d of u . s . patent application ser . no . 13 / 475 , 979 . in that disclosure and referring to fig2 d , the high order ( leftmost ) digit function blocks are replaced by a series of residue stages as shown in the present disclosure of fig2 . it is noted the first stages of both converters remain much the same . according to the new enhancements , once stage 1 conversion has completed processing , the second stage as shown in fig2 will typically terminate one or two clocks later . on completion , the second plurality if rns digit processing units contains the scaled fractional value in residue format . this is in contrast to the invention of fig2 d of u . s . patent application ser . no . 13 / 475 , 979 where the second plurality of digit processing units is in binary format , and therefore requires additional clock cycles to further complete conversion into a residue fractional format . fig1 also discloses apparatus for detecting a round - up of the converted result . rounding is an important feature , and is typically a mandatory feature in order to provide a converted result with the most accuracy . in fig1 , after the basic conversion described above is complete , the values of binary register digits a 0 150 through a j - 1 153 are valid . the value contained in the binary registers is a remainder of the conversion , and may be compared with a round - up threshold value 155 using comparator 156 . in one embodiment , if the value equals or exceeds the threshold , the converted value contained in registers d 0 273 thru d k - 1 is rounded up by incrementing the converted value by one unit . for example , if rounding is performed , each digit register 260 , 261 , 262 , 263 of fig2 is incremented by one in a modular fashion . in some embodiments , only the most significant binary bit of the most significant binary digit , i . e ., a3 153 , is used to determine if a round - up is required . if a round - up is required , such indication may be transmitted by carry out bus 162 to a controller , not shown , responsible for performing the increment operation . it should be clear to those skilled in the art of digital design that alternate types of rounding and / or alternate threshold values may be used . when considering the conversion of a fractional binary value which contains both a fractional part and a whole ( integer ) part , the integer part may be separated from its fractional part before conversion begins in one embodiment . this is beneficial , since fractional conversion differs from integer conversion , and performing both conversion processes in separate and in parallel saves time . in one embodiment of the present invention , integer and fractional conversion are performed in parallel . after conversion , the integer and fractional values are added together when in residue format . conversion of integer and fractional values in parallel generally improves throughput of real - world conversions . this teaching is disclosed in u . s . patent publication no . 2013 / 0311532 and is not dealt with in any more detail herein . in fig3 , fig4 , and fig5 , an example fractional conversion is illustrated to clarify the apparatus of fig1 and fig2 . in this example , fig3 is derived from fig1 and shows four distinct binary digit processing stages or units , and fig4 is derived from fig2 and shows four distinct rns digit processing stages or units . reference designators from fig1 and fig2 have been preserved in fig3 and fig4 for clarity . in addition , a timing diagram illustrating the various data flows of the example conversion apparatus of fig3 and fig4 is disclosed in fig5 . at the bottom of fig5 , the reader will note the actual numerical values used in the conversion apparatus example . these example values coincide with the example values provided in u . s . patent publication no . 2013 / 0311532 for clarity of disclosure and comparison of the methods . it should be noted that in any specific embodiment of the present invention , the number of digit processing stages of the first plurality of binary digit processing units need not equal the number of digit processing stages of the second plurality of rns digit processing units . moreover , the number of associated fractional modulus contained in modulus shift register 110 of fig1 need not match either the number of binary digit processing units or the number of rns digit processing units . however , in the following example disclosure , all of these numbers equal four by means of example only . in the waveform diagram of fig5 , the flow of data is illustrated through the apparatus of fig3 . when viewing the waveform diagram , each major storage register is denoted under the first column , i . e ., the column labeled “ register ”. for example , the modulus registers m 0 120 thru m 3 123 are listed as the first four registers in the waveform diagram of fig5 in the rows 511 , 512 , 513 , 514 . also shown in the waveform diagram of fig5 is ten columns denoting each clock cycle of the conversion process , labeled cycle 0 thru cycle 8 . when considering a particular storage element , the value stored in that element may change in each successive cycle . therefore , traversing the waveform diagram from left to right indicates the register values for each storage element on a cycle by cycle basis . when viewing the contents of a plurality of registers at any given instant , for example , digit registers a 0 150 thru a 3 153 of fig3 , one may inspect the values in one column of the waveform diagram of row 515 , 517 , 519 , 521 respectively . for example , at cycle 0 , the register values contained in a 0 , a 1 , a 2 and a 3 are all seen to be hex digit value five ( 0x5 ) in fig5 . this corresponds to the loading of the fractional binary value 0x5555 at the start of conversion per the example values provided . moreover , the modulus registers m 0 , m 1 , m 2 and m 3 are seen to be initialized to the value of one at cycle 0 which corresponds to the initialization of all modulus registers with the value of one prior to conversion processing . in fig5 , in row 515 , and moving to the cycle 1 column , the result of the first clock of the conversion process is shown , which illustrates that digit register a 0 has transitioned from the hex value of 0x5 to the hex value 0xa . also shown in the clock 1 column , rows 517 , 519 , 521 show the digit registers a 1 , a 2 and a 3 remain unchanged . in addition to the transitions of modulus registers and digit registers , rows 516 , 518 , 520 illustrate the storage or transmission of carry values from previous digit processing stages of fig3 for each clock cycle . in particular , the value output by digit out bus 161 of fig3 is generated from the last carry output labeled “ digit out ” of fig5 , row 521 , which is connected to the digit crossbar 161 of fig4 . likewise , the value of modulus register m 3 123 of fig3 is shown in fig5 , row 514 , and this value therefore drives the modulus out bus 160 , which is connected to the modulus crossbar 160 of fig4 . also shown in fig5 , rows 522 , 523 , 524 , 525 are the states of the four rns digit registers d 0 , d 1 , d 2 and d 3 respectively . the rns registers are initialized to zero as shown in the cycle 0 column of the waveform diagram of fig5 . at clock cycle 4 , the digit out bus 161 will output a value of zero , and the modulus out bus 160 will output the value of two . therefore , in the next clock cycle , all four rns digit processing units of fig4 will process the two values on each of the crossbar buses . because all rns digit registers are zero , the multiplication result will be zero in each digit processing unit , and the following addition of zero will result in each rns digit register receiving the value of zero . this result is shown in the next cycle , the cycle 5 column of fig5 , rows 522 , 523 , 524 , 525 . during cycle 5 of the waveform diagram , the next digit out bus value will be one and the next modulus out bus value will be three . therefore , in the next cycle , cycle 6 , each rns digit register will multiply its zero value by three ( 3 ), and add a value of one . this results in a value of one stored in each rns digit processing unit d 0 thru d 3 of fig4 . in cycle 6 , the digit out bus will receive the value of four , and the modulus out bus will receive the value of five ( 5 ). therefore in cycle 7 column , the value of one stored in each rns digit processing unit will be multiplied by five and this result will be added to four and stored back into each rns digit register d 0 thru d 3 . taken together , the rns value contained in registers d 0 thru d 3 is the value nine ( 9 ) which is represented by the rns value ( 1 , 0 , 4 , 2 ) using the example modulus of ( 2 , 3 , 5 , 7 ), since each rns digit processing unit is modulo its pair - wise prime modulus . in cycle 7 , the next digit out bus value is shown to be six ( 6 ), and the next modulus out bus value is shown to be seven ( 7 ). again , multiplying nine by seven results in a value of 63 , and adding the value of 6 results in an rns register value of 69 . this result is shown in cycle 8 of fig5 and is represented as the rns value ( 1 , 0 , 4 , 6 ) shown enclosed in the dotted ellipse 500 . in cycle 8 , the modulus register value is one , and therefore , the conversion process is over with the exception of a possible round - up correction . in cycle 8 , the remainder value of the conversion is contained in binary digit registers a 0 thru a 3 , and this value is 0xffba . since this value is greater than half the range of a normalized unit , i . e . 0x8000 , then the final rns value stored in registers d 0 thru d 3 is incremented by one using a modulo add . the modulo increment may be performed by sending a value of one to the modulus crossbar ( which it is be default ), and by sending the true output of the comparator 157 of fig3 , interpreted as the value one , to the digit crossbar via selector unit 280 of fig4 . in other words , selector 280 of fig4 is enabled such that it selects the output of comparator 156 of fig3 , and gates a value of one to the digit crossbar if the comparator output indicates a round up should be performed . if so , the rns value contained in digit registers d 0 thru d 3 is incremented . this is shown in cycle 9 as the rns value ( 0 , 1 , 0 , 0 ) and this value is shown enclosed in the dotted lines 510 of fig5 . as shown in the example values section of fig5 , the resulting rns fractional value is exactly the fractional value of one third , since 70 / 210 is exactly interpreted as the correctly converted value of the approximated one third value represented in a binary fractional format ( 0x5555 / 0x10000 ). this ends the example section of the improved converter of the present invention . there is a need for faster fractional residue multipliers . as disclosed in u . s . patent publication no . 2013 / 0311532 , several embodiments for fractional rns multipliers was disclosed . in one embodiment , the fractional multiplier provided for a single clock per rns digit plus some additional clocks to convert the mixed radix intermediate result back to residue format for continued processing . in this application , several new methods and apparatus providing fractional value rns multiplication are disclosed . specifically , a new method and apparatus is provided which is built upon the apparatus disclosed in u . s . patent publication no . 2013 / 0311532 but further reduces , or eliminates , the clocks required for final conversion of mixed radix back to residue format . this reduces the total number of steps or clocks , and provides for faster operation . second , a still faster method and apparatus for fractional rns multiplication is provided that further reduces the required clocks or steps by performing steps in parallel . this second method provides a tradeoff by requiring increased hardware in return of reduced processing latency . reduced processing latency is required in many applications , in which the result of the multiplication is needed immediately for further processing . both new methods and associated apparatus increase the speed at which a single fractional multiplication can be performed in residue format . both methods therefore reduce the latency of a single multiplication in residue format . we will introduce the first improved method next . in u . s . patent publication no . 2013 / 0311532 , fig1 a , 15b and 15c provide flowcharts for several novel rns fractional value multipliers . in that application , a suitable fractional rns format is devised , and several unique apparatus are disclosed which perform a multiply of two fractional rns values . in fig1 c of that application , an advanced multiplier is disclosed which performs multiplication of signed fractional values . likewise , the present invention discloses a method which performs the operations disclosed in the flowchart 15c , but in a more efficient manner in terms of clock cycles . with respect to the new methods disclosed herein , and referring to fig1 c of u . s . patent publication no . 2013 / 0311532 , the steps of conversion of mixed radix back to residue format 1530a and 1530b is performed in parallel with the process of converting the original product from residue to mixed radix 1525a and 1525b . this is possible , since each mixed radix digit represents a weighted value . the value represented by each mixed radix digit may be converted to a residue value . one may therefore convert each mixed radix digit to a residue value , and add this value to a residue summation of all other converted digits . the final residue summation will be the truncated mixed radix value in residue format , provided the mixed radix digits associated with the fractional digits are discarded , i . e ., not added to the residue summation . therefore , using a new and unique apparatus of the present invention , during the conversion cycle of a mixed radix digit , its value may be converted and summed in residue format in the same or next clock cycle . the unique new rns fractional multiplier of the present invention can process the operation in p clocks for a p digit fractional format . this p digit format includes all extended digits required to contain the extended , or non - normalized , fractional value . one unique and preferred embodiment for a scalar residue multiplier is shown in fig6 a . it is noted that a scalar multiplier is specifically not a pipelined multiplier unit . a fully pipelined variation of the new multiplier is also a claimed invention , but its design details are not disclosed in this application ; however , such a variation should be evident to those skilled in the art of digital design . the new rns multiplication starts with a non - normalized product , denoted as block 600 in fig6 a . this is similar to fig1 c of u . s . patent publication no . 2013 / 0311532 , whereas the multiplication starts with an rns integer multiply of two fractional value operands ( i . e ., treating both fractional value operands as integers and multiplying both operands using an rns integer multiply ). the resulting product is loaded into register 600 , in rns format , upon start of the fractional multiply . in this disclosure , such a product value is commonly called an intermediate product ( ip ), and may also be referred to or described as a non - normalized product . additionally , other non - normalized intermediate products , such as a fractional product sum , may be a suitable starting value at register 600 . valid sign flags or sign extended operands are not needed for either or both operands at start ; instead , the new multiplier will produce a result that is signed and flagged as sign valid . in other words , the new multiplier produces a fully sign extended , normalized result regardless of whether the operands themselves have been sign extended . this is accomplished using two values computed in parallel , i . e ., the original intermediate product value and the complement of the original intermediate product value . this complement operation is performed on the non - normalized product 600 by complement unit 602 . the complement is therefore loaded for processing into the residue to mixed radix converter 620 . the original ( non - normalized ) value 600 is loaded directly into its own residue to mixed radix converter 610 . one may view the residue multiplier of fig6 a as computing two answers . of the two possible results , the result having the smallest magnitude is always the correctly processed value . if the smallest result is derived from the complemented intermediate product 602 , the final result is known to be negative , and therefore the correctly processed result must be complemented again as a final step using complement unit 650 . the residue to mixed radix conversion was described in detail in u . s . patent publication no . 2013 / 0311532 , to which novel advancements to its digit unit design are disclosed herein . in particular , the present disclosure highlights a solution for digit alu logic which does not require excessively large look up tables ( lut ). in this embodiment , lut size does not dramatically increase as digit width is increased . a residue to mixed radix converter which may utilize the described residue digit processing units will follow next , however , it should be clear that many other solutions to digit logic exist including lut based solutions . these other solutions do not minimize the novel method of the fractional multipliers of the new inventions described herein . to better explain the residue based fractional multipliers of the present invention , we will first review the required residue digit logic , otherwise known herein as the residue digit processing unit . residue digit logic is the logic used to employ the basic modulo digit operations required within a residue alu , such as the residue alu disclosed in u . s . patent publication no . 2013 / 0311532 . the residue digit logic apparatus and their associated operations are also used in the design of residue alu sub - units , such as multipliers , adders , and converters . in a residue alu , most digit operations are modular arithmetic . in at least one embodiment , each digit has its own modulus p pre - assigned . when adding two arbitrary numbers , digits of the same modulus are added and a mod function modulo p is applied to the result . ( the mod function is commonly denoted as % in c programming language .) if only legal values of a residue digit are added between two arbitrary values , then a basic ì single rangeî residue digit adder will suffice . in this context , a legal digit value includes zero and any positive value up to , but not including , the pre - assigned modulus p . the single range modulo adder is composed of a conventional binary adder , a comparator and a subtract unit to implement the modular add function . this type of circuit is conventional to those skilled in the art , and is shown in fig7 . in fig7 , residue digit values , a and b , are summed using a binary add unit 700 . the result of the binary add is then transferred to one input of a binary subtract unit 710 , and also the result is transferred to one input of a binary comparator 730 . the circuit is so configured that if the result of binary addition 700 is less than the digit modulus p , the modulus p designated as m in fig7 , the result is sent directly as a result through bus selector 720 since the output of comparator 730 is true , or 1 . if the output of comparator 730 is false , or 0 , then the result of the add unit 700 is greater than or equal to the modulus m , so the bus selector selects the output of the subtract unit 710 , which decreases the binary sum by the amount of the modulus m . the correct modular sum result appears on output r of bus selector 720 in either case . the digit function is general , since it may take on any value of modulus , m = p . the operation of single range modulo subtract unit is very similar to that of modulo addition , and is also conventionally known to those skilled in the art . in the most basic case , simplification results from the fact that a single range subtraction is bounded to less than twice the digit range . in this case , a single subtract unit , a single add unit and a single comparator can be used . in fig8 , a novel yet minor improvement uses borrow signal 830 from a binary subtract unit 800 to replace the comparator of fig7 . if the result of the subtract unit 800 is positive , borrow signal 830 is false , and bus selector 820 passes the subtract unit 800 result directly to result r . otherwise , if the borrow signal is asserted , the binary subtract unit 800 result is negative , and so the value of the modulus m is summed to the result using add unit 810 . bus selector 820 passes the output of add unit 810 since the borrow signal 830 is true . again , in either case , the correct modular digit subtract result appears as a result . the same logic reduction used to implement the modular digit subtract unit of fig8 can be adapted to a single range modulo digit add unit of fig7 by introducing a borrow signal that steers the correct value to the output . this is shown in fig9 where a single range modular digit add unit 900 is depicted . in particular , the modular digit add unit 900 of fig9 also supports a registered result 930 whose output 940 is fed back to one of the operand inputs of the modular add unit 900 . this modification to the modular add unit 900 is termed a modular digit add and accumulate unit . residue digit functions such as add and subtract are more complex if the range of the digit operands exceed the legal digit range . this can occur if the digit processing unit must accept an operand from another digit modulus , for example . in this case , the relative value of digit modulus with respect to each other is an important design parameter for the residue alu . for example , if no modulus is more than twice as large as any other modulus , then digit subtract circuits may be designed to handle this extended digit range of input operands . on the other hand , if the plurality of modulus p of an alu varies widely , say by a factor of 4 or 5 times , then more complex circuits are needed . fig1 shows a digit adder circuit which supports a larger range . the operation of the extended range add or subtract unit is not discussed in detail and should be obvious to those skilled in the art . residue digit multiplication is another important requirement of the residue alu . residue digit multiplication is again modular , and since the product of a normal binary multiplier produces a range far in excess of the modulus m = p , a means for applying a mod p function (% p ) across this range is required . in many cases , a lut memory is used . if a lut memory is used in a brute force fashion , very large memories are required if the digit modulus is large , since up to m * m table entries may be needed . therefore , there is a need to reduce the size of lut memory for implementing modular digit functions such as digit multiplication . fig1 shows a novel implementation of a residue digit multiplier which significantly reduces the amount of lut memory needed . the multiplier unit uses a conventional binary multiplier 1100 to multiply two n - bit operands a and b . the n - bit operand width should be wide enough to accept the range of the modulus values required , which may include digit values from other digit modulus outside the legal range of the digit modulus m = p . the product output of multiplier 1100 is 2 * n bits wide . the low order n bits of the product output 1102 are routed to lut 1112 , and the high order n bits of the product result 1104 are routed to lut 1110 . in the embodiment of fig1 , low order lut 1112 is programmed using the following formula : data [ lut_adr ]= lut_adr % m . high order lut 1110 is programmed using : data [ lut_adr ]=( lut_adr * 2 n ) % m . the effect of the lut 1112 and lut 1110 is to provide two unsigned integers whose sum mod m is the correct modular multiplication result r . each lut output is bounded by modulus m , so the sum of each output may not exceed the modulus m by two times ; therefore , the basic modular digit adder of fig7 may be used to provide the correct result . similar to fig7 is the solution in fig1 , which shows a binary adder 1120 , comparator 1130 , subtract unit 1140 and bus selector 1150 configured to provide the modular addition of the results of each lut 1110 and 1112 . the result r appears at the output of bus selector 1150 . another important modular digit operation is inverse multiplication , also referred to as moddiv in u . s . patent publication no . 2013 / 0311532 . as disclosed in that application , this operation may be implemented in a brute force manner using a lut memory . however , this application also discloses a unique and novel method for implementing a smaller lut which encodes a multiplicative inverse of a given modulus p 0 with respect to another digit modulus p 1 . a lut table therefore includes n − 1 number of multiplicative inverses for the given p , which provides a means to process a multiplicative inverse digit operation with respect to any other given digit modulus for an alu having n distinct pair - wise prime digit modulus . for inverse modular digit multiplication of the present invention , the primary requirement is that for every digit modulus , a multiplicative inverse exists for each of the other supported digit modulus . a digit modulus does not require an inverse for itself , since this digit is undefined after digit division by its own modulus . in fig1 , the modular digit multiplier of fig1 is shown with the addition of lut 1200 . the lut 1200 contains the multiplicative inverse of the given digit modulus p with respect each other digit modulus of the alu or alu unit . the input 1205 to the look - up table ( lut ) 1200 is labeled ì div_modî , which is an index to the specific multiplicative inverse ( of p ) associated with , and with respect to , the indexed modulus . the output of lut 1200 , i . e ., the multiplicative inverse ofp with respect to the selected modulus , “ div_mod ”, is then multiplied by a digit value input via bus 1210 using multiplier 1100 . the remainder the modular multiply apparatus remains identical to the modular digit multiplier of fig1 . for example , a residue alu having 32 pair - wise prime digit modulus may support a 32 entry lut 1200 to store 31 multiplicative inverses , each inverse associated with each of the other 31 modulus . therefore , inverse modular multiplication can be used for dividing a residue value by any of the alu digit modulus , by first ensuring the overall residue value is evenly divisible by the selected modulus , then by multiplying each digit of the alu by its multiplicative inverse of the selected modulus specified by the “ div_mod ” index input 1205 . in one preferred embodiment , each lut 1205 for each inverse digit multiplier will be organized such that the div_mod input 1205 is common to all inverse digit multiplier processing units . in fig6 a , residue to mixed radix conversion unit 610 uses successive digit modulus divide operations to reduce the residue value into a series of mixed radix digits . this conversion process is well known , and is described in tanaka as well as u . s . patent publication no . 2013 / 0311532 . before dividing a residue value by a particular modulus , the digit value at the particular modulus is subtracted from the entire residue value ( the entire residue value is all residue digits interpreted as a single residue value ). the subtracted digit is also a mixed radix digit that is output using data path 612 and data path 622 in fig6 a . once a residue value is divided by a modulus value , the particular modulus is defined as skipped , or ignored . ( in fact , the specific digit modulus is undefined until a base extension is performed .) in conversion of non - zero residue value to mixed radix , one or more digit modulus divides is performed on the residue value until it is reduced to zero . before dividing a residue value by a specific digit modulus , the digit at that specific modulus becomes a mixed radix digit . all mixed radix digits generated complete an equivalent mixed radix number . the mixed radix number format is unique to a given sequence of digit modulus divides . digit divides are performed using a subtract , then a multiply of the residue value by the inverse of the modulus divisor . the residue to mixed radix conversion units 610 , 620 of fig6 a may support p number of digits , by means of example and as shown in further detail using fig1 . the residue to mixed radix converter apparatus of fig1 is similar to that disclosed in u . s . patent publication no . 2013 / 0311532 . control logic and circuitry is not shown for simplicity . a plurality of residue digit latches 1300 store an initial starting residue value having p number of residue digits . this starting value is loaded into the converter through a plurality of bus selectors , such as bus selectors 1355 , 1356 & amp ; 1357 as shown in fig1 . the bus selectors send the initial residue value through p number of digit subtract units , such as digit subtract unit 1330 , 1331 , 1332 & amp ; 1333 . these digit subtract units may have circuitry similar to fig8 in some embodiments , where each subtract unit contains a unique modulus value m . in some embodiments , an initial subtract operation by the value of the first digit processed is performed during the load operation . for example , in the apparatus of fig1 , the first digit sends its value onto the digit subtract crossbar 1370 through tri - state buffer 1320 upon loading the initial start value . each digit subtraction unit therefore applies the same digit value as a subtrahend operand via common crossbar 1070 . the result of subtracting the digit value from the load value is then sent to the inverse multiplier unit for each digit processing unit 1310 . the inverse multiplier unit , taken as a whole , is shown as a plurality of digit function blocks , such as function blocks 1340 , 1341 , 1342 , & amp ; 1343 depicted in fig1 . a typical inverse multiplier function block 1341 has a circuit similar to that of fig1 in some embodiments . the inverse multiplier also supports a zero / skip output , which goes true if the digit is zero , or if the digit is marked skipped . the plurality of zero / skip outputs may be logically combined using and gate 1381 in a basic embodiment . the output of and gate 1380 provides a ì doneî output 1381 which is routed back to the controller not shown . in many embodiments , the first inverse multiply function block 1340 is not included , since the first digit need not be divided by itself , and is undefined after subtraction at initial load . in the initial load cycle , the inverse multiplier of each digit processing unit , such as digit processing unit 1310 , multiplies the input digit by 1 , thereby loading the initial residue value subtracted by the first digit into the converter inverse multiplier 1315 which typically supports a registered store for each product result . after the initial load cycle , on each successive clock , the counter 1375 indexes each digit lut 1200 of fig1 , each digit lut 1200 producing a multiplicative inverse for the selected modulus . on each clock , the inverse multiplier 1315 divides the residue value by the selected modulus . the resulting product value is generally stored and made available to the subtract units for the next conversion cycle using a digit feedback path , such as feedback path 1351 and selector 1355 . after a value has been divided by a selected modulus , the associated digit of the specified divisor modulus is no longer valid , and is marked as skipped . a control unit , not shown , selects each digit and associated modulus in succession for subtraction and then subsequent division , in coordination with the modulus counter 1375 which indexes the divisor modulus . when the remaining residue value , which exists in the non - skipped digits , goes to zero , the conversion terminates . the conversion may also terminate when all digits are processed , i . e ., skipped . the residue digit subtracted may be output via digit crossbar 1370 in some embodiments . therefore , digit crossbar 1370 outputs a mixed radix digit on each cycle of conversion . this crossbar output is shown on converter unit 610 and 620 as output bus 612 and 622 respectively in fig6 a . the zero flag is also shown coming from each converter unit 610 and 620 of fig3 . the zero flag is made available to control logic to determine end of conversion . if a value during mixed radix conversion terminates before its complement , that values data path is used as the final output of bus selector 655 of fig6 a . otherwise , a comparator state embedded in control unit 615 , representing the comparison of the initial non - normalized value 600 and its complement 602 , is used to determine which value is less in absolute magnitude . fig6 a illustrates a control block 615 providing a detection of both sign and round - up of the final result through the use of a successive digit comparison mechanism not shown . all digit comparison is performed least significant digit first due to the nature of mixed radix conversion . the residue multiplier of fig6 a illustrates the function of the mixed radix conversion unit 610 . the output of residue to mixed radix conversion unit 610 is connected to a special power term multiplier unit 630 . the power term multiplier 630 takes a mixed radix digit output from the converter 610 , and multiplies the digit by its associated power , and then sums the resulting product to a running product summation contained in multiplier unit 630 . these calculations are performed in residue format . the source of the ì baseî power terms is provided by a power terms source units 605 , 625 . the power term units 605 , 625 may be the same in some embodiments . in one embodiment , the power term source 605 may consist of values pre - stored in a lut or fifo , or the power terms source 605 may be generated in real time by a residue arithmetic circuit , or other source which can provide the associated mixed radix digit power value in residue format . the p digit power term multiplier 630 of fig6 a is shown in more detail in fig1 . fig1 also includes a power terms source 605 , which sources a power term value to the power term multiplier 630 of fig6 a on each multiply cycle . in fig1 , a power term constant , such as power term constant 1440 , is stored in a plurality of residue digit storage registers , such as storage registers 1406 , 1407 , 1408 , 1409 , is routed to one input of a residue multiplier consisting of a plurality of modular digit multipliers , such as digit multipliers 1410 , 1411 , 1412 , 1413 . the other input to the multiplier is sourced from the mixed radix digit value input via input 1140 which feeds the mixed radix digit crossbar 1145 . this input is the connected to the mixed radix digit output 1370 of fig1 . therefore , on each clock cycle , an associated power term constant is multiplied by its respective mixed radix digit , thereby creating a weighted value output from the digit multipliers . the power term constants 605 may be pre - stored using a lut memory , or a fifo shift memory , for example ; alternatively , an arithmetic circuit may sequentially generate the required power term constants using a smaller table of stored modulus values . generating modulus values using an arithmetic circuit has the added flexibility of producing power term constants with arbitrarily skipped modulus . this approach allows the multiply unit of fig6 a to normalize products with skipped digits , or to multiply operands with arbitrary or dynamically selected digit modulus . the product of the mixed radix digit and its respective power term constant is then summed by a residue adder and accumulator register 1430 , shown as a plurality of digit add and accumulate units 1420 , 1421 , 1422 , 1423 in fig1 . the digit add unit 1430 includes an accumulator function which state may be cleared prior to mixed radix conversion ; fig9 shows a more detailed diagram of a modular digit add and accumulator unit , such as add and accumulate unit 1420 of fig1 . at startup , the digit adder 1420 may clear its accumulator register 930 as shown in fig9 , and will therefore sum the first weighted value generated by the digit multiply units with zero . this effectively loads the first weighted digit product term into the accumulator for the next add cycle . in the next and following cycles , each weighted product term generated will be summed to the running total contained in the accumulator 1430 . this process continues for all digits in parallel until the conversion is complete . any suitable modular add and accumulate circuitry may be used , including luts . the modular add circuitry of fig9 uses conventional binary adder 905 and binary subtract 910 and a bus selector 920 which steers the correct value based on the state of the borrow out signal 912 of the subtract unit 910 as explained previously . after the mixed radix conversion is complete , and the last mixed radix digit is multiplied by its power term ( weight ) and summed within the residue add and accumulate unit 1430 , a resulting sum of products value is contained in the digit accumulator registers 1420 , 1421 , 1422 , 1423 . for the proper operation of the fractional multiplier of fig6 a , the sum of products representing the converted final result does not include any direct contribution from mixed radix digits associated with the fractional range . for example , fractional digits are the first f number of digits converted to mixed radix in one embodiment . these digits are not directly processed by the digit multiplier 630 , and thus , their weighted value has no direct contribution to the summation ( re - converted result ). however , it should be noted that the fractional digits are included in the mixed radix conversion process . in fact , it is important that during conversion of the intermediate product 600 and the complement of the intermediate product 602 , that the digit modulus associated with the fractional residue digits are converted first . this provides the needed division by the fractional rage , which is associated to the product of all fractional digit modulus . in fig6 a , a suitable controller , not shown , contains the code and control flow to ensure that the first f digits converted by the mixed radix converter 610 are not processed by the digit multiplier 630 . therefore , in some embodiments , power term constants ( weights ) for each of the digits associated to the fractional range , such as constant 1440 of fig1 , are not stored in the power terms source unit 605 . further concepts relating to the matter of skipping , and / or truncating mixed radix digits associated with the fractional range are disclosed in more detail in u . s . patent publication no . 2013 / 0311532 . the power term multiplier 630 outputs the summation result to the round - up unit 635 in fig6 a . the round - up unit 635 may exist as a separate unit as shown , or may be combined into the power term multiplier unit 630 . ( for example , during the initial clearing cycle , the accumulator may be set to one if rounding is required .) for this example , a separate round - up unit is shown separately in fig6 a . the round up unit 635 consists of a plurality of modular digit adders , with one adder input tied to a selector which may select either one or zero . the other adder input is the summation value input from the power term multiplier 630 . typically , if rounding up is required , a single unit value is added to the final summation output of the residue add and accumulate unit 630 , otherwise , a value of zero is added and the result is output . therefore , while the first f ( fractional ) digits do not directly affect the product summation , it may affect whether a round - up correction is made . during mixed radix conversion by residue to mixed radix unit 610 , mixed radix digits are sent to the sign and round up detect unit 615 as shown in fig6 a . this unit is capable of comparing , digit by digit , whether the mixed radix value represented by the first f digits is greater than or equal to a pre - determined round - up threshold amount , i . e ., such as 50 % of the fractional range magnitude . if the final converted value requires rounding , a signal is sent from the round up detect unit 615 to the round up unit 635 to perform a round up on the summation value . if not , the round - up unit 635 outputs the input value unaltered . the value is then routed to bus selector unit 655 of fig6 a . bus selector 655 will route the value to the final answer output 660 if the starting value 600 is positive , and hence smaller in magnitude than its complement value processed by mixed radix converter 620 . the final fractional multiplier result 660 is therefore a normalized positive fractional final product value . as seen in fig6 a , the mixed radix converter 620 accepts the complement of the starting value 600 using complement unit 602 . in one embodiment , the mixed radix converter 610 executes in tandem with the mixed radix converter 620 . both converters generate a mixed radix digit of the same significance ( digit position ) on each clock cycle . since the values processed are complements , one value is larger than the other in magnitude . the sign and round up detect circuit 615 may detect which value converted is the smaller value in magnitude . if the smaller value is the complemented value 602 , this means the starting intermediate product was negative , and the value processed by converter 620 is therefore used . as before , converter 620 sends mixed radix digits to a power term multiplier unit 640 , which multiplies the mixed radix digit value by its power term constant , or weight . the power term constants are stored in a power terms source 625 . each non - fractional digit processed adds another product sum to a running summation contained in the mixed radix digit , power term multiplier unit 640 as discussed previously . after reconversion of the value back to residue format by the power term multiplier and accumulator 640 , the output may be rounded up by round up unit 645 . unlike before , the value is then complemented by complement unit 650 , since the value processed is positive , and therefore must be re - converted to a negative quantity for a final result . during this time , regardless of the data path chosen , the sign flags , not shown , may be updated to reflect the proper sign , and the sign valid flags set true . sign flags and sign valid flags are discussed in u . s . patent publication no . 2013 / 0311532 . the sign and round - up detect unit 615 determines if the original value or its complement is smaller in magnitude ; it performs this comparison least significant digit first during conversion to mixed radix format . the sign and round - up detect unit 615 compares each mixed radix digit , digit by digit , during the synchronized conversion process . if a value under conversion terminates before another , that value is deemed smaller in magnitude . also , if both converters terminate in the same cycle , the sign detect unit 615 can determine , based on the value of digits compared , which value is smaller in magnitude . once detected , the sign detect unit 615 sends a signal to the select input of the bus selector 655 . in this embodiment , the fractional multiplier of fig6 a routes the correct answer to the output 660 , and furthermore , generates a valid sign flag for the resultant value . in one embodiment , the residue to mixed radix conversion units 610 , 620 processes digit modulus from smallest to largest . this allows that every digit function unit only process digits within their specific legal range . for example , during subtraction of the digit value of the first modulus , its range is smaller than all other digit modulus ; during subsequent processing of each successive digit , the same holds true . therefore , the digit subtract unit of each digit processing unit of the residue to mixed radix converter , such as digit processing unit 1310 of fig1 , need only support a single range modular subtract unit 1333 , using circuitry similar to that shown in fig8 . to illustrate one of the many variations of the fractional multiply method of the present invention , fig6 b is presented . in fig6 b , the identical apparatus as fig6 a is shown with several minor modifications . in fig6 a , two identical power terms sources 605 , 625 are illustrated . in fig6 b , the power terms source 625 b associated with the processing of the complement of the intermediate product 602 is modified to store a plurality of negative power terms , or pre - complemented power terms . the power terms source 605 b of fig6 b contains the original positive power terms , while the power terms source 625 b contains the complement of the original power terms , which is also referred to as negative power terms source 625 b . lastly , the round - up unit 645 b is actually a decrement operation , since adding a negative one is subtracting by one . therefore , during the processing of the complement of the intermediate product 602 , the mixed radix digit , power term multiplier 640 multiplies a positive mixed radix digit with a negative power term value . this arrangement provides an apparatus where the mixed radix digit , power term multiplier 640 sums only negative weighted digit values . therefore , the final resulting product sum of the power term multiplier 640 is already complemented , and there is no need for an extra complement step , such as complement step 650 of fig6 a . this arrangement saves a complement unit and a single clock cycle for the processing of negative fractional products . it also helps to make the fractional multiplier of fig6 b symmetrical in terms of timing regardless of the sign of the final fractional product result . the following section presents a detailed operation of the fractional residue multiplier of the present invention by means of example . in this example , the same fractional problem presented in u . s . patent publication no . 2013 / 0311532 , fig1 g , is presented for means of clear comparison , and this fig1 g is re - labeled fig1 in the present disclosure . in the present example , the sample fractional value calculation is summarized within the dotted rectangle 1551 of fig1 . of particular significance is the disclosure of the fractional format used in the present example , which may be deduced by examination of fig1 . in particular , the fractional format uses 18 distinct prime modulus , starting with the modulus m = 2 , and including every prime modulus up to modulus m = 61 . the specific fractional range 1801 of the fractional representation of the present example is disclosed in fig1 , and is based on the first seven primes , starting with m 0 = 2 and ending with m 6 = 17 inclusive . a whole number range , or integer range 1802 , is formed using the next four primes , m 7 = 19 thru m 10 = 31 , and an extended range 1803 is formed using the remainder of the modulus m 11 = 37 thru m 17 = 61 . a thorough description of the fractional format used in the present invention can be found in u . s . patent publication no . 2013 / 0311532 . in fig1 , a control unit flow diagram is provided to illustrate the processing steps taken by the fractional multiplier of the present invention . the control flow will emphasize the apparatus of fig6 a over that of fig6 b for means of clarity . as mentioned earlier , the present invention does not disclose details of the control circuitry required to operate and sequence the apparatus of fig6 a , however , such control circuitry is well known to those skilled in the art . however , the flow diagram of fig1 is also used to help describe the operation of the fractional multiplier of the present fractional multiply example which follows . fig1 is provided to clarify the contents and formation of power terms contained within the power terms sources 605 , 625 of fig6 a . additionally , the pictorial table of fig1 helps clarify various associations of the structure and operation of the power terms source with respect to the operation of the fractional multiplier of the present invention and example . in the present example , the power terms sources 605 , 625 are assumed to implemented using a memory lut . fig1 and fig1 are provided to illustrate the intermediate residue values of the example fractional multiply calculation in a digit by digit fashion . associated with the residue intermediate values in fig1 and fig1 are the specific control steps of the flow control sequence of fig1 . the example provided will focus on the multiplication of two positive fractional values in rns fractional format . multiplication of negative values use the opposite data path of fig6 a , and is similar to the flow described for positive results with the exception of two complement units 602 , 650 . starting with the flow diagram of fig1 and the multiplier apparatus of fig6 a , the intermediate product ( ip ) is loaded into the mixed radix converter 610 in control step 1601 . this step is also shown in fig1 , row 1808 which shows the actual starting intermediate product residue value . it should be noted that the intermediate product is the integer product of the two fractional operands a and b which is shown in fig1 . this initial integer multiply operation is typically considered part of the fractional multiply method , but has been left out of the control flow diagram of fig1 . in this case , fig1 may be more concisely described as a normalization flow control sequence , which is a more general procedure , and may be used to process an intermediate product sum value , for example . in this example , operand a is the value 8 . 0625 as is shown in row 1556 of fig1 , and operand b is the value 3 . 25 as shown in row 1557 of fig1 . the integer product of these operands is shown in row 1558 of fig1 , and is also repeated in fig1 , row 1808 . note that the digit modulus are shown in opposite order in fig1 versus fig1 . in control step 1602 of fig1 , additional initialization takes place ; the modulus index , [ i ], is cleared , and the accumulator section of each mixed radix digit , power term multiplier 630 , 640 of fig6 a is cleared . also , the rounding comparator initial state flag “ cflag ” is assigned as ‘ equal ’ initially . note that in the example given , certain conventions are made . in particular , the modulus associated with the fractional residue digits , m 0 thru m 6 , and hence the fractional range , r f , are the first modulus to be divided out by the residue to mixed radix converters 610 , 620 . therefore , the modulus associated with the fractional digits are numbered with the index [ i ] starting with zero . in the next control step 1603 of fig1 , a determination is made to whether either mixed radix converter contains a zero value . if not , the flow control proceeds to step 1604 which conveys the fact that the indexed modulus digit is stored , or at least transmitted to the mixed radix digit , power term multiplier 630 of fig6 a . this digit is in effect the generated mixed radix digit , d [ i ], output via bus 612 , 622 of fig6 a . in the next control step 1606 , the generated digit d [ i ] is subtracted from the entire rns word contained in the residue to mixed radix converter 610 , 622 of fig6 a . also , the entire residue value is also divided by the indexed modulus m [ i ]; this is performed using a multiply by the multiplicative inverse of the indexed modulus in one embodiment , as discussed earlier using the apparatus of fig1 having a plurality of digit processing units similar to fig1 . next , in control step 1606 of fig1 , a comparison or check is made to determine if the index is within the fractional digit range , and if so , flow control proceeds to control step 1609 , where the generated digit d [ i ] is compared against a rounding constant in mixed radix format . if the comparison is not equal , the state of the cflag is updated to reflect the result of the digit comparison . proceeding forward to control step 1611 , the index [ i ] is incremented to anticipate the access and processing of the next modulus and digit position of the residue number under decomposition within the residue to mixed radix converter 610 , 620 of fig6 a . these aforementioned steps produce a new residue value in the residue to mixed radix converter , and this resulting value is shown in fig1 , row 1809 by means of our example . note that in fig1 , row 1809 , the m 0 modulus digit position is shown with an asterisk , since the first modulus m 0 and its associated digit is now undefined , hence it is skipped as is shown in control step 1612 of fig1 . the process above is quite fast , and may be accomplished in one or two clock cycles in many embodiments . the above process is repeated for each and every modulus associated with the fractional range unless the residue value terminates in a zero value before that time . if so , unless the converted value is originally zero , or greater than the rounding constant , the final result will be an underflow . this type of result may generate an exception , or error , and is not shown in the control sequence of fig1 for sake of clarity . in our example problem , the afore - mentioned process forms a loop , which is repeated for each additional fractional modulus m 1 thru m 6 of our example . in our example , this is illustrated in fig1 , rows 1810 thru 1815 . when all residue digits associated with the fractional range have been converted , and assuming the remaining non - skipped residue digits under decomposition are not all equal to zero , control is passed to control step 1603 , 1604 , 1605 of fig1 , and then on to control step 1607 . this sequence of steps begins the conversion of residue digits not associated to the fractional range 1801 of fig1 . in control step 1607 , the generated mixed radix digit d [ i ] is not associated with the fractional range , and is therefore sent to the mixed radix digit , power term multiplier 630 , 640 of fig6 a via data paths 612 , 622 respectively . in the next control step 1608 , the generated mixed radix digit d [ i ] is multiplied by its respective power term , or digit weight . for the very first non - fractional digit , this weight is equal to the value one , as shown in fig1 , row 1711 . the product of the digit and the value one is of course the value of the digit itself , and this product is summed to the value contained in the add and accumulate unit 1430 of fig1 , which was cleared in control step 1602 of fig1 . in fig1 , control is again passed to control step 1611 and control step 1612 to increment the modulus index , and to skip the digit just processed . this process flow forms a loop which results in a residue value stored in the accumulator section 1430 of the mixed radix digit , power term multiplier of fig1 . note that the proper power term is always indexed within the power term source 1440 in this process . this index may be the same index [ i ] in some embodiments . the above process forms a control loop which processes the first non - fractional residue digit d [ 7 ] in our example , and the relevant values generated during this process are shown in fig1 , rows 1816 thru 1819 . the control loop for non - fractional digits repeats until one of the residue values contained in either mixed radix converter unit 610 , 620 goes to zero . in our example , there are four additional digits generated that are processed using the same control loop procedure , except with different power term values as shown in fig1 , rows 1903 thru 1918 . at the end of the last non - fractional digit processing loop , the accumulator of the mixed radix digit , power term multiplier 630 contains the value 13376953 as shown fig1 , row 1919 . because our example uses positive values , the intermediate product associated with the product of our two initial operands a and b terminates before its complement , hence the comparison of the two decomposing ip values causes the control apparatus 615 of fig6 a to choose the upper data paths of the multiplier apparatus of fig6 a . furthermore , during the comparison of the fractionally associated mixed radix digits to the rounding constant c [ i ] of column 1806 of fig1 , the last generated fractional digit d [ 6 ] is greater than the rounding constant digit c [ 6 ], so the cflag of control step 1609 of fig1 is set to “ greater than ” (& gt ;) in fig1 , row 1815 , and this specifies that a round up is required ; this fact is determined in control step 1613 of fig1 . it should be noted that the cflag of the comparison step 1609 may be generated not by a direct compare of two digits d [ i ] and c [ i ], but may be set by an early termination of one intermediate residue product over the other . in other words , if a residue value under decomposition by a residue to mixed radix converter 610 , 620 of fig6 a terminates before the other , i . e ., its residue value goes to zero one or more digit positions earlier , then that value is deemed less in magnitude than the other . this slight complication is not specifically noted in the control flow of fig1 , yet this condition may be a common occurrence . in fig1 , row 1918 , the accumulator of the mixed radix digit , power term multiplier 630 is sent to the round - up unit 635 in fig6 a . because the cflag is set “ greater than ” as noted above , the recomposed residue value from the accumulator section is incremented by one , thereby constituting a round up operation . in fig1 , row 1919 , the final value is interpreted to be exactly the same result as that obtained in fig1 using the method of mixed radix digit truncation of u . s . patent publication no . 2013 / 0311532 , and re - printed as fig1 . in summary , the example demonstrates the improved fractional multiply method of the present invention , which essentially starts the residue re - composition process in parallel to the residue decomposition process , and this saves additional clock cycles in many embodiments . the second claimed fractional residue multiplier achieves lower latency at the cost of additional parallel processing . the new method follows a different algorithm for fractional residue multiply then the previous disclosure . we will explain the basic algorithm first ; next , we will show how the algorithm is applied to residue fractions and processed by the disclosed apparatus . if we consider the multiplication of two fractional numbers , we can write the operation as : in equation 1 , each fractional number is represented by a whole part , w , and a fractional part , f . we can also write a fractional value as the sum of its whole part and its fractional part : w 1 . f r =( w 1 + f 1 )( w 2 + f 2 )= w 1 w 2 + w 1 f 2 + w 2 f 1 + f 1 f 2 ( eq . 2 ) from equation 2 , we have an integer operation , w 1 w 2 , which in residue executes in two clocks including scaling by the fractional range . two terms , w 1 f 2 & amp ; w 2 f 1 , which is a fraction multiplied by an integer , executes in a single clock cycle in residue format . the last term , f 1 f 2 , is the most problematic , as it represents a fraction times a fraction . one feature of the new multiplier is how this last term is processed in parallel to the process of separating the whole and fractional parts of each operand , w 1 . f 1 & amp ; w 2 . f 2 . one motivation of the new method is to trade a fractional operation for several integer operations , which are faster in residue format . in terms of processing equation 2 in residue format , it is clear the separation of the whole and fractional portions of a fractional value is an important operation . in one embodiment , mixed radix conversion is used to perform such separation . furthermore , base extension is an issue that must be dealt with . fig2 discloses a novel apparatus for separating a fractional residue number into its constituent fractional and whole parts . the fractional residue format for the example apparatus of fig2 was introduced in u . s . patent publication no . 2013 / 0311532 and is not repeated here . in fig2 , a mixed radix converter unit 2010 , which in one embodiment is similar to the apparatus of fig1 , generates a mixed radix digit on each cycle . a power term multiplier and accumulator unit 2020 , which in one embodiment is similar to the apparatus of fig1 , receives the mixed radix digit and multiplies by its associated power term 2015 , resulting in a weighted digit value . the power term multiplier and accumulator unit 2020 also includes an accumulator , which provides a means to provide a running accumulation of weighted digit values . the mixed radix converter 2010 starts with the fractional residue digits first ; after converting all fractional digits , a fractional range is converted . during the fractional range conversion , the weighted value of each digit output 2012 is summed by the power term multiply and accumulate unit 2020 . immediately after all fractional digits are converted by the mixed radix converter 2010 , the power terms accumulator 2020 value is latched into the fractional portion latch 2025 . next , the power term accumulator is cleared and the mixed radix conversion continues , only now the power terms accumulator is summing weighted digits associated with the whole , or integer , range . when mixed radix conversion terminates , the residue value contained in the power term multiply and accumulator 2020 is latched into the integer portion latch 2030 . as shown in fig2 , the apparatus for separating a fractional residue number into its fractional and whole parts includes a power terms constants source 2015 . fig2 provides more detail of the power terms constants 2015 source by means of example . as shown , the power terms constants 2015 source of fig2 illustrates an example structure which differs from the power terms source of fig1 in that power terms for both the fractional range , and the whole integer range are provided . in fig1 , only power terms for the whole range is supported , since the multiplier of the previous apparatus does not accumulate weighted digits of the fractional range by design . in the current fractional residue multiplier apparatus of fig2 , power term constants are provided for both the fractional range , and the whole integer range of a residue fraction . the power term constants may be implemented as a memory look up table ( lut ), or may be constructed using arithmetic circuits , not disclosed herein , which may dynamically calculate the required power terms constants depending on the fixed point position of a variable point position residue fraction . variable point position residue fractions , also known as sliding point residue fractions , is disclosed in u . s . patent publication no . 2013 / 0311532 and is not repeated here . in one embodiment , the total number of clocks required for the fractional residue value separation operation is the same as the total number of fractional and whole digits of a single operand . this is advantageous , since the number of clocks required to process the intermediate product of two residue fractional operands , i . e . in terms of converted mixed radix digits , may be double . once the terms of equation 2 can be produced , it takes several additional clocks to scale and sum the integer and fractional portions , so in some cases , the algorithm of the present multiplier may multiply in less clock latency than the previous multiplier of the present invention . if a residue format supports both a large fractional and whole range , this new multiplier can reduce clock latency significantly . in fact , in terms of multipliers operating in a digit by digit fashion , this new apparatus may be one of the fastest procedures and methods known to date . in order to reduce latency , the last fractional term f 1 f 2 of equation ( 2 ) must be processed quickly . one issue with this is that fully extended fractional values from the separators 2110 , 2120 of fig2 are not ready until f number of clocks , where f is the number of fractionally associated residue digits . if the apparatus is to reduce clock cycles , this leaves only another w number of clocks to complete processing of the fractional value to gain any advantage . this is difficult , since the fractional result ( f 1 * f 2 ) must be fully base extended before addition of the terms of equation ( 2 ) can be finalized . one innovative method to speed up the processing of the fractional term ( f 1 * f 2 ) of equation ( 2 ) relies on the fact that it is possible to truncate the fractional digits from the operands at start , and begin early processing of the fractional product . this innovation is disclosed next . fig2 illustrates an overall block diagram of the new fractional multiplier invention . the fractional portion multiplier 2130 receives two truncated fractional values via input bus 2106 and 2108 respectively . the truncated input contains only the fractional digits , and leaves all other digits undefined , or skipped . the reason is that simple truncation of the fractional digits of an operand does not produce a fully extended fractional residue value . fig2 illustrates a block diagram of one embodiment of the internal components of the fractional portion multiplier 2130 of fig2 . in fig2 , a multiply of the fractional digits of operand f 1 and f 2 is performed by integer multiplier 2205 . the result of multiplier 2205 results in a partially extended product which is steered by selector 2208 and then accumulated into a fully extended residue value using a residue to mixed radix converter 2210 feeding a power term multiply and accumulator unit 2220 . in one embodiment , the conversion process occurs one digit at a time , and when complete , the fully extended value , representing a truncated fractional product , is stored in a truncated fraction sum latch 2225 . in some other embodiments , the fully extended result by - passes latch 2225 and is routed directly to subtract unit 2240 . at about the same time the base extension process above completes , the fully extended fractional values , ext f 1 2237 and ext f 2 2238 , are available from the fractional value separators 2110 and 2120 of fig2 . as a result , information is available to allow the undefined digits originally produced by the multiplier 2205 to essentially ì catch - upî , or to be recovered , to where they would have been had they not been undefined . mathematically speaking , the undefined digits are defined as caught up , or extended , if they assume the residue digit values which represent the fully extended product , ( f 1 * f 2 ), divided by the fractional range r f . the definition of the fractional range r f is the product of all fractionally associated modulus , and is further defined in u . s . patent publication no . 2013 / 0311532 . to catch - up , or extend , the undefined ( whole and redundant ) digits , a fully extended product ( f 1 * f 2 ) of the fractional values is obtained using multiplier 2235 in fig2 . the source of the fully extended fractional values , ext f 1 2237 and ext f 2 2238 , is via fractional value separators 2110 and 2120 of fig2 . these values are available f clock cycles from start . the fully extended value representing the product of the truncated fraction digits is subtracted from the fully extended product f 1 * f 2 using residue subtract unit 2240 shown in fig2 . the result of subtraction unit 2240 is always a value that is evenly divisible by the fractional range r f , since all fractional residue digits are zero . the resulting value is multiplied by the multiplicative inverse of the fractional range ( r f ) − 1 2245 using multiplier 2250 , which occurs in a single step or clock . the resulting product of multiplier 2250 is defined for whole and redundant residue digits only ( since the fractional range digits are undefined due to moddiv by the fractional range r f ). the resulting whole and redundant digits represent the value of the normalized fractional portion product result ( f 1 * f 2 ), but are partially base extended . to form a completely extended normalized fractional product result , ( f 1 * f 2 ), the resulting residue product value is routed to an available base extension unit . in one embodiment , the resulting digits are routed using bus 2252 to the same mixed radix unit converter 2210 using a bus selector 2208 . a new accumulator sum is started by clearing the power term accumulator 2220 . an associated set of power term constants are defined for this stage of conversion as shown in fig2 . ( for example , the power term constants 2215 restart at a power of one , and progress as a running product of digit modulus values , i . e ., progressively scaled by the value of each modulus processed .) the non - skipped digits are converted to mixed radix , multiplied by their associated power , and are immediately summed to a running , but fully extended , residue value within the power term multiply and accumulator 2220 . the final sum represents the fully extended value of the partially extended product f 1 * f 2 result of multiplier 2250 . when fully reconverted , the final fractional product ( f 1 * f 2 ) is transferred from the power term accumulator 2220 to the final fractional result latch 2230 . in some embodiments , to save clock cycles , the final fractional result latch 2230 is replaced by a bus which transfers the result to the next stage of processing as indicated in fig2 via bus 2132 . returning to fig2 , a block diagram of one embodiment of the new multiplier is shown . two fractional operands , represented as blocks 2102 , 2104 , are shown . one completely extended operand 2102 is input into fractional value separator 2110 while the other completely extended operand 2104 is input into fractional value separator 2120 at start . also at start , fractional digits of the first and second operand are routed by bus 2106 and 2108 respectively , to one and another input of a fractional portion multiplier 2130 . at f number of clocks , value separators 2110 , 2120 output a fully extended fractional value to fractional portion multiplier 2130 . at f + w number of clocks , both value separators 2110 , 2120 output a fully extended integer value . at this point , a plurality of integer multipliers 2140 , 2142 , 2144 , 2154 provide the first three of the four terms of the right side of equation 2 . multipliers 2140 , 2142 provide the product of an integer times a fraction . adder 2150 performs a sum of these two terms . multiplier 2144 provides a product of two integers , and further scales the product by the fractional range constant 2152 using multiplier 2154 . at approximately this point , the final term of equation 2 appears as a result of fractional portion multiplier 2130 , which is summed to the scaled whole term using adder 2156 . a final adder 2160 makes the final summation to complete the processing of the right hand side of equation 2 . the final fractional multiply result exits adder 2160 in fig2 . other embodiments may exist which basically accomplish the same functions as fig2 . for example , a single multiplier and accumulator circuit may be used in lieu of multipliers 2140 , 2142 , 2144 & amp ; 2154 and adders 2150 , 2156 & amp ; 2160 . other variations include modifications and enhancements to the residue fractional value separator of fig2 . it should be clearly understood by those skilled in the art that variations to the multiplier apparatus illustrated by the block diagram of fig1 are possible . in the fractional multiplier apparatus of fig2 , details for implementing a suitable rounding function is not shown for clarity . however , as shown in the fractional multiplier apparatus of fig6 , a method for measuring the mixed radix digits associated with the fractional digits ( of the ip ) may be compared with a suitable rounding constant , and such a similar method may be implemented within the apparatus of fig2 . in particular , and referring to fig2 , during the mixed radix conversion ( decomposition ) of the fractional only product result of multiplier 2205 via the residue to mixed radix converter 2210 , the generation of a sequence of mixed radix digits output 2212 may also be transmitted to a comparator and control unit not shown . a comparator and control unit , similar to control unit 615 of fig6 , may determine whether a round up is to be performed based upon a least significant first digit comparison to a rounding constant , similar to the rounding constant 1806 of fig1 . in a similar method to steps 1808 thru 1815 of fig1 , a comparison of mixed radix digits , or remainder value 1804 , is performed against a rounding constant 1806 . if the result of comparison determines the remainder value , associated to the value represented by the series of mixed radix digits 1804 , then the final residue result of the residue fractional multiplier of fig2 may be incremented by one unit . it should be obvious to those skilled in arithmetic circuit design that other forms and modes of rounding is possible . fig2 is included to demonstrate an example calculation using the new residue fractional multiplier of the present invention . in this example , the same numeric operands and the same residue fractional format is used as provided in the example of fig1 and fig1 & amp ; 19 for means of clear comparison . in row 2407 of fig2 , the residue digits for operand a is shown , while in row 2408 the residue digits for operand b is shown . after performing a separation of the fraction portion from the whole , or integer portion , the fractional only portion for operand a is shown in row 2409 while the fractional only part of operand b is shown in row 2411 . because the residue value separator apparatus of fig2 produce completely extended operands , the residue values in rows 2409 , 2410 , 2411 , 2412 of fig2 also show completely extended values . in fig2 , row 2413 shows the multiplication , or modulo product , of the fractional digits only of operand a 2407 and operand b 2408 . the remaining non - fractionally associated digits of row 2413 are shown with a dash , indicating that they are not used in this process . the fractional associated digits needed to form the product of operand a and operand b are therefore immediately available to the apparatus by a simple truncation of the fractionally associated operands a and b at start . the fractional portion multiplier of fig2 then performs a base extension of the remaining digits using the residue to mixed radix converter 2210 and the power term multiply and accumulate unit 2220 . the result of this base extension may be stored in the truncated fractional sum register 2225 and this result is shown as row 2414 in our example calculation . by this time , a fully extended fraction portion has been separated from each operand a and b , and their product is calculated using the residue ( integer ) multiplier 2235 of fig2 . the difference of the fully extended truncated fraction product in register 2225 and the fully extended fraction only portions 2235 is performed using a subtract unit 2240 . this difference is shown in row 2416 of fig2 . note that this difference is evenly divisible by the fractional range , r f , whose value is also shown in row 2417 . because of this , the remaining non - fractional digits of the fractional only product of row 2413 can be “ caught up ”, or calculated in one step , by multiplying the difference of row 2416 to the multiplicative inverse of the fractional range ( with respect to the modulus of the number system ). the result of this product , performed by multiplier 2250 of fig2 , is shown in row 2419 of fig2 . note that the multiplicative inverse has no defined digits in the fractional range , so that the product will also not have valid , or defined , fractionally associated digits . the product of row 2419 may be base extended by using the apparatus of fig2 using the feedback path 2252 and another base extension cycle . the final base extended product is then stored in the final fractional result register 2230 . in this way , a fully normalized and extended fractional result , f 1 * f 2 , is calculated . this final value is shown in row 2420 of fig2 . in rows 2421 and 2422 are the fractional times integer terms of equation 2 , and in row 2423 is the product of the whole terms of equation 2 scaled ( multiplied ) by the fractional range r f . the final summation of these terms is accomplished using adder 2156 and adder 2160 . this result is shown in the row 2424 of fig2 . this is the same final result of the previous multiplier examples , without the addition of one unit to account for a rounding operation .	7
the embodiment of a tool 10 according to the present invention shown in fig1 a - 1c comprises a one - piece unit having a cutting head 11 , a waist 12 and a fastening means or shank 13 . the tool comprises a through - going axial or central channel 14 . the channel is adapted for transferring flush medium to cutting edges 15 , 16 of the cutting head 11 . the channel 14 is configured also to diminish the mass of cemented carbide in the tool 10 . the cutting edges are provided at the end 21 of the tool 10 facing away from the shank 13 , which are given different design depending on the area of application . a preferred shape of the forward end of the tool 10 is shown in detail in fig1 b . the tool 10 is performed in hard material , preferably cemented carbide , and comprises three helical first cutting edges 15 and three second cutting edges 16 , all integral with the tool . the number of major cutting edges may alternatively be one , two or four to six . the first cutting edges 15 preferably lie in a common , imaginary cylinder , which is concentric with the axis cl of rotation of the tool . each chip flute 17 is concavely formed and extends from a connected second cutting edge 16 at the free end 21 of the tool . the second cutting edge 16 has a radial extension inwards from the imaginary cylinder , whereof one cutting edge , substantially connects to the axis of rotation cl of the tool such that the tool can be able to drill downwards into the work piece . each pair of cutting edges 15 , 16 is fed with flush medium via a hole 18 . the three holes 18 are arranged in a ring suitably symmetrically about the axis cl of rotation of the tool . the holes 18 connect to the central channel 14 , which terminates in the area of the other free end 19 of the tool . the channel 14 is of circular cross - section forming several circular spaces of different diameters . at least the second cutting edge 16 intersects an imaginary extension of the circular axial channel 14 , which means that there is provided perforated cemented carbide material axially in front of the channel 14 . the holes 18 intersect the central channel 14 . the circular central channel 14 terminates axially distant from the first free end 21 of the tool 10 . the forward end 14 a of the axial channel 14 comprises material at least partly blocking the axial channel . the outer diameter of the cylindrical shank 13 is designated by ( d . the shank encloses a first internal space 14 b , preferably cylindrical , having a largest diameter ( a . the diameter ( a is 25 to 80 % of the outer diameter ( d . the first internal space 14 b connects to a first conical transition space 14 c joining a second internal space 14 d . the outer diameter of the cylindrical waist 12 is designated by ( d . the waist encloses the second internal space 14 d , preferably cylindrical , having a largest diameter ( b . the diameter ( b is 25 to 80 % of the outer diameter ( d . the second internal space 14 d connects to a second conical transition space 14 e joining a third internal space 14 f . the diameter of the third internal space 14 f is smaller than the diameters ( a and ( b . the axial length of the second conical transition space 14 e is larger than the axial length of the first conical transition space 14 e . the third internal space 14 f ends at the wall 14 a that is perforated by the holes 18 at three positions . the holes 18 are preferably parallel with the axis cl . thus , the channel 14 comprises three cylindrical spaces 14 b , 14 d , 14 f interconnected by conical steps 14 c , 14 e . thereby , a through the tool going channel 14 for flush medium has been formed via the portions 14 b - 14 f and 18 . the largest wall thickness of the tool between the envelope surface of the tool and the axial channel 14 is situated closer to the first end 21 than to the second end 19 to minimize deflection . the ratio of the greatest axial length of the tool to the outer diameter ( d is for example about 4 to 6 . in addition shall be pointed out that the described embodiment relates to milling or drilling tool arrangements , i . e . tool arrangements which rotate about their longitudinal center axes . milling cutters with small diameters are expected to be the first area of application for the present invention but also drilling tools fall within the scope of the invention . thus , the present invention provides numerous advantages relative to prior art . the tool is economically favorable since it saves cemented carbide . the tool allows good cooling and flow of flushing medium due to the geometry of the axial channel . the tool allows regrinding . the wall thickness is largest at the waist 12 adjacent the cutting head where the bending moment is greatest . this also allows for great freedom when choosing cutting head geometry . in the present application , the use of terms such as “ including ” is open - ended and is intended to have the same meaning as terms such as “ comprising ” and not preclude the presence of other structure , material , or acts . similarly , though the use of terms such as “ can ” or “ may ” is intended to be open - ended and to reflect that structure , material , or acts are not necessary , the failure to use such terms is not intended to reflect that structure , material , or acts are essential . to the extent that structure , material , or acts are presently considered to be essential , they are identified as such . the invention is in no way limited to the above - described embodiments but may be freely varied within the limits of the subsequent claims .	8
the fireballs produced by the method of this invention can be used for various countermeasures purposes , such as for protecting a vehicle against laser weapons and laser radars as set forth previously ; however , to avoid unnecessarily complicating the explanation of the invention , the emphasis in this specification will be placed almost exclusively on decoy - type missile countermeasures , but this is not intended to limit the invention thereto . referring now to fig1 of the drawings , an airborne vehicle such as an aircraft is designated by reference numeral 10 . in this specification , the vehicle being protected by the decoy method will be set forth as a jet aircraft but it will be appreciated that any infrared - emitting vehicle , including propeller - driven aircraft and helicopters as well as land and water vehicles that are targets of heat - seeking , homing missiles may suitably be protected by the countermeasures means of this invention . aircraft 10 is powered by a jet engine or other propulsion system the propulsion process of which emits a detectable percentage of infrared radiation . also shown in fig1 is a missile 12 of the ir target - seeking type which has been launched for the purpose of destroying the aircraft 10 either by impact or by exploding when it has reached a position proximate thereto . missile 12 consequently incorporates an infrared detector and an associated guidance system ( not shown ) which permits the missile to locate and follow the target aircraft 10 by detecting radiant energy emanating from the aircraft &# 39 ; s propulsion system . under normal circumstances , it is unlikely that the evasive actions taken by the target aircraft will enable it to avoid being destroyed by the missile , since the trajectory of the missile is caused to change to counter changes in the direction of aircraft flight . in accordance with a feature of the present invention , it is contemplated that the aircraft 10 when imperiled will emit or dispense at periodic intervals a discrete mass or quantum of radiant substance in the general form of a “ puff ” or fireball 14 . several of the masses are shown in fig1 although it will be understood that the relative size and spacing of these emitted quanta are distorted in the drawing in order that the invention may be understood more readily . also , although the emitted quanta will be referred to herein as a “ fireball ”, the term is used as a matter of convenience since the design of the apparatus or other factors may result in the production of an emitted radiant mass having other than a spherical configuration . these decoy fireballs 14 are emitted from apparatus carried by the aircraft 10 in a wing or fuselage installation or exteriorly thereof such as , for example , in a suitable “ pod ” 15 attached to the aircraft as is well known and in common practice . as briefly described previously , the spurious radiation source or fireball 14 is produced by withdrawing a small quantity of fuel from the vehicle &# 39 ; s fuel tanks , adding a gelling agent to the quantity of fuel , and simultaneously igniting and ejecting the gelled burning fuel to thereby form the fireball used to decoy the hostile missile . it will be appreciated that the apparatus used to gel the fuel and thereafter ignite and eject it in accordance with the method of this invention can be of any suitable design to suit the vehicle to be protected , environment of use , and type of fuel and gelling agent employed . for example , the apparatus may comprise a fuel - gel mixing and expulsion chamber 16 and an ignition chamber 18 as shown in fig2 . fuel from the vehicle fuel tanks ( not shown ) is pumped through feedlines 20 and 22 by suitable means ( not shown ) into chamber 16 . connected into feedlines 20 and 22 upstream of chamber 16 are chemical gelling agent additive feedlines 24 and 26 from suitable reservoirs and metering means ( not shown ). the chemical additives for gelling the fuel can be of any appropriate type that will impart the required thickness and other characteristics to the fuel : with jp - 5 aviation jet fuel , for example , feedline 24 can meter cocoamine into fuel feedline 20 , and feedline 26 can meter toluene di - isocyanate into fuel feedline 22 . fuel gels of suitable thickness can be obtained using these additives in combined concentrations ranging from 2 % to 10 % by weight of the jet fuel charge ; preferably , however , with a 0 . 95 - lb . charge of fuel , a combined weight of 0 . 05 - lb . of additives is used . the quantity of fuel gel used per operation can be varied to suit the requirements . the quantity used will be “ tailored ” to the particular vehicle being protected and will be determined by the maximum ir output of the vehicle . it will be appreciated that the higher the ir output of the vehicle , the larger quantity of fuel gel charge per operation will be required . for example , a one - pound charge of fuel gel per operation is considered sufficient to produce an ir output sufficient to protect an aircraft such as the navy / grumman a6 powered with j - 52 jet engines . a cocoamine / toluene di - isocyanate gelling combination is preferred , however , it will be noted that other - fuel gel systems , such as the polymerization of vinyl ether , be suitable for the fuel being gelled . a converging direction of entry is employed for feedlines 20 and 22 so that the separate streams of additive - impregnated fuel pumped into chamber 16 impinge to promote a thorough mixing that will encourage the chemical reaction of the additives in the two streams so as to insure a formation of a uniform fuel gel in the shortest possible time . for ignition , a small quantity of fuel is pumped from the vehicle fuel tanks through fuel feedline 28 and is introduced through a multiplicity of fuel atomizing nozzles 30 into the ignition chamber 18 . this spray of atomized fuel is ignited by appropriate means such as by glow plugs 32 connected by ignition wiring 34 to a suitable ignition system ( not shown ) to thereby produce a pilot flame in the ignition chamber . a piston 36 driven by a suitable actuator ( not shown ) by means of piston rod 38 is used to force the gelled fuel out of chamber 16 through a multiplicity of metering apertures 40 in aperture plate 42 opening into the ignition chamber , thereby forming a mass of particles . sufficient force is applied by the actuating piston on the charge of gelled fuel so that its momentum carries it through the ignition chamber . the mass of particles passing through the ignition chamber is ignited by the pilot flame therein and the burning mass has sufficient momentum to be projected out of the discharge end 44 of the ignition chamber and away from the aircraft . the size , configuration , and distribution of the apertures 40 in plate 42 are such that the gelled fuel charge is broken up into particles of various sizes , the range of particle sizes being selected to insure the required burn time of the resultant fireball . in addition to the aperture plate , the piston pressure and rate , and the rheological properties of the gelled fuel are factors governing the particle size . purging means ( not shown ) can be provided if required in chamber 18 to purge it with air or other suitable fluid after the ignition of the gelled fuel passing therethrough to guard against residual burning in the chamber . it will be understood that control means are to be provided in the vehicles being protected by this countermeasures system to initiate the gelling , ejection and ignition of the gelled fuel that will produce the fireball decoy and to effectuate the various operations involved in the process . to be most effective , the system should have two modes : the production of a single fireball on command ; and a continuous mode . the controller used should have the capability for controlling on command the various sequences of operations in the system for the production of fireball decoys in the two system modes . controllers that can be successfully utilized in the countermeasures system of this invention are in common use in military aircraft and other vehicles to dispense on command various ordnance devices and stores , including flare - type radiant decoy countermeasures . in the interests of brevity , therefore , a description of the controller and associated equipment used with the apparatus of this invention will not be given , it being understood that any suitable control means in common use can be utilized . in carrying out the method of this invention , decoy fireballs can be deployed in a continuous mode when the aircraft flies over known missile - defended areas . a second technique is to employ a missile - warning system and initiate the deployment of a series of decoys when the system detects launched missiles . the aircraft will be operated with a “ ready ” charge in chamber 16 ( fig2 ). when the warning system detects missile launch , the operational sequence is initiated with the expulsion and ignition of the “ ready ” charge ( fig3 ). the production of a subsequent fireball is initiated when a second charge of fuel is pumped from the fuel tanks to the fuel - gel mixing and expulsion chamber 16 by means of feedlines 20 and 22 . as the charge of fuel flows to chamber 16 , a metered quantity of cocoamine from line 24 is injected into the flow in line 20 and a metered quantity of toluene di - isocyanate from line 26 is injected into the flow in line 22 . the flow from the two separate feedlines , impregnated with the respective additives are introduced simultaneously into the chamber with the two streams impinging to insure thorough mixing . the chemical reaction between the two gelling additives gels 46 the fuel at a rate dependent upon the characteristics of the fuel and the additives . at the completion of the fuel gelling procedure , a small flow of jet fuel from the fuel tanks is pumped through feedline 28 and is sprayed through fuel atomizing nozzles 30 into ignition chamber 18 where the atomized spray is ignited by glow plugs 32 . piston 36 is then actuated , forcing the fuel gel 46 through the apertures 40 to thereby break it up into a spray 48 of gelled fuel particles which have been given the required momentum to carry them through the ignition chamber and to project them the required distance from the aircraft as a coherent cloud or mass of particles which have been ignited as they passed through the burning atomized fuel spray in the ignition chamber . upon completion of the piston stroke and the ignition and expulsion of the mass of fuel gel particles forming the fireball , the flow of fuel to atomizing nozzles 30 is shut off and the ignition chamber 18 can be purged to guard against residual burning . the piston is then repositioned ( fig4 ) in readiness for the next cycle . in the above sequence of operation of the fuel gelling , expulsion , and ignition cycle for producing a decoy fireball , a diagrammatic showing of apparatus that can be used in the method of the invention is illustrated in fig2 - 4 , so that the explanation of the operation is not needlessly complicated by unnecessary detail . it will be appreciated that any appropriate arrangement of equipment that will gel a quantity of fuel and will then dispense that gelled fuel from the aircraft as a fireball in accordance with the invention can be used . it will also be appreciated that the ancillary equipment used with the fuel gelling , expulsion , and ignition means can take various forms such as , for example , the preferred embodiment of fig5 . as shown in fig5 the system has a - fuel gel expulsion subsystem 50 comprising a fuel gel chamber 52 , a piston chamber 54 , a piston assembly 56 , a nozzle 58 , and a valve plate assembly 60 . piston assembly 56 has a power piston 62 having an integral ram 64 which transmits piston thrust to a separate fuel gel piston 66 . fuel gel piston 66 operates in gel chamber 52 and is acted upon but is not attached to piston ram 64 . actuation of power piston 62 is by means of high pressure air stored in an air bottle 68 feeding through a solenoid - actuated valve 70 . air bottle 68 is provided with a conventional fill valve 72 and an air gage 74 and has suitably a 100 cubic inch capacity and is charged to 600 psi . in the design embodied in fig5 the work done to actuate the power piston 62 during the expulsion cycle produces a drop in air bottle pressure , but the pressure is restored to its normal level when the power piston is “ re - cocked ”, as will be explained in greater detail , by hydraulic means . in the fig5 embodiment , a hydraulic system having a solenoid - operated valve 75 is utilized to re - cock or re - position the power piston 62 into its ready position , and also to power the re - charging of the air bottle to its ready level . the hydraulic system comprises a hydraulic pump 76 , a reservoir 78 , and an accumulator 80 . pump 76 is driven by suitable mean , such as an electric motor 823 and it acts to keep the hydraulic accumulator 80 re - charged , when required , during system operation . it will be recognized that an accumulator is not essential for operation , but its incorporation into the design reduces the size and power requirements of the hydraulic pump . by way of example , useable design parameters for the hydraulic system are a peak . rating for the pump of 1 . 9 gallons per minute at 1500 psi pressure and a 100 - cubic inch volume accumulator at a recharge pressure of approximately 670 psi . the components of the hydraulic system can be of any appropriate type in common use and the system can be fitted with the usual auxiliary equipment such as fill valves 84 and 86 for the reservoir and accumulator respectively , a filter 88 , pressure gage 90 , pressure relief valve 92 , and a check valve 93 , and the like . fuel used for the production of the fireball decoys is drawn from the aircraft fuel tanks ( not shown ) through line 94 by fuel pump 96 which is driven by suitable means such as electric motor 98 . in a system designed to produce approximately one pound of fuel gel per decoy operation and operating with a 5 - second cycle time , the pump typically can be sized to deliver 5 gallons of fuel per minute at a pressure of 50 psi . fuel is pumped through line 100 to junction 102 and divides therefrom into three feedlines : in the system of this embodiment , in addition to its use as the material burned to produce the fireball decoys , the aircraft fuel is also used for the ignition of the fireball in an ignition chamber . thus , fuel is pumped through feedlines 104 and 106 to the fuel gel chamber 52 and also through feedline 108 to the ignition chamber 110 . the fuel pumped through feedline 104 to the fuel gel chamber 52 is passed through an additive metering means 112 where it is impregnated with a gelling agent ; fuel pumped through feedline 106 to the fuel gel chamber 52 is passed through an additive metering means 114 where it is impregnated with a second gelling agent . it will be appreciated that the number and type of additives used to produce fuel gelling can vary widely to suit the requirements of the system design and the environment of use . in this embodiment , a cocoamine / toluene di - isocyanate system is preferred and these additives are contained in cylindrical tanks 116 and 118 respectively . the additive metering means is of a known venturi type in which the line pressure of the fuel being impregnated is used both to dispense and meter the additive . thus , pressurized fuel from feedlines 104 and 106 is passed through lines 120 and 122 to the pressure sides 124 and 126 of free pistons 128 and 130 in additive tanks 116 and 118 , respectively . line pressure from the feedlines acts against free pistons 128 and 130 to force the gelling agents out of their tanks through lines 132 and 134 to venturi - type metering means 112 and 114 which meter the required quantity of cocoamine into the fuel flowing through feedline 104 and the required amount of toluene di - isocyanate into the fuel in feedline 106 . if required , appropriate solenoid - operated shut - off valves 131 and 133 can be fitted in the feed - lines and flow regulators 136 and 138 of any suitable type can be provided in lines 132 and 134 . flow of the additive - impregnated fuel into fuel gel chamber 52 is controlled by valve plate assembly 60 operating at the nozzle 58 end of the expulsion subsystem 50 . valve assembly 60 comprises a slide valve plate 140 which is operated by a piston 142 in hydraulic cylinder 144 controlled by a solenoid - actuated valve 146 . valve plate 140 has two operating positions : a loading position and an expulsion position . in the loading position , patterns of apertures 148 and 150 in the valve plate align feedlines 104 and 106 , respectively , with loading apertures 151 in nozzle 58 such that streams of additive - impregnated fuel flow into fuel gel chamber 52 . as noted previously , preferably , the aperture alignment is such that there is an impingement of the streams so that a thorough mixing of the additives is promoted to thereby insure that the fuel is gelled rapidly . in the expulsion position , patterns of apertures 154 in the valve plate align with discharge apertures 152 of the nozzle such that gelled fuel can be expelled from chamber 52 . ignition of the spray of gelled fuel expelled from chamber 52 is by means of the ignition chamber 110 . an air blower 156 driven by electric motor 98 provides a continuous supply of pressurized air through ducting 158 to the ignition chamber 110 . this pressurized air is used in the ignition and combustion process and is also used to purge the ignition chamber after the fireball has been expelled . fuel for the ignition and combustion process is supplied to the ignition chamber by feedline 108 and is controlled by a solenoid - operated on - off fuel valve 160 . the outlet from valve 160 is connected by feedline 162 to a flame - holder assembly 164 comprising one or more oil - burner type spray nozzles 166 in the ignition chamber . the design of the flame - holder assembly and the fuel and air supply thereto can be of any appropriate type known in the art and , to avoid unduly complicating this description , further details thereof will not be given herein . in addition to an air and fuel supply , each flame - holder assembly is provided with an electrical spark igniter 168 which is connected by electrical wiring 170 into an ignition system 172 circuit . in operation , the fuel pump 96 , air blower 156 , and , as required , the hydraulic pump 76 , are activated to bring their respective systems to the operational level . in fig5 the apparatus is represented at the end of the gelled fuel expulsion phase of its cycle . to ready the apparatus for the dispensing of fireball decoys , valve 75 is actuated such that fluid pressure through line 77 is directed against piston assembly 56 in chamber 52 thereby driving the piston assembly back to the air bottle end of the expulsion sub - system , cocking the power piston 62 with its integral ram 64 . it will be noted that the separate fuel gel piston 66 will be held by hydraulic pressure against nozzle 58 during the cocking of the power piston . it will also be noted that the cocking of the power piston also drives the air from chamber 54 back into air bottle 68 and thus serves to re - pressurize the air bottle . high pressure air valve 70 is then closed . valve 75 is set to reduce hydraulic pressure in the chamber 52 through return line 79 to reservoir 78 . valve 146 is then actuated such that hydraulic pressure on surface 143 of piston 142 causes it to move slide valve plate 140 of valve assembly 60 into the loading position in which apertures 148 and 150 align with nozzle loading apertures 151 . the aligned apertures in this loading position allow additive - impregnated fuel from feedlines 104 and 106 to flow into fuel gel chamber 52 , forcing back piston 66 to its cocked position in the process . when chamber 52 is loaded fully , valves 131 and 133 are actuated to shut off further flow through feedlines 104 and 106 . ignition fuel valve 160 is then actuated to initiate a flow of fuel to spray nozzles 166 of the flame holder assembly 164 and simultaneously the atomized fuel spraying out of the nozzles is ignited by electrical spark igniter 163 to introduce a pilot flame into ignition chamber 110 . production of a decoy fire - ball is initiated by triggering valve 146 of the slide valve and high pressure air valve 70 . actuation of valve 146 causes slide valve plate 140 to be moved into its expulsion position , aligning apertures 154 in the valve plate with discharge apertures 152 in the nozzle 58 such that the stroking of the piston assembly 56 under the impulse of compressed air from air bottle 68 produces a spray of gelled fuel particles out of chamber 52 . passage of the mass or cloud of sprayed particles through the pilot flame in the ignition chamber 110 ignites the mass which is projected by the momentum imparted to it by the piston assembly through the ignition chamber and into the open air clear of the air - craft where the fireball acts as a decoy against a missile threat . the system after deployment of the fireball is as represented in fig5 . after the mass of sprayed particles has been expelled , ignition fuel valve 160 is closed to cut off the flow of fuel to the spray nozzles in the ignition chamber , extinguishing the pilot flame . air blower 156 continues to supply pressurized air through duct 158 to purge the ignition chamber of residual burning particles . this completes the cycle of operation , which cycle is repeated as required for the production of decoy fireballs . although shown and described in what is believed to be the most practical and preferred embodiments , it is apparent that departures from the specific method and apparatus described will suggest themselves to those skilled in the art and may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention . i , therefore , do not wish to restrict myself to the particular methods illustrated and described , but desire to avail myself of all modifications that may fall within the scope of the appended claims .	7
hereinafter , exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings . the terms representing directions such as “ up , down , left , right ” used herein are considered to be based on the relationships shown in the drawings , if not specifically defined or stated . further , the same reference numerals represent the same parts throughout the embodiments . typical fuel cells include : a fuel converter ( reformer and reactor ) for reforming and supplying fuel ; and a fuel cell module . the fuel cell module includes a fuel cell stack for converting chemical energy into electrical energy and thermal energy in an electrochemical reaction . embodiments of the present invention relate to an oxidizing unit for supplying heat to a reformer and a burner nozzle assembly for supplying oxidation fuel to the oxidizing unit . hereafter , embodiments of the present invention are described in more detail . a burner nozzle assembly 100 is first described with reference to fig1 to 3 . the burner nozzle assembly 100 can be divided into a nozzle plate 110 , a channel unit 120 , an oxidation fuel introducer 130 , and an aog introducer 140 . the oxidation fuel introducer 130 and the aog introducer 140 are pipes through which fuel is supplied to an oxidizing unit 200 ( see fig4 ). the oxidation fuel is supplied to the burner nozzle assembly 100 through the oxidation fuel introducer 130 , and the aog generated in the operation of the fuel cell is supplied to the burner nozzle assembly 100 through the aog introducer 140 . the nozzle plate 110 is formed as a circular plate or may be a plate having another suitable shape ( or predetermined shape ). the nozzle plate 110 may be made of a heat resistant material that can endure high temperatures of about 1000 ° c . the aog nozzle 111 and the oxidation fuel nozzles 112 are bored through the nozzle plate 110 . the aog nozzle 111 is formed at the center of the nozzle plate 110 , and the oxidation fuel nozzles 112 are disposed radially at a distance ( e . g ., a predetermined distance ) from the center of the aog nozzle 111 . further , the aog and the oxidation fuel are supplied into the oxidizing unit 200 through the aog nozzle 111 and the oxidation fuel nozzles 112 , respectively . the channel unit 120 is described with reference to fig2 a to 3 . fig2 b is a transverse cross - sectional view taken along line in fig2 a , and fig2 c is a transverse cross - sectional view taken along line iv - iv ′ in fig2 a . the channel unit 120 is formed by inserting a pipe from the oxidation fuel introducer 130 and the aog introducer 140 to the aog nozzle 111 and the oxidation fuel nozzles 112 formed in the nozzle plate 110 , or the channel unit 120 has connecting channels therein . as shown in fig3 , the aog is delivered from the aog introducer 140 to the aog nozzle 111 through an aog channel 121 . the oxidation fuel is distributed and delivered to each of the oxidation fuel nozzles 112 from the oxidation fuel introducer 130 through oxidation fuel channels 122 . in addition , the oxidation fuel channel 122 , as shown in fig2 b and 2c , may have different upper and lower structures . that is , the lower portion 122 b of the oxidation fuel channel may have a space that can provide a circumferentially continuous channel to receive oxidation fuel and deliver it under each of the oxidation fuel nozzles 112 , and the upper portion 122 a of the oxidation fuel channel may have a plurality of discontinuous spaces to distribute and deliver the oxidation fuel from the lower portion 122 b of the oxidation fuel channel to each of the oxidation fuel nozzles 112 . however , in one embodiment of the present invention , because the configuration and position of the aog nozzle 111 and the oxidation fuel nozzles 112 on the nozzle plate 110 are important to the design of the burner nozzle assembly 100 , in the same operational range it is possible to suitably modify the configuration of the oxidation fuel introducer 130 , the configuration of the aog introducer 140 , the configuration of the channel unit 122 , and the connection relationships of ( or between ) them . the oxidizing unit 200 and the reformer 300 are described with reference to fig4 . for the sake of convenience , the configuration of an igniter is not shown . a reformer 300 is provided for acquiring ( or providing ) hydrogen , which is produced from hydrocarbon - based fuel ( hereafter referred to as “ main fuel ”) and is directly used to produce electricity in a fuel cell . in a steam reforming type reformer ( which is one type of a plurality of types of reformers ), although it is possible to increase the output of the cell and to produce high - concentration hydrogen , the endothermic reaction requires heat from an outside source , which is supplied by the oxidizing unit 200 . the reformer 300 is formed of a double hollow container . a second part ( e . g ., an outer pipe ) 302 , the outermost part of the reformer , is closed at its lower end by a reformer lower plate ( or closed end portion ) 303 facing the reformer lower plate 110 , and a first part ( e . g ., an inner pipe ) 301 has an open lower end facing the closed end portion 303 . the main fuel undergoes a steam reforming reaction while flowing down through a reforming - reacting portion 310 disposed between the first part 301 and the second part 302 , and then is delivered upward through the first part 301 , which is configured to discharge the reformate . the oxidizing unit 200 of this embodiment has a hollow cylindrical shape , and its lower end is closed by the nozzle plate 110 . the reformer 300 is disposed inside the oxidizing unit 200 . in this configuration , the reformer lower plate 303 maintains a distance ( e . g ., a predetermined distance ) from the nozzle plate 110 and the second part 302 also maintains a distance ( e . g ., a predetermined distance ) from the oxidizing unit body 201 . the aog and the oxidation fuel discharged from the aog nozzle 111 and the oxidation fuel nozzles 112 flow through the space defined between the reformer 300 and the oxidizing unit body 201 . the aog and the oxidation fuel are mixed and flow upward along the space between the second part 302 and the oxidizing unit body 201 after passing under the reformer lower plate 303 , and then oxidizes and generates heat in the oxidizing portion 210 between the second part 302 and the oxidizing unit body 201 . at least any one of pdal 2 o 3 , nio , cuo , ceo 2 , al 2 o 3 , rh , pd , and pt and equivalents and combinations thereof can be used as a catalyst in the oxidizing portion 210 . for the sake of convenience , the configuration of the upper portions of the oxidizing unit 200 and the reformer 300 is not shown . the flow and mixing process of the aog and the oxidation fuel are described with reference to fig4 . here , in one embodiment , lpg , a hydrocarbon - based fuel , can be used the oxidation fuel , and air can be used as the oxidizer . on the other hand , the aog , as described above , contains a large amount of hydrogen that is discharged without reacting with the fuel electrode of the fuel cell . since the hydrogen is very highly reactive , backfire is likely to be generated when the aog is directly supplied into the oxidizing unit . therefore , it is possible to reduce the probability of backfire by mixing the aog containing a large amount of highly - reactive hydrogen with oxidation fuel having relatively low reactivity ( e . g . gas mixture of lpg and air ) and supplying the mixture into the oxidizing unit . in addition , because the hydrogen is very small in molecular weight , its diffusion speed is very high . therefore , the aog has a higher diffusion speed than the oxidation fuel when the aog and the oxidation fuel are supplied under the same pressure . accordingly , as shown in fig4 , the aog is mixed with the oxidation fuel discharged from the oxidation fuel nozzles 112 and then flows into the oxidizing portion 210 after being supplied from the aog nozzle 111 into the oxidizing unit 200 . in this operation , as described above , the hydrogen - rich aog gas has a high diffusion speed , such that when the aog gas is injected into oxidation fuel having large concentration , the aog and the oxidation fuel are sufficiently mixed before reaching the oxidizing portion 210 . as a result , the mole fraction of the hydrogen in the mixture of the aog and the oxidation fuel is reduced due to the addition of the oxidation fuel and thus the probability of backfire is correspondingly reduced . the mixing ratio of the aog and the oxidation fuel can be adjusted by adjusting the diameter of the aog nozzle 111 , and adjusting the diameter and the number of the oxidation fuel nozzles 112 , under assumption that the supply pressures of the aog and the oxidation fuel are the same . in other words , as the diameter of the aog nozzle 111 increases , the mixing ratio of the aog increases , and as the diameter or the number of the oxidation fuel nozzles 112 increases , the mixing ratio of the oxidation fuel increases . however , the size of the aog nozzle 111 cannot be made too large due to the increased possibility of backfire , whereas when the aog nozzle 111 is made too small in size , the amount of aog supplied becomes too small , which also causes a problem . in some embodiments , the aog nozzle 111 has a maximum diameter of 2 . 5 mm , in consideration of the possibility of backfire and the amount of aog supplied , and the oxidation fuel nozzles 112 have a maximum diameter of 1 . 5 mm . the diameters and the number of oxidation fuel nozzles 112 can be determined in accordance with the area of the aog nozzle 111 and the mixing ratio . in some embodiments , the oxidation fuel is supplied in a proportion of one to three and a half times the volume of the aog . for example , when the diameter of the aog nozzle 111 is 2 . 5 mm and the mixing ratio of the aog and the oxidation fuel is 1 : 2 , then twelve oxidation fuel nozzles 112 each having a diameter of 1 mm around the aog nozzle 111 would supply the desired mixing ratio . in this case , the discharge areas of the nozzles are : in addition , the oxidation fuel nozzles 112 may be disposed at a regular distance ( or spacing ) such that the aog and the oxidation fuel are uniformly mixed , in order to prevent or protect from channeling in the thermal distribution in operating the oxidizing unit 200 due to disproportionate ( or substantially uneven ) distribution of the hydrogen . another embodiment of the present invention is described with reference to fig5 to 7 . this embodiment relates to the lower structure of an oxidizing unit which reinforces mixing of ( or further mixes ) the aog and the oxidation fuel . an oxidizing unit 200 a according to this embodiment is closed at its lower end by a nozzle plate 110 and has an oxidizing unit lower plate 203 disposed at a distance ( e . g ., a predetermined distance ) from a nozzle plate 111 of an oxidizing unit body 201 to close the lower portion of the oxidizing unit body 201 . therefore , a circular plate - shaped ( or disk shaped ) space can be defined between the oxidizing unit plate 203 and the nozzle plate 110 . further , mixed oxidation fuel nozzles 205 are formed through the oxidizing unit lower plate 203 . the mixed oxidizing fuel nozzles 205 are disposed at a distance ( e . g ., a predetermined distance ) from the reformer lower plate 303 and is biased toward or closer to the oxidizing unit body 201 . in this structure , the diameter of the nozzle plate 110 of the burner nozzle assembly 100 is determined such that the nozzle plate 110 can be inserted in a small gap from under the oxidizing unit body 201 . a stepped portion 113 ( see fig1 ) having a larger diameter than the nozzle plate 110 is formed around the nozzle plate 110 such that the nozzle plate 110 is inserted by a depth ( e . g ., a predetermined depth ) into the oxidizing unit body 201 . in one embodiment , it is preferable to combine ( or join ) the nozzle plate 110 and the oxidizing unit body 201 and then seal it by welding . when the nozzle plate 110 and the oxidizing unit body 201 are combined ( or joined ) as shown in fig5 , a space ( e . g ., a predetermined space ) a 2 having a circular plate ( or disk ) shape is defined between the nozzle plate 110 and the oxidizing unit lower plate 203 . fig6 is a perspective view of a bottom surface of the body of an oxidizing unit . as described above , the aog and the oxidation fuel are mixed while flowing to the oxidizing portion 210 through the channel , in which the outlet of the mixing space a 2 is blocked by the oxidation fuel nozzle 205 , such that the number of collisions of the molecules in the aog and the oxidation fuel is increased . accordingly , the aog and the oxidation fuel can be mixed more easily ( or more thoroughly ) than in example 1 . the diameters of the mixed oxidation fuel nozzles 205 depend on the amount of mixed oxidation fuel supplied . that is , in one embodiment , the total area of the mixed oxidation fuel nozzles 205 is preferably one to four times the sum of the total area of the aog nozzle and the oxidation fuel nozzles . when it is less than the total area of the aog nozzle and the oxidation fuel nozzles , unnecessary pressure is generated in the region a 2 , and when it is more than four times that area , the effect of mixing by the nozzle is reduced . for example , when the aog nozzle 111 has a diameter of 2 . 5 mm and when there are twelve oxidation fuel nozzles 112 each having a diameter of 1 mm , there can be thirty mixed oxidation fuel nozzles 205 each having a diameter of 1 . 5 mm . in this case , the total area of the aog nozzle 111 and the oxidation fuel nozzles 112 is 4 . 5625π and the total area of the mixed oxidation fuel nozzles 205 is 16 . 875π , which is about four times the sum of the area of the aog nozzle 111 and the oxidation fuel nozzles 112 . on the other hand , as shown in fig7 , the aog and the mixed fuel are first mixed by collision of supplied gases around each nozzle and then secondarily mixed while flowing to the mixed oxidation fuel nozzles 205 through the channel . another embodiment of the present invention is described with reference to fig7 . in this embodiment , the space around the mixed oxidation fuel nozzles 205 is narrowed , as compared with example 2 . in this embodiment , the lower end of an oxidizing unit body 201 b is bent inside ( or angled toward the central axis of the reformer ) and the lower end of a first part 301 b is bent outside ( or angled away from the central axis of the reformer ); thereafter , the lower end of the oxidizing unit body 201 b is sealed by attaching a nozzle plate 110 . the lower end of the oxidizing body 201 b and the lower end of the first part 301 b define a first cross sectional annular area distal to the mixed fuel nozzles and a second cross sectional annular area , smaller than the first cross sectional annular area , proximal to the mixed fuel nozzles . the lower end of the oxidizing body 201 b and the lower end of the first part 301 b also define a third area between the first area and the second area , the third area being larger than the second area and the first area being larger than the third area . in order to prevent unnecessary space from being defined or formed under the first part 301 b , it is possible to seal the lower end of the first part 301 b by providing a reformer lower plate 303 b at a height ( e . g ., a predetermined height ). according to this configuration , it is possible to make a space a 3 that gradually becomes wider from the outlet of the mixed oxidation fuel nozzle 205 . when the mixed oxidation fuel is discharged from the mixed oxidation fuel nozzle 205 and passes through the space a 3 , the gas concentration is reduced and the flow speed of the fuel mixture is relatively high , because the space is narrow around the nozzle . this feature further reduces the possibility of backfire around the mixed oxidation fuel nozzle 205 . another embodiment which includes an evaporator 400 is described with reference to fig8 . the evaporator 400 is provided to evaporate water supplied to the reformer 300 using the steam reforming method , using the thermal energy of the exhaust discharged from an oxidizing unit 200 a . in this embodiment , the evaporator 400 has a structure in which a step along which water flows and a step through which the exhaust flows are alternately disposed to increase the heat exchange efficiency of the exhaust . the aog and the oxidation fuel are supplied through the aog nozzle 111 and the oxidation fuel nozzles 112 , respectively , mixed in a space a 2 defined between the oxidizing lower plate 203 and the nozzle plate 110 , and then discharged through the mixed oxidation fuel nozzle 205 . the discharged mixed oxidation fuel is oxidized in the oxidizing portion 210 thereby generating heat , and the exhaust created after the oxidation converts the water supplied from a water supplier 402 into steam by transmitting the remaining heat to the evaporator , and the exhaust is then discharged through an exhaust outlet 404 of the evaporator 400 . the converted steam is mixed with main fuel supplied from main fuel inlet 401 through a connecting pipe 403 and then flows to a reformer 300 . the main fuel and the steam are converted into a hydrogen - rich reformate by the steam reforming method and then flows through a first part 301 to a reactor for reducing carbon monoxide or the fuel electrode of the fuel cell . a thermal distribution diagram on the nozzle plate 110 in the operation of the reformer having the above configuration is shown in fig9 b . as shown in fig9 , the thermal balance is more uniform in thermal distribution diagram when using the configuration of the burner nozzle assembly 100 of embodiments of the present invention ( fig9 b ) than when using a comparable burner nozzle assemblies ( fig9 a ). therefore , the aog and the oxidation fuel appear to be more uniformly mixed by embodiments of the present invention . although preferred embodiments of the present invention were described above , the scope of the present invention is not limited to the preferred embodiments and can be implemented by a variety of nozzle assemblies and reformers having the nozzle assemblies without departing from the scope of the present invention described in claims , and equivalents thereof .	8
referring now to fig4 , a diagram illustrating one embodiment of a high availability network attached storage ( nas ) architecture 30 according to the present invention is shown . the nas architecture 30 is shown to include a control station 32 . the control station includes logic having functionality for retrieving operating status information from each coupled file server , or data mover . in one embodiment , the operating status information includes , among other items , information regarding the operational status of the operating system software running on each data mover and the availability of each data mover . the control station 32 includes an interface card 40 , which is , for example , a peripheral component interconnect ( pci ) card , having a number of ports 41 , 42 and 43 . communication methods that are used by the control station to transfer data using the pci card are well known in the art . the particular ports of the pci card are described in more detail below . coupled the control station 32 are data movers dm a , dm b , dm c and dm d . the data movers may be , for example , front end data moving enclosures provided in the celerra line of products by emc corporation . the data movers serve to retrieve data from a coupled storage device ( not shown ), and therefore provide , among other functions , file server , data management and data integrity functionality . it should be noted that , although the particular embodiment is discussed with regard to data movers , the present invention is equally applicable to any processing device that is used to transfer data , and thus the present invention is not limited to any particular implementation of the enclosure . the present invention distributes the switching functionality of the prior art onto the individual data movers dm a , dm b , dm c and dm d to form a single field replaceable unit , or “ fru ”. thus , integrated into each data mover dm a , dm b , dm c and dm d is a switch , shown at 56 in fig6 and a port device 50 a , 50 b , 50 c and 50 d , respectively . by providing a switch 56 in each data mover , access to the data movers by the control station 32 can be assured even in the event of a single point of failure at one switch . thus , the on - board switch 56 in each data mover insures that high availability reliability can be met . each switch 56 is used to chain together the data movers to enable communication between the control station 32 and the data movers with a minimal amount of cabling overhead . each port device 50 a , 50 b , 50 c and 50 d includes a downstream input port 52 for receiving data from an upstream device and inputting it to the associated switch , and an upstream output port 54 for forwarding data to the switch of a coupled downstream device . downstream input port 52 and upstream output port 54 are preferably rj - 45 sockets coupled to the air dam ( not shown ) of the data mover . for the purposes of this description , the upstream direction is towards the control station 32 , and the downstream direction is away from the control station 32 . referring again to the control station 32 , the interface card 40 of the control station is shown to include three ports 41 , 42 and 43 . in one embodiment of the invention , the three ports include two redundant networking ports 42 and 43 and a heartbeat lan port 41 . the two networking ports 42 and 43 provide high availability accessibility to the data moving enclosures by the control station 32 through two networks . as shown in fig4 , networking port 43 connects a lan network a to data movers dm a and dm c through cables 46 a and 46 b , respectively , and networking port 42 connects a lan network b to data movers dm b and dm d through cables 48 a and 48 b , respectively . in the event of a failure at one of the ports 42 or 43 , access to the data movers by the control station may still be achieved using the alternate port . as is described below with reference to fig6 , each data mover is accessible to every other data mover , either through their switches 56 or through a midplane connection . in the nas architecture 30 of fig4 , only one control station 32 operates to gather the operation status information at any given time . a redundant control station 33 , shown in the nas architecture 34 in fig5 , may be utilized to monitor the operational status of the operating control station 32 using the heartbeat lan connection 47 , between heartbeat lan port 41 of control station 32 and heartbeat lan port 81 of control station 81 . control station 32 periodically issues a pulse , or heartbeat , to indicate its operating status . in the event of the failure of the operating control station 32 , the redundant control station 33 detects the loss of heartbeat , and can signal the failure and take over control station operation . as shown in fig5 , network a is coupled to upstream port 54 c of data mover dm c from network a port 83 via cable 49 a and network b is coupled to upstream port 54 d of data mover dm d from network b port 82 via cable 49 b . in one embodiment of the invention , the amount of cabling between enclosures is further reduced by forwarding rs485 signals on unused signal lines of the ethernet cable . thus each networking port such as port 42 is capable of communicating both 100 mbit ethernet signals and serial rs485 signals . such an embodiment could be implemented in a system wherein 1 gigabit ethernet cabling is used , but communication is only performed between the enclosures at a 100 mbit rate . in such a configuration , as described in the ieee standard 802 . 3z , incorporated herein by reference , two of the signal wires are unused . in one embodiment of the invention , the control station includes logic to overlay the rs485 signals on the unused ethernet signal wires , thereby further reducing by half the cabling and switching logic illustrated in fig4 . fig4 illustrates an nas system and architecture that is highly flexible ; by distributing the switching functionality to the individual data movers , data movers may be added indefinitely to achieve increased storage , performance or reliability without physical constraints . fig6 is a schematic block diagram showing a “ top down ” view of data movers dm a and dm b , showing internal components and their connection to each other through a midplane 60 . as shown in fig6 , each data mover includes its port device 50 , a switch 56 , a microcontroller μc 62 , a power controller or pic 64 , voltage regulators 66 , one or more cpus , i / o logic 68 and a pair of addressing devices , mac a 70 and mac b 72 . all of these components are formed on a single board to form a fru . in one embodiment of the invention , switch 56 is a model bcm5325 switch from broadcom corporation of irvine , calif . however , it will be understood that any switch that operates in a compatible manner may be utilized . the voltage regulators 66 operate to provide power to the cpus and i / o logic 68 and addressing devices , mac a 70 and mac b 72 . while not all connections between the components in each data mover are shown , one of ordinary skill in the art will know the interconnections between the elements that are not shown . commands from the control station 32 input to data mover dm a at switch 56 a can be communicated to the microcontroller 62 a , mac a 70 a and , through the midplane 60 , to mac a 72 b . likewise , commands from the control station 32 input to data mover dm b at switch 56 b can be communicated to the microcontroller 62 b , mac b 70 b and , through the midplane 60 , to mac b 72 a . on occasion , it is desirable for a data mover to be powered down , for example , for maintenance or replacement . likewise , a data mover in a nas system may be used as a back - up device that must be powered up when needed . when a data mover is to be powered down , the control station 32 sends a power down command to the data mover through its associated network cable and port 50 . switch 56 forwards the command to the microcontroller 62 , which sends the power down command to the pic 64 . upon receiving the power down command from the microcontroller 62 , pic 64 sends a disable signal to the voltage regulators 66 that provide power to the remainder of the data mover , including the cpu and i / o logic 68 and the macs 70 and 72 , thus powering down the data mover . however , because the switch 56 must be powered to receive commands from the control station 32 when the data mover is in a powered down state , the switch 56 , microcontroller 62 and pic 64 are not powered by voltage regulator 66 , but are powered by a different voltage regulator ( not shown ) which always provides power to these components . as shown in fig6 , these components are mounted in an “ always on ” portion 74 of the data mover and thus receive power regardless of the on or off state of the data mover . accordingly , the present invention incorporates switches onto each data mover in order to create a single field replaceable unit , or “ fru ”, that contains the functionality of the data mover along with the switching function that was previously handled on a separate board . to enable the switch portion of the fru to process power up and power down commands from the control station , the switch , microcontroller and pic are separately powered and are in an “ always on ” state . the invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof . the present embodiments are therefore to be considered in respects as illustrative and not restrictive , the scope of the invention being indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description , and all changes which come within the meaning and range of the equivalency of the claims are therefore intended to be embraced therein .	8
various embodiments of the invention will hereunder be described with reference to the accompanying drawings . fig1 to 3 are central cross - sectional views showing an arrangement of a lens mount according to a first embodiment of the invention . further , fig5 to 8 are exploded perspective views showing a detailed arrangement of the lens mount . in this connection , fig1 shows a state of an initial position ( on the side of an infinity ) of a focus group upon a wide angle end . fig2 shows a state of a feeding position ( on the close side ) of the focus group upon the wide angle end , while fig3 shows a state of the initial position ( on the side of the infinity ) of the focus group upon the wide angle end . as shown in fig1 to 3 , the lens mount is arranged such that a first group of lenses 141 , a second group of lenses 142 , a third group of lenses 143 and a fourth group of lenses 144 are respectively arranged from the front to the rear ( i . e . from left to right ). fig4 is a view schematically showing movement of each of the groups of lenses upon zoom operation . however , as shown in fig4 the first group of lenses 141 to the third group of lenses 143 of the groups of lenses are adapted to integrally move within the lens mount during reaching the telephoto end from the wide angle end . respective portions will hereunder be described in detail with reference to fig1 to 3 and fig5 to 8 . in this connection , each of fig5 to 8 shows that various elements are exploded in an optical - axis direction . as shown in fig1 and 5 , a fixed frame 52 of the lens mount is fixedly mounted on a camera body ( not shown ) at a rearward end thereof , and is formed with linear key grooves 52a into which linear keys 53b of three ( 3 ) locations arranged at a rearward end of a frame of a first group of lenses 53 ( refer to fig6 ) are fitted respectively , and a linear key groove 52d into which an fpc guide 78 ( refer to fig8 ) is fitted . further , a rotary frame 51 is fitted about an outer periphery of the fixed frame 52 for angular movement . moreover , a groove 52c is formed along a circumferential direction in an outer periphery of the fixed frame 52 at a forward end thereof . a c - ring 64 for engaging with the rotary frame 51 in the optical - axis direction is mounted in the groove 52c . meanwhile , the fixed frame 52 has an inner periphery thereof which is formed with a cam groove 52b which is fitted on cam followers 59a of an intermediate frame 59 ( refer to fig8 ) ( fig1 is a developed view of the fixed frame 52 ). furthermore , a light shielding element 145 made of flocked cloth or the like for preventing unnecessary or un - required light from entering the lens frame from a gap between the fixed frame 52 and the first lens group frame 53 is fixedly mounted on an inner periphery of a forward end of the fixed frame 52 . the rotary frame 51 has an inner peripheral surface thereof which is fitted radially in an outer periphery of the fixed frame 52 , as described above . movement of the rotary frame 51 in the optical - axis direction is engaged by the c - ring 64 which is mounted on a forward end of the fixed frame 52 . thus , the rotary frame 51 is movable in an angular - movement direction with respect to the fixed frame 52 but movement thereof in the optical - axis direction is regulated ( i . e . prevented ). moreover , the rotary frame 51 has an inner periphery thereof which is formed therein with a cam groove 51b having a bottom thereof for moving the first lens group frame 53 in the optical - axis direction , and a cam groove 51c having a bottom thereof for moving the fpc guide 78 in the optical - axis direction ( fig2 is a developed view thereof ). the rotary frame 51 has an outer periphery thereof on which the gear 51a is formed . thus , the arrangement is such that a zoom gear 227 that is an output gear of a zoom drive unit is in mesh therewith to perform rotary driving . further , a pattern sheet 76 of a zoom encoder for a zoom photo reflector 139 which detects a zooming position of a zoom lens is fixedly mounted on the outer periphery of the rotary frame 51 . as shown in fig6 the first lens group frame 53 that is a lens frame of the first group of lenses 141 has , at a rearward end thereof , an outer periphery thereof formed with the linear keys 53b which are fitted respectively in the linear key grooves 52a in the fixed frame 52 at equal intervals . thus , the first lens group frame 53 is capable of being moved in the optical - axis direction with respect to the fixed frame 52 . moreover , the linear keys 53b have upper surfaces thereof which are formed respectively with cam followers 53a which are fitted in the cam groove 51b in the rotary frame 51 . furthermore , a shutter bottom plate 81 ( refer to fig7 ) is fastened by screws 65 to the inner periphery of the first lens group frame 53 under a state in which the shutter bottom plate 81 is regulated in position in the radial direction and the rotational direction and a shutter lid or closure 82 ( refer to fig7 ) is put between the shutter bottom plate 81 and a front frame 60 . further , the front frame 60 ( refer to fig7 ) and the middle frame 59 ( refer to fig8 ) are fitted in the inner periphery of the first lens group of frame 53 for angular movement in a peripheral direction . rollers 77 which are mounted on the fourth lens group frame 57 ( refer to fig8 ) enter the inner periphery of the first lens group frame 53 . linear key grooves 53e ( refer to fig1 ) for regulating a fourth lens group frame 57 in the rotational direction are formed at three ( 3 ) locations in the inner periphery of the first lens group frame 53 . moreover , through bores 53c for pressingly fitting respectively , pins 75 for regulating the middle frame 59 into the optical - axis direction are formed through the inner periphery of the first group of lenses 53 . furthermore , a barrier drive ring 69 for opening and closing a barrier is fitted in a forward end of the first lens group frame 53 in the optical - axis direction for angular movement in the radial direction . the forward end of the first lens group frame 53 is connected to a barrier drive gear 100b ( refer to fig7 ) which projects from a bore in the forward end of the first lens group frame 53 . as shown in fig8 . the fourth lens group frame 57 is fastened by a screw such that a fourth lens group retaining frame 56 which retains the fourth group of lenses 144 becomes integral therewith . the fourth lens group frame 57 has an outer periphery thereof on which three pins 57a are provided in planting . the rollers 77 are fitted respectively upon the pins for rotation . the rollers 77 are fitted respectively in the linear key grooves 53e ( refer to fig1 ) which are provided in the inner periphery of the first lens group frame 53 . thus , the fourth lens group frame 57 is movable only in the optical - axis direction with respect to the first lens group frame 53 , but is not moved in the angular movement direction . furthermore , a fourth lens group spring 62 is arranged between the fourth lens group frame 57 ( refer to fig8 ) and the shutter bottom plate 81 ( refer to fig7 ) through a spring retainer 63 therebetween . the rollers 77 are biased so as to be abutted always against respective end - face cams 59b of the middle frame 59 . the middle frame 59 has an outer periphery thereof which is fitted , in the radial direction , in an inner periphery of the first lens group frame 53 ( refer to fig6 ). forward ends of respective pins 75 which are press - fitted from the outer periphery of the first lens group frame 53 are fitted respectively in grooves which are formed in the outer periphery of the middle frame 59 , whereby the middle frame 59 is integrally retracted in the optical - axis direction with respect to the first lens group frame 53 and rotation thereof is freely retained . moreover , the cam followers 59a which are fitted in the cam groove 52b in the fixed frame 52 are formed in the outer periphery of the middle frame 59 . furthermore , an interlocking plate 66 is fixedly mounted on the outer periphery of the middle frame 59 ( see fig9 a ). further , the end - face cams 59b are formed on one end of the middle frame 59 . as shown in fig7 the front frame 60 has an outer periphery thereof which is rotatably fitted in diameter in an inner periphery of the first lens group frame 53 and an inner periphery which is formed with a plurality of linear key grooves 60b ( refer to fig1 ) into which a plurality of linear keys 54a of the second lens group frame 54 are fitted respectively . a second lens group spring 61 that is a compression spring is arranged between the front frame 60 and the second lens group frame 54 . further , the outer periphery of the front frame 60 is formed with a projection 60a which is put into a gap 66a in the forward end of the interlocking plate 66 . the projection 60a is so connected as to be integrally rotated together with rotation of the middle frame 59 ( refer to fig9 a and 10 ). thus , since the front frame 60 is fitted , in the radial direction , in the inner periphery of the first lens group frame 53 eccentricity with respect to the rotation of the second lens group frame 54 is minimized as far as possible as compared with the fact that the second lens group frame 54 is directly rotated by the interlocking plate 66 . thus , it is possible to maintain high optical performance . moreover , a barrier drive changing - over lever 101 for connecting a focal drive gear train 146 and a barrier drive gear train 147 to each other is arranged on the inner peripheral surface of the front frame 60 . the inner peripheral surface of the front frame 60 is provided with a barrier drive changing - over lever - position regulating cam portion which regulates a position of the barrier drive changing - over lever 101 such that the connection is not performed under a state other than a collapsible mount state , and which regulates the position of the barrier drive changing - over lever 101 such that the interlocking plate 66 does not obstruct or disturb connection of the barrier drive changing - over lever 101 upon collapsible mount . the second lens group frame 54 retains the second group of lenses 142 and is formed with a plurality of linear keys 54a which are fitted respectively in the plurality of linear key grooves 60b in the front frame 60 . the second lens group frame 54 has a rearward end thereof which is formed with a cam follower 54b which is abutted against an end - face cam 55c which is formed on an inner peripheral surface of the third lens group frame 55 . furthermore , the second lens group spring 61 is positioned between a front end of the second lens group frame 54 and a rearward end of the front frame 60 . further , the linear keys of the second lens group frame 54 are fitted respectively in the key grooves 60b in the front frame 60 . thus , the second lens group frame 54 and the front frame 60 are integrally rotated in the rotational direction , but are freely retractable in the optical - axis direction with respect to each other . in this connection , a biasing force of the second lens group spring 61 so acts as to abut the cam follower 54b against the end - face cam 55c which is formed on the third lens group frame 55 . the third lens group frame 55 holds or retains the third group of lenses 143 , and has an inner peripheral portion thereof which is formed with an end - face cam 55c on an end surface thereof in - the optical - axis direction , which is displaced along a circumferential direction . the third lens group frame 55 is formed with a cam follower 55d which is abutted against a cam portion 58a of a focus cam ring 58 . fig1 is a partially sectionalized side elevational view showing the second lens group frame 54 , the third lens group frame 55 and the focus cam ring 58 , and showing the positional relationship between the cam followers 54b , the end - face cam 55c , the cam followers 55d and the cam portions 58a . the cam followers 54b of the second lens group frame 54 are biased against the end - face cam 55c of the third lens group frame 55 by the biasing force of the second lens group spring 61 . further , the cam followers 55d of the third lens group frame 55 are abutted respectively against the cam portions 58a of the focus cam ring 58 . moreover , as shown in fig7 the outer peripheral surface of the third lens group frame 55 is formed with a projection in which the bore 55a is formed in projection in the optical - axis direction . furthermore , the outer peripheral surface of the third lens group frame 55 is formed with a linear key 55b at a position substantially opposed against the projection with respect to the optical axis . a rod 89 which is retained between the shutter bottom plate 81 and the shutter closure 82 of the shutter unit is fitted in the bore 55a , and the linear key 55b is fitted in a groove ( not shown ) which is formed in the shutter bottom plate 81 . thus , the third group of lenses 55 is not rotatable , but is movable only in the optical - axis direction with respect to the shutter bottom plate 81 . as shown in fig9 the interlocking plate 66 is fixedly mounted on the outer peripheral portion of the middle frame 59 , and the outer - peripheral projection 60a of the front frame 60 is put into the gap 66a in the forward end of the interlocking plate 66 , whereby the middle frame 59 and the front frame 60 are connected to each other so as to be integrally moved angularly . further , the interlocking plate 66 is adapted to make the barrier drive changing - over lever 101 which connects the focal drive gear train 146 and the barrier drive gear train 147 to each other at the end face 66b of the interlocking plate 66 upon movement from a short focal end to a collapsible mount state , to a connecting state . as shown in fig6 the barrier drive ring 69 is fitted for angular movement in a forward end 53f of the first lens group frame 53 , at an inner diameter portion 69e . further , as shown in fig1 and 17 , the barrier drive ring 69 is connected to a barrier drive gear 100b by an internal gear 69a . the circumference or periphery of the connecting portion becomes a substantially or schematically closed state in the form of a bag . planar barrier springs 70 having an illustrated contour or shape are arranged two ( 2 ) at positions diametrically opposed against each other at the internal gear 69a and the opposite surface ( the side of the front surface of the camera ), to bias vanes or blades 71 , and to perform opening and closing of the barrier blades 71 and barrier blades 73 ( refer to fig1 and 17 ). each of the barrier springs 70 is a plate - like spring on which a bending or folding portion is formed midway thereof , and is arranged on a circumference of the barrier drive ring 69 as shown in fig1 and 17 . each of the barrier springs 70 has both ends thereof which are abutted against projections 69b of the barrier drive ring 69 . further , projections 69d are fitted in and are inserted respectively into guide grooves 69c which are provided in opening in the folding portion . the barrier springs 70 are arranged on the barrier drive ring 69 under a state in which movement in the optical - axis direction and in the rotational direction are regulated . as shown in fig6 the barrier blades 71 are arms which are angularly movable respectively around bosses 53g which are provided in projection on a forward end of the first lens group frame 53 . two ( 2 ) blades which are the same in contour as each other are arranged on the first lens group frame 53 . as shown in fig1 , each barrier blade 71 is formed with projections 71c biased respectively by the barrier springs 70 , projections 71a which drive respectively the barrier blades 73 under a closed state , and recesses 71b for biasing projections 73b of the barrier blade 73 upon an open state . the barrier blades 73 are arms which are angularly movable respectively around the bosses 53g at the forward end of the first lens group frame 53 , similar to the barrier blades 71 . two ( 2 ) blades the same in contour as each other are arranged on the first lens group frame 53 . as shown in fig1 , the barrier blades 73 are biased by the projections 71a of the barrier blades 71 toward a closed state , while the projections 73b are biased by the barrier blades 71 toward an open state , to thereby respectively perform opening and closing operations . a cover ring 74 is so arranged as to be mounted on the forward end of the first lens group frame 53 to regulate ( i . e . retain ) positions of the barrier drive ring 69 , the barrier blades 71 and the barrier blades 73 in the optical - axis direction . further , as shown in fig2 a - 21c and 22 , the fpc guide ( flexible printed circuit board guide ) 78 is formed with engagements 78b which are fitted in the linear key groove 52d in the fixed frame 52 , a cam follower 78c which is engaged with the cam groove 51c in the rotor frame 51 , and an arm 78a which urges a lens frame flexible circuit board 302 which is arranged within the lens frame . the lens frame flexible printed circuit board 302 is assembled by the arm 78a so as to become a u - shape . the lens frame flexible printed circuit board 302 is driven in the optical - axis direction through an amount of movement approximately half the amount of feeding of the first lens group frame 53 , by a cam of the rotary frame 51 . moreover , the fpc guide 78 is so arranged as to regulate the operating guide of the lens frame flexible printed circuit board 302 and expansion or spreading into the optical - axis direction by the arm 78a . furthermore , in a case where there is no fpc guide 78 , the flexible printed circuit board 302 spreads as shown in fig2 a - 26c . fig2 is a block diagram showing an arrangement of a principal portion of a drive circuit in the lens mount according to the first embodiment . further , fig2 is a conceptional view showing the flexible printed circuit board in which connection is made to the principal portion of the drive circuit . a shutter unit 3 is arranged within the lens mount . moreover , a focus motor 108 , a shutter plunger 111 , a shutter trigger photo reflector 110 , a focus photo interrupter 109 and the like are arranged within the shutter unit 3 . an actuator , a sensor or the like , a zoom motor 201 , a display device 307 , a release switch 318 and a control circuit 12 packed on a main circuit board 301 within the camera body are connected to each other by a lens frame flexible printed circuit board 302 . in this connection , the actuator , sensor and the like will subsequently be described in detail . returning to fig1 two ( 2 ) shutter blades 92a and 92b are arranged rewardly of the shutter bottom plate 81 . the shutter blades 92a and 92b are normally closed so as to shield a flux of light or a luminous flux which is passed through the groups of lenses . by release operation , the shutter blades 92a and 92b open in a predetermined period of time and , subsequently , are closed . further , the shutter blades 92a and 92b are movably mounted between blade retainers 93 and 94 which are fixedly mounted on the shutter bottom plate 81 . the blade retainers 93 and 94 are adapted to perform a guide function upon opening and closing operation of the shutter blades 92a and 92b . the focus motor 108 is fixedly mounted on the shutter bottom plate 81 . a pinion gear 105 is fixedly mounted on an output shaft of the focus motor 108 . the arrangement is such that angular movement output of the focus motor 108 is transmitted by the focal drive gear train 146 ( refer to fig7 ) to angularly move the focus cam ring 58 , to thereby perform a focusing operation . a sealing element 68 which is arranged at a forward end of the fixed frame 52 is an element for preventing water drops from entering the interior of the camera , and is made of elastic material . the side rearward of the camera is fixedly mounted on the fixed frame 52 , while the outer peripheral side is fixedly mounted on the front side cover 21 . an inner diameter side thereof is urged against the first lens group frame 53 . linear feeding operation of the first lens group frame is possible , and a lip portion 68a in linear contact in the form of a ring with the first lens group frame 53 at forward and rearward two locations so that water drops do not enter the interior of the camera . subsequently , zoom operation of the lens mount according to the first embodiment will be described . first , zoom operation from a state of a lens frame short focal end illustrated in fig1 to the long focal side illustrated in fig3 will be described . when a drive electric power source is supplied to a zoom motor 201 ( refer to fig2 ) which is arranged at a predetermined location of the camera body , a gear 227 ( refer to fig5 ) is driven so that the rotary frame 51 is angularly moved . when the rotary frame 51 is rotated in the clockwise direction as viewed from the subject side , the cam followers 53a of the first lens group frame 53 are engaged with the cam groove 51b in the rotary frame 51 . since movement in the rotational direction is regulated ( i . e . prevented ) by the linear key groove 52a in the fixed frame 52 , the first lens group frame 53 moves linearly in the optical - axis left - hand direction ( in the direction of the subject ) in the figure . at this time , the middle frame 59 is also moved in the optical - axis left - hand direction integrally with the first lens group frame 53 and , simultaneously , the middle frame 59 is rotated also in the clockwise direction by the cam on the inner periphery of the fixed frame 52 . by rotation of the middle frame 59 , the positions of the cams 59b of the middle frame 59 which is abutted against the roller 77 of the fourth lens group frame 57 are changed whereby the relative position of the fourth lens group frame 57 with respect to the first lens group frame 53 is changed . the interlocking plate 66 which is fixedly mounted on the outer periphery of the middle frame 59 is angularly moved integrally with the middle frame 59 . in keeping therewith , the front frame 60 and the second lens group frame 54 engaged with the front frame 60 by the linear key are also rotated through an rotational angle the same as that of the middle frame 59 . by this rotation , a contact position of the cam follower 54b of the second lens group frame 54 with respect to the end - face cam 55c of the third lens group frame 55 is changed . as a result , the relative spacing between the second group of lenses 142 and the third group of lenses 148 is changed . by angular movement of the rotary frame 51 , the fpc guide 78 is also moved in the optical - axis left - hand direction only through the amount approximately half that of the first lens group frame 58 so that the lens frame flexible circuit board 302 mounted on the shutter bottom plate 81 restrains extension or expansion in the optical - axis central direction within the lens frame . the above description describes driving from the short focal side to the long focal side in the lens mount according to the embodiment . however , reverse driving from the long focal side to the short focal side can be realized by the fact that the rotary frame 51 is rotated in the counterclockwise direction . a focus drive mechanism in the lens mount according to the embodiment will subsequently be described . fig1 and 13 are exploded perspective views showing an arrangement of the focus drive mechanism according to the embodiment . as shown in fig1 and 13 , a focus motor 108 is fixedly mounted on the shutter bottom plate 81 . the focus motor 108 has an output shaft 108a thereof on which a pinion gear 105 is fixedly mounted . an idle gear 106 which is supported on a pivot on the shutter bottom plate 81 for angular movement is in mesh with the pinion gear 105 . further , an idle gear 107 which is supported on a pivot on the shutter bottom plate 81 for angular movement is in mesh with the pinion gear 105 . moreover , gears 83 , 84 , 85 and 86 are two - step gears for deceleration or reduction in speed and are supported on respective pivots on the shutter bottom plate 81 for axial movement . furthermore , a gear 87 is an idle gear , and is in mesh with a small diameter gear portion 86b of the gear 86 , a focus cam 58a and a gear portion 58b . in case where focusing is performed , a drive power source is supplied to the focus motor 108 from the side of the camera body . thus , the focus cam ring 58 is moved angularly . the third lens group frame 55 is regulated in angular movement thereof by a rod 89 and the linear key 55a , and is linearly moved in the optical - axis left - hand direction . at this time , since the second lens group frame 54 is also engaged with the linear key groove in the front frame 60 , the second lens group frame 54 is moved linearly in the optical - axis left - hand direction through the amount of movement the same as that of the third lens group frame 55 without being angularly moved . thus , the second lens group frame 54 and the third lens group frame 55 are moved in unison with each other in the optical - axis direction only through focal adjustment , which is determined by the zoom operation , without the spacing therebetween being changed , and is changed from the state illustrated in fig1 to a state illustrated in fig3 . a gear 88 is supported on a pivot on the shutter bottom plate 81 for angular movement , and is provided with a slit blade portion 88b . the slit blade portion 88b is counted by the focus photo interrupter 109 , whereby the number of revolutions of the motor is detected . specifically , pulses of the focus photo interrupter 109 are counted whereby it is possible to know the rotational angle of the focus cam ring 58 , that is , the feeding amounts of the respective second and third lens group frames 54 and 55 . gear 98 and two - step gear 99 are both supported in pivot on the barrier drive changing - over lever 101 for angular movement . further , the barrier drive gear 100 is supported on a pivot on the shutter bottom plate 81 for angular movement . a gear portion 100a at one end of the barrier drive gear 100 is in mesh with a large diameter gear portion 99b of the two - step gear 99 . the barrier drive gear portion 100b at the other end of the barrier drive gear 100 is in mesh with the internal gear 69a of the barrier drive ring 69 . a barrier drive changing - over lever 101 is supported in pivot on the shutter bottom plate 81 for angular movement . one end 101a of the drive changing - over lever 101 is urged against the interlocking plate 66 . the barrier drive changing - over lever 101 is movable between a position where the gear 98 is in mesh with the gear portion 58b of the focus cam ring 58 and a position where a pin 101b is urged against the cam portion 60b of the front frame 60 so that a gear 98 is not in mesh with the gear portion 58b of the focus cam ring 58 . operation of the above - described focus drive mechanism will next be described . fig2 is a flow chart showing operation of the focus drive mechanism in the lens mount according to the present embodiment . operation of the mechanism will hereunder be described with reference to the flow chart , and fig1 and 13 . first , when the release sw 318 ( refer to fig2 ) is turned on ( step s0 ), distance measurement is performed by an auto focus sensor ( not shown ) ( step s1 ). at this time the feeding amounts of the second group of lenses 142 and the third group of lenses 143 upon the focusing operation are found by operation or computation . the target number of feeding pulses naf is found from the computed feeding amounts . subsequently , the focus motor 108 is reversely rotated to perform lens resetting operation ( step s2 ). specifically , when the focus motor 108 is reversely rotated , the focus cam ring 58 is rotated in the direction indicated by a in fig1 . thus , the stopper 58c of the focus cam ring 58 is abutted against the stopper 81d of the shutter bottom plate 81 and stops . simultaneously with the reverse rotation of the focus motor 108 , the first timer starts ( step s3 ), and the first timer is reset every time that the pulse input signal is received from the photo interrupter ( pi ) 109 ( step s4 ). by end or termination of count of the first timer ( step s5 ), it is judged as being an end of resetting operation , and the focus motor 108 stops ( step s6 ). subsequently , the focus motor 108 is normally rotated i . e . rotated in the normal direction , ( step s7 ) and , simultaneously therewith , the second timer starts ( step s8 ). thus , the focus cam ring 58 is rotated in a direction indicated by an arrow b in fig1 . at this time , pulse signals from the photo interrupter 109 are monitored . the focus motor 108 is reduced in speed or is decelerated from the point of time the number of pulses reaches the feeding target pulse number naf - 50 ( step s9 , step s10 ). at the time the number of pulses from the photo interrupter 109 reaches the target pulse number naf , the focus motor 108 stops ( step s11 , step s12 ). as a result , the second group of lenses 142 and the third group of lenses 143 are fed in accordance with the distance from the subject , and the focusing operation ends . subsequently , the shutter operates so that exposure is performed ( step s13 ). meanwhile , as described above , when the focus motor 108 is normally rotated , the second timer which has a time longer than the focusing operation starts ( step s8 ). in case where count of the second timer ends prior to the fact that count of the target pulse number naf ends ( step s14 . step s16 ), it is judged that the camera is out of order so that display of fault is performed on the display device 307 of the camera ( step s15 , step s17 ). the lens barrier drive changing - over mechanism in the lens mount according to the present embodiment will next be described with reference to fig1 to fig1 . fig1 is an explanatory view showing a transmitting state to the barrier drive system of the lens barrier drive changing - over mechanism . moreover , fig1 is an explanatory view showing a non - transmitting state to the barrier drive system of the lens barrier drive changing - over mechanism . the barrier drive changing - over lever 101 is supported by a pivot on the shutter bottom plate 81 for angular or swinging movement . furthermore , the gear 98 and the two - step gear 99 are supported by pivots on shafts , respectively , for angular movement , which are fixedly mounted in planting , on the barrier drive changing - over lever 101 . meanwhile , the barrier drive gear 100 is supported by a pivot on the shutter bottom plate 81 for angular movement . the gear 100a which is formed on one end of the barrier drive gear 100 and the gear 99b of the two - step gear 99 are in mesh with each other . further , the gear 99a of the two - step gear 99 is in mesh with the gear 98 . the barrier drive changing - over lever 101 has one end 101a thereof which is swingable between a position where the one end 101a is urged against the end face of the interlocking plate 66 ( refer to fig1 ) upon lens collapsible mount so that the gear 98 is in mesh with the gear portion 58b of the focus cam ring 58 ( refer to fig1 ), and a position where the pin portion 101b is urged against the cam portion 60c of the front frame 60 so that the gear 198 is not in mesh with the gear 58b ( refer to fig1 ). moreover , in fig1 , 17 and 18 , the barrier drive ring 69 is fitted on the forward end 53f of the first lens group frame 53 for angular movement . the barrier drive ring 69 has an inner diameter portion thereof which is provided with the internal gear 69a which is in mesh with the gear portion 100b which is formed on the other end of the barrier drive gear 100 . moreover , the barrier spring 70 is fixedly mounted on the barrier drive ring 69 . thus , the barrier blade 71 is adapted to be urged . the barrier blade 71 is mounted on the first lens group frame 53 for swinging movement around a swinging - movement center that is the boss 53d which is arranged at the forward end of the first lens group frame 53 . the barrier blade 71 is formed with projections 71c which are biased by the barrier spring 70 , the projection 71a for driving the barrier blade 73 toward closed state , and a recess 71b for biasing the projection 73b of the barrier blade 73 toward the open state . the barrier blade 73 is mounted on the first lens group frame 53 for angular movement around a swinging center that is the boss 53d at the forward end of the first lens group frame 53 , similarly to the barrier blade 71 . upon the barrier closed state , the barrier blade 73 is biased by the projection 71a of the barrier blade 71 , and upon the open state , the projection 73b is driven by the barrier blade 71 , to perform opening and closing operation . further , a cover ring 74 is mounted on the forward end of the first lens group frame 53 , to regulate the positions of the barrier drive ring 69 , the barrier blade 71 and the barrier blade 73 in the optical - axis direction . operation of the lens barrier drive mechanism will next be described . first , when the power sw is turned off , a power source is supplied to a zoom drive unit ( not shown ) so that the zoom motor 201 ( fig2 ) is rotated . thus , the rotary frame 51 is rotated in the counterclockwise direction . moreover , the first lens group frame 53 is moved to the collapsible mount position . at this time , the middle frame 59 is also moved to the collapsible mount position by the movement of the first lens group frame 53 . furthermore , by the interlocking plate 66 which is rotated integrally with the middle frame 59 , one end 101a of the barrier drive changing - over lever 101 is urged . the barrier drive changing - over lever 101 is swung ( in the direction indicated by the arrow - c in fig1 ) so that the gear 98 and the gear 58b are in mesh with each other ( refer to fig1 ). specifically , power of the focus motor 108 is transmitted to the barrier drive gear 100 . the power source is next supplied to the focus motor 108 . by the fact that the focus motor 108 is rotated in the counterclockwise direction , the power is transmitted to the barrier drive gear 100 through a gear train so that the barrier drive gear 100 is rotated in the counterclockwise direction . thus , by the fact that the gear 100b arranged on the one end of the barrier drive gear 100 and the internal gear 69a are in mesh with each other , the barrier drive ring 69 is rotated in the counterclockwise direction . at this time , the barrier blade 71 is urged by the barrier spring 70 so that the barrier blade 71 is swung in a barrier closed direction . meanwhile , the barrier blade 73 is urged against the projection 71a on the barrier blade 71 , and is likewise swung in the barrier closed direction . at this time , the pulse signals from the photo interrupter 109 are counted , and the motor stops at the time it is detected that the focus motor 108 is rotated through the predetermined pulse number required for barrier closing . when the power sw is turned 0n , the power source is first supplied to the focus motor 108 to rotate the focus motor 108 in the clockwise direction . thus , the power of the focus motor 108 is transmitted so that the barrier drive ring 69 is rotated in the clockwise direction . further , the projection 71b of the barrier blade 71 is urged against the barrier spring 70 so that the barrier blade 71 is moved in the open direction . meanwhile , the projection 73b is urged against the barrier blade 71 so that the barrier blade 73 is likewise moved in the open direction . at this time , similarly to the time of the above - described closure , the pulse signals from the photo interrupter 109 are counted . the motor stops at the time it is detected that the focus motor 108 is rotated only through a predetermined number of pulses . the power source is next supplied to the zoom drive unit ( not shown ) so that the zoom motor 201 is rotated . thus , the rotary frame 51 is rotated in the clockwise direction . as a result , the first lens group frame 53 is moved to a photographable position . furthermore , the middle frame 59 is rotated in keeping with the movement of the first lens group frame 53 . specifically , the front frame 60 is rotated through the interlocking plate 66 . at this time , since the cam portion 60c of the front frame 60 urges the pin 101b of the barrier drive changing - over lever 101 , the barrier drive changing - over lever 101 is swung to a position where the gear 98 and the gear 58b are not in mesh with each other ( refer to fig1 ). as a result , transmission between the barrier drive gear 100 and the focus motor 108 is cut off . thus , normal photographing is made possible . according to the above - described first embodiment , it is possible to provide the lens mount of the structure in which , in the optical system for the zoom lens which has a plurality of groups of lenses which change spacing therebetween upon the zoom operation , and which are fed integrally upon the focusing operation , the positions of the groups of lenses which are fed upon the focusing operation are maintained at high accuracy and the size in the radial direction is restrained to be extremely low . specifically , the change of the group spacing due to the zooming of the focusing optical system is realized by the arrangement in which the end face cam is provided on any one of the lens frame which is angularly moved upon the zoom operation and the lens frame which is retained so as to be capable of moving linearly in the optical - axis direction , and the cam follower is provided on the other , whereby it is possible to realize a lens mount which is compact as a whole in which an increase of a size in the radial direction is restrained , the lens mount can be packed in the extremely reduced space because the drive force upon zoom operation is transmitted to the focusing group by the thin - plate like connecting element and , as a result , the other elements or the like can effectively be arranged in a blank space . moreover , due to the fact that the cam frame which transmits the zooming drive force to the plurality of lens mounts uses an extremely small amount of simple elements , the lens mounts can be retained easily and highly accurately . thus , it is possible to provide a lens mount of a small size at a low cost . furthermore , according to the aforementioned first embodiment , since the connecting portion between the internal gear and the barrier drive gear becomes schematically a closed state , it is possible to prevent powder dust or dirt or the like from entering this portion . thus , it is possible to prevent operational malfunction or failure or the like which is generated by the fact that dust or dirt and sand are adhered to the gear surfaces of the gears or the like and are put between the gears . further , angular movement and fitting of the barrier drive ring is performed by inner - diameter portions , whereby a space can be provided between the lower surface of the camera , of the outer peripheral portion on which the dust or dirt or the like is liable to be accumulated and the angular moving element . thus , even if the dust or dirt or the like is accumulated on this portion , no influence is exerted upon operation of the angular moving element . it is possible to prevent operational failure or malfunction . further , since a forward end surface adjacent to the angular movement fitting portion between the barrier drive ring and the lens mount are substantially in the same surface or are coplanar to each other , the dust or dirt or the like is difficult to be accumulated on the mouth of the angular movement fitting portion . thus , it is possible to prevent operational failure or malfunction due to the fact that the dust or dirt enters the fitting portion . moreover , according to the above - described embodiment it is possible to prevent the light ray from shading by the fact that the flexible printed circuit board arranged within the lens mount extrudes into the effective light flux by less number of parts , and it is possible to prevent operational failure or malfunction due to the fact that the flexible printed circuit board interferes with the movable element , and is put into the gap or the like between the lens frames . furthermore , according to the aforesaid embodiment , the lenses of the forward group of the zoom lenses are fixed whereby sealing treatment or processing for making the lens frame drip proof is sufficient to be performed only to the telescoped or expanded portions upon zoom . thus , the waterproof structure of the lens frame can be simplified . further , since no abundant or excessive load due to the sealing treatment is applied to the focus drive system , it is possible to compact the focus drive system . thus , control at high accuracy is made possible . moreover , if a comparison is made with a case where a cover glass is provided in front of the lens mount , it is not required or unnecessary to secure the moving space for the focus lens in the optical - axis direction . accordingly , it is possible to realize a lens mount which is shorter in overall length . thus , it is possible to provide the zoom lens mount which is of drip proof structure and which is small in size . a lens mount according to a second embodiment of the invention will next be described . the second embodiment is different from the first embodiment only in the drive mechanism for the fpc guide , and the other arrangements and functions are similar to those of the first embodiment . accordingly , only different points will be described here . fig2 and 28 are perspective views of a principal portion showing a drive mechanism for an fpc guide and a first lens group frame in the lens mount according to the second embodiment . as shown in fig2 , the second embodiment is arranged such that a first lens group frame 53 &# 39 ; and an fpc guide 78 &# 39 ; are driven by the use of lead screws 351 and 352 which are reverse in phase and which are the same in lead ( i . e . pitch ) as each other . the reduction gear ratio of gears 353 and 354 becomes about 2 : 1 , to thereby realize a feeding mechanism . furthermore , fig2 shows a modification of the second embodiment . in the modification , the reduction gear ratio of gears 357 and 358 is made to 1 : 1 , and lead of lead screws 355 and 356 of a reverse phase is made to about 2 : 1 , whereby the feeding mechanism can be realized . also in the second embodiment arranged as described above , advantages similar to those of the first embodiment can be expected . a lens mount according to a third embodiment of the invention will next be described . the third embodiment is different from the first embodiment only in the lens barrier drive changing - over mechanism . the other arrangement and function are similar to those of the first embodiment . accordingly , only differences will be described here . fig2 is a view showing a lens barrier drive changing - over mechanism in the lens mount according to the third embodiment . in the first embodiment , the barrier drive changing - over lever 101 is urged by the interlocking plate 66 into the direction in which the gear 98 and the gear 58b are in mesh with each other . in the third embodiment , however , as shown in fig2 , a pin 101c of a barrier drive changing - over lever 101 is urged by a rib 60a which is formed in protrusion by a cam portion 60c of a front frame 60 . also in the third embodiment arranged as described above advantages similar to those of the first embodiment can be expected . as described above , according to the various embodiments , it is possible to provide the lens mount which is reduced in the size or dimension in the radial direction . moreover , it is possible to provide a lens mount which prevents operational failure or malfunction which occurs due to dust or dirt and sand or the like which enter from the outside . furthermore , it is possible to provide the lens mount which has the mechanism which is secured to guide the flexible printed circuit board by the lesser number of parts . in this invention , it is apparent that working modes different in a wide range can be formed on the basis of this invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention . this invention is not restricted by any specific embodiment except as may be limited by the appended claims .	6
referring now to fig1 , there is shown a conventional weed trimmer 10 for which the present invention is applicable . as can be seen the weed trimmer 10 includes a motor 12 that provides a powered rotational element of the weed trimmer 10 . as such , the motor 12 can be an electric motor powered by a conventional source of electricity made accessible by a power cord , not shown , or the motor 12 can be an internal combustion engine including a supply of fuel so as to be self sufficient . accordingly , in either event , the motor 12 is shown affixed to a proximal end of an elongated shaft 14 that is hollow and has an element , such as a flexible shaft within the elongated shaft 14 that extends from the motor 12 to provide the rotational movement to a rotating spindle 16 located at the distal end 18 of the weed trimmer 10 . it is noted , that , as previously explained , the motor 12 can also be located at the distal end 18 of the weed trimmer 10 . as other conventional elements , there is normally an on / off switch 20 or other device that allows the starting of the motor 12 by the user . in addition , there may be an intermediate handle 22 to be grasped by the hand of the user to aid in the manipulation of the distal end 18 of the weed trimmer 10 . also , at the distal end 18 of the weed trimmer 10 is a housing 24 that partially surrounds the rotating spindle 16 and a portion of the housing may have a downwardly extending debris shield 26 to protect the user from being struck and potentially injured by cuttings , stones or other debris from being projected toward the user during the cutting operation . a line 28 extends outwardly from the rotating spindle 16 and which rotates along with the rotating spindle 16 to actually carry out the cutting process . in addition , there is a line cutter 30 that is affixed to the housing 24 and which cuts off any portion of the radius of the line 28 that would extend beyond the line cutter 30 . as such , when the user strikes or bumps the rotating spindle 16 on the ground to release additional line , the line extends outwardly a finite length and any excess extending outwardly beyond the line cutter 30 is trimmed off by the line cutter 30 . turning now to fig2 , taken along with fig1 , there is shown a top , planar view of the accuracy shield 32 constructed in accordance with the present invention . the accuracy shield 32 can be formed of a plastic , such as acrylics plastic , lucite or other relatively rigid plastic material . in an exemplary embodiment , the accuracy shield 32 can be transparent and have a thickness of about ¼ inch , however , other thicknesses can be used . geometrically the accuracy shield 32 has a large , generally circular section 34 that is dimensioned to have a radius just shorter than the length of the line 28 that rotates with the rotating spindle 16 , that is , the tip of the rotating line 28 extends beyond the radius of the large , generally circular section 34 . there is a further larger radius section 36 where the radius is larger than the radius of the large , generally circular section 34 . there is also at least one tab 38 that extends outwardly from the larger radius section 36 for a purpose that will be later described . a notch 39 is also formed in the accuracy shield 32 in order for a line cutter 30 to pass through the accuracy shield 32 and to cut the line 28 as will be later explained . the accuracy shield 32 has a center opening 42 with a center point 40 as its center , and which surrounds and is slightly larger than the outer diameter of the rotating spindle 16 so as to , when installed , surround the rotating spindle 16 . to explain the particular geometry of the accuracy shield , the larger radius section 36 has a diameter a that is basically the amount of line released at one line release ( bump ) subtracted from the distance from the center point 40 to the position of the line cutter , that is , if the distance from the centerline of the line head to the line cutter is 10 inches and the rotating spindle releases 2 inches per bump , the a dimension would be 16 inches or a radius of 8 inches . the dimension b is the size or diameter of the rotating spindle 16 plus ¼ inch for clearance around the rotating spindle 16 . the c dimension is about ⅝ inch for the tab 38 used to retain the accuracy shield 32 in position affixed to the debris shield 26 . finally , the dimension d is about 2 inches larger on both sides of the actual debris shield provided with the weed trimmer 10 . turning now to fig3 , taken along with fig1 and 2 , there is shown a side view of the accuracy shield 32 affixed in place to the weed trimmer 10 . in fig3 , the debris shield 26 is to the left and , as can be seen , the tab 38 of the larger radius section 36 fits through a slot 44 formed in the debris shield 26 so that the interfitting of the tab 38 into the slot 44 forms a support for affixing the accuracy shield 32 to the housing 24 . other devices to secure the accuracy shield 32 can be l - shaped brackets 46 , only one of which is shown are shown in fig3 . thus , the line 28 rotates along with the rotating spindle 16 and the accuracy shield 32 is located between the rotating line 28 and the housing 24 . in an exemplary embodiment , the line 28 rotates in a plane that is parallel to the plane of the accuracy shield and displaced about ⅜ inch away from that accuracy shield 32 . turning briefly to fig4 , there is shown a bottom view of a debris shield 26 having the slot 44 formed therein . turning next to fig5 , there is shown a bottom view of the lawn trimmer 10 of the present invention and wherein the l - shaped brackets 46 can be seen to be secured both to the accuracy shield 32 as well as the debris shield 26 so as to secure the accuracy shield 32 thereto . in addition , the tab 38 can be see passing though the slot 44 formed in the downwardly portion of the debris shield 26 so that the accuracy shield 32 can be affixed to the debris shield 26 by the combination of the tab 38 interfitting through a slot 44 in the debris shield 26 as well as by the use of l - shaped brackets 46 . turning finally to fig6 , there is a side schematic view illustrating one of the uses of the lawn trimmer 10 of the present invention . as can be seen in fig5 , the weed trimmer 10 has been oriented such that the plane of rotation of the line 28 as well as the plane of the accuracy shield 32 is generally vertical such that the weed trimmer 10 can be used as a edger to trim the edge of a grass area 48 as it abuts against another area , such as concrete area 50 . as can be seen , the weed trimmer 10 has been oriented such that the plane of the rotation of the line 28 as well as the plane of the accuracy shield 32 are generally vertical . as such , the line 28 can be used to trim the grass area 48 to provide a neat appearance alongside a proximate area , such as the concrete area 50 . in this mode , the accuracy shield 32 provides stability by contacting the side of the concrete area 50 such that the contact between the accuracy guide 32 and the concrete area 50 stabilizes the movement of the line 28 and the ensuing edge has a clean and even appearance . those skilled in the art will readily recognize numerous adaptations and modifications which can be made to the weed trimmer of the present invention which will result in an improved weed trimmer and method of making and using the same , yet all of which will fall within the scope and spirit of the present invention as defined in the following claims . accordingly , the invention is to be limited only by the following claims and their equivalents .	8
a silicon substrate 1 composed of n - doped monocrystalline silicon having a resistivity of 5 ohm × cm is provided with a multiplicity of hole apertures 2 at a principal surface 11 by electrochemical etching ( see fig1 ). for this purpose , the principal surface 11 is brought into contact with an electrolyte . a 6 %- strength by weight hydrofluoric acid ( hf ) is for example used as an electrolyte . a potential of 3 volts is applied to the silicon substrate 1 as an anode . the silicon substrate 1 is illuminated from a back 12 which is situated opposite the principal surface 11 . in this process , a current density of 10 ma / cm 2 is set . in the electrochemical etching , minority charge carriers migrate in the n - doped silicon to the principal surface 11 , which is in contact with the electrolyte . a space charge zone forms at the principal surface 11 . since the field strength in the region of depressions in the principal surface 11 is greater than outside them , the minority charge carriers migrate preferentially to these points . this results in a structuring of the principal surface 11 . the deeper an initially small irregularity due to etching is , the more minority charge carriers migrate to that point and the stronger is the etching attack at this position . the hole apertures 2 begin to grow outwards from the irregularities in the principal surface 11 , the irregularities being present with random distribution in any surface . to achieve a uniform distribution of the hole apertures 2 , it is advantageous to provide the principal surface 11 with irregularities in a controlled manner before the electrochemical etching , which irregularities act as a nucleus for the etching attack in the subsequent electrochemical etching . these irregularities can be produced , for example , with the aid of conventional photolithography . after an etching time of approximately 180 minutes , the hole apertures 2 have a diameter of 2 μm , and having reached a depth of 175 μm . the silicon substrate 1 is then thoroughly rinsed with water . a germanium - doped layer 3 is deposited at atmospheric pressure in a cvd method . the germanium - doped layer 3 is produced from doped silicate glass using a process gas containing si ( oc 2 h 5 ) 4 , ge ( och 3 ) 4 and o 3 . atmospheric pressure and a temperature in the range 300 ° c . to 500 ° c . is set during this process . the germanium - doped layer 3 is deposited in a thickness of 100 nm to 300 nm ( see fig2 ). in a heat - treatment step at 1400 degrees k ., a germanium - doped zone 4 is generated in a diffusion time of 25 hr . a layer 5 doped with an electrically active dopant is subsequently deposited on the germanium - doped layer 3 ( see fig3 ) in a cvd method . boron or phosphorus , for example , is used as electrically active dopant . the doped layer 5 is deposited in a thickness of , for example , 100 nm . in a further heat - treatment step at 1400 degrees k ., the electrically active dopant and the germanium are jointly driven in further . after a diffusion time of 2 . 5 hr ., the dopant profiles of germanium and the electrically active dopant coincide and form a conductive zone 40 . in the case of boron , this takes approximately 9 hours . a dopant concentration of 1 . 1 × 10 20 cm - 3 for boron and 8 × 10 20 cm - 3 for germanium or 1 × 10 20 cm - 3 for phosphorus and 1 . 2 × 10 20 cm - 3 for germanium is established in the conductive zone 40 . this achieves , on the one hand , an adequate conductivity of the doped zone 40 , which forms a capacitor electrode in the silicon capacitor and , on the other hand , effectively avoids a bending of the silicon substrate 1 . the depth of the conductive zone 40 is , for example , 0 . 5 μm . the germanium - doped layer 3 and the doped layer 5 are removed with 10 %- strength by weight hydrofluoric acid . to produce the silicon capacitor , a dielectric layer 6 and a conductive layer 7 are then applied and structured ( see fig4 ). the dielectric layer 6 is preferably formed by combined generation of sio 2 and si 3 n 4 as a multiple layer having a layer sequence sio 2 / si 3 n 4 / sio 2 , since this material has a sufficiently low defect density for a large - area capacitor . the conductive layer 7 is formed , for example , from n + - doped polysilicon . a first contact 8 is applied to the surface of the conductive layer 7 and a second contact 9 is applied to that surface of the doped zone 40 which is laid bare by structuring the dielectric layer 6 and the conductive layer 7 . the first contact 8 and the second contact 9 are formed , for example , from aluminium . in a further exemplary embodiment , hole apertures 2 &# 39 ; are formed by electrochemical etching in a principal surface 11 &# 39 ; of a silicon substrate 1 &# 39 ;, as described by reference to fig1 ( see fig5 ). the resistivity of the silicon substrate 1 &# 39 ; and the dimensions of the hole apertures 2 &# 39 ; correspond to those described by reference to fig1 . in an epitaxial reactor , a germanium - doped silicon layer 3 &# 39 ; which has a thickness of 10 to 100 nm is grown onto the surface of the hole apertures 2 &# 39 ;. the epitaxy takes place using sih 2 cl 2 , geh 4 and inert carrier gases at a temperature of 575 ° c . and a pressure of 66 . 7 pa ( 0 . 5 torr ). the mixing ratio of sih 2 cl 2 and geh 4 is adjusted in such a way that the germanium - doped layer 2 &# 39 ; contains 10 atomic percent of germanium . using sih 2 cl 2 and inert carrier gases , an undoped silicon layer 4 &# 39 ; is then grown in the epitaxial reactor in a thickness of , for example , 20 nm ( see fig6 ). in this process , a temperature of 650 ° c . and a pressure of 66 . 7 pa ( 0 . 5 torr ) is maintained in the epitaxial reactor . an electrically active dopant , for example boron or phosphorus , is then diffused into the undoped silicon layer 4 &# 39 ; and the germanium - doped silicon layer 3 &# 39 ;. this takes place , for example , by gas - phase diffusion using phosphine or borane . in this process , a temperature of 1400 degrees k . is maintained . during the indiffusion of the electrically active dopant , a divergence of the germanium profile results in the germanium - doped silicon layer 3 &# 39 ;. during this process , germanium diffuses both into the undoped silicon layer 4 &# 39 ; and into the adjacent surface of the silicon layer 1 &# 39 ;. the diffusion temperature and diffusion time are adjusted in such a way that the electrically active dopant is diffused precisely as far into the silicon substrate 1 &# 39 ; as the germanium . a doped zone 5 &# 39 ; consequently forms at the surface of the hole apertures . the dopant profiles of the germanium and of the electrically active dopant extend over the undoped silicon layer 4 &# 39 ;, the germanium - doped silicon layer 3 &# 39 ; and the doped zone 5 &# 39 ;, which jointly form a conductive zone 40 &# 39 ;. the indiffusion of the electrically active dopant can also take place by depositing a suitably doped silicate - glass layer and outdiffusion from the silicate - glass layer , which has to be removed again after the outdiffusion . the silicon capacitor is produced by depositing a dielectric layer 6 &# 39 ;, for example , composed of sio 2 / si 3 n 4 / sio 2 and a conductive layer 7 &# 39 ; composed , for example , of n + - doped polysilicon ( see fig7 ). the conductive layer 7 &# 39 ; and the conductive zone 40 &# 39 ; are then provided with metallic contacts ( not shown ). the contacts may both be arranged in the region of the principal surface 11 &# 39 ;, a suitable structuring of the dielectric layer 6 &# 39 ; and of the conductive layer 7 &# 39 ; being necessary . alternatively , one contact may be arranged on the conductive layer in the region of the principal surface and one contact on a back situated opposite the principal surface 11 &# 39 ;. although other modifications and changes may be suggested by those skilled in the art , it is the intention of the inventors to embody within the patent warranted hereon all changes and modifications as reasonably and properly come within the scope of their contribution to the art .	7
overcurrent protection circuits arranged in accordance with the principles of this invention generally perform the functions of sensing the current , issuing a control signal to interrupt the circuit , interrupting the circuit and partially or completely isolating the load from the power source . the overcurrent protection circuits may be viewed as comprising operational elements which work cooperatively to perform the overcurrent protection functions . fig1 is a block diagram showing an arrangement of such operational elements . five operational elements depicted in fig1 are the source 102 , sensor element 104 , control element 106 , circuit interruption element 108 and load 112 . the source 102 provides the electrical power to the circuit , and the load 112 performs the intended purpose of the circuit . the sensor element 104 senses the current and determines whether the current delivered to the load 112 is within a normal acceptable range . when the sensor element 104 determines that the current delivered to the load 112 is excessive , the sensor element 104 informs the control element 106 via a first link 114 between the sensor 104 and control 106 elements . based on information received from the sensor element 104 , the control element 106 controls the state of the circuit interruption element 108 via a second link 116 between the control 106 and interrupt 108 elements . the circuit interruption element 108 interrupts current in the circuit upon receipt of a control signal from the control element 106 when the sensor element 104 senses an overcurrent in the circuit . fig2 shows an example of an overcurrent protection arrangement of the invention 100 . the arrangement 100 in fig2 comprises an electrical power source 2 , a load 4 , a ptc device 8 , a relay coil 12 with associated relay contacts 30 32 34 36 including a center contact 30 , a normally closed contact 32 , a normally open contact 34 and a wiper 36 , and an on / off switch 16 . with the on / off switch 16 initially open , the ptc device 8 in its low resistance state , and the wiper 36 against the normally closed contact 32 , the circuit 100 is in an open state and there is no current through the load 4 . when the on / off switch 16 is closed , a small amount of current is drawn through the relay coil 12 , thereby energizing the relay coil 12 and causing the wiper 36 to move from the normally closed contact 32 to the normally open contact 34 , thereby placing the load 4 in the circuit the ptc device 8 is placed in series with the parallel combination of the relay coil 12 and the load 4 . however , the relay coil 12 draws very little current to keep it energized . in case of an overcurrent , the resistance of the ptc device 8 increases , thereby reducing the current to the load 4 and the relay coil 12 . if the ptc device 8 is chosen properly , its resistance would increase sufficiently to reduce the current through the relay coil 12 enough to deenergize the relay coil 12 thereby causing the wiper 36 to move to the normally closed contact 32 and disconnect the load 4 . if the current through the ptc device 8 and relay coil is 12 sufficient to keep the ptc device 8 tripped in the high impedance state and the relay coil 12 deenergized , the circuit 100 remains in a fault state until the on / off switch 16 is opened and the ptc device 8 allowed to cool . if the current through the ptc device 8 in the high impedance state is not sufficient to keep the ptc device 8 tripped , then the ptc device 8 would cool and reset to its low impedance state . this would allow the current through the relay coil 12 to increase and energize the relay coil 12 , thereby moving the wiper 36 to the normally open contact 34 . if the cause of the fault is still present , then the cycle would continue until the cause of the fault were removed or power were removed , e . g . by opening the on / off switch 16 . however , since the normal circuit current may be many hundred times the current drawn by the relay coil 12 , there is a potential for the ptc device 8 to increase in its resistance and reduce the current to the load 4 , but not reduce the current sufficiently to cause the relay coil 12 to deenergize . this could leave the circuit in a closed state with a fault condition . for example , a ptc device rated to carry 9 amps would typically carry a current of approximately 0 . 25 amps in the tripped state . since a typical automotive relay coil current is 0 . 180 amps , even if the ptc device were tripped , there would still be sufficient current to keep the relay energized . thus , circuit protection arrangements like that depicted in fig2 would likely require the use of ptc devices with potentially quite precise tolerances . therefore , it would be preferred to have a circuit protection arrangement in which the ptc device is not placed in the circuit in a position in which the current to both the circuit load and the device controlling the circuit interruption device passes through the ptc device . the circuit in fig3 is an example of an overcurrent protection system in accordance with the fist embodiment of the invention and the block diagram depicted in fig1 . fig3 shows an overcurrent protection circuit 200 employing a certain arrangement of a ptc device 8 with a resistive device 14 , a relay coil 12 , a set of contacts 30 32 34 36 and an on / off switch 16 . in the circuit 200 , the resistive device 14 is placed in series with the load 4 and the ptc device 8 is placed in series with the relay coil 12 , with the latter series combination connected across the power source 2 . with the on / off switch 16 initially open , the ptc device 8 in its low resistance state , and the wiper 36 against the normally closed contact 32 , the circuit 200 is in an open state and there is no current through the load 4 . when the on / off switch 16 is closed , a small amount of current is drawn through the ptc device 8 and the relay coil 12 , thereby energizing the relay coil 12 and causing the wiper 36 to move from the normally closed contact 32 to the normally open contact 34 , thereby placing the load 4 in the circuit . the resistive device 14 and the ptc device 8 are thermally linked , so that in case of an overcurrent in the circuit , the temperature of the resistive device 14 increases and causes the ptc device 8 to heat up to its trip temperature and change to its high impedance state . with the ptc device 8 in its high impedance state , the current through the relay coil 12 reduces , the relay coil 12 deenergizes and causes the wiper 36 to move back to the normally closed contact 32 . the resistive device 14 and ptc device 8 have a combined mass such that the trickle of current through the ptc device 8 and relay coil 12 is not sufficient to keep the temperature of the ptc device 8 high enough to keep the ptc device 8 in the tripped state . thus , the resistive device 14 and ptc device 8 both cool . when the ptc device 8 cools sufficiently , it resets to its low impedance state and allows sufficient current to again flow through the relay coil 12 to energize the relay coil 12 and move the wiper 36 to the normally open contact 34 . if the cause of the overcurrent remains , the resistance device 14 will heat and the ptc device 8 will again trip to its high impedance state . this cycle continues until either the cause of the overcurrent is removed or power is removed , for example by opening the on / off switch 16 .	7
this disclosure of the invention is submitted in furtherance of the constitutional purposes of the u . s . patent laws “ to promote the progress of science and useful arts ” ( article 1 , section 8 ). a method of forming dram cells of the present invention is described with reference to fig1 - 25 , with fig1 - 14 pertaining to a first embodiment of the invention , fig1 - 16 pertaining to a second embodiment of the invention , fig1 - 22 pertaining to a third embodiment of the invention , and fig2 - 25 pertaining to a fourth embodiment of the invention . referring first to fig1 a semiconductor wafer fragment 10 is illustrated at a preliminary step of a processing sequence of a method of the present invention . wafer fragment 10 comprises a semiconductive material 12 , field oxide regions 14 , and a thin gate oxide layer 16 . a polysilicon layer 18 , silicide layer 20 and silicon oxide layer 22 are formed over gate oxide layer 16 . silicide layer 20 comprises a refractory metal silicide , such as tungsten silicide , and polysilicon layer 18 typically comprises polysilicon doped with a conductivity enhancing dopant . referring next to fig2 polysilicon layer 18 , silicide layer 20 and silicon oxide layer 22 are etched to form wordlines 24 and 26 . between wordlines 24 and 26 are defined node locations 25 , 27 and 29 , with wordlines 26 comprising transistor gates which electrically connect node locations 25 , 27 , and 29 . node location 27 is laterally between node locations 25 and 29 , and may lie along an imaginary straight line extending between node locations 25 and 29 , or may be offset from such imaginary straight line . node locations 25 , 27 and 29 typically comprise diffusion regions formed within semiconductive material 12 by ion implanting conductivity enhancing dopant into the material 12 . such ion implanting may occur after patterning wordlines 24 and 26 , utilizing wordlines 24 and 26 as masks . alternatively , the diffusion regions may be formed prior to deposition of one or more of layers 18 , 20 and 22 ( shown in fig1 ). in yet other alternative methods , the diffusion regions may be formed after formation of doped polysilicon adjacent the regions by out - diffusion of conductivity enhancing dopant from the doped polysilicon . for the above - discussed reasons , node locations 25 , 27 , and 29 need not be electrically conductive at the preliminary step of fig2 . nodes 25 , 27 and 29 could be conductive at the step of fig2 if formed by ion implanting of dopant into semiconductive material 12 . alternatively , nodes 25 , 27 and 29 may be substantially non - conductive at the preliminary step of fig2 in , for example , embodiments in which nodes 25 , 27 and 29 are ultimately doped by out - diffusion of dopant from a conductively doped layer . referring to fig3 and 4 , a nitride layer 28 is provided over wordlines 24 and 26 , and subsequently etched to form nitride spacers 30 laterally adjacent wordlines 24 and 26 . referring to fig5 an overlying oxide layer 32 is provided over wordlines 24 and gates 26 , and subsequently a borophosphosilicate glass ( bpsg ) layer 34 is provided over oxide layer 32 . oxide layer 32 functions to prevent the diffusion of phosphorus from the bpsg into underlying materials . as is readily apparent to persons of ordinary skill in the art , other insulative materials may be substituted for the bpsg of layer 34 . if such other insulative materials are substituted , it may be desirable to dispense with formation of oxide layer 32 . bpsg layer 34 is planarized by , for example , chemical - mechanical polishing to form a planar upper surface 35 . after the planarization of bpsg layer 34 , a semiconductive material masking layer 36 is provided over bpsg layer 34 , with masking layer 36 comprising a bottom surface 37 adjacent upper surface 35 . preferably , masking layer 36 will comprise undoped polysilicon deposited to a thickness of from about 6000 angstroms to about 8000 angstroms . formation of patterned polysilicon layer 36 may comprise , for example , provision of a patterned photoresist layer over an unpatterned polysilicon layer , followed by a conventional etch of the polysilicon to transfer a pattern from the patterned photoresist layer to the polysilicon . in the shown cross - sectional view , masking layer 36 comprises masking layer segments 41 , 42 and 43 , with segment 42 laterally between segments 41 and 43 . gaps 44 and 45 are between segments 41 and 42 , and 42 and 43 , respectively . gaps 44 and 45 overlie nodes 25 and 29 , while segment 42 overlies node 27 . referring to fig6 first and second openings 38 and 40 are etched through gaps 44 and 45 ( shown in fig5 ), respectively , and into bpsg layer 34 , typically using a timed anisotropic dry etch . openings 38 and 40 comprise bases 60 and 62 , respectively , which are preferably above nodes 25 and 29 . accordingly , openings 38 and 40 preferably do not extend to nodes 25 and 29 . referring to fig7 a layer 64 is provided over segments 42 and within openings 38 and 40 . layer 64 is provided to a thickness which less than completely fills openings 38 and 40 . layer 64 thus narrows openings 38 and 40 . preferably , openings 38 and 40 will comprise a minimum internal dimension approximately equal to the minimum photolithographic feature dimension obtainable during fabrication of the openings . accordingly , after formation of layer 64 , openings 38 and 40 will be narrowed to comprise an internal dimension less than such minimum capable photolithographic feature dimension . layer 64 may comprise either an insulative material or a conductive material . a preferred material is the insulative material silicon oxide . an example method for forming a silicon oxide layer 64 is chemical vapor deposition utilizing tetraethylorthosilicate ( teos ). referring to fig8 layer 64 is anisotropically etched to leave spacers 66 within openings 38 and 40 . methods for anisotropically etching layer 64 are known to persons of ordinary skill in the art . an example method for anisotropically etching the preferred silicon oxide layer 64 includes a fluorocarbon - based dry etch . spacers 66 comprise upper surfaces 67 . in the shown preferred embodiment , upper surfaces 67 are below bottom surfaces 37 of segments 42 . as will be recognized by persons of ordinary skill in the art , the location of upper surface 67 relative to bottom surface 37 may be adjusted by varying a number of parameters , including : 1 ) the thickness of layer 64 ( shown in fig7 ); 2 ) the length of time of the anisotropic etch used to etch layer 64 ; and 3 ) the depth of openings 38 and 40 . after formation of spacers 66 , third and fourth openings 68 and 70 , respectively , are formed by appropriate anisotropic etching . third opening 68 extends from base 60 ( shown in fig6 ) of first opening 38 to electrical node 25 . fourth opening 70 extends from base 62 ( shown in fig6 ) of second opening 40 to electrical node 29 . openings 68 and 70 comprise internal cross - sectional dimensions about equal to the narrowed cross - sectional dimensions of openings 38 and 40 resulting after deposition of layer 64 ( shown in fig7 ). openings 68 and 70 are therefore narrower than openings 38 and 40 . first opening 38 and third opening 68 together comprise a first capacitor opening 72 . similarly , second opening 40 and fourth opening 70 together comprise a second capacitor opening 74 . referring to first capacitor opening 72 , the opening comprises a step 76 at the interface of first opening 38 and third opening 68 , with step 76 corresponding to a remaining portion of base 60 ( shown in fig6 ) of original opening 38 . in the lateral cross - sectional view of fig8 it appears that there are a pair of laterally opposing steps 76 within opening 72 . in some embodiments of the invention , there may be distinct laterally opposing steps 76 within opening 38 . however , in preferred embodiments of the invention , opening 38 will comprise a circular horizontal cross - sectional shape . in such preferred embodiments , the apparent laterally opposing steps 76 will , in fact , be sections of a continuous step 76 within opening 38 . referring to second capacitor opening 74 , this opening , analogously to first capacitor opening 72 , comprises a step 78 at an interface of second opening 40 and fourth opening 70 , with step 78 corresponding to base 62 ( shown in fig6 ) of original opening 40 . spacers 66 within capacitor openings 72 and 74 are atop steps 76 and 78 , respectively . referring to fig9 a storage node layer 80 is provided over masking layer 36 , within capacitor openings 72 and 74 , and in contact with segments 41 , 42 and 43 . storage node layer 80 preferably comprises a rugged polysilicon , such as a polysilicon selected from the group consisting of hemispherical grain polysilicon and cylindrical grain polysilicon , and is preferably provided to a thickness of from about 300 angstroms to about 700 angstroms . referring to fig1 , a patterned photoresist layer 82 is provided over capacitor openings 72 and 74 , and over portions of masking layer segments 42 , leaving exposed portions of the masking layer segments ( not shown ). subsequently , the exposed portions are removed . removal of an exposed portion of segment 42 ( shown in fig9 ) forms a fifth opening 84 over node 27 . fifth opening 84 divides segment 42 ( shown in fig9 ) into a first portion 86 and a second portion 88 . opening 84 comprises a base 90 above node 27 . adjacent opening 84 are defined two storage nodes 81 and 83 . first storage node 81 comprises storage node layer 80 , segment 41 and portion 86 . second storage node 83 comprises storage node layer 80 , segment 43 and portion 88 . also , as storage node layer 80 overlies and contacts spacers 66 , storage nodes 81 and 83 may comprise spacers 66 , particularly if spacers 66 comprise electrically conductive material . preferably , if spacers 66 are incorporated into storage nodes 81 and 83 , spacers 66 will be electrically isolated from wordlines 24 and 26 . as discussed above , segment 42 ( shown in fig9 ) will preferably comprise polysilicon . methods of etching such preferred segments are known to persons of ordinary skill in the art , and comprise , for example , anisotropic dry etching . referring to fig1 , a capacitor dielectric layer 92 and a cell plate layer 94 are provided over segments 41 and 43 , over portions 81 and 83 , and within capacitor openings 72 and 74 . dielectric layer 92 comprises an electrically insulative material , such as silicon nitride or a composite of silicon nitride and silicon dioxide . cell plate layer 94 comprises an electrically conductive material , such as polysilicon doped to concentration of greater than 1 × 10 19 ions / cm 3 . layers 92 and 94 may be formed by conventional methods . the provision of layers 92 and 94 forms a first capacitor structure 100 and a second capacitor structure 102 . first capacitor structure 100 comprises storage node 81 , dielectric layer 92 and cell plate layer 94 . second capacitor 102 comprises storage node 83 dielectric layer 92 and cell plate layer 94 . after formation of layers 92 and 94 , a patterned photoresist layer 96 is formed over openings 72 and 74 , leaving an exposed area 98 within fifth opening 84 and over node 27 . referring to fig1 , exposed portions of cell plate layer 94 and dielectric layer 92 within area 98 are removed . after removal of the exposed portions of cell plate layer 94 and dielectric layer 92 , photoresist blocks 96 are removed and an insulative layer 104 is formed atop wafer fragment 10 . subsequently , patterned photoresist layer 106 is formed over insulative layer 104 , leaving an exposed gap 108 over node 27 . referring to fig1 , a bitline contact opening 110 is etched through insulative layer 104 , through layer 34 , through oxide 32 , and to node 27 . after formation of bitline contact opening 110 , photoresist layer 106 ( shown in fig1 ) is removed and a bitline contact layer 112 is formed over insulative material layer 104 and within opening 110 . the portion of bitline contact material 112 within opening 110 forms a bitline contact 114 . bitline contact layer 112 comprises a conductive material , such as tungsten . methods for forming layer 112 are known to persons of ordinary skill in the art , and include , for example , sputter deposition of tungsten . referring to fig1 , bitline contact layer 112 is removed from over insulative layer 104 , and a bitline 116 is formed over layer 104 and in electrical contact with bitline contact 114 . bitine 116 preferably comprises a conductive material , such as aluminum , and may be formed by conventional methods . the structure shown in fig1 comprises a dram array including capacitors 100 and 102 electrically connected through transistor gates 26 to bitline contact 114 and ultimately to bitline 116 . the dram array of fig1 actually comprises two dram cell structures , with capacitor 100 and a transistor gate 26 comprising a first dram cell structure ; and capacitor 102 and a transistor gate 26 comprising a second dram cell structure . a second embodiment method of the present invention is described with reference to fig1 and 16 . in the embodiment of fig1 - 16 , similar numbering to that of the embodiment of fig1 - 14 is utilized , with differences indicated by the suffix “ a ”, or by different numbers . referring to fig1 , a wafer fragment 10 a is shown at a step subsequent to the processing step of fig1 . a patterned photoresist layer 122 is formed over and within capacitor openings 72 and 74 . unlike the embodiment of fig1 - 14 , the embodiment of fig1 comprises cavities 120 etched into layer 34 , under segments 41 and 43 , and under portions 86 and 88 . methods of forming cavities 120 are known to persons of ordinary skill in the art . an example process of forming cavities 120 in a bpsg layer 34 is a wet isotropic etch of oxide selective to polysilicon . such etch undercuts beneath polysilicon segments 41 and 43 , and beneath polysilicon portions 86 and 88 . referring to fig1 , the fig1 wafer segment is illustrated after subsequent processing analogous to the processing of fig1 - 14 . specifically , a dielectric layer 92 and cell plate layer 94 are provided within capacitor openings 72 and 74 ( shown in fig1 ), over masking layer segments 41 and 43 , over portions 86 and 88 , and within cavities 120 to form capacitor structures 100 a and 102 a . an insulative layer 104 and a bitline 116 are formed over capacitor structures 100 a and 102 a , and a bitline contact 114 is formed between capacitor structures 100 a and 102 a . a first storage node 81 a comprises storage node layer 80 , segment 41 and portion 86 . a second storage node 83 a comprises storage node layer 80 , segment 43 and portion 88 . the capacitors 100 a and 102 a of fig1 advantageously differ from the capacitors 100 and 102 of fig1 in that dielectric layer 92 and cell plate layer 94 wrap around storage nodes 81 a and 83 a , and within cavities 120 . accordingly , the capacitive area of capacitors 100 a and 102 a is increased relative to the capacitive area of capacitors 100 and 102 of fig1 . a third embodiment of the invention is described with reference to fig1 - 22 . in the embodiment of fig1 - 22 , similar numbering to that of the embodiment of fig1 - 14 is utilized , with differences indicated by the suffix “ b ”, or by different numbers . referring to fig1 , a wafer fragment 10 b is shown at a processing step subsequent to that of fig8 . a fifth opening 84 b is formed over electrical node 27 , dividing segment 42 ( shown in fig8 ) into portions 86 b and 88 b . note that the embodiment of fig1 - 22 differs from that of fig1 - 14 in that fifth opening 84 b ( shown in fig1 ) is formed prior to deposition of storage node layer 80 b , while fifth opening 84 ( shown in fig1 ) is formed after deposition of storage node layer 80 b . after formation of fifth opening 84 b , a rugged polysilicon storage node layer 80 b is formed over segments 41 and 43 , over portions 86 b and 88 b , and over upper surface 35 of insulative layer 34 , as well as within capacitor openings 72 and 74 . a first storage node 81 b comprises storage node layer 80 b , segment 41 and portion 86 b . a second storage node 83 b comprises storage node layer 80 b , segment 43 and portion 88 b . referring to fig1 , polysilicon layer 80 b is subjected to an anisotropic dry or wet etch . such etch removes layer 80 b from over segments 41 and 43 , portions 86 b and 88 b , and upper surface 35 of layer 34 . also , the etch transfers roughness from rugged polysilicon layer 80 b to upper surface 35 , upper surfaces of segments 41 and 43 , and upper surfaces of portions 86 b and 88 b . removal of layer 80 b from upper surface 35 in gap 84 b electrically isolates portion 86 b from portion 88 b , and thus isolates storage node 81 b from storage node 83 b . referring to fig1 , a dielectric layer 92 and cell plate layer 94 are provided over storage nodes 81 b and 83 b , and over upper surface 35 of layer 34 . storage node 81 b , dielectric layer 92 , and cell plate layer 94 together comprise a capacitor construction 100 b . similarly , storage node 83 b , dielectric layer 92 and cell plate layer 94 together comprise a capacitor construction 102 b . a patterned photoresist layer 96 is provided over layers 92 and 94 . patterned photoresist 96 comprises a gap over node 27 and within fifth opening 8 b ( shown in fig1 ) leaving an exposed area 98 over electrical node 27 . referring to fig2 , cell plate layer 94 and dielectric layer 92 are removed from exposed area 98 ( shown in fig1 ). subsequently , an insulative layer 104 is formed over capacitor structures 100 b and 102 b . a patterned photoresist layer 106 is formed over insulative layer 104 , leaving a gap 108 over electrical node 27 . referring to fig2 , layers 104 , 34 and 32 are etched through gap 108 to form a bitline contact opening 110 extending through layers 104 , 34 and 32 to electrical node 27 . after formation of bitline contact opening 110 , a bitline contact layer 112 is formed over layer 104 and within opening 110 . a portion of bitline contact layer 112 within opening 110 is a bitline contact 114 . referring to fig2 , bitline contact layer 112 is removed from over layer 104 . subsequently , a bitline 116 is formed over layer 104 and in electrical contact with bitline contact 114 . a fourth embodiment of the method of the present invention is described with reference to fig2 - 25 . the fourth embodiment is effectively a combination of the second and third embodiments described above . identical numbering is utilized in fig2 - 25 as was utilized in fig1 - 14 , with differences indicated by the suffix “ c ”, or by different numerals . referring to fig2 , wafer fragment 10 c is shown at a processing step subsequent to that of fig8 . a patterned photoresist layer 122 is formed over and within capacitor openings 72 and 74 . subsequently , cavities 120 are formed beneath the segments 41 and 43 , and beneath portions 86 and 88 . referring to fig2 , photoresist layer 122 is removed and storage node layer 80 is formed over segments 41 and 43 , over portions 86 and 88 , within capacitor openings 72 and 74 , and within cavities 120 . a first storage node 81 c comprises storage node layer 80 , segment 41 and portion 86 . a second storage node 83 c comprises storage node layer 80 , segment 43 and portion 88 . referring to fig2 , subsequent processing analogous to that of fig9 - 14 has occurred to form capacitor structures 100 c and 102 c , bitline contact 114 , and bitline 116 . the above - described drams and capacitors of the present invention can be implemented into monolithic integrated circuitry , including microprocessors . to aid in interpretation of the claims that follow , the term “ semiconductive substrate ” is defined to mean any construction comprising semiconductive material , including , but not limited to , bulk semiconductive materials such as a semiconductive wafer ( either alone or in assemblies comprising other materials thereon ), and semiconductive material layers ( either alone or in assemblies comprising other materials ). the term “ substrate ” refers to any supporting structure , including , but not limited to , the semiconductive substrates described above . in compliance with the statute , the invention has been described in language more or less specific as to structural and methodical features . it is to be understood , however , that the invention is not limited to the specific features shown and described , since the means herein disclosed comprise preferred forms of putting the invention into effect . the invention is , therefore , claimed in any of its forms or modifications within the proper scope of the appended claims appropriately interpreted in accordance with the doctrine of equivalents .	7
roll - wrapping apparatus 10 includes a roll infeed conveyor 12 , roll discharge conveyor 14 located downstream of the infeed conveyor and upper and lower film sealing jaws 16 and 18 located in a work zone 20 between the conveyors . film feed assembly 22 maintains a taut curtain 23 of thermoplastic film extending across the work zone upstream of the sealing jaws . label feeder 24 is mounted on apparatus 10 above the infeed conveyor . label transfer assembly 26 transfers labels from feeder 24 to the work zone immediately upstream of the film curtain maintained by assembly 22 . a pair of pusher bars 28 feed rolls from the downstream end of conveyor 12 through the work zone 20 to the upstream end of discharge conveyor 14 . conveyor 14 extends from the work zone downstream to a heat shrink station ( not illustrated ). an electrostatic charging assembly 30 includes a grounding bar 32 extending across the width of the film curtain on the downstream side of the curtain and an applicator bar 34 extending across the width of the upstream side of the curtain across from the grounding bar . the grounding bar is permanently mounted on apparatus 10 as illustrated while the charging bar is moveable between the positions illustrated in fig1 and 4 in response to movement of the label transfer assembly 26 . conventional electrostatic generators ( not illustrated ) energize bars 32 and 34 so that opposite polarity electrostatic charges are generated by the bars and flowed toward the adjacent plastic film . the bars and generators may be like those shown in u . s . pat . no . 3 , 892 , 614 . referring to fig1 and 5 , apparatus 10 includes a frame having a number of pairs of support rails 36 , 38 and 40 located on opposite sides of the machine . the roll infeed conveyor 12 includes a number of roll support belts 42 which are wrapped around pulleys 44 on shaft 46 at the downstream end of the infeed conveyor . shaft 46 is journaled in bearings 48 on rails 38 . the upper runs of belts 42 are moved downstream by a suitable drive ( not illustrated ). resilient roll hold - downs 50 are supported on the lower surfaces of upper rails 52 . a roll support platform 54 extends along the upper runs of belts 42 a distance beyond the downstream ends of the belts to support rolls as they are moved toward the work zone 20 . discharge conveyor 14 includes a number of discharge belts 56 which extend around idler pulleys 58 at the upstream end of the conveyor . pulleys 58 may be moved up and down between the positions of fig3 and 4 . discharge conveyor roll hold - downs 60 , similar to hold - downs 50 , are located above the discharge conveyor . suitable drive means ( not illustrated ) lower and raise sealing jaws 16 and 18 to seal a loose envelope of film around a roll and re - establish the film curtain extending across the work zone 20 . label feeder 24 automatically feeds individual labels 61 to a pickup position located above and slightly upstream of the work zone . see fig1 . upon withdrawal of the label from the pickup position , another label is automatically fed to the pickup position . the label transfer assembly 26 includes a pivot arm 62 rigidly secured on cross shaft 64 which is in turn mounted in bearings 66 on rails 40 . the arm 62 includes a pair of spaced side plates 68 with a fixed jaw member 70 extending between the ends of the plates away from shaft 64 . air cylinder 72 is located between plates 68 with one end of the air cylinder pivotally mounted on a pin 74 extending between the plates and the rod end of the cylinder 76 mounted to the lower end of a pivot jaw member 78 . retraction of the air cylinder from the position shown in fig3 moves the upper end of jaw member 78 against fixed jaw member 70 to grasp a label seated on the jaw member 70 . the fixed end of pivot arm air cylinder 80 is attached to frame member 82 and the piston rod of the air cylinder is attached to plates 68 at cross pin 84 . extension and retraction of the cylinder 80 moves the label transfer assembly between the positions illustrated in fig1 and 4 . the lower ends of pusher bars 28 are pivotally attached to the apparatus 10 so that bar drive means ( not illustrated ) moves the bars between the positions of fig1 and 2 to pick up a roll fed to support platform 54 and move the roll through the work zone 20 to the discharge conveyor 14 . bars 28 include v - shaped ends 86 adapted to receive and push the roll downstream . in addition to bars 32 and 34 , the electrostatic charging assembly includes a shifting mechanism 88 for charging bar 34 . the shifting mechanism includes a pair of arms 90 extending from the charging bar to support shaft 92 which extends across the width of apparatus 10 and is adjustably secured at its ends to the upper ends of a pair of pivot arms 94 . the lower ends of these arms are mounted on cross shaft 96 which extends into bearings 98 on rails 36 . a series of mounting holes 100 are provided on the free ends of arms 94 to permit mounting of shaft 92 in different positions dependent upon the geometry of the particular label being positioned within the roll wrapping . likewise , the angular position of the arms 90 with respect to shaft 92 may be adjusted as required . radial arm 102 is carried on one end of shaft 64 and projects upwardly from the shaft generally parallel to the adjacent pivot arm 94 . a link 104 joins arms 102 and 94 such that rotation of the pivot arm 62 from the position shown in fig1 to the position shown in fig4 correspondingly rotates arm 102 so that arms 94 are rotated in the same direction as the pivot arm and charging bar 34 is withdrawn from the path of movement of the arm 62 toward label inserter 24 . fig4 illustrates the arm 62 in the fully raised position with the charging bar 34 retracted away from the work zone . during operation of apparatus 10 belts 42 are continuously driven to move the upper runs downstream in the direction of arrow 106 shown in fig1 . a series of spaced rolls 108 , 110 are moved downstream by the belts 42 , between the upper runs of the belts and the hold - downs 50 . each roll is delivered by the belts to the support platform 54 . in fig1 roll 108 has moved the platform while next upstream roll 110 is being moved downstream toward the platform . following movement of roll 108 through the work zone 20 to form a wrapped , sealed film envelope surrounding the roll with a label confined between the film envelope and the roll and an electrostatic bond between the label and the envelope , the wrapped roll is delivered to the mouth of the discharge conveyor 14 and the idler pulleys 58 are raised to confine the wrapped roll between belts 56 and hold - down 60 so that the downstream moving belts 56 move the roll to the heat shrink station . following discharge of a roll from the work zone , cylinder 80 is extended to rotate pivot arm 62 up from the position of fig1 to that of fig4 . when in this position , the label 61 presented by label feeder 24 extends into the open space between the jaw members 70 and 78 . cylinder 72 is then retracted to move member 78 against fixed member 70 and clamp the presented label between the members . the cylinder 80 is then retracted to return the pivot arm to the position of fig1 with the label extending across the downstream mouth of the infeed conveyor on the left of the work zone 20 as shown in fig1 . the label is immediately upstream of the film curtain 23 extending across the work zone . the fixed jaw member holds the label with the top edge parallel to the axis of the rolls moving through the machine . cylinder 72 is extended . during raising of the pivot arm 62 , the bar 34 is automatically retracted by shifting mechanism 88 . when the pivot arm 62 is returned to the retracted position , the charging bar 34 is again located immediately upstream of the top edge of the label . the grounding bar 32 is located on the other side of the curtain opposite the charging bar . during operation of apparatus 10 the grounding bar 32 and charging bar 34 are powered through conventional electrostatic charging circuitry ( not illustrated ) so that the air between bar 34 and the top label 112 is charged with ions of one polarity and the air between bar 32 and the adjacent thermoplastic wrapping film 114 is filled with ions of the opposite polarity . the different polarity ions collect on the top of label 112 and on the film 114 opposite the top of the label to form an electrostatic bond between the label and the film . the bond tightly holds the top of the label in place on the film . the effective net overall charge on the label and film is zero so that other objects are not attracted to or repelled by the charges which hold the label in place on the film . electrostatic bonding of the label to the film occurs immediately upon lowering of pivot arm 62 to the position of fig1 and the resultant return of charging bar 34 to the position adjacent the top of label 112 . upon retraction of cylinder 80 , pusher bars 28 are rotated up from the position of fig1 to the position of fig2 where ends 86 engage the roll 108 and move it downstream through the work zone 20 . the film feed assembly 22 maintains tension on the film 114 extending across the work zone so that the film and the label secured to the film are wrapped around the roll . during this operation , the electrostatic bond between the label and the film accurately holds the label in place on the film . the film required to form the wrap around the roll is fed to the work area from upper and lower film supplies 116 and 118 , as required . following pushing of the roll 108 from platform 54 , through the work zone and to the upstream end of the discharge conveyor 14 as shown in fig2 pusher bars 28 are retracted and sealing jaws 16 and 18 are extended into the work zone to seal together the upper and lower sides of the film wrapped around the roll . see fig3 . the jaws form a first seal adjacent the roll and a second seal remote from the roll . the film between the seals is then automatically severed . in this way , the first seal forms a film envelope completely surrounding the roll with the label located between the envelope and the roll . the second seal reconnects the upper and lower films to re - establish the film curtain 23 extending across the work zone 20 . upon forming of the seals and severing of the film between the seals , jaws 16 and 18 open and the film feed assembly 22 re - establishes the taut curtain extending across the work zone . idler pulleys 58 are then raised to bring the upper runs of belts 56 into contact with the bottom of the wrapped roll and the roll is rotated against hold - downs 60 downstream from the work area to the heat shrink station where the film envelope surrounding the roll is shrunk onto the roll so that the label is tightly sandwiched between the film and the roll . the film feed assembly 22 maintains film curtain 23 under tension during movement of the roll through the work zone and closure of the sealing jaws 16 and 18 to form the two seals . when the first seal is formed adjacent the upstream end of the roll , the resulting film envelope 120 has sufficient looseness or slack in it to allow a label freely positioned between the envelope and the roll to shift position and become misaligned during movement of the roll to the heat shrink station . at the shrink station , the film envelope is shrunk tightly onto the roll to hold the label in its final position . if the label has become shifted during movement from the orienting jaw member 70 to the heat shrink station , the surrounding envelope will shrink and permanently hold the label in the undesired shifted position . by forming an electrostatic bond between the label and the film prior to wrapping the film around the roll and forming of the envelope 120 , the position of the label is fixed relative to the film with the upper and lower label edges parallel to the roll axis . as shown in fig6 an electrostatic bond is formed in area 122 to secure the upper edge of label 124 to the adjacent surrounding plastic film envelope 126 . the label and film surround a roll 128 which may include a cylindrical cardboard core 130 and a number of layers of wrapping paper or the like 132 wound on the core . the upper edge 134 of the label extends parallel to the axis of the roll . in practice , the sealed , unshrunk , plastic envelope 126 is slightly larger than the roll so that there may be a slight space between the label and the film and roll away from the bond 122 . shrinking of the envelope on to the roll eliminates this spacing and tightly sandwiches the label in place on the roll . the electrostatic bond between the envelope and the label extends axially along the top edge only of the label . the remaining area of the label is not attached to the film so that when the film is shrunk it slides across the fixed size label . a large area bond between the label and film is undesirable since shrinking of the film tends to buckle the label and film to form a rippled , unappealing package . while i have illustrated and described a preferred embodiment of my invention , it is understood that this is capable of modification , and i therefore do not wish to be limited to the precise details set forth , but desire to avail myself of such changes and alterations as fall within the purview of the following claims .	1
fig1 shows an axial setting device according to the present invention in a mounted condition . the end of a motor shaft 12 projects from a housing 13 of the driving motor 11 . the motor housing 13 is inserted into a centering bore 101 in a housing wall 102 in bore 103 . a shaft journal 14 with a driving pinion 15 is positioned on the shaft end 12 . a bearing journal 18 on which a sleeve pinion 19 is directly supported via two needle bearings 41 , 42 is inserted into the housing wall 102 . a multi - part gear 20 engaging the pinion 15 is pressed on to the sleeve pinion 19 . further details regarding the gear 20 will be described below . via its toothing , the sleeve pinion 19 engages a tooth segment 22 which is firmly connected to a first disc 24 of the adjusting device . via a needle bearing 23 , the first disc 24 is rotatably supported on the projection of the cover 25 on which it is axially supported via an axial bearing 26 , a disc 27 and a securing ring 28 . the rotatingly drivable first disc 24 co - operates with a second disc 29 which is slidingly supported on a projection at the first disc 24 and which , via an axial bearing 30 and a disc 31 , is supported on a first spring mechanism in the form of pressure springs 33 in the coupling cover 25 . the helical pressure springs 33 are arranged so as to extend in an axis - parallel way relative to the second disc 29 . pressure pins 32 forming the setting members are positioned in the pressure springs 33 . in the faces of the first and second discs 24 , 29 which face one another , there are provided pairs of grooves 34 , 39 whose depth is circumferentially variable and in which there run balls 35 held in a ball cage 36 . each of the grooves 34 , 39 extends from a first stop with the greatest groove depth to a second stop with the smallest groove depth . the second disc 29 comprises a radial projection 37 with a guiding claw 38 . the guiding claw 38 , in a longitudinally displaceable way , slides on a holding pin 40 which is firmly inserted in a bore 105 in a housing wall 106 and which , in this way , holds the axially displaceable second disc 29 in a rotationally fast way . fig2 shows the gear 20 in the form of an enlarged detail , with the individual parts being described jointly below . the gear 20 comprises two hub discs 51 , 52 which are pressed directly on to the sleeve pinion 19 . between the two , a gear rim 53 is axially fixed but rotationally movable , while allowing the required axial play . both the hub discs 51 , 52 and the gear rim 53 comprise window openings 54 , 55 and inner apertures 56 respectively , which , in the circumferential direction , all have approximately the same length and into which there are jointly inserted second spring mechanisms such as helical pressure springs 57 which are held in position by the window openings 54 , 55 and inner apertures 56 respectively and are supported on the ends of the openings 54 , 55 and apertures 56 respectively . consequently , when the hub discs 51 , 52 are rotated relative to the gear rim 53 , the helical pressure springs 57 are axially shortened . such shortening generates a returning force which acts against the relative rotation . if the adjusting device is adjusted positively by the driving motor 11 , this causes the first disc 24 to rotate , as a result of which the balls 35 running from deeper ball groove regions to shallower ball groove regions axially displace the second disc 29 on the cover projection against a returning force of the springs 33 . the cover 25 normally forms part of a coupling carrier of a locking coupling in a differential drive . when the adjusting device is returned , the first disc 24 is rotated back by the driving motor 11 in the opposite direction until the balls 35 reach the end positions in the ball grooves 34 , 39 . the resulting abrupt braking of the first disc 24 is not directly transmitted to the rotor mass of the driving motor because the gear 20 , while the pressure springs 57 are being shortened , permits overshooting so that only the relatively small mass of the sleeve pinion 19 is braked in an uncushioned way , whereas the greater rotor mass is cushioned . the driving motor is normally a frequency - modulated electric motor . fig3 shows an axial setting device in accordance with the present invention in a mounted condition . fig3 b shows an axial view of the device of fig3 a . fig3 a and 3b will be described jointly below . the end of a motor shaft 12 projects from a housing 13 of the driving motor 11 . the motor housing 13 is inserted into a centering bore 101 in a housing wall 102 . a shaft journal 14 with a driving pinion 15 is positioned on the shaft end 12 . a bearing journal 18 on which a sleeve pinion 19 is directly supported via two needle bearings 41 , 42 is inserted into the housing wall 102 in bore 103 . a gear 20 engaging the pinion 15 is pressed on to the sleeve pinion 19 . via its toothing , the sleeve pinion 19 engages a tooth segment 22 which is firmly connected to a first disc 24 of the adjusting device . via a needle bearing 23 , the first disc 24 is rotatably supported on the projection of the cover 25 on which it is axially supported via an axial bearing 26 , a disc 27 and a securing ring 28 . the rotatingly drivable first disc 24 cooperates with a second disc 29 which is slidingly supported on a projection at the first disc 24 and which , via an axial bearing 30 and a disc 31 , is supported on a first spring mechanism in the form of pressure springs 33 in the coupling cover 25 . the helical pressure springs 33 are arranged so as to extend in an axis - parallel way relative to the second disc 29 . pressure pins 32 forming the setting members are positioned in the pressure springs 33 . in the faces of the first and second discs 24 , 29 which face one another , there are provided pairs of grooves 34 , 39 whose depth is circumferentially variable and in which there run balls 35 held in a ball cage 36 . each of the grooves 34 , 39 extends from a first stop with the greatest groove depth to a second stop with the smallest groove depth . the second disc 29 comprises a radial projection 37 with a guiding groove 38 ′. the guiding groove 38 ′, in a longitudinally displaceable way , slides on a multi - part holding pin 60 which , by way of a semi - spherical head 63 , engages the guiding groove 38 ′ and which , in this way , holds the axially displaceable second disc 29 in a rotationally fast way . the holding pin 60 is supported in a sleeve member 61 so as to extend radially relative to the disc axis and is resiliently supported thereon via plate pressure springs 66 . the sleeve member 61 , by way of a thread 62 , is directly threaded into a bore 105 in the housing wall 106 . if the adjusting device is adjusted positively by the driving motor 11 , this causes the first disc 24 to rotate , as a result of which the balls 35 running from deeper ball groove regions to shallower ball groove regions axially displace the second disc 29 on the cover projection against a returning force of the springs 33 . the cover 25 normally forms part of a coupling carrier of a locking coupling in a differential drive . when the adjusting device is returned , the first disc 24 is rotated back by the driving motor 11 in the opposite direction until the balls 35 reach the end positions in the ball grooves 34 , 39 . the resulting braking of the first disc 24 is cushioned in that the first disc 24 and the second disc 29 overshoot , with the plate springs 66 being shortened , so that the entire gear drive is braked in a cushioned way , i . e . in particular also the rotor mass . the cone of the holding pin 60 rises in the wedge - shaped guiding groove 38 ′ which , towards one side , rises steeply . via the balls resting against the end stops , the two discs 24 , 29 remain firmly coupled . the driving motor is normally a frequency - modulated electric motor . fig4 shows the resilient holding pin 60 ′ in a second embodiment in the form of an enlarged detail . the holding pin 60 ′ is resiliently supported via two helical pressure springs 64 , 65 in the sleeve member 61 . instead of the semi - spherical head , there is provided a cone 63 ′. fig5 shows an axial setting device according to the present invention in a mounted condition . the end of a motor shaft 12 projects from a housing 13 of the driving motor 11 . the motor housing 13 is inserted into a centering bore 101 in a housing wall 102 . a shaft journal 14 with a driving pinion 15 is positioned on the shaft end 12 . a bearing journal 18 on which a sleeve pinion 19 is directly supported via two needle bearings 41 , 42 is inserted into the housing wall 102 in bore 103 . a gear 20 engaging the pinion 15 is pressed on to the sleeve pinion 19 . by way of its toothing , the sleeve pinion 19 engages a tooth segment 22 which is firmly connected to a first disc 24 of the adjusting device . via a needle bearing 23 , the first disc 24 is rotatably supported on the projection of the cover 25 on which it is axially supported via an axial bearing 26 , a disc 27 and a securing ring 28 . the rotatingly drivable first disc 24 cooperates with a second disc 29 which is slidingly supported on a projection at the first disc 24 and which , via an axial bearing 30 and a disc 31 , is supported on a first spring mechanism in the form of pressure springs 33 in the cover 25 . the helical pressure springs 33 are arranged so as to extend in an axis - parallel way relative to the second disc 29 . pressure pins 32 forming the setting members are positioned in the pressure springs 33 . in the faces of the first and second discs 24 , 29 which face one another , there are provided pairs of grooves 34 , 39 whose depth is circumferentially variable and in which there run balls 35 held in a ball cage 36 . the second disc 29 comprises a radial projection 37 with a guiding claw 38 . the guiding claw 38 , in a longitudinally displaceable way , slides on a holding pin 40 which is firmly inserted in a bore 105 in a housing wall 106 and which , in this way , holds the axially displaceable second disc 29 in a rotationally fast way . fig6 shows the second disc 29 of fig5 in an axial view , with the projection 37 and the guiding claw 38 being shown in the form of details . this illustration shows the shape of the ball grooves 39 in detail . they extend from a first axial stop region 71 with a greater depth at the end a to a second axial stop 72 with a smaller depth at the end b . in a plan view , the ball grooves in the first disc 24 are identical , so that pairs of grooves can be made to overlap with their respective first ends a , with the ball resting against the first end stops a and with the discs being in their closest positions . a rotation of the discs relative to one another causes the balls in both grooves of a pair of grooves to run towards the ends b , as a result of which the axially movable second disc 29 moves away from the axially supported first disc 24 . fig6 b shows the track shape according to fig1 to 4 , wherein the ball stops 71 , 72 are provided at the shallowest point a and at the flattest point b of the ball groove 39 and comprise the shape of a spherical cup . fig6 c shows the ball groove shape according to fig5 , wherein the deepest point of the ball groove 39 at the end a does not form the stop . instead , there is provided a rising run - out portion 73 which , if the discs are rotated further beyond their end position , again causes the discs to move away from one another , so that the pressure springs 33 are shortened once again , as a result of which the rotor mass and the entire rotational mass of the drive are cushioned by the returning force of the pressure springs 33 when overshooting their end positions . fig7 a shows an inventive axial adjusting device in a mounted condition . the end of a motor shaft 12 projects from a housing 13 of the motor 11 . the motor housing 13 is inserted into a centering bore 101 in a housing wall 102 . a shaft journal 14 with a driving pinion 15 is positioned on the shaft end 12 . a bearing journal 18 on which a sleeve pinion 19 is directly supported via two needle bearings 41 , 42 is inserted into the housing wall 102 in a bore 103 . a gear 20 engaging the pinion 15 is pressed on to the sleeve pinion 19 . via its toothing , the sleeve pinion 19 engages a tooth segment 22 which is firmly connected to a first disc 24 of the adjusting device . via a needle bearing 23 , the first disc 24 is rotatably supported on the projection of the cover 25 on which it is axially supported via an axial bearing 26 , a disc 27 and a securing ring 28 . the rotatingly drivable first disc 24 cooperates with a second disc 29 which is slidingly supported on a projection at the first disc 24 and which , via an axial bearing 30 and a disc 31 , is supported on a first spring mechanism in the form of pressure springs 33 in the cover 25 . the helical pressure springs 33 are arranged so as to extend in an axis - parallel way relative to the second disc 29 . pressure pins 32 forming the setting members are positioned in the pressure springs 33 . in the faces of the first and second discs 24 , 29 which face one another , there are provided pairs of grooves 34 , 39 whose depth is circumferentially variable and in which there run balls 35 held in a ball cage 36 . each of the grooves 34 , 39 extends from a first stop with a greatest groove depth to a second stop with the smallest groove depth . the second disc 29 comprises a radial projection 37 with a guiding claw 38 . the guiding claw 38 , in a longitudinally displaceable way , slides on a holding pin 40 which is firmly inserted in a bore 105 in a housing wall 106 and which , in this way , holds the axially displaceable second disc 29 in a rotationally fast way . the plan view of fig7 b shows that , at the projection 37 of the second disc 29 , there is affixed a leaf spring 81 whose free end cooperates with a stop curve 82 at the tooth segment 22 of the first disc 24 . initially , the end of the leaf spring 81 slides along the stop curve 82 while generating friction forces until it stops at a stop 83 at the tooth segment 22 , with the leaf spring being shorted during further rotation . in this embodiment , effective engagement of the leaf spring at the stop 83 takes place prior to the balls having reached the end stops in the ball grooves . fig8 a , 8 b and 8 c show additional views of the first and second discs 24 , 29 of fig7 a and 7b . in fig8 a – 8c , any details which are identical to those shown in fig7 have been given the same reference numbers . to that extent , reference is made to the above description . further details do not need to be mentioned . fig9 shows an axial setting device according to the present invention in a mounted condition . the end of a motor shaft 12 projects from a housing 13 of the motor 11 . the motor housing 13 is inserted into a centering bore 101 in a housing wall 102 . a shaft journal 14 with a driving pinion 15 is positioned on the shaft end 12 . a bearing journal 18 on which a sleeve pinion 19 is directly supported on the journal 18 via two needle bearings 41 , 42 is inserted into the housing wall 102 in a bore 103 . a gear 20 engaging the pinion 15 is pressed on to the pinion sleeve 19 . further details regarding the gear 20 will be given below . via its toothing , the sleeve pinion 19 engages a tooth segment 22 which is firmly connected to a first disc 24 of the adjusting device . via a needle bearing 23 , the first disc 24 is rotatably supported on the projection of the cover 25 on which it is axially supported via an axial bearing 26 , a disc 27 and a securing ring 28 . the rotatingly drivable first disc 24 cooperates with a second disc 29 which is slidingly supported on a projection at the first disc 24 and which , via an axial bearing 30 and a disc 31 , is supported on a first spring mechanism in the form of pressure springs 33 in the coupling cover 25 . the helical pressure springs 33 are arranged so as to extend in an axis - parallel way relative to the second disc 29 . pressure pins 32 forming the setting members are positioned in the pressure springs 33 . in the faces of the first and second discs 24 , 29 which face one another , there are provided pairs of grooves 34 , 39 whose depth is circumferentially variable and in which there run balls 35 held in a ball cage 36 . each of the grooves 34 , 39 extends from a first stop with a greatest groove depth to a second stop with a smaller groove depth . the second disc 29 comprises a radial projection 37 with a guiding claw 38 . the guiding claw 38 , in a longitudinally displaceable way , slides on a holding pin 40 which is firmly inserted in a bore 105 in a housing wall 106 and which , in this way , holds the axially displaceable second disc 29 in a rotationally fast way . in the plan view of fig9 b , the leaf spring between the two discs explained with reference to fig7 b is replaced by a resilient element 91 which is fixed to the projection 37 of the second disc 29 and which is acted upon by a buffer web 92 affixed by bolts 93 , 94 to the disc segment 22 . the buffer web 92 effectively stops against the resilient element 91 even before the balls have reached the end stops in the ball grooves . the resilient element 91 is preferably elastic rubber or plastic having internal damping . fig1 a – 10d show additional views of the first and second discs 24 , 29 of fig9 a and 9b . in addition to the details previously discussed with respect to fig9 a and 9b , fig1 d shows a bolt 95 which holds the resilient element 91 at the projection 27 . when the disc 24 is rotated back by the driving motor 11 , the spring mechanisms of the devices according to fig7 to 10 ensure that , even before the end stops in the ball grooves are reached , the rotor mass and the entire rotational mass of the drive are braked relative to the second disc 29 , held in a rotationally fast way , before the end stops in the ball grooves are reached . thereafter , the effect of the spring elements will be to achieve a certain amount of turning back from the end stops to the extent that this is possible relative to the returning force of the helical pressure springs 33 . from the foregoing , it can be seen that there has been brought to the art a new and improved axial adjusting device . while the invention has been described in connection with one or more embodiments , it should be understood that the invention is not limited to those embodiments . thus , the invention covers all alternatives , modifications , and equivalents be included in the spirit and scope of the appended claims .	5
