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fig1 is a block diagram of a prior art privacy management system . a calling party 1 calls a called party 2 . the privacy management system is involved primarily for cases in which the caller has suppressed the transmission of his / her identity to the called party . the calling party is connected to an originating switch 5 which accesses a switching network 7 in order to access an advanced intelligent network ( ain ) enabled terminating switch 9 . this terminating switch , in response to receipt of the called number and in the absence of receipt of a calling number identification , checks its database to determine whether an access to a privacy management application server 11 responsible for privacy management functions should be accessed . if so , the terminating switch 9 queries the privacy management application server 11 . if the called customer has privacy management service and the calling number is private , i . e ., not provided to the called party , then the privacy management application server 11 returns a response to terminating switch 9 requesting that the call be routed to a privacy management service node 15 . the call is so routed over switching network 13 and the privacy management service node 15 then asks the caller to speak his / her name so that the called party can subsequently make a decision whether or not to accept the call . after the called party has provided his / her name the privacy management service node 15 is connected through switching network 13 to the called party 2 . the called party is then informed that a call has been received from a caller identified by the spoken name . the called party can then signal to accept the call or reject the call . if the called party signals to accept the call then a connection is made from the calling party via terminating switch 9 to the called party . fig2 includes all the elements of fig1 with the addition of a personal call portal 17 connected to the privacy management application server and the privacy management service node . the personal call portal 17 is a database used to store and present ( either by visual or audio means ) information about calls to called parties who have subscribed to an appropriate service . when the privacy management service node receives the spoken name of a call , the privacy management service node transmits this spoken name as a digitized file to the personal call portal . the called party 2 can then access the personal call portal to retrieve information about either all calls or calls which were received while the called party was unavailable or all calls which were blocked because of the absence of a caller identification . the called party can access data in the personal call portal either through the network via the privacy management service node or ( not shown ) via the internet . if the called party either only has a simple plain old telephone service ( pots ) telephone station , then the called party can access data in the personal call portal 17 if that personal call portal has a telephony interface as well as a data interface . in that case , switching network 13 would have a voice connection to a voice port on the personal call portal . more generally , if for any reason , such as a received calling number not matching one of a group of acceptable numbers , a call is first routed to a system for recording a spoken utterance , and the call is subsequently routed to a voice mail system , the recorded utterance is stored in the voice mail system and is available for subsequent retrieval by the called party . advantageously , this permits the called party to screen recorded incoming calls and to discard unwanted calls without listening to them . fig3 is a flow chart illustrating the operation of a prior art privacy management system . a terminating switch such as switch 9 , receives a call setup message , such as the isup initial address message ( iam ), which is missing the calling party number ( action block 301 ). this message is recognized in the terminating switch as a terminating attempt to trigger ( tat ) which asks the terminating switch to obtain instructions from a service control point , in this case , the privacy management application server 11 ( action block 303 ). the terminating switch generates an advanced intelligent network ( ain ) query to the application server ( action block 305 ). the application server determines that the iam did not contain a calling party number and sends instructions to the terminating switch to reroute the call to a privacy management service node ( action block 307 ). the terminating switch routes the call to a privacy management service node such as node 15 ( action block 309 ). the privacy management service node plays an announcement , such as “ please say your name ” to the calling party and records the caller &# 39 ; s response ( action block 311 ). the privacy management service node then initiates a call to the subscriber &# 39 ; s telephone number as originally received in the initial address message ( action block 313 ). at the terminating switch , the same trigger is recognized for this call to the called party ( action block 315 ). the terminating switch generates an advanced intelligent network ain ) query to the privacy management application server ( action block 317 ). the application server determines that for this connection the calling number is that of the privacy management service node and sends instructions to deliver the call to the called party ( action block 319 ). the called party &# 39 ; s telephone rings and if the called party picks up he / she hears “ call from ” followed by the recorded name announcement ( action block 321 ). the subscriber can then accept the call or reject it by sending a signal , such as a dual tone multifrequency ( dtmf ) key signal , to the service node to initiate actions for accepting the call by completing it or rejecting it by returning some appropriate announcement to the calling party ( action block 323 ). fig4 is a flow diagram illustrating the operation of enhanced privacy management . the steps 401 - 417 are the same as the steps 301 - 317 of the prior art . after step 417 , the application server determines that the privacy management service node is the calling number and sends instructions to deliver the call plus a next event list instruction for a busy or no answer condition ( action block 419 ). ( in case of answer the actions of steps 319 , 321 and 323 ( not shown here ) are executed ). the terminating customer &# 39 ; s telephone rings but the terminating customer is not available to answer or the telephone is busy ( action block 421 ). the next event list in the terminating switch fires for the no answer condition ( action block 423 ). the terminating switch generates an ain response ( action block 425 ). the application server which received the query notifies a personal call portal unit that an undelivered privacy management call is available ( action block 427 ). the personal call portal retrieves the recorded file containing the name from the privacy management service node ( action block 429 ). the personal call portal provides an indication on the subscriber &# 39 ; s personal computer / web interface that caller information is available for that call ( action block 431 ). when called subscriber clicks on that information , the recorded name is played and the subscriber can decide whether or not to return a call to the caller identified by the recorded name . in order to allow a call from a party having a private number to be returned , the private number can be retained along with the spoken utterance . the called party can then signal the switch to call the calling party using this stored private number , in much the same way as automatic callback , without revealing the stored private number to the called party . more generally , if for any reason , such as a received calling number not matching one of a group of acceptable numbers , a call is first routed to a system for recording a spoken utterance , and the call is subsequently routed to a voice mail system , the recorded utterance is stored in the voice mail system and is available for subsequent retrieval by the called party . advantageously , this permits the called party to screen recorded incoming calls and to discard unwanted calls without listening to them . fig5 illustrates the operation obtaining information about non - completed privacy management calls . a called party receives a call missing caller identification ( action block 501 ). the caller supplies his / her name ( action block 503 ). the called party does not answer the call ( action block 505 ). this may be because the called party is unavailable , chooses not to answer , or is busy and does not choose to answer a call waiting call ). the calling party supplies a name recording for storage in the privacy management service node ( action block 507 ). when the system detects that the called party is not answering the call , the recorded name is passed to the personal call portal for storage ( action block 509 ). alternatively , the personal call portal can fetch the name only when the caller retrieves the file of calls . subsequently , the called party may retrieve data about missed calls or even completed calls by accessing the personal call portal either over the internet or , if the personal call portal has a voice interface , over the telephone switching network . the above description is of one preferred embodiment of applicants &# 39 ; invention . other embodiments will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the scope of the invention . the invention is limited only by the attached claims .	7
reference will now be made in detail to the preferred embodiments of the present invention associated with a plasma display panel and a manufacturing method thereof , examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings . wherever possible , the same reference numbers will be used throughout the drawings to refer to the same or like parts . a plasma display panel according to the present invention has a structure in which an upper panel is formed with grooves for exhausting impurities such as hydrogen ( h 2 ) and carbon dioxide ( co 2 ) existing inside discharge spaces . the grooves are formed on a glass substrate of the upper panel or an upper dielectric substance , preferably formed on the surface opposing the discharge spaces . therefore , the impurities existing inside the discharge spaces pass along the grooves and are exhausted outside of the plasma display panel through an exhaust port . fig3 is a view illustrating schematically the top substrate formed with the grooves of the plasma display panel in accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention , and fig4 is a view illustrating mimetically the structure of discharge cells of the plasma display panel formed with the grooves in accordance with the first embodiment of the present invention . hereinafter , the plasma display panel according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to fig3 and 4 . a top substrate 250 of the plasma display panel is formed with one or more grooves 250 a . the grooves 250 a are connected to each other through first channels 250 b , and the first channels 250 b are connected to each other through a second channel 250 c . the grooves 250 a may not be formed on the top substrate 250 but formed on the upper dielectric substance in such a manner that the top substrate 250 is fabricated flat without the grooves and a portion of the upper dielectric substance is depressed to form the grooves 250 a . the grooves 250 a may be formed to a depth of 20 to 1500 μm ( 50 μm for an xga grade ). also , the grooves 250 a may be formed at a width of 70 to 1000 μm ( less than 700 μm , preferably 200 to 400 μm , for an xga grade ). the above width and depth of the grooves can be identically applied to the width and depth of the channels . the first channels 250 b and the second channel 250 c may be formed on the upper dielectric substance . preferably , the first channels 250 b and the second channel 250 c are formed on the top substrate 250 . also , the first channels 250 b and the second channel 250 c may be formed such that the surface of the top substrate 250 or the upper dielectric substance opposing the discharge spaces is depressed in a line type . in this embodiment , if the barrier ribs are shaped in a well type ( not a stripe type ) and form independent discharge cells for each red , green and blue , the grooves 250 a may be formed independently corresponding to the respective discharge cells . the grooves 250 a may be formed as a hexahedral , semispherical , trapezoidal , or parabolic shape . the impurities inside the discharge spaces are stored temporarily in the first channels 250 b and the second channel 250 c , and exhausted outside of the plasma display panel through the first channels 250 b and the second channel 250 c . the grooves 250 a communicate with the exhaust port ( not shown ) through the first channels 250 b and the second channel 250 c . the exhaust port is formed on the upper panel , and may be provided by one or more . the barrier ribs 230 depicted in fig4 have a well - type structure , and scan electrodes 260 y and sustain electrodes 260 z are formed on the top glass substrate correspondingly to the respective red , green and blue discharge cells . when the grooves 250 a , the first channels 250 b , and the second channel 250 c are formed on the top substrate 250 , the scan electrodes 260 y , the sustain electrodes 260 z , the upper dielectric substance , and the protective film are formed on the top substrate 250 in order . because the upper dielectric substance and the protective film are very thin when compared to the grooves 250 a , the first channels 250 b and the second channel 250 c , the grooves and the channels can be formed in substantially the same shape on the top substrate contacting the discharge spaces even after the formation of the upper dielectric substance and the protective film . on the other hand , when the grooves 250 a , the first channels 250 b and the second channel 250 c are formed on the upper dielectric substance , the top substrate 250 is formed at a uniform thickness and then the upper dielectric substance is fabricated at uneven heights so as to form the grooves 250 a , the first channels 250 b , and the second channel 250 c . fig7 is a flow chart illustrating a manufacturing method of the plasma display panel formed with the grooves in accordance with the present invention . referring to fig7 , the manufacturing method of the plasma display panel according to the first embodiment of the present invention will now be described . the upper panel formed with the grooves are fabricated ( s 710 ), and the lower panel formed with the barrier ribs are fabricated ( s 720 ). the upper panel is formed such that the grooves and the first and second channels are formed on the top substrate opposing the discharge regions . the grooves are connected to each other through the first and second channels . when the upper panel and the lower panel formed with the well - type barrier ribs are sealed , it is preferable to divide the grooves respectively and form the respective grooves on the top glass correspondingly to the respective discharge cells . it is preferable to form the grooves and the first and second channels by putting the top glass into a mold before plastic working . in particular , it is preferred that the grooves are formed as a hexahedral , semispherical , trapezoidal , or parabolic shape . thereafter , the scan electrodes , the sustain electrodes , the upper dielectric substance and the protective film are formed in order on the top substrate formed with the grooves and the first and second channels , thereby completing the fabrication of the upper panel of the plasma display panel . it is preferable to form the scan electrodes and the sustain electrodes using an off - set method or a printing method . further , the upper dielectric substance and the protective film may be formed using a sputtering method or an electron beam deposition method . accordingly , the shapes of the grooves and the first and second channels formed on the top substrate can be kept substantially identical . subsequently , the lower panel formed with the barrier ribs and the upper panel fabricated as above are sealed ( s 730 ). preferably , a seal frit is used as a sealing material . the seal frit is applied with plastic and heating workings . thereafter , the impurities are exhausted through the grooves and the channels ( s 740 ). finally , in order to increase an efficiency of the plasma discharge , an inert gas containing helium ( he ), neon ( ne ), or xenon ( xe ) is injected into the discharge cells of the plasma display panel ( s 750 ). remaining processes except for the aforesaid processes are identical to a typical manufacturing method of the plasma display panel . an operational effect of the plasma display panel according to the first embodiment of the present invention and the manufacturing method thereof will now be described . when the sealing process of the upper panel and the lower panel is terminated , the impurities inside the discharge spaces are exhausted through the grooves and the first and second channels , and then the discharge gas can be injected into the discharge cells . the grooves and the first and second channels may be formed on the upper dielectric substance ( not on the top substrate ). in this case , the sustain electrode pairs are formed on the flat top substrate , and a partial layer of the upper dielectric substance layer is formed using an electron beam deposition method or a sputtering method . and , after a taping working , the remaining layer of the upper dielectric substance layer is deposited so as to form the shapes of the grooves and the first and second channels . thereafter , the protective film of mgo is coated on the upper dielectric substance layer formed with the grooves and the first and second channels . fig5 a is a perspective view illustrating schematically a top substrate formed with grooves of a plasma display panel in accordance with a second embodiment of the present invention , fig5 b and 5 c are sectional views seen from the b - side and the a - side in fig5 a , respectively , and fig6 is a sectional view illustrating schematically the plasma display panel formed with the grooves in accordance with the second embodiment of the present invention . this embodiment has a structural feature that grooves 250 d are formed on the upper panel 250 in a line type . it is preferred that the grooves 250 d are disposed in parallel with the stripe - type barrier ribs formed on the lower panel . the grooves 250 d may be formed to a depth of 20 to 1500 μm ( 50 μm for an xga grade ). also , the grooves 250 d may be formed at a width of 70 to 1000 μm ( less than 700 μm , preferably 200 to 400 μm , for an xga grade ). the grooves 250 d may be connected to channels 250 f at both ends , so as to exhaust the impurity gas inside the discharge regions . the width and the depth of the channels 250 f are equal to the width and the depth of the grooves 250 d . the depth h refers to a height difference between a surface 250 e where the grooves 250 d are not formed and the grooves 250 d , and the width w refers to the shortest distance from one of the grooves 250 d to the other one of the grooves 250 d . after the grooves 250 d and the channels 250 f are formed on the top substrate 250 , the scan electrodes 260 y , the sustain electrodes 260 z , the upper dielectric substance 280 , and the protective film 290 are formed on the top substrate 250 in order . accordingly , the grooves 250 d and the channels 250 f are formed in substantially the same shape on the upper panel contacting the discharge spaces . the grooves 250 d are formed on the upper panel opposing the discharge spaces , so as to have a function of forming a passage for exhausting the impurities above the discharge spaces . in this embodiment , if the barrier ribs are formed as a well type , it is preferable to form the grooves 250 d on the upper panel correspondingly to the horizontal ribs . also , the grooves and / or the channels may not be formed on the top substrate 250 but formed on the upper dielectric substance 280 in such a manner that the upper dielectric substance 280 is fabricated at uneven heights . fig7 is the flow chart illustrating the manufacturing method of the plasma display panel formed with the grooves in accordance with the present invention . referring to fig7 , the manufacturing method of the plasma display panel according to the second embodiment of the present invention will now be described . first , the upper panel formed with the grooves are fabricated ( s 710 ), and the lower panel formed with the barrier ribs are fabricated ( s 720 ). the upper panel is fabricated such that the grooves and the channels are formed on the top substrate opposing the discharge regions . the grooves are connected to the channels . when the upper panel and the lower panel formed with the stripe - type barrier ribs are sealed , it is preferable to form the grooves parallel with the respective discharge regions . when the upper panel and the lower panel formed with the well - type barrier ribs are sealed , it is preferable to form the grooves parallel with the horizontal ribs . also , the grooves are connected to the channels at both ends , so that the impurities inside the discharge regions can be exhausted through the exhaust port via the channels . thereafter , the scan electrodes , the sustain electrodes , the upper dielectric substance and the protective film are formed in order on the top glass formed with the grooves and the channels , thereby completing the fabrication of the upper panel of the plasma display panel . it is preferable to form the scan electrodes and the sustain electrodes using an off - set method or a printing method . and , it is preferable to form the upper dielectric substance and the protective film using a sputtering method or an electron beam deposition method . accordingly , the shapes of the grooves and the channels formed on the top substrate can be kept substantially identical . the grooves and the channels may be formed on the upper dielectric substance ( not on the top substrate ). in this case , the sustain electrode pairs are formed on the flat top substrate , and a partial layer of the upper dielectric substance layer is formed using an electron beam deposition method or a sputtering method . and , after a taping working , the remaining layer of the upper dielectric substance layer is deposited so as to form the shapes of the grooves and the channels . thereafter , the protective film of mgo is coated on the upper dielectric substance layer formed with the grooves and the channels . subsequently , the lower panel formed with the barrier ribs and the upper panel fabricated as above are sealed ( s 730 ). preferably , a seal frit is used as a sealing material . the seal frit is applied with plastic and heating workings . thereafter , the impurities are exhausted through the grooves and the channels ( s 740 ). finally , in order to increase an efficiency of the plasma discharge , an inert gas containing helium ( he ), neon ( ne ), or xenon ( xe ) is injected into the discharge cells of the plasma display panel ( s 750 ). remaining processes except for the aforesaid processes are identical to a typical manufacturing method of the plasma display panel . an operational effect of the plasma display panel according to the second embodiment of the present invention and the manufacturing method thereof will now be described . when the sealing process of the upper panel and the lower panel is terminated , the impurities inside the discharge spaces are exhausted through the exhaust port via the grooves and the channels , and then the discharge gas can be injected into the discharge cells . it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made in the present invention without departing from the spirit or scope of the inventions . thus , it is intended that the present invention covers the modifications and variations of this invention provided they come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents .	7
according to an embodiment of the present invention , there is provided an aero - medical military stretcher system 100 for front - line services as shown in fig1 . the system 100 includes an improved military field medical stretcher 102 ( see also fig7 ) for carrying a patient . the system 100 further includes an intermediate adaptor 104 for adapting the stretcher 102 to fasten to internal military aircraft racking 106 ( i . e . stretcher holder ). advantageously , the adaptor 104 adapts the field stretcher 102 to fasten to the aircraft racking 106 which is conventionally used to support a known nato type military field stretcher . the stretcher 102 includes a molded carbon fibre composite chassis 108 including carbon fibre and kevlar . the stretcher 102 is extremely lightweight , not weighing more than 15 kg , and preferably less than 10 kg . the stretcher 102 further includes a pivoting backrest ( or head rest ) 110 to enable the patient to sit up for optimum care . the stretcher 102 further includes a pneumatic , hydraulic or electric lifter 112 for lifting the rest 110 from the chassis 108 and to an inclined position . the lifter 112 includes a retractable sealed gas strut . the stretcher 102 also includes a support mattress ( not shown ), for patient comfort during stretchering . the stretcher materials can be fire or flame resistant . turning to fig2 , the adaptor 104 includes a frame 200 . the frame 200 includes a pair of rails 202 a , 202 b , terminating in handles , for extending between cantilevered arms of the racking 106 . the adaptor 104 includes a pair of docks 204 a , 204 b for docking the stretcher 102 and extending between the rails 202 a , 202 b . each dock 204 includes a tapered guide 206 for guiding the sliding stretcher 102 during loading . as can best be seen in fig8 , each adaptor dock 204 forms two male - female fastening arrangements with respective lateral sides of the stretcher 102 . a far male - female fastening arrangement includes a female receptacle 208 for complementarily receiving a retractable male locking pin 700 ( see fig7 c and 9 ) of the sliding and fully loaded stretcher 102 . a near male - female fastening arrangement includes a retractable female receptacle 802 ( see fig8 ) protruding from the topside of the adaptor 104 and complementarily receiving an opposite male locking pin 700 of the stretcher 102 . each dock 204 includes a locking mechanism 212 for locking the stretcher 102 to the adaptor 104 . the locking mechanism 212 includes the locking receptacle 802 for received the near stretcher pin 700 . the locking receptacle 802 is spring biased to be retracted and unlocked to facilitate stretcher loading . once the stretcher 102 is fully slid and loaded into the adaptor 104 , a carer can manually push up the locking receptacle 802 so that the locking receptacle 802 protrudes from the adaptor 104 . as shown in fig9 , the stretcher 102 includes two underside stretcher locking arrangements 702 ( see also fig7 b ). each stretcher locking arrangement 702 includes a static rest 900 which houses the pair of movable pins 700 that are normally spring biased to be extended to facilitate loading of the stretcher 102 in the adaptor 104 . the stretcher 102 includes a locking actuator 704 ( see fig7 b and fig1 ) with spring - loaded pull handle 1000 to actuate a hydraulics supply and protract the stretcher locking pins 700 into the adaptor locking receptacles 208 , 802 , thereby safely locking the stretcher 102 to the adaptor 104 , and also enabling its removal . the stretcher locking arrangement 702 is hydraulically operated and the complementary adaptor locking mechanism 212 is manually operated independently , although these can alternatively be mechanically , pneumatically or electrically operable , or operated together with a single actuator . the adaptor 104 also includes a quartet of rests 214 extending beneath respective junctions of the rails 202 and docks 204 . turning to fig3 , the adaptor 104 may include a shield 300 for shielding bullets , shrapnel or other ballistic material coming from below . the shield 300 is releasably fastened to an underside of the adaptor 104 . the shield 300 clips to rails 202 of the adaptor 104 using resilient clips 302 . the shield includes a sheet which receives replacable inserts of ballistic protection material . the ballistic protection material may include carbon fibre and / or kevlar and / or ceramic material of suitable composite construction to protect the patient on the stretcher . turning to fig4 , the system 100 further includes a workbench 400 for slidably fastening to the adaptor 104 . the workbench 400 is formed from carbon fibre , kevlar material or metal alloys . the underside of the workbench 400 includes locking arrangements 702 for locking with the adaptor 104 as previously described . turning to fig5 ( and also shown in fig1 ), the system 100 further includes a medical life support module 500 for interconnecting between the adaptor 104 and stretcher 102 . accordingly , the fastening fittings on the top ( dock locking mechanisms 212 ) and bottom ( pin locking arrangements 702 ) of the medical module 500 are the same as those of the adaptor 104 and stretcher 102 respectively . the medical module 500 includes a container 502 for containing a life support system . in particular , the medical module includes an oxygen tank ( or tanks ) 504 and regulator 506 for supplying oxygen to the patient on the stretcher 102 , and a suction system . the medical module 500 also includes a power inverter and a 110v / 240v mains power supply 508 with outlets . returning to fig1 , the aircraft racking 106 includes upper and lower pairs of cantilever arms 114 for supporting the adaptor 104 . each arm 114 includes an end receptacle 116 for receiving respective handles terminating the adaptor rails 202 . the racking further includes a pair of uprights 118 , a base 120 supporting the uprights 118 , and a stabilizer bar 122 stabilizing the uprights 118 . the system 100 is used in aero - medical military evacuations including during natural disasters , but also during battle or war . in use , the adaptor 104 is fastened to aircraft racking . in turn , the medical stretcher 102 carrying the patient is slid into the docks 204 and locked , with locking mechanisms 212 , to the adaptor 104 for transport . fig7 shows the hand - carried stretcher 102 in detail which can be used to carry a patient by hand . the stretcher chassis 108 includes a carbon fibre composite outer frame rails 710 , and a carbon fibre composite patient support 712 attached to the frame adjacent the pivoting rest 110 . the impermeable carbon fibre composite support 712 is more readily cleaned and more sanitary than fabric of nato type - stretchers . the patient support 712 includes four handle cutouts 714 defining four side handles , with two handles on either side for respective stretcher bearers on either side to grab . a foot end pocket 716 is provided for receiving an end of the outer frame rails 710 . modern multi - point seatbelts can advantageously pass through the four seatbelt cutouts 715 to secure the patient to the stretcher 102 . as can best be seen in fig7 b , the patient support 712 does not cover the centre region of the frame 710 , which is under most duress , and advantageously allows ready visual inspection of the exposed frame 710 for damage . as can best be seen in fig7 c , the stretcher 102 includes a carbon fibre composite undercarriage 718 extending along the length of the underside of the chassis 108 and patient support 712 . the locking actuator 704 is mounted in the undercarriage 718 , and the locking arrangements 702 are mounted beneath the undercarriage 718 . turning to fig1 and 12 , the system 100 further includes another top plate - like adaptor 1100 for adapting a non - military stretcher 1200 ( e . g . conventional civilian stretcher ) to fasten to the military adaptor 104 . the adaptors 104 , 1100 form a locking arrangement , including previously described dock locking mechanism 212 ( fig8 ) and complementary locking arrangement 702 ( fig9 ), for releasably locking together . the top adaptor 1100 includes a linear guide for guiding wheels 1202 , 1204 of the non - military stretcher 1200 . the guide includes a pair of channel rails 1206 and may include releasable ramps extending from respective channels 1206 . the top adaptor 1100 also includes a fastening mechanism for fastening the non - military stretcher 1200 . in particular , the fastening mechanism includes a pair of fixed rear fasteners 1102 , a pair of intermediate retractable fasteners 1104 and a front retractable fastener 1106 . each fastener is a catch or hooked for catching on a bar of the non - military stretcher 1200 . the top adaptor 1100 also includes a hydraulic pull actuator 108 for protracting the retractable fasteners 1104 , 1106 . the fastening mechanism of the top adaptor 1100 of fig1 is suitable for fastening to many types of civilian stretchers 1200 . the fastening mechanism can be arranged to suit various other types of civilian stretchers including ferno , stryker and dhs brand stretchers . a person skilled in the art will appreciate that many embodiments and variations can be made without departing from the ambit of the present invention . in one embodiment , purpose built aircraft racking 106 ′ may include the adaptor docks 212 ′ as shown in fig6 . in compliance with the statute , the invention has been described in language more or less specific to structural or methodical features . it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to specific features shown or described since the means herein described comprises preferred forms of putting the invention into effect . reference throughout this specification to ‘ one embodiment ’ or ‘ an embodiment ’ means that a particular feature , structure , or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the present invention . thus , the appearance of the phrases ‘ in one embodiment ’ or ‘ in an embodiment ’ in various places throughout this specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment . furthermore , the particular features , structures , or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more combinations .	0
the present invention is an analog to pulse width modulated signal generator ( apwm ). one use of the apwm is to drive the gray scale exhibited by phosphor pixels in a display . in an first embodiment , the present invention provides a separate set of circuitry for each pixel element or sub - pixel , thereby providing separate driving circuitry for each pixel element or sub - pixel ( i . e . an active matrix display ). as shown in fig2 a , each pixel element or sub - pixel includes its own circuitry 10 that includes a pixel data storage circuit 12 and a pulse width modulation ( pwm ) generator circuit 14 . the pixel data storage circuit 12 samples and stores a data portion of the analog video signal . the pwm generator circuit 14 , at a preset time , discharges the stored data portion to a driver 16 that then drives a pixel or subpixel 18 . an example circuit suitable for implementing the first embodiment is illustrated in fig2 b . the pixel data storage circuit 12 includes a transistor q 1 20 with its source 22 coupled to a video bus 24 and its drain 26 connected to a first end 30 of a resistor r 1 32 . a gate 44 of the transistor q 1 20 is connected to a sampling signal s . a second end 34 of the resistor r 1 32 is coupled to a first side 38 of a capacitor 40 . a second side 42 of the capacitor 40 is tied to ground . the pwm signal generator circuit 14 includes a transistor q 2 46 that has its source 48 connected to the first side 38 of the capacitor 40 . a gate 52 of the transistor q 2 46 is connected to a discharge signal d . a drain 54 of the transistor q 2 46 is coupled to a first end 56 of a resistor r 2 58 . a second end 60 of the resistor r 2 58 is tied to ground . the first end 56 of the resistor r 2 58 is also connected to a first input 62 of a schmidt trigger ( or a comparator ) 64 . the second input 66 of the schmidt trigger is tied to ground or an appropriate reference voltage . in an alternate embodiment , the resistors r 1 32 and r 2 58 are replace with constant current sources . an example timing diagram of the sampling signal s and the discharge signal d are shown in fig2 c . time width 70 corresponds to the horizontal sync pulses of the analog video signal . because the circuitry of this first embodiment produces a digital pwm signal for a single pixel , the transistor q 1 20 allows the capacitor 40 to charge to a voltage value that is an approximate average of a sample period , as determined by the sampling signal s , of the analog video signal that corresponds to the pixel . the transistor q 2 46 allows the capacitor 40 to discharge the stored , sampled voltage value , as determined by the discharge signal d , to the driver 16 . in a second embodiment , as shown in fig3 a display 110 has a plurality of pixels 112 a - d . the display may be monochrome or color . when the display is color each pixel 112 a - d comprises three sub pixels : red ( r ) 114 a - d , green ( g ) 116 a - d and blue ( b ) 118 a - d . to simplify the discussion , the following discussion will mostly refer to the pixels 112 a - d as if they are monochrome , with the understanding that invention can also be applied in the manner described to sub - pixels 114 a - d , 116 a - d , 118 a - d in a color display . as is well known in the art , each pixel 112 a - d may be electrically coupled to display drivers through scan line or active matrix addressing . the scan line configuration is illustrated in fig3 and used in the following description . the present invention may also be coupled to the pixels 112 a - d in active matrix fashion , as will be apparent to one skilled in the art . in a scan line configuration , each pixel 112 a - d is addressed by the correspondence of a line 120 a - b and a column 122 a - f . a pixel 114 a is activated when a line 120 a ( acting as a cathode ) and a column 122 a ( acting as an anode ) provide an electrical path for current to excite a phosphor pixel to throw off photons . an example display 110 has 480 lines that are sequentially activated so that each line is accessed once in a period of approximately { fraction ( 1 / 30 )} th of a second . this “ paints ” the screen in a short enough period that the human eye does not perceive the scan of the individual lines . the activation of each line 120 a - b is controlled by a line sequencer 124 that addresses each line according to timing provided by a line clock 126 . as each line 120 a - b is activated , the corresponding column 122 a - b is activated with a pulse width modulated signal that supplies power to the pixel 112 a - d . a pulse width modulated signal is a signal that provides power through one or more pulses that occur during a signal period , which in this use corresponds approximately to the time that the column is activated to control the pixel . the power supplied by the pulse width modulated signal is described as a proportion of total available power , or duty cycle . the pulse width modulated signal is provided by an analog to pulse width modulated signal generator ( apwm ) 128 a - f . an apwm 128 a - f is coupled to each column 122 a - f . in an active matrix configuration , an apwm 128 a - f is coupled to each pixel 112 a or sub - pixel 114 a - d , 116 a - d or 118 a - d . each apwm 128 a - f is coupled to a column sequencer 128 that controls the activation of the apwm 128 a - f to correspond with the column timing . the column timing is provided by a column clock 132 , that is coupled to the column sequencer 130 . generally , the column clock 132 is derived from the line clock 126 . for instance , an example display will have 640 columns for each line , or 640 column timing pulses occurring during each of the 480 line pulses generated by the line clock 126 . each apwm 128 a - f is coupled to a data bus 134 a - c that supplies an analog video signal , such as ntsc or pal , to the apwn 128 a - f . the analog signal has a voltage that varies over time within known parameters . by sampling the voltage at a given time in the analog signal , a gray scale value for a particular pixel 112 a - d can be determined . in an embodiment of the invention , a composite video signal is divided into an analog gray scale signal for each of the primary colors rgb and placed onto a video in signal bus r 134 a , g 134 b and b 134 c . each apwm &# 39 ; s is coupled to the data bus that corresponds with the color of their sub - pixel , i . e ., apwm 128 a & amp ; d to r data bus 134 a , apwm 128 b & amp ; e to g data bus 134 b , and apwm 128 d & amp ; f to b data bus 134 c . only a single data bus is necessary for a monochrome display . in fig4 the present invention is illustrated in block format . a video source block 210 supplies an analog video signal . a column sequencer 212 determines the appropriate time during a video line to activate an awpm 128 a to sample the analog video signal . the awpm 128 a comprises a pixel data storage “ a ” circuit 214 a and a pixel data storage “ b ” circuit 214 b that are alternately coupled to the analog video signal by a line a / b sequencer circuit 216 . the a / b sequencer circuit 216 also alternately activates a multiplexer ( mux ) “ b ” circuit 218 a and a mux “ a ” circuit 218 b . the a / b sequencer determines the time that a current line is active and changes states at a next line . during a current line , the a / b sequencer enters an “ a ” state during which the pixel data storage a circuit 214 a and the mux b 218 b circuit are active . when a next line becomes the current line , the a / b sequencer circuit 216 enters a “ b ” state during which the pixel data storage b circuit 214 b and the mux a circuit 214 b are active . a next line alternates the a / b sequencer circuit 216 back to the “ a ” state , and so on . the mux b circuit 218 a at the appropriate time connects to pwm generator 223 to generate a pixel data value or voltage value stored by the pixel data storage b circuit 214 b to pwm generator 223 comparison to a voltage reference signal v ref 219 that is supplied to the pwm generator 223 circuit which at the appropriate time outputs the pwm signal to a driver circuit 220 . similarly , the mux a circuit 218 b connects a pixel data value stored by the pixel data storage a circuit 214 a to pwm generator 223 for comparison to the voltage reference signal v ref 219 that is supplied to the pwm generator circuit 223 which outputs the pwm signal to the driver circuit 220 . when the a / b sequencer circuit 216 is in the a state , the pixel data storage a circuit 214 a samples and holds the pixel data ( voltage ) value from the input video signal 210 and the pwm generator circuit 223 generates a pwm signal based on the pixel data value stored in the pixel data storage b circuit 214 b — stored during a previous “ b ” state , and now connected to the pwm generator 223 via mux b circuit 218 a . at the next line , the a / b sequencer circuit 216 transitions to the b state where the pixel data storage b circuit 214 b samples and holds the pixel data value from video signal 210 and the pwm generator circuit 223 generates a pwm signal based on the pixel data value stored in the pixel data storage a circuit 214 a — stored during a previous “ a ” state , and now connected to the pwm generation circuit 223 via mux a circuit 218 b . a pixel 222 ( or other load ) is driven by the driver circuit 220 when the column sequencer 212 activates the apwm 128 a with either the mux b circuit 218 a or the mux a circuit 218 b , which alternately provide the pwm generator circuit 223 with a stored pixel data values or voltages for generation of pwm signals which form the inputs to the driver circuit 220 . in an alternate embodiment for an active matrix display , a pixel element or sub - pixel includes its own circuitry , i . e . one pixel data storage circuit and one pwm generator circuit . the only other component needed for this alternate embodiment is a column sequencer coupled to the pixel data storage circuit . an example circuit suitable for implementing the present invention is illustrated in fig5 . the pixel data storage a circuit 214 a includes a transistor q 1 310 with its source 312 coupled to a video bus 210 and its drain 314 connected to a first end 316 of a resistor r 1 318 . a second end 320 of the resistor r 1 318 is coupled to a first side 322 of a capacitor 324 . a second side 326 of the capacitor 324 is tied to ground . a gate 328 of the transistor q 1 310 is connected to a drain 330 of a transistor q 2 332 . a source 334 of the transistor 332 is coupled to a non - inverting output q of a flip flop 338 ( sequencer 216 ). a gate 340 of the transistor q 2 332 is connected to the column sequencer 212 . the column sequencer 212 is connected to a column clock 132 ( fig3 ) and the flip flop 338 is connected to the line clock 126 ( fig3 ). the pwm signal generator a circuit 218 b includes a transistor q 3 342 that has its source 341 connected to the first side 322 of the capacitor 324 . a gate 344 of the transistor q 3 342 is connected to an inverting output 346 of the flip flop 338 . a drain 348 of the transistor q 3 342 is coupled to a first end 350 of a resistor r 2 352 . a second end 354 of the resistor r 2 is tied to ground . the first end 350 of the resistor r 2 352 is also connected to a first input 354 of a schmidt trigger s 1 ( or a comparator ) 356 . the second input 358 of the schmidt trigger s 1 is tied to ground or an appropriate reference voltage . in the case where a comparator 356 is used , the second input 358 to comparator 356 would be a connected to a vref generator 219 ( as shown in fig4 ), which would supply a reference voltage . the pixel data storage b circuit 214 b includes a transistor q 4 410 with its source 412 coupled to the video bus 210 and its drain 414 connected to a first end 416 of a resistor r 3 418 . a second end 420 of the resistor r 3 418 is coupled to a first side 422 of a capacitor 424 . a second side 426 of the capacitor 424 is tied to ground . a gate 428 of the transistor q 4 410 is connected to a drain 430 of a transistor q 5 432 . a source 434 of the transistor q 5 432 is coupled to the inverting output / q 346 of the flip flop 338 . a gate 440 of the transistor q 5 432 is connected to the column sequencer 212 . the pwm signal generator b circuit 218 a includes a transistor q 6 442 that has its source 441 connected to the first side 422 of the capacitor 424 . a gate 444 of the transistor q 6 442 is connected to a non - inverting output q 346 of the flip flop 338 . a drain 448 of the transistor q 6 442 is coupled to a first end 450 of a resistor r 2 452 . a second end 454 of the resistor r 2 is tied to ground . the first end 450 of the resistor r 2 452 is also connected to the first input 354 of a schmidt trigger s 1 ( or a comparator ) 356 . another embodiment of a suitable circuit for practicing the invention is shown in fig6 . in this embodiment , the resistor r 2 452 is replaced with constant current sources 516 . fig7 illustrates a timing diagram of the sequencers &# 39 ; clocks and the transistors &# 39 ; enabling signals for the a and b states of the circuit shown in fig4 and 5 . fig7 and 8 illustrate timing diagram of an example sampling and pwm signal generation . in a display line time 700 , q 1 310 is enabled for a sample period 702 of the analog video signal . since q 3 342 is disabled , c 1 310 stores the voltage value of the analog video signal within the sample period 702 . still within the display line time 700 , q 4 410 is disabled and q 6 is enabled , thereby allowing any voltage stored at c 2 424 to discharge through resistor 352 and resistor 452 which are connected to input 354 of the schmidt trigger s 1 356 . the schmidt trigger s 1 346 produces a pwm signal by comparing the discharging voltage value from c 2 424 to a bias voltage value 710 . when the discharging voltage value is at or above the bias voltage value 710 , the pwm signal generated is high , otherwise the pwm signal generated is low . given resistor r 2 352 and resistor r 4 452 are connected on one end to input 354 and on the other end to ground , it can be appreciated that the circuit can be implemented with only one resistor . in the case where a comparator is used the discharging voltage value is compared to a received bias voltage value . while the preferred embodiment of the invention has been illustrated and described , many changes can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention . accordingly , the scope of the invention is not limited by the disclosure of the preferred embodiment . instead , the invention should be determined entirely by reference to the claims that follow . the embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows :	6
with reference to fig1 a substrate 10 consists preferably of a single crystal silicon wafer which has formed on it by conventional means a layer of p conductivity type . the surface of the substrate 10 then is cleaned and subjected to an initial oxidation to produce a thin layer of silicon oxide 18 on the surface . the thickness of the silicon oxide layer 18 , which is substantially uniform across the surface , is typically about 200 - 500å . the thin layer of silicon oxide 18 will later serve as a gate oxide layer a first layer of conductive material such as polycrystalline silicon 20 is then deposited over the silicon dioxide layer 18 . the polycrystalline silicon layer 20 is deposited using conventional methods and is about 200 to 1000å thick . other conductive materials suitable for layer 20 include tungsten or other refractory metals . a layer of silicon dioxide 22 is then deposited on top of polycrystalline silicon layer 20 . ( fig2 ) silicon dioxide layer 22 is deposited to a thickness of about 300 - 800å using cvd or is thermally grown by conventional methods . a layer of silicon nitride 24 is then deposited over the silicon dioxide layer 22 by conventional chemical deposition means thus forming an oxide - nitride &# 34 ; stack &# 34 ; 26 . by means of conventional masking and photolithographic methods , an &# 34 ; island ,&# 34 ; typically rectangular in shape , is defined in the nitride - oxide stack 26 and the first polycrystalline silicon layer 20 . the nitride - oxide stack 26 and the first polycrystalline silicon layer 20 are then etched to form an island as shown in fig3 . the etching is performed by a conventional chemical dry etch process . next , the substrate and the various layers on it are subject to thermal oxidation in a steam atmosphere at 850 °- 950 ° c . so as to form a second silicon dioxide layer 28 as shown in fig4 . silicon dioxide layer 28 is about 1000 to 2000å thick . then the nitride layer 24 is removed by chemical or dry etching . next , a layer of boro - phosphosilicate glass ( bpsg ) 32 is deposited over the second silicon dioxide layer 28 as shown in fig5 . the bpsg layer 32 is deposited at 350 ° to 500 ° c . by flowing a mixture of silane ( sih 4 ) gas , oxygen , phosphine ( ph 3 ) gas , and boron trichloride ( bcl 3 ) or diborane ( b 2 h 6 ) gas over the surface of oxide layer 28 . the flow rates are : sih 4 50 to 200 sccm ; o 2 50 to 200 sccm ; ph 3 1 to 20 sccm ; and bcl 3 ( or b 2 h 6 ) 1 to 20 sccm , at a pressure of 100 to 300 millitorr . the resulting bpsg glass layer 32 is about 2 % to 8 % boron and about 2 % to 8 % phosphorous by weight and the remainder is silicon dioxide , and has a thickness of about 2000å to 5000å . next , a masking layer of photoresist 34 is formed by conventional means over bpsg layer 32 , leaving a portion of the bpsg layer 32 exposed . this mask layer 34 protects the underlying layers , while the exposed portion of bpsg layer 32 is etched away by a buffered oxide etch . a portion of the second oxide layer 28 is also etched away in the process . this etching leaves almost all of polycrystalline silicon layer 20 exposed as defined by the mask layer 34 , as shown in fig6 . mask layer 34 ( fig5 ) is shaped so as to leave two &# 34 ; notches &# 34 ; in the otherwise etched - away bpsg area 38 . mask layer 34 is then removed , leaving the structure as shown in fig6 . next , as shown in fig7 a second layer of polycrystalline silicon 40 or other conductive material is deposited , by the same means as the first polycrystalline silicon layer 20 . this second polycrystalline silicon layer 40 has a thickness of about 3000 to 6000å . next , the second polycrystalline silicon layer 40 is masked by mask layer 42 as shown in fig7 and 8 and etched by conventional means ( such as an sf 6 - o 2 etch ), so that the second polycrystalline silicon layer 40 has a shape in top view as shown in fig9 . as seen in fig9 bpsg etched - away area 38 is rectangular in shape , with two notches 44 , 46 formed in it . notches 44 , 46 are shown in fig8 . the second polycrystalline silicon layer 40 overlies the bpsg etched - away area 38 and crosses the notches 44 , 46 . in terms of function , the first oxide layer 18 is a gate oxide layer as shown in fig7 . the first polycrystalline silicon layer 20 is completely removed during the second polycrystalline silicon etch except in the area covered by the second polycrystalline silicon layer 40 and the notch areas 44 , 46 ( see fig9 ) covered by the bpsg layer 32 . this first polycrystalline silicon layer 20 serves as the gate to control the field effect device between the source region 48 and drain region 50 . the second polycrystalline silicon layer 40 , as shown in fig8 is partly underlain by the bpsg layer 32 to prevent current leakage between adjacent transistors in the substrate . the bpsg layer 32 covers the field oxide ( that part of the oxide layer 28 on either side of the gate oxide 18 ). to complete the semiconductor device , n type source 48 and drain 50 self aligned semiconductor regions are formed by conventional methods as shown in fig7 and electrical contacts are opened as is well known in the art to the source 48 and drain 50 regions , and electrical contact is made to the source 48 , drain 50 , and gate 42 by means of metallization electrical interconnections ( not shown ). a preferred embodiment has been illustrated , of which modification and adaptations within the scope of the invention will occur to those skilled in the art . for instance , the notches in the etched - away bpsg area could be dispensed with . the invention is limited only by the scope of the following claims .	7
the piezoelectric actuator according to one embodiment has a rotationally movable body , and a vibrating body comprising a supporting body having a plurality of cantilevers each extending in a direction of a tangential line for an internal circle of the rotationally movable body with one edge thereof fixed and another edge thereof kept free and a plurality of piezoelectric elements adhered to the cantilevers of the supporting body , respectively . the piezoelectric actuator according to another embodiment has a rotationally movable body , and a vibrating body comprising a supporting body having a cantilever extending in a direction of a tangential line for an internal circle of this rotationally movable body with one edge thereof fixed and another edge thereof kept free and a piezoelectric element adhered to the cantilever of the supporting body . the piezoelectric actuator according to another embodiment has a rotationally movable body , and a vibrating body comprising a supporting body having a plurality of cantilevers each comprising long edge sections and short edge sections with the long edge sections extending in a direction of a tangential line for an internal circle of the rotationally movable body to form a free edge and also with the short edge sections fixed , and a plurality of piezoelectric elements adhered to each cantilever of the supporting body , respectively . the piezoelectric actuator according to another embodiment has a rotationally movable body , and a vibrating body comprising a supporting body having a cantilever comprising long edge sections and short edge sections with the long edge sections extending in a direction of a tangential line for an internal circle of the rotationally movable body to form a free edge and also with the short edge sections fixed , and a piezoelectric element adhered to the cantilever of the supporting body . the piezoelectric actuator according to another embodiment has a plurality of cantilevers extending in the opposite directions in the piezoelectric actuator described above . next , a detailed description is made for this invention with reference to the related drawings . it should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described below . fig1 is an assembly view showing a rotational type actuator according to embodiment 1 of the present invention . this rotational type of actuator 100 comprises a rotationally movable body 1 having a shaft - projecting section 11 , a vibrating member or body block 2 having l - shaped oscillating elements or oscillators 21 , and a support member or board chassis 3 for supporting the shaft - projecting section 11 . the vibrating body block 2 has a central section 25 , a first major surface a , a second major surface b opposite the first major surface , and side edges c extending between the first and second major surfaces . a magnetic material generating a magnetically attracting force is used for the rotationally movable body 1 as well as for the board chassis 3 , and the rotationally movable body 1 and the vibrating body block 2 are contacted to each other under a constant pressure . for instance , a stainless - based magnetic material is used for the rotationally movable body 1 , while a neodymium - based magnetic material is used for the board chassis . the board chassis 3 is attracted by this magnetic material to the side of the rotationally movable body , so that stable adhesion between a sliding section 12 of the rotationally movable body 1 and the oscillator 21 of the vibrating body block 2 is obtained . also it is preferable to use a non - magnetic material for the vibrating body block 2 , especially for the oscillator 21 so that influence by magnetism generated by the magnetic material is prevented . the shaft - projecting section 11 of the rotationally movable section 1 is pivotally supported in a hollow bearing hole 22 of the vibrating body block 2 . on the contrary , a hollow bearing hole may be provided in the side of the rotationally moving body with a shaft - projecting section provided in the side of the vibrating body block . the sliding section 12 of the rotationally movable body 1 is a section in which friction with the oscillator 22 is generated , so that it is preferable to use a material satisfying such requirements as a large frictional coefficient , high wearing - resistance , and the capability to maintain a stable frictional coefficient . for instance , a basic body of the rotationally movable body 1 is formed with a metal - based or resin - based material , and the sliding section 12 is coated with an oxide film . also the sliding section may be made from such materials as cellulose - based fiber , a carbon - based fiber , a hybrid material between whisker and phenol resin , or a hybrid material between a polyimide resin and a polyamide resin . fig2 shows the detailed structure of the vibrating body block 2 . three units of the oscillator 21 are provided at an even space , and each of the sections has a structure in which a piezoelectric element 23 generating extending and shrinking movement is adhered to a supporting body 24 . the oscillator 21 has an l - shaped form , and a short edge section of this l - shaped form is fixed to a central section 25 of the vibrating body block 2 . this oscillator 21 is positioned in an orientation identical to a direction of a tangential line for a circle included inside the sliding section 12 . a rotational direction of the rotationally movable body 1 is decided according to a direction of the elliptical movement drawn by a free edge section of this oscillator 21 . herein , as the rotationally movable body 1 is pivotally supported , by matching an orbit of movement of the oscillator 21 to an orbit of movement of the rotationally movable body 1 , movement conversion from the oscillator 21 to the rotationally movable section 1 can efficiently be executed . in the figure , the oscillator 21 is provided projecting clockwise , but if the oscillator 21 is provided counterclockwise , the rotationally movable section 1 is rotated in the contrary direction . a rotational torque and a rotational speed of the rotary type actuator are decided according to a distance from a rotational center of the oscillator 21 as well as to a form and the number of the oscillators 21 provided in the vibrating body block 2 . a position of the oscillator 21 , namely a distance from a rotational center of the rotationally movable section 1 to the oscillator 21 or a form and the number of oscillators 21 are set according to specifications of the required rotational type actuator . the piezoelectric element 23 is a component having a distortion generating function , a resonating function , and a voltage generating function . namely the component generates stress or displacement according to a loaded voltage , generates resonance to a frequency of the loaded voltage , and generates a voltage according to the loaded pressure . piezoelectric ceramics as a representative example of the piezoelectric element 23 includes barium titanate , lithium niobate , lead zircontitanate . also a material having a tilting function or lithium niobate may be used in place of the piezoelectric ceramics . for the vibrating body block , a metal - based or a non - metal - based elastic material such as stainless steel , bellium copper , phosphorous bronze , brass , duralumin , titanium , or silicon is used . it is preferable to use the photo fabrication technology such as etching for forming the rotationally movable body 1 or the vibrating body block 2 . by using the non - mechanical machining process , it is possible to exclude deformation , stress , or mechanical stress generated when mechanically machined . also by using high - precision parts , it is possible to miniaturize the number of processes for assembling and adjusting each component and to stabilize the functions and reproducibility . also the supporting body 24 and the piezoelectric element 23 are integrated to each other by means of adhesion . to realize the adhesion as described above , it is required that the adhesion layer be very thin , that the adhesion layer be very rigid and tough , and that a resistance value around the resonance frequency be very small after the piezoelectric element and the supporting body are adhered to each other . for instance , a high polymer adhesive as represented by hot - melt and epoxy resin is used for the adhesion . it should be noted that the piezoelectric element 23 is directed linked without using an adhesive . also the piezoelectric element 23 may be provided by means of thin film formation or a pressurized - film formation . as the oscillator 21 , there are the uni - morph type oscillator comprising one sheet of piezoelectric element 23 , the bi - morph type oscillator comprising two sheets of piezoelectric elements , or the multi - morph type oscillator comprising four or more sheets of piezoelectric elements , and any type of the mechanism section may be used . a material for the piezoelectric element 23 or the supporting body 24 and a method of adhering the material is decided according to a displacement rate , a power , responsibility of the oscillator 21 , and structural requirements required for the rotational type of actuator 100 . more specifically , in the vibrating body block 2 shown in fig2 the oscillator 21 is formed with three units of piezoelectric elements 23 , and the oscillators 21 are positioned at an even space along an external periphery of the vibrating body block 2 . the diameter is around several millimeters . the supporting body 24 for the oscillator 21 is formed by etching a copper - based material having a thickness of around 100 microns . a thin film made from zircontitanate lead having a high piezoelectricity constant is used for the piezoelectric element 23 . even in a case of direction junction or that with an adhesive , there is a junction interface between the supporting body 24 and the piezoelectric element 23 . this junction interface is an important factor for deciding the propagation characteristics between the supporting body 24 and the piezoelectric element 23 . for that purpose , control of the characteristics of the adhesive to be used and its film thickness is important . in this example , an epoxy - based adhesive is used to obtain the optimal film thickness . the form of the oscillator 21 is set taking into account the fact that the effective length , especially a length from the fixed edge to the free edge , relates to a displacement rate in movement in the longitudinal direction as well as in the elliptical orbit . also a frequency of vibration specified to each oscillator 21 is dependent on the form , so that the parameter is decided to match the specifications from a result of simulation modeling and experimental data . the form of the vibrating body block 2 in this embodiment was decided according to a diametrical dimension of the required rotational type actuator 100 and load conditions for the rotationally movable body 1 . also the uni - molf type oscillator 21 was employed in this embodiment 1 . this type of oscillator has hardly hysteresis in the displacement voltage characteristics . the further reason is that , although a displacement rate in this type is smaller as compared to that in the bi - molf type , the generated power is larger and a load and a pressuring force to the rotationally movable body are appropriate . also by employing the multi - molf type according to specifications of a rotary type actuator 100 to maintain the thickness at a constant level , the displacement and power can be increased by increasing the number of layers . also the responsibility can be improved by providing a taper in a section from a fixed edge of the oscillator 21 to a free edge thereof . with the vibrating body block 2 having the configuration as described above , it is possible to excite bending and displacement by the oscillator 21 under extremely stable conditions . it should be noted that a position , a form , quantity , and configuration of the oscillator 21 of the vibrating body block 2 are not always limited to those shown in fig2 . fig3 shows vibrating behaviors of a section from a fixed edge 26 of the oscillator 21 to a free edge 27 thereof when an input signal is loaded thereto . a distance from a right edge of the lateral axis to a left edge is an effective length from the fixed edge 26 of the oscillator 21 to the free edge 27 thereof . the vertical axis shows a displacement rate . a displacement rate of zero ( 0 ) indicates that vibration has not been excited . the oscillator 21 generates vibration in which minute displacement and power coexist according to load conditions of an input signal to excite movement in the longitudinal direction as well as that in the elliptical orbit . in the vibrating mode , displacement of the oscillator 21 is in the positive side , so that movement is delivered from the oscillator 21 to the sliding section 12 of the rotationally movable body 1 . a rotational direction of the rotationally movable body 1 is decided according to a lateral component of movement following the elliptical orbit . for this reason , the oscillator 21 of the vibrating body block 2 is positioned according to a rotational direction of the rotationally movable body 1 . also whether the rotationally movable body 1 rotates clockwise or counterclockwise is decided according to an orientation of the oscillator 21 . a loaded voltage and a frequency thereof to be inputted into the oscillator 21 are adjusted so that the parameters match dimensions and a form of the oscillator 21 . when a frequency of an input signal is set to a value close to the resonance frequency , the maximum frequency of the oscillator 21 can be obtained . for vibrating the vibrating body block 2 , a moving mechanism in either the primary vibration mode for enlarging displacement in which a longitudinal direction of the oscillator 21 is used or in the secondary or a higher - dimensional vibration mode can effectively be used . as a result of experiment , each vibration mode of the oscillator 21 could be confirmed in a voltage amplitude range of an input signal from 0 . 5 to several tens volts and in a frequency range from several tens to several hundreds k hertz . to excite rotational movement of the vibrating body block 2 under stable conditions , it is preferable to use the secondary or higher - dimensional vibration mode assuming that the voltage amplitude is in a range from 0 . 5 to 7 volts and the frequency is in a range from 2 to 3 hundreds k hertz . further the rotationally movable body 1 can be rotated under stable conditions by making use of a phase difference of the input signal , by controlling a duty , or by making use of the multiplex vibration mode . fig4 is an assembly diagram showing a rotational type actuator according to embodiment 2 of the present invention . this rotational type actuator 200 comprises a rotationally movable body 201 and a vibrating body block 2 . also provided on a board chassis 203 are j - shaped spring pressurizing section 204 , and the rotational movable body 201 and the vibrating body block 2 are pressurized and maintained by this spring pressurizing section 204 . in addition to a sheet spring , a plate spring or a coil spring may be used for the spring pressurizing section 204 . the rotationally movable body 201 , vibrating body block 2 , and board chassis 203 are pivotally supported by a supporting shaft 205 . the sliding section 212 between the supporting shaft 205 and the rotationally movable body 201 is subjected to high - precision milling and fluorine surface processing in order to make a frictional coefficient small . also as a mechanical element for pivotally supporting the rotationally movable body 201 , a ball bearing or a sliding bearing may be used . it should be noted that the rotationally movable body 201 may be rotatably supported at the external periphery in place of pivotally supporting a center of the rotationally movable body 201 . it should be noted that a method of manufacturing this rotationally movable body 201 and a material thereof are the same as those of the rotational type actuator 100 according to embodiment 1 and the description thereof is omitted herein . also as operations this rotational type of actuator 200 are substantially the same as those of the rotational type actuator 100 according to embodiment 1 , description thereof is omitted herein . with this configuration , output from the actuator can be controlled by adjusting a pressuring force of the spring pressuring section 204 . fig5 is an assembly diagram showing the rotational type actuator according to embodiment 3 of the present invention . this rotational type actuator 300 comprises a disk - shaped vibrating body block 302 having one oscillator 321 , a cylindrical body 322 provided around this vibrating body block 302 , and a rotationally movable body 301 placed inside this cylindrical body 322 and on an upper surface of the vibrating body block 302 . a material and a manufacturing method of the vibrating body block 302 and the rotationally movable body 301 are substantially the same as those of the rotational type actuator 100 according to embodiment 1 , so that description thereof is omitted herein . the oscillator 321 has an l - shaped form and is fixed at the short edge section . a sliding section 312 is provided in the spanning state on a bottom surface of the rotationally movable body 301 . the oscillator 321 is positioned in a direction of a tangential line for a circle included in the sliding section 312 . the oscillator 321 comprises a supporting body 324 and a piezoelectric element 323 adhered to the bottom surface thereof . also operations of this rotational type of actuator 300 are substantially the same as those the rotational type of actuator 100 according to embodiment 1 , so that description thereof is omitted herein . there is the advantage that this rotational type actuator 300 can easily be built . the oscillator 21 in embodiment 1 described above may be formed into a t - shaped form . fig6 shows the oscillator 21 according to embodiment 1 formed into a t - shaped form . in this oscillator 421 , one edge section 426 of the t - shaped form functions as a fixed edge , and a piezoelectric element 23 is adhered to another edge section 427 thereof . also , the oscillator may be formed into a π - shaped form . the oscillator 21 according to embodiment 1 formed into a π - shaped form is shown in fig7 a . in this oscillator 521 , a supporting body 524 is supported with two leg sections 525 . a piezoelectric element 23 is adhered to the supporting body 524 . the oscillator 321 according to embodiment 3 formed into a π - shaped form is shown in fig7 b . also in this oscillator 621 , the supporting body 624 is supported with two leg sections 625 . the piezoelectric element 23 is adhered to the supporting body 624 . also , extending directions of the oscillators may be located in the opposite directions . a case where the two units of oscillator 21 are provided in the opposite directions is shown in fig8 b . a case where oscillators 21 are provided in the directions opposite to each other is shown in fig8 a . other portions of the configuration are substantially the same as those in embodiment 1 . by providing extending directions of the oscillators 21 in the direction opposite to each other like those in the vibrating body blocks 802 , 803 , a rotational type actuator can be rotated in a regular direction and in a reverse direction by vibrating either one of the oscillators 21 . as described above , the piezoelectric actuator according to the present invention has a rotationally movable body , and a vibrating body comprising a supporting body having a cantilever extending in a direction of a tangential line for an internal circle of this rotationally movable section with one edge thereof fixed and another edge thereof kept free and a plurality of piezoelectric elements adhered to the cantilevers of the supporting section , so that the movement conversion efficiency between the vibrating body and the rotationally movable body is improved . also it is possible to provide a smaller and thinner actuator . the piezoelectric actuator according to the present invention has a rotationally movable body , and a vibrating body comprising a supporting body having a cantilever comprising long edge sections and short edge sections with the long edge section extending in a direction of a tangential line for an internal circle of the rotationally movable body and functioning as a free edge and also with the short edge section fixed and piezoelectric elements adhered to cantilevers of the supporting body , so that excellent movement conversion efficiency is insured even when made smaller and thinner and also stable rotational movement can be obtained . in the piezoelectric actuator according to the present invention , a plurality of cantilevers extend in the opposite directions , so that it is possible to realize an actuator having a simple construction and capable of rotating in both regular and reverse directions . also the excellent movement conversion efficiency is maintained even when made smaller and thinner and stable rotational movement can be obtained .	7
the discussion sets forth the construction and function of the invention , as well as the sequence of steps utilized in the operation of the invention in connection with the illustrated embodiments . it is to be understood by those having skill in the art that the same or equivalents of functionality may be accomplished by various modifications to the illustrated embodiments without departing from the spirit in scope of the invention . before setting forth these improvements and new features , however , a brief description of the basic vocolo is presented first . a more detailed description of the basic vocolo can be found in the reference patent application . the vocolo is a hand - held music synthesizer whose output is controlled by the human voice . fig1 diagrams the functionality of the vocolo . the player 10 sings or hums into the mouthpiece 14 of the instrument 12 . in response , the vocolo produces the sound at the output 13 of a musical instrument that closely follows in both pitch and volume the nuances of the player &# 39 ; s voice . the player can choose which instrument the vocolo should imitate , and is given the impression of playing the chosen instrument merely by singing . the vocolo itself can resemble any known or novel instrument . one possible configuration , which is reminiscent of several well - known instruments , is shown in fig2 . in this model , the mouthpiece 5 leads directly to the microphone cup 9 . the loudspeaker resides in the housing 11 and the sound is transmitted out of the grill 7 . thus , the housing imparts an acoustic quality to the sound produced . the electronics and batteries are contained in the housing , which also supports several finger - actuated controls : the intermittent buttons 1 a , the volume control wheel 1 b , and the modal buttons 1 c . the intermittent buttons are intended to control performance parameters that vary rapidly during a performance . the modal buttons are intended to alter performance parameters that are expected to stay at some fixed value for an extended period of time , such as instrument selection , volume , or octave . the volume control wheel is intended to control the overall volume of the performance and is intended to be operated by the player &# 39 ; s thumb . the wiggle bar 1 d is intended to be moved by the player &# 39 ; s hand ( or fingers ) for expressive fine control of a selected synthesizer parameter such as volume or pitch . a bank of led &# 39 ; s 3 provides feedback to the player with respect to the sharpness or flatness for a given performance . similarly , another bank of led &# 39 ; s 4 provides feedback to the player with respect to the pitch accuracy for a given performance . the logical structure of the vocolo is diagrammed fig3 . the microphone 30 sends an analog signal to an analog - to - digital converter ( adc ) 31 , which samples the signal at a fixed frequency . the adc converts one sample at a time and sends it to a band - pass filter 32 ( which smoothes the signal by removing frequencies that are too high or too low ). each filtered sample is then sent to the signal - analysis module ( sam ) 33 where it is analyzed within the context of the preceding samples . after analyzing the sample , the sam passes the following information to the synthesizer 38 : whether the synthesizer should be playing a note or not , and if so : whether the conditions for a new note attack have been detected ; and besides this information from the sam , the synthesizer also receives input from the finger - actuated controls 37 and the position sensor 24 . the latter measures the position of the wiggle bar 27 . these control values can modify a variety of synthesizer parameters , including ( but not limited to ): whether the synthesizer should always play the exact frequency detected by the sam ( continuous pitch tracking ) or instead play the nearest note to that frequency in a specified musical mode ( discrete or semi - discrete pitch tracking ); the musical mode to use for discrete or semi - discrete pitch tracking , e . g . chromatic , major , minor , blues ; whether the current pitch is the tonic ( first note ) in the given musical mode ; whether to start recording a sequence of notes and when to played back the sequence ; the tuning of the discrete pitches vocolo for semi - discrete pitch mode ; what type of expression the expressive control is to control ; and an output sample is then produced by the synthesizer according to all information passed in , and this output sample is fed to a digital - to - analog converter ( dac ) 34 . the dac produces an analog output signal from a stream of digital output samples that it receives . this signal is sent to an amplifier 35 before being transmitted by the loudspeaker 36 . the synthesizer also produces discrete logic pulses , according to a desired background rhythm , which are fed into an electronic switch 28 , which in turn drives an “ electric drum ” 29 . the remainder of this document provides a detailed discussion of the components outlined above . autocorrelation is probably the most popular method used commercially today for pitch detection . this section sets forth improvements for the standard auto - correlation approach used for pitch detection , as well as a hybrid method which is a cross between our preferred peak - based method and the standard approach . to assist in distinguishing the different methods , the following acronyms are defined : pbac : peak - based autocorrelation , which is the method described in the reference patent application document . sbac : sample - based autocorrelation , also referred to as standard ( incremental ) autocorrelation ; described in this section . isbac : interpolated sample - based autocorrelation , also referred to as standard ( incremental ) autocorrelation ” this is method set forth in this section . a good description of sbac is provided in the cited patents by hildebrand and dame , and is presently reviewed . while the present description does not precisely match theirs , it does convey the central ideas . the non - normalized autocorrelation function for sbac is : h  ( t , l ) = ∑ j = 0 l  s  ( t - j )  s  ( t - j - l ) ( 1 ) where t is the current time ( referring to the current sound sample ), ‘ l ’ is the lag , ( t − j ) is the jth sample in the past , and s ( k ) is the sound sample at time k ( note that the present definition of lag is a little different than that typically used in the literature ). h ( ) is a similarity measure between two contiguous sound waves , the wave between t − 2 l and t − l and the wave between t − l and t . these said two waves are presently referred to as the first and second comparison waves , respectively . generally , the more similar the shape of these two waves are , the higher the value of h ( ). however , it is rather simple to normalize the sound waves such that the effect of volume modulation is mitigated . an amplitude - normalized autocorrelation version z ( t , l ) of equation 1 is ( see y . medan , e . yari , d . chazan , super resolution pitch determination of speech signals , ieee transaction on assp ( october 1989 )]): z  ( t , l ) = h  ( t , l ) e  ( t - 2  l , t - l )  e  ( t - l , t ) ( 2 ) e  ( t 1 , t 2 ) = ∑ t = t 1 t 2  [ s  ( t ) ] 2 ( 3 ) the fundamental period corresponds to the first local maximum of z ( l , t ) with respect to the lag l with the additional condition that z ( l , y )& gt ;( 1 − ø ), where ø is a small positive constant (& lt ;& lt ; 1 ) established a priori . other forms of normalization are possible as well . in the following z ( ) is used to represent an autocorrelation function which has been normalized and some manner , not necessarily according to equation to ( or example , and the reference patent a slightly different form of normalization is prescribed preferred ). z ( t , l ) according to equations 1 and 3 can be extremely expensive to compute . this approach is presently called a sample - based auto - correlation ( sbac ) because z ( ) must be computed at each time step , i . e . for each sample coming in or , if down - sampling is applied , e . g . every fifth sample . peak - based auto - correlation , on the other hand , only computes z ( ) every time a strong peak in the filtered sound wave is encountered ; this tends to be about every five milliseconds or so ( and contains other expediencies as well ). two primary methods have been employed in the literature to reduce the computation rate ( employed by both dame and hildebrand ). the first has been to calculate the auto - correlation function recursively , taking advantage of the fact that z ( t , l ) depends only on z ( t − 1 , l ) plus a few more terms . the second has been to use a dual resolution computation of z ( t − 1 , l ), using a down - sampled , or low - resolution form of the sound wave to get a coarse estimate of the optimal lag ( l ), and then a high resolution search for the best lag near the solution found by the low resolution search ( l ). for example , the original , the down - sampled , and high - resolution rates could be 24 , 000 hz , 8 , 000 hz , and 24 , 000 hz respectively . regarding notation in the following descriptions , in general s ( t ) is the sound signal at time t , and s a and s b refer to two contiguous segments of s ( t ) to be compared to see if they match . if the periods of s a and s b are assumed to be equal , then s a refers to the vector [ s ( t ), . . . , s ( t − l )] t and s b refers to the vector [ s ( t − l ), . . ., s ( t − 2l )] t . if s a and s b are bounded by peaks ( as in pbac ) then the periods are not assumed to be equal , and s a refers to the vector [ s ( t ), . . . , s ( t split )] t and s b refers to the vector [ s ( t split ), . . . , s ( t start )] t . as mentioned above , the second stage for the dual - resolution searches of the dame and hildebrand methods finds the autocorrelation for each lag at the original ( high ) sample rate for a small set of lags surrounding the l found from the down - sampled autocorrelation function . the herein disclosed method based on interpolation is similar to the sbac method just described in that the auto - correlation function is calculated initially on the down - sampled sound data using the recursive formulation . however , a different approach is used to calculate the high - resolution lag value from the low - resolution lag value , i . e . instead of using a said high - resolution search . if l * is the value of the optimum lag for the down - sample signal at time t , then z ( t , l − 1 ) and z ( t , l + 1 ) are both less than z ( t , l ). a parabola can be fit to these three points , i . e . where a , b , and c are the ( quadratic ) coefficients to be determined from the data , and h ′( ) is the best fit estimate of l in the region of l . utilizing the z ( t , l − 1 ), z ( t , l ) and z ( t , l + 1 ) values with equation 4 provides three linear equations and three unknowns to compute the coefficients . the optimum lag l * lies at the peak ( or valley ) of the quadratic , i . e . at l *= b /( 2c ). this method for computing the high - resolution lag is much more computationally efficient than employing the high - resolution search described above . in this embodiment , the coarse estimate of the period l is still employed using ( recursively computed ) sbac on ( band pass filtered ) down - sampled data . however , instead of resorting to a high - resolution search for the best lag at this point , the fine fundamental period is found by searching the most recent peaks in the sound wave . that is , assuming that we are at time t , which may or may not correspond to a peak , we wish to find two strong peaks in the most recent past which has an interval between them most closely matching l . a strong peak is presently defined as a peak that is very unlikely not to have a counterpart one fundamental wavelength in the past and can be defined , e . g . according to the criteria : where sgn ( ) refers to the sign of the corresponding expression , and is a predefined constant ( the higher the constant the stronger the peak ). now define t mrp as the most recent ( strong ) peak to the current time t , and t lp ( k ) as the time of the lag peak , i . e . the strong peak before t mrp that also minimizes the error function : d ( k )=( l − t mrp + t lp ( k )) 2 ( 6 ) that is , if k * be the value of the time index k that minimizes the above expression , then the fine resolution estimate of the period is given by : to review , as the sound data comes in at the high sample rate , e . g . 24 , 000 hz , the times for the recent strong peaks are kept in a ( circular ) buffer . this sound data is also down - sampled , e . g . to 8 , 000 hz , and the ( recursive ) sbac method is used to find l * using this data , e . g . as per dame . once l * is found , the minimum d ( k ) is found with respect to k using equation 6 ( k * corresponds to this minimum ). finally , l ** is computed from equation 7 using this value of k . computing the fine resolution period in this fashion is much less computationally expensive than using the fine resolution method described in the last subsection . while the above modifications of standard auto - correlation ( isbac and psbac ) provide for more efficient computation than sbac , the most preferred approach is still pbac , or peak - based autocorrelation , because it is the most computationally efficient by a good margin . however , it is conceivable that isbac or psbac may be preferred over pbac in certain circumstances , e . g . where the processor ram or the program rom is very small ( pbac requires a little more ram and a little more program space ). the vocolo converts the singer &# 39 ; s voice into an instrument sound of the same fundamental pitch as the voice . a waver in the singer &# 39 ; s voice , however , can produce a somewhat unpleasant instrument sound ( especially for novices ). having the pitch played by the instrument ( f p ) be a smoothed version of f v can mitigate this unpleasantness . hence , it may be desired to use a low pass filter on f p to obtain f v [ 0092 ] fig4 shows a flow chart of this logic , where k indexes the most currently detected pitch f p ( k ), and where a very simple type of low pass filter is shown employed ( short term averaging ). if the tracking error is greater than some threshold then the logic resets f p = f v , and then invokes the tracker again when the error falls under the threshold . if the pitch is lost by the pitch detector , the logic resets f p = f v when the pitch is re - established . note that this algorithm becomes part of the signal analysis module ( sam ) 33 ( see the reference patent application for more details on the sam ), but now the frequency passed to the sound synthesizer module 38 is f p ( k ). another advantage of using pitch smoothing arises if the sample rate is low relative to the expected fundamental period range of the player . in such a case , for example , there may only be ten or twelve samples over a fundamental period . this often results in computed pitch values that oscillate significantly about their true values ( producing an unpleasant instrument sound ). hence , a smoothing method as set forth here produces a pitch output which averages out the oscillation and approaches the true value more closely , and produces a much more pleasant instrument sound . it is to be understood that any kind of low - pass filter can be used in the present pitch smoothing algorithm without deviating from the spirit of the present approach . there were two modes of pitch control in the reference patent application , the continuous pitch mode and the discrete pitch mode ( these types of methods are often referred to as pitch quantization methods in the literature ). the preferred embodiment , called the semi - discrete pitch mode , is a hybrid of the continuous and discrete modes . in continuous pitch mode , the frequency played on the instrument ( f p ) is the same as that of the person &# 39 ; s voice ( f v ) in discrete pitch mode , f v is a ( multiple ) step function of f p . fig5 shows the even staircase 41 that relates log ( f p ) as a function of log ( f v ) for the case where the discrete pitches correspond to natural semitones . the continuous pitch mode corresponds to the diagonal line 40 splitting the staircase function in fig5 . the vertical hash marks 42 indicate the f v locations for the discrete pitches ( for example , semitones ). the semi - discrete pitch mode for natural semitones is shown in fig6 . this staircase - like function has substantially flat landings 44 centered about semitone locations ( indicated by the vertical hash marks 45 ). the landings may be perfectly flat or at a small angle with respect to the horizontal . note that to distinguish between the difference pitch modes more clearly the straight staircase of fig5 is henceforth referred to as the purely - discrete pitch mode . note that the purely - discrete pitch mode is a special case of the semi - discrete pitch mode . it is to be understood that the staircase functions described above could be replaced by a relationship between log ( f v ) and log ( f p ) which is smooth in the first derivative ( df p / df v ), but does not have to have perfectly flat ( or straight ) segments . nevertheless , the basic shape is retained . for example , one interesting version is for the function to have zero slope everywhere except at the precise semitone pitches . in this case the semitones correspond to inflection points in the function . if computation and / or ram overhead is to be minimized for a low cost application it may preferable to represent the semi - discrete function with piece - wise linear segments in the ( f p , f v ) space instead of the ( log ( f p ), log ( f v )) space . to calculate f p from a given f v for this approach , first the two discrete pitches surrounding f v , f 1 and f 2 , are found by a simple comparison search . then f p can be calculated from the equation : f p = f 1 ; if   ( f v & lt ; β 200 ) = f 2 ; if   ( f v & gt ; f 2 - β 200 ) ; otherwise = f 1 + ( f 2 - f 1 )  ( f v - f 1 - β 200 ) f 2 - f 1 - β ( 8 ) is the percent of discreteness of the piece - wise linear semi - discrete function ( β = 0 % and β = 100 % correspond to continuous and purely discrete cases , respectively ). the slight disadvantage of this approach is that , when viewed in the log - log plot , the steps are not quite as symmetric as they are for the log - log formulation . however , in most circumstances the difference would likely be imperceptible to any listener . the semi - discrete pitch mode can be implemented as either part of the sam or the ssm although it is preferred to implement it with the sam . note that if it is implemented in the sam then , in fig3 the frequency input to the ssm module is replaced by the output of the semi - discrete function , one of the advantages of the semi - discrete pitch mode set forth above is that steady discrete pitches can be achieved while avoiding the rough sound that accompanies a purely - discrete pitch mode ( due to be sudden change in pitch for the staircase function ). another method for avoiding the rough sound is to employ the pitch smoothing method described above in combination with the purely - discrete pitch mode . in particular , let f p ′ be the pitch output by the purely - discrete pitch mode as a function of the voice pitch f v , i . e . f p ′ replaces f p in the staircase function in fig5 . now , instead of having the instrument play f p ′, use f p ′ as the input to the pitch smoother instead of f v ( in fig4 ), and the output of the pitch smoother is f p , as shown in fig7 . the pitch f p is the pitch to be played by the instrument and now incorporates pitch smoothing on top of the purely - discrete pitch mode . this present approach is called the smoothed - discrete pitch mode . for the smoothed - discrete pitch mode it is required to set the value of the threshold ‘ d ’ ( see fig4 ) somewhat larger than that needed for the original application of smoothing ( described in the previous section ). this is because it is not desired to reset f p ′= f v during the pitch jumps of the purely - discrete pitch function . in particular , it is preferred to set the threshold as a small factional percent of f v , i . e . to use the reset logic the semi - discrete pitch mode is presently generally preferred over the smoothed - discrete pitch mode because of its greater predictability ( and thus controllability ). however , there may be instances where the smoothed - discrete pitch mode is preferred . one main difference between these two modes is that the pitch output by smoothed - discrete pitch mode ( f p ) depends on the rate of change of the input pitch , whereas the semi - discrete pitch mode does not have this dependency . for example , if this rate of change of the input pitch is very low , the output of the smoothed - discrete pitch mode approaches that of the purely - discrete pitch mode . in the any of the discrete pitch modes described herein it is desirable to provide the ability to adjust the vertical location of the substantially flat landings ( 44 in fig6 ). this allows for the tuning of the vocolo to match that of an external recording or accompaniment . note that this process is independent of the pitch of the player &# 39 ; s voice . to change in the tuning of the vocolo , the staircase function is to be translated along the diagonal line connecting the center of its substantially flat landings ( 46 in fig6 or 40 in fig5 ). put another way , let f i be the i th discrete pitch for the semi discrete pitch matching function . to tune the vocolo sharper by a given percentage ( z ), each f i is redefined as a mechanism must be provided for manual adjustment of the vocolo tuning . the least expensive approach is to use a pair of the modal buttons ( 1 c ) in fig2 wherein pressing one of the pair of buttons tunes the vocolo slightly sharper ( e . g ., 0 . 05 % or z = 0 . 05 ) and pressing the other tunes it slightly flatter . following is a description of a pitch performance evaluation module ( ppem ), which is an optional feature for the vocolo system . the purpose of the ppem is to measure how well the player hits the semitones during a performance . the input to the ppem is the player &# 39 ; s pitch and attack information ( as detected by the sam ), and the output is an indication of the average pitch error . the goal of the player is to minimize this average pitch error . it is also desirable for the ppem to keep track of and display the average pitch error magnitude because it is possible , in principle , to have a zero average pitch error for a very poor performance because the pitch errors could cancel each other out . the average pitch error magnitude can be seen as the badness of the performance ( for the sake of seeing the glass half full it is probably better to display the inverse of the badness , that is , the goodness the performance instead ). the average pitch error , on the other hand , is more of a guide to tell the player how he should be correcting his voice . [ 0111 ] fig8 shows a logic diagram for pitch performance evaluation . each time a pitch ( f v ) is detected by the sam , the nearest semitones f 1 and f 2 on either side of f v are first found through a simple comparison search ( such that f 1 & lt ; f v & lt ; f 2 ). then the variable fd is set equal to either f 1 or f 2 , whichever is closest to fv . the pitch error is thus defined as ( f d − f v )/( f 2 − f 1 ), which is the error normalized to fractions of a semitone . a running sum of the ( normalized ) pitch errors is kept in the variable err_sum , and a running sum of the magnitudes of the normalized pitch errors is kept in err_mag_sum . when it is time to indicate an average pitch error , the latter is computed as err_sum normalized by n_pitch ( the number of pitches detected since the beginning of the evaluation period ). the highest average pitch error is 1 . 0 . similarly , the average sharpness / flatness for the performance , in fractions of a semitone , is computed as err_mag_sum divided by n_pitch . this particular embodiment of the ppem logic could be used for displaying the average pitch error ( and magnitude ) continuously , or at the end of the performance as indicated by the pressing of a button or by extended inactivity by the player . if it is displayed continuously , it should be updated every so often , for example every five seconds . the average pitch error can be indicated to the player in any number of ways , such as through a bank of seven led &# 39 ; s such as shown in fig2 . only one led is to be turned on at a time , and the center led signifies approximately zero average pitch error . the average pitch error is indicated by another bank of seven led &# 39 ; s , where the lowest average pitch error is signified by only one led being on and the highest average pitch error possible by having them all lit . note that the performance measure of the pitch control does not have to be with respect to semitones . alternatively , the discrete pitches used for comparison could be the nodes of a particular major scale or of a particular blues scale , as selected by the appropriate modal button 1 c . a key aspect of the vocolo is that , unlike almost all other musical instruments , one &# 39 ; s hands are not needed to control the pitch . instead , they are free to control other aspects of the performance , in particular , to provide unique expressions . this is particularly desirable for a wavetable - based electronic synthesizer , which can often sound repetitive and monotonous due to the rather limited repertoire of wavetables . in the following , a distinction is made between an expressive control and an expressive parameter . an expressive control is the actual mechanical device that interfaces with the player to control the sound expression . on the other hand , the expressive parameter is a parameter in the sound synthesis module ( ssm ) determined by the position of the corresponding expressive control . an expressive control also has the characteristic that it returns to its nominal position when not acted upon by the user . in other words , that it is effectively a spring return device . the primary expressive parameters are : these three expressive parameters can also be combined , or coupled , to yield a distinct expressive parameter . for example , the volume and pitch could be coupled into one expressive parameter to be controlled by one expressive control , providing a more distinctive vibrato . it is also to be understood that there are many forms of timbre . expressive controls : the following methods can be used to control the above expressive parameters . each of these consists of a control member that is movable with respect to the vocolo housing 11 . mechanical wheel : this is like the “ bend wheel ” found on many electronic keyboards . wiggle bar : the wiggle bar 1 d ( see fig3 ) is a solid bar hinged to the body of the vocolo body at one end and spring loaded such that the bar returns to a preferred ( neutral ) position when not touched . this is similar to the vibrato bar found on many electric guitars which changes the pitch of the strings by changing the tension on them . the player simply wiggles the wiggle bar to control the corresponding expressive parameter . shaking the vocolo itself ( causes motion of cantilevered weight within the vocolo structure ). a number of different sensor types can be used to measure the position of the movable member such as a potentiometer , led proximity sensor , hall effect sensor , capacitance proximity sensor , inductive proximity sensor , strain gauge ( for measuring the deflection of a beam ) and so forth . these are to be incorporated with the appropriate conditioning electronics as well as an a / d converter to digitize the signal for use in the sound synthesizer module ( ssm ). alternatively , a digital sensor such as an optical encoder could be used to measure position of an expressive control , thereby bypassing the need for an a / d converter . the methods for interfacing any of these types of sensors to provide a digital representation to the microprocessor ( and thus to the ssm ) is well known to the art . some preferred physical interfaces for expressive controls have been described . a few preferred algorithms for implementing these controls are now set forth . suppose it is desired to implement vibrato with the wiggle bar , that is , to change the pitch played by the instrument a small amount in real - time by wiggling the wiggle bar . a simple method for providing pitch expression is to set : f p , exp = kf p ( p ( t )− p n ) ( 10 ) where f p is the pitch that would be played without the expression , i . e . corresponding to the detected pitch , or to the output of the semi - discrete function ), k is a constant , p n is the nominal value of the expression parameter , and f p , exp is the expressed pitch to be played by the instrument . the best time to use this particular expression is when the vocolo is in the discrete or semi - discrete pitch mode , and to apply the expression , e . g . wiggle the wiggle bar , only when the player &# 39 ; s voice is on a flat landing of the semi - discrete function . when implemented in this fashion the vocolo can produce an especially pure tone because the effect of voice waver is eliminated . as indicated previously , a particular expressive parameter is determined by the digitized reading from a sensor for its corresponding expressive control member , and that each expressive control member has a corresponding nominal or neutral position . the nominal control position should correspond to a nominal ( or median ) value of the corresponding expressive parameter . however , the output of the sensor is often not exactly the same each time the expressive control returns to it &# 39 ; s nominal ( neutral ) position . hence , it is desirable to have a calibration routine activated periodically to reset the expressive parameter to its nominal value . the preferred calibration routine is to set the nominal ( neutral ) position to the current position if the following two conditions are met : a ) the position has changed very little for some small pre - designated amount of time , and b ) the current position is within some small range of the neutral position . no pitch detection method is perfect . occasionally pitch errors occur . a pitch error is likely to be fairly significant , e . g . an octave low or high . such abrupt changes in pitch are presently called pitch jumps , and they can lead to an instrument sound that is scratchy and rough . in the preferred approach , called pitch error mitigation ( pem ), which is to be incorporated into the sound synthesis module , i . e . the ssm . the key feature of most synthesis methods as far as the pem method is concerned is that the sound sample produced by the synthesis method at time t for a given note can be expressed as s ( t − t a , f ( t ), p ( t )), where t a is the time of the attack of the note , f is the desired pitch of the note , and p is a vector of parameters determined by the player controls ( such as loudness ). for most synthesis methods , such as wavetable playback , each note has at least two distinct phases , such as the attack and sustain phases . the latter phase involves a segment which is replayed repeatedly ( called the loop portion ) when the note is sustained for a long time . in the following p ( t ) is not included in the expressions , but it should be clear to anyone skilled in the art how to include this portion . more formally , the setting is as follows : the pitch detector detects a series of pitches f v ( t ) until at some time t = t j a newly detected pitch is significantly different than the previously detected pitch , i . e . \| f v  ( t j ) - f v  ( t j - 1 ) \| f v  ( t e - 1 ) & gt ; ɛ ( 11 ) where the vertical bars “\|.\|” represent the absolute value , and where ε is a small constant , e . g . 0 . 1 . that is , a pitch jump occurs . the preferred method for mitigating the unpleasant effect of the pitch jump is as follows : the instrument sound wave for the pitch just prior to the pitch jump continues to play , but fades out in a linear fashion to zero loudness in a pre - specified elapsed time period δt f ( a preferred value of δt f is 10 msec ). during the same elapsed period the instrument sound wave for the new ( significantly different ) pitch is faded in from zero volume to the current volume ( or loudness ). this simultaneous fade - in , fade - out process is henceforth referred to as a pem fade ( process ). in equation form the pem process is described by : s i   n   s   t  ( t ) = s i   n   s   t , 1  ( t , f v  ( t ) ) ; if   ( t ≤ t j ) = g   s i   n   s   t , 2  ( t , f v  ( t ) ) + ( 1 - g )  s i   n   s   t , 1  ( t , f v  ( t j - 1 ) ) ; if   ( t j & lt ; t ≤ ( t j + δ   t f ) = s i   n   s   t , 2  ( t , f v  ( t ) ) ; if   ( t & gt ; ( t j + δ   t f ) ) ( 12a ) g ≡ ( t - t j ) δ   t f ( 12b ) s inst , 1 ( t , f v ( t )) is the sample generated by the synthesis software at time t according to the pitch just prior to the pitch jump ( note that after t j − 1 this pitch stays constant and equal to the pitch at t j − 1 ), s inst , 2 ( t , f v ( t )) is the sample generated by the synthesis software at time t according to the pitch played after the pitch jump , t j is the time at which the pitch jump occurs , and s inst ( t ) is the actual sample played at time t . if the instrument synthesis is accomplished by wavetable playback , then s inst , 1 and s inst , 2 likely come from different wavetables during the pem fade , as the pitch jumps are usually larger than the nominal pitch range of a single wavetable . in any case , it is preferred that the wavetable sound playback for s inst , 2 start at the same depth , i . e . the same number of samples after the note attack t a , as s inst , 1 was upon the pitch jump . for example , if s inst , 1 was midway in to the attack portion of its wavetable at the time of the pitch jump , then the wavetable playback for s inst , 2 should start midway in the attack portion of its wavetable . it is possible , if not so likely , that yet another pitch jump can occur during the pem fade of equation 12 . the preferred approach for dealing with this situation is to first determine whether the current pitch is close to the pitch detected just prior to the first pitch jump . if it is then the original pem fade process of equation 12 is reversed ( or “ undone ”). s i   n   s   t  ( t ) = g   s i   n   s   t , 2  ( t , f v  ( t ) ) + ( 1 - g )  s inst , 1  ( t , f v  ( t j ) ) ; if   ( t j & lt ; t ≤ t s   j ) = g ′   s i   n   s   t , 2  ( t , f v  ( t ) ) + ( 1 - g ′ )  s inst , 1  ( t , f v  ( t j ) ) ; if   ( t s   j & lt ; t ≤ ( t s   j + ( t s   j - t j ) ) ) = s i   n   s   t , 1  ( t , f v  ( t ) ) ; if   ( t & gt ; ( t s   j + ( t s   j -  t j ) ) ( 13a ) g ′ ≡ g  ( t s   j ) + ( t - t s   j ) δ   t f ( 13b ) t sj is the time of the second pitch jump , and g ( t sj ) is the value of g from equation 12b at the time of the second pitch jump . if the new pitch is not close to the pitch just prior to the first pitch jump ( by definition it is not close to the last detected pitch either ), then it is preferred to superimpose yet another pem fade process on top of the currently ongoing pem fade process . in particular , the s inst ( ) produced from the original pem fade , i . e . from equation 12 , is substituted for s inst , 1 ( ) for the new pem fade , and s inst , 2 ( ) for the new pem fade is the instrument sound at the new ( significantly different ) pitch . it is noted that the odds of the second pitch jump occurring ( during an ongoing pem fade ) partly depends on how often the pitches detected . for the preferred pitch detection method ( pbac ), the time period between successive pitch detections corresponds to the time period between strong peaks in the filtered sound data , usually on the order of one millisecond . for the short period of the pem fade ( preferably around 10 msec ) it is very unlikely that a third pitch jump occurs . however , the present approach can easily be extended to handle this case , or for that matter , to the case where an arbitrary number of pem fades overlap , by generalizing the approach just described for two overlapping pem fades ( by one skilled in the art ). a flowchart outlining the logic for implementing pem is shown in fig9 . a new sound sample is output at each time step ( t = 0 , 1 , 2 . . . ). decision box 51 skips the jump test ( equation 11 ) if the just - detected pitch is the first one in a new note , e . g . corresponds to a note attack . decision box 53 uses equation 11 for the test of a pitch jump . if the answer in decision box 55 is “ no ,” then the first pem fade is implemented via equations 12a and 12b . if the answer for decision box 65 is “ yes ,” then either a new pem fade is started according to equations 12 a and 12 b but with s inst ( ) from the original fade substituted for s inst , 1 ( ) for the new pem fade ( as described above ), or the original pem fade is reversed according to equations 13a and 13b . as stated above , it is unlikely that a second pitch jump occurs during an ongoing pem fade . an alternative to providing overlapping fades ( as described above ) is to allow the jump to occur , i . e . to use the s inst , 2 ( ) for the most recent pitch jump to be the played sound samples . this approach likely leads to a click in the sound output , but if such instances are rare then this result may be new tolerable . in the reference patent application , a vocolo that included auto - accompaniment was set forth . this accompaniment could be comprised of nothing but rhythmic ( atonal ) components such as drums , and different rhythmic patterns could be selected from a selector switch means located on the vocolo body . furthermore , the tempo of the accompaniment could be altered through another control means on the vocolo such as a potentiometer or selector switch . the auto - accompaniment is to be stored in the vocolo as a timed sequence of notes to be played by different synthetic instruments ( such as drums ), and may involve the playing of more than one instrument at a time , i . e . polyphonic . the accompaniment may also be stored in the voice - driven instrument protocol ( vdi ) set forth in the reference patent application . for some applications , it might be desirable to have two separate physical volume controls : one for the instrument being controlled by the voice , and the other for the auto - accompaniment . alternatively , one volume control could be for the entire sound , and the other for the voice - controlled instrument . when a performer holds and plays the vocolo , the instrument sound is transmitted through the body of the vocolo and can be felt by the hands , offering an interesting visceral component to the experience . a means to expand this visceral experience , called the electric drum , is now set forth . the electric drum produces physical vibrations ( or pulses ) and mechanical sounds corresponding to a desired tempo . the electric drum could be active in conjunction with or without an audio auto - accompaniment . the electric drum does not necessarily need to produce an audible sound since its vibrations can be felt with the hands . it is preferred that the electric drum be comprised of an electromechanical actuation means driving a moveable member , the latter coming into contact with some solid portion of the vocolo body when the electric drum is activated . [ 0159 ] fig1 shows one embodiment of an electric drum incorporating a solenoid . the plunger 61 of the solenoid causes the head 62 to strike against a solid portion of the vocolo body 63 upon activation of the solenoid coil 64 . when the coil is not activated , the plunger is retracted by extension spring 65 . alternatively , the electric drum could consist of an electric motor that rotates an unbalanced wheel , similar to a pager motor ( but much slower ), thereby using inertial force to transmit the vibrations . it is desirable for the player to be able to create note sequences that can be played back automatically . this can allow the player to review his performance . it can also allow the player to play a solo simultaneously with the played back sequence , i . e . to jam with himself an advantage of the vocolo in this regard is that the recording is intrinsically compressed : instead of having to record the instrument sound for every sample output , only pitch and loudness ( and timbre if desired ) information need be recorded at relatively low data rates . first a mode where the recording is referenced to a background rhythm is described . this description is provided in conjunction with fig1 and 12 . the advantage of this approach is that the playback is automatically synchronized with the background rhythm , resulting in a steady beat when the sequence is played back repetitively . for the preferred approach , a single button , called the recording start / stop button , is used to begin and end the recording , e . g . one of the modal buttons 1 c in fig3 . this button may also initiate the playing of the background rhythm , which can be in the form a simple drum beat , or something more elaborate . it is understood that a means can be provided to the player to allow for adjustment of the background beat rate . the preferred logic for the sequence recording is shown in fig1 . the play / record button is pushed to initialize the sequence recording . however , the actual recording does not begin until the player makes his or her first note attack . the state of decision box 71 is determined by the background rhythm means , such as from the ssm , and achieves a logic value of “ true ” for the time step corresponding to a quarter note downbeat . a quarter note implies that the beat is within a range that is comfortable for the player , e . g . the rate that is comfortable for tapping the foot . upon the player &# 39 ; s first note attack , the elapsed time from the last beat to the attack is tested to see whether the attack occurs just before the next beat to come . if the latter is true , i . e . if the value for said decision box 73 is true , then the time of the beginning beat of the recording ( t_beat_start ) is set equal to the time of the next beat to come ( in box 74 ), otherwise it is set to the time of the last beat played ( box 75 ). this accommodates the not so uncommon case where the recording begins with a note attack just before the first beat , that is , for a lead - in note . once the time for the beginning beat is established , the actual note recording is started ( see below ) and the time of the note start is recorded in t_note_start ( n_notes ), where n_notes is the index for the note ( n_notes = 1 initially ). to end the recording the player presses the record / play button just prior to the beat he wants to serve as the first downbeat of the playback . upon this action , if a note is currently being played ( and thus recorded ) the recording is terminated and control is passed to the playback logic . the logic for the sequence playback is shown in fig1 . the first time through the playback sequence , the time of the first beat for the playback , t_beat_start , is set to the time for the first beat of the recording plus n_beats t_del_beat . from this point on , the elapsed time from the first beat of the playback ( t − t_beat_start ) is compared to the recorded times for the note onsets ( and endings ) to instigate the playback ( and cutoffs ) of the notes ( boxes 81 and 83 , respectively ). note that the elapsed time for the first note may actually be negative if it is a lead - in note as described above . decision box 84 terminates the playback of the sequence when the elapsed time has reached the combined set of beat intervals for the recording . thus , during a repeated playback of recorded sequence , the sequence is substantially always synchronized with respect to the ( n_beats ) beats of the recording . the playback sequence then repeats over and over again until terminated by the player . one way to perform the actual recording is to use the following two - dimensional arrays : the i index refers to ith note of the recording ( bounded by attacks and note turn - offs ), the j index to the j th sample recorded for the i th note , f_v ( t ) and l_v ( t ) are the detected pitch and loudness at the time t , the recordings are taken at even intervals ( after the time of the each attack ) and at a rate sufficient to produce a smooth output sound of the instrument during the playback , e . g . every 5 msec . it may also be desired to record other parameters of the performance , such as the instrument identification , or the value expressive parameter . these can be recorded in the same manner as the pitch and loudness described above . the above method for sequence recording and playback can easily be extended to handle multi - layered recording , where the player wants to record an initial sequence according to the above description and then record another sequence on top of the original sequence . it is desirable to provide the player the ability to initiate the second recording with the record / play button so that he has time to make preparations . similar to the first recording , the second recording can begin upon the first attack after pressing of the button . note that the method for recording a sequence does not have to be as elaborate as that just presented . another approach is to take a record of the performance as described above ( equations 14a - 14c ) without any reference to a background rhythm . in the reference patent application the funnel microphone was introduced and described . in this section the terms funnel microphone and cup mouthpiece are synonymous . in the reference patent application , several advantages were stated for the cup mouthpiece . these are provided below ( items 1 - 3 ). an additional advantage is also provided as the fourth item . allows greater freedom of lip motion , which is important for forming consonant sounds , important for producing a fast sequence of attacks ; helps to hide the sound of the player &# 39 ; s voice , providing a stronger sense of playing an instrument , and finally ; prevents external sounds from entering the microphone and disrupting the voice interpretation functions of the vocolo . this subsection describes a cup mouthpiece assembly that incorporates vibration isolation for the microphone and a mouthpiece shape that conforms to the face of the user in the mouth region . fig1 a - 13 c show the elements of the preferred embodiment of the cup mouthpiece assembly 101 . at the back end of the assembly is the attachment portion 135 for rigidly affixing the cup mouthpiece assembly to the rest of the vocolo . the cup mouthpiece assembly is comprised of two main portions , the cup mouthpiece cap 102 and the microphone containment subassembly 109 . the voice is input to the cup mouthpiece cap as indicated by the arrow 103 . the cup mouthpiece cap has a cup - shaped portion 115 that has a rim portion 111 for pressing against the region surrounding the mouth of the user , the rim portion being shaped such as to conform naturally to the region around the mouth . precautions should be taken to avoid having sounds from the vocolo loudspeaker feed back into the microphone , as this can cause errors in the pitch detection . the sound from the loudspeaker can reach the microphone two different ways : 1 ) through the air , and 2 ) through the ( rigid ) body ( or housing ) of the vocolo . item 4 above addresses this situation for sound traveling through the air , i . e . the cup section serves to block out this route for the sound . however , for low notes , such as when the vocolo is playing a tuba , sound can travel efficiently through the vocolo housing . thus , it is desirable to isolate the vibrations of the vocolo housing from the microphone itself . this isolation is provided by having the microphone 130 supported by the elastic bands 121 a - 121 g ( only a few of the bands are indicated ). a rigid carriage assembly 106 , which is comprised of two ring members 122 a and 122 b adjoined by four rib members 124 a - 124 d , provides a convenient mount for attaching the elastic bands to the funnel microphone assembly . the carriage assembly fits tightly into the outer shell 110 . the cap portion 118 of the cup mouthpiece cap fits tightly onto the outer rim 133 of the outer shell after the carriage assembly is inserted into the outer shell . the ventilation hole 132 in the outer shell provides a pathway for air from the mouth to escape as the user hums into the cup - shaped portion . hence , any mechanical vibration of the vocolo housing is isolated from the microphone via the elastic bands . it is to be understood that extension springs could be used instead of the elastic bands to also perform the vibration isolation . the wires connecting the microphone to the electronics contained within the vocolo body should be of very fine gauge within the cup mouthpiece assembly to avoid any significant mechanical transmission of vibrations to the microphone through the wires . affixing a small additional mass to the microphone , such as a small piece of steel or brass can enhance the mechanical vibration isolation . instead of a cup - style mouthpiece as described in the previous subsection one can employ the tube mouthpiece . fig1 a shows the tube mouthpiece assembly 101 ′ that incorporates this feature . it is essentially the same as the cup mouthpiece assembly except that the cup mouthpiece cap is replaced with the tube mouthpiece cap 102 ′. to use the mouthpiece , the user places his lips around the end of the tube 115 ′ and hums , similar to the operation of a kazoo . the user does not have quite the freedom of tongue and lip movement for controlling the sound as with the cup mouthpiece . however , an advantage of this approach is that the breath itself can be used to control the volume because a significant airflow is required to carry the sound to the microphone . another advantage is that the tube may be easier to clean . fig1 b shows a view of the back of the tube mouthpiece cap , and shows how the tube end 115 ″ protrudes into the microphone containment subassembly ( once the tube mouthpiece cap is pressed onto the latter ). this places the airflow containing the sound very close to the microphone , making the microphone more sensitive to the user &# 39 ; s voice and thus less sensitive to unwanted external sounds . another equally preferred embodiment for a microphone support means is shown in fig1 . this version does not require the performer to hum or sing into a tube or cup , but to rather sing or hum more directly into the microphone without having the user &# 39 ; s lips come into contact to any part of the vocolo . the microphone 82 is supported by the pedestal 76 , which is affixed to some vocolo portion 73 . the bracket 70 supports the chin stop comprised of two extensions 88 a and 88 b that extend on opposite side of the chin . the elastic members 92 a and 92 b provide a comfortable contact surface for the chin stop against the chin . thus , by placing the chin stop against the chin , the microphone should be automatically placed in front of the mouth , the microphone also being at some predetermined distance from the mouth , and the position of microphone providing a sanitary and acoustically consistent interface for the vocolo microphone . the vocolo can be extended and enhanced with various educational game programs . one such program is the “ simon says ” game , which challenges the player to recall and repeat melodic sequences . in this game , the vocolo first plays a short melodic sequence to the player , who must then repeat it by singing the sequence back into the vocolo mouthpiece . if the player repeats the sequence correctly , the vocolo generates a new , more difficult sequence . the process continues for as long as the player correctly repeats the sequences generated . there are three major components of the software : ( 1 ) creation of the challenge melody , ( 2 ) melody production , ( 3 ) response recording , ( 4 ) response evaluation . the challenge melody can be generated either randomly or by table lookup . in both cases , challenges must be ordered by difficulty so that a series of melodies can be generated , each one more difficult than the last . the difficulty of a melody is measured in multiple ways , for example : length refers to the number of notes that make up the melody ; shorter melodies are easier to remember than longer melodies . pitch level means how high or low the pitches are ; pitches that are very high or low are more difficult to sing . pitch range refers to how far apart the highest note of the sequence is above the lowest note ; melodies that span large ranges are more difficult to reproduce than melodies that are constrained to a small range of notes . interval size refers to the melody &# 39 ; s maximum and average jumps in pitch ; small jumps in pitch are easier to sing than large jumps . melodic congruity refers to how well the notes fall into the standard harmonies of western music ; notes that conform to a single musical scale are easier to remember and reproduce than are non - harmonic notes . rhythmic complexity refers to the combination of rhythmic values in the melody ; evenly timed notes falling into regular groups are easier to remember and sing than are notes whose rhythms are variable or do not fall into regular groups . overall speed refers to the fastest rhythms in the melodies ; faster rhythms are harder to reproduce than are slower ones ( this metric also works in combination with interval size ; fast rhythms over small intervals are much easier to sing than fast rhythms over large intervals — the extreme case is yodeling ). repetition refers to the degree to which pitches , intervals , and rhythms are repeated in the melody ; melodies with large amounts of repetition are easier to remember and reproduce than are melodies which are otherwise of the same difficulty but which have no such repetition . melodies can be generated by ( 1 ) drawing from a predefined library of melodies organized according to their difficulty , ( 2 ) constructing a melody from a melody profile . the first case is self - explanatory . the second could for example be done as follows for the eight dimensions of difficulty listed above . a melody profile in the form of an eight - placed vector which represents the difficulty - level for each of the dimensions above , e . g . ( 5 , 1 , 4 , 6 , 2 , 5 , 2 , 3 ), describes the overall difficulty of the current melody . if the player &# 39 ; s response is correct , the difficulty level of one of the dimensions is increased ( either at random or according to a predefined procedure ) and a new melody is generated according to the new profile . for example , a melody with a length value of five has five notes ; in the other dimensions , higher numbers represent greater difficulty , e . g . larger interval sizes , faster speeds , less repetition , etc . once generated , the challenge melody consists of a sequence of pitches and their durations . the sequence , called a template , is a list of note pairs : ( pitch 1 , duration 1 ), ( pitch 2 , duration 2 ), ( pitch 3 , duration 3 ) . . . . the pitches of the template are played in sequence by the ssm for the duration specified using the currently selected instrument . in the case that there is a pause , or rest , between notes , the pitch value is zero for the note pair representing the rest . recording begins as soon as the melody sequence has finished playing . recording stops once there is a sufficiently long pause in the player &# 39 ; s singing , or when the overall duration of the player &# 39 ; s singing has far exceeded the duration of the melody ( a preferred value is 30 % longer than the duration of the challenge melody ), or alternatively when the player presses a button on the vocolo body predetermined for this purpose . similar to the sequence recording method described earlier , the beginning of the recording of the response corresponds to the first note ( attack ) of the actual response of the player . the recorded information is arranged into a template representing a sequence of note pairs just as for the challenge melody described above : ( pitch 1 , duration 1 ), ( pitch 2 , duration 2 ), ( pitch 3 , duration 3 ) . . . . each time there is an attack or a release in the recording , a new note pair is added to the template sequence . the duration value of the pair is the number of milliseconds between the note &# 39 ; s attack and its release . if there is a gap , e . g . greater than 5 ms , between the release of one note and the attack of the next , then the gap is encoded as a pause , i . e . with a pitch value of zero , just as for the challenge melody . the pitch of the note pair is the average pitch detected during the duration of the note pair , i . e . while the note is sung . once the template for the player &# 39 ; s melody has been recorded , it can be compared to the challenge melody that prompted it . the comparison , described next , results in a yes or no determination as to whether the response template , r , matched the challenge template , c . if the response matches , the simon says game continues with the creation of a new , more difficult challenge melody as described above . if the response does not match , the game ends . the algorithm that determines whether r matches c must be flexible , i . e . it must not require the templates to match exactly and should also allow the strictness of the matching to be modifiable . matching is therefore a two step process : simplification of the templates , and pattern matching across the simplified templates . one possible method for each of these is described next . each template of absolute note pairs , (( p a 1 , d a 1 ), ( p a 2 , d a 2 ), ( p a 3 , d a 3 ), . . . ,( p a n , d a n )) is converted to a template of relative - pitch and relative - duration pairs , (( p r 1 , d r 1 ), ( p r 2 , d r 2 ), ( p r 3 , d r 3 ), . . . , ( p r n , d r n )). each relative - pitch entry , p r x , is the difference in the two corresponding absolute pitches : p a x − p a x − 1 , where p r 1 = 0 . the duration intervals are scaled according to the number of notes , n , and the total duration of the response , d r : it may also be useful to quantize both pitches and durations into larger bins , e . g . nearest semitones ( for pitches ), and multiples of the shortest duration ( for durations ). the computer science literature is replete with pattern - matching algorithms that can compare two sequences . one method that works well for the simon says game is as follows : first , make the two templates the same size . if the response template is longer than the challenge template , the shortest - duration entries are successively removed from the response template until it is the same size as the challenge template . if the response template is shorter , then the templates are considered not to match . alternatively , the challenge template could be shortened in the same way , if a greater degree of flexibility is desired . second , recast the templates as two tables , the challenge table and the response table , each with three columns and n rows . each row x is an entry from the template . the first column is the relative pitch , p r x , the second is the relative duration , d r x , and the third is the beginning time , b x , where  b 1 = 0  b 2 = d r 1  b 3 = d r 1 + d r 2  ⋯  b n = d r 1 + d r 2 + … + d r n - 1 starting with c 1 ( the first row in the challenge table ) find row r x ( the closest match in the response table ) according to some mismatch function m ( described below ); then let m 1 = m ( c 1 , r x ), and remove both c 1 and r x from their respective tables . repeat until both tables are empty , thus creating mismatch values m 2 through m n . now sum these mismatch values , m t   o   t   a   l = ∑ i  m i / n to produce a combined mismatch score , and normalize it by dividing by the number of entries in the table , n . finally compare the result , m total with a threshold value . if m total is less than the threshold , the match is considered successful and the player proceeds to the next round ; otherwise the game ends . the mismatch function , m , can be as simple as the absolute linear difference between the entries in the rows being compared : m  ( c x , r y ) = m  ( & lt ; p r x c , d r x c , b x c & gt ; , & lt ; p r y r , d r y r , b y r & gt ; ) = k 1 \| p r x c  - r  p r y \| + k 2 \| d r x c - d r y r \| + k 3 \| b x c - b y r \| where a , and k 1 , k 2 , and k 3 are constants . there are many other ways to compare two sequences and measure how well they matched . any of these methods work for the purposes of the simon says game . other , more ( or less ) precise pattern - matching algorithms may be more appropriate for a specific implementation . there are any number of other games that could be created for the vocolo based on similar concepts , for example : a synthesized voice or a small screen directs the player to play ( sing ) a well - known song . the player &# 39 ; s rendition is compared to the stored template for that song and scored for accuracy . the vocolo begins a well - known melody and stops ; the player must complete the melody and is scored on the accuracy of his completion ( compared against a template stored in the vocolo ). the player is directed ( by voice or screen ) to sing specified intervals , e . g . a perfect fourth up , a minor third down , etc ., and the player has to sing or play what was specified and is scored based on the . result . as stated previously , no pitch detection method is perfect — occasionally pitch errors occur . contributing to this situation is the fact that the pitch of the human voice is often ambiguous . after all , pitch is a subjective quantity to an extent . for example , consider the case of the diplophonic voice , which refers to when the voice has a sort of rattle - like quality . a vocal sequence can start out normal and then become diplophonic , generally resulting in a sub - harmonic component one octave below the original pitch . who is to say which pitch is correct during the diplophonic phase , the original or the octave low version ? the preferred embodiment , called multi - channel pitch correction ( mcpc ), addresses this question . the answer it provides is that the correct pitch is the one that is detected by the pitch detector most often . for multi - channel pitch correction , one or more hypotheses about the pitch are maintained at any time about the current pitch , and the output of the pitch corrector is the most likely hypothesis at that time . each hypothesis is referred to as a channel because it usually corresponds to a near - contiguous pitch segment in time . for the diplophonic example given in the previous paragraph , one hypothesis corresponds to the original pitch and the other corresponds to the pitch an octave below this , and as the singer bends his pitch , so do the pitches for each channel . similarly , other channels typically correspond to other harmonics of the fundamental pitch . the general approach is as follows : whenever a new pitch is detected , it is compared to other recently detected pitches . the recent pitches are grouped into categories , or channels . if the new pitch is close to one of the channels , then the new pitch becomes the ( current ) channel pitch . if it is not close to any channel a new channel is started with the current pitch as the pitch of the new channel . each channel has an associated weight which indicates the probability that the pitch of the channel is the correct pitch ( to be played ). the channel corresponding to the currently detected pitch is called the current channel ; all the other channels at that time are called non - current channels . in any case , at each time step the weight for the current channel is incremented and the weights for all the non - current channels are decremented ( down to a minimum value of zero ). furthermore , the pitches for the non - current channels are kept current with the current channel by scaling the former according to the latter . finally , as just expressed , the pitch of the channel with the largest weight is output as the corrected pitch . the multi - channel pitch correction method is now described with reference to fig1 a and 17 b , for the case of two channels . for pbac , it is preferred to start the pitch correction logic ( at start in fig1 a ) every time a new pitch is detected . for other pitch detection methods such as sbac , that find the pitch every time sample ( or down - sample ), it is preferred to call the correction logic less often because the pitch does not change nearly as frequently with respect to the detection rate . the variables used in fig1 a and 17 b are defined as follows : i_chan_detect : the identity of the current channel , i . e . the channel corresponding to the currently detected pitch ( f_v ); the value is zero for channel 0 , one for channel 1 f_chan_ 0 , f_chan_ 1 : the pitches for channels 0 and 1 , respectively f_chan_ 0 _jump , f_chan_ 1 jump : the pitches for channels 0 and 1 , respectively , corresponding to a pitch jump wt_chan_ 0 , wt_chan_ 1 : the weights for channels 0 and 1 , respectively ; the weight values range from − 20 to 30 ( this range is somewhat arbitrary and should be “ tuned ” for the best results ) when the first pitch is detected , an attack is assumed to have occurred , and box 157 resets the channels . as long as no pitch jump occurs , i . e . as long as the pitch changes are smooth , the logic follows down the left side , i . e . through boxes 151 , 152 , 153 , 154 ( and then end ). only channel 0 remains active and the weight for this channel increases ( up to a maximum value of 30 ) each time a new ( consistent ) pitch occurs . a pitch jump is detected in box 150 , i . e ., a jump occurs when the normalized difference in pitches exceeds the small threshold constant . then box 158 sets n_chan_active = 2 . decision boxes 159 and 160 determine whether the current pitch is close to either channel 0 or channel 1 , respectively . if the pitch is close to channel 0 ( box 159 ), then i_chan_detect = 0 , the pitch is updated , and weight for channel 0 is increased ( box 152 ); if the number of active channels is two , then the weight for channel 1 is decreased ( box 156 ). if the pitch f_v is close to channel 1 , it is known that there are two active channels and the weights for both channels are updated accordingly . if a pitch jump has just occurred , then the jump values for the channel pitches are saved in box 163 . note that if the current pitch is not close to either channel the logic is reset ( box 157 ) since there are no more channels to ascribe the pitch to . the pitch correction logic continues in fig1 b , where the task is to update the pitch for the non - current channel , i . e . for the channel whose pitch does not correspond to the currently detected pitch . the last time the pitch for the non - current channel was detected was at the last pitch jump , and hence the pitch for this channel is updated according to the ratio of the pitches at the pitch jump . for example , assume that at the last pitch jump f_chan_ 0 _jump = 100 and f_chan_ 1 jump = 200 , and several pitches have been detected since then and have been ascribed to channel 1 . if the currently detected pitch is 300 , i . e ., is 100 % higher than the pitch of its channel at the jump , then it is desired to have the pitch for channel 0 to go up 100 % as well . this is the function of boxes 171 a and 171 b : to keep the non - current channel current with the current pitch . once the pitch for the non - current channel is updated as just described , the weights of the channels are compared and the one with the highest value is the corrected pitch ( the one to be played ). thus , the corrected pitch corresponds to the channel which has been on ( or detected ) the most in the recent past because the weight for that channel is the highest . for the somewhat unusual case where channel 0 and channel 1 are detected equally frequently , the corrected pitch oscillates just as it would without the pitch correction , although it may oscillate at a lower rate . note that if the weight of channel 1 falls below (− 20 ) ( box 173 ), the channel is made non - active ( box 174 ). the detailed description above for two - channel pitch correction is generalized to the multi - channel , or n - channel , case . for the multi - channel case it is preferred to keep arrays for the channel pitches and weights , i . e , to have the variables weight_chan ( i ), f_v_chan ( i ), and f_v_chanjump ( i ) for i = 0 , 1 , . . . ( n_chan_active − 1 ). once a jump has been detected , the current pitch is compared with all the active channels ( as in boxes 159 and 160 ). if the current pitch is close to one of the channels , then this ( close ) channel becomes the detected channel , and its corresponding pitch is updated , its weight increased , and the weights for all the other channels are decreased . also similar to the two - channel case , the pitches for all the channels except the detected channel are kept current with the currently detected pitch by scaling them according to the ratios of the pitches at the pitch jumps . finally , a comparison test determines which channel has the highest weight and the pitch for this channel is the corrected pitch . note that if the currently detected pitch is not close to any of the channels for the general multi - channel case , a new channel is created and n_chan_active is incremented . this assumes , of course , that not all of the channels have been allocated . otherwise , it is preferred to reset the conditions as for the two - channel case ( box 157 ). when the new channel is created it also immediately becomes the detected channel . finally , as with the two - channel case , any time the weight for a channel falls below (− 20 ) the channel is eliminated . for the multi - channel approach just described , this necessitates setting weight_chan ( i )= weight_chan ( i + 1 ), and likewise for the other array variables , for all i & gt ; i_elim , where i_elim is the index of the channel to be eliminated . more detail is now provided regarding the ratios for general multi - channel pitch correction . suppose a first pitch jump occurs . after this first jump the pitch of channel 0 is kept current according to : f_chan  ( 0 ) = [ f_chan  _jump  ( 1 ) f_chan  _jump  ( 0 ) ]  f_v , just as for the two - channel case . now suppose a second jump occurs . then f_chan_jump ( 0 ) for the second jump is the pitch for channel 0 ( just prior to the second jump ) that has been kept current by the previous equation , and after the second pitch jump channel 0 is kept current with the currently detected pitch according to : f_chan  ( 0 ) = [ f_chan  _jump  ( 2 ) f_chan  _jump  ( 0 ) ]  f_v . so the same basic equation that applies to the two - channel case applies to the general multi - channel case . the pitch correction logic described in the foregoing does not contain any assumptions about the method for pitch detection other than that a sequence of single pitch values are provided by the pitch detector . however , with the preferred pitch detection method ( pbac ), it is likely that a strong peak pair exists that corresponds to a given non - current channel , and thus the pitch for this channel can be updated according the ( inverse of the ) time between the peaks . this eliminates the need to keep a record of the channel pitches at the pitch jumps , as well as the need to calculate the ratios ( such as in box 171 a or 171 b ). similarly , for sbac there is likely to be local maxima in the auto - correlation function that correspond to the non - current channels , and the corresponding lag values can be used to keep the non - current channels updated . a number of methods for detecting formants in voice data are already known . any of these methods can be employed as a means for expression control . for example , an “ oooo ” ( as in “ dew ”) sound could be used to make a trumpet sound more breathy , while an “ ee ” sound ( as in “ seed ”) could make the tone sound more hard . the system does not need to detect particular vowel sounds per se . it is sufficient to discriminate one or two spectral features , which may not necessarily correspond to standard vowel sounds . in fact , using a consonant sound , such as the “ zzz ” simultaneously with a tonic component , i . e . with a well - defined pitch , may be the easiest way to create vocal features which are the easiest to discriminate and less require the simplest lines and computations to discern . a mechanism for using the pitch of the voice ( f v ) and a button to designate the tonic of a discrete mode scale is described in the reference patent application . here , we introduce a similar concept : by pressing a button , another note is played simultaneously at a pitch that harmonizes with the original pitch . for example , a button could cause a version of the original sound to be played at a third above the tonic ( the current pitch ). another similar button could cause a harmony at a or a fifth above the current pitch . or , yet another button could cause two additional versions of the current note being played using the latter as the tonic indicator , creating a three - part harmony . a more general version of this feature is to have the harmony parts generated by different wave - tables or synthesis schemes . the vocolo described in the reference patent application was substantially self - contained . it may also be desired to provide a package whereby the batteries are contained in a separate package for containing the batteries , thus providing for a more lightweight instrument package . the battery package could be clicked on to the performer &# 39 ; s belt or in a small pack around the shoulders or back . a cable connects the battery pack to the vocolo to transfer the electric power . the vocolo is intended as a self - contained instrument , preferably powered by batteries . however , it is preferred to provide a means such that external power to be provided to the instrument from house current . either standard house current could be provided to the vocolo , or dc power to be provided to the vocolo from a separate dc power transformer ( wall wart ). the latter approach is preferred because this eliminates the need to have a heavy transformer within the vocolo itself . although the invention is described herein with reference to the preferred embodiment , one skilled in the art will readily appreciate that other applications may be substituted for those set forth herein without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention . accordingly , the invention should only be limited by the claims included below .	6
4 , 4 &# 39 ;- 9h - fluoren - 9 - ylidenebis ( methylene )] bispyrimidine can be prepared by any of the general synthesis procedures described in ep - a - 311 , 010 starting with fluorene . in particular the compound is prepared by the reaction of fluorene with 4 - chloromethylpyrimidine . in the following example , parts and percentages are by weight unless otherwise indicated . step ( a ): to a mixture of 4 - methylpyrimidine ( 120 mmol , 11 . 29 g , ( 1 )) and n - chlorosuccinimide ( 150 mmol , 20 . 03 g ) in carbon tetrachloride ( 500 ml ) was added benzoyl peroxide ( 1 . 5 g , 6 . 2 mmol ). the reaction mixture was heated at reflux for 8 hrs , then allowed to cool to room temperature overnight . the mixture was filtered through a thin pad of celite ® to remove the succinimide by - product . the product ( 2 ) was extracted into 3n hcl ( 3 × 100 ml ). the combined acid layers were basified with 50 % naoh solution , and the product was extracted into dichloromethane ( 5 × 100 ml ). the product was further purified via a silica gel column ( 500 g , em reagents # 9385 ), eluting with ether . the components of the reaction mixture eluted in the following order , as analyzed by tlc ( em reagents # 15327 ): 4 -( α , α - dichloromethyl ) pyrimidine , r f 0 . 43 ; product ( 2 ), r f 0 . 35 ; starting material ( 1 ), r f 0 . 16 . 1 h - nmr ( cdcl 3 ) of product ( 2 ) δ4 . 64 ( s , 2 ); 7 . 57 ( d , 1 , j = 5 . 2hz ), 8 . 80 ( d , 1 , j = 5 . 2hz ), 9 . 19 ( s , 1 ). yield - 6 . 22 g , 40 %. step ( b ): into a 3 - necked flask equipped with two addition funnels and nitrogen inlet was added fluorene (( 3 ), 24 mmol , 4 . 0 g ) and tetrahydrofuran ( thf ) ( 200 ml ). in one addition funnel was placed ( 2 ) ( 6 . 22 g , 48 mmol ) dissolved in 90 ml thf . potassium bis ( trimethylsilyl ) amide ( 0 . 5m in toluene , 48 mmol , 96 ml ) was placed in the second addition funnel . while stirring the contents of the reaction flask at room temperature , the contents of the addition funnels were added concurrently in a dropwise fashion . after addition was complete , the solution was stirred for an additional 2 hrs . 100 ml 3n hcl was added , the organic layer was diluted with ethyl acetate , and the layers were separated . the product was extracted into 3n hcl ( 3 × 100 ml ). the combined acidic layers were basified with 50 % aq . naoh , and the product was extracted into chloroform . the solution was dried over magnesium sulfate , filtered , and evaporated to a solid . after chromatography on silica gel using 10 % methanol / ethyl acetate , the product was recrystallized from dichloromethane / hexane to give off - white crystals of final product ( 4 ). yield - 4 . 6 g , 55 %, mp 143 °- 145 ° c . 1 h - nmr ( cdcl 3 ) δ3 . 63 ( s , 4h ); 6 . 34 ( dd , 2h , j = 1 , 5hz ); 7 . 34 ( m , 4h ); 7 . 50 ( m , 4h ); 8 . 19 ( d , 2h , j = 5hz ); 8 . 55 ( s , 2h ). mass spec . 350 ( m +). ir ( kbr ) 1581 , 1545 , 1475 , 1450 , 1387 , 738 cm - 1 . analysis : calc . for c 23 h 18 n 4 : c , 78 . 83 ; h , 5 . 18 ; n , 15 . 99 . found : c , 78 . 91 ; h , 5 . 41 ; n , 16 . 00 . the effect of the compound of example 1 on the release of acetylcholine ( ach ) from rat cerebral cortex slices was tested essentially using a slice superfusion procedure described by mulder et al ., brain res ., 70 , 372 , ( 1974 ), as modified according to nickolson et al , naunyn schmied . arch . pharmacol ., 319 , 48 ( 1982 ). male wistar rats ( charles river ) weighing 175 - 200 grams were used . they were housed for at least seven days before the experiment in the animal facility under a 12 - 12 hour light / dark cycle ( light on 6 . 00h , light off 18 . 00h ). they had ad lib access to standard rat chow ( purina ) and deionized water . rats were decapitated and brains were dissected immediately . slices ( 0 . 3 mm thick ) from the parietal cortex were prepared manually using a recessed lucite ® guide and subsequently cut into 0 . 25 × 0 . 25 mm squares . slices ( approximately 100 mg net weight ) were incubated in 10 ml krebs - ringer ( kr ) medium containing ( mm ): nacl ( 116 ), kcl ( 3 ), cacl 2 ( 1 . 3 ), mgcl 2 ( 1 . 2 ), kh 2 po 4 ( 1 . 2 ), na 2 so 4 ( 1 . 2 ), nahco 3 ( 25 ), glucose ( 11 ), to which 10 μci 3 h - choline ( spec . act approx 35 ci / mmol ; nen ) and 10 nmoles unlabelled choline had been added to give a final concentration of 10 - 6 m . incubation was carried out for 30 minutes at 37 ° c . under a steady flow of 95 % o 2 / 5 % co 2 . under these conditions , part of the radioactive choline taken up was converted into radioactive ach by cholinergic nerve endings , stored in synaptic vesicles and released upon depolarization by high - k + - containing media . after labelling of the ach stores , the slices were washed 3 times with non - radioactive kr - medium and transferred to a superfusion apparatus to measure the drug effects on ach release . the superfusion apparatus consisted of 10 thermostated glass columns of 5 mm diameter which were provided with gf / f glass fiber filters to support the slices ( approximately 10 mg tissue / column ). superfusion was carried out with kr - medium ( 0 . 3 ml / min ) containing 10 - 5 m hemicholinium - 3 ( hc - 3 ). hc - 3 prevents the uptake of choline , formed during the superfusion from phospholipids and released ach , which would be converted into unlabelled ach , and released in preference to the pre - formed , labelled ach . the medium was delivered by a 25 - channel peristaltic pump ( ismatec ; brinkman ) and was warmed to 37 ° c . in a thermostated stainless steel coil before entering the superfusion column . each column was provided with a 4 - way slider valve ( beckman instruments ) which allowed rapid change of low - to high - k + - kr - medium and with two 10 - channel , 3 - way valves which were used to change from drug - free to drug - containing low - and high - k + - kr - medium . after 15 minutes washout of non - specifically bound radioactivity , the collection of 4 minute fractions was started . after 3 four - min . collections , the kr medium was changed for kr medium of which the kcl concentration had been increased to 25 mm ( high - k + - kr - medium ) ( s1 ). depolarization - induced stimulation of release by high - k + - kr - medium lasted for 4 minutes . drug free low - and high - k + - kr - medium were then substituted by drug - or vehicle - containing low - and high - k + - kr - medium and superfusion was continued for 3 four - min . collections with low - k + - kr - medium , 1 four - min . collection with high - k + - kr - medium ( s2 ) and 2 four - min . collections with low k + - kr - medium . drug was added to the media by 100 - fold dilution of appropriate concentrations of the drug ( in 0 . 9 % nacl / h 2 o ) with either low - or high - k + - kr - medium . all superfusion fractions were collected in liquid scintillation counting vials . after superfusion , the slices were removed from the superfusion columns and extracted in 1 . 0 ml of 0 . 1n hcl . to superfusion fractions and extracts 12 ml liquiscint ® counting fluid ( nen ) was then added and samples were counted in a packard tricarb liquid scintillation counter . no corrections were made for quenching . the ratio of s2 / s1 ( as compared to controls where no drug was present during s2 ) was a measure of the ability of the drug to enhance or depress stimulus - induced acetylcholine release . table i______________________________________ % increase of stimulus - induced achrelease in rat cerebral cortex in vitroexample 10 . sup .- 6 10 . sup .- 5 10 . sup .- 4 ( m ) ______________________________________1 109 142 205______________________________________ effects of the compound of example 1 on cognitive performance in the rat the compound of example 1 was tested in a model of hypoxia - induced amnesia in rats . in this model , ( passive avoidance , pa ) the ability of a rat to remember ( retention latency ) is decreased by pretraining exposure to a hypoxic environment containing reduced oxygen concentrations . median pa response retention latencies of rats exposed to normal air ( 21 % oxygen ) or moderate hypoxia ( 9 - 10 % oxygen ) were at the maximal level of 300 sec . however , when the oxygen concentration was reduced to 7 %, or 6 . 5 % oxygen , pa retention latencies were reduced to 167 , 130 , and 43 sec , respectively demonstrating a significant and reliable amnesia for the task . a 6 . 5 % oxygen concentration was selected for its ability to produce maximal memory deficit without mortality . the compound of example 1 protected against the hypoxia - induced amnesia when administered one minute after training at doses ranging from 0 . 005 to 0 . 3 mg / kg s . c . the median retention latencies were significantly greater than vehicle control , ( p & lt ; 0 . 025 ) resulting in a prevention of the experimentally - induced amnesia . the peak effective dose range ( pedr ) was observed to be the 0 . 01 to 0 . 1 mg / kg s . c . dose with the retention latency reaching 181 . 0 sec . at a dose of 1 mg / kg , the retention latency was not significantly different from vehicle alone . subcutaneous administration at 0 . 05 - 0 . 3 mg / kg also protected against hypoxia - induced amnesia when administered prior to ( 35 min before ) pa training . median retention latencies increased from 19 sec in vehicle treated rats to 150 . 5 , 161 , and 51 . 5 sec in rats dosed with 0 . 05 , 0 . 10 and 0 . 30 mg / kg p . o . respectively . in summary , the compound of example 1 given subcutaneously protected against hypoxia - induced memory deficit using a single trial passive avoidance procedure over a dose range of 0 . 005 - 0 . 3 mg / kg s . c . with a peak effect dose of 0 . 01 mg / kg . oral administration of the compound of example 1 at 0 . 05 - 0 . 3 mg / kg also protected against hypoxia - induced amnesia when administered prior to ( 35 min . before ) pa training . the compound of example 1 was administered orally to rats at doses ranging from 50 - 400 mg / kg . groups of 5 rats were administered the compound and observed for the presence of overt symptoms from 15 min to 6 hr . mortality was scored at 24 hr . also . the range of doses tested were 0 , 50 , 100 , 200 and 400 mg / kg p . o . and 0 , 2 . 5 , 5 , 10 , 50 , 100 , 200 , and 400 mg / kg s . c . it produced mortality at 400 mg / kg . no other symptoms were observed . subcutaneously , the compound of example 1 was administered at doses ranging from 2 . 5 to 400 mg / kg . it produced loss of the lift reflex at 5 . 0 mg / kg but not at higher doses . no other overt symptoms were observed . the compound of example 1 has a very high safety margin in that in the rat at high doses , the main symptoms were tremor and mortality , both occurring at 4000 to 40000 times the peak effective dose range ( pedr ) of 0 . 01 to 0 . 1 mg / kg sc . the foregoing test results suggest that the compound of this invention has utility in the treatment of neurological disorders in patients , with a wide safety margin . the compound of this invention can be administered to treat said disorders by any means that produces contact of the active agent with the agent &# 39 ; s site of action in the body of a mammal . the compound can be administered by any conventional means available for use in conjunction with pharmaceuticals , either as an individual therapeutic agent or in a combination of therapeutic agent . it can be administered alone , but is generally administered with a pharmaceutical carrier selected on the basis of the chosen route of administration and standard pharmaceutical practice . the dosage administered will , of course , vary depending on the use and known factors such as the pharmacodynamic characteristics of the particular agent , and its mode and route of administration ; age , health , and weight of the recipient ; nature and extent of symptoms , kind of concurrent treatment , frequency of treatment , and the effect desired . for use in the treatment of said diseases , a daily oral dosage of active ingredient can be about 0 . 001 to 50 mg / kg of body weight . ordinarily a dose of 0 . 01 to 10 mg / kg per day in divided doses one to four times a day or in sustained release form was effective to obtain the desired results . dosage forms ( compositions ) suitable for administration contain from about 1 milligram to about 100 milligrams of active ingredient per unit . in these pharmaceutical compositions the active ingredient will ordinarily be present in an amount of about 0 . 5 - 95 % by weight based on the total weight of the composition . the active ingredient can be administered orally in solid dosage forms , such as capsules , tablets , and powders , or in liquid dosage forms , such as elixirs , syrups , and suspensions . it can also be administered parenterally , in sterile liquid dosage forms . gelatin capsules contain the active ingredient and powdered carriers , such as lactose , starch , cellulose derivatives , magnesium stearate , stearic acid , and the like . similar diluents can be used to make compressed tablets . both tablets and capsules can be manufactured as sustained release products to provide for continuous release of medication over a period of hours . compressed tablets can be sugar coated or film coated to mask any unpleasant taste and protect the tablet from the atmosphere , or enteric coated for selective disintegration in the gastrointestinal tract . liquid dosage forms for oral administration can contain coloring and flavoring to increase patient acceptance . in general , water , a suitable oil , saline , aqueous dextrose ( glucose ), and related sugar solutions and glycols such as propylene glycol or polyethylene glycols are suitable carriers for parenteral solutions . solutions for parenteral administration preferably contain a water soluble salt of the active ingredient , suitable stabilizing agents , and if necessary , buffer substances . antioxidizing agents such as sodium bisulfite , sodium sulfite , or ascorbic acid , either alone or combined , are suitable stabilizing agents . also used are citric acid and its salts and sodium edta . in addition , parenteral solutions can contain preservatives , such as benzalkonium chloride , methyl - or propyl - paraben , and chlorobutanol . suitable pharmaceutical carriers are described in remington &# 39 ; s pharmaceutical sciences , 9 , osol , a standard reference text in this field . formulations for subcutaneous administration can be prepared essentially as described in remington &# 39 ; s pharmaceutical sciences . these formulations usually consist predominantly of a liquid vehicle , the active drug , and excipients . the liquid vehicle can be essentially aqueous , for example , water and sodium chloride or dextrose to adjust the tonicity ; water miscible vehicles , such as ethanol , polyethylene glycol , and propylene glycol ; or nonaqueous vehicles consisting of water - immiscible oils such as ethyl oleate , isopropyl myristate , and benzyl benzoate . aqueous and water - immiscible vehicles can be combined in the presence of suitable surfactants to form emulsions . commonly used excipients include solubilizing agents , buffers , antioxidants , chelating agents , antimicrobial agents , suspending agents , and agents to affect viscosity . in addition to these essentially liquid preparations , it is sometimes desirable to prepare a formulation which can be effective over prolonged periods of time . this can be accomplished by incorporation of the drug into a solid polymeric mass , which can be prepared as pellets or as a single matrix . all of these agents must fulfill the requirements of sterility and absence of pyrogenicity . useful pharmaceutical dosage - forms for administration of the compound of this invention can be illustrated as follows : a large number of unit capsules are prepared by filling standard two - piece hard gelatin capsules each with 100 milligrams of powdered active ingredient , 150 milligrams of lactose , 50 milligrams of cellulose , and 6 milligrams magnesium stearate . a mixture of active ingredient in a digestible oil such as soybean oil , cottonseed oil or olive oil is prepared and injected by means of a positive displacement pump into gelatin to form soft gelatin capsules containing 100 milligrams of the active ingredient . the capsules are washed and dried . a large number of tablets are prepared by conventional procedures so that the dosage unit is 100 milligrams of active ingredient , 0 . 2 milligrams of colloidal silicon dioxide , 5 milligrams of magnesium stearate , 275 milligrams of microcrystalline cellulose , 11 milligrams of starch and 98 . 8 milligrams of lactose . appropriate coatings may be applied to increase palatability or delay absorption .	2
referring now to the drawings in which like reference numerals designate like or corresponding parts throughout the several views , there is shown in fig1 a vehicle incorporating a load dependant suspension system in accordance with the present invention which is indicated generally by the reference numeral 10 . while the present invention is illustrated in the drawings as being associated with an automotive vehicle , it is within the scope of the present invention to incorporate the load dependant suspension system of the present invention in other types of vehicles . in addition , the term “ shock absorber ” as used herein refers to shock absorbers in the general sense of the phrase and includes macpherson struts . referring now to fig1 and 2 , vehicle 10 includes a body 12 , a rear suspension assembly 14 and a front suspension assembly 16 . rear suspension assembly 14 includes a transversely extending rear axle assembly adapted to operatively support the vehicle &# 39 ; s rear wheels 18 . rear suspension assembly 14 is operatively connected to body 12 by means of a pair of shock absorbers 20 as well as by a pair of air springs 22 . front suspension system 16 includes a transversely extending front axle assembly adapted to operatively support the vehicle &# 39 ; s front wheels 24 . front suspension system 16 is operatively connected to body 12 by means of a pair of shock absorbers 26 and by another pair of air springs 22 . shock absorbers 20 and 26 serve to dampen the relative motion of the unsprung portion ( front suspension assembly 16 and rear suspension assembly 14 ) and the sprung portion ( body 12 ) of vehicle 10 . it should be understood that reference is being made within this detailed description to the terms “ air shock ” and “ air pressure proportional damper ”. it should be understood that the “ air ” referred to may be substituted with other gas or liquids without deviating from the present invention . referring to fig1 and 2 , vehicle 10 includes a control system 30 which is in communication with a height sensor 32 located at each corner of vehicle 10 . each height sensor 32 monitors the height of body 12 in relation to suspension assemblies 14 and 16 . control system 30 also includes a pneumatic pressure line 34 connecting each air spring 22 with a compressor 36 controlled by control system 30 . each pressure line 34 includes a connecting pressure line 38 which connects each pressure line 34 with a respective shock absorber 20 or a respective shock absorber 26 . when one or more of height sensors 32 indicates that the position of vehicle body 12 is lower than a specified amount , control system 30 activates compressor 36 to supply pressurized air to the air spring 22 adjacent to the specific height sensor 32 . the pressurized air extends the individual air spring 22 to raise vehicle body 12 back to its specified height . connecting line 38 supplies pressurized air to the adjacent shock absorber 20 or 26 to adjust the damping characteristics of the adjacent shock absorber 20 or 26 as will be detailed below . when one or more of height sensors 32 indicates that the position of vehicle body 12 is higher than a specific amount , control system 30 releases air pressure from the air spring 22 adjacent to the specific height sensor 32 . the release of pressurized air lowers vehicle body 12 back to the specified height . connecting line 38 releases pressurized air from the adjacent shock absorber 20 or 26 to adjust the damping characteristics of the adjacent shock absorber 20 or 26 as will be described below . while control system 30 is shown controlling each shock absorber 20 and 26 individually , it is within the scope of the present invention to simultaneously control both shock absorbers 20 and to simultaneously control both shock absorbers 26 . also , it is within the scope of the present invention to simultaneously control all four shock absorbers 20 and 26 if desired . referring now to fig3 and 4 , shock absorber 20 is shown in greater detail . while fig3 and 4 illustrate shock absorber 20 , it is to be understood that shock absorber 26 also includes the air pressure proportional damping system in accordance with the present invention . shock absorber 20 is a dual tube shock absorber which comprises an elongated pressure cylinder 40 defining a damping fluid containing working chamber 42 . a slidably movably piston assembly 44 divides chamber 42 into a lower working chamber 46 and an upper working chamber 48 . shock absorber 20 further comprises a base valve 50 located within the lower end of pressure cylinder 40 which permits the flow of damping fluid between lower working chamber 46 and an annular reserve chamber 52 defined by a reserve tube 54 . referring to the upper end of shock absorber 20 , a rod guide and seal assembly 56 seats within an upper end cap 58 of pressure cylinder 40 and reserve tube 54 . rod guide and seal assembly 56 limits radial movement of an axially extending piston rod 60 and provides a fluid seal to prevent fluid from leaking from either upper working chamber 48 or from reserve chamber 52 during reciprocation of piston rod 60 . further , rod guide and seal assembly 56 seals shock absorber 20 from the introduction of dirt , dust or other contaminants into the fluidic portions of shock absorber 20 . a variable valve assembly 100 fluidly communicates with upper working chamber 48 through a fluid tube 102 and a fluid passage 104 extending through rod guide and seal assembly 56 . variable valve assembly 100 comprises a valve housing 110 , an inner valve body 112 , an upper valve body 114 , a plunger seat 116 , a plunger housing 118 , a plunger assembly 120 , a nipple housing assembly 122 , and a closing ring 124 . valve housing 110 is a cup shaped housing which extends through an aperture 126 extending through reserve tube 54 . housing 110 defines an internal chamber 128 which is in communication with reserve chamber 52 through an aperture 130 . inner valve body 112 is disposed within aperture 130 and it defines a fluid passage 132 within which is disposed fluid tube 102 . for reasons of clarity , variable valve assembly 100 has been rotated 900 in fig4 . fluid passage 132 is an l - shaped passage which receives fluid tube 102 through a radial portion and communicates with passage 142 . inner valve body 112 also defines an axial passage 134 disposed adjacent to passage 132 . passage 134 also provide communication between internal chamber 128 and reserve chamber 52 . upper valve body 114 is a cylindrical shaped body which defines a central fluid passage 136 and an axially extending fluid passage 138 . plunger seat 116 is located within a recessed area 140 of upper valve body 114 . upper valve body 114 is disposed within the bottom area of internal chamber 128 and is positioned such that plunger seat 116 sealingly engages inner valve body 112 such that fluid passage 132 fluidically communicates with central fluid passage 136 through a passage 142 extending through plunger seat 116 . plunger housing 118 is disposed within internal chamber 128 adjacent to upper valve body 114 and engages a recessed area 144 of upper valve body 114 to defines a fluid chamber 146 . an o - ring 148 seals the interface between plunger housing 118 and valve housing 110 . plunger assembly 120 is slidingly disposed within an aperture 150 extending through plunger housing 118 . an o - ring 152 seals the interface between plunger assembly 120 and plunger housing 118 . plunger assembly 120 comprises a plunger 154 and a plunger head 156 . plunger 154 has an enlarged end portion 158 which is disposed within passage 136 and which engages plunger seat 116 to control fluid flow through passage 142 of plunger seat 116 . thus , when enlarged end portion 158 of plunger 154 is spaced from plunger seat 116 , fluid flow from upper working chamber 48 through passage 104 , through tube 102 , through passage 132 , through passage 142 and passage 136 into chamber 146 is permitted . fluid then flows from chamber 146 to reserve chamber 52 through passages 138 and 134 . this places upper working chamber 48 in fluid communication with reserve chamber 52 . when enlarged end portion 158 is urged against plunger seat 116 , fluid flow through passage 142 is prohibited and upper working chamber 48 is not in open communication with reserve chamber 52 . plunger head 156 is secured to the end of plunger 154 opposite to enlarged end portion 158 . nipple housing assembly 122 is disposed within internal chamber 128 adjacent to plunger housing 118 and with plunger housing 118 defines a first pressure chamber 160 . nipple housing assembly 122 comprises a nipple housing 162 , a disc seal assembly 164 and a nipple assembly 166 . disc seal assembly 164 is sealingly attached to nipple housing 162 and with nipple housing 162 it defines a second pressure chamber 170 . nipple assembly 166 is sealingly disposed within an aperture 172 defined by nipple housing 162 . nipple assembly 166 defines a fluid passage 174 which is in communication with second pressure chamber 170 through a control orifice 176 . thus , when connecting line 38 is sealingly attached to nipple assembly 166 , the pressurized fluid within the adjacent air spring 22 is in communication with second pressure chamber 170 . the pressurized fluid within second pressurized chamber 170 deflects disc seal assembly 164 to urge it against plunger head 156 and urge end portion 158 of plunger 154 against plunger seat 116 . the amount of pressure within air spring 22 will determine the load urging end portion 158 against plunger seat 116 and this will in turn determine the fluid pressure within upper working chamber 48 required to unseat end portion 158 from plunger seat 116 and allow fluid flow between upper working chamber 48 and reserve chamber 52 . when the vehicle is in an unladen or low loaded condition , the air pressure within one or more of air springs 22 is reduced by control system 30 . the reduction of air pressure within air spring 22 simultaneously reduced the air pressure in a respective pressure line 38 and thus a respective second pressure chamber 170 . the reduction of pressure within chamber 170 releases pressure exerted by disc seal assembly 164 against plunger head 156 of plunger 154 . this allows end portion 158 of plunger 154 to move away from seat 116 easier to allow fluid flow between upper working chamber 48 and reserve chamber 52 . on a rebound stroke of shock absorber 20 , in an unladen condition , fluid within upper working chamber 48 is compressed causing fluid to flow through piston assembly 44 and eventually through valve assembly 100 . this dual flow path for fluid within upper working chamber 48 provides a relatively soft or low damping force to be generated when the pressure within air spring 22 is relatively low . when the vehicle is in a laden or highly loaded condition , the air pressure within one or more of air springs 22 is increased by control system 30 . the increase of air pressure within air spring 22 simultaneously increases the air pressure in a respective pressure line 38 and thus a respective second pressure chamber 170 . the increase of pressure within chamber 170 increases pressure exerted by disc seal assembly 164 against plunger head 156 of plunger 154 . this , in turn , urges end portion 158 of plunger 154 against seat 116 to restrict fluid flow between upper working chamber 48 and reserve chamber 52 . on a rebound stroke of shock absorber 20 , in a laden condition , fluid within upper working chamber 48 is compressed causing fluid to flow through piston assembly 44 . fluid pressure will increase within upper working chamber 48 as well as within fluid passage 104 and fluid tube 102 . this pressurized fluid will react against end portion 158 of plunger 154 and once the fluid pressure is sufficient to unseat end portion 158 from seat 116 , fluid will then flow through valve assembly . the initial single flow path for fluid within upper working chamber 48 ( only through piston assembly 44 ) provides a relatively firm or high damping force to be generated . the degree of damping will be controlled by the force being exerted by air pressure from spring 22 against plunger 154 which is biased against seat 116 . shock absorber 20 and variable valve assembly also incorporate a fail safe function . when there is a problem with the air pressure supply , for instance if connection line 38 leaks , there will be little or no air pressure acting on disc seal assembly 164 and on plunger 154 . consequently , pressurized oil coming from passage 132 and 142 will encounter no resistance from plunger 154 and plunger 154 will be pushed against an upper plunger seat 180 , formed by upper valve body 114 . as a result , oil will not flow through passages 136 to fluid chamber 146 and the damping force created by shock absorber 20 will increase to a level that is higher or equal to the highly loaded situation or what is called its fail safe function . while the above detailed description describes the preferred embodiment of the present invention , it should be understood that the present invention is susceptible to modification , variation and alteration without deviating from the scope and fair meaning of the subjoined claims .	1