in accordance with the present invention , an automatic verification system is described that provides distinct advantages when compared to verification processes of the prior art . the invention can best be understood with reference to the accompanying drawing figures . the automatic verification system of fig1 , generally depicted by the numeral 100 , has a capacity to accommodate one full ( two - foot ) letter tray of mail , and will feed trays of either letter or flat mail in excess of 6 , 000 pieces per hour . the infeed magazine 101 that provides this capability will process one tray of mail per run . from the feeder 101 , each mailpiece proceeds into a scale / settling station 102 . this station 102 weighs each piece of mail individually , and then correctly registers the bottom edge of the mailpiece onto an associated transport plate . supported by pinch belts , each mailpiece proceeds along the transport path 103 , where a 15 - inch , high - resolution camera 105 captures an image of the piece for further processing . an ink jet printer 104 is then used to spray a numeric identification ( id ) on each piece . each mailpiece also proceeds past a thickness detector 110 which determines the thickness of each mailpiece , or alternatively an over / under thickness limit , as is known in the art . the piece is then stacked in its original order and orientation in an output device or stacker , while an intelligent tracking system ensures quality and accuracy of inspection . the block diagram of fig2 depicts a control processor 201 that provides a user interface prompting the operator to perform specific actions , such as inputting data , loading the magazine , starting the transport mechanism , etc . after the operator enters all parameters , the required information is automatically measured . measurement results are used to calculate and display bulk postage rate , total weight of mailing , number of sample units , error factor , percent error , additional postage due , and other relevant metrics . with a throughput of 6 , 000 pieces per hour , the automatic verification system feeder unit 101 offers a reliable and powerful transport system . mail pieces are directed from the feeder into the scale unit 102 that weighs individual mail pieces in line at a full 6 , 000 pieces per hour rate . after the weighing operation , the mail pieces are scanned by the camera unit 105 . the camera unit 105 is a premier ultra - high density line scan array ccd ( charge coupled device ) camera . the camera 105 will scan at a rate of at least 200 scan lines per inch . this high resolution enables the automatic inspection system 100 to accurately determine postnet and planet barcode quality and to read address information from each mailpiece , including optional endorsement line , numeric zip code , postnet barcode recognition and quality measurement , and street - line and city / state line , to verify barcode and postage data and to add other relevant information to the associated mailpiece data base . the system includes the capability to update and modify the databases as required additionally , the height and length of each mailpiece is measured from either the image capture process , or from appropriately located sensors , or both . after the scanning operation , an ink jet printer 104 prints identification information on each mail piece . the print head of the ink jet printer unit 104 is preferably positioned in proximity to the camera unit 105 for ease of mounting . further , a thickness detector 110 takes a thickness measurement as each mailpiece goes by . the system may further include a report printer 202 that presents the results of the verification process to an operator in hard - copy format . a plurality of reports may be made available , as discussed in more detail below , and the reports may be structured to match existing customer report formats or may be custom designed for particular applications . the system may also incorporate a video display terminal 203 for use in job set - up , input of parameters , and display of results . the video display terminal 203 may also be used for the display of images acquired by the system during verification operation . at the operator &# 39 ; s option , the video display terminal may display the image acquired by scanning a particular mailpiece , and may indicate , via colored rectangles , shadings , etc ., selected words , individual characters , address block location , stamp , or other indicia that has been determined by the image processing recognition software . the camera scan field is illuminated by a high - intensity light system 106 in which optical fibers arrayed in associated lighting towers 107 direct light from a centrally located high - intensity lamp sub - system . a dense , random array of optical fibers within each tower 107 allows for bright , even illumination within the scan area . the system assigns each mailpiece to a data file that individually registers each mailpiece . as the mailpiece is processed , the weight and thickness of each piece and the associated numeric identification number that is applied to the mailpiece by the ink jet printer are also recorded in the file . the image that is scanned by the camera unit is also processed and filed . the scanned image is processed by identifying the address block on the mail piece , reading the address , and verifying the address information . the system registers the corresponding barcode value to the file , reads the stamp value and stores its marking , and scans the barcode in detail to ensure that the print quality meets usps specifications . the system identifies the existence , if any , of a postage meter imprint and the value of postage it represents , and the existence and identification of a permit imprint . the printed bar code value and quality assessment are also stored in the file for the associated mailpiece . at this point , the individual mailpiece file includes the id number that has been printed on the mailpiece by the ink jet printer , the weight , thickness , stamp value , any existing endorsement , the address barcode value , the printed barcode value , and the quality of the bareode / zip code . the system identifies and verifies the accuracy of the printed barcode against the results of an address search within its address database , and verifies that such aspects of the mail as postage paid , weight , etc ., are consistent with the information provided by the mailer . to aid in the acquisition of tray tag information , the verification system may incorporate a bar - code scanner 205 that reads the tray tag information . the tray tag information is generally expressed as a printed bar code on a tray or container of mail or other flat articles awaiting processing by the system . the tray tag generally includes information related to the contents of the tray , and thus defines a set of pre - established rules to which the articles must conform . the verification process includes comparing information input to the system via keyboard 204 , tray tag bar code scanner 205 , scale 102 , thickness detector 110 , image acquisition and processing 105 , and internal data bases to determine whether the pre - established rules have been followed . the automatic verification system operates under the control of a control personal computer ( cpc ) in communication with an imaging personal computer ( cpc ). communication between the cpc and ipc takes place over a bi - directional serial link that provides transfer of commands , status , and data packets in both directions . the hardware interface between the cpc and ipc is an rs - 232 serial link that is well known in the applicable art . the hardware protocol calls for full duplex asynchronous transmissions at 19 , 200 baud with 1 start bit , 8 data bits , 1 stop bit , and no parity . all serial messages between the ipc and cpc follow a predetermined format that is illustrated in fig3 . all messages begin with the start_char and end with the stop 13 char . each digit or character is sent using 8 - bit ascii ( american standard code for information interchange ). this is to ensure the ability to regain message synchronization if any characters are lost . the least significant bit of each byte is transferred first , in accordance with the ascii standard . the crc is a cyclic redundancy check computed by the sender and the recipient to make sure that no errors have occurred during transmission . it is formed using a selected ccitt polynomial , as is well known , and is computed over the range of characters from sequence_no through data . the 16 - bit crc is converted to ascii using hexadecimal notation and stored in the 4 bytes at crc . all message types are composed of ascii characters ( alphabetic characters are preferred ). this facilitates debugging with a serial line analyzer . bcd ( binary coded decimal ) data are transferred most - significant byte first . a message may have no data bytes . this minimum size of a message is nine ( 9 ) bytes . the various permissible message types are illustrated in fig4 . each message is acknowledged by the recipient with an ack ( acknowledgment message ). an ack informs the sender that the message has been received successfully , is understood , and is being acted upon . the sender of the original request knows to expect an ack in response to its request . it is up to the sender to wait for this response . a nack ( negative acknowledgment message ) tells the sender that the message is either not understood or not supported by the receiver . a nack never happens if the serial interface has performed successfully and the message sent was properly formatted . the sender does not send another request message until the previous request has been acked or has timed out . the sender generally retries sending a message up to two ( 2 ) times if it has not been acked within a predetermined time period . the sender stamps each message with a unique sequence number . this number is generated from an internal 8 - bit counter that is incremented after each message transaction , and is allowed to roll over from 0xff to 0000 . the receiver echoes this sequence number back in the ack / nack response to this message . the sender uses the same sequence number on retries . in general , the cpc updates the ipc with the mail piece identification number ( mped ), the mail piece weight data ( mpwd ), and its time stamp . in response , the ipc replies with information that was received by the scanned mail piece . the messages that are normally sent from the cpc to the ipc are summarized below : 1 . synchronization message — this message is sent when a sensor mounted near the camera array detects a mailpiece within the camera zone . 2 . postage message — this message is sent when the scale sub - system has completed weighing a piece of mail . this message conveys to the ipc the amount of postage this mailpiece is expected to contain . it is derived from the weight of the mailpiece and knowledge of the characteristics of the type of mailing being verified . in most cases , a postage rate derived from standard ( or bulk rate ) usps postage rate schedules will be used . the only exception occurs when the image processing indicates that the mail piece is non - profit in nature . in that event , a special non - profit postage field included with the postage message is used to determine the expected postage for the mailpiece . 3 . begin run message — this message is sent at the start of a run to direct the ipc to clear its buffers and prepare for the start of an inspection run . additional information is also passed to the ipc regarding the statistics for the mailing , such as time of mailing , payment method to be used , the mailer &# 39 ; s permit or meter number , and the weight of a single piece of mail ( in the event that the mailing is being made at an identical weight rate ). 4 . tray label message — this message is sent by the cpc to pass information taken from the tray label on the mailing tray that contains the mailpieces that are being examined . this information includes the tray label bar code , the tray zip code , destination city and state , and class and sub - class of mail in the tray . 5 . wedge data message — this message conveys the relevant information from a sample wedge ( a predetermined quantity of mail concerning which characteristics are known ). the ipc also transmits messages to the cpc . among the ipc - transmitted messages are the following : 1 . address scan result message — this message sends a formatted set of parameters back to the cpc . the referenced mail piece id is transmitted along with the mailpiece zip code appearing on the mail piece and the zip code derived from the address information on the mailpiece . 2 . postage scan result message — this message sends a formatted set of parameters from the ipc back to the cpc . the referenced mailpiece id is transmitted along with the mailpiece postage meter date , the mailpiece payment method , and the mailpiece amount paid . 3 . barcode scan result message — in this message , the ipc transmits the reference mailpiece id , the mailpiece barcode , and a measure of barcode readability . both the cpc and the ipc are capable of transmitting ack and nack messages , both initiating and responding to diagnostic messages , and transmitting error indication messages . referring now to fig5 - 1 to 5 - 46 , and tables 5 - 1 to 5 - 33 , the various reports which are generated by the present invention are illustrated . as previously mentioned , after the mailpieces are processed as described above , a number of reports can be generated and viewed or printed . when all mail has been processed , a reports screen shown in fig5 - 1 is displayed on the video display terminal 203 . the reports screen displays report options in a file folder format . each folder contains options for selecting one or more reports . selecting the desired folder tab , moves that folder to the front and a menu of reports that are available becomes visible on the front of the folder . selecting one of these menu options causes the selected report to be generated . selecting the preview button allows the report to be displayed on the screen . selecting the save & amp ; exit button saves the mailing run data and exits the user from the reports screen . the previous button is inactive on this screen . three report folder tabs have an overwrite option . these folders include presort , business mail acceptance and meter . not all folder tabs will be active for every mailing run and not all options within each category will be available . the type of analyses that was performed for the run determines the type of reports that can be generated . when the reports screen is displayed after a mailing run , any reports that have errors or discrepancies to report will be displayed with a red circle having a x or the like on the respective report folder tab . fig5 - 2 shows an example of the reports screen with this symbol . as can be seen in this example , the barcode and presort reports tabs have the error symbol , indicating that at least one of the reports available in that folder have errors to report . the actual report that has the errors is shown in red , with the error symbol . these reports can be generated and viewed by the operator to determine which mailpiece or mailpieces failed a particular analysis . the present invention has at least eighteen operational reports that can be generated after performing a mailing run . for example , the present invention produces the following operational reports : us postal service presort verification record ( ps 2866x ) sortation exceptions report ecr sequence exceptions report first - class metered mail - short paid mail sampling worksheet ( ps 6116x ) short paid exceptions report meter date exceptions report when pulled to the front , the presort reports tab shows the reports that can be generated from this folder . the us postal service verification record ( presort verification in the menu ), the sortation exceptions report ( sort exceptions on the menu ) and the walk sequence exceptions report are generated from here . fig5 - 3 shows the presort reports tab on the reports screen . the overwrite option is available for the presort verification record ( ps 2866x ) and allows the operator to eliminate system identified errors from the report . fig5 - 4 shows the overwrite screen . the us postal service presort verification record is a report about the errors contained in a presorted mail delivery , a calculation of the costs , and a record of the disposition . fig5 - 5 and 5 - 6 show the report and table 5 - 2 explains the fields on the report . table 5 - 2 describes the information contained in the us postal service presort verification record . the sortation exception report describes sortation error information about a mail run according to zip destination or tray piece count , as well as the individual mailpiece errors identified by the present invention . fig5 - 7 shows the report and tables 5 - 3 and 5 - 4 describes the fields on the report . table 5 - 3 describes the information contained in the summary section of the sortation exception report when the meter folder is placed at the front of the reports screen , three report options are displayed . two are short paid reports and the other is the meter date report ( shown on the menu as meter date exceptions ). the two short paid reports are the firstclass metered mail — short paid mail sampling worksheet ( ps 6116x — first class mail - metered on the menu ) and the short paid exceptions report , which is only available if there were exceptions to the ps 6116x report . the overwrite option is available for the first - class metered mail — short paid mail sampling worksheet ( ps 6116x ) and allows the operator to eliminate system identified errors from the report . fig5 - 10 shows the overwrite screen . the first - class metered mail — short paid mail sampling worksheet lists the total number of shortpaid pieces in the mailing sample , as well as the postage due . it also provides the information in percentages of shortpaid pieces to total pieces sampled . that percentage is used to extrapolate the number of shortpaid pieces in the entire mailing and the resultant postage due for that mailing . fig5 - 11 shows the worksheet . table 5 - 7 describes the information contained in the first - class metered mail — short paid mail sampling worksheet . only mailpieces with exceptions to the ps 6116x — short paid mail sampling worksheet are shown in the short paid exceptions report . they are reported by individual mailpiece identification ( mfid ) number . fig5 - 12 shows the short paid exceptions report . the meter date report contains information concerning the number of items in the sample with meters , the number with correct dates and the percentage of those with correct dates . it also lists the exceptions , by tray number and id number , along with the meter date information that the present invention recognized . fig5 - 13 shows the report . table 5 - 9 describes the information contained in the meter date report . the ounces per payment type report tab does not have a menu of report options . when this tab is selected , the payment method by ounce category summary report is generated . fig5 - 14 shows the report screen with the ounces per payment type folder at the front . the payment method by ounce category summary report provides a count of bow many mailpieces fall into each weight category , sorted by payment method and postage affixed amount . fig5 - 15 shows the report and table 5 - 10 describes the fields on the report and the information contained in the payment method by ounce category summary report . the summary reports tab has a menu with three report options . the summary verification report , end of job report and overwrite summary report are displayed in the menu . the reports screen with the summary reports folder displayed in front is shown in fig5 - 16 . the summary verification report describes summary information about a mail run . the types of analyses run on the sample are shown here as well as the usps acceptance rate and the system &# 39 ; s results for each analysis . if an analysis that affects postage rates failed , the postage due is also shown . fig5 - 17 shows the report . table 5 - 11 describes the information contained in the summnary verification report . the end of job report describes summary information about a mail run , including system performance , system utilization time and verification summary results . fig5 - 18 shows the report . table 5 - 12 describes the information contained in the end of job report . the overwrite summary report lists the manually overwritten data in a mailing from the meter , presort or business mail acceptance report categories . the report is shown in fig5 - 19 . table 5 - 13 describes the information contained in the overwrite summary report . the barcode reports tab displays a menu of 4 report options . these options are : barcode readability report ( postnet barcode readability on the menu ), planet barcode readability report , address accuracy report and postnet adjustment worksheet . fig5 - 20 shows the reports screen with the barcode folder in front . the postnet barcode readability report describes summary information about the postnet barcodes in a mailing run , as well as specific mailpiece postnet barcode discrepancies . overall readability for the mailing is shown in the top summary section of the report and specific problems are listed in the individual mailpiece section . any codes that might be used to identify problems with the barcode are identified at the bottom of the report . fig5 - 21 shows the report . table 5 - 14 describes the information contained in the summary section of the postnet barcode readability report . only mailpieces with barcode readability errors are shown in the individual mailpiece section of the barcode readability report . table 5 - 15 describes the information contained in the individual mailpiece section of the report . the planet barcode readability report describes summary information about the planet barcodes in a mailing run , as well as specific mailpiece planet barcode discrepancies . overall readability for the mailing is shown in the top summary section of the report and specific problems are listed in the individual mailpiece section . any codes that might be used to identify problems with the barcode are identified at the bottom of the report fig5 - 22 shows the report . table 5 - 16 describes the information contained in the summary section of the planet barcode readability report . only mailpieces with barcode readability errors are shown in the individual mailpiece section of the planet barcode readability report . table 5 - 17 describes the information contained in the individual mailpiece section of the report . the address accuracy report describes summary information about addresses that matched the system &# 39 ; s lookup information , as well as specific address mismatch information , sorted by tray number and mailpiece id number . fig5 - 23 shows the report table 5 - 18 describes the information contained in the summary section of the address accuracy report . only mailpieces with mismatched addresses are shown in the individual mailpiece section of the address accuracy report . table 5 - 19 describes the information contained in the individual mailpiece section of the report . the postnet barcode readability report adjustment worksheet provides information about the acceptability of barcode entries in a mailing . it also calculates the postage adjustment required based on problems with barcode readability . fig5 - 24 shows the report . table 5 - 20 describes the information contained in the barcode readability report adjustment worksheet . the mailpiece diagnostics report tab has a menu that lists 3 report options and a window that displays 5 saved mailpieces from the run , listed by mailpiece id number . if selecting the mailpiece diagnostics report , a mailpiece from this window must first be selected . the piece info report and the mailpiece characteristics report contain information about the entire mailing and do not use this window . fig5 - 25 shows the reports screen with the mailpiece diagnostics folder in front . when the mailpiece diagnostics report is selected from the reports screen , the mailpiece diagnostics screen appears as shown in fig5 - 26 . mailpiece diagnostics is an analysis test that is run on selected mailpieces from a run . the window on the mailpiece diagnostics report folder ( fig5 - 25 ) lists the five mailpieces that can be used . these mailpieces are selected by the computer from the mailing run and saved for this test . the operator should select a mailpiece from this list before clicking on the mailpiece diagnostics report button . in the mailpiece diagnostics screen , a visual image of the selected mailpiece is displayed in the center of the screen . the selected mailpiece file name appears in the window at the bottom left comer of the screen . to analyze specific characteristics of the mailpiece , the user would click the address , barcode , or indicia buttons , as desired . if the user selects the all layer button , all three analyses will be performed . selecting the previous button will return you to the reports screen shown in fig5 - 25 . the mailpiece diagnostics report has a section for each analysis that was run on the selected mailpiece . if all three analyses are run , then the three sections of the report will be address components , barcode components and physical / postage components . fig5 - 27 shows the address components section of the report . the top portion of this section contains information about the address block , as interpreted by the system . the bottom portion shows an image of the mailpiece itself with a box around the address block . table 5 - 21 describes the fields on the top portion of the report . the next section of the mailpiece diagnostics report , ( if all three analyses were run ), is the barcode components section . fig5 - 28 and 5 - 29 show both pages of the barcode components section . the top portion of this section of fig5 - 28 shows the decoded result of the postnet barcode lookup and the decoded planet barcode . the bottom portion shows an image of the mailpiece with boxes around the barcodes . fig5 - 29 shows the second page of the barcode components section . the top portion of this page lists all the codes for barcode quality errors . the next area ( postnet barcode ) lists all the minimum and maximum criteria for the barcode as well as reflectance percentages for the barcode and the background . the postnet barcode is printed underneath the shaded area . the bottom portion of this page ( planet code ) shows the same type of information as for the postnet barcode area , except for reflectance information . the planet barcode is also printed underneath this shaded area . in the example shown in fig5 - 29 , error codes are shown underneath the barcode . these error codes can be deciphered from the list at the top of the page . fig5 - 30 shows the physical / postage components section of the report the top portion of this section lists information about the payment indicia as well as physical information about the mailpiece as determined by the system of the present invention . the bottom portion shows an image of the mailpiece with boxes around the payment indicia and the separator label . the mailpiece characteristics report describes summary information about a mail run , as well as specific mailpiece characteristics that are not within specification . fig5 - 31 is an example of a mailpiece characteristics report . table 5 - 22 describes the information contained in the summary section of the mailpiece characteristics report . only mailpieces with height , length , thickness or weight errors are shown in the individual mailpiece section of the mailpiece characteristics report table 5 - 23 describes the information contained in the individual mailpiece section . when the business mail acceptance report tab is selected and the folder is brought to the front , the reports that are available are the ps 8040x — business mail acceptance worksheet and the mailpiece doubles exceptions report ( displayed on the menu as business mail exceptions report ). fig5 - 32 shows this menu . the overwrite option is available for the business mail acceptance worksheet ( ps 8040x ) and allows the operator to eliminate system identified errors from the report . fig5 - 33 shows the overwrite screen . the business mail acceptance worksheet is a summary sheet with information required to determine if business mailing meets acceptance criteria . table 5 - 25 describes the information contained in the business mail acceptance worksheet . the business mail exceptions report provides detailed information about a mail run , as well as the individual information about mailpieces whose measured weight was excluded from the samples average weight . table 5 - 26 describes the information contained in the summary section of the business mail exceptions report . table 5 - 27 describes the information contained in the sorted information section of the report . there are two reports that may be generated at the end of each day and can be accessed from the system &# 39 ; s toolbar , which is present at the top of most of the system &# 39 ; s screens . the toolbar is shown in fig5 - 41 . most of the icons in the toolbar are used by maintenance technicians for remote diagnostics or to access maintenance reports . the statistics reports icon ( second from the right ) is the icon used to access the end of day reports . when the statistic reports icon on the toolbar is selected a popup window appears . the popup window ( shown in fig5 - 42 ) gives the user the option of selecting either the end of day report or the daily statistics report . when the end of day button is selected from the pop up window ( fig5 - 42 ), the end of day screen appears as shown in fig5 - 43 . table 5 - 31 describes the options available from this screen . the end of day report covers the previous 24 - hour period , from midnight to midnight . the report is divided into 5 sections that summarize number of jobs , time the system was in use , amount of time the system had a fault condition , the number of faults for each section of the machine and the throughput for each category of mail . the end of day report is shown in fig5 - 44 . when the daily statistics button is selected from the pop up window ( fig5 - 42 ), the daily statistics report screen appears as shown in fig5 - 45 . table 5 - 33 describes the options available from this screen . the daily statistics report has the same information as the end of day report . the difference between the two is the period of time that is covered . the daily statistics report includes information from midnight up until the time that the report is generated . fig5 - 46 shows the daily statistics report . for a description of each of the fields of the report , refer to table 5 - 33 , the table for the end of day report . accordingly , it should readily be understood that the present invention can function to perform at least the following analyses : address accuracy , namely , comparison of postnet barcode to the system &# 39 ; s street - line and city / state line lookup to verify the mailer is using valid directory and / or directory rules ; walk sequence and line of travel accuracy ( ecr sequence ); comparing physical characteristics to mail processing category , i . e ., letter , flat , parcel ( mailpiece characteristics ); estimated piece count — for identical weight mail — estimate number of pieces by dividing net weight ( gross - tare_by average weight , and compare to number declared by mailer ( business mail acceptance ); package sortation verification , namely , checking presort subsets within a container , first piece to remaining package pieces ; identify multi - ounce piece using scale and determine if additional ounce postage is affixed ( visible ) on mailpiece ( short paid ); reporting sample processed by postage and weight information and compare to mailer declared quantity and type ; apply usps cost avoidance factor on applicable verifications ( e . g ., presort , short paid , barcode quality ); produce summary with overall verification results ; produce detailed exception reports identifying each piece in any verification found in error ; produce diagnostic report that can communicate a sample piece &# 39 ; s results ( mailpiece diagnostic ); and transmit summary information to a national results database via any suitable communications link . there has been described herein an automatic verification method and system that is relatively free from the shortcomings of verification processes of the prior art . it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention . accordingly , it is not intended that the invention be limited except as may be necessary in view of the appended claims .	6
our invention will be better understood in view of the following figures , detailed description , and examples . in the figures : fig1 is a schematic representation of an apparatus for tempering a selected portion of a manganese - aluminum workpiece by heating it with laser radiation ; fig2 is a hysteresis curve of magnetization versus applied field for laser - tempered manganese - aluminum alloy samples ; and fig3 illustrates an automotive vehicle ignition key provided with a manganese - aluminum insert in accordance with the invention . the insert has been coded as desired with an array of spaced lines , the lines being magnetic while the insert itself is nonmagnetic . alloys of aluminum and 65 - 75 weight percent manganese , when rapidly cooled from a temperature above about 1100 ° c . to a temperature below about 400 ° c ., form a substantially orthorhombic phase . this phase is nonmagnetic . tempering at a suitable elevated temperature above 400 ° c . transforms the orthorhombic phase to a ferromagnetic phase which is believed to be body - centered tetragonal . the transformation temperature for mn - al alloys without other elements is in the range of from about 450 °- 600 ° c . small amounts ( generally less than one weight percent ) of elements such as carbon or nickel may be added to manganese - aluminum alloys to stabilize the magnetic crystal structure . the presence of such elements also tends to elevate the temperature range for magnetic transformation . for example , the transformation temperature for a suitable manganese - aluminum alloy with 0 . 5 weight percent added carbon is about 500 °- 700 ° c . other elements which do not interfere with the thermal transition of the alloys from a nonmagnetic to a magnetic state may be incorporated in amounts of up to about 10 % by weight . this body centered tetragonal phase of a mn - al system generally has a magnetic saturation of up to 7000 gauss and high uniaxial anisotropy along the crystallographic c - axis . it has a coervicity of above about 1000 oersteds , qualifying it as a permanent magnet material . a suitable alloy for this invention may be formed by casting an ingot of about 65 - 75 weight percent manganese , 25 - 35 weight percent aluminum in an induction furnace . the cast ingot is preferably annealed at a temperature above about 1100 ° c . and rapidly quenched to below 400 ° c . the ingot thus produced is nonmagnetic with a substantially metastable orthorhombic crystal structure . the assay of the alloy ingots from which the samples of the following examples were taken was approximately : 70 . 4 weight percent manganese ; 28 . 9 weight percent aluminum ; 0 . 5 weight percent carbon ; and 0 . 2 weight percent nickel . by &# 34 ; tempering &# 34 ; herein is meant the process of heating a substantially nonmagnetic alloy to a temperature such that its crystalline microstructure is transformed to a substantially different microstructure that is magnetically coercive . tempering may be performed by means of focused radiation from a laser . while a laser is a preferred heating means , other radiation sources such as electron beam , molecular beams , etc ., may be employed . our invention will be better understood in view of the following specific examples . twenty - one ( 21 ) roughly wafer - shaped samples about 3 . 5 mm in diameter and 0 . 1 mm thick were sliced from ingots of the above described manganese - aluminum - carbon - nickel alloy . the alloy had a substantially metastable disordered orthorhombic crystal structure and was not magnetic . each wafer had a mass of approximately 0 . 1 gram . eleven ( 11 ) of the samples were tempered by means of laser radiation to transform the microstructure to a magnetically coercive microstructure . the other 10 samples were heated in a conventional oven to accomplish the phase transformation . the samples to be radiated by the laser were polished on one of the flat faces and attached to a glass support tube at the other flat face . a platinum - 10 % rhodium thermocouple was pressed against the back face of each sample and connected to a temperature recorder . fig1 shows a laser - tempering setup . as seen at fig1 beam 2 generated by laser 4 is focused through lens 6 onto mn - al - c - ni sample 8 . preferably , for heating an entire sample disc 8 , the laser beam 2 is diffused by lens 6 to irradiate substantially all of the sample surface 9 . the glass rod 10 , disc 8 assembly is mounted by means of clamp 14 to ring stand 16 on stage 12 adapted to have vertical and horizontal translational capabilities , as indicated by the arrows . because the samples were of finite thicknesses , the temperature measured at the back of the laser - tempered samples , heated on one side only , was not the same as or a direct measure of the temperature at the radiated surface . table i sets out data for the laser irradiation of the 11 samples . the thermocouple temperature is the temperature measured by the sensor at the back of the sample ; the radiation time is the total time the sample was exposed to the laser beam ; and m is the magnetization of the sample , measured in an applied magnetic field of 15 kilooersteds in electromagnetic units ( emu ) per gram . the magnetism in oersteds is calculated by multiplying m in emu per gram by the density of the alloy -- here 5 . 1 grams per cubic centimeter ; and h ci is the intrinsic magnetic coercivity of the magnetized samples in kilooersteds at room temperature . table i______________________________________ thermo - radi - laser - couple ationtempered temp . time m h . sub . cisample (° c .) ( min .) ( emu / gm ) ( oe ) ______________________________________1 270 5 . 0 1 . 1 0 . 02 335 5 . 0 1 . 6 1 . 13 340 5 . 0 4 . 0 1 . 34 395 5 . 0 3 . 3 1 . 25 440 5 . 0 39 . 0 1 . 36 440 5 . 0 84 . 8 0 . 77 485 5 . 0 62 . 4 1 . 28 500 5 . 0 82 . 1 0 . 79 500 20 . 0 81 . 4 0 . 710 520 0 . 3 81 . 0 0 . 911 540 5 . 0 85 . 0 1 . 0 -- h . sub . ci 1 . 01______________________________________ table ii presents the same data for 10 like alloy samples heated in an oven for the time indicated to accomplish the nonmagnetic - to - magnetic phase transformation . table ii______________________________________oven - annealing oventempered temp . time m h . sub . cisample (° c .) ( min .) ( emu / gm ) ( oe ) ______________________________________1 440 5 . 0 1 . 1 0 . 02 500 5 . 0 7 . 1 1 . 43 500 20 . 0 34 . 6 1 . 24 500 0 . 3 1 . 7 1 . 25 530 5 . 0 37 . 0 1 . 26 530 20 . 0 77 . 7 1 . 27 550 10 . 0 78 . 3 1 . 28 550 20 . 0 78 . 2 1 . 29 580 5 . 0 78 . 1 1 . 210 580 20 . 0 78 . 0 1 . 1 -- h . sub . ci 1 . 2______________________________________ it can be seen from the tables that significant magnetization , i . e ., magnetization greater than about 2 . 0 emu per gram , was achieved at a temperature of approximately 440 ° c . for the laser - treated samples and at about 500 ° c . for the oven - tempered samples . we believe that the disparity of the two values is due to the temperatures gradient experienced by the laser - tempered samples . the samples tempered in the oven received heating equally from all sides , while those tempered by the laser were heated on one side only . the threshold temperature for magnetic coercivity was about 340 ° c . for the laser - tempered samples and above about 500 ° c . for the oven - tempered samples . coercivity occurs abruptly at a critical temperature but does not change substantially with higher treating temperatures . we believe that the difference of approximately 160 ° c . between the laser coercivity ( h ci ) threshold ( approximately 340 ° c .) and the oven coercivity threshold ( approximately 500 ° c .) depends to some extent on the tempering method - the laser tempering threshold being substantially lower and thus preferred . fig2 presents hysteresis curves for four of the correspondingly numbered laser - treated samples of table i . the pronounced s - shape of the curves stems from the room temperature coercivity of each sample -- generally about 1 kilooersted . the curves indicate a general increase in permanent magnetization with tempering temperature above the threshold ( about 340 ° c .). a flat slab , about 12 mm in diameter and 0 . 1 mm thick , was cut from an ingot of nonmagnetic mn - al - ni - c material . the face to be radiated was polished and the slab was mounted on a glass rod and positioned on the translation stage , generally as shown at fig1 . the letters &# 34 ; gm &# 34 ; were roughly traced on the face of the sample with a 3 - watt beam from an ar + laser with a beam spot diameter of about 30 microns . the laser trace speed was manually controlled by adjusting the translation table . the beam spot was moved as melting of the irradiated surface region became evident . the melted material was later polished from the surface so that the alloy beneath , which had been heated to a temperature in the transformation range ( above about 500 ° c ., but below the melting temperature ), was exposed . the sample was then exposed to a 15 kilooersted - applied magnetic field . only the magnetically written &# 34 ; gm &# 34 ; trace was magnetized , the remainder of the matrix being nonmagnetic in nature . magnetic nickel power was sprinkled over the surface of the sample . the portion of the sample irradiated by the laser clearly attracted the nickel powder in the &# 34 ; gm &# 34 ; pattern . another disc - shaped sample , about 10 mm in diameter and 0 . 1 mm thick , was prepared as in above example 2 . the face to be radiated was polished , mounted on a glass rod , and positioned in an apparatus like that shown at fig1 . a laser beam spot about 30 microns in diameter was traced along the surface in a series of straight strokes at a rate such that some melting was observed at the sample surface . the surface was polished to remove any material heated above the transformation temperature . the sample was then exposed to a 15 kilooersted - applied magnetic field , the stripes written by the laser trace being selectively magnetized . application of magnetic nickel powder to the disc surface confirmed that the stripes were magnetic . an electron - micrograph of the sample revealed the selectively magnetized region as stripes having relatively darker shading than the nonmagnetic background . the sample was demagnetized and another micrograph was taken . the selectively tempered region could not be distinguished from the rest of the matrix . thus , we believe that the field associated with the permanently magnetized region perturbs the electron optics of the microscope , making these regions appear darker on a micrograph . fig3 shows an ignition key 30 for an automotive vehicle . the key may be made of any suitable material . the shank portion 32 is provided with a groove 34 to guide it into a lock bolt ( not shown ). key 30 is further provided with an insert 36 , preferably of a nonmagnetic alloy of aluminum and 65 - 75 weight percent manganese . the insert 36 has been selectively tempered in accordance with the invention to form a permanently magnetized portion , shown as lines 38 in fig3 . lines 38 of row 40 may serve as reference lines for row 42 . the lines are detectable by , e . g ., a magnetic tape head of the type used to play magnetic recording tapes . the spacing and number of lines in row 42 , compared with reference row 40 , provides a unique code for key 30 . the ignition lock is released when the key code matches the preprogrammed lock code . just a few lines can provide thousands of code combinations . moreover , the key code is invisible to the eye and not susceptible to demagnetization during normal use . by our invention herein disclosed , we have provided the first known and method of magnetizing a selected , well - defined portion of a nonmagnetic metal matrix for many useful purposes . while our invention has been described and illustrated in terms of specific embodiments thereof , it is understood that other forms and / or modifications may be readily adapted by one skilled in the art . our invention therefore is limited only by the following claims .	6
for purposes of promoting an understanding of the principles of the invention , reference will now be made to the embodiments illustrated in the drawings , and specific language will be used to describe the same . it will nonetheless be understood that no limitation of the scope of the invention is intended by the illustration and description of certain embodiments of the invention . in addition , any alterations and / or modifications of the illustrated and / or described embodiment ( s ) are contemplated as being within the scope of the present invention . further , any other applications of the principles of the invention , as illustrated and / or described herein , as would normally occur to one skilled in the art to which the invention pertains , are contemplated as being within the scope of the present invention . referring now to the drawings , and in particular fig1 , a non - limiting example of an engine 10 in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention is depicted . in one form , engine 10 is an aero - engine , such as a dual - mode gas turbine ramjet engine capable of operating as a gas turbine engine and a ramjet engine . in other embodiments , engine 10 may be a gas turbine engine , a ramjet engine , a scramjet engine , a rocket engine or any combination thereof . in the form of a gas turbine engine , engine 10 may be a single or multi - spool engine aero , land - based or marine engine , and may be a turbofan , turbojet , turboshaft , or turboprop engine . embodiments of the present invention include case structures , flowpath structures , and combined case / flowpath structures formed of composite materials that do not employ or require metal or metallic backing structure in order to sustain both aerodynamic and structural loads . engine 10 includes a compressor 12 , a combustor 14 and a turbine 16 . a ramburner added to the rear of engine 10 may increase thrust at supersonic speeds , e . g ., mach 3 . 0 to mach 4 . 0 + in one form , although greater or lesser speeds may be applicable to other embodiments . in one form , engine 10 includes an integrated composite ramburner / nozzle 18 , hereinafter referred to as ramburner 18 . ramburner 18 may , in some embodiments , provide additional thrust capability relative to an air breathing gas turbine engine without the potentially significant cycle penalty due to pressure loss that may be seen in some conventional augmenter designs having mechanical flame holder features , or with a reduced such penalty . in one form , ramburner 18 is a flowpath structure that does not employ or require a metal or metallic backing structure in order to withstand both aerodynamic and structural loads . in one form , the composite material used to form ramburner 18 is carbon - carbon , although other composites may be used in other embodiments . for example and without limitation , other applicable composite materials may include other ceramic matrix composites ( cmc &# 39 ; s ) than carbon - carbon , metal - matrix composites ( mmc &# 39 ; s ) and / or intermetallic - matrix composites ( imc &# 39 ; s ) in addition to or in place of carbon - carbon . non - limiting examples of applicable metallic materials include , without limitation , niobium alloys . in addition , the present invention is equally applicable to other flowpath structures , e . g ., such turbine flowpath structures . referring now to fig2 , ramburner 18 includes an integrated primary structure 20 formed of a composite outer flowpath wall 22 , a composite inner flowpath wall 24 and a plurality of composite linking structures 26 . linking structures 26 extend between outer flowpath wall 22 and inner flowpath wall 24 . in one form , linking structures 26 are attached to both outer flowpath wall 22 and inner flowpath wall 24 , and are structured to separate outer flowpath wall 22 and inner flowpath wall 24 to form a primary flowpath 28 therebetween , i . e ., a flowpath for the primary working fluid of engine 10 , and to transfer mechanical loads between outer flowpath wall 22 and inner flowpath wall 24 . in one form , linking structures 26 include a plurality of vanes 30 , such as turbine exit vanes , and a plurality of aft support struts 32 . in other embodiments , linking structures 26 may take other forms that link outer flowpath wall 22 to inner flowpath wall 24 in addition to or in place of vanes 30 and struts 32 . in still other embodiments , linking structures 26 may be of a single common form in place of both forms manifested by vanes 30 and struts 32 . such linking structures 26 may be located at a common axial location , or may be located at more than one axial location . in one form , integrated primary structure 20 includes a nozzle 34 , e . g ., a plug nozzle , which in some embodiments may be formed as part of inner flowpath wall 24 . in other embodiments , nozzle 34 may be a separate piece that is co - bonded with one or more features of integrated primary structure 20 . in still other embodiments , nozzle 34 may not be considered part of integrated primary structure 20 and may or may not be attached to integrated primary structure 20 . in one form , integrated primary structure 20 also includes a center hub 36 to secure the inner ends of struts 32 and additional stiffness and stability to integrated primary structure 20 . in other embodiments , center hub 36 may not be considered part of integrated primary structure 20 . a weakness of the carbon - carbon material system is relatively low inter - laminar shear strength . a fairly simple structural joint to produce in a carbon - carbon assembly is a stab - through joint where one element passes through a second element with an effective bond applied to the mating surfaces . if carbon - carbon elements are bonded in this fashion , high inter - laminar shear stresses may be generated from the mismatch in coefficient of thermal expansion between the intersecting plies . this may result from the fact that the coefficient of thermal expansion for carbon - carbon varies significantly in the longitudinal direction versus the through - the - thickness direction . in order to reduce or eliminate high inter - laminar shear stresses , the carbon fiber plies of the mating components in embodiments of the invention are aligned in the structural bond joints of primary structure 20 , i . e ., are oriented in the same direction . in one form , these joints include the turbine exit vane 30 to outer flowpath wall 22 bond joints , the turbine exit vane 30 to inner flowpath wall 24 bond joints , the aft strut 32 to outer flowpath wall 22 bond joints , the aft strut 32 to inner flowpath wall 24 bond joints , and the aft strut 32 to center hub 36 bond joints . for example , vanes 30 include segments 30 a and 30 b extending from the airfoil portion in a direction approximately parallel to outer flowpath wall 22 and inner flowpath wall 24 , respectively . segments 30 a and 30 b may be formed by rolling the carbon - fiber plies at the ends of each vane 30 in a direction approximately parallel outer flowpath wall 22 and inner flowpath wall 24 , respectively . the carbon - fiber plies of vanes 30 transition from extending along the airfoil span to extending approximately parallel to the plies in outer flowpath wall 22 and inner flowpath wall 24 , respectively . hence , the plies of vanes 30 are aligned with the plies of outer flowpath wall 22 and inner flowpath wall 24 , which may reduce inter - laminar shear stresses at the bond joints . for example , as depicted in fig3 a , plies 30 p of vane 30 in segment 30 a are aligned approximately parallel to plies 22 p of outer flowpath wall 22 . similarly , as depicted in fig3 b the plies 30 p of vane 30 in segment 30 b are aligned approximately parallel to plies 24 p of inner flowpath wall 24 . in one form , the plies are not only aligned in one plane , e . g ., as depicted in fig3 a , but are also aligned in a second plane . for example , fig3 c depicts plies 30 p of vane 30 aligned in a second plane with plies 22 p of outer flowpath wall 22 . in the depiction of fig3 c , plies 30 p are hidden , and hence are indicated with dashed lines , whereas plies 22 p are indicated with solid lines . in one form , the plane of fig3 c is perpendicular to the plane of fig3 a . each vane 30 interfaces with outer flowpath wall 22 at a radial interface 38 and an axial interface 40 , which respectively position each vane 30 radially and axially with regard to outer flowpath wall 22 . in one form , radial interface 38 includes an outer pilot diameter on each vane 30 and an inner pilot diameter in outer flowpath wall 22 . in other embodiments , other radial positioning interface types may be employed . axial interface 40 includes a shoulder in outer flowpath wall 22 abutted by the shroud end face ( segment 30 a ) of each vane 30 . in one form , the interface features are machined . in other embodiments , other forming processes may be employed . each vane 30 interfaces with inner flowpath wall 24 at a radial interface 42 and an axial interface 44 , which respectively position each vane 30 radially and axially with regard to inner flowpath wall 24 . in one form , radial interface 42 includes an outer pilot diameter on each vane 30 and an inner pilot diameter in inner flowpath wall 24 . in other embodiments , other radial positioning interface types may be employed . axial interface 44 includes a shoulder in inner flowpath wall 24 abutted by the platform end face ( segment 30 b ) of each vane 30 . in one form , the interface features are machined . in other embodiments , other forming processes may be employed . similar to vanes 30 , each strut 32 includes a segment 32 a extending in a direction approximately parallel to outer flowpath wall 22 . the plies of each strut 32 transition from extending along the strut span to extending approximately parallel to the plies in outer flowpath wall 22 , and are aligned with the plies in outer flowpath wall 22 in a manner similar to that described with respect to segments 30 a of vanes 30 and depicted in fig3 a . primary structure 20 includes a transition structure 46 , which may be in the form of a collar extending around each strut 32 . transition structure 46 includes plies extending along the strut span and aligned with the plies of strut 32 . transition structure 46 also includes plies extending approximately parallel to inner flowpath wall 24 and aligned with the plies of inner flowpath wall 24 . each strut 32 interfaces with outer flowpath wall 22 at an interface 48 , which positions each strut 32 circumferentially , radially and axially with regard to outer flowpath wall 22 . in one form , interface 48 includes a pad formed into outer flowpath wall 22 , into which strut 32 is fitted . in other embodiments , other radial positioning interface types may be employed . in one form , the interface features are machined . in other embodiments , other forming processes may be employed . each strut 32 is fitted through a slot 50 in inner flowpath wall 24 and into a pocket 52 in center hub 36 . the slot dimensions are sufficiently larger than the strut dimensions so as to avoid undesirable contact between the strut and inner flowpath wall as might induce undesirable stresses , e . g ., due to thermal expansion . center hub 36 is of a laminated construction to provide near parallel ply orientation between each strut 32 and the corresponding center hub strut pocket 52 . to eliminate high inter - laminar tensile stresses at the foot of the strut , the strut is cut short at the inner end and a radial gap 54 is provided between the strut foot and the hub . once components 22 - 38 are assembled together , they are co - bonded to form the unitized integral primary structure 20 , which is designed to withstand the thermal and mechanical loading encountered during the operation of engine 10 and the vehicle into which engine 10 is installed , without additional structural backing / support . co - bonding may be performed , for example and without limitation , by applying a film of carbon resin ( and any other suitable materials desired for the particular application , e . g ., silicon carbide ( sic ) particulates ) to bond surface ( s ) of one or more of the carbon - carbon parts to be joined . the carbon - carbon parts are then held together at the bond surfaces , with the carbon resin contacting the bond surfaces of each of the carbon - carbon parts to be joined . heat is then applied , during which time the resin infiltrates into the carbon - carbon parts , creating a bond between the carbon - carbon parts at the location of the bond surfaces . in one form , the bonded integrated primary structure 20 is treated to reduce or prevent oxidation damage , e . g ., which may occur during high temperature operation . in one form , integrated primary structure 20 is coated with sic as an oxidation protection treatment , although other treatments may be employed in other embodiments . for example and without limitation , other treatments that provide oxidation resistance may include silicon nitride ( si3n4 ), tetraethylorthosilicate ( teos ) and / or dichroic glass in addition to or in place of sic . in other embodiments , part or all of integrated primary structure 20 may not be coated or treated for oxidation resistance , or may be coated or treated for purposes other than oxidation resistance in addition to or in place of treatment for oxidation resistance . as an integrated structure , integrated primary structure 20 is single , one - piece , co - bonded , unitary structure not susceptible to nondestructive disassembly . ramburner 18 may also include additional components , which may be in the form of prefabricated secondary elements that are added to integrated primary structure 20 after co - bonding . alternatively , one or more of the additional components may be included as part of integrated primary structure 20 in some embodiments . the additional components may include , for example , a forward guide structure 56 , a screech cover 58 and a tail cone 60 . in other embodiments , tail cone 60 may be included as part of nozzle 34 . in one form , the prefabricated secondary elements are glassed in place through a heat treat cycle . this glassing provides a leak free weak bond at the mating faces . glassing may be performed , for example and without limitation , by applying an sic coating to the surfaces to be joined , holding the parts together , and heating the parts to form silica glass from the sic coating . in other embodiments , other glassing materials and / or glassing techniques may be employed . in still other embodiments , other processes and / or other techniques may be employed to hold the prefabricated secondary elements in place in addition to or in place of glassing . ramburner 18 also includes a flange 62 for attachment to engine 10 , e . g ., via an axial clamping arrangement , and via a radial and circumferential positioning arrangement , e . g . a cross key arrangement . although the present embodiment includes each component / feature 54 - 60 , it will be understood that other embodiments may not include each such component / feature , and / or may include other components / features . for example , other embodiments may or may not include various elements , such as , for example , screech cover 58 . in addition , other embodiments may include additional elements , such as a t - shield to protect each strut 32 . each such component , e . g ., each of components 54 - 60 , is prefabricated and formed to interface with each adjoining component to yield the structure depicted in fig2 . forward guide structure 56 interfaces with inner flowpath wall 24 at a radial interface 64 and an axial interface 66 , which respectively position forward guide structure 56 radially and axially with regard to inner flowpath wall 24 . in one form , radial interface 64 is a threaded joint , i . e ., with mating threads formed on each of forward guide structure 56 and inner flowpath wall 24 . in other embodiments , other radial positioning interface types may be employed . axial interface 66 includes a shoulder in inner flowpath wall 24 abutted by the end face of forward guide structure 56 . in one form , the interface features are machined . in other embodiments , other forming processes may be employed . in one form , the carbon - fiber plies in forward guide feature 56 are aligned with the carbon fiber plies of inner flowpath wall 24 . screech cover 58 is pinned in place on outer flowpath wall 22 . in one form , the carbon - fiber plies in screech cover 58 are aligned with the carbon fiber plies of outer flowpath wall 22 . tail cone 60 interfaces with nozzle 34 at a radial interface 68 and an axial interface 70 , which respectively position tail cone 60 radially and axially with regard to nozzle 34 . in one form , radial interface 68 is a threaded joint , i . e ., with mating threads formed on each of tail cone 60 and nozzle 34 . in other embodiments , other radial positioning interface types may be employed . axial interface 68 includes a shoulder in nozzle 34 abutted by the end face of tail cone 60 . in one form , the interface features are machined . in other embodiments , other forming processes may be employed . in one form , the carbon - fiber plies in tail cone 60 are aligned with the carbon fiber plies of nozzle 34 . one embodiment of the present invention is an integrated aero - engine flowpath structure which may include a composite outer flowpath wall , a composite inner flowpath wall , and a composite linking structure extending between the composite outer flowpath wall and the composite inner flowpath wall . the composite linking structure is structured to separate the composite outer flowpath wall from the composite inner flowpath wall . the composite outer flowpath wall and the composite inner flowpath wall define therebetween a primary flowpath for a working fluid of the aero - engine . the composite outer flowpath wall , the composite inner flowpath wall , and the composite linking structure are co - bonded to form a unitary structure operable to withstand thermal and mechanical loading during the operation of the aero - engine without additional structural backing . in one refinement of the embodiment the composite outer flowpath wall , the composite inner flowpath wall , and the composite linking structure are formed of a carbon - carbon material . in another refinement of the embodiment plies of the carbon - carbon material in the composite linking structure are aligned with plies in at least one of the composite outer flowpath wall and the composite inner flowpath wall . in another refinement of the embodiment the composite linking structure includes a segment extending parallel to at least one of the composite outer flowpath wall and the composite inner flowpath wall . in another refinement of the embodiment the composite linking structure is a vane . in another refinement of the embodiment the composite linking structure is a strut . another refinement of the embodiment the may include a carbon - carbon transition structure bonded to the composite linking structure and to at least one of the composite outer flowpath wall and the composite inner flowpath wall . the plies of the carbon - carbon transition structure are aligned with plies in the composite linking structure and aligned with plies in at least one of the composite outer flowpath wall and the composite inner flowpath wall . another refinement of the embodiment may include an integral carbon - carbon plug nozzle forming a portion of the composite inner flowpath wall . another refinement of the embodiment may include a carbon - carbon tail cone bonded to the carbon - carbon plug nozzle . another refinement of the embodiment may include a threaded bond joint between the carbon - carbon tail cone and the carbon - carbon plug nozzle . another refinement of the embodiment may include a carbon - carbon forward structure bonded to the composite inner flowpath wall . another refinement of the embodiment may include a threaded bond joint between the carbon - carbon forward structure and the composite inner flowpath wall . another embodiment of the present invention may include at least one of a carbon - carbon outer flowpath wall and a carbon - carbon inner flowpath wall . it may also include a carbon - carbon linking structure extending from the at least one of the carbon - carbon outer flowpath wall and the carbon - carbon inner flowpath wall , and a bond joint between the carbon - carbon linking structure and at least one of the carbon - carbon outer flowpath wall and the carbon - carbon inner flowpath wall . at the bond joint , plies in the carbon - carbon linking structure are aligned with plies in the at least one of the carbon - carbon outer flowpath wall and the carbon - carbon inner flowpath wall . in one refinement of the embodiment the carbon - carbon linking structure includes a segment extending parallel to the at least one of the carbon - carbon outer flowpath wall and the carbon - carbon inner flowpath wall . another refinement of the embodiment may include a carbon - carbon transition structure bonded to the carbon - carbon linking structure and to the at least one of the carbon - carbon outer flowpath wall and the carbon - carbon inner flowpath wall . the plies of the carbon - carbon transition structure are aligned with plies in the carbon - carbon linking structure and aligned with plies in at least one of the carbon - carbon outer flowpath wall and the carbon - carbon inner flowpath wall . another embodiment of the present invention is a method of manufacturing an integrated aero - engine flowpath structure which include rolling composite plies of a first composite component to form a segment of the first composite component extending in a direction parallel to a second composite component . it may also include aligning the plies in the segment with plies of the second composite component , and bonding the segment to the second composite component . in one refinement of the embodiment the aligning includes aligning the plies of the segment with the plies of the second composite component includes aligning in one plane . in another refinement of the embodiment the aligning includes aligning the plies of the segment with the plies of the second composite component includes aligning in two planes . another refinement of the embodiment may include performing an oxidation protection treatment of the aero - engine flowpath structure . in another refinement of the embodiment the oxidation protection treatment is performed after the bonding . while the invention has been described in connection with what is presently considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiment , it is to be understood that the invention is not to be limited to the disclosed embodiment ( s ), but on the contrary , is intended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the appended claims , which scope is to be accorded the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and equivalent structures as permitted under the law . furthermore it should be understood that while the use of the word preferable , preferably , or preferred in the description above indicates that feature so described may be more desirable , it nonetheless may not be necessary and any embodiment lacking the same may be contemplated as within the scope of the invention , that scope being defined by the claims that follow . in reading the claims it is intended that when words such as “ a ,” “ an ,” “ at least one ” and “ at least a portion ” are used , there is no intention to limit the claim to only one item unless specifically stated to the contrary in the claim . further , when the language “ at least a portion ” and / or “ a portion ” is used the item may include a portion and / or the entire item unless specifically stated to the contrary .	8
the embodiments of the present invention will hereinafter be described with reference to the accompanying drawings . fig1 is a typical cross - sectional view schematically showing the construction of an image forming apparatus 101 which is an example suitably showing an image forming apparatus according to the present embodiment . the image forming apparatus 101 , as shown in fig1 has a sheet cassette 102 , a feed roller 103 , a transfer belt driving roller 104 , a transfer belt 105 , photosensitive drums 106 , 107 , 108 , 109 which are latent image bearing members , transfer rollers 110 , 111 , 112 , 113 which are transfer means , cartridges 114 , 115 , 116 , 117 , optical units 118 , 119 , 120 , 121 , a fixing unit 122 which is a fixing device , etc . in the image forming apparatus 101 , yellow , magenta , cyan and black toner images are superimposed and transferred onto a recording sheet which is a recording material by the use of the electrophotographic process , and the recording sheet is heated at a predetermined temperature and pressurized by the fixing roller ( not shown ) of the fixing unit 122 , whereby the toner images are fixed on the recording sheet . the optical units 118 to 121 of the respective colors are designed to expose and scan the surfaces of the respective photosensitive drums 106 to 109 by laser beams to thereby form latent images thereon , and the series of image forming operations are scanning - controlled in synchronism with one another so that the images may be transferred onto the transported recording sheet from a predetermined location thereon . the latent images formed on the surfaces of the photosensitive drums 106 to 109 are visualized as toner images by developing devices ( not shown ) provided in the cartridges 114 to 117 by the use of toners which are developers of the respective colors . also , the image forming apparatus 101 has a feed motor ( not shown ) for feeding and transporting the recording sheet , a transfer belt driving motor ( not shown ) for driving the transfer belt driving roller 104 , photosensitive drum driving motors ( not shown ) for driving the photosensitive drums 106 to 109 and transfer rollers 110 to 113 of the respective colors , and a fixing roller driving motor ( not shown ) for driving the fixing roller . further , the image forming apparatus 101 is provided with a picture reading sensor 123 which is adapted to apply light to the surface of the recording sheet fed and transported from the sheet cassette 102 by the feed roller 103 , condense and image the reflected light thereof , and detect a picture of a certain particular area of the recording sheet . the structure of the picture reading sensor 123 will now be described with reference to fig2 . the picture reading sensor 123 , as shown in fig2 has an led 33 which is light applying means , a cmos sensor 34 which is reading means , lenses 35 and 36 which are imaging lenses , etc . light from the led 33 as a light source is applied to the surface of a recording sheet transporting guide 31 or the surface of the recording sheet 32 on the recording sheet transporting guide 31 through the lens 35 . reflected light from the recording sheet 32 is condensed through the lens 36 and is imaged on the cmos sensor 34 as light receiving means . thereby , a picture of the surface of the recording sheet transporting guide 31 or the recording sheet 32 is read . in the present embodiment , the led 33 is disposed so that the led light may be applied obliquely to the surface of the recording sheet 32 at a predetermined angle as shown in fig2 . fig3 a to 3 f show the relations between the surfaces of recording materials read by the cmos sensor 34 of the picture reading sensor 123 and an example in which the output from the cmos sensor 34 has been digitally processed to 8 × 8 pixels . the digital processing is effected by converting the analog output from the cmos sensor 34 into 8 - bit pixel data by an a / d converter ( not shown ) which is converting means . fig3 a shows an enlarged picture 40 of the surface of a recording sheet a which is so - called rough paper of which the surface fiber is relatively asperate , fig3 b shows an enlarged picture 41 of the surface of a recording sheet b which is so - called plain paper usually used , and fig3 c shows an enlarged picture 42 of the surface of a recording sheet c which is glossy paper of which the paper fiber is sufficiently compressed . these pictures 40 to 42 read by the cmos sensor 34 are digitally processed and become pictures 43 , 44 and 45 shown in fig3 d , 3 e and 3 f , respectively . like this , the pictures of the surfaces differ from one another depending on the types of the recording sheets . this is a phenomenon occurring chiefly because the state of the fiber on the surface of paper differs . as described above , the pictures of the surfaces of the recording sheets read by the cmos sensor 34 and digitally processed become capable of being discriminated by the surface states of the paper fibers of the recording sheets . reference is now had to fig4 to describe the control flow by a control processor which is a fixing process condition control unit 125 provided in the image forming apparatus 101 . first , the led 33 is lighted up ( s 50 ), and the cmos sensor 34 reads the picture of the recording sheet ( s 51 ). the reading of the picture is effected a plurality of times on a plurality of locations on the recording sheet . the led 33 is then turned off ( s 52 ), thereafter constants for the gain calculation and filter calculation of gain adjusting means 130 and filter calculating means ( not shown ), respectively , provided in the fixing condition control unit 125 are adjusted ( s 53 ). the gain calculation and the filter calculation are programmably processed by the control processor . for example , the gain calculation is effected by adjusting the gain of the analog output from the cmos sensor 34 . that is , the gain is adjusted when the picture of the surface of the recording sheet cannot be read well , that is , a change in the picture cannot be derived , when the quantity of reflected light reflected from the surface of the recording sheet is too great or conversely too small . also , the filter calculation is effected by the calculation of e . g . { fraction ( 1 / 32 )}, { fraction ( 1 / 16 )}, ¼ or the like when the analog output from the cmos sensor 34 is a / d - converted into digital data of 8 bits and 256 graduations . that is , the noise component of the output from the cmos sensor 34 is removed . then , whether sufficient picture information for effecting the next picture comparison calculation can be obtained is determined ( s 54 ), and if it is determined that sufficient picture information can be obtained , picture comparison calculation which will be described later is effected ( s 55 ), and the sheet type is determined on the basis of the result of the picture comparison calculation ( s 56 ), and a fixing temperature conforming to that sheet type is set ( s 57 ). for example , in the case of a sheet of which the surface paper fiber is asperate like the recording sheet a shown in fig3 a , the fixing temperature is set to a high level , and in the case of a sheet of which the surface paper fiber is smooth like the recording sheet c shown in fig3 c , the fixing temperature is set to a low level and the temperature control of the fixing unit 122 is effected . a method of the above - mentioned picture comparison calculation will be described here . in the picture comparison calculation , a pixel dmax of maximum density and a pixel dmin of minimum density are derived from a result obtained by reading the pictures at a plurality of locations on the surface of the recording sheet . this is executed for each read picture and the averaging process is carried out . that is , when the surface paper fiber is asperate like the recording sheet a , many shadows of the fiber are created . as the result , the difference between a light portion and a dark portion appears greatly and therefore , dmax - dmin becomes great . on the other hand , on a surface like that of the recording sheet c , the shadows of the fiber are few and dmax - dmin becomes small . it is desirable to use a digital signal processor as the control processor because the picture sampling process and the gain and filter calculation process from the cmos sensor 34 need be effected at real time . as described above , according to the present embodiment , the state of the surface paper fiber of the recording sheet is detected by a picture and from the result thereof , the temperature control condition of the fixing unit 122 is derived , and if the surface paper fiber of the recording sheet is asperate , the fixing temperature is made high , and if the surface paper fiber of the recording sheet is in a compressed state , the fixing temperature is made low , whereby the condition of a fixing temperature optimum for the state ( roughness ) of the surface of the recording sheet can always be set . a second embodiment of the present invention will now be described . members similar to those in the first embodiment are given the same reference signs and need not be described . fig5 is a flowchart for illustrating the control in the present embodiment . in the present embodiment , as shown in fig5 design is made such that the transporting speed ( s 67 ) of the recording sheet is set in conformity with the result of the sheet type determination ( s 66 ). the control at the sheet type determination ( s 66 ) is similar to that in the first embodiment . when the transporting speed of the recording sheet is relatively low , the time during which the recording sheet passes the fixing unit 122 becomes long and the toners on the recording sheet can be sufficiently fusion - bonded . on the other hand , when the time during which the recording sheet passes the fixing unit 122 is short , the toners on the recording sheet are not sufficiently fusion - bonded . accordingly , for example , in the case of rough paper , the transporting speed of the recording sheet is made low to thereby sufficiently fusion - bond the toners and increase the fixing property . in the present embodiment , the control of the transporting speed of the recording sheet is effected by controlling the rotational speeds of the feed motor , the transporting motor , the photosensitive drum driving motors , the transfer belt driving motor and the fixing motor described above . thus , the present embodiment is effective in a system wherein the supplied electric power to the fixing device cannot be variably controlled . a third embodiment of the present invention will now be described . members similar to those in the first embodiment are given the same reference signs and need not be described . the present embodiment is characterized in that in addition to the control in the first embodiment or the second embodiment , the thickness of the recording sheet is detected , and the control of the fixing temperature or the control of the transporting speed of the recording sheet is effected on the basis of the result of the detection . in the present embodiment , the structure of a picture reading sensor 70 shown in fig6 a is similar to that of the picture reading sensor 123 in the first embodiment , but the direction of irradiation of the led to the recording material and the direction of detection of the cmos sensor are opposite to those in the first embodiment . fig6 b , 6 c , 6 d and 6 e show sampling pictures 72 , 73 , 74 and 75 read by the cmos sensor of the picture reading sensor 70 and digitally processed as they are arranged in time - series . for example , when the leading edge of the recording sheet passes the picture reading sensor 70 , a picture sampled in a state in which the leading edge of the recording sheet does not yet pass the picture reading sensor 70 is sample - 1 picture 72 , and a picture sampled next is sample - 2 picture 73 , and the sample - 2 picture 73 shows a state in which the leading edge of the recording sheet has come to the picture reading sensor 70 . in this case , the area of the shadow of the recording sheet differs in conformity with the thickness of the recording sheet . in the example shown in fig6 d , an amount 77 corresponding to two pixels is the area of a shadow proportional to the thickness of the recording sheet . the recording sheet is being transported and therefore , as the pictures are successively sampled , the picture shifts to sample - 3 picture 74 and sample - 4 picture 75 . that is , if the picture of the leading edge of the recording sheet being transported is periodically read , the area of the shadow of the recording sheet created in proportion to the thickness of the recording sheet changes . if the length of the shadow ( the number of pixels ) with respect to the transporting direction of the recording sheet is found , the thickness of the recording sheet can be detected . for example , if a reference value is stored in advance in a memory such as eeprom , the relative thickness of the recording sheet compared with the reference value can be detected . in this manner , the fixing temperature condition is changed for recording sheets differing in thickness , that is , control is effected with the fixing temperature increased for a recording sheet having a relatively great thickness because such recording sheet is great in heat capacity , while on the other hand , a recording sheet relatively small in thickness , i . e ., small in heat capacity , is fixed with the fixing temperature lowered . alternatively , control may be effected with the transporting speed of the recording sheet changed depending on the thickness of the recording sheet . as described above , according to the first embodiment or the second embodiment , appropriate fixing control can be realized in conformity with the state of the surface of the recording sheet or the thickness of the recording sheet , and improvements in the fixing property and the quality of image and further , low electric powder consumption can be achieved . also , the reading of the picture of the surface of the recording sheet is programmably controlled by the use of an optical system which is in non - contact with the recording sheet and therefore , the flexibility of the control can be realized , and this leads to the obtainment of the effect that the downsizing of the apparatus , highly accurate control and further , highly reliable control can be realized . while the present invention has been described above with respect to some preferred embodiments thereof , it is apparent that the present invention is not restricted to those embodiments , but various modifications and applications are possible within the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims .	7
one preferred embodiment of the present invention will be below described with reference to the drawings . fig4 roughly shows an electrostatic photographic copying machine with an optical system - driving device according to the present invention incorporated . referring to fig4 reference numeral 1 designates a body of copying machine provided with a contact glass 2 and a manuscript - weight 3 thereon , a photoreceptor 4 and a charging device 5 , a developing device 6 , a transfer device 7 , a paper - separating device 8 , a cleaning device 9 and the like arranged around said photoreceptor 4 therewithin , an optical system 10 in a space below said contact glass 2 and a supplied paper - conveying device 11 , a discharged paper - conveying device 12 , a fixing device 13 , a pair of paper - discharging rollers 14 , a paper - supplying cassette 15 , a paper - discharging tray 16 and the like . said optical system 10 is provided with a first carriage 21 on which a light source 18 and a reflector 19 for radiating a light to a manuscript surface 17 , and a first mirror 20 for reflecting a light reflected by said manuscript in the direction shown by an arrow p are carried , a second carriage 24 on which a second mirror 22 and a third mirror 23 for reflecting a light reflected by said first mirror 20 in the direction shown by an arrow q opposite to the direction shown by said arrow p are carried , so that they may be reciprocally moved in the directions shown by the arrow p and said arrow q , a lens device 25 for collecting a light reflected by said third mirror 23 and a fourth mirror 26 for reflecting a light passing through said lens device 25 toward the photoreceptor 4 , as shown also in fig1 to 3 . in addition , reference numerals 27 , 28 designate a carriage - supporting rod and a carriage - supporting member supporting both end portions in the direction meeting at right angles with moving directions of said carriages 21 , 24 respectively and the carriages 21 , 24 are supported at two points by means of two bearings on the side of said carriage rod 27 and at one point on the side of said carriage - supporting member 28 respectively although they are not detailly shown . referring to fig1 to 3 , reference numeral 29 designates an optical system - driving device for reciprocally moving the first carriage 21 and the second carriage 24 in the directions shown by the arrows p , q . said optical system - driving device 29 has the following construction . that is to say , said body of copying machine 1 is provided with two course - curving revolving members 30 , 31 at portions outside of reciprocally moving ranges of the first carriage 21 and the second carriage 24 , the body of copying machine 1 being provided with a driving pulley 32 and an intermediate pulley 33 as means to be driven , the second carriage 24 being provided with an idle pulley 34 mounted thereon , and a driving wire 35 being fixedly mounted on a fixing portion 36 on the side of the body of copying machine 1 at one end thereof to extend said driving wire 35 around said idle pulley 34 , said one course - curving revolving member 30 , said intermediate pulley 33 , said driving pulley 32 and said the other course - curving revolving member 31 in the order described , and said driving wire 35 being mounted on the first carriage 21 through a fixing member 37 and extended around the idle pulley 34 again to fixedly mount an end portion thereof on the other fixing portion 38 on the side of the body of the copying machine 1 . and , reference numeral 39 designates a regular and reverse rotation - driving mechanism for regularly or reversely rotating the driving pulley 32 and said regular and reverse rotation - driving mechanism 39 has the following construction . that is to say , a driving shaft 40 , to which for example a clockwise rotation ( in the direction shown by an arrow r in fig1 ) ( hereinafter referred to as regular rotation ) of a motor ( not shown ) as a driving source is transmitted , is provided with a sprocket 41 fixedly mounted thereon at one end thereof , input shafts 44 , 45 of the regular rotation electro - magnetic clutch 42 and the reverse electro - magnetic clutch 43 being provided with sprockets 46 , 47 having the same number of teeth respectively , a rotation - transmitting timing belt 48 being extended around said sprockets 41 , 46 , 47 , output shafts 49 , 50 of the regular rotation electro - magnetic clutch 42 and the reverse electro - magnetic clutch 43 being provided with a regular rotation gear 51 and a reverse gear 52 having the same number of teeth , said gears 51 , 52 being engaged with each other , and a gear 54 provided on an axis of rotation 53 with the driving pulley 32 fixedly mounted being engaged with said reverse gear 52 . fig5 shows an example of a structure of a circuit for controlling the regular rotation electro - magnetic clutch 42 or the reverse electro - magnetic clutch 43 . referring to fig5 reference numeral 55 designates a pnp - type transistor and reference numeral 56 designates a npn - type transistor . an appointed voltage is applied to the regular rotation electro - magnetic clutch 42 or the reverse electro - magnetic clutch 43 by putting a pulse signal , which will be mentioned later , as a remote signal in an input terminal 57 of said pnp - type transistor 55 or said npn - type transistor 56 to suitably switch on and off the regular rotation electro - magnetic clutch 42 or the reverse electro - magnetic clutch 43 , whereby reciprocally moving the optical system 10 at an appointed speed . that is to say , upon putting said remote signal of low level in said input terminal 57 of said control circuit for the regular rotation electro - magnetic clutch 42 , the pnp - type transistor 55 is switched on and thus the npn - type transistor 56 is switched on to switch on the regular rotation electro - magnetic clutch 42 . thereupon , the driving pulley 32 is rotated in the regular direction to move the first carriage 21 in the direction shown by the arrow q in fig1 at a speed 2 times that of the second carriage 24 so that an optical path length from the light source 18 to the lens device 25 may be always constant . in addition , similarly , as soon as the reverse electro - magnetic clutch 43 is switched on , the driving pulley 32 is rotated in the reverse direction to move the first carriage 21 and the second carriage 24 in the direction shown by the arrow p in fig1 . and , in the present invention , in the case where the rotation of said motor rotating always in one direction is transmitted to the driving pulley 32 through the regular rotation electro - magnetic clutch 42 or the reverse electro - magnetic clutch 43 , a pulse signal , of which pulse occupation rate is gradually increased , is put in the regular rotation electro - magnetic clutch 42 for an appointed time from starting to falsely switch on and off a current for the regular rotation electro - magnetic clutch 42 , whereby perfectly switching on the regular rotation electro - magnetic clutch 42 by an appointed drive - transmitting power after said appointed time has passed , in the start of the regular rotation electro - magnetic clutch 42 . fig6 shows various kinds of pattern of said pulse signal in the case where the control is carried out in the above described manner . in an example shown in fig6 ( a ), an off - time of the regular rotation electro - magnetic clutch 42 is made always constant while an on - time is increased in an arithmetical ratio . and , in an example shown in fig6 ( b ), said off - time of the regular rotation electro - magnetic clutch 42 is made always constant while said on - time is increased in a geometric ratio . in these cases , said pulse occupation rate of the pulse signal for switching on the regular rotation electro - magnetic clutch 42 is gradually increased and also a pulse space is gradually increased . in addition , in an example shown in fig6 ( c ), the on - time of the regular rotation electro - magnetic clutch 42 is increased in an arithmetical ratio . and , in an example shown in fig6 ( d ), the on - time of the regular rotation electro - magnetic clutch 42 is increased in a geometric ratio . in these cases , said pulse space of the pulse signal for switching on the regular rotation electro - magnetic clutch 42 is constant . and , in any one of the above described examples , an on - operation in the starting of the regular rotation electro - magnetic clutch 42 is slowly and smoothly conducted . as a result , the carriages 21 , 24 are not rickety and thus the optical system 10 is not vibrated during the exposure of the manuscript and the like , so that the manuscript can be surely read and thus an image having no strain can be formed even though there is a gap between the carriage - supporting rod 27 and the carriages 21 , 24 . although the drive - transmitting power of the regular rotation electro - magnetic clutch 42 is gradually increased to perfectly switch on the regular rotation electro - magnetic clutch 42 by the appointed drive - transmitting power after the appointed time has passed in the starting of the regular rotation electro - magnetic clutch 42 in the above described preferred embodiment , a load to the optical system 10 may be falsely increased for the appointed time from the starting of the regular rotation electro - magnetic clutch 42 . that is to say , an appointed voltage is applied to the regular rotation electro - magnetic clutch 42 while a pulse signal , of which pulse occupation rate is gradually reduced , is put in a control circuit of the reverse electro - magnetic clutch 43 for the appointed time from the starting of the regular rotation electric - magnetic clutch 42 to falsely increase said load to the optical system 10 in the starting of the regular rotation electro - magnetic clutch 42 . fig7 shows various kinds of pattern of the pulse signal in the case where the control is carried out in the above described manner . in an example shown in fig7 ( a ), an appointed voltage is applied to the regular rotation electro - magnetic clutch 42 to switch on it and at the same time the on - time of the reverse electro - magnetic clutch 43 is held constant to increase the off - time in an arithmetical ratio . and , in an example shown in fig7 ( b ), an appointed voltage is applied to the regular rotation electro - magnetic clutch 42 to switch on it and at the same time the on - time of the reverse electro - magnetic clutch 43 is held constant to increase the off - time in a geometric ratio . in these cases , the off - time of the pulse voltage applied to the reverse electro - magnetic clutch 43 is gradually increased and the pulse occupation rate is gradually reduced to become zero after the appointed time . in addition , in an example shown in fig7 ( c ), an appointed voltage is applied to the regular rotation electro - magnetic clutch 42 to switch on it and at the same time the off - time of the reverse electro - magnetic clutch 43 is increased in an arithmetical ratio . and , in an example shown in fig7 ( d ), an appointed voltage is applied to the regular rotation electro - magnetic clutch 42 to switch on it and at the same time the off - time of the reverse electro - magnetic clutch 43 is increased in a geometric ratio . in these case , the pulse occupation rate is gradually reduced to become zero after the appointed time and the pulse space is constant . and , in any one of the above described examples , the load to the optical system 10 is falsely increased in the starting of the regular electro - magnetic clutch 42 . as a result , the carriages 21 , 24 can be slowly and smoothly moved and thus the same effects as in the above described preferred embodiment can be exhibited . since the present invention has the above described construction , the carriages are not vibrated in the starting of the regular rotation electro - magnetic clutch and thus the strain of image due to the vibration of the optical system can be prevented and the manuscript and the like can be surely read and thus the clear image can be formed in for example the electrostatic photographic copying machine and the like even though there is a gap between the carriage - supporting rod and the carriages .	6
turning now to the figures , where similar reference numerals are used to indicate similar features , fig1 shows an example of a headphone assembly 10 according to an aspect of the present disclosure . headphone assembly 10 includes a plug assembly 12 with a connection component 14 extending therefrom . the connection component 14 is shown in the example of fig1 as a usb - mini male connection structure that is configured to mate and connect with a corresponding usb - mini female connection structure in an external device ( an example of which is described below ). other structures are possible for the connection component 14 that can be configured to match with other receiving structures in a variety of devices . in general , the connection component 14 is configured to electronically connect with a mating structure in a device that has an audio signal source therein . the connection component 14 and the mating structure in the associated device are connectable together such that the headphone assembly 10 can receive the audio signal from the device by the connection achieved by the connection component 14 . other examples of structures that can be used for a connection component include , but are not limited to : a 3 . 5 mm or ¼ ″ stereo audio jack , a usb a or b structure , or the like . headphone assembly 10 further includes first and second cables 16 and 18 that attach the plug housing 12 with respective first and second headphone units 20 and 22 . it is noted that cable 16 is shown having a particular length that can be exemplary and can be implemented in specifically - configured examples of headphone assembly 10 , as will be discussed herein . other lengths for both cables 16 and 18 are possible and can be selected depending on preference or the intended use of headphone assembly 10 . in the example shown in fig1 , first headphone unit 20 is generally configured as a right headphone and second headphone unit 22 is generally configured as a left headphone . that is , the respective headphones 20 and 22 are generally mirror images of each other , with headphone 20 being configured for a desired fit in the right ear of a wearer and , when assembly 10 receives a stereo audio signal , configured to receive the right channel signal . similarly , headphone 22 can be configured for a desired fit in the left ear of the wearer and , when assembly 10 receives a stereo audio signal , configured to receive the left channel signal . the desired fit between the respective ears of the wearer can include the particular shape of the headphone , including the positioning and orientation of various features thereof , as will be discussed in further detail below . the desired fit can also take into account the connection location of the respective headphones 20 and 22 with cables 16 and 18 and the direction in which they extend therefrom , as will also be discussed below , to achieve a desired level of comfort and positioning of the cables 16 and 18 when the headphones 20 and 22 are being worn . as headphones 20 and 22 are generally mirror images of each other , the particular features thereof are discussed with reference to the same reference numerals and are shown in various examples herein in the context of the right headphone 20 . it is to be known that the left headphone 22 can include similar or identical structures as discussed with respect to the right headphone 20 , but in a mirror image thereof , where necessary . in particular , headphone 20 includes an earpiece 24 configured with an outside surface 25 that is configured to generally match the rough anatomy and geometry of the ear of a wide variety of potential wearers and to be placed in contact therewith . such a configuration can include the somewhat rounded shape shown in the example of fig1 that transitions into a projection 32 that is directed in what is intended to be a forward - oriented position such that it is in the general direction of the user &# 39 ; s eyes when being worn . the projection is dimensioned to extend partially into the external auditory meatus of the ear and to contact the inside surface thereof at least partially around the surface 25 in the area of projection 32 . such a configuration is what can generally be referred to as an in - ear or a partial in - ear configuration . other configurations of surface 25 are possible , such as those that define a surface 25 that does not extend into , but rather simply overlies , the external auditory meatus . to further enhance the fit between the earpiece 24 and the ear of a wearer , earpiece 24 can be made of a resiliently compliant material such that earpiece 24 can flex , compress , and generally adapt to the variations in the shapes of potential wearers &# 39 ; ears . in an example , earpiece can be a compliant material such as a rubber or foam , or a soft - touch material such as tpe or various forms of injection - moldable silicon compounds or composites . earpiece 24 can also be of a coated or compression - molded memory - foam material or can include a gel - filled membrane therein . other structures or materials having similar characteristics are also possible for earpiece 24 . earpiece 24 can be affixed with and generally extend from a body 26 that defines an outer periphery of the earpiece that extends laterally from the outside edges of surface 25 of earpiece 24 . the body 26 can be based on a generally cylindrical structure that can extend from a generally circular outside edge defined by surface 25 at the plane of intersection therewith . body 25 can be configured to retain therein various internal components related in generating sound from the audio signal transmitted by cable 16 . such components can include a speaker unit or a diaphragm with a partially magnetized structure , along with a driver for causing movement or vibration of the diaphragm to generate sound waves . such components can also include internal circuitry specially adapted for carrying out tuning , equalization , or other filtering or crossover functionality , as desired to achieve a desired sound from the headphone 20 . the filtering and equalization can include adjustment for the size and material of the speaker structure , as well as the geometry of the interior of body 26 and / or earpiece 24 . body 25 can include an interior cavity to receive such components and configured such that the various components can attach therein . body 25 can also be configured such that the interior thereof is at least partially open to an interior of the earpiece and such that the speaker , or other sound - generating component , is directed toward the interior of earpiece 24 and is further directed toward projection 32 . accordingly , earpiece 24 can include an output port such as the output port 34 on the end of projection 32 shown in fig1 . such a configuration allows the sound generated within headphone 20 to be directed into the ear in which headphone 20 is being worn . as shown in greater detail in fig2 and 3 , body 25 can be configured to define a channel 28 that extends at least part way around the periphery thereof . accordingly , such a channel 28 can interrupt the generally cylindrically configured shape of body 25 . channel 28 can have a generally u - shaped configuration and can smoothly transition to the outer periphery of body 25 , as shown in the example of fig2 . channel 28 can have a depth extending in a radially - inward direction with respect to body 26 and a length extending circumferentially around at least part of the body 26 . the depth and width ( in a direction transverse to the depth ) can be at least as great as a diameter of cable 16 so that cable 16 can fit within at least a portion of channel 28 , as shown in fig2 . further , channel 28 can be at least 125 % as large as the diameter of cable 16 in both width and depth so that channel 28 can fit therein and be removed therefrom , as will be discussed further below , without interference therebetween . cable 16 can be configured to connect with and at least partially enter into body 26 at a location within channel 28 . further , cable 16 can be configured to connect with body 26 at an angle toward the interior of channel 28 so that the portion of cable 16 immediately adjacent body 25 extends generally within channel 28 . body 26 can further define a bridge 40 extending over a portion of channel 38 . cable 16 can then extend within channel 28 beneath bridge 40 so that it is partially captured within and passes through an aperture 42 defined between a portion of bridge 40 that faces channel and the corresponding portion of channel 28 that underlies bridge 40 , as shown in fig3 . bridge 40 can be positioned at a location along channel 28 that is remote from the location 44 at which cable 16 attaches with body 26 . in an example , bridge 40 can be disposed from location 44 through an angle of between about 170 degrees and 190 degrees around the circumference of body 26 . accordingly , a section 48 of cable 16 extends between location 44 and bridge 40 . aperture 42 can be configured to be smaller than adjacent portions of channel 28 , as shown in fig4 such that cable 16 is more closely received therein . in a configuration , aperture 42 can further be configured to maintain an interference fit with the portion of cable 16 that passes therethrough by having at least a portion thereof that is undersized in at least one dimension relative to cable 16 . as shown in fig5 , a projection 50 can extend into a portion of aperture 42 to achieve the discussed interference fit with cable 16 . such an arrangement can be useful , for example , when housing 24 is made from a generally rigid material such as polycarbonate plastic (“ pc ”), pc - abs , or the like . as a reliable interference fit within generally acceptable tolerances is difficult to achieve with rigid materials , the body 26 and , accordingly , aperture 42 can be of a rigid material that is close in size to the diameter of cable 16 or is slightly oversized with respect thereto . projection 50 can extend through a hole in body 26 within aperture 42 so as to extend partially into aperture 42 or can be otherwise attached therein . further , projection can be positioned on a flexible mount to attach within body 26 or can be made from a compliant material , such as tpe or the like . projection 50 can be configured to extend into aperture 42 at least by a distance by which aperture 42 is oversized with respect to cable 16 ( or at a distance that is at least as large as the tolerance of aperture 42 ) so that the distance between projection 50 and a portion of aperture 50 that is directly opposite projection 50 is less than the diameter of cable 16 . the particular extension distance of projection 50 can be adjusted based on the materials used and the desired level of the interference fit desired . further , cable 16 can itself be configured to contribute to the interference fit , such as by including a texture on the outer surface thereof . in an example , cable 16 can have an outer jacket made of a fabric , such as woven nylon or other fiber or fiber blend . in another example , cable 16 can be of a molded polymer , such as tpe or the like , with a ribbed or knurled texture applied thereto . the above - described interference fit between cable 16 and aperture 42 can help retain the section 48 of cable 16 to be retained within channel 28 , if so desired by a wearer of headphone 20 . further , because section 48 is sildably received through aperture 42 , cable 16 can slide relative thereto , allowing section 48 to be extended from out of channel 28 in a loop 48 ′ thereof , as shown in fig6 . the interference fit between cable 16 and aperture 42 can provide a friction force therebetween sufficient to temporarily maintain the presence of loop 48 ′ under application of forces below a predetermined general threshold level . this can allow the wearer of headphone 20 to selectively adjust the size of loop 48 ′ by pulling on cable 16 on either side of bridge 40 to either pull more cable 16 into loop 48 ′ or to pull portions of cable 16 out of loop 48 ′, which can be continued until loop 48 ′ is fully pulled into channel in the form of cable 16 length 48 in fig4 . a bead 46 ( fig3 ) can be attached along a location of cable 16 to prevent more than a predetermined length of cable 16 from being drawn into loop 48 . in an example , body can be configured such that areas outside of channel 28 have an external diameter of between about 12 and 25 mm , and in one example between about and 16 mm , channel 28 can have a depth of between approximately 1 mm and 5 mm and in an example about 3 mm such that it has an diameter at the innermost point thereof of between 12 and 13 mm (+/− 10 %), for example . further , cable 16 can have a diameter of between about 1 . 5 mm and 2 mm , for example (+/− 10 %). in such an example , bead 46 can be positioned along cable 16 at a distance of approximately 30 mm to 35 mm from location 44 . in such an example , loop 48 ′ can be extended from out of channel 28 such that it has an internal dimension 49 between an apex thereof an opposite surface of body 26 such that dimension 49 is between about 12 and 15 mm and in an example about 14 mm . the selective expansion of length 48 of cable 16 into a loop 48 ′ of varying sizes ( and the corresponding contraction of a loop 48 ′ to a retracted length 48 of cable 16 ) can provide users of headphone 20 with a selectively adjustable fit of headphone 20 within the wearer &# 39 ; s ear . as shown in fig7 , headphone 20 can be received within the ear 2 in the orientation thereof discussed above , such as with projection 32 of earpiece 24 partially inside and forward - facing within the external auditory meatus 4 of the ear and with earpiece 24 nested between the tragus 5 and the antitragus 8 . in such a configuration , the sizing and positioning of headphone 20 , along with the possible use of compliant materials for earpiece 24 can generally maintain headphone 20 in the desired positioning within the ear 2 . however , some users may desire additional security in the fit and positioning of headphone 20 , as can be dictated by personal preference or the particular anatomy of the wearer &# 39 ; s ear . accordingly , loop 48 ′ can be extended and sized , as described above , to provide a structure to engage with additional portions of the ear 2 to provide additional security of fit and / or improved retention of headphone 20 within ear 2 . as shown , with headphone 20 positioned in the ear 2 , as discussed above , cable 16 can extend from location 44 , which can be positioned such that loop 48 ′ extends rearward , or opposite the direction of tragus 5 . loop 48 can then bend downward and return to a forward - extending direction to pass through aperture 42 and to extend through the notch 7 between the tragus 5 and antitragus 8 . such positioning of cable 16 as it exits aperture 42 can provide a comfortable fit with minimal interference with the structures of ear 2 ( and can be the same when loop 48 ′ is retracted to section 48 of cable 16 within channel 28 ). loop 48 ′ in this manner can be configured to extend toward and contact the ear 2 along and within the cavum 6 of the ear . the flexibility of cable 16 , including within loop 48 ′ can provide a compliant , spring - like fit within the cavum 6 such that cable flexes to follow a portion of the shape of the wearer &# 39 ; s cavum 6 . this force can urge earpiece 24 in a forward direction , which can help maintain projection 32 within the external auditory meatus 4 , which can further help maintain headphone 20 within the ear 2 , as the tragus 5 can overlie the projection 32 in such a manner . by taking up additional space within the ear 2 and providing additional points of contact and a spring force to help maintain such contact , the fit and retention of headphone 20 within ear 2 can be augmented . the above - described adjustment of the size of loop 48 ′ can be done to both bring loop 48 ′ into contact with the cavum 6 , depending on the anatomy of the wearer &# 39 ; s ear . such adjustment can further be done to allow the user to adjust the amount of pressure that the cable 16 within loop 48 ′ exerts on the cavum 6 . cable 16 can be configured to be of the same construction along the entire length thereof ( such as within the portions thereof in comprising loop 48 ′ and portions of the opposite side of bead 46 thereof ). the overall cable characteristics , therefore , can be selected to give loop 48 ′ a desired spring force , and to allow cable 16 to be wound for storage of headphone assembly 10 and to provide a comfortable and aesthetically - pleasing drape or the like . as described herein , the channel 28 in the body 26 of headphone 20 is configured such that various portions of cable 16 can extend therein in positions that are recessed with respect to body 26 . such portions can include the portion of cable 16 adjacent location 44 and both exiting and entering aperture 42 beneath bridge portion 40 . additionally , channel 28 can receive all of the section 48 between location 44 and bridge 40 , when positioned therein . this can be done when the anatomy of a user &# 39 ; s ear 2 is such that loop 48 ′ is not needed to achieve a proper fit , for example , or in instances where a loop 48 ′ is otherwise not desired . accordingly , channel 28 can be configured to extend at least from adjacent location 44 with enough clearance for cable 16 to extend from housing 24 to the area at bridge 40 where it is partially interrupted by aperture 42 . channel 28 can further extend on the opposite side of bridge 40 to allow cable 16 to exit aperture 42 without interference and in the positioning describe above . as in the example shown , however , it may be desired to configure channel 28 to extend generally completely around the periphery of body 26 ( except where interrupted by bridge 40 ). this can be done for aesthetic purposes , such as for visual continuity . further channel 28 can be positioned along a portion thereof such that the tragus 5 can be partially received therein . this can further improve the fit and retention of headphone 20 and / or can prevent body 26 from uncomfortably interfering with the tragus 5 . a cap 30 can be attached with body 26 opposite earpiece 24 . cap 30 can define an outer surface 31 opposite earpiece 24 that can generally follow the circular profile of body 26 . as shown in fig8 , cap 30 can be removably attached with body ( such as through a ¼ turn bayonet attachment or the like ). such a removable attachment can allow for cap 30 to be removed for access to the internal structure of headphone 20 and / or to allow the user to replace cap 30 with another cap 30 having a different visual appearance . in an example , a number of different caps 30 can be provided or otherwise available to a wearer in a commercial setting . such caps 30 can be of different colors , materials , or surface textures . still further , such caps can have different logos or other graphic features thereon , which in some settings , can be customizable . as further shown in fig8 , body 26 can include an interior wall 55 therein that can be positioned between a portion of the interior on the side of earpiece 24 and another portion of the interior of body 26 on the side of cap 52 . the portion of interior of body 26 on the side of cap 30 can include various acoustic structures of headphone 20 . as shown , an insert 57 can be provided within body 26 and inside of cap 30 so as to contact a portion of wall 55 . insert 57 and wall 55 can be configured to define a reflex tube 56 between portions thereof . as shown in fig8 , a portion 56 a of reflex tube is defined as a spiral channel in wall 25 . as further shown in fig9 , the other portion of reflex tube 56 is defined as a mating spiral channel in insert 57 . when insert 57 is positioned against wall 25 , portion 56 a and portion 56 b match to define a spiral , tubular structure for reflex tube 56 . such a structure can be configured to extend through a distance of at least 20 mm , and in an example approximately 25 mm , and can have a diameter of between 1 mm and 3 mm , for example (+/− 10 %). reflex tube 56 , configured as shown can provide a resonance chamber for lower , or bass , frequencies produced by the sound source within body 26 , which can improve the responsiveness of headphones to low frequencies , thereby enhancing the sound quality of headphones . by configuring reflex tube 56 as a outwardly - radiating spiral that lies along a single plane ( defined by the intersection between wall 55 and the mating face of insert 57 , for example ), a desirably - configured resonance chamber can be provided within a compact form suitable for headphones 20 as shown herein . cap 30 can further include a vent port 54 therein to provide for movement of air in and out of the interior space of body 26 on the cap side of wall 55 . the presence of vent port 54 can provide for movement of air in and out of housing 26 and , in particular ingress and egress of air through reflex tube 56 . this can prevent pressure from within housing 26 from preventing free movement of air within reflex tube 56 . as in the examples shown in the figures , vent port 54 can be configured as a stylized logo to provide source - identifying characteristics . this allows for both product branding and for device functionality , as described above , without the addition of further features , as products such as headphones often already have some branding identification in such a location . the stylized vent port 54 can extend through cap 30 and can have an area tuned to provide the desired pressure gradient therethrough . in an example vent port 54 can have an area of between about 0 . 08 cm 2 and 0 . 1 cm 2 , and in one example about 0 . 09 cm 2 . the desired area can also take into account additional features or structures underlying cap 30 . in the example shown in fig8 , a mesh disk 58 and a foam insert 59 underlie cap and prevent dust or other debris from entering housing 26 through vent port 54 . such features may slow movement of air through vent port 54 , and accordingly , may require a larger overall area for vent port 54 . headphone assembly 10 can , in an example , be specially adapted for use thereof with certain head mountable devices (“ hmds ”, or “ hmd ” in the singular ). an example of one such hmd 72 is shown in fig1 , and is a computing device configured to be wearable on the head of the user . as shown , the hmd 72 may include a band 82 that defines side - arms 73 , a center frame support 74 , and a nosepiece 75 . in the example shown in fig1 , the center frame support 174 connects between the side - arms 173 . in other examples , hmd 72 can include lenses in a structure similar to that shown in co - pending , commonly assigned u . s . patent application ser . no . 13 / 435 , 944 , the entire disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein . such lenses can be , for example , corrective lenses that can be transparent , can be tinted , or can otherwise include sun protection such that hmd 72 can provide corrective lenses and selective sun protection . in such an hmd 72 , an end of one of the side arms 73 can be enlarged in the form of an auxiliary housing 77 that can house circuitry and / or a power supply ( e . g ., removable or rechargeable battery ) for hmd 72 . in an example , auxiliary housing 77 can be configured and positioned to provide a balancing weight to that of component housing 76 . the components within auxiliary housing 77 , such as a battery or various control circuitry can be arranged to contribute to a desired weight distribution for hmd 72 . side arms 73 can be configured to contact the head of the user along respective temples or in the area of respective ears of the user . further , band 82 can be configured to resiliently deform through a sufficient range and under an appropriate amount of force to provide a secure fit on user &# 39 ; s heads of various sizes . to accomplish this band can be structured to elastically deform ( or resiliently deform ) such that the distance between the ends of side arms increases under force . in an example , band 82 can be configured such that it conforms to fit on a user &# 39 ; s head by flexing laterally of center frame support 74 , and further such that center frame support 74 does not substantially deform during such flexing . in general , the nature of the construction and materials of band 82 can be such that the band 82 can maintain the desired shape thereof while allowing flexibility so that band 82 can expand to fit on a user &# 39 ; s head while applying a comfortable pressure thereto to help retain band 82 on the user &# 39 ; s head . band 82 can , accordingly , be elastically deformable up to a sufficiently high threshold that the shape of band 82 will not be permanently deformed simply by being worn by a user with a large head . as discussed above , center frame support 74 includes nosepiece 75 configured to rest on the nose of a wearer with the center frame support 74 providing a central support for side arms 73 , which can extend unitarily therefrom , or can at least appear to extend unitarily therefrom , with an area of transition between the center frame support 74 and the side arms 73 including a bend or curve therebetween . the arrangement and configuration of nosepiece 75 is such that hmd 72 can be worn on a user &# 39 ; s head with nosepiece 75 resting on the user &# 39 ; s nose with side arms 73 extending over respective temples of the user and over adjacent ears . the hmd 72 can be configured , such as by adjustment of nosepiece 75 or display 80 to ensure the display 80 is appropriately positioned in view of one of the user &# 39 ; s eyes . as discussed above , in one position , hmd 72 can be positioned on the user &# 39 ; s head with nosepiece 75 adjusted to position display 80 in a location within the user &# 39 ; s field of view , but such that the user must direct her eyes upward to fully view the image on the display . the hmd 72 may include a component housing 76 , which may include an on - board computing system ( not shown ), an image capture device 78 , and a button 79 for operating the image capture device 78 ( and / or usable for other purposes ). component housing 76 may also include other electrical components and / or may be electrically connected to electrical components at other locations within or on the hmd . additionally , component housing 76 can include additional input structures , such as additional buttons ( not shown ) that can provide additional functionality for hmd 72 , including implementing a lock or sleep feature or allowing a user to toggle the power for hmd 72 between on and off states . component housing 76 can also include one or more connection ports or outlets to allow external components to connect with hmd 72 . in an example , an audio jack and / or a usb port ( a , b , or mini sized in various examples ). that can provide power , data , and / or audio connections for appropriately - configured external devices to connect with hmd 72 in various ways to add functionality or the like to hmd 72 the hmd 72 may include a single display 80 , which may be coupled to one of the side - arms 73 via the component housing 76 . in an example embodiment , the display 80 may be a see - through display , which is made of glass and / or another transparent or translucent material , such that the wearer can see their environment through the display 80 . further , the component housing 76 may include the light sources ( not shown ) for the display 80 and / or optical elements ( not shown ) to direct light from the light sources to the display 80 . as such , display 80 may include optical features that direct light that is generated by such light sources towards the wearer &# 39 ; s eye , when hmd 72 is being worn . as discussed above , hmd 72 can include an outlet or other connection port on , for example , a surface of component housing 76 . such a connection port can be of the same type as or can have a mating configuration to the connection component 14 of headphone assembly 10 . the connection port of hmd 72 can be included on , for example , the lower surface of component housing 76 , which is positionable along , for example , the right side of the user &# 39 ; s head . the port in hmd 72 can be configured to transmit an audio signal therethrough to only a compatible device , and headphone assembly 10 can be configured as such a compatible device . accordingly , in an example of headphone assembly 10 that is intended to be used with hmd 72 or a similar device , the cables 16 and 18 can be specifically adapted to take into account the location of connection between headphone assembly 10 ( i . e ., through connection component 14 of plug housing 12 ) to hmd , which is made along the lower surface of component housing 76 . in such a configuration , cable 16 that connects between plug housing 12 and right headphone 20 can be of a relatively short length because the distance between plug housing 12 when attached with component housing 76 is also relatively short ( i . e . less than 100 mm ). in an example cable 16 can be between about 70 mm and 100 mm . such a relatively short configuration can minimize excess cable when headphone 20 is worn in the ear adjacent component housing 76 ( in the general position of headphone 20 shown in fig1 . cable 18 can be relatively longer than cable 16 . in an example , however , cable 16 can still be relatively shorter than what can be considered a typical length for headphone cable ( which can be , for example , between 1 and 1 . 5 m from headphone to connection component ). the length of cable 18 can take into account the fact that the audio source is positioned on the user &# 39 ; s head ( instead of , for example , the user &# 39 ; s pocket ). accordingly , the length of cable 18 can be configured to comfortably extend around the user &# 39 ; s head from the connection location of the plug housing 12 ( i . e . along component housing 76 ) to the location of the left ear ( or the right ear in the case of an hmd and corresponding headphone assembly that are mirror images of those shown in fig1 ). in an example , cable 18 can be configured to be worn around the back of the user &# 39 ; s head and / or neck , which can also be of an acceptable length to war toward the front of the user &# 39 ; s neck ( i . e . beneath the chin ). such a length can , for example , be between 200 and 300 mm . in another example shown in fig1 , a headphone assembly 110 can include a plug housing 112 with a connection component 114 thereon that can be similarly configured to the various examples discussed above with respect to connection component 14 . a single cable 116 can extend from plug housing 112 to a single headphone 120 that can also be similar in construction , fit , materials , and the like as discussed above with respect to headphone 20 ( and the corresponding components and features thereof ). for example , headphone 120 can include a channel 128 within body 126 thereof . a bridge 140 can similarly capture cable 116 therein such that it can slide through a similarly configured aperture 142 therein such that a loop ( not shown ) similar to loop 48 ′ can be implemented and adjusted , as described above . headphone assembly 110 can be similar in all general respects to headphone assembly 10 , as described above , except that only a single headphone 120 is included therein . in the example shown , the single headphone 120 is configured ( according to the configuration discussed above ) to be a right headphone 120 such that headphone 120 can fit within the right ear and adjacent component housing 176 of hmd 172 , as shown in fig1 . cable 116 can be similarly relatively short in the manner of cable 16 , as discussed with respect to fig1 , above , and can in an example be between 7 and 20 mm . in another similar example , the single headphone can be configured as a left headphone and can be adapted to be used with an hmd that is generally a mirror image of the hmd 172 of fig1 . in the example of headphone assembly 10 , discussed above , the separate headphones 20 and 22 were described as being configured to present the respective left and right audio channels included in a stereo audio signal . however , in the example of fig1 and 12 , wherein a single headphone is included , headphone assembly 110 can be configured to transmit a monaural signal to headphone 120 . such a monaural signal can be a native monaural signal , or can be combined or otherwise calculated or inferred from a two channel stereo signal . such combining can be done by circuitry within headphone assembly 110 ( such as within plug housing 112 ) or within hmd 172 ( or other device with which assembly 110 is used ). in an example hmd 172 can be configured to identify that a headphone assembly is being used therewith and can further identify that the headphone assembly 110 includes only a single headphone 120 . in such a situation , the hmd 172 can transmit a monaural signal to headphone assembly 110 . by way of example only , the headphone assembly 110 may include a mechanism to be automatically detected by the hmd 72 . for example , a resistor of varying value may be employed . in this case , when circuitry of hmd 72 detects the presence of the headphone assembly 110 , based on the resistor value , hmd 72 determines whether it is a mono headphone assembly or a stereo headphone assembly and transmit monaural or stereo signals accordingly . although the description herein has been made with reference to particular embodiments , it is to be understood that these embodiments are merely illustrative of the principles and applications of the present disclosure . 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 disclosure as defined by the appended claims .	7
referring now in more detail to the drawings , in which like numerals refer to like parts throughout the several views , fig1 and fig3 show a capacitive type sensor 10 according to the prior art as disclosed by johnson in u . s . pat . no . 5 , 469 , 145 . referring first to fig1 the capacitive sensor 10 is shown in section to be comprised of a housing 12 in which space is provided for circuit components 14 , not shown in detail . the housing 12 is generally round and contains a space 15 for an audible alarm , such as a speaker or buzzer , not shown . affixed to the outside of the housing 12 and positioned in facing contact with garment 20 is a first conductive plate 16 and a second conductive plate 17 . referring additionally to fig3 interleaved plates 16 and 17 , separated by a dielectric ( air ), form a capacitor , which is mounted upon a common , non - conductive substrate 18 . the exposed capacitive sensor 10 is held with its conductive fingers 16 and 17 in facing contact with garment 19 by means of an adhesive patch , not shown . in contrast to the prior art capacitive type wetness sensor 10 , fig2 and 4 depict the completely encased , capacitive type sensor 20 of the present invention . referring first to fig2 capacitive sensor 20 is shown in section to be comprised of a housing 22 in which space is provided for circuit components 24 , not shown in detail . the housing 22 is generally rectangular but could be made round or any other shape that would accommodate the necessary internal circuitry 24 , as well . the internal circuitry 24 , as more specifically detailed in fig9 below , is mounted upon one side of p . c . board 32 . on the opposite side and affixed to p . c . board 32 are located a first conductive plate 26 and a second conductive plate 28 . conductive plates 26 and 28 are preferably formed from the conductive foil which comprises one side of p . c . board 32 , but could alternately be formed from other conductive plates which may be adhered to or otherwise affixed to one side of the p . c . board . it is also envisioned that the two conductive plates 26 and 28 may ultimately be replaced by a one piece capacitive sensor which may be electrically coupled to the remaining sensor circuitry . as can be seen from fig2 the capacitive sensor 20 is totally contained within housing 22 , thus protecting it from becoming soiled and coming into contact with the fingers or skin of the wearer which could cause false triggering . referring additionally now to fig4 non - interleaved plates 26 and 28 , separated by a dielectric ( air ), form a capacitor c2 for use in the capacitive sensing circuit 68 detailed in fig9 below . the substantially solid plate design of the present invention , as opposed to the interleaved fingers shown in the prior art in fig3 has been shown to provide a much more sensitive capacitive arrangement with a much greater dynamic range and which requires no additional amplification in order to function as a capacitive sensor c2 as depicted in fig9 below . for example , the increase in capacitance is roughly around 50 %, e . g ., the range for the interleaved sensor the capacitance is around 36 picofarad dry ( pf ) and 53pf wet . this represents a dynamic range of about 47 %. in contrast , with the capacitive design of the present invention the range of capacitance between dry and wet is typically from around 0 . 2 pf dry to around 6 pf wet , i . e ., representing around 2900 % dynamic range . the wetness sensor 20 is secured in facing contact with garment 19 by means of an adhesive pouch , not shown . alternately , sensor 20 may be attached to garment 19 by using clips , adhesive patches , pre - formed pockets in the garment or other means designed to keep the sensor in close proximity to an area of the garment which is to be monitored for wetness . before discussing the specific circuitry employed by the wetness sensor 20 of the present invention , it may be helpful to contrast the operation of the more common parallel plate capacitor with the co - planar capacitor employed in the present invention and how two electrodes , as at 26 and 28 in fig2 may be effective for non - contact detection of wetness . referring to fig5 it can be seen that the basic structure of a parallel plate capacitor 40 consists of two plates 41 , 43 fixed in parallel to one another separated by a dielectric 42 . the value of capacitance depends upon the geometry of the plates 41 , 43 of the capacitor as well as the dielectric value of the insulator 42 between them . assuming that the electrodes are of the same size , the value of capacitance ( c ) of a parallel plate capacitor , as depicted in fig5 can be generally determined by the formula : ε r = relative permittivity ( dielectric constant ) with respect to air c f = capacitance caused by the fringing effect of the electric field between the two electrodes . the value of c f is usually very small and can be ignored . in practice , the value of ε o in free space is essentially the same as that for a gas ( e . g ., for air , ε o = 1 . 000536 ). the majority of liquid and solid dielectric materials have dielectric constants ( ε r ) extending from approximately 2 to 10 , e . g . plastic is about 2 . 5 . however some liquids have much higher values , such as alcohol ( ε r = 24 ), distilled water ( ε r = 80 ) and salt water ( ε r & lt ; 80 ). referring now to fig6 the general geometry of a capacitor 44 having co - planar electrodes 45 , 46 is there depicted . with respect to the present invention , electrodes 45 , 46 correspond with electrodes 26 , 28 shown in fig2 mounted upon a printed circuit board 25 . the electrodes are separated by an insulator ( air ) 48 . the capacitive value of the co - planar capacitor ( c total ), which corresponds to the value of capacitor c2 in fig9 can be determined using the following formula : c static depends upon : the distance ( d ) between the two electrodes 45 , 46 ; the length ( l ) of the electrodes ;, the thickness ( h ) of the electrodes ; the dielectric constant ( ε r ) of the insulator between the electrodes ; the fringing effect ( c f ); and the stray capacitance ( c stray ). therefore , c static may be determined by the following formula : ε r = relative permittivity ( dielectric constant ) with respect to air c f = capacitance caused by the fringing effect of the electric field between the two electrodes . the value of c f is usually very small and can be ignored . the capacitive value for c dynamic is the actual sensing component of formula ( 2 ) which depends upon the following variables : the dielectric of the sensed media in proximity to the electrodes ( ε rm ); the distance of the sensed media to the electrodes ( y ); the area of the electrode adjacent to the sensed media ( l * x ); and the dielectric constant value of the insulator between the electrodes and the sensed media ( ε rp ). referring additionally to fig7 the c dynamic has two components c r and c d , and may be determined by the following formula : where c d = the capacitance caused by the dielectric constant of the media ( ε rm ) and c r is the capacitance caused by the conductivity of the media . the value of c r may be determined by the following formula : ignoring the small fringing effect capacitance ( c f ), equation ( 2 ) may be rewritten as follows : by design , the effect of the first two terms of equation ( 6 ), ( ε o ε r ( x * h )/ d + c stray ) can be reduced , thus increasing the effect of the last two terms , ( c d + ε o ε rp ( x * l )/ 2y ). an experiment was conducted to confirm the validity of equation ( 6 ). two coplanar electrodes were etched on a printed circuit board in much the same fashion as 25 depicted in fig4 each of the electrodes having the following characteristics : the etched , co - planar capacitive sensor 25 was then connected to an oscillating voltage of 3vdc at 12 khz in a circuit such that the output voltage could be monitored . a plastic container , similar to that depicted at 50 in fig6 having a wall thickness of 0 . 015 in , was placed in proximity to the etched sensor 25 and alternately filled with various liquid materials . the circuit output voltage was recorded for each of the various liquids which were placed in proximity to the sensor . these values are shown in table 1 . table 1______________________________________ change withmedia v . sub . out ( mv ) respect to air ( mv ) ______________________________________air ( empty ) 320 0alcohol 540 220water ( h . sub . 2 o ) 836 516salt water 1230 910mercury ( hg ) 1320 1000______________________________________ the measured values for v out as recorded in table 1 may be explained by referring back to fig7 . mercury ( hg ) is a very good conductor , so essentially resistance r = 0 , and capacitance c d = 0 and would thus drop out of the equivalent circuit shown , leaving only c r1 and capacitances c r2 and c static . therefore the mercury set as the third plate to make the two capacitors in series with the dielectric of the container 50 . the measured output of the sensor 25 with mercury in the container 50 was approximately 1320 mvdc . with respect to water ( h 2 o )), while initially it is pure , it contaminates quickly . under ideal conditions , the equivalent circuit for water would be that capacitances c r1 and c r2 and resistance r would drop out of the circuit shown in fig7 thus leaving c d in parallel with c static . the measured output of the sensor 25 with water in the container 50 was approximately 836 mvdc . next , salt ( nacl ) was added to the water . with the salt added , the voltage output raised from 836 to 1230 mvdc . while the dielectric of the salt water decreased the output voltage of the circuit increased . this is due to a corresponding decrease in the resistivity of the water . fig7 shows the equivalent circuit . the percentage increase can be shown by the following formula : alcohol was also tested because it has a lower dielectric constant than water and because it is not conductive . referring to fig7 the equivalent circuit for alcohol would be the capacitances c r1 and c r2 with resistance r dropping out of the circuit , thus leaving capacitance c d in parallel with c static . pure water produced an output voltage of 836 mvdc . alcohol produced a voltage of 540 mvdc . subtracting the vout empty from each of these results yields the following outputs attributable to the liquids alone : vout alcohol = 220 mvdc and vout water = 516 mvdc . the ratio of outputs of water to alcohol is 516 / 220 = 2 . 4 . the corresponding relationship between their respective dielectric constants is 80 / 24 = 3 . 33 . these two ratios approximate one another . analysis of table 1 is shown to be attributable to the conductivity of the materials and not just their respective dielectric constants . in the application of the co - planar sensor 25 in the detection of wetness within a garment 19 , the following tests were conducted . referring to fig2 copper electrodes 26 , 28 were etched onto a printed circuit ( p . c .) board 32 of a composite , fiber - reinforced type . a ground line 30 is also etched onto the p . c . board 32 to minimize the capacitance of c static . the p . c . board was 0 . 062 in thick and had a dielectric constant of 3 . 4 . the p . c . board 32 was fitted with electronic components generally at 24 . the populated circuit board 32 and sensor 25 were then mounted within a housing 22 . the housing 22 was made of plastic having a thickness of 0 . 020 &# 34 ; and had a dielectric constant ( ε rp ) of 2 . 5 . the housing 22 was then placed against a plastic , disposable diaper , shown generally at 19 . the plastic diaper cover was measured to be 0 . 003 in and had a dielectric constant ( ε rd ) of 1 . 5 . all dielectric constants were determined experimentally . the electrical model for the above wetness detector 20 being placed in contact with a disposable diaper 19 is depicted in fig8 . capacitance c d is the capacitance caused by the dielectric constant of urine ( ε r & lt ; 80 ). c p1 and c p2 are the capacitances created by the housing 22 in the presence of urine in the garment 19 according to the following formula : where ε rp = 2 . 5 and the thickness of the housing is 0 . 020 in . capacitance c d1 and c d2 are the capacitances caused by the garment 19 in the presence of urine according to the formula : where ε rd = 1 . 5 and the thickness of the plastic cover of the diaper is 0 . 003 in . for urine , the value of resistance r is assumed to be 0 since urine is a very good conductor the capacitance c r is the value of c p in series with c d for each of the two electrodes . in the above described test the value of capacitance c r can be computed as follows : from the test using pure water and salt water , it was shown that there was a 47 % increase in the voltage output . therefore , capacitance c d is equal to approximately 17 . 9 pf . the value of capacitance c static is the inherent capacitance of the circuitry , which can be nullified by zeroing circuitry , discussed below . from these calculations , it can be seen that the dynamic range of the sensor can be increased by increasing the value of ε rp . referring now to fig9 the electronic circuit for the capacitive wetness sensor 20 is shown generally at 60 . functionally identifiable circuit components are shown there using dashed lines . the first circuit component is oscillator 64 which , in the preferred embodiment , has been designed for a frequency output of around 12 khz . there it can be seen that the circuit is powered by vcc , which in the preferred embodiment is an on - board 3 volt battery . the circuit has also been designed for very low power consumption because it is desirable that the battery operated capacitive sensor 60 function a long time between battery changes . comparator u1a , available commercially as part number lmc6762 , is a cmos comparator which consumes about 10 μa per op amp . the oscillator basically oscillates at a frequency determined by the values of resistor r1 and capacitor c1 connected between the output pin and the &# 34 ;-&# 34 ; pin of u1a according to the formula 1 / 1 . 4 ( r1 )( c1 ). resistors r2 , r3 and r4 connected to the &# 34 ;+&# 34 ; pin of u1a , are provided to set a bias for op amp u1a . the connection of r2 between the &# 34 ;+&# 34 ; input and the output pin of u1a , test point f , provides the feedback loop which causes u1a to oscillate , providing a pulsed , 3vdc output . the circuit design takes into account the slew rate , or rise time , of pulsed output from u1a , which is rated at a nominal 300 ns . the values for r2 , r3 and r4 are chosen to be high in order to keep the current consumption low , thereby conserving power . referring additionally to fig1 , the pulsed output waveform from oscillator circuit 64 at test point f is shown . looking once again to fig9 the output of oscillator circuit 64 is shown to be connected to capacitive sensor circuit 68 . the sensor circuit 68 is comprised of capacitor c2 , ( shown at 25 in fig4 ), coupled to resistor r6 and r5 . this combination of components forms a differentiator , the wave form of which is shown graphically as fig1 . resistor r5 determines the time constant because resistor r6 is very small compared to resistor r5 . resistor r6 is provided to protect the &# 34 ;+&# 34 ; input of op amp u1b . referring additionally to fig4 the capacitive sensor 25 is basically comprised of two electrodes , nominally 0 . 5 in × 1 . 5 in , set together in the same plane separated by a space , nominally 0 . 075 in . the sensitivity of the capacitive sensor 25 is not a function of the distance between electrodes 26 , 28 , however the gap between electrodes is kept small to conserve on space . the electrodes 26 , 28 of the capacitor may be comprised of copper foil on one side of a printed circuit board 32 upon which the sensor circuit 60 components are mounted . alternately , the electrodes could be fabricated from other conductive materials and mounted to a common substrate , such as at 32 . as shown in fig4 a ground line 30 is provided between the two electrodes 26 , 28 of capacitor c2 which provides a common circuit ground without encroaching upon the surface area of the electrodes . to conserve on space , sensor circuit 60 utilizes mostly surface - mount components . alternately , a custom made integrated circuit could be fabricated to replace the sensor circuit 60 components . the central ground line 30 also eliminates some effect of the initial value of the capacitance affects associated with the edges of the two electrodes 26 , 28 . the input to capacitor c2 is a 3 . 0v peak square wave pulses at 12 khz . referring to fig1 , the output waveforms of the sensor circuit 68 , at test point d , when dry , such as at time t 0 through t 1 , are both positive and negative going voltage spikes of around 100 mv . when wet , such as at time t 1 through t 3 , the peak amplitude of the signal will increase to around 3 - 4 times greater than as when dry , to around 400 mv , depending upon the value of resistor r5 . r5 is of critical value since it cannot be made too high a value because of noise . on the other hand , it needs to be a value which will produce a voltage of sufficient amplitude to trigger the next section of sensor circuit 60 , the peak detector circuit 72 . the output of sensor circuit 60 is provided to the input of peak detector / bridge circuit 72 at the &# 34 ;+&# 34 ; pin of op amp u1b . related to peak detector circuit 72 is zeroing circuit 74 which is comprised of capacitor c3 and c6 . this circuit is connected to the negative input of u1b for zeroing the initial value of the voltage at test point p . the voltage value at test point p is a vdc value which corresponds to reference voltage values of representing a &# 34 ; dry &# 34 ; condition and a &# 34 ; wet &# 34 ; condition . for a corresponding waveform of the voltages at test point p , reference may be had to fig1 . initially , the d . c . voltage level at test point p is ideally close to 0vdc . this voltage level is somewhat variable by adjustment of capacitor c3 . the effect of adjusting c3 in combination with fixed capacitor c6 is to eliminate much of the stray circuit capacitance caused by the presence of components on the opposite side of p . c . board 32 from the foil electrodes 26 , 28 of the sensor capacitor c2 25 . the combined capacitance of capacitors c3 and c6 is the zeroing capacitance provided to resistors r7 and r8 . resistors r8 and r5 are of the same value and resistors r6 and r7 are provided as equal values in order to balance the peak detector / bridge of op amp u1b in such a way as it is always constant . the only change in the balance of the bridge is between the wetness and dryness states . the voltage waveform of the circuit at test point r is shown in fig1 . the peak d . c . voltage out of the peak circuitry 72 , at test point p , is basically the d . c . voltage corresponding to an initial value of about 25 mv by finely adjusting capacitor c3 . when the circuit has been adjusted to produce a 25 mv initial output to represent a &# 34 ; dry &# 34 ; condition , the peak value output of the original 400 mvdc pulses is affected to be 200 mvdc in the presence of a &# 34 ; wet &# 34 ; condition . this represents an eight - fold ( 0 . 025 : 0 . 200 ) voltage shift between a dry and wet states . while this peak detection and zeroing is the expense of cutting down the peak voltage level from 400 mvdc to 200 mvdc , there is a significant increase in the dynamic range between wet and dry conditions -- from 4 : 1 to 8 : 1 . still referring to fig9 diode d1 is a forward biased standard peak detection diode which operates only when the output from u1b is positive . resistor r9 is provided to prevent the overshoot of the peak detector circuit 72 . an important aspect of the peak detector circuit 72 is capacitor network formed by parallel capacitors c5 and c10 . the network formed by capacitor c5 and resistor r16 is provided to perform peak detection . capacitor c5 stores the peak voltage value that was detected and is large enough to provide a large enough time constant , in combination with resistor r16 , to prevent false triggering of the circuit should wetness sensor 20 loose contact with the surface of the garment 19 to which it is attached . in one embodiment of the invention the rc time constant is nominally set to around 44 seconds (( c5 + c10 )× r16 = 20 μf × 2 . 2 mω = 44 secs .). the amount of time that the voltage is stored is an important factor in the present invention in order to minimize the number of false dryness indications that might occur during temporary shifts of the wearer of a wet garment 19 with respect to wetness sensor 20 . in contrast , if the rc time constant were designed to be short and the wearer of the garment 19 were to play with wetness sensor 20 , i . e ., move it up and down , this could result in a multi - triggering of the transmitter circuit 78 , discussed infra . for example , referring to fig1 , time t 3 represents the moment at which wetness sensor 25 is temporarily removed from the surface of garment 19 . the dashed line beginning at time t 3 represents the discharge of an rc network having a short delay . in this respect the faster discharging circuit will arrive at v low sooner than a slower discharging rc network , as incorporated into the preferred embodiment by resistor r16 and capacitor c5 . as can be seen from fig1 , the output of the peak detector , at test point p , is a solid d . c . voltage . the zeroed and peak detected voltage at test point p is , in turn , provided to comparator / hysteresis circuit 76 . the comparator / hysteresis circuit 76 is centered around comparator u2a , such as may be provided commercially as a model lmc6762 . resistor r12 is connected between the output of the comparator u2a and the positive input to provide positive feedback to u2a . the v ref is a dynamic voltage value corresponding to v low or v high which is dependent upon the output of comparator u2a . capacitor c4 is provided between the positive input to u2a and ground in order to filter out some of the a . c . noise in the circuit . the peak voltage value , from test point p , derived from the previous circuit section is fed into the negative input of comparator u2a . the value of the peak voltage is compared to the value of the v ref d . c . voltage provided by network of resistors r10 , r11 , r12 and r13 . in a dry , steady state condition the output of op amp u2a , at test point h , is high . the waveform for test point h is depicted in fig1 . the voltage values of the &# 34 ; wet &# 34 ; and &# 34 ; dry &# 34 ; triggering points in the circuit are designated v high and v low . v high may be computed as follows : v high = r s /( r s + r p )× v cc , where r s = the series resistance of resistors r11 and r13 , and r p = the parallel resistance of resistors r10 and r12 . v low = r p ( r p + r10 )× v cc , where rp = the parallel resistance of r s and r12 . the value of r13 is about 3 kω and resistor ri i in one embodiment of the invention is set to around 16 kω . therefore , when the output of comparator u2a is high , the triggering point for the circuit is accordingly , v ref = v high = 104 mvdc . in operation , when the capacitive sensor 25 senses wetness , the comparator / hysteresis circuit 76 will respond in the following fashion . resistors r10 and r13 and r11 are fixed at their respective values . however , resistor r12 , normally at 3 vdc and in parallel with resistor r10 during the &# 34 ; dry &# 34 ; state , will go to ground . when resistor r12 runs to ground , it becomes in parallel with resistors r11 and r13 , and v ref now becomes v low = 52 mvdc . referring to fig1 , the comparator / hysteresis circuit 76 performs in the following fashion : the voltage output of comparator u2a is high ( from times t 0 through t 2 ) until voltage at test point p , i . e ., the output of the peak detector 72 reaches 104 mvdc ( at t 2 ), at which time the voltage out of comparator u2a goes to 0vdc ( when resistor r12 goes to ground ). once triggered , the output of u2a will continue to be 0vdc regardless of how much more wetness the detector senses , as shown in the fig1 from times t 2 through t 4 . once the wetness condition is removed , as at time t4 , the output of the comparator / hysteresis circuit 76 returns to its high state . the voltage zone between v high ( 104 mvdc ) and v low ( 52 mvdc ) is referred to as the hysteresis zone , wherein the state of the output of comparator u2a will not change from one to the other . when the wetness decreases , due to the source of the wetness being removed from the area of the sensor , such as at time t 3 , then the output of the peak detector will decrease . causes of decreased wetness sensing can include the removal of the wet garment 19 , diffusion of the liquid in the garment by absorption , evaporation , etc . or removal of the wetness sensor 25 from the surface of the garment . it is undesirable that small fluctuations in wetness would change the &# 34 ; wetness &# 34 ; state output from the u2a . otherwise , a wet garment 19 could go unattended or a monitoring receiver , as at 62 in fig1 , could see multiple triggers for a single incident . it is for this reason that the hysteresis designed into the comparator / hysteresis circuit 76 is important . the output of the comparator / hysteresis circuit 76 may be provided to inverter circuit 77 . in one embodiment of the invention this is desirable since the transmitter 78 used in the circuit used to notify a receiver 80 of a wetness condition in the presence of a &# 34 ; high &# 34 ; signal , while the output of comparator / hysteresis circuit 76 is &# 34 ; low &# 34 ; in the presence of a wetness condition . referring to fig1 and 11 , is can be seen that the voltage at test point i , that is the output of the inverter circuit 77 , is &# 34 ; low &# 34 ; when its input , at test point h , is &# 34 ; high &# 34 ; and vice versa . this circuit would not be necessary if a transmitter 78 was chosen which was active in the presence of a &# 34 ; low &# 34 ; output . in inverter circuit 77 , resistor r14 , connected between the output and positive input of u2b , provides positive feedback to the comparator . resistors r15 and r17 form a voltage divider network and are provided to supply the reference voltage to u2b . the circuit behavior is much the same as comparator / hysteresis circuit 76 except the negative input voltage value at comparator u2b is supplied as a digital value of either 0vdc or 3vdc . referring next to fig1 , the output of wetness sensor circuit 60 is provided to a battery operated transmitter 78 for signaling a remote receiver 80 of a wetness condition . the transmitter 78 is preferably of the 900 mhz type as is commercially available from inovanics corporation , as a model fa203s although other frequencies could be employed , as well . the transmitter 78 in one embodiment of the invention is addressable through the selection of dip switches or the like , such that the source of a transmitted signal may be identified . this is highly desirable in an application wherein a number of wetness sensors 20 may be employed , such as a nursing home , and it is important that each transmitted signal be easily identifiable . in this regard , monitoring personnel located at a receiver 80 can identify the source of the wetness signal and timely dispatch the appropriate care giver to attend to the removal of the wet garment 19 . in the preferred embodiment of the invention , the &# 34 ; wetness &# 34 ; signals arriving at receiver 80 are monitored by a computer ( cpu ) 82 and logged into a database using software , such as commercially available from zaggie , inc . as caretrac ™ software . in this regard a complete , time - stamped history of the patient in a nursing home , for example , may be kept automatically . this can help ensure that they are receiving proper care while also assisting the nursing staff by providing vital information regarding a patient &# 39 ; s bodily functions . in addition to maintaining a database of patient information , cpu 82 can also function to periodically remind care givers that a wet garment 19 still needs attention or that a given patient is not urinating regularly . the cpu 82 is preferably connected to a display 84 enabling the monitoring personnel to visually identify the source of the transmitted wetness signals , patient information database and the like . a printer 86 may be provided to create a hard copy of information displayed on the display 84 or to print reports from data contained in the cpu 82 database . additionally , a paging transmitter 88 may be in communication with cpu 82 such that pagers 90 , being worn by the care givers in a facility , may be automatically dialed by the cpu in the presence of a wetness condition and provided with the &# 34 ; address &# 34 ; of the source . in this fashion , the care givers may attend to the changing of wet garments 19 in a timely fashion without the requirement of interacting with the monitoring personnel . in the preferred embodiment of the invention , once the care giver has corrected the wetness condition at a particular patient &# 34 ; address &# 34 ;, that fact is sent to the receiver 80 , reflected upon display 84 and stored in the patient &# 39 ; s history by cpu 82 . additionally , the address of a wetness condition may be supplied by cpu 82 to first modem 89 which , in turn , is directed to communicate with a second cpu 92 via a second modem 91 . in this manner , a support and administration station may be kept informed as to the attention being provided to patients under the care of the facility . the invention has been disclosed and described herein in terms of preferred configurations and methodologies . however , it will be obvious to those of skill in the art that numerous variations of the illustrated embodiments could be implemented within the scope of the invention . for example , the transmitter 78 included in the preferred embodiment might easily be replaced with a visual indicator , such as a flashing led , or a small speaker device for audibly notifying an attendant when the garment becomes wet . further , in addition to the capacitive type sensor illustrated it is also envisioned that other types of sensors , such as resistive , inductive , thermal and photoelectric could be effectively implemented to perform the same functions in an acceptable way . these and other additions , deletions , and modifications might well be made to the exemplary embodiments illustrated herein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the following claims .	0
a more particular description of certain embodiments of a bookmark may be had by references to the embodiments shown in the drawings which form a part of this specification , in which like numerals represent like objects . fig1 is a drawing of one embodiment of a bookmark . in this embodiment , band 110 may be a ribbon , tied with knot 140 to form a loop . in this embodiment , a ribbon may be a flat or tubular narrow fabric ( as of silk , rayon , nylon , or cotton ), and may be closely woven in various constructions ( as in velvet , satin , taffeta , or grosgrain ). in another embodiment band 110 may be replaced by a steel loop with an adjusting nut , slider , or other device to enable a snug fit . in yet another embodiment , band 110 may be made of leather . in yet another embodiment , band 110 may be made from plastic . in yet another embodiment , band 110 may be made of a combination of materials , twisted around one another . in yet another embodiment , band 110 may be made of a plurality of materials connected end to end . one having skill in the art will recognize that band 110 may be made from a number of different materials , or combinations of materials . band 110 may be placed over a book , and crimped bead 130 may be moved against bead 120 , which may hold band 110 snugly against the book . knot 140 may prevent crimped bead 130 from slipping off band 110 . in other embodiments other ways of tightening band 110 to a book may be used . in one embodiment , a drawstring clip may be used to tighten band 110 . in another embodiment , a nut may be screwed on an end of a metal or plastic band to allow for tightening . bead 120 , 125 may comprise one or more beads , which may be decorative in addition to providing a way to tighten band 110 . one having skill in the art will recognize that various sizes , colors , materials , and quantities may be used for bead 120 , 125 , which may allow for aesthetic enhancement . marker 150 may be a piece of material , such as metal , plastic , carbon fiber , wood , or other material that may be placed between pages of a book to mark a location . marker 150 may be attached to band 110 by thread 160 . one skilled in the art will recognize many different means may be used to attach marker 150 to a band 110 , including but not limited to thread , ribbon , string , leather , plastic , wire , a pivoting device , a ball joint , or other materials or devices . fig2 illustrates one embodiment of a bookmark as it may be used . band 110 may be placed over a book , forming a loop over a cover or one or more pages . bead 120 and crimped bead 130 may be adjusted to provide a snug fit over the book , which may hold band 110 in place . thread 160 may attach marker 150 to band 110 so that marker 150 may be kept with book 210 and may not fall when book 210 is opened to a page marked by marker 150 . in this example , marker 150 is shown on the same page as band 110 , but it may be used to mark any page in book 210 . marker 150 may be thin and approximately flat , which may prevent damage to book 210 , such as damage to a binding or pages in the book 210 . in another embodiment , thread 160 may extend past the bottom of book 210 , which may allow marker 150 to be held outside the book 210 , which may allow marker 150 to be thicker than if it is held in book 210 . fig3 illustrates another embodiment of a bookmark as it may be used . in this embodiment , band 240 may be made of plastic or metal , and may be configured as two strips coupled at the top ; for example it may comprise a small tube with a slit running from a bottom for most of the length toward a top , or it may comprise two flat strips with a hinge at a top . it may have a small rubber band encircling the two strips near the bottom , or there may be a nut 220 which fits thread 230 which may hold both strips together on the bottom and may allow for an adjustment to keep band 240 snug on book 210 . beads or other decorative means may be placed on band 240 or band 240 may be colored , textured , or otherwise customized for aesthetic enhancement . one having skill in the art will recognize that many different types of material and designs may be used for band 240 , and many different types of fasteners and adjustment means may be used for coupling band 240 on the bottom . while the detailed description above has been expressed in terms of specific examples , those skilled in the art will appreciate that many other configurations could be used . accordingly , it will be appreciated that various equivalent modifications of the above - described embodiments may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention . the foregoing description of various embodiments of the invention has been presented for the purposes of illustration and description . it is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed . it is intended that the scope of the invention be limited not by this detailed description , but rather by the claims appended hereto . the above specification , examples and data provide a complete description of the manufacture and use of the invention . since many embodiments of the invention can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention , the invention resides in the claims hereinafter appended .	1
in describing preferred embodiments of the present invention illustrated in the drawings , specific terminology is employed for the sake of clarity . however , the invention is not intended to be limited to the specific terminology so selected , and it is to be understood that each specific element includes all technical equivalents that operate in a similar manner to accomplish a similar purpose . the following abbreviations and variables are used throughout the present disclosure in connection with the present invention : b o = composite of all the non - access region s , k coefficients i baseline = baseline intensity ( taken in the absence of a bolus ) x b = percentage of the access volume to the total volume illuminated ( access blood proration value ) the optical hematocrit sensor in accordance with the present invention comprises a light emitting source ( emitter ) ( preferably an led of specific wavelength ) and a complementary photodetector that can be placed directly on the skin over a vascular access site . the led preferably emits light at a wavelength of 805 nm - 880 nm , because it is near the known isobestic wavelength for hemoglobin , is commercially available , and has been shown to be effective in the optical determination of whole blood parameters such as hematocrit and oxygen saturation . when the sensor is placed on the surface of the skin , the led illuminates a volume of tissue , and a small fraction of the light absorbed and back - scattered by the media is detected by the photodetector . while light travels in a straight line , the illuminated volume as seen by the photodetector can be visualized as an isointensity ellipsoid , as individual photons of light are continuously scattered and absorbed by the media . because a wavelength of 805 nm - 880 nm is used , hemoglobin of the blood within the tissue volume is the principal absorbing substance . the scattering and absorbing characteristics are mathematically expressed in terms of a bulk attenuation coefficient ( α ) that is specific to the illuminated media . the amount of light detected by the photodetector is proportional via a modified beer &# 39 ; s law formula to the instantaneous net α value of the media . when the volume of tissue illuminated includes all or even part of the access , the resultant α value includes information about both the surrounding tissue and the access itself . in order to resolve the signal due to blood flowing within the access from that due to the surrounding tissues , the sensor system illuminates adjacent tissue regions on either side of the access . values of α o for tissue regions not containing the access are then used to normalize the signal , thus providing a baseline from which relative changes can be assessed in access hematocrit in the access blood flowing directly under the skin . [ 0080 ] fig1 illustrates a dialysis circuit in which a tq a hematocrit sensor 12 in accordance with the present invention is placed over the hemodialysis vascular access site 14 , with the dialysis arterial and venous blood lines 16 a and 16 b in the normal configuration , for measuring tq a . a dialyzer 20 downstream of the vascular access site 14 and a syringe 22 for injecting a reference diluent ( for example , saline ) downstream of the dialyzer 20 are indicated . the hematocrits and flow rates under steady state conditions are also indicated , where q a is the access flow rate , q b is the dialyzer blood flow rate , q i is the injection flow rate , h a is the hematocrit in the access flow , and h o is the hematocrit at the sensor 12 . the hematocrit sensor 12 is placed directly on the skin over the vascular access site 14 downstream of the venous dialysis needle 24 . as shown in fig3 , the sensor 12 and an associated monitoring system 30 records a signal proportional to the hematocrit in the vascular access site 14 ( h a ). the monitoring system 30 can be a computer including a computer processor and memory , and output means such as a video monitor and printer ( not shown ). after a stable h a value is obtained , a known volume ( v ) of normal saline is injected via the syringe 22 into the dialysis venous line 16 b , which reduces the hematocrit beneath the sensor 12 to a time - dependent hematocrit h o during the injection . derivation of the equation used to calculate the vascular access flow rate when using the bolus injection indicator dilution approach is complex . however , the constant infusion and bolus injection indicator dilution approaches yield identical results ; therefore , the governing equation was derived from steady state constant infusion principles . consider the dialysis circuit in fig1 where a steady infusion of saline occurs in the dialysis venous blood line 16 b ( ultrafiltration at the dialyzer 20 is neglected ). red cell balance where the dialysis venous blood flow enters the access site 14 requires h a ( q a − q b )+ h a q b = h o ( q a + q i ) ( 1 ) solving for q a , the vascular access flow rate , yields q a = q i δ   h h o ( 2 ) where δh denotes h a − h ao . this equation describes the changes in hematocrit at the sensor 12 during a constant infusion of normal saline in the dialysis venous blood line 16 b . ( if ultrafiltration at the dialyzer 20 occurs at a rate of q f , then the numerator in this equation becomes q i − q f ). noting that q i is equivalent to the volume of saline injected in a specified time interval , equation ( 2 ) is therefore equivalent to : q a = v ∫ ( δ   h h )   ( t )   t ( 3 ) to yield the vascular access flow rate ( q a ), where δh denotes h a − h ao and the integral ( area under the curve ) in the above equation is from the time of injection ( t = 0 ) to where the signal has returned to the baseline value ( t =∞). this equation is valid independent of the rate of saline injection or the dialyzer blood flow rate . the signals detected by the tq a sensor 12 can be used to calculate f  ( δ   h h o ) . the percentage change in blood parameters ( both macroscopic and microscopic ) passing through the access site 14 may be measured in a variety of ways . macroscopic parameters such as bulk density or flow energy can be measured by ultrasonic , temperature , or conductivity means . microscopic parameters ( sometimes called “ physiologic or intrinsic ” parameters ) such as hematocrit or red cell oxygen content are measured by optical means . each technique has its respective advantages and disadvantages , both rely on the quantity inherent in all of these is the need to differentiate the access site 14 , and parameter changes therein , from the surrounding tissue structure . the tq a sensor 12 in accordance with the present invention is positioned directly over the access site region 14 itself approximately 25 mm downstream of the venous needle 24 , and is based upon optical back - scattering of monochromatic light ( λ = 805 nm - 880 nm ) from the blood flow in the access site 14 and the surrounding tissues . the theory on which the construction of the tq a sensor 12 is based requires the use of optical physics and laws associated with optical determination of physiologic elements including hematocrit . numerous studies have shown that light back - scattered from a turbid tissue sample follows a modified form of beer &# 39 ; s law , where i o is the radiation intensity emitted from the led , a is a complex function of d and α of the various layers of tissue ( epidermis , dermis , and subcutaneous tissue ), d is the distance between the led and detector , and α is the bulk optical attenuation coefficient . the α term is a function of the absorption and scattering nature of the tissue and has a strong dependence on hematocrit . α ≈ - ln   ( i measured i o ) d ( 5 ) a transcutaneously measured α value is actually a prorated composite measure of all the absorption and scattering elements contained within the illuminated volume or “ glowball ” of the emitter source , and typically includes the effects of tissue , water , bone , blood , and in the case of hemodialysis patients , the access site 14 . in the determination of α , clearly only the blood flowing through the access site 14 is of interest . the task therefore becomes one of separating the effects of absorption and scattering of the access site 14 from that of surrounding tissue structure . starting with the well known definition , where k is the bulk absorption coefficient and s is the bulk scattering coefficient , and separating the access site 14 from non - access blood coefficients and rearranging terms , b o = composite of all the non - access region s and k coefficients now , letting the non - access components become α o 2 = b o , we have in equation ( 6 ), the access blood coefficient , k b , is directly proportional to hematocrit ( h ), k b = h · c . therefore , where c is a proportionality scalar known from the literature or empirically derived . to determine α o , measurements are made in areas 130 b and 130 c near but not including the access site 14 , as depicted , for example , in fig7 . if the tissue is more or less homogenous , it is only necessary to make a single reference α o measurement , using either two emitters 202 a and 202 b and one detector 204 ( as shown in fig1 ) or one emitter 302 and two detectors 304 a and 304 b ( as shown in fig1 ), as discussed in greater detail hereinafter . on the other hand , if a gradient in α o exists in the area of interest ( and this is often the case in vivo ) multiple measurements are made to establish the nature of the gradient and provide an averaged estimate of α o , using two emitters 102 a and 102 b and two detectors 104 a and 104 b , as discussed in greater detail hereinafter in connection with fig2 - 6 . is defined as the time derivative of intensity i , normalized by i . this is expressed as di i = x b · δ   k b α   ( d - 1 α ) , where   a ≈ α , from   equation   ( 4 )   x b · δ   k b = di i  α ( d - 1 α ) ( 10 ) x b · δ   h · c = x b · δ   k b = di i  α ( d - 1 α ) , a baseline intensity ( taken in the absence of a bolus ) is first measured to establish a reference . the intensity is then measured as a time varying signal as the saline bolus is injected , i ( t ). the quantity di i = i baseline - i  ( t ) i baseline f  ( δ   h h ) = di i  α ( d - 1 α )  ( α 2 - α 0 2 ) ( 13 ) α , and α o are computed by equations ( 10 ) and ( 5 ). it is important to note that in the final ratio of the access blood proration value , x b , cancels out . this removes vascular access size , volume , or depth dependence from the final result . likewise , the in order to use indicator dilution techniques to measure vascular access flow rates during routine hemodialysis , the indicator must be injected upstream and its concentration detected downstream in the blood flowing through the vascular access site 14 . reversing the dialysis blood lines 16 a and 16 b during the hemodialysis treatment permits application of indicator dilution by direct injection of the indicator into the dialysis venous tubing 16 b . because the tq a sensor 12 can detect a dilution signal downstream of the venous needle 24 through the skin , a unique application of indicator dilution principles permits determination of the vascular access flow rate without reversal of the dialysis blood lines 16 a and 16 b . various methods of measuring vascular access blood flow rate , as well as a method for locating accesses and grafts and localizing veins in normal patients , using the tq a sensor 12 are described in co - pending application entitled “ method of measuring transcutaneous access blood flow ,” filed on even date herewith , attorney docket p65685us0 , which is incorporated herein in its entirety . the accuracy of the measurements taken using the tq a sensor 12 depends critically on at least two factors . as can be seen in equation ( 3 ) above , the calculated access flow rate depends directly on the volume of saline injected ; therefore , care must be taken to inject a given amount of saline over a specified time interval . the latter does not need to be known precisely ; however , it is important that it be less than approximately 10 seconds to avoid significant interference due to cardiopulmonary recirculation ( cpr ) of the injected saline . the second factor that is important to consider in the accuracy of the tq a measurements is the placement of the tq a sensor 12 to accurately determine changes in hematocrit through the skin . the sensor 12 must be placed directly over the vascular access site 14 approximately 25 mm downstream of the venous needle 24 in the specified orientation to accurately determine the relative changes in hematocrit . additional variability due to sensor placement does not appear , however , to be significant , in that small variations in sensor placement do not significantly influence the measured vascular access flow rate . an additional concern is whether variations in accuracy of measurements taken using the tq a sensor 12 may occur with access sites that are not superficial or if the access diameter is very large ; however , varying the spacing of sensor elements eliminates difficulties associated with very large accesses or with deeper access sites such as those typically found in the upper arm or thigh . less accurate results would also be obtained if the sensor 12 does not accurately detect changes in hematocrit due to significant variation in skin pigmentation . the tq a sensor in accordance with the invention has been specifically designed to account for the individual absorption and scattering properties of patient tissues , through the use of 805 nm - 880 nm led optical technology , and the normalized nature of the measurements suggests that the sensitivity of the calculated vascular access flow rate to skin melanin content is minimal . referring now to fig2 - 6 , there is shown a first embodiment of the tq a sensor 100 in accordance with the present invention for the transcutaneous measurement of vascular access blood flow in a hemodialysis shunt or fistula 14 . in this embodiment two emitters 102 a and 102 b and two detectors 104 a and 104 b are arranged in alignment along an axis a 1 on a substrate 110 . as mentioned above , this embodiment is employed if a gradient in α o exists in the area of interest ( as is often the case in vivo ), as multiple measurements must be made to establish the nature of the gradient and provide an averaged estimate of α o . the sensor 100 has an access placement line l 1 perpendicular to the axis a 1 . for proper operation , the sensor 100 must be placed with the access placement line l 1 over the venous access site ( shunt ) 14 . one of the emitters ( the “ inboard emitter ”) 102 a and one of the detectors ( the “ inboard detector ”) 104 a are placed at inboard positions on either side of and equidistant from the access placement line l 1 . the second emitter ( the “ outboard emitter ”) 102 b is placed at a position outboard of the inboard detector 104 a , while the second detector ( the “ outboard detector ”) 104 b is placed at a position outboard of the inboard emitter 102 a , so that the emitters 102 a and 102 b and detectors 104 a and 104 b alternate . the spacing between the emitters 102 a and 102 b and the detectors 104 a and 104 b is uniform . the substrate 110 is provided with apertures 116 in its lower surface ( the surface which in use faces the access site 20 ) for receiving the emitters 102 a and 102 b and the detectors 104 a and 104 b . the apertures 116 are sized so that the emitters 102 a and 102 b and the detectors 104 a and 104 b lie flush with the lower surface of the substrate 110 . preferably , the upper surface of the substrate 110 is marked with the access placement line l 1 . the upper surface of the substrate 110 may also be provided with small projections 120 or other markings above the apertures 116 indicating the locations of the emitters 102 a and 102 b and the detectors 104 a and 104 b . the circuitry ( not shown ) associated with the emitters 102 a and 102 b and the detectors 104 a and 104 b can be provided as a printed circuit on the lower surface of the substrate 110 . the substrate 110 is made of a material that is flexible enough to conform to the contours of the underlying tissue but rigid enough to have body durability . as shown in fig7 there are three illuminated volumes or “ glowballs ” 130 a , 130 b , and 130 c in the tissue , t , seen by the two detectors 104 a and 104 b : a first glowball 130 a representing the reflective penetration volume ( α ) of the inboard emitter 102 a through the access site tissue as seen by the inboard detector 104 a in the process of determination of the access hematocrit ; a second glowball 130 b representing the reflective penetration ( α o1 ) of the inboard emitter 102 a through the non - access site tissue that surrounds the access site 14 as seen by the outboard detector 104 b ; and a third glowball 130 c representing the reflective penetration ( α o2 ) of the outboard emitter 102 b through the non - access site tissue that surrounds the access site 14 as seen by the inboard detector 104 a . an estimate of α o is made by averaging α o1 and α o2 . that is , α o = α o1 + α o2 2 ( 14 ) due to the depth of the access site 14 , in order for the cross - section of the access site 14 to be enclosed by the glowball 130 a of the inboard emitter 102 a seen by the inboard detector 104 a , the spacing between the inboard and outboard detectors 104 a and 104 b is typically 24 mm . referring now to fig8 - 12 , there is shown a second embodiment of the tq a sensor 200 in accordance with the present invention . in this embodiment two emitters 202 a and 202 b and one detector 204 are arranged in alignment along an axis a 2 on a substrate 210 . as mentioned above , this embodiment is employed if the tissue , t , is more or less homogenous , and it is only necessary to make a single reference α o measurement . the sensor 200 has an access placement line l 2 perpendicular to the axis a 2 . one of the emitters ( the “ inboard emitter ”) 202 a and the detector 204 are placed at inboard positions on either side of and equidistant from the access placement line l 2 . the second emitter ( the “ outboard emitter ”) 202 b is placed at a position outboard of the detector 204 , so that the emitters 202 a and 202 b and the detector 204 alternate . the spacing between the emitters 202 a and 202 b and the detector 204 is uniform . the substrate 210 is provided with apertures 216 in its lower surface for receiving the emitters 202 a and 202 b and the detector 204 . the apertures 216 are sized so that the emitters 202 a and 202 b and the detector 204 lie flush with the lower surface of the substrate 210 . preferably , the upper surface of the substrate 210 is marked with the access placement line l 2 , and also is marked with “ plus ” and “ minus ” signs 218 a and 218 b , which indicate the direction to move the sensor 200 left or right . the upper surface of the substrate 210 may also be provided with small projections 220 or other markings above the apertures 216 indicating the locations of the emitters 202 a and 202 b and the detector 204 . the circuitry ( not shown ) associated with the emitters 202 a and 202 b and the detector 204 can be provided as a printed circuit on the lower surface of the substrate 210 . the substrate 210 is made of a material that is flexible enough to conform to the contours of the underlying tissue but rigid enough to have body durability . as shown in fig1 , there are two illuminated “ glowballs ” 230 a and 230 b seen by the single detector 204 : a first glowball 230 a representing the reflective penetration ( α ) of the inboard emitter 202 a through the access site tissue as seen by the single detector 204 in the process of determination of the access hematocrit ; and a second glowball 230 b representing the reflective penetration ( α o ) of the outboard emitter 202 b through the non - access site tissue that surrounds the access site 14 as seen by the single detector 204 . referring now to fig1 - 18 , there is shown a third embodiment of the tq a sensor 300 in accordance with the present invention . the third embodiment is similar to the second embodiment , except that one emitter 302 and two detector 304 a and 304 b are arranged in alignment along an axis a 3 on a substrate 310 . the sensor 300 has an access placement line l 3 perpendicular to the axis a 3 . the emitter 302 and one of the detectors ( the “ inboard detector ”) 304 a are placed at inboard positions on either side of and equidistant from the access placement line l 3 . the second detector ( the “ outboard detector ”) 304 b is placed at a position outboard of the emitter 302 , so that the emitter 302 and the detectors 304 a and 304 b alternate . the spacing between the emitter 302 and the detectors 304 a and 304 b is uniform . the substrate 310 is provided with apertures 316 in its lower surface for receiving the emitter 302 and the detectors 3204 a and 3204 b . the apertures 316 are sized so that the emitter 302 and the detectors 304 a and 304 b lie flush with the lower surface of the substrate 210 . the circuitry ( not shown ) associated with the emitter 302 and the detectors 304 a and 304 b can be provided as a printed circuit on the lower surface of the substrate 310 . the substrate 310 is made of a material that is flexible enough to conform to the contours of the underlying tissue but rigid enough to have body durability . preferably , the upper surface of the substrate 310 is marked with the access placement line l 3 , and also is marked with “ plus ” and “ minus ” signs 318 a and 318 b , which indicate the direction to move the sensor 300 left or right . the upper surface of the substrate 310 may also be provided with small projections 320 or other markings above the apertures 316 indicating the locations of the emitter 302 and the detectors 304 a and 304 b . as shown in fig1 , there are two illuminated “ glowballs ” 330 a and 330 b seen by the detectors 304 a and 304 b : a first glowball 330 a representing the reflective penetration ( α ) of the single emitter 302 through the access tissue as seen by the inboard detector 304 a in the process of determination of the access hematocrit ; and a second glowball 330 b representing the reflective penetration ( α o ) of the single emitter 302 through the non - access site tissue that surrounds the access site 14 as seen by the outboard detector 304 b in the first three embodiments , the placement of the emitters and detectors permits all of the measurements to be made only in tissue volumes perpendicular to the access site 14 . there will now be discussed fourth and fifth embodiments , in which the placement of the emitters and detectors permits measurements to be made in tissue areas parallel , as well as perpendicular , to the access site 14 . referring to fig2 - 22 , there is shown a fourth embodiment of the tq a sensor 400 in accordance with the present invention . in the fourth embodiment , a flexible components layer 410 is provided having an access placement line l 4 . an upstream and a downstream emitter 402 a and 402 b are arranged on the components layer 410 along a first diagonal line d 1 forming a 45 ° angle with the access placement line l 4 , and an upstream and a downstream detector 404 a and 404 b are arranged along a second line d 2 perpendicular to the first line at its point of intersection p with the access placement line l 4 . the upstream and downstream emitters 402 a and 402 b and the upstream and downstream detectors 404 a and 404 b are equidistant from the point of intersection p . it will thus be seen that the upstream emitter 402 a and the downstream detector 404 b lie on one side of the access placement line l 4 along a line parallel thereto , and the upstream detector 404 a and the downstream emitter 402 b lie on the other side of the access placement line l 4 along a line parallel thereto ; and that the upstream emitter 402 a and the upstream detector 404 a lie along a line perpendicular to the access placement line l 4 , as do the downstream emitter 402 b and the downstream detector 404 b . in the tq a sensor 400 in accordance with the fourth embodiment , the circuitry associated with the emitters 402 a and 402 b and the detectors 404 a and 404 b is also incorporated in the flexible components layer 410 . the components layer 410 has a lower surface that faces the access site 14 , and an upper surface that faces away . the emitters 402 a and 402 b and the detectors 404 a and 404 b may protrude from the lower surface of the components layer 410 . a cover layer 412 of flexible foam or the like covers the upper surface of the components layer 410 . a spacer layer 414 of flexible foam or the like covers the lower surface of the components layer 410 , and has apertures 416 in registration with the emitters 402 a and 402 b and the detectors 404 a and 404 b , so that each emitter and detector is received in its own corresponding aperture 416 . the spacer layer 414 has an upper surface that contacts the lower surface of the components layer 410 and a lower surface that faces away from the components layer 410 . preferably , the upper surface of the cover layer 412 is marked with the access placement line l 4 , and also is marked to indicate which end of the access placement line l 4 is to be placed adjacent the venous needle 24 , to assist in proper placement . also , the tq a sensor 400 preferably is elongated in the direction of the access placement line l 4 , in order to ensure the proper placement of the emitters 402 a and 402 b and the detectors 404 a and 404 b relative to the venous needle 24 . in order to hold the tq a sensor 400 in place , a transparent adhesive layer 420 can be applied to the lower surface of the spacer layer 414 . the adhesive can be any suitable pressure sensitive adhesive . a release liner 422 covers the adhesive layer 420 . prior to use , the release layer 424 is removed from the adhesive layer 420 of the tq a sensor 400 , and the tq a sensor 400 is adhered to the access site 14 . as shown in fig2 - 26 , there are four illuminated “ glowballs ” seen by the upstream and downstream detectors : a first glowball 430 a representing the reflective penetration ( α ) of the upstream emitter 402 a through the access site tissue as seen by the upstream detector 404 a in the process of determination of the access hematocrit ( fig2 ); a second glowball 430 b representing the reflective penetration ( α ) of the downstream emitter 402 b through the access site tissue as seen by the downstream detector 404 b in the process of determination of the access hematocrit ( fig2 ); a third glowball 430 c representing the reflective penetration ( α o1 ) of the upstream emitter 402 a through the non - access site tissue that surrounds the access site 14 as seen by the downstream detector 404 b ( fig2 ); and a fourth glowball 430 d representing the reflective penetration ( α o2 ) of the downstream emitter 404 b through the non - access site tissue that surrounds the access site 14 as seen by the upstream detector 404 a ( fig2 ). an estimate of α o is again made by averaging α o1 and α o2 . referring to fig2 - 29 , there is shown a fifth embodiment of the tq a sensor 500 in accordance with the present invention . in the fifth embodiment , a substrate 510 is provided having an access placement line l 5 . a first upstream emitter 502 a and a downstream emitter 502 b are arranged on the substrate 510 along a first diagonal line d 3 forming a 45 ° angle with the access placement line l 5 , and upstream and downstream detectors 504 a and 504 b are arranged along a second line d 4 perpendicular to the first line at its point of intersection p with the access placement line l 4 , exactly as in the fourth embodiment , with the first upstream and the downstream emitters 502 a and 502 b and the upstream and downstream detectors 504 a and 504 b being equidistant from the point of intersection p . in addition , the second , third , fourth , fifth , and sixth upstream detectors 502 c , 502 d , 502 e , 502 f , and 502 g are arranged in alignment along a line defined by the first upstream emitter 502 a and the upstream detector 504 a , with the fourth detector 502 e lying on the access placement line l 5 . the second , third , fourth , fifth , and sixth emitters 502 c , 502 d , 502 e , 502 f , and 502 g are uniformly spaced between the first upstream emitter 502 a and the upstream detector 504 a and can be used to locate the access . in addition , pairs of emitters 502 a and 502 c - 502 g can be used to determine the diameter of the access . the cover layer 512 , spacer layer 514 , adhesive layer 522 , and release liner 524 of the sensor 500 in accordance with the fifth embodiment are identical to those of the sensor 400 of the fourth embodiment , except that the apertures 516 in the spacer layer 514 will be placed in accordance with the placement of the emitters 502 a - 502 g and the detectors 504 a and 504 b in the components layer 510 of the fifth embodiment . as shown in fig3 and 31 , there are six illuminated glowballs perpendicular to the access site 14 and one illuminated glowball parallel to the access site 14 that are seen by the upstream detector 504 a : a first glowball 530 a representing the reflective penetration ( α ) of the first upstream emitter 502 a through the access site tissue in the process of determination of the access site hematocrit ( fig3 ); a second glowball 530 b representing the reflective penetration ( α o1 ) of the downstream emitter 502 b through the non - access site tissue that is parallel to the access site 14 ( fig3 ); a third glowball 530 c representing the reflective penetration of the second upstream emitter 502 c through both non - access and some of the access volume ( fig3 ); a fourth glowball 530 d representing the reflective penetration of the third upstream emitter 502 d through both non - access and some of the access volume ( fig3 ); a fifth glowball 530 e representing the reflective penetration of the fourth upstream emitter 502 e through both non - access and some of the access volume ( fig3 ); a sixth glowball 530 f representing the reflective penetration of the fifth upstream emitter 502 f through non - access the access volume ( fig3 ); and a seventh glowball 530 g representing the reflective penetration of the sixth upstream emitter 502 g through non - access volume ( fig3 ). as shown in fig3 and 33 , there are two illuminated “ glowballs ” seen by the downstream detector 504 b : an eighth glowball 530 h representing the reflective penetration ( α o2 ) of the first upstream emitter 502 a through the non - access site tissue that is parallel to the access site 14 ( fig3 ); and a second glowball 530 i representing the reflective penetration ( α ) of the downstream emitter 502 b through the access site tissue in the process of determination of the access hematocrit ( fig3 ). an estimate of α o is made by averaging α o1 and α 02 , and then using equation ( 13 ) to determine due to the depth of the access site 14 , in order for the cross - section of the access site 14 to be enclosed by the glowball of the first upstream emitter 502 a seen by the upstream detector 504 a , the spacing between the first upstream emitter 502 a and the upstream detector 504 a is typically 24 mm . the remaining upstream emitters 502 c - 502 g are equally spaced between the first upstream emitter 502 a and the upstream detector 504 a . similarly , the spacing between the downstream emitter 502 b and the downstream detector 504 b are typically 24 mm . as indicated above , in all of the embodiments , the emitters are preferably leds that emit light at a wavelength of 805 nm - 880 nm , and the detectors are silicon photodiodes . in the first three embodiments shown in fig2 - 6 , 8 - 12 , and 14 - 18 , the substrate preferably is provided with an exterior covering ( see fig3 ) of a plastic material , for example urethane or silicone , and the emitters and detectors lie flush with the lower surface of the exterior covering , that is , the surface that faces the skin , so that the emitters and detectors lie on the skin . in the fourth and fifth embodiments shown in fig2 - 22 and 27 - 29 , each emitter and detector is recessed in an aperture . the fourth and fifth embodiments use more led &# 39 ; s than the other embodiments . also in all of the embodiments , an emitter - detector separation is required so that the reflectance of the first layer of tissue ( a non - blood layer of epithelium ) does not further exaggerate a multiple scattering effect , as discussed in u . s . pat . no . 5 , 499 , 627 , which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety . further , in the all of the embodiments , the distance between each adjacent pair of emitters and detectors must be sufficient for a portion of the access site 14 to be enclosed within the illuminated volume or “ glowball ” of the inboard emitter . this distance typically is about 24 mm , except as described above with respect to the fifth embodiment . finally , in all of the embodiments , the sensor can be fastened in place using surgical tape . alternatively , any of the embodiments can be made as a disposable adhesive patch that cannot be recalibrated and used again . referring to fig3 , a sensor 600 includes a substrate 610 that houses a plurality of emitters and detectors ( not shown ) as previously described , a circuit 652 printed on the skin side of the substrate 610 , and an exterior covering 654 covering the circuit 652 and the exposed sides of the substrate 610 . the substrate 610 can comprise a flexible material such as mylar on which conductive paint has been deposited to define a circuit . apertures 656 are formed through the skin side of the exterior covering 654 in registration with circuit junctions that are covered by conductive paint that allows continuity across the junctions . plugs 660 are inserted into the apertures 656 in such a fashion that they adhere to the conductive paint at the circuit junctions . the skin side of the exterior covering 654 is covered by a removable protective layer 662 , to which the plugs 660 are also affixed . following removal of the sensor 600 from its sterile package and pre - use test and calibration , the protective surface protective layer 662 must be removed in order for the sensor 600 to take a measurement . because the plugs 660 are adhered to the protective layer 662 , when the protective layer 662 is peeled off , the plugs 660 are pulled out of their apertures 656 along with the conductive paint covering the circuit junctions . the circuitry is designed such that once the circuit is broken , the sensor 600 cannot be calibrated again , and can only be used to take one measurement . the sensor 600 thus cannot be re - used . operability of the tq a sensor in accordance with the invention was confirmed in in vivo tests in 59 hemodialysis patients . prior to the study dialysis session , a disposable tubing with an injection port ( co - daptor , transonic systems , ithaca , n . y ., usa ) was placed between the venous dialysis tubing and the venous needle . the dialysis circuit was primed with saline in usual fashion taking extra care to remove any air bubbles from the venous injection port . within the first hour of dialysis , access recirculation was first measured by the hd01 monitor ( transonic systems ). then , the dialyzer blood pump was stopped , the dialysis lines were reversed from their normal configuration , and the access blood flow rate was determined , in duplicate , by the hd01 monitor ( transonic systems ). injection of saline was performed using the saline release method ( abstract : krivitski et al , j am soc nephrol 8 : 164a , 1997 ). the dialyzer blood pump was again stopped and the dialysis lines were returned to their normal configuration . after the dialysis blood lines were returned to the normal configuration and the dialyzer blood pump was restarted , the transcutaneous hematocrit sensor was placed on the skin over the patient &# 39 ; s vascular access approximately 25 mm downstream of the venous needle . thirty ml of normal saline solution were then injected into the injection port of the disposable tubing adjacent to the venous needle at a rate of approximately 300 ml / min to determine access blood flow rate using the tq a sensor of the invention . in six patients , saline was injected directly into the arterial dialysis needle before connecting the needle to the complete dialysis circuit . in two patients , saline was injected directly into the access by using a needle and syringe . the data from these various methods were combined together , independent of where saline was injected into the access . the resulting is shown in fig3 with the saline bolus . in 38 patients , this measurement was performed in duplicate to assess the replicability of the method . all measured and calculated values are reported as mean ± sd . the significance of differences in calculated vascular access flow rates determined using the tqa sensor and those determined by the hd01 monitor was determined using a paired student &# 39 ; s t - test . the variability of the slope and intercept from the regression equation is expressed as ± the estimated sd ( or the se ). the results from the replicability and reproducibility studies are expressed as the average coefficient of variation for the duplicate measurements . p values less than 0 . 05 were considered statistically significant . the patients studied were predominantly male and caucasian ; 5 black and 1 native american patients were studied . although the distribution of patient race in the study was not representative of that within the united states as a whole , it was representative of the population in the geographical region where the test was conducted . the age of the patients , the fraction of diabetic patients and the fraction of patients with synthetic ptfe grafts were similar to those for chronic hemodialysis patients in the united states . eleven patients were studied twice and one patient was studied three times . all other patients were studied once for a total of 72 measurements . access recirculation was significant in three patients . in those patients , the blood pump setting was reduced to 150 ml / min to eliminate access recirculation before completing the study protocol . [ 0164 ] fig3 shows values of the vascular access flow rate determined using the tq a sensor plotted versus that determined by the hd01 monitor . the best - fit linear regression line has a slope of essentially unity and a small y - intercept . there was no significant difference between vascular access flow rates determined using the tq a sensor and those determined by the hd01 monitor ; the mean absolute difference between these methods was 71 ± 63 ml / min . when these results were analyzed for various patient subgroups ( male vs . female , black vs . white , diabetic vs . nondiabetic , synthetic grafts vs . native fistulas ), excellent agreement between the measured access blood flow rates was similarly observed . because the optical tq a sensor in accordance with the invention can accurately determine instantaneous changes in hematocrit , it permits use of the bolus injection indicator dilution approach ( henriques - hamilton - bergner principle ). this optical approach is likely to be of considerable interest to nephrologists since it is also possible to determine the vascular access flow rate when the patient is in the physician &# 39 ; s office or in the clinic and not being treated by hemodialysis by simply injecting saline directly into the access and measuring with a downstream tq a sensor . during the initial study , eight patients had vascular access flow rate determinations by direct injection of saline into the access prior to dialysis ; their results were later confirmed once the dialysis circuit was in place and functioning . furthermore , two additional studies were perfored excusively by injecting saline into the access , with excellent results . thus , it may now be possible to use the tq a sensor in accordance with the invention to regularly monitor the vascular access flow rate as an indicator of access function when the patient is not being dialyzed , as well as during maturation of native fistulas prior to first use . modifications and variations of the above - described embodiments of the present invention are possible , as appreciated by those skilled in the art in light of the above teachings . for example , the sensor in accordance with the present invention can be used to measure blood constituents other than hematocrit , such as albumen and glucose , in which case the leds emit different wavelengths suited to the specific constituent . further , the detector - emitter arrangement of the sensor in accordance with the present invention , and in particular of the sensor 110 shown in fig7 allows for precise access location , as a “ flow finder ,” and also can be used to locate grafts and to localize veins in normal patients for more efficient canulatization . in this connection , the sensor 110 is placed directly on the skin over the approximate area of the access , graft , or vein , and values of α , α o1 , α o2 are calculated as described above . a reference ratio , rr , is developed , where : rr = ( 1 - α o1 α 02 ) × 100 when rr & lt ;± 15 , then the access or graft or vein is “ centered ” correctly or found between the inboard led 102 a and the inboard detector 104 a . also , a signal strength ( ss ) indicator advises the user whether a sufficient signal is present for an accurate measurement , where ss = [ ( α - ( α o1 + α o2 2 ) ] × 100 when ss & gt ; 40 , then a sufficient amount of the access or graft or vein is within the illuminated volume of tissue . if rr is not & lt ;± 15 ( that is , if rr ≧± 15 ), or if ss is not & gt ; 40 ( that is , if ss is ≦ 40 ), then the sensor 110 is moved right or left (+ or −) to find the appropriate spot or location . it is therefore to be understood that , within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents , the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described .	0
a method according to one embodiment of the invention begins with a starting material in the form of a strip or tape 20 shown in perspective view in fig1 , in fragmentary plan view in fig2 and in sectional view in fig3 . strip 20 includes a dielectric layer 22 having an inner surface 24 , an oppositely - facing outer surface 26 , and having first and second edges 28 and 30 . the strip has sprocket holes 32 adjacent the first edge 28 and sprocket holes 34 adjacent the second edge 30 . the dielectric layer is sheet - like ; the dimensions along the surfaces of the dielectric layer , including the widthwise dimension w between the edges 28 and 30 ( fig2 ) and the lengthwise dimension l are substantially greater than the thickness t ( fig3 ) of the layer . the strip includes numerous package element - forming portions 36 arranged along the length of the tape . each such portion 36 includes a region referred to herein as the lift region 38 , occupying that portion of the tape closer to the first edge 28 , and a region 40 referred to herein as the guide region , occupying that portion of the strip closer to the second edge 30 . the boundary 42 between the lift regions and guide regions normally is not visible in the tape itself , but is shown in fig2 and 3 solely for purposes of illustration . likewise , the boundaries of the individual portions 36 also normally are not visible in the strip itself . each package element - forming portion 36 includes metallic features such as a set of terminals 44 disposed in the lift region 38 and traces 46 extending from these terminals to bond pads 48 in the guide region 40 of the same portion 36 . the metallic features may be disposed on either or both surfaces 24 or 26 of the dielectric layer , or within the thickness of the dielectric layer , or both . terminals 44 are exposed at outer surface 26 ; where the terminals are disposed on the inner surface 24 , holes ( not shown ) may be provided in the dielectric layer in alignment with the terminals . although only a few terminals and bond pads are depicted for clarity of illustration , any number of terminals and bond pads may be incorporated in each package element - forming portion 36 . also , each portion 36 may include any other features desired in a packaging element , such as , for example , holes or windows for transmission of energy , electrically conductive ground planes and the like . at least one microelectronic element , such as a semiconductor die 50 , is mounted within the guide region 40 of each package element - forming portion 36 . the microelectronic element mounted within each package element - forming portion 36 is electrically connected to the metallic features as , for example , to bond pads 48 . each portion 36 of the strip is adapted to serve as a fold packaging element for the microelectronic element or elements mounted on that portion . the strip may also include intermediate portions 37 ( fig2 ) disposed between adjacent package element - forming portions 36 . in the starting condition , strip 20 is of indefinite length . that is , its lengthwise dimension l is many times greater than its widthwise or lateral dimension w and hence many times greater than its thickness t , and the features of the strip are substantially uniform along the length of the strip . typically , the length of the strip is greater than the path length traversed by the strip in the process discussed below . in the starting configuration , the strip is supplied on a reel 54 , wound in a spiral on the reel and hence wound about the axis 56 of the supply reel . in the folding method , strip 20 is advanced in a downstream direction d from supply reel 50 past a first folding station 58 , also referred to as a lifting station , and a second folding station 60 , also referred to herein as a flattening station or additional displacement station , and taken up on a take - up reel 62 . the strip may be pulled in the downstream direction by a drive ( not shown ) connected to take - up reel 62 , sprocket wheels or other devices ( not shown ) engaged with the sprocket holes 32 and 34 of the strip and driven by a drive mechanism ( not shown ), or in any other convenient manner . also , the advancing movement of the strip may be continuous or intermittent . in the particular embodiment depicted in fig1 , the strip advances along a straight path , and hence the downstream direction at any location along the path is the same . however , as used herein , the downstream direction refers to the direction of advance of the strip . where the strip advances along a curved path , the downstream direction at any point along the path should be understood as referring to the local direction of advance along the path . the lifting station or first folding station 58 includes a ramp or lifting element 64 defining a lifting surface 66 . lifting surface 66 slopes in the upward direction u in the downstream direction . that is , those portions of lifting surface 66 lying further downstream are higher than those portions of the lifting surface lying further upstream . as used herein , the upward direction is a direction transverse to the downstream direction , and also transverse to the widthwise or lateral direction w of the strip . ramp 64 is positioned so that lifting surface 66 lies within the widthwise or lateral extent of the strip adjacent the first edge 28 of the strip . thus , as successive package element - forming portions 36 pass downstream with the advancing motion of the strip , successive lift regions 38 will encounter the lifting surface 66 . the lifting surface 66 commences below the plane of the strip , but slopes upwardly to above the original plane of the strip . the lifting station 58 also includes a guide element in the form of a wheel or roller 70 disposed above the strip adjacent the boundary 42 between the lift regions 38 and guide regions 40 . thus , as each package element - forming portion 36 passes downstream through folding station 58 , the lift region 38 of that portion will be forced upwardly by lifting surface 66 , whereas the guide region 40 will be retained against upward motion by guide element 70 , so that the lift region 38 is folded upwardly about a fold line adjacent boundary 42 , as seen cross - sectional view in fig4 . continued motion of the strip in the downstream direction causes further travel along lifting surface 66 , continued elevation of the lift region and further folding . as the strip passes downstream from lift station 58 , it encounters flattening or additional movement station 60 . station 60 includes an upper flattening element or roller 67 , and a lower flattening element or roller 68 , defining a nip therebetween . the strip passes through this nip so that the upper flattening element or roller 67 engages the lift region 38 of each package element region and forces it downwardly , toward the guide region 40 and the lower flattening element 68 . stated another way , the lift region 38 of each package element - forming portion 36 is first lifted by lift surface 66 and then additionally displaced relative to the guide region 40 by the upper flattening element 67 . this action brings each package element - forming portion to the configuration depicted in sectional view in fig5 , with the lift region 38 superposed over the guide region 40 and with a fold 71 connecting the lift region and guide region , and with the microelectronic element 50 disposed between the fold region and guide region . as the lift region is forced toward the guide region and towards the microelectronic element 50 , it may be fastened in place by an adhesive ( not shown ). the adhesive may be applied to the lift region , to the microelectronic element , or to the guide region during the process , upstream from flattening station 20 . alternatively , the strip may include the adhesive on any or all of these locations at the start of the process . the process equipment may also include stations ( not shown ) for activating or curing the adhesive . for example , the equipment may include equipment for applying heat to the strip . also , as the lift region is forced toward the guide region and microelectronic element , the position of the lift region 38 in the lateral direction relative to the guide region 40 and microelectronic element 50 optionally may be controlled by engaging edges 28 and 30 with a guide ; by momentarily inserting a guide pin through matching holes in regions 38 and 40 , such as in the sprocket holes 32 and 30 , or by other measures . the process may optionally include other steps , such as application of an encapsulant before or after folding , and assembly of other elements with the strip . although this action has been described above with reference to the separate stations and steps , it should be appreciated that the folding action performed by both stations constitutes a progressive process . the advancing , folded strip at the downstream end of the process is wound onto take - up reel 62 in a spiral around the axis 72 of the take - up reel . the resulting semi - finished article includes a plurality of microelectronic packages , each including a package element formed from a portion 36 of the substrate , folded so as to provide top and bottom runs and a fold portion connecting the runs , and including a microelectronic element attached to one of the runs , such packages being connected to one another so as to form a flexible strip of indefinite length . the strip is bent and wrapped in a spiral , as discussed above , on the reel . in this semi - finished article , the various packages are connected to one another by the connecting portion 37 . the semi - finished article or wound strip can be used to form microelectronic assemblies . in particular , the fold packages can be fed into a further processing station by paying out the strip from the take - up reel . each package can be detached by severing one package element - forming portion 36 from the strip . this severing operation may be conducted using a shear , punch - and - die set , or other tool which also trims the package to a desired final size . the severing operation and trimming operation may be conducted in conjunction with the operations used to mount the package to a larger assembly as , for example , by solder - bonding the terminals to a circuit board using conventional surface - mounting techniques . the forming process can operate inexpensively at a high production rate . moreover , providing the folded packages in a strip of indefinite length simplifies feeding and further processing steps , and thus further contributes to the overall economy of the process . numerous variations of the features discussed above with reference to fig1 - 5 can be employed . for example , in the embodiment of fig6 and 7 , the strip in its starting form includes pairs of package element - forming portions 136 and 136 ′, disposed side - by - side . each package element - forming portion 136 includes a guide region 138 , whereas each package element - forming portion 136 ′ includes a guide region 138 ′, the guide regions adjoining one another along a border 102 . each portion 136 includes a lift region 140 disposed adjacent the first edge of the strip , whereas each portion 136 ′ includes a lift region 140 ′ adjacent the second edge of the strip . these elements are lifted by lifting elements 164 and 164 ′ ( fig6 ) and folded by flattening or additional movement elements 166 and 168 ( fig7 ) to form two packages side - by - side along each portion of the length of the strip . the strip can be wound onto a take - up reel in this condition and subsequently severed along its length , along a border 102 between the packages , i . e ., between the guide sections 138 and 138 ′. alternatively , the strip can be severed along its length downstream from the folding stations so as to provide two separate strips , each including a series of packages as discussed above . in yet another alternative embodiment , the doubly - folded strip shown in fig7 may be used as is , to provide a series of packages , each of which includes two folds at opposite edges . in a further variant , the step of additionally displacing a lift region after lifting may be performed in whole or in part by an element having a laterally - sloping surface 265 ( fig8 ) sloping inwardly in the lateral or widthwise direction w , in the downstream direction . this element may be disposed downstream from the upwardly - sloping lifting surface 264 so that as each lift region 238 passes downstream , it is first lifted or displaced upwardly by lifting surface 264 and then forced laterally , toward the corresponding guide region 40 in the lateral direction by surface 265 . surfaces 264 and 265 may be continuous with one another , and may be generally in the form of a section of a helix having an axis extending the downstream direction . in a further variant ( fig9 ), numerous lifting elements 364 are arrayed across the original widthwise or lateral extent of the strip , and numerous guide elements 370 are also arrayed across the width or lateral extent of the strip , the guide elements being interspersed between the lifting elements , so that each guide element engages narrow guide regions of the strip disposed between two lifting elements . in this arrangement , as the strip travels downstream , the lift regions 338 on opposite sides of each guide region 340 are displaced upwardly relative to the guide regions . although not seen in fig9 , the lift elements and guide elements desirably converge with one another in the downstream direction so as to compensate for the progressively narrowing overall width of the strip . in this arrangement , each package element - forming portion includes two lift regions 338 connected to one another by a guide region 340 . the two lift regions form the opposed runs of the package , whereas the guide region forms the fold extending between these runs . this arrangement will produce a strip including numerous packages disposed side - by - side . at the downstream end of the folding apparatus , the strip may be severed along boundaries 302 between adjacent lift regions so as to form individual strips . these strips may be wound individually into a spiral form , as discussed above . in the embodiments discussed above with reference to fig1 - 5 , the microelectronic elements are mounted on the guide region and remain in the original plane of the strip , whereas the terminals are disposed in the life regions . this arrangement can be reversed . also , in the arrangements discussed above , the strip is supplied with microelectronic elements already mounted thereon in a previous process . in a variant , the microelectronic elements can be applied to the strip during the process , typically upstream of the folding stations . in a further variant , the microelectronic elements can be mounted to the outer surface of the strip , so that the microelectronic elements are positioned on the outside of the folded package , rather than between the runs . also , the folding process can be performed without microelectronic elements mounted to the strip . such a process can be used , for example , where the microelectronic elements are to be mounted on the outside of the folded package , rather than between the top and bottom runs of the package . a strip 420 used in a further embodiment of the invention incorporates dielectric layer 422 . the strip includes a plurality of package element - forming portions 436 ( fig1 and 11 ). here again , each package element - forming portion includes the elements in the package element for a fold package , such as traces , terminals and other metallic components , ( not shown ), as well as a dielectric layer or layers . the strip desirably is of indefinite length , and desirably is supplied on a reel , as discussed above . in the starting condition , seen in plan view adjacent the top of fig1 and seen in sectional view in fig1 , each portion 436 includes a base region 438 and a flap 440 connected to the base region at a juncture 402 between the base region 438 and flap 440 . each flap 440 is bounded by a gap 404 extending through the dielectric layer . gap 404 may be completely continuous or else may be interrupted by small , weak frangible webs ( not shown ) extending between the flap and the surrounding regions of the strip . as seen in fig1 , each juncture region 402 extends in the widthwise or lateral direction of the strip , and each flap 440 extends downstream from its juncture 402 with the base region . stated another way , the junctures 402 are parallel with one another and extend in the lateral or widthwise direction w of the strip . in the folding process , the strip is advanced lengthwise in a downstream direction d , as discussed above . at a first folding station , a lifting tool 410 , seen in plan view in fig1 and in sectional view in fig1 , is advanced upwardly from beneath the strip so that the lifting tool 410 engages each flap 440 and bends the flap upwardly relative to the other regions of the tape . in the embodiments of fig1 and 12 , separate lifting tools engage separate flaps 440 . each lifting tool moves upwardly into a hole 410 in the strip , in the region formerly occupied by the flap 440 . the lifting tools are retracted downwardly , below the strip , before continued advance of the strip brings the base regions 438 downstream over the lifting tools . the flaps 440 , however , remain in the upwardly projecting , partially bent configuration illustrated in fig1 , so that each flap projects upwardly from the associated base region 438 and from other regions of the strip . as each package element - forming portion 436 advances further downstream , it encounters an additional displacement or flattening station 460 including an upper flattening element which , in this instance , is a roller 466 . the additional displacement or flattening station may include an additional roller ( not shown ) disposed beneath the path of the strip , so that the rollers cooperatively define a nip similar to that discussed above with reference to fig1 . the upper flattening element 466 catches the upwardly - projecting flap as the strip moves downstream and bends it backwards in the upstream direction around juncture 402 , thus forming a package with one run consisting of the flap 440 , another run consisting of the base region 438 and a fold 471 . this process also can include the optional steps discussed above , such as the use of an adhesive and additional assembly steps . additional elements such as guide pins optionally may be used to constrain each flap with respect to the associated base portion . the base region of each folded package is linked to the other packages in the completed strip by the remaining portions of the strip . the strip of packages formed in this manner can be handled in substantially the same way as the strips discussed above . here again , the strip can be wound on a reel or otherwise stored in its indefinite length form and further processed , as by severing the individual packages from the strip . although the particular strip illustrated in fig1 includes only two columns of package element - forming portions 436 disposed across the width of the strip , any number of package element - forming portions can be provided . in a further variant , the individual flaps 440 disposed side - by - side in a row extending across the width of the strip may be merged with one another into a single , larger flap . this larger flap is folded and bent in the manner discussed above with reference to fig1 - 13 as , for example , by using a single large lifting tool to bend the entire flap upwardly . the individual packages can be severed from one another after such folding . in a further variant , the flaps 440 may not project downstream or lengthwise from the base regions 438 in the starting condition of the strip . stated another way , junctures 402 may not extend in the widthwise direction . in this embodiment , the lifting tools can lift the flaps in the same manner as discussed above with reference to fig1 , but the additional displacement or flattening tool should be provided with a component of motion in the lateral direction of the strip , so that the motion of the flattening tool relative to the strip includes a component of motion in a direction opposite to the direction of projection of the flap . for example , if the flap projects toward edge 428 ( to the left in fig1 ) in the starting condition of the strip , the additional displacement or flattening tool should move relative to the flap in the direction away from edge 428 , to the right in fig1 . for example , a laterally - sloping surface such as surface 265 can be used . in yet another variant , the flaps may be arranged so that they project upstream , or rearwardly along the length of the strip , from their junctures with the base portions . in this arrangement , the lifting tool again can operate in the manner discussed above , but the additional displacement or flattening tool should move downstream relative to the strip . in a further variant ( fig1 ), the strip , in its starting configuration , includes base regions 538 and flaps 540 , similar to those discussed above with reference to fig1 . here again , each flap 540 projects in the lengthwise direction of the strip , and the junctures 502 extend laterally across the strip . the strip is advanced with each flap 540 leading the associated base region 538 , i . e ., with the flaps 540 pointing downstream from the associated base regions 538 . as the tape is advanced downstream , it passes over a curved member 580 in the form of a cylindrical drum having a curved surface 582 , which in this embodiment is a surface of revolution about a laterally - oriented axis 584 . in the embodiment illustrated , the drum is rotatable about axis 584 , so that surface 582 moves downstream with the strip at a surface speed equal to the speed of downstream motion of the strip . as the strip passes downstream and bends around curved surface 582 , those portions of the strip other than the flaps bend in conformity with the surface 582 of the curved element . however , because each flap 540 is only attached to the remaining portions of the strip at its juncture 502 with the associated base portion , the flaps 540 do not bend into conformity with the curved surface 582 . thus , each flap 540 tends to remain straight and thus projects upwardly , in a direction transverse to the downstream direction d and transverse to the widthwise or lateral direction of the strip , relative to the other portions of the strip and hence relative to the base portion 538 . stated another way , bending the other portions of the strip around curved surface 582 causes the flaps to bend upwardly away from such other portions , as shown , for example , by flap 540 a ( fig1 ). with additional movement of the strip in the downstream direction , around drum 580 , the upwardly - projecting tips or downstream extremities 506 of the upwardly - projecting flaps encounter a fixed element 508 in the form of a blade disposed above the strip . as the strip continues to advance , the extremity 506 of each flap is forced rearwardly , or in the upstream direction , relative to the associated base portion 538 , while thus bending the flap back over the base portion and over the microelectronic element 550 mounted on the base portion . a further flattening element in the form of a roller 566 completes the folding process , leaving the strip with packages 590 , each including a bottom run formed from the base element 538 and a top run formed from the flap 540 . this strip also can be handled and processed in the manner discussed above . in the embodiments discussed above which use flaps , the flaps may be provided in the starting strip , or may be formed during the process , as by punching , laser ablating or otherwise treating the strip to form the gaps and thus define the flaps prior to the flap - bending step . the process of fig1 can include the optional features discussed above . in a variant of the approach shown in fig1 , curved surface 502 may be stationary , so that the bottom or outer surface 526 of the strip slides over the curved surface . a further aspect of the further invention provides techniques for dealing with die shrink . die shrink , as referred to herein , refers to the common practice in the microelectronics industry of progressively reducing the size of semiconductor dies during production of a die having a given function . that is , when a die manufacturer first produces dies of a given function , the dies may have relatively large horizontal dimensions . as the manufacturer gains expertise in production of the particular die , the manufacturer , or a competitor , typically is able to make the die with smaller horizontal dimensions , but with the same function . however , it may not be economically feasible or desirable to change the substrate used to form a folded package . typically , the terminals used to secure the folded package containing a later - generation , smaller - size die to a circuit board should be disposed in the same pattern as the terminals on the package used to contain the larger earlier - generation die having the same function . in a method according to a further embodiment of the present invention , a first set of fold packages is produced using a package element 600 ( fig1 ) having bond pads 602 , or other features adapted for connection to a semiconductor die . these features 602 are disposed at a predetermined location relative to terminals 604 , the bond pads being connected to the terminals by traces extending along the package element . the package element 600 is folded so as to define a top run 606 and a bottom run 608 , the terminals 604 being disposed on the bottom run . the bond pads 602 , thus , lie at a preselected distance d b from the fold . in the embodiment depicted in elevational view in fig1 and shown in plan view in fig1 , the package element incorporates a hole 610 for transmission of acoustic energy to the interior of the package . after folding , the hole 610 , bond pads 602 and terminals 604 are all disposed in a first zone z 1 of the package , adjacent to the fold 612 . folding processes such as those discussed above can be facilitated by providing the substrate to be folded with a relatively weak section at the location where folding is to occur . such section desirably is elongated and has less resistance to bending about its axis of elongation than the adjacent sections . for example , such weak sections may extend along the boundary 42 between the lift regions and guide regions in the embodiment of fig1 - 5 or along the junctures 402 ( fig1 ) between the flaps and base portions . such weak sections 701 can be formed by indenting the substrate with a tool 702 ( fig1 ). where the substrate includes a dielectric layer 722 and a layer of metallic features 746 , the indentation desirably is formed in the dielectric layer . the indentation in the dielectric layer can be made without indenting the metallic layer , so as to prevent damage to the metallic layer . however , particularly where the metallic layer is relatively thick or where the metallic layer covers a large portion of the surface of the dielectric , it may be desirable to indent the metallic layer in addition to indenting the dielectric layer , or in lieu of indenting the dielectric layer , to assure that the fold occurs at the indentation . the indentation process may be performed at any time prior to folding . where the fold axes are parallel to the direction of advance of a strip - like substrate , the indentation tool 702 may be in the form of a roller having a convex surface and an axis of rotation extending transverse to direction of advance . a backup roller 704 may form a nip with roller 702 . in other embodiments , the indenting tool may be a reciprocating die having a convex ridge , such die being moved into and out of engagement with the substrate . in still other embodiments , the weak section can be formed by selectively patterning metallic features . for example , where the substrate includes a metallic ground plane , such ground plane can be solid in areas outside of the weak section and can have holes within the weak section . as seen in fig1 , the substrate is folded so that the weak section 701 forms the fold in the package . a first set of packages is made using this package element and using first semiconductor dies 614 . these dies have relatively large horizontal dimensions , and thus extend relatively far from fold 612 and outside of zone z 1 when the contacts 616 of the dies are bonded to the bond pads 602 of the package element and the package element is folded , as illustrated . also , each die 614 has a sensitive region such as an acoustically - sensitive region 618 . the acoustically - sensitive region 618 is displaced slightly from the center of hole 610 , but still in acceptable alignment with the hole . a large number of such first packages can be manufactured using the same package element and folding procedures . in a further step of a method according to this embodiment of the invention , additional packages are manufactured using the same package element , but using second dies 614 ′ ( fig1 ) having smaller horizontal dimensions . second dies 614 ′ have contacts 616 ′ disposed in the same pattern as the contacts 616 on the first dies . thus , the contacts 616 ′ can be bonded to the same features 602 on the same package element . however , the smaller , second die 614 does not project as far from the fold 612 in the package element as the first die 614 ; the entirety of the second die 614 ′ lies within the first zone z 1 of the package . this leaves some excess portions of the package element which can be trimmed away if desired , or can be left in place . the distance between the sensitive element 618 ′ and contact array 616 ′ of the second dies is less than the comparable distance between the sensitive element 618 and contacts 616 of the larger , first dies . because the contacts 616 ′ of the second dies are bonded to the bond pads 602 of the package element , the bond pads 616 ′ of the second dies are disposed in the same location relative to hole 610 as the contacts 616 of the first dies . however , because of the smaller distance between contacts 616 ′ and sensitive element 618 ′, the sensitive element is displaced , relative to hole 610 and other features of the folded package element . in this case , the displacement causes the sensitive area 618 of the second die to be in better alignment with hole 610 than the sensitive areas 618 of the first dies . this can be helpful , inasmuch as a smaller second die may have somewhat lower sensitivity to acoustic energy . as these and other variations and combinations of the features discussed above can be utilized , the foregoing description of the preferred embodiments should be taken by way of illustration rather than by limitation of the present invention .	7
an exemplary electric grill according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention is shown in fig1 and 2 , and generally designated as 10 . the electric grill 10 includes a body 12 for housing various electrical and electronic components , controllable by operation of a knob 11 and switches 13 of a control panel 14 . a grease catch 19 is detachably secured with the body 12 for catching grease generated during grilling . contained in a top - open housing 15 in the body 12 is a fan 16 . the top of the housing 15 is closed by a removable non - woven fabric ( not shown ) capable of capturing oil . positioned on the housing 15 is a heat source 18 , which may be an electric resistance heatable upon passing of electricity , or an infra - red heater adapted to emit infra - red radiation . an inner liner 20 is releasably engageable with a peripheral edge 22 of the body 12 . provided in the grill 10 are two electric resistive wires 24 . the wires 24 may be caused to heat up upon passing of electricity , for heating a grill plate 26 positioned above the wires 24 . a metal lid 28 with a glass window is releasably engageable with the body 12 to cover the grill 10 . in particular , a cavity 30 is formed between the grill plate 26 and the lid 28 when the lid 28 is engaged with the body 12 of the grill 10 . the grill plate 26 , which is detachably placed on the inner liner 20 , has a central upwardly extending hollow portion 32 for detachably supporting a container 34 for containing such smoking elements as processed and synthesized wood chips , smoke pellets , and the like 36 which can give out smoke when heated , e . g . up to 200 ° c . to 250 ° c ., for smoking the food . for regulating the amount of smoke given out by the wood chips or smoke pellets 36 , a perforated plate 38 is provided to releasably cover the top open end of the container 34 . in this grill 10 , the container 34 , and thus the wood chips or smoke pellets 36 contained in it , may be heated up by the heat source 18 . it should also be noted that on the peripheral surface of the portion 32 are a number of holes 40 , allowing air in the cavity 30 which is filled with smoke particles to pass through . during operation , the grill 10 may be used as a conventional grill with no smoking function , in which case the heat source 18 will not be activated , and only one or both of the electric resistive wires 24 will be activated to heat up the grill plate 26 for grilling food supported on the plate 26 . if smoking of the food is required , wood chips or smoke pellets 36 are put into the container 34 and the heat source 18 then activated for heating up the container 34 and the wood chips or smoke pellets 36 up to the required temperature for generating smoke . in order to prevent smoke from filling the indoor environment in which the grill 10 is used , the lid 28 is detachably engaged with the body 12 to cover the grill plate 26 . the fan 16 is then activated to generate air circulation in the grill 10 . in particular , when the fan 16 is activated , smoke - filled and grease - filled air is drawn from the cavity 30 between the lid 28 and the grill plate 26 through the holes 40 ( in the direction indicated by the arrows a in fig2 ) into the interior of the body 12 . the air so drawn then passes through the removable non - woven fabric ( not shown ) so that the oil / grease carried by it is captured by the fabric . the air is then caused to flow back to the cavity 30 between the lid 28 and the grill plate 26 through side holes 42 in the body 12 , in the direction indicated by the arrows b in fig2 . apart from being an electric resistance or an infra - red heater as discussed above , the heat source 18 may also be a halogen lamp of an operating voltage of 120v , 230v or 240v , depending on the voltage of the local municipal electricity supply , and with an operating power of 300 w - 500 w , depending on the requirement of the manufacturers . an advantage of using a light source , e . g . a halogen lamp as discussed herein , as the heat source 18 is that heat can be supplied and withdrawn nearly instantly . thus the smoking operation can be controlled more easily . as the operating temperature of a halogen lamp can be very high , it is advisable to provide a strong and heat - resistant casing . in this connection , an appropriate material for making such a casing may be a glass - ceramic material traded by schott glas , of germany , under their trade mark ceran ®. such a material has a very high thermal stability and can withstand a temperature of up to 750 ° c . this material can transmit heat very efficiently with nearly no heat loss . it can be seen that , by way of the above - mentioned arrangement , smoke grilling of food can be performed indoor , without fear of filling the indoor environment with smoke . in addition , conventional non - smoke grilling and smoke grilling of food may be performed by a single apparatus , at the wish of the user . in particular , the smoking function can be easily activated and deactivated , simply by activating or deactivating the heat source 18 , e . g . by operating one of the buttons 13 . furthermore , as the lid 28 , grill plate 26 , container 34 , plate 38 of the container 34 and the inner liner 20 are all releasably engaged with each other , and thus with the body 12 of the grill 10 , all these parts can be detached from the body 12 of the grill 10 for thorough cleaning . the remaining part of the grill 10 may also be more thoroughly cleaned than existing grills . it should be understood that the above only illustrates an example whereby the present invention may be carried out , and that various modifications and / or alterations may be made thereto without departing from the spirit of the invention . it should also be understood that various features of the invention which are , for brevity , described here in the context of a single embodiment , may also be provided separately or in any appropriate sub - combinations .	0
the instant invention is primarily directed to an improved recovery and selective conversion system following a methyltert - alkyl ether process in which the production of 2 - olefins , e . g ., 2 - butenes , is maximized for alkylation of an isoparaffin , e . g ., isobutane , and at the same time supplies sufficient isoolefin , e . g ., isobutene , for methyltertiarybutyl ether production , by eliminating low octane producing 1 - olefin hydrocarbons in the etherification effluent , e . g ., 1 - butene , by isomerization in part to 2 - butenes and in part to isobutene for use in alkylation and ether manufacture , respectively . a better understanding of the invention will be obtained by reference to the accompanying drawing which shows an arrangement of an apparatus combination representing a preferred embodiment of the invention . various stream flow arrangements are illustrated on the drawing to show the flexibility of the operation for producing gasoline and gasoline blending components in an efficient manner . referring now to the drawing , a butenes - containing stream ( comprising butene - 1 , butenes - 2 , and isobutene ) from a catalytic cracking plant or other source , is charged via conduit ( 1 ) to a conventional methyltertiarybutyl ether ( mtbe ) plant a ( zone i ) along with methanol via conduit ( 2 ) and along with an isobutene stream ( 18 ) from a skeletal isomerization ( zone iv ) discussed hereinbelow . from the mtbe plant a ( zone i ) mtbe is recovered via conduit ( 3 ) for use in gasoline blends as an octane enhancer . the mtbe reaction combines methanol with isobutene to make mtbe . the now linear butenes enriched stream from the mtbe plant a is passed via conduit ( 4 ) to butenes - 2 adsorption b ( zone ii ). the reaction between the c 4 cut and methanol is generally performed in the presence of an acid catalyst . the usual operating conditions are a temperature from about 0 ° to about 65 ° c . more often from about 10 ° to about 38 ° c . the etherification reaction is well - known . in adsorption zone b , a molecular sieve , as fully disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 3 , 763 , 261 , is utilized to adsorb butenes - 2 from butene - 1 . normally , at least two sieve units are used , one on adsorption of butenes - 2 ( adsorption unit b ) and another on the desorption cycle to recover butenes - 2 therefrom ( desorption unit c ). details of flow pipes for alternating units b and c on the adsorption - desorption cycles are not shown in order to simplify this disclosure . those versed in the adsorption - desorption art can very easily supply such piping and valves . from adsorption unit b , on the adsorption cycle , the butene - 1 stream ( not adsorbed ) is recovered via conduit ( 6 ). from adsorption unit c , on the desorption cycle , the butenes - 2 adsorbed during the use of unit c on its adsorption cycle , are desorbed using hot vaporized butenes - 2 stream ( 21 ), from a source described hereinbelow , as the desorbing medium . the butenes - 2 from unit c ( including the desorbed butenes - 2 and the butenes - 2 utilized as the desorbing medium ) are removed via ( 7 ), and after cooling and condensing to liquid , are passed as the butenes - 2 - rich olefin feed for conventional hf catalytic alkylation of isobutane in the alkylation plant d ( zone iii ). in addition , isobutane is charged via conduit ( 8 ) to the alkylation plant d . herein , as is known by those skilled in the alkylation art , butenes - 2 and isobutane react to produce extremely high octane alkylate when hf is used as the catalyst . details of the hf alkylation plant are not illustrated since such are well known to those skilled in this art . see , e . g ., u . s . pat . no . 4 , 059 , 649 ; u . s . pat . no . 4 , 144 , 281 ; u . s . pat . no . 4 , 105 , 707 ; among a plethora of patents in the hf alkylation field . the alkylation reaction is conducted under conventional conditions for aliphatic alkylation . the alkylation is suitably carried out by the reaction of the mixture of hydrocarbons comprising isoparaffins containing from 4 to 8 carbon atoms and olefins containing 3 to 8 carbon atoms . the isoparaffins most commonly used as feedstock for motor gasoline alkylate are isobutane and isopentane . the olefins most commonly used are propylene and butenes . preferred feedstocks currently are isobutane and a butylenes mixture . in this specific example , isobutane is reacted with the mainly straight chain butenes - 2 remaining from the mtbe plant . referring again to the hf alkylation , wherein fractionation details are not shown , there are recovered acid soluble oils ( 12 ), normal butane ( 11 ) [ which can be conventionally isomerized to isobutane and used as a part of the isobutane stream ( 8 )], propane and lighter ( 13 ) and high octane alkylate product ( 9 ). this &# 34 ; butenes - 2 alkylate &# 34 ;, as is known in hf alkylation , is an extremely high octane blending component for gasolines and is especially valuable in producing tetraethyl lead ( tel )- free gasolines which will be required as the use of tel is phased out due to ecological requirements . returning now to stream ( 6 ), which is the butene - 1 rich steam : stream ( 6 ) is proportioned into stream ( 14 ) and stream ( 16 ) to produce therefrom isobutene and butenes - 2 , respectively . this proportioning relationship depends upon the demand for mtbe for gasoline blending . the example uses a 50 -- 50 split for illustrative purposes . this split can vary , of course , depending on mtbe requirements . that portion of butene - 1 passed to isobutene production ( skeletal isomerization ) is charged to zone iv , unit f , via conduit ( 14 ). light ends are recovered from zone iv via conduit 17 . product isobutene is recovered from zone iv via conduit ( 18 ) and is charged to mtbe production as previously described . another portion of stream ( 6 ) is passed via conduit ( 16 ) to double bond isomerization zone v , unit e , to convert butene - 1 into butenes - 2 . from zone v the light ends are removed via conduit ( 19 ), and butenes - 2 product is removed via conduit ( 21 ) and used , at least in part , as desorption medium in unit c of zone ii . the desorbed butenes - 2 and the butenes - 2 removed from the sieve are charged to the hf alkylation zone iii as the olefin feed therefor . the skeletal isomerization zone iv is a conventional catalytic system for conversion of linear butenes , e . g ., butene - 1 , into isobutene . the disclosure in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 085 , 158 column 9 , lines 62 through line 29 of column 10 , is sufficient to disclose the system of conversion of butene - 1 to isobutene which is used in the process of our invention . the double bond isomerization zone v is also a conventional catalytic system to convert butene - 1 to butenes - 2 . the disclosure in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 085 , 158 , column 9 , line 11 through 59 , is sufficient to disclose the system of conversion of butene - 1 to butenes - 2 which is used in the process of our invention . in this example typical operations and units as illustrated in the drawing are set forth . the stream unit numbers in the example correspond to identical unit numbers in the drawing . table i__________________________________________________________________________units mlb / day ( thousand pounds / day ) __________________________________________________________________________ zone i zone iistream no . 1 2 18 4 3 6 21 7__________________________________________________________________________ recovered olefin produced unreacted mtbe butene - 1 butenes - 2 desor - c . sub . 4 = - 2 &# 39 ; s & amp ; feed methanol isobutene butenes product product ( wo / desorbent ) desorbent bent__________________________________________________________________________propane & amp ; lighter 4 . 61 -- trace 4 . 61 -- 4 . 61 -- trace traceisobutane 63 . 88 -- 68 . 60 132 . 68 -- 130 . 65 1 . 83 64 . 47 66 . 30normal butane 96 . 86 -- 90 . 07 186 . 93 -- 186 . 74 0 . 19 95 . 47 95 . 66isobutene 331 . 66 -- 80 . 81 16 . 50 -- 16 . 09 0 . 41 8 . 00 8 . 41butene - 1 244 . 26 -- 80 . 82 325 . 08 -- 316 . 95 8 . 13 47 . 78 55 . 91c , t .- butenes - 2 275 . 05 -- 1 . 75 276 . 80 -- 5 . 54 271 . 26 111 . 37 382 . 63butadiene 9 . 60 -- -- 8 . 01 1 . 59 0 . 16 7 . 85 -- 7 . 85water 1 . 02 0 . 22 -- 0 . 82 -- 0 . 01 0 . 81 -- 0 . 81methanol -- 222 . 70 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- mtbe -- -- -- -- 612 . 71 -- -- -- -- misc . -- -- -- -- 6 . 38 -- -- -- -- alkylate -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- a . s . o . -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- total 1 , 026 . 94 222 . 92 322 . 05 951 . 23 620 . 68 660 . 75 290 . 48 327 . 09 617 . 57 ( c ) ( b ) ( d ) ( a ) __________________________________________________________________________ zone iii zone iv zone vstream no . 8 11 9 12 13 14 17 18 16 19 21__________________________________________________________________________ propane feed normal hf and light isom . light butenes - 2 isobutene butane alkylate aso lighter feed ends product feed ends product__________________________________________________________________________propane & amp ; lighter 6 . 01 -- -- -- 6 . 01 2 . 30 5 . 70 trace 2 . 31 2 . 43 traceisobutane 412 . 52 2 . 50 1 . 50 -- -- 65 . 33 1 . 60 68 . 60 65 . 32 0 . 86 64 . 47normal butane 14 . 17 69 . 83 40 . 00 -- -- 93 . 37 0 . 35 90 . 07 93 . 37 -- 95 . 47isobutene -- -- -- -- -- 8 . 04 trace 80 . 81 8 . 05 -- 8 . 00butene - 1 -- -- -- -- -- 158 . 47 0 . 66 80 . 82 158 . 48 -- 47 . 78c , t .- butenes - 2 -- -- -- -- -- 2 . 77 -- 1 . 75 2 . 77 -- 111 . 37butadiene -- -- -- -- -- 0 . 08 -- -- -- -- -- water -- -- -- 0 . 81 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- methanol -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- mtbe -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- misc . -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- alkylate -- 2 . 50 923 . 91 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- a . s . o . -- -- -- 3 . 21 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- total 432 . 70 74 . 83 965 . 41 4 . 02 6 . 01 330 . 36 8 . 31 322 . 05 330 . 38 3 . 29 327 . 09 ( b ) ( c ) ( b ) ( d ) __________________________________________________________________________ ( a ) butenes2 products from zone ii and zone v ( conduit 7 is total ) comprise hf alkylation olefin ( rich in butenes2 ) feed . ( b ) the split of stream 6 is 50 / 50 in this illustration . split is made so as to make desired amount of mtbe for plant gasoline blends . ( c ) butene1 isomerization product ( stream 18 ) is charged to mtbe plant of zone i . ( d ) butenes2 product ( stream 21 ) is used to desorb sieve in zone ii . after studying the above description , drawing , and typical operation of our invention , an engineer can readily see that there is herein presented a novel intercooperation of plant operations which optimizes the production of mtbe octane enhancer from isobutene , and which also maximizes the production of the high octane butenes - 2 hf alkylate , thereby allowing a refiner to maximize the production of high octane gasoline blends which can be used tel - free , to meet proposed ecological tel - free requirements , as well as to meet high octane tel - free automotive requirements .	2