the present invention discloses a 7 - t sram cell with separate read and write ports and can serve in either single port or dual port sram . in the following description , numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention . it will be understood , however , to one skilled in the art , that the present invention may be practiced without some or all of these specific details . in other instances , well known process operations have not been described in detail in order not to unnecessarily obscure the present invention . fig1 and 2 have already been described and discussed as the relevant background to the present invention . they require no further discussion here . fig3 is a schematic diagram illustrating a 7 - t dual port sram cell 300 according to one embodiment of the present invention . the 7 - t dual port sram cell 300 comprises two pull - up pmos transistors 310 and 320 , one pull - down nmos transistor 315 . the pmos transistor 310 and the nmos transistor 315 forms an inverter with an input node d and an output node c connected to a drain and a gate of the pmos transistor 320 , respectively . the three transistors 310 , 320 and 315 forms a storage core cell with nodes c and d as two storage nodes complimentary to each other , i . e ., if node c is pulled up to a positive high voltage ( vcc ), node d will be pulled down to a complementary low voltage ( vss ). referring to fig3 , nmos transistors 330 and 335 are connected in series , forming a write path 358 between a write - bit - line 355 and the storage node d . a source / drain of the nmos transistor 335 is connected to node d , while a source / drain of the nmos transistor 330 is connected to the write - bit - line 355 . the write path 358 works just fine if the nmos transistor 335 and the nmos transistor 330 are switched placements , i . e ., a source / drain of the nmos transistor 335 is connected to the write - bit - line 355 , while a source / drain of the nmos transistor 330 is connected to node d ( not shown ). a gate of the nmos transistor 330 is connected to a write - word - line 340 . a gate of the nmos transistor 335 is connected to a write - enable 350 . only when the write - word - line 340 turns to high voltage or “ 1 ”, and the write - enable 350 turns to high voltage or “ 1 ”, the write path 358 is activated , i . e ., the write - bit - line 355 can write either a “ 1 ” or “ 0 ” into node d , otherwise the write path 358 is deactivated . if the write - word - line 340 is placed in row orientation , then the write - enable 350 is placed in column orientation , together they can address a particular cell in a memory array , without disturbing the rest of the cells . in essence , the transistors 330 and 335 are just two switches , and anyone of which can be either a nmos or a pmos transistor , though a nmos is generally more preferable because it can deliver a higher current as a same size pmos transistor , thus making a smaller cell size . if a nmos is chosen , then its gate activation ( turn - on ) voltage is high . when a pmos is chosen , then its gate activation voltage is low . customarily , a signal line is named word - line when it is placed in row orientation , and that is why the write - word - line 340 is placed in row orientation as shown in fig3 . but this is just a naming convention , which has no bearing on the functions of the depicted circuits . referring to fig3 , node d of the sram cell 300 of the present invention has only a pull - up pmos transistor 320 and no pull - down transistor . node d can hold a “ 1 ” just as well as that of a conventional 6 - t sram cell 100 shown in fig1 . but node d is relatively weak in holding a “ 0 ”. after node d is written a “ 0 ”, a sub - threshold leakage of the pmos transistor 320 tends to pull node d to “ 1 ” over time . to compensate that sub - threshold leakage , the transistors 330 and 335 on the write path 358 are made leakier ( higher sub - threshold leakage current ) in their off state . one way to achieve this is to adjust the threshold voltage ( vt ) of the transistors , so that absolute values of vt of both the transistors 330 and 335 are lower than that of the pmos transistor 320 . at the same time , the write - bit - line 355 is forced to “ 0 ” during read or standby cycles . during write cycles , with both transistors 330 and 335 are ‘ on ’, if the write - bit - line is forced “ 1 ”, then a “ 1 ” will be written to node d ; and if the write - bit - line is forced “ 0 ”, then a “ 0 ” will be written to node d . node d voltage is always opposite to that of node c . referring to fig3 , similar to the write path 358 , two serially connected nmos transistors 370 and 375 form a read path 385 between a read - bit - line 380 and vss . a gate and a source / drain of the nmos transistor 370 are connected to a read - word - line 360 and a read - bit - line 380 , respectively . the read - word - line 360 and read - bit - line 380 provide means to address any particular cells in the memory array , so that the nmos transistor 370 serves as a read pass gate transistor . customarily , the read - word - line 360 is placed in row - orientation , and the read - bit - line 380 is placed in column - orientation . a gate and a source of the nmos transistor 375 are connected to node d and vss , respectively . prior to a read cycle , the read - bit - line is pre - charged to vcc , and upon reading the sram cell 300 , the read - word - line 360 rises to vcc and turns on the nmos transistor 370 . if node d stores a “ 1 ”, then the nmos transistor 375 will be turned on , and the read - bit - line 380 will be pulled down to vss . on the other hand , if node d stores a “ 0 ”, then the nmos transistor 375 will remain off , and the read - bit - line will remain in its pre - charged state . the voltage change or no change at the read - bit - line 380 will be detected by a sense amplifier ( not shown ) to interpret the stored state of the sram cell 300 . the sense amplifier could take a reference bit - line from a dummy cell for comparing with the read - bit - line 380 . a column of dummy cell can serve an entire memory array , with every sram cell has only one read - bit - line . similarly , the placement of the nmos transistors 370 and 375 along with their gate connections can be switched without affecting the read operation of the sram cell 300 . similar to the write path 358 , the transistors 370 and 375 are just two switches , and anyone of which can be either a nmos or a pmos transistor , though a nmos is generally more preferable because it can deliver higher current as a same size pmos transistor , thus makes a smaller cell size . if a nmos is chosen , then its gate activation ( turn - on ) voltage is high . when a pmos is chosen , then its gate activation voltage is low . referring to fig3 , since the read and write paths have their separate addressing word - lines and bit - lines , so that the 7 - t sram cell can serve in a dual port sram memory , which allows simultaneous read and write operations . fig4 is a schematic diagram illustrating a 7 - t dual port sram cell 400 according to another embodiment of the present invention . the sram cell 400 is a modified version of the sram cell 300 . here a nmos transistor 430 , a gate of which is connected to the write - enable 350 , is placed next to the write - bit - line 355 . a gate of a nmos transistor 435 is connected to a word - line 440 , which is also connected to the gate of the nmos transistor 370 on the read path 385 , i . e ., the word - line 440 serves as a common word - line for both read and write . during read , the write - enable 350 will stay at “ 0 ”, and turns off the nmos transistor 430 , so that the cell being read will not be disturbed by the nmos transistor 435 on the write path 458 being turned on . on the other hand , during write , the nmos transistor 370 on the read path 485 is turned on by the word - line , so that the read path 485 itself resembles a read operation , but as long as the corresponding sense amplifier is not enabled , this is just a dummy read . note in fig4 that the gate of the nmos transistor 375 is connected to node c instead of node d in sram cell 300 shown in fig3 . the sram cell 400 reads just the same as the sram cell 300 , except the read - out polarity is reversed , which can be corrected at the sense amplifier or later in a corresponding data path . also , as a result of only the gate of the nmos transistor 375 is connected to the storage node c or d , reading the cell 300 or 400 has no disturbance on the charge stored in the storage node , thus dummy read is allowed . in such a way , only one word - line is needed , so that the memory array layout can be made more compact . fig5 is a schematic diagram illustrating a 7 - t dual port sram cell 500 according to yet another embodiment of the present invention . here a read path 585 is formed by two serially connected pmos transistors 570 and 575 . a source of the pmos transistor 575 is connected to vcc . to select the sram cell 500 , a word - line 540 is lowered to “ 0 ”, which turns on pmos transistors 570 and 535 . the pmos transistor 535 is on the write path 558 . prior to a read , the read - bit - line 580 is pulled - down to vss . if the storage node c stores a “ 0 ”, the pmos transistor 575 will be turned on , and then the read - bit - line 580 will be pulled up by vcc . if the storage node c stores a “ 1 ”, the pmos transistor 575 will be off , and then the read - bit - line 580 will remain at vss . the voltage charge or no change will be detected by a sense amplifier to represent two states of the sram cell 500 . referring to fig5 , a gate of a nmos transistor 530 is connected to a write - enable 550 , so that the write - enable 550 turns to “ 1 ” to enable a write to the sram cell 500 . although the foregoing disclosures describe the sram cells used in a dual port application , giving the fact that the sram cell of the present invention employs only seven transistors , which is size competitive in comparison with the conventional 6 - t single port sram cells , the 7 - t sram cells can be used in single port sram applications . fig6 is a diagram illustrating a layout arrangement of the 7 - t dual - port sram cell 300 shown in fig3 . here the read - bit - line 380 , vss , vcc , write - enable 350 and write - bit - line 355 are placed vertically . the separate write - word - line 340 and read - word - line 360 are placed horizontally . fig7 is a diagram illustrating a layout arrangement of the 7 - t dual - port sram cell 400 shown in fig4 . here the read - bit - line 380 , vss , vcc , write - enable 350 and write - bit - line 355 are still placed vertically . but there is only one common word - line 440 for both read and write placed horizontally . the sram cell 500 shown in fig5 can have an identical layout ( not shown ) as the sram cell 400 , as they both have only one word - line . the above illustration provides many different embodiments or embodiments for implementing different features of the invention . specific embodiments of components and processes are described to help clarify the invention . these are , of course , merely embodiments and are not intended to limit the invention from that described in the claims . although the invention is illustrated and described herein as embodied in one or more specific examples , it is nevertheless not intended to be limited to the details shown , since various modifications and structural changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention and within the scope and range of equivalents of the claims . accordingly , it is appropriate that the appended claims be construed broadly and in a manner consistent with the scope of the invention , as set forth in the following claims .	6
referring now to the drawings , wherein like numerals reflect like elements , throughout the various views , the fig1 apparatus includes two identical casting lines x -- x and a pitch line y -- y . in each casting line , there are arranged a casting machine 1a , 1b and adownstream located shear 2a , 2b for separating a cast piece into single slabs . downstream of each shear , there is a long - range equalizing furnace installation having a heating zone 3a , 3b , a buffer zone 4a , 4b and an accumulator zone 5a , 5b . in the shown arrangement , the length of the heating zone 3a , 3b is about 40 m , the length of the buffer zone 4a , 4b is also about 40 m , and the length of the accumulator zone 5a , 5b is about 67 m . the total length of each of the equalizing furnace is about 147 m . downstream of each equalizing furnace , there is arranged a transverse transporting system comprising a &# 34 ; ferry &# 34 ; 6a , 6b having a length of about 49 m . between the two casting lines x -- x , there is located a pitch line y -- y , including a holding furnace 7 having a length of about 49 m , and a finishing train 8 . the finishing train comprises three roughing stands , three finishing stands , and an input device 9 , which is located at the inlet of the finishing train . the apparatus according to the invention , shown in fig2 has , in both casting lines x -- x , a reduced - length equalizing furnace consisting of a heating zone 3a , 3b and a buffer zone 4a , 4b . the length of the heating zone 3a , 3b is about 40 m and the length of the buffer zone 4a , 4b is about 50 m . thereby , the length of the equalizing furnace shown in fig2 is reduced in comparison with the length of the equalizing furnace shown in fig1 and is about 92 m , whereas the length of the equalizing furnace shown in fig1 is , as described above , 147 m . according to the invention , the accumulator furnace 5 is arranged in the pitch line y -- y sidewise of equalizing furnaces 3a , 4a and 3b , 4b . thereby , the length of the arrangement is reduced , from the shears 2a , 2b to the end of the holding furnace 7 , from 245 m to 190 m . at that , the accumulator furnace 5 extends parallel to the heating and buffer zones . as shown in fig2 the apparatus layout permits increasing the length of the buffer zone from 40 m to about 50 m and increasing the length of the accumulator furnace from 67 m to 80 m . as to the &# 34 ; ferries &# 34 ;, the holding furnace 7 and the finishing train , their lengths remain unchanged . it is envisaged , according to the invention , to provide at least in one casting line , and advantageously in both , an additional accumulating furnace 20a , 20b . by providing the additional furnaces , without lengthening the total length of the apparatus , it becomes possible to increase the compensation time when the finishing train does not operate as a result of changing of the rollers or disturbance , with cast length of about 50 m , in two times , by about 9 minutes . the path / time network of the apparatus is shown in fig3 . the top portion indicates the total length of about 190 m of the heating zone 3a , 3b , the buffer zone 4a , 4b , the &# 34 ; ferries &# 34 ; 6a , 6b , and the additional accumulating furnace 20a , 20b of the casting line x -- x , as well as the respective lengths of the accumulating and holding furnaces of the pitch line . the example shows two slabs ( 2a , 2b ) at the time point zero at the end of the heating zones 3a , 3b and two slabs ( 1a , 1b ) in the buffer zones 4a , 4b . at the time point t = 70 sec ., the slabs ( 1a , 1b ) have advanced forward , at the transportation speed of 0 . 75 m / sec ., and have moved into the &# 34 ; ferries &# 34 ; 6a , 6b by 52 . 5 m . at the time point t = 110 sec ., the slab ( la ), which is located in the &# 34 ; ferry &# 34 ; 6a , is transported , with a speed of 0 . 25 m / sec ., from the casting line to a pitch line y -- y in 40 sec . by about 10 m with the &# 34 ; ferry &# 34 ; 6b remaining in its casting line x -- x . at the time point t = 180 sec ., the slab ( 1a ) is transported from the &# 34 ; ferry &# 34 ; 6a into the holding furnace 7 . then , at the time point t = 220 sec ., after being transported by another 30 m , the slab is in the finishing train 8 . at feed speed of 0 . 29 m / sec ., the slab ( 1a ) is conveyed through the finishing train 8 in about 152 sec . at the casting speed of about 0 . 1 m / sec . and with the length of the slab of 44 m , the production of the slab takes 440 sec . when the casting pieces are produced continuously in two casting lines , an offset time cycle of 220 sec . for each slab ( 1a , 1b ) is available . between the finishing time of 152 sec . and a production cycle of 220 sec . for a single slab , there is , after each finishing cycle of 152 sec ., a clear interval of 68 sec . thus , there is a general cycle sequence such that the total cycle expires within 450 sec ., within which two slabs are produced and rolled down into an end product . as can be seen in the diagram , between the time points t = 0 and t = 440 sec ., a slab pair ( 1a , 1b ) or ( 2a , 2b ) is cast and is transported by 45 m from the heating zones 3a , 3b into the buffer zones 4a , 4b . between the time points t = 180 sec . and t = 220 sec ., the slab ( 1b ), by a &# 34 ; ferry &# 34 ; 6b , is transported from the casting line x -- x into the pitch line y -- y , and then between the time points t = 220 sec . and t = 290 sec . that is in 70 sec ., is transported from the &# 34 ; ferry &# 34 ; 6a , 6b by 52 . 5 m either backward into the accumulating furnace or forward in the holding furnace 7 . there , the slab 1b is held up to the time point t = 330 sec ., that is for 40 sec ., and then is transported , between the time points t = 330 sec . and t = 370 sec ., by another 30 m into the inlet of the finishing train 8 . thereafter , the cycle is repeated at t = 450 sec . = t = 0 , wherein instead of positions ( 2a , 2b ) or ( 1a , 1b ), after another cycle of 450 sec ., the slabs ( 3a , 3b ) and ( 2a , 2b ) by about 44 m , in accordance with the casting speed of about 0 . 1 m / sec ., are advanced . from the diagram of fig3 it follows that the operational process of the apparatus according to the present invention is characterized by a rapid run , wherein between two respective finishing cycles of a total length of 304 sec ., an interval of 136 sec . or 2 × 86 sec . is customary . the resulting idle time permits driving the drive means of the finishing train stands during each rolling operation for 152 sec . at a heavy - duty level , without thermally overloading the electric motors . the diagram shows , on the other hand , that an addition of a third casting line is not appropriate any more . with a sufficient storage capacity within the arrangement , the shortened layout of the furnace installation according to the inventions provides for sufficient compensation time to insure a continuous production , during changing of rollers or other dead time of the finishing train , of the casting machines , at least to the end of one or two loading of the casting machines . while the preferred embodiments of the invention have been disclosed in detail , modifications and adaptations may be made thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as delineated in the following claims .	8
in a first aspect the present disclosure provides compounds of formula ( i ): r 1 , r 2 , r 3 , r 4 , and r 5 are each independently selected from hydrogen , deuterium , alkyl , alkenyl , alkynyl , cycloalkyl , aryl , heteroaryl , heterocyclyl , halogen , cyano , - l - r 6 , — or 7 , — c ( o ) or 8 , — oc ( o ) r 9 , — c ( o ) r 10 , — sr 11 , — s ( o ) 2 r 12 , — s ( o ) r 12 , — nr a r b , and — nhc ( o ) r 13 , wherein said alkyl , alkenyl , alkynyl , cycloalkyl , aryl , heteroaryl , and heterocyclyl each may optionally comprise one or more deuterium atoms ; x and y are each independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen , deuterium , alkyl , alkenyl , alkynyl , cycloalkyl , aryl , heteroaryl , heterocyclyl , halogen , cyano , — c ( o ) or 8 , — oc ( o ) r 9 , — c ( o ) r 10 , — sr 11 , — s ( o ) 2 r 12 , — s ( o ) r 12 , — nr a r b , — or 14 , — o - l 1 - r 15 , — n ( r x ) c ( o ) r 16 , — o -( l 2 - o ) n — r 18 , wherein said alkyl , alkenyl , alkynyl , cycloalkyl , aryl , heteroaryl , and heterocyclyl each may optionally comprise one or more deuterium atoms ; l is c 1 - c 4 alkylene optionally comprising one or more deuterium atoms ; l 1 is c 1 - c 4 alkylene optionally comprising one or more deuterium atoms ; l 2 , at each occurrence , is independently ethylene optionally comprising one to four deuterium atoms ; l 3 is methylene or ethylene optionally comprising one or more deuterium atoms ; l 4 is c 1 - c 3 alkylene optionally comprising one or more deuterium atoms ; l 6 is c 1 - c 18 alkylene optionally comprising one or more deuterium atoms ; r x , at each occurrence , is independently hydrogen or deuterium ; r 6 is selected from hydrogen , deuterium , c 1 - c 4 alkyl , aryl , heteroaryl , cycloalkyl , carbocyclyl , heterocyclyl , — sr 11 , and — or 7 , wherein said alkyl , aryl , heteroaryl , cycloalkyl , carbocyclyl , and heterocyclyl each may optionally comprise one or more deuterium atoms ; r 7 is hydrogen , deuterium , c 1 - c 6 alkyl , aryl , heteroaryl , cycloalkyl , carbocyclyl , heterocyclyl , or - l 5 - r 20 , wherein said alkyl , aryl , heteroaryl , cycloalkyl , carbocyclyl , and heterocyclyl each may optionally comprise one or more deuterium atoms ; r 8 is hydrogen , deuterium , c 1 - c 6 alkyl , or benzyl , wherein said alkyl and benzyl each may optionally comprise one or more deuterium atoms ; r 9 is hydrogen , deuterium , c 1 - c 6 alkyl , c 3 - c 6 cycloalkyl , aryl , or heteroaryl , wherein said alkyl , cycloalkyl , aryl , and heteroaryl each may optionally comprise one or more deuterium atoms ; r 10 is hydrogen , deuterium , c 1 - c 6 alkyl , c 3 - c 6 cycloalkyl , aryl , or heteroaryl , wherein said alkyl , cycloalkyl , aryl , and heteroaryl each may optionally comprise one or more deuterium atoms ; r 11 is hydrogen , deuterium , c 1 - c 6 alkyl , cycloalkyl , aryl , heteroaryl , or heterocyclyl , wherein said alkyl , cycloalkyl , aryl , heteroaryl , and heterocyclyl each may optionally comprise one or more deuterium atoms ; r 12 is c 1 - c 6 alkyl , c 3 - c 6 cycloalkyl , aryl , heteroaryl , or nr c r d , wherein said alkyl , cycloalkyl , aryl , and heteroaryl each may optionally comprise one or more deuterium atoms ; r 13 is c 3 - c 6 cycloalkyl optionally substituted by one or more substituents independently selected from halogen , c 1 - c 6 alkyl , c 1 - c 6 alkoxy , oxo , or — c ( o ) nr c r d and optionally comprising one or more deuterium atoms ; r 14 is selected from hydrogen , deuterium , c 1 - c 6 alkyl , carbocyclyl , heterocyclyl , and - l 2 - o — r 18 , wherein said alkyl , carbocyclyl , and heterocyclyl each may optionally comprise one or more deuterium atoms ; r 15 is selected from hydrogen , deuterium , c 1 - c 6 alkyl , carbocyclyl , heterocyclyl , and — or 21 , wherein said alkyl , carbocyclyl , and heterocyclyl each may optionally comprise one or more deuterium atoms ; r y and r z are each independently hydrogen or detuerium ; r 17 is selected from hydrogen , deuterium , - l - r 6 , - l - or 7 , - l - sr 11 , and - l - nr e r f ; r 18 is - l 5 - o — r 22 or c 1 - c 6 alkyl optionally comprising one or more deuterium atoms ; l 5 is methylene or ethylene , each optionally comprising one or more deuterium atoms ; r 19 is c 1 - c 6 alkyl optionally comprising one or more deuterium atoms ; r 20 is aryl or heteroaryl , each optionally comprising one or more deuterium atoms ; r 21 is c 1 - c 6 alkyl optionally comprising one or more deuterium atoms ; r 22 is selected from c 1 - c 6 alkyl , c 3 - c 6 cycloalkyl , heterocyclyl , aryl , and heteroaryl , each optionally substituted by c 1 - c 6 alkyl , wherein said alkyl , cycloalkyl , heterocyclyl , aryl , and heteroaryl each may optionally comprise one or more deuterium atoms ; r a and r b are independently selected from hydrogen , deuterium , alkyl , alkenyl , alkynyl , aryl , heteroaryl , and benzyl , wherein said alkyl , alkenyl , alkynyl , aryl , heteroaryl , and benzyl each may optionally comprise one or more deuterium atoms ; r c and r d are each independently hydrogen , deuterium , c 1 - c 6 alkyl , benzyl , or aryl wherein said alkyl , aryl , and benzyl each may optionally comprise one or more deuterium atoms ; and r e and r f are each independently hydrogen , deuterium , or c 1 - c 4 alkyl optionally comprising one or more deuterium atoms ; wherein any said aryl , heteroaryl , and benzyl each may optionally be substituted with one to five substituents independently selected from c 1 - c 6 alkyl , c 1 - c 4 haloalkyl , c 1 - c 6 alkoxy , c 1 - c 4 haloalkoxy , halogen , hydroxyl , cyano , and nitro ; wherein any said carbocyclyl , cycloalkyl , or heterocyclyl may optionally be substituted with one or more substituents independently selected from c 1 - c 6 alkyl , c 1 - c 4 haloalkyl , c 1 - c 6 alkoxy , halogen , hydroxyl , and oxo ; wherein each said alkyl , haloalkyl , alkoxy , haloalkoxy , and hydroxyl each may optionally comprise one or more deuterium atoms ; and wherein at least one of r 1 , r 2 , r 3 , r 4 , r 5 , r x , x , or y comprises one or more deuterium atoms , ( a ) when x and y are each independently — o - l 2 - o — r 18 , and r 1 is selected from hydrogen , deuterium , halogen , — oh , — ocd 3 , and — och 3 , then neither r 2 nor r 4 is hydrogen , deuterium , halogen , cf 3 , — c ≡ ch , or — c ≡ cd ; ( b ) when x is — o - l 1 - r 15 , y is — or 14 , r 15 is 4 - morpholinyl or deuterated morpholinyl , and either one of r 2 or r 4 is chloro , then r 14 is not hydrogen , methyl , or deuterated methyl ; ( c ) when x is — or 14 , y is — o - l 1 - r 15 , r 15 is a 4 - piperidinyl or deuterated 4 - piperidinyl group , l 1 is methylene or deuterated methylene , r 1 is bromo , and either r 3 or r 5 is fluoro , then r 14 is not methyl or deuterated methyl ; and ( d ) when x is a group of formula ( a ), y is hydrogen or deuterium , r 1 is — or 7 , and r 19 is methyl or deuterated methyl , then r 7 is not 3 - fluorobenzyl or deuterated 3 - fluorobenzyl . in one embodiment of the first aspect , the present disclosure provides a compound of formula ( i ), or a stereoisomer , a prodrug , or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt or solvate thereof , wherein : r 1 is selected from hydrogen , deuterium , halogen , — or 7 , and — nhc ( o ) r 13 ; r 2 and r 4 are each independently hydrogen , deuterium , halogen , or c 2 - c 4 alkynyl optionally comprising one or more deuterium atoms ; r 3 and r 5 are each independently hydrogen , deuterium , or halogen ; r 7 is hydrogen , deuterium , c 1 - c 4 alkyl , aryl , heteroaryl , or - l 5 - r 20 , wherein said alkyl , aryl , and heteroaryl may each optionally comprise one or more deuterium atoms ; r 13 is c 3 - c 6 cyclopropyl optionally substituted by — c ( o ) nr c r d and optionally comprising one or more deuterium atoms ; r 20 is aryl or heteroaryl , each optionally comprising one or more deuterium atoms ; x and y are each independently selected from hydrogen , deuterium , — or 14 , — o - l 1 - r 15 , — nr a r b , — n ( r x ) c ( o ) r 16 , — o -( l 2 - o ) n — r 18 , r 14 is selected from h , deuterium , c 1 - c 6 alkyl , carbocyclyl , heterocyclyl , and - l 2 - o — r 18 , wherein each said alkyl , carbocyclyl , and heterocyclyl may optionally comprise one or more deuterium atoms ; r 15 is selected from hydrogen , deuterium , c 1 - c 4 alkyl , carbocyclyl , heterocycyl , and — or 21 , wherein said alkyl , carbocyclyl , and heterocyclyl each may optionally comprise one or more deuterium atoms ; r y and r z are each independently hydrogen or detuerium ; r 17 is selected from hydrogen , deuterium , and - l - nr e r f ; r 18 is - l 5 - o — r 22 or c 1 - c 6 alkyl optionally comprising one or more deuterium atoms ; l is methylene or ethylene , each optionally comprising one or more deuterium atoms ; l 1 is c 1 - c 3 alkylene optionally comprising one or more deuterium atoms ; l 2 , at each occurrence , is independently ethylene optionally comprising one to four deuterium atoms ; l 3 is methylene optionally comprising one or two deuterium atoms ; l 4 is ethylene optionally comprising one to four deuterium atoms ; l 5 , at each occurrence , is independently methylene or ethylene , each optionally comprising one or more deuterium atoms ; l 6 is c 1 - c 18 alkylene optionally compromising one or more deuterium atoms ; r 19 is c 1 - c 6 alkyl optionally comprising one or more deuterium atoms ; r 20 is aryl or heteroaryl , each optionally comprising one or more deuterium atoms ; r 21 is c 1 - c 6 alkyl optionally comprising one or more deuterium atoms ; r 22 is selected from c 1 - c 6 alkyl , c 3 - c 6 cycloalkyl , heterocyclyl , aryl , and heteroaryl , each optionally comprising one or more deuterium atoms ; and r a and r b are independently selected from hydrogen , deuterium , c 1 - 6 alkyl , c 2 - 6 alkenyl , c 2 - 6 alkynyl , aryl , heteroaryl , and benzyl , wherein said alkyl , alkenyl , alkynyl , aryl , heteroaryl , and benzyl each may optionally comprise one or more deuterium atoms . in another embodiment of the first aspect , the present disclosure provides a compound of formula ( i ), or a stereoisomer , a prodrug , or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt or solvate thereof , wherein : r 2 and r 4 are each independently selected from hydrogen , deuterium , f , cl , — c ≡ ch , and — c ≡ cd ; r 3 and r 5 are each independently selected from hydrogen , deuterium , and f ; x is selected from — och 2 ch 2 och 3 , — och 2 cd 2 och 3 , — och 2 ch 2 ocd 3 , — och 2 ch 2 ocd 2 ch 3 , y is selected from hydrogen , deuterium , — och 3 , — ocd 3 , — och 2 ch 3 , — ocd 2 ch 3 , — ocd 2 cd 3 , — och 2 ch 2 och 3 , — och 2 cd 2 och 3 , — och 2 ch 2 ocd 3 , — och 2 ch 2 ocd 2 ch 3 , in another embodiment of the first aspect , the present disclosure provides a compound of formula ( i ), or a stereoisomer , a prodrug , or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt or solvate thereof , wherein x and y are each independently — o -( l 2 - o ) n — r 18 , wherein : r 18 is methyl or ethyl optionally comprising one or more deuterium atoms ; and l 2 , at each occurrence , is independently ethylene optionally comprising one to four deuterium atoms . in another embodiment of the first aspect , the present disclosure provides a compound of formula ( i ), wherein x and y are independently — o - l 2 - o — r 18 , further characterized by formula ( ia ): r x , at each occurrence , is independently hydrogen or deuterium ; r 1 , r 2 , r 3 , r 4 , and r 5 are each independently selected from hydrogen , deuterium , alkyl , alkenyl , alkynyl , cycloalkyl , aryl , heteroaryl , heterocyclyl , halogen , cyano , - l - r 6 , — or 7 , — c ( o ) or 8 , — oc ( o ) r 9 , — c ( o ) r 10 , — sr 11 , — s ( o ) 2 r 12 , — s ( o ) r 12 , — nr a r b , and — nhc ( o ) r 13 , wherein said alkyl , alkenyl , alkynyl , cycloalkyl , aryl , heteroaryl , and heterocyclyl each may optionally comprise one or more deuterium atoms ; r 6 is selected from hydrogen , deuterium , c 1 - c 4 alkyl , aryl , heteroaryl , cycloalkyl , carbocyclyl , heterocyclyl , — sr 11 , and — or 7 , wherein said alkyl , aryl , heteroaryl , cycloalkyl , carbocyclyl , and heterocyclyl each may optionally comprise one or more deuterium atoms ; r 7 is hydrogen , deuterium , c 1 - c 6 alkyl , aryl , heteroaryl , cycloalkyl , carbocyclyl , heterocyclyl , or - l 5 - r 20 , wherein said alkyl , aryl , heteroaryl , cycloalkyl , carbocyclyl , and heterocyclyl each may optionally comprise one or more deuterium atoms ; r 8 is hydrogen , deuterium , c 1 - c 6 alkyl , or benzyl , wherein said alkyl and benzyl each may optionally comprise one or more deuterium atoms ; r 9 is hydrogen , deuterium , c 1 - c 6 alkyl , c 3 - c 6 cycloalkyl , aryl , or heteroaryl , wherein said alkyl , cycloalkyl , aryl , and heteroaryl each may optionally comprise one or more deuterium atoms ; r 10 is hydrogen , deuterium , c 1 - c 6 alkyl , c 3 - c 6 cycloalkyl , aryl , or heteroaryl , wherein said alkyl , cycloalkyl , aryl , and heteroaryl each may optionally comprise one or more deuterium atoms ; r 11 is hydrogen , deuterium , c 1 - c 6 alkyl , cycloalkyl , aryl , heteroaryl , or heterocyclyl , wherein said alkyl , cycloalkyl , aryl , heteroaryl , and heterocyclyl each may optionally comprise one or more deuterium atoms ; r 12 is c 1 - c 6 alkyl , c 3 - c 6 cycloalkyl , aryl , heteroaryl , or nr c r d , wherein said alkyl , cycloalkyl , aryl , and heteroaryl each may optionally comprise one or more deuterium atoms ; r 13 is c 3 - c 6 cycloalkyl optionally substituted by one or more substituents independently selected from halogen , c 1 - c 6 alkyl , c 1 - c 6 alkoxy , oxo , or — c ( o ) nr c r d and optionally comprising one or more deuterium atoms ; r 20 is aryl or heteroaryl , each optionally comprising one or more deuterium atoms ; r aa , r ab , r ba , r bb , r ca , r cb , r da , and r db are each independently hydrogen or deuterium ; r ea , r eb , r ec , r fa , r fb , and r fc are each independently selected from hydrogen , deuterium , c 1 - c 4 alkyl , and — or 22 ; and r 22 is selected from c 1 - c 6 alkyl , c 3 - c 6 cycloalkyl , heterocyclyl , aryl , and heteroaryl , each optionally comprising one or more deuterium atoms ; l is c 1 - c 4 alkylene optionally comprising one or more deuterium atoms ; l 5 is methylene or ethylene , each optionally comprising one or more deuterium atoms ; r a and r b are independently selected from hydrogen , deuterium , alkyl , alkenyl , alkynyl , aryl , heteroaryl , and benzyl , wherein said alkyl , alkenyl , alkynyl , aryl , heteroaryl , and benzyl each may optionally comprise one or more deuterium atoms ; and r c and r d are each independently hydrogen , deuterium , c 1 - c 6 alkyl , benzyl , or aryl wherein said alkyl , aryl , and benzyl each may optionally comprise one or more deuterium atoms ; wherein any said aryl , heteroaryl , and benzyl each may optionally be substituted with one to five substituents independently selected from c 1 - c 6 alkyl , c 1 - c 4 haloalkyl , c 1 - c 6 alkoxy , c 1 - c 4 haloalkoxy , halogen , hydroxyl , cyano , and nitro ; wherein any said carbocyclyl , cycloalkyl , or heterocyclyl may optionally be substituted with one or more substituents independently selected from c 1 - c 6 alkyl , c 1 - c 4 haloalkyl , c 1 - c 6 alkoxy , halogen , hydroxyl , and oxo ; wherein each said alkyl , haloalkyl , alkoxy , haloalkoxy , and hydroxyl each may optionally comprise one or more deuterium atoms ; and wherein at least one of r 1 to r 5 , r x , r aa , r ab , r ba , r bb , r ca , r cb , r da , r db , r ea , r eb , r ec , r fa , r fb , or r fc comprises one or more deuterium atoms , provided that when r 1 is selected from hydrogen , deuterium , halogen , — oh , — ocd 3 , and — och 3 , then r 2 is not hydrogen , deuterium , halogen , cf 3 , — c ≡ ch or — c ≡ cd . in another embodiment of the first aspect , the present disclosure provides a compound of formula ( ia ), or a stereoisomer , a prodrug , or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt or solvate thereof , wherein r aa , r ab , r ba , r bb , r ca , r cb , r da , r db , r ea , r eb , r ec , r fa , l fb , and r fc are each independently hydrogen or deuterium . in another embodiment of the first aspect , the present disclosure provides a compound of formula ( ia ), or a stereoisomer , a prodrug , or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt or solvate thereof , wherein : r aa and r ab are the same and are hydrogen or deuterium ; r ba and r bb are the same and are hydrogen or deuterium ; r ca and r cb are the same and are hydrogen or deuterium ; r da and r db are the same and are hydrogen or deuterium ; r ea , r eb , and r ec are the same and are hydrogen or deuterium ; and r fa , r fb , and r fc are the same and are hydrogen or deuterium . in another embodiment of the first aspect , the present disclosure provides a compound of formula ( ia ), or a stereoisomer , a prodrug , or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt or solvate thereof , wherein : r 1 is selected from hydrogen , deuterium , halogen , — or 7 , and — nhc ( o ) r 13 ; r 2 and r 4 are each independently hydrogen , deuterium , halogen , or c 2 - c 4 alkynyl optionally comprising one or more deuterium atoms ; r 3 and r 5 are each independently hydrogen , deuterium , or halogen ; r 7 is hydrogen , deuterium , c 1 - c 4 alkyl optionally comprising one or more deuterium atoms , or - l 5 - r 20 ; r 13 is c 3 - c 6 cycloalkyl optionally substituted by — c ( o ) nr c r d ; l 5 is methylene or ethylene , each optionally comprising one or more deuterium atoms ; r 20 is aryl or heteroaryl , each optionally substituted with one or more substituents independently selected from halogen , c 1 - c 4 alkyl , and c 1 - c 4 alkoxy ; r c and r d are each independently hydrogen , deuterium , c 1 - c 6 alkyl , benzyl , or aryl optionally substituted by one or more substituents independently selected from deuterium , halogen , c 1 - c 4 alkyl , and c 1 - c 4 alkoxy ; r aa , r ab , r ba , r bb , r ca , r cb , r da , and r db are each hydrogen ; and r ea , r eb , r ec , r fa , r fb , and r fc are each independently hydrogen or deuterium . in another embodiment of the first aspect , the present disclosure provides a compound of formula ( ia ), or a stereoisomer , a prodrug , or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt or solvate thereof , wherein : r 2 and r 4 are each independently selected from hydrogen , deuterium , f , cl , — c ≡ ch , — c ≡ cd , and — cn ; r 3 and r 5 are each independently selected from hydrogen , deuterium , and f ; x is selected from — och 2 ch 2 och 3 , — och 2 cd 2 och 3 , — och 2 ch 2 ocd 3 , and — och 2 ch 2 ocd 2 ch 3 ; and y is selected from hydrogen , deuterium , — och 3 , — ocd 3 , — och 2 ch 3 , — ocd 2 ch 3 , — ocd 2 cd 3 , — och 2 ch 2 och 3 , — och 2 cd 2 och 3 , — och 2 ch 2 ocd 3 , and — och 2 ch 2 ocd 2 ch 3 . in another embodiment of the first aspect , the present disclosure provides a compound of formula ( i ), or a stereoisomer , a prodrug , or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt or solvate thereof , wherein x and y are each independently — or 14 or — o - l 1 - r 15 , wherein : r 14 is selected from h , deuterium , c 1 - c 6 alkyl , carbocyclyl , heterocyclyl , and - l 2 - o — r 18 , wherein said carbocyclyl and heterocyclyl each may optionally be substituted by one or more substituents independently selected from halogen , c 1 - c 4 alkyl , c 1 - c 4 alkoxy , and oxo , wherein each said alkyl , alkoxy , carbocyclyl , and heterocyclyl may optionally comprise one or more deuterium atoms ; r 15 is selected from hydrogen , deuterium , c 1 - c 4 alkyl , carbocyclyl , heterocyclyl , and — or 21 , wherein said alkyl , carbocyclyl , and heterocyclyl may optionally be substituted by one or more substituents independently selected from halogen , c 1 - c 4 alkyl , c 1 - c 4 alkoxy , and oxo , wherein said alkyl , alkoxy , carbocyclyl , and heterocyclyl each may optionally comprise one or more deuterium atoms ; r 18 and r 21 are each independently c 1 - c 6 alkyl optionally comprising one or more deuterium atoms ; and l 2 is ethylene optionally comprising one or two deuterium atoms . in another embodiment of the first aspect , the present disclosure provides a compound of formula ( i ), or a stereoisomer , a prodrug , or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt or solvate thereof , wherein x and y are each independently — or 14 or — o - l 1 - r 15 , wherein : r 14 is selected from h , deuterium , c 1 - c 6 alkyl , carbocyclyl , heterocyclyl , and - l 2 - o — r 18 , wherein said carbocyclyl and heterocyclyl each may optionally be substituted by one or more substituents independently selected from halogen , c 1 - c 4 alkyl , c 1 - c 4 alkoxy , and oxo , wherein each said alkyl , alkoxy , carbocyclyl , and heterocyclyl may optionally comprise one or more deuterium atoms ; r 15 is — or 21 or heterocycyl optionally comprising one or more deuterium atoms ; r 18 is c 1 - c 6 alkyl optionally comprising one or more deuterium atoms ; r 21 is c 1 - c 4 alkyl optionally comprising one or more deuterium atoms ; l 1 is c 1 - c 4 alkylene optionally comprising one or more deuterium atoms ; and l 2 is ethylene optionally comprising one or two deuterium atoms . in another embodiment of the first aspect , the present disclosure provides a compound of formula ( i ), or a stereoisomer , a prodrug , or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt or solvate thereof , wherein x and y are each independently — or 14 or — o - l 1 - r 15 , wherein : r 1 is selected from hydrogen , deuterium , halogen , — or 7 , and — nhc ( o ) r 13 ; r 2 and r 4 are each independently hydrogen , deuterium , halogen , or c 2 - c 4 alkynyl optionally comprising one or more deuterium atoms ; r 3 and r 5 are each independently hydrogen , deuterium , or halogen ; r 7 is hydrogen , deuterium , c 1 - c 4 alkyl , aryl , heteroaryl , or - l 5 - r 20 , wherein said alkyl , aryl , or heteroaryl may optionally comprise one or more deuterium atoms ; r 13 is c 3 - c 6 cycloalkyl optionally substituted by — c ( o ) nr c r d and optionally comprising one or more deuterium atoms ; r 14 is selected from h , deuterium , c 1 - c 6 alkyl , carbocyclyl , heterocyclyl , and - l 2 - o — r 18 , wherein said carbocyclyl and heterocyclyl each may optionally be substituted by one or more substituents independently selected from halogen , c 1 - c 4 alkyl , c 1 - c 4 alkoxy , and oxo , wherein each said alkyl , alkoxy , carbocyclyl , and heterocyclyl may optionally comprise one or more deuterium atoms ; r 15 is — or 21 or heterocycyl optionally comprising one or more deuterium atoms ; r 18 is c 1 - c 6 alkyl optionally comprising one or more deuterium atoms ; r 20 is aryl or heteroaryl , each optionally substituted with one or more substituents independently selected from halogen , c 1 - c 4 alkyl , c 1 - c 4 haloalkyl , c 1 - c 4 alkoxy , cyano , and nitro and each optionally comprising one or more deuterium atoms ; r 21 is c 1 - c 4 alkyl optionally comprising one or more deuterium atoms . l 1 is c 1 - c 4 alkylene optionally comprising one or more deuterium atoms ; l 2 is ethylene optionally comprising one or two deuterium atoms ; l 5 is methylene or ethylene , each optionally comprising one or more deuterium atoms ; and r c and r d are each independently hydrogen , deuterium , c 1 - c 6 alkyl , benzyl , or aryl wherein said alkyl , aryl , and benzyl each may optionally comprise one or more deuterium atoms . in another embodiment of the first aspect , the present disclosure provides a compound of formula ( ib ) or ( ic ): r 1 is selected from hydrogen , deuterium , halogen , — or 7 , and — nhc ( o ) r 13 ; r 2 and r 4 are each independently hydrogen , deuterium , halogen , or c 2 - c 4 alkynyl optionally comprising one or more deuterium atoms ; r 3 and r 5 are each independently hydrogen , deuterium , or halogen ; r 7 is hydrogen , deuterium , c 1 - c 4 alkyl , aryl , heteroaryl , or - l 5 - r 20 , wherein said alkyl , aryl , or heteroaryl may optionally comprise one or more deuterium atoms ; r 13 is c 3 - c 6 cycloalkyl optionally substituted by — c ( o ) nr c r d and optionally comprising one or more deuterium atoms ; r 14 is selected from h , deuterium , c 1 - c 6 alkyl , carbocyclyl , heterocyclyl , and - l 2 - o — r 18 , wherein said carbocyclyl and heterocyclyl each may optionally be substituted by one or more substituents independently selected from halogen , c 1 - c 4 alkyl , c 1 - c 4 alkoxy , and oxo , wherein each said alkyl , alkoxy , carbocyclyl , and heterocyclyl may optionally comprise one or more deuterium atoms ; r 18 is c 1 - c 6 alkyl optionally comprising one or more deuterium atoms ; r 20 is aryl or heteroaryl , each optionally substituted with one or more substituents independently selected from halogen , c 1 - c 4 alkyl , c 1 - c 4 haloalkyl , c 1 - c 4 alkoxy , cyano , and nitro and each optionally comprising one or more deuterium atoms ; l 1 is c 2 - c 4 alkylene optionally comprising one or more deuterium atoms ; l 2 is ethylene optionally comprising one or two deuterium atoms ; l 5 is methylene or ethylene , each optionally comprising one or more deuterium atoms ; r c and r d are each independently hydrogen , deuterium , c 1 - c 6 alkyl , benzyl , or aryl wherein said alkyl , aryl , and benzyl each may optionally comprise one or more deuterium atoms ; and y 1 , y 2 , y 3 , y 4 , y 5 , y 6 , y 7 , y 8 , and y 9 are each independently hydrogen or deuterium ; wherein at least one of r 1 , r 2 , r 3 , r 4 , r 5 , r x , r 14 , y 1 , y 2 , y 3 , y 4 , y 5 , y 6 , y 7 , y 8 , or y 9 comprises one or more deuterium atoms , provided ( 1 ) that for formula ( ib ), when either one of r 2 or r 4 is chloro , then r 14 is not hydrogen , methyl , or deuterated methyl ; and ( 2 ) that for formula ( ic ), when l 1 is methylene or deuterated methylene , r 1 is bromo and either r 3 or r 5 is fluoro , then r 14 is not methyl or deuterated methyl . in another embodiment of the first aspect , the present disclosure provides a compound of formula ( ib ) or ( ic ), or a stereoisomer , a prodrug , or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt or solvate thereof , wherein : r 1 is selected from hydrogen , deuterium , halogen , — or 7 , and — nhc ( o ) r 13 ; r 2 and r 4 are each independently hydrogen , deuterium , halogen , or c 2 - c 4 alkynyl optionally comprising one or more deuterium atoms ; r 3 and r 5 are each independently hydrogen , deuterium , or halogen ; r 7 is hydrogen , deuterium , c 1 - c 4 alkyl optionally comprising one or more deuterium atoms , or - l 5 - r 20 ; r 13 is cyclopropyl optionally substituted by — c ( o ) nr c r d ; r 14 is selected from h , deuterium , c 1 - c 6 alkyl , carbocyclyl , heterocyclyl , and - l 2 - o — r 18 , wherein said carbocyclyl and heterocyclyl each may optionally be substituted by one or more substituents independently selected from halogen , c 1 - c 4 alkyl , c 1 - c 4 alkoxy , and oxo , wherein each said alkyl , alkoxy , carbocyclyl , and heterocyclyl may optionally comprise one or more deuterium atoms ; r 18 is methyl or ethyl , each optionally comprising one or more deuterium atoms ; r 20 is aryl or heteroaryl , each optionally substituted with one or more substituents independently selected from halogen , c 1 - c 4 alkyl , c 1 - c 4 alkoxy , cyano , and nitro , and each optionally comprising one or more deuterium atoms ; l 1 is n - propylene optionally comprising one to six deuterium atoms ; l 2 is ethylene optionally comprising one or two deuterium atoms ; l 5 is methylene or ethylene , each optionally comprising one or more deuterium atoms ; and r c and r d are each independently hydrogen , deuterium , c 1 - c 4 alkyl , benzyl , or aryl optionally substituted by one or more substituents independently selected from halogen , c 1 - c 4 alkyl , c 1 - c 4 haloalkyl , c 1 - c 4 alkoxy , cyano , and nitro , wherein each said alkyl , benzyl , aryl , haloaryl , and alkoxy may optionally comprise one or more deuterium atoms . in another embodiment of the first aspect , the present disclosure provides a compound of formula ( ib ) or ( ic ), or a stereoisomer , a prodrug , or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt or solvate thereof , wherein : r 2 and r 4 are each independently hydrogen , deuterium , f , cl , — c ≡ ch or — c ≡ cd ; r 3 and r 5 are each independently hydrogen , deuterium , or f ; r 14 is methyl optionally comprising one to three deuterium atoms , or - l 2 - o — r 18 ; l 2 is ethylene optionally comprising one to four deuterium atoms ; and r 18 is methyl optionally comprising one to three deuterium atoms . in another embodiment of the first aspect , the present disclosure provides a compound of formula ( id ): r x , at each occurrence , is independently hydrogen or deuterium ; y is selected from — or 14 and — o - l 1 - r 15 ; r 14 is selected from h , deuterium , c 1 - c 6 alkyl , carbocyclyl , heterocyclyl , and - l 2 - o — r 18 , wherein said carbocyclyl and heterocyclyl each may optionally be substituted by one or more substituents independently selected from halogen , c 1 - c 4 alkyl , c 1 - c 4 alkoxy , and oxo , and wherein each said alkyl , alkoxy , carbocyclyl , and heterocyclyl may optionally comprise one or more deuterium atoms ; l 1 is c 1 - c 3 alkylene optionally comprising one or more deuterium atoms ; l 2 is ethylene optionally comprising one or more deuterium atoms ; r 15 is selected from hydrogen , deuterium , c 1 - c 4 alkyl , carbocyclyl , heterocyclyl , or — or 21 , wherein said alkyl , carbocyclyl or heterocyclyl each may optionally be substituted by one or more substituents independently selected from halogen , c 1 - c 4 alkyl , c 1 - c 4 alkoxy , and oxo , and wherein each said alkyl , alkoxy , carbocyclyl , and heterocyclyl may optionally comprise one or more deuterium atoms ; r y and r z are each independently hydrogen or detuerium ; r 17 is selected from hydrogen , deuterium , and - l - nr e r f ; r 18 is - l 5 - o — r 22 or c 1 - c 6 alkyl optionally comprising one or more deuterium atoms ; l is methylene or ethylene , each optionally comprising one or more deuterium atoms ; l 5 is methylene or ethylene , each optionally comprising one or more deuterium atoms ; r 19 is c 1 - c 6 alkyl optionally comprising one or more deuterium atoms ; r 20 is aryl or heteroaryl , each optionally substituted with one or more substituents independently selected from halogen , c 1 - c 4 alkyl , c 1 - c 4 haloalkyl , c 1 - c 4 alkoxy , cyano , and nitro , and each optionally comprising one or more deuterium atoms ; r 21 is c 1 - c 6 alkyl optionally comprising one or more deuterium atoms ; r 22 is selected from c 1 - c 6 alkyl , c 3 - c 6 cycloalkyl , heterocyclyl , aryl , and heteroaryl , each optionally substituted by c 1 - c 6 alkyl , wherein each said c 1 - c 6 alkyl may optionally comprise one or more deuterium atoms ; r c and r d are each independently hydrogen , deuterium , c 1 - c 6 alkyl , benzyl , or aryl optionally substituted by one or more substituents independently selected from deuterium , halogen , c 1 - c 4 alkyl , or c 1 - c 4 alkoxy ; and r e and r f are each independently hydrogen , deuterium , or c 1 - c 4 alkyl optionally comprising one or more deuterium atoms ; wherein each said aryl , heteroaryl , and phenyl group of benzyl may optionally be substituted with one to five substituents independently selected from c 1 - c 6 alkyl , c 1 - c 4 haloalkyl , c 1 - c 6 alkoxy , c 1 - c 4 haloalkoxy , halogen , hydroxyl , cyano , and nitro ; wherein each said carbocyclyl , cycloalkyl , or heterocyclyl may optionally be substituted with one or more substituents independently selected from c 1 - c 6 alkyl , c 1 - c 4 haloalkyl , c 1 - c 6 alkoxy , halogen , hydroxyl , and oxo ; and wherein at least one of r 1 , r 2 , r 3 , r 4 , r 5 , r x , r 16 , or y comprises one or more deuterium atoms . in another embodiment of the first aspect , the present disclosure provides a compound of formula ( id ), wherein r 16 is r 1 is selected from hydrogen , deuterium , halogen , — or 7 , and — nhc ( o ) r 13 ; r 2 and r 4 are each independently hydrogen , deuterium , halogen , or c 2 - c 4 alkynyl optionally comprising one or more deuterium atoms ; r 3 and r 5 are each independently hydrogen , deuterium , or halogen ; r y and r z are each independently hydrogen or deuterium ; r 7 is hydrogen , deuterium , or c 1 - c 4 alkyl optionally comprising one or more deuterium atoms , or - l 5 - r 20 ; r 13 is c 3 - c 6 cycloalkyl optionally substituted by — c ( o ) nr c r d ; l 5 is methylene or ethylene , each optionally comprising one or more deuterium atoms ; r 17 is selected from hydrogen , deuterium , and - l - nr e r f ; r 20 is aryl or heteroaryl , each optionally substituted with one or more substituents independently selected from halogen , c 1 - c 4 alkyl , and c 1 - c 4 alkoxy ; r c and r d are each independently hydrogen , deuterium , c 1 - c 6 alkyl , benzyl , or aryl optionally substituted by one or more substituents independently selected from deuterium , halogen , c 1 - c 4 alkyl , or c 1 - c 4 alkoxy ; and r e and r f are each independently hydrogen , deuterium , or c 1 - c 4 alkyl optionally comprising one or more deuterium atoms ; wherein each said aryl , heteroaryl , and phenyl group of benzyl may optionally be substituted with one to five substituents independently selected from c 1 - c 6 alkyl , c 1 - c 4 haloalkyl , c 1 - c 6 alkoxy , c 1 - c 4 haloalkoxy , halogen , hydroxyl , cyano , and nitro ; wherein each said carbocyclyl , cycloalkyl , or heterocyclyl may optionally be substituted with one or more substituents independently selected from c 1 - c 6 alkyl , c 1 - c 4 haloalkyl , c 1 - c 6 alkoxy , halogen , hydroxyl , and oxo ; and wherein at least one of r 1 , r 2 , r 3 , r 4 , r 5 , r z , r y , r 17 , or y comprises one or more deuterium atoms . in another embodiment of the first aspect , the present disclosure provides a compound of formula ( ie ), wherein : r 2 and r 4 are each independently selected from hydrogen , deuterium , f , cl , — c ≡ ch , and — c ≡ cd ; r 3 and r 5 are each independently selected from hydrogen , deuterium , and f ; r 17 , r y , and r z are each independently hydrogen or deuterium ; and y is selected from hydrogen , deuterium , — och 3 , — ocd 3 , — och 2 ch 3 , — ocd 2 ch 3 , — ocd 2 cd 3 , — och 2 ch 2 och 3 , — och 2 cd 2 och 3 , — och 2 ch 2 ocd 3 , in another embodiment of the first aspect , the present disclosure provides a compound of formula ( ie ), wherein r 17 , r y , and r z are each hydrogen . in another embodiment of the first aspect , the present disclosure provides a compound of formula ( id ), wherein r 17 is — c ( r p r q )— nr e r f , further characterized by formula ( if ): r x , at each occurrence , is independently hydrogen or deuterium ; r y and r z are each independently hydrogen or deuterium ; r p and r q are each independently hydrogen or deuterium ; r 1 is selected from hydrogen , deuterium , halogen , — or 7 , and — nhc ( o ) r 13 ; r 2 and r 4 are each independently hydrogen , deuterium , halogen , or c 2 - c 4 alkynyl optionally comprising one or more deuterium atoms ; r 3 and r 5 are each independently hydrogen , deuterium , or halogen ; r 7 is hydrogen , deuterium , or c 1 - c 4 alkyl optionally comprising one or more deuterium atoms , or - l 5 - r 20 ; r 13 is cyclopropyl optionally substituted by — c ( o ) nr c r d ; l 5 is methylene or ethylene , each optionally comprising one or more deuterium atoms ; r 20 is aryl or heteroaryl , each optionally substituted with one or more substituents independently selected from halogen , c 1 - c 4 alkyl , and c 1 - c 4 alkoxy ; r e and r d are each independently hydrogen , deuterium , c 1 - c 6 alkyl , benzyl , or aryl optionally substituted by one or more substituents independently selected from deuterium , halogen , c 1 - c 4 alkyl , or c 1 - c 4 alkoxy ; and r e and r f are each independently hydrogen , deuterium , or c 1 - c 4 alkyl optionally comprising one or more deuterium atoms ; wherein at least one of r 1 , r 2 , r 3 , r 4 , r 5 , r e , r f , r x , r y , r z , r p , r q , or y comprises one or more deuterium atoms . in another embodiment of the first aspect , the present disclosure provides a compound of formula ( if ), or a stereoisomer , a prodrug , or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt or solvate thereof , wherein : r 2 and r 4 are each independently selected from hydrogen , deuterium , f , cl , — c ≡ ch , and — c ≡ cd ; r 3 and r 5 are each independently selected from hydrogen , deuterium , and f ; y is selected from hydrogen , deuterium , — och 3 , — ocd 3 , — och 2 ch 3 , — ocd 2 ch 3 , — ocd 2 cd 3 , — och 2 ch 2 och 3 , — och 2 cd 2 och 3 , — och 2 ch 2 ocd 3 , r x , at each occurrence , is independently hydrogen or deuterium ; r y and r z are each independently hydrogen or deuterium ; r e and r f are each independently ch 3 or cd 3 ; and r p and r q are each independently hydrogen or deuterium ; wherein at least one of r 1 , r 2 , r 3 , r 4 , r 5 , r e , r f , r x , r y , r z , r p , r q , or y comprises one or more deuterium atoms . in another embodiment of the first aspect , the present disclosure provides a compound of formula ( if ), or a stereoisomer , a prodrug , or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt or solvate thereof , wherein : r p , r q , r y , and r z are each hydrogen . in another embodiment of the first aspect , the present disclosure provides a compound of formula ( id ), wherein r 16 is r y and r z are each independently hydrogen or deuterium ; r 1 is selected from hydrogen , deuterium , halogen , — or 7 , and — nhc ( o ) r 13 ; r 2 and r 4 are each independently hydrogen , deuterium , halogen , or c 2 - c 4 alkynyl optionally comprising one or more deuterium atoms ; r 3 and r 5 are each independently hydrogen , deuterium , or halogen ; r 17 is hydrogen , deuterium , or - l - nr c r f ; r 7 is hydrogen , deuterium , c 1 - c 4 alkyl optionally comprising one or more deuterium atoms , or - l 5 - r 20 ; r 13 is cyclopropyl optionally substituted by — c ( o ) nr c r d ; r 20 is aryl or heteroaryl , each optionally substituted with one or more substituents independently selected from halogen , c 1 - c 4 alkyl , and c 1 - c 4 alkoxy ; l 5 is methylene or ethylene , each optionally comprising one or more deuterium atoms ; r c and r d are each independently hydrogen , deuterium , c 1 - c 6 alkyl , benzyl , or aryl optionally substituted by one or more substituents independently selected from deuterium , halogen , c 1 - c 4 alkyl , or c 1 - c 4 alkoxy , and wherein each said alkyl , benzyl , aryl , and alkoxy each may optionally comprise one or more deuterium atoms ; and r e and r f are each independently hydrogen , deuterium , or c 1 - c 4 alkyl optionally comprising one or more deuterium atoms ; wherein at least one of r 1 , r 2 , r 3 , r 4 , r 5 , r x , r y , r z , r 17 , or y comprises one or more deuterium atoms . in another embodiment of the first aspect , the present disclosure provides a compound of formula ( ig ), or a stereoisomer , a prodrug , or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt or solvate thereof , wherein : r 2 and r 4 are each independently selected from hydrogen , deuterium , f , cl , — c ≡ ch , and — c ≡ cd ; r 3 and r 5 are each independently selected from hydrogen , deuterium , and f ; r 17 is hydrogen , deuterium , or - l - nr e r f ; r e and r f are each independently hydrogen , deuterium , or c 1 - c 4 alkyl optionally comprising one or more deuterium atoms ; and y is selected from hydrogen , deuterium , — och 3 , — ocd 3 , — och 2 ch 3 , — ocd 2 ch 3 , — ocd 2 cd 3 , — och 2 ch 2 och 3 , — och 2 cd 2 och 3 , — och 2 ch 2 ocd 3 , in another embodiment of the first aspect , the present disclosure provides a compound of formula ( ig ), or a stereoisomer , a prodrug , or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt or solvate thereof , wherein in another embodiment of the first aspect , the present disclosure provides a compound of formula ( ig ), or a stereoisomer , a prodrug , or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt or solvate thereof , wherein in another embodiment of the first aspect , the present disclosure provides a compound of formula ( i ), wherein x is a group of formula ( a ), further characterized by formula ( ih ): y is hydrogen , deuterium , — or 14 , or — o - l 1 - r 15 ; r 14 is selected from h , deuterium , c 1 - c 6 alkyl , carbocyclyl , and heterocyclyl , wherein said carbocyclyl and heterocyclyl each may optionally be substituted by one or more substituents independently selected from halogen , c 1 - c 4 alkyl , c 1 - c 4 alkoxy , and oxo , and wherein each said alkyl , alkoxy , carbocyclyl , and heterocyclyl may optionally comprise one or more deuterium atoms ; and r 15 is selected from hydrogen , deuterium , c 1 - c 4 alkyl , carbocyclyl , heterocyclyl , and — or 21 , wherein said alkyl , carbocyclyl ( definition ), or heterocyclyl ( definition ) may optionally be substituted by one or more substituents independently selected from halogen , c 1 - c 4 alkyl , c 1 - c 4 alkoxy , and oxo , and wherein each said alkyl , carbocyclyl , heterocyclyl , and alkoxy may optionally comprise one or more deuterium atoms ; r 19 is c 1 - c 6 alkyl optionally comprising one or more deuterium atoms ; l 1 is c 1 - c 3 alkylene optionally comprising one or more deuterium atoms ; l 3 is methylene optionally comprising one or two deuterium atoms ; and l 4 is ethylene optionally comprising one to four deuterium atoms ; wherein at least one of r 1 , r 2 , r 3 , r 4 , r 5 , r 19 , r z , l 3 , l 4 , or y comprises one or more deuterium atoms , provided that when y is hydrogen or deuterium , r 1 is — or 7 , and r 19 is methyl or deuterated methyl , then r 7 is not 3 - fluorobenzyl or deuterated 3 - fluorobenzyl . in another embodiment of the first aspect , the present disclosure provides a compound of formula ( ih ), or a stereoisomer or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt or solvate thereof , wherein : r 2 and r 4 are each independently selected from hydrogen , deuterium , f , cl , — c ≡ ch , — c ≡ cd , and — cn ; r 3 and r 5 are each independently selected from hydrogen , deuterium , and f ; r 19 is methyl or ethyl , each optionally comprising one or more deuterium atoms ; and y is selected from hydrogen , deuterium , — och 2 ch 2 och 3 , — och 2 ch 2 ocd 3 , — och 3 , — ocd 3 , — och 2 ch 3 , and — ocd 2 ch 3 ; wherein at least one of r 1 , r 2 , r 3 , r 4 , r 5 , r 19 , r x , l 3 , l 4 , or y comprises one or more deuterium atoms . in another embodiment of the first aspect , the present disclosure provides a compound of formula ( i ), wherein x is a group of formula ( b ) and y is — or 14 , further characterized by formula ( ii ): or a stereoisomer , a prodrug , or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt or solvate thereof , wherein l 6 is c 1 - c 18 alkylene optionally comprising one or more deuterium atoms . in a preferred embodiment of the first aspect , the present disclosure provides a compound of formula ( ii ), wherein : l 6 is c 1 - c 12 alkylene optionally comprising one or more deuterium atoms ; r 14 is hydrogen , deuterium , or c 1 - c 4 alkyl optionally comprising one or more deuterium atoms ; and r x , r 1 , r 3 , r 4 , and r 5 are each hydrogen or deuterium . in another preferred embodiment of the first aspect , the present disclosure provides a compound of formula ( ii ), wherein l 6 is c 2 - c 8 alkylene optionally comprising one or more deuterium atoms . in another preferred embodiment of the first aspect , the present disclosure provides a compound , or a stereoisomer , a prodrug , or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt or solvate thereof , selected from the group consisting of : 7 -( 4 -( 3 - ethynylphenylamino )- 7 -( d 3 - methoxy ) quinazolin - 6 - yloxy )- n - hydroxyheptanamide ; n -( 3 - ethynylphenyl )- 7 -( d 3 - methoxy )- 6 -(( 2 - methyl - octahydrocyclopenta [ c ] pyrrol - 5 - yl ) methoxy ) quinazolin - 4 - amine ; n -( 3 - ethynylphenyl )- 7 -( 2 -( d 3 - methoxy ) ethoxy )- 6 -( tetrahydrofuran - 3 - yloxy ) quinazolin - 4 - amine ; n -( 3 - ethynylphenyl )- 7 -( d 3 - methoxy )- 6 -( 3 -( morpholin - 4 - yl ) propoxy ) quinazolin - 4 - amine ; n -( 4 - chloro - 3 - fluorophenyl )- 7 -( d 3 - methoxy )- 6 -(( 2 - methyl - octahydrocyclopenta [ c ] pyrrol - 5 - yl ) methoxy ) quinazolin - 4 - amine ; n -( 3 , 4 - dichloro - 2 - fluorophenyl )- 7 -( d 3 - methoxy )- 6 -( tetrahydrofuran - 2 - yloxy ) quinazolin - 4 - amine ; n -( 3 - fluoro - 4 -( 7 -( d 3 - methoxy )- 6 -( 3 -( morpholin - 4 - yl ) propoxy ) quinazolin - 4 - ylamino ) phenyl )- n -( 4 - fluorophenyl ) cyclopropane - 1 , 1 - dicarboxamide ; n -( 4 -( 6 , 7 - bis ( 2 - methoxyethoxy ) quinazolin - 4 -( n - d )- ylamino )- 3 - fluorophenyl )- n -( 4 - fluorophenyl ) cyclopropane - 1 , 1 - dicarboxamide ; n -( 3 , 4 - dichloro - 2 - fluorophenyl )- 7 -( d 3 - methoxy )- 6 -(( 2 - methyl - octahydrocyclopenta [ c ] pyrrol - 5 - yl ) methoxy ) quinazolin - 4 - amine ; n -( 3 - chloro - 4 -( 3 - fluorobenzyloxy ) phenyl )- 7 -( d 3 - methoxy )- 6 -( 3 -( morpholin - 4 - yl ) propoxy ) quinazolin - 4 - amine ; n -( 3 - chloro - 4 -( pyridin - 2 - ylmethoxy ) phenyl )- 6 , 7 - bis ( 2 - methoxyethoxy ) quinazolin - 4 -( n - d )- amine ; n -( 3 -( 2 - d - ethynyl ) phenyl )- 6 -( 5 -(( 2 -( methylsulfonyl ) ethylamino ) methyl ) furan - 2 - yl ) quinazolin - 4 - amine ; n -( 3 - chloro - 4 -( pyridin - 2 - ylmethoxy ) phenyl )- 7 -( d 3 - methoxy )- 6 -( 5 -(( 2 -( methylsulfonyl ) ethylamino ) methyl ) furan - 2 - yl ) quinazolin - 4 - amine ; n -( 3 - ethynylphenyl )- 7 - methoxy - 6 -( 5 -(( 2 -( methylsulfonyl ) ethylamino ) methyl ) furan - 2 - yl ) quinazolin - 4 -( n - d )- amine ; 6 -( 5 -(( 2 -( ethylsulfonyl ) ethylamino ) methyl ) furan - 2 - yl )- n -( 3 -( 3 - fluorobenzyloxy ) phenyl ) quinazolin - 4 -( n - d )- amine ; n -( 3 - chloro - 4 - fluorophenyl )- 7 -( d 3 - methoxy )- 6 -( 5 -(( 2 -( methylsulfonyl ) ethylamino ) methyl ) furan - 2 - yl ) quinazolin - 4 - amine ; n -( 3 - chloro - 4 -( 3 - fluorobenzyloxy ) phenyl )- 7 -( d 3 - methoxy )- 6 -( 5 -(( 2 -( methylsulfonyl ) ethylamino ) methyl ) furan - 2 - yl ) quinazolin - 4 - amine ; ( e )- n -( 4 -( 3 - chloro - 4 - fluorophenylamino )- 7 -( d 3 - methoxy ) quinazolin - 6 - yl )- 4 -( dimethylamino ) but - 2 - enamide ; ( e )- 4 -( dimethylamino )- n -( 4 -( 3 - ethynylphenylamino )- 7 -( d 3 - methoxy ) quinazolin - 6 - yl ) but - 2 - enamide ; ( e )- 4 -( dimethylamino )- n -( 4 -( 3 - ethynylphenylamino )- 7 -( 1 - d - tetrahydrofuran - 3 - yloxy ) quinazolin - 6 - yl ) but - 2 - enamide ; ( e )- n -( 4 -( 3 - chloro - 4 -( 3 - fluorobenzyloxy ) phenylamino )- 7 -( d 3 - methoxy ) quinazolin - 6 - yl )- 4 -( dimethylamino ) but - 2 - enamide ; ( e )- n -( 4 -( 3 - chloro - 2 - fluoro - phenyl -( n - d )- amino )- 7 - methoxyquinazolin - 6 - yl )- 4 -( dimethylamino ) but - 2 - enamide ; ( e )- n -( 4 -( 6 -( 4 -( dimethylamino ) but - 2 - enamido )- 7 -( d 3 - methoxy ) quinazolin - 4 - ylamino )- 3 - fluorophenyl )- n -( 4 - fluorophenyl ) cyclopropane - 1 , 1 - dicarboxamide ; ( e )- n -( 4 -( 3 - chloro - 4 -( pyridin - 2 - ylmethoxy ) phenyl -( n - d )- amino )- 7 - ethoxyquinazolin - 6 - yl )- 4 -( dimethylamino ) but - 2 - enamide ; ( e )- n -( 4 -( 3 - chloro - 4 -( 3 - fluorobenzyloxy ) phenylamino )- 7 -( 3 , 5 , 5 - d 3 - tetrahydrofuran - 3 - yloxy ) quinazolin - 6 - yl )- 4 -( dimethylamino ) but - 2 - enamide ; ( e )- 4 -( dimethylamino )- n -( 4 -( 3 -( 2 - d - ethynyl ) phenylamino )- 7 -( tetrahydrofuran - 3 - yloxy ) quinazolin - 6 - yl ) but - 2 - enamide ; ( e )- n -( 4 -( 3 - chloro - 4 - fluorophenyl -( n - d )- amino )- 7 -(( 2 - methyl - octahydrocyclopenta [ c ] pyrrol - 5 - yl ) methoxy ) quinazolin - 6 - yl )- 4 -( dimethylamino ) but - 2 - enamide ; ( e )- 4 -( dimethylamino )- n -( 4 -( 3 -( 2 - d - ethynyl ) phenylamino )- 7 -(( 2 - methyl - octahydrocyclopenta [ c ] pyrrol - 5 - yl ) methoxy ) quinazolin - 6 - yl ) but - 2 - enamide ; ( e )- n -( 4 -( 3 - chloro - 4 -( 3 - fluorobenzyloxy ) phenyl -( n - d )- amino )- 7 -(( 2 - methyl - octahydrocyclopenta [ c ] pyrrol - 5 - yl ) methoxy ) quinazolin - 6 - yl )- 4 -( dimethylamino ) but - 2 - enamide ; n -( 4 -( 3 - chloro - 4 - fluorophenylamino )- 7 -( d 3 - methoxy ) quinazolin - 6 - yl ) acrylamide ; n -( 4 -( 3 - ethynylphenylamino )- 7 -( d 3 - methoxy ) quinazolin - 6 - yl ) acrylamide ; n -( 4 -( 3 - chloro - 4 -( pyridin - 2 - ylmethoxy ) phenylamino )- 7 -( d 3 - methoxy ) quinazolin - 6 - yl ) acrylamide ; n -( 4 -( 6 - acrylamido - 7 -( 1 , 1 - d 2 - 3 -( morpholin - 4 - yl ) propoxy ) quinazolin - 4 - ylamino )- 3 - fluorophenyl )- n -( 4 - fluorophenyl ) cyclopropane - 1 , 1 - dicarboxamide ; n -( 4 -( 3 - chloro - 4 - fluorophenylamino )- 7 -( 3 - d - tetrahydrofuran - 3 - yloxy ) quinazolin - 6 - yl ) acrylamide ; n -( 4 -( 3 - chloro - 4 -( 4 - fluorobenzyloxy ) phenylamino )- 7 -( 3 - d - tetrahydrofuran - 3 - yloxy ) quinazolin - 6 - yl ) acrylamide ; n -( 4 -( 3 -( 2 - d - ethynyl ) phenylamino )- 7 -( tetrahydrofuran - 3 - yloxy ) quinazolin - 6 - yl ) acrylamide ; n -( 4 -( 3 - chloro - 4 - fluorophenyl -( n - d )- amino )- 7 -( 2 - methyl - octahydrocyclopenta [ c ] pyrrol - 5 - yloxy ) quinazolin - 6 - yl ) acrylamide ; n -( 4 -( 3 -( 2 - d - ethynyl ) phenylamino )- 7 -(( 2 - methyl - octahydrocyclopenta [ c ] pyrrol - 5 - yl ) methoxy ) quinazolin - 6 - yl ) acrylamide ; 1 - acryloyl - n -( 4 -( 3 - chloro - 4 - fluorophenylamino )- 7 -( d 3 - methoxy ) quinazolin - 6 - yl ) pyrrolidine - 2 - carboxamide ; 1 - acryloyl - n -( 4 -( 3 - chloro - 4 -( 3 - fluorobenzyloxy ) phenylamino )- 7 -( 3 - d - tetrahydrofuran - 3 - yloxy ) quinazolin - 6 - yl ) pyrrolidine - 2 - carboxamide ; n -( 4 -( 6 -( 1 - acryloylpyrrolidine - 2 - carboxamido )- 7 -( d 3 - methoxy ) quinazolin - 4 - ylamino )- 3 - fluorophenyl )- n -( 4 - fluorophenyl ) cyclopropane - 1 , 1 - dicarboxamide ; 1 - acryloyl - n -( 4 -( 3 - chloro - 4 - fluorophenylamino )- 7 -( 1 , 1 - d 2 - 3 -( morpholin - 4 - yl ) propoxy ) quinazolin - 6 - yl ) pyrrolidine - 2 - carboxamide ; 1 - acryloyl - n -( 4 -( 3 -( 2 - d - ethynyl ) phenylamino )- 7 -( 3 -( morpholin - 4 - yl ) propoxy ) quinazolin - 6 - yl ) pyrrolidine - 2 - carboxamide ; 1 - acryloyl - n -( 4 -( 3 - chloro - 4 -( pyridin - 2 - ylmethoxy ) phenylamino )- 7 -( 1 , 1 - d 2 - 3 -( morpholin - 4 - yl ) propoxy ) quinazolin - 6 - yl ) pyrrolidine - 2 - carboxamide ; 1 - acryloyl - n -( 4 -( 3 - chloro - 4 - fluorophenyl -( n - d )- amino )- 7 -(( 2 - methyl - octahydrocyclopenta [ c ] pyrrol - 5 - yl ) methoxy ) quinazolin - 6 - yl ) pyrrolidine - 2 - carboxamide ; and 1 - acryloyl - n -( 4 -( 3 - ethynylphenyl -( n - d )- amino )- 7 -(( 2 - methyl - octahydrocyclopenta [ c ] pyrrol - 5 - yl ) methoxy ) quinazolin - 6 - yl ) pyrrolidine - 2 - carboxamide . in a second aspect the present disclosure provides a composition comprising a compound of formula ( i ), or a stereoisomer , a prodrug , or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt or solvate thereof , and a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier , wherein formula ( i ) is defined according to any of the embodiments in the first aspect of the present invention as described above . in one embodiment of the second aspect , the present disclosure provides a composition further comprising at least one additional compound having anti - hyperproliferative activity . in another embodiment of the second aspect , the present disclosure provides a composition comprising a compound of formula ( i ), or a stereoisomer , a prodrug , or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt or solvate thereof , and a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier , plus at least one additional compound having anti - hyperproliferative activity , wherein at least one of the additional compounds is effective to inhibit the activity of a receptor tyrosine kinase . in another embodiment of the second aspect , the present disclosure provides a composition comprising a compound of formula ( i ), or a stereoisomer , a prodrug , or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt or solvate thereof , and a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier , plus at least one additional compound having anti - hyperproliferative activity , wherein the at least one of the additional compounds is selected from inhibitors of epidermal growth factor receptor ( egfr ) tyrosine kinase , her1 tyrosine kinase , or her2 tyrosine kinase . in a third aspect the present disclosure provides a method of treating a hyperproliferative disease or disorder in a patient , comprising administering to the patient a therapeutically effective amount of a compound of formula ( i ), or a stereoisomer , a prodrug , or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt or solvate thereof , wherein formula ( i ) is defined according to any of the embodiments described above in the first aspect of the present disclosure . in one embodiment of the third aspect , the method further comprises administering at least one additional compound having anti - hyperproliferative activity prior to , after , or simultaneously with the compound of formula ( i ), or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt or solvate thereof . in another embodiment of the third aspect , the present disclosure provides a method of treating a hyperproliferative disease or disorder in a patient , comprising administering to the patient a therapeutically effective amount of a compound of formula ( i ), or a stereoisomer , a prodrug , or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt or solvate thereof , and at least one additional compound having anti - hyperproliferative activity prior to , after , or simultaneously with the compound of formula ( i ), or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt or solvate thereof , wherein at least one of the additional compounds is effective to inhibit the activity of a tyrosine kinase . in another embodiment of the third aspect , the present disclosure provides a method of treating a hyperproliferative disease or disorder in a patient , comprising administering to the patient a therapeutically effective amount of a compound of formula ( i ), or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt or solvate thereof , and at least one additional compound having hyperproliferative activity prior to , after , or simultaneously with the compound of formula ( i ), or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt or solvate thereof , wherein the at least one of the additional compounds is selected from inhibitors of epidermal growth factor receptor ( egfr ) tyrosine kinase , her1 tyrosine kinase , or her2 tyrosine kinase . in another aspect the present disclosure provides use of a compound of formula ( i ) according to any embodiments defined above for manufacture of a medicament for the treatment of a hyperproliferative disease or disorder . other aspects of the present disclosure may include suitable combinations of embodiments disclosed herein . hydrogen naturally occurs as a mixture of the isotopes 1 h ( hydrogen or protium ), d ( 2 h or deuterium ), and t ( 3 h or tritium ). deuterium ( d or 2 h ) is a stable , non - radioactive isotope of hydrogen , with an atomic weight of 2 . 0144 . the concentration of naturally abundant stable hydrogen isotopes is small and immaterial with respect to the degree of stable isotopic substitution of compounds of this invention . ( wada , e . & amp ; hanba , y ., seikagaku , 1994 , 66 ( 1 ): 15 - 29 ; ganes ( gannes ), l . z . et al ., comp . biochem . physiol . a mol integr physiol ., 1998 , 119 ( 3 ): 725 - 37 .) in all chemical compounds with an h atom , the h atom actually represents a mixture of h and d , with about 0 . 015 % being d . thus , compounds with a level of deuterium greater than its natural abundance of 0 . 015 % will be considered as unnatural and novel over their natural counterparts . when a particular position is designated as having deuterium , it is understood that the abundance of deuterium at that position is at least 3400 fold higher than the natural abundance of deuterium ( 51 % deuterium incorporation in the derivative as compared to 0 . 015 % in natural compound ). the present invention in one aspect is based on the discovery that a therapeutic agent with certain hydrogen atoms replaced by deuterium atoms would possess enhanced stability while maintaining or improving therapeutic potency . thus , one aspect of this invention is represented by combination of different biological active fragments and / or substitution of natural hydrogen with deuterium to create novel pharmaceutical agents for the treatment of hyperproliferative diseases or disorders , such as various cancers . the description of the present disclosure herein should be construed in congruity with the laws and principals of chemical bonding . in some instances it may be necessary to remove a hydrogen atom in order to accommodate a substituent at any given location . thus , this disclosure is intended to cover all possible stereoisomers even when a single stereoisomer , or no stereochemistry , is described in a structure . it should be understood that the compounds encompassed by the present disclosure are those that are suitably stable for use as pharmaceutical agents . it is intended that the definition of any substituent or variable at a particular location in a molecule be independent of its definitions elsewhere in that molecule . for example , for substituent ( r x ) n , where n is 2 , or two r x substituents at different positions of a structure , the two r x substituents are independent from each other , and each of the two r x groups may be the same or different . in another set of embodiments , any atom not designated as deuterium in any of the embodiments of formula ( i ) and formulae ( ia ) through ( ii ) set forth above is present at its natural isotopic abundance . yet other aspects and embodiments may be found in the description provided herein . definitions have been provided above for each of the groups defined . in addition , the following definitions shall be used . as used herein , the singular forms “ a ”, “ an ”, and “ the ” include plural reference unless the context clearly dictates otherwise . unless stated otherwise , all aryl , cycloalkyl , heteroaryl , and heterocyclyl groups of the present disclosure may be substituted as described in each of their respective definitions . for example , the aryl part of an arylalkyl group such as benzyl may be substituted as described in the definition of the term “ aryl .” the term “ acetyl ,” as used herein , refers to — c ( o ) ch 3 . the term “ alkenyl ,” as used herein , refers to a monovalent , straight or branched hydrocarbon chain having one or more , preferably one to two , double bonds therein . the double bond of an alkenyl group can be unconjugated or conjugated to another unsaturated group . suitable alkenyl groups include , but are not limited to , c 2 to c 10 alkenyl groups , such as vinyl , allyl , butenyl , pentenyl , hexenyl , butadienyl , pentadienyl , hexadienyl , 2 - ethylhexenyl , 2 - propyl - 2 - butenyl , 4 -( 2 - methyl - 3 - butene )- pentenyl . an alkenyl group can be unsubstituted or substituted with one or two suitable substituents . the term “ alkoxy ,” as used herein , refers to an alkyl group attached to the parent molecular moiety through an oxygen atom . representative examples of alkoxy group include , but are not limited to , methoxy ( ch 3 o —), ethoxy ( ch 3 ch 2 o —), and t - butoxy (( ch 3 ) 3 co —). the term “ alkyl ,” as used herein , refers to a group derived from a straight or branched chain saturated hydrocarbon by removal of a hydrogen from one of the saturated carbons . the alkyl group preferably contains from one to ten carbon atoms . representative examples of alkyl group include , but are not limited to , methyl , ethyl , isopropyl , and tert - butyl . the term “ alkylene ,” as used herein , refers to a divalent saturated hydrocarbon group derived by removal of two hydrogen atoms from a saturated hydrocarbon molecule . representative examples of alkylene include , but are not limited to , methylene (— ch 2 —), ethylene (— ch 2 ch 2 —), and n - propylene (— ch 2 ch 2 ch 2 —). an “ alkylene ” group can be either straight - or branched - chain . for example , a “ c 4 alkylene ” includes , but is not limited to , — ch 2 ch 2 ch 2 ch 2 —, — ch 2 ch ( ch 3 ) ch 2 —, and — ch 2 ch 2 ch ( ch 3 )—. the term “ aryl ,” as used herein , refers to a group derived from an aromatic carbocycle by removal of a hydrogen atom from an aromatic ring . the aryl group can be monocyclic , bicyclic or polycyclic , wherein in bicyclic or polycyclic aryl group , the aromatic carbocycle can be fused onto another four - to six - membered aromatic or non - aromatic carbocycle . representative examples of aryl groups include , but are not limited to , phenyl , indanyl , indenyl , naphthyl , and 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 - tetrahydronaphth - 5 - yl . the term “ benzyl ,” as used herein , refers to a methyl group on which one of the hydrogen atoms is replaced by a phenyl group , wherein said phenyl group may be substituted by one or more substituents . representative examples of benzyl group include , but are not limited to , phch 2 —, 4 - meo — c 6 h 4 ch 2 —, and 2 , 4 , 6 - tri - methyl - c 6 h 4 ch 2 —. the term “ carbocycle ,” as used herein , refers to a ring structure comprising only carbon atom in the ring . a carbocycle may optionally be fused onto another carbocyclyl , cycloalkyl , heterocyclyl , aryl , or heteroaryl ring structure . the term “ carbocyclyl ,” as used herein , refers to a group derived from a monocyclic , bicyclic , or polycyclic non - aromatic compound comprising a carbocycle by removal of one of the hydrogen atoms from the carbocycle ring . a carbocyclyl group is connected to the remaining molecular moiety through either a saturated or an unsaturated carbon . a carbocyclyl group may optionally be fused onto an aryl , heteroaryl , heterocyclyl or cycloalkyl ring . the term “ carboxyl ,” as used herein , refers to — co 2 h . the term “ cycloalkyl ,” as used herein , refers to a group derived from a monocyclic , bicyclic , or polycyclic saturated carbocycle , having preferably three to eight carbon atoms , by removal of a hydrogen atom from the saturated carbocycle , wherein the saturated carbocycle can optionally be fused onto one or two other aromatic or nonaromatic carbocycles . representative examples of cycloalkyl groups include , but are not limited to , cyclopropyl , cyclopentyl , cyclohexyl , and 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 - tetrahydronaphth - 1 - yl . the term “ fused cycloalkyl ,” as used herein , refers to a cycloalkyl ring fused onto another ring structure , e . g ., a saturated or unsaturated ring , including , for example , aryl , heteroaryl , heterocyclyl , or another cycloalkyl group . a cycloalkyl group , when referred to a bicyclic or polycyclic group , refers to such a group which attaches to the main molecular moiety through a carbon atom of a carbocycle of the group . the terms “ halo ” and “ halogen ,” as used herein , refer to f , cl , br , or i . the term “ haloalkoxy ,” as used herein , refers to a haloalkyl group attached to the parent molecular moiety through an oxygen atom . the term “ haloalkyl ,” as used herein , refers to an alkyl group substituted by at least one halogen atom . the haloalkyl group can be an alkyl group of which all hydrogen atoms are substituted by halogens . representative examples of haloalkyl include , but are not limited to , trifluoromethyl ( cf 3 —), 1 - chloroethyl ( clch 2 ch 2 —), and 2 , 2 , 2 - trifluoroethyl ( cf 3 ch 2 —). the term “ heteroaryl ,” as used herein , refers to a group derived from a monocyclic , bicyclic , or polycyclic compound comprising at least one aromatic ring comprising one or more , preferably one to three , heteroatoms independently selected from nitrogen , oxygen , and sulfur , by removal of a hydrogen atom from the aromatic ring . as is well known to those skilled in the art , heteroaryl rings have less aromatic character than their all - carbon counterparts . thus , for the purposes of the invention , a heteroaryl group need only have some degree of aromatic character . illustrative examples of heteroaryl groups include , but are not limited to , pyridyl , pyridazinyl , pyrimidyl , pyrazyl , triazinyl , pyrrolyl , pyrazolyl , imidazolyl , ( 1 , 2 , 3 )- and ( 1 , 2 , 4 )- triazolyl , pyrazinyl , pyrimidinyl , tetrazolyl , furyl , thienyl , isoxazolyl , thiazolyl , isoxazolyl , oxazolyl , indolyl , quinolinyl , isoquinolinyl , benzisoxazolyl , benzothiazolyl , benzothienyl , and pyrrolopyridinyl . the term “ heterocyclyl ,” as used herein , refers to a group derived from a monocyclic , bicyclic , or polycyclic compound comprising at least one nonaromatic ring comprising one or more , preferably one to three , heteroatoms independently selected from nitrogen , oxygen , and sulfur , by removal of a hydrogen atom from the nonaromatic ring . the heterocyclyl groups of the present disclosure can be attached to the parent molecular moiety through a carbon atom or a nitrogen atom in the group . examples of heterocyclyl groups include , but are not limited to , morpholinyl , oxazolidinyl , piperazinyl , piperidinyl , pyrrolidinyl , tetrahydrofuryl , thiomorpholinyl , and indolinyl . the terms “ hydroxy ” or “ hydroxyl ,” as used herein , refer to — oh . the term “ nitro ,” as used herein , refers to — no 2 . the term “— nr a r b ,” as used herein , refers to two groups , r a and r b , which are attached to the parent molecular moiety through a nitrogen atom , or alternatively r a and r b , together with the nitrogen atom to which they are attached , form a 5 - or 6 - membered ring or a fused - or bridged - bicyclic ring structure optionally containing one , two , or three additional heteroatom independently selected from nitrogen , oxygen , and sulfur . the term “— nr c r d ” is defined similarly . the term “ sulfonyl ,” as used herein , refers to “- so 2 -”. for example , the term “ alkylsulfonyl ” refers to a group r - s ( o ) 2 -, wherein r is alkyl ; the term “ aminosulfonyl ” refers to a group - so 2 nh 2 . the term “ sulfinyl ,” as used herein , refers to “— s ( o )—”. for example , the term “ alkylsulfinyl ,” refers to a group r — s ( o ) 2 —, wherein r is alkyl ; the term “ aminosulfinyl ” refers to a — s ( o ) nh 2 . in another embodiment of this invention , the compounds of the present invention contain one or more stereogenic centers . as such , a compound of this invention can exist as the individual stereoisomers ( enantiomers or diastereomers ) as well as a mixture of stereoisomers . asymmetric centers exist in the compounds of the present disclosure . these centers are designated by the symbols “ r ” or “ s ”, depending on the configuration of substituents around the chiral carbon atom . it should be understood that the disclosure encompasses all stereochemical isomeric forms , or mixtures thereof . individual stereoisomers of compounds can be prepared synthetically from commercially available starting materials , which contain chiral centers or by preparation of mixtures of enantiomeric products followed by separation such as conversion to a mixture of diastereomers followed by separation or recrystallization , chromatographic techniques , or direct separation of enantiomers on chiral chromatographic columns . starting compounds of particular stereochemistry are either commercially available or can be made and resolved by techniques known in the art . certain compounds of the present disclosure may also exist in different stable conformational forms that may be separable . torsional asymmetry due to restricted rotation about an asymmetric single bond , for example because of steric hindrance or ring strain , may permit separation of different conformers . the present disclosure includes each conformational isomer of these compounds and mixtures thereof . the term “ compounds of the present disclosure ”, and equivalent expressions , are meant to embrace compounds of formula ( i ), and pharmaceutically acceptable enantiomers , diastereomers , or mixtures and salts thereof . similarly , references to intermediates are meant to embrace their salts where the context so permits . the compounds of the present disclosure can exist as pharmaceutically acceptable salts or solvates . the term “ pharmaceutically acceptable salt ,” as used herein , represents salts or zwitterionic forms of the compounds of the present disclosure which are water or oil - soluble or dispersible , which are , within the scope of sound medical judgment , suitable for use in contact with the tissues of patients without excessive toxicity , irritation , allergic response , or other problem or complication commensurate with a reasonable benefit / risk ratio , and are effective for their intended use . the salts can be prepared during the final isolation and purification of the compounds or separately by reacting a suitable nitrogen atom with a suitable acid . representative acid addition salts include acetate , adipate , alginate , citrate , aspartate , benzoate , benzenesulfonate , bisulfate , butyrate , camphorate , camphorsulfonate ; digluconate , glycerophosphate , hemisulfate , heptanoate , hexanoate , formate , fumarate , hydrochloride , hydrobromide , hydroiodide , 2 - hydroxyethanesulfonate , lactate , maleate , mesitylenesulfonate , methanesulfonate , naphthylenesulfonate , nicotinate , 2 - naphthalenesulfonate , oxalate , palmoate , pectinate , persulfate , 3 - phenylproprionate , picrate , pivalate , propionate , succinate , tartrate , trichloroacetate , trifluoroacetate , phosphate , glutamate , bicarbonate , para - toluenesulfonate , and undecanoate . examples of acids which can be employed to form pharmaceutically acceptable addition salts include inorganic acids such as hydrochloric , hydrobromic , sulfuric , and phosphoric , and organic acids such as oxalic , maleic , succinic , and citric . in another embodiment of this invention , a salt of the compounds of this invention is formed between an acid and a basic group of the compound , such as an amino functional group , or a base and an acidic group of the compound , even such as an amide group . the “ pharmaceutically acceptable salts ,” as used in this invention , refers to a component which is , within the scope of medical judgment , suitable for use with tissues of humans and other mammals without undesired toxicity , irritation , allergic response or are commensurate with a reasonable benefit / risk ratio . a “ pharmaceutically acceptable salt ” means any non - toxic salt that , upon administration to a recipient , is capable of providing the compounds or the prodrugs of a compound of this invention . acids commonly employed to form pharmaceutically acceptable salts include inorganic acids such as hydrochloric acid , hydrobromic acid , hydroiodic acid , sulfuric acid , phosphoric acid , hydrogen bisulfide as well as organic acids , such as para - toluenesulfonic acid , salicylic acid , tartaric acid , bitartaric acid , ascorbic acid , maleic acid , besylic acid , fumaric acid , gluconic acid , glucuronic acid , formic acid , glutamic acid , methanesulfonic acid , ethanesulfonic acid , benzenesulfonic acid , lactic acid , oxalic acid , para - bromophenylsulfonic acid , carbonic acid , succinic acid , citric acid , benzoic acid , acetic acid , and related inorganic and organic acids . basic addition salts can be prepared during the final isolation and purification of the compounds by reacting a carboxy group with a suitable base such as the hydroxide , carbonate , or bicarbonate of a metal cation or with ammonia or an organic primary , secondary , or tertiary amine . the cations of pharmaceutically acceptable salts include lithium , sodium , potassium , calcium , magnesium , and aluminum , as well as nontoxic quaternary amine cations such as ammonium , tetramethylammonium , tetraethylammonium , methylamine , dimethylamine , trimethylamine , triethylamine , diethylamine , ethylamine , tributylamine , pyridine , n , n - dimethylaniline , n - methylpiperidine , n - methylmorpholine , dicyclohexylamine , procaine , dibenzylamine , n , n - dibenzylphenethylamine , and n , n ′- dibenzylethylenediamine . other representative organic amines useful for the formation of base addition salts include ethylenediamine , ethanolamine , diethanolamine , triethanolamine , piperidine , piperazine , 1h - imidazole , choline , n - methylglucamine , lysine , arginine , benethamine , benzathine , betaine , decanol , 2 -( diethylamini ) ethanol , hydrabamine , 4 -( 2 - hydroxyethyl ) morpholine , 1 -( 2 - hydroxyethyl ) pyrrolidine , and tromethamine . the term “ prodrug ,” as used herein , refers to compounds that are transformed in vivo to yield the parent compound of the above formulae , for example , by hydrolysis in blood . common examples include , but are not limited to , ester and amide forms of a compound having an active form bearing a carboxylic acid moiety . examples of pharmaceutically acceptable esters of the compounds of this invention include , but are not limited to , alkyl esters ( for example with between about one and about six carbons ) the alkyl group is a straight or branched chain . acceptable esters also include cycloalkyl esters and arylalkyl esters such as , but not limited to benzyl . examples of pharmaceutically acceptable amides of the compounds of this invention include , but are not limited to , primary amides and secondary and tertiary alkyl amides ( for example with between about one and about six carbons ). amides and esters of the compounds of the present invention may be prepared according to conventional methods . a thorough discussion of prodrugs is provided in t . higuchi and v . stella , “ pro - drugs as novel delivery systems ,” vol 14 of the a . c . s . symposium series , and in bioreversible carriers in drug design , ed . edward b . roche , american pharmaceutical association and pergamon press , 1987 , both of which are incorporated herein by reference for all purposes . the term “ solvate ,” as used herein , means a physical association of a compound of this invention with one or more , preferably one to three , solvent molecules , whether organic or inorganic . this physical association includes hydrogen bonding . in certain instances the solvate will be capable of isolation , for example when one or more , preferably one to three , solvent molecules are incorporated in the crystal lattice of the crystalline solid . the solvent molecules in the solvate may be present in a regular arrangement and / or a non - ordered arrangement . the solvate may comprise either a stoichiometric or nonstoichiometric amount of the solvent molecules . “ solvate ” encompasses both solution - phase and isolable solvates . exemplary solvates include , but are not limited to , hydrates , ethanolates , methanolates , and isopropanolates . methods of solvation are generally known in the art . when it is possible that , for use in therapy , therapeutically effective amounts of a compound of formula ( i ), as well as pharmaceutically acceptable salts or solvates thereof , may be administered as the raw chemical , it is possible to present the active ingredient as a pharmaceutical composition . accordingly , the disclosure further provides pharmaceutical compositions , which include therapeutically effective amounts of compounds of formula ( i ) or pharmaceutically acceptable salts or solvates thereof , and one or more , preferably one to three , pharmaceutically acceptable carriers , diluents , or excipients . the term “ therapeutically effective amount ,” as used herein , refers to the total amount of each active component that is sufficient to show a meaningful patient benefit , e . g ., a sustained reduction in viral load . when applied to an individual active ingredient , administered alone , the term refers to that ingredient alone . when applied to a combination , the term refers to combined amounts of the active ingredients that result in the therapeutic effect , whether administered in combination , serially , or simultaneously . the term “ pharmaceutically acceptable ,” as used herein , refers to those compounds , materials , compositions , and / or dosage forms which are , within the scope of sound medical judgment , suitable for use in contact with the tissues of patients without excessive toxicity , irritation , allergic response , or other problem or complication commensurate with a reasonable benefit / risk ratio , and are effective for their intended use . the term “ treating ” refers to : ( i ) preventing a disease , disorder or condition from occurring in a patient that may be predisposed to the disease , disorder , and / or condition but has not yet been diagnosed as having it ; ( ii ) inhibiting the disease , disorder , or condition , i . e ., arresting its development ; and ( iii ) relieving the disease , disorder , or condition , i . e ., causing regression of the disease , disorder , and / or condition . the compounds of the present invention can be prepared in a number of ways known to one skilled in the art of organic synthesis . the compounds of the present invention can be synthesized using the methods described below , together with synthetic methods known in the art of synthetic organic chemistry , or by variations thereon as appreciated by those skilled in the art . it will be understood by those skilled in the art of organic synthesis that the functionality present on the molecule should be consistent with the transformations proposed . this will sometimes require a judgment to modify the order of the synthetic steps or to select one particular process scheme over another in order to obtain a desired compound of the invention . preferred methods include , but are not limited to , those described , for instance , in u . s . pat . no . 5 , 747 , 498 , ep 1 , 110 , 953 , ep 817 , 775 , u . s . pat . no . 6 , 900 , 221 , u . s . pat . no . 6 , 476 , 040 and pct publications wo2009 / 094210 , wo2009 / 121042 and wo2009 / 094216 . such methods can be carried out utilizing corresponding deuterated and optionally , other isotope - containing reagents and / or intermediates to synthesize the compounds delineated herein , or invoking standard synthetic protocols known in the art for introducing isotopic atoms to a chemical structure . me methyl et ethyl pr propyl i - pr isopropyl bu butyl i - bu isobutyl t - bu tert - butyl ph phenyl bn benzyl boc tert - butyloxycarbonyl acoh or hoac acetic acid ch 2 cl 2 dichloromethane ch 3 cn or acn acetonitrile cdcl 3 deutero - chloroform chcl 3 chloroform dcm dichloromethane dead diethyl azodicarboxylate dipea or ipr 2 etn diisopropylethylamine dmf dimethyl formamide dmso dimethyl sulfoxide edc or edac n -( 3 - dimethylaminopropyl )- n ′- ethylcarbodiimide et 3 n or tea triethylamine etoac ethyl acetate et 2 o diethyl ether etoh ethanol hcl hydrochloric acid hobt 1 - hydroxybenzotriazole hno 3 nitric acid h 2 so 4 sulfuric acid k 2 co 3 potassium carbonate koac potassium acetate k 3 po 4 potassium phosphate lioh lithium hydroxide meoh methanol mgso 4 magnesium sulfate msoh or msa methylsulfonic acid nacl sodium chloride na ( oac ) 3 bh sodium triacetate borohydride nahco 3 sodium bicarbonate na 2 co 3 sodium carbonate naoh sodium hydroxide naome sodium methoxide na 2 so 4 sodium sulfate nh 3 ammonia nh 4 cl ammonium chloride nh 4 oh ammonium hydroxide pd ( oac ) 2 palladium ( ii ) acetate pd / c palladium on carbon pph 3 triphenylphosphine pocl 3 phosphorus oxychloride pto 2 platinum oxide i - proh or ipa isopropanol tfa trifluoroacetic acid thf tetrahydrofuran a convenient method for synthesizing part of compounds of formula ( ia )- 1 is depicted in scheme 1 above . reaction of compound 1 , which is commercially available , with 1 - chloro - 2 - d 3 - methoxyethane in the presence of potassium carbonate in acetone with catalyst of tert - butyl ammonium chloride provides 2 . nitration of 2 with nitric acid in acetic acid gives 3 as product in very good yield . this reaction has been published in the literature , e . g ., knesl , molecules , 2006 , 11 , 286 . the intermediate 3 then is reduced to amino derivatives by hydrogen with catalyst of platinum and consequently cyclized with formamide in 160 - 170 ° c . to give product 5 . the amide is converted to chloride with pocl 3 to give compound 6 , and 6 can be coupled with different aniline derivatives 7 to finish the synthesis of ( ia )- 1 . the synthesis of 1 - chloro - 2 - d 3 - methoxyethane is depicted in scheme 2 below . starting with commercial compound 1 - chloro - 2 - bromoethane , the 1 - chloro - 2 - d 3 - methoxyethane can be synthesized with deuterated methanol with potassium carbonate . for those compounds containing n - deuterated 7 , they can be easily synthesized by catalytic hydrogenation of nitro precursors with d 2 or coupling of commercial nd 3 od in dmf as depicted in latest literature . ( ning xia , angew . chem . int . ed ., 2009 , 48 , 337 ). a convenient method for the synthesis of compounds of formula ( ib )- 1 is depicted in scheme 3 . reaction of 10 ( synthesized according to harris , tetrahedron lett ., 2005 , 46 , 1835 ) with r 7 i in the presence of potassium carbonate in dmf to give compounds 11 . 11 are demethylated with acid to provide compounds 12 . after acetylation of 12 , compounds 13 are converted to chloro compounds 14 using phosphorous chloride in the presence of an amine base . removal of the acetyl group from 14 provides phenols 15 , which is subsequently coupled with alcohols or deuterated alcohols under mitsunobu conditions to obtain compounds 16 . coupling of 16 with anilines or n - deuterated anilines 17 in dmf with potassium carbonate then provide the compounds of formula ( ib )- 1 as shown . a convenient method for the synthesis of compounds of formula ( ih )- 1 is depicted in scheme 4 . reaction of commercially available ( e . g ., from sigma - aldrich ) 18 with n , n - deuterated anilines , which can be practically synthesized as depicted above , gives compounds 19 using iso - propanol as solvent . 19 are coupled with 5 - formylfuran - 2 - ylboric acid under suzuki coupling condition to obtain 20 in very good yields ( kimberly g . petrov , bioorg . med . chem . lett ., 2006 , 16 , 4686 ). then the aldehydes are reduced to secondary amines 21 , and the tertial amines ( ih )- 1 can be easily synthesized by coupling 21 with different halogen containing compounds . the convenient method for the synthesis of compounds of formula ( if )- 1 is depicted in scheme 5 . the starting material 24 is commercially available from most of vendors ( e . g . aldrich ), and can be selectively nitrated in position 4 to give 25 . ( gordon rewcastle , j . med . chem ., 1996 , 39 , 918 ). then amide 25 is converted into chloro compound 27 and coupled with aniline or deuterated aniline derivatives in ipa to yield 28 . the fluoro group in 28 is substituted by r 7 oh under basic condition to obtain 29 in good yields . finally , the nitro groups in 29 are reduced and the anilines 30 subsequently couple with acrylic acid derivatives 26 to give final compounds ( if )- 1 as solids . certain preferred embodiments of the present invention are illustratively shown in the following non - limiting examples . 230 mg of 1 ( 1 . 0 mmol ) and 146 mg 3 - chloro - 4 - fluoroaniline ( 1 . 0 equivalent ) were suspended in 5 ml isopropanol and heated to reflux for 4 h . the mixture was cooled to room temperature and solvent was evaporated under vacuum to give crude product . the crude product was dissolved in dichlormethane and basified by 10 % naoh solution . the organic layer was separated and dried to give pure product 2 as yellow solid . yield 100 %. hplc - ms : m / z : 337 [ m + 1 ] + . 200 mg of 2 ( 0 . 6 mmol ) was dissolved in 5 ml dmf and potassium trimethylsilanolate 115 mg 9 ( 0 . 9 mmol ) was added and stirred for 15 min at room temperature . then , ( s )- tetrahydrafuran - 3 - ol 0 . 72 mmol was dropped in under stirring and the mixture was stirred over night . the solvent was concentrated and the product was purified by column chromatography to yield product 3 as yellow solid , 200 mg , 85 % yield . hplc - ms : m / z : 405 [ m + 1 ] + . the purified 3 200 mg was dissolved in 6 ml acetic acid , 2 ml water , 0 . 6 ml conc . hcl solution and 200 mg iron powder , and heated to reflux for 4 h . the solvents were evaporated and residue was dissolved in dichloromethane and basified by 10 % naoh . the organic layer was dried and concentrated . the product was purified by column chromatography to yield 160 mg product 4 as brown solid . hplc - ms : m / z : 375 [ m + 1 ] + . 110 mg of 4 -( d 6 - dimethyl ) amino - 2 - butenoic acid ( 0 . 63 mmol ) which was prepared by reaction between 4 - bromo - 2 - butenoic acid and dimethylamine - d 6 gas in thf , was added in 2 ml dmf and 200 mg of 4 ( 0 . 53 mmol ) was added followed by 0 . 6 mmol edc . the mixture was stirred over night at room temperature and the final product was purified by preparative hplc to give 125 mg product as light yellow solid , yield 40 %. hplc - ms : m / z : 492 [ m + 1 ] + . as depicted in above scheme , this compound was synthesized similar as ( s , e )- n -( 4 -( 3 - chloro - 4 - fluorophenylamino )- 7 -( tetrahydrafuran - 3 - yloxy ) quinazolin - 6 - yl )- 4 -( d 6 - dimethylamino ) but - 2 - enamide by using 3 - ethynylaniline in place of 3 - chloro - 4 - fluoroaniline the final product was purified by hplc to yield 50 mg of product as white solid . hplc - ms : m / z : 464 [ m + 1 ]+. 230 mg of 1 ( 1 . 0 mmol ) and 146 mg 3 - chloro - 4 - fluoroaniline ( 1 . 0 equivalent ) were suspended in 5 ml isopropanol and heated to reflux for 4 h . the mixture was cooled to room temperature and solvent was evaporated under vacuum to give crude product . the crude product was dissolved in dichlormethane and basified by 10 % naoh solution . the organic layer was separated and dried to give pure product 2 as yellow solid . yield 100 %. hplc - ms : m / z : 337 [ m + 1 ] + . 200 mg of 2 ( 0 . 6 mmol ) was dissolved in 5 ml dmf and potassium trimethylsilanolate 115 mg 9 ( 0 . 9 mmol ) was added and stirred for 15 min at room temperature . then , 0 . 72 mmol of 3 - d - tetrahydrafuran - 3 - ol , which was prepared by reduction of dihydrofuran - 3 ( 2h )- one with liald 4 , was dropped in under stirring and the mixture was stirred over night . the solvent was concentrated and the product was purified by column chromatography to yield product 3 as yellow solid , 205 mg , 85 % yield . hplc - ms : m / z : 406 [ m + 1 ] + . the purified 3 200 mg was dissolved in 6 ml acetic acid , 2 ml water and 0 . 6 ml conc . hcl solution and heated to reflux for 4 h . the solvents were evaporated and residue was dissolved in dichloromethane and basified by 10 % naoh . the organic layer was dried and concentrated . the product was purified by column chromatography to yield 150 mg product 4 as brown solid . hplc - ms : m / z : 375 [ m + 1 ] + . 100 mg of 4 - dimethylamino - 2 - butenoic acid ( 0 . 63 mmol ) which was prepared by reaction between 4 - bromo - 2 - butenoic acid and dimethylamine in thf , was added in 2 ml dmf and 185 mg of 4 ( 0 . 53 mmol ) was added followed by 0 . 6 mmol edc . the mixture was stirred over night at room temperature and the final product was purified by preparative hplc to give 120 mg product as light yellow solid , yield 40 %. hplc - ms : m / z : 496 [ m + 1 ] + . as depicted in scheme below , this compound was synthesized similar as n -( 4 -( 3 - chloro - 4 - fluorophenylamino )- 7 -( 1 - d - tetrahydrafuran - 3 - yloxy ) quinazolin - 6 - yl )- 4 -( dimethylamino )- but - 2 - enamide by using 3 - ethynylaniline in place of 3 - chloro - 4 - fluoroaniline . the final product was purified by hplc to yield 40 mg of product as light yellow solid . hplc - ms : m / z : 459 [ m + 1 ] + . this compound was synthesized by the following steps according to the scheme below . potassium carbonate ( 3 . 8 g , 27 . 5 mmol ) was added to a stirred solution of 1 ( 5 . 0 g , 27 . 5 mmol ) in dmf ( 20 ml ). after the mixture was stirred at room temperature for 15 min , a solution of iodomethane - d3 ( 4 . 1 g , 27 . 5 mmol ) in dmf ( 4 ml ) was added dropwise . the reaction mixture was stirred at 20 ° c . for 24 h . the mixture was filtered and the filtrate was concentrated . the residue was dissolved in dichloromethane and washed with brine . the organic phase was dried over sodium sulfate , filtered and concentrated in vacuo to give the crude product which was purified by column chromatography ( silica gel , 1 : 10 ethyl acetate / petroleum ether ) to yield 2 as a white solid ( 2 . 8 g , 50 %). hplc - ms : m / z 201 [ m + h ] + . a mixture of compound 2 ( 6 . 5 g , 32 . 3 mmol ), ethyl 7 - bromoheptanoate ( 7 . 66 g , 32 . 3 mmol ) and potassium carbonate ( 13 . 38 g , 96 . 9 mmol ) in dmf ( 80 ml ) was stirred at 60 ° c . for 3 h . the reaction mixture was filtered and the filtrate was concentrated in vacuo . the residue was dissolved in dichloromethane and washed with brine . the organic phase was dried over sodium sulfate , filtered and concentrated to give 3 as a white solid ( 10 g , 85 %). lcms : m / z 356 [ m + h ] + . 10 equivalent of fuming nitric acid was added dropwise at 20 ° c . to a solution of 3 ( 0 . 82 g , 2 . 3 mmol ) in acetic acid ( 3 ml ). the mixture was stirred at 20 ° c . for additional 1 h . the mixture was poured into ice - water and extracted with dichloromethane . the organic layer was washed with water , aqueous nahco3 and brine , dried over sodium sulfate , filtered , and evaporated in vacuo to give 4 as a yellow solid ( 0 . 92 g , 100 %). hplc - ms ( esi ): m / z 401 [ m + h ] + . iron powder ( 40 . 0 mmol ) was added portionwise to a solution of 4 ( 0 . 9 g 2 . 0 mmol ) in the mixed solvents of ethanol ( 3 ml ), water ( 1 ml ) and conc . hydrochloric acid ( 0 . 1 ml ). the mixture was stirred at reflux for 30 min . the mixture was then cooled to room temperature and adjusted to ph8 with the addition of 10 % sodium hydroxide solution . the resultant precipitate was removed by filtration and the filtrate was concentrated . the residue was extracted with dichloromethane . the extract was washed with brine , dried over sodium sulfate , filtered and concentrated to give 5 as a yellow solid ( 0 . 7 g , 88 %). hplc - ms : m / z 371 [ m + h ] + . a mixture of 5 ( 0 . 3 g , 0 . 81 mmol ), ammonium formate 1 . 0 equivalent and formamide ( 2 ml ) was stirred at 180 ° c . for 3 h . the mixture was cooled to room temperature and the excess formamide was removed in vacuo . the residue was dissolved in dichloromethane , and washed with water and brine . the organic layer was dried over sodium sulfate , filtered , and concentrated to give 6 as a pale yellow solid ( 0 . 28 g , 99 %). hplc - ms ( esi ): m / z 352 [ m + h ] + . a mixture of 6 ( 0 . 12 g , 0 . 34 mmol ) and phosphoryl trichloride ( 2 ml ) was stirred at reflux for 4 h . the reaction mixture was then cooled to room temperature and the excess phosphoryl trichloride was removed in vacuo . the residue was dissolved in dichloromethane and washed with water , aqueous nahco3 , and brine . the organic layer was then dried over sodium sulfate , filtered , and concentrated to give the 7 as a yellow oil , which turned to solid while standing ( 0 . 11 g , 80 %). hplc - ms : m / z 370 [ m + h ] + . a mixture of 7 ( 37 mg , 0 . 1 mmol ) and 3 - ethynylbenzenamine ( 117 mg , 0 . 1 mmol ) in isopropanol ( 5 ml ) was stirred at reflux for 4 h . the reaction was allowed to cool to room temperature and the precipitate formed . the precipitate was collected by filtration , washed with isopropanol and ether , and dried to give 8 as a yellow solid ( 40 mg , 80 %). hplc - ms ( esi ): m / z 451 [ m + h ] + . the ester 8 ( 1 . 0 mmol ) were added to the freshly prepared hydroxylamine solution ( 3 ml ) at 0 ° c . the reaction mixture was warmed to room temperature and stirred at 25 ° c . for 8 h until the reaction was complete . the reaction mixture was neutralized with acetic acid . the formed precipitate was collected by filtration , washed with water , and dried . the final product was purified by column chromatography to give pure product as light yellow solid ( 400 mg , 85 %). hplc - ms : m / z 438 [ m + h ] + . other non - limiting examples embodied in this application can be similarly synthesized by a person of ordinary skill in the art using the methods described above and routine knowledge or techniques commonly used in the organic chemistry field . the liver microsomes stability of compounds of examples 1 - 4 was compared with that of tovok , and the compound of example 5 with cudc - 101 . the metabolic stability of compounds of the invention was tested using pooled liver microsomes prepared from mixed - gender humans , with 1 mm nadph . the samples were analyzed using an ltq - orbitrap xl mass spectrometer . hrms was used to determine the peak area response ratio ( peak area corresponding to test compound or control divided by that of an analytical internal standard ) without running a standard curve . hrms scan was performed in an appropriate m / z range in order to detect all plausible metabolites the assay was run with a single incubation ( n = 1 ). incubated test compounds at 37 ° c . in buffer containing 0 . 5 mg / ml microsomal protein . initiated the reaction by adding cofactors , sampling at 0 , 10 , 20 , 30 , and 60 minutes , incubated positive control ( 5 μm testosterone ) in parallel and sampling at 0 , 10 , and 30 minutes . the control compound testosterone was run in parallel to verify the enzymatic activity of the microsomes . after the final time point , fluorimetry was used to confirm the addition of nadph to the reaction mixture . t 1 / 2 of control met the internal acceptance criteria . column : thermo bds hypersil c18 30 × 2 . 0 mm , 3 μm , with guard column the results are shown in table 1 . under the experiment conditions , all compounds as exampled in the table dramatically improve the human liver microsome stabilities . therefore , they have the potentialities to lower medical dosage comparing the reference compounds . the compounds of instant invention are useful for treatment of various cancers , including , but not limited to , non - small cell lung cancer , breast cancer , brain tumor , pancreas cancer , heptocellular carcinoma , colorectal cancer , medullary thyroid cancer , gliomas , neuroblastomas , kidney tumors , ovarian cancers , and prostate cancers . the compounds disclosed in this invention can be used alone or in combination with other agents for the treatment of a variety of cancers , including , but not limited to lung cancer , pancreatic cancer , astrocytoma , renal cancer , head and neck cancer , breast cancer , bladder cancer , ovarian cancer , colorectal cancer , prostate cancer , cervical cancer , thymoma cancer , liver cancer , and gastric cancer . it will be evident to one skilled in the art that the present disclosure is not limited to the foregoing illustrative examples , and that it can be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the essential attributes thereof . it is therefore desired that the examples be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive , reference being made to the appended claims , rather than to the foregoing examples , and all changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are therefore intended to be embraced therein . all patents , patent applications , and literature references cited in the specification are herein incorporated by reference in their entirety . in the case of inconsistencies , the present disclosure , including definitions , will prevail .	2
fig1 shows a last row of seats and adjacent partitions 4 in a tail section of a passenger cabin 2 of an aircraft , wherein a toilet arrangement 6 according to an embodiment of the invention and another monument 8 are arranged behind said partitions . the toilet arrangement 6 according to an embodiment of the invention comprises a first toilet compartment 10 , an independent second toilet compartment 12 and a partition wall 14 that lies between the two toilet compartments . the first toilet compartment 10 extends in a direction 16 that is aligned perpendicular to a longitudinal axis 18 of the aircraft fuselage 2 . the second toilet compartment 12 extends in a direction 20 that is essentially aligned parallel to the longitudinal axis 18 of the aircraft fuselage 2 . this means that the first toilet compartment 10 and the second toilet compartment 12 extend in directions 16 and 20 that are aligned perpendicular to one another and therefore form the shape of an l in the exemplary illustration shown . in the exemplary embodiment shown , the toilet arrangement 6 according to an embodiment of the invention is arranged in a tail area of the passenger cabin 2 in such a way that the conventional pressure bulkhead 22 of the passenger cabin 2 for an actively pressurized aircraft fuselage 2 serves as outermost end wall . additional installation space or moving space for persons and additional floor space is made available due to the concave shape such that the toilet arrangement 6 according to an embodiment of the invention can be realized in an exceptionally compact fashion . the outward boundary of the second toilet compartment 12 is formed , for example , by a fuselage wall on the port side and the first toilet compartment 10 flushly adjoins the second toilet compartment 12 . at the illustrated size of the aircraft fuselage , this means that additional installation space for the monument 8 is made available on the distant end of the first toilet compartment 10 referred to the second toilet compartment 12 such that the tail section of the passenger cabin 2 can be utilized in a particularly efficient fashion . in the example shown , the additional monument 8 is realized in the form of a galley , the size of which in the lateral direction of the cabin is adapted to the size of the first toilet compartment door 24 in order to allow the unrestricted use thereof . the convertibility of the toilet arrangement 6 according to an embodiment of the invention is described in greater detail below with reference to fig2 a to 2 f . these figures show the arrangement according to fig1 , but without a person situated therein in order to simplify matters and from a slightly different viewing angle . the two toilet compartments of the toilet arrangement according to an embodiment of the invention can be converted into an enlarged toilet compartment in - flight with only a few manipulations and preferably without the assistance of tools , the addition or removal of components and without restrictions , preferably by a member of the flight crew . after this enlarged toilet compartment has been used , the toilet arrangement according to an embodiment of the invention can be once again converted back into two separate toilet compartments . in fig2 a , the first toilet compartment 10 is initially closed by means of the first toilet compartment door 24 . the second toilet compartment 12 is also closed by means of a second toilet compartment door 26 . a partition wall 14 is situated between the toilet compartments 10 and 12 and composed of a first partition wall segment 28 and a second partition wall segment 30 . in the example shown , the first partition wall segment 28 is supported on a hinge axis 32 and the second partition wall segment 30 is supported on a hinge axis 34 . the two hinge axes 32 and 34 are spaced apart from one another in the example shown such that the partition wall 14 is realized as a double - wing or double door of sorts and the area situated between the two hinge axes 32 and 34 forms the boundary in the longitudinal direction of the second toilet compartment 12 . in order to connect the two toilet compartments 10 and 12 into a common toilet compartment , the first toilet compartment door 24 initially is outwardly opened away from the two toilet compartments 10 and 12 as indicated with an arrow in fig2 b . this is realized in the form of a pivoting motion of the first toilet compartment door 24 about a hinge axis 36 that is arranged on a boundary wall of the first toilet compartment 10 . subsequently , the first partition wall segment 28 is pivoted toward the pressure bulkhead 22 about the hinge axis 32 as illustrated in fig2 c after it was correspondingly unlocked from the cabin floor and / or the cabin ceiling and / or the second partition wall segment 30 such that an opening is created between the first toilet compartment 10 and the second toilet compartment 12 . once this position is reached , it is particularly advantageous to lock and thusly fix the position of the first partition wall segment 28 until it is unlocked again . in another step , the second partition wall segment 30 is pivoted outward about the hinge axis 34 by roughly 180 ° as illustrated in fig2 d after it was unlocked from the cabin floor and / or the cabin ceiling such that the first toilet compartment 10 and the second toilet compartment 12 are completely connected to one another . in this position , an opening 38 is created , through which a wheelchair 40 can be effortlessly moved into the now common toilet compartment 42 . the common toilet compartment 42 is closed by subsequently pivoting the second partition wall segment 30 toward the opening 38 about the hinge axis 34 . the second partition wall segment 30 is accordingly used as new entrance door to the common toilet compartment 42 . in this arrangement , the first toilet compartment door 24 furthermore forms a side wall of the entrance area to the common toilet compartment 42 that is arranged parallel to the direction 20 , in which the second toilet compartment 12 extends , and spaced apart from the second toilet compartment 12 . the common toilet compartment 42 now provides sufficient space for a person to transfer from the wheelchair 40 onto a toilet seat or the like . the common toilet compartment 42 can be once again converted back into two separate toilet compartments 10 and 12 on demand . for a person skilled in the art , it goes without saying that the partition wall segments 28 and 30 and the first toilet door 24 are equipped with at least one locking mechanism such that these elements can be locked in the different positions illustrated in fig1 to 2 f . it should also be ensured that the second toilet compartment door 26 is locked from inside after a conversion into a larger toilet compartment in order to prevent access by third persons . however , a member of the flight crew should be able to unlock the second toilet compartment door 26 from outside on demand in case assistance is needed . according to fig3 , an additional third toilet compartment 44 may be arranged behind the first toilet compartment 10 on a distant side referred to the second toilet compartment 12 as additional monument of the toilet arrangement 6 according to an embodiment of the invention in order to realize a very compact toilet arrangement according to an embodiment of the invention that requires little installation space . in addition , an area at a contact point between the first toilet compartment 10 and the third toilet compartment 44 may serve for accommodating a stowage cabinet 46 that is adapted to the width of the first toilet door 24 . fig4 ultimately shows an exemplary aircraft 48 that may comprise one or more passenger cabins 2 that may be equipped with one or more toilet arrangements according to an embodiment of the invention according to the preceding description . as a supplement , it should be noted that “ comprising ” does not exclude any other elements or steps , and that “ a ” or “ an ” does not exclude a plurality . it should furthermore be noted that characteristics described with reference to one of the above exemplary embodiments can also be used in combination with other characteristics of other above - described exemplary embodiments . reference symbols in the claims should not be interpreted in a restrictive sense .	1
prior to describing the preferred embodiments of the present invention , the above - mentioned conventional test method of an active matrix substrate will be described for a better understanding of the present invention . fig4 shows a typical wiring in an active matrix substrate having eight row - wires a 1 &# 39 ;- a 8 &# 39 ; and nine column - wires b 1 &# 39 ;- b 9 &# 39 ; . every crossover in the matrix thereof has a pixel electrode d 11 &# 39 ; and a switching device such as a thin - film transistor c 11 &# 39 ;. the eight row - wires a 1 &# 39 ;- a 8 &# 39 ; are connected to respective gates of each thin - film transistor c 11 &# 39 ;, and the nine column - wires b 1 &# 39 ;- b 9 &# 39 ; are connected to respective source of the same . an active matrix - type liquid crystal display - panel is typically assembled by using the active matrix substrate in a panel assembling step . a flowchart of a general manufacturing step of the active matrix - type liquid crystal display - panel is shown in fig5 . in a transistor array substrate producing step ( 1 ), the active matrix substrate is produced . a substrate testing step ( 2 ) is provided after the transistor array substrate producing step ( 1 ) to perform a short - circuit test . in a panel assembling step ( 3 ) following the substrate testing step ( 2 ), the active matrix - type liquid crystal display - panel is made by sandwiching liquid crystal between the active matrix substrate and the opposing substrate ( not shown ) having the transparent electrode ( not shown ). after this panel assembling step ( 3 ), the images of such an assembled liquid crystal display panel are electrically tested in an image testing step ( 4 ). here , a defective panel is sent to a defective panel fixing step ( 5 ) for fixing the disconnection of wiring , etc . finally , the inspection of preparation for delivery is performed in a final inspection step ( 6 ). in the substrate testing step ( 2 ), a wiring of the active matrix is formed for testing a disconnection thereof as shown in fig6 . here , the eight row - wires a 1 &# 39 ;- a 8 &# 39 ; are connected in series , and therefore , the disconnection thereof can be found by measuring a current between both ends as and ae . since the nine column - wires b 1 &# 39 ;- b 9 &# 39 ; are also connected in series , the disconnection thereof can be found by measuring a current between both ends bs and be . furthermore , a leakage current between gates and sources of the thin - film transistors c 11 &# 39 ; is measured by applying a voltage between the end portions as and bs . such tested matrix substrates are sent to the following panel assembling step ( 3 ) on the basis of the result of the above - mentioned test . in the panel assembling step ( 3 ), there is a charge and discharge of static electricity so that the thin - film transistors c 11 &# 39 ; are apt to deteriorate . owing to this , the wiring is formed as shown in fig7 . a japanese provisional patent publication no . 60 - 209780 and a japanese patent publication no . 61 - 12268 disclose such a wiring structure . in fig7 the eight row - wires a 1 &# 39 ;- a 8 &# 39 ; and nine column - wires b 1 &# 39 ;- b 9 &# 39 ; are short - circuited by means of wires a1 &# 39 ;, a2 &# 39 ;, b1 &# 39 ;, b2 &# 39 ;, c &# 39 ;, d &# 39 ;, e &# 39 ;, and f &# 39 ;. accordingly , no voltage due to the static electricity is applied between the row - wires a 1 &# 39 ;- a 8 &# 39 ; and the column - wires b 1 &# 39 ;- b 9 &# 39 ;. the wires a1 &# 39 ;, a2 &# 39 ;, b1 &# 39 ;, b2 &# 39 ;, c &# 39 ;, d &# 39 ;, e &# 39 ;, and f &# 39 ; are disconnected after the assembly in the panel assembling step ( 3 ) is finished , and therefore , each of the row - wires a 1 &# 39 ;- a 8 &# 39 ; and each of the column - wires b 1 &# 39 ;- b 9 &# 39 ; is separated from each other . however , in the substrate testing step ( 2 ), there are provided only the above - mentioned gate - source leakage current test and the disconnection test . since a defective pixel is discriminated in the image testing step ( 4 ), there is a disadvantage that once in the panel assembling step ( 3 ) the display panel is necessarily assembled . it was found out that a short circuit between a gate and a drain of a thin - film transistor is the main cause of defect in thin - film transistors by the present inventors . fig1 shows a wiring diagram in an active matrix substrate having eight parallel row - conductors or row - wires a 1 - a 8 and nine parallel column - conductors or column - wires b 1 - b 9 which are substantially normal to the eight row - wires . in each corresponding crossover area of the matrix thereof , a pixel electrode d 11 , d 12 , etc . and a semiconductor switching device such as a thin - film transistor c 11 , c 12 , etc . are provided . the eight row - wires a 1 - a 8 are connected to respective gates or the control electrode of the thin - film transistors c 11 , c 12 , etc ., and the nine column - wires b 1 - b 9 are connected to respective sources of the same . respective drains thereof connected to each pixel electrode d 11 , d 12 , etc . in fig1 each transistor c 11 , c 12 , etc . is connected to a capacitor having a pixel electrode d 11 , d 12 , etc . connecting to the corresponding each thin - film transistor c . sub . 11 , c 12 , etc . and a capacitor electrode e 11 , e 12 , etc . connecting to one terminal t . the eight row - wires a 1 - a 8 are short - circuited at the both ends thereof by means of wires or conductors a1 and a2 , and the nine column - wires b 1 - b 9 are short - circuited at the both ends thereof by means of wires or conductors b1 and b2 in the transistor array substrate producing step ( 1 ). now the electrical test method of the active matrix substrate in a substrate testing step will be described with reference to fig2 a - 2c hereinbelow . firstly , a voltage is applied to at least one of the wires b1 and b2 so as to make a current flow from at least one of the wires b1 and b2 , via the thin - film transistors c 11 , c 12 , etc ., to the at least one of the wires a1 and a2 by using a voltage source 31 as shown in fig2 a . this is because a leakage current igs between the gates and the sources of the thin - film transistors c 11 , c 12 , etc . is measured by an ammeter 32 . second , a voltage is applied to at least one of the wires a1 and a2 so as to make a current flow from at least one of the wires a1 and a2 , via the thin - film transistors c 11 , c 12 , etc ., to at least one of the wires b1 and b2 as shown in fig2 b . this is because a leakage current i 1 between the gates and the drains of the thin - film transistors c 11 , c 12 , etc . is measured . namely , when a higher voltage is applied to the gate thereof , if the gate and drain are in a short - circuited state , the leakage current i 1 flows to the source from the drain thereof . here , a transistor driving current i 2 for switching one of the thin - film transistors c 11 , c 12 , etc . is previously measured by a characteristic experiment of the thin - film transistor c 11 , c 12 , etc . the driving current i 2 is considerably larger than the leakage current igs of the same transistor , when this transistor is not defective . therefore , if the leakage current igs is zero , the number n of defective pixels is expressed by : subsequently , assuming that a reference n indicates a predetermined acceptable maximum number of the defective pixel in one active matrix substrate , the active matrix substrate is excluded from a consideration of faultless substrates if the following formula is not satified : when the leakage current i 1 is satisfies this formula , the active matrix substrate is sent to the panel assembling step ( 3 ). as a result , undesired substrates can be sent to the defective substrate fixing step ( 5 ) without any image test . besides , when the capacity electrode e 11 , e 12 , etc . is provided and connected to the terminal t , at least one of the wires al and a2 and the terminal t are short - circuited . then , a voltage is applied to at least one of the wires a1 and a2 and the terminal t so as to make a current flow from the at least one of the wires a1 and a2 , via the thin - film transistors c 11 , c 12 , etc ., to at least one of the wires b1 and b2 as shown in fig2 c . therefore , a leakage current between the pixel electrode and the capacity electrode is added to the leakage current i 1 between the gates and the drains of the thin - film transistors c 11 , c 12 , etc . thus , such added current i 3 is measured . here , if the leakage current igs is zero , the number m of defective pixels is expressed by : subsequently assuming that a reference m indicates a predetermined acceptable maximum number of the defective pixel in one active matrix substrate , the active matrix substrate is excluded from a consideration of faultless substrates if the following formula is not satisfied : when the leakage current i 3 satisfies this formula , the active matrix substrate is sent to the panel assembling step ( 3 ). as a result , undesired substrates can be sent to the defective substrate fixing step ( 5 ) without any image test . as will be understood from the above description , in the present invention , since the row - wires a 1 - a 8 and the column - wires b 1 - b 9 are respectively short - circuited in the panel assembling step ( 3 ), there is no transistor deterioration due to a charge and discharge of static electricity even in the panel assembling step ( 3 ). accordingly , the faultless active matrix substrates can be directly sent to the panel assembling step ( 3 ). fig3 is another example of a wiring diagram of a thin - film transistor array . fig3 is the same as fig1 except that there are no capacitor electrodes and terminal t . moreover , thin - film transistors c 21 , c 22 , etc ., capacity electrodes f 21 , f 22 , etc ., and pixel electrodes d 21 , d 22 , etc . are provided such that the gate of a transistor c nm in the n - th row , the m - th column is connected to the n - th row wire , and the source of the same is connected to the m - th column . the drain of the same is connected to a capacitor defined by a capacitor electrode made of ( a n - 1 )- th row wire and a pixel electrode d nm as shown in fig3 . the leakage current igs is also measured first in the similar manner to the first - mentioned present example as shown in fig2 a , and then a leakage current between the pixel electrodes d nm and the capacity electrodes f nm is added to the leakage current i 1 between the gates and the drains of the thin - film transistors c 11 , c 12 , etc . thus , such added current i 4 is measured . here , if the leakage current igs is zero , the number p of defective pixels is expressed by : subsequently assuming that a reference p indicates a predetermined acceptable maximum number of defective pixels in one active matrix substrate , the active matrix substrate is excluded from a consideration of faultless substrates if the following formula is not satisfied : when the leakage current i 4 satisfies this formula , the active matrix substrate can be sent to the panel assembling step ( 3 ). as a result , undesired substrates can be sent to the defective substrate fixing step ( 5 ) without any image test . the above - described embodiments are just examples of the present invention , and therefore , it will be apparent for those skilled in the art that many modifications and variations may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention .	8
referring to fig1 - 5 , an embodiment of a label 30 according to the present disclosure is shown . in the depicted embodiment the label 30 is folded over the cable and connected back onto itself . the label 30 includes a flexible body having a first portion 34 connected to a second portion 36 . in the depicted embodiment , the flexible body of the label 30 is constructed from a continuous sheet of material that extends from the first portion 34 to the second portion 36 . the flexible sheet of material can be , for example , a polyethylene material . in the depicted embodiment , the first portion 34 of the label 30 includes a first surface ( front surface ) 38 and a second surface ( back surface ) 40 . information about the cable ( text 50 and other indicia ( e . g ., symbols )) can be printed on the first surface 38 of the first portion 34 . it should be appreciated that the information can be printed onto the label 30 or otherwise marked to included indicia ( e . g ., stamped , hand written , etc .) while the labels are on a continuous roll of label material 52 , or after the label has be separated into individual labels , or even after the label is attached to the cable . in the depicted embodiment , the second portion 36 also includes a first surface ( front surface ) 42 and a second surface ( back surface ) 44 . the second surface 44 of the second portion 36 includes an adhesive material thereon , and first and second surfaces 38 , 40 of the first portion 34 do not have adhesive material thereon . in the depicted embodiment the second portion includes a removable non - stick material 54 that covers the adhesive until it is manually peeled away before the label 30 is attached to the cable 32 . it should be appreciated that many alternative configurations are also possible that would enable the second surfaces to connect to each other when the label 30 is attached to the cable 32 , which is described in greater detail below . in the depicted embodiment , the first and second portions 34 , 36 of the label 30 are configured so that they can be folded around a cable 32 and against each other such that the second surface 44 of the second portion 36 is brought into direct contact with the second surface 40 of the first portion 34 . further , the depicted label 30 is configured such that the first and second portions 34 , 36 are configured such that when they are folded against each other the second portion 36 does not extend past the first portion 34 . accordingly the second surface 44 of the second portion 34 is not exposed once the label 30 is attached to the cable 32 . as will be discussed in greater detail below , this configuration helps decrease the likelihood that adhesive covered portions of the label remain exposed after the label is attached to the cable . in the depicted embodiment the second portion 36 is configured to be automatically sufficiently aligned with the first portion 34 such that the adhesive on the second portion 36 is not exposed when the second portion 36 is folded against the first portion 34 . in the depicted embodiment the second portion 36 has a longitudinal axis a - a and the first portion 34 has a longitudinal axis b - b . when the angle α is zero , the axes a - a and b - b are completely aligned ( see fig2 ), and when the angle α is not zero the axes a - a and b - b are offset ( see fig3 ). the label 30 of the depicted embodiment is configured so that the angle α between the longitudinal axes a - a and b - b is normally within 0 to 45 degrees ( in the plus or minus direction ) when applied . accordingly , the label 30 is configured so that even when the axis is substantially offset ( e . g ., offset by 45 degrees ) the adhesive covered portions of the second portion 36 are not exposed when the second portion 36 is connected to the first portion 34 . in the depicted embodiment this advantageous feature is enabled in part by the geometric shape of the portions of the label as well as the relative sizes of different portions of the label . with respect to the relative size of the portions of the depicted label 30 , the first portion 34 has a surface area that is larger than the surface area of the second portion 36 . in some embodiments the surface area of the first portion 34 is at least 125 percent greater than the surface area of the second portion 36 . in some embodiments the first portion 34 has a surface area that is at least 200 percent greater than the surface area of the second portion 36 . in additional embodiments the first portion 34 has a surface area that is at least 300 percent greater than the surface area of the second portion 36 . it should be appreciated that many other relative size arrangements are possible . the smaller the second portion 36 is to the first portion 34 , the less likely that adhesive covered portions of the second portion 36 will be exposed when the label 30 is attached to the cable 32 . with respect to the shape of the portions of the depicted label 30 , the second portion 36 has a width w 1 that is less than the width w 2 of the first portion 34 . for example , w 1 could be 0 . 5 inches and w 2 could be 1 . 0 inch . in addition , the second portion 36 has a length l 1 that is less than the length l 2 of the first portion 34 . for example , l 1 could be 1 . 0 inch and l 2 could be 1 . 5 inches . it should be appreciated that the greater the width of the first portion w 2 is to the width of the second portion w 1 , the less likely that adhesive covered portions of the second portion 36 will be exposed when the label 30 is attached to the cable 32 . likewise , it should be appreciated that the greater the length of the first portion l 2 is to the length of the second portion l 1 , the less likely that adhesive covered portions of the second portion 36 will be exposed when the label 30 is attached to the cable 32 . in the depicted embodiment the first portion is shaped generally like a pentagon and the second portion is shaped like a tapered beam . the configured makes it relatively unlikely that the second portion would be exposed past the first portion even when the first and second portions offset from each other when they are connected . in the depicted embodiment the division between the first and second portions of the label coincides with the zone of the label that is configured to be wrapped around the cable . however , it should be appreciated that the label 30 can be of a variety of different shapes other than what is shown . it should be appreciated that the first portion could be alternatively shape , for example , like a rectangle or circle and the second portion could be shape like a non - tapered beam or a tennis racket . referring to fig7 , an alternative embodiment of the label 30 is shown . label 60 includes a first portion 64 and second portion 62 . the first portion 64 is configured to be labeled ( e . g ., printed on or otherwise marked to include indicia ), and the second portion 62 includes a side that includes adhesive thereon . the first portion 64 is generally rectangular having a width w 4 that is about 1 . 0 inches and a length l 4 that is about 2 . 25 inches . the second portion 62 is also generally rectangular having a width w 3 that is about 5 / 16 of an inch and a length l 3 that is about 2 . 0 inches long . label 60 of the depicted embodiment has many of the same advantages over the prior art as label 30 of the first disclosed embodiment , which is described in detail above . 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 .	6
the present integrated burner solves the problems of such previous systems by providing an integrated burner assembly which integrates a burner and a mass flow control system into one package . the burner section is integral with a fuel / air ratio control system which , in the preferred embodiment , incorporates variable speed delivery of the air . during operation , the integrated burner operates more efficiently and consumes less power since the rate of air flow is electronically varied in response to the rate of fuel flow and the heat requirements of the burner in order to maintain a desired fuel / air ratio . referring now to fig2 the integrated burner assembly 100 includes a burner tile 102 , a fuel tube 104 and an air inlet 106 . air is supplied to the burner 110 . air is supplied to the burner from an integral high speed blower assembly 108 . this assembly includes a silencer inlet cover , a housing , a small diameter backward curved impeller 110 and a 60 hertz , totally enclosed , air - over electric motor 112 . the speed of rotation of the motor 112 and in turn the impeller 110 is controlled by a variable speed drive 134 running at the direction of the ratio controller . the impeller tip speed ( related to impeller diameter ) governs the pressure developed by a blower and the width at that speed determines the volume generated . therefore , the higher the speed of the impeller 110 , the smaller the diameter will be for a given pressure . turning a burner up or down is accomplished by increasing or decreasing the flow rates of its fuel and air . flow is directly related to the square root of the pressure change or drop across its controlling orifices . therefore , the higher the available pressure the more the available turndown . varying flow and pressure by varying the rotational velocity of the impeller also saves electrical energy . blower horsepower requirements ( and thus electrical energy ) vary as the cube of the impeller rpm . in addition , the use of a high speed radial blower with axial flow discharge allows the use of a motor without its own cooling source and provides for a light weight compact unit necessary for an integrated burner assembly . the impeller is a high - speed impeller 110 capable of an 9000 rpm rate of rotation . due to its high rate of rotation , the impeller 110 can be small in diameter and yet still develop the desired pressure and move a quantity of air . this permits the impeller to be sufficiently small so that it can be incorporated into the integrated package . the impeller 110 is driven by an electric a . c . motor 112 . the motor 112 is preferably an ac motor capable of producing the high rate of impeller rotation . the rate of air flow is varied by varying the power to the impeller motor 112 , in response to signals from the control unit 132 . thus , the power consumed by the impeller 110 is only that necessary to directly supply the air to the burner . in this way , inefficient power consumption due to pressure losses and unwanted air volumes is decreased . the fuel is supplied to the burner through the backplate assembly 120 , shown particularly in fig3 a and 3b , which is integral with and attached to the back of the burner 100 . the backplate assembly 120 includes a fuel access passage 122 which is a cavity formed within the backplate assembly 120 . the fuel flow in the passage 122 is regulated by a ball valve 124 , which is controlled by a control motor 126 . the control unit 126 is a direct coupled 90 ° actuator mounted directly on the shaft of the internal ball valve . the actuator has integral potentiometers and comparator circuits as well as auxiliary switches and is driven by a 4 to 20 ma signal . the auxiliary switches are used to prove the fuel controlling ball valve is fully closed prior to ignition of the burner . the actuator at the direction of the customer supplied temperature controller rotates the ball 124 about an axis perpendicular to the fuel passage and the backplate . the present invention incorporates an electronic fuel / air ratio control system 132 which regulates the flow of air in the correct proportion to the fuel in order to control the combustion in the desired manner . it does this in response to signals it receives from sensors included in the burner assembly . during start - up the burner is ignited at &# 34 ; low fire ,&# 34 ; a high excess air condition which produces a low level of heat but is ample enough to provide a permissive signal to the flame monitoring system through a included flame detecting device 114 , preferably a flame rod . however , an ultraviolet sensor may also be used . the ignition is accomplished by allowing a small but adjustable amount of fuel to by - pass the controlling ball valve 124 and pass over a &# 34 ; hot surface igniter &# 34 ; ( hsi ) located in the air - filled fuel tube . the hsi was energized only after all the conditions for a safe start ignition sequence had been satisfied . the operation of the control system 132 is shown generally by the flow chart of fig5 . the heat released by the flame is measured with a temperature sensor ( not shown ) which is a component of the customer &# 39 ; s furnace . the valve control unit 126 receives the temperature signal which indicates a need for more heat from the burner . in response , the valve control motor rotates the ball valve 124 thereby admitting more fuel into the burner . in the preferred embodiment the ratio control unit senses the change and functions as described below . the control system is defined by a variable speed drive ratio controller 132 as shown in the block diagram of fig7 . differential pressure transducers 140 , 144 are used to respectively measure gas and air differential . the air transducer 144 uses the burner itself as the air flow orifice . the differential pressure being compared is that of burner body pressure to outside atmospheric pressures or that of the combustion chamber itself . while the chamber can be at atmospheric , it can also be maintained at any other desired pressure . the gas differential pressure transducer 140 is across a machined concentric orifice plate located upstream of the flow controlling ball valve 124 within the backplate assembly 120 . the signals from each transducers are first subject to signal conditioning 160 , 162 . the gas differential pressure transducer signal can be trimmed to correct for offsets and gain differences between the transducers as well as minor machining differences in the air and gas orifices between one burner and another . after scaling , the differential pressure signals are compared to each other in either the increase or decrease comparator circuits 164 , 166 . if the air differential pressure is lower than the scaled gas differential pressure by an amount greater than that specified by the dead band adjustment 190 , the increase comparator 164 issues a pulse to the increase speed output circuit 170 . likewise , if the air differential pressure is greater than the scaled gas differential pressure by an amount greater than that specified by the dead band adjustment then the decrease comparator 166 issues a pulse to the decrease speed output circuit 172 . in both cases the width of the pulse is dependent on the magnitude of error so that for small errors , only small changes in the speed of the blower are requested . pulses are issued at a rate of about 100 hz until the error is within the dead band 190 . the ratio controller 132 monitors its own performance via a window comparator circuit . the pressure tracking alarm circuit 168 monitors the air differential pressure signal and the scaled gas differential pressure signal . if the difference between the two signals is larger than an amount set by the tracking error alarm window 180 adjustment then a timer is started . if the timer is allowed to run for a time longer than a time set by the alarm delay 182 adjustment then the coil of the alarm relay is depowered and the alarm contacts close , lighting an alarm led . if the two pressure signals come back within the alarm window 180 the alarm and timer are both reset . the ratio controller 132 also abets the implementation of flame supervision by including purge and low fire request circuits 192 , 194 which accept start signals from flame supervisory equipment . during a purge request , the purge request circuit 192 disables the increase and decrease comparators 164 , 166 as well as the pressure tracking alarm 168 and the increase speed output 170 is forced on . in addition , the fuel motor current loop relay 188 is depowered , forcing the fuel valve to its closed or low fire position . proof of this is sent to the flame supervisory system by the auxiliary contact on the primary control motor . during a purge request , when a purge air flow comparator 200 measures the air differential pressure as exceeding a factory set threshold , the purge detect relay 184 is energized closing a contact and lighting a purge led . the low fire request circuit 194 simply depowers the fuel motor current loop relay 188 causing the normal ratio control sequence to bring the blower speed down to the low fire setting . in addition , whenever the air differential pressure is measured by the minimum air flow comparator 198 to be above that set by the minimum air flow threshold adjustment 196 , the ratio controller 132 energizes the minimum air flow relay 186 closing a contact and lighting a flow detect led . this contact is meant to be included in the permanent limit circuit that allows the system to operate . included in the backplate assembly 120 and located upstream of the ball valve 124 in the fuel passage 122 is an orifice plate 142 with a calculated bore . the bore size determines the fuel flow at given pressure differential when the upstream pressure , temperature and calorific value of the fuel are known . the fuel differential pressure transducer 140 with pressure sensing taps located on either side of the orifice 142 senses the changes in pressure drop across the orifice 142 as the fuel flow is either increased or decreased sending this information to the previously described ratio controller 132 . also located on the backplate assembly is the air differential pressure transducer 144 which includes pressure sensing taps located across the burner body and atmospheric or chamber pressure . as stated above this transducer 144 closes the feedback loop to the ratio controller 132 , indicating the corrective action taken by the variable speed drive 134 under the direction of the ratio controller 132 . the variable speed drive 134 is responsible for the rotational speed of the motor and the impeller which is mounted directly on the shaft of the motor . as has been inferred in early paragraphs , the rotational speed of the impeller 110 is proportional to the volume of air produced , i . e . the faster the speed , the greater the volume produced . as can be seen from fig4 as more heat is required , the fuel increases from its minimum ignition setting to its maximum flow rating . the air , which has been set at is minimum flow rating conducive with good burner light off , stability and excess air rate , does not change until the fuel reaches a point where the ratio between them is close to stoichiometric , at which time they continue together maintaining this fuel efficient condition . the precise air flow necessary to produce this condition is done by regulating the rotational speed of the impeller 110 . this is done at the direction of the variable speed drive 134 which is responding to the input of the ratio controller 132 . on initial bring up , the burner operates at &# 34 ; high fire &# 34 ; only long enough to satisfy the requirements of the temperature controller after which it begins to throttle back or turn down to a lower firing rate , holding the set point and allowing the load to soak out to a uniform temperature . since within any given batch or continuous furnace the load configurations , sizes and control temperatures can vary the turndown ability of the burner ( s ) must operate in such a way that , without turning them off , they must supply only enough heat to maintain the control set point without overheating the load . the present invention accomplishes this while maintaining a high degree of fuel efficiency . the present invention allows the input to be reduced to 20 - 25 % of its maximum design rate before going into the excess air or thermal turndown mode . the present integrated burner requires less time and expertise to install . with the present system , the blower , control valves and piping are eliminated , and so the pressure losses associated with these components are also eliminated . since the air supply is controlled directly in response to the needs of the burner , air supply power consumption is matched to the burner demand , and so the integrated burner is more efficient and thus less expensive to operate . the present integrated burner can also be used in a multiple burner system which greatly simplifies the installation of the system . as shown in fig6 each burner is itself an integrated package , the only external supply system , other than electrical , being the utility fuel service . this is accomplished by removing the fuel input control motor 126 from each shaft of the ball valve 124 and substituting a locking nut , allowing the open valve 124 to define the maximum fuel flow rate of the individual burner . the burners are connected to a common fuel supply manifold in which the flow is regulated by the demand of the temperature controller . each burner operates as described above . the fuel flow change is measured by the fuel transducer 140 , and the ratio device , sensing the change in flow , directs the variable speed controller 134 to change the rpm of the impeller 110 accordingly . the air flow transducer 144 detects the requested change , thus assuring the ratio controller 132 that the flows of the fuel and air are within prescribed and predetermined limits of one another . the integrated burner installed in a multiple burner application allows for hitherto unknown flexibility in furnace zoning and temperature profiling within zones . since each integrated burner in a single or multiple burner installation has its own controlled air supply regulated precisely in accordance with the fuel flow , the pressure losses accompanying the use of orifice plates , control valves and piping have been eliminated . the result is lower initial installed electrical energy requirements and lower actual energy running costs . still further , in the event of the clogging of a fuel line to a burner 100 , the remaining burners would not be thrown off - ratio since the air flow control elements of each burner 100 would compensate by adjusting the respective air flows to match that of the fuel flow , while discontinuing the air flow to the clogged burner . in this way , the furnace can operate without the compromise in performance which would have resulted from a comparable failure in a previous system . in its multiple burner embodiment , the present invention offers a burner control which eliminates installation calibration expense and operating costs due to air pressure losses . the foregoing description of the preferred embodiment has been presented for purposes of illustration and description . it is not intended to be limiting insofar as to exclude other modifications and variations such as would occur to those skilled in the art . any modifications such as would occur to those skilled in the art in view of the above teachings are contemplated as being within the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims .	5
fig1 shows a first embodiment of a rear - wheel drive in a one - armed suspension in the bicycle frame . a driving mechanism 2 is driven by a chain 1 and comprises two output sprockets 2 a and 2 b of an endless chain drive . driving mechanism 2 is mounted on its one side inside via a first drive mechanism bearing 5 on a rear - wheel shaft , that in this embodiment is designed as a two - part rear - wheel shaft comprising a drive shaft 3 and an output shaft 4 , and on its other side outside via a second drive mechanism bearing 6 in a bearing bushing 7 . the bearing bushing 7 is connected firmly or releasably to a bicycle frame 8 . the bearing bushing 7 receives a two - row rear - wheel shaft bearing 9 , preferably an angular contact ball bearing , that in turn , supports the output shaft 4 of the rear - wheel shaft on the inside . the angular contact ball bearing is fixed axially in the bearing bushing 7 by a retaining ring 10 . a rear wheel 11 is fastened on the output shaft 4 . the drive shaft 3 of the rear - wheel shaft is operatively co - rotatingly connected with the output shaft 4 of the rear - wheel shaft by a splined shaft 3 a . a threaded connection or similar can likewise be implemented . an arrangement is likewise possible of two adjacent bearings for supporting the rear - wheel shaft in the bicycle frame that is connected to the bearing bushing 7 , or also a support of the rear - wheel shaft that takes place on both sides of the rear wheel 11 . so that the drive shaft 3 of the rear - wheel shaft is not exposed to any bending moments that are caused by impact and no bending moments that are essentially caused by weight , the rear - wheel shaft is supported , seen axially , only on one side of the driving mechanism in a supporting manner to the bicycle frame 8 . this enables the implementation of a freewheel clutch that is particularly space saving and seen in the power flow is arranged between the driving mechanism 2 and the rear - wheel shaft , as a result of which particularly small output sprockets 2 a and 2 b can be realized on the driving mechanism 2 . between the driving mechanism 2 and the drive shaft 3 of the rear - wheel shaft a pawl freewheel consisting at least of one pawl 12 and a spring ring 13 may be arranged . as illustrated in fig1 the first drive mechanism bearing 5 exhibits a smaller inner diameter than the inner diameter of the recesses , provided on the drive shaft 3 of the rear - wheel shaft , for the pawls 12 , as a result of which these recesses can be milled on the end face . the axial definition of the drive mechanism bearing 5 and 6 is carried out using a screw 14 that is screwed into the drive shaft 3 of the rear - wheel shaft and braces the first drive mechanism bearing 5 against the driving mechanism 2 and the latter against the second drive mechanism bearing 6 and the latter against the retaining ring 10 . it is also possible to use a nut instead of the screw 14 . in this case , the drive shaft 3 of the rear - wheel shaft would have to exhibit a corresponding outer thread . these and further possible embodiments ( for example having retaining rings ) of the axial definition of the drive mechanism bearings 5 and 6 can be imagined . it is also possible to dispense with the retaining ring 10 , the screw 14 then bracing the second drive mechanism bearing 6 directly against the angular contact ball bearing 9 via the first drive mechanism bearing 5 and the driving mechanism 2 . a nut 15 locks the output shaft 4 of the rear - wheel shaft against the drive shaft 3 . in this exemplary embodiment , the output shaft 4 of the rear - wheel shaft is designed as a rear - wheel flange and exhibits at least three , preferably four or five nut threads on the circumference , to which the rear wheel 11 can be screwed using the screws 16 . the rear - wheel drive and the freewheel clutch are sealed against the outside by the sealed bearings 5 , 6 and 9 . further dynamic seals are not required . to center radially the drive shaft 3 and the output shaft 4 of the rear - wheel shaft , the drive shaft 3 exhibits a centering face . the output shaft 4 likewise exhibits a centering face for the rear wheel 11 . the outside diameters of the drive shaft 3 and of the output shaft 4 of the rear - wheel shaft can be greater at the outside lying , not interconnected ends than , seen axially , at the level of the angular contact ball bearing 9 . in this way , for receiving the rear wheel 11 and for transmitting the weight forces and torques from the output shaft 4 of the rear - wheel shaft to the rear wheel 11 and in the opposite direction , many embodiments that are already known for one - sided running - wheel fastening mechanisms can be provided for the output shaft 4 in addition to the embodiment that has been shown . likewise it is possible to use a variety of shapes of rear wheels that are either screwed directly to the output shaft 4 of the rear - wheel shaft or can be connected to the output shaft 4 of the rear - wheel shaft by means of additional elements of the rear wheel 11 . in the exemplary embodiment of fig1 , screws 17 serve for fastening the bearing bushing 7 on the bicycle frame 8 . here again , a multiplicity of positive or releasable connections are possible between the bearing bushing 7 and the bicycle frame 8 . fig2 shows the sectional view i - i through the driving mechanism 2 and the freewheel clutch as in fig1 . the spring ring 13 of the freewheel clutch , that is arranged in a recess of the pawl 12 in the center of the pawl 12 , biases the pawl 12 outward , whereby it is pressed with its rounding 12 a that faces the driving mechanism 2 , into the recess 2 c of the driving mechanism 2 . the pawl 12 exhibits at its end arranged toward the rear - wheel shaft , curves 12 b that enable the required rotatability of the pawl 12 on the rear - wheel shaft . in addition , the pawl 12 exhibits an edge 12 c that is pressed , in the coupling case , radially inward by the spring ring 13 or that presses the spring ring 13 radially outward in the freewheel case . this principle realizes the freewheel clutch : the spring ring 13 that is tensioned in the freewheel case , exerts a radially inwardly directed force on the edge 12 c of the pawl 12 . the pawl 12 rotates radially outward as soon as the driving mechanism that overtakes the rear - wheel shaft releases the corresponding radial space with its recess , whereby finally the curve 12 a of the pawl is pressed into the recess 2 c of the driving mechanism 2 . when the rear - wheel shaft in the freewheel case overtakes the driving mechanism 2 , the pawl 12 is again pressed radially inward by the driving mechanism 2 , whereby the spring ring 13 is tensioned again . these principles are well known and are not detailed here any further . as fig2 shows , the output sprocket 2 a only exhibits 8 teeth , while the output sprocket 2 b exhibits 9 teeth , as fig3 shows . fig3 shows a partial sectional view of the drive shaft 3 of the rear - wheel shaft , of the driving mechanism 2 that comprises the output sprockets 2 a and 2 b , and of the freewheel clutch in the freewheel as shown in fig1 . as fig3 shows only two half - round recesses 3 b and 3 c that can be milled by facing the end face are to be provided in the drive shaft 3 so as to accommodate the pawl 12 inside the diameter , that exists there , of the drive shaft 3 of the rear - wheel shaft in the freewheel case . the driving mechanism 2 comprises on its hub side a rectangular recess 2 d that is normal for parallel keys , the driving mechanism 2 in addition exhibiting on that side of the recess that is in contact with the pawl 12 , the half - round millable recess 2 c into which the rounding 12 a of the pawl engages for force transmission . since the drive shaft 3 of the rear - wheel shaft and the driving mechanism 2 in each case exhibit half - round recesses 2 c respectively 3 c for guiding the pawls 12 , the requirements in terms of the absolute positioning accuracy of these recesses 2 c and 3 c relative to the drive shaft 3 can be selected so as to be low , as long as a relatively high positional accuracy in terms of the recesses 2 c and 3 c exists between a plurality of similar half - round recesses 2 c respectively 3 c . fig4 shows a second embodiment of the rear - wheel drive . for reasons of clarity , the parts of the rear - wheel drive in fig4 , that are described for fig1 and are represented in fig4 with a corresponding function , have been designated with a numeral that is increased by 100 in comparison to fig1 . the description of the parts in fig1 is to be transferred for the corresponding parts in fig4 to the extent that nothing to the contrary is described below . in comparison to fig1 , the following features are modified : a . as a freewheel clutch , an end - tooth connection is implemented between the driving mechanism 2 and a clutch member 118 that can slide axially , pushed by a pressure spring 121 and a pressure element 119 , and an involute gearing is implemented between the clutch member 118 and the rear - wheel shaft . b . the pressure mechanism for the clutch member 118 of the freewheel clutch enables the pressure spring 121 to be arranged on the side of the pressure element 119 facing the driving mechanism 102 . c . seen radially , the driving mechanism 102 is supported on the rear - wheel shaft in the interior by means of a needle bearing 105 . the bearing 126 lying on the outside only serves for fixing the driving mechanism 102 axially . d . the driving mechanism 102 exhibits an output sprocket 102 a having only seven teeth . re a . from the driving mechanism 102 that exhibits an output sprocket 102 a having seven teeth , the torque is transmitted to the drive shaft 103 using a clutch member 118 that can be shifted axially and that is operatively co - rotatingly connected with the drive shaft 103 of the rear - wheel shaft . for this purpose , end teeth 118 a are arranged on an end face of the clutch member 118 uniformly distributed on the circumference and can engage into corresponding recesses , in fig4 into corresponding end teeth 102 b , of the driving mechanism 102 . it is likewise possible that only one clutch partner exhibits end teeth and the other clutch partner exhibits claws on its end face into which the end teeth of the one clutch partner can engage . the end teeth 118 a of the clutch member 118 are pressed axially into the end teeth 102 b of the driving mechanism 102 by a pressure element 119 that penetrates the drive shaft 103 of the rear - wheel shaft at right angles to its axle and is arranged in corresponding radial opening of the drive shaft 103 of the rear - wheel shaft . seen radially , in involute gearing 118 b is provided inside the clutch member 118 , that transmits the torque from the clutch member 118 to the drive shaft 103 . an involute gearing 118 b having the module 0 . 8 with 16 teeth according to din 5480 may be used for transmitting torque from the clutch member 118 to the drive shaft 103 , as a result of which the tooth count can be divided by four and the base circle diameter is slightly larger than 12 mm and the head circle diameter is slightly smaller than 14 mm . in contrast , eight end teeth 118 a , and thus again a tooth count that can be divided by four , is provided for the end gearing of the clutch member 118 . this symmetry that is achieved using the tooth counts that can be divided by four permits simple manufacture of the clutch member 118 and of the driving mechanism 102 . the clutch member 118 of the freewheel clutch exhibits the following design that is particularly space - saving : at an end face , the clutch member 118 exhibits an end toothing having the end teeth 118 , and the clutch member 118 exhibits no recesses for receiving and guiding the pressure element 119 . the pressure element 119 can be designed as a rectangle and without further recesses . apart from a pressure element , also round pressure rods or flattened pressure rods can be used . a disk 120 that keeps the pressure element 119 in position is arranged axially between the retaining ring 110 and the bearing 106 that supports , seen radially , the driving mechanism 102 on the inside . as a result of the arrangement of the elements of the rear - wheel drive , the required fixed fits can be provided between the angular contact ball bearing 109 and the output shaft 104 of the rear - wheel shaft and also between the angular contact ball bearing 109 and the bearing bushing 107 . re b . since an end toothing is used as clutch between the driving mechanism 102 and the clutch member 118 , the clutch member 118 has to be moved axially against the driving mechanism 102 . this takes place by means of the pressure element 119 via a pressure spring 121 arranged inside the rear - wheel shaft , according to the mechanism described below : since , as in fig1 , a two - part rear - wheel shaft is used that consists of the drive shaft 103 and the output shaft 104 that are interconnected , no sufficient radial installation space exists inside the rear - wheel shaft for the pressure spring 121 of the freewheel clutch in fig4 , seen axially , between the pressure element 119 and the angular contact ball bearing 109 . the pressure spring 121 having the arrangement described below is arranged on the side of the pressure element 119 facing the driving mechanism 102 . in fig5 , the elements described below of the freewheel clutch are illustrated in the part - sectional view ii - ii of fig4 . a pressure sleeve 122 having two legs , that is supported in the drive shaft 103 , is kept at a distance from the pressure element 119 by a washer 123 . the pressure spring 121 is supported on the washer 123 and it again exerts an axial force on a guide bushing 124 . the guide bushing 124 exhibits a continuous recess , preferably a bore , in which the pressure element 119 is accommodated . the guide bushing 124 guides the pressure force of the pressure spring 121 , seen radially , inside the pressure spring 121 and inside the pressure sleeve 122 again onto the axially seen other side of the pressure element 119 . via the bore of the guide bushing 124 , the pressure element 119 is finally pressed against the clutch member 118 . in the freewheel case , the end teeth 102 b of the driving mechanism 102 press the end teeth 118 of the clutch member 118 out of the end - tooth connection . in this case , the pressure spring 121 is pressed by the guide bushing 124 against the washer 123 that is supported on the pressure sleeve 122 and on the drive shaft 103 . the design of the freewheel clutch having the features described above enables a freewheel clutch that is particularly space - saving , that can transmit high torque values . instead of a contact shoulder , that is present on the drive shaft side , for the angular contact ball bearing , a washer 125 serves as contact shoulder for the angular contact ball bearing 109 . the bearing bushing 107 exhibits a bore 107 a that can be closed using a plug , a screw or the like , that makes it possible to install and remove the pressure element 119 and thus the entire freewheel clutch without having to separate the bicycle frame , the bearing bushing 107 , the angular contact ball bearing 109 , the drive shaft 103 and the output shaft 104 from each other . in this way , the drive shaft 103 can also be positively connected to the output shaft 104 , for example by soldering . c . seen radially , the driving mechanism 102 is supported on the inside by a needle bearing 105 on the drive shaft 103 of the rear - wheel shaft . the needle bearing 105 absorbs the loads of the cyclist due to the weight that act , when the rear wheel 111 is blocked , via the pedals onto the drive chain wheel , the chain and finally onto the output sprocket 102 a and the driving mechanism 102 . a bearing 126 lying outside now only serves for axially fixing the driving mechanism 102 and can therefore be designed with a particularly small outside diameter . seen radially on the inside , the bearing 126 is supported on a fixing screw 114 that is screwed into the drive shaft 103 . the radial positioning of the bearing 126 should take place with clearance between the fixing screw 114 and the drive shaft 103 . seen radially , it is likewise possible to provide additional seal elements between the fixing screw 114 and the bearing 126 and / or between the bearing 126 and the driving mechanism 102 . d . due to the use of the needle bearing 105 for supporting the driving mechanism 102 and due to the small outside diameter of the bearing 126 , the output sprocket exhibits only seven teeth . fig5 shows the partial sectional view ii - ii of the freewheel clutch as in fig4 having the pressure element 119 , the pressure spring 121 arranged inside the drive shaft 103 , the pressure sleeve 122 , and the guide bushing 124 . fig6 represents the corresponding side view of the rear - wheel drive as in fig4 having the driving mechanism 102 that exhibits the output sprocket 102 a having seven teeth . fig7 shows a third exemplary embodiment of a rear - wheel drive . for reasons of clarity the parts of the rear - wheel drive that are described with reference to fig4 and are represented in fig7 with a corresponding function , have been designated with a numeral that is increased by 100 in comparison to fig4 . the description of the parts in fig1 respectively fig4 is to be transferred for the corresponding parts in fig7 to the extent that nothing to the contrary is described below . in comparison to fig4 , the following features are modified : a . the rear - wheel shaft 203 is designed such that it is undivided . the inside diameter of the angular contact ball bearing 209 is at least as large as the seat of the rear wheel 211 on the rear - wheel shaft 203 , so that the angular contact ball bearing 209 can be installed and removed . b . the rear wheel is connected to the rear - wheel shaft 203 by means of a threaded sleeve 227 that is designed as a rear - wheel hub . seen axially between the angular contact ball bearing 209 and the involute gearing of the rear - wheel shaft 203 , the washer 225 that can also be designed as a retaining ring serves as the contact shoulder on the shaft side for the angular contact ball bearing 209 . the rear wheel 211 that seen radially exhibits a threaded sleeve 227 on the inside , is screwed onto the rear - wheel shaft 203 and presses the angular contact ball bearing 209 on the rear - wheel shaft 203 against the washer 225 for the purpose of axially fixing the angular contact ball bearing 209 . by suitably choosing the fit , a fit section 227 a of the threaded sleeve 227 is firmly connected to the rear - wheel shaft 203 by means of a fixed fit and carries the loads that are caused by the weight and the road surface . the torque is transmitted between the rear - wheel shaft 203 and the rear wheel 211 essentially by means of the threaded section 227 b of the threaded sleeve 227 . the threaded sleeve 227 that supports the rear wheel 211 is locked by means of a screw 215 and a washer 228 . c . the pressure spring 221 that shifts the clutch member 218 toward the driving mechanism 202 is arranged on the side of the pressure element 219 facing the rear wheel 211 . on account of the single - part design of the rear - wheel shaft 203 , there is created inside the rear - wheel shaft 203 space for arranging the pressure spring 221 on the side of the pressure element 219 facing the angular contact ball bearing 209 . the pressure spring 221 presses the guide bushing 224 against the pressure element 219 and the latter against the clutch member 218 and the driving mechanism 202 . the pressure spring 221 is supported on the screw 215 via the washer 223 and a guide tube 229 . d . the driving mechanism 202 exhibits an output sprocket 202 a having only six teeth . in comparison to the exemplary embodiment from fig4 , in the exemplary embodiment illustrated in fig7 another smaller needle bearing 205 having an inside diameter of 8 mm and having an outside diameter of 11 mm is designed for supporting the driving mechanism 202 on the rear - wheel shaft 203 . in a similar manner , the bearing 226 is designed to be smaller , to be precise having an inside diameter of 6 mm and an outside diameter of 13 mm . this exemplary embodiment thereby enables the implementation of a driving mechanism 202 that exhibits an output sprocket 202 a having only six teeth . e . on account of the small gear ratio of the chain drive , that can be achieved using an output sprocket 202 a having six teeth , it is even a solid plastic running wheel having a size of only 10 inch that is used . it would even be possible to use a running wheel having a size of 8 inch in the case of a sufficiently large drive chain wheel . fig8 shows a view of the rear - wheel drive from fig7 having the output sprocket 202 a that exhibits six teeth . in a side view , fig9 shows a fourth embodiment of the rear - wheel drive having a pawl freewheel clutch , the output sprocket 302 a exhibiting only seven teeth . to comply with increased strength requirements , the width of the pawl 312 in this case corresponds to the entire length of the rear - wheel shaft 303 that is available between the two bearings that support the driving mechanism 302 . on top of this , fig9 shows a further embodiment of the pawls 312 for the pawl freewheel . the pawl 312 exhibits a flattened , rectangular tip 312 a that engages into a hub - side rectangular recess 302 b of the driving mechanism 302 . the choice of the diameter makes it possible , even for this embodiment , to use an output sprocket 302 a having only seven teeth . fig1 to fig1 show further possible embodiments of the end toothing of the clutch member 118 and the driving mechanism 102 for the exemplary embodiments from fig4 and fig7 in the exploded view , the designations referring to fig4 . fig1 shows an embodiment where the clutch member 118 and the driving mechanism 102 in each case exhibit an eight - teeth millable end gearing . in fig1 it is only one clutch partner , in this case the clutch member 118 , that exhibits the eight millable end teeth 118 , while the other clutch partner , in this case the driving mechanism 102 , exhibits millable claws 102 c into which the end teeth 118 a of the clutch member 118 engage . in fig1 , both clutch partners , clutch member 118 and driving mechanism 102 , exhibit a modified end toothing having end teeth 118 c and 102 d that are uniformly arranged next to each other on the circumference and mesh . fig1 shows a sectional view and a view of a driving member 402 on which co - rotatingly connected with , but releasably , an output sprocket 430 having only seven teeth 430 a can be fastened . for axially fixing the driving mechanism 402 , an angular ball bearing 426 having an outside diameter of 13 mm can be used . the radial loads are taken up by a needle bearing 405 having an outside diameter of 11 mm . seen axially relative to the bicycle frame , the output sprocket 430 is defined against a contact shoulder of the driving mechanism 402 , while axial fixation takes place from the outside by means of a distance sleeve 431 through a retaining ring 432 . as is sufficiently known for output sprockets , the torque is transmitted from the output sprocket 430 via a round recess 402 a to the driving mechanism 402 . other embodiments of the releasable connection between the output sprocket 430 and the driving mechanism 402 can be imagined , but are not detailed here separately . finally this exemplary embodiment , too , reveals that the smallest possible output sprockets 2 a , 2 b , 102 a , 202 a , 302 a , 430 can be implemented for the chain drive of the bicycle . in all exemplary embodiments described above it is likewise possible to implement output sprockets having more teeth than mentioned in the respective exemplary embodiment . using the embodiments mentioned above , the gear ratios described in more detail in an exemplary manner below can be implemented . since the resulting gear ratios produce very small numbers , the illustration of the gear ratios has been selected to be in the format of a prefixed ratio “ 1 :”. the respective row for the gear ratio that has been shown of the respective chain drive then lists the divisor of the gear ratio of 1 :. for example a gear ratio of 0 . 125 is for example illustrated as = 1 : 8 . the table above reveals in the upper part the advantages of the embodiment from fig1 having a plurality of output sprockets . the output sprocket 2 a , 2 b that is used can be selected by a simple change of the position of the chain ( e . g . in fig1 on the output sprocket 2 a having eight respectively 2 b having nine teeth ), so that the desired development for the bicycle can be set . on top of this , the table above reveals that with an identical achievable development , the same rear - wheel drive can be adapted to all running wheel sizes of 10 inch up to 16 inch , by simply using another commercially available drive chain wheel . in this way , the same rear - wheel drive can be used for a multiplicity of possible embodiments of bicycles ( having solid plastic running wheels , having air - filled running wheels and so on ). the table above shows in the lower part that the same rear - wheel drive and the same drive chain wheel can be used with the same achievable development for different running - wheel sizes of 10 inch to 16 inch , by simply exchanging the output sprocket that is designed so as to be releasable in the exemplary embodiment of fig1 . as an example , a possible embodiment is illustrated below as multi - speed derailleur having six gears , the rear - wheel drive exhibiting the two output sprockets shown in fig1 . the multi - speed derailleur is implemented using a commercially available drive chain wheel having the chain counts 42 - 32 - 24 since in this way gradations of similar size can be achieved between the gears . in case a technology is available that is able to change gears even in the case of particularly low tooth counts of the output sprockets , there are illustrated below further possible embodiments as multi - speed gear having six gears and a uniform gear gradation for the running wheel sizes 14 inch and 12 inch . even in this case , the rear - wheel drive exhibits two output sprockets : in addition , using the features that have been described above or the features that are claimed below , a multiplicity of further gear ratios can be realized . all tooth counts , mentioned below in the patent claims , of output sprockets and drive chain wheels refer to the chain pitch of 12 . 7 mm that is conventional for bicycle chains . for embodiments having chain pitches that deviate therefrom , those tooth counts are claimed in the respective claims that result from the rounded result of the multiplication of the tooth counts respectively listed below by the quotient of 12 . 7 mm divided by the deviating chain pitch .	1
this invention generally relates to the fabrication of articles by plastic injection molding but particularly to the structural arrangement of a swivel connector and a corresponding mold which have complementary architectures that make it possible to fabricate the connector in a process where the mold is opened and closed only once during the molding cycle , i . e ., a one - shot process . to best understand the nature of the connector and mold architectures , reference in now made to fig1 where the swivel connector of the invention is designated at 10 , and the mold is shown in its two halves , the lower or stationary half or part 12 and the upper or moveable half or part 14 . swivel connector 10 , integrally formed of a plastic material , comprises two major parts or components that , within limits , can &# 39 ; t be pulled apart but can be relatively rotated with respect to one another . these major parts are the main body 16 and the clip section 18 . clip section 18 includes an elongated clip 20 that consists of a hook 26 and a resilient , cantilevered finger 28 that is biased to normally rest against the tip of hook 26 to provide a locking arrangement by which clip 20 can be positively attached to or released from a ring on a garment bag , or the like , by depressing finger 28 to move it out of contact with the tip of hook 26 thereby allowing hook 26 to be slid off or off a ring . for purposes of clarity the tips of hook 26 and finger 28 are not shown in contact but , in actuality , the mold , as will be seen , is arranged so that finger 28 ` springs ` against the tip of hook 26 after ejection . opposite clip 20 at the other end of clip section 18 is a head 24 in the form of a spherical ball . connecting head 24 with clip 20 is a neck 22 in the form of an elongated , cylindrical rod . as shown in fig2 and 3 , main body 16 comprises two generally parallelopiped - shaped sections , 32 and 34 respectively , arranged in a &# 34 ; t &# 34 ; format . section 32 has an elongated aperture 30 extending through it from one to the other of its largest sides to form a closed loop for receiving a strap or belt from a garment bag or the like . referring now to fig4 along with fig1 - 3 , it can be seen that section 34 has a cylindrical bore hole 36 extending straight through its major sides . and , in the narrow side of section 34 , side 40 facing clip 20 , there is an elongated slot 38 extending the length of side 40 and recessed sufficiently deep so that it intersects bore 36 at right angles . where slot 38 intersects bore 36 two things take place . first , as one would expect , an aperture 37 is formed between the two . the shape of the aperture 37 is in the form of an oval which is wrapped around the cylindircal plane of the bore 36 and is dimensioned to be large enough so that the neck 22 will fit through it to connect with head 24 and clip 20 . however , aperture 37 is also dimensioned to be smaller than the radius of the spherical head 24 so that head 24 cannot pass through . secondly , the intersection of slot 38 with bore 36 defines a volume of space that is inside of main body 16 and common to the two . since a mold and part have complementary geometry , the absence of material in one implies the presence of material in the other . thus , this intersecting volume of space on the interior of main body 16 provides a common spatial access through which mold surfaces can simoultaneously be brought into mating relationship to form head 24 and portions of neck 22 . in this manner , head 24 can be made inside of bore 36 but outside of contact with its interior surfaces with the portion of neck 22 , similarly formed , extending into the space of the slot 38 where it can be further extended to connect with clip 20 . thus , the spatial arrangement between bore 36 and slot 38 is a major feature of the architecture of swivel connector 10 . bore 36 creates the opportunity for mating mold surfaces along one direction while slot 38 the opportunity for mating mold surfaces along another direction . where the two intersect is a common space which allows for the formation of portions of one of the connector &# 39 ; s major parts inside of the other such that the connector parts can &# 39 ; t be pulled apart but can be relatively rotated . the force with which the connector &# 39 ; s major parts , 16 and 18 , can be pulled apart is a function of a variety of factors including the geometry of head 24 and neck 22 and the material used in molding connector 10 . for optimum pulling strength , geometric considerations aside , the preferred material is a high - performance engineering plastic such as an acetal or equivalent having high tensile strength and good stiffness and flexibility characteristics . acetals such as those manufactured by e . i . dupont de nemours under its tradename delrin have been found satisfactory . however , if optimizing separation strength is not a major concern for a particular application , then other thermoplastics of lower performance may be used to advantage . the mold that is used to form connector 10 in only one - shot is structured to exploit the spatial opportunities made available through the architecture of connector 10 . it comprises lower and upper halves , 12 and 14 , respectively . these two halves , 12 and 14 , are adapted to mate with one another in a plane 41 to define about plane 41 a cavity generally designated as 15 . cavity 15 , only half of which is shown , is generally bilaterally symmetric about plane 41 and has a geometric shape that is substantially the complement of that of component 10 . although not explicitly shown , it will be understood that upper mold half 14 includes cavity defining surfaces which correspond to those in lower mold half 12 . the cavity defining surfaces of mold halves , 12 and 14 , cooperate to define substantially one - half of the connector major parts , 16 and 18 . however , portions of the cavity for forming connector 10 , particularly part of its neck 22 , the slot 38 and side 40 , and the end of clip 20 facing head 24 , are defined by a pair of sliders , 54 and 56 respectively , that move in and out of a pair of corresponding guides , 58 and 60 respectively , located in lower stationary mold half 12 . as is readily apparent from observing fig1 each of the mold halves , 12 and 14 , include surfaces which have a more or less one - to - one correspondence in detail with each of the major parts of connector 10 . these include , toward the forward end facing the page , surfaces which define the clip 20 except for one end , its end 65 facing head 24 . towards the rear end of cavity 15 are surfaces which define the exterior geometry of connector main body 16 except for its side 40 , slot 38 , and bore 36 but including its closed loop section 32 along with aperture 30 . the surfaces which define head 24 , bore 36 , and a portion of neck 22 are carried on a pair of pedestals , 46 and 47 , which are best illustrated in fig4 . each pedestal , 46 and 47 , is an integral part of each mold part , 12 and 14 , respectively , as best illustrated by fig1 . each pedestal , 46 and 47 , includes a hemispherical cup which in pedestal 46 is designated as 48 and in pedestal 47 as 49 . at the forward end of each pedestal , 46 and 47 , are semicylindrical cutouts , 50 and 51 , respectively , and at their rear ends are slots , 53 and 55 , respectively . when the two mold halves are brought together in plane 41 , pedestals , 46 and 47 , cooperate to simoultaneously define head 24 , bore 36 and portions of neck 22 . in addition , they also define another detail which is important to the one - shot operation of the mold . slots , 53 and 55 , provide a small thin passageway or sprue that allows plastic to travel between the connector &# 39 ; s major parts , 16 and 18 , during a molding cycle as best seen in fig7 where the small sprue is designated as 52 . here , it can be seen that sprue 52 connects the cavity space for forming head 24 with the cavity space for forming portions of the main body 16 . in particular , the main body has a depressed region 35 which is formed in the cavity by corresponding surfaces such as that shown in fig1 as 37 . as best seen in fig2 and 3 , it is the depressed region 35 that is connected with the head 24 . because of this arrangement , a small tab 42 ( fig2 and 3 ) is formed between the connectors major parts , 16 and 18 , but it is designed to be so fragile that the first slight disturbance breaks it to allow the parts , 16 and 18 , to freely rotate with respect to one another . to complete the definition of connector 10 are the pair of side action sliders , 54 and 56 , which are carried permanently on the lower mold half 12 in a pair of corresponding guides , 58 and 60 , respectively , for movement into and out of cavity 15 along directions that are perpendicular to the general direction in which mold halves , 12 and 14 , travel when opening and closing . in this connection , upper mold half 14 also includes complementary shaped slots for receiving sliders , 54 and 56 . however , only one of these is shown as 62 in fig1 . sliders , 54 and 56 , include a number of surfaces which form the remainder of connector 10 . in particular , it can be seen from the figures that the outside shape of sliders , 54 and 56 , are for forming the recessed slot 38 . in addition , the back sides of sliders , 54 and 56 , designated generally as 61 and 63 respectively form the side of clip 20 facing head 24 , i . e . the side designated as 65 in fig2 and 3 . also included on sliders , 54 and 56 , are surfaces which complete the formation of side 40 of main body 16 . these surfaces are shown as 67 and 69 , respectively , in fig1 and 5 . finally , each slider , 54 and 56 , has a semicylindrical elongated slot , 55 and 57 , respectively , for forming the remainder of neck 22 and completing its connection between head 24 and clip 20 . as best seen in fig1 and 7 , the lower mold half 12 includes a sprue 68 for feeding plastic first into that part of cavity 15 corresponding to the connector main body 16 , i . e ., the larger part . at the end opposite there is provided a vent 70 to allow air trapped in cavity 15 to escape while molding . although only one vent is included for purposes of illustration , it will be understood that vents can be provided anywhere that it appears necessary in the mold and these , where used , would normally be embodied in the mold halves , 12 and 14 , as small slots at the parting line , plane 41 . mold parts , 12 and 14 , are preferably made of a high quality steel and preferably include heaters , not shown , in the form of hot water lines to keep the temperature of the mold parts at approximately 150 - degrees f during the molding cycle to assure that plastic can easily flow throughout cavity 15 as necessary . as is the usual practice , mold halves , 12 and 14 , are carried on a pair of frames ( not shown ) that are toggled together to bring them into registration and clamp them together during the injection molding process . for proper registration , mold halves , 12 and 14 , are provided with a guiding system in the form of posts , 64 and 66 , in lower half 12 which mate with corresponding holes designated generally as 65 in upper mold half 14 . during the molding cycle , fluid plastic at between 425 to 450 - degrees f is forced into cavity 15 at a pressure of between 10 , 000 and 20 , 000 psi via sprue 68 as indicated by the swirling arrows in fig7 . during the cycle mold halves , 12 and 24 , are clamped together as previously described . the parts of cavity 15 labeled with the circled a in fig7 correspond to those sections of cavity 15 which form connector main body 16 and those with the circled b to connector clip section 18 . as can be appreciated , the fluid plastic first enters the a - portion entirely filling it , or nearly so . once this happens , the pressure in the a - portion builds up rapidly until the plastic ` sees ` secondary sprue 52 connecting the a and b portions of the mold . having seen sprue 52 , the plastic is forced through it at high pressure into the b - portion getting reheated as it passes through the small passageway that is sprue 52 . all the while , cavity 15 is being vented as the fluid plastic courses through it . after cavity 15 is filled , connector 10 is allowed to cool and is ejected form the mold in any usual way . tab 42 which was formed by secondary sprue 52 is then easily broken or it can be left intact to be broken easily at the first use of connector 10 . as mentioned before , cantilevered finger 28 , upon removal from the mold , is normally biased against the tip of hook 26 . this is accomplished in the mold by intentionally arranging those portions of cavity 15 used to form finger 28 so that finger 28 is ejected in interfering relationship with the tip of hook 26 . it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that changes may be made to the invention without departing from its scope . for example , if one wants to increase the force required to pull apart the connector major parts through purely geometric means , an alternate head design such as that illustrated in fig8 may be used . here , the alternate head 70 is in the form of a segment of an ovoid with a acorn shape . the base ovoid 74 is intersected by a spherical surface 72 that has a radius of curvature that is shallower than that of the head 24 . the shallower curvature reduces the camming action of the head against the surfaces which act against it when trapped inmain body 16 . consequently , it requires more force to pull this design apart . in addition , it will be obvious that other clip designs can be contrived , and the angular range of motion of the two parts can be controlled by manipulation of appropriate part geometry .	1
turning to fig4 , a cycler 30 includes a dialysate container 11 connected to a pump 31 . the pump 31 is connected to a pressure sensor 32 . the pump 31 and pressure sensor 32 are disposed in - line in a lumen 33 that connects the dialysate container 11 to a catheter 34 . control valves are provided at 35 , 36 . a drain container 13 is also connected to a pump 36 which is connected to a sensor 37 . the pump 36 and sensor 37 are also connected in - line to a lumen 38 which connects the drain container 13 to the catheter 34 . control valves are again provided at 41 , 42 . during the fill , the pump 31 pumps dialysate from the container 11 through the lumen 33 and catheter 34 into the peritoneum ( not shown ) of the patient 12 . during this time , the sensor 37 monitors and measures the intraperitoneal pressure . a signal is sent to the controller of the cycler 30 shown schematically at 43 . a control panel is indicated generally at 44 . during the drain , the sensor 31 can accurately monitor and measure the intraperitoneal pressure of the patient 12 . in the embodiment illustrated in fig4 , no pumps or control valves are disposed between the sensor 32 and the patient 12 . turning to fig5 , a cycler 50 is illustrated which includes reversible pumping chambers 51 , 52 with sensors 53 , 54 disposed between the reversible pumping chambers 51 , 52 and the patient 12 respectively . control valves 55 and 56 are disposed on another side of the reversible pumping chamber 51 and the sensor 53 and control valves 57 , 58 are provided on either side of the reversible pumping chamber 52 and sensor 54 . the sensors 53 , 54 actually measure the pressure on the diaphragms of the reversible pumping chambers 51 , 52 . turning to fig6 , a cycler 60 is illustrated with a chamber 61 for accommodating the drain container 13 and a chamber 62 for accommodating the dialysate container 11 . each chamber 61 , 62 is equipped with an integrated valve assembly and pressure sensor shown at 63 , 64 . in the embodiment 60 shown in fig6 , the chamber 61 must be capable of being evacuated . dialysate may flow from the dialysate container 11 by way of gravity or pressure fill . again , the sensors of the valve assembly / sensor combinations 63 , 64 monitor the intraperitoneal pressure of the patient 12 as discussed above . in the embodiment 70 illustrated in fig7 , the dialysate container 11 and drain container 13 are both connected to integrated control valves and pressure sensors 71 , 72 . each of the integrated control valves and pressure sensors 71 , 72 are connected to lumens 73 , 74 respectively which are connected to the catheter 75 a by way of a y - connection . the details of all the y - connections and clamps are not shown but are known to those skilled in the art . flow from the dialysate container 11 to the patient is carried out under the gravitational head shown at 75 while flow from the patient to the drain container 13 is carried out under the gravitational head shown at 76 . fig8 illustrates one in - line pressure sensor 80 that is suitable for use with the present invention . redundant load cells 81 , 82 are connected to the flexible pressure sensing membrane 83 by a vacuum connected by the line 84 , 85 . a lumen connecting the cycler to the patient is shown at 86 . fig9 illustrates a dual - pumping chamber cassette 87 which includes an output line 88 which connects the cassette 87 to the patient and an input line 89 connecting the patient to the cassette 87 . the line 90 connects the cassette 87 to the dialysate container ( not shown ). each pumping chamber 91 , 92 is in communication with all three lines 88 , 89 and 90 . thus , every line can be connected to either pumping chamber 91 , 92 . the pumping chambers 91 , 92 are bound on one side by a common diaphragm shown at 93 . flow is controlled by the use of diaphragm valves shown at 94 , 95 , 96 and 97 . pressure sensors are shown at 120 , 121 , 122 , 123 , 124 and 125 . however , pressure sensors 123 and 120 are the sensors used to measure intraperitoneal pressure in accordance with the present invention . the remaining sensors 121 , 122 , 124 , 125 are used to monitor the operation of the pumps 126 , 127 . when the left diaphragm pump 126 is pushing dialysate to the patient , the sensor 123 can measure the intraperitoneal pressure through the line 89 . when the left diaphragm pump 126 is draining fluid from the patient through the line 89 , the sensor 120 can measure intraperitoneal pressure through the line 88 and while the right pump 127 is pumping fluid to the drain container ( not shown ) through the drain line shown schematically at 128 . when the right diaphragm pump 127 is being used to drain fluid from the patient , the sensor 120 can measure intraperitoneal pressure while the left diaphragm pump 126 is pumping fluid to the drain container ( not shown ) through the drain line shown schematically at 129 . fig1 and 11 illustrate a dual - lumen catheter 100 which includes separate passageways 101 , 102 . the employment of a dual lumen catheter 100 as compared to a dual lumen patient line can move the point at which the pressure is measured to within the peritoneum itself by way of communication through the separate flowpaths 101 , 102 . the dual lumen catheter 100 installs like a single lumen catheter , yet will function either as a flow through or a standard catheter . both fluid pathways 101 , 102 are used to withdraw and deliver fluid during the drain and fill . while one pathway delivers fluid , the other pathway drains . the end section , shown generally at 103 , is perforated . a comparison of an apd therapy for a prior art apd cyclers and one manufactured in accordance with the present invention are summarized as follows : inspection of table 1 shows that cycler 1 woke the patient at around 4 : 30 in the morning with a negative uf alarm at the beginning of fill 5 . the patient bypassed the alarm because he did not feel overfull and immediately fell back asleep . he woke up about minutes later when he had difficulty breathing and felt extremely overfull . he manually drained about 1500 ml but was unable to go back to sleep . he filed a formal product complaint with the manufacturer . the data of table 1 shows that cycler 2 ran a completely normal therapy but the total therapy clearance ( calculated based upon the sum of the night patient volumes ) was only 84 . 5 % of that obtained by cycler 3 , which was using the cycler that used the method of the current invention . the data of table 1 shows that cycler 3 ran a completely normal therapy and that the fill volume was limited on one occasion by the maximum fill volume but on four occasions by the patient &# 39 ; s intraperitoneal pressure . this patient never felt any discomfort and had no alarms during the night . the limit on the ipp prevented him from being overfilled even though he had successive drains that were not complete . the volume of fluid in his peritoneum never exceeded 3 liters . the patient on cycler 1 had an intraperitoneal pressure in excess of 14 mm hg during dwells 3 and 4 . his breathing may have been impaired and his heart may have had to work harder but the discomfort was not enough to wake him up from a sound sleep until it peaked at 4 , 099 ml during dwell 5 . in conclusion , the method of the present invention provides for optimum fills and therefore more clearance while preventing overfills that bring discomfort and inhibit the function of vital body organs . a negative uf alarm would seldom occur because overfills of the required magnitude would be prevented by the ipp sensors . in order to calculate the ipp , one may first calculate the patient head height correction using conservation of energy : the velocity v of fluid through the patient line is the same at both ends of the line as is the fluid density , so this equation can be written as ( p 2 − p 1 )− pa g ( h 2 h ,)+ frictional losses = 0 frictional losses = 39130 ( gram / cm )/( cm 2 - sec 2 ) with flow of 197 cm / min in a 4 mm id line at a velocity of approximately 172 cm / sec , wherein δ   h = ( ( 85060 - 30620 ) - 39130 )  ( gram  /  cm ) / ( cm 2 - sec 2 ) 1   gram  /  cm 3 * 981   cm  /  sec 2 δ h =− 15 . 6 cm ( the patient is 15 . 6 cm below the membrane ) frictional losses = 39130 ( gram / cm )/( cm 2 - sec 2 ) with flow of 197 cmn / min in a 4 mm id line at a velocity of approximately 172 cm / sec , wherein δ   h = ( ( 85060 - 30620 ) - 39130 )  ( gram  /  cm ) / ( cm 2 - sec 2 ) 1   gram  /  cm 3 * 981   cm  /  sec 2 δ h =+ 15 . 6 cm ( the patient is 15 . 6 cm above the membrane ) the patient head height can be established at the beginning of each fill . any changes in the head height that occur during the fill can be attributed to an increase in intraperitoneal pressure ( ipp ) since the patient is asleep . turning to fig1 , the concentration gradient between the urea concentration 110 in the patient &# 39 ; s blood and the urea concentration 111 in the dialysate for typical apd cyclers is illustrated graphically . comparing the results illustrated in fig1 and 14 , it is evident that apd cyclers equipped with the sensors of the present invention provide superior results . specifically , the data illustrated graphically in fig1 was obtained using a prior art apd cycler . the data obtained in fig1 was obtained using an apd cycler utilizing two sensors for monitoring intraperitoneal pressure . note that the urea concentration 110 in the bloodstream is lower in fig1 than in fig1 . further note , the dialysate volume or fill volume is lower for the therapy illustrated in fig1 than the therapy illustrated in fig1 . thus , the present invention provides improved urea clearance with lower fill volumes . it should be understood that various changes and modifications to the presently preferred embodiments described herein will be apparent to those skilled in the art . such changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention and without diminishing its attendant advantages . it is , therefore , intended that such changes and modifications be covered by the appended claims .	0
an embodiment of this invention will be explained , referring to fig1 . light emitted by a deuterium lamp 1 is focused by a lens 2 , enters a flow cell 3 through an end surface of the cell and traverses a sample . then , passing through an entrance slit 4 , it enters a spectroscope , where a part of it is directed to the monitor side by a beam splitter 5 . the light on the optical path of the monitor side passes through a short - cut filter 8 for cutting off more than a half of ultra - violet and visible light . the short - cut filter 8 is made of an optical material permitting principally only light over 630 nm to pass therethrough . light transmitted by the beam spitter 5 enters a concave diffraction grating 6 and is dispersed . as the result , a slit image is formed on the light receiving surface of a photodiode array 7 disposed on the slit image surface for every wavelength . the photodiode array is of self scanning type and the output signal for every bit enters an electronic circuit system 10 in the form of a pulse train . on the other hand a short - cut filter 8 of 630 nm and a silicon photocell 9 are disposed on the monitor side and the output signal of the silicon photocell 9 enters the signal processor system 10 , too . inside of the signal processor system 10 , a divisional operation dividing the output signal of each element of the photodiode array 7 by the output signal of the silicon photocell 9 is effected and then a logarithmic transformation is performed . the signal thus obtained representing the absorbance is a / d transformed and other necessary data processing is effected . in addition , the concave diffraction grating 6 is fixed to a rotating shaft 62 , which can rotate in two directions . the rotation of the rotating shaft 6 may have a stopping pin 63 , which is stopped by stoppers 64 and 64 &# 39 ; at two predetermined positions . in this way , when the wavelength region of the light received by a photodiode array 7 cannot cover the whole wavelength region necessary for the measurement , the measurement range can be changed for two wavelength regions . fig2 is a diagram indicating detected light intensity vs . wavelength in the case where light emitted by a deuterium lamp is received by a silicon photocell . when light under 630 nm is cut off by the filter 8 disposed on the optical path of the monitor side , in practice , light including a line of 656 . 1 nm enters the silicon photocell 9 on the monitor side . however , in usual samples to be measured such as liquid chromatograph , etc . no strong absorption peaks exist in this wavelength range . that is , the greatest part of the energy transition in an object sample such as liquid chromatograph , etc . is excitation to an antibonding π orbit , i . e . π → π , n → π , and almost all the absorption peaks exist under 600 nm . consequently , although light transmitted by the sample is monitored , influences of the absorption by the sample on the monitor signal are negligible in almost all cases . therefore , by using such a monitor signal , it is possible to effect a relative photometry without any difficulty . by such a relative photometry , firstly , even in the case where the arc in the deuterium lamp fluctuates slightly in position , since the monitor portion is behind small gaps , such as the flow cell 3 and the slit 4 , influences of fluctuations on the main optical path and on the monitor optical path appear approximately equally . as the result errors due to fluctuations in the light source are properly corrected and thus stable measurements are possible , even in the region , where absorbance is low . secondly , since the monitor portion is behind the flow cell , it is possible to correct fluctuations due to non - uniformity of the refractive index in the liquid flowing in the flow cell . thirdly , since the detecting element for the monitor detects light in a predetermined wavelength region , where no light is absorbed by the sample in the flow cell , in the form of a value obtained by integrating the total light energy over the whole monitoring wavelength region , it is possible to obtain enough monitor signal level including noise only slightly . fig3 is a diagram for explaining various variations superposed on data in a chromatogram recording . in the figure , a indicates variations due to influences of fluctuations in the refractive index of the liquid , and b and c indicate variations due to fluctuations in the light source . all of these variations can be corrected by the method described in the above embodiment . fig4 is a block diagram for explaining the function of the electronic circuit system 10 . the pulse train , which is an output signal of the photodiode array 7 , enters a video amplifier 11 constituted as a wide band amplifier . the signal enters log transformation circuit 13 through one of two input terminals after having being amplified in the video amplifier 11 . on the other hand the output signal of the silicon photocell 9 is amplified by a preamplifier 12 and enters the log transformation circuit 13 through the other input terminal . the output signal of the log transformation circuit 13 is a signal representing the difference between the two values obtained by log transformation of the two input signals . that is , it represents a value obtained by log transformation of the ratio of the two input signals . this value is transformed into a digital signal by means of an a / d converter 14 and then enters a data processing portion 15 . the data processing portion 15 enables chromatogram recording , chromatogram memory , spectrum memory , spectrum recording , operations between different spectrums , etc . fig5 is a scheme illustrating the construction of the principal part in a second embodiment of this invention . in this embodiment no beam splitter is used and the silicon photocell 9 for monitoring is disposed on the long wavelength side of the slit image surface and has a light receiving portion , which is so large that long wavelength light transmitted by a cut - off filter 16 for cutting off secondary light is sufficiently received . although a separate detector is used for the monitor in fig5 it is also possible to increase the number of channels of the photodiode array 7 , as indicated in fig6 and to construct it so that long wavelength light for the monitor itself is received by channels in a part a of the photodiode array . in this case the signal for monitoring is obtained in the form of a integrated value by adding all the signals detected by the photodiodes in the part a . fig7 illustrate a third embodiment of this invention . the silicon photocell 9 is arranged at the position of the 0 - th order light in the slit image surface . in this way , long wavelength light hardly absorbed by the sample in the 0 - th order light passes through the short - cut filter 8 and enters the silicon photocell 9 for monitoring . also in this case , as indicated in fig6 no separate detector is used for the monitor and the photodiode array 7 can be constructed so as to receive the 0 - th order light described above by itself . either of the embodiments indicated above in fig1 and 7 can be incorporated in an analyzing apparatus as a liquid chromatograph detection portion . in this case liquid containing samples obtained by separating components from each other by means of a separation column is made to flow in the flow cell 3 and continuously therethrough . in a prior art photodiode array for liquid chromatograph , when liquid flows through the phototcell , fluctuations of 0 . 001 au ( absorbance unit )- 0 . 01 au , calculated in terms of the absorbance are produced . to the contrary , according to this invention , the fluctuations are reduced to 0 . 0002 au - 0 . 001 au . by this fact restrictions on the methodology of the liquid chromatograph are reduced ( it becomes necessary to restrict the nature of the solvent , the method how to set the gradient , the amount of the sample to be injected , etc . ), and as the result good influences on the amelioration of the efficiency and the economic utility can be obtained . according to this invention , since it is possible to influencies of fluctuations due to flow through the flow cell and those of fluctuations in the light source , measurements with a high precision are possible even in a region , where the absorbance is low .	6
as seen in fig1 the apparatus includes a preferrably stationary substrate 10 having a flat top surface , deposition means ( not shown ) for depositing a uniform layer of liquid photopolymer 11 , and irradiation means 12 providing necessary radiation 13 simultaneously to all areas of photopolymer 11 that should be solidified . substrate 10 has no wall around photopolymer 11 and is not immersed in any container , letting unsolidified photopolymer surrounding the solidified object to drain exposing the object and providing unobstructed access to it . a uniform layer is deposited by spraying or pouring preferrably an excessive quantity of photopolymer and bringing it to required thickness with a strike bar or other means . to form a desired three - dimensional object 14 with the described apparatus , a preferrably uniform layer of photopolymer 11 corresponding to the thickness of the layer to be formed is deposited onto substrate 10 . then radiation is applied , from a minimal distance , by irradiation means 12 to solidify photopolymer 11 in desired areas ( solidified areas are shown as cross - hatched ) and to secure it to substrate 10 . when an effective amount of radiation is applied to some areas while none or below the minimal amount to others , a planar section featuring exclusively through - holes and 90 degree walls is solidified . if actual object walls are at other than 90 degree angles , the thinner the layer of photopolymer 11 the higher the accuracy of fabrication will be . to form and attach subsequent layers , the above deposition irradiation sequence is repeated until the whole object is formed . for each irradiation , irradiation means 12 are usually repositioned to maintain a constant radiation intensity on the irradiated photopolymer surface , and for other purposes , and each position is such that proper alignment of all formed layers is provided . for higher object accuracy , the gap between irradiation means 12 and object 14 should be minimal , and irradiation applied immediately after photopolymer deposition before photopolymer can drain . when irradiation means 12 and / or support means 10 are provided with necessary linear and rotational positioning means , object 14 is formed in portions at various spacial angles over different areas of the outer surface of object 14 . in this case irradiation means 12 are preferrably of smaller cross - section ; liquid deposition means are preferrably attached to irradiation means 12 , and several irradiation means ( with proper deposition means ) can be employed to form several portions of object 14 at the same time . besides forming planar layers in intermittent stepwise mode by alternating photopolymer deposition and irradiation as described above , apparatus of fig1 can operate in a continuous mode of object formation in true infinitely thin surfaces by continuously depositing and irradiating at the same time all required areas of the deposited surface simultaneously . such operation eliminates distortion introduced by finite thickness of planar layers , as well as system complexity caused by multiple successive thin - layer depositions . to form objects in a continuous mode , the apparatus employ deposition means for continuous gradual uniform deposition of photopolymer , along with irradiation means that , similar to movie projecting , continuously change irradiation beam 13 according to object cross - section to be formed . position of irradiation means 12 is preferrably altered continuously to compensate for the increase of radiation intensity on irradiated surface due to photopolymer deposition . photopolymer is deposited by nozzles positioned outside the irradiation path 13 and spraying the whole irradiated surface simultaneously . when a sufficient gap between the object and irradiation means is provided , continuous gradual uniform deposition can be done with a row of spraying nozzles across the object that is continuously passing over the object back and forth from end to end at high constant speed . it is preferred that nozzle row is narrower to block a smaller portion of irradiation beam 13 , that nozzles are smaller and closer to each other , that nozzle passing speed is higher , spraying is finer and at smaller flow rate , and change of irradiation beam is faster . if beam 13 change takes a relatively significant time , photopolymer deposition is interrupted for the transitional period ; as a result , with slow irradiation means object portions featuring gradual cross - section change with thickness are formed stepwise in planar layers of finite thickness . integrated deposition - irradiation means eliminating mobile deposition means can be made on the basis of matrix - type irradiation means by providing small openings 15 between matrix components or in place of some of them , as shown on fig2 to be used for photopolymer dispensing simultaneously with irradiation . with height increase of the formed object , especially when formed layer is wider than the preceding one and unsupported overhangs have to be formed , unsolidified photopolymer tends to flow off the overhang areas and cause object distortion . improved apparatus without this limitation is illustrated on fig3 where photopolymer is irradiated in contact with irradiation means . this apparatus differs from that of fig1 by additional means preserving subsequent cross - linking capability of irradiated photopolymer implemented , for example , as a layer of fluorinated ethylene propylene 16 on the bottom surface of irradiation means 12 . means 16 enable removal of irradiation means 12 without distorting the solidified surface in contact , and automatic joining of subsequent portions during their formation ( u . s . pat . no . 4 , 752 , 498 ). the bottom portion of irradiation means 12 is flat and rigid enough to provide flatness of the irradiated photopolymer surface . photopolymer is deposited onto irradiation means 12 that will hold photopolymer needed to form overhang areas 17 , however when overhangs 17 are long , they may sag after irradiation means are removed upon irradiation . deposition is done by spraying , using a roller , etc . preferrably in excessive thickness . proper layer thickness is provided by positioning irradiation means 12 , with predeposited photopolymer on them , at respective distance from substrate 10 . upon irradiation , irradiation means 12 can be removed by sliding . photopolymer can be deposited instead onto object ( or substrate ), or by spraying or injecting into the gap between object and irradiation means when the gap is small enough and necessary quantity of photopolymer is retained . contact irradiation provides higher fabrication accuracy due to absence of open irradiated surface that is subject to shrinkage distortion . to eliminate the limitations on object configuration of apparatus of fig1 and 3 , a surrounding wall 18 containing photopolymer around the object is formed simultaneously with each object layer as shown on fig4 a and 4b . wall 18 is growing with the object and has the same height . the wall is formed preferrably close to the object . suspenders 19 ( shown in bold lines ) that prevent sagging of overhangs 17 by attaching them while they are being formed to wall 18 , can be formed along with wall 18 . both surrounding wall 18 and suspenders 19 are formed by additional radiation provided by irradiation means 12 . when all layers are formed , the solidified object is freed from unsolidified photopolymer using heat and / or a suitable solvent like alcohol , and is usually processed with flooding radiation and / or heat or using any other prescribed procedure to achieve desired final properties of the solid object . a preferred photopolymer liquid for use in the present invention is magnacryl 2296 made by beacon chemical company of mount vernon , n . y ., suitable photopolymers are disclosed in u . s . pat . nos . 4 , 228 , 232 ; 4 , 174 , 218 ; and 4 , 137 , 081 . other liquids cross - linkable with radiation of different particles and at different wavelengths can be employed . substrate 10 can be of glass , plastic , steel or any other material which will serve as a suitable support to which the solidified object will attach and will not displace during object formation . substrate 10 could be mobile . irradiation means 12 can be a laser or other source of sequential irradiation that scans point by point with ultraviolet or other radiation required by the photopolymer used . means of simultaneous irradiation of all areas of a layer are preferred since they provide much faster fabrication . such means can be made as a matrix of miniature pixel sources ( miniature lasers , light - emitting diodes led , e . g .) each irradiating an assigned small area and tightly packed as illustrated by fig2 . each source is individually switched on and off or modulated in a continuous mode according to data on object layer configuration coming from a computer - aided design ( cad ) or other system ; in combination the matrix can irradiate in any desired pattern with the resolution defined by the size of each source beam . such irradiation means can be comprised also of a source of radiation directed at a matrix of miniature reflectors ( mirrors ) which are individually turned to either direct or not to direct radiation to an assigned area . micromachined piezoelectric cantilevers with a proper surface can serve as both reflectors and actuators turning the reflectors . irradiation means 12 for simultaneous irradiation can be made as a pattern / mask having opaque and transparent areas , the latter being arranged according to locations of areas to be solidified , backlighted with a source of uniform radiation . such a pattern can be one that is specially prefabricated for each layer configuration and usually cannot be changed for other configurations ; it is made of photoemulsion - coated film or glass plate or of microelectronic glass providing a metallic pattern on glass , using cameras or photoplotters controlled by data from cad systems . to automate the fabrication , masks are provided with optical and / or mechanical encoding outside the area of the irradiation pattern itself , that carries values of fabrication parameters , and irradiation means are provided with sensors / decoders to receive the information from the mask . perforations on masks combined with camera - type sprocket mechanisms in both irradiation means and in photoplotter that makes the masks on preperforated film , provide positioning of patterns in one direction . for positioning in the perpendicular direction , optical marks on masks made at the time of photoplotting in combination with optical position sensors in irradiation means can be used . to automate mask change , masks are photoplotted in the order of irradiation on a continuous roll of film , are mounted on reels in a cartridge of type used with kodak 110 - and 126 - size photographic film , and motors are used to drive the reels . with an on - line photoplotter , patterns are produced in situ in proper position onto irradiation means eliminating the need for pattern positioning means . if during their photoplotting masks are optically encoded with the value of object thickness to be reached using the mask , photopolymer deposition and positioning of irradiation means ( or alternative procedures ) can be automated . pattern can be made also as a matrix of tightly packed miniature shutters like flat liquid - crystal displays ( lcd ) similar to fig2 . the shutters are individually opened and closed , and depending on software from cad or other systems , can provide in combination any pattern needed to form an object layer . it is important , especially for apparatus providing continuous forming , that switching speed of individual software - controlled matrix components or of mask positioners is high so that irradiation beam follows object cross - section change with thickness without significant delays or transitional distortion . when units ( pixels ) of matrix pattern or matrix radiation means are not small enough or have wide partitions ( occupied by wiring , etc . ), a fiberoptic adapter having at the emitting side fibers of required small size and acceptable partitions can be employed . a suitable source of uniform radiation is a parallel array of general electric tubular fluorescent lamps emitting uv light in the range of 200 to 500 nm , and preferably about 300 to 400 nm , and providing intensity of several mw / cm . sq . at the top surface of the photopolymer . single or multiple mercury or other arc lamps , or a matrix of small laser , led or other suitable radiation sources can be used . fiberoptic , liquid - filled or other radiation guides can be used to keep source of radiation remote and stationary while pattern / mask is mobile during fabrication . for higher accuracy of fabricated objects , radiation should be within a small angle to the direction of irradiation , or collimated . a preferred embodiment of a collimator is shown on fig5 . it is comprised of a number of partitions 20 installed preferrably parallel to the direction of radiation z and dividing beam 13 from the radiation source into a number of smaller beams . partitions 20 are made of a material that absorbs the radiation . with full absorption , all rays that hit partitions are totally absorbed and do not exit the collimator , while rays that do not hit partitions exit the collimator without being affected by it . hence , only rays that are within a small angle s from the direction of radiation defined by cell sizes pass the collimator ( s = tan - 1 a √ 2 / h , where a is distance between parallel partitions , and h is partition height ). at a distance z = wh / a from collimator outlet 21 ( w is partition thickness ), beams from all cells merge producing a uniform radiation collimated to angle s . to achieve uniformity at any plane , collimator ( with source of radiation , or with its radiation guide only ) and / or object reciprocate at constant speed along axis x -- x with partitions at 45 degree angle to the axis . for still higher radiation uniformity , some areas at each partition intersection can be obstructed as shown in solid black . when partitions absorb partially , rays entering the collimator at angles exceeding s weaken with each reflection from partitions 20 ; attenuation grows with angle in multiples of s . by selecting a proper coefficient of absorption , a desired portion of rays at angles over s is added . the efficiency of the collimator increases with decrease of partition width and height , and its collimation improves with distance a decrease . in a preferred embodiment the collimator is made by photosolidification of photopolymers ; it can also be assembled of thin - wall square tubes . while only several preferred embodiments have been shown and described herein , the invention is not intended to be limited thereby but only by the scope of the claims which follow .	1
referring to fig1 interrogation signals generated by a radar transmitter ( not shown ) are transmitted by a scanning antenna 10 . targets within the beam of antenna 10 respond to interrogations with reply signals which are picked up by the antenna , detected by a receiver 11 and applied as video signals to a decoder 12 . signals from sources other than targets responding to interrogations transmitted by antenna 10 may also be received , detected and applied to the decoder . decoder 12 generates a logic 1 output for each input pulse train having correctly spaced framing pulses . outputs from decoder 12 are applied to the input of a first shift register 14 - 1 of a shift register array 13 . shift register array 13 comprises a plurality n of shift registers 14 - 1 , 14 - 2 , . . . 14 - n . each of the shift registers of the array 13 contains a identical number of stages , the number of stages being dependent upon the maximum range and range resolution of the radar . the final stage of each shift register of the array is connected to the input stage of the next succeeding shift register so that overflow from the final stage of each shift register is applied as an input to the first stage of the next adjacent shift register . at the end of the first pri following the first of a sequence of interrogation signals , the range bins of shift register 14 - 1 will be loaded with logic 1 according to the ranges of the responding targets . at the end of the second pri of the sequence of interrogation signals , the range bins of shift register 14 - 1 will be loaded with logic 1 according to the ranges of targets responding to the second interrogation signal and the range bins of shift register 14 - 2 will be loaded with the replies received to the first interrogation signal in the same order as such replies were previously loaded in shift register 14 - 1 . the replies received during each of the pris following a sequence of n interrogation signals are shifted along the columns of shift registers of the array 13 in similar manner so that at the end of the nth pri of the sequence , the range bins of shift register 14 - n contain the replies in their order of receipt to the first interrogation signal of the sequence and the range bins of shift register 14 - 1 contain the replies in their order of receipt to the nth interrogation signals of the sequence . each stage of each shift register of array 13 is connected through a separate parallel bus 15 - 1 , 15 - 2 , . . . 15 - n to the multiple inputs of one of a plurality n of range filters 16 - 1 , 16 - 2 , . . . 16 - n in a range filter bank 17 . the range filters of bank 17 are more fully described below with reference to fig3 . in iff systems , for security purposes , each interrogating signal may contain a coded request to friendly targets that their replies to the interrogation be delayed by a specified amount . the requested amount of delay may be varied from interrogation to interrogation . each range filter includes a separate input 18 - 1 , 18 - 2 , . . . 18 - n for receiving the value of range delay requested in the interrogation signal that elicited the replies stored in the shift register associated with that range filter . for example , the range delay value on input 18 - 1 is the amount of delay requested in a first interrogation signal that produced the replies stored in shift register 14 - 1 . after the next following interrogation , the replies to the first interrogation will have been transferred to shift register 14 - 2 and the range delay value on input 18 - 2 is the delay value , formerly on input 18 - 1 , associated with the replies then stored in register 14 - 2 . each of the range filters 16 - 1 , 16 - 2 , . . . 16 - n includes an input 19 - 1 , 19 - 2 , . . . 19 - n for accepting a range skew value . range skew values are generated by tracking circuits of the interrogating radar to predict the changes in the range of a fast moving target that may occur from pri to pri . fig2 a is a simplified representation of shift register array 13 &# 39 ; of an iff system containing replies from a single target that has been instructed by the interrogating radar to delay its response to each of a sequence of interrogating signals by a specific amount . the replies are scattered through range bins 23 - 27 of registers 14 - 1 , . . . 14 - 6 so that a parallel evaluation of the contents of array 13 &# 39 ; would not yield a value of m greater than one . when the proper values of range delays are inserted in the reply filters 16 - 1 . . . 16 - 6 ( not shown in fig2 a ), the replies of fig2 a are effectively aligned at the same range in range bins 30 - 34 of the registers of array 13 &# 39 ;, as seen in fig2 c . parallel evaluation of the contents of array 13 &# 39 ; then provides a value of m = 5 and the replies are declared valid . the replies from a fast moving target approaching the interrogating radar may present a storage pattern in array 13 &# 39 ; as shown in fig2 b . there the replies stored in range bins 35 and 36 of registers 14 - 1 and 14 - 2 show a displacement in range to range bins 37 and 38 of registers 14 - 3 and 14 - 4 and a further displacement in range to range bins 39 and 40 of registers 14 - 5 and 14 - 6 . parallel evaluation of the contents of array 13 &# 39 ; of fig2 b produces a value of m = 2 , which may not be adequate for declaration of a valid reply . when the proper range skew values are applied to the reply filters 16 - 1 , . . . 16 - 6 associated with the array 13 &# 39 ;, the replies of fig2 b will , in effect , appear to be stored in range bins 42 - 47 of fig2 c and parallel evaluation of the contents array 13 &# 39 ; provides a valid reply value m = 6 for a target at the range of range bins 42 - 47 . fig3 is a functional block diagram of reply filter 16 - 1 , which typifies each of the range filters 16 - 1 , . . . 16 - n . shift register 14 - 1 contains a total of p stages 60 in which decoded replies have been entered in the order of their receipt . each of the stages 60 of shift register 14 - 1 is connected in parallel by parallel bus 15 - 1 to a corresponding stage 60 &# 39 ; of an up / down shift register 62 containing a total of at least p stages . shift register 62 receives a range skew value on input 19 - 1 causing the reply contents thereof to be shifted up or down an appropriate number of stages to coincide with the predicted range of a target at the time of reply evaluation . each stage of shift register 62 is connected , in sequential order , through a parallel bus 63 to one of a total of p multiple inputs of a 1 - of - p multiplex selector 64 . selector 64 receives a scan command on input 65 that initiates a sequential scan of the inputs 63 from the range bins of register 62 . selector 64 outputs a logic 1 on line 66 to the input stage of a short length shift register 67 each time a logic 1 is encountered on an input 63 contacted by selector 64 . the outputs of the stages of shift register 67 are combined in an or gate 68 to provide a logic 1 on output line 20 - 1 whenever any of the stages of register 67 contains a logic 1 . shift register 67 , clocked at the scan rate of selector 64 , allows for a tolerable amount of range jitter between replies stored in adjacent registers of array 13 . multiplex selector 64 also receives on input 18 - 1 a range delay value associated with the replies stored in register 62 . the range delay value on input 18 - 1 identifies the particular one the inputs 63 to selector 64 that is to serve as the starting point for the sequential scan of inputs 63 by selector 64 . for example , if the interrogating radar instructed friendly targets to delay responses an amount corresponding to five range bins , the range delay value on input 18 - 1 would order selector 64 to commence sequential scan of the inputs 63 at range bin five . again referring to fig1 each of the reply filters 16 - 1 , 16 - 2 , . . . 16 - n generates a single logic 1 output 20 - 1 , 20 - 2 , . . . 20 - n , corrected for range delay and range skew , when a reply is encountered as the range filters scan through the range bins of the registers of array 13 . outputs 20 - 1 , 20 - 2 , . . . 20 - n are applied in parallel both to an azimuth centroid look - up table 21 and to a unary adder circuit 22 . azimuth centroid look - up table 21 generates an output 50 indicating the azimuth of the antenna 10 for the centermost one of a set of replies occurring at the same corrected range . unary adder 22 simply counts the number of logic 1 &# 39 ; s appearing on outputs 20 - 1 , . . . 20 - n at each step as the range bins of the registers of array 13 are scanned by range filters 16 - 1 , . . . 16 - n and outputs the count as a value m on line 51 to a reply decision look - up table 52 . reply decision look - up table 52 receives the value m and information on system operating conditions , such as signal to noise ratio , to select a threshold value of m necessary for declaration of a valid reply . for example , in a system having n = 10 shift registers in array 13 , look - up table 52 might select a threshold value m = 7 for a high s / n ratio and a threshold value m = 4 for a low s / n ratio . if the value of m on line 51 exceeds the threshold value of m selected by table 52 , a valid reply signal is indicated by an output from table 52 on line 53 . variations and modifications in the invention are possible in the 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 disclosed .	6
the invention will be described in detail with reference to a typical example . fig3 is a perspective view of the typical example of the invention . on an n - gaas substrate 1 formed with a groove 9 an n - ga 1 - x al x as ( x ≈ 0 . 3 ) layer 2 , a gaas active layer 3 , and a p - ga 1 - y al y as ( y ≈ 0 . 3 ) layer 4 are successively formed by well known liquid - phase epitaxy . the upper surface of the semiconductor layer 4 is formed with periodic corrugations 8 . numerals 6 and 7 designate ohmic electrodes . in the present structure , light generated in the active layer 3 is confined in the vertical direction around the active layer by the double - heterostructure . part of the light travels to the gaalas layers 2 and 4 . the light having travelled to the gaalas layer 2 reaches the gaas substrate 1 in regions on both the sides of the groove 9 because the n - ga 1 - x al x as layer in these regions is thin . as a consequence , a complex refractive index for the light becomes different between the region corresponding to the groove 9 and the regions corresponding to both sides of the groove 9 . for this reason , any higher order mode oscillation spreading beyond the groove and deviation of the oscillation region are suppressed , and the effect that the light is stably confined only to the region of the groove 9 in the lateral direction is produced . on the other hand , the periodic corrugations 8 are provided at the interface between semiconductor layers 4 and 5 . therefore , the effective complex refractive index n e for the light given forth in the active layer 3 varies periodically in the traveling direction of the light . n e can approximately be expressed as follows : ## equ1 ## the traveling direction of the light is taken in the z - direction . therefore , the laser light is diffracted , and where λ is the wavelength of the light , n g is the effective refractive index of the waveguide , λ is the period of the corrugations and 1 is the order of diffraction . by fulfilling this condition , the light is subjected to a bragg reflection of 180 °. accordingly , the light is confined in the waveguide and laser oscillation becomes possible . in the foregoing , the fundamental operation of the semiconductor laser of this invention has been explained . in order to realize the semiconductor laser intended by the invention , wherein longitudinal and transverse modes are stabilized the generation of an excess optical noise component for a modulated signal due to mode interaction is avoided , a construction as described below is required . the width of the stripe - shaped light non - absorptive region corresponding substantially to the radiation region is 2 μm to 8 μm . with widths below 2 μm , the threshold current density ( the lowest current density necessary for attaining the laser oscillation ) increases rapidly . with widths above 8 μm , instability of the transverse mode increases . as the quantity of evanescence of light to the regions on both the sides of the light non - absorptive region and which make the complex refractive index for the laser beam discontinuous , at least 3 × 10 - 2 % of the whole quantity of the light , preferably 5 × 10 - 2 % to 5 × 10 - 1 % of the same is appropriate . thus , the absolute value of the index difference \| δn \| in both the regions is preferably 10 - 3 to 10 - 2 . when the quantity of evanescence of the light is too small , the effect of confinement in the lateral direction is unsatisfactory . on the other hand , when the quantity of evanescence of the light is too large , the quantity of absorption of the light increases , and an increase of the threshold current density is incurred . therefore , the thickness d of the active layer 3 and the thickness t of the semiconductor layer 2 must be selected . the thickness of the active layer is ordinarily set at 0 . 05 μm to 0 . 15 μm . when the thickness d of the active layer is 0 . 1 μm , it is preferable to make the thickness t at most 0 . 5 μm ; when the thickness d is 0 . 15 μm , it is preferable to make the thickness t at most 0 . 2 μm ; and when the thickness d is 0 . 05 μm , it is preferable to make the thickness t at most 0 . 7 μm . regarding any intervening thickness of the active layer , the thickness of the semiconductor layer 2 may be set by interpolation with the aforecited values . on the other hand , the distance c between the active layer 3 and the periodic corrugations 8 which are provided at the interface between the semiconductor layers 4 and 5 may be made at most 1 μm , preferably at most 0 . 5 μm , and at least 0 . 03 μm . when the distance c is below 0 . 03 μm , the carrier confinement effect owing to the semiconductor layer 4 becomes insufficient , and an increase of the threshold current density is incurred . when the distance c is above 1 μm , the degree to which the radiation in the active layer encounters the periodic corrugations decreases abruptly , so that laser oscillation of the distributed - feedback type is not executed . the depth l of the corrugations is desirably selected in a range of 0 . 01 μm to 0 . 5 μm . when the depth l is less than 0 . 01 μm , bragg reflection of the light owing to the periodic corrugation structure becomes insufficient , and laser oscillation of the distributed - feedback type becomes difficult . even when the depth l is selected to be greater than 0 . 5 μm , the light is distributed in a limited range centering around the active layer , so that the intensity of the bragg reflection becomes substantially constant and that the effect based on the increase of the depth l diminishes . in the above , the fundamental concept of the invention has been described in connection with an exemplary configuration of the invention illustrated in fig3 . various modifications can be contrived as to how the light non - absorptive region in the vicinity of the active layer and the regions situated on both sides of the non - absorptive region and for making the complex refractive index for the laser beam discontinuous are provided , at which interface among the stacked semiconductor layers the periodic corrugation is provided . by way of example , the semiconductor layer corresponding to the semiconductor substrate 1 in fig3 may consist of a plurality of layers . it is also possible to form a separate semiconductor layer on the semiconductor substrate and to provide a recess in the semiconductor layer , the recess being used as the groove 9 in fig3 . the invention can be achieved even when a discontinuity in only the refractive index ( corresponding to the real part of the complex refractive index ) is produced . in any case , however , the technical items previously described may be followed . although , in examples to be stated later , a gaas - gaalas semiconductor material will be referred to as a useful semiconductive material , it is obvious that the present invention concerns the property of a laser resonator including an optical waveguide and that it is not dependent on the materials used . the invention is , accordingly , applicable not only to semiconductor lasers employing the above - mentioned semiconductor but also to semiconductor lasers employing , for example , a ternary system compound semiconductor such as gainp , gaasp , and gaalsb , and a quaternary system compound semiconductor such as gainasp and gaalassb . hereunder , the invention will be described in more detail in connection with examples . description will be made with reference to fig3 . in an n - gaas substrate ( te - doped , electron concentration n ˜ 1 × 10 18 / cm 3 ) 1 having the ( 100 ) face as its surface , a groove 9 having a depth of 1 . 5 μm and a desired width in a range of 2 μm to 8 μm was formed in the [ 011 ] orientation . in the formation , conventional photolithography may be employed . as an etching mask , photoresist was directly used . chemical etching was conducted at 20 ° c . for about 140 seconds with a mixed solution which contained phosphoric acid , hydrogen peroxide solution and ethylene glycol at mixture ratio of 1 : 1 : 3 . on the resultant substrate 1 , an n - ga 1 - x al x as layer ( x ≈ 0 . 3 , electron concentration n ˜ 5 × 10 17 cm - 3 ) 2 being 0 . 3 μm thick , a gaas layer 3 being 0 . 1 μm thick , and a p - ga 1 - y al y as layer ( y ≈ 0 . 3 , hole concentration p ˜ 5 × 10 17 cm - 3 ) 4 being 0 . 2 μm thick were continuously grown by the conventional liquid - phase epitaxy employing a slide boat . for the gaalas system material , it is common to employ ga 1 - z al z as ( 0 ≦ x ≦ 0 . 3 ) for the first semiconductor layer , ga 1 - x al x as ( 0 . 1 ≦ x ≦ 0 . 9 ) for the second semiconductor layer , and ga 1 - y al y as ( 0 . 1 ≦ y ≦ 0 . 9 ) for the third semiconductor layer , where x , y & gt ; z , r & gt ; z , and y ≠ r . subsequently , corrugations having a period of 3 , 700 a and a depth of 1 , 500 a were formed in the surface of the semiconductor layer 4 . in forming the corrugations , holographic photolithography employing a laser beam and chemical etching were used . more specifically , a film of the positive type photoresist which was 800 a thick was formed on the surface of the semiconductor layer 4 . subsequently , using an ar laser at a wavelength of 4 , 579 a , an interference fringe was formed on the photoresist . after completing exposure , development was carried out for about one minute with a mixed solution consisting of a developer and water at a ratio of 1 : 1 . in this way , a diffraction grating made of the photoresist was formed . the diffraction grating made of the photoresist was used as a mask , and a mixed solution consisting of phosphoric acid , a solution of hydrogen peroxide and ethylene glycol at a ratio of 1 : 1 : 8 was used as an etchant . periodic corrugations 8 having a depth of 0 . 15 μm were formed by the etching at 20 ° c . for 80 seconds . this method is disclosed in japanese laid - open patent application no . 111344 / 1976 , filed mar . 26 , 1975 , assigned to hitachi , ltd . subsequently , a p - ga 1 - γ al . sub . γ as layer ( γ ≈ 0 . 1 and in general , 0 . 05 ≦ γ ≦ 0 . 9 , hole concentration p ˜ 5 × 10 17 cm - 3 ) 5 was formed to a thickness of 2 . 0 μm by employing conventional liquid - phase epitaxial growth again . zn was diffused into a desired region of the p - side surface of the specimen thus formed , whereupon cr and au were deposited by vacuum - evaporation so as to form an electrode . the substrate side was lapped down to about 150 μm , whereupon augeni was brought into close contact to form an electrode . the laser length was made 300 μm . as a result , when the groove width was 7 μm , the laser device oscillated at a threshold value of 110 ma and a wavelength of 8 , 300 a , and each of the longitudinal and transverse modes was single and stable . any excess optical noise otherwise generated by mode competition was not noted . it is as previously stated that , in the present structure , the width w of the groove 9 , the thickness t of the semiconductor layer 2 , the thickness d of the active layer 3 , the distance c between the active layer and the periodic corrugations , the depth l of the periodic corrugations , etc ., have influences on the oscillation characteristics . fig4 shows the characteristics of semiconductor lasers employing various combinations between the width w of the groove 9 and the thickness t of the semiconductor layer 2 . while values of 0 . 05 μm to 0 . 15 μm are often employed as the thickness d of the active layer , a value of 0 . 1 μm is given as a typical example . the depth l of the periodic corrugations is 1 , 500 a . the mark o indicates an example in which the laser device oscillated in a single mode longitudinally and transversely without any optical noise . the mark δ indicates an example in which the laser device oscillated in a single longitudinal mode , but excess optical noise was generated by mode interaction . the mark x indicates an example in which the laser device did not reach continuous oscillation because of an increase in threshold current density . from these results , it will be understood that the width w of the groove 9 capable of achieving the object is 2 μm to 8 μm . regarding the thickness t of the semiconductor layer 2 , a value of 0 . 05 μm or less is the limit to which the layer can be stably fabricated in actuality , while a value of 0 . 45 μm or greater falls in a region in which a desired light absorption was not attainable . fig5 through 8 illustrate the states of generation of excess optical noise attributed to mode interaction . a square wave signal current having a pulse width of 8 ns , a pulse height of 160 ma ( 1 . 25 times a threshold value ) and a frequency of 62 . 5 mhz was caused to flow through a semiconductor laser device having a threshold current of 130 ma , and the optical output of the semiconductor laser device was observed . the optical output waveform is obtained by conversion into an electric signal with a photodiode of which the wavelength band was the oscillation wavelength ± 1 a and the frequency band was 1 mhz - 0 . 8 ghz . fig5 shows an example of the optical output waveform of the distributed - feedback semiconductor laser device exemplified in fig1 . fig6 shows an example of the optical output waveform of a prior art buried heterostructure semiconductor laser device . fig7 shows an example of the optical output waveform of the semiconductor laser device of the invention . fig8 shows an example of the optical output waveform of a semiconductor laser device which has a structure similar to that of the invention but whose stripe - shaped non - absorptive region is as broad as 12 μm . it will be readily appreciated from the optical output waveforms that the semiconductor laser device of the invention is excellent . the semiconductor laser device of the structure of the example is advantageous in that deterioration is especially small and the transverse mode is more easily stabilized . this originates in that the periodic corrugations can be formed after forming the active layer . description will be made with reference to fig9 and 10 . in the [ 011 ] orientation of an n - gaas substrate 21 ( te - doped , electron concentration n ˜ 1 × 10 18 cm 3 ) having the ( 100 ) face as its surface , a groove 29 having a depth of about 1 . 5 μm and a desired width in a range of 2 μm to 8 μm was formed by conventional photolithography and chemical etching . photoresist was used for an etching mask . chemical etching was conducted at 20 ° c . for about 140 seconds with a mixed solution which consists of phosphoric acid , hydrogen peroxide solution and ethylene glycol at a mixture ration of 1 : 1 : 3 . on the resultant substrate 21 , an n - ga 1 - s al s as layer 30 ( s = 0 . 07 , and in general , 0 . 1 ≦ s ≦ 0 . 9 , sn - doped , electron concentration n ˜ 5 × 10 17 cm 3 ) was grown to a thickness of 2 . 0 μm so as to fill up the groove flatly ( to the extent that the thickness was about 0 . 5 μm outside the groove ) by conventional liquid - phase epitaxial growth employing a slide boat . subsequently , the surface of the grown layer was subjected to the chemical etching until the substrate 21 was exposed on both sides of the groove . chemical etching was carried out at 20 ° c . for about 70 seconds by the use of phosphoric acid , hydrogen peroxide solution , and ethylene glycol at a mixture ratio of 1 : 1 : 3 . subsequently , corrugations 28 having a period of 3 , 750 a were formed in a direction orthogonal to the groove ( in the [ 011 [ orientation ) by holographic photolithography employing a laser beam and chemical etching . as a mask at this time , photoresist about 800 a thick was used . a mixed solution consisting of phosphoric acid , a solution of hydrogen peroxide and ethylene glycol at a mixture ratio of 1 : 1 : 8 was employed as an etchant , and etching was conducted at 20 ° c . for 80 seconds . as a result , the corrugations 28 0 . 15 μm deep were formed in the crystal surface . subsequently , an n - ga 1 - x al x as layer 22 ( x ˜ 0 . 3 ), sn - doped , electron concentration n ˜ 5 × 10 17 cm - 3 ) 0 . 4 μm thick , an n - ga 1 - z al z as active layer 23 ( x ˜ 0 . 05 , undoped , n = 1 × 10 16 cm - 3 ) 0 . 1 μm thick , a p - ga 1 - x al x as layer 24 ( x ˜ 0 . 3 , ge - doped , hole concentration p = 5 × 10 17 cm - 3 ) 2 μm thick , and a p - gaas layer 25 ( ge - doped , hole concentration p = 5 × 10 17 cm - 3 ) 1 μm thick were successively grown by employing conventional liquid - phase epitaxial growth with the slide boat again . here , the al contents of the respective layers must be set so that , with respect to light produced in the active layer 23 , the substrate 21 becomes an absorptive region , while the stripe - shaped buried layer 30 becomes a non - absorptive region . the composition ratio between the ga 1 - s al s as layer 30 and the ga 1 - z al z as layer 23 is z & lt ; s , and it is desirable that ( s - z ) be approximately 0 . 01 or greater . on the other hand , the al content s of the semiconductor layer 30 may , in principle , be made 0 . 01 ≦ s & lt ; 0 . 9 . however , the relationship s & lt ; 0 . 1 must be maintained in order that the crystal may be smoothly grown on this layer by liquid - phase epitaxial growth , generally employed . when s & gt ; 0 . 1 , normal liquid - phase growth becomes difficult in practice . as described above , ( s - z ) should desirably be approximately 0 . 01 or greater . therefore , even where the active layer 23 is a gaas ( z = 0 in ga 1 - z al z as ) layer , it is necessary that s & lt ; 0 . 01 , and the lower limit value of s becomes 0 . 01 . zn was diffused into the p - side surface of this specimen to a depth of approximately 0 . 1 μm , whereupon cr and au were deposited by vacuum - evaporation so as to form an electrode 27 . the substrate side was lapped down to approximately 150 μm , whereupon augeni was evaporated to form an ohmic electrode 26 . fig1 is a graph showing the light output versus current characteristics of this embodiment , while fig1 is a graph showing the far - field intensity distributions in the junction plane . the results were obtained as to an example in which the semiconductor laser device had a length of 300 μm and a groove width of 7 μm . the threshold current value was 100 ma at room temperature , and the external differential quantum efficiency was about 35 %. fig1 corresponds to the light output versus current characteristics at this time . as is apparent from the figure , the laser oscillated in the fundamental transverse mode , and the transverse mode was stable until above double the threshold value . fig1 shows the lasing spectra of the embodiment . oscillation arose at a wavelength of 8 , 360 a , and even when the current value was increased to double the threshold value , no change was noted . fig1 shows the pulse responses at the time when current pulses having a width of 7 ns were impressed on the present laser device . since the transverse mode was stabilized , relaxation oscillation as optical noise observed in the prior art distributed - feedback semiconductor laser was not noted . fig1 depicts another embodiment of the invention , and is a sectional view taken perpendicularly to the traveling direction of light within the laser . in the present element , corrugations 22 were formed on only the surface of a layer 30 grown in a groove . the others were the same as in the case of fig9 . in this example , the feedback of light owing to the diffraction effect is selectively attained only in the upper part of the groove , and lasing occurs concentratedly in this part . therefore , the transverse mode is further stabilized . where the thickness of the active layer 23 was 0 . 1 μm and where the thickness of the layer 22 was 0 . 3 μm , the laser oscillated in the fundamental transverse mode until triple the threshold value . there was no excess optical noise for a modulated signal at the time of modulation as otherwise generated by mode interaction . fig1 is a sectional view showing another embodiment of the invention . in the present laser device , an n - ga 1 - y al y as layer 33 was grown on the entire surface of an n - gaas substrate 21 in a manner to fill up the groove of the substrate , and corrugations 34 were formed thereon . the others were the same as in example 1 . in this case , in order for light to travel to the substrate on the lateral outer sides , the sum between the thickness of the layer 33 and the layer 22 must be 0 . 6 μm or less when the thickness of the active layer is 0 . 1 μm . by way of example , for a laser wherein the thickness of the layer 33 outside the groove was 0 . 2 μm , the thickness of the layer 22 was 0 . 2 μm , the thickness of the active layer was 0 . 1 μm , the groove width was 7 μm , and the length was 300 μm , the threshold current value of the oscillation was 100 ma and each of the longitudinal and transverse modes was single and stable until above double the threshold value . with respect to the arrangement of the periodic corrugations and the means for bestowing a difference on the complex refractive index , only examples wherein the means exists on the substrate side have been explained above . the invention , however , is not restricted to such an arrangement , but can adopt different constructions . for instance , a layer overlying an active layer is formed with periodic corrugations , whereupon a layer formed thereon is provided with a protuberance corresponding substantially to a radiation portion . the protuberant layer is made a light non - absorptive layer . on this layer , a layer serving as a light absorptive layer is formed . with such a structure , the same effects as in the foregoing can be achieved . concrete methods of setting the various constituents may conform with the methods stated in the general description . while we have shown and described several embodiments in accordance with the present invention , it is understood that the same is not limited thereto but is susceptible of numerous changes and modifications as known to a person skilled in the art , and we therefore do not wish to be limited to the details shown and described herein but intend to cover all such changes and modifications as are obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art .	7
referring now to the drawings , and in particular to fig1 load station 10 is shown supporting ammunition 11 which is transferred from storage via ammunition hoist tube 12 . cradle 14 pivots about trunnion support 16 until fully engaged by load station 10 . fig3 is a cross sectional view showing the engagement of cradle 14 with load station 10 . ammunition 11 is transferred from load station 10 to cradle 14 using cams and hydraulic means which cooperate to transfer and secure ammunition 11 in cradle 14 . turning now to fig2 a side view of cradle 14 in a horizontal orientation is shown . cradle 14 is mechanically moved from a substantially vertical position to a position within the gun recoil slide 22 , concentric to the gun tube 24 . crown gear 15 on cradle 14 mates with drive motor 20 . cradle 14 , including drive assembly 17 , stows within gun recoil slide 22 and is disposed coaxial with gun tube 24 . a plurality of continuous rails 26 are installed to provide a transfer mechanism for ammunition . fig4 is a sectional view of the preferred embodiment of the present invention . rammer pawls 28 and 28 &# 39 ; are attached to chain 34 . drive motor 20 drives rammer sprocket 36 and idler sprocket 36 &# 39 ;. fig5 a and 5b show springs 48 , pawl sensor 50 and latch 52 . pawl sensor 50 is a proximity switch and mounts on the back of cradle 14 as shown . the figures further show the structural organization of the flick rammer latch mechanism such as tapered flats 54 at the end of the drive shaft 55 . fig6 shows switch 60 mounted on a bracket . switch 60 confirms the engagement of latch 52 with shaft 55 . the discussion hereinabove briefly discloses the structural organization of some of the most important elements of the present invention relative to the preferred embodiment . the following discussion relates to the operation and cooperative performance of the elements of the present invention . the flick rammer method and device disclosed herein is the final stage in the transfer of ammunition from a storage compartment to a gun tube . referring now to fig1 - 6 , ammunition ( two - piece ) 11 is first transferred into load station 10 via ammunition hoist tube 12 . cradle 14 pivots downward about trunnion centerline 16 until fully engaged by load station 10 . after the full engagement of cradle 14 , load station 10 transfers ammunition 11 . the ammunition 11 is positively received and stored in cradle 14 . thereafter , cradle 14 pivots upwards until its center line is concentric with the gun tube 24 . as a result of this concentric alignment with gun tube 24 , cradle 14 engages gun recoil slide 22 . at this point in time , hydraulic motor 20 is activated to thereby initiate rammer sprocket 36 . accordingly rammer pawls 28 and 28 &# 39 ;, which are attached to chain 34 , are mobilized to push ammunition 11 forward into gun tube 24 . the peak rammer pawl velocity is controlled by the gun &# 39 ; s control system , based on the current gun elevation angle to assure that the ammunition will be fully seated and latched within the gun tube chamber . the rammer pawl stroke is fixed so that when one rammer pawl stroke is complete , second and consecutive rammer pawl is in position for the next ram . a detailed operation of the present invention is disclosed with reference to fig5 a , 5b and 6 ; a section through drive assembly 17 mounted to the back of cradle 14 is shown ( also see fig2 ). crown gear 15 engages drive motor 20 . further , the lower end of crown gear 15 is a right angle bevel gear connected to the rammer sprocket 36 . this arrangement enables drive motor 20 to turn / drive rammer sprocket 36 . it should be noted that similar or equivalent arrangements may be used to drive rammer sprocket 36 . further , referring to fig6 springs 48 are structured to push latch 52 . when latch 52 is pushed upwards it engages tapered flats 54 at the end of the drive shaft 55 thus preventing shaft 55 from rotating . latch 52 is automatically disengaged when cradle 14 is in the ramming position within gun recoil slide 22 . when cradle 14 engages gun recoil slide 22 a surface of recoil slide 22 pushes or bears downwards thereby unlatching the sprocket 36 and the chain 34 assembly ( also see fig4 ). latch 52 will not be disengaged until crown gear 15 has securely meshed with the mating crown gear of drive motor 20 . as indicated hereinabove , proximity switch 60 monitors latch 52 . proximity switch 60 reads switch activator ( not shown ) which is mounted adjacent to latch 52 . the location of rammer pawls 28 and 28 &# 39 ; is monitored by pawl sensor 50 . further , switch 60 signals when drive shaft 55 is securely latched . additionally , a resolver ( not shown ) is mounted on drive motor 20 . the resolver is initiated when rammer pawl 28 &# 39 ; is sensed by pawl sensor 50 and when drive shaft 55 is confirmed latched . accordingly , the present invention provides a rammer mechanism which operates in cooperation with the ammunition transfer gun system . it enables the loading of a two - piece ammunition in a gun tube and provides a complete material handling system wherein the ammunition is automatically transferred from storage into the gun tube . although the best mode contemplated for carrying out the present invention has been herein shown and described , it will be apparent that modification and variation may be made without departing from what is regarded to be the subject matter of the invention .	5
the most commonly used opiate - benzodiazepine combinations for induction of anesthesia or conscious sedation are meperidine - diazepam or meperidine - midazolam . the usual dose range for meperidine - diazepam combinations is 25 - 75 mg / 5 - 15 mg and for meperidine - midazolam combinations , 25 - 75 mg / 2 - 8 mg , although the administration of even 140 or 150 mg of meperidine is not uncommon . fentanyl is also administered in combination with benzodiazepines , as are morphine and sufentanil in some instances . in accordance with the present invention , patients receiving intravenous opiate - benzodiazepine combinations prior to a surgical or exploratory procedure are subsequently administered from about 1 . 0 to about 3 . 0 mg of a long - acting pure narcotic antagonist , and preferably from about 1 . 5 to about 3 . 0 mg , during the time interval commencing immediately prior to the procedure and continuing until about 3 - 5 hours after administration of the opiate - benzodiazepine combination . the antagonist is administered parenterally either as a bolus injection for prophylactic purposes , or in 2 to 5 divided doses , with the first dose preferably given immediately after completion of the procedure and the succeeding doses as required until the patient &# 39 ; s blood pressure returns to baseline values . the intravenous route of administration is usually most desirable . the benzodiazepines useful in the method of the present invention include any agents of that class which are capable of inducing basal sedation or general anesthesia upon parenteral administration and , subsequently , antegrade amnesia . the principal representatives of this class are diazepam , midazolam and lorazepam . preferred long - acting pure narcotic antagonists for use in the present invention include nalmefene ( 6 - methylene - 6 - desoxy - n - cyclopropylmethyl - l4 - hydroxydihydronormorphine ) and naltrexone ( n - cyclopropylmethyl - l4 - hydroxydihydronormorphinone ). however , the invention is not limited to the preferred antagonists , but comprehends any long - acting narcotic antagonists that have pure antagonist activity and are effective in alleviating or reversing the hypotensive effect of intravenous opiate - benzodiazepine combinations . the method of the present invention is of particular importance in view of the recently described life - threatening hypotensive effects of benzodiazepines such as midazolam administered in combination with meperidine . a dose of 2 . 0 mg of nalmefene administered subsequent to meperidine - midazolam analgesia , either as a bolus or in divided doses , has been found to effectively stabilize the patient &# 39 ; s blood pressure and return it to baseline values with no adverse side effects . this finding is surprising in view of the fact that naloxone has been considered of limited effectiveness in antagonizing the hypotensive effects of opiates and benzodiazepines administered separately , requiring far higher doses than traditionally used for narcotic reversal . the novel method is especially valuable in cases where conscious sedation , i . e . a level of sedation where the patient is sufficiently conscious to respond to express instructions , is to be induced , as it often is in painful , minor surgical or diagnostic procedures . the patient undergoing conscious sedation analgesia can normally respond to commands to breathe , breathe more rapidly or breathe more deeply , which usually obviates the need for ventilatory assistance or administration of antagonist agents to reverse anesthesia - induced respiratory depression . thus , although conscious sedation patients may be at serious risk of substantial drops in blood pressure as a result of benzodi - azepine - opiate administration , they are rarely given any narcotic antagonist even when respiratory depression is evident , and less so when no respiratory distress is encountered . yet , as described above , numerous patients have experienced severe hypotensive episodes after risk of respiratory distress has passed ( e . g ., hours after anesthesia is administered ). under conventional procedures these patients would not have received any antagonist while under observation , and certainly not sufficient quantities of a long - acting antagonist such as nalmefene to avoid delayed circulatory collapse . in accordance with the invention , the long - acting pure narcotic antagonist can be administered prophylactically to every patient who has received intravenously a benzodiazepine or opiate - benzodiazepine combination . alternatively , at the discretion of the physician , the antagonist can be administered only in those cases where it is required to counteract an observed drop in mean blood pressure . the following example provides a detailed illustration of the method of the present invention for safely administering benzodiazepines parenterally in combination with opiates to induce anesthesia or conscious sedation . the example is not intended , however , to limit or restrict the scope of the invention in any way , and should not be construed as providing dosage regimens or methods of administration which must be utilized exclusively to practice the present invention . 38 patients undergoing colonoscopies were each administered 144 mg of meperidine and 7 . 7 mg of diazepam to induce conscious sedation . the patients were equally divided into two groups , one group receiving nalmefene intravenously subsequent to the induction of anesthesia and the other receiving a placebo . the nalmefene group received 1 mg of nalmefene after completion of the colonoscopies . baseline blood pressure values were taken prior to induction of anesthesia , and values were obtained again immediately before nalmefene administration (&# 34 ; pre - study &# 34 ;) and again after 15 and 30 minutes . the number of patients with a reduction in mean blood pressure of greater than 10 % from baseline values was determined , as reflected in the following table : table______________________________________patients with & gt ; 10 % reduction in mean b . p . nalmefene placebo grouptime group ( n = 19 ) ( n = 19 ) ______________________________________pre - study 7 515 min . 5 1230 min . 4 8______________________________________ the values shown in the table indicate that at both 15 and 30 minutes , at least twice as many patients in the placebo group had greater than a 10 % reduction in mean blood pressure from baseline in comparison with the nalmefene group . in order to confirm that the effectiveness of long - acting pure narcotic antagonists in counteracting the hypotensive effects of opiate - benzodiazepine combinations is not due simply to their known activity as opiate antagonists , a further study was performed in which 209 patients receiving colonoscopies were divided into three groups . all of the patients were administered 140 mg of meperidine alone to induce anesthesia . subsequently , the patients in the first group were administered nalmefene post procedure , the patients in the second group received naloxone and the patients in the third group received a placebo . no statistically significant differences were determined between the three groups in terms of the number of patients who experienced a reduction in mean blood pressure of more than about 10 % from baseline . it has thus been shown that there are provided methods which achieve the various objects of the invention and which are well adapted to meet the conditions of practical use . as various possible embodiments might be made of the above invention , and as various changes might be made in the embodiments set forth above , it is to be understood that all matters herein described are to be interpreted as illustrative and not - in a limiting sense .	8
[ 0030 ] fig1 shows the light assembly 10 according to a first embodiment of the invention . light assembly 10 includes a base portion 12 adapted to be releasably attached to a hand held video game device and an upward extension 14 pivotally fixed to the base portion 12 via hinge 13 as shown by the arrow ‘ a ’. a pivoting light portion 16 is located opposite the base portion 12 and pivots via a hinge 15 about an angle of at least 180 ° as shown by the arrow ‘ b ’. in the position shown in fig1 the pivoting light portion 16 is shown at an angle of 90 ° with respect to the upward extension 14 . according to the preferred embodiments of this invention , the upward extension 14 has a recessed battery compartment 20 formed to receive and mount a rechargeable battery pack 22 ( see fig3 ). the battery compartment 20 is designed with suitable contacts to provide an electrical connection with the battery pack 22 to thereby provide a power supply for the light . in this manner , the light assembly 10 does not rely on or draw on the power supply of the game device . in the embodiment of fig1 - 3 , an on / off power switch 30 is provided on the upward extension 14 whereby the switch 30 allows the user to selectively turn on and off the light assembly 10 . in another embodiment illustrated in fig5 - 7 , there is no power switch on the extension portion 140 . instead , the light assembly 100 includes a rotary switch associated with a pivoting motion of the pivoting light portion 160 and the light assembly is powered on and off with the pivoting motion of the light portion 160 . those of ordinary skill in the art understand that the electrical connections made within the light assembly and the manner of manufacturing the same may be made by any suitable known type of electrical connections and manufacturing methods . light assembly 10 is preferably made of molded plastic to dimensionally fit the game boys ™, but may also be made of any suitable known material capable of being shaped into a desired style . additionally , the molded plastic body is preferably formed with ornamental features that enhance the outer appearance of the light assembly . likewise , cushion pads 35 may be provided on the molded plastic body ( e . g ., the upward extension ) to reduce any scratches or damage to the game device when the light assembly is placed in the folded position for storage or transportation when not is use . the upward extension 14 is designed to pivot with respect to the base portion 12 so that the upward extension 14 may be pivoted 90 ° into a downward direction to lay flush against the game device . likewise , the pivoting light portion 16 is designed to pivot with respect to the upward extension 14 so that the pivoting light portion 16 lies in the plane of the upward extension 14 and is disposed in recess 14 a provided in the extension 14 ( see fig4 ). the pivoting light portion 16 includes a recess 17 adapted to receive and house a light source 18 that is directed away from the pivoting light portion 16 toward the game device 5 as shown in fig2 . light source 18 can be any suitable known light source such as , for example , an incandescent bulb , a fluorescent light , a light emitting diode ( led ), a directional led , etc . however , in the preferred embodiment of fig1 the light source is a fluorescent light to reduce glare and reflection while maximizing the efficiency of illuminating the video display screen . more importantly , a fluorescent light source requires less energy than an incandescent bulb ; therefore , the fluorescent light will be less of a power drain on the rechargeable battery pack 22 . those of skill in the art will recognize that the type of light source may be a matter of design choice and may be changed without departing from the spirit of this disclosure . in one preferred embodiment , the light source includes a lens or other means for facilitating the directability or focusing of the light toward the surface of the video display screen . the upward extension 14 of the light assembly 10 may include various integrated members in order to increase its strength and integrity during attachment and detachment to and from the game device 5 . those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that other methods and designs for these portions of base 12 can be altered without departing from the scope of the invention . depending on the particular game device 5 , an infrared ( ir ) window ( not shown — e . g ., game boy ™ and game boy color ™) or on / off power switch ( not shown — e . g ., game boy pocket ™) is disposed on the top edge of the game device . as such , base portion 12 includes a cutout or opening positioned so as to accommodate the ir window or on / off switch on the game device and keep them accessible when light assembly 10 is disposed in its operable position . as shown in fig1 - 4 , through the application of hinged connections 13 and 15 , the user can manipulate the angular positions of upward extension 14 and light portion 16 to adjust the angular position of light 18 with respect to the display screen , and thereby enables the user to increase and / or decrease the amount of light being directed toward display screen corresponding to the angular position of the light . in an alternate embodiment , the light assembly 10 can utilize the link port of the game device 5 in order to obtain power , a link port is provided on the external surface of the base portion 12 so as to provide the user with all the functionality of such link port while the light assembly 10 is disposed in its operable position on the game device 5 . those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that the position of the externally provided link port can be changed without departing from the spirit of this disclosure . [ 0040 ] fig2 shows a side view of the light assembly 10 and how the base portion 12 engages the game device 5 according to one preferred embodiment . the base portion 12 includes tangs 40 adapted to engage the corresponding holes in a side of the game device 5 . as described earlier , when base portion 12 is slid onto the top side of the game device , the tangs 40 snaps into the holes provided in the game device and the top flange 42 provides sufficient retention force and resistive moment force ( torque ) due to pivoting action ( folding and unfolding ) of upward extension 14 to secure the light assembly 10 into its operable position on the game device . conversely , the removal of light assembly 10 simply requires the user to “ un - snap ” tangs 40 from their secured position in the top side and slide the base portion 12 of the light assembly in the reverse direction for removal from the game device 5 . through the hinged connection 15 of the light portion 16 with upward extension 14 and the hinged connection 13 of the upward extension 14 with the base portion 12 , the light assembly 10 can be flattened over the game device 5 and screen . this folding aspect ( or unfolding ) of the light assembly not only functions to place the light assembly 10 into a storage position without requiring its removal from the game device , but also functions to protect the upper surface of the game device 5 . [ 0042 ] fig5 - 8 show the light assembly 100 according to a second embodiment of the invention . light assembly 100 includes a base portion 120 adapted to be releasably attached to a hand held video game device and an upward extension 140 pivotally fixed to the base portion 120 via hinge 130 as shown by the arrow ‘ a ’. a pair of pivoting and rotating light portions 160 a , 160 b are located opposite the base portion 120 and pivots via a hinge 150 about an angle of at least 90 ° as shown by the fig5 and 6 . in the position shown in fig6 the pivoting and rotating light portions 160 a , 160 b are shown at an angle of 90 ° with respect to the upward extension 140 . in this position , the illumination means is directed toward the game device and screen . also , the light portions 160 a , 160 b are adapted to pivot in the manner shown by arrows ‘ p ’ to further adjust the angle of illumination with respect to the game device and screen . according to the preferred embodiments of this invention , the upward extension 140 has a recessed battery compartment formed to receive and mount a rechargeable battery pack 220 . the battery compartment is designed with suitable contacts to provide an electrical connection with the battery pack 220 to thereby provide a power supply for the light . in this manner , the light assembly 100 does not rely on or draw on the power supply of the game device . in the embodiment illustrated in fig5 - 8 , there is no exposed power switch on the extension portion 140 ; instead , the light assembly 100 includes a rotary switch 500 associated with a pivoting motion of the pivoting light portion 160 and the light assembly is powered on and off with the pivoting motion of the light portion 160 . more specifically as shown in fig7 the extension portion 140 houses a shaft 142 fixed to the rotary switch 500 and to the light portions 160 a , 160 b . the shaft 142 is mounted upon bearing portions 146 suitable formed within the extension portion 140 to permit rotation of the shaft 142 . therefore , when the rotary switch is actuated / rotated , rotary movement of the switch 500 causes rotation of the shaft 142 and rotation of the light portions 160 a , 160 b ; i . e ., between the positions shown in fig5 and 6 . moreover , the electrical connection between the internal circuitry of the light assembly 100 and the pivoting light portions 160 a , 160 b is such that the circuit is completed and power is delivered to the lights 180 when the light portions 160 a , 160 b have pivoted a predetermined angle relative to the extension portion 140 . therefore , the rotation of the light portion 160 a , 160 b controls the on / off function of the light assembly 100 . in the preferred embodiment , a metallic switch is disposed adjacent the shaft 142 and the shaft 142 is formed with a cam element 142 a as shown in fig9 . as the shaft 142 rotated , the cam 142 a pushes the metallic element 148 into contact with metallic element 149 to complete the electric circuit delivering electricity to the lights 180 disposed within the light portions 160 a , 160 b . those of ordinary skill in the art understand that the electrical connections made within the light assembly and the manner of manufacturing the same may be made by any suitable known type of electrical connections and manufacturing methods . the rotary switch is connected to several subcomponent mechanisms to retract and stow away the light head and connecting member for space saving and mobility feature . alsi , it acts as automatic on / off power switch depending on the rotary switch position . light assembly 100 is also preferably made of molded plastic to dimensionally fit the game boys ™, but may also be made of any suitable known material capable of being shaped into a desired style . additionally , the molded plastic body is preferably formed with ornamental features that enhance the outer appearance of the light assembly . likewise , cushion pads 350 may be provided on the molded plastic body ( e . g ., the upward extension ) to reduce any scratches or damage to the game device when the light assembly is placed in the folded position for storage or transportation when not is use . the upward extension 140 is designed to pivot with respect to the base portion 120 so that the upward extension 140 may be pivoted 90 ° into a downward direction to lay flush against the game device . likewise , the pivoting light portions 160 a , 160 b are designed to pivot with respect to the upward extension 140 so that the pivoting light portions 160 a , 160 b are received within recesses 141 , 142 formed in the plane of the upward extension 140 ( see fig5 ). the pivoting light portions 160 a , 160 b include a recess adapted to receive and house a light source 180 that is directed away from the pivoting light portions 160 a , 160 b toward the game device 5 as shown in fig8 . light source 180 can be any suitable known light source such as , for example , an incandescent bulb , a fluorescent light , a light emitting diode ( led ), a directional led , etc . those of skill in the art will recognize that the type of light source may be a matter of design choice and may be changed without departing from the spirit of this disclosure . in one preferred embodiment , the light source includes a lens or other means for facilitating the directability or focusing of the light toward the surface of the video display screen . the upward extension 140 of the light assembly 100 may include various integrated members in order to increase its strength and integrity during attachment and detachment to and from the game device 5 . those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that other methods and designs for these portions of base 120 can be altered without departing from the scope of the invention . depending on the particular game device 5 , an infrared ( ir ) window ( not shown — e . g ., game boy ™ and game boy color ™) or on / off power switch ( not shown — e . g ., game boy pocket ™) is disposed on the top edge of the game device . as such , base portion 120 includes a cutout or opening positioned so as to accommodate the ir window or on / off switch on the game device and keep them accessible when light assembly 100 is disposed in its operable position . as shown in fig5 - 8 , through the application of hinged connections 130 and 150 , the user can manipulate the angular positions of upward extension 140 and light portion 160 to adjust the angular position of light 180 with respect to the display screen , and thereby enables the user to increase and / or decrease the amount of light being directed toward display screen corresponding to the angular position of the light . [ 0053 ] fig8 shows a side view of the light assembly 100 and how the base portion 120 engages the game device 5 according to one preferred embodiment . the base portion 120 includes tangs 400 adapted to engage the corresponding holes in a side of the game device 5 . as described earlier , when base portion 120 is slid onto the top side of the game device , the tangs 400 snaps into the holes provided in the game device and the top flange 420 provides sufficient retention force and resistive moment force ( torque ) due to pivoting action ( folding and unfolding ) of upward extension 14 to secure the light assembly 100 into its operable position on the game device . conversely , the removal of light assembly 100 simply requires the user to “ un - snap ” tangs 400 from their secured position in the top side and slide the base portion 120 of the light assembly in the reverse direction for removal from the game device 5 . through the hinged connection 150 of the light portion 160 with upward extension 140 and the hinged connection 130 of the upward extension 140 with the base portion 120 , the light assembly 100 can be flattened over the game device 5 and screen . this folding aspect ( or unfolding ) of the light assembly not only functions to place the light assembly 100 into a storage position without requiring its removal from the game device , but also functions to protect the upper surface of the game device 5 . while there have been shown and described and pointed out fundamental novel features of the invention as applied to preferred embodiments thereof , it will be understood that various omissions , substitutions , changes in the form and details of the devices illustrated , and in their operation , may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention . for example , it is expressly intended that all combinations of those elements and / or method steps which perform substantially the same function in substantially the same way to achieve the same results are within the scope of the invention . it is the intention , therefore , to be limited only as indicated by the scope of the claims appended hereto .	5
the present invention provides layered snacks and layered rte cereals and methods of making them . the dual - or multiple - layered snacks or cereals are preferably made from whole wheat and / or other grain materials such that the foods have the similar or better nutritional value of a wheat snack or shredded wheat and have a non - abrasive texture . more specifically , a snack of the present invention has a chip - like texture while a rte cereal of the present invention has a light crunchy texture . the present food products can be made from any grain - based dough . the necessary feature of the dough used in the present invention is that it is of such a consistency that it can be transferred through rollers to form a grooved surface and a smooth surface . wheat is the most commonly used grain in snack food doughs and rte cereals and the most desired grain by consumers . therefore , wheat is the most preferred primary ingredient in the doughs useful in the present invention . however , wheat in combination with other grains provides a more complex flavor profile than wheat alone , and , therefore , a combination of wheat and other grains is most preferred for use in the dough component of the present invention . such other grain materials can be either whole grains or grain components , such as germs or starches . preferably , the dough ingredients therefore include partially - ground whole wheat , additional grain materials , water , and flavorings . when wheat is used , the partially - ground wheat may be a pre - cooked wheat . alternatively , the wheat may be raw cut wheat . alternatively , other whole grains may be substituted for wheat . pre - cooked wheat may be mixed with other ingredients without further cooking . preferably , the pre - cooked wheat is pre - cooked bulgur wheat . the size of the preferred bulgur wheat particles is as follows : 0 . 1 % through u . s . screen size # 25 , 30 - 35 % through u . s . screen size # 40 , 35 - 40 % through u . s . screen size # 60 , and 25 - 30 % unscreened . when raw cut wheat is used , the raw cut wheat may be attained by cutting raw wheat berries . the most preferred raw cut wheat is used in the present invention is classified as follows : 46 - 54 % through u . s . screen size # 10 , 20 - 25 % through u . s . screen size # 12 , 10 - 13 % through u . s . screen size # 14 , and 14 - 22 % unscreened . other whole grains , or any processing fractions of wheat or other grains , may be used in lieu of partially - ground or raw cut wheat , or in combination with such wheat , and can be , or be derived from , any of the following grains : maize , rice , barley , sorghum , millet , oats , rye , triticale , buckwheat , fonio , quinoa , teff , wild rice , amaranth , kaniwa , spelt , einkorn , emmer , and durum . preferably , the doughs useful in the present invention are made from a grain or grains selected from the group consisting of : wheat and corn ; wheat and brown rice ; wheat and white rice ; corn ; white rice ; brown rice ; corn and white rice ; corn and brown rice . moreover , any of these grains may be combined with any other to produce a grain - based dough of the present invention . any component or combination of components of any of the above grains may be used to make such dough . for instance , whole grain , flour , germ , bran and starch may be used . the grind may be milled , meal , very coarse , coarse , fine , super fine or extra fine . masa corn is the preferred type of corn selected , when corn is used in the dough . when additional grain ingredients are added to the dough , preferred supplementary grain materials include white rice , corn starch , wheat starch and wheat germ . cooking of the grains useful in the doughs is well - known in the art and includes heating the grain in contact with water or water vapor . this technique is often termed “ pre - cooking ” in cereal chemistry . the “ pre - cooked ” grain is then mixed with the other dough ingredients , for rte cereals , formed into individual pieces and the dough is subsequently “ pre - dried .” “ pre - drying ” is often used prior to a “ toasting ” step in rte cereal production , so as to reduce the moisture content of the dough from approximately 20 - 34 % to approximately 10 - 14 %. “ toasting ” of the formed dough results in the desired crispness and color . the toasting step may also result in a “ puffing ” of the dough , which , when desired , may be accomplished by exposing the pre - dried dough to sudden high heat , causing the water in the dough to expand , and thereby also expanding the dough . preferred flavorings include salt , sugar , high fructose corn syrup , as well as any other sweet and / or savory flavorings . preferred sweet flavorings include honey , honey flavor , molasses , malt extract , cinnamon , maple , chocolate , apple , nuts , and any combination thereof . preferred savory flavorings include onion , garlic , horseradish , yeast , and any combination thereof . inclusions , such as sesame seeds , anise seed , rosemary leaves , nuts , candy bits , and the like are also useful in the present doughs . inclusions of any sort are acceptable , provided that they can be sheeted such that the dough is able to be rolled through the rollers as described . inclusions useful in the present doughs should be small enough to retain the structural integrity of the dough sheets , and not so big as to rip holes in the sheet , or puncture the grooved surface . water used in the present doughs is preferably at a temperature of 65 - 90 ° f . doughs useful in the present invention preferably have 25 - 45 % moisture prior to baking . toppings are optional ingredients in the food products of the present invention . such toppings may be any know in the art , and include fat - based or sugar - based toppings . any such toppings may be sweet or savory , or a combination of both . in addition , vitamins , minerals , or other nutrients may be added as a topping or in the dough . making dough . in the methods of the present invention , making dough is an optional step . pre - made dough may be used , or dough can be made according to the present disclosure . preferably , the flavorings for the dough are pre - mixed with water and then added to the other dough ingredients . such pre - mixed flavorants mixed with a pre - cooked wheat ingredient dough are more preferred . most preferred doughs for use in the present invention are those that are made with pre - mixed flavorants , at least one pre - cooked wheat ingredient , and other pre - cooked grains . however , doughs made from raw cut wheat that has been steamed in hot water are also desirable for use in the present invention . such steamed raw cut wheat which further includes flavorings and additional raw grains are also preferred doughs for use in the present invention . a proper cooking step is needed if raw grains are used . a rotary cooker may optionally be used in the cooking process . also , a dough useful in the present invention preferably is allowed to rest for 10 - 60 minutes , more preferably 15 - 30 minutes . forming sheets from dough . the present invention includes , in one embodiment , the use of industrial rollers to both sheet and form the grooved and smooth surface of the sheet . feeding the dough into such apparatus in pieces , such as pieces commonly referred to as “ kibbles ” is preferred , particularly when an industrial process is used . kibbling includes breaking the dough into generally round pieces which are 0 . 1 inch to 1 inch in diameter . kibbles that are half inch in diameter or smaller are preferred . also preferred is the use of production line to form two measures of dough into two sheets of dough having a grooved surface and a smooth surface each . such a production line may include a first shredding mill and a second shredding mill disposed above and aligned with the first shredding mill . in this instance , the term “ shredding mill ” is used to generically describe to those in the art the general structure of the apparatus , but since the rollers described herein do not effect a “ shredding ” per se , the term is not used to describe the result . in particular , both shredding mills include a grooved roller and a smooth roller , and therefore would not result in “ shredding ” but rather a smooth surface and a grooved surface . when dough is passed through these rollers , the grooved roller presents a finely grooved surface extending circumferentially around the grooved roller and the smooth roller presents a smooth surface extending circumferentially around the smooth roller . preferably , the method includes feeding a measure of dough to the first shredding mill and , simultaneously , feeding a second measure of dough to the second shredding mill . in such an example , the first shredding mill forms an upper dough sheet and the second shredding mill forms a lower dough sheet , each sheet having a grooved surface and a smooth surface . preferably , the grooved roll is heated to approximately 100 - 130 ° f . the grooves of the grooved surface , pre - bake , optimally measure 0 . 008 inches to 0 . 024 inches in width and 0 . 006 inches to 0 . 020 inches in depth , however , any grooved surface with grooves that are up to 0 . 004 inches to 0 . 048 inches in width and 0 . 004 inches to 0 . 040 inches in depth will be operable in the present invention . in other words , the ridges that form the grooves are preferably 0 . 008 inches to 0 . 096 inches apart , more preferably 0 . 016 inches to 0 . 048 inches and most preferably 0 . 024 inches to 0 . 040 inches . the height of the ridges are preferably 0 . 004 inches to 0 . 040 inches , more preferably 0 . 008 inches to 0 . 032 inches and most preferably 0 . 012 inches to 0 . 016 inches . the sheets of the present invention can be of any thickness , so long as the layers remain crispy and without burn spots when baked , and so long as the sheets remain substantially free of holes . to modify the thickness of the dough sheets , the rollers can be arranged closer together , for thin sheets , or farther apart , for thicker sheets . the dough sheets , are preferably 0 . 016 inches to 0 . 048 inches in thickness prior to baking , more preferably 0 . 020 inches to 0 . 040 inches in thickness , and most preferably 0 . 024 inches to 0 . 032 inches in thickness . to create dough sheets with the specifications described , rollers may be designed and manufactured according to standard machining techniques . ridges may be altered according to the preferred result , and such manipulations are within skill of the art . layering dough sheets . depending upon the desired texture , the dough sheets may be aligned with one another such that both smooth surfaces of the sheets face inwardly , or such that both grooved surfaces of the sheets face inwardly , or such that the grooved surface of one sheet faces inwardly and the smooth surface of the other sheet faces inwardly . additional mills can be installed on the production line to produce the third sheet , fourth sheet , etc . alternatively , a laminator can be used to create multiple layers from a single sheet . the exemplified method further includes forming dual sheets or multiple sheets via lamination . for the purposes of the present invention , any combination of doughs , whether by flavor , texture or appearance are within the scope . for instance , one sheet of dough may be chocolate flavored and dark in color , and the second sheet of dough may be cinnamon flavored and light in brown color . moreover , stripes of color flavor , and / or texture or designs of color , flavor , and / or texture are within skill of the art . to effect such designs , one may use split feeding tubes or split hoppers , if on an industrial line . flavorants between layers . at the layering step , there is an optional opportunity to season or fill the void or voids between the layers . such flavorants may take the form of a dry seasoning blend , such as a taco seasoning , or a lubricious , low water activity filling , such as peanut butter . such a filling may be applied by means known in the art and include dry deposition , spraying and extruding . quantities of ingredients are known in the art and may be any that are desirable , so long as the sheets have the ability to substantially maintain a crimp around the perimeter of layered dough , and so long as the layered food products retain the crisp texture . cutting sheets . while cutting sheets is technically an optional step in the processes of making the layered food products , when an industrial method is used , cutting will be commercially ideal for packaging the product . however , any such cutting can include a wide variety of designs and configurations , and preferably includes a scrap - less design , i . e . no web return . circle , square , rectangle , hexagon shapes are preferred . often , a tessellation of cartoon characters will be desirable for children &# 39 ; s snacks , and that embodiment is within the scope of the present invention . crimping . while crimping is also optional , and often simultaneous with cutting of layered sheets , it is not a necessary step , nor is it necessary for crimping to be simultaneous . crimping may be accomplished after or before cutting , depending on the design desired . for the purposes of the present invention , however , it is necessary , when crimping is desired , to allow some of the layered product to remain only loosely layered , so as to allow at least a portion of the grooved surfaces to remain grooved . baking . baking the food product results in the most preferred food product of the present invention . however , since the intermediate , unbaked food product is inventive , and could be baked at home by the retail outlet or by the consumer , it is therefore an optional step in the present methods . the most preferred method , despite the possibility of distributing a ready - to - bake product , is to pre - bake prior to distribution . in an industrial embodiment of such a method , baking can occur at any temperature and time that will result in a crisping of the product and a moisture level of 0 . 5 - 5 %, preferably 2 - 3 %. referring to the figures , wherein like numerals indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views , a layered food of the present invention 20 is generally shown in fig1 - 3 . an exemplified food of the present invention 20 includes a plurality of layers joined to one another and , as shown in fig3 , more preferably includes a first layer 24 and a second layer 26 joined to the first layer 24 . the first layer 24 and the second layer 26 each have a smooth side 28 and a grooved side 30 , which can be seen in fig4 . the first layer 24 and the second layer 26 may be aligned such that the grooved side 30 of each layer faces inwardly and the smooth side 28 of each layer faces outwardly . alternatively , the first layer 24 and the second layer 26 may be aligned such that the grooved side 30 of each layer faces outwardly and the smooth side 28 of each layer faces inwardly . alternatively , the first layer 24 and the second layer 26 may be aligned such that the smooth side 28 of the first layer 24 faces outwardly and the grooved side 30 of the second layer 26 faces outwardly . with reference to the specific embodiment shown in the figure , dough is formed into a plurality of mats 32 and is preferably formed into an upper mat 34 and a lower mat 36 . the mats 32 are overlayed such that each mat forms a layer of the food product 20 when baked . the overlayed mats 32 are cut into pieces 38 and crimped together around a perimeter of the pieces 38 and the pieces are baked . the dough preferably has a consistency such that the mats 32 may be crimped together around the perimeter of the pieces 38 and remains separated inside the crimped perimeter . an example of a production line 40 used to form the dough into food products of the present invention 20 is shown in fig5 . the production line 40 includes a first shredding mill 42 , and a second shredding mill 44 , a first feeding tube 46 aligned with the shredding mill 42 , a second feeding tube 48 aligned with the shredding mill 44 , a conveyor 50 disposed below the shredding mills 42 , 44 , a rotary cutter 52 disposed over the conveyor 50 , and an oven 54 . more specifically , the shredding mill 42 and the shredding mill 44 are used to form the dough into the lower mat 36 and the upper mat 34 , respectively . each shredding mill includes a finely grooved roller 56 , a smooth roller 58 , and a scrape - off knife ( not shown ). the rollers 56 , 58 are generally cylindrical . the grooved roller 56 presents a grooved surface extending circumferentially around the grooved roller 56 . the grooved surface defines fine grooves that extend in a circumferential direction around the circumference of the grooved roller 56 . the smooth roller 58 presents a smooth surface extending circumferentially around the smooth roller 58 . the dough is kibbled and is transferred to the first feeding tube 46 and the second feeding tube 48 . the first feeding tube 46 feeds kibbled dough to the shredding mill 42 and the second feeding tube 48 feeds kibbled dough to the shredding mill 44 . the shredding mill 42 forms the kibbled dough from the first feeding tube 46 into the lower mat 36 and deposits the lower mat 36 onto the conveyor 50 . the shredding mill 44 forms the kibbled dough from the second feeding tube 48 into an upper mat 34 and deposits the upper mat 34 onto the lower mat 36 . the scrape - off knife of the shredding mill 42 is stationary and is disposed adjacent to the grooved roller 56 of the shredding mill 42 and removes the lower mat 36 from the grooved roller 56 of the shredding mill 42 as the grooved roller 56 rotates . likewise , the scrape - off knife of the shredding mill 44 is stationary and is disposed adjacent to the grooved roller 56 of the shredding mill 44 and removes the upper mat 34 from the grooved roller 56 of the shredding mill 44 as the grooved roller 56 rotates . alternatively , additional shredding mills and feed tubes may be added such that more than two mats may be deposited onto the conveyor 50 . specifically , the additional shredding mill would form dough into additional dough mats . when the shredding mill forms the kibbled dough into a mat , the grooved roller 56 forms the grooved side 30 of the mat and the smooth roller 58 forms the smooth side 28 of the mat . flavorings may be applied to the layers and the grooved sides 30 provide a larger area to adhere flavorings . an optional depositor is schematically shown at 70 , positioned between the two mills 42 and 44 to add , for example , flavor seasoning , filling , etc . between the layers 34 , 36 . another option would be a topical depositor shown schematically at 72 for applying flavors , seasoning , etc . to the top of the layer 34 . the smooth outside surface in combination with the grooved inside surface also creates a desirable texture . as shown in fig5 , preferably the grooved roller 56 of the shredding mill 42 may be disposed to the right side of the smooth roller 58 of the shredding mill 42 and the grooved roller 56 of the shredding mill 44 may be disposed to the left side of the smooth roller 58 of the shredding mill 44 . in such a configuration , the shredding mill 42 deposits the lower mat 36 on the conveyor 50 such that the grooved side 30 of the lower mat 36 faces upwardly and the smooth side 28 of the lower mat 36 faces downwardly . likewise , shredding mill 44 deposits the upper mat 34 onto the lower mat 36 such that the grooved side 30 of the upper mat 34 faces downwardly toward the grooved side 30 of the lower mat 36 and the smooth side 28 of the upper mat 34 faces upwardly . when the upper mat 34 and the lower mat 36 are aligned such that the grooved side 30 of each mat 34 , 36 faces inwardly , the grooves trap air between the mats 34 , 36 such that the mats 34 , 36 remain separated inside the perimeter when the mats 34 , 36 are crimped together along the perimeter of the pieces 38 . in other words , when baked , the grooved sides 30 of the layers 24 , 26 define a void or voids between the layers 24 , 26 of the food product snack 20 . the air pocket ( s ) allows the mats 34 , 36 to crisp on both surfaces such that each of the plurality of layers is crisp when baked . alternatively , the grooved roller 56 of the shredding mill 42 may be disposed to the left side of the smooth roller 58 of the shredding mill 42 and the grooved roller 56 of the shredding mill 44 may be disposed to the right side of the smooth roller 58 of the shredding mill 44 . in such a configuration , the shredding mill 42 deposits the lower mat 36 onto the conveyor 50 such that the grooved side 30 of the lower mat 36 faces downwardly and the smooth side 28 of the lower mat 36 faces upwardly . likewise , the shredding mill 44 deposits the upper mat 34 onto the lower mat 36 such that the smooth side 28 faces downwardly toward the smooth side 28 of the upper mat 34 and the grooved side 30 of the upper mat 34 faces upwardly . alternatively , the grooved roller 56 of the shredding mill 42 may be disposed to the right side of the smooth roller 58 of the shredding mill 42 and the grooved roller 56 of the shredding mill 44 may be disposed to the right side of the smooth roller 58 of the shredding mill 44 . in such a configuration , the shredding mill 42 deposits the lower mat 36 onto the conveyor 50 such that the smooth side 28 of the lower mat 36 faces downwardly and the grooved side 30 of the lower mat 36 faces upwardly . likewise , the shredding mill 44 deposits the upper mat 34 onto the lower mat 36 such that that the smooth side 28 of the upper mat 34 faces downwardly toward the grooved side 30 of the upper mat 34 and the grooved side 30 of the upper mat 34 faces upwardly . the conveyor 50 transfers the upper mat 34 and the lower mat 36 below the rotary cutter 52 . the rotary cutter 52 cuts the mats 32 into pieces 38 . the pieces can be circle , square , rectangle , hexagon , and the like . the conveyor 50 then transfers the pieces 38 to the oven 54 . the oven 54 bakes the pieces 38 into food product 20 . additional toppings may be added to the pieces 38 prior to baking and may also be applied to the food products 20 after baking . the exemplified method further includes matting the kibbled dough into dough mats 32 . specifically , the method further includes feeding the dough pieces to the shredding mills 42 , 44 . more specifically , the method further includes transferring the dough pieces onto the first feeding tube 46 and the second feeding tube 48 . the dough pieces transferred to the first feeding tube 46 are fed by the first feeding tube 46 to the shredding mill 42 and the shredding mill 42 mats the dough pieces into the lower mat 36 . likewise , the dough balls transferred to the second feeding tube 48 are fed by the second feeding tube 48 to the shredding mill 44 and the shredding mill 44 mats the dough pieces into the upper mat 34 . likewise , if the production line 40 includes additional feeding tubes and additional shredding mills the dough pieces transferred to the additional feeding tubes are fed by the additional feeding tubes to the additional shredding mills and the additional shredding mills mat the dough pieces into mats 32 . thus , multiple - layered food products can be produced . the exemplified method further includes finely grooving a side of each dough mat 32 to form the grooved side 30 and simultaneously smoothing a side of the dough mat to create the smooth side 28 . specifically , when the dough pieces are flattened between the grooved roller 56 and the smooth roller 58 , the grooved roller 56 forms a grooved side 30 of the dough mat and the smooth roller 58 forms a smooth side 28 of the dough mat . the exemplified method further includes removing the dough mat from the shredding mill . specifically , the method includes scraping the grooved roller 56 with the scrape - off knife to remove the dough mat from the grooved roller 56 as the grooved roller 56 rotates . more specifically , as the dough is flattened between the grooved roller 56 and the smooth roller 58 , the dough adheres to the grooved roller 56 . the grooved roller 56 is heated to reduce the adherence of the dough to the grooved roller 56 and the scrape - off knife removes the dough from the grooved roller 56 . the exemplified method further includes depositing the dough mats 32 onto the conveyor 50 . specifically , the method further includes depositing the lower mat 36 onto the conveyor 50 and depositing the upper mat 34 onto the lower mat 36 . more specifically , when the lower dough mat is removed from the grooved roller 56 of the shredding mill 42 , the lower dough mat 36 is deposited onto the conveyor 50 . when the upper dough mat 34 is removed from the grooved roller 56 of the shredding mill 44 , the upper dough mat 34 is deposited onto the lower mat 36 . the exemplified method further includes positioning the upper mat 34 and the lower mat 36 such that the grooved side 30 of each mat 34 , 36 faces inwardly and the smooth side 28 of each mat faces outwardly . alternatively , the method includes positioning the upper mat 34 and the lower mat 36 such that the grooved side 30 of each mat 34 , 36 faces outwardly and the smooth side 28 of each mat 34 , 36 faces inwardly . alternatively , the method includes positioning the upper mat 34 and the lower mat 36 such that the grooved side 30 of the upper mat 34 faces inwardly and the smooth side 28 of the lower mat 36 faces inwardly toward the grooved side 30 of the upper mat 34 . the exemplified method further includes transferring the dough mats 32 on the conveyor 50 to the rotary cutter 52 . the method further includes cutting the mats 32 into pieces 38 with a rotary cutter 52 . the exemplified method further includes baking the dough pieces 38 into crispy food products 20 . the method may also include applying oil and flavoring toppings to the crispy food product 20 before or after baking . the process may also include adding a filling between the mats 32 , 34 , 36 prior to depositing the upper mat 34 onto the lower mat 36 . the invention has been described in an illustrative manner , and it is to be understood that the terminology which has been used is intended to be in the nature of words of description rather than of limitation . obviously , many modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in light of the above teachings , and the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described . the first seven ingredients were mixed for three minutes on high . the remaining ingredients were added to the mixture of the first seven , and mixed on low for five minutes . the resultant dough was allowed to rest for 15 to 60 minutes before being formed into sheets having a smooth surface on one side and a grooved surface on the other side . the grooved surface was formed using rollers with ridge height of 0 . 012 inches , which resulted in a corresponding groove depth of 0 . 012 inches . sheets were layered with grooved surfaces facing inward and baked at 400 - 450 ° f . for two to five minutes and a finished moisture of 2 to 3 percent . the baked , layered grain - based dough of example 1 was sprayed with oil and sprinkled with salt on the exterior surfaces at the weight percentages above , so as to create a “ plain ” or “ original ” flavored food product . the baked , layered grain - based dough of example 1 was sprayed with oil and sprinkled with ranch seasoning on the exterior surfaces at the weight percentages above , so as to create a “ ranch ” flavored food product . the baked , layered grain - based dough of example 1 was sprayed with oil and sprinkled with brown sugar cinnamon seasoning on the exterior surfaces at the weight percentages above , so as to create a “ brown sugar cinnamon ” flavored food product . making , baking , sheeting and layering a grain - based onion flavored dough with inclusions the first five ingredients were mixed for three minutes on high . the next six ingredients were added to the mixture of the first three , and mixed on low for five minutes . the resultant dough was allowed to rest for 15 to 60 minutes . the rested dough was formed into sheets having a smooth surface on one side and a grooved surface on the other side . the grooved surface was formed using rollers with ridge height of 0 . 012 inches , which resulted in a corresponding groove depth of 0 . 012 inches . sheets were layered with the last two ingredients ( crunchy brown rice and defatted wheat germ granules ) sandwiched between the layers and grooved surfaces facing inward . the layered food product was baked at 400 - 450 ° f . for two to five minutes and a finished moisture of 2 to 3 percent . making , sheeting , layering and baking a grain - based dough using raw grains all of the ingredients were mixed and steam cooked at 2 psi for 40 to 50 minutes , then another 3 minutes at 17 psi . the cooked ingredients formed a dough and the dough was allowed to temper for 15 to 30 minutes . the tempered dough was then formed into sheets having a smooth surface on one side and a grooved surface on the other side . the grooved surface was formed using rollers with ridge height of 0 . 012 inches , which resulted in a corresponding groove depth of 0 . 012 inches . the sheets were layered with grooved surfaces facing inward . the layered food product was baked at 400 - 450 ° f . for two to five minutes and a finished moisture of 2 to 3 percent . making , sheeting , layering and baking a grain - based dough using raw grains the rice and corn grits , in the amounts above , were pre - steamed for twenty minutes at 15 psi . all of the other ingredients , in the amounts above , were mixed with the rice and corn grits , along with the water . the resultant mixture was cooked at 17 psi for four minutes , and then at 2 psi for 50 minutes . the cooked ingredients formed a dough and the dough was allowed to temper for 15 to 30 minutes . the tempered dough was then formed into sheets having a smooth surface on one side and a grooved surface on the other side . the grooved surface was formed using rollers with ridge height of 0 . 012 inches , which resulted in a corresponding groove depth of 0 . 012 inches . the sheets were layered with grooved surfaces facing inward . the layered food product was baked at 400 - 450 ° f . for two to five minutes and a finished moisture of 2 to 3 percent . the rice and corn grits , in the amounts above , were pre - steamed for twenty minutes at 15 psi . all of the other ingredients , in the amounts above , were mixed with the rice and corn grits , along with the water . the resultant mixture was cooked at 17 psi for four minutes , and then at 1 psi for 40 to 50 minutes . the cooked ingredients formed a dough and the dough was allowed to temper for 15 to 30 minutes . the tempered dough was then formed into sheets having a smooth surface on one side and a grooved surface on the other side . the grooved surface was formed using rollers with ridge height of 0 . 012 inches , which resulted in a corresponding groove depth of 0 . 012 inches . the sheets were layered with grooved surfaces facing inward . the layered food product was baked at 400 - 450 ° f . for two to five minutes and a finished moisture of 2 to 3 percent . a 75 brix solution of sucrose and water was prepared . the solution was heated to 230 ° f . to raise the brix to approximately 80 brix . the syrup was applied to pieces of layered , baked food product in a coating drum via spray application . the application rate was from 10 to 50 percent syrup to base , depending on the batch . the coated pieces were removed from the coating drum and placed in a dryer . the coated pieces were then dried at approximately 200 ° f . for approximately 30 minutes so as to lower the moisture to below 3 percent in the finished food . eighty - seven and one - half percent by weight powdered sugar was combined with 12 % water and 0 . 5 % gelatin in a double boiler pan . the combination was heated to approximately 160 ° f . the heated combination was applied to the tops of the baked , layered food pieces at approximately 10 to 20 % application rate , via spray application . the topped food pieces were allowed to cool , so as to allow the gelatin to set the fondant .	0
u . s . patent application ser . no . 11 / 267 , 674 describes a method for creating a p2mp lsp within an mpls enabled network . each of the lsrs within the mpls network described in u . s . patent application ser . no . 11 / 267 , 674 , are presumed to be mldp enabled . to illustrate , fig1 is an exemplary network 10 consisting of hosts h 1 - h 3 coupled to pim enabled routers r 1 - r 3 , respectively . fig1 also shows router r 1 coupled to routers r 2 and r 3 via an mpls network 12 . mpls network 12 includes mpls enabled edge lrss pe 1 - pe 3 coupled to mpls enabled core lsrs p 1 - p 6 . in addition to being mpls enabled , edge lsrs pe 1 - pe 3 are pim enabled and coupled to routers r 1 - r 3 , respectively . for purposes of explanation , it will be temporarily presumed that each of the lsrs within mpls network 12 is mldp enabled or capable of operating in accordance with the invention described in u . s . patent application ser . no . 11 / 267 , 674 . presume host hi is a source that generates multicast data packets destined for receivers of a multicast group identified by multicast ip address g . further , presume that hosts h 2 and h 3 seek to join g as receivers . because each of the lsrs within mpls network 12 is mldp enabled , a p2mp lsp can be configured in mpls network 12 to transmit multicast data packets from source h 1 to receivers h 2 and h 3 once they have successfully joined the multicast group g . the p2mp lsp can include edge lsr pe 1 as the ingress point for the multicast data packets , and edge lsrs pe 2 and pe 3 as the egress points from which multicast data packets exit mlps network 12 for subsequent transmission to receivers h 2 and h 3 , respectively . core lsrs p 1 - p 4 can also be included in the p 2 mplsp , with core lsr p 1 as the point of data replication in the p2mp lsp . however , if one or more lsrs within the mpls network 12 is not mldp enabled , it may be difficult if not impossible to create the p2mp lsp necessary to transmit multicast data packets from source h 1 to receivers h 2 and h 3 . for example , presume core lsr p 4 is not mldp enabled in accordance with u . s . patent application ser . no . 11 / 267 , 674 . as such , a p2mp lsp cannot be created transmitting a multicast data packet of interest that includes core lsr p 4 . the present invention describes a method of using a p2p lsp to transmit multicast data packets part way through an mpls network . the p2p lsp can include core lsrs that are not mldp enabled . the p2p lsp can be used in combination with a p2mp lsp created in accordance with the methods described in u . s . patent application ser . no . 11 / 267 , 674 ( or other methods ) in order to complete the transmission of multicast data packets all the way through the mpls network . for example , a p2mp lsp 14 can be created within mpls network 12 in accordance with u . s . patent application ser . no . 11 / 267 , 674 , which consists of core lsrs p 1 - p 3 and edge lsrs pe 2 and pe 3 . p2mp lsp 14 can transmit multicast data packets received from p2p lsp 16 that includes edge lsr pe 1 and core lsrs p 4 and p 1 , where core lsr p 4 is non - mldp enabled . in other words , p2p lsp 16 may be used to transmit multicast data packets from source hi to core lsr p 1 , and p2mp lsp 14 may be used to transmit the multicast data packets received from p2p lsp 16 out of the mpls network 12 to routers r 2 and r 3 for subsequent delivery to receivers h 2 and h 3 , respectively . thus , even though core lsr p 4 is non - mldp enabled , an lsp consisting of a p2p lsp 16 and p2mp lsp 14 can be formed in mpls network 12 for transmitting multicast data packets to receivers h 2 and h 3 . one embodiment of the present invention could be implemented as a computer program executing on or more processors of routers , although those skilled in the art will readily recognize that the equivalent of such software may also be constructed in hardware . if the invention is implemented as a computer program , the program may be stored in a conventional computer readable medium that may include , for example : magnetic storage media such as a magnetic disk ( e . g ., a floppy disk or a disk drive ), or magnetic tape ; optical storage media such as an optical disk , optical tape , or machine readable barcode ; solid state electronic storage devices such as random access memory ( ram ), or read - only memory ( rom ); or any other device or medium employed to store computer program instructions . the present invention will be described with reference to the mpls network 12 shown in fig1 , it being understood that the present invention should not be limited thereto . for the remaining description , it will be presumed that core lsrs p 1 - p 3 and edge lsrs pe 1 - pe 3 are mldp enabled as described in u . s . patent application ser . no . 11 / 267 , 674 . moreover , it will be presumed for the remaining description that core lsr p 4 is not mldp enabled in accordance with u . s . patent application ser . no . 11 / 267 , 674 . u . s . patent application ser . no . 11 / 267 , 674 describes relevant aspects performed by mldp enabled routers during the creation of a p2mp lsp . the creation of p2mp lsp 14 in fig1 is initiated in response to edge lsr pe 2 receiving a pim join message from pim enabled router r 2 . fig2 illustrates relevant aspects of process performed by edge lsr pe 2 in response to receiving the pim join message . it will be presumed that the pim join message includes s and g , where s is the ip address of source h 1 , it being understood that other types of pim join messages are contemplated . for purposes of explanation , it will be presumed that edge lsr pe 2 does not have a multicast forwarding state for s , g when the pim join message is received . returning to fig2 , edge lsr pe 2 is pim enabled and can use s to identify the rpf interface coupled to the next upstream pim enabled router that is topologically closest to source h 1 . the rpf interface can be identified using a unicast routing table in one embodiment . other methods for determining the rpf interface of edge lsr pe 2 are contemplated . the rpf interface identified in step 22 is directly coupled to core lsr p 2 , which is not pim enabled . as such edge lsr pe 2 cannot simply forward the pim join it receives to core lsr p 2 in accordance with normal pim procedures . rather , in accordance with u . s . patent application ser . no . 11 / 267 , 674 edge lsr pe 2 begins a process of using in - band signaling to create p2mp lsp 14 . this process is initiated with edge lsr pe 2 generating an opaque value as a function of s and g of the pim join as shown in step 24 . the opaque value , in one embodiment , can be generated simply by concatenating s and g . in other embodiments , the opaque value can be generated using a different algorithm . in step 26 , edge lsr pe 2 identifies the ip address of the ingress edge lsr or the edge lsr ( i . e ., edge lsr pe 1 ) on the other side of mpls network 12 that is topologically closest to source h 1 . the ip address of the ingress edge lsr ( i . e ., edge lsr pe 1 ) can be determined using s , the ip address of source h 1 , and a unicast routing table , although other methods are contemplated for determining the ip address of the ingress edge lsr . in step 30 , edge lsr pe 2 generates a multicast fec ( mfec ) and creates an lib table . the mfec can be generated simply by concatenating the opaque value generated in step 24 with the ip address identified in step 24 . other methods of generating the mfec are contemplated . the mfec may contain additional information . for example , the mfec may contain information identifying whether s and g are ipv4 or ipv6 addresses . in step 32 , edge lsr pe 2 generates an incoming label that is associated with the mfec generated in step 30 . this label can be added to the lib table created in step 32 . additionally , the interface of edge lsr pe 2 that receives the pim join message may be added to the lib table and linked to the incoming label generated in step 32 . in one embodiment , whenever edge lsr pe 2 receives a labeled packet with the label generated in step 32 , edge lsr pe 2 will strip off the label and output the resulting packet through the interface linked to the label in the lib table created in step 32 . it is noted that the table may include additional interfaces of edge lsr pe 2 through which data packet or replications thereof may be output to other downstream receivers ( not shown in fig1 ) coupled to other pim enabled routers ( not shown in fig1 ). finally , edge lsr pe 2 generates and sends an mldp label mapping message to upstream core lsr p 2 through the rpf interface identified in step 22 , as shown in step 34 . the mldp label mapping message includes the label generated in step 32 and the mfec generated in step 30 . fig3 illustrates relevant aspects of a process implemented by , for example , core lsrs of mpls network 12 in response to receiving an mldp label mapping message for building p2mp lsp 14 . for example , the process shown within fig3 can be implemented by core lsr p 1 in response to core lsr p 1 receiving an mldp label mapping message from core lsr p 2 . the mldp label mapping message received by core lsr p 1 was generated and sent by core lsr p 2 in response to core lsr p 2 receiving the mldp label mapping message described with reference to fig2 . the mldp label mapping message received by core lsr p 1 contains the same mfec generated in step 30 of fig2 . however , the mldp label mapping message received by core lsr p 1 contains a label generated by core lsr p 2 that is different than the label generated by edge lsr pe 2 in step 32 of fig2 . in response to core lsr p 1 receiving the mldp label mapping message , core lsr p 1 determines whether it has an lib table for the mfec of the received mldp label mapping message . for purposes of explanation , it will be presumed that core lsr p 1 does not have an lib table for the mfec . accordingly , core lsr 1 creates an lib table for mfec as shown in step 54 . in step 56 , core lsr p 1 adds the label of the received mldp label mapping message received in step 50 to the lib table as an outgoing label . additionally , the interface of core lsr p 1 that received the mldp label mapping message in step 50 is added to the lib table for the mfec and linked to the added outgoing label . as an aside , when the process shown in fig3 is implemented in core lsr p 2 , the label generated in step 32 would be added to the lib table for the mfec as the outgoing label . in step 60 , core lsr generates an incoming label . although not shown within the process of fig3 , this incoming label is also added to the lib table created for the mfec and linked to the label added in step 56 . in one embodiment , whenever core lsr p 1 receives a labeled packet with the label generated in step 60 , core lsr p 1 will swap the label with the outgoing label stored in step 56 and send the packet out of the interface linked to the outgoing label in the lib table of the mfec . in step 62 , core lsr p 1 generates and sends an mldp label mapping message to the next lsr toward the edge lsr identified in the mfec . in this example , core lsr p 1 would send the mldp label mapping message to core lsr p 4 . however , as noted above , core lsr p 4 is not mldp enabled and cannot implement the process shown in fig3 . because core lsr p 4 is not mldp enabled , core lsr p 4 will not recognize the mfec of mldp label mapping message it receives from core lsr p 1 , and core lsr p 4 will return an unknown fec message or other error message to core lsr p 1 . steps 64 - 70 of fig3 describe a method of bypassing a non - mldp enabled core lsr in order to deliver the mldp label mapping message to edge lsr identified in the mfec . specifically , in step 64 when core lsr p 1 receives the unknown fec message from core lsr p 4 , core lsr p 1 creates a directed ldp session with the edge lsr identified in the mfec . thereafter in step 70 , core lsr p 1 sends the mldp label mapping message generated in step 62 to edge lsr pe 1 via the directed ldp session , and the process then ends . additionally , core lsr p 1 may send its identification ( e . g ., the ip address for core lsr p 1 ) along with the mldp label mapping message to edge lsr pe 1 . in another embodiment , core lsr p 1 may know that the next upstream lsr is not mldp enabled when core lsr p 1 receives the mldp label mapping from the downstream router in step 50 . in this other embodiment , rather then send the mldp label mapping that core lsr generates to the next upstream lsr as shown in step 62 , core lsr p 1 may immediately jump to step 66 and create the directed ldp session with lsr pe 1 , the edge lsr identified in the mfec . thereafter core lsr p 1 sends the mldp label mapping generated in step 62 to edge lsr pe 1 as shown in step 70 . fig4 illustrates relevant aspects of a process implemented by an edge lsr , such as edge lsr pe 1 , in response to receiving an mldp label mapping message from a downstream lsr via a directed ldp session . fig4 will be described with reference to edge lsr pe 1 receiving the mldp label mapping message generated and sent by core lsr p 1 in fig3 . in fig4 , the edge lsr ( e . g ., edge lsr pe 1 ) determines whether it is the ingress edge lsr identified in the mfec of the mldp label mapping message it receives in step 80 . in other words , edge lsr pe 1 determines whether its ip address matches the ip address in the mfec it receives in step 80 . if the ip address of the mfec doesn &# 39 ; t match , the mldp label mapping message received in step 80 is dropped , and the process of fig4 ends . if the ip addresses match , the process proceeds to step 84 where edge lsr pe 1 decodes the opaque value of the mfec to produce s and g . the method of decoding the opaque value in step 84 is the reverse of the method used by edge router pe 2 to create the opaque value as a function of s and g . in step 86 , edge lsr pe 1 determines whether it has an lib table associated with s and g . it will be presumed for the purposes of explanation only , that edge lsr pe 1 does not have an lib table associated with s and g when edge lsr pe 1 receives the mldp label mapping message from core lsr p 1 in step 80 . accordingly , edge lsr pe 1 creates an lib table for s , g in step 90 , and in step 92 edge lsr pe 1 adds to the lib table for s , g , the label contained within the mldp label mapping message it receives from core lsr p 1 . no interface of ingress edge lsr pe 1 is linked to the label added to the lib table in step 92 . rather , ingress edge lsr pe 1 selects an existing p2p lsp ( e . g ., p2p lsp 16 ) which couples edge lsr pe 1 to the downstream lsr ( e . g ., core lsr p 1 ) that sent the mldp label mapping message received in step 80 . thereafter , edge lsr pe 1 links the lib table for s , g to the lib table existing for the selected p2p lsp . as will be described below , the selected p2p lsp can be used to transmit multicast data packets to core lsr p 1 for subsequent transmission on the lsp created using the processes shown within fig2 and 3 . once the lib table for s , g is linked to the lib table for the selected p2p lsp , the process of fig4 ends . fig5 illustrates relevant aspects of a process implemented by an ingress edge lsr in response to receiving multicast data packets , after the ingress edge lsr has set up a forwarding state using the process shown in fig4 . for example , the process shown in fig5 can be implemented by edge lsr pe 1 after the process shown in fig4 has been completed and in response to edge lsr pe 1 receiving multicast data packets generated by source h 1 . the multicast data packets received from source h 1 have a header , which in turn includes the s and g addresses in fig5 , the process initiates when ingress edge lsr pe 1 receives the s , g multicast data packets as shown in step 100 . edge lsr pe 1 accesses the header for the multicast data packet to read the s and g addresses contained therein . edge lsr pe 1 then accesses the lib table associated with s , g and reads the outgoing label ( e . g ., the label stored in step 92 of fig4 ) stored therein . thereafter , edge lsr pe 1 assigns or attaches the outgoing label to the multicast data packet it receives in step 100 , thereby creating a labeled multicast data packet as shown in step 104 . in normal lsp transmission , the labeled multicast data packet would be transmitted to a core lsr . however , since the lib table for s , g is linked to the lib table for p2p lsp 14 selected in fig4 , edge lsr pe 1 attaches the outgoing label from the p2p lsp lib table that is linked to the lib table for s , g , thereby creating a stacked label multicast data packet . in the stacked label multicast data packet , the top label is the outgoing p2p lsp label from the lib table for p2p lsp 14 , while the bottom label is the outgoing label from the lib table for s , g ( the label generated by core lsr p 1 in step 60 of fig3 ). thereafter in step 110 , the stacked label multicast data packet is transmitted to the next lsr of the p2p lsp through the interface of edge lsr pe 1 identified in the lib table for p2p lsp 14 . in this particular example , the stacked label multicast data packet is transmitted to core lsr p 4 , the lsr that is non - mldp enabled . the lsrs in p2p lsp 14 operate in accordance with normal mpls protocol when receiving and forwarding labeled packets . fig6 illustrates relevant aspects of a process employed by core lsrs of p2p lsp 14 . in step 120 , core lsr p 4 receives the stacked label multicast data packet generated and sent by ingress edge lsr p 1 in accordance with the process shown in fig5 . in response , core lsr p 4 determines whether it is the penultimate lsr within the p2p lsp . if core lsr p 4 was not the penultimate lsr , then in step 130 , core lsr p 4 would swap the top , incoming p2p lsp label of the packet with an outgoing p2p lsp label in accordance with the lib table in core lsr p 4 and send the resulting stacked label multicast data packet to the next lsr of the p2p lsp . however , core lsr p 4 is the penultimate lsr within p2p lsp 14 in the illustrated example . as such , core lsr p 4 pops off the top , incoming p2p lsp label from the packet received in step 120 . popping off the top label leaves the labeled data packet created in step 104 by ingress edge lsr pe 1 . lastly , core lsr p 4 transmits the labeled multicast data packet out of the interface identified in its lib table to core lsr p 1 , the last lsr of p2p lsp 14 . core lsr p 1 , in turn , swaps the incoming label of the packet transmitted by core lsr p 4 with the outgoing label stored in the lib in step 56 of fig3 , and sends the resulting labeled packet out of the interface of p 1 that is linked to the outgoing label . it is noted that after h 3 joins the multicast group g , core lsr p 1 would replicate the multicast data packet it receives from core lsr p 4 for subsequent transmission on the p2mp lsp coupled to receiver h 3 . fig7 is a simplified block diagram illustrating an example of a network routing device 400 or router . in this depiction , network routing device 400 includes a number of line cards ( line cards 402 ( 1 )-( n )) that are communicatively coupled to a forwarding engine 410 and a processor 420 via a data bus 430 and a result bus 440 . line cards 402 ( 1 )-( n ) include a number of port processors 450 ( 1 , 1 )-( n , n ) which are controlled by port processor controllers 460 ( 1 )-( n ). it will also be noted that forwarding engine 410 and processor 420 are not only coupled to one another via data bus 430 and result bus 440 , but are also communicatively coupled to one another by a communications link 470 . the processors 450 and 460 of each line card 402 may be mounted on a single printed circuit board . when a packet is received , the packet is identified and analyzed by a network routing device such as network routing device 400 in the following manner , according to embodiments of the present invention . upon receipt , a packet ( or some or all of its control information ) is sent from the one of port processors 450 ( 1 , 1 )-( n , n ) at which the packet was received to one or more of those devices coupled to data bus 430 ( e . g ., others of port processors 450 ( 1 , 1 )-( n , n ), forwarding engine 410 and / or processor 420 ). handling of the packet can be determined , for example , by forwarding engine 410 . for example , forwarding engine 410 may determine that the packet should be forwarded to one or more of port processors 450 ( 1 , 1 )-( n , n ). this can be accomplished by indicating to corresponding one ( s ) of port processor controllers 460 ( 1 )-( n ) that the copy of the packet held in the given one ( s ) of port processors 450 ( 1 , 1 )-( n , n ) should be forwarded to the appropriate one of port processors 450 ( 1 , 1 )-( n , n ). in the foregoing process , network security information can be included in a frame sourced by network routing device 400 in a number of ways . for example , forwarding engine 410 can be used to detect the need for the inclusion of network security information in the packet , and processor 420 can be called into service to provide the requisite network security information . this network security information can be included in the packet during the transfer of the packet &# 39 ; s contents from one of port processors 450 ( 1 , 1 )-( n , n ) to another of port processors 450 ( 1 , 1 )-( n , n ), by processor 420 providing the requisite information directly , or via forwarding engine 410 , for example . the assembled packet at the receiving one of port processors 450 ( 1 , 1 )-( n , n ) can thus be made to contain the requisite network security information . in addition , or alternatively , once a packet has been identified for processing according to the present invention , forwarding engine 410 , processor 420 or the like can be used to process the packet in some manner or add packet security information , in order to secure the packet . on a node sourcing such a packet , this processing can include , for example , encryption of some or all of the packet &# 39 ; s information , the addition of a digital signature or some other information or processing capable of securing the packet . on a node receiving such a processed packet , the corresponding process is performed to recover or validate the packet &# 39 ; s information that has been thusly protected . although the present invention has been described in connection with several embodiments , the invention is not intended to be limited to the specific forms set forth herein . on the contrary , it is intended to cover such alternatives , modifications , and equivalents as can be reasonably included within the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims .	7
alpha - 2b - adrenoceptor antagonists are useful in the treatment and / or prevention of many diseases . individuals having a deletion in the alpha - 2b - adrenocepter protein ( heinonen et al ., 1999 ), particularly the deletion / deletion genotype ( d / d genotype ) is an important target group which benefits from administration of selective alpha - 2b - adrenoceptor antagonists . it has been found that in a population - based cohort of finnish middle - aged men that subjects with a d / d genotype of the alpha - 2b - adrenoceptor gene have a significantly elevated risk for acute myocardial infarction ( ami ) in a five - year follow - up study . the risk for ami was increased in subjects who had no previously diagnosed coronary heart disease ( chd ) at the study outset . therefore , it has been postulated that the d / d genotype is related to an impaired capacity to down - regulate alpha - 2b - adrenoceptor function during sustained receptor activation . therefore , alpha - 2b - adrenoceptors are believed to be involved in the pathogenesis of a significant fraction of all cases of ami , especially in subjects with the d / d genotype , but also in i / d and i / i subjects ( i means “ insertion ” and stands for the “ normal ” allele ). the alpha - 2b - adrenoceptor antagonists as disclosed in this invention would be particulaly useful in the treatment or prevention of coronary heart diseases . as examples can be mentioned . if alpha - 2b - adrenoceptor dependent vasoconstriction is a causative factor in some cases of ami , then antagonism of these receptors should restore coronary circulation and reduce the ischemic myocardial damage . an alpha - 2b - adrenoceptor antagonist will relieve the vasoconstrictive component in the sustained ischemic episode , thus alleviating the symptoms and preventing ami . vasoconstriction is a key factor in the pathogenesis of prinzmetal &# 39 ; s angina , and an alpha - 2b - adrenoceptor antagonist may resolve and prevent attacks . an alpha - 2b - adrenoceptor antagonist will help to alleviate the vasoconstrictive component in all types of chd , providing both symptomatic relief and protection from ami . a general reduction in vascular tone will contribute to this by reducing venous return , cardiac workload and oxygen consumption ( a nitrate - type effect ; see below ). e ) prevention of restenosis after coroary angioplasty in cases where vasoconstriction plays a role in restenosis furhennore , the alpha - 2b - adrenoceptor antagonists as disclosed in this invention would be useful in the treatment or prevention of essential hypertension , especially in subjects with increased sympathetic activity and a hyperdynamic circulatory system . in the study mentioned above , the d / d variant of the alpha - 2b - adrenoceptor gene was not clearly associated with blood pressure . the inventors believe that this was due to two main factors , 1 ) antihypertensive treatment , and 2 ) complex regulation of systemic blood pressure . in another study ( heinonen et al . ), it was observed that the d / d genotype was associated with reduced basal metabolic rate and reduced heart rate . these associations probably reflect increased vascular resistance in these subjects . in transgenic mice with targeted inactivation of the alpha - 2b - adrenoceptor gene , intravenously administered alpha - 2 - adrenoceptor agollists fail to induce the characteristic blood pressure elevation which is seen in normal animals and also in humans after large doses of such drugs ( link et al ., 1996 ). the hypotensive effect of these drugs was markedly accentuated . this demonstrates that alpha - 2b - adrenoceptors mediate vascular contraction . thus , an antagonist should reduce blood pressure . this effect has not been seen with alpha - 2b - nonselective alpha - 2 - adrenoceptor antagonists , because antagonism of alpha - 2a - adrenoceptors increases sympathetic outflow , cardiac output and blood pressure . in mice with dysfunctional alpha - 2a - adrenioceptors , alpha - 2 - adreoceptor agonists caused an accentuated hypertensive response and no hypotension ( macmillan et al ., 1996 ). an alpha - 2b - adrenoceptor antagonist is postulated to have favourable effects in hypertensive subjects through their effects on renal function , muscle blood flow , and also on vascular resistance in other vascular beds . the anti - ami effect of such a drug will be an additional benefit , as hypertension is a significant risk factor for ami . this protection is due to thuee factors : 1 ) a reduction in systemic blood pressure , 2 ) decreased risk of coronary vasoconstiction , and 3 ) a nitrate - like effect on venous return , myocardial workload and oxygen consumption . moreover , the alpha - 2b - adrenoceptor antagonists as disclosed in this invention would be useful in the treatment or prevention of other vascular diseases . specifically , benefits can be expected in the treatment or prevention of the last mentioned effect is due to the fact that reduced muscle blood flow and reduced basal metabolic rate contribute to the development of obesity and hypertension . an alpha - 2b - adrenoceptor antagonist will , by increasing the muscle blood flow , increase energy expenditure and shift the caloric balance to a favourable direction . the alpha - 2b - adrenoceptor antagonists disclosed in this invention are also useful in anesthesia and analgesia to potentiate the clinical efficacy of alpha - 2 - adrenoceptor agonists which are not selective for the alpha - 2b - adrenoceptor subtype . by blocking the vasoconstiiction induced by these agonists , a simultaneously administered alpha - 2b - adrenoceptor antagonist will allow the use of larger doses of said agonists , up to anesthetic dose levels which have not previously been possible in man , only in veteinary anesthetic practice . the affinity of test compounds for the three human α 2 - adrenoceptor subtypes ( α 2a , α 2b and α 2c ) was determined in competition binding assays with 3 h - rauwolscine . the biological material for these experiments consisted of membranes from shionogi s115 cells stably transfected with either of the three human α 2 subtypes ( marjarnaki et al . 1992 ). membrane ( 5 - 10 μg of total protein per sample ) and 1 nm - 2 nm 3 h - rauwolscine ( specific activity 78 ci / mrnmol ) were incubated in 50 mm kh 2 po 4 , ph 7 . 5 with 6 concentrations of the compounds . each concentration was run in duplicate . nonspecific binding was defined by 100 μm oxymetazoline and corresponded to 5 - 15 % of total binding . after 30 mim at room temperature , incubations were terminated by rapid vacuum filtration through gf / b glass fiber filter and three 5 ml washes with icecold incubation buffer . the filters were then dried , impregnated with scintillate and their radioactivity was measured by scintillation counting . the analysis of the experiments was carried out by nonlineair least square curve fitting . experimentally determined ic50 values were converted to ki &# 39 ; s by making use of the cheng - prusoff equation ( cheng and prusoff , 1973 ). experiments were repeated a minimum of three times . the affinity for rat neocortical α 1 - adrenoceptors was determined in competition binding assays with 3 h - prazosin . the biological material for these assays consisted of membranes from rat neocortex . membrane suspensions ( 100 - 200 μg of total protein per sample ) and 0 . 2 nm - 0 . 25 nm of 3 h - prazosin ( specific activity 74 ci / mmol ) were incubated with 6 concentrations of compounds in a total volume of 0 . 25 ml ( 50 mm tris ph 7 . 7 at 25 ° c ). each concentration was run in duplicate . nonspecific binding was defined by 10 μm phentolamine methanesulfonate and corresponded to 25 - 30 % of total binding . after 30 min at room temperature , incubations was terminated by rapid filtration through gf / b glass - fiber filter mats and three washes with ice - cold 10 mm tris ( ph 7 . 7 at 4 ° c .). after drying , a solid scintillate was melted onto the filter mats , and their radioactivity was measured by scintillation counting . at concentrations of up to 30 μm , compound a caused insufficient displacement of 3 h - prazosin to allow the estimate of an ic 50 value . it is therefore concluded that the ic 50 and the ki of compound a must be & gt ; 30000 nm . antagonist potencies were determined as the ability of test compounds to competitively inhibit epinephrine - stimulated 35 s - gtpγs binding to g proteins ( tian et al ., 1993 ; wieland and jalcobs , 1994 ; jasper et al ., 1998 ) in membranes of cho cells stably transfected with one of the three human α 2 subtypes ( pohjanoksa et al ., 1997 ; marjamäki et al ., 1998 ). membranes ( 2 - 6 μg of protein per samnple ) and 12 concentrations of test compound were preincubated for 30 min with a fixed concentration fo epinephrine ( 5 μm for α 2a , 15 μm for α 2b , 5 μm for α 2 c ) in 50 mm tris , 5 mm mgcl 2 , 150 mm nacl , 1 mm dtt , 1 mm edta , 10 μum gdp , 30 μm ascoerbic acid , ph 7 . 4 at room temperature . binding of radiolabel was started by the addition of trace amounts of 35 s - gtpγs ( 0 . 08 nm - 0 . 15 nm , specific activity 1250 ci / mmol ) to the incubation mixture . after an additional 60 min at room temperature , the incubation was terminated by rapid vacuum filtration through glass fiber filter . filters were washed three times with 5 ml icecold wash buffer ( 20 mm tris , 5 mm mgcl 2 , 1 mm edta ph 7 . 4 at room temperature ), dried and counted for radioactivity in a scintiallation counter . analysis of experiments was carried out by nonlinear least square fitting . experiments were repeated at least three times . for the purpose of the invention , the alpha - 2b - adrenoceptor antagonist as disclosed in scheme i or its pharmaceutically acceptable salt can be administered by various routes . the suitable administration forms include , for example , oral formulations ; parenteral injections including intravenous , intramuscular , intradermal and subcutanous injections ; transdermal or rectal administration forms . the required dosage of the compounds of the alpha - 2b - adrenoceptor antagonist will vary with the particular condition being treated , the severity of the condition , the duration of the treatment , the administration route and the specific compound being employed . the suitable dose varies in the range 5 μg to 100 mg per kg body weight and day for an adult person . it will be appreciated that the methods of the present invention can be incorporated in the form of a variety of embodiments , only a few of which are disclosed herein . it will be apparent for the specialist in the field that other embodiments exist and do not depart from the spirit of the invention . thus , the described embodiments are illustrative and should not be construed as restrictive . cheng , y ., and prusoff , w . h ., 1973 . biochem . pharmacol . 22 : 3099 jasper , j . r ., lesnick , j . d ., chang , l . k ., yamanashi , s . s ., chang , t . c ., hsu , s . a . o ., daunt , d . a ., bonhaus , d . w ., and egen , r . m ., 1998 . biochem . pharmacol . 55 : 1035 marjamäki , a ., ala - uotila , s ., luomala , k ., perädlä , m ., jansson , c ., jalkanen , m ., regan , j . w ., and scheinin , m ., 1992 . biochem . biophys . acta 1134 : 169 marjamäki , a ., pihlavisto , m ., cockcroft , v ., heinonen , p ., savola , j .- m ., and scheinin , m ., 1998 . mol . phannacol . 53 : 370 pohjanoksa , k ., jansson , c . c ., luomala , k ., marjamäki , a ., savola , j .- m ., and scheinin , m ., 1997 . eur . j . pharmacol . 35 : 53 tian , w .- n ., duzic , e ., lanier , s . m ., and deth , r . c ., 1993 . mol . pharmacol . 45 : 524 wieland , t ., and jakobs , k . h ., 1994 . meth . enzymol . 237 : 3 heinonen et al . 1999 , the journal of clinical endocrinology & amp ; metabolism , 84 : 2429	2