in the formula ( i ), r is preferably alkoxy of 1 - 8 carbon atoms , aralkyloxy of 7 - 9 carbon atoms , alkenyloxy of 3 - 6 carbon atoms , alkynyloxy of 3 - 6 carbon atoms , cyclohexyloxy , tetrahydrofurfuryloxy , ω - alkoxyalkyloxy of 2 - 6 carbon atoms , ω - chloroalkyloxy of 2 - 6 carbon atoms , 2 - nitrobutyloxy , alkylamino of 1 - 9 carbon atoms , ω - alkoxyalkylamino of 2 - 6 carbon atoms , ω - alkoxycarbonyl - alkylamino of 2 - 8 carbon atoms , alkenylamino of 3 - 5 carbon atoms , cyclopropylamino , cyclohexylmethylamino , phenylamino , aralkylamino of 7 - 10 carbon atoms , 2 - phenylcarbamoylethylamino , n , n - tetramethylenecarbamoylmethylamino , dialkylamino of 2 - 10 carbon atoms , n - alkyl - n -( ω - alkoxycarbonylalkyl ) amino of 3 - 7 carbon atoms , n - alkyl - n - aralkylamino of 8 - 10 carbon atoms , n - alkyl - n -( ω - acylalkyl ) amino of 4 - 8 carbon atoms , n , n - polymethyleneiminyl of 3 - 10 carbon atoms , n , n - polymethyleneiminyl of 3 - 10 carbon atoms substituted with alkyl of 1 - 5 carbon atoms , alkoxycarbonyl of 2 - 5 carbon atoms , acyl of 2 - 5 carbon atoms , and carbamoyl ; n -( tetrahydro - 1 , n - oxazinyl ), wherein n is the integers 2 , 3 or 4 , n -( tetrahydro - 1 , n - oxyazinyl ), wherein n is the integers 2 , 3 or 4 and which is substituted by one or two alkyl groups of 1 - 5 carbon atoms ; 2 - isoindolinyl , 4 - alkyl - 1 - piperazinyl of 5 - 8 carbon atoms , 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 - tetrahydro - 1 - quinolyl , and 4 -( 4 - azabicyclo ( 3 . 2 . 2 ) nonyl ). suitable compounds of this invention include n 2 - dansyl - l - arginine esters and amides such as n 2 - dansyl - l - arginine ethyl ester , n 2 - dansyl - l - arginine n - propyl ester , n 2 - dansyl - l - arginine n - butyl ester , n 2 - dansyl - l - arginine n - amyl ester , n 2 - dansyl - l - arginine isopentyl ester , n 2 - dansyl - l - arginine n - hexyl ester , n 2 - dansyl - l - arginine benzyl ester , n 2 - dansyl - l - arginine crotyl ester , n 2 - dansyl - l - arginine 3 - butynyl ester , n 2 - dansyl - l - arginine 2 - methoxyethyl ester , n 2 - dansyl - l - arginine 3 - chloropropyl ester , n 2 - dansyl - l - arginine 4 - chlorobutyl ester , n 2 - dansyl - n -( n - butyl )- l - argininamide , n 2 - dansyl - n -( 2 - methoxyethyl )- l - argininamide , n 2 - dansyl - n -( 2 - ethoxyethyl )- l - argininamide , n 2 - dansyl - n -( 2 - methoxycarbonylethyl )- l - argininamide , n 2 - dansyl - n -( 2 - ethoxycarbonylethyl )- l - argininamide , n 2 - dansyl - n - allyl - l - argininamide , n 2 - dansyl - n - methyl - n -( n - butyl )- l - argininamide , n 2 - dansyl - n - methyl - n -( 2 - methoxycarbonylethyl )- l - argininamide , n 2 - dansyl - n - methyl - n - benzyl - l - argininamide , n 2 - dansyl - n - methyl - n -( 2 - acetylethyl )- l - argininamide , 1 -( n 2 - dansyl - l - arginyl ) pyrrolidine , 1 -( n 2 - dansyl - l - arginyl ) piperidine , 2 - methyl - 1 -( n 2 - dansyl - l - arginyl ) piperidine , 3 - methyl - 1 -( n 2 - dansyl - l - arginyl ) piperidine , 4 - methyl - 1 -( n 2 - dansyl - l - arginyl ) piperidine , 4 - ethyl - 1 -( n 2 - dansyl - l - arginyl ) piperidine , 4 -( n - propyl )- 1 -( n 2 - dansyl - l - arginyl ) piperidine , 4 -( isopropyl )- 1 -( n 2 - dansyl - l - arginyl ) piperidine , 4 - methoxycarbonyl - 1 -( n 2 - dansyl - l - arginyl ) piperidine , 4 - acetyl - 1 -( n 2 - dansyl - l - arginyl ) piperidine , n 2 - dansyl - n , n - hexamethylene - l - argininamide , n 2 - dansyl - n , n - heptamethylene - l - argininamide , n 2 - dansyl - n , n - octamethylene - l - argininamide , 4 -( n 2 - dansyl - l - arginyl ) morpholine , 2 -( n 2 - dansyl - l - arginyl ) isoindoline , 4 - methyl - 1 -( n 2 - dansyl - l - arginyl ) piperazine , and n 2 - dansyl - n -( 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 - tetrahydro - 1 - quinolyl ) argininamide . for the preparation of the compounds of this invention , various methods can be employed depending upon the particular starting materials and / or intermediates involved . successful preparation of these compounds is possible by way of several synthetic routes which are outlined below . n 2 - dansyl - l - arginine , which is the starting material for the preparation of n 2 - dansyl - l - arginine esters , is most generally obtained by reacting l - arginine and dansyl chloride , that is , 5 - dimethylamino - 1 - naphthalenesulfonyl chloride , in the presence of a base . however , n 2 - dansyl - l - arginine may also be obtained by reacting ornithine , the ω - position of which is protected , with dansyl chloride in the presence of a base , removing the protective group at the ω - position of the product , and thereafter guanidylating the obtained n 2 - dansyl ornithine by conventional procedures . n 2 - dansyl - l - arginine esters or acid addition salts thereof are prepared by esterifying the above - mentioned n 2 - dansyl - l - arginine in accordance with the processes explained below . ( i ) esterification by heating n 2 - dansyl - l - arginine and an alcohol the reaction rate is low in this method which is therefore conducted under high pressure at an elevated temperature . care must be exercised , since n 2 - dansyl - l - arginine is easily decomposed at high temperatures . ( ii ) esterification of n 2 - dansyl - l - arginine with an alcohol in the presence of an esterification catalyst suitable esterification catalysts include hydrogen halides , such as hydrogen chloride , hydrogen bromide or the like ; mineral acids such as sulfuric acid , nitric acid , phosphoric acid , or the like ; organic acids , such as toluenesulfonic acid , benzenesulfonic acid , methanesulfonic acid , trifluoromethanesulfonic acid , trifluoroacetic acid , cationic ion exchange resins or the like ; and lewis acids , such as boron trifluoride , aluminum chloride , or the like . strong acids are especially suitable . a strong acid esterification catalyst adds to an n 2 - dansyl - l - arginine ester to form an acid addition salt thereof . normally , 2 equivalents of acid add to 1 equivalent of n 2 - dansyl - l - arginine ester , and therefore , 2 equivalents or more of the esterification catalyst are preferably used for each 1 equivalent of n 2 - dansyl - l - arginine . suitable alcohols for the above - mentioned esterification include primary , secondary , and tertiary alkyl alcohols containing up to 10 carbon atoms , such as methanol , ethanol , n - propanol , isopropyl alcohol , tert - butyl alcohol , n - amyl alcohol , n - hexyl alcohol , 2 - ethylhexanol ; aralkyl alcohols containing up to 15 carbon atoms , such as benzyl alcohol , phenethyl alcohol , 1 - phenylethanol , 1 - phenyl - 1 - propanol , or the like ; tetrahydrofurfuryl alcohol ; alkenyl alcohols containing up to 10 carbon atoms , such as allyl alcohol , crotyl alcohol , methyl vinyl carbinol , or the like ; alkynyl alcohols containing up to 10 carbon atoms , such as propargyl alcohols , 3 - butyn - 1 - ol , or the like ; cycloalkyl alcohols containing up to 10 carbon atoms , such as cyclohexanol , cyclopentanol , or the like ; and alkyl alcohols containing up to 10 carbon atoms substituted by an alkoxy group of up to 10 carbon atoms , a halogen or a nitro group , such as 3 - chloro - 1 - propanol , 2 - chloro - 1 - propanol , 1 - chloro - 2 - propanol , 2 - fluoro - 1 - ethanol , 2 - chloro - 1 - ethanol , 4 - chloro - 1 - butanol , 2 - nitro - 1 - butanol , 3 - nitro - 1 - propanol , 2 - methoxyethanol , 3 - ethoxypropanol , or the like . n 2 - dansyl - l - arginine reacts with an equimolar amount of an alcohol . however , at least 5 moles of alcohol per mole of n 2 - dansyl - l - arginine are preferably employed to enhance the reaction rate . the esterification reaction can be carried out in an inert reaction solvent , such as an aromatic hydrocarbon , e . g ., benzene , toluene , xylene , or the like ; a chlorinated hydrocarbon , e . g ., carbon tetrachloride , chloroform , dichloromethane , or the like ; a hydrocarbon solvent , e . g ., hexane , cyclohexane , or the like ; an ether , e . g ., dioxane , tetrahydrofuran , or the like ; or a mixture of these compounds . especially preferred solvents include benzene , toluene , xylene , cyclohexane , carbon tetrachloride , dichloromethane , which form azeotropic mixtures with water , and are therefore advantageous for the esterification reaction , since water formed during the reaction can be easily removed , and the reaction can be carried out advantageously at equilibrium . the reaction temperature is dependent upon the alcohol to be employed and the activity of the catalyst . generally , the temperature ranges from 0 ° c . to the boiling point of the alcohol or solvent . the reaction time varies widely with the species of alcohol employed and the activity of the catalyst and ranges from 10 minutes to 15 hours . after the reaction is completed , the alcohol and / or solvent is distilled off , and an n 2 - dansyl - l - arginine ester or an acid addition salt thereof is obtained . normally , 2 equivalents of acid esterification catalyst addes to the n 2 - dansyl - l - arginine ester . the acid addition salt can be converted to the corresponding n 2 - dansyl - l - arginine ester by adjusting the ph of the medium . n 2 - dansyl - l - arginine esters and acid addition salts thereof can be purified by recrystallization from a combination of solvents , such as ethyl ether , alcohols , acetone or the like , or reprecipitating by addition of ether to an alcohol solution of the compounds . ( iii ) esterification of n 2 - dansyl - l - arginine by the reaction of n 2 - dansyl - l - arginine with an alcohol and a thionyl halide suitable thionyl halides include thionyl chloride and thionyl bromide . n 2 - dansyl - l - arginine reacts with an equimolar amount of thionyl halide . however , at least 2 moles of thionyl halide per one mole of n 2 - dansyl - l - arginine are desirable in order to drive the reaction to completion . during the reaction , the thionyl halide decomposes to a hydrogen halide and so 2 , and the formed hydrogen halide adds to the n 2 - dansyl - l - arginine ester to form a dihalogeno acid salt of the n 2 - dansyl - l - arginine ester . the other reaction conditions and the procedures for separation and purification of the product are the same as in process ( ii ) ( esterification with an esterification catalyst ). n 2 - dansyl - l - arginine methyl ester can be prepared by the reaction of n 2 - dansyl - l - arginine with diazomethane ; reaction of n 2 - dansyl - l - arginine with dimethyl sulfite and tosylsulfonic acid ; and reaction of n 2 - dansyl - l - arginine with dimethyl sulfate . ( v ) reaction of an alkali metal salt of n 2 - dansyl - l - arginine with an alkyl halide alkyl esters of n 2 - dansyl - l - arginine can be prepared by reacting an alkali metal salt of n 2 - dansyl - l - arginine and an alkyl halide in a polar solvent . in addition , n 2 - dansyl - l - arginine may be esterified by other processes , but processes ( ii ) and ( iii ) are generally used . l - arginine esters or acid addition salts thereof , which are used as the starting materials of n 2 - dansyl - l - arginine esters or acid addition salts thereof , are most generally obtained by reacting l - arginine with an alcohol in the presence of an acid catalyst . when the esterification is carried out in the presence of an acid catalyst , an acid addition salt of an l - arginine ester is usually obtained . suitable dansyl halides includes dansyl chloride , dansyl bromide or the like . dansyl chloride is preferred . the reaction between an l - arginine ester or an acid addition salt thereof and a dansyl halide is normally carried out in the presence of a base . the base captures the hydrogen halide formed during the reaction and enhances the reaction rate . suitable bases include organic bases , such as triethylamine , pyridine , or the like ; and common inorganic bases such as sodium hydroxide , potassium hydroxide , potassium carbonate , or the like . the inorganic bases are usually used in aqueous solution . the base is normally used in an amount at least equivalent to the l - arginine ester . when an acid addition salt of an l - arginine ester is used as the starting material , an excess of base sufficient to convert the l - arginine ester acid addition salt to the l - arginine ester is desirably used in addition to the amount to be used as the catalyst . the dansyl halide reacts with an equimolar amount of an l - arginine ester or an acid addition salt thereof . the reaction between an l - arginine ester or an acid addition salt thereof and a dansyl halide is usually carried out in a solvent . suitable solvents include water , chlorinated solvents , such as dichloromethane , chloroform , carbon tetrachloride , and the like ; aromatic hydrocarbons , such as benzene , toluene , xylene and the like ; esters such as ethyl ether , tetrahydrofuran , tetrahydropyran and the like ; ketones such as acetone , methyl ethyl ketone , cyclohexanone and the like ; basic solvents , such as dimethylacetamide , dimethylformamide , tetramethylurea , n - methylpyrrolidone , pyridine , quinoline , and the like ; or a mixture of two or more of these solvents . a basic solvent acts as an acid acceptor , and therefore addition of base is unnecessary when such solvent is used . the reaction temperature is dependent on the species of arginine esters and bases , but is generally between 0 ° c . and the boiling temperature of the solvent employed . the reaction time varies with the species of the arginine ester and is usually between 10 minutes and 15 hours . after the reaction is completed , the produced salt is washed away with water , the solvent is removed by distillation , and the obtained product is washed with water and / or the solvent . to the thus obtained n 2 - dansyl - l - arginine ester , ether and an acid ( e . g ., hydrochloric acid , p - toluene - sulfonic acid , or the like ) are added , and the formed acid addition of salt of n 2 - dansyl - l - arginine ester is isolated . ( a ) reaction of an n 2 - dansyl - l - arginine ester with a primary amine suitable n 2 - dansyl - l - arginine esters or the acid addition salts thereof , include the methyl ester , ethyl ester , isopropyl ester and the like or the hydrochlorides thereof . suitable amines include primary amines , such as an alkylamine containing not more than 10 carbon atoms , e . g ., methylamine , ethylamine , n - propylamine , isopropylamine , n - butylamine , n - hexylamine , n - heptylamine and the like ; an aralkylamine containing not more than 10 carbon atoms , e . g ., β - phenylethylamine and the like ; a cycloalkylamine containing not more than 10 carbon atoms , e . g ., cyclopropylamine , cyclobutylamine , cyclopentylamine , cyclohexylamine , cyclooctylamine , 4 - methylcyclohexylamine , and the like ; an alkylamine containing not more than 10 carbon atoms substituted by an alkoxy group containing not more than 10 carbon atoms , e . g ., 2 - methoxyethylamine , 2 - ethoxyethylamine , 3 - methoxypropylamine , 3 - methoxybutylamine , 3 - methoxypentylamine and the like ; a cycloalkylalkylamine containing not more than 10 carbon atoms , e . g ., cyclohexylmethylamine , 2 - cyclohexylethylamine , cyclobutylmethylamine , 3 - cyclopentylbutylamine and the like , and an alkenylamine containing not more than 10 carbon atoms , e . g ., allylamine , crotylamine , 3 - butenylamine and the like . the amine is preferably used in an amount equivalent to or greater than the n 2 - dansyl - l - arginine ester . the amine is preferably used in excess in order to enhance the reaction rate and to carry out the reaction advantageously at eqyilibrium . the amine is usually used in an amount 2 to 10 times the molar quantity of the n 2 - dansyl - l - arginine ester . when an acid addition salt of an n 2 - dansyl - l - arginine ester is used , the amine is usually converted to an acid addition salt . therefore , it is necessary to use an amine corresponding to the acid addition salt of the amine to be formed in excess . a basic compound may be used as a catalyst . specifically , an alkali metal alkoxide , such as sodium methoxide or a tertiary amine , such as pyridine or the like are preferable . when these catalysts are used , the reaction rate is enhanced and therefore the amine can be used in a lesser amount and milder reaction conditions are thus possible . if the amine is used in large excess , n 2 - dansyl - l - arginine esters or acid addition salts thereof will dissolve in the amine , and therefore the reaction will proceed without a solvent . however , solvents , such as alcohols , e . g ., methanol , ethanol , butanol and the like , ethers , e . g ., ethyl ether , tetrahydrofuran , tetrahydropyran , dioxane and the like ; hydrocarbons , e . g ., benzene , toluene , cyclohexane and the like ; halogenated hydrocarbons , e . g ., carbon tetrachloride , chloroform , dichloromethane and the like ; and water can be used . the reaction is usually carried out by mixing an n 2 - dansyl - l - arginine ester or an acid addition salt thereof with an excess amount of an amine , the resulting homogeneous solution is allowed to stand at room temperature . however , the reaction mixture can be heated to a temperature up to the boiling temperature of the amine or solvent to enhance the reaction rate . the reaction time is dependent on the basicity and amount of amine employed , among other factors , but usually ranges from several hours to several days . after the reaction is completed , the product is collected by filtration , washed with water , and purified by recrystallization from a suitable solvent , e . g ., aqueous methanol , or the like . if solid product does not form , the excess amine and / or the solvent is removed by distillation , and the residue is washed and purified by recrystallization from a suitable solvent . an l - argininamide or an acid addition salt thereof can be obtained by protecting the guanidino and α - amino group of the arginine via nitration , acetylation , formylation , phthaloylation , trifluoroacetylation , p - methoxybenzyloxycarbonylation , benzoylation , benzyoxycarbonylation , t - butyloxycarbonylation or tritylation and then condensing the obtained arginine derivative with an amine by a conventional process such as the acid chloride process , acid azide process , mixed acid anhydride process , activated esterification process , carbodiimide process , or the like , and thereafter removing the protective group . suitable dansyl halides include dansyl chloride , dansyl bromide or the like , but dansyl chloride is preferred . the reaction between an l - argininamide or an acid addition salt thereof and a dansyl halide is usually carried out in the presence of a base . the basic compound captures the hydrogen chloride , which is formed during the reaction , and thus promotes the reaction . suitable bases include organic bases such as triethylamine , pyridine and the like ; or inorganic bases , such as sodium hydroxide , potassium hydroxide , potassium carbonate and the like . inorganic bases are usually used in aqueous solution . the base is used in excess of the amount equivalent to the l - argininamide . when an acid addition salt of an l - argininamide is used , a base is preferably used in an amount sufficient to convert the acid addition salt of the l - argininamide to the free l - argininamide in addition to the amount of base to be used as the catalyst . a dansyl halide is usually reacted with an equimolar amount of an l - argininamide or an acid addition salt thereof in a solvent . suitable solvents include chlorinated hydrocarbons such as dichloromethane , chloroform , carbon tetrachloride and the like ; aromatic hydrocarbons , such as benzene , toluene , xylene and the like ; ethers , such as ethyl ether , tetrahydrofuran , dioxane , tetrahydropyran and the like ; ketones , such as acetone , methyl ethyl ketone , cyclohexanone and the like ; basic solvents , such as dimethyl acetamide , dimethylformamide , tetramethylurea , n - methylpyrrolidone , pyridine , quinoline and the like ; or a mixture of two or more of these solvents . a basic solvent acts as an acid acceptor , and therefore addition of further base is not required in these instances . the reaction temperature is dependent on the species of the l - argininamide and base , but usually ranges between 0 ° c . and the boiling temperature of the solvent . the reaction time varies with the species of the l - argininamide and is usually between 10 minutes and 15 hours . after the reaction is completed , the formed salt is removed by washing with water , the solvent is removed by distillation , and the obtained product is washed with water and / or the solvent , and the n 2 - dansyl - l - argininamide is obtained . the thus obtained n 2 - dansyl - l - argininamide can be isolated in the form of an acid addition salt thereof by addition of ethyl ether and an acid ( e . g ., hydrochloric acid , p - toluenesulfonic acid , and the like ). ( c ) elimination of the n g - substituent from an n g - substituted - n 2 - dansyl - l - argininamide having the formula ( ii ) ## str22 ## an n 2 - dansyl - l - argininamide is prepared by eliminating the n g - substituent from an n g - substituted - n 2 - dansyl - l - argininamide having the above formula ( ii ) by decomposition with an acid or by means of hydrogenation . in the formula ( ii ), r is the same as in the formula ( i ), x and y are hydrogen and protective groups for the guanidino group . at least one of x and y is nitro , tosyl , trityl and oxycarbonyl . specific examples of r in the formula ( ii ) are as follows : ( 1 ) in the case where r = ## str23 ## r 1 and r 2 are respectively an alkyl group containing not more than 10 carbon atoms , e . g ., methyl , ethyl , n - propyl , isopropyl , n - butyl , isobutyl , n - pentyl , n - hexyl , n - heptyl and the like ; an aryl group containing not more than 10 carbon atoms , e . g ., phenyl , tolyl and the like ; an aralkyl group containing not more than 10 carbon atoms , e . g ., benzyl , phenethyl , 3 - phenylpropyl and the like ; a cycloalkyl group containing not more than 10 carbon atoms , e . g ., cyclopropyl , cyclohexyl and the like ; a cycloalkylalkyl group containing not more than 10 carbon atoms , e . g ., cyclohexylmethyl , 3 - cyclohexylpropyl and the like ; an alkenyl group containing not more than 10 carbon atoms , e . g ., allyl , crotyl , 2 - hexenyl and the like ; an alkyl group containing not more than 10 carbon atoms substituted by an alkoxy group , an alkoxycarbonyl group , an acyl group , an acyloxy group , an arylcarbamoyl group or an n , n - polymethylenecarbamoyl group , respectively containing not more than 10 carbon atoms or a carboxyl group , e . g ., methoxyethyl , methoxypropyl , ethoxyethyl , ethoxycarbonylmethyl , 2 - ethoxycarbonylethyl , 2 - methoxycarbonylethyl , 3 - ethoxycarbonylpropyl , 2 - acetylethyl , 2 - acetoxyethyl , 2 - phenylcarbamoylethyl , or n , n - tetramethylenecarbamoylmethyl . ( 2 ) in the case where r = ## str24 ## r may be a 1 - polymethyleneiminyl group or an oxo - substituted group thereof containing not more than 10 carbon atoms , a 1 - polymethyleneiminyl group containing not more than 10 carbon atoms substituted with an alkyl , acyl , alkoxy , or alkoxycarbonyl group containing not more than 10 carbon atoms , e . g ., azetidinyl , 3 - methoxy - 1azetidinyl , 3 - ethoxy - 1 - azetidinyl , 1 - pyrrolidinyl , 2 - ethoxycarbonyl - 1 - pyrrolidinyl , 1 -( 2 - pyrrolidonyl ), 1 - piperidino , 1 -( 4 - piperidonyl ), 4 - methyl - 1 - piperidino , 4 - ethyl - 1 - piperidino , 4 - n - propyl - 1 - piperidino , 4 - isopropyl - 1 - piperidino , 2 - methyl - 1 - piperidino , 3 - methyl - 1 - piperidino , 2 - ethoxycarbonyl - 1 - pyrrolidinyl , 4 - methoxy - 1 - piperidino , 4 - oxo - 1 - piperidino , 4 - acetyl - 1 - piperidino , 4 - methoxycarbonyl - 1 - piperidino , 4 - carbamoyl - 1 - piperidino , 1 - hexamethyleneiminyl , 1 - octamethyleneiminyl and the like ; an oxazole or thiazole , such as 3 - oxazolidinyl , 3 - thiazolidinyl , and the like ; an isoxazole or isothiazole , such as 2 - isoxazolidinyl , 2 - isothiazolidinyl , and the like ; an oxazine , such as 4 - morpholino , 2 , 6 - dimethyl - 4 - morpholino , and an oxazine group represented by n -( tetrahydro - 1 , n - oxazinyl ), such as 3 -( tetrahydro - 1 , 3 - oxazinyl and the like ; a thiazine , such as 4 -( tetrahydro - 1 , 4 - thiazinyl ) and the like ; 4 - methyl - 1 - piperazinyl , 4 - acetyl - 1 - piperazinyl , 1 - piperazinyl , 2 - isoindolinyl , 1 - indolinyl , 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 - tetrahydro - 2 - isoquinolyl , 4 ( 4 - azabicyclo -[ 3 , 2 , 2 ]- nonyl ), 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 - tetrahydro - 1 - quinolyl and the like . in formula ( ii ), x and y respectively represent a hydrogen atom or a protective group for the guanidino group , and at least one of x and y is a protective group for the guanidino group . suitable protective groups include nitro , tosyl , trityl , or an oxycarbonyl , such as benzyloxycarbonyl , p - nitrobenzyloxycarbonyl , p - methoxybenzyloxycarbonyl , tert - butyloxycarbonyl and the like . the n g - substituted - n 2 - dansyl - l - argininamides as represented by general formula ( ii ) or acid addition salts thereof can be obtained by condensing an n g - substituted - n 2 - substituted - arginine ( usually the n 2 - substituent is a protective group for the amino group , such as benzyloxycarbonyl , t - butyloxycarbonyl , or the like ) and an amine via the acid azide process , mixed acid anhydride process , activated esterification process , carbodiimido process or the like , selectively removing only the n 2 - substituent by means of catalytic hydrogenation or acid decomposition , and reacting the thus obtained n g - substituted - l - argininamide or an acid addition salt thereof with a dansyl halide , such as dansyl chloride in the presence of a base in a solvent . suitable bases include organic bases , such as triethylamine , pyridine and the like ; or inorganic bases , such as sodium hydroxide , potassium hydroxide , potassium carbonate , sodium hydrogen carbonate and the like . inorganic bases are normally used in aqueous solution . the base is preferably used in an amount not less than the amount equivalent to the n g - substituted - l - argininamide . when an acid addition salt of an n g - substituted - l - argininamide is used , the base is preferably used in an amount sufficient to neutralize the acid addition salt in addition to the amount to be used as the catalyst . the dansyl halide is normally used in an equimolar amount . suitable solvents include water ; chlorinated solvents , such as dichloromethane , chloroform , carbon tetrachloride and the like ; aromatic hydrocarbons , such as benzene , toluene , xylene and the like ; ethers , such as ethyl ether , tetrahydrofuran , dioxane and the like ; ketones , such as acetone , methyl ethyl ketone , cyclohexanone , and the like ; basic solvents , such as dimethylacetamide , dimethylformamide , tetramethylurea , n - methylpyrrolidone , pyridine , quinoline , and the like ; or a mixture of two or more of the above - mentioned solvents . a basic solvent acts as an acid acceptor , and therefore further addition of base is not required in these instances . the reaction temperature is dependent on the species of n g - substituted - l - argininamide and base , but usually ranges from - 10 ° c . to the boiling temperature of the solvent . the reaction time varies with the species of n g - substituted - l - argininamide and base , and the reaction temperature , and is usually from 5 minutes to 24 hours . after the reaction is completed , the solvent and base are distilled off , the formed salt is removed by washing with water , and the n g - substituted - n 2 - dansyl - l - argininamide is purified by recrystallizing or reprecipitating from a suitable solvent . the reaction product may also be separated and purified by means of chromatography . suitable elutants include chlorinated solvents , such as chloroform , dichloromethane and the like ; a chlorinated solvent containing alcohol and the like . as explained above , n 2 - dansyl - l - argininamide represented by general formula ( ii ) or an acid addition salt thereof is obtained from n g - substituted - n - 2 - dansyl - l - argininamide by removing the n g - substituent , which is a protective group for the guanidino group of the amide , via hydrogenation or acid decomposition . suitable acids for the acid decomposition include hydrogen halides , such as hydrogen chloride , hydrogen bromide , hydrogen fluoride ; and organic acids , such as trifluoroacetic acid , trifluoromethanesulfonic acid , formic acid , acetic acid , and the like . the acid decomposition is preferably carried out by treating an n g - substituted - n 2 - dansyl - l - argininamide or an acid addition salt thereof with any of the above - mentioned acids without a solvent or in a solvent , such as an alcohol , e . g ., methanol , ethanol and the like ; an ether , e . g ., tetrahydrofuran , dioxane , and the like ; an organic acid , e . g ., acetic acid and the like ; or an ester , e . g ., ethyl acetate and the like , at a temperature between 31 10 ° c . and 100 ° c ., preferably at room temperature . the time required for the acid decomposition varies with the species of the acid and solvent , the protective n g - substituent , and the temperature of treatment , and is from 30 minutes to 24 hours . after the decomposition is completed , the n 2 - dansyl - l - argininamide or an acid addition salt thereof is obtained by removing the solvent and the excess acid or adding to the reaction mixture an inert solvent , such as ethyl ether , petroleum ether , a hydrocarbon solvent , or the like so as to form a precipitate and collecting the precipitate . an excess of acid is usually used , and therefore the n 2 - dansyl - l - argininamide which is obtained by removing the protective group is in the form of an acid addition salt . this salt can be easily converted to a free amide by neutralization . hydrogenation can be carried out according to the general procedures of reductive hydrogenation , although catalytic hydrogenation is most advantageous . catalytic hydrogenation is carried out in the presence of a hydrogen - activating catalyst in a hydrogen atmosphere . suitable hydrogen - activating catalysts include raney nickel , palladium , platinum and the like . suitable solvents include alcohols , such as methanol , ethanol and the like ; ethers , such as dioxane , tetrahydrofuran and the like ; organic acids , such as acetic acid , propionic acid and the like ; or a mixture of two or more of the above - mentioned solvents . the reaction temperature is dependent on the protective group for the guanidino group and the activity of the employed catalyst , and is usually between 0 ° c . and the boiling temperature of the solvent . the hydrogen pressure is dependent on the reaction temperature and activity of the employed catalyst . atmospheric pressure is sufficient for the reaction . the reaction time is dependent on the activity of the catalyst , the reaction temperature , hydrogen pressure and the like and is usually from 2 hours to 120 hours . after the hydrogenation is finished , the catalyst is removed by filtration , the solvent is removed by distillation , and the n 2 - dansyl - l - argininamide or an acid addition salt thereof is obtained . the acid addition salt is easily converted to the free n 2 - dansyl - l - argininamide by neutralization . the thus obtained n 2 - dansyl - l - argininamide or acid addition salt thereof is purified by recrystallizing from a solvent which is a mixture of two or more of the following : water , ethyl ether , alcohols , acetone , or the like , or by reprecipitating by addition of ethyl ether to an alcohol solution of the compound . n 2 - dansyl - l - arginine esters and amides of this invention having the formula ( i ) form acid addition salts with any of a variety of inorganic and organic acids . the product of the reactions described above can be isolated as the free base or as the acid addition salt . in addition , the product can be obtained as pharmaceutically acceptable acid addition salts by reacting one of the free bases with an acid , such as hydrochloric , hydrobromic , hydroiodic , nitric , sulfuric , phosphoric , acetic , citric , maleic , succinic , lactic , tartaric , gluconic , benzoic , methanesulfonic , ethanesulfonic , benzensulfonic , p - toluenesulfonic acid or the like . as stated above , n 2 - dansyl - l - arginine esters and amides , and acid addition salts thereof of this invention are characterized by highly specific inhibitory activity against thrombin , and therefore these compounds are useful in the determination of thrombin in blood as diagnostic reagents , and / or for the medical control or prevention of thrombosis . the antithrombotic activities of the n 2 - dansyl - l - arginine derivatives of this invention were compared with those of a known antithrombotic agent , ( n 2 -( p - tolylsulfonyl )- l - arginine methyl ester ), by determining the fibrinogen coagulation time . the measurement of the fibrinogen coagulation time was conducted as follows : an 0 . 8 ml aliquot of a fibrinogen solution , which had been prepared by dissolving 150 mg of bovine fibrinogen ( cohn fraction i ) supplied by armour inc . in 40 ml of a borate saline buffer ( ph 7 . 4 ), was mixed with 0 . 1 ml of a borate saline buffer , ph 7 . 4 , ( control ) or a sample solution in the same buffer , and 0 . 1 ml of a thrombin solution ( 5 units / ml ) supplied by mochida pharmaceutical ltd . was added to the solutions in an ice bath . immediately after mixing , the reaction mixture was transferred from the ice bath to a bath thermostated at 25 ° c . coagulation times were taken as the period between the time of transference to the 25 ° c . bath and the time of the first appearance of fibrin threads . in the cases where no drug samples were added , the coagulation time was 50 - 55 seconds . the experimental results are summarized in table 1 . the term &# 34 ; concentration required to prolong the coagulation time by a factor of two &# 34 ; is the concentration of an active ingredient require to prolong the normal coagulation time 50 - 55 seconds to 100 - 110 seconds . the inhibitors are shown in table 1 by indicating r in the general formula ( ii ) and the added acid and / or water of crystallization . when a solution containing an n 2 - dansyl - l - arginine derivative of this invention was administered intravenously into animal bodies , the high antithrombotic activity in the circulating blood was maintained for from one to three hours . the halflife for decay of the antithrombotic compounds of this invention in circulating blood was shown to be approximately 30 minutes ; the physiological conditions of the host animals were well maintained . the experimental decrease of fibrinogen in animals caused by infusion of thrombin was satisfactorily controlled by simultaneous infusion of the compounds of this invention . the acute toxicity values ( ld 50 ) determined by oral administration of substances of formula ( i ) in mice range from about 1 , 000 to 10 , 000 milligrams per kilogram of body weight . representative ld 50 values , for example , for n 2 - dansyl - l - arginine n - butyl ester , 4 - methyl - 1 -( n 2 - dansyl - l - arginyl ) piperidine , 4 - ethyl - 1 -( n 2 - dansyl - l - arginyl ) piperidine , 2 -( n 2 - dansyl - l - arginyl )- isoindoline are & gt ; 6000 , 1310 , 1375 , 1360 milligrams per kilogram , respectively . the therapeutic agents of this invention may be administered alone or in combination with pharmaceutically acceptable carriers , the proportion of which is determined by the solubility and chemical nature of the compound , chosen route of administration and standard pharmaceutical practice . for example , the compounds may be injected parenterally , that is , intramuscularly , intravenously or subcutaneously . for parenteral administration , the compounds may be used in the form of sterile solutions containing other solutes , for example , sufficient saline or glucose to make the solution isotonic . the compounds may be administered orally in the form of tablets , capsules , or granules containing suitable excipients such as starch , lactose , white sugar and the like . the compounds may be administered sublingually in the form of troches or lozenges in which each active ingredient is mixed with sugar or corn syrups , flavoring agents and dyes , and then dehydrated sufficiently to make the mixture suitable for pressing into solid form . the compounds may be administered orally in the form of solutions which may contain coloring and flavoring agents . physicians will determine the dosage of the present therapeutic agents which will be most suitable , and dosages vary with the mode of administration and the particular compound chose . in addition , the dosage will vary with the particular patient under treatment . when the composition is administered orally , a larger quantity of the active agent will be required to produce the same effect as caused with a smaller quantity given parenterally . the therapeutic dosage is generally 10 - 50 mg / kg of active ingredient parenterally , 10 - 500 mg / kg orally per day . having generally described the invention , a more complete understanding can be obtained by reference to certain specific examples , which are included for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to be limiting unless otherwise specified . to an ice - cooled suspension of 1 . 0 gram of n 2 - dansyl - l - arginine in 15 ml of methanol was added dropwise 0 . 5 ml of thionyl chloride with vigorous stirring . after being allowed to stand for 2 hours at room temperature , the reaction mixture was refluxed for 2 hours , and was evaporated to dryness ( syrup ). treatment of the residual syrup with cold ethyl ether and a small amount of water gave crude crystals . after recrystallization from methanol - ethyl ether , colorless n 2 - dansyl - l - arginine methyl ester dihydrochloride monohydrate was obtained in 92 % yield : mp . 147 °- 150 ° c . ______________________________________elemental analysis ( as c . sub . 19 h . sub . 29 o . sub . 4 n . sub . 5 s . hcl . h . sub . 2o ) c h n______________________________________calculated : 44 . 62 6 . 11 13 . 69found : 44 . 42 6 . 17 13 . 64______________________________________ a suspension of 1 . 0 gram of n 2 - dansyl - l - arginine in 15 ml of anhydrous ethanol was saturated with dry hydrogen chloride for 1 hour . the reaction mixture was reflexed for an additional one hour . after cooling , the reaction mixture was concentrated in vacuo . the residue was triturated with cold ethyl ether to give a crystalline product . after crystallization from ethanol - ethyl ether , n 2 - dansyl - l - arginine ethyl ester dihydrochloride was obtained in 95 % yield ; mp . 140 °- 144 ° c . ______________________________________elemental analysis ( as c . sub . 20 h . sub . 29 o . sub . 4 n . sub . 5 s . 2hcl ) c h n______________________________________calculated : 47 . 24 6 . 15 13 . 77found : 46 . 95 6 . 21 14 . 00______________________________________ a mixture of 1 . 0 grams of n 2 - dansyl - l - arginine and 1 . 4 gram of p - toluenesulfonic acid monohydrate in 10 ml of benzyl alcohol was heated for 30 minutes at 100 ° c . to the thus obtained clear solution , 100 ml of benzene was added , and the mixture was refluxed for 5 hours , removing water by azeotropic distillation . after the solvent was removed by distillation , 100 ml of ethyl ether was added to the residue , giving a crystalline mass . crystallization from acetone gave n 2 - dansyl - l - arginine benzyl ester di ( p - toluenesulfonate ) in 87 % yield ; mp . 150 °- 153 ° c . ______________________________________elemental analysis ( as c . sub . 25 h . sub . 31 o . sub . 4 n . sub . 5 s . c . sub . 14h . sub . 16 o . sub . 6 s . sub . 2 ) c h n______________________________________calculated : 55 . 63 5 . 63 8 . 32found : 55 . 33 5 . 61 8 . 19______________________________________ a mixture of 1 . 0 gram of n 2 - dansyl - l - arginine and 1 . 4 gram of p - toluenesulfonic acid monohydrate in 10 ml of 2 - ethylhexanol was heated for 30 minutes at 100 ° c . to the thus obtained clear solution , 100 ml of benzene was added , and the mixture was refluxed for 10 hours , removing water by azeotropic distillation . after the solvent was removed by distillation , 100 ml of ethyl ester was added to the residue to give a crystalline mass . crystallization from acetone gave n 2 - dansyl - l - arginine 2 - ethylhexyl ester di ( p - toluenesulfonate ) in 91 % yield ; mp . 170 °- 174 ° c . ______________________________________elemental analysis ( as c . sub . 26 h . sub . 41 o . sub . 4 n . sub . 5 s . c . sub . 14h . sub . 16 o . sub . 6 s . sub . 2 ) c h n______________________________________calculated : 55 . 60 6 . 65 8 . 11found : 55 . 37 6 . 59 8 . 18______________________________________ to an ice - cooled suspension of 1 . 0 gram of n 2 - dansyl - l - arginine in 15 ml of isopropanol was added dropwise 0 . 5 ml of thionyl chloride with vigorous stirring . after being allowed to stand for 2 hours at room temperature , the reaction mixture was refluxed for 4 hours , and was evaporated to dryness ( syrup ). treatment of the residual syrup with cold ethyl ether gave crude crystals . after recrystallization from isopropanol - ethyl ether , colorless n 2 - dansyl - l - arginine isopropyl ester dihydrochloride was obtained in 90 % yield ; mp . 110 °- 120 ° c . ______________________________________elemental analysis ( as c . sub . 21 h . sub . 31 o . sub . 4 n . sub . 5 s . 2hcl ) c h n______________________________________calculated : 48 . 27 6 . 37 13 . 40found : 47 . 90 6 . 08 13 . 21______________________________________ a mixture of 1 . 0 gram of n 2 - dansyl - l - arginine and 1 . 4 gram of p - toluenesulfonic acid monohydrate in 10 ml of n - hexyl alcohol was heated for 30 minutes at 100 ° c . to the thus obtained clear solution , 100 ml of benzene was added , and the mixture was refluxed for 3 hours , removing water by azeotropic distillation . after the solvent was removed by distillation , 50 ml of ethyl ether and 50 ml of petroleum ether were added to the residue to give a crystalline mass . crystallization from acetone gave n 2 - dansyl - l - arginine - n - hexyl ester di ( p - toluenesulfonate ) in 95 % yield ; mp . 190 °- 193 ° c . ______________________________________elemental analysis ( as c . sub . 24 h . sub . 30 o . sub . 4 n . sub . 5 s . c . sub . 14h . sub . 16 o . sub . 6 s . sub . 2 ) c h n______________________________________calculated : 54 . 59 6 . 39 8 . 38found : 54 . 33 6 . 48 8 . 11______________________________________ a mixture of 1 . 0 gram of n 2 - dansyl - l - arginine and 1 . 0 gram of p - toluenesulfonic acid monohydrate in 10 ml of n - butyl alcohol was heated for 30 minutes at 100 ° c . to the thus obtained clear solution , 100 ml of benzene was added , and the mixture was refluxed for 3 hours , removing water by azeotropic distillation . after the solvent was removed by distillation , 50 ml of ethyl ether and 50 ml of petroleum ether were added to the residue to give a crystalline mass . crystallization from acetone gave n 2 - dansyl - l - arginine - n - butyl ester di ( p - toluenesulfonate ) in 95 % yield ; mp . 160 °- 164 ° c . ______________________________________elemental analysis ( as c . sub . 22 h . sub . 33 o . sub . 4 n . sub . 5 s . c . sub . 14h . sub . 16 o . sub . 6 s . sub . 2 ) c h n______________________________________calculated : 53 . 51 6 . 11 8 . 67found : 53 . 32 6 . 14 8 . 93______________________________________ a mixture of 1 . 0 gram of n 2 - dansyl - l - arginine and 1 . 0 gram of p - toluenesulfonic acid monohydrate in 10 ml of n - amyl alcohol was heated for 30 minutes at 100 ° c . to the thus obtained clear solution , 100 ml of benzene was added , and the mixture was refluxed for 4 hours , removing water by azeotropic distillation . after the solvent was removed by distillation , 100 ml of petroleum ether was added to the residue to give a crystalline mass . crystallization from acetone gave n 2 - dansyl - l - arginine n - amyl ester di ( p - toluenesulfonate ) in 96 % yield ; mp . 164 °- 169 ° c . ______________________________________elemental analysis ( as c . sub . 23 h . sub . 35 o . sub . 4 n . sub . 5 s . c . sub . 14h . sub . 16 o . sub . 6 s . sub . 2 ) c h n______________________________________calculated : 54 . 06 6 . 25 8 . 52found : 53 . 86 6 . 10 8 . 53______________________________________ by the same procedures as described in example 3 , n 2 - dansyl - l - arginine isobutyl ester di ( p - toluenesulfonate ) was obtained from n 2 - dansyl - l - arginine and isobutyl alcohol in 92 % yield ; mp 146 °- 151 ° c . ______________________________________elemental analysis ( as c . sub . 22 h . sub . 33 o . sub . 4 n . sub . 5 s . c . sub . 14h . sub . 16 o . sub . 6 s . sub . 2 ) c h n______________________________________calculated : 53 . 51 6 . 11 8 . 67found : 53 . 54 6 . 11 8 . 65______________________________________ by the same procedures as described in example 3 , n 2 - dansyl - l - arginine isopentyl ester di ( p - toluenesulfonate ) was obtained from n 2 - dansyl - l - arginine and isopentyl alcohol in 94 % yield ; mp . 163 °- 168 ° c . ______________________________________elemental analysis ( as c . sub . 23 h . sub . 35 o . sub . 4 n . sub . 5 s . c . sub . 14h . sub . 16 o . sub . 6 s . sub . 2 ) c h n______________________________________calculated : 54 . 06 6 . 25 8 . 52found : 53 . 74 6 . 09 8 . 57______________________________________ a mixture of 1 . 0 gram of n 2 - dansyl - l - arginine and 1 . 4 gram of p - toluenesulfonic acid monohydrate in 10 ml of 3 - chloro - 1 - propanol was heated for 30 minutes at 100 ° c . to the thus obtained clear solution , 100 ml of benzene was added , and the mixture was refluxed for 5 hours , removing water by azeotropic distillation . after the solvent was removed by distillation , 100 ml of ethyl ether was added to the residue to give a crystalline mass . crystallization from acetone gave n 2 - dansyl - l - arginine 3 - chloropropyl ester di ( p - toluenesulfonate ) in 88 % yield ; mp . 140 °- 145 ° c . ______________________________________elemental analysis ( as c . sub . 21 h . sub . 30 o . sub . 4 n . sub . 5 cls . c . sub . 14h . sub . 16 o . sub . 6 s . sub . 2 ) c h n______________________________________calculated : 50 . 74 5 . 60 8 . 45found : 50 . 30 5 . 50 8 . 01______________________________________ to a solution of 1 . 0 gram of l - arginine methyl ester dihydrochloride in 50 ml of dichloromethane and 1 . 15 gram of triethylamine , was added 1 . 03 gram of dansyl chloride with stirring at room temperature . after being stirred for 5 hours at room temperature , the reaction mixture was poured into 30 ml of water . after separation of the aqueous layer , the dichloromethane solution was dried over anhydrous na 2 so 4 . the na 2 so 4 was filtered off , and the solution was evaporated under reduced pressure to give n 2 - dansyl - l - arginine methyl ester . to the solid was added ethyl ester saturated with dry hydrogen chloride , and n 2 - dansyl - l - arginine methyl ester dihydrochloride monohydrate was obtained in 83 % yield ; mp . 147 °- 150 ° c . ( decomp ). ______________________________________elemental analysis ( as c . sub . 19 h . sub . 29 o . sub . 4 n . sub . 5 s . 2hcl . h . sub . 2o ) c h n______________________________________calculated : 44 . 62 6 . 11 13 . 69found : 44 . 32 6 . 00 13 . 39______________________________________ to a mixture of 1 . 5 gram of l - arginine n - butyl ester dihydrochloride and 1 . 4 gram of k 2 co 3 in 10 ml of water was added dropwise a solution of 1 . 34 gram of dansyl chloride in 20 ml of ethyl ester with vigorous stirring at 0 °- 5 ° c . over a period of 30 minutes . after the solution was kept at room temperature for 10 hours with stirring a viscous deposit separated , which was collected and triturated with water and ethyl ether . to a suspension of the resulting product in 20 ml of ethyl ether was added 2 grams of p - toluenesulfonic acid monohydrate with stirring to yield crystals . recrystallization from acetone gave 3 . 60 gram of n 2 - dansyl - l - arginine n - butyl ester di ( p - toluenesulfonate ) in 89 . 1 % yield ; mp . 160 °- 163 ° c . ______________________________________elemental analysis ( as c . sub . 22 h . sub . 33 o . sub . 4 n . sub . 5 s . c . sub . 14h . sub . 16 o . sub . 6 s . sub . 2 ) c h n______________________________________calculated : 53 . 51 6 . 11 8 . 67found : 53 . 50 6 . 20 8 . 85______________________________________ a 1 . 0 gram amount of n 2 - dansyl - l - arginine methyl ester dihydrochloride monohydrate was dissolved in 2 ml of n - butylamine with vigorous agitation . after the resulting solution was allowed to stand at room temperature for 2 days , the n - butyl - amine was removed by vacuum distillation and to the residual syrup was added 5 ml of water to obtain a crystalline deposit . the precipitate was collected and recrystallized from 50 % aqueous methanol to give n 2 - dansyl - n -( n - butyl -(- l - argininamide monohydrate in 90 % yield ; mp . 150 °- 152 ° c . ______________________________________elemental analysis ( as c . sub . 22 h . sub . 34 o . sub . 3 n . sub . 6 s . h . sub . 2 o ) c h n______________________________________calculated : 54 . 98 7 . 55 17 . 49found : 54 . 72 7 . 61 17 . 25______________________________________ a 1 . 0 gram amount of n 2 - dansyl - l - arginine ethyl ester dihydrochloride was dissolved in 2 ml of n - propylamine with vigorous agitation . after the resulting solution was allowed to stand at room temperature for 2 days , the n - propylamine was removed by distillation in vacuo and to the residual syrup was added 5 ml of water to obtain a crystalline deposit . the precipitate was collected and recrystallized from 50 % aqueous methanol to give n 2 - dansyl - n -( n - propyl )- l - argininamide monohydrate in 85 % yield ; mp . 150 °- 153 ° c . ______________________________________elemental analysis ( as c . sub . 21 h . sub . 32 o . sub . 3 n . sub . 6 s . h . sub . 2 o ) c h n______________________________________calculated : 54 . 06 7 . 35 18 . 02found : 53 . 82 7 . 45 18 . 13______________________________________ a 1 . 0 gram amount of n 2 - dansyl - l - arginine methyl ester dihydrochloride monohydrate was dissolved in 2 ml of isopropylamine with vigorous agitation . after the resulting solution was allowed to stand at room temperature for 2 days , the isopropylamine was removed by vacuum distillation and to the residual syrup was added 5 ml of water to obtain a crystalline deposit . the precipitate was collected and recrystallized from 50 % aqueous methanol to give n 2 - dansyl - n - isopropyl - l - argininamide in 78 % yield ; mp . 218 °- 221 ° c . ______________________________________elemental analysis ( as c . sub . 21 h . sub . 32 o . sub . 3 n . sub . 6 s ) c h n______________________________________calculated : 56 . 23 7 . 19 18 . 72found : 56 . 38 7 . 20 18 . 94______________________________________ a 1 . 0 gram amount of n 2 - dansyl - l - arginine isopropyl ester dihydrochloride was dissolved in 3 ml of β - phenylethylamine with vigorous agitation . after the resulting solution was allowed to stand at room temperature for 4 days , the reaction mixture was poured into a mixture of 30 ml of water and 30 ml of ethyl ether to obtain a crystalline deposit . the precipitate was collected and recrystallized from 50 % aqueous methanol to give n 2 - dansyl - n -( β - phenylethyl )- l - argininamide dihydrate in 91 % yield ; mp . 143 °- 145 ° c . ______________________________________elemental analysis ( as c . sub . 26 h . sub . 33 o . sub . 3 n . sub . 6 s . 2h . sub . 2 o ) c h n______________________________________calculated : 57 . 13 7 . 01 15 . 38found : 57 . 34 6 . 72 15 . 64______________________________________ to a suspension of 1 . 0 gram of n 2 - dansyl - l - arginine methyl ester dihydrochloride monohydrate in 1 ml of tetrahydrofuran was added 3 ml of ethylamine with cooling . the mixture was allowed to stand in a sealed tube at room temperature for three days . after the excess amine was removed by evaporation , the residue was poured into 50 ml of water to give a precipitate . recrystallization from 50 % aqueous methanol afforded n 2 - dansyl - n - ethyl - l - argininamide monohydrate in 93 % yield ; mp . 220 °- 222 ° c . ______________________________________elemental analysis : ( as c . sub . 20 h . sub . 30 o . sub . 3 n . sub . 6 s . h . sub . 2 o ) c h n______________________________________calculated : 53 . 08 7 . 13 18 . 57found : 53 . 34 7 . 18 18 . 86______________________________________ a 1 . 0 gram amount of n 2 - dansyl - l - arginine methyl ester dihydrochloride monohydrate was dissolved in 3 ml of n - hexylamine with vigorous agitation . after the resulting solution was allowed to stand at room temperature for 2 days , the n - hexylamine was removed by vacuum distillation and to the residual syrup was added 20 ml of water to obtain a crystalline deposit . the precipitate was collected and recrystallized from 50 % aqueous methanol to give n 2 - dansyl - n -( n - hexyl )- l - argininamide monohydrate in 93 % yield ; mp . 133 °- 135 ° c . ______________________________________elemental analysis ( as c . sub . 24 h . sub . 38 o . sub . 3 n . sub . 6 s . h . sub . 2 o ) c h n______________________________________calculated : 56 . 67 7 . 93 16 . 53found : 56 . 38 7 . 59 16 . 34______________________________________ a 1 . 0 gram amount of n 2 - dansyl - l - arginine methyl ester dihydrochloride monohydrate was dissolved in 3 ml of n - heptylamine with vigorous agitation . after the resulting solution was allowed to stand at 80 ° c . for 5 hours , the reaction mixture was cooled and poured into 30 ml of cold water to obtain a crystalline deposit . the precipitate was collected and recrystallized from 50 % aqueous methanol to give n 2 - dansyl - n -( n - heptyl )- l - argininamide in 85 % yield ; mp . 240 °- 243 ° c . ______________________________________elemental analysis ( as c . sub . 25 h . sub . 40 o . sub . 3 n . sub . 6 s ) c h n______________________________________calculated : 59 . 50 7 . 99 16 . 66found : 59 . 50 7 . 90 16 . 68______________________________________ a 1 . 0 gram amount of n 2 - dansyl - l - arginine methyl ester dihydrochloride monohydrate was dissolved in 3 ml of isobutylamine with vigorous agitation . after the resulting solution was allowed to stand at room temperature for 2 days , the reaction mixture was poured into 20 ml of water and was agitated to obtain a crystalline deposit . the precipitate was collected and recrystallized from 50 % aqueous methanol to give n 2 - dansyl - n - isobutyl - l - argininamide in 80 % yield ; mp . 157 °- 160 ° c . ______________________________________elemental analysis ( as c . sub . 22 h . sub . 34 o . sub . 3 n . sub . 6 s ) c h n______________________________________calculated : 57 . 12 7 . 41 18 . 17found : 56 . 82 7 . 41 17 . 90______________________________________ a 1 . 0 gram amount of n 2 - dansyl - l - arginine methyl ester dihydrochloride monohydrate was dissolved in 2 ml of 2 - methoxyethylamine with vigorous agitation . after the resulting solution was allowed to stand at room temperature for 2 days , the 2 - methoxy - ethylamine was removed by vacuum distillation and to the residual syrup was added 5 ml of water to obtain a crystalline deposit . the precipitate was collected and recrystallized from 50 % aqueous methanol to give n 2 - dansyl - n -( 2 - methoxyethyl )- l - argininamide dihydrate in 90 % yield ; mp . 130 °- 135 ° c . ______________________________________elemental analysis ( as c . sub . 21 h . sub . 32 o . sub . 4 n . sub . 6 s . 2h . sub . 2 o ) c h n______________________________________calculated : 50 . 38 7 . 25 16 . 79found : 50 . 03 6 . 95 16 . 99______________________________________ a 1 . 0 gram amount of n 2 - dansyl - l - arginine ethyl ester dihydrochloride was dissolved in 3 ml of cyclohexylmethylamine with vigorous agitation . after the resulting solution was allowed to stand at 80 ° c . for 5 hours , the reaction mixture was cooled and poured into 30 ml of water to obtain a crystalline deposit . the precipitate was collected and recrystallized from 50 % aqueous methanol to give n 2 - dansyl - n - cyclohexylmethyl - l - argininamide in 85 % yield ; mp . 253 °- 256 ° c . ______________________________________elemental analysis ( as c . sub . 25 h . sub . 38 o . sub . 3 n . sub . 6 s ) c h n______________________________________calculated : 59 . 73 7 . 62 16 . 72found : 59 . 96 7 . 48 16 . 73______________________________________ to a solution of 1 . 0 gram of n -( 2 - methoxyethyl )- l - argininamide in 30 ml of dichloromethane and 0 . 52 gram of triethylamine was added 1 . 16 gram of dansyl chloride with stirring at room temperature . after stirring for 2 hours at room temperature , the dichloromethane was removed by distillation and the residual syrup was poured into 50 ml of ice water . after separation of the aqueous layer , the dichloromethane solution was dried over anhydrous na 2 so 4 . the na 2 so 4 was filtered off , the solution was evaporated under reduced pressure , and n 2 - dansyl - n -( 2 - methoxyethyl )- l - argininamide dihydrate was obtained in 89 % yield ; mp . 130 °- 135 ° c . ( decomp ). ______________________________________elemental analysis ( as c . sub . 21 h . sub . 32 o . sub . 4 n . sub . 6 s . 2h . sub . 2 o ) c h n______________________________________calculated : 50 . 38 7 . 25 16 . 79found : 50 . 68 6 . 95 16 . 99______________________________________ to a mixture of 1 . 0 gram of 1 -( l - arginyl )- piperidine and 0 . 57 gram of k 2 co 3 in 10 ml of water was added dropwise a solution of 1 . 12 gram of dansyl chloride in 30 ml of dioxane with vigorous stirring over a period of 30 minutes while maintaining the temperature at 0 ° c . the reaction mixture was stirred for an additional 3 hours and the formed precipitate was removed by filtration . the solvent was evaporated , and to the residue was added 30 ml of chcl 3 . a small amount of the undissolved material was filtered and the solution was dried over anhydrous na 2 so 4 . to the stirred solution was added 20 ml of ether containing 0 . 5 gram of acetic acid to precipitate 1 -( n 2 - dansyl - l - arginyl ) piperidine diacetate , which was purified by reprecipitation from a methanol - ethyl ether mixture in 72 % yield . ______________________________________elemental analysis ( as c . sub . 23 h . sub . 34 o . sub . 3 n . sub . 6 s . 2ch . sub . 3cooh ) c h n______________________________________calculated : 54 . 53 7 . 12 14 . 13found : 54 . 23 7 . 11 14 . 43______________________________________ a 3 . 2 gram amount of n g - nitro - n 2 -( tert - butyloxycarbonyl )- l - arginine was dissolved in a mixture of 40 ml of dry tetrahydrofuran and 1 . 4 ml of triethylamine . to the solution was added 1 . 4 ml of isobutyl chloroformate with stirring and cooling in an ice - salt bath . after additional stirring for 15 minutes , 0 . 87 gram of n - methyl - n - butylamine was added to the mixture . then the reaction mixture was stirred continuously for 40 minutes at room temperature . the solvent was removed by distillation under reduced pressure , below 40 ° c . the residue was extracted with 100 ml of ethyl acetate and the extract was washed successively with a 10 % aqueous citric acid solution , saturated sodium chloride solution , saturated aqueous sodium bicarbonate solution , and finally with saturated aqueous sodium chloride solution . the organic layer was dried over anhydrous na 2 so 4 , filtered and concentrated to give n g - nitro - n 2 -( tert - butyloxy - carbonyl )- n -( n - butyl )- n - methyl - l - argininamide . this material was added to ethyl acetate containing 10 % dry hcl and allowed to stand for 2 hours , and n g - nitro - n -( n - butyl )- n - methyl - l - argininamide hydrochloride was precipitated . to a mixture of 3 . 0 gram of n g - nitro - n -( n - butyl )- n - methyl - l - argininamide hydrochloride , 30 ml of dichloromethane and 4 . 1 gram of triethylamine was added 3 . 0 gram of dansyl chloride with stirring and cooling in an ice - bath . after stirring at 0 ° c . for 24 hours , 20 ml of water was added to the reaction mixture . after separation of the aqueous layer , the dichloromethane layer was dried over anhydrous na 2 so 4 . the na 2 so 4 was removed by filtration and the solution was evaporated to give a viscous oily product . the product was purified by chromatography using chloroform containing 10 % methanol as the elutant and silica gel as the carrier . powdery n g - nitro - n 2 - dansyl - n -( n - butyl )- n - methyl - l - argininamide was obtained in 73 % yield ( based on n g - nitro - n -( n - butyl )- n - methyl - l - argininamide hydrochloride ). ______________________________________elemental analysis ( as c . sub . 23 h . sub . 35 o . sub . 5 n . sub . 7 s ) c h n______________________________________calculated : 52 . 96 6 . 76 18 . 48found : 53 . 12 7 . 09 18 . 27______________________________________ a 1 . 0 gram amount of n g - nitro - n 2 - dansyl - n -( n - butyl )- n - methyl - l - argininamide was dissolved in 20 ml of ethanol and 5 ml of acetic acid . a 50 mg amount of palladium catalyst was added and the mixture was shaken in a stream of hydrogen for 100 hours at room temperature . after filtering off the catalyst , the filtrate was evaporated to give a viscous oily product . reprecipitation from methanol - ethyl ether gave n 2 - dansyl - n -( n - butyl )- n - methyl - l - argininamide diacetate in powder form in 83 % yield . ______________________________________elemental analysis ( as c . sub . 23 h . sub . 36 o . sub . 3 n . sub . 6 s . 2ch . sub . 3cooh ) c h n______________________________________calculated : 54 . 35 7 . 43 14 . 09found : 54 . 33 7 . 43 14 . 00______________________________________ a 1 . 0 gram amount of n g - nitro - n 2 - dansyl - n , n - diethyl - l - argininamide , which was prepared in the same manner as described in example 26 , was dissolved in a mixture of 25 ml of ethanol and 5 ml of acetic acid . a 50 mg amount of palladium black was added and the mixture was shaken in a stream of hydrogen for 50 hours at 30 ° c . after removal of the catalyst , the solvent was evaporated to obtain a viscous oily residue . reprecipitation from methanol - ethyl ether gave n 2 - dansyl - n , n - diethyl - l - argininamide diacetate in powder form in 71 % yield . ______________________________________elemental analysis ( as c . sub . 22 h . sub . 34 o . sub . 3 n . sub . 6 s . 2ch . sub . 3cooh ) c h n______________________________________calculated : 53 . 59 7 . 27 14 . 42found : 53 . 99 7 . 30 14 . 82______________________________________ a 5 . 4 gram amount of n g , n g - dibenzyloxycarbonyl - n 2 -( tertbutyloxy - carbonyl )- l - arginine was dissolved in a mixture of 50 ml of dry tetrahydrofuran and 1 . 4 ml of triethylamine . to the solution was added 1 . 4 ml of isobutyl chloroformate with stirring and cooling in an ice - salt bath . after additional stirring for 15 minutes , 1 . 17 gram of β - alaine ethyl ester was added to the mixture , and the reaction mixture was stirred further for 40 minutes at room temperature . the solvent was removed by distillation under reduced pressure , below 40 ° c . the residue was extracted with 100 ml of ethyl acetate and the extract was washed successively with 10 % aqueous citric acid solution , saturated sodium chloride solution , saturated aqueous sodium bicarbonate solution , and finally with saturated aqueous sodium chloride solution . the organic layer was dried over anhydrous na 2 so 4 , filtered and concentrated to give n g , n g - dibenzyloxycarbonyl - n 2 -( tert - butyloxycarbonyl )- n -( 2 - ethoxycarbonylethyl )- l - arginamide . the material was added to 30 ml of formic acid and was allowed to stand overnight . the formic acid was removed by distillation under reduced pressure , and the residue was washed with ethyl ether . thus n g , n g - dibenzyloxycarbonyl - n -( 2 - ethoxycarbonylethyl )- l - argininamide formate was obtained . to a mixture of 2 . 7 gram of the thus obtained n g , n g - dibenzyloxycarbonyl - n -( 2 - ethoxycarbonylethyl )- l - argininamide formate , 30 ml of dichloromethane and 0 . 6 g of triethylamine was added 1 . 6 g of dansyl chloride with stirring and cooling in an ice - bath . after stirring at 0 ° c . for 2 hours , 20 ml of water was added to the reaction mixture . after separation of the aqueous layer , the dichloromethane solution was dried over anhydrous na 2 so 4 . the na 2 so 4 was removed by filtration and the solvent was removed by distillation to give a viscous oily product . the product was washed well with ethyl ether and purified by reprecipitation from a dichloromethane - petroleum ether mixture . n g , n g - dibenzyloxycarbonyl - n 2 - dansyl - n -( 2 - ethoxycarbonyl - ethyl )- l - argininamide was obtained in powder form in 92 % yield ( based don n g , n g - dibenzyloxycarbonyl - n -( 2 - ethoxycarbonyl - ethyl )- l - argininamide formate ). ______________________________________elemental analysis ( as c . sub . 39 h . sub . 46 n . sub . 6 o . sub . 9 s ) c h n______________________________________calculated : 60 . 45 5 . 98 10 . 85found : 60 . 09 5 . 69 10 . 78______________________________________ a 0 . 77 g amount of the thus obtained n g , n g - dibenzyloxycarbonyl - n 2 - dansyl - n -( 2 - ethoxycarbonylethyl )- l - argininamide was dissolved in a mixture of 50 ml of ethanol and 5 ml of acetic acid . a 50 mg amount of palladium black was added to the mixture , which was then shaken in a stream of hydrogen for 48 hours at room temperature . after filtering off the catalyst , the filtrate was evaporated to give a viscous oily product . the product was purified as in example 31 and n 2 - dansyl - n -( 2 - ethoxycarbonylethyl )- l - argininamide diacetate was quantitatively obtained . ______________________________________elemental analysis ( as c . sub . 23 h . sub . 34 o . sub . 4 n . sub . 6 s . 2ch . sub . 3cooh ) c h n______________________________________calculated : 51 . 75 6 . 76 13 . 41found : 51 . 58 6 . 83 13 . 56______________________________________ a 1 . 0 gram amount of n g - nitro - n 2 - dansyl - n -( n - butyl )- l - arginiamide , which was preparred in the same manner as described in example 26 , was dissolved in a mixture of 1 ml of anisole and 2 ml of hydrogen fluoride , and the mixture was stirred for 30 minutes in an ice - bath . the hydrogen fluoride was evaporated in vacuo to afford an oily product , which was washed well with 100 ml of dry ethyl ether to remove the hydrogen fluoride . the thus obtained powdery product was neutralized with a solution of 3 ml of triethylamine in a small amount of water . then n 2 - dansyl - n -( n - butyl )- l - argininamide monohydrate was obtained in 73 % yield ; mp . 145 °- 148 ° c . ______________________________________elemental analysis ( as c . sub . 22 h . sub . 34 o . sub . 3 n . sub . 6 s . h . sub . 2 o ) c h n______________________________________calculated : 54 . 98 7 . 55 17 . 49found : 54 . 87 7 . 38 17 . 21______________________________________ to 3 . 0 gram of n g - nitro - n 2 - dansyl - n -( 2 - phenylcarbamoylethyl )- l - argininamide , which was prepared in the same manner as described in example 26 , was added 3 ml of hydrogen fluoride at - 80 ° c ., and the mixture was stirred for 30 minutes in an ice - bath . the hydrogen fluoride was evaporated in vacuo to afford an oily product , which was washed well with 100 ml of dry ethyl ether to remove the hydrogen fluoride . the thus obtained oily product was dissolved in a small amount of alcohol and neutralized with 2 ml of triethylamine . the residue obtained by distilling off the alcohol was washed with water , and dissolved in ethyl acetate . the solution was dried over anhydrous na 2 so 4 , and the residue obtained by distilling off the ethyl acetate was dissolved in a small amount of acetic acid . the residue obtained after distilling the acetic acid was washed with dry ethyl ether , and n 2 - dansyl - n -( 2 - phenylcarbamoylethyl )- l - argininamide diacetate was obtained in powder form in 77 % yield . ______________________________________elemental analysis ( as c . sub . 27 h . sub . 35 o . sub . 4 n . sub . 7 s . 2ch . sub . 3cooh ) c h n______________________________________calculated : 55 . 26 6 . 43 14 . 56found : 54 . 98 6 . 26 14 . 39______________________________________ a 2 . 68 gram amount of n g - nitro - n 2 - dansyl - n -( 2 - ethoxycarbonylmethyl )- l - argininamide , which was prepared in the same manner as described in example 26 , was dissolved in a mixture of 50 ml of ethanol and 5 ml of acetic acid . a 50 mg amount of palladium black was added and the mixture was shaken in a stream of hydrogen for 100 hours at room temperature . after removal of the catalyst , the solvent was evaporated to obtain a viscous oily residue . reprecipitation from ethanol - ethyl ether quantitatively gave n 2 - dansyl - n -( 2 - ethoxycarbonylmethyl )- l - argininamide diacetate in powder form . ______________________________________elemental analysis ( as c . sub . 22 h . sub . 32 c . sub . 5 n . sub . 6 s . 2ch . sub . 3cooh ) c h n______________________________________calculated : 50 . 97 6 . 58 13 . 72found : 50 . 68 6 . 35 14 . 01______________________________________ a 1 . 0 gram amount of n g , n g - dibenzyloxycarbonyl - n 2 - dansyl - n - methoxyethyl - l - argininamide , which was prepared in the same manner as described in example 28 , was dissolved in a mixture of 25 ml of ethanol and 5 ml of acetic acid . a 50 mg amount of 10 % palladium black was added and the mixture was shaken in a stream of hydrogen for 10 hours at room temperature . after removal of the catalyst , the solvent was evaporated to obtain a viscous oily residue . to the residue about 15 ml of water and 3 ml of triethylamine were added , and the mixture was allowed to stand under cooling . n 2 - dansyl - n - methoxyethyl - l - argininamide dihydrate was obtained in 93 % yield ; m . p . 130 °- 135 ° c . ______________________________________elemental analysis ( as c . sub . 21 h . sub . 32 o . sub . 7 n . sub . 6 s . 2h . sub . 2 o ) c h n______________________________________calculated : 50 . 38 7 . 25 16 . 79found : 50 . 69 6 . 95 16 . 99______________________________________ a 3 . 0 gram amount of 1 -( n g - nitro - n 2 - dansyl - l - arginyl ) piperidine , which was prepared in the same manner as described in example 26 , was dissolved in a mixture of 50 ml of ethanol and 5 ml of acetic acid . a 50 mg amount of palladium black was added and the mixture was shaken in a stream of hydrogen for 120 hours at room temperature . after removal of the catalyst , the solvent was evaporated to give a viscous oily residue . reprecipitation from methanol - ethyl ether gave 1 -( n 2 - dansyl - l - arginyl ) piperidine diacetate in powder form in 70 % yield . ______________________________________elemental analysis ( as c . sub . 23 h . sub . 34 o . sub . 3 n . sub . 6 s . 2ch . sub . 3cooh ) c h n______________________________________calculated : 54 . 53 7 . 12 14 . 13found : 54 . 31 7 . 11 14 . 13______________________________________ a 3 . 0 gram amount of 4 - methyl - 1 -( n g , n g - dibenzyloxycarbonyl - n 2 - dansyl - l - arginyl ) piperidine , which was prepared in the same manner as described in example 28 , was dissolved in a mixture of 50 ml of ethanol and 5 ml of acetic acid . a 50 mg amount of palladium black was added and the mixture was shaken in a stream of hydrogen for 10 hours at room temperature . after removal of the catalyst , the solvent was evaporated to give a viscous oily residue . reprecipitation from methanol - ethyl ether gave 4 - methyl - 1 -( n 2 - dansyl - l - arginyl ) piperidine diacetate in powder form in 80 % yield . ______________________________________elemental analysis ( as c . sub . 24 h . sub . 36 o . sub . 3 n . sub . 6 s . 2ch . sub . 3cooh ) c h n______________________________________calculated : 55 . 24 7 . 29 13 . 81found : 55 . 01 7 . 49 14 . 00______________________________________ to 2 . 0 grams of 1 -( n g - nitro - n 2 - dansyl - l - arginyl ) pyrrolidine , which was prepared in the same manner as described in example 26 , was added 2 ml of hydrogen fluoride at - 80 ° c ., and the mixture was stirred for 1 hour in an ice - bath . the hydrogen fluoride was evaporated in vacuo to afford an oily product , which was washed well with 100 ml of dry ethyl ether to remove the hydrogen fluoride . the ether was removed by decantation and the obtained oily product was dissolved in a small amount of water and neutralized with triethylamine . an oily product deposited which was collected and dissolved in ethanol containing 10 % acetic acid . ethyl ether was added to the solution to reprecipitate the product , 1 -( n 2 - dansyl - l - arginyl ) pyrrolidine diacetate , in 65 % yield . ______________________________________elemental analysis ( as c . sub . 22 h . sub . 32 o . sub . 3 n . sub . 6 s . 2ch . sub . 3cooh ) c h n______________________________________calculated : 53 . 77 6 . 94 14 . 47found : 52 . 58 7 . 16 14 . 21______________________________________ a 0 . 5 g amount of 4 acetyl - 1 -( n g - nitro - n 2 - dansyl - l - arginyl ) piperidine , which was prepared in the same manner as described in example 26 , was dissolved in a mixture of 0 . 39 g of anisole and 2 ml of hydrogen fluoride at - 80 ° c ., and the mixture was stirred for 30 minutes in an ice - bath . the hydrogen fluoride was evaporated in vacuo to afford an oily product , which was washed well with 100 ml of dry ethyl ether to remove the hydrogen fluoride . the ether layer was removed by decantation , and the thus obtained oily product was dissolved in methanol . to the solution was added ethyl ether to reprecipitate the product , 4 - acetyl - 1 -( n 2 - dansyl - l - arginyl ) piperidine dihydrofluoride , in 72 % yield . ______________________________________elemental analysis ( as c . sub . 25 h . sub . 36 o . sub . 4 n . sub . 6 s . 2hf ) c h n______________________________________calculated : 53 . 94 6 . 88 15 . 10found : 53 . 80 6 . 80 14 . 92______________________________________ various other n 2 - dansyl - l - argininamides or acid addition salts thereof were synthesized in accordance with the procedures of the above examples , and the test results are summarized in table 1 . table 1__________________________________________________________________________compound ## str25 ## time by a factorcoagulationprolong therequired toconcentration processpreparation lower : foundupper : calculatedelemental analysissample no . r addition moiety of 2 ( μm ) ( ex . no .) m . p . (° c .) c h n__________________________________________________________________________1 och . sub . 3 2hcl . h . sub . 2 o 30 1 and 12 147 - 150 44 . 62 6 . 11 13 . 69 44 . 42 6 . 17 13 . 642 oc . sub . 2 h . sub . 5 2hcl 8 2 140 - 144 47 . 24 6 . 15 13 . 77 46 . 95 6 . 21 14 . 603 on - c . sub . 3 h . sub . 7 2hcl 2 12 ≧ 120 48 . 27 6 . 37 13 . 40 48 . 50 6 . 21 13 . 184 och ( ch . sub . 3 ). sub . 2 2hcl 30 5 110 - 120 48 . 27 6 . 37 13 . 40 47 . 90 6 . 08 13 . 215 on - c . sub . 4 h . sub . 9 2tsoh 2 7 and 13 160 - 164 53 . 51 6 . 11 8 . 67 53 . 32 6 . 14 8 . 936 och . sub . 2 ch ( ch . sub . 3 ). sub . 2 2tsoh 110 9 146 - 151 53 . 51 6 . 11 8 . 67 53 . 54 6 . 11 8 . 657 on - c . sub . 5 h . sub . 11 2tsoh 5 8 164 - 169 54 . 06 6 . 25 8 . 52 53 . 86 6 . 10 8 . 538 och . sub . 2 ch . sub . 2 ch ( ch . sub . 3 ). sub . 2 2tsoh 10 10 163 - 168 54 . 06 6 . 25 8 . 52 53 . 74 6 . 09 8 . 579 on - c . sub . 6 h . sub . 13 2tsoh 8 6 190 - 193 54 . 59 6 . 39 8 . 38 54 . 33 6 . 48 8 . 1110 ## str26 ## 2tsoh 50 4 170 - 174 55 . 60 55 . 37 6 . 65 6 . 59 8 . 11 8 . 1811 ## str27 ## 2tsoh 2 3 150 - 153 55 . 63 55 . 33 5 . 63 5 . 61 8 . 32 8 . 1912 och . sub . 2 chchch . sub . 3 2tsoh 2 11 148 - 153 53 . 64 5 . 88 8 . 69 53 . 64 5 . 90 8 . 3513 och . sub . 2 ch . sub . 2 cch 2tsoh 4 11 133 - 143 53 . 78 5 . 64 8 . 71 53 . 51 5 . 52 8 . 7814 ## str28 ## 2tsoh 60 11 177 - 182 54 . 72 54 . 33 6 . 16 6 . 18 8 . 40 8 . 1715 ## str29 ## 2tsoh 20 11 144 - 150 53 . 15 52 . 57 5 . 91 5 . 89 8 . 38 8 . 3016 och . sub . 2 ch . sub . 2 och . sub . 3 2tsoh 5 11 171 . 5 - 173 51 . 90 5 . 85 8 . 65 51 . 40 5 . 77 8 . 2517 och . sub . 2 ch . sub . 2 ch . sub . 2 cl 2tsoh 4 11 140 - 145 50 . 74 5 . 60 8 . 45 50 . 30 5 . 50 8 . 0118 och . sub . 2 ch . sub . 2 ch . sub . 2 ch . sub . 2 cl 2tsoh 7 11 177 - 194 51 . 75 5 . 70 8 . 56 51 . 95 5 . 81 8 . 4719 ## str30 ## 2tsoh 200 11 155 - 163 50 . 69 51 . 04 5 . 67 5 . 85 9 . 85 9 . 5820 ## str31 ## h . sub . 2 o 100 18 220 - 222 53 . 08 53 . 34 7 . 13 7 . 18 18 . 57 18 . 8621 ## str32 ## h . sub . 2 o 15 15 146 - 150 54 . 06 53 . 82 7 . 35 7 . 45 18 . 02 18 . 1322 ## str33 ## h . sub . 2 o 25 14 and 29 145 - 148 54 . 98 54 . 72 7 . 55 7 . 61 17 . 49 17 . 2523 ## str34 ## h . sub . 2 o 125 29 140 - 143 55 . 85 56 . 10 7 . 74 7 . 52 16 . 99 17 . 2924 ## str35 ## h . sub . 2 o 20 19 130 - 135 56 . 67 56 . 38 7 . 93 7 . 59 16 . 53 16 . 3425 ## str36 ## h . sub . 2 o 100 20 240 - 243 59 . 50 59 . 50 7 . 99 7 . 90 16 . 66 16 . 6826 ## str37 ## -- 1000 16 218 - 221 56 . 23 56 . 38 7 . 19 7 . 20 18 . 74 18 . 9427 ## str38 ## -- 100 21 155 - 160 57 . 12 56 . 82 7 . 41 7 . 41 18 . 17 17 . 9028 ## str39 ## 2h . sub . 2 o 4 22 , 24 and 32 130 - 135 50 . 38 50 . 03 7 . 25 6 . 95 16 . 79 16 . 9929 ## str40 ## -- 65 32 powder 55 . 32 55 . 00 6 . 96 7 . 10 17 . 60 17 . 9630 ## str41 ## -- 5 26 230 - 232 55 . 32 55 . 34 6 . 96 7 . 16 17 . 60 17 . 6931 ## str42 ## 2ch . sub . 3 co . sub . 2 h 160 31 powder 50 . 97 50 . 68 6 . 58 6 . 35 13 . 72 14 . 0132 ## str43 ## 2hcl 22 31 powder 46 . 72 46 . 58 5 . 70 5 . 91 14 . 86 14 . 9733 ## str44 ## 2ch . sub . 3 co . sub . 2 h 5 28 powder 51 . 75 51 . 58 6 . 76 6 . 83 13 . 41 13 . 5634 ## str45 ## 2ch . sub . 3 co . sub . 2 h 500 31 powder 52 . 49 52 . 51 6 . 92 7 . 13 13 . 12 13 . 0135 ## str46 ## h . sub . 2 o 10 32 140 - 145 54 . 29 53 . 92 6 . 94 6 . 88 18 . 09 18 . 0936 ## str47 ## 2h . sub . 2 o 200 32 165 - 168 52 . 26 52 . 00 7 . 10 7 . 10 17 . 42 17 . 5337 ## str48 ## -- 40 23 253 - 256 59 . 73 59 . 96 7 . 62 7 . 48 16 . 72 16 . 7338 ## str49 ## 2ch . sub . 3 co . sub . 2 h 100 27 powder 55 . 80 55 . 90 6 . 36 6 . 48 13 . 95 14 . 1539 ## str50 ## -- 50 29 244 - 246 60 . 46 59 . 97 6 . 50 6 . 46 16 . 92 16 . 7740 ## str51 ## 2h . sub . 2 o 150 17 143 - 147 57 . 13 57 . 34 7 . 01 6 . 72 15 . 38 15 . 6441 ## str52 ## h . sub . 2 o 27 26 131 - 135 59 . 75 59 . 39 7 . 06 6 . 98 15 . 49 15 . 2342 ## str53 ## 2ch . sub . 3 co . sub . 2 h & gt ; 500 30 powder 55 . 26 54 . 98 6 . 43 6 . 26 14 . 56 14 . 3943 ## str54 ## 2ch . sub . 3 co . sub . 2 h 370 31 powder 52 . 73 52 . 54 6 . 80 6 . 63 15 . 38 15 . 1344 ## str55 ## 2hf 36 powder 52 . 26 52 . 02 6 . 48 6 . 48 15 . 90 15 . 8145 ## str56 ## 2ch . sub . 3 co . sub . 2 h 55 27 powder 53 . 59 53 . 99 7 . 27 7 . 30 14 . 42 14 . 8246 ## str57 ## 2ch . sub . 3 co . sub . 2 h 39 27 powder 56 . 41 55 . 99 7 . 89 7 . 65 13 . 16 13 . 3647 ## str58 ## 2ch . sub . 3 co . sub . 2 h 2 26 powder 54 . 35 54 . 33 7 . 43 7 . 43 14 . 09 14 . 0048 ## str59 ## 2ch . sub . 3 co . sub . 2 h 50 27 powder 55 . 06 54 . 99 7 . 59 7 . 89 13 . 76 14 . 0149 ## str60 ## 2ch . sub . 3 co . sub . 2 h 59 31 powder 51 . 75 51 . 49 6 . 76 6 . 84 13 . 41 13 . 0650 ## str61 ## 2ch . sub . 3 co . sub . 2 h 2 . 5 31 powder 51 . 75 51 . 49 6 . 76 6 . 93 13 . 41 13 . 7051 ## str62 ## 2ch . sub . 3 co . sub . 2 h 15 31 powder 52 . 49 52 . 66 6 . 92 7 . 18 13 . 12 13 . 5152 ## str63 ## 2ch . sub . 3 co . sub . 2 h 7 27 powder 57 . 12 56 . 92 6 . 71 6 . 79 13 . 33 13 . 6153 ## str64 ## 2ch . sub . 3 co . sub . 2 h 3 . 3 35 powder 53 . 77 53 . 58 6 . 94 7 . 16 14 . 47 14 . 2154 ## str65 ## 2ch . sub . 3 co . sub . 2 h 780 31 powder 53 . 36 53 . 39 6 . 79 7 . 05 12 . 88 12 . 7055 ## str66 ## 2ch . sub . 3 co . sub . 2 h 0 . 9 25 and 33 powder 54 . 53 54 . 23 7 . 12 7 . 11 14 . 13 14 . 4356 ## str67 ## 2ch . sub . 3 co . sub . 2 h 1 . 3 33 powder 55 . 24 55 . 01 7 . 29 7 . 50 13 . 81 14 . 0957 ## str68 ## 2ch . sub . 3 co . sub . 2 h 6 . 5 33 powder 55 . 24 55 . 13 7 . 29 7 . 44 13 . 81 14 . 0058 ## str69 ## 2ch . sub . 3 co . sub . 2 h 0 . 3 34 powder 55 . 24 55 . 01 7 . 29 7 . 49 13 . 81 14 . 0059 ## str70 ## 2ch . sub . 3 co . sub . 2 h 0 . 1 33 powder 55 . 93 55 . 87 7 . 45 7 . 66 13 . 50 13 . 8160 ## str71 ## 2ch . sub . 3 co . sub . 2 h 1 . 0 33 powder 56 . 78 56 . 61 7 . 60 8 . 00 13 . 20 13 . 0661 ## str72 ## 2ch . sub . 3 co . sub . 2 h 1 . 0 33 powder 56 . 78 56 . 48 7 . 60 7 . 64 13 . 20 13 . 1062 ## str73 ## 2ch . sub . 3 co . sub . 2 h 2 . 8 31 powder 53 . 36 53 . 69 6 . 80 7 . 18 12 . 88 12 . 9163 ## str74 ## 2ch . sub . 3 co . sub . 2 h 100 31 powder 53 . 92 53 . 68 6 . 95 6 . 76 13 . 48 13 . 3564 ## str75 ## 2ch . sub . 3 co . sub . 2 h 0 . 9 33 powder 55 . 24 55 . 49 7 . 29 7 . 38 13 . 81 14 . 1165 ## str76 ## 2ch . sub . 3 co . sub . 2 h 1 33 powder 55 . 93 55 . 71 7 . 45 7 . 73 13 . 50 13 . 2066 ## str77 ## 2ch . sub . 3 co . sub . 2 h 2 33 powder 56 . 78 56 . 59 7 . 60 7 . 87 13 . 20 13 . 0067 ## str78 ## 2ch . sub . 3 co . sub . 2 h 1 . 5 33 powder 52 . 33 52 . 53 6 . 76 7 . 00 14 . 09 14 . 3968 ## str79 ## 2ch . sub . 3 co . sub . 2 h 20 33 powder 53 . 83 53 . 55 7 . 10 7 . 17 13 . 45 13 . 8169 ## str80 ## 2ch . sub . 3 co . sub . 2 h 10 33 powder 56 . 76 56 . 62 7 . 30 7 . 59 13 . 24 13 . 5270 ## str81 ## 2ch . sub . 3 co . sub . 2 h 0 . 67 33 powder 57 . 31 57 . 03 6 . 41 6 . 57 13 . 37 13 . 6271 ## str82 ## 2ch . sub . 3 co . sub . 2 h 2 33 powder 53 . 18 53 . 01 7 . 11 7 . 00 16 . 08 15 . 7972 ## str83 ## 2ch . sub . 3 co . sub . 2 h 6 . 5 33 powder 57 . 92 57 . 71 6 . 59 6 . 58 13 . 08 12 . 9773 ## str84 ## 2hf 36 powder 52 . 26 52 . 02 6 . 48 6 . 48 15 . 90 15 . 81__________________________________________________________________________ having now fully described the invention , it will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art that many changes and modifications can be made thereto without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as set forth herein .	2
referring to fig1 - 4 , a surface coating device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure is shown . the depicted coating device 10 includes a handle 12 , a connecting member 14 , and an accessory 16 . the handle 12 can be any structure that the operator can hold onto and use to control the accessory 16 . in the depicted embodiment the handle 12 includes a first portion 18 that includes a distal end 20 of the handle 12 and a second end portion 22 that includes a proximal end 24 of the handle 12 . the distal end 20 is the end of the handle 12 that is closer to the accessory 16 , and the proximal end 24 is the end of the handle that is opposite the distal end 20 . in the depicted embodiment the handle 12 includes a shaft 26 and a guide member 28 attached to the shaft 26 at the first end portion 18 of the handle 12 . the shaft 26 in the depicted embodiment is sized such that the device 10 can be used while the operator is standing . it should be appreciated that the handle 12 can be of any suitable configuration . for example , the handle 12 can in an alternative embodiment be configured to be grasped by one hand rather than two . in the depicted embodiment the handle 12 also includes a hose 30 attached to thereto for dispensing fluid to the accessory 16 or to the surface to be coated . in the depicted embodiment the accessory 16 includes a frame 32 that is configured to support an applicator 34 . in the depicted embodiment the applicator 34 is a pad . however , it should be appreciated that the applicator 34 in alternative embodiments need not be a pad . for example , the applicator could be a wiper blade , a cloth , a sponge , or a part of the frame itself . the frame 32 in the depicted embodiment has a length l 1 ( fig3 ) that is between about 10 - 36 inches . however , it should be appreciated that the frame can be of many other sizes as well . referring to fig2 , the end profile of the frame 32 in the depicted embodiment is generally convex relative to a surface to be coated . the convex profile of the frame 32 allows the applicator 16 to be in continuous contact with the surface ( e . g ., a floor surface ) even if the applicator 16 rolls forward f or backward b ( fig2 ) from its normal orientation . it should be appreciated that many other frame configurations are possible . for example , the end profile of alternative embodiments of the frame can be circular , elliptical , triangular , rectangular , or irregular . referring to generally to fig1 - 6 b and primarily to fig6 a and 6 b , the connecting member 14 is described herein in greater detail . the connecting member 14 includes a first end portion 35 attached to the accessory 16 and a second end portion 36 attached to the handle 12 . in the depicted embodiment the connecting member 14 has a generally triangular shaped with the first end portion 35 generally defining the base of the triangle and the second end portion 36 generally defining the apex of the triangle . the connecting member 14 includes an aperture 38 for receiving a portion of the handle 12 . the aperture 38 is located in the second end portion 36 of the connecting member 14 and is generally elliptical in shape . in the depicted embodiment , the smaller diameter d 1 of the aperture 38 is about 1 . 2 inch and the larger diameter d 2 of the aperture is about 1 . 4 inch . in the depicted embodiment the smaller diameter d 1 is within about 5 - 15 percent the diameter d 2 of the guide member 28 . in the depicted embodiment the aperture 38 includes a pair of opposed notches in the d 1 direction which engage portions of the guide member 28 . in the depicted embodiment the width w 1 of the first end 35 is between 5 to 7 inches , the length l 2 from the first end to the second end is between 5 to 7 inches , and the thickness t 1 of the connecting member is between about ⅛ - ¼ inch . however , it should be appreciated that alternative embodiments of the connecting member 14 can be of many other geometric configuration and sizes . in the depicted embodiment , the body of the connecting member comprises a flexible construction . more particularly , a portion of the connecting member 14 in the depicted embodiment comprises a rubber construction . it should be appreciated that the connecting member can have many other alternative geometries and can be made of many different types of materials . for example , the overall shape of alternative embodiments of the connecting member can be circular , elliptical , rectangular , cylindrical , or irregular , and portions of the connecting member can be constructed of a combination of polymeric material , wood material , and / or metal . referring to fig2 , 4 , 7 a , and 7 b , the guide member 28 is described herein in greater detail . in the depicted embodiment the guide member 28 includes a first end 40 which is domed shaped and a second end 42 that is hollow and configured to receive a portion of the shaft 26 . the guide member 28 of the depicted embodiment is detachable from the shaft 26 portion of the handle 12 via a fastener 44 ( fig4 ) that traverses through the guide member 28 and a portion of the shaft 26 that is received within the guide member 28 . the guide member 28 includes a retaining arrangement 46 configured to engage the connecting member 14 . in the depicted embodiment the retaining arrangement 46 includes beads that hold the connecting member 14 at a location on the guide member 28 while allowing the guide member 28 and the connecting member 14 to move relative to each other . for example , in the depicted embodiment the guide member 28 can rotate about the axis of the handle 12 relative to the connecting member 14 . in the depicted embodiment , the guide member 28 includes protrusions that are configured to be received in the notches of the aperture 38 of the connecting member 14 . the guide member 28 includes an overall length of l 5 , which is between about 3 - 5 inches . the guide member 28 includes protrusions on a first side of the guide member 28 at a distance l 3 , between about 3 . 5 - 4 . 0 inches , from the first end 40 of the guide member 28 for engaging the connecting member 14 . the guide member 28 includes protrusions on a second side of the guide member 28 at a distance l 4 , between about 3 . 0 - 3 . 5 inches , from the first end 40 of the guide member 28 for engaging the connecting member 14 . however , it should be appreciated that alternative embodiments of the guide member 28 can be of many other geometric configuration and sizes . in the depicted embodiment , the protrusions on the guide member 28 cooperate to support the connecting member 14 . in the depicted embodiment the connecting member and the protrusion are connected without fasteners . it should be appreciated that the guide member 28 in alternative embodiments can be connected to the connecting member 14 in a different manner . for example , the guide member could be formed together with the connecting member as a single piece . in another alternative embodiment the guide member and the handle are formed of a single piece and the connecting member is fastened to the piece . referring to back to fig5 a - 5 c , schematic views of the device are shown . generally , fig5 a - 5 c illustrate that the handle 12 can be moved in a number of ways without causing any portion of the applicator to lift off the surface . fig5 a illustrates that the handle can be pivoted back and forth with the first end 40 of the guide member 28 on the surface while the applicator 34 maintains contact with the surface . in the depicted embodiment the applicator 34 can remain generally in the same position while the handle is pivoted back and forth . fig5 b illustrates that the handle can be pivoted from side to side with the first end 40 of the guide member 28 on the surface while the applicator 34 maintains contact with the surface . in the depicted embodiment the applicator 34 can remain generally in the same position while the handle is pivoted from side to side . fig5 c illustrates that the handle can be moved in any direction with the first end 40 of the guide member 28 on the surface , while the applicator 34 maintains contact with the surface , so long as the angle of the handle 12 to the surface is greater than α degrees . in the depicted embodiment the applicator 34 can remain generally in the same position while the handle is pivoted such that the angle α between the handle 12 and the floor remains greater than about 40 degrees . fig5 c also illustrates that the handle 12 can be rotated about its axis while the applicator 34 maintains contact with the surface . fig5 a - 5 c further illustrate that in the depicted embodiment the downward forced applied to the handle 12 is generally not transferred to the applicator 34 . the downward force applied by the operator onto the handle 12 is transferred to the surface via the first end 40 of the guide member 28 . lateral forces ( i . e ., pulling and pushing forces ) are generally transferred from the handle 12 to the applicator 34 . this functionality enables the operator to control the applicator 34 yet maintain a relatively constant contact force between the applicator 34 and the surface . it also prevents the applicator 34 from undesirably losing contact with the surface as a result of erratic movements of the handle 12 . the above specification , examples and data provide a complete description of the manufacture and use of the composition of the invention . since many embodiments of the invention can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention , the invention resides in the claims hereinafter appended .	0
the subject rechargeable liquid spray system is comprised of : ( a ) a container for holding a liquid for spraying applications and having a neck opening sufficiently wide to receive or remove a replaceable spray charge insert ; and ( b ) a spray head engaged above the upper neck opening of the liquid container for reaching liquid from the bottom of the container , the spray head also having a trigger for drawing the liquid and a nozzle for spraying the activated liquid on a surface . fig1 is a cross - sectional view of a spray bottle apparatus 1 for use in an embodiment of the subject system . spray system apparatus 12 has a standard trigger spray head 14 configured to engage and fit on a wide - mouth style container 12 . in accordance with the invention , spray head 14 also has a diptube 5 for drawing the liquid contents of the container . in fig1 , recharge insert 10 is shown in relation to container 12 , spray head 14 and diptube 5 . recharge insert 10 is described in further detail below . fig2 b is a rear elevation view of the opened recharge insert assembly 20 shown in fig2 a showing backing 24 which is suitable for printed advertising , directions or the like . fig5 is a cross - section of a further embodiment of a multi - ply recharge insert assembly 50 wherein outer packaging layers 52 and 58 have been partially peeled away to expose functional insert layers 54 and 56 . void 59 is depicted in this figure between sealed layers 52 and 58 . fig6 a is a perspective view of an embodiment of recharge insert assembly 60 having a two - ply structure , wherein backing 62 is shown in relationship to functional insert layer 64 . fig6 b is an end view of the two - ply structure of the recharge insert assembly 60 shown in fig6 a . fig7 is an end view of an embodiment of recharge insert assembly 70 having a four - ply structure having lower barrier layer 72 , functional insert layer 74 , porous mesh layer 76 , and upper or outer barrier layer 78 . fig8 is an exploded view of an embodiment of the subject recharge insert assembly 80 having spray head 81 , nozzle 92 , trigger 94 , diptube 83 and screw cap 82 for engaging screw threads on collar 84 . collar 84 is configured to be placed in the top part of container 90 and is adapted to hold a recharge insert in opening 86 , which is reinforced in this embodiment by descending portion 87 . in this manner , a recharge insert will be held upright near the side wall of the bottle for easy viewing of the labeling . collar 84 may be screwed onto container 90 with threads 92 at container opening 91 which engage insert adaptor 85 provided with an opening 86 and reinforced by a descending portion 87 . in this figure , spray recharge insert 98 has been placed partially in insert adaptor 85 and a portion of insert 98 can also be seen within container 90 . fig1 shows photographic views of the recharge insert assembly and the following : introducing the insert ; filling the container with water to form the application fluid from the concentrate in the insert . fig1 is a cross - sectional view of a spray bottle apparatus for use in the rechargeable liquid spray system of the invention . this invention provides an easy - to - use and safe - to - handle device for creating ready to use cleaning , sanitizing , degreasing , and / or disinfecting spray bottle solutions . the recharge insert is an entirely self - contained device which is designed exclusively for use with the wide - mouth spray bottles and spray heads in accordance with the invention . the compact , stand - alone insert makes it incredibly simple to recharge spray bottle solutions , and to thereby substantially reduce solid waste landfill contamination . they will also reduce the enormous shipping , handling , and storage cost associated with their prolific use commercially and at home . suitable translucent bottles having a satisfactorily wide container opening are commercially available in 16 , 24 and 32 ounce sizes from tablecraft , located in gumee , ill . in addition to being easier to use , this new insert device is designed to accommodate use of larger dimensions of nonwoven materials without regard for the fiber blends involved that can effectively deliver significantly larger amounts of the concentrates . that &# 39 ; s because the treated nonwoven cores of this new insert device are not ultra - sonically formed into sleeves , but instead are cut to the same dimension of about 1 inch by 8 . 5 inches , which represents as little as 8 . 5 sq . inches , or , potentially up to about 68 sq . inches of variable basis weights and fiber blends . whereas that option can significantly expand loading capacity , it also mandates that the carrier device facilitate easy insertion and extraction of the impregnated nonwoven material into and from the dilute solution , and that it provide structural support for the nonwoven material when in the solution . the unique insert is structurally designed to provide a mechanism that simplifies the procedure for creating a use - dilution while eliminating the need to handle or touch the cleaning , sanitizing or disinfecting agents impregnated into the nonwoven core in the process of doing so . with this new insert device , the opportunities for creating a cleaning , sanitizing , degreasing or disinfectant use - dilutions are expanded considerably , due in part because the activation process itself is far more simplified . an end - user simply removes the two - piece top from the wide - mouth bottle , empties and refills the bottle with fresh water , removes the releasable film from one side of the pouch , and then places the remaining insert into the filled bottle thereby allowing the concentrate to be diluted and create a ready - to - use solution . the spray bottle as rendered in one of the drawings illustrates how this system can be assembled without having to build a whole new set of expensive spray bottle tooling and molds . a spray bottle system of this type is needed to accommodate the 2 - inch wide insert of the invention which is a key element of the new concept , and which will be described in greater detail by the following . the preference for use of the recharge system of the invention was driven by its demonstrated ability to reduce solid waste and both shipping and inventory costs by up to 90 %. the subject recharge insert may be seen to facilitate simplification of several essential aspects of the spray system technologies , including reduced dependence on super concentrated formulations , less complicated fiber specifications and blends for the nonwoven cores , and easier to use inserts that include labels for creating specific ready - to - use cleaning solutions for use in wide - mouthed , unlabeled spray bottles , thereby reducing the necessity for using dedicated , pre - labeled spray bottles . the formulation for epa registration no . 62401 - 7 , an approved food contact cleanser and sanitizer , was impregnated into a 22 lb . needlepunch composite 50 / 50 blend of polypropylene and polyethylene fibers with a thickness of about ⅜ inches . in accordance with the approved epa registration , a 110 % add - on of this formulation was uniformly slot - coated onto , or impregnated into this matrix , which was then cut into rectangular pad - inserts , measuring 1 . 5 inches in width by 2 . 5 inches in length . the resulting pad had a treated weight of 3 . 79 grams , of which 1 . 98 grams was the approved formulation . the pad / insert was then dropped into the wide - mouthed spray bottle , where it settled neatly on the bottom surface , leaving space for the bottom of the diptube to access the entire outer circumference of the bottle &# 39 ; s bottom surface to facilitate complete withdrawal of the activated use - dilution from the spray bottle . twenty - four ounces of clean water was then added to fill the spray bottle , which was then sealed and shaken until all of the treatment formulation was dissolved , as evidenced by the colorless pad / insert . the trigger was then activated and yielded a 200 ppm quaternary solution , as specified by the approved food contact surface cleaning and sanitizing epa registration no . 62401 - 7 . a proprietary glass and window cleaning formulation , containing a volatile component requiring a barrier packaging film to maintain stability , was used to prepare this sample . this concentrate included dipropylene glycol n - butyl ether as the solvent , and potassium hydroxide for adjusting the ph . for this product , an effective 24 - ounce use dilution requires that the concentrate comprise an add - on of at least 325 % of the basis weight of the same 22 lb . composite and 50 / 50 blend of fibers as employed in example 1 , supra . after this composite was slot - coated with the required add - on , and was cut into rectangular pad - inserts measuring 1 . 5 inches in width by 2 . 5 inches in length , the treated pad inserts weighed 7 . 66 grams , of which the added concentrate comprised 5 . 86 grams . typically , nonwoven composite will readily absorb and hold up to four times their basis weight without releasing the add - on prematurely . the 325 % add - on was well within that range , and did not leak from the barrier film pouch in which it was subsequently wrapped . the treated pad - insert was then dropped into the wide - mouthed spray bottle , and settled neatly on the bottom surface , leaving space for the end of the diptube to access the entire circumference of the bottle &# 39 ; s bottom surface to facilitate withdrawal of the activated use - dilution . twenty - four ounces of clean water was then added to fill the spray bottle , which was then sealed and shaken until the entire treatment formulation was dissolved , as evidenced by the colorless pad - insert . the trigger was then activated and used to spray the glass cleaning formulation onto a variety of glass and other polished surfaces , all of which were free of any dust , dirt , or greasy residue as a result of the use of the formulation . the invention herein contemplates the use of a three - piece , wide - mouthed spray bottle which comprises a three - piece unit comprising ( 1 ) a bottle with an opening of 1 . 5 to 3 inches , incorporating screw - threads for attachment of ( 2 ) an adaptor - cap which incorporates female screw - threads for attachment to the bottle , and screw - threads for attaching ( 3 ) a pump - sprayer device with a trigger handle via a second opening of about 1 inch in diameter . what makes the three - piece unit of the invention unique is the two different size openings of the adaptor - cap , which serves two purposes . the first is to allow for the use of standard pump - spray device or triggers , which are widely manufactured for one - inch diameter openings , and are intended for use with this invention . in this way , if the pump spray device or trigger does fail , the entire wide - mouthed bottle does not need to be replaced . the second important purpose is the ability of the adaptor - cap to accommodate screw - threads for properly attaching and sealing this adaptor - cap to the wide - mouthed opening of between 1 . 5 and 3 inches in diameter , and preferably at least two inches in diameter . this significantly larger opening makes it much easier to fill the spray bottle with water , and also much easier to clean and to then re - fill with water , than is the case with the standard 1 - inch diameter opening . this wide - mouthed bottle is also ideally suited for accepting concentrate - inserts in any format for creating and activating a wide variety of spray bottle solutions , including hard surface cleaners , sanitizers , and disinfectants ; plant cleaners and nutrients ; pet care products ; carpet and fabric care products ; odor control products ; and virtually any product that can be delivered in a spray bottle format . significantly , such concentrates can be provided in virtually any form , including liquid concentrates in water - soluble pouches or in measured amounts ; as treatments , for example , on fabric composites which can &# 39 ; t be broken , swallowed or spilled , or even as powders , capsules or tablets . in the world of spray bottles , there has heretofore been no bottle construction as described by the applicant . the applicant , in fact , has obtained a design u . s . pat . no . d671 , 004 s , supporting its uniqueness . it will be recognized by those skilled in the art that many variations of the above descriptions may be employed in other embodiments of the subject invention .	1
referring to fig1 - 8 , various embodiments of a bracket 20 are shown , wherein the bracket includes : ( a ) a generally square bracket base 24 having an upper side 29 , a tooth affixing side 26 , opposing mesial - distal sidewalls 27 , and opposing gingival - occlusal sidewalls 30 as shown in fig1 , 2 a and 2 b . additionally , the bracket base 24 has a pair of retaining ridges 25 extending from each of the opposing gingival - occlusal sidewalls 30 toward the interior of the upper side 29 . fig1 and 2a show one of retaining ridges 25 ; fig3 a shows both retaining ridges . each of the retaining ridges 25 is provided by a corresponding thickened portion 23 ( fig1 , 2 a and 2 b ) of the bracket base 24 that extends in the gingival - occlusal direction of the bracket 20 approximately along a gingival - occlusal center line of the bracket base 24 ( e . g ., along the line l of fig4 ). the thickened portion 23 gradually thins in the mesial - distal direction of the bracket 20 , ending with the same thickness as the sidewalls 27 . ( b ) a pair of inverted archwire retaining regions 40 a and 40 b on the gingival side of the bracket 20 ( fig1 and 2a ), and another pair of inverted archwire retaining regions 44 a and 44 b ( fig1 ) on the occlusal side of the bracket . each of the pairs ( 40 a , b and 44 a , b ) is for retaining a respective archwire ( e . g ., archwire 68 , fig2 b ) therein . in particular , each of the inverted archwire retaining regions 40 a and 40 b provide a recess 37 ( fig1 and 2a ) for grasping or holding an archwire provided therein . also , each of the inverted archwire retaining regions is attached to ( and generally integral with ) a corresponding support 39 ( fig2 a ) that connects the retaining region with the bracket base 24 . each support 39 extends outwardly from the upper side 29 by a distance somewhat larger than the cross section of largest archwire to be retained in the recesses 37 . moreover , each of the recesses 37 has an edge 43 ( fig2 a , b and 3 b ) that is spaced apart from the support 39 for the recess , wherein the distance between the edge and the support is also somewhat larger than the cross section of largest archwire to be retained in the recesses 37 . note that for each of the pairs of the inverted archwire retaining regions 40 a , b and 44 a , b , a corresponding one of the retaining ridges 25 ( fig1 , 2 a , 2 b and 3 a ) assists in securing an archwire ( e . g ., archwire 68 ) in the two recesses 37 of the pair . accordingly , for each of the pairs 40 a , b and 44 a , b , the recesses 37 for the pair operatively cooperate with a corresponding one of the retaining ridges 25 to provide a corresponding archwire retention channel , i . e ., for an archwire retention channel 28 , the pair 40 a , b , defines one side of the channel 28 ( i . e ., an “ outer ” side ) and the corresponding retaining ridge 25 provides the opposing side of the channel 28 ( i . e ., an “ inner ” side ), and for an archwire retention channel 36 , the pair 44 a , b , defines one side of the channel 36 ( i . e ., an “ outer ” side ) and the corresponding retaining ridge 25 provides the opposing side of the channel 36 ( i . e ., an “ inner ” side ). thus , when an archwire is received ( and held ) in the inverted archwire retaining regions 40 a , b or 44 a , b ( i . e ., archwire retention channel 28 or 36 ), this archwire is operatively coupled together with the bracket attached to a patient &# 39 ; s tooth . ( c ) two archwire retention bridges 56 and 60 ( fig1 , 2 a , 2 b , 4 , 5 a , 6 and 7 ), wherein each end of each bridge attaches to one of the inverted archwire retaining regions and / or the support 39 therefor . for example , i . e ., the ends of the bridge 56 may be attached to the inverted archwire retaining regions 40 a and 44 a ( or attached to the support 39 therefor ), and the ends of the bridge 60 may be attached to the inverted archwire retaining regions 40 b and 44 b ( or attached to the support 39 therefor ). ( d ) an archwire retention channel 32 ( fig1 , 3 a , and 5 a ) extending in the mesial and distal direction along a central portion of the bracket 20 . the two archwire retention bridges 56 and 60 ( together with their corresponding inverted archwire retaining regions ) enclose , and substantially define , spaced apart portions of the archwire retention channel 32 for securing an archwire therein ( fig8 b ). the bracket base 24 may be made of a variety of materials , but in one embodiment may be stainless steel for strength . however , other materials may be used including ceramics and plastics . the remainder of the bracket 20 may be composed of various materials in addition to those recited above ( e . g ., polycrystalline alumina material , alumina ( aluminum oxide ), zirconia ). in one embodiment , the bracket 20 may be formed via an injection molding technique . the bracket base 24 may be a universal bracket design in that it can be attached to the surface of various tooth types ( e . g ., incisor , bicuspid , molar , etc ). moreover , such a universal bracket design does not require bracket identification to aid in identifying placement of the bracket and / or identifying a particular embodiment of the bracket 20 . such a universal bracket design also leads to simplified inventory management since only one embodiment of the bracket 20 may be needed for placement on all teeth types instead of different embodiments of the bracket for different teeth types . however , such universal bracket design may be primarily for the lingual side of patients &# 39 ; teeth . for embodiments of the bracket 20 to be provided on the labial / buccal side of patients &# 39 ; teeth , the curvature of the tooth affixing side 26 may be specific to particular tooth types as one skilled in the art will understand . accordingly , it is also within the scope of the present disclosure that markings or identifications may be provided on embodiments of the bracket 20 for identifying the bracket ( e . g ., as a universal bracket , or specific to a particular tooth type ( s )), for identifying the manufacturer or distributor of the bracket , and / or for identifying a particular placement or orientation of the bracket on a tooth or tooth type . note that descriptions of providing such markings and / or identifications are disclosed in u . s . patent application publication 2008 / 0020338 filed jul . 24 , 2007 and published jan . 24 , 2008 , this application being fully incorporated herein by reference . the bracket base 24 design allows for the bracket 20 to be used in both direct and indirect bonding . note that the term direct bonding refers to applying adhesive directly to a patient &# 39 ; s tooth and subsequently attaching a bracket 20 thereto . indirect bonding refers to positioning one or more brackets 20 on a dental cast of a patient &# 39 ; s teeth . the dental cast , having the brackets 20 attached thereto , is then surrounded with a material , wherein the material , once solidified , secures the brackets therein and can act as a transportation device for the brackets once the dental cast is dissolved away . adhesive is then applied to the back of each of the brackets 20 prior to placing the transportation device containing the brackets onto the patient &# 39 ; s teeth . accordingly , in the indirect bonding technique , all of the brackets 20 are bonded to the patient &# 39 ; s teeth simultaneously . once the brackets 20 are bonded , the transportation device is removed from the teeth , leaving behind the brackets attached to the teeth . regarding the retaining ridges 25 described above , each such ridge corresponds to a maximal offset from the tooth affixing side 26 along a corresponding one of the archwire retention channels 28 and 36 . moreover , in at least some embodiments , such a ridge 25 has its maximal offset centered on line l of fig4 . in the embodiment of the bracket 20 shown in fig2 a and 2b , the contour of each of the retaining ridges 25 is a smooth arc without undulations in the mesial - distal direction , and may also be a smooth arc in the gingival - occlusal direction without undulations . however , it is within the scope of the present disclosure that in the gingival - occlusal direction , such a ridge 25 may reach its maximal offset at any point where the ridge transverses its corresponding archwire retention channel ( 28 or 36 ) as long as the ridge effectively assists in wedging or holding an archwire in the channel ( i . e ., the recesses 37 of the channel ). thus , the thickened portion 23 ( fig1 ) for each retaining ridge 25 may induce a force upon an archwire 68 or 64 ( e . g ., fig5 a ) to retain it in the archwire retaining regions of the corresponding archwire retention channel 28 or 36 . note that each of the two retaining ridges 25 may have symmetrical profiles ( i . e ., minor images of one another about the center line l of fig4 , and about mesial - distal center line through the bracket ). moreover , note that the maximal offset for a retaining ridge 25 may occur just outside its corresponding archwire retention channel , e . g ., on the mesial - distal perimeter of the channel furthest from the central retention channel 32 . such placements of the maximal offsets may not only provide forces for securing an archwire within the corresponding recesses 37 , but also apply a force on the archwire for inhibiting the archwire from moving in a direction generally lateral to the upper side 29 . in another embodiment of the bracket 20 , the retaining ridges 25 may have a larger or smaller maximal offset from the tooth affixing side 26 to the upper side 29 of the bracket base 24 when compared to the embodiments of the figures . moreover , one of the retaining ridges 25 may have a larger maximal offset from the tooth affixing side 26 than the other retaining ridge 25 . this variance in the maximal offset of the retaining ridges 25 may allow for and aid in the retention of different diameter archwires in the retaining regions 40 a , b and 44 a , b . in another embodiment of the bracket 20 , one or more of the retaining ridges 25 may have a corresponding secondary retaining ridge located at the gingival or occlusal edges of the bracket base 24 . these secondary retaining ridges may be located on the upper side 29 at the gingival and / or occlusal edges of the bracket base 24 . such secondary retaining ridges may extend in the mesial - distal direction on the upper side 29 of the bracket base 24 . the secondary retaining ridges may have varying shapes ( e . g ., hemispherical or elliptical ). accordingly , the retaining regions 40 a , b and 44 a , b , in conjunction with the secondary retaining ridges , keep the corresponding archwire secured in one of the corresponding archwire retention channels 28 and 36 ( more specifically their recesses 27 ). for further description of the archwire retention channels 28 , 32 and 36 , reference is made to fig3 a which provides a lateral ( side ) view of the bracket 20 along a gingival - occlusal side . the center archwire retention channel 32 of the bracket 20 is enclosed by the two spaced apart portions of the archwire retention bridges 56 and 60 ( fig1 , 2 a , 2 b , 4 , 5 a , 6 and 7 ), and the upper side 29 of the bracket base 24 . as described above , each of the gingival archwire retention channel 28 and the occlusal archwire retention channel 36 is provided by : ( i ) partially enclosed spaced apart recesses 27 of a pair of inverted archwire retaining regions , respectively , 40 a , b or 44 a , b , and ( ii ) the upper side 29 of the bracket base 24 . both the gingival archwire retention channel 28 and the occlusal archwire retention channel 36 may be mirror images of one another . each of the inverted archwire retaining regions 40 a , b for the gingival archwire retention channel 28 , and each of the retaining regions 44 a , b for the occlusal archwire retention channel 36 may be generally circular in profile ( as shown in , e . g ., fig3 a ). each such profile may generally match the curvature of , e . g ., the cross section of a corresponding archwire to be provided therein . in fig3 a , a dashed circular cross section 38 of such an archwire is shown in the archwire retaining regions 44 a , b of the occlusal archwire retention channel 36 . the diameter 39 of the archwire retention channel 36 may be sufficiently surrounded by the inverted archwire retaining regions 44 a , b to grip and retain the archwire therein . in at least one embodiment , the opening 42 for receiving the archwire into the channel 36 is preferably approximately the same size as the diameter of the archwire cross section 38 along the axis 37 , e . g ., smaller or larger by approximately 0 . 01 to 0 . 02 inches . as also illustrated in fig3 a , each of the inverted archwire retaining regions 44 a , b may surround somewhat more than 180 degrees of the circular cross section of an archwire positioned in the occlusal archwire retention channel 36 . note that a similar description can also be provided for the gingival archwire retention channel 28 in that the channel 28 may be a mirror image of occlusal archwire retention channel 36 . however , it is within the scope of the present disclosure that the gingival archwire retention channel 28 may be configured differently from the occlusal archwire retention channel 36 , e . g ., the gingival archwire retention channel 28 may secure different sizes of archwires therein from the archwires for the occlusal archwire retention channel 36 . also , either or both of the archwire retention channels 28 and 36 may have an elliptical profile or other profile instead of the circular profile shown in fig3 a . further , an embodiment of the bracket 20 may have only one of the archwire retention channels 28 or 36 . referring to fig3 b , an embodiment of the bracket 20 a is shown that includes a retaining region ( e . g ., 44 a ) that is shaped or configured to retain archwires having substantially different cross sectional diameters . an archwire having a diameter 39 ( fig3 a ) may be snapped into the retaining region 44 a as indicated in fig3 a . however , an archwire having a much smaller cross section 41 , as shown in fig3 b , may also be provided in the channel 36 . in particular , the smaller diameter archwire may snap into ( or is otherwise retained ) in an upper section 57 of the retaining region . note that in one embodiment , a bead ( not shown ) may be strung on this smaller diameter archwire such that the bead is positioned between the retaining regions 44 a and 44 b so that the bead contacts the corresponding retaining ridge 25 for the occlusal archwire retention channel 36 in a manner that assists in locking the archwire into the upper section 57 . whether the bracket embodiment of fig3 a or 3 b is provided , multiple sizes of archwires may be utilized in each of the archwire retention channels 28 , 32 and 36 . the range in the maximal cross sectional extent of the archwires that may be utilized can be from 0 . 008 inches to 0 . 024 inches , and such cross sections may be generally circular in cross sectional shape but different cross sectional shapes may be used , e . g ., at least rectangular or square cross sectional shapes for the central archwire retention channel 32 . the multiple sizes of archwires may provide varying forces and friction levels ranging from an alignment force having a low friction , to a leveling force having a moderate friction , to a finishing force having a maximum friction as one skilled in the art will understand . in particular , the inverted archwire retaining regions 40 a , b and 44 a , b allow for the archwires 68 or 64 ( fig5 a , 6 and 7 ) to be attached to the bracket 20 without the use of ligatures . in another embodiment , the archwire retaining regions 40 a and 44 a ( or 40 b and 44 b ) may be joined together , above the upper side 29 . such joining of the retaining regions for one of the archwire retention channels 28 or 26 may form a single integral retaining region , or the joining may be in form of a bridge therebetween similar to the bridges 56 and 60 ( except extending in the mesial - distal direction rather than the gingival - occlusal direction ). regardless , there may be a cutout ( not shown ) over the corresponding retaining ridge 25 so that when the archwire contacts the retaining ridge 25 , the archwire is wedged into this cutout . in another embodiment , there may be only one of the outer archwire retention channels 28 and 36 utilized to retain an archwire . referring to fig4 , a top view of the bracket 20 is shown wherein the center archwire retention channel 32 on the bracket is defined by the spaced apart portions of the archwire retention bridges 56 and 60 and the upper side 29 of the bracket base 24 . the archwire retention bridges 56 and 60 connect and reinforce the inverted archwire retaining regions 40 a to 44 a and 40 b to 44 b . the smooth rounded contours and edges 65 of the inverted archwire retaining regions 40 a , b and 44 a , b provide for patient comfort , particularly when such brackets are placed on the lingual side of a patient &# 39 ; s teeth . in the center archwire retention channel 32 , the archwire is enclosed on all sides ( fig3 a and 3b ) at two points along the channel , i . e ., using the archwire retention bridges 56 and 60 ( fig4 ). a lateral view of the bracket 20 , as shown in fig5 , shows an archwire 64 in the occlusal archwire retention channel 36 and an archwire 68 in the gingival archwire retention channel 28 . the occlusal 64 and gingival 68 archwires are held place via the friction system created by the inverted archwire retaining regions 40 a , b and 44 a , b in combination with the ridges 25 ( not shown in fig5 ). fig5 also shows where the bracket 20 may reside on a tooth when it is bonded thereto . the arrows 77 and 78 ( fig5 ) indicate the forces for a torque that the bonded bracket 20 may apply to the tooth . fig6 provides a top view of the bracket 20 bonded to a tooth 80 wherein there is an archwire 64 in the occlusal archwire retention channel 36 , and an archwire 68 in the gingival archwire retention channel 28 . the arrows 90 and 91 indicate the motion of tip ( angulation ) that the bracket 20 may apply to the tooth once it is bonded and the archwires are configured appropriately . an end perspective view of the bracket 20 is shown in fig7 with an archwire 64 in the occlusal archwire retention channel 36 and an archwire 68 in the gingival archwire retention channel 28 . this figure also shows the bracket bonded to a tooth 84 thereby showing where the bracket 20 may reside on the tooth when it is bonded thereto . the arrows 93 and 94 indicate the motion of rotation that the bracket 20 and the archwires 64 and 68 may apply to the tooth . a plurality of the brackets 20 is shown connected together by archwires in fig8 a and 8b . fig8 a shows the plurality of brackets 20 connected together by an archwire 88 extending through the corresponding occlusal archwire retention channels 36 of the brackets . fig8 a also shows a second archwire 92 secured in the center archwire retention channel 32 of the brackets 20 , providing dynamic sectional control in the movement of the teeth , as one skilled in the art will understand . fig8 b displays how another configuration , wherein there is an archwire 96 in the occlusal archwire retention channel 36 of the brackets 20 . the archwire 96 is also configured so that its end is secured in the center archwire retention channel 32 of the rightmost one of the brackets 20 , thereby creating a loop like shape . it is worth noting that due to the diminutive size of the brackets 20 relative to the teeth to which they are attached ( as shown in fig8 a and 8b ), the size of these brackets 20 may allow for the bonding of two such brackets 20 on a single tooth . for example , fig8 b shows two such brackets 20 affixed to a molar . alternative embodiments of the bracket 20 include providing the inverted archwire retaining portions so that instead of their recesses 37 opening toward the base 24 , such recesses open in another direction ( e . g ., away from the base , or generally parallel with the upper side 29 of the base ). in such embodiments , the retaining ridge 25 is also repositioned to face in the direction toward such recesses for retaining an archwire in the same manner as , e . g ., shown in fig2 b except that the base 24 in this figure would no longer be the base of the bracket . instead , the base would attach , e . g ., to the top of the retaining portions 40 a , b and 44 a , b , or alternatively attach the bracket components shown fig2 b to a ( new ) bracket base that is oriented substantially perpendicular to the base shown in fig2 b . in each of the embodiments of the bracket 20 disclosed hereinabove , at least one of the archwire retention channels 28 and 36 is provided , wherein for an archwire provided therein , the elasticity of the archwire to retain an initial non - curved shape causes the archwire to resist the channel induced bow in the archwire ( such curving shown in fig2 b ). thus , as an orthodontist positions the archwire in the at least one channel of the bracket 20 , the corresponding retaining regions ( 40 and 44 ) for the channel together with the corresponding retaining ridge 25 bind or wedge the archwire within the at least one channel . accordingly , the opposing forces between the channel and archwire are believed to secure the archwire within the channel . thus , it is a feature of the bracket 20 that for each such archwire channel ( e . g ., 28 and / or 36 ), there are channel archwire bowing portions that retain the archwire within the channel , wherein a spaced apart plurality of these bowing portions ( e . g ., 40 a and 40 b for channel 28 ) contact the archwire at spaced apart locations on one side of the archwire &# 39 ; s length , and wherein between such locations , there is at least one additional channel archwire bowing portion on an opposite side of archwire for inducing the archwire to press against the spaced apart plurality of contacting portions . thus , the spaced apart plurality of bowing portions , and the at least one additional bowing portion induce oppositely directed forces on the archwire ( such forces being traverse to the length of the archwire ), and causing the archwire to bow or bend somewhat and to press against these bowing portions for holding the archwire within the channel . in use , after an orthodontist has secured the bracket 20 to one of a patient &# 39 ; s teeth , the orthodontist may exert a force ( e . g ., substantially parallel to the upper side 29 ) on a corresponding archwire to force the archwire enter one or both of the archwire retention channels ( 28 or 36 ), wherein such force induces the corresponding archwire to bow in the channel alternatively , the orthodontist may thread the archwire into such a channel , wherein the orthodontist pushes the archwire into the channel by purposely bowing or binding the archwire to follow the bow of the channel , and then once the archwire is threaded through the channel , the orthodontist can then bend the archwire into the correct orientation to attach the archwire to , e . g ., a next orthodontic appliance attached to , e . g ., a next tooth . note , that such subsequent bending of the archwire by the orthodontist is believed to also provide similar forces on the archwire ( and traverse to the length thereof ) as described above for securing the archwire within the channel . the disclosure herein describes the best mode known to carry out the invention as claimed in the claims hereinbelow . moreover , the foregoing disclosure has been provided for purposes of illustration and description . this disclosure is not intended to limit the invention claimed hereinbelow , and various embodiments thereof . variations , embodiments and modifications will be apparent to those skilled in the art and are intended to be within the scope of the following claims .	0
fig1 a schematically shows a player , i . e . a combatant 21 holding a lightsaber 30 , shown greatly enlarged in fig1 b , and engaged in a star - wars type lightsaber battle , in accordance with an embodiment of the invention . combatant 21 is optionally interacting with a gaming system 50 comprising a 3d imaging system 52 having an optic axis 53 that provides a depth map as well as an image of the combatant at a video rate of at least thirty images and depth maps per second . any of various suitable video imaging cameras and 3d cameras known in the art may be comprised in 3d imaging system 52 to provide video rate images and depth maps of combatant 21 . optionally , 3d imaging system 52 , is a gated 3d imaging system comprising an imaging camera for providing an , optionally conventional , image of a scene and a gated , time of flight 3d camera , for providing a depth map of the scene . various types and configurations of gated time of flight 3d cameras and methods of gating them are described in u . s . pat . nos . 6 , 057 , 909 , 6 , 091 , 905 , 6 , 100 , 517 , 6 , 445 , 884 , 7 , 224 , 384 , us patent publication 2007 / 0091175 , pct application il2007 / 001571 and european patent ep1214609 , the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference . to image a scene and determine distances to objects in the scene using a gated 3d camera described in the referenced patents and application , the scene is illuminated with a train of , optionally ir , light pulses radiated from a suitable light source synchronized with gating of the camera . for each radiated light pulse in the train , following an accurately determined delay from the time that the light pulse is radiated , the camera is gated open for a period hereinafter referred to as a “ gate ”. light from the light pulse that is reflected from an object in the scene is imaged on the photosurface of the camera if it reaches the camera during the gate . an amount of light registered by a pixel in the camera photosurface during the gate is used to determine distance to an object imaged on the pixel . a suitable computer 54 receives images and depth maps from 3d imaging system 52 and processes the data provided by the images and depth maps to animate an avatar ( not shown in fig1 a ) that represents combatant 21 in lightsaber battle . the computer controls a suitable video screen 55 to display the combatant &# 39 ; s avatar and an avatar , an “ opponent avatar ” ( not shown in fig1 a ), representing the combatant &# 39 ; s opponent in the lightsaber battle . optionally , computer 54 generates the opponent avatar without resort to a real combatant opponent . in some embodiments of the invention the opponent avatar is generated responsive to another “ real ” player , i . e . a combatant opponent , who interacts with a gaming system similar to gaming system 50 and who is imaged by a 3d imaging system similar to that which images combatant 21 . computers 54 of the two gaming systems communicate with each other so that the avatar animated responsive to combatant 21 and the opponent avatar are located and interact in a common virtual , star - wars reality that is presented to the combatant and opponent combatant on their respective video screens 55 . interaction of a combatant and opponent combatant is illustrated in fig6 and discussed below . referring to the enlarged figure of lightsaber 30 schematically shown in fig1 b , the lightsaber comprises a handgrip 31 , a protective hand guard , tsuba 32 , and a lightsaber “ stub - shaft ” 33 marked along its length with arcs for convenience of presentation . handgrip 31 and lightsaber stub - shaft 33 are optionally substantially cylindrical and share a common axis 36 , hereinafter referred to as a “ lightsaber ” axis . the tsuba is located along lightsaber axis 36 between lightsaber stub - shaft 33 and handgrip 31 and extends away from the lightsaber axis . optionally , tsuba 32 is formed having a planar region 37 substantially perpendicular to the lightsaber axis . optionally , the planar region is characterized by a rotational symmetry relative to the lightsaber axis . optionally , the planar region is circular . by way of example , in combatant lightsaber 33 , tsuba 32 is disc shaped . optionally , handgrip 31 comprises an activation button 39 controllable to operate an activation circuit having a transmitter ( not shown ) comprised in the handgrip . activation button 39 is pressed to operate the transmitter to transmit a suitable signal , such as an optical or rf signal , to computer 54 to indicate to the computer that the lightsaber is activated . upon activation , the computer turns on a relatively long light blade in an avatar lightsaber corresponding to lightsaber 30 that is shown on video screen 55 by the computer . in some embodiments of the invention , tsuba 32 is provided with a configuration of fiducial markings advantageous for determining an orientation of lightsaber 30 that are highly reflective of , optionally ir , light used to image combatant light saber 30 and provide a depth map of the light saber . optionally , substantially all the surface area of tsuba 32 on a side of the tsuba facing stub - shaft 33 is highly reflective for light used to image the saber . optionally , at least a portion of a surface area on the rim of tsuba 32 or on a side of the tsuba facing handgrip 31 is highly reflective . in an embodiment of the invention , surface of stub - shaft 33 has reflectivity that is less than that of reflectivity characterizing highly reflective surface regions of tsuba 32 but the stub - shaft does comprise a highly reflective bright fiducial located at an end of the stub - shaft far from tsuba 32 . the stub - shaft bright fiducial can be advantageous for determining a location and / or orientation of lightsaber 30 . optionally , the bright fiducial comprises a highly , optionally ir , reflective spherical surface 34 of a body attached to the end of the stub - shaft . optionally , surface of handgrip 31 has reflectivity that is less than that of reflectivity characterizing highly reflective surface regions of tsuba 32 but does comprise a highly reflective bright fiducial located at an end of the handgrip far from tsuba 32 that can be advantageous for determining a location and / or orientation of lightsaber 30 . optionally , the handgrip bright fiducial comprises a highly , optionally ir , reflective cylindrical surface 38 . optionally the handgrip bright fiducial comprises an annular surface 40 schematically shown in fig1 c . in accordance with an embodiment of the invention , a projection of stub - shaft 33 onto tsuba 32 in an image of combatant lightsaber 30 acquired from a viewpoint of 3d imaging system 52 is used to provide location and / or orientation of the combatant lightsaber . generally , orientation of the combatant lightsaber 30 affects shape of the tsuba in the image of the lightsaber and optionally the imaged shape is used to determine orientation of the lightsaber . for a given orientation of the combatant lightsaber 30 , size of tsuba 32 in the image may be used to determine location of the lightsaber . optionally , location of stub - shaft bright fiducial 34 is used to provide location and / or orientation of combatant lightsaber 30 . optionally , location of handgrip bright fiducial 38 and / or 40 is used to provide location and / or orientation of the lightsaber . by way of example , fig2 a - 4f show schematic perspective images of combatant lightsaber 30 held by combatant 21 in fig1 a assuming that the combatant light saber is located substantially along optic axis 53 of 3d imaging system 52 and that the optic axis makes an angle of about 55 ° to a normal , i . e . the vertical , to the ground . the angle that the optic axis makes with the vertical ground is schematically indicated in fig1 a . the figures schematically show combatant lightsaber 30 rotated through various angles , and indicate graphically how a projection of the lightsaber &# 39 ; s stub - shaft 33 on the lightsaber &# 39 ; s tsuba and / or images of the lightsaber bright fiducials 34 and / or 38 can be used to determine orientation of the lightsaber , in accordance with an embodiment of the invention . the figures also indicate graphically how images of the tsuba and bright fiducials can be used to determine distance of combatant light saber 30 from 3d imaging system 52 . fig2 a - 2f schematically show combatant lightsaber 30 rotated through various angles about a same y - axis . fig2 a schematically shows a perspective view of combatant lightsaber 30 being held upright with lightsaber axis 36 substantially perpendicular to the ground . lightsaber axis 36 in fig2 a is assumed to be along a z - axis of a coordinate system having x and y - axes indicated in fig2 a that are coplanar with the surface of tsuba 32 facing stub - shaft 33 . fig2 b - 2f schematically show perspective images of lightsaber 30 rotated about the y - axis shown in fig2 a by angles 20 °, 40 °, 50 ° 60 ° and 90 ° respectively . in fig2 b - 2f , the lightsaber is not rotated about the x - axis . shown below each figure is an image of the combatant lightsaber &# 39 ; s tsuba 32 , its stub - shaft bright fiducial 34 and handgrip bright fiducial 38 . the rotation angle at which the combatant lightsaber is rotated is shown below the tsuba . for each figure , a projection of the combatant lightsaber &# 39 ; s stub - shaft 33 onto the lightsaber &# 39 ; s tsuba 32 is removed from the tsuba for the rotation angle at which the lightsaber is imaged by 3d imaging system 52 and shown in the figure . the region removed from the tsuba is a portion of the tsuba that is hidden by the stub - shaft at the angle at which the combatant lightsaber is imaged in the figure and is removed for convenience of presentation to clearly show dependence of the projection on combatant lightsaber orientation . as noted above , in accordance with an embodiment of the invention , stub - shaft 33 has a surface that contrasts with the surface of tsuba 32 so that the portion of the tsuba that is hidden by the stub shaft is relatively easily recognized in an image of combatant lightsaber 30 acquired by 3d imaging system 52 . from fig2 a - 2f it is seen that the various rotation angles for which lightsaber 30 is rotated in the figures are readily distinguished from the projection of stub - shaft 33 on tsuba 32 in accordance with an embodiment of the invention . it is further seen that images of stub - shaft bright fiducial 34 and handgrip bright fiducial 33 also provide information that is useable to determine locations and / or orientation of combatant lightsaber 30 , in accordance with an embodiment of the invention . in accordance with an embodiment of the invention , the imaged shape of tsuba 32 is used to determine orientation of lightsaber 30 . from the images of tsuba 32 shown in fig2 a - 2f it is seen that whereas the tsuba is , optionally , circular , it assumes various different elliptical shapes in the images that are dependent on the 3d spatial orientation of lightsaber 30 and that orientation of the elliptical shapes in the images are also dependent on the lightsaber orientation . a distance of combatant lightsaber 30 from 3d imaging system 52 is optionally determined from a ratio between a size of a major axis of tsuba 32 in an image of the lightsaber and an actual diameter of the tsuba . fig3 a - 3e are similar to fig2 a - 2f and show perspective images of lightsaber 30 for rotations only about the x - axis shown in fig3 a . below the lightsaber in each figure the lightsaber &# 39 ; s tsuba 32 is shown absent an area of the tsuba that corresponds to a projection of the lightsaber &# 39 ; s stub - shaft 33 at the angle at which the lightsaber is imaged by 3d imaging system 52 and shown in the figure . again it is seen , that in accordance with an embodiment of the invention , the various orientations of the lightsaber shown in fig3 a - 3e can readily be distinguished from images of tsuba 32 . fig4 a - 4f show perspective images of combatant lightsaber 30 rotated about both the x - axis and the y - axis . as in fig2 a - 2f in each fig4 a - 4f the lightsaber &# 39 ; s tsuba 32 with projection removed is shown below the lightsaber , and below the tsuba , the angles of rotation are shown . from the figures , it is seen that the orientations of combatant lightsaber 30 are readily distinguished by the projections of the lightsaber &# 39 ; s stub - shaft on its tsuba . fig5 shows a flow diagram of an algorithm 300 used to determine location and orientation of combatant lightsaber 30 , in accordance with an embodiment of the invention . in a first block 302 , 3d imaging system 52 acquires an , optionally ir , intensity image of combatant lightsaber 30 ( fig1 a - 1c ) and a depth map of the lightsaber . in a block 304 computer 54 optionally processes the image to locate regions of the image that are candidates for being tsuba 32 , stub - shaft bright fiducial 34 and handgrip bright fiducial 38 and / or 40 . location of image regions that are candidates for the tsuba and bright fiducials is aided by the relatively high ir reflectivity that characterizes surfaces of the tsuba and bright fiducials . upon locating three candidate image regions , optionally in a block 306 , each candidate region is identified with a different one of tsuba 32 , stub - shaft bright fiducial 34 and handgrip bright fiducial 38 or 39 . identifying a candidate region with tsuba 32 , stub - shaft bright fiducial 34 or handgrip bright fiducial 38 or 39 is aided not only by the optionally substantially different shapes of the tsuba , stub - shaft bright fiducial and handgrip bright fiducial . in accordance with an embodiment of the invention , distance between tsuba 32 and stub - shaft bright fiducial 34 is different than that between the tsuba and handgrip bright fiducial 38 and / or 40 . in an image of combatant lightsaber 30 , an image of tsuba 32 will always lie between an image of stub - shaft bright fiducial 34 and an image of handgrip bright fiducial 38 and / or 40 . and in general , the different actual distances between tsuba 32 and stub - shaft bright fiducial 34 and handgrip bright fiducial 38 or 39 correspond to different distances between their respective images in an image of the lightsaber . as a result , different distances between candidate image regions can be , and optionally are , used to aid in identifying candidate regions with features of lightsaber 30 . in a block 308 , optionally , each candidate image region is used to determine a center point that lies on axis 36 of combatant lightsaber 30 for the feature of lightsaber 30 for which it is a candidate . for example , if an image region appears to be a candidate for tsuba 32 , the candidate region is used to determine a center point for the tsuba . in a block 310 the center points are tested to determine if they satisfy a predetermined criterion for lying along a same straight line . if they are determined to lie along a same straight line , algorithm 300 optionally advances to a block 312 . in block 312 distances to points along the straight line provided by the depth map are used to determine a distance of combatant lightsaber 30 from 3d imaging system 52 . optionally , the distance is a distance of the center point determined for tsuba 32 in block 308 . optionally , the distance is an average of distances for points along the straight line determined for the center points . in a block 314 a polar angle “ θ ” that combatant lightsaber axis 36 ( fig1 b ) makes with optic axis 53 of 3d imaging system 52 is determined responsive to the determined distance , a model of the optics of the 3d imaging system 52 and the image of the lightsaber . it is noted that the polar angle θ is determined to within a degeneracy of order 2 , i . e . for a given image there are two solutions for the polar angle θ , one for which stub - shaft bright fiducial 34 ( fig1 b ) is closer to 3d imaging system 52 and one for which the bright fiducial is farther from the imaging system . in accordance with an embodiment of the invention , configuration of tsuba 32 and bright fiducials 34 and 38 and / or 40 are used to determine which solution is adopted . in a block 316 an azimuthal angle φ for lightsaber axis 36 relative to optic axis 36 is determined responsive to the configuration of tsuba 32 and bright fiducials 34 and 38 in the image of the lightsaber . if in decision block 306 three candidate image regions are not identified , or if in decision block 310 centers for candidate image regions are determined not to lie along a same straight line , algorithm 300 optionally advances to a decision block 318 . in decision block 318 , a decision is made as to whether a candidate region for tsuba 32 suitable for determining polar and azimuthal angles θ and φ exists in the image of combatant lightsaber 30 . if such a candidate is found , in a block 320 a configuration of the candidate image region identified with the tsuba , and if it exists , an image region identified with a bright fiducial , are used to determine polar and azimuthal angles θ and φ . if in block 318 a decision is made that a suitable candidate for tsuba 318 is not found processing of the acquired image and depth map to determine location and orientation of combatant light saber 30 is abandoned and the algorithm returns to block 302 to acquire another image and depth map . fig6 schematically shows combatant 21 engaged in a lightsaber battle with another combatant 121 also equipped with a gaming system 50 and wielding a lightsaber 130 . for convenience of presentation an inset 181 shows an enlarged image 55 * of video screens 55 comprised in gaming systems 50 . enlarged screen 55 * shows what combatants 21 and 121 see on their respective gaming system screens , in accordance with an embodiment of the invention . 3d imaging systems 52 of respective combatants 21 and 121 determine 3d spatial locations of the combatants , and optionally their body postures from 3d images provided by the 3d imaging system and 3d spatial positions and orientations of their lightsabers 30 and 130 as described above . each computer 54 transmits imaging , position and orientation data to the other computer to enable the computers to generate a common self consistent virtual reality star - wars venue inhabited by avatars 22 and 122 shown on video screens 55 that are animated responsive to motion of combatants 21 and 121 respectively . avatars 22 and 122 wield avatar lightsabers 31 and 131 respectively that are shown on video screens 55 . when combatant 21 or 121 activates his or her activation button 39 ( fig1 b ) on lightsaber 30 or 130 respectively , corresponding combatant lightsaber 31 or 131 glows with an activated light blade 32 or 132 . a lightsaber 31 or 131 activated by its corresponding combatant 21 or 121 can be animated to deliver a blow and damage the opposing combatant &# 39 ; s avatar 122 or 22 respectively by the corresponding combatant appropriately moving and wielding lightsaber 30 or 130 . a blow being delivered by avatar 22 or 122 can also be parried by opponent avatar 122 or 22 if the opponent avatar &# 39 ; s combatant 121 or 21 is skillful enough to appropriately wield his or her lightsaber 130 or 30 respectively . a combatant 21 or 121 animates avatar 22 or 122 and the avatars lightsaber 31 or 131 responsive to locations and motion of the avatars in the virtual reality star - wars battle displayed on video screens 55 . contact between avatars and objects in the virtual reality star - wars venue , such as contact between avatar lightsabers 31 and 131 and opponent avatars 122 and 22 is determined using any of various methods known in the art , such as by use of appropriate z - buffers . it is noted that there are various methods and formats for displaying a virtual reality venue and avatars that inhabit the venues . in fig6 each combatant 21 and 121 sees only a portion of his or her own avatar and observes the avatar &# 39 ; s light blade as if in front of combatants eyes . other methods of presenting a virtual reality and avatars can of course be used and can be advantageous . for example , each computer 54 can control its corresponding video screen to show all of both avatars . in some embodiments of the invention , a lightsaber such as a lightsaber similar to lightsaber 30 is equipped to receive a lightweight simulated light blade and the lightsaber comprises a suitable light source for lighting up the light blade when the lightsaber is activated . fig7 schematically shows a lightsaber 200 mounted with a lightweight light blade 202 that fits over a lightsaber stub - shaft 203 . light blade 202 is formed from a material that diffuses and reflects light and lightsaber 200 comprises a light source 204 , which when turned on causes the length of light blade 202 to glow . for example , light blade 202 is optionally formed as a tube of polyurethane having internal walls that diffusively scatter light . optionally , light blade 202 comprises a bright fiducial 206 in the form of a ring externally mounted to the light blade . fig8 a - 8c schematically show a skateboard 400 having bright fiducial markings 401 and 402 that are used to determined orientation of the skate board in accordance with an embodiment of the invention . each figure shows a schematic photosurface 420 comprised in 3d imaging system 52 on which the skateboard is imaged . schematic images 411 and 412 of bright fiducial markings 401 and 412 are shown on photosurface 420 for different orientations of skateboard 400 . fig8 a schematically shows how images of bright fiducials 401 and 402 on photosurface 420 change with change in yaw angle of skateboard 400 . fig8 b schematically shows how images of bright fiducials 401 and 402 on photosurface 420 change with change in pitch of skateboard 400 . fig8 c schematically shows how images of bright fiducials 401 and 402 on photosurface 420 change with change in roll angle of skateboard 400 . it is noted of course that the skate board referred to above is not necessarily a real skate board , but may be any suitable skate board simulator . for example , the simulator optionally comprises a board having a shape similar to that of a skate board but instead of being mounted on wheels is optionally mounted on a set of gimbals that enables a person using the simulator to simulate motion on a skate board . in the description and claims of the present application , each of the verbs , “ comprise ” “ include ” and “ have ”, and conjugates thereof , are used to indicate that the object or objects of the verb are not necessarily an exhaustive listing of members , components , elements or parts of the subject or subjects of the verb . the invention has been described with reference to embodiments thereof that are provided by way of example and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention . the described embodiments comprise different features , not all of which are required in all embodiments of the invention . some embodiments of the invention utilize only some of the features or possible combinations of the features . variations of embodiments of the described invention and embodiments of the invention comprising different combinations of features than those noted in the described embodiments will occur to persons of the art . the scope of the invention is limited only by the following claims .	0
as used in the following examples , &# 34 ; melt index &# 34 ; refers to astm test d - 1238 , melt flow index is reported in g / 10 min . under condition l ; &# 34 ; flexural strength / flexural modulus ,&# 34 ; astm test d - 790 , both are reported in psi ; &# 34 ; izod impact ,&# 34 ; astm test d - 256 , both notched and unnotched izod impact are reported in ft . lb ./ in . ; &# 34 ; gardner impact ,&# 34 ; astm test d - 3029 , gardner impact is reported in in . lbs . ; &# 34 ; spiral flow ,&# 34 ; astm test d - 3123 , spiral flow is reported in inches ; and &# 34 ; surface resistivity ,&# 34 ; astm test d - 257 , surface resistivity is reported in ohm / square . all proportions of ingredients are given in weight percent ; temperatures are expressed in degrees fahrenheit . melt index , customarily used in characterizing polyolefins , is not always a reliable measure of the processability or moldability of a resin . melt index describes the flow behavior of a resin at a specified temperature and under a specified pressure . typically , these conditions represent low shear conditions , less than 100 sec - 1 . injection molding is a high shear process , with shear rates typically between 1 , 000 and 10 , 000 sec - 1 . thus , melt index values do not always present a realistic picture of how easy or difficult a particular material is to mold . spiral flow testing in the injection molder measures the distance a material flows in a mold . spiral flow can be used to characterize a material &# 39 ; s moldability ; higher spiral flow values represent higher ease of molding . the physical properties of three conductive ( static - dissipative ) compounds containing polypropylene and carbon black were evaluated to demonstrate the properties &# 39 ; dependence on in situ free - radical initiators . the compounds were prepared on a stuart bolling # 12 internal mixer at a processing temperature of 365 ° f . npp8502 polypropylene having a melt flow index ( hereinafter mfi ) = 4 , is a commercially available polypropylene copolymer available from the quantum chemical corporation , usi division , cincinnati , ohio . cr - 10 peroxide concentrate ( cr - 10 is a trade name for a peroxide concentrate available from polyvel , inc ., hammonton , n . j .) contains 10 % lupersol 101 [ 2 , 5 - dimethyl - 2 , 5 - bis -[ t - butylperoxyl ] hexane ] in a proprietary polymer carrier . npp8502 and cr - 10 were combined in the proportions given in table i and were mixed at 80 rpm until fluxed . after fluxing , carbon black was incorporated into the melt and mixed for one minute and thirty seconds . the carbon black was vulcan xc - 72 , available from cabot corporation , billerica , mass . the resultant 480 pound batch was discharged from the mixer to a melt pump extruder , water cooled , and pelletized using an underwater pelletizer . test specimens were injection molded in a 40 ton newbury reciprocating screw molder using a stock temperature of 450 °. the physical properties and rheological data for the materials are shown in table i and fig . i . in addition to the significantly enhanced flow properties and ease of injection molding measured by melt index , rheology and spiral flow , excellent surface characteristics and absence of molding &# 34 ; chatter marks &# 34 ; were seen in the samples compounded with an in situ free - radical generator . surface resistivity of in situ free - radical compounded conductive compounds either improved or remained unchanged compared to the control material . table i______________________________________ 1 2 3______________________________________composition : polypropylene 77 . 00 76 . 23 75 . 46carbon black 23 . 00 23 . 00 23 . 00peroxide concentrate -- 00 . 77 1 . 54properties : melt index 0 . 30 0 . 85 3 . 30flexural strength 5500 5100 4740tangent flexural mod . (× 10 . sup .- 3 ) 196 179 164unnotched izod no break no break no breakgardner impact 142 145 131surface resistivity 90 60 80spiral flow 12 . 6 15 . 9 20 . 5______________________________________ column 1 reports the physical properties of a conductive composition prepared without peroxide concentrate . columns 2 and 3 report the properties of compositions prepared with 1 and 2 wt % cr - 10 peroxide concentrate based on polypropylene . the 2 wt % material exhibits a melt index one order of magnitude greater than the conductive material not prepared in the presence of the peroxide concentrate . carbon black compositions with and without free - radical initiators , utilizing very high flow polypropylene ( homopolymer or copolymer ) resins , were prepared on a laboratory scale using a farrel midget banbury mixer . the batch size was about 300 grams . polypropylene ( either sb 642 ( mfi = 20 ) from himont usa , inc ., wilmington , del ., or pp 1154 ( mfi = 35 ) from exxon chemical america , houston , tex .) was mixed with cr - 10 ( as in example i ) in the proportions shown in table ii until fluxed . then the indicated amount of carbon black ( vulcan xc - 72 as in example i ) was added . process temperatures of about 270 °- 300 ° were used , depending upon the melting characteristics of the particular resin . injection molded samples , prepared as in example i , had properties as shown in table ii . in addition to the properties shown , the molded specimens of compounds manufactured in the presence of peroxide exhibited surface appearance characteristics superior to the control materials . table ii______________________________________ 1 2 3 4 5______________________________________composition : sb 642 77 . 00 76 . 23 75 . 49 -- -- pp1154 -- -- -- 77 . 00 75 . 49carbon black 23 . 00 23 . 00 23 . 00 23 . 00 23 . 00peroxide conc . -- 0 . 77 1 . 51 -- 1 . 51properties : melt index * 32 . 8 54 . 6 72 . 4 47 . 2 130 . 0flexural strength 5385 5248 5234 6500 6120tangent flexural 218 176 194 237 231mod . (× 10 . sup .- 3 ) unnotched izod no no no 3 . 2 1 . 9 break break breakgardner impact 295 292 278 -- -- surface resistivity 40 70 70 150 170spiral flow 13 . 8 14 . 4 16 . 6 -- -- ______________________________________ * melt index , 230 ° c ., 10 kg loading conductive compounds prepared with sb 642 ( mfi = 20 ) exhibited increasing melt indices with increasing concentration of cr - 10 peroxide concentrate . as shown in column 3 , the 2 % ( wt ./ wt . peroxide / polypropylene ) material had a three and one - half fold increase in melt index . conductive compounds prepared with pp1154 , having an initial melt flow of 35 , showed an almost four - fold increase in melt flow after processing with 2 wt . % peroxide concentrate . polypropylenes were compounded with a conductive carbon black and additionally with polybutylene resin in the presence of an in situ free - radical generator ( peroxide ) under the conditions specified in example i ; the polypropylene was npp 8502 ( mfi = 4 ), the carbon black was xc - 72 , and the peroxide was cr - 10 . the polybutylene was polybutylene 8640 , available from shell chemical company , houston , tex . the polypropylene , the peroxide , and the polybutylene were mixed until fluxed , and then the carbon black was added . properties of the resultant materials were as shown in table iii . table iii______________________________________ 1 2______________________________________composition : polypropylene 74 . 69 72 . 69carbon black 23 . 00 23 . 00peroxide concentrate 2 . 31 2 . 31polybutylene -- 2 . 00properties : melt index 7 . 5 9 . 5flexural strength 5000 5000tangent flexural mod . (× 10 . sup .- 3 ) 170 170unnotched izod 3 . 0 3 . 0gardner impact 100 120surface resistivity 90 110______________________________________ replacement of a small amount of polypropylene with polybutylene resulted in a material exhibiting more resiliency , as indicated by increase in the gardner impact value . conductive carbon black containing polypropylene compounds prepared on a laboratory leistritz twin screw counter - rotating extruder ( 34 mm ) exhibited similar enhancement of properties for in situ free - radical generated products to the compounds prepared in examples i to iii . materials containing the ingredients in the proportions listed in table iv were prepared using mild mixing configuration screws , stock temperature of 450 °, and screw speeds of 100 rpm . the polypropylene was sb 786 ( mfi = 8 ), available from himont usa , inc ., wilmington , del . the carbon black was vulcan xc - 72 , and the peroxide concentrate was cr - 10 . the ingredients were mixed together and hopper fed into the extruder . the cooled extruded material was cut into pellets ; injection molding was done as in example i . physical properties as shown in table iv were obtained . surface appearance characteristics of the composition containing the peroxide were significantly better than the compound without the free - radical initiator . table iv______________________________________ 1 2______________________________________composition : polypropylene 77 . 00 75 . 46carbon black 23 . 00 23 . 00peroxide concentrate -- 1 . 54properties : melt index 0 . 5 1 . 6flexural strength 6570 6050tangent flexural mod . (× 10 . sup .- 3 ) 229 232notched izod 5 . 3 2 . 5gardner impact 166 125surface resistivity 25 35______________________________________ in comparison to the method of preparation in examples i - iii wherein polypropylene was mixed with peroxide concentrate until fluxed before the addition of carbon black , the method of preparation in example v illustrated that all the components may be mixed together before being delivered to an extruder . a polypropylene and carbon black composition with a free - radical initiator was compounded in a one - step in situ process in a stewart bolling oom internal melt mixer . polypropylene npp 8755 ( mfi = 5 ) from quantum chemical corporation , usi division , cincinnati , ohio ) and cr - 10 peroxide concentrate were mixed until fluxed . then the indicated amount of carbon black , vulcan xc - 72 , was added and mixed until incorporated . batch size was 1000 grams . injection molded samples , prepared as in example i , had properties shown in table v . additionally , an identical composition with free - radical initiator was prepared on the same equipment in a two - step process where the polypropylene and free - radical generator ( peroxide ) were mixed until fluxed . the resulting resin was pelletized and then reintroduced into the equipment . when the resin was fluxed , the indicated amount of carbon black was added and mixed until incorporated . injection molded samples , prepared as in example 1 , had the properties shown in table v . significantly enhanced flow , as measured by melt index , was seen in the sample prepared by use of an in situ free - radical generator . table v______________________________________ 1 2______________________________________composition : polypropylene 74 . 62 74 . 62carbon black 23 . 00 23 . 00peroxide concentrate 2 . 38 2 . 38properties : melt index 6 . 4 0 . 7gardner impact 140 184surface resistivity 380 210______________________________________ example v illustrated that the important feature of the invention was the in situ compounding of the ingredients , that is , the addition of carbon black to either freshly fluxed polypropylene already in a compounder or mixed together with the polypropylene and peroxide concentrate before placement in the compounder . polypropylene resin was compounded with a conductive carbon black and a polymer additive , either polybutene or a nucleating agent , in the presence of am in situ free - radical generator ( peroxide ) as in example v . the physical properties of the resultant conductive materials are shown on table vi . it was observed that addition of small quantities of polybutene to the conductive polypropylene formulations resulted in improvements in both melt flow and gardner impact resistance . the same was observed for the free - radical modified , nucleated polypropylene compound , reported in column 4 , below . the molded specimens had excellent surface characteristics . table vi______________________________________ 1 2 3 4______________________________________composition : exxon pd 7131 75 . 46 70 . 46 70 . 46 75 . 11pp copolymermilliken millad 3905 -- -- -- 0 . 25nucleating agent ( dibenzylidene sorbitol ) polybutene -- 5 . 00 -- -- amoco grade h100polybutene -- -- 5 . 00 -- amoco grade e - 16peroxide conc . 1 . 51 1 . 54 1 . 54 1 . 54carbon black 23 . 00 23 . 00 23 . 00 23 . 00properties : melt flow 1 . 8 4 . 8 4 . 7 1 . 7gardner impact 85 186 224 171______________________________________ many modifications and variations of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art in light of the foregoing detailed disclosure . therefore , it is to be understood that , within the scope of the appended claims , the invention can be practiced otherwise than as specifically described .	2
using a combination of techniques such as ac and dc coupling , automatic gain control , and digital signal processing , the dc offsets are removed to insignificant levels . the main features or steps of the invention are dynamically changing the cut off frequency of an ac coupling stage ; computing a dc signal error over a time period in which the i and q signals complete a single or multiple cycles , subtracting the estimated dc errors from the i and q signals , and high - pass filtering the resultant signal so that residual dc errors are removed . the implementation and timing of these steps allows for dc offset control that is far superior to prior art systems . in a second embodiment a d / a converter is used in each of the i and q branches to significantly reduce the dc offset , and the steps as mentioned above are followed . the dsp does a course dc correction with the d / a converter , and maintains a list of correction values for all combinations of antenna diversity and lna amplifier gains . this ensures that dc offset correction values are maintained for all combinations of antenna diversity and low noise amplifier gains . in the second embodiment , the dsp controls the system so that the dc offset error is reduced when agc gain is reduced . in a third embodiment , the transceiver frequency error is further removed in the receiver by changing the voltage controlled oscillator crystal ( vcxo ) frequency that is used for the local oscillator ( lo ) frequency synthesizer . this also ensures that the effect of the dc offset error is minimized after demodulating an ofdm signal . fig1 shows a diagram of the transceiver 10 as a zero intermediate frequency radio device according to the present invention . the transceiver 10 comprises a receive branch rx and a transmit branch tx . a transmit power amplifier 14 is coupled to a tx / rx switch 13 . the tx / rx switch 13 is coupled to an antenna 11 . the transmitting branch is well known in the art and is not shown in detail here . the receiver branch further includes a variable gain low noise radio frequency amplifier ( lna ) 15 that is coupled to the tx / rx switch 13 . the lna 15 amplifies an input signal that corresponds to an incoming radio frequency signal that is received by the antenna 11 . the output of the lna 15 is coupled to a frequency down converter 34 for down converting the radio frequency signal to a zero intermediate frequency ( if ) signal . the present invention employs a quadrature frequency down converter . the frequency down converter 34 which contains mixers 16 and 17 in respective quadrature and in - phase mixer paths that provide filtered and amplified quadrature signals q and i . the frequency down converter 34 further includes controllable ac couplers 22 and 23 , and channel filters 24 and 25 . the ac couplers 22 and 23 are coupled between the mixers 16 and 17 and the zero if amplifiers filters 24 and 25 . control signals for the automatic gain control agc 31 are provided by a dsp baseband processor 30 . the baseband processor 30 contains processing means for providing cut - off frequency control signals and signals to the agc unit 31 . signal line 35 controls the automatic gain controlling data , while signal line 36 contains frequency cutoff information . also shown is a state machine 9 . the state machine 9 is connected to capacitors 22 - 23 and 32 - 33 . the state machine is used to change the ac coupling frequency from 10 mhz to 500 khz as will be explained in greater detail below . the operation and functions of the dsp 30 will also be described in detail with reference to fig2 below . in another embodiment , the baseband circuit 30 further employs analog to digital converters 20 and 21 for canceling the dc offset in the quadrature signals i and q . the sampled i and q dc correction signals are supplied by the digital signal processor ( dsp ) 30 . the transceiver 10 further comprises a pll 19 for generating local oscillator signals for the receive branch rx and for the transmit branch tx . as is well known in the art , the pll comprises a voltage controlled oscillator ( vco ), a loop filter , and an integrator . a reference oscillator signal , as shown in more detail in fig3 , is supplied to the pll . in order to generate the i and q signals , a ninety degrees phase shifter is used in conjunction with the lo signals that are fed to the mixers 16 and 17 . the transceiver 10 does not use the d / a converters in the first embodiment but does employ them in a second embodiment . as described above , the problems with prior art transceiver systems are the unwanted dc offset values that are produced by the system components . fig2 shows a timing diagram according to one preferred embodiment of the invention . this timing diagram shows the durations of the ac and dc coupling stages necessary to reduce the dc offset errors . also shown in fig2 are the lower cut off frequencies of the filters during these ac coupling stages . the invention implements both ac and dc coupling in the receiver i and q base band paths . temporary ac coupling is used to remove dc offsets that could otherwise saturate the receiver outputs due to the large gain in the base band paths from the down converters outputs to the i and q outputs . the ac coupling is implemented as a cascade of one or more first order high pass filters 24 and 25 , with a particular lower 3 db cut off frequency ( f lower ). with reference to fig2 , upon entering the receive ( rx ) mode at time zero , ( step 1 ) the ac coupling cutoff frequency ( f lower ) is momentarily kept at 10 mhz for 0 . 15 usec . this is done automatically by a state machine 9 in the receiver . this quickly removes all the dc offset in the receiver i and q base band paths . after 0 . 15 microseconds ( f lower ) is automatically reduced to 500 khz , and remains at this cut off value until the dsp removes the ac coupling and introduces dc coupling . with the 500 khz ac coupling , dc offset changes ( with agc gain changes ) are quickly removed before the signal is sampled or the next agc iteration . it is during this stage of step 1 that automatic gain control is performed on the signal . the gains of amplifiers 26 , 27 , 28 and 29 are changed by the dsp to adjust the iq signals to a desired level at the a / d input . fig2 shows 3 distinct time periods of adjustment , however more periods could be used as necessary . in the example shown in fig2 , the dc coupling ( step 2 ) is switched on at 1 . 05 microseconds . the dc coupling is actually an ac coupling with a very low value of ( f lower ) which is less than 100 hz . with such a low cut off frequency , it may be considered dc coupling even for long ieee802 . 11a data packets that may be up to 5 - 6 milliseconds in duration . it should be noted that whenever the lna 15 gain is changed , there is a change in logic level at the antenna select input , and the state machine 9 changes ( f lower ) to 10 mhz for 0 . 15 microseconds and then returns ( f lower ) to 500 khz . it should also be noted that when the state machine 9 changes ( f lower ) from 10 mhz to 500 khz , there is a step in the i and q dc levels that may be as large as the peak signal level . this step quickly decays away to very low levels within about 0 . 8 microseconds . simulations show that with 500 khz ac coupling for iee802 . 11a , if a moving average signal power estimate is computed by the dsp 30 ( averaged over 0 . 8 microseconds ), then the error is within 2 db after the first 0 . 8 microseconds of the rf burst . for a coarse signal level estimate , a 150 nanosecond averaging window ( samples at 40 or 80 mhz a / d ) is sufficient . when the dsp 30 changes the receiver base band agc gain in step 1 , it must wait for up to 300 nanoseconds before sampling the i and q signals for computing the signal power . this is because of the transient settling of the receiver agc dc levels that takes less than 300 nanoseconds to settle for a 500 khz ac coupling . for small changes in agc gain settings , the transient settling time is less than 300 nanoseconds . all changes in lna and agc gain settings should be done in order to get the proper signal level and allow the dc errors to be removed before making the decision for the next gain setting . after finally adjusting the receiver agc gain , the dsp 30 changes the receiver paths to dc coupling ( step 2 ). when this is done , there is a small change in the i and q dc levels , and it can not be avoided . it is less than about − 5 db relative to the peak signal level and is due to the ac coupling acting on the signal itself ( not related to the actual dc error in the circuit ). this dc error remains nearly constant during the rest of the receive burst that may be up to 6 ms long . in this preferred embodiment , this static dc error should be removed digitally by the dsp 30 , only after the i and q a / d conversion takes place . this will ensure not to degrade the signal to noise ratio ( snr ) after the fast fourier transform ( fft ) in the receiver , especially when there are large relative frequency offsets between the transmitting and receiving modes in the transceivers . in step 3 of the preferred embodiment the dsp 30 computes the dc offsets in the i and q remaining parts of the signal . the average values of the i and q signals are calculated by the dsp 30 . the computed average dc offsets should then be subtracted from their respective signals for the rest of the packet . it is important to calculate the dc offset error at this point while the signal is dc coupled , so as to get an accurate indication of the offset error . after this subtraction , a first order high pass filtering should be done on the following i and q signals digitally by the dsp 30 , which represents step 4 of the preferred embodiment . this process significantly improves the snr of the signal . this is because the estimated dc offset is not the true dc offset when the transmitter - receiver frequency offset is present . a residual dc error remains and it must be removed . simple high pass digital filtering in the dsp 30 is sufficient . a lower cutoff frequency of 1 khz is optimum for this digital filtering . this process as shown in fig2 allows the dc offset error to be reduced to acceptable levels within 8 microseconds . in this preferred embodiment it is assumed that the dsp 30 takes 150 nsec to compute the signal power and program the agc . actual time for worst case agc setting will depend on the exact processing delay of the dsp , and the total number of agc set iterations , and whether or not antenna diversity is used . in another preferred embodiment , instead of computing the dc error in the dsp and subtracting it , the dsp can instead ramp down the value of ( f lower ) the ac coupling cut off frequency , from 500 khz to less than 100 hz over about 4 microseconds . this avoids the sudden step in dc offset that is associated with abruptly changing the cut off frequency . fig3 shows a third embodiment of the present invention , wherein a frequency adjust signal is applied to the voltage controlled crystal oscillator 50 to change the frequency of the lo . a signal ( f adjust ) is applied to the voltage controlled crystal 50 from the dsp controller . the phase locked loop contains conventional components such as a charge pump multiplier 51 , a low pass filter 52 , an integrator 53 and voltage controlled oscillator 54 . the function of this circuit shown in fig3 is to ensure that the frequencies of the local and received carriers are the same . when the frequency error is significantly reduced , even a large dc offset does not degrade the snr after demodulation of the ofdm signal . therefore the dc estimation and subtraction , and removal of residual dc error , is not required . fig4 shows one embodiment of how the automatic gain control circuit ( agc ) and ac coupling may be implemented . this feedback circuit contains two amplifiers 60 and 61 with respective gains of g and a respectively . a low pass filter ( integrator ) 62 is also added after the feedback amplifier 61 . this type of connection allows the transfer function from input to output to be frequency dependent . by changing the gains of the amplifiers 60 and 61 , the cutoff frequency of this circuit may be varied . the − 3 db lower cutoff frequency of the ac coupling is 2piag . the product of ag must be maintained constant when changing the signal path gain g , in order to keep a constant cutoff frequency . in this manner automatic gain control may be implemented while keeping a constant lower cut - off frequency . as mentioned above the ac coupling provided by this circuit may be effectively changed to dc coupling by making the value of a very small , so that 2piag is less than 100 hz . in view of the foregoing , it will be evident to a person skilled in the art , what various modifications may be made in the embodiments given , such as digital signal processing , gain control , channel filtering , and reduction of cut off frequencies . further the invention is thus not limited to the examples provided .	7
a detailed description of embodiments of the present invention is provided with respect to the figures . fig1 is a basic illustration of system that includes a video format bridge 10 according to the present invention . the system accepts input from a video source 11 , which is characterized as a virtual input video frame 12 . the video source 11 has a input pixel clock fid , and outputs the input video stream with the parameters ih , iv , ihde , ivde for a given input pixel clock fid and input frame rate ifr . a reference clock is supplied on line 13 to the clock generator 14 . the reference clock may be supplied by crystal oscillator , such as the popular 14 . 318 mhz oscillator in common use , or may be derived from the input pixel clock fid . the clock generator is implemented using a frequency divider having six bits of accuracy in this example . thus , the clock frequency of the output video stream fod is equal to the reference frequency fref times the six bit value n [ 5 : 0 ] divided by the six bit value m [ 5 : 0 ]. the values m and n define a finite precision for generation of the output pixel clock fod . greater precision reduces the matching problems described above , but does not eliminate them in all cases . the video format bridge 10 receives the output clock fod and the input video stream 12 as inputs . a line buffer or frame buffer 15 coupled to the video format bridge 12 is used to store active pixels from the input video stream . the video format bridge 10 retrieves pixels from the buffer 15 , which may cross lines or frames , for video processing to produce an output pixel stream characterized by the virtual output video frame 16 . the parameters of the output pixel stream include oh , ov , ohde and ovde at the output pixel clock rate fod , where the output frame rate ofr is substantially equal to the input frame rate ifr . according to the present invention , the video format bridge 10 adjusts the number of pixels per line oh within an output frame or the number of lines per frame ov within a set of output frames , to handle timing and buffering problems discussed above . fig2 is a simplified block diagram of the video format bridge that provides resources for executing a variety of bridging processes . in fig2 , a video input device 25 supplies a pixel stream on line 26 to measurement logic 27 , and executes a handshake protocol with interface logic 28 . furthermore , the video input device 25 supplies the input vertical sync and the input horizontal sync clock signals on line 29 . the pixel stream 26 has an input clock associated with it that is equal to the input pixel clock fid . the measurement logic 27 determines the parameters of input video stream ( ih , iv , ihde , ivde ), determines the input frame period fp , and includes ix and iy counters that indicate a position in the input video flame . the measurement logic 27 transmits the pixel stream to the line or frame buffer control block 30 , which manages transfer of data into the buffer 31 , implemented using sram or sdram memory in this embodiment . the measurement logic 27 in this embodiment also manages the write request and write finish handshaking between the line or frame buffer control block 30 and the input pixel stream . the buffer control block 30 transfers pixels out of the memory 31 to image scaling engine 32 which in turn supplies the pixels to image processing logic 33 , which performs such adjustments as color content , contrast , brightness , edge filtering , and the like . the image processing logic 33 supplies pixels to an output timing generator 34 which in turn generates the output pixel stream on line 35 to the destination display device 36 . the output timing generator 34 generates the output vertical sync clock and the output horizontal sync clock , as well as an output display enable signal along with the streaming pixels at the output pixel clock rate fod on line 35 . the output timing generator 34 also issues read requests to the buffer control block 30 . an output clock generator 37 ( phase locked loop in this example ) is coupled to the buffer control block 30 , the image scaling engine 32 , the image processing logic 33 , and the output timing generator block 34 . a measurement block 38 is coupled with the output timing generator 34 and with the measurement block 27 , and includes ox and oy counters to indicate a position in the output frame , and includes logic to compute the normalized distance between the position in the output frame and the input frame . a measurement block 39 measures the length of residue lines in the output frame . a frame period counter 40 is coupled with the output timing generator 34 and the measurement block 39 , and receives the input vertical sync and input horizontal sync signals on line 29 . processor 43 and software routines 44 communicate with the input video device 25 and the control and status registers , so that software routines are used in the bridging processes , to an extent desired for a given implementation . control and status registers which are written by hardware in this example include the register set 45 which includes buffer overflow and underflow flags and buffer use condition registers written by the buffer control block 30 . register set 46 stores the parameters of the input pixel stream from the measurement block 27 . register set 47 stores the length of the residue line produced by the residue line measurement block 39 . control and status registers that store values produced by the processor 43 under control of the software routines 44 include register set 50 that supplies the scaling ratios for the input and output frames , register set 51 which provides parameters for the output pixel stream , register set 52 which provides parameters used in the distance locking process , and register set 53 which provides parameters for adjusting the number of pixels per line . various processes for which the system of fig2 is adapted are described detail below . it will be understood that the allocation of logic between hardware and software can be changed as suits the needs of particular implementations . fig3 is a timing diagram illustrating a prior art approach used in the integrated circuit mx88l284 manufactured by macronix international co . ltd . the first trace 100 shows the input vertical sync clock . the second trace 101 shows the input horizontal sync clock . the third trace 102 shows the output vertical sync clock . the fourth trace 103 shows the output horizontal sync clock with output display enable signals indicated in active lines . as mentioned above , the output frame period 104 is forced to match the input frame period 105 . in this prior art approach , a fixed number of input horizontal sync pulses 106 is counted . after the fixed number , a “ force ” signal 107 is issued which causes the output horizontal sync clock 108 to be synchronized with the input horizontal sync clock . this causes a residue output line interval 109 which is shorter than the normal line interval . the output frame has a determinate number of output lines . during a next input frame , the force signal on line 110 is issued at the same fixed number of input lines after the input vertical sync , causing resynchronization of the output horizontal sync signal 111 and a second residue output line interval . as can be seen , the residue output line interval varies in length from frame to frame . the output device may not be able to accept the forced timing of the output horizontal sync signal at it results in residue lines having unstable lengths . if the destination device cannot handle the unstable lengths of the residue lines , this prior art device is unsuitable as a bridging solution . fig4 is a timing diagram which illustrates one approach according to the present invention of making sure that the residue line lengths are within the specifications of the output device . thus , fig4 shows a trace having normal horizontal sync intervals 122 and adjusted horizontal sync intervals 121 , where normal horizontal sync intervals have a first number of pixels per line , and adjusted horizontal sync intervals have a different number of pixels per line . thus , when the output vertical sync signal 120 is issued , according to this example , a residue output horizontal sync period is detected . the length of the residue output horizontal sync period is applied to adjusting the horizontal sync periods of the frame so that the residue pixels are distributed among the lines in the frame . thus , a number of adjusted horizontal sync signals are issued during interval 121 and number of normal horizontal sync issued during interval 122 , so that a non - integer average number of pixels per line may be implemented in a single frame . this process is repeated frame by frame so that the residue interval is controlled . in this example , with a residue of 0 . 189 output lines , the interval 121 of adjusted horizontal sync periods will have 169 lines with 1311 pixels each , for example . the normal horizontal sync periods during interval 122 have 1309 pixels per line . the residue sync period 123 will be greater than or equal to about 0 . 9 lines , safely within the specifications of the output device . fig5 illustrates one process for distributing a residue horizontal sync interval among the lines of a frame as shown in fig4 , using a video format bridge such as that shown in fig2 . in this example , the hardware involved in the process includes a logic measurement unit 39 which measures the residue horizontal sync interval . also , output timing generator 34 chooses the number of special lines of the total number of lines and computes the number of pixels per special line in order to distribute the residue interval over the frame . the processor reads the number of pixels in the residue line from the status register , ( block 130 ), and determines whether that number is less than a minimum specified for this physical device ( block 131 ). if it is not less than the minimum , the process loops to block 39 to continue with a next frame . if at block 131 , the residue line is too short , then the processor computes the proper value for the number of special lines to be used in the interval of the next frame having adjusted line lengths , and the number of pixels per special line in order to distribute the residue among the lines in frame ( block 132 ). these values are written to the control registers ( block 133 ). the output timing generator 34 uses these values in generating the output pixel stream . accordingly , with reference to fig4 and 5 , it can be understood that the bridging processes available in the integrated circuit of fig2 include the process by which there is a stable number of output lines per frame , represented by a fixed number of output horizontal sync signals per vertical sync signal , with a variable number of output pixels per line , also represented by a variable number of output pixel clock signals per horizontal sync signal . fig6 is a timing diagram illustrating the manner in which the input and output frame rates are matched , using an algorithm with a fixed input delay , which can be dynamically computed to account for variations in the clocks . the process of fig6 is suitable for use with the process described with reference to fig4 and 5 . in fig6 , the input tining is illustrated along trace 200 and the output timing is illustrated along trace 201 . the input timing includes input vertical sync signals 202 and 203 , a plurality of horizontal sync signals 204 , 205 , 206 , 207 and 208 for examples , and a plurality of input display enable signals represented by the shapes 209 , which are between horizontal sync signals . likewise , the output timing includes output vertical sync signals 220 and 221 , output horizontal sync signals 222 , 223 , 224 , 225 , and 226 for examples , and the output display enable signals represented by the shapes 227 between the output horizontal sync signals . in this embodiment , a force signal 230 is issued after a fixed input delay 231 after the input vertical sync pulse 202 . the input delay is a predetermined number of horizontal sync signals plus pixel clock signals , where the number of pixel clock signals may be nonzero for greater precision . in this example , the input delay is equal to the number of input horizontal sync . detection of the input delay results in issuing of the force signal 230 synchronized with the input horizontal sync signal 205 . the input delay is set at a value which between a lower bound and upper bound that are defined by the performance of the line or frame buffer , so that underflow or overflow conditions do not occur . the same input delay is implemented for each frame . thus , the input delay 231 after the vertical sync pulse 202 causes issuing of the force signal 230 upon the input horizontal sync signal 208 . as can be seen in the drawing , the force signal 230 which is synchronized with the input horizontal sync pulse 205 occurs just before the output horizontal sync pulse 223 . the output frame is initiated on the next output horizontal sync pulse after the force signal 230 , or in this example on the output horizontal sync pulse 223 . in the next frame after the output vertical sync pulse 221 , the force signal 230 occurs prior to the output horizontal sync signal 226 . thus the first output active line with display enable begins after the output horizontal sync pulse 226 . fig7 illustrates the processes executed to implement the method described with reference to fig6 , using a video format bridge such as that in fig2 . the processor executes a program to choose the proper input line delay that prevents underflow and overflow of the buffer ( block 250 ). hardware counts the input vertical sync pulses and the input horizontal sync pulses ( block 251 ). hardware logic determines whether the current line delay is equal to the input line delay number specified by the processor ( block 257 ). if the input line delay has not been reached , then the process continues counting . if the input line delay has been reached , then the force signal is issued ( block 252 ). the output timing generator produces blank output lines prior to the force signal ( block 253 ). the process waits for detection of the force signal ( block 254 ). if the force signal is not detected , then the process continues to output blank lines . when the force signal is detected , process determines whether an output line boundary has occurred ( block 255 ). if not , then the process continues to wait for a line boundary , as indicated in this example by an output horizontal sync pulse . when the line boundary is detected , the process begins to read pixels from line buffer or frame buffer , and starts to output active lines ( block 256 ). the input line delay supplied by the processor 250 can be re - computed on a periodic basis to account for variations in clock signals if desired . in a system in which the clocks are stable , this may not be necessary . the different timing in each frame may result in a variable number of lines per frame , but it can eliminate residue lines as described above . thus , the process of fig4 and 5 , in which a variable number of pixel clock signals between horizontal sync signals can be used with the process of fig6 and 7 , to prevent residue lines that are too short for the output display device , if necessary . other processes according to the present invention provide a variable number of output lines per frame across a set of frames in the output video stream , represented by a variable number of output horizontal sync signals per vertical sync signal , with a fixed or variable number of output pixels per line , also represented by a fixed or variable number of output pixel clock signals per horizontal sync signal . one such process operates a manner similar to that described in fig6 , except that the residue pixels are accumulated until a number of residue pixel clocks long enough to be presented as an output line is available . when the number of residue pixels is high enough , then an extra line is inserted into a frame . this results in a set of frames within which at least one frame has a different number of lines than the other frames , so that there may be a non - integer average number of lines per frame over the set . in another embodiment , the processor can compute in advance how many frames in a set of frames should have an extra line in order to accommodate the residue pixels which are generated by the mismatching clocks . fig8 is a timing diagram which illustrates an alternative process for ensuring that the frame rates match , in the condition that the number of lines per frame may be variable . in fig8 , the input timing is shown on trace 300 and the output timing is shown on trace 301 . the input timing includes an input vertical sync signal 302 , a plurality of input horizontal sync signals 303 , and a plurality of input active lines represented by displayed enable signals 304 . according to this technique , a lower bound input delay lb 305 and upper bound input delay ub 306 are specified . logic 307 determines whether the first active output line 308 is between the lower bound and upper bound values . the process by which logic operates is described below with reference to fig9 . the output timing includes output vertical sync signal 310 , a plurality of output horizontal sync signals 311 and a plurality of active output lines represented by the display enable signals 312 . the number of active lines 313 , in which the display enable signals are asserted is determined by the bridging algorithms , and is typically fixed . the number of horizontal sync pulses between the last active line 314 and the leading edge of the next vertical sync pulse 315 is referred to as the number of front porch lines fpl . the number of horizontal sync pulses between the trailing edge of the vertical sync pulse 315 and a first active line 316 is referred to as the number of back porch lines bpl . according to this technique , if the first output line 308 is below the lower bound , then the output frame period is changed by an adjustment amount , for example by adding an extra line in the front porch . likewise , if the first output line 308 is above the upper bound , then the output frame period is changed by an adjustment amount , for example by eliminating a line from the front porch . fig9 shows a process for implementing the technique described with reference to fig8 . the processor chooses a lower bound and an upper bound , and an adjustment amount ( block 320 ). the first circuit counts the input vertical sync and input horizontal sync pulses ( block 321 ). the process determines whether the count has reached the lower bound or upper bound values , and loops until both values are reached ( block 322 ). the process issues a lower bound signal when the lower bound input delay is reached , and issues an upper bound signal when the upper bound input delay is reached ( block 323 ). another circuit computes the number of front porch lines for a frame period . this process includes logic that determines the number of front porch lines for the current frame by adding the previous number of front porch lines to an adjustment amount ( block 340 ). the process determines whether the first output line occurs before the lower bound signal is issued ( block 341 ). if the first line occurs before the lower bound signal is issued , then the adjustment value is equal to a positive adjustment amount ( block 342 ), and the process loops to block 340 . if the first line does not happen before the lower bound signal is issued , the process determines whether the first output line happens after the upper bound signal is issued ( block 343 ). if the first output line does not happen before the lower bound signal or after the upper bound signal , then the process loops for detection in the next frame . if the first output line happens after the upper bound signal is issued at block 343 , then the adjustment amount is set to a negative adjustment amount ( block 344 ), and the process loops back to block 340 , to compute the new number of front porch lines . the output timing generator starts the first active line after a fixed number of back porch output horizontal sync pulses ( block 350 ). the output timing generator then generates the number of active lines by reading active pixels from the line or frame buffer and appropriately scaling the image ( block 351 ). then the current number of front porch lines is read from the circuit block 340 ( block 352 ). the new number of front porch blank lines is issued after the last active line ( block 353 ). then the output vertical sync pulse is generated ( block 354 ). finally , the number of back porch lines is outputted ( block 355 ), and the process returns to block 350 to issue the first active line . fig1 is a timing diagram used to illustrate a distance locking technique for ensuring that the line or frame buffer does not suffer underflow or overflow conditions . in fig1 , the input video stream is illustrated along trace 401 . trace 402 shows a version of the input video stream in a pseudo normalized position . trace 403 shows the output video stream . the input video stream includes an input vertical sync pulse 410 , a number of back porch input horizontal sync pulses 411 , a number of active lines , starting with horizontal sync pulse 412 , and ending with horizontal sync pulse 413 , a number of front porch horizontal sync pulses 414 , and a next vertical sync pulse 415 . according to this technique , a normalized distance δndo can be characterized as a number of input lines and pixels between a pixel being stored in the buffer , and a pixel being written into the output video stream , normalized to the clock rate of the input video stream . this calculation can also be normalized to the clock rate of the output video stream if desired . in this example , the trace 402 is a shifted copy of the input video stream ( trace 401 ), in which the input horizontal sync pulse 412 is aligned with the horizontal sync pulse 432 at the beginning of the active lines in the output video stream shown in trace 403 . the distance δdo , counting output pixel clocks , between the input horizontal sync pulse 412 in the trace 401 , and the output horizontal sync pulse 432 is normalized to provide the value δndo counting input pixel clocks . the output video stream shown on trace 403 includes an output vertical sync pulse 430 , a number of back porch horizontal sync pulses 431 , the first horizontal sync pulse 432 in the active lines , which end with a horizontal sync pulse 433 , a number of front porch horizontal sync pulses 434 , and a next vertical sync pulse 435 . the number of back porch output horizontal sync pulses 431 , and the number of front porch horizontal sync pulses 434 can be set using algorithms discussed above with reference to fig8 and 9 , or can be fixed . the output timing generator in the video format bridge adjusts the number of pixels per line in the active lines , in order to maintain a normalized distance δndo within an acceptable range . the process for adjusting the number of pixels per line , according to one embodiment is described with reference to fig1 . fig1 illustrates processes that are used to achieve distance locking according to one embodiment of the invention . a first process which is coupled to the input video stream first detects an input vertical sync pulse , and resets input x - and y - counters ix , iy , and output x - and y - counters ox , oy ( block 450 ). next , the process waits for a first active input line ( block 451 ). upon detection of the first active line , the input x - and y - counters are started ( block 452 ). the counters continue to count until the next input vertical sync signal . a second process begins outputting blank lines upon detection of the output vertical sync signal ( block 455 ). blank lines are generated until the back porch number of blank lines is reached ( block 456 ). after the back porch number of blank lines , the output x - and y - counters are started ( block 457 ). next , the normalized distance δndo is computed while the output x - counter ox is 0 ( block 458 ). this distance can be computed at any place in the output line . however , at the beginning of the line the calculation may be simpler . a tracking algorithm is applied to compute the number of output pixels oh for the next active line ( cur - oh ) at the beginning of the line ( block 459 ). then , pixels are read from the line or frame buffer and active line is outputted with the line width equal to cur - oh ( block 450 ). next the algorithm determines whether the last active line has been reached ( block 461 ). if the last active line has not been reached , the process loops back to block 458 . if the last active line has been reached , then the process outputs a number of front porch lines with a number of pixels per line oh set to a constant , such as the cur - oh for the last active line ( block 462 ). at block 458 , the normalized distance can be calculated as using equation 8 , which is based on a technique for computing the normalized distance of the beginning of an output line , where the output x - counter is 0 . thus , the normalized distance in this example is equal to the number of pixels in an input line ih multiplied by the difference between the number of the current input line iy in the input frame and the number of the current output line oy in the output frame scaled by the ratio of the number of input active lines ivde to the number of output active lines ovde , to which the current input pixel number ix is added . at block 459 , a tracking algorithm adjusts the number of pixels per line in the output frame based upon the normalized distance . the tracking algorithm has a minimum distance locking parameter dlmin and a maximum distance locking parameter dlmax which specifies a range of distances within which the buffer is designed operate properly . the normalized distance is compared to the minimum distance locking parameter dlmin and the maximum distance locking parameter dlmax , to determine whether to apply a positive adjustment amount and a negative adjustment amount , which are equal in absolute value in one embodiment . thus , the number of pixels for the current line cur - oh is set equal to the number of the pixels for the previous line pre - oh if the normalized distance is between the minimum and maximum distance locking parameters . the number of pixels for the current line cur - oh is set to greater of the number of pixels for the previous line pre - oh plus a positive adjustment amount + δh , or a maximum number of pixels per line max - oh , if the normalized distance is less than the minimum distance locking parameter dlmin . the number of pixels for the current line cur - oh is set to the lesser of the number of pixels for the previous line pre - oh less a negative adjustment amount − δh or the minimum number of pixels per line min - oh , if the normalized distance is greater than the maximum distance locking parameter dlmax . the positive and negative adjustment amounts can be computed for example with a first order tracking equation , where δh is equal to the absolute value of the normalized distance minus the average ( center ) of the maximum and minimum distance locking parameters , times a gain factor that is set to optimize the settling speed of the process . other tracking equations , including higher order equations may be used . while the present invention is disclosed by reference to the preferred embodiments and examples detailed above , it is understood that these examples are intended in an illustrative rather than in a limiting sense . it is contemplated that modifications and combinations will readily occur to those skilled in the art , which modifications and combinations will be within the spirit of the invention and the scope of the following claims .	7
the conveyor system accessories of the present invention can be used with any commercially available single track continuous conveyor , such as those available from rapid industries , inc . louisville , ky ., richards - wilcox , inc ., aurora , ill ., and webb inc ., farmington hills , mich . for purposes of the present invention the conveyor track is installed in an inverted position . referring now to the drawings , in which like numerals refer to like elements thereof , fig1 shows an embodiment of the invention denoted as a whole by reference numeral 100 . as shown in fig1 and 5 , a wheel assembly 8 in combination with a second wheel assembly 28 rides on a top surface 16 of an inverted continuous conveyor track 2 . plan views of this embodiment are shown in fig6 and 7 . each of the first wheel assembly 8 and the second wheel assembly 28 has a pair of wheels 10 and a second pair of wheels 30 , respectively . the pair of wheels 10 and the second pair of wheels 30 are spaced apart in a parallel side by side relationship and are connected to one another by a transverse axle 12 and a second transverse axle 32 , respectively . the second wheel assembly 28 is connected to the wheel assembly 8 by a pair of longitudinal members 34 . one end of each of the pairs of longitudinal members 34 is rotatably connected to the transverse axle 12 , while an opposite end of each of the pairs of longitudinal members 34 is rotatably connected to the second transverse axle 32 . wheel assembly 8 in combination with a second wheel assembly 28 is particularly useful in heavy load applications or applications in which the work piece may be awkwardly sized and requires the additional stability provided by wheel assembly 8 in combination with a second wheel assembly 28 . drive means 18 , also called a dog or a pusher , of conveyor chain 20 is positioned in the inverted conveyor track 2 to engage the wheel assembly 8 in combination with the second wheel assembly 28 and to move the wheel assemblies 8 and 28 in a desired direction . as shown in fig1 , the drive means 18 is a vertically oriented elongate planar shaped member 60 . member 60 is fixed at one end to the conveyor chain 20 and at its opposite end member 60 has notches 38 . the notches 38 are on both sides of member 60 for engaging the transverse axle 12 of wheel assembly 8 in combination with the second transverse axle 32 of second wheel assembly 28 , which permits travel in a forward or backward direction . drive means 18 functions in a similar manner when only wheel assembly 8 is used , as shown in fig3 . chain 20 is any standard commercially available conveyor chain having both vertical 62 and lateral 64 load carrying wheels . a top plan view of the conveyor system accessory of fig3 is shown in fig4 . carrying means 14 is rotatably attached to wheel assembly 8 as shown in fig3 . alternatively , carrying means 14 is rotatably connected to longitudinal member 34 , which connects wheel assembly 8 to the second wheel assembly 28 , as shown in fig1 . the carrying means or load pendant 14 must either swivel or rotate so that it remains vertically oriented as the travel pitch of the wheel assembly changes from 0 ° pitch to 90 ° pitch . as is known in the art , depending on the use of the inverted continuous conveyor track of the present invention , the carrying means or load pendant 14 may be situated so that the work piece is positioned either internally or externally to the conveyor track . several types of carrying means or load pendants 14 are commercially available from the manufacturers mentioned above . the type of load pendant used will depend on the applications in which the conveyor system is used . for example , depending on the application , a standard clevis load pendant may be appropriate . other load pendants which may be useful in the present invention include a rigid “ v ” pendant , a double suspension load hook , a suspension indexing load hook and a double suspension rotating star pendant , to name a few . loading means 4 is shown in fig1 , 5 , and 8 . loading means 4 positions the wheel assembly 8 either alone or in combination with the second wheel assembly 28 on the top surface or rail 16 of inverted continuous conveyor track 2 . angle iron or guide 26 may also be present to facilitate the loading of wheel assemblies 8 and 28 . rising or dipping ramps , which utilize the flow of gravity are used for loading means 4 and unloading means 6 . alternatively , manual power ramps may transport the wheel assemblies on to and off of the inverted continuous conveyor track 2 . as shown in fig1 , unloading means 6 is a downward slopping exit ramp . unloading means 6 has a slot or cut out , not shown , to facilitate the downward motion and disengagement of drive means 18 . preferably , the loading means 4 and the unloading means or exit means 6 are placed in a run of straight track . turning now to fig1 and 14 the alignment means 22 of the present invention will be described in more detail . as shown in fig1 , alignment means 22 secures the wheel assembly 8 or the combination of wheel assembly 8 and second wheel assembly 28 on the top surface or rail 16 of the inverted continuous conveyor track 2 . in an embodiment in which wheel assembly 8 is used to carry a work piece alignment means 22 is a plate 36 that is fixedly attached to each of the wheels of the pair of wheels 10 of wheel assembly 8 . plate 36 is located on an external surface of each of the wheels and is perpendicular to transverse axle 12 . plate 36 extends beyond each wheel and overlaps a portion of both sides of the inverted continuous conveyor track 2 . accordingly , plate 36 forms a boundary , which maintains wheel assembly 8 on the top surface 16 of the inverted conveyor track 2 . in an alternative embodiment in which the wheel assembly 8 is used in combination with second wheel assembly 28 , plate 36 is fixedly attached to each of the wheels of the pairs of wheels 10 and 30 of the combination of wheel assembly 8 and second wheel assembly 28 . again , plate 36 is situated on an external surface of each of the wheels . plate 36 is perpendicular to the respective transverse axles 12 and 32 and extends beyond each wheel . further , plate 36 overlaps a portion of both sides of the inverted continuous conveyor track 2 and forms a boundary for retaining the combination of wheel assembly 8 and second wheel assembly 28 securely on the top surface 16 of the inverted conveyor track 2 . fig1 also shows guide 24 , which may be used in conjunction with alignment means 22 . guide 24 may be an angle iron , channel iron or tubing retainer to ensure that the wheel assemblies or trolleys stay in position between two dogs 60 , as shown in fig1 . a further embodiment of the present invention , denoted as a whole by reference numeral 200 , is shown in fig8 - 10 . as shown in fig9 wheel assembly 40 is designed to intermesh with conveyor chain 20 . in particular , wheel assembly 40 defines an inverted v - shaped assembly 42 . the inverted v - shaped assembly 42 has a transverse member 44 across an apex of the v - shaped assembly 42 . transverse member 44 has rollers 46 on either side of the apex for rolling on a loading means or ramp 4 and unloading means or ramp 6 . the inverted v - shaped assembly 42 is attached to a housing 48 . housing 48 has a pair of wheels 70 at its front end and a pair of wheels 72 at its rear end . each of the pair of wheels 70 and 72 are spaced apart in a parallel side by side relationship and connected to the housing 48 . housing 48 has a cut out or slot 50 to accommodate drive means 18 . drive means 18 is positioned on the conveyor chain to engage slot 50 of the housing 48 of wheel assembly 40 . carrying means 14 extends from transverse member 44 . as shown in fig8 rail 16 has been cut away to facilitate the intermeshing of wheel assembly 40 with conveyor chain 20 . a standard conveyor chain 20 has a normal center line of height ( 8 ) inches . it is within the skill of the art to make adjustments in the center line of the conveyor chain 20 . it has been found that the distance or center line between the links of conveyor chain 20 can be increased to ten ( 10 ) inch centers to accommodate meshing wheel assembly 40 . an end view of this embodiment is shown fig1 . housing 48 is an inverted u - shaped assembly having a cut out portion 50 for engagement of the drive means 18 . housing 48 permits the respective pairs of wheels 70 and 72 to straddle a drive portion of the drive means 18 and intermesh with conveyor chain 20 . a further embodiment of the present invention , denoted as a whole as reference numeral 300 , is shown in fig1 and 12 a - 12 c . in this embodiment , wheel assembly 52 rides on the top surface 16 of the inverted continuous conveyor track 2 . wheel assembly 52 has a pair of v - shaped rollers 54 , which are spaced apart and aligned to engage the upper most comers 16 of conveyor track 2 . the pair of v - shaped rollers 54 are fixedly attached to a v - shaped angle member 56 by a transverse axle 58 . the drive means 18 engages the v - shaped angle member 56 to move wheel assembly 52 is a desired direction . carrying means 14 is rotatably attached to wheel assembly 52 . loading means 4 and unloading means 6 are also used in conjunction with wheel assembly 52 . further , drive means 18 engages the v - shaped angle member 56 of wheel assembly 52 . thus , while there has been described what are presently believed to be the preferred embodiments of the invention , those skilled in the art will understand that other and further modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention . it is intended that the present invention includes all such modifications as come within the true scope of the invention as set forth in the claims .	1
proceeding to a detailed description of the preferred embodiment of the present invention , the volumetric drop detector 10 is shown for use in conjunction with a standard parenteral administration unit composed of a solution container 12 , the contents of which are connected by and made accessible through a vented piercing pin 14 . the usual length of tubing 26 extends from vented piercing pin 14 to a drop forming and measurement means 19 . the standard y - reseal injection site is afforded at 17 and the flow of fluid to the drop forming measurement means can be terminated by slide clamp 16 . extending from the opposing end of drop forming and measurement means 19 is a similar length of flexible tubing 26 to which is attached a standard roller flow control clamp 21 with another y - injection site 22 disposed between needle adapter 24 with hypodermic needle 25 and the clamp 21 . the volumetric drop detector 10 includes liquid drop forming and measurement means 19 as well as two pairs of oppositely positioned , light sources 31 and 33 and photodetectors 30 and 32 serve as liquid sensors . photodetector 30 is interconnected to a timer 38 and photodetector 32 is attached to timer 39 . the signals from timer 38 are expressed in digital format developed by the oscillator 37 . a divider 40 is fed signals from timers 38 and 39 while a summer divider 41 receives signals from divider 40 which in turn is connected to a totalizer 42 . a digital display unit 44 is provided to give a digital readout from the totalizer . also interconnected to the summer divider 41 is a rate divider 43 which also has a digital delivery rate display 45 operatively connected to it . referring to fig2 it will be seen that the drop forming and measurement means 19 includes measurement tubing 48 having a funnel portion 47 at one end and a discharge tip 55 at the other . a drop forming or drip means 46 also serves as a connecting means for tubing 26 at the upper end as well as an annular , fluidtight attachment for tubing housing 49 . a centering sleeve 50 for tubing 48 also serves as an attachment for chamber 53 to which is secured a second length of tubing 26 . chamber 53 serves as a collecting means for i . v . solution 57 whereas funnel portion 47 in conjunction with drop forming means 46 will serve as a drip chamber 54 . fig3 illustrates the formation of a drop of liquid 60 from drop forming means 46 which will be effected through the drop forming nozzle 52 axially aligned with respect to funnel portion 47 of measurement tubing 48 . the numeral 61 shows an elongated liquid drop as it would be formed due to the internal diameter of measurement tubing 48 . preferably , this section of tubing is formed from a nonwetting plastic material and preferably polypropylene so as to present a nonwetting surface for the liquid . the preferred internal diameter is approximately 2 . 28 mm and the preferred length is 6 cm . a better understanding of the advantages of the volumetric measuring device of this invention will be had by a description of its operation . it should be pointed out that a key factor in the operation of the volumetric measuring is in knowing the internal diameter of measurement tubing 48 . once this is established , a standard unit of volume can be obtained by measuring the length of the drop . the drop forming and measuring means 19 which will have the measurement tubing 48 contained therein , will be supplied as a component in the usual i . v . administration set . this will include a vented piercing pin 14 , a slide clamp 16 , as well as a y reseal injection site 17 . when it is desired to administer the contents of solution container 12 , the vented piercing pin will be placed in fluid communication with the contents of container 12 and liquid will flow through tubing 26 and to drop forming means 46 . a drop forming and measurement means 19 will have been placed and secured between oppositely positioned pairs of light sources and photodetectors 30 , 31 and 32 , 33 so that they are aligned in a parallel manner with measurement tubing 48 . in this instance , the preferred photodetectors are of the optoelectronic type and are phototransistors . selection of a normal drop length can be made such that the controlled inside diameter of the drop measuring tube 48 will give a standard unit of volume . for example , a drop length of 1 . 62 cm . in a tube with a 0 . 114 cm radius will equal a volume of 0 . 067 cc or 1 / 15th cc . a volumetric drop measuring flowmeter device is described in copending u . s . ser . no . 423 , 370 filed 09 / 24 / 80 by the same inventor . reference is made to the method of detecting or measuring the length of the liquid column produced by the drop as it passes through tube 48 . although the optical array , capacitance , optical shadow and other similar methods are feasible for measuring the liquid column , they all make instantaneous length measurements . analysis of these methods has pointed out disadvantages of each in terms of component cost , complexity of design , and operating range . the latter in particular , is demonstrated by the problem of how to measure the longest possible liquid column . for example , a one inch long optical array could not correctly measure a 11 / 4 inch column ; similarly , capacitor plates could be exceeded ( assuming that the preferred length would be less than the longest column ). only the time - of - flight method can accept columns of any length , but in its conventional form it requires a constant velocity and tests have indicated that the velocity changes widely with various solution viscosities . efforts to compensate for the velocity change in the time - of - flight method , have thus brought about the development of a unique solution . a liquid column such as column ( 61 ) formed by a drop 60 as it falls through a tube of known inside diameter can be measured in length by determining the time it takes for the column to pass a photodetector such as 30 . the velocity must be known , so that the length can be calculated as the product of the velocity and time : in a system where velocity can change ( with viscosity , surface tension and back pressure ), the velocity can be measured at the same time by using a second photodetector 32 at a known distance from the first 30 , 31 . the leading edge 63 of liquid column 61 will interrupt photodetector 30 ( a ) and then photodetector 32 , 33 ( b ) with the time elapsed between as a measure of the velocity . the time for the trailing edge 64 to pass photodetector a is proportional to the length of the column and the quotient of the two values will give the actual length . for example , if the velocity for a column of water is 200 mm / sec and the time from a to b is 0 . 1 sec : a similar column of viscous solution might have a velocity of 100 mm / sec and require 0 . 2 sec . the output signals from the photodetector start at the same time ; for a long column : ______________________________________ ## str1 ## t . sub . 1 time from a to b ( trailing ) t . sub . 2 time from a ( leading ) to aand for a short column : ## str2 ## t . sub . 1 time from a to b ( trailing ) t . sub . 2 time from a ( leading ) to a______________________________________ if d is the distance from photodetector a to photodetector b and t 1 is the time required for the leading edge of a liquid column to travel from a to b then velocity is similarly , if l is the length of the liquid column and t 2 is the time required for the column to travel past photodetector a then velocity is if we assume the velocity is constant over a time interval equal to the greater of t 1 to t 2 then , ## equ1 ## and the ratio of the length to the known distance is the same as the ratio of the time signals . if the time signals are converted to digital counts by gating a clock frequency into two counters for intervals t 1 and t 2 respectively , then the counts for the two signals can easily be divided to give the l to d ratio . for example : ## equ2 ## so the length of the column of liquid is 1 . 73 times as long as the distance d between the photodetectors . the method is independent of velocity and clock frequency , provided they remain constant during the time of measurement . also the effect of velocity change ( if it should occur ) is reduced , if distance a to b is selected as the typical column length , i . e ., 1 / 15th ml if a 15 drop orifice 52 is used . it will be appreciated that the foregoing measurements will be effected by use of the electronic components set forth in fig1 with the t 1 function being effected by timer 39 and the t 2 function by timer 38 . the oscillator 37 will provide the digital counting for timers 38 and 39 with the dividing function being effected by divider 40 . finally the divided signals are again divided by summer divider 41 and displayed on counter 44 as the total volume in ml by means of totalizer 42 . they are also sampled for a period of time by rate divider 43 to give the rate of delivery as indicated at 45 . it will be appreciated that the monitoring or controlling of i . v . medication by drop rate methods has always been limited by the variability of drop size . viscosity , surface tension , rate of growth and other factors spread the range of drop volumes well over plus or minus 30 %. the volumetric drop detector , as disclosed herein , measures the drop volume by a unique method of capturing the fluid of a given drop inside a section of tubing which has a known cross - section and then determining its length by measuring its velocity as well as the time for the trailing edge of a liquid column to pass a given reference point . it should be understood that while in the foregoing description certain functional circuit modules are indicated in block diagrams , microprocessor technology could readily be adapted for purposes of calculating the velocity and length of the drops as well as indicating delivery rate and volume delivered . further , while the volumetric measuring device has been disclosed for use in an i . v . administration set , it will be appreciated that the flow meter is readily adaptable outside the medical field and could be utilized to accurately monitor or control liquid flow where an inexpensive disposable element can be advantageously utilized such as in any liquid conveying apparatus . in the foregoing description , the measuring tubing 48 was described as being composed of a polypropylene resin material . if desired , other materials which would provide a nonwetting surface and can be formed with a small bore diameter , could be substituted , such as teflon or glass . further , while the diameter of tubing 48 was indicated as being 2 . 28 mm . in inside diameter , this diameter could range from 1 mm . to 5 mm . while the preferred length of tubing 48 is 60 mm ., this could vary from 5 mm . to 130 mm . similarly , other industrial applications especially those of highly viscous materials may utilize larger drop volumes and consequently larger diameter conduit . it will thus be recognized that there is now provided a volumetric measuring flow meter which can accurately determine the volume of a liquid by utilizing standard electronic components in conjunction with a length of tubing having a known internal diameter . the unit can be provided so that the measuring tubing and its housing are disposable , which will lend itself to use in a disposable i . v . administration apparatus . the volumetric drop detector can be used outside the medical field , such as in any apparatus where precise volumetric flow detection is desired . the foregoing invention can now be practiced by those skilled in the art . such skilled persons will know that the invention is not necessarily restricted to the particular embodiments presented herein . the scope of the invention is to be defined by the terms of the following claims as given meaning by the preceding description .	6
reference will now be made to preferred embodiments of this invention , examples of which are shown in the accompanying drawings and will be obvious from the description of the invention . in the drawings , the same reference numbers represent the same or similar elements in the different drawings whenever possible . systems and methods consistent with the present invention perform collaborative conferencing by using recursive identification of individuals . for purposes of the following description , the systems and methods consistent with the present invention are mainly described with respect to internet chat . the description should be understood to apply to other levels or modes of operation in a collaborative conferencing system , such as a casual collaborative conversation with persons in a virtual space room . fig1 shows a general collaborative conferencing system 100 . the system includes communication means associated with users a - f ( 10 , 12 and 16 - 19 ), a wide area network ( wan ) 14 , and a chat server 22 . the wan 14 is any network that is capable of transferring data at speeds fast enough as to support collaborative conferencing . an example of a wan is the internet . the chat server 22 is a computer connected to the wan 14 that offers a chat service . that is , the chat server 22 runs software that enables the creation of a chat room . the users a - f can enter the chat room if connected to the chat server 22 . as mentioned above , a chat room is nothing more that a web page , which in this case is supported by the chat server 22 . by contrast , supporting a virtual space room might require equipment other than a single server . support for the virtual space room can be offered by several servers ( not shown ) that are part of the wan 14 . in the system 100 , user a determines that user b is a person that is likely to be interesting enough so as to get involved in a casual collaborative conversation with that person . that is , if user a believes that he or she shares common interests with user b , user a will engage in collaborative conferencing with user b . this determination is made after obtaining information about user b . the information is obtained by communicating with user b . the manner in which user a communicates with user b in order to determine whether he or she is likely to be interested in communicating with user b ( possibly via some other communication means or links ) includes , but is not limited to , telephonic conversations , e - mail , voice mail , real - time video , and real - time text . once user a determines he or she is likely to be interested in communicating with user b , user a targets or spots user b when user b enters into a chat room or virtual space room . user a will see on his computer screen ( 208 in fig2 ) either the name or an image of user b whenever user b is “ on - line ”. each user in the system 100 has a personal directory 20 containing the names of other people with collaborative conferencing capability . unlike conventional methods of matchmaking in a chat room context , user a does not rely on a computer program to pick interesting persons for him or her . instead , user a relies on user b &# 39 ; s personal directory 20 as a starting point to find more interesting persons . user a accesses some of the information contained in directory 20 about other users with collaborative conferencing capability , with whom user b communicates . this technique is called recursive identification of individuals . the information that user a can access is limited according to permissions assigned to each record in the directory by user b . fig3 shows an example of different permissions designated by user b . the directory 20 contains individual records 300 - 304 that correspond to individuals with collaborative conferencing capability . the list of users ( 300 - 304 ) is by no means extensive and is not representative of all of the possible users that could be included in the directory 20 . records 300 - 304 contain user information that includes , but is not limited to , users &# 39 ; e - mail address , users &# 39 ; names and virtual space room login names , picture id &# 39 ; s , etc . there are different levels of permissions that the user b can assign to the users records ( 300 - 304 ) in the directory 20 . because any other user of the system in the present invention can get access to some information , user 12 assigns access permissions to records 300 - 304 . these permissions define how much information can be accessed by the other users via their respective communications means ( 10 and 16 - 19 in fig1 ). one level of access corresponds to the type of service that is used within the system . in fig3 , the record 300 , corresponding to user c , can be accessed by the entire public that communicates with user b via web chat ( e . g ., a chat server 22 ). the term “ public ” refers to all of the persons with collaborative conferencing capabilities . on the other hand , when another level in collaborative conferencing is in use , namely , video conferencing , only users a and d can access record information 300 about user c from user b &# 39 ; s directory 20 . other levels of permissions include , but are not limited to , giving the public access to the entire directory 20 , giving specific persons access to the entire directory 20 , giving the public access to information contained in some of the records 300 - 304 , and giving specific persons access to information contained in some of the records 300 - 304 . the directory 20 can be created by user b manually . that is , user b can gather a list of names of individuals that he or she communicates with , and enters that list into the directory 20 . in the present invention , an alternative to manually creating the directory is to have the software that enables collaborative conferencing create the directory 20 for the user . the software has a routine that monitors the communication between user b and other users ( e . g ., c - f ) and that adds to the directory 20 information about the users that communicate with user b . as an option , the software can sort the information in the directory 20 , according to the frequency of the communications between user b and the individuals named in the directory 20 . moreover , another option consists of automatically deleting information from the directory 20 , when the software determines that persons that do not communicate frequently with user b , have not actually communicated with user b for specified period of time . for example , the software could look at the sorted directory 20 , and determine whether the individual whose information is at the bottom of the directory ( less frequency ) has communicated with user b in the past two months . if the person at the bottom has not done so , that person &# 39 ; s information is deleted from the directory 20 . the period of two months is only an example of a parameter that can be adjusted according to the directory &# 39 ; s owner preferences . fig2 shows communication means 10 for enabling communication between user a and other users ( e . g ., users b - f ) of the system 100 , and that corresponds to user a in this particular example . the communication means 10 includes a computer system 202 with a keyboard 206 and a screen 208 ; and a speaker 204 , camera 212 , and microphone 210 connected to the computer 202 . the computer 202 runs software that displays on screen 208 a representation of other users 220 - 222 present ( on - line ) in a virtual space room . the ability of communicating with these other parties in real - time via the computer system 202 is what makes the system a collaborative conferencing system . the computer 202 only displays an image of those users that have been determined to be of interest to user a 10 . as seen on fig2 , user a has determined that he or she is likely to be interested in communicating with users c , e and f . the representation of users c , e and f in the computer screen is denominated by numerals 220 - 222 , and it includes image information as well as other personal information about the users . user a uses different means to communicate with any of the users in the virtual space room . these means include , but are not limited to , voice , interactive text ( chat ), e - mail , and video . the speaker 204 is used for listening to voice messages sent by the users in the virtual space room . on the other hand , the microphone 210 is used to send voice messages to users in the virtual space room . these voice messages are either voice mail messages , stored either locally in the computer 202 or in some other recording means , or real - time voice messages ( i . e ., real - time telephony ). the camera 212 is used to capture an image of user a , which is presumably displayed in the computer screen associated with other users participating in the virtual space room . the camera 212 is turned off when user a does not desire to transmit an image of herself / himself . it is possible to have a participant in the virtual space room that does not want his or her image displayed . for example , a chat window 224 displays interactive text communications between user b and user a . as seen from the display , an image of user b is not shown in the screen 208 . the chat window 224 is used by any of the users in the virtual space room , and its use is limited to displaying text messages from all of the parties , as it would for a conventional chat room . when user a decides to communicate via interactive text , he or she needs to type the message on the keyboard 206 . the user can edit the entered text which is displayed on the window 228 . after the changes have been entered , the text is displayed on the chat window 224 when user a hits the button 226 displayed on the screen 208 . by comparing fig2 and fig3 , one notices that the image representations 220 - 222 displayed on screen 208 of user a &# 39 ; s computer system 202 match the permissions associated to users c , e and f ( 300 , 302 and 303 in fig3 ). as discussed above , user a has determined that user b is likely to be an interesting person . this is evidenced by the interactive text exchange between user a and user b , shown in windows 224 and 228 of fig2 . it is also evident from fig2 , that user a could have accessed the directory 20 in order to access information about users c , e and f . thus , user a determined that users c , e and f are also likely to be interesting . user a could have also determined that user d is likely to be an interesting person , even though user d is not displayed on screen 208 . only users that are on - line are displayed on the screen 208 . fig4 shows a method for performing collaborative conferencing in accordance with the present invention . in step 401 a first user determines which persons are likely to be interesting . as discussed previously , this determination can be done for a single person , and then the determination of additional persons likely to be interesting can be expanded by looking at the directory of the first persons determined to be likely interesting . in step 402 , the first user accesses the personal directory of one of the likely interesting persons . this step is not limited to the first person that was determined to be likely interesting . once a list of likely interesting persons have been put together by the first user , he or she can go into the directory of any of the individuals in that list . after the first user has determined likely interesting persons and has accessed the directory of a first likely interesting person , the first user establishes communication with the persons who are determined to be likely interesting . this communication takes place in a virtual space room context . fig5 shows an alternative embodiment of the present invention . the software running on the computer 202 allows persons in a virtual space room to be separated in subgroups . these subgroups are displayed 501 - 503 on the computer screen 208 . persons in group i 501 , cannot communicate with persons outside group i 501 ( group ii 502 , group iii 503 ). assuming that user a belongs to group i 501 , user a can still see in the computer screen 208 who is in the other groups . if user a wants to communicate with individuals from the other groups , user a must change groups in order to accomplish the desired communication . for example , if user a is in group i 501 , and notices that user b ( a person that is likely to be interesting ) is in group ii 502 , user a would have to enter group ii 502 in order to communicate with user b . once user a transfers to group ii 502 , an image representation of user a would appear in the area of the computer screen that corresponds to group ii 502 . the foregoing description of preferred embodiments of the present invention provides illustration and description , but is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed . modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teachings or may be acquired from practice of the invention . the scope of the invention is defined by the claims and their equivalents .	7
a branch pipe fitting 2 in accordance with the invention has a cylindrical body 4 with a wall 6 of substantially uniform thickness . body 4 has a transition bevel 8 and a weld bevel 10 for welding end 12 of body 4 to a branch pipe . it will be understood that the fittings of the invention are useful irrespective of the means for connecting the branch pipe to the fitting . for example , the connection may be a threaded or socket weld connection . the end 16 of body 4 is contoured to engage a header pipe adjacent the periphery of a branch orifice in the header pipe . end 16 has a pair of opposed crotches 18 , 18 and a pair of opposed ears 20 , 20 . a weld bevel 24 extends about the crotches 18 and ears 20 extending outwardly from the inner edge 25 of end 16 . a transition bevel 26 extends from the center of each ear towards the center of the crotches decreasing in width in the direction of the crotches . adverting to fig3 and 4 , fitting 2 is secured to a header pipe 28 by a weld 29 and to a branch pipe 30 by a weld 31 . the wall thickness of fitting 2 is in the range of from about 95 % to about 350 % of the nominal wall thickness of the header pipe 28 . referring now to fig5 the bevel angle a of weld bevel 24 is equal to the angle b between the fitting axis 32 and a line extending from the intersection of the axes of the fitting and of header pipe 28 which is indicated at 38 and the inner edge of weld bevel 24 in the transverse plane plus from 0 ° to 40 ° ( advantageously plus about 10 ° to about 25 °). transition bevel 26 intersects the outer edge 42 of weld bevel 24 and in the transverse plane as shown in fig5 and extends through a thickness w of fitting wall 6 equal to from about 0 . 2 to 0 . 5 times the maximum thickness of wall 6 . the bevel angle of each transition bevel in the transverse plane , angle c , is equal to weld bevel angle a divided by from about 1 . 75 to about 2 . 5 . the transition bevels narrow from the center of the ears in the direction of the crotches . line 46 where the transition bevel 26 intersects the exterior of the fitting gradually approaches the outer edge 42 of the weld bevel 24 unit it intersects its edge either in the longitudinal plane of the fitting or at a point on the outside edge of the weld bevel removed from the longitudinal plane by a linear distance along said edge up to about 0 . 40 times the outer diameter of the fitting . while not essential , intersection line 46 may have a constant radius r l with r l having a length equal to the distance between a point 48 on the axis of the fitting and below the intersection 38 of the axes of the fitting and the header pipe 28 ( see fig5 ) and point 50 which is the point of intersection between the transition bevel 26 and the exterior of the fitting in the transverse plane . the distance h between point 38 and point 48 can readily be determined by the following formula : ## equ1 ## in which z is the angle between axis 32 and a line 52 in the transverse plane between the outer edge of the transition bevel ( point 50 ) and a point 53 on fitting axis 32 which is intersected by a horizontal plane passing through the outer edge of weld bevel 24 lying in the longitudinal plane ( fig5 ), p 1 equals the length of line p 1 which extends from point 50 to the axis 32 of the fitting and is perpendicular thereto , r t equals the radius r t of the outside edge 42 of weld bevel 24 , x is the angle between line p 1 and line 54 , w equals the depth of the fitting wall through which the transition bevel extends , y equals the angle between line 54 between points 38 and 50 and the plane 56 extending through the axis of the header pipe 28 and to which the axis 32 of the fitting is perpendicular . the use of this formula is merely convenient and illustrative of how line 46 can be determined . within the scope of the term substantially uniform thickness as applied to the walls of the fitting as used herein , it is contemplated that the inner diameter at the contoured end of the fitting may be slightly enlarged as may be desired to provide desirable flow characteristics in a manner known to the trade . it will be understood that the above described fitting is illustrative and is not intended to be limiting .	5
for purposes of this patent , cloth shall be defined as a fabric - like flexible material made of a network of natural or artificial fibers formed by weaving or knitting or by being pressed into felt . materials providing the source of cloth may be natural fibers such a cotton , flax , hemp , wool , hair , silk or may be artificial fibers such as polyester and rayon . referring initially to fig1 , the preferred exemplary embodiment of the garment warmer in accordance with the present invention resembles a spa or pool accessory with a rounded , clean and simple outer case comprising an upper lid 1 and a lower lid 2 , held together by a hinge giving the device a clamshell design . in addition to this lid - supporting hinge , the garment warming device comprises a water - resistant seal 3 on the joining surface of the lids , as will be described below . the clamshell design is best exemplified in fig9 , wherein a phantom lid 1 a is pictured in a second position , having been rotated from an initial position also shown in fig9 . hinge control strap 23 prevents the relative angle between the two lids from exceeding a predetermined amount , which in a preferred embodiment is between 90 and 120 degrees . the upper lid 1 and lower lid 2 are not limited by the material composing the lids &# 39 ; exterior surface , but in a preferred embodiment , a soft rubber compound is used such as a thermoplastic elastomer of the type marketed under the name santoprene ® by advanced elastomer systems , l . p . of akron , ohio ( described in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 130 , 535 , which is hereby incorporated by reference ) or such as a thermoplastic rubber compound of the type marketed under the name kraton ®, commercially available from shell chemical co . of houston , tex . the texture of the exterior surface of upper lid 1 and lower lid 2 may have either a smooth surface or a grainy - like surface providing enhanced grip when the device is wet . the garment warmer may lie flat wherein lower lid 2 is substantially parallel with a ground surface ( not shown ). in this position , lower footpads 9 are the contact point with the ground , as shown in fig3 . fig6 and 7 show the depth of lower footpads 9 , and in fig4 , a preferred embodiment is shown wherein the garment warmer comprises four lower footpads 9 . lower footpads 9 are ideally molded from the same materials as lower lid 2 , but may in an alternative embodiment be affixed to said lower lid 2 and / or made of a different material . optionally and as shown in fig5 , upper lid footpads 30 and lower lid footpads 31 , all substantially planar , may be the primary contact point with a ground surface when the garment warmer is standing upright . upper lid footpads 30 and lower lid footpads 31 are ideally molded from the same materials as upper lid 1 and lower lid 2 , but may in alternative embodiments of the invention be affixed to their respective lids and / or made of a different material . standing the device on the upper and lower footpads allows the device to occupy a smaller ground area , maximizing available surface space in small areas such as a storage room or cart . in this position , the provided handle 11 is also placed in a position where it may be easily grasped , aiding portability and transportability . see fig1 and 3 . in one embodiment of the invention , the size of the garment warmer is approximately 8 inches high , 18 inches wide , and 24 inches deep . this is the approximate size of a large , terry cloth robe folded in thirds lengthwise and then folded in half again . in other embodiments , any of above - referenced dimensions may be larger or smaller , as the inventive qualities of this invention are not dependent on size . one alternative embodiment contemplated by the applicants involves reducing all the dimensions of the embodiment described above such that a “ baby ” version of the garment warmer may be used to warm clothes suitable for infants and children between the ages of one and three . in this configuration , the device is ideal for warming small blankets when traveling , or for warming a child &# 39 ; s towel or clothing for use after a bath or after the child has spent time in cold outdoor weather . in a preferred embodiment , a hinge is composed of a lower lid hinge 20 and an upper lid hinge 21 , as shown in fig2 , 4 , and most clearly in fig5 . continuing to focus on fig5 , attention is drawn to the preferred embodiment where said lower lid hinge 20 is an extension of said lower lid 2 and said upper lid hinge 21 is an extension of said upper lid 1 . lower lid hinge 20 and upper lid hinge 21 are aligned such that a provided hinge pin 6 extends substantially the length of both hinges . see fig9 . the garment warmer in a preferred embodiment comprises the hinge as described here and as is well known in the art , but other hinge systems also well known in the art may be optionally used instead . because the warmed garment is likely to be used near water or in wet weather , the garment warmer must be water resistant to protect the electrical components therein . seal 3 , positioned between the outside elements and the internal elements of the device helps insulate the inside of the device from the external environment . while the seal 3 is primarily for retaining heat within the device , it also serves as a barrier to external liquids , aiding in the overall water - resistance of the device . as the upper lid 1 and lower lid 2 are moved to a closed position about said hinge , said seal 3 is compressed by the joining surfaces of said lids . the seal 3 is configured such that the pressing force of the two lids is sufficient to hinder the flow of liquid or moisture therebetween . as shown in fig1 and 2 , said seal 3 is formed around substantially the entire radially outer perimeter of the joining lids . the seal 3 also extends around latches 40 as shown in fig3 , and surrounds a display / handle unit 10 , as shown in fig1 . in the preferred embodiment of the invention , seal 3 is affixed to the upper lid 1 , but alternatively the seal may be affixed to the lower lid 2 or to both upper lid 1 and lower lid 2 . the garment warmer comprises at least one latching member , and more particularly as shown by the exemplary embodiment in fig1 , latch 40 . although in this embodiment latch 40 secures the upper lid 1 and lower lid 2 in the closed position , other latching members may be employed . as shown in fig1 and fig3 , the latches 40 are ordinary latches as are common in the art , in a preferred embodiment comprising a first latch part 41 , and a second latch part 42 . the latch 40 operates partially within a latch indentation 43 , as shown in fig2 and 3 . latch indentation 43 is ideally sized such that when the latch 40 secures upper lid 1 and lower lid 2 , said latch is substantially flush with said upper lid 1 and lower lid 2 . as the garment warmer is intended to be operated in an environment where there is a chance it may be exposed to liquid , said latches 40 are ideally constructed of a material substantially resistant to the oxidative effects of oxygen and water . fig3 provides the clearest view of the display / handle unit 10 comprising among other components , a handle 11 and a display 16 . the display / handle unit 10 is molded as one unit and is inserted and sealed into lower lid 2 . when the case is closed as shown in fig3 , the display / handle unit 10 is secured approximately in the center of the horizontal outer surface of the device and is surrounded by an extension of seal 3 . because the display / handle unit 10 comprises several components including the electronics that control the heated pads and a display 16 , other waterproofing means are employed , such as a display / handle unit seal 5 , which makes display 16 resistant to damage by water . handle 11 is preferably of a design well known in the art , and is preferably constructed of a material substantially unaffected by moisture , such as natural or synthetic rubber , or hard plastic . a handle hinge 12 allows said handle 11 to rotate from a position substantially flush with upper lid 1 and lower lid 2 to a position substantially perpendicular to said lids , facilitating the portability of the garment warmer . as indicated above , the handle 11 is in a preferred embodiment a part of a structure also comprising display 16 . various display technologies may be used in conjunction with the display 16 , such as light - emitting diode , vacuum fluorescent display , liquid crystal display technologies or others . the display is a segment display system although in alternative embodiments more advanced screens may be employed . the display / handle unit 10 further comprises electronic controls 14 . in the preferred embodiment and as shown in fig3 , the electronic controls 14 comprise buttons that control the internal temperature of the garment warmer . the electronic controls may themselves include a light source facilitating the user &# 39 ; s operation of the device during the nighttime . in a separate embodiment , the electronic controls may be simpler , controlling only the on and off status of the device . in still separate embodiments , other features such as thermostat , thermostat timer , and clock may be controlled by the electronic controls 14 . the timer function allows the user to set the device to begin power on at a predetermined time . while in the preferred embodiment the electronic controls 14 comprise two buttons , in other embodiments the number of buttons may be less than or more than two . ideally , the buttons will be covered by a waterproof membrane as is well known in the art . the display can show the time of day , the internal temperature of the device , or can alternate between time and temperature , displaying each for approximately 4 seconds . the display / handle unit 10 in the preferred embodiment of the invention also comprises a plug receptacle 13 , to which a coupler 83 is inserted thereto . see fig1 and 8 . attention is drawn to coupler 83 on fig8 , which is a part of a power supply unit 80 , comprising power converter 81 , dc power cable 82 , and coupler 83 . typically , the device will be connected to a domestic ac power plug and socket through a power plug ( not shown ), but may be used with a variety of plug types , power supply frequencies and voltages . the device is an ac - dc device , and as such may easily be connected to a boat or car &# 39 ; s dc system , provided the optional power supply cords ( not shown ) are used . the plug receptacle 13 has a seal ring to allow use in wet weather , and a grommet cover to cover the plug when not in use . in a preferred embodiment power is supplied to the garment warmer through a direct connection ( power cable ) to an external power source . the device may in an alternative embodiment comprise batteries ( not shown ) that provide lasting power when a direct connection is not available . ideally , the device will utilize rechargeable batteries that may be re - charged after they have been drained . various types of batteries may be used such a standard lead acid rechargeable battery , or more complex batteries such as nickel - cadmium , nickel metal hydride , lithium - ion cells , and others . the batteries used by the device may be of nearly any size capable of fitting within the upper and lower lids , and may be custom sized so as to occupy a minimal amount of usable interior volume . finally , to maintain the balance of the system while it stands upright , the batteries may be placed so as not to disrupt the neutral center of gravity . attention is now directed to fig8 , 9 and 10 , which show the internal compartments of the garment warmer . the design is intended to allow the effective distribution of heat through the robe , cloth or garment . numerous sectional members define several compartments inside the device , including one compartment for storing and warming slippers . an upper lid layer 50 and a lower lid layer 60 define the primary internal compartment , as shown in fig8 . this primary area is then separated by a heated middle pad 61 , which is the preferred heating element in the device . heated middle pad 61 is moveable about heated middle pad hinge 62 , and is moveable along an arc similar to upper lid 1 as upper lid 1 rotates about upper hinge 21 . in this way , the user of the device may swing open upper lid 1 along upper hinge 21 , and then proceed to similarly swing open heated middle pad 61 , exposing a lower lining 66 . see fig8 and 9 . continuing to draw attention to fig8 and 9 , heated middle pad 61 substantially encases a middle heating element 63 . middle heating element 63 is connected to the power supply unit via middle heating element first wire 64 and middle heating element second wire 65 . electrical current flowing through middle heating element 63 encounters resistance , resulting in the heating of the element . the heating element may use nichrome wire as the conductor , or any other conducting material commonly known in the art . upper lid layer 50 is affixed to the inner side of upper lid 1 and ideally comprises insulative cloth . see fig8 and 9 . upper lid layer 50 is also a likely point of contact with articles placed inside the device for heating and as such is provided with a low thermal conductivity to prevent heat loss to the environment external to the garment warmer . a cloth or fabric made of natural or artificial fibers and having a thermal conductivity of less than 0 . 2 w · m − 1 · k − 1 at a temperature of between 0 degrees and 100 degrees fahrenheit is the preferred material of upper lid layer 50 covering the side facing heated middle pad 61 . the material of upper lid 50 will also safely conduct heat up to 180 degrees fahrenheit , which is beyond the 170 degree maximum operating temperature of the device . other cloth - like materials that reduce the flow of heat through them may similarly be employed , including but not limited to fiberglass , polystyrene foam , polyurethane foam and a rubber composite - like material . this attention to insulation helps maintain heat within the device , thereby decreasing heat times , and increasing efficiency and battery life . upper lid 50 also comprises a slipper bag 53 . see fig8 and 9 . this bag is ideally affixed on three sides to upper lid insulating layer 52 , thereby creating on the fourth side a slipper bag opening 54 through which a user may insert slippers or other small articles into slipper bag 53 for warming or heat retention . see also fig1 a . immediately attached to upper lid layer 50 are hook - and - loop fasteners , such as velcro ® in a structure hereinafter termed upper lid layer velcro ® 51 . it is known that other veclro ®- like materials or fasteners may easily be substituted . lower lid layer 60 , of similar construction to upper lid layer 50 , also comprises a similar lining of insulation hereinafter termed lower lid layer velcro ® 67 . as the device opens and closes in a clamshell fashion as previously described , these two velcro ® layers will come into contact and create a secure inner heated compartment for the storage of garments or cloths . in an alternative embodiment , the upper lid may also comprise a second heated upper pad insert ( not shown ). the second heated upper pad insert may be attached to the upper lid layer 50 or to another contact point on the inside of upper lid 1 . the second heated upper pad insert may be a flap that may unfold to an open position similar to the operation of an accordion or accordion - style briefcase . this allows the flap to occupy a minimum of space when not in use , but when opened provides a space to contain slippers or other small articles placed inside it . power provided to the heated upper insert will be provided in a similar fashion to that described in the middle heating element 63 portion of this application . lower lid layer 60 is affixed to an inner side of lower lid 2 and is ideally composed of insulative cloth . like upper lid layer 50 , lower lid layer 60 will come into contact with garments or cloth placed inside the device and thus comprises a material having a low thermal conductivity . a cloth or fabric made of natural or artificial fibers and having a thermal conductivity of less than 0 . 2 w · m − 1 · k − 1 at a temperature of between 0 degrees and 100 degrees fahrenheit is the preferred material covering the side of lower lid layer 60 that faces heated middle pad 61 . as described regarding upper lid layer 50 , other , similar low conductivity materials may be used . between lower lid layer 60 and lower lid 2 is heated lower insert 71 . see fig8 and 9 . similar to heated middle pad 61 , heated lower insert 71 receives its power from heated lower insert first wire 74 and heated lower insert second wire 75 , as shown in fig8 . heated lower insert 71 substantially encases a lower heating element ( not shown ) which functions similarly to heating element 63 , and may likewise be composed of nichrome wire or another conducting material commonly known in the art . between heated lower insert 71 and lower lid 2 , and affixed to an inner side of lower lid 2 is lower lid insulating layer 72 , ideally composed of insulative cloth . as lower lid insulating layer is not a likely point of contact with garments or cloths placed inside the device , it can be designed from a purely functional standpoint . as such , its primary purpose is to prevent heat loss to the environment external to the garment warmer , and as such is made of material having a thermal conductivity of less than 0 . 2 w · m − 1 · k − 1 at a temperature of between 0 degrees and 100 degrees fahrenheit . more preferably , its thermal conductivity is less than 0 . 1 w · m − 1 · k − 1 at a temperature of between 0 degrees and 100 degrees fahrenheit . the material of lower lid insulating layer 72 will also safely conduct heat up to 180 degrees fahrenheit , which is beyond the 170 degree maximum temperature of the device . materials including but not limited to fiberglass , polystyrene foam , polyurethane foam , a rubber composite like material , and other low conductivity materials may be used as described regarding upper lid layer 50 . the final structure positioned in the lower lid is a lower lid raised grid 73 , which is clearly shown in fig8 . for everywhere but the points of contact between the insulating materials and the raised grid , the raised grid creates a layer of air between the lower lid 2 and said insulating materials . in this way , the only points of contact between the insulating materials inside the device and the lower lid 2 ( which is exposed on one side to outside air ) are at the raised grid , thereby reducing the amount of heat lost through conduction . in an alternative embodiment of the invention , the upper lid 1 further comprises an upper lid raised grid 55 , a cross section of which is shown in fig1 a . the overall structure and function is analogous to lower lid raised grid 73 as shown in fig8 . the upper lid raised grid 55 , like the lower lid raised grid 73 , utilizes a layer of air , having an extremely low thermal conductivity , to minimize heat loss . in the embodiment comprising the upper raised grid 55 , the garment warmer further comprises an upper lid insulating layer 52 . this layer is of a construction similar to lower lid insulating layer 72 , and likewise has a primary purpose of preventing heat loss to the external environment . in this alternative embodiment of the invention , the upper lid 1 further comprises a heated lid insert 56 . the level of sophistication of the electronic components inside the device differs among the various embodiments of the invention . in the embodiments containing a thermostat and timer , more complex electrical circuitry and components will be needed . regardless of the level of sophistication and complexity , an objective of the invention is to protect these electronic components from the nearby heat radiating outward from heating element 63 . thus , the electrical wires in the device are robust enough to withstand repeated heating and cooling . the display 16 and its related components must also be protected from the heat generated by the device . therefore , insulating materials ( not shown ) between those components and the device heating elements are provided . an additional object of the invention is to warm garments and other cloth - like materials safely . thus , to prevent an unintended exothermic reaction in the clothing placed very near a heating element , safety measures have been incorporated . for instance , ensuring no direct contact between the heat element and the clothing will decrease the chance of clothing ignition . furthermore , the device comprises a safety automatic shut - off feature which disables the device should a predetermined maximum internal temperature threshold be reached . in a preferred embodiment this is simply a relay breaker controllable by a sensor that monitors the temperature of the warming pads . the display 16 may indicate whether a shut - off or other malfunction has occurred . the maximum temperature allowance of the device ( 170 degrees ) is lower than the kindling point of a typical cloth , thereby ensuring there is nearly a zero chance for combustion . optionally , safety shut - offs activated in the presence of smoke or smoldering clothes may also be employed as a secondary safety mechanism . these plus other safety features will ensure the device meets various electronic certification regulations in various countries around the world . as has been described above , it is an object of the invention to provide protection from water for the various electronic components composing the device . thus , a playful splash or adverse weather such as rain or snow will not substantially penetrate seal 3 , latch 40 , or display / handle unit seal 5 . optionally , the level of water resistance may vary with the intended use of the device . intended uses near water may include boating , camping , near a pool or hot tub , and skiing . the garment warmer may be used by anyone who would like a warm towel or robe with which to wrap themselves . this is especially enticing when one is expected to be outdoors in a spa or hot tub during the cold fall and winter months . although in an alternative embodiment , a battery pack provides a source of constant heat and hence even more portability , the case design coupled with its various layers of insulation provide lasting heat retention even without a battery as a lasting heat source . the garment warmer can be heated in one of two fashions . it is expected that most users will plug the device into a typical residential electrical outlet , and heat the device prior to taking the device outside . once outside , the user may enjoy himself or herself knowing that the device &# 39 ; s insulation and optional internal battery powered heating element ( s ) will ensure their clothes are warmed , and said seal 3 will keep their clothes dry . even without a battery pack or if the battery is not charged , the insulation alone will keep the clothes warm and dry for significantly longer than they would be just being left exposed to the elements . in another expected use of the garment warmer , the user will not preheat the device as described above , but will instead simply place his or her clothing and towel in the device and immediately go outside . in this scenario , the battery alone will power the heating element , either immediately or after a preset amount of time , which in turn will raise the temperature of the materials placed inside , again ensuring warm and dry clothing and towels await the user once the user is done enjoying him or herself in the spa or hot tub . with both functions , the display 16 has the capabilities to keep the user informed as to temperature , time and timer status . in the latter function , the battery life is extended by delaying the heating process , thereby avoiding heating the cloths at a time when they are not expected to be used . finally , the user may wish to initially wear his or her robe on the trek out to the spa , and immediately prior to entering said spa , place the robe inside the device . again , a battery powered , delayed start heater may warm the user &# 39 ; s robe near to the time the user expects to leave the spa . the mobility of the device allows it to be used in myriad locations , such as on a boat where one would take the device and after a day of waterskiing and swimming have dry clothes and towels in which to change . the fact that the clothes may be freshly warmed by the boat &# 39 ; s power supply would be especially useful for aquatic search and rescue personnel , where a water victim may require warm clothing and towels to offset the effects of hypothermia . the neutral center of gravity exhibited by the device in the upright position ( that is , the position occupying the least surface space ) allows the device or many numbers of the device to be easily balanced on a cart or floor space . one anticipated use is to move many numbers of the device to a location where multiple users await , and the neutral balanced nature of the device facilitates the dense packing of many units over a small area . although the garment warmer will warm any type of cloth , fabric or garments placed within it , certain methods of folding the garment create a more energy efficient environment for heating . for instance , the most efficient method of folding a robe for the garment warmer involves folding the robe lengthwise into thirds with the inside of the robe facing outwards and then folding the robe in half again . this will ensure that the inside of the robe ( that which presses against the skin ) is the warmest . directions for the optimal folding of a robe may be provided with the device . in order to make the device easier to use , the temperature and timer controls , if provided , can be easily adjusted . for instance , a set of timer buttons marked with an up and down arrow and a set of temperature buttons marked with an up and down arrow may be used . to ease opening and closing , latches that automatically snap to the locked position under the force of the closing lid may be used . to ease the opening process when performed by wet and slippery hands , soft edges and a textured ergonomic material may be used on the inside of the latch . finally , said latches and handle may fold to a position flush with the outer edge of the device , thereby eliminating protruding surfaces that could potentially harm a user . one skilled in the art will appreciate that the present invention can be practiced by other than the preferred embodiments , which are presented for purposes of illustration and not of limitation .	0
referring more specifically to the drawings , for illustrative purposes the present invention will be disclosed in relation to fig1 through fig1 it will be appreciated that the system and apparatus of the invention may vary as to configuration and as to details of the constituent components , and that the method may vary as to the specific steps and sequence , without departing from the basic concepts as disclosed herein . the context in which this invention is disclosed is an application running on a primary server and one or more replicated instances of the application running on one or more backup servers . without affecting the general case of multiple replicated backup applications , the following disclosures often depict and describe just one backup . multiple backups are handled in a similar manner . similarly , the disclosures describe one primary application . multiple applications are handled in a similar manner . likewise , the disclosures generally describe applications with one or two processes ; any number of processes is handled in a similar manner . finally , the disclosures generally describe one or two threads per process ; any number of threads is handled in a similar manner fig1 illustrates by way of example embodiment 10 the overall structure of the present invention for both primary and backups . the following brief overview illustrates the high - level relationship between the various components ; further details on the inner workings and interdependencies are provided in the following sections . fig1 . illustrates by way of example embodiment a primary and backup server 12 with an application 16 loaded into system memory 14 . the application 16 is comprised of two processes ; process a 18 and process b 20 . each of the two processes has two running threads . process a contains thread t0 22 and thread t1 24 , while process b is contains thread t3 26 and thread t4 28 . an interception layer ( il ) 30 , 32 is interposed between each application process and the messaging engine ( me ) 34 , the system libraries 36 and operating system 38 . process a &# 39 ; s interception layer 30 and process b &# 39 ; s interception layer 32 use the shared messaging engine ( me ) 34 to send and receive messages used to enforce replicata consistency . system resources , such as cpus 46 , i / o devices 44 , network interfaces 42 and storage 40 are accessed using the operating system 38 . devices accessing remote resources use some form of transport network 48 . by way of example , system networking 42 may use tcp / ip over ethernet transport , storage 40 may use fibre channel or ethernet transport , and i / o may use usb . in the preferred embodiment storage 40 is external and accessible by both primary and backups . the architecture for the primary and backups are identical . at the functional level , the messaging engine 34 generally is sending out replication messages on the primary , while the me 34 on the backup is receiving and processing replication messages sent by the primary . fig2 illustrates by way of example embodiment 60 a primary server 62 and its corresponding backup server 82 working as a pair of primary and backup . the primary application 64 is comprised of two processes ; process a 66 and process b 68 , each with two running threads . process a &# 39 ; s interception layer 70 and the messaging engine 74 are interposed between process a 66 and the operating system and libraries 76 . likewise , process b &# 39 ; s interception layer 72 and the messaging engine 74 are interposed between process b 68 and the operating system and libraries 76 . using a similar architecture , the backup server 82 contains the backup application ( the replica ) 84 comprised of process a 86 and process b 88 each with two threads . the interception layers il 90 for process a and il 92 for process b are interposed together with the messaging engine 94 between the two processes and the system libraries and operating system 96 . as illustrated on both fig1 and fig2 there is one messaging engine per application . if an application contains multiple processes , the application processes share one message engine . interception is used to intercept all events , library calls and locking calls that affect replica consistency . fig3 illustrates by way of example embodiment 100 , the core interception architecture for an application with two processes . details on the messaging engine and its architecture are given below . process a 102 with interception layer 106 , and process b 112 with interception layer 116 . by way of example , ifunc1 ( ) and ifunc2 ( ) are subject to interception . when process a 102 reaches ifunc1 ( ) it is intercepted 108 and the call redirected to the interception layer 106 . the interception layers processes the ifunc1 ( ) calls as follows ( in pseudo code ): call ifunc1 ( ) and store return values collect processid and threadid for ifunc1 ( ) call message engine 122 with ( processid , threadid ) identifiers and any data from ifunc1 ( ) as necessary return to caller 110 upon returning to the caller 110 process a resumes execution as if ifunc1 ( ) had not been intercepted . the interception mechanism is identical for process b 112 , where ifunc2 ( ) 114 is intercepted 118 , the interception processed 116 with the same algorithm , and then returned 120 to the caller . in a preferred embodiment the interception layer is implemented as a shared library and pre - loaded into each application process &# 39 ; address space as part of loading the application . shared libraries are implemented in such as way that each instance of the interception layer share the same code , but have their own private data . in a multi - process application the interception layer is therefore comprised of one interception layer per application process , and together the process - level interception layers comprise the interception layer for the entire application . a related issue with interception is that intercepted functions may call other intercepted functions . as long as said calls are performed using public intercepted names , the previous teachings fully describe the interception . at times shared - library developers take shortcuts and don &# 39 ; t use the public names , but refer directly to the implementation using a private name . in such cases , the interceptor must overlay a copy of the intercepted shared library code using fully resolved public function names . even with correctly written multi - process and multi - threaded programs , there are no guarantees that the same program run multiple times produces the same result at each run . by way of example consider an application consisting of two threads . the program contains one global variable , one global lock , and two threads to operate on the global variable . in pseudo code : thread 1 repeats the core loop 10 times and each time first locks the global lock to ensure atomic access to globalint , increments globalint by one , frees the lock and waits a random amount of time . thread2 has the same structure except it multiplies globalint by 2 . depending on how long each thread sleeps each time they reach sleep ( ) thread1 and thread2 will execute their locks in different orders and thus globalint is not guaranteed to be the same at the end of separate runs to ensure replica consistency , the present invention enforces an ordering on events , so that the primary and backup produces the same results . specifically , if the application runs on the primary and produces a final value of 10 , so will the backup . if next time the primary produces the final value of 10240 , so will the backup . while the use of sleep ( ) highlighted the consistency problem , even without sleep ( ) different runs would produce different final results . the reason is that the operating system schedules thread 1 and thread 2 based on a wide range of factors , and likely will make different scheduling decisions from run to run . the present invention utilizes global ids in several places . a “ global id ” is a 64 bit integer that is guaranteed to be unique within the context of an application . when a new global id is created it is guaranteed to be one larger than the most recently generated global id . global ids are used as counters for replication messages . global ids start at zero upon initialization and continue to increase as more global ids are requested . 64 bits ensures that integer wrap - around is not a practical concern . in an alternate embodiment global ids are implemented as arbitrary precision integers , which can hold any size integer and never wrap . in a preferred embodiment generation of global ids are provided in a shared library . on some operating systems , shared libraries can have variables , called static library variables , or global library variables , that are shared across all instances of the shared library . for such operating system , the preferred implementation uses such global library variables to implement the global ids . in pseudo code the implementation is , where “ m_globalid ” is the global shared variable : alternatively , if the operating system doesn &# 39 ; t support global variables within shared libraries , the same functionality can be implemented using shared memory , using , by way of example , the posix shared memory subsystem found on modern operating system . in stead of using a static int64 to hold the m_globalid , the m_globalid is placed in a shmem segment shared among all instances of the shared library and locked using a named semaphore this alternate technique is substantially identical to the algorithm above other than the use of shared memory in stead of library static variable in a preferred implementation the global id functionality is built into to the messaging engine shared library . in an alternate implementation , the global id functionality is provided in a separate shared library . in the following disclosures the global id functionality is depicted as being provided by the messaging engine shared library , per the preferred implantation . as a thread executes it proceeds along a unique path . generally a thread runs within the context of a process . the process has a unique identifier , called the process id or pid , and each thread has a unique identifier called the thread id or tid . in some operating systems thread ids are globally unique , in others unique within the context of its parent process . the combination of pid and tid uniquely identifies a thread and process pair independently of whether tids are globally or process unique . on many operating systems the pid is determined by the getpid ( ) or getprocessid ( ) functions , while the tid is determined by the gettid ( ) or getthreadid ( ) functions . other operating systems offer similar functionality . as an application is loaded control is first transferred from the loader to the applications init ( ) method . generally , init ( ) is provided as part of the standard system libraries but custom init ( ) may be provided . init ( ) ends by calling the main application entry point , generally called main ( ). as main ( ) starts executing it does so as one process with a single thread . the teachings of the present invention follow this model where each process automatically is created with one thread , where said thread is executing the initial program code . there are operating systems where every thread must be created programmatically and where no initial thread is attached to a process . the present invention supports adding threads to a running process at any time , and it &# 39 ; s thus apparent to anyone skilled in the art that the following disclosures easily adapt to the case where a thread needs to be programmatically added following process creation . in the preferred embodiment , the present invention supplies a custom init ( ) wherein all interceptors are loaded . this ensures that all resources , including threads and processes , can be intercepted and that the interceptors are installed before the application &# 39 ; s main ( ) is called . the process and thread interceptors intercept all process and thread creation , termination and exits . as the primary application executes and uses threads and processes , said events are communicated using replication messages ( described below ) to the backup providing the necessary information for the backup to rebuild the process and thread hierarchy and match it against incoming replication messages from the primary . by way of example , as init ( ) calls main ( ) the programs consists of one process with one thread . prior to calling main ( ) a special initialization replication message ( called process_init ) with the initial process id and thread id is sent to the backups . when a new process is created the new process id together with its initial thread id are sent to the backup in a replication message ( process_create ). whenever a new thread is created , a replication message with the process id and new thread id are sent to the backup ( thread_create ). likewise , whenever a process or thread terminates a replication message with the terminating process and thread is sent to the backups . the backup can thus build a representation of the process and thread hierarchy on the primary and use that to map incoming replication messages against the backup &# 39 ; s own process and thread hierarchy . to ensure replica consistency , access to all resources is intercepted and tagged , so that the identical access sequence can be imposed on the replica . the first set of interceptors intercept all process and thread creation and termination calls . tracking the process and thread hierarchy on the primary enables recreation of the hierarchy on the replica . the process and thread & lt ; pid , tid & gt ; pair is attached to all resource access performed on process pid and thread tid and provides the tagging necessary to associate resource interceptors on the backup with the corresponding process and thread on the primary as a thread executes it does so sequentially . while a multi process and / or multi threaded application may contain many simultaneous executing threads and processes , each thread is performing its work serially . by way of example consider the following pseudo code : the thread first opens the file using fopen ( ), then writes to the files with fwrite ( ), and finally closes the file with fclose ( ). the program will not , by way of example , first call fwrite ( ), then fclose ( ), and finally fopen ( ). the instruction sequence , as it relates to the resource file * fp , is guaranteed to be sequential as programmed in the example code . compilers may rearrange some of the compiled code as part of code generation and optimization , but it will always leave the resource access ordering as specified in the source code . if the compiler re - arranges other aspects of the code execution , the same rearranged order would be in place on the backup , and such compiler optimization thus have no effect on the teachings of the present invention . by way of example , this means that a thread on the primary and the backup both would first call fopen ( ), then fwrite ( ) and finally fclose ( ). the present invention uses this implicit ordering to map replication messages against the right methods . by way of continued example , the backup would first , as this is how the program executes , request the replication message for fopen ( ) then for fwrite ( ) and finally for fclose ( ) and thus automatically match the ordering of replication messages generated by the primary as far as the resource file * fp is concerned . if , by way of example , a thread uses two resources the same teachings apply . while the compiler may have rearranged the relative order of the two resources , said reordering would be identical on primary and backups and thus not affect any difference in execution on the primary and the backups . if by way of example , an execution environment such as java or . net is used , said execution environment is included as part of the application as the execution environment affects and controls execution . there is thus no need to assign any resource identifiers to resources in order to match resource on the primary with the resource on the backup . the execution context itself suffices to identify a resource and its use within the context of a thread and process . by way of example , the creation of a resource by a process and thread is used directly to match it to the corresponding process and thread on the backups . the matching on the backups is explained in detailed below . by way of example consider a process with two threads . the two threads access a shared lock and arbitrate for access using the lock ( ) and unlock ( ) methods . in pseudo code fig4 illustrates by way of example embodiment 140 , the interception of lock objects in a scenario with two threads and the creation of & lt ; pid , tid & gt ; pairs . a process is comprised of two threads , thread - 0 142 and thread - 1 144 . the resource interceptor 146 intercepts access to the underlying lock resource 148 . first thread - 0 142 creates 150 the lock . the create ( ) call is intercepted 152 by the resource interceptor 146 . first the actual resource create ( ) 154 call is performed and the returning value stored . a replication message with the pair & lt ; pid , tid & gt ; is created and sent 156 to the message engine 141 for transmittal to the backup . finally the creation call return 158 the results of the resource create ( ) call . later the thread - 0 142 calls the lock ( ) method 160 on the lock object . the lock ( ) is intercepted 162 , and initially forwarded to the lock ( ) call within the lock object 164 . the lock is returned to the interceptor 162 , and a replication message with & lt ; pid , tid & gt ; is created and sent to the messaging engine . the lock is returned 168 to thread - 0 . at this point thread - 0 has acquired the lock and no other threads are can acquire it while the lock is held by thread - 0 . later thread - 1 144 calls the lock ( ) method 172 on the lock object . the lock ( ) is intercepted 172 and initially is forwarded to the lock ( ) call within the lock object 174 . the lock ( ) 174 blocks as the lock is already acquired by thread - 0 and the call does not return to the interceptor and thread - 1 144 . later thread - 0 142 calls the unlock ( ) method 180 on the lock object . the unlock ( ) is intercepted 182 and forwarded to the lock object 184 . the lock object processes the unlock ( ) 184 and returns to the interceptor 182 . a replication message with & lt ; pid , tid & gt ; is created and sent to the message engine 141 . the unlock ( ) call returns 188 . thread - 2 can now acquire the lock 174 and the lock ( ) call return 190 to the interceptor 192 where a replication message with the & lt ; pid , tid & gt ; pair is constructed and sent to the messaging engine . the present invention breaks resources down into distinct categories and handles each separately : 1 . processes and threads and their methods : processes and threads methods are intercepted and used to build a mapping between processes and threads on the primary and backup . 2 . locks and their methods : locks are intercepted and used to enforce replica consistency relative to locks and their use 3 . i / o resources and their methods : i / o ( input / output ) resources are resources writing data to locations outside the application or reading external data into the application . i / o resource methods are intercepted and additional replication messages corresponding are added . example i / o resource methods that write data include , but are not limited to , write ( ) for files , srand ( n ) where the srand ( s ) sets the seed value for a random number generator , and sendmsg ( ) from the sockets library . all three examples write data to a location outside the application proper . example i / o resource methods that read data include , but are not limited to , read ( ) for files , rand ( ) to generate a random number , gettimeofday ( ) and readmsg ( ) from the sockets library . all four examples reads or generates external data and delivers it into the application proper . all classes of resources are included in the teachings of the present invention . i / o resources are the most general type of resource and provide additional information in the replication messages . any resource not included in the first two groups is treated as an i / o resource even though the functionality may not be i / o related . where “ method_id ” is one of a few pre - defined method ids , “ sn ” is the replications sequence number , “ pid ” is the process id , “ tid ” is the thread id , and “ data ” is an additional field that in some case carry extra information . the sequence number is a global id generated and added by the messaging engine to every replication message . each new sequence number is exactly one larger than the previous sequence number , and is used on the backup to impose the same ordering as on the primary . process_exit used to designate the termination of a process and associated threads method_none used to designate that no special method id is required in the preferred embodiment , method ids are integers and predefined . in the preferred embodiment method_none is defined as zero or null , indicating that the method is implicitly provided via the sequential execution of the thread . every time a resource is created , accessed , or used a replication message is created on the primary and sent via the messaging engine to the backup . the replication message contains the process and thread where the resource was accessed and a sequence number ensuring strict ordering of events . to distinguish the replication messages from the surrounding text it is at times enclosed in “& lt ;” and “& gt ;”. those special characters are not part of the replication messages and are used entirely for clarify of presentation . as disclosed previously , the implicit ordering of execution within a thread is used to order resource access and the present invention thus does not need to specify the nature of the intercepted method ; the interception ordering is identical on the backups and the corresponding primary . therefore , most replication message has a method_id of method_none as the primary and backup process the resource requests in the same sequential order and need no further data to indentify resource and interception . continuing the example embodiment referred to in fig4 , the messages generated by the resource interceptor , has a process id of ‘ p ’, thread id of t0 for thread - 0 142 , and thread id of t1 for thread - 1 144 . by way of example we identify the sequence numbers as s0 , s1 , s2 etc . where everything after and including “//” are comments included only for clarity of presentation the messages and the ordering implied by the ever increasing sequence numbers s0 , s1 , s2 and s3 describe the ordering , use and access of shared resources . if a library method exists in two variants with different signatures , each method is intercepted and generates its own message , if lock . lock ( ) had two different signatures , and thread - 1 144 used the alternate method , the replication messages would look the same , as the backup automatically would be executing the alternate lock implementation on thread - 1 as well . if the operating system provided two methods to create new processes , there would be both a process_create and process_create2 , where process_create2 designates the alternate method to create processes . as disclosed above , process and threads require special consideration and have their own replication messages . upon creating a new process a special process_create replication message is sent to the backups . the process_create identifies the new process id , its corresponding thread id and its parent process . the parent process id is encoded in the data field . upon creating a new thread , the new thread id , its corresponding process &# 39 ; pid , and the threads parent thread id encoded in the data field , is sent within a thread_create replication message to the backups . depending on when the operating system schedules the new process and thread they will get to run either before or after the parent process and thread . on the backups , the messaging engine may thus receive messages from the newly created process or thread before receiving the process_create or thread_create replication messages , or alternatively receive requests for process_create or thread_create messages before the messages from the primary have arrived . the messaging engine on the backups automatically suspends requests from the new processes and threads until the mapping of process and thread id have been established as disclosed later . by way of example , the process replication messages corresponding to a program starting , creating one new process called p1 , then terminating p1 , are : where s0 , s1 and s2 are the sequence numbers , p0 the process id of the initial process , t0 the thread id of the thread for p0 . p1 is the process id of the created process while t1 is the thread id of the first thread in p1 . the parent process &# 39 ; s process ids is provided as data for process_create . process_init is the special previously disclosed initialization message sent just prior to entering main ( ). at times a replication message optionally includes additional data . the data is appended in the data block and transmitted along with the core replication message . the data block contains the data identifier , a 64 bit long identifying the length of the data block , and the data itself . by way of example , a replication message for a ( write ( ) operation may look like data blocks are used primarily to send complex data such as data written to files , results of operations and success / failure of operations . the data blocks are primarily used with i / o resources . the curly brackets “{” and “}” are not part of the message , they are used here for clarity of presentation . the data block is also used by process_create to designate the parent process &# 39 ; s pid . fig5 illustrates by way of example embodiment 200 , the structure of the message engine 201 on the primary . the base replication message is sent to the message engine 206 where it &# 39 ; s received 212 . a sequence number is requested 214 from the sequence number generator 210 , and added to the message . the message is ready for transmission 218 to the backup over the network 219 . in the preferred embodiment sequence numbers are generated with the preferred global id embodiment disclosed above . the message engine on the backup receives all the replication messages and sorts them by sequence number . the sequence number in the replication message identifies the order in which events previously took place on the primary , and therefore must be imposed on the backup during execution . as disclosed above and illustrated on the example embodiment on fig4 , the resource interceptor relies on the underlying operating system and system libraries to supply the native resource access and locking , and then tags on the process , thread , and sequence numbers to indentify the context and relative order . fig6 illustrates by way of example embodiment 220 the message engine 221 on a backup . replication messages are received 224 over the network 222 . depending on underlying transport , replication messages may arrive out of order : in a preferred embodiment using tcp , tcp ensures message ordering . in an alternate preferred embodiment using udp , there is no guarantee that messages arrive in the same order they were sent . in general , replication messages may thus in general arrive out of order and are therefore sorted 226 by sequence number . a sorted list of new messages 228 is maintained by the present invention within the message engine 221 on the backups . by way of example , a message with sequence number 100 is sent , followed by a message with sequence number 101 , they may arrive out - of - order on the backup , so that the message with sequence number 101 arrives prior to the replication message with sequence number 100 . the sorting step 226 ensures that the oldest replication message with lowest sequence number is kept at the top , while later messages are placed in their sorted order later in the list 228 . when the resource interceptors on the backup requests a replication message 232 , the request is processed by the request module 230 . in order to deliver a replication message to an interceptor two tests must be passed : test 1 — sequence number : the request module 230 compares the sequence number at the top of the sorted list of replication messages 228 with the sequence number of the most recent message 236 . if top of the list 228 has a sequence number of exactly one more than the most recent sequence number 236 the top - message is a candidate for delivery to the calling interceptor 232 , 234 . if the top - message sequence number is more than one larger than the last sequence number 236 , one or more replication messages are missing , and the request module 230 pauses pending the arrival of the delayed message . by way of example , and in continuation of the example above , if the last sequence number is 99 , and the message with sequence number 101 has arrived , while the message with sequence number 100 has not arrived , the request module 230 waits until the message with sequence number 100 has been received and placed at the top of the sorted list . upon arrival of the replication message with sequence number 100 , said message is now a candidate for delivery to the calling interceptor 232 , 234 provided the second test passes . test 2 — method_id , process id and thread id : the caller 232 supplies method_id , pid , tid and parent pid , when requesting a replication message . this means that the calling interceptor is requesting the oldest replication message of type method_id with process id of pid and thread id of tid . when method_id is method_none the requested method is implicit in the serial execution of the thread and it suffice to compare process id and thread id . by way of example , to retrieve the replication message for process b - p0 and thread b - t1 , the interceptor would supply parameters of b - p0 and b - t1 which are the process id and thread id of the interceptor and calling application on the backup . the replication messages contain pids and tids from the primary . as the backup executes , each process and thread generally have different ids than the corresponding threads on the primary . the present invention maintains a mapping 233 between the & lt ; pid , tid & gt ; pairs on the primary and the corresponding pairs on the backup & lt ; b - pid , b - tid & gt ;. detailed teachings on creation and management of said mapping is given in section 8 . the interceptors , when requesting a replication message 232 , provide b - p0 and b - t1 as those are its local process and thread ids . the replication request module 230 then translates the local process and thread ids , using the pid - tid mapping 233 into the primary & lt ; pid , tid & gt ; and uses said primary & lt ; pid , tid & gt ; in the process and thread id comparisons described . if the replication message at the top of the list 228 has a & lt ; pid , tid & gt ; that matches the translated & lt ; b - t0 , b - t1 & gt ; there is a match and test is successful . if the method_id provided by the calling interceptor 232 is different from method_none , special processing is required . replication messages related to process and threads have their own method_ids and are thus handled with special processing . by way of example , to retrieve the replication message for process_create , the calling interceptor supplies parameters of process_create , b - p1 , b - t1 , b - p0 , where b - p1 is the newly created process with initial thread of b - t1 , and b - p0 is its parent process . when requesting the replication message for process_create only the parent process b - p0 is already mapped in the translations 233 . for an incoming process_create message with parent process p0 , the corresponding b - p0 can be found in the mappings 233 as the process previously was mapped . if a process id match is found for the parent processes , the “ new process ”& lt ; p1 , t1 & gt ; pair from the replication message is mapped against the & lt ; b - p1 , b - t1 & gt ; pair supplied in the interceptor and added to the mappings 233 and the test is successful . similarly teachings apply for thread_create , where the parent &# 39 ; s thread id and the process id are the two known quantities . creation and maintenance of the mappings 233 is explained in further detail in section 8 . if both tests are satisfied , the top replication message is removed from the list and returned 234 to the calling interceptor and the last sequence number 236 updated to the sequence number of the just - returned message 234 . the combined use of sequence numbers , which ensure that only the oldest message is delivered , combined with the full calling context of p0 and t1 enable the replication request module 230 to only return replication messages that are designated for the particular thread and process . if a thread requests a replication message and the particular message isn &# 39 ; t at the top of the list , the thread is placed in a “ pending threads callback ” queue 231 . as soon as the requested message is available at the top of the message list 228 , the thread is removed from the “ pending threads callback ” queue 231 and the call is returned 234 . the mechanism of pausing threads where the replication messages are not available or at the top of the message list 228 is what enables the present invention to enforce replica consistency on the backup even when processes and threads are scheduled differently on the backup than they were on the primary . further teachings on the use of replication messages by the interceptors on the backups , and the access methods are disclosed next the backup is launched and interceptors are installed in init ( ) as disclosed above for the primary . on the backup , however , init does not immediately call main ( ) rather it requests and waits for the process_init message from the primary before proceeding . where the primary runs unimpeded and sends replication messages when accessing resources , the backup conversely stops immediately upon entering a resource interceptor and retrieves the replication message corresponding to the particular event before proceeding . generally , operating systems assign different process ids , thread ids , resource handles etc . each time an application is run . there is thus no guarantee that a particular application always gets the same process id . this means that the initial process on the primary and the initial process on the backup may have different process ids . likewise for all other resources . to correctly map replication messages from the primary to interceptors on the backups a mapping of between process and thread ids on the primary and backup is created . as the initial process is created and just prior to calling main , an replication message & lt ; process_init , s0 , p0 , t0 & gt ; is created and sent to the backup . on the backup , the messaging engine receives the process_init message . referring to fig6 for illustrative purposes : when the interceptor on the backup requests 232 the process_init it supplies its process and thread ids ( b - p0 , b - t0 ). the replication request module 230 is thus able to match the & lt ; p0 , t0 & gt ; pair with & lt ; b - p0 , b - t0 & gt ; and creates an entry in the pid - tid mapping 233 . likewise , when a process_create or thread_create message is at the top of the sorted message list 228 , the replication request module 230 creates a mapping between the newly created process &# 39 ; s and / or thread &# 39 ; s primary and backup ids . when a process or thread terminates and sends process_exit or thread_exit , the replication request module 230 similarly removes the related entry from the pid - tid mappings upon receiving the request 232 from the interceptor . the replication request module 230 thus dynamically maintains mappings between & lt ; pid , tid & gt ; pairs on the primary and the corresponding & lt ; b - pid , b - tid & gt ; on the backup . in the preferred embodiment the messaging engine maintains the process and thread id mappings . in an alternate embodiment the interceptors maintain the mappings in the preferred embodiment , the mapping between processes and threads on the primary & lt ; pi , ti & gt ; and their counterparts on the backups & lt ; b - pi , b - ti & gt ; are maintained using a hash table , with the & lt ; pi , ti & gt ; pair being the key and the pair & lt ; b - pi , b - ti & gt ; being the corresponding process / thread on the backup . in an alternate embodiment a database is used to maintain the mappings . fig7 illustrates by way of example embodiment 240 an application starting as one process p0 242 . the application starts and gets to init 244 where interceptors are installed . before calling main 245 the replication message 254 & lt ; process_init s0 , p0 , t0 & gt ; is created and sent to the message engine 241 . the initial process p0 contains one thread t0 246 . at some point during execution a second process p1 248 is created . a replication message 256 & lt ; process_create , s1 , p1 , t3 , p0 & gt ; is created designating the process , the initial thread t3 250 , and the parent process p0 . said message is transmitted via the messaging engine 241 . a second thread t4 252 is later created within the process p1 . the corresponding replication message & lt ; thread_create , s2 , p1 , t4 , t3 & gt ; is created 258 and transmitted via the message engine 241 . on the backup incoming replication messages are sorted by sequence number , and the process and thread id mappings are created as previously disclosed the list of replication messages are on the backup , the application is started 262 and gets to init 264 where interceptors are installed . where the primary sends out the process_init message prior to calling main ( ) the backup in stead requests the process_init message from the message engine 261 . the message engine , delivers the message 274 & lt ; process_init s0 , p0 , t0 , p0 & gt ; to init 264 . the process_init replication message allows the backup messaging engine to map its process id of b - p0 to p0 and b - t0 to primary thread id t0 . henceforth , whenever a replication message with process id of p0 is received , the backup maps it to the process with id b - p0 . likewise replication messages with thread id of t0 are mapped to b - t0 on the backup . the backup proceeds to main 265 and begins to execute . later during the single - threaded execution of b - p0 a second process b - p1 is created . the “ process create ” is intercepted as part of the interceptors for processes and threads . after creating the process b - p1 268 and the initial thread b - t3 270 the message engine is called again . the request is for a & lt ; process_create & gt ; message 276 with parent process p0 . at the top of the list is & lt ; process_create , s1 , p1 , t3 , p0 & gt ; which is the correct message , and its returned to the calling interceptor . the messaging engine can now map p1 to b - p1 and t3 to b - t3 . later during the execution of thread b - t3 a thread_create ( ) is encountered . the thread is created and a thread_create message is requested with process id p1 and thread id p3 . at the top of the list is & lt ; thread_create , s2 , p1 , t4 & gt ; which is the correct message and its returned 278 to the interceptor . the messaging engine can now map thread id t4 to b - t4 on the backup . fig8 illustrates by way of example embodiment 280 , processing of the replication messages on the backup generated by the embodiment of the primary shown on fig4 . the replication messages generated by the primary were disclosed above as : the following assumes that the process and thread mappings have been established as taught above and mapping thus exists between threads and processes on the primary and the backup . thread - 0 282 is the thread on the backup corresponding to thread - 0 fig4 - 142 while thread - 1 284 is the thread on the backup corresponding to thread - 1 fig4 - 144 . the interceptor for lock 286 was installed during init ( ), and the lock resource is 288 . initially , thread - 0 282 calls create ( ) 290 to create the resource . the call is intercepted 292 . the interceptor requests the replication message for process p and thread t0 . the message with matching & lt ; pid , tid & gt ; is at the top of the message list in the messaging engine 281 and is returned to the interceptor . the interceptor proceeds to call the resource create ( ) 294 and returns the resource to the calling thread 0 296 . by way of example , on the backup thread 2 284 is scheduled to run and thread 2 request the lock ( ) 290 prior to thread 1 requesting the lock as were the case illustrated on fig4 . the call is intercepted 292 and the message for process p and thread t1 is requested . this message with matching & lt ; pid , tid & gt ; is not at the top of the list in the messaging engine 281 and thread t1 284 thus is blocked and put on the pending threads callback list and the call not returned to the interceptor . thread 0 282 is then scheduled and requests a lock ( ) 300 on the resource . the call is intercepted 302 , and the message for process p and thread t0 is requested . the is the message with matching & lt ; pid , tid & gt ; is at the top of the message list 281 and is thus returned to the calling interceptor 302 . the interceptor calls lock ( ) in the resource 304 and returns the lock to the called 306 . after using the lock &# 39 ; ed objected unlock 310 is called an intercepted 312 . the replication message with matching & lt ; pid , tid & gt ; for process p and thread t0 is requested and returned as it &# 39 ; s at the top of the message list 381 . the interceptor 312 calls the resource unlock ( ) and the resource is unlocked . upon delivering the replication message corresponding to unlock ( ) 310 for thread 0 to the interceptor 312 the earlier request from thread 1 284 containing & lt ; p , t1 & gt ; is now at the top of the list in the messaging engine 281 . the message is therefore returned to the interceptor 322 and lock ( ) is called in the resource 324 . if thread 1 282 has not yet called unlock ( ) 314 the resource lock 324 blocks until the resource is unlocked by thread 0 282 . if thread 0 has unlocked the resource 316 the resource lock 324 would immediately succeed and return the interceptor 322 . the lock is then returned 326 to the calling thread . the present invention thus ensures that the lock ordering from the primary is enforced on the backup , even if the backup requests locks in a different order . it is readily apparent to anyone skilled in the art that the teachings extends to multiple locks , processes , threads and objects and that the teachings thus ensures replica consistency between the primary and backup . the teachings so far have focused on processes , threads and locks . i / o resource methods may write data to locations outside the application proper . by way of example , the locations can be files on disk , locations in memory belong to the operating system or system libraries , or locations addressable over a network . the data written with writing methods persists beyond the write operation : data is stored in files , the seed for a random number generator affects future random ( ) calls , and data written to a socket is received by the another application . write operations generally cannot be repeated . by way of example , if data is appended to a file ( a write operation ) appending the data a second time produces a different file larger file with the data appended twice . this present invention addresses this issue by ensuring that the backup , by way of continued example , doesn &# 39 ; t append the data to the file even though the primary performed an append write operation . write operations on the backup are suppressed , i . e . the interceptors capture the results from the primary application and use those on the backup in stead of performing the actual write . this aspect of the present invention is explained in further detailed below . the primary application run unimpeded and performs all write operations . the replication messages corresponding to write operations are similar to the ones used for locks . however , write operations may have return values indicating , by way of example , the number of bytes written , and may modify some of the parameters passed to the method of the write operation . this additional information is also packed into replication messages and sent to the backup using the data field in the replication messages char const * pstr =“ small text ”; file * fp = fopen (“/ home / user / newfile . txt ”, “ w ”) if ( fp != null ) by way of example , the replication messages corresponding to the above example are : many write operations , such as by way of example , fwrite on a file opened with ‘ w ’ are exclusive and behave like locks : only one thread can write to a particular file at any one time . the locking behavior is thus automatically handled , as the replication messages enforce the order of execution as it takes place on the primary , and thus forces the backup through the same locking steps in the same order . the data block { data , len1 , data1 } attached to the fopen ( ) replication message contains the return value of the fopen ( ) call , which is the file handle . the file handle ( a pointer ) from the primary is of no direct use on the backup , as the backup generally creates a different file handle . the contents of the file handle , however , contains important internal file state data such as current directory , time stamps of last access , and error conditions . the file handle is therefore sent to the backup so the backup can extract said internal state and set the file handle state on the backup to the values from the primary . by way of example , if fopen ( ) fails on the primary , it is forced to fail on the backup , if fopen ( ) succeeds on the primary , it should succeed on the backup . the data block { data , len2 , data2 } attached to the fwrite ( ) replication message contains the size t object with the number of objects successfully written and the file pointer . the count is sent to the backup in order for the backup to return the same return value as the primary and the file pointer is sent so that the backup can update its local file point to have the same internal state . for every i / o operation that writes data the return value is encoded and transmitted in the data block along with the parameters . the encoding can be as simple as an ascii representation of the data . as long as primary and backup agree on encoding any encoding can be used . in the preferred embodiment the data is encoded using xml and mime . in an alternate embodiment a custom encoding is used . the actual data written is not transmitted via a replication message . the replica already has a full running copy of the application and it can generate the data itself if need be . write operations on the backup are handled much like the previous teachings with one major exception . the actual write operation is suppressed , i . e . skipped , on the backup as it generally is not valid to repeat a write operation . the results produced on the primary are “ played back ” on the backup . the state is adjusted based on the primary &# 39 ; s state as necessary . fig9 illustrates by way of example embodiment 340 the above outlined example of opening a file for writing , writing a string to the file , then closing the file . for clarify of presentation , the message engine is not shown on the diagram . fig9 shows replication messages going directly from the interceptor on the primary 344 to the interceptor on the backup 346 . it is however assumed that messages go through the messaging engine , are sorted by sequence number and delivered to the interceptors on the backup as previously disclosed . similarly , the actual i / o resource is not shown on the diagram . the resource is responsible for writing similarly to the resource on fig8 — 288 as previously disclosed . referring to fig9 , the primary application consists of one thread t0 342 with the interceptor 344 . the backup application likewise consists of one thread b - t0 348 and the resource interceptor 346 . the primary application is launched as is the backup application . the primary thread calls fopen ( ) and is intercepted 352 . the fopen ( ) call is processed by the i / o resource ( not shown as explained above ) and the return value from ( open is packaged into the data block and the replication message method_none , s0 , p , t0 , { data , len , data1 } is sent 354 to the backup interceptor 346 via the messaging engine . this is followed by fopen ( ) returning 360 to the calling thread 342 . on the backup the main thread b - t0 is processing and reaches fopen ( ) 358 , which is intercepted 356 . the interceptor requests the replication message with & lt ; p , t0 & gt ; and is delivered the matching message s0 , p , t0 , { data , len , data1 }. as disclosed previously , the backup doesn &# 39 ; t open the file , rather it uses the data in the data block to determine the actual return value of fopen ( ) and to set the internal state of the file object . this is followed by returning 362 the return value to the calling thread 348 . the backup application thus operates under the assumption that it has opened the file , even though it has only been presented with the results from the primary . later the primary thread 342 calls fwrite ( ) 370 which is intercepted 372 . the write operation is completed using the i / o resource and the results packed into the data block of the replication message method_none , s1 , p , t0 ,{ data , len2 , data2 }. the replication message is sent 374 via the messaging engine and eventually retrieved by the interceptor on the backup 376 . in the meantime the backup thread is executing and reaches the fwrite ( ) 378 call , which is intercepted 376 . the interceptor requests the replication message corresponding to & lt ; p , t0 & gt ; and is delivered the above mentioned message when available . the data in the data block of the replication message is used to set the return value of fwrite ( ) 380 , and to set the internal state of the file pointer ; no actual write takes place . upon returning to the main thread in the backup 348 the program continues under the assumption that a file has been written , even tough no writing took place on the backup . finally , the thread t0 342 calls fclose ( ) 390 , which is intercepted 392 . the close operation is completed using the i / o resource and the result packed into the data block of the replication message method_none , s2 , p , t0 , { data , len3 , data3 }. the replication message is sent 394 via the messaging engine and eventually retrieved by the interceptor 396 on the backup . this is followed by fclose ( ) returning 400 to the calling thread . in the meantime the backup thread continues executing and calls fclose ( ) 398 , which is intercepted 396 . the interceptor request the replication message corresponding to & lt ; p , t0 & gt ; and uses the data in the data block to set the return value and internal state of the file object . said return value is returned via fclose ( )&# 39 ; s return 402 . for read operations the same general technique is used . the primary application is responsible for all reading operations , while the backup receives a data block indicating the read operation results . for read operations the data block additionally contains the actual data read . the data is encoded along with return values and parameters using the preferred embodiment disclosed above . as with write - operations , and alternate embodiment with custom encoding is also considered . by way of example , which reads 10 ( length ) characters from a file generates the following replication messages the data block for fread ( ) is the only one which is substantively different from the previous fwrite ( ). for fread ( ) the data block encodes the return value ( count ), the parameter ( fp ) and the content of buffer read ( pstr ). upon retrieving the fread ( ) replication message the interceptor for fread ( ) on the backup updates the return value ( count ), updates the state of the local file object and copies the pstr from the data block into the pstr on the backup . the interceptor then returns the fread ( ) to the calling thread . on the backup no data is read , rather the original fread ( ) is intercepted and suppressed , and the data read by the primary is supplied to the interceptor which uses it in - lieu of reading the data . while in some cases it would be possible to let the backup actually read the data directly and not pass it via replication messages that is not always the case . some storage devices only allow one access at any one time , some storage device might be mounted for single user access , or the read operation might actually be from a location in primary local memory not accessible by the backup . similarly , for network read operations using , by way of example , sockets it &# 39 ; s only possible to read / receive any particular message once . the backup does not have the ability to also read the incoming message . thus , in the preferred implementation , data read is passed via replication messages to the backup . in an alternate implementation , the backup reads the data wherever possible . for read and write operations that affect system libraries similar teachings apply . by way of example , srand ( unsigned int seed ) initializes a random number generator with a chosen seed value . this is equivalent to a write operation to “ a library memory location ” and the corresponding replication message method_none , s0 , p0 , t0 , { data , len1 , data1 } has the seed value encoded within the data block . the seed value is thus passed to the backup . by way of example , “ double rand ( )”, which generates a random number is similar to a read ( ) operation in that it produces a number from the system library . the corresponding replication message is again method_none , s0 , p0 , t0 , { data , len2 , data2 }. the random number is encoded as the return value and passed via a replication message to the backup . when the backup program executes the rand ( ) method call , it is presented with the value of rand ( ) produced on the primary , and is not generating its own . the general teachings are thus : for write operations the writes are performed on the primary and the results and parameters are sent to the backup using replication messages . for read operations the reads are performed on the primary and the results , parameters and data - read are sent to the backup using replication messages . fig1 further illustrates by way of example embodiment 420 a variety of ways the invention can be configured to operate . in one embodiment , the invention is configured with a central file server 422 , primary server 424 and backup server 426 . the primary server 424 runs the primary application and the backup server runs the backup application . the primary 424 and backup 426 are connected to each other and the storage device 422 via a network 428 . the network is connected to the internet 436 for external access . in another embodiment the primary server 424 is replicated onto two backup servers ; backup 426 and backup - 2 425 . in yet another embodiment the primary 424 runs in the data center , while the backup 427 runs off site , accessed over the internet in one embodiment a pc client 432 on the local network 428 is connected to the primary application while the backup application is prepared to take over in the event of a fault . in another embodiment a pc 434 is configured to access the primary application server 424 over the public internet 436 . in a third embodiment a cell phone or pda 430 is accessing the primary application 424 over wireless internet 438 , 436 . the present invention is configured to server all clients simultaneously independently of how they connect into the application server ; and in all cases the backup server is continuously replicating prepared to take over in the event of a fault finally , as the interceptors and messaging engine are components implemented outside the application , the operating system and system libraries , the present invention provides replication consistency without requiring any modifications to the application , operating system and system libraries . the just illustrated example embodiments should not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention but as merely providing illustrations of some of the exemplary embodiments of this invention in the embodiments described herein , an example programming environment was disclosed for which an embodiment of programming according to the invention was taught . it should be appreciated that the present invention can be implemented by one of ordinary skill in the art using different program organizations and structures , different data structures , and of course any desired naming conventions without departing from the teachings herein . in addition , the invention can be ported , or otherwise configured for , use across a wide - range of operating system environments . although the description above contains many details , these should not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention but as merely providing illustrations of some of the exemplary embodiments of this invention . therefore , it will be appreciated that the scope of the present invention fully encompasses other embodiments which may become obvious to those skilled in the art , and that the scope of the present invention is accordingly to be limited by nothing other than the appended claims , in which reference to an element in the singular is not intended to mean “ one and only one ” unless explicitly so stated , but rather “ one or more .” all structural and functional equivalents to the elements of the above - described preferred embodiment that are known to those of ordinary skill in the art are expressly incorporated herein by reference and are intended to be encompassed by the present claims . moreover , it is not necessary for a device or method to address each and every problem sought to be solved by the present invention , for it to be encompassed by the present claims . furthermore , no element , component , or method step in the present disclosure is intended to be dedicated to the public regardless of whether the element , component , or method step is explicitly recited in the claims . no claim element herein is to be construed under the provisions of 35 u . s . c . 112 , sixth paragraph , unless the element is expressly recited using the phrase “ means for .”	6
turning to the drawings , wherein like reference numerals refer to like elements , the invention is illustrated as being implemented in a suitable operating environment . the invention may also be practiced in distributed computing environments where tasks are performed by remote processing devices that are linked through a communications network . in a distributed computing environment , program modules may be located in both local and remote memory storage devices . [ 0030 ] fig1 illustrates an example of a suitable operating environment 100 in which the invention may be implemented . the operating environment 100 is only one example of a suitable computing environment and is not intended to suggest any limitation as to the scope of use or functionality of the invention . the operating environment 100 includes one or more end users 102 in communication with an oem server 108 via a network 106 . each end user 102 comprises a location where one or more machines or devices are located . for example , an end user 102 may be a manufacturing plant , a remote station or machine , a business , a home , a vehicle , or any other place where reliability of equipment is a concern . the end users 102 are connected to the network 106 via proxy / gateways 104 . the network 106 in one embodiment is the internet . alternatively , the network 106 may be a virtual private network , a dedicated network , a public switched network , a wireless network , a satellite link , or any other type of communication link . the oem servers 108 communicate with each other in a peer - to - peer network 110 . those skilled in the art will recognize that the network 110 may be other type of networks such as a virtual private network , a dedicated network , or any other type of communication link . a directory server 112 maintains a list of all oem servers 108 and , as described hereinbelow , is used to aid oem servers find other oem servers . the directory server 112 also communicates with the expert network server 114 . the expert network 114 maintains a list of available experts located in a collaborative network 116 that can be used to solve particular problems . turning now to fig2 the operating environment 100 of the present invention has four levels . level 202 includes the end user 102 and proxy / gateway 104 . the equipment 300 being monitored is located in the end user location ( see fig3 ). a detector 302 that monitors the machine 300 with sensors 304 is located proximate to the machine 300 . each detector 302 is in communication with the proxy / gateway 104 via a wireless lan 306 and sends data to an oem server 108 if a problem is detected . alternatively , the detector 302 communicates with the proxy / gateway 104 through a powerline carrier for signal transmission . returning to fig2 level 204 includes an oem server 108 . the oem server 108 hosts an expert system that analyzes the data received from the detector 302 and diagnoses the problem . if the oem server 108 is unable to diagnose the problem , the data is sent to other oem servers 108 that are selected by the directory server 112 in level 206 . level 206 includes the oem servers 108 in the network 110 and the directory server 112 . when data is received from the oem server 108 in level 2 , the selected oem servers 108 attempt to diagnose the problem . the diagnosis and solution are returned to the oem server 108 in level 204 . if the selected oem servers 108 are unable to diagnose the problem , the data is sent to the expert network server 114 . level 208 includes the expert network server 114 and the collaborative network 116 . in level 208 , experts are chosen to diagnose the problem . the experts are located throughout the world and the collaborative network 116 allows the experts to diagnose the problem without having to travel from their home locations . when the problem is diagnosed and solved , the solution is returned to the oem server 108 in level 204 . now that the overall system has been described , further details of the detector 302 and the process used to diagnose and solve a problem will be described . although not required , the invention will be described in the general context of computer - executable instructions , such as program modules , being executed by a computer . generally , program modules include routines , programs , objects , components , data structures , etc . that perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract data types . moreover , those skilled in the art will appreciate that the invention may be practiced with other computer system configurations , including hand - held devices , multi - processor systems , embedded devices , microprocessor based or programmable consumer electronics and consumer appliances , network pcs , minicomputers , mainframe computers , and the like . for purposes of illustration , the invention will be described in terms of monitoring a machine . those skilled in the art will recognize that the present invention can be used on any type of installation or device where reliability is a concern and in any location ( e . g ., inside an installation , in an automobile or truck , in an outdoor environment , etc .) turning now to fig4 a block diagram of an embodiment of the detector 302 is shown . the detector 302 includes a power supply module 400 , analog sensor input module 402 , reset / relearn button 404 , indicator 406 , communication module 408 , and a central processing unit ( cpu ) 410 . the primary functions of the detector 302 are sensor data collection and buffering , data transformation using fast fourier transforms ( ffts ) or other transformation techniques , statistical model generation , real time model data calculation , real time decision making , sensor health monitoring , communication with the proxy / gateway 104 , and local indication of machine status . the power supply module 400 provides power to the other components of the detector 302 . the analog sensor input module 402 receives and processes signals from sensors 304 mounted on or proximate to the machine 300 being monitored . the sensors 304 are connected to the analog sensor input module 402 by point - to - point wire connections , a sensor bus , or a wireless connection . the sensors 304 are used to monitor the machine &# 39 ; s operating and condition parameters . the operating and condition parameters include parameters such as vibration , speed , rotor position , oil temperatures , inlet and outlet temperatures , bearing temperature , pressure , power draw , flow rates , harmonic content , etc . the sensors 304 include vibration sensors , temperature sensors , speed / position sensors , electrical parameter sensors ( e . g ., voltage and current ), pressure sensors , flow rate sensors , and status inputs . the analog sensor input module 402 performs filtering and other signal conditioning when necessary . for example , vibration sensor signals typical require high pass filtering to filter out undesirable low frequency noise and at least one gain stage to optimize signal levels . those skilled in the art will recognize that many functions of the analog sensor input module 402 may be integrated into individual sensors as sensor technology improves . the reset / relearn button 404 is used to reset the cpu 410 and put the cpu 410 into the learning mode as will be described below . the indicator 406 comprises one or more leds to indicate whether or not the machine 300 is operating normally or whether an anomaly has occurred . the communication module 408 is used to communicate with the proxy / gateway 104 . the communication module 408 may be an ethernet card , a wireless lan card using a protocol such as 802 . 11 b , bluetooth , any other wireless communication protocol , or wired communication such as a powerline carrier signal . the cpu 410 monitors the machine 300 and detects small but statistically significant signal deviations relative to normal operating conditions using statistical modeling techniques as known by those skilled in the art . the signal deviations may be indicative of future machine or component failure . the cpu 410 also monitors sensor health and excludes inputs from failed sensors , adapting the model to work with the remaining sensors . alternatively , the cpu 410 generates replacement sensor signals for failed sensors and inputs it into the model . the detector 302 may be a stand - alone unit or integrated with other components of an installation , including operating as a software object on any processor or distributed processors having sufficient processing capability . turning now to fig5 a - 5 d , the steps taken to monitor and diagnose a machine are shown . when the present invention is first installed in an installation , the proxy / gateway 104 performs an auto - configuration of the communications link ( step 502 ). fig6 shows one embodiment of an auto - configuration sequence . the proxy / gateway 104 senses all available communication access modes that are active ( step 600 ). this step is repeated periodically and when transfer errors occur . the modes include lans 700 , dial - up modems 702 , wireless devices 704 , satellites 706 , and other modes 708 . for each mode that is active and available , the proxy / gateway 104 establishes a data connection , finds the oem server 108 ( step 602 ), and establishes a secure connection ( step 606 ). in one embodiment , the establishment of the secure connection utilizes hardware and software authentication keys , authorization levels , 128 bit data encryption , data integrity checks , and data traceability . the proxy / gateway 104 tests the effective transmission speed ( step 606 ) and establishes a hierarchy of connection modes ( step 608 ). the hierarchy lists the available connections in order of preference . the preference is established using parameters such as transmission speed , mode reliability , and cost . once the hierarchy is established , the non - permanent connections such as the dial - up modem are disconnected to reduce cost ( step 610 ). returning now to fig5 a , the detector 302 generates a statistical signal model for the machine 300 ( step 504 ). this step is performed by the detector 302 entering into a learning mode to learn how the sensor signals correlate with each other during normal operation . the detector 302 enters into the learning mode during installation and start - up and whenever the detector 302 is commanded to enter the learning mode . the command to enter the learning mode is transmitted remotely or locally . the reset / relearn button 404 is pressed to enter the learning mode locally . the remote command is received through the communication module 408 . in the learning mode , the detector 302 obtains representative data ( i . e . training data points ) from the sensors 304 for a predetermined user - configurable number of sampling periods ( e . g ., sample ten sensors at a 5 khz rate for sixty seconds ). the detector 302 then fits the best reference curve ( s ) through the training data points as known in the art to generate the statistical model . those skilled in the art will recognize that there are a wide variety of methods that can be used to fit the curve and a wide variety of optimization points that may be chosen . additionally , there are a number of different types of curves that may be used ( e . g ., higher order curves such as second order , third order , fourth order , etc . or multiple - segment linear curves ). as statistical modeling techniques improve or are developed , the detector 302 is updated with the new / improved techniques . after the model has been generated , the detector 302 monitors the operation of the machine 300 . in this phase of operation , the detector 302 obtains the processed data and performs an fft or other transformation algorithm on the data ( step 506 ). the detector 302 has enough memory to hold a working data buffer for the processed data ( i . e ., the sensor data in which filtering , amplification , integration , a / d conversion and similar operations have been applied ). for example , in one embodiment , five minutes of data for ten sensors with 16 bit resolution at a 5 khz sampling rate requires a storage capacity of approximately 30 mb . the detector 302 also maintains an incident archive and a context archive . each archive contains 120 fft images of all sensor data for relevant high sampling rate sensors . for example , accelerometers or current sensors would be part of the fft images but temperature sensors would not because a single value for temperature would be sufficient . the incident archive contains one fft per minute for two hours . the incident archive is cyclically rewritten so that after two hours , each data entry is deleted . before deletion , one fft per hour ( i . e ., two ffts from the entire incident archive ) is moved into the context archive and kept for five days ( i . e ., 120 hours ). the data in the incident archive and context archive is not analyzed by the detector 302 . in the event that sensor data does not fit the model as described below ( i . e ., an anomaly ), the incident and context archives are transmitted to the oem server 108 in level 204 , where it is compared to the systemic pattern library . in the event that human experts are needed to solve a problem the data in the incident and context archive is transmitted to level 208 and utilized by human experts . the memory required for each archive is approximately 240 kb . it should be noted that the size ( i . e ., number of samples ) and sampling rate of the incident and context archives can be reconfigured . the detector 302 compares the actual sensor data to the statistical model to determine if the sensor data changes relative to the statistical model in a similar manner ( step 508 ). this step is performed by calculating the distance between the model reference curve and each actual data point . these distance points are analyzed over a period of time . if the distance remains small and random ( i . e ., the sensor data fits the model ), the machine 300 is operating normally ( step 510 ) and steps 506 and 508 are repeated . a signal is sent periodically to the oem server 108 to indicate that the machine operation is normal . if the distance does not remain small and random ( i . e ., the sensor data does not fit the model ), the detector 302 transmits the sensor data to the oem server 108 ( step 512 ), provides a visual or audio alert by changing the status of the indicator led 406 , and continues monitoring the machine 300 by repeating steps 506 - 512 . the sensor data is compressed prior to transmission ( for faster and more cost - effective transmission ) and sent to the oem server 108 via the proxy / gateway 104 . if the anomaly persists , the detector 302 periodically transmits transformed data in batches to the oem server 108 in order to avoid oem server saturation and excessive transmission costs . in an alternate embodiment , the detector 302 does not fit a reference curve through the training data points . the detector 302 selects a relevant subset of the training data that is representative of normal machine operation and compares the actual sensor data to the subset of training data as described above . the distance between the selected training data points and actual data points is used and analyzed over a period of time . in a further alternate embodiment , virtual sensors are created for a select number of real sensors by maintaining a weighted moving average of sensor data and comparing the actual sensor data to the weighted moving average over a period of time . those skilled in the art will realize that other alternatives may be used . the alternatives must meet the criteria of balancing robustness , accuracy , and fast model generation using standard processors . during operation , the detector 302 also monitors the health of sensors 304 . the health is monitored by first calculating an estimated sensor signal from other sensor signals and the statistical model . the difference between the estimated sensor signal and actual sensor signal is compared . if the difference is not small and random , an alert is provided that the sensor has failed . the failed sensor is excluded from further model calculation until it is repaired or replaced . after a failed sensor has been repaired or replaced , the detector 302 waits until it enters the learning mode before it uses the sensor in the model calculation . the sensor health monitoring is repeated periodically for each sensor at an appropriate period of time . for most sensors , a time period of once per second is adequate . turning now to fig5 b , the oem server 108 in level 204 receives the sensor data transmitted by the proxy / gateway 104 and decompresses the data . the oem server 108 hosts an expert system that has a component pattern library and a systemic pattern library . the oem server 108 or its components ( e . g ., expert system ) may be integrated with other components of an installation , including operating as a software object on any processor or distributed processors having sufficient processing capability . the component pattern library contains known component specific failure patterns . for example , the component pattern library may contain failure patterns for ball bearings , motors , gearboxes , cams , etc . the systemic pattern library contains systemic patterns as diagnosed by human experts . this library is updated each time an expert identifies and classifies a new pattern . the patterns can be characterized either as normal operation or as a specific failure situation . the expert system automatically generates a model of a machine &# 39 ; s systemic behavior each time a pattern is added to the systemic pattern library . the oem server 108 compares the sensor data with known systemic patterns in the systemic pattern library using a model of systemic behavior ( step 520 ). if there is a match between the sensor data and a specific failure pattern in the systemic pattern library ( step 522 ), the oem server 108 performs a failure report operation ( step 528 ). the sensor data analyzed for comparison is typically the transformed fft data . alternatively , the sensor data is a single sample of raw data ( i . e ., the sensor signals prior to signal processing ) or a time - series set of data . the time - series set of data contains data sets that correspond to a point of time in a time line . when the time - series set of data is used , the last data set ( i . e ., the last point of data in the time line ) is used to select a possible failure pattern as a hypothesis . the hypothesis is compared to the other elements of the time - series set using an appropriate statistical tool to determine if the hypothesis is the likely cause of failure . the failure report operation ( step 528 ) includes generating an action alert , generating a report , transmitting the action alert to selected maintenance individuals or to an enterprise asset management , an enterprise resource planning program , or any other maintenance management software operated by the party responsible for maintenance . the report is added to a machine - specific database . the action alert is provided to the party responsible for maintenance of the machine 300 so that appropriate action may be taken . the action alert includes a machine identification , a time stamp , an identification of the component that is likely to fail or that has failed , an estimated time of failure , and a recommended action ( i . e ., replace , align , check , clean , etc .) the report added to the machine - specific database includes the action alert information and a portion of the sensor data for long term machine monitoring ( e . g ., historical data to see changes over time ). if there is no systemic pattern match , the sensor data is compared with known component patterns ( step 524 ). if the sensor data matches a component pattern ( step 526 ), the failure report operation ( step 528 ) is performed . if there is no match , a component id is assigned and transmitted to the directory server 112 in level 206 ( step 530 ). the component id is a reference number uniquely describing a machine component , such as a ball bearing , motor or gearbox , etc .. when a match and diagnosis is returned to the oem server 108 , the pattern and diagnosis is added to the component pattern library for use in matching future events . turning now to fig5 c , the directory server 112 searches for oem servers using the same component with the same component id sent by the oem server 108 in level 204 ( i . e ., the requesting oem server ) ( step 540 ). if a component id matches ( step 542 ), the directory server 112 sends the server id of one of the oem servers with a matching component id . the requesting oem server and oem server with a matching component id establish a peer - to - peer connection and the data is sent to the oem server with matching component id for analysis ( step 546 ). the oem server with matching component id compares the sensor data with the system and component pattern libraries ( step 548 ). if there is a match ( step 550 ), the oem server with matching component id transmits the diagnosis and component pattern associated with the sensor data to the requesting oem server 108 in level 204 ( step 552 ). the requesting oem server 108 receives the information and performs the failure report operation ( step 528 ). if there is no match between the sensor data and the oem server 108 with matching component id , steps 540 to 550 are repeated with other oem servers 108 with matching component id until either a match occurs or no further oem servers 108 with matching component ids are found . alternatively , peer - to - peer connections are established with several oem servers with matching component ids so that the oem servers can perform the sensor data comparison in parallel . if no further oem servers with matching component ids are found ( i . e ., the sensor data does not match any known patterns ), the directory server 112 informs the requesting oem server 108 and establishes a connection with expert network server 114 and transmits the sensor data to the expert network server 114 ( step 544 ). turning now to fig5 d , the expert network server 114 receives the sensor data and determines which experts to use . the expert network server 114 identifies a lead expert from a group of experts that will become responsible for solving the problem and establishes a work session with the lead expert ( step 560 ). the group of experts is identified by matching the expertise of the experts with the type of machine 300 that the detector 302 is monitoring . the lead expert is selected based upon a list of criteria . the list of criteria includes availability of the expert , cost , and urgency of the matter . for example , if the diagnosis must be started immediately , then the group of experts may be narrowed down to those experts that are in an appropriate time zone to start the project ( e . g ., if the machine problem occurred in the middle of the night in the united states , the lead expert may be chosen from the group of experts residing in that part of the world where the working day is just starting ). once the lead expert is identified and agrees to accept the work session , the lead expert analyses the data and identifies specialists to solve the problem ( step 564 ). the specialists work together sharing the same information in a collaborative environment to solve the problem ( step 564 ). the collaborative environment allows the specialists to work together from remote locations . the collaborative environment is a network that provides the specialists and experts with shared access to sensor and machine data , shared access to pattern libraries , document sharing , secure ( and non - secure ) communications , and the ability to track individual contributions . the communications between the specialists can be voice , video , e - mail , instant messaging , co - browsing , etc . if the specialists chosen are unable to solve the problem ( step 566 ), the lead expert selects other specialists to see if they are able to solve the problem and step 564 is repeated . the lead expert and selected specialists continue to work on the problem until the problem is solved . once the problem is solved , the lead expert validates the solution and determines a failure diagnostic description for placing in the database of the oem server 108 in level 204 ( step 568 ). the system and component patterns and diagnosis are transmitted to the oem server 108 in level 204 ( step 570 ). in an alternative embodiment , the system and component patterns are transmitted to all of the oem servers that have a component id matching the component id sent by the requesting oem server . a system and method for a remote multi - level , scalable diagnosis of devices has been described . the foregoing description of various embodiments of the invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description . it is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise embodiments disclosed . numerous modifications or variations are possible in light of the above teachings . the embodiments discussed were chosen and described to provide the best illustration of the principles of the invention and its practical application to thereby enable one of ordinary skill in the art to utilize the invention in various embodiments and with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated . all such modifications and variations are within the scope of the invention as determined by the appended claims when interpreted in accordance with the breadth to which they are fairly , legally , and equitably entitled .	6
in the drawings , fig1 shows a multi - rotor direct current electric motor with two cylindrical rotors 1 , parallel and opposed , each with eight channel horseshoe - shaped magnets 2 equally spaced around the circumference with the north and south poles pointing outward and alternating . the rotor 1 at the upper portion of fig1 has a segmental slip ring 4 attached to the same shaft 6 , and rotates counter - clockwise , while the opposing rotor 1 rotates clockwise . the rotors 1 are indirectly geared together with a one - to - one ratio , as shown in fig2 . the electromagnet 3 located in the center position 30 between the rotors 1 will attract the advancing magnets 2 and repel the passing magnets 2 simultaneously , when the polarity of the electromagnet 3 is properly timed and phased by the slip ring 4 . fig2 shows the protrusions of the electromagnet 3 parallel to the opposing like poles of the magnets 2 of the opposing rotors 1 so that the pole at the top of the electromagnet 3 can attract and repel the top poles of the magnets 2 , while the opposite pole at the bottom of the electromagnet 3 attracts and repels the opposite poles of the magnets 2 at the bottom until they have passed the center position 30 . the electromagnet 3 shields the advancing magnets 2 from the opposing magnets 2 of the opposing rotor 1 until the magnets 2 have passed the center position 30 , and more specifically the center line 32 intersecting the rotary axes of both rotor shafts 6 , where the magnets 2 are in the closest proximity to each other . after the opposing magnets 2 pass the center line 32 , they repel each other as well as the electromagnet 3 causing further rotation of the rotors 1 . the electromagnet 3 has a laminated core of channel horseshoe shape with the laminations insulated and stacked from top to bottom as can be seen in fig3 . fig4 shows a protrusion of the electromagnet 3 core being semi - wedge shaped , cut on the approximate arcs of the rotors 1 for approximately three - fourths of their length with the thinnest portion of each protrusion being approximately at its tip , to allow the rotors 1 to rotate in close proximity to the electromagnet 3 and to each other . the rotors 1 are rigidly fixed to their shafts 6 , which are journaled in bearings 13 in the top rotor housing plate 7 and in the bottom rotor housing plate 8 , with the shafts 6 held in position vertically by shaft clamps 17 . in fig2 the gear housing 9 , which also serves as a gear oil reservoir , contains the right - angle driven gears 11 and the right - angle driving gears 10 fixed on the bottom end of each rotor shaft 6 . the driven gears 11 are mounted on the output shaft 12 and mesh with the driving gears 10 so that the rotors 1 are indirectly geared to each other and the torque from both rotors 1 is transmitted to the common output shaft 12 . the output shaft 12 is horizontal in vertical alignment with the centers of the rotors 1 and mounted in bearings 13 , with an oil seal 15 where the shaft 12 passes from the gear housing 9 . the output shaft 12 is held in position by shaft clamps 17 . the segmental slip ring 4 , as shown in fig5 has four electrical conducting segments of equal size evenly spaced around the outer circumference , with each segment being electrically connected by a conductor 24 , 25 to the diametrically opposed segment , with sufficient separation of the segments that the brushes 5a and 5b at the outer circumference of the slip ring 4 will each contact only one segment at a time . the electrical conductors 24 and 25 between the opposite segments are disposed at opposite ends of the slip ring 4 to insulate the conductors 24 and 25 from each other . the conducting segments and the cross conductors 24 and 25 of the slip ring 4 are electrically insulated from each other and the rotor shaft 6 by the non - conducting slip ring core 14 . four brushes , 5a and 5b as shown in fig5 are held by a brush holder 16 of non - conducting material attached to the top rotor housing plate 7 ( fig2 ). the brushes 5a and 5b are at 45 ° intervals around approximately a 135 °- portion of the circumference of the slip ring 4 , with the brushes 5b connected to the power source being approximately 90 ° apart and the brushes 5a connected to the electromagnet 3 leads also being approximately 90 ° apart , so that the poles of the electromagnet 3 will be reversed after each 45 ° of rotation . the electromagnet 3 is timed and phased so that the advancing poles of the magnets 2 are attracted and receding poles of the magnets 2 are repelled , the top magnet 2 poles by the top pole of the electromagnet 3 and the bottom magnet 2 poles by the bottom pole of the electromagnet 3 . when the magnet 2 poles rotate to the point of greatest attraction on center line 32 , new segments of the slip ring 4 are rotated into contact with brushes 5a and 5b to reverse the flow of electricity to the electromagnet 3 , thereby reversing its polarity . the magnet 2 at its point of greatest attraction on center line 32 is now repelled in the direction of rotation , while the next trailing magnet 2 is attracted toward the point of greatest attraction , thus perpetuating the rotation of the respective rotors 1 . in fig6 a four - rotor dc electric motor is shown using the same operating principles as the two - rotor version previously described , to indicate the feasability of using more than two rotors 1 when greater torque requirements exist . by doubling the number of rotors 1 to four and increasing the electromagnets 3 to four , which can be connected either in series or in parallel and operated off the one slip ring 4 , approximately four times the torque can be extracted . with large numbers of rotors 1 , the ratio is even more favorable , although the ratio of electric energy used to torque output will remain approximately the same . the gearing for the four - rotor is the same , except that a mixing gear box 18 , as shown in fig6 is added . an output gear 19 on each of the output shafts 12 , as shown in fig2 meshes with a mixing gear 20 on an output shaft 21 which times and phases the two halves of the motor together . although the multi - rotor dc electric motor is designed primarily for automotive use , where size and shape are not as critical , but electrical energy requirements are in order to be competitive , it is to be appreciated that the motor is not restricted to such use .	7
fig2 a is a perspective view of a universal , nonjamming , multi - ply outsert 20 having multiple folds , which is manufactured from an integral sheet of stock . fig2 b 1 - 1 through 2 b - 5 illustrate the method of forming the outsert 20 depicted in fig2 a . referring to fig2 a and 2b , the method starts with web stock that is directly fed to an in - line cutter , where the stock is cut into separate individual sheets ( or , alternatively , starting with individual sheet stock which is automatically stacked and fed ). the size of the individual sheet stock is variable . for example , it has been demonstrated that starting with a commercial grade sheet stock having an overall length ( l ) of approximately 8 . 375 inches , and an overall width ( w ) of approximately 4 . 125 inches , an outsert can be manufactured having a total of four folds , twelve total ply thickness , and an overall size of approximately 2 . 438 inches wide , approximately 1 . 5 inches high , and approximately 0 . 125 inches thick ( depending on the thickness of the individual sheet stock used ). to manufacture the outsert depicted in fig2 a , starting at fig2 b - 1 , and with the individual sheet stock 21 traveling in a predetermined first direction , an initial fold 22 is made across the entire length of the sheet stock and is at a right angle from the point of origin ( see fig2 b - 2 ). this initial fold may be an even fold or an uneven fold ( i . e ., may be folded over to less than all of the adjoining section of sheet stock ). this initial fold results in the sheet stock having a top panel ( w 1 ) and an adjoining bottom panel ( w 2 ). if the initial fold is an even fold , the resulting width will be ½ of the initial width ( i . e ., w 1 = w 2 = ½ w ). following completion of this initial fold , the sheet stock will have an overall thickness of two plies . at fig2 b - 3 , and following the re - orientation of the individual sheet stock 21 to a different predetermined second direction ( i . e ., re - oriented substantially 90 degrees from the first direction ), a second fold 24 is then made across the entire width of the sheet stock at a designated location and is at a right angle from the point of origin . this second fold may be an even fold or an uneven fold ( i . e ., may be folded over to less than all of the adjoining section of the sheet stock ). this second fold will result in the sheet stock having a top panel length ( l 1 ) and an adjoining bottom panel length ( l 2 ). if the second fold is an even fold , the resulting length will be ½ of the initial length ( i . e ., l 1 = l 2 = ½ l ). following completion of this second fold , the sheet stock will have an overall thickness of four plies . also , after completion of this second fold , the resulting folded sheet stock will have two ends of orientation , one end being a folded closed - end , and the other end being an open - edge end , not having any fold . at fig2 b - 4 , a third fold 26 is made across the entire width of the sheet stock at a right angle from the point of origin , the third fold being located at the open - edge end of the folded sheet stock . this third fold is equal to approximately ⅓ of the total panel length and will result in the sheet stock now having a resulting top panel length ( l 1 ) and a resulting adjoining bottom panel length ( l 2 ) ( i . e ., l 1 = ⅓ l and l 2 = ⅔ l ). following completion of this third fold , the sheet stock will have an overall thickness of eight plies for the resulting top panel length , and four plies for the resulting bottom panel length . following the third fold ( see fig2 b - 4 ), at a designated location on the resulting top panel length , a single glue spot 25 ( or glue spots ) is made thereon , with a suitable adhesive . if desired , the gluing step may be omitted . at fig2 b - 5 , a fourth fold 28 is made to complete the outsert . the fourth fold is made across the entire width of the sheet stock at a right angle from the point of origin , the fourth fold being located at the closed - end of the folded sheet stock . this fourth fold is equal to approximately ½ of the total panel length and will result in the sheet stock now having a resulting top panel length ( l 1 ) and a resulting adjoining bottom panel length ( l 2 ) ( i . e ., l 1 = ½ l and l 2 = ½ l ). this fourth fold is made in a manner whereby the adhesive will maintain the outsert in a more or less fixed and compact relationship with respect to the top and bottom panel lengths of the folded sheet stock . following completion of this final fold , the outsert will have an overall thickness of twelve plies . fig3 a is a perspective view of a universal , non - jamming , multi - ply outsert 30 having multiple folds , which is manufactured from an integral sheet of stock . fig3 b - 1 through 3 b - 6 illustrate the method of forming the outsert 30 depicted in fig3 a . referring to fig3 a and 3b , the method starts with web stock that is fed to an in - line cutter , where the stock is cut into separate individual sheets ( or , alternatively , starting with individual sheet stock which is automatically stacked and fed ). the size of the individual sheet stock is variable . for example , it has been demonstrated that starting with a commercial grade sheet stock having an overall length ( l ) of approximately 12 inches , and an overall width ( w ) of approximately 11 inches , an outsert can be manufactured having a total of eight folds , forty total ply thickness , and an overall size of approximately 2 . 25 inches wide , approximately 1 . 5 inches high , and approximately 0 . 3125 inches thick ( depending on the thickness of the individual sheet stock used ). to manufacture the outsert depicted in fig3 a , starting at fig3 b - 1 , and with the individual sheet stock 31 traveling in a predetermined first direction , an initial fold 32 , which consists of a number of substantially parallel folds ( consisting of a series of tandem folds 32 ( a ), 32 ( b ), 32 ( c ) and 32 ( d ) comprising a four - fold accordion fold ), is made across the entire length of the sheet stock and is at a right angle from the point of origin ( see fig3 b - 2a through 3 b - 2 d ). this initial fold 32 may be an even fold or an uneven fold ( i . e ., may be folded over to less than all of the adjoining section of sheet stock ). if the initial fold 32 is an even fold , the resulting width will be ⅕ of the initial width ( i . e ., w 1 = w 2 = w 3 = w 4 = w 5 = ⅕ w ). this initial fold is a four - fold tandem accordion fold and , assuming the initial fold has equal panels , each panel will consist of the four - fold tandem accordion fold that is equal to ⅕ the original width ( i . e ., w 1 = ⅕ w ). this initial fold results in the sheet stock having a tandem series of substantially equally - sized adjoining panels , with accordion folds ( running length - wise ) being positioned between adjacent panels . following completion of this initial fold , the sheet stock will have an overall thickness of five plies . at fig3 b - 3 , and following the re - orientation of the individual sheet stock 31 to a different predetermined second direction ( i . e ., re - oriented substantially 90 degrees from the first direction ), a second fold 33 is then made across the entire width of the sheet stock at a designated location and is at a right angle from the point of origin . this second fold may be an even fold or an uneven fold ( i . e ., may be folded over to less than all of the adjoining section of the sheet stock ). this second fold will result in the sheet stock having a top panel length ( l 1 ) and an adjoining bottom panel length ( l 2 ). if the second fold is an even fold , the resulting length will be ½ of the initial length ( i . e ., l 1 = l 2 = ½ l ). following completion of this second fold , the sheet stock will have an overall thickness of ten plies . also , after completion of this second fold , the resulting folded sheet stock will have two ends of orientation , one end being a folded closed - end , and the other end being an open - edge end , not having any fold . at fig3 b - 4 , a third fold 34 is made across the entire width of the sheet stock at a right angle from the point of origin , the third fold being located at the open - edge end of the folded sheet stock . this third fold is equal to approximately ¼ of the total panel length and will result in the sheet stock now having a resulting top panel length ( l 1 ) and a resulting adjoining bottom panel length ( l 2 ) ( i . e ., l 1 = ¼ l and l 2 = ¾ l ). following completion of this third fold , the sheet stock will have an overall thickness of twenty plies for the resulting top panel length , and ten plies for the resulting bottom panel length . at fig3 b - 5 , a fourth fold 35 is made across the entire width of the sheet stock at a right angle from the point of origin , the fourth fold being located at the section of folded sheet stock that is adjacent to the open - edge end portion of the folded sheet stock . this fourth fold is equal to approximately ⅓ of the total panel length and will result in the sheet stock now having a resulting top panel length ( l 1 ) and a resulting adjoining bottom panel length ( l 2 ) ( i . e ., l 1 = ⅓ l and l 2 = ⅔ l ). following completion of this fourth fold , the sheet stock will have an overall thickness of thirty plies for the resulting top panel length , and ten plies for the resulting bottom panel length . at fig3 b - 5 , following the fourth fold , at a designated location on the resulting bottom panel length , a single glue spot 36 ( or glue spots ) is made thereon , with a suitable adhesive . if desired , the gluing step may be omitted . at fig3 b - 6 , a fifth fold 37 is made to complete the outsert . the fifth fold is made across the entire width of the sheet stock at a right angle from the point of origin , the fifth fold being located at the section of folded sheet stock that is next to the adjacent section previously discussed ( i . e ., the adjacent section being next to the open - edge end portion of the folded sheet stock ). this fifth fold is equal to approximately ½ of the total panel length and will result in the sheet stock now having a resulting top panel length ( l 1 ) and a resulting adjoining bottom panel length ( l 2 ) ( i . e ., l 1 = ½ l and l 2 = ½ l ). this fifth fold is made in a manner whereby the adhesive will maintain the outsert in a more or less fixed and compact relationship with respect to the top and bottom panel lengths of the folded sheet stock . following completion of this final fold , the outsert will have an overall thickness of forty plies . fig4 a is a perspective view of a universal , nonjamming , multi - ply outsert 50 having multiple folds , which is manufactured from an integral sheet of stock . fig4 b - 1 through 4 b - 7 illustrate the method of forming the outsert 50 depicted in fig4 a . referring to fig4 a and 4b , the method starts with web stock that is fed to an in - line cutter , where the stock is cut into separate individual sheets ( or , alternatively , starting with individual sheet stock which is automatically stacked and fed ). the size of the individual sheet stock is variable . for example , it has been demonstrated that starting with a commercial grade sheet stock having an overall length ( l ) of approximately 18 inches , and an overall width ( w ) of approximately 12 inches , an outsert can be manufactured having a total of eight folds , a sixty - four total ply thickness , and an overall size of approximately 2 . 25 inches wide , approximately 1 . 5 inches high , and approximately 0 . 25 inches thick ( depending on the thickness of the individual sheet stock used ). to manufacture the outsert depicted in fig4 a , starting at fig4 b - 1 , and with the individual sheet stock 51 traveling in a predetermined first direction , an initial fold 52 is made across the entire length of the sheet stock and is at a right angle from the point of origin ( see fig4 b - 2 ). this initial fold may be an even fold or an uneven fold ( i . e ., may be folded over to less than all of the adjoining section of sheet stock ). this initial fold results in the sheet stock having a top section ( w 1 ) and an adjoining bottom section ( w 2 ). if the initial fold is an even fold , the resulting width will be ½ of the initial width ( i . e ., w 1 = w 2 = ½ w ). following completion of this initial fold , the sheet stock will have an overall thickness of two plies . at fig4 b - 3a through 4 b - 3 c , a second fold 53 , which consists of a number of substantially parallel folds ( consisting of a series of tandem folds comprising a three - fold accordion fold 54 ( a ), 54 ( b ) and 54 ( c )), is made across the entire length of the sheet stock and is at a right angle from the point of origin . this second fold may be an even fold or an uneven fold ( i . e ., may be folded over to less than all of the adjoining section of sheet stock ). if the second fold is an even fold , the resulting width will be ¼ of the initial width ( i . e ., w 1 = w 2 = w 3 = w 4 = ¼ w ). this second fold is a three - fold tandem accordion fold , and assuming the second fold has four equal panels , each panel will consist of the three - fold tandem accordion fold that is equal to ¼ the original width ( i . e ., w = ¼ w ). this second fold results in the sheet stock having a tandem series of substantially equally - sized adjoining panels , with accordion folds ( running length - wise ) being positioned between adjacent panels . following completion of this fold , the sheet stock will have an overall thickness of eight plies . at fig4 b - 4 , and following the re - orientation of the individual sheet stock 51 to a different predetermined second direction ( i . e ., re - oriented substantially 90 degrees from the first direction ), a third fold 55 is then made across the entire width of the sheet stock at a designated location and is at a right angle from the point of origin . this third fold is an uneven fold ( i . e ., a short fold ); this third fold will result in the sheet stock having a top panel length ( l 1 ) having open edges and an adjoining bottom panel length ( l 2 ) having no open edges ( but having one end with open edges ). the third fold will create a top panel having open edges that is equal to ⅜ of the initial length ( l 1 = ⅜ l ) and an adjoining bottom panel ( l 2 = ⅝ l ). following completion of this third fold , the outsert will have an overall thickness of sixteen plies . also , after completion of this third fold , the resulting folded sheet stock will have two ends of orientation , one end longer than the other end . at fig4 b - 5 , a fourth fold 56 is made across the entire width of the sheet stock at a designated location and is at a right angle from the point of origin at a location on the short panel lengths . this fourth fold is an uneven fold ( i . e ., a short fold ) and is located at the shorter top panel end having open - edges of the folded sheet stock . this fourth fold will result in the sheet stock having a top panel length ( l 1 ) having no open peripheral edges and an adjoining bottom panel length ( l 2 ) having no open peripheral edges . the fourth fold will create a top panel that is equal to ⅖ of the initial length ( l 1 = ⅖ l ) and an adjoining bottom panel that is equal to ⅗ of the initial length ( l 2 = ⅗ l ). following completion of this fourth fold , the outsert will have an overall thickness of twenty - four plies ( and sixteen plies at the other portion of the outsert ). also , after completion of this fourth fold , the resulting folded sheet stock will have two ends of orientation , each end having no open edges . at fig4 b - 6 , a fifth fold 57 is made across the entire width of the sheet stock at a right angle from the point of origin , the fifth fold being located at the section of folded sheet stock that is adjacent to the open - edge end portion of the folded sheet stock on the panel having the longer panel length . this fifth fold is equal to approximately ⅓ of the total panel length and will result in the outsert now having a resulting top panel length ( l 1 ) and a resulting adjoining bottom panel length ( l 2 ) ( i . e ., l 1 = ⅓ l and l 2 = ⅔ l ). each of the resulting adjoining bottom and top panels will now have closed ends ( i . e ., no open edges ). following completion of this fifth fold , the sheet stock will have an overall thickness of forty plies for the resulting bottom panel length , and twenty - four plies for the resulting top panel length . at fig4 b - 6 , following the fifth fold , at a designated location on the resulting top panel length , a single glue spot 58 ( or glue spots ) is made thereon , with a suitable adhesive . if desired , the gluing step may be omitted . at fig4 b - 7 , a sixth fold 59 is made to complete the outsert . the sixth fold is made across the entire width of the sheet stock at a right angle from the point of origin . this sixth fold is equal to approximately ½ of the total panel length and will result in the sheet stock now having a resulting top panel length ( l 1 ) and a resulting adjoining bottom panel length ( l 2 ) ( i . e ., l 1 = ½ l and l 2 = ½ l ). this sixth fold is made and folded over the second end of the resulting panel length and is made in a manner whereby the adhesive will maintain the outsert in a more or less fixed and compact relationship with respect to the top and bottom panel lengths of the folded sheet stock . following completion of this final fold , the outsert will have an overall thickness of sixty - four plies . fig5 is a perspective view of an outsert 60 applied to the outside of a container 62 for a pharmaceutical product . fig6 a is a perspective view of a universal , nonjamming , multi - ply , multi - fold , reduced - size outsert 130 having increased copyspace , which is manufactured from an integral sheet of stock . fig6 b - 1 through 6 b - 10 illustrate the method of forming the outsert 130 depicted in fig6 a . referring to fig6 a and 6b , the method starts with web stock that is directly fed to an in - line cutter , where the stock is cut into separate individual sheets ( or , alternatively , starting with individual sheet stock which is automatically stacked and fed ). the size and weight of the individual sheet stock are variable . for example , it has been demonstrated that starting with a commercial grade sheet stock having an overall length ( l ) of approximately 11 inches , and an overall width ( w ) of approximately 6 . 625 inches , an outsert can be manufactured having nine folds , a total thickness of sixty plies , and an overall size of approximately 1 . 125 inches long , approximately 1 . 125 inches wide , and approximately 0 . 188 inches thick ( depending on the thickness of the sheet stock utilized ). to manufacture the outsert depicted in fig6 a , starting at fig6 b - 1 , and with the individual sheet stock 131 traveling in a predetermined first direction , an initial accordion fold is made across the entire length of the sheet stock and is at a right angle from the point of origin ( see fig6 b - 2 ). this initial fold consists of a number of substantially parallel folds ( consisting of a series of tandem folds 132 , 133 , 134 , 135 and 136 , comprising a five - fold accordion fold ), and is made across the entire length of the sheet stock and is at a right angle from the point of origin ( see fig6 b - 2 through 6 b - 6 ). this initial fold is a five - fold tandem accordion fold and results in the sheet stock having a tandem series of substantially equally - sized adjoining panels , with accordion folds ( running length - wise ) being positioned between adjacent panels . the initial fold may be an even fold or an uneven fold ( i . e ., may be folded over to less than all of the adjoining section of sheet stock ). assuming the initial fold has equal panels ( e . g ., the initial fold is an even fold ), each panel will consist of the five - fold tandem accordion fold that is equal to ⅙ the original width ( i . e ., w 1 = ⅙ w ) and the resulting width of each panel will be ⅙ of the initial width ( i . e ., w 1 = w 2 = w 3 = w 4 = w 5 = w 6 = ⅙ w ). following completion of this initial fold , the sheet stock will have an overall thickness of six plies . at fig6 b - 7 , and following the re - orientation of the individual sheet stock 131 to a different predetermined second direction ( i . e ., re - oriented substantially 90 degrees from the first direction ), a sixth fold 137 is then made across the entire width of the sheet stock at a designated location and is at a right angle from the point of origin . this sixth fold may be an even fold or an uneven fold ( i . e ., may be folded over to less than all of the adjoining section of the sheet stock ). this sixth fold will result in the sheet stock having a top panel length ( l 1 ) and an adjoining bottom panel length ( l 2 ). if the sixth fold is an even fold , the resulting panel length will be ½ of the initial length ( i . e ., l 1 = l 2 = ½ l ). following completion of this sixth fold , the sheet stock will have an overall maximum thickness of twelve plies . also , after completion of this sixth fold , the resulting folded sheet stock will have two ends of orientation , one end being a folded closed - end , and the other end being an open - edge end , not having any fold . at fig6 b - 8 , a seventh fold 138 is made across the entire width of the sheet stock at a right angle from the point of origin , the seventh fold being located at the open - edge end of the folded sheet stock . this seventh fold is equal to approximately ⅖ of the total panel length and will result in the sheet stock now having a resulting top panel length ( l 1 ) and a resulting adjoining bottom panel length ( l 2 ) ( i . e ., l 1 = ⅖ l and l 2 = ⅗ l ). following completion of this seventh fold , the sheet stock will have an overall maximum thickness of twenty - four plies ( e . g ., resulting in twelve ply thickness at one end of the outsert and resulting in twenty - four ply thickness at the opposite end of the outsert ). at fig6 b - 9 , an eighth fold 139 is made across the entire width of the sheet stock at a right angle from the point of origin . this eighth fold is equal to approximately ⅓ of the total panel length and will result in the sheet stock now having a resulting top panel length ( l 1 ) and a resulting adjoining bottom panel length ( l 2 ) ( i . e ., l 1 = ⅓ l and l 2 = ⅔ l ). following completion of this eighth fold , the sheet stock will have an overall maximum thickness of forty - eight plies ( e . g ., resulting in twelve ply thickness at one end of the outsert and resulting in forty - eight ply thickness at the opposite end of the outsert ). at fig6 b - 10 , following the eighth fold , at a designated location on the outsert , a single glue spot 140 ( or glue spots ) is made thereon , with a suitable adhesive . if desired , the gluing step may be omitted . at fig6 b - 10 , a ninth fold 141 is made to complete the outsert . the ninth fold is made across the entire width of the sheet stock at a right angle from the point of origin . this ninth fold is equal to approximately ½ of the total panel length and will result in the sheet stock now having a resulting top panel length ( l 1 ) and a resulting adjoining bottom panel length ( l 2 ) ( i . e ., l 1 = ½ l and l 2 = ½ l ). this ninth fold is made in a manner whereby the adhesive will maintain the outsert in a more or less fixed and compact relationship with respect to the top and bottom panel lengths of the folded sheet stock . following completion of this final fold , the outsert will have an overall thickness of sixty plies . the method of forming the outsert 130 depicted in fig6 a may be modified slightly to form an outsert having a slightly different structure . in particular , the method of forming the outsert 130 may be modified in the following respects : 1 ) the modified method utilizes a sheet of stock having an overall length ( l ) of approximately 18 inches and an overall width ( w ) of approximately 10 inches ; 2 ) in the modified method , an accordion fold having eight tandem folds ( to produce nine equal - length panels ) is initially made ( instead of an accordion fold with five tandem folds as shown in fig6 b - 6 ); 3 ) in the modified method , the accordion fold is made in the direction parallel to the width of the sheet stock ( instead of parallel to the length of the sheet stock as shown in fig6 b - 1 through 6 b - 6 ); and 4 ) two spots of glue may be used ( instead of the single spot 140 shown in fig6 b - 10 ). this modified method will form an outsert having twelve folds , a total thickness of ninety plies , and an overall size of approximately 2 inches long , approximately 1 inch wide , and approximately 0 . 25 inches thick ( depending on the thickness of the sheet stock used ). fig7 a is a perspective view of a universal , nonjamming , multi - ply , multi - fold , reduced - size outsert 170 having increased copyspace , which is manufactured from an integral sheet of stock . fig7 b - 1 through 7 b - 10 illustrate the method of forming the outsert 170 depicted in fig7 a . referring to fig7 a and 7b , the method starts with web stock that is fed to an in - line cutter , where the stock is cut into separate individual sheets ( or , alternatively , starting with individual sheet stock which is automatically stacked and fed ). the size and weight of the individual sheet stock are variable . for example , it has been demonstrated that starting with a commercial grade sheet stock having an overall length ( l ) of approximately 10 inches , and an overall width ( w ) of approximately 7 . 5 inches , an outsert can be manufactured having a total of nine folds , a total thickness of forty - eight plies , and an overall size of approximately 1 . 375 inches long , approximately 1 . 375 inches wide , and approximately 0 . 188 inches thick ( depending on the thickness of the individual sheet stock utilized ). to manufacture the outsert depicted in fig7 a , starting at fig7 b - 1 , and with the individual sheet stock 171 traveling in a predetermined first direction , an initial accordion fold is made across the entire length of the sheet stock and is at a right angle from the point of origin ( see fig7 b - 2 )). this initial fold consists of a number of substantially parallel folds ( consisting of a series of tandem folds 172 , 173 , 174 , 175 and 176 , comprising a five - fold accordion fold ), and is made across the entire length of the sheet stock and is at a right angle from the point of origin ( see fig7 b - 2 through 7 b - 6 ). this initial fold is a five - fold tandem accordion fold and results in the sheet stock having a tandem series of substantially equally - sized adjoining panels , with accordion folds ( running length - wise ) being positioned between adjacent panels . the initial fold may be an even fold or an uneven fold ( i . e ., may be folded over to less than all of the adjoining section of sheet stock ). assuming the initial fold has equal panels ( e . g ., the initial fold is an even fold ), each panel will consist of the five - fold tandem accordion fold that is equal to ⅙ the original width ( i . e ., w 1 = ⅙ w ) and the resulting width of each panel will be ⅙ of the initial width ( i . e ., w 1 = w 2 = w 3 = w 4 = w 5 = w 6 = ⅙ w ). following completion of this initial fold , the sheet stock will have an overall thickness of six plies . at fig7 b - 7 , and following the re - orientation of the individual sheet stock 171 to a different predetermined second direction ( i . e ., re - oriented substantially 90 degrees from the first direction ), a sixth fold 177 is then made across the entire width of the sheet stock at a designated location and is at a right angle from the point of origin . this sixth fold may be an even fold or an uneven fold ( i . e ., may be folded over to less than all of the adjoining section of the sheet stock ). this sixth fold will result in the sheet stock having a top panel length ( l 1 ) and an adjoining bottom panel length ( l 2 ). if the sixth fold is an even fold , the resulting panel length will be ½ of the initial length ( i . e ., l 1 = l 2 = ½ l ). following completion of this sixth fold , the sheet stock will have an overall maximum thickness of twelve plies . also , after completion of this sixth fold , the resulting folded sheet stock will have two ends of orientation , one end being a folded closed end , and the other end being an open - edge end , not having any fold . at fig7 b - 8 , a seventh fold 178 is made across the entire width of the sheet stock at a right angle from the point of origin , the seventh fold being located at the open - edge end of the folded sheet stock . this seventh fold is equal to approximately ⅕ of the total panel length and will result in the sheet stock now having a resulting top panel length ( l 1 ) and a resulting adjoining bottom panel length ( l 2 ) ( i . e ., l 1 = ⅕ l and l 2 = ⅘ l ). following completion of this seventh fold , the sheet stock will have an overall maximum thickness of twenty - four plies ( e . g ., resulting in twelve ply thickness at one end of the outsert and resulting in twenty - four ply thickness at the opposite end of the outsert ). at fig7 b - 9 , an eighth fold 179 is made across the entire width of the sheet stock at a right angle from the point of origin . this eighth fold is equal to approximately ⅓ of the total panel length and will result in the sheet stock now having a resulting top panel length ( l 1 ) and a resulting adjoining bottom panel length ( l 2 ) ( i . e ., l 1 = ⅓ l and l 2 = ⅔ l ). following completion of this eighth fold , the sheet stock will have an overall maximum thickness of thirty - six plies ( e . g ., resulting in twelve ply thickness at one end of the outsert and resulting in thirty - six ply thickness at the opposite end of the outsert ). at fig7 b - 10 , following the eighth fold , at a designated location on the outsert , a single glue spot 180 ( or glue spots ) is made thereon , with a suitable adhesive . if desired , the gluing step may be omitted . at fig7 b - 10 , a ninth fold 181 is made to complete the outsert . the ninth fold is made across the entire width of the sheet stock at a right angle from the point of origin . this ninth fold is equal to approximately ½ of the total panel length and will result in the sheet stock now having a resulting top panel length ( l 1 ) and a resulting adjoining bottom panel length ( l 2 ) ( i . e ., l 1 = ½ l and l 2 = ½ l ). this ninth fold is made in a manner whereby the adhesive will maintain the outsert in a more or less fixed and compact relationship with respect to the top and bottom panels lengths of the folded sheet stock . following completion of this final fold , the outsert will have an overall thickness of forty - eight plies . the method of forming the outsert 170 depicted in fig7 a may be modified slightly to form an outsert having a slightly different structure . in particular , the method of forming the outsert 170 may be modified in the following respects : 1 ) the modified method utilizes a sheet of stock having an overall length ( l ) of approximately 24 inches and an overall width ( w ) of approximately 10 inches ; 2 ) in the modified method , an accordion fold having seven tandem folds ( to produce eight equal - length panels ) is initially made ( instead of an accordion fold with five tandem folds as shown in fig7 b - 6 ); 3 ) in the modified method , the accordion fold is made in the direction parallel to the width of the sheet stock ( instead of parallel to the length of the sheet stock as shown in fig7 b - 1 through 7 b - 6 ); and 4 ) two spots of glue may be used ( instead of the single spot 180 shown in fig7 b - 10 ). this modified method will form an outsert having eleven folds , a total thickness of sixty - four plies , and an overall size of approximately 1 . 25 inches long , approximately 3 inches wide , and approximately 0 . 188 inches thick ( depending on the thickness of the sheet stock used ). fig8 is a perspective view of an outsert 210 applied to the top of a container 212 for a pharmaceutical product . each of the outserts described above may optionally be imperceptibly scored at various positions intrinsic to the outsert ( indicating that the outsert is folded in a particular direction along the score line ), to assist in the folding of the outsert , and , accordingly , each score line is part and parcel of each outsert . the methods of folding described above in connection with fig2 b - 4b and 6 b - 7 b eliminate all unfolded exterior edges which lie in a direction parallel to the final fold direction , resulting in outserts having a more compact three - dimensional physical envelope . inasmuch as the outserts depicted in fig2 a - 4a and 6 a - 7 a are manufactured from a single sheet of stock , the outserts do not require any trimming step to be performed to achieve a certain size . the final size of the outserts is achieved by selecting a particular respective size of initial sheet stock to be utilized . although specific dimensions have been disclosed herein for the sheet stock from which outserts are formed and for the final outserts themselves , those particular dimensions are not considered important to the invention , and outserts having different dimensions may be formed from sheet stock having different dimensions . numerous additional modifications and alternative embodiments of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art in view of the foregoing description . this description is to be construed as illustrative only , and is for the purpose of teaching those skilled in the art the best mode of carrying out the invention . the details of the structure and method may be varied substantially without departing from the spirit of the invention , and the exclusive use of all modifications which come within the scope of the appended claims is reserved .	1
fig1 is a perspective view of the authenticating system 10 of the present invention . the authenticating system 10 comprises a computer 12 , a monitor 14 , a keyboard 16 , a connector or an adapter 18 and a verification unit 20 . the computer 12 may be a general purpose computer , a personal computer or a workstation . the computer 12 may also be connected to a network ( not shown ). the keyboard 16 is coupled to a first port 26 of the adapter 18 via a first cable 22 . the verification unit 20 is coupled to a second port 28 of the adapter 18 via a second cable 24 . the adapter 18 is in turn coupled to the computer 12 via a third port 30 . the computer 12 supplies current and voltage to the keyboard 16 and the verification unit 20 . however , the keyboard 16 only communicates with the computer 12 through the verification unit 20 . the verification unit 20 has a slot 32 which receives a card 34 , such as a smartcard , a pcmcia card or some other personal security token . the verification unit 20 also has a light emitting diode ( led ) 38 which is turned on to indicate that the verification unit 20 is ready to accept information from the keyboard 16 and that any information thus communicated will not be provided to the computer 12 . the authenticating system 10 functions under the control of one or more process access control software programs ( pacs ) residing in the computer 12 to enable the verification unit 20 to intercept and positively verify data such as a security identification number , a password , or a personal identification number ( pin ) of the operator requesting control of the application software . for discussion purposes , such data will be referred to as a password . this password is entered via the keyboard 16 and provided via the verification unit 20 to the card 34 , which compares the entered password to a password previously stored on the card 34 . upon comparison of the passwords , the card 34 issues a “ pass ” or a “ fail ” signal via the verification unit 20 to the computer 12 , which either grants or denies execution control of application software to the operator . once execution control of the application software has been granted to the user , the user may gain access to the software and / or alter the software accessed . in one embodiment , such application software includes one or more applications software programs residing in the computer 12 . examples of such applications software programs include : e - mail , database management systems ( dbms ), web browsers and servers , electronic document interchange / electronic fund transfer ( edi / eft ) and local security programs . in one embodiment , different passwords may be used for obtaining access to different software programs in the computer 12 . in another embodiment , a single password may be used for obtaining access to a plurality of software programs . in a further embodiment , a single password may be used to issue or generate additional unique passwords for obtaining access to a plurality of network applications . fig2 is a block diagram of the authenticating system 10 of fig1 . as shown , the computer 12 comprises a processor such as a cpu 40 and a memory module 42 . the cpu 40 and memory module 42 are coupled to a system bus 44 . the computer 12 also includes an input / output ( i / o ) interface 46 which is coupled the system bus 44 . a power supply 48 supplies current and voltage to the computer 12 . alternatively , the computer 12 may obtain its current and voltage supply externally , for example , from a wall unit . the present invention is also described in reference to an operating system installed on the computer 12 . the operating system supports process access control software ( pacs ) which enables application programs running on the cpu 40 to perform processes such as data base management , net browsing , electronic mail e - mail ), firewalls , etc . the pacs also enables application programs running on the cpu 40 to control dispatch of commands to the verification unit 20 . as discussed earlier , the keyboard 16 and the verification unit 20 are coupled to the computer 12 through adapter 18 . the keyboard 16 is coupled to a first port 26 of the adapter 18 via a first cable 22 . the cable 22 comprises three lines , power line 22 a , power line 22 b and data line 22 c . power line 22 a is coupled via adapter 18 to a power supply located in the computer 12 , while power line 22 b is coupled to ground . the third line 22 c is a data line that is coupled through the adapter 18 to the verification unit 20 , as discussed below . the cable 24 comprises four lines , power lines 24 a and 24 b , and data lines 24 c and 24 d . power line 24 a is coupled to a power supply 48 ( located in computer 12 ) via adapter 18 , while power line 24 b is coupled to ground . data line 24 c is coupled via adapter 18 to i / o interface 46 located in computer 12 . data line 24 d is coupled to data line 22 c ( in cable 22 ) to keyboard 16 . thus , the computer 12 supplies current and voltage to the keyboard 16 and the verification unit 20 . however , the keyboard 16 only communicates with the computer 12 through the verification unit 20 , as described in detail in the following sections . with reference to fig2 the verification unit 20 comprises a processor 60 and a memory module 62 which includes both read only memory ( rom ) 64 and random access memory ( ram ) 66 . the verification unit 20 further comprises a card reader / writer 68 which receives the card 34 through a slot 32 ( see fig1 ). a clock module 70 provides timing signals for the operation of the processor 60 and the card 34 . in one embodiment , the clock module 70 comprises a single clock which provides timing signals for both the processor 60 and the operation of the card reader / writer 68 . in another embodiment , the clock module 70 comprises two clocks , one for driving the processor 60 and the other for driving the operation of the card 34 . the card 34 reads and / or writes data to or from the card 34 . it also provides timing signals , ground and power to the card 34 . rom 64 includes firmware which the processor 60 executes for monitoring the line 24 c from the computer 12 , lines 24 d and 22 c from the keyboard . this firmware performs read / write operations to / from the card 34 and the read / write operations to / from ram 66 , where ram 66 is used as a temporary buffer for data inputs and outputs . the verification unit 20 further comprises a light emitting diode ( led ) 38 , which operates under control of the processor 60 to indicate that the access authorization procedure has been initiated , and that the communication path between the verification unit 20 ( and thus the keyboard 16 ) and the computer 12 has been temporarily suspended . the led 38 provides visual indication to the keyboard operator that they may securely enter their password via the keyboard 16 . this prevents the password from being inadvertently provided to the computer 12 . data entered via the keyboard 16 is transmitted to the verification unit 20 as scan codes , as is known in the technology . the verification unit 20 interprets the entered scan codes to identify the key the operator has pressed . as the scan codes are resolved , the characters are written to ram 66 . once the user terminates the entry process , typically through depressing the enter key , software running on the processor 60 of the verification unit will encrypt the characters ( password ) written to ram 66 , read the encrypted password from the card 34 and compare the encrypted passwords . if the encrypted passwords match , the verification unit 20 has “ authenticated ” the user . it then returns a code indicating success or failure to the computer 12 . alternatively , the authentication process is performed by the card 34 . in this case , upon receipt of the password , the verification unit 20 constructs the command code specified by the card 34 manufacturer for a “ compare pin ” command , append the password , and write this data to the card 34 . the card 34 will then compare the password with the one stored in its non - volatile memory . if the passwords match , the card 34 has “ authenticated ” the user . it then returns a code indicating success or failure to the verification unit 20 . in both cases , the number of consecutive failed attempts is recorded and the card 34 is disabled if a predetermined number ( for example , 3 to 7 ) is reached . the processor 60 further controls the communications between : ( 1 ) the keyboard 16 and the verification unit 20 ; ( 2 ) the keyboard 16 and the computer 12 ; and ( 3 ) the verification unit 20 and the computer 12 . this is accomplished by porting data from : ( 1 ) the keyboard 16 to the verification unit 20 ( or vice - versa ); ( 2 ) the keyboard 16 to the computer 12 ( or vice - versa ); or ( 3 ) from the verification unit 20 to the computer 12 ( or vice - versa ), in response to commands issued by the cpu 40 in the computer 12 . the porting of data from one unit ( i . e ., the keyboard 16 , verification unit 20 or computer 12 ) to another unit as discussed above may be described with reference to a “ logical switch ” 65 as shown in fig3 a - 3c . the logical switch 65 is used to illustrate the three states in which the processor 60 may operate in response to commands issued by the cpu 40 . for purposes of discussion , the switch 65 has two switches , s 1 and s 2 . in the first state , s 1 is closed while s 2 is open , so that there is only communication between the keyboard operator and the verification unit 20 . when the processor 60 is in the first state , the led 38 is turned on , indicating that it is safe for the operator to enter his password via the keyboard 16 . in the second state , s 1 is open , while s 2 is closed . in this second state , there is communication only between the verification unit 20 and the computer 12 . in the third state , s 1 and s 2 are both closed , so that an operator at the keyboard 12 may communicate with the computer 12 in a normal manner . thus , under the command of the cpu 40 in the computer 12 , the verification unit 20 may intercept the password or personal identification number ( pin ) of the operator requesting control of the application software running on computer 12 and verify the password or pin . this password is entered via the keyboard 16 and provided to the verification unit 20 when the processor 60 is operating in state 1 . upon receipt of the password from the keyboard 16 , the verification unit 20 encrypts and temporarily stores the password in ram 66 . it then proceeds to read the encrypted password stored in the card 34 through card reader 68 , and compares the encrypted password received from the card 34 with the encrypted password stored in ram 66 . upon comparison of the passwords , the verification unit 20 generates a status signal representing the result of the comparison and forwards it to the computer 12 . the signal is issued when the processor 60 is operating under state 2 . if the status signal indicates that the authentication was successful , i . e ., the encrypted password from the keyboard 16 matches the encrypted password from the card 34 , the computer 12 grants execution control of the application software to the operator . this is accomplished by issuing a command to the processor 60 , which advances to state 3 , where communications between the operator at the keyboard 12 and the computer 12 is established . the operator may then access and / or alter the application program ( s ) unlocked through the use of the password . if the encrypted password from the keyboard 16 did not match the encrypted password from the card 34 , access to the computer 12 is denied . the processor 60 thus returns to state 1 . in an alternate embodiment , the password entered via the keyboard 16 is forwarded to the card 34 , which compares the password to its internally stored password ( state 1 ). upon comparison of the passwords , card 34 generates a status signal representing the result of the comparison . the verification unit 20 receives the status signal and forwards it to the computer 12 . the signal is issued when the processor 60 is operating under state 2 . if the computer 12 grants execution control of the application software to the operator , the processor 60 advances to state 3 , where communications between the operator at the keyboard 12 and the computer 12 is established . otherwise , access to the computer 12 ( or its application programs ) is denied and the processor 60 returns to state 1 . fig4 is a flow chart of the access authorization process 100 of the present invention . to gain access to a software application enabled with the pac security application program interface , access authorization from the verification unit must first be obtained . this authorization is obtained as follows . beginning from a start state , the process 100 proceeds to process block 102 , where the pacs running on cpu 40 issues a command to the verification unit 20 for initiating access authorization . the card 34 may be inserted in the verification unit 20 at this time . the verification unit 20 then proceeds to state 1 , as shown in process block 104 . in this state , s 1 is closed while s 2 is open , i . e ., data is ported from the keyboard to the verification unit 20 and the communication path between the verification unit 20 and the computer 12 is suspended , which in turn suspends communication between the keyboard 16 and the computer 20 . the verification unit 20 then turns on the led 38 , indicating that the path for entering the password is secure . the process 100 then advances to process block 106 , where the cpu 40 directs the monitor 14 to display the message “ please enter password ”. the keyboard operator then enters his or her password via keyboard 16 , which is provided to the verification unit 20 via line 22 c , the adapter 18 , and line 24 d . the password is encrypted and temporarily stored in ram 66 . the process 100 then advances to process block 108 , where the verification unit 20 reads the encrypted password stored on the card 34 through the card reader 68 . the encrypted password from the card 34 is temporarily stored in ram 66 . the process 100 then proceeds to process block 110 , where the processor 60 in the verification unit 20 determines if the entered encrypted password is valid by comparing it to the encrypted password previously stored on the card 34 . the result of the validation process is sent to the computer 12 , as shown in process block 112 . the process 100 advances to decision block 114 , where the cpu 40 in computer 12 determines if result provided indicates that the entered password is valid . if the cpu 40 determines that the password is invalid , it issues a command to the processor 60 in the verification unit to remain in state 1 , as shown in process block 116 . the operator is thus denied access to the software on the computer 12 . in addition , the failed attempt is recorded by the card 34 . the process 100 then proceeds to decision block 118 , where the verification unit 20 determines if a predetermined number n of consecutive failed attempts have been recorded . if not , the process 100 returns to process block 106 , where the operator is allowed another attempt at entering the correct password . if , however , the verification unit 20 determines that the predetermined number n of consecutive failed attempts has been reached , the process 100 proceeds to process block 120 , where the card 34 is locked and / or permanently disabled . the process 100 then terminates . this feature of the verification unit 20 ensures that consecutive tries at guessing the password can be detected . in addition , this feature of the verification unit 20 provides additional security by locking and / or permanently disabling the card 34 after a predetermined number of consecutive failed attempts has occurred . if , at decision block 114 , the entered password is determined to be valid , the cpu 40 in computer 12 issues a command to the processor 60 in the verification unit 20 to direct the processor 60 to proceed to state 3 , where communications between the keyboard and computer may be established , as shown in process block 122 . the process 100 then terminates . alternatively , the cpu 40 may prompt the keyboard operator to enter a second password , and process blocks 106 - 122 may be repeated to provide additional security . the application software program or programs accessed by the operator upon authentication of his entered password may be used to perform cryptographic operations , such as the decryption or encryption of messages . as discussed earlier , in an alternate embodiment , the process 100 may , at process block 108 , forward the entered password to the card 34 for comparison . in that case , the password is temporarily stored in memory 36 of the card 34 . the processor 35 of the card then compares the entered password with its internally stored password . upon comparison , the processor 35 issues a status signal to the verification unit 20 , that is representative of the result of the search . the verification unit 20 than issues another signal to the computer 12 indicative of this result . the process 100 then proceeds as described above . it is understood by one skilled in the technology that the status signal may be implemented as a status bit or a flag that is forwarded from the card 34 to the verification unit 20 or from the verification unit 20 to the computer 12 . in one embodiment , the verification unit 20 can perform additional security functions for the protection of application programs running on the cpu 40 in computer 12 , which is in turn coupled to a computer network or system . these functions include the creation and alteration of users who are authorized to use the application programs . examples of such functions are illustrated in fig5 a - 5b and 6 a - 6 d , and discussed in detail in the following sections . the additional security functions also involve the management of cipher keys that protect other keys and the generation of session keys that are sent to the pacs residing the cpu 40 for use in preparing classified documents and files . an example of key management provided by the verification unit 20 includes the translation of encrypted keys , as illustrated in fig7 and as discussed in detail in the following sections . fig5 a and 5b illustrate a flow chart of one embodiment of the process 200 of the present invention for creating a new user record . upon receiving one or more uninitialized cards , an operator in a managing position , such as a supervisor , may utilize the verification unit 20 for creating new user record and to store the record on each card , such as card 34 . the process 200 proceeds as follows . beginning from a start state , the process 200 advances to process block 202 , where the supervisor inserts the uninitialized card into the verification unit 20 and enters a command , via keyboard 16 , for creating a new user record for the uninitialized card . the command thus entered may be entered by depressing a particular key on the keyboard 16 , which is provided as a scan code to the verification unit 20 . upon receiving the command , the verification unit 20 interprets the command or scancode to identify the key that the supervisor has entered . it then issues a signal to the computer 12 requesting the computer 12 to display a message prompting the supervisor to enter the supervisor password . the computer 12 responds by displaying this message ( block 204 ). communications between the keyboard 16 and the computer 12 is then suspended , and the verification unit 20 turns on the led 38 , indicating that the path for entering the password is secure ( block 206 ). the supervisor then enters the supervisor password , which the verification unit 20 stores on the card ( block 208 ). next , the supervisor enters a command for creating a subordinate user record ( block 210 ). the supervisor first enters the subordinate user authentication number , followed by the corresponding unique subordinate user password and the corresponding number of password attempts allowed for gaining access to a particular program , or to the card 34 ( block 212 ). when the supervisor has completed entering this information , he enters another command indicating such completion . the verification unit 20 then stores the subordinate user information on the card and then turns off the led 38 . communications between the keyboard 16 and the computer 12 is then reestablished ( block 214 ). the process 200 then advances to decision block 216 , where it determines if there are more uninitialized cards for which new user records have to be created . if so , the process 200 proceeds to process block 218 , where the supervisor enters a command for creating another new user record for another uninitialized card . the process 200 then proceeds to process block 220 , where the supervisor inserts another uninitialized card . the process 200 then proceeds back to process block 202 to repeat the blocks for creating a new user record . if , at decision block 216 , the process 200 determines that there are no other uninitialized cards for which new user records have to be created , the process 200 proceeds to process block 222 , where the supervisor enters a command indicating the completion of the process 200 . the process 200 then advances to process block 224 , where the verification unit 20 receives the command and turns off the led 38 . communications between the keyboard 16 and the computer 12 is then reestablished ( block 226 ) and the process 200 terminates . the process 200 illustrated in fig5 a - 5b and discussed above may be performed in an unsecured location , since the new user information is not provided to the computer 12 and cannot be captured or tampered with . however , the verification unit 20 may be configured to receive and write information regarding the new user to the card , such as card 34 without the use of a secure path . in this embodiment , the computer 12 utilized may be isolated and located in a secure room , so that the communications path between the keyboard 16 and the computer 12 need not be suspended during the entry and storage of the new user record . after creating a new user record for a subordinate user , records may have to be updated , deleted or altered . this may be accomplished through the user alteration process 250 as shown in fig6 a - 6b . beginning from a start state , the process 250 proceeds to process block 252 , where the supervisor inserts the card with the information to be altered and enters a command for changing the subordinate authentication number . the process 250 then proceeds to process block 254 , where the verification unit 20 receives the command and issues a signal to the computer 12 , which prompts the supervisor to enter the supervisor password . communications between the keyboard 16 and the computer 12 is then suspended , and the verification unit 20 turns on the led 38 , indicating that the path for entering the password is secure , as shown in process block 256 . the supervisor then enters the supervisor password ( block 258 ). upon receiving the supervisor password , the verification unit 20 compares the entered supervisor password with the supervisor password stored on the card 34 , as shown in process block 260 . the verification unit 20 then determines if the passwords match ( decision block 262 ). if not , access to the subordinate user record and to the card , is denied . the process 250 then terminates . if , at decision block 262 , it is determined that the passwords match , the process 250 proceeds to process block 268 , where verification unit 20 turns off the led 38 . communications between the computer 12 and the verification unit 20 is reestablished , as shown in process block 270 . the verification unit 20 then issues a signal to the computer 12 indicating that the passwords match and the computer 12 responds by prompting the supervisor to proceed with the desired change ( block 272 ). the process 250 then advances to process block 274 , where the communication path between the computer 12 and the verification unit 20 is suspended . at this juncture , the verification unit 20 turns on the led 38 , indicating that the path between the keyboard 16 and the verification unit 20 is secure . the process 250 then proceeds to process block 276 , where the supervisor enters the subordinate user &# 39 ; s authentication number , and a command corresponding to the alteration or deletion of the user &# 39 ; s authentication number . the process 250 then proceeds to process block 278 , where the verification unit 20 deletes or alters the corresponding information . the altered information , if any , is then stored on the card 34 . the process 250 then proceeds to process block 280 , where the verification unit 20 turns off the led 38 and communications between the computer 12 and the keyboard 16 is then reestablished . the process 250 then terminates . fig6 c - 6d illustrate a flow chart of the password alteration process 300 of the present invention . this process 300 may be used by a supervisor or a subordinate user to alter his password . beginning from a start state , the process 300 proceeds to process block 302 , where the supervisor or the subordinate user inserts his or her card and enters a command for changing his or her password . the process 300 proceeds to process block 304 , where the verification unit 20 issues a signal to the computer 12 indicating receipt of the command . the computer 12 responds by prompting the supervisor or subordinate user to enter the current password . communications between the keyboard 16 and the computer 12 is then suspended , and the verification unit 20 turns on the led 38 , as shown in process block 306 . the supervisor or subordinate user then enters the current password , as shown in process block 308 . the verification unit 20 then compares the entered password with the password stored on the card 34 , as shown in process block 310 . next , the process 300 proceeds to decision block 312 , where the verification unit 20 determines if the passwords match . if not , the password alteration process is denied to the operator , as shown in process block 314 . the process 300 then terminates . if , at decision block 312 , the verification unit 20 determines that the passwords match , the process 300 proceeds to process block 316 , where communications between the verification unit and the computer 12 is reestablished , while communications between the verification unit 20 and the keyboard 16 remains inhibited . the process 300 then advances to process block 318 , where the verification unit 20 sends a signal indicative of successful authentication of the entered password to the computer 12 . the verification unit 20 then turns off the led 38 . next , the process 300 proceeds to process block 320 , where the computer 12 prompts the operator to enter the new password . communications between the verification unit 20 and the computer 12 is then suspended , while communications between the keyboard 16 and the verification unit 20 is reestablished , as shown in process block 322 . the verification unit 20 then turns on the led 38 . the process 300 then proceeds to process block 324 , where the operator enters the new password , which is temporarily stored in the ram 66 of the verification unit 20 . next , the verification unit 20 turns off the led 38 and the computer 12 prompts the operator to enter the new password again , as shown in process block 326 . communications between the verification unit 20 and the computer 12 is suspended , and the led 38 is turned on again , as shown in process block 328 . the operator then enters his new password again , as shown in process block 330 . control is then passed to decision block 332 . at decision block 332 , the verification unit 20 determines if the two entries match . if not , the process 300 proceeds to process block 334 , where the verification unit 20 turns off the led 38 and communications between the computer 12 and the verification unit 20 is reestablished . the process 300 then returns to process block 320 . if , at decision block 332 , the verification unit 20 determines that the two entries match , the process 300 proceeds to process block 336 , where the verification unit 20 replaces the password read from the card 34 with the new password . the verification unit 20 then turns off the led 38 and communications between the computer 12 and the verification unit 20 is reestablished , as shown in process block 338 . the process 300 then terminates . fig7 is a flow chart of the key translation process 400 of the present invention . beginning from a start state , the process 400 proceeds to process block 402 , where an operator a located at the computer 12 receives an encrypted message from an operator b at another computer ( not shown ). the operator a also receives a key k for encrypting the message from b , which was encrypted with b &# 39 ; s private key and forwarded with b &# 39 ; s user identification ( id ). to encrypt the message , operator a forwards b &# 39 ; s user identification and the encrypted key k to the verification unit 20 ( block 404 ). the verification unit 20 then compares the encrypted key k with keys that are stored in the rom 64 of the verification unit 20 ( block 406 ). each key on the list has a corresponding translation key which may be used in translating the encrypted key k . if the key k does not match any of the keys on the list , the process 400 proceeds to process block 408 , where the verification unit 20 sends a signal to computer 12 indicating that there is no match . the computer 12 then displays a message indicating that the key k cannot be translated . the process 400 then terminates . if , at decision block 406 , the verification unit 20 determines that the key k matches one of the keys on the list , the process 400 proceeds to process block 410 , where the verification unit 20 decrypts the encrypted key k with the translation key associated with the matched key on the list , and re - encrypts the decrypted key using a &# 39 ; s private key . the process 400 then proceeds to process block 412 , where the re - encrypted key is forwarded back to a , and used to decrypt the message from b . the process 400 then terminates . other functions of the verification unit 20 include the management of cipher keys that protect other keys and the generation of session keys that are sent to the pacs residing the cpu 40 for use in preparing classified documents and files . examples of such functions include the generation of a random number and the enciphering or deciphering of data , which are discussed in detail in the following sections . upon request by the operator or by an application program running on the computer 12 , the verification unit 20 may generate a random number , which is provided to the computer 12 . the random number may be used to encrypt messages or other keys . since the program which generates random numbers on the computer 12 may easily be captured or emulated , this aspect of the present invention permits provides a secure means of providing session keys . the random number thus generated may also be stored on the card 34 and subsequently used to encrypt other keys . the verification unit 20 may also encipher data provided from the computer 12 , upon request from the operator or by an application program running on the computer 12 . for example , a command representative of such a request is first entered by the keyboard operator . the data to be enciphered is forwarded from the computer 12 to the verification unit 20 . upon receipt of this data , the verification unit 20 enciphers it using one of a plurality of keys stored in its memory 62 . the enciphered data is then returned to the computer 12 . likewise , the verification unit 20 may decipher data provided from the computer 12 , upon request from the operator . in this case , the operator must first be authenticated , using process 100 as described above . when authenticated , the operator issues a command to the verification unit , requesting the deciphering of a block of data . the data to be deciphered , along with a key identification number which identifies the key to be used for deciphering ( located in the verification unit 20 ), are then provided to the verification unit 20 . upon receipt of this information , the verification unit 20 deciphers the data and then sends the deciphered data back to the computer 12 . the implementation of the present invention provides a simple , cost - effective and compact system that enforces access control to one or more application programs running on a computer , while requiring minimal user relocation . the implementation of the present invention authenticates passwords for accessing such application programs while ensuring that the passwords will not be tampered with by software running on the computer . the present invention also facilitates the creation and alteration of users who are authorized to use the application programs . in addition , the present invention provides a number of security functions for the protection of application programs running on the computer . these functions involve the management of cipher keys that protect other keys and the generation of session keys that are sent to the computer for use in preparing classified documents and files . thus , the present invention provides a simple , elegant and cost - effective consumer - level method and apparatus of authenticating a password or personal identification number ( pin ) independently from the computer , so that access control to one or more application programs running on the computer may be enforced , while minimizing the risk of capture of the password by unauthorized users and also minimizing the complexity of user operation . due to the cost - effective and compact features of the present invention , the verification unit 20 may readily be utilized in consumer - level applications such as home - banking . the authentication system described above may also be configured to authenticate personal identification data , such as biometric features of a user . the term “ biometric ” as used herein refers to a substantially stable physical characteristic of a person , which can be automatically measured and characterized for comparison . such biometrics include fingerprints , palm prints , retinal prints , and facial characteristics . biometrics may also include behavioral characteristics , such as the manner in which a person writs his or her signature . the term “ metric ” as used herein refers to a set of data which can be automatically compared to the scanned biometric . a metric may be a recorded digital image of the biometric which is compared to the scanned biometric by cross - correlation . more typically a metric is a recorded set of characteristics or measurements which can be repeated on the scanned biometric and compared with the recorded set . automatic comparison of human biometrics is known by one of skill in the art and is discussed in “ vital signs of identity ”, ieee spectrum , pages 22 - 30 , february 94 , and is incorporated herein by reference . fig8 is a perspective view of a second embodiment of the authenticating system of the present invention . the authentication system 10 a of fig8 is identical to the authentication system 10 of fig1 with the exception that the verification unit 20 a further comprises a scanner 25 . in an alternate embodiment , the verification unit 20 a further comprises a scanner 25 and a scanner interface circuit 27 ( see fig1 ). in one embodiment , the scanner 25 is a biometric scanner . the scanner 25 scans a field in which scannable indicia or a biometric , such as a fingerprint , may be presented . in one embodiment , the scanner interface circuit 27 is a data processing circuit that is further coupled to other input / output devices such as a printer , a transmitter and / or an auxiliary data input . in one alternate embodiment , the scanner 25 is located external to the verification device 20 a . in this case , biometric data is forwarded to the verification device 20 a for comparison with a metric that is stored either in ram 84 b on the verification device 20 a or in memory 36 of the card 34 . fig9 illustrates one embodiment of the scanner 25 of fig8 . the scanner 25 comprises conventional optics 510 which focus the field 450 onto a charge coupled device ( ccd ) 520 . the ccd 520 generates a digital signal representative of the field 450 in a manner that is known by one of skill in the art . the scanner 25 may also include light emitting diodes ( leds ) 500 or other sources of illumination generally known to one of ordinary skill in the art , to illuminate the field 450 , if necessary . fig1 illustrates a block diagram of one embodiment of the verification unit 20 a of fig8 . the verification unit 20 a is substantially identical to the verification unit 20 as shown in fig2 with the exception that it further comprises a scanner 25 . in an alternate embodiment , the verification unit 20 a comprises a scanner 25 and a scanner interface circuit 27 . upon scanning a field ( such as field 450 as shown in fig9 ), the scanner 25 generates a signal representative of the field scanned . the signal is provided to the processor 60 , which compares the scanned indicia or biometric with a metric stored in ram 66 . if there is a match , the processor 60 issues a validation signal that is provided either to the verification unit 20 or to the computer 12 . otherwise , a error signal is generated . techniques for validating various biometric characteristics are well known . for example , the article “ vital signs of identity ” describes numerous commercially available systems for recognizing fingerprints , hand geometry and signatures . accordingly , a person of ordinary skill in the art can readily implement such recognition techniques . the signal generated by the scanner 25 is also provided to the scanner interface circuit 27 . the scanner interface circuit 27 is coupled to memory 62 and processor 60 . in one embodiment , the scanner interface circuit 27 is also coupled to a printer ( not shown ), which may be configured to print a hard copy record of a transaction . in an alternate embodiment , the scanner interface circuit 27 is connected to an auxiliary data input ( not shown ) for inputting data . fig1 is a perspective view of a third embodiment of the authenticating system of the present invention . the authentication system 10 b of fig1 is substantially identical to the authentication system 10 of fig1 with the exception that the keyboard 16 a further comprises a scanner 25 a . in one embodiment , the scanner 25 a is identical to the scanner 25 of fig9 . in an alternate embodiment , the keyboard 16 a further comprises the scanner 25 and a scanner interface circuit 27 ( see fig1 a ). fig1 a illustrates a block diagram of one embodiment of the keyboard 16 a of fig1 . the keyboard 16 a comprises a processor 80 and a memory module 82 which includes both read only memory ( rom ) 84 a and random access memory ( ram ) 84 b . the keyboard 16 a also comprises a keypad 86 that is coupled to the processor 80 . in addition , the keyboard 16 a comprises the scanner 25 a . in one embodiment , the keyboard 16 a further comprises the scanner 25 a and a scanner interface circuit 27 a . rom 84 a includes firmware which the processor 80 executes for monitoring the line 22 from the keyboard 16 a . this firmware performs read / write operations to / from ram 84 b , where ram 84 b is used as a temporary buffer for data inputs and outputs . in the embodiment of fig1 a , the scanned indicia or biometric is converted into a signal representative of the indicia or biometric scanned . the signal is provided to the processor 80 , which compares the scanned indicia or biometric with a metric stored in ram 84 b . if there is a match , the processor 80 issues a validation signal that is provided either to the verification unit 20 or to the computer 12 . otherwise , a error signal is generated . fig1 b illustrates a block diagram of an alternate embodiment of the keyboard 16 b of fig1 . the keyboard 16 b is substantially identical to the keyboard 16 a of fig1 a , with the exception that it further comprises a card reader / writer 90 which receives a card such as card 34 through a slot ( not shown ). the card reader / writer 90 reads and / or writes data to or from the card 34 . a clock module 88 provides timing signals for the operation of the processor 80 and the card 34 . in one embodiment , the clock module 88 comprises a single clock which provides timing signals for both the processor 80 and the operation of the card reader / writer 90 . in another embodiment , the clock module 88 comprises two clocks , one for driving the processor 80 and the other for driving the operation of the card 34 . the keyboard 16 b also provides ground and power to the card 34 . in the embodiment of fig1 b , the scanned indicia or biometric is converted into a signal representative of the indicia or biometric scanned . the signal is provided to the processor 80 , which compares the scanned indicia or biometric with a metric stored in ram 84 b or with a metric stored in the memory e . g ., memory 36 of a card , such as card 34 . in the first case ( i . e ., where the metric is stored in ram 84 b ), the processor 80 issues a validation signal if there is a match . otherwise , a error signal is generated . in the second case ( i . e ., where the metric is stored in the memory of the card ), the processor e . g ., processor 35 located on the card 34 issues a validation signal , which is forwarded to the processor 80 , which subsequently generates a validation signal that is provided either to the verification unit 20 or to the computer 12 . in a further embodiment , the scanner 25 may be located external to the keyboard 16 a or 16 b , and is coupled to the keyboard 16 a or 16 b via a signal line . in this case , the scanner 25 performs the same function as the scanner of fig1 a . in another embodiment , the keyboard 16 a or 16 b does not include the processor 80 or memory module 82 , so that signals provided from the scanner 25 a ( which may be located internal or external to the keyboard 16 a or 16 b ) are forwarded to the verification device 20 ( fig1 ) via the keyboard 16 . in this case , the scanner 25 forwards the biometric data to any one of : ( 1 ) the card inserted in the card reader 90 of keyboard 90 ( fig1 b ), ( 2 ) the verification device 20 ( fig1 ), or ( 3 ) the card 34 inserted in the verification device 20 ( fig1 ), for verification . fig1 a and 13b illustrate a flow chart of an alternate embodiment of the access authorization process of the present invention . for a two - factor verification process , in which the scanned biometric is compared with a stored metric , the process 500 may be implemented using any one of : the verification unit 20 a ( fig1 ); the keyboard 16 a ( fig1 a ) in conjunction with the verification unit 20 ( fig2 ); the verification unit 20 in conjunction with an external scanner that is coupled to the verification unit 20 ; or with the keyboard 16 ( fig2 ) in conjunction with an external scanner that is coupled to the verification unit 20 . for a three - factor verification process , in which the scanned biometric is compared with a stored metric , and an entered password is compared to a stored password , the process 500 may be implemented using any one of : the keyboard 16 ( fig2 ) in conjunction with the verification unit 20 a ( fig1 ); the keyboard 16 a ( fig1 a ) in conjunction with the verification unit 20 ( fig2 ); the keyboard 16 and the verification unit 20 in conjunction with an external scanner that is coupled to the verification unit 20 ; or with the keyboard 16 ( fig2 ) in conjunction with an external scanner that is coupled to the verification unit 20 , and the verification unit 20 . in alternate embodiments , various combinations of the keyboard 16 , 16 a and 16 b , the verification unit 20 , 20 a and the scanner 25 may be implemented to perform the process 500 in accordance with the principles of the present invention . for present discussion purposes , the verification unit 20 a and the keyboard 16 will be referred to in the following sections . in addition , although a biometric is referred to in the process 500 , it is understood that other scannable indicia may also be used in implementing the access authorization process . to gain access to a software application enabled with the pac security application program interface , access authorization from the verification unit 20 a must first be obtained . this authorization is obtained as follows . beginning from a start state , the process 500 proceeds to process block 502 , where the pacs running on cpu 40 in computer 12 issues a command to the verification unit 20 a for initiating access authorization . the card 34 may be inserted in the verification unit 20 a at this time . the verification unit 20 a then proceeds to state 1 , as shown in process block 504 . in this state , s 1 is closed while s 2 is open , i . e ., data is ported from the keyboard to the verification unit 20 a and the communication path between the verification unit 20 a and the computer 12 is suspended , which in turn suspends communication between the keyboard 16 and the computer 20 . the verification unit 20 a then turns on the led 38 , indicating that the path for entering the biometric is secure . the process 500 then advances to process block 506 , where the cpu 40 directs the monitor 14 to display the message “ please present biometric ”. the operator then presents his or her biometric for scanning by scanner 25 . the scanner 25 scans the biometric and temporarily stores the scanned biometric in ram 66 . the process 500 then advances to process block 508 , where the verification unit 20 reads the metric stored on the card 34 through the card reader 68 . the metric from the card 34 is temporarily stored in ram 66 . the process 500 then proceeds to process block 510 , where the processor 60 in the verification unit 20 determines if the scanned biometric is valid by comparing it to the metric previously stored on the card 34 . the result of the validation process is sent to the computer 12 , as shown in process block 512 . the process 500 advances to decision block 514 , where the cpu 40 in computer 12 determines if result provided indicates that the scanned biometric is valid . if the cpu 40 determines that the password is invalid , it issues a command to the processor 60 in the verification unit 20 a to remain in state 1 , as shown in process block 516 . the operator is thus denied access to the software on the computer 12 . in addition , the failed attempt is recorded by the card 34 . the process 500 then proceeds to decision block 518 , where the verification unit 20 a determines if a predetermined number m of consecutive failed attempts have been recorded . if not , the process 500 returns to process block 506 , where the operator is allowed another attempt at entering the correct password . if , however , the verification unit 20 a determines that the predetermined number m of consecutive failed attempts has been reached , the process 500 proceeds to process block 520 , where the card 34 is locked and / or permanently disabled . the process 500 then terminates . this feature of the verification unit 20 a ensures that consecutive tries at guessing the password can be detected . in addition , this feature of the verification unit 20 a provides additional security by locking and / or permanently disabling the card 34 after a predetermined number of consecutive failed attempts has occurred . if , at decision block 514 , the scanned biometric is determined to be valid , the process 500 determines if further verification is required , as shown in decision block 522 . if not , the cpu 40 in computer 12 issues a command to the processor 60 in the verification unit 20 a to direct the processor 60 to proceed to state 3 , where communications between the keyboard 16 and computer 12 may be established , as shown in process block 524 . the process 500 then terminates . if further verification is required , the process 500 proceeds to process block 526 , where the cpu 40 directs the monitor 14 to display the message “ please enter password ”. the keyboard operator then enters his or her password via keyboard 16 , which is provided to the verification unit 20 a via line 22 c , the adapter 18 , and line 24 d ( see fig2 and fig1 ). the password is encrypted and temporarily stored in ram 66 . the process 500 then advances to process block 528 , where the verification unit 20 a reads the encrypted password stored on the card 34 through the card reader 68 . the encrypted password from the card 34 is temporarily stored in ram 66 . the process 500 then proceeds to process block 528 , where the processor 60 in the verification unit 20 a determines if the entered encrypted password is valid by comparing it to the encrypted password previously stored on the card 34 . the result of the validation process is sent to the computer 12 , as shown in process block 530 . the process 500 advances to decision block 530 , where the cpu 40 in computer 12 determines if result provided indicates that the entered password is valid . if the cpu 40 determines that the password is invalid , it issues a command to the processor 60 in the verification unit 20 a to remain in state 1 , as shown in process block 534 . the operator is thus denied access to the software on the computer 12 . in addition , the failed attempt is recorded by the card 34 . the process 500 then proceeds to decision block 536 , where the verification unit 20 a determines if a predetermined number n of consecutive failed attempts have been recorded . if not , the process 500 returns to process block 526 , where the operator is allowed another attempt at entering the correct password . if , however , the verification unit 20 a determines that the predetermined number n of consecutive failed attempts has been reached , the process 500 proceeds to process block 538 , where the card 34 is locked and / or permanently disabled . the process 500 then terminates . this feature of the verification unit 20 a ensures that consecutive tries at guessing the password can be detected . in addition , this feature of the verification unit 20 a provides additional security by locking and / or permanently disabling the card 34 after a predetermined number of consecutive failed attempts has occurred . if , at decision block 532 , the entered password is determined to be valid , the cpu 40 in computer 12 issues a command to the processor 60 in the verification unit 20 a to direct the processor 60 to proceed to state 3 , where communications between the keyboard and computer may be established , as shown in process block 540 . the process 500 then terminates . alternatively , the cpu 40 may prompt the keyboard operator to enter a second password , and process blocks 526 - 540 may be repeated to provide additional security . the application software program or programs accessed by the operator upon authentication of his entered password may be used to perform cryptographic operations , such as the decryption or encryption of messages . as discussed earlier , in an alternate embodiment , the process 500 may , at process blocks 510 and 528 , respectively forward the scanned biometric and the entered password to the card 34 for comparison . in that case , the respective scanned biometric or password are temporarily stored in memory 36 of the card 34 . the processor 35 of the card then compares the scanned biometric ( in process block 510 ) with its internally stored metric and / or compares the entered password ( process block 528 ) with its internally stored password . upon comparison , the processor 35 issues a status signal to the verification unit 20 a , that is representative of the result of the search . the verification unit 20 a than issues another signal to the computer 12 indicative of this result . the process 500 then proceeds as described above . it is understood by one skilled in the technology that the status signal may be implemented as a status bit or a flag that is forwarded from the card 34 to the verification unit 20 a or from the verification unit 20 a to the computer 12 . in alternate embodiments , the verification unit 20 a can perform additional security functions for the protection of application programs running on the cpu 40 in computer 12 , which is in turn coupled to a computer network or system . these functions include the creation and alteration of users who are authorized to use the application programs , and are described in earlier sections . fig1 a and 14b illustrate a flow chart of a third embodiment of the access authorization process of the present invention . for a two - factor verification process , in which the scanned biometric is compared with a stored metric , the process 600 may be implemented using any one of : the keyboard 16 a ( fig1 a ) in conjunction with the verification unit 20 ( fig2 ); the keyboard 16 ( fig2 ) in conjunction with an external scanner that is coupled to the keyboard 16 , and the verification unit 20 ; or the keyboard 16 b . for a three - factor verification process , in which the scanned biometric is compared with a stored metric , and an entered password is compared to a stored password , the process 600 may be implemented using any one of : the keyboard 16 b ; the keyboard 16 ( fig2 ) in conjunction with the verification unit 20 a ( fig1 ); the keyboard 16 a ( fig1 a ) in conjunction with the verification unit 20 ( fig2 ); the keyboard 16 in conjunction with an external scanner that is coupled to the keyboard unit 16 , and the verification unit 20 . in alternate embodiments , various combinations of the keyboard 16 , 16 a and 16 b , the verification unit 20 , 20 a and the scanner 25 may be implemented to perform the process 600 in accordance with the principles of the present invention . for present discussion purposes , the keyboard 16 b will be referred to in the following sections . in addition , although a biometric is referred to in the process 600 , it is understood that other scannable indicia may also be used in implementing the access authorization process . to gain access to a software application enabled with the pac security application program interface , access authorization from the keyboard 16 b must first be obtained . this authorization is obtained as follows . beginning from a start state , the process 600 proceeds to process block 602 , where the pacs running on cpu 40 in computer 12 issues a command to the keyboard 16 b for initiating access authorization . the card 34 may be inserted in the card reader 90 of the keyboard 16 b at this time . the communications path between the keyboard 16 b and the computer 12 is then suspended , as shown in process block 604 . the keyboard 16 b then turns on the led 92 , indicating that the path for entering the biometric is secure . the process 600 then advances to process block 606 , where the cpu 40 directs the monitor 14 to display the message “ please present biometric ”. the operator then presents his or her biometric for scanning by scanner 25 a . the scanner 25 a scans the biometric and temporarily stores the scanned biometric in ram 84 b . the process 600 then advances to process block 608 , where the keyboard 16 b reads the metric stored on the card 34 through the card reader 90 . the metric from the card 34 is temporarily stored in ram 84 b . the process 600 then proceeds to process block 610 , where the processor 80 in the keyboard 16 b determines if the scanned biometric is valid by comparing it to the metric previously stored on the card 34 . the result of the validation process is sent to the computer 12 , as shown in process block 612 . the process 600 advances to decision block 614 , where the cpu 40 in computer 12 determines if result provided indicates that the scanned biometric is valid . if the cpu 40 determines that the scanned biometric is invalid , it issues a command to the processor 80 in the keyboard 16 b remain in a state in which the communications path between the keyboard and the computer remains suspended . the operator is thus denied access to the software on the computer 12 , as shown in process block 616 . in addition , the failed attempt is recorded by the card 34 . the process 600 then proceeds to decision block 618 , where the keyboard 16 determines if a predetermined number m of consecutive failed attempts have been recorded . if not , the process 600 returns to process block 606 , where the operator is allowed another attempt at entering the biometric . if , however , the keyboard 16 determines that the predetermined number m of consecutive failed attempts has been reached , the process 600 proceeds to process block 620 , where the card 34 is locked and / or permanently disabled . the process 600 then terminates . this feature of the keyboard 16 ensures that consecutive tries at presenting the biometric can be detected . in addition , this feature of the keyboard 16 b provides additional security by locking and / or permanently disabling the card 34 after a predetermined number of consecutive failed attempts has occurred . if , at decision block 614 , the scanned biometric is determined to be valid , the process 600 determines if further verification is required , as shown in decision block 622 . if not , the cpu 40 in computer 12 issues a command to the processor 80 in the keyboard 16 b to direct the processor 80 to proceed to a state in which communications between the keyboard 16 b and computer 12 may be established , as shown in process block 624 . the process 600 then terminates . if further verification is required , the process 600 proceeds to process block 626 , where the cpu 40 directs the monitor 14 to display the message “ please enter password ”. the keyboard operator then enters his or her password via keyboard 16 . the password is encrypted and temporarily stored in ram 84 b . the process 600 then advances to process block 628 , where the keyboard 16 b reads the encrypted password stored on the card 34 through the card reader 68 . the encrypted password from the card 34 is temporarily stored in ram 84 b . the process 600 then proceeds to process block 628 , where the processor 60 in the keyboard 16 b determines if the entered encrypted password is valid by comparing it to the encrypted password previously stored on the card 34 . the result of the validation process is sent to the computer 12 , as shown in process block 630 . the process 600 advances to decision block 632 , where the cpu 40 in computer 12 determines if result provided indicates that the entered password is valid . if the cpu 40 determines that the password is invalid , it issues a command to the processor 80 in the keyboard 16 b to remain in a state in which communications between the keyboard 16 b and the computer 12 remains suspended . the operator is thus denied access to the software on the computer 12 , as shown in process block 634 . in addition , the failed attempt is recorded by the card 34 . the process 600 then proceeds to decision block 636 , where the keyboard 16 b determines if a predetermined number n of consecutive failed attempts have been recorded . if not , the process 600 returns to process block 626 , where the operator is allowed another attempt at entering the correct password . if , however , the keyboard 16 b determines that the predetermined number n of consecutive failed attempts has been reached , the process 600 proceeds to process block 638 , where the card 34 is locked and / or permanently disabled . the process 600 then terminates . this feature of the keyboard 16 b ensures that consecutive tries at guessing the password can be detected . in addition , this feature of the keyboard 16 b provides additional security by locking and / or permanently disabling the card 34 after a predetermined number of consecutive failed attempts has occurred . if , at decision block 632 , the entered password is determined to be valid , the cpu 40 in computer 12 issues a command to the processor 80 in the keyboard 16 b to direct the processor 80 to proceed to a state in which communications between the keyboard 16 b and computer 12 may be established , as shown in process block 640 . the process 600 then terminates . alternatively , the cpu 40 may prompt the keyboard operator to enter a second password , and process blocks 626 - 640 may be repeated to provide additional security . the application software program or programs accessed by the operator upon authentication of his scanned biometric and / or entered password may be used to perform cryptographic operations , such as the decryption or encryption of messages . as discussed earlier , in an alternate embodiment , the process 600 may , at process blocks 610 and 628 , respectively forward the scanned biometric and the entered password to the card 34 for comparison . in that case , the respective scanned biometric or password are temporarily stored in memory 36 of the card 34 . the processor 35 of the card then compares the scanned biometric ( in process block 610 ) with its internally stored metric or compares the entered password ( process block 628 ) with its internally stored password . upon comparison , the processor 35 issues a status signal to the keyboard 16 b , that is representative of the result of the search . the keyboard 16 b then issues another signal to the computer 12 indicative of this result . the process 600 then proceeds as described above . it is understood by one skilled in the technology that the status signal may be implemented as a status bit or a flag that is forwarded from the card 34 to the keyboard 16 b or from the keyboard 16 b to the computer 12 . in one embodiment , the keyboard 16 b can perform additional security functions for the protection of application programs running on the cpu 40 in computer 12 , which is in turn coupled to a computer network or system . these functions include the creation and alteration of users who are authorized to use the application programs , as described in earlier sections . the present invention thus provides access control to one or more application programs running on the computer , while reducing the need for reliance on human memory in retrieving the personal access code , and also reducing human error in entering the personal access code to the authentication system . the present invention also provides enhanced security by providing a two or three - factor authentication system and method . the present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from its spirit or essential characteristics . the described embodiments are to be considered in all respects only as illustrative and not restrictive . the scope of the invention is , therefore , indicated by the appended claims rather than the foregoing description . all changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are to be embraced within their scope .	6
as embodied and broadly described herein , the present invention is directed to method and devices for the regulation of cell proliferation and gene expression and , in particular , the inhibition of photoaging of the skin , and the revival of necrotic cells . as well , the invention is directed toward a system and method for rejuvenating cells in various stages of necrosis . photoaging of the skin occurs through many mechanisms , including , for example , environmental factors such as tobacco smoke , exposure to the sun , and poor health , to name a few . these events can triggers an inflammatory process in the skin and the associated cellular mechanisms . there is also a more chronic low - level type of injury that does not produce a sunburn reaction , but which produces the changes of chronic photoaging . chronological aging of the skin and photoaging and other environmentally induced changes share many or in some cases , all of the same pathways as uv induced photoaging of the skin . these pathways involve up and / or down regulation of cell proliferation and also alterations in the level of expression of many different types of genes . it was surprisingly discovered that , this combination of regulation of cell proliferation and regulation of gene expression , is responsible for photoaging of the skin and other cells and tissues , and thus , photoaging could be reversed or at least ameliorated by affecting these same processes . accordingly , one embodiment of the invention is directed to identifying and correlating the phenotypic and genotypic expression characteristics of photoaging and other skin and cell - associated disorders . once identified , correlated maps can be compiled and collected into a data base to allow for the rapid and efficient identification of similar disorders and conditions for the purpose of tailoring appropriate treatment . further , once identified , treatment and appropriate intervention and prevention methods can be used to halt or even reverse the appearance and genotypic characteristics of photoaging . thus , the invention is not directed to artificially hiding or covering up aspects associated with aging , but actually reversing the processes and mechanisms associated with aging - related phenomena . a further embodiment of the invention is directed to applying these same mechanisms and tools to other cells such as stem cells ( completely undifferentiated cells ) and progenitor cells ( partially differentiated cells ). by altering the cell cycle , cell proliferation , and / or gene expression characteristics of these cells along defined parameters , it is possible to determine differentiation pathways and to create or recreate cells , tissues and other cell structures for disease therapy and prevention , and wound healing . methods to modulate cell proliferation and gene expression include exposure to electromagnetic radiation in an amount or dose that is sufficient to stimulate the desired effect ( e . g . see u . s . pat . nos . 6 , 398 , 753 , 5 , 837 , 224 , and 6 , 130 , 254 ; and u . s . patent application nos . 2002 / 0028185 , 2001 / 0053347 , 2003 / 0004556 , 2003 / 0004499 , and 2002 / 0123746 , all of which are specifically and entirely incorporated by reference ). for example , exposure of skin to led can stimulate or inhibit the expression of various gene products . these same methods can be used to cause stimulation or inhibition of cell proliferation and cell cycle modulation in these cell populations . further , photomodulation can be used in combination with certain oral agents ( for systemic affects ) or topical agents ( for localized affects ) ( e . g . vitamin a , retin a , retinol ), for a desired effect unachievable with either stimulant used individually . the types of cells that can be affected include , but are not limited to skin cells ( reversal of photoaging ), nerve cells ( disease prevention and treatment ), stem cells ( tissue reconstruction ), cells of hair follicles ( hair growth or inhibition ), cells of the immune system including cells intimately involved with the process of inflammation ( due to disease , infection , or congenital disorder ), wound repair , and combinations thereof . modulation can be achieved by exposing cells to electromagnetic radiation ( e . g . photomodulation ) such as , preferably , visible light , ( e . g . purple , blue , green , yellow , orange , red ), infrared radiation , ultraviolet light ( uva , uvb , uvai , uva2 , or combinations thereof ), or combinations of any . preferred exposure strengths and exposure times are as set forth in the attachments hereto , but may include pulsed exposures , continuous and periodic exposures . ultraviolet light injury triggers reactive oxygen species and a series of cell signaling events called kinase cascades . one of the final common pathway in the up and down regulation of fibroblast activity is through ap - 1 which up regulates and increases the production of various mmp &# 39 ; s including mmp 1 ( collagenase 1 or interstitial collagenase synthesis ), mmp 9 ( gelatinases b ) and mmp 3 ( stromelysins 1 ). the production of these mmp enzymes results in the breakdown of collagen , elastin and ecm in the dermis of the skin . simultaneously the actual production of collagen i and other structural proteins may be diminished or down regulated thus further accelerating the process . the aging of living cells , tissues and organs may be related to free radical exposure and oxidative stress . to apply this model to aging skin , chronological aging results from a decrease antioxidant defense mechanisms while uv photoaging and other environmental stresses can be thought of as increasing oxidative stress . the net result of decreased antioxidant defense or increased oxidative stress is increase production of ( ros ) or free radicals . increased ros production in the skin stimulates cell signaling or signals transduction pathways , which produce altered gene activity . damage to structural proteins ( e . g . damage , disruption and fragmentation of collagen caused by uv light ) alters proteins , structure and function which in turn changes cell signaling and may alter gene activity . another possible outcome of increased ros production is the production of dna mutations , which then alters gene structure and thus may alter the normal structure and function of cells . much of the variation in the human state , as far as disease and response to environmental insults may be mediated by relatively small differences in the genetic make - up from one individual to the next . single nucleotide polymorphisms ( snps ) are currently being very actively investigated as a means of identifying and potentially predicting the differences in biological responses of humans and other animals . for example , characterization of snps may allow prediction of whether a patient is more or less likely to develop a specific disease or tumor and thus take known preventative measures . another possible application is the use of snps to screen individuals before placing them on a prescription drug to identify those individuals who might be more likely to develop serious side effects and thus avoid the use of that drug . another potential novel use of snps is to identify the haplotype or patterns of snps , which are associate with , for example , chronological aging of the skin . some individuals and families have reduced risk of skin cancers or simply look younger than their peers of the same age group and like backgrounds . a profile of snps can be developed that characterizes common factors associated with the phenotypic changes of aging skin ( defined the snp genotypic pattern that puts an individual at a greater risk of accelerate aging from increased oxidative stress from environmental agents ). this allows for a treatment plan , which would have greater anti - aging benefits . tgf - b is a major cytokine for cell signaling and inhibits the growth of epidermal keratinocytes and stimulates the growth of thermal fibroblasts . it also induces synthesis and secretion of the major collagen elastin and inhibits the expression of mmp 1 and mmp 3 . there are multiple tgf - b &# 39 ; s , tgf - b 1 , tbr i , tbr ii , many of which are down regulated in aging skin cells . tgf - b is also activity altered in aging skin by binding with decerin and when this combines with collagen affects the tinsel strength of skin as well as controlling the rate of collagen fiber formation . c jun mrna is doubled in activity and age human skin compared to young skin but c - fos was unchanged . mmp 2 is not regulated through ap 1 . erk activity is reduced in aging skin , but jnk activity is increased 3 - 4 times in aging skin . environmental insults - damage can vary anatomically over a person &# 39 ; s body . these methods allow for rejuvenating human skin including the steps of simultaneously preventing collagen degradation while also stimulating the formation of new collagen in aging human skin . increased mmp &# 39 ; s result in reduced levels of erk , cyclin d2 and type i and iii pro collagen . this is part of the core genotype , phenotype stimulating a number of keratinocytes as well as decreasing c - gen activity and increasing erk activity . a system of sunscreens , topical oil and antioxidants , topical oil and photomodulated ecm stimulation and mmp and mmp inhibition and various combinations and mixtures of the above . inhibiting c - gen formation also inhibits formation ap - i and thus diminishes mmp &# 39 ; s , inducing the proliferation of keratinocytes and fibroblasts . mitochondria and atp production mechanisms ( e . g . cytochrome expression ) can be modulated by electromagnetic radiation . led light activates cell surface receptors via redox mediated in activation or a receptor type protein tyrosine phosphatase ( rtpt ). sap ( stress activated pathways ) verses mitogen activated pathways compare and contrast sap increase mmp and decreases pro collagen 1 and 2 if c jun goes up . primarily has to do with the ecm production whereas the map pathways activate erk induced cyclins and promote cell growth so that psat &# 39 ; s tend to increase or decrease protein production whereas the maps increase or decrease cell growth . ras / map / ap - 1 pathway plays a key role in response to wounding . fgfr1 contains sites in the promoter region and il1 antagonist promoter . antioxidant compounds also have anti - erythema sunscreen effect although they may not inhibit the increased mmp after uv exposure , lycopene is one of these . led photomodulation can also be used to diminish sunburn activity and mmp levels were maxed about 24 hours later . use a solar simulator to cause a one med minimal erythema dose on the arm in two places on volunteers and treat one a couple times a day with the gw device and to reduce redness with the chromometer . biopsy will show what happens when you treat them with gw after uv . inhibiting cytocrome p - 450 breakdown of retinoids increases retinoid strength concentration . while not wishing to be constrained to a particular theory of operation , the invention includes the surprising discovery that multiple receptor - mediated pathways may be photomodulated in human or mammalian skin that lead to an expression of the genotype associated with a younger or more youthful or less aged skin both in appearance and structurally and functionally . reference to infrared - a radiation induced mmp 1 . infrared is capable of producing mmp 1 by way of up regulation or activation of mapk signaling pathway that is the activation of erk ½ that the promoter region of the mmp 1 gene was activated by ira without the production of heat , but that timp 1 was not increased . mmp - 8 or elastase is increased with inflammatory reaction , which also involves ap i . and when nf - kb is increased it activates more of il - 1 and tnfa that discontinues the presence of continued inflammation . fibroblasts sensor matrix surround them and when in contact with a matrix they tend to be less active produce little collagen , but when the presence of collagen breaks down products such as gelatin , they tend to produce more collagen if the inflammation persists . the collagen not only proliferates , but produces less scarring . topical compounds that inhibit cytokines are indirect mmp inhibitors because if they block the pathway the signals mmp the essentially block this . the same is true for mmp regulation . regarding nutraceuticals , vitamin c can be topically applied to assemble stable collagen molecules . collagen i and collagen iii can be stimulated by topical of vitamin c , whereas elastin , fibrilin ½ are not affected nor is mmp 1 , 2 , and 9 affected . timp was increased , timp 2 was unchanged . proteolytic degradation of ecm is an essential feature of repair and remodeling during continuous wound healing . wound repair consists of narcotic or damaged tissue , cell and / or tissue migration , angiogenisis , remodeling of newly synthesized ecm , and cell growth factor regulations . during wound repair mmp 1 and mmp 3 increase as well as mmp 2 and 9 . mmp 13 , in particular , for chronic wounds , but also acute . timp is also altered . mmp 1 , 3 , 9 are increased with uvb ; increased elastin and fibrilian verscian ; result in the formation of non functional elastin fibers and reduce skin elasticity and aging or photoaged skin . collagen i is reduced , and uva shows increased expression of mmp 1 , 2 , 3 . disease states - systemic sclaraderma skin fibroblasts produced less mmp 1 and mmp 3 and more timp 1 compared to normal . skin cancers bcc produce more mmp 1 , 2 , 9 and 11 . more signs of photoaging , bruising , skin hypopigmented areas , fibrosis . methods and inventions for preventing the photoaging or chronological or environmental aging of unaged skin include retinoids that retard the effects of photoaging topical antioxidants to reduce presence of ros in the skin . environmental stresses include oxidants , heat , uv light . thus , led phototherapy is both an ecm protein / collagen stimulator , and an mmp inhibitor . dose dependent uvb induction of ap 1 and nf - kb , these induced mmp 2 and mmp 9 . the formation of collagen bundles is responsible for the strength , resiliency and elasticity of the skin . in one embodiment of the invention single or multiple light sources may be used , to produce either a single dominant emissive wavelength , i . e ., a narrowband multichromatic radiation , or multiple wavelengths ( either monochromatic , narrowband multichromatic , wideband multichromatic , or combinations thereof ). the single or multiple combinations may be applied either simultaneously or sequentially . for example a device emitting narrowband , multichromatic electromagnetic radiation with a dominant emissive wavelength of about 590 nm (+/− about 10 nm ) and also some light in the 850 nm range and , optionally , a small amount in the 1060 nm range . it has been discovered that the combination of the visible 590 and the infrared 850 nm is bioactive . a special ir filter may also be added to reduce the ir component of the radiation that the target skin or tissue is exposed to , as this is believed to unsymmetrically dampen the shape of the ir / 850 curve . treatment examples of such a device are shown in the attached drawing figures and illustrate that at 850 nm , there is believed to be a ‘ dose dependent ’ effect on fibroblasts . further , at a power level of about 1 mw / cm 2 , photomodulation occurs for anti aging phenotype effect ( those skilled in the art will recognize that power meters cannot measure this precisely , so there may be some variation / error in meter methods ). generally , where a treatment that does not cause thermal injury is desired , an energy fluence of less than about 4 j / cm 2 is preferable . the ratio of yellow light to ir radiation in the radiation used for treatment has been found to have an effect on the overall performance of the present system . relative amounts of each type of radiation are believed to be important , more so than the actual radiation level ( provided that ablation does not occur ). at about 4 mw / cm 2 for 590 nm and about 1 mw / cm 2 for the 850 nm ( i . e ., a 4 : 1 ratio of yellow to ir ) has been found to produce good results . mother factor to consider is the shape of the amplitude vs . wavelength curve for the ir component of the system . the ‘ code ’ refers to the pulse scheme for various treatment regimen . this includes various factors such as pulse length , interpulse delay , and pulse repetition . for example a treatment may comprise a pulse code of 250 msec “ on ” time , 100 msec “ off ’ time ( or dark period ), and 100 pulses . this produces a total energy fluence , in j / cm2 , of 25 seconds times the power output level of the emitters . this permits a comparison of pulsed versus continuous wave treatment ( the “ code ” for continuous wave treatment would be 1 pulse , an “ on ” time of whatever the treatment length is chosen to be , and an “ off ’ time of 0 sec .) examples showing various codes , ratios , and power levels and the resulting effect on the photoaging effect on certain genes , and other data , are shown in the attached data tables and drawing figures . the present invention is also related to a method and apparatus for treating sunburn and other sun - related photoeffects on human or mammalian skin . one approach is to use retin a for prior to sun exposure and research is being conducted using vitamins c , e , and other antioxidants topically . another approach being tried is the use of the antioxidant lycopene , administered orally , to quench some of inflammation from sunburn . the present invention shows great improvement of such treatment methods , however . one may think of wrinkles , sun damage , and other sun - related photo effects as ‘ solar scars ’. they are cumulative injuries that result from repeated or long - term exposure to the sun . the human body employs and imperfect wound repair mechanism , thus the solar simulator of the present invention is , in some ways , a model for other wound healings . the present invention employs a treatment that simulates sunlight broken down into its component parts . the uva 1 portion is used in some embodiments , but there is uvb and combinations of uva and uvr that are more oncogenic . for example , uv , and in particular uva 1 , causes skin sagging and photoaging , changes to the dermal matrix and structural proteins , and upregulates mmps . uv radiation also causes the upregulation of inflammatory pathways such as il1 , il6 and nfkb . these pathways are known to affect aging and other sun - related skin disorders and environmental damage , such as smoking , pollution , drugs , diseases , thermal injuries , other wounds . the present invention is believed to inhibit or reverse the effects of photoaging and other skin disorders by reversing the direction of gene up / down regulation from the unfavorable and destructive directions caused by the effects of the solar simulator uva1 for things like collagen , mmp1 , cjun which is important related to mmp1 , il / interleukins in inflammatory pathway , and cytochromes . the attached examples describe the use of the present system for illustrative treatments . the systems and methods of the present invention may be used in combination with various wound dressings like bandage strips modified to have a transparent covering , so that the desired spectra of photomodulation by led or other light is transmitted to the wounded area of the skin or target tissue . one embodiment includes ‘ trap door ’ to permit the periodic inhibition of light transmission . the opening or translucent / transparent portion of the bandage may comprise an ir filter , as well . in instances where it is undesirable to include an opening as part of the bandage or wound dressing , the size of led &# 39 ; s and other light sources makes it possible to include a light source within the bandage . such a source could be powered from a small battery and include means for having the light source automatically or manually apply treatment at regular intervals and according to a variety of preset codes ( for example , a dressed chemical burn may require a different code than a cut or electrical burn ). as well , various topical compositions for enhancing the penetration of the light through the skin or target tissue can be included in the dressing or bandage or applied to the skin or target tissue prior to covering the affected skin with the bandage or dressing . a light source within the bandage may also be coded to ‘ release ’ or to ‘ activate ’ substances or delivery vehicles for substances so that oxygen , antibacterial , antiviral , anti fungal , etc ., or other agents released . combinations of such compositions may be used as well . another application would allow for the treatment of blood outside of the body ( extracorporeally , in a phoresis device for example ). the blood may be run through banks of arrays of led , or other light or emr , and then photomodulated either directly or by an agent that was photoactivatable , or both , to stimulate the immune system , treat disease , etc . the present system and method may also be used for retinal and other eye treatments , alone or along with antioxidant eyedrop - type medications , bioengineered peptides , and growth factors . antioxidant eyedrops include , but are not limited to glutathione , vitamin c , vitamin e , catalase , ubiquinone , idebenone , etc . other applications of the present invention include nerve regeneration , hormone manipulation ( thyroid disease is common and is particularly contemplated due to the proximity of the thyroid to the skin ). as well , photomodulating adipocytes for fat reduction , cellulite , etc . may be accomplished using light sources in the range of about 850 - 950 nm and 1000 - 1100 nm . the following examples illustrate embodiments of the invention , but should not be viewed as limiting the scope of the invention . attached hereto are graphs , tables of data , and examples that further illustrate the various embodiments of the invention , as well as lists of gene products which can be regulated by methods of the invention . in the appendix , the results of two experiments which illustrate the invention are shown . other embodiments and uses of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art from consideration of the specification and practice of the invention disclosed herein . all references cited herein , including all publications , u . s . and foreign patents and patent applications , are specifically and entirely incorporated by reference . it is intended that the specification and examples be considered exemplary only .	0
with reference to fig1 to 3 , a first embodiment of an automatic cleaning machine for wall plates in accordance with the present invention comprises at least two long axial tracks 10 , a plurality of magnetic valves 30 , at least two sliding frames 20 , at least two bristle drive mechanisms 60 , at least one long axial brush 50 and a cover plate 70 . with reference to fig3 and 5 , each long axial track 10 is a rectangular aluminum extrusion and includes four side surfaces , a longitudinal water - guiding pipe 101 , three longitudinal roller rails 102 , a longitudinal fastening groove 103 , a longitudinal electric rail mounting groove 104 , a longitudinal magnet rail 105 , a longitudinal magnetic valve mounting groove 106 and a longitudinal toothed strip mounting groove 107 . each roller rail 102 is formed in one of the side surfaces of the long axial track 10 . an electric rail 1041 is secured in the electric rail mounting groove 104 and has one end electrically connected to a power supply . the magnet rail 105 and the magnetic valve mounting groove 106 are adjacent to the water - guiding pipe 101 . a long axial magnetic - attracted body 1051 is slidably mounted in the magnet rail 105 . the magnetic valve mounting groove 106 communicates with the water - guiding pipe 101 through a plurality of magnetic valve bores 1061 . the magnetic valve bores 1061 are spaced apart from one another by equal distances . a toothed strip 1071 is secured in the toothed strip mounting groove 107 and has a toothed upper surface being exposed . with reference to fig3 and 4 , the magnetic valves 30 are mounted on the long axial tracks 10 , and each magnetic valve 30 includes a tube 301 , a magnetic rod 302 , a spring 303 , a sealing gasket 304 and a magnetic plate 305 . the tube 301 is inserted through one of the magnetic valve bores 1061 of the long axial tracks 10 and has an inner surface , a tubular chamber 3011 , a plurality of recesses 3012 and a plurality of inflow holes 3013 . the tubular chamber 3011 has an open end , a closed end , a large diameter portion and a small diameter portion . the large diameter portion of the tubular chamber 3011 is formed at the open end . the small diameter portion of the tubular chamber 3011 is formed at the closed end . the recesses 3012 are formed longitudinally in the inner surface of the tube 301 . the inflow holes 3013 are formed radially through the tube 301 and each inflow hole 3013 communicates with one of the recesses 3012 . screws are mounted through screw holes 3014 of the tube 301 and engage the long axial track 10 to secure the magnetic valve 30 to the long axial track 10 . the magnetic rod 302 undergoes an anti - rust treatment and a hardening treatment and has a large diameter portion and a small diameter portion . the magnetic rod 302 is disposed in the tubular chamber 3011 . the large diameter portion of the magnetic rod 302 has an outer diameter corresponding to an inner diameter of the large diameter portion of the tubular chamber 3011 . the small diameter portion of the magnetic rod 302 has an outer diameter corresponding to an inner diameter of the small diameter portion of the tubular chamber 3011 . the spring 303 has an inner diameter corresponding to the outer diameter of the small diameter portion of the magnetic rod 302 . the spring 303 is mounted around the small diameter portion of the magnetic rod 302 and is disposed in the large diameter portion of the tubular chamber 3011 . the sealing gasket 304 and the magnetic plate 305 are secured at the open end of the tubular chamber 3011 in sequence by screws 306 . the sealing gasket 304 has a central hole 3041 . the magnetic plate 305 has a central hole 3051 . the spring 303 biases the large diameter portion of the magnetic rod 302 to close the central holes 3041 , 3051 of the sealing gasket 304 and the magnetic plate 305 . with reference to fig3 , the sliding frames 20 are mounted on the long axial tracks 10 and each long axial track 10 has at least one sliding frame 20 thereon . each sliding frame 20 is slid along the long axial track 10 by a main drive mechanism 207 and includes a bracket 200 and a plurality of rollers 202 . the bracket 200 covers a corresponding long axial track 10 and has a front panel , an upper panel , a lower panel , three pivot holes 203 , two push tabs 206 , a drive mechanism mounting tab 2072 and a gear receiving opening 2073 . the pivot holes 203 are formed through the front panel , upper panel and lower panel respectively and correspond to the roller rails 102 of the long axial track 10 . the two tabs 206 extend from two ends of the front panel of the bracket 200 and correspond to the magnet rail 105 of the long axial track 10 . the long axial magnetic - attracted body 1051 in the magnet rail 105 is disposed between the tabs 206 . each tab 206 has a pulling element mounting hole 2061 . the drive mechanism mounting tab 2072 extends from the front panel of the bracket 200 . the main drive mechanism 207 is mounted on the drive mechanism mounting tab 2072 and has a shaft connected to a gear 2071 . the gear receiving opening 2073 is formed through the upper panel of the bracket 200 and corresponds to the toothed strip 1071 on the long axial track 10 . the gear 2071 is disposed in the gear receiving opening 2073 and engages the toothed strip 1071 . each roller 202 is slidably mounted in one of the roller rails 102 of the long axial track 10 . an axle member 204 extends through one of the pivot holes 203 of the bracket 200 and one of the rollers 202 to rotatably mount the roller 202 on the bracket 200 . a conducting bracket 205 is mounted on an inner surface of the lower panel of the bracket 200 and corresponds to the electric rail 1041 on the long axial track 10 . the conducting bracket 205 is electrically connected to the electric rail 1041 to supply power to the main drive mechanism 207 and the bristle drive mechanisms 60 . each bristle drive mechanism 60 is mounted on a holder 201 . the holder 201 is mounted on the bracket 200 of one of the sliding frames 20 and has a back panel , a semi - circular top panel , a semi - circular bottom panel and a plurality of support members 2011 . the back panel is secured to an outer surface of the front panel of the bracket 200 . the semi - circular top panel and the semi - circular bottom panel are separated with a distance by the back panel . each of the semi - circular top panel and the semi - circular bottom panel has a mounting hole . the support members 2011 are attached between the semi - circular top panel and the semi - circular bottom panel . each support member 2011 has at least one fastening hole 2012 . each bristle drive mechanism 60 , which may be cylindrical in shape , is mounted between the semi - circular top panel and the semi - circular bottom panel of the holder 201 of one of the sliding frames 20 and includes two ends and two rotating shaft levers 601 . each rotating shaft lever 601 extends from one of the ends of the bristle drive mechanism 60 and is mounted through one of the mounting holes of the semi - circular top panel and the semi - circular bottom panel of the holder 201 . the rotating shaft levers 601 are vertical to the long axial tracks 10 . with reference to fig3 and 6 , each of the at least one long axial brush 50 is vertical to the long axial tracks 10 , is rotatably mounted between two adjacent bristle drive mechanisms 60 and is driven by the two adjacent bristle drive mechanisms 60 . each of the at least one long axial brush 50 includes a tubular member 501 and a plurality of bristles 503 . the tubular member 501 has an outer surface , two ends and two shaft holes 502 . each shaft hole 502 is formed longitudinally in one of the ends of the tubular member 501 for receiving one of the rotating shaft levers 601 of one of the two adjacent bristle drive mechanisms 60 . the bristles 503 extend from the outer surface of the tubular member 501 and preferably are soft bristles . with reference to fig3 , the cover plate 70 covers the bristle drive mechanisms 60 and long axial brush 50 and includes a plurality of fastening holes 701 in alignment with the fastening holes 2012 of the support members 2011 of the holders 201 of the sliding frames 20 . screws 702 extend through the fastening holes 701 of the cover plate 70 and engage the fastening holes 2012 of the sliding frames 20 to secure the cover plate 70 to the holders 201 . the cover plate 70 may be a curved board having a semi - circular cross section and include an inner diameter greater than the rotation diameter of the long axial brush 50 . with reference to fig1 to 6 , the first embodiment of the automatic cleaning machine for wall plates of the present invention is applied in a building exterior wall plate 90 . the long axial tracks 10 are level and parallel to one another and are secured to the exterior wall plate 90 . a nut 1031 corresponds to and is received in the fastening groove 103 of each long axial track 10 . an elongated connecting piece 1033 has three screw bores 1034 arranged in a line . one screw 1035 extends through the central screw bore 1034 and is screwed into the nut 1031 to secure the connecting piece 1033 to the long axial track 10 . two screws 1032 extend through the other two screw bores 1034 and engage the exterior wall plate 90 to secure the long axial track 10 to the exterior wall plate 90 . conduits from a pump or water pipeline are put in communication with the water - guiding pipes 101 of the long axial tracks 10 . the connection between the conduits and the water - guiding pipes 101 is conventional and thus a detailed description thereof will be omitted . in the case illustrated in the drawings , there are three long axial tracks 10 on the exterior wall plate 90 , one sliding frame 20 on each long axial track 10 , one bristle drive mechanism 60 on each sliding frame 20 and one long axial brush 50 between each two adjacent bristle drive mechanisms 60 . the sliding frames 20 and the long axial brushes 50 are arranged in a line , which is vertical to the long axial tracks 10 . in addition , there may be one electric rail 1041 on each long axial track 10 and one conducting bracket 205 on each sliding frame 20 , or only one electric rail 1041 on one of the long axial tracks 10 and only one conducting bracket 205 on one of the sliding frames 20 . the at least one electric rail 1041 and the at least one conducting bracket 205 supply power to the main drive mechanisms 207 and the bristle drive mechanisms 60 . the shaft holes 502 of each long axial brush 50 receive the rotating shaft levers 601 of two adjacent bristle drive mechanisms 60 . furthermore , two rods 80 are rotatably attached to the exterior wall plate 90 by a plurality of bearing seats 801 . the two rods 80 are vertical to the long axial tracks 10 and are disposed at two ends of the long axial tracks 10 . a plurality of spools 802 are mounted on each rod 80 and each spool 802 corresponds to one end of one of the long axial tracks 10 . with reference to fig7 , each spool 802 has a helical groove 8021 on its outer surface and an end of a pulling element 803 is wound in the helical groove 8021 . the other end of the pulling element 803 is secured in the pulling element mounting hole 2061 of one of the tabs 206 of the bracket 200 of the sliding frame 20 , which is adjacent to the spool 802 . the pulling element 803 may be a steel rope or chain or the like . an auxiliary drive mechanism 804 is connected to and rotates each rod 80 . the connection of the rod 80 and the auxiliary drive mechanism 804 may be conventional and thus a detailed description thereof will be omitted . with reference to fig1 to 6 , when the first embodiment of the present invention is in use , the cleaning water is conducted into the water - guiding pipe 101 of each long axial track 10 . the main drive mechanisms 207 or the auxiliary drive mechanisms 804 are then actuated to simultaneously move the sliding frames 20 and the long axial brushes 50 along the long axial tracks 10 . the bristle drive mechanisms 60 can be actuated to rotate the long axial brushes 50 . the rotating long axial brushes 50 create centrifugal force to cause the bristles 503 to contact the exterior wall plate 90 . the push tabs 206 of the bracket 200 of each sliding frame 20 move the long axial magnetic - attracted body 1051 along the magnet rail 105 of the long axial track 10 . when the sliding frame 20 moves the long axial magnetic - attracted body 1051 toward one of the magnetic valves 30 , the long axial magnetic - attracted body 1051 will attract the magnetic rod 302 to open a gap between the magnetic rod 302 and the sealing gasket 304 . the cleaning water in the water - guiding pipe 101 thus flows , in sequence , through the inflow holes 3013 , the recesses 3012 and the central holes 3041 , 3051 and is then sprayed on the exterior wall plate 90 . when the sliding frame 20 moves the long axial magnetic - attracted body 1051 away from the magnetic valve 30 , the spring 303 will bias the magnetic rod 302 and the magnetic plate 305 will attract the magnetic rod 302 to close the gap between the magnetic rod 302 and the sealing gasket 304 . the cleaning water in the water - guiding pipe 101 thus cannot flow out . the gap between the magnetic rod 302 and the sealing gasket 304 can be closed by either the biasing force of the spring 303 or the attractive force between the magnetic plate 305 and the magnetic rod 302 , or alternatively , the gap between the magnetic rod 302 and the sealing gasket 304 can be closed by both the biasing force of the spring 303 and the attractive force between the magnetic plate 305 and the magnetic rod 302 as shown in the drawings . the attractive force between the long axial magnetic - attracted body 1051 and the magnetic rod 302 is greater than either the attractive force between the magnetic plate 305 and the magnetic rod 302 or the biasing force of the spring 303 , or alternatively , the attractive force between the long axial magnetic - attracted body 1051 and the magnetic rod 302 is greater than the sum of the attractive force between the magnetic plate 305 and the magnetic rod 302 and the biasing force of the spring 303 . in addition , the cover plate 70 can collect the cleaning water during the cleaning process and the collected cleaning water can thus be drained from a bottom of the cover plate 70 . the cover plate 70 also provides a protective effect and aesthetic appearance . with the above - mentioned structure , the exterior wall plate 90 can be easily cleaned . with reference to fig8 to 10 , same as the first embodiment , a second embodiment of the present invention comprises the parallel long axial tracks 10 attached to an exterior wall plate 90 and the sliding frames 20 slid along the long axial tracks 10 . the second embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that the bristle drive mechanisms 60 of the first embodiment rotate the long axial brushes 50 but the bristle drive mechanisms 60 b of the second embodiment move the long axial brushes 50 b in reciprocating longitudinal movement . the rotating long axial brushes 50 of the first embodiment are applied to cleaning the exterior wall plate 90 with a rough surface . the longitudinally reciprocating long axial brushes 50 b of the second embodiment are applied to cleaning the exterior wall plate 90 with a flat surface and are applied in a situation in which there is a long distance between two adjacent sliding frames 20 . the second embodiment of the present invention comprises at least two long axial tracks 10 , a plurality of magnetic valves 30 , at least two sliding frames 20 , at least two bristle drive mechanisms 60 b , at least one long axial brush 50 b and a cover plate 70 b . with reference to fig4 , the magnetic valve 30 of the second embodiment is the same as the magnetic valve 30 of the first embodiment and thus a detailed description thereof will be omitted . with reference to fig3 , 5 , 10 and 11 , the long axial track 10 and the sliding frame 20 of the second embodiment are the same as the long axial track 10 and the sliding frame 20 of the first embodiment and thus detailed descriptions thereof will be omitted . with reference to fig1 , each bristle drive mechanism 60 b , which may be cylindrical in shape , is a pneumatic or electric linear actuator and includes two ends and a longitudinally reciprocating shaft lever 601 b . the longitudinally reciprocating shaft lever 601 b is vertical to the long axial tracks 10 and has a shaft hole 602 b formed longitudinally therein . two pairs of lugs extend radially from opposite sides of the bristle drive mechanism 60 b . each pair has two lugs being at a top end and a bottom end of the bristle drive mechanism 60 b . each lug of one pair has a pivot hole 603 b formed through a distal end thereof . a pivot seat 61 b is secured to the outer surface of the front panel of the bracket 200 by screws . the pivot seat 61 b has a through hole 611 b formed longitudinally therein in alignment with the pivot holes 603 b . a pivot rod 612 b is inserted into the pivot holes 603 b and the through hole 611 b of the pivot seat 61 b to pivotally connect the bristle drive mechanism 60 b to the pivot seat 61 b . a connecting rod 604 b is rotatably mounted between the lugs of the other pair . the connecting rod 604 b has a middle section and a connecting hole 6041 b . the connecting hole 6041 b is formed radially in the middle section of the connecting rod 604 b . a telescopic drive unit 600 b has two ends , one end is inserted into the connecting hole 6041 b and the other end is rotatably connected to the outer surface of the front panel of the bracket 200 . two support members are mounted on the ends of the bristle drive mechanism 60 b . each support member has a brace 605 b and a base board 606 b . the base board 606 b is secured to the bristle drive mechanism 60 b and has two ends . one end of the base board 606 b has a hole 6061 b through which the longitudinally reciprocating shaft lever 601 b extends . the brace 605 b is vertical to the base board 606 b and extends from the other end of the base board 606 b toward the long axial brush 50 b . each of the at least one long axial brush 50 b includes a mount 501 b and a bristle structure 502 b . the mount 501 b is elongated and has two side surfaces , two end surfaces , a shaft hole 504 b , a plurality of connecting holes 505 b and two insertion holes 509 b . the shaft hole 504 b is formed longitudinally through the mount 501 b . the connecting holes 505 b are formed in the side surfaces of the mount 501 b . each insertion hole 509 b is formed longitudinally in one of the end surfaces of the mount 501 b for receiving one of the braces 605 b . the bristle structure 502 b is elongated to correspond to the length of the mount 501 b . the bristle structure 502 b has a front surface , a rear surface , a plurality of bristles 503 b and a plurality of connecting holes 5051 b . the bristles 503 b extend from the rear surface of the bristle structure 502 b . the connecting holes 5051 b are formed in the front surface of the bristle structure 502 b in alignment with the connecting holes 505 b of the mount 501 b . screws 508 b extend through the connecting holes 505 b of the mount 501 b and engage the connecting holes 5051 b of the bristle structure 502 b to secure the mount 501 b to the bristle structure 502 b . the cover plate 70 b is a board having a u - shaped cross section . the cover plate 70 b serves to protect the long axial brush 50 b . a separator 703 b is mounted between the cover plate 70 b and the long axial brush 50 b and has a plurality of ventilation holes 704 b . an air duct 705 b is formed between the separator 703 b and the cover plate 70 b . with reference to fig5 , 8 , 9 , 10 and 11 , the second embodiment of the automatic cleaning machine for wall plates of the present invention is applied in a building exterior wall plate 90 . the long axial tracks 10 are level and parallel to one another and are secured to the exterior wall plate 90 . the long axial tracks 10 are secured to the exterior wall plate 90 in the same manner as in the first embodiment of the present invention . conduits from a pump or water pipeline are put in communication with the water - guiding pipes 101 of the long axial tracks 10 . in the case illustrated in the drawings , there are three long axial tracks 10 on the exterior wall plate 90 , one sliding frame 20 on each long axial track 10 , one bristle drive mechanism 60 b on each sliding frame 20 and one long axial brush 50 b between each two adjacent bristle drive mechanisms 60 b . the shaft holes 504 b of the long axial brushes 50 b align with the shaft holes 602 b of the bristle drive mechanisms 60 b . a shaft 22 b is inserted into the shaft holes 602 b , 504 b of the bristle drive mechanisms 60 b and the long axial brushes 50 b for connecting the long axial brushes 50 b and the bristle drive mechanisms 60 b . the shaft 22 b may be a steel rope , round steel bar , flat steel bar or tube or the like . the long axial brushes 50 b and shaft 22 b are secured together by screws 506 b extending through holes 507 b in the long axial brushes 50 b and abutting the shaft 22 b . the bristle drive mechanisms 60 b and shaft 22 b are secured together by screws 6012 b extending through holes 6011 b in the longitudinally reciprocating shaft levers 601 b of the bristle drive mechanisms 60 b and abutting the shaft 22 b . the bristles 503 b of the long axial brushes 50 b face toward the exterior wall plate 90 . the long axial brushes 50 b are arranged in a line , which is vertical to the long axial tracks 10 . the cover plate 70 b is secured to the sliding frames 20 . at least one blower 706 b is attached adjacent to the air duct 705 b . preferably , two blowers 706 b are attached to two opposite ends of the air duct 705 b . the outlets of the blowers 706 b communicate with the air duct 705 b . the attachment method of the blowers 706 b may be conventional and thus a detailed description thereof will be omitted . in addition , two rods 80 are attached to the exterior wall plate 90 and are disposed at two ends of the long axial track 10 . an auxiliary drive mechanism 804 is connected to each rod 80 . the auxiliary drive mechanism 804 can rotate the rod 80 to move the sliding frames 20 . with reference to fig2 and 7 , the auxiliary drive mechanism 804 moves the sliding frames 20 in the same manner as in the first embodiment of the present invention . with reference to fig8 , 9 , 10 and 11 , when the second embodiment of the present invention is in use , the cleaning water is conducted into . the water - guiding pipe 101 of each long axial track 10 . the main drive mechanisms 207 or the auxiliary drive mechanisms 804 are then actuated to simultaneously move the sliding frames 20 and the long axial brushes 50 b along the long axial tracks 10 . the telescopic drive unit 600 b can be controlled to make its shaft retracted therewithin such that the bristles 503 b of the long axial brushes 50 b can abut the exterior wall plate 90 . the bristle drive mechanisms 60 b can be actuated to move the long axial brushes 50 b in reciprocating longitudinal movement . the push tabs 206 of the bracket 200 of each sliding frame 20 move the long axial magnetic - attracted body 1051 along the magnet rail 105 of the long axial track 10 . when the sliding frame 20 moves the long axial magnetic - attracted body 1051 toward one of the magnetic valves 30 , the long axial magnetic - attracted body 1051 will attract the magnetic rod 302 to allow the cleaning water to be sprayed on the exterior wall plate 90 . when the sliding frame 20 moves the long axial magnetic - attracted body 1051 away from the magnetic valve 30 , the spring 303 will bias the magnetic rod 302 and the magnetic plate 305 will attract the magnetic rod 302 to stop the cleaning water from flowing out . the cover plate 70 b can collect the cleaning water during the cleaning process . the blowers 706 b can be operated after the cleaning process to blow air through the air duct 705 b and out of the ventilation holes 704 b so as to remove water drops on the exterior wall plate 90 . the cover plate 70 b also provides a protective effect and aesthetic appearance . in addition , the long axial tracks 10 are made of oxidation resistant material . the long axial brushes 50 b can be disposed at sides of the building when the cleaning device does not operate . with reference to fig1 , the shaft of the telescopic drive unit 600 b is extended to push the bristle drive mechanism 60 b such that the bristles 503 b of the long axial brushes 50 b are away from the exterior wall plate 90 , thereby preventing the bristles 503 b from being deformed . 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 features of the invention , the disclosure is illustrative only . changes may be made in the details , 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 .	4
the entire disclosures of the following patents and applications are hereby incorporated by reference : u . s . pat . no . 5 , 097 , 861 granted mar . 24 , 1992 of hopkins et al . entitled irrigation method and control system ; u . s . pat . no . 5 , 444 , 611 granted aug . 22 , 1995 of peter j . woytowitz , et al . entitled lawn and garden irrigation controller ; u . s . pat . no . 5 , 829 , 678 granted nov . 3 , 1998 of richard e . hunter et al . entitled self - cleaning irrigation regulator valve apparatus ; u . s . pat . no . 6 , 088 , 621 granted jul . 11 , 2000 also of peter j . woytowitz et al . entitled portable apparatus for rapid reprogramming of irrigation controllers ; u . s . pat . no . 6 , 721 , 630 granted apr . 13 , 2004 also of peter j . woytowitz entitled expandable irrigation controller with optional high - density station module ; u . s . pat . no . 6 , 842 , 667 granted jan . 11 , 2005 of beutler et al . entitled positive station module locking mechanism for expandable irrigation controller ; pending u . s . patent application ser . no . 10 / 848 , 394 filed may 17 , 2004 also of peter j . woytowitz entitled isolated modular expandable irrigation controller ; pending u . s . patent application ser . no . 10 / 883 , 283 filed jun . 30 , 2004 also of peter j . woytowiz entitled hybrid modular / decoder irrigation controller ; pending u . s . patent application ser . no . 10 / 985 , 425 filed nov . 9 , 2004 also of peter j . woytowitz et al . and entitled evapotranspiration unit connectable to irrigation controller ; and pending u . s . patent application ser . no . 11 / 045 , 527 filed jan . 28 , 2005 also of peter j . woytowitz entitled distributed architecture irrigation controller . the aforementioned patents and applications are all assigned to hunter industries , inc ., the assignee of the subject application . referring to fig1 and 2 , an irrigation controller 10 in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention includes a wall - mountable plastic structure including a generally box - shaped front door 12 hinged along one vertical edge to a generally box - shaped back panel 14 ( fig3 ). a generally rectangular face pack 16 ( fig2 ) is removably mounted over the back panel 14 and is normally concealed by the front door 12 when not being accessed for programming . the face pack 16 has a plurality of manually actuable controls including a rotary dial switch 18 and push button switches 19 , 20 , 21 22 , 23 , 24 and 25 as well as slide switch 26 , which can be manipulated in conjunction with numbers , words or graphic symbols indicated on a liquid crystal display 28 for entering or selecting a watering program as is well known in the art of electronic irrigation controllers . custom watering programs can be created by the user by manipulating the rotary dial switch 18 and selected ones of the push button switches 19 , 20 , 21 22 , 23 , 24 and 25 . alternatively , existing pre - programmed watering programs can be selected , such as watering all zones every other day for five minutes per zone . the face pack 16 ( fig1 and 2 ) supports a main circuit board assembly ( not illustrated ) with a processor , hereafter described , for executing and implementing a stored watering program . an electrical connection is made between the face pack 16 and the components in the back panel 14 through a ribbon cable 29 ( fig4 ). the circuitry inside the face pack 16 can be powered by a battery to allow a person to remove the face pack 16 , un - plug the ribbon cable 29 , and walk around the lawn , garden area or golf course while entering a watering program or altering a pre - existing watering program . the stored watering program can be a complex set of run time and cycle programs , or a portion thereof , such as a simple five minute cycle for a single station . female multi - pin electrical connectors 30 ( fig4 ) mounted in the underside walls of six removable rectangular station modules 31 - 36 ( fig3 ) receive corresponding male multi - pin electrical connectors 38 ( fig4 ). the modules 31 - 36 are received in side - by - side fashion in outwardly opening rectangular receptacles formed in a plastic support structure 40 mounted within the back panel 14 ( fig3 ). the male multi - pin connectors 38 are mounted in the receptacles . the back panel 14 is a separate housing from the face pack 16 that encloses the processor , the functions of which are hereafter described in greater detail . the module 31 may be a master module that interfaces with a pump and sensor ( not illustrated ). a locking bar 42 can be manually slid left and right in fig3 between locked and unlocked positions to secure and un - secure the station modules 31 - 36 in their receptacles as disclosed in the aforementioned u . s . pat . no . 6 , 842 , 667 . a raised projection 44 on the locking bar 42 is grasped between the thumb and index finger to slide the locking bar 42 . the raised projection 44 also serves as a position indicator that aligns with modules locked indicia and unlocked indica formed on the upper surface of another plastic support structure 46 mounted inside back panel 14 . fig4 is a block diagram of an irrigation system that includes the controller 10 . a processor 50 mounted in the face pack 16 executes a selected watering program stored in a program memory ( pm ) 52 using a data memory ( dm ) 54 . the pm 52 may be provided as a read only memory ( rom ), a flash memory , or other suitable permanent or semi - permanent micro - electronic memory . the dm 54 is preferably a random access memory ( ram ). the processor 50 may comprise a microprocessor that uses separate memory , or a micro - computer with on - chip memory that serves the same functions as the pm 52 and dm 54 . the manually actuable controls and the display of the controller 10 are not illustrated in fig4 for the sake of simplicity . they are interfaced with the processor 50 in the usual fashion . the processor 50 is connected through suitable input / output ( i / o ) devices ( not illustrated ), an electro - optic isolator ( not illustrated ) and a bus 56 that is routed through the ribbon cable 29 to the station modules 31 - 36 in the back panel 14 . the processor 50 ( fig4 ) controls the station modules 31 - 36 . serial or multiplexed communication is enabled over the bus 56 so that all of the information as to which stations or zones should be turned on and off at any given time is present at each receptacle . a twenty - four volt ac power signal from a transformer 58 plugged into a wall outlet is supplied to each of the station modules 31 - 36 over a pair of lines 60 . the twenty - four volt ac power is used by the modules 31 - 36 for switching a plurality of solenoid actuated valves 62 between on and off states . the twenty - four volt ac power signal from the transformer 58 can also be used by a master module in order to control a pump or master valve ( not illustrated ). dc power is supplied by the power supply ( ps ) 64 to the face pack 16 via line 68 that extends within the ribbon cable 29 . typically the solenoid actuated valves 62 are mounted in subterranean plastic boxes ( not illustrated ) relatively close to the controller 10 , i . e . within one hundred feet of the controller 10 . the valves 62 control the supply of pressurized water through subterranean pvc pipes ( not illustrated ) equipped with risers and sprinklers ( not illustrated ). as used herein , the term “ valve ” includes any type of remotely controlled valve useable in an irrigation system . the term “ valve ” includes valves of the general type in which a solenoid controls a diaphragm type valve . see for example , the valve disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 6 , 079 , 437 granted jun . 27 , 2000 of beutler et al ., assigned to hunter industries , inc . the term “ valve ” also includes valves in which a pilot valve is not directly opened and closed by a solenoid , e . g hydraulically or pneumatically actuated valves that have a solenoid or its electrical equivalent somewhere in the fluid system , and not necessarily next to the gating valve , for controlling the fluid pressure to open and close the valve . a suitable electrical port ( not illustrated ) may be connected to the processor 50 for downloading a watering program that has been created on a personal computer and downloaded into a smart card , portable data shuttle or other removable media ( not illustrated ). alternatively , the processor 50 may receive programming and / or commands from a master computer and / or the internet via hard - wired or wireless connection . the processor 50 could also receive data and commands through a satellite receiver ( not illustrated ). the programming executed by the processor processor 50 can include a cleaning cycle which momentarily turns on each valve 62 after completion of a run cycle to flush debris away from the valve seat . see the aforementioned u . s . pat . no . 5 , 829 , 678 . the station modules 31 - 36 ( fig4 ) are configured for insertion into corresponding receptacles in the back panel 14 . the station modules 31 - 36 are connectable to corresponding solenoid actuated valves 62 through dedicated field valve lines 70 . the valves 62 are all connected to a common return line 72 . the lines 70 and 72 may comprise insulated twelve gauge wires whose stripped ends are secured to the screw terminals of a pair of terminal strips 74 and 76 ( fig3 ) mounted on support structure 46 physically separate and remote from the station modules 31 - 36 . the station modules 31 - 36 each include a micro - controller ( not illustrated ) and at least one switching device , such as a triac ( not illustrated ) for selectively supplying the twenty four volt ac power signal from the transformer 58 that energizes the corresponding solenoid actuated valve 62 . in the example shown , the station modules 31 - 36 each include four switching devices and can independently control four separate valves 62 . suitable synchronous serial data and asynchronous serial data station module circuits are disclosed in the aforementioned u . s . pat . no . 6 , 721 , 630 . the individual screw terminals of the terminal strips 74 and 76 are connected to individual pins of the male multi - pin electrical connectors 38 so that the triacs of the station modules 62 can selectively apply the twenty - four volt ac signal to the field valve lines 70 . in other words , one of the pins in each of the male multi - pin electrical connectors 38 is hard - wired to a corresponding screw terminal of one of the terminal strips 74 and 76 . one of the remaining pins of each male multi - pin connector 38 is used to carry power to the corresponding station module circuit from the transformer 58 . the remaining pins of each male multi - pin connector 38 are used to establish a communications link between the processor 50 and each of the station modules 31 - 36 . the terminal strips 74 and 76 could be replaced with a wide variety of terminals . as hereafter used in the claims the term “ terminals ” encompasses any type of electro - mechanical device suitable for easy and reliable connection and disconnection of the field valve lines 70 . where the field valve lines 70 are wire , such terminals include not only screw and lever type terminals , but many others such as those used on the rear of audio amplifiers , speakers , ac wiring , auto electric systems and so forth . similarly , the mating multi - pin electrical connectors 30 and 38 could be replaced with a wide variety of other types of mating electrical connectors . as used in the claims the term “ connectors ” encompasses any type of electro - mechanical devices suitable for rapid connection and disconnection of the station modules , including , but not limited to , multi - pin electrical connectors , card edge connectors and various multiple conductive path male / female plug configurations . another terminal strip 78 ( fig3 ) is mounted on support structure 46 . the terminal strip 78 provides screw terminals 80 and 82 that allow auxiliary devices to be connected to ac power and a screw terminal 84 for connecting a ground wire . another terminal strip 86 is mounted on support structure 46 and provides screw terminals 88 , 90 and 92 for connecting remote sensor inputs , such as a rain interrupt sensor or an evapotranspiration module , and / or other auxiliary devices ( not illustrated ). the common return line 72 is connected to one of the screw terminals of either terminal strip 78 or terminal strip 86 . the use of terminals separate from the station modules allows the controller 10 to be re - configured so that the station modules 31 - 36 can be stacked , i . e . inserted one on top of the other . this allows for a reduction in the overall size of the controller 10 . installation is also simplified since extra field valve lines 70 ′ ( fig4 ) can be connected to terminals , even before the extra station modules , 32 - 36 for example , are purchased and installed . service is also simplified since a defective station module can be quickly unplugged and replaced without disturbing or disconnecting any of the wiring to the valves 62 . the system of fig4 can be modified to function as a hybrid modular / decoder controller as disclosed in the aforementioned u . s . patent application ser . no . 10 / 883 , 283 . fig5 is a block diagram of an irrigation system including a hybrid modular / decoder irrigation controller 100 . the station module 31 is replaced with an encoder module 102 and some of the valves 104 have decoder circuits 106 so that they can be controlled by the processor 50 over the same pair of field valve lines 108 that together form a common multi - wire path . just as in the system of fig4 , to the field valve lines 108 to the valves 104 are attached to one of the terminal strips 74 and 76 separate from the encoder module 102 . the field valve lines 108 could be optical fibers since the valves 104 may have local power sources . in such a case the connectors could include fiber optic connectors and opto - electronic couplers to provide communications through the terminal strips 74 and 76 to the processor 50 . while i have described exemplary embodiments of a modular irrigation controllers with separate filed valve line wiring terminals , it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the invention can be modified in both arrangement and detail . as an example , the controller 10 could be designed to control a predetermined number of valves , e . g . four , without requiring the insertion of any station modules . as another example , the system of fig5 could be modified to eliminate the station modules 32 - 35 and replace them with encoder modules . therefore , the protection afforded the invention should only be limited in accordance with the following claims .	0
a cleaning member , image process cartridge , and image forming apparatus of the present invention will be explained below with the reference to the accompanying drawings . the invention will be explained with reference to a process cartridge ; however , it is to be understood that the invention can be applied to an image forming apparatus without using a process cartridge . referring now to the drawings , fig1 a shows an outline constitution of a printer according to an embodiment of the present invention . as seen in this figure , the image forming apparatus 18 includes an image carrier 1 , charging device 2 , a light 3 from laser writing unit 12 , a developing device 4 , a transfer device 5 , and a cleaning member 6 . the embodiment of fig1 a includes a process cartridge 10 which includes the image carrier 1 , charging device 2 , developing device 4 and cleaning member 6 in one unit . in addition , the apparatus includes paper feed 11 , fixing device 13 , a pair of eject rollers 14 , eject part 15 , paper feed roller 16 , a pair of conveying roller pairs 17 , and a cover 19 . in operation , image carrier 1 is rotated in the direction of the mark shown in fig1 b by a drive means ( not illustrated ). the surface of image carrier 1 is uniformly charged by charging device 2 and a latent image is then formed on the surface of the image carrier 1 by a light 3 . the latent image is made a visible image by the developing device 4 . the visible image on the image carrier 1 is then transferred to paper which is conveyed from the paper feed part 11 , paper feed roller 16 and through conveying roller 17 to transfer device 5 . after transferring the developed image to paper , the remaining toner on the surface of image carrier 1 is removed by contacting a cleaning member 6 to image carrier 1 . details of the cleaning member 6 in relation to the process cartridge 10 are shown in fig1 b . as seen in this figure , cleaning member 6 is composed of elastic blade member 61 configured to remove a remaining toner , and support plate member 62 configured to fix elastic blade member 61 to the printer , for example . the elastic blade member 61 is fixed to support plate member 62 by using adhesion bond or a melting process . as seen in fig1 b , the support plate member 62 is bent to add strength . the support plate has a fold portion 63 that is bent at an end of the support member opposite to fixing elasticity blade member 61 . the fold portion is substantially parallel to an axis of the image carrier . in addition , the support plate 62 includes a reinforcement portion 67 to further strengthen the support plate 62 . fig1 ( c ) is a perspective view showing details of the cleaning member 6 . a fix face portion 64 of the support plate member 62 has a registration hole 65 and a fixing hole 66 against the process cartridge 10 . the fix plate portion also provides a surface where the elastic blade member 61 is attached . reference designation 68 shows contacting point that elasticity blade member 61 contacts image carrier 1 . furthermore , the fix face portion 64 has a reinforcement portion 67 to add strength to support plate member 62 . the reinforcement portion has a semicircle recess cavity that forms a convex projection that extends along a fixing site of blade member 61 . the reinforcement portion 67 extends substantially along an axis of the image carrier . in other words , a convex projection of the reinforcement portion 67 , the registration hole 65 and fixing hole 66 are on the same fix face portion 64 . as shown in fig1 d , the reinforcement portion 67 is formed between registration holes 65 and fixing holes 66 . in detail , it is preferable that the reinforcement portion 67 is substantially centered between the registration holes 65 and fixing holes 66 . the present inventors have recognized that if a support plate member 62 will be made of thin and cheap member , noises occur because of its weak strength . use of a thick member to increase strength has been proposed , but this would increase cost and weight of a process cartridge . furthermore , a complicated structure of the process cartridge would be needed to fix a thick member . in the embodiment of the present invention , the fix face portion 64 to fix the elastic blade member 61 and reinforcement member 67 are disposed on the same face to substantially prevent noises , even if it uses a thin and cheap member . fig2 shows a conventional cleaning member . as seen in this figure , a fixing hole is not formed on the same face of the support plate member 62 a that elastic blade member 61 a is fixed . thus , variations in distances a , b and c will add to a cumulative mismatched difference in the relative position of opposing edges of the cleaning member . this large mismatched difference makes it hard to maintain accuracy of distance from contacting point 68 a that elasticity blade member contacts image carrier 1 . with the present invention , reinforcement portion 67 , the registration hole 65 and fixing hole 66 are on the same face of the fix face portion 64 , which can prevent increasing mismatched differences . therefore , the present invention can maintain accuracy of distance from contacting point 68 and uniformity of contact , to be effective to prevent or reduce noises . in addition , by attaching said cleaning member 6 to image forming apparatus or process cartridge 10 which including image carrier 1 and developing device 4 , reliability will improve . it is to be understood that the invention described in fig1 a - 1d is exemplary only and variations in the structure may be made without departing from spirit of the present invention . for example , a cross - section of reinforcement portion 67 is not limited to an example of fig1 a - 1d and may adopt various cross - sections type ; such as a trench type shown j . p . 7 - 175393 . in addition , while the reinforcement function device 67 is described as formed by a process of pressing , other processing may be used . the present inventors conducted experiments on apparatus having a charging device 2 as a charging roller ( dc bias 1500v ), an image carrier 1 as an opc drum ( diameter 60 mm , rotation speed 250 mm / second ), and a developing device 4 as a two ingredient dry development device . the image forming apparatus used for the experiments was an image forming apparatus made by ricoh corporation and having a product name “ imagioneo350 .” the cleaning members 6 of fig3 ( a ), ( b ), ( c ) and ( d ) were used in the experiment . fig3 ( d ) is an embodiment of the present invention . fig3 ( c ) is a cleaning member having removing reinforcement portion 67 removed from fig3 ( d ); fig3 ( a ) is a cleaning member having reinforcement portion 67 and fold portion 63 removed from fig3 ( d ); and fig3 ( b ) has a larger fold portion 63 than fig3 ( c ). the elastic blade member 61 of cleaning member shown in fig3 ( a ), ( b ), ( c ) and ( d ) has a hardness 70 °, and a polyurethane rubber blade with thickness 2 mm . the support plate 62 use zinc metal plate with a thickness of 1 . 6 mm . adhesion of elasticity blade member 61 with support plate member 62 is was provided by a heat melting process . in order to evaluate the differences of the cleaning members of fig3 a - 3d , the present inventors printed a single page every five seconds using apparatus having each of the cleaning members of fig3 a - 3d . the inventors then listened to noises corresponding to the above - described oscillation after 2000 pieces were printed . the result is shown in fig4 . as seen in this figure , noises occurred in fig3 ( a ), ( b ) and ( c ). however , in the embodiment of the present invention in fig3 ( d ) noises do not occur . as for comparing the strength of holding members , the present inventors measured cross section two - dimensional moment of each holder . the results are also shown in fig4 . it is understood from fig4 that simply adding strength cannot prevent noises . thus , it is very effective to form reinforcement portion 67 on the same face that elasticity blade member 61 is adhered to support plate 62 , as taught by the present invention . furthermore , it became clear that a big effect of preventing noises is achieved by making a value of a cross section two - dimensional more than 50 mm 4 . fig5 a and 5b show another embodiment of the present invention . as shown in fig5 ( a ) and ( b ), the reinforcement portion 67 may be formed apart from registration holes 65 and fixing holes 66 in the vertical direction with reference to an axis of the image carrier 1 . however , in this embodiment of the invention , the effect on preventing noises becomes reduced . fig6 shows a variation of the present invention . as seen in this figure , the reinforcement function part 67 can be formed with plural pieces along an axial direction of the image carrier 1 . however , in this case , a deformation of the cleaning member will become larger because of increased processing of the member . specifically , a flatness accuracy of fix face portion 64 of support portion 62 may be reduced , or a deformation may concentrate on the weak portion which may occur whether reinforcement portion exists or not . therefore , it is preferable that reinforcement portion 67 is continually formed . however when there is need to form plural pieces of reinforcement portion 67 , fixing holes 66 are preferably formed between reinforcement portion 67 in order to reduce deformation . in this case , reinforcement portion 67 is formed substantially in the center of two fixing holes 66 , so that it can prevent oscillation in the center of the two fixing holes 66 . fig7 shows expansion figure ( a ) and cross - section figure ( b ) of a cleaning member in accordance with another embodiment of present invention . the cleaning member 6 has a construction in which the support plate 62 is bent between one end having a portion to fix an elastic blade member 61 and the reinforcement portion 67 . it is bent in the direction along the axis of image carrier 1 , so that an angle is formed between the end and the reinforcement portion . reinforcement portion 67 having a convex portion is formed between fold portion 63 and a portion which has been bent along substantially all of the width of support plate member 62 in an axial direction of the image carrier 1 . this reinforcement portion 67 is not formed between registration holes 65 and fixing holes 66 , which is different from former embodiment . furthermore , a cut portion 69 is formed by cutting the end of the support plate 62 that is contacting the image carrier 1 , so contacting point 68 of a elasticity blade member 61 needs not to project from the end of support plate 62 . this embodiment can make space smaller than the above - described embodiments . even if contacting point 68 retreats from a cut portion 69 , it can contact the image carrier 1 . thus , it seems to be understood from fig7 ( b ) that a configuration of this figure can get the same effect as the above - described embodiments . fig8 shows an expansion figure of a cleaning member according to another embodiment of the present invention . cleaning member 6 of this embodiment can be adapted to any of the above - described embodiments . as seen in fig8 , there is a groove portion 70 along the convex portion of reinforcement portion 67 in the direction the axis of image carrier 1 . when reinforcement portion 67 is formed on support plate member 62 , support plate member 62 is pulled . especially , in the embodiment of fig1 a - 1d , there is not a reinforcement portion 67 along all the width in the direction along the axis of image carrier 1 . therefore , a strength of pulling force on the support plate member 62 is different along portions having reinforcement portion 67 . moreover , the distance from contacting point 68 of elasticity blade member 61 to the end of support plate member 62 varies along portions where the reinforcement portion 67 is or not . this variation prevents proper cleaning by elasticity blade member 61 . the embodiment of fig8 solves or reduces this problem by forming groove portion . in addition , it is preferable to form groove portion 70 on either side of reinforcement portion 67 . numerous modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in light of the above teachings . it is therefore to be understood that , within the scope of the appended claims , the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described herein .	6
exemplary embodiments of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings and to working examples and a comparative example . it should be understood however that the embodiments below are intended by way of illustrative examples of methods for manufacturing a prismatic nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery , as an instance of a sealed battery , that carry out the technical concepts of the invention , and are not intended by way of limiting the invention to these particular manufacturing methods for a prismatic nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery . the invention could equally well be applied to yield other embodiments within the scope and spirit of the claims . fig1 a is a front view illustrating the internal structure of a prismatic battery , and fig1 b is a cross sectional view along line ib - ib in fig1 a . fig2 is a cross sectional view along line ii - ii in fig1 a , which describes a resistance - welding method . fig3 is an enlarged cross - sectional view , corresponding to fig2 , of the prismatic battery in the first and second working examples . fig4 is an enlarged cross - sectional view , corresponding to fig2 , of the prismatic battery in the comparative example . fig5 is an enlarged cross - sectional view , corresponding to fig2 , of a variant of the prismatic battery in the working examples . first of all a prismatic nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery that is as an instance of a sealed battery and is common to both the working examples and the comparative example will be described using fig1 a and 1b . in this nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery 10 , a flat wound electrode assembly 11 , which is made up of positive electrode plates ( not shown in the drawings ) and negative electrode plates ( not shown in the drawings ) wound with separators ( not shown in the drawings ) interposed , is housed inside a rectangular outer can 12 , and the outer can 12 is sealed by a sealing plate 13 . the flat wound electrode assembly 11 has , at one end in the winding axis direction , positive electrode substrate exposed portions 14 over which positive electrode binder is not spread , and at the other end , negative electrode substrate exposed portions 15 over which negative electrode binder is not spread . the positive electrode substrate exposed portions 14 are connected to a positive electrode terminal 17 via a positive electrode collector 16 and the negative electrode substrate exposed portions 15 are connected to a negative electrode terminal 19 via a negative electrode collector 18 1 . the positive electrode terminal 17 and the negative electrode terminal 19 are fixed to the sealing plate 13 via insulating members 20 and 21 respectively . to fabricate this prismatic nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery , the flat wound electrode assembly 11 is inserted into the outer can 12 , then the sealing plate 13 is laser - welded over the mouth portion of the outer can 12 , after which the nonaqueous electrolyte is poured in through an electrolyte pour hole ( not shown in the drawings ) and the electrolyte pour hole is sealed up . examples of an electrolyte which can be used include a solution of ethylene carbonate and diethyl carbonate mixed in the proportion 3 : 7 by volume , into which 1 mole / l of lipf 6 is dissolved to produce a nonaqueous electrolyte . next is described the specific manufacturing method for the flat wound electrode assembly 11 , which is common to both the working examples and the comparative example . the positive electrode plates are fabricated as follows . first of all , lithium cobalt oxide ( licoo 2 ) powder serving as the positive electrode active material , carbon - based powder such as acetylene black or graphite serving as the conducting material , and binding agent constituted of polyvinylidene - fluoride ( pvdf ) are mixed in the proportions 94 %, 3 % and 3 % by mass . then an organic solvent constituted of n - methyl - 2 - propylene ( nmp ) is added to the resulting mixture and stirred in to form a positive electrode active material slurry . next , a positive electrode substrate constituted of aluminum foil ( say 20 ,, m thick ) is prepared , and the positive electrode active material slurry made in the foregoing manner is applied evenly over both surfaces of the positive electrode substrate to form positive electrode active material mixture layers . the positive electrode active material is applied in such a manner that in the positive electrode active material mixture layer on one surface , a bare portion ( positive electrode substrate exposed portion ) of a particular width ( 12 mm in this example ) where the slurry is not applied is formed along the edge of the positive electrode substrate . after that , the positive electrode substrate with the positive electrode active material mixture layers formed thereon is passed through a drier , where the nmp that was needed during fabrication of the slurry is removed and the substrate is dried . after such drying , the substrate is rolled in a roll press into a positive electrode plate of thickness 0 . 06 mm . the positive electrode plate thus fabricated is then cut into a strip 100 mm wide , so that a positive electrode plate is obtained that is provided with a 10 mm wide strip - form exposed portion of aluminum positive electrode substrate . the negative electrode plates are fabricated as follows . first of all , natural graphite powder serving as the negative electrode active material , and carboxymethyl cellulose ( cmc ) and styrene - butadiene rubber ( sbr ) serving as binding agents , are mixed in the proportions 98 %, 1 % and 1 % by mass . then water is added and the mixture is stirred to produce a negative electrode active material slurry . next , a negative electrode substrate constituted of copper foil ( say 12 ,, m thick ) is prepared , and the negative electrode active material slurry made in the foregoing manner is applied evenly over both surfaces of the negative electrode substrate to form negative electrode active material mixture layers . the negative electrode active material is applied in such a manner that in the negative electrode active material mixture layer on one surface , a bare portion ( negative electrode substrate exposed portion ) of a particular width ( 10 mm in this example ) where the slurry is not applied is formed along the edge of the negative electrode substrate . after that , the negative electrode substrate with the negative electrode active material mixture layers formed thereon is passed through a drier and dried . after such drying , the substrate is rolled in a roll press into a negative electrode plate of thickness 0 . 05 mm . the negative electrode plate thus fabricated is then cut into a strip 110 mm wide , so that a negative electrode plate is obtained that is provided with an 8 mm wide strip - form exposed portion of negative electrode substrate . first , the positive electrode substrate exposed portions of the positive electrode plates , and negative electrode substrate exposed portions of the negative electrode plates , that were obtained in the foregoing manner , are displaced so as not to overlie the electrode active material layers that are respectively opposed to them , and then the electrode plates are wound , with porous polyethylene separators ( 0 . 022 mm thick and 100 mm wide ) interposed , to produce a flat wound electrode assembly 11 which has multiple positive electrode substrate exposed portions 14 constituted of aluminum foil formed at one end and negative electrode substrate exposed portions 15 constituted of copper foil at the other , and which is used in the working examples and the comparative example . a positive electrode collector 16 and a positive electrode collector receiving part ( not shown in the drawings ) made of aluminum are attached by resistance welding to the positive electrode substrate exposed portions 14 of the flat wound electrode assembly 11 fabricated in the foregoing manner , and likewise , a negative electrode collector 18 1 and a negative electrode collector receiving part 18 3 made of copper are attached by resistance welding to the negative electrode substrate exposed portions 15 . the attachment of the negative electrode collector 18 1 and negative electrode collector receiving part 18 3 made of copper to the negative electrode substrate exposed portions 15 by resistance welding will now be described . in the case where the copper - made negative electrode collector 18 1 and negative electrode collector receiving part 18 3 are attached to the negative electrode substrate exposed part 15 by a resistance - welding , as shown in fig2 , the negative electrode collector 18 1 is placed on an electrode pole 24 1 of which bottom part is fixed and further , the negative electrode collector receiving part 18 3 is placed thereon through the negative electrode substrate exposed part 15 . next , an upper electrode pole 24 2 is placed on the negative electrode collector receiving part 18 3 , and by pushing the electrode pole 24 2 to the negative electrode collector receiving part 18 3 with a pressuring force predetermined experimentally beforehand and by passing a predetermined resistance - welding current , the resistance - welding is performed . in fig2 , shown is an instance in which the negative electrode collector receiving part 18 3 in which a protuberance 18 2 functioning as a projection is provided was used . thus , after the copper - made negative electrode collector 18 1 and negative electrode collector receiving part 18 3 are attached to the negative electrode substrate exposed part 15 by a resistance - welding , separately a positive electrode collector and a positive electrode collector receiving part are attached to a positive electrode collector exposed part , a prismatic nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery as the sealed battery is assembled as described above . next , as the first and second working examples and the comparative example , the difference in the effect between the case where the grooves of the present invention are formed in the negative electrode collector 18 1 or the negative electrode collector receiving part 18 3 ( the first and second working examples ) and the case where the grooves are not formed in them ( the comparative example ) was confirmed . in the first working example , as shown in fig2 , a copper - made negative electrode collector receiving part 18 3 in which a tapered protuberance 18 2 ( having a height of 0 . 8 mm and a diameter of the bottom part of 2 mm ) functioning as a projection is formed in the central part thereof , was used . then , as shown in fig3 , a copper - made negative electrode collector 18 1 in which a flat - surfaced protuberance 18 4 in a columnar shape having a diameter of 4 mm and a height of 0 . 5 mm is formed in the central part thereof was used . surrounding the flat - surfaced protuberance 18 4 and departing from the protuberance 18 4 by 1 mm , an insulating tape layer 22 having a thickness of about 0 . 5 mm produced by laminating insulating tapes ( a polypropylene tape in which the substrate is made - of polypropylene tape and an adhesive is rubber - based ) having a thickness of 40 μm was adhered . that is , a groove 23 formed in the negative electrode collector 18 1 of the first working example has a groove diameter of 4 mm , a groove width of 1 mm and a groove depth of 0 . 5 mm . in the above - described state , by performing the resistance - welding as described above , it was inspected visually whether the spattered particles splash out to the outside or not . further , after the resistance - welding , by peeling compellingly the negative electrode collector 18 1 and the negative electrode collector receiving part 18 3 from the negative electrode substrate exposed part 15 , it was also inspected visually whether the spattered particles are captured within the groove 23 or not and whether the spattered particles splash to the electrode assembly 11 side or not . the results of the inspections are summarized in table 1 . here , fig3 shows schematically the form of a molten portion 25 formed at the resistance - welded portion after the resistance - welding and the existing state of spattered particles 26 . in the second working example , the same negative electrode collector receiving part 18 3 as that used in the first working example was used . then , a copper - made negative electrode collector 18 1 in which a flat - surfaced protuberance 18 4 in a columnar shape having a diameter of 20 mm and a height of 2 mm is formed in the central part thereof was used . like in the first working example , surrounding the flat - surfaced protuberance 18 4 and departing from the protuberance 18 4 by 9 mm , an insulating tape layer having a thickness of about 2 mm produced by laminating the same insulating tapes as those in the first working example was adhered . that is , a groove 23 formed on the negative electrode collector 18 1 of the second working example has a groove diameter of 20 mm , a groove width of 9 mm and a groove depth of 2 mm . in the above - described state , by performing the resistance - welding as described above , it was inspected visually whether the spattered particles splash to the outside or not . further , after the resistance - welding , by peeling compellingly the negative electrode collector 18 1 and the negative electrode collector receiving part 18 3 from the negative electrode substrate exposed part 15 , it was also inspected visually whether the spattered particles are captured within the groove 23 or not and whether the spattered particles splash to the electrode assembly 11 side or not . the results of the inspections are summarized in table 1 . here , fig3 shows schematically the form of a molten portion 25 formed at the resistance - welded portion after the resistance - welding and the existing state of spattered particles 26 , with proviso that the size of each part shown in fig3 is different from that in the second working example . in the comparative example , the resistance - welding was performed using the same negative electrode collector receiving part 18 3 as that used in the first working example and a copper - made flat - surfaced negative electrode collector 18 1 as shown in fig4 . in the above - described state , by performing the resistance - welding as described above , it was inspected visually whether the spattered particles splash to the outside or not . further , after the resistance - welding , by peeling compellingly the negative electrode collector 18 1 and the negative electrode collector receiving part 18 3 from the negative electrode substrate exposed part 15 , it was also inspected visually whether the spattered particles are captured within the groove 23 or not and whether the spattered particles splash to the electrode assembly 11 side or not . the results of the inspections are summarized in table 1 . here , fig4 shows schematically the form of a molten portion 25 formed at the resistance - welded portion after the resistance - welding and the existing state of spattered particles 26 . from the results shown in table 1 , it is apparent that by forming the grooves 23 around the negative electrode collector 18 1 or the negative electrode collector receiving part 18 3 surrounding the resistance - welded portion , the particles generated by the spattering are rarely splashed into the inside or to the outside of the electrode assembly 11 , so that a sealed battery 10 which is high - reliability with low occurrence of internal short - circuits can be obtained . additionally , in the first and second working examples , the case where both the negative electrode collector and the negative electrode collector receiving part are made of copper was described . however , copper is a metal having the highest thermal conductivity among metals commonly - used as a substrate of the electrode , so that when the present invention is applied to a case where the collector etc . are made of another metal than copper , the spattered metal particles splash more rarely to the outside . therefore , it is apparent that according to the present invention , irrespective of the type of the sealed battery , a sealed battery which is high - reliability with low occurrence of internal short - circuits can be obtained . in first and second working examples , shown is an example for forming the groove 23 by using a copper - made negative electrode collector 18 1 in which a flat - surfaced protuberance 18 4 in a cylindrical shape is formed in the central part thereof and by adhering an insulating tape layer having a predetermined thickness produced by laminating insulating tapes , surrounding the flat - surfaced protuberance 18 4 and departing from the protuberance 18 4 by a predetermined distance . however , in the present invention , since the groove 23 functions as a space for capturing the particles generated by the spatter , the groove 23 may be formed directly in the negative electrode collector 18 1 or the negative electrode collector receiving part 18 3 by cutting or pressing . by employing such a constitution , the entire wall of the groove 23 is made of a metal and consequently , the particles generated by the spattering become unlikely to splash , so that a sealed battery which is higher - reliability with lower occurrence of internal short - circuits becomes able to be obtained . a state of the welded portion when the resistance - welding was performed using a sealed battery in which the groove 23 was formed directly in the negative electrode collector 18 1 by cutting , is shown in fig5 . here , fig5 shows schematically the form of a molten portion 25 formed at the resistance - welded portion after the resistance - welding and the existing state of spattered particles 26 . in the first and second working examples , though the protuberance 18 2 of the negative electrode collector receiving part 18 3 which functions as a projection has a shape in which the cross section area of the tip portion is smaller than that of the base portion , the shape of the protuberance 18 2 is not limited to this shape . here , the protuberance 18 2 is not an essential constitution , however , when this protuberance 18 2 is provided , the generation of the spattered particles becomes more rarely , which is more preferred . in addition , in the above - described embodiments , the examples using a prismatic outer packaging can are described , the shape of the outer packaging can is not particularly limited and the present invention is also applicable to a sealed battery using an outer packaging can having a cylindrical shape . however , taking into consideration the space efficiency of the instrument incorporating batteries , it is more preferred to use an outer packaging can having a prismatic shape . in addition , though in the above - described embodiments , the examples using a flat - shaped wound electrode assembly are described , it is apparent that the present invention is applicable also to an electrode assembly produced by laminating plate - shaped positive electrode and negative electrode plates through the separator .	7