systems and methods for packaging / storing and dispensing a fluid , such as lubricating motor oil , are described herein . in particular , embodiments may take the form of or relate to a system comprising a container , a dosing mechanism , and a fluid receptacle . the system may be vertically positioned such that the fluid receptacle is gravity filled . the system may be reusable ( i . e ., refillable ) or disposable . the present disclosure has advantages over current systems for dispensing lubricating motor oil because it is fully recyclable , utilizes coding features or labels to help eliminate cross - contamination issues , and allows the user to completely empty the container of motor oil . the present system is also ergonomically friendly . in high - level illustrative implementation , as shown in fig1 a , a fluid dispensing system 100 may comprise a container 102 , a dosing mechanism 104 , and a fluid receptacle 106 . the container 100 may comprise at least one open end 108 located at the bottom of the container 102 . the open end 108 may be covered by a membrane or other pierce - able cover , or by a removable or re - usable cap or cover . a fluid , such as motor oil , may be provided within the container 102 . the fluid dispensing system 100 may also be used to store and dispense other fluids , such as transmission fluids , brake fluids , and other ancillary automotive fluids . the dosing mechanism 104 may be releasably connected to the container 102 . in an example embodiment , the dosing mechanism 104 is connected to the container at the open end 108 . the container 102 may be inserted into the dosing mechanism 104 and the dosing mechanism 104 may puncture the membrane at the open end 108 of the container 102 . the open end 108 may comprise a neck and the container 102 may be releasably locked into place at the neck . the dosing mechanism 104 may also be released to remove the container 102 . the dosing mechanism 104 may be configured to dispense a fixed dose of the fluid from the container 102 . thus , the fluid receptacle 106 may be removed by a user in order to dispense the fluid into its desired location , e . g ., to dispense motor oil into an automobile . the dosing mechanism 104 may provide the fixed dose of fluid into the fluid receptacle 106 . fluid is only dispensed from the container 102 into the fluid receptacle 106 when the dosing mechanism 104 is in place . the fluid receptacle 106 may include a fluid level indicator in order to determine how much fluid is contained within . in practice , a user would fill the fluid receptacle 106 with the desired amount of fluid and then evacuate the entire amount . in alternative embodiments , the user may empty less than the entire amount of the receptacle . in one embodiment , shown in fig1 b , the container 102 may comprise a first coding feature 110 . the dosing mechanism 104 may also comprise a second coding feature 112 and the fluid receptacle 106 may comprise a third coding feature 114 . the coding features 110 , 112 , and 114 may be labels indicating the type of fluid . these labels may help to avoid cross contamination as the user will be instructed only to use a container 102 , dosing mechanism 104 , and fluid receptacle 106 with matching labels . the coding features or labels may include unique colors and text . in other embodiments , the coding features or labels may be in braille . the container 102 may comprise a blow molded crushable fluid reservoir , such as a blow molded environmentally sustainable fluid reservoir . in other embodiments , the container 102 may be an extruded container . the container 102 may be any shape that can hold a fluid , such as oblong , cylindrical , conical , or square . the container 102 may comprise at least one handle . the handle may be located on the sides or top of the container 102 . the container 102 may also comprise an integrated measuring indicator . the integrated measuring indicator may be provided on the outside of the container . in an example embodiment , the fluid receptacle 106 may comprise a trigger and a valve . the trigger may be configured to open and close the valve . in other embodiments , the fluid receptacle 106 may comprise a manual valve . the fluid receptacle 106 may also comprise an integrated measuring indicator . the integrated measuring indicator may be provided on the outside of the container . the fluid receptacle 106 may be in suspended attachment with the dosing mechanism 104 , meaning that the fluid receptacle 106 is not attached to a wall or other support . the dosing mechanism 104 may comprise a wall mount bracket for mounting the dosing mechanism 104 to a wall or attached to other dosing mechanisms and be capable of spinning on a pole . this configuration may allow for the suspended attachment of the fluid receptacle 106 . the dosing mechanism 104 may comprise a dispensing dial for dispensing a fixed dose of fluid into the fluid receptacle 106 . the dispensing dial may be a manual dispensing dial or a metered dispensing dial . in an example embodiment , the container 102 , reservoir of the dosing mechanism 104 , and / or the fluid receptacle 106 may be manufactured from an oleophobic material , such a naturally oleophobic material like hdpe . in alternative embodiments , the container 102 , reservoir of the dosing mechanism 104 , and / or the fluid receptacle 106 may have a non - stick internal coating , for example , liquiglide ™ or other coatings known in the art . various valve mechanisms may be used to retain the fluid in the container 102 once it is connected to the dosing mechanism 104 , as is shown in fig1 c . typically in use the container 102 will be positioned substantially vertically with the open end 108 positioned vertically downwards in the dosing mechanism 104 to enable fluid to flow via gravity ( as shown by dashed lines in fig1 c ). alternatively a pump mechanism may be used to create a pressure within the container 102 to force the fluid to flow out of the open end 108 . one particularly advantageous mechanism is to exploit a hydrostatic seal to maintain the fluid within the container 102 . the hydrostatic pressure is the total pressure caused by the weight of the body of fluid within the container 102 against the open end 108 . as the volume of fluid decreases during dispensing , the hydrostatic pressure also increases due to the reduction in weight of fluid in the container 102 . in order to create a hydrostatic seal , the dosing mechanism is provided with a cup feature 116 into which the open end 108 of the container 102 is inserted . as described above , the open end 108 may be provided with pierce - able membrane or other cover to retain the fluid within the container 102 before use . the cup feature 116 is provided with a piercing member 118 disposed centrally within the cup in order to pierce the pierce - able membrane as the open end 108 of the container 102 is inserted into the dosing mechanism 104 . the cup feature 116 comprises a first region 120 forming the base of the cup feature 116 and a second region 122 forming the rim of the cup 116 . a volume of fluid 124 , for example , 7 ounces ( 200 ml ), is retained within the first region 120 of the cup feature 116 . the open end 108 of the container 102 is positionable submerged in the volume of fluid in the first region of the cup to form a hydrostatic seal . the first region 120 of the cup feature 116 retains a volume of fluid when the open end 108 of the container 102 is removed . in use , once the pierce - able membrane on the open end 108 of the container 102 has been pierced and the container 102 inserted fully into the dosing mechanism 104 , the open end 108 of the container 102 is submerged below the surface 126 of the volume of fluid 124 . this ensures that the fluid within the container 102 does not leak out since the hydrostatic pressure of the fluid coupled with the submersion of the open end 108 of the container 102 creates a hydrostatic seal . as the fluid drains out of the container 102 during use , not only does the hydrostatic pressure decrease , if the container comprises a crushable fluid reservoir the container 102 may begin to crease and collapse , ready for removal from the dosing mechanism 104 for disposal and / or recycling . when the container 102 is removed or inserted from the dosing unit a small volume of fluid ( sufficient to form a further hydrostatic seal with a full container 102 ) remains in the cup feature 116 . example configurations for fluid dispensing systems are illustrated in fig2 a - g . as shown in fig2 a - g , fluid dispensing system 200 may comprise a container 202 , a dosing mechanism 204 , and a fluid receptacle 206 . in some embodiments , the fluid dispensing system 200 may comprise a plurality of containers 200 , a dosing mechanism 204 , and a plurality of fluid receptacles 206 . the dosing mechanism 204 may releasably connect the plurality of containers 200 to the plurality of fluid receptacles 206 . for example , the fluid dispensing system 200 may comprise four containers 200 , a dosing mechanism 204 with four cavities for insertion of the four containers , and four fluid receptacles 206 . a plurality of fluid dispensing systems 200 may also be provided . the container 202 may be a light - weight , crushable fluid reservoir 214 ( see fig2 b ). the container 202 may be a tall , vertical , oblong comprising an open end 208 with a plurality of handles 212 . the open end 208 may be located at the end of a neck 209 . the neck 209 may comprise a top portion 209 a and a bottom portion 209 b . the bottom portion 209 b may be threaded in order to releasably connect the container 202 to the dosing mechanism 204 . fig2 c shows a cap or overcap 210 that may be threadably connected to the bottom portion 209 b before the container 202 is connected to the dosing mechanism 204 . the bottom portion 209 b may also include a pierce - able membrane 211 . the container 202 may include an integrated measuring indicator 213 on the container 202 ( see fig2 d ) in order to measure how much fluid is in the crushable fluid reservoir 214 . in some embodiments , the integrated measuring indicator 213 is located on at least one of the plurality of handles 212 , as shown in fig2 d . the container 202 may also include labeling to indicate the brand and weight of the oil . the coding features or labels may include unique colors and text . in other embodiments , the coding features or labels may be in braille . the dosing mechanism 204 of this example is shown in fig2 e . the dosing mechanism 204 may be attached to the open end 208 of the container 202 . the dosing mechanism 204 may include a piercing member 217 to puncture or pierce the pierce - able membrane 211 of the container 202 . the dosing mechanism 204 may include a switch 216 for dispensing a fixed dose of fluid into the fluid receptacle 206 . in this example , the switch 216 is a non - rotatable switch . the switch 216 may be configured to have a first position and a second position . this could be where a push - button is used , such that the first position is the push - button in an un - pushed or non - actuated state , and the second position is where the push - button is pushed in , or in an actuated stated . in the first position , the switch 216 may be configured to prevent the fluid from entering the fluid receptacle 216 , and in the second position , the switch 216 is configured to enable the fluid flow into the fluid receptacle 206 . alternatively , in another example , the switch 216 is configured such that a first activation initiates the flow of fluid into the fluid receptacle 206 , and a second activation terminates the flow of fluid into the fluid receptacle 206 . for a push - button this would be the equivalent of pushing the push - button into an actuated position and holding the push - button down in the actuated position until the correct volume of fluid is obtained at which point the push - button is released into a non - actuated position and the flow of fluid ceases . therefore in this example , the switch 216 is configured such that the fluid is dispensed only when the switch 216 is held in the second position . the push - button may be one of : a push button , a rocker switch or a sliding switch . in a further example , the dosing mechanism 204 may comprise a valve 228 positioned between the container 202 and the fluid receptacle 206 , such that actuating the switch 216 actuates the valve 228 . the switch 216 may be one of a push - button , a rocker switch or a slider , and the push - button used in the examples above may be easily replaced by a rocker switch or a slider . other mechanisms may be used to provide a switch . for example , the switch may also be a rotatable switch . dispensing may occur by rotating or turning the switch . additionally or alternatively , the dosing mechanism may also include one of : a keypad , a touchscreen , a dial , or a lock and key mechanism , as an alternative to the dial metered dosing mechanism above . coding features may also be used , as described above . the container 202 comprises a first coding feature indicating the type of fluid provided within the container 202 , the dosing mechanism 204 comprises a second coding feature and the fluid receptacle 206 comprises a third coding feature , and wherein the first coding feature , second coding feature and third coding feature match . in some examples , the dosing mechanism 204 may be provided with an overflow arrangement 230 . the piercing of the pierce - able membrane 211 by the piercing member 217 creates a hydrostatic seal between the dosing mechanism 204 and the container 202 . over time some fluid will escape the hydrostatic seal and needs to be collected for removal from the dispensing mechanism 204 . this is done by providing an outer cup 232 and an inner cup 234 , concentric with each other , such that overflow liquid first fills the inner cup 234 and then overflows into the outer cup 232 . to make sure that the fluid is collected for removal and does not overflow onto the hands of a user of the system 200 or onto the floor or the fluid receptacle 206 , an overflow pipe 236 is provided from the base of the outer cup 232 to below the valve 228 so that fluid can flow directly into the fluid receptacle 206 . the dosing mechanism 204 may also include a wall mount bracket 218 . the wall mount bracket 218 may allow the entire system 200 to be mounted to a wall without separately mounting the container 202 and / or the fluid receptacle 206 . in an alternative embodiment , fig2 f shows the dosing mechanism 204 attached to a pole 205 and resting on a ball bearing system to allow the entire fluid dispensing system 200 to spin and allow access to all four containers 200 . fluid may be dispensed from the dosing mechanism 204 in volumes of 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , or 6 quarts ( 0 . 95 , 1 . 89 , 2 . 84 , 3 . 79 , 4 . 73 , or 5 . 68 liters ). the dosing mechanism 204 may be a multi - chamber reservoir to allow for accurate dosing , as shown in fig2 e . the dosing mechanism 204 may include 1 , 2 , and 3 quart ( 0 . 95 , 1 . 89 , and 2 . 84 liter ) chambers . walls 215 a and 215 b may divide the reservoir of the dosing mechanism 204 into three chambers 219 a , 219 b , and 219 c ( for example , chambers holding 1 , 2 , and 3 quarts ( 0 . 95 , 1 . 89 , and 2 . 84 liters )). the user may press the switch 216 to dispense the fluid in a volume of 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , or 6 quarts ( 0 . 95 , 1 . 89 , 2 . 84 , 3 . 79 , 4 . 73 , or 5 . 68 liters ), wherein the fluid will be dispensed from an individual chamber or combination of chambers . in alternative embodiments , the fluid receptacle may be manually filled without using the dosing mechanism 204 . in other embodiments , a user may control the dose set in the dosing mechanism . the user may “ top off ” or manually fill the fluid receptacle , but the fluid receptacle should be connected to the dosing mechanism 204 in order to allow manual filling . this helps to prevent cross - contamination . fig2 g shows the fluid receptacle 206 of this example . the fluid receptacle 206 may include a top fill valve 220 with a gasket 222 , which may be releasably engageable with the dosing mechanism 204 . the fluid receptacle 206 may be in suspended attachment ( i . e ., attached to the dosing mechanism 204 which is attached to a wall or pole ). the fluid receptacle 206 may comprise at least one handle 224 . in one embodiment , the handle 224 may provide an elbow style grip . a valve release trigger 226 may be provided on the handle to release the fluid receptacle 206 from the dosing mechanism 204 such that a user can use the fluid receptacle 206 to provide oil to a motor . the valve release trigger 226 may also be used by a user to dispense oil to the automobile . a method 300 of dispensing a fluid using the fluid dispensing system 100 is also provided , as shown in fig3 . the method may comprise step 302 of providing container 102 with an open end . the fluid may be provided within container 102 . the method may also comprise the step 304 of providing the dosing mechanism 104 connected to the container 102 . the dosing mechanism 104 may be configured to dispense a dose of the fluid from the container 102 . the method further comprises the step 306 of providing the fluid receptacle 106 . the fluid receptacle 106 may be releasably engageable with the dosing mechanism 104 and may be ergonomically shaped for ease of use . the method may also comprise the step 308 of dispensing the dose of the fluid from the dosing mechanism 104 into the fluid receptacle 106 and the step 310 of removing the fluid receptacle from the dosing mechanism 106 . the fluid receptacle 106 also may be ergonomically shaped , such that the user is easily able to dispense the fluid from the fluid receptacle 106 . in this method , the container 100 may also comprise a first coding feature 110 , the dosing mechanism 102 may comprise a second coding feature 112 , and the fluid receptacle 104 may comprise a third coding feature 114 . the user may use the coding features ( for example , labels ) to ensure that only the same type of fluid is present in the container , dosing mechanism , and fluid receptacle , thus preventing cross - contamination of different oil types . examples given above are merely illustrative and are not meant to be an exhaustive list of all possible embodiments , applications or modifications of the invention . thus , various modifications and variations of the described methods and systems of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention . although the invention has been described in connection with specific embodiments , it should be understood that the invention as claimed should not be unduly limited to such specific embodiments . indeed , various modifications of the described modes for carrying out the invention which are obvious to the skilled artisan . it is understood that the invention is not limited to the particular methodology , protocols , etc ., described herein , as these may vary as the skilled artisan will recognize . it is also to be understood that the terminology used herein is used for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only , and is not intended to limit the scope of the invention . it also is to be noted that , as used herein and in the appended claims , the singular forms “ a ,” “ an ,” and “ the ” include the plural reference unless the context clearly dictates otherwise . thus , for example , a reference to “ a fixture ” is a reference to one or more fixtures and equivalents thereof known to those skilled in the art . unless defined otherwise , all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meanings as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which the invention pertains . the embodiments of the invention and the various features and advantageous details thereof are explained more fully with reference to the non - limiting embodiments and / or illustrated in the accompanying drawings and detailed in the following description . it should be noted that the features illustrated in the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale , and features of one embodiment may be employed with other embodiments as the skilled artisan would recognize , even if not explicitly stated herein . any numerical values recited herein include all values from the lower value to the upper value in increments of one unit provided that there is a separation of at least two units between any lower value and any higher value . as an example , if it is stated that the concentration of a component or value of a process variable such as , for example , size , angle size , pressure , time and the like , is , for example , from 1 to 90 , specifically from 20 to 80 , more specifically from 30 to 70 , it is intended that values such as 15 to 85 , 22 to 68 , 43 to 51 , 30 to 32 , etc . are expressly enumerated in this specification . for values which are less than one , one unit is considered to be 0 . 0001 , 0 . 001 , 0 . 01 or 0 . 1 as appropriate . these are only examples of what is specifically intended and all possible combinations of numerical values between the lowest value and the highest value enumerated are to be considered to be expressly stated in this application in a similar manner . particular methods , devices , and materials are described , although any methods and materials similar or equivalent to those described herein can be used in the practice or testing of the invention . the disclosures of all references and publications cited above are expressly incorporated by reference in their entireties to the same extent as if each were incorporated by reference individually .	5
in accordance with our invention , the damper comprises a frame 10 , having a plurality of blades 12 pivotally mounted therein for rotation between opened and closed positions . the actuator operating means comprises a motor 14 mounted to an extension 16 connected to the frame 10 . the motor operates a shaft 18 , fig5 through a gear box 20 . the shaft extends from the hub 22 through the mounting plate 24 . a lever means is provided comprising a block 26 fixedly mounted to the end of the shaft and having fixedly mounted thereto one end , a lever arm 28 for rotation with the shaft . the other end of the lever arm 28 is pivotally connected to a further actuating arm 30 at 31 , fig4 . the other end of the lever arm 30 is pivotally connected to a blade bracket 34 at 32 , fig3 . blade brackets 35 are connected to each blade and are interconnected for movement together by means of a link bar ( not shown on the other side , in fig3 but known in the art ). by this arrangement , when the motor rotates the shaft 18 , the lever arms , link bars and bracket function to open and close the damper blades , as will be both fully described hereinafter . in the prior art , motors which were used for operating dampers typically had a travel of 90 degrees . in accordance with our invention , the motor has a travel of 180 degrees . this 180 degree travel allows us to use a smaller motor and it gives us more power for the same size damper . the motor is preferably a dc , that is direct current , motor and is connected to a circuit which permits reversing the polarity of the current to the motor . reversing the polarity means that the motor can rotate either clockwise and counterclockwise depending on the polarity . limit switch means for accomplishing the opening and closing of the damper comprises a plurality of micro switches and circuitry between the motor and the power source for interrupting the flow of electricity to the motor . the micro switch 40 , fig4 and 6 , is mounted on a plate 16 , as shown . micro switch 40 is actuated by an arm 42 which is made of a flexible material and is normally biased so as to be separated from engagement with the contact 44 . the micro switch is wired to the power supply 50 through wire 52 at its common terminal 54 . in a damper &# 39 ; s open mode , current passes through this whole system in a clockwise direction when viewed as in fig6 . thus , direct current passes in the direction of the arrow a from the power supply to the common terminal . in this initial operating condition , the power goes through the normally closed terminal 56 of micro switch 40 , to the motor 14 at contact 92 ; and then from the motor contact 90 through the normally closed terminal 84 of micro switch 80 ; and out through the common terminal 82 of micro switch 80 back to the power supply . since current is flowing , the motor is running and will turn a maximum of 180 degrees ; for example , from the position shown in phantom lines to the position shown in full lines . engagement means for engaging the micro switch comprises a striker means carried by the lever 28 . once the striker 70 reaches the arm 42 and depresses it so that the arm 42 makes contact with the contact 44 , this switches the micro switch internally from the position shown in solid lines in which it is connected to the normally closed terminal 56 to the normally open terminal 57 ( as shown by the dotted lines ). since it switches to the normally open terminal 57 , the current will now flow from the power source 50 through the common terminal 54 to the normal open terminal 57 , and then to the diode 60 . however , the diode acts as a check valve and the current cannot get through . therefore , the motor stops in that position . when the polarity of the power is switched , current flows in a counterclockwise direction . thus , it flows from the power supply in the direction of the arrow b through the common terminal 82 of the micro switch 80 and out through the normally closed terminal 84 to the terminal 90 of the motor 14 . it then flows out through the terminal 92 of the motor and back up through the diode 60 to the normally open terminal 57 of the limit switch 40 . from there it travels internally through the common terminal 54 and back to the power source 50 . thus , the motor 14 is once again activated and rotates 180 degrees in the other direction , moving the part 28 from the full line position shown in fig6 to the phantom line position . as the striker 70 moves to that phantom position , it first engages the arm 102 and then depresses that arm 102 until the arm makes contact with the contact 104 of the limit switch 80 . when it makes that contact , the limit switch moves from the normally closed internal position at 84 to the normally open internal position at 86 . in that position , current flow is through the normally open terminal 86 to the diode 110 . however , the diode interferes with current flow and current flow cannot get through . therefore , once again , the motor stops . thus , the engagement means selectively engages one and another of the micro switches to operate them upon certain movements thereof . dc current can go in either direction in a circuit by reversing the polarity . but it only goes in one direction at a time ; as compared to alternating current which goes in both directions . the diode acts as a check valve to the flow of electricity . the condition described above occurs when the motor rotates the shaft 18 and drives the lever arm 28 to move the striker 70 into contact with the flexible arms 42 and 102 and moves the arms so that they make electrical contact with the contacts on the micro switches . thus , the micro switches are limit switches . with this lever arm 28 in the vertically upright position , as shown in fig6 the damper is fully closed by the linkage mechanism . there , the limit switch 40 intercepts 20 the power to the motor and stops it . to open the damper , a switch means , be it a computer or a manual switch ( not shown ), changes the polarity of the dc current from the power supply 50 . that dc current now flows in the counterclockwise direction , when viewed as in fig6 arrow b . from what has been described , it will be appreciated that by placing a diode on each limit switch between the normally opened terminal and the normally closed terminal , it is possible to control the direction of flow through the circuitry . current can bypass the limit switch because it goes through the diode and activates the dc motor to run in the opposite direction . this current flows for approximately two seconds . the switch is now shut and the current can flow freely through the switch . referring to fig7 it shows the damper in a partially opened position . this can be done by an additional power interrupt means comprising a switch mechanism ( not shown ), whether operated by computer or manually , to cut off the current from the power source 50 . thus , the damper can be stopped anywhere in between the fully opened and fully closed positions . therefore , one can modulate the damper . in this condition , the knee lock mechanism will not block the movement of the dampers in and of itself . however , this linkage , together with additional mechanical means comprising the motor , gears and , in the preferred embodiment , permanent magnets on the armature of the motor , will effectively prevent the damper from changing its position . in our prior co - pending application for a multi - blade modulating damper with a chain drive , provisional application no . 60 / 293 , 639 , filed may 26 , 2001 , the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference , the apparatus uses a sprocket gear and chain means as part of the actuator / operator mechanism in a damper to greatly increase the power of the operating mechanism , as well as eliminate the problems inherent in the prior art actuators having multiple gears in a train . it also provides a fully mechanically locked open and closure mechanism with no power needed to hold the damper in either position . this invention uses a pittman or rex or equivalent dc motor designated generally 210 in fig8 which has a series of spur gears within it . the device is further enhanced by use of a sprocket gear and chain drive means ( designated generally 214 ) which comprises a sprocket 216 attached to the motor shaft to increase the gear ratio by driving a larger sprocket 218 attached to the operator shaft . in the prior art , the actuator had a gear train having five to ten gears in it ; from a very small gear mounted on the motor shaft to the end gear mounted on the actuator shaft . that prior art device constantly stuck and failed . by eliminating these intermediate gears , we are able to obtain greatly enhanced power and reliable performance . in the preferred embodiment , we are able to obtain 500 - inch pounds of force for opening the damper . the gear ratio of the sprocket / chain drive is steep enough to provide enough power to open the damper 212 , but not too steep to prevent back running , i . e ., automatic closing of the damper under spring force . in particular , the gear ratio selected was 218 to 1 as being the most preferred . another advantage of this invention is that with such a powerful configuration , it is possible to drive more than one damper off the same motor . furthermore , because of the size of the motor , it can be placed easily within the duct , thereby protecting it in a fire situation . also , because it is a dc motor , it does not hum when it is fully opened in the installed condition . in the development of this invention , it is noted that there was only a small window for operable conditions . if the gear ratio was too low , it would not open the damper and if the gear ratio was too steep , it would back run . from our experience , the gear ratio can run from a minimum of 195 to a maximum of 218 . referring to fig8 and 9 , the power comes on to energize the motor 210 . the energy comes through a limit switch 300 back to the motor to open the damper . the damper , in turn , opens until the limit switch is reached . once the limit switch is reached , current is switched from going directly back to the motor from the limit switch to a resister 310 . the resister is a 100m resister and it cuts the voltage from 21 volts down to 2 volts ; which is enough to hold the damper in open position and not allow the spring return , but it is such a small amount of current that it will not break anything . when power is removed from the whole system , the mechanism springs shut to return the damper to its closed position . a mechanism for utilizing both a chain drive and an over center linkage is disclosed in our prior co - pending application for a chain operator drive for a butterfly damper with a double acting over center lock , provisional application no . 60 / 293 , 656 , filed may 25 , 2001 , the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference . as shown in fig5 thereof , the device was designed such that at its uppermost and lowermost points , the cross - shaft through the sprocket gear , in both the open and the closed positions , is over center of the plane of the center line of the shaft by preferably { fraction ( 2 / 10 )} ths of an inch . this creates what is known as a double acting over center or knee lock . thus , no matter how much pressure is put upon the blades , they cannot be forced open or closed . in a fire situation where firemen would be using hoses to force water under high pressure on to the dampers , water could hit the blades of the damper and force them to open or shut . this may not be the optimal condition at the time . an advantage to this type of device is that in such a situation , the blades will not open or close in response to the force of the water . in the present invention , the actuating means comprises an arrangement of arms such that the two pivot points go over center in both the open and closed position with 180 degrees rotation of the lever arm 28 . this over center arrangement provides a knee lock in both the open and closed positions . the functioning of this knee lock can be appreciated from viewing fig2 and 7 . suppose , for example , there was an external force being applied to the damper from one side , as shown by the arrow c in fig3 . that force would tend to be exerted on the pivot point 32 in the direction of the arrow d . this force would then be translated through the lever 30 and attempt to force the pivot point 31 to move in the direction of the arrow e . but that would not be possible because the motor has already run to its limit of 180 degrees of travel . the pivot point 31 is now over center of the axis of the shaft 18 ( represented diagrammatically by the center line designated cl ). when the damper is partially open , as shown in fig7 the pivot point 32 tends to move in the direction of the arrow d and the arms 30 and 28 are pivoted with respect to one another about the pivot point 31 , as shown by the arrow r . opening continues until the fully opened position , such as shown in fig2 wherein the pivot point 31 is on the other side of the center line cl . any force trying to exert a force to close the damper by impinging upon the damper blades , would tend to direct the pivot point 32 upwardly in the direction of the arrow f in fig2 . in this condition , the pivot point 31 would tend to try to move in the direction of the arrow g . however , it cannot do that because the motor has gone 180 degrees to its maximum position , as shown in that figure .	5
fig1 shows an exemplary embodiment of a mode - locked laser 100 in accordance with the present invention . the laser 100 includes a stabilization circuit 150 which will be described in greater detail below . the laser 100 includes an output coupler mirror 1 , a mode locker 2 , a transverse mode limit aperture 3 , a nd : ylf crystal 4 , a spherical lens 5 , a cylindrical lens 6 , an etalon 7 , a variable thickness polarizer 8 , a highly reflective cavity mirror 9 , and a beam sampling mirror 10 . these elements are arranged along the beam path of the laser cavity . a sensor 11 monitors the laser beam generated by the laser 100 via a beam sampling mirror 10 . the sensor 11 is coupled to the stabilization circuit 150 . the stabilization circuit 150 controls an actuator 15 which moves the variable thickness polarizer 8 in a direction transverse to the beam path . the polarizer 8 , which has an index of refraction different from air , has a tapered cross - section so that a transverse movement of the polarizer 8 will change the optical length of the cavity . the polarizer 8 may be comprised of bk7 glass or any other suitable material . the actuator 15 may include a stepper motor , a solenoid , a servo motor , or the like . as discussed above , in order for the laser to be in a mode - locked condition , the optical length of the laser cavity must be matched to the pulse repetition frequency ( i . e ., the frequency of the loss modulator or mode locker ) of the laser in accordance with eq . 1 . if these parameters are not properly matched , a significant level of noise appears on the laser beam pulse train . fig2 a shows the noise that appears when the optical length is shorter than the optimal length ( as determined by eq . 1 ), whereas fig2 b shows the noise that appears when the optical length is longer than the optimal length . the first noise condition , shown in fig2 a , is characterized by a relatively small noise amplitude that is substantially constant . the second noise condition , shown in fig2 b , is characterized by a substantially larger noise amplitude that decays over the duration of a pulse . the mode - locked laser is sensitive to cavity length changes as small as several micrometers . if the cavity length is slightly shorter than the optimal length , the amplitude of the mode - locked pulses decreases and the energy remaining in the laser rod increases . in crystal laser rods such as those comprising yag or ylf , the refractive index is dependent on the temperature . consequently , the thermal effect in crystal laser rods changes the optical path length . the increased optical path length compensates for the shorter cavity length , which helps the laser to maintain a mode - locked condition . in such case , the amplitude of the laser pulses will decrease and then return to normal . the profiles of the pulses behave as shown in fig2 a . if the cavity length is slightly longer than the optimal length , the amplitude of the mode - locked pulses decreases and the energy remaining in the laser rod increases . the increased optical path due to the thermal effect worsens the mode locking condition further . the laser exhibits a strong relaxation oscillation because of the unsatisfied mode - lock condition and the pulse profile behaves as shown in fig2 b . in the scenario described above in connection with fig2 a , if the cavity length is further shortened so that mode - locking conditions cannot be attained with the thermal effect of the laser rod alone , the pulse profile appears like that of fig2 b . when the optical length is properly matched with the pulse repetition frequency and the laser is thus in a mode - locked state , the noise shown in fig2 a and 2b is not present . the detector signal in a mode - locked condition appears like the trace shown in fig2 c . the unipolar spikes of fig2 a and the bipolar , ringing spikes of fig2 b are not present in fig2 c . the condition shown in fig2 c is characterized by noise of a relatively constant , lower amplitude . the stabilization circuit 150 detects the presence of noise and the type of noise on the laser beam and adjusts the optical length of the laser cavity to eliminate the noise and to maintain or bring the laser in a mode - locked state . fig3 a and 3b show an exemplary embodiment of a cavity stabilization circuit 150 in accordance with the present invention . superimposed on fig3 a are signal waveforms that are expected at various nodes of the circuit 150 when the optical length of the laser is less than the optimal length for mode - lock ( i . e ., the “ cavity too short ” condition ). superimposed on fig3 b are signal waveforms that are expected at various nodes of the circuit 150 when the optical length of the laser is greater than the optimal length for mode - lock ( i . e ., the “ cavity too long ” condition ). the stabilization circuit 150 is coupled to the sensor unit 11 , which includes a photo - detector 11 a and a pre - amplifier 11 b . the slow sensor responds to a frequency much lower than the 80 mhz mode - locked laser pulse . in this way , the 80 mhz pulsed laser acts same as cw beam . only the low frequency noise pulse will be captured by the sensor . the output of the pre - amplifier 11 b is coupled to an ac coupled amplifier 151 . waveform trace a shows a typical signal output of the sensor unit 11 for the “ cavity too short ” condition ( fig3 a ) and the “ cavity too long ” condition ( fig3 b ). waveform trace b shows the signal output of the ac coupled amplifier 151 for the corresponding waveform trace a . the output of the ac coupled amplifier 151 is coupled to a positive pulse rectifier 152 and a negative pulse rectifier / inverter 153 . the outputs of these blocks are shown at c and d , respectively . the block 152 rectifies the signal at its input ( at b ) so as to provide only positive excursions of the input signal at its output . in the “ cavity too short ” case of fig3 a , there is no signal output ( at c ) because the input signal has only negative - going pulses . conversely , the block 153 rectifies the signal at its input ( at b ) to provide only the negative excursions at the input and then inverts those , as shown by waveform trace d . in the “ cavity too long ” case of fig3 b , both blocks 152 and 153 have signals at their outputs ( c , d , respectively ) because the noise detected on the laser beam has both positive and negative excursions . the outputs of the blocks 152 , 153 are coupled to blocks 154 , 155 , respectively , each of which is a comparator and one - shot . each of the blocks 154 , 155 generates a pulse of fixed duration ( e . g ., 230 μs ) if the voltage of the input signal ( at c , d , respectively ) exceeds a threshold value set by a threshold voltage block 156 , 157 , respectively . the threshold voltages can be adjusted between 0 and 5 volts , for example . the outputs of the blocks 154 , 155 are coupled to the clock inputs of counters 158 , 159 , respectively , so that each time a pulse is generated by the block 154 , the counter 158 is incremented and each time a pulse is generated by the block 155 , the counter 159 is incremented . while in the “ cavity too short ” condition ( fig3 a ), the counter 159 is incremented periodically as negative - going noise is detected on the laser beam . the counter 158 , however , is not incremented . while in the “ cavity too long ” condition ( fig3 b ), both counters 158 and 159 are incremented as the noise has both negative and positive excursions . in the exemplary embodiment shown , the counters 158 , 159 are 8 - bit counters and their outputs are coupled to a microcontroller 160 which periodically monitors their contents . the microcontroller 160 is coupled to a stepper motor driver 161 which drives a stepper motor 15 a . the stepper motor 15 a acts as the aforementioned actuator for moving the variable width polarizer 8 under the control of the microcontroller 160 . a limit switch 15 b is activated by the stepper motor 15 a when the stepper motor 15 a is at a limit of its range of motion . the limit switch 15 b is coupled to the microcontroller 160 so that the microcontroller can monitor its state . when the circuit 150 is first powered up , reset or whenever the actual position of the stepper motor 15 a is to be ascertained , the microcontroller 160 drives the stepper motor until it activates the limit switch 15 a . at that point , the microcontroller “ knows ” the position of the stepper motor 15 a ( and thus of the polarizer 8 ) and can proceed accordingly . the stepper motor 15 a can preferably rotate clockwise and counter - clockwise , with the direction of rotation under the control of the microcontroller 160 . in operation , the microcontroller 160 is programmed to periodically monitor the counters 158 and 159 and to control the stepper motor 15 a accordingly ( via the driver circuit 161 ). in an exemplary embodiment , the counters are reset periodically by the microcontroller 160 . the microcontroller 160 then waits a predetermined period of time ( e . g ., 1 sec ) and then reads the contents of the counters 158 and 159 . if both counters are at or below a predetermined value ( e . g ., zero ), then the microcontroller 160 determines that there is no significant noise on the laser beam and that the optical length of the cavity does not need adjustment ; i . e ., the laser is in a mode - locked condition . if the contents of the counter 159 are above a predetermined value , and the contents of the counter 158 are below a predetermined value or the contents of the counter 159 exceed that of the counter 158 by a predetermined value , then a determination is made that the laser is in a “ cavity too short ” condition ( fig3 a ). in response , the microcontroller 160 controls the stepper motor 15 a so as to increase the optical length of the cavity ( i . e ., raise the variable width prism 8 in the embodiment of fig1 ). the process of resetting and reading the contents of the counters and of activating the stepper motor is repeated until the microcontroller 160 determines that the optical length of the cavity no longer requires adjustment , as described above . if the contents of the counters 158 and 159 are both above a predetermined value , then a determination is made that the laser is in a “ cavity too long ” condition ( fig3 b ). in response , the microcontroller 160 controls the stepper motor 15 a so as to decrease the optical length of the cavity ( i . e ., lower the variable width prism 8 in the embodiment of fig1 ). the process of resetting and reading the contents of the counters and of activating the stepper motor is repeated until the microcontroller 160 determines that the optical length of the cavity no longer requires adjustment , as described above . the actual predetermined threshold values for the counters 158 and 159 are system dependent and are preferably readily changeable in the software or firmware executed by the microcontroller 160 . for example , circuit noise may cause one or more of the counters to trigger . such effects can be compensated for in the threshold values selected . in the exemplary embodiment shown in fig3 a and 3b , a pair of switches 164 a and 164 b are coupled to the microcontroller 160 allowing a user to over - ride the aforementioned automatic process and to indicate to the microcontroller 160 to activate the stepper motor 15 a to lengthen or shorten the optical length of the laser cavity . a further switch 165 is also coupled to the microcontroller 160 to allow a user to indicate to the microcontroller 160 whether or not to resume the mode - locking process describe above . an indicator 162 , such as a light emitting diode , is coupled to the microcontroller 160 and is activated by the microcontroller when a mode - locked condition has been achieved . a display 163 may also be coupled to the microcontroller 160 and can be driven by the microcontroller to provide an indication of the current position of the stepper motor 15 a , the position of the variable width prism 8 , and / or the optical length of the laser cavity . in a further aspect of the present invention , a temperature sensor 170 can be coupled to the microcontroller 160 to provide an indication of the ambient temperature of the laser cavity . as mentioned above , the optical length of the cavity is largely dependent on the ambient temperature . as such , given an indication of the ambient temperature of the laser cavity , the microcontroller 160 can estimate an appropriate position for the stepper motor 15 a in order to yield the cavity optical length that that will provide mode lock at that temperature . such an estimation can be carried out using an algorithm , a look - up table or other suitable arrangement . the estimate can be used to provide an initial position for the stepper motor 15 a , after which the aforementioned iterative process can be carried out to provide more precise positioning . this estimation process allows the stabilization circuit 150 to more quickly determine the optimal position for the variable width prism 8 and thus achieve mode lock more quickly . the estimation process can be improved by noting the current temperature and updating the estimation arrangement ( e . g ., algorithm , look - up table ) with the more precise positioning information obtained by actually carrying out the above - described noise monitoring iterative process . the updated information can be stored preferably in non - volatile memory for use in future estimations . by thus periodically improving the estimation process with actual positioning data , long - term changes in the cavity optical length are also compensated for . several variations of the above described embodiment are possible within the scope of the present invention . for example , instead of controlling the transverse position of a variable width element 8 to vary the cavity optical length , the positions or characteristics of other components in the laser cavity can be controlled , such as the position of the mirror 9 . moreover , instead of using a stepper motor 15 a , the actuator 15 may include a piezeoelectric element to translate an applied electrical signal into the movement of an optical element ( e . g ., polarizer , mirror ). other methods that can effectively change the cavity optical length can be used , including changing the index of refraction of all or portions of the cavity beam pathway . as discussed above , the refractive index of certain optical elements can be varied by varying their temperatures . in yet another embodiment , instead of or in addition to controlling the cavity optical length to establish or maintain mode - lock , the loss modulation frequency of the laser can be controlled . in an exemplary embodiment , the microcontroller 160 can be an 8 - bit pic , such as the 16c73v ; the photo detector 11 can be a photodetector fds100 available from thor labs , with simple external circuit ; the variable thickness polarizer 8 can be comprised of bk7 glass ; the stepper motor has a resolution of 0 . 01789 degrees / step , such as am1524 - v - 12 - 150 , available from micromo ; and the laser can be an atlas 416 model laser , available from quantronix . instead of a microcontroller 160 , other embodiments of the stabilization circuit 150 may be implemented with a computer , a workstation , dedicated logic , or any suitable device for realizing automatic control of the aforementioned process . the present invention is also applicable to a wide variety of mode - lock lasers including solid state lasers ( either lamp - pumped or diode - pumped with gain host materials such as yag , ylf , yvo 4 , glass , etc ), fiber lasers , gas lasers , and semiconductor lasers . a variety of arrangements can be used for detecting the laser beam pulse train . as an alternative to detecting the output laser beam , a detector can be used to detect the leakage light from various components in the laser cavity such as the rear cavity mirror . reflected or scattered light can also be detected . it is to be understood that while the invention has been described above in conjunction with preferred specific embodiments , the description is intended to illustrate and not to limit the scope of the invention , as defined by the appended claims . indeed , various modifications of the invention in addition to those described herein will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the foregoing description and the accompanying figures . such modifications are intended to fall within the scope of the appended claims . it is further to be understood that all values are to some degree approximate , and are provided for purposes of description . the disclosures of any patents , patent applications , and publications that may be cited throughout this application are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties .	7
the subject invention provides an accurate , sensitive assay for oxalate in biological samples such as urine and serum . elevated levels of oxalate are correlated with urinary tract stone formation , as well as other health problems . early detection of high levels of oxalate makes it possible to prevent , delay or reduce adverse health consequences through appropriate medication and through modulation of diet . in the presently described diagnostic system , two enzymes are used to catabolize oxalate to carbon dioxide and formate . specifically , any oxalate that may be present in a sample being assayed is converted into formate and carbon dioxide ( co 2 ) through the combined action of the enzymes oxalyl - coa decarboxylase and formyl - coa transferase . the formate can then be detected using a variety of techniques known in the art . in a preferred embodiment , the production of formate is measured colorimetrically by linking the catabolism of formate with the production of a detectable color change ( for example , the formation of a compound that absorbs a particular wavelength of light ). the production of formate is directly correlated with the amount of oxalate present in the sample . therefore , if a known amount of formate is produced using the subject enzyme system , then the amount of oxalate present in the sample can be easily quantitated . in a preferred embodiment , the enzymes used in the subject invention are expressed by genes from the bacterium oxalobacter formigenes . the genes encoding both oxalyl - coa decarboxylase ( lung , 1994 ) and formyl - coa transferase enzymes have been cloned and expressed , thus providing a readily - available source of reagent material . the subject assay is capable of detecting oxalate levels in a range as low as 0 . 00025 - 0 . 0005 mm ( fig1 a - 1e ). this level of sensitivity makes the subject assay capable of direct detection of oxalate in serum samples consisting of little as 10 μl volume . the described system can be easily automated with standard systems known in the art . in a preferred embodiment of the subject assay , the enzymatic reaction can be carried out in the wells of flat - bottomed 96 - well microtiter plates and read in an automated plate reader . suitable concentrations of the assay reagents oxalyl - coa decarboxylase , oxalyl - coa , β - nad , formate dehydrogenase , and the sample to be assayed are added to the microtiter wells . the reaction is then brought to equilibrium ( two minute incubation at 37 ° centigrade in the plate reader ) to permit degradation of any residual formate that may be present in the sample . the formyl - coa transferase enzyme is then added to the mixture to start the reaction , and the plate is read at 15 second intervals . formate production is determined by measuring the reduction in nad in the presence of formate dehydrogenase by detecting changes in absorbance of the sample at 340 nm ( baetz and allison , 1989 ). the quantity of oxalate is determined by comparison of the unknown samples with standards having a known amount of oxalate . further , the enzymatic reaction of the subject assay will not be initiated until the formyl - coa transferase , oxalyl - coa decarboxylase , and oxalyl - coa are all present within the reaction mixture . therefore , initiation of the enzymatic reaction can be prevented by withholding one of the above reagents from the reaction mix . preferably , oxalyl - coa decarboxylase and oxalyl - coa are added first , and the reaction is initiated by the addition of formyl - coa transferase to the mix . however , the order of addition of the three reagents is not material to the function of the assay , so long as one of the reagents is withheld until just prior to the desired initiation point of the assay . the formyl - coa transferase and oxalyl - coa decarboxylase enzyme used in the subject invention can be obtained and purified as a natural product of oxalobacter formigenes ( baetz and allison , 1989 and 1990 ). alternatively , the enzymes can be obtained from host cells expressing the recombinant polynucleotide molecules of the subject invention that encode the enzymes . other reagents used in the subject assay can be obtained from conventional sources , such as sigma chemical company , st . louis , mo . further , a person of ordinary skill in the art can readily determine the optimal concentrations of the reagents to use in the assay described herein . a further aspect of the subject invention concerns the cloning , sequencing and expression of the oxalobacter formigenes gene which encodes the formyl - coa transferase used in the assay that is a subject of the invention . the gene was cloned using degenerate oligonucleotide probes ( based on partial amino acid sequencing of tryptic peptides ) to screen an oxalobacter genomic dna library . the gene encodes a polypeptide having a molecular weight of approximately 40 kd . the subject invention further concerns the cloning , sequencing , and expression of the gene which encodes oxalyl - coa decarboxylase from oxalobacter formigenes . the nucleotide sequence of the cdna of formyl - coa transferase and oxalyl - coa decarboxylase are shown in fig2 a and 3b , respectively ( seq id nos . 1 - 3 and 6 ) because of the redundancy of the genetic code , a variety of different polynucleotide sequences can encode the formyl - coa transferase polypeptide disclosed herein . it is well within the skill of a person trained in the art to create alternative polynucleotide sequences encoding the same , or essentially the same , polypeptide of the subject invention . these variant or alternative polynucleotide sequences are within the scope of the subject invention . as used herein , references to &# 34 ; essentially the same &# 34 ; sequence refers to sequences which encode amino acid substitutions , deletions , additions , or insertions which do not materially alter the functional enzymatic activity of the encoded polypeptide . further , the subject invention contemplates those polynucleotide molecules having sequences which are sufficiently homologous with the dna sequences shown in fig2 a and 3b ( seq id nos . 1 - 3 and 6 ) so as to permit hybridization with those sequences under standard high - stringency conditions . such hybridization conditions are conventional in the art ( see , e . g ., maniatis et al ., 1989 ). as a person skilled in the art would appreciate , certain amino acid substitutions within the amino acid sequence of the polypeptide can be made without altering the functional activity of the enzyme . for example , amino acids may be placed in the following classes : non - polar , uncharged polar , basic , and acidic . conservative substitutions , whereby an amino acid of one class is replaced with another amino acid of the same class , fall within the scope of the subject invention so long as the substitution does not materially alter the enzymatic reactivity of the polypeptide . non - conservative substitutions are also contemplated as long as the substitution does not significantly alter the functional activity of the encoded polypeptide . the polynucleotides of the subject invention can be used to express the recombinant formyl - coa transferase enzyme . they can also be used as a probe to detect related enzymes . the polynucleotides can also be used as dna sizing standards . the polypeptides encoded by the polynucleotides can be used to raise an immunogenic response to the formyl - coa transferase enzyme . they can also be used as molecular weight standards , or as inert protein in an assay . the polypeptides can also be used to detect the presence of antibodies immunoreactive with the enzyme . the polynucleotide sequences of the subject invention may be composed of either rna or dna . more preferably , the polynucleotide sequences are composed of dna . another aspect of the subject invention pertains to kits for carrying out the enzyme assay for oxalate . in one embodiment , the kit comprises , in packaged combination and in relative quantities to optimize the sensitivity of the described assay method , ( a ) the oxalyl - coa decarboxylase , oxalyl - coa , β - nad , and formate dehydrogenase ; and ( b ) formyl - coa transferase . the kit may optionally include other reagents or solutions , such as buffering and stabilization agents , along with any other reagents that may be required for a particular signal generation system . other reagents such as positive and negative controls can be included in the kit to provide for convenience and standardization of the assay method . following are examples which illustrate procedures , including the best mode , for practicing the invention . these examples should not be construed as limiting . all percentages are by weight and all solvent mixture proportions are by volume unless otherwise noted . samples containing oxalate at concentrations ranging from 0 . 004 mm to 0 . 00025 mm were prepared in 10 μl volumes . the samples were then assayed using the enzyme system of the subject invention in 96 - well microtiter plates . reagents were then added at the following concentrations : kh 2 po 4 ( ph 6 . 7 ), 50 mm ; mgcl 2 , 5 mm ; thiamine ppi ( tpp ), 2 mm ; oxalyl - coa , 0 . 375 mm ; β - nad , 1 . 0 mm ; formate dehydrogenase , 0 . 25 iu ; and oxalyl - coa decarboxylase , 0 . 03 u . the reaction mixture was then incubated at 37 ° c . for 2 minutes in order to permit the degradation of any residual formate that may be present in the sample mixture . the reaction was then initiated by the addition of formyl - coa transferase to the , sample mixture . changes in a 340 were measured every 15 seconds at 37 ° c . ( fig1 a and 1e ). appropriate positive and negative controls were run simultaneously with the assay . it should be understood that the examples and embodiments described herein are for illustrative purposes only and that various modifications or changes in light thereof will be suggested to persons skilled in the art and are to be included within the spirit and purview of this application and the scope of the appended claims . baetz , a . l ., m . j . allison ( 1989 ) &# 34 ; purification and characterization of oxalyl - coenzyme a decarboxylase from oxalobacter formigenes ,&# 34 ; j . bacteriol . 171 : 2605 - 2608 . baetz , a . l ., m . j . allison ( 1990 ) &# 34 ; purification and characterization of formyl - coenzyme a transferase from oxalobacter formigenes ,&# 34 ; j . bacteriol . 172 : 3537 - 3540 . curhan , et al . ( 1993 ) &# 34 ; a prospective study of dietary calcium and other nutrients and the risk of symptomatic kidney stones ,&# 34 ; n . e . j . med . 328 : 833 - 838 . costello , j ., m . hatch , e . bourke ( 1976 ) &# 34 ; an enzymic method for the spectrophotometric determination of oxalic acid ,&# 34 ; j . lab . clin . med . 87 ( 5 ): 903 - 908 . hodgkinson , a . ( 1970 ) &# 34 ; determination of oxalic acid in biological material ,&# 34 ; clin . chem . 16 ( 7 ): 547 - 557 . lung , h ., a . l . baetz , a . b . peck ( 1994 ) &# 34 ; molecular cloning , dna sequence and gene expression of the oxalyl - coa decarboxylase gene , oxc , from the bacterium oxalobacter formigenes ,&# 34 ; j . bacteriol . 176 ( 8 ): 2468 - 2472 . maniatis , t ., e . f . fritsch , j . sambrook ( 1989 ) molecular cloning : a laboratory manual , 2d edition , cold spring harbor laboratory , cold spring harbor , n . y . yriberri , j ., l . s . posten ( 1980 ) &# 34 ; a semi - automatic enzymic method for estimating urinary oxalate ,&# 34 ; clin . chem . 26 ( 7 ): 881 - 884 . __________________________________________________________________________sequence listing ( 1 ) general information :( iii ) number of sequences : 7 ( 2 ) information for seq id no : 1 :( i ) sequence characteristics :( a ) length : 63 base pairs ( b ) type : nucleic acid ( c ) strandedness : single ( d ) topology : linear ( ii ) molecule type : dna ( genomic )( xi ) sequence description : seq id no : 1 : atgacnaarccnytngayggnathaaygtnytngayttyacncaygtncargcnggnccn60gcn63 ( 2 ) information for seq id no : 2 :( i ) sequence characteristics :( a ) length : 567 base pairs ( b ) type : nucleic acid ( c ) strandedness : single ( d ) topology : linear ( ii ) molecule type : dna ( genomic )( xi ) sequence description : seq id no : 2 : cgactgtgatatatgcgaactgcagtggtctgatatctgagatggatatctttatgtcga60gcaaagccccacaggcgtaaaaattgccatcccaacagcattgcatattgatgctctcgg120aataacaatgaaggaaacacttgataaatgcaaagagattcttggcggagaaaccataat180tgcatctactcgtcgcgaaccgctttcatccggcacagtatcaaggtattttatgcgcgc240acgaaaagcatcaggtctttccttcgaaggggatactctagaaccttgtcgacgtcctgc300ctgtacacagatgatgggtttcttgggcgcaaacgtcatcaagattgaaagacgtggttc360cggagatatgactcgtggatgctgcaggacaaaccaaatgttgattccctgtatttcacg420atgttcaactgtaacaaacgttcgattgaactggacatgaaaaccccggaaggcaaagag480cttctggaacagatgatcaagaaagccgacgtcatggtcgaaaacttcggaccaggcgca540ctggaccgtatgggctttacctgggcc567 ( 2 ) information for seq id no : 3 :( i ) sequence characteristics :( a ) length : 281 base pairs ( b ) type : nucleic acid ( c ) strandedness : single ( d ) topology : linear ( ii ) molecule type : dna ( genomic )( xi ) sequence description : seq id no : 3 : cttaaccgaaccagcgtcgaagatggtatttcaatgaaaacaacaaccccgtcattatcc60ggactgccggaaatctcgattgtaacgacggagaactcctgcaccgttggtgtctggaag120gatatgggctggcctggctgtcgacatgggaaatacaatccgaactcgcccggtaaactg180gtcaccgtactggacgattacgcccttcccaactacgacatcatgggagtttacccccac240gaaagatccctccccttgaaaacccgtctgtccatgtccgg281 ( 2 ) information for seq id no : 4 :( i ) sequence characteristics :( a ) length : 21 amino acids ( b ) type : amino acid ( c ) strandedness : single ( d ) topology : linear ( ii ) molecule type : peptide ( xi ) sequence description : seq id no : 4 : metthrlysproleuaspglyileasnvalleuaspphethrhisval151015glnalaglyproala20 ( 2 ) information for seq id no : 5 :( i ) sequence characteristics :( a ) length : 43 amino acids ( b ) type : amino acid ( c ) strandedness : single ( d ) topology : linear ( ii ) molecule type : peptide ( xi ) sequence description : seq id no : 5 : 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atttgtttaaattgacctgaatcaatattgccggattgatctaggtcaatgaatgcaaat60tgacttatgtcaatggtgccaaattgacctaggtcaacgggatttttaaagggtatgcgg120catactcggaattgacgttaaacaacgtttatcaaaaccaaccaaagaaaggtattactc180atgagtaacgacgacaatgtagagttgactgatggctttcatgttttgatcgatgccctg240aaaatgaatgacatcgataccatgtatggtgttgtcggcattcctatcacgaacctggct300cgtatgtggcaagatgacggtcagcgtttttacagcttccgtcacgaacaacacgcaggt360tatgcagcttctatcgccggttacatcgaaggaaaacctggcgtttgcttgaccgtttcc420gcccctggcttcctgaacggcgtgacttccctggctcatgcaaccaccaactgcttccca480atgatcctgttgagcggttccagtgaacgtgaaatcgtcgatttccaagacggcgattac540gaagaaatggatcagatgaatgttgcacgtccacactgcaaagcttctttccgtatcaac600agcatcaaagacattccaatcggtatcgctcgtgcagttcgcaccgctgtatccggacgt660ccaggtggtgtttacgttgacttcccagcaaaactgttcggtcagaccatttctgtagaa720gaagctaacaaactgctcttcaaaccaatcgatccagctccggcacagattcttgctgaa780gacgctatcgctcgcgctgctgacctgatcaagaacgccaaacgtccagttatcatgctg840ggtaaaggcgctgcatacgcacaatgcgacgacgaaatccgcgcactggttgaagaaacc900ggcatcccattcctgccaatgggtatggctaaaggcctgctgcctgacaaccatccacaa960tccgctgctgcaacccgtgctttcgcactggcacagtgtgacgtttgcgtactgatcggc1020gctcgtctgaactggctgatgcagcacggtaaaggcaaaacctggggcgacgaactgaag1080aaatacgttcagatcgacatccaggctaacgaaatggacagcaaccagcctatcgctgca1140ccagttgttggtgacatcaagtccgccgtttccctgctccgcaaagcactgaaaggcgct1200ccaaaagctgacgctgaatggaccggcgctctgaaagccaaagttgacggcaacaaagcc1260aaactggctggcaagatgactgccgaaaccccatccggaatgatgaactactccaattcc1320ctgggcgttgttcgtgacttcatgctggcaaatccggatatttccctggttaacgaaggc1380gctaatgcactcgacaacactcgtatgattgttgacatgctgaaaccacgcaaacgtctt1440gactccggtacctggggtgttatgggtattggtatgggctactgcgttgctgcagctgct1500gttaccggcaaaccggttatcgctgttgaaggcgatagcgcattcggtttctccggtatg1560gaactggaaaccatctgccgttacaacctgccagttaccgttatcatcatgaacaatggt1620ggtatctataaaggtaacgaagcagatccacaaccaggcgttatctcctgtacccgtctg1680acccgtggtcgttacgacatgatgatggaagcatttggcggtaaaggttatgttgccaat1740actccagcagaactgaaagctgctctggaagaagctgttgcttccggcaaaccatgcctg1800atcaacgcgatgatcgatccagacgctggtgtcgaatctggccgtatcaagagcctgaac1860gttgtaagtaaagttggcaagaaataattagcccaactttgatgaccggttacgaccggt1920cacataaagtgttcgaatgcccttcaagtttacttgaagggcatttttttaccttgcagt1980ttataaacaggaaaaattgtattcagagcggaaaagcagatttaagccacgagaaacatt2040cttttttattgaaaattgccataaacacatttttaaagctggcttttt2088 ( 2 ) information for seq id no : 7 :( i ) sequence characteristics :( a ) length : 568 amino acids ( b ) type : amino acid ( c ) strandedness : single ( d ) topology : linear ( ii ) molecule type : peptide ( xi ) sequence description : seq id no : 7 : metserasnaspaspasnvalgluleuthraspglyphehisvalleu151015ileaspalaleulysmetasnaspileaspthrmettyrglyvalval202530glyileproilethrasnleualaargmettrpglnaspaspglygln354045argphetyrserphearghisgluglnhisalaglytyralaalaser505560ilealaglytyrilegluglylysproglyvalcysleuthrvalser65707580alaproglypheleuasnglyvalthrserleualahisalathrthr859095asncyspheprometileleuleuserglysersergluarggluile100105110valaspleuglnglnglyasptyrgluglumetaspglnmetasnval115120125alaargprohiscyslysalaserpheargileasnserilelysasp130135140ileproileglyilealaargalavalargthralavalserglyarg145150155160proglyglyvaltyrvalaspleuproalalysleupheglyglnthr165170175ileservalgluglualaasnlysleuleuphelysproileasppro180185190alaproalaglnileproalagluaspalailealaargalaalaasp195200205leuilelysasnalalysargprovalilemetleuglylysglyala210215220alatyralaglncysaspaspgluileargalaleuvalglugluthr225230235240glyilepropheleuprometglymetalalysglyleuleuproasp245250255asnhisproglnseralaalaalathrargalaphealaleualagln260265270cysaspvalcysvalleuileglyalaargleuasntrpleumetgln275280285hisglylysglylysthrtrpglyaspgluleulyslystyrvalgln290295300ileaspileglnalaasnglumetaspserasnglnproilealaala305310315320provalvalglyaspilelysseralavalserleuleuarglysala325330335leulysglyalaprolysalaaspalaglutrpthrglyalaleulys340345350alalysvalaspglyasnlysalalysleualaglylysmetthrala355360365gluthrproserglymetmetasntyrserasnserleuglyvalval370375380argaspphemetleualaasnproaspileserleuvalasnglugly385390395400alaasnalaleuaspasnthrargmetilevalaspmetleulyspro405410415arglysargleuaspserglythrtrpglyvalmetglyileglymet420425430glytyrcysvalalaalaalaalavalthrglylysprovalileala435440445valgluglyaspseralapheglypheserglymetgluleugluthr450455460ilecysargtyrasnleuprovalthrvalileilemetasnasngly465470475480glyiletyrlysglyasnglualaaspproglnproglyvalileser485490495cysthrargleuthrargglyargtyraspmetmetmetglualaphe500505510glyglylysglytyrvalalaasnthrproalagluleulysalaala515520525leugluglualavalalaserglylysprocysleuileasnalamet530535540ileaspproaspalaglyvalglyserglyargilelysserleuasn545550555560valvalserlysvalglylyslys565__________________________________________________________________________	2
embodiments of the present invention will be described herein below with reference to the accompanying drawings . in the drawings , the same or similar elements are denoted by the same reference numerals even though they are depicted in different drawings . for the purposes of clarity and simplicity , well - known functions or constructions are not described in detail since they would obscure the invention in unnecessary detail . fig3 is a schematic diagram of an optical network 300 for bi - directional wireless communication according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention . referring to fig3 , the optical network 300 includes a station 310 , hereinafter central station ( cs ) 310 , to convert a downstream rf signal ( composed of downstream channel and timeslot ) to a downstream optical signal and convert an upstream optical signal to an upstream rf signal ( composed of upstream channel and timeslot ) and an rau 320 to convert the downstream optical signal input from the cs 310 to a downstream rf signal and transmit the downstream rf signal and to convert the upstream rf signal received in a wireless manner to the upstream optical signal and transmit the upstream optical signal to the cs 310 . the cs 310 includes a downstream electro - optic converter 311 to convert the downstream rf signal to the downstream optical signal and an upstream converter 312 to convert the upstream optical signal to the upstream rf signal . the cs 310 can be linked to the rau 320 through a wired line such as an optical fiber . the rau 320 includes a downstream opto - electric converter 321 , an upstream electro - optic converter 322 , first to third couplers 325 , 328 , and 327 , first and second amplifiers 323 and 324 , an antenna 329 for transmit the downstream rf signal and receive the upstream rf signal , a splitter 326 , a switch 340 , and a controller 330 . the downstream opto - electric converter 321 is linked to the downstream electro - optic converter 311 of the cs 310 . the downstream converter 321 converts the downstream optical signal input from the cs 310 to the downstream rf signal , and outputs the downstream rf signal to the first coupler 325 . the first coupler 325 separates the downstream rf signal input from the downstream opto - electric converter 321 into a downstream timeslot , a downstream broadcasting channel , and a downstream sub - carrier channel . the downstream timeslot separated by the first coupler 325 is input to the splitter 326 . the downstream broadcasting channel is input to the second coupler 328 . the downstream sub - carrier channel is input to the second coupler 328 through the third coupler 327 . the upstream electro - optic converter 322 is linked to the upstream opto - electric converter 312 of the cs 310 . the upstream electro - optic converter 322 converts the upstream rf signal to the upstream optical signal , and outputs the upstream optical signal to the cs 310 . the second coupler 328 separates the upstream rf signal input from the antenna 329 into an upstream timeslot , an upstream broadcasting channel , and an upstream sub - carrier channel . the second coupler 328 outputs the separated upstream timeslot to the switch 340 , and directly outputs the separated upstream sub - carrier channel to the second amplifier 324 . the second coupler 328 also couples the downstream broadcasting channel input from the first coupler 325 , the downstream sub - carrier channel input from the third coupler 327 , and the downstream timeslot input from the switch 340 into the downstream rf signal and outputs the downstream rf signal to the antenna 239 . the splitter 326 is located between the first coupler 325 and the switch 340 . the splitter 326 splits a portion of the downstream timeslot separated by the first coupler 325 . the splitter 326 outputs the split portion of the downstream timeslot to the controller 330 and the remaining portion of the downstream timeslot to the switch 340 . the controller 330 controls the switch 340 so that not to overlap the upstream and downstream timeslots input to the switch 340 . the controller 330 determines a non - transmission band on which data is not carried from the downstream timeslot split by the splitter 326 . the splitter 330 then controls the switch 340 to alternatively input and output the upstream and downstream timeslots by connecting a contact point to the splitter 326 or the second coupler 328 . fig4 is a block diagram of the controller 330 of fig3 . fig5 is a diagram showing the downstream timeslot input to the controller 330 of fig3 and a downstream timeslot output from a signal extractor ( pulse detector ). referring to fig4 and 5 , the controller 330 includes a pulse detector 331 , a low pass filter ( lpf ) 332 , a limiting amplifier 333 , a comparator 334 , a delay adjuster 335 , and a reference voltage generator 336 . the pulse detector 331 detects an envelope pattern waveform as illustrated in fig5 a from the downstream timeslot input from the splitter 326 . fig5 a shows the downstream timeslot , which is composed of a transmission band ( downlink ) on which data is carried and a non - transmission band ( ttg , uplink , and rtg ) on which data is not carried , input to the controller 330 . the ttg illustrated in fig5 a indicates an area to determine a trailing edge of the transmission band the rtg indicates an area to determine a leading edge of a subsequent timeslot . the uplink commonly indicates an idle band for an upstream timeslot . in addition , the δt illustrated in fig5 b indicates the time varying before and after data transmission of a timeslot . the lpf 332 cancels noise , such as a ripple , from the timeslot waveform detected by the pulse detector 331 . the limiting amplifier 333 limits the level of the timeslot input from the lpf 332 . the comparator 334 determines the non - transmission band by comparing a pre - set level of a reference voltage input from the reference voltage generator 336 to the level of the timeslot input from the limiting amplifier 333 . the delay adjuster 335 controls the switch 340 so that the upstream timeslot can pass the switch 340 in the non - transmission band determined by the comparator 334 . referring back to fig3 , the controller 330 controls the switch 340 to connect a first port ( 1 ) to the splitter 326 and a second port ( 2 ) to the second coupler 328 during the transmission band of the downstream timeslot . the controller 330 also controls the switch 340 to connect the second port ( 2 ) to the second coupler 328 and a third port ( 3 ) to the second amplifier 324 during the non - transmission band of the downstream timeslot . the first amplifier 323 is located between the downstream opto - electric converter 321 and the first coupler 325 . the first amplifier 323 amplifies the downstream rf signal and outputs the amplified downstream rf signal to the first coupler 325 . the second amplifier 324 amplifies the upstream rf signal and outputs the amplified upstream rf signal to the upstream electro - optic converter 322 . the third coupler 327 outputs the downstream sub - carrier channel input from the first coupler 325 to the second coupler 328 . in addition the third coupler 327 outputs the upstream sub - carrier channel input from the second coupler 328 to the second amplifier 324 . as described above , according to the principles of the present invention , by determining transmission and non - transmission bands from a downstream timeslot and controlling the downstream timeslot and an upstream timeslot , which are not overlapped , a cs does not have to input a separate control signal . moreover , a separate control signal does not have to be input to an electro - optic converter . thus , the modulation index of channels and timeslot can be increased . while the invention has been shown and described with reference to a certain preferred embodiment thereof , it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims .	7
by way of example , referring to fig1 - 4 and in accordance with the present invention there is provided a novel and improved cover for a trailer hitch , designated generally by the numeral 10 . shown dotted in fig3 is a trailer hitch 11 of the type having a ball 12 and comprising a hitch bar 13 and connecting stem 14 which latter can take the form of a bolt or stud that is secured to the bar 13 . the cover 10 comprises a base portion 18 having a top wall 20 with an upper surface 22 , side walls 24 , 26 and 28 , and a bottom wall 30 , the base portion 18 being open at one side location to thereby define a cavity 32 of generally box - like configuration . side walls 24 and 28 have re - entrant terminal portions 25 and 29 , respectively . extending upwardly from the base portion 18 is a rounded dome portion 34 , having an expandible side wall 36 and a top wall 38 which latter , in the illustrated example , is semi - spherical . according to the invention , the side wall 36 can have a polygonal cross - section ; in the illustrated example this wall has eight sides , thereby enabling a limited expansion in radially outward directions when press - fitting the cover 10 over the ball 12 of the hitch 11 . an important feature of the invention is the provision of a well - defined enclosed , sealing head - space 40 between the lower surface 42 of the dome &# 39 ; s top wall 38 and the upper surface 44 of the ball 12 . preferably the cover 10 is fabricated of resilient material such as polypropylene , and with the thickness shown , the wall 38 will be reasonably stiff but not rigid . impact forces applied to the wall 38 , as by bumping from a person &# 39 ; s knee or leg , will cause limited inward movement of the wall 38 against its resilience and in many cases against the pressure of air trapped and sealed in the head space 40 . in effect , the provision of the head - space 40 thus causes impacts of the type noted to be cushioned , thereby minimizing the chance of injury to personnel . this action relates to another feature of the invention involving the provision of an annular sealing seat 46 at the junction of the semi - spherical wall 38 and the side wall 36 , whereby the head space 40 constitutes an essentially air - tight chamber with the upper surface 44 of the ball 12 . air trapped in the chamber 40 will inhibit complete yielding or collapse of the wall 38 ; instead , there will result a desirable cushioning effect , as noted above , and which is similar to the effect of depressing a localized area on an air - filled ball , such as a basketball or tennis ball . even if the seal between the seat 46 and ball 12 is not completely air - tight , the seat 46 nevertheless constitutes a stop or positioning seat or shoulder to prevent the top wall 18 from readily collapsing and coming into contact with the upper surface 44 of the ball 12 . other forms of stop shoulders could be provided , such as a series of nibs ( not shown ) spaced circumferentially around the inner surface of the side wall , etc . a further important aspect of the invention is the raised positioning of the wall 38 , as defined by the distance between it and the top wall 20 of the base portion 18 . the side wall 36 of the dome portion 34 maintains the head - space 40 , since in order for the wall 38 to contact the upper surface 44 of the ball 12 , at least part of the side wall 36 would have to buckle or collapse , which has been found to be unlikely . as illustrated , the base portion 18 is open at one side , forming the cavity 32 , in order to accept the hitch bar 13 . by the present invention , the base portion 18 is made oversize with respect to the dimensions of the bar 13 , and a series of projections or fins 48 , 50 is provided on the inner surfaces of the top wall 20 and side walls 24 , 26 and 28 respectively . the fins 48 , 50 have the approximate dimensions illustrated , and define between them a series of spaces ; the fins thus maintain both the top wall 20 and side walls 24 , 26 and 28 in spaced relation with respect to the hitch bar 13 . the fins 48 , 50 are preferably integral with the respective walls 20 , 24 , 26 and 28 , and the spaces so formed provide a desirable cushioning if the walls are inadvertently bumped by personnel . stated differently , the fins 48 , 50 impart a controlled yieldability to the top wall 20 and side walls 24 , 26 and 28 , thereby minimizing possible injury from outside contact with these areas of the cover . the fins 48 , 50 extend inwardly as shown . fins 50 on the side walls 24 , 26 and 28 are vertical , and the fins 48 on the top wall 20 are horizontal ; refer to fig2 - 4 . the friction of the fins 48 , 50 on the bar 13 is effective in retaining the cover 10 in position , thereby minimizing the possibility of its becoming lost or misplaced . another embodiment of the invention is shown in fig5 - 8 , wherein like reference numerals having the suffix &# 34 ; a &# 34 ; have been assigned to similar components . a modified cover 10a is provided , comprising a base portion 18a having a top wall 20a and side walls 24a , 26a , and 28a . the base portion 18a is open at one side location to thereby define the cavity 32a . extending upwardly from the base portion 18a is a rounded dome portion 34a having a generally cylindrical side wall 36a with a series of internal , vertical stiffening ribs 52 , and a top wall 38a . there is provided a well - defined enclosed , sealing head - space 40a between the lower surface of the top wall 38a and the upper surface of the ball 12 ( not shown in fig5 - 8 ). impact forces applied to the wall 38a as by bumping from a person &# 39 ; s knee or leg , will cause limited inward movement of the wall against its resilience . the provision of the head - space thus causes such impacts to be cushioned , thereby minimizing the chance of injury to personnel . as in the previous embodiment , the raised positioning of the wall 38a as defined by the distance between it and the top wall 20a of the base portion 18a maintains the head - space 40a . by the invention , the base portion 18a is made oversize with respect to the dimensions of the bar 13 , and a series of projections or fins 48a , 50a is provided on the inner surfaces of the top wall 20a and side walls 24a , 26a and 28a respectively . the fins have the approximate dimensions illustrated , and define between them a series of spaces ; the fins thus maintain both the top wall 20a and side walls 24a , 26a and 30a in spaced relation with respect to the hitch bar 13 . the fins 48a and 50a extend inwardly as shown . fins 50a on the side walls are vertical , and the fins 48a on the top wall are horizontal . on the inner surface of the top wall 38a of the dome portion are two stiffening ribs 54 and 56 , forming an &# 34 ; x &# 34 ;. these provide the desired rigidity to this area . the construction shown in fig5 - 8 has the distinct advantage of ease of molding , since there has been eliminated the bottom wall which existed in the first embodiment . stripping of the cured article from the mold is thus facilitated . still another embodiment of the invention is illustrated in fig9 wherein like reference numerals having the suffix &# 34 ; b &# 34 ; have been assigned to similar components . in this embodiment , there is provided a modified dome portion 34b , which may or may not be adapted for use with an integral base similar to that of fig5 - 8 . in addition to the dome portion &# 39 ; s top wall 38b , there is a generally cylindrical side wall 36b . by the invention , the inner surface of this side wall is provided with a series of vertically spaced annular ribs 58 , any one of which is intended to form a seat or seal with the large diameter portion of the trailer hitch ball ( 12 , fig3 ). regardless of the location of the ball 12 with respect to the hitch base , one or two of the ribs 58 will fit tightly against the ball , creating an air - lock in the chamber 40b , as in the first embodiment . the air - lock provides a cushioning effect to the dome portion 34b , by limiting the tendency for the top wall 38b thereof to collapse when impacted by forces external of the cover . in other respects the embodiment of fig9 can be similar to that of fig5 - 8 . alternately , the construction of fig9 could be employed without a base ; instead , the construction would resemble an inverted cup with a lip which might or might not extend to and engage the hitch bar 13 . still another embodiment of the invention is shown in fig1 and 11 , illustrating a greatly simplified cover . essentially the cover comprises an inverted cup 60 having a top wall 62 and a side wall 64 . preferably the cup 60 is constituted of foam rubber or foam rubber - like substance , and the side wall 64 of the cup is sufficiently thick to provide a cushion between the ball of the hitch and an object ( i . e . a person &# 39 ; s knee ) which might impact on the cover 60 from its exterior . the inner diameter of the cup 60 is preferably made to fit snugly around the ball . the area of the side wall adjacent the lip of the cup can be thickened slightly , as shown in fig1 , to improve the retention . still another embodiment of the invention is shown in fig1 and 13 , wherein like reference numerals having the suffix &# 34 ; c &# 34 ; have been assigned to similar components . by the invention , there is applied to the inner surface of the top wall 20c and side walls 24c , 26c and 28c of the base portion 18c strips 66 and a cutout 68 of thin foam material in order to provide the desired cushioning . a single strip 66 can be wrapped along the inside of the three side walls 24c , 26c , and 28c , with a fourth piece 68 of foam material secured to the inside of the top wall 20c . attachment can be made by means of suitable cement or glue , or alternately by employing adhesive - backed foam strips similar to those used for weatherstripping windows and doors in buildings or residences . the dome structure associated with this base would typically be similar to that of fig1 - 4 or 5 - 8 ; accordingly details of these structures need not be repeated . from the above it can be seen that i have provided novel and improved cover constructions which have important features that minimize injury from inadvertent contact with an exposed trailer hitch . the cover can be molded as a single piece , including the fins illustrated in the first two embodiments . it is adaptable for use with trailer hitches of the ball - type , or else it can be employed with a box - end type hitch in which the area inside the dome portion 34 ( fig1 - 4 ) would be unoccupied . accordingly the unit can be universal for a given hitch size . the device is thus seen to represent a distinct advance and improvement over previously known covers of this kind . variations and modifications are possible without departing from the spirit of the invention . each and every one of the appended claims defines an aspect of the invention which is separate and distinct from all others , and accordingly it is intended that each claim be treated as such when examined in the light of the prior art devices in any determination of novelty or validity .	1
conceptually , creation of the invention starts with an online database 1 with means to communicate with a subscribing family . fig1 shows two separate subscribing families entering data into the database 1 . by way of example , the family living in rural area or the “ rural family ” 2 has three children 3 , a father 5 and working mother 6 . as the rural family 2 enters their demographic and geographic information , templates regarding rural and child risks and resources are presented to the rural family . the urban family 6 is also shown entering data into the database 1 . the urban family 6 lives in an urban area with no children and will thus be presented with a different set of templates as compared to the rural family 2 . in the preferred embodiment , a subscribing family may enter data into the database 1 through a home computer 7 connected to the internet 8 which in turn is connected to the database 1 . but , other embodiments are contemplated wherein a subscriber could send information to the database via pda , fax , regular mail or other means . in addition to entering demographic and geographic information , a subscribing family may input actions and data for differing disasters . for example in case of a flash flood or tsunami warning a subscribing family may instruct the invention to notify a relative living on high ground 9 and to send instructions to all family members to travel to the high ground home 9 of the relative . many other contingencies may be addressed and incorporated into the invention . for example , children may be issued identification bracelets containing a phone number and a unique identification number . in the event a child is lost , the child or a bystander may call the number and convey the identification number . such calls placed to the disclosed system would trigger various pre - defined actions , such as notification of the caregivers of the child , and if appropriate , notification to authorities to stop their search for the missing child . in the case of a missing child , the disclosed system may also search the database 1 to see if the missing child is a user of a gps locator , and contact the gps service provider to obtain the coordinates of the missing child . adults with diminished capacities may also benefit from the features offered for the missing child disaster . the disclosed system may also be used to aid in the notification and recovery process after a tragedy such as a car accident . if there is a death or serious injury to a subscribing member , emergency personnel could activate the disclosed system by calling a number or going to a website listed on a card , bracelet , or other identification device worn or carried by the subscribing victim . the disclosed system would then either automatically or with the assistance of an operator , carry out a predefined list of calls , emails or other communiques that were in accordance with the victim &# 39 ; s desires . this would speed the notification process significantly and also ensure that the proper support is in place to ease the pain for subscribing family . when appropriate , the disclosed system could give emergency personnel specific directions to contact a member of the clergy to contact the family instead of law enforcement officials . this could help ease the shock experienced after a traumatic event . the data to be entered by subscribers includes medical , insurance , driver &# 39 ; s license information and other information that will be useful in case of a major disaster where a subscriber &# 39 ; s home and / or personal records are lost . during the initial data entry process , a subscriber may select from various service features within the database 1 , such as automation features , live operator assistance , and disaster benefits . this way the system will react in accordance with preferences of the subscriber . the subscriber then needs do nothing else , except update the system as his or her situation changes . in order to better prepare the subscribers for a disaster and to add to the profitability of the system , safety supplies 10 may be offered for sale to the subscriber as shown in fig2 . the offered safety supplies would correspond to the needs of the subscriber . a warning from the invention or disclosed system may be activated by a subscriber , emergency personnel , or operators of the system . warnings may be directed to one or more subscribers and tailored to the demographic and geographic characteristics of the subscribers . appropriate warnings could be automatically activated by events such as the activation of the emergency broadcast system or the declaration of a disaster by a governmental entity or any other prescribed event . in the event of an emergency , the system may be activated in a multitude of manners . for personal disasters or emergencies , the primary method of activation would be by the subscriber who accesses the database via phone , internet , or other communications device . the subscriber either communicates with a live operator or interacts with an automated system to activate his or her pre - determined plan . outside agencies can also activate the system . for example , if there is a tsunami warning , an operator of the disclosed system could enter the zip codes of the affected areas , which could then trigger a tsunami warning for all subscribers within the affected areas . the system could then automatically contact all appropriate subscribers through a variety of means to alert them of the situation . once the system is activated , it may undertake the prescribed actions automatically via a computer controller included with the database , which could completely handle all aspects of the plan , or when necessary , transfer certain tasks to a human operator . fig2 shows an example of the system in action during a flood or tsunami disaster where the dad 4 of the rural family 2 is with his children 3 at a beach . the system is activated and sends a message to the dad . the message may take the form of a beeper message , cell phone message , text message or other means . the working mom 5 is contacted by the system as is the out of town relative living on high ground 9 . fig4 . shows the dad calling the system with a message to be delivered to the mom and relative living on high ground . the dad may report that he is safely on the road driving to the relative &# 39 ; s high ground home . the database sends the message to mom and out of town relative living on high ground . due to the dad &# 39 ; s need to stay focused on his driving , the system provides a great benefit in minimizing the dad &# 39 ; s phone calls . fig5 shows the system informing the subscribing family &# 39 ; s insurance company 1 0 of the plight of the subscribing family . in this example , the rural family 2 is safe at the high ground home 9 and receiving their pre - stored insurance information along with any messages issued by their insurance company . fig6 shows fire , police , and fema personnel interacting with the system to ascertain the whereabouts and needs of the rural family . in this example , valuable resources are conserved as the rural family is safe and sound in their relatives high ground home . authorities are thus able to focus their attention to others who are in need of assistance .	8
fig1 shows a conventional coefficient multiplying circuit in which an input signal of voltage v 11 is applied between a reference potential line n 15 and an input terminal n 11 . the input terminal n 11 is connected to a first capacitor 12 through a first switch 14 . a connection node n 12 between the first switch 14 and the first capacitor 12 is connected with a second switch 15 which is connected to the reference potential line n 15 . the reference potential line n 15 is maintained , for example , at ground potential . the first capacitor 12 has a capacitance c 12 and is connected to the inverting input port &# 34 ;-&# 34 ; of an operational amplifier 11 at a connection node n 13 . the non - inverting input port &# 34 ;+&# 34 ; of the operational amplifier 11 is connected to the reference potential line n 15 , and its output port is connected to an output terminal n 14 . a second capacitor 13 having a capacitance c 13 and a third switch 16 are connected in parallel between the inverting input port &# 34 ;-&# 34 ; and the output port of the operational amplifier 11 . the first , second and third switches 14 , 15 , and 16 are , for example , between source and drain electrodes of mos field effect transistors which change their conductivities between source and drain electrodes in response to voltages of pulses φ 1 , φ 2 generated by a switch drive circuit 17 and applied to their gate electrodes . the switches 14 , 15 , and 16 are actuated by the switch drive circuit 17 in such a manner that the second and third switches 15 , 16 are open when the first switch 14 is closed , and vice versa . namely , the switches 14 and 15 and the switch 16 are opened and closed alternately . on the first phase of the operation , the first switch 14 is opened and the second and third switches 15 and 16 are closed to initialize the circuit . the node n 13 and the output terminal n 14 are made at the same potential to discharge electric charges stored in the second capacitor 13 . the node n 12 is at the same potential as the line n 15 by the operation of the amplifier 11 and the node n 11 is made connected to the line n 15 . therefore , the first capacitor 12 is also discharged . on the second phase , the first switch 14 is closed and the second and third switches 15 and 16 are opened . the input signal is applied to the capacitor 12 and electric charges of a quantity of v 11 · c 12 are charged into the first capacitor 12 . to neutralize the electric charges of the first capacitor 12 , electric charges of the same quantity are charged into the second capacitor 13 from the output terminal n 14 or from the power supply terminal ( not shown ) through the operational amplifier 11 . the second capacitor 13 has a capacitance c 13 and , hence , the voltage between its terminals is given by ## equ1 ## i . e ., a voltage of ## str1 ## is obtained at the output terminal n 14 as an output signal . thereafter , the first phase and the second phase are repeated alternately , so that the input signal is sampled at a predetermined rate , and voltages obtained by multiplying the sampled voltage by the capacitance ratio c 12 / c 13 of the first and second capacitors 12 and 13 are produced at the output terminal n 14 in succession . the switches 14 , 15 and 16 have finite resistances such as 10 gigaohms even when they are under open conditions . therefore , electric charges inevitably leak through these finite resistances . the output voltage of the coefficient circuit is determined by the quantity of electric charges stored in the second capacitor 13 . therefore , if the electric charges leak through the third switch 16 during the second phase , the value of the output voltage is deviated from the true value . assumed that the third switch 16 under the open condition has a resistance of 10 gigaohms and the first capacitor 12 has a capacitance c 12 of 1 pf which the input signal has a voltage v 11 of 5 volts and pulses φ 1 , φ 2 driving the switches 14 , 15 and 16 have a frequency of 1 khz , an error of about 0 . 5 volt is generated in the output voltage at the output terminal n 14 . referring to fig2 ( a ) and 2 ( b ), an embodiment of the present invention will be described . in this embodiment , the input portion is similar to the prior art circuit of fig1 . an input terminal n 21 receiving an input signal of a voltage v 21 is connected to a connection node n 22 through a first switch 24 . a second switch 25 is connected between the connection node n 22 and a reference potential line n 25 . although the reference potential line n 25 is preferably maintained at ground potential , it may be kept at another fixed potential such as several volts or power supply voltage . the connection node n 22 is further connected to a connection node n 23 through a first capacitor 22 which has a capacitance c 22 of , for example , 1 pf . the inverting input port &# 34 ;-&# 34 ; of an operational amplifier 21 is connected to the connection node n 23 , its non - inverting input port &# 34 ;+&# 34 ; is connected to the reference potential line n 25 , and its output port is connected to an output terminal n 24 . a second capacitor 23 of a capacitance c 23 of , for example , 10 pf is connected between the output port of the operational amplifier 21 and the connection node n 23 . one terminal of a third switch 26 is connected to the node n 23 . according to this embodiment , a fourth switch 27 is connected between the other terminal n 26 of the third switch 26 and the output terminal n 24 and a fifth switch 28 is connected between the node n 26 and the reference potential line n 25 . an output signal of a voltage v 24 is obtained at the output terminal n 24 . the first , second , third , fourth , and fifth switches 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 , and 28 are mos field effect transistor or bipolar transistors , as shown in fig2 ( b ). the switches 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 and 28 are opened and closed in response to the voltages applied to the control electrodes ( gate or base electrodes ) thereof . these voltages are applied from a switch drive circuit 29 as the drive pulses φ 1 and φ 2 . the drive pulses φ 1 and φ 2 have two levels : a high level of , for instance , + 2 . 5 volts and a low level of , for instance , - 2 . 5 volts , and have phases opposite to each other . their frequency is , for example , 1 khz . the drive pulse φ 1 is supplied to the first switch 24 and the fifth switch 28 to open and close them simultaneously . the drive pulse φ 2 is supplied to the second , third , and fourth switches 25 , 26 , 27 to open and close them simultaneously . the operation of the circuit will be described below . on the first phase of the operation , the first and fifth switches 24 , 28 are opened , and the second , third , and fourth switches 25 , 26 , 27 are closed . as a result , the connection nodes n 22 , n 23 and n 26 and the output terminal n 24 reach the same reference potential , and the electric charges in the first and second capacitors 22 , 23 are discharged . the whole circuit is initialized by this first phase for the following second phase . then the first and fifth switches 24 and 28 are closed , and the second , third , and fourth switches 25 , 26 , and 27 opened , so that electric charges of c 22 · v 21 are charged into the first capacitor 22 by the voltage v 21 of the input signal . to neutralize these electric charges , electric charges of the same quantity as c 22 · v 21 are charged into the second capacitor 23 from the output terminal n 24 , or from the output port of the operational amplifier . therefore , a voltage v 24 is obtained by dividing the electric charges by the capacitance c 23 of the second capacitor 23 across the capacitor 23 and derived from the output terminal n 24 . this state is referred to as the second phase . the first phase and the second phase are repeated , so that the input signal is sampled at the repetition frequency of the drive pulses φ 1 and φ 2 and output voltages obtained by multiplying the sampled values by the capacitance ratio c 22 / c 23 of the first and second capacitors 22 , 23 are produced in succession . in the second phase , the connection node n 23 is connected to the inverting input port &# 34 ;-&# 34 ; of the operational amplifier 21 which is at a potential equal to that of the non - inverting input port &# 34 ;+&# 34 ; when the amplifier 21 is balanced . therefore , the potential at the node n 23 is equal to the potential at the reference potential line n 25 . the connection node n 26 , on the other hand , is connected directly to the reference potential line n 25 by the closed fifth switch 28 . therefore , the connection node n 26 also reaches a potential at the reference potential line n 25 . thus , both terminals of the third switch 26 are a potential equal to that of the reference potential line 25 . therefore , the electric charges stored in the second capacitor 23 do not leak through the third switch 26 . accordingly , the voltage v 24 obtained at the output terminal n 24 has the correct value of ## equ2 ## the coefficient multiplying circuit shown in fig2 ( a ) is preferably formed as a monolithic integrated circuit on a single semiconductor chip . the switches 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 , and 28 may be either mos field effect transistors or bipolar transistors , as shown in fig2 ( b ). mos field effect transistors are preferable because of their large resistances between source and drain electrodes when non - conductive . the operational amplifier 21 may be made up of either mos field effect transistors or bipolar transistors . where the switches are composed of mos field effect transistors , the operational amplifier 21 should also be made up of mos field effect transistors and , favorably , be made up of complementary mos field effect transistors . on a monolithic integrated circuit , a capacitor is able to have a capacitance of about 100 pf at the greatest . therefore , the capacities c 22 , c 23 of the first and second capacitors 22 , 23 are selected to be within this range . the ratio c 22 / c 23 of the capacitances can be selected as required . in the above embodiment , the present invention is applied to the coefficient multiplying circuit . however , the principal of the present invention may be applied to other circuits . for example , the invention may be applied to a comparator comparing the sampled input signal with the reference voltage , in which the second capacitor 23 in fig2 ( a ) is omitted . according to this comparator , on the first phase , the switches 24 and 28 are opened and the switches 25 , 26 and 27 are closed to discharge the charges in the capacitor 22 for the initialization of the circuit . on the second phase , the switches 24 and 28 are closed and the switches 25 , 26 and 27 are opened to receive the input signal for comparason . the potentials at the connection nodes n 23 and n 26 has the same value , as explained above . therefore , any leakage from the output terminal 24 to the connection node n 23 does not occur . the obtained output signal does not involve any offset voltage based on the leakage and shows an exact voltage . similarly , the invention may be applied to a circuit employing the operational amplifier whose inverting input port and output port are required to be operatively connected by an analog switch .	7
an explanation will be given of a first embodiment of the invention in reference to fig1 through fig7 as follows . first , an explanation will be given of a constitution of a fuel vapor purge system in reference to fig1 . a fuel tank 11 is molded by resin . the fuel tank 11 is connected with a canister 13 via a fuel vapor path 12 . an adsorber 13 a of active carbon or the like for adsorbing the fuel vapor is contained in the canister 13 . further , an atmosphere communicating path of a bottom face portion of the canister 13 is attached with a canister valve 14 ( ccv ) of a power saving type , mentioned later . meanwhile , between the canister 13 and an engine intake system , there is provided a purge path 15 for purging ( discharging ) fuel vapor adsorbed to the adsorber in the canister 13 to the engine intake system and a purge valve 16 for controlling a purge flow rate is provided at a middle of the purge path 15 . the purge valve 16 is constituted by a normally closed type electromagnetic valve and the purge flow rate of fuel vapor from the canister 13 to the engine intake system is controlled by controlling electricity conduction thereto by a duty control . further , the fuel tank 11 is provided with a pressure sensor 17 for detecting pressure thereof ( pressure detecting means ). when the fuel vapor purge system from inside of the fuel tank 11 to the purge valve 16 is hermetically closed , the pressure of the fuel tank 11 coincides with pressure of other portion of the fuel vapor purge system and therefore , by detecting the pressure of the fuel tank 11 ( hereinafter , simply referred to as pressure ) by the pressure sensor 17 , pressure of the fuel vapor purge system can be detected . the fuel tank 11 is provided with a fuel level sensor 18 for detecting a remaining amount of fuel and a fuel temperature sensor 26 for detecting fuel temperature . other than these , there are provided various kinds of sensors of a water temperature sensor 19 for detecting engine cooling water temperature tw , an intake temperature sensor 20 for detecting intake temperature ti and the like . outputs of the various sensors are inputted to a control circuit 21 . a power terminal of the control circuit 21 is supplied with a power voltage from a vehicle - mounted battery via a main relay 22 . other than the control circuit , the canister valve 14 , the purge valve 16 , the pressure sensor 17 and the fuel level sensor 18 , are supplied with power voltage via the main relay 22 . a relay drive coil 22 b for driving a relay contact 22 a of the main relay 22 is connected to a main relay control terminal of the control circuit 21 , by conducting electricity to the relay drive coil 22 b , the relay contact 22 a is made on and power voltage is supplied to the control circuit 21 , the canister valve 14 , the purge valve 16 , the pressure sensor 17 and the fuel level sensor 18 . further , by making electricity conduction to the relay drive coil 22 b off , the relay contact 22 a is made off and power supplied to the control circuit 21 and the like is made off . a key sw terminal of the control circuit 21 is inputted with on / off signal of an ignition switch ( hereinafter , ‘ ig switch ’) 23 . further , the control circuit 21 is built with a backup power 24 and a soak timer 25 for operating to count time with the backup power 24 as power . the soak timer 25 starts operating to count time after stopping the engine ( after off of is switch 23 ) and measures elapse time after stopping the engine . next , an explanation will be given of a constitution of the canister valve 14 of the power saving type in reference to fig2 and fig3 . a lower portion of a housing 29 of the canister valve 14 , is provided with a canister port 30 connected to a side of the canister 13 and an atmosphere port 31 connected to a side of atmospheric pressure ( air filter or the like ). a path connecting the atmosphere port 31 and the canister port 30 is an atmosphere communicating path . an upper side of the canister port 30 is provided with a valve member 32 in a shape of a circular plate to move up and down by guiding an outer peripheral portion thereof by a plurality of pieces of guide pins 33 and the valve member 32 opens and closes a valve seat 34 formed at a peripheral edge portion of an opening of the canister port 30 . the valve member 32 is formed by molding a first magnet 35 in a shape of a circular plate by resin and is urged in a valve opening direction ( upper direction ) by a first spring 36 . a lower face of the valve member 32 is mounted with a rubber sheet 37 for promoting adherence to the valve seat 34 when the valve is closed . meanwhile , a solenoid coil 39 wound around a spool 38 made of resin , is contained at an upper portion of the housing 29 and a stator core 40 is fitted to an inner diameter portion of an upper side of the spool 38 . meanwhile , a moving core 41 in a shape of a circular cylinder is fitted to an inner diameter portion of a lower side of the spool 38 movably in an up and down direction . the moving core 41 is formed by molding a second magnet 42 by resin . a second spring 43 is interposed between the moving core 41 and the stator core 40 and the moving core 41 is urged downwardly by the second spring 43 . a peripheral edge portion of an inner side of a diaphragm 45 formed by an elastic member of rubber or the like , is fitted to a flange portion 44 provided at an outer periphery of a lower end portion of the moving core 41 . a peripheral edge portion of an outer side of the diagram 45 is fixed to an inner peripheral portion of the housing 29 . a first pressure chamber 46 on a lower side and a second pressure chamber 47 on an upper side are formed by partitioning a space in the housing 29 to upper and lower sides by the diagram 45 . the canister port 30 and the atmosphere port 31 are communicated via the first pressure chamber 46 when the valve member 32 is opened . further , the canister port 30 is communicated with the second pressure chamber 47 via a pressure introducing path 48 . meanwhile , an upper portion of the housing 29 is provided with a connector 49 for conducting electricity to the solenoid coil 39 . further , there are provided a yoke 50 and a magnetic plate 51 constituting a magnetic circuit to surround the solenoid coil 39 and a direction of driving ( upper direction / lower direction ) of the moving core 41 can be switched by switching a direction of force ( suction force / repulsion force ) operated between the second magnet 42 of the moving core 41 and the stator core 40 by switching an electricity conducting direction of the solenoid coil 39 . an upper limit position of the moving core 41 is restricted by bringing the flange portion 44 of the moving core 41 into the contact with a stopper portion 52 to thereby prevent the moving core 41 from colliding with the stator core 40 when the moving core 41 is driven upwardly . further , the first magnet 35 of the valve member 32 and the second magnet 42 of the moving core 41 are arranged such that same poles thereof ( n poles in fig1 and fig2 ) are opposed to each other and repulsion force is operated between the two magnets 35 and 42 . as shown by fig4 a , in an initial state , the moving core 41 is held at an upper position by magnetic suction force operated between the second magnet 42 and the stator core 40 and the valve member 32 is held at an upper position by spring force of the first spring 36 and is maintained in a valve opening state . as shown by fig4 b , when electricity is conducted to the solenoid coil 39 and magnetic repulsion force is operated between the second magnet 42 of the moving core 41 and the stator core 40 , the moving core 41 ( second magnet 42 ) is moved downward and the valve member 32 ( first magnet 35 ) moves downward by magnetic repulsion force operate between the two magnets 35 and 42 to closed valve . when electricity conduction of the solenoid coil 39 is continued , regardless of whether inside of the fuel vapor purge system is under positive pressure or negative pressure ( whether side of canister port 30 is under positive pressure or negative pressure ), the valve member 32 can be maintained in the valve closing state . when inside of the fuel vapor purge system becomes lower than the atmospheric pressure to constitute negative pressure under the state , the side of the canister port 30 is under negative pressure , however , the side of the first pressure chamber 46 communicating with the atmosphere port 31 is substantially under the atmospheric pressure . thereby , force operated in the direction of closing the valve member 32 is further increased . further , negative pressure is introduced from the canister port 30 to the second pressure chamber 47 from the pressure introducing path 48 . when electricity conduction to the solenoid coil 39 is stopped thereafter , as shown by fig4 c , electromagnetic drive force is reduced and the moving core 41 ( second magnet 42 ) is moved slightly upward . thereby , the force operated in the direction of closing the valve member 32 is reduced by an amount of reducing the magnetic repulsion force operated between the two magnets 35 and 42 , however , when the negative pressure at inside of the fuel vapor purge system ( negative pressure on the side of canister port 30 ) is larger than a predetermined value , the force operated in the direction of closing the valve member 32 becomes superior and the valve member 32 is held in the valve closing state . meanwhile , as shown by fig4 d , when electricity is conducted to the solenoid coil 39 in a direction reverse to that in closing the valve and suction force is operated between the moving core ( second magnet 42 ) and the stator core 40 , the moving core 41 ( second magnet 42 ) is moved upward , the valve member 32 ( first magnet 35 ) is released from the magnetic repulsion force operated between the two magnets 35 and 42 and there is brought about a state in which inside of the canister 13 is communicated with the atmosphere . the control circuit 21 is mainly constituted by a microcomputer for carrying out fuel injection control , ignition control and purge control by executing fuel injection control routine , ignition control routine and purge control routine stored to rom ( storage medium ) thereof . further , the control circuit 21 closes the canister valve 14 and the purge valve 16 to thereby maintain the fuel vapor purge system in a hermetically closed state after stopping the engine ( after making ig switch 23 off ) and determines presence or absence of the leak based on the pressure ( pressure of fuel vapor purge system ) at this occasion by executing leak check routine shown in fig5 stored to rom . further , the control circuit 21 determines whether the pressure is rapidly changed by deformation of the fuel tank 11 in checking the leak and stops checking the leak when it is determined that deformation of the fuel tank 11 ( rapid change of pressure ) is brought about in checking the leak . further , the control circuit 21 supplies power voltage to parts necessary for carrying out the leak check ( control circuit 21 , canister valve 14 and the like ) after stopping to operate the engine by executing the main relay control routine shown in fig6 stored to rom . an explanation will be given here of a method of checking the leak after stopping the engine . after stopping the engine ( after making ig switch 23 off ), the purge valve 16 is immediately closed and the canister valve 14 is closed to thereby hermetically close the fuel vapor purge system . immediately after stopping the engine , temperature of an exhaust system is high and therefore , by the heat , fuel temperature at inside of the fuel tank 11 is maintained at a temperature at which fuel vapor is liable to generate , an amount of generating the fuel vapor is increased and therefore , when the fuel vapor purge system is hermetically closed immediately after stopping the engine , in the case of absence of the leak , an amount of increasing the pressure ( amount of increasing pressure of fuel vapor purge system ) by generating fuel vapor is increased . thereafter , when the fuel tank 11 is cooled by outside air and fuel vapor at inside the fuel tank 11 starts condensing ( liquefying ), in the case of absence of the leak , pressure of the fuel vapor purge system becomes negative pressure ( equal to or lower than atmospheric pressure ) in accordance with elapse of time . meanwhile , in the case of presence of the leak , even when the fuel vapor purge system is hermetically closed , fuel vapor is leaked from a leak hole of the fuel vapor purge system into the atmosphere , or the atmosphere is sucked from the leak hole into the fuel vapor purge system when the pressure is negative and therefore , the pressure ( pressure of fuel vapor purge system ) after hermetically closing the fuel vapor purge system is not increased to the positive pressure side or decreased to the negative pressure side significantly from the atmospheric pressure and the pressure is converged to a vicinity of the atmospheric pressure in a comparatively short period of time . in consideration of such a property , during a leak check time period , when pressure pt detected by gage pressure ( atmospheric pressure reference ) by the pressure sensor 17 ( gage pressure = absolute pressure − atmospheric pressure ), is compared with a predetermined positive pressure side determinant pt 1 and a predetermined negative pressure side determinant − pt 2 , when the pressure pt becomes higher than the positive pressure side determinant pt 1 , or when the pressure pt becomes lower than the negative pressure side determinant − pt 2 , absence of leakage ( normal ) is determined . meanwhile , when the pressure pt does not become higher than the positive pressure side determinant pt 1 and the pressure pt does not become lower than the negative pressure side determinant − pt 2 and the leak check time period is finished , presence of leak ( abnormal ) is determined . meanwhile , generally , strength of the fuel tank 11 made of resin is lower than that of a conventional fuel tank made of a metal and therefore , in checking the leak by bringing the fuel vapor purge system into the hermetically close state , when a pressure difference between the pressure and atmospheric pressure ( outside air pressure ) becomes successively large , at a time point at which the pressure difference exceeds a certain limit pressure , there is brought about a phenomenon of deforming to bulge a wall face of the fuel tank 11 to an outer side by increasing the pressure or deforming the wall face of the fuel tank 11 to recess to an inner side when negative pressure is increased . when such a deformation of the fuel tank 11 is brought about in checking the leak , the volume of the fuel tank 11 is rapidly changed and the pressure is rapidly changed and therefore , there is a concern of erroneously determining presence or absence of the leak by being influence by the pressure change . hence , according to the first embodiment , it is determined whether the fuel tank 11 is deformed , by whether the pressure is rapidly changed in checking the leak and when the fuel tank 11 is deformed ( pressure is rapidly changed ), leak check is canceled and presence or absence of the leak is prevented from being erroneously determined by being tank 11 . the leak check of the fuel vapor purge system explained above is carried out as follows by a leak check routine of fig5 . the leak check routine of fig5 is periodically executed when power is being supplied to the control circuit 21 ( when main relay 22 is made on ). when the routine is started , first , at step 101 , it is determined whether the engine has been stopped ( after making ig switch 23 off ) and when the engine is being operated , the routine is finished without carrying out processings thereafter . meanwhile , when it is determined that the engine has been stopped ( after making ig switch 23 off ) at the step 101 , the operation proceeds to next step 102 and determines whether a leak check executing condition is established . the leak check executing condition is that , for example , fuel temperature detected by the fuel temperature sensor 26 is equal to or higher than the predetermined temperature at which fuel vapor is liable to generate and when the fuel temperature is equal to or higher than the predetermined temperature , the leak check executing condition is established . further , in determining the leak check executing condition , in place of the fuel temperature , there may be used a parameter correlated to the fuel temperature , for example , running history before stopping the engine ( running time , running distance ) or an engine operating state ( cooling water temperature or the like ). for example , the leak check executing condition may be established when the running time is equal to or longer than predetermined time or when the running distance is equal to or larger than a predetermined value . when it is determined in the step 102 that the fuel temperature is less than predetermined temperature and the leak check executing condition is not established , the routine is finished without executing processings thereafter . meanwhile , when the fuel temperature is equal to or higher than the predetermined temperature and it is determined that the leak check executing condition is established , leak check processings at and after step 103 are executed as follows . first , at step 103 , the canister valve 14 is closed and at next step 104 , the purge valve 16 is closed to thereby hermetically close the fuel vapor purge system . thereafter , the operation proceeds to step 105 and detects the pressure pt at current time by reading an output signal of the pressure sensor 17 . at this occasion , as the pressure pt , there is used the gage pressure ( gage pressure = absolute pressure − atmospheric pressure ) detected with the atmospheric pressure as a reference . thereafter , the operation proceeds to step 106 and determines whether the pressure pt is rapidly changed ( whether fuel tank 11 is deformed ) by whether the absolute value of a pressure change amount δpt per operation period ( per predetermined time ) is larger than a predetermined determinant k . when it is determined negatively ( when it is determined that pressure pt is not rapidly changed ) at step 106 , it is determined at step 107 whether the pressure pt is higher than the predetermined positive pressure side determinant pt 1 and it is determined at next step 108 whether the pressure pt is lower than the predetermined negative pressure side determinant − pt 2 . although the determinants pt 1 and − pt 2 may be constituted by fixed values for simplifying the operation , the determinants may be changed by maps or the like in accordance with a remaining amount of fuel in the fuel tank 11 and / or fuel temperature . when it is determined affirmatively ( when it is determined that pressure pt is higher than positive pressure side determinant pt 1 ) at step 107 , or when it is determined affirmatively ( when it is determined that pressure pt is lower than negative pressure side determinant − pt 2 ) at step 108 , the operation proceeds to step 111 , absence of leak ( normal ) is determined , a normal code is stored to backup ram ( not illustrated ) of the control circuit 21 , thereafter , the operation proceeds to step 113 , opens the canister valve 14 to thereby release the hermetically closed state of the fuel vapor purge system and finish the leak check . in contrast thereto , when it is determined negatively ( that is , when pressure pt falls in ranges of positive pressure side determinant pt 1 and negative pressure side determinant − pt 2 ) both at step 107 and step 108 , the operation proceeds to step 109 and determines whether elapse time after starting the leak check exceeds predetermined time by whether measured time of the soak timer 25 ( elapse time after stopping engine ) exceeds predetermined time and when the elapse time after starting the leak check dose not exceed the predetermined time , the routine is finished as it is . thereafter , when it is not determined affirmatively at the step 107 or step 108 and it is determined at step 109 that the elapse time after starting the leak check exceeds the predetermined time ( that is , state in which pressure pt falls in ranges of positive pressure side determinant pt 1 and negative pressure side determinant − pt 2 , continues for predetermined time or longer ), the operation proceeds to step 110 , determines presence of the leak ( abnormal ), alarms a driver by turning on an indicator 27 , stores an abnormality code to backup ram of the control circuit 21 and thereafter , proceeds to step 113 and releases a hermetically closed state of the fuel vapor purge system by opening the canister valve 14 to thereby finish the leak check . processings of the steps 103 through 111 and 113 serve as leak checking means in the scope of claims . meanwhile , when it is determined affirmatively at the step 106 in checking the leak , it is determined that the pressure pt is rapidly changed by deformation of the fuel tank 11 , the operation proceeds to step 112 , cancels the leak check and sets a fuel tank deformation flag , thereafter , proceeds to step 113 , opens the canister valve 14 to thereby release the hermetically closed state of the fuel vapor purge system . processings of the steps 112 and 113 serve as leak check canceling means in the scope of claims . meanwhile , a main relay control routine of fig6 is executed at each predetermined time for controlling on / off of the main relay 22 as follows . when the routine is started , first , at step 201 , it is determined whether the ig switch 23 is made on , that is , whether the engine is being operated , when the ig switch 23 is brought into an on state ( engine is being operated ), the operation proceeds to step 205 , maintains the main relay 22 in an on state and supplies power voltage to the control circuit 21 , the canister valve 14 , the purge valve 16 , the pressure sensor 17 and the like . thereafter , at a time point at which the ig switch 23 is switched from on to off , it is determined negatively at step 201 , the operation proceeds to step 202 , determines whether the leak check is being executed by the leak check routine of fig5 , when the leak check is not executed , the operation proceeds to step 204 , makes the main relay 22 off and cuts power supplied to the control circuit 21 , the canister valve 14 , the purge valve 16 , the pressure sensor 17 and the like . in contrast thereto , when it is determined at the step 202 that the leak check is being checked , the operation proceeds to step 203 and determines whether the power voltage vb is higher than predetermined voltage vt capable of ensuring starting performance of the engine and when the power voltage is equal to or lower than the predetermined voltage , the operation proceeds to step 204 , makes the main relay 22 off even in the midst of the leak check and cancels the leak check by cutting power supplied to the control circuit 21 , the canister valve 14 and the like to thereby prevent dissipation of the battery . meanwhile , when the power voltage vb is higher than the predetermined voltage vt , the operation proceeds to step 205 , maintains the main relay 22 in the on state even after making the ig switch 23 off ( after stopping engine ) and the continues power supplied to parts necessary for continuing the leak check ( control circuit 21 , canister valve 14 and the like ). further , at the time point at which the leak check has been finished , it is determined negatively at step 202 , the operation proceeds to step 204 and makes the main relay 22 off to thereby cut power supplied to the control circuit 21 , the canister valve 14 and the like . an explanation will be given of an example of executing the leak check of the first embodiment explained above in reference to a time chart of fig7 . at a time point t 0 at which the ig switch 23 is made off ( engine is stopped ) and the leak check executing condition is established , the canister valve 14 is closed and the purge valve 16 is closed to thereby hermetically close the fuel vapor purge system and start the leak check . during the leak check , presence or absence of the leak is determined by comparing the pressure pt with the positive pressure side determinant pt 1 and the negative pressure side determinant pt 2 . during the leak check , when the fuel tank 11 is deformed by a difference between pressures at inside and outside of the fuel tank 11 at , for example , time point t 1 , the volume of the fuel tank 11 is rapidly changed and the pressure is rapidly changed . as shown by a comparative example shown in fig7 by a broken line , when the leak check is continued up to a time point t 3 , there is a possibility of erroneously determining presence or absence of the leak by being influenced by the pressure change by the deformation of the fuel tank 11 . in contrast thereto , according to the first embodiment shown in fig7 by a bold line , when the fuel tank 11 is deformed , the leak check is cancelled . in fig7 , the leak check is cancelled at a time point t 2 . thereby , it can be prevented beforehand to erroneously determine presence or absence of the leak by being influenced by the pressure change by deformation of the fuel tank 11 and reliability of leak check can be promoted . further , according to the first embodiment , in canceling the leak check by detecting deformation of the fuel tank 11 ( rapid change of pressure ), the canister valve 14 is opened to thereby release the hermetically closed state of the fuel vapor purge system and therefore , when deformation of the fuel tank 11 is brought about , by immediately releasing the hermetically closed state of the fuel vapor purge system and making the pressure in the fuel vapor purge system approach swiftly to the atmospheric pressure , pressure load applied on the fuel tank 11 can swiftly be alleviated . next , an explanation will be given of a second embodiment of the invention in reference to fig8 to fig1 . elements the same as or similar to those in the first embodiment are attached with the same notations and an explanation thereof will not be repeated . according to the second embodiment , by executing a leak check routine shown in fig8 and fig9 , during leak check after stopping the engine ( after making ig switch 23 off ) the pressure pt is restricted by a predetermined positive pressure side restricted value pu and predetermined negative pressure side restricted value − pl and when the pressure pt is rapidly changed ( when deformation of fuel tank is brought about ) in leak check , leak check is cancelled and the positive side restricted value pu or the negative pressure restricted value − pl is corrected in a direction of approaching the atmospheric pressure . at step 306 , it is determined whether the pressure pt is higher than the predetermined positive pressure side restricted value pu or whether the pressure pt is lower than the predetermined negative pressure side restricted value − pl . at the step 306 , when it is determined that the pressure pt is higher than the positive pressure side restricted value pu or it is determined that the pressure pt is lower than the negative pressure side restricted value − pl , the operation proceeds to step 307 , the canister valve 14 is opened to bring the pressure pt to fall in the restricted range ( pu ≧ pt ≧− pl ), thereafter , the operation proceeds to step 308 and it is determined again whether the pressure pt is higher than the positive side restricted value pu or whether the pressure pt is lower than the negative pressure side restricted value − pl . during a time period in which it is affirmatively determined at the step 308 , the canister valve 14 is maintained in a valve opening state . thereafter , at step 308 , the operation proceeds to 309 at a time point at which the pressure pt falls in the restricted range ( pu ≧ pt ≧− pl ), the canister valve 14 is closed and thereafter , the operation proceeds to step 106 of fig9 . the above - described processings of steps 306 through 309 serve as restricting means . meanwhile , when it is determined at the step 306 that the pressure pt falls in the restricted range ( pu ≧ pt ≧− pl ), the operation proceeds to step 106 of fig9 while closing the canister valve 14 . when it is negatively determined ( when it is determined that pressure pt is not rapidly changed ) at step 106 , it is determined at step 311 whether a state in which the pressure pt is higher than the positive pressure side determinant pt 1 , continues over a positive pressure side determinant time period t 1 , further , at next step 312 , it is determined whether a state in which the pressure pt is lower than the negative pressure side determinant − pt 2 , continues over a negative pressure side determining time period t 2 . when it is determined affirmatively ( when it is determined that the state in which pressure pt is higher than positive pressure side determinant pt 1 , continues over positive pressure side determinant time period t 1 ) at step 311 , or when it is determined affirmatively ( when it is determined that the state in which pressure pt is lower than negative pressure side determinant − pt 2 , continues over negative pressure side determinant time period t 2 ) at step 312 , the operation proceeds to step 111 . in contrast thereto , when it is determined negatively both at step 311 and step 312 , the operation proceeds to step 109 . meanwhile , when it is determined affirmatively at the step 106 during leak check , it is determined that deformation of the fuel tank 11 ( rapid change of pressure pt ) is brought about even when the pressure pt is restricted by the positive pressure side restricted value pu and the negative pressure restricted value − pl , the operation proceeds to step 316 and the positive pressure side restricted value pu or the negative pressure side restricted value − pl is corrected in a direction of approaching the atmospheric pressure as follows . in the case in which deformation of the fuel tank 11 is brought about when the pressure pt is positive pressure , the positive pressure side restricted value pu is corrected to a value of the current pressure pt subtracted by a predetermined value pofs ( pu = pt − pofs ). meanwhile , in the case in which deformation of the fuel tank 11 is brought about when the pressure pt is negative pressure , the negative pressure side restricted value − pl is corrected to a value of the current pressure pt added with the predetermined value pofs (− pl = pt + pofs ). thereby , the positive side restricted value pu or the negative pressure side restricted value − pl is corrected to pressure lower than pressure when deformation of the fuel tank 11 is actually brought about ( pressure on side of atmospheric pressure ). the corrected positive pressure side restricted value pu or the corrected negative pressure side restricted value − pl is used in leak check after stopping the engine at next time . thereafter , the operation proceeds to step 317 , in the case in which deformation of the fuel tank 11 is brought about when the pressure pt is positive pressure , the positive pressure side determinant pt 1 is corrected in accordance with the corrected positive pressure side restricted value pu by a map shown in fig1 a or by an equation and the positive pressure side determining time period t 1 is corrected in accordance with the corrected positive pressure side restricted value pu by a map shown in fig1 b or by an equation . thereby , when the positive pressure side restricted value pu is corrected in the direction of the atmospheric pressure , the positive pressure side determinant pt 1 is reduced and the positive pressure side determining time period t 1 is prolonged . further , in the case in which deformation of the fuel tank 11 is brought about when the pressure pt is negative pressure , the negative pressure side determinant − pt 2 is corrected in accordance with the corrected negative pressure side restricted value − pl by a map shown in fig1 a or by an equation and the negative pressure side determining time period t 2 is corrected in accordance with the corrected negative pressure side restricted value − pl by a map shown in fig1 b or by an equation . thereby , when the negative pressure side restricted value − pl is corrected in the direction of the atmospheric pressure , the negative pressure side determinant − pt 2 is increased and the negative pressure side determinant time period t 2 is prolonged . the corrected positive pressure side determinant pt 1 and the corrected positive pressure side determinant time period t 1 or the corrected negative pressure side determinant − pt 2 and the corrected negative pressure side determinant time period t 2 , are used in leak check after stopping the engine at next time . according to the second embodiment explained above , in the case in which deformation of the fuel tank 11 ( rapid change of pressure pt ) is brought about even when the pressure pt is restricted by the positive pressure side restricted value pu and the negative pressure side restricted value − pl , the positive pressure side restricted value pu or the negative pressure side restricted value − pl is corrected in the direction of approaching the atmospheric pressure . fig1 is a graph showing an example of control by the second embodiment . under restricted values and determinants by initial setting , the pressure pt is increased as shown by a broken line . for example , at time t 1 , deformation of the fuel tank is brought about . according to the second embodiment , the restricted values and the determinants are corrected . the corrected restricted values and the corrected determinants are used in leak check at next time . a bold line of fig1 indicates a change of pressure by leak check after correction . the pressure pt is restricted at and after time t 01 . as a result , leak check can be executed without bringing about deformation of the fuel tank . leak check is finished at , for example , time t 3 . in fig1 , there is shown determining time t 1 at step 311 . as shown by the time chart of fig1 , the pressure pt can firmly be restricted in a pressure range by which deformation of the fuel tank 11 is not brought about by the corrected positive pressure side restricted value pu or the corrected negative pressure side restricted value − pl . deformation of the fuel tank 11 can firmly be prevented and leak check can be completed to the end . further , the positive pressure side restricted value pu and the negative pressure side restricted value − pl may be set in accordance with a parameter correlated to temperature at inside of the fuel tank 11 or a periphery thereof ( for example , fuel temperature detected by fuel temperature sensor 26 ). thereby , the pressure pt can be restricted to the pressure range by which deformation of the fuel tank 11 is not brought about by changing the positive pressure side restricted value pu or the negative pressure side restricted value − pl in correspondence with a fuel vapor generating amount ( pressure rise amount of fuel vapor purge system ) or a change in the strength characteristic of the fuel tank 11 in accordance with temperature at inside of the fuel tank 11 or a periphery thereof . in this case , the fuel temperature sensor 26 serves to correspond to temperature determining means in the scope of claims . further , instead of fuel temperature , as a parameter correlated to temperature at inside of the fuel tank 11 or a periphery thereof , for example , there may be used running history ( running time , running distance ) before stopping the engine or an engine operating state ( cooling water temperature or the like ). although according to the respective first and second embodiments explained above , when the leak check is cancelled by detecting deformation of the fuel tank 11 ( rapid change of pressure ), the canister valve 14 is opened to thereby release the hermetically closed state of the fuel vapor purge system , the purge valve 16 may be opened instead of the canister valve 14 . when engine is stopped , inside of an intake pipe is filled with the atmosphere and therefore , when the purge valve 16 is opened , the atmosphere at inside of the intake pipe is introduced into the fuel tank 11 via the purge valve 16 and the pressure becomes the atmospheric pressure . or when leak check is cancelled , both of the canister valve 14 and the purge valve 16 may be opened . further , although according to the above - described respective first and second embodiments , the invention is applied to the fuel vapor purge system having the fuel tank made of resin when the engine is being stopped , the invention may be applied to leak check of the fuel vapor purge system operated . for example , presence of absence of leak may be determined by comparing a summed pressure value calculated by summing the pressure by a predetermined operation period during the leak check time period with a leak determinant . or , presence or absence of leak may be determined by detecting a maximum value ( or minimum value ) of the pressure during the leak check time period and comparing the maximum value ( or minimum value ) of the pressure with a leak determinant . or , presence or absence of leak may be determined by comparing the pressure detected after elapse of a predetermined time period from starting to check the leak ( hermetically closing fuel vapor purge system ) with a leak determinant . or , presence or absence of leak may be determined by monitoring a change in the pressure after starting to check the leak and measuring a time period until a rate of increasing the pressure becomes equal to or smaller than a predetermined value ( for example , substantially null ) and by whether the time period is shorter than a leak determinant . or , presence or absence of leak may be determined by whether the pressure becomes equal to or lower than predetermined pressure ( for example , vicinity of atmospheric starting to check the leak . meanwhile , although according to the above - described respective first and second embodiments , there is used the canister valve 14 of the power saving type capable of maintaining the valve closing state by utilizing negative pressure of the intake pipe in operating the engine , the canister valve may be constituted by an electromagnetic valve of a power saving type conducting electricity only in switching to open valve / close valve and maintaining the valve opening state / valve closing state continuously even after cutting electricity conduction by a permanent magnet or the like . in this case , when electricity is conducted to the canister valve to close in starting to check the leak after stopping the engine , the fuel vapor purge system can be maintained in the hermetically closed state by maintaining the canister valve in the valve closing state even when electricity is not conducted thereafter and therefore , it is not necessary to a conduct electricity to the canister valve during the time period of checking the leak and a power consumption amount during the time period of checking the leak can be reduced by that amount . however , as in a comparative example shown in fig1 by a broken line , after finishing to check the leak ( after making main relay off ) in stopping the engine , when the canister valve is closed successively and the fuel vapor purge system is maintained in the hermetically closed state , by rise of the pressure accompanied by generating fuel vapor or fall of the pressure accompanied by temperature drop , there is a concern of increasing pressure load applied on the fuel vapor purge system in stopping the engine . in this respect , according to the above - described respective first and second embodiments , as shown in fig1 by a bold line , in finishing to check the leak in stopping the engine , the hermetically closed state of the fuel vapor purge system is released by opening the canister valve 14 and therefore , the pressure ( pressure of fuel vapor purge system ) can be set to a vicinity of the atmospheric pressure in finishing to check the leak in stopping the engine to thereby enable to alleviate pressure load applied on the fuel vapor purge system and a factor of causing the leak can be reduced . further , when the canister valve 14 is opened in finishing to check the leak in stopping the engine , there can be prevented also a failure of fixing the canister valve 14 in the valve closing state in stopping the engine . an explanation will be given of a third embodiment in reference to fig1 through fig1 as follows . a fuel vapor purge system according to the third embodiment is provided with components the same as those of the first embodiment . leak check processings of the third embodiment differ from those of the first embodiment . according to the third embodiment , there is added a processing of temporary opening the canister valve 14 after finishing to check the leak . in the following explanation , elements the same as or similar to those of the first embodiment are added with the same notations and an explanation thereof will not be repeated . meanwhile , according to a conventional general fuel vapor purge system , there is used an electromagnetic valve of a normally open type for the canister valve in order to communicate the canister to the atmosphere in stopping to operate the engine and therefore , even after stopping to operate the engine , until finishing to check the leak , in order to maintain the canister valve in the valve closing state , the electricity is obliged to continue to conduct to the canister valve , a power consumption amount in stopping to operate the engine is increased by that amount , as a result , dissipation of the battery ( lowering of voltage ) is accelerated . hence , it is conceivable to enable to maintain the fuel vapor purge system in the hermetically closed state by maintaining the canister valve in the valve closing state without conducting electricity to the canister valve in the leak check time period after stopping to operate the engine by constituting the canister valve by an electromagnetic valve of a normally closed type . however , in this case , even after finishing to check the leak in stopping to operate the engine , the canister valve is successively maintained in the valve closing state to thereby maintain the fuel vapor purge system in the hermetically closed state . when outside air temperature is high in summer time or the like , there is a case in which even in stopping to operate the engine , the fuel temperature ( pressure ) is not so much lowered and therefore , when the fuel vapor purge system is maintained in the hermetically closed state over a long period of time after finishing to check the leak , there is a case in which the fuel vapor purge system is maintained in a state of pressure higher than the atmospheric pressure for a long period of time , which causes to be liable to bring about the leak of the fuel vapor purge system . further , in the case of using an electromagnetic valve of a normally open type as a canister valve , when electricity conduction to the canister valve is made off after finishing to check the leak , the canister valve is opened to thereby open the fuel vapor purge system to the atmosphere and therefore , after finishing to check the leak , the pressure is maintained to the atmospheric pressure , also in this case , when even a small hole is opened in the fuel vapor purge system , it is unavoidable that fuel vapor in the fuel vapor purge system leaks out from the hole . hence , according to the embodiment , when the leak check is finished , the pressure pt is lowered . according to the processing , by temporarily opening the canister valve 14 to thereby release the hermetically close system of the fuel vapor purge system , the pressure pt which has been increased by generating fuel vapor in checking the leak , is swiftly lowered to a vicinity of the atmospheric pressure . thereafter , the canister valve 14 is closed again to thereby return the fuel vapor purge system to the hermetically closed state . as a result , by lowering the pressure pt accompanied by lowering the fuel temperature thereafter , the pressure pt is reduced to pressure lower than the atmospheric pressure ( negative pressure ) in a short period of time . thereafter , the fuel vapor purge system is maintained at negative pressure and therefore , even when the very small hole is assumedly opened in the fuel vapor purge system , only the atmosphere is sucked from the hole into the fuel vapor purge system and fuel vapor in the fuel vapor purge system can be prevented from leaking out into the atmosphere . leak check of the fuel vapor purge system explained above , is executed as follows by a leak check routine of fig1 and fig1 . when leak check is finished by processings of steps 101 through fig1 , the operation proceeds to step 401 of fig1 . in step 401 of fig1 , it is determined whether the pressure pt is higher than a predetermined valve opening determinant pop . the valve opening determinant pop is set to pressure slightly higher than the atmospheric pressure . when it is determined that the pressure pt is higher than the valve opening determinant pop at step 401 , the operation proceeds to step 402 , and the canister valve 14 is opened by conducting drive current in the valve opening direction to the solenoid coil 39 . thereby , the hermetically closed state of the fuel vapor purge system is released and the pressure pt which has been increased by generating fuel vapor in checking the leak , is reduced to a vicinity of the atmospheric pressure swiftly after finishing to check the leak . thereafter , the operation proceeds to step 403 , it is determined whether the pressure pt is lower than a predetermined valve closing determinant pcl . the valve closing determinant pcl is set to pressure at a vicinity of the atmospheric pressure ( however , atmospheric pressure & lt ; pcl & lt ; pop ). at the step 403 , at a time point at which it is determined that the pressure pt is lower than the valve closing determinant pcl , the operation proceeds to step 404 and the canister valve 14 is closed by conducting again drive current in the valve closing direction to the solenoid coil 39 of the canister valve 14 . thereby , the fuel vapor purge system is returned to the hermetically closed state and the pressure pt is lowered to be equal to or lower than the atmospheric pressure ( negative pressure ) swiftly by utilizing lowering of the pressure pt accompanied by lowering of fuel temperature thereafter . in contrast thereto , in the step 401 , when it is determined that the pressure pt is equal to or lower than the valve opening determinant pop , since the pressure pt has already been lowered to be equal to or lower than the valve opening determinant pop ( pressure near to atmospheric pressure ), it is determined that it is not necessary to open the canister valve 14 and the routine is finished while the canister valve 14 stays to be closed without being opened . also according to the third embodiment , there is executed a relay control similar to that of the first embodiment . however , according to the third embodiment , the leak check processing includes the control of opening and closing the canister valve 14 . therefore , the relay 22 is maintained to be on until finishing the processings of steps 401 through 404 of fig1 . fig1 is a time chart showing an example of a control according to the third embodiment . leak check is started from time t 0 . even after stopping the engine , temperature at inside of the fuel tank is slightly elevated . during the leak check , the pressure pt is gradually increased . when the leak check processing has been finished at time t 3 , the canister valve 14 is temporarily opened . the pressure pt is rapidly lowered . according to the third embodiment , the pressure pt is lowered to a vicinity of the atmospheric pressure ( indicated by 0 ). at time t 4 , all the leak check processing is finished and the relay 22 is cut . after time t 4 , temperature at inside of the fuel tank is gradually lowered . also the pressure pt at inside of the fuel tank is gradually lowered . as a result , the pressure pt at inside of the fuel tank is maintained at a vicinity of the atmospheric pressure or negative pressure equal to or lower than the atmospheric pressure . according to the embodiment explained above , after finishing to check the leak in stopping the engine , the pressure pt can swiftly be reduced to negative pressure . thereafter , the fuel vapor purge system is maintained at negative pressure and therefore , when a very small hole is assumedly opened in the fuel vapor purge system , only the atmosphere is sucked from the hole into the fuel vapor purge system , fuel vapor in the fuel vapor purge system can be prevented from leaking out into the atmosphere and an amount of leaking fuel vapor can be reduced . further , according to the embodiment , the canister valve 14 is closed after confirming that the pressure pt is actually lowered to the valve closing determinant pcl after opening the canister valve 14 in finishing to check the leak and therefore , the pressure pt ( pressure of fuel vapor purge system ) can be reduced to negative pressure swiftly and firmly . further , according to the embodiment , the canister valve 14 is prevented from being opened when the pressure pt is equal to or lower than the valve opening determinant pop in finishing to check the leak and therefore , when the pressure pt has already been lowered to be equal to the lower than the valve opening determinant pop in finishing to check the leak , the canister valve 14 can be made to be closed without being opened and in finishing to check the leak , it is not necessary to carry out wasteful control of opening and closing the canister valve 14 and power consumption in stopping to operate the engine can be saved by that amount . further , although according to the above - described embodiment , there is used the canister valve 14 of the power saving type capable of maintaining the valve closing state by utilizing negative pressure , the canister valve may be constituted by an electromagnetic valve of a power saving type by conducting electricity thereto only in switching to open the valve / close the valve and maintaining the valve opening state / the valve closing state successively by a permanent magnet or the like even after cutting electricity conduction . in this case , when electricity is conducted to the canister valve to close in starting to check the leak after stopping the engine , the fuel vapor purge system can be maintained in the hermetically closed state by maintaining the canister valve in the valve closing state without conducting electricity thereafter and therefore , it is not necessary to conduct electricity to the canister valve in a time period of checking the leak and the power consumption amount in the leak checking time period can be reduced by that amount . or , the canister valve may be constituted by an electromagnetic valve of a normally closed type . also in this case , when power supply to the canister valve is cut by making the main relay 22 off at a time point of finishing to operate to open and close the canister valve in finishing to check the leak , the canister valve can be opened . further , although according to the above - described embodiment , presence or absence of leak is determined by comparing the pressure pt with the positive pressure side determinant pt 1 and the negative pressure side determinant − pt 2 during the leak checking time period , the method of leak check may pertinently be modified . for example , presence or absence of leak may be determined by comparing a summed pressure value calculated by summing the pressure by a predetermined operation period in the leak checking time period with a leak determinant . or , presence or absence of leak may be determined by checking a maximum value ( or minimum value ) of the pressure during the leak checking time period and comparing the maximum value ( or minimum value ) of the pressure with a leak determinant . or , presence or absence of leak may be determined by comparing the pressure detected after elapse of a predetermined time period from starting to check the leak ( hermetically closing fuel vapor purge system ) with a leak determinant . or , presence or absence of leak may be determined by monitoring a change in the pressure after starting to check the leak , measuring a time period until a rate of increasing the pressure becomes equal to or smaller than a predetermined value ( for example , substantially null ) and by whether the time period is shorter than a leak determinant . or , presence or absence of leak may be determined by whether the pressure is lowered to be equal to or smaller than predetermined pressure ( for example , vicinity of atmospheric pressure ) before elapse of a predetermined time period from starting to check the leak . further , the processings of steps 401 though 404 of the third embodiment may be combined with the first embodiment or the second embodiment . although the present invention has been described in connection with the preferred embodiments thereof with reference to the accompanying drawings , it is to be noted that various changes and modifications will be apparent to those skilled in the art . such changes and modifications are to be understood as being included within the scope of the present invention as defined in the appended claims .	5
referring to fig1 an illustrative embodiment structure in accordance with the invention is shown with specific selected materials to show specific properties . the structure of fig1 is made up of a substrate 1 of a semiconductor material with a first conductivity type for example , n - type gaas . contiguous therewith at a p - n junction 2 is a region of the same material as the substrate 3 of opposite conductivity type for example , p - type gaas . a region 4 of a ternary semiconductor material with a graded bandgap is shown contiguous with the region 3 at a transition line 5 . the region 4 may for example , be p - type ga 1 - x al x as . the performance of electrons and holes in the structure of fig1 may be seen from the energy level diagram in the figure that is correlated with the regions of the structure . in this diagram it will be seen that electrons identified by the symbol (-) are urged across the p - n junction 2 by the drift field produced by the graded bandgap in the region 4 . the holes identified by the symbol (+) move across the p - n junction 2 to an energy position adjacent the fermi level . the electrons photoproduced in region 4 identified by the symbol (-) are urged across the p - n junction by the graded bandgap of region 4 . this same graded bandgap also prevents electrons in region 3 from diffusing to the surface of region 4 where they could be lost . the movement of the holes (+) and electrons (-) together give rise to the photocurrent of the device . for a solar cell this current is commonly referred to as short circuit current . the structure of fig1 is produced by contacting a binary semiconductor substrate of a particular conductivity type for example , n - type gaas with a ternary semiconductor melt that has several characteristics . the melt contains the ingredients of a ternary semiconductor material and is capable of forming an alloy with the binary semiconductor at a temperature lower than the melting temperature of the binary semiconductor substrate , it contains a conductivity type determining impurity capable of converting the binary semiconductor substrate by diffusion . the concentrations are such that at a temperature less than the melting temperature of the binary semiconductor substrate the melt is not saturated with the ingredients of the binary semiconductor and etches away a portion of the binary semiconductor substrate . the conductivity type determining impurity diffuses into the binary semiconductor substrate to form the p - n junction 2 . the duration of the time at the alloying temperature for the positioning of the p - n junction is governed by the diffusion coefficient of the impurity involved , its concentration , the atomic spacing of the substrate and the temperature . the melt proportions are selected such that the dissolved binary semiconductor substrate material that is etched , alters the melt characteristics , so that material of the ternary semiconductor is epitaxially grown on the binary semiconductor substrate . since the melt contains a conductivity type determining impurity the region 4 will have a conductivity type corresponding to that impurity . further since the ternary melt proportions are preselected , these proportions can be arranged so that as the ternary semiconductor in the region 4 grows its composition changes with distance producing the graded bandgap providing the drift field shown in the energy diagram in fig1 . the alloy is kept in contact for a longer time which operates to greatly lengthen the minority carrier diffusion length adjacent to and within the junction . in essence an interdependent combination of constituents and processing steps are set forth whereby a special melt is arranged that exhibits undersaturated characteristics with respect to a substrate at an alloying temperature . the melt first etches away a portion of the substrate then becomes saturated as a result of the etched material and grows a region of a different material out of the melt . a conductivity type determining impurity in the melt forms a p - n junction in the substrate by diffusion and a graded bandgap region in the grown region forms as growth progresses . the heat cycle not only has temperature considerations for alloying and diffusion but also is of longer duration than would be needed for alloying and regrowth and this duration produces an unexpected improvement in minority carrier lifetime in the substrate and in the grown material . the longer time cycle which produces the enhanced minority carrier lifetime results in a substantially improved device . the reason is not understood at this writing . some explanations may be imperfection annealing , gettering of undesirable impurities and crystalline stress reduction but it may be none of these . it will also be apparent from the above principles that the conductivity type of the ternary semiconductor can be different from that of the binary thereby producing a graded ternary semiconductor region of a conductivity type opposite to that of the binary substrate , thereby producing a structure found useful in the art . referring next to fig2 a solar cell 7 embodiment of the structure in accordance with the invention is shown . the structure involves a device body having a substrate 1 forming a p - n junction 2 with a p - region 3 which in turn is contiguous at a line 5 with a region 4 of another semiconductor . both the junction 2 and the demarcation line 5 , while parallel , are shown as having step - like , crystalline plane conforming variations 8 . this is the result of the etching by the melt in processing , proceeding preferentially along crystallographic planes . the variations 8 have particularly beneficial light scattering effects in devices where the region between the junction 2 and the demarcation line 5 is used for optical properties such as a laser cavity or as a solar light absorbing junction . these variations 8 may be more clearly seen by referring to the photomicrograph of fig3 wherein the regions 4 and 3 , while parallel , exhibit the step - like variations 8 described . the fig3 having the magnification on the photograph , is of assistance in giving an appreciation of the scale to set forth the fact that the region 4 can be grown to a thickness sufficient for the drift field but thin enough to permit for all the regions of fig2 to be photoactive . an external grid contact 9 is placed on the top surface and similarly an ohmic contact 10 is made to the substrate 1 . referring next to fig4 a top view photomicrograph bearing a magnification scale legent is provided to illustrate the variations 8 which are carried to the surface of the grown region 4 . while in the light of the teaching many specific embodiments of the invention will occur to one skilled in the art the following detailed procedure , materials and specifications are set forth as a starting place to apply the principles of the invention . the solar cell of fig2 may be constructed by employing as the substrate 1 an n - type gaas crystal with an impurity concentration of about 1 - 2 × 10 17 atoms / cc . a melt is made up of 2 . 5 grams of gallium 0 . 035 grams aluminum and from 0 . 035 to 0 . 100 grams of zinc . the melt is heated from 700 ° to 900 ° c and specifically to 850 ° c for example , in the presence of an excess of gallium arsenide for 30 minutes . the excess gaas is then removed and the temperature of the melt is raised 15 ° c higher or for example , to 865 ° c over 850 ° c . the melt at this temperature is brought into contact with the substrate 1 where it is maintained from about 10 to 30 minutes and then separated . alternatively the melt may be heated from room temperature to 700 °- 900 ° c and specifically 850 ° c in the presence of the gaas substrate for 30 minutes and then separated . in this one growth procedure a solar cell 7 is produced in which a portion of the n - type substrate 1 is doped with zn and converted to a 0 . 2 to 2 . 0μ thick p - type region 3 forming a p - n junction 2 and thereover a gaalas region that is 0 . 2 - 0 . 4μ thick and doped with zn . the region 4 is equipped with a grid structure ohmic contact 9 covering 6 to 8 % of the area by evaporating palladium 500a thick covered by aluminum 0 . 5μ thick . the ohmic contact 10 is made of gainsn alloy . the device is then annealed at 250 ° c for 5 minutes to reduce resistance . an antireflective film coating of titanium dioxide , not shown , about 600a thick is applied over the surface of region 4 . ______________________________________ amo aml______________________________________short circuit 33 milliamperes / sq . cm . 27 . 8 milliamperes / sq . cm . currentopen circuit 0 . 99 volts 0 . 976 voltsvoltagefill factor 0 . 77 0 . 76efficiency 18 . 5 % 21 . 9 % ______________________________________ referring next to fig5 the spectral response of the above - described solar cell is shown illustrating a quantum efficiency which is the number of collected photocarriers per incident photon as a function of photon energy , both with and without the antireflective coating . the curve rises rapidly from zero to nearly 1 at a photon energy of approximately 1 . 4ev and corresponds to the bandgap of gallium arsenide . above 1 . 4ev the quantum efficiency remains constant and nearly unity for a broad range of photon energies illustrating the thin region 4 and the improvement in elements 3 , 2 and 1 with respect to photon energies . what has been described is a technique of semiconductor structure manufacturing wherein an unsaturated melt of a multi - ingredient semiconductor having in common at least one ingredient with a semiconductor substrate , etches a part of the semiconductor substrate and the etched material changes the melt to super - saturated at the etched interface depositing a region of the multi - ingredient semiconductor material epitaxial with the first . impurities in the melt operate to impart conductivity type . impurity concentration and the timing , positions a diffused junction and enhances carrier lifetime . the structure has been illustrated as a high efficiency solar cell although as will be appreciated by one skilled in the art in the light of the principles set forth , many structures may be fabricated .	8
the proposed invention is a method for fabricating diffusion bonded or superplastically formed and diffusion bonded ( spf / db ) structures , wherein any metal or alloy , which may or may not be initially superplastic is joined at selected areas by diffusions bonding . according to such method , the metal or alloy to be diffusion bonded is first subjected to a prescribed surface treatment for the purpose of modifying its surface properties . the modification involves near - surface heat treatment or melting and rapid quenching or solidification . such treatment results in the formation of amorphous , microcrystalline , or metastable phases , depending on structural and kinetic factors . high energy sources , such as continuous lasers or electron beams , have been used for surface modification in other applications and are ideally suited for this method . material may be surface heated and melted and rapidly cooled because of the self - quenching effect provided by the unheated internal bulk material . control of energy source parameters will result in an optimized microstructure which is suitable for the subsequent diffusion bonding stage . thus , a thin layer of fine grain , superplastic material can be produced in an otherwise non - superplastic material . similarly , a thin metastable surface layer will subsequently undergo transformation to a desired microstructure either before or during the thermal cycle imposed by diffusion bonding . diffusion bonding will be greatly enhanced in surface modified materials because of improved flow and contact of the mating pieces . furthermore , in metals with stable oxides , such as aluminum and its alloys , diffusion bonding will be further enhanced after surface modification because of increase surface movements during bonding which lead to the disruption and break - up of surface oxides . fig1 indicates two graphical plots to dramatize the bond strength increases with fine grain size . each of the plots represents a separate sample of 7475 - t6 aluminum alloy . each plot illustrates the linear increase of shear strength ( bond strength ) as a function of smaller grain size . the present invention recognizes the desirability for achieving fine grain size near the surface of alloy material and overcomes the previous limitation that such fine grain size associated with superplastic alloy materials could only be achieved with relatively thin sheet materials . fig2 schematically illustrates an alloy block 10 which is not superplastic as supplied . thus , the alloy is comprised of relatively large grains , as indicated by reference numeral 12 . in order to produce a fine grain layer near the surface of the plate , the present invention has discovered that the exposure of the surface to a high energy source may cause melting of the surface material , after which the bulk of the plate metal cools the surface layer and causes rapid solidification thereat , which results in grain refinement corresponding to a superplastic surface condition . the refined grain microstructure is schematically illustrated at the surface 18 by reference numeral 20 . grain refinement may be achieved by several available high energy sources such as an electron beam generator , ion beam generator , or laser . other types of high energy sources may also be used , including fusion welding capable of localized surface melting , such as gas tungsten - arc , gas - metal arc , and plasma arc . such a high energy source is indicated at 14 in fig2 and is seen to project focused high energy radiation 16 at the surface 18 of the plate . in order to move the energy source 14 relative to the plate surface 18 , it is possible to utilize a conventional numerical control device 22 , such as is prevalently utilized in robotics and machine tool controls . in the case of a flat block 10 , as shown in fig2 the numerical control device need move the energy source 14 at a constant speed across the surface 18 so that each point receives substantially the same amount of high energy radiation from the source . alternatively , the block 10 may be moved relative to a stationary source 14 . this would typically involve a movable table ( not shown ) upon which the block rests . the table would be moved in the x - y plane by a numerical control device such as 22 . this will result in a desirable uniform grain reduction along a surface layer . thus , in such an application the energy source and plate need only undergo relative translational motion along x and y coordinates . the significant advantage of the present invention is that it is capable of operating with various alloys , whether they are supplied as a superplastic or non - superplastic material . a still further significant advantage is the ability of the present invention to refine the grain in an alloy object having almost any shape and thickness . of course , in the event a non - planar object is to be worked upon , the numerical control device 22 must be capable of undergoing three - dimensional motion along x , y and z coordinates . many types of appropriate numerical control devices for accomplishing these ends are commercially available . routine experimentation is necessary to determine the exposure parameters of the alloy material to the energy source . as a result of the method of the invention , the surface is modified by heat treatment or melting followed by rapid quenching or solidification . such treatment results in the formation of amorphous , microcrystalline , or metastable phases , depending on structural and kinetic factors . the result of the method is the production of a thin layer of fine grain , superplastic material in an otherwise non - superplastic material . similarly , a thin metastable surface layer will subsequently undergo transformation to a desired microstructure either before or during the thermal cycle imposed by diffusion bonding . diffusion bonding will be greatly enhanced in surface modified materials because of improved flow and contact of the mating pieces . furthermore , in metals with stable oxides , such as aluminum and its alloys , diffusion bonding will be further enhanced after surface modification because of increased surface movements during bonding which lead to the disruption and break - up of surface oxides . fig3 a and 3b are diagrammatic sectional views of structures indicating the regions which achieve diffusion bonding . in fig3 a a baseplate 24 has several parallel spaced extrusions 26 mounted thereto . the mounting is accomplished by diffusion bonding between a baseplate 24 and a plurality of parallel spaced extrusions 26 . more particularly , a fine - grained region 28 in each extrusion 26 is brought into diffusion contact with a mating fine - grained region 30 in the baseplate 24 . diffusion bonding between these fine - grained regions will occur at interface 32 . similarly , diffusion bonding may be achieved between a fine - grained superplastic sheet 36 and baseplate 34 . the diagrammatic cross - sectional view of fig3 b indicates that the sheet 36 is characterized by a fine - grained superplastic body 38 . several spaced fine - grained regions 42 characterize the upper surface of plate 34 and the intention is for base sections of the sheet 36 to contact the fine - grained areas 42 of the base so that diffusion bonding therebetween may be realized . it should be understood that the invention is not limited to the exact details of construction shown and described herein for obvious modifications will occur to persons skilled in the art .	8