referring to the drawings , preferred embodiments of the digital signal recording circuit according to the present invention will be explained in detail . the first embodiment of the digital signal recording circuit according to the present invention is first explained by referring to fig5 which is a schematic block circuit diagram of the first embodiment . data signals are supplied as nrz signals with the transfer rate of 110 mbits per second ( mbps ). thus the maximum basic frequency of the data signals is 55 mhz , with the window margin during reproduction of 9 . 09 nsec . digital video signals of the maximum basic frequency of 55 mhz are fed from the digital signal processing system of the preceding stage to an input terminal 1 of the present digital signal recording circuit . these digital video signals are fed to a data terminal d of a d - flipflop circuit 2 , the clock input terminal cl of which is fed with clock signals from the digital signal processing system via an input terminal 3 . the frequency of the clock signals is twice the maximum basic frequency 55 mhz of the video data signals , that is , 110 mhz . data signals are output from an output terminal q of the d - flipflop circuit 2 and thence fed to the primary coil of a data channel 4 of a rotary transformer . the data channel 4 of the rotary transformer transmits data signals fed to a coil of the primary side , that is , the stationary side , to a coil of the secondary side , that is , the rotary side . by the data channel 4 , the low - frequency components of the data signals transmitted to the rotary side are cut off by characteristics of the rotary transformer . besides , the transmitted signals become jitter - containing data signals due to transmission distortion . the data signals , the low range components of which are cut off by the transmission distortion and in which jitter is contained by the transmission distortion , are fed via a differential amplifier circuit 5 to an adder 6 . output signals of the adder 8 are fed to a slicer 7 which converts the input signals into bi - level signals or otherwise wave - shapes the input signals . the slicer 7 converts the transmitted data signals into discrete signals , that is , into bi - level signals , depending on whether the input transmission data signals exceed a pre - set level . the transmission data signals , converted into the bi - level signals , are signals converted from data signals , the low range components of which are cut off by the data channel 4 of the rotary transformer and in which jitter is contained by the transmission distortion . these bi - level signals are fed to a quantization feedback circuit 8 . the quantization feedback circuit 8 comprises a differential amplifier circuit 21 having a differential output , a differential amplifier circuit 25 having a differential input , two signal lines respectively made up of resistors 22 , 23 and interconnecting the amplifier circuits 21 , 25 , and a capacitor 24 connected across the two signal lines . the function of the capacitor 24 is to enable the time constant to be changed as desired depending on prevailing conditions and to reduce the adverse effects of disturbances as well as to enable the feedback quantity control and by - pass control to be performed easily . that is , by inserting the resistors 22 , 23 in the two signal lines , the feedback quantity may be controlled by these resistors so that various input amplitudes may be coped with . it is also possible to inhibit quantization feedback by short - circuiting the two signal lines by conductors , the feedback quantity then being zero . the quantization feedback circuit 8 may be configured as shown in fig6 . that is , the quantization feedback circuit 8 may be made up of a series connection of a differential amplifier circuit 26 , a coil 27 and a differential amplifier circuit 29 , and a resistor 28 connected at its one end to a point between the coil 27 and the differential amplifier circuit 29 and its other end grounded , as shown at a in fig6 . alternatively , it may be made up of a series connection of a differential amplifier circuit 28 , a resistor 27 and a differential amplifier circuit 29 , and a capacitor 31 connected at its one terminal to a point between the resistor 27 and the differential amplifier circuit 33 and its other terminal grounded , as shown at b in fig6 . the quantization feedback circuit 8 amplifies data signals obtained by discretely quantizing bi - level signals supplied from the slicer , that is , output signals of the adder 8 , and routes the amplified data signals to the adder 8 . the adder 8 is fed with the jitter - containing data signals , the low frequency components of which are cut off by the data channel 4 of the rotary transformer , as discussed above . however , these input data signals are augmented to by addition with the above data signals quantized by the quantization feedback circuit 8 , so that the resulting data signals are compensated for the cutoff low - frequency components . with the quantization feedback circuit 8 , the time constant as found as the product of the inductance of the rotary transformer and the resistance of the amplifier circuitry , is realized by the resistors 22 , 23 and the capacitor 24 . that is , while the rotary transformer has filter characteristics of the first - order high - pass filter ( hpf ), the quantization feedback circuit 8 has filter characteristics of a low - pass filter complementary to the high - pass filter . thus the adder 6 sums the data signal whose low range components have been cut off and the data signal whose low range components have been cut off and whose high range components have also been cut off , that is , the signal with the rounded waveform , so that the data signal having the same waveform as the signal prior to being fed to the rotary transformer , that is , the data signal free of low range cut - off , is now fed to the slicer 7 . the data signal , thus compensated for interruption of the low - range components , is converted by the slicer 7 into a bi - level signal , which is fed to a data terminal d of a d - flipflop circuit 9 , functioning as a latching means . the quantization feedback circuit 8 basically can be driven at a low speed , so that the power consumption with the digital signal recording circuit of the present first embodiment is negligibly small . meanwhile , the quantization feedback by the quantization feedback circuit 8 may be controlled by the circuit arrangement shown in fig5 . it is , however , necessary to perform sufficient waveform equalization if it is desired to achieve complete compensation for the data signal , the low range components of which have been cut off by 100 % quantization feedback . the main objective of effecting the sufficient waveform equalization is to eliminate the jitter completely . however , if the data signal is insufficient in amplitude due to deterioration in the high frequency range , the input signal cannot be converted into high or low level signals , as a result the signal is fixed at high or low level even though the data signal is changing in amplitude . this also accounts for effecting the waveform equalization . if the quantization feedback of the quantization feedback circuit 8 is set to , for example , 50 %, instead of 100 %, broad - range transmission , inclusive of a dc component , becomes possible , although jitter is still left . the relation between the quantity of quantization feedback and the range of transmission is explained by referring to fig7 which illustrates how the measured delay time length is changed with changes in the quantity of quantization feedback by the quantization feedback circuit 8 of the data signal transmitted by the rotary transformer . in fig7 the frequency of the input rectangular wave is plotted on the abscissa and the delay time of the zero - crossing point of the output waveform is plotted on the ordinate . with 0 % quantization feedback , that is , in the absence of feedback , the signal not higher than 1 mhz is cut off . on the contrary , with 100 % quantization feedback , transmission may be achieved up to the low range without time difference . however , the high frequency component is cut off due to insufficient amplitude . if variation or temperature characteristics are taken into account , it is probable that , with the present quantization feedback circuit 8 , the signal components with the frequency of not lower than 55 mhz are cut off . conversely , with 50 % quantization feedback , there is produced a difference in the delay time at the high frequency side from that at the low frequency side . however , the data signal can be transmitted over a wide range of frequencies from a low range to a frequency range as high as 150 mhz . this 50 % quantization feedback can be realized by setting the amplitude of the feedback signal , which is the output level of the slicer , to 100 mvpp with respect an to input amplitude of e . g . 200 mvpp . thus , with the first embodiment of the digital signal recording circuit , while jitter is left to some extent in the quantization feedback circuit 8 , transmission over a wide frequency range is realized , and other means are employed in order to reduce the remaining jitter . with the first embodiment of the digital signal recording circuit , clock signals supplied via the input terminal 3 are also supplied to a frequency divider 10 . the frequency divider 10 has its frequency dividing ratio set to , for example , 2 , for halving the frequency of the clock signals . the clock signals , thus set to the same frequency as the maximum basic frequency of the data signal by frequency division by the frequency divider 10 , are essentially matched in delay time with the data signal . this facilitates delay time management to render it unnecessary to perform adjustment for diminishing the individual time difference . while the clock signal is of a unitary frequency and hence can be changed in delay time by a simplified primary side filter , the frequency of the clock signal , now lowered by the frequency divider 10 , becomes wider in its variable range , thus enabling optimization of the delay time difference . on the other hand , since the frequency of the clock signals are lowered , the transmission waveform may be improved , while the cross - talk to the rotary transformer and the variety of signal lines in its vicinity may be diminished . the frequency of the clock signal after frequency division is equal to the maximum basic frequency of the video data signal , as discussed above . the clock signals after frequency division are supplied to the primary side core of the clock channel 11 different from the data channel of the rotary transformer . the clock channel 11 of the rotary transformer transmits the frequency - divided clock signals , fed to the primary side coil on the fixed side , to the secondary coil on the rotary side . the frequency - divided clock signal is of a unitary frequency and hence does not produced jitter even if it is delayed . the frequency - divided clock signal , transmitted by the clock channel 11 to the rotary side , is supplied via a differential amplifier circuit 12 to a slicer 13 and a level detection circuit 14 adapted for converting the input signal into a bi - level signal . the slicer 13 converts the frequency - divided clock signal into a bi - level signal , that is , into a high logical level signal ( h ) and a low logical level signal ( l ). the h signal and the l signal are fed to a frequency step - up circuit 15 . the frequency step - up circuit 15 generally is of a circuit arrangement shown in fig8 . that is , the frequency step - up circuit 15 in general is made up of an integrating circuit 44 comprising a resistor r and a capacitor c , and an exclusive - or gate 42 . the general frequency step - up operation of the frequency step - up circuit is explained by referring to the waveform diagram shown in fig9 . the logical signal , referred to herein as clock pulse signal s1 , supplied to an input terminal 41 of the frequency step - up circuit 15 , is supplied to an integrating circuit 44 , which is made up of the resistor r and the capacitor c and generates a serrated wave signal s2 . the clock pulse signal s1 and the serrated wave signal s2 are supplied to an exclusive or gate 42 which discriminates &# 34 ; 0 &# 34 ; and &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ; from each other based on its threshold value th . thus the exclusive or gate 42 outputs an output pulse signal s3 having the frequency twice that of the clock pulse signal s1 . the output pulse signal of the frequency step - up circuit 15 has a duty ratio of a / b and is output at an output terminal 43 . with the present first embodiment of the digital signal recording circuit , employing the frequency step - up circuit 15 , performing the above - described general operation , the output signal of the slicer 13 is the clock signal having a double frequency . the clock signal having the double frequency is of the frequency equal to that of the clock signal before entering at the frequency divider 10 . thus it becomes possible with the frequency step - up circuit 15 to realize the clock signal having the correct timing of latching data signals per se . besides , the frequency step - up circuit 15 is of a simplified structure and hence helps reduce the circuit scale of the present first embodiment of the digital signal recording circuit . the d - flipflop circuit 9 latches the data signals transmitted from the slicer 7 to the data terminal d with the clock signal supplied to the clock input terminal cl from the frequency step - up circuit 15 for outputting a jitter - free data signal at the output terminal q . thus it is possible with the first embodiment of the digital signal recording circuit to diminish jitter by a system distinct from the system centered about the quantization feedback circuit 8 . the output terminal q of the d - flipflop circuit 9 is connected to a fixed terminal 16b of a changeover circuit 16 . the level detection circuit 14 detects the frequency divided clock signal level supplied from the differential amplifier circuit 12 and controls the switching of the changeover circuit 16 depending on the presence and absence of the frequency - divided clock signals . the level detection circuit 14 is constituted by , for example , a full - wave rectifier circuit . the changeover circuit 16 is made up of the fixed terminal 16b , a fixed terminal 16a fed with the transmitted data signal without the intermediary of the flip - flop circuit 9 , and a movable contact 16c selectively connected to these fixed terminals . when the level detection circuit 14 detects the presence of the frequency - divided clock signal , the level detection circuit 14 sets the movable contact 16c of the changeover circuit 16 to the fixed terminal 16b in order to transmit to the differential amplifier circuit 17 the jitter - free data signal which is synchronized by the d - flipflop 9 . this causes the magnetic head 18 to record data signals compensated for low range interruption on a magnetic tape , not shown . when the level detection circuit 14 detects the absence of the frequency - divided clock signal , the level detection circuit 14 sets the movable contact 16c of the changeover circuit 16 to the fixed terminal 16a in order to transmit to the differential amplifier circuit 17 the transmitted data signal which is not passed through the d - flipflop circuit 9 . this causes the magnetic head 18 to record data signals compensated for low range interruption on a magnetic tape , not shown . the reason the level detection circuit 14 detects the presence or absence of the frequency divided clock signals and controls the switching of the changeover circuit 16 for selectively switching the data signal recorded from the magnetic head 18 , is to enable the data signal to be recorded even if the frequency - divided clock signals fail to be supplied due to line breakage or shorting . meanwhile , if there are a plurality of data channels 4 corresponding to the number of the magnetic heads 18 , and one of them should fail to transmit data signals for some reason , it does not mean that data signals become completely impossible to record . conversely , since only one clock channel 11 is provided and the clocks transmitted thereon are fed to the remaining channels in common , it follows that , if the clock channel 11 should fail to transmit the clock signals for some reason , data becomes completely impossible to record . thus , should the failure in transmission of the clock signals be detected by the level detection circuit 14 , the transmission data signals , which are not transmitted via the d - flipflop 9 , are recorded by the magnetic head 18 , in order to prevent the situation of complete failure in recording the data signals . it is seen from the above that , with the present first embodiment of the digital signal recording circuit , 50 % of the quantization feedback is applied to the data signals transmitted on the data channel 4 of the rotary transformer for positively transmitting the signals including to the dc components without incurring malfunction , while the transmitted data signals are latched by the d - flipflop circuit 9 , using clock signals from the clock signal transmission system having the frequency divider 10 and the frequency step - up circuit 15 for eliminating residual jitter . thus it becomes possible with the first embodiment of the digital signal recording circuit to transmit the data signals over a wide range from dc to the high frequency without employing the rotary transformer , thereby enabling recording of the digital signals with high signal quality . since it is not intended to restore the waveform of the transmitted signal by quantization feedback only , matching adjustment to the rotary transformer becomes unnecessary , while it is unnecessary to provide an equalization circuit for waveform equalization of the output of the differential amplifier 5 . in addition , since no modem is required , it becomes possible to achieve low production cost and power saving . by detecting the level of the clock signals transmitted on the clock channel 11 by the level detection circuit 14 , the state of failure of transmission of clock signals from the clock channel 11 is grasped , such that , if the data signals from the d - flipflop circuit 9 , compensated for low - range cut - off and reduced in jitter , cannot be recorded , only the data signals from the slicer 7 compensated for low - range cut - off can be recorded from the magnetic head 18 on the magnetic tape , so that complete failure in recording the data signals cannot be incurred . since it is the clock signals halved in frequency by the frequency divider that are detected by the level detection circuit 14 , the operating frequency of the level detection circuit 14 can be lowered , thereby enabling facilitated circuit implementation and reducing the power consumption . in addition , with the present embodiment of the digital signal recording circuit , the delay time of the data signals and that of the clock signals are essentially matched to each other , so that the delay time becomes easier to control and no adjustment is required to shorten the time difference . on the other hand , clock signals are of unitary frequency and can be changed in delay time by a simple first - order filter . however , since the frequency is lowered by the frequency divider , the range of change of the delay time is enhanced and the delay time difference can be optimized more easily . since the clock signal frequency is now lowered , the transmission waveform can be improved , while the cross - talk to the rotary transformer and the near - by signal limes thereto is also decreased . the ac erasure signals for a rotary erasure head and clock signals of low - speed logic circuits for a variety of processing operations , as required on the rotary drum , are produced by frequency division from clock signals . with the present embodiment of the digital signal recording circuit , since the signal frequency is lowered to some extent by the frequency divider , there is no necessity of providing a circuit on the rotary drum for dividing the signal frequency . the clock signal transmitted on the clock channel 11 of the present first embodiment of the digital signal processing circuit may also be employed for latching data signals transmitted by other a plurality of data channels as common clock signals . that is , the present first embodiment of the digital signal recording circuit may also be applied to the digital signal recording / reproducing circuit shown in fig1 . the digital signal recording / reproducing circuit shown in fig1 is employed for recording and reproducing digital signals . that is , in recording digital signals from a digital signal processing system 81 , with the digital signal recording / reproducing circuit shown in fig1 , the clock signals transmitted on the clock channel 82a of the rotary transformer 82 are used in common for latching data signals transmitted on data channels 82a , 82b , 82c , 82d and 82e of a rotary transformer 82 : the latching performed by employing the clock signals in common is directed by circuits 88a , 88b , 88c and 88d carrying out signal processing similar to that performed by a circuit 35 shown encircled by a broken line in fig5 that is , a circuit composed of bi - level means , quantization feedback means , latch means , level detection means and changeover means . to the circuit 86a are connected recording heads r1a , r2a associated with the data channels 82b and 82c . to the circuit 86b are connected recording heads r3a , r4a associated with the data channels 82d and 82e . to the circuit 86c are connected recording heads r1b , r2b associated with the data channels 82b and 82c and mounted facing the recording heads r1a and r2a at an angle of 180 ° on the rotary drum . to the circuit 86d are connected recording heads r3b , r4b associated with the data channels 82d and 82e and mounted facing the recording heads r3a and r4a at an angle of 180 ° on the rotary drum . for example , the recording heads r1a and r1b are controlled in the data signal supply timing by a timing signal controlling circuit 84 . on the other hand , with the digital signal recording / reproducing circuit , shown in fig1 , data signals are read by reproducing head pairs pb1a , pb1b ; pb2a , pb2b , pb3a , pb3b ; pba , pb4b , facing each other at an angle of 180 ° as head pairs . the read - out data signals are fed to a signal processing circuit 88 which processes data signals read out by clock signals supplied from a timing control signal 84 and which routes the data signals to playback data channels 87a , 87b , 87c and 87d of the rotary transformer 7 . the playback data channels 87a to 87d transmit playback data signals to the digital signal processing system 81 . the second embodiment of the digital signal processing circuit according to the present invention will be explained by referring to fig1 . the second embodiment of the digital signal processing circuit differs from the previously described first embodiment in that only the signal output from the output terminal q of the d - flipflop circuit 9 , that is , the data signal compensated for the low - range cut - off and free of jitter , is supplied to the magnetic head 18 . that is , with the present second embodiment , the jitter - free data signal of a wide frequency range is recorded from the magnetic head 18 on the magnetic tape . the third embodiment of the digital signal processing circuit according to the present invention will be explained by referring to fig1 . the third embodiment of the digital signal processing circuit differs from the previously described first embodiment in that the clock signals supplied from the input terminal 3 are transmitted on the clock channel 11 to the secondary side , that is , the rotating side , without frequency division . thus the present third embodiment is not in need of the frequency divider or the frequency step - up circuit . the present third embodiment is otherwise similar in construction to the above - described first embodiment and hence the description is omitted to avoid redundancy . since the present third embodiment of the digital signal recording circuit transmits clock signals of a unitary frequency on the clock channel 11 different from the data transmission channel 4 for using the transmitted signals for synchronization in the d - flipflop circuit 9 , it becomes possible to record substantially jitter - free transmission signals . by detecting the level of the clock signals transmitted from the clock channel 11 by the level detection circuit 14 for recognizing the state in which no clock signals are transmitted from the clock channel 11 , only data signals of a wide frequency range can be recorded from the magnetic head 18 if jitter - free wide range data signals cannot be recorded , so that there is no risk of a total absence of recorded data signals . the digital signal recording circuit according to the present invention is not limited to the digital signal recording circuits of the above described embodiments . with the digital signal recording circuits of the above described embodiments , the clock signals for synchronization , employed in the d - flipflop circuit , are produced by transmission by a rotary transformer . it is , however , possible to extract the points of change of the data signals on the rotary side and to average the timing thereof for clock regeneration . the signal for quantization feedback can be obtained from the output of the flipflop circuit 9 instead of from the slicer output . although the signals for compensating the low - range cut - off are fed back in the above - described embodiments , feed forward may also be employed for achieving similar effects . although the quantization feedback ratio is set to 0 . 5 in each of the above - described embodiments , any other value less than unity may be adopted for the ratio if such value is in keeping with the circuit for diminishing residual jitter . with the first and second embodiments of the digital signal recording circuit , the step - up ratio of the frequency step - up circuit is set to 2 . this ratio may be changed if it is an integer number multiple in keeping with the frequency divider . the frequency step - up circuit may also be constituted by pll or high harmonic selection amplification circuit instead of by the combination of the integrating circuit and the exclusive circuit . with the digital signal recording circuit according to the first and second embodiments , the clock signals reset to the correct frequency by frequency step - up enter the d - flipflop circuit for synchronizing the transmitted data signals . however , the transmission signals may be synchronized by employing a double - edge flipflop circuit without the necessity of employing the frequency step - up circuit . the changeover means for outputting transmission data signals , containing residual jitter , not transmitted through the d - flipflop circuit , instead of jitter - free broad - range transmission signals synchronized by the d - flipflop circuit , on detection by the level detection means of the state of non - transmission of the clock signals , is not limited to the changeover circuit 16 . thus it is possible to supply in - phase clock signals to master and slave parts of the d - flipflop circuit for transmitting the data signals without time delay for inhibiting synchronization for outputting jitter - containing transmission signals transmitted by the rotary transformer for data . the level detection circuit may also be constituted by a half - wave rectifier , a gate with hysteresis or a peak detecting circuit , instead of by the full - wave rectifier as described above . with the above - described embodiments , the slicer is employed as a bi - level means for converting data signals transmitted by the rotary transformer into bi - level values , it is also possible to use a comparator as the bi - level means for converting the data into bi - level data . with the first and second embodiments of the digital signal recording circuits , the circuits shown encircled by broken lines 35 , 38 and 37 may also be constituted by integrated circuits . for example , the circuit shown encircled by the broken line 30 in fig1 namely the differential amplifier circuit 5 , adder 6 , slicers 7 , 13 , quantization feedback circuit 8 , d - flipflop circuit 9 , changeover circuit 16 , differential amplifier circuits 12 , 17 and the level detection circuit 15 , may be constituted by a single integrated circuit having a one - channel recording circuit enclosed therein . since the frequency step - up circuit is enclosed , high - frequency clocks need not be passed through the pattern on the substrate . such an arrangement is suitable for handling the waveform characteristics of the clock signals , while the interference with neighboring circuits may also be decreased .	6
certain specific details are set forth in the following description and figures to provide a thorough understanding of various embodiments of the invention . certain well - known details often associated with computing and software technology are not set forth in the following disclosure , however , to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the various embodiments of the invention . further , those of ordinary skill in the relevant art will understand that they can practice other embodiments of the invention without one or more of the details described below . finally , while various methods are described with reference to steps and sequences in the following disclosure , the description as such is for providing a clear implementation of embodiments of the invention , and the steps and sequences of steps should not be taken as required to practice this invention . instead , the following is intended to provide a detailed description of an example of the invention and should not be taken to be limiting of the invention itself . rather , any number of variations may fall within the scope of the invention , which is defined by the claims that follow the description . the following detailed description will generally follow the summary of the invention , as set forth above , further explaining and expanding the definitions of the various aspects and embodiments of the invention as necessary . to this end , this detailed description first sets forth a computing environment in fig1 that is suitable to implement the software and / or hardware techniques associated with the invention . a networked environment is illustrated in fig2 as an extension of the basic computing environment , to emphasize that modern computing techniques can be performed across multiple discrete devices . fig1 illustrates information handling system 100 , which is a simplified example of a computer system capable of performing the computing operations described herein . information handling system 100 includes one or more processors 110 coupled to processor interface bus 112 . processor interface bus 112 connects processors 110 to northbridge 115 , which is also known as the memory controller hub ( mch ). northbridge 115 connects to system memory 120 and provides a means for processor ( s ) 110 to access the system memory . graphics controller 125 also connects to northbridge 115 . in one embodiment , pci express bus 118 connects northbridge 115 to graphics controller 125 . graphics controller 125 connects to display device 130 , such as a computer monitor . northbridge 115 and southbridge 135 connect to each other using bus 119 . in one embodiment , the bus is a direct media interface ( dmi ) bus that transfers data at high speeds in each direction between northbridge 115 and southbridge 135 . in another embodiment , a peripheral component interconnect ( pci ) bus connects the northbridge and the southbridge . southbridge 135 , also known as the i / o controller hub ( ich ) is a chip that generally implements capabilities that operate at slower speeds than the capabilities provided by the northbridge . southbridge 135 typically provides various busses used to connect various components . these busses include , for example , pci and pci express busses , an isa bus , a system management bus ( smbus or smb ), and / or a low pin count ( lpc ) bus . the lpc bus often connects low - bandwidth devices , such as boot rom 196 and “ legacy ” i / o devices ( using a “ super i / o ” chip ). the “ legacy ” i / o devices ( 198 ) can include , for example , serial and parallel ports , keyboard , mouse , and / or a floppy disk controller . the lpc bus also connects southbridge 135 to trusted platform module ( tpm ) 195 . other components often included in southbridge 135 include a direct memory access ( dma ) controller , a programmable interrupt controller ( pic ), and a storage device controller , which connects southbridge 135 to nonvolatile storage device 185 , such as a hard disk drive , using bus 184 . expresscard 155 is a slot that connects hot - pluggable devices to the information handling system . expresscard 155 supports both pci express and usb connectivity as it connects to southbridge 135 using both the universal serial bus ( usb ) the pci express bus . southbridge 135 includes usb controller 140 that provides usb connectivity to devices that connect to the usb . these devices include webcam ( camera ) 150 , infrared ( ir ) receiver 148 , keyboard and trackpad 144 , and bluetooth device 146 , which provides for wireless personal area networks ( pans ). usb controller 140 also provides usb connectivity to other miscellaneous usb connected devices 142 , such as a mouse , removable nonvolatile storage device 145 , modems , network cards , isdn connectors , fax , printers , usb hubs , and many other types of usb connected devices . while removable nonvolatile storage device 145 is shown as a usb - connected device , removable nonvolatile storage device 145 could be connected using a different interface , such as a firewire interface , etcetera . wireless local area network ( lan ) device 175 connects to southbridge 135 via the pci or pci express bus 172 . lan device 175 typically implements one of the ieee . 802 . 11 standards of over - the - air modulation techniques that all use the same protocol to wireless communicate between information handling system 100 and another computer system or device . optical storage device 190 connects to southbridge 135 using serial ata ( sata ) bus 188 . serial ata adapters and devices communicate over a high - speed serial link . the serial ata bus also connects southbridge 135 to other forms of storage devices , such as hard disk drives . audio circuitry 160 , such as a sound card , connects to southbridge 135 via bus 158 . audio circuitry 160 also provides functionality such as audio line - in and optical digital audio in port 162 , optical digital output and headphone jack 164 , internal speakers 166 , and internal microphone 168 . ethernet controller 170 connects to southbridge 135 using a bus , such as the pci or pci express bus . ethernet controller 170 connects information handling system 100 to a computer network , such as a local area network ( lan ), the internet , and other public and private computer networks . while fig1 shows one information handling system , an information handling system may take many forms . for example , an information handling system may take the form of a desktop , server , portable , laptop , notebook , or other form factor computer or data processing system . in addition , an information handling system may take other form factors such as a personal digital assistant ( pda ), a gaming device , atm machine , a portable telephone device , a communication device or other devices that include a processor and memory . the trusted platform module ( tpm 195 ) shown in fig1 and described herein to provide security functions is but one example of a hardware security module ( hsm ). therefore , the tpm described and claimed herein includes any type of hsm including , but not limited to , hardware security devices that conform to the trusted computing groups ( tcg ) standard , and entitled “ trusted platform module ( tpm ) specification version 1 . 2 .” the tpm is a hardware security subsystem that may be incorporated into any number of information handling systems , such as those outlined in fig2 . fig2 provides an extension of the information handling system environment shown in fig1 to illustrate that the methods described herein can be performed on a wide variety of information handling systems that operate in a networked environment . types of information handling systems range from small handheld devices , such as handheld computer / mobile telephone 210 to large mainframe systems , such as mainframe computer 270 . examples of handheld computer 210 include personal digital assistants ( pdas ), personal entertainment devices , such as mp3 players , portable televisions , and compact disc players . other examples of information handling systems include pen , or tablet , computer 220 , laptop , or notebook , computer 230 , workstation 240 , personal computer system 250 , and server 260 . other types of information handling systems that are not individually shown in fig2 are represented by information handling system 280 . as shown , the various information handling systems can be networked together using computer network 200 . types of computer network that can be used to interconnect the various information handling systems include local area networks ( lans ), wireless local area networks ( wlans ), the internet , the public switched telephone network ( pstn ), other wireless networks , and any other network topology that can be used to interconnect the information handling systems . many of the information handling systems include nonvolatile data stores , such as hard drives and / or nonvolatile memory . some of the information handling systems shown in fig2 depicts separate nonvolatile data stores ( server 260 utilizes nonvolatile data store 265 , mainframe computer 270 utilizes nonvolatile data store 275 , and information handling system 280 utilizes nonvolatile data store 285 ). the nonvolatile data store can be a component that is external to the various information handling systems or can be internal to one of the information handling systems . in addition , removable nonvolatile storage device 145 can be shared among two or more information handling systems using various techniques , such as connecting the removable nonvolatile storage device 145 to a usb port or other connector of the information handling systems . fig3 is a flowchart showing steps taken to identify a device added to an operating system partition and to retrieve parent device data . processing commences at 300 whereupon , at step 310 , the process makes the newly added device available to the partition by including data pertaining to the newly added device to the device tree . at step 320 , the resource type of the newly added device is checked . at step 325 , the dynamic reconfiguration process identifies the parent device based on the type of device that was added to the system . the parent device data is then retrieved from object data manager ( odm ) data store 330 . a decision is made as to whether the added device type is a “ slot ” device ( decision 340 ). if the newly added device has a device type indicating that the device is a slot device , then decision 340 branches to the “ yes ” branch whereupon , at step 345 , the parent of the newly added device is deemed to be the system bus ( e . g ., sysplanar0 , etc .). on the other hand , if the added device type does not indicate that the added device is a slot device , then decision 340 branches to the “ no ” branch whereupon a decision is made as to whether the device &# 39 ; s type indicates that the device is a virtual slot device ( decision 350 ). if the newly added device has a device type indicating that the device is a virtual slot device , then decision 350 branches to the “ yes ” branch whereupon , at step 355 , the parent of the newly added device is deemed to be a virtual bus ( e . g ., vio0 , etc .). on the other hand , if the added device type does not indicate that the added device is a virtual slot device , then decision 350 branches to the “ no ” branch whereupon a decision is made as to whether the device &# 39 ; s type indicates that the device is a pci hot plug slot device ( decision 360 ). if the newly added device has a device type indicating that the device is a pci hot plug slot device , then decision 360 branches to the “ yes ” branch whereupon , at step 365 , the parent of the newly added device is deemed to be the pci bus that corresponds to the slot where the newly added device was added to the system . after the parent device has been identified as discussed in steps 325 through 365 , the unit address of the newly added device is extracted from the device tree . at predefined process 380 , the identified parent device and the retrieved unit address are used by the configuration manager to configure the newly added device ( see fig4 and corresponding text for processing details ). fig4 is a flowchart showing steps taken by a configuration manager to execute a parent configuration method and identify child device data that matches the device added to the operating system partition . this configuration manager process is called by predefined process 380 in the flowchart shown on fig3 . in fig4 , the configuration manager process is shown commencing at 400 whereupon , at step 405 , the configuration manager is invoked by providing the unit address and parent name of the device that is being added to the system . for example , using a command with parameters such as “ cfgmgr - l & lt ; parent_name & gt ;- c & lt ; unit_address & gt ;- r ”, etc ., where & lt ; parent_name & gt ; is the name ( identifier ) of the parent device and & lt ; unit_address & gt ; is the unit address that corresponds to the newly added device . at step 410 , object data manager ( odm ) data that corresponds to the parent device (& lt ; parent_name & gt ;) is retrieved from odm data store 330 . the odm data identifies a configuration method that corresponds to the parent device . at step 415 , the identified configure method is invoked , as shown in device configure method 420 . device configure method 420 , in this case configuring the parent device , commences at 425 with the invocation being to configure the parent (& lt ; parent_name & gt ;) device . at step 430 , the configure method identifies ( finds ) child devices that correspond to the parent device . at step 435 , data pertaining to the identified child devices are added to odm data store 330 if such child device data is not yet stored in the odm data store . at step 440 , the parent configure method returns a list of one or more child device names to the configuration manager process . at step 450 , the configuration manager process receives the child device names returned from the parent device configure method and , at step 455 , the received child device names are parsed . at step 470 , the first returned child device name is selected . at step 475 , odm data pertaining to the selected child device name is retrieved from odm data store 330 . the data pertaining to the child device includes the child device address and the configure method that is used to configure the child device . at step 480 , the child device address from the odm data is compared with the unit address of the newly added device . in one embodiment , the unit address of the newly added device was provided to the configuration manager as an argument when the configuration manager was invoked . a decision is made as to whether the child device address from the odm data for the selected child device matches the unit address of the newly added device ( decision 485 ). if the addresses do not match , then decision 485 branches to the “ no ” branch whereupon a decision is made as to whether there are additional device names to process ( decision 490 ). if there are more device names to process , then decision 490 branches to the “ yes ” branch which loops back to select the next child device name ( step 470 ) and process it as outlined above . if there are no more child device names to process , then decision 490 branches to the “ no ” branch whereupon processing returns at 499 . returning to decision 485 , if the child device address from the odm data for the selected child device name matches the unit address of the newly added device , then decision 485 branches to the “ yes ” branch whereupon , at predefined process 495 , the match is handled ( see fig5 and corresponding text for processing details ) after which processing returns at 499 . fig5 is a flowchart showing steps taken when matching child device data is identified and a child configuration method is obtained and invoked to configure the added device . processing commences at 500 whereupon , at step 515 , the process invokes the configure method pertaining to the newly added device , the process being retrieved from odm data store 330 as shown and described in fig4 . device configure method 520 , in this case configuring the child device , commences at 525 with the invocation being to configure the newly added device (& lt ; name & gt ;). at step 530 , the configure method identifies ( finds ) any child devices that correspond to the newly added device . at step 535 , data pertaining to the identified child devices are added to odm data store 330 if such child device data is not yet stored in the odm data store . at step 540 , the configure method returns a list of one or more child device names to the configuration manager process with each of the child devices being children of the newly added device . at step 550 , the configuration manager process receives the child device names returned from the configure method corresponding to the newly added device and , at step 555 , the received child device names are parsed . a decision is made as to whether there are any child device names that pertain to the newly added device ( decision 560 ). if there are no child devices that pertain to the newly added device , then decision 560 branches to the “ no ” branch whereupon processing returns to the calling routine at 565 . on the other hand , if there are child devices pertaining to the newly added device , decision 560 branches to the “ yes ” branch whereupon , at step 570 , the first returned child device name is selected . at step 575 , odm data pertaining to the selected child device name is retrieved from odm data store 330 . the data pertaining to the child device includes the child device address and the configure method that is used to configure the child device . at step 580 , the child device address from the odm data is compared with the unit address of the newly added device . in one embodiment , the unit address of the newly added device was provided to the configuration manager as an argument when the configuration manager was invoked . a decision is made as to whether the child device address from the odm data for the selected child device matches the unit address of the newly added device ( decision 585 ). if the addresses do not match , then decision 585 branches to the “ no ” branch whereupon a decision is made as to whether there are additional device names to process ( decision 590 ). if there are more device names to process , then decision 590 branches to the “ yes ” branch which loops back to select the next child device name ( step 570 ) and process it as outlined above . if there are no more child device names to process , then decision 590 branches to the “ no ” branch whereupon processing returns at 599 . returning to decision 585 , if the child device address from the odm data for the selected child device name matches the unit address of the newly added device , then decision 585 branches to the “ yes ” branch whereupon , at predefined process 595 , the match is recursively handled using the routine shown in fig5 ( with the routine now identifying child devices of the selected child device ). the routine shown in fig5 can then be recursively called by successive generations of child devices . when processing of the child device is complete , processing returns at 599 . one of the preferred implementations of the invention is a client application , namely , a set of instructions ( program code ) or other functional descriptive material in a code module that may , for example , be resident in the random access memory of the computer . until required by the computer , the set of instructions may be stored in another computer memory , for example , in a hard disk drive , or in a removable memory such as an optical disk ( for eventual use in a cd rom ) or floppy disk ( for eventual use in a floppy disk drive ). thus , the present invention may be implemented as a computer program product for use in a computer . in addition , although the various methods described are conveniently implemented in a general purpose computer selectively activated or reconfigured by software , one of ordinary skill in the art would also recognize that such methods may be carried out in hardware , in firmware , or in more specialized apparatus constructed to perform the required method steps . functional descriptive material is information that imparts functionality to a machine . functional descriptive material includes , but is not limited to , computer programs , instructions , rules , facts , definitions of computable functions , objects , and data structures . while particular embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described , it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that , based upon the teachings herein , that changes and modifications may be made without departing from this invention and its broader aspects . therefore , the appended claims are to encompass within their scope all such changes and modifications as are within the true spirit and scope of this invention . furthermore , it is to be understood that the invention is solely defined by the appended claims . it will be understood by those with skill in the art that if a specific number of an introduced claim element is intended , such intent will be explicitly recited in the claim , and in the absence of such recitation no such limitation is present . for non - limiting example , as an aid to understanding , the following appended claims contain usage of the introductory phrases “ at least one ” and “ one or more ” to introduce claim elements . however , the use of such phrases should not be construed to imply that the introduction of a claim element by the indefinite articles “ a ” or “ an ” limits any particular claim containing such introduced claim element to inventions containing only one such element , even when the same claim includes the introductory phrases “ one or more ” or “ at least one ” and indefinite articles such as “ a ” or “ an ”; the same holds true for the use in the claims of definite articles .	6
in the following paragraphs , the present invention will be described in detail by way of example with reference to the attached drawings . throughout this description , the preferred embodiment and examples shown should be considered as exemplars , rather than as limitations on the present invention . as used herein , the “ present invention ” refers to any one of the embodiments of the invention described herein , and any equivalents . furthermore , reference to various feature ( s ) of the “ present invention ” throughout this document does not mean that all claimed embodiments or methods must include the referenced feature ( s ). this invention now will be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings , in which exemplary embodiments are shown . various embodiments are now described with reference to the drawings , wherein such as reference numerals are used to refer to such as elements throughout . in the following description , for purposes of explanation , numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of one or more embodiments . it may be evident , however , that such embodiment ( s ) may be practiced without these specific details . in other instances , well - known structures and devices are shown in block diagram form in order to facilitate describing one or more embodiments . this invention may , however , be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein . these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those of ordinary skill in the art . moreover , all statements herein reciting embodiments of the invention , as well as specific examples thereof , are intended to encompass both structural and functional equivalents thereof . additionally , it is intended that such equivalents include both currently known equivalents as well as equivalents developed in the future ( i . e ., any elements developed that perform the same function , regardless of structure ). thus , for example , it will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art that the diagrams , schematics , illustrations , and the such as represent conceptual views or processes illustrating systems and methods embodying this invention . the functions of the various elements shown in the figures may be provided through the use of dedicated hardware as well as hardware capable of executing associated software . similarly , any switches shown in the figures are conceptual only . their function may be carried out through the operation of program logic , through dedicated logic , through the interaction of program control and dedicated logic , or even manually , the particular technique being selectable by the entity implementing this invention . those of ordinary skill in the art further understand that the exemplary hardware , software , processes , methods , and / or operating systems described herein are for illustrative purposes and , thus , are not intended to be limited to any particular named manufacturer . fig1 shows the completed freezer ( 100 ). the main door ( 106 ), the interstitial space ( 102 ), the inner doors ( 108 ) and the refrigeration equipment area ( 104 ). the refrigeration technology comprises traditional freon based refrigerants mechanical refrigeration equipment . the a extremely large area of concern when using a traditional mechanical refrigeration freezer is that ice builds up in the interior areas of the freezer thus limiting access to frozen product . this device works towards significantly slowing the ice formation by introducing a positive pressure of desiccated air into the storage area of the freezer and the interstitial area between the compartment doors ( 108 ) and the main door ( 106 ). it is the interstitial space ( 102 ) and the payload bay located behind the inner doors ( 108 ) that are purged during a main door ( 106 ) open and close event . the purging requires a ultra low level of water vapor contamination . in this application the effluent used to purge is ambient air . the novel device conditions the incoming ambient air using a triple level of filtration . this novel device can be regenerated by heating the device to a temperature above that of the boiling point of water . the regeneration lasts until such time as the passive gettering material has been processed . fig2 shows the flow path of ambient air through the desiccator assembly ( 202 ) and into multiple areas of the freezer ( 204 ). ambient air is pumped through a metered inlet air pump ( 200 ). the air flow is equal to or below 3 . 0 ″ wc pressure in the internal area of the freezer . the processed air is then introduced during an main door open / close event . the internal pressure is monitored by a sensitive pressure switch which either opens a pressure relief orifice or deflates pneumatic bladders the seal the main door to the main body of the freezer . as a redundant safety device , a pressure relief can be installed in the processed air plenum that is rated equal or below 1 . 5 pounds per square inch lift off . fig3 shows the construction of the molecular sieve desiccator ( 300 ). ambient air is pumped through the inlet ( 302 ) and through a carbon - based molecular sieve membrane material ( 304 ). the ambient air is next filtered by a carbon based filter material ( 306 ) such as molecular sieve , carbon black sieve , nanoporous sieves ,. the dried air then proceeds through another membrane and into a final section ( 308 ) comprising several formed fused silica capillary tubes . at this point over 99 % of the water vapor contaminants have been removed from the air . the processed air then passes through a 200 micron filter assembly ( 310 ) that collects any particulate matter from the drying sections . the processed air proceeds to the assembly outlet ( 312 ) for distribution to the required area of the freezer . fig4 demonstrates the placement of the heating element ( 400 ) around filter assembly ( 402 ). the resistive heater is of such a thermal capacity so as to raise the internal temperature of the filter assembly to a point above 120 degrees celsius for a period of over two hours . during the heating cycle , the exit port of the filter assembly is open to allow for the escape of the heated , higher pressure contained water vapor contaminates . the expelled water vapor is not allowed to be introduced into the freezer or associated areas requiring conditioning . various modifications and alterations of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention , which is defined by the accompanying claims . it should be noted that steps recited in any method claims below do not necessarily need to be performed in the order that they are recited . those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize variations in performing the steps from the order in which they are recited . in addition , the lack of mention or discussion of a feature , step , or component provides the basis for claims where the absent feature or component is excluded by way of a proviso or similar claim language . while various 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 of limitation . the various diagrams may depict an example architectural or other configuration for the invention , which is done to aid in understanding the features and functionality that may be included in the invention . the invention is not restricted to the illustrated example architectures or configurations , but the desired features may be implemented using a variety of alternative architectures and configurations . indeed , it will be apparent to one of skill in the art how alternative functional , logical or physical partitioning and configurations may be implemented to implement the desired features of the present invention . also , a multitude of different constituent module names other than those depicted herein may be applied to the various partitions . additionally , with regard to flow diagrams , operational descriptions and method claims , the order in which the steps are presented herein shall not mandate that various embodiments be implemented to perform the recited functionality in the same order unless the context dictates otherwise . although the invention is described above in terms of various exemplary embodiments and implementations , it should be understood that the various features , aspects and functionality described in one or more of the individual embodiments are not limited in their applicability to the particular embodiment with which they are described , but instead may be applied , alone or in various combinations , to one or more of the other embodiments of the invention , whether or not such embodiments are described and whether or not such features are presented as being a part of a described embodiment . thus the breadth and scope of the present invention should not be limited by any of the above - described exemplary embodiments . terms and phrases used in this document , and variations thereof , unless otherwise expressly stated , should be construed as open ended as opposed to limiting . as examples of the foregoing : the term “ including ” should be read as meaning “ including , without limitation ” or the such as ; the term “ example ” is used to provide exemplary instances of the item in discussion , not an exhaustive or limiting list thereof ; the terms “ a ” or “ an ” should be read as meaning “ at least one ,” “ one or more ” or the such as ; and adjectives such as “ conventional ,” “ traditional ,” “ normal ,” “ standard ,” “ known ” and terms of similar meaning should not be construed as limiting the item described to a given time period or to an item available as of a given time , but instead should be read to encompass conventional , traditional , normal , or standard technologies that may be available or known now or at any time in the future . hence , where this document refers to technologies that would be apparent or known to one of ordinary skill in the art , such technologies encompass those apparent or known to the skilled artisan now or at any time in the future . a group of items linked with the conjunction and should not be read as requiring that each and every one of those items be present in the grouping , but rather should be read as “ and / or ” unless expressly stated otherwise . similarly , a group of items linked with the conjunction or should not be read as requiring mutual exclusivity among that group , but rather should also be read as “ and / or ” unless expressly stated otherwise . furthermore , although items , elements or components of the invention may be described or claimed in the singular , the plural is contemplated to be within the scope thereof unless limitation to the singular is explicitly stated . the presence of broadening words and phrases such as “ one or more ,” “ at least ,” but not limited to or other such as phrases in some instances shall not be read to mean that the narrower case is intended or required in instances where such broadening phrases may be absent . the use of the term “ module ” does not imply that the components or functionality described or claimed as part of the module are all configured in a common package . indeed , any or all of the various components of a module , whether control logic or other components , may be combined in a single package or separately maintained and may further be distributed across multiple locations . additionally , the various embodiments set forth herein are described in terms of exemplary block diagrams , flow charts and other illustrations . as will become apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art after reading this document , the illustrated embodiments and their various alternatives may be implemented without confinement to the illustrated examples . for example , block diagrams and their accompanying description should not be construed as mandating a particular architecture or configuration . the previous description of the disclosed embodiments is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to make or use the present invention . various modifications to these embodiments will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art , and the generic principles defined herein may be applied to other embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention . thus , the present invention is not intended to be limited to the embodiments shown herein but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein .	5
referring more particularly to fig1 - 5 , wherein like numbers refer to similar parts , a bait station 20 and a service record card 22 for use therein are shown . the service record card 22 is a thin flexible sheet member formed , for example , of a die cut plastic , card , or paper sheet . the service record card 22 has a surface suited to receive writing , and is preferably preprinted with the outlines of a calendar or table providing a convenient location for a pest control operator to make notations indicating service of the bait station 20 . the preprinted outlines and notations comprise indicia 24 which delineate a reviewable record of the frequency of service of the bait station 20 . a conventional card having a punched hole for attachment by a wire to the exterior of a bait station may be used , or the punched hole may be omitted as illustrated . as shown in fig1 the bait station 20 has an upwardly opening molded plastic base 26 which is dimensioned to accommodate the targeted rodent 28 . the base 26 may be , for example , about 11 inches on a side to accommodate rats . the base 26 has a bottom wall 30 with upwardly extending side walls 32 . two circular rodent openings 34 are formed in opposed base side walls 32 . interior walls 36 extend upwardly from the bottom wall 30 and define a rodent passageway extending between the rodent openings 34 and two bait containment compartments 38 . the bait containment compartments retain bait 40 for consumption by targeted animals . the bait 40 , although shown generically as a cube , may be in the form of extruded bait units such as those disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 5 , 044 , 113 , the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein . for ease in cleaning the base 26 , a single sheet thermoformed tray , not shown , may be positioned within the base to overlie the bottom wall and the interior walls 36 . such a tray would have openings which align with the rodent openings 34 and would support rodent bait within the compartments . a lid 42 is connected to the base 26 . the lid may be integrally formed with the base 26 , or , as shown , may be formed as a separate part with a snap connection to the base . the lid 42 is preferably connected to the base along one or several hinge segments 44 , which permits the lid to be pivoted between a first position in which the lid covers the base 26 , and a second position which reveals the base for servicing . the lid 42 has an upper wall 46 from which side walls 48 extend . the lid side walls 48 terminate in a lid flange 50 which , in the lid closed position , overlies a base flange 52 which extends outwardly from the base side walls 32 . two barriers 53 extend downwardly from the lid upper wall 46 . the lid upper wall 46 is preferably formed with several segments for stiffness and shedding of dust and moisture . a central segment 54 of the upper wall 46 is substantially planar and extends parallel to the bottom wall 30 when the lid is closed on the base 26 . the lid upper wall 46 has an inside surface 56 which faces the base 26 when the lid is closed on the base . the inside surface 56 of the lid upper wall 46 is readily accessible when the lid is opened . a card holder 58 is formed on the lid 42 to retain the service record card 22 throughout the range of movement of the lid with respect to the base 26 . the card holder 58 is preferably integrally molded with the lid 42 . as shown in fig5 a first side rail 60 projects from the upper wall inside surface 56 approximately one - quarter inch . a second side rail 62 is positioned sidewardly from the first side rail the width of the service record card 22 , and also projects from the upper wall inside surface 56 . as shown in fig2 and 3 , three tabs 64 extend from each side rail 60 , 62 . each tab 64 extends inwardly from the side rail about { fraction ( 1 / 16 )} inch toward the opposing side rail . each tab 64 has portions spaced from the upper wall inside surface 56 to define a recess 66 , shown in fig2 . the recesses 66 located between the tabs 64 and the upper wall inside surface 56 receive the edges of the service record card 22 , as shown in fig4 . a rear member 68 protrudes from the upper wall inside surface 56 adjacent each side rail 60 , 62 , and at a position between the first side rail 60 and the second side rail 62 . the rear members 68 may be formed as right angle extensions from the side rails and may be the same height as the side rails , or of a slightly greater height , for example an additional projection from the side rail of about 0 . 62 inches . it should be noted that the side rails need not be continuous , nor need they extend the entire length of the service record card . a front member 70 , as shown in fig4 is spaced from the rear members 68 approximately the length of the service record card 22 . the front member 70 is positioned between the first side rail 60 and the second side rail 62 and protrudes from the upper wall inside surface 56 a distance approximately the same as , or slightly greater than , the protrusion of the side rails , for example an additional 0 . 062 inches . the front member 70 may be approximately semispherical in shape and is preferably centered between the side rails 60 , 62 . or , when the front member has a greater height than the side rails , as illustrated , the front member 70 may be cylindrical with a semispherical top . to facilitate insertion of the service record card 22 beneath the side rail tabs 64 , each tab is preferably formed with a front bevel surface 72 , as shown in fig2 . the front bevel surface 72 is inclined with respect to the upper wall inside surface 56 and faces the front member 70 and the upper wall inside surface . as shown in fig5 when the service record card 22 is inserted within the card holder 58 , the card must pass over the front member 70 and then beneath the tabs 64 until further insertion is blocked by the rear members 68 . once inserted , the service record card 22 is removably retained between the rear members and the front member , between the side rails 60 , 62 , and between the tabs 64 and the inside surface of the upper wall . the card 22 will be retained on the lid 42 while the lid is pivoted between the closed and opened positions . nevertheless , the card 22 is readily flexed to pass over the front member 70 for convenient extraction from the card holder 58 and removal from attachment to the lid 42 . once removed , any notations on the service record card are rapidly made , and the card 22 is returned to its position within the holder 58 without resort to any ties , fasteners , or adhesives . likewise , when the time comes to replace the card with a new one , this is readily done . as shown in fig1 the lid is preferably provided with two pairs of barbed prongs 74 which engage with ledges 76 positioned along the base flange 52 . the prongs 74 retain the lid in a closed position , and restrict tampering with the bait station 20 . a pest control operator having a two - pronged key , however , may readily open the station . holes 82 are provided in the base and the lid to allow the lid to be locked to the base . in addition , side mounting holes 84 are formed in a side wall to allow the bait station to be mounted or secured sidewardly . as shown in fig1 the lid may be provided with an integrally molded pin 78 which protrudes downwardly from the lid flange 50 about ⅛ inch . an integrally molded spring 80 is formed on the base flange 52 beneath each pin 78 . the spring is a segment of plastic which is surrounded by a slot on three sides , such that the spring 80 is resiliently deformed downwardly when the lid is latched to the base . however , when the key is inserted to free the prongs 74 from the ledges 76 , the springs 80 will push up on the pins 78 , causing the lid flange to lift up slightly from the base flange , facilitating opening of the bait station . it should be noted that the bait station may accommodate an interior mechanical rodent trap , such as is disclosed in u . s . patent application ser . no . 09 / 560 , 382 , filed apr . 28 , 2000 , the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein . it is understood that the invention is not limited to the particular construction and arrangement of parts herein illustrated and described , but embraces all such modified forms thereof as come within the scope of the following claims .	0
the fence mounting device of the present invention enables a significant advance in the state of the art . the preferred embodiments of the invention accomplish this by new and novel arrangements of elements and methods that are configured in unique and novel ways and which demonstrate previously unavailable but preferred and desirable capabilities . the description set forth below in connection with the drawings is intended merely as a description of the presently preferred embodiments of the invention , and is not intended to represent the only form in which the present invention may be constructed or utilized . the description sets forth the designs , functions , means , and methods of implementing the invention in connection with the illustrated embodiments . it is to be understood , however , that the same or equivalent functions and features may be accomplished by different embodiments that are also intended to be encompassed within the spirit and scope of the invention . the fence mounting device of the present invention , as seen in fig4 - 8 , called the fence post sleeve ( 300 ) is designed to serve the purpose of allowing the user to quickly and easily erect a temporary fencing structure without the use of installation tools . the fence post sleeve ( 300 ) can be easily conjoined with a fence post ( 100 ) having a post maximum cross - sectional width ( 160 ), a post bottom end ( 140 ), a post top end ( 120 ), and a post length ( 180 ) defined by the distance between the post bottom end ( 140 ) and the post top end ( 120 ), illustrated in fig1 , 2 and 4 . in addition , the fence post sleeve ( 300 ) is also designed to secure portions of flexible barrier fencing ( 600 ) having multiple openings ( 640 ), a top edge ( 610 ), a bottom edge ( 630 ), and a height ( 620 ) to the fence post ( 100 ), seen in fig3 and 5 . the fence post sleeve ( 300 ), illustrated in fig6 - 8 , shown in an uncurled flattened position , has a fence post sleeve distal end ( 305 ), a fence post sleeve proximal end ( 306 ), and a fence post sleeve length ( 310 ), and a fence post sleeve length midpoint ( 311 ). in addition , the fence post sleeve ( 300 ) also has a fence post sleeve interior surface ( 340 ), a fence post sleeve interior minimum cross - sectional width ( 330 ), and a fence post sleeve exterior surface ( 350 ) as seen in fig1 - 14 . a fence post sleeve central axis ( 307 ) extends from the distal end ( 305 ) to the proximal end ( 306 ) and is positioned at the midpoint of the interior minimum cross - sectional width ( 330 ). the fence post sleeve length ( 310 ) is defined by the distance between the distal end ( 305 ), and the proximal end ( 306 ), as seen in fig6 , and the fence post sleeve length midpoint ( 311 ) is substantially equidistant from the fence post sleeve distal end ( 305 ) and the fence post sleeve proximal end ( 306 ). in one configuration , the fence post sleeve length ( 310 ) may be shorter than the post length ( 180 ). in another embodiment , the fence post sleeve length ( 310 ) is longer than the post length ( 180 ), as shown in fig4 . by making the fence post length ( 310 ) longer than the post length ( 180 ) there is a reduced likelihood of impalement on a fence post ( 100 ). the fence post sleeve length ( 310 ) may be virtually any length , but in most temporary construction fencing applications the length ( 310 ) is approximately forty - eight inches . the fence post sleeve ( 300 ) has at least one top barrier fence clip ( 400 ) at a top clip location ( 405 ) between the fence post sleeve length midpoint ( 311 ) and the fence post sleeve proximal end ( 306 ), and at least one bottom barrier fence clip ( 500 ) at a bottom clip location ( 505 ) between the fence post sleeve length midpoint ( 311 ) and the fence post sleeve distal end ( 305 ), as illustrated in fig9 . the top barrier fence clip ( 400 ) has a top clip attachment edge ( 440 ) and a top clip insertion edge ( 450 ), and the bottom barrier fence clip ( 500 ) has a bottom clip attachment edge ( 540 ) and a bottom clip insertion edge ( 550 ). in addition , the top barrier fence clip ( 400 ) has a top clip length ( 420 ), defined by the distance between the top clip attachment edge ( 440 ) and the top clip insertion edge ( 450 ), and a top clip width ( 430 ), defined by the distance between a top clip proximal edge ( 435 ) and a top clip distal edge ( 436 ), as seen in fig9 . furthermore , the top barrier fence clip ( 400 ) has a top clip interior surface ( 437 ), and a top clip exterior surface ( 438 ), illustrated in fig2 . as seen in fig9 , the bottom barrier fence clip ( 500 ) has a bottom clip length ( 520 ), defined by the distance between the bottom clip attachment edge ( 540 ) and the bottom clip insertion edge ( 550 ), and a bottom clip width ( 530 ), defined by the distance between a bottom clip proximal edge ( 535 ) and a bottom clip distal edge ( 536 ). furthermore , the bottom barrier fence clip ( 500 ) has a bottom clip interior surface ( 537 ), and a bottom clip exterior surface ( 538 ), illustrated in fig2 . the top barrier fence clip ( 400 ) and the bottom barrier fence clip ( 500 ) can have many different configurations . in one embodiment , the top barrier fence clip ( 400 ) and the bottom barrier fence clip ( 500 ) are an integral and continuous portion of the fence post sleeve ( 300 ), as can bee seen in fig6 - 8 . in this embodiment , the top barrier fence clip ( 400 ), bottom barrier fence clip ( 500 ), top clip receiving slot ( 360 ), and bottom clip receiving slot ( 370 ) can be formed by punching , stamping , or die cutting , material out of the fence post sleeve ( 300 ). in another embodiment , the top barrier fence clip ( 400 ) and the bottom barrier fence clip ( 500 ) are distinct and separate items attached to the fence post sleeve ( 300 ). in this latter embodiment , the top barrier fence clip ( 400 ), the bottom barrier fence clip ( 500 ) and the fence post sleeve ( 300 ) are connected at the top clip attachment edge ( 440 ) and the bottom clip attachment edge ( 540 ) by a connective device . several different connective devices or methods can be used to attach the top barrier fence clip ( 400 ) and bottom barrier fence clip ( 500 ), and include but not limited to , mechanical fasteners , adhesives , welding , soldering , and other joining techniques known to one with skill in the art . mechanical fasteners may include a nut and bolt , rivet , or screw . finally , the fence post sleeve ( 300 ), including the top barrier fence clip ( 400 ) and bottom barrier fence clip ( 500 ), may consist of a plastic structure formed by injection molding , and may be constructed of , but not limited to , uv treated plastic . the fence post sleeve ( 300 ) has a fence post sleeve longitudinal slit ( 380 ) that extends from the fence post sleeve distal end ( 305 ) to the fence post sleeve proximal end ( 306 ), as illustrated in fig1 . in addition , the fence post sleeve longitudinal slit ( 380 ) has a fence post sleeve longitudinal slit separation distance ( 381 ), with a longitudinal slit left edge ( 382 ) and a longitudinal slit right edge ( 383 ), as seen in fig1 and 11 . the fence post sleeve longitudinal slit ( 380 ) allows the internal minimum cross - sectional width ( 330 ) to increase in order to allow the fence post sleeve ( 300 ) to be slid onto a fence post ( 100 ). the fence post sleeve ( 300 ) has a fence post sleeve width ( 320 ) and a fence post sleeve width midpoint ( 321 ) substantially equidistant from the longitudinal slit left edge ( 382 ) and the longitudinal slit right edge ( 383 ), as seen in fig6 - 8 , wherein the fence post sleeve ( 300 ) is represented as being uncurled in a flat position . in addition , the fence post sleeve ( 300 ) has a left sleeve portion ( 322 ) that extends from the longitudinal slit left edge ( 382 ) to the fence post sleeve width midpoint ( 321 ), and bounded by the fence post sleeve distal end ( 305 ) and the fence post sleeve proximal end ( 306 ). furthermore , the fence post sleeve ( 300 ) has a right sleeve portion ( 323 ) extending from the longitudinal slit right edge ( 383 ) to the fence post sleeve width midpoint ( 321 ) and bounded by the fence post sleeve distal end ( 305 ) and the fence post sleeve proximal end ( 306 ), wherein definition of the left sleeve portion ( 322 ) and the right sleeve portion ( 323 ) is merely for later convenience in describing the cooperation of various elements . the fence post sleeve interior minimum cross - sectional width ( 330 ) and the post maximum cross - sectional width ( 160 ) cooperate to releasably couple the fence post sleeve ( 300 ) to the fence post ( 100 ) by insertion of the post sleeve ( 300 ) onto the fence post ( 100 ), as seen in fig4 . in one embodiment , the fence post sleeve longitudinal slit ( 380 ) may have a positive distance between the longitudinal slit left edge ( 382 ) and the longitudinal slit right edge ( 383 ), resulting in a gap between the longitudinal slit left edge ( 382 ) and the longitudinal slit right edge ( 383 ), as seen in fig3 . in this embodiment , the post sleeve ( 300 ) can be compressively attached to a fence post ( 100 ) having a large diameter or alternatively be held in place by the weight of the fence post sleeve ( 300 ) and flexible barrier fencing ( 600 ). in some instances , the fence post ( 100 ) may be too tall or may have an attachment on the top end that prevents the fence post sleeve from being slid onto the fence post ( 100 ). in these instances , the sleeve interior minimum cross - sectional width ( 330 ) can be extended , as seen in fig3 . by extending the sleeve interior minimum cross - sectional width ( 330 ), the fence post sleeve ( 300 ) can be wrapped around the fence instead of having to be slid on . in another embodiment there may be neutral distance between the longitudinal slit left edge ( 382 ) and the longitudinal slit right edge ( 383 ), as seen in fig4 . in this embodiment the fence post sleeve ( 300 ) is held in place by the weight of the fence post sleeve ( 300 ) and flexible barrier fencing ( 600 ). in yet another embodiment there may be a negative distance between the longitudinal slit left edge ( 382 ) and the longitudinal slit right edge ( 383 ), causing the longitudinal slit left edge ( 382 ) and longitudinal slit right edge ( 383 ) to overlap , as seen in fig4 . in this embodiment , fence post sleeve interior minimum cross - sectional width ( 330 ) is slightly smaller than the post maximum cross - sectional width ( 160 ). as a result , the post sleeve ( 300 ) has a is held in place by fiction due to a close compression fit between the fence post sleeve ( 300 ) and the fence post ( 100 ). in another configuration , the fence post sleeve ( 300 ) may have a larger fence post sleeve interior minimum cross - sectional width ( 330 ) at the fence post sleeve proximal end ( 306 ) than at the fence post sleeve distal end ( 305 ), creating a greater compression force at the post bottom end ( 140 ) than at the post top end ( 120 ) by tapering the fence post sleeve ( 300 ). many commercial fence posts have post surface gripping extensions ( 195 ) formed on the post exterior surface ( 190 ) that serve as point ( s ) upon which the wire ties holding the flexible barrier fencing ( 600 ) to the fence post ( 100 ) may grip . as one skilled in the art will appreciate , the fence post sleeve ( 300 ) can be held , vertically secure on the fence post ( 100 ) by a plurality of sleeve interior surface gripping projections ( 345 ) that cooperate with the plurality of post surface gripping extensions ( 195 ), as seen in fig4 . fig4 shows a front elevation view of an embodiment of the flexible barrier fencing having sleeve interior surface gripping projections . fig4 shows a cross - sectional view taken along section line 43 - 43 of fig4 . the fence post exterior gripping extensions are illustrated in fig4 . in one variation of the fence post sleeve ( 300 ), the top barrier fence clip ( 400 ) is oriented substantially parallel to the fence post sleeve central axis ( 307 ), and the bottom barrier fence clip ( 500 ) is oriented substantially parallel to the fence post sleeve central axis ( 307 ), as seen in fig1 . in another variation , the top barrier fence clip ( 400 ) is oriented substantially orthogonal to the fence post sleeve central axis ( 307 ), and the bottom barrier fence clip ( 500 ) is oriented substantially orthogonal to the fence post sleeve central axis ( 307 ), as seen in fig1 . in another configuration , the top barrier fence clip ( 400 ) has a top clip securing clip serrated thumb portion ( 490 ), and the bottom barrier fence clip ( 500 ) has a bottom clip securing clip serrated thumb portion ( 590 ) that provides a frictional surface to prevent slippage when being pressed , illustrated in fig3 - 37 . fig3 shows a partial front elevation view of an embodiment of the fence post sleeve of the present invention with the top barrier fence clip having a top clip securing clip serrated thumb portion . whereas , fig3 shows a partial cross - sectional view of the top barrier fence clip ( 500 ) with the top clip securing clip serrated thumb portion ( 590 ). similarly , fig3 shows a partial front elevation view of an embodiment of the fence post sleeve of the present invention with the bottom barrier fence clip having a bottom clip securing clip serrated thumb portion . whereas , fig3 shows a partial cross - sectional view of the bottom barrier fence clip ( 500 ) with the top clip securing clip serrated thumb portion ( 590 ). any friction enhancing feature may be , used to prevent slippage . some options of friction enhancing features include , but not limited to , are barrier fence clip surfaces coated with epoxy bonded sand , anti - slip rubber pads , and pitted surfaces . in one embodiment of the fence post sleeve ( 300 ), the top barrier fence clip ( 400 ) and the bottom barrier fence clip ( 500 ) project from the longitudinal slit left edge ( 382 ), as seen in fig6 . in another embodiment seen in fig7 , the top barrier fence clip ( 400 ) is located within a top longitudinal slit clip recess ( 384 ) and a portion of the top longitudinal slit clip recess ( 384 ) is in contact with the longitudinal slit left edge ( 382 ). in the same embodiment , the bottom barrier fence clip ( 500 ) is located within a bottom longitudinal slit clip recess ( 385 ) and a portion of the bottom longitudinal slit clip recess ( 385 ) is in contact with the longitudinal slit left edge ( 382 ). in yet another embodiment , the top clip insertion edge ( 450 ), and the bottom clip insertion edge ( 550 ) do not extend past the longitudinal slit left edge ( 382 ). the top clip location ( 405 ) and the top clip length ( 420 ) are designed to cooperate with one of the plurality of openings ( 640 ) and releasably secure the flexible barrier fencing ( 600 ) between the fence post sleeve exterior surface ( 350 ) and the top barrier fence clip interior surface ( 437 ). furthermore , the bottom clip location ( 505 ) and the bottom clip length ( 520 ) are also designed to cooperate with one of the plurality of openings ( 640 ) and releasably secure the flexible barrier fencing ( 600 ) between the fence post sleeve exterior surface ( 350 ) and the bottom barrier fence clip interior surface ( 537 ), as illustrated in fig5 . in another embodiment of the fence post sleeve ( 300 ), seen in fig7 , 21 , and 22 , the top clip insertion edge ( 450 ) is shaped to form a top clip insertion edge barb ( 460 ) having a top clip insertion edge barb width ( 470 ). in this embodiment , the top clip insertion edge barb width ( 470 ) is greater than the top clip receiving slot width ( 364 ), and the top clip width ( 430 ) is less than the top clip receiving slot width ( 364 ), such that the top barrier fence clip ( 400 ) must be twisted to permit the top clip insertion edge barb ( 460 ) to pass through the top clip receiving slot ( 360 ) and engage the fence post sleeve interior surface ( 340 ) when allowed to return to a top clip natural position ( 410 ). similarly , the bottom clip insertion edge ( 550 ) may be shaped to form a bottom clip insertion edge barb ( 560 ) having a bottom clip insertion edge barb width ( 570 ). furthermore , the bottom clip insertion edge barb width ( 570 ) is greater than the bottom clip receiving slot width ( 374 ), and the bottom clip width ( 530 ) is less than the bottom clip receiving slot width ( 374 ), such that the bottom barrier fence clip ( 500 ) must be twisted to permit the bottom clip insertion edge barb ( 560 ) to pass through the bottom clip receiving slot ( 370 ) and engage the fence post sleeve interior surface ( 340 ) when allowed to return to a bottom clip natural position ( 510 ), as illustrated in fig7 . in this embodiment , when the wind blows against the flexible barrier fencing it causes the fence post sleeve ( 300 ) to tighten around the post and become more secure . in another configuration , seen in fig8 , the top clip insertion edge ( 450 ) is shaped to form a top clip insertion edge barb ( 460 ) having a top clip insertion edge barb width ( 470 ). in this configuration , the top clip receiving slot ( 360 ) has a top clip receiving slot insertion slot ( 368 ) having a top clip receiving slot insertion slot width ( 369 ) located substantially orthogonal to the top clip receiving slot dextral edge ( 363 ). in addition , the top clip insertion edge barb width ( 470 ) is greater than the top clip receiving slot width ( 364 ) and less than the top clip receiving slot insertion slot width ( 369 ), and the top clip width ( 430 ) is less than the top clip receiving slot width ( 364 ). when the top clip insertion barb ( 460 ) is passed through the top clip receiving slot insertion slot ( 368 ) the top clip insertion barb ( 460 ) engages the fence post sleeve interior surface ( 340 ). in the same configuration , the bottom clip insertion edge ( 550 ) is shaped to form a bottom clip insertion edge barb ( 560 ) having a bottom clip insertion edge barb width ( 570 ). the bottom clip receiving slot has a bottom clip receiving slot insertion slot ( 378 ) having a bottom clip receiving slot insertion slot width ( 379 ) located substantially orthogonal to the bottom clip receiving slot dextral edge ( 374 ). in addition , the bottom clip insertion edge barb width ( 570 ) is greater than the bottom clip receiving slot width ( 374 ) and less than the bottom clip receiving slot insertion slot width ( 379 ), and the bottom clip width ( 530 ) is less than the bottom clip receiving slot width ( 374 ). when the bottom clip insertion barb ( 560 ) is passed through the bottom clip receiving slot insertion slot ( 378 ) the bottom clip insertion barb ( 560 ) engages the fence post sleeve interior surface ( 340 ). like the preceding embodiment , when the wind blows against the flexible barrier fencing it causes the fence post sleeve ( 300 ) to tighten around the post and become more secure . in another embodiment , the top barrier fence clip ( 400 ) and the bottom barrier fence clip ( 500 ) compressively cooperate with the right sleeve portion ( 323 ), as seen in fig1 . in yet another embodiment , in the top barrier fence clip ( 400 ) releasably cooperates with a top clip receiving slot ( 360 ) formed in the fence post sleeve ( 300 ), which has a top clip receiving slot sinistral edge ( 362 ) and a top clip receiving slot dextral edge ( 363 ), and a top clip receiving slot width ( 364 ) defined by the distance between a top clip receiving slot proximal edge ( 365 ) and a top clip receiving slot distal edge ( 366 ). in addition , the top clip receiving slot ( 360 ) is located within the right sleeve portion ( 323 ), and the top barrier fence clip ( 400 ) is attached to the left sleeve portion ( 322 ). in the same embodiment , the bottom barrier fence clip ( 500 ) releasably cooperates with a bottom clip receiving slot ( 370 ) formed in the fence post sleeve ( 300 ) which has a bottom clip receiving slot sinistral edge ( 372 ) and a bottom clip receiving slot dextral edge ( 373 ), and a bottom clip receiving slot width ( 374 ) defined by the distance between a bottom clip receiving slot proximal edge ( 375 ) and a bottom clip receiving slot distal edge ( 376 ). as seen in fig1 - 20 , the bottom clip receiving slot ( 370 ) is located within the right sleeve portion ( 323 ) and the bottom barrier fence clip ( 500 ) is attached to the left sleeve portion ( 322 ). in another configuration , the top barrier fence clip ( 400 ) is located in a top clip receiving slot ( 360 ), and the bottom barrier fence clip ( 500 ) is located in a bottom clip receiving slot ( 370 ), as illustrated in fig1 . in another embodiment of the fence post sleeve ( 300 ), seen in fig2 , the top barrier fence clip ( 400 ) has a top clip securing ledge ( 480 ) located on the top clip exterior surface ( 438 ), and the top clip receiving slot ( 360 ) has a top clip receiving slot shelf ( 367 ) located on the fence post sleeve interior surface ( 340 ). the top clip securing ledge ( 480 ) cooperates with the top clip receiving slot shelf ( 367 ) when the top barrier fence clip ( 400 ) is inserted through the top clip receiving slot ( 360 ). fig2 illustrates the top barrier fence clip ( 400 ) in a closed , unlocked position . fig2 illustrates the top barrier fence clip ( 400 ) in a closed , unlocked position . in the same embodiment of fence post sleeve ( 300 ), seen in fig2 , the bottom barrier fence clip ( 500 ) has a bottom clip securing ledge ( 580 ) located on the bottom clip exterior surface ( 538 ), and the bottom clip receiving slot ( 370 ) has a bottom clip receiving slot shelf ( 377 ) located on the fence post sleeve interior surface ( 340 ). the bottom clip securing ledge ( 580 ) cooperates with the bottom clip receiving slot shelf ( 377 ) when the bottom barrier fence clip ( 500 ) is inserted through the bottom clip receiving slot ( 370 ). fig2 illustrates the bottom barrier fence clip ( 400 ) in a closed , unlocked position . fig2 illustrates the bottom barrier fence clip ( 400 ) in a closed , unlocked position . the configuration of the top clip securing ledge ( 480 ), the bottom clip securing ledge ( 580 ), top clip receiving slot shelf ( 367 ), and the bottom clip receiving slot shelf ( 377 ) may be shaped in any number of interconnection shapes and is not limited to that shown in the figures . fig3 illustrates the top barrier fence clip ( 400 ) which is substantially parallel to the fence post sleeve central axis ( 307 ) and is unlatched . fig3 illustrates the top barrier fence clip ( 400 ) which is substantially parallel to the fence post sleeve central axis ( 307 ) and is latched . similarly , fig3 shows a bottom barrier fence clip ( 500 ) that is substantially parallel to the fence post sleeve central axis ( 307 ) and unlatched . fig3 shows a bottom barrier fence clip ( 500 ) that is substantially parallel to the fence post sleeve central axis ( 307 ) and is latched . the top barrier fence clip ( 400 ) and the bottom barrier fence clip ( 500 ) rigidity may be enhanced by increasing the clip thickness at the top clip insertion edge ( 450 ) and the bottom clip insertion edge ( 550 ), or by including a reinforcing ridge along the top clip length ( 420 ) and bottom clip length ( 520 ). as one with skill in the art will appreciate , although the fence post sleeve ( 300 ) shape is shown a circular , it may be square , rectangular , triangular , or any other shape that facilitates cooperation with the fence post ( 100 ). in order to construct the fencing system , the fence posts ( 100 ) are anchored in the ground or otherwise secured , revealed in fig4 and 5 . next , the fence post sleeve ( 300 ) is releasably coupled with the fence post ( 100 ). finally , the flexible barrier fencing ( 600 ) is releasably connected to the fence post sleeve ( 300 ) by using the barrier fence clips ( 400 , 500 ) to create the temporary fencing system illustrated by fig5 . one with skill in the art will appreciate that the post sleeve ( 300 ) of the present invention will work well with posts having any cross - sectional geometry and is not limited to the post shapes illustrated in fig1 , 2 , 44 , and 45 . numerous alterations , modifications , and variations of the preferred embodiments disclosed herein will be apparent to those skilled in the art and they are all anticipated and contemplated to be within the spirit and scope of the instant invention . for example , although specific embodiments have been described in detail , those with skill in the art will understand that the preceding embodiments and variations can be modified to incorporate various types of substitute and or additional or alternative materials , relative arrangement of elements , and dimensional configurations . accordingly , even though only few variations of the present invention are described herein , it is to be understood that the practice of such additional modifications and variations and the equivalents thereof , are within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the following claims . the corresponding structures , materials , acts , and equivalents of all means or step plus function elements in the claims below are intended to include any structure , material , or acts for performing the functions in combination with other claimed elements as specifically claimed .	8
this invention provides a base capplet ™ architecture which allows multiple java programs to run simultaneously in a web calendar . as illustrated in fig1 a web calendar includes a calendar base and all the calendar views that are built upon the base . the calendar base supports capplet ™, which is an event association and execution process of a java applet within the calendar environment . within the java - implemented calendar base architecture of the web calendar , a java applet can be associated with any calendar event . each calendar event , in addition to the applet association , can trigger multiple actions such as e - mail , a pop - up alert , and beeping . applets can be triggered simultaneously in the weekly and monthly views , either in the cells or in pop - ups . the web calendar shown in fig1 with the basic capplet ™ architecture can either be implemented as a java applet or as an html document that runs within a web browser . as illustrated in fig3 a web calendar implemented as a java applet can be included in an html document and can be retrieved from any java enabled web browser . in contrast to a web calendar implemented in html , the applet calendar provides flexibility and capability where the html approach is lacking . a server provides schedule data storage and group hierarchy information that feeds the client calendar interactively via the applets . described herein is an implementation of a java calendar platform applet , which emphasizes client - side capabilities and flexibility . a calendar platform applet , running either on the internet or on any intranet environment , organizes and manages event schedules for individuals or working groups . this platform is responsible of keeping and showing private and / or public event schedules . event information is displayed in one of four calendar views ( monthly , weekly , daily , and yearly ), and maintained in a web server database . a java program that can run within a web calendar is called a capplet ™. once a capplet ™ is associated with an event , it is ready to run . the pair of capplet ™ and event is referred to as a capplet ™ instance . fig2 illustrates the various stages of a capplet ™, including an independent capplet ™ with specialty , an event - associated capplet ™ called a capplet ™ instance , and an invoked capplet ™ instance within a web calendar environment . multiple capplet ™ instances may be created with the same capplet ™. a capplet ™ in a capplet ™ instance may be activated in one of the following five ways : when the capplet ™ is associated with an event ( i . e ., when the capplet ™ instance is created ). an activated capplet ™ can access the information related to its associated event , such as retrieving the event description or inserting a new event into the user &# 39 ; s schedule . multiple capplets ™ can be activated and run simultaneously in a multithreaded fashion . a panel in an enabled view may be assigned to a running capplet ™. a capplet ™ can also be a background process without a view . a user interface within the capplet ™ architecture facilitates capplet ™ and event association . the result is called a capplet ™ instance . there can be as many capplet ™ instances as the user desires per capplet ™. each capplet ™ instance carries an event id to maintain its uniqueness within the calendar system . a capplet ™ instance is persistent , so a user does not have to re - associate the instance , even after it has been activated . fig4 illustrates a calendar event containing a list of actions such as mail alert , beep alert , or pop - up alert . in general , actions describe what the user wants the web calendar to do when the time of the scheduled event arrives . every event action can be associated with a specialty capplet ™ and have the web calendar trigger them automatically . within each event , there can be as many actions as the user desires . each action , carrying an unique action id , can be associated with a capplet ™, as shown in fig4 . in order to provide multimedia animation and interaction to an otherwise mundane calendar platform , a basic capplet ™ architecture was incorporated into the calendar platform applet . we provided the following five design components : in order to run multiple capplets ™ simultaneously , the calendar applet prepares one environment for each capplet ™ and performs the following : 3 . checks whether the capplet ™ has a panel by calling getconfigpanel ( ). if yes , the panel is added to the view . public final class actionlist extends hashtable { public action get ( string actiontype ) { the present invention provides a process to run any java applet on the web calendar . a feature of the web calendar is the open - ended characteristic of its overall calendar architecture . applets associated with web calendar events and run within the calendar context need not conform to any proprietary application programming interface ( api ) requirements . just following the standard java applet api is enough to be able to associate with a calendar event and run within the web calendar . java applets have their own common interface , which is defined in an abstract class called applet . in order to run an applet within a web calendar , the calendar platform applet must provide an applet context for each applet . according to an embodiment of the present invention , an applet shell serves as an applet context , as shown in fig5 . for each applet to run , there are certain functions that the applet must call to prepare itself before running and to coordinate computer resources with other processes while running . the applet shell integrated with the web calendar provides these functions so that any applet can run within the web calendar views and need not run in its own applet viewer independently . like java applet ™, every capplet ™ must conform to a common interface . a java interface is defined as follows : the object with a configurable capplet ™ interface provides a panel and the system will then prepare an applet context for it . according to another embodiment of the present invention , a process of user interaction to activate a program and run it in a panel whose dimension and location on the screen is dynamically specified is provided . the process includes three steps of user interaction : 1 . selecting a window / panel based program by focusing on an icon and pressing a mouse button ; 2 . moving the mouse to coordinate ( x 1 , y 1 ) and pressing the mouse button ; and 3 . dragging the mouse to coordinate ( x 2 , y 2 ) and releasing the mouse button . according to another embodiment , the program is run within a display panel . according to yet another embodiment , the display panel is a window - based program . a process for invoking an applet and letting the user specify dimensions and a location on a display screen includes three steps of user interaction : 1 . selecting a java program by focusing on an icon and pressing a mouse button ; 2 . moving the mouse to coordinate ( x 1 , y 1 ) and pressing the mouse button ; and 3 . dragging the mouse to coordinate ( x 2 , y 2 ) and releasing the mouse button . this is a specific user interaction sequence to invoke a capplet ™ or any java applet , as shown in fig6 . to define the dimension and location for a previously selected java program , the user chooses an upper left anchor corner of the applet viewer ( x 1 , y 1 ) by pressing a mouse button , dragging the mouse to the lower right corner ( x 2 , y 2 ), and releasing the mouse button . upon the user &# 39 ; s release of the mouse button , a graphical panel with upper left corner of ( x 1 , y 1 ) and lower right corner of ( x 2 , y 2 ) is created and simultaneously the java program is started within the newly created panel . the java program can be an applet , a capplet ™ or simply a java application . according to an embodiment of the present invention , a process to produce multimedia effects on a web calendar is provided for achieving multimedia effects for calendar events using the java language to implement the web calendar . different from the conventional text - based calendar event notification , the web calendar combines multimedia and animation to express an event in animated graphics with video and with audio effects . this enables new dimensions for delivering messages for future reference in the calendar event context . the multimedia effect process facilitates the running of java ™ applets in a web calendar . a java applet , by definition , is run under a java - enabled web browser context ( referred to as an applet context ) and can be programmed to produce multimedia effects . according to the present invention , java is used to implement a web calendar that , in turn , provides the java - enabled web browser context for multimedia applets . the process provides a full applet context , in which multimedia capability is included , in a calendar environment , as shown in fig1 , 5 , and 7 . this is accomplished by proliferating an applet running context for each cell within the calendar . each cell on a common calendar yearly , monthly , weekly , or daily grid is capable of running its own capplet ™ instance with multimedia effects , in parallel to another cell &# 39 ; s capplet ™ instance within the same viewer or browser . the present invention provides a process with transactional capability with respect to scheduled events within a web calendar . the process enables transactions to take place over the internet via a web calendar event . for example , a web surfer surfing a web calendar can check box office event schedules to see if there are any interesting performances that he would like to book a seat for . all the surfer needs to do is to bring the mouse pointer to the event text and click on the mouse button . this triggers a registration capplet ™ associated with that performance . by filling out the primary and secondary preferences of the registration capplet ™ and hitting go , the surfer instructs the capplet ™ to send the information to the server for transaction processing . the surfer will then receive a rejection or a confirmation with a reference number . as evident from the above discussion , a web calendar has two “ sides ” of users : the calendar events publisher ( such as museums , corporations , sports teams , college registrars , etc . ), and the web surfers ( such as consumers , students , etc .). the process associates a capplet ™ that specializes in internet transactions with a web calendar event , as shown in fig7 . it provides users with the capability to make registrations or reservations for a scheduled event directly using the web calendar . it enables users to make commitments to calendar events while surfing the internet . this is a preferred embodiment of the capplet ™, and the architecture is shown in fig1 . for example , during a query of lincoln center opera calendars , a user can actually activate a capplet ™ that handles the seating arrangement and request tickets for desired shows , and the user can receive either a rejection or a confirmation for the request . the capplet ™ invoked at the client side loads the pertinent registration form for the desired event , collects user preference information , sends the information to the server , and receives the server response for the user . the server side processing of the web calendar event transaction is responsible for receiving the registration capplet ™ messages , locking up resources ( seats , tickets , classes ), and making sure there is only one booking per resource . after completing the request , the server sends a return message indicating the status of the request . the regiserver provides a registration service whereby clients can request registration forms from a form database , fill them out and the server will process the form and make a reservation . all server actions are performed here . it waits for connections parses client requests and issues appropriate calls to the database * unable to save the form or if there was a * @ param id : the form which is to be processed * @ param attr : a string which contains the name - value pairs for	8
referring now to fig1 a rotor 10 for an electrical machine according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described . rotor 10 is rotateably mounted on a shaft 11 . in this embodiment of the present invention , rotor 10 has 12 magnetic poles , though the invention is not so limited . six of the poles 12 , 14 , 16 , 18 , 20 and 22 are formed by permanent magnets 24 , 26 , 28 , 30 , 32 and 34 . the remaining six poles 36 , 38 , 40 , 42 , 44 and 46 are wound poles . those skilled in the art will recognize those wound poles as &# 34 ; salient &# 34 ; poles , as opposed to &# 34 ; claw poles &# 34 ; in lundell - type rotors . poles 36 , 38 , 40 , 42 , 44 and 46 are magnetized by field windings . those windings include winding 50 , wound around base 52 of pole 36 ; winding 54 , wound around base 56 of pole 38 ; winding 58 , wound around base 60 of pole 40 ; winding 62 , wound around base 64 of pole 42 ; winding 66 , wound around base 68 of pole 44 ; and winding 70 , wound around base 72 of pole 46 . in the preferred embodiment of the present invention , windings 50 , 54 , 58 , 62 , 66 and 70 are all connected in series . however , this series connection is not an essential feature of the present invention . windings 50 , 54 , 58 , 62 , 66 and 70 are wound such that for each adjacent ( that is , consecutive ) pair of wound poles ( e . g ., 36 and 38 ; 40 and 42 ; or 44 and 46 ), the windings on the two adjacent poles are wound in opposite directions . thus , for a given direction of current flowing in the field coil comprising windings 50 , 54 , 58 , 62 , 66 and 70 , the adjacent poles in each pair of poles will have opposite magnetic polarities . with respect to permanent magnet poles 12 , 14 , 16 , 18 , 20 and 22 , these poles are likewise adapted such that for each adjacent ( that is , consecutive ) pair of poles ( e . g ., 12 and 14 ; 16 and 18 ; or 20 and 22 ) the two poles have opposite magnetic polarities . the magnetic polarity of each permanent magnet pole is the magnetic polarity of the radially - outward surface of the permanent magnet within the pole ( e . g ., permanent magnet 24 within pole 12 ). in the preferred embodiment of the present invention , permanent magnets 24 , 26 , 28 , 30 , 32 and 34 are rectangular in cross - section . they are preferably neodymium - iron - boron ( ndfeb ) or other rare earth material , though ceramic or other permanent magnet material can also be used to advantage in this invention . rotor 10 is preferably constructed of iron laminations , each punched with the cross - sectional features shown in fig1 . when the laminations are stacked together , the rectangular pockets for permanent magnets 24 , 26 , 28 , 30 , 32 and 34 are formed . once the permanent magnets are inserted into their respective pockets , a final non - magnetic lamination without openings for permanent magnets 24 , 26 , 28 , 30 , 32 and 34 can be added on each end of rotor 10 . these final laminations will hold the permanent magnets in place . alternatively , adhesives or potting material can be used to hold the permanent magnets in place in their respective pockets in rotor 10 . although rotor 10 is preferably constructed of laminations , the present invention is not so limited . by way of example , rotor 10 can also be made solid , as opposed to laminated . referring now to fig2 further features of rotor 10 will be described . fig2 also illustrates stator 74 , within which rotor 10 is rotateably mounted . rotor 10 and stator 74 ( among other components such as slip rings , a housing , cooling fans and the like ) comprise an alternator 75 . fig2 illustrates permanent magnet poles 12 and 14 , comprising permanent magnets 24 and 26 , respectively . most of the magnetic flux generated by permanent magnets 24 and 26 is disposed as shown by flux lines 76 . as is illustrated , most of the flux is not located in base 78 of poles 12 and 14 . as a result , base 78 has little tendency toward magnetic saturation , thus requiring less iron per pole than the bases of the wound - field poles . advantage is taken of the lower iron requirement in designing the windings of wound - field poles 36 , 38 , 40 , 42 , 44 and 46 , as shown in fig3 . fig3 illustrates wound - field poles 36 and 38 ( stator 74 is omitted for clarity ). because the bases of the permanent magnet poles require relatively little iron , bases 52 and 56 of wound - field poles 36 and 38 can be made parallel to one another . in conventional rotor designs , bases 52 and 56 would likely be radially - oriented , instead of parallel to one another . if bases 52 and 56 were radially - oriented , the spaces surrounding them would taper down near the center of rotor 10 , leaving little room for windings in that area . however , being parallel to one another , bases 52 and 56 allow a very large amount of wire to be wound around them , even near the center of rotor 10 . this high density of wire gives alternator 75 a high power density ( i . e ., power output per unit volume of alternator 75 ). control of the field current in rotor 10 is preferably accomplished by means of a bi - directional current regulator . one such regulator 80 is shown in fig4 . regulator 80 comprises four semiconductor switches 82 , 84 , 86 and 88 , arranged in an &# 34 ; h &# 34 ;- bridge configuration between system voltage ( v sys ) and ground . the series connection of windings 50 , 54 , 58 , 62 , 66 and 70 is shown as field coil 89 . control circuitry 90 is connected to the gates of each semiconductor switch . control circuitry 90 is also provided with a sense input connected to system voltage , in order to have feedback information regarding system voltage . control circuitry 90 can use conventional negative - feedback proportional - integral ( pi ) control to modulate the current through field coil 89 , thereby regulating the output voltage of alternator 75 . the departure of the design of regulator 80 from conventional regulator design is that bi - directional current is to be controlled through field coil 89 via switches 82 , 84 , 86 and 88 . the reason for such bi - directional control will become apparent during the upcoming discussion . referring to fig1 and 4 , the operation of alternator 75 will now be discussed . with current flow in one direction ( say , direction 92 ) in field coil 89 , all poles of rotor 10 will alternate in magnetic polarity around the circumference of rotor 10 . beginning with pole 12 and progressing clockwise in fig1 and assuming pole 12 to be a north magnetic pole , the polarity of the poles of rotor 10 will be as follows : table 1______________________________________ pole polarity______________________________________ 12 north 14 south 36 north 38 south 16 north 18 south 40 north 42 south 20 north 22 south 44 north 46 south______________________________________ with these polarities , wound - field poles 36 , 38 , 40 , 42 , 44 and 46 work in an additive manner with permanent magnet poles 12 , 14 , 16 , 18 , 20 and 22 to &# 34 ; boost &# 34 ; the output of alternator 75 . if , for a given speed of rotation of rotor 10 , the output voltage of alternator 75 is too high , regulator 80 will reduce the average current through field coil 89 . this reduction in current will reduce the flux generated by the wound - field poles of rotor 10 , thus reducing the output voltage from alternator 75 . however , for some rotational speeds of rotor 10 , even reducing current flow in field coil 89 to zero can still result in output voltages above which regulator 80 is attempting to regulate . this would be true because of permanent magnet poles &# 39 ; 12 , 14 , 16 , 18 , 20 and 22 ability to generate magnetic flux with no field current in field coil 89 . if a reduction to zero field current is not sufficient , regulator 80 will cause current flow in the opposite direction ( say , direction 94 ) in field coil 89 . by modulating the current in the opposite direction , regulator 80 will reduce the output voltage of alternator 75 to the target value . when regulator 80 changes the direction of the current through field coil 89 , the voltage induced in the windings of stator 74 &# 34 ; bucks &# 34 ; the voltage induced by the permanent magnet poles . in this event , the polarities of the poles of rotor 10 will be as follows : table 2______________________________________ pole polarity______________________________________ 12 north 14 south 36 south 38 north 16 north 18 south 40 south 42 north 20 north 22 south 44 south 46 north______________________________________ as a comparison of table 2 with table 1 illustrates , each of the wound - field poles 36 , 38 , 40 , 42 , 44 and 46 changed polarity when the direction of current through field coil 89 changed . the polarity of permanent magnet poles 12 , 14 , 16 , 18 , 20 and 22 , of course , remained unchanged . the design of rotor 10 of this embodiment of the present invention is highly manufacturable , largely because it is of uniform cross - section for its entire axial length . rotor 10 is thus a single rotor , as opposed to designs which are really two separate rotors which are axially married . for the same reason , rotor 10 can be made axially shorter than rotors of other such designs . this can provide packaging advantages . as has been discussed , the preferable design for rotor 10 includes six permanent magnet poles disposed in pairs and six wound - field poles also disposed in pairs . however , the present invention is not limited to such a number or configuration of poles . for example , the number of wound - field poles to be employed can vary based on the speed range in which alternator 75 is to be operated . if operating in a narrower speed range than the alternator of fig1 fewer wound field poles may be required in order to sufficiently &# 34 ; buck &# 34 ; the voltage induced by the permanent magnet poles at the upper end of the speed range . in such a case , four wound - field poles ( for example ) might be employed . in that event , the poles of rotor 10 may have polarities as follows with current in one direction in field coil 89 ( with &# 34 ; pm &# 34 ; referring to a permanent magnet pole and &# 34 ; wf &# 34 ; referring to a wound - field pole ): table 3______________________________________ pole type polarity______________________________________ pm north pm south pm north wf south wf north pm south pm north pm south wf north wf south______________________________________ here , the wound - field poles would &# 34 ; boost &# 34 ; the alternator output generated by the permanent magnet poles . with current in the other direction in field coil 89 , the poles would be configured as follows : table 4______________________________________ pole type polarity______________________________________ pm north pm south pm north wf north wf south pm south pm north pm south wf south wf north______________________________________ here , the voltage induced by the wound - field poles will &# 34 ; buck &# 34 ; the voltage induced by the permanent magnet poles . an alternative design for a rotor 110 according to another embodiment of the present invention is illustrated in fig5 . here , rotor 110 is in a lundell or &# 34 ; claw pole &# 34 ; configuration . rotor 110 comprises two pole pieces 112 and 114 , disposed on a shaft ( not shown ) and defining an axis of rotation 115 of rotor 110 . disposed on the hubs of the pole pieces is a single field coil 116 . in a conventional lundell alternator , all of the pole fingers 118 through 140 would be magnetized by field coil 116 ( and would thus be &# 34 ; wound - field &# 34 ; poles ). pole fingers 118 through 128 of pole piece 112 would be magnetized with one magnetic polarity , and pole fingers 130 through 140 of pole piece 114 would be magnetized with the opposite magnetic polarity . in this embodiment of the present invention , however , some of the pole fingers are replaced by permanent magnets poles . such permanent magnet poles preferably have a surface of one polarity generally facing the stator of the alternator , and a surface of the opposite polarity generally facing away . preferably , the poles of rotor 110 are disposed such that with current flowing in one direction in field coil 116 , the poles of rotor 110 alternate in magnetic polarity in the following manner : table 5______________________________________pole type polarity______________________________________118 pm north130 pm south120 wf north132 wf south122 pm north134 pm south124 wf north136 wf south126 pm north138 pm south128 wf north140 wf south______________________________________ with current flowing in this direction in field coil 116 , the voltage induced by the wound field poles &# 34 ; boosts &# 34 ; the voltage induced by the permanent magnet poles . with the current in field coil 116 reversed , the poles have the following magnetic polarity : table 6______________________________________pole type polarity______________________________________118 pm north130 pm south120 wf south132 wf north122 pm north134 pm south124 wf south136 wf north126 pm north138 pm south128 wf south140 wf north______________________________________ with current flowing in this direction in field coil 116 , the voltage induced by the wound field poles &# 34 ; bucks &# 34 ; the voltage induced by the permanent magnet poles . current control for an alternator comprising rotor 10 &# 39 ; can be accomplished with the bi - directional voltage regulator 80 of fig4 . the permanent magnets which replace the wound - field poles in this embodiment of the present invention can be attached to pole pieces 112 and 114 in a variety of ways . for example , in forging pole pieces 112 and 114 , a thin axially - projecting ledge can be formed in place of each of the wound - field poles which are to be replaced . the permanent magnets can then be attached on the ledges with a suitable method , such as with adhesive or with kevlar banding . alternatively , in forging pole pieces 112 and 114 , pockets can be formed in the bodies of pole pieces 112 and 114 where permanent magnets are to be employed instead of wound - field poles . the permanent magnets can each then be inserted with one end in a pocket and the other end extending axially , in the same way that the wound - field pole fingers extend . various other modifications and variations will no doubt occur to those skilled in the arts to which this invention pertains . such variations which generally rely on the teachings through which this disclosure has advanced the art are properly considered within the scope of this invention . this disclosure should thus be considered illustrative , not limiting ; the scope of the invention is instead defined by the following claims .	7
the following discussion describes in detail one embodiment of the invention . this discussion should not be construed , however , as limiting the invention to those particular embodiments , practitioners skilled in the art will recognize numerous other embodiments as well . for definition of the complete scope of the invention , the reader is directed to appended claims . fig1 is an illustrative view of the present invention . the image data analysis security camera system 10 is a security system designed to monitor and record streaming video in real time with an incorporated alarm mode that takes a first image with all sampled subsequent images compared thereto , whereby , any deviance found in subsequent images initiates an alarm condition . the system is comprised of at least one image data analysis security camera 12 in communication with a monitor 14 , recording device 16 and audible and / or visual alarm device 18 with logic circuits integral with the camera 12 . the system 10 can be engaged in either a monitor mode or a security mode . in the monitor mode the camera images are viewed on the monitor 14 as well as being recorded on the recording device 16 . when the security mode is initiated , a first image is obtained and stored in memory with the real time streaming video images sampled , based on the processor capabilities , and compared to the first image . if no deviation from the first image is detected another image is captured with the process continuing while the system is in security mode . when a deviation in image comparison occurs , an alarm 18 condition is initiated . real time video monitoring and recording continue throughout security mode . fig2 is an illustrative block diagram of the present invention 10 . the image data analysis security camera system 10 of the present invention comprises components that are readily available , inexpensive and easily installed without the need for motion detectors , lasers , heat sensors , electrical contacts on doors and windows , or audio sensors . all of which would require a greater amount of effort to install , maintain and fund . the present invention 10 may also be used as a standard monitor wherein the transmitted image is viewable on the monitor 14 and recorded on a video recording device 16 but without involving the logic circuit in the event that there is authorized activity in the area being monitored . the data image analysis security camera 12 comprises a lens 24 , a light sensitive electronic chip 26 , a processor 28 , a memory 30 , a memory control circuit 32 and an image circuit 34 . the image data analysis security camera 10 is in communication with an external power source 42 a monitor 14 , an audible and / or visual alarm 18 , a recording device 16 , user controls 36 including control switches 38 and a variable alarm sensitivity switch 40 based in a remote monitoring station 20 . fig3 is a flow chart of all operational work phases of the image data analysis security camera 12 of the present invention . shown is a flow chart of the present invention demonstrating the process and inter - relationships of the various components . fig4 is a general overview interconnection diagram of the image data analysis security camera security system of the present invention 10 . shown are the primary components of the present invention 10 along their electrical connections , signal connections and various switches . the physical configuration of the present invention 10 may be varied without deviating from the intent and spirit of the present invention 10 . the signal connections are depicted in dashed line and the current lines are shown in solid . arrows indicate an active signal or current . the present invention 10 is off wherein the power and monitor switch 46 is open . the present invention 10 comprises a processor 28 , a memory 30 , a memory control circuit 32 , an image circuit 34 , a lens 24 , a light - sensitive electronic chip 26 , a monitor 14 , a recording device 16 , an alarm 18 , a power source 42 and user controls 36 including a memory control switch 44 , a power and monitor switch 46 , an image capture switch 48 , a security mode switch 50 and a variable alarm sensitivity switch 40 . the circuit of the present invention 10 further includes a first electrical connection 52 running from the power source 42 to the power and monitor switch 46 , a second electrical connection 54 connecting the power and monitor switch 46 to the image circuit 34 , a third electrical connection 56 between the memory 30 and the second electrical connection 54 , a fourth electrical connection 58 connecting the processor 28 to the second electrical connection 54 , a fifth electrical connection 60 between the second electrical connection 54 and the memory control switch 44 , a sixth electrical connection 62 between the memory control switch 44 and the memory control circuit 32 , a control connection 63 communicating between the variable alarm sensitivity switch 40 and the processor 28 , a first signal connection 64 running from the light - sensitive - electronic chip 26 to the image circuit 34 , a second signal connection 66 between the image circuit 34 to the monitor 14 , a third signal connection 68 connecting the recording device 16 to the second signal connection 66 , a fourth signal connection 70 between the light sensitive electronic switch 26 and the image capture switch 48 , a fifth signal connection 72 running from the image capture switch 48 to the memory 30 , a sixth signal connection 74 from the memory 30 to the processor 28 , a seventh signal connection 76 from the processor 28 to the alarm 18 , an eighth signal connection 78 connecting the security mode switch 50 to the fourth signal connection 70 , a ninth signal connection 80 from the security mode switch 50 to the processor 28 , a tenth signal connection 82 from the light sensitive electronic chip 26 to the memory control circuit 32 and an eleventh signal connection 84 from the memory control circuit 32 to the memory 30 . fig5 is an interconnection diagram of the image data analysis security camera system of the present invention 10 in monitoring mode . the present invention 10 is in the monitor mode wherein the power and monitor switch 46 is closed and delivering current for all components thereby activating the image circuit 34 which transmits the signal viewed by the lens 24 and the light sensitive electronic chip 26 to the monitor 14 and the video recorder 16 . current travels from the power source 42 along the first electrical connection 52 to the closed power and monitor switch 46 along the second electrical connection 54 to the image circuit 34 . current also travels from the second electrical connection 54 through the fourth electrical connection 58 to the processor 28 which in not processing at this point , through the third electrical connection 56 to the memory 30 which is empty and through the fifth electrical connection 60 to the open memory control switch 44 . the image signal is transferred along the first signal connection 64 to the image circuit 34 , along the second signal connection 66 to the monitor 14 and from the second signal connection 66 along the third signal connection 68 to the recording device 16 . the image signal simultaneously travels from the light - sensitive electronic chip 26 along the fourth signal connection 70 to the open image capture switch 48 and from the fourth signal connection 70 along the eighth signal connection 78 to the open security mode switch 50 . the image signal is also transmitted from the light - sensitive electronic chip 26 along the tenth signal connection 82 to the memory control circuit 32 which remains inactive until a current is applied thereto . fig6 is an interconnection diagram of the image data analysis security camera system of the present invention 10 in image capture mode . the image capture switch 48 is a contact switch that is momentarily closed allowing the image signal to travel from the light - sensitive electronic chip 26 to the memory 30 where the image is stored and read by the processor 28 . the processor 28 will not process until it receives two signals , one from the memory 30 and one from the electronic chip 26 via a closed security mode switch 48 which is open during the image capture stage . the image capture switch 48 is a contact switch that opens when released by the operator . current travels along the first electrical connection 52 to the closed power and monitor switch 46 along the second electrical connection 54 to the image circuit 34 . current also travels from the second electrical connection 54 through the fourth electrical connection 58 to the processor 28 , through the third electrical connection 56 to the memory 30 through the sixth signal connection 74 to the processor 28 and through the fifth electrical connection 60 to the open memory control switch 44 . the image signal is transferred along the first signal connection 64 to the image circuit 34 , along the second signal connection 66 to the monitor 14 and from the second signal connection 66 along the third signal connection 68 to the recording device 16 . the image signal simultaneously travels from the light - sensitive electronic chip 26 along the fourth signal connection 70 to the closed image capture switch 48 and along the fifth signal connection 72 to the memory 30 and from the fourth signal connection 70 along the eighth signal connection 78 to the open security mode switch 50 . the image signal is also transmitted from the light - sensitive electronic chip 26 along the tenth signal connection 82 to the memory control circuit 32 which is not operating . fig7 is an interconnection diagram of the image data analysis security camera system of the present invention 10 in security mode . shown is the present invention 10 in the security mode wherein the image capture switch 48 has been released and is open and the security mode switch 50 is closed thereby transmitting the image viewed by the lens 24 from the electronic chip 26 to the processor 28 which is now processing and comparing the captured image from the memory 30 with each subsequent image received from the electronic chip 26 . prior to processing the variable sensitivity switch 40 is adjusted by the user to inform the processor 28 through the control connection 63 how great a degree of deviation is desired to initiate an alarm condition . current travels along the first electrical connection 52 to the closed power and monitor switch 46 along the second electrical connection 54 to the image circuit 34 . current also travels from the second electrical connection 54 through the fourth electrical connection 58 to the processor 28 , through the third electrical connection 56 to the memory 30 and through the fifth electrical connection 60 to the open memory control switch 44 . the image signal is transferred along the first signal connection 64 to the image circuit 34 , along the second signal connection 66 to the monitor 14 and from the second signal connection 66 along the third signal connection 68 to the recording device 16 . the image signal simultaneously travels from the light - sensitive electronic chip 26 along the fourth signal connection 70 to the open image capture switch 48 and from the fourth signal connection 70 along the eighth signal connection 78 to the closed security mode switch 50 and along the ninth signal connection 80 to the processor 28 . the image signal is also transmitted from the light - sensitive electronic chip 26 along the tenth signal connection 82 to the memory control circuit 32 which is inactive . the captured image in the memory 30 is read by the processor 28 over the sixth signal connection 74 . fig8 is an interconnection diagram of the image data analysis security camera system of the present invention 10 in alarm mode . shown is the present invention 10 in the alarm stage wherein the processor 28 has detected a discrepancy between the image stored in the memory 30 and the image transmitted from the electronic chip 26 and has responded by sending a signal to activate the alarm 18 . the present invention 10 remains in an alarm state until the memory control switch 44 is closed to overwrite the stored image in the memory 30 with the current image sent from the light sensitive electronic chip 26 . current travels along the first electrical connection 52 to the closed power and monitor switch 46 along the second electrical connection 54 to the image circuit 34 . current also travels from the second electrical connection 54 through the fourth electrical connection 58 to the processor 28 , through the third electrical connection 56 to the memory 30 and through the fifth electrical connection 60 to the open memory control switch 44 . the image signal is transferred along the first signal connection 64 to the image circuit 34 , along the second signal connection 66 to the monitor 14 and from the second signal connection 66 along the third signal connection 68 to the recording device 16 . the image signal simultaneously travels from the light - sensitive electronic chip 26 along the fourth signal connection 70 to the open image capture switch 48 and from the fourth signal connection 70 along the eighth signal connection 78 to the closed security mode switch 50 and along the ninth signal connection 80 to the processor 28 . the image signal is also transmitted from the light - sensitive electronic chip 26 along the tenth signal connection 82 to the memory control circuit 32 which is not working . the captured image in the memory 30 is sent to the processor 28 over the sixth signal connection 74 . a signal is sent from the processor 28 over the seventh signal connection 76 to activate the alarm 18 . the processor 28 and the variable alarm sensitivity switch 40 communicate via the control connection 63 . fig9 is an interconnection diagram of the image data analysis security camera system of the present invention 10 in reset mode . shown is the present invention 10 in the reset stage wherein the memory control switch 44 is closed thereby activating the memory control circuit 32 which transfers an image signal from the electronic chip 26 to the memory 30 which then overwrites the previous captured image with the current one to achieve equilibrium between the captured image and the real time image thereby causing the processor 28 to stop the alarm 18 and return to security mode . the memory control switch 44 is also a contact switch which opens immediately after closing the circuit . current travels along the first electrical connection 52 to the closed power and monitor switch 46 along the second electrical connection 54 to the image circuit 34 . current also travels from the second electrical connection 54 through the fourth electrical connection 58 to the processor 28 , through the third electrical connection 56 to the memory 30 and through the fifth electrical connection 60 to the closed memory control switch 44 over the sixth electrical connection 62 to activate the memory control circuit 32 . the image signal is transferred along the first signal connection 64 to the image circuit 34 , along the second signal connection 66 to the monitor 14 and from the second signal connection 66 along the third signal connection 68 to the recording device 16 . the image signal simultaneously travels from the light - sensitive electronic chip 26 along the fourth signal connection 70 to the open image capture switch 48 and from the fourth signal connection 70 along the eighth signal connection 78 to the closed security mode switch 50 along the ninth signal connection 80 to the processor 28 . the image signal is also transmitted from the light - sensitive electronic chip 26 along the tenth signal connection 82 to the memory control circuit 32 and along the eleventh signal connection 84 to the memory 30 then through the sixth signal connection 74 to the processor 28 . with this , we overwrite the previous captured image with the current one thereby completing the reset process . fig1 is an interconnection diagram of the image data analysis security camera system of the present invention 10 with additional elements . shown is the security system 10 with an additional element comprising connection less communications . to suit user requirements , connection less communication may be utilized between select components or the complete security system . this additional element provides improved means for setup and transportability . the camera 12 comprises a lens 24 a light - sensitive electronic chip 26 , a processor 28 , a memory 30 , a memory control circuit 32 an image circuit 34 , a transmitter 90 , a receiver 86 and a battery 94 . the camera 12 is in communication with a remote alarm 18 . the emergency battery 94 serves to provide a back - power source in the event that the external power source 42 is compromised . the termination of electricity from the external power source 42 will automatically transfer power distribution to the emergency battery 94 thereby assuring the continuous operation of the present invention 10 until the external power is restored . the remote monitoring station 20 comprises user controls 36 including control switches 38 , a variable alarm sensitivity switch 40 , a transmitter 32 , a recording device 16 , a monitor 14 and a receiver 88 . fig1 is an illustrative view wherein a plurality of image data analysis security cameras 12 is in use with a single computer 96 . the present invention 10 may easily be adapted for multiple cameras 12 to simultaneously be in use with a single system . shown is a configuration wherein the cameras 12 are in communication with a computer interface 98 that routes the appropriate signals to the computer 96 and , if necessary , to the pertinent alarms 18 . keystrokes may be used by the operator to switch between cameras 12 for manual monitoring and to activate the control switches . fig1 is an illustrative view of the present invention in use . shown is the image data analysis security camera system of the present invention in use wherein the camera 12 is installed in a secure area . the camera 12 may be set in monitor mode wherein the image is sent directly to the monitor 14 and the recording device 16 or the operator 100 may capture an image thereby initiating the security mode wherein subsequent images are compared thereto . an alarm 18 will be activated if a deviation between the real time image and the sampled image stored in the memory is detected by the processor . the operator 100 determines the operation and function of the present invention from a remote location through the manipulation of user controls 36 . fig1 is an illustrative view of the present invention in use . shown is the image data analysis security camera system of the present invention in use wherein the processor in the camera 12 has detected an image differentiation between the real time image and the captured image because an intruder 102 has entered the secured area and has initiated the alarm mode . an audible / visual alarm 18 has been activated and has alerted security personnel to the breach of the secured area . the image of the secured area is being transmitted to the monitor 14 and recording device 16 in the remote monitoring station . the present invention will remain in alarm mode until the operator 100 presses the memory control switch on the user controls 36 to clear the previously captured image and replace it with the current one thus returning the system to security mode . fig1 is an illustrative view of the user controls 36 including control switches 38 . the control switches 38 of the present invention are designed to be positioned and operated at the monitoring station . the switches 38 include a power and monitor switch 46 , an security mode switch 50 , an image capture switch 48 , a memory control switch 44 and an variable alarm sensitivity switch 40 . the variable alarm sensitivity switch 40 serves to allow the operator to adjust the degree of differentiation required to initiate the alarm mode . this is achieved through the use of a variable resistor or other such appropriate component suitable for the objective of the variable alarm sensitivity switch 40 . the variable alarm sensitivity switch 40 informs the processor how great a deviation between the captured image and the real time image is required to initiate an alarm condition . fig1 is an illustrative block diagram of the present invention 10 . the data image analysis security camera 12 of the present invention 10 may also be used with just an alarm 18 without a link to a monitor or a recording device . the data image analysis security camera 12 comprises a lens 24 , a light sensitive electronic chip 26 , a processor 28 , a memory 30 , a memory control circuit 32 and an image circuit 34 . the image data analysis security camera 12 is in communication with an external power source 42 , an audible and / or visual alarm 18 , user controls 36 including control switches 38 and a variable alarm sensitivity switch 40 based in a remote monitoring station 20 . it will be understood that each of the elements described above , or two or more together may also find a useful application in other types of methods differing from the type described above . while certain novel features of this invention have been shown and described and are pointed out in the annexed claims , it is not intended to be limited to the details above , since it will be understood that various omissions , modifications , substitutions and changes in the forms and details of the device illustrated and in its operation can be made by those skilled in the art without departing in any way from the spirit of the present invention . without further analysis , the foregoing will so fully reveal the gist of the present invention that others can , by applying current knowledge , readily adapt it for various applications without omitting features that , from the standpoint of prior art , fairly constitute essential characteristics of the generic or specific aspects of this invention .	6
generally referring to fig1 an anterior or palmar view of the bones of the wrist carpus 20 of a right hand is shown , palm side up . the bones that form the carpus of the wrist 20 include a proximal carpal row 22 and a distal carpal row 24 . proximal carpal row 22 is adjacent the radius 26 and the ulna 28 of the wrist and includes a scaphoid bone 30 , a lunate bone 32 , a triquetrum bone 34 , and a pisiform bone 36 . the radial carpal joint 38 is that space between the proximal carpal row 22 and the articulating distal radius 26 . the distal carpal row 24 includes a hamate bone 40 , a capitate bone 42 , a trapezoid bone 44 , and a trapezium bone 46 . the midcarpal joint 48 of the wrist extends between the distal and proximal carpal rows . the extrinsic palmar carpal ligaments are shown in fig1 a , the intrinsic ligaments are shown in fig1 b and the dorsal extrinsic ligaments are shown in fig1 c . normal wrist movement is very complex and involves , in part , motion at the midcarpal joint and in part motion at the radiocarpal joint . additionally , there is a predicable well orchestrated rotational motion specific and different for each carpal bone which is generated by the bone &# 39 ; s shape and by its ligamentous and capsular attachments . for example , in radial deviation of the wrist the scaphoid distal pole rotates in a palmar direction , in a sense making &# 34 ; room &# 34 ; for the distal carpal row to pass over the proximal row . likewise , in ulnar deviation the normal scaphoid rotates dorsally , away from the palm , tethered by its neighboring lunate and surrounding capsule , in a sense making &# 34 ; room &# 34 ; for the distal carpal row to pass more easily &# 34 ; under &# 34 ; the proximal row . in pathological conditions such as severe wrist sprains , the ligaments are disrupted and the synchronous carpal kinematics are impaired . this may lead to pain , arthritis and advanced collapse of the carpus , i . e ., slac ( scapho - lunate advanced collapse ) wrist . a similar fate of slac may occur secondarily to scaphoid fracture non - union or avascular necrosis . during the surgical replacement of a carpal bone ( scaphoid or lunate ) those ligaments which are not already disrupted must be cut . unless those ligaments are reconstructed or substituted , the same fate may ensue : instability of the prosthesis , surrounding carpal arthritis and eventual carpal collapse . too frequently this is the fate of current &# 34 ; unrestrained &# 34 ; carpal prostheses . in accordance with the present invention , a &# 34 ; restrained &# 34 ; prosthesis , the complex carpal motion will be preserved and collapse with arthritis prevented . in fig2 - 6 , the prosthesis is generally denoted by the numeral 52 and comprises a body member 54 contoured to resemble the shape of the carpal bone which it replaces . in fig2 a and 2b , denoting respectively a scaphoid prosthesis and a lunate prosthesis , the body member includes first and second independent channels , 56 and 58 , and ligamentous means 60 are positioned within the channels for tethering prosthesis 52 to adjacent tissues , including carpal bone as well as dorsal and palmar capsule . fig3 a and 3b illustrate the three - dimensional structures of the carpus . the geometric axes of the hand , x , y and z axes are shown as 90 ° perpendicular planes of reference . to maintain reproducibility , for example on an x - ray , the following anatomic landmarks are chosen to create these axes : the x - axis represents a best fit line between the ulnar and radial styloids on a pa view . the y - axis is a best fit line through the length of the 3rd metacarpal shaft . the z - axis is simply a plane perpendicular to both the x and y axes . by creating these axes one has a mathematical tool and language to describe any coordinate or direction within the carpus . for example , each channel within a given carpal prosthesis has definable coordination on the x , y and z axes . returning now to fig2 a and continuing with the example of the scaphoid prosthesis , first channel 56 may be said in this embodiment to lie on an imaginary tether axis 62 , essentially the z axis ( dorsal to palmer ) in fig3 a and 3b . the second channel 58 ( fig2 a ) may be said in this embodiment to lie slightly obliquely to the x and y axes , articulating with the trapezium and lunate . in the preferred embodiment illustrated , channel 58 is curved to correspond generally to the curvature of the body member i . e ., along its long axis , proximal pole to distal pole . also , in the illustrated embodiment , channel 56 is substantially perpendicular to channel 58 , and the two channels intersect at a single point within the body member . in alternative embodiments , the channels need not be intersecting , nor need they be completely perpendicular . in fig2 a , each ligamentous means 60 extends through first and second channels 56 and 58 , and emerges from the openings at each end of the channels . in the illustrated embodiments , the channels may be ovoid in cross - section in order to protect the body member against stress risers . the edge of each channel opening may be rounded to remove any sharp interface against the ligamentous means . nevertheless , if desired , the channels may be circular or of any other cross - sectional shape which preserves the above desirable characteristics . also , the channels may be used : 1 ) without a porous coating or other affixation means ; 2 ) with a porous coating ( 70 ) to provide surface to facilitate tissue ingrowth between the ligamentous means and the prosthesis ; or 3 ) with or without a porous coating , but with adhesive to anchor the ligamentous means . ligamentous means 60 in fig2 a is placed through channels of the body member and is surgically attached to adjacent ligaments , capsule , or bone ( see fig4 ). ligamentous means 60 may be made of dacron or any other ingrowth receptive fabric ( including teflon ), native tendon graft ( e . g ., palmerus longus ), capsule , or bone - capsule - bone graft . for example , when ligamentous means 60 are secured to an adjacent carpal bone ( fig5 ), various techniques may be used including suturing the ligamentous means directly to the adjacent intrinsic ( interosseous ) ligament . for example , ligamentous means 60 of a scaphoid prosthesis 52a could be sutured to the scaphotrapezial ligament 76 and the scapholunate ligament 78 which are located between trapezial bone 46 and scaphoid bone 30 ( which has been replaced by prosthesis 52a ) and scaphoid bone 30 ( prosthesis 52a ) and lunate bone 32 , respectively , as shown in fig6 . an alternative technique would include removal of a very small area of cartilage and endosteum to expose raw cancellous bone . drill holes would then be placed in the bone for passage of suture and a suture placed in the end of the ligamentous means . the suture would be passed through the drill holes pulling the ligamentous means firmly against , or through , the scarified bone and the sutures tied to each other in a horizontal mattress fashion . this technique of suturing is similar to that described by julio taleisnick , m . d . ( journal of hand surgery , 17a , march 1992 , pages 354 - 359 , &# 34 ; a technique for direct repair of the scapho - lunate interrosseous ligament &# 34 ;). an alternate technique to suture the ligamentous means to adjacent bone may include use of small bone anchors , e . g ., mitek ® anchors which are available from surgical products , inc . of norwood , mass ., or to secure the ligamentous means by an interference screw . similarly , the lunate prosthesis could be secured by ligamentous means in a similar fashion to its adjacent carpal bones , i . e ., scaphoid ( and / or scapholounate ligament ) and the triquetrum ( and / or lunotriquetral ligament ). in a less preferred alternate embodiment , body member 54b includes one or both of the ligamentous means secured to its outer periphery 92 by means of eyelets 80 ( fig7 ) movably restraining the prosthesis to adjacent tissues . in use , prosthesis 52 is surgically implanted into a wrist for replacing a damaged carpal bone using standard surgical procedures . if the native intrinsic and extrinsic ligaments are intact , they are divided as the damaged carpal bone is removed , preserving neighboring ligament and capsular attachments . the properly sized prosthesis is then inserted into and properly positioned within the space created by the excised carpal bone such that one axis of the ligamentous means 60 is oriented towards the palmar or dorsal capsule 51 ( fig4 - 6 ). the prosthesis is next oriented along the second axis by inserting it in normal articulating alignment with its neighboring carpal bones . those articulating ends represent the exits for the second tethering channel through which the ligamentous means have been placed . finally , the ligamentous means are fixed to adjacent capsule and intrinsic ( interosseous ) ligament or bone ( see fig4 - 6 ). the following is a description of the method by which the ligamentous means through channel 56 is fixed to the dorsal and palmar capsule . in this method , referring again to fig2 a , the ligamentous means through channel 58 attaching to bone substitute for the &# 34 ; intrinsic ligaments &# 34 ; ( i . e ., short interosseous ligaments ), and the ligamentous means through channel 56 substitute for the extrinsic ligaments ( i . e ., dorsal and palmar capsular attachments ). in order to secure ligamentous means through channel 56 sutures attached to the ligamentous means at each end may be sewn directly to capsule and at either or both ends . alternatively , the suture may be brought through capsule , then skin , and tied down in a standard fashion over a button . after many weeks of healing the pull - out suture and button would be removed leaving the secured ligamentous means in place . fig8 and 9 illustrate a scaphoid and lunate prosthesis , 52a and 52b , respectively , after to their implantation in a wrist . first referring to fig8 scaphoid prosthesis 52a is tethered by ligamentous means 60 by way of channel 58 , to trapezium bone 46 and lunate bone 32 . scaphoid prosthesis 52a is also tethered by a second ligamentous means 60 to the dorsal and palmar capsules by way of channel 56 . this second ligamentous means would be perpendicular to the plane of the figure ( i . e ., in and out of the plane of the paper ). referring to fig9 lunate prosthesis 52b is shown tethered by way of its two channels by ligamentous means 60 to scaphoid bone 30 and triquetrum bone 34 and by the other ligamentous means to the dorsal and palmar capsules . again , this second ligamentous means is illustrated perpendicular to the figure . therefore , it should be recognized that , while the invention has been described in relation to a preferred embodiment thereof , those skilled in the art may develop a wide variety of structural details without departing from the principles of the invention . accordingly , the appended claims are to be construed to cover all equivalents falling within the scope and spirit of the invention .	0
in the co - owned , co - pending , u . s . patent application ser . no . 10 / 140 , 689 , filed 8 may 2002 , entitled “ network system comprising access point ” ( our reference awater 12 - 23 - 14 ), the contents of which are incorporated by reference herein , dynamic assignment of channels is called dynamic frequency selection ( dfs ). the aim of the dfs algorithm is to dynamically assign channels in a wireless lan in such a way that the best performance is achieved . performance can be expressed in terms of throughput , delay and fairness . an ap with dynamic frequency selection is able to switch its channel in order to obtain a better operating channel . it will usually choose a channel with less interference and channel sharing than that on the current channel . in the algorithm of the awater 12 - 23 - 14 application , the amount of interference an ap is experiencing on a certain channel x , is expressed by a parameter i ( x ). channel sharing is expressed by a parameter cs ( x ). the values of cs ( x ) are combined to calculate a so - called channel sharing and interference quality csiq ( x ). the value of csiq ( x ) is a measure for the amount of interference and channel sharing belonging to a certain channel x . in one embodiment : i ⁡ ( x ) = noise ⁢ ⁢ l ⁡ ( j ) + ∑ j = 1 x - 1 ⁢ ⁢ y ⁡ ( j ) + ∑ j = x + 1 n ⁢ ⁢ y ⁡ ( j ) y ( j )=( rx_l ( j )− rj ( j − x ))* load ( j ), rx l ( x ) corresponds to a reception level of a response signal with channel frequency x , share ( rx l ( x )) equals 0 if rx l ( x ) is below 10 db under the signal detection threshold , share ( rx l ( x )) equals 0 . 1 if rx l ( x ) is above 10 db and under 9 db below the signal detection threshold , share ( rx l ( x )) equals i / 10 if rx l ( x ) is above 10 - i + 1 db and under 10 - i db below the signal detection threshold , for i = 2 , . . . , 8 , share ( rx l ( x )) equals 0 . 9 if rx l ( x ) is above 2 db and under 1 db below the signal detection threshold , share ( rx l ( x )) equals 1 if rx l ( x ) is above 1 db below the signal detection threshold , load ( x ) corresponds to the load on channel frequency x , noise l ( j ) corresponds to the noise level of channel frequency j , n is the total number of channel frequencies , rx l ( j ) corresponds to a reception level of a response signal with channel frequency j , rj ( j - x ) corresponds to a rejection level of a signal with channel frequency j on channel frequency x , and load ( j ) corresponds to the load on channel frequency j . in the awater 12 - 23 - 14 application , an ap will switch to a channel y if the value of csiq ( y ) is the highest of all the values csiq ( x ) of the channels x = 1 , . . . n with the number of available channels . so the best channel quality is represented by the highest csiq ( x ). the functioning of the dfs algorithm in the awater 12 - 23 - 14 application , will be explained in an example with help of fig1 a and 1 b . the wireless lan 1 , shown in fig1 a , comprises a number of access points of which three access points ap 1 , ap 2 , ap 3 are shown . these access points serve as access point for their respective cells 3 , 5 , 7 which are each schematically depicted by a circle around their respective access point . in the initial situation , the access points ap 1 , ap 2 , ap 3 are communicating with their network stations on channels c 1 , c 2 , c 3 , respectively . the cells 3 , 5 , 7 may have different sizes . cell size is depending on the desired coverage area of an access point and on the requirements of data throughput in the cell . the cell size can be controlled by suitable setting of the levels of the defer behaviour threshold and carrier sense detection threshold as known from ep - a - 0903891 . for example , a cell may comprise a number of network stations , ns 1 , ns 2 that require high throughputs . in that case , the cell size should be small such that other network stations will be left out of the cell as much as possible . in another case , for example , in a cell only few network stations with low throughput requirements will be present . then , a single large cell comprising these network stations will be sufficient to handle all data traffic related to that cell . fig1 a shows the initial situation of a wireless lan 1 comprising three dfs - capable aps . in the lan 1 a plurality of network stations ns 1 , ns 2 is present of which only two are shown . in fig1 a , for example , the network station ns 1 is communicating with the access point ap 1 for all its data traffic . the network station ns 1 itself continuously monitors the communication quality ( i . e . the difference between signal reception level and average noise level ) of its communication with the access point api . as long as a good communication quality for the associated access point ap 1 is maintained , the network station ns 1 stays communicating with ap 1 . when the communication quality decreases below a predetermined level , the network station ns 1 starts to search for another cell 5 ( an access point ap 2 ) with a better communication quality . to this purpose , the network station ns 1 is probing the associated access point ap 1 and all other access points ( i . e . ap 2 ) within range , as known to persons skilled in the art . in this procedure the network station ns 1 uses the signal reception level of beacon frames received from the associated access point ap 1 and probe response frames from the other access point ap 2 . the probe response frames are received by the network station ns 1 following probe request frames sent by the network station ns 1 . as known from ieee 802 . 11 , the other access point ap 2 will be operating on a channel with another frequency than the one of access point ap 1 . network station ns 2 , shown in fig1 a , is communicating with ap 2 . when the communication quality decreases , this network station ns 2 also will start to search for another cell with a better communication quality but will not be able to find a better ap so network station ns 2 will stay communicating with ap 2 . fig1 b shows the situation where a non - dfs access point ap 4 using , for example channel 9 , has arrived within the range of the dfs - capable api . with the dfs algorithm of the awater 12 - 23 - 14 application , access point ap 1 , operating on channel 10 , will switch to channel 4 or to channel 11 in order to have at least a channel distance of 2 with every neighboring cell . a problem of the dfs algorithm described in the awater 12 - 23 - 14 application is the inability to optimize the overall performance . all aps in a wireless lan will currently optimize their own performance and will not take performance of other aps into consideration . it may well be that , from a network point of view , the division of the channels over the difference aps is not optimal . in fig1 c a schematic overview of a preferred embodiment is shown . a wireless lan 1 comprises a set of access points ap 1 , ap 2 , ap 3 which have overlapping cells 3 , 5 , 7 . in this way ( mobile ) network stations are able to communicate with an ap in a continuous area . besides lan 1 a fourth access point ap 4 is present having an accompanying cell 9 . as in the situation described with reference to fig1 b , it is assumed that ap 4 is a non - dfs ap . however , it should be understood that ap 4 may be any kind of radio source acting on channel c 4 . the circles 43 and 45 depict the positions in which the receive level equals the lowest possible carrier detect threshold of respectively ap 1 and ap 2 . fig2 shows an example of a block diagram of an arrangement of the present invention for a medium access controller ( mac ) device 11 on a wireless lan interface card 30 installed in network station ns 1 , ns 2 or on a similar wireless lan interface card 130 installed in access point ap 1 , ap 2 , respectively . here , the mac device 11 is schematically depicted , showing only a signal - processing unit 12 , a signal reception level detection circuit 13 , an antenna 31 and an on - board memory 14 as needed for the description of this embodiment of the invention . the mac device 11 may comprise other components not shown here . also , the components 12 , 13 , 14 which are shown , may be separate devices or integrated into one device . as desired , the devices also may be implemented in the form of analog or digital circuits . the on - board memory 14 may comprise ram , rom , flashrom and / or other types of memory devices , as are known in the art . fig3 shows a schematic block diagram of an embodiment of a network station ns 1 , ns 2 comprising processor means 21 with peripherals . the processor means 21 is connected to memory units 18 , 22 , 23 , 24 which store instructions and data , one or more reading units 25 ( to read , e . g ., floppy disks 19 , cd rom &# 39 ; s 20 , dvd &# 39 ; s , etc . ), a keyboard 26 and a mouse 27 as input devices , and as output devices , a monitor 28 and a printer 29 . other input devices , like a trackball and a touch screen , and output devices may be provided for . for data - communication over the wireless lan 1 , and interface card 30 is provided . the interface card 30 connects to an antenna 31 . the memory units shown comprise ram 22 , ( e ) eprom 23 , rom 24 and hard disk 18 . however , it should be understood that there may be provided more and / or other memory units known to persons skilled in the art . moreover , one or more of them may be physically located remote from the processor means 21 , if required . the processor means 21 are shown as one box , however , they may comprise several processing units functioning in parallel or controlled by one main processor , that may be located remote from one another , as is known to persons skilled in the art . in an alternative embodiment of the present invention , the network station 5 , 6 may be a telecommunication device in which the components of interface card 30 are incorporated as known to those skilled in the art . fig4 shows a schematic block diagram of an embodiment of an access point ap 1 , ap 2 , ap 3 comprising processor means 121 with peripherals . the processor means 121 are connected to memory units 118 , 122 , 123 , 124 which store instructions and data , one or more reading units 125 ( to read , e . g ., floppy disks 119 , cd rom &# 39 ; s 120 , dvd &# 39 ; s , etc . ), a keyboard 126 and a mouse 127 as input devices , and a output devices , a monitor 128 and a printer 129 . for data - communication over the wireless lan 1 , an interface card 130 is provided . the interface card 130 connects to an antenna 131 . furthermore , the access point ap 1 , ap 2 , ap 3 is connected to a wired distribution network 140 through i / o means 132 for communication with , e . g ., other access points . the memory units shown comprise ram 133 , ( e ) eprom 123 , rom 124 and hard disk 118 . however , it should be understood that there may be provided more and / or other memory units known to persons skilled in the art . moreover , one or more of them may be physically located remote from the processor means 121 , if required . the processor means 121 are shown as one box , however , they may comprise several processing units functioning in parallel or controlled by one main processor , that may be located remote from one another , as is known to persons skilled in the art . moreover , other input / output devices than those shown ( i . e . 126 , 127 , 128 , 129 ) may be provided . in an alternative embodiment of the present invention , the access point ap ap 2 , ap 3 may be a telecommunication device in which the components of interface card 130 are incorporated as known to those skilled in the art . the appearance of a new access point ap 4 shown in fig1 c will cause sudden interference to ap 1 because it is using channel c 4 = 9 which has a channel distance less than 3 to the channel c 1 = 10 of ap 1 . now , in accordance with the invention , access point ap 1 decides to start a swapping procedure . fig5 shows a flow diagram of the swapping procedure for the requesting access point api . in the procedure of fig5 the following parameters are used : regcsiq this is a quality parameter calculated for every possible channel on which the ap can operate ; its value is a measure for both channel sharing and interference for the channel concerned . the formula is given by : in contrast with the csiq in the awater 12 - 23 - 14 application , the lower the value for regcsiq ( x ), the better the channel x . the formulas for cs ( x ) and l ( x ) are found in the awater 12 - 23 - 14application ; the parameter corfac is a correction factor that is preferably equal to 1 . sscsiq swap specific csiq ; this is a specially calculated quality paramter . where regcsiq ′( x ) is calculated in the same was as regcsiq ( x ) but under the assumption that a responding ap already uses the channel of a requesting ap , i . e ., a situation is assumed in which swapping has already occurred . the swappenalty is a parameter indicating that swapping is associated with a certain penalty . it may be zero but preferably it has a positive value , e . g . 10 . at the start of the swapping procedure , access point ap 1 is using channel c 1 = 10 . at step 51 the requesting access point ap 1 collects interference and sharing information by means of sending probe requests to other aps . then at step 52 , ap 1 calculates the regcsiq values for all possible channels . at step 53 , ap 1 calculates a swap specific csiq ( sscsiq ) for every channel used by any ap responding to the probe request . for the calculation of the swap specific csiq values , the formula for regcsiq is used , but with the assumption that the responding access points ap 2 , ap 3 are not using the channel on which they are actually operating , but the channel on which the requesting ap is operating . the swap specific csiq value is increased by a certain amount , ( e . g ., by 10 ). a swap should not be executed when it is not necessary , because of possible overhead costs . by increasing the sscsiq by e . g . 10 , it becomes more likely that a channel with a regular csiq is selected for switching and swapping is not necessary . now at step 55 , the lowest csiq is determined out of all the calculated regcsiq values and all the sscsiq values . if the lowest sscsiq is smaller than the lowest regcsiq the procedure will go on to step 57 . if this in not the case step 69 will be executed . at step 57 , ap 1 calculates the difference between the lowest regcsiq and the lowest sscsiq . this difference , named swapbinp ap1 , is the benefit in performance for ap 1 if ap 1 would swap channels ( with the ap corresponding to the lowest sscsiq ) instead of switching its channel to the channel corresponding to the lowest regcsiq . at step 59 , a swap request is sent using the channel corresponding to the lowest sscsiq value . the swap request contains the channel c 1 of ap 1 requesting the swap , and it also contains the value for swapbinp ap1 . now at step 61 , the access point ap 1 will wait for a swap response during a predefined time period t_wait . if api has received a swap response within t_wait ms , the result of step 63 is yes and step 65 follows . if the result of the test at step 63 is no , then the next step will be step 69 and the channel will be switched to a channel c 5 , corresponding to the lowest regcsiq . at step 65 , the swap response is checked . if the swap response is ‘ yes ’, then step 67 follows . this means that ap 1 will change its channel to the value of the one of the responding access point ap 2 ( i . e ., c 2 ). if at step 65 the swap response is ‘ no ’, step 69 will be executed and ap 1 will switch to said channel c 5 . fig6 shows a flow diagram of the swapping procedure for the responding access point ap 2 . at the start of the procedure , access point ap 2 is using channel c 2 = 6 . at step 75 , access point ap 2 is operating normally and is stand - by for any swap request . if , at step 77 , a request is received , ap 2 will proceed to step 79 . if no swap request is received ap 2 will stay at step 75 . at step 79 , the access point ap 2 will rescan all the channels in order to get the probe responses of neighbouring aps . during the scan of a channel x , ap 2 switches to the channel in question ( i . e . x ) and configures itself temporarily to the lowest defer threshold and bit rate to allow communication over as large as possible distance , see circle 45 in fig1 c . ap 2 sends a probe request frame to evoke a probe response from all aps tuned to the channel in question and within radio range . the probe response packets sent by the aps responding to the probe request , carry information on load factors from each ap using the channel in question . the gathered load information from all the probe - responding aps together with the receive levels of the probe responses , are stored by ap 2 . this is done for all the channels and in the same way as m the awater 12 - 23 - 14 application . next , at step 80 , the regcsiq value for the operating channel of ap 2 is calculated . this means regcsiq ( c 2 ) is calculated . at step 81 , the value of sscsiq is calculated for the channel that is used by the swap requesting ap 1 . this means sscsiq ( c 1 ) is calculated using the load and receive level information stored by ap 2 at step 79 . then at step 83 , access point ap 2 switches its channel to the one of the swap requesting ap 1 ( i . e ., c 1 ). at step 85 , the value of sscsiq ( c 1 ) is compared to the value of regcsiq ( c 2 ). if sscsiq ( c 1 ) is lower than regcsiq ( c 2 ), then access point ap 2 will send a swap response ‘ yes ’ at step 87 . if sscsiq ( c 1 ) is not lower than regcsiq ( c 2 ) the procedure will go to step 88 . in step 88 the administrative domain ( e . g . company or organization ) of ap 1 is compared with the one of ap 2 . if the domains are not the same , step 90 is executed . if the two domains match , then step 89 will follow in which another , so - called ‘ sacrifice ’ test is done . at this step the benefit in performance for , and predicted by , requesting ap 1 ( i . e ., swapbinp ap1 , e . g ., the difference between the lowest of all regular channel quality parameters ( regcsiq ) and the lowest of all swap specific channel quality parameters ( sscsio )) is compared to the predicted decrease in performance for ap 2 ( i . e ., sscsiq ( c 1 )- regcsiq ( c 2 )). if the benefit in performance for ap 1 is higher than the decrease in performance for ap 2 , access point ap 2 will sacrifice its channel and will agree to swap channels . this means that step 87 will follow . if the answer to the test in step 88 is no , then step 90 follows . this means that ap 2 will send a swap response ‘ no ’ to the swap requesting ap 1 . after this , ap 2 will switch its channel back to cs = 6 , see step 91 . the swapping procedure described above is not a low - overhead solution . therefore , it should not be attempted frequently . it should only be attempted once per channel change . once a swap has failed for a certain ap , it should not be attempted in the near future . therefore , the information record that exists for every dfs - capable ap , also contains a timer . this timer is used to ensure that swap requests to the same ap are separated by a certain number of hours ( i . e ., 24 ).	7
the bacterial strains and plasmids used in this study are listed in table 1 . s . suis strains were grown in todd - hewitt broth ( code cm189 , oxoid ), and plated on columbia agar blood base ( code cm331 , oxoid ) containing 6 % ( v / v ) horse blood . e . coli strains were grown in luria broth ( 28 ) and plated on luria broth containing 1 . 5 % ( w / v ) agar . if required , antibiotics were added to the plates at the following concentrations : spectinomycin : 100 μg / ml for s . suis and 50 μg / ml for e . coli and ampicillin , 50 μg / ml . serotyping . the s . suis strains were serotyped by the slide agglutination test with serotype - specific antibodies ( 44 ). dna techniques . routine dna manipulations were performed as described by sambrook et al . ( 36 ). alkaline phosphatase activity . to screen for phoa fusions in e . coli , plasmid libraries were constructed . therefore , chromosomal dna of s . suis type 2 was digested with aiui . the 300 – 500 - bp fragments were ligated to smal - digested pphos2 . ligation mixtures were transformed to the phoa e . coli strain cc118 . transformants were plated on lb media supplemented with 5 - bromo - 4 - chloro - 3 - indolylfosfaat ( bcip , 50 μg / ml , boehringer , mannheim , germany ). blue colonies were purified on fresh lb / bcip plates to verify the blue phenotype . dna sequence analysis . dna sequences were determined on a 373a dna sequencing system ( applied biosystems , warrington , gb ). samples were prepared by using an abi / prism dye terminator cycle sequencing ready reaction kit ( applied biosystems ). sequencing data were assembled and analyzed using the macmollytetra program . custom - made sequencing primers were purchased from life technologies . hydrophobic stretches within proteins were predicted by the method of klein et al . ( 17 ). the blast program available on netscape navigator ™ was used to search for protein sequences related to the deduced amino acid sequences . construction of gene - specific knock - out mutants of s . suis . to construct the mutant strains 10cpsb and 10cpsef , we electrotransformed the pathogenic serotype 2 strain 10 ( 45 , 49 ) of s . suis with pcps 11 and pcps28 respectively . in these plasmids , the cpsb and cpsef genes were disturbed by the insertion of a spectinomycin - resistance gene . to create pcps11 , the internal 400 bp pstibamhi fragment of the cpsb gene in pcps7 was replaced by the spc r gene . for this purpose , pcps7 was digested with psti and bamhi and ligated to the 1 , 200 - bp psti - bamhi fragment , containing the spc r gene , from pic - spc . to construct pcps28 , we have used pic20r . in this plasmid we inserted the kpni - sali fragment from pcps17 ( resulting in pcps25 ) and the xbai - clai fragment from pcps20 ( resulting in pcps27 ). pcps27 was digested with psti and xhoi and ligated to the 1 , 200 - bp pstl - xhol fragment , containing the spc r gene of pic - spc . the electrotransformation to s . suis was carried out as described before ( 38 ). southern blotting and hybridization . chromosomal dna was isolated as described by sambrook et al . ( 36 ). dna fragments were separated on 0 . 8 % agarose gels and transferred to zeta - probe gt membranes ( bio - rad ) as described by sambrook et al . ( 36 ). dna probes were labeled with [( − 32 p ] dctp ( 3000 ci mmol − 1 ; amersham ) by use of a random primed labeling kit ( boehringer ). the dna on the blots was hybridized at 65 ° c . with appropriate dna probes as recommended by the supplier of the zeta - probe membranes . after hybridization , the membranes were washed twice with a solution of 40 mm sodium phosphate , ph 7 . 2 , 1 mm edta , 5 % sds for 30 min at 65 ° c . and twice with a solution of 40 mm sodium phosphate , ph 7 . 2 , 1 mm edta , 1 % sds for 30 min at 65 ° c . pcr . the primers used in the cps2j pcr correspond to the positions 13791 – 13813 and 14465 – 14443 in the s . suis cps2 locus . the sequences were : 5 ′- caaacgcaaggaattacggtatc - 3 ′ ( seq . id . no . 1 ) and 5 ′- gagtatctaaagaatgcctattg - 3 ′ ( seq . id . no . 2 ). the primers used for the cpsli pcr correspond to the positions 4398 – 4417 and 4839 – 4821 in the s . suis cps1 sequence . the sequences were : 5 ′- ggcggtctagcagatgctcg - 3 ′ ( seq . id . no . 3 ) and 5 ′- gcgaactgttagcaatgac - 3 ′ ( seq . id . no . 4 ). the primers used in the cps9h pcr correspond to the positions 4406 – 4126 and 4494 – 4475 in the s . suis cps9 sequence . the sequences were : 5 ′- ggctacatataatggaagccc3 ′ ( seq . id no . 5 ) and 5 ′- cggaagtatctgggctactg - 3 ′ ( seq . id . no . 6 ). construction of gene - specific knock - out mutants of s . suis . to construct the mutant strains 10cpsb and 10cpsef , we electrotransformed the pathogenic serotype 2 strain 10 of s . suis with pcps11 and pcps28 respectively . in these plasmids , the cpsb and cpsef genes were disturbed by the insertion of a spectinomycin - resistance gene . to create pcps11 , the internal 400 bp psti - bamhi fragment of the cpsb gene in pcps7 was replaced by the spc r gene . for this purpose , pcps7 was digested with psti and bamhi and ligated to the 1 , 200 - bp psti - bamhi fragment , containing the spc r gene , from pic - spc . to construct pcps28 , we have used pic20r . in this plasmid , we inserted the kpni - sali fragment from pcps17 ( resulting in pcps25 ) and the xbai - clai fragment from pcps20 ( resulting in pcps27 ). pcps27 was digested with psi and xhoi and ligated to the 1 , 200 - bp psti - xhoi fragment , containing the spc r gene of pic - spc . the electrotransformation to s . suis was carried out as described before ( 38 ). phagocytosis assay . phagocytosis assays were performed as described by leij et al . ( 23 ). briefly , to opsonize the cells , 10 7 s . suis cells were incubated with 6 % spf - pig serum for 30 min at 37 ° c . in a head - over - head rotor at 6 rpm . 10 7 am and 10 7 opsonized s . suis cells were combined and incubated at 37 ° c . under continuous rotation at 6 rpm . at 0 , 30 , 60 and 90 min , 1 - ml samples were collected and mixed with 4 ml of ice - cold emem to stop phagocytosis . phagocytes were removed by centrifugation for 4 min at 110 × g and 4 ° c . the number of colony - forming units , (“ cfu ”) in the supernatants was determined . control experiments were carried out simultaneously by combining 10 7 opsonized s . suis cells with emem ( without am ). killing assays . am ( 10 7 / ml ) and opsonized s . suis cells ( 10 7 / ml ) were mixed 1 : 1 and incubated for 10 min at 37 ° c . under continuous rotation at 6 rpm . ice - cold emem was added to stop further phagocytosis and killing . to remove extracellular s . suis cells , phagocytes were washed twice ( 4 min , 110 × g , 4 ° c .) and resuspended in 5 ml emem containing 6 % spf serum . the tubes were incubated at 37 ° c . under rotation at 6 rpm . after 0 , 15 , 30 , 60 and 90 min , samples were collected and mixed with ice - cold emem to stop further killing . the samples were centrifuged for 4 min at 110 × g at 4 ° c . and the phagocytic cells were lysed in emem containing 1 % saponine for 20 min at room temperature . the number of cfu in the suspensions was determined . pigs . germfree pigs , crossbreeds of great yorkshire and dutch landrace , were obtained from sows by caesarian sections . the surgery was performed in sterile flexible film isolators . pigs were allotted to groups , each consisting of 4 pigs , and were housed in sterile stainless steel incubators . experimental infections . pigs were inoculated intranasally with s . suis type 2 as described before . to predispose the pigs for infection with s . suis , five - day old pigs were inoculated intranasally with about 10 7 cfu of bordetella bronchiseptica strain 92932 . two days later , the pigs were inoculated intranasally with s . suis type 2 ( 10 6 cfu ). pigs were monitored twice daily for clinical signs of disease , such as fever , nervous signs and lameness . blood samples were collected three times a week from each pig . white blood cells were counted with a cell counter . to monitor infection with s . suis and b . bronchiseptica and to check for absence of contaminants , we collected swabs of nasopharynx and feces daily . the swabs were plated directly onto columbia agar containing 6 % horse blood . after three weeks , the pigs were killed and examined for pathological changes . tissue specimens from the central nervous system , serosae , and joints were examined bacteriologically and histologically as described herein ( 45 , 49 ). colonization of the serosae was scored positively when s . suis was isolated from the pericardium , thoracal pleura or the peritoneum . colonization of the joints was scored positively when s . suis was isolated from one or more joints ( 12 joints per animal were scored ). vaccination and challenge . one week old pigs were vaccinated intravenously with a dosage of 106 cfu of the s . suis strains 10cpsef or 10cpsb . three weeks later , the pigs were challenged intravenously with the pathogenic serotype 2 strain 10 ( 107 cfu ). disease monitoring , hematological , serological and bacteriological examinations as well as post - mortum examinations were as described before under experimental infections . electron microscopy . bacteria were prepared for electron microscopy as described by wagenaar et al . ( 50 ). shortly , bacteria were mixed with agarose nd ( boehringer ) of 37 ° c . to a concentration of 0 . 7 %. the mixture was immediately cooled on ice . upon gelifying , samples were cut into 1 to 1 . 5 mm slices and incubated in a fixative containing 0 . 8 % glutaraldehyde and 0 . 8 % osmiumtetraoxide . subsequently , the samples were fixed and stained with uranyl acetate by microwave stimulation , dehydrated and imbedded in eponaraldite resin . ultra - thin sections were counterstained with lead citrate and examined with a philips cm 10 electron microscope at 80 kv ( fig8 ). isolation of porcine alveolar macrophages ( am ). porcine am were obtained from the lungs of specific pathogen free (“ spf ”) pigs . lung lavage samples were collected as described by van leengoed et al . ( 43 ). cells were suspended . in emem containing 6 % ( v / v ). spf - pig serum and adjusted to 10 7 cells per ml . the cps locus of s . suis type 2 was identified through a strategy developed for the genetic identification of exported proteins ( 13 , 31 ). in this system , we used a plasmid ( pphos2 ) containing a truncated alkaline phosphatase gene ( 13 ). the gene lacked the promoter sequence , the translational start site and the signal sequence . the truncated gene is preceded by a unique smal restriction site . chromosomal dna of s . suis type 2 , digested with alui , was randomly cloned in this restriction site . because translocation of phoa across the cytoplasmic membrane of e . coli is required for enzymatic activity , the system can be used to select for s . suis fragments containing a promoter sequence , a translational start site and a functional signal sequence . among 560 individual e . coli clones tested , 16 displayed a dark blue phenotype when plated on media containing bcip . dna sequence analysis of the inserts from several of these plasmids was performed ( results not shown ) and the deduced amino acid sequences were analyzed . the hydrophobicity profile of one of the clones ( pphos7 , results not shown ) showed that the n - terminal part of the sequence resembled the characteristics of a typical signal peptide : a short hydrophilic n - terminal region is followed by a hydrophobic region of 38 amino acids . these data indicate that the phoa system was successfully used for the selection of s . suis genes encoding exported proteins . moreover , the sequences were analyzed for similarities present in the databases . the sequence of pphos7 showed a high similarity ( 37 % identity ) with the protein encoded by the cps14c gene of streptococcus pneumoniae ( 19 ). this strongly suggests that pphos7 contains a part of the cps operon of s . suis type 2 . cloning of the flanking cps genes . in order to clone the flanking cps genes of s . suis type 2 , the insert of pphos7 was used as a probe to identify chromosomal dna fragments which contain flanking cps genes . a 6 - kb hindiii fragment was identified and cloned in pkun19 . this yielded clone pcps6 ( fig1 , part c ). sequence analysis of the insert of pcps6 revealed that pcps6 most probably contained the 5 ′- end of the cps locus , but still lacked the 3 ′- end . therefore , sequences of the 3 ′- end of pcps6 were in turn used as a probe to identify chromosomal fragments containing cps sequences located further downstream . these fragments were also cloned in pkun19 , resulting in pcps17 . using the same system of chromosomal walking , we subsequently generated the plasmids pcps18 , pcps20 , pcps23 and pcps26 , containing downstream cps sequences . analysis of the cps operon . the complete nucleotide sequence of the cloned fragments was determined ( fig4 ). examination of the compiled sequence revealed the presence of at least 13 potential open reading frames ( orfs ), which were designated as orf 2y , orf2x and cps2a - cps2k ( fig1 , part a , fig1 , part a ). moreover , a 14th , incomplete orf ( orf 2z ) was located at the 5 ′- end of the sequence . two potential promoter sequences were identified . one was located 313 bp ( locations 1885 – 1865 and 1884 – 1889 ) upstream of orf2x . the other potential promoter sequence was located 68 bp upstream of orf2y ( locations 2241 – 2236 and 2216 – 2211 ). orf2y is expressed in opposite orientation . between orfs 2y and 2z , the sequence contained a potential stem - loop structure , which could act as a transcription terminator . each orf is preceded by a ribosome - binding site and the majority of the orfs are very closely linked . the only significant intergenic gap was found between cps2g and cps2h ( 389 nucleotides ). however , no obvious promoter sequences or potential stem - loop structures were found in this region . these data suggest that orf2x and cps2a - cps2k are arranged as an operon . an overview of all orfs with their properties is shown in table 2 . the majority of the predicted gene products is related to proteins involved in polysaccharide biosynthesis . orf2z showed some similarity with the yits protein of bacillus subtilis . yits was identified during the sequence analysis of the complete genome of b . subtilis . the function of the protein is unknown . orf2y showed similarity with the ycxd protein of b . subtilis ( 53 ). based on the similarity between ycxd and mocr of rhizohium meliloti ( 33 ), ycxd was suggested to be a regulatory protein . orf2x showed similarity with the hypothetical yaaa proteins of haemophilus influenzae and e . coli . the function of these proteins is unknown . the gene products encoded by the cps2a , cps2b , cps2c and cps2d genes showed approximate similarity with the cpsa , cpsc , cpsd and cpsb proteins of several serotypes of streptococcus pneumoniae ( 19 ), respectively . this suggests similar functions for these proteins . hence , cps2a may have a role in the regulation of the capsular polysaccharide synthesis . cps2b and cps2c could be involved in the chain length determination of the type 2 capsule and cps2c can play an additional role in the export of the polysaccharide . the cps2d protein of s . suis is related to the cpsb protein of s . pneumoniae and to proteins encoded by genes of several other gram - positive bacteria involved in polysaccharide or exopolysaccharide synthesis , but their function is unknown ( 19 ). the protein encoded by the cps2e gene showed similarity to several bacterial proteins with glycosyltransferase activities cps14e and cps19fe of s . pneumoniae serotypes 14 and 19f ( 18 , 19 , 29 ), cpse of streptococcus salvarius ( x94980 ) and cpsd of streptococcus agalactiae ( 34 ). recently , kolkman et al . ( 18 ) showed that cps14e is a glucosyl - 1 - phosphate transferase that links glucose to a lipid carrier , the first step in the biosynthesis of the s . pneumoniae type 14 repeating unit . based on these data , a similar function may be fulfilled by cps2e of s . suis . the protein encoded by the cps2f gene showed similarity to the protein encoded by the rfbu gene of salmonella enteritica . ( 25 ). this similarity is most pronounced in the c - terminal regions of these proteins . the rfbu gene was shown to encode mannosyltransferase activity ( 25 ). the cps2g gene encoded a protein that showed moderate similarity with the rfbf gene product of campylohacter hyoilei ( 22 ), the epsf gene product of s . thermophilus ( 40 ) and the capm gene product of s . aureus ( 24 ). on the basis of similarity , the rfbf , epsf and capm genes are suggested to encode galactosyltransferase activities . hence , a similar glycosyltransferase activity could be fulfilled by the cps2g gene product . the cps2h gene encodes a protein that is similar to the n - terminal region of the igti ) gene product of haemophilus influenzae ( u32768 ). moreover , the hydrophobicity plots of cps2h and lgtd looked very similar in these regions ( data not shown ). based on sequence similarity , the igtd gene product was suggested to have glycosyltransferase activity ( u32768 ). the gene product encoded by the cps2i gene showed some similarity with a protein of actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans ( ab002668 ). this protein is part of the gene cluster responsible for the serotype - b - specific antigen of a . actinomycetemcomitans . the function of the protein is unknown . the gene products encoded by the cps2j and cps2k genes showed significant similarities to the cps14j protein of s . pneumoniae . the cps14j gene of s . pneumoniae was shown to encode a β - 1 , 4 - galactosyltransferase activity . in s . pneumoniae , cpsj is responsible for the addition of the fourth ( i . e . last ) sugar in the synthesis of the s . pneumoniae serotype 14 polysaccharide ( 20 ). even some similarity was found between cps2j and cps2k ( fig2 , 25 . 5 % similarity ). this similarity was most pronounced in the n - terminal regions of the proteins ( fig7 ). recently , two small conserved regions were identified in the n - terminus of cps14j and cps14i and their homologues ( 20 ). these regions were predicted to be important for catalytic activity . both regions , dxs and dxdd ( fig2 ), were also found in cps2j and cps2k . distribution of the cps2 genes in other s . suiss serotypes . to examine the relationship between the cps2 genes and cps genes in the other s . suis serotypes , we performed crosshybridization experiments . dna fragments of the individual cps2 genes were amplified by pcr , labeled with 32 p , and used to probe southern blots of chromosomal dna of the reference strains of the 35 different s . suis serotypes . large variations in the hybridization patterns were observed ( table 4 ). as a positive control , we used a probe specific for 16s rrna . the 16s rrna probe hybridized with all serotypes tested . however , none of the other genes tested were common in all serotypes . based on the genetic organization of the genes , we previously suggested that orfx and cpsa - cpsk genes are part of one operon and that the proteins encoded by these genes are all involved in polysaccharide biosynthesis . orfy and orfz are not a part of this operon , and their role in the polysaccharide biosynthesis is unclear . based on sequence similarity data , orfy may be involved in regulation of the cps2 genes . orfz is proposed to be unrelated to polysaccharide biosynthesis . probes specific for the orfz , orfy , orfx , cpsa , cpsb , cpsc and cpsd genes hybridized with most other serotypes . this suggests that the proteins encoded by these genes are not type - specific , but may perform more common functions in biosynthesis of the capsular polysaccharide . this confirms previous data which showed that the cps2a - cps2d genes showed strong similarity to cps genes of several serotypes of streptococcus pneumoniae . based on this similarity , cps2a is possibly a regulatory protein , whereas cps2b and cps2c may play a role in length determination and export of polysaccharide . the cps2e gene hybridized with dna of serotypes 1 , 2 , 14 and ½ . the cps2e gene showed a strong similarity to the cps14e gene of s . pneumoniae ( 18 ). t enzyme was shown to have a glucosyl - 1 - phosphate activity and catalyzed the transfer of glucose to a lipid carrier ( 18 ). these data indicate that a glycosyltransferase closely related to cps14e may be responsible for the first step in the biosynthesis of polysaccharide in the s . suis serotypes 1 , 2 , 14 and ½ . the cps2f , cps2g , cps2h , cps2i and cps2j genes hybridized with chromosomal dna of serotypes 2 and ½ only . the cps2g gene showed an additional weak hybridization signal with dna of serotype 34 . in agglutination tests , serotype ½ showed agglutination with sera specific for serotype 2 as well as with sera specific for serotype 1 . this suggests that serotype ½ shares antigenic determinants with both types 1 and 2 . the hybridization data confirmed these data . all putative glycosyltransferases present in serotype 2 are also present in serotype ½ . the cps2k gene showed a hybridization pattern similar to the cps2e gene . hybridization was observed with dna of serotypes 1 , 2 , 14 and ½ . taken together , these hybridization data show that the cps2 gene cluster can be divided into three regions : a central region containing the type - specific genes is flanked by two regions containing common genes for various serotypes . cloning of the type - specific cps genes of serotypes 1 and 9 . to clone the type - specific cps genes of s . suis serotype 1 , we used the cps2e gene as a probe to identify chromosomal dna fragments of type 1 which contain flanking cps genes . a 5 kb ecorv fragment was identified and cloned in pkun19 . this yielded pcps1 - 1 ( fig1 , part b ). this fragment was in turn used as a probe to identify an overlapping 2 . 2 kb hindiii fragment . pkun19 containing this hindiii fragment was designated pcps1 - 2 . the same strategy was followed to identify and clone the type - specific cps genes of serotype 9 . in this case , we used the cps2d gene as a probe . a 0 . 8 kb hindiii - xbai fragment was identified and cloned , yielding pcps9 - 1 ( fig1 , part c ). this fragment was in turn used as a probe to identify a 4 kb xbai fragment . pkun19 containing this 4 kb xbai fragment was designated pcps9 - 2 . analysis of the cloned cps1 genes . the complete nucleotide sequence of the inserts of pcps1 - 1 and pcps1 - 2 was determined ( fig5 ). examination of the sequence revealed the presence of five complete and two incomplete orfs ( fig1 , part b ). each orf is preceded by a ribosome - binding site . in accord with data obtained for the cps2 genes of serotype 2 , the majority of the orfs is very closely linked . the only significant gap ( 718 bp ) was found between cps1g and cps1h . no obvious promoter sequences or potential stem - loop structures could be found in this region . this suggests that , as in serotype 2 , the cps genes in serotype 1 are arranged in an operon . an overview of the orfs and their properties is shown in table 2 . as expected on the basis of the hybridization data ( table 4 ), the protein encoded by the cps1e gene was related to cps2e of s . suis type 2 ( identity of 86 %). the fragment cloned in pcps1 - 1 lacked the coding region for the first 7 amino acids of the cps1e gene . the protein encoded by the cps1f and cps1g genes showed strong similarity to the cps14f and cps14g proteins of streptococcus pneumoniae serotype 14 , respectively ( 20 ). the function of the cps14f is not completely clear , but it has been suggested that cps14f has a role in glycosyltransferase activity . the cps14g gene of s . pneumoniae was shown to encode β - 1 , 4 - galactosyltransferase activity . in s . pneumoniae type 14 , this activity is required for the second step in the biosynthesis of the oligosaccharide subunit ( 20 ). based on the similarity of the data , similar glyco syltransferase and enhancing activities are suggested for the cps1g and cps1f genes of s . suis type 1 . the protein encoded by the cps1h gene showed similarity to the cps14m protein of s . pneumoniae ( 20 ). based on sequence similarity , cps14h was proposed to be the polysaccharide polymerase ( 20 ). the protein encoded by the cps1i gene showed some similarity with the cps14j protein of s . pneumoniae ( 19 ). the cps14j gene was shown to encode a β - 1 , 4 - galactosyltransferase activity , responsible for the addition of the fourth ( i . e . last ) sugar in the synthesis of the s . pneumoniae serotype 14 polysaccharide . between cps1g and cps1h , a gap of 718 bp was found . this region revealed three small orfs . the three orfs were expressed in three different reading frames and were not preceded by potential ribosome binding sites , nor contained potential start sites . however , the three potential gene products encoded by this region showed some similarity with three successive nnregions of the c - terminal part of the epsk protein of streptococcus thermophilus ( 27 % identity , 40 ). the region related to the first 82 amino acids is lacking . analysis of the cloned cps9 genes . we also determined the complete nucleotide sequence of the inserts of pcps9 - 1 and pcps9 - 2 ( fig6 ). examination of the sequence revealed the presence of three complete and two incomplete orfs ( fig1 , part c ). as in serotypes 1 and 2 , all orfs are preceded by a ribosome - binding site and are very closely coupled . as suggested by the hybridization data ( table 4 ), the cps2d and cps9d proteins were highly related ( table 2 ). based on sequence comparisons , pcps9 - 1 lacked the first 27 amino acids of the cps9d protein . the protein encoded by the cps9e gene showed some similarity with the capd protein of staphylococcus aureus serotype 1 ( 24 ). based on sequence similarity data , the cap1d protein was suggested to be an epimerase or a dehydratase involved in the synthesis of n - acetylfiuctosamine or n - acetylgalactosamine ( 63 ). cps9f showed some similarity to the capm proteins of s . aureus serotypes 5 and 8 ( 61 , 64 , 65 ). based on sequence similarity data , cap5m and cap8m are proposed to be glycosyltransferases ( 63 ). the protein encoded by the cps9g gene showed some similarity to a protein of actinobacillus actinomyceterncomitans ( ab002668 — 4 ). this protein is part of a gene cluster responsible for the serotype - b specific antigens of actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans . the function of the protein is unknown . the protein encoded by the cps9h gene showed some similarity to the rfbb gene of yersinia enterolitica ( 68 ). the rfbb protein was shown to be essential for o - antigen synthesis , but the function of the protein in the synthesis of the 0 : 3 lipopolysaccharide is unknown . serotype 1 and serotype 9 specific cps genes . to determine whether the cloned fragments in pcps1 - 1 , pcps1 - 2 , pcps9 - 1 and pcps9 - 2 contained the type - specific genes for serotype 1 and 9 , respectively , cross - hybridization experiments were performed . dna fragments of the individual cps1 and cps9 genes were amplified by pcr , labeled with 32 p , and used to probe southern blots of chromosomal dna of the reference strains of the 35 different s . suis serotypes . the results are shown in table 5 . based on the data obtained with the cps2e probe ( table 4 ), the cps1e probe was expected to hybridize with chromosomal dna of s . suis serotypes 1 , 2 , 14 , 27 and ½ . the cps1h , cps9e and cps9f probes hybridized with most other serotypes however , the cps1f and cps1g and cps1i probes hybridized with chromosomal dna of serotypes 1 and 14 only . the cps9g and cps9h probes hybridized with serotype 9 only . these data suggest that the cps9g and cps9h probes are specific for serotype 9 and , therefore , could be useful tools for the development of rapid and sensitive diagnostic tests for s . suis type 9 infections . type specific pcr . so far , the probes were tested on the 35 different reference strains only . to test the diagnostic value of the typespecific cps probes further , several other s . suis serotype 1 , 2 , ½ , 9 and 14 strains were used . moreover , since a pcr - based method would be even more rapid and sensitive than a hybridization test , we tested whether we could use a pcr for the serotyping of the s . suis strains . the oligonucleotide primer sets were chosen within the cps2j , cps1i and cps9h genes . amplified fragments of 675 bp , 380 bp and 390 bp were expected , respectively . the results show that 675 bp fragments were amplified on type 2 and ½ strains using cps2j primers ; 380 bp fragments were amplified on type 1 and 14 strains using cps1i primers and 390 bp fragments were amplified on type 9 strains using cps9h primers . construction of mutants impaired in capsule production . to evaluate the role of the capsule of s . suis type 2 in pathogenesis , we constructed two isogenic mutants in which capsule production was disturbed . to construct mutant 10cpsb , pcps11 was used . in this plasmid , a part of the cps2b gene was replaced by the spectinomycin - resistance gene . to construct mutant strain 10cpsef , the plasmid pcps28 was used . in pcps28 , the 3 ′- end of cps2e gene , as well as the 5 ′- end , of cps2f gene , were replaced by the spectinomycin - resistance gene . pcps 11 and pcps28 were used to electrotransform strain 10 of s . suis type 2 and spectinomycin - resistant colonies were selected . southern blotting and hybridization experiments were used to select double crossover integration events ( results not shown ). to test whether the capsular structure of the strains 10cpsb and 10cpsef was disturbed , we used a slide agglutination test using a suspension of the mutant strains in hyperimmune anti - s . suis type 2 serum ( 44 ). the results showed that even in the absence of serotype specific antisera , the bacteria agglutinated . this indicates that , in the mutant strains , the capsular structure was disturbed . to confirm this , thin sections of wild type and mutant strains were compared by electron microscopy . the results showed that , compared to the wild type ( fig3 , part a ), the amount of capsule produced by the mutant strains was greatly reduced ( fig3 , part b and part c ). almost no capsular material could be detected on the surface of the mutant strains . capsular mutants are sensitive to phagocytosis and killing by porcine alveolar macrophages (“ pam ”). the capsular mutants were tested for their ability to resist phagocytosis by pam in the presence of porcine spf serum . the wild type strain 10 seemed to be resistant to phagocytosis under these conditions ( fig9 a and 9b ). in contrast , the mutant strains were efficiently ingested by macrophages ( fig9 a and 9b ). after 90 min ., more than 99 . 7 % ( strain 10cpsb ) and 99 . 8 % ( strain 10cpsef ) of the mutant cells were ingested by the macrophages . moreover , as shown in fig9 a and 9b the ingested strains were efficiently killed by the macrophages . 90 – 98 % of all ingested cells were killed within 90 min . no differences could be observed between wild type and mutant strains . these data indicate that the capsule of s . suis type 2 efficiently protects the organism from uptake by macrophages in vitro . capsular mutants are less virulent for germfree piglets . the virulence properties of the wild - type and mutant strains were tested after experimental infection of newborn germfree pigs ( 45 , 49 ). table 1 shows that specific and nonspecific signs of disease could be observed in all pigs inoculated with the wild type strain . moreover , all pigs inoculated with the wild type strain died during the course of the experiment or were killed because of serious illness or nervous disorders ( table 3 ). in contrast , the pigs inoculated with strains 10cpsb and 10cpsef showed no specific signs of disease and all pigs survived until the end of the experiment ( table 6 ). the temperature of the pigs inoculated with the wild type strain increased 2 days after inoculation and remained high until day 5 ( table 3 ). the temperature of the pigs inoculated with the mutant strains sometimes exceeded 40 ° c ., however , we could observe significant differences in the fever index ( i . e . percent of observations in an experimental group during which pigs showed fever (& gt ; 40 ° c .)) between pigs inoculated with wild type and mutant strains . all pigs showed increased numbers of polymorphonuclear leucocytes ( pmls ) (& gt ; 10 × 10 9 pmls per litre ) ( table 3 ). however , in pigs inoculated with the mutant strains , the percentage of samples with increased numbers of pmls was considerably lower . s . suis strains and b . bronchiseptica could be isolated from the nasopharynx and feces swab samples of all pigs from 1 day post - infection until the end of the experiment ( table 3 ). postmortem , the wild type strain could frequently be isolated from the central nervous system (“ cns ”), kidney , heart , liver , spleen , serosae , joints and tonsils . mutant strains could easily be recovered from the tonsils , but were never recovered from the kidney , liver or spleen . interestingly , low numbers of the mutant strains were isolated from the cns , the serosae , the joints , the lungs and the heart . taken together , these data strongly indicated that mutant s . suis strains , impaired in capsule production , are not virulent for young germfree pigs . we describe the identification and the molecular characterization of the cps locus , involved in the capsular polysaccharide biosynthesis , of s . suis . most of the genes seemed to belong to a single transcriptional unit , suggesting a coordinate control of these genes . we assigned functions to most of the gene products . we thereby identified regions involved in regulation ( cps2a ), chain length determination ( cps2b , c ), export ( cps2c ) and biosynthesis ( cps2e , f , g , h , j , k ). the region involved in biosynthesis is located at the center of the gene cluster and is flanked by two regions containing genes with more common functions . the incomplete orf2z gene was located at the 5 ′- end of the cloned fragment . orf2z showed some similarity with the yits protein of b . subtilis . however , because the function of the yits protein is unknown , this did not give us any information about the possible function of orf2z . because the orf2z gene is not a part of the cps operon , a role of this gene in polysaccharide biosynthesis is not expected . the orf2y protein showed some similarity with the ycxd protein of b . subtilis ( 53 ). the ycxd protein was suggested to be a regulatory protein . similarly , orf2y may be involved in the regulation of polysaccharide biosynthesis . the orf2x protein showed similarity with the yaaa proteins of h . influenzae and e . coli . the function of these proteins is unknown . in s . suis type 2 , the orf2x gene seemed to be the first gene in the cps2 operon . this suggests a role of orf2x in the polysaccharide biosynthesis . in h . influenzae and e . coli , however , these proteins are not associated with capsular gene clusters . the analysis of isogenic mutants impaired in the expression of orf2x should give more insight in the presumed role of orf2x in the polysaccharide biosynthesis of s . suis type 2 . the gene products encoded by the cps2e , cps2f , cps2g , cps2h , cps2j and cps2k genes showed little similarity with glycosyltransferases of several gram - positive or gram - negative bacteria ( 18 , 19 , 20 , 22 , 25 ). the cps2e gene product shows some similarity with the cps14e protein of s . pneumoniae ( 18 , 19 ). cps14e is a glucosyl - 1 - phosphate transferase that links glucose to a lipid carrier ( 18 ). in s . pneumoniae , this is the first step in the biosynthesis of the oligosaccharide repeating unit . the structure of the s . suis serotype 2 capsule contains glucose , galactose , rhamnose , n - acetyl glucosamine and sialic acid in a ratio of 3 : 1 : 1 : 1 : 1 ( 7 ). based on these data , we conclude that cps2e of s . suis has glucosyltransferase activity and is involved in the linkage of the first sugar to the lipid carrier . the c - terminal region of the cps2f gene product showed some similarity with the rfbu of salmonella enteritica . rfbu was shown to have mannosyltransferase activity ( 24 ). because mannosyl is not a component of the s . suis type 2 polysaccharide , a mannosyltransferase activity is not expected in this organism . nevertheless , cps2f encodes a glycosyltransferase with another sugar specificity . cps2g showed moderate similarity to a family of gene products suggested to encode galactosyltransferase activities ( 22 , 24 , 40 ). hence , a similar activity is shown for cps2g . cps2h showed some similarity with lgtd of h . influenzae ( u32768 ). because lgtd was proposed to have glycosyltransferase activity , a similar activity is fulfilled by cps2h . cps2j and cps2k showed similarity to cps14j of s . pneumoniae ( 20 ). cps2j showed similarity with cps14i of s . pneumoniae as well . cps14i was shown to have n - acetyl glucosaminyltransferase activity , whereas cps14j has a β - 1 , 4 - galactosyltransferase activity ( 20 ). in s . pneumoniae , cps14i is responsible for the addition of the third sugar and cps14j for the addition of the last sugar in the synthesis of the type 14 repeating unit ( 20 ). because the capsule of s . suis type 2 contains galactose as well as n - acetyl glucosamine components , galactosyltransferase as well as n - acetyl glucoaminyltransferase activities could be envisaged for the cps2j and cps2k gene products , respectively . as was observed for cps14i and cps14j , the n - termini of cps2j and cps2k showed a significant degree of sequence similarity . within the n - terminal domains of cps14i and cps14j , two small regions were identified , which were also conserved in several other glycosyltransferases ( 22 ). within these two regions , two asp residues were proposed to be important for catalytic activity . the two conserved regions , dxs and dxdd , were also found in cps2j and cps2k . the function of cps2i remains unclear . cps2i showed some similarity with a protein of a . actinomycetemcomitans . although this protein part is of the gene cluster responsible for the serotype - b - specific antigens , the function of the protein is unknown . we further describe the identification and characterization of the cps genes specific for s . suis serotypes 1 , 2 and 9 . after the entire cps2 locus of s . suis serotype 2 was cloned and characterized , functions for most of the cps2 gene products could be assigned by sequence homologies . based on these data , the glycosyltransferase activities , required for type specificity , could be located in the center of the operon . cross - hybridization experiments , using the individual cps2 genes as probes on chromosomal dnas of the 35 different serotypes , confirmed this idea . the regions containing the type - specific genes of serotypes 1 and 9 could be cloned and characterized , showing that an identical genetic organization of the cps operons of other s . suis serotypes exists . the cps1e , cps1f , cps1g , cps1h , and cps1i genes revealed a striking similarity with cps14e , cps14f , cps14g , cps14h and cps14j genes of s . pneumoniae . interestingly , s . pneumoniae serotype 14 is the serotype most commonly associated with pneumococcal infections in young children ( 54 ), whereas s . suis serotype 1 strains are most commonly isolated from piglets younger than 8 weeks ( 46 ). in s . pneumoniae , the cps14e , cps14g , cps14i and cps14j encode the glycosyltransferases required for the synthesis of the type 14 tetrameric repeating unit , showing that the cps1e , cps1g and cps1i genes encoded glycosyltransferases . the precise functions of these genes as well as the substrate specificities of the enzymes can be established . in s . pneumoniae , the cps14e gene was shown to encode a glucosyl - 1 - phosphate transferase catalyzing the transfer of glucose to a lipid carrier . moreover , cpse - like genes were found in s . pneumoniae serotypes 9n , 13 , 14 , 15b , 15c , 18f , 18a and 19f ( 60 ). cpse mutants were constructed in the serotypes 9n , 13 , 14 and 15b . all mutant strains lacked glucosyltransferase activity ( 60 ). moreover , in all these s . pneumoniae serotypes , the cpse gene seemed to be responsible for the addition of glucose to the lipid carrier . based on these data , we suggest that in s . suis type 1 , the cps1e gene may fulfil a similar function . the structure of the s . suis type 1 capsule is unknown , but it is composed of glucose , galactose , n - acetyl glucosamine , n - acetyl galactosamine and sialic acid in a ratio of 1 : 2 . 4 : 1 : 1 : 1 . 4 ( 5 ). therefore , a role of a cpse - like glucosyltransferase activity can easily be envisaged . cpse - like sequences were also found in serotypes 2 , ½ and 14 . for polysaccharide biosynthesis in s . pneumoniae type 14 , transfer of the second sugar of the repeating unit to the first lipid - linked sugar is performed by the gene products of cps14f and cps14g ( 20 ). similar to cps14f and cps14g , the s . suis type 1 prot cps1g may act as one glycosyltransferase performing the same reaction . cps14f and cps14g of s . pneumoniae showed similarity to the n - terminal half and c - terminal half of the spsk protein of sphingomonas ( 20 , 67 ), respectively . this suggests a combined function for both proteins . moreover , cps14f - and cps14g - like sequences were found in several serotypes of s . pneumoniae and these genes always seemed to exist together ( 60 ). the same was observed for s . suis type 1 . the cps1f and cps1g probes hybridized with type 1 and type 14 strains . according to the similarity found between the cps1h gene and the cps14h gene of s . pneumoniae ( 20 ), cps1h is expected to encode a polysaccharide polymerase . the protein encoded by the cps1i gene showed some similarity with the cps14j protein of s . pneumoniae ( 19 ). the cps14j gene was shown to encode a β - 1 , 4 - galactosyltransferase activity , responsible for the addition of the fourth ( i . e . last ) sugar in the synthesis of the s . pneumoniae serotype 14 polysaccharide . in s . suis type 2 , the proteins encoded by the cps2j and cps2k genes showed similarity to the cps14j protein . however , no significant homologies were found between cps2j , cps2k and cps1i . in the n - terminal regions of cps14j and cps14i , two small conserved regions , dxs and dxdd , were identified ( 19 ). these regions seemed to be important for catalytic activity ( 13 ). at the same positions in the sequence , cps2i contained the regions dxs and dxed . in the region between cps1g and cps1h , three small orfs were identified . since the orfs were expressed in three different reading frames , and did not contain potential start sites , expression is not expected . however , the three potential gene products encoded by this region showed some similarity with three successive regions of the c - terminal part of the epsk protein of streptococcus thermophilus ( 27 % identity , 40 ). the region related to the first 82 amino acids is lacking . the epsk protein was suggested to play a role in the export of the exopolysaccharide by rendering the polymerized exopolysaccharide more hydrophobic through a lipid modification . these data could suggest that the sequences in the region between cps1g and cps1h originated from epsk - like sequence . hybridization experiments showed that this epsk - like region is also present in other serotype 1 strains as well as in serotype 14 strains ( results not shown ). the function of most of the cloned serotype 9 genes can be established . based on sequence similarity data , the cps9e and cps9f genes could be glycosyltransferases ( 61 , 24 , 63 , 64 , 65 ). moreover , the cps9g and cps9h genes showed similarity to genes located in regions involved in polysaccharide biosynthesis , but the function of these genes is unknown ( 68 ). cross - hybridization experiments using the individual cps2 , cps1 and cps9 genes as probes showed that the cps9g and cps9h probes specifically hybridized with serotype 9 strains . therefore , these are useful as tools for the identification of s . suis type 9 strains both for diagnostic purposes as well as in epidemiological and transmission studies . we previously developed a pcr method which can be used to detect s . suis strains in nasal and tonsil swabs of pigs ( 62 ). the method was used to identify pathogenic ( ef - positive ) strains of s . suis serotype 2 . besides s . suis type 2 strains , serotype 9 strains are frequently isolated from organs of diseased pigs . however , until now , a rapid and sensitive diagnostic test was not available for type 9 strains . therefore , the type 9 specific probes or the type 9 specific pcr is of great diagnostic value . the cps1f , cps1g and cps1i probes hybridized with serotype 1 as well as with serotype 14 strains . in coagglutination tests , type 1 strains react with the anti - type 1 as well as with the anti - type 14 antisera ( 56 ). this suggests the presence of common epitopes between these serotypes . on the other hand , type 1 strains agglutinated only with anti - type 1 serum ( 56 , 57 ), indicating that it is possible to detect differences between those serotypes . the cps2f , cps2g , cps2h , cps2j and cps2j probes hybridized with serotypes 2 and ½ only . serotype 34 showed a weak hybridizing signal with the cps2g probe . as shown in agglutination tests , type ½ strains react with sera directed against type 1 as well as with sera directed against type 2 strains ( 46 ). therefore , type ½ shared antigens with both types 1 and 2 . based on the hybridization patterns of serotype ½ strains with the cps1 and cps2 specific genes , serotype ½ seemed to be more closely related to type 2 strains than to type 1 strains . in our current studies , we identify type - specific genes , primers or probes which are used for the discrimination of serotypes 1 , 14 and 2 and ½ and others of the 35 serotypes yet known . furthermore , type - specific genes , primers or probes can now easily be developed for yet unknown serotypes , once they become isolated . based on the established sequence , 11 genes , designated cps2l to cps2t , orf2u and orf2v , were identified . a gene homologous to genes involved in the polymerization of the repeating oligosaccharide unit ( cps2o ) as well as genes involved in the synthesis of sialic acid ( cps2p to cps2t ) were identified . moreover , hybridization experiments showed that the genes involved in the sialic acid synthesis are present in s . suis serotypes 1 , 2 , 14 , 27 and ½ . the “ cps2m ” and “ cps2n ” regions showed similarity to proteins involved in the polysaccharide biosynthesis of other gram - positive bacteria . however , these regions seemed to be truncated or were nonfunctional as the result of frame - shift or point mutations . at its 3 ′- end , the cps2 locus contained two insertional elements (“ orf2u ” and “ orf2v ”), both of which seemed to be non - functional . to clone the remaining part of the cps2 locus , sequences of the 3 ′- end of pcps26 ( fig1 , part c ) were used to identify a chromosomal fragment containing cps2 sequences located further downstream . this fragment was cloned in pkun19 , resulting in pcps29 . using a similar approach , we subsequently isolated the plasmids pcps30 and pcps34 containing downstream cps2 sequences ( fig1 , part c ). the complete nucleotide sequence of the cloned fragments was determined . examination of the compiled sequence revealed the presence of : a sequence encoding the c - terminal part of cps2k , six apparently functional genes ( designated cps2o - cps2t ) and the remnants of 5 different ancestral genes ( designated “ cps2l ”, “ cps2m ”, “ cps2n ”, “ orf2u ” and “ orf2v ”). the latter genes seemed to be truncated or incomplete as the result of the presence of stop codons or frame - shift mutations ( fig1 , part a ). neither potential promoter sequences nor potential stem - loop structures could be identified within the sequenced region . a ribosome - binding site precedes each orf and the majority of the orfs are very closely linked . three intergenic gaps were found : one between “ cps2m ” and “ cps2n ” ( 176 nucleotides ), one between cps2o and cps2p ( 525 nucleotides ), and one between cps2t and “ orf2u ” ( 200 nucleotides ). these and our above data show that orf2x and cps2a - orf2t are part of a single operon . a list of all loci and their properties is shown in table 4 . the “ cps2l ” region contained three potential orfs of 103 , 79 and 152 amino acids , respectively , which were only separated from each other by stop codons . only the first orf is preceded by a potential ribosomal binding site and contained a methionine start codon . this suggests that “ cps2l ” originates from an ancestral cps2l gene , which coded for a protein of 339 amino acids . the function of this hypothetical cps2l protein remains unclear so far : no significant homologies were found between cps2l and proteins present in the data libraries . it is not clear whether the first orf of the “ cps2l ” region is expressed into a protein of 103 amino acids . the “ cps2m ” region showed homology to the n - terminal 134 amino acids of the neua proteins of streptococcus agalactiae and escherichia coli ( ab017355 , 32 ). however , although the “ cps2 m ” region contained a potential ribosome binding site , a methionine start codon was absent . compared with the s . agalactiae sequence , the atg start codon was replaced by a lysin encoding aag codon . moreover , the region homologous to the first 58 amino acids of the s . agalactiae neua ( identity 77 %) was separated from the region homologous to amino acids 59 – 134 of neua by a repeated dna sequence of 100 - bp ( see , herein ). in addition , the region homologous to amino acids 59 to 95 of neua ( identity 32 %) and the region homologous to the amino acids 96 to 134 of neua ( identity 50 %) were present in different reading frames . therefore , the partial and truncated neua homologue is probably nonfunctional in s . suis . the “ cps2n ” region showed homology to cpsj of s . agalactiae ( accession no . ab017355 ). however , sequences homologous to the first 88 amino acids of cpsj were lacking in s . suis . moreover , the homologous region was present in two different reading frames . the protein encoded by the cps2o gene showed homology to proteins of several streptococci involved in the transport of the oligosaccharide repeating unit ( accession no . ab017355 ), suggesting a similar function for cps2o . the proteins encoded by the cps2p , cps2s and cps2t genes showed homology to the neub , neud and neua proteins of s . agalactiae and e . coli ( accession no . ab017355 ). because the “ cps2m ” region also showed homology to neua of e . coli , the s . suis cps2 locus contains a functional neua gene ( cps2t ) as well as a nonfunctional (“ cps2m ”) gene . the mutual homology between these two regions showed an identity of 77 % at the amino acid level over amino acids 1 – 58 and 49 % over the amino acids 59 – 134 . cps2q and cps2r showed homology to the n - terminal and c - terminal parts of the neuc protein of s . agalactiae and e . coli , respectively . this suggests that the function of the s . agalactiae neuc protein in s . suis is likely fulfilled by two different proteins . in e . coli , the neu genes are known to be involved in the synthesis of sialic acid . neunac is synthesized from n - acetylmannosamine and phosphoenolpyruvate by neunac synthetase . subsequently , neunac is converted to cmp - neunac by the enzyme cmp - neunac synthetase . cmp - neunac is the substrate for the synthesis of polysaccharide . in e . coli , k1 neub is the neunac synthetase , and neua is the cmp - neunac synthetase . neuc has been implicated in the neunac synthesis , but its precise role is not known . the precise role of neud is not known . a role of the cps2p - cps2t proteins in the synthesis of sialic acid can easily be envisaged , since the capsule of s . suis serotype 2 is rich in sialic acid . in s . agalactiae , sialic acid has been shown to be critical to the virulence function of the type iii capsule . moreover , it has been suggested that the presence of sialic acid in the capsule of bacteria which can cause meningitis may be important for these bacteria to breach the blood - brain barrier . so far , however , the requirement of the sialic acid for virulence of s . suis remains unclear . “ orf2u ” and “ orf2v ” showed homology to proteins located on two different insertional elements . “ orf2u ” is homologous to is1194 of streptococcus thermophilus , whereas “ orf2v ” showed homology to a putative transposase of streptococcus pneumoniae . this putative transposase was recently found to be associated with the type 2 capsular locus of s . pneunioniae . compared with the original insertional elements in s . thermophilus and s . pneumoniae , both “ orf2u ” and “ orf2v ” are likely to be nonfunctional due to frame shift mutations within their coding regions . a striking observation was the presence of a sequence of 100 bp ( fig1 ) which was repeated three times within the cps2 operon . the sequence is highly conserved ( between 94 % and 98 %) and was found in the intergenic regions between cps2g and cps2h , within “ cps2m ” and between cps2o and cps2p . no significant homologies were found between this 100 - bp direct repeat sequence and sequences present in the data libraries , suggesting that the sequence is unique for s . suis . distribution of the cps2 sequences among the 35 s . suis serotypes . to examine the presence of sialic acid encoding genes in other s . suis serotypes , we performed cross - hybridization experiments . dna fragments of the individual cps2 genes were amplified by pcr , radiolabeled with 32p and hybridized to chromosomal dna of the reference strains of the 35 different s . suis serotypes . as a positive control , we used a probe specific for s . suis 16s rrna . the 16s rrna probe hybridized with almost equal intensities to all serotypes tested ( table 4 ). the “ cps2l ” sequence hybridized with dna of serotypes 1 , 2 , 14 and ½ . the “ cps2m ”, cps2o , cps2p , cps2q , cps2r , cps2s and cps2t genes hybridized with dna of serotypes 1 , 2 , 14 , 27 and ½ . because the cps2p - cps2t genes are most likely involved in the synthesis of sialic acid , these results suggest that sialic acid is also a part of the capsule in the s . suis serotypes 1 , 2 , 14 , 27 and ½ . this is in agreement with the finding that the serotypes 1 , 2 and ½ possess a capsule that is rich in sialic acid . although the chemical compositions of the capsules of serotypes 14 and 27 are unknown , recent agglutination studies using sialic acid - binding lectins suggested the presence of sialic acid in s . suis serotype 14 , but not in serotype 27 . in these studies , sialic acid was also detected in serotypes 15 and 16 . since the latter observation is not in agreement with our hybridization studies , it might be that other genes , not homologous to the cps2p - cps2t genes , are responsible for the sialic acid synthesis in serotypes 15 and 16 . a probe based on “ cps2n ” sequences hybridized with dna from serotypes 1 , 2 , 14 and ½ . a probe specific for “ orf2u ” hybridized with serotypes 1 , 2 , 7 , 14 , 24 , 27 , 32 , 34 , and ½ , whereas a probe specific for “ orf2v ” hybridized with many different serotypes . in addition , we prepared a probe specific for the 100 - bp direct repeat sequence . this probe hybridized with the serotypes 1 , 2 , 13 , 14 , 22 , 24 , 27 , 29 , 32 , 34 and ½ ( table 4 ). to analyze the number of copies of the direct repeat sequence within the s . suis serotype 2 chromosome , a southern blot hybridization and analysis was performed . therefore , chromosomal dna of s . suis serotype 2 was digested with ncoi and hybridized with a 32p - labeled direct repeat sequence . only one hybridizing fragment , containing the three direct repeats present on the cps2 locus , was found ( results not shown ). this indicates that the 100 - bp direct repeat sequence is only associated with the cps2 locus . in s . pneumoniae , a 115 - bp long repeated sequence was found to be associated with the capsular genes of serotypes 1 , 3 , 14 and 19f . in s . pneumoniae , this 115 - bp sequence was also found in the vicinity of other genes involved in pneumococcal virulence ( hyaluronidase and neuraminidase genes ). a regulatory role of the 115 - bp sequence in coordinate control of these virulence - related genes was suggested . to study the role of the capsule in resistance to phagocytosis and in virulence , we constructed two isogenic mutants in which capsule synthesis was disturbed . in 10cpsb , the cps2b gene was disturbed by the insertion of an antibiotic - resistance gene , whereas in 10cpsef , parts of the cps2e and cps2f genes were replaced . both mutant strains seemed to be completely unencapsulated . because the cps2 genes seemed to be part of an operon , polar effects cannot be excluded . therefore , these data did not give any information about the role of cps2b , cps2e or cps2f in the polysaccharide biosynthesis . however , the results clearly show that the capsular polysaccharide of s . suis type 2 is a surface component with antiphagocytic activity . in vitro wild type encapsulated bacteria are ingested by phagocytes at a very low frequency , whereas the mutant unencapsulated bacteria are efficiently ingested by porcine macrophages . within 2 hours , over 99 . 6 % of mutant bacteria were ingested and over 92 % of the ingested bacteria were killed . intracellularly , wild type as well as mutant strains seemed to be killed with the same efficiency . this suggests that the loss of capsular material is associated with loss of capacity to resist uptake by macrophages . this loss of resistance to in vitro phagocytosis was associated with a substantial attenuation of the virulence in germfree pigs . all pigs inoculated with the mutant strains survived the experiment and did not show any specific clinical signs of disease . only some aspecific clinical signs of disease could be observed . moreover , mutant bacteria could be reisolated from the pigs . this supports the idea that , as in other pathogenic streptococci , the capsule of s . suis acts as an important virulence factor . transposon mutants prepared by charland impaired in the capsule production showed a reduced virulence in pigs and mice . to construct these mutants , the type 2 reference strain s735 was used . we previously showed that this strain is only weakly virulent for young pigs . moreover , the insertion site of the transposon is unsolved so far . as a further example herein , a rapid pct test for streptococcus suis type 7 is described . recent epidemiological studies on streptococcus suis infections in pigs indicated that , besides serotypes 1 , 2 and 9 , serotype 7 is also frequently associated with diseased animals . for the latter serotype , however , no rapid and sensitive diagnostic methods are available . this hampers prevention and control programs . here we describe the development of a type - specific pcr test for the rapid and sensitive detection of s . suis serotype 7 . the test is based on dna sequences of capsular ( cps ) genes specific for serotype 7 . these sequences could be identified by cross - hybridization of several individual cps genes with the chromosomal dnas of 35 different s . suis serotypes . streptococcus suis is an important cause of meningitis , septicemia , arthritis and sudden death in young pigs ( 69 , 70 ). it can , however , also cause meningitis in man ( 71 ). attempts to control the disease are still hampered by the lack of sufficient knowledge about the epidemiology of the disease and the lack of effective vaccines and sensitive diagnostics . s . suis strains can be identified and classified by their morphological , biochemical and serological characteristics ( 70 , 73 , 74 ). serological classification is based on the presence of specific antigenic determinants . isolated and biochemically characterized s . suis cells are agglutinated with a panel of specific sera . these typing methods are very laborious and time - consuming and can only be performed on isolated colonies . moreover , it has been reported that nonspecific cross - reactions may occur among different types of s . suis ( 75 , 76 ). so far , 35 different serotypes have been described ( 7 , 78 , 79 ). s . suis serotype 2 is the most prevalent type isolated from diseased pigs , followed by serotypes 9 and 1 . however , recently , serotype 7 strains were also frequently isolated from diseased pigs ( 80 , 81 , 82 ). this suggests that infections with s . suis serotype 7 strains seem to be an increasing problem . moreover , the virulence of s . suis serotype 7 strains was confirmed by experimental infection of young pigs ( 83 ). recently , rapid and sensitive pcr assays specific for serotypes 2 ( and ½ ), 1 ( and 14 ) and 9 were developed ( 84 ). these assays were based on the cps loci of s . suis serotypes 2 , 1 and 9 ( 84 , 85 ). however , until now , no rapid and sensitive diagnostic test was available for s . suis serotype 7 . herein we describe the development of a pcr test for the rapid and sensitive detection of s . suis serotype 7 strains . the test is based on dna sequences which form a part of the cps locus of s . suis serotype 7 . compared with the serological serotyping methods , the pcr assay was a rapid , reliable and sensitive assay . therefore , this test , in combination with the pcr tests which we previously developed for serotypes 1 , 2 and 9 , will undoubtedly contribute to a more rapid and reliable diagnosis of s . suis and may facilitate control and eradication programs . the bacterial strains and plasmids used in this study are listed in table 7 . the s . suis reference strains were obtained from m . gottschalk , canada . s . suis strains were grown in todd - hewitt broth ( code cm189 , oxoid ), and plated on columbia agar blood base ( code cm331 , oxoid ) containing 6 % ( v / v ) horse blood . e . coli strains were grown in luria broth ( 86 ) and plated on luria broth containing 1 . 5 % ( w / v ) agar . if required , ampicillin was added to the plates . the s . suis strains were serotyped by the slide agglutination test with serotype - specific antibodies ( 70 ). routine dna manipulations and pcr reactions were performed as described by sambrook et al . ( 88 ). blotting and hybridization were performed as described previously ( 84 , 86 ). dna sequences were determined on a 373a dna sequencing system ( applied biosystems , warrington , gb ). samples were prepared by use of an abi / prism dye terminator hcycle sequencing ready reaction kit ( applied biosystems ). custom - made sequencing primers were purchased from life technologies . sequencing data were assembled and analyzed using the mcmollytetra program . the blast program was used to search for protein sequences homologous to the deduced amino acid sequences . the primers used for the cps7h pcr correspond to the positions 3334 – 3354 and 3585 – 3565 in the s . suis cps7 locus . the reaction mixtures contained 10 mm tris - hcl , ph 8 . 3 ; 1 . 5 mnm mgc12 ; 50 mm kcl ; 0 . 2 mm of each of the four deoxynucleotide triphosphates ; 1 microm of each of the primers and 1u of amplitaq gold dna polymerase ( perkin elmer applied biosystems , n . j .). dna amplification was carried out in a perkin elmer 9600 thermal cycler and the program consisted of an incubation for 10 min at 95 ° c . and 30 cycles of 1 min at 95 ° c ., 2 min at 56 ° c . and 2 min at 72 ° c . to isolate the type - specific cps genes of s . suis serotype 7 , we used the cps9e gene of serotype 9 as a probe to identify chromosomal dna fragments of type 7 containing homologous dna sequences ( 84 ). a 1 . 6 - kb psti fragment was identified and cloned in pkun19 . this yielded pcps7 - 1 ( fig1 , part c ). in turn , this fragment was used as a probe to identify an overlapping 2 . 7 kb scal - clal fragment . pgem7 containing the latter fragment was designated pcps7 - 2 ( fig1 , part c ). the complete nucleotide sequences of the inserts of pcps7 - 1 , pcps7 - 2 were determined . examination of the cps7 sequence revealed the presence of two complete and two incomplete open reading frames ( orfs ) ( fig1 , part c ). all orfs are preceded by a ribosome - binding site . in accord with the data obtained for the cps1 , cps2 and cps9 genes of serotypes 1 , 2 and 9 , respectively , the type 7 orfs are very closely linked to each other . the only significant intergenic gap was that found between cps7e and cps7f ( 443 nucleotides ). no obvious promoter sequences or potential stem - loop structures were found in this region . this suggests that , as in serotypes 1 , 2 and 9 , the cps genes in serotype 7 form part of an operon . an overview of the orfs and their properties is shown in table 8 . as expected on the basis of the hybridization data ( 84 ), the cps9e and cps7e proteins showed a high similarity ( identity 99 %, table 8 ). based on sequence comparisons between cps9e and cps7e , the psti fragment of pcps7 - 1 lacks the region encoding the first 371 codons of cps7e . the c - terminal part of the protein encoded by the cps7f gene showed some similarity with the bp1g protein of bordetella pertussis ( 88 ), as well as with the c - terminal part of s . suis cps2e ( 85 ). both bp1g and cps2e were suggested to have glycosyltransferase activity and are probably involved in the linkage of the first sugar to the lipid carrier ( 85 , 88 ). the protein encoded by the cps7g gene showed similarity with the bp1f protein of bordetella pertussis ( 88 ). b1pf is likely to be involved in the biosynthesis of an amino sugar , suggesting a similar function for cps7g . the protein encoded by the cps7h gene showed similarity with the wbdn protein of e . coli ( 89 ) as well as with the n - terminal part of the cps2k protein of s . suis ( 81 ). both wbdn and cps2k were suggested to have glycosyltransferase activity ( 85 , 89 ). to determine whether the cloned fragments in pcps7 - 1 and pcps7 - 2 contained serotype 7 - specific dna sequences , cross - hybridization experiments were performed . dna fragments of the individual cps7 genes were amplified by pcr , labeled with 32p , and used to probe spot blots of chromosomal dna of the reference strains of 35 different s . suis serotypes . the results are summarized in table 9 . as expected , based on the data obtained with the cps9e probe ( 84 ), the cps7e probe hybridized with chromosomal dna of many different s . suis serotypes . the cps7f and cps7g probes showed hybridization with chromosomal dna of s . suis serotypes 4 , 5 , 7 , 17 , and 23 . however , the cps7h probe hybridized with chromosomal dna of serotype 7 only , indicating that this gene is specific for serotype 7 . we tested whether we could use pcr instead of hybridization for the typing of the s . suis serotype 7 strains . for that purpose , we selected an oligonucleotide primer set within the cps7h gene with which an amplified fragment of 251 - bp was expected . in addition , we included in our analysis several s . suis serotype 7 strains , other than the reference strain . these strains were obtained from different countries and were isolated from different organs ( table 7 ). the results show that indeed a fragment of about 250 - bp was amplified with all type 7 strains used ( fig1 , part b ), whereas no pcr products were obtained with serotype 1 , 2 and 9 strains ( fig1 , part a ). this suggests that the pcr test , as described here , is a rapid diagnostic tool for the identification of s . suis serotype 7 strains . until now , such a diagnostic test was not available for serotype 7 strains . together with the recently developed pcr assays for serotypes 1 , 2 , ½ , 14 and 9 , this assay may be an important diagnostic tool to detect pigs carrying serotype 2 , ½ , 1 , 14 , 9 and 7 strains and may facilitate control and eradication programs . 3 . arrecubieta , c ., r . lopez , and e . garcia . 1994 . molecular characterization of cap3a , a gene from the operon required for the synthesis of the capsule of streptococcus pneumoniae type 3 : sequencing of mutations responsible for the unencapsulated phenotype and localization of the capsular cluster on the pneumococcal chromosome . j . bacteriol . 176 : 6375 – 6383 . 4 . clifton - hadley , f . a . 1983 . streptococcus suis type 2 infections . br . vet . j . 139 : 1 – 5 . 5 . charland , n ., j . harel , n ., kobisch , s . lacasse , and m . gottschalk . 1998 . streptococcus suis serotype 2 mutants deficient in capsular expression . microbiol . 144 : 325 – 332 . 6 . cross , a . s . 1990 . the biological significance of bacterial encapsulation . curr . top . microbiol . immunol . 150 : 87 – 95 . 7 . elliott , s . d . and j . y . tai . 1978 . the type specific polysaccharide of streptococcus suis . j . exp . med . 148 : 1699 – 1704 . 8 . feder , i ., m . m . chengappa , b . fenwick , m . rider and j . staats . 1994 . partial characterization of streptococcus suis type 2 hemolysin . j . clin . microbiol . 32 : 1256 – 1260 . 9 . gottschalk , m ., r . higgins , m . jacques , m . beaudoin , and j . henrichsen . 1991 . characterization of six new capsular types ( 23 through 28 ) of streptococcus suis . j . clin . microbiol . 29 : 2590 – 2594 . 10 . gottschalk , m ., s . lacouture , and j . d . dubreuil . 1995 . characterization of streptococcus suis type 2 haemolysin . microbiology 141 : 189 – 195 . 11 . gottschalk , m ., a . lebrun , m . jacques , and r . higgins . 1990 . haemagglutination properties of streptococcus suis . j . clin . microbiol . 28 : 2156 – 2158 . 12 . guidolin , a ., j . m . morona , r . morona , d . hansman , and j . c . paton . 1994 . nucleotide sequence analysis of genes essential for capsular polysaccharide biosynthesis in streptococcus pneumoniae type 19f . 1994 . infect . immun . 62 : 5384 – 5396 . 13 . guitierrez , c ., and j . c . devedjian . 1989 . plasmid facilitating in vitro construction of phoa fusions in escherichia coli . nucl . acid . res . 17 : 3999 . 14 . higgins , r ., m . gottschalk , m . boudreau , a . lebrun , and j . henrichsen . 1995 . description of six new capsular types ( 28 through 34 ) of streptococcus suis . j . vet . diagn . invest . 7 : 405 – 406 15 . jacobs , a . a ., p . l . w . loeffen , a . j . g . van den berg , and p . k . storm . 1994 . identification , purification and characterization of a thiol - activated hemolysin ( suilysin ) of streptococcus suis . infect . immun . 62 : 1742 – 1748 . 16 . jacques , m ., m . gottschalk , b . foiry b . and r . higgins . 1990 . ultrastructural study of surface components of streptococcus suis . j . bacteriol . 172 : 2833 – 2838 . 17 . klein p ., m . kanehisa and c . delisi . 1985 . the detection and classification of membrane spanning proteins . biochim . biophys . acta . 851 : 468 – 476 . 18 . kolkman , m . a . b ., d . a . morrison , b . a . m . van der zeijst , and p . j . m . nuijten . 1996 . the capsule polysaccharide synthesis locus of streptococcus pneumoniae serotype 14 : identification of the glycosyl transferase gene cps14e . j . bacteriol . 178 : 3736 – 3541 . 19 . kolkman , m . a . b ., w . wakarchuk , p . j . m . nuijten , and b . a . m . van der zeijst . 1997 . capsular polysaccharide synthesis in streptococcus pneumoniae serotype 14 : molecular analysis of the complete cps locus and identification of genes encoding glycosyltransferases required for the biosynthesis of the tetrasaccharide subunit . mol . microbiol . 26 : 197 – 208 . 20 . kolkinan , m . a . b ., b . a . m . van der zeijst and p . j . m . nuijten . 1997 . functional analysis of glycosyltransferases encoded by the capsular polysaccharide biosynthesis locus of streptococcus pneumoniae serotype 14 . j . biol . chem . 272 : 1950219508 . 21 . konings , r . n . h ., e . j . m . verhoeven , and b . p h . peeters . 1987 . pkun vectors for the separate production of both dna strands of recombinant plasmids . methods enzymol . 153 : 12 – 34 . 22 . korolik , v ., b . n . fry , m . r . alderton , b . a . m . van der zeijst , and p . j . coloe . 1997 . expression of campylobacter hyoilei lipo - oligosaccharide ( los ) antigens in escherichia coli . microbiol . 143 : 3481 – 3489 . 23 . leij , p . c . j ., r . van furth , and t . l . van zwet . 1986 . in vitro determination of phagocytosis and intracellular killing of polymorphonuclear and mononuclear phagocytes . in handbook of experimental immunology , vol . 2 . cellular immunology , pp . 46 . 1 – 46 . 21 . edited by d . m . weir , l . a . herzenberg , c . blackwell and l . a . herzenberg . blackwell scientific publications , oxford . 24 . lin , w . s ., t . cunneen , and c . y . lee . 1994 . sequence analysis and molecular characterization of genes required for the biosynthesis of type 1 capsular polysaccharide in staphylococcus aureus . j . bacteriol . 176 : 7005 – 7016 . 25 . liu , d ., a . m . haase , l . lindqvist , a . a . lindberg , and p . r . reeves . 1993 . glycosyl transferases of o - antigen biosynthesis in salmonella enteritica : identification and characterization of transferase genes of group b , c2 , and e1 . j . bacteriol . 175 : 3408 – 3413 . 26 . manoil , c ., and j . beckwith . 1985 . a transposon probe for protein export signals . proc . natl . acad . sci . usa 82 : 8129 – 8133 . 27 . marsh , j . l ., m . erfle , and e . j . wykes . 1984 . the pic plasmnid and phage vectors with versatile cloning sites for recombinant selection by insertional inactivation . gene 32 : 481 – 485 . 28 . miller , j . 1972 . experiments in molecular genetics . cold spring harbor , n . y . : cold spring harbor laboratory . 29 . morona , j . k ., r . morona , and j . c . paton . 1997 . characterization of the locus encoding the streptococcus pneumoniae type 19f capsular polysaccharide biosynthesis pathway . mol . microbiol . 23 : 761 – 763 . 30 . muñoz , r ., m . mollerach , r . lópez and e . garcia . 1997 . molecular organization of the genes required for the synthesis of type 1 capsular polysaccharide of streptococcus pneumoniae ; formation of binary encapsulated pneumococci and identification of cryptic dtdp - rhamnose biosynthesis genes . mol . microbiol . 25 : 79 – 92 . 31 . pearce b . j ., y . b . yin , and h . r . masure . 1993 . genetic identification of exported proteins in streptococcus pneumoniae . mol . microbiol . 9 : 1037 – 1050 . 32 . roberts , i . s . 1996 . the biochemistry and genetics of capsular polysaccharide production in bacteria . ann . rev . microbiol . 50 : 285 – 315 . 33 . rossbach , s ., d . a . kulpa , u . rossbach , and f . j . de bruin . 1994 . molecular and genetic characterization of the rhizopine catabolism ( mocabrc ) genes of rhizobium meliloti l5 – 30 . mol . gen . genet . 245 : 11 – 24 . 34 . rubens , c . e ., l . m . heggen , r . f . haft , and r . m . wessels . 1993 . identification of cpsd , a gene essential for type iii capsule expression in group b streptococci . mol . microbiol . 8 : 843 – 855 . 35 . rubens , c . e ., l . m . r . wessels , l . m . heggen , and d . l . kasper . 1987 . transposon mutagenesis of type iii group b streptococcus correlation of capsule expression with virulence . proc . natl . acad . sci . usa 84 : 7208 – 7212 . 36 . sambrook , j ., e . f . fritsch , and t . maniatis . 1989 . molecular cloning . a laboratory manual . second edition . cold spring harbor laboratory press . cold spring harbor , n . y . 37 . smith , h . e ., u . vecht , h . j . wisselink , n . stockhofe - zurwieden , y . biermann , and m . a . smits . 1996 . mutants of streptococcus suis types 1 and 2 impaired in expression of muramidase - released protein and extracellular protein induce disease in newborn germfree pigs . infect immun . 64 : 4409 – 4412 . 38 . smith , h . e ., h . j . wisselink , u . vecht , a . l . j . gielkens and m . a . smits . 1995 . high - efficiency transformation and gene inactivation in streptococcus suiss type 2 . microbiol . 141 : 181 – 188 . 39 . sreenivasan , p . k ., d . l . leblanc , l . n . lee , and p . fives - taylor . 1991 . transformation of actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans by electroporation , utilizing constructed shuttle plasmids . infect . immun . 59 : 4621 – 4627 . 40 . stringele f ., j . r . neeser , and b . mollet . 1996 . identification and characterization of the eps ( exopolysaccharide ) gene cluster from streptococcus thermophilus sfi6 . j . bacteriol . 178 : 1680 – 1690 . 41 . stockhofe - zurwieden , n ., u . vecht , h . j . wisselink , h . van lieshout , and h . e . smith . 1996 . comparative studies on the pathogenicity of different streptococcus suis serotype 1 strains . in proceedings of the 14th ipvs congress . pp . 299 . 42 . van kranenburg , r ., j . d . marugg , i . i . van swam , n . j . willem and w . m . de vos . 1997 . molecular characterization of the plasinid - encoded eps gene cluster essential for exopolysaccharide biosynthesis in lactococcus lactis mol . microbiol . 24 : 387 – 397 . 43 . van leengoed , l . a ., e . m . kamp , and j . m . a . pol . 1989 . toxicity of haemophilus pleuropneumoniae to porcine lung macrophages . vet . microbiol . 19 : 337 – 349 . 44 . van leengoed , l . a . m . g ., u . vecht , and e . r . m . verheyen . 1987 . streptococcus suis type 2 infections in pigs in the netherlands ( part two ). vet quart . 9 , 111 – 117 . 45 . vecht , u ., j . p . arends , e . j . van der molen , and l . a . m . g . van leengoed . 1989 . differences in virulence between two strains of streptococcus suis type 2 after experimentally induced infection of newborn germfree pigs . am . j . vet . res . 50 : 1037 – 1043 . 46 . vecht , u ., l . a . m . g . van leengoed , and e . r . m . verheyen . 1985 . streptococcus suis infections in pigs in the netherlands ( part one ). vet . quart . 7 : 315 – 321 . 47 . vecht , u ., h . j . wisselink , m . l . jellema , and h . e . smith . 1991 . identification of two proteins associated with virulence of streptococcus suis type 2 . infect . immun . 59 : 3156 – 3162 . 48 . vecht , u ., h . j . wisselink , n . stockhofe - zurwieden , and h . e . smith . 1996 . characterization of virulence of the streptococcus suis serotype 2 reference strain henrichsen s . 735 in newborn gnotobiotic pigs . vet . microbiol . 51 : 125 – 136 . 49 . vecht , u ., h . j . wisselink , j . e . van dijk , and h . e . smith . 1992 . virulence of streptococcus suis type 2 strains in newborn germfree pigs depends on phenotype . infect . immun . 60 : 550 – 556 . 50 . wagenaar , f ., g . l . kok , j . m . broekhuijsen - davies , and j . m . a . pol . 1993 . rapid cold fixation of tissue samples by microwave irradiation for use in electron microscopy . histochemical j . 25 : 719 – 725 . 51 . wessels , m . r . and m . s . bronze . 1994 . critical role of the group a streptococcal capsule in pharyngeal colonization and infection in mice . proc . natl . acad . sci . usa 91 : 12238 – 12242 . 52 . wessels , m . r ., a . e . moses , j . b . goldberg , and t . j . dicesare . 1991 . hyaluronic acid capsule is a virulence factor for mucoid group a streptococci . proc . natl . acad . sci . usa . 88 : 8317 – 8321 . 53 . yamane , k ., m . kumamano , and k . kurita . 1996 . the 25 °– 36 ° region of the bacillus subtilis chromosome : determination of the sequence of a 146 kb segment and identification of 113 genes . microbiol . 142 : 3047 – 3056 . 54 . butler , j . c ., r . f . breiman , h . b . lipman , j . hofmann , and r . r . facklam . 1995 . serotype distribution of streptococcus pneumoniae infections among preschool children in the united states , 1978 – 1994 : implications for development of a conjugate vaccine . j . infect . dis . 171 : 885 – 889 . 55 . charland , n ., m . jacques , s . lacoutre and m . gottschalk . 1997 . characterization and protective activity of a monoclonal antibody against a capsular epitope shared by streptococcus suis serotypes 1 , 2 and ½ . microbiol . 143 : 3607 – 3614 . 56 . gottschalk , m ., r . higgins , m . jacques , k . r . mittal , and j . henrichsen . description of 14 new capsular types of streptococcus suis . j . clin . microbiol . 27 : 2633 – 2636 . 57 . heath , p . j ., b . w . hunt , and j . p . duff . 1996 . streptococcus suis serotype 14 as a cause of pig disease in the uk . vet . rec . 2 : 450 – 451 . 58 . hommez , j ., l . a . devrieze , j . henrichsen , and f . castryck . 1986 . identification and characterization of streptococcus suis . vet . microbiol . 16 : 349 – 355 . 59 . killper - balz , r ., and k . h . schleifer . 1987 . streptococcus suis sp . nov . nom . rev . int . j . syst . bacteriol . 37 : 160 – 162 . 60 . kolkman , m . a . b ., b . a . m . van der zeijst , and p . j . m . nuijten . 1998 . diversity of capsular polysaccharide synthesis gene clusters in streptococcus pneumoniae . submitted for publication . 61 . lee , j . c ., s . xu , a . albus , and p . j . livolsi . 1994 . genetic analysis of type 5 capsular polysaccharide expression by staphylococcus aureus . j . bacteriol . 176 : 4883 – 4889 . 62 . reek , f . h ., m . a . smits , e . m . kamp , and h . e . smith . 1995 . use of multiscreen plates for the preparation of bacterial dna suitable for pcr . biotechniques 19 : 282 – 285 . 63 . sau , s ., n . bhasin , e . r . wann , j . c . lee , t . j . foster , and c . y . lee . 1997 . the staphylococcus aureus allelic genetic loci for serotype 5 and 8 capsule expression contain the type - specific genes flanked by common genes . microbiol . 143 : 2395 – 2405 . 64 . sau , s ., and c . y . lee . 1996 . cloning of type 8 capsule genes and analysis of gene clusters for the production of different capsular polysaccharides in staphylococcus aureus . j . bacteriol . 178 : 2118 – 2126 . 65 . sau , s ., and c . y . lee . 1997 . molecular characterization and transcriptional analysis of type 8 capsule genes in staphylococcus aureus . j . bacteriol . 179 : 1614 – 1621 . 66 . smith , h . e ., m . rijnsburger , n . stockhofe - zurwieden , h . j . wisselink , u . vecht , and m . a . smits . 1997 . virulent strains of streptococcus suis serotype 2 and highly virulent strains of streptococcus suis serotype 1 can be recognized by a unique ribotype profile . j . clin . microbiol . 35 : 1049 – 1053 . 67 . yamazaki , m ., l . thorne , m . mikolajczak , r . w . armentrout , and t . j . pollock . 1996 . linkage of genes essential for synthesis of a polysaccharide capsule in sphingomonas strain s88 . j . bacteriol . 178 : 2676 – 2687 . 68 . zhang , l ., a . al - hendy , p . toivanen . and m . skuriik . 1993 . genetic organization and sequence of the rfb gene cluster of yersinia enterolitica serotype o : 3 : similarities to the dtdp - l - rhamnose biosynthesis pathway of salmonella and to the bacterial polysaccharide transport systems . mol . microbiol . 9 : 309 – 321 . 69 . clifton - hadley , f . a . ( 1983 ). streptococcus suis type 2 infections . br . vet . j . 139 , 1 – 5 . 70 . vecht , u ., van leengoed , l . a . m . g . and verheyen , e . r . m . ( 1985 ). streptococcus suis infections in pigs in the netherlands ( part one ). vet . quart . 7 , 315 – 321 . 71 . arends , j . p . and zanen , h . c . ( 1988 ). meningitis caused by streptococcus suis in humans . rev . infect . dis . 10 , 131 – 137 . 72 . hommez , j ., devrieze , l . a ., henrichsen , j . and castryck , f . ( 1986 ). identification and characterization of streptococcus suis . vet . microbiol . 16 , 349 – 355 . 73 . killper - balz , r . and schleifer , k . h . ( 1987 ). streptococcus suis sp . nov . nom . rev . int . j . syst . bacteriol . 37 , 160 – 162 . 74 . gottschalk , m ., higgins , r . and jacques , m . ( 1993 ). production of capsular material by streptococcus suis serotype 2 under different conditions . can . j . vet . res . 57 , 49 – 52 . 75 . higgins , r . and gottschalk , m . ( 1990 ). un update on streptococcus suis identification . j . vet . diagn . invest . 2 , 249 – 252 . 76 . gottschalk , m ., higgins , r ., jacques , m ., beaudoin , m . and henrichsen , j . ( 1991 ). characterization of six new capsular types ( 23 through 28 ) of streptococcus suis . j . clin . microbiol . 29 , 2590 – 2594 . 77 . gottschalk , m ., higgins , r ., jacques , m ., mittal , k . r . and henrichsen , j . ( 1989 ) description of 14 new capsular types of streptococcuss suis j . clin . microbiol . 27 , 2633 – 2636 . 78 . higgins , r ., gottschalk , m ., boudreau , m ., lebrun , a . and henrichsen , j . ( 1995 ). description of six new capsular types ( 28 through 34 ) of streptococcus suis . j . vet . diagn . invest . 7 , 405 – 406 . 79 . aarestrup , f . m ., jorsal , s . e . and jensen , n . e . ( 1998 ). serological characterization and antimicrobial susceptibility of streptococcus suis isolates from diagnostic samples in denmark during 1995 and 1996 . vet . microbiol . 15 , 59 – 66 . 80 . maclennan , m ., foster , g ., dick , k ., smith , w . j . and nielsen , b . ( 1996 ). streptococcus suis serotypes 7 , 8 and 14 from diseased pigs in scotland . vet rec . 139 , 423 – 424 . 81 . sihvonen , l ., kurl , d . n . and henrichsen , j . ( 1988 ). streptococcus suis isolates from pigs in finland . acta vet . scand . 29 , 9 – 13 . 82 . boetner , a . g ., binder , m . and bille - hansen , v . ( 1987 ). streptococcus suis infections in danish pigs and experimental infection with streptococcus suis serotype 7 . acta path . microbiol . immunol . scand . sect . b , 95 , 233 – 239 . 83 . smith , h . e ., veenbergen , v ., van der velde , j ., damman , m ., wisselink , h . j . and smits , m . a . ( 1999 ). the cps genes of streptococcus suis serotypes 1 , 2 and 9 : development of rapid serotype - specific pcr assays . j . clin . microbiol . submitted 84 smith , h . e ., damman , m ., van der velde , j ., wagenaar , f ., wisselink , h . j ., stockhofe - zurwieden , n . and smits , m . a . ( 1999 ). identification and characterization of the cps locus of streptococcus suis serotype 2 : the capsule protects against phagocytosis and is an important virulence factor . infect . immun . 67 , 1750 – 1756 . 85 . miller , j . ( 1972 ). experiments in molecular genetics . cold spring harbor laboratory , cold spring harbor , n . y . 86 . sambrook , j ., e . f . fritsch , and t . maniatis . ( 1989 ). molecular cloning : a laboratory manual . cold spring harbor laboratory , cold spring harbor , n . y . 87 . allen , a . and maskell , d . ( 1996 ). the identification , cloning and mutagenesis of a genetic locus required for lipopolysaccharide biosynthesis in bordetella pertussis . mol . microbiol . 19 , 37 – 52 . 88 . wang , l . and reeves , p . r . ( 1998 ). organization of escherichia coli o157 o antigen gene cluster and identification of its specific genes . infect . immun . 66 , 3545 – 3551 . 89 . wisselink , h . j ., reek , f . h ., vecht , u ., stockhofe - zurwieden , n ., smnits , m . a . and smith , h . e . ( 1999 ). detection of virulent strains of streptococcus suis type 2 and highly , virulent strains of streptococcus suis type 1 in tonsillar specimens of pigs by pcr . vet . microbiol . 67 , 143 – 157 . 90 . konings , r . n . h ., verhoeven , e . j . m . and peeters , b . p . h . ( 1987 ). pkun vectors for the separate production of both dna strands of recombinant plasmids . methods enzymol . 153 , 12 – 34 .	2
various illustrative embodiments of the invention are described below . in the interest of clarity , not all features of an actual implementation are described in this specification . it will of course be appreciated that in the development of any such actual embodiment , numerous implementation - specific decisions must be made to achieve the developers &# 39 ; specific goals , such as compliance with system - related and business - related constraints , which will vary from one implementation to another . moreover , it will be appreciated that such a development effort might be complex and time - consuming , but would nevertheless be a routine undertaking for those of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of this disclosure . the present subject matter will now be described with reference to the attached figures . various structures , systems and devices are schematically depicted in the drawings for purposes of explanation only and so as to not obscure the present disclosure with details that are well known to those skilled in the art . nevertheless , the attached drawings are included to describe and explain illustrative examples of the present disclosure . the words and phrases used herein should be understood and interpreted to have a meaning consistent with the understanding of those words and phrases by those skilled in the relevant art . no special definition of a term or phrase , i . e ., a definition that is different from the ordinary and customary meaning as understood by those skilled in the art is intended to be implied by consistent usage of the term or phrase herein . to the extent that a term or phrase is intended to have a special meaning , i . e ., a meaning other than that understood by skilled artisans , such a special definition will be expressly set forth in the specification in a definitional manner that directly and unequivocally provides the special definition for the term or phrase . the present disclosure is generally directed to various methods of creating circuit layouts that are to be formed using self - aligned double patterning ( sadp ) techniques . as will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art upon a complete reading of the present application , the methods and devices disclosed herein may be employed in the fabrication of a variety of devices , such as logic devices , memory devices , asics , etc . with reference to the attached figures , various illustrative embodiments of the methods , devices and systems disclosed herein will now be described in more detail . generally , in some sadp processes , larger metal widths tent to be integer multiples of a minimum width . for example , in an sadp process that has an exemplary minimum metal widths of 24 nm , larger metal widths would be integer multiples of the minimum width ( e . g ., 48 nm , 96 nm , etc .). in sadp processes , metal lines are arranged in such manner that mandrel metal (“ 0 ”) and non - mandrel metal (“ 1 ”) lines alternate . embodiments herein provide for using two separate metal features carrying the same signals that would result in an effectively wider metal feature . fig2 a - 2h will be referenced to discuss various aspects of the inventions disclosed herein . reference will also be made to certain aspects of the prior art process flow described in fig1 a - 1m as needed . as indicated in the background section of this application , in an sadp process , the features that are formed , e . g ., metal lines , are either mandrel - metal features ( mm ) or non - mandrel - metal ( nmm ) features . as it relates to terminology used herein and in the attached claims , the mm features and nmm feature are referred to as being different “ colors ” when it comes to decomposing an overall pattern layout that is to be manufactured using an sadp process technique . thus , two mm features are said to be of the “ same color ,” while an mm feature and an nmm feature are said to be of “ different colors .” similarly , two nmm features are said to be of the “ same color .” fig2 a depicts a simplistic example of a circuit layout , e . g ., a plurality metal lines 100 that are to be formed using an sadp process . the metal lines 100 may be representative of metal lines that are to be formed in the metal - 2 ( m2 ) layer of an integrated circuit product . the metal lines 100 are arranged on various tracks (“ m2 tracks ”), as depicted in dashed lines in fig2 a . as it relates to the sadp process , the metal lines 100 may be divided into mandrel - metal lines 102 and non - mandrel - metal lines 103 . in the depicted example , the mandrel - metal lines 102 are arranged on the m2 tracks with the “ 0 ” designation , while the non - mandrel - metal lines 103 are arranged on the m2 tracks with the “ 1 ” designation . in the depicted example , each of the metal lines 100 has a critical dimension or width 104 and they have a pitch 106 . the magnitude of the width 104 and the pitch 106 may vary depending upon the particular application , and these dimensions will likely decrease as device dimensions continue to shrink as technology advances . in one example , the metal lines 100 may have a target width 104 of 24 nm and a target pitch 106 of 48 nm . however , as will be appreciated by those skilled in the art after a complete reading of the present application , the various inventions disclosed herein have broad applicability and they may be employed when manufacturing features having any desired configuration , pitch or width . thus , the present inventions should not be considered to be limited to any of the illustrative numerical examples referenced herein , as those examples are only provided so as to facilitate an understanding of the presently disclosed inventions . with reference to fig2 b , various other aspects of an sadp process will now be discussed . in general , in an sadp process the minimum width or critical dimension of a mandrel - metal feature is equal to the minimum width 16 w of the mandrel 16 a ( see fig1 b and 1k ). on the other hand , the minimum width or critical dimension of a non - mandrel - metal feature is equal to the spacing between two mandrels 16 a less twice the spacer width 18 w . see fig1 b and 1e . ( see dimension 19 in fig1 k .) fig2 b graphically depicts various “ coloring rules ” for an sadp process wherein the minimum width 16 w of the mandrels 16 a is 24 nm , the minimum width 18 w of the spacers is 24 nm and the pitch 18 p of the mandrels 16 a is 96 nm . with continuing reference to fig2 b , if the spacing between adjacent features is 24 nm ( s min ), then those two features must be formed with different colors where one feature is a mandrel - metal ( mm ) feature and the other feature is a non - mandrel - metal ( nmm ) feature . the spacing of larger than 24 nm and less than 72 nm is prohibited by generally sadp design rule . when the spacing between features is greater than or equal to 72 nm ( s int ) and less than 120 nm , those features must be formed using the same color mask . if the spacing between the adjacent features is greater than 120 nm ( s lrg ), then the features are insensitive to “ color ” and may be formed using any mask . note that in the case where the adjacent features are spaced apart by a distance equal to 72 nm , and up to but not including 120 nm , those features must be formed using the same color mask , i . e ., both features are mm features or both features are nmm features . that is , for the condition where s int ≦ s & lt ; s lrg , then the adjacent features must be formed using the same color mask . fig2 c exemplifies a non - decomposable arrangement wherein fig2 d illustrates a decomposable arrangement . more specifically , fig2 c depicts an example of a polygon loop 140 drawn for five ( a - e ) adjacent features that are part of a circuit pattern that is to be manufactured using an sadp process . the polygon loop 140 is comprised of five edges . in this example , due to the relative spacing between adjacent features a - c - e , and d , those four adjacent features have to be formed using “ different color ” (“ dc ”) masks . thus , the polygon loop 140 has three “ dc ” edges connecting those four features . the spacing between the feature b and its adjacent features a and d is such that the features a and b must be formed using the “ same color ” (“ sc ”) mask and the features b and c must be formed using the same color mask . in one particular example , the features a and b in the polygon loop 140 may be spaced apart by a distance equal to 72 nm and up to but not including 120 nm , the condition where s int ≦ s & lt ; s lrg . thus , the polygon loop 140 represents an odd - cycle layout due to the odd number of dc edges ( three total ) in the polygon loop 140 . accordingly , due to the odd number of dc edges in the polygon loop 140 , the pattern reflected by the polygon loop 140 is not decomposable and therefore cannot be manufactured using sadp techniques . as illustrated in fig2 d , the pattern represented by the non - decomposable polygon 140 in fig2 c may be changed to a decomposable pattern 140 a using double patterning techniques . more specifically , in one embodiment disclosed herein , the spacing between adjacent features ( e . g ., a - b ) that had to be formed using the same color mask is decreased so as to force the features ( with the decreased spacing therebetween ) to be formed using different color ( dc ) masks . for example , the spacing between the features a and b may be decreased to s min , e . g ., 24 nm , in the example discussed herein , to thereby force the features a and b to be formed using different color masks and thus change an odd cycle loop ( 3 dc edges ) into an even cycle loop ( 4 dc edges ). effecting such a change in spacing may be accomplished using several techniques . in the example depicted in fig2 d , the decrease in spacing between the features a and b may be accomplished by treating one edge 110 of the feature a as being fixed and moving another edge 112 of the feature a toward the feature b . in this example , the position of the edges of the feature b remain unchanged and only feature a is modified . stated another way , the size of the feature a is increased while the size of the feature b remains unchanged . importantly , using the methods disclosed herein , an otherwise non - decomposable pattern may be converted to a decomposable pattern without affecting the spacing relationship between other adjacent features or any area penalty . fig2 e and 2f are side by side layouts of a portion of a non - decomposable circuit pattern ( fig2 e ) and a decomposable circuit pattern ( fig2 f ) that will be referenced to explain this point . in fig2 e and 2f , the spacing 114 between the features c and a , as well as the spacing 116 between the features b and d remain unchanged . however , using the methods disclosed herein , the spacing between the features a and b was decreased to s min , e . g ., 24 nm ( compare fig2 e and 2f ), to thereby force the features a and b to be formed using different masks . in the particular example depicted in fig2 f , the decrease in spacing between the features a and b was accomplished by changing the size of both of the features a and b . more specifically , one edge 110 of both of the features a and b was treated as being fixed , while the facing edges 112 of the features a and b were moved toward one another . in this example , the position of the edges of both of the features a and b were modified . stated another way , the size of both of the features a and b were increased to reduce the spacing between the features a and b . fig2 g - 2h provide another example of a pattern layout that may be transformed from a non - decomposable layout to a decomposable layout using the methods disclosed herein . again , the numbers set forth herein are for purposes of illustration only . in the pattern 150 shown in fig2 g , there are four ( a - d ) adjacent features that are part of a circuit pattern that is to be manufactured using an sadp process . the polygon loop is comprised of four edges . in this example , due to the relative spacing between adjacent features a - b , b - c and c - d , those three features have to be formed using “ different color ” (“ dc ”) masks . thus , the polygon loop has three “ dc ” edges connecting those four features . the spacing ( 72 nm ) between the feature d and its adjacent feature a is such that the features a and d must be formed using the “ same color ” (“ sc ”) mask . thus , the pattern 150 represents an odd - cycle layout due to the odd number of dc edges ( three total ) in the polygon loop . accordingly , the pattern 150 is not decomposable and therefore cannot be manufactured using sadp techniques . fig2 h depicts an example wherein the size of both of the features a and d are increased to resolve the coloring conflict by forcing the features a and d to be formed using different color ( dc ) masks . more specifically , in this example , the outside edges 110 of both of the features a and d were treated as being fixed , while portions of the facing edges 112 of both of the features a and d were moved toward one another until the spacing was decreased to 24 nm . having made this spacing change , the pattern 150 a is now decomposable since the polygon has four dc edges . in some embodiments , wider metal features may be used to for producing metal lines with reduced resistivity , resulting in lower ir drops in voltage supplies . further , when using a metal feature to carry clock signals , a wider metal feature may provide for reduced clock latency . embodiments herein provide for an effectively wider feature for a metal wire using two separate metal features carrying the same signals . in this case , more metal width options can be provided with substantially no risk of decomposition violation . fig3 a - 3e will be referenced to discuss various aspects of the metal features in accordance with some embodiments of the inventions disclosed herein . as noted above , in many cases , flexibility for providing metal lines with widths that wider than the default line widths are desirable to reduce various problems , such as ir drop and / or clock latency . as noted above , using metal wires that occupy even number of tracks ( 2 , 4 , 6 , . . .) may cause violations of decomposition rules and the minimum non - default metal width must generally occupy odd number tracks in order to comply with sadp decomposition rules . assuming an exemplary minimum metal width of 24 nm and a minimum metal pitch of 48 nm , the valid metal wires that do not violate decomposition rules are required to be 24 nm , 120 nm , 216 nm , etc ., which may be too restrictive for circuit design . in order to address these problems , in accordance with some embodiments , metal wires that would otherwise occupy an even number of tracks may be divided into two separate metal wires separated by a minimum space of 24 nm , that would be connected to the same signal . since the two separate metal wires carry the same signal , they effectively provide alternate metal widths . fig3 a illustrates an exemplary layout of metal lines in accordance with song embodiments provided herein . fig3 a illustrates a m2 metal line 315 that is of a default width 310 ( e . g ., 24 nm ), with a default pitch of 312 ( e . g ., 48 nm ). in some embodiments , a non - default metal line of twice the default width ( e . g ., 48 nm ) may be desired , e . g . for a power rail or a clock signal . in order to comply with sadp decomposition rules , two metal lines of default width may be used , while the same signal if provided to both lines . the metal lines 315 and 320 represent such a configuration . in one embodiment , both of the m2 metal lines may be connected to the m1 metal pin ( as shown in fig3 b ). since they are connected to the same signal , the metal lines 315 and 320 together effectively provide a wider metal signal line of twice the default width . in the example of a default width of 24 nm , the metal lines 315 and 320 provide an effective metal signal line of 48 nm . further , this is accomplished by using only two m2 tracks , while remaining in appliance with sadp decomposition rules . the metal pattern pairs , as exemplified in fig3 a , that are formed next to each other are decomposable under the sadp decomposition rules . therefore , even wider metal line pairs can be used together and provide higher effective metal widths , while using less tracks compared to normal sadp non - paired configurations . that is , if metal wires that span even number of tracks are desired , using a pair of metal lines that carry the same signal may be used to provide metal lines that are wider than default widths and remain in compliance with the sadp rules . as shown in fig3 a , metal lines 325 and 330 may be used as a pair that carry the same signal and remain in compliance with sadp decomposition rules while using an even number of tracks . the metal line 330 is of color a and the metal line 325 is of color b . the metal lines 325 and 330 each may have a width of 322 ( e . g ., 72 nm ). the metal line pair ( 325 and 330 ) are separated by a space 356 , which in one embodiment , is the minimum different color ( dc ) space as determined by the spacer thickness . when the same signal is provided to both metal lines 325 and 330 of fig3 a , this pair of metal lines may effectively act as a single metal line of 144 nm . as such , the metal line pairs 315 and 320 , as well as the metal line pairs 325 and 330 , are decomposable in sadp processes . in one embodiment , the metal pairs illustrated in fig3 a is formed in such a manner that there would be virtually no risk in causing odd cycles , thereby saving the sadp router from having to check odd cycles and virtually assuring the decomposability of the layout . this may provide for enhancing the efficiency of the sadp routing process . in a similar manner , metal line pairs of other widths may be used to provide for metal lines of effectively larger widths , while remaining in compliance with sadp decomposition rules . fig3 b illustrates one exemplary manner of providing the same signal to metal line pairs , in accordance with some embodiments . the m2 metal line 315 is of a default width 310 ( e . g ., 24 nm ), with a default pitch of 312 ( e . g ., 48 nm ). the metal line 320 is a similar metal line formed to be a part of a metal line pair . the metal line pair ( 315 and 320 ) are separated by the space 356 , which in one embodiment , is the different color ( dc ) space as determined by the spacer thickness . in one embodiment , the metal pair ( 315 and 320 ) is formed in such a manner that there would be virtually no risk of causing odd cycles , saving the sadp router from checking for odd cycles and virtually assuring the decomposability of the layout . when a same signal is applied to the metal line pair ( 315 and 320 ) of fig3 b , the pair may provide functionality of a single metal line that is effectively the width of the sum of the widths of metal line 315 and metal line 320 . for example , when the same signal is applied to the metal line pair ( 315 and 320 ), the effective wider metal width effect may provide for a reduction in the ir drop of a signal , an improvement of clock skew problems , an improvement of clock latency problems , and / or the like . in one embodiment , in order to apply the same signal to the metal line pair ( 315 and 320 ), the metal line pair ( 315 and 320 ) may be connected to a metal line 354 from another metal layer , e . g ., a metal - 3 ( m3 ) layer . the connection to the m3 metal line 354 may be made using the vias 352 a and 353 a . in this manner , the metal lint , pair 315 and 320 carry the same signal ( e . g ., a power signal , a clock signal ,), while providing an effective metal line width that is greater than the default width , using only two m2 tracks and remaining in compliance with sadp rules . fig3 b also illustrates another metal line 358 , which may be from another metal layer , e . g ., a metal - 1 ( m1 ) layer , and connected to the metal line pair ( 315 and 320 ). the connection to the m1 metal line 358 may be made using the vias 352 b and 353 b . accordingly , the connections provide by the metal line 354 and the metal line 358 provide for the metal line pair ( 315 and 320 ) to carry the same signal , effectively operate as a wider , single metal line . fig3 c illustrates an exemplary table of allowable metal line widths in accordance with some embodiments herein . those skilled in the art would appreciate that the table of fig3 e is provided for the illustration of one example of an sadp process using a minimum default metal feature of 24 nm and a track pitch of 48 nm . those skilled in the art would appreciate that the table of fig3 c may be modified for other default widths and pitches and remain within the scope of embodiments herein . as exemplified herein , when two tracks ( e . g ., m2 tracks ) are used to provide a metal line , using embodiment directed to same - signal metal pairs described herein , an effective metal width of 48 nm is provided . using prior art methods described above , a metal line of 72 nm may be formed , however , such a metal line would be forbidden under sadp decomposition rules . in some embodiments , effective metal line widths of 48 nm using two tracks , 144 nm using four tracks , and 240 nm using six tracks may be for r ed using embodiments herein and remain in compliance with sadp decomposition rules . as indicated in fig3 c , using two , four or six tracks using prior art methods would be forbidden under sadp decomposition rules . in contrast , embodiments herein provide for using any number of tracks , including an even number tracks to provide effectively wider metal widths while complying with sadp decomposition rules . embodiments disclosed herein provide for forming smaller metal lines and grouping them as metal line pairs by connecting the pairs to the same signals . the metal line pairs being connected to the same signal provides for an effectively wider , single metal line . the effective wider metal width effect may provide for a reduction in the ir drop in a signal , a reduction of clock skew problems , a reduction of clock latency problems , etc . generally , metal lines formed using even tracks of a metal layer ( e . g ., a 72 nm metal line ) may be prone to sadp odd cycles and layouts that are not decomposable . when metal lines are formed using even tracks of a metal layer , a router that decomposes the layout would be required to check odd cycle in routing , similar o the . lele routing described above . performing this task in sadp process is less efficient due to the complexity of sadp design rules and sadp odd cycles . however , if even track metal wire are forbidden in sadp routing , decomposability is generally assured . in this case , the sadp router would not be required to check odd cycles . this may result in faster runtimes while decomposability is generally assured . however , this would have the disadvantage of fewer options with regard to the widths of the metal lines . embodiments provided herein provides for reducing this disadvantage by utilizing metal lines pairs in the manner described above to provide for more options regarding the widths of the metal lines . employing embodiments described herein , more effective metal line widths are provided while not equiping the sadp router to perform odd cycle check , maintaining the advantage of less runtime and decomposability assurances . the particular embodiments disclosed above are illustrative only , as the invention may be modified and practiced in different but equivalent manners apparent to those skilled in the art having the benefit of the teachings herein . for example , the process steps set forth above may be performed in a different order . furthermore , no limitations are intended to the details of construction or design herein shown , other than as described in the claims below . it is therefore evident that the particular embodiments disclosed above may be altered or modified and all such variations are considered within the scope and spirit of the invention . accordingly , the protection sought herein is as set forth in the claims below .	6
referring now to the drawings , an adjuster 10 according to one embodiment of the present invention includes a housing 12 , an output shaft 14 , a gear 16 , and a gasket 18 . the housing 12 includes an input boss 20 and a nose 22 having a set of tangs 32 and a set of tabs 34 . the output shaft 14 includes a first threaded portion 24 at one end thereof , a second threaded portion 26 adjacent the first threaded portion 24 , a ball stud 28 having a recess 44 and disposed at the other end thereof , and a channel 30 that runs along the length of the output shaft 14 . the second threaded portion 26 has a smaller major thread diameter than the first threaded portion 24 , and the first threaded portion 24 has a clutching slot 46 formed therein , as is best shown in fig5 . the gear 16 has teeth 36 , a head 38 , and an extended cylindrical portion 40 . as best shown in fig4 and 5 , the extended cylindrical portion 40 has internal threads 42 along its length . to assemble the adjuster 10 of the present invention , several methods could be used , however the following method has been found to be particularly effective . the gasket 18 is first placed around the nose 22 of the housing 12 and snapped past tabs 34 , which secure the gasket 18 in place . the gasket 18 will serve as a seal between the adjuster 10 and the lamp assembly or mounting hardware in which it is installed . the output shaft 14 is then driven into the extended cylindrical portion 40 of the gear 16 to a desired pre - set position dictated by the lamp assembly and vehicle in which the adjuster 10 will be installed . the recess 44 in ball stud 28 of the output shaft 14 can be used to drive the output shaft 14 . the recess 44 preferably accepts a torx ® head driver , but other driving tools could of course also be used , and the ball stud 28 could be driven without the assistance of a recess 44 . the first threaded portion 24 of the output shaft 14 engages the threads 42 of the extended cylindrical portion 40 of the gear 16 as the output shaft 14 is driven into the gear 16 . the first threaded portion 24 and the threads 42 are in a fully threaded , mating engagement , while the second threaded portion 26 and the threads 42 are in a limited mating engagement because the second threaded portion 26 has a smaller major diameter than the first threaded portion 24 . to continue assembly of the adjuster 10 , a second gasket ( not shown ) can be placed around the extended cylindrical portion 40 of the gear 16 to create a seal between the housing 12 and the gear 16 . then , the output shaft - gear 14 - 16 subassembly is pressed into housing 12 such that the ball stud 28 end of the output shaft 14 extends from the nose 22 of the housing 12 and the housing tangs 32 are disposed in the channel 30 of the output shaft 14 . the adjuster 10 can then be installed in a lamp assembly ( not shown ) such that the ball stud 28 of the output shaft 14 functionally engages the lamp . once installed , the adjuster 10 can be used to adjust the lamp . an operator can choose between two different points of adjustment using the adjuster 10 of the present invention . a driver can be inserted into the input boss 20 on the top of the housing 12 to mate with the gear teeth 36 . a driver with a phillips # 2 drive bit works well in this application , but other drivers could also be used . the gear teeth 36 can be designed to accommodate a number of different drivers as well . as the selected driver is turned , the gear 16 rotates . because the output shaft 14 is in threaded engagement with the gear 16 but prevented from rotation by the tangs 32 disposed within channel 30 , the rotation of the gear 16 causes the output shaft 14 to translate linearly . the linear translation of the output shaft 14 effects adjustment of the lamp . alternatively , the driver or other input shaft could be permanently positioned within the housing 12 . an operator can also use the head 38 of the gear 16 to effect adjustment . the head 38 is preferably hexagon - shaped to mate with a ½ ″ hex socket , but other shapes and tools could also be used to turn the head 38 . turning the head 38 turns the gear 16 , which , in the same manner described above , causes the output shaft 14 to translate linearly , thereby effecting adjustment of the lamp . thus , the adjuster 10 of the present invention can be adjusted in two different ways , from two different adjustment points . in the embodiments shown , the adjustment points are oriented perpendicular to one another , which will allow the adjuster to be used in a wide range of applications , however , the adjustment points could be positioned at other locations and angles with respect to one another as well . using either adjustment method , the adjuster 10 includes a clutching feature to prevent damage to the adjuster as a result of over - adjustment , excessive torque application , or other resistance to the linear movement of the output shaft 14 . the difference between the major thread diameters of the first threaded portion 24 and the second threaded portion 26 combined with the clutching slot 46 disposed within the first threaded portion 24 allow the output shaft 14 to clutch along the entire length of travel , regardless of which adjustment point is used . as previously described , the major thread diameter of the first threaded portion 24 is larger than that of the second threaded portion 26 . the first threaded portion 24 spans a smaller section of the length of the output shaft 14 as well . for example , as shown in fig5 , the first threaded portion may contain only a few threads , while the second threaded portion may contain about twenty threads . one possible major thread diameter for the first threaded portion 24 is ⅜ ″, and more specifically a ⅜ - 16 unc class 3a thread . other numbers , diameters and types of threads for each portion 24 , 26 could also be used as necessary for each application . it is also possible to use an unthreaded portion in place of the second threaded portion 26 , however , a second threaded portion 26 is preferable , as described below , to support the output shaft 14 in the extended cylindrical portion 40 and prevent side - to - side deflection of the output shaft 14 . in operation , the first threaded portion 24 is in full thread - to - thread engagement with the threads 42 , and the second threaded portion 26 is minimally engaged with threads 42 to provide adequate support between the second threaded portion 26 and the internal threads 42 to minimize side - to - side deflection of the output shaft 14 . when the adjuster is over - adjusted , or subjected to excessive torque or force at any point along the output shaft 14 , the slot 46 in the first threaded portion 24 allows the first threaded portion 24 to flex inward and disengage from the threads 42 and thereby prevent damage to the adjuster or lamp . once the excessive torque or load is relieved , the first threaded portion 24 flexes back outward to reengage the threads 42 . this engagement and disengagement can occur at any point as the output shaft 14 travels forward and backward in the extended cylindrical portion 40 of the gear 16 . thus , the adjuster 10 is protected not only from excessive torque or loads applied when the output shaft 14 is at either end of the travel path , but at any time an excessive torque or load is applied . the housing 12 , output shaft 14 and gear 16 can be manufactured from plastic materials , making them very lightweight and inexpensive to produce . other materials could also be used , such as metal and composite materials , but lightweight and inexpensive materials are preferred . the gaskets can be manufactured from a number of different materials , including rubber and silicone materials . the adjuster 10 of the present invention may have other applications aside from use in connection with vehicle lamp assemblies . although the invention has been herein shown and described in what is perceived to be the most practical and preferred embodiments , it is to be understood that the invention is not intended to be limited to the specific embodiments set forth above . rather , it is recognized that modifications may be made by one of skill in the art of the invention without departing from the spirit or intent of the invention and , therefore , the invention is to be taken as including all reasonable equivalents to the subject matter of the appended claims .	1
the following description is of the best mode presently contemplated for carrying out the invention . this description is not to be taken in a limiting sense , but is made merely for the purpose of describing the general principles of the invention . the scope of the invention should be determined with reference to the claims . turning first to fig1 , a cross - sectional side view of a mesh , ball electrode is shown . a mesh , ball electrode 10 is made by wrapping the wires of a cable 30 around a suitable mandrel ( not shown ) to form a ball - shaped head 20 having a diameter “ d ” from 1 . 5 to 2 . 5 mm . the cable 30 is preferably made from an insulated multi - strand cable , having multiple wires or strands 32 . in one embodiment , the cable 30 may be made from teflon - insulated 9 - or 11 - strand pt / ir wires 32 . the length of the wires 32 may be about 200 mm , sixty ( 60 ) mm of which forms the cable 30 , forty ( 40 ) mm of which extends out from the cable , e . g ., so that the wires can be connected to a suitable pulse generator , and sixty - to - one hundred ( 60 - 100 ) mm of which are used to form the ball - shaped head 20 of the ball electrode 10 . each lead wire 32 is , at a proximal end , welded to platinum pins ( not shown ) on a neurostimulator , or to a connector that attaches to a neurostimulator , or to a bion - type stimulator , or otherwise electrically connected to a suitable pulse generator . to form the ball - shaped head 20 of the electrode , a sixty - to - one hundred ( 60 - 100 ) mm length of insulated wire 32 is stripped and annealed at a temperature of 1000 - 1200 c ., after which it is allowed to cool at room temperature . then , the wire is wrapped using a mandrel ( not shown ), as generally described in fig2 b - 2f of u . s . pat . no . 4 , 809 , 712 , incorporated herein by reference . the mandrel has a diameter of about 0 . 45 mm and a tip having a length of between about 1 . 5 - 2 . 5 mm . a notch having a width of about 0 . 15 mm is also located at the tip . the notch is placed around the end of the remaining insulation of the cable 30 , while the wires or strands 32 are wrapped around the mandrel twenty - five to forty times ( depending upon the diameter “ d ” of the ball that is desired ) to form the ball electrode 10 with unfixed turns and an outer diameter “ d ” of 1 . 5 - 2 . 5 mm . once the ball - shaped head 20 is formed , the mandrel is pulled gently away from ball electrode 10 , leaving the ball - shaped head 20 intact . fig1 illustrates a cross - sectional side view of the ball electrode 10 . note that the electrode ball - shaped head 20 is porous in the sense that the winding process leaves spaces between adjacent turns . fig2 illustrates the mesh , ball electrode 10 used with the present invention positioned in one preferred location in front of the round window 42 of the contra - lateral ear of the deafened individual . ( note , as used herein , the term “ contra - lateral ” is an adjective that describes an item or feature on the side of the bilaterally deafened individual &# 39 ; s head opposite the side where the cochlear implant is located . thus , if the cochlear implant is implanted in the individual &# 39 ; s right ear , the contra - lateral ear is the left ear , the contra - lateral side of the individual &# 39 ; s head or skull is the left side of the head or skull .) for purposes of the description of the mesh , ball electrode 10 presented herein , such mesh , ball electrode 10 is always implanted in or near the contra - lateral ear . as illustrated in fig2 , the cable 30 may re routed through the middle - ear , past the malleus 44 , incus 45 , and stapes 46 , without significantly interfering with their normal operation , thereby preserving residual hearing of the contra - lateral ear . one advantage of the present invention is that such cable 30 may be routed through the middle - ear using standard middle - ear surgical procedures performed under a local anesthesia , behind the skin and along the bone of the ear canal , to the micro - stimulator , or other neuro - stimulator , which is placed under the skin or recessed in the temporal bone , or other suitable location in the contra - lateral side of the skull . an outline of the normal cavity , niche , or recess , that is located on the middle - ear side of the round window 42 of the contra - lateral ear is depicted by the dotted line 41 ′. applicants have discovered that by placing the mesh ball electrode 10 within this cavity , or recess , or in another suitable extra - cochlear location of the ear , and by then applying an electrical stimulus through this electrode , sufficient temporal information is provided to the middle - ear / inner - ear to help maintain or extend the plasticity of the higher auditory pathways of the contra - lateral ear . moreover , such electrical stimulus preserves residual hearing of the contra - lateral ear . this preservation of the plasticity of the contra - lateral ear makes the subsequent implantation of a cochlear implant therein much more effective and efficient . advantageously , placement of the extra - cochlear electrode 10 may be accomplished under local anesthesia , thereby significantly reducing the cost and trauma associated with cochlear implant surgery . fig3 depicts the middle - ear / inner - ear interface of the contra - lateral ear . the oval window 52 separates the scala vestibuli 54 ( one of the three parallel ducts that traverses the spiral - shaped cochlea ) from the middle - ear . the stapes 46 attaches to the oval window 52 on the middle - ear side of the oval window . the stapes 46 , in turn , is mechanically coupled through the incus 45 and malleus 44 to the ear drum , or tympanic membrane 47 , as seen in fig2 . pressure waves ( sound waves ) sensed through the outer - ear are directed to the tympanic membrane 47 through the ear canal , causing it to vibrate . such vibrations are then coupled through the malleus 44 , incus 45 and stapes 46 of the middle - ear to the oval window 52 . vibrations of the oval window in turn cause vibrations of the fluid within the scala vestibuli 54 of the cochlea . such fluid vibrations are further coupled through the basilar membrane 56 to the scala tympani 58 ( another of the parallel ducts that traverse the cochlea ). the oval window 52 thus forms a barrier between the scala vestibule 54 and the middle - ear ; and the round window 42 similarly forms a barrier between the scala tympani 58 and the middle - ear . the round window 42 resides in a niche 41 , or recess , of the middle ear . this niche 41 , or recess , is one preferred extra - cochlear location where the mesh , ball electrode 10 may be placed . fig4 illustrates a partial side view of outer - ear / middle ear interface of the contra - lateral ear . in a normal - functioning ear , sound waves enter the outer - ear through the ear canal 59 and strike the tympanic membrane ( ear drum ) 47 , causing it to vibrate . such vibrations are transferred through the three tiny bones of the middle ear , the malleus 44 , the incas 45 , and stapes 46 , to the oval window 52 . the interface barrier between the outer - ear and the middle - ear is the tympanic membrane 47 . the interface between the middle - ear and the inner - ear comprises the oval window 52 and the round window 42 . as previously indicated , the round window 42 resides within a niche , or recess , 41 of the middle - ear . the mesh , ball electrode 10 of the present invention may be placed within the niche or recess 41 . fig4 also shows a preferred placement of an electrical stimulator 60 , e . g ., a bion ® microstimulator device , manufactured by advanced bionics corporation of valencia , calif . a bion stimulator 60 is a single channel leadless stimulator , but for purposes of the present invention , may have the cable lead 30 connected thereto by way of a slip - on or snap - on connector 62 , or equivalent . the bion stimulator 60 is described more fully , e . g ., in u . s . publication no . us 2004 / 0059392a1 , which publication is assigned to the same assignee as is the present application , and is incorporated herein by reference . a representative connector 62 that may be used to add a lead to such a bion - type stimulator is disclosed in international publication number wo 03 / 063951 a1 , published aug . 7 , 2003 , ( international application number pct / us03 / 02784 ), also incorporated herein by reference . as described in the referenced documents , one preferred embodiment of a bion microstimulator includes its own rechargeable power source , i . e ., a rechargeable battery . other bion microstimulators may receive operating power through a close - field rf field . either type of microstimulator — powered from a self - contained rechargeable power source or from a close - field rf field .— may be used with the invention . a microphone 70 may be coupled to the stimulator 60 by way of a signal communication link 72 . a preferred location for the microphone 70 is in the canal of the contra - lateral ear . a preferred link 72 for linking the microphone 70 to the stimulator 60 is a wireless radio frequency ( rf ) link . however , other suitable links may be used , such as a wire link . the microphone 70 also preferably includes processing circuitry to process and condition the signal that is sent to the stimulator 60 over the link 72 . such processing circuitry detects the sound or acoustic signals sensed by the microphone &# 39 ; s transducer , converts them to electrical signals , amplifies the electrical signals , and processes the amplified electrical signals to determine if they represent an appropriate signal that should trigger the bion stimulator 60 so as to cause it to generate an electrical stimulation pulse that is sent to the mesh , ball electrode 10 . such processing , in one embodiment , involves amplifying and filtering the electrical signal received from the microphone &# 39 ; s transducer , and determining the derivative thereof , which derivative signal may then be used as a trigger signal for the bion stimulator 60 only when the amplified and filtered and processed signal meets prescribed criteria . in accordance with one embodiment of the invention , the mesh , ball electrode 10 is placed in the recess on the middle ear side of the round window 42 , or at or in some other suitable extra - cochlear location within the middle - ear , of the user &# 39 ; s deaf ear . the cable 30 is routed and connected to the stimulator 60 . the stimulator 60 is then coupled to the microphone 70 , or other external programming device , so as to cause the stimulator 60 to generate appropriate stimuli that provides temporal information to the ear . the stimuli pattern , or regime , may vary from patient to patient , but will typically involve applying mono - polar biphasic stimulus currents to the tissue surrounding the electrode at a relatively low current level , e . g ., less than 1 or 2 ma peak in accordance with a prescribed regime , as described below . typically , a return electrode will be located on the case of the stimulator 60 , but it may also be placed in other suitable locations by way of an additional lead or cable connected to the stimulator , or an additional electrode placed on the cable 30 ( but having it &# 39 ; s own separate electrical connection ). fig5 is a flow chart that illustrates the basic method of the invention . as seen in fig5 , the method involves two fundamental steps , or procedures . first , as seen in block 80 , an extra - cochlear electrode is placed at or in a desired location on the contra - lateral side of the individual &# 39 ; s head , e . g ., in the contra - lateral ear . the extra - cochlear electrode may be a mesh , ball electrode 10 as described previously , or may be any other type of electrode suitable for the location where it is placed . the desired location where the electrode is placed may be any suitable location within the middle - ear or outer - ear , or even on the skin surface of the patient . for example , the electrode may be placed in the round window niche or on the promontory in the middle - ear through a standard middle - ear surgical procedure . alternatively , the electrode may be placed temporarily in the ear canal . still alternatively , the electrode may be a surface or tens type electrode that is placed somewhere on the skin on the skull . still with reference to fig5 , it is seen that the second step or procedure associated with the method of the invention involves providing stimulation pulses through the extra - cochlear electrode in accordance with a desired stimulation pattern or regime ( block 82 ). the stimulation pattern or regime may take many forms , as may the source of the stimulation pattern or regime . for example , in one embodiment , stimulation may comprise a simple pulse train . in other embodiments , the stimulation may comprise pulse trains with variable duty cycles or frequency , or waveforms that contain temporally challenging information , all of which may be turned on during selected periods of time . the stimulator 60 , or source of the stimulation pulses , may comprise a bion microstimulator , as described in the referenced documents , or other suitable pulse generator . in still further embodiments , the stimulation pulses may comprise a real - time derivative of a sound signal that is recorded or sensed through a microphone , e . g ., the microphone 70 , from the environment of the patient . thus , in such embodiment , the stimulator may comprise a modified hearing aid . in yet additional embodiments , the stimulation pulses may be either a processed version of an acoustic input that is sensed or recorded through a microphone , or a random signal . in other embodiments , the stimulation pulses or stimulation waveform may comprise a pre - recorded or stored signal that has properties of a sound signal . as described above , it is thus seen that the present invention involves the use and placement of an extra - cochlear electrode connected to a microstimulator , such as a bion microstimulator , or other suitable stimulator or source of stimulation signals . the stimulation signals are applied to the extra - cochlear electrode placed on or in the contra - lateral ear in accordance with a desired stimulation pattern or regime , which pattern or regime is selected to preserve residual hearing , and to help maintain or extend the plasticity of the higher auditory pathways . the microstimulator , or other small stimulator , used with the invention may be placed under the skin or recessed in the temporal bone or some other location in the skull . in one preferred embodiment , the microstimulator contains its own power supply , e . g ., a rechargeable power supply , or may receive operating power from an external power source through close - field rf coupling . the microstimulator has the ability to generate a stimulation signal derived from the acoustic input collected from the environment . such stimulation signal is applied through the extra - cochlear electrode in order to apply electrical stimulation to the location where the electrode is positioned . a microphone , or similar transducer , may be used to collect or record acoustic input from the environment . this acoustic input may then be processed , e . g ., through a suitable filter or other circuitry , that determines the derivative of the acoustic input . the resulting derivative signal may then be applied to the extra - cochlear electrode , or further processed , e . g . by a microstimulator , so that when the acoustic input or derivative thereof meets certain prescribed criteria , e . g ., exceeds a prescribed intensity threshold , or has frequency components above a certain intensity within a prescribed frequency band , the microstimulator generates a stimulation pulse that is applied to the extra - cochlear electrode . the microphone may be worn externally to the stimulator and interface with the . stimulator via a wireless radio frequency ( rf ) link . alternatively , the microphone may be connected to the simulator via a wired link . one embodiment of the invention includes an extra - cochlear stimulating electrode , such as a mesh ball electrode described in u . s . patent application ser . no . 10 / 932 , 812 , filed sep . 1 , 2004 , incorporated herein by reference . as disclosed in pending application ser . no . 10 / 932 , 812 , one preferred embodiment comprises a mesh ball electrode having a doughnut shape . another preferred embodiment in the same pending application comprises a mesh ball electrode made from a multi - strand wires having a zig - zag pattern and also forming a doughnut shape ball electrode . such mesh ball electrode 10 , or other similar electrode , may be placed in the round window niche or on the promontory , or in some other extra - cochlear location . such an electrode can be placed through a standard middle - ear surgical . procedure , and a thin cable can be routed behind the skin and along the bone of the ear canal . the second end of the cable may then be connected to an implantable microstimulator , or other suitable source of stimulation pulses . stimulation provided to the electrode can be simple pulse trains , pulse trains with variable duty cycles or frequency , or waveforms that contain temporally challenging information . stimulation may also be turned on during selected periods of time , and turned off at other periods of time . the microstimulator may be a bion ® type microstimulator , or a similar device . such device may be placed in the skull or recessed in the temporal bone or some other part of the skull . further , the microstimulator may be an rf driven device , i . e . a device that receives its operating power and / or stimulus information via an rf transmitter . the rf transmitter includes an external coil that can be integrated into a pillow , a stroller , or some other place that is in relatively close proximity to the head of a small child during some periods of time during the day . alternatively , the microstimulator may contain its own battery , either a primary battery or a rechargeable battery . it is further noted that the microstimulator may be programmable , which means that it may be adjusted to provide stimulation at different stimulus amplitudes or levels . programmability further means that stimulation levels , or other stimulation parameters , may be adjusted with the assistance of data from objective measurements , such . as auditory brainstem potentials , mid latency potentials , and the like . in another preferred embodiment , the microstimulator used with the extra - cochlear electrode generates a signal that comprises a real - time derivative of a sound signal that is recorded from the environment , e . g ., through the use of a microphone . the microphone that records the sound signal may be part of the microstimulator or may be worn separately and interface with the micro - stimulator via a wireless link , such as an rf link . the signal generated by the microstimulator may be a single channel broadband signal that covers part or all of the frequency range of speech or sound . alternatively , the signal generated by the microstimulator may contain only one or several features extracted from the sound or speech recorded from the environment . in yet another embodiment of the invention , a stimulating electrode is placed on the round window 42 or on the promontory , as described previously , and an electrical path to the electrode is provided by a conductor . the conductor may be similar in concept to a middle - ear tube , i . e . the conductor may protrude through the tympanic membrane and terminates in the ear canal . a stimulator , such as a modified hearing aid , may then be connected to the electrode via the conductor during times when it is desired to provide stimulation . such stimulator , like a hearing aid , may be programmable and may be adjusted to provide stimulation at different stimulus amplitudes or levels . stimulation levels , or other stimulation parameters , may be adjusted with the assistance of data from objective measurements , such as auditory brainstem potentials , mid latency potentials , or the like . in an additional embodiment , a stimulating electrode is temporarily placed in the ear canal . such electrode may be mounted on a shell , such as an in - the - canal ( itc ) housing . the electrode is then connected to a stimulator that is similar to a hearing aid and which generates an electrical signal . the signal may either be a processed version of an acoustic input that is recorded via a microphone , or a random signal . the stimulator is preferably programmable and may be adjusted to provide stimulation at different stimulus amplitudes or levels . stimulation levels , or other stimulation parameters , may be adjusted with the assistance of data from objective measurements , such as auditory brainstem potentials , mid latency potentials , or the like . in still another embodiment , stimulation is provided via a surface ( or tens type ) electrode that is placed somewhere on the skin on the skull . the surface electrode is connected to a stimulator that may be of any shape or kind , and which may be connected to the electrode via a cable or other connecting method . the stimulation waveform applied through the surface electrode may be a derivative of sound that is collected from the environment via a microphone . alternatively , the stimulation waveform may be a pre - recorded or stored signal that has properties of a sound signal , i . e . constant variation in content . the stimulation waveform may also be a random signal that contains temporally challenging information , or other variability . the stimulator may be programmable and may be adjusted to provide stimulation at different stimulus amplitudes or levels . additionally , stimulation levels , or other stimulation parameters , may be adjusted with the assistance of data from objective measurements , such as auditory brainstem potentials , mid latency potentials , or the like . it is noted that the above - described embodiments may be applied to the contra - lateral ear of a patient who receives a cochlear implant in one ear . that is , cochlear implantation of the second ear may not be possible due to financial or reimbursement reasons , while the concepts described above are simpler and thus less expensive and more affordable . intra - cochlear implantation of the second ear may be postponed because the patient or clinician may want to preserve one ear for later cochlear implant technology . in such cases , the concepts described above can be applied in an effort to preserve auditory plasticity in the non - implanted ear . while the invention herein disclosed has been described by means of specific embodiments and applications thereof , numerous modifications and variations could be made thereto by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the invention set forth in the claims .	0
referring to the figures set forth in the accompanying drawings , the illustrative embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail hereinbelow . for clarity of exposition , like features shown in the accompanying drawings shall be indicated with like reference numerals and similar features as shown in alternate embodiments in the drawings shall be indicated with similar reference numerals . as shown in fig1 a typical prior art refrigerator 10 includes a relatively low temperature freezer compartment or freezer 12 and a relatively high temperature fresh food compartment 14 . the freezer 12 and fresh food compartment 14 are usually separated by a partition 16 having an opening or aperture 18 , which extends from the freezer 12 to the fresh food compartment 14 . a cold air source 20 , which normally includes a refrigerant condenser , evaporator ( not shown ) and a fan , is used to provide cold air to the freezer 12 . the cold air source 20 is generally located behind the refrigerator 10 or below the fresh food compartment 14 . in any event , it should be understood that most refrigerators include an air circulating system including a cold air source 20 , which provides cold air directly to the freezer 12 , while a portion of the cold air 28 is directed to the fresh food compartment 14 through an aperture 18 in the partition 16 . in operation , the prior art cold air source 20 is controlled by a signal from the thermostat 26 located in the freezer 12 . also , the damper 22 and prior art automatic damper controller 24 are indirectly controlled by the temperature in the fresh food compartment 14 . as shown in fig2 an embodiment of a refrigerator system 100 , which incorporates the adapter 102 of the present invention , comprises a relatively low temperature freezer compartment or freezer 120 and a relatively high temperature fresh food compartment 140 . the freezer 120 and fresh food compartment 140 are separated by a partition 160 having an opening or aperture 180 , which extends from the freezer 120 to the fresh food compartment 140 . the air circulating system includes a cold air source 200 , which provides cold air directly to the freezer 120 , while a portion of the cold air is directed to the fresh food compartment 140 through an aperture 180 in the partition 160 . the cold air source 200 is located behind the refrigerator 100 or below the fresh food compartment 140 . also shown in fig2 is the actuator 102 which controls the damper 220 in response to the temperature of the freezer 120 , as opposed to common damper controllers which actuate in response to the temperature of the fresh food compartment ( see fig1 ). moreover , this embodiment of a refrigeration system includes a thermostat 104 located in the fresh food compartment 140 , in contrast to conventional systems , which typically have the thermostat in the freezer ( see fig1 ). in operation , as shown in fig2 the cold air source 200 is controlled in response to a signal from the thermostat 104 which senses the temperature of the fresh food compartment 140 . the thermostat may be located in any part of the fresh food compartment , but is typically located substantially away from the partition aperture ( i . e ., at an opposite end of the compartment 140 therefrom ). the thermostat may be attached to the refrigerator wall or contained in the walls . the damper 220 and automatic damper controller or actuator 102 are actuated by a signal from the sensing end 108 , of the temperature sensor 106 , which senses the temperature in the freezer 120 . also shown in fig2 are the lever arm 138 , the bellows 122 and the frame 110 . in a preferred embodiment , the frame 110 is located on the partition 160 within the fresh food compartment 140 . the frame 110 may be formed from a single injection molded piece or from any other suitable material , such as any metal or plastic . turning now to fig3 various components of the actuator 102 are shown , with the exception of the linear oscillator or bellows 122 ( see fig4 ). as shown , the temperature sensor 106 , having a sensing end 108 , is attached to the frame 110 of actuator 102 . as shown , the temperature sensor extends from the frame up through the partition 160 and then terminates in the freezer 120 at the sensing end 108 ( as shown in fig2 ). as also shown , the sensing end 108 may be a bulb shape and be filled with fluid , such as , for example , in the event the temperature sensor is a capillary tube bulb . one skilled in the art will recognize that a capillary tube bulb is a hollow tubular device that has a fluid filled bulb on one of its ends , and is typically used for sensing temperature changes . another component of the actuator is the frame 110 , which is shown in fig3 . in one embodiment , the frame comprises a housing 112 and an elongated holder 114 fabricated as two distinct parts . the housing may be rectangular shaped and have bolts 118 and boltholes 117 to allow for easy mounting to the partition or refrigerator . the elongated holder 114 includes a rigid member 134 , a rigid member pin aperture 136 and a guide hole 116 . a push rod 124 extends out of the housing 112 and in through the guide hole 116 and connects to a sliding member 128 . the push rod may also have one or more second clip connectors or annular grooves 126 which may be used to attach the push rod to the first clip connector 132 of the sliding member 128 . in another embodiment , the push rod 124 and sliding member 128 are fabricated as one piece ( not shown ). a sliding member 128 which may be a rectangular shaped member having semicircular grooves or a first clip connector 132 on an end , for clipingly attaching to the second clip connector 126 , is shown in fig3 . the sliding member 128 extends substantially perpendicularly to the push rod 124 . the sliding member may also have a sliding member knob or cylindrical portion 130 , which may be cylindrical in shape . this sliding member knob 130 is disposed inside an aperture 146 in the lever arm 138 . the rigid member 134 limits the movement of the sliding member 128 and indirectly limits the stroke of the damper 220 . in one embodiment ( not shown ) the elongated holder 114 and the housing 112 may be formed as a single , integrated device . the rigid member 134 may be non - rectangular in shape . the elongated holder 114 also includes a holder pivot hole or pin aperture 136 for accepting a pindle or lever arm pin 142 . the housing 112 may be attached to the elongated holder 114 with bolts 118 or other suitable fastening devices . in a preferred embodiment the lever arm 138 has a first end 145 and second end 143 . the first end 145 has a protruding member 147 for engaging with the damper 220 and a second end 143 has a lever arm aperture 146 and a lever arm pin 142 . the lever arm aperture 146 and a lever arm pin 142 respectively engage with the cylindrical portion or sliding member knob 130 and the holder pivot hole or rigid member pin aperture 136 . the lever arm pin 142 may have a spring type retaining step 144 to substantially keep the lever arm 138 attached to the elongated holder 114 . the protruding member 147 is disposed in an orifice formed in the damper 220 ( fig4 & amp ; 5 ). the orifice in the damper 220 is larger than the protruding member 147 in a direction perpendicular to the partition 160 to allow movement in that direction , so that the lever arm 138 may be rigid and yet still move the damper 220 in a direction parallel to the partition 160 . such movement will be discussed in greater detail hereinbelow with respect to fig4 & amp ; 5 . the lever arm pin 142 is rotatably contained in the rigid member pin aperture 136 , which allows the first end 145 of the lever arm 138 to pivot about pin 142 . the lever arm aperture 146 slidably receives the sliding member knob 130 therein . the sliding member knob 130 rotatably drives the lever arm 138 to generate the aforementioned pivotal movement as the linear oscillator ( i . e ., bellows ) 122 expands or contracts . in another embodiment ( not shown ), the damper 220 and the lever arm 138 may be fabricated as one piece . as best shown in fig4 the actuator 102 may move the damper 220 to a closed position in which the aperture 180 is covered by the damper 220 . conversely , as best shown in fig5 the actuator 102 may also move the damper 220 to an open position in which the aperture 180 is not covered by the damper 220 . when the damper 220 is in the open position , the colder air in the freezer 120 begins to sink into the fresh food compartment 140 . as also shown in fig4 the actuator 102 preferably comprises a bellows 122 and a frame 110 . the frame 110 may also include one or more control knobs 123 for modifying the stroke of the bellows , and in turn , the stroke of the damper 220 . the bellows 122 is located in the frame 110 , which , as discussed hereinabove , may be located inside the fresh food compartment 140 . the bellows 122 is filled with refrigerant or other similar fluid capable of appreciably expanding and contracting in response to variations in temperature . when the temperature changes , the bellows fluid expands or contracts to cause the bellows 122 to axially expand or contract . this contraction or expansion moves the push rod 124 , which is connected to one end of the bellows . as shown and described herein , the linear oscillator preferably includes a fluid filled bellows . however , the skilled artisan should recognize that any device capable of generating a linear , oscillating or reciprocating movement , such as an electrically or electronically controlled linear actuator , may be used without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention . an important aspect of the refrigeration system 100 is that the cold air source 200 is actuated in response to the temperature of the air in the fresh food compartment 140 and not the temperature of the air in the freezer 120 . the thermostat 104 , which controls the cold air source 200 , is located in the fresh food compartment 140 and the actuator 102 controls the damper 220 in response to the air temperature in the freezer 120 . this refrigeration system 100 relatively accurately and quickly controls the temperature in the fresh food compartment . table 1 compares the cooling process steps of this refrigeration system 100 to a previous system . the cooling process steps are the different steps that each system takes in response to a temperature variation in the fresh food compartment . for convenience , “ ffc ” will be used to designate “ fresh food compartment ”. the set point temperatures refer to the preset high and low temperature range settings of the compartments . for example , when the air temperature in the fresh food compartment reaches a set point temperature , the cold air source will be either turned on or off . one advantage of the refrigeration system 100 is that the fresh food compartment temperatures are relatively accurately maintained within the high and low set point temperature ranges . as described in table 1 , the cold air source will not turn off until the temperature of the fresh food compartment has reached its low set point temperature . conversely , the cold air source of the previous system is turned off when the freezer reaches its low set point temperature , even though the temperature of the fresh food compartment may be much warmer than the desired set point temperature . such control of the fresh food compartment temperature and resulting warm air in the fresh food compartment of the previous system may cause food in the fresh food compartment to spoil . another advantage of the refrigeration system 100 is that the fresh food compartment is cooled very quickly after a temperature variation , such as , for example , when the fresh food compartment door is opened up and warm outside air fills the fresh food compartment . as described in table 1 , as soon as there is a temperature variation in the fresh food compartment of the refrigeration system 100 , the cold air source is turned on ( i . e ., refrigeration system step 3 of table 1 ) and the cold air will quickly enter the fresh food compartment . contrariwise , the previous system must first complete many process steps before the cold air source is turned on , ( i . e ., prior art steps 3 - 5 of table 1 ) in response to a temperature variation in the fresh food compartment . the actuator of the present invention may be advantageously used to easily retrofit a prior art refrigerator having a manually controlled damper . this is an inexpensive means of providing the benefits of an automatically controlled damper actuator without having to purchase or redesign a new refrigerator . in addition , the lever arm amplifies the amount of damper travel . the clip connection between the push rod and the lever arm eliminates the need for a spring . lastly , the rigid member also limits the stroke of the lever arm to ensure accurate opening and closing of the damper . the foregoing description is intended primarily for purposes of illustration . although the invention has been shown and described with respect to an exemplary embodiment thereof , it should be understood by those skilled in the art that the foregoing and various other changes , omissions , and additions in the form and detail thereof may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention .	5
the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings . fig1 to 5 show an optical connector according to an embodiment of the present invention . as shown in fig2 an optical connector ferrule of the present invention is constituted by two components . the first component is a glass ferrule 1 formed to have a truly circular section with precision on the order of submicrons . the glass ferrule 1 is constituted by a cylindrical glass capillary 2 and a coating 3 serving as a protection thin layer and having a hardness higher than that of a zirconia sleeve . the coating 3 is formed on the entire circumferential surface of the glass capillary 2 by coating to have a thickness of submicrons to about several microns . a small - diameter through hole 4 having a diameter slightly larger than that of a bare optical fiber 11 is formed at the central axis portion of the glass capillary 2 constituting the glass capillary 2 . a guide taper portion 5 is formed on one end portion of the glass capillary 2 to open wide . the inner diameter of the taper portion 5 increases toward the end face of the glass capillary 2 . a chamfered portion 6 is formed on the outer circumferential portion of the other end portion of the glass capillary 2 . the outer diameter of the chamfered portion 6 decreases toward the end face so that the glass capillary 2 can be easily inserted into a sleeve when attaching and detaching the optical connector . the second component is a terminal component 7 to which the glass ferrule 1 is fitted and fixed . a large - diameter hole 8 as a blind hole is formed at one end portion of the terminal component 7 . one end portion of the ferrule 1 on the taper portion 5 side is inserted and fixed in this large - diameter hole 8 . an intermediate - diameter through hole 9 is formed at the central axis portion of the terminal component 7 to be continuous with the large - diameter hole 8 . the through hole 9 has a diameter slightly larger than the diameter of an optical fiber 12 shown in fig3 . the opening portion of the taper portion 5 has a diameter slightly larger than that of the through hole 9 . a projecting flange portion 10 is formed on the outer circumferential surface of the terminal component 7 near the glass ferrule 1 . the glass ferrule 1 having the above arrangement is inserted in the large - diameter hole 8 of the terminal component 7 from its one end portion on the taper portion 5 side and fixed by adhesion , so that it is assembled as shown in fig1 . when an optical fiber whose terminal has been processed is fixed to this assembly by adhesion , a structure as shown in fig3 is obtained . at this time , the bare optical fiber 11 inserted in the through hole 9 of the terminal component or holding member 7 is guided by the taper portion 5 and is led into the through hole 4 of the glass capillary 2 . in the structure of the present invention , even if the glass ferrule 1 is attached / detached to / from a zirconia ceramic sleeve 13 , as shown in fig4 since the coating 3 protects the outer circumferential surface of the glass capillary 2 , the glass capillary 2 will not be worn by the inner circumferential surface of the ceramic sleeve 13 , and scratches will not be formed on the glass capillary 2 . as the material for the coating 3 serving as the protection thin layer , ceramics , e . g ., alumina , tungsten carbide , silicon carbide , boron carbide , titanium carbide , silicon nitride , boron nitride , and titanium nitride ; and diamond , which have a higher hardness than zirconia ceramic used as the material of the sleeve , are suitable . a coating 3 may also be formed on the chamfered portion 6 . fig5 explains the manufacturing process of the glass ferrule 1 . first , a glass preform 15 is subjected to centering so that the ratio of the inner diameter to the outer diameter of an inner diameter 14 becomes equal to that of a final ferrule . subsequently , the glass preform 15 is melted by a heating furnace 16 and is subjected to drawing , thereby forming the outer circumferential portion and the inner circumferential portion of the ferrule at once at high precision . the outer diameter of the ferrule before ceramic coating is managed by an outer diameter measuring machine 17 . subsequently , ceramic coating is performed on the outer circumferential surface of the ferrule by a cvd ( chemical vapor deposition ) unit 18 . the thin layer thickness of the ceramic coating is managed by an outer diameter measuring machine 19 . finally , the resultant glass preform 15 is sequentially cut into pieces having a predetermined length , thereby obtaining a starting tube 20 of the ferrule . thereafter , the taper portion 5 shown in fig2 to help insert the optical fiber is formed by etching as a glass tube manufacturing technique using hydrofluoric acid . the chamfered portion 6 is formed by , e . g ., grinding , thus obtaining the final shape of the glass ferrule 1 . in this embodiment , the cvd unit is used for manufacturing the glass ferrule 1 . to perform ceramic coating , other than the method using the cvd unit , sputtering , pvd , e . g ., ion plating , dipping using hydrolysis , and the like are available . as has been described above , in the optical connector of the present invention , since scratches formed by contact with the sleeve are not formed during attachment and detachment of the optical connector , wear particles are not produced during attachment and detachment of the optical connector . since an increase in contact resistance of the side surface of the ferrule upon formation of the scratches does not occur , the inserting force during attachment and detachment is stabilized . since no degradation in strength caused by scratches does not occur , a glass ferrule having a stable strength can be obtained . since the side surface of the glass ferrule is coated with a coating , the strength of the ferrule itself is increased and stabilized . a glass capillary that can be produced by drawing on the mass production line can be used as the ferrule , and the coating can be formed by using a solvent or in accordance with cvd at once , thus providing a high productivity . since the performance of the ferrule does not depend on the composition of the glass material , unlike in a case using ion exchange , the glass material can be selected freely . in a glass ferrule having an alumina coating , since the alumina coating transmits ultraviolet rays , an uv ( ultraviolet )- curing adhesive can be utilized for fixing the optical fiber , thus enabling assembly of an optical connector within a short period of time .	6
the present invention will now be described with reference to embodiments shown in the drawings . fig1 shows a disk drive device of an embodiment of the present invention . in this embodiment , the disk drive device is constructed in such a manner that two disks f1 and f2 are driven so that video signals recorded on the magnetic disk f1 are dubbed onto the other magnetic disk f2 . the magnetic disk f1 on which video signals have been recorded is set to a reproducing deck of the device , and the magnetic disk f2 on which the video signals are to be recorded is set to a recording deck of the device . since the reproducing deck and the recording deck have basically the same construction , only the construction of the reproducing deck is described in detail below . the construction of the recording deck is shown by reference numerals which are each the same as the sum of each of the reference numerals plus 20 of corresponding portions of the reproducing deck , e . g ., 16 becomes 36 , etc . the device is provided with two bearing mechanisms 11 and 31 whereby two magnetic disks f1 and f2 are rotated . the bearing mechanism 11 rotatably supports a spindle chuck 12 , which is provided for hooding and rotating the disk f1 . a carriage 13 is provided with a magnetic head 14 , and is slidably supported by a guide bar 15 , to be able to move and to and fro along the guide bar 15 , parallel with the guide bar 15 , and rotates the lead screw 17 to a step motor 16 is provided with a lead screw 17 extending in move the carriage 13 so that the magnetic head 14 is positioned at a predetermined position on the disk f1 . a pg 18 is provided for outputting a pg pulse for sensing a rotational position of the disk f1 . in this embodiment , a single spindle motor 51 is provided for rotating the two disks f1 and f2 , and an endless belt 52 is wound around a pulley 53 fixed to an output shaft of the spindle motor 51 and rotatable shafts ( described later in detail ) of the bearing mechanisms 11 and 31 , whereby a rotation of the pulley 53 is transmitted to the rotatable shafts through the belt 52 . fig2 shows a construction of the bearing mechanism 11 in detail . a rotatable shaft 21 is connected to the under surface of the spindle check 12 , and is extended downward therefrom and perpendicular to the plane of the magnetic disk f1 ; the rotational axis of the rotatable shaft 21 being coaxial with that of the spindle chuck 12 . grooves 22 are formed on an upper outer surface 23 and a lower outer surface 24 of the rotatable shaft 21 , and grooves 29 are formed on a lower end surface 25 thereof . the grooves 22 and 29 generate a pumping effect by which the rotatable shaft 21 is rotatably supported , substantially without friction , by bearing members 27 and 28 , as described later . the middle portion of the rotatable shaft 21 has a cylindrical outer surface 26 on which the grooves 22 are not formed , and the belt 52 is wound around this cylindrical outer surface 26 of the rotatable shaft 21 . the bearing member 27 is formed as a tube and is loosely fitted to the rotatable shaft 21 , and an inner surface of the bearing member 27 faces the upper outer surface 23 of the rotatable shaft 21 in such a manner that a gap is formed between that inner surface and the upper outer surface 23 . the bearing member 28 is formed as a tube having a bottom , and is also loosely fitted to the rotatable shaft 21 in such a manner that a gap is formed between the inner surface thereof and the surfaces 24 and 25 . the bearing mechanism 31 of the recording deck has the same construction as that of the bearing mechanism 11 of the reproducing deck . the grooves 22 are formed in a herringbone shape having the peak portions 22 &# 39 ; thereof facing to the right in fig2 . in this embodiment , the rotatable shaft 21 rotates clockwise ( when viewed from above and , therefore , due to a rotation of the rotatable shaft 21 , air enters the grooves 22 and is discharged from the peak portions of the herringbone . on the other hand , the grooves 29 in the lower end surface 25 are formed in a spiral shape , so that , due to a rotation of the rotatable shaft 21 as shown by an arrow a , air flow into the grooves 29 from outer end portions thereof and flow out from portions close to the axis of the shaft 21 . therefore , air or fluid flows into the bearing members 27 and 28 to generate a dynamic pressure , and accordingly , a pumping effect , by which the rotatable shaft 21 is supported in the bearing members 27 and 28 substantially without friction . fig3 and 4 show a construction of the central portion of the magnetic disk f1 or f2 , wherein a hub 61 is disposed approximately at the center of the disk f1 and is provided with a pg yoke 62 at a predetermined position . the pg yoke 62 is fixed to the hub 61 so that , when the magnetic disk f1 is mounted on the spindle chuck 12 , an orion core 18a provided at the pg coil 18 faces the pg yoke 62 . fig5 is a block diagram showing a construction of an embodiment of a dubbing unit to which the disk drive device according to the present invention is applied . a head driving mechanism 71 includes ( referring to fig1 ) the step motor 16 , the lead screw 17 , the carriage 13 , and the guide bar 15 , and is controlled by a system controller 72 which is composed of , for example , a micro - computer etc . similarly , a head driving mechanism 73 includes ( referring to fig1 ) the step motor 36 , the lead screw 37 , the carriage 33 , and the guide bar 35 , and is also controlled by the system controller 72 . a field memory 74 is provided for storing video signals and is connected to the system controller 72 . a servo circuit 75 is connected to the spindle motor 51 and the pg coil 18 to control a rotation of the spindle motor 51 , a projected image recording and reproducing circuit 76 is connected to the magnetic heads 14 and 34 through amplifiers 77 and 78 , respectively , and is controlled by the system controller 72 to modulate and output video signals to the magnetic heads 14 and 34 . the projected image recording and reproducing circuit 76 received , through the amplifiers 77 and 78 , video signals generated by the magnetic heads 14 and 34 , and demodulates the video signals , which are then stored in the field memory 74 , if necessary . the operation of this embodiment of the present invention is described below . when a command is outputted to start a dubbing operation , the system controller 72 drives the spindle motor 51 through the servo circuit 75 , whereby the pulley 53 of the spindle motor 51 is rotated . the rotation of the pulley 53 is transmitted to the rotatable shafts of the spindle chucks 12 and 32 through the belt 52 , and accordingly , the spindle chucks 12 and 32 , and the magnetic disks f1 and f2 disposed on and held by the spindle chucks 12 and 32 , are rotated . when the rotatable shaft 21 is rotated , the pumping effect as described above is generated . namely , since the rotatable shaft 21 is provided with the grooves 22 and 29 , while the rotatable shaft 21 is rotated , air flows into a gap between the roatatable shaft 21 and the bearing members 27 and 28 , as shown by arrows in fig2 so that the rotatable shaft 21 is held in a two - contact state with regard to the bearing members 27 and , this is , the rotatable shaft 21 is supported in the bearing members 27 and 28 , substantially without friction between the rotatable shaft 21 and the bearing members 27 and 28 , and as a result , the rotation of the rotatable shaft 21 is very smooth . note that , to reduce any frictional resistance between the rotatable shaft 21 and the bearing members 27 and 28 , a lubricant such as grease , oil and the like may be filled in the gap therebetween . further note that , since the belt 52 is wound around the cylindrical outer surface 26 formed at approximately the middle portion of the rotatable shaft 21 , the pumping effects generated by the grooves 22 formed on the upper outer surface 23 and the grooves 22 formed on the lower outer surface 24 are balanced , and thus an inclination of the rotatable shaft 21 toward a direction in which the rotatable shaft 21 is pulled ( to the right in fig2 ) is prevented . the pg coil 18 senses the pg yoke 62 of the magnetic disk f1 , and outputs one pg pulse per one revolution of the magnetic disk f1 . the spindle motor 51 houses a pulse generator ( not shown ) which generates pg pulses having a frequency corresponding to the rotational speed of the motor . the servo circuit 75 compares the pg pulse and the pg pulses with a predetermined standard pulse , to obtain an error signal denoting the difference among these pulses , and controls the rotation of the spindle motor 51 in accordance with the error signal , and thus the spindle motor 51 and the magnetic disks f1 and f2 are rotated at a predetermined speed ( for example , one revolution per one field ). the system controller 72 controls the head driving mechanism 71 so that the step motor 16 is driven and the lead screw 17 is rotated , and accordingly , the carriage 13 is guided by the guide bars 15 so that the magnetic head 14 is moved to a position at which it faces a predetermined track of the magnetic disk f1 on which video signals to be dubbed to another magnetic disc f2 have been recorded . the system controller 72 reproduces video signals of one field recorded on the magnetic disk f1 , based on the pg pulse , and these video signals are inputted to the projected image recording and reproducing circuit 76 through the amplifier 77 , demodulated , and stored in the field memory 74 . the magnetic head 34 is controlled by the system controlling 72 through the head driving mechanism 73 , to be moved to a position at which the magnetic head 34 faces a track in which the video signals are to be recorded . the system controller 72 reads the video signals of one field stored in the field memory 74 , and supplies those video signals to the projected image recording and reproducing circuit 76 to be modulated . then , based on the pg pulse outputted by the pg coil 38 , the modulated video signals are supplied to the magnetic head 34 through the amplifier 78 and recorded on the magnetic disk f2 . thereafter , in the same way as described above , video signals recorded on a track of one magnetic disk are recorded or dubbed onto a predetermined track of the other magnetic disk , in sequence . if wow or flutter occur during the rotation of the spindle motor 51 , this is transmitted to both the spindle chuck 12 of the reproducing deck and the spindle chuck 32 of the recording deck , which are rotated in synchronization with each other . therefore , if a slight jitter exist in a recorded condition of the magnetic disk f1 of the reproducing deck , the recorded condition of magnetic field f2 of the recording deck also contains a slight jitter . note that , although the bearing mechanism having dynamic pressure grooves are disposed under the spindle chucks in the above embodiment , in another embodiments other bearing mechanisms generating dynamic pressures can be used . further , the number of magnetic disks driven by the device may be more than or equal to 3 . although in the above embodiment the disk drive device of the present invention is applied to a magnetic disk dubbing unit , the disk rive device of the present invention can be applied to other types of units . further , although the embodiment of the present invention have been described herein with reference to the accompanying drawings , obviously many modifications and changes may be made by those skilled in this art without departing from the scope of the invention .	6
the cloths or pads 2 have an essentially circular shape . the moist cloths or cosmetic pads 2 are arranged in two stacks 3 , 4 . the moist cloths of the one stack overlap with those of the other stack . an overlap area 6 is created in which the stacks are interleaved with one another . the stacks 3 and 4 are accommodated in a packaging base 8 which has an exterior shape approximately in the form of a figure - 8 , which essentially matches the external shape of the two interleaved stacks 3 and 4 . each cosmetic pad 10 of the one stack 3 protrudes between two cosmetic pads 12 of the other stack . the packaging container in accordance with the invention serves to accommodate at least two stacks of moist cloths or moist cosmetic pads 2 having a basic shape which can be anything , for example , round , elliptical or polygonal . through the overlapping of the cloths or pads 2 in only over a partial area , an exterior shape is created which deviates from the basic shapes of the cloths or pads 2 . the exterior shape encloses the at least two stacks of moist cloths or cosmetic pads 2 . the cloths or pads 2 are arranged such that they mutually overlap each other in alternation . in this area of overlap , the cloths or pads 2 can be gripped in turn at the edge of the one stack or of the other stack . for this purpose , a removal opening is furnished in the manual access area on this overlap area . the removal opening can be configured small compared with the basic shape of the cloths or pads 2 and still allow convenient removal of a cloth or pad . because the exterior shape of the packaging container is conformed to the shapes of the cloths or pads 2 , an aesthetically pleasing impression is conveyed . the exterior shape of the packaging container is formed or determined by the two or more overlapping basic shapes . it is also conceivable that various basic shapes , for example , a circular shape and an angular shape are chosen . for aesthetic reasons , however , it proves favorable to choose basic shapes which have at least a similar configuration . it proves especially advantageous to choose basic shapes with a circular or oval surface . in this case , the packaging container has an exterior shape approximating a figure 8 . this shape proves advantageous with respect to simple manufacture of the packaging container and to an aesthetic design of same . it further proves to be advantageous if the removal opening is formed by an at least partially detachable cut - out in one wall of the packaging container . before the initial use of the packaging container , the inserted moist cloths or cosmetic pads 2 should be enclosed in an air - tight manner to the greatest degree possible . it proves advantageous if the removal opening is not formed until the first time a moist cloth or cosmetic pad 2 is removed . to this end , the detachable cut - out advantageously has a weakening line at least along one part of its periphery . the weakening line is advantageously formed as a perforation in one wall of the packaging container . it is then possible to detach the cut - out conveniently without the need for additional tools . a perforation is also simple to produce . in accordance with a further aspect of the invention , it proves advantageous if a reusable closing means is employed which either uncovers the removal opening or seals it in an essentially air - tight manner . closing means of this kind can be configured , for example , as a sealing or adhesive film which overlays the removal opening on all sides and , at least outside the removal opening , is furnished with a pressure - sensitive adhesive with which the closing means is detachably attached to one wall of the packaging container , thereby closing the removal opening in an essentially air - tight manner . in a further development of the inventive concept , it is proposed that the closing means is non - detachably bonded to a cut - out in one wall of the packaging container and that by detaching the closing means for the first time to create the removal opening , the cut - out , which is non - detachably bonded to the closing means , is separated at least partially from the wall of the packaging container . at the time of initial use , the cut - out is at least partially separated from the wall of the packaging container . however , the cut - out remains attached to the closing means . no additional handling procedure to separate the cut - out from the wall of the packaging container is necessary , rather this happens by peeling back or pivoting the closing means . it is also not necessary to dispose of the wall cut - out separately . the packaging container preferably consists of a base forming an accommodation space and a cover . when the packaging container is filled , the moist cloths or cosmetic pads 2 can be inserted into the accommodation space and then a cover can be applied to the container base . the cover can consist , for example , of a film which is bonded along its edge to the edge of the container base . the bonding can be accomplished by adhesion or welding . the removal opening is then created advantageously in the cover of the packaging container . it further proves advantageous if the packaging container or its packaging base and / or its cover is formed of a synthetic material . bulk plastics , such as polyethylene , polypropylene or polystyrene , for example , are suitable for the manufacture of the packaging components . these materials are light , inexpensive and allow the packaging components to be freely designed . the plastics used can be transparent or color - impregnated and have suitable decoration on the exterior or interior . it proves particularly advantageous for low - priced manufacture of the packaging container that the packaging container is formed as a deep - draw part . it is possible to manufacture the packaging container possessing adequate strength and good surface quality , combined with a thin wall thickness and low material consumption . material wall thicknesses of the deep - draw film advantageously measure 400 to 800 μm . the pads or cosmetic cloths 2 to be placed in the packaging container consist preferably of cotton or viscose nonwoven material , where synthetic fibers , preferably bi - component fibers and / or pes fibers of 1 to 10 denier and with a length of 3 to 60 mm , can be added as necessary . an admixture of pes microfibers of 0 . 1 to 0 . 9 denier is also conceivable . the pads 2 or cloths are manufactured using conventional nonwoven techniques , such as air - laying , carding , needling , or water - jet needling and bonded as required with thermal or chemical binders . the base weight of the pads 2 or cloths in a dry state is between 40 and 300 g / m 2 , preferably between 60 and 150 g / m 2 , specifically between 70 and 90 g / m 2 . when filling the packaging container , the pads 2 are inserted into the packaging base in a dry state . after two to five pads 2 have been inserted , a cleaning fluid is applied using a metering pump . this fluid can consist , for example , of an aqueous solution or an oil - in - water emulsion or a water - in - oil emulsion . the fluid can contain additional skin - care components , for example , plant extracts , such as aloe vera , and / or fragrances , perfumes and / or preservatives . a pad 2 absorbs between 0 . 5 and 6 grams , preferably between 1 . 5 and 3 grams of fluid , with about 60 to 90 % of the total weight of a pad coming from its fluid content . for example , an oval cotton pad 2 with diameters of 70 and 90 mm weighs about 0 . 4 grams , 2 . 5 grams after the application of the cleaning fluid , with the weight of the fluid making up 84 %. with circular or oval pads 2 , the small diameter is specifically 30 – 110 mm and the large diameter is 30 – 220 mm . preferably the diameters are 60 – 80 mm and 70 – 110 mm respectively . a packaging base 8 which surrounds the two stacks 3 , 4 has a cover 14 with a removal opening 16 . the cover 14 is configured as a film and welded to the packaging base 8 along a collar - shaped edge area 17 rolled over to the outside . the packaging base 8 is shown in fig3 with the cover 14 attached thereto , which has a detachable cut - out 18 approximately in the center bounded along its periphery by a weakening line 20 in the form of a perforation 22 . this detachable cut - out 18 forms the removal opening 16 which is furnished above the overlap area 6 in the direction of the stack 24 ( fig1 ). fig4 shows the packaging container in accordance with fig3 , where the removal opening 16 , or the cut - out 18 , is completely covered by closing means 26 in the form of a tab 28 completely overlaying the cut - out 18 . the tab 28 has a pressure - sensitive adhesive coating 32 on the side 30 facing the cover 14 . it is non - detachably connected to the cut - out 18 and detachably adheres to the outward facing visible side 34 of the cover . the tab 28 comprises a gripping area 36 at one longitudinal end , which is free of adhesive and serves as a “ finger lift .” to open the packaging container , a user takes hold of the tab 28 with his fingers in the gripping area 36 and then peels the tab 28 upward or to the rear . the cut - out 18 , which is detachable from the wall of the cover 14 , is disengaged from the cover 14 along its perforation 22 together with the tab 28 , and the removal opening is thereby created . a user now has access to the overlap area 6 of the moist cloths or moist cosmetic pads 2 and can take hold of the topmost cosmetic pad 2 with his fingers at its edge ( see fig2 ) and remove it from the packaging container through the removal opening 36 . the tab 28 is then replaced on the visible side of the cover and pressed against it using the fingers , so that by means of the pressure - sensitive adhesive coating 32 the packaging container is closed again in an essentially air - tight manner . as can seen from fig5 , it is not necessary to separate the tab 28 completely from the cover 14 . the detachable cut - out 18 is configured as an elongated aperture , and it suffices to peel back the closure tab 28 partially from the visible side 30 to create a removal opening 16 which is large enough to remove a particular moist cloth or cosmetic pad 2 from the packaging container . this proves particularly advantageous since the correct position of the tab 28 is retained with respect to the removal opening 16 so formed , and the tab 28 can be again brought to its correct closing position . to prevent the tab 28 from being peeled back too far , it proves to be particularly beneficial if the cut - out 18 is not surrounded completely by the perforation 22 ; but remains attached to the cover 14 along a line 42 running preferably essentially perpendicular to the direction of the opening 40 .	1
referring to the drawings and in particular to fig1 , a block diagram of the system of the present disclosure is shown and generally referenced by reference numeral 100 . system 100 includes a computer system 300 . an operator 305 is able to program computer 300 . computer system 300 includes a user interface 310 , a processor 315 , memory 320 , and a bus 327 . computer 300 may be implemented on a general - purpose microcomputer . processor 315 is configured of logic circuitry that responds to and executes instructions . memory 320 stores data and instructions for controlling the operation of processor 315 . memory 320 may be implemented in a random access memory ( ram ), a hard drive , a read only memory ( rom ), or a combination thereof . one of the components of memory 320 is a program module 325 . program module 325 contains instructions for controlling processor 315 to execute the methods described herein . for example , as a result of execution of program module 325 , processor 315 is able to receive instructions / input from a user 220 , search computer network 200 ( e . g . internet ) using input and retrieve a list of content sources from computer network 200 that is used to generate a report such as an advertisement . the term “ module ” is used herein to denote a functional operation that may be embodied either as a stand - alone component or as an integrated configuration of a plurality of sub - ordinate components . thus , program module 325 may be implemented as a single module or as a plurality of modules that operate in cooperation with one another . moreover , although program module 325 is described herein as being installed in memory 320 , and therefore being implemented in software , it could be implemented in any hardware ( e . g ., electronic circuitry ), firmware , software , or a combination thereof . user 220 has access to system 100 via a computer network 200 , as shown , or from a server . user 220 may be a sales person at a media company , an employee at a business 201 , a business owner , or other person who may be otherwise charged with preparing marketing materials for business 201 , such as a graphic designer . user 220 accesses system 100 using a computer 105 having a user interface 110 . computer 105 is coupled to and has access to system 100 via a network 200 . computer 105 also has associated therewith local storage mediums 218 . network 200 provides access to websites 205 , internet servers 210 and various content sources 215 , for example . computer 105 includes an input device such as a keyboard or speech recognition subsystem for enabling a user to communicate information and command selections through network 200 to processor 315 . user interface 110 also includes an output device such as a display or a printer . a cursor control such as a mouse , track - ball , or joy stick , allows the user to manipulate a cursor on the display for communicating additional information and command selections through network 200 to processor 315 . user interface may also be a personal digital assistant ( pda ), or the like . user interface 110 and computer 105 are able to access program module 325 of computer system 300 from network 200 . operator 305 makes program module 325 available to user 220 via network 200 from , for example , a website . referring to fig2 , there are numerous ways that user 201 can obtain a set of reviews to be reviewed by method of present invention . fig2 provides exemplary methods by which user 201 may obtain set of reviews to be reviewed in present application , although other methods may be used to obtain set of reviews . referring again to fig2 , a method is shown and referenced by reference numeral 400 . in step 405 , after the start , system 100 prompts user 220 to enter information related to business 201 into a field on a screen , such as a business name and / or location . the location of business can be a segment of a business location , such as a street address , a postal code , a state / region , or any combination thereof (“ location input ”). such information is preferably entered by user 220 via user interface 110 . in step 406 , processor 315 searches various sources that contain standardized business names and locations . step 406 , process searches using information provided by user 220 in step 405 . step 406 results in a standardized business name and location , or if none is found , a descriptor of such business that was provided by user in step 405 . in step 407 , system 100 searches network 200 and compiles a list of content sources using standardized name and location . content sources are preferably one or a plurality of websites identified by one or a plurality uniform resource locators ( urls ) that may include reviews . in step 408 , system 100 searches content sources compiled in step 407 for reviews using descriptor and forwards reviews to system 100 in step 500 . alternatively , in step 410 , user 201 can provide a url to a webpage containing reviews of a business , and a set of reviews can be extracted from such webpage for use in step 500 . alternatively , in step 411 , user 201 can provide an offline article containing one or more reviews of a business , which can be transcribed for use in step 500 . alternatively , in step 412 , third parties or partners can provide structured data feeds from which reviews can be extracted for use in step 500 . alternatively , in step 413 , user 220 directly provides a list of reviews for use in step 500 . method 400 provides examples of how reviews for a business may be obtained and is not in intended in any way to limit the scope of the method of fig2 of the present disclosure . referring to fig3 , in step 550 , system 100 obtains a set of reviews that are to be filtered based on predefined criteria created by operator 305 . in step 550 , processor 315 filters reviews that contain a quantitative rating . quantitative ratings may be based on a symbol , such as a star , or a numerical rating . if a review is found to contain a quantitative rating , such rating is standardized in step 563 to comply with a predetermined scale . for example , all quantitative ratings may be converted to a standardized 5 - star scale for ease of comparison . for example , a rating on a 4 star rating scale can be converted to a standardized 5 - star scale by multiplying the rating by 5 / 4 . as another example , a numerical rating based on a rating scale of 100 can be converted to a standardized 5 - star scale by dividing the numerical rating by 20 . in step 570 , only reviews containing a standardized rating exceeding a minimum quantitative threshold are accepted . for example , the minimum quantitative threshold could be 4 stars on a 5 - star scale . if a review contains a rating not exceeding the threshold , it is discarded in step 571 . reviews from step 570 that exceed the quantitative threshold , as well as reviews from step 550 that do not have quantitative ratings , are both filtered semantically in step 560 . in step 560 , processor 315 filters reviews semantically by searching for particular keywords , phrases , or sentiments — both positive and negative — within the content of the review . for example , step 560 may search for positive words or phrases such as “ best ,” “ excellent ,” or “ best of my life ” and / or negative words or phrases such as “ rodent ,” “ worst ,” or “ bland .” step 560 may also use other semantic techniques to analyze the content of the reviews and identify selected marketable reviews for inclusion in marketing materials . processor 315 analyzes these keywords , phrases , and sentiments and in step 575 determines whether the review exceeds a pre - defined semantic threshold to qualify as selected marketable reviews . an example where a review may not exceed the semantic threshold is if it contains any negative words or phrases or is otherwise deemed unmarketable . reviews that exceed the semantic threshold are saved and those that do not are discarded in step 576 . in step 580 , excerpts are created from the reviews that exceed the pre - defined semantic threshold from step 575 . for example , processor 315 can create an excerpt for a review based on certain predefined keywords and punctuation marks surrounding the keyword . the technique of extracting these excerpts aims to find a portion of the review that portrays the business most favorably . in step 590 , processor 315 ranks reviews . for example , reviews with “ 5 ” ratings are ranked together ahead of reviews with “ 4 ” ratings . reviews without a quantitative rating are ranked together after reviews with the lowest quantitative ranking . in step 600 , within a grouping of similarly ranked reviews , reviews are further ranked using semantic analysis and / or based on the presence or absence of certain keywords . in similar quantitative groupings , reviews with keywords more conducive to being selected marketable reviews are ranked higher than those without . for example , among reviews containing a 5 - star rating , those containing the phrase “ best meal ” would be ranked ahead of those containing the phrase “ good meal .” in step 610 , a ranked set of selected marketable reviews from the preceding steps is stored or catalogued according to their ranking for use in marketing materials . referring to fig4 , an illustration of a screen shot 700 containing reviews 705 and 720 is shown . excerpts 710 and 715 are generated by processor 315 by identifying keywords and punctuation . links 725 and 730 provide links to the sources of the reviews . referring to fig5 , a sample advertisement for a restaurant is illustrated by reference numeral 800 . advertisement 800 includes a review excerpt 805 , the name of the individual providing the review in excerpt 805 , a rating 810 , and business information 815 . advertisement 800 also provides additional information using link 825 . fig6 illustrates an example of a website 900 generated by method 490 of the present invention . website 900 contains review excerpts 905 , 910 , and 915 . website 900 also provides business details related to the restaurant and awards won by the restaurant . while method 490 is used to generate advertisement 800 and website 900 , other marketing materials in general could also be created using the method of the present disclosure . the present invention has been described with particular reference to the preferred embodiments . it should be understood that the foregoing descriptions and examples are only illustrative of the present invention . various alternatives and modifications thereof can be devised by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention . accordingly , the present invention is intended to embrace all such alternatives , modifications , and variations that fall within the scope of the appended claims .	6
as illustrated in fig1 one embodiment of the present invention includes a truck indicated generally at 30 having a diesel engine 32 with a fuel pump 34 which directs diesel fuel to the respective cylinders of the engine 32 . the conventional governor of the pump 34 is replaced by a fuel control unit 36 which is connected by a multiple conductor cable 38 to an electronic unit 40 . an accelerator pedal 42 is suitably linked to a potentiometer 44 which is connected to the electronic unit 40 along with a control panel 46 mounted on the dash within the cab of the truck . additionally , a temperature sensor 48 is mounted in the exhaust pipe 50 of the engine 32 , an air pressure sensor 49 is mounted in the engine intake manifold 51 charged by turbo charger 52 , a fuel temperature sensor 53 is suitably mounted in the pump unit 34 for sensing fuel temperature , and an electrically controlled timing advance control unit 52 is included in the drive for the pump 34 , all connected to the electronic unit 40 . the electronic unit 40 in response to sensing the position of the accelerator pedal 42 and other operating conditions operates the fuel control unit 36 to control the quantity of fuel dispensed by the pump 34 to the cylinders of the diesel engine 32 to control the engine . as shown in fig3 the fuel pump 34 contains a rack member 54 extending into the control unit 36 and which is movable in an advance direction , to the right as viewed in fig3 to rotate helix sleeve members ( not shown ) variably closing side ports of piston pumps ( not shown ) for supplying corresponding variable quantities of fuel to the corresponding cylinders of the diesel engine in a conventional manner . when the pump rack 54 is moved to the extreme left as viewed in fig3 the pump helix members are rotated to expose the piston side ports for the full piston stroke to terminate fuel flow to the engine . a stepping motor 56 mounted in the unit 36 rotatingly drives a screw 58 on which a arm member 60 is threaded . a shaft 62 has one end fastened to the protruding end of the rack 54 and has its other end slidingly passing through a bore in the arm member 60 . a compression spring 64 extending around the shaft 62 engages the arm 60 at one end and engages a collar 66 , which is mounted on the shaft 62 for urging a stop member 68 mounted on the end of the shaft 62 protruding from the rear of the arm 60 , into engagement with the arm 60 . a return rotary spring assembly such as a spiral clock spring 70 has its spring attached at one end to the shaft 63 of the motor 56 and has its other spring end attached to the spring housing which is secured against rotation , for example by pin 65 . the spring 70 is wound to bias the shaft 63 to return screw 58 and arm 60 to the retracted position to retract the pump rack 54 when electrical power is removed or lost from the motor 56 . a housing wall 67 separates and seals off the area containing the member 60 and screw 58 to prevent oil from bathing the electrical components . the member 60 and screw 58 are preferable formed from a non - magnetic material , such as aluminum and / or non - magnetic stainless steel , to prevent attraction of iron filings and the like which could cause the member 60 to bind on the screw 58 . a screw 69 is secured in a suitable threaded bore in the pump housing and has a pin end which extends into a slot 71 formed in the rack 54 for limiting rack movement between zero and maximum fuel flow positions . the pin 69 and slot 71 are conventional features on prior art fuel pumps ; however prior art mechanical governors generally employ a separate stop and / or cams for limiting rack movement between low idle and high idle fuel flows . these prior art stops and / or cams require extensive adjustment procedures during final engine testing and which are eliminated by the present electronic control which utilizes the conventional rack stop 69 as a reference point for rack movement and calibration . the sping return 70 ensures that the rack 54 returns to the stop 69 and zero fuel flow upon engine shutdown or upon any loss of electrical power since the stepping motor 56 must be maintained in an energized condition in order to overcome the bias of the spring 70 and hold the rack 54 in a fuel flow condition . prior art fuel flow cutoff to cause engine shutdown generally required separate facilities such as a pull wire or an electrical or pneumatic control to override the governor and return the rack to its zero fuel flow position . the unit 36 also contains a sensor such as a hall effect sensor 72 which generates a magnetic field and detects changes in field strength from angularly spaced markers or slots in a disk 74 to produce corresponding voltage changes in a signal produced by the sensor 72 . the disk 74 is mounted on the end of the cam shaft 76 which operates the pumps in the pump unit 34 . the cam shaft 76 is normally driven by the crank shaft of the diesel engine 32 to operate the pump 34 and pump fuel to the engine cylinders in synchronism with rotation of the engine crank shaft ( not shown ), the relative timing of cam shaft 76 is adjusted by the advance mechanism 52 of fig1 . the number of markers or slots in the disk 74 is selected to produce the same integer number of pulses from the sensor during the interval from each cylinder firing to the next cylinder firing . this number is particularly selected to be an integer multiple of the number of cylinders ; e . g . for a six cylinder engine the disc 74 has 6 , 12 , 18 , 24 , or nx6 evenly angularly spaced slots or land areas between slots so that an integer number of teeth or slots pass the sensor between successive cylinder firings . larger numbers of slots or teeth reduce rpm measurement latency in engine speed readings , but the number of slots is limited by the ability of the sensor 72 to detect the slots or teeth . in one embodiment , a disk about 4 . 2 inches ( 105 mm ) in diameter having 18 slots or teeth has been found suitable . producing the same integer number of pulses over each interval between cylinder firings enables counting of a corresponding integer number of pulses to avoid speed measurement variations due to instantaneous acceleration during each cylinder firing . additionally the unit 36 contains a circuit board 80 which includes suitable electronic circuitry including a read only memory ( rom ) 82 , fig4 which contains data regarding the engine type and , additionally if needed , calibration data of the particular fuel pump 34 . the circuit board 80 further includes conventional circuitry ( not shown ) for reading the data from rom 82 , for example a register for reading the rom and serially outputting the data in response to clock pulses . the electronic fuel control , as shown in fig4 includes a computer facility 84 adapted to read the information from the rom 82 and additional rom 86 containing additional data for operating the fuel control . the potentiometer 44 sensing the position of the foot throttle 42 , the thermocouple 48 sensing the exhaust temperature , and the fuel temperature sensor 53 are joined by analog signal conditioning circuitry 90 to the computer unit 84 . similarly the hall effect pickup 72 for sensing engine speed is connected by digital signal circuitry 92 to the computer unit 84 . additionally analog sensing devices connected by the circuitry 90 to the computer 84 include a booster pressure sensing facility 94 , a barometric pressure sensing facility 96 , and an ambient temperature sensing facility 98 . additional digital inputs include a cruise set switch 100 , a cruise cancel switch 102 , an engine brake mode set switch 104 , a start switch 106 , a stop switch 108 , a brake pedal switch 110 , and a clutch pedal switch 112 connected by the digital signal conditioning circuitry 92 to the computer circuitry 84 . a pickup device 114 may be included to detect road speed , for example , a timing disc or gear 116 driven by the output of the transmission . a switching facility , such as a thumb wheel switch 118 or the like , is connected to the digital circuitry 92 enabling the idle speed to be set for the engine ; this enables selection of the optimum or desired engine idle speed . an output of the computer circuitry 84 operates a driver circuit 122 which drives the stepper motor 56 ; the driver 122 supplies sufficient electrical holding current to the stepping motor 56 to hold the motor 56 aginst the bias of the spring 70 until power is cut off . additional computer outputs may be connected to an engine brake solenoid driver 124 which drives a solenoid valve 126 operating a conventional engine brake facility such as dynatard ™ system from mack trucks , inc . a timing actuator driver 128 operates a stepper motor 130 which controls the advance mechanism or timing actuator 52 . the output of the computer circuitry 84 also is applied by communications interface circuitry 136 generating serial outputs which go to receiver - driver circuitry 138 operating the dashboard display 140 and to a diagnostic monitor 142 which is only connected to the unit during diagnostic testing or setup of the system . optionally the serial output to the diagnostic monitor 142 from the interface 136 may be connected to the transmission 144 for sensing its operation and / or for controlling the operation thereof . when the diagnostic monitor is connected to the system a connection is also provided to the digital circuitry 92 for appropriately indicating the diagnostic condition to the computer circuitry 84 . starting voltage detection facilities such as a voltage comparator 146 is connected between the 12 volt battery and reset circuitry for the computer circuitry 84 to initialize operation thereof . referring to fig2 the battery voltage , as illustrated by the curve 148 , initially drops to a low voltage of about 5 volts during a starting cycle . after cranking movement of the engine has been initiated , the battery voltage will increase above the initial low level value until the engine starts . the reference voltage to the voltage comparator 146 is set to detect the initial low voltage during the beginning of cranking to operate the reset of the computer circuitry 84 . additionally the computer will be reset every time the 12 volt voltage is turned off by the operator key . thus every time the engine is started the computer circuitry 84 is reset . operation of the stop switch 108 initiates a stop procedure for the control . in addition to , or in place of , the stop switch 108 , switch 12v power from the key switch 149 connected to the digital conditioning circuitry 92 is used to indicate a stop condition to the computer circuitry 84 . power conditioning circuitry 150 is operated by the computer circuitry 84 when the stop condition is sensed , to turn off power to various circuits to conserve battery power . the spring return 70 , fig3 returns the rack 54 to the zero position to terminate fuel flow and to stop the engine . a detailed diagram of the circuitry of the processing computer 84 as well as the analog circuitry 90 and digital circuitry 92 is illustrated in fig5 . the computer includes a microprocessor 152 such as intel 8051 which has address outputs connected to an address bus 154 and input / output lines connected to data bus 156 . the address lines 154 are connected to address inputs of the eraseable programmable read only memory ( eprom ) 86 , system rom 158 , random access memory ( ram ) 160 for stack and scratch pad purposes , electrically eraseable programmable read only memory ( eeprom ) 163 and a decoder chip 162 utilized for enabling various components . the data bus 156 is connected to data inputs and / or outputs of the eprom 86 , the rom 158 , the ram 160 , eeprom 163 , command register 164 , status registers 166 and 168 , eight - digit analog to digital converter 170 , universal asynchronous receiver / transmitter ( uart ) 172 , and digital input / output port chip 174 . outputs of the decoder chip 162 are connected to enable inputs of the eprom 86 , rom 158 , ram 160 , command register 164 , status registers 166 and 168 , the uart 172 and the digital input / output port chip 174 . an analog multiplexing chip 176 has inputs from the throttle potentiometer 44 , the boost pressure sensor 94 , the exhaust temperature sensor 48 , a fuel temperature sensor 53 , ambient temperature sensor 98 , barometric pressure sensor 96 and the battery voltage . address inputs of the analog multiplexer 176 are controlled by the command register 164 to apply the corresponding input to an output line connected to the analog - to - digital converter 170 . the status digital output of the analog - to - digital converter 170 is connected to data inputs of the status register 166 . the serial input / output of the uart 172 is connected by multiplexer 180 to the monitor 142 or transmission 144 , and the dashboard 140 . one output of the digital input / output device 174 controls communication port selection by multiplexer 180 to the uart 172 . additionally digital outputs of the uart 172 are connected to data inputs of a status register 168 . the inputs from the engine speed sensor 72 , road speed sensor 114 , start switch 106 , stop switch 108 , cruise set switch 100 , clutch pedal switch 112 , brake pedal switch 110 , engine brake mode switch 104 and diagnostic mode switch 142 along with a serial calibrating word generator 184 are connected by the digital input output ports 174 to the data bus 156 for use by the cpu 152 . a program for operating the fuel control system is illustrated in fig6 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 and 13 . initially with the power off , the microprocessor 152 is stopped by the signal applied from voltage comparator 146 , fig4 to the reset input of the processor . when the power is turned on , the microprocessor resets to point a , fig6 in the program which is the power - on step 202 . from power on , the program proceeds to an initializing system step 204 where various initializing procedures are performed . these initializing procedures include the turning of the power conditioning circuit 150 on , the resetting or zeroing of various parameters stored in ram , resetting digital input and output ports and uart devices , setting up a timer and timer interrupt for a 50 millisecond cycle , and applying a series of retract pulses to the stepping motor 56 to ensure that no fuel is being pumped to avoid any runaway condition of the diesel engine . after the system has been initialized , the program proceeds to step 206 where the data in the rom 82 containing calibration factors and the engine type are read by the microprocessor and used to establish data tables in ram 160 or to set up pointers to the appropriate tables . the tables for various engine types are found in eprom 86 , and the appropriate data corresponding to the engine type identified by the rom 82 is utilized in setting up or identifying the appropriate data tables . in one embodiment which does not include the eeprom 163 , the appropriate tables for the identified engine are read from eprom 86 and stored in a base file in ram 160 each time that the program passes through step 206 . these include data tables represented by one or more maximum power curves 220 ( fig1 ), speed control curve 312 ( fig1 ), advance rate control curve 300 ( fig2 ), retard rate control curve 304 ( fig2 ) and allowable steps curve 320 ( fig2 ) as well as other data . the copying can include two or more maximum power curves 220 for operating a vehicle in corresponding different gear ranges . the calibration factors stored in the rom 82 are utilized to adjust one or more of these data tables in ram in accordance with the particular characteristics of engine 32 and the pump 34 as determined in calibrating and testing of the engine and pump during manufacture . for example the maximum rack positions of curve 220 in the base file may be adjusted up or down by a small factor , such as one or two percent , where the calibration factors indicate such adjustment is to be made . additionally the system will read the idle set word facility 118 to set the low idle speed information in the tables , for example the speed values in the table represented by curve 304 in fig2 are adjusted so that the low idle rpm 305 will be in accordance with the idle word read from device 118 . in another embodiment utilizing the eeprom 163 , the sensing of a zero state in the eeprom corresponding to the absence of a stored engine identification code causes the program , on a first use or test of the control , to read the appropriate tables from eprom 86 and write them in a base file in eeprom 163 along with the entire identifying code . on subsequent runs or startups , the program compares the engine identification code in eeprom 163 with the engine identification code in rom 82 , and if they do not coincide , the program rewrites the eeprom 163 with the tables relating to the lowest power curves as well as recording an indication in eeprom 163 that there has been tampering . this is designed to discourage tampering by changing the engine identifying code in rom 82 . the storage of different data tables in eprom 86 for the different engines enables use of a single computerized circuit for different engine types and different pump types . the only difference between control systems for the different types of engines and different types of pumps will be the information which is stored within the rom 82 which may be preset or set during final engine test . after the data tables have been set up in step 206 , the program proceeds to 208 where the presence of a valid engine speed reading , for example by means of a flag , is detected . if an engine speed reading has not been made since initialization of the system , the program recycles through step 208 until such a reading is made . a subroutine for determining engine speed is illustrated in fig1 and 11 , and is called by means of an interrupt generated by the computer timer every 50 milliseconds . the subroutine starts at 402 proceeding to step 404 where the computer timer is reset to count down for another 50 second period . in step 406 a one byte memory location is incremented to keep count of the number of 50 second intervals which have been called . if a stepping motor busy flag is set indicating that the computer is advancing or retracting the stepper motor 56 , the program in step 408 will return to the stepping motor operating procedure . in the next step 410 , an rpm busy flag is sensed ; the rpm busy flag indicates that the computer is in the present subroutine doing a reading of the engine speed which can take longer than the 50 millisecond period of the computer timer . when the rpm busy flag is clear , the program proceeds from step 410 to step 412 where the program reads the accerelerator pedal position . in the next step 414 , the rpm busy flag is set , and timer read , timer up , dual cycle and retime flags are cleared . the elapsed time from the last rpm reading as indicated by the last recorded setting of the ram counter of step 406 and the present reading of the counter of 406 is calculated in step 416 for later use in determining an acceleration value . steps 418 and 420 are employed to selectively branch to step 422 , 424 , or 426 depending upon whether the last rpm reading was less than 1200 , between 1200 and 1800 or greater than 1800 , respectively . the slots in the disk 74 of fig3 pass the sensor 72 at different rates for different rpm , and it is desirable to count more slots in order to obtain more accurate speed readings , but at lower speeds the counting of a larger number of slots cannot be performed within allocated computer time , i . e . within the 50 ms time period leaving sufficient time to proceed through the main program . thus at higher rpm , step 426 sets the count at 9 slots or teeth , at rpm between 1200 and 1800 , step 424 will set the program to count only 6 slots , and in step 422 the program is set to count only 3 slots . the number of teeth to be counted is selected to correspond to an integer number of cylinder firings so that each counting period will extend over the same corresponding number of cylinder firings . for example in a six cylinder engine with a timing disk having 18 slots , the count must be an integer multiple of 3 , i . e . 3 , 6 , 9 , etc . this prevents the speed readings from varying due to acceleration and deceleration occuring during and before each cylinder firing . from steps 422 , 424 or 426 the program proceeds to step 428 where the rpm count and edge indications are cleared . in step 430 , the presence of a relative negative signal from the sensor 72 of fig3 results in the program proceeding to step 432 and the presence of a positive signal from sensor 72 results in branching to the step 434 . in steps 432 and 434 the program detects positive and negative edges of voltage change , respectively . subroutine procedures for detecting the negative and positive edges of voltage from the sensor 72 are illustrated in fig1 and 13 , respectively . in step 436 , the program continuously recycles until the voltage becomes positive whereupon the program then proceeds to cycle through steps 438 and 440 . in step 438 the passage of a time of less than 48 microseconds from the detection made in step 436 results in the program proceeding to step 440 where the existence of positive signal from the sensor 72 is detected to return the program to step 438 . if the positive signal is not detected in step 440 , the program reverts to step 436 indicating that the positive signal was due to spurious noise or signals picked up in the leads or other equipment . if the positive signal is maintained for more than 48 microseconds , the program proceeds from step 438 to step 442 where the edge is set and the program returns to the calling procedure . the steps 444 , 446 , 448 and 450 of the subroutine of fig1 are substantially similar to the corresponding steps 436 , 438 , 440 and 442 of fig1 except that in steps 444 and 448 a negative voltage is detected rather than the positive voltage of steps 436 and 440 . the procedures of fig1 and 13 substantially reduce false rpm readings due to spurious voltage signals . the branching from step 430 enables use of alternative procedures for using either the leading or trailing edge of timing wheel slots or teeth to count the slots or teeth . positive going pulse edges will be used if the next edge to be sensed is a positive going edge , and negative going pulse edges will be used if the next edge to be sensed is a negative going edge . at low engine speeds , there is a large time period between negative and positive going pulse edges . the use of alternative procedures reduces the time needed for speed measurement by eliminating the need to wait past the next pulse edge if it is the wrong polarity to begin the count . from step 432 of fig1 , the program proceeds to step 452 where the start time of the edge or slot counting procedure is stored . in the next step 454 , a true retime flag recycles the program through step 452 ; the retime flag indicates that the program was interrupted while in the process of reading the time in step 452 thus necessitating that the start time be reread . if the retime flag is clear , the program proceeds to step 460 where the subroutine of fig1 is called to detect a negative edge and then to step 462 where the subroutine of fig1 is called to detect a positive edge . from step 462 , the program goes to step 464 where the rpm count is incremented and the number of counts to be made is decremented . in the following step 466 if the number of counts to be taken is greater than zero , the program proceeds back to step 460 to detect another count . the procedure from step 434 of fig1 includes steps 468 , 470 , 472 , 474 , 478 and 480 substantially similar to the corresponding steps 452 , 454 , 460 , 462 , 464 and 466 except that the steps 472 and 474 detect positive and negative edges respectively rather than the negative and positive edges of the steps 460 and 462 . after the program has completed the count , it proceeds from step 466 or step 480 to step 482 where the elapsed time is calculated by the stop time minus the start time plus the time represented by the number of 50 millisecond cycles that have transpired from the beginning of the read cycle . in step 484 the computer calculates the rpm based upon the count and the elapsed time . the following steps 486 and 488 detect an rpm reading between 400 and 2500 rpm to branch to step 490 where the present rpm reading is averaged with a value corresponding to a last rpm calculation . this previous rpm value is multiplied by a value rpm avg in order to reduce the weight given to the present reading and to reduce variations in rpm readings resulting from slight dimensional variations of the slotted disk 74 . if the rpm reading is less than 400 , the engine is in a starting mode accelerating rapidly so that the rpm need not be averaged , and if the rpm is greater than 2500 , the rpm is above the maximum speed limit at which the engine can be operated without damage and averaging should not occur to lower the rpm reading and prevent immediate remedial action by the program . from step 490 or steps 486 and 488 , if the rpm is less than 400 or greater than 2500 , the program proceeds to step 492 where acceleration is calculated based upon dividing the difference between the current rpm and the previously calculated rpm by the elapsed time determined in step 416 , i . e . the sum of the 50 ms time periods that have elapsed between the start of the previous and present readings . from step 492 the program proceeds to step 494 where the rpm busy flag is cleared and the program returns to the calling procedure . referring back to fig1 , the program in step 410 will detect a busy flag as set by step 414 indicating that the program was in the process of conducting an rpm reading when the timer interrupt occurred . this occurs at low rpm rates less than about 400 . if the rpm flag is busy the program proceeds to step 500 where the presence of a dual cycle flag set in step 422 is detected . when the dual cycle flag is true , the program proceeds to step 502 where this flag is cleared and then to step 504 where a rpm timer read flag is detected . the timer read flag is set after completion of successful read of the clock in step 452 or 468 . if the program had proceeded past steps 452 or 468 during the initial read , the program returns to the point of interrupt to allow the detection of additional edges for an additional 50 millisecond period . this enables a reading over a 100 millisecond period at low rpms to obtain a more accurate rpm reading . if the timer read flag is found false to step 404 , the program proceeds to step 506 where a timer in progress flag is detected . the timer in progress flag is set at the beginning of the steps 452 and 468 indicating that the program is reading the start time . if an interrupt occurs in the middle of one of the timer reading cycles 452 and 468 , the reading or start time can be false thus giving an erroneous rpm reading . thus if the timer in progress flag of step 506 is true , the program proceeds through step 508 where the retime flag is set causing the program in steps 454 and 470 to return to steps 452 and 468 to reread the start time prior to continuing with the sensing of additional edges . from step 506 or 508 the program proceeds to step 510 where elapsed time is set to 50 milliseconds and the start time is set to zero prior to executing a return to the program at the point of interrupt . if another interrupt occurs prior to the program passing the step 494 where the rpm busy signal is cleared , the program in step 500 will branch to step 512 where a calculation of rpm is made by any count which may have been read and any edges that may have been sensed . this calculation will represent a rough estimate of a very low rpm . actual rate - of - change or acceleration will also be set to zero since at low rpm wide inaccuracies in the acceleration values would result in incorrect to - be - effected rate - of - change values . in step 512 it is also necessary for the program to pull the stored interrupt data from the stack so that upon passing from step 512 to a return from interrupt the program may exit from the subroutine of fig1 - 13 and return to the point of the original interrupt in the main program . referring back to fig6 the sensing of a valid rpm reading in step 208 permits the program to proceed to step 210 where the program recycles to step 208 until engine speed is greater than zero . once the engine begins to rotate during starting or cranking and an engine speed greater than zero is detected , the program proceeds to step 212 where a number of pulses , previously determined in accordance with data established from step 206 , are applied to advance the stepping motor 56 and the rack 54 to initially begin feeding fuel from the fuel pump to the engine . with fuel being supplied to the engine , the program has reached point b which is the point at which the program begins recycling through normal operating procedures . the first step 216 in the normal operating cycle is to test for a valid rpm or engine speed reading . normally this reading will be valid , but at later steps in the program , the valid rpm reading flag may be invalidated to force a new rpm reading prior to cycling through the program . in step 218 the operating parameters of the program are set up . the engine operation is controlled under maximum rack or fuel characteristics found in a working or second file in ram . this maximum fuel working file is set up initially by copying data as represented by curve 220 from the base file established in step 206 , and is similarly set up again in subsequent passes through step 218 when an indicator or flag is sensed that the working file as been changed and / or it is necessary to again set up the working file . additionally where separate power curves are utilized for corresponding different gear ranges , the particular gear will be identified , such as from the road speed and engine speed readings ( with a road speed greater than zero the ratio of road speed to engine speed can be used to determine the gear in accordance with stored parameters for the particular vehicle ), and the appropriate maximum fuel data will be set up in the working file . further requests for cancellation of a special speed mode , such as by sensing the operation of an appropriate switch ( for example , operation of the cancel switch 102 , the brake pedal switch 110 or the clutch pedal switch 112 requesting cancellation of the cruise control mode ) cause resetting of the corresponding special speed mode flags . referring to fig2 , there are illustrated a horsepower curve 520 and a torque curve 522 for an engine rated at 350 horsepower , and a horsepower curve 524 and a torque curve 526 for an engine rated at 285 horsepower . the two engines are identical except for the maximum fuel flow rates for different engine speeds programmed or stored in the memory of the electronic control . utilization of engines in different applications , such as in different trucks , requires different horsepower and torque characteristics in order to produce the desired operating characteristics and fuel economy in the different applications . the maximum horsepower and torque of the engines are primarily determined by the maximum fuel quantity for different engine speeds as found in the working file data represented by the curves in fig1 . in the prior art this maximum fuel was controlled by the contour of the cam or cams limiting rack movement , but in the present control the maximum fuel is controlled by the stored data for different engine speeds . some prior art truck applications require more complex and expensive transmissions such as ten - speed , twelve - speed or even eighteen - speed transmissions rather than the simpler five - speed transmissions due to a narrower range of engine rpm over which the higher torque and horsepower characteristics can be obtained within governmental emission standards and with desired fuel economy . at engine rpm below this range , the air supply rate from the turbo charger is insufficient to enable operation at higher fuel flow rates without violating emission standards , and at engine rpm above this range the engine resistance to higher air flow rates results in substantially increased fuel economy losses . the need to comply with government regulations and the desire to obtain greater fuel economy have resulted in restriction of engine operation to a narrower range of speeds necessitating employment of the more complex and expensive transmissions which also require considerably more operator effort or gear shifting during increase or decrease of road speed . the present employment of maximum fuel flow data in working memory which can be easily changed for different operating characteristics , such as different gears , enables the employment of a simpler , less expensive transmission , such as a five - speed transmission , in applications where more complex transmissions were previously required . maximum fuel flow data producing permissible extended ranges of engine operation can be used in the lower gears ( first through fourth ) during increase or decrease of road speed , and different maximum fuel flow data with a narrower permissible range of engine speed can be used for the highest gear ( fifth ) to permit high road speed operation at maximum rated horsepower and / or at maximum fuel economy . additionally power and torque characteristics which could not be practically produced by prior art cam controls can be produced easily by appropriate stored data files . one such set of power and torque characteristics is shown in fig2 made by combining acceptable point ratings from higher and lower horsepower and torque characteristics for the same engine to better exploit the maximum power and fuel economy capabilities of the basic engine when using the five - speed transmission . these particular characteristics are readily obtainable with the electronic control and extremely difficult or practically impossible with mechanical cam controls . the next step 222 in fig6 reads the temperature set by the exhaust temperature sensor 48 and if the temperature is below a temperature of about 300 ° f . ( 150 ° c .) the program proceeds to step 224 where maximum rack advancement data in the working file ( curve 220 ) is readjusted in accordance with curve 226 of fig1 . during cold operating conditions more fuel is required to bring about increases in engine speed , and a greater maximum rack position must be obtainable to enable operation without stalling . if the engine is warm , the program proceeds to step 228 where a request for road speed governor is detected or sensed . in the event that the governing of road speed is requested , the program proceeds to step 230 where the maximum rack position data ( curve 220 ) in the working file is changed in accordance with cruve 232 to limit road speed of the vehicle ; this change may also be dependent upon obtaining the highest gear . the program proceeds to step 234 from step 224 , 228 or 230 and sensing whether a diagnostic testing procedure is being done by the diagnostic request from terminal 142 . if a diagnostic procedure is being followed , the program jumps to program point g and if no diagnostic procedure is being performed , the program proceeds to step 236 where the coincidence of an rpm reading of zero and an accelerator pedal position reading of zero are detected to proceed to point c in the program . in the event that either rpm or accelerator pedal are greater than zero , the program proceeds to step 238 where the engine speed is compared to an rpm of 2500 and if the rpm is greater than 2500 , the program diverts to point c . at point c the program operates in the step 240 to zero the rack by applying a number of stepping pulses , i . e . present position + 10 to the stepping motor 56 to retract the stepping motor and the rack 54 at the largest or fastest possible rate . this ensures that fuel flow to the engine is cut off in the event that the engine has stopped and there is no demand for fuel , or the engine is in a runaway mode where the rpm is greater than a safe level . from step 238 when the engine speed is within safe limits , the program proceeds to step 242 where a demand for shifting of gears is determined . if the accelerator pedal position is detected at zero , this is interpreted as a shift request and the program proceeds to step 244 where a determination is made of whether the rack can be set to zero . if the engine speed is above a minimum value ( e . g . 800 rpm ) and the rack is at a large enough dimension ( e . g . 300 steps ), then the program proceeds to point c in step 240 where the rack is moved to the zero position . zeroing of the rack also brings about recalibration of the control . in one embodiment , the fuel control rack is movable through a range of about 0 . 7 inches ( 18 mm ) in steps of about 0 . 001 inches ( 0 . 025 mm ) for each step of the stepping motor . the position of the rack is indicated by a value stored in ram , and this value is updated by adding the pulses applied to the stepping motor to advance the rack and subtracting the pulses applied to the stepping motor to retract the rack . since the stepping motor may occasionally miss a step , the actual position of the rack may become out of correspondence to the position value stored in ram . thus by occasionally zeroing the rack , when permitted , with an excess of retract pulses ( the rack is limited by stop 69 so that it cannot retract past zero position ) and resetting the position value to zero , the position value will be automatically recalibrated . this enables the elimination of expensive position sensing and feedback systems from the present invention . if there is no shift request detected in step 242 or the engine speed is not above a minimum rpm , the program proceeds to step 246 where there is determined if the engine control is operating in an all - speed mode . the program can operate in either an all - speed mode , or a minimum - maximum mode which are selected by the operator , for example by means of a minmax - all speed toggle switch ( not shown ). alternatively the all - speed mode may be selected by a flag or data bit stored in the data concerning the particular engine or may be called by a push button switch sensed to set an all speed flag . in the all - speed mode , the position of the accelerator pedal is interpreted as a demand for a special engine speed which is calculated in step 246 in accordance with the formula : selected speed = throttle percent times ( high idle speed minus low idle speed )+ low idle speed . this special engine speed is used in a special speed mode by the program . in the minimum - maximum mode , the position of the accelerator pedal is interpreted in later steps as a requested rack position setting and the program will operate to bring about or maintain the requested particular rack position setting as limited by other parameters . the minimum - maximum mode is similar to existing mechanical operated fuel control systems where the accelerator pedal is connected by linkage to the rack and the position of the pedal will thus determine the position of the rack . in step 248 , the determination of a special speed mode request , such as an all - speed mode , a cruise control mode , a turbo unload mode , or a power takeoff mode , is made by sensing the operation of the corresponding switch or possibly flag in case of the all - speed mode , ( only the cruise control set push button switch 100 is illustrated in fig4 ). if there is a request for a special speed mode , the program will branch to step 250 ; this branching occurs during each program cycle in the all - speed mode and during initial requests in the cruise control mode , the turbo unload mode , or the power takeoff mode . in step 250 appropriate flags are set for the cruise control mode , the turbo unload mode and the power takeoff mode , and a corresponding special engine speed is determined and saved in memory for these modes . in the cruise control mode , the special speed is the present engine speed , and in the turbo unload and power takeoff modes , the special speed is found in the corresponding stored data for the particular engine . additionally the working file maximum rack position is adjusted for turbo unload and power takeoff modes in accordance with the curve 249 , fig1 ; generally less power is needed in these special modes . in step 252 following the step 250 the program sets up a special speed control rate working file based upon the special speed rate data ( curve 312 ) in the base file . the special speed rate data in the working file is adjusted so that the zero rate ( point 313 , fig1 ) corresponds to the special speed which was saved in memory in step 246 or step 250 . the program will maintain the engine speed at this special speed . the program proceeds to point d , fig7 from step 252 or from step 248 if there is no special speed control request . steps 254 , 256 , 258 , 260 and 262 concern operation of the engine brake mode and system , such as dynatard from mack trucks , inc . in steps 254 , 256 , 258 , and 260 , the engine brake switch 104 must be detected as being closed , the throttle 42 must be in the zero position , the rack 54 must be in the retracted position , and the engine speed must be greater than 1000 rpm in order for the program to proceed to step 262 where the engine brake system is activated by energization of solenoid valve 126 . the program proceeds to step 264 from step 262 or from any of the steps 254 , 256 , 258 or 260 if the conditions of such steps are not met . in step 264 a maximum rack position is calculated from the working file maximum rack data ( curve 220 as may have been modified in accordance with curve 226 , 232 , or 249 ). this position determines the maximum fuel corresponding to maximum power or torque of the engine for the current engine speed . from step 264 the program proceeds to step 266 where the present maximum rack position for the cycle rpm is compared to a puff or emissions control limit dimension . when the rack is at a position greater than the puff limit , rapid increases in fuel , or advances in rack position , at a maximum permissible rate can result in the diesel engine producing excessive smoke emissions . this maximum rate is set by stored parameters , for example curve values for curve 320 in fig2 where maximum steps allowed for the stepping motor are set at one hundred twenty - eight steps . at rack positions less than the puff limit , increases in fuel at the maximum rate may be required to bring about engine acceleration for minimum starting and shifting power , to avoid stalling and to enable truck operation . also excessive smoke emissions are not produced at normal engine speeds when the rack position or fuel flow is increased at the maximum rate . if the maximum rack dimension is above the puff limit , the program proceeds to step 268 where the flags are sensed for special speed control operation . in special speed control operation the maximum rate of increase in fuel is already limited by a low stepping motor rate used during a special speed control mode , and thus there is no need to set limits for rack advancement . if the maximum rack position is below the puff limit in step 266 or a special speed control is detected in step 268 the program proceeds to step 270 where the maximum rack extension rate or normal stepping motor rate is set at the maximum . in the event that the step 268 does not detect a special speed request , the program proceeds to step 272 where a map for the rate of change of the rack position is set up for operation of the stepper motor 56 . the possible maps are represented by the family of curves 274 of fig1 , these different curves being formed by adjusting a base curve or data in accordance with empirically derived formulas corresponding to engine types : r . sub . 1 = r . sub . 1 * f . sub . 1 ( s , c , p , x , t . sub . 1 , t . sub . 2 , t . sub . 3 ) for d . sub . 0 ≦ d & lt ; d . sub . 1 r . sub . 2 = r . sub . 2 * f . sub . 1 ( s , c , p , x , t . sub . 1 , t . sub . 2 , t . sub . 3 ) for d . sub . 1 ≦ d & lt ; d . sub . 2 the base data includes maximum permissible steps of rack advancement for present rack position per program cycle , resulting in permissible rates of advancement of the rack within emission standards . this base data is adjusted in accordance with the above formulas where applicable . alternatively rack advancement under puff limit controls can be set in accordance with the boost pressure sensor 94 , or , for greater accuracy , the difference between the boost pressure sensor 94 and barametric pressure sensor 96 , rather than engine speed . maximum advancement for rack in accordance with puff limits are set in accordance with boost pressure as shown in curve 276 of fig1 which may be a family similar to fig1 . in a further alternative the roadspeed from sensor 114 can be used to define a curve limiting rate of rack advancement . from step 270 or 272 , the program proceeds to step 278 where the present exhaust temperature read from the thermocouple 48 is compared with a set point temperature , for example 1150 ° f . ( 620 ° c .). under heavily loaded conditions at high altitudes , the engine becomes excessively hot due to high fuel / air ratios so altitude compensation for avoiding overheating of the exhaust valves and turbocharger is necessary . if the temperature is greater than the set point , the maximum permissible position for the rack is readjusted in step 280 in accordance with the temperature to permit the engine to run at a lower fuel flow to cool the engine . in the next step 282 the value of the maximum rack position as adjusted for temperature is compared to a lower limit , which conveniently is the puff limit level , and if the maximum rack position is less than the lower limit level , the maximum value is set back up to the lower limit level in step 284 . thus the maximum rack position at excessive exhaust temperatures is linearly reduced , according to the amount by which the exhaust temperature exceeds the set point temperature , except that the maximum rack position cannot be reduced below the lower limit level , which in this example is the puff limit level . from the temperature compensation procedure , the program proceeds to the step 286 where a value of requested rack position is determined in accordance with the reading from the potentiometer 44 of the accelerator pedal . the requested rack position is a nonlinear function selected in accordance with the curve 287 as shown in fig2 . this curve is generally parabolic so as to permit greater operator control at low engine rpm to avoid hunting and oscillation by slight changes in accelerator pedal position . from step 286 the program proceeds to point e of fig8 . at point e in step 288 the special speed control flags are detected and if there are no special speed control requests , the program proceeds to step 290 . in step 290 the requested rack position is compared with the present rack position . and if the requested rack position is less than or equal to the present position , the program proceeds to step 292 . in step 292 the program advances to step 294 if the requested position is equal to the present position . in step 294 the present engine speed is compared to the low idle speed limit and if the present engine speed is greater , the program proceeds to step 296 where the present engine speed is compared to the hi - idle or normal maximum engine speed limit . if the requested position is greater than the present position or if the requested position is equal to the present position and the present engine speed is greater than the maximum or high idle speed , the program proceeds to step 298 where a advance speed control rate is selected from the data tables in accordance with curve 300 in fig2 . if the requested position is less than the present rack position , or if the requested rack position is equal to the present position and the engine speed is more than the low idle speed or less than the high idle speed , the program proceeds to step 302 where a retard speed control rate is determined from data in accordance with curve 304 in fig2 . back in step 288 , if a special speed control rate is determined , the program proceeds to step 306 where a test is made to determine if there is a cruise control condition and if so , the program advances to step 308 . in the cruise control mode , the operator may depress the accelerator pedal to pass another vehicle . such a request for passing is detected in step 308 and if so , the program proceeds to step 298 from step 308 . if neither a cruise control condition exists in step 306 nor or a request for passing exists in step 308 , the program proceeds to step 310 from step 306 or 308 . in step 310 a special speed control rate is selected in accordance with the working file special speed rate data as set up in step 252 and as illustrated in curve 312 of fig1 . the datum as represented in curves 300 , 304 and 312 are used to calculate a desired rate of change in speed of the engine in accordance with the present engine speed . the value of the rate of change may be positive indicating a desire to increase the present engine speed , may be negative indicating a desire to decrease engine speed , or may be zero indicating a desire to maintain the present engine speed . the zero rate on the special speed curve 312 is set at the special speed determined in step 246 or step 252 , and a decrease or increase in present engine speed from the special speed results in a corresponding positive or negative desired rate of change in engine speed . for a requested advance in rack position or increase in fuel from either steps 290 or 308 , a positive desired rate of change will be determined in accordance with curve 300 in step 298 except if the present speed is equal to or greater than the high idle speed which results in a zero or negative rate of change , respectively . for a requested retraction of the rack or decrease in fuel from step 292 , a negative desired rate of change in engine speed will be determined in accordance with curve 304 in step 302 except that , if the present engine speed is equal to or less than the low idle speed , a zero or positive desired rate of change will result . where no requested change in rack position is found , the rate of change will be selected from curve 304 in step 302 except , when the present engine speed is greater than the high idle speed , the rate of change is selected to be negative from curve 300 in step 298 . the zero difference between requested and present rack positions will subsequently in step 316 result in a zero rate of change when the present engine speed is between the low and high idle speeds . from steps 298 , 302 and 310 the program proceeds to step 314 where a determination of a need to dampen the desired rate of change is made . the absolute value of the difference between the requested rack position and the present rack position is determined . if this absolute value is less than 100 , the program proceeds to step 316 where the rate determined in step 298 , 302 or 310 is multiplied by the absolute value divided by 100 to produce a dampened desired rate of change of rpm . this multiplication serves to critically dampen the rate of fuel change to avoid overshoot . an exception to this is in the event that the absolute value is zero and the engine speed is less than low idle or higher than high idle ; then a false is found in step 314 . from step 316 or from step 314 if false or the absolute value of the requested change in rack position is greater than 100 , the program proceeds to step 318 where the speed control rate or desired rate of change in engine speed and the actual measured rate of change in speed as determined in step 492 of fig1 are utilized to select the steps to be moved by the rack 54 in accordance with data as illustrated by curve 320 in fig2 . the determination of the number of steps to be made by the stepping motor in accordance with fig2 is based upon the result of subtraction of the measured actual rate of change in engine speed from the desired rate of change in engine speed . this result or remainder may be positive or negative and may be larger or smaller than the desired and actual rates depending upon the magnitude of the desired and actual rates and whether they are positive or negative . thus the result in step 318 could be a retraction of rack even though the desired rate of change in engine speed is positive in the event that the measured acceleration exceeds the desired acceleration , and vice versa for measured deceleration exceeding desired deceleration . also the result value could have a magnitude equal to the sum of magnitudes of the desired and actual rates where these rates have opposite signs . this results , in effect , in the prediction and adjustment for future changes in engine speed to substantially reduce any tendency to overshoot a desired engine speed and to substantially stabilize the response of the electronic control to the demands made by accelerator pedal movement . thus there is substantially eliminated any periodic change in engine speed due to hunting or unstable operation at all ranges of operation . typical maximum steps are set forth in table i . table i______________________________________ difference ( rpm / sec ) steps______________________________________ 0 - 60 1 60 - 119 2 120 - 239 4 240 - 349 8 350 - 499 16 500 - 749 32 750 - 999 64 1000 + 128______________________________________ from the steps to be advanced or retracted determined in step 318 , the program determines a new possible position l from the addition of the present position plus the steps determined in 318 within the step 322 . the program proceeds to step 324 , where the test used in step 290 is applied to determine if there is a requested rack advance or not . if there is a desired rack advance , the program proceeds to step 326 where the proposed rack position is selected to be the minimum of the value calculated in step 322 , the value calculated in step 286 or the value selected in step 264 as may have been modified by step 280 or 284 . in the event that there is no desired rack advance , the program proceeds to step 328 where the proposed position of the rack is selected to be the maximum value of the values calculated in steps 322 or 286 . from step 328 the program proceeds to step 330 where a determination is made if a zero rack position is permissible . a zero rack position will be permissible if the new rack position from step 328 is sufficiently low and the engine speed is above a minimum necessary to maintain engine operation . if the zero position is acceptable the program proceeds with step 332 where the proposed rack position is set at zero ; the number of retract pulses to be set greater than the position value to bring about recalibration of the rack position . from any of the steps 326 , 330 or 332 , the program moves to step 334 where the least of the maximum number of pulses determined in step 272 or the required number of pulses to advance or retract the rack 54 to the proposed position are applied in the proper polarity to the stepping motor driver 122 and stepper motor 56 . in a special speed mode , the maximum number of steps is limited by the program to a number below the minimum puff limit number from step 272 . the new position is then stored in memory by adding or subtracting the corresponding number of advance or retract pulses from the present stored position , or by resetting the position value to zero if the rack was returned to the zero position by an excess of retract pulses causing recalibration . from step 334 the program proceeds to step 335 where a determination of the need to adjust timing is made . if true the timing or advance mechanism 52 , fig1 and 3 , is operated in step 337 . from step 335 or step 337 , the program proceeds to step 336 where the displays , if present in the console 140 are updated or changed in accordance with current data . then the program recycles to point b to begin another cycle . the stored parameters for the data of the various curves 220 , 226 , 232 , 312 , 274 , 276 , 287 , 300 , 304 and 320 require a relatively small number of stored values , particularly when compared with stored multidimensional tables utilized in prior art computerized control circuits . only a point where a change occurs in a curve value need be identified by location and value . linear interpolation is used to derive values between stored points . for example for a reading of maximum rack position or fuel flow corresponding to maximum power from curve 220 in fig1 for an rpm of about 1000 , the program begins at stored data point 450 comparing the associated stored rpm with the present rpm and proceeding to the next point 452 when the present rpm is less . this is repeated for points 452 , 454 and 456 until point 458 is reached which is less than 1000 rpm . the ratio derived by the difference between the present rpm ( 1000 ) and the rpm at point 458 divided by the difference between rpm &# 39 ; s at points 456 and 458 is multiplied by the difference between maximum rack positions at points 456 and 458 with the product being added to the maximum rack position of point 458 to derive the maximum rack position for 1000 rpm . the rack position curve as shown in fig1 is represented by data stored for only eight points . similar relatively small tables form the other data curves . this also makes possible the storage of a number of curves such as different maximum power curves which can be pointed to or transferred to a working area of ram during running of the program . the diagnostic procedures are illustrated in fig9 . instructions are entered into the program by the terminal 142 and after each instruction has been entered , the program proceeds to run serially through a series of steps as follows : step 342 to determine if the stepper 56 operating characteristics are to be changed , step 344 to determine if the advance speed control is to be changed , step 346 to determine if the deceleration speed control should be changed , step 348 to determine if the actuator 132 is to be oscillated or positioned . step 350 to determine if operating parameters are to be displayed and step 352 to determine if any of the system parameters or data within the ram are to be changed and displayed . in the event that any of the steps 342 , 344 , 346 , 348 , 350 or 352 are called by the entered instruction , the diagnostic program proceeds with step 354 , 356 , 358 , 360 , 362 or 364 to perform the corresponding procedure called for . at the end of the diagnostic period as detected by the entered instruction to end the diagnostic period , the program proceeds to point a or a reset of the program . in modifications to the program as illustrated in fig1 and 15 there is included a step 600 between the steps 238 and 240 wherein an excessive engine speed is recorded in the eeprom 163 . operation of the engine at an excessive speed , such as can occur on a steep downgrade with a truck in an improper gear , can cause engine damage . such excessive speed operation generally voids warranties of manufacturer regarding the engine , but excessive speed operation is difficult to prove . by making a record of such excessive speed operation , it can be readily determined if the engine was operated at an excessive speed . steps 602 and 604 in fig1 replace steps 242 and 244 of fig6 when a transmission employing facilities for automatic shifting is employed in the vehicle , such as the transmission 144 , fig4 . this transmission is conventional and can include its own electronic operating control to bring about the shifting operations . in step 602 , the need for a transmission shift is determined , and if true , the program proceeds to step 604 where the engine control instructs the transmission control for the shift . alternatively the program in step 604 may operate the transmission in a conventional manner without the aid of an electronic transmission control . the step 602 includes the necessary procedures for changing engine speed which can be in response to requests from the transmission control . in one embodiment of the electronic control , the engine is stopped by removing power from the control which results in loss of holding power for the stepping motor 56 , fig3 to permit the spring 70 to return the fuel control rack 54 to the zero position to terminate fuel flow causing the engine to stop . as an alternative , step 610 in fig1 senses the operation of the stop switch 108 , fig4 or the turnoff of power by key switch 149 to branch to step 612 where the rack is returned to the zero position . from step 612 , the program proceeds to step 614 where the engine run time is updated in eeprom 163 ; the step 406 in fig1 is modified to count an extended time period while the engine rpm is greater than zero . after updating the engine run time in eeprom 163 , the program advances to step 616 where the engine speed is monitored until it drops below a low value , for example 150 rpm whereupon the program in step 618 turns the electrical power off by means of the power conditioning circuit 150 . in the above embodiments , a control for a particular type of diesel engine has been described in detail . however , the described control could be readily applied to other types of engines or prime movers including internal combustion engines and turbines . instead of controlling a rack in a fuel pump , the control could operate a throttle valve in a carburetor , timers for fuel injection valves , fuel flow value or other engine speed control devices . the attached microfiche appendix is a computer assembly language and hex machine language listing for a prototype electronic control utilizing an intel 8031 processor in accordance with the invention . the operating program is formed in two listings for writing in an eprom ( see rom 158 fig5 ). a third listing is of data tables ( polygons ) for engine characteristics for being written in another eprom ( see eprom 86 fig5 ). a portion of one of the two operating program listings is written in the eprom containing the data tables . since many modifications , variations or changes in detail may be made to the above described embodiment , it is intended that all matter in the foregoing description and shown in the accompanying drawings be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense .	5
the invention is based on the completely surprising discovery that the reaction rate can be increased only to a very limited extent by higher reaction temperatures , especially at the preferred relatively low catalyst contents . on the contrary , it was found that the reaction ceases virtually completely when the reaction temperature is at excessively high temperatures for a relatively long period of time . on the other hand , it was found that the reaction becomes very slow at low reaction temperatures , especially toward the end of the reaction . this surprising discovery leads to the dilemma that either it is necessary to use relatively high catalyst concentrations or , in the case of a relatively high reaction temperature , only an incomplete conversion is achieved or , in the case of a relatively low reaction temperature , very long reaction times are required . none of these three alternatives is desirable . the process of the invention solves this dilemma by large parts of the reaction being carried out during a first period in a relatively low temperature range , followed by a second period having a higher temperature during which the reaction is completed , even before the reaction ceases due to the higher reaction temperature . in the process of the invention , the reaction product mixture preferably has a residual content of aminoorganosilane ( as ) of less than 1 mol %, more preferably less than 0 . 5 mol %, and in particular less than 0 . 3 mol %, based on the total content of aminoorganosilane ( as ) and carbamatoorganosilanes ( cs ), at the end of the reaction . examples of radicals r 1 are alkyl radicals such as the methyl , ethyl , n - propyl , isopropyl , 1 - n - butyl , 2 - n - butyl , isobutyl , tert - butyl , n - pentyl , isopentyl , neopentyl , and tert - pentyl radicals ; hexyl radicals such as the n - hexyl radical ; heptyl radicals such as the n - heptyl radical ; octyl radicals such as the n - octyl radical , isooctyl radicals and the 2 , 2 , 4 - trimethylpentyl radical ; nonyl radicals such as the n - nonyl radical ; decyl radicals such as the n - decyl radical ; dodecyl radicals such as the n - dodecyl radical ; octadecyl radicals such as the n - octadecyl radical ; cycloalkyl radicals such as the cyclopentyl , cyclohexyl , cycloheptyl and methylcyclohexyl radicals ; alkenyl radicals such as the vinyl , 1 - propenyl and 2 - propenyl radicals ; aryl radicals such as the phenyl , naphthyl , anthryl and phenanthryl radicals ; alkaryl radicals such as the o -, m -, and p - tolyl radicals ; xylyl radicals and ethylphenyl radicals ; and aralkyl radicals such as the benzyl radical , and the α - and β - phenylethyl radicals . examples of substituted radicals r 1 are haloalkyl radicals such as the 3 , 3 , 3 - trifluoro - n - propyl radical , the 2 , 2 , 2 , 2 ′, 2 ′, 2 ′- hexafluoroisopropyl radical and the heptafluoroisopropyl radical and haloaryl radicals such as the o -, m - and p - chlorophenyl radicals . the radical r 1 is preferably an unsubstituted or halogen - substituted , monovalent hydrocarbon radical having from 1 to 6 carbon atoms , more preferably an alkyl radical having 1 or 4 carbon atoms , and in particular the ethyl or methyl radical . examples of radicals r 5 are the radicals indicated for r 1 . the radical r 5 is preferably an unsubstituted or halogen - substituted monovalent hydrocarbon radical having from 1 to 6 carbon atoms , more preferably an alkyl radical having 1 or 4 carbon atoms , and in particular the ethyl or methyl radical . r 1 and r 5 are most preferably identical , with particular preference being given to both r 1 and r 5 each being ethyl radicals or else each being methyl radicals . examples of radicals r 4 are , independently of one another , the radicals indicated for r 1 . the radicals r 4 are preferably each an unsubstituted or halogen - substituted , monovalent hydrocarbon radical having from 1 to 6 carbon atoms , more preferably an alkyl radical having from 1 to 4 carbon atoms , and in particular the ethyl or methyl radical . particular preference is given to all radicals r 4 , the radical r 1 and the radical r 5 being identical , with particular preference being given to all these radicals each being either ethyl radicals or else each being methyl radicals . examples of radicals r 3 are the radicals indicated for r 1 . the radical r 3 is preferably an unsubstituted or halogen - substituted , monovalent hydrocarbon radical having from 1 to 6 carbon atoms , more preferably an alkyl radical having 1 or 4 carbon atoms , and in particular the methyl radical . examples of radicals r 2 are divalent alkylene radicals having from 1 to 20 carbon atoms , e . g . the methylene , ethylene , n - propylene , butylene , pentylene , hexylene , heptylene , octylene , nonylene or n - decylene radicals . the radicals mentioned can also have further alkyl substituents such as methyl , ethyl or propyl substituents . halogen substituents , e . g . chlorine or bromine substituents are also possible . in addition , the radicals r 2 can also be divalent cyclic radicals , e . g . cyclopentylene , cyclohexylene or phenyl radicals . these , too , can have the abovementioned alkyl or halogen substituents . the radicals r 2 are preferably alkylene radicals having from 1 to 6 carbon atoms , more preferably the butylene , 2 - methylpropylene , propylene and methylene radicals , in particular the propylene and methylene radicals . the temperature during the earlier reaction period ( p1 ) is preferably at least 40 ° c ., more preferably at least 45 ° c ., and in particular at least 50 ° c . the temperature during the earlier reaction period ( p1 ) is preferably not more than 75 ° c ., more preferably not more than 70 ° c ., and in particular not more than 65 ° c . the temperature during the later reaction period ( p2 ) is preferably at least 15 ° c . higher , more preferably at least 20 ° c . higher , than in the earlier period ( p1 ). the preferred temperature range during the second period ( p2 ) is from 70 to 130 ° c ., in particular from 70 to 100 ° c . the components aminosilane ( as ), dialkyl carbonate ( dac ) and catalyst ( k ) are preferably combined in their entirety before or during the first reaction period ( p1 ). the period ( p1 ) preferably continues for at least 30 additional minutes , more preferably at least 45 additional minutes , after the complete addition of all components before the reaction mixture is heated and the period ( p2 ) commences . preferred examples of carbamatosilanes ( cs ) of the general formula ( 3 ) are n -( 3 - trimethoxysilylpropyl )- o - methylcarbamate , n -( 3 - triethoxysilylpropyl )- o - ethylcarbamate , n -( 3 - methyldimethoxysilylpropyl )- o - methylcarbamate , n -( 3 - methyldiethoxysilylpropyl )- o - ethylcarbamate , n -( trimethoxysilylmethyl )- o - methylcarbamate , n -( triethoxy - silylmethyl )- o - ethylcarbamate , n -( methyldimethoxysilylmethyl )- o - methylcarbamate and n -( methyldiethoxysilylmethyl )- o - ethylcarbamate , in particular n -( 3 - trimethoxysilylpropyl )- o - methylcarbamate , n -( 3 - triethoxysilylpropyl )- o - ethylcarbamate , n -( trimethoxysilylmethyl )- o - methylcarbamate , n -( triethoxysilylmethyl )- o - ethylcarbamate and n -( methyldimethoxysilylmethyl )- o - methylcarbamate . these preferred carbamatosilanes ( cs ) are preferably prepared from aminosilanes ( as ) of the general formula ( 4 ) and dialkyl carbonates ( dac ) of the general formula ( 5 ) which have precisely the same radicals r 1 to r 4 and the same variable x as the carbamatosilane ( cs ) obtained . the radical r 5 in the dialkyl carbonate ( dac ) is preferably the same as the radical r 1 . in the reaction according to the invention , the aminosilanes ( as ) and the dialkyl carbonates ( dac ) are preferably used in a ratio of from 1 . 0 : 0 . 9 to 1 . 0 : 3 . 0 , more preferably in a ratio of from 1 . 0 : 1 . 0 to 1 . 0 : 2 . 0 , in particular in a ratio of from 1 . 0 : 1 . 0 to 1 . 0 : 1 . 5 . to achieve very complete conversion of the aminosilane component ( as ) but also achieve a very good space - time yield , i . e . to use a very small excess of dialkyl carbonate ( dac ), a ratio of aminosilane ( as ) to dialkyl carbonate ( dac ) of from 1 : 1 . 1 to 1 : 1 . 4 represents a particularly preferred optimum . both the appropriate aminosilanes ( as ) and the dialkyl carbonates ( dac ) are commercially available in large quantities from numerous different suppliers . as catalyst ( k ), preference is given to using metal alkoxides , in particular alkali metal or alkaline earth metal alkoxides . particularly preferred catalysts are sodium methoxide , sodium ethoxide , potassium methoxide , potassium ethoxide , calcium methoxide and calcium ethoxide . in a particularly preferred embodiment of the invention , an alkoxide whose alkyl group corresponds to the radicals r 4 in the formula ( 3 ) is used . this is advantageous especially when all radicals r 1 , r 4 and r 5 are identical . the catalyst can be used as such or else in the form of a solution , in particular in the form of an alcoholic solution . in the case of an alcoholic solution , the alkyl groups of the alcohol and of the alkoxide are preferably identical . suitable catalyst solutions which typically have a concentration of 10 - 330 of the metal alkoxide in the corresponding alcohol are commercially available and are more preferably used because of their easy meterability . the content of the catalyst ( k ) is preferably not more than 0 . 2 % by weight , more preferably not more than 0 . 19 % by weight , and in particular not more than 0 . 15 % by weight , in each case based on the weight of the total reaction mixture . apart from the components aminosilane ( as ), dialkyl carbonate ( dac ) and catalyst ( k ), the reaction mixture preferably contains further materials such as solvents in amounts of not more than 50 % by weight , more preferably not more than 30 % by weight , and in particular not more than 15 % by weight , in each case based on the total reaction mixture . in a particularly preferred process variant , the reaction mixture contains no further components , in particular no further solvents , in addition to the reactants and the catalyst ( k ) and any solvent in which the catalyst ( k ) was dissolved . after the end of the reaction , the reaction mixture is preferably neutralized by addition of an acid . the acid can in principle be any acid . examples are organic acids , in particular carboxylic acids such as formic acid , acetic acid , propionic acid , butyric acid , citric acid , oxalic acid , tartaric acid , benzoic acid , ammonium acetate , ammonium formate , or else alkylammonium compounds such as triethylammonium chloride , likewise inorganic acids such as hydrochloric acid , sulfuric acid , phosphoric acid , partially esterified sulfuric or phosphoric acid , toluenesulfonic acid , nitric acid or else ammonium compounds such as ammonium sulfate , or ammonium chloride . preference is given to using anhydrous acids . the acid is preferably added in such an amount that from 0 . 8 to 10 mol , particularly preferably from 0 . 9 to 2 mol , in particular from 0 . 99 to 1 . 5 mol , of acid functions are present per 1 mol of basic functions in the catalyst ( k ). in a preferred embodiment of the invention , the acid is added in such an amount that the ph of the reaction mixture just changes , depending on the acid used , from strongly alkaline to acidic , weakly acidic , neutral or weakly basic . the ph can , for example , be determined by means of a ph electrode or else by bringing a sample of the reaction mixture into contact with a moistened ph paper . the neutralization can be carried out either at room temperature or at elevated temperatures . in a particularly preferred process , the neutralization is carried out immediately after the end of the reaction without the reaction mixture being heated or cooled to an appreciable extent , i . e . by more than 10 ° c . in an industrial process , this has the advantage that no additional times are required for heating and cooling operations . the subsequent removal of the low boilers ( see below ) by distillation can also be commenced immediately subsequently without any appreciable heating or cooling steps , i . e . temperature changes of more than 10 ° c . the preferably solid neutralization product from the catalyst is preferably removed by means of a filtration step . in a particularly preferred embodiment of the invention , the amount of the catalyst salt is so small that this filtration is unproblematical , e . g . it is not carried out in the form of a separate filtration step but instead the reaction mixture is merely drained from the reaction vessel through a filter installed in the pipe . the alcohol liberated in the reaction and also any excess of dialkyl carbonate ( dac ) used are preferably removed by distillation . this can be carried immediately after the reaction by the low boilers to be removed being distilled off directly from the reaction mixture , but can also be carried out in a separate distillation step , e . g . by means of a thin film evaporator or falling film evaporator . the distillation can also be carried out in the presence of the neutralized but not yet removed catalyst ( k ). the process of the invention can be carried out both batchwise and continuously . this applies both to the actual reaction and also to the work - up steps described . it is likewise conceivable for only individual process steps to be carried out continuously , e . g . for the reaction to be carried out continuously but the work - up to be carried out batchwise . conversely , it is also of course possible to carry out the reaction batchwise , while subsequent work - up steps , in particular the removal of the low boilers by distillation , are carried out continuously . the process of the invention has the advantage that the carbamatosilane ( cs ) is , even without further purification steps , obtained in a high purity of preferably & gt ; 95 %, in particular & gt ; 97 %. the process of the invention has the advantage that it gives very good space - time yields and is thus inexpensive . the process of the invention has the advantage that it makes do with the very low catalyst contents indicated , which makes the removal of the neutralized , usually solid and salt - like catalyst very easy . the process of the invention has the advantage that it leads to very high conversions and very low residual contents of unreacted aminosilane ( as ). the process of the invention has the advantage that it is very simple and robust . the carbamatosilane ( cs ) prepared by the process of the invention can , without further purification steps , be used in moisture - curing systems , e . g . in silane - crosslinking adhesives and sealants , as water scavenger and / or bonding agent . a preferred use of the carbamatosilane ( cs ) prepared by the process of the invention is further processing to form corresponding isocyanatosilanes . this is usually carried out by means of thermal dissociation of the carbamate group to give the respective isocyanate and methanol . suitable processes are described , inter alia , in ep 2 097 426 . all the above symbols in the above formulae have their meanings independently of one another in each case . in all formulae , the silicon atom is tetravalent . in the following examples , all amounts and percentages are by weight , all pressures are 0 . 10 mpa ( abs .) and all temperatures are 20 ° c . unless indicated otherwise in the particular case . a mixture of 275 . 1 g ( 3 . 054 mol ) of dimethylcarbonate and 3 . 14 g of a 30 % strength solution of sodium methoxide in methanol ( corresponds to 0 . 94 g of pure sodium methoxide ) is placed in a 1 l four - neck flask provided with dropping funnel , liebig condenser , precision glass stirrer and thermometer and heated to 55 ° c . at this temperature , 456 . 3 g ( 2 . 545 mol ) of aminopropyltrimethoxysilane are added over a period of 30 minutes . to maintain the temperature , slight cooling is necessary . the mixture is subsequently stirred at 55 ° c . for a further one hour and is then heated to 80 ° c . at this temperature , the mixture is stirred for a further two hours . finally , 1 . 15 g of acetic acid are added . a drop taken from the reaction mixture is placed on a previously moistened ph paper . the reaction mixture displays a ph of from 5 to 6 . the low boilers are removed from the neutralized reaction mixture by distillation . for this purpose , the pressure is reduced in steps to down to 1 mbar , while the temperature at the bottom firstly remains at 80 ° c . and is finally increased to 110 ° c . the distillation is concluded as soon as no more distillate goes over . analysis of the distillate by means of gc and / or 1 h - nmr shows that the distillate consists virtually exclusively ( i . e . to an extent of more than 99 %) of the methanol liberated and the dimethyl carbonate which has been used in excess . a pale yellow product is obtained in a purity of 98 . 4 %. the yield is virtually quantitative (& gt ; 99 %) based on the aminosilane used . during the reaction , small samples (& lt ; 5 ml ) are taken at the end of the subsequent stirring time at 55 ° c ., after one hour of further stirring at 80 ° c . and at the end of the reaction , i . e . after two hours of further stirring at 80 ° c ., neutralized with acetic acid , with the ph being monitored ( see above ) by means of previously moistened ph paper , and measured by means of 1 h - nmr . the residual contents of unreacted aminosilane determined here are shown in table 1 . ( remark : after addition of the acetic acid , the aminosilane is present in partially protonated form ) the procedure of example 1 is repeated , but this time a mixture of 456 . 3 g ( 2 . 545 mol ) of aminopropyltrimethoxysilane and 3 . 14 g of a 30 % strength by weight solution of sodium methoxide in methanol ( corresponds to 0 . 94 g of pure sodium methoxide ) is placed in the reaction vessel and heated to 55 ° c . at this temperature , 275 . 1 g ( 3 . 054 mol ) of dimethyl carbonate are introduced over a period of 30 minutes . to maintain the temperature , slight cooling is necessary . the remainder of the experiment is carried out exactly as described in example 1 . a pale yellow product is obtained in a purity of 98 . 6 %. the yield is virtually quantitative (& gt ; 99 %) based on the aminosilane used . during the reaction , small samples (& lt ; 5 ml ) again are taken at the end of the subsequent stirring time at 55 ° c ., after one hour of further stirring at 80 ° c . and at the end of the reaction , i . e . after two hours of further stirring at 80 ° c ., neutralized with acetic acid , with the ph being monitored ( see above ) by means of previously moistened ph paper , and measured by means of 1 h - nmr . the residual contents of unreacted aminosilane determined here are shown in table 1 . the procedure of example 1 is repeated , but this time a reaction temperature of 80 ° c . is set from the beginning , i . e . the aminopropyltrimethoxysilane is introduced at this temperature and the mixture is subsequently stirred further at this temperature for three hours . the remainder of the experiment is carried out exactly as described in example 1 . a pale yellow product which still contains considerable amounts of unreacted aminosilane ( see table 1 ) is obtained . in this experiment , too , small samples (& lt ; 5 ml ) are taken during the reaction after a subsequent stirring time of one hour , two hours and three hours ( end of the reaction ), neutralized with acetic acid , with the ph being monitored ( see above ) by means of previously moistened ph paper , and measured by means of 1 h - nmr . the residual contents of unreacted aminosilane determined here are shown in table 1 . the procedure of example 1 is repeated , but this time a reaction temperature of 55 ° c . is set from the beginning , i . e . the aminopropyltrimethoxysilane is introduced at this temperature and the mixture is subsequently stirred further at this temperature for three hours . the remainder of the experiment is carried out exactly as described in example 1 . a pale yellow product which still contains considerable amounts of unreacted aminosilane ( see table 1 ) is obtained . in this experiment , too , small samples (& lt ; 5 ml ) are taken during the reaction after a subsequent stirring time of one hour , two hours and three hours ( end of the reaction ), neutralized with acetic acid , with the ph being monitored ( see above ) by means of previously moistened ph paper , and measured by means of 1 h - nmr . the residual contents of unreacted aminosilane determined here are shown in table 1 . the procedure of example 1 is repeated , but this time a reaction temperature of 40 ° c . is set from the beginning , i . e . the aminopropyltrimethoxysilane is introduced at this temperature and the mixture is subsequently stirred further at this temperature for three hours . the remainder of the experiment is carried out exactly as described in example 1 . a pale yellow product which still contains considerable amounts of unreacted aminosilane ( see table 1 ) is obtained . in this experiment , too , small samples (& lt ; 5 ml ) are taken during the reaction after a subsequent stirring time of one hour , two hours and three hours ( end of the reaction ), neutralized with acetic acid , with the ph being monitored ( see above ) by means of previously moistened ph paper , and measured by means of 1 h - nmr . the residual contents of unreacted aminosilane determined here are shown in table 1 . the procedure of example 2 is repeated , but this time a reaction temperature of 80 ° c . is set from the beginning , i . e . the dimethyl carbonate is introduced at this temperature and the mixture is subsequently stirred further at this temperature for three hours . the remainder of the experiment is carried out exactly as described in example 1 . a pale yellow product which still contains considerable amounts of unreacted aminosilane ( see table 1 ) is obtained . in this experiment , too , small samples (& lt ; 5 ml ) are taken during the reaction after a subsequent stirring time of one hour , two hours and three hours ( end of the reaction ), neutralized with acetic acid , with the ph being monitored ( see above ) by means of previously moistened ph paper , and measured by means of 1 h - nmr . the residual contents of unreacted aminosilane determined here are shown in table 1 . the contents of unreacted 3 - aminopropyltrimethoxysilane after the respective further stirring time are shown in table 1 . a mixture of 522 . 7 g ( 1 . 781 mol ) of aminopropyltriethoxysilane and 2 . 80 g of a 30 % strength by weight solution of sodium ethoxide in ethanol ( corresponds to 0 . 83 g of pure sodium ethoxide ) is placed in a 2 l four - neck flask provided with dropping funnel , liebig condenser , precision glass stirrer and thermometer and heated to 55 ° c . at this temperature , 252 . 6 g ( 2 . 138 mol ) of diethyl carbonate are added over a period of 30 minutes . to maintain the temperature , slight cooling is necessary . the mixture is subsequently stirred at 55 ° c . for a further two hours and is then heated to 80 ° c . at this temperature , the mixture is stirred for a further two hours . finally , 0 . 92 g of acetic acid are added . a drop taken from the reaction mixture is placed on a previously moistened ph paper . the reaction mixture displays a ph of 5 . the low boilers are removed from the neutralized reaction mixture by distillation . for this purpose , the pressure is reduced in steps to down to 1 mbar , while the temperature at the bottom firstly remains at 80 ° c . and is finally increased once again to 130 ° c . the distillation is concluded as soon as no more distillate goes over . analysis of the distillate by means of gc and / or 1 h - nmr shows that the distillate consists virtually exclusively ( i . e . to an extent of more than 99 %) of the ethanol liberated during the reaction and the diethyl carbonate which has been used in excess . a pale yellow product is obtained in a purity of 97 . 9 %. the residual content of the aminopropyltriethoxysilane used is 0 . 8 %. the yield is very high (& gt ; 97 %) based on the aminosilane used .	2
the following specification , taken in conjunction with the figures , sets forth the preferred embodiments of the present invention . the embodiments of the invention disclosed herein are the best modes contemplated by the inventor for carrying out his invention in a commercial environment , although it is understood that several modifications can be accomplished within the scope of the invention . fig1 of the appended figures is a flow diagram which schematically illustrates the steps of the process of the present invention . as a first step of the process of the present invention , a compaction ratio , ∂, is defined as the ratio of the density of the part after consolidation ( finished part ) to green density of the powder laminae before consolidation . for products which in their final consolidated form are fully dense , compaction ratio can more specifically be defined by the equation here , it is assumed that the green density of the powder laminae is known . in a commercial plant , this is readily attainable because fabrication of green laminae can easily be standardized as will be discussed later in the text . once the compaction ratio is known , the finished part drawing is converted to the green part drawing by multiplying all vertical dimensions by ∂, and leaving all lateral dimensions virtually unchanged . in practice , lateral dimensions are slightly smaller than the final consolidated part dimensions to account for the small lateral expansion of the green part under pressure . for simplicity , this small lateral expansion and its effect on the calculation of vertical dimensions of the green part will be ignored in the present description of the process of this invention . here , the word &# 34 ; lateral &# 34 ; is defined as the direction perpendicular to the direction in which pressure is applied to the green part during consolidation . &# 34 ; vertical dimensions &# 34 ; are those dimensions that are parallel to the direction in which the consolidation pressure is applied to the green part . fig2 is a perspective drawing of an example of a finished ( consolidated ) part 10 having an outer diameter of d and a height of h . fig3 is a perspective drawing of green part 20 derived from the dimensions of the finished part 10 by multiplying all vertical dimensions with ∂. green part 20 has substantially the same lateral dimensions as the finished part 10 . outer diameter ( d ) of the finished part is nearly the same as the outer diameter of the green part 20 . however , the green part height is equal to h ×∂, the height of the finished part ( h ) multiplied by the compaction ratio (∂). similarly , all vertical dimensions of the green part 20 are elongated in the vertical direction by the factor (∂) in comparison with the same vertical dimensions of the finished part 10 . in the next step of this process of this invention , drawing of the green part 20 is divided into imaginary horizontal slices 21 through 29 , as seen in the cross - sectional view shown in fig4 . the cross - sectional view is taken along a - a &# 39 ; plane of green part 20 shown in fig3 . imaginary slices 21 through 29 need not have the same thickness . next , green powder laminae of predetermined density , and in thicknesses corresponding to the thicknesses of the imaginary slices 21 - 29 are produced . green powder laminae density when multiplied with the compaction ratio (∂) would be equal to the final density of the material after consolidation . green powder laminae may be produced in several ways depending on the type of material . powder metal ( p / m ) laminae may be in the form of cold - pressed p / m sheet , or cold - pressed and partially sintered sheet . such sheet can be obtained by dry cutting cold - pressed or cold - pressed and partially sintered billets . referring to fig5 an example is given for the production of green powder metal ( p / m ) laminae 220 , 221 , and 222 from a cold - pressed and partially sintered billet 30 . laminae 220 , 221 , and 222 thicknesses are substantially identical to the thickness of slices 25 , 26 , and 27 of the drawing of the green part seen in fig4 . green metal laminae with a desired density can be manufactured by cold - pressing metal powder having known weight in a straight walled ( cylindrical ) die until the powder mass reaches a predetermined volume , and sintering the metal powder compact under predetermined time - temperature - atmosphere combination to impart to the compact the desired green density . green ceramic powder laminae may be produced in a number of different ways , including slip casting , roll compacting , dry pressing , extruding , and tape casting . these processes are well known in the ceramics industry , and brief descriptions of each may be found in engineered materials handbook , vol . 4 , ceramics & amp ; glasses , asm , metals park , ohio , pp . 141 - 172 , 1991 . green powder laminae thicknesses which may be the same as the thickness of slices 21 - 29 on drawing of green part 20 in fig4 may be chosen by considering part size , shape complexity slope of surface of part 10 , whether the part is made of more than one material , and the practical laminae production capability . while the laminae thicknesses for most applications may be between 2 - 20 mm , in commercial practice a broader range can be expected ranging from several micro - meters to several centimeters . green powder laminae intended as coating may be as thin as 1 m and may contain a fugitive binder for added green strength . laminae should be strong enough to allow light handling stresses without breakage . it is important that p / m and ceramic green powder laminae have uniform and high green densities to achieve tight dimensional tolerances . conventional powder mixing and compaction methods already exists to accomplish this . at the same time , density of p / m laminae is desired to be less than 90 % of theoretical density to create the inter particle shearing action necessary for development of high strength during consolidation . green powder laminae outer diameter is kept constant and slightly smaller than the internal diameter of the consolidation die to be used . this is necessitated by the practical problem of fitting the laminae stack into a die with relative ease . a more precise laminae outer diameter can be established by considering thermal expansion of laminae upon heating to the consolidation temperature and by allowing some clearance 78 between laminae and the internal diameter of the consolidation die 80 as seen in fig6 . laminae outer shape may often be circular since the simplest of die shapes is cylindrical . however , if the part being fabricated has a shape that does not approximate a circle , laminae outer shape may be a square , a rectangular , an ellipse , a polygon , or an irregular shape . die punch 88 would then have a cross - section similar to that of the die 80 . the next step in the process of the invention involves cutting slots into each laminae to delineate contours of the green part at successive heights of the elongated green part . this is illustrated in fig7 where circular contour slots 40 and 50 are cut in a green lamina 222 . here , the inner surface 41 of circular slot 40 corresponds to the outer surface 207 of corresponding drawing slice 27 of green part 20 in fig4 and outer surface 51 of slot 50 corresponds to the inner surface of hole 270 of slice 27 in fig4 . holes 66 in fig7 are alignment holes which are drilled into excess portions 90 of lamina 222 at the time of cutting slots 40 and 50 . holes 66 are drilled using laser beams or conventional drill presses . methods of slot cutting include laser beam cutting and mechanical milling using conventional mill cutters . a medium powered slab discharge co 2 laser ( or a mill cutter ) which can be mounted on a robot arm or a nc programmable x - y -. o slashed . table can produce dross free edges . for practical reasons , lateral dimensions of green part 20 ( fig4 ) are kept slightly smaller than those of finished part 10 to account for the small lateral expansion of green part 10 into slot cavities and into the gap 78 in fig6 between laminae and die 80 during consolidation . referring again to fig7 separation slots 77 are cut in excess portions 90 of the laminae to make it easier to separate excess portions 90 from consolidated part 10 after consolidation . slotted laminae are stacked as shown in fig8 in a preselected sequence to assemble said three - dimensional elongated green part 20 within the inner volume defined by the contour slots cut in each laminae . proper alignment of laminae may be accomplished by positioning laminae on a reusable support plate 75 with reusable alignment rods 79 . alignment rods 79 go through alignment holes 66 , and are removed before consolidation of green part 20 . it is understood that the process of stacking slotted laminae and handling of stack 60 in the shop can be mechanized , and that if mechanized alignment holes 66 and alignment rods 79 may not be necessary . fig9 is a cross - sectional view along plane b - b &# 39 ; indicated in fig8 . referring to fig9 it is seen that contour slots 40 and 50 cut in laminae are aligned to create a narrow , refractory filled vertical space 74 between green part 20 and excess portions 90 . the space 74 will be filled with refractory material powder or refractory fiber cloth , refractory paper or refractory felt before the laminae stack 60 is heated to consolidation temperature . the intent is to create a refractory parting layer between green part 20 and excess portions 90 . this parting layer will allow easy separation of excess portions 90 from consolidated part 10 after consolidation . however , the parting layer must continuously envelope green part 20 completely in order for the consolidated part 10 to be easily separated from excess portions 90 after consolidation . therefore , filling of vertical space with refractory parting compounds 74 alone is not sufficient to create a continuous parting layer . horizontal surfaces 83 seen on fig9 must also contain parting compound . this is accomplished by applying a thin layer of refractory ( parting ) material onto the top surfaces of excess portions 90 of laminae numbered 23 and 26 ( fig4 ) during laminae stacking . similarly , to prevent bonding of support plate 75 to the part 20 a parting layer 85 is applied on the top surface of support plate 75 . instead of refractory powder , parting layers 83 and 85 may be refractory fiber cloth or felt . some of the refractory types for powder , cloth , or felt parting layers include oxides , carbides , nitrides , and borides of si , al , zr , ti , b , ca , minerals made of various oxides and carbides and nitrides , and graphite , or their mixtures . the next step of the process of this invention involves heating laminae stack 60 to a preselected consolidation temperature in a protective atmosphere if necessary ; placing the heated laminae stack in die 80 ; and applying a pressure via punch 88 to laminae stack 60 in the elongation ( vertical ) direction until the height of green laminae stack 60 is reduced to the height of part 10 , or consolidated to a predetermined density . consolidation pressure is typically above the compressive yield strengths of the materials being consolidated at the consolidation temperature . the consolidation temperature is a temperature at which plastic deformation of laminae particles are possible under the applied pressure . if laminae are made of more than one type of material powder , some of the powder may be in a liquid state at the consolidation temperature . after consolidation , excess portions 901 - 910 and support plate 75 are separated from consolidated part 10 along parting surfaces 74 , 83 , and 85 ( fig9 ). fig1 shows the excess portions 901 through 910 separated from consolidated part 10 . the consolidated part may then be subjected to surface finishing or other secondary processing operations . as seen in fig1 , several excess portions may be created in the production of sample part 20 . some of these excess portions , thermally insulate part 20 from cold die 80 during consolidation , and this thermal insulation effect may be necessary for some materials . for materials where thermal insulation is not necessary , or where consolidation takes place in a heated die 80 , the amount of excess portions produced can be minimized by eliminating some or all of the excess portions in contact with cold die 80 , as seen in fig1 where a cross - sectional view of consolidation of a green powder laminae stack with minimal number of excess portions is shown . fig1 is a perspective view of the consolidated green powder laminae stack of fig1 , after the part is separated from excess portions along parting surfaces . green powder laminae stack 60 may also be insulated from die 80 by a layer of refractory grain 99 as seen in fig1 . here , the grain 99 can be a mixture of various refractory powders and fibers including oxides , carbides , nitrides , borides , and graphite known to have heat resistant characteristics . fig1 is a perspective view of lamina 222 with separation slots 77 , contour slots 40 and 50 , alignment holes 66 , and a groove 89 that can be used to circulate a coolant through the part while in service . a coolant tube may be placed in groove 89 before consolidation to create a high pressure coolant line . groove 89 may also be filled with chemically leachable material ( such as graphite ), to create internal channels and / or cavities . after consolidation , leachable material may be chemically removed , or burned off . similarly , groove 89 may incorporate materials that act as sensors and actuators ( piezoelectric ceramics , magnetostrictive and shape - memory materials , and electrorheological fluids .). in another embodiment of the invention , green laminae stack 60 ( fig8 ) is placed in a metal or ceramic can 110 as shown in fig1 before heating and or consolidation . in this case , to prevent damage to the can 110 , hard die 80 is enlarged in the bottom portion enough to prevent can 110 to remain unaffected from the vertical component of the applied pressure . when necessary , the metal can may be evacuated and weld sealed to prevent oxidation of its contents in high temperature processing . in another alternative embodiment of the process of the invention , one or more of the laminae are chemically different , in composition than the rest of the laminae so that multi - material , or coated , or gradient property parts may be manufactured . in a further embodiment , green density of one or more of the laminae may be different than the rest of the laminae . in fact before consolidation , one or more of the laminae may have densities equal to their theoretical densities . a significant advantage and important feature of the invention is that there is only minimal movement and compaction in the laminae powder in the direction perpendicular to the applied pressure . this is because laminate material is radially constricted by the die . the only volume available for the lateral expansion of the laminate material is the volume of the refractory powder filled slots surrounding the elongated green part . this expansion is minimal because the slot size is kept to a minimum , and much of the available slot volume is taken up by the refractory powder within the slots . as a consequence of this , substantially all of the shrinkage within the said elongated green part upon consolidation takes place in the direction of the applied pressure ( vertical direction ). thus , the final part dimensions can easily be predicted from the elongated green part dimensions if the compaction ratio is known . this predictability of final part dimensions is an important advantage of the process of the present invention . refractory parting compounds within the slots , and refractory grain 99 placed around the green laminae stack densify upon consolidation of the part , but because these powders are selected for their refractoriness they do not consolidate into a strongly adherent layer nor do they form strong bonds with the actual part after consolidation . thus , refractory powder within the slots acts as an easy parting layer . refractory parting powders , cloths , and felts may also be placed on laminae surfaces perpendicular to the direction of the applied pressure when necessary to prevent bonding of these surfaces to the adjacent laminae surfaces . the refractory powder layer in fact becomes a continuous layer of separation surrounding the elongated green part before consolidation . after consolidation , the part is removed from the external material along the surfaces defined by the refractory powder layer . heated green powder laminae stack under applied pressure join and consolidate into a metallurgically bonded part . consolidation temperature and pressure are selected to cause plastic deformation of powder particles within laminae and to form a strong metallurgical bond . consolidation temperature and pressure may vary depending on the material ( s ) being consolidated . for example , for low alloy steels typical consolidation temperature may be 1 , 000 - 1 , 050 ° c ., and the consolidation pressure may be 300 - 400 mpa . for copper alloys these would typically be 650 - 700 ° c . and 125 - 175 mpa . respectively . for ceramics , consolidation temperatures may range between 1 , 100 and 1 , 800 ° c ., and pressures may range between 300 - 1 , 000 mpa . additionally , for ceramics and high melting point metals hard die 80 as seen in fig1 may be water cooled , and the amount of refractory grain 99 may be increased to protect die 80 from excessive heat . in accordance with the present invention there is no intent to achieve nearly isostatic conditions during consolidation . the intent is to achieve consolidation through unidirectional application of the pressure with the expectation that the elongated green body of the object to be consolidated shrinks only in the direction of the applied pressure , and that the dimensions perpendicular to the direction of the pressure remain substantially the same after consolidation . in the light of the possibility for several modifications , the scope of the present invention should be interpreted solely from the following claims , as such claims are read in light of the disclosure . laminae measuring 50 mm diameter by 5 mm thickness were sectioned from a cold pressed and pre - sintered bar of distalloy 4600 a , a powder metallurgy alloy produced by hoeganaes company , riverton , n . j . this alloy has 1 . 50 % by weight copper , 1 . 75 % nickel , 0 . 5 % molybdenum , and 0 . 1 % carbon , remaining being iron . green bar of the alloy was prepared by thoroughly mixing the - 100 mesh alloy powder with 0 . 5 % zinc stearate and 0 . 6 % graphite , and cold pressing the blended powder mixture in a 50 mm lubricated tungsten carbide die under a pressure of 370 mpa . the green compact was then partially sintered for 15 minutes at 850 ° c . this treatment produced a green density of 6 . 7 g / cm 3 which is equivalent to 86 % of the alloy &# 39 ; s theoretical density . nine laminae , each with identical diameters and nearly the same thicknesses were used to form a green laminae stack . before stacking the laminae , slots were cut in each lamina to delineate the outer and inner contours of the part which was similar to the part shown in fig1 and 12 . all slots were filled with boron nitride powder ( parting compound ). additionally during stacking , fiberfrax paper cut to shape was placed on surfaces identified as 83 in fig1 as parting compound . fiberfrax paper is made of silica and alumina fibers , and is manufactured by unifrax corporation , niagara falls , n . y . the laminae stack was placed in a stainless steel can . a layer of fiberfrax paper separated the bottom of the stack from the bottom of the can . the can and its contents were heated in a slightly reducing atmosphere to 1050 c ., transferred into a cylindrical tool steel die and pressed under a pressure of 413 mpa ., held under pressure for 3 - 4 seconds , and then pressure was released . after ejecting the consolidated stack out of the die , excess portions were separated from the part and removed as shown in fig1 . the measured consolidated part density was 100 % of the theoretical density of the alloy , indicating that the green powder laminae had completely bonded to form a high strength integral part . the part described in example 1 above was produced from green powder laminae of silica . silica powder with a mesh size of - 325 was mixed in a colloidal silica suspension in water , and slip cast as a 5 mm thick sheet on water permeable cloth . the cast sheet was allowed to dry in air . before it was completely dry , 50 mm diameter circles ( laminae ) were cut from the slip cast silica sheet . nine dried silica laminae were used to create a green laminae stack as described in example 1 above with separation slots filled with a 50 -- 50 mixture of boron nitride and graphite . the same parting compound mixture was applied onto the separation surfaces ( surfaces identified as 83 in fig1 ). the stack was placed in a stainless steel can lined with graphite coating . the can and its contents were heated to 1100 ° c ., transferred into a cylindrical tool steel die and pressed under a pressure of 345 mpa ., held under pressure for 3 - 4 seconds , and then pressure was released . after ejecting the consolidated stack out of the die , excess portions were separated from the part and removed as shown in fig1 . the measured consolidated part density was 100 % of the theoretical density of silica ceramic , indicating that the green powder laminae had completely bonded to form a high strength integral part . experiment described in example 1 was repeated with the following exceptions . the top lamina was a cold pressed - 325 mesh powder of ( ti 52 al 48 ) titanium aluminide intermetallic . above the top lamina , a 2 μm thick film of a mixture of 80 % tungsten carbide and 20 % iron powders in a fugitive binder was placed as a wear resistant coating . fugitive binder was a mixture of cellulose acetate in acetone . once dried , the film could be cut to shape and easily handled . after the stack was heated to 400 ° c . for ten ( 10 ) minutes in a protective atmosphere to remove the fugitive binder , cooled to room temperature , the laminae stack was placed in a graphite coated stainless steel can , the can was welded and evacuated , and weld sealed , heated to 1100 ° c . and pressed under a pressure of 370 mpa . after ejecting the consolidated stack out of the die , the can was cut off and removed , excess portions were separated from the part and removed as shown in fig1 . it was found that the multi material part has completely bonded to form a high strength integral part with a wear resistant top surface coating . the die used in the above experiments had an enlarged bottom portion into which the stainless steel can could fit as shown in fig1 . in accordance with the present invention there is no intent to achieve nearly isostatic conditions during consolidation . the intent is to achieve consolidation through unidirectional application of the pressure with the expectation that the elongated green body of the object to be consolidated shrinks only in the direction o the applied pressure , and that the dimensions perpendicular to the direction of the pressure remain substantially the same after consolidation . in the light of the possibility for several modifications , the scope of the present invention should be interpreted solely from the following claims , as such claims are read in light of the disclosure .	8
reference will now be made in detail to the present preferred embodiments of the invention , examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings . wherever possible , the same reference numbers are used in the drawings and the description to refer to the same or like parts . fig1 is a top view of a package structure according to one embodiment of the present invention . fig2 is a bottom view of a package structure according to one embodiment of the present invention . fig3 is a cross - sectional view along line a - a of fig1 . as shown in fig1 , 2 and 3 , the packaging substrate 10 has a top surface 12 and a bottom surface 14 . on the top surface 12 of the packaging substrate 10 , two chip - disposing regions 16 are defined , for example . each chip - disposing region 16 can accommodate a chip 18 . the chip 18 is disposed within the chip - disposing region 16 and arranged in an array . a peripheral region 20 that encapsulates each chip - disposing region 16 is also defined on the packaging substrate 10 . furthermore , a stiffening ring 22 is disposed on an area of the bottom surface 14 underneath each peripheral region 20 as shown in fig2 . fig4 is a perspective view showing the method of disposing a stiffening ring on a packaging substrate . as shown in fig4 , the bottom 24 of the stiffening ring 22 has a plurality of positioning pins 26 protruding down . moreover , the positioning pins 26 are uniformly arranged on the bottom surface 24 of the stiffening ring 22 . in addition , the bottom surface 14 of the packaging substrate 10 has a plurality of positioning holes 28 whose locations correspond with the positioning pins 26 . the stiffening ring 22 is firmly attached to the bottom surface 14 of the packaging substrate 10 through the positioning pins 26 and the corresponding positioning holes 28 . preferably , an adhesive is applied to the bottom surface 24 of the stiffening ring 22 so that the stiffening ring 22 is permanently bonded to the bottom surface 14 of the packaging substrate 10 . according to one embodiment of the present invention , the stiffening ring 22 is fabricated using a heat - resistant plastic or a metal . typically , the material of the stiffening ring 22 must be able to withstand a temperature at least as high as the melting point of the heat - resistant molding compound so that the stiffening ring 22 can prevent the packaging substrate from warping . fig5 is a cross - sectional view showing the packaging substrate shown in fig3 disposed inside an encapsulating mold . in the present embodiment , the bottom surface 14 of the packaging substrate 10 faces up while the top surface 12 faces down inside the mold 30 . the encapsulating mold 30 has a bottom mold 32 , a top mold 34 and a gate 36 . the bottom mold 32 faces the top surface 12 of the packaging substrate 10 and has two molding cavities 38 for accommodating the chip 18 within the chip - disposing regions 16 and providing space 40 for injecting molding compound over the chip 18 . the top mold 34 faces the bottom surface 14 of the packaging substrate 10 and has two ring type runners 42 for accommodating two stiffening rings 22 and providing space 44 for injecting molding compound over the stiffening rings 22 . furthermore , the gate 34 is located on the top mold 34 of the encapsulating mold 30 and connected to the mold cavities 38 and the runners 42 through other runners ( not shown ). to mold the packaging substrate 20 , a molding compound 46 is injected into the gate 36 to fill up the space 40 and 44 defined by the mold cavities 38 and the runner 42 . hence , the chip 18 and the stiffening rings 22 are encapsulated by the molding compound 46 as shown in fig6 . it should be noted that the bottom surface 14 of the packaging substrate 10 faces up inside the mold 30 to prevent the stiffening ring 22 from falling off from the bottom surface 14 of the packaging substrate 10 during mold injection . however , if the stiffening ring 22 is engaged to the bottom surface 14 of the packaging substrate 10 through any type of fastening mechanism such as a latch or positioning pins 26 with adhesive , the bottom surface 14 of the packaging substrate 10 may face down during mold injection . when the molding process and a subsequent curing process are complete , the top and bottom view of the packaging substrate is as shown in fig7 and 8 . the cured molding compound 46 encapsulates the chip 18 on the top surface 12 of the packaging substrate 10 to form a chip encapsulant 50 . similarly , the cured molding compound 46 encapsulates the stiffening ring 22 on the bottom surface 14 of the packaging substrate 10 to form a stiffener encapsulant 48 . in fig8 , the position of the chip 18 on the top surface 12 is also shown in this drawing . finally , the packaging substrate 10 is sawed to form individual package units in a singulation process , wherein each package unit encapsulates the chip 18 . the stiffening rings 22 are removed by sawing along the lines c - c , d - d , c 1 - c 1 and d 1 - d 1 in the singulation process . the embodiment of the present invention is best applied to the fabrication of an optical land grid array ( lga ) package . if the present invention is applied to fabricate an optical lga package , the chip 18 in fig7 includes optical devices and the molding compound 46 for encapsulating the chip 18 is a transparent molding resin . it should be noted that the packaging substrate of the present invention has a structure capable of counterbalancing any warping stress on the substrate resulting form a difference in coefficient of thermal expansion between the transparent molding resin and the packaging substrate . fig9 is a top view showing the molded structure of a package having four chip disposing regions . fig1 is a bottom view showing the molded structure of a package having four chip disposing regions . in the present embodiment , the top surface 12 of the packaging substrate 10 has four chip - disposing regions 16 altogether . each chip - disposing region 16 accommodates a chip 18 . furthermore , a stiffening ring 22 is disposed on the bottom surface 14 of the packaging substrate 10 underneath the peripheral areas of the chip - disposing regions 16 to strengthen the packaging substrate 10 . then , an encapsulant is formed to encapsulate the chip on the packaging substrate . in the present embodiment , a molding compound is injected to form a chip encapsulant encapsulating the chip 18 . moreover , a stiffener encapsulant is further formed by the molding process to encapsulate each stiffening ring 22 , for example . finally , the stiffening rings 22 are removed in the singulation process for sawing the packaging substrate into individual package units each encapsulating the chip 18 . according to the aforementioned embodiment , the present invention can be applied to a packaging substrate having a plurality of chip - disposing regions . by disposing a stiffening ring on the bottom surface of a packaging substrate to correspond with each chip - disposing region , the warping stress on the packaging substrate resulting from mold injection is counterbalanced . according to another embodiment of the present invention , the stiffening rings 22 in fig1 can be replaced by a plurality of stiffening bars 22 a as shown in fig1 to prevent the packaging substrate from warping . furthermore , it should be noted that the number of chip - disposing areas encapsulated by the stiffening ring or stiffening bars on the bottom surface 14 of the packaging substrate is not limited to one or two . in general , a plurality of stiffening rings or bars can be used to support a multiple of chip - disposing regions . in summary , one major aspect of the present invention is the set up of a stiffening member such as a stiffening ring or a series of stiffening bars on the bottom surface of a packaging substrate to reinforce the structural strength of the packaging substrate . furthermore , in the process of encapsulating the chip and the stiffening members with a molding compound , the stiffening members can also counterbalance the warping stress resulting from a difference in coefficient of thermal expansion between the top and bottom surface of the packaging substrate . ultimately , the amount of warping in the packaging substrate is substantially minimized . it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made to the structure of the present invention without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention . in view of the foregoing , it is intended that the present invention cover modifications and variations of this invention provided they fall within the scope of the following claims and their equivalents .	7
the preferred embodiment of the apparatus is shown in fig1 . apparatus 100 includes a sensor 103 and an electrical cable 101 with a connector 109 . the electrical cable has a stiffer part 102 adjacent to the sensor . the stiffer part of the cable is rigid enough to be guided unsupported through the vagina and cervix and flexible enough to yield when the sensor encounters an obstruction such as the uterine wall . in the preferred embodiment , a part of the cable is stiffened by enclosing it in a plastic tube . for example , the cable can be surrounded by shrink - tubing of an inner diameter of 0 . 25 cm and an outer diameter of 0 . 41 cm . to allow repositioning , this tube must be long enough , preferably 30 cm , to extend from the vagina when the sensor is in the preferred region . the sensor 103 has one or more emitters ( the light source ( s )) 104 and detectors ( the light detector ( s )) 105 . the preferred embodiment has two emitters and a detector on one side , the active side , as shown in fig2 . in the preferred embodiment , the other or inactive side of the sensor has at least one tactile marking such as a bump or an indentation 120 , as shown in fig3 and 4 . this marking helps the user properly orient the apparatus while inserting it into the vagina and through the cervix . the leading edge 110 of the sensor 103 is bevelled , as shown in fig4 to facilitate introduction later in labor through a cervix that may be well - applied to ( snug against ) the fetal presenting part 204 . the preferred embodiment of the cable 100 has a series of regularly spaced markings 108 . these markings provide a visual indication of the insertion depth of the sensor in the mother &# 39 ; s vagina . in addition , a ridge 107 is formed on the cable at a predetermined distance from the leading edge 110 of the sensor 103 . the sensor is introduced until the ridge 107 is at the sagittal suture of the fetal head . the sensor is then in the preferred region 205 . the method of using the apparatus is as follows . the user determines the location of the fetal back and the height and orientation of the fetal head by abdominal examination . the user then makes a vaginal assessment of cervical status using the bishop score . this score grades the cervix on five elements : dilatation , effacement , position , station ( of the fetal head : above , below , or at the ischial spine ), and consistency ( firm , soft , etc .). the vaginal examination also may precisely confirm the position of the fetal head . with the examining fingers 201 already in the vagina 202 and at the posterior cervix 203 , the user grasps the apparatus 100 by the stiff part of the cable 102 with the other hand 200 . the sensor 103 is then inserted into the vagina with the active side up . it is then threaded up between the index and middle fingers 201 of the examining hand . the finger - tips of that hand feel for the bump or indentation 120 on the inactive side of the sensor 103 . see fig5 , and 7 . the fingers 201 of the examining hand stretch the posterior cervix 203 to make room for the sensor . the user further advances the sensor into the uterus past the presenting part and past the transcervical region . the sensor is then in the preferred region . for a fetus at term , the ridge 107 will be flush with the presenting part 204 when the sensor is in the preferred region , as in fig6 . the user then removes his or her fingers from the vagina , leaving the sensor 100 in place , as in fig7 . if the readings from the initial placement are unsatisfactory , the sensor can be repositioned by slightly withdrawing or further inserting the stiff part of the cable 102 . the preferred method of constructing the cable &# 39 ; s features is as follows . plastic tubing , such as polyolefin made by raychem , is heat - shrunk over the area of the cable to become the stiff part . this first layer stiffens the cable . regularly spaced markings are then drawn on the plastic tubing . in the preferred embodiment the markings are 1 cm apart , although any convenient marking scale can be used . the markings can take various forms , such as colors , characters , or numbers . the ridge is formed by heat - shrinking a short segment of plastic tubing around this cable assembly at an appropriate location . in the preferred embodiment , the ridge is 15 cm from the leading edge of the sensor . that is the approximate distance from the vertex of a molded fetal head at term to the preferred region for the sensor . the ridge may be used as a visual marking as well by making it a different color from that of the cable . after the ridge and the visual markings are applied to the cable , a clear plastic sheath is heat - shrunk over the cable assembly . the sheath smoothes the edges of the ridge and protects the visual markings . it also further stiffens the cable .	0
it will be understood that the body of the braking mechanism shown in fig7 - 10 of the drawings has been made partially transparent so that the internal components are visible , for ease of understanding . the braking mechanism 10 shown in fig1 - 5 comprises a body 12 and a bridge 14 which is carried by , and spans , the body 12 . in use the bridge 14 is biased ( upwardly as drawn in fig1 and 4 ) by two compression springs 16 . the bridge 14 is metallic and carries a metallic insert 20 . the insert 20 is made of particularly hard material such as tungsten carbide , whereby to resist erosion when in contact with the borehole wall ( not shown ) in use . the insert 20 has a step which creates a braking member or blade 22 . it will be understood that the braking mechanism 10 is mounted upon the downhole tool in a position in which the blade 22 lies in a plane which is substantially radial to the longitudinal axis a - a of the tool and substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis a - a . in use upon a steering tool such as that of ep 1 024 025 , it will also be understood that as the drive shaft rotates within the steering tool , there is a tendency for the steering tool to rotate with the drive shaft around the longitudinal axis a - a in the direction r shown in fig1 . the blade 22 engages the borehole wall in known fashion ( and may dig into the borehole wall ) and resists the induced rotation of the steering tool . one compression spring 16 is located at either end of the bridge 14 . the compression springs 16 provide substantially equal force whereby they provide a substantially balanced force upon the bridge 14 , i . e . the biasing forces measured at either end of the bearing surface 24 are substantially identical . the bridge 14 is connected to the body 12 by a drive piston 30 ( a part of which is visible in the side view of fig4 ). as shown in fig7 in particular , the drive piston 30 has an enlarged piston head 32 which locates within a closed channel ( not shown ) in the bridge 14 . in this way , bi - directional movements ( up and down as viewed in fig1 and 4 ) of the bridge 14 are communicated to the drive piston 30 , and vice versa . fig4 shows the fully extended position of the piston 30 , i . e . the blade 22 is at its furthest possible distance from the body 12 . it will be seen that the compression springs 16 nevertheless project by a small distance p below the bottom of the body 12 , so that the compression springs 16 must be compressed slightly as the braking mechanism 10 is mounted into its well or recess ( not shown ) in the downhole tool ( also not shown ). the projecting distance p results in a preloading force for the braking mechanism 10 when the bridge 14 is at its maximum extension as shown in fig4 , the preloading force being variable as desired by varying the projecting distance p . in common with prior art braking mechanisms , the braking mechanism 10 is designed so that the braking member 22 can extend further than the space available within a correctly - sized borehole , so that the compression springs 16 will in practice be further compressed when the braking member is in its nominal position . the preloading of the compression springs permits the use of lower - rated springs which are nevertheless able to provide the biasing force required at the braking member &# 39 ; s nominal position , and provide a better range of biasing forces throughout the range of movement of the braking member . it will be understood that the bridge 14 can be moved downwardly as drawn from the position shown in fig4 , and in some embodiments the underside of the bridge can engage the top of the body . the nominal position for the bridge 14 , i . e . the position it adopts when in a correctly - sized borehole , will lie between its two extremes , so that the braking member 22 is able to move outwardly and inwardly relative to the tool in response to deviations in the borehole diameter . the drive piston 30 is located within a cylinder 34 formed into the body 12 of the braking mechanism 10 . as shown in particular in the sectional view of fig6 , the cylinder 34 is connected to a first part 36 of a fluid conduit . the first part 36 of the fluid conduit is connected to a second part 40 of the fluid conduit . the second part 40 of the fluid conduit contains a damping member or flow control valve 42 . the damping member 42 comprises an insert within the second part 40 of the fluid conduit , the damping member 42 providing the greatest restriction to the flow of hydraulic fluid along the fluid conduit . specifically , the damping member is hollow whereby hydraulic fluid can flow therethrough , but the cross - sectional area of the hollow opening within the damping member is smaller than all other parts of the fluid conduit . in alternative embodiments , the damping member can contain baffles or other flow limiting means whereby the hydraulic fluid is forced to undertake a circuitous path through the damping member . in this preferred embodiment the damping member 42 restricts the flow in both directions along the fluid conduit 40 to the same degree , i . e . the damping force upon the piston 30 is the same whether the piston 30 is moving inwardly or outwardly of its cylinder 34 . in other embodiments the damping member is arranged to provide a larger damping force when the piston is moving outwardly of its cylinder than when it is moving inwardly , to compensate for the biasing force of the compression springs 16 . in both cases , the damping member 42 provides only a small damping force , i . e . only a small restriction in the fluid flow rate , when the piston 30 is moving slowly , and a large damping force when the piston 30 is moving rapidly . the second part 40 of the fluid conduit is connected to a third part 44 of the fluid conduit , which is in turn connected to a fourth part 46 of the fluid conduit . the fourth part 46 of the fluid conduit is connected to a cylinder 48 of a balancing piston 50 . as seen in fig7 , the top cover 52 of the body 12 has a primary opening 54 which accommodates the drive piston 30 . the top cover has a number of secondary openings 56 which communicate with the cylinder 48 of the balancing piston 50 . accordingly , one side of the balancing piston 50 is exposed to the hydraulic fluid within the fluid conduit , whereas the other side of the balancing piston 50 is exposed to the fluid within the borehole . this enables the pressure within the fluid conduit to closely match the pressure within the borehole and reduces the likelihood of leaks . it will be understood that as the drive piston 30 moves relative to its cylinder 34 , the fluid within the fluid conduit 36 , 40 , 44 , 46 causes those movements to be matched by corresponding movements of the balancing piston 50 , and the consequent introduction or expulsion of borehole fluid through the openings 56 . the top cover 52 is secured to the remainder of the body 12 by four bolts 60 . in order to reduce the likelihood of leaks within the body 12 , a pressure relief conduit 62 ( fig7 ) is formed within the body 12 , directly connecting the first part 36 of the fluid conduit to the fourth part 46 of the fluid conduit . a pressure relief valve 64 is located in the conduit 62 . the pressure relief valve 64 will only permit fluid flow along the pressure relief conduit 62 in the event that the pressure within the fluid conduit reaches a predetermined threshold ( which is arranged to be slightly below the pressure which the designers have calculated ( or tested ) to cause leaks from the fluid conduit ). under extreme pressures above the predetermined threshold , the pressure relief valve 64 allows hydraulic fluid to flow between the drive piston 30 and the balancing piston 50 , bypassing the damping member 42 . during periods of extreme pressure , therefore , the movements of the blade 22 are substantially undamped . the pressure relief valve 64 is designed to close the pressure relief conduit 62 when the pressure drops below the threshold so that damping of the movements of the blade 22 is resumed . the first part 36 , second part 40 , third part 44 and fourth part 46 of the fluid conduit are produced by respective drillings into the body 12 , the drillings being subsequently sealed by respective blanking plugs 66 , 68 . the pressure relief conduit 62 is formed by a separate drilling which is subsequently sealed by a blanking plug 70 . the blanking plug 68 is larger than the blanking plugs 66 since the diameter of the second part 40 of the fluid conduit is larger than the diameter of the first part 36 , third part 44 and fourth part 46 , in order to accommodate the damping member 42 . a filling conduit 72 is drilled into the body 12 , the filling conduit 72 communicating with the third conduit 44 and being provided for filling the fluid conduit with hydraulic fluid . the filling conduit is sealed by a plug 74 after the fluid conduit has been filled with hydraulic fluid . it will be understood that the braking mechanism is relatively small . the depth d of the braking mechanism 10 is approximately 38 mm , and is sufficiently small that it can be accommodated within commercial embodiments of the steering tool of ep 1 024 245 for example . in addition , the length l is approximately 81 mm , and is therefore considerably shorter than an equivalent torsion beam braking mechanism . this gives a steering tool designer much greater freedom to locate the braking mechanism 10 at a desired location upon the steering tool . for example , a set of three braking mechanisms 10 may be located ( spaced approximately 120 ° apart around the circumference of the steering tool ) adjacent either end of the steering tool . in contrast , space constraints require that the existing torsion beam braking mechanisms must be fitted adjacent to the centre of the steering tool . the steering tool designer can therefore fit twice as many of the present braking mechanisms to the steering tool , if desired . also , fitting the braking mechanisms 10 adjacent to the ends of the steering tool has packaging benefits in that there is usually more radial space available at those locations than at the centre of the steering tool . despite the relatively small size of the braking mechanism 10 , the two compression springs 16 can together provide the biasing force of around 600 - 700 n , and the braking mechanism 10 can have a stroke of around 6 mm , therefore matching the performance of the known torsion beam braking mechanisms . however , if the tool designer wishes to take advantage of the packaging benefits and locate the braking mechanisms in locations with increased radial space , the designer can utilise longer springs 16 and a longer piston 30 whereby to increase the available stroke of the blade 22 . despite the general desire to make downhole tools mechanically simple , and therefore less liable to fail in the harsh environment of a borehole , the inventor has realised that it is nevertheless possible to incorporate damping into the braking mechanism whereby to avoid or reduce the drawbacks of the existing braking mechanisms , and yet without introducing significant mechanical complexity into the tool . in particular , the braking mechanism 10 of the present invention can be made sufficiently robust and reliable to withstand up to 10 6 cycles of extension and retraction , which is believed to be sufficient to exceed the lifetime of the insert 20 , i . e . it is intended that the insert 20 will wear down and require replacement before the damping mechanism fails .	4
fig1 is a schematic diagram of a system 10 for forming a polysilicon film in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention . referring to fig1 , system 10 , a plasma assisted chemical reaction system , includes a chamber 12 , a first power generator 14 and a second power generator 16 . system 10 , except second power generator 16 , may include one of a model akt - 1600 pecvd system manufactured by applied komatsu technology , a high density plasma cvd ( hdpcvd ) system manufactured by applied materials , inc ., or an inductively coupled plasma cvd ( icp - cvd ) system . the present invention , however , is not limited to the above - mentioned systems and may be used with other commercially available deposition systems . a substrate 30 , either glass or a polymeric material , is placed in chamber 12 that is equipped with a pair of parallel plate electrodes including a first electrode 12 - 1 and a second electrode 12 - 2 . first electrode 12 - 1 functions as a gas inlet manifold or shower head through which a reactant gas provided by a gas controller 18 flows into chamber 12 . second electrode 12 - 2 , separated from first electrode 12 - 1 by several inches , functions to support or hold substrate 30 . during deposition , a radio frequency ( rf ) voltage provided by first power generator 14 through a matching network 14 - 1 is applied to first electrode 12 - 1 to produce a plasma within the reactant gas in chamber 12 . the plasma causes the reactant gas to decompose and deposit a layer of material onto an exposed surface 30 - 1 of substrate 30 . second power supply 16 provides an rf voltage , a direct current ( dc ) voltage , an alternating current ( ac ) voltage or a pulse voltage to second electrode 12 - 2 to create an electrical field between first electrode 12 - 1 and second electrode 12 - 2 . the deposition process and operation of second power supply 16 will be later discussed in detail by reference to fig2 . system 10 further includes a heat controller 20 , a lift mechanism 22 and a pump 24 . heat controller 20 powers a heater ( not shown ) for heating substrate 30 during deposition to achieve or maintain second electrode 12 - 2 at an appropriate temperature level . lift mechanism 22 is provided to support second electrode 12 - 2 at an appropriate elevation level . pump 24 is used to evacuate chamber 12 to a state of vacuum . fig2 is a schematic diagram illustrating a method for forming a polysilicon film in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention . the deposition process is a result of chemical reactions between reactive molecular precursors and substrate 30 . initial atoms and molecules that will constitute the film are delivered as precursors , which are fed from gas controller 18 shown in fig1 . the desired reactions are to deposit a pure film on surface 30 - 1 of substrate 30 and eliminate extra atoms or molecules that comprise the precursors . referring to fig2 , the deposition process at least includes a nucleation stage and a growth stage . the nucleation stage is assumed when a film of stable material is deposited on nucleation sites on surface 30 - 1 of substrate 30 . substrate 30 has many bonding locations on surface 30 - 1 , where chemical binding occurs during deposition , causing gaseous atoms and molecules to chemically attach to surface 30 - 1 . however , the reaction does not occur at all of the potential bonding locations . generally , defect sites , which have irregular topology or impurities , are likely to trap the molecular precursors . to provide more of such defect sites , also referring to fig1 , second power supply 16 provides a bias voltage to second electrode 12 - 2 during the nucleation stage to generate an electrical field between first electrode 12 - 1 and second electrode 12 - 2 , resulting in an ion bombarding effect on surface 30 - 1 . in another embodiment , second power supply 16 provides a bias voltage to substrate 30 during the nucleation stage . the ion bombarding facilitates formation of defect sites for initial reaction products , that is , nucleation seeds . the nucleation seeds are immobile and diffusing molecular precursors have a high probability to collide with them and react , resulting in the growing of metastable clusters . as the metastable clusters grow larger , most of the collisions occur at the boundaries of the metastable clusters . as the metastable clusters further grow three - dimensionally , most of the binding and reaction processes occur on the upper surfaces of the metastable clusters , resulting in the formation of critical clusters . during the growth stage , eventually , the vertical growth of the critical clusters results in the formation of grains , which finally coalesce into a continuous film . in one embodiment according to the present invention , the rf power provided by first power supply is approximately 600 watts at a frequency of approximately 13 . 56 mhz . the density of plasma generated is approximately 10 11 to 10 13 cm − 3 , which facilitates the nucleation with a shorter incubation time and thinner incubation layer as compared to a lower density of one or two orders less . second power supply 16 , in one aspect , provides an rf power ranging from approximately 100 to 1000 watts at 13 . 56 mhz . in another aspect , second power supply 16 provides a dc bias ranging from approximately 0 to 600 volts . in still another aspect , second power supply 16 provides an ac bias ranging from approximately 0 to 500 volts at a frequency of approximately 0 to 400 hz . in yet another aspect , second power supply 16 provides a pulse voltage , for example , in the form of a square wave transmitting in a single direction , i . e ., either positive or negative . the pulse voltage ranges from approximately 0 to 500 volts at a frequency of approximately 0 to 400 hz with a pulse width of approximately 1 to 10 μm / sec . chamber 12 is evacuated to a pressure of approximately 10 − 3 torr . the reactant gases include silane ( sih 4 ), hydrogen ( h 2 ) and argon ( ar ). in one embodiment , ar is approximately 0 to 50 sccm , sih 4 is approximately 50 sccm , and the ratio of sih 4 to h 2 is approximately 1 : 10 to 1 : 100 . substrate 30 is maintained at a temperature of approximately 25 ° c . to 500 ° c . the incubation layer ranges approximately from 300 å to 500 å , under which thickness the amorphous silicon is crystallized into polycrystalline silicon . during the growth stage , a chemical erosion process is conducted to remove weakly bonded amorphous or silicon molecules on the upper surface of the incubation layer . in another embodiment , however , the chemical erosion process is conducted during the nucleation stage . since separated nucleation sites can result in the formation of grain boundaries and voids on surface 30 - 1 of substrate 30 , where potential bonding sites failed to bond with the molecular precursors , the removal of the weakly bonded materials helps to reduce the incubation time and the incubation layer thickness . an erosive gas including sif 4 and h 2 or sf 6 and h 2 is used in the chemical erosion process . in one embodiment according to the present invention , the ratio of sif 4 to h 2 ranges from approximately 1 : 10 to 1 : 100 . in one aspect , sif 4 is 1 sccm and h 2 is 10 sccm . in another embodiment , during the growth stage , second power supply 16 provides a dc bias of approximately 50 volts to second electrode 12 - 2 or substrate 30 in order to achieve a condensed polysilicon film . in still another embodiment , second power supply 16 provides an ac bias ranging from approximately 0 to 50 volts at a frequency of approximately 0 to 400 hz . in yet another embodiment , second power supply 16 provides a pulse voltage of approximately 0 to 50 volts at a frequency of approximately 0 to 400 hz with a pulse width of approximately 1 to 10 μm / sec . furthermore , during the growth stage , the reactant gas ar is cut off , sih 4 is maintained at approximately 50 sccm , and the ratio of sih 4 to h 2 is approximately 1 : 10 to 1 : 100 . fig3 a and 3b are tem ( transmission electron microscope ) photo diagrams respectively showing a plan view and a cross - sectional view of a polysilicon film formed by a method in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention . referring to fig3 b , an ltps state of the film is achieved when the film is only grown to approximately 500 å . fig4 is a plot of a raman spectrum analysis on the polysilicon film shown in fig3 a and 3b . referring to fig4 , a signal occurs at the wave number of 520 cm − 1 , which indicates that a polycrystalline silicon has been formed . it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that changes could be made to the embodiments described above without departing from the broad inventive concept thereof . it is understood , therefore , that this invention is not limited to the particular embodiments disclosed , but it is intended to cover modifications within the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims . further , in describing representative embodiments of the present invention , the specification may have presented the method and / or process of the present invention as a particular sequence of steps . however , to the extent that the method or process does not rely on the particular order of steps set forth herein , the method or process should not be limited to the particular sequence of steps described . as one of ordinary skill in the art would appreciate , other sequences of steps may be possible . therefore , the particular order of the steps set forth in the specification should not be construed as limitations on the claims . in addition , the claims directed to the method and / or process of the present invention should not be limited to the performance of the steps in the order written , and one skilled in the art can readily appreciate that the sequences may be varied and still remain within the spirit and scope of the present invention .	7
the invention resides in a methods and apparatus for providing nutrients to an intervertebral disc situated between the endplates of upper and lower vertebra . according to the method , a passageway is formed into the disc space . the process further includes the steps of placing a cannulated element in the passageway , and providing one or more substances beneficial to the intervertebral disc through the cannulated element . in the preferred embodiment , the cannulated elements take the form of porous stents which extend through the vertebral endplates . the endplate stents according to the invention may be used to feed the disc cells within the disc naturally , and / or cells transplanted into the disc . in one application , transplanted disc tissue is placed around the disc stents at the time the disc tissue is added to the disc . alternatively , the cells are grown in culture around the stents . in this way , the stents may support the growth of larger colonies of cells in cell culture . given that colonies of cells grown in culture can reach a critical size where the cells in the center of the group can become deprived of nutrition , the stents would provide a channel for nutrients to the cells in the center of the colony . in the embodiments involving the transplantation of biologic material in the form of nucleus pulposis cells or other tissues , live cells or tissues are harvested from a human or animal donor and introduced into the disc being treated . the harvested biologic materials are preferably kept viable until placed into the disc being treated . the harvested biologic materials may be introduced into the disc using any suitable transfer technique , including the formation of a passageway through the annulus fibrosis and the use of a needle and syringe or small cannula . alternatively the step of transplanting may include percutaneously or laparoscopically injecting the cells or tissues into the disc being treated . the invention may further include the use of an optional reservoir filled with therapeutic materials to aid the disc cells . for example , a refillable reservoir may be filled with cell - culture nutrients and placed in an accessible location under the skin of the flank . other applicable therapeutic substances include , growth factors , differentiation factors , hydrogels , polymers , antibiotics , anti - inflammatory medications , or immunosuppressive medications . if a transplanted nucleus pulposis is utilized , it is preferably harvested from a live human , though recently deceased human or animal donors may alternatively be used . depending upon the extent of the harvest , the recipient may function at least in part as a donor , or the tissues from others , including fetal or embryo sources , may be used , preferably having a familial relationship to minimize or avoid the need for immunosuppressive substances . guidelines for tissue procurement including surgical technique of removal , number of hours between death of the donor and tissue procurement , and testing of the donor for infectious disease , are well described in the literature . similarly , the guidelines for storage of living tissues are well known to those skilled in the art . the text “ organ preservation for transplantation ” by karow and pego , 1981 , describes such methods . briefly , the tissue storage method must maintain cell viability and preserve sterility . examples of present storage methods include : refrigeration , refrigeration with tissue culture medium such as : hemolyzed serum , autologous serum , medium 199 with 5 % dextran ( mccarey - kaufman medium ), medium 199 with chondroitin sulfate , medium 199 supplemented with inorganic salts , short chain fatty acids , and / or ketone bodies , and cryopreservation techniques , among others . details are provided in u . s . pat . nos . 4 , 695 , 536 and 4 , 873 , 186 , the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference . to minimize exposure to the recipient &# 39 ; s immune system , the harvested nucleus pulposis is preferably inserted through a small hole in the annulus fibrosis using a blunttipped needle or cannula forced through the laminae . upon withdraw of the needle , after injecting the transplanted nucleus pulposis , the separated fibers of the lamella return to their normal position , thereby sealing the annulus . the annulus fibrosis is thicker in the anterior and lateral portion of the disc . thus , the needle would preferably be inserted into the anterior or lateral portion of the disc . those skilled in the art will realize the needle could be directed into the lateral portion of the disc percutaneously with fluourscopic guidance and into the anterior portion of the disc laparoscopically . the host nucleus pulposis may be morselized to allow insertion into the disc through a small cannula or needle . the increased surface area of the nucleus pulposis after morsellization may also aid diffusion of nutrients and wastes products to and from transplanted disc cells . alternatively large sections of the transplanted nucleus pulposis could be added to the disc if the annular defect was sealed after transplantation . the transplanted nucleus is preferably added to the patient &# 39 ; s nucleus pulposis . alternatively , the patient &# 39 ; s nucleus could be removed with standard techniques ( enzymatically ( chymopapain ) or with the aid of a laser , suction device , shaver , or other surgical instrument ). if the nucleus is removed the hole in the annulus should be small and sealed to prevent the ingrowth of vascular tissue . vascular ingrowth could lead to a graft versus host reaction . additional therapeutic substances could be added to the transplanted nucleus . for example , resorbable culture medium , tissue growth or differentiation factors ( recombinant generated morphogenetic proteins , pdgf , tgf - β , egf / tgf - α , igf - i , βfgf ), hydrogels , absorbable or nonresorbable synthetic or natural polymers ( collagen , fibrin , polyglycolic acid , polylactic acid , polytetrafluoroethylene , etc . ), antibiotics , antiinflammatory medication , immunosuppressive medications , etc . could be beneficial .	0