fig1 illustrates a portion of an example system for distributing power to integrated circuits ( e . g ., cpus ) in server racks in a data center . for purposes of explanation only , the present invention will be described with reference to distribution of power to cpus mounted on server printed circuit boards ( pcbs ) within server racks of a data center , it being understood the present invention should not be limited thereto . with continuing reference to fig1 , ac - dc converter 102 is configured to convert high voltage , low current ac power into high voltage , low current dc power . an intermediate power transmission line transmits the high voltage , low current dc power from converter 102 to at least one rack of servers . the intermediate power transmission line contains resistive elements . because power is transmitted at low current , these resistive elements consume relatively small amounts of power . server racks typically contain dc - dc converters , such as dc - dc converter 104 , for converting power before it is transmitted to one or more server pcbs via a rack power transmission line 112 . like the intermediate transmission line , the rack power transmission line 112 contains resistive elements . server pcbs , relevant aspects of one of which are shown in fig1 , typically include a dc - dc converter 106 for converting power into a form ( e . g ., 1 . 2 volts dc , 150 amps ) needed by a cpu 110 . as an aside , cpus can operate in different modes . for example , in a low data processing mode of operation , cpu 110 generally requires power at relatively low voltage ( e . g ., 1 . 2 volts dc ). in a high data processing mode of operation , cpu requires power at higher voltage ( e . g ., 1 . 8 volts dc ). dc - dc converter 106 should be able to provide a variable source of voltage vout to the changing needs of cpu 110 . also , dc - dc converter 106 should be capable of quickly responding to changes in current and voltage demands of a cpu 110 during operation thereof . as noted above , the rack power transmission line , like the intermediate power transmission line , includes resistive elements that consume power . if power is transmitted over the rack transmission line at high voltage and low current , the power costs associated with these resistive elements can be reduced . however , depending on the technology employed by dc - dc converter 106 , there may be an upper limit on the input voltage vin that dc - dc converter 106 can convert . fig2 illustrates one type of dc - dc converter 106 . more particularly , fig2 illustrates a non - isolated , multiphase step - down dc - dc converter 200 . each phase 208 includes high - side and low - side transistors q 1 and q 2 coupled to an inductor 210 , which in turn is coupled to cpu 110 via an output node 204 as shown . for purposes of explanation , all transistors described herein will take form in n - channel or p - channel mosfets , it being understood the present invention should not be limited thereto . each phase 208 includes a driver circuit 206 that generates complementary , high - side and low - side square waves ( not shown ) that control transistors q 1 and q 2 , respectively . drivers 206 generate these square waves as a function of respective , phase shifted square wave inputs vsw provided by pwm control logic 212 . the duty cycle d of the square wave inputs vsw is t 1 /( t 1 + t 2 ). fig3 illustrates examples of phase shifted square waves vsw . the pulses of high - side and low - side square waves activate q 1 and q 2 , respectively . the high - side square wave provided to q 1 has a pulse width of t 1 , while the low - side square wave provided to q 2 has a pulse width of t 2 . q 1 transmits current to output node 204 via inductor 210 with each pulse of the high - side square wave , and q 2 transmits current from ground to output node 204 via inductor 210 with each pulse of the low - side square wave . since the high - side and low - side square waves are complementary , which means they do not have overlapping pulses , only one of q 1 and q 2 in each phase transmits current at any given time . one of ordinary skill in the art understands that the magnitude of the output voltage vout provided by dc - dc converter 200 depends on the duty cycle d = t 1 /( t 1 + t 2 ) and vin . more particularly , vout = dvin for the non - isolated , multiphase step - down dc - dc converter 200 . non - isolated , multiphase step - down dc - dc converter 200 is limited in its ability to convert a high voltage vin to a low voltage vout . for example , to convert vin at 48 volts dc to vout at 1 . 2 volts dc , the pwm control logic 212 must generate phase shifted square wave inputs vsw having a very low duty cycle of d = 0 . 025 , which may be difficult if the frequency of vsw is high . additionally , the ability of converter 200 to quickly respond to changes in voltage and current demanded by cpu 110 may be difficult when vsw has a small duty cycle . fig4 illustrates relevant components of another type of dc - dc converter 106 that could be employed in fig2 . fig4 illustrates an example multiphase , transformer - type dc - dc converter 400 according to one embodiment of the present invention . dc - dc converter 400 is capable of converting a relatively high input voltage vin ( e . g ., vin = 48 volts dc ) into a low output voltage vout ( e . g ., vout = 1 . 2 volts dc ) using control signals having larger duty cycles when compared to the duty cycle employed in dc - dc converter 200 , while remaining very quick in responding to sudden changes in power demands of cpu 110 . dc - dc converter 400 includes three phases 1 - 3 coupled in parallel between input node 404 and output node 406 . dc - dc converter 400 shown in fig4 includes three phases , it being understood that alternative embodiments of the dc - dc converter 400 may include additional or fewer phases . phases 1 - 3 should contain the same components in respective embodiments of dc - dc converter 400 . as such phases 1 - 3 should operate identically in respective embodiments . for ease of illustration , the relevant components of phase 1 will be shown in each embodiment of dc - dc converter 400 . dc - dc converter 400 can be embodied as an isolated dc - dc converter 400 or a non - isolated dc - dc converter 400 . in the isolated embodiment , cpu 110 is coupled to ground gnd 1 , which is separate and electrically isolated from a second ground gnd 2 that is provided to each phase of dc - dc converter 400 . in the non - isolated embodiment , a common ground ( e . g ., the first ground gnd 1 ) is employed by cpu 110 and throughout dc - dc converter 400 . dc - dc converter 400 includes a phase controller 408 coupled to and configured to control phases 1 - 3 in accordance with digital voltage request vreq generated by cpu 110 . vreq can change as cpu 110 transitions between different modes of operation as will be more fully described . each of the phases 1 - 3 contains a transformer ( not shown in fig4 ) that includes primary and secondary windings . a transformer is a static electrical device that transfers energy by inductive coupling between its primary and secondary windings . vp , the voltage across the primary winding is related to vs , the voltage across the secondary winding . in general vp / vs is proportional to np / ns , where np / ns is the winding turns ratio between the primary and secondary windings . vout , the output of dc - dc converter 400 is dependent on vr , and thus vp and the windings ratio . as will be more fully described below , dc - dc converter can change the output voltage vout in response to a change in vreq requested by cpu 110 . phase controller 408 includes controller logic 409 that generates phase shifted clock signals clk 1 - clk 3 for controlling phases 1 - 3 , respectively . fig5 illustrates an example timing diagram of clock signals clk 1 - clk 3 provided by controller logic 409 . in the embodiment shown , clock signals clk 1 - clk 3 are phase shifted by 60 °. in the embodiment where dc - dc controller 400 contains more phases , phase controller will provide additional clock signals . for controllers with m phases , controller logic 409 will provide m clock signals clk 1 - clkm to respective phases , with the phase difference between them set to 180 °/ m in one embodiment . in the example shown in fig5 , the duty cycle d of each clock signal clk 1 - clk 3 is 0 . 50 . in one embodiment , controller logic 409 can change the frequency of clock signals clk 1 - clk 3 in response to an externally received instruction from cpu 110 or other device . dc - dc converter 400 is capable of converting a large vin ( e . g ., vin = 48 volts dc ) to a small vout ( e . g ., vout = 1 . 2 volts dc ) with internally generated pulse width modulation ( pwm ) signals ( not shown in fig4 ) having a relatively larger duty cycle . as will be more fully described below , the output voltage vout is dependent on the windings ratio np / ns and the duty cycle of the internally generated pwm cycles . in one embodiment , a conversion of vin = 48 volts dc to vout = 1 . 2 volts dc can be accomplished with a windings ratio np / ns = 0 . 167 and duty cycle of 0 . 15 for the internally generated pwm signals , which is substantially larger than the duty cycle of 0 . 025 that is needed by the dc - dc converter of fig2 to implement the same conversion ( i . e ., vin = 48 volts dc to vout = 1 . 2 volts dc ). the larger duty cycles reduce or eliminate many of the problems that plague the pwm control logic 212 and other components in fig2 . phase controller 408 receives vreq from cpu 110 and vout . vreq is a digital signal that identifies a voltage level needed by cpu 110 for proper operation . vreq can change over time depending on processing demands placed on cpu 110 . phase controller 408 contains a digital - to - analog converter ( dac ) 410 that directly or indirectly receives vreq , and generates vtarget , an analog equivalent of vreq . voltage adjust circuit 412 receives vtarget and vout , and generates a comparative voltage e as a function thereof . comparative voltage e is provided to each phase of dc - dc converter 400 , and is used to control the magnitude of vout as will be more described below . in one embodiment , vout varies directly with comparative voltage e ; if vout is lower than vtarget , voltage adjust circuit 412 increases comparative voltage e until vout equals vtarget , and if vout is greater than vtarget , voltage adjust circuit 412 decreases comparative voltage e until vout equals vtarget . each of the phases 1 - 3 receives comparative voltage e from phase controller 408 . each phase 1 - 3 increases vout as comparative voltage e increases , and each phase 1 - 3 decreases vout as comparative voltage e decreases . since phases 1 - 3 are identically configured , each phase generates the same voltage vout . fig6 illustrates relevant components of dc - dc converter 600 , which is one embodiment of dc - dc converter 400 . the relevant components of only phase 1 are shown , it being understood that phases 2 and 3 are identically configured . as seen in fig6 , phase 1 includes a transformer circuit 612 , which includes a transformer . a primary winding 614 of the transformer is shown in fig6 . the secondary winding of the transformer is not shown in fig6 , but the secondary winding is contained within the secondary winding circuit 616 , which generates vout . the output of secondary winding circuit is coupled to output node 406 . as will be more fully described , secondary winding circuit 616 rectifies the voltage across the secondary winding of the transformer . a full - bridge circuit consisting of mosfets 620 - 626 controls the flow of current in primary winding 614 based on control signals a 1 - d 1 generated by pwm generator 630 . pwm generator 630 in combination with mosfets 620 - 626 generates a pwm voltage across the primary winding 614 as will be more fully described . in some embodiments of dc - dc converter 600 , pwm generator 630 generates control signals f 1 and g 1 for controlling mosfets in secondary winding circuit 616 as will be more fully described below . the gates of mosfets 620 - 626 may be decoupled from pwm generator 630 via an optional decouple circuit 632 depending on whether dc - dc converter 600 is implemented as an isolated or non - isolated converter . ground gnd 1 is provided to mosfets 622 and 624 in the non - isolated version of dc - dc converter 600 , and ground gnd 2 is provided to mosfets 622 and 624 in the isolated version of dc - dc converter 600 . the decouple circuit 632 is configured to isolate ground gnd 2 provided to mosfets 620 - 626 and ground gnd 1 provided to secondary winding circuit 616 when dc - dc converter 600 is implemented in the isolated version . each phase includes a current sense circuit 636 , which generates a voltage vcs that is proportional to current flow en from input node 404 to the phase &# 39 ; s primary winding 614 . pwm controller 634 receives vcs in addition to clk 1 and comparative voltage e . pwm controller 634 controls pwm generator 630 , and thus control signals a 1 - d 1 , based on vcs , clk 1 , and comparative voltage e as will be more fully described below . with continuing reference to fig6 , fig7 a is a timing diagram that illustrates example control signals a 1 - d 1 generated by pwm generator 630 . control signals a 1 - d 1 control mosfets 620 - 626 , respectively , which in turn control current flow through primary winding 616 . fig7 a also shows comparative voltage e and clk 1 provided by phase controller 408 , vcs generated by current sense circuit 636 , and vp , which is the voltage across primary winding 614 . fig7 a shows t on , which is the time period during which mosfets 626 and 622 are activated by control signals d 1 and a 1 , respectively , or when mosfets 620 and 624 are activated by control signals b 1 and c 1 , respectively . during t on current from input node 404 flows through primary winding 614 and induces voltage vp . during the first half cycle of clk 1 when mosfets 626 and 622 are activated , vp is approximately equal to + vin . during the second half cycle of clk 1 when mosfets 620 and 624 are activated , vp is approximately equal to − vin . current sense circuit 636 generates vcs , which is proportional to current flow into primary winding 614 through mosfet 636 or mosfet 620 . as current flow into primary winding 614 increases , vcs increases in proportion . pwm control 634 receives and compares vcs with comparative voltage e . when vcs equals comparative voltage e during the first half cycle of clk 1 , pwm control 634 generates a signal that instructs pwm generator 630 to de - assert control signal d 1 , which in turn deactivates mosfet 626 . when vcs equals comparative voltage e during the second half cycle of clk 1 , pwm control 634 generates a signal that instructs pwm generator 630 to de - assert control signal c 1 , which in turn deactivates mosfet 626 . one of ordinary skill understands that the length of t on can be adjusted by adjusting comparative voltage e ; an increase in e results in a proportional increase in t on , and vice - versa . secondary winding circuit 616 will generate vout proportional to d t ( ns / np ) vin , where d t = t on /( t on + t off ), and where t off is the time period between t on in respective cycles of clk 1 . since the length of t on can be adjusted by adjusting comparative voltage e , vout can be adjusted by adjusting comparative voltage e . in other words , vout will increase with t on , which increases when comparative voltage e increase . and vout will decrease with t on , which decreases when comparative voltage e decreases . as noted above , comparative voltage e compare will increase or decrease until vout equals vtarget . vreq is the digital equivalent of vtarget . accordingly , vout will increase or decrease with a corresponding increase or decrease in vreq . fig8 illustrates one example of an isolated version of dc - dc converter 600 shown in fig6 . voltage adjust circuit 412 in fig8 includes amplifiers 802 and 804 . additionally , voltage adjust circuit 412 includes a pair of resistors and a capacitor arranged as shown . sense amplifier 802 receives vout and ground gnd 1 at its input terminals as shown . the output terminal of sense amplifier 802 is coupled to one input terminal of error amplifier 804 via resistor 806 . this input terminal of error amplifier 804 is coupled to the output terminal of error amplifier 804 via capacitor 810 and resistor 812 . the other input terminal of error amplifier 804 receives vtarget , the analog equivalent of vreq . error amplifier 804 generates comparative voltage e at its output terminal . as noted above , comparative voltage e is provided to the pwm control circuit 634 in each phase 1 - 3 . for purposes of explanation only , each version of dc - dc converter shown in the remaining figures will employ the same phase controller 408 that is shown in fig8 . with continuation reference to fig8 , pwm control circuit 634 includes an sr flip flop 814 , a voltage comparator 816 , and a pulse generator 818 . clk 1 is coupled to the input of pulse generator 818 , which generates a set pulse with each rising or falling edge of clk 1 . the output of comparator 816 is coupled to the r input terminal of flip flop 814 , while the output of pulse generator 818 is coupled to the s input terminal of flip flop 814 . the q output of sr flip flop 814 is coupled to an input of pwm generator 630 . for purposes of explanation only , each version of dc - dc converter shown in the remaining figures will employ the same pwm control circuit 634 that is shown in fig8 . pwm generator 630 implements a state machine . with continuing reference to fig7 a and 8 , mosfets 622 and 624 are initially turned off or deactivated since control signals a 1 and c 1 are low , and mosfets 620 and 626 are initially turned on or activated since control signals b 1 and d 1 are high . in this state , no current flows from input node 404 to primary winding 614 . the output of flip flop 814 is also initially set low . with the rising edge of clk 1 , pulse generator 818 generates a set pulse , which switches the q output of flip flop 814 to high . in response to this change in q , pwm generator 630 deactivates mosfet 620 via control signal b 1 , and after a small time delay pwm generator 630 activates mosfet 622 via control signal a 1 as shown . mosfet 626 is active when pwm generator 630 activates mosfet 622 , and as a result vcs ramps up as current increasingly flows to primary winding 614 via current sense circuit 636 . comparator 816 compares vcs as it rises with comparative voltage e . when these two voltages are equal , the output of comparator 816 switches to low , which in turn switches the q output of flip flop 814 to low . in response to this change in q , pwm generator 630 deactivates mosfet 626 via control signal d 1 , and after a small time delay pwm generator 630 activates mosfet 624 via control signal c 1 as shown . when mosfet 626 deactivates , current no longer flows through current sense circuit 636 , and vcs falls , which in turn causes comparator 816 to quickly switch its output to low . the q output of flip flop 814 should remain low when comparator 816 switches its output . with the falling edge of clk 1 , pulse generator 818 generates another set pulse , which switches the q output of flip flop 814 to high . in response to this change in q , pwm generator 630 deactivates mosfet 622 via control signal a 1 , and after a short time delay pwm generator 630 activates mosfet 620 via control signal b 1 . mosfet 624 is activated when pwm generator 630 activates mosfet 620 , and as a result vcs begins to rise as current increasingly flows to primary winding 614 via current sense circuit 636 . when vcs equals comparative voltage e comparator 816 reasserts its output , which in turn switches the q of flip flop 814 to low . in response pwm generator 630 deactivates mosfet 624 via control signal c 1 , and after a short time delay pwm generator 630 activates mosfet 626 via control signal d 1 . in this state , current does not flow through current sense circuit 636 , and vcs falls . the process repeats with the next rising edge of clk 1 . for purposes of explanation only , each version of dc - dc converter shown in the remaining figures will employ the same pwm generator 630 that is shown in fig8 . in the embodiment shown in fig8 , secondary winding circuit 616 includes a center - tapped , secondary winding 620 and diodes 622 and 624 . one of ordinary skill understands the combination of diodes and transformer in fig8 forms an example of a full wave rectifier . the secondary winding 620 is also coupled to inductor 626 via capacitor 628 , the combination of which is coupled to output node 406 as shown . one of ordinary skill in the art understands that vout is proportional d t ( ns / np ) vin when current flow through the primary winding 614 is controlled by the control signals a 1 - d 1 shown in fig7 a . further , current sense circuit 636 includes a transformer . current flow between input node 404 and primary winding 614 induces vcs . since current sense circuit 636 includes a transformer in fig8 , current sense circuit 636 maintains electrical isolation of grounds gnd 1 and gnd 2 . fig9 illustrates a non - isolated embodiment of the dc - dc converter 800 shown within fig8 . more particularly , as seen in fig9 , dc - dc converter 900 lacks the decouple circuit 632 of dc - dc converter 800 . additionally , gnd 1 is coupled to mosfets 622 and 624 in dc - dc converter 900 , as opposed to ground gnd 2 in dc - dc converter 800 . the remaining components of dc - dc converter 900 shown in fig9 operate in the same manner as their equivalents in a dc - dc converter 800 and described above . fig1 illustrates another example of a non - isolated dc - dc converter . like the non - isolated version shown in fig9 , dc - dc converter 1000 shown in fig1 lacks decouple circuit 632 , and mosfets 622 and 624 are coupled to ground gnd 1 . further , current sense circuit 636 takes form in a current sensing and measuring circuit that includes mosfets 1002 - 1008 coupled to operational amplifiers 1010 and 1012 as shown . mosfets 1002 and 1004 are controlled by control signals d 1 and b 1 , respectively . in one embodiment , the current sensing and measuring circuit generates a current isense as a function of phase 1 input current en provided via input node 404 . since virtually no current flows into terminals of comparator 816 , isense flow through resistor 1014 and generates voltage vcs . fig1 illustrates an isolated version of dc - dc converter 600 shown within fig6 . in this version , the secondary winding circuit 616 , however , is substantially different . moreover , pwm generator 630 generates control signals e 1 and f 1 that control mosfets 1104 and 1106 as will be more fully described below . with continuing reference to fig1 , dc - dc converter 1100 includes a secondary winding 1102 , the terminals of which are coupled to mosfets 1104 and 1106 as shown . moreover , respective terminals of secondary winding 1102 are coupled to inductors 1110 and 1012 as shown . capacitor 1114 is coupled between ground gnd 1 and output node 406 . fig7 b illustrates the timing diagram shown in fig7 a in addition to the control signals e and f generated by pwm generator 430 , and the voltage vs across the secondary winding 1102 . in the embodiment shown , control signals e 1 and f 1 control mosfets 1104 and 1106 , respectively . pulse generator 818 generates a set pulse with the rising edge of clk 1 in the same manner as described with reference to fig7 a and 8 . the set pulse is received by flip flop 814 and in response , flip flop 814 switches its q output to high as described above . pwm generator 630 , in response to receiving the change in the q from flip flop 814 , deactivates mosfet 1104 via control signal e 1 after a short time delay . during time t 0 , vcs increases until vcs equates comparative voltage e . when these two voltages are equal , pwm generator 630 activates mosfet 1104 via control signal e 1 at the same time pwm generator 630 deactivates mosfet 626 via control signal d 1 . in similar fashion , the pwm generator 630 deactivates mosfet 1106 via control signal f 1 shortly after the falling edge of clk 1 as shown in fig7 b . mosfet 1106 remains deactivated during time t 0 until comparative voltage e and vcs equate with each other , at which point pwm generator 630 activates mosfet 1106 via control signal f 1 and deactivates mosfet 624 via control signal c 1 . this process continues with the next cycle of clk 1 as shown in fig7 b . this process results in the rectification of the secondary voltage vs across capacitor 1114 . fig1 illustrates a non - isolated version of the dc - dc converter shown within fig6 . dc - dc converter 1200 shown in fig1 is substantially similar to the dc - dc converter 1100 shown within fig1 . however , dc - dc converter 1200 lacks the decouple circuit 632 , and mosfets 624 and 622 are coupled to ground gnd 1 as shown . additionally , the current sense circuit 636 takes form in the current sensing and measuring circuit described in the dc - dc converter 100 shown in fig1 . pwm generator 630 generates control signals e 1 and f 1 in the same manner as described with reference to fig1 . although the present invention has been described in connection with several embodiments , the invention is not intended to be limited to the specific forms set forth herein . on the contrary , it is intended to cover such alternatives , modifications , and equivalents as can be reasonably included within the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims .	7
fig2 is a voltage - vs .- time diagram of a training sequence , according to the invention . because of inaccuracies in component gains due to manufacturing tolerances and variations in temperature , power amplifier loading , and supply voltage , the only reliable method of determining the amplifier clip level is to actually allow clip to occur during a training interval 201 prior to the interval 203 during which the desired information is sent . in the present invention , the training sequence applies a voltage ramp v r to the amplifier input until a clipping condition is detected at time 205 . at this point 205 , the input level v c which just caused the clip condition is stored and the input signal is decayed with down ramp v d . the following information signal v s is then scaled so that it is always less than the stored value v c that caused clip . in a digital signal processor ( dsp ) environment , one way of implementing this level - setting algorithm would be to generate the training ramp at the amplifier input with a dsp , and then use the digital value at the corresponding d / a input as the value to store when clip is detected . a problem with this technique is that the digital value so obtained differs from the corresponding analog value which caused clip because of intervening time delays . these time delays are incurred from the sampling rate and the post - d / a reconstruction filters . ideally , adding a corresponding amount of delay to time shift the digital value would correct this problem , but a large part of the delay is from analog filters and hence is not very reproducible or stable . slowing down the rate of change of the training ramp will reduce the time delay problem , but this would lengthen the training interval unacceptably for many systems . fig3 is a block diagram of a first embodiment of an amplifier level - setting apparatus , according to the invention . there is shown a power amplifier 327 with output 331 and input 339 . as shown , part of the output 331 is fed back to amplifier input 339 via resistor 333 , lead 341 , and summing device 325 . the input 339 may be connected either to signal input 301 or to training signal generator 337 under control of switch 313 . switch 313 has two positions , a and b . with switch 313 in position a , amplifier input 339 is connected to input signal 301 via summing device 325 , lead 311 and level control unit 303 . as shown , level control unit 303 is depicted as a potentiometer connected to ground 343 , with the signal attenuation -- corresponding to the position of wiper arm 305 -- controlled by lead 307 . as shown , lead 307 is controlled by comparator 309 , which compares the level of signal 311 to the level of signal 319 . thus , with switch 313 in position a , comparator 309 and potentiometer 303 interact so that the input signal 301 is scaled to achieve a level at 311 equal to the level at 319 . the signal on lead 311 is then applied to the input 339 of amplifier 327 via summing device 325 . with switch 313 in position b , amplifier input 339 is connected to ramp generator 337 via summing device 325 and lead 335 . with switch 313 in position b , and during the training time 201 , generator 337 applies ramp signal v r ( shown in fig2 ) to input 339 via summing device 325 . the rate of change of the ramp signal v r is preferably less than the maximum rate of change of the information signal v s of fig2 . to minimize off channel splatter . with v r at a small value near zero , amplifier 327 operates within the linear portion 105 of its characteristic 101 . in this linear mode , negative feed - back occurs by virtue of resistor 333 and summing device 325 , and so the output of device 325 is small , near zero . during the training time 201 , the corresponding plot of the signal on lead 339 - vs .- time is shown in fig4 . referring now to fig2 and 4 , it is seen that as v r increases to v c , the amplifier 327 remains within the linear portion of its characteristic 105 and , as a result , signal 339 is held to a low value 403 . as vr increases , however , the amplifier &# 39 ; s operating point moves up the linear region 105 and towards its non - linear clipping region 109 . ultimately , as the v r signal level continues increasing , amplifier 327 &# 39 ; s operating point will leave the linear region 105 and enter the non - linear portion 107 . when this occurs , near time 205 , the voltage 339 will increase dramatically . this is shown in fig4 where as time nears the point 205 , the voltage 339 departs from its near - constant level 403 , and begins increasing sharply with the sharp ramp 405 . as the voltage 339 crosses a pre - set threshold v t , it causes comparator 323 to output a pulse to sample - and - hold device 345 . this causes device 345 , in turn , to latch , or capture , the current voltage level of signal v r via lead 317 . this level corresponds to voltage v c , shown in fig2 and also to voltage v a , shown in fig1 . it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that the key to measuring v c is determining when the amplifier 327 begins to depart from its linear operating region 105 and begins to enter its non - linear operating region 107 . as long as amplifier 327 is in the linear region 105 , then the negative feedback provided by path 333 acts to keep the voltage at input 339 at a low value . when the non - linear region 107 is entered , however , path 333 no longer provides negative feedback , and so the voltage at input 339 is permitted to grow at a different rate with respect to time . thus , the slope ( dv / dt ) of input signal 339 will change at this point . thus , instead of using a comparator 323 to measure the threshold voltage crossing of v t , an alternate embodiment would utilize a slope detector to measure the change in slope ( dv / dt ) of the input signal 339 to detect the point in time 205 , and the corresponding level v c of ramp signal v r , corresponding to amplifier 327 &# 39 ; s transition from its linear region 105 to its non - linear region 107 . the stored voltage level v c is now applied to comparator 309 via lead 319 . with input 301 set to the maximum level of the desired information signal , comparator 309 now interacts with potentiometer 303 to adjust the fraction of input signal 301 present at lead 311 so that it is equal to the saved voltage v c . switch 313 is then returned to position a prior to interval 203 so that the amplifier is then responsive to the desired signal input , 301 , corresponding to v s in fig2 . since v c ( shown in fig2 ) is equal to v a ( shown in fig1 ), this means the amplifier 327 is operating at or near its optimum operating point 113 . referring now to fig3 it is obvious the level - adjusting device 303 could be realized by a step attenuator . fig5 is a block diagram of a radio 501 equipped with a transmitter 503 and a power amplifier equipped with a level - setting apparatus , according to the invention . as shown , the power amplifier equipped with level - setting apparatus is the first embodiment 300 of fig3 . while various embodiments of an amplifier level - setting apparatus , according to the present invention , have been described hereinabove , the scope of the invention is defined by the following claims .	7
referring now more particularly to the drawings , and fig1 - 3 thereof , a sprinkler head 10 of a run ( not shown ) is illustrated in operating condition , discharging sprinkler fluid downwardly in a fan shaped pattern over a typical load l , which is illustrated as a plurality of stacked cartons 11 . the stacked cartons 11 are shown in two layers l1 and l2 but can be of any desired number , depending on the goods to be stored and the space available . the layer l2 rests on decking 14a which as illustrated is a sheet of metal and preferably steel of well known type . the decking 14a at the front and rear edges is carried on rails 20 , which are connected at their ends to vertical posts 21 of well known type . the posts 21 and rails 20 form frames ( not shown ) which can be connected together by end connectors ( not shown ) to form sections in well known manner . the rails 20 are of semi rectangular configuration in cross section , and can be connected to posts 21 with tongues ( not shown ) in well known manner , with notched walls 22 on which the decking 14a rests , and with a top plate 23 which is the same height as top ribs 24 of the decking 14a , on which the load l rests . each rib 24 has panels 25 and 26 integral therewith one on each side , extending downwardly at an angle of approximately 45 °, and connected to center panel 30 forming channels 31 to be described . the center panels 30 each have a plurality of openings 32 therethrough , which openings 32 are located and sized for proper sprinkler fluid discharge as determined by following parameters to be described . in determing the size and configuration of channel 31 and drainage openings size and location the following relationships must be observed . the channels must be of sufficient size for gravity flow of sprinkler fluid to all drainage openings supplied by the channel but provide an efficient air shield to prevent hot air and fire from flowing upwardly . the drainage openings in each channel must be sufficiently restrictive to allow sprinkler fluid to flow back to the center of each level under the load . if the openings are too large all sprinkler fluid will be drained near the edges of the load above , and none will flow back to the center of the level for discharge onto the next level . if the drainage openings are too small total sprinkler fluid discharge cannot be handled . it has been found that sprinkler discharge of 0 . 4 to 0 . 7 gallons per minute per square foot of area protected , provides satisfactory performance . the following calculations for a sprinkler fluid discharge of 0 . 4 to 0 . 7 gallons per minute per square foot of area can also serve as a model for any desired sprinkler fluid discharge rate and channel configuration . the decking cross section shown in fig1 was selected together with the 21 / 2 &# 34 ;× 6 &# 34 ; round hole pattern shown in fig2 . the proper hole size to suit this arrangement can be calculated as follows . each opening drains an area of 21 / 2 &# 34 ;× 6 &# 34 ; or 0 . 1042 square feet . hence the flow required per opening at the maximum rate of 0 . 7 gallons per minute : ## equ1 ## the general equation for steady state fluid flow is : ( bernoulli ) ## equ2 ## where p = pressure , lb . per square inch since no external pressure is applied , p 1 and p 2 are zero . since the vertical velocity of fluid at the open surface above the openings is zero and height of the fluid column at the opening exit is zero , the equation becomes : ## equ3 ## since q = va where a is the cross section area of the opening in square inches : ## equ4 ## the openings as manufactured in production are similar in cross section to the &# 34 ; sharp edged orifice &# 34 ; shown on page 3 - 69 of &# 34 ; marks mechanical engineers handbook &# 34 ; for which an overall flow coefficient of 0 . 61 is shown . hence : ## equ5 ## since this particular design is for sprinkler fluid discharge of 0 . 4 to 0 . 7 gallons per minute per square foot , at maximum flow of 0 . 7 gpm the channels should be almost full . the overall inside height of the channel is 0 . 534 &# 34 ;, so assuming a liquid column height of 0 . 500 above the openings , the opening cross section area becomes : ## equ6 ## the sizing and location of the openings 32 will provide and maintain an even distribution of sprinkler fluid to lower levels up to 0 . 7 gallons per minute per square foot of area . since the top plate 23 of rails 20 is above the channels 31 , fluid from the sprinkler head 10 will not flow over the rail 20 , but will remain in the channels 31 , and be discharged from the openings 32 onto the next lower level of decking . as seen in fig1 two levels of decking 14a and 14b are illustrated . decking 14a has been described above . decking 14b and supporting rails 20 are identical to decking 14a described above . a load l10 is shown on decking 14b , of different configuration but which is subject to the same fire abatment action as described . additional levels of decking ( not shown ) can be provided with the same fire abatement action . it should be noted that the decking 14a and 14b have an open area of less than 1 / 2 of 1 % of total deck area , which eliminates the chimney effect resulting from the use of wire mesh and other uncontrolled decks . the mode of operation is believed to be apparent from the foregoing . it is thus apparent that structure has been provided with which the objects of the invention are achieved .	1
the present invention in the embodiment illustrated in fig1 - 6 comprises a filter medium 10 that is suitable for use in spray booth applications and includes the provision of a flat sheet or liner 12 , a corrugated sheet 14 adhered in faced relationship to flat sheet 12 , a first array of parallel spaced orifices 16 formed in the flat sheet 12 , and a second array of parallel spaced orifices 18 formed in the corrugated sheet 14 , all as hereinafter further explained . it will be understood that the term &# 34 ; coating &# 34 ; is used herein to include any coating material that can be applied to a surface by spray application . such coating materials include , for example , oil or water based paints , varnishes , shellac , etc . the term &# 34 ; coating &# 34 ; is also used herein to include powder coatings as well as oils and greases that are applied to a surface by spray application . flat sheet 12 is a thin , flexible rectangular sheet with an elongated length and breadth and an array of parallel spaced orifices 16 formed in sheet 12 that extend over the full length and breadth of sheet 12 . sheet 12 is formed from any thin flexible material that may be paper , for example , or any other material that can be formed in thin flexible sheets that is suitable for filter applications , many such materials being known in the art . in applications wherein volatile components are carried by the fluid stream to be filtered such material is preferably constituted of a material that is non - fire supporting or is treated with a substance to render such material non - fire supporting . such materials and treatments are well known to those skilled in the art and , consequently , need not be further described herein . corrugated sheet 14 is a thin flexible rectangular sheet with an elongated length and breadth and an array of parallel spaced orifices 18 formed in sheet 14 that extend over the entire length and breadth of sheet 14 . sheet 14 is also constituted of any material that is suitable for filter applications and , preferably , is constituted of the same material as flat sheet 12 . corrugated sheet 14 is adhered in faced relationship to flat sheet 12 . any suitable means for adhering sheet 14 to sheet 12 such as gluing can be used . the techniques for adhering sheet 14 to sheet 12 are dependent upon the materials being used . for example , gluing techniques are used when sheets 12 and 14 are constituted of paper or treated paper . alternatively , should sheets 12 and 14 be constituted of a plastic material , thermo - forming techniques may be used . equipment and procedures for forming corrugated sheets , such as sheet 14 , and for adhering such corrugated sheets to flat sheets or liners , such as sheet 12 , are well known to those skilled in the art and , consequently , need not be further described herein . the faced relationship of sheets 12 and 14 defines a plurality of elongated parallel spaced channels 19 formed by the interface of the corrugations of sheet 14 and the facing of sheet 12 . the corrugations of sheet 14 and , consequently , channels 19 have sufficiently large cross sections to permit the passage of a fluid stream through said channels at a relatively uniform flow rate with a relatively small loss of efficiency as the channels initially become contaminated with accumulated particles of coating materials that adhere to the interior surface thereof during filter applications . for example , channels 19 having a cross sectional area of about 1 / 8 by about 1 / 8 inches are suitable for various paint spray booth applications such as , for example , automotive paint spray booths . larger or smaller cross sections can be used , the specific size of the cross section of such channels being dependent upon the nature of the material to be sprayed and the desired filtration rate . for example , in the filtering of fluid streams with relatively large particles , channels with larger cross sections may be required . in the filtering of a relatively fine mist at relatively low filtration rates , channels 19 with smaller cross sections may be preferred . filter medium 10 is preferably replaced when the accumulation of particles within channels 19 causes the flow rate of fluid through medium 10 to drop below a desired level . the orifices 16 and 18 formed in sheets 12 and 14 are sufficiently elongated to communicate with a plurality of the channels 19 to permit the flow of relatively large volumes of the fluid stream to be filtered to pass through said orifices with a relatively small pressure drop . for example , orifices 16 and 18 having dimensions of about 1 by about 3 inches are suitable for various paint spray applications . larger or smaller orifices can be employed depending on the particular material to be filtered and the desired flow rate of the fluid stream through filter 10 . relatively rapid flow rates or fluid streams with relatively large particle sizes may require larger orifices , while relatively slow rates of flow or relatively small particle sizes may require smaller orifices . additionally , under various advantageous conditions the orifices in corrugated sheet 14 may be smaller or larger than the orifices in flat sheet 12 , or vice versa . for example , if the corrugated sheet 14 is oriented to face the direction of spray , it may be advantageous to employ larger orifices in corrugated sheet 14 than in flat sheet 12 to insure a uniform flow rate through the filter 10 . the thickness of filter 10 is governed primarily by the requirement that the channels 19 have a sufficiently large cross section to accommodate the required volumes of the fluid stream to be filtered and the anticipated particle size of particulate material of the fluid stream to be separated . the over - all shape and size of filter medium 10 is selected with regard to substantially facilitating installation of the filter medium in conventional spray booths , and enabling convenient transport and handling prior to use . thus , filter medium 10 is preferably made equal in width to the width or breadth of the filter medium opening of the spray booth for which the filter medium is intended , and long enough so that the filter medium 10 will be equal to a convenient multiple of lengths of the filter medium opening of the spray booth for which it is to be used . typical dimensions for filter medium 10 are about 3 / 8 inch in thickness , about 3 feet in width and about 30 feet in length . since the material that sheets 12 and 14 are made of is a thin flexible material such as , for example , paper or treated paper , filter medium 10 can be cut by normal cutting or slitting operations to accommodate the dimensions of the particular spray booth for which it is to be used . filter medium 10 can be packaged in any form that is convenient for transporting and handling purposes . in particular , however , filter medium 10 is advantageously packaged in the form of roll 20 ( fig6 ). appropriate lengths of filter medium 10 are cut or slit off roll 20 as required . the flexible nature of sheets 12 and 14 permit packaging of medium 10 in the form of roll 20 . to form roll 20 medium 10 is rolled with the corrugations of sheet 14 extending widthwise as illustrated in fig6 . filter medium 10 can be rolled in either direction , i . e ., with sheet 12 facing outwardly as illustrated in fig6 or , alternatively , with sheet 12 facing inwardly . filter 10 is installed in spray booth 22 by insertion , for example , in filter medium frame section 24 ( fig5 ). spray booth 22 is suitable , for example , for paint spray applications and comprises spray section 26 and exhaust section 28 . filter medium 10 is placed between sections 26 and 28 of spray booth 22 so that when paint - laden air is drawn from section 26 to section 28 it passes through filter medium 10 . spray booth 22 is representative of the numerous designs and constructions of spray booths that are available to the industry . such spray booths are entirely conventional in structure , design and operation and , being well known to those of ordinary skill in the art , need not be further described herein . the orifices 16 and 18 of filter medium 10 are laterally disposed in spaced relationship from each other so that fluid streams passing through filter medium 10 must change direction as they pass through medium 10 . in operation , paint - laden air , for example , can be filtered by initially directing the stream of paint - laden air either against corrugated sheet 14 or flat sheet 12 . it has been found advantageous to place filter medium 10 with corrugated sheet 14 facing the spray area due to the fact that corrugated sheet 14 presents a larger surface area for paint to accumulate than does flat sheet 12 . however , under various advantageous conditions filter medium 10 can be disposed with flat sheet 12 facing the spray area . when the filter medium 10 is disposed with corrugated sheet 14 facing the spray area , paint - laden air is directed against filter medium 10 as indicated by directional arrow 30 ( fig3 - 5 ). some of the paint accumulates on the outer facing 32 of sheet 14 while the rest of the paint in the paint - laden air stream along with the air is drawn through channels 19 . within channels 19 additional paint accumulates while air that is relatively free of paint particles is withdrawn from filter medium 10 through orifices 16 . within filter medium 10 the fluid stream changes direction twice so as to establish impingements or obstructions in the path of the fluid stream to cause the paint particles to accumulate . alternatively , the filter medium 10 can be oriented with flat sheet 12 facing the spray area . under these circumstances , as paint - laden air is directed against facing 12 , some of the paint accumulates on facing 12 while the rest of the paint in the air stream along with the air passes through channels 19 until the air which is relatively free of paint is withdrawn from filter medium 10 through orifices 18 . an alternate embodiment of the present invention is illustrated in fig7 . the filter medium of fig7 is similar in design and construction to the filter medium illustrated in fig1 - 6 with the exception that a second flat sheet 40 is adhered in faced relationship to corrugated sheet 14 . in this embodiment corrugated sheet 14 is disposed between flat sheets 12 and 40 . flat sheet 40 is constructed of the same materials and has the same dimensions as flat sheet 12 . flat sheet 40 has an array of parallel spaced orifices 42 formed in it that extend throughout the entire length and breadth of sheet 40 . flat sheet 40 is adhered to sheet 14 in the same manner and with the same techniques as sheet 12 is adhered to sheet 14 . the faced relationship of sheets 14 and 40 defines a plurality of elongated parallel spaced channels 44 formed by the interface of the corrugations of sheet 14 and the facing of sheet 40 . orifices 42 are laterally spaced from orifices 18 so that fluid streams entering orifices 42 must change direction within channels 44 prior to passing through orifices 18 as indicated by directional arrow 46 . the embodiment illustrated in fig7 provides two sets of elongated parallel spaced channels which the fluid stream being filtered must pass through . one set of these channels is defined by the interface of flat sheet 12 and corrugated sheet 14 ( in the same manner as the embodiment illustrated in fig1 - 6 ) and the other set is defined by the interface of flat sheet 40 and corrugated sheet 14 . the orifices 16 , 18 and 42 are laterally spaced in such a manner so that the fluid streams passing through the filter medium , as indicated by directional arrow 46 , must change direction four times . in operation paint - laden air , for example , is directed against either flat sheet 12 or flat sheet 40 , passes through either orifices 16 or 42 , some of the paint accumulating on the outer facing of sheet 12 or 40 , the remainder of the paint along with the air changing direction and passing through either channel 19 or 44 , some of the paint accumulating in such channel , the air and the remainder of the paint passing through orifices 18 and changing direction to pass through channels 44 or 19 ( whichever is downstream of the direction of flow ), the air passing through said channel and thereafter leaving the filter medium through either orifices 42 or 16 , the air withdrawn from the filter medium being relatively free of paint particles . the embodiment illustrated in fig7 is preferably packaged in flat elongated sheets . to achieve a more efficient removal of particulate matter from the fluid stream being filtered , additional layers of the filter medium illustrated in fig1 - 6 or fig7 can be employed . additionally , since the filter medium of the present invention is relatively economical and easy to replace it can be facilitatingly employed with other filters . for example , under various advantageous conditions the filter medium of the present invention is used as a primary filter with other more expensive filters such as , for example , electrostatic devices , being used downstream of the filter of the present invention . while the invention has been explained in relation to its preferred embodiments , it is to be understood that various modifications thereof will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon reading this specification . therefore , it is to be understood that the invention disclosed herein is intended to cover such modifications as fall within the scope of the appended claims .	1
fig1 is the block diagram of the preferred electronic rapid pressure rise relay control circuit . in association with the liquid filled power transformer 10 , the main components are the pressure transmitter assembly 12 and the power / control assembly 14 . the pressure transmitter 12 converts the internal pressure of the transformer tank to an electrical signal ( current ) proportional to pressure and transmits this signal to the receiver circuit 16 of the power / control assembly 14 . the receiver circuit 16 converts the transmitted pressure signal to a proportional voltage , v ( p ) on conductor 18 . the voltage v ( p ) is then applied to a differentiator circuit 20 whose output , v ( dp / dt ), on conductor 22 is a voltage proportional to the rate of change of pressure . the output of the differentiator 20 is the input to a time delay circuit 24 , which provides the required time response . the delay circuit output , vout , on conductor 26 is then applied to the comparator circuit 28 where it is compared to the threshold voltage vdpmax at 30 , which a voltage equivalent to dp max . vdpmax represents the maximum rate of change of pressure which will not cause the relay to operate . whenever vout exceeds vdpmax , the output of the comparator is true . because the output of the comparator is transient , its output must be latched . the comparator output at 31 is used to set a latch circuit 32 which activates the relay driver 34 . the contacts of output relays 36 are used by trip circuits and annunciators . the rapid pressure rise relay is then reset manually or when its supply power is removed . it is noted that process transmitters and receivers as well as differentiators , time delay circuit , comparators , and electronic latches are all well known to those skilled in the art of electronic design or instrumentation . for instance , the pressure transmitter assembly 12 and subsequent generation and transmission of a signal representative of pressure may be accomplished by the use of the well known fundamentals taught by the following publications . transducer interfacing handbook published by analog devices , inc . 1980 , library of congress catalog card no . 80 - 65520 , pages 4 , 5 , 93 - 95 and 184 - 187 . standard handbook for electrical engineers , mcgraw hill book company 1969 , library of congress catalog card no . 56 - 6964 , pages 15 - 49 and 15 - 50 . electronics engineers &# 39 ; handbook , mcgraw hill ( c ) 1975 pages 24 - 5 to 24 - 11 . circuits for differentiation are well known as evidenced by electronics designers &# 39 ; handbook , second edition , mcgraw hill ( c ) 1977 , pages 18 - 23 to 18 - 25 . the slope of a curve fundamentals are treated by the publication calculus and analytic geometry , fourth edition by george b . thomas , jr . ( c ) 1968 , addison wesley publishing company , library of congress catalog card no . 68 - 17568 , pages 30 to 35 . the principles of rc circuits are discussed in the publication pulse , digital , and switching waveforms by jacob millman and herbert taub , mcgraw hill , ( c ) 1965 library of congress catalog card no . 64 - 66293 . fig3 shows the differentiator output v ( dp / dt ), for the two different increasing inputs vp ( t ) of fig2 are voltages with values proportional to the rate of change of the input voltage . the differentiator output , v ( dp / dt ), is then applied to time delay circuit . the output of the time delay , vout , rises expontentially toward the input value , as shown in fig4 . the relay operate time is determined by how long it takes for vout to exceed vdpmax as depicted in fig6 . it is understood that the methods disclosed in this invention could be carried out and performed by digital apparatus .	8
the coupling shown in fig1 to 4 includes a first coupling part 1 constructed as a coupling sleeve and second coupling part 2 constructed as a plug . first coupling part 1 includes a housing 3 , receptacle 4 , relative to it , axially movable locking sleeve 5 , first valve 6 and the actuating means which include actuating shaft 7 . receptacle 4 is threadedly connected to housing 3 . actuating shaft 7 includes two shaft parts 8 and 9 , which are threadedly connected to each other by a screw 10 . the two shaft parts 8 , 9 each have an outer collar 11 , 12 respectively . an end of the actuating shaft part 8 , 9 is flattened or contoured . the flat portion 13 is more closely recognizable in fig9 and 10 and explained on that basis . on the flattened portion 13 there is non - rotatably supported an actuating member 18 ( fig7 and 8 ). this actuating member 18 has a preferably elliptical basic shape with minor axis 16 and major axis 17 ( fig8 ). for couplings which are not used as quick disconnect couplings , actuating member 18 can be non - slidable , as shown in fig8 and non - rotatable on actuating shaft 7 . for couplings functioning as quick disconnect couplings , actuating member 18 ( fig7 ) has an elongated hole 19 for the non - rotatable support . this elongated hole ( 19 ) is longer than dimension 20 ( fig1 ) of flattened portion 13 of shaft part 8 by at least the closing path and passage 49 . the thickness of actuating member 18 is smaller , a desired amount , than distance 21 of the flattened portion 13 , when the two parts 8 and 9 of actuating shaft 7 are axially connected firmly and concentrically by screw 10 ( fig1 ). thus , actuating member 18 can shift on actuating shaft 7 in its axial direction 17 by the amount by which elongated hole 19 is longer than dimension 20 of shaft range 13 ( fig7 ). first valve 6 of first coupling 1 includes valve body 30 and carrier 29 , which is constructed from the four shafts 31 ( in the sectional drawings only two pieces are shown in each case ) and rear face plate 32 . closing spring 33 is supported at one end by a shoulder 50 of connection 34 and pushes valve body 30 of the first valve in direction a and thus toward the closed position by means of shafts 31 . in bore 59 of valve body 30 , actuator 35 is axially guided . this actuator 35 is a preformed part with ranges of varying diameters and with head 36 and head surface 36a . actuator 35 is held against actuating member 18 by opening spring 37 , one of the ends of which is supported by valve body 30 . head 36 of actuator 35 is guided into guide space 26 ( fig1 ), which is located between the four shafts 31 of carrier 29 , and its shaft is sealed against valve body 30 by seal 38 . the diameter of bore 57 of housing 3 is enlarged in direction a before actuating shaft 7 by a given angle 40 , and it is reduced in diameter toward actuating shaft 7 by a given angle 41 . this change in diameter is , as described below , necessary for the function of actuating member 18 . shaft parts 8 and 9 are sealed against housing 3 by seals 42 , which have been placed in a recess 55 of the housing 3 and seal against the shoulder 11 or 12 of shaft parts 8 , 9 . this design of a shaft seal is particularly simple and space saving . the actuator handle 43 is attached to shoulder 11 . instead of actuator handle 43 , a rotary key can also be used for actuating the coupling if the shoulder 11 is designed accordingly . receiving portion 4 is , according to fig1 constructed for the second coupling part designed as a flat valve plug , which is shown , as well as for plugs designed according to iso - standard 5675 and sae - j - standard 1036 . it is for this purpose , that receptacle 4 , from lock ball line 45 to head surface 46 of valve body 30 , or , as the case may be , to face 28 of housing 3 , is longer by the amount by which valve continuation 47 ( fig2 ) of second valve 64 protrudes from face 48 of second coupling part 2a . a second coupling part 2 , on the other hand , is longer from line 45 to its face 48 also by the amount represented by valve continuation 47 . if designed in this manner , plugs according to iso - or sae - standards can be used for receptacle 4 , as well as specially fitted second coupling parts 2 ( fig1 ) configured as plugs . lock balls 51 retain second coupling part 2 or 2a in a known manner in receptacle 4 . locking sleeve 5 locks or unlocks balls 51 also in a known manner and is , therefore , not described any more precisely . if housing 3 of first coupling part 1 is placed in a fixed location , then coupling or uncoupling is effected by shifting locking sleeve 5 manually against the force of spring 52 relative to housing 3 and receptacle 4 . in its embodiment as a quick disconnect coupling , locking sleeve 5 is placed in a fixed position , where housing 3 with receptacle 4 can be moved axially by the amount necessary for the displacement of locking balls 51 in the unlocking grooves in locking sleeve 5 . because this function is known , it will not be addressed any further . fig1 and 2 show the coupling according to the invention in the closed actuating position and with an actuating member 18 , which is designed as a self - closing first valve 6 of first coupling part 1 . for non - self - closing valves 6 it is sufficient , as was mentioned , to use an actuating member according to fig8 . the coupling parts 2a , designed as plugs according to iso - and sae - standards , as well as the adapted and constructed as a flat plug second coupling part 2 , have a second valve 64 with an opening path limited by a stop . here , star - shaped body 60 of second valve 64 in housing 61 of the second coupling part is axially held in place by appropriate means . in sleeve 62 of star - shaped body 60 , shaft 63 of second valve 64 is supported in an axially slidable manner . the distance between sleeve end 65 and valve plate 66 determines the possible opening path of second valve 64 . in the open position , the plug valve is , therefore , located at sleeve 62 of star shaped body 60 . fig3 shows the coupling according to fig1 in a section displaced by 90 ° and in the open actuation position . if actuating shaft 7 ( fig1 ) is rotated by 90 °, actuating member 18 is also rotated by 90 ° by means of flattened portion 13 . major axis 17 ( fig7 ) of actuating member 18 acts here in an axial direction ( in the direction of valve shaft 23 ) of first valve 6 , and has now moved actuator 35 in direction a and rear face plate 32 with carrier 29 in direction b . actuator 35 has now opened second valve 64 far enough , that valve plate 66 of second valve 64 is placed against sleeve 62 of star - shaped body 60 . in this actuating position , actuating shaft 7 is in the middle of actuating member 18 and elongated hole 19 , located in it , is displaced from the center and moved in direction b . because actuator 35 cannot be moved any further in direction a , since valve plate 66 is located at sleeve 62 , which is axially held in place , first valve 6 , which is pulled from rear face plate 32 in direction b by way of shafts 31 due to the fact that operating surface 44 of actuating surface 22 of actuating member 18 is positioned against it , has also been opened . actuating member 18 with its elongated hole 19 , only separated by certain passage , is now positioned against actuating shaft 7 . thus , first valve 6 can not move further in direction b . thus , the coupling is protected against reverse flow , because neither the valve of the first nor that of the second coupling part can be crushed by the flow of media . through - flow in both flow directions is possible . if now , for example in the case of a coupling installed as a quick disconnect coupling , second coupling part 2 or 2a is disconnected without first closing the coupling , the axial resistance of second valve 64 against actuator 35 is eliminated , and closure spring 33 pushes valve body 30 of first valve 6 , by way of carrier 29 , in direction a and thus places valve 6 in the closed position . at the same time , actuating member 18 in elongated hole 19 is likewise pushed in direction a by means of face plate 32 . the valve position of fig4 with closed first valve 6 and actuator 35 protruding into receptacle 58 , is established . in this position , renewed coupling is only possible with a non - pressurized second coupling part 2 , 2a . even then , however , the coupling force is considerably higher than in the closed coupling position , because the force of closing spring 33 must additionally be overcome , since actuator 35 now pushes face plate 32 , by way of actuating member 18 and thus carrier 29 , in direction b when a plug is inserted into receptacle 58 . when actuator shaft 7 is turned into the closing position , actuating member 18 is eccentric with respect to actuator shaft 7 and must be returned to its centered position in elongated hole 19 , because the length of the longitudinal axis of actuating member 18 corresponds approximately to the inner diameter of cylindrical bore 57 of housing 3 of first coupling part 1 . in order to make this possible during the actuating process , an increasing or decreasing diameter enlargement 56 with angles 40 and 41 is required . the number of degrees of the angle depends on the shape of actuating member 18 . while the coupling is being opened , the elongated hole 19 at actuating member 18 has to point to the rear , thus in direction b . in order to avoid turning the coupling in the wrong rotational direction , it is necessary to provide for corresponding stops . these stops are provided for carrier 29 of valve body 30 of first valve 6 and preferably disposed at or between shafts 31 ( fig1 and 17 ). thus , the angular position of actuating handle 43 relative to actuating shaft 7 can be freely chosen . this is especially advantageous , if the space for the installation of the coupling on the corresponding equipment is limited or can not be chosen at will . it may also be necessary , depending on the installation position of the coupling , to attach the actuating lever optionally on one of the partial shaft pieces 8 or 9 . in this case , the coupling can either be opened in a clockwise direction and closed in a counter clockwise direction or in the opposite sequence . for this reason , a stop outside the coupling sleeve is not advantageous . the configuration of the stops in the case of a carrier consisting of shafts 31 can be seen in fig1 , 17 . there are two shafts 31 of the valve body of the first coupling part connected to each other by a bridge 70 which functions as a stop . bridge 70 is constructed in such a manner , that actuating member 18 can only be turned forward in one direction and turned rearward in the opposite direction . therefore , it is not possible according to fig2 to turn actuating handle 43 any further in direction a , because actuating handle 18 would then hit against stop 71 of bridge 70 . actuating handle 43 can , therefore , be turned only in direction b , and thus elongated hole 19 can likewise be turned rearwardly in direction b . on the other hand , it is not possible , to turn actuating member 18 by more than 90 ° because , as shown in fig3 it then touches edge 72 of bridge 70 . the coupling according to the invention as shown in fig1 , 3 and 4 has , as described , an elongated recess , in order to employ , on the one hand , a second coupling part in the form of a plug according to iso - standard 5675 or sae - standard j 1036 , and on the other hand , flat plugs for uncoupling free of oil leaks . in fig5 a coupling of the same kind is shown , which is only suitable for the above mentioned standard - complying plug as a second coupling part , but not for flat valve plugs . in this embodiment of the invention recess 4a is constructed according to the known dimensions required by the standards . the face side of valve body 30a of first valve 6 displays a crater - like depression , which approximates the negative contour of continuation 47 of second valve 64 of the second coupling part , which is formed as a plug . actuator 35a is here shorter by the amount of the plug opening path than in the previously described construction examples . the mode of operation of the coupling is the same as the previously described one . only , as was mentioned , a second coupling part constructed as a flat valve plug cannot be used . in this embodiment as well the amount of oil leakage during uncoupling is low , but does not have the low level , which the coupling according to the invention according to fig1 and 14 achieves with second coupling parts constructed as flat valve plugs . fig6 shows a solution for further reducing the amount of oil leakage during uncoupling of plugs complying with the standards in the case of couplings according to the invention , with recesses which are equally suitable for second coupling parts , which are usable as flat valve plugs as well as plugs according to iso - standard 5675 or sae - standard j 1036 . for the use of standard - complying plugs , a filler ring 54 of suitable material can be inserted between face surface 28 of housing 3 of the first coupling part and face surface 48 of the housing ( fig2 ) of the second coupling part . this filler ring 54 must , however , be removed when an adapted flat plug is to be connected . if the use of plugs according to iso - standard 5675 or sae - standard j 1036 is refrained from , then the elongation of the recess described is unnecessary . then a dimension favorable to the second coupling part , constructed as a plug , and to the recess can be chosen . actuating shaft 7 includes the two shaft parts 8 , 9 . during the axial assembly of shaft parts 8 and 9 the end portion of flattened shaft end 13 of first shaft part 8 is inserted into a groove 14 of the second shaft part 9 in such a manner that a unitary actuating shaft 7 is generated according to fig1 . fig1 shows a section along line 12 -- 12 according to fig9 . alternatively , instead of the flattened portion 13 of size 20 a square shape according to fig1 can also be chosen . also a polygonally contoured cross - section of this portion is possible ( not drawn ). fig1 shows a coupling with an axial - radial direction of flow for the pressurized medium . as already mentioned , the quick connect couplings with ball locks are favored for use as so - called quick disconnect couplings . this requires , however , that for most known couplings the locking sleeve must be installed at a fixed location and the housing must be slidable relative to it . the connection of the pressurized medium to the housing must then , however , be flexibly movable , if an axial through flow of the pressurized medium occurs . this movable connection is for reasons of space not always feasible . for this reason the pressurized medium must flow through the housing in a radial direction if a quick disconnect coupling is desired . also , it has become recent practice , to place several housings of the first coupling part in a block building pattern in a common housing . for modern tractors it is not unusual to provide four or more coupling sleeves for the most diverse uses of hydraulic energy . according to fig1 , the second coupling part 2 configured as a plug , corresponds to the one of fig1 and is not further discussed below . first valve 6 , consisting of valve body 30a , carrier 29 with shafts 31 and face plate 32 and actuator 35 , as well as actuating shaft 7 , are equal in construction and function to those of the embodiments of fig1 and 4 . they are , therefore , not discussed any further below . outer sleeve 75 is supported in a fixed location . instead of this kind of sleeve , the recess for the first coupling part can also be a bore in the housing having the interior contour of sleeve 75 . several housings can be imagined which contain bores for several first coupling parts . an inner sleeve 76 is provided for installation purposes and is supported at its face surface 77 at shoulder 78 of outer sleeve 75 . at the other end , the inner sleeve 79 is held axially in place by safety ring 76 so that it is not slidable in outer sleeve 75 by safety ring 79 . a seal 80 seals outer sleeve 75 against inner sleeve 76 . circumferential locking ring 81 , which retains locking balls 82 in locking groove 53 of plug 2 , is made in one piece with inner sleeve 76 . for reasons of manufacturing and installation , the receiving housing part 83 is threadedly connected to housing 85 by means of a thread 84 . however , it is also possible to make housing parts 83 and 85 in one piece . a spring 86 acts in a known manner between housing parts 83 and 85 , on the one hand , and sleeve parts 75 and 76 on the other hand in a known manner , so that sleeve parts 75 , 76 and housing parts 83 , 85 can be axially displaced relative to each other in each direction by a certain amount in order to open the ball - lock for connecting or disconnecting the second coupling part . during coupling , coupling part 2 , which is constructed as a plug , is pushed in direction b into the housing part forming the recess . hereby , housing part 85 is displaced against the force of spring 86 against outer sleeve 75 , equally in direction b . housing part 85 and the housing part 83 forming the recess are sealed against outer sleeve 75 by seals 87 and 88 . after being pushed in direction b , locking balls 82 can escape outwardly into space 90 and second coupling part 2 can be pushed in a known manner into the recess . in this position , locking balls 82 can move aside into the locking groove of second coupling part 2 and locking occurs as soon as second coupling part 2 and thus the first coupling part as well are moved again by spring 86 in direction a until the spring is in the neutral position . in the neutral position of spring 86 , the locking ring is positioned , as shown in fig1 , above locking balls 82 . for uncoupling , the second coupling part 2 , which is configured as a plug , is pulled in direction a . now housing 85 of the first coupling part is also pulled against the force of spring 86 against outer sleeve 75 in direction a . locking balls 82 can escape outwardly to receptacle 89 and second coupling part 2 is released . housing 85 moves independently by the force of spring 86 in direction b , again until the spring is neutralized . for the radial through flow through the coupling at least one , but preferably several , crossbores 91 are distributed along the circumference of housing 85 and in outer sleeve 75 a annular groove 92 is provided . the continuing channel or line for the pressurized medium is connected to annular groove 92 ( not drawn ). when the coupling is turned to &# 34 ; open &# 34 ; by turning handle 43a , during power transmission to a user , pressurized medium flows from annular groove 92 through crossbore 91 and the open valves 6 , 64 , from the first and second coupling part , axially through the second coupling part 2 toward the user , or in the opposite direction if the user must discharge pressurized medium . in fig1 , a one piece configuration with locked rear face plate 32a is described instead of valve body 30 of the first valve . the carrier is composed of the four shafts 31 and rear face plate 32 according to fig1 , 17 . this valve body includes a pair of slots 68 for actuating shaft 7 , partial shaft pieces 8 and 9 and a pair of slots 69 and 69a , which is contemplated to be displaced by 90 °, in which actuating member 18 is guided . slot 69 is here shorter than slot 69a . this causes edge 71 to act as a stop for actuating member 18 and , therefore , this can likewise , as described above , not be actuated in the wrong direction . however , a design according to fig1 has shown itself to be particularly advantageous . valve body 30 is connected to rear face plate 32 by four shafts 31 , which together form carrier 29 . shafts 31 have a groove 73 at each end , by means of which they can each be inserted in the corresponding slot 74 ( fig1 ). the positioning of shafts 31 on valve body 30 and face plate 32 is contemplated to be rectangular in such a manner that the distance generated between the four shafts 31 , between which a guide space 26 is created , can sometimes be wider and sometimes smaller . in this guide space 26 , the head of actuator 35 is guided . actuating member 18 is guided between the more closely spaced shafts 31 of carrier 29 . the clearance volume generated by the larger spacing of shafts 31 serves to provide a through - passage of actuating shaft 7 . shafts 31 are shown in the drawing with grooves 73 , which each snap into slots 74 of valve body 30 and face plate 32 . however , it is obviously possible to connect shafts 31 in other ways , for example by welding , soldering or threaded connections , with valve body 30 and face plate 32 . fig1 is a section along line 17 -- 17 of fig1 . it clarifies stop 71 , which is generated by bridge 70 , with which two of the four shafts 31 are connected to each other . the first coupling part according to the invention can also be used with a recess , which is configured as a threaded connection for the second coupling part . fig1 shows such an embodiment , where recess 4a is equally elongated in such a way that a second coupling part , configured as a flat valve plug , can be used as an alternative to such conical valves , which protrude from the face around the exit path , and is , therefore , free of leaks . recess 4a is , in this case , equipped with an outer thread 93 , to which swivel nut 94 can be threaded , and holds second coupling part 2b , which is configured as a plug , in recess 4a by means of shoulder 95 . it is understood that a threaded connection can be used for all of the embodiments described above in the place of a ball check valve . the geometry of actuating member 18 can vary from the shape of an ellipse . the actuating member can also assume a basic rectangular shape with differently rounded corners and / or it can be provided with an elongated hole , which is placed at an angle to longitudinal axis 17 . fig1 shows an actuating member made in such a manner . such configuration , which generate an actuating path deviating from 90 ° and possibly have a favorable effect on the required actuating force , can be so variable that they are not discussed further . under various conditions of use it is desirable that the coupling part , constructed as a plug , cannot be disconnected when the coupling has been actuated into the open position . for all described embodiments of the quick closing coupling according to the invention with axial locking ( therefore , with the exception of the described embodiment as a threaded coupling ) a locking feature can be designed relatively easily . in fig2 and 21 , a coupling with a coupling lock is shown schematically . some reference numbers are taken from fig1 or are being augmented to make it more understandable . locking sleeve 5 includes an extension 101 extending past second shaft piece 9 . instead of the extension drawn , locking sleeve 5 can be elongated all over by a certain amount and thus envelop housing 3a of the first coupling part . applied to the embodiment of fig1 , a housing in a fixed position can also take the place of locking sleeve 5 , where the housing of the first coupling part can move axially by a certain distance for making and breaking the connection . fig2 shows the coupling in an assumed closed - valve position and with a locking sleeve 5 in a fixed location . shoulder 102 of partial shaft piece 9 has an oval shape and , with the coupling closed , its longitudinal axis is disposed in an axial direction with respect to housing 3a of the first coupling part and thus in the direction of elongated hole 103 with two curved openings 96 , which are located opposite each other in the center of the elongated hole . elongated hole 103 is longer , in the axial direction , than the longitudinal axis of oval shoulder 96 on the partial shaft piece by twice the length of the path required for the actuating process . the widening of elongated hole 103 by curved openings 96 is dimensionally about equal to the longitudinal axis of shoulder 104 . in the neutral position of the coupling , which occurs when locking ring 81 ( see fig1 , for example ) is in the locking position around lock balls 82 , or when spring 86 is in a neutral position , partial shaft piece 9 is located in the center of elongated hole 103 . in it , when the coupling is closed , oval shoulder 102 of the partial shaft piece can now move axially in both directions , in each direction with the stroke necessary for coupling . the spacing between each of the two ends 97 , 98 of elongated hole 95 and the opposite ends 99 , 100 of shoulder 102 corresponds in each case to the coupling stroke . coupling and uncoupling is , therefore , possible in the position of partial shaft piece 9 according to fig2 . when the actuating shaft is rotated by 90 °, then oval shoulder 102 is placed diagonally to the longitudinal direction of elongated hole 103 and enters , with its longitudinal axis , the curved spaces 96 of elongated hole 103 . now the sliding ability of housing 3a relative to locking sleeve 5 is blocked . the second coupling part 2 , which has the shape of a plug , cannot be uncoupled . it is understood that the same function is achieved , if instead of locking sleeve 5 , housing 3a is positioned in a fixed location and locking sleeve 5 is slidable by hand relative to housing 3a for coupling and uncoupling of the second coupling part 2 . the coupling is secured in the described manner , so that it can be coupled or uncoupled only when the valve is closed . in fig2 , a further embodiment of a coupling with an actuating mechanism in accordance with the invention is shown . here , first coupling part la , which embodies the actuating mechanism , is made as a plug . second coupling part 2c of the coupling is constructed as a sleeve part . such a coupling is preferably used where the first coupling part , which is used as a plug , is stationary , i . e . is installed in such a way that it cannot move , and the second coupling part , which is configured as a sleeve part , is movable . here the coupling process of the two coupling parts 1a , 2c can be performed with one hand by grasping the movable second coupling part , which is constructed as a coupling sleeve , at the slide sleeve and pushing it against first coupling part 1a . sliding sleeve 104 then moves against the force of spring 105 holding it in place , so that locking balls 82 can move out of the way . if one releases sliding sleeve 104 , then it will once more be pushed by spring 105 into the locking position . if it is to be uncoupled , sliding sleeve 104 is pulled in the opposite direction out of the locking position and sleeve - shaped second coupling part 2b releases itself from plug - shaped first coupling part 1a . such a coupling can be used to advantage anywhere where no classical quick disconnect coupling is to be used . as can be further seen from fig2 , first coupling part 1a is constructed as the male part and accordingly equipped with a plug - like end . second coupling part 2b is then constructed as a sleeve part with locking balls 82 which are held in the locking position by slide sleeve 104 . first coupling part 1a is installed in a stationary location and second coupling part 2b is movable , then slide sleeve 104 moves relative to the housing of the first coupling part in direction b as soon as the plug - shaped end of first coupling part 1a pushes against locking balls 82 and slide sleeve 104 is pushed against the force of spring 105 further in direction b . now locking balls 82 can move aside into first annular groove 106 in the interior surface of slide sleeve 104 until the plug - shaped end of first coupling part 1a is fully inserted into sleeve - shaped second coupling part 2b and locking balls 82 can snap into groove 107 . if slide sleeve 104 is now released , then it will again be pulled in direction a by pressure spring 105 until it reaches a locking position , in which locking balls 82 can no longer escape to the outside . the coupling is now firmly connected . if second coupling part 2b is to be uncoupled from first coupling part 1a , then slide sleeve 104 is pulled in direction a . it moves against the housing of first coupling part 2b and against the force of pressure spring 105 in direction a until locking balls 81 can escape into second annular groove 108 in the interior surface of slide sleeve 104 and second coupling part 2b can be pulled away from first coupling part 1a . it is also possible to install this embodiment of the coupling as a genuine quick disconnect coupling . in such a case , slide sleeve 104 shown in fig4 is installed stationarily and coupling parts 2b and 1a are movable . likewise , an embodiment is possible where a threaded coupling similar to the one of fig1 is provided for connecting the two coupling parts 1a and 2b . in connection 34 a check valve 109 is contemplated , which is spring loaded in direction a by spring 110 . it is placed between line connection 113 and actuating member 18 . valve cone 111 of check valve 109 includes an actuator 112 , both made of one piece , which extends close to face plate 32 of carrier 29 , when the coupling is placed in the closed position . check valve 111 is then also closed . if now pressurized medium is introduced erroneously into connection 113 , then it cannot get into coupling part 1a and thereby push actuator 35b out of housing 3b of first coupling part 1a . if the coupling is now switched into the open position , then face plate 32 of carrier 29 will be pushed in direction b by actuating member 18 . this then pushes against actuator 112 , and check valve 109 will be opened . it is to be understood that the shown embodiment of check valve 109 can also be varied . for example , actuator 112 can also be fastened to face plate 32 or designed to be of one piece with it , and push against valve cone 111 in order to open it . also , a ball seat valve can be installed instead of valve cone 111 . while the above detailed description described the preferred embodiment of the present invention , the invention is susceptible to modification , variation , and alteration without deviating from the scope and fair meaning of the subjoined claims .	8
in the detailed description of the various embodiments , elements or components , which are substantially similar or identical , are designated with the same reference numerals . referring to the embodiment of the metal - on - elastomer lga interposer array 10 , as illustrated in fig1 of the drawings , there are shown a plurality of the interposers 12 in the form of hemi - toroidally shaped elements or so called buttons ( generally simulating the shape of a transversely sliced donut ). each of the lga interposer buttons 12 includes a plurality of circumferentially spaced flexible strip - like metal elements 14 forming electrical contacts which reach from the topmost surface 16 of each respective lga button 12 to the via 18 which extends through an insulating carrier pad 20 on which the lga interposer buttons are mounted , and down through the center of the lga buttons so as to connect to a conductive pad 22 which surrounds through the through via on both sides of the carrier 20 , and extends out along the insulating carrier surface beneath the lga so as to make electrical contact at the other side or the lowermost end surface 24 of the inversely positioned lower lga interposer buttons 26 . the electrically - conductive flexible metal elements are primarily strips 14 which extend from the uppermost end of the respective upper lga interposer buttons 12 inwardly into an essentially cup shaped portion extending to the hole or via 18 formed in the pad 22 . consequently , by means of the pads 22 , which are constituted of electrically conductive material or metal and which surround each of the through vias 18 formed in the dielectric material insulating carrier plane 20 , these contact the ends of each of the metal strips 14 , which extend along the external elastomeric material surface of each respective lga hemi - toroidally shaped interposer structure or button 12 . accordingly , electrical contact is made from the uppermost or top end of each respective lga interposer button to the lowermost end 24 of each of the opposite sided lga interposer buttons 26 at the opposite or lower side of the insulating carrier plane 20 . with regard to the embodiment illustrated in fig2 a of the drawings , wherein the electrical elements 30 consisting of the strips positioned on the top surface 16 of the respective lga interposer buttons 12 extend towards the through via 18 , in this instance , there is no electrically conductive pad present as in fig1 , but rather the metallic or electrically conductive strips 30 forming the flexible metal contacts extend from the uppermost end 16 of the upper lga interposer buttons 12 down through the via 18 , the insulating carrier plane 20 to the lowermost ends or apices 24 of the lower inverted lga buttons 26 on the opposite or bottom side of the structure 10 . in essence , in both embodiments , in fig1 and 2a , both the upper and lower lga interposer buttons 12 , 26 are mirror images and are symmetrical relative to each other on opposite sides of the insulating carrier plane 20 . with regard to fig2 b of the drawings , this illustrates primarily a perspective representation of the array of the upper lga interposer buttons 12 positioned on the insulating carrier plane 20 . reverting to the embodiment of fig3 of the drawings , in this instance , the flexible metal electrical contacts 34 , which are positioned so as to extend from the upper ends 16 of each of the respective lga interposer buttons 12 through the via 18 in the insulating carrier plane 20 , as also represented in the cross - sectional view of fig4 , are designed to have the electrical metal contacts forming a plurality of flexible strips 34 , which extend each unitarily from the upper ends 16 to the lower ends 24 of the hemi - torus shaped buttons 12 , 26 from above and below the insulating carrier plane 20 in a mirror - image arrangement . hereby , the multiple , circumferentially spaced metal electrical contact strips 34 extend from the uppermost point on one side of the insulating plane to the lowermost point on the opposite side so as to form electrical through - connections at both upper and lower ends and , in effect , forming a reversible structure 10 . as shown in fig5 of the drawings , in that instance , each of the hemi - toroidally shaped interposer buttons 12 , 26 , which are essentially identical in construction with those shown in fig3 and 4 of the drawings , have the metal contacts 40 formed so that they extend in a common annular conductive sleeve structure 42 prior to continuing through the via 18 , which is formed in the insulating carrier plane 20 to the upper and lower ends 16 , 26 of the lga interposer buttons 24 . in fig6 of the drawings , these contacts 40 separate only into separated strip - like portions 42 at the extreme uppermost and lowermost ends of the lga interposer buttons 12 , 26 and then join together into the essentially annular structure 44 extending through the via 18 formed in the insulating carrier plane 20 . referring to the embodiment of fig7 and 8 of the drawings , these illustrate essentially a structure 50 wherein lga interposer buttons 12 are arranged only on the upper surface 52 of the insulating carrier plane 20 in a manner similar to fig1 of the drawings , and wherein the conductive strips 14 contact metallic or electrically - conductive pads 54 extending respectively through each of the through vias 18 formed in the insulating carrier plane 20 . the lower surface of each metal pad 54 , in turn , may have a solder ball 56 attached thereto in preparation for a subsequent joining , as is known in the technology . as shown in the perspective representation of fig9 of the drawings , in that instance , the lga interposer array structure 60 , which is mounted on the insulating carrier plane 20 , is similar to that shown in fig7 and 8 of the drawings ; however , a slit 62 is formed in the elastomeric material of each lga interposer button 12 , communicating with the interior 64 thereof , and with the through via 18 , which is formed in the insulating carrier plane 20 , so as to enable any gasses or pressure generated to vent from the interior thereof to the surroundings . fig1 of the drawings is also similar to the structure shown in fig7 , however , in this instance , each elastomeric interposer button 12 has a plurality of slits 62 or discontinuities formed in the annular toroidally - shaped walls thereof , preferably intermediate respective flexible metal strips 14 , which are located on the upper and inward downwardly extending surface of each elastomer buttons , so as to enable each separate segment 68 to be able to resiliently or flexibly respond to changes or irregularities in the topography of elements contacting the lga interposer buttons 12 . also , each segment 68 between each of respective metal contact strips 14 may respond mechanically or independently , so as not to only accommodate differences in topography with a mating surface or differences in the shape of mating solder balls , but in cases where a solder ball will be pressed against the toroidal contacts to produce an electrical connection . in effect , this will enable a mechanical or physical compensation for encountered differences in contact surfaces . with regard to the embodiment of fig1 of the drawings , which is somewhat similar to fig1 , in that instance , at least one or more of the segments 68 , which are separated by the intermediate slits extending through the lga interposer buttons are different in height , so as to have some of the segments 70 higher than others in a z - or vertical direction relative to the plane of the insulating carrier plane 20 . in this instance , two segments 68 of the four independent segments of each respective lga interposer button 12 are shown to be lower in height than the other segments 70 . with regard to fig1 of the drawings , in this instance , the array structure 74 of the hemi - toroidal lga interposer buttons 76 , which are mounted on the insulating carrier plane 20 , the opposite or lower side 78 of which has solder balls 80 connected to electrically - conductive pads 82 extending through the vias 18 , has the centers 84 of the respective lga interposer buttons 76 , which have electrical strip - like contacts 88 extending downwardly , as shown in fig1 , have a contoured inner wall configuration 90 , which allows for nesting or a snap - fit with a solder ball ( not shown ), which may be brought into engagement therewith . in this instance , fig1 showing the cross - sectional representation of fig1 , illustrates the knob - shaped interior sidewall profile 90 of the compliant interposer button with the separate metal contact strips 88 extending upwardly along the interior of wall 90 to the topmost end 92 of each respective lga interposer button 76 . as illustrated in the embodiment of fig1 of the drawings , in this instance , as also shown in cross - section in fig1 ; multiple metal strip contacts 88 extend from the top surfaces of the compliant lga button structure 100 , passing over the top surfaces 102 and extending down into the center part of the hole 104 provided in each interposer button 106 , and meeting with a common pad - shaped metal conductor 108 , which extends along the upper surface 110 of the insulating carrier plane 20 under the button in contact with strips 88 and outwardly until reaching a via 112 , which extends the metal pad downwardly through the insulating carrier plane 20 and along the lower surface 114 thereof , so as to contact solder balls 116 . this is illustrated in the cross - sectional representation of fig1 of the drawings , which also shows a filled injection tube 120 extending through the insulating carrier plane 20 and a residue break off point 122 , where an elastomer portion was separated from an injection port on a mold forming the entire lga button structure . this embodiment , showing the filled injection tube for the plastic material , is adapted for the method in which the injection molding of elastomeric material is implemented from the bottom side of the insulating carrier plane 20 . as shown in fig1 of the drawings , which is essentially similar to the embodiment of fig1 , in that instance , this illustrates a filler injection tube , the mold ( not shown ) forming the lga button structure is implemented by injection molding from the top side of the mold , and a residual mass of elastomer 132 can be ascertained extending from the side 134 of the elastic lga button structure 100 from which it was separated at the injection port of a mold . also indicated in fig1 are two types of anchoring holes in the insulating carrier plane 20 , wherein one hole 136 extends all the way through to the other side thereof , and wherein a blob 138 of residual excess molding material penetrates slightly beyond the bottom surface of the insulating carrier plane 20 . another type of anchoring hole or cavity 140 does not extend fully through the insulating carrier plane 20 , but is formed as a depression in the top surface of the latter , so as to mechanically anchor the elastomeric material of each lga interposer button to the structure or plane 20 . reverting to the embodiment of fig1 and 18 of the drawings , these show another aspect of providing an lga interposer array 150 on an insulating carrier plane 20 , wherein a multiple of lga interposer buttons 152 of essentially conical configurations and their electrical metallic strip contacts 154 , which extend over the topmost ends 156 thereof , service a common i / o electrical contact 158 in the form of a pad on the upper surface of plane 20 . in this instance , the structure incorporates an electrically conductive via 160 extending through the insulating carrier plane 20 , shown in a center of a group of four lga interposer buttons 102 , as a common meeting point of the metal contact strips 154 on pad 158 , which extend from respectively one each of the top of each lga button down the side thereof and into the via metallurgy of the structure , towards the bottom of plane 20 , as shown in cross - section in fig1 of the drawings . reverting to the embodiment of fig1 and 20 of the drawings , which is quite similar to the embodiment of fig1 and 18 , in that instance , the primary distinction resides in that at least one or two of the lga interposer buttons 152 of a respective group thereof has or have a height which differs from the remaining interposer buttons of that group . for example , two or more buttons 152 of each group may be taller than the remaining buttons 164 of that group ( of four buttons ) in order to essentially create a lateral stop mechanism for a side loading of a module , through such groupings of lga interposer buttons in respective arrays . in essence , the different heights in the lga interposer button groups enable a module with an associated solder ball to be brought into contact and aligned by means of lateral insertion , rather than only vertical insertion , wherein the higher lga interposer buttons provide stops for the solder balls in order to register with the essentially hemi - toroidally shaped elastomeric contacts . reverting to the embodiment of fig2 and 22 of the drawings , in this instance , there is provided an lga interposer array 170 arranged on an insulating carrier plane 20 , wherein multiple points of contact for each i / o are provided by means of linear bars of elastomeric lga interposers 172 . this provides a compliant structure on which a plurality of spaced metallic electrical contact strip elements 174 may be positioned so as to extend from the top 176 of each respective interposer bar 172 both above and below the insulating carrier plane 20 , as shown in fig2 , into electrically sleeve - like conductive vias 178 formed extending through the insulating carrier plane 20 in contact with respective metal strip contacts 180 above and below the insulating carrier plane 20 . in that instance , the metal contact strips 180 may be formed with different shapes , such as one typical contact joining from two separate ships 182 into a single common strip 184 near the top , as clearly illustrated in fig2 , or joining further down near the via extending through the carrier plane to the other side . furthermore , three or more contact points for each i / o may be provided and different types of contact elements may be utilized along the bar whereby some types may be more suitable for conduction of signals and others for high amperage power feeds . as illustrated in fig2 - 25 , there are shown alternate process flows for a balled module , wherein a balled module zoo , as shown in fig2 , can be directed either towards a solder reflow line for normal bga connection to a pwb , as illustrated in fig2 , or alternatively , to an lga interposer assembly 210 where it is assembled by means of a hemi - toroidal lga and pwb ( wiring board ) under pressure to make a field replaceable unit , as shown in fig2 of the drawings . with regard to the configurations of the lga interposer buttons , these may be of elastic structural members , which are conical , dome - shaped conic sections or other positive release shapes , such as roughly cylindrical or hemispherical , hemi - toroids , and wherein the metal coating forming the electrically conductive contact members or strips terminate at the apices of each of the multiple buttons . moreover , the elastomeric material , which is utilized for each of the lga interposer buttons or for the linear shaped elastic structural member ( as shown in fig2 and 22 ) may be constituted of any suitable molded polymer from any rubber - like moldable composition , which , for example , among others , may consist of silicon rubber , also known as siloxane or pdms , polyurethane , polybutadiene and its copolymers , polystyrene and its copolymers , acrylonitrile and its copolymers and epoxides and its copolymers . the connectors of the inventive lga structure may be injection molded or transfer molded onto an insulating carrier plane 20 , and may serve the purpose of mechanically anchoring the contact to the insulating carrier plane and in instances can provide a conduit for the electrical connections which pass from the top surface of the connector to the bottom surface thereof . in addition to connecting chip modules to printed circuit boards , the arrays of the lga interposer buttons or linear structure may be employed for chip - to - chip connection in chip stacking or for board to board connections , the contacts may be of any shape and produced by injecting the elastomer in the same side as where the elastomer contact will be anchored to the insulating carrier by a hole or holes or vias , which extend through the insulating carrier or by any cavity edge formed into the surface of the insulating carrier . in essence , the molding of the elastomeric material component or components , such as the hemi - toroidal interposer or interposers may be implemented in that the elastomeric polymer material is ejected from the same side at which the interposer will be positioned on the insulating carrier plane , and will be anchored to the insulating carrier plane by means of a hole or holes , as illustrated in the drawings , which either extend completely through to the opposite side of the insulating carrier plane , or through the intermediary of a cavity which is etched or formed into the surface of the insulating carrier plane , which does not extend all the way through the thickness thereof , and wherein any cavity may have flared undercut sidewalls from maximum anchoring ability or by simple surface roughening of the insulating carrier plane . this is clearly illustrated in the embodiments represented in fig1 and 16 of the drawings . 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 scope and spirit 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
an illustrative digital data transmission system is shown in fig1 . system 100 includes transmitter circuit 102 , communication link 103 , and receiver circuit 104 . in this embodiment , communication link 103 includes two conductors 103 a and 103 b ( e . g ., signal wires ) extending from transmitter 102 to receiver 104 . communication link 103 is a differential signaling link , which means that the value of a digital data bit is indicated by whether the voltage on conductor 103 a is higher than the voltage on conductor 103 b or vice versa . for example , a logical 1 data bit may be indicated by the voltage on conductor 103 a being higher than the voltage on conductor 103 b , and a logical 0 data bit may be indicated by the voltage on conductor 103 b being higher than the voltage on conductor 103 a . the signals on the two conductors are effectively complements of one another . differential signaling has a number of protocols , such as , for example , lvds and cml , to which system 100 can be designed to operate . the invention advantageously can support many of these protocols , whether industry standard , non - standard , or variations thereof . fig2 shows an output driver 200 that can be included in transmitter circuit 102 . driver 200 converts a data signal ( e . g ., generated elsewhere in transmitter 102 ) to a form suitable for transmission on conductors 103 a , b . driver 200 receives input signal vin +, which can be considered a “ true ” version of the data signal , and input signal vin −, which is a complement or inverted version of the data signal . ( alternatively , driver 200 may receive only one of these signals and may itself generate any necessary inverted version of the received signal .) driver 200 responds to the vin signals by producing signals vout + and vout − on respective conductors 103 a , b . these vout signals represent the data content of the vin signals and conform to the various parameters of the differential signaling protocol adhered to by communication link 103 . for example , these parameters may include maximum and minimum voltages , permissible common mode voltage , polarity of the voltage difference representing logical 1 and logical 0 data bits , etc . advantageously , output driver 200 can be designed in accordance with the invention to pre - emphasize signals vout + and vout − corresponding to every transition of signals vin + and vin −, respectively . this pre - emphasis is extra voltage applied to the vout + and vout − signals for a certain amount of time immediately following every transition of the input signals . fig3 - 5 show the effect of an ideal pre - emphasis in a logical 0 to logical 1 signal transition . fig3 shows an ideal voltage waveform ( versus time ) of an output signal as it is output from a transmitter circuit onto a communication link . note the initial extra voltage of the signal above the logical 1 voltage level . fig4 shows an ideal voltage waveform of the communication link &# 39 ; s response to receiving the output signal . note the rapid rise time to the logical 1 voltage level . fig5 shows an ideal voltage waveform produced by a receiver circuit . again , note the rapid rise time to the logical 1 voltage level . the degree to which an ideal pre - emphasis is achieved is determined in large part by the output generated by the pre - emphasis circuitry . fig6 shows the output of known pre - emphasis circuitry . typically , the extra voltage of generated output 606 is applied during an entire baud period ( t ). a baud period can be simplistically thought of ( for clarity with respect to the invention ) as the minimum time period at which an input signal maintains the same value . thus , for example , if input data consists of three sequentially transmitted logical bits “ 010 ,” the minimum period of time between the signal changing from 0 to 1 and from 1 to 0 is a baud period . note that the time a signal maintains the same value can be longer than a baud period . for example , if the input data consists of bit values “ 011 ,” the logical 1 value remains the same for longer than a baud period . a disadvantage of known pre - emphasis circuitry is evident from the relatively large error between generated output 606 and the desired response 608 . a closer approximation to the desired response ( i . e ., an improved pre - emphasis ) ultimately results in a stronger , more rapid transition at the receiver circuit . fig7 shows the generated output of one embodiment of pre - emphasis circuitry in accordance with the invention . generated output 706 has a series of amplitude levels 706 a - d extending over two baud periods ( 2t ) that better approximates the desired response 708 . advantageously , the invention can achieve even closer approximations by increasing the number of amplitude levels and / or extending the output beyond two baud periods . pre - emphasis applied for the entire duration of a baud period as shown in fig6 clearly consumes more power than pre - emphasis of the invention in which an applied series of amplitude levels gradually decreases as shown in fig7 . pre - emphasis applied for the entire duration of a baud period may also increase jitter , which is the abrupt , spurious variation in the magnitude of successive signal pulses . fig8 shows a high level pre - emphasis transmitter circuit in accordance with the invention . pre - emphasis circuit 800 includes a delay line 810 , which has ( n − 1 ) delay elements 812 . each delay element 812 has a unit delay equal to t / m , where t is a baud period and m is an integer . pre - emphasis circuit 800 also includes n coefficient multiplication blocks 814 . note that in known pre - emphasis circuits used in gigabit data transmission , m = 1 and n = 1 . pre - emphasis circuit 800 further includes analog adder 814 and transmitter driver 816 . coefficient blocks 814 , delay line 810 , and adder 814 form a fir ( finite infinite response ) filter . fir filters are used to implement digitally many different types of output responses . in general , depending on the duration of each input and the total delay of the delay line , a fir filter produces a weighted average of its n most recent inputs or a fractional weighted average of one input . returning to circuit 800 , each of the inputs to adder 814 represents a “ tap ” of the filter , which when output , forms all or part of the amplitude levels shown in fig7 . the amplitude of each level is determined by the individual coefficients , and the duration of each amplified level is determined by the unit delay t / m of delay line 810 . moreover , additional amplitude levels of finer granularity can be advantageously output by increasing the length of the fir filter ( i . e ., by adding additional unit delays 812 and corresponding coefficient blocks 814 ). fig9 shows another embodiment of pre - emphasis circuitry in accordance with the invention . pre - emphasis circuitry 900 includes delay line 910 , which has a number of delay blocks denoted z − 1 each having a delay of t / m . circuitry 900 also includes output driver 920 , which may be , for example , a cml or lvds protocol driver , and which may use differential ( as shown ) or single - ended signaling . the load may include , for example , a printed circuit board or backplane . circuitry 900 further includes logic circuitry 922 and a number of current sources 924 . the number of current sources 924 is equal to the number of delay blocks in delay line 910 . note that the four delay blocks and four current sources 924 shown in fig9 are merely illustrative , other numbers of delay blocks and current sources can be used depending on the desired number and duration of amplitude levels in the output . an input data stream enters output driver 920 as well as delay line 910 . output driver 920 initially outputs an amplified signal at a maximum voltage level . as the delay line outputs are fed to logic circuitry 922 after their respective delays are incurred , logic circuitry 922 generates activation or enablement signals for current sources 924 . as each current source 924 is in turn activated , more and more current is drawn from driver 920 , thus reducing the voltage level of the output signal in a series of steps . each step has the approximate duration of a z − 1 delay block . the relative size of each current source 924 ( i . e ., the amount of current that each current source 924 can sink ) can be selected as desired to give the output waveform desired amplitude levels . an output waveform identical or similar to fig7 can thus be created . note that the peak - to - peak saturation voltages of the transistors used in driver 920 ( see fig1 and 15 for circuit implementations ) are changed by the changing supply currents i1 - i4 . the output driver can thus be commonly used in a digital circuit regenerative type driver as opposed to a linear , unity gain driver . advantageously , the pre - emphasis circuits of fig8 and 9 consume less power than known pre - emphasis circuits generating outputs having the waveform of fig6 . fig1 shows an embodiment of delay line circuitry that can be used to implement delay lines 810 and 910 in accordance with the invention . delay line circuitry 1000 includes a series of alternating 1025 a and 1025 b delay stage d - latches . the 1025 b d - latches receive an inverting clock input . the alternating use of inverting and non - inverting clock inputs results in a ½ clock period data delay between delay stages . the odd numbered stages ( e . g ., stage 1 , stage 3 , etc .) move data from input d to output q on the rising edge of the clock signal , and the even numbered stages ( e . g ., stage 2 , stage 4 , etc .) move data on the falling edge of the clock signal . this arrangement can result in the generation of an output signal having two amplitude level steps per baud period over a given number of baud periods . fig1 shows a differential signaling cmos circuit implementation for the d - latch of fig1 in accordance with the invention . d - latch 1125 is suitable for gigabit operation and includes resistors 1127 and 1129 coupled to power supply voltage vdd and nmos transistors 1130 - 1136 . transistor 1130 receives the data signal while transistor 1132 receives the clock signal . vbias is a control or enablement signal that when high ( e . g ., a logical 1 voltage ) allows d - latch 1125 to operate . to use d - latch 1125 as an odd numbered stage 1025 a , the q output is coupled to the next delay stage . the q output receives the value of the data signal on the rising edge of the clock signal . to use d - latch 1125 as an even numbered stage 1025 b , the q complement output is coupled to the next delay stage . the q complement output receives the value of the data signal on the falling edge of the clock signal . fig1 shows another embodiment of delay line circuitry that can be used to implement delay lines 810 and 910 in accordance with the invention . delay line circuitry 1200 does not use a clock source synchronous to the data stream . the fractional delay ( of the baud period ) is obtained via a calibrated master - slave delay line arrangement . delay line circuitry 1200 includes delay line slave 1240 , which has n stages of inverting delay blocks 1242 , and master loop 1250 . master loop 1250 includes phase detector 1251 , charge pump & amp ; loop filter 1253 , divide - by - n circuit 1255 , and ring oscillator 1260 . ring oscillator 1260 includes n stages of inverting delay blocks 1262 . delay blocks 1242 and 1262 are preferably identical in both number and construction . a clock source is applied to phase detector 1251 , which generates an error signal that in phase - locked loop arrangements aligns the phases ( and thus the frequencies ) of the signals at the phase detector inputs . these two signals are the clock signal and the divided - by - n signal out of ring oscillator 1260 . this results in the clock signal period t equaling n periods of the ring oscillator and ( n × 1 ) delays of the individual delay stages of the oscillator ring , where 1 is the number of stages in ring oscillator 1260 . because the same control signal adjusts the speed of both delay line slave 1240 and oscillator 1260 , the delay of the slave becomes calibrated and is thus ensured of being ( n × 1 ) times shorter than the period of the clock signal . advantageously , this arrangement allows arbitrary fractions of the baud period to obtained . in particular , ½ , ⅓ , and ¼ ratios can be obtained . the fraction determines the number of output signal amplitude levels that can be provided within a baud period . fig1 shows an embodiment of a cmos circuit that can be used to implement delay block stage 1242 and 1262 . circuit 1342 / 62 includes resistors 1327 and 1329 and nmos transistors 1130 - 1132 . transistor 1330 receives the data input , transistor 1131 receives complementary data input , and transistor 1132 receives the control signal input . when input data and control signal are both high and complement data signal is low , transistors 1330 and 1332 are on ( i . e ., conducting ), while transistor 1331 is off ( i . e ., non - conducting ). output q is thus low , while output complement q is high . fig1 shows a cml embodiment of a cmos circuit that can be used to implement the transmitter portion ( including output driver 920 and current sources 924 ) of pre - emphasis circuitry 900 in accordance with the invention . cml circuit 1400 includes n current blocks connected in parallel and may be referred to as having n - taps . circuit 1400 includes resistors 1427 and 1429 ( coupled to power supply voltage vdd ), output nodes a and complement a , and current blocks 1420 a , b , n . the number of current blocks in cml circuit 1400 determines the number of amplitude levels in the output signal . main current block 1420 a includes nmos transistors 1421 a , 1423 a , and 1424 a . transistor 1424 a is controlled by signal acta and sinks current imain when it and one of transistors 1421 a and 1423 a are on . transistor 1421 a receives input signal data , while transistor 1423 a receives the complement of input signal data . this current block generally corresponds to output driver 920 . similarly , current block 1420 b includes nmos transistors 1421 b , 1423 b , and 1424 b . transistor 1424 b is controlled by signal actb and sinks current i1 when it and one of transistors 1421 b and 1423 b are on . transistor 1421 b receives input signal ( data ) z − 1 , while transistor 1423 b receives the complement of input signal ( data ) z − 1 . these data signals are the same as those received by current block 1420 a , but delayed by about one unit delay ( such as , e . g ., the delay of one z − 1 block of fig9 ). when this current block is active , a logical 1 output at either output a or output complement a is reduced in amplitude by a voltage equal to ( current i1 )×( resistor 1427 or 1429 ). current block 1420 n is similar to the others and includes nmos transistors 1421 n , 1423 n , and 1424 n . transistor 1424 n is controlled by signal actn and sinks current in when it and one of transistors 1421 n and 1423 n are on . note that currents imain , i1 , and in are all preferably constant , but not necessarily equal . transistor 1421 n receives input signal ( data ) z − n , while transistor 1423 n receives the complement of input signal ( data ) z − n . these data signals are the same as those received by current block 1420 a , but delayed by the total delay of a delay line ( such as , e . g ., as received from the last z − 1 delay block in delay line 910 of fig9 ). current block 1420 n further reduces the voltage at either output a or output complement a by an additional voltage equal to ( current in )×( resistor 1427 or 1429 ). activation signals actb - n may be generated from control logic , such as , for example , logic circuitry 922 . such control logic receives input from a delay line ( such as , for example , delay lines 810 and 910 ), which receives data signals to be transmitted . activation signals actb - n may additionally be derived from main current block activation signal acta in conjunction with inputs received by a delay line . note that for clarity in fig9 , individual delayed data signals ( such as , e . g ., ( data ) z − 1 and ( data ) z − n shown in fig1 ) are not shown connected from delay line 910 to output driver 920 . fig1 shows an lvds embodiment of a cmos circuit that can be used to implement the transmitter portion ( including output driver 920 and current sources 924 ) of pre - emphasis circuitry 900 in accordance with the invention . lvds circuit 1500 includes n current blocks connected in parallel and may be referred to as having n - taps . current blocks 1520 a , b , n are each coupled to power supply voltage vdd and are coupled to output nodes a and complement a , which have a load , shown as a resistor , coupled between them . as in circuit 1400 , the number of current blocks in cml circuit 1500 determines the number of amplitude levels in the output signal . main current block 1520 a includes nmos transistors 1521 a and 1523 a , pmos transistors 1541 a and 1543 a , and a pair of current sources / sinks imain . transistors 1541 a and 1523 a receive input signal data , while transistors 1543 a and 1521 a receive the complement of input signal data . current blocks 1520 b and 1520 n are constructed similarly ( reference numerals for some circuit elements are omitted for clarity ), and receive signals data and complement data delayed by a correspondingly respective number of unit delays . that is , current block 1520 b receives data signals delayed by one unit delay , while current block 1520 n receives data signals delayed by n unit delays . no separate activate or enable signal is required to operate circuit 1500 . in addition to pre - emphasis circuitry , the principles of the invention are also advantageously applicable to equalization circuitry . equalization circuitry provides receiver circuitry with the capability of increasing the strength of a received signals , especially immediately adjacent any transitions in the received signals . the receiver circuitry can therefore more rapidly begin to respond to a change in the data being transmitted . this allows systems to be operated more rapidly , more reliably , at lower voltages , and / or with various combinations of these advantages employed to various different degrees . fig1 shows a generalized embodiment of equalization circuitry that can be included in a receiver circuit , such as , for example , receiver circuit 104 of fig1 . equalization circuitry 1600 includes delay line 1610 and adder 1616 , which outputs an equalized signal . delay line 1610 includes a number of delay units 1612 ( the three delay units shown are merely illustrative ; delay line 1610 may have other numbers of delay units 1612 ). advantageously , both the cml based delay stages and the summing cml and lvds arrangements previously described may be used to obtain the equalized output signal . although the circuitry of this invention has many other possible applications , one illustrative use is shown in fig1 . in fig1 , programmable logic device (“ pld ”) 1700 is an integrated circuit , preferably an integrated circuit chip , that includes programmable logic circuitry 1710 and output driver circuitry 1720 . output driver circuitry 1720 includes pre - emphasis circuitry in accordance with the invention . pld 1700 may be field programmable , mask programmable , or programmable in any other way . it may be one - time - only programmable , or it may be reprogrammable . programmable logic circuitry 1710 produces a data output signal on conductor 1730 that is applied to output driver circuitry 1720 . circuitry 1720 converts this signal to differential output signals vout + and vout −, with pre - emphasis , as described earlier in this specification . if only single - ended signaling is desired , only one or the other of vout + or vout − is used as mentioned above . pld 1700 is thus one illustrative embodiment of transmitter circuitry incorporating pre - emphasis circuitry in accordance with the invention . fig1 shows an illustrative larger context in which the invention may be employed . the invention can be used for driving one or more output signals from any one or more of elements 1700 , 1840 , 1850 , 1860 , and 1870 out onto system bus or other interconnections 1880 . although the invention is equally applicable in many other types of systems , illustrative system 1800 shown in fig1 may be generally described as a data processing system . data processing system 1800 may include one or more of the following components : pld or other circuitry 1700 like that shown in fig1 , a processor 1840 , a memory 1850 , input / output ( i / o ) circuitry 1860 , and peripheral devices 1870 . these components are coupled together by a system bus or other interconnections 1880 , and are populated on a circuit board 1890 ( e . g ., a printed circuit board ) that is contained in system 1800 . communication among the various components shown in fig1 , and / or with external circuitry , may be of any known type to any desired extent . system 1800 can be used in a wide variety of applications , such as computer networking , data networking , instrumentation , video processing , digital signal processing , or the like . circuitry 1700 can be used to perform a variety of different logic functions . for example , circuitry 1700 can be configured as a processor or controller that works in cooperation with processor 1840 . circuitry 1700 may also be used as an arbiter for arbitrating access to a shared resource in system 1800 . in yet another example , circuitry 1700 can be configured as an interface between processor 1840 and one of the other components of system 1800 . still further , either processor 1840 , memory 1850 , or both may include pre - emphasis circuitry in accordance with the invention . note that system 1800 is only exemplary and in no way should be construed to limit the true scope and spirit of the invention . thus it is seen that pre - emphasis circuitries and methods are provided . one skilled in the art will appreciate that the invention can be practiced by other than the described embodiments , which are presented for purposes of illustration and not of limitation , and the invention is limited only by the claims which follow .	7
the following embodiments are intended to illustrate the invention more fully without limiting its scope , since numerous modifications and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art . the present inventors have sought to develop a new electrochemical model for the determination of shelf lifetime of a wafer . the methodology is embodied in a new shelf lifetime acceleration test ( slat ) proposed herein . it has been understood by the present inventors that oxygen ( o 2 ) and water ( h 2 o ) enhance fluorine - induced corrosion and galvanic corrosion of aluminum bondpads on semiconductor wafers during wafer storage . fluorine induced corrosion is believed to proceed according to the following reaction schemes : where e 0 is the redox potential of the indicated chemical reaction . during the course of the slat , aluminum oxide fluoride ( al x o y f z ) forms on aluminum bondpads of a wafer having fluorine contamination . the al x o y f z is in the form of small islands . as viewed in a scanning electron microscope ( sem ) the defects appear as white particles or ‘ white dots ’ on the bondpads , depending upon the imaging conditions used . such defects are therefore sometimes referred to as ‘ white - dot defects ’. the presence of increased moisture ( h 2 o ) results in an increase in the rate of reaction of aluminum and fluorine to form al x o y f z . similarly , increased temperatures also result in an increase in the rate of reaction . acceleration of the rate of reaction may be modelled using the hallberg - peck model . the model may be stated as follows : where af is an acceleration factor of the overall reaction process described above ; ( af , h ) is the acceleration factor of the reaction due to humidity ; and ( af , t ) is the acceleration factor due to temperature . af = ( rh u rh t ) - n × ( e a k ) · ( 1 t u - 1 t t ) ( 2 ) where e a is an activation energy for fluorine - induced corrosion of an aluminum bondpad surface , n is an exponential constant , k is boltzmann &# 39 ; s constant , t u is the temperature of the wafer during normal storage , rh u is the relative humidity of the normal storage environment , t t is the temperature of the wafer in the testing environment and rh t is the relative humidity of the testing environment . investigations of defect structures formed during the course of the inventors &# 39 ; investigations revealed that the presence of water droplets on a wafer during testing resulted in the introduction of an artificially high density of defects that may not necessarily be responsible for fluorine - induced corrosion . the inventors determined that in order to prevent the formation of artefacts , the formation of water droplets on the wafer surface should be avoided . the slat tests should therefore be performed under conditions that avoid the formation of water droplets , i . e . under ‘ dewing - free ’ conditions . the inventors have determined that dewing - free conditions may be obtained under the following conditions : rh t & lt ; 85 %; and t t & lt ; 75 ° c . other values of relative humidity and temperature of the test environment are also useful . the remaining parameters to be used in the wafer fabrication environment have been determined as follows : other values of t u and rh u are also useful . inserting these values into equation ( 2 ), and requiring a simulated shelf lifetime of 1 year under test conditions whereby rh t = 55 % and t t = 75 ° c ., we obtain an overall acceleration factor af = 502 . thus , in order to obtain a simulated shelf lifetime of 1 year , a slat test under these conditions for a period of 17 . 5 hours is required . clearly , this is a considerably shorter period than that required for the traditional test . fig1 is a table of values of slat testing times required to simulate a storage period of 1 year as a function of rh t (%) and t t (° c .). it can be seen from the table that if a slat test is performed at a value of rh t of 85 %, and a temperature of 75 ° c ., the test would take only 4 . 7 hours . in contrast , if the slat test were performed at a value of rh t of 55 %, and a temperature of 55 ° c ., the test would take about 72 . 5 hours . this is in contrast to the traditional lifetime test , which requires a period of between 23 days and 198 days . thus , embodiments of the present invention enable a considerable reduction in the time required to perform a shelf lifetime test . furthermore , embodiments of the invention have the advantage of reducing a level of artefacts associated with the traditional shelf lifetime test . this has the advantage of increasing a reliability of the test . it will be appreciated that simulating a storage period of other than 1 year is also useful . furthermore , values of rh t and t t other than those listed in the table are also useful . fig2 . shows a flow diagram of a sequence of steps for the performance of a slat test according to a first embodiment of the invention . slat tests according to the first embodiment have been performed using a temperature and humidity controlled test chamber ( taichy hrm - 80fa ). the tests were performed over the temperature range from room temperature to 100 ° c ., and at values of relative humidity from 30 - 95 %. the slat test sequence according to the first embodiment begins with the selection of a wafer to be tested from a batch of wafers . the wafer is then inspected to determine an amount of contaminant present on one or more bondpads of the wafer . according to the first embodiment , the wafer is subjected to auger electron spectroscopy examination ( aes ) in order to determine a level of fluorine ( f ) contamination . in some embodiments the wafer is also subjected to sem inspection to identify whether or not so - called white - dot defects are present . if white - dot defects are present , the number density of white - dot defects may be determined by inspection of an sem image . in some embodiments of the invention a thickness of any aluminum oxide or aluminum fluoride oxide is determined . in embodiments of the invention the thickness is determined using transmission electron microscopy ( tem ). the wafer to be tested is then mounted in a quartz holder and placed inside the test chamber . according to the present embodiment the quartz holder is of a size in the range from 6 ″ to 12 ″ ( 0 . 15240 m - 0 . 30480 m ). the test chamber environment is set to a predetermined temperature and relative humidity for a predetermined time period . according to the present embodiment the test chamber environment is set to a temperature of 75 ° c . and a relative humidity of 55 % for a period of 17 . 5 hours . in some embodiments of the invention the temperature and / or relative humidity are set to other values , for the same or a different period of time . fig1 is a table of test times as a function of test temperature and test relative humidity in order to simulate a storage period of one year . it will be appreciated that longer or shorter test times may be used to simulate a longer or shorter storage period . similarly , the values of temperature and relative humidity may be varied in order to simulate similar or different test periods , according to a user &# 39 ; s requirement . the values of temperature and relative humidity shown in fig1 are determined according to a requirement to maintain dewing - free conditions within the test chamber . that is , the formation of water droplets on the wafer within the chamber is avoided when a test environment is used according to the values presented in fig1 . it will be appreciated that dewing free conditions may also be obtained using other combinations of values of temperature and relative humidity . once the test period has ended , the wafer is removed from the test chamber . in some embodiments of the invention the test environment is returned to ambient conditions in a controlled manner before removal of the wafer , in order to avoid the formation of water droplets on the wafer . in other words , dewing free conditions are maintained after the test has been terminated . according to the first embodiment of the invention , dewing free conditions are maintained until post - test inspection of the wafer is complete . following removal of the wafer from the test environment , the wafer is subjected to post - test inspection . according to the present embodiment the post - test inspection is performed using sem to determine a number density of white - dot defects . if sem inspection of a bondpad indicates that the number density of white - dot defects on the bondpad is below a critical level , the bondpad is deemed to be a bondpad capable of sufficiently reliable bonding to a bondwire to be used in ic fabrication . the critical level of white - dot defects below which a bondpad is capable of sufficiently reliable bonding is determined empirically . in some embodiments of the invention , a determination of an amount of fluorine present on the wafer surface is performed following removal of the wafer from the test environment . in some embodiments of the invention the determination of an amount of fluorine is made using aes . it will be appreciated that in some embodiments of the invention , a determination of the amount of white - dot defects is made by alternative inspection means , such as by using a scanned probe microscope or a transmission electron microscope . other apparatus and methods are also useful . similarly , in some embodiments of the invention , a determination of an amount of fluorine present on the wafer surface is made using a tool other than aes . in a second embodiment of the invention , a slat test is used to determine a maximum storage lifetime of a wafer . fig3 . shows a flow diagram of a sequence of steps for the performance of a slat test according to the second embodiment . as in the case of the first embodiment , the sequence of steps comprising the test begins with the selection of a wafer to be tested from a batch of wafers . the wafer is inspected to determine an amount of contaminants present on the wafer . according to the second embodiment , the wafer is subjected to auger electron spectroscopy examination ( aes ) in order to determine a level of fluorine ( f ) contamination . other methods of determining a level of fluorine contamination are also useful . it will be appreciated that the wafer may also be subjected to sem inspection to identify whether or not so - called white - dot defects are present . if white - dot defects are present , the number density of white - dot defects may be determined by inspection of an sem image . a thickness of a layer of any aluminum oxide or aluminum fluoride oxide present on one or more bondpads of the wafer surface may also be determined . in embodiments of the invention the thickness is determined using transmission electron microscopy ( tem ). other methods of determining thickness of layers are also useful . the wafer to be tested is then placed in a quartz holder and inserted into the test chamber . the test chamber environment is set to a predetermined temperature and relative humidity for a predetermined time period . according to the second embodiment the test chamber environment is set to a temperature of 75 ° c . and a relative humidity of 55 % for a predetermined initial test period . once the predetermined period has expired , the wafer is removed from the test chamber . it will be appreciated that other values of temperature and relative humidity are useful . the table of test times as a function of test temperature and test relative humidity shown in fig1 may be used to determine the initial test period . it will be appreciated that longer or shorter initial test periods may be used . similarly , the values of temperature and relative humidity for the initial test period may be changed , according to a user &# 39 ; s requirement . the values of temperature and relative humidity shown in fig2 are determined according to a requirement to maintain dewing - free conditions within the test chamber . that is , the formation of water droplets on the wafer within the chamber is avoided when a test environment is used according to the values of temperature and relative humidity presented in fig2 . it will be appreciated that other combinations of temperature and relative humidity are useful in order to maintain dewing free conditions . once the initial test period has ended , the wafer is removed from the test chamber . in some embodiments of the invention the test environment is returned to ambient conditions before removal of the wafer , in a controlled manner , in order to avoid the formation of water droplets on the wafer . in other words , dewing free conditions are maintained after the test has been terminated . following removal of the wafer from the test environment , the wafer is subjected to post - test inspection . according to the second embodiment the post - test inspection is performed using sem to determine a number density of white - dot defects on a selected one or more bondpads of the wafer . if the number density of white - dot defects on the one or more bondpads is below a critical level , the wafer is deemed to be a wafer having bondpads capable of sufficiently reliable bonding to a bondwire . the critical level of white - dot defects below which a bond pad is capable of sufficiently reliable bonding is determined empirically . according to some embodiments of the invention dewing free conditions are maintained until post - test inspection of the wafer is complete . in some embodiments of the invention , a determination of an amount of fluorine present on the bondpads is performed following removal of the wafer from the test environment . in some embodiments of the invention the determination of an amount of fluorine is made using aes . it will be appreciated that in some embodiments of the invention , a determination of the amount of white - dot defects on one or more bondpads is made by alternative inspection means , such as using a scanned probe microscope , a transmission electron microscope , or any other suitable means . similarly , in some embodiments of the invention , a determination of an amount of fluorine present on the bondpads is made using a tool other than aes . in some embodiments of the invention sem inspection of white - dot defects is performed at a magnification of 50 k . alternatively or in addition sem inspection may be performed at a magnification of 100 k . other values of magnification are also useful . if the wafer is deemed to be a wafer having bondpads capable of sufficiently reliable bonding to a bondwire , the wafer is returned to the test chamber for a further period of time . according to the present invention , the initial test period is 17 . 5 hours and the further period of time is 1 . 0 hour , at a temperature of 75 ° c . and a relative humidity of 55 %. other values of the initial test period and of the further period of time are also useful . the process of removal and inspection of the wafer is repeated when the further period has expired , as per the process following expiry of the initial test period . if the wafer is again determined to be a wafer having bondpads capable of sufficiently reliable bonding to a bond wire , the wafer may be returned to the test chamber for a further period of time . the effective storage period of the wafer under the test conditions used is determined based on the cumulative time period spent under a given set of test conditions . if the wafer is determined not to be a wafer capable of sufficiently reliable bonding to a bondwire , then the storage period for which a wafer with bondpads is deemed to be capable of sufficiently reliable bonding to a bondwire is that corresponding to the length of the longest test period for which the wafer was deemed to be capable of sufficiently reliable bonding to a bondwire . if no such storage period was determined , due to an amount of contamination exceeding a critical level following the initial test period , then the storage period for which the wafer may be stored whilst remaining capable of sufficiently reliable bonding to a bondwire is determined to be less than the period corresponding to the initial test period of the wafer . it will be appreciated that in some embodiments of the invention the kind of defect and the characteristic of a given defect that is used to determine whether or not a bondpad of a wafer is capable of sufficiently reliable bonding to a bondwire may be other than a measure of the number density of white - dot defects . for example , a defect other than a white - dot defect may be used . similarly , a characteristic of a defect other than a number density of a given defect may be used . for example , a size of a given defect , such as an average size ( a mean , median or mode average ), a shape , a thickness of a layer , a volume , or any other suitable characteristic may be used . it will be appreciated that some embodiments of the invention allow a control limit ( cl ) and a specification limit ( sl ) of fluorine contamination of a wafer to be established . cl is a measure of process capability and variations thereof , and is generally taken to be ± 3σ ( where σ is the standard deviation ). sl , on the other hand , defines upper and lower bounds of the functionality of a process . according to some embodiments , the limit of fluorine contamination on bondpads of a wafer before a wafer becomes unsuitable for storage for a required time period is determined . knowledge of this limit of contamination is useful . this is because , if it is determined that the fluorine contamination level of a wafer before a slat test exceeds a certain critical level of fluorine contamination , it may be predicted that the wafer will most likely fail the slat test . in other words , the number of white - dot defects on bondpads of that wafer following a slat test will exceed a critical density of white - dot defects to allow reliable bonding , making it impossible to form a sufficiently reliable bond to that bondpad without remedial action such as cleaning of the bondpad to remove the white - dot defects . determination of the limiting value of fluorine contamination corresponding to a wafer that is suitable for storage for a required time period may be made as follows . a series of wafers having different levels of fluorine contamination are subjected to a slat test according to the first embodiment of the invention under identical conditions . a wafer passing the slat test with the highest amount of fluorine contamination before the slat test was performed is then identified . the critical amount of fluorine contamination for reliable bond formation is then determined to correspond to the amount of fluorine contamination of this wafer before the slat test was performed . other methods of determining the storage lifetime of a wafer are also useful . it will be appreciated that in alternative embodiments of the invention , initial contaminants other than fluorine may be used to provide a corresponding control limit and / or specification limit . a knowledge of an amount of initial contaminant other than fluorine is useful in determining a shelf lifetime of a wafer , in addition to or instead of an amount of fluorine . throughout the description and claims of this specification , the words “ comprise ” and “ contain ” and variations of the words , for example “ comprising ” and “ comprises ”, means “ including but not limited to ”, and is not intended to ( and does not ) exclude other moieties , additives , components , integers or steps . throughout the description and claims of this specification , the singular encompasses the plural unless the context otherwise requires . in particular , where the indefinite article is used , the specification is to be understood as contemplating plurality as well as singularity , unless the context requires otherwise . features , integers , characteristics , compounds , chemical moieties or groups described in conjunction with a particular aspect , embodiment or example of the invention are to be understood to be applicable to any other aspect , embodiment or example described herein unless incompatible therewith .	7
the compounds utilized in the present invention , having the formula ( i ) as defined above , are readily and generally prepared by the following reaction process . to an alcoholic solution of sodium methoxide is added an alcoholic solution of hydroxylamine hydrochloride and a compound of the formula ## str6 ## wherein x is an alkyl group and r 1 , r 2 , r 3 and r 5 are as defined for formula ( i ). the reaction mixture is stirred for about 12 to 24 hours , preferably 16 hours , at room temperature . the solvent is evaporated and the residue is worked - up according to methods well known to those skilled in the art . the intermediate ester compounds of the formula ## str7 ## are synthesized according to the following procedure . to a mixture of n - chlorosuccinimide and pyridine in an inert solvent , such as methylene chloride , is added an oxime of the formula ## str8 ## wherein r 1 and r 2 are as defined above for formula ( i ). the mixture is allowed to stir for about 2 to 5 hours , preferably about 2 hours . a compound of the formula ## str9 ## wherein r 3 and r 5 are as defined above for formula i and x is an alkyl group , is added followed by the addition of triethylamine to the mixture and the mixture is stirred for about 2 hours more at room temperature . the reaction is worked up according to methods well known to those skilled in the art . where possible , as ascertained by one skilled in the art enabled by this disclosure , pharmaceutically - acceptable acid addition salts of certain compounds of this invention can be prepared which include , but are not limited to , those formed with hcl , hbr , hno 3 , h 2 so 4 , h 3 po 4 , ch 3 so 3 h , p - ch 3 c 6 h 4 so 3 h , ch 3 co 2 h , gluconic acid , tartaric acid , maleic acid and succinic acid . the ability of the compounds or the pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof to inhibit 5 - lo and , consequently , demonstrate their effectiveness for treating or alleviating inflammatory diseases or conditions , allergy and cardiovascular diseases in mammals is shown by the following in vitro assay . venous blood from healthy volunteers is collected in heparin ( 20 u / ml ). compounds are dissolved in dmso . each compound is tested at 4 concentrations . zileuton ( a 5 - lipoxygenase inhibitor available from abbott laboratories , this particular batch was synthesized in house , the synthetic procedure is well - known in the art ) and dmso alone are used as positive and negative controls , respectively . 10 μl of compound or dmso is added to glass borosilicate tubes ( 12 × 75 mm ) and warmed to 37 ° c . one milliliter of whole blood is added to each tube . following a 15 min . incubation period whole blood is stimulated with the calcium ionophore a23187 ( purchased from sigma chemical co ., st . louis , mo . 63178 ), at 50 μm for 1 hour . tubes are immediately placed in a 4c centrifuge and spun at 1500 × g to isolate plasma . a 50 μl volume of plasma is taken for measurement of leukotriene - b4 ( ltb4 ). samples are diluted 1 : 800 for assay by leukotriene b4 enzyme immunoassay kit ( eia ) ( cayman chemical co ., ann arbor , mich .) using the manufacturers instructions . a ltb - 4 standard curve from 250 to 7 . 8 pg / ml is run with each plate . 50 μl of diluted sample is added per well . 50 μl of ltb - 4 acetylcholinesterase tracer followed by 50 μl of ltb - 4 antiserum are then added . plates are covered with plastic film and incubated for 18 hours at room temperature . wells are emptied and rinsed 5 times with wash buffer prior to development with ellman &# 39 ; s reagent ( available from cayman chemical , ann arbor , mich .) in the dark for 1 hour at room temperature , or until the b0 ( total absorbance ) wells exhibit absorbance between 0 . 3 and 0 . 8 a . u . the plates are read at 405 nm using a thermomax microplate reader ( molecular devices , menlo park , cal .). the ltb - 4 standard curve is fitted to a semi - log equation . absorbance values for experimental wells are averaged and the pg / ml ltb - 4 concentration is determined by interpolating the average absorbance onto the standard curve . percent inhibition is determined by the following equation : (- ( pg / ml ) ltb - 4 experimental /( pg / ml ) ltb - 4 dmso control !- 1 )× 100 . ic 50 is determined by linear regression of drug concentration plotted against inhibition and interpolation of the x value at y = 50 . for administration to humans to inhibit 5 - lo and in the treatment of inflammatory diseases or conditions , allergy and cardiovascular diseases , oral dosages of the compounds of formula ( i ) or the pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof , are generally in the range of from 0 . 1 - 500 mg daily for an average adult patient ( 70 kg ). thus for a typical adult patient , individual tablets or capsules contain from 0 . 1 to 50 mg of active compound , in a suitable pharmaceutically acceptable vehicle or carrier . multiple tablets or capsules may be required to meet the dosage requirements . dosages for intravenous administration are typically within the range of 0 . 1 to 10 mg per single dose as required . for intranasal or inhaler administration , the dosage is generally formulated as a 0 . 1 to 1 % ( w / v ) solution . in practice the physician will determine the actual dosage which will be most suitable for an individual patient and it will vary with the age , weight and response of the particular patient . the above dosages are exemplary of the average case but there can , of course , be individual instances where higher or lower dosage ranges are merited , and all such dosages are within the scope of this invention . for human use , the compounds of the formula ( i ) and the pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof can be administered alone , but will generally be administered in an admixture with a pharmaceutical diluent or carrier selected with regard to the intended mute of administration and standard pharmaceutical practice . for example , they may be administered orally in the form of tablets containing such excipients as starch or lactose , or in capsules or ovales either alone or in admixture with excipients , or in the form of elixirs or suspensions containing flavoring or coloring agents . they may be injected parenterally ; for example , intravenously , intramuscularly or subcutaneously . for parenteral administration , they are best used in the form of a sterile aqueous solution which may contain other substances ; for example , enough salts or glucose to make the solution isotonic . for topical administration , they are best used in the form of solutions , lotions , ointments , salves and the like . the following example illustrates the synthesis of a compound used in the present invention . the following example combined with the synthetic methodologies described immediately above enables one skilled in the art to prepare the compounds used in the present invention . to a solution of sodium methoxide , prepared from 97 mg ( 4 . 2 mmol ) of sodium and 10 ml of methanol , was added 146 mg ( 2 . 1 mmol ) of hydroxylamine hydrochloride in a solution of 3 ml of methanol followed by 500 mg ( 1 . 5 mmol ) of 3 -( 3 - cyclopentyoxy - 4 - methoxy ) phenyl - 2 - isoxazoline - 5 - carboxylic acid ethyl ester . after stirring for about 16 h at rt , the solvent was evaporated and the residue was dissolved in 50 ml of water and washed with ether ( 2 × 50 ml ). the aqueous layer was acidified to ph 1 with aqueous hcl solution and the precipitate ( 231 mg ) was filtered and recrystallized twice from ch 2 cl 2 etoac to give 52 mg of the title compound , mp 167 °- 168 ° c . 1 h nmr ( dmso - d 6 ): δ1 . 54 - 1 . 92 ( 8h , m ), 3 . 48 - 3 . 67 ( 2h , m ), 3 . 78 ( 3h , s ), 4 . 79 - 4 . 85 ( 1h , m ), 4 . 95 ( 1h , t , j = 8 ), 6 . 99 ( 1h , d , j = 9 ), 7 . 17 ( 1h , d , j = 9 ), 7 . 23 ( 1h , s ), 9 . 03 ( 1h , s ); anal . calc &# 39 ; d . for c 16 h 20 n 2 o 5 : c , 59 . 99 ; h , 6 . 29 ; n , 8 . 74 . found : c , 59 . 82 ; h , 6 . 05 ; n , 8 . 65 .	0
it has been discovered that a high speed clock control circuit can be used in imaging sensing devices in speeds having a read out rate at 37 mhz and above . because of the high speed these image sensing devices typically have dual output registers . referring to fig1 image sensor ( 10 ) has imaging sensing region ( 12 ) containing photosensitive element ( 14 ). immediately adjacent to imaging region ( 12 ) are a pair of horizontal registers ( 20 ) and ( 22 ). imaging region ( 12 ) will have columns of photosensitive elements ( 14 ) attached to vertical shift registers ( 15 ). the vertical shift registers ( 15 ) shift charge pairs from photosensitive elements ( 14 ) into horizontal shift registers ( 20 ) and ( 22 ). once the horizontal shift registers ( 20 ) and ( 22 ) are full , the charge carriers are clocked out of the horizontal shift registers ( 20 ) and ( 22 ) to output circuits via buffers ( 24 ) and ( 26 ). because of the high speed requirements of the dual horizontal registers ( 20 ) and ( 22 ), clock signals that are applied to these registers must be carefully controlled both when the registers are loaded one line at a time which occurs during the horizontal blanking interval and when the registers are read out one pixel at a time during the active line time . prior art circuits particularly offered adjustments to clocking signals to horizontal shift registers such as those shown in fig4 a . however , these adjustments typically adjust both the horizontal shift register loading and the horizontal shift register readout . prior art devices such as those shown in fig4 a are limited in that they require an individual chip for every color sensed in order to prevent the mixing of charge carriers representative of different colors . in a three chip design aliasing problems do not exist . however , a three chip design requires very expensive optics and the setup requirements for optical lenses are substantial . the present invention overcomes the shortcoming of the prior devices in that it does not allow mixing of the different color signals representative of different colors such as red , green and blue on a single chip and it provides the capability to include multiple registers , ccd devices on a single device . the circuit disclosed by the present invention prevents charge mixing of red , green and blue signals and allows excellent rgb images to be obtained for the high definition television sensor of the preferred embodiment . still referring to fig1 the image sensing device ( 10 ) is controlled by horizontal and vertical clocks . the vertical clock signals v1 and v2 respectively ( 16 ) and ( 17 ), control the vertical shifting of charge carriers from the photosensitive elements ( 14 ) into the horizontal registers ( 20 ) and ( 22 ). the horizontal clocks of the present invention h1a , h2a , h1b and h2b , ( respectively 31 , 32 , 33 and 34 ), control the loading and reading out of horizontal registers ( 20 ) and ( 22 ). in the preferred embodiment a high definition television ( hdtv ) sensor in which a two - field interlaced image having 1080 lines and 1920 pixels per line is read out from the image sensor ( 10 ) every 1 / 30 of a second . within these parameters a new line of the image is transferred from the vertical shift register ( 15 ) to the dual horizontal registers ( 20 ) and ( 22 ) approximately every 25 microseconds . dual horizontal registers are used so that the horizontal clock rate for each register is about 37 mhz as compared to employing a single register design in which a 74 mhz clock would be required . while employing dual registers may allow the horizontal clock to be half that of a single register architecture , a dual register architecture employing a 37 mhz horizontal clock frequency still requires that the timing relationships between the horizontal clocks be tightly controlled to within a few nanoseconds . precise control of the horizontal clocks is particularly critical during the horizontal blanking interval when charge is transferred from the vertical registers ( 15 ) into the two horizontal registers ( 20 ) and ( 22 ). the a horizontal register ( 20 ) is loaded with the even columns from image sensor ( 10 ) while the b horizontal register ( 22 ) is loaded with the odd column . within the preferred embodiment image sensor ( 10 ) is a high definition television sensor having been fabricated with green stripe filters covering the even columns and alternate red and blue stripe filters covering the odd numbered columns . referring to fig3 which is a timing diagram for the clocking scheme employed within the present invention , clocks must be carefully controlled to within 2 or 3 nanoseconds otherwise charge will not properly be transferred into the horizontal ( 20 ) and ( 22 ) registers from the vertical register ( 15 ). it should be understood that the fall times for clocks h1a ( 31 ) and h2a ( 32 ) must be carefully controlled within 2 or 3 nanoseconds . if this is not accomplished the red , green and blue signals will mix together and cannot thereafter be separated . it should further be noted that within the preferred embodiment certain controls exist to the clock pulse as shown in fig3 . specifically , at the time interval indicated at t2 ( 42 ) in fig2 clock h1a ( 31 ) may have a falling edge occurring 2 to 3 nanoseconds before the falling edge of clock h1b ( 33 ). however , h1a ( 31 ) must not have a falling edge that occurs after the falling edge of h1b 33 ). this is indicated as the time period t3 ( 43 ). this situation exists for loading the horizontal registers . however , during the readout of the horizontal registers ( 20 ) and ( 22 ), it is preferable to have both falling edges occur simultaneously . therefore different constraints are placed on the timing relationships of the clocks during blanking intervals when a line of charge is transferred to the horizontal registers ( 20 ) and ( 22 ) as compared to when the active line time occurs when the pixel data is read out from the horizontal registers one after another . referring to fig2 which illustrates the path charge will take to transfer between horizontal registers , in conjunction with fig3 the sensor device ( 10 ) has a column by column transfer from vertical shift registers ( 15 ) into horizontal registers ( 20 ) and ( 22 ). every other column will be transferred into either horizontal register a ( 20 ) or horizontal register b ( 22 ). the a register ( 20 ) will transfer the charges from the even numbered vertical columns and the b horizontal register will transfer the charge carriers from the odd numbered vertical columns . special timing considerations must be adhered to in transferring charge between the a and b horizontal registers ( 20 ) and ( 22 ). as can be seen in fig3 the time period to is the time period in which both the h1a ( 31 ) and the h2a ( 32 ) clocks are high . a high state on both of these clocks is required before charge can be transferred from the vertical shift register ( 15 ) into the horizontal register a ( 20 ). keeping these two clock pulses high during this period prevents charge from flowing laterally from one phase across to previous and sequential phases . referring to period t2 in fig3 clocks h1a ( 31 ) and h2a ( 32 ) must go from a high potential to a low potential at the same time . if the h1a clock ( 31 ) goes from a high potential to a low potential in a time greater than 3 nanoseconds prior , the transition of the h2a ( 32 ) clock transition from a high potential to a low potential , charge will flow laterally across the a horizontal register and the two vertical columns in the vertical shift register scheme ( 15 ) will mix and not transfer properly into the b horizontal register ( 22 ). if h2a clock ( 32 ) goes from a high potential to a low potential 3 nanoseconds , or more , prior to the transition of h1a clock ( 31 ) transition from a high potential to a low potential then a situation exists in which all the charge from both the a phases will transfer into the b horizontal register 22 . still referring to fig3 the h1b clock 33 provides the potential voltage to shift charge from the a horizontal register 20 into the b horizontal register 22 . the h2b clock 34 functions to transfer the pixels out of the b horizontal register . however , the timing of the b horizontal register 22 has no effect on the color aliasing problem and therefore the timing of the b horizontal register is not critical to the prevention of color mixing . referring now to fig4 a in conjunction with 4b , a prior art timing adjustment circuit ( 50 ) is shown wherein timing generator ( 52 ) produces signal ( 60 ) that functions as a clock for ccd ( 54 ). there are three inverters ( 51 ) between timing generator ( 52 ) and voltage translator ( 53 ) making the signal received by timing generator ( 52 ) the inverse of the signal transmitted by timing generator ( 52 ). adjustment circuits ( 55 ) are responsible for adjusting the load timing ( 58 ) and the readout timing ( 59 ) within signal ( 60 ). the circuit ( 50 ) of fig4 a has the basic problem that any change by either of adjustment circuits ( 55 ) will result in a change in both the readout timing ( 59 ) as well as the load timing ( 58 ). referring now to fig5 a is a circuit diagram of the clock timing adjustments of the present invention . as can be seen , there are duplicate load timing adjustments ( 60 , 80 ) for each of the two clocks . there are also separate read timing adjustments ( 70 , 90 ) for each of the two clocks . each of the adjustments ( 60 , 70 , 80 , 90 ) are essentially identical to the adjustment circuitry found in fig4 a . however , duplicating the adjustments for the clocks makes it possible to separately adjust the readout timing and the load timing for each of the clocks . this requires four individual circuits . additionally , for a dual register design as in the present invention , the entire four adjustment circuits ( 60 , 70 , 80 and 90 ) of fig5 a must again be duplicated ( not shown ) for the second horizontal register , thereby , making the total number of independent circuits required to be eight . while these eight circuits require more space and expense than the circuit of fig3 a , this is easily outweighed by the advantages of using only a single image sensing device as offered by the present invention . referring now to fig4 b in conjunction with fig4 a , timing generator ( 120 ) generates clocks h1a - l , h1a - r , h2a - l , and h2a - r ( respectively 101 , 102 , 111 and 112 ) to be applied to ccd device ( 122 ). timing diagrams for the clocks ( 101 , 102 , 111 and 112 ) are shown in fig5 b as they exist when output from timing transmitter ( 120 ). each of these clocks will pass through three inverters and two timing adjustment circuits prior to being logically combined by or gates ( 95 , 105 ). the signals that are input into or gates ( 95 , 105 ) are therefore opposite in polarity from the unadjusted signal emitted from timing generator ( 120 ). therefore , the oring of the signals has the same boolean logical result as if the original signals had passed through a nand gate according to demorgans theorem as shown in equation 1 . thus , the output of or gates ( 95 , 105 ) result in being each a logical nand of the signals output by timing generator ( 120 ) which are adjusted as desired by timing adjustment circuitry ( 60 , 70 , 80 and 90 ), and three times inverted prior being input into or gates ( 95 , 105 ). the output of or gates ( 95 , 105 ) is then input into voltage translator ( 121 ) where it again has the polarity reversed . the resulting signal input to ccd ( 122 ) then results as a logical and of the original signals output by timing generator ( 120 ). this logical combination as apparent in fig5 b as ( h1a - l )+( h1a - l ) ( 103 ), provides the ability to keep either of the clocks generated by timing generator ( 120 ) high and allowing the other gated clock to operate the horizontal register of ccd ( 122 ). the description of the preferred embodiment discusses the most preferred manner of using the present invention . it should be understood that numerous variations will be obvious to those skilled within the relevant art and that these obvious modifications are included by the scope of the invention as determined by the appended claims . ______________________________________parts list______________________________________10 image sensor12 imaging region14 photosensitive elements15 vertical shift registers16 vertical clock signal v117 vertical clock signal v220 1st horizontal register a21 storage cells a22 2nd horizontal register b23 storage cells b24 buffer amp # 126 buffer amp # 231 clock h1a32 clock h2a33 clock h1b34 clock h2b41 t1 in fig1 t2 in fig2 t3 in fig2 t4 in fig2 prior art timing circuit51 inventors52 timing generator53 voltage translator54 ccd55 adjustment circuits56 r157 r258 load timing59 readout timing60 load timing adjustments61 inventors62 diode70 read timing adjustment71 inventor72 diode80 load timing adjustments90 read timing adjustment95 or gate101 clock h1a - l102 clock h1a - r103 ( h1a - l ) + ( h1a - l ) 105 or gate111 clock h2a - l112 clock h2a - r120 timing generator121 voltage translator122 ccd device______________________________________	7
like reference numerals will be used to refer to like or similar parts from figure to figure in the following description of the drawings . the dramatic improvement contributed by the present invention is best understood after consideration of conventional geosynthetic clay liners . in general , bentonite is disposed on top of one primary carrier sheet or between a primary carrier sheet and a cover sheet ( or scrim ) to form a geosynthetic clay liner . the liner is usually provided in roll form and is laid down on the bottom of the landfill not unlike a layer of carpet . the outer edges of the bentonite liners are normally open and , upon activation , the bentonite is free to expand outward through the outer edges in the bentonite liner and will eventually migrate downward to the drainage system which is a functional part of many modern landfills . because of the dramatic ability of bentonite clay to expand upon being activated by water , bentonite will clog a drainage system rendering it inoperable . to overcome this problem , landfill owners must lay a protective layer of geotextile material down before laying the bentonite liners . this procedure is costly . to overcome the bentonite - clogging problem without the need for installing an additional layer of geotextile material , the present invention provides the bentonite liner 10 , as seen in fig1 with an overlap extension 11 . the overlap extension 11 is fabricated from materials that preclude substantial migration of bentonite 12 through it . as the geosynthetic clay liner 10 is laid down on the bottom of a landfill site , the lower primary carrier sheet 13 is laid down on top of a drainage system ( not shown in fig1 ; see fig3 and 6 ). the upper cover sheet 14 , which is optional for achieving the objects of the present invention , faces upward and protects and contains the bentonite 12 during shipment and installation of the liner . the cover sheet 14 also helps to contain the expanding bentonite 12 after it is activated . alternatively , the geosynthetic clay liner 20 shown in fig2 will include two overlap sections 11 and 15 disposed on either side of the lower primary carrier sheet 13 . thus , as seen in fig1 and 2 , activated bentonite 12 migrating outward in the direction of arrows 16 , 17 will be caught or contained by the overlap sections 11 , 15 respectively . fig3 is an illustration of one method of installing the geosynthetic clay liner 10 of fig1 . the lower primary carrier sheets 13 are laid down at the bottom of a landfill on top of the drainage system 18 . each adjacent geosynthetic clay liner 10 is laid down on top of an overlap sheet 11 and an outer portion 13a of each lower primary carrier sheet 13 overlaps or engages the top of an upper cover sheet 14 of an adjacent geosynthetic clay liner 10 . because the lower primary carrier sheet 13 and overlap sheet 11 are fabricated from materials that preclude substantial bentonite migration , the bentonite migrating in the direction of the arrow 16 will be contained by the overlap extension 11 . the material of the lower primary carrier sheet 13 and the overlap sheet 11 is preferably made from a fabric that will prevent hydrated bentonite from extruding through the fabric as the bentonite expands . a woven geotextile known as amoco 4005 has been found to be effective . amoco 4005 is a slit film woven polypropylene fabric that has been needle - punched with one to one and one - half ounces per square yard of staple polypropylene fibers of approximately 6 denier . amoco 4034 is a similar fabric that is also suitable for fabricating the primary carrier sheet 13 . amoco 4034 is a slit film woven polypropylene fabric that has been needle - punched with one - half to three - quarter ounce per square yard of staple polypropylene fibers of approximately 6 denier . up to four ounces of staple polypropylene fibers may be used . the construction of the weave is approximately 24 warp and 12 weft slit film fibers per inch in a flat woven pattern . this fabric has been found to be an effective primary carrier sheet or primary carrier 13 and has also been found to be an effective overlap flap 11 , either as an attachment to the primary carrier sheet 13 or as an integral extension thereof . fig4 is an illustration of one method of installing the geosynthetic clay liner 20 shown in fig2 . each lower primary carrier sheet 13 overlaps an upper cover sheet 14 as well as engages an overlap sheet 11 of an adjacent geosynthetic clay liner . the additional overlap section 15 , in combination with the overlap section 11 of an adjacent liner , acts to contain bentonite between an overlap section 15 and an overlap section 11 thereby creating a seal along two adjacent outer edges of two adjacent geosynthetic clay liners 20 . the improved seal provided by the geosynthetic clay liner 20 further ensures that leakage of liquids from the landfill through the bentonite liners 20 will be avoided . a foreseeable alternative embodiment not specifically shown in the figures would include extensions 11 , 15 that are supplied separate sheets and thereafter are sewn or otherwise attached to the lower primary carrier sheet 13 . such an extension 11 , 15 could be a non - fabric such as a plastic film or other material that will restrain the bentonite 12 . this embodiment could also involve the modification of an existing clay liner without extensions into a clay liner with extensions . an alternative embodiment of the present invention is shown in fig5 and 6 . referring to fig5 a bentonite layer 12 is disposed between an upper cover sheet 14 and a lower primary carrier sheet 13 . the upper cover sheet 14 is fairly durable so it will resist damage that may be caused by installation workers walking on the bentonite mat 30 . a third sheet 31 is sewn or otherwise attached to the underside of the lower primary carrier sheet 13 . the third sheet 31 is made from a material with a closed structure , such as typar 3601 which precludes or minimizes bentonite migration . the third sheet 31 is sewn to the underside of the lower primary carrier sheet 13 with an offset that creates a gap 13b of exposed primary carrier sheet 13 on one outer edge of the mat 30 and an overlap sheet 32 at an opposing edge of the mat 30 . typar 3601 is a 6 oz . per square yard non - woven heat - bonded fabric . typar 3601 has been used as a separate , additional layer under geosynthetic clay liners before in order to protect the drainage system . previous , use of typar 3601 was limited to installations where typar 3601 was installed as a separate layer , before the installation of the geosynthetic clay liner . fig6 illustrates an installation scheme for the mat 30 shown in fig5 . each overlap section or sheet 32 engages the underside of a gap 13b in the lower primary carrier sheet 13 . upon activation , the bentonite will migrate through the gaps 13b and seal with the overlap sheets 32 to improve the seal between adjacent mats 30 . in yet another alternative embodiment , 10 oz . non - woven trevira polyester material may be used for the third sheet 31 . trevira is a 10 oz . per square yard needle - punched polyester non - woven fabric . the width of the overlap sheet or non - clay bearing extensions 11 or 32 may be from 6 &# 34 ; to 36 &# 34 ; but are preferably from 18 &# 34 ; to 2 feet . the width of the exposed gaps 13b in the lower primary carrier sheet may be from 3 &# 34 ; to 24 &# 34 ; but is preferably from 6 &# 34 ; to 12 &# 34 ;. because the third sheet 31 is preferably wider than the lower primary carrier sheet 13 , the overlaps or non - clay bearing extensions 32 will be wider than the gaps 13b . thus , the present invention provides an improved geosynthetic clay liner that provides against clogging of drainage systems without the need for laying an additional protective geotextile layer prior to the installation of the geosynthetic clay liners . the present invention saves cost in terms of materials and labor and ensures proper working order of the drainage system . the present invention is applicable to both landfill sites with hazardous wastes and non - hazardous wastes . although only a few preferred embodiments of the present invention have been illustrated and described , it will at once be apparent to those skilled in the art that variations may be made within the spirit and scope of the invention . accordingly , it is intended that the scope of the invention be limited solely by the scope of the hereafter appended claims and not by any specific wording in the foregoing description .	2