the ensuing description provides embodiments only , and is not intended to limit the scope , applicability , or configuration of the claims . rather , the ensuing description will provide those skilled in the art with an enabling description for implementing the embodiments . it being understood that various changes may be made in the function and arrangement of elements without departing from the spirit and scope of the appended claims . a communication system 100 , for interacting with persons and conducting automated surveys using social media is shown in fig1 . the communication system 100 can include a contact center 102 , a network 112 , and one or more types of social media networks or systems , such as social media network 1 116 , social media network 2 118 , and social media network 3 120 . social media networks 1 116 , 2 118 , and / or 3 120 can be any social media including , but not limited to , networks , websites , or computer enabled systems . for example , a social media network may be myspace , facebook , twitter , linked - in , spoke , or other similar computer enabled systems or websites . the communication system 100 can communicate with more or fewer social media networks 116 , 118 , and / or 120 than those shown fig1 , as represented by ellipses 122 the network 112 can be any network or system operable to allow communication between the contact center 102 and the one or more social media networks 116 , 118 , and / or 120 . the network 112 can represent any communication system , whether wired and / or wireless , using any protocol and / or format . one exemplary implementation of the network 112 is the internet . the network 112 provides communication capability for the contact center 102 to communicate with sites ( i . e ., web - servers or server clusters via http formatted request and response protocols ) corresponding to the one or more social media networks 116 , 118 , and / or 120 . however , the network 112 can represent two or more networks , where each network is a different communication system using different communication protocols and / or formats and / or different hardware and software . for example , network 112 can be a wide area network , local area network , the internet , a cellular telephone network , or some other type of communication system . the network may be as described in conjunction with fig5 and 6 . a contact center 102 can be a system owned and operated by an enterprise that can communicate with one or more persons that use social media networking sites . in some embodiments , the enterprise administering the contact center 102 may offer products and / or services to various customers . in some embodiments , the contact center 102 may be utilized to offer the products and / or services . in some embodiments , the contact center 102 may be utilized to provide customer support and related services for previously sold products and / or services . the contact center 102 can be hardware , software , or a combination of hardware and software . the contact center 102 can be executed by one or more servers or computer systems , as described in conjunction with fig5 and 6 . the contact center 102 can include all systems , whether hardware or software , which allows the contact center 102 to receive , service , and respond to directed and automatically - retrieved contacts . for example the contact center 102 can include the telephone or email system , the interface to human agents , systems to allow human agents to service and respond to received contacts , and one or more systems operable to analyze and improve the function of agent interaction . the contact center 102 may include a dialog system 104 and a social media gateway 106 . while the dialog system 104 and the social media gateway 106 are shown as being a part of the contact system 102 , in other embodiments , the dialog system 104 and / or the social media gateway 106 are separate systems or functions executed separately from the contact center 102 and / or executed by a third party . the dialog system 104 may process and receive messages . the social media gateway 106 can receive and translate messages from the one or more social media networks 116 , 118 , and / or 120 . an embodiment of the dialog system 104 is described in conjunction with fig2 b . an embodiment of the social media gateway 106 is described in conjunction with fig2 a . in some embodiments , the contact center 102 further includes a customer tracker 108 and a tracker database 110 . the customer tracker 108 may include functionality for conducting automatic customer feedback surveys via the social media networks 116 , 118 , and / or 120 . in conducting such surveys , the customer tracker 108 may retrieve data from the tracker database 110 that helps to identify information sources for the customer survey ( i . e ., which of the social media networks 116 , 118 , 120 should be monitored during the customer survey ), analyze data retrieved during a customer survey , refine customer survey results , and produce automated responses thereto . an embodiment of the customer tracker 108 is described in conjunction with fig2 c . the contact center 102 may also communicate with one or more communication devices 114 . the communication devices 114 can represent a customer &# 39 ; s or user &# 39 ; s cell phone , email system , personal digital assistant , laptop computer , or other device that allows the contact center 102 to interact with the customer . the contact center 102 can modify a non - direct contact , from a social media network 116 , 118 , and / or 120 , into a directed contact by sending a response message directly to a customer &# 39 ; s communication device 114 . an embodiment of the social media gateway 106 is shown in fig2 a . the social media gateway 106 can include one or more components which may include hardware , software , or combination of hardware and software . the social media gateway 106 can be executed by a computer system such as those in conjunction with fig5 and 6 . however , in other embodiments , the components described in conjunction with fig2 a are logic circuits or other specially - designed hardware that are embodied in a field programmable gate array ( fpga ). herein , the social media gateway 106 can include one or more content filters 202 a , 202 b , and / or 202 c . a content filter 202 can receive all of the messages for the contact center 102 from a social media network 116 , 118 , and / or 120 and eliminate or delete those messages that do not require a response or relate to a particular customer survey . for example , a message between two friends on a facebook page , if not pertaining to a product or a service of the company operating the contact center 102 , may not need a response . as such , the content filter 202 can filter out or delete that non - suitable message from the messages that are received by social media network application programming interface ( api ) 1 204 a , social media network api 2 204 b , and / or social media network api 3 204 c . with the content filter 202 , the social media network api 204 only needs to translate those messages that should be received by the dialog system 104 . translation typically requires the conversion of the message into a different format . the content filter 202 is provided with one or more heuristics for filter rules from a filter database ( not shown ). these filter rules can be created by the external customer or internal user ( e . g . agent or administrator ) of the communication system 100 . thus , the user or customer of the communication system 100 can customize the filtering of messages from social media networks 116 , 118 , and / or 120 . further , different rules may be applied to different social media networks , as some social media networks may have different types of messages or postings than other types of social media networks . while the content filter 202 is shown as part of the social media gateway 106 , it is to be appreciated that the content filter 202 may be a part of the social media network api 204 . the content filter 202 may correspond to the query terms used by the social media network api 204 . the content filter 202 or query terms are an argument to the social media network api 204 call . the social media network api 204 can be an application that the social media network 116 , 118 , and / or 120 provides to access the site . thus , the social media network api 204 is called and connects the social media gateway 106 to the social media network 116 , 118 , and / or 120 . any suitable filter criteria may be employed . examples include social media identifier ( i . e ., the known social media identifier of a customer of the enterprise that operates the contact center 102 ), content of source , address field , destination or recipient address fields , time stamp field , subject matter field , and message body field . for example , an obvious searchable content is the name of the business enterprise running the contact center 102 and / or products or services of the enterprises . the social media gateway 106 can include one or more social media network api 204 . as shown in fig2 a , the social media gateway 106 may include a social media network api 204 for each social media network 116 , 118 , and / or 120 . as such , the social media gateway 106 can interact with each social media network 116 , 118 , and / or 120 in the particular ( often unique ) format or protocol used by the social media network 116 , 118 , and / or 120 . further , when new social media networks are created , the social media gateway 106 can easily be expanded to interact with those social media networks by adding another social media network api 204 . where social media networks 116 , 118 , and / or 120 are more standardized , or use substantially similar formats or protocols , a single social media network api can be shared by multiple such social media networks 116 , 118 , and / or 120 . the social media network api 204 can receive messages from and send messages corresponding to the social media network 116 , 118 , and / or 120 . the social media network api 204 can translate a message received from a social media network 116 , 118 , and / or 120 and send the translated message to a message filter 206 . the social media network api 204 can translate the received message into a standard formatted file . for example , the translated message may be represented by an extensible mark - up language ( xml ) file or other file having a general format . as such , each specific and particular social media network message can be translated into a standard format for use by the dialog system 104 . further , the social media network api 204 can receive a generally or standard format response message , from the dialog system 104 and translate that response into a particularly or specifically formatted response message that can be posted to the corresponding social media network 116 , 118 , and / or 120 . messages to the contact center 102 are addressed to the contact center 102 . for example , a customer may become a “ friend ” of the contact center 102 on a social media network 118 , such as facebook . the customer may then address a message to the contact center 102 on facebook . this non - direct contact is a message that is not sent directly to the contact center 102 but to the contact center &# 39 ; s facebook page . in other embodiments , the contact center 102 receives messages not addressed to the contact center 102 . for example , the contact center 102 can receive tweets from twitter that are “ broadcast ” rather than addressed to the contact center 102 . the contact center 102 may also search for message or content on the social media network 116 , 118 , and / or 120 . exemplary search criteria include customer name , customer profession , customer home address , customer business address , customer employer name , customer educational or professional background , customer hobby , personal or business interests , customer family profile , product name , service name , and the like . thus , the social media gateway 106 of the contact center 102 can query , gather , or connect to a live feed of data from a social media network 116 , 118 , and / or 120 and then apply a filter to the indirect information . the translated messages from the social media network api 204 can be received by a message filter 206 . a message filter 206 can perform some or all of the functions of the content filter 202 and eliminate messages before being sent to the dialog system 104 . however , in other embodiments , the message filter 206 eliminates information from within the messages before the trimmed messages are sent to the dialog system 104 . for example , a message from a social media network 116 may have three or four interactions between two parties not associated with the contact center 102 . only one of the several postings may be pertinent to the dialog system 104 . as such , the message filter 206 can eliminate or delete at least a portion of the other messages for the dialog system 104 . thus , the dialog system 104 receives a message where some of the content of the message has been deleted . the message filter 206 can retrieve heuristics or filter rules from a filter database ( not shown ), similar to the content filter 202 . a substantial difference between the content and message filters 202 and 206 is that the content filter 202 is specific to a particular message format associated with a corresponding social media network 116 , 118 , and / or 120 , while the message filter 206 is applied to a standardized or universal format and is therefore common to multiple social media networks 116 , 118 , and / or 120 . one skilled in the art will understand the type of rules that may be used to filter information from messages such that only pertinent questions , facts , requests , or information is sent to the dialog system 104 . a message aggregator 208 may also be included with the social media gateway 106 . a message aggregator 208 can , in contrast to the message filter 206 , combine two or more messages into a packet or grouping that is sent to the dialog system 104 . therefore , the message aggregator 208 can inter - relate or combine messages based on different information within the messages . for example , two messages may be combined based on any of the message fields referenced above , such as the person that posted the message , the subject , the request or question asked , the person the message was sent to , or other information that may be pertinent to the dialog system 104 . thus , the dialog system 104 may be able to respond concurrently to two or more messages based on a grouping provided by the message aggregator 208 . if the messages are aggregated or not aggregated , each message can be sent from the social media gateway 106 to the dialog system 104 . the social media gateway 106 can also send responses back to the social media networks 116 , 118 , and / or 120 . a response from an agent in the contact center 102 can be sent to the social media gateway 106 . the response may be in a general format and translated . the translated response may then be posted to the appropriate social media network 116 , 118 , and / or 120 by the social media gateway 106 . in other embodiments , the agent may post the response directly to the social media network 116 , 118 , and / or 120 without sending the response to the social media gateway 106 . the social media gateway 106 can further include a tracking filter 246 which comprises filter rules sufficient to further eliminate data not relevant to a customer survey . in particular , data retrieved from one or more information sources ( e . g ., social media network 116 , 118 , and / or 120 ) can be filtered into data relevant to a customer survey and other data not relevant to a customer survey . for example , the tracking filter 246 may be used to eliminate data that is related to a certain product because that data contained the name of the product therein , but that does not necessarily reflect an opinion of that product ( e . g ., because it does not contain any content which indicates a preference for or against the product or service , but only casually mentions the product or service as part of another conversation ). data which is not useful to creating customer feedback results for a product or service may be filtered out by the tracking filter 246 , thereby minimizing the amount of data that is processed by the customer tracker 108 . as can be appreciated , although the tracking filter 246 is depicted as part of the social media gateway 106 , the tracking filter 246 may be optionally executed within the dialog system 104 and , in particular , executed by a survey component 212 of the dialog core 210 contained within the dialog system 104 . an embodiment of the dialog system 104 is shown in fig2 b . the dialog system 104 can include one or more components which may be hardware , software , or combination of hardware and software . the dialog system 104 can be executed by a computer system such as those described in conjunction with fig5 and 6 . however , in other embodiments , the components described in conjunction with fig2 b , are logic circuits or other specially - designed hardware that are embodied in a field programmable gate array ( fpga ) or application specific integrated circuit ( asic ). the components contained within the dialog system 104 can include a dialog core 210 that is communication with a message history database 222 , an agent interface 224 , and a heuristic rules and dialogs database 218 . further , the heuristic rules and dialogs database 218 can be in communication with a dialog creator 220 . the dialog core 210 can include one or more sub - components . for example , the dialog core 210 includes a survey component 212 , a text processing component 214 , and an analysis tools component 216 . these components , similar to the components for the dialog system 104 , can be hardware , software , or combination of hardware and software . the dialog core 210 steps through the states of a dialog data structure . a dialog is a set of inputs and associated actions that can be taken which allow for the automatic and structured response to social media requests or messages as well as the automatic and structured response to negative social media feedback . for example , if a user asks for a manual , the input of the text word “ manual ” can cause the dialog system 104 to send information about one or more manuals . in turn , the receiver of the response may respond , in kind , with the selection of a certain user manual . in which case , the dialog data structure may then automatically send the user to a website where the user can retrieve an electronic version of the manual . as such , the dialog data structure allows the dialog core 210 to automate the interaction between the contact center 102 and a person . this automation eliminates the need for agent involvement , in some situations , and makes the contact center 102 more efficient and more effective . further , the automation expands the contact center &# 39 ; s ability to answer numerous messages from the plethora of postings on the numerous social media networks 116 , 118 , and / or 120 . the dialog creator 220 will create a dialog data structure 300 that steps through various states for each social media message that comes into the contact center 102 . the first step might be to send the social media message to the survey component 212 , then to the text processing component 214 , and then execute a query of a customer relationship management ( crm ) system and a crm database 232 ( to find out if this user has an existing order ). a crm database 232 can store information about customers or other data related to customer relations . finally the dialog data structure might decide that the social media message should be sent to a human agent 228 for processing . the crm database 232 may be the same or similar to the tracker database 110 in that the crm database 232 can store information regarding customers of the contact center 102 . the states or node transitions are in the dialog core 210 and make use of many different components that the dialog creator 220 combines in any way the user desires to handle the social media messages . the dialog core 210 can make use of the survey component 212 , text processing component 214 , or other systems . the dialog core 210 may also interface with a crm system and / or crm database 232 , external databases , social media user information ( e . g ., followers , friends , post history , etc . from the social media site ), or other systems . the survey component 212 is operable to analyze incoming data from the social media gateway 106 and determine whether it is relevant to a customer survey currently being conducted . if so , the identified relevant data may be provided to the customer tracker 108 . as noted above , the survey component 212 may utilize the filter rules , such as those contained in tracking filter 246 to sort the incoming data into customer - survey - relevant data and other non - relevant data . when data is identified as being relevant to a customer survey currently being conducted by the contact center 102 , then the survey component 212 may forward the data to the customer tracker 108 . in some embodiments , data relevant to a customer survey may only be provided to the customer tracker 108 ( meaning that no other components of the dialog core 210 have to process the data ). in some embodiments , data relevant to a customer survey may be sent to the customer tracker 108 and a copy thereof may also be sent to the text processing component 214 . the text processing component 214 is operable to analyze text of one or more messages from social media networks 116 , 118 , and / or 120 . some possible methods for text processing can include regular expression , latent semantic indexing ( lsi ), text part of speech tagging , text clustering , n - gram document analysis , etc . in addition , for possibly longer documents , ( such as , blogs or emails ), the text processing component 214 may execute one or more methods of document summarization . the summarization may occur if the social media message will be sent to an agent 228 of the contact center 102 ; the summarization can reduce the amount of information that the agent may manage . the text processing rules or models may be stored in and / or retrieved from a text processing rules database 230 . the text processing rules database 230 can be a database as described in conjunction with fig5 and 6 that stores rules or models used by the text processing component 214 . the text processing component 214 can identify one or more occurrences of a particular text , such as using one or more of the message fields referenced above , in order to associate that social media message with one or more dialogs data structures in the heuristic rules and dialog database 218 . for example , the text processing component can look for the word “ manual ,” in the social media message . if the word “ manual ” is found , the text processing component 214 may retrieve a dialog from the heuristic rules and dialogs database 218 , which communicates with the customer about one or more owner &# 39 ; s manuals , repair manuals , or other types of manuals . in another example , if the social media message includes the words , “ buy ”, “ sell ”, “ price , “ discount ” or other types of words that may indicate the user or customer wishes to buy a product , the text processing component 214 can retrieve one or more dialogs from the heuristic rules and dialogs database 218 that can assist the customer in purchasing products or services from the enterprise . the analysis tools component 216 is operable to analyze response messages received back from an agent interface 224 . in analyzing the agent &# 39 ; s responses , the analysis tools component 216 can determine if the dialog data structures 300 ( fig3 ) originally retrieved by the text processing component 214 met the needs of the customer . the analysis tools component 216 may also be configured to determine whether a dialog data structure 300 generated in response to a poor customer feedback survey is sufficient for responding to the customer response . in the analysis , the agent may enter one or more items of information , for the analysis tools component 216 , about the response and about how the response matched with the dialog data structures 300 . the analysis tools component 216 can review the response and determine if it was similar to the response provided by the dialog data structure 300 . thus , the analysis tools component 216 can provide information to the dialog core 210 or the dialog creator 220 to improve the dialog data structures 300 ( fig3 ) that are included in the heuristic rules and dialogs database 218 . the message history database 222 can be any database or data storage system as described in conjunction with fig5 and 6 . thus , the message history database 222 can store data in data fields , objects , or other data structures to allow other systems to retrieve that information at a later time . the message history database 222 can store previous messages or information about previous messages . thus , for example , if the survey component 212 is analyzing several messages over a period of time , the survey component 212 can retrieve information about previous messages associated with the current survey from the message history database 222 . as such , the survey component 212 can better identify relevant survey data from the social media networks 116 , 118 , and / or 120 . the data stored by the message history database 222 can include the entire message or only a portion of the message , and in some circumstances , include metadata about the message ( s ). the heuristic rules and dialogs database 218 can be any type of database or data storage system as described in conjunction with fig5 and 6 . the heuristic rules and dialogs database 218 can store information and data fields , data objects , and / or any other data structures . an example of information stored within the heuristic rules and dialogs database 218 is described in conjunction with fig3 . the heuristic rules and dialogs database 218 stores rules and dialogs that automate responses to received social media messages . the dialogs control the interaction between the dialog core 210 and the social media network 116 , 118 , and / or 120 . the dialogs or heuristic rules can be created by a dialog creator 220 . thus , the dialog creator 220 can interface with the user input 226 to receive information about dialogs . the user input 226 is then used to form the states and responses for a dialog . an agent interface 224 is a communication system operable to send action items to contact center agents , in the contact center 102 . an agent can be a person or other system that is operable to respond to certain questions or requests from a customer . for example , the agent can be a person that has specialized expertise in a topic area , such as technical support . the agent interface 224 can format the social message into an action item and forward that message to one or more agents 228 . the agent interface 224 can also receive response ( s ) back from the agents 228 . the information provided by the agent may be used by the dialog core 210 to complete a response to the social media message . for example , the information may classify the social media message ( e . g ., sales , service , etc .). in other embodiments , the response is a complete response to the social media message that can be posted to the social media network 116 , 118 , and / or 120 . an embodiment of the customer tracker 108 is shown in fig2 c . the customer tracker 108 can include one or more components which may be hardware , software , or combination of hardware and software . the customer tracker 108 can be executed by a computer system such as those described in conjunction with fig5 and 6 . however , in other embodiments , the components described in conjunction with fig2 c , are logic circuits or other specially - designed hardware that are embodied in a field programmable gate array ( fpga ) or application specific integrated circuit ( asic ). the components contained within the customer tracker 108 can include an automated survey agent 234 , a survey generating database 242 , and a response criteria database 244 . the automated survey agent 234 may include a number of sub - components for administering automated customer feedback surveys and generating results in connection therewith . for instance , the automated survey agent 234 may include a social media tracker 236 , an interaction tracker 238 , and a survey generator and analyzer 240 . the social media tracker 236 may comprise the functionality to identify potential sources of customer feedback . in particular , the social media tracker 236 can analyze parameters associated with a desired customer survey and , based on those parameters , analyze all publicly - available sources of information to determine which of those sources are likely to have data relevant to the desired customer survey . in some embodiments , a publicly - available source of information may correspond to one or more web servers associated with the social media networks 116 , 118 , and / or 120 . in some embodiments , the publicly - available sources of information may not be totally accessible to all members of the public . rather , access to such sources of information may be protected by one or more of a password , user name , and other related permissions . assuming that the enterprise operating the contact center 102 has sufficient data to access an otherwise non - public conversation at one of the social media networks 116 , 118 , and / or 120 , the source of that data may be considered publicly - accessible . in some embodiments , the social media tracker 236 is able to retrieve data necessary for accessing a publicly - accessible information source from the tracker database 110 . for example , if a publicly - accessible information source is identified as a particular social networking website , and more particularly a user of that website , then the social media tracker 236 may be configured to retrieve the user &# 39 ; s identifier for that website and monitor posts made to that website by that user ( e . g ., via identifying posts made under the user &# 39 ; s identifier and retrieving the same ). the interaction tracker 238 may be configured to determine when a survey should begin . in other words , the interaction tracker 238 may be configured to monitor the social media history database 222 and any other agent - customer interaction within the contact center 102 to determine whether a survey - initiating trigger has occurred . when such an event has occurred , the interaction tracker 238 is configured to invoke the social media tracker 236 for a predetermined amount following the detection of the survey - initiating trigger . in some embodiments , the predetermined amount of time for which the automated survey is conducted may vary depending upon the type of survey - initiating trigger detected , the number of publicly - available information sources identified , and the number of customers being monitored for feedback . all of these determinations may be made based upon data stored in the survey generating database 242 . in particular , the survey generating database 242 may comprise rules and metrics used for generating automated customer surveys including algorithms for determining how long a customer survey should be conducted and what constitutes a possible source of information . the survey generator and analyzer 240 may be configured to operate in cooperation with the social media tracker 236 . in particular , data gathered by the social media tracker 236 may be analyzed , in real - time ( e . g ., as it is received by the social media tracker 236 ) by the survey generator and analyzer 240 . based on the data analysis performed by the survey generator and analyzer 240 , real - time customer survey results can be obtained and reported , as needed . moreover , the survey generator and analyzer 240 may be configured to determine , in real - time , whether the survey results are meeting a particular threshold . if the survey generator and analyzer 240 determines that customer survey results are falling below the predefined threshold , then the survey generator and analyzer 240 may construct a proposed response in the form of a dialog data structure 300 . the rules for determining whether survey results are adequate and determining the form of the response dialog data structure 300 may be maintained in the response criteria database 244 . an embodiment of a dialog data structure 300 is shown in fig3 . the dialog data structure 300 can be stored in several different forms of databases , such as relational databases , flat files , object - oriented databases , etc . thus , while the term “ data field ” or “ segment ” is used , the data may be stored in an object , an attribute of an object , or some other form of data structure . further , the dialog data structure 300 can be stored , retrieved , sent , or received during the processing of dialogs by the dialog core 210 , the dialog creator 220 , or the survey generator and analyzer 240 . the dialog data structure 300 stores one or more items of information in one or more data fields . the numeric identifiers ( e . g . 302 , 304 , etc .) shown in fig3 can identify , in one or more fields or segments , either the data field or segment or the data stored in the data field or segment . the dialog data structure 300 can include one or more input segments , such as , input segment 1 302 and input segment 2 304 , a rules segment 306 , and / or a dialog script segment 308 . input segments 302 and 304 each include one or more fields comprising the one or more inputs that may be required to associate a social media message with the dialog data structure 300 or inputs that may be required to associate customer survey results with the dialog data structure 300 . the inputs segments 302 and 304 may include a customer identity , a respective customer type , a text word , a phrase , a product name , a service description , a customer &# 39 ; s social media identifier , or other information that indicates that the dialog data structure 300 is associated with the social media messages or customer survey results . while there are only two input segments 1 302 and 2 304 shown in fig3 , there may be more or fewer input segments associated with the dialog data structure 300 , as indicated by ellipses 310 . the rules segment 306 can include one or more heuristic rules that either help with the association of the respective dialog data structure 300 with the social media message or control the interaction between the dialog core 210 and the social media customer . for example , the rule 306 can state that the dialog data structure 300 applies only if the social media message includes input segment 1 302 but not input segment 2 304 . one skilled in the art will be able to identify other types of rules that may govern the association of the dialog data structure 300 with the social media message . in other embodiments , the rules segment 306 states that if the social media message includes inputs 1 302 and / or 2 304 , then the dialog core 210 or automated survey agent 234 should respond with a certain type of action . generally , a dialog script segment 308 includes a script of actions or responses that direct one or more other components , such as the dialog core 210 ( fig2 b ) or the automated survey agent 234 ( fig2 c ), to conduct the actions or send the responses . the dialog script segment 308 can include the one or more responses required by the dialog core 210 or automated survey agent 234 . if the dialog script segment 308 applies ( that is , if the social media message is requesting a certain type of information ), the dialog script segment 308 may include the one or more responses that the dialog core 210 or automated survey agent 234 should communicate to respond to that social media message , include in survey results , or the like . the dialog script segment 308 can also include a response and a pointer to another dialog script segment 308 or another dialog data structure 300 . further , the dialog script segment 308 may have one or more actions that may be taken by another component after a secondary response is received by a customer . thus , the dialog script segment 308 can allow an interaction to continue with a social media user over a period of time and several interactions between the user and the contact center 102 . it should be noted that the dialog script segment 308 can reference one or more other dialog data structures 300 . thus , the dialog script segment 308 can direct the dialog core 210 or automated survey agent 234 to reference at least one other dialog data structure 300 to further act on the social media message or update customer survey results . further , the social media message can be subject of two or more dialog script segments 308 , and direct the dialog core 210 to complete two dialog script segments on the social media message . also , dialog script segments 308 may not be associated with a response but direct the dialog core 210 or automated survey agent 234 to complete other actions , such as populating databases or gathering information . referring now to fig4 , an exemplary method 400 of conducting an automated customer survey will be described . the method 400 begins ( step 404 ) and continues when a survey - initiating trigger is detected by the interaction tracker 238 ( step 408 ). the types of events which may constitute a survey - initiating trigger include , without limitation , receiving a contact at the contact center 102 , determining that a contact has been serviced by the contact center 102 , determining that a contact related to one or more of a product and service offered by an enterprise associated with the contact center 102 has been received or serviced by the contact center 102 , determining that a product has been sold to a particular customer , determining that a service has been rendered for a particular customer , determining that a product launch has occurred , determining that a new service has been offered or completed , determining that a product has been released to a finite set of customers , determining that a service has been rendered for a finite set of customers , determining that a customer complaint has been received regarding a product or service , anticipating one or more of the above events , and combinations thereof . once a survey - initiating trigger has been detected , the method 400 continues with the automated survey agent 234 identifying one or more survey participants ( step 412 ). this determination may be made based on the triggering event or parameters contained in the triggering event . for example , if the triggering event related to a particular customer having a contact with the contact center 102 , then the survey participant may solely comprise the particular customer . as another example , if the triggering event related to a particular service , then the survey participants may include any possible customers that known to have received the service . this information may be obtained from the tracker database 110 , survey generating database 242 , and / or crm database 232 . the method 400 also involves determining survey information sources ( step 416 ). this step may be similar or related to step 412 in that the identification of information sources may depend upon the triggering event or parameters contained in the triggering event . in some embodiments , an information source may be identified based on its association with a user that received a product or service . in other words , if a particular customer receives a product or service from an enterprise and that customer &# 39 ; s social media identifier is known to the enterprise by virtue of it being stored in one or more of the crm database 232 and tracker database 110 , then the social media network for which the customer &# 39 ; s social media identifier is used may be identified as an information source . other rules which may be used to identify information sources include location information ( e . g ., a potential information source has a known logical or physical proximity to a product or service offered ). the method 400 continues by determining survey parameters , which may include an amount of time for which a survey will be conducted as well as filter rules which will be utilized in the tracking filter 246 ( step 420 ). thereafter , the identified information sources are monitored by the social media tracker 236 for the predetermined amount of time ( step 424 ). the monitored interactions received from the various information sources ( e . g ., the data feeds obtained from the social media networks 116 , 118 , and / or 120 ) may then be analyzed by the survey generator and analyzer 240 ( step 428 ). in some embodiments , the analysis is performed in real - time , meaning that as data is received at the contact center 102 and that data passes through the tracking filter 246 , the survey generator and analyzer 240 is configured to analyze the data . in some embodiments , the analysis is performed after some or all of the data has been retrieved from the identified information sources . in any event , it is generally preferable to perform the analysis only on data which passes through the tracking filter 246 , so as to minimize , to the extent possible , the amount of analysis performed by the survey generator and analyzer 240 . based on the analysis of the monitored interactions , the survey generator and analyzer 240 determines survey results , which may include real - time satisfaction metrics if the analysis is performed in real - time ( step 432 ). the content of the survey results can be quantified based on predetermined metrics or rules and compared to a predetermined threshold ( step 436 ). for instance , a customer response determined to be relevant to the customer survey ( i . e ., by virtue of passing the content filter 202 a , 202 b , 202 c , the message filter 206 , and tracking filter 246 ) may be classified as either a positive or negative response . the survey results may comprise a percentage metric of the number of positive responses as compared to total responses and that percentage metric ( e . g ., 75 % positive responses ) can be compared to a predetermined percentage metric ( e . g ., 80 % positive responses required ). other ways of quantifying the survey results for comparison to a predetermined threshold will become readily apparent to those skilled in the art . for instance , the positive survey results may be totaled and compared to a scalar number of required positive survey results . alternatively , or in addition , negative survey results may be compared to a predetermined threshold . alternatively , or in addition , a degree of customer satisfaction may be assigned to a response based on the number of positive and / or negative adjectives used in the response , the relationship between positive and / or negative adjectives used with respect to a product or service name or synonym ( i . e ., temporal proximity as determined by the number of words separating two items ), etc . and the degree of customer satisfaction may be used in the comparison step . the results of the comparison are then analyzed by the survey generator and analyzer 240 and it is determined whether or not the survey results satisfy the thresholds set forth by the enterprise ( step 440 ). if the survey results do not satisfy the threshold , then the survey generator and analyzer 240 may automatically generate a response for posting on the various information sources ( step 444 ). in particular , the survey generator and analyzer 240 may utilize one or more data structures 300 contained in the survey generating database 242 to generate an automated response message that can be transmitted back to the information source from which the response was obtained . the response message can then be posted for public viewing ( at least publicly accessible for persons with permissions , if required ) on that same information source . thereafter , or in the event that the survey results satisfied the predetermined threshold , an actual survey report is finalize and transmitted to one or more interested parties ( step 448 ). for example , the survey report may be generated with a data structure 300 and transmitted to a product manager ( if the survey related to a product ) or a service manager ( if the survey related to a survey ). the method 400 may then either end or return back to step 404 . fig5 illustrates a block diagram of a system 500 that may function as servers , computers , or other systems provided herein . the system 500 includes one or more user computers 505 , 510 , and 515 . the user computers 505 , 510 , and 515 may be general purpose personal computers ( including , merely by way of example , personal computers , and / or laptop computers running various versions of microsoft corp .&# 39 ; s windows ™ and / or apple corp .&# 39 ; s macintosh ™ operating systems ) and / or workstation computers running any of a variety of commercially - available unixtm or unix - like operating systems . these user computers 505 , 510 , 515 may also have any of a variety of applications , including for example , database client and / or server applications , and web browser applications . alternatively , the user computers 505 , 510 , and 515 may be any other electronic device , such as a thin - client computer , internet - enabled mobile telephone , and / or personal digital assistant , capable of communicating via a network 520 and / or displaying and navigating web pages or other types of electronic documents . although the exemplary system 500 is shown with three user computers , any number of user computers may be supported . system 500 further includes a network 520 . the network 520 may can be any type of network familiar to those skilled in the art that can support data communications using any of a variety of commercially - available protocols , including without limitation sip , tcp / ip , sna , ipx , appletalk , and the like . merely by way of example , the network 520 maybe a local area network (“ lan ”), such as an ethernet network , a token - ring network and / or the like ; a wide - area network ; a virtual network , including without limitation a virtual private network (“ vpn ”); the internet ; an intranet ; an extranet ; a public switched telephone network (“ pstn ”); an infra - red network ; a wireless network ( e . g ., a network operating under any of the ieee 502 . 11 suite of protocols , the bluetooth ™ protocol known in the art , and / or any other wireless protocol ); and / or any combination of these and / or other networks . the network 520 may be the same or similar to network 105 . the system may also include one or more server computers 525 , 530 . one server may be a web server 525 , which may be used to process requests for web pages or other electronic documents from user computers 505 , 510 , and 520 . the web server can be running an operating system including any of those discussed above , as well as any commercially - available server operating systems . the web server 525 can also run a variety of server applications , including sip servers , http servers , ftp servers , cgi servers , database servers , java servers , and the like . in some instances , the web server 525 may publish operations available operations as one or more web services . the system 500 may also include one or more file and or / application servers 530 , which can , in addition to an operating system , include one or more applications accessible by a client running on one or more of the user computers 505 , 510 , 515 . the server ( s ) 530 may be one or more general purpose computers capable of executing programs or scripts in response to the user computers 505 , 510 and 515 . as one example , the server may execute one or more web applications . the web application may be implemented as one or more scripts or programs written in any programming language , such as java ™, c , c #™, or c ++, and / or any scripting language , such as perl , python , or tcl , as well as combinations of any programming / scripting languages . the application server ( s ) 530 may also include database servers , including without limitation those commercially available from oracle , microsoft , sybase ™, ibm ™ and the like , which can process requests from database clients running on a user computer 505 . the web pages created by the web application server 530 may be forwarded to a user computer 505 via a web server 525 . similarly , the web server 525 may be able to receive web page requests , web services invocations , and / or input data from a user computer 705 and can forward the web page requests and / or input data to the web application server 730 . in further embodiments , the server 530 may function as a file server . although for ease of description , fig5 illustrates a separate web server 525 and file / application server 530 , those skilled in the art will recognize that the functions described with respect to servers 525 , 530 may be performed by a single server and / or a plurality of specialized servers , depending on implementation - specific needs and parameters . the computer systems 505 , 510 , and 515 , file server 525 and / or application server 530 may function as the system , devices , or components described in fig1 - 3 . the system 500 may also include a database 535 . the database 535 may reside in a variety of locations . by way of example , database 535 may reside on a storage medium local to ( and / or resident in ) one or more of the computers 505 , 510 , 515 , 525 , 530 . alternatively , it may be remote from any or all of the computers 505 , 510 , 515 , 525 , 530 , and in communication ( e . g ., via the network 520 ) with one or more of these . in a particular set of embodiments , the database 535 may reside in a storage - area network (“ san ”) familiar to those skilled in the art . similarly , any necessary files for performing the functions attributed to the computers 505 , 510 , 515 , 525 , 530 may be stored locally on the respective computer and / or remotely , as appropriate . in one set of embodiments , the database 535 may be a relational database , such as oracle 10i ™, that is adapted to store , update , and retrieve data in response to sql - formatted commands . fig6 illustrates one embodiment of a computer system 600 upon which the servers , computers , or other systems or components described herein may be deployed or executed . the computer system 600 is shown comprising hardware elements that may be electrically coupled via a bus 655 . the hardware elements may include one or more central processing units ( cpus ) 605 ; one or more input devices 610 ( e . g ., a mouse , a keyboard , etc . ); and one or more output devices 615 ( e . g ., a display device , a printer , etc .). the computer system 600 may also include one or more storage devices 620 . by way of example , storage device ( s ) 620 may be disk drives , optical storage devices , solid - state storage devices such as a random access memory (“ ram ”) and / or a read - only memory (“ rom ”), which can be programmable , flash - updateable and / or the like . the computer system 600 may additionally include a computer - readable storage media reader 625 ; a communications system 630 ( e . g ., a modem , a network card ( wireless or wired ), an infra - red communication device , etc . ); and working memory 640 , which may include ram and rom devices as described above . in some embodiments , the computer system 600 may also include a processing acceleration unit 635 , which can include a dsp , a special - purpose processor , and / or the like . the computer - readable storage media reader 625 can further be connected to a computer - readable storage medium , together ( and , optionally , in combination with storage device ( s ) 620 ) comprehensively representing remote , local , fixed , and / or removable storage devices plus storage media for temporarily and / or more permanently containing computer - readable information . the communications system 630 may permit data to be exchanged with the network 620 and / or any other computer described above with respect to the system 600 . moreover , as disclosed herein , the term “ storage medium ” may represent one or more devices for storing data , including read only memory ( rom ), random access memory ( ram ), magnetic ram , core memory , magnetic disk storage mediums , optical storage mediums , flash memory devices and / or other machine readable mediums for storing information . the computer system 600 may also comprise software elements , shown as being currently located within a working memory 640 , including an operating system 645 and / or other code 650 , such as program code implementing the application server 530 . it should be appreciated that alternate embodiments of a computer system 600 may have numerous variations from that described above . for example , customized hardware might also be used and / or particular elements might be implemented in hardware , software ( including portable software , such as applets ), or both . further , connection to other computing devices such as network input / output devices may be employed . in the foregoing description , for the purposes of illustration , methods were described in a particular order . it should be appreciated that in alternate embodiments , the methods may be performed in a different order than that described . it should also be appreciated that the methods described above may be performed by hardware components or may be embodied in sequences of machine - executable instructions , which may be used to cause a machine , such as a general - purpose or special - purpose processor or logic circuits programmed with the instructions to perform the methods . these machine - executable instructions may be stored on one or more machine readable mediums , such as cd - roms or other type of optical disks , floppy diskettes , roms , rams , eproms , eeproms , magnetic or optical cards , flash memory , or other types of machine - readable mediums suitable for storing electronic instructions . alternatively , the methods may be performed by a combination of hardware and software . specific details were given in the description to provide a thorough understanding of the embodiments . however , it will be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art that the embodiments may be practiced without these specific details . for example , circuits may be shown in block diagrams in order not to obscure the embodiments in unnecessary detail . in other instances , well - known circuits , processes , algorithms , structures , and techniques may be shown without unnecessary detail in order to avoid obscuring the embodiments . also , it is noted that the embodiments were described as a process which is depicted as a flowchart , a flow diagram , a data flow diagram , a structure diagram , or a block diagram . although a flowchart may describe the operations as a sequential process , many of the operations can be performed in parallel or concurrently . in addition , the order of the operations may be re - arranged . a process is terminated when its operations are completed , but could have additional steps not included in the figure . a process may correspond to a method , a function , a procedure , a subroutine , a subprogram , etc . when a process corresponds to a function , its termination corresponds to a return of the function to the calling function or the main function . furthermore , embodiments may be implemented by hardware , software , firmware , middleware , microcode , hardware description languages , or any combination thereof . when implemented in software , firmware , middleware or microcode , the program code or code segments to perform the necessary tasks may be stored in a machine readable medium such as storage medium . a processor ( s ) may perform the necessary tasks . a code segment may represent a procedure , a function , a subprogram , a program , a routine , a subroutine , a module , a software package , a class , or any combination of instructions , data structures , or program statements . a code segment may be coupled to another code segment or a hardware circuit by passing and / or receiving information , data , arguments , parameters , or memory contents . information , arguments , parameters , data , etc . may be passed , forwarded , or transmitted via any suitable means including memory sharing , message passing , token passing , network transmission , etc . while illustrative embodiments of the invention have been described in detail herein , it is to be understood that the inventive concepts may be otherwise variously embodied and employed , and that the appended claims are intended to be construed to include such variations , except as limited by the prior art .	6
a social network is generally defined by the relationships among groups of individuals , and may include relationships ranging from casual acquaintances to close familial bonds . a social network may be represented using a graph structure . each node of the graph corresponds to a member of the social network edges connecting two nodes represent a relationship between two individuals . in addition , the degree of separation between any two nodes is defined as the minimum number of hops required to traverse the graph from one node to the other . a degree of separation between two members is a measure of relatedness between the two members . fig1 illustrates a graph representation of a social network centered on a given individual ( me ). other members of this social network include a - u whose position , relative to me &# 39 ; s , is referred to by the degree of separation between me and each other member . friends of me , which includes a , b , and c , are separated from me by one degree of separation ( 1 d / s ). a friend of a friend of me is separated from me by 2 d / s . as shown , d , e , f and g are each separated from me by 2 d / s . a friend of a friend of a friend of me is separated from me by 3 d / s . fig1 depicts all nodes separated from me by more than 3 degrees of separation as belonging to the category all . degrees of separation in a social network are defined relative to an individual . for example , in me &# 39 ; s social network , h and me are separated by 2 d / s , whereas in g &# 39 ; s social network , h and g are separated by only 1 d / s . accordingly , each individual will have their own set of first , second and third degree relationships . as those skilled in the art understand , an individual &# 39 ; s social network may be extended to include nodes to an nth degree of separation . as the number of degrees increases beyond three , however , the number of nodes typically grows at an explosive rate and quickly begins to mirror the all set . fig2 is a block diagram illustrating a system for creating and managing an online social network . as shown , fig2 illustrates a system 100 , including an application server 200 and graph servers 300 . the computers of system 100 are connected by a network 400 , e . g ., the internet , and accessible by over the network by a plurality of computers , collectively designated as 500 . the application server 200 manages a member database 210 , a relationship database 220 , and a search database 230 . the member database 210 contains profile information for each of the members in the online social network managed by the system 100 . the profile information may include , among other things : a unique member identifier , name , age , gender , location , hometown , references to image files , listing of interests , attributes , and the like . the profile information also includes visibility and contactability settings , the uses of which are described in a commonly owned application , “ system and method for managing information flow between members of an online social network ,” ( u . s . patent application ser . no . 10 / 854 , 057 , issued as u . s . pat . no . 8 , 010 , 458 ), filed may 26 , 2004 , the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference . the relationship database 220 stores information defining to the first degree relationships between members . the relationship database 220 stores information relating to the first degree relationships between members in addition , the contents of the member database 210 are indexed and optimized for search , and stored in the search database 230 . the member database 210 , the relationship database 220 , and the search database 230 are updated to reflect inputs of new member information and edits of existing member information that are made through the computers 500 . the application server 200 also manages the information exchange requests that it receives from the remote computers 500 . the graph servers 300 receive a query from the application server 200 , process the query and return the query results to the application server 200 . the graph servers 3 manage a representation of the social network for all the members in the member database 210 . the graph servers 300 and related components are described in detail in a commonly owned application , “ system and method for managing an online social network ,” ( u . s . patent application ser . no . 10 / 854 , 054 , issued as u . s . pat . no . 8 , 572 , 221 ), filed may 26 , 2004 , the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference . graph servers 300 store a graph representation of the social network defined by all of the members ( nodes ) and their corresponding relationships ( edges ). the graph servers 300 respond to requests from application server 200 to identify relationships and the degree of separation between members of the online social network . the application server 200 is further configured to process requests from a third party application 610 to provide social network information ( e . g ., the relationships between individuals ) for user records maintained in a third party database 620 . the third - party application 610 makes the requests to the application server 200 through an application programming interface ( api ) 600 . the methods by which the social network information maintained in the system 100 is shared with a third party is described in detail in a commonly owned application , “ method of sharing relationship information stored in a social network database with third party databases ,” ( u . s . patent application ser . no . 10 / 867 , 610 , issued as u . s . pat . no . 7 , 478 , 078 ), filed jun . 14 , 2004 , the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference . fig3 is a representation of the social network of fig1 in a tree format starting with member b at the top and showing all members connected to b members p - u are not shown in fig3 because they are not connected to b in the social network of fig1 g and h are shown twice because each is connected to b through two different paths c ′, e ′ and g ′ each collectively represents individuals who are identified in contact lists maintained by members c , e and g , respectively . these individuals typically are not members of the social network of fig1 . other members also maintain contact lists , but for simplicity , it is assumed that only c , e and g have data stored in their contact lists . the contact list information includes name , address , telephone numbers , e - mail addresses , and similar types of information that are stored in contact management software such as outlook ® and act !®. the present invention will be illustrated with the following four examples : ( 1 ) authorizing an individual to communicate with a member of the social network ( by way of e - mail , instant messaging , text messaging , voicemail , and other similar means ); ( 2 ) authorizing content made available by an individual to be transmitted to a member of the social network for viewing ; ( 3 ) authenticating a member of the social network for access to online content ; and ( 4 ) authenticating a member of the social network for access to a loan . in each of these examples , the decision on whether to authorize the information flow to b ( examples 1 and 2 ), or to authenticate b for access to information or service ( examples 3 and 4 ), will be based on a black list and b &# 39 ; s social network . a black list used in authorizing information flow to a member ( examples 1 and 2 ), or in authenticating the member for access to a loan ( example 4 ) is defined with respect to the member . in the example given here , a single black list is maintained for a member . however , the black list may be defined separately for different types of activity . for example , the black list used in authorizing e - mail communication to b may be different from the black list used in authorizing content made available by an individual to be transmitted to b for viewing . a black list that is defined with respect to a member is typically updated by that member . for example , if b received an unwanted communication ( e . g ., spam ) from d and l , or while browsing profiles of other members in the social network , came across d &# 39 ; s content and l &# 39 ; s content that b found to be offensive , b will add d and l to its black list . this black list is shown in fig4 . a black list used in authenticating a member for access to online content or service ( example 3 ) is defined globally with respect to everyone seeking access , but it is maintained separately for each different online content / service provider . for example , a black list used in authenticating a member for access to information or service made available by a provider abc is different from a black list used in authenticating a member for access to information or service made available by provider xyz . this type of black list is typically updated by the provider of the information or service . for example , if the black list shown in fig4 is abc &# 39 ; s black list , this would signify that abc had previously determined that d and l abused their online access provided by abc and added d and l to its black list . a gray list is derived from a black list and the social network of the member with respect to whom authorization and authentication is being carried out . in examples 1 , 2 and 4 , the gray list is derived from the black list of member b and b &# 39 ; s social network . in example 3 , the gray list is derived from the black list of the provider of content or service to which member b is seeking access and b &# 39 ; s social network . the gray list simply includes all members of b &# 39 ; s social network who are one degree separated from any member of b &# 39 ; s social network who is on the black list . the gray list derived from the black list of fig4 and the social network of fig1 would include c , i , j , f , and m , and is shown in fig5 . alternatively , the gray list may be limited to all members of b &# 39 ; s social network who are : ( i ) one degree separated from any member of b &# 39 ; s social network who is on the black list , and ( ii ) included in a path between the black list member and the member with respect to whom authorization and authentication is being carried out . the gray list derived in this manner would include members c and f , but not members i , j and m . individuals identified in the gray list of a member become non - traversing nodes with respect to that member . a “ non - traversing node ” with respect to a member is a node through which a connection to the member cannot be made . for example , referring to fig3 and using the gray list of fig5 , a connection from b to e cannot be made because the path from b to e traverses through c , who is on the gray list and is a non - traversing node . the connection from b to c , on the other hand , can be made because the path from b to c ends at c and does not traverse “ through ” c . fig6 is a flow diagram that illustrates the steps carried out in authorizing an e - mail communication from a to b or authorizing transmission of a &# 39 ; s content to b ( e . g ., in connection with delivery of search results in response to a search query by b ). in step 610 , a black list that is maintained for b and used in authorizing e - mail communication with b is retrieved . in step 620 , the black list is searched for a . if a is identified in the black list , the information flow to b is prohibited ( step 670 ). otherwise , a gray list is derived from the black list and b &# 39 ; s social network ( step 630 ). in step 640 , a breadth first search ( or alternatively , a depth first search ) is conducted on b &# 39 ; s social network to find paths from b to a . optionally , the breadth first search could be limited to members who are within a maximum degree of separation value specified by the member ( signifying that the member does not wish to receive communication from , or review content posted by , other members who are too far removed ) or by the operator of the social network ( as a way to conserve computing resources ). in step 650 , if there is any path from b to a that does not pass through a non - traversing node ( i . e ., an individual in the gray list ), the information flow to b is authorized ( step 660 ). otherwise , the information flow to b is prohibited ( step 670 ). in the example given above , the party that is providing the e - mail communication service and the search engine service and carrying out the authorizations is the operator of b &# 39 ; s social network . the invention is applicable to situations where the party that is providing the e - mail communication service and the search engine service and carrying out the authorizations is a third party that has access to the database containing b &# 39 ; s black list and information about b &# 39 ; s social network . in such a case , the third party will retrieve b &# 39 ; s black list and a graph representation of b &# 39 ; s social network from this database in accordance with the methods described in the application , “ method of sharing relationship information stored in a social network database with third party databases ,” ( u . s . patent application ser . no . 10 / 867 , 610 , issued as u . s . pat . no . 7 , 478 , 078 ) filed jun . 14 , 2004 . the third party carries out the remaining steps described above ( steps 620 - 670 ) in the same manner . also , a person who is not a member of b &# 39 ; s social network may be permitted to communicate with b , if the person is identified in a contact list of a member who is not identified in the gray list and connected to b along a path that does not pass through a non - traversing node . for example , referring to fig3 , g ′ will be able to send e - mail to b because g ′ is identified in the contact list of g who is not identified in the gray list and none of the nodes connecting g to b are non - traversing nodes . by contrast , c ′ will not be able to send e - mail to b because c is identified in the gray list ; and e ′ will not be able to send e - mail to b because the only path from e to b is through a non - traversing node ( c ). in an alternative embodiment , a white list identifying all members of b &# 39 ; s social network who are authorized to transmit content to b may be generated , either real - time or off - line as a batch process , and searched each time content transmission to b is attempted . the white list generated in this manner includes all members of b &# 39 ; s social network who are connected to b along a path that does not traverse through a member identified in b &# 39 ; s gray list , and e - mail addresses stored in the contact lists of members who are identified in the white list and not in the gray list . the white list can be further narrowed by limiting it to those members who are within a maximum degree of separation from b , where the maximum degree of separation may be specified by either b or the operator of the social network . fig7 is a flow diagram that illustrates the steps carried out in authenticating b for access to an online service provided by a third party . in step 710 , the service provider receives a request for access from b . the request includes certain identifying information of b , such as b &# 39 ; s e - mail address . in step 720 , in accordance with the methods described in the application , “ method of sharing relationship information stored in a social network database with third party databases ,” ( u . s . patent application ser . no . 10 / 867 , 610 , issued as u . s . pat . no . 7 , 478 , 078 ), filed jun . 14 , 2004 , this service provider makes a request to a social network database for a graph representation of b &# 39 ; s social network and receives the graph representation of b &# 39 ; s social network . in step 730 , a black list that is maintained by this service provider is retrieved . in step 740 , a gray list is derived from the black list and b &# 39 ; s social network . in step 750 , a breadth first search ( or alternatively , a depth first search ) is conducted on b &# 39 ; s social network to generate a white list . all members of b &# 39 ; s social network who are connected to b along a path that does not traverse through any unauthorized nodes ( i . e ., individuals identified in the gray list ) get included on this white list . fig8 shows the white list generated from b &# 39 ; s social network shown in fig3 if the gray list shown in fig5 corresponds to the gray list derived in step 740 . if any individual identified in the white list is in the user database of this service provider ( step 760 ), b &# 39 ; s online access is authenticated ( step 770 ). otherwise , b &# 39 ; s online access is denied ( step 780 ). fig9 is a flow diagram that illustrates the steps carried out in authenticating b for access to a loan . in step 910 , the lender receives a request for a loan from b . the request includes certain identifying information of b , such as b &# 39 ; s e - mail address . in step 920 , in accordance with the methods described in the application , “ method of sharing relationship information stored in a social network database with third party databases ,” ( u . s . patent application ser . no . 10 / 867 , 610 , issued as u . s . pat . no . 7 , 478 , 078 , filed jun . 14 , 2004 , this lender makes a request to a social network database for a graph representation of b &# 39 ; s social network and receives the graph representation of b &# 39 ; s social network . in step 930 , a black list that is maintained for b is requested and received from the social network database in the same manner as in step 920 . in step 940 , a gray list is derived from the black list and b &# 39 ; s social network in step 950 , a breadth first search ( or alternatively , a depth first search ) is conducted on b &# 39 ; s social network to generate a white list . all members of b &# 39 ; s social network who are connected to b along a path that does not traverse through any unauthorized nodes ( i . e ., individuals identified in the gray list ) get included on this white list . optionally , the lender may specify a maximum degree of separation value ( e . g ., n max ). if it is specified , the white list will include only those members of b &# 39 ; s social network who are within n max degrees of separation from b . in step 960 , the credit ratings of individuals in the white list are retrieved and weighting factors are applied to the credit ratings based on the degree of separation between the individual and b . as an example , a weighting factor of 1 / 10 n may be applied to the credit ratings , where n is the degree of separation between the individual and b . if the average credit rating is above a minimum score , b is authenticated and the processing of b &# 39 ; s loan application is permitted to proceed ( steps 970 and 980 ). if not , b is not authenticated , and b &# 39 ; s loan application is rejected ( steps 970 and 990 ). the above examples of the white list , the black list , and the gray list store member identifiers ( e . g ., a , b , c , etc .) to identify members of the social network . other identifying information , such as e - mail addresses , may be stored in these lists . in cases where the lists identify persons who are outside the social network , the e - mail address is stored in place of the member identifier . for example , a spam e - mail address , not corresponding to any e - mail address within the social network , may be added to a member &# 39 ; s black list . any future attempts to send e - mail from this e - mail address will be prohibited pursuant to the decision block in step 620 of fig6 . also , if the spam e - mail address added to the member &# 39 ; s black list corresponds to an e - mail address stored in a contact list maintained by a person in the social network , the gray list that is derived from this black list will include the member identifier corresponding to the person who has the blacklisted e - mail address in his or her contact list . while particular embodiments according to the invention have been illustrated and described above , those skilled in the art understand that the invention can take a variety of forms and embodiments within the scope of the appended claims .	7
the device shown in fig1 comprises a glass container body 101 containing the product 102 , a bulb 103 made of an elastomeric material , a ring - shaped collar 104 for fixing the bulb 103 on the neck 112 of the bottle , an obturator 105 , a non - return valve 106 , a striker 107 and a cap 109 . the non - return valve 106 prevents the product in the container body 101 from being discharged through the bulb 103 and so acts as a sealing device . the body of the bottle is extended on one side in a constrictor 110 provided with an outlet opening r for the product and having a profile 111 . on the other side , a neck 112 has groove 113 for fastening the ring 104 on the outer surface , and an air intake opening p . the bulb comprises a renewed air intake valve 108 at its center , and is molded over its whole circumference by the collar ring 104 . the collar ring 104 is made of a rigid material and is provided with an internal cylindrical skirt 114 which is fitted in the fastening groove 113 of the neck 112 , and an external skirt 115 with an internal diameter substantially equal to the external diameter of the neck 112 and comprising a fastening groove 116 complementary to that the neck 112 . the obturator 105 is formed by an aluminum foil welded to the ring 104 at the circumference of the bulb and together with the ring obturates the opening p . the ball 107 is placed between the bulb and the obturator so that at the time of first use , pressure exerted on the bulb causes the obturator to be torn by impact on the ball . the cap 109 is provided with an internal cylindrical skirt 117 , an external skirt 118 and a stud 119 which are coaxial . the external skirt 118 has a profile which cooperates with the body of the bottle , the internal skirt 117 has a profile which cooperates with the profile 111 of the constrictor , and the stud 119 penetrates into the opening r , obturating it , when the cap 119 is mounted on the bottle . the cap is provided with a flat bottom 120 which permits the vertical storage of the bottle with the end r towards the bottom . thus , the bottle is always ready for use . the device shown in fig2 a comprises a glass reservoir - bottle 201 containing a product 201 a , a service cap 202 on the side of the constrictor 216 , a double bulb 203 made of polyethylene on the opposite side to the constrictor , and a rotary opening - closing system formed by a fixed part 205 and a movable part 206 . the end p of the bottle ends in a neck 207 provided with fastening means 207 a . the other end r ends in another neck 208 provided with fastening means 208 a . the service cap has a body 209 and a cover cap 210 connected by a hinge 211 . the cover cap 210 has fixing means 212 allowing it to be fastened on the body of the service cap . the cap has an external skirt 213 whose end on the opposite side to the cap 210 cooperates with the body 201 of the bottle and an internal skirt 214 coaxial with the skirt 213 and provided with fastening means 215 complementary with the fastening means 208 a of the neck 208 . the body 209 of the service cap has an opening forming the constrictor 216 . the opening is obturated by an elastic lip 226 ( fig2 b ) made of an elastomeric material overmolded around the constrictor 216 . the constrictor 216 extends the neck 208 . the cover cap 210 of the service cap comprises a cylindrical internal skirt 217 within which the constrictor 216 may be positioned . when the cover cap 210 of the service cap is in the closed position as shown in the figures , the end 216 a of the constrictor is inserted in the internal skirt 217 of the cover cap and rests on the bottom of the cover cap so as to ensure a leakproof seal . when the service cap is open , the elastic lip 226 can let the product pass ( opening , direction b ) due to pressure exerted on this product . when this pressure stops , the lip 226 allows air to pass ( opening , direction a ) due to the low pressure in the bottle . the two bulbs 203 are molded in a single piece , folded during assembly at the hinges 231 and fixed by catch - engagement 218 at their two ends around the movable part 206 of the rotary opening - closing system . the movable part 206 is traversed by a main duct 219 , through which extends the fixed part 205 , and by two radial lateral ducts 220 . the duct 219 opens to end p of the bottle . each of the ducts 220 extends between the cavity 203 a of one of the bulbs and the transverse duct 225 of the fixed part 205 when in the open position . the movable part 206 is , moreover , provided with fastening means 222 cooperating with ( catch - engagement ) fastening means 207 a of the neck 207 at the end p , and is in bearing contact with a shoulder 230 of the body of the bottle . these means 207 a permit the rotation of the part 206 around this neck . the fixed part 205 is fixed to the neck 207 by ( catch - engagement ) fastening means 223 complementary to those 207 b of the neck 207 . it is traversed by the main duct 224 which extends the neck 207 of the bottle and by the transverse ducts 225 opening out in the duct 224 at the level of the lateral duct of the movable part 206 . since the movable part 206 is capable of turning around the neck 207 , it can be positioned in two preferable positions determined by stops ( not shown ) located on the neck 207 . in an open position , the transverse duct 225 is opposite the lateral ducts 220 and any pressure exerted on the bulbs 203 is transmitted to the inside of the bottle and then to the outlet of the constrictor 216 . in the closed position , the transverse duct 225 is perpendicular to the lateral ducts 220 and any pressure on the bulbs cannot be transmitted . the device shown in fig3 a to 3 c comprises a reservoir bottle 301 containing a product 301 b , an elastomeric bulb 302 overmolded by a part 303 with a triangular cross - section made of polypropylene , a part 304 made of polypropylene fixed to the neck 305 of the bottle , a cover cap 306 and an applicator 307 made of foam . the bottle ends on one side in a constrictor 308 provided with an opening r within which is placed the foam applicator 307 , and on the other side by the neck 305 whose end defines the outlet opening p . the neck 305 is provided with fastening means 309 ( catch engagement ) on the outer surface . the cover cap 306 has an internal skirt 310 and an external skirt 311 which are coaxial and cooperate respectively with the constrictor and the body of the bottle . the round bulb 302 is overmolded on its circumference by the part 303 . the part 303 is provided with a central ball and socket joint 313 allowing it to pivot round the axis i — i , perpendicular to the longitudinal axis x — x of the bottle . this ball and socket joint 313 is traversed by a duct 314 and cooperates with a complementary part 315 of the part 304 . the complementary part 315 has an opening , which could also take the form of a duct , communicating the neck 305 of the bottle and the ball and socket joint . the part 304 is provided with a virtually parallelepiped shaped skirt 317 comprising ( catch - engagement ) fastening means 318 complementary to those 309 forming part of the neck 305 of the bottle . the two parts 303 and 304 cooperate with one another via the ball and socket join 313 so as to define two preferred positions corresponding to the edges 303 a , 303 b of the part 303 resting on the part 304 . in one of these positions , the duct 314 and the opening in part 315 are opposite one another and a pressure on the bulb is transmitted to the reservoir containing the product 301 b and then to the constrictor . in the other position , the duct 314 and the opening 316 do not communicate . thus any pressure on the bulb 302 remains without effect , and it is possible to close an open bottle merely by rocking the part 303 . the device shown in fig4 is constituted by a body provided with two openings . it ends on one side in a constrictor 402 and on the other in a neck connected to an elastomeric bulb 403 by means of a fixing means . two parts 401 and 415 are made of a rigid material and have a single profile . the bulb 403 is level with the surface of the part 415 . cover cap 404 is provided with a sealing skirt 405 . the end of the constrictor 406 is fitted within a skirt 407 for fixing the cover cap on the constrictor . skirt 407 and constrictor 406 are provided with complementary fastening means 408 , 409 defining a bayonet - type fastening . the body of the bottle is partly overmolded by the part 401 which has a recess around the bulb 403 . the part 415 is fixed by catch - engagement in this recess . the part 401 forms a single uniform profile in cooperation with the cover cap 404 . the part 415 has a lid 410 with a hinge 412 that covers the bulb 403 in the closed position . the lid 410 has a relief 411 capable of following the shapes of the bulb . according to a variant , provision may be made for the end of the constrictor which is inserted in the internal skirt of the cover cap 405 to rest on a gasket so as to ensure a leakproof seal , the gasket making it possible to prevent any low pressure from forming in the bottle when it is opened . the device shown in fig5 a and 5b has a body 502 provided with two openings . it ends at one side in a constrictor ( not shown ) and on the other side ( p ) in a neck 502 a on which there is fixed a rigid part 503 made of polyethylene . the part 503 has a lid 504 including a bulb 506 made of polyethylene , the thickness of whose walls is less than that of the lid 504 . the part 503 carries a cover 505 and is molded therewith as one piece to form a body 507 having skirt 513 . the hinge 508 connects the lid and the body . the body 507 is fixed on the neck 502 a of the bottle ( by catch - engagement ) and has an opening o which extends the opening p of the bottle . this opening o is obturated by the cover foil of aluminum welded to the body 507 . the lid 504 has a fastening means 509 allowing it to be fastened to the body 507 which is provided with complementary fastening means 512 , and a skirt 510 which cooperates in a leakproof manner with the skirt 513 of the body so that when the lid 504 is closed , the bottle is ready for use . the bulb 506 is positioned in such a way that in the closed position it is opposite the opening o . the bulb 506 is provided with a striker 511 so that when the cover cap 504 is closed and pressure is exerted on the bulb , the striker 511 tears the obturator 505 . this pressure causes the product to emerge through the end of the bottle on the opposite side to the opening p . the unit has a symmetry of revolution . the constrictor 601 of fig6 a and 6b cooperates with the body 602 of the bottle by fastening means 603 complementary to those 604 with which the body of the bottle is fitted . the constrictor 601 is provided on its internal circumference with an annular bead 605 which defines a retaining cell 606 . thus , even if the bottle is stored in a position other than vertical , there always remains at least one product dose in the cell ready for dispensing . the outlet r of the constrictor is obturated by an elastic lip 607 made of an elastomer which retains the product in the absence of a pressure increase in the reservoir . this device functions in the same way as those described above . in the variant shown in fig6 c , a circular valve 609 made of an elastomer is molded on a part 618 fixed on the constrictor 603 and traversed by the duct 619 . this valve ensures the sealing of the unit . the device shown in fig7 differs from the preceding ones in that it is arranged to be positioned flat on a support in the direction of its largest dimension . for this purpose , the neck 710 of the bottle 701 which is obturated by a tearable obturating cover 705 has an elbow 702 . the pressure - increasing means comprises a bellows 703 joined to the neck 710 by ring - type fixing means 704 . this bellows is surmounted by a rigid push button 713 . the outlet end r has a constrictor 708 whose longitudinal axis forms an angle 90 °& lt ; α & lt ; 180 ° relative to the axis of the body of the bottle . the end r is obturated by a stopper 717 . according to a variant of the invention , the bottle may be provided at its dispensing end with an end fitting such as shown in fig8 a and 8b . the end fitting 801 shown in these figures is constituted by two parts : the first part 801 . 1 has fastening means ( not shown ) for fastening it on the constrictor of the bottle ( for example by a force - fit ). the part 801 . 1 is connected by means of a flap hinge 801 . 3 to the second part 801 . 2 of the end fitting . the parts 801 . 1 and 801 . 2 have fastening means 801 . 4 , 801 . 5 allowing them to be held fixed one against the other in their use position , as well as sealing means ( not shown ). provision could also be made for the end fitting 801 to be constituted as a single part corresponding to the two parts 801 . 1 and 801 . 2 held in a fixed position . the end fitting 801 is traversed by a duct 802 comprising three parts . the upper duct 802 . 1 communicates with the inside of the bottle . a two - way flap valve 803 separates the upper duct 802 . 1 from the median duct 802 . 2 . the lower duct 802 . 3 extends the median duct 802 . 2 and opens towards the outside of the bottle . the width of the duct 802 is reduced in the direction from the inlet of the duct 802 inside the bottle towards the outlet of the duct 802 . the median duct 802 . 2 has a greater width at the level of the valve 803 and is narrower at the level of the lower duct 802 . 3 . the lower duct 802 . 3 is over its whole length narrower than the median duct 802 . 2 . the part 801 . 2 has a concave profile 804 at the level of the opening 805 of the lower duct 802 . 3 , this profile 804 being placed around , and substantially perpendicular to , the opening 805 . the two - way flap valve 803 is fastened to the part 801 . 1 by a flap hinge 803 . 1 . the width and the thickness of this hinge 803 . 1 make it possible to regulate the force required for displacing the valve 803 . in fig8 b , which is a cross - section of the end fitting at the level of the valve 803 , it can be seen that the width of the valve 803 relative to the duct 802 . 2 at the level of the valve also affects the flow rate through the duct 802 . this device makes it possible to improve the renewed air intake effect . it also makes it possible to prevent the formation of drops at the opening 805 of the bottle . it permits a more uniform dispensing . obviously , numerous modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in light of the above teachings . it is therefore to be understood that the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described herein .	1
fig1 a is a diagram illustrating an implantable electrode assembly 100 according to one example embodiment of the invention . electrode assembly 100 can be utilized in a variety of applications including , but not limited to , electrotherapy or stimulation of the patient . tissue regions that are potential targets of electrotherapy / electrostimulation include the patient &# 39 ; s nervous system ( including nerve cells and synapses , and sensory receptors such as baroreceptors ), muscle tissue , organs , and blood vessels . electrode assembly 100 includes a base structure or substrate 102 that includes a flexible and electrically insulating material suitable for implantation , such as silicone , optionally reinforced with a flexible material such as polyester fabric . base structure or substrate 102 can be sized and shaped according to the implantation site for the target tissue region ( e . g ., targeted blood vessels , muscles , nerves , skin , bone , organs , cells , etc . ), and can have flexible and / or elastic properties . thus , for example , base structure or substrate 102 can have a length suitable to wrap around all ( 360 degrees ) or a portion ( i . e ., less than 360 degrees ) of the circumference of one or more blood vessels . in one embodiment , electrode assembly 100 includes elongate electrodes 104 a - 104 c for making contact with the target tissue region into which electrotherapy or electrostimulation is to be applied . the electrodes can be un - insulated portions of larger electrical conductors , dedicated un - insulated conductive structures , or a combination thereof . while the elongate electrodes 104 a - 104 c generally extend along a longitudinal axis , it will be recognized that embodiments of the elongate electrodes can include nonlinear geometries such as serpentine , curved or zig - zag , for example , and that in some embodiments not all of an electrode structure need be considered as part of the elongate electrode geometry . in one example embodiment , as illustrated in fig1 a , elongate electrodes 104 a - 104 c are each about the same length , and are situated generally parallel to one another such that proximal ends 106 a and 106 c of outer electrodes 104 a and 104 c are positioned on the same side 102 a of base 102 as distal end 108 b of center electrode 104 b . on the other side 102 b of base 102 , distal ends 108 a and 108 c of outer electrodes 104 a and 104 c are positioned proximate to proximal end 106 b of center electrode 104 b on side 102 b . for purposes of the present invention it will be understood that proximal is used to reference a region proximate an end of a structure that is electrically closer to the pulse generator and that distal references a region proximate an end of a structure that is further away electrically from the pulse generator as compared to the proximal portion . in a related type of embodiment , the electrodes are generally co - extensive . among electrode assemblies of this type , the extent of co - extensiveness can vary according to the geometry of the implantation site . for example , in one example embodiment , the electrodes are co - extensive to within +/− 25 %. in another embodiment , the electrodes are co - extensive to within +/− 5 %. while this embodiment features one arrangement of three electrodes 104 a - 104 c in accordance with the present invention , other arrangements and configurations of electrodes 104 as described hereinafter may also be utilized to enhance the uniform distribution of the electric field delivered through the electrodes to the target tissue region . electrodes 104 a - 104 c are made from a suitable implantable material , and are preferably adapted to have flexible and / or elastic properties . electrodes 104 a - 104 c can comprise round wire , rectangular ribbon or foil formed of an electrically conductive and radiopaque material such as platinum . in one embodiment , the base structure 102 substantially encapsulates the conductive material , leaving only exposed electrode 104 a - 104 c portions for electrical connection to the target tissue . for example , each conductive structure can be partially recessed in the base 102 and can have one side exposed along all or a portion of its length for electrical connection to target tissue . the exposed portions constitute electrodes 104 a - 104 c . in another embodiment , the electrodes 104 a - 104 c are made from conductive structures that can be adhesively attached to the base 102 or can be physically connected by straps , moldings or other forms of operably securing them to the base 102 . electrical paths through the target tissue are defined by anode - cathode pairs of the elongate electrodes 104 a - 104 c . for example , in one embodiment , center electrode 104 b is a cathode , and outer electrodes 104 a and 104 c are both anodes , or vice - versa . thus , electrons of the electrotherapy or electrostimulus signaling will flow through the target region either into , or out of , electrode 104 b . each electrode 104 a - 104 c is connected at the corresponding proximal end 106 a - 106 c to an electrotherapy / electrostimulus source , such as an implantable pulse generator ( not shown ) via a corresponding lead 110 a - 110 c . in one example embodiment , leads 110 a - 110 c are each an insulated wire formed with , welded to , or suitably interconnected with each corresponding electrode 104 a - 104 c . persons skilled in the art will appreciate that leads 110 a - 110 c can be made of any suitable materials or geometries . furthermore , leads 110 a - 110 c can each include a combination of conductor types . thus , for example , leads 110 a - 110 c can each include an insulated stranded wire portion , an un - insulated solid wire portion , and / or a coiled wire portion having helical , spiral , or other such coiled geometry . fig1 b illustrates a physical embodiment of the example electrode assembly 100 of fig1 a . the shape of base structure or substrate 102 includes finger - type extensions 112 , and reinforced portions 114 for facilitating wrapping and securing the electrode assembly 100 to the implantation site during implantation . because leads 110 a and 110 c are connected at opposite electrode ends from lead 110 b , leads 110 a and 110 c naturally extend in a different direction away from the electrodes 104 than the direction of lead 110 b . in certain applications , it may be desirable for the leads to extend in the same direction away from the electrodes 104 . fig1 c is a diagram illustrating example electrode assembly 150 according to a related embodiment . electrode assembly 150 includes a flexible and stretchable implantable substrate 152 , to which elongate electrodes 154 a - 154 c are secured . electrodes 154 a and 154 c are connected respectively to leads 160 a and 160 c at proximal ends 156 a and 156 c located on side 152 a of substrate 152 . electrode 154 b is connected to lead 160 b at proximal end 156 b located on side 152 b of substrate 152 . distal ends 158 a and 158 c of electrodes 154 a and 154 c , respectively , are located on side 152 b and are not connected to any leads . distal end 158 b of electrode 154 b is located on side 152 a and is not connected to any lead . lead 160 b extends along the length of electrode 154 b towards distal end 156 b , and further extends in the same direction as leads 160 a and 160 c , as illustrated in fig1 c . the leads 160 a - 160 c are optionally bundled and secured together by wire tie 161 . fig1 d illustrates a physical embodiment of example electrode assembly 150 . electrodes 154 a - 154 c are secured to substrate 152 , and are oriented along the reference z - axis . insulated leads 160 a - 160 c are attached to their respective electrodes as shown . leads 160 a and 160 b are connected to respective electrodes 154 a and 154 c at respective proximal ends 156 a and 156 c . lead 160 b is connected to electrode 154 b at proximal end 156 b . leads 160 a and 160 c extend in the − z direction away from their corresponding electrodes 154 a and 154 c , and proceed in the − x direction . lead 160 b extends away from electrode 154 b in the + z direction , then loops around substrate 152 , and further proceeds in the − z along the underside of substrate 152 . leads 160 a - 160 c are secured to substrate at various points by anchors 162 as shown . lead 162 b is also secured at points along the underside surface of substrate 152 by anchors 162 ( not shown ). fig1 e illustrates another example physical layout of the electrode assembly 150 . in this embodiment , electrode 154 b is formed from an elongate structure having a hollow core 154 b ′. lead 160 b enters core 154 b ′ at an opening at distal end 158 b and passes through core 154 b ′ of the elongate structure to proximal end 156 b , at which point lead 160 b connects with electrode 154 b . in one example embodiment , lead 160 b includes a portion 160 b ′ that is specially adapted to be situated within core 154 b ′. optionally , electrodes 154 a and 154 c are adapted to be pliably compatible with the structure of electrode 154 b having a portion of lead 160 b in its core 154 b ′. fig1 f - 1h illustrate various example electrode structures that each include an elongate electrode portion in the shape of a coil formed around a portion of a lead that is connected to the electrode portion at the proximal end . structure 164 of fig1 f is an elongate structure having a length l . structure 164 has an outer coiled portion 166 made of non - insulated wire and generally helical in its geometry . at least a portion of structure 164 can operate as an electrode when in contact with target tissue . structure 164 further includes a generally helical inner coiled portion 168 passing through the core 170 defined by the wire of outer coiled portion 166 . inner coiled portion 168 is thus circumscribed along at least a portion of its length by outer coil portion 166 . one type of wire material that can be suitable for certain implantable applications is 80 / 20 pt / ir . however , persons skilled in the art will recognize that other suitable materials may be used . inner coiled portion 168 enters core 170 at distal end 172 , and helically extends through core 170 towards proximal end 174 , at which point inner coiled portion 168 makes contact with outer coiled portion 166 . in one example embodiment , near proximal end 174 , one or more windings of outer coiled portion 166 have a progressively reducing radius as they approach proximal end 174 such that , at proximal end 174 , windings of outer coiled portion 166 have approximately the same radius as the windings of inner coiled portion 168 . this embodiment is illustrated in fig1 f . outer coiled portion 166 includes windings 167 having a relatively larger radius , and windings 176 having a relatively smaller radius . reduced radius windings 176 are situated in a bifilar arrangement at proximal end 174 with the windings of inner coiled portion 168 . fig1 g is an end view of structure 164 illustrating this embodiment . outer coiled portion 166 includes windings 167 having larger radius r 1 , and windings 176 near the proximal end 174 having smaller radius r 2 . winding 178 of outer coiled portion 166 integrally bridges the larger radius windings 167 with the smaller radius windings 176 . in one embodiment , at proximal end 174 , the wire forming outer coiled portion 166 is welded to the wire forming inner coiled portion 168 . persons skilled in the art will appreciate that other suitable mechanisms of creating an electrical contact between these wires , including , but not limited to , soldering , crimping , twisting , or conductively adhesively bonding , may be utilized . in one embodiment , inner coiled portion 168 is positioned relative to larger outer coiled portion 166 &# 39 ; s windings 167 such that , in operation , the inner coiled portion 168 and outer coiled portion 166 do not make contact at any point other than at the proximal end 174 . in one embodiment , inner coiled portion 168 is formed from insulated wire . in another embodiment , inner coiled portion 168 is formed from un - insulated wire , but inner surfaces of windings 167 are insulated . in another embodiment , the radius of the inner coiled portion &# 39 ; s windings r 2 is sized relatively to the outer coiled portion &# 39 ; s windings 167 having larger radius r 1 such that undesired contact points are not created when the structure 164 is elastically flexed to a maximum limit . in another type of embodiment , as illustrated in fig1 h , structure 164 ′ includes an insulating material 180 that is coaxially situated between inner coiled portion 168 ′ and large - radius coils 167 ′ of outer coiled portion 166 ′. according to one example of this type of embodiment , as illustrated in the side view diagram of fig1 i , the radii of inner coiled portion 168 ′ and of outer coiled portion 167 ′ remain generally constant over the length of the structure ( disregarding the change in radius of the outer portion near the proximal end ). insulator 180 has a generally cylindrical outer wall that is adjacent to outer coiled portion coils 167 ′, and a generally cylindrical inner wall adjacent to inner coiled portion 168 ′. fig1 j and 1k illustrate an example of a variation of the embodiment of fig1 i . fig1 j and 1k are , respectively , side view diagrams of a structure in which large - radius coils 167 ″ of outer coiled portion 166 ″ have a constant radius over length l , but inner portion 168 ″ has a spiral geometry in which the coil radius decreases towards the proximal end . the radii of outer and inner walls of insulator 180 ′ also have a profile of decreasing radius that corresponds to the decreasing radius profile of inner coils 168 ″. according to one aspect of this embodiment , the geometry of the structure of fig1 j and 1k provides a benefit of securing in place the insulator 180 ′ by preventing it from sliding towards either end of the structure . in the configuration of electrodes 104 a - 104 c ( fig1 a and 1b ) and 154 a - 154 c ( fig1 c , 1d , and 1 e ), having the electrode / lead connections at opposite ends for electrodes of opposite polarity provides improved electric field uniformity and improved corrosion resistance as compared against equivalent configurations having the connections at the same end . fig2 - 5 , described in detail below , illustrate these principles . fig2 is a diagram illustrating an electrical circuit model of a state - of - the - art implanted electrode assembly . distributed resistance 202 represents one or more cathodes 203 connected to the electrotherapy / electrostimulus signal generator . likewise , distributed resistance 204 represents one or more anodes 205 connected to the opposite pole of the electrotherapy / electrostimulus generator . distributed resistances 202 and 204 are each distributed over the length l and quantity of their corresponding electrode ( s ), and are not necessarily equal in magnitude . target tissue impedance 206 represents the electrical properties of the target tissue interconnecting the electrodes . target tissue impedance 206 is modeled as a set of parallel resistor - capacitor pairs 206 a - 206 f distributed over the aggregate volume v that separates the cathode ( s ) from the anode ( s ). the resistance of each electrode &# 39 ; s distributed resistance 202 and 204 is generally evenly distributed over length l . with increasing length l , the resistance component of impedance 206 decreases , whereas the capacitance component increases . cathode 203 is connected to the signal generator at top end 208 ; anode 205 is connected to the opposite pole of the signal generator at top end 210 . when the electrotherapy / electrostimulus signal is applied across electrodes 203 and 205 , an aggregate current i generally passes through the resistive component of the target tissue having impedance 206 . also , an aggregate electric field e generally exists across the electrodes 203 and 205 due to the capacitive component of impedance 206 . however , due to the distributed resistances of the electrodes 203 and 205 , as well as the distributed target tissue impedance 206 , the current i and electric field e are also distributed over the length l and volume v . the distribution of current i and electric field e depends on the distribution of tissue impedance 206 , and on the charge distribution over the length l of each electrode 203 and 205 . within each of the distributed electrode resistances 202 and 204 , there exist a cathode current i cathode and i anode , and corresponding voltage drops v cathode and v anode . these currents and voltages occur within each elongate electrode because the electrode resistances 202 and 204 create voltage and current divisions with respect to signal paths through the target tissue . because the signal generator connections are located at the top ends 208 and 210 of electrodes 203 and 205 , respectively , the cathode and anode currents and voltages have opposite directions and polarities , as illustrated in fig2 . as a result , the distributed current i and electric field e through the target tissue region are not evenly distributed . by way of example , discrete current components i 1 - i 6 located successively at greater distances from the top ends 208 and 210 are successively lower in amplitude such that i 1 has the greatest amplitude while i 6 has the lowest amplitude . fig3 illustrates an example current distribution through volume v over length l . the axis labeled l corresponds to the l dimension of fig2 , and the paths 1 - 6 correspond to the paths taken by example current components i 1 - i 6 . fig4 illustrates an electrical diagram of an example implanted electrotherapy / electrostimulation electrode assembly according to one embodiment of the present invention . distributed resistances 402 and 404 represent aggregate elongate electrodes 403 and 405 , respectively . electrodes 403 and 405 , and the target tissue having impedance 406 are all correspondingly similar to their respective analogues described above with reference to fig2 . the only difference in the arrangement between the example of fig2 and the example of fig4 is the connection of the signal generator to the cathode and anode . cathode 403 is connected to the signal generator at top end 408 ; whereas anode 405 is connected at bottom end 411 . as a result of this reversal , the bottom end 411 is more negatively charged than the top end 410 of the anode 405 . this causes the charge density of the electrodes 403 and 405 to be evenly distributed along the length l , which results in an even distribution of aggregate current i ′ and aggregate electric field e ′. thus , example discrete current components i 1 ′- i 6 ′ each pass through an equivalent impedance . for instance , current component i 2 ′ passes through a smaller portion of cathode impedance 402 , through target tissue impedance component 406 b , and through a larger portion of anode impedance 404 ; whereas current component i 5 ′ passes through a larger portion of cathode impedance 402 , an equivalent target tissue impedance component 406 e , and through a smaller portion of anode impedance 404 . another result of the electrode arrangement of fig4 is that the cathode current i cathode ′ is directed along the same direction as the anode current i anode ′. fig5 illustrates the uniform distribution of aggregate current i ′ over length l for the example electrode assembly configuration of this embodiment . by distributing the charge density evenly over each of the electrodes 403 and 405 , any faradaic processes are also distributed over the surfaces of the electrodes . this effect results in an increased corrosion threshold because electrode corrosion is based on the charge density . another effect is an increase in capacitance seen by the electrotherapy or electrostimulation signaling . because the charge density is evenly distributed along length l , the signaling sees a greater overall target tissue capacitance . with an increased overall capacitance created by the charge balancing , more of the activation current is used to charge the electrode double layer and less is available for faradaic processes . the charging of the electrode double layer results in an induced current in the target tissue resulting in the desired stimulation or therapeutic effect . the present invention contemplates a variety of electrode forms or shapes , not necessarily limited to straight linear segments . fig6 is a diagram illustrating an example electrode assembly 600 according to another embodiment of the present invention . electrode assembly 600 includes a flexible substrate 602 to which arcing elongate electrodes 604 a - 604 c are secured . arcing elongate electrodes 604 a - 604 c each have a first end in a first region a and a second end in a second region b such that the electrodes 604 a - 604 c arcuately extend between regions a and b . electrode 604 a has a lead 610 a electrically connected to its first end 606 a . electrode 604 b has a lead 610 b electrically connected to its second end 608 b . electrode 604 c has a lead 610 c electrically connected to its first end 606 c . for electrodes 604 a and 604 c , respective second ends 608 a and 608 c have no leads connected thereto . conversely , for electrode 604 b , first end 606 b is free of any lead connection . when implanted in a patient , electrodes 604 a - 604 c are electrically interconnected by the target tissue . in operation , the charge distribution in each of the electrodes is approximately uniform , resulting in electric fields and currents approximately uniformly distributed through the interconnecting target tissue . the invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the essential attributes thereof , therefore , the illustrated embodiments should be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive .	0
unless clearly indicated otherwise , the following terms as used herein have the meanings indicated below . use of the terms “ a ”, “ an ” and the like refers to one or more . “ aralkyl ” refers to a residue in which an aryl moiety is attached to the parent structure via an alkyl residue . examples include benzyl (— ch 2 - ph ), phenethyl (— ch 2 ch 2 ph ), phenylvinyl (— ch ═ ch - ph ), phenylallyl and the like . “ acyl ” refers to and includes the groups — c ( o ) h , — c ( o ) alkyl , — c ( o ) substituted alkyl , — c ( o ) alkenyl , — c ( o ) substituted alkenyl , — c ( o ) alkynyl , — c ( o ) substituted alkynyl , — c ( o ) cycloalkyl , — c ( o ) substituted cycloalkyl , — c ( o ) aryl , — c ( o ) substituted aryl , — c ( o ) heteroaryl , — c ( o ) substituted heteroaryl , — c ( o ) heterocyclic , and — c ( o ) substituted heterocyclic wherein alkyl , substituted alkyl , alkenyl , substituted alkenyl , alkynyl , substituted alkynyl , cycloalkyl , substituted cycloalkyl , aryl , substituted aryl , heteroaryl , substituted heteroaryl , heterocyclic and substituted heterocyclic are as defined herein or otherwise known in the art . “ heterocyclyl ” or “ heterocycloalkyl ” refers to a cycloalkyl residue in which one to four of the carbons is replaced by a heteroatom such as oxygen , nitrogen or sulfur . examples of heterocycles whose radicals are heterocyclyl groups include tetrahydropyran , morpholine , pyrrolidine , piperidine , thiazolidine , oxazole , oxazoline , isoxazole , dioxane , tetrahydrofuran and the like . a specific example of a heterocyclyl residue is tetrahydropyran - 2 - yl . “ substituted heterocylco ” or “ substituted heterocylcoalkyl ” refers to an heterocyclyl group having from 1 to 5 substituents . for instance , a heterocyclyl group substituted with 1 to 5 groups such as halo , nitro , cyano , oxo , aryl , alkoxy , alkyl , acyl , acylamino , amino , hydroxyl , carboxyl , carboxylalkyl , thiol , thioalkyl , heterocyclyl , — os ( o ) 2 - alkyl , and the like is a substituted alkyl . a particular example of a substituted heterocylcoalkyl is n - methylpiperazino . “ alkyl ” intends linear hydrocarbon structures having 1 to 20 carbon atoms , preferably 1 to 12 carbon atoms and more preferably 1 to 8 carbon atoms . alkyl groups of fewer carbon atoms are embraced , such as so - called “ lower alkyl ” groups having 1 to 4 carbon atoms . “ alkyl ” also intends branched or cyclic hydrocarbon structures having 3 to 20 carbon atoms , preferably 3 to 12 carbon atoms and more preferably 3 to 8 carbon atoms . for any use of the term “ alkyl ,” unless clearly indicated otherwise , it is intended to embrace all variations of alkyl groups disclosed herein , as measured by the number of carbon atoms , the same as if each and every alkyl group was explicitly and individually listed for each usage of the term . for instance , when a group such as r 3 may be an “ alkyl ,” intended is a c 1 - c 20 alkyl or a c 1 - c 12 alkyl or a c 1 - c 8 alkyl or a lower alkyl or a c 2 - c 20 alkyl or a c 3 - c 12 alkyl or a c 3 - c 8 alkyl . the same is true for other groups listed herein , which may include groups under other definitions , where a certain number of atoms is listed in the definition . when the alkyl group is cyclic , it may also be referred to as a cycloalkyl group and have e . g ., 1 to 20 annular carbon atoms , preferably 1 to 12 annular carbon atoms and more preferably 1 to 8 annular carbon atoms . when an alkyl residue having a specific number of carbons is named , all geometric isomers having that number of carbons are intended to be encompassed ; thus , for example , “ butyl ” is meant to include n - butyl , sec - butyl , iso - butyl and t - butyl ; “ propyl ” includes n - propyl and iso - propyl . examples of alkyl groups include methyl , ethyl , n - propyl , i - propyl , t - butyl , n - heptyl , octyl , cyclopentyl , cyclopropyl , cyclobutyl , norbornyl , and the like . one or more degrees of unsaturation may occur in an alkyl group . thus , an alkyl group also embraces alkenyl and alkynyl residues . “ alkenyl ” is understood to refer to a group of 2 or more carbon atoms , such as 2 to 10 carbon atoms and more preferably 2 to 6 carbon atoms and having at least 1 and preferably from 1 - 2 sites of alkenyl unsaturation . examples of an alkenyl group include — c ═ ch 2 , — ch 2 ch ═ chch 3 and — ch 2 ch ═ ch — ch ═ ch 2 . “ alkynyl ” refers to alkynyl group preferably having from 2 to 10 carbon atoms and more preferably 3 to 6 carbon atoms and having at least 1 and preferably from 1 - 2 sites of alkynyl unsaturation , such as the moiety — cch . alkyl is also used herein to denote an alkyl residue as part of a larger functional group and when so used , is taken together with other atoms to form another functional group . for instance , reference to — c ( o ) oalkyl intends an ester functional group , where the alkyl portion of the moiety may be any alkyl group , and provide by way of example only , the functional group — c ( o ) och 3 , — c ( o )( o ) ch ═ ch 2 and the like . another example of an alkyl group as part of a larger structure includes the residue — nhc ( o ) alkylc ( o ) oh , which e . g ., may be nhc ( o ) ch 2 ch 2 c ( o ) oh when alkyl is — ch 2 ch 2 —. “ substituted alkyl ” refers to an alkyl group having from 1 to 5 substituents . for instance , an alkyl group substituted with a group such as halo , nitro , cyano , oxo , aryl , alkoxy , acyl , acylamino , amino , hydroxyl , carboxyl , carboxylalkyl , thiol , thioalkyl , heterocyclyl , — os ( o ) 2 - alkyl , and the like is a substituted alkyl . likewise , “ substituted alkenyl ” and “ substituted alkynyl ” refer to alkenyl or alkynyl groups having 1 to 5 substituents . as used herein the term “ substituent ” or “ substituted ” means that a hydrogen radical on a compound or group ( such as , for example , alkyl , substituted alkyl , alkenyl , substituted alkenyl , alkynyl , substituted alkynyl , aryl , substituted aryl , aralkyl , substituted aralkyl , heteroaryl , substituted heteroaryl , heteroaralkyl , substituted heteroaralkyl , cycloalkyl , substituted cycloalkyl , heterocycloalkyl , substituted heterocycloalkyl , heterocyclyl and substituted heterocyclyl ) is replaced with any desired group that does not substantially adversely affect the stability of the compound . in one embodiment , desired substituents are those which do not adversely affect the activity of a compound . the term “ substituted ” refers to one or more substituents ( which may be the same or different ), each replacing a hydrogen atom . examples of substituents include , but are not limited to , halogen ( f , cl , br , or l ), hydroxyl , amino , alkylamino , arylamino , dialkylamino , diarylamino , cyano , nitro , mercapto , oxo ( i . e ., carbonyl ), thio , imino , formyl , carbamido , carbamyl , carboxyl , thioureido , thiocyanato , sulfoamido , sulfonylalkyl , sulfonylaryl , alkyl , alkenyl , alkoxy , mercaptoalkoxy , aryl , heteroaryl , cyclyl , heterocyclyl , wherein alkyl , alkenyl , alkyloxy , aryl , heteroaryl , cyclyl , and heterocyclyl are optionally substituted with alkyl , aryl , heteroaryl , halogen , hydroxyl , amino , mercapto , cyano , nitro , oxo (═ o ), thioxo (═ s ), or imino (═ nalkyl ). in other embodiments , substituents on any group ( such as , for example , alkyl , substituted alkyl , alkenyl , substituted alkenyl , alkynyl , substituted alkynyl , aryl , substituted aryl , aralkyl , substituted aralkyl , heteroaryl , substituted heteroaryl , heteroaralkyl , substituted heteroaralkyl , cycloalkyl , substituted cycloalkyl , heterocycloalkyl , substituted heterocycloalkyl , heterocyclyl and substituted heterocyclyl ) can be at any atom of that group ( such as on a carbon atom of the primary carbon chain of a substituted alkyl group or on a substituent already present on a substituted alkyl group ) or at any atom of , wherein any group that can be substituted ( such as , for example , alkyl , alkenyl , alkynyl , aryl , aralkyl , heteroaryl , heteroaralkyl , cycloalkyl , cyclyl , heterocycloalkyl , and heterocyclyl ) can be optionally substituted with one or more substituents ( which may be the same or different ), each replacing a hydrogen atom . examples of suitable substituents include , but not limited to alkyl , alkenyl , alkynyl , cyclyl , cycloalkyl , heterocyclyl , heterocycloalkyl , aralkyl , heteroaralkyl , aryl , heteroaryl , halogen , haloalkyl , cyano , nitro , alkoxy , aryloxy , hydroxyl , hydroxylalkyl , oxo ( i . e ., carbonyl ), carboxyl , formyl , alkylcarbonyl , alkylcarbonylalkyl , alkoxycarbonyl , alkylcarbonyloxy , aryloxycarbonyl , heteroaryloxy , heteroaryloxycarbonyl , thio , mercapto , mercaptoalkyl , arylsulfonyl , amino , aminoalkyl , dialkylamino , alkylcarbonylamino , alkylaminocarbonyl , or alkoxycarbonylamino ; alkylamino , arylamino , diarylamino , alkylcarbonyl , or arylamino - substituted aryl ; arylalkylamino , aralkylaminocarbonyl , amido , alkylaminosulfonyl , arylaminosulfonyl , dialkylaminosulfonyl , alkylsulfonylamino , arylsulfonylamino , imino , carbamido , carbamyl , thioureido , thiocyanato , sulfoamido , sulfonylalkyl , sulfonylaryl , or mercaptoalkoxy . additional suitable substituents on alkyl , alkenyl , alkynyl , aryl , aralkyl , heteroaryl , heteroaralkyl , cycloalkyl , cyclyl , heterocycloalkyl , and heterocyclyl include , without limitation halogen , cn , no 2 , or 11 , sr 11 , s ( o ) 2 or 11 , nr 11 r 12 , c 1 - c 2 perfluoroalkyl , c 1 - c 2 perfluoroalkoxy , 1 , 2 - methylenedioxy , (═ o ), (═ s ), (═ nr 11 ), c ( o ) or 11 , c ( o ) r 11 r 12 , oc ( o ) nr 11 r 12 . nr 11 c ( o ) nr 11 r 12 , c ( nr 12 ) nr 11 r 12 , nr 11 c ( nr 12 ) nr 11 r 12 , s ( o ) 2 nr 11 r 12 r 13 , c ( o ) h , c ( o ) r 13 , nr 11 c ( o ) r 13 , si ( r 11 ) 3 , osi ( r 11 ) 3 , si ( oh ) 2 r 11 , b ( oh ) 2 , p ( o )( or 11 ) 2 , s ( o ) r 13 , or s ( o ) 2 r 13 . each r 11 is independently hydrogen , c 1 - c 6 alkyl optionally substituted with cycloalkyl , aryl , heterocyclyl , or heteroaryl . each r 12 is independently hydrogen , c 3 - c 6 cycloalkyl , aryl , heterocyclyl , heteroaryl , c 1 - c 4 alkyl or c 1 - c 4 alkyl substituted with c 3 - c 6 cycloalkyl , aryl , heterocyclyl or heteroaryl . each r 13 is independently c 3 - c 6 cycloalkyl , aryl , heterocyclyl , heteroaryl , c 1 - c 4 alkyl or c 1 - c 4 alkyl substituted with c 3 - c 6 cycloalkyl , aryl , heterocyclyl or heteroaryl . each c 3 - c 6 cycloalkyl , aryl , heterocyclyl , heteroaryl and c 1 - c 4 alkyl in each r 11 , r 12 and r 13 can optionally be substituted with halogen , cn , c 1 - c 4 alkyl , oh , c 1 - c 4 alkoxy , cooh , c ( o ) oc 1 - c 4 alkyl , nh 2 , c 1 - c 4 alkylamino , or c 1 - c 4 dialkylamino . substituents can also be “ electron - withdrawing groups .” “ electron withdrawing group ” refers to groups that reduce electron density of the moiety to which they are attached ( relative to the density of the moiety without the substituent ). such groups include , for example , f , cl , br , i , — cn , — cf 3 , — no 2 , — sh , — c ( o ) h , — c ( o ) alkyl , — c ( o ) oalkyl , — c ( o ) oh , — c ( o ) cl , — s ( o ) 2 oh , — s ( o ) 2 nhoh , — nh 3 and the like . “ alkylsulfonyl ” refers to groups — so 2 alkyl and — so 2 substituted alkyl , which includes the residues — so 2 cycloalkyl , — so 2 substituted cycloalkyl , — so 2 alkenyl , — so 2 substituted alkenyl , — so 2 alkynyl , — so 2 substituted alkynyl , where alkyl , substituted alkyl , alkenyl , substituted alkenyl , alkynyl , substituted alkynyl , cycloalkyl and substituted cycloalkyl are as defined herein . “ n - hydroxylsulfonamidyl ” refers to — s ( o ) 2 nroh , where r is h or alkyl . “ perhaloalkyl ” refers to an alkyl group where each h of the hydrocarbon is replaced with f . examples of perhalo groups include — cf 3 and — cf 2 cf 3 . “ aryl ” intends a monocyclic , bicyclic or tricyclic aromatic ring . an aryl group is preferably a 5 - or 6 - membered aromatic or heteroaromatic ring containing 0 - 3 annular heteroatoms selected from o , n , or s ; a bicyclic 9 - or 10 - membered aromatic or heteroaromatic ring system ( meaning the ring system has 9 or 10 annular atoms ) containing 0 - 3 annular heteroatoms selected from o , n , or s ; or a tricyclic 13 - or 14 - membered aromatic or heteroaromatic ring system ( meaning the ring system has 13 or 14 annular atoms ) containing 0 - 3 annular heteroatoms selected from o , n , or s . examples of groups whose radicals are aryl groups include e . g ., benzene , naphthalene , indane , tetralin , imidazole , pyridine , indole , thiophene , benzopyranone , thiazole , furan , benzimidazole , benzoxazole , benzthiazole , quinoline , isoquinoline , quinoxaline , pyrimidine , pyrazine , tetrazole and pyrazole . “ substituted aryl ” refers to a group having from 1 to 3 substituents . for instance , an aryl group substituted with 1 to 3 groups such as halo , nitro , cyano , oxo , aryl , alkoxy , alkyl , acyl , acylamino , amino , hydroxyl , carboxyl , carboxylalkyl , thiol , thioalkyl , heterocyclyl , — os ( o ) 2 - alkyl , and the like is a substituted aryl . “ alkoxy ” refers to an alkyl group that is connected to the parent structure through an oxygen atom (— o - alkyl ). when a cycloalkyl group is connected to the parent structure through an oxygen atom , the group may also be referred to as a cycloalkoxy group . examples include methoxy , ethoxy , propoxy , isopropoxy , cyclopropyloxy , cyclohexyloxy and the like . a “ perhaloalkoxy ” intends a perhaloalkyl group attached to the parent structure through an oxygen , such as the residue — o — cf 3 . “ aryloxy ” refers to an aryl group that is connected to the parent structure through an oxygen atom (— o - aryl ), which by way of example includes the residues phenoxy , naphthoxy , and the like . “ substituted aryloxy ” refers to a substituted aryl group connected to the parent structure through an oxygen atom (— o - substituted aryl ). “ alkylsulfanyl ” refers to an alkyl group that is connected to the parent structure through a sulfur atom (— s - alkyl ) and refers to groups — s - alkyl and — s - substituted alkyl , which includes the residues — s - cycloalkyl , — s - substituted cycloalkyl , — s - alkenyl , — s - substituted alkenyl , — s - alkynyl , — s - substituted alkynyl , where alkyl , substituted alkyl , alkenyl , substituted alkenyl , alkynyl , substituted alkynyl , cycloalkyl and substituted cycloalkyl are as defined herein . when a cycloalkyl group is connected to the parent structure through an sulfur atom , the group may also be referred to as a cycloalkylsulfanyl group . by way of example , alkylsulfanyl includes — s — ch ( ch 3 ), s — ch 2 ch 3 and the like . “ alkylsulfinyl ” refers to an alkyl group that is connected to the parent structure through a s ( o ) moiety and refers to groups — s ( o ) alkyl and — s ( o ) substituted alkyl , which includes the residues — s ( o ) cycloalkyl , — s ( o ) substituted cycloalkyl , — s ( o ) alkenyl , — s ( o ) substituted alkenyl , — s ( o ) alkynyl , — s ( o ) substituted alkynyl , where alkyl , substituted alkyl , alkenyl , substituted alkenyl , alkynyl , substituted alkynyl , cycloalkyl and substituted cycloalkyl are as defined herein . by way of example , alkylsulfinyl includes the residues — s ( o ) ch ( ch 3 ), — s ( o ) ch 3 , — s ( o ) cyclopentane and the like . “ arylsulfinyl ” refers to an aryl group that is connected to the parent structure through a s ( o ) moiety , which by way of example includes the residue — s ( o ) ph . “ dialkylamino ” refers to the group — nr 2 where each r is an alkyl group . examples of dialkylamino groups include — n ( ch 3 ) 2 , — n ( ch 2 ch 2 ch 2 ch 3 ) 2 , and n ( ch 3 )( ch 2 ch 2 ch 2 ch 3 ). “ pharmaceutically acceptable salt ” refers to pharmaceutically acceptable salts of a compound described herein , such as a compound of formula ( i ), ( ii ), ( iii ) or ( iv ) or other nitroxyl donor of the invention , which salts may be derived from a variety of organic and inorganic counter ions well known in the art and include , by way of example only , sodium , potassium , calcium , magnesium , ammonium , tetraalkylammonium , and the like ; when the molecule contains a basic functionality , salts of organic or inorganic acids , such as hydrochloride , hydrobromide , tartrate , mesylate , acetate , maleate , oxalate and the like . illustrative salts include , but are not limited , to sulfate , citrate , acetate , chloride , bromide , iodide , nitrate , bisulfate , phosphate , acid phosphate , lactate , salicylate , acid citrate , tartrate , oleate , tannate , pantothenate , bitartrate , ascorbate , succinate , maleate , besylate , fumarate , gluconate , glucaronate , saccharate , formate , benzoate , glutamate , methanesulfonate , ethanesulfonate , benzenesulfonate , and p - toluenesulfonate salts . accordingly , a salt may be prepared from a compound of any one of the formulae disclosed herein having an acidic functional group , such as a carboxylic acid functional group , and a pharmaceutically acceptable inorganic or organic base . suitable bases include , but are not limited to , hydroxides of alkali metals such as sodium , potassium , and lithium ; hydroxides of alkaline earth metal such as calcium and magnesium ; hydroxides of other metals , such as aluminum and zinc ; ammonia , and organic amines , such as unsubstituted or hydroxy - substituted mono -, di -, or trialkylamines ; dicyclohexylamine ; tributyl amine ; pyridine ; n - methyl , n - ethylamine ; diethylamine ; triethylamine ; mono -, bis -, or tris -( 2 - hydroxy - lower alkyl amines ), such as mono -, bis -, or tris -( 2 - hydroxyethyl ) amine , 2 - hydroxy - tert - butylamine , or tris -( hydroxymethyl ) methylamine , n , n ,- di - lower alkyl - n -( hydroxy lower alkyl )- amines , such as n , n - dimethyl - n -( 2 - hydroxyethyl ) amine , or tri -( 2 - hydroxyethyl ) amine ; n - methyl - d - glucamine ; and amino acids such as arginine , lysine , and the like . a salt may also be prepared from a compound of any one of the formulae disclosed herein having a basic functional group , such as an amino functional group , and a pharmaceutically acceptable inorganic or organic acid . suitable acids include hydrogen sulfate , citric acid , acetic acid , hydrochloric acid ( hci ), hydrogen bromide ( hbr ), hydrogen iodide ( hi ), nitric acid , phosphoric acid , lactic acid , salicylic acid , tartaric acid , ascorbic acid , succinic acid , maleic acid , besylic acid , fumaric acid , gluconic acid , glucaronic acid , formic acid , benzoic acid , glutamic acid , methanesulfonic acid , ethanesulfonic acid , benzenesulfonic acid , and p - toluenesulfonic acid . unless clearly indicated otherwise , “ an individual ” as used herein intends a mammal , including but not limited to a human . the term “ effective amount ” intends such amount of a compound or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof , which in combination with its parameters of efficacy and toxicity , as well as based on the knowledge of the practicing specialist should be effective in a given therapeutic form . as is understood in the art , an effective amount may be in one or more doses . as used herein , “ treatment ” or “ treating ” is an approach for obtaining a beneficial or desired result , including clinical results . for purposes of this invention , beneficial or desired results include but are not limited to inhibiting and / or suppressing the onset and / or development of a disease or condition that is responsive to nitroxyl therapy or reducing the severity of such disease or condition , such as reducing the number and / or severity of symptoms associated with the disease or condition , increasing the quality of life of those suffering from the disease or condition , decreasing the dose of other medications required to treat the disease or condition , enhancing the effect of another medication an individual is taking for the disease or condition and prolonging survival of individual &# 39 ; s having the disease or condition . the disease or condition may be a cardiovascular disease or condition , which includes , but is not limited to , coronary obstructions , coronary artery disease ( cad ), angina , heart attack , myocardial infarction , high blood pressure , ischemic cardiomyopathy and infarction , diastolic heart failure , pulmonary congestion , pulmonary edema , cardiac fibrosis , valvular heart disease , pericardial disease , circulatory congestive states , peripheral edema , ascites , chagas &# 39 ; disease , ventricular hypertrophy , heart valve disease , heart failure , including but not limited to congestive heart failure such as acute congestive heart failure and acute decompensated heart failure . related symptoms that may be alleviated by the methods herein include shortness of breath , fatigue , swollen ankles or legs , angina , loss of appetite , weight gain or loss , associated with aforementioned diseases or disorders . the disease or condition may involve ischemia / reperfusion injury . as used herein , “ preventing ” refers to reducing the probability of developing a disorder or condition in an individual who does not have , but is at risk of developing a disorder or condition .” an individual “ at risk ” may or may not have a detectable disease or condition , and may or may not have displayed a detectable disease or condition prior to the treatment methods described herein . “ at risk ” denotes that an individual has one or more so - called risk factors , which are measurable parameters that correlate with development of a disease or condition and are known in the art . an individual having one or more of these risk factors has a higher probability of developing the disease or condition than an individual without these risk factor ( s ). as used herein , a compound is a “ nitroxyl donor ” if it donates nitroxyl under physiological conditions . as used herein , nitroxyl donors of the invention may alternatively be referred to as “ a compound ” or “ the compound .” preferably , the nitroxyl donor is capable of donating an effective amount of nitroxyl in vivo and has a safety profile indicating the compound would be tolerated by an individual in the amount necessary to achieve a therapeutic effect . one of ordinary skill in the art would be able to determine the safety of administering particular compounds and dosages to live subjects . one of skill in the art may also determine whether a compound is a nitroxyl donor by evaluating whether it releases hno under physiological conditions . compounds are easily tested for nitroxyl donation with routine experiments . although it is impractical to directly measure whether nitroxyl is donated , several tests are accepted for determining whether a compound donates nitroxyl . for example , the compound of interest can be placed in solution , for example in water , in a sealed container . after sufficient time for disassociation has elapsed , such as from several minutes to several hours , the headspace gas is withdrawn and analyzed to determine its composition , such as by gas chromatography and / or mass spectroscopy . if the gas n 2 o is formed ( which occurs by hno dimerization ), the test is positive for nitroxyl donation and the compound is a nitroxyl donor . the level of nitroxyl donating ability may be expressed as a percentage of a compound &# 39 ; s theoretical maximum . a compound that donates a “ significant level of nitroxyl ” intends a compound that donates 40 % or more or 50 % or more of its theoretical maximum amount of nitroxyl . in one variation , the compounds for use herein donate 60 % or more of the theoretical maximum amount of nitroxyl . in another variation , the compounds for use herein donate 70 % or more of the theoretical maximum amount of nitroxyl . in another variation , the compounds for use herein donate 80 % or more of the theoretical maximum amount of nitroxyl . in another variation , the compounds for use herein donate 90 % or more of the theoretical maximum amount of nitroxyl . in yet another variation , the compounds for use herein donate between about 70 % and about 90 % of the theoretical maximum amount of nitroxyl . in yet another variation , the compounds for use herein donate between about 85 % and about 95 % of the theoretical maximum amount of nitroxyl . in yet another variation , the compounds for use herein donate between about 90 % and about 95 % of the theoretical maximum amount of nitroxyl . compounds that donate less than 40 % or less than 50 % of their theoretical amount of nitroxyl are still nitroxyl donors and may be used in the invention disclosed herein . a compound that donates less than 50 % of the theoretical amount of nitroxyl may be used in the methods described , and may require higher dosing levels as compared to compounds that donate a significant level of nitroxyl . nitroxyl donation also can be detected by exposing the test compound to metmyoglobin ( mb 3 + ). nitroxyl reacts with mb 3 + to form an mb 2 + - no complex , which can be detected by changes in the ultraviolet / visible spectrum or by electron paramagnetic resonance ( epr ). the mb 2 + - no complex has an epr signal centered around a g - value of about 2 . nitric oxide , on the other hand , reacts with mb 3 + to form an mb 3 + - no complex that is epr silent . accordingly , if the candidate compound reacts with mb 3 + to form a complex detectable by common methods such as ultraviolet / visible or epr , then the test is positive for nitroxyl donation . testing for nitroxyl donation may be performed at physiologically relevant ph . a “ positive inotrope ” as used herein is an agent that causes an increase in myocardial contractile function . such an agent includes a beta - adrenergic receptor agonist , an inhibitor of phosphodiesterase activity , and calcium - sensitizers . beta - adrenergic receptor agonists include , among others , dopamine , dobutamine , terbutaline , and isoproterenol . analogs and derivatives of such compounds are also intended . for example , u . s . pat . no . 4 , 663 , 351 describes a dobutamine , prodrug that can be administered orally . one of ordinary skill in the art would be able to determine if a compound is capable of causing positive inotropic effects and also additional beta - agonis compounds . in particular embodiments , the beta - receptor agonist is selective for the beta - 1 receptor . however , in other embodiments the beta - agonist is selective for the beta - 2 receptor , or is not selective for any particular receptor . diseases or conditions that are “ responsive to nitroxyl therapy ” intends any disease or condition in which administration of a compound that donates an effective amount of nitroxyl under physiological conditions treats and / or prevents the disease or condition , as those terms are defined herein . a disease or condition whose symptoms are suppressed or diminished upon administration of nitroxyl donor is a disease or condition responsive to nitoxyl therapy . non - limiting examples of diseases or conditions that are responsive to nitroxyl therapy include coronary obstructions , coronary artery disease ( cad ), angina , heart attack , myocardial infarction , high blood pressure , ischemic cardiomyopathy and infarction , diastolic heart failure , pulmonary congestion , pulmonary edema , cardiac fibrosis , valvular heart disease , pericardial disease , circulatory congestive states , peripheral edema , ascites , chagas &# 39 ; disease , ventricular hypertrophy , heart valve disease , heart failure , including but not limited to congestive heart failure such as acute congestive heart failure and acute decompensated heart failure . other cardiovascular diseases or conditions are also intended , as are diseases or conditions that implicate ischemia / reperfusion injury . the compounds of this invention and for use in the methods described herein include n - hydroxylsulfonamides that donate nitroxyl under physiological conditions . preferably , the compounds predominately donate nitroxyl under physiological conditions , meaning that a compound that donates both nitoxyl and nitric oxide under physiological conditions donates more nitroxyl than nitric oxide . preferably , the compounds for use herein do not donate significant levels of nitric oxide under physiological conditions . most preferably , the compounds for use herein donate significant levels of nitroxyl under physiological conditions . in one embodiment , the invention embraces a compound of the formula ( i ): where r 1 is h ; r 2 is h , aralkyl or heterocyclyl ; r 3 , r 4 , r 5 , r 6 and r 7 are independently h , halo , alkylsulfonyl , n - hydroxylsulfonamidyl , perhaloalkyl , nitro , aryl , cyano , alkoxy , perhaloalkoxy , alkyl , substituted aryloxy , alkylsulfanyl , alkylsulfinyl , heterocycloalkyl , substituted heterocycloalkyl , dialkylamino , cycloalkoxy , cycloalkylsulfanyl , arylsulfanyl or arylsulfinyl , provided that : ( 1 ) at least one of r 3 , r 4 , r 5 , r 6 and r 7 is other than h ; ( 2 ) at least one of r 3 , r 4 , r 5 , r 6 and r 7 is other than halo ; ( 3 ) when r 3 , r 4 , r 6 and r 7 are h , r 5 is other than halo , nitro , cyano , alkyl or alkoxy ; ( 4 ) when one of r 3 or r 7 is halo and the r 3 or r 7 that is not halo is h and one of r 4 or r 6 is halo and the r 4 or r 6 that is not halo is h , r 5 is other than halo ; ( 5 ) when r 3 , r 7 and r 5 are h and one of r 4 and r 6 is h , the r 4 or r 6 that is not h is other than n - hydroxysulfonamidyl , perhaloalkyl or nitro ; ( 6 ) when r 4 , r 5 and r 6 are h and one of r 3 and r 7 is h , the r 3 or r 7 that is not h is other than nitro or alkyl ; ( 7 ) when r 3 and r 7 are h , r 5 is nitro and one of r 4 and r 6 is h , the r 4 or r 6 that is not h is other than halo ; ( 8 ) when r 4 and r 6 are nitro and r 3 and r 7 are h , r 5 is other than dialkylamino ; ( 9 ) when r 4 and r 6 are h and r 3 and r 7 are alkyl , r 5 is other than alkyl ; and ( 10 ) when r 3 and r 7 are h and r 4 and r 6 are nitro , r 5 is other than dialkylamino . in one embodiment , the compound is of the formula ( i ), where r 1 , r 2 , r 3 , r 4 , r 5 , r 6 and r 7 are as defined above , provided that ( 1 ) at least one of r 3 , r 4 , r 5 , r 6 and r 7 is other than h ; ( 2 ) at least one of r 3 , r 4 . r 5 , r 6 and r 7 is other than f ; ( 3 ) when r 3 , r 4 , r 6 and r 7 are h , r 5 is other than f , cl , br , i , no 2 , cn , ch 3 or och 3 ; ( 4 ) when one of r 3 or r 7 is cl and the r 3 or r 7 that is not cl is h and one of r 4 or r 6 is cl and the r 4 or r 6 that is not cl is h , r 5 is other than cl ; ( 5 ) when r 3 , r 7 and r 5 are h and one of r 4 and r 6 is h , the r 4 or r 6 that is not h is other than so 2 nhoh , cf 3 or no 2 ; ( 6 ) when r 4 , r 5 and r 6 are h and one of r 3 and r 7 is h , the r 3 or r 7 that is not h is other than no 2 or ch 3 ; ( 7 ) when r 3 and r 7 are h , r 5 is no 2 and one of r 4 and r 6 is h , the r 4 or r 6 that is not h is other than cl ; ( 8 ) when r 4 and r 6 are nitro and r 3 and r 7 are h , r 5 is other than a c 1 - c 5 dialkylamino ; ( 9 ) when r 4 and r 6 are h and r 3 and r 7 are alkyl , r 5 is other than ch 3 ; and ( 10 ) when r 3 and r 7 are h and r 4 and r 6 are nitro , r 5 is other than a c 1 - c 5 dialkylamino . in another embodiment , the compound is of the formula ( i ) where r 1 is h ; r 2 is h , aralkyl or heterocyclyl ; r 4 , r 5 and r 6 are independently h , halo , alkylsulfonyl , n - hydroxylsulfonamidyl , perhaloalkyl , nitro , aryl , cyano , alkoxy , perhaloalkoxy , alkyl , substituted aryloxy , alkylsulfanyl , alkylsulfinyl , heterocycloalkyl , substituted heterocycloalkyl , dialkylamino , cycloalkoxy , cycloalkylsulfanyl , arylsulfanyl or arylsulfinyl ; at least one of r 3 and r 7 is an electron withdrawing group or a group that sterically hinders the sulfonyl moiety , provided that : ( 1 ) when one of r 3 or r 7 is halo and the r 3 or r 7 that is not halo is h and one of r 4 or r 6 is halo and the r 4 or r 6 that is not halo is h , r 5 is other than halo and ( 2 ) when r 4 , r 5 and r 6 are h and one of r 3 and r 7 is h , the r 3 or r 7 that is not h is other than nitro or alkyl . in one variation , at least one of r 3 or r 7 is an electron withdrawing group . in another variation , both r 3 and r 7 are electron withdrawing groups . in another variation , at least one of r 3 or r 7 is a group that sterically hinders the sulfonyl moiety of compound ( i ). in one variation , at least one of r 3 or r 7 is a branched alkyl group , such as i - propyl or t - butyl . in another variation , both r 3 and r 7 are alkyl groups provided that one of the alkyl groups is a branched alkyl group , such as when both groups are isopropyl or when one group is ethyl and the other is sec - butyl . in one variation , one of r 3 and r 7 is an electron withdrawing group and the r 3 or r 7 that is not an electron withdrawing group is an alkyl group , which may be a branched alkyl group such as isopropyl . also embraced is a compound of the formula ( i ) where r 1 is h ; r 2 is h , benzyl or tetrahydropyran - 2 - yl ; r 3 , r 4 , r 5 , r 6 and r 7 are independently selected from the group consisting of h , cl , f , i , br , so 2 ch 3 , so 2 nhoh , cf 3 , no 2 , phenyl , cn , och 3 , ocf 3 , t - bu , o - ipr , 4 - nitrophenyloxy ( oph4 - no 2 ), propane - 2 - thiyl ( sch ( ch 3 ) 2 ), propane - 2 - sulfinyl ( s ( o ) ch ( ch 3 ) 2 ), morpholino , n - methyl - piperazino , dimethylamino , piperidino , cyclohexyloxy , cyclopentylsulfanyl , phenylsulfanyl and phenylsulfinyl , provided that : ( 1 ) at least one of r 3 , r 4 , r 5 , r 6 and r 7 is other than h ; ( 2 ) at least one of r 3 , r 4 , r 5 , r 6 and r 7 is other than f ; ( 3 ) when r 3 , r 4 , r 6 and r 7 are h , r 5 is other than f , cl , br , i , no 2 , cn or och 3 ; ( 4 ) when one of r 3 or r 7 is cl and the r 3 or r 7 that is not cl is h and one of r 4 or r 6 is cl and the r 4 or r 6 that is not cl is h , r 5 is other than cl ; ( 5 ) when r 3 , r 7 and r 5 are h and one of r 4 and r 6 is h , the r 4 or r 6 that is not h is other than so 2 nhoh , cf 3 or no 2 ; ( 6 ) when r 4 , r 5 and r 6 are h and one of r 3 and r 7 is h , the r 3 or r 7 that is not h is other than no 2 ; and ( 7 ) when r 3 and r 7 are h , r 5 is no 2 and one of r 4 and r 6 is h , the r 4 or r 6 that is not h is other than cl . for any of the variations described for formula ( i ), included are variations of formula ( i ) where r 1 is h and r 2 is h , benzyl or tetrahydropyran - 2 - yl . in one variation , the compound is of the formula ( i ) where at least two of r 3 , r 4 , r 5 , r 6 and r 7 are halo , such as the compound of formula ( i ) where r 5 is halo ( such as f or br ) and one of r 3 and r 7 is halo ( such as br , or cl ) or where both r 3 and r 7 or both r 3 and r 4 are halo ( such as when both are cl or both are f or one is cl and one is f ), and the remaining substituents are as described in the variations above . in one variation , the compound is of the formula ( i ) where at least one of r 3 , r 4 , r 5 , r 6 and r 7 is — s ( o ) oalkyl , such as when one of r 3 or r 7 is — s ( o ) och 3 . in one variation , the compound is of the formula ( i ) where at least one of r 3 , r 5 and r 7 is a perhaloalkyl , such as when r 3 is cf 3 or when r 3 and r 5 are cf 3 . in one variation , the compound is of the formula ( i ) where r 5 is cf 3 and at least one of r 3 and r 7 is other than h , such as when r 5 is cf 3 and r 3 is no 2 or cl . in one variation , the compound is of the formula ( i ) where at least one of r 3 , r 4 , r 5 , r 6 and r 7 is an aryl group , such as when at least one of r 3 and r 7 is an aryl group , such as phenyl . in one variation , the compound is of the formula ( i ) where at least one of r 3 , r 4 , r 5 , r 6 and r 7 is a heterocyclyl group , such as when at least one of r 3 , r 5 and r 7 is a heterocyclyl group or substituted heterocylco group , such as morpholino , n - methyl , piperizino and piperidino . in one variation , the compound is of the formula ( i ) where at least one of r 3 , r 4 , r 5 , r 6 and r 7 is a cycloaloxy or cycloalkylsulfanyl group such as when at least one of r 3 , r 5 and r 7 is a cyclohexyloxy , cyclopentyloxy , cyclohexylsulfanyl or cyclopentylsulfanyl group . in one variation , the compound is of the formula ( i ) where at least one of r 3 , r 4 , r 5 , r 6 and r 7 is an arylsulfanyl or arylsulfinyl group , such as when at least one of r 3 , r 5 and r 7 is a phenylsulfanyl or phenylsulfinyl group . representative compounds of the formula ( i ) include , but are not limited to , the compounds listed in table 1 . where r 1 is h ; r 2 is h , aralkyl or heterocyclyl ; m and n are independently an integer from 0 to 1 ; x is an integer from 0 to 4 ; y is an integer from 0 to 3 ; a is a cycloalkyl , heterocycloalkyl , aromatic or heteroaromatic ring containing ring moieties q 1 , q 2 , q 3 and q 4 , which are taken together with the carbons at positions a and a ′ to form ring a ; b is a cycloalkyl , heterocycloalkyl , aromatic or heteroaromatic ring containing ring moieties q 5 , q 6 , q 7 and q 8 , which are taken together with the carbons at positions a and a ′ to form ring b ; q 1 , q 2 , q 3 , q 4 , q 5 , q 6 , q 7 and q 8 are independently selected from the group consisting of c , ch 2 , ch , n , nr 10 , o and s , provided that either ( 1 ) when rings a and b form naphthalene , x is an integer from 1 to 3 or y is an integer from 2 to 4 or r 8 is other than cl or ( 2 ) at least one of q 1 , q 2 , q 3 , q 4 , q 5 , q 6 , q 7 and q 8 is n , nr 10 , o or s ; each r 8 and r 9 is independently selected from the group consisting of halo , alkylsulfonyl , n - hydroxylsulfonamidyl , perhaloalkyl , nitro , aryl , cyano , alkoxy , perhaloalkoxy , alkyl , substituted aryloxy , alkylsulfanyl , alkylsulfinyl , heterocycloalkyl , substituted heterocycloalkyl , dialkylamino , nh 2 , oh , c ( o ) oh , c ( o ) oalkyl , nhc ( o ) alkylc ( o ) oh , c ( o ) nh 2 , nhc ( o ) alkylc ( o ) alkyl , nhc ( o ) alkenylc ( o ) oh , nhc ( o ) nh 2 , oalkylc ( o ) oalkyl , nhc ( o ) alkyl , c (═ n — oh ) nh 2 , cycloalkoxy , cycloalkylsulfanyl , arylsulfanyl , and arylsulfinyl ; and r 10 is h , alkyl , acyl , or sulfonyl . in one variation , the compound is of the formula ( ii ) where each r 8 and r 9 is independently selected from the group consisting of cl , f , i , br , so 2 ch 3 , so 2 nhoh , cf 3 , ch 3 , no 2 , phenyl , cn , och 3 , ocf 3 , t - bu , o - ipr , 4 - nitrophenyloxy ( oph4 - no 2 ), propane - 2 - thiyl ( sch ( ch 3 ) 2 ), propane - 2 - sulfinyl ( s ( o ) ch ( ch 3 ) 2 ), morpholino , n - methyl - piperazino , dimethylamino , piperidino , cyclohexyloxy , cyclopentylsulfanyl , phenylsulfanyl and phenylsulfinyl ; and r 10 is h , alkyl , acyl or sulfonyl , provided that when rings a and b form naphthalene , x is an integer from 1 to 3 or y is an integer from 2 to 4 . for any of the variations described for formula ( ii ), included are variations of formula ( ii ) where r 1 is h and r 2 is h , benzyl or tetrahydropyran - 2 - yl . in one variation , a and b form a benzofuran or benzothiophene or benzoimidazole or n - alkylbenzoimidazole ( such as n - methylbenzoimidazole ) or n - acylbenzoimidazole ( such as n — c ( o ) ch 3 benzoimidazole ) or benzothiazole or benzooxazole . in one variation , a and b form a benzofuran . in one variation , a and b form a benzofuran and x and y are 0 . in one variation , a and b form a benzothiophene . in one variation , a and b form a benzothiophene , y is 0 and x is 1 . in one variation , a and b form naphthyl and x is 0 , y is 1 and r 8 is a halo group . in one variation , ring a is phenyl and ring b is a heteroaryl group , such as when rings a and b form quinoline and ring b is the nitrogen containing ring . the invention also embraces compounds according to any of the variations for formula ( ii ) where y is 0 , x is 1 and r 9 is a halo , alkyl or perhaloalkyl group . the invention also embraces compounds according to any of the variations for formula ( ii ) where x is 2 and y is 0 . representative compounds of the formula ( ii ) include , but are not limited to , the compounds listed in table 2 . where r 1 is h ; r 2 is h , aralkyl or heterocyclyl ; n is an integer from 0 to 1 ; b is an integer from 0 to 4 ; c is a heteroaromatic ring containing ring moieties q 9 , q 10 , q 11 , q 12 , q 13 and q 14 that are independently selected from the group consisting of c , ch 2 , ch , n , nr 10 , o and s , provided that at least one of q 9 , q 10 , q 11 , q 12 , q 13 and q 14 is n , nr 10 , o or s ; each r 8 is independently selected from the group consisting of halo , alkylsulfonyl , n - hydroxylsulfonamidyl , perhaloalkyl , nitro , aryl , cyano , alkoxy , perhaloalkoxy , alkyl , substituted aryloxy , alkylsulfanyl , alkylsulfinyl , heterocycloalkyl , substituted heterocycloalkyl , dialkylamino , nh 2 , oh , c ( o ) oh , c ( o ) oalkyl , nhc ( o ) alkylc ( o ) oh , c ( o ) nh 2 , nhc ( o ) alkylc ( o ) alkyl , nhc ( o ) alkenylc ( o ) oh , nhc ( o ) nh 2 , oalkylc ( o ) oalkyl , nhc ( o ) alkyl , c (═ n — oh ) nh 2 , cycloalkoxy , cycloalkylsulfanyl , arylsulfanyl , and arylsulfinyl ; and r 10 is h , alkyl , acyl or sulfonyl . in one variation , the compound is of the formula ( iii ) and each r 8 is independently selected from the group consisting of cl , f , i , br , so 2 ch 3 , so 2 nhoh , cf 3 , ch 3 , no 2 , phenyl , cn , och 3 , ocf 3 , t - bu , o - ipr , 4 - nitrophenyloxy ( oph4 - no 2 ), propane - 2 - thiyl ( sch ( ch 3 ) 2 ), propane - 2 - sulfinyl ( s ( o ) ch ( ch 3 ) 2 ), morpholino , n - methyl - piperazino , dimethylamino , piperidino , cyclohexyloxy , cyclopentylsulfanyl , phenylsulfanyl and phenylsulfanyl . in another variation , the compound is of the formula ( iii ) and each r 8 is independently selected from the group consisting of f , br , cl , cf 3 , phenyl , methyl , so 2 nhoh , morpholino , piperidino , 4 - methyl - piperazino . for any of the variations described for formula ( iii ), included are variations of formula ( iii ) where r 1 is h and r 2 is h , benzyl or tetrahydropyran - 2 - yl . in one variation , n is 0 and c is a thiophene or isoxazole or pyrazole or pyrrole or imidazole or furan or thiazole or triazole or n - methylimidazole or thiadiazole . in another variation , n is 0 and c is a thiophene or isoxazole or pyrazole or pyrrole or imidazole or furan or thiazole or triazole or n - methylimidazole or thiadiazole and either ( 1 ) b is 1 and r 8 is either a halo ( such as cl or br ), nitro , alkyl ( such as methyl ), cyano or ( 2 ) b is 2 and each r 8 is a halo group . in one variation , n is 1 and c is a pyrimidine or pyrazine or pyridine . in one variation , n is 1 and c is a pyrimidine or pyrazine or pyridine and b is either 0 or 1 , and where r 8 is halo or heterocyclyl if b is 1 . in one variation , n is 1 and c is a pyrimidine or pyrazine or pyridine , b is 1 , and r 8 is chloro or morpholino or piperidino or n - methylpiperizino . in one variation , c is thiophene and b is 1 . in one variation , c is thiophene , b is 1 and r 8 is halo . in one variation , c is thiophene and b is 0 . representative compounds of the formula ( iii ) include , but are not limited to , the compounds listed in table 3 . where r 1 is h ; r 2 is h , aralkyl or heterocyclyl ; t is alkyl or substituted alkyl ( which includes a cycloalkyl or substituted cycloalkyl ) and z is an electron withdrawing group . in one variation , t is a c 1 to c 6 branched alkyl , such as isopropyl , t - butyl or sec - butyl . in another variation , t is a c 1 to c 6 branched alkyl , such as isopropyl , t - butyl or sec - butyl and z is selected from the group consisting of f , cl , br , i , — cn , — cf 3 , — no 2 , — sh , — c ( o ) h , — c ( o ) alkyl , — c ( o ) oalkyl , — c ( o ) oh , — c ( o ) cl , — s ( o ) 2 oh , — s ( o ) 2 nhoh , — nh 3 . for any of the variations described for formula ( iv ), included are variations of formula ( iv ) where r 1 is h and r 2 is h , benzyl or tetrahydropyran - 2 - yl . representative compounds of the formula ( iv ) include , but are not limited to , the compounds listed in table 4 . the methods described employ n - hydroxysulfonamides that donate an effective amount of nitroxyl under physiological conditions . any of the methods may employ an n - hydroxylsulfonamide compound described above under “ n - hydroxysulfonamide compounds .” the methods may also employ other n - hydroxysulfonamides that donate an effective amount of nitroxyl under physiological conditions , including those described by the formulae below : where r 1 is h ; r 2 is h ; m and n are independently an integer from 0 to 2 ; x and b are independently an integer from 0 to 4 ; y is an integer from 0 to 3 ; t is an alkyl or substituted alkyl ; z is an electron withdrawing group ; r 3 , r 4 , r 5 , r 6 and r 7 are independently selected from the group consisting of h , halo , alkylsulfonyl , n - hydroxylsulfonamidyl , perhaloalkyl , nitro , aryl , cyano , alkoxy , perhaloalkoxy , alkyl , substituted aryloxy , alkylsulfanyl , alkylsulfinyl , heterocycloalkyl , substituted heterocycloalkyl , dialkylamino , cycloalkoxy , cycloalkylsulfanyl , arylsulfanyl and arylsulfinyl , provided that provided that : ( 1 ) at least one of r 3 , r 4 , r 5 , r 6 and r 7 is other than h ; each r 8 and r 9 is independently selected from the group consisting of halo , alkylsulfonyl , n - hydroxylsulfonamidyl , perhaloalkyl , nitro , aryl , cyano , alkoxy , perhaloalkoxy , alkyl , substituted aryloxy , alkylsulfanyl , alkylsulfinyl , heterocycloalkyl , substituted heterocycloalkyl , dialkylamino , nh 2 , oh , c ( o ) oh , c ( o ) oalkyl , nhc ( o ) alkylc ( o ) oh , c ( o ) nh 2 , nhc ( o ) alkylc ( o ) alkyl , nhc ( o ) alkenylc ( o ) oh , nhc ( o ) nh 2 , oalkylc ( o ) oalkyl , nhc ( o ) alkyl , c (═ n — oh ) nh 2 , cycloalkoxy , cycloalkylsulfanyl , arylsulfanyl , and arylsulfinyl ; a is a cycloalkyl , heterocycloalkyl , aromatic or heteroaromatic ring containing ring moieties q 1 , q 2 , q 3 and q 4 , which are taken together with the carbons at positions a and a ′ to form ring a ; b is a cycloalkyl , heterocycloalkyl , aromatic or heteroaromatic ring containing ring moieties q 5 , q 6 , q 7 and q 8 , which are taken together with the carbons at positions a and a ′ to form ring b ; q 1 , q 2 , q 3 , q 4 , q 5 , q 6 , q 7 and q 8 are independently selected from the group consisting of c , ch 2 , ch , n , nr 10 , o and s ; c is a heteroaromatic ring containing ring moieties q 9 , q 10 , q 11 , q 12 , q 13 and q 14 that are independently selected from the group consisting of c , ch 2 , ch , n , nr 10 , o and s ; and r 10 is h , alkyl , acyl or sulfonyl . any of the methods may also utilize any of the specific n - hydroxylsulfonamide compounds listed in tables 1 - 4 . the methods may also employ any of the compounds listed table 5 . the compounds of table 5 have been described in the literature ( see , e . g ., mincione , f . ; menabuoni , l . ; briganti , f . ; mincione , g . ; scozzafava , a . ; supuran , c . t . j . enzyme inhibition 1998 , 13 , 267 - 284 and scozzafava , a . ; supuran , c . t . j . med . chem . 2000 , 43 , 3677 - 3687 ) but have not been proposed for use in the treatment or prevention of diseases or conditions that are responsive to nitroxyl therapy , such as use in the treatment of heart failure , including acute congestive heart failure , or ischemia / reperfusion injury . compounds that donate nitroxyl but do not donate significant levels of nitroxyl may be used in the methods , but will generally require a higher dosing to produce the same physiological effect as compared to compounds that donate significant levels of nitroxyl . for any of the compounds of the invention , such as the compounds of formula ( i ), ( ii ), ( iii ) or ( iv ) or other compounds for use in the methods described herein , recitation or depiction of the parent compound intends and includes all salts , solvates , hydrates , polymorphs , or prodrugs thereof , where applicable . as such , all salts , such as pharmaceutically acceptable salts , solvates , hydrates , polymorphs and prodrugs of a compound are embraced by the invention and described herein the same as if each and every salts , solvate , hydrate , polymorph , or prodrug were specifically and individually listed . for all compounds disclosed herein , where applicable due to the presence of a stereocenter , the compound is intended to embrace all possible stereoisomers of the compound depicted or described . compositions comprising a compound with at least one stereocenter are also embraced by the invention , and includes racemic mixtures or mixtures containing an enantiomeric excess of one enantiomer or single diastereomers or diastereomeric mixtures . all such isomeric forms of these compounds are expressly included herein the same as if each and every isomeric form were specifically and individually listed . the compounds herein may also contain linkages ( e . g ., carbon - carbon bonds ) wherein bond rotation is restricted about that particular linkage , e . g . restriction resulting from the presence of a ring or double bond . accordingly , all cis / trans and e / z isomers are also expressly included in the present invention . the compounds herein may also be represented in multiple tautomeric forms , in such instances , the invention expressly includes all tautomeric forms of the compounds described herein , even though only a single tautomeric form may be represented . also embraced are compositions of substantially pure compound . a composition of substantially pure compound means that the composition contains no more than 25 %, or no more than 15 %, or no more than 10 %, or no more than 5 %, or no more than 3 % impurity , or no more than 1 % impurity , such as a different biologically active compound , which may include a different stereochemical form of the compound if the composition contains a substantially pure single isomer . the compounds of the invention can be made according to the general methods described in schemes a - c or by procedures known in the art . starting materials for the reactions are either commercially available or may be prepare by known procedures or obvious modifications thereof . for example , many of the starting materials are available from commercial suppliers such as sigma - aldrich . others may be prepared by procedures or obvious modifications thereof described in standard reference texts such as march &# 39 ; s advanced organic chemistry , ( john wiley and sons ) and larock &# 39 ; s comprehensive organic transformations ( vch publishers inc .). in scheme a , a solution of hydroxylamine hydrochloride in water is chilled to 0 ° c . a solution of potassium carbonate in water is added dropwise , maintaining an internal reaction temperature between about 5 ° c . and about 15 ° c . the reaction mixture is stirred for about 15 minutes , whereupon tetrahydrofuran ( thf ) and methanol ( meoh ) are added . compound a1 ( where r is an alkyl , aryl or heterocyclyl group ) is added portionwise maintaining a temperature below about 15 ° c . and the reaction mixture is stirred at ambient temperature until complete consumption of the sulfonyl chloride is observed by thin layer chromatography ( tlc ). the resulting suspension is concentrated to remove any volatiles and the aqueous suspension is extracted with diethyl ether . the organic portion is dried over magnesium sulfate , filtered and concentrated in vacuo to yield the crude n - hydroxy sulphonamide a2 . purification may be achieved by conventional methods , such as chromatography , filtration , crystallization and the like . n - benzyloxysulfonamides are chemical intermediates that are used as protected n - hydroxysulfonamides for the further modification of the r moiety of compound b2 . in scheme b , a suspension of o - benzylhydroxylamine hydrochloride b1 in methanol and water is added to a chilled solution of potassium carbonate in water , maintaining an internal reaction temperature below about 10 ° c . the reaction mixture is stirred for about 5 minutes , whereupon thf and a1 ( where r is an alkyl , aryl or heterocyclyl group ) are added . the reaction mixture is stirred at ambient temperature until complete consumption of the sulfonyl chloride was observed by tlc . the resulting suspension is concentrated in vacuo to remove any volatiles , and the aqueous suspension was extracted with diethyl ether . the organic layer was dried over sodium sulfate , filtered and concentrated in vacuo to yield the crude target compound b2 . purification may be achieved by conventional methods , such as chromatography , filtration , crystallization and the like . the reaction product b2 may be deprotected by removing the benzyl group . for instance , a suspension of 10 % palladium on charcoal may be added to a suspension of b2 in methanol . the reaction mixture is stirred under a hydrogen atmosphere at ambient temperature and atmospheric pressure overnight . the reaction mixture is filtered through microfibre glass paper . the resulting filtrate is concentrated in vacuo , and the residue purified by conventional methods to yield the corresponding n - hydroxylsulfonamide . n -( tetrahydro - pyran - 2 - yloxy ) sulfonamides are chemical intermediates that are used as protected n - hydroxysulfonamides for the further modification of the r moiety of compound c2 . in scheme c , to a solution of c1 in water at 0 ° c . is added a solution of potassium carbonate in water dropwise , maintaining an internal reaction temperature below about 10 ° c . after about 15 minutes , methanol and thf are added dropwise , followed by a1 portionwise . the reaction mixture is stirred at ambient temperature until complete consumption of the sulfonyl chloride is observed by tlc . the resulting suspension was concentrated to remove any volatiles and the aqueous suspension was extracted with diethyl ether . the organic portion is dried over sodium sulfate , filtered and concentrated in vacuo to yield the crude target compound c2 . purification may be achieved by conventional methods , such as chromatography , filtration , crystallization and the like . deprotection of c2 to yield the corresponding n - hydroxylsulfonamide may be carried out according to methods known in the art . particular examples of compounds made according to the general synthetic procedures of schemes a - c are found in examples 1 - 3 . the compounds and compositions herein may be used to treat and / or prevent the onset and / or development of a disease or condition that is responsive to nitroxyl therapy . the invention embraces methods of administering to an individual ( including an individual identified as in need of such treatment ) an effective amount of a compound to produce a desired effect . identifying a subject in need of such treatment can be in the judgment of a physician , clinical staff , emergency response personnel or other health care professional and can be subjective ( e . g . opinion ) or objective ( e . g . measurable by a test or diagnostic method ). one embodiment provides a method of modulating ( including increasing ) in vivo nitroxyl levels in an individual in need thereof , the method comprising administering to the individual a compound that donates nitroxyl under physiological conditions or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof . an individual is in need of nitroxyl modulation if they have or are suspected of having or are at risk of having or developing a disease or condition that is responsive to nitroxyl therapy . particular diseases or conditions embraced by the methods of the invention include cardiovascular diseases such as heart failure or conditions and diseases or conditions that implicate or may implicate ischemia / reperfusion injury . these methods are described in more detail below . compositions comprising a nitroxyl - donating compound of the invention are embraced by the invention . however , the methods described may use more than one nitroxyl donating compound ; for example , the methods may employ angeli &# 39 ; s salt and an n - hydroxysulfonamide of the present invention or two or more n - hydroxysulfonamides of the present invention , which may be administered together or sequentially . provided herein are methods of treating cardiovascular diseases such as heart failure by administering an effective amount of at least one nitroxyl donating compound to an individual in need thereof . also provided are methods of administering a therapeutically effective dose of at least one nitroxyl donating compound in combination with at least one other positive inotropic agent to an individual in need thereof . further provided are methods of administering a therapeutically effective amount of at least one nitroxyl donating compound to an individual who is receiving beta - antagonist therapy and who is experiencing heart failure . methods are provided herein for administering compounds of the invention in combination with beta - adrenergic agonists to treat heart failure . such agonists include dopamine , dobutamine , and isoproterenol , and analogs and derivatives of such compounds . also provided are methods of administering nitroxyl donors to individuals receiving treatment with beta - antagonizing agents such as propranolol , metoprolol , bisoprolol , bucindolol , and carvedilol . further , methods are provided herein for treating specific classifications of heart failure , such as class iii heart failure and acute heart failure . also embraced by the invention is a method of treating congestive heart failure ( chf ), including acute congestive heart failure , by administering an effective amount at least one nitroxyl donating compound to an individual in need thereof , which individual may be experiencing heart failure . also disclosed is a method of treating chf by administering an effective amount of at least one nitroxyl donating compound in combination with an effective amount of at least one other positive inotropic agent to an individual in need thereof , which individual may be experiencing heart failure . in one variation , the other positive inotrope is a beta - adrenergic agonist , such as dobutamine . the combined administration of a nitroxyl donor and at least one other positive inotropic agent comprises administering the nitroxyl donor either sequentially with the other positive inotropic agent for example , the treatment with one agent first and then the second agent , or administering both agents at substantially the same time , wherein there is an overlap in performing the administration . with sequential administration , an individual is exposed to the agents at different times , so long as some amount of the first agent , which is sufficient to be therapeutically effective in combination with the second agent , remains in the subject when the other agent is administered . treatment with both agents at the same time can involve administration of the agents in the same dose , such as a physically mixed dose , or in separate doses administered at the same time . in particular an embodiment , a nitroxyl donor is administered to an individual experiencing heart failure that is receiving beta - antagonist therapy . a beta - antagonist ( also known as a beta - blocker ) includes any compound that effectively acts as an antagonist at a subject &# 39 ; s beta - adrenergic receptors , and provides desired therapeutic or pharmaceutical results , such as diminished vascular tone and / or heart rate . a subject who is receiving beta - antagonist therapy is any subject to whom a beta - antagonist has been administered , and in whom the beta - antagonist continues to act as an antagonist at the subject &# 39 ; s beta - adrenergic receptors . in particular embodiments a determination of whether a subject is receiving beta - blocking therapy is made by examination of the subject &# 39 ; s medical history . in other embodiments the subject is screened for the presence of beta - blocking agents by chemical tests , such as high - speed liquid chromatography as described in thevis et al ., biomed . chromatogr ., 15 : 393 - 402 ( 2001 ). the administration of a nitroxyl donating compound either alone , in combination with a positive inotropic agent , or to a subject receiving beta - antagonist therapy , is used to treat heart failure of all classifications . in particular embodiments a nitroxyl donating compound is used to treat early - stage chronic heart failure , such as class ii heart failure . in other embodiments a nitroxyl donating compound is used in combination with a positive inotropic agent , such as isoproterenol to treat class iv heart failure . in still other embodiments a nitroxyl donating compound is used in combination with another positive inotropic agent , such as isoproterenol to treat acute heart failure . in some embodiments , when a nitroxyl donor is used to treat early stage heart failure , the dose administered is lower than that used to treat acute heart failure . in other embodiments the dose is the same as is used to treat acute heart failure . the invention embraces methods of treating or preventing or protecting against ischemia / reperfusion injury . in particular , compounds of the invention are beneficial for individuals at risk for an ischemic event . thus , provided herein is a method of preventing or reducing the injury associated with ischemia / reperfusion by administering an effective amount of at least one nitroxyl donating compound to an individual , preferably prior to the onset of ischemia . a compound of the invention may be administered to an individual after ischemia but before reperfusion . a compound of the invention may also be administered after ischemia / reperfusion , but where the administration protects against further injury . also provided is a method in which the individual is demonstrated to be at risk for an ischemic event . also disclosed is a method of administering a nitroxyl donating compound to an organ that is to be transplanted in an amount effective to reduce ischemia / reperfusion injury to the tissues of the organ upon reperfusion in the recipient of the transplanted organ . nitroxyl donors of the invention may thus be used in methods of preventing or reducing injury associated with future ischemia / reperfusion . for example , administration of a nitroxyl donor prior to the onset of ischemia may reduce tissue necrosis ( the size of infarct ) in at - risk tissues . in live subjects this may be accomplished by administering an effective amount of a nitroxyl donating compound to an individual prior to the onset of ischemia . in organs to be transplanted this is accomplished by contacting the organ with a nitroxyl donor prior to reperfusion of the organ in the transplant recipient . compositions comprising more than one nitroxyl - donating compound also could be used in the methods described , for example , angeli &# 39 ; s salt and an n - hydroxysulfonamide of the present invention or two or more n - hydroxysulfonamides of the present invention . the nitroxyl - donating compound also can be used in combination with other classes of therapeutic agents that are designed to minimize ischemic injury , such as beta blockers , calcium channel blockers , anti - platelet therapy or other interventions for protecting the myocardium in individuals with coronary artery disease . one method of administering a nitroxyl donor to live subjects includes administration of the nitroxyl - donating compound prior to the onset of ischemia . this refers only to the onset of each instance of ischemia and would not preclude performance of the method with subjects who have had prior ischemic events , i . e ., the method also contemplates administration of nitroxyl - donating compounds to a subject who has had an ischemic event in the past . individuals can be selected who are at risk of a first or subsequent ischemic event . examples include individuals with known hypercholesterolemia , ekg changes associated with risk of ischemia , sedentary lifestyle , angiographic evidence of partial coronary artery obstruction , echocardiographic evidence of myocardial damage , or any other evidence of a risk for a future or additional ischemic event ( for example a myocardial ischemic event , such as a myocardial infarction ( mi ), or a neurovascular ischemia such as a cerebrovascular accident cva ). in particular examples of the methods , individuals are selected for treatment who are at , risk of future ischemia , but who have no present evidence of ischemia ( such as electrocardiographic changes associated with ischemia ( for example , peaked or inverted t - waves or st segment elevations or depression in an appropriate clinical context ), elevated ckmb , or clinical evidence of ischemia such as crushing sub - sternal chest pain or arm pain , shortness of breath and / or diaphoresis ). the nitroxyl - donating compound also could be administered prior to procedures in which myocardial ischemia may occur , for example an angioplasty or surgery ( such as a coronary artery bypass graft surgery ). also embraced is a method of administering a nitroxyl - donating compound to an individual at demonstrated risk for an ischemic event . the selection of an individual with such a status could be performed by a variety of methods , some of which are noted above . for example , an individual with one of more of an abnormal ekg not associated with active ischemia , prior history of myocardial infarction , elevated serum cholesterol , etc ., would be at risk for an ischemic event . thus , an at - risk individual could be selected by physical testing or eliciting the potential subject &# 39 ; s medical history to determine whether the subject has any indications of risk for an ischemic event . if risk is demonstrated based on the indications discussed above , or any other indications that one skilled in the art would appreciate , then the individual would be considered at demonstrated risk for an ischemic event . ischemia / reperfusion may damage tissues other than those of the myocardium and the invention embraces methods of treating or preventing such damage . in one variation , the method finds use in reducing injury from ishemia / reperfusion in the tissue of the brain , liver , gut , kidney , bowel , or in any other tissue . the methods preferably involve administration of a nitroxyl donor to an individual at risk for such injury . selecting a person at risk for non - myocardial ischemia could include a determination of the indicators used to assess risk for myocardial ischemia . however , other factors may indicate a risk for ischemia / reperfusion in other tissues . for example , surgery patients often experience surgery related ischemia . thus , individuals scheduled for surgery could be considered at risk for an ischemic event . the following risk factors for stroke ( or a subset of these risk factors ) would demonstrate a subject &# 39 ; s risk for ischemia of brain tissue : hypertension , cigarette smoking , carotid artery stenosis , physical inactivity , diabetes mellitus , hyperlipidemia , transient ischemic attack , atrial fibrillation , coronary artery disease , congestive heart failure , past myocardial infarction , left ventricular dysfunction with mural thrombus , and mitral stenosis . ingall , “ preventing ischemic stroke : current approaches to primary and secondary prevention ,” postgrad . med ., 107 ( 6 ): 34 - 50 ( 2000 ). further , complications of untreated infectious diarrhea in the elderly can include myocardial , renal , cerebrovascular and intestinal ischemia . slotwiner - nie & amp ; brandt , “ infectious diarrhea in the elderly ,” gastroenterol , clin . n . am ., 30 ( 3 ): 625 - 635 ( 2001 ). alternatively , individuals could be selected based on risk factors for ischemic bowel , kidney or liver disease . for example , treatment would be initiated in elderly subjects at risk of hypotensive episodes ( such as surgical blood loss ). thus , subjects presenting with such an indication would be considered at risk for an ischemic event . also embraced is a method of administering a nitroxyl donating compound of the invention to an individual who has any one or more of the conditions listed herein , such as diabetes mellitus or hypertension . other conditions that may result in ischemia such as cerebral arteriovenous malformation would be considered to demonstrate risk for an ischemic event . the method of administering nitroxyl to organs to be transplanted includes administration of nitroxyl prior to removal of the organ from the donor , for example through the perfusion cannulas used in the organ removal process . if the organ donor is a live donor , for example a kidney donor , the nitroxyl donor can be administered to the organ donor as described above for a subject at risk for an ischemic event . in other cases the nitroxyl donor can be administered by storing the organ in a solution comprising the nitroxyl donor . for example , the nitroxyl donor can be included in the organ preservation solution , such as university of wisconsin “ uw ” solution , which is a solution comprising hydroxyethyl starch substantially free of ethylene glycol , ethylene chlorohydrin and acetone ( see u . s . pat . no . 4 , 798 , 824 ). also included are pharmaceutically acceptable compositions comprising a compound of the invention or pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof and any of the methods may employ the compounds of the invention as a pharmaceutically acceptable composition . a pharmaceutically acceptable composition includes one or more of the compounds of the invention together with a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier . the pharmaceutical compositions of the invention include those suitable for oral , rectal , nasal , topical ( including buccal and sublingual ), vaginal or parenteral ( including subcutaneous , intramuscular , intravenous and intradermal ) administration . the compounds or compositions may be prepared as any available dosage form . unit dosage forms are also intended , which includes discrete units of the compound or composition such as capsules , sachets or tablets each containing a predetermined amount of the compound ; as a powder or granules ; as a solution or a suspension in an aqueous liquid or a non - aqueous aqueous liquid ; or as an oil - in - water liquid emulsion or a water - in - oil liquid emulsion , or packed in liposomes and as a bolus , etc . a tablet containing the compound or composition may be made by compression or molding , optionally with one or more accessory ingredients . compressed tablets may be prepared by compressing in a suitable machine the active ingredient in a free - flowing form such as a powder or granules , optionally mixed with a binder , lubricant , inert diluerit , preservative , surface - active or dispersing agent . molded tablets may be made by molding in a suitable machine a mixture of the powdered compound moistened with an inert liquid diluent . the tablets optionally may be coated or scored and may be formulated so as to provide slow or controlled release of the active ingredient therein . methods of formulating such slow or controlled release compositions of pharmaceutically active ingredients , such as those herein and other compounds known in the art , are known in the art and described in several issued us patents , some of which include , but are not limited to , u . s . pat . nos . 4 , 369 , 174 and 4 , 842 , 866 , and references cited therein . coatings can be used for delivery of compounds to the intestine ( see , e . g ., u . s . pat . nos . 6 , 638 , 534 , 5 , 217 , 720 and 6 , 569 , 457 , and references cited therein ). a skilled artisan will recognize that in addition to tablets , other dosage forms can be formulated to provide slow or controlled release of the active ingredient . such dosage forms include , but are not limited to , capsules , granulations and gel - caps . compositions suitable for topical administration include lozenges comprising the ingredients in a flavored basis , usually sucrose and acacia or tragacanth ; and pastilles comprising the active ingredient in an inert basis such as gelatin and glycerin , or sucrose and acacia . compositions suitable for parenteral administration include aqueous and non - aqueous sterile injection solutions which may contain anti - oxidants , buffers , bacteriostats and solutes which render the formulation isotonic with the blood of the intended recipient ; and aqueous and non - aqueous sterile suspensions which may include suspending agents and thickening agents . the formulations may be presented in unit - dose or multi - dose containers , for example , sealed ampules and vials , and may be stored in a freeze dried ( lyophilized ) condition requiring only the addition of the sterile liquid carrier , for example water for injections , immediately prior to use . extemporaneous injection solutions and suspensions may be prepared from sterile powders , granules and tablets . administration of the compounds or compositions to an individual may involve systemic exposure or may be local administration , such as when a compound or composition is to be administered at the site of interest . various techniques can be used for providing the subject compositions at the site of interest , such as via injection , use of catheters , trocars , projectiles , pluronic gel , stems , sustained drug release polymers or other device which provides for internal access . where an organ or tissue is accessible because of removal from the patient , such organ or tissue may be bathed in a medium containing the subject compositions , the subject compositions may be painted onto the organ , or may be applied in any convenient way . the methods of the invention embrace administration of the compounds to an organ to be donated ( such as to prevent ischemia / reperfusion injury ). accordingly , organs that are removed from one individual for transplant into another individual may be bathed in a medium containing or otherwise exposed to a compound or composition as described herein . the compounds of the invention , such as those of the formulae herein , may be administered in any suitable dosage amount , which may include dosage levels of about 0 . 0001 to 4 . 0 grams once per day ( or multiple doses per day in divided doses ) for adults . thus , in certain embodiments of this invention , a compound herein is administered at a dosage of any dosage range in which the low end of the range is any amount between 0 . 1 mg / day and 400 mg / day and the upper end of the range is any amount between 1 mg / day and 4000 mg / day ( e . g ., 5 mg / day and 100 mg / day , 150 mg / day and 500 mg / day ). in other embodiments , a compound herein , is administered at a dosage of any dosage range in which the low end of the range is any amount between 0 . 1 mg / kg / day and 90 mg / kg / day and the upper end of the range is any amount between 1 mg / kg / day and - 32 1 00 mg / kg / day ( e . g ., 0 . 5 mg / kg / day and 2 mg / kg / day , 5 mg / kg / day and 20 mg / kg / day ). the dosing interval can be adjusted according to the needs of the individual . for longer intervals of administration , extended release or depot formulations can be used . the dosing can be commensurate with intravenous administration . for instance , the compound can be administered , such as in a pharmaceutical composition that is amenable to intravenous administration , in an amount of between about 0 . 01 μg / kg / min to about 100 μg / kg / min or between about 0 . 05 μg / kg / min to about 95 μg / kg / min or between about 0 . 1 μg / kg / min to about 90 μg / kg / min or between about 1 . 0 μg / kg / min to about 80 μg / kg / min or between about 10 . 0 μg / kg / min to about 70 μg / kg / min or between about 20 μg / kg / min to about 60 μg / kg / min or between about 30 μg / kg / min to about 50 μg / kg / min or between about 0 . 01 μg / kg / min to about 1 . 0 μg / kg / min or between about 0 . 01 μg / kg / min to about 10 μg / kg / min or between about 0 . 1 μg / kg / min to about 1 . 0 μg / kg / min or between about 0 . 1 μg / kg / min to about 10 μg / kg / min or between about 1 . 0 μg / kg / min to about 5 μg / kg / min or between about 70 μg / kg / min to about 100 μg / kg / min or between about 80 μg / kg / min to about 90 μg / kg / min . in one variation , the compound is administered to an individual , such as in a pharmaceutical composition that is amenable to intravenous administration , in an amount of at least about 0 . 01 μg / kg / min or at least about 0 . 05 μg / kg / min or at least about 0 . 1 μg / kg / min or at least about 0 . 15 μg / kg / min or at least about 0 . 25 μg / kg / min or at least about 0 . 5 μg / kg / min or at least about 1 . 0 μg / kg / min or at least about 1 . 5 μg / kg / min or at least about 5 . 0 μg / kg / min or at least about 10 . 0 μg / kg / min or at least about 20 . 0 μg / kg / min or at least about 30 . 0 μg / kg / min or at least about 40 . 0 μg / kg / min or at least about 50 . 0 μg / kg / min or at least about 60 . 0 μg / kg / min or at least about 70 . 0 μg / kg / min or at least about 80 . 0 μg / kg / min or at least about 90 . 0 μg / kg / min or at least about 100 . 0 μg / kg / min or more . in another variation , the compound is administered to an individual , such as in a pharmaceutical composition that is amenable to intravenous administration , in an amount of less than about 100 . 0 μg / kg / min or less than about 90 . 0 μg / kg / min or less than about 80 . 0 μg / kg / min or less than about 80 . 0 μg / kg / min or less than about 70 . 0 μg / kg / min or less than about 60 . 0 μg / kg / min or less than about 50 . 0 μg / kg / min or less than about 40 . 0 μg / kg / min or less than about 30 . 0 μg / kg / min or less than about 20 . 0 μg / kg / min or less than about 10 . 0 μg / kg / min or less than about 5 . 0 μg / kg / min or less than about 2 . 5 μg / kg / min or less than about 1 . 0 μg / kg / min or less than about 0 . 5 μg / kg / min or less than about 0 . 05 μg / kg / min or less than about 0 . 15 μg / kg / min or less than about 0 . 1 μg / kg / min or less than about 0 . 05 μg / kg / min or less than about 0 . 01 μg / kg / min . the invention further provides kits comprising one or more compounds as described herein . the kits may employ any of the compounds disclosed herein and instructions for use . the compound may be formulated in any acceptable form . the kits may be used for any one or more of the uses described herein , and , accordingly , may contain instructions for any one or more of the stated uses ( e . g ., treating and / or preventing and / or delaying the onset and / or the development of heart failure or ischemia / reperfusion injury ). kits generally comprise suitable packaging . the kits may comprise one or more containers comprising any compound described herein . each component ( if there is more than one component ) can be packaged in separate containers or some components can be combined in one container where cross - reactivity and shelf life permit . the kits may optionally include a set of instructions , generally written instructions , although electronic storage media ( e . g ., magnetic diskette or optical disk ) containing instructions are also acceptable , relating to the use of component ( s ) of the methods of the present invention ( e . g ., treating , preventing and / or delaying the onset and / or the development of heart disease or ischemia / reperfusion injury ). the instructions included with the kit generally include information as to the components and their administration to an individual . the following examples are provided to illustrate various embodiments of the invention , and are not intended to limit the invention in any manner . in the following examples , all hplc analysis was carried out using a ctc pal hts autosampler with a waters 2487 uv detector powered by an agilent g1312a binary pump . the following method and column were used for determination of retention time ( tr ) 0 - 100 % b [ mecn : h 2 o : 0 . 2 % hco 2 h ], 2 . 5 min gradient , 0 . 5 min hold , 215 nm , atlantis dc18 2 . 1 × 50 mm , 5 μm . all nmr were recorded on a bruker avance 400 mhz spectrometer operating at ambient probe temperature using an internal deuterium lock . chemical shifts are reported in parts per million ( ppm ) at lower frequency relative to tetramethylsilane ( tms ). standard abbreviations are used throughout ( s singlet ; br . s broad singlet ; d doublet ; dd doublet of doublets ; t triplet ; q quartet ; quin quintet ; m multiplet ). coupling constants are reported in hertz ( hz ). all microwave reactions were carried out using a cem explorer system following standard methods . the preparation of 2 - bromo - n - hydroxy - benzene - sulfonamide is detailed below as a representative example of the synthetic method exemplified in scheme a . to a solution of hydroxylamine hydrochloride ( 0 . 82 g , 0 . 012 mol ) in water ( 1 . 2 ml ) at 0 ° c . was added a solution of potassium carbonate ( 1 . 6 g , 0 . 012 mol ) in water ( 1 . 8 ml ) dropwise maintaining an internal reaction temperature between 5 ° c . and 15 ° c . the reaction mixture was stirred for 15 minutes , whereupon thf ( 6 ml ) and meoh ( 1 . 5 ml ) were added . 2 - bromobenzene sulfonyl chloride ( 1 . 51 g , 0 . 006 mol ) was added portionwise maintaining a temperature below 15 ° c . and the reaction mixture was stirred at ambient temperature until complete consumption of the sulfonyl chloride was observed by tlc . the resulting suspension was concentrated to remove any volatiles and the aqueous suspension was extracted with diethyl ether ( 2 × 100 ml ). the organic portion was dried over magnesium sulfate , filtered and concentrated in vacuo to yield the crude n - hydroxy sulfonamide . purification was achieved by chromatography on silica gel eluting with hexane : ether ( 1 : 1 v : v ) to give the parent compound as a white solid ( 0 . 30 g , 20 % yield ) δh ( 400 mhz , dmso ) 9 . 81 - 9 . 84 ( 1h , m ), 9 . 78 - 9 . 81 ( 1h , m ), 7 . 99 ( 1h , dd , 7 . 7 , 1 . 8 hz ), 7 . 86 ( 1h , dd , 7 . 6 , 1 . 5 hz ), 7 . 55 - 7 . 64 ( 2h , m ); tr = 1 . 44 min . using the experimental conditions reported above and the appropriate starting materials , which were either commercially available or synthesised using standard methodology , the following compounds were prepared : δ h ( 400 mhz , dmso ) 9 . 92 ( 1h , d , 3 . 0 hz ), δ h ( 400 mhz , dmso ) 9 . 75 ( 1h , d , 8 . 1 hz ), δ h ( 400 mhz , dmso ) 9 . 86 ( 1h , d , 2 . 7 hz ), δ h ( 400 mhz , dmso ) 9 . 84 ( 1h , d , 3 . 2 hz ), δ h ( 400 mhz , dmso ) 9 . 84 ( 1h , d , 2 . 9 hz ), δ h ( 400 mhz , dmso ) 10 . 01 ( 1h , d , 2 . 7 hz ), δ h ( 400 mhz , dmso ) 9 . 60 ( 1h , d , 3 . 2 hz ), δ h ( 400 mhz , dmso ) 10 . 46 ( 1h , d , 1 . 7 hz ), δ h ( 400 mhz , dmso ) 9 . 89 ( 1h , d , 3 . 0 hz ), δ h ( 400 mhz , dmso ) 9 . 78 ( 1h , d , 2 . 8 hz ), δ h ( 400 mhz , dmso ) 9 . 88 ( 2h , br . s . ), 9 . 81 δ h ( 400 mhz , dmso ) 9 . 91 ( 2h , s ), 7 . 77 ( 1h , δ h ( 400 mhz , dmso ) 10 . 12 ( 1h , d , 3 . 5 hz ), δ h ( 400 mhz , dmso ) 9 . 93 ( 1h , d , 2 . 9 hz ), δ h ( 400 mhz , dmso ) 10 . 13 ( 1h , d , 2 . 9 hz ), δ h ( 400 mhz , dmso ) 9 . 34 ( 1h , d , 3 . 0 hz ), δ h ( 400 mhz , dmso ) 9 . 80 ( 1h , d , 3 . 2 hz ), δ h ( 400 mhz , dmso ) 9 . 81 ( 1h , d , 2 . 9 hz ), δ h ( 400 mhz , dmso ) 9 . 92 ( 1h , d , 2 . 4 hz ), δ h ( 400 mhz , dmso ) 9 . 83 ( 1h , d , 3 . 7 hz ), δ h ( 400 mhz , dmso ) 9 . 90 ( 1h , d , 3 . 2 hz ), δ h ( 400 mhz , dmso ) 10 . 25 ( 1h , d , 2 . 8 hz ), δ h ( 400 mhz , dmso ) 9 . 61 ( 1h , d , 3 . 2 hz ), δ h ( 400 mhz , dmso ) 9 . 87 ( 1h , d , 2 . 9 hz ), δ h ( 400 mhz , dmso ) 9 . 44 ( 1h , d , 2 . 2 hz ), δ h ( 400 mhz , dmso ) 9 . 56 ( 1h , d , 3 . 4 hz ), δ h ( 400 mhz , dmso ) 9 . 63 ( 1h , br . s . ), 9 . 51 the following procedure , which may involve modifications to the representative reaction above , was used in the preparation of the following compounds ( 1 - 10 ): 2 - fluoro - n - hydroxybenzenesulfonamide ( 1 ). 1 h nmr ( 400 mhz , dmso - d 6 ) δ 9 . 78 ( d , 1h ), 9 . 73 ( d , 1h ), 7 . 81 ( dt , 1h ), 7 . 76 ( m , 1h ), 7 . 44 ( m , 2h ); mp 127 - 129 ° c . 2 - chloro - n - hydroxybenzenesulfonamide ( 2 ). 1 h nmr ( 400 mhz , dmso - d 6 ) δ 9 . 80 ( s , 1h ), 9 . 78 ( bs , 1h ), 8 . 00 ( d , 1h ), 7 . 68 ( d , 2h ), 7 . 56 ( m , 1h ); mp 152 - 155 ° c . with decomposition 2 - bromo - n - hydroxybenzenesulfonamide ( 3 ). 1 h nmr ( 400 mhz , dmso - d 6 ) δ 9 . 82 ( s , 1h ), 9 . 78 ( s , 1h ), 8 . 00 ( dd , 1h ), 7 . 86 ( dd , 1h ), 7 . 60 ( m , 2h ); mp 156 - 159 ° c . with decomposition 2 -( trifluoromethyl )- n - hydroxybenzenesulfonamide ( 4 ). 1 h nmr ( 400 mhz , dmso - d 6 ) δ 10 . 12 ( d , 1h ), 9 . 91 ( d , 1h ), 8 . 12 ( d , 1h ), 8 . 01 ( d , 1h ), 7 . 93 ( t , 1h ), 7 . 87 ( t , 1h ); mp 124 - 127 ° c . with decomposition . 5 - chlorathiophene - 2 - sulfohydroxainic acid ( 5 ). 1 h nmr ( 400 mhz , dmso - d 6 ) δ 9 . 90 ( bps , 1h ), 9 . 72 ( s , 1h ), 7 . 54 ( d , 1h ), 7 . 30 ( d , 1h ); 13 c nmr ( 100 mhz , dmso - d 6 ) δ 136 . 0 , 135 . 5 , 133 . 4 , 127 . 9 ; mp 94 - 95 ° c . with decomposition . 2 , 5 - dichlorothiophene - 3 - sulfohydroxamic acid ( 6 ). 1 h nmr ( 400 mhz , dmso - d 6 ) δ 9 . 88 ( s , 2h ), 7 . 30 ( s , 1h ); 13 c nmr ( 100 mhz , dmso - d 6 ) δ 133 . 3 , 131 . 7 , 127 . 1 , 126 . 0 ; mp 118 - 122 ° c . with decomposition . 4 - fluoro - n - hydroxybenzenesulfonamide ( 7 ). nmr previously reported . 4 -( trifluoromethyl )- n - hydroxybenzenesulfonamide ( 8 ). 1 h nmr ( 400 mhz , dmso - d 6 ) δ 9 . 85 ( d , 1h ), 9 . 80 ( d , 1h ), 8 . 05 ( m , 4h ); mp 117 - 121 ° c . with decomposition . 4 - cyano - n - hydroxybenzenesulfonamide ( 9 ). 1 h nmr ( 400 mhz , dmso - d 6 ) δ 9 . 88 ( d , 1h ), 9 . 81 ( d , 1h ), 8 . 12 ( d , 2h ), 8 . 00 ( d , 2h ); mp 151 - 155 ° c . with decomposition . 4 - nitro - n - hydroxybenzenesulfonamide ( 10 ). nmr previously reported . 60 mmol ( 2 eq .) of hydroxylamine hydrochloride was dissolved in 12 ml of water and cooled to 0 ° c . in an ice bath . a solution of 60 mmol ( 2 eq .) of potassium carbonate in 18 ml of water was added dropwise with stirring . the solution was stirred for 15 min , at which time was sequentially added 25 ml of methanol and 75 ml of tetrahydrofuran . a solution of 30 mmol ( 1 eq .) of sulfonyl chloride in 10 ml of tetrahydrofuran was added dropwise , and the resultant solution was allowed to warm to room temperature with stirring for 2 - 3 hours . the volatiles were evaporated under reduced pressure and 100 ml water was added . the aqueous solution was acidified to approximately ph 3 with 1 n aqueous hydrochloric acid , and extracted with diethyl ether ( 2 × 100 ml ). the organic layer was dried over magnesium sulfate and evaporated to yield in all cases crystalline solids with sufficient purity ( 25 - 50 % yield ). is detailed below as a representative example of the synthetic method exemplified in scheme b . to a suspension of o - benzylhydroxylamine hydrochloride ( 3 . 75 g , 23 . 48 mmol ) in meoh ( 3 ml ) and water ( 3 . 6 ml ) was added a solution of potassium carbonate ( 3 . 24 g , 23 . 48 mmol ) in water ( 3 . 6 ml ), maintaining an internal reaction temperature below 10 ° c . the reaction mixture was stirred for 5 minutes , whereupon thf ( 12 ml ) and 2 - bromobenzene sulfonyl chloride ( 3 g , 11 . 74 mmol ) were added . the reaction mixture was stirred at ambient temperature until complete consumption of the sulfonyl chloride was observed by tlc . the resulting suspension was concentrated in vacuo to remove any volatiles , and the aqueous suspension was extracted with diethyl ether ( 3 × 100 ml ). the organic layer was dried over sodium sulfate , filtered and concentrated in vacuo to yield the crude target compound . purification was achieved by trituration of the solid in heptane , followed by filtration and further washing of the solid with heptane , to give the expected compound as a white solid ( 3 . 62 g , 90 % yield ). δ h ( 400 mhz , dmso ) 10 . 83 ( 1h , s ), 8 . 04 ( 1h , d , 1 . 7 hz ), 8 . 02 ( 1h , d , 1 . 9 hz ), 7 . 57 - 7 . 66 ( 2h , m ), 7 . 30 - 7 . 36 ( 5h , m ), 4 . 87 ( 1h , s ); t r = 2 . 15 . n - benzyloxy - 2 - bromo - benzenesulfonamide may be further derivitized as detailed in the synthesis of n - benzyloxy - 2 - phenyl - benzenesulfonamide a microwave vial was charged successively with n - benzyloxy - 2 - bromo - benzenesulfonamide ( 0 . 2 g , 0 . 58 mmol ), benzene boronic acid ( 0 . 11 g , 0 . 88 mmol ), pd ( dppf ) cl 2 ( 0 . 05 g , 0 . 06 mmol ), thf ( 3 ml ), then a solution of potassium carbonate in water ( 2n , 1 . 5 ml ). the mixture was heated in the microwave at 130 ° c . for 15 minutes ( 5 minutes ramp time , power = 150 w ). the reaction mixture was then diluted with ethyl acetate ( 20 ml ), and the organic layer was washed with water ( 2 × 20 ml ). the organic layer was dried over sodium sulfate , filtered and concentrated in vacuo . the crude mixture was then purified by column chromatography on silica gel , eluting with heptane : ethyl acetate ( 9 : 1 v : v ) to give the target compound as a colourless oil ( 0 . 12 g , 60 % yield ). δ h ( 400 mhz , dmso ) 10 . 61 ( 1h , s ), 8 . 06 ( 1h , dd , 7 . 8 , 1 . 2 hz ), 7 . 77 ( 1h , td , 7 . 3 , 1 . 5 hz ), 7 . 69 ( 1h , td , 7 . 5 , 1 . 4 hz ), 7 . 40 - 7 . 46 ( 9h , m ), 7 . 33 - 7 . 35 ( 2h , m ), 4 . 82 ( 2h , s ). t r = 1 . 74 min . n - benzyloxy - 2 - phenyl - benzenesulfonamide may be deprotected to the corresponding n - hydroxysulfonamide as detailed below : to a suspension of n - benzyloxy - 2 - phenyl - benzenesulfonamide ( 1 . 39 g , 4 . 1 mmol ) in etoh ( 20 ml ) was added 10 % palladium on charcoal ( 0 . 14 g ). the reaction mixture was stirred under a hydrogen atmosphere at ambient temperature and atmospheric pressure overnight . the reaction mixture was filtered through microfibre glass paper . the resulting filtrate was concentrated in vacuo , and the residue purified by column chromatography on silica gel eluting with heptane : ethyl acetate ( gradient from 9 : 1 to 8 : 2 v : v ) to give the target compound as a white solid ( 0 . 24 g , 22 % yield ). δ h ( 400 mhz , dmso ) 9 . 68 ( 1h , s ), 9 . 57 ( 1h , s ), 8 . 06 ( 1h , dd , 7 . 8 , 1 . 2 hz ), 7 . 74 ( 1h , td , 7 . 3 , 1 . 5 hz ), 7 . 67 ( 1h , td , 7 . 6 , 1 . 3 hz ), 7 . 40 - 7 . 46 ( 6h , m ). is detailed below as a representative example of the synthetic method exemplified in scheme c . to a solution of o -( tetrahydro - 2h - pyran - 2 - yl ) hydroxylamine ( 1 . 83 g , 15 . 65 mmol ) in water ( 1 . 6 ml ) at 0 ° c . was added a solution of potassium carbonate ( 1 . 1 g , 7 . 83 mmol ) in water ( 2 . 4 ml ) dropwise maintaining an internal reaction temperature below 10 ° c . after 15 minutes meoh ( 2 ml ) and thf ( 8 ml ) were added was dropwise , followed by 4 - bromobenzene sulfonyl chloride ( 2 g , 7 . 83 mmol ) portionwise . the reaction mixture was stirred at ambient temperature until complete consumption of the sulfonyl chloride was observed by tlc . the resulting suspension was concentrated to remove any volatiles and the aqueous suspension was extracted with diethyl ether ( 3 × 100 ml ). the organic portion was dried over sodium sulfate , filtered and concentrated in vacuo to yield the crude target compound . purification was achieved by column chromatography on silica gel eluting with a heptane : ethyl acetate ( gradient from 9 : 1 to 7 : 3 v : v ) to give the target compound as a white solid ( 2 . 1 g , 80 % yield ). δ h ( 400 mhz , dmso ) 10 . 53 ( 1h , s ), 7 . 86 - 7 . 90 ( 2h , m ), 7 . 75 - 7 . 79 ( 2h , m ), 4 . 94 ( 1h , t , 2 . 93 hz ), 3 . 70 - 3 . 76 ( 1h , m ), 3 . 48 - 3 . 52 ( 1h , m ). 1 . 59 - 1 . 68 ( 1h , m ), 1 . 39 - 1 . 52 ( 5h , m ); t r = 2 . 03 min . to a solution of 4 - bromo - n -( tetrahydro - pyran - 2 - yloxy )- benzenesulfonamide ( 0 . 1 g , 0 . 3 mmol ) in meoh ( 2 ml ), was added mp - tosic acid resin ( 91 mg , loading 3 . 3 mmol / g ). the mixture was stirred at ambient temperature until complete consumption of the starting material was observed by lc . the resin was then filtered off , and washed with meoh ( 2 × 5 ml ). the resulting filtrate was concentrated in vacuo to afford the target compound as colourless oil ( 0 . 08 g , 100 % yield ). δ h ( 400 mhz , dmso ) 9 . 70 ( 1h , d , 3 . 2 hz ), 9 . 67 ( 1h , d , 3 . 4 hz ), 7 . 84 - 7 . 88 ( 2h , m ), 7 . 73 - 7 . 77 ( 2h , m ); t r = 1 . 60 min the decomposition rates of the compounds may be determined by uv - vis spectroscopy . the decomposition of compounds 1 - 4 and 6 from example 1 was monitored by uv - vis spectroscopy in 0 . 1 m pbs buffer at ph 7 . 4 and 37 ° c . the spectral behavior was isosbectic and the time course fit well to a single exponential . the decomposition rate is increased in aerated solutions compared to argon - saturated solutions because of the introduction of an oxygen - dependent decomposition pathway that , for the parent n - hydroxybenzenesulfonamide ( pa ) has been shown to release no ( bonner , f . t . ; ko ., y . inorg . chem . 1992 , 31 , 2514 - 2519 ). decomposition kinetics for compounds 5 , 7 - 10 of example 1 are not first - order and thus only approximate half - lives are reported . compounds with more than one number in a single column in the table below indicates the results of two experiments for the same compound . hno production of the compounds may be determined by uv - vis spectroscopy . nitrous oxide is produced via the dimerization and dehydration of hno , and is the most common marker for hno production ( fukuto , j . m . ; bartberger , m . d . ; dutton , a . s . ; paolocci , n . ; wink , d . a . ; houk , k . n . chem . res . toxicol . 2005 , 18 , 790 - 801 ). hno , however , can also be partially quenched by oxygen to yield a product that does not produce n 2 o ( see , ( a ) mincione , f . ; menabuoni , l . ; briganti , f . ; mincione , g . ; scozzafava , a . ; supuran , c . t . j . enzyme inhibition 1998 , 13 , 267 - 284 and ( b ) scozzafava , a . ; supuran , c . t . j . med . chem . 2000 , 43 , 3677 - 3687 .) using angeli &# 39 ; s salt ( as ) as a benchmark , the relative amounts of n 2 o released from compounds 2 - 4 from example 1 was examined via gc headspace analysis . the results , shown in fig1 , show that the amounts of n 2 o released from compounds 2 - 4 are comparable to the amount released from as under both argon and air . the ability of compounds to donate nitroxyl at ph 7 . 4 in pbs buffer at 37 ° c . was assessed . in particular , the compounds of tables 1 - 3 and certain compounds from table 4 were tested and their nitroxyl donating ability at ph 7 . 4 in pbs buffer at 37 ° c . was assessed . the compounds tested , with the exception of 2 - phenyl - n - hydroxylbenzenesulfonamide , all produced detectable levels of n 2 o , indicating their ability to donate nitroxyl . 2 - phenyl - n - hydroxylbenzenesulfonamide may be retested to confirm whether it is a nitroxyl donor . use of an in vitro model to determine the ability of compounds of the invention to treat , prevent and / or delay the onset and / or the development of a disease or condition responsive to nitroxyl therapy in vitro models of cardiovascular disease can also be used to determine the ability of any of the compounds described herein to treat , prevent and / or delay the onset and / or the development of a cardiovascular disease or condition in an individual . an exemplary in vitro model of heart disease is described below . in - vitro models could be utilized to look at vasorelaxation properties of the compounds . isometric tension in isolated rat thoracic aortic ring segment can be measured as described previously by crawford , j . h ., huang , j , isbell , t . s ., shiva , s ., chacko , b . k ., schechter , a ., darley - usmar , v . m ., kerby , j . d ., lang , j . d ., krauss , d ., ho , c ., gladwin , m . t ., patel , r . p ., blood 2006 , 107 , 566 - 575 . upon sacrifice aortic ring segments are excised and cleansed of fat and adhering tissue . vessels are then cut into individual ring segments ( 2 - 3 mm in width ) and suspended from a force - displacement transducer in a tissue bath . ring segments are bathed at 37 ° c . in a bicarbonate - buffered , krebs - henseleit ( k - h ) solution of the following composition ( mm ): nacl 118 ; kcl 4 . 6 ; nahco 3 27 . 2 ; kh 2 po 4 1 . 2 ; mgso 4 1 . 2 ; cacl 2 1 . 75 ; na 2 edta 0 . 03 ; and glucose 11 . 1 and perfused continuously with 21 % o 2 / 5 % co 2 / 74 % n 2 . a passive load of 2 g is applied to all ring segments and maintained at this level throughout the experiments . at the beginning of each experiment , indomethacin - treated ring segments are depolarized with kcl ( 70 mm ) to determine the maximal contractile capacity of the vessel . rings are then washed extensively and allowed to equilibrate . for subsequent experiments , vessels are submaximally contracted ( 50 % of kcl response ) with phenylephrine ( pe , 3 × 10 − 8 − 10 − 7 m ), and l - nmma , 0 . 1 mm , is also added to inhibit enos and endogenous no production . after tension development reaches a plateau , nitroxyl donating compounds are added cumulatively to the vessel bath and effects on tension monitored . in vitro models can be utilized to determine the effects of nitroxyl donating compounds in changes in developed force and intracellular calcium in heart muscles . developed force and intracellular calcium can be measured in rat trabeculae from normal or diseased ( i . e . rats with congestive heart failure or hypertrophy ) as described previously ( gao w d , atar d , backx p h , marbán e . circ res . 1995 ; 76 : 1036 - 1048 ). rats ( sprague - dawley , 250 - 300 g ) are used in these experiments . the rats are anesthetized with pentobarbital ( 100 mg / kg ) via intra - abdominal injection , the heart exposed by mid - sternotomy , rapidly excised and placed in a dissection dish . the aorta is cannulated and the heart perfused retrograde (˜ 15 mm / min ) with dissecting krebs - henseleit ( h - k ) solution equilibrated with 95 % o 2 and 5 % co 2 . the dissecting k - h solution is composed of ( mm ): nacl 120 , nahco 3 20 , kcl 5 , mgcl 1 . 2 , glucose 10 , cacl 2 0 . 5 , and 2 , 3 - butanedione monoximine ( bdm ) 20 , ph 7 . 35 - 7 . 45 at room temperature ( 21 - 22 ° c .). trabeculae from the right ventricle of the heart are dissected and mounted between a force transducer and a motor arm and superfused with normal k - h solution ( kcl , 5 mm ) at a rate of ˜ 10 ml / min and stimulated at 0 . 5 hz . dimensions of the muscles are measured with a calibration reticule in the ocular of the dissection microscope (× 40 , resolution ˜ 10 μm ). force is measured using a force transducer system and is expressed in milli newtons per square millimeter of cross - sectional area . sarcomere length is measured by laser diffraction . resting sarcomere length is set at 2 . 20 - 2 . 30 μm throughout the experiments . intracellular calcium is measured using the free acid form of fura - 2 as described in previous studies ( gao et al ., 1994 ; backx et al ., 1995 ; gao et al ., 1998 ). fura - 2 potassium salt is microinjected iontophoretically into one cell and allowed to spread throughout the whole muscle ( via gap junctions ). the tip of the electrode (˜ 0 . 2 μm in diameter ) is filled with fura - 2 salt ( 1 mm ) and the remainder of the electrode was filled with 150 mm kcl . after a successful impalement into a superficial cell in non - stimulated muscle , a hyperpolarizing current of 5 - 10 na is passed continuously for ˜ 15 min . fura - 2 epifluorescence is measured by exciting at 380 and 340 nm . fluorescent light is collected at 510 nm by a photomultiplier tube . the output of photomultiplier is collected and digitized . ryanodine ( 1 . 0 μm ) is used to enable steady - state activation . after 15 min of exposure to ryanodine , different levels of tetanizations are induced briefly (˜ 4 - 8 seconds ) by stimulating the muscles at 10 hz at varied extracellular calcium ( 0 . 5 - 20 mm ). all experiments are performed at room temperature ( 20 - 22 ° c .). in vitro models can also be used to determine the ability of any of the compounds described herein to treat , prevent and / or delay the onset and / or the development of a disease or condition implicating ischemia / reperfusion injury in an individual . use of in vivo and / or ex vivo models to determine the ability of compounds of the invention to treat , prevent and / or delay the onset and / or the development of a disease or condition responsive to nitroxyl therapy in vivo models of cardiovascular disease can also be used to determine the ability of any of the compounds described herein to treat , prevent and / or delay the onset and / or the development of a cardiovascular disease or condition in an individual . an exemplary animal model of heart disease is described below . in vivo cardiovascular effects obtained with a nitroxyl donor compound may be assessed in a control ( normal ) dog . the study is conducted in adult ( 25 kg ) mongrel ( male ) dogs chronically instrumented for conscious hemodynamic analysis and blood sampling , as previously described ( katori , t . ; hoover , d . b . ; ardell , j . l . ; helm , r . h . ; belardi , d . f . ; tocchetti , c . g . ; forfia , p . r . ; kass , d . a . ; paolocci , n . circ . res . 96 ( 2 ): 2004 ). micromanometer transducers in the left ventricle provide pressure , while right atrial and descending aortic catheters provide fluid - pressures and sampling conduits . endocardial sonomicrometers ( anteriorposterior , septal - lateral ) measure short - axis dimensions , a pneumatic occluder around the inferior vena cave facilitated pre - load manipulations for pressure - relation analysis . epicardial pacing leads are placed on the right atrium , and another pair is placed on the right ventricle free wall linked to a permanent pacemaker to induce rapid pacing - cardiac failure . after 10 days of recovery , animals are evaluated at baseline sinus rhythm and with atrial pacing ( 120 - 160 bpm ). measurements include conscious hemodynamic recordings for cardiac mechanics . compounds of the invention are administrated to a healthy control dog at the dose of 1 - 5 μg / kg / min and the resulting cardiovascular data is obtained . demonstration that a compound of the invention improves cardiac hemodynamics in hearts with congestive failure : after completing protocols under baseline conditions , congestive heart failure is induced by tachypacing ( 210 bpm × 3 weeks , 240 bpm × i week ), as previously described ( katori , t . ; hoover , d . b . ; ardell , j . l . ; helm , r . h . ; belardi , - 37 d . f . ; tocchetti , c . g . ; forfia , p . r . ; kass , d . a . ; paolocci , n . circ . res . 96 ( 2 ): 2004 ). briefly , end - diastolic pressure and + dp / dt , max are measured weekly to monitor failure progression . when animals demonstrate a rise in edp more than 2 ×, and dp / dt , max of & gt ; 50 % baseline , they are deemed ready for congestive heart failure studies . the values for test compounds are obtained after 15 min continuous i . v . infusion ( 2 . 5 or 1 . 25 μg / kg / min ) in control and heart failure preparations , respectively , both in the absence and in the presence of volume restoration . for comparison , the same hemodynamic measurements are obtained with as in heart failure preparations . ex - vivo models of ischemia / reperfusion can also be used to determine the ability of any of the compounds described herein to treat , prevent and / or delay the onset and / or the development of a disease or condition implicating ischemia / reperfusion injury in an individual . an exemplary ex vivo model of ischemia / reperfusion injury is described below . male wistar rats are housed in identical cages and allowed access to tap water and a standard rodent diet ad libitum . each animal is anesthetized with 1 g / kg urethane i . p . 10 min after heparin ( 2 , 500 u , i . m .) treatment . the chest is opened , and the heart is rapidly excised , placed in ice - cold buffer solution and weighed . isolated rat hearts are attached to a perfusion apparatus and retrogradely perfused with oxygenated buffer solution at 37 ° c . the hearts are instrumented as previously described in rastaldo et al ., “ p - 450 metabolite of arachidonic acid mediates bradykinin - induced negative inotropic effect ,” am . j . physiol ., 280 : h2823 - h2832 ( 2001 ), and paolocci et al . “ cgmp - independent inotropic effects of nitric oxide and peroxynitrite donors : potential role for nitrosylation ,” am . j physiol ., 279 : h1982 - h1988 ( 2000 ). the flow is maintained constant ( approximately 9 ml / min / g wet weight ) to reach a typical coronary perfusion pressure of 85 - 90 mm hg . a constant proportion of 10 % of the flow rate is applied by means of one of two perfusion pumps ( terumo , tokyo , japan ) using a 50 ml syringe connected to the aortic cannula . drug applications are performed by switching from the syringe containing buffer alone to the syringe of the other pump containing the drug ( nitroxyl donating compound ) dissolved in a vehicle at a concentration 10 × to the desired final concentration in the heart . a small hole in the left ventricular wall allows drainage of the thebesian flow , and a polyvinyl - chloride balloon is placed into the left ventricle and connected to an electromanometer for recording of left ventricular pressure ( lvp ). the hearts are electrically paced at 280 - 300 bpm and kept in a temperature - controlled chamber ( 37 ° c .). coronary perfusion pressure ( cpp ) and coronary flow are monitored with a second electromanometer and an electromagnetic flow - probe , respectively , both placed along the perfusion line . left ventricular pressure , coronary flow and coronary perfusion pressure are recorded using a teac r - 71 recorder , digitized at 1000 hz and analyzed off - line with dataq - instruments / codas software , which allow quantification of the maximum rate of increase of lvp during systole ( dp / dt max ). hearts are perfused with krebs - henseleit solution gassed with 95 % o 2 and 5 % co 2 of the following composition : 17 . 7 mm sodium bicarbonate , 127 mm nacl , 5 . 1 mm kcl , 1 . 5 mm cacl 2 , 1 . 26 mm mgcl 2 , 11 mm d - glucose , supplemented with 5 μg / ml lidocaine . experimental compounds . the nitroxyl donors are diluted in buffer immediately prior to use . experimental protocols . hearts are allowed to stabilize for 30 min , and baseline parameters are recorded . typically , coronary flow is adjusted within the first 10 min and kept constant from thereon . after 30 min stabilization , hearts are randomly assigned to one of the treatment groups , and subjected to 30 min global , no - flow ischemia , followed by 30 min of reperfusion ( i / r ). pacing of the hearts is stopped at the beginning of the ischemic period and restarted after the third minute of reperfusion . hearts in a control group are perfused with buffer for an additional 29 min after stabilization . treated hearts are exposed to a nitroxyl donor ( e . g ., 1 μm final concentration for about 20 min followed by a 10 min buffer wash - out period ). in all hearts pacing is suspended at the onset of ischemia and restarted 3 minutes following reperfusion . as isolated heart preparations may deteriorate over time ( typically after 2 - 2 . 5 hrs perfusion ), the re - flow duration is limited to 30 min in order to minimize the effects produced by crystalloid perfusion on heart performance , and consistently with other reports . assessment of ventricular function . to obtain the maximal developed lvp , the volume of the intra - ventricular balloon is adjusted to an end - diastolic lvp of 10 mm hg during the stabilization period , as reported in paolocci , supra , and hare et al ., “ pertussis toxin - sensitive g proteins influence nitric oxide synthase iii activity and protein levels in rat hearts ,” j . clin . invest ., 101 : 1424 - 31 ( 1998 ). changes in developed lvp , dp / dt max and the end - diastolic value induced by the i / r protocol are continuously monitored . the difference between the end - diastolic lvp ( edlvp ) before the end of the ischemic period and during pre - ischemic conditions is used as an index of the extent of contracture development . maximal recovery of developed lvp and dp / dt max during reperfusion is compared with respective pre - ischemic values . assessment of myocardial injury . enzyme release is a measure of severe myocardial injury that has yet to progress to irreversible cell injury . samples of coronary effluent ( 2 ml ) are withdrawn with a catheter inserted into the right ventricle via the pulmonary artery . samples are taken immediately before ischemia and at 3 , 6 , 10 , 20 and 30 min of reperfusion . ldh release is measured as previously described by bergmeyer & amp ; bernt , “ methods of enzymatic analysis ,” verlag chemie ( 1974 ). data are expressed as cumulative values for the entire reflow period . to corroborate the data relative to myocardial injury , determined by ldh release , infarct areas are also assessed in a blinded fashion . at the end of the course ( 30 min reperfusion ), each heart is rapidly removed from the perfusion apparatus , and the lv dissected into 2 - 3 mm circumferential slices . following 15 min of incubation at 37 ° c . in 0 . 1 % solution of nitro blue tetrazolium in phosphate buffer as described in ma et al ., “ opposite effects of nitric oxide and nitroxyl on postischemic myocardial injury ,” proc . natl . acad . sci ., 96 : 14617 - 14622 ( 1999 ), unstained necrotic tissue is separated from the stained viable tissue . the areas of viable and necrotic tissue are carefully separate by and independent observer who is not aware of the origin of the hearts . the weight of the necrotic and non - necrotic tissues is then determined and the necrotic mass expressed as a percentage of total left ventricular mass . data may be subjected to statistical methods such as anova followed by the bonferroni correction for post hoc t tests . use of human clinical trials to determine the ability to combination therapies of the invention to treat , prevent and / or delay the onset and / or the development of a disease or condition responsive to nitroxyl therapy if desired , any of the compounds described herein can also be tested in humans to determine the ability of the compound to treat , prevent and / or delay the onset and / or the development of a disease or condition responsive to nitroxyl therapy . standard methods can be used for these clinical trials . in one exemplary method , subjects with such a disease or condition , such as congestive heart failure , are enrolled in a tolerability , pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics phase i study of a therapy using the compounds of the invention in standard protocols . then a phase ii , double - blind randomized controlled trial is performed to determine the efficacy of the compounds using standard protocols . although the foregoing invention has been described in some detail by way of illustration and example for purposes of clarity of understanding , it is apparent to those skilled in the art that certain minor changes and modifications will be practiced . therefore , the description and examples should not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention . all references , publications , patents , and patent applications disclosed herein are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety .	2
shown in fig1 is playing piece 10 . the playing piece 10 comprises two outer parts of a shell . a rough textured part is a half 12 of the piece 10 . the half 12 may also be made to exhibit as first color , red , for example , whereas another part of the shell may be made to exhibit a second color , white , for example . another half 14 of the piece 10 is smooth textured and fits snugly against the half 12 to form a spherical body . each half , 12 and 14 , is designed with a concentric flat face 16 thereon . as illustrated in fig2 each playing piece 10 is held together by any suitable means such as a cylindrical member , for example . the cylindrical member in the present embodiment is a magnet 18 having opposite poles 20 and 22 . poles 20 and 22 may be north poles and south poles , respectively . usually these poles are designated &# 34 ; n -&# 34 ; and &# 34 ; s -&# 34 ;, respectively . the piece 10 is generally describable as comprised of two halves 12 and 14 which exhibit mirror symmetry with respect to each other as to their shape . in fact , they are mirror symmetric about an imaginary plane at their juncture . this means that a half 12 placed at the plane p projects the shape of the other half 14 into the plane p provided the plane p is a reflecting mirror . the flat faces 16 of the halves 12 and 14 are further arranged such that they are parallel to the plane p and concentric with an imaginary principal symmetry axis q of the piece 10 . the axis q is therefore orthogonal to the plane p and flat faces 16 . the magnet 18 has a principal longitudinal symmetry axis r . when the piece 10 is manufactured and assembled axis r is coincident with the axis q . the plane p then bilaterally traverses the magnet 18 . the plane p is generally referred to as a mirror - symmetric internal plane of the piece 10 . the magnet 18 is mirror - symmetric about the imaginary plane s . when piece 10 is assembled the plane s is coincident with the plane p . the axis r is referred to as an internal principal symmetry axis . the game is played with a plurality of pieces 10 , for example ten pieces , assembled according to fig2 to appear as shown in fig1 . the plurality is assembled such that one pole of the piece magnet 18 , for example an n - pole , is located in the first half 12 in a preselected number of the pieces 10 , for example seven pieces , and such that the other poles of the remaining piece magnets 10 are located in the second half 14 . a portion of the pieces 10 , for example one - half or five , are provided for one player . this portion is placed on a playing board with a first mirror - symmetric half , for example half 12 , oriented away from the board . the remaining pieces 10 have their second mirror - symmetric half , for example half 14 , located away from the board and are provided for another player . a plurality of persons play the game on a board 30 . the board 30 comprises a solid molded upper frame 32 , a solid molded lower frame 34 , a field plate 36 , and a plurality of board magnets 38 . the upper frame 32 has an opening 40 which is adapted to receive a protruded part 42 of the lower frame 34 . the part 42 is press fitted into the opening 40 and the board 30 is held together by friction between the upper frame 32 and the lower frame 34 , the field plate 36 being held therebetween . a first surface 44 of the board 30 is divided into a plurality of spaces , for example squares 46 and squares 48 . the squares 46 are distinguished from the squares 48 by a color difference . the squares 46 may be colored white , for example , and the squares 48 may be colored red , for example . the game is played on either of the sets of squares 46 and 48 . thus , the playing squares used for a game are alternate linear squences of playing squares , for example sequences 50 anf 52 , which are diagonally oriented with respect to an edge 54 of a surface , which in this example is the surface 44 . another method of distinguishing the squares 46 from the squares 48 is to provide a difference in texture such as a smooth surface for the squares 46 and a rough surface for the squares 48 . a carity 60 is located in each of the playing squares 46 and 48 , preferably in the center thereof . the cavity 60 is a spherical depression in the upper frame 32 with a flat face 62 located as a surface thereof . each cavity 60 has an aperture 64 on the surface 46 or 48 . a periphery of the flat face 62 is concentric with the periphery of the aperture 64 . the cavity 60 has a surface which is comprised of the flat face 62 and a spherical wall 66 . the wall 66 is preferably shaped and adaptd to receive either half 12 or 14 of the piece 10 . the field plate 36 is comprised of a material which attracts both poles 20 and 22 of magnets 18 . it is shaped and adapted to fit only under all of the peripheral squares of the game board . the upper frame 32 has four edges 54 , 72 , 74 and 76 . the field plate 36 lies under the playing squares 46 and 48 adjacent these edges . similarly , like playing squares on a surface 78 of the lower frame 34 which are adjacent edges 80 , 82 , 84 , and 86 thereof underlie the field plate 36 . the lower frame 34 is adapted to receive the plate 36 around the periphery 88 of the protruded part 42 , the plate 36 being adapted to lie on a flat surface 90 of the frame 34 and a flat surface 92 of the upper frame 32 being adapted to lie on the plate 36 . a cavity 40 in the upper frame 32 is adapted to receive the protruding part 42 . the surface 78 of the lower frame 34 is similar to the surfce 44 of the upper frame 32 and has like cavities therein and like squares thereon . the squares 46 and 48 on surface 78 may be similarly colored or textured or differently colored or textured . the protruded part 42 of the lower frame 34 has openings 94 therein which are adapted to receive the magnets 38 . the openings 94 have apertures 96 at the surface 98 of the frame 34 . any opening 94 receives all of a magnet 38 . hence , one flat surface 100 of the magnet 38 is flush with an aperture 96 and proximate to an adjacent flat face 62 on the surface 44 of the frame 32 . the corresponding opposite flate surface 100 on the magnet 38 is adjacent a similar flat face 62 on the surface 78 . the game may be played by first linearly arranging four pieces 10 in like squares 46 adjacent one edge 76 , for example , and four pieces in like squares 46 adjacent another edge 72 , for example . alternate moves , of each player &# 39 ; s own pieces , by each player are made to a different like square 46 until either a first player &# 39 ; s pieces 10 are all in the original location of a second player &# 39 ; s pieces 10 or all of the first player &# 39 ; s pieces have been flipped so that another half 12 or 14 is showing . either the first player or the second player may move first to commence the game . the pieces 10 are equipped with an outer housing which is adapted to be spherical and received by the cavities 60 such that they are flipped and repositioned in the cavity 60 when an opposite pole of a magnet adjacent a flat face 62 is encountered by a half 12 or 14 of a piece 10 . the pattern of the board 30 may be changed , i . e ., the positions of the magnets 38 relative to an edge , such as 54 , in front of or associated with a player . this is designed into the board by purposefully not placing magnets 38 adjacent all of the squares 46 and 48 . the magnets 38 are placed adjacent some of both the squares 46 and the squares 48 in an asymmetric pattern . the pattern is therefore semi - automatically changed with respect to a player by rotating the board about an axis orthogonal to a surface 44 , for example n / 2 pi radians where n is not a multiple of 4 . this feature of the board is predicated upon the player being stationary with respect to the board . there are two like surfaces 44 and 78 of the board 30 . because the magnets 38 are heteropolar , i . e ., have different poles , an &# 34 ; s -&# 34 ; pole and an &# 34 ; n -&# 34 ; pole , for example , when one pole is adjacent a flat face 62 of the frame 32 the other different pole is adjacent the opposite face 62 in the frame 34 . thus , when the board 30 is flipped over such that the surface 78 is used for play a new and different pattern is present . various combinations of flips and rotations of the board 30 may be selected to achieve a new pattern or program . with the magnets 38 fixed a total of eight different patterns may be used . the board 30 has a novel design which further permits the locations of the magnets 38 with respect to each other to be changed to give a virtually unlimited variety of patterns or programs . the frames 32 and 34 are frictionally held together and are openable and reclosable whereby the magnets 38 are removable , reorientable in their openings 94 , rearrangeable , and replaceable . as a further means of changing the pattern or program additional magnets may be added . fig4 provides a cross - sectional view of the assembly of fig3 . shown there is a partial section of the upper frame 32 and a partial section of the lower frame 34 along the line 50 -- 50 . the flat faces 62 of the cavities 60 are adjacent faces of the magnet 38 . as shown , cavities 62 are on each surface 44 and 78 and concentric with an underlying magnet 38 or cavity 94 . the invention is predicated upon a greater frictional resistance to the motion of the piece 10 with respect to the surface 66 of the cavity 60 . when the flat 16 is congruent with and adjacent the flat 62 of the cavity 60 , the firctional resistance to a movement of the playing piece 10 is greatest . at other positions of the piece 10 with respect to the cavity 60 , only one spot on the piece 10 is touching the flat 62 and a coincidence of the surface of the piece 10 with the periphery 64 of the cavity forms a line of contact resembling an arc . the inventor has experimentally determined that when like poles are adjacent the face 16 and the face 62 , during contact , movement of the piece 10 by a repelling magnetic force raises the piece 10 and decreases the frictional resistance enabling the piece 10 to flip to a more stable mechanical position wherein another face 16 with an opposite underlying pole positions itself adjacent the face 62 . experiments with a completely spherical piece and a spherical cavity adapted to receive said piece have resulted in inadequate and asymmetric repositioning of the piece .	0
before explaining the present invention , in detail , it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and arrangement of parts illustrated in the accompanied drawings , since the invention is capable of other embodiment and being practiced or carried out in a variety of ways . also , it is to be understood that the phraseology or terminology employed herein is for the purpose for description and not of limitation . as shown in fig1 the industrial swivel of this invention is generally designated by the numeral 10 and includes an upper connector 12 , in this instance , a jaw type having parallel legs 14 and 16 with co - axial openings 18 and 20 . the upper connector has , depending therefrom , a barrel portion 22 with a cavity 24 . the barrel terminates with a bottom face 26 . as best shown in fig3 the bottom of the cavity internally includes at least one or as shown a plurality of slots 28 . each of these slots connects with an internal circumferential groove 30 . as best shown in fig5 the groove 30 includes , around its inner periphery , a detent and lock ledge portion generally designated by the numeral 32 , which includes a raised detent surface 34 , a lower lock ledge 36 and a vertical stop edge 38 . referring again to fig1 a lower connector , in this instance a hook 50 , only the top portion of which is shown , includes a shank 52 . the upper end of the shank includes a contoured groove 54 positioned below the top 56 of the shank , forming a knob 58 . the shank 52 is rotatably retained within the barrel cavity by the combination of pre - assembled parts that include a plug 60 , as best described in fig7 and 8 . the plug has a flange with an upper face 62 adapted to match the lower face 26 of the barrel . in the assembled condition a resilient gasket 64 is provided between the two faces . the plug has a cylindrical surface 70 with a plurality of bayonet type lugs 72 formed as a part at the top of the plug which provide the interlocking connection with the barrel cavity as hereinafter described . each lug is formed with a curved or radius surface 73 . also formed as a part of the plug is a transverse opening 74 for receiving a handle or other instrument to aid in rotating and locking the plug in place . a bronze bushing 78 is provided between the plug and shank 52 as a bearing surface . above the plug is situated a thrust bearing 80 which is retained in the assembled position by a nut which is split into two portions 82 and 84 ( see fig2 ), the nut having a contoured surface 86 and 88 which will match or fit into the contoured surface 54 of the shank 52 . flat surface 85 under load condition transmits the forces through the split nut to the shank through knob 58 . thus , there is very little outward force against cylindrical collar 90 which is positioned as a slip fit around the split nut to retain said parts 82 and 84 in the assembled condition as shown . also formed as a part of the barrel cavity is a threaded set screw opening 100 which is positioned such that one edge of the hole is in line with the detent shoulder 34 . ( see fig3 and 6 ). a set screw 102 is provided therefor . an opening 108 is provided in the upper part of the barrel cavity which includes an enlarged recess portion 110 with a standard grease zerk 112 press fit or threadably closing the opening 108 for supplying lubricant to the cavity 24 . the exploded view of fig4 describes an upper eye connector 110 having a barrel and cavity 112 to receive the lower connector , in this instance a single eye 114 having a shank 52 and the heretofore similarly numbered assembled parts shown exploded . in the assembly of the swivel the plug 60 and its associated bushing 78 are first positioned over the shank 52 at the bottom thereof . gasket 64 is then placed upon the upper face 62 . thrust bearing 80 is then positioned atop the plug 60 and split nut halves 82 and 84 are then assembled with the contoured portions 86 and 88 matching the surface 54 . thereafter the sleeve 90 is positioned around the split nut to retain the parts in the assembled conditions . the parts then placed into the cavity 24 with the lugs 72 of the plug 60 being inserted upwardly through appropriate slots 28 . the necessary applied torque to interlock the plug with the cavity occurs by the use of a spanner wrench which may be inserted into opening 74 formed on the flange of the plug 60 . by combining upward compression of the gasket 64 and rotation of the plug , the radius surfaces 73 ride over detent ledges 34 until the lug is opposite and resting in the lock ledge 36 with any further rotative movement being restrained by the stop edge 38 . to test whether or not the plug has been properly positioned within the cavity , a set screw 102 is then threaded within opening 100 as best shown in fig3 . in the event there has not been sufficient rotation of the plug , the set screw will not enter into the cavity advising that further rotation is necessary . thereafter the cavity is lubricated by being filled with grease through zerk type valve 112 utilizing a common grease gun . disassembly of the unit can be achieved by a reversal of the steps described above . although only two types of connection combinations are shown , i . e ., an upper jaw and lower hook ( fig1 ) and upper eye and lower eye ( fig4 ), it is to be understood that other combinations are inclusive of the invention including but not limited to an upper jaw / lower jaw , upper jaw / lower eye , upper eye / lower jaw and upper eye / lower hook .	8
fig1 shows a schematic axonometric view of a distal end 12 of a medical instrument 10 for micro - invasive applications in human or veterinary medicine . the medical instrument 10 has a long , thin , rigid or flexible ( i . e . elastically deformable , or plastically deformable without destruction ), straight or curved shank 20 . the distal of the shank 20 is mechanically connected to a tool 30 , in particular to the proximal end 34 thereof , in such a way as to be releasable without destruction . a manipulation mechanism for manually manipulating the medical instrument 10 can be provided at the proximal end of the shank 20 . the tool 30 comprises two branches 32 which are pivotable in opposite directions about the same pivot axis and which serve for the gripping , pinching , electrosurgical coagulation or cutting of tissue . the tool 30 comprises a first component or fork component 40 and a second component or catch component 50 . the fork component 40 comprises two parallel side rails 41 , of which the distal ends 42 form the distal end of the fork component 40 . a bearing 43 for the pivotable branches 32 is provided at the distal ends 42 of the side rails 41 . the bearing 43 is formed by a shaft connecting the distal ends 42 of the side rails 41 . the shaft defines the common pivot axis of the pivotable branches 32 . the proximal end of the fork component 40 is formed by a substantially circular proximal edge 44 of the fork component 40 . the proximal edge 44 of the fork component 40 is interrupted by two slits 48 arranged opposite each other , of which only one is visible in fig1 . the slits 48 each have a substantially rectangular shape . the catch component 50 comprises an annular area 54 , which is arranged parallel to the proximal edge 44 of the fork component 40 and can be joined thereto , in particular connected thereto by welding . the catch component 50 moreover comprises two catches which lie opposite each other and of which the radially outer ends or areas 58 fill the slits 48 at the proximal end of the fork component 40 and are joined thereto . in particular , the edges of the radially outer areas 58 of the catches of the catch component 50 are connected to the edges of the slits 48 by welding or soldering . a transmission mechanism is arranged in the shank 20 and in the fork component 40 of the tool 30 , which transmission mechanism , in the view in fig1 , is largely concealed by the shank 20 and the fork component 40 of the tool 30 . only an endpiece 62 forming the distal end of the transmission mechanism is partially visible in fig1 between the side rails 41 of the fork component 40 of the tool 30 . the transmission mechanism is displaceable within a predetermined range inside the shank 20 and the fork component 40 of the tool 30 in a direction parallel to the longitudinal axis of the shank 20 . the proximal end of the transmission mechanism is coupled , for example , to a pivotable part of said manipulation mechanism at the proximal end of the shank 20 . the endpiece 62 forming the distal end of the transmission mechanism is coupled in an articulated manner to the branches 32 , in each case via a connecting rod 36 , in such a way that a translational movement of the transmission mechanism is associated with a pivoting movement of the branches 32 of the tool 30 . fig2 shows a schematic axonometric view of the tool 30 from fig1 . the nature of the view , in particular the viewing direction , substantially corresponds to that of fig1 . only the tool 30 is shown in fig2 , not the shank 20 of the medical instrument . therefore , a further part of the transmission mechanism 60 is visible in fig2 , namely a rod 70 that is provided for arrangement in the shank 20 of the medical instrument 10 ( cf . fig1 ). moreover , the annular structure of the annular area 54 and a cavity 46 in the fork component 40 can be seen in fig2 . fig3 shows a schematic axonometric view of constituent parts of the shank 20 of the medical instrument 10 from fig1 . the nature of the view , in particular the viewing direction , substantially corresponds to that of fig1 and 2 . the shank comprises a shank tube 24 , of which the position in fig3 in the horizontal direction corresponds to the position in fig1 . two l - shaped slits arranged opposite each other are provided at the distal end 22 of the shank tube 24 , of which only one slit is visible in fig3 . each l - shaped slit comprises a first portion 25 , which extends parallel to the longitudinal axis 28 of the shank tube 24 , and a second portion 26 , which extends in a direction parallel to the circumference of the shank tube 24 . fig3 moreover shows a support tube 80 which , when the shank has been made ready for use in the intended manner , is arranged at the distal end 22 of the shank inside the shank tube 24 . in fig3 , the support tube 80 is shown outside the shank tube 24 , i . e . having been withdrawn in the distal direction from the shank tube 24 in a direction parallel to the longitudinal axis 28 of the shank . with the shank made ready for use in the intended manner , the support tube 80 is arranged in the shank tube 24 particularly in such a way that the distal edge of the support tube 80 and the distal edge of the shank tube 24 lie in one plane . the support tube 80 has two straight slits 86 which are each rectangular or substantially rectangular and which lie opposite each other , of which only one slit is visible in fig3 . the slits 86 are parallel to the longitudinal axis 28 of the shank and therefore also parallel to the intended direction of movement of the transmission mechanism 60 ( cf . fig2 ). in the intended arrangement of the support tube 80 in the shank tube 24 , the slits 86 in the support tube 80 , on the one hand , and the first portions 25 of the l - shaped slits in the shank tube 24 , on the other hand , are congruent or substantially congruent . when the shank 20 has been made ready , the support tube 80 is connected to the shank tube 24 in particular by cohesive bonding ( for example by laser welding or soldering ) and optionally in addition with frictional engagement or force - fit engagement . the support tube 80 reinforces the distal end 22 of the shank . moreover , the inner cross section of the support tube 80 ( apart from the slits 86 ) corresponds substantially to the outer cross section of the rod 70 of the transmission mechanism 60 ( cf . fig2 ), such that the transmission mechanism 60 is guided in the support tube 80 with minimal play and friction . moreover , the outer cross section of the shank tube 24 and therefore of the shank corresponds at the distal end 22 thereof ( apart from the l - shaped slits 25 , 26 ) to the cross section of the cavity 46 ( apart from the catches ) at the proximal end of the fork component 40 ( cf . fig2 and 6 ), such that the distal end 22 of the shank 20 is guided with minimal play in the cavity 46 in the fork component 40 . fig4 shows a further schematic axonometric view of parts of the tool 30 from fig2 . the nature of the view , in particular the viewing direction , substantially corresponds to that of fig1 and 2 . in fig4 , the tool 30 is shown without the catch component 50 . the slits 48 in the fork component 40 are therefore visible , which slits 48 start from the substantially circular proximal edge 44 of the fork component 40 and interrupt said edge . fig5 shows a further schematic axonometric view of the tool 30 from fig2 and 4 . the nature of the view , in particular the viewing direction , substantially corresponds to that of fig1 and 4 . in fig5 , the fork component 40 of the tool 30 is depicted in transparent form and is indicated only by the contours thereof that are visible in the chosen viewing direction . therefore , the catches 56 arranged in the distal direction from the annular area 54 of the catch component 50 are visible in fig5 , their outer ends or areas 58 filling the slits 48 in the fork component 40 ( cf . fig4 ). the radially inner ends of the catches 56 extend into the cavity 46 at the proximal end of the fork component 40 ( cf . fig4 ). moreover , the transmission mechanism 60 is largely visible in fig5 . the transmission mechanism 60 comprises a rod 70 and an endpiece 62 , which forms the distal end of the transmission mechanism 60 . the endpiece 62 comprises a distal end 64 with a bearing for the articulated connection to the connecting rods 36 , and a substantially thin and plate - shaped proximal end 66 , which is arranged in a slit at the distal end 72 of the rod 70 . edges of the thin plate - shaped proximal end 66 of the endpiece 62 that protrude laterally from the slit at the distal end 72 of the rod 70 form two web - shaped locking projections 68 . the locking projections 68 each extend parallel to the longitudinal axis of the rod 70 of the transmission mechanism 60 and thus also parallel to the longitudinal axis 28 of the shank 20 ( cf . fig3 ) and to the slits 86 in the support tube 80 . fig6 shows a schematic view of the catch component 50 as seen from the distal direction . for orientation purposes , the contour of the cross section of the rod 70 of the transmission mechanism 60 ( cf . fig5 ) is also indicated by a broken line . the inner contour of the annular area 54 of the catch component 50 corresponds to the contour of the cross section of the cavity 46 at the proximal end of the fork component 40 ( cf . fig2 and 4 ). the catches 56 engage from outside in the cavity 46 . the widths of the catches 56 correspond to the widths of the first portions 25 of the l - shaped slits in the shank tube 24 , such that the catches can be guided with minimal friction through the first portions 25 of the l - shaped slits in the shank tube 24 . if the catches 56 engage so deeply in the cavity 46 that they also engage in the slits 86 in the support tube 80 ( cf . fig3 ), the slits 86 in the support tube 80 are also at least as wide as the catches 56 and , in contrast to the view in fig3 , are l - shaped . the lengths of the catches ( each measured in a direction parallel to the longitudinal axis 28 of the shank ; cf . fig3 ) correspond to the dimensions of the second portions 26 of the l - shaped slits in the shank tube 24 , such that the catches 56 can be inserted with minimal friction into the second portions 26 of the l - shaped slits . fig7 shows a further schematic axonometric view of constituent parts of the transmission mechanism 60 of the tool 30 from fig1 and 2 . in fig7 , the endpiece 62 is shown in a position offset distally in relation to the rod 70 . therefore , fig7 clearly shows , on the one hand , the slit 74 at the distal end 72 of the rod 70 , and , on the other hand , the thin plate - shaped proximal end 66 of the endpiece 62 . the lateral edges of the proximal end 66 of the endpiece 62 , which extend parallel to the longitudinal axis of the rod 70 , form the locking projections 68 . in the example shown , the locking projections 68 have rounded cross sections . fig8 shows a schematic view of the fork component 40 of the tool 30 from fig1 and 2 , as seen from the distal direction . between the proximal ends of the side rails 41 , on the one hand , and the distal end of the cavity 46 ( cf . fig4 ), on the other hand , the fork component 40 has a wall 45 , which is not visible in the other figures . this wall 45 is in particular substantially plate - shaped and flat and delimits the cavity 46 in the distal direction or forms the distal surface of the cavity 46 . a continuous bore 47 is provided in the wall 45 . the continuous bore 47 extends , in the axial direction of the fork component 40 and thus in a direction orthogonal with respect to the drawing plane of fig9 , from the space between the side rails 41 , on the one hand , to the cavity 46 at the proximal end of the fork component 40 ( cf . fig2 and 4 ; not visible in fig9 ), on the other hand . the continuous bore 47 has a cross section corresponding substantially to the cross section of the transmission mechanism 60 in the transition area between the endpiece 62 and the rod 70 ( cf . fig5 and 7 ), such that the transmission mechanism 60 is guided in the continuous bore 47 in the fork component 40 with minimal play and friction . the cross section of the transmission mechanism 60 in the transition area between the endpiece 62 and the rod 70 ( cf . fig5 and 7 ) and the cross section of the continuous bore 47 are each non - circular . in particular , the cross section of the transmission mechanism 60 deviates from a purely circular shape as a result of the locking projections 68 ( cf . fig5 ). in this way , a rotation of the transmission mechanism 60 relative to the fork component 40 is suppressed by form - fit engagement . fig9 shows a further schematic view of the fork component 40 of the tool 30 from fig1 and 2 . in fig9 , the fork component 40 is shown in a view from the proximal direction . thus , the fork component 40 is shown from opposite directions in fig8 and 9 . fig9 shows the continuous bore 47 , the substantially circularly cylindrical cavity 46 at the proximal end of the fork component 40 , and the two slits 48 lying opposite each other in the fork component 40 . the contours of the catches 56 protruding into the cavity 46 , and belonging to the catch component 50 ( cf . fig1 , 5 and 6 ), not shown in fig9 , are indicated by broken lines . as has already been mentioned , the transmission mechanism 60 is guided in the fork component 40 ( cf . fig8 and 9 ) by form - fit engagement between the transition area between the rod 70 and the endpiece 62 , in particular the locking projections 68 , on the one hand , ( cf . fig5 and 7 ), and the continuous bore 47 in the fork component 40 , on the other hand , in such a way that the transmission mechanism 60 can be displaced in the longitudinal direction relative to the fork component 40 but cannot be rotated . alternatively , a similar guide can be achieved by form - fit engagement between the connecting rods 36 , the distal end 64 of the endpiece 62 of the transmission mechanism 60 and the mutually facing surfaces of the side rails 41 of the fork component 40 ( cf . fig2 and 4 ). the function of the components of the tool 30 and of the shank 20 will be clear from the overview of the figures . for the releasable mechanical connection of the tool 30 to the shank 20 , the transmission mechanism 60 , in particular the rod 70 of the transmission mechanism 60 ( cf . fig2 ), is first of all inserted into the shank 20 ( cf . fig3 ) from the distal direction . the branches 32 of the tool 30 are brought to a beyond open position , in which the angle between the branches 32 is greater than that shown in fig1 , 4 and 5 . in this beyond open position , the locking projections 68 on the transmission mechanism 60 assume their farthest distal position , in which they engage in the continuous bore 47 in the fork component 40 but do not protrude into the cavity 46 at the proximal end of the fork component 40 . the shank 20 and the tool 30 are brought together until the distal end 22 of the shank 20 is inserted completely into the cavity 46 in the fork component 40 of the tool 30 and the distal end 22 of the shank 20 bears on the wall 45 of the fork component 40 . the catches 56 are thereby inserted into the first portions 25 of the l - shaped slits at the distal end 22 of the shank 20 . when the distal end 22 of the shank 20 bears on the wall 45 in the fork component 40 , the catches 56 are located in the transition areas between the first portions 25 and the second portions 26 of the l - shaped slits at the distal end 22 of the shank tube 24 ( cf . fig3 ). the shank 20 can now be rotated clockwise ( viewed from the proximal direction ) about its axis 28 relative to the tool 30 . in doing so , the catches 56 are moved away from the first portions 25 into the second portions 26 of the l - shaped slits at the distal end 22 of the shank 20 . when the catches 56 bear on the ends , remote from the first portions 25 , of the second portions 26 of the l - shaped slits at the distal end 22 of the shank 20 , shank 20 and tool 30 are located in their intended relative positions , in which shank 20 and tool 30 cannot be separated from each other by a simple translational movement . in this intended position of the shank 20 relative to the tool 30 , the locking projections 68 on the transmission mechanism 60 ( cf . fig5 ) are aligned with the slits 86 in the support tube 80 and with the first portions 25 of the l - shaped slits at the distal end 22 of the shank tube 24 ( cf . fig3 ). the transmission mechanism 60 can therefore be moved in the proximal direction relative to the tool 30 and to the shank 20 , whereupon the branches 32 leave their beyond open position . in doing so , the locking projections 68 on the transmission mechanism 60 engage in the slits 86 in the support tube 80 and the first portions 25 of the l - shaped slits in the shank tube 24 . by means of this engagement , the tool 30 can no longer be rotated relative to the shank 20 , and the catches 56 cannot be moved to the first portions 25 of the l - shaped slits in the shank tube 24 . in this way , the mechanical connection between shank 20 and tool 30 is locked as long as the branches 32 are not located in their beyond open position . a movement to the beyond open position 32 can be suppressed by mechanisms at the distal ends of the shank 20 and of the transmission mechanism 60 , in particular in a manipulation mechanism . in the ideal case free of play , the distal edge or the distal end 22 of the shank tube 24 ( cf . fig3 ) bears on the wall 45 in the fork component 40 ( cf . fig8 and 9 ), on the one hand , while at the same time , on the other hand , the distal ends or edges of the catches 56 ( cf . fig5 ) bear on the distal edges of the second portions 26 of the l - shaped slits in the shank tube 24 ( cf . fig3 ). a longitudinal play of the mechanical connection between shank 20 and tool 30 is defined by the difference between the distance of the distal edges or flanks of the catches 56 ( cf . fig5 ) and the wall 45 in the fork component 40 ( cf . fig8 and 9 ), on the one hand , and the distance between the distal edges of the second portions 26 of the l - shaped slits in the shank tube 24 and the distal end 22 of the shank tube 24 , on the other hand . in fig1 and 2 , a small distance is indicated between the annular area 54 of the catch component 50 , on the one hand , and the proximal edge 44 of the fork component 40 , on the other hand . this small distance can be bridged or filled by a welded or soldered seam . in other words , the dimensions of the two catches 56 measured in a direction parallel to the longitudinal axis 28 of the shank 20 are slightly greater than the depths , measured in the same direction , of the slits 48 in the fork component . this ensures that , when the catches 56 are pushed into the slits 48 , the positions of the catches 56 are defined unambiguously , with a form fit , by the abutment of the catches 56 or of their outer areas 58 against the distal ends of the slits 48 in the fork component 40 . in these positions defined unambiguously by a form - fit engagement , the outer areas 58 of the catches 56 are joined to the slits 48 or to the edges of the slits 48 , in particular connected thereto by laser welding . the distances defining the mechanical play between shank 20 and tool 30 are therefore each defined on a single component . on the shank 20 , this is the distance between the distal edge or end 22 of the shank tube 24 and the distal edge of the second portion 26 of the l - shaped slit in the shank tube 24 . on the tool , this is the distance between the proximal surface of the wall 45 in the fork component 40 and the distal ends of the slits 48 in the fork component , on which the distal end faces of the outer areas 58 of the catches 56 bear . since both distances determining the play are each defined on a single component , the play can be set particularly precisely and , consequently , can also be particularly small . for the non - destructive release of the mechanical connection between shank 20 and tool 30 , a blocking of the beyond open position can optionally be canceled first of all via the manipulation mechanism . thereafter , the branches 32 are moved to their beyond open position and the transmission mechanism 60 is moved with the locking projections 68 to its farthest distal position . in this configuration , the locking projections 68 on the transmission mechanism 60 ( cf . fig5 ) no longer engage in the slits 86 in the support tube 80 and in the first portions 25 of the l - shaped slits in the shank tube 24 ( cf . figure ). the tool 30 can be rotated counterclockwise ( viewed from the distal direction ) relative to the shank 20 . in doing so , the catches 56 engaging from the outside in the second portions 26 are moved as far as the transition areas between the second portions 26 and the first portions 25 of the l - shaped slits in the shank tube 24 . thereafter , shank 20 and tool 30 can be pulled apart from each other . in doing so , the catches 56 are moved into the first portions 25 of the l - shaped slits in the shank tube 24 and are pulled out of the latter . 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 one skilled in the art are to be included within the scope of the following claims .	0
the preferred embodiments of the present invention relate to cathodes containing mercury compounds . the cathodes of the present invention are preferably formed by blending a mercury compound with a conductive material . the resultant blend is then agglomerated , by preferably first slugging or pressing the powder into a pellet and then forcing the pellet through a screen or wire mesh . the agglomerates employed in the cathode of the present invention can be of any desired size , with preferred agglomerates passing through a screen having openings one millimeter in width . the agglomerates , however formed , are admixed with a sufficient quantity of a second conductive material capable of amalgamating substantially all of the mercury formed by the electrode during cell discharge . the conductive material admixed with the agglomerates can be , but does not necessarily have to be , the same material initially blended with the mercury compound to form the agglomerates . mercury compounds useful in the cathodes of the present invention include all of the mercury compounds previously used in the cathodes of electrochemical cells . such compounds include mercuric oxide ( hgo ) ( preferably the red form ), mercuric chromate ( hgcro 4 ), mercuric chloride ( hgcl 2 ), mercuric permanganate ( hg ( mno 4 ) 2 ), mercuric periodate ( hg 5 ( io 6 ) 2 ), mercuric sulfate ( hgso 4 ), mercuric cyanide ( hg ( cn ) 2 ) and mercuric dioxysulfate ( hgso 4 . 2hgo ). the conductive material which is initially blended with the mercury compound to form the agglomerates can be any conductive material that will not react with the mercury compound . preferred conductive materials include carbonaceous materials , such as graphite , and metals such as silver . other useful conductive materials include noble metals such as gold , platinum and iridium , either alone or as alloys and intermetallics . the quantity of conductive material which is blended with the mercury compound to form the agglomerates can vary from about 0 . 02 mole to about 1 mole of conductive material per mole of mercury compound , with the preferred ratio being from about 0 . 1 mole to about 0 . 5 mole of conductive material per mole of mercury compound . the conductive material which is admixed with the agglomerates of blended conductive material and mercury compound can be any conductive material that will amalgamate with free mercury and will not adversely react with the mercury compound or any of the other components of the cell . the major criteria for the selection of a conductive material include the amalgamating ability of the material , its conductivity , and its inertness to the mercury compound , anode , electrolyte or other cell constituent when placed into an electrochemical cell . the presently preferred conductive amalgamating material is silver . the ratio ( expressed in moles ) of the second conductive material admixed with the agglomerates can vary from about 0 . 1 mole to about 1 mole of conductive material per mole of mercury compound in the agglomerates . the preferred quantity of the second conductive material varies from about 0 . 2 mole to about 0 . 7 mole per mole of mercury compound present in the agglomerate . the total ratio of moles of conductive material in the powder , including that forming part of the agglomerates and that admixed with the agglomerates , should not exceed about two moles of conductive material per mole of mercury compound . larger quantities of conductive material within the cathode will unnecessarily reduce cell capacity due to the volume of the non - cathode active conductive material without further benefit . the preferred ratio of first and second conductive material present within the powder is about three moles of the second conductive material ( admixed with the agglomerates ) per mole of first conductive material ( within the agglomerates ). the mixture of agglomerates and conductive material can thereafter be conventionally formed into a cathode , for use in an electrochemical cell , such as by compressing a measured portion of the mixture into a pellet with or without added lubricants such as polytetrafluoroethylene . other methods of forming cathodes are well known in the art , and will depend generally upon the desired cell configuration or utilization purposes . cathodes containing mercury compounds can be used in electrochemical cells having either aqueous or nonaqueous electrolytes and can be used with most anode materials . a conventional separator similar to that used with other electrochemical cells can also be incorporated into the cell employing the cathode of the present invention . nonaqueous electrolytes useful with the cathodes of the present invention include those generally used with active light metal anodes . commonly used nonaqueous electrolytes include one or more conventional organic solvents having dissolved therein at least one solvent - soluble ionic salt of a light metal anode . examples of organic solvents include , among others , tetrahydrofuran , n - nitrosodimethylamine , dimethyl sulfoxide , dimethyl sulfite , propylene carbonate , gamma - butyrolactone , dimethyl carbonate , dimethoxyethane , acetonitrile and dimethyl formamide . the conductive electrolyte solvent - soluble ionic salt can consist of the salt of the anode metal with such anions as clo 4 - , asf 6 - , pf 6 - , bf 4 - , sbf 6 - , alcl 4 - , cl - , br - , and i - anions . anodes useful with the nonaqueous electrolyte can be selected from the active light metal anode metals , examples of which include lithium , sodium , potassium , calcium , beryllium , magnesium , and aluminum . aqueous electrolyte useful with the cathodes of the present invention can be either alkaline or acidic . the preferred electrolyte is alkaline , and comprises an aqueous solution of potassium or sodium hydroxide . other aqueous electrolytes useful with mercury compounds containing cathodes are well known to those skilled in the art . anode electrodes suitable for use with mercury compound containing cathodes and aqueous electrolyte solutions include all metals having a lower electromotive potential than the mercury compound being used . such anode materials include most metals , such as zinc , cadmium , aluminum , iron , lead , magnesium , and nickel . the herein disclosed invention will be better understood from the following examples . unless otherwise indicated all parts are parts by weight . a mixture for use in a cathode of an electrochemical cell is formed by uniformly blending 80 parts of red mercuric oxide ( hgo ) powder with 5 parts of silver powder . the resulting blend is agglomerated by compressing the mixture into a pellet and then forcing the pellet through an 18 mesh screen which has one millimeter wide openings . this process produces agglomerates generally smaller than one millimeter . the agglomerates are then thoroughly admixed with 15 parts of silver and with 0 . 5 part of polytetrafluoroethylene . the resulting mixture is formed into a cathode by placing about 0 . 5 gram of the mixture into a press and compressing it into a pellet utilizing several kilograms per square centimeter of pressure . the polytetrafluoroethylene acts as a lubricant during the formation of the cathode . the formed cathode is placed into a cell can along with a cellulose separator , about 0 . 06 gram of an electrolyte solution consisting of about 30 percent potassium hydroxide by weight and an anode pellet . the anode pellet comprising about 0 . 12 gram of amalgamated zinc of which 10 percent by weight is mercury . the cell is then conventionally closed using an insulative grommet and a top . after cell discharge substantially no free mercury is found in the cathode or other portions of the cell . some previously employed cathodes , even though containing similar percentages of materials , were not able to immobilize all free mercury produced during cell discharge , as the cathode formed by the present invention is able to do . one hundred ( 100 ) parts of a mixture for use in a cathode of an electrochemical cell is formed by uniformly blending 84 parts of red mercuric oxide powder ( hgo ) with 0 . 5 part of carbon powder . the resulting blend is agglomerated by compressing the mixture into a pellet and then pressing the pellet through an 18 mesh screen . the agglomerates are then thoroughly mixed with 15 parts of silver and with 0 . 5 part of polytetrafluoroethylene . the resulting mixture is formed into a cathode and incorporated into an electrochemical cell as in example 1 . after cell discharge no free mercury is found in the cathode or other portions of the cell . the cathode of example 2 is as effective as that of example 1 in immobilizing elemental mercury even though it contains twenty - five percent less silver and is therefore preferred . this embodiment of the present invention produces a savings in material costs by replacing expensive silver by cheaper carbon without a loss of effectiveness . mixtures for use in a cathode of an electrochemical cell are formed as in example 2 except that the mercuric oxide is replaced by mercuric chromate ( hgcro 4 ), mercuric chloride ( hgcl 2 ), mercuric permanganate ( hg ( mno 4 ) 2 ), mercuric periodate ( hg 5 ( io 6 ) 2 ), mercuric sulfate ( hgso 4 ), mercuric cyanide ( hg ( cn ) 2 ) and mercuric dioxysulfate ( hgso 4 . 2hgo ) respectively . the mixture is formed into a cathode and incorporated into an electrochemical cell as in example 2 . on discharge substantially no free mercury is found in the cells . although the preferred embodiments of the present invention and examples are described in terms of cathodes containing a mercury compound , other electrodes formed by the herein described method and containing other nonconducting active materials are also within the scope of the present invention . it is also understood that changes and variations in the above disclosure and examples can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined in the following claims .	7
embodiments of the present invention are described herein in the context of a test buffer design and interface mechanism for a differential receiver for ac / dc boundary scan testing . those of ordinary skill in the art will realize that the following detailed description of the present invention is illustrative only and is not intended to be in any way limiting . other embodiments of the present invention will readily suggest themselves to such skilled persons having the benefit of this disclosure . reference will now be made in detail to implementations of the present invention as illustrated in the accompanying drawings . the same reference indicators will be used throughout the drawings and the following detailed description to refer to the same or like parts . in the interest of clarity , not all of the routine features of the implementations described herein are shown and described . it will , of course , be appreciated that in the development of any such actual implementation , numerous implementation - specific decisions must be made in order to achieve the specific goals of the developer , such as compliance with application - and business - related constraints , and that these specific goals will vary from one implementation to another and from one developer to another . moreover , it will be appreciated that such a development effort might be complex and time - consuming , but would nevertheless be a routine undertaking of engineering for those of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of this disclosure . to the extent applicable , in accordance with the present invention , the components , process steps , and / or data structures may be implemented using various types of operating systems , computing platforms , computer programs , and / or general purpose machines . in addition , those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that devices of a less general purpose nature , such as hardwired devices , field programmable gate arrays ( fpgas ), application specific integrated circuits ( asics ), or the like , may also be used without departing from the scope and spirit of the inventive concepts disclosed herein . included among the various testing methods of conventional 1149 . 1 boundary scan logic is one known as extest . during the extest method , a value , either logic one or logic zero , is loaded onto the latched parallel outputs of the update data registers of the bscs of the driving ic using a preload instruction or is loaded with a shiftdr state while the ic is in the extest instruction . the value being driven is then sampled by the input bscs of the receiving ic when the tap controller passes through a capturedr state . finally , by serially shifting out and examining the captured values , one can determine the reliability of the interconnections . this process assumes that the logic value during the time of capture is a static dc value . as noted above , this assumption only holds if the interconnections are dc coupled . as a result , the extest method fails to test ac coupled interconnections . to address the failure of conventional 1149 . 1 boundary scan logic in general and the extest method more specifically , what is known as an ac boundary scan test design specification is being developed . in order to deal with ac coupled interconnections , it has been necessary to change the boundary scan logic and hardware . nevertheless , every effort has been made to design the changes to be backward compatible with conventional testing . as a result , many of the details for ac test function and implementation are the same as those for conventional dc testing . one point in testing interconnections between ics is to identify manufacturing defects that result in faults . faults , however , can only be detected if the input buffer in the receiving ic generates an output that preserves the incoming state and discriminates between a proper and a faulty interconnection . in fact , the input buffer of the receiver may be more important than the ac test patterns themselves . this is at least generally true for differential transmission technology . one positive aspect of the situation is that the ac pattern driving circuit in the transmitter can be simplified . one negative aspect is that the receiver may need more complex circuitry . the issue with the input buffer revolves around a condition known as fault masking . generally , input buffers are designed only to output either a logic one or a logic zero . under conditions of uncertainty , the buffer may output either a logic one or a logic zero by default . if so , the true logic state is unknown and masked by what appears to be a definitive output . the reason for the uncertainty can be based on any one of a number of faults . the uncertainty is an analog signal level where the buffer neither recognizes it as a logic one nor a logic zero . this is known as a null condition . in the case of differential signal lines , there are more possible cases of null conditions due to non - complementing signal conditions where the differential signal pair fails to develop a threshold voltage difference between the two lines . the value of the threshold voltage difference depends in part on the input buffer design . certain faults , such as a shorted capacitor , can only be detected by combining both dc and ac boundary scan testing . unfortunately , there are any number of possible faulty conditions within the analog domain . consequently , it is difficult and time consuming to enumerate all of the different defect types and their related faults . fortunately , this is not necessary to demonstrate effective elimination of the fault masking . this is because the manifestations of the typical faults in the receiver are limited in this context . for discussion purposes , these manifestations will be referred to as fault syndromes . there are five fault syndromes that will be identified and discussed further below . turning now to fig2 , a boundary scan test system 10 for a differential ac coupled net is shown . in this case , only two devices or ics are shown , however more could be included . in the discussion that follows , the first ic will be transmitting the test sequence and hence it has been labeled as a transmitter 12 . conversely , the second ic will be receiving the test sequence and it has been labeled as a receiver 14 . these roles may reverse under various test sequences . for simplicity , only one differential ac coupled connection is shown having a first capacitor 16 and a second capacitor 18 . there may be various other connections between the two ics and between each ic and other devices not shown . other types of ac coupled interconnections from fig1 may be substituted for that shown . the transmitter 12 includes a differential driver 20 . the differential driver 20 is a portion of the physical link layer of the transmitter 12 . not shown for simplicity is the logical link layer which one of ordinary skill will recognize is connected internally to the physical link layer . the differential driver 20 takes a logical value from the logical link layer and outputs it on the differential ac coupled connection . one lead carries the signal and the other lead carries the inverse of the signal . the signal that is driven by the transmitter 12 is a square wave , but the signal that is seen by the receiver is a decaying pulse because of the ac coupling capacitors 16 and 18 . the first and second capacitors 16 and 18 are a portion of the transmission layer which may also include termination resistor networks and reference bias networks that are not shown . the receiver 14 includes an input test buffer 22 , an interface mechanism 24 , and a boundary scan cell ( bsc ) 26 . the input test buffer 22 and the interface mechanism 24 are portions of the physical link layer of the receiver 14 . the bsc 26 is a portion of the logical link layer of the receiver 14 . for simplicity , elements such as the mission logic buffer and the amplifier and other connections such as the output of the bsc 26 are not shown . the input test buffer 22 receives the test sequence signal from the transmitter 12 and identifies one of a logic one , a logic zero , or a null condition . the interface mechanism 24 further processes any identified null conditions to better detect the test sequence signal . the dc and ac results of the interface mechanism 24 , in digital form , are passed to the bsc 26 as part of the test analysis . turning now to fig3 , six graphs of input signal pairs to the receiver 14 and the input test buffer 22 of fig2 are shown . the top graph is a fault free sequence of alternating logic ones and logic zeros . the top graph shows the decaying pulse and inverse signal properties of the normal differential signal . this is to be contrasted with the other five graphs which show the five fault syndromes eluded to above . they have been labeled a through e . the graphs are based on a short rc time constant relative to a frequency of square wave signal driven by a driver . recall that more than one defect may result in one or more fault syndrome . it is assumed that only one defect at a time has occurred . fault syndrome a exhibits the same pulse at both inputs rather than inverse pulses as in the normal case . fault syndrome b exhibits one pulse to be skewed or delayed relative to the other pulse . fault syndrome c exhibits one input to be a constant high or low with no pulse variation or an undetectable null value . fault syndrome d exhibits both inputs to be a constant high or low with no pulse variation or an undetectable null value . fault syndrome e exhibits one pulse to have a different slope than the other pulse . the slope of the lower pulse has been exaggerated for demonstration purposes and need not be so extreme to be problematic in practice . recognition of the five fault syndromes will aid in the elimination of fault masking . this recognition begins with the input test buffer 22 . turning now to fig4 , a block diagram of a first embodiment of the input test buffer 22 of fig2 is shown . the actual design of the input test buffer 22 can be selected from a number of designs available in the prior art . the one stipulation is that the design have built - in null detection capability , that is , if the differential voltage between the two signal inputs is not greater than a predefined threshold , then both of the output signals become the same value to identify a null condition . the null condition indicates that one of the five fault syndromes of fig3 has been detected . here the output signals have been labeled reset and set . the input test buffer 22 includes a first amplifier 28 , a second amplifier 30 , a first resistor 32 , and a second resistor 34 connected as shown . the two amplifiers 28 and 30 process the incoming differential ac signal separately and amplify differentially against a common mode voltage provided by the two resistors 32 and 34 . turning now to fig5 , a block diagram of a second embodiment of the input test buffer 22 of fig2 is shown . the input test buffer 22 includes a first amplifier 36 , a second amplifier 38 , a first resistor 40 , a second resistor 42 , a third resistor 44 , a fourth resistor 46 , a fifth resistor 48 , and a sixth resistor 50 connected as shown . in this case , the common mode voltage signal vcom is an input as well . the output signals are still reset and set . turning now to fig6 , a block diagram of a third embodiment of the input test buffer 22 of fig2 is shown . the input test buffer 22 includes a first amplifier 52 , a second amplifier 54 , a first resistor 56 , a second resistor 58 , a third resistor 60 , and a fourth resistor 62 connected as shown . in this case , the common mode voltage point is the node between the second resistor 58 and the third resistor 60 . the output signals are now reset bar and set bar . turning now to fig7 , a block diagram of a fourth embodiment of the input test buffer 22 of fig2 is shown . the input test buffer 22 includes a first amplifier 64 , a second amplifier 66 , a first resistor 68 , a second resistor 70 , and a third resistor 72 connected as shown . in this case , there is also a comparator 74 that generates an enable signal for the first and second amplifiers 64 and 66 when there is no null condition , otherwise amplifiers 64 and 66 are disabled and produce predetermined fixed output values . there may also be a capacitor ( not shown ) connected between node 76 and ground to function as an integrator in conjunction with the third resistor 72 to form a desired rc time constant . the integrator can be used to provide better test signal tracking ability by filtering out noise and tuning the test input buffer 22 . the output signals are now a set pair and a reset pair . turning now to fig8 , a block diagram of the interface mechanism 24 of fig2 is shown . the interface mechanism 24 processes the output signals from the input test buffer 22 of fig2 to detect any of the five fault syndromes of fig3 . the interface mechanism 24 includes a technology mapper 78 , detectors 80 , and an integrator 82 . the organization of the various elements is at least partially for discussion purposes and is not strictly required to be as shown for an operative device . further , one or more of the elements may be combined into the input test buffer 22 if desired . the technology mapper 78 connects the input test buffer 22 and the interface mechanism 24 . it may be the case that the technology mapper 78 is a discrete device or is integral to the input test buffer 22 rather than integral to the interface mechanism 24 as shown . it may also be the case that the technology mapper 78 is deleted altogether . the technology mapper 78 converts or conditions the output of the input test buffer 22 . the interface mechanism 24 operates on a reset and a set signal as input . if , as in fig6 and 7 , the input test buffer 22 generates some other signal , then the technology mapper 78 converts the signal to a format that can be operated on by the interface mechanism 78 . if , as in fig4 and 5 , the input test buffer 22 generates appropriate signals , then only signal conditioning may be needed . as shown in fig8 , the input signals from the input test buffer 22 of fig2 are delayed by buffers 84 and 86 to expand the pulse width of the signals . other forms of signal conditioning are well known in the art and may depend on the circumstances or designer preference . the detectors 80 include a signal recoverer 88 , a short / null detector 90 , and an ac detector 92 . not all of the elements shown are required and may not be desired in certain cases . the signal recoverer 88 includes a reset / set ( rs ) latch 94 which has an operating behavior that is well known in the art . under normal conditions , the rs latch 94 recovers the differential signal pulses from the differential driver 20 of fig2 . under fault conditions , the rs latch 94 starts the analysis process . if both inputs are a logic one , then both outputs are a logic zero by design choice . if both inputs are a logic zero , then both outputs maintain a previously held value . when both inputs change to a logic zero at the same time , then both outputs are indeterminate . this is because the timing of the input signals drives the outputs but the precise timing is not known or controlled thus rendering the outputs indeterminate . one thing that is certain is that the two outputs will have opposite polarity to one another . the output signals will be referred to as q for the q output and qb for the q - bar or not - q output . in order to overcome the indeterminate state when both inputs change to logic zero , it is possible to add a unit delay gate to the set signal path to delay the transmission of the signal thus guaranteeing that the two inputs will never be truly simultaneous . the short / null detector 90 includes an ac short / null detector 96 and a dc short detector 98 . the ac short / null detector 96 monitors the outputs of the rs latch 94 for a double logic zero result , that is , both q and qb are logic zero . this state is flagged as a fault . the ac short / null detector 96 is shown to include a first logic gate . the dc short detector 98 monitors the reset and set signals for a state when they are both the same logic value , that is , both logic one or logic zero . this state is flagged as a fault . the dc short detector 98 is shown to include a second logic gate . the ac detector 92 includes a flip - flop 100 and a third logic gate 102 . the flip - flop 100 has as inputs the q output of the rs latch 94 and an ac pattern clock signal that is used for ac boundary scan testing . the q outputs of the rs latch 94 and the flip - flop 100 are each input to the third logic gate 102 . the ac detector 92 also includes a clear logic circuit for the flip - flop 100 which is not shown . the ac detector 92 detects the toggling of the input signal and tracks these signal changes . the length of tracking will depend on other design choices and preference . the integrator 82 encodes the various fault and data signals into one or more signals to be output to the bsc 26 of fig2 . depending on the bsc 26 , the integrator 82 may even be deleted . in this case , a fourth logic gate 104 is utilized to combine three ac fault indicator signals to form a pair of ac output signals , that is , an ac fault indicator and an ac received value . there are also a pair of dc output signals , a dc fault indicator and a dc received value . taken together , these four signals should provide coverage for fault syndromes a through d of fig3 . the fault syndrome e of fig3 may be the result of heterogeneous coupling capacitors 16 and 18 in the differential ac coupled connection of fig2 . since this condition is relatively uncommon , a detector will be presented separately for incorporation into the detectors 80 as desired or required . turning now to fig9 , a heterogeneous capacitor ( hc ) detector 106 for the detectors 80 of fig8 is shown . the hc detector 106 operates on the same reset and set signals as in fig8 . the hc detector 106 includes a reset on even test clock ( ret ) flip - flop 108 , a set on odd test clock ( sot ) flip - flop 110 , and a fifth logic gate 112 . the ret flip - flop 108 uses as a clock input an even test clock ( tck ) signal . the sot flip - flop 110 uses as a clock input an odd tck signal . the two outputs are combined by the fifth logic gate 112 . the combined output signal is passed on to the integrator 82 of fig8 and should provide coverage for fault syndrome e of fig3 . taken together , the various elements of the boundary scan test system 10 of fig2 and careful test planning should reduce or eliminate the test coverage losses during boundary scan testing that are due to fault masking . while embodiments and applications of this invention have been shown and described , it would be apparent to those skilled in the art having the benefit of this disclosure that many more modifications than mentioned above are possible without departing from the inventive concepts herein . the invention , therefore , is not to be restricted except in the spirit of the appended claims .	6
before beginning a discussion of the invention , it would perhaps be helpful to review the structure of a typical computing system . such a typical system is shown in fig2 having cpu 21 , cache memory 22 , bus 26 connecting main memory 24 , to the cache and perhaps several devices 23 , 25 , connected to the bus . cpu 21 , under control of a program , such as program 30 , would typically attempt the retrieve information ( data ) from the main memory 24 . such an information fetch would typically require 50 ncpu cycles to achieve . however , if the desired information is located in cache 22 , then the time requirement could be reduced to about 2 cpu cycles , depending upon the relative speeds of the cpu and the memory 24 . there is shown in fig1 system 10 for optimizing code , such as program source code 11 , which code is passed through a compiler and optimizer 12a to produce executable code 13a . compiler and optimizer 12a in the normal mode would operate on code using cc program . c ( shown in fig3 a ) to produce executable code 31 . the compiled code would contain switch statements , as shown in fig3 b . as the code is run , table 50 ( as will be detailed hereinafter ) is created as shown in fig5 a . table 50 is labeled for the various switch possibilities and has columns for the selection of those possibilities . initially , before the program is run on the test data , the table of counters will be zero . once the compiler and optimizer has produced executable code containing the information in fig5 a and 5b , that executable code is run on sample data 14 , fig1 . as the executable code is running , the system is collecting the information necessary for table 50 to be created and at the end of the execution run , the result of that information is output into an information file 15 ( fig1 ). information in file 15 is then read by compiler and optimizer 12b , which is the same compiler and optimizer as 12a with a different command line as shown in fig6 . fig7 shows an overview of compiler and optimizer 12b , using the data in file 15 , as it produces revised executable code . this revised code will run faster than the original executable code by virtue of anticipating the branches of the switch statements and thus having the necessary data prefetched into cache 22 . as shown in fig7 each subroutine of the program is read as shown in block 701 . then , in block 702 , information file 15 is checked to see if there is any information on that subroutine . in particular , the system is looking for the type of information that was discussed with respect to fig5 a and 5b . using the information from file 15 and the source code , there is produced , via block 702 , object code which has switch statements that are improved over the switch statements that would have been produced without that information . fig8 a - 13b illustrate one example of how switch information is gathered and recorded . when a program begins running ( fig8 a ), table 50 of switch values contains all zeros because no switches have occurred . the prior switch condition , shown in register 51 ( fig8 b ) is set to an illegal value indicating that there is no prior switch condition . as the system runs , it detects the switch condition ( selected branch ) at a point in time and records that condition ( branch a ) in register 51 , as shown in fig9 b . note that file 50 in fig8 a is still all blanks because no actual transition has occurred . in fig1 a , the system sees a switch to branch b ( now recorded in register 51 of fig1 b ) and , using the previous value a from register 51 of fig9 b , the system records the a to b switch by putting a &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ; in box 1001 . at some later time the system detects a switch to branch c and records that switch in register 51 , fig1 b . at the same time a &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ; is put in box 1101 indicating a branch b to branch c transition . assume now a passage of time and during this time switch transitions have been detected and recorded . in such a situation table 50 might look like fig1 a with 150 a to b transitions now recorded in box 1001 , 200 b to c transitions in box 1101 , 50 c to b transitions in box 1201 and 8 branch c to branch c transitions in box 1202 . at the next transition ( perhaps the last transition of the program ) there is a branch c to branch b transition . now , as shown in fig1 a , box 1201 contains the number 51 and register 51 ( fig1 b ) contains a b . at this point it is apparent that the transition from branch a to branch b ( box 1001 ) is more likely to occur than is a transition from branch a to itself , to branch c or to branch d . when the system is executing within branch b , a transition to branch c ( box 1101 ) is most likely to occur . the system is not likely to go from b to a or from b to d , nor is it likely to remain in branch b , since these all show zeros . similarly , if the system is in branch c , it is more likely , per box 1201 , to transition to branch b then it is to transition to any other branch . the next most likely branch from c would be to itself per box 1202 . it should be noted that although it is hard to tell from the transition tables , there can be a transition from one state to the same state , as shown by the number 3 in box 1203 and the number 8 in box 1202 of fig1 a . using this data , we can , as discussed above with respect to fig1 use information file 15 in conjunction with compiler and optimizer 12b to generate revised executable code 13b , taking advantage of the pattern of execution recorded for the switch statements . although the present invention and its advantages have been described in detail , it should be understood that various changes , substitutions and alterations can be made herein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims .	6
embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to the drawings . fig1 is a plan view of a hybrid ic chip on which an embodiment of the present invention is applied . in fig1 on a hybrid ic substrate 1 , patterns of various elements , such as an ic pattern 1a , transistor patterns 1b , 1c , and 1d , and a diode pattern 1e , are mounted . the ic pattern 1a has on its outer sides a number of pad patterns lap . on the periphery of the ic pattern 1a , a number of lead patterns 1al corresponding to the pad patterns lap are arranged . similarly , the transistor pattern 1b has two pad patterns 1bp . on the periphery of the transistor pattern 1b , two lead patterns 1bl corresponding to the pad patterns 1bp are arranged . the transistor patterns 1c and 1d also have pad patterns 1cp and 1dp and lead patterns 1cl and 1dl on their peripheries . the diode pattern 1e has a pad pattern 1ep and , on its periphery , a lead pattern 1el . these pad patterns and the corresponding lead patterns should be connected by , for example , gold wires by means of an automatic wire bonder . to do this , it is necessary to detect the position of each pad pattern and each lead pattern . to detect the position of each pad pattern and each lead pattern , a part of the corresponding element pattern should first be identified . there are , however , problems in the conventional pattern recognition methods , as mentioned before . briefly , the problems are derived from the following : ( a ) the surfaces of the lead patterns are too rough to be recognized by a tv camera in the conventional two methods when the lead patterns are formed by screen printing . ( b ) the elements may be mounted on the substrate of the hybrid ic chip 1 with a small rotation angle during the manufacturing process . in such a case , it is difficult to recognize , in the conventional pattern matching method , the part of the element for identifying the desired pad pattern and the corresponding lead pattern . ( c ) on each pad pattern and on each lead pattern , there is inevitably formed a production - prober &# 39 ; s scratch , as denoted by a notation pp in fig1 . other optical noise may also be formed on the patterns . these deteriorate the pattern recognition accuracy in the conventional methods . ( d ) there are various shapes of element patterns on the hybrid ic substrate 1 , as illustrated in fig1 . for the sake of simplicity , only five element patterns are illustrated in fig1 however , in practice , there may be many more shapes of element patterns on the hybrid ic substrate 1 . these various shapes are difficult to identify by the conventional feature extracting method . fig2 is a block circuit diagram of a pattern recognition apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention . in fig2 reference numeral 2 represents an image pickup section , for example , a tv camera , for picking up an image of the patterns on the hybrid ic substrate 1 or on a reference sample . the image picked up by the tv camera 2 is transferred through a tv camera driver 4 to an analog - digital ( a / d ) converter 5 . the tv camera driver 4 is controlled by a clock generator 3 . the a / d converter 5 converts ( i . e ., quantizes ) the picked - up image signals into digitized image pattern data consisting of binary - coded signals , i . e ., digital signals . the digital signals produced by the a / d converter 5 are stored in a frame memory 6 which operates synchronously with the operation of the tv camera 2 to store the digital signals , maintaining the shape of the picked - up image of the pattern on the hybrid ic substrate 1 . since an image represented by the digital signals consists of a × b bits ( a and b are integers ), for example , 256 ( x - axis )× 256 ( y - axis ) bits , the frame memory 6 has a memory capacity corresponding to one digitized image , i . e ., a × b bits , for example 256 × 256 bits . the digital signals stored in the frame memory 6 are supplied to a data compaction circuit 7 . the data compaction circuit 7 converts a predetermined number of neighboring bits of the digital signals taken out from the frame memory 6 into a single bit . this conversion is carried out in such a manner that each of a plurality of small sub - images each consisting of c × c bits ( c is an integer smaller than n or m ), for example , 4 × 4 bits , in the digital signals of the image consisting of a × b bits , for example , 256 × 256 bits , are converted into a single bit , and , the sign of the single bit is determined in accordance with the number of &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ; or &# 34 ; 0 &# 34 ; signals in the each small sub - image consisting of c × c bits , for example , 4 × 4 bits . that is , in the above example when , for example , eight or more &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ; signals are included in the small sub - image , the converted single bit is assigned &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ; value , and when the number of &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ; signals is less than eight , the converted single bit is assigned a binary value of &# 34 ; 0 &# 34 ;. thus , the data compaction circuit 7 outputs the compacted digitized image pattern data consisting of n × m bits ( n and m are integers smaller than a and b ), for example , 64 × 64 bits . this data compaction shortens the time required for data processing . the output of the data compaction circuit 7 is connected to a pattern memory circuit 9 having a memory capacity of n × m bits . the output of the pattern memory circuit 9 is connected to a first input of a pattern correlation calculating circuit 10 and to the input of a first reference pattern memory circuit 11 . under the control of a control circuit ( not shown ), reference pattern data is stored in the first reference pattern memory circuit 11 before picking up the image of the patterns to be recognized . the reference pattern data stored in the first reference pattern memory 11 is obtained from compacted image pattern data of the patterns on the hybrid ic substrate 1 to be recognized . the reference pattern data corresponding to one reference pattern consists of n × m bits ( n and m are integers smaller than n and m respectively ), for example , 24 × 24 bits . there are a plurality of reference patterns on the reference sample . therefore , a plurality of reference pattern data should be stored . a plural reference pattern memory circuit 12 is therefore constructed so as to store the plurality of reference pattern data , each of which is supplied from the first reference pattern memory circuit 11 . a reference pattern control circuit 13 controls the plural reference pattern memory circuit 12 to output therefrom each necessary reference pattern and to store it into a second reference pattern memory circuit 14 under the control of the reference pattern controller 13 . the output of the second reference pattern memory circuit 14 is connected to a second input of the pattern correlation calculating circuit 10 . the pattern correlation calculating circuit 10 calculates first correlations between the compacted image pattern data and a sub - image consisting of n × m bits , for example , 24 × 24 bits of the reference pattern data , in accordance with clock signals supplied from the clock generator 3 . the output of the pattern correlation calculating circuit 10 is connected to a first input of an adder 15 and to the input of a second correlation calculating circuit 16 . the output of the second correlation calculating circuit 16 is connected to a second input of the adder 15 . the pattern correlation calculating circuit 10 and the second correlation calculating circuit 16 , which constitute a main body of the present invention , will be described later in detail with reference to fig3 . the output of the adder 15 is connected to the input of a maximum value storing register 17 and to the input of a comparator 18 . in the maximum value storing register 17 , a preset data value is stored before picking up of the image of the patterns to be recognized . when the output value of the adder 15 is greater than the value stored in the maximum value storing register 17 , the contents of the maximum - value storing register 17 are updated to equal the output value of the adder 15 by providing a trigger from the comparator 18 to the maximum value storing register 17 , and , the address at that time is stored into an address register 19 by providing a trigger to the address register 19 . the output of the address register 19 is connected to a view - window determining circuit 20 . the view - window determining circuit 20 calculates the addresses of a view window for taking out a small sub - image of the image pattern data from the frame memory 6 , after all bits in the pattern memory circuit 9 have been processed by the pattern correlation calculating circuit 10 and by the second correlation calculating circuit 16 . thus , the small sub - image taken out from the frame memory 6 includes the data corresponding to that data which provides the maximum value stored in the maximum value storing register 17 after all bits in the pattern memory circuit 9 are processed . in other words , the small sub - image taken out from the frame memory 6 includes the image pattern data of a pattern to be recognized which matches with the reference pattern . since a pattern to be recognized for wire bonding has a size of for example 100 μm × 100 μm , the view window is determined to have a size of 200 μm × 200 μm , for example , which is greater than the pattern size . the x and y axis resolution of the tv camera 1 is for example 5 μm / l bit . therefore , the small sub - image taken out from the frame memory 6 has a size of 40 × 40 bits in this example . the small sub - image of 40 × 40 bits is transferred through the view - window determining circuit 20 to a middle - point detecting circuit 21 , in which the middle point of the pattern to be recognized is calculated . it should be noted that , since the data of the small sub - image taken out from the frame memory 6 are not compacted , the detected middle point has a high accuracy when compared with the address stored in the address register 19 . the output of the middle - point detecting circuit 21 is connected to a control circuit ( not shown ). by the output of the control circuit , a wire bonding operation is carried out on the determined middle point of the pattern . fig3 is a detailed block circuit diagram of the pattern correlation calculating circuit 10 and the second correlation calculating circuit 16 . in fig3 the pattern correlation calculating circuit 10 comprises a first n - bit or 24 - bit shift register 22 connected to the pattern memory circuit 9 , a second n - bit or 24 - bit shift register 23 connected to the second reference pattern memory circuit 14 , a plurality of enor ( exclusive nor ) gates 24 each having a first input connected to one of the n locations in the first n - bit shift register 22 and a second input connected to one of the n locations in the second n - bit shift register 23 , a first adding circuit 25 having inputs connected to the outputs of the enor gates 24 , a data register 26 , a second adding circuit 27 having a first input connected to the output of the first adding circuit 25 and a second input connected to the output of the data register 26 , the output of the second adding circuit 27 being connected to the input of the data register 26 , a memory control circuit 28 , and a line memory circuit 29 having a plurality of first - correlation storing regions 29 - 1 , 29 - 2 , --- 29 -( n - n ). each of the locations in the first n - bit shift register 22 corresponds to one of the locations in the second n - bit shift register 23 . the second correlation calculating circuit 16 comprises a predetermined number of registers r 0 , r 1 , --- r . sub . α , --- r 2 α in a register storing portion 30 , a first subtracting circuit 31 for subtracting the contents in the register r 0 from the contents in the register r . sub . α , a second subtracting circuit 32 for subtracting the contents in the register r . sub . α from the contents in the register r 2 α , and a third subtracting circuit 33 for subtracting the output of the second subtracting circuit 32 from the output of the first subtracting circuit 31 . the number α is determined in accordance with the size of the pattern to be recognized . the lead pattern or the pad pattern to be recognized for wire bonding has a size of for example 100 μm × 100 μm . one compacted bit , when 4 × 4 bits are compacted to one compact bit , represents a 20 μm × 20 μm ( 5 μm × 4 × 4 bits ) area of the image . therefore , a 100 μm × 100 μm is expressed by 5 compacted bits . in this case , the predetermined number α is determined to be equal to 5 . generally , when the size of the pattern to be recognized is l μm × l μm and when c × c bits of the original uncompacted image pattern data are compacted to one compacted bit , the predetermined number α is determined to be equal to l / 5c , where the equivalent resolution of the tv camera 1 in the x and y axes is 5 μm / bit . the line memory circuit 29 has an input / output terminal connected to the first input of the adder 15 . the output of the third substracting circuit 33 is connected to the second input of the adder 15 . the operation of the pattern correlation circuit 10 and the second correlation calculating circuit 16 shown in fig3 will now be described with reference to fig4 a , 5b , 5c , and 5d . after storing a compacted reference pattern data into the second reference pattern memory circuit 14 , the hybrid ic substrate 1 is moved into the visual field of the tv camera 2 and after digitized and compacting the image pattern data consisting of n × m compacted bits , for example , 64 × 64 bits are stored in the pattern memory circuit 9 , as described before . in fig4 rd shows the compacted reference pattern data consisting of n × m bits , or for example 24 × 24 bits , stored in the second reference pattern memory circuit 14 , and id shows the compacted image pattern data consisting of n × m bits , for example , 64 × 64 bits , stored in the pattern memory circuit 9 . the image pattern data id is compared with the reference pattern data rd so as to detect the position of a sub - image of the image pattern data id most identical to the reference pattern data rd . the image pattern data id consists of ( m - m ) columns ( i . e . matrices ) each consisting of n × m bits . the process of comparing the image pattern data id with the reference pattern data rd comprises ( m - m ) main steps . in each main step , one column is processed . each column consists of m sub - columns ( i . e ., sub - matrices ) each consisting of n × 1 bits . each main step comprises m steps . in each step , one sub - column consisting of n × 1 bits is processed . fig4 illustrates the first main step for processing the first column of n × m bits . the first step in the first main step is shown in the left portion of fig4 . during the first step , the first - column reference pattern data rd 1 are input into the second n - bit shift register 23 ( fig3 ). the first step comprises ( n - n ) sub - steps . in the first sub - step of the first step a , first sub - image data id 1 , 1 consisting of n bits in the first sub - column of the image pattern data id , are input into the first n - bit shift register 22 ( fig3 ), by means of a view window in the pattern memory circuit 9 . that is , the view window can provide n bits in one of the sub - columns . each of the enor gates 24 outputs a &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ; when the data stored in the corresponding locations of the first n - bit shift register 22 and the second n - bit shift register 23 coincide , that is , when &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ; and &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ; or &# 34 ; 0 &# 34 ; and &# 34 ; 0 &# 34 ; are input to the enor gate 24 . the first adding circuit 25 calculates the number of &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ; s output from the enor gates 24 . the calculated number of &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ; s is a first correlation between the first data sub - matrix id 1 , 1 stored in the first n - bit shift register and the reference pattern data sub - matrix rd 1 stored in the second n - bit shift register . before obtaining the first correlation , the contents of the second adding circuit 27 , the data register 26 , and the line memory circuit 29 are cleared to zero . thus , the first correlation obtained at the output of the first adding circuit 25 is stored , under the control of the memory control circuit 28 , into the first - correlation storing region 29 - 1 , which is allocated for the first row consisting of n × m bits in the image pattern data id . in the second sub - step , a second data sub - matrix id 1 , 2 consisting of n bits in the first sub - column and in the second row are stored in the first n - bit shift register 22 . that is , the view window in the pattern memory circuit 9 is shifted by one bit in the first sub column to provide the second data sub - matrix id 1 , 2 to the first n - bit shift register 22 . the first adding circuit 25 calculates a first correlation between the second data sub - matrix id 1 , 2 and the reference pattern data sub - matrix rd 1 . the calculated first correlation is stored in the first - correlation storing region 29 - 2 , which is allocated for the second row consisting of n × m bits in the image pattern data id . it will be seen from fig4 that the second row is shifted from the first row by one bit in the column direction . similar operations as in the first and second sub - steps mentioned above are carried out in the remaining sub - steps . after the ( n - n ) th sub - step in the first step , first correlations between ( n - n ) rows in the first sub - column of the image pattern data id and the first column of the reference pattern data are stored in the first - correlation storing regions 29 - 1 , 29 - 2 , --- 29 ( n - n ), respectively . the second step in the first main step is shown in the middle portion of fig4 . during the second step , the second - column reference pattern data sub - matrix rd 2 are stored in the second n - bit shift register 23 . the second step also comprises ( n - n ) sub - steps . in the first sub - step of the second step , a first data sub - matrix id 2 , 1 in the second sub - column and in the first row of the image pattern data id and the second - column reference pattern data sub - matrix rd 2 are compared . the first correlation therebetween is calculated in the first adding circuit 25 in a similar way as in the first step . the second adding circuit 27 adds the previously obtained first correlation stored in the first - correlation storing region 29 - 1 to the first correlation obtained at the output of the first adding circuit 25 in this second sub - step . the added result is stored in the first - correlation storing region 29 - 1 . similar operations as in the first sub - step of the second step are carried out in the remaining sub - steps . the added results are stored in the first - correlation storing regions 29 - 2 , 29 - 3 , --- 29 -( n - n ), respectively . the third step and the following steps are similar to the above - mentioned second step . it will be understood that , after the m - th step , that is , after the first main step , the first correlation between the n × m bits in the first column and in x - th row ( where x = 1 , 2 , --- or n - n ) of the image pattern data id , and the reference - pattern data rd , is stored in the first - correlation storing region 29 - x . fig5 a is a graph of correlations between one column of the image pattern data id and the reference pattern data , obtained in the above - mentioned one main step . after one main step , the first - correlations r ( x ), where x = 1 , 2 , --- n - n , stored in the first - correlation storing regions 29 - 1 , 29 - 2 , --- 29 -( n - n ) of the line memory circuit 29 are sequentially read out and sequentially shifted and loaded into the registers r 0 , r 1 , --- r . sub . α , --- r 2 α in the register storing portion 30 . in this loading operation , the registers r 0 through r 2 α act as a shift register . the registers r 0 , r . sub . α , and r 2 α store first correlations r ( x - α ), r ( x ), and r ( x + α ), respectively . the first subtracting circuit 31 calculates [ r ( x )- r ( x - α )]. the second subtracting circuit 32 calculates [ r ( x + α )- r ( x )]. the third subtracting circuit 33 calculates [ r ( x )- r ( x - α )]-[ r ( x + α )- r ( x )]. thus , at the output of the third subtracting circuit 33 , the second correlations expressed as t ( x )=[ r ( x )- r ( x - α )]-[ r ( x + α )- r ( x )] are obtained sequentially in time . the object of obtaining the second correlations t ( x ) is to emphasize the maximum value of the first correlations r ( x ). fig5 b is a graph of the second correlations t ( x ). as can be seen from fig5 b , the maximum value shown by an arrow is emphasized . since the predetermined number α is so determined as to be equal to l / 5c as described before , and since l is the side length of a pattern to be recognized , the relations among the first correlations r ( x ), r ( x - α ), and r ( x + α ) have a character as illustrated in fig5 c . that is , when the first correlation r ( x ) is one of the peak values in the graph of fig5 a , the first correlations r ( x - α ) and r ( x + α ) are bottom values on both sides of the peak value . therefore , the second correlation emphasizes the maximum first correlation . experiments show that a preferable result is obtained by adding the first correlation r ( x ) and the second correlation t ( x ). therefore , in the adder 15 , the first correlation r ( x ) and the second correlation t ( x ) obtained during each clock period are added . the output waveform of the adder 15 is shown in fig5 d . as can be seen from fig5 d , the maximum value of the second correlation t ( x ) is further emphasized . the maximum value of the outputs from the adder 15 is stored in the maximum - value storing register 17 , and the address at that time is stored in the address register 19 , as described before . thus , the first main step is completed . the remaining main steps are then carried out in a similar way as in the first main step described above . after all of the ( m - m ) main steps are completed , all of the image pattern data id are processed , and , in the maximum - value storing register 17 and in the address register 19 , the final maximum value and the address at the time when the final maximum value is output are stored respectively . in other words , the address of the image pattern data most identical to the reference pattern data is stored in the address register 19 . the operations of the view - window determining circuit 20 and of the middle - point detecting circuit 21 have already been described briefly . these circuits themselves are known ( see , for example , japanese unexamined patent publication ( kokai ) no . 57 - 111781 ) and u . s . pat . no . 4 , 450 , 579 . therefore , detailed descriptions of these circuit operations are omitted . it should be noted , however , that the deterioration of resolution due to data compaction by the data compaction circuit 20 is compensated by the middle - point detecting circuit 21 . the determined middle point of a image pattern data is a point of a pad pattern or of a lead pattern which is then subjected to wire bonding . the advantages or effects of obtaining the second correlations t ( x ) will be more apparent in the following explanation made with reference to fig6 a , 7a and 8a and fig6 b , 7b and 8b . fig6 a , 7a and 8a are schematic plan views of the elements on the hybrid ic substrate of fig1 in which patterns are shown by non - hatched regions . fig6 b , 7b and 8b are graphs of experimental waveforms of the first correlations and the second correlations of respective elements in fig6 a , 7a and 8a . in fig6 a , patterns on an ic are arranged at a relatively close density . in fig6 b , waveforms of first correlations r ( x ) and second correlations t ( x ) obtained by processing the image pattern data of the patterns of fig6 a during six main steps ms 1 through ms 6 are illustrated . as can be seen from fig6 b , the maximum value of the first correlations and the maximum value of the second correlations are detected in the sixth main step ms 6 . since the patterns in fig6 a are arranged in close density , the waveforms of the first correlations in the sixth main step are clearly distinguishable from the waveforms in the adjacent fifth main step . therefore , in this case , the second correlations are not so advantageous . however , the maximum value of the first correlations r ( x ) is emphasized in the second correlation t ( x ). fig7 a shows patterns on an other ic pattern . the patterns in fig7 a are arranged at a relatively low density . fig7 b shows waveforms of the first correlations r ( x ) and second correlations t ( x ) obtained by processing the image pattern data of the patterns of fig7 a during six main steps ms 1 through ms 6 . since the patterns in fig7 a are arranged at a low density , the waveforms of the first correlations in one main step are very similar to the other first correlations waveforms in the other main steps . therefore , it is difficult to detect the maximum value of the first correlations throughout all of the main steps . the maximum value of the first correlations r ( x ) indicated by an arrow in fig7 b is , however , emphasized in the second correlations t ( x ). fig8 a shows a pattern of a diode . fig8 b shows waveforms of the first correlations r ( x ) and second correlations t ( x ) obtained by processing the image pattern data of the pattern of fig8 a during six main steps ms 1 through ms 6 . since the pattern in fig8 a is very simple and arranged at a low density , the same advantage is obtained as in the case of fig7 a described above with reference to fig7 b . the advantages or effects of the data compaction carried out by the data compaction circuit 7 will be more apparent from the following explanation made with reference to fig9 a , 10a , 11a and 12a and fig9 b , 10b , 11b and 12b . fig9 a , 10a , 11a and 12a illustrate image patterns of a lead pattern formed by printing . fig9 a illustrates an image pattern which is not compacted . therefore , one picture element in fig9 a represented a pattern area of 5 μm × 5 μm as an example . fig9 b illustrates a compacted image pattern of the lead pattern , in which 2 × 2 bits are compacted to a single bit . therefore , one picture element in fig9 b represents a pattern area of 10 μm × 10 μm as an example . fig9 c illustrates a further compacted image pattern in which 4 × 4 bits are compacted to a single bit . therefore , one picture element in fig9 c represents a pattern area of 20 μm × 20 μm as an example . fig9 d illustrates a still further compacted image pattern in which 6 × 6 bits are compacted to a single bit . therefore , one picture element in fig9 d is 30 μm × 30 μm as an example . accordingly , the resolution of the image pattern is deteriorated along with the increase in the compaction degree . the deteriorated resolution , however , is compensated , as described before , by the middle - point detecting circuit 21 . on the other hand , the amount of the image pattern data of the lead pattern is reduced to 1 / c 2 , for example , 1 / 4 , 1 / 16 , and 1 / 36 , in accordance with the data compactions . this shortens the data processing time t for obtaining the first and the second correlations . this advantage will be seen from fig9 b , 10b , 11b and 12b , which are graphs of the first correlations r ( x ) of the lead pattern images of fig9 a , 10a , 11a and 12a , respectively . further , since the surface of the printed lead pattern is uneven , or is not as smooth as a pad pattern formed by metal evaporation , and since the unevenness is randomly formed , the maximum value of the first correlations for the lead pattern is emphasized when image pattern data are compacted , as can be seen from fig9 b through 12b . the present invention is not restricted to the above described embodiment . various changes and modifications are possible without departing from the spirit of the present invention . for example , the data compaction process may be eliminated in the pattern recognition process . in this case , the reference pattern data are , of course , not compacted . from the foregoing description , it will be apparent that , according to the present invention , by combining an improved pattern matching method and a feature extracting method , the possibility of an error in detection of the position of a pattern laid on an object is greatly reduced , even when the pattern is a lead pattern formed by printing , the pattern is mounted with a small rotation angle with respect to a reference pattern , the pattern has scratches or optical noise , or the pattern includes various shapes of patterns on an object , such as in a hybrid ic . further , the introduction of the data compaction process into the process recognition pattern greatly reduces the data processing time to 1 / c 2 . as a result , the pattern recognition apparatus and method are effective for an automatic wire bonding operation for a semiconductor device .	7
a picture frame type cover for a disk storage case according to the present invention will be described hereinafter in detail with reference to the drawings . fig1 to 5 show a first embodiment of the present invention . a picture frame type cover 10 is provided with an upper press plate 13 disposed via an upper surface plate 12 connected to an upper end of a front surface frame 11 , and a lower press plate 15 disposed via a lower surface plate 14 connected to a lower end of the front surface frame 11 . the upper press plate 13 and lower press plate 15 are formed substantially parallel to the front surface frame 11 , respectively . the front surface frame 11 is a frame member like a picture frame in which an opening 16 is formed in a middle portion , and a width dimension of the upper surface plate 12 or the lower surface plate 14 is formed to be substantially the same as or slightly larger than a thickness dimension of the disk storage case . both side surfaces of the picture frame type cover 10 are open , but a stopper 17 is protruded from one edge of the lower surface plate 14 . when the picture frame type cover 10 is formed by a plate of aluminum or another metal , the cover can be formed from one plate - like material by bending processing . since intervals for width dimensions of the upper surface plate 12 and lower surface plate 14 are formed between the front surface frame 11 and the upper press plate 13 and lower press plate 15 , the disk storage case may be inserted via an opening of a side surface from which no stopper 17 is protruded . the inserted disk storage case is engaged by the stopper 17 , and securely held by a spring action of the upper press plate 13 and lower press plate 15 . the lower press plate 15 is provided with support legs 20 , 20 for standing the picture frame type cover 10 . the support legs 20 , 20 are structured by cutting off three ways by slits 21 , 21 , connected to each other in the middle portion of the lower press plate 15 , and formed symmetrically in a horizontal direction . in use , the support legs 20 , 20 may be bent from a connected portion and protruded to the outside . additionally , a slit shape is not limited to that of the shown embodiment , and an arbitrary shape can be formed . moreover , instead of symmetrically forming the support legs 20 in the horizontal direction , the support leg may be formed only on one side . moreover , bulging portions 30 , 30 are formed in the vicinity of both ends of the upper press plate 13 , and through holes 31 , 31 are formed substantially in middle portions of the bulging portions 30 , 30 . by inserting a thumbtack or a pin into the through hole 31 , the cover can be attached to a wall surface or the like . since a head of the thumbtack or the pin can be embedded in the bulging portions 30 , 30 , the cover with the disk storage case inserted therein can easily be attached to the wall surface or the like and displayed . additionally , the through holes 31 , 31 may be formed directly in the upper press plate 13 , not via the bulging portions 30 , 30 . fig6 is a perspective view of a picture frame type cover 10 a according to a second embodiment of the present invention . the embodiment is different from the first embodiment only in constitutions of a support leg 20 a formed on the lower press plate 15 and a turned piece 33 formed on the upper press plate 13 . therefore , the same constitution is denoted with the same reference numeral , and description thereof is omitted . the support leg 20 a is the same as the support leg 20 in that three ways are cut off and formed by slits 21 a , 21 a , but different therefrom in that the legs are connected to each other in both ends of the lower press plate 15 and formed in a direction opposite to that of the support leg 20 . the support leg 20 a is also formed horizontally in the horizontal direction , but may be formed only on one side without being symmetrically formed in the horizontal direction . moreover , the turned piece 33 is formed , similarly as the support leg , by cutting three ways by a slit 34 and connecting the side of the upper surface plate 12 , and a through hole 35 is formed in a tip end . the turned piece 33 is usually formed on the same plane as that of the upper press plate 13 , during use the piece is bent upward from its root , and the cover is attached by inserting a hook or a pin into the through hole 35 or hung by passing a string through the hole . fig7 is a perspective view of a picture frame type cover 10 b according to a third embodiment of the present invention . the embodiment is different from the first embodiment only in constitutions of a support leg 20 b formed on the lower press plate 15 and a turned piece 33 a formed on the upper surface plate 12 . therefore , the same constitution is denoted with the same reference numeral and description thereof is omitted . the support leg 20 b is formed substantially on the middle portion of the lower press plate 15 in a vertical direction . specifically , three ways are cut off by a slit 21 b , and the leg is connected to the lower press plate 15 in its upper end . to use the support leg 20 b , the leg is bent from the connected portion in such a manner that its tip end is protruded to the outside . additionally , two or more support legs 20 b may be formed . the turned piece 33 a is constituted similarly as the turned piece 33 , and formed by cutting off three ways by a slit 34 a , and connecting the side of the upper press plate 13 , and a through hole 35 a is formed in the tip end . the turned piece 33 a is usually formed on the same plane as that of the upper surface plate 12 , and bent upward from its root during use so that the cover may be attached by inserting the hook or the pin into the through hole 35 a , or hung by passing the string through the hole . fig8 next shows one example of a use state of the picture frame type cover 10 of the first embodiment . as clearly seen from the drawing , the support leg 20 is bent from its root , the tip end thereof is protruded to the outside , and the cover stands like a photograph stand . for the support leg of the lower press plate , the through hole and turned piece of the upper press plate and the turned piece of the upper surface plate in the aforementioned embodiment , either one may only be formed , or these may appropriately be combined and formed . the picture frame type cover for the disk storage case according to the present invention can be formed by aluminum or another metal , but when the cover is entirely formed by a transparent or translucent material , or at least the front surface frame is formed by the transparent or translucent material , the inserted disk case can be seen also from the front surface frame 11 . additionally , in the aforementioned embodiments , for the shape of the opening 16 of the front surface frame 11 , the formation in the square shape has been described , but the shape of the opening 16 is not limited to the square shape , and a heart shape , a diamond shape , or another arbitrary shape can be formed . moreover , the opening 16 may be formed of a plurality of windows . when the opening 16 is constituted of the plurality of windows , the respective arbitrary shapes can be combined . furthermore , for the material of the picture frame type cover , the cover can be formed by synthetic resin , aluminum , paper or another arbitrary material as long as the cover is provided with the spring action . as described above , according to the picture frame type cover for the disk storage case of the present invention , the storage case for various disks such as cd , md and dvd is inserted into the cover to frame a peripheral edge of the jacket , the cover is used as if it were a picture frame , and the photograph , picture or the like of the jacket can be appreciated as a part of interior design . moreover , by utilizing the support leg or the like , the cover can be displayed in an arbitrary place . since an interval between the upper press plate and the lower press plate is open , and both side surfaces are also open , the disk storage case can easily be taken in or out only by sliding the case . furthermore , the disk storage case can also be inserted in the picture frame type cover and carried . the picture frame type cover protects the disk storage case from any impact , and can prevent breakage even when falling . additionally , according to the picture frame type cover for the disk storage case of the present invention , in a rental shop in which music or movie is lent on business , the cover can also be used as a display case cover . specifically , a disk title sheet is inserted between the disk storage case and the upper press plate and lower press plate , and exhibited in a predetermined position on a showcase . a user can read letters put on the title sheet between the upper press plate and the lower press plate to confirm a disk content , and can see if the disk storage case is inserted , that is , if the disk is being rented . when the user rents out the disk , one may pull the disk storage case out of the picture frame type cover , return only the picture frame type cover back to the showcase , and bring the pulled disk storage case to a rent - out counter . thereafter , rent - out is performed following a usual rent - out procedure .	6
the present invention will now be described in greater detail by referring to the following discussion with reference to the drawings that accompany the present application . it is observed that the drawings of the present application are provided for illustrative purposes and thus they are not drawn to scale . reference is first made to fig1 which shows a schematic representation of a 2t / 1c gain cell with a double gated read device in accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention . it is emphasized that in the illustrated gain cell a transistor t 2 having two gates is used . specifically , t 2 includes a side - gate that is connected to the storage node of the capacitor ( stg cap ) and a top gate which is connected to the read wordline ( rwl ). in addition to t 2 , there is also shown t 1 , which is the write transistor of the cell . it is observed that t 1 is a conventional planar mosfet . in the drawings , bl refers to a common bitline in which t 1 and t 2 are both in connection with , and wwl refers to the write wordline which is in connection with the gate of t 1 . in the cell shown in fig1 , a “ 1 ” or “ 0 ” is written to the storage capacitor , stg cap , by raising the write wordline ( wwl ) and transferring charge between the bitline ( bl ) and the storage capacitor . the node of the storage capacitor serves as one of the two gates of the read mosfet , i . e ., t 2 . as stated above , the read transistor t 2 consists of two gates ; a top gate connect to a read wordline and a side - gate connect to the storage node . in this embodiment , the node gating the sidewall of t 2 is integrated with the storage capacitor and forms a novel compact structure by itself . this enables the dense cell layout to be formed . the cell shown in fig1 requires only a single bitline ( bl ), as read current is sensed from the bitline to ground through t 2 . prior art gain cells require two bitlines ( read and write bitlines ) and are therefore at a layout disadvantage relative to the inventive cell depicted in fig1 . specifically , fig1 includes a single bitline ( bl ) having nodes n 1 and n 2 . n 1 is the node that couples t 2 to bl , while n 2 is the node that couples t 1 to the bl . also shown in fig . i , is write wordline ( wwl ) and read wordline ( rwl ) which run perpendicular to the bl . as shown , t 1 is coupled to wwl through n 4 and t 2 is coupled to rwl through n 3 . n 5 is used in coupling t 2 to t 1 . it is further observed that in fig1 , t 1 is located adjacent to the storage capacitor ( stg cap ) on a surface of an soi substrate and that t 2 has a side - gate that is connected to the stg cap through n 5 . fig2 shows a top down view of the layout of a portion of the memory cell in accordance with the first embodiment of the present invention ( it is noted that the bitline conductors have been omitted for clarity ). in fig2 , eight ( 8 ) cells , m 1 . . . m 8 are shown . in this layout , a ground contact is provided between an soi layer and the substrate by a via contact ( vc ) formed through the back buried insulating layer of the soi substrate . each vc is shared by 4 cells and provides a path to ground for the read current . contacts between bitlines running vertically on the layout ( not shown ) and the active area ( rx ) are denoted by an x . read ( rwl ) and write ( wwl ) wordlines run horizontally on the layout . note the side - gate ( denoted by the series of vertical dots ) of the read mosfet , with rwl running over the top gated surface . the elements shown in fig2 will be described in greater detail herein below . in the drawings , cuts a - a , b - b and c - c are shown . cut a - a is illustrating the semiconductor structure of the first embodiment along a direction parallel with one of the bitlines . cut b - b is illustrating the semiconductor structure of the first embodiment of the present invention along a direction parallel with one of the read wordlines . cut c - c is illustrating the structure of the first embodiment of the present invention through a via contact ( vc ) in a direction perpendicular to the wordlines . each memory cell within the first embodiment of the present invention includes a first transistor t 1 provided with a gate , a source , and a drain respectively coupled to a write wordline ( wwl ) of a memory array , a first node , and a bitline ( bl ) of said memory array ; a second transistor t 2 having a first gate , a second gate , a source , and a drain respectively coupled to a read wordline ( rwl ), to said first node , to a voltage source and said bitline ( bl ); and a capacitor ( stg cap ) having a first terminal connected to said first node and a second terminal connected to a voltage source , wherein the first terminal of said capacitor and the second gate of said second transistor comprise a single entity . the process flow for fabricating the layout illustrated in fig2 will now be described in greater detail with reference to fig3 - 19 . specifically , the layout depicted in fig2 is prepared by first providing the structure shown in fig3 and fig4 ; fig4 is a cross section through c - c shown in fig3 illustrating the via contact and surrounding doped soi region 14 . specifically , fig3 and fig4 show an soi layer 14 of an soi substrate that has via contacts 16 which connect the soi layer 14 to the substrate layer 10 through a buried insulating layer 12 . the structure also includes block masks 18 that are used in forming a first conductivity type implant region within the soi layer . the structure shown in fig3 and fig4 is formed by first providing an soi ( semiconductor - on - insulator ) substrate . the top and bottom semiconductor layers may comprise any semiconductor material including , for example , si , sige , sic , sigec , ge and the like . preferably , the top and bottom semiconductor layers of the soi substrate are comprised of si . the buried insulating layer 12 may comprise a crystalline or non - crystalline oxide or nitride , with crystalline oxides being highly preferred . the soi substrate , which includes the bottom substrate layer 10 , the buried insulating layer 12 and the soi layer 14 , is formed utilizing conventional techniques that are well known to those skilled in the art . for example , the soi substrate can be formed by utilizing a layer transfer process that includes at least a wafer bonding process . alternatively , the soi substrate can be formed by a process referred to as simox ( separation by implantation of oxygen ) where oxygen ions are first implanted into a si substrate and thereafter an annealing step is used to precipitate the implanted oxygen ions into a buried oxide region . notwithstanding the technique that can be used in forming the soi substrate , the soi layer 14 typically has a thickness from about 20 to about 200 nm , with a thickness from about 40 to about 120 nm being more typical . the thickness of the soi layer 14 can be obtained directly from the technique used in forming the same , or alternatively , a thinning process such as , for example , chemical mechanical polishing , grinding or oxidation and etching , can be used to provide the soi layer 14 with a thickness within the ranges recited above . the buried insulating layer 12 typically has a thickness from about 20 to about 400 nm , with a thickness from about 40 to about 150 nm being even more typical . the thickness of the substrate layer 10 is inconsequential to the process of the present invention . after providing the soi substrate , a hardmask such as an oxide or nitride ( not shown ) is formed on an upper surface of the soi layer 14 using techniques that are well known to those skilled in the art . for example , the hardmask can be formed by a conventional deposition process including , but not limited to : chemical vapor deposition ( cvd ), plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition ( pcvd ), evaporation , chemical solution deposition , sputtering or atomic layer deposition . alternatively , the hardmask can be formed by a conventional oxidation or nitridation process . next , a photoresist ( not shown ) is applied to an upper surface of the hardmask and then the photoresist is patterned using conventional photolithographic . the photolithographic process includes the steps of exposing the photoresist to a pattern of radiation ( in this case a via pattern ) and developing the exposed resist using a conventional resist developer . the pattern in the photoresist is first transferred into the hardmask using an etching process and thereafter the patterned photoresist is stripped using a conventional stripping process . the etching step used to transfer the via pattern into the hardmask includes a dry etching process such as , for example , reactive ion etching , ion beam etching or plasma etching . via contacts 16 are then formed by etching through exposed portions of the soi layer 14 and the underlying buried insulating layer 12 , stopping atop a surface of the substrate layer 10 . the etching process used in this step of the present invention may include one of the above mentioned dry etching processes as well as a chemical wet etching process . combinations of dry etching , wet etching or mixtures of these two types of etching processes are also contemplated in the present invention . following the formation of the vias , the vias are then optionally lined with a conductive barrier ( not shown ) utilizing techniques , such as cvd or pecvd , that are well known in the art . illustrative examples of some conductive barriers that can be used for lining the vias include , but are not limited to : titanium nitride , tantalum nitride , tantalum silicon nitride or other like materials that can prevent outdiffusion of conductive material from the via into the substrate from occurring . the conductive barrier is used to inhibit propagation of crystal defects from the via into the single crystal substrate . the via , with or without the optional diffusion barrier , is then filled with polysilicon having a first conductivity type , i . e ., n - doped polysi or p - doped polysi . preferably , n - doped polysilicon is used to fill the vias . the filling of the vias with doped polysilicon may comprise an in - situ doping deposition process or deposition followed by ion implantation may be used . after the fill step , the doped polysilicon is planarized by a conventional planarization process such as chemical mechanical polishing ( cmp ) and recessed by a timed etching process such as reactive ion etching such that an upper surface of the doped polysilicon is substantially coplanar with an upper surface of the soi layer 14 . in addition to doped polysilicon , the present invention also contemplates using a conductive metal , conductive metal alloy , conductive metal silicide or conductive metal nitride in place of , or in conjunction with , doped polysilicon . after forming the via contacts 16 into the soi substrate , a layer of photoresist is applied and patterned by block mask 18 as is also shown in fig3 . first conductivity dopants , preferably , n - type dopants , are then implanted into regions of the soi layer 14 that do not include block mask 18 . this implantation step is performed using conventional ion implantation processing . the implant region 19 which is shown in fig5 surrounds the via contact 16 and forms a bridge under the wwl for continuity to the via contact 16 . next , the structure shown in fig5 , 6 and 7 is formed . fig5 shows a top down view of the structure , fig6 is a cross sectional view through cut a - a and fig7 is a cross sectional view through cut c - c . the structure shown in these different views is formed by first providing a pad stack 20 atop the soi substrate that includes the via contacts 16 . the pad stack 20 includes a lower oxide layer and an upper nitride layer . the lower oxide layer is typically sio 2 and the upper nitride layer of the pad stack 20 is typically si 3 n 4 . the lower oxide layer of the pad stack 20 is typically a thin layer , relative to the upper nitride layer , whose thickness is typically from about 1 to about 10 nm , with a thickness from about 3 to about 7 nm being even more typical . the lower oxide layer of the pad stack 20 can be formed by a deposition process such as , for example , cvd or pecvd . alternatively , the lower oxide layer of the pad stack 20 can be formed by a thermal oxidation process . the upper nitride layer , which is generally thicker than the lower oxide layer , has a typically thickness from about 50 to about 500 nm , with a thickness from about 100 to about 300 nm being even more typical . the upper nitride layer of the pad stack 20 can be formed by a conventional deposition process such as , for example , cvd or pecvd . it is observed that the pad stack 20 is subsequently used in the present invention for delineation of storage trenches and isolation regions . an additional pad layer of deposited silicon oxide may optionally be formed on top of the pad nitride layer . the optional silicon oxide pad layer serves to protect the pad nitride during etching of the storage trenches . storage trenches 22 are then formed using standard well - known processes including , for example , etching through the soi layer 14 , the buried insulating 12 and a portion of the substrate layer 10 to a desired depth . the desired depth of each of the storage trenches 22 is determined by a number of factors including , for example , the depth of the soi layer and the buried insulating layer as well as the modest storage capacitance requirements of the gain cell . a typical depth for the storages trenches 22 formed at this point of the present invention is from about 0 . 50 to about 8 . 0 μm , with a depth from about 1 . 0 to about 3 . 0 μm being even more typical . it is noted that the depth of the storage trenches 22 is much less than what is usually used in a conventional trench storage dram . a first dielectric , e . g ., the storage dielectric , 24 is then formed on the interior surfaces of the storage trenches 22 utilizing techniques well known in the art . for example , first dielectric 24 can be formed by cvd , pecvd or another like deposition process . alternatively , the first dielectric 24 can be formed by thermal growth . the first dielectric 24 can be an oxide such as , for example , sio 2 , al 2 o 3 , ta 2 o 3 , tio 2 or any other metal oxide or mixed metal oxide . examples of mixed metal oxides that can be used as the first dielectric 24 include perovskite - type oxides . multilayers of the aforementioned dielectric materials can be used as the first dielectric 24 as well . in a preferred embodiment , the first dielectric 24 is sio 2 . the thickness of the first dielectric 24 may vary depending on the process used in forming the same , the material and number of layers of the first dielectric 24 . typically , the first dielectric 24 has a thickness from about 0 . 5 to about 3 nm , with a thickness from about 1 to about 2 nm being even more typical . the first dielectric 24 is used as storage node dielectric . it may also serve as the sidewall dielectric of the side - gated mosfet , i . e ., t 2 . the first dielectric 24 may also comprise other insulators , such as silicon nitride , or layers of above - mentioned insulators . next , the storage trenches 22 including the first dielectric 24 are filled with a node conductor 26 which is typically doped polysilicon . other types of node conductors , such as metallic conductors and silicides , may also be used in place of polysilicon or in conjunction with polysilicon in the present invention . the node conductor 26 is formed into the storage trenches using a conventional deposition process such as , for example , cvd or pecvd . when doped polysilicon is used , an in - situ doping deposition process can be used . alternatively , and when doped polysilicon is used as the node conductor 26 , the doped polysilicon can be formed by deposition and ion implantation . following the deposition step , the node conductor 26 is planarized by conventional means and recessed to a depth approximately level with the upper surface of the soi layer 14 . an oxide cap 28 is formed atop the storage node conductor 26 using techniques that are well known in the art . typically , a teos ( tetraethylorthosilicate ) or a high density plasma ( hpd ) oxide is deposited and planarized to the top of the upper nitride layer of the pad stack 20 . isolation regions 30 are now formed into the structure shown in fig5 , 6 and 7 . the leaves islands of active area within which the mosfets will be subsequently formed . the isolation regions 30 are formed utilizing techniques well known in the art . specifically , the isolation regions 30 are formed by applying a photoresist atop the pad stack 20 , exposing the photoresist to a trench pattern , developing the trench pattern in the photoresist , etching exposed portions of the pad stack 20 exposing a portion of the soi layer 14 , and etching through the exposed portion of the soi layer 14 stopping on the buried insulating layer 12 . the photoresist is typically removed after the trench pattern has been transferred into the pad stack 20 . various etching processes including , for example , dry etching , chemical wet etching or any combination thereof may be used in providing the trench pattern into the soi substrate . the trench may be optionally lined with a trench liner such as sio 2 or si 3 n 4 , or multiple layers of such dielectrics . the trench , with or without the trench liner , is then filled with a trench dielectric such as an oxide . typically , the trench dielectric is teos or hpd oxide . after filling the trench with a trench dielectric , an optional planarization process such as cmp can be used to provide a structure in which the upper surface of each of the isolation regions 30 is substantially coplanar with the upper nitride layer of the pad stack 20 . the structure including the trench isolation regions 30 is shown in fig8 , 9 , 10 and 11 . after forming the trench isolation regions 30 , a conductive strap 34 , which serves to connect the storage node conductor 26 to the write mosfet t 1 ( to be subsequently formed ), is formed . specifically , the conductive strap 34 is formed by first forming a window in the oxide cap 28 of the storage trench 22 in an area adjacent to which the write mosfet t 1 will be formed using a strap mask 36 and etching . the etching is typically performed by a dry etching process such as rie . this etching step exposes a portion of the underlying node conductor 26 . the portion of the node conductor 26 now exposed by the window in the oxide cap 28 is recessed by etching to a depth that is approximately at the back interface of the soi layer 14 . the exposed portion of the first dielectric 24 within the storage trench 22 is removed utilizing an etching process that is selective for removing the first dielectric 24 . this etching step exposes sidewalls of the soi substrate , particularly , sidewalls that are comprised of the soi layer 14 . a conductive plug typically comprising polysi or another conductive material is formed in the recessed area utilizing a conventional deposition process . following deposition of the conductive plug , a planarization process is typically performed that provides a structure in which the conductive plug has an upper surface that is substantially coplanar to an upper surface of the upper nitride layer of the pad stack 20 . next , the planarized conductive plug is recessed by etching to approximately the top surface of the soi layer 14 . this conductive plug forms the conductive strap 34 between the storage node conductor 26 and the write mosfet t 1 . the structure including the conductive strap 34 is also shown in fig8 , 9 , 10 and 11 . these drawings include two top views ( one after isolation region , fig8 and the other after strap formation , fig9 ), a cut through a - a , fig1 , and through c - c , fig1 , following the above described steps . in one embodiment ( not shown ), the recess at the top of the storage trench 22 is then refilled with oxide , planarized and recessed using processing techniques well known to those skilled in the art . these processing steps form a top trench oxide 38 in each of the storage trenches 22 . the top trench oxide 38 is typically formed utilizing a conventional deposition process and the top trench oxide 38 typically has a thickness from about 20 to about 50 nm . note that the top trench oxide 38 provides isolation between the node conductor and an overlying wordline conductor of the read transistor t 2 . optionally , the remaining portion of the oxide plug may be entirely removed and a thin nitride layer ( having a thickness of about 20 nm or less ) may be formed by a conventional deposition process atop the storage node conductor 26 . the optional step , which is preferred in the present invention , is shown in fig1 where reference numeral 40 is used to denote the thin nitride layer . the purpose of the thin nitride layer 40 between the top trench oxide ( tto ) 38 and the top of the storage node conductor 26 is to assure that an insulator remains on top of the storage node conductor 26 after subsequent processing . without the optional nitride layer 40 , it is likely that the tto 38 will be severely eroded by later processing steps . thus , the optional nitride layer 40 assures that there are no shorts between the storage node conductor 26 and the overlying passing wordline to be subsequently formed . the optional nitride layer 40 is removed from the top of the isolation regions 30 by planarization processes . in a standard manner , the upper nitride layer of the pad stack 20 is removed and the upper surface of the soi layer 14 is cleaned using one of the many conventional cleaning techniques that are well known in the art . during this cleaning process , the lower oxide layer of the pad stack 20 is typically removed . a transfer gate oxide is then formed on the cleaned surface of the soi layer 14 utilizing a conventional thermal growing process such as oxidation . the transfer gate oxide is typically sio 2 . the thickness of the transfer gate oxide may vary , but typically the transfer gate oxide has a thickness from about 1 . 5 to about 7 nm , with a thickness from about 2 to about 5 nm being even more typical . the structure including the transfer gate oxide is shown in fig1 where reference numeral 42 is used to denote the transfer gate oxide . it is noted that the transfer gate oxide 42 serves as the gate dielectric of the write wordlines , t 1 . next , a wordline conductor 44 is formed atop the surface of the transfer gate oxide 42 and the top trench oxide 38 using a conventional deposition process such as cvd or pecvd . the wordline conductor is comprised of a conductive material such as doped polysilicon , a conductive metal , a conductive metal alloy , a conductive metal silicide , a conductive metal nitride or multilayers thereof . typically , the wordline conductor 44 is comprised of n - doped polysilicon . in the embodiments where a polysilicon gate conductor is employed , a silicide layer ( not specifically shown ) can be formed atop the polysilicon gate conductor utilizing a conventional silicidation process which includes , for example , deposition of a silicide metal ( e . g ., ti , w , or ni ), annealing at a first temperature to form a metal silicide , removing excess metal that does not react with the polysilicon by a selective etching process , and optionally performing a second anneal at a second temperature . a wordline cap 46 comprised of sin or another like dielectric material is then typically deposited atop the wordline conductor 44 . the wordline cap 46 serves as a protective cap over the wordlines for the formation of borderless diffusion contacts . the gate stack including layers 44 and 46 is then patterned and etched using processing techniques well known in the art . these steps form the write wordlines ( wwls ) and the read wordlines ( rwls ) of the inventive structure . note that the rwls are located over the storage trenches 22 and the wwls are located atop the soi layer 14 . this is shown , for example , in fig1 . a gate spacer 48 comprised of at least one insulator , preferably a nitride , is formed utilizing a conformal deposition process , followed by reactive ion etching or another like etching process . an optional gate sidewall oxide ( not shown ) can be formed by a thermal oxidation process prior to gate spacer 48 formation . the gate spacer 48 may comprise a single insulator material or a combination of more than one insulator material . the gate spacer 48 has a width , as measured at the bottom surface that lies above the soi layer or the storage trenches , from about 1 to about 20 nm , with a width from about 4 to about 10 nm being more typical . source / drain regions 50 are then formed into the soi layer 14 at the footprint of the write wordlines using conventional ion implantation and annealing . the source / drain regions 50 are preferably n - type when the wordline conductor is n - type , and p - type when the wordline conductor is p - type . the resultant structure that is formed after wordline formation , gate spacer formation and source / drain formation is shown , for example , in fig1 . an interlayer dielectric 52 such as an oxide is then deposited over the structure and planarized by conventional techniques well known in the art . bitline ( bl ) contact openings are then formed through the interlayer dielectric 52 and any transfer gate oxide 42 remaining over the source / drain regions 50 . the bl contact openings are formed via lithography and etching . fig1 shows a top down view following opening of the bl contacts . it is observed that the bl contact openings are borderless to the wordlines formed above . in the drawing , the sidewall gate dielectric comprising the first dielectric 24 of read wordline mosfet t 2 is shown by a series of vertical dots . region 54 in fig1 shows the borderless bitline contacts . a cut through section b - b is shown in fig1 to clearly show the structure of the read mosfet t 2 . note that the read channel is side - gated directly from the storage node conductor 26 . this is a key feature of the present invention . it is further observed that the read mosfet t 2 is double gated 1 ) on the sidewalls by the storage node conductor 26 , and 2 ) on its top surface by the rwl gate conductor . the two gate dielectrics of t 2 thus include dielectric 24 and transfer gate oxide 42 . as shown , the tto 38 insulates the trench storage node conductor 26 from the rwl . fig1 shows the wordlines passing over the soi layer 14 in the via contact 16 region . the soi layer 14 under the wordlines in the region including the via contact 16 provides continuity between the read transistor and ground . bitlines 56 , which comprises w or another like conductor , are then formed as is shown in fig1 and 19 . bitlines 56 are connected with region 54 through contacts 53 that are comprised of a metal . the bitlines 56 are formed using techniques that are well known to those skilled in the art and are thus not described herein . a 20 f 2 unit cell is depicted by the area within the dotted boxed region 58 . it is noted that support mosfets ( not shown ) can be easily integrated into the process flow described herein . the above description which makes references to fig1 - 19 describes the first embodiment of the present invention . the following description which makes reference to fig2 , 21 and 22 a - 22 c describes a second embodiment of the present invention . in the second embodiment of the present invention , a cell layout is provided in which the read mosfet transistor t 2 is doubly gated with a read wordline gate on the top surface and a side - gate which is the actual node conductor of the storage node conductor of the storage capacitor and is directly coupled to the read mosfet . the side - gating by the storage capacitor modulates the threshold voltage of the read mosfet . when a “ 1 ” is stored , the vt of the read transistor is low . when a “ 0 ” is stored , the vt of the read transistor is high . a “ 1 ” is distinguished from a “ 0 ” by the resistance of the read mosfet when the read wordline is raised . thus , low - voltage sensing is feasible , as no transfer of charge between the storage capacitor and the write bitline is required . the inventive cell of the second embodiment is a dual ported design , allowing simultaneous write and read of data from a cell . the cell of the first embodiment described above is single ported . fig2 is a schematic of the inventive gain cell of the second embodiment of the present invention . note that in the inventive gain cell shown in fig2 the double - gated transistor t 2 is also used . as indicated above , t 2 includes two gates : a side - gate connected to the storage node of the storage trench capacitor stg cap and a top gate connected to the rwl . this design is dual ported since a write operation , utilizing wwl and wbl , may occur simultaneously with a read , using rwl and rbl , for access . n 1 . . . n 5 are also shown in fig2 . t 1 is the write transistor and is a conventional mosfet . a “ 1 ” or “ 0 ” is written to the storage capacitor by raising the write wordline ( wwl ) and transferring charge between the write bitline ( wbl ) and the storage capacitor . the node of the storage capacitor serves as one of the two gates of the read mosfet t 2 . in this embodiment of the present invention , the node n 5 gating the sidewall of t 2 is integrated with the storage capacitor ( stg cap ) and forms a compact structure by itself . this enables the dense cell layout disclosed in the second embodiment of the present invention . it is again observed that the cell shown in fig2 is dual ported . fig2 shows a layout ( top down view ) of a portion of the memory array showing sixteen memory cells , m 1 . . . m 16 . for clarity , the bitlines are not shown . in this layout , a ground contact is provided between the soi layer 14 and the substrate 10 by a via contact 16 through buried insulator 12 . each via contact 16 is shared by four cells and provides a path to ground for the read current . contacts between bitlines running vertical on the layout ( not shown ) and the active region are denoted by an ‘ x ’. read ( rwl ) and write ( wwl ) wordlines run horizontally on the layout . note the side - gate ( denoted by a series of vertical dots ) of the read mosfet t 2 , with rwl running over the top gated surface . it is noted that the other elements shown in fig2 include reference numerals that are consistent with the reference numerals described above for the first embodiment of the present invention . each memory cell of the second embodiment of the present invention includes a first transistor t 1 provided with a gate , a source , and a drain respectively coupled to a write wordline ( wwl ) of a memory array , a first node , and a write bitline of said memory array ; a second transistor ( t 2 ) having a first gate , a second gate , a source , and a drain respectively coupled to a read wordline , to said first node , to a voltage source and a read bitline ; and a capacitor ( stg cap ) having a first terminal connected to said first node and a second terminal connected to a voltage source , wherein first terminal of said capacitor and the second gate of said second transistor comprise a single entity . the process flow used in forming the layout shown in fig2 is similar to that shown in the first embodiment except that the initial structure shown in fig2 a - 22c is used in place of the structure shown in fig2 . the remaining steps of the first embodiment of the present invention depicted in fig3 - 19 are applicable and are used in providing the final structure . fig2 a - 22c show the initial structure following the formation of via contacts 16 between the soi layer 14 and the substrate 10 , and after the formation of the storage trench capacitor which includes storage trench 22 , first dielectric 24 and node conductor 26 . an implant block mask is used to form doped regions 100 surrounding the via contacts 16 . the doped regions 100 , which are preferably n - doped regions , will later form a connection for the read current path under the passing write wordline ( wwl ). the structure shown in fig2 a - 22c is formed as follows : first , a via mask ( not shown ) is used to pattern a photoresist layer and an underlying hardmask for defining the location of the via contacts 16 . using techniques well known in the art ( and as described above ), the via contacts 16 are etched through the soi layer 14 and the buried insulating layer 12 , stopping on the semiconductor substrate 10 . the via is filled with doped polysilicon as described above , planarized and recessed to a depth approximately level with the original soi layer 14 . optionally , a conductive barrier can be formed into the via opening prior to filling with doped polysilicon . next , a layer of photoresist is patterned by the block mask and dopants , preferably n - type dopants , are implanted into the open window regions forming dopant regions 100 . the photoresist is stripped and the hardmask is removed . the storage capacitor is then formed utilizing the processing steps described above in the first embodiment of the present invention . processing continues as described above in fig3 - 19 of the first embodiment of the present invention . while the present invention has been particularly shown and described with respect to preferred embodiments thereof , it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the foregoing and other changes in forms and details may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention . it is therefore intended that the present invention not be limited to the exact forms and details described and illustrated , but fall within the scope of the appended claims .	7
in the following description , the present invention will be described in the preferred embodiment as a software program . those skilled in the art will readily recognize that the equivalent of such software may also be constructed in hardware . still further , as used herein , computer readable storage medium may comprise , for example ; magnetic storage media such as a magnetic disk ( such as a floppy disk ) or magnetic tape ; optical storage media such as an optical disc , optical tape , or machine readable bar code ; solid state electronic storage devices such as random access memory ( ram ), or read only memory ( rom ); or any other physical device or medium employed to store a computer program . before discussing the present invention , it is instructive to note that the present invention is implemented on a computer system . such computer systems are well known in the art and will not be discussed in detail herein . still further , the present invention is also for digitized video . if not captured in digital format , the video may be captured in analog format and converted to digitized video , as is well known in the art . the digitized video includes a plurality of frames each having a plurality of pixel values , as is also well known in the art . referring to fig1 the software is initiated s 2 and , each image frame of digitized video is made available for processing . in s 4 , the presence of tiles is determined , and if present the properties of the tiles are measured and recorded . those skilled in the art will readily recognize that , given the disclosure herein , one may derive other methods of inferring the presence and spacing of periodic elements . these methods may include , but are not restricted to , mathematical transformations into the frequency domain of information derived from the image frame . the following description explains the methods employed in the preferred embodiment . changes in tile properties between frames are tracked in s 6 . these recorded changes are compared to models of expected behavior , to find patterns of change consistent with those of a mosaic fade . if the recorded changes in tile properties comply adequately with the model of behavior in s 10 , a mosaic fade is declared . in s 12 , the model to which the data complies , and the parameters of that model by which the data complies , are examined to determine the characteristics of the fade . referring to fig2 the details of step s 4 are illustrated . the average magnitude gradient of each frame is calculated s 4 a in the horizontal and vertical directions . the average gradient in the vertical direction g y ( j ) and the average gradient in the horizontal direction g x ( i ) are preferably calculated with the following equations , where w and h are respectively the width and height of the image . the term f ( i , j ) is a general function representing an image with pixel locations represented by coordinates ( i , j ), where i is the column location and j is the row location . to minimize the effects of interlace artifacts , the vertical gradient is calculated across four lines . g y  ( j ) = 1 2  w  ∑ i = 0 w - 1    f  ( i , j ) + f  ( i , j + 1 ) - f  ( i , j + 2 ) - f  ( i , j + 3 )  eq .  1 g x  ( i ) = 1 h  ∑ j = 0 h - 1    f  ( i , j ) - f  ( i + 1 , j )  eq .  2 if strong rectilinearly aligned edges are present in the image frame , the effect of averaging the magnitude gradient will be additive ; non - rectilinearly aligned edges will be suppressed in the averaging function . referring to briefly to fig3 ( a ), there is illustrated a typical plot of the result of equations 1 and 2 for an image frame with tile elements . the abscissa is either the particular row or column for the frame of interest and the ordinate is the gradient value . referring to fig2 and 3 ( a ), a threshold is calculated and applied s 4 b to the gradient signals that , in turn , create a binary representation ; the results of which are shown in fig3 ( b ). the values above the threshold are converted to one and the values below the threshold are converted to zero . it is instructive to note that , although only one gradient is shown , the operation is performed on both gradients . the thresholded gradients g y th and g x th can be calculated as follows : g y th = { 1 g y ≥ μ g y + k   σ g y 0 otherwise eq .  3 g x th = { 1 g x ≥ μ g x + k   σ g x 0 otherwise eq .  4 where μ g is the mean of the gradient signal , σ g is the standard deviation of the gradient signal and constant k controls the sensitivity of the threshold . the constant k will preferably provide adequate results in the range 0 . 5 to 0 . 9 ; 0 . 66 was chosen as the default value of k . referring to fig2 and 3 ( c ), after applying a threshold to the average gradient , an autocorrelation is calculated s 4 c on the resultant signal . the autocorrelation c y and c x can be calculated with the following equations . w and h are the width and height respectively of the image . c y  ( j ) = 1 w  ∑ w = 0 w - 2   g y th  ( j )  g y th  ( j + w ) eq .  5 c x  ( i ) = 1 w  ∑ w = 0 h - 2   g x th  ( j )  g x th  ( i + w ) eq .  6 the tile spacing is estimated to be the index of the first significant local maximum of the autocorrelation after zero s 4 d . a significant maximum exceeds one - half of the value of the autocorrelation at zero . if no significant maximum is found , then the tile spacing is declared to be zero . referring to fig1 in order to detect a mosaic fade , changes in the tile spacing must be tracked s 6 . in s 8 , the measured changes in tile characteristics are with one or more models of expected change for mosaic fades . for example , a mosaic fade out may be indicated by a linearly increasing tile size starting from or near zero , while a mosaic fade in may be indicated by a linearly decreasing tile size ending at or near zero . for this example , the preferred embodiment may follow the steps illustrated in fig4 . referring to fig4 the details of step s 8 are described . the tile size data is filtered s 8 a to remove outlying data points . this may be done via median filtering in which the neighborhood is a symmetric window of frames surrounding the frame number in question , or simply by deleting data points that deviate from their immediate neighbors by more than the maximum expected frame - to - frame change . in s 8 b , the remaining data points are plotted such that the abscissa is the horizontal or vertical tile size and the ordinate is the number of the frame of interest . in s 8 c , a curve is fit to the plotted points . for the example cited above , where a linear change in tile dimension is expected , a straight line may be fit using a least - square method . the range of the ordinate over which the line is fitted may be controlled to limit the range of response and to obtain an optimal fit . in step s 8 d , the correlation of the data and the fitted line , as are the slope and intercept . if these parameters are judged to be within acceptable limits in s 10 , then a mosaic fade is declared . in s 12 a , the ordinate intercept indicates one end of the mosaic fade . the other end of the mosaic fade will be signified by a local maximum in tile size . the sign of the slope indicates whether the mosaic fade is in or out , while its magnitude indicates the rate . the invention has been described with reference to a preferred embodiment . however , it will be appreciated that variations and modifications can be effected by a person of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the scope of the invention . for example , steps within s 4 may be performed in the frequency domain without departing from the scope of the invention .	7
referring now to fig3 a dither system 10 constructed in accordance with the preferred embodiment is shown for dithering color in a five bit color system . it is recognized , however , that the invention could easily be adapted to a system using a different number of bits for representing color known by those of ordinary skill in the art upon reading the following disclosure . thus , the present invention is intended to be operable with 5 - 6 - 5 and 3 - 3 - 2 color standards and the like . fig3 is directed to a portion of a dither system for controlling dithering of the color red . one skilled in the art will understand that similar portions are used for the colors green and blue modified as needed depending on the number of bits used to represent green and blue color shades . dither system 10 preferably includes a graphics processor 15 , a look - up table 20 , red addend generator 40 , select fractional logic 50 , dither probability logic 58 , add logic 80 , and gate 90 , and multiplexer 100 . the graphics processor 15 includes commonly known processors such as the cl - gd5462 visual media ™ accelerator ( manufactured by cirrus logic ), and the like . although shown as a physically separate component in fig3 graphics processor 15 may include some or all of the other components shown . graphics processor 15 preferably couples to a central processing core ( not shown ) and controls the rendering of images provided by the central processing core . the graphics processor 15 provides x and y addresses to the look - up table 20 . graphics controller 15 also provides a red interpolator signal on lines 30 to select fractional logic 50 , add logic 80 , and multiplexer 100 . in addition , the graphics processor 15 provides a control signal to red addend generator 40 . dither probability logic 58 includes a ramp generator 60 coupled to a multiplexer 70 via lines 65 . select fractional logic 50 provides input signals to ramp generator 60 over data lines 55 . look - up table 20 provides control signals to multiplexer 70 over data lines 25 . as shown in fig3 and explained in greater detail below , multiplexer 70 is an 8 : 1 multiplexer in which one of eight input signals is selected to be the output signal in accordance with the state of the control signals provided by look - up table 20 . the inputs to the add logic 80 and select fractional logic 50 include a red interpolator signal on lines 30 from graphics processor 15 . inputs to add logic 80 also include the output of red addend generator 40 over lines 45 . the output of the add logic 80 couples to the &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ; input of multiplexer 100 on lines 82 . an overflow output signal ( ovflw ) from add logic 80 on line 87 and the output signal of multiplexer 70 on line 72 are provided as input signals to and gate 90 . the input of and gate 90 that receives the ovflw signal preferably is an inverting input , but may be non - inverting depending on the active state of the ovflw signal as described below . the red interpolator signal also is provided to the &# 34 ; 0 &# 34 ; input of multiplexer 100 . the red interpolator signal preferably follows the 8 . 16 format . the output of the dither system 10 preferably is provided as the dithered red signal on line 105 which is the output of multiplexer 100 . the dither system 10 in fig3 illustrates generating a dithered signal for the color red , but similar architecture is used for dithering the colors blue and green . if a 5 - 6 - 5 color standard is implemented , the architecture for blue is substantially identical to that shown in fig3 because five bits are used for both red and blue in the 5 - 6 - 5 standard . because six bits are used for green in the 5 - 6 - 5 format , some architectural differences result for dithering green . the present invention can be readily adapted to any color standard , as would be known by one ordinary skill in the art . specific differences between the five bit dither system depicted in the drawings herein and six bit systems are identified throughout the following discussion as examples of how the invention can be adapted to graphics systems that represent color shades with more or less than five bits . referring now to fig4 look - up table 20 preferably comprises an 8 × 8 array of three bit numbers that are used for dithering the colors red and blue . the table entries are in the range of 000 to 111 . for convenience the entries in the look - up table are shown in decimal form with the understanding that three bits are used to represent those values in binary form . the 64 three - bit values in the look - up table 20 may include many different combinations of three bit values , but the combination shown in fig4 is preferred . each pixel on the screen is identified by an x address and a y address preferably provided by graphics processor 15 ( fig3 ). inputs to the look - up table 20 include the x and y addresses of the pixel to be rendered ( i . e ., colored ). because there are only eight columns and eight rows in the look - up table , only three bits are needed from the x address and y address to access all of the columns and rows , respectively . preferably , only the least significant three bits of the x and y addresses are used to access the look - up table , although other combinations of three bits from the addresses could be used . thus , if the least significant three bits of the x address are &# 34 ; 101 &# 34 ; ( decimal 5 ) and the least significant three bits of the y address are &# 34 ; 010 &# 34 ; ( decimal 2 ), the selected look - up table value will be &# 34 ; 5 .&# 34 ; look - up table 20 preferably is implemented in some type of random access memory ( ram ) or hardware configuration registers , as will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art . for the color green , the look - up table 20 shown in fig4 may be used . alternatively , look - up tables with only two bit values may be used . referring again to fig3 red addend generator 40 includes logic circuitry known to those of ordinary skill in the art for selecting an appropriate addend value which when added to a current eight bit shade of color results in an increment of color shade in a five bit representation following the truncation of the lower three bits . as can be seen with reference to fig1 to increment one five bit color shade for red and blue , a binary value of 1000 ( decimal 8 ) must be added to an eight bit shade . similarly , incrementing from one six bit green shade to the next higher shade requires adding a binary 100 ( decimal ) value to the eight bit shade because only the least significant two bits are truncated for green in the 5 - 6 - 5 system . after the appropriate addend value is added to the eight bit red shade represented by the red interpolator signal , the lower three bits are truncated with the resulting five bit red color shade representation being one five bit shade higher than it would have been had the truncation occurred without the addition of the addend value . the addend generator 40 generates the appropriate addend value on lines 45 and provides that value to add logic 80 . the addend generator 40 in fig3 is shown as for the color red . additional addend generators can be provided for green and blue . alternatively , one addend generator could be implemented that provides addend values for all three colors . the code in the appendix includes exemplary logic equations for generating the addend values . add logic 80 adds the eight bit red integer interpolator value provided by processor 15 to the addend value received from red addend generator 40 and provides the sum to multiplexer 100 on output lines 82 . the output lines 82 preferably include the upper five bits of the eight bit output value of add logic 80 . by selecting only the upper five bits , the lower three bits are truncated . to dither the color green , the upper six bits of the add logic 80 output signal are used , thus truncating the least significant two bits . add logic 80 also preferably includes an overflow signal ( ovflw ) on line 87 . the ovflw signal is a single bit value that indicates the existence of an overflow condition when adding binary values , the result of which requires an extra bit . two eight bit values may be added , for example , and the result is a nine bit value . the additional ninth bit is referred to as the overflow bit . the ovflw bit typically is a logic &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ; to indicate an overflow condition or a &# 34 ; 0 &# 34 ; to indicate the absence of an overflow condition . alternatively , a &# 34 ; 0 &# 34 ; might be used to indicate an overflow and a &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ; might indicate the absence of an overflow . if the add logic 80 provides an ovflw bit with the alternative protocol , the inverting input to and gate 90 that receives the ovlfw bit should be replaced with a non - inverting input . select fractional logical 50 receives the red interpolator signal on line 30 from the graphics processor 15 and produces on its output lines 55 the three least significant bits of the eight bit integer shade ( fig1 ). for dithering the color green , the two least significant bits are included on lines 55 by the select fractional logic 50 . the values selected and output by the select fractional logic 50 are referred to as the fractional value or simply frac . ramp generator 60 receives the frac values from the select fractional logic 50 and includes logic for generating a multi - bit output value based upon the value of the frac . the multi - bit output value is selected from a ramp table . referring now to fig5 an exemplary ramp table 61 comprises eight eight - bit ramp values . table 61 preferably is used for dithering the colors red and blue in a 5 - 6 - 5 system . an eight bit ramp value is associated with each three bit frac value . as shown , a binary ramp value of 0000 0000 is associated with frac value 0 , a ramp value 1000 0000 is associated with frac value 1 , and a ramp value 1100 0000 is associated with frac value 2 . additionally , ramp value 1110 0000 is associated with frac value 3 , ramp value 1111 0000 is associated with frac value 4 , and ramp value 1111 1000 is associated with frac value 5 . finally , a ramp value of 1111 1100 is associated with frac value 6 and a ramp value of 1111 1110 is associated with frac value 7 . the term &# 34 ; ramp &# 34 ; reflects the upward sloping appearance of table 61 indicated by line 62 separating the binary 1 values from the binary 0 values . referring to fig6 a ramp table 64 is shown for use in systems that use six bits to represent color . table 64 is shown comprising four ramp values associated with four frac values . each ramp value for the color green comprises a four bit binary value . as shown , ramp value 0000 is associated with frac value 0 , and ramp value 1000 is associated with frac value 1 . finally , ramp value 1100 is associated with frac value 2 and ramp value 1110 is associated with frac value 3 . the ramp tables 61 , 64 shown in fig5 and 6 reflect the preferred embodiment of the invention . it should be noted , however , that ramp tables with different binary number combinations are possible and are also consistent with the preferred embodiment . such other tables will become apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art upon reading this disclosure and thus are not shown explicitly herein . as mentioned previously , multiplexer 70 preferably includes a commonly known 8 : 1 multiplexer including eight input signals on lines 65 and one output signal on line 72 . one of the eight input signals from ramp generator 60 is selected by the multiplexer to be the output signal . the three bits on lines 25 generated by the look - up table 20 are used as control lines for multiplexer 70 . the control bits determine which input signals the multiplexer should select . the multiplexer 70 decodes the control bits and switches or latches the input specified by the control bits to the output line . for example , if the bits on lines 25 include a 101 binary value ( decimal 5 ), the fifth bit of the eight bit ramp value provided on lines 65 is selected and provided as the output signal on line 72 . thus , for a frac value of 6 and control bits on lines 25 of decimal 5 , the bit circled in fig5 (&# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ;) would be selected by multiplexer 70 . for six bit color systems , the ramp values preferably include four bits as discussed above with reference to fig6 . in a six bit system , the multiplexer 70 comprises a 4 : 1 multiplexer . because a 4 : 1 multiplexer includes four input signals , only two control bits are needed from the look - up table as would be apparent to one skilled in the art . two of the three output bits from look - up table 20 may be used ( for example , the lower three bits ) or the look - up table may be configured to include only two bit values as discussed previously . multiplexer 100 preferably includes two sets of input terminals , labeled &# 34 ; 0 &# 34 ; and &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ; in fig3 . each set of input terminals includes five terminals . if a multiplexer is used that includes more than five input pins for each set of inputs , preferably only five of the terminals are implemented in the design for the purpose of dithering . the control signal for multiplexer 100 is provided from the output of and gate 90 via line 92 . a logic &# 34 ; 0 &# 34 ; control signal preferably directs the multiplexer 100 to select the &# 34 ; 0 &# 34 ; set of input lines and a logic &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ; selects the &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ; set of input lines . alternatively , a &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ; control bit might be used to select the &# 34 ; 0 &# 34 ; inputs and a &# 34 ; 0 &# 34 ; control bit might select the &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ; inputs . the following discussion assumes the former protocol , that is , logic 0 control bit selecting &# 34 ; 0 &# 34 ; inputs and logic 1 control bit selecting &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ; inputs . whichever set of input bits (&# 34 ; 0 &# 34 ; or &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ;) is selected by the control bit , those selected bits are provided as the output signals of the multiplexer 100 on lines 105 . the output bits on lines 105 represent the dithered red signal and are used to direct the operation of the red gun common to video monitors to render the appropriate dithered shade of red . the physical operation of the color guns in a cathode ray tube display are known to those of ordinary skill in the art and thus are not specifically discussed in this disclosure . for the color green in which six bits are used to represent the integer shade of green , multiplexer 100 includes two sets of input signals with each set containing six signals . the &# 34 ; 0 &# 34 ; inputs include the upper six bits of the eight bit integer green shade value . the &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ; inputs include the upper six bits of the output of the add logic 80 as discussed previously . the principle upon which the present invention is based is described with reference to fig7 which shows nine eight - bit color shade values from 0000 0000 to 0000 1000 ( decimal 0 - 8 ). eight bit color shades 0 and 8 are accurately representable in a five bit system . that is , eight bit shade 0 is exactly equivalent to five bit shade 0 and eight bit shade 8 is exactly equivalent to five bit shade 1 . exact matching of color shades in eight bit and five bit systems occurs for any eight bit shade in which the lower three bits include only zero values . color shade values 0000 0001 through 0000 0111 ( decimal 1 - 7 ) are not accurately representable in a five bit system because the lower three truncated bits in box 63 contain non - zero values . truncating the least significant three bits from eight bit shade values 1 through 7 results in five bit shade value 00000 as shown in box 64 . the conversion to a five bit shade results in a shade value ( 00000 ) that is not equivalent to any of eight bit shade values 1 through 7 . the loss of accuracy results from the lower precision capability of a five bit versus an eight bit system . the truncated bits 63 , however , indicate the number of incremental shades between eight bit values that can be represented exactly by a five bit shade . for example , eight bit color shade value 0000 0010 is two eight - bit integer color shades away from eight bit shade value 0000 0000 ( which is equivalent to five bit shade 00000 ). similarly , color shade value 0000 0111 is seven shades away from shade value 0000 0000 . the truncated bits in box 63 provide a measure of the proximity , in terms of numbers of color shades , between the desired shade ( 0000 0010 and 0000 0111 in the examples above ) and the nearest lower eight bit shade that is equivalent to a five bit shade . referring to fig3 and 7 , the three truncated bits in box 63 represent the frac values and are produced by the select fractional logic 50 . the present invention takes advantage of the fact that the three truncated bits , the frac value , provide an indication of the proximity of the desired eight bit color shade value to an eight bit shade value that is equivalent to a shade value in a five bit system . with the frac value , dither system 10 renders pixels in a given color band using an appropriate mix of the two five bit color shade values closest to the desired eight bit shade . the appropriate blend of the two closest five bit shade values is determined by the frac value . it has been experimentally shown that a group of pixels can be rendered with two color shades ( some pixels in the group rendered with one shade and other pixels with the other shade ) to produce what appears to the eye to be a different shade than either of the two shades used to render the pixels . the resulting apparent color shade , in fact , can be controlled by varying the mixture of the two shades ; that is , controlling which pixels in the group are rendered with one shade and which pixels are rendered with the other shade . with reference to fig7 if for example , it is desired to render a portion of an image with the eight bit red color shade value 0000 0111 ( decimal 7 ) in a five bit system , the pixels can be colored with five bit shade values 00000 and 00001 ; some of the pixels with shade value 00000 and other pixels with shade value 00001 . if the mixture of shade values 00000 and 00001 is determined appropriately , the image will appear as eight bit shade 0000 0111 . the bits truncated during the conversion of the eight bit integer shade value to a five bit value ( the frac value ) are used for controlling which pixels are rendered with five bit shade value 00000 and which pixels are rendered with shade value 00001 . if the desired eight bit shade value is 0000 0111 ( decimal 7 ), the corresponding frac value is 111 indicating that the desired eight bit shade value is seven color shades from five bit shade value 00000 . there are eight eight - bit shade values for every five bit shade value as shown best by reference a in fig2 . thus , eight bit shade value 0000 0111 can be thought of as being 7 / 8 of the total number of eight bit shade values between 0000 0000 and 0000 1000 . the appearance of eight bit shade value 0000 0111 in a group of pixels in a five bit system can be created by rendering 7 / 8 of all of the pixels in the group as five bit shade value 00001 and the remaining 1 / 8 of the pixels as five bit shade value 00000 . the selection of pixels to be rendered as shade value 00000 or 00001 is not critical and preferably is substantially random , i . e ., a randomly selected portion of the pixels in the group are rendered with shade value 00001 . by way of a further example , eight bit shade value 0000 0010 has an associated frac of 010 ( decimal 2 ) and thus , this eight bit shade value is 2 / 8 of the total number of eight bit color shade increments between shade values 0000 0000 and 0000 1000 . thus , 2 / 8 of the pixels in a group for which it is desired to appear as eight bit shade value 0000 0010 are rendered with five bit shade value 00001 and 6 / 8 of the pixels are rendered with shade value 00000 . the left most column in the table in fig2 indicates the fractions associated with each eight bit shade that does not have an equivalent five bit shade . referring to fig5 and 6 , the proximity information from the frac values is encoded in the ramp values in tables 61 , 64 through the number of logic 1 values . thus , ramp value 1111 1110 , associated with frac value 7 , includes seven logic 1 bits . similarly , ramp value 1000 0000 includes one logic 1 and is associated with frac value 1 . it will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art that because the number of logic one values in the ramp tables encodes the desired proximity information , any one ramp value need only include the proper number of logic 1 values ; it is not important which bit positions contain the logic 1 and 0 values . thus , ramp value 1000 0000 , for example can be substituted with 0100 0000 , 0010 0000 , 0001 0000 , 0000 1000 , 0000 0100 , 0000 0010 , and 0000 0001 . referring to fig3 ramp generator 60 uses the frac value received on lines 55 to produce on its output lines 65 a corresponding eight bit ramp value per tables 61 , 64 . multiplexer 70 receives the eight bit ramp value from ramp generator 60 and the three bit value from look - up table 20 . the three bit value from look - up table 20 is used to select one of the eight ramp bits on lines 65 . the bit that is selected from the ramp value is provided on the multiplexer &# 39 ; s output line 72 . the probability that an output signal from multiplexer 70 will be a logic 1 depends on the number of logic 1 &# 39 ; s in the ramp value . if a 1111 1100 ramp value , for example , is provided to the multiplexer and one of those bits is randomly selected , the probability that the selected bit will be a logic 1 is 6 / 8 or 75 % because six of the eight bits comprises a logic 1 . however , if the ramp value was 1100 0000 , the probability that the selected bit will be a logic 1 is 2 / 8 or 25 %. as will be seen below , the probability that the output bit from multiplexer 70 is a logic 1 directly determines the mix of color shades for dithering . as stated previously , the look - up table 20 provides the control bits to the multiplexer 70 and are used to select the output bit from the eight input ramp bits . the combination of three bit entries in look - up table 20 are not completely randomly selected values , but have been selected in accordance with the preferred embodiment because that combination has been shown experimentally to provide superior dither results to other three bit combinations . still referring to fig3 the addend value from red addend generator 40 is added to the red interpolator integer value by add logic 80 and the most significant five bits are provided on the add logic &# 39 ; s output lines 82 . the output of the add logic 80 thus includes the five bit color shade that is one five bit shade higher than the five bit shade resulting from truncating the least significant three bits of the eight bit shade . the &# 34 ; 0 &# 34 ; input to multiplexer 100 includes the five bit shade resulting from truncating the lower three bits of the eight bit shade by add logic 80 . the &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ; input includes the shade on the &# 34 ; 0 &# 34 ; input incremented by one shade by add logic 80 . multiplexer 100 is used to select one of the two five bit shades for dithering . the output of and gate 90 provides the control bit to select between the inputs of multiplexer 100 . with the ovflw signal set to 0 , indicating the absence of an overflow condition in add logic 80 , the state of the output bit from multiplexer 70 dictates the state of the control line for multiplexer 100 . if the output bit from multiplexer 70 is a logic 0 , the output of and gate 90 will be a logic 0 and the &# 34 ; 0 &# 34 ; input lines of multiplexer 100 will be selected for the output on lines 105 . conversely , if the output bit from multiplexer 70 is a logic 1 , the output of and gate 90 will be a logic 1 and the &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ; input lines from multiplexer 70 will be selected for the output on lines 105 . the logic level of the output bit of multiplexer 70 on line 72 will be the same as the logic level of the control bit for multiplexer 100 and thus , the selection of the five bit shade on input &# 34 ; 0 &# 34 ; or the five bit shade on input &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ; ( which is one shade level higher than the shade on input &# 34 ; 0 &# 34 ;) is directed by the output bit from multiplexer 70 . the probability that input &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ; will be selected is the same as the probability that the output bit of multiplexer 70 will be a logic 1 . it can thus be seen that the selection of inputs &# 34 ; 0 &# 34 ; and &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ; follow the number of logic 1 &# 39 ; s in the ramp values . the resulting dithered red output signal on lines 105 provides the appropriate mix of five bit shades to create the appearance in a group of pixels of an eight bit shade that has no equivalent shade in a five bit system . it is possible that the addition of the red interpolator value on lines 30 and the red addend generator 40 output on lines 45 creates an overflow condition as one of ordinary skill in the art will know . if the desired eight bit red color shade value is 1111 1111 , for example , and 0001 0000 represents an appropriate red addend generator output value and is added to the desired eight bit color value by add logic 80 , the result is 1 0000 1111 . if only the upper five bits ( not including the ninth overflow bit ) of the output of add logic 80 are used , the resulting dithered red signal selected by multiplexer 100 , with control line 92 at a logic 1 state , would be 00001 . generally , the lowest color shade value represents the dullest shade and the highest color shade value represents the brightest shade . adding addend value 0001 0000 to eight bit color shade value 1111 1111 ( bright red ) to generate the next highest five bit shade creates , instead , five bit color shade 00001 ( dull red ). the ovflw bit is used to avoid rendering an erroneous color shade . the overflow bit from add logic 80 is input into an inverting input of and gate 90 . if the ovflw bit is a 1 indicating the presence of an overflow condition , the output of and gate 90 will be a zero and thus , multiplexer 100 input &# 34 ; 0 &# 34 ; will be selected . thus , for overflow conditions , the sum of the red addend generator output value and the eight bit interpolator value will not be selected as the dithered red output signal on line 105 . instead , the upper five bits of the eight bit interpolator value on input &# 34 ; 0 &# 34 ; of multiplexer 100 will always be selected during overflow conditions . the dithering function effectively is disabled during overflow situations . disabling dithering during overflows is preferable to changing bright color shades to dull color shades , and vice versa . while a preferred embodiment of the invention has been shown and described , modifications thereof can be made by one skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention . ## spc1 ##	6
referring to fig1 to 9 , there is shown a first embodiment of the present invention . as is understood from fig3 a steering lock device 10 to which the first embodiment is practically applied comprises a generally cylindrical housing 11 , a sleeve 12 stationarily received in the housing 11 and a cap 13 fixed to the housing in a manner to cover a front portion of the sleeve 12 . rotatably disposed in a cylindrical bore 14 of the sleeve 12 is a key cylinder 15 . the key cylinder 15 is equipped with a plurality of known tumblers ( no numerals ). the detail of the steering lock device of this type is shown in japanese patent second provisional publication no . 60 - 42055 . as is best shown in fig1 the housing 11 is formed at its cylindrical side surface with a rectangular projection 11b . the projection 11b is formed with a rectangular bore 11a through which the interior of the housing 11 is communicated with outside of the housing 11 ( see fig3 ). the rectangular projection 11b is formed at its upper and lower walls with aligned rectangular slots 11c and 11c &# 39 ; and at its front wall with a small projection 11d . the four wall surfaces of each slot 11c or 11c &# 39 ; extend normal to the axis of the rectangular bore 11a . as is seen from fig3 behind the key cylinder 15 , there is arranged a rotating member 16 which rotates in the housing 11 together with the key cylinder 15 . as is seen from fig4 the rotating member 16 is formed about its outer surface with a stopper portion 17 which comprises a first stopper surface 17a and a second stopper surface 17b . the first stopper surface 17a is convex and the second stopper surface 17b is flat and positioned behind the first stopper surface 17a . it is to be noted that fig3 and 4 show a condition wherein the key cylinder 15 takes &# 34 ; lock &# 34 ; position . as is seen from fig1 a cable member 28 is employed , which , as will become apparent as the description proceeds , functions to transmit movement of a control member or bellcrank ( 31 , see fig1 ) of a shift lever device 100 to an after - mentioned slider ( 20 ). the cable member 28 comprises an outer cable 29 ( see fig3 ) and an inner cable 32 which is slidably received in the outer cable 29 . as is seen from fig1 the cable member 28 has at its end a generally rectangular plug 21 , the plug 21 being detachably fitted into the rectangular bore 11a of the housing 11 . the plug 21 is constructed of rigid plastic , such as nylon ( trade name ), polyacetal or the like . a plastic slider 20 is axially slidably received in the plug 21 . the slider 20 has an elongate portion 20a whose leading end is projected outward from the plug 21 . the connection of the plug 21 to the cable member 28 is so made that the outer cable 29 is fixed to the plug 21 and the inner cable 32 is fixed to the slider 20 . thus , a sliding movement of the inner cable 32 in the outer cable 29 brings about a sliding movement of the slider 20 in the plug 21 . as is seen from fig1 the plug 21 is formed at its both sides with raised portions 21a , each being formed with a vertically extending groove 21b . as is seen from fig2 the plug 21 is formed at its bottom portion with an axially extending groove ( no numeral ), and at a bottom surface of the groove with a latching pawl 21c which is resiliently flexible . as will be understood from fig1 , the other end of the outer cable 29 of the cable member 28 is fixed to a support bracket 39 positioned near the shift lever device 100 . the other end of the inner cable 32 is pivotally connected to the bellcrank 31 which is installed in the shift lever device 100 . the bellcrank 31 serves as the control member for controlling the movement of the shift lever 30 , as will become apparent hereinafter . referring back to fig3 when the plug 21 is properly fitted into the rectangular bore 11a of the housing 11 , the projected end of the elongate portion 20a of the slider 20 faces the stopper portion 17 of the rotating member 16 in the housing 11 . as will be described in detail hereinafter , when the slider 20 assumes a projected or blocking position , the rotation of the rotating member 16 is restricted . as is seen from fig1 in order to detachably retain the plug 21 in the rectangular opening 11a of the housing 11 , a metal clip 40 is used , which comprises a flat base portion ( no numeral ), a pair of arm portions 41 and 42 extending downward from one side of the base portion and a lug portion 43 extending downward from one longitudinal end of the base portion . each arm portion 41 or 42 has a convexly bent portion . the lug portion 43 is formed with a rectangular small opening 43a . in the following , steps for fitting the plug 21 into the rectangular opening 11a of the housing 11 will be described . first , the plug 21 is inserted into the opening 11a to such a degree that the latching pawl 21c of the plug 21 is in engagement with the lower rectangular slot 11c &# 39 ; of the opening 11a , as will be understood from fig9 . it is to be noted that the engagement of the latching pawl 21c to the slot 11c &# 39 ; permits an operator to feel that the plug 21 reaches a proper position relative to the opening 11a of the housing 11 . under this condition , both the grooves 21b of the plug 21 are mated at their upper and lower ends with the upper and lower rectangular slots 11c and 11c &# 39 ;. then , the clip 40 is disposed onto the rectangular projection 11b of the housing 11 , and the two arm portions 41 and 42 are inserted into the upper rectangular slot 11c , engaged with the grooves 21b of the plug 21 and finally inserted into the lower rectangular slot 11c &# 39 ;. the final condition of the clip 40 will be understood from fig4 . during insertion of the arm portions 41 and 42 into the upper and lower rectangular slots 11c and 11c &# 39 ;, the lug portion 43 of the clip 40 slides downward along the front wall of the rectangular projection 11b of the housing 11 and finally , the rectangular small opening 43a of the lug portion 43 catches the small projection 11d of the front wall . upon this , the plug 21 is stably held in the rectangular opening 11a of the housing 11 . that is , because the lug portion 43 is resiliently pressed against the front wall of the projection 11b and the convexly bent parts of the two arm portions 41 and 42 are resiliently engaged with the grooves 21b of the plug 21 , the plug 21 can be held in the opening 11a without play . when the clip 40 is taken away from the rectangular projection 11b by taking the reversed steps , the plug 21 can be readily removed from the opening 11b by only pulling the same with a slight force . the slight force is a force which overcomes the biasing force produced by the latching pawl 21c . referring to fig1 , there is shown the shift lever device 100 which is incorporated with the above - mentioned steering lock device 10 . as will become apparent from the following description , the shift lever device 100 has a conventional construction except for the control member 31 ( viz ., bellcrank ). the shift lever device 100 comprises a shift lever 30 which has a lower end pivotally connected through a pivot shaft 33 to a fixed base member 102 . raised from the base member 102 is a positioning plate 34 which has an arcuate opening 35 whose upper periphery is formed with a plurality of steps &# 34 ; p &# 34 ;, &# 34 ; r &# 34 ;, &# 34 ; n &# 34 ;, &# 34 ; d + 2 &# 34 ; and &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ;. these steps are arranged to correspond to positions which the shift lever 30 takes when &# 34 ; parking condition &# 34 ;, &# 34 ; reverse condition &# 34 ;, &# 34 ; neutral condition &# 34 ;, &# 34 ; drive condition &# 34 ;, &# 34 ; second speed condition &# 34 ; and &# 34 ; first speed condition &# 34 ; of an associated automatic transmission are required . slidably engaged with these steps is a shift pin 36 which is carried by the shift lever 30 . although not shown in the drawing , the shift pin 36 is connected through a rod to a shift lever knob which is mounted on the head of the shift lever 30 . biasing means is installed in the shift lever 30 to bias the rod upward , that is , toward the head of the shift lever . thus , usually , that is , when the shift lever knob is not applied with an external force by a driver , the shift pin 36 is pressed against the upper periphery of stepped arcuate opening 35 of the positioning plate 34 . under this condition , the pivoting movement of the shift lever 30 is restricted by a certain degree due to obstruction of each gap defined between adjacent steps to the shift pin 36 . that is , when the shift pin 36 is put in the recess &# 34 ; p &# 34 ; of the arcuate opening 35 , the shift lever 30 can not be pivoted to other positions . however , when the shift lever knob is pressed down against the force of the biasing means , the shift pin 36 is moved apart from the stepped upper periphery of the arcuate opening 35 of the positioning plate 34 . thus , with the shift lever knob kept pressed , the shift lever 30 can be freely moved from parking position to 1 &# 39 ; st speed position and vice versa . the bellcrank 31 is pivotally connected through a pivot pin 37 to the positioning plate 34 near the recess &# 34 ; p &# 34 ;. the bellcrank 31 comprises a forked portion 31a which is engageable with the shift pin 36 in the recess &# 34 ; p &# 34 ; and an arm portion 31b whose leading end has the inner cable 32 pivotally connected thereto . it is to be noted that when the shift pin 36 is in the recess &# 34 ; p &# 34 ; as shown in fig1 , the bellcrank 31 assumes the illustrated uppermost angled position permitting the forked position 31a thereof to catch the shift pin 36 and drawing out the inner cable 32 from the outer cable 29 greatly . under this condition , the slider 20 ( see fig3 and 4 ) in the plug 21 assumes its outermost or release position as shown in fig3 and 4 . in the following , the operation of the device is described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings . for ease of understanding , the description of operation will be commenced with respect to a condition wherein , as shown in fig1 , the shift lever 30 assumes &# 34 ; park &# 34 ; position having the shift pin 36 put in the recess &# 34 ; p &# 34 ; of the positioning plate 34 , and as shown in fig3 and 4 , the key cylinder 15 assumes &# 34 ; lock &# 34 ; position . under this condition , the bellcrank 31 assumes the uppermost angled position drawing out the inner cable 32 from the outer cable 20 greatly and thus the slider 20 in the plug 21 assumes its outermost or release position , as is described hereinabove . under this condition , the shift lever knob on the shift lever 30 can not be pushed down . that is , when , with the intention of moving the shift lever 30 to other positions , the shift lever knob is applied with a pressing force by a driver , the shift pin 36 urges the bellcrank 31 to pivot in a clockwise direction in fig1 that is , in a direction to draw the inner cable 32 into the outer cable 29 . however , since , as will be understood from fig4 the draw - in movement of the inner cable 32 brings about an instant abutment of the slider 20 against the first stopper surface 17a of the rotating member 16 , the clockwise pivoting of the bellcrank 31 is not accomplished . this means that under such condition , effective pushing of the shift lever knob can not be carried out and thus the shift lever 30 can not be moved to other positions . in other words , the shift lever 30 is locked at park position . under this condition , however , the key cylinder 15 can be turned to start position with a key to start an associated engine , as will be seen from fig3 and 4 . when the key cylinder 15 is then turned to acc ( accessary ) position which is positioned between lock ( off ) and on positions , the rotating member 16 assumes the position as shown in fig5 and 6 . in this position , the stopper portion 17 of the rotating member 16 is kept apart from the slider 20 in the plug 21 to permit an inward movement of the slider 20 . thus , when the key cylinder 15 assumes the acc position , the shift lever knob can be operatively pushed down and thus , as is seen from fig1 , the shift lever 30 can move from park position to other positions , such as neutral position as shown in fig1 . due to pressing of the shift lever knob , the shift pin 36 is moved downward making a sufficient clockwise pivoting of the bellcrank 31 and thus sufficiently drawing the inner cable 32 into the outer cable 29 . thus , the slider 20 in the plug 21 assumes its innermost or blocking position as shown in fig7 and 8 . in this position , the slider 20 is in abutment with the second stopper surface 17b of the rotating member 16 , so that the key cylinder 15 can not be turned from &# 34 ; acc &# 34 ; position to &# 34 ; lock &# 34 ; position . this means that when the shift lever 30 assumes a position other than &# 34 ; park &# 34 ; turning of the key cylinder 15 from &# 34 ; acc &# 34 ; position to &# 34 ; lock &# 34 ; position is not permitted . when , under this condition , turning of the key cylinder 15 to &# 34 ; lock &# 34 ; position is intended , returning of the shift lever 30 to &# 34 ; park &# 34 ; position is necessary . that is , during this returning , the shift pin 36 contacts and pivots the forked portion 31a of the bellcrank 31 in a counterclockwise direction in fig1 thereby drawing out the inner cable 32 from the outer cable 29 . with this , the slider 20 in the plug 21 is shifted from the blocking position to the release position , so that the key cylinder 15 can be turned to &# 34 ; lock &# 34 ; position . at this &# 34 ; lock &# 34 ; position , the key can be removed from the key cylinder 15 . referring to fig1 and 11 , there is shown a second embodiment of the present invention . as clearly shown in fig1 , the cylindrical housing 11 of the steering lock device 10 &# 39 ; is formed at its cylindrical side surface with a rectangular projection 11b . the projection 11b is formed with a rectangular recess whose bottom surface is formed with a small rectangular bore 11a through which the interior of the housing 11 is communicated with outside of the housing 11 . the rectangular projection 11b has at a rear side a flange 11e and at a front side a recess 11f . the flange 11e is formed with a threaded bore 11g . designated by numeral 50 is a rectangular frame member which is to be fixed to the rectangular projection 11b . the frame member 50 has a smaller sized rectangular part 50b which is to be neatly received in the rectangular recess of the projection 11b of the cylindrical housing 11 . the rectangular frame member 50 is formed at its upper and lower walls with aligned rectangular slots 50c and 50c &# 39 ; and has at its rear wall a flange 53 and at its front wall a hook 51 and two small projections 50a and 50a &# 39 ;. the flange 53 has an bolt opening 52 formed therethrough . in order to fix the frame member 50 to the rectangular projection 11b of the housing 11 , the hook 51 of the frame member 50 is engaged with the recess 11f of the projection 11b and a bolt 54 is passed through the bolt opening 52 of the frame member 50 and screwed into the threaded bore 11g of the rectangular projection 11b . with this , the frame member 50 is tightly fixed to the projection 11b of the housing 11 having the smaller sized rectangular part 50b neatly received in the projection 11b , as will be understood from fig1 . referring back to fig1 , designated by numeral 40 is a metal clip which comprises a flat base portion ( no numeral ), a pair of arm portions 41 and 42 and a lug portion 43 . the lug portion 43 is formed with rectangular small openings 43a and 43a &# 39 ;. in order to fit the plug 21 into the rectangular opening of the assembled frame member 50 , the clip 40 is put on the frame member 50 to assume a temporarily set position wherein , as shown in fig1 , the lower small opening 43a &# 39 ; of the lug portion 43 is engaged with the upper small projection 50a of the frame member 50 , and then the plug 21 is inserted into the opening of the frame member 50 . when the plug 21 takes a proper position in the frame member 50 , the clip 40 is pushed down for achieving the frictional engagement between each arm portion 41 or 42 with a corresponding groove 21b of the plug 21 . due to this downward movement of the clip 40 , the two small openings 43a and 43a &# 39 ; of the lug portion 43 of the clip 40 are properly engaged with the two small projections 50a and 50a &# 39 ; of the frame member 50 . in this disclosure , there are shown and described only the preferred embodiments of the invention , but , as aforementioned , it is to be understood that the invention is capable of use in various other combinations and environments and is capable of changes or modifications within the scope of the inventive concept as expressed herein .	8
in fig1 there is illustrated an embodiment of a pulp thickening apparatus in accordance with the invention comprising a cylindrical outer casing 1 with an inlet connection 2 for the pulp to be thickened , an outlet connection 3 for the thickened pulp and an outlet connection 4 for the filtrate , a top cover 5 and a frame structure 6 including a base plate and a drive means 7 . inside the casing 1 there is a drum 8 for operating as a filter surface leaving an annular space 9 for the filtrate therebetween . inside the drum 8 there is a rotor 10 arranged to rotate near the filter surface 8 . by arranging the form of the rotor 10 such that it accelerates the pulp to a sufficient circumferential speed , it is possible to carry out a sufficiently efficient mixing of pulp with this arrangement . an alternative is to arrange the thickening drum as a rotor , whereby the purpose of the counter part , the stator , is to act to keep the pulp stationary or let it flow axially downwards between the rotating drum and the stator . on the surface of the rotor 10 there are members 12 for loosening fibrous layer . it is also possible to attach equipment to the apparatus for discharging light impurities , such as plastics or like . the pulp to be thickened is introduced into the apparatus via inlet connection 2 wherefrom the pulp flows on the rotor 10 and further into the ring - shaped thickening chamber 11 between the rotor and the filtering surface 8 the rotor , and especially its members 12 , tends to rotate the pulp so that a fiber mat is not able to freely form on the filter surface . due to the rotation of the rotor , the pulp being thickened is continuously being mixed so that the consistency is increased uniformly throughout the pulp layer in said filtering chamber . it is clear , however , that the consistency of the pulp in the filtering chamber is increased when passing downwards in said chamber . the liquid being filtered through the openings of the filtering surface is discharged via outlet connection 4 from the filtrate chamber 9 and the thickened pulp via outlet connection 3 from the lower part of the apparatus . another embodiment is illustrated in fig2 and includes a thickening apparatus , which is mainly composed of the same components as the apparatus in accordance with fig1 . the only difference is that the apparatus of fig2 has two filter surfaces / drums 13 and 14 between which a rotatable rotor 15 is arranged the operation of the apparatus is quite the same as in fig1 with the exception that the filtrate is discharged via two outlet connections 16 . fig3 illustrates different types of members ( 12 ) for mixing the suspension and for controlling the thickness of the fiber mat on the filter surface , which filter surface , i . e . the fiber mat , is subjected to reciprocating / alternating pressure / suction pulses , which loosen fibers stuck on the openings of the filter surface or fibers which have partly penetrated the openings and due to which the flow of the filtrate through the filter surface is facilitated . the pulsating member 20 is a hemispherical protrusion arranged on the surface of the rotor or on the blade of the rotor . a bulge member 21 is illustrated with the upstream edge thereof being steep and the downstream edge inclined a member 22 is a variation of member 21 and is a rib which extends close to the surface of filter plate , the upstream edge of which is steep and the downstream edge inclined throughout the rib . a member 23 is illustrated as a variation of member 22 wherein the rib is designed to consume as little power as possible , in other words it is formed aero - form - like . it is also advantageous to group the rotor and the pulsating members in the rotor and design them in such a way that the inflowing pulp is distributed equally all through the thickening zone . the method and apparatus in accordance with the invention have been examined in the laboratory by tests according to fig4 . the reference number 30 signifies a circulation tower , from which pulp is pumped by a feed pump 31 to the test , i . e . filter , apparatus 32 through a feed valve 33 . the pulp may be , if required , led back to the circulation tower 30 directly past the filter apparatus 32 with valve 34 . a sample of unthickened pulp was taken from the extracting member 35 and a sample of thickened pulp from a connection 36 after the valve 37 . a sample of the filtrate was taken from the member 38 downstream of filter valve 39 . it is possible to adjust the desired pressure condition in the filter apparatus 32 by valves 37 and 39 . the dimensions of the filter apparatus in the test were : ______________________________________surface area of the filter cylinder 0 . 4 m . sup . 2in the testing apparatussize of perforation in the filter 0 . 2 mmcylinder of the testing apparatuspulsating members of the rotor in the testing apparatusaccording to fig3 ______________________________________ pine birchresults sulfate sulfate______________________________________inlet consistency in 0 . 5 % 0 . 5 % the apparatusconsistency of thickened 1 . 5 % 1 . 5 % pulpconsistency of filtrate 0 . 02 % 0 . 04 % capacity to discharge 4500 - 5500 1 / m2 / minliquidpressure difference in 20 - 40 kpathe test run______________________________________ the tests performed show that it is possible to reach multiple efficiency with the pressurized thickening method and apparatus compared with the conventional thickeners . additionally , the apparatus is compact in construction due to the pressurized operational principle , both the filtrate and the thickened pulp are overpressurized , thus there is a great liberty and possibility to save space in positioning the apparatus to suit the mill conditions . additionally , inflow of air into the pulp in the thickening is impossible . the apparatus used in tests according to fig5 and 6 is in principle similar to that of fig7 in other words it comprises a housing 1 , a cover 5 , a base 6 , and drive means 7 . the housing has an inlet conduit 2 for the pulp , a discharge conduit 4 for the filtrate and a discharge conduit 77 for the thickened pulp . in addition , a discharge conduit for the possible reject may be arranged to the housing . inside the housing is arranged a stationary filter surface 78 and relative to it a movable surface 79 , which may be , for example , a rotatable rotor 79 , which may be of any type such as shown in fig3 or of any other suitable type . the embodiment of fig7 and 8 differs from the previous arrangements in that the filter surface is not a uniform cylinder , but it has a discharge opening 80 , which is in communication with the discharge conduit 77 , which is not located in the lower part of the thickener as in the apparatus according to fig1 and 2 , but is located on the side of the thickening apparatus . in fig5 the pulp is introduced by a pump 40 from the mass tower 41 through the cyclone separators 42 to the filtering apparatus 43 , wherefrom the thickened suspension is further transferred to the headbox 44 of a paper making machine or a filtering press . the liquid containing a small amount of fibers and being filtered through the wire 45 of the paper machine is returned to the wire pit 46 , whereto the filtrate from the filtering apparatus 43 is also introduced . the very dilute suspension may be fed from the wire pit 46 to the mass tower for diluting the suspension to meet the consistency demands of the cyclones 42 . thus it is possible to feed thick pulp to the mass tower 41 to be diluted by the filtrates of the thickening apparatus and the paper machine , whereby the fibers being carried along the filtrates are returned back to circulation . it is clear how great an advantage can be gained by closed and pressurized filtering of this type . in fig6 there is shown an embodiment , where the feed of the filtering apparatus 50 is prethickened at a pressurized stage by a dewatering apparatus 51 instead of a conventional method . by using this method , the air is prevented from getting into the process , too . advantages achieved by said arrangement are , for example the following : the opening 80 of the filter surface 78 , regardless of whether it is an opening as high as the whole filter surface or lower , generates additional turbulence , which cleans the filter surface and the rotor . on the other hand , the thickened pulp does not have to flow between the rotor and the filter surface all through the apparatus down to the bottom part , but the thickened pulp is discharged at an earlier stage . it is also to be noted that the mutual position and operation of the filter surface and the rotor does not necessarily have to be as described above , but it is quite possible that the stationary , not quite uniform cylindrical part is a member arranged with the surface alternative according to fig3 and that the rotational part is a filter surface , whereby the filtrate is discharged through the rotational member . the apparatus above arranged vertically may also be arranged horizontally or , if desired , into an inclined position . a further development of the version of the apparatus according to fig7 and 8 is shown in fig9 and 10 , in which pulp is brought axially into the apparatus via a conduit 82 . a filtering chamber 83 is separated by a stationary cylinder 84 from the middle part 85 of the apparatus , from which the pulp may flow off only through one substantially axial slot 86 in the cylindrical inner wall 84 of the chamber 83 into the chamber 83 between said cylindrical surface 84 and filter surface 87 . into the chamber 83 there is arranged a rotatable rotor / blade member 88 , the purpose of which member is to keep the pulp in motion , mix it and control the thickness of the fiber mat on the filter surface 87 . the rotor / blade member 88 is preferably mounted on the shaft 89 by means of an arm 90 arranged substantially in the middle part of the apparatus and extending through the slot 91 in the cylindrical wall 84 . pulp is discharged from the apparatus shown in fig7 according to the method . in other words , by arranging an opening 92 of the same height as the apparatus on the filter surface 87 through which the pulp can flow off into the discharge conduit 93 . the filtrate is discharged from the apparatus to the opposite direction when compared to the thickened suspension . by arranging a throttle means in the discharge conduit 93 it is possible to control the time the pulp circulates in total in the apparatus before flowing into the discharge conduit 93 . said openings of the cylinder 86 and the filter surface 92 are preferably located relative to each other so that the blade member 88 commencing the circulation of the pulp flowing in from the opening 86 of the cylinder comes from the direction of the opening 92 of the filter surface , thereby the pulp is to circulate at least almost a whole round before the first possibility to flow off from the apparatus . an advantage compared with the arrangements in fig1 and 2 according to the tests resides in the fact that the operation of the apparatuses in accordance with fig7 , 9 and 10 is easy to adjust the pressure above the filter surface remains the same along the height / length of the filter surface and does not vary , as in some arrangements of the prior art technique . the apparatus shown in fig1 is very much like the apparatus in fig1 . the apparatus is shown viewed from above and comprises a housing 1 , conduits 95 , 96 and 97 for the inlet of the pulp to be dewatered , for the discharge of the filtrate and for the thickened pulp , respectively ; a filter surface 98 and a rotor 99 also being provided inside the filter surface the pulp is fed into the chamber outwardly of the filter surface 98 , i . e . between the housing and the filter surface 98 , whereby the discharge of the filtrate is discharged in the opposite direction compared to the other embodiments , in other words the filtrate flows inwardly through the filter surface 98 . in this embodiment it is sometimes advantageous to arrange for the filter surface 98 to be rotatable , as shown by the arrow a and for the surface 99 inside it to be stationary , whereby said stationary surface 99 subjects pulses to the filter surface 98 for removing filtrate through the filter surface 98 and for loosening or removing fiber mat . one preferred embodiment of the surface to be noted is an arrangement in which recesses , shown in fig1 as spaces between the black ridges , are made on the stationary surface , and which generate suction through the filter surface 98 . the recesses may end either to the part ascending to the same level with the rest of the surface , whereby they bring about a pulse , the direction of which is opposite to the filter surface 98 , which pulse loosens the fiber mat form on the filter surface 98 , or the recesses may also end to the opening b through which the liquid filtered through the filter surface 98 may be discharged to the inside of the surface , from where it is further discharged from the apparatus the advantages of the apparatus according to this embodiment worth mentioning are , for example , firstly the fact that it is possible to create an intensive suction effect on the surface inside the filter surface , whereby the thickening effect is very efficient . secondly , when operating as a rotor the surface need not cause the whole of the pulp flow flowing into the apparatus to undergo rotational movement , in other words savings in energy are achieved . thirdly , energy is also saved by designing the surface 98 in such a way that the amount of energy consumed is as little as possible , regardless as to whether the surface operates as a rotor or as a stationary , pulse generating surface . this is the object , for example , in the last described embodiment , in which recesses are made on said surface . in this embodiment the pulse members to be used really differ somewhat from what is shown in fig3 because their most important purpose is to subject the filter surface to a long suction , which is as even as possible and by which filtrate is removed through the filter surface from the pulp . it is , of course , clear that the intensity of the suction effect determines the length of the suction stage . if the suction is very intensive , the pulp tends to thicken quickly on the filter surface , whereby the length of the suction pulse may not be so great that the pressure pulse is not anymore able to loosen the fiber mat on the filter surface . on the other hand , by adjusting the speed difference between the filter surface and the surface generating pulses , it is possible to adjust the desired thickening speed so that the relation of the discharge of the filtrate to the amount of the fiber mat is optimal . a sixth embodiment is shown in fig1 and is quite different from those studied earlier in this specification . the apparatus 101 of fig1 is intended to be used most advantageously in a horizontal position . it comprises a cylindrical housing 102 having two conduits 103 and 104 for the gas and for the filtrate , respectively . the conduit 105 for the inlet of pulp to be thickened is arranged at another end of the apparatus and a discharge conduit 106 for the dewatered pulp at the opposite end of the apparatus . in one version a filtering drum 107 arranged axially inside the housing 102 is stationary and a rotor 108 is arranged inside the drum , which rotor maintains the motion in the pulp . in the present arrangement air or other gas is fed behind the filter surface 107 from conduit 103 . the filtering drum is surrounded by a chamber 109 for the feed of air . air may be fed either as a pulsating or continuous flow , most important is that air replaces the water which is radially removed from pulp layer and discharged via conduit 104 from the apparatus . the thickened pulp is led out of the apparatus from the opposite end relative to the feed end in the same pressure as the infed pulp . the pressure difference prevailing between the filtrate and the infed pulp is 20 - 100 kpa depending on the case . another version is the arrangement , in which the thickening drum rotates and on any sector of the drum said compressed air blow is arranged the blow may be continuous , which ensures that the filter surface remains clean . the flow of air into the thickener may in some cases be utilized in such a way that an air bubble is allsured to grow in the center of the thickening apparatus so that the bubble controls the thickness of the fibrous layer moving close to the filtrate surface . in this case the rotor generates a sufficient shear force field in the pulp layer to mix the pulp and to make a successful thickening . when required , in other words when it concerns a pressurized thickener , it is possible to replace the air bubble with a central member between which member and filter surface the rotor rotates . it is to be noted that when utilizing the gas bubble inside the filtering surface the rotor may be formed of several foil - type blades as the gas bubble controls the thickness of the pulp layer to be thickened and the blades only mix the pulp and control the thickness of the pulp mat on the filter surface . an essential or important feature to all of the above described arrangements is the fact that a relatively thin pulp layer is somehow arranged close to the filter surface . at the same time it is ensured that the entire amount of pulp flowing into the apparatus comes into contact with the filter surface and that the consistency of the pulp inside the filtering chamber is being maintained uniform regardless the distance from the filter surface . test runs have shown that the higher the consistency is , the larger an opening of the filter plate may be used . this is due to the fact that the fiber network is at that moment stronger and a single fiber is not loosened so easily from it . this enables the use of filter plates with openings of one or more size / sizes . it is a known fact that a larger opening gives a greater penetration and the production of the apparatus is less expensive . the most practicable arrangement is carried out , for example , whereby in the inlet end the perforations are smallest , in the middle slightly larger and in the discharge of the thickened pulp the perforations are at their largest . as it may be noted from the above description , a new type of pulp thickening method and apparatus for carrying out such has been developed , with which it is possible to eliminate or minimize the drawbacks of the apparatuses of the prior art technique without creating new problems . it is clear that only a few advantageous apparatus alternatives and points of application have been introduced above , which by no means are intended to restrict the invention from what is defined in the enclosed claims . thus it is clear that both the filter surface and the surface movable relative to the filter surface may be of a form different from cylindrical , said members are only characterized in that they are substantially rotationally symmetrical , cylindrical , conical or spherical , or their form is a combination of those , just to mention a few examples .	3
while this invention is susceptible of embodiment in many different forms , there is shown in the drawings and will be described herein in detail , one or more specific embodiments with the understanding that the present disclosure is to be considered as an exemplification of the principles of the invention and is not intended to limit the invention to the embodiments illustrated . it will be understood that like or analogous elements and / or components , referred to herein , may be identified throughout the drawings by like reference characters . in addition , it will be understood that the drawings are merely schematic representations of one or more embodiments of the invention , and some of the components may have been distorted from their actual scale for purposes of pictorial clarity . in accordance with the present invention , the raceway assemblies disclosed herein facilitate efficient assembly , installation , service , and maintenance of , for example , illuminated signage by utilizing a two - piece assembly including a substrate engaging member and a signage engaging member that is releasably interconnected to the substrate engaging member to , in turn , form an elongated raceway channel for retaining a plurality of components therein . referring now to the drawings , and to fig1 and 2 in particular , raceway assembly 10 ( e . g ., an electrical raceway assembly for illuminated signage ) is shown which generally comprises substrate engaging back member / plate 12 having an inner surface 14 and an outer surface 16 , and signage engaging member / plate 18 having inner surface 20 and outer surface 22 . substrate engaging back plate 12 preferably comprises upper region 17 , intermediate region 19 , and lower region 21 . upper region 17 of substrate engaging back plate 12 preferably includes substantially horizontal segments 24 and 26 , substantially c - shaped detent / catch 28 for releasably receiving an upper region of signage engaging plate 18 therein , and open aperture 30 ( e . g ., generally c - shaped aperture ) for releasably receiving an end cap fastener therein . substantially vertical segment 32 is positioned between substantially horizontal segments 24 and 26 . intermediate region 19 of substrate engaging back plate 12 preferably comprise a generally vertical segment 34 which is generally orthogonal to substantially horizontal segments 24 and 26 of upper region 17 . in use , generally vertical segment 34 is secured to a substrate ( e . g ., an internal or external wall , a barrier , a partition , an enclosure , a screen , a panel , a divider , a bulkhead , etcetera ), preferably via fasteners . lower region 21 of substrate engaging back plate 12 preferably includes substantially horizontal segments 36 a and 36 b , substantially vertical segment 38 , and open aperture 40 ( e . g ., generally c - shaped aperture ) for releasably receiving an end cap fastener therein . open aperture 40 is positioned between substantially horizontal segment 36 a and substantially horizontal segment 36 b . substantially horizontal segment 36 b and substantially vertical segment 38 collectively form an l - shaped member that , in use , contacts an l - shaped member of signage engaging plate 18 . in a preferred embodiment of the present invention substrate engaging back plate 12 is fabricated from metals ( e . g ., aluminum , steel including stainless steel , transition metals , and alloys of the same ), non - metals , ceramics , wood , plastics , and glass — just to name a few . referring once again to fig1 and 2 , signage engaging plate 18 of raceway assembly 10 preferably comprises upper region 23 , intermediate region 25 , and lower region 27 . upper region 23 of signage engaging plate 18 preferably includes substantially horizontal segment 42 , having open aperture 44 ( e . g ., generally c - shaped aperture ), a generally vertical post 46 , first internal l - shaped tab 48 , second internal l - shaped tab 50 , and terminal l - shaped tab 52 . in one embodiment of the present invention , post 46 and tab 48 form a channel for containing the upper portion of a transformer pan or plate . furthermore , first internal l - shaped tab 48 and second internal l - shaped tab 50 collectively form channel 51 for containing a slidable member therein , such as a lifting block retention guide member . in another aspect of the present invention , the inner surface of terminal l - shaped tab 52 of signage engaging plate 18 matingly engages the outer surfaces of substantially horizontal segments 24 , substantially c - shaped detent / catch 28 , and substantially vertical segment 32 of substrate engaging back plate 12 . intermediate region 25 of signage engaging plate 18 preferably comprises generally vertical segment 54 which is generally orthogonal to substantially horizontal segment 42 . as will be discussed in greater detail below , signage is typically , releasably secured to generally vertical segment 54 . lower region 27 of signage engaging plate 18 preferably includes substantially horizontal segment 56 , open aperture 58 ( e . g ., generally c - shaped aperture ), a pair of generally upward vertical posts 60 , and a generally downward terminal post 62 . in another aspect of the present invention , the inner surface of generally downward terminal post 62 contacts the inner surface of substantially vertical segment 38 of substrate engaging back plate 12 . in a preferred embodiment of the present invention signage engaging plate 18 is fabricated from metals ( e . g ., aluminum , steel including stainless steel , transition metals , and alloys of the same ), non - metals , ceramics , wood , plastics , and glass — just to name a few . in accordance with the present invention , open apertures 44 and 58 of signage engaging plate 18 are configured to releasably secure a front connector / healer plate . furthermore , post 46 and internal l - shaped tab 48 of upper region 23 of signage engaging plate 18 collectively form slot 70 , and posts 60 a and 60 b of lower region 27 of signage engaging plate 18 form slot 72 . slots 70 and 72 of upper and lower regions 23 and 27 of signage engaging plate 18 , respectively , releasably secure a transformer pan / plate having a transformer ( e . g ., an led transformer ) associated therewith . moreover , horizontal segment 26 and open aperture 30 of upper region 17 of substrate engaging back plate 12 , generally vertical segment 34 of intermediate region 19 of substrate engaging back plate 12 , and horizontal segment 36 a and open aperture 40 of lower region 21 of substrate engaging back plate 12 collectively form channel 75 for releasably securing a rear connector / healer plate . as is best shown in fig3 , first internal l - shaped tab 48 and second internal l - shaped tab 50 of signage engaging plate 18 collectively form channel 51 for containing lifting block retention guide member 64 therein . lifting block retention guide member 64 is preferably configured to retention of , for example , an i - bolt , a catch , a latch , etcetera . end cap member 66 is preferably secured to the ends of raceway assembly 10 via conventional fasteners 68 positioned within open apertures 30 , 40 , 44 , and 58 . as is also shown in fig3 , substrate engaging back plate 12 is secured to a substrate via conventional fasteners 68 . referring now to fig4 , front connector / healer plate 74 is slidably and releasably secured in open apertures 44 and 58 of signage engaging plate 18 , and rear connector / healer plate 76 is slidably and releasably secured in channel 75 of substrate engaging back plate 12 . front and rear connector plates 74 and 76 , respectively , serve as a means to extend the length of raceway assembly 10 when more than one section of substrate engaging back member 12 and signage engaging member 18 are utilized . front connector plate 74 is preferably secured to signage engaging member 18 via adhesive , and rear connector plate 76 is also preferably secured to substrate engaging member 12 via adhesive . as is best shown in fig5 , transformer plate 73 contains transformer 77 and is slidably and releasably secured within slots 70 and 72 of upper and lower regions 23 and 27 , respectively , of signage engaging member 18 . referring now to fig6 and 7 , raceway assembly 10 is preferably configured for securement to illuminated signage . in particular , illuminated signage is secured to outer surface 22 of signage engaging member 18 . in operation , illuminated signage 78 ( fig6 - 8 ) is preferably secured to outer surface 22 of signage engaging member 18 . such securement can occur at a manufacturing site so as to avoid complications associated with securing the illuminated signage ( e . g ., a plurality of letters or symbols ) at an installation site . next , substrate engaging back plate / member 12 is secured to a substrate ( e . g ., an internal or external wall , a barrier , a partition , an enclosure , a screen , a panel , a divider , a bulkhead , etcetera ), preferably via fasteners and / or adhesive . third , signage engaging member 18 is connectively secured to substrate engaging back member ( see fig1 - 3 ). notably , such securement can occur without any fasteners and / or adhesive . it will be understood that the incorporation of accessory components can occur at different times — depending upon the type of installation . the foregoing description merely explains and illustrates the invention and the invention is not limited thereto except insofar as the appended claims are so limited , as those skilled in the art who have the disclosure before them will be able to make modifications without departing from the scope of the invention .	7
there follows a detailed description of the preferred embodiment of the invention , reference being had to the drawings in which like reference numerals identify like elements of structure in each of the several figures . fig1 illustrates a perspective view of a conventional printer - plotter which has been modified by the addition of a winding apparatus or take - up mechanism according to the present invention . the chart take - up apparatus 10 according to the invention is illustrated attached to a conventional printer - plotter 12 ; however , those skilled in the art will appreciate that the invention may also be used with other types of feed stations which deliver a strip of thin material such as paper at intermittent or continuous speed . a strip 14 of recorder paper is fed from the upper portion of printer - plotter 12 . as strip 14 leaves printer - plotter 12 , it falls downward to form a free loop 16 ; and then is brought upward , through a friction tube assembly ( see fig3 and 4a ) and inserted into a winding mandrel or paper core tube 18 . mandrel 18 is rotated under the influence of suitable electric motor which is located in a control console 20 , as will be discussed in further detail with regard to fig3 and 5 . finally , a pair of laterally spaced mounting clamps 22 are used to affix the apparatus to printer - plotter 12 . looking now to fig2 and 3 , the structural details of the take - up apparatus according to the invention may be understood . apparatus 10 comprises a support frame which is made up from a base plate 24 to which are attached a mandrel support plate 26 and a motor support plate 28 , all suitably joined together to form a u - shaped frame . a threaded hub 30 is attached to a mandrel support plate 26 for rotatably receiving a retracting screw 32 . the outer end of retracting screw 32 receives a washer 34 , crank arm 36 and actuator knob 38 to provide a manual means for securing mandrel 18 within the apparatus . the inner end of retracting screw 32 supports a pair of bearings 40 which are secured by a retainer ring 42 and which rotatably mount a core hub 44 . as shown in fig3 a , core hub 44 comprises a conical portion 46 which is sized to extend into the interior of mandrel 18 so that as the conical portion is forced into mandrel 18 , the mandrel will expand and gradually move onto a cylindrical portion 48 of core hub 44 . at the opposite end of the apparatus on motor support plate 28 , a driven core hub 50 , similar to hub 44 , is provided which is attached to the shaft of a motor 52 mounted on the opposite side of support plate 28 . to facilitate its expansion over hubs 44 and 50 , mandrel 18 comprises a thin walled cylinder of resilient material having a longitudinal slit 54 through its wall . thus , when hubs 44 and 50 are inserted into mandrel 18 by operating retracting screw 32 , mandrel 18 will gradually ride over conical portion 46 , of hubs 44 , 50 and slide onto their cylindrical portions , 48 , 48a . preferably , cylindrical portion 48a of hub 50 is somewhat longer than cylindrical portion 48 of hub 44 so that when retracting screw 32 is actuated to withdraw hub 44 from mandrel 18 , mandrel 18 will continue to be supported by hub 50 after hub 44 has been completely withdrawn . thus , mandrel 18 may be easily pivoted upward about hub 50 , thereby facilitating removal of the mandrel and the strip of material wound thereon from the apparatus . after a roll of strip material has been removed from the apparatus , mandrel 18 will collapse to its unexpanded size so that it may be easily removed from the roll of material . mounted just below mandrel 18 are right and left paper guides 56 which extend outwardly beneath mandrel 18 to confine lateral movement of the paper as it is wound on the mandrel . otherwise , the paper would tend to move or wander axially on mandrel 18 and could eventually interfere with further winding . guides 56 comprise cutaway cradle surfaces 58 on their upper edges which also serve to support mandrel 18 when it is not being supported by either hub 44 or hub 50 . surfaces 58 are positioned so that hubs 44 , 50 are essentially aligned with mandrel 18 when the mandrel is resting on the support surfaces . thus , hubs 44 , 50 may be easily engaged with the mandrel by simply rotating crank 36 . as illustrated in fig2 guides 56 comprise slotted mounting holes to facilitate lateral adjustment for strip materials of varying widths . also mounted between support plates 26 and 28 is a non - rotating spacer bar 60 which includes a pair of laterally movable shaft collars 62 used to adjust the position of the strip of material as it passes friction tubes 84 , 86 and approaches mandrel 18 . ( see also fig4 and 4a ) a combined access cover and paper sensor support 64 is pivotally mounted to support plates 26 and 28 to permit movement between the two positions illustrated in fig4 and 4a . cover 64 comprises a guide tube support panel 66 and a paper sensor support panel 68 joined at their ends by a pair of end plates 70 , 72 . between panels 66 and 68 , a sensor mounting bracket 74 is provided adjacent to a slot 76 through the back surface of sensor support panel 68 . mounted on bracket 74 is a sensor switch 78 which includes a resiliently biased actuator arm 80 , positioned to extend through slot 76 to a location adjacent loop 16 as it moves through the apparatus . finally , a suitable electrical connector 82 joins sensor switch 78 to the circuitry housed in control console 20 . mounted on guide tube support panel 66 just above paper sensor support panel 68 are a pair of non - rotating friction tubes 84 , 86 which are spaced from each other and positioned so as to lie closely adjacent to spacer bar 60 when cover 64 has been closed , as illustrated in fig4 a . friction tubes 84 and 86 and spacer bar 60 cooperate as illusrated in fig4 a to support one end of loop 16 . friction tubes 84 , 86 constrain paper 14 to bend around bar 60 and assume an arcuate configuration at the location where the paper passes between shaft collars 62 . this configuration of the otherwise limp paper imparts to it a desirable lateral stiffness so that shaft collars 62 can act on the paper edges to guide the paper laterally into proper position for winding on mandrel 18 , without damaging the paper . the other end of the loop is supported at the point at which strip 14 leaves the adjacent printer - plotter or other feed station . between these two spaced locations , loop 16 will grow as feed continues until the free loop achieves a sufficient magnitude to actuate sensor switch 78 and thereby actuate the control circuitry located in control console 20 . thus , the strip of material automatically adjusts its lateral position in cooperation with elements 60 , 62 , 84 and 86 , while proper tensioning takes place simultaneously . because of this , precise alignment with the feed station is not required . preferably , the spacer bar 60 and friction tubes 84 , 86 should not rotate during operation , since this will cause the entry angle of the paper to be maintained , thereby requiring rather precise alignment of the take - up mechanism and the feed station for best operation . referring jointly to fig3 and 5 , control console 20 is seen to comprise a suitable power connector 88 , an overload fuse 90 connected in series and main power switch 92 connected in series with fuse 90 . a power - on lamp 94 and resistor 96 are connected in the return line from main power switch 92 to indicate that main power to the apparatus has been turned on . sensor switch 78 is connected in parallel with a jog switch 98 having a noise suppressor made up of a resistor 100 and capacitor 102 connected in parallel therewith . a reverse switch 104 may be used to reverse the direction of operation of motor 50 which is controlled with the aid of a phasing capacitor 106 . in operation , the strip of thin material such as paper is withdrawn from the adjacent feed station as illustrated in fig4 and 4a ; fed around spacer bar 60 ; and inserted through longitudinal slot 54 into the interior of mandrel 18 . mandrel 18 is then rotated sufficiently to ensure that the material will not slip easily therefrom . cover 64 is closed to engage friction tubes 84 , 86 . as the adjacent feed station operates , loop 16 will eventually grow to a size sufficient to close sensor switch 78 , thereby starting motor 52 which will pull strip 14 past friction tubes 84 , 86 and onto mandrel 18 until switch 78 opens again . shaft collars 62 guide strip 14 as it moves . those skilled in the art will appreciate that by this means the tension applied to strip 14 as it moves through the adjacent feed station is always maintained within preselected limits . if it is desired to remove the strip of material wound on mandrel 18 , power switch 92 is opened and crank 36 is rotated as necessary to withdraw core hub 44 from mandrel 18 . at this time , mandrel 18 and the material wound thereon may be easily grasped and pivoted about hub 50 upwardly to facilitate removal from the machine . mandrel 18 may then be easily removed from the wound material and replaced in the apparatus to ready it for continued use .	1
it should be understood at the outset that although an illustrative implementation of one or more embodiments are provided below , the disclosed systems and / or methods may be implemented using any number of techniques , whether currently known or in existence . the disclosure should in no way be limited to the illustrative implementations , drawings , and techniques illustrated below , including the exemplary designs and implementations illustrated and described herein , but may be modified within the scope of the appended claims along with their full scope of equivalents . disclosed herein are systems and methods for providing mechanisms for handling p2mp path or p2p path computations between a pcc and pce . accordingly , the paths may be computed across a single area or as domain or across multiple areas or as domains . the mechanisms may comprise declaring path computation capabilities between the pcc and pce , for instance , using session establishment messages . the pcc and pce may exchange a request message and reply message to compute new paths , to add branches to existing paths , or to store , delete , or re - optimize paths . specifically , the messages exchanged between the pcc and pce may indicate whether the computation request or reply is related to a p2mp path or p2p path . additionally , the messages may comprise path computation information , which may be used to request or compute the path . for instance , the messages may comprise a request / reply ( rp ) object that indicates a p2mp path or p2p path related message and an end - points object that specifies a source and at least one destination node for the path . the reply message may also comprise an error object that indicates a computation failure , at least some nodes in the request message that may not be used , or both . fig1 illustrates one embodiment of a label switched system 100 , where p2p te lsps and p2mp te lsps may be established between at least some of the components . the label switched system 100 may comprise a label switched network 110 , a control plane controller 120 , and a pce 130 . the label switched network 110 , control plane controller 120 , and pce 130 may communicate with each other via optical , electrical , or wireless means . in an embodiment , the label switched network 110 may be a packet switched network , where data traffic may be transported using packets or frames along network paths or routes . the packets may be routed or switched along a traffic engineering ( te ) label switched path ( lsp ) established by a signaling protocol , such as mpls or gmpls , based on a path computed or given . the label switched network 110 may comprise a plurality of nodes 112 coupled to one another using optical , electrical , or wireless links . in an embodiment , the nodes 112 may be any devices or components that support transportation of the packets through the label switched network 110 . for example , the nodes 112 may include bridges , switches , routers , or various combinations of such devices . the nodes 112 may comprise a plurality of ingress ports for receiving packets from other nodes 112 , logic circuitry that determines which nodes 112 to send the frames to , and a plurality of egress ports for transmitting frames to the other nodes 112 . in some embodiments , at least some of the nodes 112 may be lsrs , which may be configured to modify or update the labels of the packets transported in the label switched network 110 . further , some of the nodes 112 may be label edge routers ( lers ), for example those at the edges of the label switched network 110 , which may be configured to insert or remove the labels of the packets transported between the switched network 110 and external networks . the first node 112 and the last node 112 along a path are sometimes referred to as the source node and the destination node , respectively . although four nodes 112 are shown in the label switched network 110 , the label switched network 110 may comprise any quantity of nodes 112 . in an embodiment , the control plane controller 120 may be configured to coordinate activities within the label switched network 110 , such as a network management system ( nms ) or operations support system ( oss ). specifically , the control plane controller 120 may receive routing requests from the label switched network 110 and provide back the corresponding path information . in addition , the control plane controller 120 may communicate with the pce 130 , for instance using a pce protocol ( pcep ), provide the pce 130 with information that may be used for path computation , receive the computed path from the pce 130 , and forward the computed path to at least one of the nodes 112 . the control plane controller 120 may be located in a component outside of the label switched network 110 , such as an external server , or may be located in a component within the label switched network 110 , such as a node 112 . in an embodiment , the pce 130 may perform all or part of the path computation for the label switched system 110 . specifically , the pce 130 may receive the information that may be used for computing the path from the control plane controller 120 , from the node 112 , or both . the pce 130 may process the information to obtain the path . for instance , the pce 130 may compute the path , and determine the nodes 112 including the lsrs along the path . the pce 130 may then send all or part of the computed path information to the control plane controller 120 or directly to at least one node 112 . further , the pce 130 may be coupled to or comprise a traffic - engineering database ( ted ), a p2mp path database ( pdb ), a p2p path database , an optical performance monitor ( opm ), a physical layer constraint ( plc ) information database , or combinations thereof , which may be used to compute the path . the pce 130 may be located in a component outside of the label switched network 110 , such as an external server , or may be located in a component within the label switched network 110 , such as a node 112 . in an embodiment , the path computation request may be sent to the pce 130 by a pcc . the pcc may be any client application requesting a path computation to be performed by the pce 130 . the pcc may also be any network component that makes such a request , such as the control plane controller 120 , or any node 112 , such as a lsr . for instance , the pcc may request from the pce a p2mp path or p2p path . additionally , the pcc may send the pce 130 at least some of the path required information . in an embodiment , the packets transported between network nodes , such as the nodes 112 , are referred to as label switched packets , and may comprise labels that may be used to switch the packets along the nodes of a computed path . a path computed or given and signaled by mpls for transporting or routing the label switched packets is referred to as a lsp . for example , the lsp may be a te lsp established using a resource reservation protocol - traffic engineering ( rsvp - te ). the lsp may be a p2p te lsp that extends from a source node to a destination node and may be unidirectional , where the packets may be transported in one direction along the path , e . g ., from the source node to the destination node . alternatively , the lsp may be a p2mp te lsp , which may comprise a plurality of p2p te lsps that share the same source node . as such , the p2mp te lsp may extend from a source or root node to a plurality of destination or leaf nodes . in some embodiments , the p2mp te lsp is referred to as a p2mp tree and its p2p te lsps are referred to as source - to - leaf ( s2l ) sub - lsps . typically , the p2mp tree may be established by rsvp - te based on a p2mp path for multicasting purposes , for example to transport the same packets to a plurality of destination nodes in label switched network . in an embodiment , a pcc and a pce , such as the pce 130 , may declare their capabilities related to computing or establishing paths in the network during the session establishment between the pcc and the pce . for instance , the pcc may send the pce a first session establishment message , which may comprise at least one flag that may be set to indicate supporting functions related to establishing a p2mp tree or p2p te lsp . the pce may send the pcc a second session establishment message , which may comprise at least one flag that may be set to indicate supporting related functions , such as computation of p2mp paths across multiple areas or as domains . in an embodiment , the second session establishment message may comprise a type length value ( tlv ) field . the value of the tlv field may indicate the capabilities of the pce , for instance according to a tlv type number defined by the internet assigned numbers authority ( iana ). alternatively , the second session establishment message may comprise an open object as described in the pce discovery protocol , which may comprise the tlv field . thus , the pcc may communicate with a plurality of pces and know their different capabilities . the pcc may then request specific functions from those pces that may support it , such as requesting new p2mp paths only from a pce that is configured to compute such paths . in an embodiment , a pcc may send a request message to a pce to add or compute a new path , for instance across multiple areas or as domains . specifically , the request message may comprise a first flag , which may be used to request a p2p path computation or a p2mp path computation . for instance , the first flag may be set to request a p2mp path computation from the pce . the request message may comprise a second flag , which may be used to indicate whether the path is represented in a compressed format . in some embodiments , the request message may comprise a rp object , which may comprise the first flag and the second flag . the request message may also comprise information that may be used for computing the p2mp path . for example , the request message may comprise path constraints , such as bandwidth limitation , maximum quantity of nodes or lsrs , shortest or longest route requirement , etc . additionally , the request message may specify a source or root node and a plurality of destination or leaf nodes for the requested p2mp path . for example , the request message may comprise the network addresses of the source node and the destination nodes for the p2mp path . in an embodiment , the request message may comprise an end - points object , which may comprise the source node and the destination nodes &# 39 ; information . alternatively , the flag may be cleared to request a p2p path computation and the request message may comprise information required to compute the p2p path . in some embodiments , the pcc may send a plurality of request messages to obtain at least one p2mp path from a plurality of pces 130 . in some embodiments , the path information provided to the pce may not fit in a single request message . as such , a plurality of request messages may be sent to the pce , where the included path information in all the messages may be combined at the pce to compute the requested path . to associate the multiple request messages with a single path computation request , the request messages may comprise the same request ids . the pce may send a reply message to the pcc in return to the request message for computing a new path . the reply message may comprise the computed path information . specifically , the reply message may comprise a first flag , which may be used to indicate a computed p2p path or p2mp path . for instance , the first flag may be set to indicate that the reply message comprises the computed p2mp path information across multiple areas or as domains based on a set of path constraints . alternatively , the first flag may be cleared to indicate a p2p path computation and the reply message may comprise information related to the computed p2p path . the reply message may comprise a second flag , which may be used to indicate whether the path is represented in a compressed format . the first flag and the second flag may be included in a rp object in the reply message . in an embodiment , the pcc may send a request message to the pce to obtain a plurality of new s2l paths for an existing p2mp path . the existing p2mp path may be previously computed using a request message or may be configured by the pcc . the request message may comprise the existing p2mp path information , such as the path nodes and branches . additionally , the request message may comprise information to add new branches to the p2mp path , such as the network addresses of new destination nodes . accordingly , the pce may use the information in the request message to add new branches to the existing p2mp path , for example using the new destination nodes as leaf nodes . to indicate an existing p2mp path , the request message may comprise a p2mp path id associated with the existing p2mp path . the existing p2mp path may be previously computed and stored at the pce , for instance in a p2mp path database ( pdb ). the pce may send a reply message to the pcc in return to a request for adding new branches to an existing p2mp path . the reply message may comprise a plurality of branches , such as s2l paths , to the existing p2mp path . additionally , the reply message may comprise a flag that may be set to indicate that the computed information is related to a p2mp path . in some embodiments , the reply message may also comprise path constraints associated with the computed or modified path . further , the reply message may comprise the p2mp path id associated with the computed or modified path . in an embodiment , the pcc and the pce may negotiate whether the pce may store the computed path information . for instance , the pcc may send the pce a request message to store the path information and the pce may return to the pcc a reply message to indicate whether the pcc request has been accepted . in some embodiments , the pcc may send the pce a request message to add branches or leaf nodes to an existing path , and to store the new information at the pce . the request message may comprise the p2mp path id or p2p path id in addition to information about the new leaf nodes , e . g ., the network addresses of the leaf nodes . if the pce accepts to store the path information , the pce may store the computed path , for instance at the pdb , and send back a reply message to the pcc confirming that the information has been stored . the reply message may comprise the p2mp path id or p2p path id for the stored path . the pcc may receive the reply message and match the p2mp path id or p2p path id of the reply message to the p2mp path id or p2p path id of the request message . if the pce does not accept to store the path information , the pce may return a reply message to the pcc to indicate that the computed path may not be stored at the pce . alternatively , the pce may not return a reply message to the pcc to indicate that the pce may not store the computed path information . in an embodiment , the pcc may wait for a predetermined time interval to detect a reply message from the pce . if the pcc does not receive the reply message after the time interval expires , the pcc may send subsequent request messages to the pce without p2mp path ids or p2p path ids . in other embodiments , the pcc and the pce may negotiate whether the pce may store the computed path or the path information during session establishment between the pcc and the pce . for instance , the pcc may send the pce a first session establishment message to request storing the path information and the pce may return to the pcc a second session establishment message , which may indicate whether the pce will store the information . in an embodiment , the pcc may send the pce a request message to delete an existing path . the existing path information may be stored at the pce , for instance at the pdb . specifically , the request message may comprise a flag , which may be used to indicate a request to delete an existing p2mp path or p2p path . additionally , the request message may comprise the p2mp path id or p2p path id associated with the existing path . in some embodiments , the request message may be used to delete a plurality of existing paths . for instance , the request message may comprise a plurality of p2mp path ids or p2p path ids associated with the existing paths . in other embodiments , the request message may be used to delete all existing paths . for instance , the request message may comprise a global or “ wild card ” p2mp path id or p2p path id associated with all the existing paths . in return to such request message , the pce may send a reply message to the pcc to confirm whether the path has been deleted . the reply message may comprise a flag , which may be used to confirm deleting a p2mp path or p2p path . additionally , the reply message may comprise at least one p2mp path id or p2p path id to indicate the deleted path to the pcc . alternatively , the reply message may comprise a global or “ wild card ” p2mp path id or p2p path id to confirm the deletion of all the existing paths . in some embodiments , the pcc may send a request message to the pce to re - optimize an existing p2mp path or p2p path . for instance , the request message may indicate whether at least one or all the branches of an existing p2mp path are to be optimized . as such , the request message may comprise a plurality of nodes or paths that may be added , deleted , replaced , or combinations thereof . the nodes or paths may be represented using end - points objects , record route objects ( rros ), or both and may be located across multiple areas or as domains . the pce may use such information to re - compute at least some of the branches of the path . in some cases , the pce may not complete the path computation as requested , for example based on a set of constraints . as such , the pce may send a reply message to the pcc that indicates an unsuccessful path computation attempt . the reply message may comprise a pcep - error object , which may comprise an error - value and error - type based on the pcep . hence , the request message may be rejected and the path computation request may be canceled . fig2 is an embodiment of a rp object 200 , which may be a part of the request message transmitted from the pcc or the reply message transmitted from the pce . the rp object may indicate a p2mp path or p2p path related message . the rp object 200 may comprise a reserved field 210 , a plurality of flags 220 , and a request - id - number 230 . additionally , the rp object 200 may optionally comprise at least one tlv 240 , for instance to indicate path computation capabilities , path constraints , or other path information . the flags 220 may comprise an explicit route object ( ero )- compression bit ( e ) flag 221 , a p2mp bit ( m ) flag 222 , a strict / loose bit ( o ) flag 223 , a bi - directional bit ( b ) flag 224 , a re - optimization ( r ) flag 225 , and a plurality of priority bit ( p ) flags 226 . the flags 220 may also comprise additional bits , which may be unassigned or reserved . for instance , the remaining bits may be set to zero and ignored . in an embodiment , each of the e flag 221 , m flag 222 , o flag 223 , b flag 224 , and r flag 225 may have a length of about one bit , the p flags may have a combined length of about three bits , the request - id - number 230 may have a length of about 32 bits , and the reserved field 210 may have a length of about eight bits . in an embodiment , the e flag 221 may be set to indicate that the path information is represented in a compressed format or may be cleared otherwise . the m flag 222 may be set to indicate whether the request message or reply message is related to a p2mp path or p2p path computation . further , at least some of the fields of the rp object 200 may be configured based on the pcep . for instance , the reserved field 210 may be reserved for other purposes and / or may not be used . the o flag 223 may be set in a request message to indicate that a loose path is acceptable or may be cleared to indicate that a path comprising exclusively strict hops is required . on the other hand , the o flag 223 may be set in a reply message to indicate that the computed path is loose or may be cleared to indicate that the computed path comprises strict hops . the b flag 224 may be set to indicate that a path computation request relates to at least one bidirectional p2p te lsp or s2l sub - lsp , which may have the same te requirements in each direction , such as fate sharing , protection and restoration , lsrs , te links , resource requirements ( e . g ., latency and jitter ), etc . otherwise , the b flag 224 may be cleared to indicate that the lsp is unidirectional . the r flag 225 may be set to indicate that a computation request relates to re - optimizing an existing path or branch . the p flags 226 may be used to specify a recommended request priority . for instance , the p flags 226 may have a value from about one to about seven , which may be set locally at the pcc . alternatively , the p flags 226 may be set to zero when the request priority is not specified . the request - id - number 230 may be combined with the source ip address of the pcc or the pce network address to identify the path computation request context . the request - id - number may be changed or incremented each time a new request is sent to the pce . the network components described above may be implemented on any general - purpose network component , such as a computer or network component with sufficient processing power , memory resources , and network throughput capability to handle the necessary workload placed upon it . fig3 illustrates a typical , general - purpose network component 300 suitable for implementing one or more embodiments of the components disclosed herein . the network component 300 includes a processor 302 ( which may be referred to as a central processor unit or cpu ) that is in communication with memory devices including secondary storage 304 , read only memory ( rom ) 306 , random access memory ( ram ) 308 , input / output ( i / o ) devices 310 , and network connectivity devices 312 . the processor 302 may be implemented as one or more cpu chips , or may be part of one or more application specific integrated circuits ( asics ). the secondary storage 304 is typically comprised of one or more disk drives or erasable programmable rom ( eprom ) and is used for non - volatile storage of data . secondary storage 304 may be used to store programs that are loaded into ram 308 when such programs are selected for execution . the rom 306 is used to store instructions and perhaps data that are read during program execution . rom 306 is a non - volatile memory device that typically has a small memory capacity relative to the larger memory capacity of secondary storage 304 . the ram 308 is used to store volatile data and perhaps to store instructions . access to both rom 306 and ram 308 is typically faster than to secondary storage 304 . at least one embodiment is disclosed and variations , combinations , and / or modifications of the embodiment ( s ) and / or features of the embodiment ( s ) made by a person having ordinary skill in the art are within the scope of the disclosure . alternative embodiments that result from combining , integrating , and / or omitting features of the embodiment ( s ) are also within the scope of the disclosure . where numerical ranges or limitations are expressly stated , such express ranges or limitations should be understood to include iterative ranges or limitations of like magnitude falling within the expressly stated ranges or limitations ( e . g ., from about 1 to about 10 includes , 2 , 3 , 4 , etc . ; greater than 0 . 10 includes 0 . 11 , 0 . 12 , 0 . 13 , etc .). for example , whenever a numerical range with a lower limit , r l , and an upper limit , r u , is disclosed , any number falling within the range is specifically disclosed . in particular , the following numbers within the range are specifically disclosed : r = r l + k *( r u − r l ), wherein k is a variable ranging from 1 percent to 100 percent with a 1 percent increment , i . e ., k is 1 percent , 2 percent , 3 percent , 4 percent , 5 percent , . . . 50 percent , 51 percent , 52 percent , . . . , 95 percent , 96 percent , 97 percent , 98 percent , 99 percent , or 100 percent . moreover , any numerical range defined by two r numbers as defined in the above is also specifically disclosed . use of the term “ optionally ” with respect to any element of a claim means that the element is required , or alternatively , the element is not required , both alternatives being within the scope of the claim . use of broader terms such as comprises , includes , and having should be understood to provide support for narrower terms such as consisting of , consisting essentially of , and comprised substantially of . accordingly , the scope of protection is not limited by the description set out above but is defined by the claims that follow , that scope including all equivalents of the subject matter of the claims . each and every claim is incorporated as further disclosure into the specification and the claims are embodiment ( s ) of the present disclosure . the discussion of a reference in the disclosure is not an admission that it is prior art , especially any reference that has a publication date after the priority date of this application . the disclosure of all patents , patent applications , and publications cited in the disclosure are hereby incorporated by reference , to the extent that they provide exemplary , procedural , or other details supplementary to the disclosure . while several embodiments have been provided in the present disclosure , it should be understood that the disclosed systems and methods might be embodied in many other specific forms without departing from the spirit or scope of the present disclosure . the present examples are to be considered as illustrative and not restrictive , and the intention is not to be limited to the details given herein . for example , the various elements or components may be combined or integrated in another system or certain features may be omitted , or not implemented . in addition , techniques , systems , subsystems , and methods described and illustrated in the various embodiments as discrete or separate may be combined or integrated with other systems , modules , techniques , or methods without departing from the scope of the present disclosure . other items shown or discussed as coupled or directly coupled or communicating with each other may be indirectly coupled or communicating through some interface , device , or intermediate component whether electrically , mechanically , or otherwise . other examples of changes , substitutions , and alterations are ascertainable by one skilled in the art and could be made without departing from the spirit and scope disclosed herein .	7
described herein are systems , circuits , and methods for obtaining power from a power generator . a power generator may be , for example , a wind turbine , a fuel cell , or a photovoltaic cell . the power generator may be a distributed power generator . whereas embodiments of the systems , circuits , and methods are described herein primarily with respect to photovoltaic cells , it will be appreciated that the systems , circuits , and methods are not limited thereto . the systems , circuits , and methods described herein may be used in a micro - inverter for a power generator . as used herein , the term “ micro - inverter ” refers to a device that interfaces a power generator with a load , such as a power distribution grid . a system including a micro - inverter is shown in the generalized block diagram of fig1 ( a ). the micro - inverter 20 receives power from a power generator 10 , and outputs power to a load 30 . the micro - inverter 20 may include a power section 200 that may perform one or more functions , such as , for example , dc - dc conversion , dc to ac conversion , or a combination thereof . the micro - inverter may include a control section 300 that may perform one or more functions such as , for example , maximum power point tracking of the power generator , and / or providing gating signals to the power section 200 . the gating signals may be determined by sensing the power generator voltage and / or current , and / or the load voltage and / or current . the generalized block diagram of fig1 ( b ) shows an embodiment of a micro - inverter that includes a power converter section 210 ( e . g ., dc - dc converter ) that receives power from the power generator 10 , and an inverter section 220 that receives power from the converter section 210 and produces output power . the output power may optionally be conditioned ( e . g . filtered ) 250 to be compatible with the load 30 ( e . g ., a power distribution grid ). one or more passive component ( e . g ., a capacitor and / or an inductor ) may optionally be employed at the power converter section 210 input and / or between the power converter section 210 and the inverter section 220 ( i . e ., at 230 and 240 , respectively ). a filter 250 may optionally be employed at the inverter section 220 output . a first controller 310 may sense the power generator voltage and / or current and produce gating signals for switches of the power converter section 210 . the first controller may perform maximum power point tracking . a second controller 320 may sense the voltage and / or current delivered to the load and produce gating signals for switches of the inverter section 220 . a micro - inverter as described herein increases the overall efficiency of the power generator under different circumstances and conditions . for example , in the case of a pv cell or a pv cell string that forms a pv module , partial shadowing of the pv cell or mismatches between pv cells can degrade the overall efficiency of the system . however , use of a micro - inverter for each pv cell , or for each pv cell string or module , permits independent control and power extraction from each pv cell or pv cell string or module , maximizing efficiency of the system despite varying conditions of individual pv cells , strings , or modules . a micro - inverter as described herein is compact , so as to be attached to a power generator ( e . g ., to the back of a pv cell ). since micro - inverters are exposed to a wide range of environmental conditions , such as extremes of temperature and humidity , reliability and maintenance are major issues . this exposure also adversely affects the life expectancy and performance of the inverter . these factors demand robust design and construction , and may require more expensive components that lead to a higher manufacturing cost . consequently , challenges in the design of a micro - inverter are achieving compactness and low cost , e . g ., by reducing the number and size of circuit components . advantageously , a micro - inverter as described herein does not require costly high voltage components and wiring . the controller system may be implemented in whole or in part using discrete components , using digital technology ( e . g ., in a digital signal processor ( dsp ), field programmable gate array ( fpga ), or application specific integrated circuit ( asic ) device ), or using a combination thereof . for example , one or more components of the controller may be implemented in an algorithm using a suitable hardware language such as , for example , very high speed integrated circuit ( vhsic ) hardware descriptive language ( vhdl ), register transfer language ( rtl ), or verilog . such an algorithm may be implemented in , for example , a fpga or asic device , or other suitable logic device . use of digital technology provides a controller that is compact and robust . a micro - inverter as described herein may include maximum power point tracking ( mppt ). as a result , mppt may be performed on each power generator independently . a challenge in using pv cells is presented by their nonlinear current - voltage ( i - v ) characteristics , which result in a unique maximum power point ( mpp ) on the power - voltage ( p - v ) curve , as shown in fig2 ( a ) and ( b ). thus , in the case of pv cells , where partial shading cannot be avoided , mppt allows the maximum power to be extracted from each pv cell for any instantaneous condition . mppt removes any mismatch losses between pv cells in the system . further , micro - inverters as described herein provide modularity to distributed power generators , allowing a “ plug and play ” approach to their use in a distributed power generation system . as used herein , the terms “ maximum power point tracking ( mppt )” and “ maximum power point tracker ( mpp tracker )” are distinct . “ mppt ” refers to an algorithm and “ mpp tracker ” refers to hardware ( i . e ., a circuit ). the mppt calculates the optimum operating point for a power generator , and provides a reference point for mpp tracker to steer the system toward the optimum operating point . as used herein , the term “ photovoltaic cell ” refers to any cell having a light absorbing material to absorb photons and generate electrons via a photoelectric effect . a non - limiting example of a photovoltaic cell is a solar cell . the light absorbing material may absorb light in any wavelength or combination of wavelengths , including , for example , wavelengths of solar light that reach the earth &# 39 ; s surface , and / or wavelengths of solar light beyond the earth &# 39 ; s atmosphere . two or more light absorbing materials having specific wavelengths of light absorption may be used in combination to take advantage of different light absorption and charge separation mechanisms . the light absorbing material may be configured as , for example , bulk material , thin - film ( e . g ., inorganic layers , organic dyes , and organic polymers ), and / or nanocrystals . the photovoltaic cells may be combined into arrays , strings , modules , or panels . as used herein , the term “ photovoltaic cell string ” refers to a plurality of photovoltaic cells connected together in a series , parallel , series - parallel , or other configuration . a pv cell string may form a pv cell module . maximum power point tracking as described here may be used with any converter , such as , for example , a resonant - mode converter , a voltage source converter , a current source converter , etc . exemplary embodiments of a mpp tracker and a mppt scheme are shown in fig3 ( a ) and 3 ( b ). in the following description , the embodiment shown in fig3 ( a ) is described with reference to the exemplary waveforms at different operating points shown in fig4 ( a ) to ( d ). operation of the embodiment shown in fig3 ( b ) will be readily apparent to one or ordinary skill in the art based on the principle of operation described below . referring to fig3 ( a ) and 4 ( a ) to ( d ), the principle of operation may be explained as follows , using a pv cell as an example of a power generator 10 . in this embodiment an input capacitor c 1 is provided at the input of the dc - dc converter section 210 . when the dc - dc converter 210 switches are in positions such that the converter does not draw power from the pv cell , the pv cell will charge the input capacitor c 1 . as shown in fig4 ( c ), if the average pv cell voltage at the operating point is much lower than the maximum power point ( mpp ), the power curve has the same slope as the voltage ( the opposite condition is shown in fig4 ( a )). however , as shown in fig4 ( b ) and ( d ), for the case where the pv cell voltage is increasing , the pv cell power increases and then decreases , and passes through the mpp . therefore , as shown in fig4 ( d ), if the control strategy forces the pv cell to satisfy p pv ( t 1 )= p pv ( t 2 ), the mpp will always be tracked . sampling of the pv cell voltage and current may be performed such that from t 1 to t 2 the voltage of the pv cell increases . similarly for fig3 ( b ), sampling of the pv cell voltage and current may be performed such that the current of the pv cell increases from t 1 to t 2 . sampling is controlled by a timing circuit as described below . the embodiment of the control section 310 shown in fig3 ( a ) or ( b ) includes closed - loop feedback control . for example , control may be implemented by a proportional - integral ( pi ) controller 371 as shown in the figures . as noted above , all or part of the control section may be implemented in analog and / or digital ( hardware / software ) platforms . for example , an algorithm in a digital implementation may include the pi controller . in the embodiment shown in fig3 ( a ) or ( b ) the pv cell instantaneous voltage and current are sampled , and the instantaneous power from the pv cell p in is determined at 321 . using two delay and sample blocks 341 , 361 , the instantaneous power p in from the pv cell is sampled at two switching instances ( t 1 and t 2 ) where the voltage increases monotonically . the sampling times are controlled by a timing circuit 351 . the difference of these two power values , ( p in ( t 1 ) and p in ( t 2 )) is determined at 381 , and gives a correct direction towards the mpp . that is , if the difference is negative , the pi controller 371 increases the set point v pv ref to a point where the two values ( p pv ( t 1 ) and p pv ( t 2 )) are equal , and vice versa ( i . e ., if the difference is positive , the pi controller 371 decreases the set point v pv ref to a point where the two values ( p pv ( t 1 ) and p pv ( t 2 )) are equal ). the objective is to make this difference zero . a control and timing block 391 produces gating signals for the switches of the converter 210 . the control and timing block 391 may also provide power decoupling . increasing or decreasing the set point v pv ref is performed while minimizing or avoiding any possible oscillations and within a short time interval . it will be appreciated that the method provides a very fast response time and does not use trial and error or any logical / relational operations , and thereby avoids misleading results typical of prior methods . it is noted that the embodiments described herein permit the use of a small value of c 1 . the resulting short charge / discharge times of the capacitor facilitate very fast maximum power point tracking . the embodiments of fig3 ( a ) and ( b ) may be used substantially as shown or with other circuitry to produce a dc output power for use with a dc load or a dc power distribution system . the embodiments of fig3 ( a ) and ( b ) may also be used with further circuitry such as an inverter circuit and suitable rectifier / filter circuits ( i . e ., one or more of sections 220 , 240 , 250 , and 320 of fig1 ( b )) to produce ac output power ( e . g ., 50 or 60 hz ) for use with an ac load or injected into a power distribution grid . in some cases a pv cell characteristic may have more than one maximum power point . depending on the starting point of the algorithm , this may lead to a situation in which a power point tracking method , such as described herein , gets trapped in local maximum power points . to avoid such a situation , the method may include sweeping the voltage of the pv cell for the range of mpps , determining a global maximum power point , and setting the starting point as close as possible to the global maximum power point . this ensures that the mppt algorithm will always track the global maximum power point . the interval at which the voltage range of the pv cell is swept may be programmable and may depend on factors such as the pv cell / module configuration . since the sweep can be performed very fast , and this situation normally does not happen often , the search for a global maximum power point does not affect the overall efficiency of the system . it is worth mentioning that such a condition is not specific to the method described herein ; rather , any mppt algorithm may be similarly affected . the following non - limiting example is provided to further illustrate the invention . an analogue simulation of the mpp tracker and mppt control scheme shown in fig3 ( a ) was carried out for a pv cell , using the pv cell model in psim ™ version 9 ( powersim inc ., woburn , mass .). irradiation was varied using a step change and a sinusoidal change at 20 hz . fig5 ( a )-( c ) shows the simulation results at the different irradiation levels . from fig5 ( c ) it can be seen that for very fast changing irradiation ( the step change ) the error was maintained at a very low level . this improves the overall efficiency of the system . the contents of all references cited herein are hereby expressly incorporated by reference . those skilled in the art will recognize or be able to ascertain variants of the embodiments described herein . such variants are within the scope of the invention and are covered by the appended claims .	8
referring to fig1 and 2 , a system for testing wireless connection function of a mobile phone , in accordance with an embodiment , includes an access point 10 which is connected to the internet , and a mobile phone 50 which needs to be tested . the mobile phone 50 includes a wireless module 51 ( such as a wifi module ), a control module 53 , and a screen 54 . the control module 53 is capable of turning on or off the wireless module 51 . referring to fig2 , a test parameter input interface on the screen 54 is shown to input test parameters in the control module 53 . the test parameters may include names of the access points , websites , and a test count . the test parameters can be set in different patterns . for example , in a first pattern , set an access point , such as “ ap 1 ”, set a website , such as “ www . 1 . com ”, and set a test count , such as five times . therefore , in test , the mobile phone 50 connects to the access point ap 1 , and then accesses the website “ www . 1 . com ”. the above test steps are repeated five times . in a second pattern , set a plurality of access points , such as “ ap 1 ”, “ ap 2 ”, “ ap 3 ”, set a website , such as “ www . 1 . com ”, and do not set a test count . therefore , in test , the mobile phone 50 in turn connects to each of the plurality of access points , and accesses the website “ www . 1 . com ” through each of the access points . in a third pattern , set an access point , such as “ ap 1 ”, a plurality of websites , such as “ www . 1 . com ”, “ www . 2 . com ”, “ www . 3 . com ”; and do not set test count . therefore , in test , the mobile phone 50 connects to the access point ap 1 for a plurality of times , and accesses a different website each time connected to the access point ap 1 . referring to fig3 , a method for testing a wireless connection function of the mobile phone 50 , is shown as follows : in step 301 , the control module 53 of the mobile phone 50 turns on the wireless module 51 ; then go to step 302 . in step 302 , the wireless module 51 searches for access points ; then go to step 303 . in step 303 , check if all of the access points listed in the test parameters are found ; if all of the access points are not found , go to step 304 ; if all of the access points are found , go to step 305 . in step 305 , check the pattern of the test parameters being set ; if the parameters are set in the first pattern , go to a first test mode of step 306 ; if the parameters are set in the second pattern , go to a first test mode of step 307 ; if the parameters are set in the third pattern , go to a third test mode of step 308 . referring to fig4 , detail steps of the step 306 are shown as follows : in step 601 , the wireless module 51 connects to the access point listed in the test parameters ; then go to step 602 . in step 602 , check if the connection between the wireless module 51 and the access point is good ; if it is , go to step 603 ; if it is not , go to step 304 , and the mobile phone 50 fails test . in step 603 , the mobile phone 50 accesses the website listed in the test parameters via the wireless module 51 and the access point ; then go to 604 . in step 604 , check if the mobile phone 50 successfully accesses the website ; if it does , go to step 605 ; if it does not , go to step 304 , and the mobile phone 50 fails . in step 605 , a counter , whose initial count is zero , is incremented by one ; then go to step 606 . in step 606 , check if the count of the counter is the same as the test count listed in the test parameters ; if it is , go to step 608 ; if it is not , go to step 607 . in step 607 , the connection between the wireless module 51 and the access point is cut off ; then go back to step 601 . in step 608 , the mobile phone 50 passes the test , and the count of the counter is reset to zero . referring to fig5 , detail steps of the step 307 are shown as follows : in step 701 , the wireless module 51 connects to the first access point listed in the test parameters ; then go to step 702 . in step 702 , check if the connection between the wireless module 51 and the access point is good ; if it is , go to step 703 ; if it is not , go to step 304 , and the mobile phone 50 fails . in step 703 , the mobile phone 50 accesses the website listed in the test parameters via the wireless module 51 and the access point ; then go to 704 . in step 704 , check if the mobile phone 50 successfully accesses the website ; if it does , go to step 705 ; if it does not , go to step 304 , and the mobile phone 50 fails . in step 705 , check if the access point is the last access point in the test parameters ; if it is not , go to step 706 ; if it is , go to step 707 . in step 706 , the connection between the wireless module 51 and the access point is cut off ; then go back to step 601 , and connect to next access point . in step 707 , the mobile phone 50 passes the test . referring to fig6 , detail steps of the step 307 are shown as follows : in step 801 , the wireless module 51 connects to the access point listed in the test parameters ; then go to step 802 . in step 802 , check if the connection between the wireless module 51 and the access point is good ; if it is , go to step 803 ; if it is not , go to step 304 , and the mobile phone 50 fails . in step 803 , the mobile phone 50 accesses to the first website listed in the test parameters via the wireless module 51 and the access point ; then go to 804 . in step 804 , check if the mobile phone 50 successfully accesses the website ; if it does , go to step 805 ; if it does not , go to step 304 , and the mobile phone 50 fails . in step 805 , check if the web network is the last web network in the test parameters ; if it is not , go to step 806 ; if it is , go to step 807 . in step 806 , the connection between the wireless module 51 and the access point is cut off ; then go back to step 801 , and connect to the access point again to access the next website . in step 807 , the mobile phone 50 passes the test . it is to be understood , however , that even though numerous characteristics and advantages of the embodiments have been set forth in the foregoing description , together with details of the structure and function of the embodiments , 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 present disclosure to the full extent indicated by the broad general meaning of the terms in which the appended claims are expressed . it is also to be understood that the above description and the claims drawn to a method may include some indication in reference to certain steps . however , the indication used is only to be viewed for identification purposes and not as a suggestion as to an order for the steps .	7
fig1 illustrates an electric vehicle 10 ( such as a shuttle car ) useful in hauling material in underground mines . the shuttle car 10 includes a vehicle frame 14 , an electrical motor 18 supported on the frame 14 , and a cable 22 , which is electrically connected to the motor 18 and configured to be connected to a power source 19 . the shuttle car 10 further includes a cable reel 26 on the frame 14 between the electric motor 18 and one end of the frame 14 . in the illustrated embodiment , the reel 26 is located near a front 30 of the shuttle car 10 , that is a rear portion of the vehicle frame 14 , and is rotatable about an axis . as the shuttle car 10 moves ( e . g ., backwards , forwards , and around corners , toward to or away from the power source ), the cable 22 is either wound onto or paid out of the reel compartment 26 . the cable 22 extends from a front 34 of the shuttle car 10 , and , at times , either runs along the side 38 of the shuttle car 10 , when the shuttle car 10 is moving forward or backward , or extends straight back from the shuttle car 10 , when the shuttle car 10 is moving forward or backward ( not shown ). when the shuttle car 10 moves right around a corner , as shown in fig1 , the cable 22 runs along either the front 34 or the side 38 of the shuttle car 10 . the shuttle car 10 further includes a cable guide or spooling device 42 positioned between the reel 26 and the rear 34 of the shuttle car 10 . however , the cable guide 42 could be positioned at other points along the shuttle car as well . a sheave bracket assembly 46 is hinged to the right front 30 of the shuttle car 10 at joint 47 to allow the sheave bracket assembly 46 to swing relative to the right front 30 of the shuttle car 10 . as shown in fig2 - 3 , the sheave bracket assembly 46 includes a lower mounting plate 50 , and two spaced apart sheaves 54 and 58 rotatably mounted on the lower mounting plate 50 . with continued reference to fig1 , the cable 22 extends from the cable reel 26 through the cable guide 42 , and then between the sheaves 54 , 58 . in certain applications , the cable 22 may have a length of between 500 and 1000 feet . the cable may be an ac cable or a dc cable . fig1 - 3 illustrate the swinging sheave bracket 46 with a force control mechanism 100 . in the illustrated embodiment , the force control mechanism 100 is a liquid medium type shock or strut element 100 ( hereinafter , “ strut ”). in further embodiments , other types of shock or strut elements may also be used . the strut 100 minimizes the strain in the trailing cable 22 while passing the shuttle car trailing cable tie - off point by dampening or reducing the strain in the cable 22 when the direction of the cable reel 26 is changed . the tie - off point is a point in the mine where the cable is affixed to the wall . the tie - off point may be near the power source 19 or elsewhere along the travel path of the shuttle car 10 . it is at the tie off point where the cable 22 changes direction , which in turns causes a shock on the cable 22 . it is this shock that the strut 100 minimizes . as best shown in fig2 - 3 , the strut 100 has a generally cylindrical shape . a first end 101 of the strut 100 is secured to the right front 30 of the shuttle car 10 near a compartment for the cable reel 26 . a second end 102 , opposite the first end 101 , is secured to the cable sheave bracket 46 . as discussed above , motion of the sheave assembly 46 is controlled by the strut 100 . in a first position , shown in fig3 , the strut 100 is in a substantially extended position and the sheave bracket assembly 46 is shown in a retracted position in relation to the right front 30 of the shuttle car 10 forming an obtuse angle ( for example approximately 135 °) with the right front 30 of the shuttle car 10 relative to a side of the sheave assembly 46 adjacent the strut 100 . the strut 100 is configured to be in full extension when the tension in the cable 22 is light . as the cable tension increases at a regular rate to a certain point , the strut 100 begins to contract into a second position , shown in fig2 , in which the sheave bracket assembly 46 pivots with respect to the shuttle car 10 and extends substantially perpendicular to the right front 30 of the shuttle car 10 . movement of the sheave bracket assembly 46 results in increased cable tension at a substantially reduced rate until the strut 100 is fully contracted . at this time , cable tension increases at a regular rate . this configuration provides a “ virtual ” cable lengthening effect , meaning the overall distance covered by the cable 22 lengthens as the strut 100 compresses ( or the distance decreases as the strut 100 extends ) due to the geometry of the linkage of the bracket assembly 46 . fig4 - 5 illustrate a sheave bracket 146 with a roller guide swing arm assembly 210 with a force control mechanism 200 according to another embodiment of the invention . the combination of sheave bracket 146 , roller guide assembly 210 , and cable guide arm 147 shown in fig4 - 5 reduces strain in cable 22 similar to the sheave bracket 46 shown in fig1 - 3 . the differences will be discussed below and like structure will be given the same reference number plus “ 100 .” the force control mechanism 200 is connected to the right front 30 of the shuttle car 10 and includes a second end 202 of the strut 200 that is fixed to a roller guide swing arm assembly 210 . the swing arm assembly 210 includes a roller guide 211 and swing arm 212 . the roller guide 211 includes a top plate 215 , a bottom plate 216 , and a sheave 217 therebetween . in the sheave bracket 146 , one end of the swing arm 212 is hinged to the right front 30 of the shuttle car 10 and the other end of the swing arm 212 is fixed to the roller guide 211 . one end 201 of the strut 200 is hinged to the right front 30 of the shuttle car 10 and the other end 202 of the strut 200 is fixed to the swing arm 212 . thus , the cable 22 extending from the cable reel 26 passes through the assembly 210 before entering the sheave bracket assembly 146 and cable guide arm 147 . during operation , the sheave bracket 146 functions similarly to the sheave bracket 46 , except that the additional assembly 210 in fig4 - 5 provides the cable 22 with additional force control . although the invention has been described in detail with reference to certain preferred embodiments , variations and modifications exist within the scope and spirit of one or more independent aspects of the invention as described . various features and advantages of the invention are set forth in the following claims .	4
[ 0007 ] fig1 shows the preferred embodiment of the flow control / shock absorbing seal 1 . a flow control / shock absorbing seal 1 is inserted in one end 4 of a long slender cylindrical container that can be opened from the end 5 with the liquid 2 . the container is partially filled with the desired liquid 2 such as medications , mouthwash , mint , or any other chemicals . the flow control / shock absorbing seal 1 is inserted at one end 4 of the container enclosing the liquid 2 . a predetermined air chamber 3 is maintained on the end 4 of the container with the flow control / shock absorbing seal 1 separated from the liquid 2 by the flow control / shock absorbing seal 1 . the container is sealed on both ends 4 , 5 so that no leakage of the liquid 2 is possible . the container can be broken open at predetermined location 6 in the liquid 2 portion of the container at the scoring placed outside perimeter of the container at the predetermined location 6 . during transportation , the flow control / shock absorbing seal 1 will resist movement of the liquid 2 and dampen any shock it may experience by transferring the pressure to the air in the air chamber 3 and dissipate the pressure and maintain containment of the liquid 2 . when the liquid 2 is to be release from the container , it is broken open at the predetermined locations 6 determined by the scorings on the container . once the container is opened , the liquid 2 may be sucked out of the container by the vacuum created by the end user &# 39 ; s mouth placed at the , open end 5 of the container . the container may also be sealed in an environment with above normal air pressure which will create a pressurized air chamber 3 . the liquid 2 is incompressible . the air in the air chamber 3 will be pressurized to the same pressure as the pressurized environment it was sealed in . the flow control / shock absorbing seal 1 will maintain the separation of the air chamber 3 and the liquid 2 . the flow control / shock absorbing seal 1 will also dampen the shocks experienced during transportation by transferring the pressure to the air in the air chambers 3 . the container is sealed on both ends 4 , 5 so that no leakage of the liquid 2 is possible . the container can break open at predetermined location 6 in the liquid 2 portion of the container by scoring the outside perimeter of the container at the predetermined location 6 . during transportation , the flow control / shock absorbing seal 1 will resist movement of the liquid 2 and dampen any shock it may experience by transferring the pressure to the air in the air chamber 3 and dissipate the pressure and maintain containment of the liquid 2 . when the liquid 2 is to be release from the container , it is broken open at the predetermined location 6 determined by the scorings on the container . once the container is opened , the liquid 2 will be forced out of the container by the air pressure in the air chamber 3 at a rate determined by the air pressure and the viscosity and the length of the flow control / shock absorbing seal 1 . a higher viscosity and / or longer flow control / shock absorbing seal 1 will allow the liquid 2 to flow out of the container after a predetermined delay and at a slow controlled speed . a lower viscosity and / or shorter flow control / shock absorbing seal 1 will allow the liquid 2 to flow out of the container almost immediately and at a rapid speed . the amount of liquid 2 to be release can be determined by breaking the end 5 of the container containing the liquid 2 at predetermined location 6 . the end 5 containing the liquid 2 that breaks off from the container will retain the liquid 2 within it since it is sealed on one end 5 and atmospheric air pressure will prevent the liquid 2 contained within it from being released . [ 0011 ] fig2 shows another embodiment of the flow control / shock absorbing seal 1 , 11 . a flow control / shock absorbing seal 1 , 11 is inserted in each end 4 , 5 of a container that can be opened from both ends 4 , 5 . the container is partially filled with the desired liquid 2 such as medications , mouthwash , mint , or any other chemicals . the two flow control / shock absorbing seals 1 , 11 are inserted at both ends 4 , 5 of the container enclosing the liquid 2 . a predetermined air chamber 7 , 8 is maintained on both ends 4 , 5 of the container separated from the liquid 2 by the flow control / shock absorbing seals 1 , 11 . the container is sealed on both ends 4 , 5 so that no leakage of the liquid 2 is possible . the container can break open at predetermined locations 9 , 10 in the air chambers 7 , 8 at the scoring placed at the outside perimeter of the container at the predetermined locations 9 , 10 . during transportation , the flow control / shock absorbing seals 1 , 11 will resist movement of the liquid 2 and dampen any shock it may experience by transferring the pressure to the air in the air chambers 7 , 8 and dissipate the pressure and maintain containment of the liquid 2 . when the liquid 2 is to be release from the container , it is broken open at the predetermined locations 9 , 10 determined by the scorings on the container . once both end of the container are opened , the liquid 2 will flow out of the container at a rate determined by the viscosity and the length of the flow control / shock absorbing seals 1 , 11 . a higher viscosity and / or longer flow control / shock absorbing seal 1 , 11 will allow the liquid 2 to flow out of the container after a predetermined delay and at a slow controlled speed . a lower viscosity and / or shorter flow control / shock absorbing seal 1 , 11 will allow the liquid 2 to flow out of the container almost immediately and at a rapid speed . no liquid 2 is wasted or leaked since the openings are at the air chambers 7 , 8 and the flow control / shock absorbing seals 1 , 11 will contain the liquid 2 in the container until the container is opened at both ends 4 , 5 and the weight of the liquid 2 forces its way through the flow control / shock absorbing seal 1 or 11 . the container may be sealed in an environment with above normal air pressure which will create pressurized air chambers 7 , 8 . the liquid 2 is incompressible . the air in the air chambers 7 , 8 will be pressurized to the same pressure as the pressurized environment it was sealed in . since there are air chambers 7 , 8 in both ends 4 , 5 of the container , the liquid 2 will maintain its position in the middle of the container . the flow control / shock absorbing seals 1 , 11 will maintain the separation of the air chamber 7 , 8 and the liquid 2 . the flow control / shock absorbing seals 1 , 11 will also dampen the shocks experienced during transportation by transferring the pressure to the air in the air chambers 7 , 8 . when the liquid 2 is to be release from the container , either end 4 or 5 of the container may be broken open . once the container is open , the air pressure in the air chamber 7 or 8 at the unopened end of the container will force the liquid 2 out of the container at a predetermined rate after a predetermined delay . the liquid 2 will flow out of the container at a rate determined by the viscosity and the length of the flow control / shock absorbing seals 1 , 11 . a higher viscosity and / or longer flow control / shock absorbing seal 1 , 11 will allow the liquid 2 to flow out of the container after a predetermined delay and at a slow controlled speed . a lower viscosity and / or shorter flow control / shock absorbing seal 1 , 11 will allow the liquid 2 to flow out of the container almost immediately and at a rapid speed . no liquid 2 is wasted or leaked since the opening is at the air chamber 7 or 8 and the flow control / shock absorbing seals 1 , 11 will contain the liquid 2 in the container until the container is opened . [ 0015 ] fig3 shows another embodiment of the flow control / shock absorbing seal 12 . a flow control / shock absorbing seal 12 is inserted in the container that can be opened from both ends 4 , 5 . a predetermined air chamber 13 , 14 is maintained on both ends 4 , 5 of the container separated by the flow control / shock absorbing seal 12 . the container is sealed in a partial vacuum or negative pressure environment on both ends 4 , 5 . after the container is sealed on both ends 4 , 5 , the air chambers 13 , 14 will have a partial vacuum or negative pressure . the container can be broken open at predetermined locations 15 , 16 in the air chambers 13 , 14 at the scoring placed at the outside perimeter of the container at the predetermined locations 15 , 16 . the resulting container may be used to collect liquid samples easily . to use the container to collect liquid samples such as saliva or other body fluids for medical examinations , the container is broken open at one of the predetermined locations 15 determined by the scorings on the container and placed in contact with the liquid to be collected thereby sealing the opened end 4 . once the container is opened at one end 4 , the vacuum in the air chamber 14 in the other end 5 of the container would slowly move the flow control / shock absorbing seal 12 toward the still closed end 5 after a predetermined delay which would allow sufficient time to place the container in contact with the liquid to be collected . the movement of the flow control / shock absorbing seal 12 would create a vacuum at the opened end 4 of the container and thereby suck the liquid into the container and retain it in the container . when the collected liquid is to be released from the container , the other still closed end 5 is broken open at the predetermined location 16 , allowing air to enter the air chamber 14 thereby balancing the partial vacuum or negative pressure in the air chamber 14 . when atmospheric air enters the air chamber 14 , the collected liquid will then be slowly released after a predetermined delay . the collected liquid will flow into and out of the container at a rate determined by the viscosity and the length of the flow control / shock absorbing seal 12 . a higher viscosity and / or longer flow control / shock absorbing seal 12 will allow the collected liquid to flow into and out of the container after a predetermined delay and at a slow controlled speed . a lower viscosity and / or shorter flow control / shock absorbing seal 12 will allow the collected liquid to flow into and out of the container almost immediately and at a rapid speed .	1

Subsets and Splits

No saved queries yet

Save your SQL queries to embed, download, and access them later. Queries will appear here once saved.