this invention will be further described with reference being made to the accompanying drawings which depict thirteen chemical reaction sequences denominated scheme i through scheme xiii respectively . these reaction schemes are useful for preparing materials of the invention . this description of preferred embodiments is arranged in the following sections : the ligands of the invention include a multi - site attachment or &# 34 ; template &# 34 ; group ( tm ) which provides 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 or 6 covalent attachment sites for attaching the plurality of arylpyridine diacid units . these sites can be arranged symmetrically about or along the template or can be arranged asymmetrically . the template is a covalently bonded organic molecule . it can be aliphatic or aromatic . most commonly it provides at least 3 and up to about 20 atom chains between adjacent arylpyridine units . the template can present its n sites directly off of a core group such as the 1 , 3 , and 5 positions on a central phenyl ring or it can present its n sites as several groups of sites on several subcore units -- for example two sites on each of two chains pendant from a aromatic central core . the template molecules can be hydrocarbon or they can contain heteroatoms such as sulfer , oxygen and / or nitrogen . in prefered embodiments , the template molecule provides n aliphatic amines as attachment sites . the template molecule also may provide at least one additional bondable site to permit coupling of the polymeric ligand to active species , biologic materials and / or targets . the template may also carry additional groups to alter the chemical or physical properties ( for example , solubility , ionic character or the like ) of the ligand or the chelates it produces . representative templates include aliphatic materials such as 1 , 5 , 9 - triaminononane with the three amine groups serving as attachment sites ; tri ( 3 - aminopropyl ) methylene again with amine attachment sites ; 1 , 3 , 5 , 7 - tetra ( 2 - aminoethyl ) cyclooctane ; and alkylene diamine - type material such as ## str2 ## aromatic based templates generally contain a benzene or naphthalene unit , a triazine unit or the like . with these groups the attachment points can be on the aromatic ring ( s ) or on groups attached to the aromatic ring ( s ). typical materials include simple aromatics such as ## str3 ## as well as more complex materials such as ## str4 ## the ligands include a plurality ( e . g . 2 to 6 ) of arylpyridine dicarboxylic acid units . in these units , the aryl substituents are themselves substituted with at least one electron - releasing group . these diacid units are depicted in general formula i . as shown in formula i , the pyridine carries substituents r &# 39 ;, r &# 34 ; and -- ar --( r ) n &# 39 ; . the r &# 39 ; and r &# 34 ; substituents may be hydrogens ; electron - releasing groups such as lower alkoxies , that is 1 to 4 carbon alkoxies , especially methoxy or ethoxy ; lower alkyls , that is 1 to 4 carbon alkyls such as methyls , ethyls , n and iso propyls and the like ; aminos ; alkyl , i . e ., mono and di , and especially dialkylamino , for example , dialkylaminos wherein each of the alkyls is from 1 to 4 carbons such as dimethylamino ; aryls of six carbons and arylalkyls of up to about 9 carbons such as phenyls or benzyls and the like , subject to the limitation that such aryls are pendant from and not fused to the pyridine ring and aryloxies or arylalkyloxies of up to about 9 carbons such as phenyloxy or benzyloxy structures ; and a linking group including a covalent bond and a bridge group providing a link to the template ( tm ) portion of the molecule as will be described . they can also include a linking group capable of joining the polymeric ligand as a whole to the target or other species being tagged . the ar --( r ) n &# 39 ; , substituent on the pyridine ring is an aryl , itself containing n &# 39 ; r substituents . the aryl is either a phenyl or a naphthyl ring . the number n &# 39 ; is an integer corresponding to the number of covalent bonding sites available on the ar substituent , i . e ., 5 in the case of a phenyl or 7 in the case of a naphthyl . the r substituents on the ar group can be selected from the same groups as the r &# 39 ; and r &# 34 ; substituents . thus , the ar -- r n &# 39 ; , substituents can be represented structurally by the general formulae ia and ib . ## str5 ## wherein ## str6 ## is a covalent bond to the pyridine ring depending upon whether the ar unit is a phenyl or naphthyl . phenyl is the preferred ar unit . while we believe that any of the aforesaid materials will work in accord with the present invention , our greatest experience is with materials having the ar --( r ) n &# 39 ; , attached to the pyridine in the 4 - position , i . e ., para to the pyridine nitrogen , and on that basis this relationship is preferred . also preferred are materials wherein the linking group to tm is one of the rs as opposed to r &# 39 ; or r &# 34 ; and wherein one or both of r &# 39 ; and r &# 34 ; are hydrogens and especially wherein from one to three of the rs are lower alkoxies and the rest of the rs are hydrogen . the n pyridine diacids are coupled to the template molecule to give the desired poly ( arylpyridine ) ligand . the ligand itself in turn may be joined either directly from the template or through one of the pyridine diacid moieties to other groups such as a biospecific group , a target , or the like . either of these couplings can be accomplished by a simple covalent bond or can be carried out through another linking functionality . this covalent bond or coupling functionality can constitute one of the positions denominated r &# 39 ;, r &# 34 ; or r , and especially is one of the rs . this coupling permits the fluorescent pyridine moieties to &# 34 ; tag &# 34 ; a biologically active biospecific group . when the coupling is accomplished through a linking group this group should present an active or bondable site such as an amine , a hydroxyl , a carboxyl , an ester or the like to facilitate coupling of the biospecific group . examples of such bondable r groups are the amino group (-- nh 2 ) primary and secondary amine - terminated alkyls such as -- ch 2 -- ch 2 -- nh 2 or ## str7 ## primary and secondary amine terminated aryls and aryloxies such as ## str8 ## and the isomers thereof and the like ; hydroxyl - containing alkyls such as -- ch 2 -- ch 2 -- oh , ## str9 ## etc ., and hydroxyl - containing aryls and aryloxies such as ## str10 ## other suitable functionalities for forming a bond to the biospecific group or to the template include amides , amidines , thioamides , ureas , thioureas , guanidines , diazos , thioethers , carboxy and phosphate esters , thiocyanates , thioesters and other covalent linkages such as are known in the art . as already noted a preferred linking group is the simple amino group . the linking groups can couple directly to the biologically active group or can be linked through a bifunctional spacer agent such as a member of the group -- co ( ch 2 ) 4 --, -- cs --, -- co ( ch 2 ) 8 nhcoch 2 on ═, -- coch 2 on ═, -- co ( ch 2 ) 5 nhco ( ch 2 ) 6 co --, -- co ( ch 2 ) 2 ss ( ch 2 ) 2 co --, -- csnh ( ch 2 ) 3 n ( ch 2 ch 2 ) 2 n ( ch 2 ) 3 nhco ( ch 2 ) 6 co --, -- csnh ( ch 2 ) 3 n ( ch 2 ch 2 ) 2 n ( ch 2 ) 3 nhco ( choh ) 2 co --, -- csnh ( ch 2 ) 3 n ( ch 2 ch 2 ) 3 nhcoch 2 on ═ and the like . such linking groups are representative and can alter and influence interactions between the fluorescent ligands and the biospecific groups . as noted above , in many advantageous applications a biologically active , i . e ., biospecific group is linked to the ligand . the terms &# 34 ; biospecific group &# 34 ; and &# 34 ; biologically active group &# 34 ; are used in a broad sense to encompass all molecular structures which will &# 34 ; specifically recognize &# 34 ; or &# 34 ; specifically react &# 34 ; or &# 34 ; specifically interact &# 34 ; with another molecular species . such groups can include immunologically specific groups such as antibodies and their respective antigens or haptens , hormones and their receptors , binding pairs such as the biotin / avidin pair and the like . they can also include nucleic acid sequences which will specifically hybridize with their complimentary sequences . the biospecific groups can be selected to bind with or otherwise associate with a target molecule or can be selected to mimic or to include the target molecule so as to compete with the target in the biospecific reaction . when a biospecific group is present in the chelate its target molecule or analyte may be a monoepitopic or polyepitopic material . it may be selected without limitation from materials such as drugs , metabolites , natural products , pesticides and contaminants of air and water . for purposes of illustration , one can list drugs including digoxin , digitoxin , phenytoin , theophylline , gentamicin , and tobramycin ; alkaloids such as morphine , heroin , cocaine , ergot alkaloids , and the like ; steroids such as the steroid hormones including estrogens and androgens , for example estradiol and anti - inflammatory steroids for example cortisol ; lactams such as barbituates including phenobarbital ; aminoalkylbenzenes such as the amphetamines ; vitamins ; prostaglandins such as f 2 alpha and e ; antibiotics and the like ; and short peptide sequences or amino acids such as thyroxine , triiodothyronine and oxytocin . representative pollutants and pesticides include pcb , dioxin , halogenated biphenyls , carbamates , thiophosphites , phosphate esters and their metabolites . such materials can range in molecular weight from about 50 to about 1000 . the target molecule can also be a polymeric material such as a protein or other poly ( amino acid ), a polynucleic acid or a polysaccharide . such protein materials can be taken from any of the classes of proteins including without limitation globulins , albumins , lipoproteins , glycoproteins , histones and the like , hypersensitive proteins including albumin , the immunoglobulins such as ige , fibrinogen , transferrin , the various complement factors , the tumor markers like cea ( carcinoembrionic antigen ) and pap , the various blood clotting factors and protein hormones including beta - hcg , fsh , gastrin , lh and prolactin ; insulin , thyrotropin , gonadotropin and the like . examples of biospecific polysaccharides are those derived from microorganisms such as those associated with various species of salmonella , streptococcus , and klebsiella . other targets include materials responsive to infectious disease conditions such as infection with hepatitis or rubella . the foregoing list is intended to be a brief outline . it is to be recognized that other equivalent materials such as are listed in more detail in the art ( see , u . s . pat . no . 4 , 193 , 983 , columns 7 - 11 incorporated herein by reference ) could be used in conjunction with the fluorophores provided by this invention . in addition to the compounds just described wherein one of the r , r &# 39 ; or r &# 34 ; groups is a link to a biospecific biologically active group , this invention also provides other materials of the same general structure which do not contain a link to a biospecific material , that is where all of the r , r &# 39 ; and r &# 34 ; s are hydrogens or electron - releasing groups . such materials are useful as chelating agents for metals and when chelated to rare earth metals give a fluorescent species which can serve as an indicator for quantitative or qualitative fluorescent measurement of rare earth metal ions in solutions . in yet another variation , one of the carboxylic acid groups can provide the link to the bioactive molecule . the poly ( arylpyridine diacid ) ligands of this invention form long - lived fluorescent chelate complexes with rare earth metals including terbium , dysprosium , europium , samarium , and neodymium , in the form of their ions . terbium and europium ( tb +++ and eu +++ ) are preferred rare earth metal ions . these complexes are representatively shown in general formula iii . the materials of this invention can be prepared as follows : first , two intermediates are prepared -- one providing the n diacid units and the other the template molecule . then these two materials are coupled . this preparation technique will be illustrated by the following four representative preparations . in these preparations reference will be repeatedly made to the several schemes set forth in the figures and the compounds will be identified using the indicator numbers given in the figures . the same numbers are employed in the examples . in the first two preparations , two trimers 14 and 16 are formed . in these preparations half - acid chlorides 12 and 15 are representative diacid precursors and triamine 11 is a representative template molecule . to produce the half - acid chloride 12 , 2 , 4 - dimethoxybenzaldehyde 1 and two equivalents of 2 - acetylfuran are condensed with base to afford the dione 3 . the dione is in turn reacted with hydroxylamine hydrochloride and the resulting difuryl pyridine 4 oxidized to the diacid 5 ( scheme i ). the diacid is converted into the half acid - ester 6 to allow for the formation of the desired acid chloride 12 which will be used for coupling . this can be carried out by the slow addition of one equivalent of methanol to the diacid chloride of 5 . this produces the mixture of the diester 7 and the half acid - ester 6 . this mixture is easily separated by employing classical methods of separation such as by adding base to the reaction mixture and extracting followed by acidification of the aqueous layer regenerating the acid 6 , and again extracting with organic solvent . there is minimal contamination by the diacid 5 in this workup . acid 6 is converted into the acid chloride by treatment with oxalyl chloride ( scheme iii ). the synthesis of the acid chloride analog 15 can be performed in the same manner starting with 2 , 4 , 6 - trimethoxybenzaldehyde . the second intermediate in the synthesis of the materials of this invention such as trimers 14 and 16 is the template molecule , such as triamine 11 . a typical preparation starts with 1 , 3 , 5 - trisbromomethyl benzene 8 and condenses it with n - tritylethanolamine 9 in the presence of sodium hydride to give protected triamine 10 . deprotection of the amine with refluxing hydrochloric acid in ethanol produced the triamine hydrochloride 11 ( scheme ii ). to complete the synthesis of the trimer 14a , the acid chloride 12 is added to a solution of the triamine hydrochloride 11 with an excess of triethylamine ( scheme iv ). the resulting compound is next saponified to form the triacid 14b . in an analogous manner the acid chloride 15 and the amine hydrochloride 11 afforded 16a and after saponification 16b ( scheme v ). both of the triacid trimers showed moderate to strong intensity emission spectra when converted into chelates with terbium and europium . the synthesis of a third representative trimer 32 involves , as in the first two cases , the formation of two intermediates , in this example , the acid 26 and the tetraamine 29 ( schemes vi and vii ). the initial steps in the synthesis of the acid 26 are exactly analogous to those used to produce the diacid 5 in scheme i . the resulting diacid 22 is next esterified by sequential treatment with oxalyl chloride followed by methanol to afford the diester 23 . hydrogenation of the ester 23 followed by &# 34 ; 0 &# 34 ; alkylation of the phenol 24 with benzyl bromoacetate yields the triester 25 . after hydrogenation of the benzyl ester the desired acid 26 is obtained . the second intermediate 29 is also generated from the tribromide 8 , as starting material , as was the triamine 11 in scheme ii . nitration of 8 with nitronium tetrafluoroborate followed by treatment with sodium azide produces the triazide 27 . catalytic reduction of the nitro and azide group affords the tetraamine 29 . in order to couple the tetraamine 29 with the acid 26 the o - nitrophenyl ester of the acid is generated first . this is accomplished by treating 26 with p - nitrophenol in the presence of dicyclohexylcarbodiimide . the activiated ester 30 is then allowed to react with the tetraamine to produce the trimeric compound 31 . to complete the synthesis of the isothiocyanate 32 the amine 31 was treated with thiophosgene in the presence of triethylamine ( scheme viii ). this material can be formed into chelates with eu or tb or the like . preparation of trimer compounds 14 and 16 of schemes i through v following the general methods outlined by weller and luellen ( see above ), to a solution of 16 . 6 g ( 0 . 1 mole ) of 2 , 4 - dimethoxybenzaldehyde 1 and 20 ml ( 0 . 2 mole ) of 2 - acetylfuran 2 in 100 ml of methanol was added 5 . 5 g of potassium hydroxide previously dissolved in a small amount of methanol . the resulting mixture was heated to reflux and then stirred overnight at 55 ° c . the solution was then poured into water acidified with 1n hcl and extracted with ch 2 cl 2 . the ch 2 cl 2 extracts were dried ( na 2 so 4 ) and the solvents removed at high vacuum . the resulting amber oil solidified on standing overnight affording 36 . 7 g of crude dione 3 . to a solution of 38 . 7 g ( 0 . 1 mole ) of &# 34 ; crude &# 34 ; dione 3 in 352 ml of n - butanol was added 28 g ( 0 . 4 mole ) of hydroxylamine hydrocholoride . the resulting mixture was heated to reflux and stirred for 3 hours . upon cooling 500 ml of toluene and 500 ml of water were added and the aqueous phase made basic with 2n naoh . the toluene layer was removed and aqueous phase was extracted twice more with toluene . the combined toluene extracts were dried ( na 2 so 4 ), the toluene was removed by rotary evaporation and the resulting oily residue was taken up into ch 2 cl 2 . to ch 2 cl 2 solution was added 90 g of sio 2 and the mixture swirled and allowed to stand for 15 minutes . the solution was then filtered and the solvent removed yielding a solid residue . recrystallization from ethanol afforded 25 g ( 72 %) of the pure pyridine compound 4 . to a solution of 1 . 05 g ( 3 . 02 mmole ) of the pyridine compound 4 in 200 ml of t - butanol and 40 ml of water was added at 80 ° c ., 6 . 19 g ( 0 . 0392 mole ) of potassium permanganate in small portions . after addition is complete the mixture is stirred at 80 ° c . for 3 hours , filtered while still warm and the solvent is removed by rotary evaporation . the residue was taken up into 50 ml of water and acidified with 1n hcl to a ph of 2 . the resulting yellow solid was filtered and dried in vacuo affording 702 mg ( 77 %) of the diacid 5 : ir ( kbr ) 3440 and 1720 (-- co 2 h ) and 1600 cm - 1 rf = 0 . 9 ( reverse phase silica 70 / 30 : meoh / h 2 o ). to a suspension of 0 . 98 g ( 3 . 234 mmole ) of diacid 5 in 5 ml of ch 2 cl 2 plus 1 drop of dmf was added in a dropwise fashion at 0 ° c ., 0 . 7 ml ( 8 . 085 mmole ) of oxalyl chloride . after addition , the mixture was allowed to come to room temperature with vigorous evolution of hcl gas and stirred for 2 hours . the solvent and unreacted oxalyl chloride was removed by rotary evaporation leaving the canary yellow diacid chloride ( 1 . 152 g ). to a solution of the diacid chloride ( 1 . 152 g [ 3 . 398 mmole ]) in 10 ml of ch 2 cl 2 with 1 . 4 ml ( 10 . 2 mmole ) of triethylamine was added in a dropwise fashion , 0 . 14 ml ( 3 . 398 mmole ) of methanol in 5 ml of ethyl ether . the resulting mixture was allowed to stir overnight at room temperature after which 1 ml of water was added and the mixture allowed to stir for 3 hours longer . the solution was poured into water and the aqueous phase was made acidic with 50 % h 2 so 4 . the organic layer was separated and the aqueous phase extracted again with ch 2 cl 2 . the combined extracts were dried and the solvents removed affording 0 . 813 g of a mixture of 6 and 7 . the crude mixture of esters 6 and 7 ( 831 mg ) was taken up into a small volume of ethyl acetate ( 20 ml ) and washed with ph 12 aqueous naoh solution ( 75 ml ) and the aqueous layer separated . after acidification with 50 % aqueous h 2 so 4 the aqueous solution was extracted twice with ch 2 cl 2 to remove the acid - ester 6 . both the ethyl acetate and the ch 2 cl 2 solutions were dried ( na 2 so 4 ) and the solvent removed yielding 265 mg of 6 and 330 mg of 7 . to a suspension of 0 . 17 g ( 4 . 2 mmole ) of 60 % nah in 30 ml of dmso was added 1 . 3 g ( 4 . 2 mmole ) of n - tritylethanolamine 9 . the resulting solution was stirred at 50 ° c . until all hydrogen evolution had ceased and a homogeneous solution was obtained . to this mixture , at room temperature , was added 0 . 5 g ( 1 . 4 mmole ) of 1 , 3 , 5 - tris ( bromomethyl ) benzene 8 in 5 ml of dmso in a dropwise fashion . the mixture was again allowed to stir at 60 ° c . for 3 hours , cooled , added to water and extracted with ch 2 cl 2 . the ch 2 cl 2 extracts were washed with water and saturated sodium chloride , dried ( na 2 so 4 ) and the solvents removed . the crude product was purified via chromatography with alumina and etoac / ch 2 cl 2 : 5 / 95 affording 0 . 75 g ( 40 %) of pure 10 . a suspension of 2 . 5 g ( 2 . 44 mmole ) of the tritylated amine 10 in 45 ml of ethanol was heated to reflux under argon . to this refluxing solution was added 3 ml of concentrated hydrochloric acid whereupon the remaining undissolved tritylated compound went into solution . after reluxing for 45 minutes to 1 hour the light yellow solution was cooled and the ethanol was removed by rotary evaporation . the residue was taken up into a small quantity of ethanol and dripped slowly into a large amount of ethyl ether . the hydrochloride 11 separated out immediately as a white semisolid . the milky solution was centrifuged and the supernate , containing exclusively the triphenylmethanol discarded . the residue was dried overnight in vacuo affording 1 . 05 g of the hydrochloride 11 . this preparation was carried out in the same manner as that of the formation of the mono and dimethyl esters of 6 and 7 , employing 178 mg ( 0 . 561 mmole ) of the acid 6 and 0 . 05 ml ( 0 . 618 mmole ) of oxalyl chloride . yield was 179 mg of crude acid chloride 12 . to a solution of 12 . 1 mg ( 0 . 1 mmole ) of phenethylamine in 2 ml of ch 2 cl 2 with 0 . 12 ml of triethylamine was added at room temperature 33 . 5 mg ( 0 . 1 mmole ) of the above acid chloride 12 in 1 ml of ch 2 cl 2 . the resulting mixture was stirred for 4 hours , poured into water and extracted with ch 2 cl 2 . the ch 2 cl 2 extracts were washed with water , 1 % aqueous citric acid , nacl ( sat ) solution , dried ( na 2 so 4 ) and the solvents removed affording 36 mg ( 86 %) of the amido ester 13 . this reaction was a model reaction which verified general conditions for fluorophore attachment . to a solution of 113 mg ( 0 . 279 mmole ) of the triamine hydrochloride 11 in 10 ml of dmf with 0 . 3 ml of triethylamine was added in a dropwise fashion , below room temperature , 280 mg ( 0 . 836 mmol of the acid chloride 12 in 10 ml of ch 2 cl 2 with rapid stirring . the resulting mixture was allowed to stir at room temperature for 12 hours , poured into water and extracted with ch 2 cl 2 . the extracts were washed with 1 % citric acid , water , dried ( na 2 so 4 ) and solvents removed affording 330 g of the crude trimer 14 . chromatography with 2 % methanol / ethyl acetate on &# 34 ; flash &# 34 ; grade silica yielded 55 mg ( 17 %) of pure trimer rf = 0 . 33 ( with etoac on silica ). this preparation was carried out in the same manner as that of the synthesis of the dimethoxytrimer 14 , employing 158 mg ( 0 . 39 mmole ) of the triamine hydrochloride 11 and 427 mg ( 1 . 17 mmole ) of the acid chloride 15 , which was constructed in the same fashion as the dimethoxy analog 12 using the aldehyde , 2 , 4 , 6 - trimethoxybenzaldehyde as the starting material . the yield was 87 mg ( 17 %) of the desired trimer 16 after chromatography of the crude material on silica with 7 % methanol / ethyl acetate . preparation of trimer compound 32 by the method of schemes vi through viii this preparation was carried out in the same manner as that of the synthesis of the diacid 5 using the starting aldehyde 19 . yield over all , from 19 , was 23 %. to a suspension of 10 g ( 0 . 026 mole ) of the diacid 22 in 100 ml of ch 2 cl 2 and 7 drops of dmf was added , at 0 ° c ., in a dropwise fashion 12 ml ( 0 . 138 mole ) of oxalyl chloride . after addition the mixture was allowed to come to room temperature with vigorous evolution of hcl gas and stirred for 2 hours . the resulting homogeneous solution was then cooled in an ice bath and 20 ml of methanol in 40 ml of ch 2 cl 2 was slowly added . the resulting mixture was stirred for 30 minutes at room temperature and poured into 300 ml of water . the organic phase was removed , washed with 10 % nahco 3 , water , dried ( na 2 so 4 ) and solvents removed . the crude diester ( 15 g ) was purified via plug filtration with sio 2 / etoac / ch 2 cl 2 ( 20 : 80 ) yielding 7 . 0 g ( 65 %) of the diester ( 23 ): nmr ( cdcl 3 ) 3 . 85 ( s , 3 , och 3 ), 4 . 05 ( s , 6 , co 2 me ), 5 . 1 ( s , 2 , och 2 o ), 6 . 7 and 7 . 4 ( m , 3 ,-- c 6 h 3 o 2 r 2 ) 7 . 35 ( s , 5 ,-- c 6 h 5 ), 8 . 5 ( s , 2 ,-- c 5 h 2 n &# 39 ;. to a solution of 7 g ( 0 . 174 mole ) of the diester 23 in 200 ml of ethanol was added 1 . 0 g of 10 % pd / c . the container for the resulting suspension was evacuated and filled with h 2 ( repeated three times ) and kept under a positive atomosphere by means of a hydrogen - filled rubber bladder for 60 hours with very rapid stirring . the mixture was then filtered to remove catalyst and the solvent was removed from the filtrate by rotary evaporation . the resulting oil was dried in vacuo yielding after several hours ( 4 . 9 g ) 89 % of the desired phenol 24 as a solid . to a solution of 4 . 9 g ( 0 . 016 mole ) of the phenol 24 in 300 ml of dry dmso was added 0 . 65 g ( 0 . 016 mole ) of 60 % nah . the resulting mixture was stirred one hour at room temperature until h 2 evolution had ceased and a clear homogeneous solution was obtained . to this solution was then slowly added 4 ml ( 0 . 025 mole ) of benzyl bromoacetate after which the mixture was stirred for 48 hours . the reaction was poured into 150 ml of 0 . 3n citric acid ( aq .) and extracted with ch 2 cl 2 . the ch 2 cl 2 extracts were washed several times with h 2 o , dried ( na 2 so 4 ) and the solvent removed by rotary evaporation to afford an amber oil . recrystallization from ch 2 cl 2 / etoh gave 2 . 4 g ( 50 %) of the desired ester 25 . mp . 122 °- 124 ° c . ; nmr ( cdcl 3 ) 3 . 8 ( s , 3 , och 3 ) 4 . 1 ( s , 6 , co 2 ch 3 ), 4 . 7 ( s , 2 , ch 2 o ) 6 . 7 and 7 . 3 ( m , 3 ,-- c 6 h 3 o 2 r 2 ) 7 . 4 ( s , 5 ,-- c 6 h 5 ) 8 . 4 ( s , 2 ,-- h 2 n ): to a solution of 1 . 36 g ( 3 mmole ) of the vinyl ester 25 in 100 ml of ethanol was added 0 . 25 g of 10 % pd / c . the resulting suspension was evacuated and filled with h 2 ( repeated three times ) and kept under a positive h 2 atmosphere by means of a hydrogen - filled rubber bladder for 2 . 5 hours with very rapid stirring . the mixture was then filtered and the filtrate rotary evaporated . this afforded 800 mg ( 73 %) of the desired acid 26 . to a solution of 5 g ( 0 . 014 mole ) of the tribromide 8 in 100 ml of ch 3 cn was added , at room temperature and under argon atmosphere , in a dropwise fashion 3 . 72 g ( 0 . 028 mole ) of nitronium tetrafluoroborate in 200 ml of ch 3 cn . the solution was then stirred for 20 minutes longer , poured into water and the mixture extracted with ch 2 cl 2 . the ch 2 cl 2 extracts were washed with 10 % nahco 3 , dried ( na 2 so 4 ) and solvents removed to afford 4 . 86 g ( 86 %) of the desired nitro compound 27 : nmr ( cdcl 3 ) 4 . 5 ( s , 6 ,-- ch 2 br ), 7 . 55 ( s ,-- c 6 h 2 ). to 75 ml of diethylene glycol was added 1 . 4 g ( 0 . 021 mole ) of sodium azide . the mixture was heated and stirred to obtain a homogeneous solution and then cooled to room temperature . to this solution was then added 2 . 8 g ( 0 . 007 mole ) of the nitro compound 27 and the resulting mixture was heated to 100 ° c . and held there for 3 hours and then cooled and poured into water . the aqueous solution was extracted with ch 2 cl 2 and the extracts were dried ( na 2 so 4 ) and the solvents removed affording 1 . 53 g ( 77 %) of the triazide 28 : nmr ( cdcl 3 ) 4 . 55 ( s , 6 ,-- ch 2 n 3 ), 7 . 5 ( s , 2 ,-- c 6 h 2 ): ir ( neat ) 2100 (-- n 3 ) and 1530 , 1360 cm - 1 (-- n 2 ). to a solution of 1 . 55 g ( 0 . 0054 mole ) of the triazide 28 in 50 ml of methanol was added 0 . 4 g of 10 % pd / c 10 %. the reaction mixture was then evacuated and filled with h 2 ( three times ) and kept under a positive h 2 atmosphere by means of a hydrogen - filled rubber bladder , for 12 hours with very rapid stirring . the reaction was filtered and the filtrate concentrated giving 0 . 79 g ( 81 %) of the desired triamine 29 : nmr ( cd 3 od ) 3 . 5 and 3 . 6 ( s , 6 ,-- ch 2 nh 2 ), 6 . 8 ( s , 2 ,-- c 6 h 2 ); ir ( neat ) 3320 (-- nh 2 ). to a homogeneous solution of 398 mg ( 1 . 06 mmole ) of the acid 26 in 20 ml ch 3 cn was added 153 mg ( 1 . 1 mmole ) of p - nitrophenol . the mixture was cooled to 0 ° c . and 227 mg ( 1 . 1 mmole ) of dicyclohexylcarbodiimide was added and the reaction allowed to come to room temperature . after stirring for 3 hours the reaction was concentrated via rotary evaporation to 5 ml and 60 ml of ethyl acetate was added . the resulting precipitate ( urea ) was filtered off and then washed with more ethyl acetate . the filtrate was then washed with 10 % nahco 3 ( three times ), dried ( na 2 so 4 ) and the solvents removed . the crude product was purified via column chromatography with silica and 30 / 70 ( etoac / ch 2 cl 2 ) affording 410 mg ( 78 %) of the nitrophenylester 30 . to a solution of 50 mg ( 0 . 28 mmole ) of the triamine 26 in 10 ml of methanol with 0 . 12 ml of triethylamine was added in a dropwise fashion 410 mg ( 0 . 83 mmole ) of the nitrophenylester 30 in 10 ml of chcl 3 . after stirring for 3 hours at room temperature the mixture was poured into water and extracted with chcl 3 . the extracts were washed with three portions of 0 . 1n naoh , dried ( na 2 so 4 ) and solvents removed . the crude product was purified via column chromatography with silica and 20 % meoh / etoac yielding 176 mg ( 56 %) of the amino - trimer 31 : nmr ( chcl 3 ) 3 . 9 ( s , 9 , och 3 ), 4 . 1 ( s , 18 , co 2 me ), 8 . 45 ( s , 6 ,-- c 6 h 2 n ). to a solution of 176 mg ( 0 . 14 mmole ) of the amino - trimer 31 in 3 ml of ch 2 cl 2 with 0 . 04 ml ( 0 . 028 m mole ) of triethylamine was slowly added 10 ml ( 0 . 141 mmole ) of thiophosgene in 1 ml of ch 2 cl 2 . after stirring for 1 hour at room temperature the reaction was heated to 50 ° c . and stirred for an additional 0 . 5 hour . after cooling to room temperature the solution was poured into water and the organic layer separated . the organic layer was washed with water , dried ( na 2 so 4 ) and the solvents removed yielding 120 mg ( 66 %) of the isothiocyanate 32 : ir ( kbr ) 3400 (-- nhco --) 2100 (-- ncs ) 1720 (-- co 2 me ) and 1660 cm - 1 (-- nhco --). preparation of tetrameric ligand 45 by the methods of schemes ix through xii to a solution of 4 . 4 g ( 0 . 024 mole ) of cyanuric chloride in 30 ml of acetone at less than 10 ° c . was added 4 . 0 g ( 0 . 024 mole ) of p - nitrophenethyl alcohol in 6 ml of acetone and 3 . 2 ml ( 0 . 024 mole ) of collidine in 6 ml of acetone in a simultaneous dropwise fashion . during the addition the reaction temperature was kept at or below 10 ° c . after addition the mixture was stirred overnight at room temperature , filtered and the filtrate poured into water . the resulting solid was collected via filtration and dried in vacuo affording 5 . 0 g ( 66 %) of the triazine 35 . to a solution of 5 g ( 0 . 04 mole ) of 3 , 3 &# 39 ;- iminobispropylamine 36 in 27 ml of dmso at about 10 ° c . was added in a dropwise fashion 10 . 9 g ( 0 . 076 mole ) of t - butylazidoformate in 14 ml of ether . the solution was then stirred for one hour longer at room temperature , poured into 50 ml of water and extracted with 2 × 75 ml of ether . the ether extracts were combined and washed with 25 ml of 0 . 1n hcl and then 25 ml of water . all the water washes including the original aqueous layer were combined and brought to a ph 12 with 6n naoh . the aqueous solution was extracted with 4 × 100 ml of ether . the extracts were washed with saturated nacl solution ( 2 × 50 ml ), dried ( na 2 so 4 ) and the solvent removed yielding , after trituration with petroleum ether , 5 . 0 g ( 40 %) of the diprotected amine 37 . to 10 ml of chlorosulfonic acid at ice bath temperature was added 2 g ( 0 . 006 mole ) of the diester 7 in a dropwise fashion . upon completion the reaction mixture was allowed to come to room temperature and stirred there for one hour . the mixture was then cautiously poured into 100 g of ice giving a yellow solid . the solid was extracted into ch 2 cl 2 and the extract washed twice with water , dried ( na 2 so 4 ) and the solvents removed affording 2 . 25 g ( 87 %) of the chlorosulfonyl compound 39 . to a vigorously stirred suspension of 0 . 476 g ( 0 . 0015 mole ) of the triazine 35 in 15 ml of h 2 o at 0 °- 10 ° c . was slowly added 1 g ( 0 . 003 mole ) of the amine 37 in 10 ml of acetone . about half - way through the addition , the product started to separate out and the stirring was stopped . the remainder of the amine was added quickly as the flask was swirled by hand . upon completion , the mixture was sonicated to loosen the stir bar and the solution / suspension was stirred rapidly . to this reaction was added 159 mg ( 0 . 0015 mole ) of na 2 co 3 and the mixture allowed to stir at room temperature for thirty minutes . next the reaction was heated slowly to 80 ° c . with a reflux condensor and held there for 2 hours . after cooling , the mixture was poured into water and extracted with ch 2 cl 2 . the extract was dried ( na 2 so 4 ) and the solvent removed yielding 1 . 3 g crude 40 . after plug filtration [ sio 2 / etoac / ch 2 cl 2 ( 20 / 80 )] 1 . 0 g ( 79 %) of pure 40 was obtained . to 1 . 0 g ( 0 . 0012 mole ) of the t - boc - aminotriazine 40 was added 10 ml of 3n hcl in ethyl acetate . after the compound completely dissolved , the mixture was stirred for one hour at room temperature , evaporated to an oil and then re - dissolved in methanol and rotary evaporated a second time to a pale yellow oil . the oil was once more taken up into methanol , evaporated to dryness and the solid residue remaining was triturated with ether . the white solid was then suspended in ether , centrifuged and the ether layer decanted from the solid white hydrochloride salt . the salt was dried in vacuo at 40 ° for one hour affording 0 . 744 g ( 96 %) of 41 . ( f ) amidation of 41 with 4 -( 5 - chlorosulfonyl - 2 , 4 - dimethoxyphenyl )- 2 , 6 - pyridine dicarboxylic acid dimethyl ester ( 39 ) to a suspension of 0 . 5 g ( 0 . 0008 mole ) of the amine - hydrochloride 8 in 20 ml of ch 2 cl 2 was added all at once 1 . 4 ml ( 0 . 01 mole ) of et 3 n . the mixture was then cooled to 5 °- 10 ° c . and 1 . 4 g ( 0 . 0032 mole ) of the sulfonyl chloride 39 in 20 ml of ch 2 cl 2 was slowly added in a dropwise fashion . the reaction was then allowed to stir at room temperature for 30 minutes after which a tlc was taken . little of the sulfonyl chloride 9 had reacted by tlc so an additional 100 mg of the amine 8 was added and stirring continued overnight . the mixture was then poured into water and extracted with ch 2 cl 2 . the extract was washed with water , dried ( na 2 so 4 ) and the solvent removed yielding crude 43 . after column chromatography with sio 2 / 5 % meoh / chcl 3 , 1 . 55 g ( 93 %) of the desired tetraamide 43 was obtained . to a solution of 460 mg ( 0 . 221 mmole ) of the nitrotetraamide 43 in 26 ml of acetic acid was added 1 g of iron dust . the mixture was heated with swirling until the solution started to effervescence at which point the solution was cooled and another 1 g of iron dust was added . the mixture was heated again and the heat removed after the effervescence started . this procedure was repeated until a total of 5 g of iron dust had been added . after quickly cooling the solution to room temperature it was filtered through a celite plug and the red - orange solution was diluted with 200 ml of chcl 3 . the chcl 3 solution was then washed twice with 300 ml of saturated sodium bicarbonate solution , dried ( na 2 so 4 ) and the solvent removed affording , after immediate plug filtration through silica with 5 % meoh / chcl 3 , 243 mg ( 54 %) of the desired anilino compound 44 . to 460 mg ( 0 . 225 mmole ) of the anilino ester 11 in 20 ml of water was added 2 . 7 ml of 1n naoh and 10 ml of dioxane . the mixture was swirled and sonicated until the reaction solution was homogeneous . the yellow solution was then stirred at room temperature for 2 hours and then at 40 °- 50 ° c . for 2 hours . the mixture was then poured into water and acidified to ph 3 with 1n hcl . the resulting light yellow precipitate was then collected via centrifugation and the acidic aqueous layer decanted off . the solid was washed with water twice collecting each time by centrifugation . the precipitate was then dried in vacuo at 40 ° c . affording 380 mg ( 87 %) of the desired anilino - acid 45 . preparation of the chlorosulfonated tetramer ligand 51 by the methods of scheme xiii in a manner exactly analogous to the preparation of compound 35 , using 4 . 4 g ( 0 . 0024 mole ) of cyanuric chloride ( 1 ), 2 . 9 g ( 0 . 0024 mole ) of phenethyl alcohol and 3 . 2 ml of collidine , 3 . 37 g ( 52 % yield ) of the desired compound 46 was obtained after plug filtration of the crude product on silica gel using methylene chloride . in the same fashion as in the preparation of compound 40 , 1 . 0 g ( 0 . 0037 mole ) of the triazine 46 , 2 . 45 g ( 0 . 0074 mole ) of the amine 37 and 392 mg ( 0 . 0037 mole ) of sodium carbonate afforded , after column chromatography with silica gel and 80 / 20 ( methylene chloride / ethyl acetate ), 1 . 15 g ( 36 % yield ) of the desired compound 47 . using the procedure outlined for the preparation of 41 , 1 . 15 g ( 0 . 00134 mole ) of the triazine 47 and 20 ml of 3n hcl / ethyl acetate produced , in a quantitative fashion , 0 . 81 g of the hydrochloride 48 . as in the method used to generate compound 43 460 mg ( 1 . 072 mmole ) of the sulfonyl chloride 39 , 162 mg ( 0 . 27 mmole ) of the amine salt 48 and 0 . 5 ml ( 0 . 0036 mole ) triethylamine afforded after recrystallization from dioxane , 470 mg ( 86 % yield ) of the amido - triazine 49 . as was described for the preparation of the triazine acid 45 , 470 mg ( 0 . 231 mmole ) of the ester 49 , 2 . 8 ml ( 2 . 772 mmole ) of 1n naoh and 10 ml each of water and dioxane yielded 337 mg ( 76 %) of the triazine octaacid 50 . to 1 ml of chlorosulfonic acid at 0 ° c . was added , in small portions , 331 mg ( 0 . 172 mmole ) of the triazine acid 50 . after addition , the mixture was then cautiously added to 30 - 50 g of ice and the resulting product , a light yellow solid , was collected by filtration affording , after drying in vacuo at room temperature overnight , 305 mg ( 88 %) of the chlorosulfonated tetramer 51 . the ligands so formed in these examples are then coupled to targets as described and comingled with an excess of rare earth metal . when the chelates which result are irradiated with a burst of laser light they fluoresce identifying their presence . the fluorescence can be quantitated to identify and locate the coupled targets . while the invention has been described with reference to these several examples , it is to be understood that they are not to be construed as limitations on its scope which is instead defined by the following claims :	2
described herein is a diester diol of tetrabromophthalic acid , its production and its use as a flame retardant particularly , but not exclusively , for use in polyurethanes and especially polyurethane foams . the present diester diol is the reaction product of tetrabromophthalic anhydride ( tbpa ), a c 2 to c 6 polyhydric aliphatic alcohol ( paa ), preferably diethylene glycol , and a substituted or unsubstituted c 3 to c 8 alkylene oxide ( ao ), preferably propylene oxide . in one practical embodiment , in which the paa is diethylene glycol and the ao is propylene oxide , the diester diol has the following formula : where n is typically in the range from about 1 to about 5 . the present diester diol has a viscosity at 25 ° c . of about 7 , 500 to about 100 , 000 cps , typically from about 7 , 500 to about 50 , 000 cps and especially from about 15 , 000 to about 40 , 000 cps , making the lower viscosity products suitable for use in foam applications that that have previously been excluded for equivalent materials with higher viscosity . in particular , in its low viscosity forms , the present diester diol is pourable at room temperature and can be pumped using standard machine pumps commonly used for spray polyurethane foam , flexible slab stock , flexible box pour , rigid discontinuous lamination panels , rigid continuous lamination panels , pour - in - place / molded applications ; as well as , adhesive applications . the present diester diol is produced in a liquid phase process in which tetrabromophthalic anhydride ( tbpa ) is reacted with both a c 2 to c 6 polyhydric aliphatic alcohol ( paa ) and an alkylene oxide ( ao ) in a single stage and in the absence of an organic solvent , such as toluene . the process typically involves adding the tbpa to the paa to form a thick , but stirrable , slurry . potassium hydroxide is then normally added to the slurry partially to neutralize residual acid from the tbpa and partly to act as a chain extension catalyst to control the overall molecular weight and viscosity of the product . the ao is then added to slurry and the ingredients are blended together to form a homogeneous reaction mixture having the following molar composition : the alkylene oxide ( ao ) can be be added in total at the beginning of the reaction , or it can be added in multiple stages , provided that at least a portion of tell overall ao is present at the beginning . for example , in one embodiment , about 20 to 35 % of the ao is added at the beginning of the reaction and then after allowing a certain amount of reaction to take place , the remainder of the ao is added . in some instances each addition of the ao is gradual , e . g ., over 0 . 2 to 5 . 0 hours , and in some cases , a period of time is allowed to elapse , often at elevated temperature between the first addition of a portion of the ao and the second addition of the remainder . the amount of paa added to the reaction mixture can be varied to adjust the viscosity of the final diester diol , with higher values within the paa : tbpa range given above resulting in lower viscosity products . to produce a low viscosity product ( about 15 , 000 to about 50 , 000 cps at 25 ° c . ), paa : tbpa mole ratio is generally adjusted to be in the range of about 1 . 5 to about 2 : 1 the resultant reaction mixture is then heated under stirring to a temperature of at least 50 ° c ., generally between about 60 ° c . and about 65 ° c . to initiate the esterification reaction . since the reaction is exothermic , the temperature may rise as the reaction proceeds and so cooling is generally applied to the reaction mixture to retain the temperature at or below 120 ° c . the reaction mixture is then maintained at this temperature for about 2 hours to about 8 hours to complete the reaction . the reaction is terminated when the diester composition has an acid value equal to or less than 0 . 25 mg koh / gm , generally between about 0 . 04 and about 0 . 10 mg koh / gm , of the diester composition . after the reaction has been terminated , residual propylene oxide is bled to a scrubber and the reaction mixture held under vacuum to remove volatiles . the resultant diester diol of tetrabromophthalic acid can be used as a flame retardant for many different polymer resin systems such as polystyrene , high - impact polystyrene ( hips ), poly ( acrylonitrile butadiene styrene ) ( abs ), polycarbonates ( pc ), pc - abs blends , polyolefins , polyesters and / or polyamides and polyurethanes . because of its thermal stability , bromine content and reactivity , the product is particularly useful as a flame retardant for polyurethanes and especially polyurethane foams . in flame retarding polyurethanes , the present diester diol is used as a reactive additive and can be present in the final formulated resin at levels of about 1 % to as much as 55 %. preferably , the amounts range from 3 to 30 % with a particularly preferable amount ranging from 5 to 15 %. although the present diester diol can be used alone to enhance the flame retardant properties of a polymer composition , it may in some cases be desirable to blend the diester diol with other flame retardant materials . one particularly useful blend is with at least one hindered phenolic antioxidant since such a blend not only offers flame retardancy but also anti - scorch / anti - discoloration properties . a suitable hindered phenolic antioxidant is one in which the phenolic ring is substituted by an alkanoic acid alkyl ester group in which alkanoic acid moiety has in the range of about 2 to about 4 carbon atoms and the alkyl group has in the range of about 6 to about 16 carbon atoms . specific examples of such hindered phenolic compounds include anox 1315 , anox 70 , anox 330 , naugard 431 , and naugard bht , all supplied by chemtura corporation . there are many other examples of phenolic antioxidants that are available from other suppliers as well . typically the ratio of the diol ester to the hindered phenolic antioxidant is in the range of about 100 : 0 . 1 to about 100 : 1 . the invention will now be more particularly described with reference to the following non - limiting examples . 240 grams ( 2 . 26 moles ) of diethylene glycol ( deg ) are loaded into a 1 liter one - piece pressure reactor equipped with a stirrer and 640 grams ( 1 . 38 moles ) of tetrabromophthalic anhydride ( tbpa ) are slowly added to the deg with stirring . 0 . 8 gram ( 0 . 014 mole ) of koh is then added to the stirred mixture followed by 152 grams ( 2 . 62 moles ) of propylene oxide ( po ). with continued stirring , the resultant mixture is heated to 60 - 65 ° c . at which point the mixture starts to exotherm and the temperature of the mixture increases to about 140 ° c . within about 5 - 10 minutes and the pressure in the reactor begins to rise . external heating is removed at the onset of the exotherm and the temperature and pressure are carefully monitored during the heat - up period . if necessary , cooling is applied to the reaction mixture and / or po is vented from the mixture if the temperature exceeds 200 ° c . and / or the pressure exceeds 45 psig ( 411 kpa ). once the reaction mixture has reached its maximum exotherm temperature , the mixture is allowed to cool back down to 120 ° c . and then held at this temperature for 4 hours . stirring is continued throughout the hold period . at the end of the 4 hour hold period , the product is allowed to cool to an appropriate temperature for handling and , when the product has cooled , the reactor seal is released , after any excess pressure has been removed by venting the reactor vapor into a sulfuric acid scrubber or trap . stirring is now ceased and the acidity of the product is analyzed . if the acidity of the product is & gt ; 0 . 25 mg koh / g , additional propylene oxide is added to the product and the product is heated at 120 ° c . for another 0 . 5 hour and the acidity is rechecked . this operation is repeated until the acidity of the product is & lt ; 0 . 25 mg koh / g . once the acidity of the product has reached 0 . 25 mg koh / g or less , the contents of the reactor are transferred into a 1 liter one - necked round bottom flask . the flask is then placed on a rotary evaporator and rotovapped at 75 ° c . at full aspirator vacuum to remove any volatiles . the resultant product is then removed for storage and use and has the properties listed in table 1 . the process of example 1 is repeated but with the reaction mixture being composed of 200 grams ( 1 . 88 moles ) of deg and 1 . 6 gram ( 0 . 028 mole ) of koh , the amounts of tbpa and po remaining unchanged . a higher viscosity diester diol is produced having the properties listed in table 1 . the process of example 1 is repeated but scaled up into a 5 liter piece pressure reactor and with the reaction mixture being composed of 990 grams ( 9 . 32 moles ) of deg , 2881 grams ( 6 . 21 moles ) of tbpa , 3 . 6 gram ( 0 . 063 mole ) of koh and 663 grams ( 11 . 43 moles ) of po . an intermediate viscosity diester diol is produced having the properties listed in table 1 . in this example a route to making a diester diol of tbpa with deg and po is described using toluene as a solvent . toluene ( 285 gms ) is charged to a 1 liter one - piece pressure reactor equipped with a stirrer and 721 grams ( 1 . 6 moles ) of tbpa and 29 gram ( 0 . 5 mole ) of koh are added to the reactor with stirring . once the tbpa has dissolved in the toluene , 234 grams ( 2 . 2 moles ) of deg and 160 grams ( 2 . 7 moles ) of po are added to the reactor . with continued stirring , the resultant mixture is heated to 55 - 60 ° c . at which point the mixture starts to exotherm and the temperature of the mixture begins to rise . the exothermic reaction is controlled using cooling as necessary so that the temperature of the mixture does not exceed 105 ° c . and , once this temperature has been reached , the mixture is held at this temperature under stirring for 1 hour . samples of the mixture are removed for acid number testing every hour and , once the acid number is within specification (& lt ; 0 . 25 mg koh / g ), the reactor contents are heated under vacuum to start removal of the toluene solvent allowing the temperature to increase to a maximum of 120 ° c . after vacuum distillation for 1 hour , water is slowly added to the product mixture to improve toluene removal via azeotrope formation . after an additional 4 hours of distillation with water addition , sampling the product mixture is initiated to test for toluene levels . once the toluene concentration is within specification (& lt ; 0 . 10 %), the water injection is turned off but stripping is continued . after 1 hour of further stripping , sampling the product mixture is initiated to test for water levels . once the water concentration is within specification (& lt ; 0 . 15 %), stripping is discontinued and the reactor contents are recovered . the resultant product has the properties listed in table 1 . the process of examples 1 or 3 are repeated with the exception that after the deg , tbpa and koh are added , approximately 25 - 33 % of the po is added over the course of 0 . 5 - 1 hour after which the reaction mixture is held for 0 . 5 hour . during the hold time , the reaction begins to exotherm with temperatures reaching 50 - 90 ° c . after the hold , the remaining po is added over the course of 3 - 4 hours . the reaction will continue to exotherm during this period and can reach temperatures of 140 ° c . during this phase of the addition . after the addition is completed , the reaction is continued as described in examples 1 and 3 . while the present invention has been described and illustrated by reference to particular embodiments , those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the invention lends itself to variations not necessarily illustrated herein .	2
the following description is presented to enable any person skilled in the art to make and use the invention , and is provided in the context of a particular application and its requirements . various modifications to the disclosed embodiments will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art , and the general principles defined herein may be applied to other embodiments and applications without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention . thus , the present invention is not limited to the embodiments shown , but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and features disclosed herein . the data structures and code described in this detailed description are typically stored on a computer - readable storage medium , which may be any device or medium that can store code and / or data for use by a computer system . this includes , but is not limited to , magnetic and optical storage devices such as disk drives , magnetic tape , cds ( compact discs ) and dvds ( digital versatile discs or digital video discs ). some configured dns servers that reside within internet gateways have functional limitations that can produce incorrect answers or can cause the internet gateway to crash . ( note that a configured dns server can include any dns - enabled device including a dns server , a dns relay , or a dns cache .) such functionally - limited configured dns servers assume that if a client performs a ptr - type dns query , the only possible request the client is making is to perform an ipv4 “ reverse lookup ” dns query , translating from an ip address to a name . an example of a properly - formed ipv4 “ reverse - lookup ” domain name query is “ 2 . 1 . 168 . 192 . in - addr . arpa .” this query and ones like it may be performed by software , or by the user with a dns utility such as “ nslookup ”. the nslookup command and arguments for this example are : “ nslookup − q = ptr 2 . 1 . 168 . 192 . in - addr . arpa .” in this example , the dns query type is ptr and the dns query is “ 2 . 1 . 168 . 192 . in - addr . arpa .” note that a ptr query is frequently a “ reverse - lookup ” dns query , which performs a mapping from an ip address to a corresponding domain name . however , other properly - formed dns queries are possible even though they may not make any sense . for example , the ptr - type dns query “ 2 . 1 . 168 . 192 . nonsense .” is a properly - formed dns query , but does not yield any answer records since the top - level domain “ nonsense ” does not actually exist . note that the domain “ in - addr . arpa ” is the proper domain suffix to use when performing a “ reverse lookup ” dns query . some functionally - limited internet gateways examine only the first four labels of the ptr - type dns query (“ labels ” in a domain name are the groups of characters separated by periods ) and ignore the remainder of the name . in the “ 2 . 1 . 168 . 192 . nonsense .” example , the first four labels are “ 2 . 1 . 168 . 192 .” therefore , for these functionally - limited internet gateways , the ptr - type dns query “ 2 . 1 . 168 . 192 . nonsense .” is indistinguishable from the ptr - type dns query “ 2 . 1 . 168 . 192 . in - addr . arpa .” also note that these same functionally - limited internet gateways assume that the first four labels are decimal numbers between 0 and 255 . if the first four labels of the ptr - type dns query are not numbers between 0 and 255 , these functionally - limited internet gateways crash . note that a crash of the internet gateway can include , but is not limited to the internet gateway : failing completely ; rebooting ; ceasing to respond to network traffic ; responding slowly to network traffic ; and resetting the configuration of the internet gateway . one embodiment of the present invention detects such functionally - limited internet gateways by performing a special dns query that is constructed to detect the existence of a functional limitation in the configured dns server without crashing it . for example , the special query which detects a functional limitation in the internet gateway &# 39 ; s configured dns server is the ptr - type dns query “ 2 . 1 . 168 . 192 . nonsense .”, which produces a nxdomain answer ( i . e . domain does not exist ) in a properly functioning internet gateway without the functional limitation . however , in internet gateways with functionally - limited configured dns servers , they will attempt to give a host name in response to the 2 . 1 . 168 . 192 . nonsense query , even though the query was not in fact an “ in - addr . arpa ” name lookup query . unfortunately , the ptr - type dns query “ 2 . 1 . 168 . 192 . nonsense ”, when directed to a configured dns server without the above - mentioned functional limitations , causes a dns query to be sent to one of the dns root name servers . since in general the only way for a configured dns server to know whether or not a particular top - level domain exists is to ask one of the root name servers , every such test query potentially results in a nuisance query being sent to the root name servers . in one embodiment of the present invention , the special query is constructed so that the configured dns server does not communicate with a dns root name server whether or not the functional limitation exists . for example , the special query can be “ 1 . 0 . 0 . 127 . dnsbugtest . 1 . 0 . 0 . 127 . in - addr . arpa .” in this exemplary query , the address “ 127 . 0 . 0 . 1 ” is the “ loopback address .” the loopback address is a special ip address available for use when two pieces of network software on the same machine want to communicate with each other using ip networking mechanisms and programming interfaces , independent of whether conventional ( inter - machine ) ip networking is available . also note that every dns server is supposed to contain a fixed dns record which maps “ 1 . 0 . 0 . 127 . in - addr . arpa .” to the name “ localhost ”. hence , any names that are sub - domains of the name “ 1 . 0 . 0 . 127 . in - addr . arpa .” are properly - formed and valid , but are names that are known to have no associated dns records . in other words , “ 1 . 0 . 0 . 127 . dnsbugtest . 1 . 0 . 0 . 127 . in - addr . arpa .” is a legal name , but any queries for that name should yield no results . therefore , an internet gateway with a properly functioning configured dns server returns an nxdomain answer ( i . e . domain name does not exist ) without having to communicate with a dns root name server to make that determination . note that since the last six labels in this ptr - type dns query is “ 1 . 0 . 0 . 127 . in - addr . arpa .”, an internet gateway with a properly functioning configured dns server will not forward the dns query to the dns root name server since the internet gateway &# 39 ; s configured dns server knows that the ip address is a sub - domain of the loopback address . since sub - domains of the loopback address are not used , the configured dns server should respond with an nxdomain answer without communicating with a dns root name server . similarly , an internet gateway with the functional limitation that the special query is constructed to detect does not communicate with a dns root name server . recall that an internet gateway with a functionally - limited configured dns server only uses the first four labels of the ptr - type dns query , and interprets this ptr - type dns query as the ptr - type dns query “ 1 . 0 . 0 . 127 . in - addr . arpa .” since the functionally - limited internet gateway &# 39 ; s configured dns server knows that the correct answer for a ptr - type dns query for “ 1 . 0 . 0 . 127 . in - addr . arpa .” should be “ localhost ,” the internet gateway returns the answer “ localhost ” without communicating with any dns root name server . note that since the ptr - type dns query string using the loopback address does not query the root dns servers , it is preferable to use this query string format to detect the functional limitation in a dns server . however , other ptr - type dns query strings not using the loopback address can also be used to detect the functional limitation in a dns server . fig2 presents a flow chart illustrating the process of determining if a configured dns server is functionally - limited in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention . the process begins when the system sends a special query to the configured dns server ( step 202 ). in one embodiment of the present invention , the special query is the ptr - type dns query “ 1 . 0 . 0 . 127 . dnsbugtest . 1 . 0 . 0 . 127 . in - addr . arpa .” next the system receives an answer from the configured dns server ( step 204 ). if the answer is the correct response ( step 206 — yes ), the system concludes that the configured dns server is not functionally - limited ( step 212 ). in one embodiment of the present invention , the correct response is an nxdomain error code , which indicates that a domain name does not exist . if the answer is incorrect ( step 206 — no ), the system concludes that the configured dns server is functionally - limited ( step 208 ) and performs a remedial action ( step 210 ). in one embodiment of the present invention , the remedial action involves taking steps to avoid performing those certain valid dns queries that are believed to have a high likelihood of crashing that particular device . in one embodiment of the present invention , the valid dns queries to be avoided are those used by wide - area bonjour , a networking technology that allows clients to discover network services on a wide - area network . note that the process described in fig2 is stored on a computer - readable storage medium , which may be any device or medium that can store code and / or data for use by a computer system . this includes , but is not limited to , magnetic and optical storage devices such as disk drives , magnetic tape , cds ( compact discs ) and dvds ( digital versatile discs or digital video discs ). one embodiment of the present invention tests a domain - name ( dns ) server to determine if the dns server exhibits a functional limitation . a test query is transmitted to the dns server . the test query is constructed to prompt a first response if the functional limitation exists on the dns server , and a second response if the functional limitation does not exist on said dns server . next , a response to the test query is received from the dns server . a determination is made as to whether the functional limitation exists on the dns server . one embodiment of the present invention evaluates the response of a local area network ( lan ) domain - name server ( dns ) coupled to a wide - area network ( wan ) to a query of a type known to cause an undesired operation in some dns servers . a test query is transmitted from a client on the lan to the lan dns server . the query is constructed to generate a first response from the dns server if the dns server is of a configuration known to exhibit the undesired operation , and to generate a second response if the dns server is not of a configuration known to exhibit the undesired response . next , the response from the dns server is received at a lan client . a determination is made as to whether the dns server is of a type known to exhibit the undesired operation . if so , a remedial action is performed at the client in response to the determination . the foregoing descriptions of embodiments of the present invention have been presented only for purposes of illustration and description . they are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the present invention to the forms disclosed . accordingly , many modifications and variations will be apparent to practitioners skilled in the art . additionally , the above disclosure is not intended to limit the present invention . the scope of the present invention is defined by the appended claims .	7
the present invention will hereinafter be described in further detail based on certain preferred embodiments . referring first to fig1 and 2 , a description will be made of an iron plate as a typical example of the metal plate for use in the present invention . the iron plate designated generally at numeral 1 is a reinforcing material of one of two doors attached for opening and closure in the form of a biparting door to both sides of a ticket gate , so that the iron plate 1 has a substantially similar shape as the doors . the iron plate 1 is provided with at least one through - hole 2 to reduce its weight and also to prevent sliding of a below - described cushioning material from its right place . on and along one end ( the lower end as viewed in the drawing ) of the iron plate 1 , a mounting iron plate 3 is arranged to mount the iron plate 1 on a door drive unit ( not shown ) of the ticket gate . the mounting iron plate 3 is fixedly secured on the iron plate 1 by suitable fastening means 4 such as self - tapping screws . the mounting iron plate 3 is provided at an end portion thereof ( a lower end portion as viewed in the drawing ) with plural self - tapping screw holes 5 for its mounting on the door drive unit arranged on the corresponding side of the ticket gate . it is to be noted that the illustrated example is merely one example of core materials of known doors and that the present invention is by no means limited to the use of this exemplified core material . referring next to fig1 an 12 , a conventional door will be described . the conventional door has been fabricated by fixing the core material 1 , which is shown in fig1 and 2 , at a predetermined position in a casting mold for polyurethane molding , injecting a solution a ( polyol ) and a solution b ( polyisocyanate ) at the same time into the mold , and causing the solution a and the solution b to react and also causing the resulting polyurethane to expand such that a polyurethane foam 6 is formed as a cushioning material around the core material 1 . needless to say , a catalyst and blowing agent , which are needed for the reaction and expansion , respectively , are mixed in the solution a and / or the solution b . as the cushioning material 6 formed as described above is required to have a certain degree of surface strength , its expansion ratio is controlled low . therefore , the door so obtained is heavy and is accompanied by the problem described above under the description of the background ( problem 1 ). reference is next had specifically to fig1 . in the conventional door , the polyurethane foam 6 with which the iron plate 1 is covered at both sides thereof is firmly bonded to the surfaces of the iron plate 1 and moreover , is continuous and integral in all the through - holes 2 of the iron plate 1 . even if one wishes to recycle the iron plate 1 and the polyurethane foam 6 subsequent to replacement of the door by a new door , it is extremely difficult to remove the cushioning material , that is , the polyurethane foam 6 from the iron plate 1 for the reasons mentioned above . recycling of the iron plate 1 is hence practically impossible . even if the polyurethane foam is separated by force , the polyurethane foam is not suited for recycling . its incineration , however , raises another problem that noxious gas is given off ( problem 2 ). the present invention has made it possible to solve the above - described problem 1 and problem 2 at the same time . constructions of doors according to the first and second embodiments of the present invention will now be described based on fig3 to 6 which illustrate fabrication of the doors . fig3 illustrates a fabrication process of the door according to the first embodiment of the present invention , in which an iron plate 1 is the same as the iron plate 1 depicted in fig1 and 2 . firstly , expanded polyolefin plates 7 , 7 are arranged above and below the iron plate 1 , respectively . by a press molding apparatus equipped with a top force 8 and a bottom force 9 , a laminate of the iron plate 1 and the expanded polyolefin plates 7 , 7 is press molded under heat as illustrated in fig4 . a cavity which is formed by the top force 8 and bottom force 9 at this stage conforms in outer dimensions with the door . as depicted in fig4 the combined shape of the expanded polyolefin plates 7 , 7 is brought into conformity with the external shape of the door and is fixed in that shape by the closure of the top force 8 and bottom force 9 under heat . extra portions of the expanded polyolefin plates 7 , 7 , said extra portions extending out of the top force 8 and bottom force 9 after their closure , are cut off by trimming knives 10 , 10 formed on and along peripheries of the top force 8 and bottom force 9 . by controlling the temperatures of the top and bottom forces at about 60 to 200 ° c . and maintaining the pressed state for about 5 to 30 minutes during the press molding , the upper and lower , expanded polyolefin plates 7 , 7 are formed into the predetermined shape and fixed in that shape by the top and bottom forces 8 , 9 and at the same time , are strongly compressed and heated in the neighborhood of the trimming knives 10 , 10 . accordingly , the upper and lower , expanded polyolefin plates 7 , 7 are firmly fusion - bonded and even after its removal from the top and bottom forces 8 , 9 , the upper and lower , expanded polyolefin plates 7 , 7 do not separate from each other . at the interface between the upper and lower , expanded polyolefin plates 7 , 7 at areas other than the fusion - bonded area , on the other hand , the upper and lower , expanded polyolefin plates 7 , 7 are not fusion - bonded when the press molding temperature is relatively low , because the quantity of heat applied to such areas is smaller compared with that applied to the outer peripheral edge area . by setting the press molding temperature at a higher level , however , the upper and lower , expanded polyolefin plates 7 , 7 can be also fusion - bonded in the through - holes 2 to such an extent as permitting subsequent separation . when the door is replaced by a new door subsequent to its use over a certain period of time , the expanded polyolefin plates 7 , 7 can be easily separated from the iron plate 1 in the used door by simply cutting off the fusion - bonded , outer peripheral edge portions of the expanded polyolefin plates 7 , 7 . therefore , the iron plate 1 and the expanded polyolefin plates 7 , 7 can be easily recycled . in the first embodiment illustrated in fig4 the expanded polyolefin plates 7 , 7 are substantially not fusion - bonded to the corresponding surfaces of the iron plate 1 and are substantially not fusion - bonded together in the through - holes 2 , when the press molding temperature is relatively low . when the expanded polyolefin plates 7 , 7 are substantially not fusion - bonded together in the through - holes 2 of the iron plate 1 as mentioned above , the door , depending upon its application field , may develop a problem during use such that the expanded polyolefin plates 7 , 7 may blister or otherwise bulge outwards or may undergo sagging . the second embodiment shown in fig5 and 6 has overcome the above - mentioned problem which may occur when the press molding temperature is relatively low . the second embodiment is different from the first embodiment illustrated in fig3 and 4 in that as depicted in fig5 a uniting sheet or film 12 is held between the iron plate 1 and the lower expanded polyolefin plate 7 at a location corresponding to at least one of the through - holes 2 of the iron plate 4 and in a similar manner as in the first embodiment , press molding is then performed under heat as shown in fig6 . when press molding is conducted as described above , the two expanded polyolefin plates 7 , 7 are united together via the uniting sheet or film 12 in the area of the through - hole 2 . as a result , the potential problem of blister or bulging or sagging in the above - described first embodiment can be solved and further , the bonding between the expanded polyolefin plates 7 , 7 and the iron plate 1 is weaker than that heretofore achieved from the use of polyurethane foam , thereby permitting easy separation of the cushioning material and ready recycling of the expanded polyolefin plates . usable examples of the uniting sheet or film 12 can include double - tack sheets ; and sheets or films made of thermoplastic resins having good fusion - bondability with polyolefins , especially polyethylene , such as low - density polyethylene , ethylene - vinyl acetate copolymer , polyvinyl acetate and low - melting polyamides . these uniting sheets or films 12 are optional in thickness . their thickness may range , for example , from 10 μm to 0 . 5 mm or so . such uniting sheets or films 12 may also be arranged on both sides of the through - hole 2 of the iron plate 1 . as a still further alternative , they may be arranged at locations corresponding to plural through - holes 2 . the door obtained by the fabrication process illustrated in fig5 and 6 is illustrated in fig7 . the third embodiment shown in fig8 includes a skin 11 arranged on surfaces of expanded polyolefin plates 7 , 7 . this skin 11 can be formed by arranging sheets or films , which serve to make up the skin 11 , between the expanded polyolefin plates 7 , 7 and the top and bottom forces 8 , 9 , respectively , in the step depicted in fig5 and then conducting press molding as illustrated in fig6 . the skin 11 is fusion - bonded to the entire outer surfaces of the expanded polyolefin plates 7 , 7 by heat applied upon heated pressing . as the sheets or films which are used to make up the skin 11 , thermoplastic resin sheets excellent in heat resistance and strength or sheets of a woven , knitted or nonwoven fabric impregnated with a thermoplastic resin can be used . for example , sheets of a woven nylon fabric impregnated with an ethylene - vinyl acetate copolymer and commercially available under the trade name of “ eveterpolin ” from k . k . futaba shokai can be used suitably . these sheets or films may be colored in any desired colors and / or may be printed with any desired pictures or patterns . conventional doors include those each provided on a surface thereof with a “ no entry ” sign 13 as illustrated in fig1 . according to a conventional technique , a red circle 15 with a thick white line 14 surrounded therein is formed as an example on one side of a completed door as shown in fig1 , although the colors of the circle 15 and thick line 14 are not limited specifically to red and white colors . such a pattern can be formed , for example , by bonding a sticker , which has been obtained by printing the pattern on a plastic film , with an adhesive or the like . it is , however , difficult to bond the sticker unless the bonding is conducted after fully removing a mold release agent , which still remains on the surface of the door , with a solvent or the like . the conventional technique is , therefore , very complex in steps and high in cost . moreover , even after the sticker is once bonded , the sticker is liable to separation from an end thereof . the above - described problem of the conventional technique can also be fully overcome by the fourth embodiment of the present invention as illustrated in fig9 a to 9 d and fig1 . fig9 a illustrates an expanded polyolefin plate 7 for use in the present invention , which is provided at a central part thereof with a circular hole 16 . needless to say , the circular hole 16 can be formed at a desired location other than the central part . in general , the formation of the hole 16 can be easily conducted by punching . a disc - shaped block 17 depicted in fig9 b has been cut out by punching , for example , from an expanded polyolefin plate colored in red ( not shown ) this expanded polyolefin plate may preferably be made of the same material as the expanded polyolefin plate shown in fig9 a except for a difference in color . the disc - shaped block 17 is centrally provided with a rectangular opening 18 , and has an outer diameter substantially equal to an inner diameter of the circular hole 16 depicted in fig9 a . a substantially rectangular parallelopipedal block 19 shown in fig9 c has been cut out by punching , for example , from an expanded polyolefin plate colored in white ( not shown ). this expanded polyolefin plate may preferably be made of the same material as the expanded polyolefin plate shown in fig9 a except for a difference in color . the substantially rectangular parallelopipedal block 19 has substantially the same outer dimensions as the above - described rectangular opening 18 . the expanded polyolefin plate 7 shown in fig9 d includes the disc - shaped block 17 and substantially rectangular parallelopipedal block 19 , which are illustrated in fig9 b and 9c , respectively , fitted in the circular hole 16 illustrated in fig9 a . upon assembling the expanded polyolefin plate 7 , disc - shaped block 17 and substantially rectangular parallelopipedal block 19 depicted in fig9 a to 9 c , respectively , an adhesive may be used to avoid their separation especially in mass fabrication , although the use of such an adhesive is not essential . use of such expanded polyolefin films 7 , 7 as shown in fig9 d as the expanded polyolefin plates 7 , 7 in the processes described above with reference to fig3 to fig8 makes it possible to easily apply , for example , the “ no entry ” sign 13 to substantially central parts as illustrated in fig1 . the fourth embodiment has been described taking the representative “ no entry ” sign 13 as an example . the shape and color of the sign 13 can , however , be chosen at will . for example , logo marks of companies or the like , other patterns or signs , characters , marks and the like can be formed likewise . according to the fourth embodiment , a desired mark or sign can be applied to a door concurrently with the fabrication of the door . the fourth embodiment , therefore , has made it possible to solve the above - described conventional problem associated with the bonding of a mark . the iron plate employed in each of the third and fourth embodiments shown in fig8 and 10 was about 1 . 2 mm in thickness , 28 . 7 cm in width and 19 . 4 cm in height , defined 11 through - holes of 5 cm in diameter in total , and had the shape depicted in fig1 and 2 . needless to say , these dimensions and shapes are merely illustrative , and therefore , the present invention should not be limited to such illustrative dimensions and shapes . the expanded polyolefin plates employed in the above embodiments were expanded polyethylene plates , each of which was 3 cm in thickness and had an expansion ratio of 25 times . those expanded polyolefin plates each had a thickness of about 2 . 6 cm and an expansion ratio of 8 times after press molded as illustrated in fig3 or fig5 . the doors of the third and fourth embodiments shown in fig8 and 10 were each about 0 . 7 kg in total weight , whereas the weight of the conventional door of the same dimensions depicted in fig1 was 1 . 3 kg . as appreciated from this difference in weight , each door according to the present invention has advantageous effects such that it is significantly lighter in weight than the conventional doors , can substantially reduce a load exerted on the equipment and like arranged at a ticket gate owing to its lighter weight , and hence , can considerably reduce troubles on the equipment and the like . the expanded polyolefin plates described above are expanded polyethylene plates . needless to say , other expanded polyolefin plates such as expanded polypropylene plates can also be used as expanded polyolefin plates . further , the thickness , expansion ratio and the like of each expanded polyolefin plate are not limited to the corresponding values in the above - described embodiments . preferably , each expanded polyolefin plate may range , for example , from about 1 to 20 cm in thickness , and may have an expansion ratio , for example , in a range of from about 3 to 40 before press molding and an expansion ratio , for example , in a range of from about 2 to 15 times . the above description was made primarily with respect to ticket gates at railway stations . doors according to the present invention are also useful as doors for ticket gates at airports , harbors , play grounds , zoos , aquariums , movie theaters , museums , sports stadiums , halls or sites such as baseball stadiums , halls or sites for entertainments or exhibitions , and other institutions or facilities .	1
the present invention is predicated , in part , on the determination that gene translocation breakpoints can be routinely and easily identified , via dna analysis , by sequentially performing two pcr reactions which use multiple primers directed to the genes flanking the breakpoint which are themselves tagged at their 5 ′ end with a dna region suitable for use as a primer hybridisation site . the simultaneous use of multiple primers facilitates the performance of a short pcr , rather than the long pcrs which have been performed to date . by sequentially performing a second pcr using primers directed to gene regions internal to those used in the first reaction , amplification of a dna molecule spanning the breakpoint region can be achieved in a manner which enables the identification and isolation of a smaller amplification product than has been enabled to date in terms of the analysis of genomic dna . by incorporating unique tag regions which can themselves be targeted by a primer , amplification of the initial amplicon can be rapidly achieved , thereby overcoming any disadvantage associated with the use of a low concentration of starting primer directed to the genes flanking the breakpoint . the method of the present invention therefore provides a simple yet accurate means of identifying and analysing a gene breakpoint using dna . to this end , it would be appreciated that although the method of the present invention is exemplified by reference to chronic myelogenic leukemia , this method can be applied to any situation in which a gene breakpoint is sought to be identified via a dna sample . accordingly , in one aspect the present invention is directed to a method of identifying a gene breakpoint , said method comprising : ( a ) one or more forward primers directed to a dna region of the flanking gene or fragment thereof located 5 ′ relative to the gene breakpoint , which primers are optionally operably linked at their 5 ′ end to an oligonucleotide tag ; and ( b ) one or more reverse primers directed to a dna region of the flanking gene or fragment thereof located 3 ′ relative to the gene breakpoint , which primers are optionally operably linked at their 5 ′ end to an oligonucleotide tag ; wherein the oligonucleotide tags of the forward primers are the same relative to the forward primer tags of step ( a ) and the oligonucleotide tags of the reverse primers are the same relative to the reverse primer tags of step ( a ) but which forward primer oligonucleotide tags are different relative to the reverse primer tags ; ( a ) one or more forward primers directed to a dna region of the flanking gene or fragment thereof located 5 ′ relative to the gene breakpoint , which primers are directed to dna regions which are located 3 ′ to one or more of the forward primers of step ( i ) and which primers are optionally operably linked at their 5 ′ end to an oligonucleotide tag ; and ( b ) one or more reverse primers directed to a dna region of the flanking gene or fragment thereof located 3 ′ relative to the gene breakpoint , which primers are directed to dna regions which are located 5 ′ to one or more of the reverse primers of step ( i ) and which primers are optionally operably linked at their 5 ′ end to an oligonucleotide tag wherein the oligonucleotide tags of the forward primers are the same relative to the forward primer tags of step ( iii )( a ) and the oligonucleotide tags of the reverse primers are the same relative to the other reverse primer tags of step ( iii )( a ) but which forward primer oligonucleotide tags are different relative to the reverse primer tags and which forward and reverse primer tags of step ( iii ) are different relative to the forward and reverse primer tags of step ( i ); it should be understood that in a preferred embodiment of the present invention , where one primer is used in step ( i )( a ), it is preferable that two or more primers are used in step ( i )( b ). the converse applies where one primer is used in step ( i )( b ). similarly , in another preferred embodiment , where one primer is used in step ( iii )( a ), it is preferable that two or more primers are used in step ( iii )( b ). the converse applies where one primer is used in step ( iii )( b ). reference to the “ flanking genes ” 5 ′ and 3 ′ to the breakpoint should be understood as a reference to the genes or gene fragments on either side of the breakpoint . in terms of the 5 ′ and 3 ′ nomenclature which is utilised in the context of these genes / gene fragments , this should be understood as a reference to the 5 ′? 3 ′ orientation of the sense strand of double stranded dna from which the dna of interest derives . accordingly , reference to “ the flanking gene 5 ′ to the breakpoint ” should be understood as a reference to the sense strand of double stranded dna . to this end , any reference to “ gene ” or “ gene fragment ” herein , to the extent that it is not specified , is a reference to the sense strand of double stranded dna . reference to the forward primer being directed to the antisense strand of the flanking gene 5 ′ to the breakpoint therefore indicates that the forward primer bears the same dna sequence as a region of the sense strand 5 ′ to the breakpoint and therefore will bind to and amplify the antisense strand corresponding to that region . reference to “ gene ” should be understood as a reference to a dna molecule which codes for a protein product , whether that be a full protein or a protein fragment . in terms of chromosomal dna , the gene will include both intron and exon regions . however , to the extent that the dna of interest is cdna , such as might occur if the dna of interest is vector dna , there may not exist intron regions . such dna may nevertheless include 5 ′ or 3 ′ untranslated regions . accordingly , reference to “ gene ” herein should be understood to encompass any form of dna which codes for a protein or protein fragment including , for example , genomic dna and cdna . reference to a gene “ breakpoint ” should be understood as a reference to the point at which a fragment of one gene recombines with another gene or fragment thereof . that is , there has occurred a recombination of two genes such that either one or both genes have become linked at a point within one or both of the genes rather than the beginning or end of one gene being linked to the beginning or end of the other gene . that is , at least one of the subject genes has been cleaved and has recombined with all or part of another gene . the recombination of the two non - homologous gene regions may occur by any method including but not limited to chromosomal gene translocations or in vitro homologous recombinations ( such as may occur where a dna segment is being inserted into a vector or an artificial chromosome or where a vector portion thereof chromosomally integrates in a host cell ). preferably , the subject gene breakpoint is a chromosomal gene translocation breakpoint . as detailed hereinbefore , chromosomal gene translocations are known to occur and , in some cases , lead to the onset of disease states . since a gene translocation between two genes will not necessarily result in the breakpoint occurring at precisely the same nucleotide position on the two genes each time the translocation event occurs , it is not possible to assume that the breakpoint position in one patient , such as the philadelphia chromosome breakpoint in one cml patient , will be the same in another patient . the method of the present invention enables the simple yet accurate determination of a gene breakpoint using dna . the present invention therefore preferably provides a method of identifying a chromosomal gene translocation breakpoint , said method comprising : ( a ) one or more forward primers directed to a dna region of the flanking gene fragment thereof located 5 ′ relative to the gene breakpoint , which primers are optionally operably linked at their 5 ′ end to an oligonucleotide tag ; and ( b ) one or more reverse primers directed to a dna region of the flanking gene or fragment thereof located 3 ′ relative to the gene breakpoint , which primers are optionally operably linked at their 5 ′ end to an oligonucleotide tag ; wherein the oligonucleotide tags of the forward primers are the same relative to the forward primer tags of step ( a ) and the oligonucleotide tags of the reverse primers are the same relative to the reverse primer tags of step ( a ) but which forward primer oligonucleotide tags are different relative to the reverse primer tags ; ( a ) one or more forward primers directed to a dna region of the flanking gene or fragment thereof located 5 ′ to the gene breakpoint , which primers are directed to dna regions which are located 3 ′ to one or more of the forward primers of step ( i ) and which primers are optionally operably linked at their 5 ′ end to an oligonucleotide tag ; and ( b ) one or more reverse primers directed to a dna region of the flanking gene or fragment thereof located 3 ′ to the gene breakpoint , which primers are directed to dna regions which are located 5 ′ to one or more of the reverse primers of step ( i ) and which primers are optionally operably linked at their 5 ′ end to an oligonucleotide tag ; wherein the oligonucleotide tags of the forward primers are the same relative to the forward primer tags of step ( iii )( a ) and the oligonucleotide tags of the reverse primers are the same relative to the reverse primer tags of step ( iii )( a ) but which forward primer oligonucleotide tags are different relative to the reverse primer tags and which forward and reverse primer tags of step ( iii ) are different relative to the forward and reverse primer tags of step ( i ); reference to “ dna ” should be understood as a reference to deoxyribonucleic acid or derivative or analogue thereof . in this regard , it should be understood to encompass all forms of dna , including cdna and genomic dna . the nucleic acid molecules of the present invention may be of any origin including naturally occurring ( such as would be derived from a biological sample ), recombinantly produced or synthetically produced . reference to “ derivatives ” should be understood to include reference to fragments , homologs or orthologs of said dna from natural , synthetic or recombinant sources . “ functional derivatives ” should be understood as derivatives which exhibit any one or more of the functional activities of dna . the derivatives of said dna sequences include fragments having particular regions of the dna molecule fused to other proteinaceous or non - proteinaceous molecules . “ analogs ” contemplated herein include , but are not limited to , modifications to the nucleotide or nucleic acid molecule such as modifications to its chemical makeup or overall conformation . this includes , for example , modification to the manner in which nucleotides or nucleic acid molecules interact with other nucleotides or nucleic acid molecules such as at the level of backbone formation or complementary base pair hybridisation . the biotinylation or other form of labelling of a nucleotide or nucleic acid molecules is an example of a “ functional derivative ” as herein defined . as detailed hereinbefore , the method of the present invention is predicated on the use of multiple oligonucleotide primers to facilitate the multiplexed amplification of a dna sample of interest . in one embodiment of the present invention , the dna sample of interest is a hybrid gene which comprises a portion of one gene ( gene a ) which is located 5 ′ to the translocation breakpoint and a second gene ( gene b ) which is located 3 ′ to the translocation breakpoint . in a particular embodiment , gene a is bcr and gene b is abl . the identification of the existence and nature of a gene translocation breakpoint is achieved by using two or more forward primers directed to gene a and two or more reverse primers directed towards gene b . the primers directed to gene a are designed to hybridise at intervals along gene a and the primers directed to gene b are similarly designed to hybridise at intervals along gene b . in the first round pcr , the primers which will amplify the hybrid gene are the upstream primers which hybridise to that portion of gene a which lies 5 ′ to the breakpoint and the downstream primers which hybridise to that portion of gene b which lies 3 ′ to the breakpoint . furthermore , since small amplicons are amplified more efficiently than larger amplicons , there will occur selection for amplification directed by the primer pair which hybridises closest to the breakpoint . the same principle holds for the second round primers and , since in one embodiment each second round primer corresponds to an individual first - round primer but hybridises internal to it with regard to the breakpoint , there will be further selection for amplification by the pair of the second round primers which bound the breakpoint . without limiting the present invention in any way , the second round of pcr amplification provides additional specificity for amplification of the breakpoint region . following the second round pcr , successful amplification of the sequence surrounding the breakpoint will be evident as a band of amplified material on electrophoresis . since it is not known precisely where the breakpoint lies , it is possible that one or more of the internal primers may not hybridise to their target region sequence due to this sequence having been effectively spliced out during the translocation event . however , in one embodiment , the forward and reverse primers selected for the first round amplification are directed to amplifying from the 5 ′ and 3 ′ end regions , respectively , of the gene fragments flanking the breakpoint . the second round primers are then directed to internal regions of the gene fragments flanking the breakpoint , that is , the regions which are closer to the breakpoint than the regions targeted by the first round primers . again , it would be appreciated that since the precise location of the breakpoint is not known , one or more of these forward and / or reverse primers may not hybridise to the dna sample due to their target region sequence having been spliced out . in terms of the second round “ internal primers ”, it should be understood that this is a reference to a population of primers of which at least one primer , but preferably all the primers , are designed to amplify the subject dna from a point which , when considered in the context of the translocated gene itself ( rather than the antisense strand or the amplification product ), is 3 ′ of the most 3 ′ of the forward primers used in the first round amplification and 5 ′ of the most 5 ′ of the reverse primers used in the first round amplification . by using the approach of a two step amplification using progressively more internally localised primers , amplification of dna spanning the breakpoint region can be achieved without the requirement to perform long pcrs or to generate very long and cumbersome amplification products . reference to a “ primer ” or an “ oligonucleotide primer ” should be understood as a reference to any molecule comprising a sequence of nucleotides , or functional derivatives or analogues thereof , the function of which includes hybridisation to a region of a nucleic acid molecule of interest ( the dna of interest also being referred to as a “ target dna ”) and the amplification of the dna sequence 5 ′ to that region . it should be understood that the primer may comprise non - nucleic acid components . for example , the primer may also comprise a non - nucleic acid tag such as a fluorescent or enzymatic tag or some other non - nucleic acid component which facilitates the use of the molecule as a probe or which otherwise facilitates its detection or immobilisation . the primer may also comprise additional nucleic acid components , such as the oligonucleotide tag which is discussed in more detail hereinafter . in another example , the primer may be a protein nucleic acid which comprises a peptide backbone exhibiting nucleic acid side chains . preferably , said oligonucleotide primer is a dna primer . reference to “ forward primer ” should be understood as a reference to a primer which amplifies the target dna in the dna sample of interest by hybridising to the antisense strand of the target dna . reference to “ reverse primer ” should be understood as a reference to a primer which amplifies the target dna in the dna sample of interest and in the pcr by hybridising to the sense strand of the target dna . the design and synthesis of primers suitable for use in the present invention would be well known to those of skill in the art . in one embodiment , the subject primer is 4 to 60 nucleotides in length , in another embodiment 10 to 50 in length , in yet another embodiment 15 to 45 in length , in still another embodiment 20 to 40 in length , in yet another embodiment 25 to 35 in length . in yet still another embodiment , primer is about 26 , 27 , 28 , 29 , 30 , 31 , 32 , 33 or 34 nucleotides in length . without limiting the invention in any way , the primers are designed in one embodiment to have a t m of 65 to 70 ° c . this enables the pcr to use a high annealing temperature , which minimises non - specific annealing and amplification . each forward or reverse primer for the second round pcr is designed to hybridise to a sequence which is close , either downstream for the forward primer or upstream for the reverse primer , to the hybridisation sequence for its corresponding forward or reverse first - round primer . designing the corresponding primers to hybridise to closely adjoining sequences minimises the probability that the translocation breakpoint will involve or occur between the hybridisation sequences . even if this does occur , the sequence surrounding the translation breakpoint can still be amplified by the immediately upstream or downstream , as the case may be , primer pair . in the exemplified embodiment described herein , primers were chosen so that their binding sites were staggered with the separation between adjacent binding sites being approximately 500 bases . this was done so that the amplified material would have range in size , up to a maximum length of approximately 1 kilobase . this strategy is in contrast to the strategy of “ long pcr ” which would require fewer primers and a less complex multiplex pcr reaction . the advantages of the strategy of the present invention are that the standard shorter pcr reaction is more robust and the amplified product can be sequenced immediately rather than requiring another set of pcr reactions to break it up into smaller amplicons which are suitable for sequencing . in terms of the number of primers which are used in the method of the invention , this can be determined by the person of skill in the art . with regard to the total number of primers , the variables which require consideration are the size of the gene region which is being targeted and the distance between the sequences to which the primers hybridise . in order to amplify pcr fragments which are no larger than about 1 kb , the primers can be designed to hybridise at intervals of approximately 500 bases . with regard to cml , nearly all bcr translocations involve one of two regions , each of approximately 3 kb in length . in this case , 12 outer forward primers and 12 corresponding inner primers may be used . the abl gene , however , is larger , approximately 140 kb in length , and up to 280 outer reverse primers and 280 inner reverse primers may be used . in one particular embodiment , a combination of 6 forward primers and 24 reverse primers is used and in another embodiment a combination of 6 forward primers and 140 reverse primers . the primer number which is selected to be used will depend on the genes involved in the translocation and thus may vary from translocation to translocation and will involve consideration of the competing issues of the number of pcr reactions which are required to be performed versus the probability of generating non - specific products during a pcr reaction . as would be understood by the person of skill in the art , a large number of primers in each individual pcr reaction decreases the number of pcr reactions but increases the probability of non - specific amplification reactions . in one embodiment , the method of the present invention is performed using at least three primers , in another embodiment at least four primers . in yet another embodiment said invention is performed using 6 - 10 primers , 6 - 15 primers , 6 - 20 primers , 6 - 25 primers or 6 - 30 primers . in still another embodiment there is used 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 , 29 or 30 primers . there is therefore preferably provided a method of identifying a gene breakpoint , said method comprising : ( a ) one to thirty forward primers directed to a dna region of the flanking gene or fragment thereof located 5 ′ relative to the gene breakpoint , which primers are optionally operably linked at their 5 ′ end to an oligonucleotide tag ; and ( b ) twenty - four to four hundred reverse primers directed to a dna region of the flanking gene or fragment thereof located 3 ′ relative to the gene breakpoint , which primers are optionally operably linked at their 5 ′ end to an oligonucleotide tag ; wherein the oligonucleotide tags of the forward primers are the same relative to the forward primer tags of step ( a ) and the oligonucleotide tags of the reverse primers are the same relative to the reverse primer tags of step ( a ) but which forward primer oligonucleotide tags are different relative to the reverse primer tags ; ( a ) one to thirty forward primers directed to a dna region of the flanking gene or fragment thereof located 5 ′ relative to the gene breakpoint , which primers are directed to dna regions which are located 3 ′ to one or more of the forward primers of step ( i ) and which primers are optionally operably linked at their 5 ′ end to an oligonucleotide tag ; and ( b ) twenty - four to four hundred reverse primers directed to a dna region of the flanking gene or fragment thereof located 3 ′ to the gene breakpoint , which primers are directed to dna regions which are located 5 ′ to one or more of the reverse primers of step ( i ) and which primers are optionally operably linked at their 5 ′ end to an oligonucleotide tag ; wherein the oligonucleotide tags of the forward primers are the same relative to the forward primer tags of step ( iii )( a ) and the oligonucleotide tags of the reverse primers are the same relative to the reverse primer tags of step ( iii )( a ) but which forward primer oligonucleotide tags are different relative to the reverse primer tags and which forward and reverse primer tags of step ( iii ) are different relative to the forward and reverse primer tags of step ( i ); preferably , said gene breakpoint is a gene translocation breakpoint and still more preferably a chromosomal gene translocation breakpoint . the primers which are used in the method of the present invention are of a relatively low individual concentration due to the starting primer pool comprising multiple individual primers . this reduces the risk of inducing inhibition of pcr . in order to facilitate a successful amplification result , it is therefore necessary to enable the generation of sufficient amplicons for detection and isolation . in one aspect of the present invention , this can be facilitated by tagging the primers with an oligonucleotide which can be used as a primer hybridisation site . in addition to the primers directed towards genes a and b , each pcr reaction may therefore also contain concentrations of two oligonucleotides which are directed to the tag , as a primer hybridisation site . these oligonucleotide sequences act as primers and enable efficient secondary amplification of the amplicons generated by the initial hybridisation and extension of the primers directed towards genes a and b . in one embodiment , the primer which is directed to the tag exhibits a t m of 65 ° c .- 70 ° c . in order to minimise non - specific amplification . thus these primers are directed towards overcoming the potential problem posed by the low concentrations of the primers directed towards a and b . nevertheless , in some situations it may not be necessary to use one or both tag primers . for example , when there are only six forward primers for the bcr gene each primer may be at a concentration which is sufficient for relatively efficient amplification . still further , it should be appreciated that the oligonucleotide tags provide an additional use when they are present in the final pcr round , since the tag primers can also be used for sequencing . accordingly , although the tag is suitable for use as a site for primer hybridisation , it should be understood that the subject tag may also be useful for other purposes , such as a probe binding site in the context of southern gel analysis or to enable isolation of the primer or the amplicon extended therefrom . to this end , the tag may comprise a non - nucleic acid component , such as a protein molecule or biotin which would enable isolation , for example by affinity chromatography , streptavidin binding or visualisation . in order to ensure that these tags do not interfere with the extension of the primer , the primers are linked to the oligonucleotide tag at their 5 ′ end . reference to “ oligonucleotide tag ” should therefore be understood as a reference to a nucleotide sequence of less than 50 nucleotides which is linked to the 5 ′ end of the forward and reverse primers of the present invention . in one embodiment , the tag is 25 - 30 bases in length . it should also be understood that consistently with the definitions provided in relation to the forward and reverse primers , the oligonucleotide tags herein described may also comprise non - nucleic acid components such as isolation or visualisation tags eg . biotin , enzymatic labels , fluorescent labels and the like . this enables quick and simple isolation or visualisation of the tagged primers or amplicons via non - molecular methods . that the oligonucleotide tag is “ operably linked ” to the primer should be understood as a reference to those regions being linked such that the functional objectives of the tagged primer , as detailed hereinbefore , can be achieved . in terms of the means by which these regions are linked and , further , the means by which the subject oligonucleotide primer binds to its target dna region , these correspond to various types of interactions . in this regard , reference to “ interaction ” should be understood as a reference to any form of interaction such as hybridisation between complementary nucleotide base pairs or some other form of interaction such as the formation of bonds between any nucleic or non - nucleic acid portion of the primer molecule or tag molecule with any other nucleic acid or non - nucleic acid molecule , such as the target molecule , a visualisation means , an isolation means or the like . this type of interaction may occur via the formation of bonds such as , but not limited to , covalent bonds , hydrogen bonds , van der wals forces or any other mechanism of interaction . preferably , to the extent that the interaction occurs between the primer and a region of the target dna , said interaction is hybridisation between complementary nucleotide base pairs . in order to facilitate this interaction , it is preferable that the target dna is rendered partially or fully single stranded for a time and under conditions sufficient for hybridisation with the primer to occur . without limiting the present invention to any one theory or mode of action , the inclusion of an oligonucleotide tag which can itself function as a primer hybridisation site can assist in facilitating the convenient and specific amplification of the amplicon generated by the forward and reverse primers of the present invention . accordingly , this overcomes somewhat the amplification limitation which is inherent where a relatively low starting concentration of the forward and reverse primers is used . where the starting concentration of forward and reverse primers is sufficiently high , it may not be necessary to use a tag . accordingly , in a preferred embodiment , the dna sample of interest is contacted with both the forward and reverse primers of the present invention and primers directed to the oligonucleotide tags of the forward and reverse primers such that the amplification reaction of step ( ii ) proceeds in the context of all these primers . it should be understood , however , that although it is preferred that amplification based on both the gene primers and the tag primers is performed simultaneously , the method can be adapted to perform the tag primer based amplification step after the completion of the gene primer based amplification . the dna sequence of the tags may be the same or different . with respect to a first round amplification , the tags may be the same if the purpose is to amplify the initial amplification product . however , if one wishes to selectively enrich for amplicons containing the sequence of one of the flanking genes , the primer directed to the tag region of the primer of the gene of interest ( eg . gene a ) should differ to the primer directed to the tag region of the primer of the other gene ( eg . gene b ). in another example , in terms of a second or subsequent round of amplification , the tags which are used for sequencing would be required to be different to prevent the simultaneous sequencing of both strands . the present invention therefore provides a method of identifying a gene translocation breakpoint , said method comprising : ( a ) one to thirty forward primers directed to a dna region of the antisense strand of the flanking gene or fragment thereof located 5 ′ relative to the gene breakpoint , which primers are optionally operably linked at their 5 ′ end to an oligonucleotide tag ; ( b ) twenty - four to four hundred reverse primers directed to a dna region of the flanking gene or fragment thereof located 3 ′ relative to the gene breakpoint , which primers are optionally operably linked at their 5 ′ end to an oligonucleotide tag ; wherein the oligonucleotide tags of the forward primers are the same relative to the forward primer tags of step ( a ) and the oligonucleotide tags of the reverse primers are the same relative to the reverse primer tags of step ( a ) but which forward primer oligonucleotide tags are different relative to the reverse primer tags ; ( c ) a primer directed to the forward primer oligonucleotide tag of step ( i )( a ); and ( d ) a primer directed to the reverse primer oligonucleotide tag of step ( i )( b ); ( a ) one to thirty forward primers directed to a dna region of the flanking gene or fragment thereof located 5 ′ relative to the gene breakpoint , which primers are directed to dna regions which are located 3 ′ to one or more of the forward primers of step ( i ) and which primers are optionally operably linked at their 5 ′ end to an oligonucleotide tag ; ( b ) twenty - four to four hundred reverse primers directed to a dna region of the flanking gene or fragment thereof located 3 ′ to the gene breakpoint , which primers are directed to dna regions which are located 5 ′ to one or more of the reverse primers of step ( i ) and which primers are optionally operably linked at their 5 ′ end to an oligonucleotide tag ; ( c ) a primer directed to the forward primer oligonucleotide tag of step ( iii )( a ); and ( d ) a primer directed to the reverse primer oligonucleotide tag of step ( iii )( b ); wherein the oligonucleotide tags of the forward primers are the same relative to the forward primer tags of step ( iii )( a ) and the oligonucleotide tags of the reverse primers are the same relative to the reverse primer tags of step ( iii )( a ) but which forward primer oligonucleotide tags are different relative to the reverse primer tags and which forward and reverse primer tags of step ( iii ) are different relative to the forward and reverse primer tags of step ( i ); it should be understood that the oligonucleotide primers and tags of the present invention should not be limited to the specific structure exemplified herein ( being a linear , single - stranded molecule ) but may extend to any suitable structural configuration which achieves the functional objectives detailed herein . for example , it may be desirable that all or part of the oligonucleotide is double stranded , comprises a looped region ( such as a hairpin bend ) or takes the form of an open circle confirmation , that is , where the nucleotide primer is substantially circular in shape but its terminal regions do not connect . facilitating the interaction of the nucleic acid primer with the target dna may be performed by any suitable method . those methods will be known to those skilled in the art . methods for achieving primer directed amplification are also very well known to those of skill in the art . in a preferred method , said amplification is polymerase chain reaction , nasba or strand displacement amplification . most preferably , said amplification is polymerase chain reaction . to this end , in one embodiment of the invention , a 20 minute hybridisation provides good amplification in the first round pcr . reference to a “ sample ” should be understood as a reference to either a biological or a non - biological sample . examples of non - biological samples includes , for example , the nucleic acid products of synthetically produced nucleic acid populations . reference to a “ biological sample ” should be understood as a reference to any sample of biological material derived from an animal , plant or microorganism ( including cultures of microorganisms ) such as , but not limited to , cellular material , blood , mucus , faeces , urine , tissue biopsy specimens , fluid which has been introduced into the body of an animal and subsequently removed ( such as , for example , the saline solution extracted from the lung following lung lavage or the solution retrieved from an enema wash ), plant material or plant propagation material such as seeds or flowers or a microorganism colony . the biological sample which is tested according to the method of the present invention may be tested directly or may require some form of treatment prior to testing . for example , a biopsy sample may require homogenisation prior to testing or it may require sectioning for in situ testing . further , to the extent that the biological sample is not in liquid form , ( if such form is required for testing ) it may require the addition of a reagent , such as a buffer , to mobilise the sample . to the extent that the target dna is present in a biological sample , the biological sample may be directly tested or else all or some of the nucleic acid material present in the biological sample may be isolated prior to testing . it is within the scope of the present invention for the target nucleic acid molecule to be pre - treated prior to testing , for example inactivation of live virus or being run on a gel . it should also be understood that the biological sample may be freshly harvested or it may have been stored ( for example by freezing ) prior to testing or otherwise treated prior to testing ( such as by undergoing culturing ). reference to “ contacting ” the sample with the primer should be understood as a reference to facilitating the mixing of the primer with the sample such that interaction ( for example , hybridisation ) can occur . means of achieving this objective would be well known to those of skill in the art . the choice of what type of sample is most suitable for testing in accordance with the method disclosed herein will be dependent on the nature of the situation , such as the nature of the condition being monitored . for example , in a preferred embodiment a neoplastic condition is the subject of analysis . if the neoplastic condition is a lymphoid leukemia , a blood sample , lymph fluid sample or bone marrow aspirate would likely provide a suitable testing sample . where the neoplastic condition is a lymphoma , a lymph node biopsy or a blood or marrow sample would likely provide a suitable source of tissue for testing . consideration would also be required as to whether one is monitoring the original source of the neoplastic cells or whether the presence of metastases or other forms of spreading of the neoplasia from the point of origin is to be monitored . in this regard , it may be desirable to harvest and test a number of different samples from any one mammal . choosing an appropriate sample for any given detection scenario would fall within the skills of the person of ordinary skill in the art . the term “ mammal ” to the extent that it is used herein includes humans , primates , livestock animals ( e . g . horses , cattle , sheep , pigs , donkeys ), laboratory test animals ( e . g . mice , rats , rabbits , guinea pigs ), companion animals ( eg . dogs , cats ) and captive wild animals ( eg . kangaroos , deer , foxes ). preferably , the mammal is a human or a laboratory test animal . even more preferably the mammal is a human . as detailed hereinbefore , in one embodiment the method of the present invention is performed as a sequential two step amplification using multiple second round primers each of which is directed to a gene region which is either 3 ′ ( for the forward primers ) or 5 ′ ( for the reverse primers ) to that which is targeted by the corresponding first round primers . the person of skill in the art would appreciate that in some cases it may not be necessary to conduct a second round amplification . the necessity to perform a second round amplification may also be obviated if a selective or enrichment step as described below is performed . this situation may arise when the sequence around the breakpoint is amplified very efficiently and there is very little non - specific amplification such that a clearly defined band of amplification product is observed on electrophoresis of the product of the first round amplification or if the subsequent selection step is very efficient . in general , however , it is expected that a sequential two step amplification process would be used in order to minimise non - specific amplification and to generate a relatively short amplification product which spans the breakpoint region . in general , it is expected that the amplification product would be less than 1 . 5 kb , less than 1 kb , less than 0 . 8 kb or less than 0 . 5 kb . it should be understood that depending on the size of the genes which have been translocated , the method of the invention may be adapted to incorporate third or fourth round amplification steps in order to further minimise non - specific amplification . this can be an issue owing to the number of primers present in the multiplexed reaction and to the fact that one of the genes participating in the translocation often contains multiple repetitive sequences such as alu . nevertheless , it is expected that the need for further rounds of amplification would be unlikely . although the method of the present invention has been designed such that the amplification steps can be sequentially performed directly on the amplification product of a previous amplification , this should not be understood as a limitation in terms of whether any additional steps are sought to be incorporated by the skilled person , such as enrichment / selection steps . for example , one may seek to select for the desired amplicons after the first round amplification and to thereafter conduct the second round amplification on their material alone . methods which one could utilise to select or enrich include : ( i ) a selection step based on the unique oligonucleotide tags which are linked to the primers . accordingly , since the tags themselves are also amplified and therefore form part of the amplicon , they could be used as a probe site to enable isolation of amplicons which are the result of both forward and reverse primer amplification and therefore should span the breakpoint . alternatively , biotinylation of one of the tags provides means of identifying and isolating amplicons which have resulted from extension by either the forward or reverse primers . for example , by flooding the amplification product with biotinylated primer , the primer can act as a probe to identify the amplicons of interest and the biotinylation can provide a basis for isolating those amplicons . by ensuring that each of the primer groups of the present invention comprises a unique tag , it is possible to select out , with significant particularity , only specific amplicons of interest . in particular , the skilled person would seek to exclude amplicons which have been amplified by a forward primer but which have not then been amplified by a reverse primer , thereby indicating that the subject amplicon possibly does not extend across the breakpoint . by selecting out the amplicons which are most likely spanning the breakpoint , a subsequent round of amplification is more specifically targeted and less likely to generate unwanted amplicons as a result of either inherent cross - hybridisation of primers or the amplification of amplicons which do not flank both sides of the breakpoint . ( ii ) one may seek to run the products on a gel and excise out only certain bands or regions which are likely to be relevant and thereafter subject these to a further amplification step . when a band is present on the gel after the second round amplification , if there are any problems in sequencing an attempt can be made to clean it up by cutting the product out of the gel and performing a series of pcr reactions using individual primers and / or smaller pools of primers . for example , one might use individual forward bcr primers and pools containing only 12 reverse abl primers . ( iii ) one may expose the amplified products to one or more rounds of bottleneck pcr in order to provide negative selection against non - specific amplified products . without limiting the application of the present invention to any one theory or mode of action , in a classical pcr , the primers and reaction conditions are designed so that primer hybridisation and extension of the forward and reverse primers occur at or close to the maximum efficiency so that the number of amplicons approximately doubles with each cycle resulting in efficient exponential amplification . bottleneck pcr , however , is predicated on the use of forward and reverse primer sets where the primers of one set have been designed or are otherwise used under conditions wherein they do not hybridise and extend efficiently . accordingly , although the efficient primer set will amplify normally , the inefficient set will not . as a consequence , when a sequence of interest is amplified , the number of amplicon strands is significantly less than that which would occur in a classical pcr . efficient amplification only commences once amplicons have been generated which incorporate , at one end , the tag region of the inefficient primer . at this point , the primers directed to the tag regions effect a normal amplification rate . a “ bottleneck ” is therefore effectively created in terms of the generation of transcripts from the inefficient primer set . a more severe bottleneck is usefully created where the inefficient primers are directed to commonly repeated sequences , such as an alu sequence . amplification of unwanted product may result if such binding sites are closely apposed and if the inefficient primers can act as forward primers and reverse primers . however , owing to both primers being inefficient , amplification is initially extremely inefficient and there is a severe bottleneck . efficient amplification only commences once amplicon strands have been generated which comprise the tag region of the inefficient primer at one end and its complement at the other . after any given number of cycles , the number of such amplicons is , however , substantially less than that which occurs during amplification of the sequence of interest . the amount of unwanted product at the end of the amplification reaction is correspondingly reduced . hybridisation and extension of an inefficient primer which has correctly hybridised to the sequence of interest followed in a subsequent cycle by hybridisation and extension of an efficient primer to the previously synthesised amplicon generates a template to which the tag primer can efficiently hybridise and extend . since such molecules together with their complements provide upstream and downstream binding sites , each for an efficient primer ( the tag primer and one member of the efficient set ), succeeding cycles of amplification from such templates are both efficient and exponential . the result is that , after an initial lag or “ bottleneck ”, the overall rate of amplification speeds up in later cycles so that a near doubling of amplicon number with each cycle results . however , the net result is that there is negative selection against amplification of undesired amplicons as compared to amplicons of the sequence of interest , owing to the bottleneck at each end for the former and only at one end for the latter . accordingly , if the same number of commencing target sequences is considered and comparison to the amplification produced by classical pcr is made , application of the bottleneck pcr will produce a lesser increase in the number of amplicons of the sequence of interest and an even lesser increase in the number of amplicons of unwanted sequences . although amplification of both wanted and unwanted products occurs , there is relative enrichment of the sequence of interest relative to the unwanted sequences . there is an inverse relationship between absolute amplification and enrichment since decreasing the efficiency of the inefficient primer set produces increased enrichment at the expense of lesser amplification . once the amplification rounds have been completed , the amplicons spanning the breakpoint region can be analysed . in a preferred embodiment , the subject amplicon is isolated by excision of a gel band containing that amplicon and sequenced in order to characterise the breakpoint region . to the extent that a band excised from a gel is to be analysed , it may be necessary to further amplify the dna contained therein in order to provide sufficient material for sequencing . the oligonucleotide tags hereinbefore described provide a suitable primer hybridisation site to facilitate further amplification of the isolated amplicons . as detailed hereinbefore , the method of the present invention provides a simple and routine means of identifying and characterising any breakpoint region , such as the nature , accuracy and stability of a site directed insertion of a gene into a chromosome or vector ( this being important in the context of gene therapy ), but in particular the chromosomal gene translocation breakpoints that are characteristic of many diseases . examples of such translocations and diseases include , but are not limited to : t ( 2 ; 5 )( p23 ; q35 )— anaplastic large cell lymphoma t ( 8 ; 14 )— burkitt &# 39 ; s lymphoma ( c - myc ) t ( 9 ; 22 )( q34 ; q11 )— philadelphia chromosome , cml , all ( bcr - abl recombination ) t ( 11 ; 14 )— mantle cell lymphoma ( bcl - 1 ) t ( 11 ; 22 )( q24 ; q11 . 2 - 12 )— ewing &# 39 ; s sarcoma t ( 14 ; 18 )( q32 ; q21 )— follicular lymphoma ( bcl - 2 ) t ( 17 ; 22 )— dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans t ( 15 ; 17 )— acute promyelocytic leukemia ( pml and retinoic acid receptor genes ) t ( 1 ; 12 )( q21 ; p13 )— acute myelogenous leukemia t ( 9 ; 12 )( p24 ; p13 )— cml , all ( tel - jak2 ) t ( x ; 18 )( p11 . 2 ; q11 . 2 )— synovial sarcoma t ( 1 ; 11 )( q42 . 1 ; q14 . 3 )— schizophrenia t ( 1 ; 19 )— acute pre - b cell leukemia ( pbx - 1 and e2a genes ). preferably , said chromosomal gene translocation is a bcr - abl translocation or a pml - raralpha translocation . according to this preferred embodiment there is provided a method of identifying a chromosomal bcr - abl translocation breakpoint , said method comprising : ( a ) one or more forward primers directed to a dna region of bcr or fragment thereof , which primers are optionally operably linked at their 5 ′ end to an oligonucleotide tag ; and ( b ) one or more reverse primers directed to a dna region of abl or fragment thereof , which primers are optionally operably linked at their 5 ′ end to an oligonucleotide tag ; wherein the oligonucleotide tags of the forward primers are the same relative to the forward primer tags of step ( a ) and the oligonucleotide tags of the reverse primers are the same relative to the reverse primer tags of step ( a ) but which forward primer oligonucleotide tags are different relative to the reverse primer tags ; ( a ) one or more forward primers directed to a dna region of bcr or fragment thereof , which primers are directed to dna regions which are located 3 ′ to one or more of the forward primers of step ( i ) and which primers are optionally operably linked at their 5 ′ end to an oligonucleotide tag ; and ( b ) one or more reverse primers directed to abl or fragment thereof , which primers are directed to dna regions which are located 5 ′ to one or more of the reverse primers of step ( i ) and which primers are optionally operably linked at their 5 ′ end to an oligonucleotide tag ; wherein the oligonucleotide tags of the forward primers are the same relative to the forward primer tags of step ( iii )( a ) and the oligonucleotide tags of the reverse primers are the same relative to the reverse primer tags of step ( iii )( a ) but which forward primer oligonucleotide tags are different relative to the reverse primer tags and which forward and reverse primer tags of step ( iii ) are different relative to the forward and reverse primer tags of step ( i ); preferably , said amplification steps are performed using 1 - 30 forward primers and 24 - 300 reverse primers . in terms of the embodiment of the invention exemplified herein , primers were chosen so that their binding sites were staggered with the separation between adjacent binding sites being approximately 500 bases . this was done so that the amplified material would have range in size , up to a maximum length of approximately 1 kilobase . this strategy may be contrasted to the prior art strategy of “ long pcr ” which would require fewer primers and a less complex multiplex pcr reaction . one of the advantages of the strategy of the present invention is that the standard shorter pcr reaction is more robust and the amplified product can be sequenced immediately rather than requiring another set of pcr reactions to break it up into smaller amplicons which are suitable for sequencing . the present invention therefore preferably provides a method of identifying a chromosomal bcr - abl translocation breakpoint , said method comprising : ( a ) one to thirty forward primers directed to a dna region of bcr or fragment thereof , which primers are optionally operably linked at their 5 ′ end to an oligonucleotide tag ; ( b ) twenty - four to four hundred reverse primers directed to a dna region of abl or fragment thereof , which primers are optionally operably linked at their 5 ′ end to an oligonucleotide tag ; wherein the oligonucleotide tags of the forward primers are the same relative to the forward primer tags of step ( a ) and the oligonucleotide tags of the reverse primers are the same relative to the reverse primer tags of step ( a ) but which forward primer oligonucleotide tags are different relative to the reverse primer tags ; ( c ) a primer directed to the forward primer oligonucleotide tag of step ( i )( a ); and ( d ) a primer directed to the reverse primer oligonucleotide tag of step ( i )( b ); ( a ) one to thirty forward primers directed to a dna region of bcr or fragment thereof , which primers are directed to dna regions which are located 3 ′ to one or more of the forward primers of step ( i ) and which primers are optionally operably linked at their 5 ′ end to an oligonucleotide tag ; ( b ) twenty - four to four hundred reverse primers directed to a dna region of abl or fragment thereof , which primers are directed to dna regions which are located 5 ′ to one or more of the reverse primers of step ( i ) and which primers are optionally operably linked at their 5 ′ end to an oligonucleotide tag ; ( c ) a primer directed to the forward primer oligonucleotide tag of step ( iii )( a ); and ( d ) a primer directed to the reverse primer oligonucleotide tag of step ( iii )( b ); wherein the oligonucleotide tags of the forward primers are the same relative to the forward primer tags of step ( iii )( a ) and the oligonucleotide tags of the reverse primers are the same relative to the reverse primer tags of step ( iii )( a ) but which forward primer oligonucleotide tags are different relative to the reverse primer tags and which forward and reverse primer tags of step ( iii ) are different relative to the forward and reverse primer tags of step ( i ); the method of the present invention has broad application including , but not limited to : ( i ) enabling the design and generation of patient specific probes which can be used for the ongoing monitoring of a patient who is diagnosed with a disease condition characterised by chromosomal gene translocation . results obtained by this means for chronic myeloid leukemia are shown in fig6 . ( ii ) the analysis and monitoring of in vitro and in vivo gene transfection systems which are directed to integrating a gene or other dna region into a chromosome , vector , plasmid , artificial chromosome or the like . where the general site at which recombination should occur is known , the present invention can be applied to determine the specific point and nature of the integration ( i . e . the breakpoint ). it can also be used to monitor the ongoing stability of the genetic recombination event by virtue of enabling the generation of specific primers . accordingly , in yet another aspect there is provided a method of monitoring a disease condition in a mammal , which disease condition is characterised by a gene breakpoint , said method comprising screening for the presence of said breakpoint in a biological sample derived from said mammal , which breakpoint has been identified in accordance with the method hereinbefore defined . methods of screening for the subject breakpoint would be well known to those skilled in the art and include any suitable probe - based screening technique , such as pcr based methods . by virtue of the identification of the breakpoint region in accordance with the method of the invention , one can design an appropriate probe set to specifically amplify the subject breakpoint . in one embodiment , said gene breakpoint is a chromosomal gene translocation breakpoint such as : t ( 2 ; 5 )( p23 ; q35 ) t ( 8 ; 14 ) t ( 9 ; 22 )( q34 ; q11 ) t ( 11 ; 14 ) t ( 11 ; 22 )( q24 ; q11 . 2 - 12 ) t ( 14 ; 18 )( q32 ; q21 ) t ( 17 ; 22 ) t ( 15 ; 17 ) t ( 1 ; 12 )( q21 ; p3 ) t ( 9 ; 12 )( p24 ; p13 ) t ( x ; 18 )( p11 . 2 ; q11 . 2 ) t ( 1 ; 11 )( q42 . 1 ; q14 . 3 ) t ( 1 ; 19 ). anaplastic large cell lymphoma burkitt &# 39 ; s lymphoma cml , all mantle cell lymphoma ewing &# 39 ; s sarcoma follicular lymphoma dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans acute promyelocytic leukemia acute myelogenous leukemia synovial sarcoma schizophrenia ; or acute pre - b cell leukemia . still another aspect of the present invention is directed to a dna primer set , which primer set is designed to amplify and / or otherwise detect a gene breakpoint , which breakpoint has been identified in accordance with the method hereinbefore defined . the present invention is now described by reference to the following non - limiting examples and figures . 1 st round pcr ( 50 ng genomic dna )— all reactions performed in duplicate forward primer pool — fa ( contains 7 forward bcr primers bcrf1 - bcrf7 each with same 5 ′ tag sequence ( a ), total 50 ng ( 7 . 14 ng each ) reverse primer pool — r3 / 4 ( pool of 24 oligonucleotide reverse abl primers , each with same 5 ′ tag sequence ( c ), total 50 ng ( 2 . 08 ng each ) 1 × pcr buffer , 5 mm mgcl 2 , 0 . 75 ul dutp ( 300 um each ), 0 . 4 ul platinum taq ( 2 u ) 2 nd round pcr ( 1 st round reaction diluted 1 / 200 in sterile water ) forward primer pool — nfa ( contains 7 forward internal bcr primers bfn1 - bfn7 each with same 5 ′ tag sequence ( b ), total 50 ng ( 7 . 14 ng each ) reverse primer pool — rn3 / 4 ( pool of 24 oligonucleotide reverse internal abl primers , each with same 5 ′ tag sequence ( d ), total 50 ng ( 2 . 08 ng each ) 1 × pcr buffer , 5 mm mgcl 2 , 0 . 75 ul dutp ( 300 um ), 0 . 4 ul pt taq ( 2 u ) pcr products ( 7 ul ) resolved on 1 . 5 % ( v / v ) agarose gel at 120 volts pcr products resolved on 1 . 5 % ( v / v ) agarose gel at 120 volt 1 × pcr buffer , 5 mm mgcl 2 , 0 . 75 ul dutp ( 300 um ), 0 . 4 ul pt taq ( 2 u ) 1 × pcr buffer , 5 mm mgcl 2 , 0 . 75 ul dutp ( 300 um ), 0 . 4 ul pt taq ( 2 u ) pcr products resolved on 3 % ( v / v ) agarose gel at 120 volt products sequenced with 5 ′ bcr specific primer to confirm bcr / abl breakpoint ( flinders sequencing facility ). nearly all translocations involve a 3 kb region of the bcr gene and 140 kb region of the abl gene . six forward primers used to cover the region of the bcr gene and 282 primers used to cover the region of the abl gene . six pcrs are set up , each containing one of the bcr primers , all of the abl primers , and the common tag primer . if necessary , a second round of pcr is performed with a nested internal bcr primer and 282 nested internal abl primers alternatively , 1 - 3 rounds of bottleneck pcr are performed in order to remove non - specific amplified products and reveal the amplified translocation sequence . the abl gene is very rich in alu sequences , and the bcr gene also contains one such sequence . the abl primers have therefore undergone a selection procedure which sequentially involves , for each abl primer : design using standard criteria pairing with each bcr primer and testing by electronic pcr for amplification off the bcr template . primers that fail this criterion are discarded . incorporation in a pool of 12 or 24 abl primers , pairing the pool with each bcr primer , and testing by experimental pcr using a bcr template which has been previously produced by pcr amplification . any pool that that produces amplification and thus fails this test is further analysed by testing each of the individual abl primers to determine which is responsible for amplification . when identified , this primer is discarded . the bcr and abl primers used in example 1 are shown in example 2 . primers used for isolation of bcr - abl translocation breakpoint in chronic myeloid leukemia the second round primers were internal to the first round primers and were used either for a second round together with internal abl primers or for performing bottleneck pcr in order to eliminate non - specific amplified material and facilitate isolation of the translocation breakpoint . various combinations of the forward and reverse primers can be used . in one embodiment , the protocol that was used was to set up 6 pcrs , each containing a different bcr primer and all 282 abl primers 282 reverse abl primers used for the first pcr round and the tag sequence which was on the 5 ′ end of each primer tag a gcaacactgtgacgtactggagg r1 gtctatctaaaattcacaaggaatgc r2 aggcaaagtaaaatccaagcaccc r3 cactcctgcactccagcctgg r4 caaccaccaaagtgcttttcctgg r5 atatggcatctgtaaatattaccacc r6 tgcctcggcctcccaaagtgc r7 agccaccacacccagccagg r8 aataactgttttctccccccaaaac r9 tgttttacaaaaatggggccatacc r10 acttaagcaaattctttcataaaaaggg r11 ctttcaattgttgtaccaactctcc r12 acctcctgcatctctccttttgc r13 aaataaagttttgagaaccataagtgg r14 caccatcacagctcactgcagc r15 aacctctttgagaatcggatagcc r16 aaataaagtacatacctccaattttgc r17 gacacattcctatgggtttaattcc r18 tgtaaaatatggtttcagaagggagg r19 gcaggtggataacgaggtcagg r20 ccagccaagaatttcaaagattagc r21 gaagggagatgacaaagggaacg r22 gcagaagaactgcttgaacctgg r23 gtggtcccagctactcgagagg r24 ccctcagcaaaactaactgaaaagg r25 tagaaaccaagatatctagaattccc r26 ccacgcccggcggaataaatgc r27 acaaaaaaagaggcaaaaactgagag r28 ctgggcgcagtggctcatgcc r29 tggctgtgaggctgagaactgc r30 ctgggcgacagagtgagactcc r31 aagtctggctgggcgcagtgg r32 aatggacaaaagaggtgaactggc r33 gatagagtgaaaacgcacaatggc r34 aattaaacagctaggtcaatatgagg r35 ggtctccactatcaagggacaag r36 aagcagctgttagtcatttccagg r37 aggcatcctcagattatggctcc r38 cctgagtaacactgagaccctgc r39 aacactcaagctgtcaagagacac r40 attcaggccaggcgcagtggc r41 taaatcgtaaaactgccacaaagc r42 cagaggagtaggagaaggaaaagg r43 ggtagctatctaccaagtagaatcc r44 atcagattggaaaaagtcccaaagc r45 ctcctgaaaagcacctactcagc r46 ctccttaaacctgaggtactggg r47 ttttctcctaatagaccaccattcc r48 ctgctgtattaccatcactcatgtc r49 ctggccaacatagtgaaaccacg r50 atttgaataggggttaaagtatcattg r51 cacttcagtggaagttggcatgc r52 gtttttcttcgaagtgataaacatacg r53 gctccttagtctatgtacctgtgg r54 tactctggcatggtaactggtgc r55 acaaaggactaggtctgtggagc r56 ccaagtttaccaaattaccaaagttacc r57 tgagccgatatcacgccactgc r58 tcccaataaaggttttggcccagg r59 ctgggtagcaaattagggaacagg r60 ctggccagaaaagacagttttatcc r61 ggttcccaggaagggataacacc r62 tcactccaggaggttccatttcc r63 aggcttggaaataagcagcagtgg r64 attcatacaatggaatactactcagc r65 taagtgatcctcccacctcaacc r66 tataagaggaagactggggctgg r67 tcatacttatgcaggttataggagg r68 caagatcacgccactgcactcc r69 aaaataaatagctggtgctcaagatc r70 caccagcctcattcaacagatgg r71 caatgcagcctcaacctcctgg r72 gttaggtcaggtgctcatgtctg r73 aagtttcaaaaggacatgtacaaaatg r74 tcctgaagaggctgcagcttcc r75 ctggtgcacattcccaagtgtgc r76 catgttggccatgttcttctgagg r77 ctcagcctcccgagtagctgg r78 aaagacatttaagaggagatgaggc r79 tgctgggattacaggcgtgagc r80 tgtgacttccatccgcagctcc r81 gacacttttgtggagctttcatgg r82 catgtgagggggcacgtcttgc r83 tcttctctatgagaaaagtggttgc r84 tggcaaaatgctatcgagctgcc r85 tatgaacacagccggcctcagg r86 gaggttgcagtgagctgagatcg r87 gtcaagcacccagtccgatacc r88 atctgggcttggtggcgcacg r89 gttaagcgggtcccacatcagc r90 cagccagtttcagtagaaagatgc r91 gacccaagcataaggggactagc r92 cccaaaaagtttacaagagaaattttc r93 cgcctgtagtcccagctactcg r94 cgcgtgatgcggaaaagaaatcc r95 tctactatgaaccctccttcagac r96 gtgctgggattacaggtgtgagc r97 ttatccaaatgtcccagggcagg r98 ctgccagcactgctcgccagc r99 gctactgcaggcagtgccttcc r100 catccaagcccaaggtgtcagg r101 tgtttgcatgtaatttcaggaagcc r102 gatccgtcactgttaacactcagg r103 ctcacagtcacaagctcctgagc r104 gagatgatgctggggtcacagg r105 ttagaagaatgggatcgcaaagg r106 cggtattcaaatatgaggtcaggc r107 gtaaatcctgctgccagtcttcc r108 acagggtcagacagagccttgg r109 agttattgatctaactatacaacaagc r110 aaagactaggggccggggacg r111 ctggtagaaataaagacaacaaagcc r112 gtgccaagtaattaaaagtttgaaacc r113 ggcttttgaagggagcaccacc r114 gaaggataaatacctatgatactttcc r115 ggcagggaaatactgtgcttcaag r116 gtggtgaaattccacctcagtacc r117 tcccaaagtgctgggattacagg r118 gaaattagcaaacaatgccaagacg r119 taagtattggaccgggaaggagg r120 ctatcattttgctcaaagtgtagcc r121 atttcacaaactacagaggccagg r122 tagacttctgtctctctatgctgc r123 tgagtgagctgccatgtgatacc r124 acttcacaccagcctgtccacc r125 taactcatatcctcagagagaccc r126 agaggttcctcgattcccctgc r127 gtgtcagcgtcccaacacaaagc r128 gaaagtggatgggcaagcattgc r129 gtgatcacctcacagctgcagg r130 gtttgtttagtcaaggcatttcacc r131 cctcagcctccagagtagctgg r132 taaaagaaaactcctccttcctgg r133 aatgtgctatgtctttaaatccatgg r134 agctggcaaatctggtaatataaaag r135 gcttgaacctggaaggtggagg r136 gcaggcatgctaagaccttcagc r137 cagctccatgaataactccacagg r138 gcttgaacccaggaggcagagg r139 atcgaagatgccactgcaagagg r140 ccaaccacacttcaggggatacc r141 cacgccagtccactgatactcac r142 gggtttcaccatgttggccagg r143 cccaacaaaggctctggcctgg r144 atgacagcagaggagcttcatcc r145 gcaggctacgagtaaaaggatgg r146 cgggtaaaatcttgcctccttcc r147 aaacttaaaccaatggtggatgtgg r148 agagactgaggaactgttccagc r149 gaaacggtcttggatcactgatcc r150 tgcgcatgatatcttgtttcaggg r151 ggcctccgtttaaactgttgtgc r152 gaatgctggcccgacacagtgg r153 tcttggtatagaaaagccagctgg r154 gcaaaagcccaagagcccctgg r155 ttctcccaaaatgagccccaagg r156 gtggtgacgtaaacaaaaggtacc r157 gcaaattccatgtgaatcttattggc r158 cctgatctatggaacagtggtgg r159 gttacaaacgttgcagtttgcaacg r160 gaaccccgtcaacagtgatcacc r161 acaggacctcaaggcaaggagc r162 catacctaaaatagaaatgtctatccc r163 gagttgcatatatgttttataaatccc r164 tgagcccacatccataaagttagc r165 accgcaacctttgccgcctgg r166 taaatattttgtatggagtcaccacc r167 aaagccaggagaaaaagttatgagg r168 tcccaaagtcccaggattacagg r169 tcactatggagcatctccgatgg r170 agttccctggaagtctccgagg r171 aaaataatcacccagcccacatcc r172 acaaaactacagacacagaaagtgg r173 tttgggaggctgaggtaggtgg r174 aaagacagtgaaacatctataaggg r175 cattttgggagaccagggcagg r176 gcatgggacagacacaaagcagc r177 gaataacaaagagagccggctgg r178 taaaccttttattgaaaattgtcaaatgg r179 cgcctcagcctcccaaagtgc r180 tacattagttttataggtccagtagg r181 gaaggtttattcatattaaaatgtgcc r182 ctggcttctgtggtttgagttgg r183 acagacctacctcctaaggatgg r184 gctagcttttgtgtgtaagaatggg r185 ggcctactcacacaatagaatacc r186 gcaccattgcactccagcctgg r187 gaaattaggataaaggttgtcacagc r188 cagaagtgttcaaggtgaaactgtc r189 ctgaatcatgaaatgttctactctgc r190 tgtcaacttgactgggccatacg r191 ctcccgtatagttgggattatagg r192 gcttggagttccttgaaattcttgg r193 cctggtggctccagttttctacc r194 aactcctgacctcatgatccacc r195 gctgggattacaggcatgagcc r196 ttctcctttatccttggtgacattc r197 tcccaaagtgctgggattacagg r198 gtcataagtcagggaccatctgc r199 ctgtttcattgatttccagactggc r200 gcaatctcggctcactgcaagc r201 gaagaagtgactatatcagatctgg r202 ttcaccatgttggccaggctgg r203 catcactgaagatgacaactgagc r204 gtccagcctgggcgatagagc r205 gaggaaagtctttgaagaggaacc r206 ggtacactcaccagcagttttgc r207 gagcaactggtgtgaatacatatgg r208 caatacctggcaccacatacacc r209 gggactacaggcatgtgccacc r210 cggtggctcacgcgtgtaatcc r211 caactgttaaatctctcatggaaacc r212 gacaaaggattagaaatgcaccc r213 ggaaatgttctaaaactggattgtgg r214 aataataatagccaggtgtggtagc r215 ctggaacactcacacattgctgg r216 ctgggtgacagagcgagactcc r217 cccaaatcatccccgtgaaacatgc r218 gaccctgcaatcccaacactgg r219 ctctcaggccttcaaactacacc r220 caggaaagggctcgctcagtgg r221 atctgcaaaagcagcagagcagg r222 gtacccatgacagacaagttttagg r223 cttatcccctactgtctcctttgg r224 ggatggtctcgatctcctgacc r225 aggttagagaccttcctctaatgc r226 agctgggattacaggtgcctgc r227 gctgaggcaggttggggctgc r228 acatttaacgtctcctaacttctcc r229 gtgctgcgattacaggtgtgagc r230 tatgacagcagtattatactatcacc r231 ctggggaccaaatctgaactgcc r232 gtagctattgttatttccaaaagagg r233 gcttgggaccccaggacaagg r234 cctggccaacatggggaaatcc r235 aattgcttgaacctgggaggtgg r236 gcctaagacccaaaagctattagc r237 catattaaagggccatattcaaattgg r238 ggatgtaaccagtgtatatcacagg r239 ggaagtttagtccacatcttctagc r240 gcacccacaggacaaccacacg r241 gggacgcgcctgttaacaaagg r242 gggctgggggccacgctcc r243 cgcaaaagtgaagccctcctgg r244 gaaatcctacttgatctaaagtgagc r245 tttgagcaacttggaaaaaataagcg r246 ttcccaaaagacaaatagcacttcc r247 ccattttgaaaatcacagtgaattcc r248 gaaaagaaaaccctgaattcaaaagg r249 tgctgaaaagaagcatttaaaagtgg r250 ctcttaccagtttcagagctttcc r251 ttttcagccaaaaatcaaggacagg r252 cttgagcccaggagtttgagacc r253 cgcctgtagtaccctctactagg r254 ggtaaagaaagaaggatttgaaaacc r255 taagagtaatgaggttaaagtttatgc r256 catttttattgtcacaggccatttgc r257 gccacgccttctcttctgccacc r258 tgcctctcctgactgcactgtg r259 ccatgctctaccacgcccttgg r260 cattcaggctggagtgcggtgg r261 cttaaaaattgtctggctaagacattg r262 ttgctcttgttgcccgggttgg r263 gagcttagaggaaaagtattatttcc r264 tggtgctgtgccagacgctgg r265 cagatctttttggctattgtcttgg r266 gaaggaaagggcctcccactgc r267 catgaaaaagcatgctggggagg r268 caaacataaaaaagctttaatagaagcc r269 tcccaactatgaaaaaatagaagacg r270 cacaaattagccgggcatggtgg r271 cttcctttactgagtctttctaaagc r272 tgtcctttgaaatgtaggtatgtgg r273 ggatcttgcaatactgacatctcc r274 atttgaaaagaactgaaggatctacc r275 gtgagctgagatctcgtctctgc r276 tttgtctgaaacagattctaaaagttgg r277 gcaggtgcctgtagtcccagc r278 gtttgagcttctaaaattcatggattc r279 gtggtaggtcaaaccgcaattcc r280 accaaatcagacatatcagctttgg r281 cacagaacggatcctcaataaagg r282 gttaactcctcccttctctttatgg 282 reverse abl primers used for the second pcr round and the tag sequence which was on the 5 ′ end of each primer amplified patient dna was electrophoresed on a 2 % agarose gel . p is patient dna , n is the normal dna and w is the water control . the patient dna was amplified using multiple rarα primers and a single pml primer a ) amplified patient dna electrophoresed on a 2 % agarose gel , p is patient dna , n is the normal dna and w is the water control . the patient dna was amplified for one round using an rarα primer and a pml primer designed using the breakpoint sequence . b ) the sequence chromatogram obtained from the patient dna . the breakpoint between pml and rarα is shown . two patients have been studied and the breakpoint has been isolated and sequenced in both . the primers used are shown in example 4 . primers used for isolation of pml - raralpha translocation breakpoint in acute promyelocytic leukemia the second round primers were internal to the first round primers and were used for performing bottleneck pcr in order to eliminate non - specific amplified material and facilitate isolation of the translocation breakpoint . various combinations of the forward and reverse primers can be used . 2 exemplary protocols were either to set up 6 pcrs , each containing a different pml primer and all 34 raralpha primers , or to set up 1 pcr which contained all 6 forward and all 34 reverse primers . 34 reverse raralpha reverse primers used for the first pcr round and the tag sequence which was on the 5 ′ end of each primer nearly all translocations involve a 3 kb region of the bcr gene and 140 kb region of the abl gene . six forward primers used to cover the region of the bcr gene and 282 primers used to cover the region of the abl gene . six pcrs are set up , each containing one of the bcr primers , all of the abl primers , and the common tag primer . if necessary , a second round of pcr is performed with a nested internal bcr primer and 282 nested internal abl primers alternatively , 1 - 3 rounds of bottleneck pcr are performed in order to remove non - specific amplified products and reveal the amplified translocation sequence . the abl gene is very rich in alu sequences , and the bcr gene also contains one such sequence . the abl primers have therefore undergone a selection procedure which sequentially involves , for each abl primer : design using standard criteria pairing with each bcr primer and testing by electronic pcr for amplification off the bcr template . primers that fail this criterion are discarded . incorporation in a pool of 12 or 24 abl primers , pairing the pool with each bcr primer , and testing by experimental pcr using a bcr template which has been previously produced by pcr amplification . any pool that that produces amplification and thus fails this test is further analysed by testing each of the individual abl primers to determine which is responsible for amplification . when identified , this primer is discarded . the bcr and abl primers used in example 1 are shown in example 2 . those skilled in the art will appreciate that the invention described herein is susceptible to variations and modifications other than those specifically described . it is to be understood that the invention includes all such variations and modifications . the invention also includes all of the steps , features , compositions and compounds referred to or indicated in this specification , individually or collectively , and any and all combinations of any two or more of said steps or features .	2
in illustrative implantable blood monitoring and medication administrating device will be seen in fig1 . it includes a sealed case 2 and a catheter 4 which is implanted in a vessel v . within the casing is a battery 6 , such as a long - life lithium power cell , and a microprocessor 8 . also located in the casing is a medication infusion pump 10 herein illustrated as a solenoid operated , double acting piston pump . the pump may also be a bellows pump of a type hereinafter to be described in greater detail . a medication reservoir 12 is in communication with the pump 10 by way of a conduit 14 in which there is located a valve 16 , herein illustrated schematically as an electrically operated rotary valve . the pump 10 communicates with the catheter 4 by way of a conduit 18 which includes a second rotary valve 20 . a sensor , generally indicated 22 and to be described in greater detail hereafter , is located in the catheter 4 . parenthetically , the end of the catheter 3 should be sufficiently small that if the sensor 22 should come loose , it cannot enter the blood stream . furthermore , if the sensor disconnects , the microprocessor is preprogrammed to send an alarm so that the patient will be notified . a glucose sensor 22 is attached in one of its two proposed configurations to the pump &# 39 ; s insulin delivery catheter 4 . the appropriate configuration is dependent on the size of sensor used . the mechanism by which blood will be sensed is the same for both configurations . design configurations of the sensor are shown in fig2 and 3 . in the configuration shown in fig2 the sensor 22 is smaller than the inner diameter of the catheter 4 and fits into the catheter . this illustrative catheter has , for example , an inner diameter of 0 . 6 mm and an outer diameter of 2 . 3 mm . the configuration shown in fig3 is for larger sensors 22 &# 39 ;. the catheter 4 is cut and a larger catheter 22 &# 39 ; is attached , as indicated in the diagram for the length required by the sensor . in both configurations , the sensor 22 or 22 &# 39 ; is attached to the microprocessor via electrode leads 36 . the fig2 configuration has the advantage that no cuts need to be made into the existing catheter and , therefore , leaks need not be considered as a possible problem as in the configuration of fig3 . an inlet septum herein illustrated as a biocompatible elastomeric plug 24 closes off the neck 28 of the medication reservoir 12 . a needle stop 26 may be located in the neck 28 of the reservoir . the case 2 is implanted in the subcutaneous tissue in the chest area and the infusion catheter 4 is threaded intravenously to a central location , such as the right atrium . the device is inserted subcutaneously with the septum 24 facing outwardly so that it may be refilled periodically by a physician . the reservoir is filled with medication , such as insulin , by a needle 32 through the inlet septum 24 . depth of penetration is limited by the needle stop 26 . the septum may , for example , be made of biocompatible silicon rubber , as well as the infusion catheter . the solenoid activator 11 of the pump 10 , the sensor 22 and the valves 16 and 20 are connected by appropriate leads , designated collectively 36 , to the microprocessor 8 . operation is as follows . the microprocessor 8 is preprogrammed before implantation such that at a desired time , blood is drawn into the catheter 4 at least as far as the sensor 22 and , preferably , not much further . this is accomplished by the microprocessor 8 causing the piston 13 of the double acting pump 10 to move upwardly , with both of the valves 16 and 20 in their open positions , as shown . during the withdrawal of blood from the vessel v , the valves are maintained by the microprocessor in their open positions . at a predetermined time , before the blood reaches the pump 10 or the valve 20 , the microprocessor 8 initiates closure of the valve 20 and no further blood is withdrawn , it being sufficient for the blood to reach the sensor 22 , but go no further . the valve 16 remains open at this time in order to fill the pump cylinder 15 with insulin from the reservoir 12 . as soon as the blood has reached the sensor 22 , it samples the blood sugar and data are sent back to the microprocessor 8 . the microprocessor in turn , depending upon the information received from the sensor , calculates the amount of insulin to be injected . it than causes the valve 16 to be closed and the valve 20 to be opened . the pump 10 is then activated with the piston 13 moving downwardly . this forces the insulin out through the valve 20 , causing the blood then in the catheter to return to the vessel followed by a measured , calculated dose of insulin . in this process , the sensor 22 is &# 34 ; washed &# 34 ; by the flowing insulin as is the orifice 3 of the catheter . the above described mechanism is illustrative of one type of apparatus for carrying out the invention . it will be obvious that its construction , and the use of other components and existing devices may be modified or substituted in the system . referring to fig4 there will be seen an alternative embodiment of the pumping system . it employs a constant basal - flow rate pump of the type manufactured by infusaid of norwood , mass . the pump consists of a drug chamber , a reservoir 40 and a power supply chamber 42 . titanium bellows 44 separate the two chambers and act as a spring acting on the drug chamber 40 . the power supply chamber 42 contains fluid which boils at body temperature and , therefore , exists in equilibrium with its vapor and exerts a constant pressure on the drug chamber 40 . upon signal from the microprocessor , the medication is forced from chamber 40 through a passageway 46 when a valve 48 is in the open position under the control of the microprocessor 8 . with this configuration , the pump 10 has only one function and that is to draw the blood to the sensor 22 and then to return it to the vessel v . in operation , with the valve 20 open and the valve 48 closed , the pump 15 draws the blood to the sensor 22 . a signal is sent to the microprocessor 8 and the new flow rate from the bellows pump reservoir 40 would be adjusted to the level required for proper biological function . the new flow level would then continue after the blood had been returned to the vessel from the sensor area 22 until the next cycle of testing takes place . adjustment in flow may be controlled by selecting the valve 48 as a flow - rate control valve . the other function of the valve 48 is to prevent blood from going to the reservoir 40 upon being withdrawn from the vessel v . this is a safety measure since it is only intended that the blood be drawn as far as the sensor 22 . one type of commercially available sensor which may be employed is an enzyme electrode sensor . whereas this type sensor was developed for analytic purposes and not for closed loop systems , it is intended for use with whole blood and , therefore , ideal for use with a catheter placed directly in the blood stream . sensors for use with the system should , preferably , be independent of ambient temperature and have relatively short response times . the configuration as seen in fig3 is the better designed option suited to sensors available in the present state of technology . this is true in spite of the fact that the catheter has to be cut and resealed so that it does not leak , but it is more easily assembled .	0
it should be appreciated that the term “ medical devices ” as used herein , includes , but is not limited to , such articles as surgical , dental , veterinary and mortuary instruments and equipment . the articles may be made of various materials , including , but not limited to , stainless steel . referring now to fig1 and 3 , there is shown a soil detection system 30 according to an embodiment of the present invention , generally comprised of a scanning unit 80 and a control unit 40 . scanning unit 80 includes a detector 90 , a light source in the form of a laser 100 that produces a laser light 102 , a light filter 112 , and a dichroic beamsplitter 116 that are located within a housing 81 . in the illustrated embodiment , scanning unit 80 is handheld by the user . it should be understood that the light source can alternatively be located external to scanning unit 80 and an optical fiber used to transmit light from the external light source to scanning unit 80 . in the illustrated embodiment , detector 90 takes the form of a conventional digital video / still camera that includes a cmos ( complementary metal - oxide semiconductor ) or ccd ( charge - coupled device ) image sensor 92 and a lens 94 . a ccd image sensor 92 represents pixels by p - doped mosfet capacitors . these capacitors are biased above the threshold for inversion when image acquisition begins , allowing the conversion of incoming photons into electron charges at the semiconductor - oxide interface . image sensor 92 is then used to read out these charges . detector 90 is adapted to detect electromagnetic radiation emanating from said articles and generate corresponding information ( i . e ., light data ) that is delivered to control unit 40 . it should be understood that detector 90 may take the form of any suitable device able to detect electromagnetic radiation and produce an image , including , but not limited to , a cmos sensor , a ccd , a photodiode , and a photodiode array . in the illustrated embodiment , image sensor 92 takes the form of a color image sensor , such as ccd or cmos with rgb ( red - green - blue ) pixel matrix , or a three - dimensional image sensor where color rgb planes are stacked on the same chip , such as 3 - ccd or 3 - cmos . these image sensors provide access to each color channel individually for image processing . in the illustrated embodiment , laser 100 is preferably a laser diode that predominantly emits light (“ laser light ”) at a wavelength of 488 nm ( blue ). as will be explained in further detail below , the laser light excites a fluorescent agent ( e . g ., a fluorophore such as fluorescein ). two - and three - dimensional images may be obtained since fluorescence takes place in all directions ( i . e ., the fluorescence signal is usually isotropic ). furthermore , the signal - to - noise ratio of the fluorescence signal is very high , providing a good sensitivity . in the illustrated embodiment , the fluorescent agent is fluorescein , which has a maximum excitation at light having a wavelength of about 490 nm . once excited , the fluorescein emits light at a wavelength of about 513 nm . since the emitted , fluorescent light is of a different frequency than the excitation light , the excitation light can be filtered out . the intensity of light emitted from a region having the fluorescent agent is correlated to the intensity of excitation energy and to the concentration of the fluorescent agent . it should be understood that the light source of the present invention for producing light emitted by scanning unit 80 may take a number of different forms , including , but not limited to , any kind of device being able to emit a monochromatic or broadband electromagnetic field . examples of such devices include lasers , solid - state lasers , laser diodes , argon ion lasers , micro wire lasers , diode solid - state lasers , vertical cavity surface emitting lasers , light emitting diodes ( led ), organic light emitting diode ( oled ), polymer light emitting diode ( pled ), quantum dot based light sources , white light sources , halogen lamps , phosphor - coated leds , thin - film electroluminescent devices , phosphorescence oleds , inorganic / organic leds , leds using quantum dot technologies , led arrays , flood light systems using leds , white leds , filament lamps , arc lamps , gas lamps and fluorescent tubes . dichroic beamsplitter 116 is used to both reflect and filter light , depending upon the direction the light is traveling toward dichroic beamsplitter 116 . in one direction , dichroic beamsplitter 116 reflects blue light emitted by laser 100 to direct laser light 102 through an opening 81 a in housing 81 . in a second direction , dichroic beamsplitter 116 cuts blue light and allows green and red light to pass therethrough for reception by detector 90 . accordingly , dichroic beamsplitter 116 prevents any excitation light ( in this case , blue light emitted by laser 100 ) from being received by detector 90 . it should be appreciated that a combination of a reflective member ( e . g ., a dichroic mirror ) and one or more light filters may be substituted for dichroic beamsplitter 116 . in the embodiment illustrated in fig1 , filter 112 is preferably a dual band filter that permits only red and green light to pass therethrough and be received by detector 90 . as shown in fig3 , housing 81 includes a handle grip 84 . a trigger 86 is provided to activate scanning unit 80 , as will be explained below . a cable 82 electrically connects scanning unit 80 with control unit 40 . in the illustrated embodiment of the present invention , control unit 40 includes a display unit 42 ( e . g ., an lcd or led display unit ), a user input interface 44 ( e . g ., buttons , knobs , keypad , and the like ) for control and programming of control unit 40 , and an audio output 48 ( e . g ., a speaker ) for emitting audible sounds . a power cord 50 connects control unit 40 to a power source ( e . g ., a conventional ac electrical outlet ). the power source may also supply power to scanning unit 80 through control unit 40 . control unit 40 includes a processing unit and data storage to perform image processing on the light data collected by detector 90 and provides an audible and / or visual soil detection feedback using audio output 48 and display unit 42 . a detailed description of the operation of control unit 40 and scanning unit 80 is provided below . the present invention will now be further described with reference to detection of soil on articles that have been exposed to a solution containing a fluorescent agent ( e . g ., fluorescein , which is biocompatible ). for example , a medical washer ( washing apparatus ) may be provided to remove bio - contaminants from articles placed in a washing chamber by directing jets or streams of fluid at the articles from spray heads or nozzles located within the washer chamber . the washer may be configured to expose the articles to a solution containing the fluorescent agent during the washer &# 39 ; s standard wash cycle and / or rinse cycle . the fluorescent agent ( non - specifically ) binds to organic residues ( e . g ., proteins ), and thus affixes to soil on the articles to label the bio - contaminant . where there is no soil on the article , the fluorescent agent does not become affixed thereto ( i . e ., is unbound ), and therefore can be easily rinsed off of the article . in a preferred embodiment , no extra wash time is required for labeling the bio - contaminant and no extra rinse time is required to remove all of the unbound fluorescent agent . accordingly , no changes are required of existing medical washers with respect to standard wash and rinse cycles ( i . e ., no additional “ marking ” cycle , or pre - wash cycle , etc . is required ). in one embodiment of the present invention , fluorescein is used as the fluorescent agent at a concentration in the range of about 0 . 001 mm to 90 mm ( for example , around 0 . 3 mm ) with an exposure time in the range of 30 seconds to 5 minutes to label the bio - contaminant . it is contemplated that the washer may include a source of a fluorescent agent that is introduced into a water inlet line to the washing chamber during a desired stage of the washing and / or rinsing cycles . a valve controls the flow of the fluorescent agent into the water inlet line . preferably , the solution containing the fluorescent agent is introduced into the washing chamber during a later stage of the washing cycle . therefore , during a subsequent rinsing cycle , the fluorescent agent can be removed from unsoiled portions of the articles . the solution containing the fluorescent agent may be combined with a washing solution that includes a decontaminating agent or cleaning detergent . the decontaminating agent or cleaning detergent may initially be in a liquid or dry powder form . the fluorescent agent may be directly added to the decontamination or cleaning detergent before the detergent is added to the washing chamber . it should be appreciated that while an illustrated embodiment of the present invention is described herein with reference to “ fluorescein ” as the fluorescent agent , it is contemplated that alternative fluorescent agents may be substituted for fluorescein . a selected fluorescent agent preferably has the following properties : approval by government regulatory authorities ( e . g ., fda ); bio - compatible in such a way that remaining traces of the fluorescent agent on an article can be safely introduced into the human body without incurring health problems ; binds rapidly to proteins ( e . g ., within a few seconds ); has the ability to withstand exposure to harsh washing environment conditions ( i . e ., harsh chemicals and temperatures exceeding 80 ° c . ); water soluble ; and high quantum yield . alternative fluorophores include , but are not limited to , rose bengal , acid red , phtalocyanine , and luminol . while the present invention has been described in connection with the use of a fluorescent agent , it is also contemplated that the present invention may be adapted for use with alternative chemical agents that provide luminescence , including but not limited to , chemical agents which provide phosphorescence , chemiluminescence , or bioluminescence . referring now to fig1 and 3 , one or more articles 10 ( e . g ., a tool or instrument ) which have been exposed to a solution containing fluorescein are placed in a tray 5 . the articles are preferably arranged in a single layer to provide exposure to the light emitted by the light source , as will be described below . an operator of soil detection system 30 grabs handle grip 84 to manually move scanning unit 80 over the surfaces of an article 10 while activating laser 100 using trigger switch 86 . activation of trigger switch 86 causes laser 100 to produce a laser light 102 at a wavelength of 488 nm ( blue light ). the laser light 102 is reflected by dichroic beamsplitter 116 and travels through opening 81 a of housing 81 and is directed toward article 10 . article 10 is exposed to both ambient light and laser light 102 as scanning unit 80 is moved over the surfaces of article 10 . fig6 a - 6c show the intensity of ambient light produced at various wavelengths for ambient lighting sources , such as an incandescent bulb , a fluorescent tube light , and a computer monitor screen , respectively . as discussed above , when the fluorescein that binds to soil is exposed to the laser light 102 at a wavelength of about 490 nm , the fluorescein emits light ( i . e ., fluoresces ) at a wavelength of about 513 nm . reflected ambient light ( l r ) and fluorescent light ( l f ) emitted by the excited fluorescein pass through dichroic beamsplitter 116 and filter 112 before traveling through lens 94 of detector 90 . filter 112 allows only red and green light to pass therethrough to detector 90 . the light transmitted through lens 94 is received by image sensor 92 . as scanning unit 80 is moved across article 10 , the user squeezes trigger 86 , thereby activating laser 100 to produce laser light 102 that is emitted from housing 81 through opening 81 a . laser light 102 is incident on article 10 as scanning unit is moved across article 10 . ambient light is also incident upon article 10 , thereby producing ambient light reflections that will include both red and green light . when the fluorescent agent ( i . e ., fluorescein ) present in the soil is excited by laser light 102 the soil fluoresces thereby emitting light at a wavelength of about 513 nm ( green light ). both the reflected ambient light ( l r ) and the fluorescent light ( l f ) of the soil pass through filter 112 which filters out all but red and green light . therefore , image sensor 92 only receives red and green light . referring now to fig1 , there is shown a sample input spectrum 120 . as scanning unit 80 is moved across article 10 , image sensor 92 acquires and transmits to control unit 40 detected light data indicative of input spectrum 120 that includes a green light waveform 122 and a red light waveform 124 . green light waveform 122 is indicative of the intensity of green light detected by image sensor 92 and red light waveform 124 is indicative of the intensity of red light detected by image sensor 92 . control unit 40 is programmed to spectrally discriminate between soil fluorescence ( indicating the presence of soil ) and specular ambient light reflections , based upon the measure of saturation of green light intensities relative to red light intensities ( ratio ). in the illustrated embodiment , the range of this measure of saturation is enclosed between zero and one . accordingly , the system is robust to the variations of ambient light of the surrounding environment and changes of acquisition parameters . a value of saturation close to zero is indicative of the presence of specular ambient light reflections , whereas a large value close to one is indicative of the presence of soil . control unit 40 may be programmed to display the detected light data to a user on display unit 42 . control unit 40 may also be programmed to provide the user with a visual and / or audible indicator ( e . g ., warning / alarm / feedback ) via display unit 42 and audio output 48 in the event that the ratio of green light intensity - to - red light intensity indicates the presence of soil . it is further contemplated that control unit 40 may present an image of article 10 and use display unit 42 to display the location of the detected soil ( i . e ., contaminated region ) on article 10 . the image of article 10 may be acquired during optical scanning of article 10 or from a prestored image library comprised of images of a plurality of commonly used articles 10 . referring now to fig2 , there is shown a soil detection system 30 a according to an alternative embodiment of the present invention . soil detection system 30 a is similar to soil detection system 30 in several regards , and thus like components have been given the same reference numbers . soil detection system 30 a includes scanning unit 80 a having laser 100 , detector 90 , a power modulator 34 , dichroic beamsplitter 116 , and a light filter 112 a that allows only green light to pass therethrough . power modulator 34 produces a pulsed waveform that provides an on / off signal to activate / deactivate laser 100 . when the pulse is an on signal , laser 100 is activated to produce laser light 102 . the pulsed waveform causes laser 100 to be continuously pulsed on and off at a laser modulation frequency . as scanning unit 80 a is moved across article 10 , the user squeezes trigger 86 , thereby activating power modulator 34 to produce the pulsed waveform that provides the on / off signal to laser 100 . when the pulse is an on signal , laser light 102 is emitted from housing 81 through opening 81 a . it should be appreciated that power modulator 34 may alternatively take the form of a square wave modulation circuit to modulate the output of laser 100 ( amplitude modulation ). laser light 102 is incident on article 10 as scanning unit is moved across article 10 . ambient light is also incident upon article 10 , thereby producing ambient light reflections that will include green light . when the fluorescent agent ( e . g ., fluorescein ) present in the soil is excited by laser light 102 the soil fluoresces thereby emitting light at a wavelength of about 513 nm ( green light ). both the reflected ambient light ( l r ) and the fluorescent light ( l f ) of the soil passes through filter 112 which filters out all but green light . therefore , image sensor 92 only receives green light . in this embodiment , image sensor may take the form of a color or gray - scale type sensor . the modulation frequency for laser 100 is set to be lower than the emission frequencies of ambient lighting sources . detector 90 operates in a continuous ( video ) mode at a frame rate that is higher that the modulation frequency . green blinking features on display unit 42 of control unit 40 at the modulation frequency are indicative of soil . non - blinking features or blinking at frequencies other than the modulation frequency are identified as ambient light reflections . in one embodiment of the present invention the modulation frequency is around 10 hz . the frequency of ambient lighting sources are f = 20 - 60 khz ( electronic ballast fluorescent tube ), f = 120 hz ( incandescent light bulb and magnetic ballast fluorescent tube ), and f = 240 hz ( computer monitor ). as scanning unit 80 a is moved across article 10 , power modulator 34 produces the pulsed waveform that causes detector 90 and laser 100 to be continuously pulsed on and off . as indicated above , filter 112 a only allows green light to pass therethrough to detector 90 . image sensor 92 acquires and transmits to control unit 40 detected light data indicative of the intensity of green light detected by image sensor 92 . fig5 illustrates a soil detection system 30 b according to an alternative embodiment of the present invention . soil detection system 30 b includes a control unit 40 a having an inspection chamber 60 for inspecting articles 10 placed on a tray 5 . a plurality of scanning units 80 b are located within chamber 60 for exposing the plurality of surfaces of an article 10 to laser light 102 . scanning units 80 b are similar in most respects to scanning units 80 and 80 a except that they are automatically activated by control unit 40 a . the embodiment shown in fig5 eliminates the need for the user to manually activate a handheld scanning unit 80 , 80 a and manually expose all of the surfaces of an article 10 to laser light 102 . it is contemplated that tray 5 may also be connected with an apparatus ( now shown ) for rotating , shaking , or otherwise moving tray 5 within chamber 60 . it is further contemplated that scanning units 80 b may be mounted to moveable arms ( not shown ) to provide a range of motion for each scanning unit 80 b . control unit 40 is programmed to control movement of tray 5 and scanning units 80 b . the foregoing description discloses specific embodiments of the present invention . it should be appreciated that these embodiment are described for purposes of illustration only , and that numerous alterations and modifications may be practiced by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention . for example , it is contemplated that the scanning unit of the present invention could communicate with the control unit via wireless communications . it is also contemplated that the method and apparatus of the present invention may also be used in combination with automated and human visual inspections using “ white light ” imaging . in addition , it is further contemplated that the present invention may be adapted to include a fiber optic accessory for point inspection of canulated instruments . it is intended that all such modifications and alterations be included insofar as they come within the scope of the invention as claimed or the equivalents thereof	0
referring to fig1 of the drawing , the speed responsive motor shutoff mechanism of the present invention is adapted to be used in a portable pneumatic tool generally designated by the numeral 10 and comprising a nutsetter . the tool 10 includes a housing portion 12 in which is disposed a conventional rotary vane type expansible chamber motor 14 . motive fluid such as compressed air is supplied to the tool by way of a flexible conduit 16 connected to the tool handle 18 . a manually actuated shutoff valve 20 , shown schematically in fig1 is operable to control the supply of pressure fluid to the motor by way of passage 22 . the valve 20 is shown schematically in fig1 for clarity and is adapted to be disposed in the tool housing and to be actuated by a suitable operating lever 24 . the tool 10 also includes a housing portion 26 which includes a drive shaft 28 suitably connected to a socket member 30 for driving a threaded fastener or the like in a known way . the tool 10 further includes a housing portion 32 intermediate the housing portions 12 and 26 and suitably secured thereto by respective threaded collars 34 and 36 . referring to fig2 the housing portion 32 is adapted to have interior chambers 38 and 40 which may be in fluid conducting communication with each other to form passage means for the exhaust fluid flow from the motor 14 . exhaust fluid from the motor 14 is conducted to the chamber 38 through motor exhaust port means 42 in the motor end plate 44 . exhaust fluid flows from the chamber 40 through the hollow interior of the housing portion 26 and exits from the tool through suitable louvers 46 , shown in fig1 . referring again to fig2 the motor 14 includes a rotor 48 having an output shaft portion 50 which is drivably coupled to an intermediate drive shaft 52 . the drive shaft 52 is rotatably supported in the housing portion 32 and includes a portion forming the sun gear 54 of a planetary gear drive . the planetary gear drive includes a planet gear carrier 56 which is drivably connected to the final drive shaft 28 . the speed responsive motor shutoff mechanism of the present invention includes a member 58 disposed on the drive shaft 52 for rotation therewith . the member 58 includes a plurality of generally radially extending grooves 60 formed therein , see fig3 also . the grooves 60 are formed to have inclined bottom surfaces 62 and the grooves each contain a movable flyweight or spherical ball 64 which is movable along the groove radially outwardly with respect to the drive shaft 52 in response to centrifugal force . the speed responsive motor shutoff mechanism further includes an axially movable member 66 forming a valve closure member for interrupting the flow of exhaust fluid from the chamber 38 to the chamber 40 . the closure member 66 is axially slidably supported by a hub portion 68 of the motor end plate 44 and by the intermediate drive shaft 52 . the closure member 66 is operable to engage a seat 70 formed by a transverse wall surface facing the interior chamber 38 . the closure member 66 is biased toward the seat 70 by a coil spring 72 disposed between a flange 74 on the closure member and the motor end plate 44 . the closure member 66 includes a recess 76 opening to one end thereof in which the member 58 is partially disposed . an annular plate 78 is also disposed in the recess 76 and is engageable with the balls 64 even when they are disposed in their radially innermost positions in the grooves 60 . a circular disc spring washer 80 is disposed between the plate 78 and the bottom of the recess 76 . the stiffness of the spring washer 80 is greater than the stiffness of the spring 72 and the spring washer exerts a biasing force in opposition to the spring 72 . accordingly , when the fluid pressure in the chambers 38 and 40 is essentially the same the spring washer 80 holds the closure member 66 a short distance away from the seat 70 as shown in fig2 . accordingly , when pressure fluid is introduced to the motor 14 on startup some exhaust fluid flow is allowed to pass through the chambers 38 and 40 to enable the motor to start . once the motor 14 has commenced to rotate the shaft 52 rapidly , the balls 64 are forced radially outwardly in the grooves 60 and due to the inclined bottom surfaces 62 the balls force the plate 78 and the closure member 66 to the right , viewing fig2 to increase the size of the passageway formed between the closure member and the seat 70 . therefore , when the motor 14 is operating at greater than idle speed or greater than approximately ten percent of its free speed , the exhaust flow is not impeded . in normal operation of the tool 10 for running down and tightening a threaded fastener , when the motor 14 is at rest and the valve 20 is closed , the closure member 66 is in the position shown in fig2 . when the valve 20 is moved to the position to conduct pressure fluid through the passage 22 to the motor 14 , the initial flow of motive fluid permitted by the small opening between the closure member 66 and the seat 70 is sufficient to allow the motor to accelerate enough to cause the balls 64 to force the closure member to the fully open position . the closure member 66 will remain in a substantially full open position with the spring 72 compressed until rotative speed of the motor 14 and the drive shaft 52 decreases to approximately ten percent of the motor free or unloaded speed . this reduced speed is normally commensurate with the desired maximum torque to be delivered by the motor to the fastener being tightened . as the motor speed decreases to the condition mentioned above , the bias of the spring 72 will force the balls 64 radially inward in the grooves 60 overcoming the reduced centrifugal forces acting on the balls and the closure member will move toward the seat 70 . as the passageway formed between the closure member 66 and the seat becomes more restricted with movement of the closure member , the exhaust fluid pressure in the chamber 38 increases in relation to the pressure in chamber 40 and a pressure force acting on the flange 74 will cause the closure member to move rapidly into engagement with the seat overcoming the bias force of the spring washer 80 . when the exhaust flow is shut off entirely the motor 14 will stop and the fluid pressure difference across the motor will quickly diminish to reduce substantially the motor output torque whether or not the valve 20 remains open or closed . when the valve 20 is released by the tool operator the fluid pressure in the motor 14 as well as the exhaust chamber 38 will be reduced due to leakage flow and venting through the valve 20 in the closed position . when the fluid pressure in the chamber 38 decreases sufficiently , the spring washer 80 will move the closure member 66 away from the seat 70 to the position shown in fig2 and the shutoff mechanism will be ready for another operating cycle of the tool 10 . an alternate embodiment of the present invention is shown in fig4 and 5 . referring to fig4 the motor rotor output shaft portion 50 is drivably connected to a coupling member 82 having cylindrical journal 83 and a plurality of spiral grooves 84 formed on the periphery thereof , as shown also in fig5 . the coupling member 82 is drivably connected to the shaft 52 . a closure member 86 similar to the closure member 66 is mounted on the coupling member 82 and includes a hub portion 88 having spaced apart holes 90 in which are disposed ball keys 92 . the ball keys 92 extend into the grooves 84 to form a driving connection between the coupling member 82 and the closure member . the ball keys 92 are retained in engagement with the closure member 86 and the coupling member 82 by a spring band 94 . accordingly , the closure member 86 is operable to move axially on the coupling member 82 between a shoulder 96 on the coupling member and a retaining ring 98 also disposed on the coupling member . in moving axially the closure member 86 also undergoes some rotation with respect to the coupling member because of the coupling formed by the ball keys 92 and the spiral grooves 84 . the shutoff mechanism shown in fig4 and 5 operates in a manner similar to the mechanism shown in fig1 through 3 , that is , when the motor 14 is at rest and the valve 20 is closed the closure member 86 normally assumes the position shown in fig4 . however , because of the limited motion coupling formed between the member 82 , and the closure member 86 the closure member may be in a further open position . accordingly , when the valve 20 is opened the motor 14 will accelerate the balls 64 to force the closure member 86 to the fully open position if in fact it is not already in that position . the coupling formed between the closure member 86 and the coupling member 82 will also assist in moving the closure member toward the open position due to the inertia of the closure member . when motor speed decreases due to increased torque and the balls 64 move radially inwardly in the grooves 60 the angular momentum of the rotating closure member 86 will urge it to move with respect to the coupling member 82 rotatably and axially toward the valve seat 70 . as the closure member 86 approaches the seat 70 the reduced flow area formed between the seat and the closure member will create a pressure differential acting on the flange 99 of the closure member causing the same to move rapidly toward the closed position whereby the motor 14 will stop . as in the embodiment of fig1 thru 3 , the valve closure member 86 will remain closed as long as the valve 20 is held open and a pressure differential exists across the flange 99 of the closure member . when the pressure in the chamber 38 is reduced upon closure of the valve 20 , the spring washer 80 will move the closure member 86 to the partially open position shown in fig4 so that another operating cycle may be commenced upon opening of the valve 20 .	1
a more complete description of the multi - user document editing system and method now follows . in the examples provided herein numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a more thorough understanding of embodiments of the invention . it will be apparent , however , to an artisan of ordinary skill that the present invention may be used without incorporating all aspects of the invention described herein . in other instances , specific features , quantities , or measurements well known to those of ordinary skill in the art are not described in detail so as to illuminate the essence of the invention . readers should note that although examples of the invention are set forth herein , the claims , and the full scope of any equivalents , are what define the metes and bounds of the invention . fig1 illustrates presentation window 100 with a popup menu 101 comprising family 102 , spread 103 , presentation layout 104 and presentation objects 105 protection menu items . users utilize this popup menu 101 to control with a definable level of granularity which aspects of family 102 , spread 103 , layout 104 or objects 105 are protected from changes by other users or checked in for changes by the operating user . alternatively , if a particular portion of a document is not protected , for example if it has not been finalized , then any modification performed on any computer is propagated to all other computers where it is observable by users simultaneously viewing the changed portion of the document . the modification to the presentation data ( and content if desired ) is parallel in nature as opposed to the typical modification of content that other editors use , i . e ., serial editing . embodiments of the invention permit multiple users to modify a document in parallel which greatly speeds the creation of large documents such as product catalogs . one embodiment implements the propagation of modification requests or changes by sending user interface gestures to a controller on a server that is configured to accept the user interface gestures on a first - in - first - out ( fifo ) basis . any fifo that allows one process at a time to input a user interface gesture may be utilized . in addition , any type of fifo or other data structure can be utilized so long as a semaphore or other type of lock is utilized to provide ordered access to the fifo . hence , any user interface gesture or command that is received at the fifo is received in whole before accepting another user interface gesture associated with a second user . once an input to the fifo is accepted , it is processed in order , and protection for an object associated with the command is checked on a granularity level associated with the object . checking protection on at least one granularity level allows for determining if the object attempting to be modified is part of a locked family , or a finer granularity such as a child of a family for example . the model ( i . e ., database ) is updated if there is no lock on the object and the modification is sent to all displays associated with a particular document for example . any type of communication may be utilized to accept and transfer changes to and from all computers associated with a document . for example , tcp / ip may be one communication implementation that may be utilized to couple multiple computers to a server . as will be described in conjunction with the remaining figures , there are many levels of granularity that embodiments of the invention are configured to utilize . fig2 shows a presentation of a document in a presentation window that includes publication tree view 201 showing families in the tree , family view 202 showing the family selected in publication tree view 201 , spread view 203 and presentation objects view 204 as displayed on a first computer . the family protection menu item 205 is shown being selected . any other method of displaying multiple levels of presentation data associated with a document is in keeping with the spirit of the invention . fig3 illustrates locked family view 202 as protected via family protection menu item 205 in fig2 . family view 202 is depicted as grayed out as per gray area 301 to signify that it is protected , and family locked icon 302 is displayed as an iconic lock . fig4 illustrates popup 401 in family view 202 having protection , and check in / check out menu items with the check out family menu item 402 shown as selected . selecting check out family menu item 402 enables the modification of the family data on a first computer while locking out other users from requesting modification of the information . fig5 shows checked out flag 501 with family view 202 as editable on a first computer . readers should note however that any other method of presenting edit status to a user is in keeping with the spirit of the invention . any characteristic of a family may be edited by the owner of the lock on the family ( or group of families ) selected in publication tree view 201 . family related characteristics may include setting of pivots for tables in the family for example , or sparse field designators such as qualifiers that allow for more dense presentation of information related to a family . any item related to the presentation on a family granularity level is settable in keeping with the spirit of the invention . fig6 illustrates a second computer display of family view 202 shown as uneditable after checked out via fig5 on a first computer . checked out icon 601 shows that another user has checked out the family for editing . as there are numerous other families in the document as shown in publication tree view 201 , the user of the computer may move on to edit another family while the first user is editing the family shown in fig6 . fig7 depicts a first computer editing table properties of the family data at 703 while a second computer presents an alternate view of the family data that is uneditable at 704 . icon 701 shows editable status while icon 702 shows uneditable status . although two users are viewing different views of the same family data , only the user that has checked out the family data may edit it . however , had neither user checked out the family data , then both users would be free to request modification to the family data with accepted modifications being displayed on the first and second computer as they occur . fig8 shows a rollback of changes on a first computer , which propagates the original unmodified data object in all family views on all computers viewing the document , including the second computer at the bottom of the figure . any changes made since the family was checked out are rolled back to the original state and displayed on all computers . for example , had the label associated with temperature change been altered by the first user with modifications displayed on all other computers viewing the same data , the data returns to its original unmodified state if “ rollback ” is selected via rollback menu item 801 . with rollback selected , the data is displayed in the original unmodified form on all computers viewing the data . in one or more embodiments , the first computer retains the checked out status and may begin modifying the family data again . this also applies to all other granularity levels of the presentation information related to the document . fig9 illustrates the rollback to original unmodified data on both the first and second computer using the same view of the family data as per unmodified data 901 and 902 respectively . as stated in the description of fig8 , the data is displayed as the original unmodified data . in one or more embodiments of the invention , the original view may be redisplayed to show the particular view of the family data that was being displayed previously . alternatively , the particular view may remain visible in order to show the data in the selected manner . so long as the presentation data is returned to its original unmodified state , rollback is successfully accomplished , leaving data 901 and 902 as if it were never modified . fig1 shows a two - page spread and an icon view of the spread on the right of the figure . spreads are at the granularity level of groups of pages . in this figure , spread 1001 is selected and displayed in spread view 1002 . any number of pages may constitute a spread . fig1 depicts popup 1101 to initiate setting the protection for the spread . once the spread is protected , no one may alter the spread since the spread is considered finished . setting the protection for any other presentation granularity level is accomplished in the same manner in one or more embodiments of the invention . any other method of setting the protection including menus , icons or any other graphical user interface element is in keeping with the spirit of the invention . fig1 shows the spread as uneditable since it is protected as per fig1 . specifically , spread locked icon 1201 is shown as a small lock . alternatively , or in combination the spread view may be grayed out . this signifies that the present user cannot modify the spread data without first checking out the spread data . fig1 illustrates popup 1301 that is displayed when a modification request for the spread is accepted and checked , wherein the modification request is denied . for example , if a user attempts to add a page within the spread or move the spread or delete a page within the spread , popup 1301 is displayed . a page may be added to another spread that is not locked , however . a quick review of spread thumbnails 1302 shows the spreads that are locked and not locked ( or editable and non - editable ) in one or more embodiments of the invention . in other embodiments of the invention , a username may be displayed on a mouse - over of the locked or checked out spread to display the username of the person that is editing ( or who has protected ) the spread . right clicking on the protected or uneditable spread may present an instant message window or email window to allow a second user to ask a first user a question regarding the locked or edit status of a particular granularity level , such as the spread level . fig1 shows popup 1401 for checking out the presentation layout . at this granularity level the presentation characteristics within a page may be modified . by checking out the presentation layout on a first computer , the user associated with the computer is allowed to edit the presentation layout data . fig1 shows the spread on a second computer as uneditable . in one or more embodiments the presentation layout data on a second computer ( the bottom screen in fig1 ) is shown as grayed out as per gray background 1501 . as with family or spread data , a lock icon may be used alternatively or in combination with grayed out areas as per icon 1502 . fig1 shows a modification to the presentation layout and a check in of the presentation layout on a first computer . specifically , icon 1601 is moved to a new location on the right side of the presentation layout window . when the presentation layout is checked in , as per menu 1602 , icon 1603 has the modification request applied to it . this results in the display of fig1 . fig1 shows the display of the modified object on the second computer . not only can modification requests related to movement be performed , but deletion of objects , addition of objects and alteration of objects , e . g ., stretch , rotation , resize , etc ., can be performed . as shown , the modified icon position of icon 1601 is applied to icon 1603 . fig1 shows a modification to the position of a presentation layer on a first computer wherein the presentation layer is not checked out . in this case , icon 1601 is dragged to a new location and 1603 remains located at the right side of the figure until the mouse is released on the first computer . alternatively , real - time position changes may be broadcast to all computers viewing the data , however , the network utilization for constant real time positioning may warrant the broadcast of final modification positions , for example . fig1 shows the result of the modification to the position of the presentation layer on the first computer after the object is “ dropped ” with the modification displayed on the second computer . again , in other embodiments of the invention , icon 1601 and 1603 may track each other in real - time if all movement messages are broadcast to all computers . for lower network bandwidth , icon 1603 tracks icon 1601 when the mouse is released on the first computer . fig2 shows the protection of presentation objects via presentation object protection menu item 2001 . this allows for protecting individual items on a page for example . thus , portions of a page may be protected once finalized , while other portions of a page remain open to one or more users to modify . fig2 shows the presentation objects as locked , or protected . although all presentation objects are shown as locked along with presentation object lock icon 2101 , any group of presentation objects may be locked and / or checked out or checked in , as previously described . 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 .	6
although certain preferred embodiments of the present invention will be shown and described in detail , it should be understood that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the appended claims . the scope of the present invention will in no way be limited to the number of constituting components , the materials thereof , the shapes thereof , the relative arrangement thereof , etc ., and are disclosed simply as an example of the preferred embodiment . the features and advantages of the present invention are illustrated in detail in the accompanying drawings , wherein like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout the drawings . referring to fig1 there is illustrated a perspective view of the bird feeder 10 in accordance with the present invention . the bird feeder 10 includes a housing 12 , a support shaft 14 , a support element 16 , a support element 18 , and a feed tray 20 . the housing 12 is free to rotate greater than 360 degrees about the support shaft 14 . the feed tray 20 is rigidly attached to the support shaft 14 . the bird feeder 10 is attached to an external support system 51 . the external support system 51 can preferably include an essentially horizontal branch 50 . the support elements 16 and 18 are attached to the branch 50 of a tree 110 by a flexible connector 52 and a flexible connector 54 . the flexible connectors 52 and 54 are preferably formed of rope , however , it should be appreciated that many other materials such as wire or twine can be used . the housing 12 includes a side wall 22 , a side wall 24 , a top plate 26 and a bottom plate 27 . the side walls 22 and 24 are preferably formed from a transparent material such as plastic or glass to allow a person to see through the side walls 22 and 24 and observe a bird ( not shown ) inside the housing 12 . the top plate 26 and the bottom plate 27 are attached to the side walls 22 and 24 by suitable means such as by screws , glue , or the like . the top plate 26 and the bottom plate 27 are formed from a hard smooth surfaced material such as aluminum or plastic to prevent an animal 40 from gripping the surface with its claws . as illustrated in fig3 the bottom plate 27 includes a counterweight 56 so that after spinning , the housing 12 will always return to the same at rest orientation with the counterweight 56 located at the bottom of the bird feeder 10 . the counterweight 56 is rigidly attached to a lower portion of the bottom plate 27 . as illustrated in fig1 and 2 , the side walls 22 and 24 included in the housing 12 are rotatably attached to the support shaft 14 by a bearing assembly 100 and a bearing assembly 102 . the bearing assemblies 100 and 102 allow rotation of the housing 12 about the support shaft 14 while preventing movement of the housing 12 in an axial direction along the axis of the support shaft 14 . the top plate 26 includes a circular surface 32 , a protruding portion 28 , and a protruding portion 30 . the protruding portions 28 and 30 extend upward at an angle from the circular surface 32 ( fig3 ). the bottom plate 27 includes a circular surface 34 , a protruding portion 36 , and a protruding portion 38 . as illustrated in fig3 the protruding portions 36 and 38 extend downward at an angle from the circular surface 34 . the protruding portions 28 , 30 , 36 , and 38 cause the housing 12 to rotate when an animal 40 such as a squirrel contacts one of the protruding portions 28 , 30 , 36 , or 38 . the protruding portions 28 , 30 , 36 , and 38 are preferably flat , however , many other shapes such as curved , concave or convex shapes can be used . in the preferred embodiment of the present invention , a cylindrical portion 29 of the housing 12 is formed by the circular surface 32 of the top plate 26 in combination with the side walls 22 and 24 and the circular surface 34 of the bottom plate 27 . preferably in the present invention , the cylindrical portion 29 of the housing 12 is about 12 inches in diameter , and the protruding portions 28 , 30 , 36 , and 38 extend about 4 inches from the cylindrical portion 29 . as illustrated in fig1 and 3 , the housing 12 has an opening 60 and an opening 62 . the opening 60 is formed by the upwardly protruding portion 28 , the side walls 22 and 24 , and the downwardly protruding portion 38 . the opening 62 is formed by the upwardly protruding portion 30 , the side walls 22 and 24 , and the downwardly protruding portion 36 . preferably the openings 60 and 62 are about 8 inches high and about 14 inches wide . a bird ( not shown ) can fly through either opening 60 and 62 and can land directly on the feed tray 20 . the feed tray 20 includes a plurality of side walls 70 , 72 , 74 and 76 and a base 78 . the combination of the side walls 70 , 72 , 74 , 76 , and the base 78 , form a region 80 for containing bird feed 81 ( fig1 ). in addition , the feed tray 20 includes a flat upper surface 82 that provides a perch on which a bird can land and stand on for feeding . the flat upper surface 82 is formed by the upper surfaces of the side walls 70 , 72 , 74 , 76 , and extends around the entire upper periphery of the feed tray 20 . to exit the bird feeder 10 , the bird flies directly from the feed tray 20 and out through one of the openings 60 or 62 . in addition , the feed tray 20 includes a lower counterweight 84 to help maintain the feed tray 20 in an upright position when strong winds blow against the feed tray 20 . thus , bird feed 81 is prevented from spilling because the feed tray 20 always remains in an upright position . the lower counterweight 84 is attached to the base 78 by the support elements 86 and 88 ( fig1 , and 3 ). as illustrated in fig1 and 2 , the feed tray 20 is rigidly attached to the support shaft 14 by a bracket 90 and a bracket 92 . thus , the lower counterweight 84 maintains the feed tray 20 in a upright position , while the counterweight 56 attached to the bottom plate 27 returns the rotatable housing 12 to a horizontal orientation . filling the feed tray 20 with feed such as bird seed is accomplished by rotating the housing 12 until the opening 60 or the opening 62 is in an upward location . next , bird feed 81 can be easily poured into the feed tray 20 . the transparent side walls 22 and 24 enable a person to easily see how much feed is in the feed tray 20 . as illustrated in fig1 through 4 , the bird feeder 10 can be mounted from the branch 50 of a tree 110 . preferably the branch 50 is essentially horizontal in orientation . a first end 110 of the support element 16 is rigidly attached to the support shaft 14 and a second end 112 of the support element 16 is formed into a loop 114 . a first end 116 of the support element 18 is rigidly attached to the support shaft 14 and a second end 118 of the support element 18 is formed into a loop 120 . a flexible connector 52 connects the loop 114 of the support element 16 with the branch 50 of the tree 110 . a flexible connector 54 connects the loop 120 of the support element 18 with the branch 50 of the tree 110 . the flexible connectors 52 and 54 are spaced at a distance &# 34 ; w &# 34 ; of greater than about 18 inches ( fig2 ). this distance &# 34 ; w &# 34 ; prevents the rotating housing 12 from contacting the flexible connectors 52 and 54 . the flexible connectors 52 and 54 are preferably made from rope , however , it should be appreciated that many other materials can be used . for example the flexible connectors 52 and 54 can comprise wire or twine . the flexible connectors 52 and 54 are attached by crimping , twisting , or by tying knots . fig2 illustrates an end view of the bird feeder 10 . preferably the bird feeder 10 is mounted at least a distance &# 34 ; d &# 34 ; of about 4 feet away from the nearest vertical element such as a tree trunk 130 . this distance &# 34 ; d &# 34 ; prevents the animal 40 from leaping directly from the tree trunk 130 to the feed tray 20 without touching and causing a rotation of the rotatable housing 12 . in addition , the bird feeder 10 is preferably mounted from a horizontal member such as a branch 50 that is at least a height &# 34 ; h &# 34 ; of about six feet above a ground surface 132 . this distance &# 34 ; h &# 34 ; above the ground surface 132 ensures that the animal 40 will not leap from the ground surface 132 into the bird feeder 10 . the support shaft 14 is preferably mounted at least about 25 inches from the branch 50 . this distance from the branch 50 allows the housing 12 to rotate freely beyond 360 degrees . the distance &# 34 ; a &# 34 ; between the support shaft 14 and the opening 60 in the housing 12 is at least about 9 inches ( fig3 ). this distance &# 34 ; a &# 34 ; prevents animals such as a squirrel 40 from being able to crawl from the support element 16 , to the support shaft 14 , and into the opening 60 of the housing 12 . in a similar manner , the distance of at least about 9 inches between the support shaft 14 and the opening 62 , likewise prevents the animal 40 from entering the opening 62 . fig5 is an end view of another embodiment of a feed tray 150 with a support cable 152 , and a support cable 154 . the feed tray 150 includes a plurality of side walls 156 , 158 , 160 , 162 , and a base 164 . the combination of the side walls 156 , 158 , 160 , 162 , and the base 164 , form a region 168 that contains bird feed 81 . in addition , the feed tray 20 includes a flat upper surface 170 that provides a perch on which the bird can land and stand on for feeding . side walls 156 and 160 include projecting elements 172 and 174 that receive and rigidly attach the support shaft 14 to the feed tray 150 . in addition , side walls 156 and 160 include projecting elements 180 and 182 to receive and rigidly attach the lower counterweight 84 to the feed tray 150 . the counterweight 84 helps maintain the feed tray 150 in an upright position when strong winds attempt to tip the feed tray 150 . thus , bird feed 81 is prevented from spilling because the feed tray 150 remains in an upright position . the side walls 22 and 24 of the housing 12 are rotatably attached to the support shaft 14 by the bearing assemblies 100 and 102 . a first end of the support cable 152 is rigidly attached to the support shaft 14 by a clamp 188 . a second end of the support cable 152 is formed into a loop 192 by rigidly attaching the cable 152 back onto itself by tightening a clamp 194 . in a similar manner , a first end of the support cable 154 is rigidly attached to the support shaft 14 by a clamp 196 . a second end of the support cable 154 is formed into a loop 198 by rigidly attaching the cable 154 back onto itself by tightening a clamp 200 . the flexible connectors 52 and 54 can be used to connect the loops 192 and 198 to the branch 50 . the distance &# 34 ; l &# 34 ; of the support cables 152 and 154 is at least about 25 inches as illustrated in fig5 . this distance &# 34 ; l &# 34 ; allows the housing 12 to rotate freely beyond 360 degrees . in the preferred embodiment of the present invention , the sides 22 and 24 of the housing 12 are transparent allowing people to clearly see a bird flying into the bird feeder 10 , feeding , and flying out of the bird feeder 10 ( fig1 ). also , it can be very entertaining for a person to watch an animal such as a squirrel 40 trying to reach the bird feed 81 . often a squirrel 40 will climb the trunk 130 of the tree 110 , run out on the branch 50 supporting the bird feeder 10 , climb down the flexible connector 52 or 54 and support element 16 or 18 toward the bird feeder 10 , and jump onto the rotatable housing 12 . as illustrated in fig3 as soon as the squirrel 40 contacts any one of the protruding portions 28 , 30 , 36 , or 38 , the housing 12 will rotate . in addition , the protruding portions 28 , 30 , 36 , and 38 are made from a hard surfaced slippery material , so that the squirrel 40 is not able to grip the protruding portions 28 , 30 , 36 , and 38 with its claws . as illustrated in fig4 the spinning housing 12 causes the squirrel 40 to fall to the ground surface 132 . thus , the squirrel 40 never reaches the bird feed 81 in the feed tray 20 . a squirrel 40 will often climb the trunk 130 of the tree 110 and will repeat the process over and over providing entertainment for the person watching . in the present invention , the housing 12 is free to rotate at least 360 degrees . when the housing 12 stops spinning , the counterweight 56 attached to the bottom plate 27 causes the housing 12 to always return to the same at rest orientation . the foregoing description of the present invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description . it is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed , and many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teaching . for example , the support elements 16 and 18 may be directly attached to the external support system 51 . the housing 12 may have at least one opening 60 , and the feed tray 20 may be in a shape other than rectangular . for example , the feed tray 20 may be circular or square in shape . the entire housing 12 may be made from a transparent material , and the housing 12 may be made from suitable materials such as injection molded plastic , steel , aluminum , wood , etc . such modifications and variations that may be apparent to a person skilled in the art are intended to be included within the scope of this invention as defined by the accompanying claims .	0
the present invention identifies new and surprising methods for improving vehicle safety by enabling prediction of coefficient of friction , slip ratio , and / or stopping distance for a specific vehicle at a time in the future . the present invention includes sensor ( s ) and components that perform analysis techniques to customize a prediction to a particular vehicle in order to optimize the utility of the information . generally , aspects of the presented inventions use techniques of “ information fusion ” to create new information . a definition of information fusion is provided by the international society of information fusion : “ information fusion is the study of efficient methods for automatically or semi - automatically transforming information from different sources and different points in time into a representation that provides effective support for human or automated decision making .” these different sources can include at least two elements from the classes comprising sensors , external data sources , mathematical models , algorithms , etc ., as well as combinations of these elements that may be generically described as sensors in these descriptions information fusion can be used to combine measurements / data ( and information ) from more than one source — often in concert with models in ways that allow one to access information and make predictions about quantities and qualities using sensor fusion and / or information fusion that are not present in any raw measurements / data from one source . a model in this context represents a mathematical representation of a physical system , wherein , for example , the physics of one characteristic can be estimated or predicted based on input values from other characteristics , and includes a broad range of techniques such first principle dynamic models , statistical models , system identification , and neural network and deep learning systems . data generated by such a process can be broadly called “ fusion data ”, and may be used directly or serve as an input to another model . this analysis can result in an estimate of a characteristic of a system that is not directly measured by the sensors . additionally , one can fuse two measurements of similar quantities into improved information , for example using two measurements — one accurate not precise , and one precise but not accurate — into an estimate of the quantity which is both more accurate and precise . sensors and information sources which have applications to vehicle sensor / information fusion and or safety include : vehicle sensors networked to the on board diagnostics ( obd , dashboard cameras ( including dual , three - dimensional , and array cameras , and rearview / backup and / or 360 view cameras , as well as driver and passenger facing cameras ), spectroscopic sensor systems , visibility sensors ( e . g . extinction coefficient backscattering sensors or integrating nephelometer ), sensors such as magnetic loops , micro radar , temperature , and magneto - restive wired and wireless sensors ( which may or may not be embedded in the pavement ), toll - taking sensors ( including rfid , dsrc , and other technologies ), distrometers , particulate counters , and ceilometers , lightning sensors , linear optical arrays , proximity detectors , magnetic position sensors , gas sensors , color sensors , infrared pyrometers ( especially in linear arrays ) and cameras ( e . g . temperature sensors ), rfid and other location tagging , blind spot sensors such as radar , car ahead - behind distance sensors , and pavement sensors optical and spectral analysis sensors , battery “ fuel gauges ”, infrared pyrometers , and location technologies such as gps , galileo , and glonass , as well as integrated systems such as gnss , sensors for precipitation type and amounts , wiper sensor , irradiance and uv / ir sensors ( useful both for weather measurements and as instrumentation for estimating available photovoltaic energy ), cloud sensors , roadside snow sensors , computer vision ( e . g . sensing lane markers , other vehicles , and roadside traffic markers ), lightning sensors , barometric pressure , particulate count , and pollution and chemical sensors , sonic sensors and microphones ( e . g . sensors for use in creating sonic profiles of road and tier noise and / or doing fft analysis of sounds , for the purposes of sensing road surface type , road surface conditions , and precipitation - tire interaction ), range finding sensors ( e . g . distance to vehicle in front / back ), mems sensors , etc . sensors may also be in the form of information from vehicles and vehicle management systems , such as traffic jam auto drive , auto park , parking space management , and gis systems with mutli - layer data sets about vehicles , conditions , weather , predictive analytics , etc . sensors may be the outputs of smart phone and / or car sensor sets — connected to internet via cell , wifi , bluetooth , etc . smart phones themselves make excellent information fusion devices , containing a growing number of sensors and communications methods , as well as ever - increasing processing power and access to algorithms and databases via the internet . these sensors can , as is appropriate , be connected sensors on vehicles , infrastructure , or persons , be part of connected technologies such as smart phones , smart watches , personal computers , vehicle instrumentation , be part of safety systems such as national weather service warning systems , police and fire response , traffic accident reports and lane closure warnings , general motors onstar system , etc . sensors may also be in the form of crowd - sourced information , databases information , broadcasts , etc . sensors , information databases , models , processing power ( including cloud technologies ), and other elements of information fusion are now often distributed , and thus communications between these elements may be critical . cell communications have become ubiquitous methods of communication , and have become well integrated in vehicle applications — standards include gsm ( global system for mobile communications , a de facto global standard for mobile communications that has expanded over time to include data communications . other standards include third generation ( 3g ) umts standards and fourth generation ( 4g ) lte advanced standards . additional communication methods applicable for the invention include : satellite internet and telephony , bluetooth and bluetooth low energy , wifi , using regulated and unregulated frequency &# 39 ; s ( such as ism ), whitespace , dsrc ( dedicated short range communications ) including but not limited to vehicle to vehicle ( including ad hoc networking for passing info such as braking , swerving , gps position and velocities for avoidance , or in our case cof - slip ) and vehicle to infrastructure ( such as traffic signals and signs ), radio , repeaters , vhs ( such as aircraft bands ), infrared , spread spectrum , mobile ad hoc networks ( manets ) and mesh networks , public information systems such as the 5 - 1 - 1 telephone car information system ( road weather information , ans transportation and traffic information telephone hotline ) and national weather service emergency broadcast systems , and police , fire , ambulance , and rescue bands and systems . this list ( and others in this specification ) are to be considered illustrative and in no way limiting . in one embodiment , input to a model takes the form of a specific measurement ( e . g ., a value ). input to a model can also take the form of a relationship between two variables , which together define a curve . an example value is the instantaneously measured wheel slip ratio of a vehicle . an example curve is a plot of a relationship between wheel slip ratio and cof for a specific environmental condition . a curve includes measured data and / or data extrapolated from models . in one embodiment , input to a model takes the form a more complex “ profile ”, which includes an array of data associated with a given vehicle . an example profile in this invention is an array of cof versus slip ratio curves for a single vehicle in a number of different environmental conditions . in one embodiment , a profile includes measured data as well as data extrapolated from models . in one embodiment , this profile ( s ) is stored at the vehicle in a memory unit . in another embodiment , this profile ( s ) is stored remotely from the vehicle and is accessible by the vehicle and / or similar vehicles via a communications module . in the latter regard , vehicles that have not yet calculated a profile ( s ) or dot not have adequate sensors to calculate such a profile ( s ) can access pertinent profile information . in one embodiment , input to a model takes the form of a “ library ”. a library includes a set of multiple profiles . for example , such a library may include cof data from all vehicles that have passed by a particular location and / or includes cof data from a set of similar vehicles , or vehicles with similar tires , or of similar ages , etc . a library is used for inferring the anticipated characteristics of a specific vehicle by comparison with other , similar vehicles . a library includes measured data as well as data extrapolated from models . output from the model is termed a “ prediction ”, and represents an estimate of the current or future state of a variable that is not directly measured by the sensors . an example prediction from a model is the maximum cof of a vehicle in environmental conditions in a region beyond the exact region of the vehicle at a particular moment . a “ vehicle ” in this invention can refer to one or more commonly used transportation systems , including a car , a self - driving car or drone , truck , etc . one metric of the safety of a vehicle is the vehicle stopping distances . the stopping distance is determined by several factors , including the speed of the vehicle , the mass of the vehicle , and the coefficient of friction between the vehicle and the road . while the vehicle mass can be reasonably estimated by the driver , and its speed is constantly measured by the speedometer , the coefficient of friction is usually not known to the driver , as it is not measured or reported by vehicle systems . the coefficient of friction represents the most significant uncontrolled variable in vehicle safety . worse , the coefficient of friction can change suddenly on a road , for example as a vehicle moves from dry road to a puddle , or from snowpack to black ice . as a result , road safety is best quantified through coefficient of friction , and means to both measure and predict coefficient of friction produce valuable safety improvements . the coefficient of friction at the tire / road interface varies as a function of the “ slip ratio ” of the wheel , where a slip ratio of zero indicates a freely rolling tire , and a slip ratio of one indicates a completely locked tire . without being bound by theory , it is believed that the coefficient of friction between tire and road has a maximum at a specific slip ratio . fig1 shows a typical relationship between coefficient of friction and slip ratio . a relationship such as this is referred to as a “ cof curve ” for a specific road condition . anti - lock brakes attempt to maintain the cof as close as possible to the maximum value of this curve during aggressive braking . a locked wheel has significantly lower cof than the maximum achievable cof , and is therefore to be avoided if possible . the exact details of this curve , including the cof maximum value , depend on the specifics of the tire , vehicle velocity , and the environmental conditions of the road ( e . g ., clean dry asphalt , dirt road , packed snow on concrete , etc .). in one embodiment , the present invention produces one or more profiles of cof values and cof curves associated with a particular vehicle . see , for example , fig1 . the profiles are created by measuring cof and / or slip ratio using at least one sensor under at least two environmental conditions , and storing the values of cof and / or slip ratio in a database . such profiles may be stored alongside descriptive information about the environment . the descriptive information may include time , location ( e . g ., as determined by gps ), other sensor information , local weather conditions , etc . the descriptive information may also include pointers to other information sets , such as weather databases , which are not locally included in the database . further , such profiles may be periodically updated . this allows changing of a vehicle specific profile as conditions of the vehicle change . this may allow , for example , altering profiles as the tires of the vehicle wear . the instantaneous ratio of the tangential velocity of the tire where it meets the road and the velocity of the vehicle to which it is attached is defined as the “ slip ratio ”. when braking ( or accelerating ) in a moderate manner , the tangential velocity of the tire where it meets the road is a little slower ( or faster ) than the relative velocity of the vehicle vs . the road itself , and the tire “ slips ”. a vehicle safety system is most concerned with the sliding coefficient of friction , which will determine braking distance for a vehicle at a given mass and speed . the sliding ( kinetic ) cof is defined as μ k = f f / n where f f is the friction force between the vehicle and ground , n is the normal force ( gravity ) pushing the vehicle and ground together , and μ k is the cof . this is conceptually the same formulation as for a block sliding along a plane , as illustrated in fig2 . a very slick surface will have μ k & lt ;& lt ; 1 , as the friction forces are very low . a tire on a high quality asphalt road will have a maximum cof of about 0 . 85 . when a vehicle is on a flat ( non - inclined ) surface , the force n = mg , where m is mass and g is gravitational acceleration . in some embodiments of the invention g = 9 . 81 m / s , and in some embodiments of the invention g can be modeled or derived from a look - up table based on the exact location of the vehicle . the force n represents the force normal to the ground , and will change with the inclination of the vehicle . in some embodiments of the invention , inclination of the vehicle is measured or estimated using an inertial measurement system , which itself may include accelerometer ( s ), gyroscope ( s ), inclinometer ( s ), and / or magnetometer ( s ), where the information from the inertial measurement system is input into a model to calculate inclination . in some embodiments of the invention , inclination of the vehicle is further measured using global positioning system ( gps ) data , which can infer inclination based on known topography of the roads , and can infer orientation based on known direction of travel and / or based on magnetometer measurements . in one embodiment , the inertial sensors are placed on a non - rotating member of the vehicle , such as on the front bumper . in some embodiments of the invention , inclination of the vehicle is measured using a bubble sensor . in any of these embodiments , the inclination is used to further inform the calculation of n and / or the calculation of cof . in some embodiments of the invention the mass of the vehicle is estimated . in one embodiment , the mass is estimated based on a look - up table for the vehicle or is estimated using an optical imaging sensor which captures the size of the tire / ground interface for one or more tires . based on the interface information and the known tire pressure as measured with the tire pressure measurement system , vehicle mass is calculated . in some embodiments of the invention , cof is approximated using a formula that includes an input value a f , defined as the difference between the instantaneous tangential acceleration of the tire where it meets the road and the acceleration of the vehicle to which it is attached . because the mass of the vehicle is a component of both the friction force and the normal force , these cancel each other and the value μ k = a f / g is directly measurable . in one embodiment , μ k = q * a f / g , where q is a fitting factor which may depend on factors such as vehicle inclination or other sensor measurements as discussed above . in the above embodiments , forces are calculated using a “ grey box ” approach that relies on some first principles calculations . in another embodiment , cof itself or the component q are calculated using a “ black box ” approach that correlates cof with data derived from inertial and other sensors using a multivariable calibration fit approach without reliance on a specific physical model . measurements of slip are also useful for characterizing vehicle performance . such measurements are performed in the vehicle using a device such as a hall sensor that is built into the wheel for this purpose as part of an abs system . in one embodiment , the invention tracks gps position over time to establish vehicle velocity as an input to model slip . in this embodiment , the tangential velocity of the wheel ( s ) is measured using a gyro or set of gyros attached to the wheel ( s ), and this is input into a model for the calculation of slip . in some embodiments , data from the accelerometer ( s ) is used as an input to improve the estimation of the velocity of the vehicle and / or wheel ( s ), where a velocity at time t n may be estimated based on knowledge of the velocity at a time t m and the acceleration a n - m during this time . in one embodiment , measurements of both cof and slip are made using the same or overlapping sets of sensors . in another embodiment , slip may be inferred or calculated based on cof information . in one embodiment , data is received from inertial measurement sensors disposed on at least one rotating member , and on at least one non - rotating member . fig3 shows an exemplary arrangement of sensors on a vehicle 300 , with a sensor or set of sensors 301 disposed on a wheel lug nut , and a sensor or set of sensors 302 disposed at the front bumper . fig3 also shows an optional sensor or set of sensors 303 disposed on the windshield , which can be used for at least detecting precipitation . these locations represent one set of possible placement of sensors , and are not meant to be limiting . the sensors are in wired or wireless communication with each other and / or with a central communications node ( device ), which may be inside or outside the vehicle , and which provides communication with the outside world . in one embodiment , communication between the sensors and the communications node is accomplished through bluetooth le . in one embodiment , a sensor may connect to a second sensor but not have a direct connection to the communications node , and in so doing , the sensors form a mesh network . wireless communications systems may require antennas , and antenna placement , polarization , and directionality may be important for the application . in one embodiment , a sensor or communications hub is placed inside the vehicles windshield , where the signals satellite communications , gps , infrastructure , and other sensors are unimpeded , or where the signal path to other sensors has the least obstruction ( e . g ., metal shielding ). in another embodiment , the directionality , polarity , placement , and signal output timing of a wheel mounted sensor is chosen so as to improve the reception strength at another sensor , communications hub , or device ( e . g . transmission occurs during periods when the hub of the wheel is not obstructing the signal as the sensor rotates with it ). fig4 shows an exemplary system 400 that includes a wheel sensor 401 and a fixed sensor 402 , which are in data communication with a communications node 404 . to illustrate the potential use of a mesh network , the communications system 400 also includes an additional sensor ( s ) 403 which communicates to the fixed sensor ( s ) 402 , but not directly to the communications node 404 . the sensor 402 or 401 relays data from the sensor 403 back to the communications node using a wired or wireless connection . this may favorably save power in some configurations , depending on factors such as the distance of the sensors 401 - 403 from each other and from the communications node 404 . note that this configuration is not meant to be limiting , merely illustrative . in one embodiment , a communications network might be established up from the individual sensors via ble to the hub on one vehicle , via a cell network from that vehicle to the cloud , then through the internet and out via wifi connections of passing homes or businesses to a second vehicle , then between that vehicle and a third vehicle using bluetooth or dsrc . in another embodiment , the houses or businesses might have sensor suites themselves , and pass information via wifi to the cloud , or via wifi or bluetooth to passing vehicles . in yet another embodiment , roadside infrastructure ( e . g . stop signs or streetlights ) might be outfitted with sensors and / or communications hubs powered by photovoltaics , and communicate to the cloud via satellite internet , and to passing vehicles using dsrc or wifi . the communications node 404 passes sensor data to an on - board processing module 405 which aggregates data from each sensor 401 - 403 . the communications node 404 may also be in contact with an external network such as a cellular network 407 , and may pass data via the cellular network 407 to a cloud database 408 and a cloud computing module 409 . the system of this invention may either use cloud computing module 409 or the on - board processing module 405 to process data from the sensors 401 - 403 and from the cloud components 408 , 409 . the on - board processing module 405 sends an alert to the driver via an output device ( s ) 406 if a threshold danger probability is reached . the output device ( s ) 406 includes audio , visual and / or tactile systems in the vehicle . in some embodiments , the on - board processing module 405 is configured with system memory , which may store the one or more profiles of the vehicle . in some embodiments , this stored profile ( s ) includes a family of cof vs slip ratio curves . fig1 shows exemplary cof / slip profile curves for a vehicle for different road environmental conditions ( e . g ., dry pavement , wet pavement , compacted snow , smooth ice ( i . e ., black ice )). in some embodiments , the on - board processing module 405 is configured to retrieve profile information as an input into a model and / or for use with one or more inputs to , for example , make predictions about vehicle performance or estimations of environmental conditions . in some embodiments of this configuration , the sensors 401 - 403 may send raw data to the communications node 404 or to each other . in some embodiments of this configuration , the sensors 401 - 403 further include onboard processing to reduce the data set and / or fuse information from one or more sensors , and thereby reduce the total communications overhead . the decision of whether to process the data on an on - board processor or send raw data to the communication node 404 depends on the relative power and bandwidth requirements of each mode of operation , and may differ for different sensors and / or locations of the sensors . bluetooth low energy communication represents an exemplary communications operational mode , as it supports a star architecture , with the central device able to connect many peripheral devices , and supports over - the - air updates . in one embodiment , devices coordinate to “ sleep ” between short transmissions , significantly reducing power use . alternatively , information may be stored and transmitted in bursts on higher - bandwidth , higher power - use devices such as standard bluetooth or wifi . in that case , these devices may be powered down between bursts of transmission to save power . in one embodiment , communications are accomplished through means other than radio frequency transmission , including wired transmission , optical transmission , acoustic transmission , magnetic induction , or transmission of electrical signals through the body of the vehicle , or through the vehicles on - board diagnostics ( obd ), etc . in one embodiment , one or more of the sensors 401 - 403 , on - board processing module 405 , and communications systems 404 are powered by scavenged power ( also known as power harvesting or energy scavenging ). energy is derived from external sources constantly during use , or is derived intermittently and stored on battery , capacitor , super capacitor , etc . example power sources include solar cells , kinetic energy devices that derive power from vibrational , rotational , linear , or other motion of the vehicle , or a harvesting ambient radiation source device ( e . g ., antenna collection of energy from radio waves , such as in a powercast system , or via wifi or dsrc power scavenging ). in one embodiment , a radio source is provided in the vehicle to create radio waves which are harvested by the sensors . in one embodiment , the sensors are equipped with piezoelectric , pyroelectric , thermoelectrics , electrostatic ( capacitive ), magnetic induction , mechanical , or micro wind turbine energy harvesting capability . in one embodiment , a magnetic induction or piezo element is included in a sensor pack to harvest vibrational energy . in one embodiment , the rotation of the tire causes a magnet to move due to changing gravitational field and / or centripetal forces , inducing power in a coil for use in the system . the system 400 may optionally include a memory device ( or devices ) 410 that stores information ( wheelbase , tire types , deceleration / acceleration capabilities , etc .) pertaining to the host vehicle , or stores data when communications are interrupted or non - existent the processing module 405 uses stored information to generate profile information ( described later ). the memory 410 may also store raw and / or processed sensor information , road type / condition information and weather information . the road type / condition information and weather information as well as other information are received at the system 400 from an external source via the communications node 404 . fig5 shows a lug nut sensor 500 that is to be attached to a vehicle wheel . in this embodiment , the lug nut sensor 500 includes a screw 501 which threads through a tire package cover 502 to unite with a sensor package housing 506 and the lug nut 507 . the housing 506 includes two lithium polymer batteries 503 , an inertial measurement unit 504 having an accelerometer and gyroscope , and a microprocessor 505 with bluetooth communications capability . in one embodiment , the accelerometer includes one 6 g 3 - axis accelerometer with axes pointing radially , laterally , and tangentially with regard to the tire . in one embodiment , the sensor system 500 includes one additional 120 g one - axis accelerometer for direct measurement of radial accelerations at high speeds . in one embodiment , the microprocessor 505 calibrates the sensor , samples data , and filters it to produce measurements in radial , tangential , lateral axes of the tire . such calibration is a typical sensor fusion application — e . g . gyros are prone to drift , but this can be compensated for in a full inertial measurement unit . velocity measurements made using gyros on the tires can be undrifted gps or accelerometers , etc . this sensor may of course alternatively be affixed to the outside of the vehicle wheel ( e . g . using two - sided tape ) or to the inside of the vehicle ( e . g . attached to a band running along the inside of the hub ). to calibrate the tangential acceleration ( y ) measurement , in one embodiment the following approach is used : 1 . at constant speed and perfect alignment , tangential acceleration ( y ) is 0 ; 2 . define calibrated x as positive to the “ east ” and calibrated y as positive to the “ north ”; and 3 . at constant speed with misalignment angle θ , defined as a rotation of the system counterclockwise from x and y to x u and y u , the calibrated x and y are in one embodiment , the effects of gravity are averaged out by taking hundreds or thousands of measurements of x u / y u to obtain average measurements x u — avg and y u — avg . at constant velocity , y ≅ 0 , and thus y u — avg ≅ x u — avg tan ( θ ), such that it is possible to calculate θ ≅ a tan ( y u — avg / x u — avg ). in one embodiment , tangential acceleration is determined by sampling acceleration data at & gt ; 30 hz , with a predefined rate of sampling ( e . g ., 250 hz ). in this embodiment , over a ( for example ) time of measurement , the max and min values of ( calibrated ) y are identified , which will roughly correspond to acceleration up and acceleration down , and which will vary by + 1 g and − 1 g from true acceleration . these measurements are averaged to cancel out the effects of gravity to obtain a tangential acceleration estimate . this value is updated to the processor node , and the measurement process is repeated . in another embodiment , tangential acceleration is calculated using a kalman filter algorithm . in an exemplary process , lug nut tangential acceleration is defined as being proportional to tire / road contact point tangential acceleration — if r eff is the effective radius of the tire ( measured from tire axel to road ), and r hub is radius of hub to lug , then wheel tan — acc = r eff / r lug lug tan — acc + k , where k is a cyclical component due to gravity . the constants r eff and r lug are set using system identification or a calibration scheme . a kalman filter which estimates the tire position and velocity — and thus the direction of gravity — is used to filter out the cyclical acceleration components due to gravity and to noise . in another embodiment , a commercially available 6 - axis sensor ( x , y , and z axis accelerometer and x , y , z axis gyroscope on the same silicon chip ), is used to directly measure the orientation and angular velocity of the tire . most such chips are ( presently ) limited to perhaps 16 g accelerations and 2000 degrees per second . mounted even a few centimeters from the hub of the wheel ( example near a lug nut ), a vehicle traveling at highway speeds would saturate an accelerometer channel pointed along the radial axis , and a gyro revolving around the lateral one . this limits the ability to determine the angular velocity of the tire ( and thus linear velocity of the vehicle ). however , in one embodiment the axis of measurement is offset to reduce the magnitude of both the acceleration and angular velocity measured . this creates a very straightforward linear reduction in the measurement of the angular velocity if the vehicle is going straight , but creates a complex relationship between the angular velocities of the other axes when the auto is turning . similarly , this can create a very straightforward linear reduction in the measurement radial acceleration ( which can be used to estimate the angular velocity ) if the vehicle is going straight , but creates a complicated relationship between the angular acceleration of the tire and the estimated angular velocity , and changes the relationship between the position components of the acceleration in the offset radial and tangential measurements . in some embodiments , these complexities are resolved through further processing in a grey box or black box model . fig6 shows one embodiment of a wheel assembly 600 where a wheel inertial measurement sensor pack 605 is mounted at or near a tire pressure measurement sensor 601 in proximity to a valve stem 602 on a wheel 604 . the sensor pack 605 is connected by a valve stem retainer screw 603 , or alternatively is fixed in position by an adhesive . in an alternate embodiment , the sensor set is affixed to the back of the wheel using an adhesive — the specific location can vary in implementation . in some embodiments , an antenna is added to the sensor system in order to improve communication capability with the communication node . in some embodiments , the tire stem is used as the antenna . fig7 shows a suite of sensors system 700 disposed on the front bumper . the system 700 includes a bumper sensor suite housing 701 , a power switch 702 , and a charge controller and voltage regulator 703 which controls charging of a battery pack 705 by a solar panel 704 . the solar panel 704 provides power to the system , and may also usefully measure insolation power levels in real time , and therefore may also be used as a sensor . other embodiments may utilize other power sources . the system 700 further includes a bluetooth modem 706 and a microcontroller 707 , which may be housed in the same package ( e . g ., a system on a chip ) or in different packages . the system 700 may optionally include an infrared thermometer 708 and / or a microphone 709 , as well as an inertial measurement unit ( imu ) 710 . a cover 711 protects the components of the system 700 . in one embodiment , the sensors of the system 700 identify road surface type ( e . g ., concrete , asphalt , gravel , dirt ), condition ( e . g ., worn , cracked , potholed ), and covering ( e . g ., black ice , lose or packed snow , slush , rain , dirt , etc .). in one embodiment , the sensor ( s ) measure ambient temperature and / or relative humidity . in one embodiment , the ir sensor ( s ) 708 measure temperatures in front of the front tires . the microphone sensor 709 measures sound that is analyzed by a processor to quantify road noise , which may be correlated to weather conditions . the imu 710 includes accelerometers , gyroscopes , inclinometers , and / or magnetometers . in one embodiment , the sensors additionally include optical image sensor ( not shown ) that provides imaging data that is used by a processor to quantify visibility , particulate counts , cloud cover , etc . in one embodiment , this status of the headlights is determined using sensors . fig8 shows an embodiment of a sensor that is attached to or near a windshield of the vehicle . the system 800 includes a housing 801 , a charge controller and voltage regulator 802 , sensor circuitry 803 , a sensor battery pack 804 , and a solar panel 805 . the solar panel 805 provides power to the components , and may also usefully measure insolation power levels in real time , and therefore may be used as a sensor as well . the system 800 further includes a bluetooth modem 807 and a microcontroller 806 , which may be housed in the same package ( e . g ., a system on a chip ) or in different packages . the system 800 may also include a capacitive sensor 808 and / or a swept frequency sensor 809 , as well as an optional ambient light sensor 810 . the system components are protected from the environment by a bottom level decal 811 . attaching sensors inside the vehicle ( e . g . inside the passenger compartment , tire , or engine housing ) may serve to protect the sensors from extremes of temperature , uv , humidity etc . the sensors may alternatively / additionally be protected using superominphobic coatings for lenses , cases etc . information gathered by the system 800 includes precipitation detection , fog , rain , snow , ice , visibility and cloud cover , and / or windshield wiper frequency . the system 800 can be mounted inside or outside of windshield glass . mounting the system 800 inside will increase the package &# 39 ; s life . in one embodiment , the swept frequency sensor 809 includes a swept frequency inductive precipitation sensor , such as that previously described in u . s . pat . no . 6 , 388 , 453 b1 . while &# 39 ; 453 describes the use of sine wave sweeping to obtain a response , signals besides sine waves are used — for example , a complex frequency chirp is sent , and a controls theory / signal processing method called an empirical transfer function estimator ( etfe ) is applied to determine transfer function . the empirical transfer function estimate is computed as the ratio of an output fourier transform to an input fourier transform , using a fast fourier transform ( fft ). the periodogram is computed as the normalized absolute square of the fourier transform of the time series . smoothed versions can be obtained by applying a hamming window to the output fft times the conjugate of the input fft , and to the absolute square of the input fft , respectively , and subsequently forming the ratio of the results . in an alternative embodiment for sensing of wiper frequency or precipitation , a light source such as a laser is shone onto the windshield at an angle below ( or above ) the brewster &# 39 ; s angle of the glass while dry . precipitation causes a change in the optical index system such that the light now is above ( or below ) the brewster &# 39 ; s angle . then when the wiper blade cleans the glass , the system briefly reverts , allowing detection of both the precipitation and the wiper activation via this optical sensor . in one embodiment of the invention , the precipitation sensor measures amount or rate of precipitation . in another embodiment of the invention , the precipitation sensor measures type of precipitation , for example by changes in light scattering associated with snow . in another embodiment of the invention , precipitation type is inferred based on a combination of sensor measurements and / or information from weather sensors external to the vehicle . when the vehicle is operating , both slip and cof are calculated continuously as the vehicle runs based on a data set including at least data from the wheel - mounted imu and the fixed imu . if the environment were always constant , this information could be used to define a curve showing the relationship between cof and slip . however , because road conditions change as the vehicle moves , there is no single curve defining the performance of the vehicle , and a profile of curves is built . in one embodiment , vehicle environmental conditions are separated by separating cof vs slip ratio data into different clusters of performance , using a technique such as k - means . in a further embodiment , this data on cof vs slip ratio is added to a database alongside further information including time , location , traffic , road type , and / or environmental conditions local to the data capture event . road conditions are quantified based on an estimated risk associated with the known road type , for example scoring 1 = dirt road , 5 = highway , etc . in one embodiment , road conditions are quantified based on a score derived from cof measurements made by multiple vehicles . environmental conditions are quantified on one or more axis to enhance mathematical processing of the data . for example , environmental conditions may be scored in terms of ambient temperature ( for example , in ° c . ), road temperature ( for example , in ° c . ), insolation power ( for example , in w / m 2 ), precipitation intensity ( for example , in cm / hr ), etc . in some embodiments , an aggregate environmental score is compiled based on the hazard implied by different environmental elements . in one embodiment , an aggregate environment score is compiled with information about known road type and known environmental conditions . for example , a bridge may receive a high composite score under warm , sunny conditions , but may receive a dramatically lower score under cold , snowy conditions . elements of the database which are measured in high confidence may be usefully employed to identify more accurate values for elements of the database which have lower confidence . in one embodiment , a measured cof or slip value may be used to estimate an environmental condition , or a known environmental condition may be used to estimate a cof or slip value . in one embodiment , measurements of cof and slip in known good environmental conditions ( e . g ., warm and sunny ) is combined to create a curve for the vehicle that is generally accurate for good environmental conditions , thus eliminating the previously stated difficulty of clustering data automatically . fig9 shows a system that builds a profile , where information from wheel inertial sensors 901 , the fixed inertial sensor 902 , and optionally the gps 903 are transferred to a cof / slip computational module 904 , which calculates the local cof and slip ratio associated with this set of sensor data . this information is transferred to a vehicle profile calculator 906 , which fuses the cof and slip ratio information with information from an environmental database 905 and / or gps data to create a profile for the vehicle . this information may optionally be transferred to an on - board vehicle profile database 907 and / or a vehicle profile database 908 in the cloud . in another embodiment , measurements of cof for a vehicle is used to successfully identify adverse environmental conditions such as black ice . in this way , hyper - local environmental changes such as icing are easily identified by examining the cof performance of the vehicle after a profile has been created . fig1 shows a system that estimates environmental conditions , where information from wheel inertial sensors 1001 , the fixed inertial sensor 1002 , and optionally a gps 1003 are transferred to a cof / slip computational module 1004 , which calculates the local cof and slip associated with this set of sensor data . this information is transferred to an environmental conditions computation module 1005 , which fuses the cof and slip information with information from the vehicle profile 1006 and / or gps data to estimate environmental conditions for the vehicle . this information may optionally be transferred to an environmental profile database 908 in the cloud , where it may be usefully applied to warn other drivers of adverse weather conditions in the gps location where the measurement was taken . such a warning system is described in fig1 . in this embodiment , information on the vehicle location from a gps 1102 and optionally from a trip path module 1101 is fed into a vehicle location prediction module 1103 , which predicts the future locations of the vehicles during the trip . this information is fed into an environmental prediction model 1105 alongside environmental profile information from a database 1104 from the cloud . the environmental profile information includes data from the national weather service , local sensors , and / or data collected by other vehicles using the system described in fig1 above , as well as other mobile vehicle weather collection processes . the environmental prediction information is passed to a vehicle warning module 1107 , which compares the environmental prediction with the vehicle cof / slip profile to identify whether the predicted environment will be outside the suggested operating specification for a vehicle with that profile . if a threshold is passed , this information is sent as a warning to an interested party 1108 . an interested party includes a driver , or a fleet owner , or an insurance operator , etc . information , guidance , and warnings may be provided in many ways , including via smart phone or watch ( e . g . alarm bells , vibration , texts , phone calls , via traffic apps , text to speech , satellite communications system such as onstar , and visual cues ), as well as visually or auditorially through the vehicle &# 39 ; s obd display , navigation display or text to speech system , radio / entertainment console , vehicle or aftermarket heads up display , dsrc warning system , and many other means . in one embodiment , the information , guidance , and warnings are delivered via text to speech or heads up display to preserve driver concentration the road , in another embodiment , the warnings are integrated with the vehicles safety system to take action if the driver does not . in another embodiment , the information , guidance and warnings are delivered to a self - driving vehicle , so that the vehicle or driver may take appropriate action . in another embodiment , the guidance takes the form of a safe or advised driving speed , or warning to slow down . in another embodiment , the driver or navigator uses voice commands to request information , guidance , or warnings . in another embodiment , the warnings take the form of an escalating series of warnings with regard to weather , safe driving speed , safe stopping distance , or road conditions . one novel thing element is that , before the weather moved and the ( often sparsely located ) sensors stayed still , the presented system uses moving mobile sensors that can send information machine - to - machine ( m2m ). the combination of mobility and m2m creates a “ crowd - sourced ” mobile sensor “ fabric ”, and the fabric is constructed such that most information is both generated and consumed where there are the most users and sensors . individual people may perceive changing clouds and precipitation in one area , but networked and fused sensors see changes in pressure , irradiance , humidity , and precipitation rates over large areas , as well as have access to historical weather and data patterns , and thus the whole system is able to do analysis and prediction different in kind rather than degree . in one embodiment , a plurality of sensors send to a smartphone acting as a hub , which aggregates , organizes , fuses and / or prepares information ; a plurality of smartphones , posts that information to a collection system , where it is quality control checked ; a buffering system stores and prioritizes and organizes the data in queues ; the data are then fused with existing data such as weather , road , gis , databases , to create a current situational picture ; these situational pictures are made available using ( for example ) geofencing techniques , both to alert and organize data about motorists and geographic areas ; geofencing implies that now we can follow up with a set of triggers , these triggers being assigned to mobile entities , based on fused criteria , indicating desired alerts based on individual preferences . additionally , such a machine - to - machine system is able to return information back quickly and per user preferences — the system can have “ smart triggers ”. a simple temperature gauge may alert a user with a red light when the temperature goes below a set value , but a smart trigger seeks information and makes warnings that are context sensitive — such as warning as user about how the confluence of the rate of decrease in pavement temperature and predicted precipitation may generate frozen pavement . using modern software technologies like pagerank or twitter that look for important signals using eigenvectors , these signals can result in information , guidance , or warnings routed to a unique user by indexes to the most important links in the eigenvector in a very fast manner . in such a system , metadata is fused together , an eigenvector analysis is run , then indexed the most important events , making it lightning fast to both find the smart triggers and / or users . this can provide fast m to m alerts — in one embodiment , machines automatically spraying salt on a road that will soon require it , or lower barricades on roads that may soon experience white out conditions , or trigger road signals warning of black ice , all in a very fast and automated manner , scalable to huge numbers of users and triggers . use cases for the user criteria of such a system include : soccer mom &# 39 ; s criteria is whether she can drive 3 miles safely in the small geofenced area between home and practice ; a medium - haul limo service will look at a larger geofenced area , and want fused information about traffic , weather , known pick up sites , and historical patterns in order to make the most efficient run ; maintenance and logistics organizations will want to watch vehicles roll over road segments to see what needs repair or where slowdown may be predicted to occur — their user criteria may be real - time analysis , or it may be a forecast about the desirability of salting an iced road in the next four hours , paving a bumpy road in the next four months , or allocating a budget for the next four years ; long hall trucking businesses may wish to add weather and road condition forecasts to the fleet management and fleet routing services that are commonly employed by such concerns . the availability of the various information available to such a system may be used in novel ways . for instance , unique signals can be created which may be analyzed using advanced mathematical and analytical techniques , identifying conditions , and forecasting conditions in ways that were previously unavailable ( e . g ., machine learning algorithms with novel features for weather knowledge and actionable information , and neural networks provide logistic regression outputs not previously available do to the scarcity of information about road weather conditions ). a method of using this data may for example include receiving tire slip information and / or cof information from vehicle sensors ; receiving one or more external environmental conditions information from a database ; receiving a route request having at least route information and time of departure information ; generating safety values for a plurality of portions of the requested route based on the received environmental conditions information and previously stored vehicle performance information associated with the route request ; determining if the generated safety values meet at least one of a predefined safety threshold or a time of travel threshold ; if the determination indicates that one of the safety values fails to meet the at least one safety threshold or the time of travel threshold , generating at least one of a new route or a new time of departure that would cause the generated safety values to meet the safety threshold or the time of travel threshold ; and presenting the generated new route or new time of departure to a user or interested party associated with the route request . in one embodiment , the database data includes cof / slip information collected from a plurality of sensors located on a plurality of ground vehicles . as noted , vehicle sensor and / or profile information may be usefully combined into a vehicle library or database in the cloud . this library or database will allow estimation of cof / slip performance in weather and / or road conditions for a specified vehicle , even if that vehicle does not have a profile that extends to the current environmental and / or conditions , by comparing this specified vehicle with other vehicles with similar properties and / or using sensor outputs from other vehicles . similar properties may include , but are not limited to , similar model / make , similar tires , similar number of miles on the tires , similar profiles in measured weather conditions , cof measurements of vehicles traveling over current trip path of a vehicle , etc . such a process is shown in fig1 , where sensor measurements and / or profiles from multiple vehicles 1201 , 1202 , 1203 , etc . are combined into a library 1204 . in such an arrangement , a vehicle with an incomplete profile 1205 does not necessarily have measured data that correlates to the specific weather conditions . as a result , its performance can be estimated by the vehicle prediction module 1206 by extrapolating from data for similar vehicles profiles in the library . in one embodiment , a vehicle may receive information from the cloud based database ( or other wirelessly accessible database ) for use with vehicle profile information . for instance , fig1 illustrates an expected travel path of a vehicle traveling between first and second locations ( e . g ., idaho springs , colo . and silverthorne , colo .). such an expected travel path may be inferred based on a current travel direction of a vehicle , previous user information , or entered by a user . the database may provide information for the expected travel path to the vehicle . in this regard , the database may include measurements and / or profiles of vehicles having previously traveled over the expected travel path . such information may be for vehicles that have traveled over the expected travel path within a predetermined time period ( e . g ., previous fifteen minutes , hour , six hours , day etc .) in the present embodiment , the database may provide prior cof information / measurements of vehicles passing over the travel path . in this regard , prior cof information 1402 may be provided for predetermined road segments ( e . g ., every quarter mile ) and / or for changes in road geography , surface and / or road structure ( e . g ., changes in road grade , changes from asphalt to concrete , changes from new asphalt to worn asphalt , bridge susceptible to icing , etc .). this is illustrated on the map shown in fig1 which shows prior cof information 1402 that is provided for different segments of the travel path . the prior cof information for the travel path may be determined in any manner from previously reported cof information . for instance , the prior cof information may be an average of all cofs reported by vehicles having previously passed over all or portions of the travel path . any other mathematical representation ( e . g ., mode , mean etc .) of the prior cofs may be provided . the prior cof information may be further analyzed based on , for example vehicle type . in this regard , the type of vehicle on the travel path may be known and the vehicle may request or otherwise receive cof information for like vehicles : rear wheel drive vehicles , small all wheel drive , large all wheel drive , trucks , etc . that is , prior cof information for like vehicles may be provided along the travel path . upon receiving prior cof information , the vehicle may correlate the prior cof information for upcoming segments with the profiles 1302 a - n stored in the on - board vehicle profile database 907 . alternatively , the vehicle may access stored profiles from the cloud based database 908 . see fig9 . the cloud based profiles may be generated by the subject vehicle or may be profiles of other like vehicles . in any arrangement , the vehicle profile computation module 906 may utilize the prior cof information with the profiles 1302 a - n to determine the expected performance of the vehicle on the upcoming road segment . for instance , an expected wheel slip percentage may be calculated . as shown in fig1 , using the prior cof information as an input with the profiles 1302 allows for determining an expected slip percentage if the environmental conditions of the road segment is known or determinable . such environmental conditions may be determined using sensors of the vehicle . alternatively , prior environmental conditions 1404 may be provided to the vehicle with the prior cof information . see fig1 . stated otherwise , the library may , in addition to providing prior cof information , provide prior environmental information 1404 as reported by previous vehicles passing over the expected travel path . more generally , the library may provide road surface information ( e . g ., cof information and environmental information ) to the vehicle . in either case , the vehicle traveling on the travel path may utilize the cof information and / or environmental information with stored profiles ( see fig1 ) to determine performance / safety information for the vehicle prior to the vehicle passing over upcoming segments of the travel path . based on the estimated wheel slip of the vehicle , various outputs ( e . g ., predictions ) may be provided to the driver of the vehicle and / or to the control systems of the vehicle . for instance , if a slip percentage for an upcoming road segment exceeds a predetermined threshold , a warning output may be generated . in a further arrangement , an alternate route 1502 may be suggested if a slip percentage for an upcoming road segment exceeds a predetermined threshold . see fig1 . fig1 illustrates a process 1600 for utilizing prior road surface information at a vehicle . the process begins with the establishing 1602 of a wireless connection between a vehicle and a road surface database . once communications exist between the vehicle and the database , the vehicle may request and / or receive 1604 road surface information from the database for a travel path of the vehicle . in some instances , the database may be operative to push data to the vehicle without a request originating from the vehicle . that is , if conditions warrant providing data , the database may initiate contact and / or automatically provide data to a vehicle . the road surface information typically includes cof information for one or more segments of the travel path . the road surface information may further include environmental information for the one or more segments of the travel path . an on - board processor of the vehicle then accesses 1606 one or more profiles of the vehicle . such access may be from local storage or via the wireless connection . using the road surface information and the profile ( s ), the processor is operative to calculate 1608 estimated wheel slip for one or more upcoming segments of the travel path . if one or more of the wheel slip estimates exceed a predetermined threshold ( s ), an output may be generated 1610 for receipt by the driver of the vehicle and / or vehicle control systems . such driver outputs may be related to speed reduction recommendations and alternate route suggestions among others . fig1 illustrates a process 1700 for gathering and distributing road surface information . initially , a processing platform / database receives 1702 road surface reports from a plurality of vehicles traveling over roads . these road surface reports typically include cof information determined by the vehicles along with location information identifying where the cof information was determined . the road surface reports may also include environmental information measured directly or from which environmental information for the location may be determined ( e . g ., in conjunction with a weather model ). the processing platform processes and stores 1704 information from or derived from the road surface reports . at a subsequent time , a request for road surface information for a travel path is received 1706 from a vehicle or the processing platform determines a vehicle is traveling a travel path for which pertinent road surface information is available . in the latter regard , the processing platform may be receiving road surface reports from a vehicle and if no adverse road conditions are known , not information may be provided . conversely , if upcoming road conditions are determined adverse ( e . g ., cof for a road segment drops below a predetermined threshold ) information may be pushed to the vehicle absent a request from the vehicle . in any case , stored road surface information is then processed to identify 1708 prior road surface information for the travel path . the identified road surface information is then sent 1710 to the requesting vehicle . the modules 904 , 906 , 1004 , 1005 , 1101 , 1103 , 1105 , 1107 , and 1206 and / or processes described in relation to fig9 - 12 and 16 - 17 are processing functions that may be performed by processors located at one or more of the locations such as the lug nut , bumper or windshield systems , or at a processor located on - board or off - board the vehicle . the foregoing description of the present invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description . furthermore , the description is not intended to limit the invention to the form disclosed herein . consequently , variations and modifications commensurate with the above teachings , and the skill or knowledge of the relevant art can be made within the scope of the present invention . the embodiments described hereinabove are further intended to explain best modes known for practicing the invention and to enable others skilled in the art to utilize the invention in such , or other , embodiments and with various modifications required by the particular applications or uses of the present invention . it is intended that the appended claims be construed to include alternative embodiments to the extent permitted by the prior art .	6
it is desirable that each implant of an arthroplasty , including a total knee arthroplasty ( tka ), remain well attached to the bone whose articular surface it replaces and to which it was attached during surgery . whenever an implant becomes loosened from the bone , remaining bone may degrade through osteolysis , and the patient may suffer pain and instability that interfere with mobility ; it may become necessary to remove and replace the implant to restore patient mobility . removal and replacement of implants is both an expensive and painful process that medical insurers , surgeons , and patients prefer to avoid . it has been proposed that forming perforations in surfaces of trimmed residual bone , including particularly dense or sclerotic bone , adjacent to the implants , such as implants 102 , 106 , 114 , will allow better attachment of bone cement to bone , and thereby decrease chances of implants becoming loosened from the residual bone . some surgeons drill holes into the cut tibial surface in an effort to achieve better attachment of bone to implant , however hole patterns and spacing vary widely and effectiveness is unproven , particularly where some or all cortical bone has become extra - dense sclerotic bone . sclerotic bone is known to interdigitate less effectively to existing bone cements than normal cortical bone , and is therefore more prone to failure with prior techniques . we have experimented with perforators that create a predetermined and repeatable array of perforations of predetermined diameter , depth , and spacing . among these tools are the experimental perforator tool of fig2 and the improved , customized , tool of fig3 . the tool 150 of fig2 has a sliding aluminum plate 152 with an array of holes 153 forming a grid pattern . removable steel punch pins 154 , each having a sharp point , are inserted into some or all of the holes , and sliding plate 152 is then slid into an aluminum frame 156 . each pin has a maximum diameter of 3 mm and tapers to a point over a pin depth of 4 . 5 mm . a mechanical model of bone is solid rigid polyurethane foam from sawbones ( pacific research laboratories , vashon , wash . ), as per astm standard f - 1839 - 08 in 40 pcf and 50 pcf foams for properties of a dense bone , such as cortical or sclerotic bone , and 20 pcf or less for cancellous bone . closed cell polyurethane foam of densities 10 pcf , 20 pcf , 30 pcf , and 40 pcf was obtained , and formed into blocks of the same dimensions , dimensions chosen to fit a clamp for placement into a shear - testing machine . these were tested with hole densities selected from zero holes / cm2 , 1 . 0 holes / cm2 , 1 . 5 holes / cm2 and 2 . 5 holes / cm2 , the holes being punched into the foam by pressing the points of pins 154 of the tool of fig2 into the foam blocks . titanium plates used to mimic the tibial tray of a tka system had a 2 mm deep recessed square ( 33 mm × 33 mm ) to simulate the design of the tibial tray , with surface roughness similar to that found in clinical implants . a medium viscosity pmma bone cement , depuy smartset cmw ( depuy , warsaw , ind .) was used for this study in 15 gram portions placed on foam blocks 30 seconds after being mixed for 60 seconds , spread and worked into holes of foam and titanium plate over following 90 - 180 seconds , and clamped for 45 minutes to cure . laboratory temperature was maintained between 20 and 22 c . it was found that perforation of 1 hole / cm2 was sufficient for foams of less than 30 pcf , but that perforation of 2 . 5 holes / cm 2 was more appropriate for foams of 40 pcf simulating cortical and sclerotic bone , while not degrading fixation of bone cement to cancellous bone . we anticipate that best results may vary somewhat with types of bone found in each particular patient , and that areal hole density will be in the range of 0 . 5 to 6 holes per square centimeter ( table 2 ), with hole diameter in the range of 1 to 5 mm , with hole depth 2 to 5 mm . we also anticipate that the hole density used on any particular patient is chosen such that the area of holes drilled in the tibial or other bone surface does not exceed 50 % of the tibial surface , so that for hole diameters 1 to 2 mm , hole density is in the range of 2 to 6 per square cm ; for hole diameters 2 to 3 mm , hole density is in the range of 1 to 6 per square cm ; for hole diameters of 3 to 4 mm , hole density is in the range of 0 . 5 to 4 per square cm ; and for hole diameters 4 to 5 mm , the hole density is in the range of 0 . 5 to 2 . 5 per square cm . in a particular embodiment , hole density is 2 . 5 / sq . cm , diameter is 3 mm , and depth 4 . 5 mm . it is therefore proposed that a tool as illustrated in fig3 a , 3b , and 3c be used during knee arthroplasty surgeries . the tool 200 has a handle 202 fitted with a clamp 204 for attaching a coupling shaft 208 of a removable punch - plate 206 . removable punch - plate 206 is fabricated in several sizes , and provided in a kit with handle 202 , so that a punch plate of size appropriate for the tibia of a particular patient can be selected and attached to handle 202 for use in a particular arthroplasty . in typical surgeries , the punch - plate selected is just small enough that all points 210 of the tool fit on bone of the trimmed surface of the tibia ( not shown ). the punch - plate of the tool also has a striking surface 212 adapted to being struck by a mallet . during an arthroplasty , the patient is anaesthetized and arthroplasty surgery begins in traditional manner with trimming away 250 ( fig4 ) of the tibial articular surface and any remaining articular cartilage . a punch - plate 206 of appropriate size is then selected 252 such that all punches fit on the residual tibial surface , and attached 254 to handle 202 , the punch plate is positioned on the tibial surface . the striking plate 212 of the punch plate 206 is then struck 256 with a mallet , driving the punch pins 210 into the trimmed tibial surface ; punch plate 206 is then removed 258 with tool 200 from the surface . surgery then continues with mixing and applying 260 of bone cement to both the tibial and prosthetic surfaces , being careful to work cement into holes of the tibia , and pressing the prosthetic implant onto the tibia . in an embodiment the punch - plate has a punch density of 2 - ½ punches per square centimeter , each punch being 3 millimeters in diameter , and length of 4 - ½ millimeters . in a alternative embodiment , as illustrated in fig5 , several drilling templates 302 having holes 304 are provided in a set of templates , each template being adapted attachment to the handle illustrated in fig3 a , and is used with a handheld drill using a bit with a depth indicating device . in use , after trimming bone of the tibia , the surgeon selects a template of appropriate size from the set of templates , attaches the template to the handle 202 , and an assistant holds the template in position on the tibia while the surgeon uses the hand drill to drill through the template into the tibial surface . in this embodiment , a depth - gauge device may be attached to a bit rotated by the hand drill to limit hole depth to a predetermined depth . fig6 is a flowchart of an alternative method for performing arthroplasty that utilizes a robotic drill , the robotic drill may be of the type illustrated in fig7 or , since polar coordinates are readily mapped to or from rectangular coordinates , may be one based on rotatable joints in articulated arms like the robotic surgical systems available from mako surgical corp , see below . in this method , after the tibia is trimmed 350 , the surgeon or his assistant positions 352 a robotic drill unit 400 over the tibia 402 and uses a projector 404 of the robotic drill unit to project light 353 indicating locations of a particular programmed hole pattern on the tibia . the surgeon may then resize and relocate 354 the hole pattern so that all programmed hole locations are on the tibial surface ; the adjusted hole pattern is projected 356 onto the tibial surface . once satisfied with the hole pattern , the surgeon activates 358 the robotic drill unit . x 406 and y 408 positioning servos of the robotic drill unit operate under control of processor 410 positions 360 a drilling head 412 of the drill unit over each hole location of the hole pattern , and the drilling head , which includes a vertical z - axis servo , then drills a hole of predetermined depth using a drill bit or burr 414 . when all holes are drilled , the robotic drill is shifted 362 out of the surgical field and the cement is mixed 364 . we note that a robotic drill system provides the ability to drill holes of a particular preselected pattern , the pattern having a desired hole density and depth , far more quickly and with far greater precision of hole location and depth than possible with a hand drill even with drilling template 302 . it is anticipated that the robotic drill may be equipped with a suction device to remove bone fragments severed from the tibia by a drill bit of the robotic drilling system . another alternative embodiment utilizes a robotic surgical system such as that offered by mako surgical corp ., a division of stryker corporation . with this embodiment , prior to surgery , an x - ray computed tomography ( ct ) scan is performed to image the tibia . cuts as necessary for trimming the tibial surface are planned using existing software , and an appropriate pattern of drill holes determined and incorporated into the planned cuts to the tibial surface . the resulting pattern of holes and trimming cuts is incorporated into a three dimensional computer model of the tibia . in an embodiment , the mako robotic surgical system supports its own weight , and the weight of a cutting tool , but the cutting tool is driven into the surface of the tibia by the surgeon . the surgical robotic system , however , resists the surgeon &# 39 ; s movements whenever the surgeon attempts to cut bone beyond the planned cuts , serving effectively as an invisible drilling template . in yet another alternative embodiment , the robotic surgical system actively moves the cutting tool to trim the surface of the tibia and drill the planned pattern of drill holes . in addition to improving cementation of tibia to a prosthesis , we expect the method of trimming bone , perforating the trimmed surface of bone , and cementing prosthesis to bone will improve cementation of an articular surface prosthesis to a trimmed surface of patella in a total knee arthroplasty . in the method 500 of performing an arthroplasty with both patella and tibial implants attached using perforations to improve adhesion of the cement ( fig8 ), the patient is anaesthetized and arthroplasty surgery begins in traditional manner with trimming away 502 ( fig4 ) of the tibial articular surface and any remaining articular cartilage . a punch - plate 206 of appropriate size is then selected 504 such that all punches fit on the residual tibial surface , and locked 506 to handle 202 , the punch plate is positioned on the tibial surface . the striking plate 212 of the punch plate 206 is then struck 508 with a mallet , driving the punch pins 210 into the trimmed tibial surface ; punch plate 206 is then removed with tool 200 from the surface . the patella is then trimmed 510 , typically leaving a flat trimmed surface and an appropriate - sized punch plate ( not shown ) is selected 514 and mated 512 with the trimmed surface of the patella . it is then struck 516 with the mallet to perforate the patellar surface . patellar prosthetics typically have a trio of pegs preventing their sliding on the patellar surface , so a drill guide is selected 518 , positioned in a clamping device on the trimmed surface of the patella , and appropriate - sized holes drilled 520 to fit these pegs . surgery then continues with mixing and applying 522 of bone cement to both the tibial and prosthetic surfaces , being careful to work cement into holes of the tibia , and pressing the prosthetic implant onto the tibia ; cement is also applied to the patellar and patellar prosthetic surfaces , worked into the holes , and the prosthetic patellar implant is pressed onto the patella such that its pegs fit into the peg holes . in an alternative embodiment 550 , as illustrated in fig9 , using perforations to improve adhesion of the cement , the patient is anaesthetized and arthroplasty surgery begins in traditional manner with trimming away 502 of the tibial articular surface and any remaining articular cartilage . a drill - guide 302 of appropriate size is then selected 554 such that all holes fit on the residual tibial surface , and locked to handle 202 , the drill guide is then positioned on the tibial surface . a portable electric drill equipped with a bit and a depth - limiting device on the bit is then used to drill 556 an array of holes on the tibial surface ; the drill guide is then removed 558 from the surface . the patella is trimmed 560 , typically leaving a flat trimmed surface and an appropriate - sized drill - guide ( not shown ) selected 562 , seated in a clamping device 564 , and positioned on the trimmed surface of the patella . this drill guide may have holes of a first diameter to guide drilling perforation holes , and holes of a larger size to guide drilling of peg holes . a portable electric drill equipped with a bit and a depth - limiting device on the bit is then used to drill 566 an array of perforation holes , and another bit and depth - limiting device is used to drill peg holes , on the patellar surface ; the drill guide is then removed from the surface . surgery then continues with mixing and applying 570 of bone cement to both the tibial and prosthetic surfaces , being careful to work cement into holes of the tibia , and pressing the prosthetic implant onto the tibia ; cement is also applied to the patellar and patellar prosthetic surfaces , worked into the holes , and the prosthetic patellar implant is pressed onto the patella such that its pegs fit into the peg holes . the resulting knee patellar arthroplasty resembles that illustrated in cross section in fig1 , where patella 600 is located in the patellar tendon 602 between quadriceps group muscles 604 and tibial insertion 606 . pegs 608 extend from prosthetic substrate 610 into holes in the patella 600 . cement 612 fills a narrow gap from patella to substrate 610 , with cement extending into perforations 614 , and a plastic bearing surface 616 is provided to interact with femoral and tibial surfaces of the joint . the femur at the knee joint is typically not flat . in embodiments , the knee arthroplasty may use a conventional femoral prosthetic , or , for additional security of bonding the prosthetic to the femur , perforations may be drilled with a combination fitting - trial piece / drill guide 650 as illustrated in fig1 with frontal view on the left and cross sectional view on the right , with some corresponding holes illustrated . with this embodiment , after trimming the femur , and verification that the fitting - trial piece properly mates to the trimmed femoral surface , the fitting - trial piece / drill guide 650 is positioned on the trimmed femur and a portable drill , with appropriately - sized drill bit and depth control device , is used to drill through holes 652 , 654 of the fitting - trial piece / drill guide 650 to prepare holes at the same depth , diameter , and areal density as previously discussed with reference to the tibia . the fitting - trial piece / drill guide 650 is then removed , cement is mixed and spread on both the trimmed surface of the femur and the prosthetic , and the prosthetic is pressed onto the prepared end of the femur ( not shown ). it is anticipated that , while doing arthroplasty on knees that require implanted portions be cemented to more than one bone , a punch plate may be used to prepare one of the bones for the cement while the drill guide and hand drill may be used to prepare another bone of the same joint for the cement . it is also anticipated that some steps , such as drilling peg holes in the patella and punching perforation holes in the patella , can be done in reverse order to that described above . similarly , cement may be mixed and applied separately to each bone - prosthetic seam , instead of with multiple seams at once as described with reference to patella and tibia ( 522 , fig8 ) above . the method of improving cement - to - bone adhesion heretofore described with reference to knee arthroplasty is also applicable to hip and shoulder arthroplasty . a hip arthroplasty is performed by first trimming the acetabulum 702 ( fig1 ) to create a cavity into which an acetabular cup prosthetic socket 704 with polymer lining 706 will fit . in embodiments a drill guide 707 ( fig1 b ) or perforating punch 709 ( fig1 a ) adapted to fit in the cavity has holes 708 ( fig1 b ) or spikes 710 ( fig1 c ). in embodiments using the drill guide ( 707 ) the drill guide is placed in the cavity and a portable drill is used to prepare the cement holes having similar dimensions and spacing to those previously discussed with reference to the tibia . in embodiments using the perforating punch ( 709 ) the punch is placed in the cavity and whacked with a mallet to prepare the cement holes having similar dimensions and spacing to those previously discussed with reference to the tibia . cement 712 ( fig1 ) is then applied between prosthetic socket 704 and acetabulum , entering into cement holes 714 . the femoral head is removed and femoral shaft is hollowed to fit a shaft of the femoral portion of the prosthetic . once the shaft is in place , the ball portion of the prosthetic is manipulated into the acetabular cup prosthetic . a shoulder arthroplasty is performed by first trimming the glenoid fossa 752 of the scapula 754 ( fig1 ) to create a cavity into which a glenoid prosthetic 755 will fit . in embodiments a drill guide 757 or perforating punch 759 ( fig1 a , 14b , 14c ) adapted to fit in the cavity has holes 758 ( fig1 b ) or spikes 760 ( fig1 c ). in embodiments using the drill guide ( 757 ) the drill guide is placed in the cavity and a portable drill is used to prepare the cement holes having similar dimensions and spacing to those previously discussed with reference to the tibia . in embodiments using the perforating punch ( 759 ) the punch is placed in the cavity and whacked with a mallet to prepare the cement holes having similar dimensions and spacing to those previously discussed with reference to the tibia . cement is then applied between prosthetic 755 and scapula , entering into cement holes 766 . changes may be made in the above methods and systems without departing from the scope hereof . it should thus be noted that the matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings should be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense . the following claims are intended to cover all generic and specific features described herein , as well as all statements of the scope of the present method and system , which , as a matter of language , might be said to fall therebetween .	0
in the figures , like technical elements are provided with like reference symbols and described only once . the invention relates to a network protocol for a vehicle ad hoc network shown in fig3 , which is called car2x network 1 below for the sake of simplicity . to provide a better understanding of the technical background to this car2x network 1 , a nonrestrictive exemplary application will first of all be provided for this car2x network 1 before discussing technical details pertaining thereto in more detail . therefore , reference is made to fig1 , which shows a basic illustration of a vehicle 3 traveling on a road 2 . in the present embodiment , the road 2 is meant to have a pedestrian crossing 4 at which a set of traffic lights 5 is used to regulate whether the vehicle 4 on the road 2 is permitted to cross the pedestrian crossing 4 or a pedestrian — not shown in more detail — on the pedestrian crossing 4 is permitted to cross the road 2 . between the pedestrian crossing 4 and the set of traffic lights 5 , there is , for the purposes of the present embodiment , an obstacle in the form of a curve 6 that conceals the pedestrian crossing 4 from the driver of the vehicle 3 and from an ambient sensor system — which is yet to be described — of the vehicle 3 . in a direction of travel 7 ahead of the vehicle 3 , fig1 shows a further vehicle 8 that has been involved in a road accident 10 with a vehicle 9 — shown in dots — on the pedestrian crossing 4 and is blocking the lane in the direction of travel 7 of the vehicle 3 . the pedestrian crossing 4 and the road accident 10 are hazard situations on the road 2 . if the driver of the vehicle 3 overlooks the pedestrian crossing 4 and therefore illegally fails to stop before it , he could hit a pedestrian who is crossing the pedestrian crossing 4 and who , in crossing the pedestrian crossing 4 , relies on the driver of the vehicle 3 behaving in accordance with the rules . in both hazard situations , the driver of the vehicle 3 must stop the vehicle 3 in order to avoid a collision with the hazard object in the hazard situation , that is to say the pedestrian and / or the further vehicle 8 . to this end , the car2x network 1 can be used , which will be discussed in more detail at a later juncture . in the present embodiment , the vehicle 3 has a receiver 11 for a global satellite navigation system , called a gnss receiver 11 below , which the vehicle 3 can use in a manner known per se to determine position data in the form of its absolute geographical position 12 and to use said position data for the purposes of a navigation system 13 , for example , in order to display them on a geographical map , which is not shown further . corresponding signals 14 from the global satellite navigation system , called gnss signals 14 below , can be received via an appropriate gnss antenna 15 , for example , and forwarded to the gnss receiver 11 in a manner known per se . in the present embodiment , the vehicle additionally has a transceiver 16 that the vehicle 3 can use to be involved as a node in the car2x network 1 and to interchange messages , called car2x messages 17 below , with other nodes , such as the further vehicle 8 and / or the set of traffic lights 5 . in order to distinguish it from the gnss receiver 11 , this transceiver 16 will be called car2x transceiver 16 below . in the car2x messages 17 interchanged via the car2x network 1 , the individual nodes 3 , 5 , 8 can interchange data describing various information with one another , which data can be used to increase road safety on the road 2 , for example . an example of the information that can be interchanged with the data in the car2x messages 17 would be the absolute geographical position 12 , determined using the gnss receiver 11 , of the respective node 3 , 5 , 8 of the car2x network 1 . such data can also be called position data . if the node 3 , 5 , 8 of the car2x network 1 that receives the geographical position 12 is a vehicle , such as the vehicle 3 that is not involved in the road accident 10 and the vehicle 8 that is involved in the road accident 10 , then the geographical position 12 received via the car2x network 1 can be used to represent the traffic movement , for example , on the navigation system 13 of the receiving vehicle 3 , 8 , for example . if , besides the absolute geographical position 12 , the road accident 10 is also described as information with the data in the car2x message 17 , then determined traffic situations , such as the road accident 10 , can be represented on the navigation system 13 more specifically . further possible information that can be interchanged with the car2x messages 17 will be discussed in more detail later for the purposes of fig2 . in order to interchange the car2x messages 17 , the car2x transceiver 16 either modulates a car2x message 17 onto a transmission signal , called car2x signal 18 below , and sends it via an antenna , called car2x antenna 19 below , to the other nodes 3 , 5 , 8 in the car2x network 1 , or it uses the car2x antenna 19 to receive a car2x signal 18 and filters the relevant car2x message 17 therefrom . this will be discussed in more detail at a later juncture for the purposes of fig3 . in this case , fig1 shows that the car2x transceiver 16 outputs a car2x message 17 to the navigation system 13 on the assumption that said message contains , in the manner described above , information that can be represented on said navigation system . this is not intended to be understood as a restriction , however . in particular , it is expediently also possible for the gnss receiver 11 to be connected to the car2x transceiver 16 directly or , as shown in fig2 , indirectly in order to send its own absolute geographical position 12 in the car2x network 1 . the structure of the car2x message 17 and of the car2x signal 18 and hence the design of the car2x network can be defined in a communication protocol . there are already such communication protocols on a country - specific basis , inter alia for the purposes of etsi tc its at etsi in europe and for the purposes of ieee 1609 at ieee and also at sae in the united states of america . further information in this regard can be found in the cited specifications . the vehicle 3 can optionally also have the aforementioned ambient sensor system in the form of a camera 20 and a radar sensor 21 . the camera 20 can be used by the vehicle 3 to record an image of a view that is ahead of the vehicle 3 , when considered in the direction of travel 7 of the vehicle 3 , within an image angle 22 . in addition , the vehicle 3 can use the radar sensor 21 and appropriate radar beams 23 to identify objects , when considered in the direction of travel 7 of the vehicle 3 , and to determine the distance from the vehicle 3 in a manner known per se . in order to substantiate the information that can be transmitted with a car2x message 17 , the design of the vehicle 3 and of the further vehicle 5 will first of all be discussed below on the basis of the vehicle 3 by way of example . the vehicle 3 has various safety components , of which fig2 shows an electronic braking assistant 24 , called eba 24 , and a driving dynamics control system 25 , which is known per se . while de 10 2004 030 994 a1 provides details pertaining to the eba 24 , de 10 2011 080 789 a1 provides details pertaining to the driving dynamics control system 25 . the vehicle 3 comprises a chassis 26 and four wheels 27 . each wheel 27 can be slowed down in comparison with the chassis 26 by means of a brake 28 , mounted at a fixed location on the chassis 26 , in order to slow down a movement by the vehicle 3 on the road 2 . in this case , in a manner that is known to a person skilled in the art , it may occur that the wheels 27 of the vehicle 3 lose their traction and the vehicle 3 even moves away from a trajectory , for example prescribed by means of a steering wheel , which is not shown further , as a result of understeer or oversteer . this is avoided by the driving dynamics control system 25 . in the present embodiment , the vehicle 4 has speed sensors 29 on the wheels 27 for this purpose , which sense a speed 30 of the wheels 27 . on the basis of the sensed speeds 30 , a controller 31 can determine , in a manner that is known to a person skilled in the art , whether the vehicle 3 slips on the roadway or even deviates from the aforementioned prescribed trajectory , and can react thereto accordingly with a controller output signal 32 that is known per se . the controller output signal 32 can then be used by an actuating device 33 in order to use actuating signals 34 to actuate actuating elements , such as the brakes 28 , which react to the slipping and the deviation from the prescribed trajectory in a manner that is known per se . the eba 24 can evaluate image data 35 , captured using the camera 20 , and distance data 36 , captured using the radar sensor 21 , pertaining to objects such as vehicles in the direction of travel 7 ahead of the vehicle 3 and , on the basis thereof , can detect a hazard situation . this hazard situation could arise , by way of example , when an object ahead of the vehicle 3 approaches the latter at an excessive speed . in such a case , the eba 24 could use an emergency braking signal 37 to instruct the actuating device 33 to use the actuating signals 34 to carry out emergency braking with the brakes 28 . each time the eba 24 or the driving dynamics control system 25 uses the actuating device 33 to take action in the vehicle 4 , the actuating device 33 can output a report signal 38 , for example , which is shown in dots in fig2 . expediently , the report signal 38 should substantiate whether the action was required by the eba 24 or the driving dynamics control system 25 . such a report signal 38 can be produced by any entity in the vehicle 3 , that is to say even by the controller 31 of the driving dynamics control system 25 , for example . a message generation device 39 could then take the report signal 38 , the absolute geographical position 12 and a timestamp 41 , which is shown in fig3 and output from a timer 40 , as a basis for generating a car2x message 17 that can be used to report the action of the eba 24 and / or of the driving dynamics control system 25 to the other nodes 5 , 8 as information via the car2x network 1 . the car2x message 17 generated in this manner could then be sent in the car2x network 1 via the car2x antenna 19 . in the example of fig1 , it was explained that the information about the absolute geographical position 12 of the individual nodes 3 , 5 , 8 and / or about events such as the road accident 10 and / or such as an action by the eba 24 and / or the driving dynamics control system 25 that is interchanged in the car2x messages 17 could be represented on the navigation system 13 for the purpose of orienting the driver . alternatively or additionally , the information interchanged in the car 2x messages 17 can also be taken as a basis for actively generating actuating signals 34 , for example using the actuating device 33 , however . if , by way of example , the action by the eba 24 is transmitted as information in a car 2x message 17 , then it would be possible , by way of example , to take the reception of this car 2x message 17 as a basis for automatically triggering the eba 24 in the receiving vehicle 3 , 8 . the transmission of a car 2x message 17 via the car 2x network 1 will be explained below with reference to fig3 , said car 2x network being indicated by a cloud in fig3 for the sake of clarity . the content of the car 2x message 17 is intended to be assumed to be , by way of example , an action — reported by the actuating device 33 with the report signal 38 — by the eba 24 in the accident vehicle 8 involved in the road accident 10 . as already explained , the message generation device 39 takes the report signal 38 , the absolute geographical position 12 and the timestamp 41 as a basis for generating the car 2x message 17 according to the aforementioned communication protocol . in this case , the message generation device 39 may also be part of the car 2x transceiver 16 , in principle . from the car 2x message 17 , data packets 43 are generated in a data packet generation device 42 in the car 2x transceiver 16 of the accident vehicle 8 . the generation of data packets 43 means that car 2x messages 17 from various applications in the accident vehicle 8 can be combined to form a single data stream in order to produce the car 2x signal 18 . the data packet generation device 42 therefore corresponds to a network and transport layer , the task of which is known to be to route the network data from various applications . the design of the data packet generation device 42 is dependent on the aforementioned specification of the communication protocol for the car 2x network 1 . the generated data packets 43 are modulated onto the car 2x signal 18 in a modulation device 44 and wirelessly sent in the car 2x network 1 . the modulation device 44 therefore corresponds to an interface layer , the task of which is to physically connect the accident vehicle 8 to the car 2x network 1 . the design of the modulation device 44 is also dependent on the aforementioned specification of the communication protocol for the car 2x network 1 . in the vehicle 3 that is not involved in the road accident 10 , the car 2x signal 18 sent by the accident vehicle 8 can then be received via the car 2x antenna 19 . in order to extract the car2x message 17 from the car2x signal 18 , the car2x transceiver 16 of the vehicle 3 has a demodulation device 45 that reverses the sender - end modulation of the data packets 43 in a manner that is known per se . accordingly , a message extraction device 46 can extract the car2x messages 17 from the data packets 43 and make them available to the applications in the vehicle 3 , such as the navigation system 13 or even the actuating device 33 . ultimately , the demodulation device 45 and the message extraction device 46 are the reception - end counterparts in accordance with the aforementioned network and transport layer and the interface layer and are likewise dependent on the aforementioned specification of the communication protocol for the car2x network 1 . for details of the individual network layers , reference is therefore made to the relevant specifications . particularly in high - load situations when there are a multiplicity of nodes 3 , 5 , 8 in the car2x network 1 on the road 2 , it is necessary for correspondingly high levels of computation resources to be kept free in the respective nodes 3 , 5 , 8 for the purpose of processing all car2x messages 17 sent in the car2x network 1 , in order to guarantee the processing of all car2x messages 17 at the receiver end within particular time limits . the provision of these high levels of computation resources is associated with a correspondingly high outlay in terms of cost , which is intended to be reduced for the purposes of the present embodiment by the introduction of an initial filter 48 . the concept behind the initial filter 48 is for potentially irrelevant car2x messages 17 to be eliminated as early as possible in order to avoid their needing to be processed unnecessarily by an element in the reception chain because , as it is , they contain information that is irrelevant to the receiving node . to this end , for the purposes of the present exemplary embodiment , is recognized that the car2x messages 17 can fundamentally be divided into position information messages and infrastructure description messages . while the subscriber nodes 3 , 5 , 8 of the car2x network use car2x messages 17 in the form of position information messages to call attention to themselves and can fundamentally report their geographical position 12 to other subscriber nodes 3 , 5 , 8 for coordination purposes , the subscriber nodes 3 , 5 , 8 can use car2x messages 17 in the form of infrastructure description messages to describe the surroundings in which they are situated . these surroundings are defined by the infrastructure and can adopt various states . in this case , the infrastructure is intended to be understood comprehensively to mean not just the surroundings , such as the road 2 , in which the subscriber node 3 , 5 , 8 can be locally situated , but also the car2x network 1 via which the subscriber node 3 , 5 , 8 can send its car2x messages 17 . while infrastructure description messages relating to the road 2 can be used to control a subscriber node 3 , 8 in the form of a vehicle at navigation level and / or at roadway guidance level , infrastructure description messages relating to the car2x network 1 are used to control and / or signal information flows in the car2x network 1 . a typical infrastructure description message is what are known as the decentralized environmental notification messages , called denm , defined in the etsi en 302 637 - 3 standard , which can be used by a subscriber node 3 , 5 , 8 of the car2x network 1 to transmit information pertaining to the state of the road to other subscriber nodes 3 , 5 , 8 . for the purposes of an embodiment that is discussed below with reference to fig4 , it will be assumed that the vehicle 3 in fig1 that is not involved in the accident receives from the accident vehicle 8 two data packets 43 that each carry one of the aforementioned denms as a car2x message 17 , both of which are intended to report on the accident 10 . in this case , each message comprises a message header 51 , also called a header , and a message body 52 that carries the information actually of interest and hence the car2x message 17 . the data of the message body 52 are also called payload data . the aim of the filter 48 is to filter the data packets 43 on reception without the payload data from the message body 52 needing to be inspected . although it would be conceivable for even some of the payload data 52 to be taken into consideration as well during the filtering , the further a data packet 43 needs to be unpacked in the filter 48 in order to decide on the filtering , the more computation complexity the filtering involves , which is inconsistent with the actual aim of the filtering to save computation resources . in the present case , therefore , the message body 52 is intended to be ignored and the filtering is intended to be performed only on the basis of the message header 51 . the message header 51 of a data packet 43 carrying a car2x message 17 in the form of a denm has a multiplicity of different information variables 53 that can be used to provide predetermined details relating to the car2x message 17 that is carried . by way of example , such details comprise the geographical position 12 of the sender 8 of the car2x message 17 that the sender 8 was in when it sent the car2x message 17 , the timestamp 41 with the time at which the car2x message 17 was sent and a message identifier 54 that can accurately qualify the type of the car2x message 17 in any manner . this message identifier 54 will be discussed in more detail at a later juncture . finally , the details can also comprise a sender identifier that describes information pertaining to the sender 8 itself in more detail , for example what kind of sender ( road sign , vehicle , etc .) is involved . these and further details in the information variables 53 of the message header 51 of a data packet 43 are defined for car2x messages 17 in the form of denms , for example in the aforementioned standard , for which reason they will not be discussed any more below . if the accident vehicle 8 now sends car2x messages 17 reporting on the accident 10 in the form of denms , the filter 48 can , following reception of a first data packet 43 having a car2x message 17 reporting on the accident 10 , filter out all subsequent identically received data packets 43 having car2x messages 17 reporting on this accident 10 . if the vehicle 3 that is not involved in the accident receives two different data packets 43 , for example , that both report on the accident 10 , then this can be deduced in the filter 48 from the message identifier 54 in connection with the sender identifier ( provided with the reference symbol 8 in fig4 for the accident vehicle ). in addition , the accident vehicle 8 will also not change geographical position 12 when sending the data packets 43 . consequently , the second data packet 43 can be identified as a denm reporting the accident 10 without decrypting the message body 52 , said denm being known on account of the already received first data packet 43 , however , for which reason the second data packet 43 can immediately be rejected as redundant in the filter 48 . only the first data packet 43 then needs to be output to the message extraction device 46 as filtered data packet 50 for further handling . in the same way , it is also possible for other data packets 43 , such as the first data packet 43 , to be filtered out as redundant . in this regard , it is possible , by way of example , to assume the scenario that the vehicle 3 that is not involved in the accident 10 has just traveled past the accident 10 but is still situated in direct proximity thereto . the fact that the report is on an accident per se is initially evident in non - specific terms from the message identifier 54 in the message header 51 . the message header 51 also reveals the geographical position 12 of the accident , which remains unspecified . since the vehicle 3 that is not involved in the accident has traveled past the accident 10 , however , this being evident from the direction of travel 7 , for example , the vehicle 3 that is not involved in the accident 10 can , in the scenario that now exists , also immediately eliminate the first data packet 43 as not relevant , because it can no longer collide with the accident 10 on account of the direction of travel 7 that is remote from the accident . the accident 10 itself then no longer needs to be unpacked from the message body 52 . the filtering in the filter 48 ultimately needs to be provided with a decision basis regarding from when it can classify a data packet 43 as irrelevant without knowledge of the infrastructure description message itself that is carried therein . the decision basis should be chosen on the basis of the insight that an infrastructure description message is intended to bring about a reaction from the individual subscriber nodes 3 , 5 , 8 in a certain manner by virtue of the aforementioned notification of particular states on the road 2 and / or in the car2x network 1 . to this end , the state on the road 2 and / or in the car2x network 1 that is reported in the data packet 43 must have a corresponding influence on the relevant subscriber node 3 , 5 , 8 , however . in other words , the state on the road 2 and / or in the car2x network 1 that is reported in the data packet 43 must require a reaction from the receiving subscriber node 3 , 5 , 8 . if this is not the case , that is to say if the subscriber node 3 , 5 , 8 does not have to react to the state , then the relevant data packet 43 reporting the state is irrelevant to the subscriber node 3 , 5 , 8 . it is therefore proposed that the decision basis defined is a relevant need for reaction with which a subscriber node 3 , 5 , 8 must react to a state reported in a data packet 43 having an infrastructure description message . if it can be assumed that the subscriber node 3 , 5 , 8 , as in the first case , explained previously , already knows the content of the infrastructure description message , then the latter also does not need to be processed further , since it can be assumed that any necessary reaction has already been initiated . fig5 shows an example of the design of network stack 61 . network stack 61 first of all comprises data input process 62 , which is used to identify and detect wirelessly received vehicle - to - x messages as such . by way of example , the vehicle - to - x messages are received by means of mobile radio and wlan . data input process 62 forwards the detected vehicle - to - x messages to data management process 64 via network and transport process 63 . data management process 64 usually performs a first evaluation of the data of the received vehicle - to - x messages , the data contents of the detected vehicle - to - x messages being collected , sorted and if need be forwarded to relevant communication - based application processes 65 . application process 65 is the so - called facilities or applications or vehicle systems . the further aspect of the invention can also be described on the basis of the following principles : 1 . a selection method for reducing the computation complexity of a vehicle - to - x communication system , wherein the vehicle - to - x communication system is used to receive and / or send different types of vehicle - to - x messages and wherein the vehicle - to - x messages comprise information about the types of the vehicle - to - x messages , characterized in that the received vehicle - to - x messages to be processed are selected by taking account of their types . 2 . the method according to principle 1 , characterized in that the vehicle - to - x messages to be processed are additionally selected by taking account of a current computation load on the vehicle - to - x communication system . 3 . the method according to at least one of principles 1 and 2 , characterized in that the vehicle - to - x messages to be processed are additionally selected by taking account of a traffic situation in which a motor vehicle that is equipped with the vehicle - to - x communication system is situated . 4 . the method according to at least one of principles 1 to 3 , characterized in that a destination area that is contained in the received vehicle - to - x message in unencrypted form and that specifies a region in which the received vehicle - to - x message is relevant is used for the selection . 5 . the method according to at least one of principles 1 to 4 , characterized in that vehicle systems and / or functions activated in the motor vehicle are used for the selection . 6 . the method according to at least one of principles 1 to 5 , characterized in that repeatedly received identical vehicle - to - x messages are processed only once . 7 . the method according to at least one of principles 1 to 6 , characterized in that a planned journey route for the motor vehicle is used for the selection . 8 . the method according to at least one of principles 1 to 7 , characterized in that vehicle - to - x messages that are associated with optional services are rejected completely in high - load situations . 9 . the method according to at least one of principles 1 to 8 , characterized in that the selection is actually made by a driver of a receiving module of the vehicle - to - x communication system . 10 . the method according to at least one of principles 1 to 9 , characterized in that the types of vehicle - to - x messages are what are known as decentralized environmental notification message ( denm ), road topology ( map ) and signal phase and timing ( spat ) service announcements ( sa ), particularly service channels ( schs ).	6
the surgical robotic system of the present invention , illustrated generally at 10 in fig1 , although preferably used to perform minimally invasive surgery , can also be used to perform other procedures as well , such as open or endoscopic surgical procedures . certain details of the operation of the system 10 are described in u . s . application ser . no . 10 / 014 , 143 filed nov . 16 , 2001 , by brock and lee , the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference . the surgical instrument system 10 includes two main components , a master station m and a slave station s . at the master station m , a surgeon 12 manipulates an input device 13 to direct the operation of a surgical instrument 14 of the slave station s to perform a medical procedure on a patient p lying on an operating table t . although there are shown two surgical instruments 14 positioned on either side of an endoscope 15 and controlled by a respective input device 13 , the surgical system 10 can be used with a single surgical instrument . moreover , although reference is made herein to a “ surgical instrument ,” it is contemplated that the principles of this invention also apply to other medical instruments , not necessarily for surgery , and including , but not limited to , such other implements as catheters , as well as diagnostic and therapeutic instruments and implements . the surgeon is illustrated as seated in a comfortable chair 16 , and the forearms of the surgeon are typically resting upon an armrest 18 of a master assembly 20 associated with the master station m . a slave assembly 22 , also referred to as a drive unit , is associated with the slave station s , and is attached to a rail 24 of the table t with a clamp 26 , which can be released such that the drive unit can be optimally positioned . in some implementations , the master station m is positioned away from the slave station s , for example , in another room . the assemblies 20 and 22 are interconnected by a cabling 28 with a controller 30 , which typically has associated with it one or more displays 32 a for viewing the surgical site , and a display 32 b for monitoring the system performance of the system 10 , and a keyboard ( not shown ). a slider mechanism 34 , which carries the medical instrument 14 , is supported by a support arm 38 . the drive unit 22 is tethered to the slider mechanism 34 with a bundle of mechanical drive cables 36 . the support arm 38 is provided with a clamp 40 at one end that clamps to the slider mechanism , and another clamp 42 that clamps the support arm to the rail 24 . this mounting arrangement permits the instrument to remain fixed relative to the patient even if the table is repositioned . the master station m may also be referred to as a user interface vis - a - vis the controller 30 . associated with the controller 30 is a computer that operates in accordance with a computer algorithm , such that the computer translates the commands issued at the user interface into electronic signals transmitted to the drive unit 22 through the cabling 28 . these signals direct the operation of the drive unit 22 , which has motors to transform the electrical signals into mechanical movement of the cables 36 to produce the desired replicated motions of the surgical instrument 14 . in particular , the movement of the handle or hand assembly at the input device 13 is interpreted by the controller 30 to control the movement of the medical instrument 14 . the use of the cables 36 facilitates positioning of the drive unit 22 away from the operation region , for example , from the sterile field . in the illustrated embodiment , the surgical instrument 14 includes an instrument insert 56 that supports , at its distal end , a tool 44 , and an adaptor 49 , also referred to as a holder , having a guide tube 46 that receives the instrument insert 56 ( fig2 ). the surgical instrument 14 is coupled to a coupling mechanism , preferable a slider mechanism 34 . in this implementation , the surgical instrument 14 provides a number of independent motions , or degrees - of - freedom , to the tool 44 . the surgical guide 46 is basically a passive mechanical device and may be of relatively simple construction . it is a simple guide tube , curved at its distal end , through which the end effector or tool 44 is inserted . motion of the guide tube results in a movement of the end effector or tool 44 . the guide tube may be designed in length , diameter , and curvature for particular surgical applications such as abdominal , cardiac , spinal , arthroscopic , sinus , neural , etc . the adaptor 49 provides a means for exchanging the instrument inserts and thus the instrument tools 44 , which may be , for example , forceps , scissors , needle drivers , electrocautery probes etc . the endoscope 15 ( fig1 ) includes a camera to remotely view the operation site . the camera may be mounted on the distal end of the instrument insert , or may be positioned away from the site to provide an additional perspective on the surgical operation . in certain situations , as shown , it may be desirable to provide the endoscope through an opening other than the one used by the surgical instrument 14 . the endoscope 15 is connected to the master station m with a cable 17 to allow the surgeon 12 to view the procedure with the monitors 32 a . in this regard , three separate incisions are shown in the patient p , two side incisions for accommodating the two surgical instruments 14 and a central incision that accommodates the viewing endoscope . a drape 48 covering the patient is also shown with a single opening 50 through which the surgical guide 46 of the surgical instrument 14 extends into the patient p . the cable bundles 36 may terminate at respective connection modules or drive unit couplers 52 , which attach to and may be removed from the drive unit 22 . further details of the connection modules 52 can be found in the earlier co - pending applications no . pct / us00 / 12553 and u . s . application ser . no . 10 / 014 , 143 filed nov . 16 , 2001 , the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference . although one cable bundle is shown associated with each of the surgical instruments 14 , it is to be understood that more than one cable bundle can be used . furthermore , although the drive unit 22 is shown located outside the sterile field , it may be draped with a sterile barrier so that it can be operated within the sterile field . to set up the system 10 , the user connects the drive unit couplers 52 to the drive units 22 and places a sterile drape 54 over slider mechanisms 34 , cable bundle 36 and the drive unit couplers 52 . the user then clamps the support arm 38 to the slider mechanism 34 with the clamp 40 , which clamps a knob 51 through the drape 54 . the user attaches the sterile adaptor 49 to the underside of the slider mechanism 34 such that the drape 54 is positioned between the slider mechanism 34 and the adaptor 49 . the user then places a sterile tool insert 56 ( see , e . g ., fig2 ) into the adaptor 49 such that the tool 44 extends past the terminal end of the guide tube 46 , and inserts the tool 44 of the surgical instrument 14 into the patient through the incision or opening . particular details of the system 10 and its operation are now described below with reference to fig2 - 18 . turning to fig2 , the surgical instrument 14 is coupled to a carriage 58 of the slider mechanism 34 with the insert adaptor 49 through a sterile drape insert 62 . the sterile drape insert 62 is attached to the drape 54 in a manner to create a sterile field outside of the drape 54 . the drape 54 is typically made of a suitable flexible material , while the drape insert 62 is made of metal or a stiff plastic . the drive unit 22 includes a set of motors ( seven total ) with capstans 22 a that engage with respective drivers 52 a of the drive coupler 52 . fig2 also shows how the slider mechanism 34 is connected to the drive coupler 52 with the single bundle of cables 36 . in particular , the control wires or cables of the bundle 36 connect to the slider mechanism 34 at a single location 36 a that does not move . that is , although the cables within the bundle 36 weave through the slider mechanism 34 , and are coupled to respective driven capstans or drive pulleys , the point of attachment 36 a to the slider mechanism 34 is stationary . hence , none of the cables interferes with the movement of the slider mechanism and thus the surgical instrument and vice versa . it is not necessary for the bundle 36 to be composed of cables . any suitable flexible segment or tendon can be used in place of one or more of the cables in the bundle 36 . referring also to fig3 , the carriage 58 includes a block and tackle assembly 64 that decouples the movements of the guide tube 46 and the tool 44 from the overall linear ( b - b ) and angular ( a - a ) movements of the slider mechanism 34 . thus , as the surgeon 12 manipulates the input device 13 ( fig1 ), the computer system 30 issues commands to the drive motor array 22 to produce a desired motion of the instrument 14 . in the illustrated embodiment , the surgical instrument 14 is able to move with seven degrees - of - freedom : the pivoting base motion a - a of the slider mechanism 34 , and thus the carriage 58 , the linear motion b - b of the carriage 58 , a rotary motion c - c of the outer guide tube 46 , a rotary motion d - d of the tool insert 56 , a pitch e - e motion and a yaw f - f motion of the tool 44 , and a grasping motion g - g of a pair of graspers 198 of the tool 44 . each movement is driven from a respective motor capstan 22 a of the drive unit or array 22 through push / pull wires or cables of the bundle of cables 36 coupled to the slider mechanism 34 . fig3 also illustrates details of the clamp 40 which includes a handle 41 , a moveable jaw 43 , and a stationary jaw 45 , all mounted in a housing 47 . the handle 41 and the jaw 43 function as a cam action lock so that as someone pushes the handle 41 down towards the housing 47 , the moveable jaw 47 and the stationary jaw 45 lock onto the knob 51 at the top of the slider mechanism 34 to secure the slider mechanism 34 to the support arm 38 . turning now to fig4 - 6 , there is shown the carriage 58 supported by a pair of rails 72 attached at one end to an end block 74 , and at the other end to a rotatable base 76 . the rotatable base 76 is connected to an axle 78 which in turn is mounted to an end cap 80 and a housing 90 with a pair of bearings 83 . the end cap 80 is suspended from the housing 90 by a set of bars 92 . an angle drive mechanism 70 includes a pair of gear reduction pulleys 84 and 86 connected to another axle 88 mounted with a pair of bearings 89 to the housing 90 . the drive mechanism 70 also includes a driven pulley 94 secured to the axle 78 , and coupled to the gear reduction pulley 86 with a cable 96 . as shown in fig5 , the cable 96 has two ends 97 that attach to a cable tensioning block 99 mounted in the driven pulley 94 . thus , as a set screw 99 a is turned , thereby moving the block 99 , the appropriate tension is applied to the cable 96 . a pair of cable segments 102 and 104 of the bundle of cables 36 are guided through a pair of guide pulleys 98 and 100 and attach to the gear reduction pulley 84 with respective cable anchors 106 and 108 . the other ends of the cables 102 and 104 are coupled to respective motor capstans 22 a of the drive unit 22 through the drive coupler 52 . accordingly , as a motor of the drive unit 22 applies tension to either of the cables 102 or 104 , a rotary motion is imparted to the pulley 84 and hence the pulley 86 about the longitudinal axis 110 of the axle 88 . the rotary motion of the pulley 86 consequently imparts a rotary motion through the cable 96 to the driven pulley 94 about the longitudinal axis 112 of the axle 78 . the driven pulley 94 in turn imparts a rotary motion of the rotatable base 76 and thus the carriage 58 back and forth in the direction of the double arrow a - a . referring to fig7 , there is shown a linear drive mechanism 120 that moves the carriage 58 back and forth along the rails 72 in the direction b - b . the linear drive mechanism 120 includes a pair of cable segments 122 and 124 attached to the carriage with respective anchors 126 and 128 . the cable 122 is guided about a guide pulley 130 , while the cable 124 is guided through a guide pulley 132 , the guide pulley 130 , and about an idler pulley 134 mounted in the end block 74 . the other ends of the cables 122 and 124 are attached to a motor of the drive unit 22 through the coupler 52 . accordingly , as tension is applied to the cable 122 , the carriage moves from left to right , while tension applied to the cable 124 moves the carriage 58 from right to left . turning now to fig8 , there is shown details of the block and tackle assembly 64 . the block and tackle assembly 64 includes a coupling system 200 for each of the degrees - of - freedom c - c , d - d , e - e , f - f , and g - g ( fig3 ) that are decoupled from the linear b - b and rotary movements a - a of the carriage 58 . although the coupling systems 200 are layered or stacked , the operation of the systems is best illustrated with reference to the single coupling system shown in fig8 and further illustrated in fig9 a - 9e . the coupling system 200 includes two stationary pulleys 202 and 204 fixed to the slider 58 , and two additional pulleys 206 and 208 mounted in respective sliders 206 a and 208 a that are able to slide relative to the carriage 58 along tracks 210 . the pulleys 202 , 204 , 206 , and 208 and the sliders 206 a and 206 b are made of plastic or metal , and the tracks 210 are formed of plastic or teflon .™. or any other suitable material that minimizes friction between the tracks 210 and the sliders 206 a and 206 b . a pair of cable segments 220 and 222 are attached at a first location 214 and a second location 216 , respectively , to a pair of anchors 218 on the end block 74 . the first cable segment 220 wraps around the sliding pulleys 206 and the stationary pulley 202 , and the second cable segment 222 wraps around the other sliding pulley 208 and the other stationary pulley 204 . the two segments 220 and 222 are fed through a pair of guide pulleys 224 and 226 and are coupled to a respective motor of the array 22 through the coupler 52 . the sliding pulleys 206 and 208 are also connected with another cable 230 to a driven capstan 232 that imparts one of the degrees - of - freedom of movement c - c , d - d , e - e , f - f , and g - g ( fig3 ) to the surgical instrument . when the system 10 is in operation , as the carriage 58 moves back and forth with the linear motion b - b ( fig9 e ), the cable segments 220 and 222 roll freely over the pulleys 202 , 204 , 206 , and 208 without rotating the driven capstan 232 . that is , the linear movement of the carriage 58 does not influence , and is therefore decoupled from , the degrees - of - freedom of movement c - c , d - d , e - e , f - f , and g - g . if , however , the capstan 22 a is rotated to pull on the segment 220 or segment 222 , the distance between one of the stationary pulleys 202 or 204 and the corresponding sliding pulley 206 or 208 decreases , while the distance between the other fixed and sliding pulleys increases , resulting in a rotary motion of the driven capstan 232 . by way of example , as shown in fig9 c , if the capstan 22 a is rotated counterclockwise in the direction r to pull on the cable segment 222 from an initial position shown in fig9 b , the length of the cable 222 around the pulleys to the anchor 218 is shortened , causing the sliding pulley 208 to move towards the stationary pulley 204 . since the cable 230 is of a fixed length , it pulls the other sliding pulley 206 away from the stationary pulley 202 , and rotates the driven capstan 232 counterclockwise with a rotary movement r ′. no linear movement is imparted to the carriage 58 . similarly , as shown in fig9 d , if the capstan 22 a is rotated clockwise in the direction r ″ to pull on the cable segment 220 , the sliding pulley 206 moves towards the stationary pulley 202 , while the sliding pulley 208 moves away the stationary pulley 204 , which imparts a clockwise rotary motion r ″′ to the driven capstan 232 . note , as mentioned earlier , the movements b - b , c - c , d - d , e - e , f - f , and g - g do not influence and are therefore decoupled from the rotary movement a - a of the carriage 58 . referring now to fig1 , a drive mechanism 300 used to drive one of the degrees - of - freedom e - e , f - f , or g - g of the tool 44 is shown . the drive mechanism 300 includes a lower drive shaft 302 mounted in the adapter 49 . the lower drive shaft 302 is coupled to an upper drive shaft 304 of the coupling system 200 through a rotatable coupler 306 that is mounted in the drape insert 62 . the lower drive shaft 302 is also coupled to a respective drive wheel 308 of the instrument insert 56 . the upper drive shaft 304 is provided with a set screw 310 that when rotated pushes against a set screw extension 312 which clamps the cable 230 in the driven capstan 232 mounted about the upper drive shaft 304 . as such , as the driven capstan 232 rotates , as discussed with reference to fig9 a - 9e , the rotary motion of the capstan 232 imparts a rotary motion of the drive wheel 308 through drive shaft 304 , coupler 306 , and the lower drive shaft 302 . as mentioned above , the insert can be made of a stiff plastic . similarly , the coupler 306 can be made from two plastic pieces 306 a and 306 b ( fig1 ) connected together through a hole in the base 63 of the insert 62 . the lower piece 306 b is provided with a bearing 307 that allows the coupler 306 to rotate relative to the base 63 . either or both of the insert 62 and the coupler 306 can be made of metal rather than plastic . rotary motion of the guide tube 46 ( c - c ) and the insert 56 ( d - d ) are imparted though somewhat different mechanisms . in particular , referring to fig1 , a drive mechanism 330 used to drive the rotary motion of the outer guide tube 46 includes a lower drive shaft 332 mounted in the adapter 49 . the lower drive shaft 332 is coupled to a respective upper drive shaft 304 through the coupler 306 , similar to that described above for the lower drive shaft 302 . however , unlike the previously described drive mechanisms 300 , the lower drive shaft 332 is provided with a right angle cable drive 333 . the cable drive 333 includes a pulley 334 , and a pair of idler pulleys 336 mounted to the adapter 49 with a shaft 338 and positioned at 90 . degree . from the pulley 334 . a cable 340 is wrapped around the pulley 334 , guided through the idler pulleys 336 , and attached to an outer tube drive pulley 342 clamped to the outer guide tube 46 with a clamp screw 344 . hence rotary motion of the upper drive shaft 304 about an axis 346 ( fig4 ) results in a rotary motion ( c - c ) about an axis aligned at a 90 . degree . angle from the axis 346 . referring back to fig4 , a similar drive mechanism 350 is used to rotate the shaft 353 of the insert 56 in the direction d - d ( fig3 ). for the drive mechanism 350 , a drive cable 352 is coupled to tool shaft drive pulley 354 . the drive pulley 354 in turn is coupled to the shaft 353 . as such , as the upper drive shaft 304 rotates about an axis 360 , a consequent rotary motion is imparted to the shaft 353 to produce the rotary motion d - d . referring to fig1 and 13 , when the adaptor 49 is clamped to the drape insert 62 , a blade like tip 414 of the adaptor 49 fits in a slot 416 of the coupling 306 , so that rotation of the coupling 306 rotates the lower drive shaft 302 or 332 . when removing the adaptor 49 , a lockout mechanism 400 assures that the blade 414 remains in the same position to fit into the slot 416 when the adaptor 49 is reattached to the insert 62 . that is , the lockout mechanism 400 prevents rotation of the lower drive shafts 302 or 332 when the insert adapter 49 and the drape insert 62 are not clamped together . the lower drive shaft 302 or 332 is provided with a washer 404 positioned beneath a disk 406 . a clip 408 secures the washer 404 , disk 406 and hence the lower drive shaft 302 in place . when the adapter 49 and the insert 62 are clamped together , a protrusion 410 on a flexure 412 , attached to the surface the adaptor 49 with a screw 413 , is pushed down by the drape insert 62 to release a catch tab 411 on the flexure 412 from engagement with the disk 406 , thereby allowing the drive shaft to rotate . that is , the catch tab 411 is pushed out of a respective perforation or hole 406 a of the disk 406 . meanwhile coupling between the lower drive shaft 302 and the coupler 306 occurs as the blade 414 engages with the slot 416 of the coupling 306 . additional details of the arrangement of the outer tube drive pulley 342 and the shaft drive pulley 354 in relation to the insert 56 are shown in fig1 . the outer tube drive pulley 342 is positioned between an end section 500 and a mid section 502 of the adapter 49 . as mentioned above the outer tube drive pulley 342 is clamped to the outer tube 46 , which is mounted in the end section 500 and the mid section 502 with respective bearings 504 and 506 . hence rotation of the drive pulley 342 causes a consequent rotation of the guide tube 46 with the degree - of - freedom of movement c - c ( fig3 ). the shaft drive pulley 354 is positioned adjacent to the mid section 502 and mounted about the outer tube 46 with a bearing 508 so that it can rotate relative to the outer tube 46 . a retainer clip 510 holds the drive shaft pulley 354 in place . the shaft pulley 354 is also provided with a valve 356 , made from , for example , silicone . the shaft 353 is inserted through a flexible flap 356 a with a hole in it and into the guide tube 46 . prior to the insertion of the shaft 353 into the guide tube 46 , the resiliency of the valve 356 and in particular the flap 356 a causes the hole in the flap to close off , hence , creating a seal between the guide tube 46 and the remainder of the adaptor 49 to prevent gas from escaping from the operating site through the guide tube 46 . similarly , when the shaft 353 is in place , the flap 356 a forms a seal about the shaft 353 to prevent the escape of gas . a drive arm 512 of the insert 56 engages with a slot 514 of the pulley 354 to couple the shaft 353 with the pulley 354 so that the shaft 353 rotates with the pulley 354 with the degree - of - freedom of movement d - d ( fig3 ). referring now to fig1 , there is illustrated how the drive wheels 308 of the insert 56 engage with respective lower drive shafts 302 . in particular , a face 520 of each drive wheel 308 mates with an opposing face 522 of the respective lower drive shaft 302 . referring now to fig1 a , as well as fig2 and 4 , details of the attachment of the adaptor 49 to the slider mechanism 34 are shown , as well as the insert 56 prior to insertion of the shaft 353 into the guide tube 46 . the drape 54 is placed between the adaptor 49 and the bottom of the carriage 58 , and then a lip 600 of the adaptor 49 is placed into a corresponding lip 602 of the carriage assembly 58 , with the drape 54 pinched between the two lips . the adaptor 49 is then rotated up so that it engages with the carriage 58 through the drape insert 62 . a clamp 604 is then snapped in place to secure the adaptor 49 to the slider mechanism 34 . referring to fig1 b , there is shown the insert 56 prior to insertion into the adaptor 49 . the adaptor 49 includes alignment holes 610 for the corresponding nubs 612 of the insert 56 . the adaptor 49 also includes a clamshell 614 attached to a base portion 616 with a pivot joint 618 . the clamshell 614 is provided with a pair of pins 617 that engage with respective keyholes 620 of a catchplate 622 . a clamshell release handle 624 is springloaded with a spring 625 ( fig1 ) to allow a user to release the clamshell 614 from the catchplate 622 by pushing on the handle 624 . referring also to fig1 c , after the shaft 353 is inserted into the guide tube 46 , the drive arm 512 mates with the receiving slot 514 to couple the shaft 353 to the shaft drive pulley 354 . in addition , a release pin 626 extending from the base portion 616 pushes against a flexure 628 to unlock the shaft 353 ( fig1 b ). referring also to fig1 , the flexure 628 has a hole 629 in which a tab 631 is positioned before insertion . the tab 631 is attached to the shaft 353 such that as the flexure 628 is pushed away from the tab 631 the shaft 353 is free to rotate . referring also to fig1 d , as the insert 56 is rotated in place , the nubs 612 align and fit into the alignment holes 610 while the face 520 of the drive wheels 308 mate with the face 522 of the lower drive shafts 302 . the clamshell 614 is provided with a spring 630 ( fig1 and 16c ) that pushes against the bottom of the insert 56 when the clamshell 614 is snapped into the locked position so that the insert 56 abuts against the adaptor 49 with an applied force . fig1 e illustrates the instrument insert 56 fully inserted , but with the clamshell 614 still open . the adaptor 49 , such as depicted in fig1 a , is readily attachable and detachable with the coupling mechanism such as the block and tackle assembly 64 . this provides a more adaptable surgical system useable with a greater number of types of surgical procedures . for example , one of the primary differences from adaptor - to - adaptor may be the radius of curvature of the distal curved end of the guide tube 46 . also , the length of the curved section of the guide tube may be varied , or the combination of curvature and length can to taken into account in selecting different adaptors . moreover , the diameter of the tube could be different depending upon size and diameter of the instrument insert . furthermore , instead of providing a curvature at the distal end of the guide tube , there can be a straight bend at the distal end . either a curvature , bend , or other deflection of the distal end of the guide tube provides the desired off - set of the distal end so that , upon rotary motion c - c of the guide tube , there is motion of the tool out of the plane defined by the pivoting base motion a - a . for some surgical procedure , as mentioned above , it may be desirable to substitute different types of adaptors . for example , if a particular procedure requires work in both a focused small area , as well as in a broader extending area of the patient , it is desirable to use different types of adaptors . the different adaptors might have different lengths , diameters , curvatures , or combinations thereof . details of the individual drive mechanisms of the insert 56 that provide the degrees of freedom of movement e - e , f - f , and g - g ( fig3 ) are illustrated in fig1 and 18 , as well as fig1 . for each degree - of - freedom , a pair of cables 700 and 702 extends through the shaft 353 and is coupled at the terminal ends of the cables to the tool 44 . the other ends of the cables 700 and 702 are attached to respective drive wheels 308 with cable anchors 704 and 706 . illustrated in fig1 is a tensioning mechanism 710 that is in a non - tensioned position when the insert 56 is not in use . the tensioning mechanism includes a tensioning handle 712 ( fig1 ) provided with a tab 729 on its underside that engages with a slot 731 on the bottom of a blade 714 , and a pair of outer lips 730 that engage with a pair of undercuts 732 on the bottom of the insert housing 750 . prior to inserting the insert 56 into the adaptor 49 , a user turns the handle 712 about 90 . degree . until the tension blade 714 rests against a stop pin 716 , while a pair of spring - arm catches 734 snap up and latch the blade 714 in place . when this occurs , the blade 714 spreads the cables 700 and 702 apart such that they are pushed against a pair of cable guide posts 718 to pretension the cables 700 and 702 . this pretension position of the blade 714 is shown in fig1 and 15 . the handle 712 is provided with a pair of slots 730 a that match up with the undercuts 732 so that when the handle has been turned approximately 90 . degree . the handle can be removed from the insert 56 . note also that the housing 750 has a cutout 752 that provides a clearance while the insert 56 is being inserted into the adaptor 49 . the blade 714 can be made of plastic and is provided with smooth surfaces 720 made of , for example , stainless steel , so that the cables 700 and 702 are able to glide over the blade 714 with minimal friction . similarly , the guide posts 718 are also provided with smooth surfaces 722 that minimize friction between the posts 718 and the cables 700 and 702 . while this invention has been particularly shown and described with references to preferred embodiments thereof , it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the scope of the invention encompassed by the appended claims . for example , although the slider mechanism is described in the context of a coupling mechanism , other embodiments in which the cable bundle is attached at its distal end at a stationary location are also considered within the scope of the present invention .	0
based on the above - mentioned prior art , the present inventors found that only fatty acid - related polyunsaturated compounds can be selectively extracted , isolated and purified on an industrial scale by a process wherein a material containing a target fatty acid - related polyunsaturated compound is stirred with a silver salt , which is capa ble of forming a complex through unsaturated bonds , is dissolved in an aqueous medium solution at above a certain concentration so that only the fatty acid - related polyunsaturated compound having an unsaturated degree of 3 or more forms a complex , i . e . [ the silver salt soluble in the aqueous medium - the fatty acid - related polyunsaturated compound ], to be extracted in the aqueous medium phase , and after fractionation of the aqueous medium phase , the complex in the aqueous medium phase is subjected to dissociation procedures , and thus completed the present invention . the fatty acid - related polyunsaturated compounds in the present invention , as defined above , include estertype derivatives such as methyl esters , ethyl esters , triglycerides , diglycerides and monoglycerides , carboxylic acid - type derivatives such as amides and methyl amides and aliphatic alcohols . furthermore , the fatty acid - related polyunsaturated compounds herein mean fatty acid - related compounds having an degree of unsaturation of 3 or more . in the present invention , a silver salt , which is capable of forming a complex through unsaturated linkages , dissolved in an aqueous medium is added to a material containing a fatty acid - related polyunsaturated compound , and the resultant mixture is stirred for 5 minutes to 4 hours so that a complex , i . e . [ silver salt - the fatty acid - related polyunsaturated compound ], which is soluble in the aqueous medium , is formed , and only the fatty acid - related polyunsaturated compound having an degree of unsaturation of 3 or more can be selectively dissolved in the aqueous medium phase . in this case , the reaction may be carried out at any low temperature as far as the solution remains to be liquid or at a temperature at the upper limit as high as 100 ° c ., but preferably at near room temperature considering the stability of the fatty acid - related polyunsaturated compound , the solubility of the silver salt in water and the rate of complex formation . the reaction time is preferably 10 minutes to 2 hours . furthermore , considering the oxidation stability of the fatty acid - related polyunsaturated compound and the stability of the silver salt , all procedures in the present invention are preferably carried out in the dark under an atmosphere of inert gas such as nitrogen and argon . as to the silver salt which is capable of forming a complex through unsaturated linkages , any silver salt may be used ; in general , silver compounds , which are soluble in an aqueous medium , such as silver nitrate , silver perchlorate , silver acetate and silver tetra fluoroborate are used . the aqueous medium as used in the present invention denotes water and compounds having hydroxyl groups , such as glycerin and ethylene glycol . the mixtures of these compounds may also be used in the present invention . the present invention can be effectively carried out at a molar ratio of a fatty acid - related polyunsaturated compound to a silver salt in the range between 1 : 100 and 100 : 1 and at a concentration of the silver salt in the range between 0 . 1 mol per liter and saturation . at a concentration lower than this range , complex formation is not satisfactory enough to make the fatty acid - related polyunsaturated compound soluble in the aqueous medium . considering recovery of the fatty acid - related polyunsaturated compound , the molar ratios between 1 : 5 and 1 : 1 and the concentrations between one mole and 20 moles per liter are preferable . the complex formed in the above - mentioned process is present in the aqueous medium phase and can be isolated exclusively from the reaction system by mechanically separating the aqueous medium phase and the oil and fat phase or by extracting the oil and fat phase using an organic solvent to remove other undesirable fatty acidrelated compounds . the organic solvent to be used in this case is that which can be separable from water , such as hexane and ether . the aqueous medium phase separated in this procedure includes a complex , i . e . [ silver salt -- fatty acid - related polyunsaturated compound ]. by subjecting the complex in the aqueous medium phase to the dissociation procedure , the target fatty acid - related polyunsaturated compound is released and can be recovered by lowering the solubility in the aqueous medium . examples of the procedure to dissociate the complex include a method in which an agent for dissociating the complex is added to dissociate the complex , in particular , a method in which the complex is dissociated by dilution with water , a method in which the complex is extracted by using an organic solvent which is separable from the aqueous medium , a method in which heating is applied and a method in which the complex is dissociated by reducing silver ion to silver . these methods will be discussed more in detail hereinafter . dissociation of a complex by a complex dissociating agent can be accomplished with the use of the complex dissociating agent by replacing a fatty acid - related polyunsaturated compound forming a complex with silver so that the complex dissociating agent alternatively forms a silver compound with silver . generally speaking , any complex dissociating agent which is highly active in dissociating the complex can be used . preferable examples of the complex dissociating agent are oxygen - related compounds which include alcohols such as ethylene glycol , glycerin and diethylene glycol , ethers such as 1 , 4 - dioxane , tetrahydrofuran and crown ether and carbonyls such as acetone ; nitrogen - related compounds which include amines such as ammonia , isobutylamine , ethylenediamine , diethylamine , triethylamine , pyridine and piperidine , amides such as dimethylformamide and n - methylpyrrolidine , nitrils such as acetonitrile , ammonium salts and amine salts ; sulfur - related compounds which include thiols such as 1 , 2 - ethandithiol , sulfides such as diphenylsulfide and tetrahydrothiophene , sulfoxides such as dimethylsulfoxide and sulfones such as sulfolane ; phosphorus - related compounds such as triatomic phosphorus compounds such as triphenylphosphine , pentaatomic phosphorus compounds such as phosphate , e . g ., trimethylphosphate , hexamethylphosphate triamide and other phosphates , arsenic compounds such as triphenylarsine and antimony compounds ; π - electron binding ligands such as carbon monoxide , isocyanides and nitric monoxide ; compounds having functional multiple bond ( s ) capable of forming a complex , which include alkenes such as ethylene , cyclohexene , 2 - methyl - 2 - butene and isoprene ; alkenes ; alkynes ; aromatic compounds ; compounds which form silver compounds insoluble in an aqueous medium ; silver ion ; or compounds capable of interfering with complex formation of silver ion with a fatty acid - related polyunsaturated compound , and ions thereof which include halogenides such as sodium chloride and sodium bromide , sulfates such as sodium sulfate , sulfites , nitrates , thiosulfates , carbonates such as sodium carbonate , salts of carboxylic acid such as sodium tartrate , and sodium acetate thiocyanates such as ammonium thiocyanate , cyanates , azides such as sodium azide , permanganates and acid - type compounds thereof , hydroxide compounds such as sodium hydroxide , and multi - functional compounds having two or more of the above - mentioned functional groups . further , these compounds can be used in mixture . dissociation of the complex by dilution is carried out by adding an aqueous medium additionally to the aqueous medium phase for dilution to release the fatty acid - related polyunsaturated compound . the aqueous medium for dilution may be used in quantity enough to cause dissociation of the complex ; however , generally , the amount more than equivalent , preferably 10 - to 40 - folds , is used . an organic solvent used for the aqueous medium containing the formed complex consisting of the fatty acid - related polyunsaturated compound and silver is used to extract the fatty acid - related polyunsaturated compound . examples of the organic solvents to be used include those which are separable from the aqueous phase , such as hexane , ether , ethyl acetate , benzene , chloroform , dichloromethane , carbon tetrachloride , dichloroethane , cyclohexane , toluene , xylene and butyl acetate . these are used in quantity 1 - to 100 - fold , preferably 5 - to 40 - fold , of the aqueous phase . dissociation of the complex by heating may be carried out at a temperature higher than that used for forming the complex ; however , it may be carried out at near the boiling point of the medium . furthermore , the complex can be dissociated by reducing the silver ion to silver using a reducing agent such as sodium borohydride , electrolysis or light . considering recycling of the silver salt , the method by diluting with water is advantageous . the released fatty acid - related polyunsaturated compound can be extracted and recovered using an organic solvent , such as hexane and ether , which is separable from the aqueous medium and silver ion can be removed by washing the fractionated organic solvent phase with water and saturated saline . furthermore , the aqueous medium is removed from the aqueous medium phase containing silver ion and thus the silver salt can be recovered for recycling . furthermore , according to the present invention , the purity of the fatty acid - related polyunsaturated compound can be furthermore improved by repeating the abovementioned isolation and purification procedures . the present invention thus provides a method of extracting , isolating and purifying a fatty acid - related polyunsaturated compound selectively on an industrial scale from a material containing the fatty acid - related polyunsaturated compound , as mentioned above , wherein first a complex is formed on account of capability of a silver salt , in forming a complex with the fatty acid - related polyunsaturated compound through unsaturated linkages and then a fraction containing the fatty acid - related polyunsaturated compound only can be selectively isolated on account of the solubility of the complex in the aqueous medium , and lastly the complex is dissociated to release the fatty acid - related polyunsaturated compound . details of the method for purification according to the present invention are explained above ; now an apparatus to be appropriately used for embodying the purification method of the invention will be explained as follows : the apparatus for purification according to the present invention is that in which a liquid membrane method is applied . the present inventors investigated the liquid membrane method in which an aqueous medium solution of a silver compound is used as a liquid membrane and found that using this method fatty acid - related polyunsaturated compounds can be selectively and effectively isolated without any additional steps for dissociation , thereby completing the purification apparatus of the present invention . namely , the purification apparatus of the present invention comprises a liquid membrane consisting of an aqueous medium containing a silver salt and two solvents , which are immiscible with the liquid membrane , each separately retained or circulated in a cell sectioned by the liquid membrane ; a mixture containing a target fatty acid - related polyunsaturated compound is supplied into one of the two solvents so that the fatty acid - related polyunsaturated compound is selectively transported via the liquid membrane into the other solvent to be recovered . the membrane method as used herein is a method for separation described in chemical engineering dictionary ( third edition , edited by the society of chemical engineerings , japan , maruzen co ., ltd . ), wherein a solvent which selectively dissolves a target component or a solvent containing an agent which selectively reacts with the target component is made into a liquid membrane , the liquid membrane partitions the two other phases which are immisicible with the liquid membrane so that the target component permeates through the liquid membrane to be isolated and concentrated . the liquid membrane is made in various forms such as a bulk liquid membrane , a supported liquid membrane and an emulsified liquid membrane . in particular , for example , a method using the bulk liquid membrane will be explained in more detail with reference to fig1 as follows : a cell 4 is partitioned by a partition board 5 so as to pass fluid through at the bottom and an aqueous medium solution of a silver compound is poured into the cell up to a level so that an opening for passage 5a is blocked to form a liquid membrane 3 . thereafter , two kinds of solvents 1 and 2 which are immiscible with the liquid membrane 3 are placed separately in the sides partitioned by the partition board 5 . a mixture containing a target fatty acid - related polyunsaturated compound is dissolved in one of the two solvents and the solvent 1 , the solvent 2 and the content of liquid membrane 3 , all or one of them , are gently stirred . the stirring is carried out to facilitate transportation of substance and should not be too vigorous not to brake the liquid membrane or intermix the two solvent phases via the liquid membrane . as the stirring is continued , the fatty acid - related polyunsaturated compound forming a complex passes through the liquid membrane 3 from the side of solvent 1 containing the mixture and be extracted into the solvent 2 on the other side . after several hours , the solvent phase is recovered and the solvent is removed to selectively obtain the target fatty acid - related polyunsaturated compound . furthermore , the both of the solvents 1 and 2 are successively supplied while the fluid in an equivalent amount is excluded so that the operation can be successively continued . in the case of the supported liquid membrane method as shown in fig2 the inside of a rectangular holder for a flat sheet membrane 6 is divided into upper and lower compartments by a supported liquid membrane 7 . an aqueous medium solution of a silver compound is formed by absorption in a supporter . various hydrophilic , porous materials such as cellulose acetate membrane can be used as a material for the supporter . it is essentially desirable that the porous supporter can support an aqueous medium solution firmly and has an excellent wetting affinity with the aqueous medium solution and an appropriate small pore size . in order to facilitate the mass transfer of the material inside the membrane , thinner membrane with a higher porosity are desirable . more particularly , a hydrophilic membrane material having a pore size less than one micrometer in diameter , a porosity of 60 % or more and a membrane thickness of 200 micrometers or less is preferable . a mixture containing a target fatty acid - related polyunsaturated compound is dissolved in a solvent 1 which is immiscible with the liquid membrane and supplied into one side , particularly in the top , of the liquid membrane 7 and a solvent 2 which contains no solute is supplied into the other side , particularly in the bottom , of the membrane . as both solvents pass through the apparatus 6 the target fatty acid - related polyunsaturated compound forms a complex and the resulting complex permeates through the supported liquid membrane 7 from the side of solvent 1 containing the mixture and extracted into the solvent 2 on the other side . after removing the solvent from the discharged solvent phase , the target fatty acid - related polyunsaturated compound can be selectively obtained . the liquid membrane methods to be used are not limited to the above - mentioned two methods . for example , an emulsified liquid membrane method in which a mixture containing a fatty acid - related polyunsaturated compound or a solution thereof is dispersed in an aqueous medium containing a silver compound and then the resulting fluid is further dispersed in a solvent which makes a receptor phase of the fatty acid - related polyunsaturated compound can also be used for isolation . furthermore , in order to increase the efficiency in the supported membrane method , various kinds of apparatus , such as a spiral type or a hollow fiber module type apparatus or an apparatus for a flowing liquid membrane in which the liquid membrane flows to facilitate transportation of substances . as to the solvent , any solvent which dissolves a fatty acid - related highly - unsaturated compound and is immiscible with an aqueous medium solution may be used . examples of these solvents include hydrocarbon solvents such as hexane , heptane and octane . as explained above , the apparatus of the present invention is effective and extremely advantageous because the procedure for the purification of fatty acid - related polyunsaturated compounds specified in the steps 1 through 3 can be carried out continuously . the step 4 also specified in claim 1 can be substantially carried out by generally known conventional means . the present invention will be explained more in detail with reference to the following examples . in the examples , a composition of fatty acids is analyzed by gas chromatography after methyl - esterification and , furthermore , a composition of fatty acid esters is analyzed also by gas chromatography . conditions for the analysis were as follows : an aqueous solution in which 139 . 6 g of silver nitrate was dissolved in 80 ml of distilled water was added to 100 g of a fatty acid mixture containing 60 % of eicosapentaenoic acid under an atmosphere of nitrogen in the dark . after stirring for 2 hours , the resulting reaction mixture was washed twice with one liter of hexane . two litters of distilled water was added to the aqueous phase thus obtained and the resulting admixture was stirred for one hour so that a complex was formed to release fatty acids . the released fatty acids were extracted twice with one liter of hexane , the resulting hexane phase was washed with distilled water and saturated saline and was dehydrated with magnesium sulfate . by concentration under reduced pressure , 39 . 78 g of a fatty acid fraction was obtained . analysis of the fatty acid composition showed a purity of eicosapentaenoic acid was 96 . 0 %. further the eicosapentaenoic acid fraction having the 96 . 0 % purity thus obtained was purified in the same manner as described above . as a result , eicosapentaenoic acid having a purity of 98 . 5 % was obtained . an aqueous solution in which 130 . 9 g of silver nitrate was dissolved in 80 ml of distilled water was added to 101 . 1 g of a fatty acid mixture containing 54 . 0 % of docosahexaenoic acid under an atmosphere of nitrogen in the dark and the resulting mixed solution was stirred for 2 hours . in the same manner as described in example 1 , 43 . 52 g of a fatty acid fraction was obtained . analysis of the fatty acid composition of the fraction showed that docosahexaenoic acid having a purity of 92 . 3 % was obtained . furthermore , docosahexaenoic acid having the 96 . 0 % purity thus obtained was purified in the same manner as described above . as a result , docosahexaenoic acid having a purity of 96 . 4 % was obtained . an aqueous solution in which 142 . 1 g of silver nitrate was dissolved in 80 ml of distilled water was added to 101 g of a fatty acid mixture containing 53 % of arachidonic acid under an atmosphere of nitrogen in the dark and the resulting mixed solution was stirred for 2 hours . in the same manner as described in example 1 , 30 . 05 g of a fatty acid fraction was obtained . analysis of the fatty acid composition of the fraction showed that arachidonic acid was obtained in a purity of 95 . 2 %. furthermore , arachidonic acid having the 95 . 2 % purity thus obtained was purified in the same manner as described above . as a result , arachidonic acid having a purity of 97 . 0 % was obtained . an aqueous solution in which 1 . 688 g of silver nitrate was dissolved in 0 . 5 ml of distilled water was added to 1 . 012 g of a fatty acid ethyl ester mixture containing 62 . 1 % of eicosapentaenoic acid ethyl ester under an atmosphere of nitrogen in the dark and the admixture was stirred for 2 hours . the resulting reaction mixture was washed twice with 20 ml of hexane . 20 ml of distilled water was added to an aqueous phase thus obtained and the resulting admixture was stirred for one hour so that a complex was formed to release fatty acid ethyl esters . the released fatty acid ethyl esters were extracted twice with 20 ml of hexane . the resulting hexane phase was washed with distilled water and then with saturated saline and was dehydrated using magnesium sulfate . by concentration under reduced pressure , 209 . 7 mg of a fatty acid ethyl ester fraction was obtained . analysis of the fatty acid ethyl esters in the fraction showed that eicosapentaenoic acid ethyl ester was obtained in a purity of 98 . 0 %. an aqueous solution in which 1 . 6873 g of silver nitrate was dissolved in 0 . 5 ml of distilled water was added to 713 . 5 mg of a fatty acid ethyl ester mixture containing 59 . 0 % of docosahexaenoic acid ethyl ester under an atmosphere of nitrogen in the dark and the admixture was stirred for 2 hours . in the same manner as described in example 4 , 251 . 4 mg of a fatty acid ethyl ester fraction was obtained . analysis of the composition of the fatty acid ethyl esters thus obtained showed that the purity of docosahexaenoic acid ethyl ester was 97 . 0 %. an aqueous solution in which 1 . 6781 g of silver nitrate was dissolved in 0 . 5 ml of distilled water was added to 630 . 2 mg of a fatty acid ethyl ester mixture containing 52 . 5 % of arachidonic acid ethyl ester under an atmosphere of nitrogen in the dark and the admixture was stirred for 2 hours . in the same manner as described in example 4 , 180 . 3 mg of a fatty acid ethyl ester fraction was obtained . analysis of the composition of this fraction showed that the purity of arachidonic acid ethyl ester was increased to 96 . 3 %. an aqueous solution in which 1 . 0703 g of silver perchlorate was dissolved in 0 . 5 ml of distilled water was added to 670 mg of a fatty acid mixture containing 54 . 0 % of docosahexaenoic acid under an atmosphere of nitrogen in the dark . after stirring for 2 hours , the resulting reaction mixture was washed twice with 20 ml of hexane . 20 ml of distilled water was added to the aqueous phase thus obtained and the resulting admixture was stirred for one hour so that a complex was formed to release fatty acids . the released fatty acids were extracted twice with 20 ml of hexane , the resulting hexane phase was washed with distilled water and with saturated saline and was dehydrated using magnesium sulfate . by concentration under reduced pressure , 211 . 9 mg of a fatty acid fraction was obtained . analysis of the fatty acid composition showed that the purity of docosahexaenoic acid was 93 . 1 %. hog - liver oil which was obtained from the liver of hogs by a conventional method was saponified to obtain a preparation of hog - liver - oil free fatty acids . this preparation contained 14 . 3 % of arachidonic acid . an aqueous solution in which 1 . 128 g of silver perchlorate was dissolved in 0 . 5 ml of distilled water was added under an atmosphere of nitrogen in the dark to 1 . 058 g of this fatty acid preparation dissolved in 0 . 5 ml of hexane . after stirring for one hour , the resulting reaction mixture was washed twice with 20 ml of hexane . 20 ml of distilled water was added to the aqueous phase thus obtained and the resulting admixture was stirred for one hour so that a complex was formed to release fatty acids . the released fatty acids were extracted twice with 20 ml of hexane , the resulting hexane phase was washed with distilled water and with saturated saline and was dehydrated using magnesium sulfate . by concentration under reduced pressure , 70 . 8 mg of fatty acids was obtained . analysis of the fatty acid composition showed that the purity of arachidonic acid was 76 . 4 %. linseed oil obtained by a conventional method was saponified to obtain a preparation of linseed - oil free fatty acids . this preparation contained 55 . 8 % of α - linolenic acid . an aqueous solution in which 920 mg of silver perchlorate was dissolved in 0 . 5 ml of distilled water was added under an atmosphere of nitrogen in the dark to 1 . 013 g of this fatty acid preparation dissolved in 0 . 5 ml of hexane . after stirring for one hour , the resulting reaction mixture was washed twice with 20 ml of hexane . 20 ml of distilled water was added to the aqueous phase thus obtained and the resulting admixture was stirred for one hour so that a complex was formed to release fatty acids . the released fatty acids were extracted twice with 20 ml of hexane , the resulting hexane phase was washed with distilled water and with saturated saline and was dehydrated using magnesium sulfate . by concentration under reduced pressure , 150 mg of fatty acids was obtained . analysis of the fatty acid composition showed that the purity of α - linolenic acid was increased to 98 . 2 %. borage oil was saponified by an ordinary method to obtain a preparation of borejji - oil free fatty acids . this preparation contained 23 . 1 % of γ - linolenic acid . an aqueous solution in which 809 mg of silver perchlorate was dissolved in 0 . 5 ml of distilled water was added under an atmosphere of nitrogen in the dark to 1 . 037 g of this fatty acid preparation dissolved in 0 . 5 ml of hexane . after stirring for one hour , the resulting reaction mixture was washed twice with 20 ml of hexane . 20 ml of distilled water was added to the aqueous phase thus obtained and the resulting admixture was stirred for one hour so that a complex was formed to release fatty acids . the released fatty acids were extracted twice with 20 ml of hexane , the resulting hexane phase was washed with distilled water and with saturated saline and was dehydrated using magnesium sulfate . by concentration under reduced pressure , 59 . 7 mg of fatty acids was obtained . analysis of the fatty acid composition showed that the purity of γ - linolenic acid was increased to 93 . 4 %. purified fish - oil ( triglyceride - type containing 16 . 7 % of eicosapentaenoic acid and 11 . 9 % of docosahexaenoic acid ) 5 . 277 g was added under an atmosphere of nitrogen in the dark to an aqueous solution in which 853 mg of silver nitrate was dissolved in 0 . 5 ml of distilled water . after stirring for one hour , the resulting reaction mixture was washed twice with 20 ml of hexane . 20 ml of distilled water was added to the aqueous phase thus obtained and the resulting admixture was stirred for one hour so that a complex was formed to release triglycerides . the released triglycerides were extracted twice with 20 ml of hexane and the resulting hexane phase was washed with distilled water and then with saturated saline and was dehydrated using magnesium sulfate . by concentration under reduced pressure , 85 . 8 mg of triglycerides was obtained . analysis of the fatty acid composition showed that the purity of eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid was increased to 38 . 5 % and 24 . 0 %, respectively . an aqueous solution in which 852 mg of silver nitrate was dissolved in 0 . 5 ml of distilled water was added under an atmosphere of nitrogen in the dark to a solution in which 1 . 005 g of an aliphatic alcohol mixture containing 45 % of docosahexaenol was dissolved in 0 . 5 ml of hexane . after stirring for one hour , the resulting reaction mixture was washed twice with 20 ml of hexane . 20 ml of distilled water was added to the aqueous phase thus obtained and the resulting admixture was stirred for one hour so that a complex was formed to release aliphatic alcohols . the released aliphatic alcohols were extracted twice with 20 ml of hexane and the resulting hexane phase was washed with distilled water and then with saturated saline and was dehydrated using magnesium sulfate . by concentration under reduced pressure , 145 mg of an aliphatic alcohol fraction was obtained . analysis of the composition showed that the purity of docosahexaenol in the fraction was 98 . 5 %. an aqueous solution in which 847 . 2 mg of silver nitrate was dissolved in 0 . 5 ml of distilled water was added under an atmosphere of nitrogen in the dark to a solution in which 1 . 003 g of a fatty acid mixture containing 60 % of eicosapentaenoic acid was dissolved in 0 . 5 ml of hexane . after stirring for 2 hours , the resulting reaction mixture was washed twice with 20 ml of hexane . 20 ml of ethylene glycol as a complex dissociating agent was added to the aqueous phase thus obtained and the resulting admixture was stirred for one hour so that a complex was formed to release fatty acids . the released fatty acids were extracted twice with 20 ml of hexane and the resulting hexane phase was washed with distilled water and then with saturated saline and was dehydrated using magnesium sulfate . by concentration under reduced pressure , 133 . 8 mg of fatty acids was obtained . analysis of the fatty acid composition showed that the purity of eicosapentaenoic acid was 94 . 4 %. an aqueous solution in which 845 . 2 mg of silver nitrate was dissolved in 0 . 5 ml of distilled water was added under an atmosphere of nitrogen in the dark to a solution in which 1 . 010 g of a fatty acid mixture containing 60 % of eicosapentaenoic acid was dissolved in 0 . 5 ml of hexane . after stirring for 2 hours , the resulting reaction mixture was washed twice with 20 ml of hexane . 1 . 05 g of sodium chloride as a complex dissociating agent was added to the aqueous phase thus obtained and the resulting admixture was stirred for one hour so that a complex was formed to release fatty acids . the released fatty acids were extracted twice with 20 ml of hexane and the resulting hexane phase was washed with distilled water and then with saturated saline and was dehydrated using magnesium sulfate . by concentration under reduced pressure , 150 . 6 mg of fatty acids was obtained . analysis of the fatty acid composition showed that the purity of eicosapentaenoic acid was 93 . 1 %. various compounds which form a water insoluble compositions with various kinds of silver were tested for their activity as complex dissociating agents . as a result , the purity of the obtained fatty acid - related highlyunsaturated compounds was shown in table 1 . experimental conditions were the same as described in example 1 using a starting material containing 1 g of eicosapentaenoic acid or in example 4 using a starting material containing 1 g of eicosapentaenoic acid ethyl ester . table 1______________________________________ purityexample material dissociating agent amount (%) ______________________________________15 b * methanol 20 ml 87 . 516 a * sodium chloride 1 g . sup . 94 . 217 a acetone 20 ml 79 . 618 a sodium bromide 1 g . sup . 89 . 919 a dimethylformamide 20 ml 90 . 120 a dimethyl sulfoxide 20 ml 89 . 721 a ethylene glycol 20 ml 95 . 722 a glycerin 20 ml 94 . 423 a diethylene glycol 20 ml 95 . 924 a acetonitrile 20 ml 86 . 325 a 1 , 4 - dioxane 20 ml 90 . 026 b isobutylamine 20 ml 96 . 727 b ethylenediamine 20 ml 97 . 128 b ammonia ( blow in ) 93 . 929 b diethylamine 5 ml 96 . 530 b triethylamine 5 ml 97 . 631 b pyridine 5 ml 96 . 632 a acetic acid 0 . 5 ml 82 . 033 b piperidine 2 ml 94 . 634 a hexamethylphosphate 2 ml 92 . 8 triamide35 a tetrahydrofuran 5 ml 90 . 436 a triphenylphosphine 500 mg 95 . 137 a sodium acetate 500 mg 96 . 838 a tetrahydrothiophene 2 ml 96 . 339 a trimethyl phosphate 3 ml 87 . 040 a n - methylpyrrolidone 5 ml 91 . 741 a sodium sulfate 500 mg 93 . 342 a sodium carbonate 500 mg 92 . 143 a ammonium thiocyanate 500 mg 96 . 444 a sodium azide 500 mg 95 . 345 a sodium tartrate 500 mg 95 . 046 a isoprene 5 ml 90 . 147 a cyclopentene 5 ml 86 . 148 a 2 - methyl - 2 - butene 3 ml 87 . 849 b sodium borohydrate 300 mg 98 . 5______________________________________ * a eicosapentaenoic acid ; b : eicosapentaenoic acid ethyl ester an aqueous solution in which 14 g of silver nitrate was dissolved in 8 ml of distilled water was added under an atmosphere of nitrogen in the dark to 10 g of a fatty acid mixture which contained 30 % of docosahexaenoic acid and impurities such as palmitic acid . after stirring for 2 hours , the aqueous phase was obtained by separating from the fatty acid mixture . the resulting aqueous phase was washed twice with 100 ml of hexane and the resulting hexane phase was washed with distilled water and then with saturated saline and was dehydrated using magnesium sulfate . by concentration under reduced pressure , 1 . 81 g of a fatty acid fraction was obtained . analysis of the fatty acid composition showed that docosahexaenoic acid having a purity of 67 . 3 % was obtained . furthermore , the docosahexaenoic acid having the 67 . 3 % purity was purified in the same manner as described above . as a result , docosahexaenoic acid having a purity of 88 . 5 % was obtained . an aqueous solution in which 13 g of silver nitrate was dissolved in 8 ml of distilled water was added under an atmosphere of nitrogen in the dark to 15 g of a fatty acid mixture which contained 25 % of eicosapentaenoic acid and impurities such as palmitic acid and the resulting mixture was stirred for 2 hours . 2 . 81 g of a fatty acid fraction was obtained by extraction and recovery using benzene in the same manner as described in example 50 . analysis of the fatty acid composition showed that eicosapentaenoic acid having a purity of 85 . 2 % was obtained . furthermore , eicosapentaenoic acid having the 85 . 2 % purity was . purified in the same manner as described above . as a result , eicosapentaenoic acid having a purity of 97 . 6 % was obtained . an aqueous solution in which 14 g of silver nitrate was dissolved in 8 ml of distilled water was added under an atmosphere of nitrogen in the dark to 10 g of a fatty acid mixture which contained 43 % of arachidonic acid and impurities such as stearic acid and the resulting mixture was stirred for 2 hours . 3 . 01 g of a fatty acid fraction was obtained by extraction and recovery procedures using chloroform in the same manner as described in example 50 . analysis of the fatty acid composition showed that arachidonic acid having a purity of 94 . 3 % was obtained . furthermore , the arachidonic acid having the 94 . 3 % purity was purified in the same manner as described above . as a result , arachidonic acid having a purity of 98 . 6 % was obtained . an aqueous solution in which 25 g of silver nitrate was dissolved in 15 ml of distilled water was added under an atmosphere of nitrogen in the dark to 30 g of a fatty acid ethyl ester mixture which contained 42 . 3 % of docosahexaenoic acid ethyl ester and impurities such as palmitic acid and the resulting mixture was stirred for 2 hours . after the reaction , the aqueous phase was isolated from the fatty acid ethyl ester mixture . the resulting aqueous phase was washed twice with 150 ml of benzene and the resulting benzene phase was washed with distilled water and then with saturated saline and was dehydrated using magnesium sulfate . by concentration under reduced pressure , 6 . 3 g of a fatty acid ethyl ester fraction was obtained . analysis of the fatty acid ethyl ester composition showed that the purity of docosahexaenoic acid ethyl ester in the fraction was 96 . 4 %. an aqueous solution in which 2 . 5 g of silver nitrate was dissolved in 1 . 5 ml of distilled water was added under an atmosphere of nitrogen in the dark to 3 . 0 g of a fatty acid ethyl ester mixture which contained 30 . 6 % of eicosapentaenoic acid ethyl ester and impurities such as stearic acid and the resulting mixture was stirred for 2 hours . 543 mg of a fatty acid methyl ester fraction was obtained by extracting and recovering using chloroform in the same manner as described in example 53 . analysis of the fatty acid methyl ester composition showed that the purity of eicosapentaenoic acid methyl ester was 95 . 1 %. an aqueous solution in which 2 . 5 g of silver nitrate was dissolved in 1 . 5 ml of distilled water was added under an atmosphere of nitrogen in the dark to 3 . 0 g of a fatty acid ethyl ester mixture which contained 45 . 4 % of arachidonic acid ethyl ester and impurities such as palmitic acid and the resulting mixture was stirred for 2 hours . 641 mg of a fatty acid ethyl ester fraction was obtained by extracting and recovering using ethyl acetate in the same manner as described in example 53 . analysis of the fatty acid ethyl ester composition showed that the purity of arachidonic acid ethyl ester was 92 . 4 %. an aqueous solution in which 2 . 5 g of silver perchlorate was dissolved in 1 . 5 ml of distilled water was added under an atmosphere of nitrogen in the dark to 2 . 0 g of a fatty acid mixture which contained 35 . 5 % of docosahexaenoic acid and impurities such as palmitic acid . after stirring for 2 hours , the aqueous phase was obtained by isolating the fatty acid mixture from the aqueous phase . the resulting aqueous phase was washed twice with 120 ml of hexane and the resulting hexane phase was washed with distilled water and then with saturated saline and was dehydrated using magnesium sulfate . by concentration under reduced pressure , 344 mg of a fatty acid fraction was obtained . analysis of the fatty acid composition showed that the purity of docosahexaenoic acid was 90 . 4 %. an aqueous solution in which 2 . 5 g of silver nitrate was dissolved in 1 . 5 ml of distilled water was added under an atmosphere of nitrogen in the dark to 3 . 0 g of a fatty acid ethyl ester mixture which contained 56 . 8 % of linoleic acid ethyl ester and impurities such as stearic acid and the resulting mixture was stirred for 30 minutes . extraction and recovery were carried out using dichloromethane in the same manner as described in example 53 . 842 mg of a fatty acid ethyl ester fraction was obtained . analysis showed that the purity of linoleic acid ethyl ester was 85 . 7 %. an aqueous solution in which 2 . 5 g of silver nitrate was dissolved in 1 . 5 ml of distilled water was added under an atmosphere of nitrogen in the dark to 2 . 7 g of a fatty acid ethyl ester mixture which contained 43 . 6 % of α - linolenic acid ethyl ester and impurities such as stearic acid and the resulting mixture was stirred for 25 minutes . extraction and recovery were carried out using chloroform in the same manner as described in example 53 . 763 mg of a fatty acid ethyl ester fraction was obtained . analysis showed that the purity of α - linolenic acid ethyl ester was 90 . 4 %. an aqueous solution in which 25 . 50 g of silver nitrate was dissolved in 10 ml of distilled water was added to 20 . 85 g of a fatty acid ethyl ester mixture which contained 60 % of eicosapentaenoic acid ethyl ester and impurities such as erucic acid ethyl ester and the resulting mixture was stirred at 3 ° c . for one hour under an atmosphere of nitrogen in the dark . after stirring , the reaction mixture was washed twice with 20 ml of hexane and the aqueous phase was recovered . the recovered aqueous phase was stirred at 90 ° c . for one hour under a nitrogen atmosphere in the dark and the oil phase was recovered . 20 ml of hexane was added to and dissolved in the recovered oil phase and the resulting solution was washed twice with 20 ml of distilled water and then with 10 ml of saturated saline and was dehydrated using magnesium sulfate . by concentration under reduced pressure , 3 . 75 g of a fatty acid ethyl ester fraction was obtained . analysis of the fatty acid ethyl ester composition showed that the purity of eicosapentaenoic acid ethyl ester was 85 . 6 %. an aqueous solution in which 848 mg of silver nitrate was dissolved in 0 . 5 ml of distilled water was added to 1 . 006 g of a fatty acid mixture which contained 59 % of eicosapentaenoic acid and impurities such as erucic acid and the resulting mixture was stirred at 3 ° c . for 30 minutes under an atmosphere of nitrogen in the dark . after stirring , the reaction mixture was washed twice with 10 ml of hexane and the aqueous phase was recovered . to the recovered aqueous phase was added 40 ml of hexane , and the mixture was refluxed for one hour under a nitrogen atmosphere in the dark . the hexane phase was recovered and was washed twice with 20 ml of distilled water and then with 10 ml of saturated saline and was dehydrated using magnesium sulfate . by concentration under reduced pressure , 143 mg of a fatty acid fraction was obtained . analysis of the fatty acid composition showed that the purity of eicosapentaenoic acid was 95 . 8 %. an aqueous solution in which 585 mg of silver acetate was dissolved in 0 . 5 ml of distilled water was added to 1 . 012 g of a fatty acid mixture which contained 60 % of docosahexaenoic acid and impurities such as erucic acid and the resulting mixture was stirred at - 5 ° c . for one hour under an atmosphere of nitrogen in the dark . after stirring , the reaction mixture was washed twice with 10 ml of hexane and the aqueous phase was recovered . to the recovered aqueous phase was added 10 ml of toluene , and the mixture was refluxed for one hour under a nitrogen atmosphere in the dark . the toluene phase was recovered and washed twice with 20 ml of distilled water and then with 10 ml of saturated saline and was dehydrated using magnesium sulfate . by concentration under reduced pressure , 70 mg of a fatty acid fraction was obtained . analysis of the fatty acid composition showed that the purity of docosahexaenoic acid was 92 . 1 %. an aqueous solution in which 1 . 946 g of silver tetrafluoroborate was dissolved in 0 . 5 ml of distilled water was added to 1 . 001 g of a fatty acid mixture which contained 25 % of arachidonic acid and impurities such as stearic acid and the resulting mixture was stirred at - 2 ° c . for one hour under an atmosphere of nitrogen in the dark . after stirring , the reaction mixture was washed twice with 10 ml of hexane and the aqueous phase was recovered . to the recovered aqueous phase was added 10 ml of xylene and the mixture was heated at 100 ° c . for one hour under a nitrogen atmosphere in the dark . the xylene phase was recovered and washed twice with 20 ml of distilled water and then with 10 ml of saturated saline and was dehydrated using magnesium sulfate . by concentration under reduced pressure , 96 mg of a fatty acid fraction was obtained . analysis of the fatty acid composition showed that the purity of arachidonic acid was 89 . 0 %. an aqueous solution in which 1 . 037 g of silver perchlorate was dissolved in 0 . 5 ml of distilled water was added to 2 . 001 g of a fatty acid mixture which contained 20 % of γ - linolenic acid and impurities such as oleic acid and the resulting mixture was stirred at 4 ° c . for one hour under an atmosphere of nitrogen in the dark . after stirring , the reaction mixture was washed twice with 10 ml of hexane and the aqueous phase was recovered . to the recovered aqueous phase was added 10 ml of toluene , and the mixture was heated at 90 ° c . for one hour under a nitrogen atmosphere in the dark . the toluene phase was recovered and was washed twice with 20 ml of distilled water and then with 10 ml of saturated saline and was dehydrated using magnesium sulfate . by concentration under reduced pressure , 75 mg of a fatty acid fraction was obtained . analysis of the fatty acid composition showed that the purity of gamma - linolenic acid was 90 . 5 %. an aqueous solution in which 1 . 021 g of silver perchlorate was dissolved in 0 . 5 ml of distilled water was added to 1 . 021 g of a fatty acid mixture which contained 600 % of alpha - linolenic acid and impurities such as oleic acid and the resulting mixture was stirred at 4 ° c . for one hour under an atmosphere of nitrogen in the dark . after stirring , the reaction mixture was washed twice with 10 ml of hexane and the aqueous phase was recovered . to the recovered aqueous phase was added 10 ml of toluene , and the mixture was heated at 90 ° c . for one hour under a nitrogen atmosphere in the dark . the toluene phase was recovered and was washed twice with 20 ml of distilled water and then with 10 ml of saturated saline and was dehydrated using magnesium sulfate . by concentration under reduced pressure , 112 mg of a fatty acid fraction was obtained . analysis of the fatty acid composition showed that the purity of alpha - linolenic acid was 93 . 0 %. examples of the apparatus for purification in accordance with the present invention are shown as follows : the purities of eicosapentaenoic acid ethyl ester ( epa - et ) and docosahexaenoic acid ethyl ester ( dha - et ) used as starting materials were 55 . 4 % and 52 . 3 %, respectively . furthermore , impurities which were contained in these materials were mainly fatty acid ethyl esters having a saturation index less than 3 , such as palmitic acid , oleic acid and linoleic acid . isolation was carried out using a bulk liquid membrane apparatus ( made of acrylic resin , having an inner size of 20 mm × 20 mm and a height of 100 mm ) shown in fig1 . further , in all through the examples 65 to 68 , the ratio of a solvent ( heptane ) to a liquid membrane ( a silver nitrate solution ) was 3 : 1 by volume , and the operation was carried out at 25 ° c . for 6 hours . the results are summarized in table 2 . in table 2 , the purity represents that of epa - et in the recovered fatty acid fraction and the recovery represents the rate of epa - et found in the recovered fatty acid fraction to epa - et supplied in the starting material . table 2______________________________________examples with the use of bulk membranes fatty acid concentration concentration of silver in starting epa - et (%) examples nitrate ( g / l ) material ( g / l ) purity recovery______________________________________65 170 302 94 . 1 18 . 566 255 302 95 . 5 38 . 467 340 302 95 . 2 40 . 768 255 151 95 . 3 37 . 9compara - 0 302 -- 0 . 0tiveexample______________________________________ as evidently shown in table 2 , the isolation of epa - et was carried out highly selectively when the silver nitrate solution was used as the liquid membrane . on the other hand , as shown in comparative example , epa - et was not at all isolated when the liquid membrane did not contain any silver nitrate . isolation was carried out using a flat sheet membrane - type supported liquid membrane apparatus ( having a membrane size of 60 mm × 60 mm ) shown in fig2 . a solution of silver nitrate was used as the liquid membrane . a membrane filter made of polyvinylidene difluoride ( a product of japan millipore limited , hydrophilic durapore ; pore diameter : 0 . 22 micrometer , porosity : 75 %, thickness : 150 micrometers ) was used for a membrane which was impregnated with the silver nitrate solution . a heptane solution , a starting material containing docosahexaenoic acid ethyl ester ( dhaet ), was supplied at a flow rate of 0 . 3 ml / min to one side of the flow channel of the apparatus and heptane for recovery was simultaneously supplied at the same flow rate to the other side of the channel of the apparatus . from one hour after , sampling was carried out to measure the amount and the composition of the fatty acid fractions contained in the heptane phase in the recovery side . as evidently shown in table 3 , in which the results were summarized , the isolation of dha - et was carried out highly selectively when the silver nitrate solution was used as the liquid membrane . table 3______________________________________examples with the use of supported liquid membranes fatty acid concentration concentration of silver in starting dha - et (%) examples nitrate ( g / l ) material ( g / l ) purity recovery______________________________________69 170 328 95 . 3 15 . 270 340 328 96 . 5 36 . 371 850 328 96 . 3 41 . 272 340 164 95 . 3 34 . 4______________________________________	2
preferred embodiments of the invention are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings . it is noted that components having the same function are appended with the same or similar reference numbers , and description of the same components is not repeated . first , a block structure of a ferroelectric memory device ( i . e ., a ferroelectric memory , a semiconductor memory device ) in accordance with an embodiment of the invention is described . fig1 is a block diagram of a ferroelectric memory device in accordance with the embodiment of the invention . as illustrated , the ferroelectric memory device includes a memory cell array ( i . e ., a memory cell region , a memory cell section ) mca , a dummy cell area ( i . e ., a dummy cell region , a dummy cell section ) dca located in an outer circumference area of the mca , and a peripheral circuit area pa . it is noted that the memory cell array mca and the dummy cell area dca located in the outer circumferential area of the memory cell array mca are jointly called a memory cell area ma . fig2 is a circuit diagram of an example of the structure of the memory cell array mca . as illustrate , the memory cell array mca includes word lines wl 0 - wln and plate lines pl 0 - pln extending in a first direction , and bit lines ( bit line pairs ) bl 0 - bln and blb 0 - blbn extending in a second direction . memory cells are disposed at intersections between the word lines wl ( plate lines pl ) and the bit lines bl and blb . more specifically , in the memory cell array mca , a plurality of memory cells , each composed of a ferroelectric capacitor ca and a transistor ( for example , an n - channel type misfet ( metal insulator semiconductor field effect transistor )) t , are disposed in an array configuration . one ends of the ferroelectric capacitors ( i . e ., capacitors , capacitor sections ) ca are connected to the bit lines bl or blb through the transistors t , and the other ends are connected to the plate lines pl . furthermore , gate electrodes ( gate wirings ) of the transistors t define the word lines wl . the ferroelectric capacitor ca stores predetermined data based on a voltage difference between one end and the other end thereof and discharges a predetermined amount of charge based on the stored data to the bit line bl , blb . next , referring to fig3 through fig1 , the structure of the ferroelectric memory device in accordance with the embodiment of the invention is described in greater detail . fig3 through fig1 are cross - sectional views showing the steps of a method for manufacturing a ferroelectric memory device in accordance with the present embodiment and plan views of main portions of the ferroelectric memory device . the cross - sectional views shown in fig3 , fig5 , fig7 and fig9 correspond to cross sections taken along a line a - a ′ and a line b - b ′ in the plan views shown in fig4 , fig6 , fig8 and fig1 , respectively . also , each of the plan views corresponds to a region a in fig1 . first , a structure of the ferroelectric memory device in accordance with the embodiment of the invention is described . it is noted that , first , characteristic features of the ferroelectric memory device of the present embodiment are described , and details of the structure of the ferroelectric memory device shall become clearer in conjunction with a method for manufacturing the ferroelectric memory device to be described below . as illustrated in fig9 and fig1 , which are views showing the final step , in the memory cell area mca of a semiconductor substrate ( substrate ) 1 , transistors t and ferroelectric capacitors ca composing the memory cells are formed . each of the transistors t is composed of a gate dielectric film 5 formed on the substrate 1 , a gate electrode ( a gate wiring , a word line wl ) g and source / drain regions 7 on both sides of the gate electrode g . also , each of the ferroelectric capacitors ca is composed of a lower electrode le , a ferroelectric film fe , and an upper electrode ue . one of the source and drain regions 7 ( one end ) of the transistor t is connected to the bit line bl through a connecting section ( i . e ., a plug , a contact , a via ) c 3 , a pattern p 3 and a connecting section c 4 , provided above the transistor t . the other of the source and drain regions 7 ( the other end ) of the transistor t is connected to the lower electrode le of the ferroelectric capacitor ca through a connecting section c 1 provided above the transistor t . also , the upper electrode ue of the ferroelectric capacitor ca is connected to the plate line pl through a connecting section c 2 provided above the ferroelectric capacitor ca . on the other hand , in the dummy cell area dca on the substrate 1 , dummy cell transistors ( pseudo transistors ) dt and ferroelectric capacitors ca composing dummy cells are formed . each of the dummy cell transistors dt includes a gate dielectric film 5 formed on the substrate 1 , a gate electrode g , and source / drain regions ( i . e ., diffusion layers , semiconductor regions ) 7 in the substrate on both sides of the gate electrode g . however , end sections of the gate electrode g and end sections of the source / drain regions 7 are separated from one another by a predetermined distance ( see d 1 in fig5 and fig6 ), respectively . also , an isolation dielectric film 3 is formed below the gate electrode g of the dummy transistor dt . accordingly , the dielectric film ( 3 a ) below the gate electrode g of the dummy transistor dt is substantially larger than the gate dielectric film 5 of the memory cell . also , the width of the isolation dielectric film 3 a ( w 1 in fig5 and fig6 ) is greater ( wider ) than the width of the gate electrode g ( w 2 in fig5 and fig6 ). accordingly , the source / drain regions 7 cannot reach areas blow the end sections of the gate electrode g , such that they are separated by a predetermined distance ( d 1 ). other structural details of the dummy cell are generally the same as those of the memory cell , and the ferroelectric capacitor ca is composed of the lower electrode le , the ferroelectric film fe and the upper electrode ue . one of the source and drain regions 7 ( one end ) of the dummy transistor dt is connected to the bit line bl through a connecting section c 3 , a pattern p 3 and a connecting section c 4 , provided above the dummy transistor dt . the other of the source and drain regions 7 ( the other end ) of the dummy transistor dt is connected to the lower electrode le of the ferroelectric capacitor ca through a connecting section c 1 provided above the dummy transistor dt . also , the upper electrode ue of the ferroelectric capacitor ca is connected to the plate line pl through a connecting section c 2 provided above the ferroelectric capacitor ca . the structure of each portion of the ferroelectric memory device in accordance with the present embodiment is described in conjunction with a method for manufacturing the ferroelectric memory device to be described below . as shown in fig3 and fig4 , a substrate 1 , such as , for example , a silicon substrate , is prepared , and element forming regions ac are formed on a main surface of the substrate 1 ( fig4 ). the element forming regions ac are defined by an element isolation dielectric film 3 . for example , the element isolation dielectric film 3 may be formed as follows . first , the substrate 1 is etched in areas other than the element forming regions ac to form isolation grooves , and then a dielectric film , such as , for example , a silicon oxide film is deposited on the substrate 1 including inner areas of the isolation grooves by a cvd ( chemical vapor deposition ) method . then , by using an etching back method or a cmp ( chemical mechanical polishing ) method , portions of the silicon oxide film are removed until the surface of the substrate 1 is exposed . as a result , as shown in fig4 , the element forming regions ac each being in a generally rectangular shape are defined by the element isolation dielectric film 3 . in the dummy cell area dca , another dielectric film ( an isolation dielectric film ) 3 a that divides each of the generally rectangular element forming regions ac is formed . the dielectric film 3 a is formed below a gate electrode ( a word line wl ) g to be described below , and the width ( w 1 ) of the dielectric film 3 a is greater than the width ( w 2 ) of the gate electrode g ( see fig5 and fig6 ). then , by injecting ( implanting ) p - type impurity , p - type wells 2 are formed . then , as shown in fig5 and fig6 , transistors t , dummy transistors dt and connecting sections c 1 are formed . first , for example , a gate dielectric film 5 , such as , an oxide film is formed on the substrate 1 by using a thermal oxidation method , a cvd method or the like . then , a semiconductor film , such as , for example , a silicon oxide film is deposited on the oxide film by a cvd method . then , a photoresist film ( hereafter simply referred to as a “ resist film ”) is formed , and the resist film is subjected to exposure and development ( photolithography ), whereby the resist film ( i . e ., a mask film , a resist mask ) is remained in lines . by using the resist film as a mask , the semiconductor film is etched to form gate electrodes g ( word lines wl ) extending in lines in the first direction ( see fig6 ). then , the resist film is removed by , for example , ashing . it is noted that a series of the steps of forming a resist film , conducting photolithography , etching and removing the resist film is hereafter referred to as patterning . here , in the dummy cell area dca , gate electrodes g ( word lines wl ) are formed on the isolation dielectric film 3 a . as described above , the width ( w 2 ) of the gate electrode g is smaller than the width ( w 1 ) of the isolation dielectric film 3 a . then , by injecting ( implanting ) n - type impurity such as phosphorus in areas on both sides of the gate electrodes g , source / drain regions 7 are formed . one of the source / drain regions 7 on the sides of the gate g defines a source region , and the other defines a drain region . it is noted that , in the dummy cell area dac , because the isolation dielectric film 3 a extends in the areas in the substrate on both sides of the gate electrode g , source / drain regions ( diffusion layers ) 7 are not formed in those areas , and offset structures are formed , as shown in fig5 . in other words , the end sections of the gate electrode g and end sections of the source / drain regions 7 on the side of the gate electrode g are separated from one another by a distance d 1 . in this manner , in the dummy cell area dca , 1 ) the isolation dielectric film 3 a is present below the gate electrode g , and 2 ) the end sections of the gate electrode g are separated from the end sections of the source / drain regions ( diffusion layers ) 7 . therefore , the dummy transistor dt has a pseudo transistor structure ( i . e ., a structure similar to that of a transistor of a memory cell ), and cannot function as a transistor . then , an interlayer dielectric film 9 , such as , for example , a silicon oxide film is formed over the transistors t and the dummy transistors dt by a cvd method , and the interlayer dielectric film 9 is then patterned , whereby contact holes are formed over ones of the source / drain regions ( diffusion layers ) 7 . then , a conductive film is embedded in the contact holes , thereby forming connecting sections c 1 . for example , a conductive film is deposited on the interlayer dielectric film 9 including inner surfaces of the contact holes , and an upper portion of the conductive film may be etched back , or polished by cmp until the surface of the interlayer dielectric film 9 is exposed , whereby the connecting sections c 1 are formed . when the connecting sections c 1 are formed by using a cmp method , a so - called dishing phenomenon may become a problem . this is a phenomenon in which the polishing amount differs from one portion to another on the substrate 1 . for example , a central area of the substrate 1 tends to have a greater amount of polishing , and a peripheral area of the substrate 1 tends to have a smaller amount of polishing . also , an area where the pattern density is high ( i . e ., patterns are concentrated ) tends to have a smaller amount of polishing , and an area where the pattern density is low ( i . e ., patterns are dispersed ) tends to have a greater amount of polishing . accordingly , depending on the locations where the connecting sections c 1 are formed , the height of the connecting sections c 1 may differ from one place to another . fig5 shows a case in which , in the dummy cell area dca , the connecting sections c 1 on the right - hand side of the figure are formed relatively lower . compared to the memory area ma ( including the memory cell array mca and the dummy cell area dca ) where the connecting sections c 1 are regularly arranged at short pitches , the pattern pitch in the peripheral circuit area pa is loosened ( see fig1 ). accordingly , the amount of polishing is smaller in the memory area ma , and the amount of polishing is greater in the peripheral circuit area pa . accordingly , the dummy cell area dca , which is located in a border area between the memory cell array mca and the peripheral circuit area pa , is affected by the peripheral circuit area pa , such that the amount of polishing of the dummy cell area dca becomes greater . as a result , the height of the connecting sections c 1 in the dummy cell area dca may become lower than those in the memory cell area . it is noted that , in this example , the case where the height of the connecting sections c 1 in the dummy cell area becomes lower is described , but the height thereof may become higher in some cases . the process using a cmp method has so far been described as an example , but similar problems may occur in the case of the process using an etching back method . also , in the film forming and patterning steps , deformations in the formed films and patterns would likely occur due to the aforementioned differences in pattern pitch at the border between the memory cell array mca and the peripheral circuit area pa . however , in accordance with the present embodiment , the connecting sections c 1 are also formed in the dummy cell area dca ( in the dummy cells ), such that the configuration of the connecting sections c 1 in the memory cell array mca ( of the memory cells ) is secured . in other words , even when differences in the height of the connecting sections c 1 occur , such differences can be terminated within the dummy cell area dca , and differences in the height ( deviations in the height ) of the connecting sections c 1 in the memory cell array mca can be reduced . in other words , even when some of the connecting sections c 1 are formed lower , as shown in fig5 , such defects occur within the dummy cell area dca , and the configuration of the connecting sections c 1 in the memory cell array mca can be maintained . then , as shown in fig8 and fig9 , ferroelectric capacitors ca are formed above the connecting sections c 1 . first , a conductive film that becomes to be lower electrodes le is deposited on the interlayer dielectric film 9 including the connecting sections c 1 , and then a ferroelectric film fe is deposited on the conductive film . further , a conductive film that becomes to be upper electrodes ue is formed on the ferroelectric film fe . the deposited films are patterned , thereby forming ferroelectric capacitors ca . because the ferroelectric capacitors ca are also formed in the dummy cell area dca , the configuration of the ferroelectric capacitors in the memory cell array mca can be secured . also , as described above , even if differences in the height of the connecting sections c 1 occur , such differences occur within the dummy cell area dca , and differences in the height of the connecting sections c 1 in the memory cell array mca can be reduced . therefore , the flatness of the ferroelectric capacitors ca ( the lower electrodes le , the ferroelectric film fe , and the upper electrodes ue ) formed above the connecting sections c 1 can be secured . in particular , step differences that may be caused by the connecting sections c 1 of the ferroelectric films fe can be reduced . for example , as shown in fig7 , when the connecting section 1 in the dummy cell area dca on the right hand side of the figure is formed lower , a step difference occurs in the ferroelectric capacitor ca , in particular , in the ferroelectric film fe . it is noted that , in a ferroelectric memory device , the orientation of its ferroelectric film greatly influences its memory characteristics . therefore , in order to improve the memory characteristics , it is important to improve the orientation of the film , in other words , it is important to orient molecules composing the film in the same direction . accordingly , if the aforementioned step differences occur in the memory cell array mca , the orientation of molecules of each composition composing the ferroelectric film is disturbed at the step differences , and the memory characteristics deteriorate . in contrast , in accordance with the present embodiment , height differences in the connecting sections c 1 in the memory cell array mca can be reduced , and the fatness of the ferroelectric films fe formed above the connecting sections c 1 can be improved , such that the memory characteristics ( read - out and writing characteristics ) of the device can be improved . also , as described above , because the end sections of the gate electrode g and the end sections of the source / drain regions 7 are separated from each other by a distance d 1 in the dummy cell area dca , a floating state occurs at these portions ( separated sections ) even when a potential is applied to the plate line pl and the bit line bl , and therefore the capacitor capacitance would not be loaded on the plate line p 1 . also , the load on the bit line bl can be reduced . accordingly , a high speed operation can be achieved . also , even when a potential is applied to the word line wl , the dummy transistor dt in the dummy cell area dca does not turn on , such that the load on the word line wl can also be reduced . accordingly , a high speed operation can be achieved . then , an interlayer dielectric film 11 , such as , for example , a silicon oxide film is formed over the ferroelectric capacitors ca by a cvd method , and the interlayer dielectric film 11 on the upper electrodes ue is patterned to form contact holes , and a conductive film is embedded in the contact holes , thereby forming connecting sections c 2 . in this instance , connecting sections c 3 are also formed on the source / drain regions ( diffusion layers ) 7 of the transistors t and the dummy transistors dt . these connecting sections c 2 and c 3 can be formed in a similar manner as the connecting sections c 1 . as the connecting sections c 2 and c 3 are also formed in the dummy cell area dca , the configuration of the connecting sections c 2 and c 3 in the memory cell area can be secured . next , as show in fig9 and fig1 , a conductive film is formed over the interlayer dielectric film 11 including over the connecting sections c 2 , and the conductive film is patterned in the form of lines extending on the connecting sections c 2 in the first direction , thereby forming plate lines pl . in this instance , patterns p 3 , each having a generally rectangular shape , are also formed on the connecting sections c 3 . in this manner , the patterns p 3 are also formed in the dummy cell area dca , such that the configuration of the patterns p 3 in the memory cell area can be secured . then , an interlayer dielectric film 13 , such as , for example , a silicon oxide film is formed over the plate lines pl by a cvd method , the interlayer dielectric film 13 over the patterns p 3 ( connection sections c 3 ) is patterned to form contact holes , and a conductive film is embedded in the contact holes , thereby forming connecting sections c 4 . the connecting sections c 4 can be formed in a similar manner as the connecting sections c 1 . in this manner , the connecting sections c 4 are also formed in the dummy cell area dca , such that the configuration of the connecting sections c 4 in the memory cell area can be secured . then , a conductive film is deposited over the interlayer dielectric film 13 including over the connecting sections c 4 , and the interlayer dielectric film 13 is patterned in lines extending on the connecting sections c 4 in the second direction , thereby forming bit lines bl . then , insulation films and wirings ( not illustrated ) are formed over the bit lines bl , whereby the ferroelectric memory device in accordance with the present embodiment is generally completed . in this manner , in accordance with the present embodiment , although the connecting sections are formed above and below the ferroelectric capacitors composing the dummy cells , the dummy transistors are formed to have the structure described above , such that loads on the plate lines , the bit lines and the word lines can be reduced , and the operation speed can be improved . also , in accordance with the present embodiment , the connecting sections are formed above and below ( in particular immediately below ) the ferroelectric capacitors composing the dummy cells , the configuration of the corresponding memory cells can be maintained . as a result , the flatness of the ferroelectric film can be secured , and the memory characteristics can be improved . it is noted that , in accordance with the present embodiment , the element isolation dielectric film 3 and the isolation dielectric film 3 a are provided with a so - called trench structure , but they can be formed with locos oxidation films ( isolation ). furthermore , the embodiment of the invention is applicable not only to ferroelectric memory devices of a 2t2c type , but also to ferroelectric memory devices of a 1t1c type . fig1 through 15 are cross - sectional views showing structures of ferroelectric memory devices in accordance with other embodiments of the invention . the structures and other features of the ferroelectric memory devices in accordance with the other embodiments are described below with reference to the accompanying drawings . the same components as those in the above - described embodiment are appended with the same or similar reference numbers , and description of the same components is not repeated . ( 1 ) in the embodiment described above , the isolation dielectric films 3 a are formed below the gate electrodes g in the dummy cell area dca , and the end sections of the gate electrodes g are separated from the end sections of the corresponding source / drain regions ( diffusion layers ) 7 . however , as shown in fig1 , it is possible to provide a structure in which an isolation dielectric film 3 a may not be formed below the gate electrode g , and simply , the end sections of the source / drain regions ( diffusion layers ) 7 may be separated from the end sections of the gate g . it is noted that reference numeral 5 denotes a gate dielectric film , and other parts of the structure are the same as those of the ferroelectric memory device described above with reference to fig3 through 10 , and therefore their detailed description is omitted . the structure in which the source / drain regions ( diffusion layers ) are separated from the end sections of the gate electrode g by a distance ( d 1 ) may be formed as follows . for example , prior to injecting ( implanting ) n - type impurity such as phosphorous in areas on both sides of the gate electrode g , a resist film having a width w 1 is formed on the gate electrode g in the dummy cell area dca , and n - type impurity is injected by using the resist film as a mask . other details of the manufacturing process are the same as those applied for the ferroelectric memory device described above with reference to fig3 through 10 , and therefore their detailed description is omitted . ( 2 ) also , as shown in fig1 , sidewall films sw may be formed on side walls of the gate electrode g , and n - type impurity such as phosphorous may be injected by using the sidewall films sw as a mask . for example , in the peripheral circuit area pa , transistors composing the peripheral circuit are formed . these transistors may often be provided with a ldd ( lightly doped drain ) structure to realize short channels . for example , impurity may be injected by using gate electrodes of the transistors composing the peripheral circuit as a mask , which are formed in the same manner as the gate electrodes of the memory cells , thereby forming low concentration impurity regions . then , sidewalls are formed , and impurity is injected by using the sidewalls as a mask to form high concentration impurity regions , whereby transistors with an ldd structure can be formed . the sidewalls may be formed through , for example , forming a dielectric film on the gate electrodes by , for example , a cvd method , and then anisotropically etching the dielectric film . accordingly , at the time of forming the sidewalls described above , sidewalls sw are also formed at gate electrodes g in the dummy cell area dca , and then , the high concentration impurity regions and source / drain regions 7 of the memory cells are formed . it is noted that other details of the structure and the manufacturing process are the same as those applied to the ferroelectric memory device described with reference to fig3 through 10 , and therefore their detailed description is omitted . ( 3 ) also , as shown in fig1 , it is possible to provide a structure in which source / drain regions ( diffusion layers ) 7 are not formed in the dummy cell area dca . it is noted that other details of the structure are the same as those of the ferroelectric memory device described with reference to fig3 through 10 , and therefore their detailed description is omitted . more concretely , prior to injecting ( implanting ) n - type impurity for forming source / drain regions ( diffusion layers ) 7 , the dummy cell area dca may be covered by a resist layer , and n - type impurity is injected by using the resist layer as a mask . it is noted that other details of the manufacturing process are the same as those applied to the ferroelectric memory device described with reference to fig3 through 10 , and therefore their detailed description is omitted . however , it may be more preferable to form source / drain regions ( diffusion layers ) 7 , because diode connections in a reverse direction are formed between the source / drain regions ( diffusion layers ) 7 and the p - type well 2 , and therefore the electrical insulation property is enhanced . also , the end sections of the gate g are separated from the source / drain regions ( diffusion layers ) 7 in the dummy cell area dca , in the embodiment described above , and in the other exemplary embodiments ( 1 ) and ( 2 ). however , only one of the source and drain regions 7 may be separated form one of the end sections of the gate electrode g . also , in the exemplary embodiment ( 3 ) described above , it is possible to provide a structure in which only one of the source and drain regions ( diffusion layers ) 7 is not formed in the dummy cell area dca . ( 4 ) in the embodiment described above , the isolation dielectric film 3 a is formed below the gate electrode g in the dummy cell area dca . however , as shown in fig1 , an isolation dielectric film 3 a may not be formed below the gate electrode g , and the film thickness of a gate dielectric film 5 a in the dummy cell area dca may be made greater ( than that of the gate dielectric film 5 of the memory cell ). as a result , the dummy transistors dt are provided with a structure that does not turn on . in this case , for example , the gate dielectric films 5 a with a predetermined film thickness are formed in the dummy cell area dca by using a cvd method or the like . it is noted that other details of the structure and the manufacturing process are the same as those applied to the ferroelectric memory device described with reference to fig3 through 10 , and therefore their detailed description is omitted . in this manner , any of the components of transistors , such as , gate electrodes , gate dielectric films , source and drain regions may not be provided , or may be deformed , whereby the dummy transistors are provided with a structure that does not turn on , in other words , a structure that does not become conductively connected with other components . as a result , portions that disconnect electrical connections between the plate lines and the bit lines are generated , such that the load on these wirings can be alleviated . also , even when a potential is applied to the word lines , the driving transistors do not turn on , and therefore the load on the word lines can be alleviated . ( 5 ) also , as shown in fig1 , there can be provided a structure in which , in the dummy cell area dca , any of the connecting sections c 3 and c 4 , and the pattern p 3 that connect the bit lines bl and the source / drain regions ( diffusion layers ) 7 of the driving transistors may not be formed . fig1 a shows a structure in which the connecting sections c 3 are not formed , fig1 b shows a structure in which the connecting sections c 4 are not formed , and fig1 c shows a structure in which the patterns p 3 are not formed . it is noted that other details of the structure and the manufacturing process are the same as those applied for the ferroelectric memory device described with reference to fig3 through 10 , and therefore their detailed description is omitted . in this manner , by providing portions that disconnect the electrical connections between the bit lines bl and the source / drain regions ( diffusion layers ) 7 of the driving transistors dt , the load on the bit lines and the plate lines can be alleviated . however , in this case , when a potential is applied to the word lines wl , the driving transistors dt turn on . it is noted that the exemplary embodiments ( 1 ) through ( 5 ) described above , including the structure of the embodiment described above , can be appropriately combined with one another . in this manner , in accordance with the present embodiment , a variety of modified examples may be available . however , the method using isolation dielectric films 3 a described with reference to fig9 may be more effective , as its structure and manufacturing method are relatively simple . more specifically , at the time of forming element isolation areas in an initial stage of the manufacturing process , it only needs to form an isolation dielectric film 3 a , and source / drain regions 7 shall be formed separated in a self alignment manner in steps to be conducted later . accordingly , the devices can be readily formed without increasing the number of manufacturing steps and resist masks . also , in accordance with the present embodiment , by forming the isolation dielectric films 3 a below the gate electrodes g in the dummy cell area dca , and separating the end sections of the gate electrodes g from the end sections of the source / drain regions ( diffusion layers ) 7 , the driving transistors are made in a state that is not fully functional . also , in accordance with the present embodiment , the dummy cells ( dummy cell area ) are formed in an outer circumference area of the memory cell array ( see fig1 ). however , the dummy cells may be provided inside the memory cell array , or the dummy cells may be provided among the memory cells . fig1 is a plan view showing a structure of a ferroelectric memory device in accordance with still another embodiment of the invention . as shown in fig1 , memory cells mc are disposed in an array configuration , and spaces s are provided among the memory cells . also , word lines extend in a first direction , and bit lines bl extend in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction . it is noted that , as shown in fig1 , plate lines pl are disposed ( shifted ) stepwise , and folded , using the regions of the spaces s , and using other wiring layers . in this case , the wirings in a stepwise fashion , and the folding wirings are formed in different layers . as the wirings ( for example , the folding wirings described above ) are formed in this manner , when the spaces s ( for connection of the memory cells ) are provided among the memory cells , the regularity of the arrangement of the components of the memory cells cannot be maintained . therefore , dummy cells ( driving transistors dt , ferroelectric capacitors ca and connecting sections c 1 , etc .) in accordance with the embodiment of the invention may be provided in the space s , to secure the regular arrangement of the components of the memory cells , and to secure the configuration of the memory cells . it is noted that illustration of the dummy cells is omitted in fig1 . in addition to the folding wirings described above , the spaces s among the memory cells may also be used as forming regions for forming so - called backing wirings to reduce the resistance of the word lines wl . in this manner , when gaps ( spaces ) each having a greater width than a memory cell are formed among memory cells , dummy cells may be provided in the gaps .	6
referring initially to fig1 , there is shown a perspective view showing the handle of the present invention in its collapsed condition . fig2 shows an enlarged view of the first stage extruded plastic tube of the handle of fig1 , which retains two opposed metal strips which extend downwardly along each opposed inner side of the extruded plastic tube for added strength . each metal strip has apertures for reception of locking pins which become aligned therewith . moreover , the extruded plastic tube includes radially inwardly extending ribs for added strength . fig3 is an enlarged cross sectional view , taken along lines 3 - 3 of fig2 . this enlarged view shows the two metal strips in place , as well as the two telescopic handle second and third stage 16 , 18 tubes in phantom . as the second and third stage aluminum tubes 16 , 18 enter and exit the first stage tube 12 , the second stage tube is guided by metal inserts 28 , 30 as contact is made with the wear resistant surfaces of the metal strips 28 , 30 . this contact is made in the areas marked “ a ” and “ b ” in fig3 which show the spaces as somewhat exaggerated , between the second stage tube and the metal insert strips . however , in reality these spaces are minimal , and provide continuous guidance for the second stage tube as it enters and exits the first stage tube . the metal insert strips provide lasting wear resistant surfaces as compared to the inner components of the extruded plastic tube . fig4 is an elevational view of the handle portion , taken along lines 4 - 4 of fig1 . this view shows how by pressing the button at the top will pull on the cables that extend downwardly along each side of the telescopic tubes to apply tension to the cables to withdraw their respective spring loaded release pins as shown . fig5 is a partial cross - sectional view , taken along lines 5 - 5 of fig1 . in this view all of the parts of the telescopic handle are in their collapsed and locked position . when the innermost ( i . e ., third stage ) tube is fully withdrawn , it will press downwardly against on the bottom locking stopper in the second stage telescoping tube . when this takes place , the secondary pin locks into the outer metal strip , pulling into its housing the primary pin . this view also shows the stopper at the bottom of the innermost tube , with its locking pin engaging the left side of the second telescopic tube . fig6 shows the movement of the locking mechanism when the release button on the handle is pressed to provide camming action to pull the cable upwardly , to in turn permit the user to pull the third stage ( i . e ., innermost ) tube upwardly . the innermost third stage locking pin of the third stage tube is released through the cable action , and the innermost telescopic tube starts moving up manually . this view also shows that when this movement takes place , the secondary locking pin ( i . e ., the lower locking device ) moves inwardly and unlocks the second telescopic tube , so that the second telescopic tube is released for upward manual movement with the second stage in tandem with the third stage tube when the locking pin associated with the third stage enters the aperture of the second stage , the second stage moves upwardly with the third stage . fig7 shows the innermost third stage tube reaching the next locking position . when this movement takes place , the locking pin of the innermost third stage tube passes through the second stage tube wall and then through the aperture in the inner metal strengthening strip positioned in place on the first stage ( i . e ., lowermost ) tube . at this point the handle is at the middle height position . fig8 is a top perspective view of the trolley - type carry case of fig1 , with the telescoping handle in the fully extended and locked condition . fig9 is a cross sectional view , taken along lines 9 - 9 of fig8 , and illustrating the locking mechanism attached to the innermost ( i . e ., third stage ) tube , when locked into the second telescopic tube . at the bottom of the second telescopic tube , it can be seen that its primary locking pin 33 has moved to the left , thereby locking into the aperture 32 of the inner , or left metal strip attached to the first stage tube . at this point the handle is at its fully extended height . fig1 is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of the invention , showing a short metal strip used in place of the long metal strips for reception of the locking pins . this strip could be used in combination with a similar opposed short metal strip in a first stage plastic housing tube made of a higher strength plastic , or having a greater wall thickness which would obviate the need for the additional strength provided by the longer metal strips . referring again to fig1 and 8 , the trolley - type carry case 10 includes telescopic handle 11 having a pair of parallel tubes , each comprised of three stages , stage 1 , designated as 14 , stage 2 , designated as 16 , and stage 3 , designated as 18 . the present invention relates primarily to the tube 12 of the first stage 14 , which is made of an extruded plastic outer tubing 14 shown in cross - section in fig3 , and having radially inwardly extending internal ribs 20 , 22 and 24 . ribs 20 provide reinforcement to the tube 12 . ribs 22 and 24 each include an inward radial extension 24 , as well as a circumferential extension 26 . ribs 22 are therefore configured in this manner to retain metal reinforcing strips 28 , 30 , which are preferably made of aluminum , but which can be of any alternative material such as cold rolled steel , or high strength plastic , such as nylon , polyvinyl chloride ( i . e ., pvc ), polyethylene , polycarbonate , or the like . furthermore , as can be seen in the cross - sectional view of fig3 , metal strip 30 differs somewhat in cross - section from metal strip 28 to accommodate the shape of extruded tube 12 ; however both strips 28 , 30 have a generally “ hat - like ” cross - sectional shape . it can be appreciated that extruded tube 12 is clearly reinforced by metal strips 28 , 30 which also include apertures 32 , 34 , 36 respectively ( see fig2 ) for reception of the spring loaded locking pins of the telescoping mechanism in the extended , intermediate , and collapsed conditions , respectively , as can be seen in the cross - sectional views of fig4 - 9 . it can also be appreciated that the reinforced lightweight extruded plastic tubes of the present invention now make it possible ( via the metal strips 28 , 30 ) to provide the higher strength apertures for reception of the spring loaded locking pins 19 , 25 , 33 . fig1 illustrates an alternative embodiment 37 of the metal strips 28 , 30 of fig2 , which can be used with extruded or molded plastic tubes made of high strength plastic . in such case , the tube reinforcing feature of the metal strips will not be needed . however , the metal pin reception apertures 38 of strip 37 are provided to receive the locking pins 25 , 33 in the same manner as the longer metal strips of fig2 . two similar shorter metal strips ( one not shown ) can be provided on the opposite sides of the plastic tube to provide locking apertures in the same locations as shown with the longer metal strips 30 , 36 of fig2 . referring again to fig4 - 7 , the locking mechanism for the three stage telescoping handle is illustrated . the complete telescopic handle 11 is comprised of parallel spaced apart three stage telescoping sections 14 , 16 , 18 , connected at their upper ends by transverse gripping handle 15 , which houses the controlling mechanism 40 for releasing the telescoping mechanism which is activated by depressing button 17 on gripping handle 15 , for example , when the three stage telescoping handle is in the collapsed condition as shown in fig1 . in this condition the locking mechanism at the base of the first stage 14 is as shown in fig5 , i . e ., with the locking pin 19 of lower locking mechanism 21 positioned in aperture 36 of metal strip 28 , while the locking pin 25 of upper locking mechanism 23 is positioned in the aperture 27 of the second stage tube 16 . in fig6 - 9 , the button 17 of fig4 and 8 has been depressed , the dual action camming device in the gripping handle pulling cable 13 upwardly , and through the springs and camming mechanisms shown in fig5 - 9 , the third stage tube 18 can begin manual movement upwardly until locking pin 25 of locking mechanism 23 enters aperture 35 of second stage tube 16 . thereafter second stage tube 16 is pulled upwardly with third stage tube 18 until metal locking pin 33 of lower locking mechanism 21 enters aperture 32 of metal strip 30 , such that the telescoping handle is in the fully extended condition . metal strips 28 , 30 each have more than one optional aperture to provide for fine adjustments , if needed . by depressing button 17 , the locking pins 25 , 33 are withdrawn respectively from their apertures via the button operated ramming and spring mechanism shown , thereby permitting the operator to manually collapse the three stage handle to the condition shown in fig1 . it can be appreciated that the first stage telescopic tube of the present invention , reinforced by metal strips 30 , 36 , makes it possible to provide a lighter weight first stage tube , combined with greater strength for carrying substantially the entire load of the telescopic system through the unique combination of the extruded plastic tube and the metal strips which are retained in position by the radially inwardly extending flanges which are molded monolithically with the first stage tubes . this feature provides a significant increase in strength , combined with a correspondingly significant decrease in weight , without loss of esthetics . furthermore , the extruded tubes can be molded to any length and cut to size to custom fit any particular size carry case without the need to produce customized molds . the metal strips can similarly be cut to size to fit any size carry case . in addition , the unique first stage tubes of the present invention can also be incorporated into telescopic handles comprised of alternative number of stages , i . e ., 2 stage , 4 stage , etc . the present invention can also be used with individually molded tubes , or tubes of any material requiring strength enhancement . however , it is best configured for use with extruded first stage tubes .	0
with reference to fig1 to 3 , the first embodiment is generally referred to as 1 . the device ( 1 ) is intended to be applied to the soft tissue body area subject to tissue expansion . in this instance , and for illustrative purposes only , the body area consists of a breast ( 2 ) whose volume was increased , preferably by injecting a physiologically compatible fluid such as saline , or less preferably by grafting properly treated autologous adipose tissue , in each instance optionally preceded by a period of treatment of vacuum or mechanical stimulation . nevertheless it is understood that the present invention can be applied in the same way in any surgery , aimed at changing the congenital or acquired body profile through fluid injection or adipose tissue graft , such as in the treatment of depressions caused by scars , surgical resections or malformations . the device is not only limited to external skin surfaces but can also be applied to internal defects and to solid organs . the device ( 1 ) preferably includes a sheet - like layer of an adhesive element ( 3 ), which is preferably made from materials that are easily deformed even at room temperature ( about 25 ° c .) and able to adapt to the widely varying shapes and sizes of the female breast ( 2 ). the adhesive element ( 3 ) is preferably sheet - shaped , and includes , in correspondence of its outer surface ( 3 a ), an adhesive layer ( 4 ) that may be applied directly on the skin surface of the breast ( 2 ), and a backing layer ( 5 ) superimposed to the adhesive layer ( 4 ). both layers ( 4 ) and ( 5 ) may preferably have a thickness between about 0 . 5 and 3 mm . the adhesive layer ( 4 ) is preferably an hydrocolloid , with high biocompatibility with the skin , so to ensure that the device ( 1 ) can be safely and comfortably applied to , and worn on , the breast ( 2 ) for reasonably lengthy periods of time , if necessary , without needing replacement . in addition , the biocompatibility of the adhesive layer ( 4 ) allows its application on the skin immediately after the surgical breast expansion , even in the presence of post - operative edema which is typically present after these surgical interventions . the backing layer ( 5 ) is preferably made of soft polymer material , e . g . thermoplastic polyurethane based foam or other polymeric material with similar characteristics of softness and deformability . in this way , the adhesive element ( 3 ) can adhere completely to the skin surface of the breast ( 2 ), adapting virtually perfectly to its shape . the adhesive elements described above may be provided for example by the company convatec under the trade name of duoderm ®. the device ( 1 ) also preferably includes a structural element ( 10 ) coupled to the opposite side of the adhesive layer ( 4 ). even the structural element ( 10 ), like the adhesive element ( 3 ), is preferably sheet - shaped , with a thickness preferably between 0 . 5 and 4 mm . the structural element ( 10 ) is preferably basically rigid at room temperature , so that it does not deform significantly when subjected to stresses caused by the natural contraction of the body area involved in the tissue expansion . in particular , the structural element ( 10 ), at room temperature , is preferably able to resist without deforming significantly when loaded by the natural contraction of the expanded soft tissue , such as the breast ( 2 ), following tissue expansion and , among other factors arising from the tissue elasticity and from the post - operative reabsorption of the edema . the material preferably used for the structural element ( 10 ) exhibits a high chemical compatibility with the material used for the backing layer ( 5 ) of the adhesive element ( 3 ), so that it can ensure an effective adhesion to it , even without additional layers of glue . however , it is optionally envisaged that an additional adhesive layer can be applied between the two elements 3 and 10 , for example a cyanoacrylate - based material indicated for medical use . most preferably , the structural element ( 10 ) is made of thermoplastic polymer having properties such that when heated to a temperature between 50 ° and 80 ° c . ( at first instance comparable to the melting point of the polymer ), it softens in such a way to be easily deformed by a surgeon &# 39 ; s manual manipulation . in this way , the structural element ( 10 ) can be stretched over the adhesive element ( 3 ), be adapted perfectly to the shape of the breast ( 2 ) and maintain this conformation . thermoplastic polymer materials softening at temperatures above 80 ° c . are not presently considered suitable for use in the present invention , because they would be too hot to be manipulated by a surgeon or to be used on a patient , even in overlap with the adhesive layer ( 3 ). on the other hand , thermoplastic polymer materials softening at temperatures below 50 ° c . are not presently considered suitable for use in the present invention , because they would not have adequate stiffness at room temperature or at temperatures between 35 and 40 ° c . easily accessible in many countries in summer . preferably , the structural element ( 10 ) is made of a polymer based on polycaprolactone , covered with a layer of urethane acrylates . several holes with a diameter ranging between 3 and 5 mm are made preferably on the structural element ( 10 ) and placed regularly on its surface . these holes ( 11 ) allow an easier deformation of the structural element ( 10 ) when brought to temperatures between 50 and 80 ° c ., allowing at the same time a decrease of the mass of the structural element ( 10 ), in order to be lighter and to provide faster and more even temperature changes both in the heating and the cooling phases . the use of this preferred embodiment takes place as described below , at the end of the treatment of tissue expansion of the soft tissue , preferably obtained through the injection of physiologically compatible fluid or grafting of properly treated autologous fat tissue . in the first phase , the adhesive element ( 3 ) is carefully laid on the expanded breast ( 2 ) to adhere perfectly to the skin surface . after that , the structural element ( 10 ) is heated at a temperature between 50 and 80 ° c . so that the surgeon can easily deform ii and lay it on the adhesive element ( 3 ) previously applied to the breast ( 2 ), adapting to its morphological conformation . the preferable chemical compatibility between the adhesive element ( 3 ) and the structural element ( 10 ) permits their mutual adhesion . both the adhesive element ( 3 ) and the structural element ( 10 ) are laid to cover the entire area involved in the tissue expansion , including preferably a considerable margin around it . the structural element ( 10 ) cools rapidly to room temperature , making it stiff enough to hinder effectively the natural tendency to contract of the expanded tissue . the sizing and the material of the structural element ( 10 ) are such that the cooling takes place as quickly as possible , but long enough to provide the surgeon with the time necessary to lay the structural element on the adhesive element ( 3 ). after the application of the structural element ( 10 ) and its cooling , the device ( 1 ) can be left on the breast ( 2 ) for a long period , even weeks if considered desirable , to promote the development of mature fat cells and their integration into the pre - existing tissue . if necessary , the device ( 1 ) can be replaced , by detaching the adhesive layer ( 4 ) from the breast ( 2 ) and repeating the steps described above with a new adhesive element and a new structural element . the device of the present invention is very lightweight and easy to wear , without causing discomfort or pain in the body region around the expanded tissue ( breast ). in fact , the pressures caused by the tissue &# 39 ; s natural contraction is very low , in particular if compared with those necessary to stimulate its expansion by vacuum application as in the known devices . in addition the device of the present invention is customizable , as it is adaptable to the morphology of the specific patient . a further advantage of this invention is that its application promotes a biological response , which is thought to lead to the transformation of the stem cells present in the treated and grafted adipose tissue into mature adipocytes . the structural element ( 10 ), before being used , can be provided in the form of a flat sheet or in a convenient alternative , already preformed cup according to different predetermined sizes . with reference to fig4 , another embodiment of the invention is shown and referred to generally as 100 therein . the device 100 differs from device 1 described above by incorporating an additional element with variable thickness 101 , interposed between the adhesive element ( 3 ) and the structural element ( 10 ). the function of this element with variable thickness ( 101 ) is to improve the adaptability of the structural element ( 10 ) to the morphology of the expanded body region through a controlled reduction of its volume and thickness . the element ( 101 ) designed with variable thickness is preferably made of polymer foam , e . g . polyurethane , whose radial thickness is adjusted by aspiration of the air contained in it . yet another embodiment 120 is depicted in fig5 and includes within this single drawing figure a number of alternative constructions . for example , there is depicted a stent 122 which has been adhered to a breast with an adhesive layer 124 . stent 122 could have the layer 124 of adhesive applied to its inner surface 126 , or the adhesive could be applied separately such as by being sprayed on or as being part of a double - sided , adhesive coated tape 124 . layer 124 could be a layer of gel or silicone and if necessary an additional layer of adhesive could be applied . layer 124 could also be a layer of second skin . the single layer stent 122 could be formed from a sheet of material ( see fig6 & amp ; 7 ) such as a thermoplastic material , natural or synthetic polymer or from multiple sheets of overlapping material which cures into a rigid construction , like fiberglass or plaster of paris as might be used for a cast , for example . stent 122 could also be applied like a putty , such as silicone . there are many other materials , as known to those of skill in the art which could be substituted for these exemplary materials , using the teaching and guidance of the present disclosure . as shown in fig6 , the stent 122 may be a single sheet of material before application to the soft tissue site ; flexible for being readily conformed to the soft tissue site and then being capable of becoming rigid to maintain the morphology of the site . for example , such a flexible single sheet of material 122 may be sized to adequately cover the breast and as explained above have one of its surfaces covered with adhesive or not . as shown in fig7 , the stent 122 may be woven or reinforced which can make it both easier to pre - mold into shape and also better hold its molded shape after it is cured or otherwise transformed into a rigid structure adhering to the breast . fig8 depicts yet another representative shape for the stent 122 . as shown therein , the stent 122 may be pre - molded into somewhat the shape of different breast cup sizes to minimize the possible introduction of wrinkles as the stent 122 is manipulated around the breast . also , optionally , a flattened edge surface 126 to help form a seal at the edge of the stent 122 against the patient &# 39 ; s chest . as shown in fig9 , a brava bra ® system 128 may include a breast cup 130 adhered around a breast and held in place by a vacuum created between them by a pump 132 . the periphery may also have an adhesive applied to help hold it in place during wearing . pump 132 could be either a low pressure pump for continuous use in accordance with the recommended protocol , or a higher pressure pump for recycling as explained above to distend the breast . as shown in fig1 , the splint or stent 122 may be pre - formed in an approximately circular shape with a slit 134 to facilitate its being folded or collapsed around itself and thereby form the cone shape shown in fig1 . the methods of use of the various inventions disclosed herein have been explained above as would be readily understood by those of skill in the art . the invention has been illustrated through its preferred embodiments as shown in the drawing figures and as described in the description above . these preferred embodiments are not intended to be limiting in any way . instead , the invention is intended to be limited solely by the scope of the claims appended hereto and their equivalents .	0
embodiments of the present invention are described using a basestation having radio frequency ( rf ) equipment placed at the top of a tower when providing a network service . however , the tower mounted equipment may be any equipment other than the rf equipment . in the description below , the terms “ top ”, “ tower top ” and “ masthead ” may be used interchangeably . in the description below , the terms “ tower ” and “ mast ” may be used interchangeably . in the description below , the terms “ tower mounted equipment ” and “ masthead equipment ” may be used interchangeably . in the description below , the terms “ top ” and “ base ” are being used in the general sense to depict two positions of the tower , one position being higher than another position . in the description below , the terms “ couple ( ed )” and “ connect ( ed )” may be used interchangeably . these terms may be used to indicate that two or more elements are directly or indirectly in physical or electrical contact with each other . fig1 illustrates an example of a basestation system in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention . the basestation system 2 includes basestation equipment 10 mounted on the top of a tower 4 , hereinafter referred to as tower mounted equipment 10 . the tower mounted equipment 10 may form masthead equipment . the tower 4 may be , but not limited to , a cellular tower . those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the tower mounted equipment 10 may be located at varying altitudes on the tower . the basestation system 2 may be a basestation tower operating in accordance with , but not limited to , at least one of wideband code division multiple access ( cdma ), global system for mobile ( gsm ) and universal mobile telecommunications system ( umts ) wireless standards or next generation ofdm based wireless standards . the tower mounted equipment 10 includes one or more basestation modules including a basestation radio module 12 and an antenna system 18 . the antenna system 18 is secured to the top of the tower 4 . those of skill in the art will understand that the representation of the antenna system 18 is schematic only , and the actual configuration of these elements may take on a variety of configurations . the basestation system 2 includes mechanism for translating the basestation radio module 12 between the top and base of the tower 4 and enabling the tower mounted equipment 10 to operate when the basestation radio module 12 is located at the tower top . the basestation radio module 12 is detachably mounted on a basestation module platform 14 . the basestation radio module 12 may be unloaded from the basestation module platform 14 for maintenance purpose . the antenna system 18 is mounted on a connection plate 16 . the connection plate 16 is secured on the top of the tower 4 . the basestation radio module 12 is detachably coupled to the connection plate 16 at the tower top . the tower mounted equipment 10 is operable when the basestation radio module 12 is connected to the antenna system 18 . the basestation radio module 12 is lowered for its maintenance purpose , while the basestation radio module 12 is raised and connected to the antenna system 18 at the tower top to provide a network service . in fig1 , the connection plate 16 is formed separately from the antenna system 18 . however , in another example , the connection plate 16 or similar connection mechanism may be formed in the module of the antenna system 18 . in a further example , the connection plate 16 or similar connection mechanism may be formed in any intermediate modules to connect the basestation radio module 12 to the antenna system 18 or any other electronic modules . in a further example , the connection plate 16 or similar connection mechanism may form part of the tower itself in fig1 , the basestation radio module 12 is connected to the antenna system 18 . however , in another example , the basestation radio module 12 may be connected to any intermediate modules to connect the basestation radio module 12 to the antenna system 18 or any other electronic modules . in fig1 , the basestation radio module 12 is connected to the connection plate 16 . however , in another example , the basestation radio module 12 may be directly connected to the antenna system 18 or any other electronic modules without using the connection plate 16 . using the connection plate 16 may however provide increased structural support for the components to which the basestation radio module 12 connects . in fig1 , one tower mounted equipment 10 is shown . however , the basestation system 2 may include more than tower mounted equipment 10 . each tower mounted equipment 10 may be located at a different position of the tower 4 . in fig1 , one antenna system 18 is shown . however , the basestation system 2 may include more than one antenna system 18 . the basestation system 2 may include more than one connection plate 16 for more than one antenna system 18 . in fig1 , one basestation radio module 12 is shown . however , the basestation system 2 may include more than one basestation radio module 12 . the basestation system 2 may include more than one basestation module platform 14 for more than one basestation radio module 12 . in fig1 , the basestation radio module 12 is located close to the top of the tower 4 . as shown in fig2 , the basestation radio module 12 is locatable at a position lower than that of fig1 . the basestation radio module 12 may be located at the bottom of the tower 4 . however , as described above , it is not required that the basestation radio module 12 be raised or lowered from the absolute bottom or top of the tower respectively . referring to fig1 - 2 , a location guide 20 is provided to ensure the proper alignment of the electrical connectors in the tower mounted equipment 10 . in fig1 - 2 , the location guide 20 is provided to align the basestation radio module 12 with the connection plate 16 . however , in another example , the location guide 20 may be provided to align the basestation module platform 14 with the connection plate 16 . in a further example , the location guide 20 may be provided to align the basestation radio module 12 or the basestation module platform 14 with a certain position of the tower without using the connection plate 16 . in a further example , the location guide 20 may be provided to align the basestation radio module 12 or the basestation module platform 14 with any electronic modules . in a further example , the basestation system 2 may include more than one tower mounted equipment 10 , and may include more than one location guide 20 for more than one tower mounted equipment 10 . a cabling and pulley system having a cable 40 and a pulley 42 is provided to the basestation system 2 . in fig1 , one set of the cable 40 and the pulley 42 is provided to each side of the tower mounted equipment 10 . the pulley 42 is connected to the connection plate 16 . however , in another example , the pulley 42 may be connected to the structure of the tower 4 . the cable 40 is connected to the basestation module platform 14 . the basestation radio module 12 is located by raising or lowering the basestation module platform 14 . however , in another example , the housing of the basestation radio module 12 may be directly raised or lowered by the cabling and pulley system . a winch system 44 is provided to wind up the cable 40 . the winch system 44 with the cabling and pulley system enables the basestation radio module 12 to be raised or lowered from the masthead . the winch system 44 may be a manual winch system , an automatic winch system or a combination thereof . the winch system 44 may include a crank to enable manual raising and lowering of the basestation radio module 12 . the winch system 44 may include gear assemblies and may be powered by gas engine , electric motor , hydraulic cylinder , pneumatic , electric , combustion drives , or any other device for providing rotational shaft power . the winch system 44 may include a braking system or ratchet system . the power supply to the winch system 44 need not be situated at the base of the tower 4 . for example , an electric motor may be attached to the top of the tower 4 , in which case a controller ( not shown ) could be used in conjunction therewith ( e . g ., a hand held controller , key pad , graphical user interface , etc .). the winch system 44 may employ a detachable motor that can be temporarily connected to rotate the winch mechanism . depending on the winch mechanism determined for use the detachable motor may take the form of a compressor in the case of a pneumatic or hydraulic system or a rotational motor as in the case in which a cabling system is used . the specifics of the detachable motor would be readily understood by those skilled in the art . those of skill in the art will understand that the representation of the cable 40 , the pulley 42 and the winch system 44 are schematic only , and the actual configuration of these elements may take on a variety of configurations . those of skill in the art will understand that mechanism for raising or lowering the basestation radio module 12 may be implemented in various ways other than those shown in fig1 - 2 . wire hawsers , track , hydraulic cylinder , pneumatics , chain or gear driven arrangements ( e . g ., worm gear / rack ) may be used . in fig1 - 2 , the translating system for translating one basestation module platform 14 is shown . however , in another example , the basestation system 2 may include more than one basestation module platform 14 , and the translating system in the basestation system 2 may translate each basestation module platform 14 . in a further example , the translating system in the basestation system 2 may translate each basestation radio module directly without using the basestation module platform 14 . that is to say , the mechanism for raising and lowering the basestation radio module 12 could be directly connected to the basestation radio module 12 . the basestation system 2 includes a ground based base - band processing unit 30 for transmission and reception of low power digital communications data and power to and from the core network and to and from the tower mounted equipment 10 . the basestation system 2 includes a communication cable 32 from the ground based base - band processing unit 30 to the basestation radio module 12 to convey power and base - band data between the ground and the basestation radio module 12 . in order to prevent damage to the communication cable 32 connecting the basestation radio module 12 to the network connection , the basestation system 2 uses a plug and socket arrangement such that the communication cable 32 is disconnected from the basestation radio module 12 when the basestation radio module 12 is lowered from the tower top , and is connected to the basestation radio module 12 when the basestation radio module 12 is raised and is positioned at the tower top . in fig1 - 2 , the communication cable 32 is attached at the top of the tower 4 to the connection plate 16 so that the basestation radio module 12 can be removed from the basestation module platform 14 and replaced or serviced , without having to bending the communication cable 32 when the basestation radio module 12 is lowered from the top of the tower 4 . in some radio towers there may be a requirement to service multiple operators &# 39 ; equipment . in such a scenario multiple antenna location plates may be present at various heights along the vertical axis of the mast . in such a scenario each operator &# 39 ; s equipment may incorporate a separate winch system for location of the base station equipment . in addition , in the case where the multiple operators use the tower , multiple fixed communication cables may ascend the tower . those skilled in the art can readily extend the embodiments for maintenance of single basestation to application to multiple platforms at multiple heights to service multiple operators . in fig1 - 2 , single communication cable 32 is shown . however , in an alternative embodiment , more than one communication cable may be used for providing power , data or a combination thereof to the basestation radio module 12 . fig3 illustrates an example of the tower mounted equipment , the basestation module platform and the connection plate of fig1 - 2 . the tower mounted equipment 10 of fig3 includes a basestation rf transceiver unit 12 a including elements for transmission and reception of cellular rf signals in a multi - sector environment . the basestation rf transceiver unit 12 a is mounted on the basestation module platform 14 . in fig3 , one rf transceiver unit 12 a is shown as an example of the basestation radio module 12 of fig1 . however , more than one basestation radio module may be attached to the basestation module platform 14 and be raised or lowered . the tower mounted equipment 10 includes main and diversity antennas 52 that form the antenna system 18 of fig1 or a part of the antenna system 18 . those of skill in the art will understand that the representation of the main and diversity antennas 52 is schematic only , and the actual configuration of the main and diversity antennas 52 may take on a variety of configurations . in fig3 , a connection plate 16 a with blind mate connectors 54 is shown as an example of the connection plate 16 of fig1 . the connection plate 16 a is secured to the tower top . the main and diversity antennas 52 are mounted on the connection plate 16 a . the connection plate 16 a enables connection of the basestation rf transceiver unit 12 a to the main and diversity antenna 52 . the communication cable 32 is attached to the connection plate 16 a . the connection plate 16 a also enables connection of the basestation rf transceiver unit 12 a to the communication cable 32 . the communication cable 32 is not subject to bending associated with it having to follow the basestation rf transceiver unit 12 a down the tower . in fig3 , the connection plate 16 a is provided for one basestation rf transceiver unit 12 a . however , the connection plate 16 a may be modified to accommodate multiple rf basestation transceiver units in the case that multiple service providers are connected to the tower . the enclosure of the basestation rf transceiver unit 12 a incorporates blind mate connectors 56 into its top surface . the blind mate connectors 56 in the enclosure of the basestation rf transceiver unit 12 a are coupled with the blind mate connectors 54 in the connection plate 16 a . the blind mate connectors 56 may be encompassed by a rubber ‘ o ’ ring seal to prevent water ingress . in fig3 , the blind mate connectors 54 are formed in the connection plate 16 a . however , in another example , the blind mate connectors 54 or any other connection mechanism for connecting the rf transceiver unit 12 a to the antenna 52 may form part of the structure of the tower or may be formed in the housing of any electronic modules . in a further example , the antenna module associated with the antenna 52 may have a connection mechanism and be connected to the rf transceiver unit 12 a without using the connection plate 16 a . in fig3 , location guide rods 60 and location alignment holes 62 are shown as an example of the location guide mechanism 20 of fig1 . the location guide rods 60 slide into the location alignment holes 62 . the location alignment holes 62 receive the location guide rods 60 to facilitate blind mate electrical connection of the blind mate connectors 54 and 56 . in fig3 , four location guide rods and four location alignment holes are shown . however , the number of the location guide rods and the location alignment holes is not limited to four and it may be varied depending on the design and requirements of the basestation . in fig3 , the location guide rods 60 are attached to the connection plate 16 a and the location alignment holes 62 are arranged in the housing of the basestation rf transceiver unit 12 a . however , in another example , the location guide rods 60 may be attached to the housing of the basestation rf transceiver unit 12 a , and the location alignment holes 62 may be arranged in the connection plate 16 a . in another example , the location guide rods 60 may be attached to the housing of the antenna system ( e . g ., 18 of fig1 - 2 , 52 of fig3 ) or any other electronic modules . in a further example , the location alignment holes 62 may be formed in the housing of the antenna system ( e . g ., 18 of fig1 - 2 , 52 of fig3 ) or any other electronic modules . in a further example , the location guide rods 60 or the location alignment holes 62 may be formed in the structure of the tower . in a further example , the location guide rods 60 or the location alignment holes 62 may be arranged in the housing of any basestation module ( s ) on the basestation module platform 14 other than the basestation rf transceiver unit 12 a . in a further example , the location guide rods 60 and the location alignment holes 62 are arranged such that the location alignment holes 62 are formed in the basestation module platform 14 . this arrangement enables the location alignment holes 52 to be removed from the basestation rf transceiver unit 12 a , and thus it may reduce the size of the basestation rf transceiver unit 12 a . in a further embodiment , the communication cable 32 of fig1 - 3 may be sufficiently flexible to sustain the mechanical bend radii associated with lowering the basestation module from the tower top . in a further embodiment , the tower mounted equipment 10 of fig1 - 2 may use a waveguide rather than the communication cable 32 . referring to fig4 , there is illustrated a plurality of basestation radio modules to be raised or lowered . basestation radio modules 70 1 - 70 n ( n : integer ) are mounted on basestation module platforms 72 1 - 72 n , respectively . each of the basestation radio modules 70 1 - 70 n may be same or similar to the basestation radio module 12 of fig1 - 2 or the basestation radio module 12 a of fig3 . each of the basestation module platforms 72 1 - 72 n may be same or similar to the basestation module platform 14 of fig1 - 2 . connection modules 74 1 - 74 n are provided to the basestation radio modules 70 1 - 70 n , respectively . each of the connection modules 74 1 - 74 n may be same or similar to the connection plate 16 of fig1 - 2 or the connection plate 16 a of fig3 . the connection modules 74 1 - 74 n may be formed in any electronic modules ( e . g ., antenna system or any intermediate electronic systems ) or form part of the tower . one or more than one communication cable ( e . g ., 32 of fig1 - 3 ) may be located at each connection module . translating systems 76 1 - 76 n are provided to the basestation radio modules 70 1 - 70 n , respectably . each of the translating systems 76 1 - 76 n may include the cabling and pulley system and the winch system 44 of fig1 - 2 or any suitable alternative mechanism for raising or lowering the basestation radio module . the translating systems 76 1 - 76 n raise or lower the basestation module platforms 72 1 - 72 n , respectively . the translating systems 76 1 - 76 n may directly raise or lower the basestation radio modules 70 1 - 70 n , respectively , without using the basestation module platforms 72 1 - 72 n . the connection modules 74 1 - 74 n are detachably connected to the basestation radio module 70 1 - 70 n , respectively and enable them to operate , respectively . the connection modules 74 1 - 74 n may be located at different positions of the tower , and thus the basestation radio modules 70 1 - 70 n may be enabled at different positions of the tower . the basestation radio modules 70 1 - 70 n may be lowered for maintenance at different positions of the tower for maintenance . a location guide ( e . g ., 20 of fig1 - 2 , 60 and 62 of fig2 ) may be provided for each basestation radio module 70 1 - 70 n for proper alignment . in fig4 , “ n ” is an integer greater than one . however , “ n ” may be one . in fig4 , a plurality of translating systems 76 1 - 76 n are shown separately . however , the plurality of translating systems 76 1 - 76 n may share some elements , such as power source . there are number of technical advantages to placing rf electronics of a basestation at the tower top . one reason is that a single cable run ( e . g ., 32 of fig1 - 3 ) from the base of the tower to the top can be used to convey both power and data . additionally , such electronics can be used to minimize the number of cables required for mimo functionality , for example . this eliminates the up front cost and maintenance of multiple high quality rf cable runs normally required . in addition when receiver equipment is located at the tower base , cable loss directly impacts the receiver noise figure . rf power is also dissipated in the cable runs making the power amplifiers less efficient than those placed at the tower top . one issue with tower mounted equipment in conventional systems is the cost to maintain the equipment , as specialized cranes and technicians are typically required to access and service the equipment . additionally , to avoid such maintenance costs , tower mount electronics component costs are typically increased to realize a higher mean time to breakdown failure rate than ground based equipment . furthermore , circuit complexity is often increased to provision for redundant circuitry capable of making the tower mounted equipment resilient to circuit component failures . by contrast , according to the embodiments of the present invention , on detection of a fault in the tower mounted equipment a single operator ( e . g ., person or a control signal to the winch system 44 ) may lower the basestation module from the tower top using the translating mechanism . once lowered the defective component may be replaced or , alternatively , the entire module may be returned to the vendor for repair . the module may be returned to a factory for testing . new or repaired module then will be raised by the single operator to the tower top for service . the maintenance arrangement / scheme of the embodiments of the present invention removes the requirement for a crane or specialized service personnel to service tower mounted equipment . the arrangement of the embodiments of the present invention removes the insurance costs associated with sending service personnel up the tower . the arrangement of the embodiments of the present invention reduces costs associated with over - provisioning masthead electronics . for example , mean time between failure ( mtbf ) of a ground based equipment may be used for the maintenance of the tower mounted equipment because of low cost service mechanism hence reducing initial design costs and specifications . the maintenance arrangement / scheme of the embodiments of the present invention removes the performance degradation in the receiver sensitivity and pa efficiency associated with the cable runs required for ground based radio transceiver modules . the maintenance arrangement / scheme of the embodiments of the present invention enables high capacity data services based on , for example , mimo ofdm , leading to lower cost per bit for the service . the single communication cable arrangement ( e . g ., 32 of fig1 - 3 ) is applicable to cable intensive basestation architecture , such as mimo that normally requires up to 18 cables , and thus increases the viability of the mimo technology and the design flexibility of radio modules . the present invention has been described with regard to one or more embodiments . however , it will be apparent to persons skilled in the art that a number of variations and modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the claims .	7
embodiments of the present invention relates generally to an amr system such as automated utility resource measurements , data collection , and exercise of control and notification , and more particularly to amr receivers that are adjustable to accept signals of different bandwidths . in light of the fact that there is certainly a need for a receiver that can easily and efficiently change its bandwidth to accommodate different transmitters while keeping the computational requirements relatively unchanged , the embodiments of this invention keep the signal processing computational requirements and complexity of the different bandwidths relatively constant . this is done by basic manipulation of the received data prior to discrete fourier transform ( dft ) or , in particular , prior to fast fourier transform ( fft ) operations . in the following description , several specific details are presented to provide a thorough understanding of the embodiments of the invention . one skilled in the relevant art will recognize , however , that the invention can be practiced without one or more of the specific details , or in combination with or with other components , etc . in other instances , well - known implementations or operations are not shown or described in detail to avoid obscuring aspects of various embodiments of the invention . the terminology used in the description presented below is intended to be interpreted in its broadest reasonable manner , even though it is being used in conjunction with a detailed description of certain specific embodiments of the invention . certain terms may even be emphasized below ; however , any terminology intended to be interpreted in any restricted manner will be overtly and specifically defined as such in this detailed description section . reference throughout the specification to “ one embodiment ” or “ an embodiment ” means that a particular feature , structure , implementation , or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the present invention . thus , uses of the phrases “ in one embodiment ” or “ in an embodiment ” in various places throughout the specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment . furthermore , the particular features , structures , implementation , or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments . fig1 illustrates the basic elements and processes of a typical mobile amr system . as illustrated in fig1 , a passing data - collecting vehicle 102 first sends a wake - up signal 104 to each ert , such as ert 106 . upon the receipt of the wake - up call 104 , each ert transmits the required information 108 , which is subsequently received by a dcu 110 of the passing vehicle 102 . afterward , the received ert signal goes through several signal - processing steps and the embedded data is retrieved from it . finally , the retrieved data may be uploaded from the dcu 110 to a main system or computer 112 for billing and other purposes . in general , if a receiver , such as the one included in the dcu 110 , utilizes an n - point fft to process a synthesized narrowband ert signal , the same receiver may use an m × n - point fft to process another ert &# 39 ; s signal with a bandwidth m times narrower . alternatively , a receiver may use the same n - point fft to merely process every k th point of the fft output ( where k is an integer multiple of 2 ), which is called “ decimation ” of the fft . fig2 is a high level schematic diagram of a signal path within an amr system . as depicted in fig2 , a receiver 202 portion of the dcu 110 receives the ert 106 transmitted signal 108 . as part of the receiving process the received signal is passed through a low - noise amplifier lna before radio frequency ( rf ) filtering of the signal . the gain of the rf filtered signal will be subsequently controlled by passing it through an automatic gain controller agc , after which the signal goes through a mixer and filtered again by an intermediate filter of 70 mhz . this signal is again amplified by an if amplifier before being input to block 204 . after some pre - processing on the signal under block 204 ( described below ), such as sampling , scaling , parsing , and combining , the resulting data points go through some form of transformation such as under an fft 206 . subsequently , the transformed data is decoded and embedded information is deciphered under block 208 , to be later uploaded into the main system 112 . in block 208 , the digital signal processing ( dsp ) of the data comprises inputs from the channel correlator and an automatic gain controller , before the processed data becomes available on a serial port through a universal asynchronous receiver - transmitter uart . gumas , in his paper titled “ window - presum fft achieves high - dynamic range , resolution ”, which is incorporated by reference , mathematically shows that the mere computation of every m th point of an fft output can be achieved by partitioning the m × n data points into m equal data groups ( where m is an integer multiple of 2 ), overlapping and adding them together , and processing the resulting n data points by an n - point fft . furthermore , prior to such partitioning , the wideband signal can be multiplied by a window function to scale different segments of its spectrum . it is known to those skilled in the relevant arts that a windowed fft serves as a filter bank of uniformly spaced and shaped digital filters , and the window itself is the filters &# 39 ; impulse response . fig3 is a schematic diagram of the windowing , partitioning , overlapping , adding , and the fft processing of the weighted overlap - add ( wola ) method . in fig3 the sampled data 302 is loaded into an input buffer 304 . during the next step of the process , the data residing in the buffer 304 is multiplied by a weighting function 306 , which represents the windowing process , to produce multiplied data 308 . subsequent to the multiplication of the buffer 304 data with the weighting function 306 , the multiplied data 308 is partitioned into m groups of data , each having n - data points . afterward , the m groups are all overlapped and all corresponding data points of all groups are added together to form one resulting group with n - data points , 310 . this n - data - point group resulting from the addition process , 310 , will later enter an n - point fft ( block 312 ) before being decoded ( block 314 ). embodiments of the present invention take advantage of this mathematical concept to process a range of narrow to wideband signals by a fixed n - point fft while the entire computation process remains the same for all bandwidths ( except for the value of a multiplier ). each multiplier is a windowing function , which is pre - calculated and stored in a memory . therefore , the embodiments can process the signals of various bandwidths by performing the exact same operations except for using a different memory content in one of its steps . therefore , with this method , a mere change of a multiplier adjusts the receiver bandwidth for receiving a wider - or a narrower - band signal . fig4 is a schematic diagram of the application of four window functions in accordance with an embodiment of the invention . in this embodiment an input buffer 304 is used to hold 4n input data points at all times , regardless of the input signal bandwidth , while an n - point fft processes the data after it is multiplied by a weighting function , partitioned , overlapped , and added together . for example , if a narrow window is desired for an incoming wideband ert signal , a window can be formed to only multiply the first n datapoints of the buffer while the other 3n points are multiplied by zeros ( or very small numbers ), 402 , before partitioning , overlapping , adding , and passing through the n - point fft . if a wide window is desired for a narrowband ert signal , a window can be formed to multiply the entire 4n datapoints , 406 , of the buffer before partitioning , overlapping , adding , and passing through the n - point fft . yet other windows can be formed to cover 2n data points of the buffer and multiply the rest by zeros or very small numbers , such as that shown at 404 . according to this embodiment a fixed size input buffer ( e . g . 4n ) and a fixed size fft process ( n - point fft ) is used to process a wide range of bandwidths . in effect , this process can reduce any bandwidth by as much as 4 fold . all it requires is to address a memory containing a new pre - calculated window function to multiply with the buffer entries . data oversampling may be considered to prevent problems such as aliasing . fig5 is a flow diagram of the proposed method in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention . at block 501 a data collecting unit , such as a dcu , receives the signal transmitted by a data transmitting unit , such as an ert . at block 502 the received signal is sampled . at block 503 the sampled data enters into an input buffer ; for example an m × n - point input buffer , where n is the fft process size and m is an integer . at block 504 the buffer data content is multiplied by a window ( weighting ) function which may contain ( m − 1 ) n , ( m − 2 ) n , . . . , or ( m − m ) n zeros or very small numbers reflecting the bandwidth . at block 505 the multiplied data is parsed into m groups of n - point data . at block 506 the n - point data groups are combined together , such as being added together in a manner that : the 1 st , ( n + 1 ) th , ( 2n + 1 ) th , . . . , [( m − 1 ) n + 1 )] th points of the buffered data are added together and 2 nd , ( n + 2 ) th , ( 2n + 2 ) th , . . . , [( m − 1 ) n + 2 )] th points are added together and 3 rd , ( n + 3 ) th , ( 2n + 3 ) th , . . . , [( m − 1 ) n + 3 )] th points are added together , up to and including n th , ( n + n ) th , ( 2n + n ) th , . . . , [( m − 1 ) n + n )] th points of the buffered data . and , at the block 507 , the result of combining the segments is mathematically transformed to another domain , such as with an fft process . it is important to recognize that the different aspects of the present invention apply to both fixed and mobile receivers , and that the mention of one does not exclude the other . an example of a fixed receiver is an amr system mounted on an erected pole to facilitate the meter reading of its surrounding utility customers . unless the context clearly requires otherwise , throughout the description and the claims , the words “ comprise ,” “ comprising ,” and the like are to be construed in an inclusive sense , as opposed to an exclusive or exhaustive sense ; that is to say , in the sense of “ including , but not limited to .” additionally , the words “ herein ,” “ above ,” “ below ,” and words of similar import , when used in this application , shall refer to this application as a whole and not to any particular portions of this application . where the context permits , words in the above detailed description using the singular or plural number may also include the plural or singular number respectively . when the claims use the word “ or ” in reference to a list of two or more items , that word covers all of the following interpretations of the word : any of the items in the list , all of the items in the list , and any combination of the items in the list . the above detailed description of embodiments of the invention is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed above . while specific embodiments of , and examples for , the invention are described above for illustrative purposes , various equivalent modifications are possible within the scope of the invention , as those skilled in the relevant art will recognize . also , the teachings of the invention provided herein can be applied to other systems , not necessarily the system described above . the elements and acts of the various embodiments described above can be combined to provide further embodiments . all of the above patents and applications and other references , including any that may be listed in accompanying filing papers , are incorporated herein by reference . aspects of the invention can be modified , if necessary , to employ the systems , functions , and concepts of the various references described above to provide yet further embodiments of the invention . changes can be made to the invention in light of the above “ detailed description .” while the above description details certain embodiments of the invention and describes the best mode contemplated , no matter how detailed the above appears in text , the invention can be practiced in many ways . therefore , implementation details may vary considerably while still being encompassed by the invention disclosed herein . as noted above , particular terminology used when describing certain features or aspects of the invention should not be taken to imply that the terminology is being redefined herein to be restricted to any specific characteristics , features , or aspects of the invention with which that terminology is associated . in general , the terms used in the following claims should not be construed to limit the invention to the specific embodiments disclosed in the specification , unless the above detailed description section explicitly defines such terms . accordingly , the actual scope of the invention encompasses not only the disclosed embodiments , but also all equivalent ways of practicing or implementing the invention under the claims . for example the invention is not limited to amr . while certain aspects of the invention are presented below in certain claim forms , the inventors contemplate the various aspects of the invention in any number of claim forms . for example , while only one aspect of the invention is recited as embodied in a computer - readable medium , other aspects may likewise be embodied in a computer - readable medium . accordingly , the inventors reserve the right to add additional claims after filing the application to pursue such additional claim forms for other aspects of the invention .	8
referring to fig1 of the figures , a cruise ship hull ( 20 ) has numerous entrance doors , called shell doors ( 2 ) located above the waterline shell doors are used to access the ship , via a gangplank ( 3 ) with handrails ( 5 ) leading to a inside ramp ( 4 ) and associated handrail ( 13 ) which terminates on the ship &# 39 ; s lower deck inside the ship . these shell doors are used for passenger loading and embarkation from the ship when the ship is at port or anchored at a floating dock ( 19 ). similar shell doors are also used for loading and unloading ships provisions . in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the invention , after docking and opening of the ship &# 39 ; s shell door ( 2 ) a portable quick close door system ( 8 ) and ( 9 ) herein referred to as “ qcds ” is installed inside the ship whereby providing a means to quickly close off access to the ship &# 39 ; s interior from a terrorist threat . fig2 shows the shell door opening ( 2 ) with the qcds doors ( 21 ) and ( 22 ) closed and installed inside the ship as seen from the outside of the ship . the ship &# 39 ; s gangplank passes under the doors ( 21 ) and ( 22 ) of the qcds . the qcds ( 8 ) and ( 9 ) outer casings ( 33 ) block the shell door opening from access around the gangplank . referring to fig3 , the inside hull of the ship ( 1 ) is shown with the shell door opened and the gangplank ( 3 ) installed ; the inside ramp ( 4 ) is installed leading onto the lower deck entrance vestibule . the ship &# 39 ; s shell door latches ( 6 ) are shown . the ship &# 39 ; s shell door stop plates ( 7 ) are also shown . referring to fig5 , the quick close door system ( qcds ) is comprised of two portable mating sections ( 8 ) and ( 9 ), which using handle ( 12 ) are rolled on casters ( 11 ) up to the open shell door opening ( fig3 ) and bolted together at the forward / aft door system central mating plate ( 32 ) with locking bars ( 10 ) in place . fig4 shows the aft qcds ( 9 ) with door ( 21 ) in the extended or closed position . the fwd qcds ( 8 ) is essentially the mirror image of the aft ( 9 ) qcds , an exception being the aft / forward rotation keying tube ( 30 ) shown is replaced in the forward ( 8 ) qcds with a mating key pin internal to the door keeper control tube ( 27 ). the aft qcds ( 9 ) is detailed in fig4 . qcds ( 9 ) is comprised of outer casing ( 33 ), and inner door ( 21 ). the inner door ( 21 ), slides out of the outer casing ( 33 ) closing off the shell door opening ( 2 ). the outer casing ( 33 ) is locked in place by rotating locking bars ( 10 ) onto latch &# 39 ; s ( 6 ) locking the qcds ( 9 ) to the shell door opening ( 2 ). the qcds ( 8 ) and ( 9 ) retracted door release handle ( 14 ), releases the spring loaded doors ( 21 ) and ( 22 ) allowing them to extend closing the qcds opening . said release handle ( 14 ), releases aft and forward doors simultaneously though the rotation of keying tube ( 30 ) providing immediate closure of both aft ( 22 ) and forward door ( 21 ) of fig2 . shown in fig4 , is the removable hand rail ( 13 ); the handrail is a continuation of the outside handrail ( 5 ) on the gangplank . removal of the handrail makes each qcds lighter weight for portability as well as being readily adapted to various gang plank heights and configurations . the forward ( 8 ) and aft ( 9 ) qcds are installed with their respective doors in the retracted position with the release handle safety pin ( 36 ) in place . see detailed operation of the preferred embodiment fig6 . referring to fig5 , the inside hull is shown as in fig3 with the assembled forward ( 8 ) and aft ( 9 ) fig4 qcds installed . when installing the qcds , the qcds casters ( 11 ) are lifted over the ship &# 39 ; s door stop plates ( 7 ). the stop plates retain the said casters ( 11 ) in place preventing the qcds from being pushed into the ship &# 39 ; s vestibule area . locking bar ( 10 ) is pivotably rotated onto the ship &# 39 ; s shell door latches ( 6 ). standoffs ( 18 ) of a compressible material , as low shore rubber , provides a cushion between the qcds outer casing ( 33 ) and the ship &# 39 ; s hull interior providing compressed rubber pressure on the locking bar ( 10 ) when rotated in position . detailed operation of the preferred embodiment of the invention is shown in fig6 and fig7 . referring to fig6 , the outer casing is not shown for clarity . the door ( 17 ) is shown in the open ( retracted ) position . door closure cable ( 34 ) is attached to door closure cable termination ( 26 ) mounted on door outer slide tube ( 23 ) and routed around pulleys ( 25 ). the outer end of cable ( 34 ) is attached to an elasticized cord , such as a bungee cord type material spring ( 15 ). when the door is in the closed ( extended ) position ( not in the outer casing 33 ), the cable length is the length required to apply a preload to the spring ( 15 ) holding the closed door against the central mating plate ( 32 ). retract door by applying pressure to the door ( 17 ) sliding it into the outer casing ( 33 ) ( not shown ) on door assembly inner slide tube ( 24 ) urging the door closure cable ( 34 ) to further stretch spring ( 15 ) until the door is fully inserted into the outer casing ( 33 ) and the door keeper ( 29 ) ( fig7 ) can be rotated in the “ c ” direction , by turning door keeper control tube rotation arm ( 28 ) until said keeper ( 29 ) covers the end of said door outer slide tube ( 23 ) holding said door ( 17 ) open against the spring cable tension “ d ”. door ( 17 ) retraction pressure is then released and the said door ( 17 ) is held in place by said keeper ( 29 ). door release handle ( 14 ) is in the safety lock position during said door ( 17 ) retraction and cannot be released except by removing the safety pin ( 36 ). one of the preferred aspects of the invention is that passengers entering the cruise ship on the gangplank and through the qcds are not aware of its existence . operation of the qcds is from inside the ship vestibule area by lifting either qcds door release handle ( 14 ). door closure would only be performed in the event of an emergency situation requiring the blocking of the entrance to the ship as in the case of a terrorist attack . closing of the qcds doors is initiated by first removing the associated safety pin ( 36 ) and then lifting either release door handle ( 14 ) on the aft ( 9 ) or forward ( 8 ) qcds . lifting said release handle ( 14 ) applies tension to the release cable ( 35 ), which in turn places pressure to the door keeper control tube rotation arm ( 28 ) urging rotation of said arm ( 28 ). rotation of said arm ( 28 ) allows door outer slide tube ( 23 ) ( which is being pulled by spring ( 15 )) to pass by said door keeper ( 29 ) and extend said doors ( 16 ) and ( 17 ) to fully closed position . the qcds is made up of mirror image forward ( 8 ) and aft ( 9 ) assemblies bolted together at the central mating plate ( 32 ). aft / forward rotation keying tube ( 30 ) is slid into place after installation of the said forward ( 8 ) and aft ( 9 ) assemblies using keying tube insertion button ( 31 ) keying said forward ( 8 ) and aft ( 9 ) control tube rotation arms ( 28 ) together . activation of either forward of aft qcds release door handle ( 14 ) will release both forward ( 8 ) and aft ( 9 ) qcds doors . said doors ( 8 ) and ( 9 ) meet in the middle when released with a tongue on the aft door leading edge mating with a groove in the forward door leading edge making manual door separation difficult . door closure pressure is insured by the preload applied to both forward door ( 8 ) and aft door ( 9 ) springs ( 15 ). another preferred aspect is the application of the invention . the embodying principles of the invention are applicable to situations other than cruise ship loading and embarkation . fig8 shows a general application , which could apply to various situations as sporting events , concerts , public gatherings , public transportation gating and entrance applications . entrance area or pre - security screening area ( 37 ) is followed by the installation of either a fixed or mobile ( qcds ) ( 38 ) as defined in the preferred embodiment of this invention . the quick close door system provides a way to stop a last minute terrorist attack to a public gathering area defined by ( 39 ). various changes may be made to the structure and methodology embodying the principles of the invention . the foregoing embodiments are set forth within are illustrative and not in a limiting sense . remote operation of the quick close door systems and cameras for visibility of associated areas although not shown are considered to be a part of the invention . the scope of the invention is defined by the claims appended hereto .	8
fig1 and 2 show a heavy - duty wiper blade assembly 10 constructed according to a first preferred embodiment of the present invention . the wiper blade assembly 10 has an extruded frame 12 having a bottom channel 14 that receives a wiper element 16 , and an upper channel 18 that is separate from the bottom channel 14 . the wiper element 16 is slidably received in the bottom channel 14 and is maintained in the bottom channel 14 by a protuberance or preferably a plurality of protuberances 20 . the frame 12 of the wiper blade assembly 10 is extruded into one integral member from a metallic material , such as aluminum , or any other extrudable metallic material . the finished frame 12 has a pair of ends 24 , 26 . the bottom channel 14 and upper channel 18 extend between the ends 24 , 26 . the bottom channel 14 has slot 28 formed along the bottom channel 14 between the pair of ends 24 , 26 having openings 27 , 29 such that a bottom surface 30 of the bottom channel 14 preferably has a pair of opposing lips 31 , 32 extending generally toward one another , thus causing the bottom channel 14 to be generally c - shaped in cross - section , as shown best in fig2 . the upper channel 18 of the frame 12 is a generally closed channel other than openings 34 , 36 at the ends 24 , 26 of the frame 12 , and an aperture 38 formed in a sidewall or opposing sidewalls 40 , 42 of the upper channel 18 between the ends 24 , 26 of the frame 12 . the aperture 38 formed in the opposing sidewalls 40 , 42 of the upper channel 18 is preferably formed equidistant from either end 24 , 26 and receives a mounting pin ( not shown ) therethrough so that the wiper blade assembly 10 can be attached to a wiper arm ( not shown ). as best shown in fig2 the wiper element 16 has a crown portion 44 , a neck portion 46 , a bumper portion 48 , a hinge portion 50 , and a body portion 52 . the wiper element 16 is received by the bottom channel 14 by sliding the crown portion 44 of the wiper element 16 into one of the openings 27 , 29 of the bottom channel 14 . the pair of opposing lips 31 , 32 forming the bottom surface 30 of the bottom channel 14 extend generally inwardly toward the neck portion 46 such that they capture and releasably maintain the wiper element 16 . though the wiper element 16 is releasably maintained within the channel 14 by the lips 31 , 32 , the wiper element 16 is still able to slide transversely within the bottom channel 14 . preferably , the crown portion 44 of the wiper element 16 conforms generally in shape to the bottom channel 14 . a bottom surface 53 of the crown portion 44 is preferably in mating contact with an upper surface 54 of the lips 31 , 32 such that the crown portion 44 is maintained within the bottom channel 14 during assembly 10 . the neck portion 46 of the wiper element 16 depends from the crown portion 44 and passes between the lips 31 , 32 of the frame 12 and joins the bumper portion 48 of the wiper element 16 . the bumper portion 48 of the wiper element 16 contacts the bottom surface 30 of the lips 31 , 32 . the wiper element 16 can be secured against relative sliding movement within the channel 14 by staking a sidewall or sidewalls 40 , 42 of the bottom channel 14 , such that a plurality of protuberances 20 extend laterally inwardly into gripping engagement with the crown portion 44 of the wiper element 16 . as shown in fig1 preferably two protuberances 20 are staked adjacent each end 24 , 26 of each side - wall 40 , 42 of the frame 12 . however , it should be recognized that any number of protuberances 20 may be staked depending on the requirements of the wiper blade application . fig3 - 7 show an alternative embodiment of a wiper blade assembly of the invention generally at 110 . the same reference numerals are used to designate like features to those of the first embodiment , but are offset by 100 . the assembly 110 includes an upper channel 118 in which a pair of end plugs 22 , 23 are installed . the channel 118 communicates with a source of pressurized wiper fluid ( not shown ) through one of the end plugs 22 , 23 . the wiper fluid can travel through and be dispensed from the upper channel 118 directly onto the surface to be wiped by the wiper blade assembly 110 . also , the wiper element 116 is preferably releasably maintained in the bottom channel 114 by a bottom portion 56 of the pair of end plugs 22 , 23 , thus enabling the wiper element 116 to be quickly and easily replaced when needed . it should be recognized however , that a staking operation could be used here as performed in the first preferred embodiment . the pair of end plugs 22 , 23 are preferably sized so that they can be press fit into the openings 134 , 136 at the ends 124 , 126 of the upper channel 118 such that they have an interference fit or other suitable mechanical retention ( e . g . latches ), and create a generally fluid tight seal therein . the end plugs 22 , 23 are shaped to have a plug portion 58 that fits within the upper channel 118 , and a face portion 60 that remains in mating contact with an end 124 , 126 of the frame 112 . one end plug 22 preferably has a through hole 62 such that a hose 64 can be connected in the through hole 62 of the end plug 22 to provide for communication of fluid between the upper channel 118 and the source of pressurized wiper fluid . the wiper fluid can then be received within the upper channel 118 of the wiper blade assembly 110 and be dispensed from the upper channel 118 through a nozzle 64 and directed onto the surface to be wiped by the wiper blade assembly 110 . it should be recognized however , that the hose 64 could be received in an opening anywhere along the upper channel 118 between the two ends 24 , 26 of the upper channel 118 , and not through one of the end plugs 22 , 23 in the pair of ends 124 , 126 of the frame 112 . the end plugs 22 , 23 preferably extend downwardly from the upper channel 118 so that the face portion 60 blocks or covers at least a portion of the bottom channel 114 . with at least one end plug 22 , 23 removed from the bottom channel 114 , the wiper element 116 can be slidably received within the bottom channel 114 , and the end plug or end plugs 22 , 23 can then be press fit into the bottom channel 114 . the face portions 60 of the plugs 22 , 23 then releasably maintain the wiper element 116 within the bottom channel 114 . if the wiper element 116 needs replacing , one of the end plugs 22 , 23 can simply be removed to slidably remove the wiper element 116 from the bottom channel . as best shown in fig6 another opening 66 in one of the side walls 40 , 42 of the upper channel 118 has the nozzle 64 received therein . the nozzle 64 is fixed in the opening 66 of the upper channel 118 such that the nozzle 64 is maintained in sealing engagement with the opening 66 . the nozzle 64 has a through hole 68 that is formed to dispense wiper fluid from the upper channel 118 such that the wiper fluid exits preferably in a desired spray pattern . the nozzle 64 is shown here to be generally equidistant between the two ends 24 , 26 of the upper channel 118 . it should be recognized however , that the opening 66 used to receive the nozzle 64 can be placed anywhere along the length between the two ends 24 , 26 of the upper channel 118 , as best suited for the application . it should also be recognized that any number of nozzles 64 can be employed within the sidewalls 140 , 142 to insure adequate coverage of wiper fluid on the surface to be wiped by the wiper blade assembly 110 . as best shown in fig5 a grommet 70 is installed in the aperture 138 to create a fluid tight seal between the mounting pin and the upper channel 118 to prevent any wiper fluid from leaking between the aperture 138 and the mounting pin . ends 72 , 74 of the grommet 70 are formed with radially enlarged flanges 76 , 78 for securing and sealing the grommet 70 within the aperture 138 . the grommet 70 has a tubular body passing through the upper channel 118 , defining a through hole 80 for accommodating the mounting pin ( not shown ). other suitable means for creating a seal between the aperture 138 and the mounting pin to prevent wiper fluid from exiting the aperture 138 is contemplated by this invention , such as applying a coating to the walls of the aperture 138 or to the mounting pin so that the coating provides a fluid - tight seal . obviously , many 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 . the invention is defined by the claims .	8
the present invention is a vapor generation bubbler designed for service in high vacuum or high flowrate conditions . the design prevents splashing and transport of aerosol droplets into the outlet delivery line that would result in erratic chemical mass flow delivery . semiconductor manufacturers are turning to the use of high value chemicals that are increasingly difficult to transport for deposition onto a wafer in a vacuum chamber or tool . the vessel or bubbler of the present invention allows liquid chemical to be delivered from the container or bubbler as a vapor at high vacuum , without the splashing and the formation of aerosol droplets in the outlet of the vessel or bubbler that result in erratic chemical mass delivery rate . the present invention has a lower surface design that enables a constant saturation of a carrier gas with chemical vapor down to very low levels of the residual chemical . yet , the present invention prevents splashing and the formation of aerosol droplets into the outlet of the bubbler , that would result in erratic chemical mass delivery rate , even when the chemical level in the container is high . previously , bubblers used for high vacuum service or high flowrate service had to be used with only a partial charge of chemical ( i . e . : 50 % full ). this required the semiconductor manufacturer to change the vessel or bubbler more often ( taking down the tool ), and added to the cost of the chemical , because of the increased container processing fees . this invention enables use of the bubbler from a full liquid chemical level down to a very low level and reduces semiconductor tool downtime . also , since it is effective at limiting the chemical aerosol particles in the outlet , it can reduce particulate generation that might result from degradation of the aerosol droplets that deposit in the outlet and all of the delivery piping to the processing chamber or tool . previous bubbler designs addressed the problem of splashing by installing at the bottom of the dip tube , piping , perpendicular to the diptube , with holes drilled along its length . this resulted in smaller bubbles generated over a larger area of the bubbler , which resulted in a less turbulent bubbling action , and therefore , less splashing , but these inventions are impossible to effectively clean for reuse by the chemical supplier . the present invention uses porous masses of material , such as porous metal frits , at the outlet of the inlet diptube to break down the size of the bubbles of inert carrier gas entering the liquid chemical precursor in conjunction with one or more baffle discs at the upper part of the vessel or bubbler that requires the carrier gas entrained with chemical precursor to pass indirectly to the outlet of the container or bubbler by flowing tortuously to the outside of the baffle discs in a narrow annular space between the inner diameter of the bubbler inside wall and the outer diameter or circumferential or perimeter edge of the baffle discs . this will be illustrated with reference to several preferred embodiments of the present invention . fig1 shows a bubbler 10 of the present invention having a cylindrical bubbler sidewall 12 with a diptube inlet 14 terminating at its inlet end with a porous mass or block outlet , such as a stainless steel frit 18 that operates as a gas diffuser to generate small microbubbles of the inert carrier gas below the surface of the liquid chemical precursor ( not illustrated ). this reduces the chance of violent bubbling or the splattering of liquid above the headspace or freeboard of the bubbler . the outlet 18 of the bubbler diptube inlet 14 is proximate the floor of the bubbler in a sump 21 , shown in fig5 . in addition , the diptube 14 has a baffle disc 20 , having a circular and concave downward configuration like a shallow cone opening downward , affixed , as by welding , to the upper end of the diptube 14 , to further avoid liquid splattering or large scale liquid entrainment of the carrier gas flowing to the outlet 16 , which is undesired , but which has a greater probability under high flow or high vacuum conditions . fig2 shows a second embodiment of the present invention where similar parts have similar part numbers . here the splash guard comprises two baffle discs , a lower baffle disc 22 and an upper baffle disc 24 having a circular outer edge shape and being concave downward , such as a shallow downwardly open cone , that act in cooperation to make an even more tortuous path for chemical precursor leaving the bubbler 10 . the baffle discs are concave downward to further frustrate direct flow of chemical precursor to the outlet 16 and to collect condensed chemical precursor for return by coalesced droplets falling back into the stored chemical precursor ( not illustrated ). the baffle discs have a diameter slightly less than the inside diameter of the cylindrical inside wall of the bubbler . the space between the circumferential or perimeter edge of the baffle disc and the inside wall of the bubbler is sufficient to allow gas to pass through the space with minimal pressure drop , but sufficiently narrow to minimize the passage of liquid that may be ejected from the liquid content of the bubbler under high flow rates of carrier gas through the diptube or significant pressure fluctuations . fig3 shows a more detailed illustration of the second embodiment of the present invention . bubbler 10 is shown in cut away with an angled diptube 14 ending in a stainless steel frit outlet 18 , such as a mott porous stainless steel cup series 1200 , catalog no 1200 - a - b - l - media grade . the two baffle discs 22 and 24 occupy different inside diameter locations in the container sidewall 12 so that the lower baffle disc 22 allows greater annular space from the cylindrical inside surface of the bubbler sidewall 12 for carrier gas and chemical precursor to pass toward the outlet , while upper baffle disc 24 provides less annular space to further avoid liquid entrainment in the outlet and downstream piping from the outlet . fig4 shows an isolation of the internal structure of the bubbler of the second embodiment without the sidewall 12 being illustrated . in fig4 , the diptube inlet 14 and its outlet frit 18 are easily seen and the splash guard comprising baffle disc 22 and 24 are also readily seen with their concave downward shape . fig5 shows a specific configuration of the second embodiment of fig2 in which the gas diffuser outlet 18 is shown as an horizontally disposed elongated cylindrical porous metal frit having a hollow gas passage interior and a porous metal frit outer shell , such as those made by mott corporation , farmington , conn . 06032 , usa . preferably , the porous metal frit gas diffuser outlet 18 has a media grade rating to filter out particles of 1 micron or larger , preferably filtering out at least 90 % of particles 1 micron or larger . the gas diffuser outlet 18 of fig5 is situated in a sump 21 in the base , floor or bottom of the bubbler container 12 . the preferred diffuser 18 is an horizontally disposed elongated cylinder and the sump is thus a partial elongated cylinder open at its upper side to the inside of the bubbler and being of a dimension slightly larger than the elongated cylinder of the diffuser outlet 18 , sufficient to allow gas bubbles of carrier gas to escape the outside of the diffuser outlet 18 and to allow liquid chemical precursor stored in the bubbler or vessel 10 to reside in the sump 21 substantially or completely surrounding the diffuser outlet 18 . preferably , the diffuser outlet 18 resides entirely with the sump 21 , such that the upper surface of the diffuser is no more than even with the upper edge of the sump wall . the level sensor 28 measures the liquid product level . inlet 14 is controlled by inlet valve 30 , and outlet 16 is controlled by valve 26 . the goal of fig5 is to provide adequate flow of gas to entrain liquid product without creating bubbles of such size as to create splashing or violent spitting of the liquid getting to the outlet and downstream of the bubbler . this could contaminate the outlet or create flow problems in any downstream mass flow controller . to further avoid liquid escape from the bubbler , a metal frit 32 can be positioned at an inlet to the outlet 16 . fig6 shows the embodiment of fig5 in which an elbow configuration or shape 34 of the inlet to the outlet 16 is used in place of metal frit 32 . the end of elbow 34 is directed radially inward away from the outer circumferential or perimeter edge of the baffle discs 22 and 24 and toward the axial center of the cylinder formed by the sidewall 12 of the vessel or bubbler 10 to minimize possible liquid introduction into the outlet 16 . similarly , fig7 shows an alternate to fig6 wherein the elbow outlet 34 is replaced with a “ tee ” shaped or configured inlet 36 to the outlet , again to minimize the possible introduction of liquid into the outlet 16 from the annular space between the baffle discs 22 and 24 and the inside wall of the sidewall 12 of the vessel or bubbler 10 . to avoid liquid introduction into the outlet 16 , it is further possible to change the construction of the baffle discs . fig8 shows lower baffle disc 22 with a plurality of perforations 38 to trap liquid spitting between baffle discs 22 and 24 and return it to the sump of the vessel . fig9 shows that upper baffle disc 24 is fabricated from porous metal frit material , to again minimize liquid introduction into the outlet 16 . the present invention provides superior minimization of liquid entrainment of droplets in the outlet and downstream piping of a bubbler connected to a cvd tool of an electronics fabrication system . using either a single baffle disc or multiples of the baffle disc , alone or in combination with a diffuser or frit at an outlet to the diptube inlet provides the desired minimization of liquid droplet entrainment in the outlet 16 of the bubbler . although the baffle discs have been shown as circular discs with a concavity where the disc is slightly smaller than the inside diameter of the cylindrical vessel or bubbler sidewall , it is understood that any baffle of any shape which provides only a narrow annular space at the inner sidewall of the vessel or bubbler is within the scope of the present invention . likewise , any form of device with an array of small passages can be used as the frit or outlet of the diptube of the present invention . although , it is preferred to use stainless steel , it is envisioned that any inert material of rigid form can be used for the splash guard or frit . plastics , metal alloys , powdered metals , fabrics , textiles and ceramics are all contemplated . the vessel 10 can also be used for product flow in the opposite direction where outlet 16 functions as a pressurizing gas inlet to form a pressure head on liquid contained in the vessel 10 and force the liquid in liquid form through the frit 18 and out the diptube 14 for liquid delivery from the vessel using a pressurizing gas , in contrast to the vapor delivery described above .	2
an electrophotographic photoreceptor is produced by a support cutting process , a cleaning process employing a cleaning agent ( including a cleaning process employing water and a drying process ) followed by a photosensitive layer coating process . various materials are available for the photoreceptor support . preferred support materials are aluminum ( al ), or aluminum alloys or nickel ( ni ). generally , al series , al -- mn series , al -- mg series , al -- mg -- si series alloys are often employed . ni is employed , for example , as a nickel - plated belt and the like . various types of surface machining and polishing methods are available , for example , aluminum supports which undergo mirror finishing , roughening , or aluminum anodizing ( pore sealing ) are employed . the major element constituting the support specifically designates aluminum , when aluminum or an aluminum alloy is employed , and ni when ni or a nickel alloy is employed . in the present invention , esca is measured in the following way : an element ratio is calculated from element peak area intensities of silicon ( si ): si 2p , sodium ( na ): na kll , and aluminum ( al ): al 2p measured by a shimadzu x - ray photoelectron analyzer ( esca - 1000 , a product of shimadzu seisasusho : mgka tube ) at an x - ray output of 10 kv and 30 ma . when the support surface is measured , the surface after cleaning is measured without any treatment , and when the support bulk is measured , the surface is abraded with sandpaper , etc . and the newly exposed surface is measured . there is no limitation on compositions of the photosensitive layer , layer structures , or coating methods , of which various types are available . however , a photoreceptor is most adapted which comprises a so - called function - separated type organic photosensitive layers in which organic photosensitive materials are primarily employed ; a charge transport function and a charge generating function are shared by different compounds and each of the compounds is incorporated in a separate layer . a photoreceptor support made of aluminum is cleaned , which is formed to the desired diameter ; cut to specified dimensions and undergoes surface finishing such as machining , etc . a cleaning vessel is generally separated into 3 to 10 sections . fig1 ( a ) to 1 ( g ) shows schematic views . with reference to , for example , fig1 ( c ), a more specific description is provided . a first tank 1 - 1 comprises a 0 . 1 to 30 % cleaning agent solution ( occasionally referred to as a cleaning agent liquid ) generally at temperatures of 10 to 60 ° c . and in the tank , a supersonic cleaning device is installed . a second tank 1 - 2 has a similar composition . dirt such as metal powders , oils , etc . attached to the surface of the photoreceptor support during cutting are mostly cleaned in the first tank and are perfectly cleaned in the second tank . the processing time in each tank is generally 1 to 30 minutes and supersonic waves are uniformly exposed . furthermore , in the tank , the support may be rotated and / or moved upward and downward . in fig1 ( a )- 1 ( g ), 1 - 1 , 1 - 2 , and 1 - 3 each represents a cleaning agent solution tank and 2 - 1 to 2 - 5 each represents a water washing tank . components of the cleaning solution include the following . the mixtures may be employed . nonionic surface active agents include polyoxyethylene ethers and sorbitan alkyl esters . for example , alkylpolyoxyethylene ether type such as ro ( c 2 h 4 o ) h , etc . and polyoxyethylene block copolymer type ( plulonic type , r represents a saturated or unsaturated alkyl group having 4 to 25 carbon atoms ) having a structure of ro ( c 2 h 4 o ) m ( c 3 h 6 o ) n h , are representative . the hlb of these nonionic surface active agents is between 5 and 15 , and preferably between 7 and 14 . anionic surface active agents include higher alcoholsulfonate ester salts and fatty acid amidosulfonate salts . the representative examples are straight chain alkylbenzenesulfonate sodium salts . amphoteric surface active agents include an imidazoline derivative type , a betaine higher alkylaminocarboxylic acid type , and alkylcarboxybetaine type ( an alkyl part is a saturated or unsaturated alkyl group having 8 to 22 carbon atoms ) like n - alkyldimethylbetaine shown as the following ( a ) and ( b ) and an alkylaminocarboxylic acid type ( an alkyl part is the same as that in ( a ) and an alkylimidazoline type like n - alkylaminopropionate salt shown as ( c ). ## str1 ## inorganic builders are cleaning aids , and silicate salts comprising si such as sodium orthosilicate and sodium metasilicate are employed . of these , sodium metasilicate is preferred . cleaning agents , in many cases , comprise chelate agents such as sodium nitrilotriacetate ( nta - na salt n ( chcoona ) 3 ). however , the addition is optional . as additives to the cleaning agent , for improvement in liquid stability and cleaning properties , added may be sodium gluconate salts , sodium citrate salts , sodium p - ethylbenzenesulfonate salts , sodium xylenesulfonate salts or the like . the initial ph of both the first tank ( 1 - 1 ) and the second tank ( 1 - 2 ) is generally between 12 and 12 . 5 , and the ph may not be higher than 13 . 0 . it is not required to raise the ph to a value higher than that to exhibit the cleaning properties . as cleaning proceeds , the ph tends to decrease , if not controlled . when the ph decreases to not higher than 9 . 5 , the activity of the solution decreases . accordingly , the ph is preferably controlled to no less than 9 . 5 by the addition of appropriate alkali agents or weak acids and strong alkali salts . in fig1 ( c ), it is recommended to constitute a flow in such a way that processes performed in a third tank , a fourth tank , and a fifth tank ( 2 - 1 , 2 - 2 , and 2 - 3 ) are mainly of washing the cleaning agent and etc . employed in the first and second tanks ; deionized water is put into a fifth tank ( 2 - 3 ); the overflow from the fifth tank is put into the fourth tank ; the overflow from the fourth tank is put into the third tank , and the overflow from the third tank is abandoned . the deionized water employed herein is deionized water having a resistance of 0 . 01 × 10 6 to 18 × 10 6 ω · cm and the deionized water put into the fifth tank naturally has a higher resistance and water having a resistance of about 15 × 10 6 ω · cm is employed . the third and fourth tanks are maintained at 25 to 30 ° c . and equipped with a supersonic wave generator 5 . the fifth tank may not be equipped with the supersonic generator . alternatively , it is preferred to raise the temperature of the fifth tank to a fairly high range of about 40 to about 60 ° c . the processing time is generally between 1 to 30 minutes and it is preferred to move upward and downward the support , while being rotated . further the supersonic wave generator employed for cleaning is operated at a frequency of 25 to 60 khz . for conveyance of the photoreceptor support 6 from the first tank to the fifth tank , as a mechanism to dip the support , non - scheduled replacement chuck utilizing three claws and automatically scheduled replacement palette utilizing three claws may be employed . in the second tank , scrub cleaning may be conducted employing a fixed brush in the liquid . furthermore , in the fifth tank , when the support is finally removed from the cleaning device , an air knife 12 is preferably installed in order to remove the adhered tank liquid as much as possible . the support leaving the fifth tank is dried at about 80 to about 150 ° c . for 3 to 60 minutes in drying chamber 10 employing cleaned air , and this completes the cleaning processes . the constitution of these processes are nearly the same as for other constitutions ( a ), ( b ), ( d ) to ( g ) in fig1 . a preferred system is that each tank is equipped with a circulation channel and a pump , and the circulation channel is equipped with a filter to remove insoluble matter . in the present invention , cleaning properties are remarkably improved with the incorporation of an inorganic builder comprising si such as , for example , sodium metasilicate and sodium orthosilicate in an aqueous surface active agent solution . on the contrary , it is found that the load during the rinsing step tends to increase . this is mainly caused by the adhesion action of the inorganic builder onto the support surface and it has been found that si and na remaining on the support surface after cleaning , affect the quality of an electrophotographic photoreceptor . when values of elements si and na remaining on the support surface after cleaning , in terms of esca evaluation , are not more than 0 . 5 and 0 . 3 ( value of si ( surf )/ xs - si ( bulk )/ xb and na ( surf )/ xs - na ( bulk )/ xb ], respectively ) of the major element constituting the support , no practical effect is found on image quality and photoreceptor properties . however , when the amount is larger than the above - mentioned values , adverse effects such as image background density increase , unevenness of image density , instability of electric potential properties are caused . it is considered that a charge is liable to be injected from the support onto the photosensitive layer due to the remaining si and na . further , the values are more preferably not more than 0 . 3 and 0 . 1 . a method to adjust values of the si and na elements remaining on the support surface after cleaning to si ( surf )/ xs - si ( bulk )/ xb ≦ 0 . 5 and na ( surf )/ xs - na ( bulk )/ xb ≦ 0 . 3 , respectively , in terms of the esca evaluation , is not generally described because it depends on the composition of cleaning agents and rinsing conditions , etc . however , it is accomplished by preventing drying of the aqueous surface active agent solution prior to rinsing through controlling the conveyance time from the aqueous surface active solution tank to the rinsing tank within 5 minutes . conveyance time of more than 5 minutes is possible , depending on the concentration of the aqueous surface active agent solution , the temperature of the solution , and moreover , the ambient humidity during the conveyance . however , the conveyance time is preferably managed within 5 minutes to limit productivity decreases . a photosensitive layer is formed on the surface of the electrically conductive support employing a method known in the art . for example , a charge generating layer is formed on the surface of the electrically conductive support employing any of an dip - coating method , a ring system coating method , a spray coating method or a circular volume regulating type coating method followed by forming a charge transport layer on the charge generating layer employing an dip - coating method or a spray coating method . it has been found that the photoreceptor employing a photoreceptor support cleaned as mentioned above results in no formation of image background density , black spots , white spots , etc . and the cleaning solution waste is markedly non - polluting . a subbing layer is occasionally provided in order to improve the adhesion properties and coating properties of the photosensitive layer , to cover defects on the support , to improve charge injection properties to the charge generating layer and the like . materials , employed for the subbing layer , are polyamide , copolymer nylon , casein , polyvinyl alcohol , cellulose , gelatin , etc . these are dissolved in various organic solvents and coated on the electrically conductive cylindrical support so as to form a layer thickness of about 0 . 01 to about 5 μm . the charge generating layer is composed of , as a main component , a charge generating material which generates electric charges by light irradiation , binders , plasticizers , sensitizers , as desired , which are generally coated on the electrically conductive support or the subbing layer so as to form a layer thickness ( dried layer thickness ) of not more than 1 . 0 μm . charge generating materials include perylene series pigments , polycyclic quinone series pigments , phthalocyanine pigments , metal phthalocyanine series pigment , squarium dyes , azulenium dyes , thiapyrylium dyes , and azo pigments having a carbazole skeleton , a styrylstilbene skeleton , a triphenylamine skeleton , a dibenzothiophene skeleton , oxadiazole skeleton , a fluorenone skeleton , a bisstilbene skeleton , a distyryloxadiazole skeleton , or distyrylcarbazole skeleton , and the like . the charge transport layer is composed of , as essential components , a charge transport material capable of receiving a charge generated by the charge generating material and transporting it , and a binder , and , if desired , leveling agents , plasticizers , sensitizers , etc . well known in the art , and is generally coated on the charge generating layer so as to form a dried layer thickness of 5 to 70 μm . charge transport materials include electron donating substances such as poly - n - vinylcarbazole and derivatives thereof , poly - g - carbazolylethylglutamate and derivatives thereof , pyrene - formaldehye condensate and derivatives thereof , polyvinylpyrene , polyvinylphenanthrene , oxazole derivatives , imidazole derivatives , 9 -( p - diethylaminostyryl ) anthracene , 1 , 1 - bis ( 4 - dibenzylaminophenyl ) propane , styrylanthracene , styrylpyrazoline , phenylhydrazones , hydrazone derivatives , etc ., or electron accepting materials such as fluorenone derivatives , dibenzothiophene derivatives , indenothiophene derivatives , phenanthrenequinone derivatives , indenopyridine derivatives , thioxanthone derivatives , phenazineoxide derivatives , tetracyanoethylene , tetracyanoquinodimethane , promanyl , chloranyl , benzoquinoe , etc . as binders constituting the charge transport layer , those which are compatible with the charge transport material may be employed . listed , for example , are polycarbonate , polyvinylbutyral , polyamide , polyester , polyketone , epoxy resins , polyurethane , polyvinylketone , polystyrene , polyacrylamide , phenol resins , phenoxy resins , etc . the electrophotographic photoreceptor produced by the method of the present invention causes almost no black spots nor white spots in images due to repellency spots , dust spots , etc . and results in high yield of high quality images . furthermore , because no organic solvent is employed in the cleaning process , there is no air pollution due to the usage of organic solvents , no toxic effect on the human body and no danger of explosion due to high flammability and ignitability . in the following , the image - forming process is described with reference to fig2 in which one example of a digital copier employing the above - mentioned image - forming method is shown . however , the present invention is not limited to this example . as mentioned above , the image - forming process of the present invention exhibits advantages particularly in the image - forming method , including reversal development in digital copiers etc . in the image - forming apparatus in fig2 light is emitted to an original from a light source , though not shown in the figure , and the reflected light is converted to electric signals in an image reading section , and the image data are transmitted to an image writing sections 11 to 3 ( 11 is a laser beam source , 12 is a polygon mirror , and 13 is an fq lens .). on the other hand , a photoreceptor drum 14 performing image - formation is uniformly charged with corona discharging employing a charging unit 15 and image exposure light is then irradiated onto the photoreceptor drum from the laser beam source 11 in the image writing section . thereafter , reversal development is carried out in a development unit 16 which follows and the resulting image is transferred to a recording sheet ( recording material ) employing a transfer electrode 17 . the recording sheet 18 is separated from the photoreceptor drum employing a separation electrode 19 and fixed by a fixing device 20 . on the other hand , the photoreceptor drum 14 is cleaned by a cleaning device 21 . further , 22 is an exposure lamp used prior to charging and may be provided after the separation electrode 19 and before the cleaning device 21 . after a toner image is transferred onto a recording material , the toner remaining on the photoreceptor is removed with cleaning and the photoreceptor is repeatedly employed for next successive processes . in the present invention , a cleaning mechanism is preferably a cleaning system employing a so - called brush roller and elastic rubber blade . numeral 23 in fig2 is an elastic rubber blade . as materials constituting the elastic rubber blade , elastic materials such as silicone rubber , urethane rubber , etc . may be employed . the process described above employs a single color . however , the present invention is preferably employed for color image formation employing a plurality of colors . a color image , when read , undergoes color separation and a signal of each separated color is employed for forming the separated color image through charging , image writing with laser beam exposure , and development with the corresponding color toner ; then this process is repeated , four color toner images composed of yellow , magenta , cyan , and black are superimposed on the photoreceptor and are simultaneously transferred to a recording sheet . furthermore , the photoreceptor of the present invention exhibits advantages particularly in the image - forming method including reversal development which is susceptible to defects such as an increase of image background density , black spots , etc ., in printers , digital copiers , etc . referring to an example of a digital copier employing the above - mentioned image - forming method , which is shown in fig3 the image - forming method and apparatus , and a preferred embodiment thereof according to the present invention are described . however , the present invention is not limited to the example . in regard to the apparatus of fig3 in an image - reading section 30 , light reflected from an original , exposed with light from a light source , undergoes color separation and is focused employing a ccd . light information received by the ccd is converted to electrical signals and the resulting image data are transmitted to the image - writing section . on the other hand , a photoreceptor drum 14 , used for performing image - formation is uniformly charged with corona discharging employing a charging unit 15 and image exposure light is then irradiated onto the photoreceptor drum 14 from the laser beam source 11 in the image - writing section . thereafter , reversal development is carried out in a development unit 16 to form a toner image on the exposed parts . in the case of the color image - forming apparatus as shown in the example , for each separated color which is formed by color separation during reading of an image , writing the image by charging and laser exposure are performed and color development is carried out for the corresponding color toner . this process is repeated and 4 color toner images of yellow , magenta , cyan , and black are superimposed on the photoreceptor . four color toner images are simultaneously transferred to a recording sheet employing the transfer electrode 17 . the recording sheet is separated from the photoreceptor drum employing the separation electrode 19 and is fixed in the fixing device 20 . on the other hand , the photoreceptor drum is cleaned by the cleaning device 21 . the four color toner images are described above . however , in some cases , other plurality of color images such as two - color images may be formed . furthermore , a toner image - forming method and a transfer method to a recording material may be different from those mentioned above . furthermore , other than those mentioned above , image information is stored in image memory means such as rom , floppy disk , etc . and when required , the image information in the image memory is retrieved and can be output to the image - forming section . accordingly , the present invention includes a device in which without having an image reading section , information from a computer , etc . is stored in a memory and is output to an image - forming section . the most popular devices of this type are led printers and lbps ( laser beam printers ). ten cylindrical supports composed of aluminum alloy underwent a cleaning process . the cleaning was carried out employing the process shown in fig1 ( b ). as the a cleaning liquid in a tank 1 - 1 , a cleaning agent liquid 1 was employed . as a cleaning liquid in each of tanks 2 - 1 , 2 - 2 , and 2 - 3 , deionized water was employed . the temperature of the cleaning liquid in the tank 1 - 1 was between 45 and 55 ° c . and the temperature of the cleaning liquid in each of the tanks 2 - 1 , 2 - 2 , and 2 - 3 was between 25 and 30 ° c . dipping time in each tank was 30 seconds , and conveyance time between the tanks 1 - 1 and 2 - 1 was 1 . 5 minutes . after cleaning , the support was dried at 100 ° c . for 10 minutes and was then left to cool to the ambient temperature . one of the supports underwent the esca measurement and resulted in δ [ si / al ]= 0 . 441 and δ [ na / al ]= 0 . 135 . after cooling , the rest of the supports were subjected to formation of a photosensitive layer . furthermore , after forming the photosensitive layer , the layer was peeled off employing a solvent , and the resulting support was subjected to esca measurement in the same manner and resulted in δ [ si / al ]= 0 . 433 , δ [ na / al ]= 0 . 129 , which were almost the same as those of the support after cleaning . als : esca measurement ( support surface after cleaning ) of a major element constituting a support alb : esca measurement ( support bulk )) of a major element constituting a support ten cylindrical supports composed of an aluminum alloy underwent a cleaning process . the cleaning was carried out employing the process shown in fig1 ( c ). as a cleaning liquid in each of tanks 1 - 1 and 1 - 2 , a cleaning agent liquid 2 was employed . as a cleaning liquid in each of tanks 2 - 1 , 2 - 2 , and 2 - 3 , deionized water was employed . the temperature of the cleaning liquid in each of tanks 1 - 1 and 1 - 2 was between 25 and 30 ° c . ; the temperature of cleaning liquid in each of the tanks 2 - 1 and 2 - 2 were between 25 and 30 ° c . described above , respectively and the temperatures of the cleaning liquid in the tank 2 - 3 was between 40 and 50 ° c . dipping time in each tank was 2 minutes and conveyance time between tanks 1 - 1 and 2 - 1 was 1 minute . after cleaning , the support was dried at 50 ° c . for 7 minutes and was then left to cool to the ambient temperature . one of the supports underwent esca measurement and resulted in δ [ si / al ]= 0 . 082 and δ [ na / al ]= 0 . 077 . after being left to cool , the rest of the supports were subjected to formation of a photosensitive layer . ten cylindrical supports composed of an aluminum alloy underwent a cleaning process . the cleaning was carried out employing the process shown in fig1 ( d ). as a cleaning liquid in tank 1 - 1 , a cleaning agent liquid 3 was employed . as a cleaning liquid in each of tanks 2 - 1 , 2 - 2 , 2 - 3 , and 2 - 4 , deionized water was employed . the temperature of the cleaning liquid in tank 1 - 1 was between 25 and 30 ° c . ; the temperature of the cleaning liquid in each of tanks 2 - 1 , 2 - 2 , and 2 - 3 was between 25 and 30 ° c ., and the temperature of the cleaning liquid in tank 2 - 4 was between 35 and 40 ° c . dipping time to each tank was 3 minutes and conveyance time between tanks 1 - 1 and 2 - 1 was 2 . 5 minutes . after cleaning , the support was dried at 100 ° c . for 7 minutes and was then left to cool to the ambient temperature . one of supports underwent esca measurement and resulted in δ [ si / al ]= 0 . 079 and δ [ na / al ]= 0 . 094 . after cooling , the rest of the supports were subjected to formation of a photosensitive layer . ten cylindrical supports composed of an aluminum alloy underwent a cleaning process . the cleaning was carried out employing the process shown in fig1 ( e ). as a cleaning liquid in each of tanks 1 - 1 and 1 - 2 , a cleaning agent liquid 4 was employed . as a cleaning liquid in each of tanks 2 - 1 , 2 - 2 , 2 - 3 , 2 - 4 , and 2 - 5 , deionized water was employed . the temperature of the cleaning liquid in each of tanks 1 - 1 and 1 - 2 was between 35 and 45 ° c . ; the temperature of the cleaning liquid in each of tank 2 - 1 , 2 - 2 , 2 - 3 , 2 - 4 , and 2 - 5 was between 30 and 40 ° c . dipping time in each tank was 20 seconds and conveyance time between tanks 1 - 1 and 2 - 1 was 5 minutes . after cleaning , the support was dried at 100 ° c . for 5 minutes and was then left to cool to the ambient temperature . one of the supports underwent esca measurement and resulted in δ [ si / al ]= 0 . 324 and δ [ na / al ]= 0 . 015 . after cooling , the rest of the supports were subjected to formation of a photosensitive layer . ten cylindrical supports composed of an aluminum alloy underwent a cleaning process . the cleaning was carried out employing the process shown in fig1 ( f ). as a cleaning liquid in each of tanks 1 - 1 , 1 - 2 , and 1 - 3 , a cleaning agent liquid 5 was employed . as a cleaning liquid in each of thanks 2 - 1 , 2 - 2 , 2 - 3 , 2 - 4 , and 2 - 5 , deionized water was employed . the temperature of the cleaning liquid in tank 1 - 1 was between 35 and 45 ° c . ; the temperature of the cleaning liquid in each of tanks 1 - 2 , 1 - 3 , 2 - 1 , 2 - 2 , 2 - 3 , and 2 - 4 was between 30 and 35 ° c ., and the temperature of the cleaning liquid in tank 2 - 5 were between 40 and 50 ° c . dipping time to each tank was 45 seconds and conveyance time between tanks 1 - 3 and 2 - 1 was 3 minutes . after cleaning , the support was dried at 60 ° c . for 10 minutes and was then left to cool to the ambient temperature . one of the supports underwent esca measurement and resulted in δ [ si / al ]= 0 . 101 and δ [ na / al ]= 0 . 045 . after cooling , the rest of the supports were subjected to formation of a photosensitive layer . ten cylindrical supports composed of an aluminum alloy underwent a cleaning process . the cleaning was carried out employing the process shown in fig1 ( a ). as the a cleaning liquid in a tank 1 - 1 , a cleaning agent liquid 6 was employed . as a cleaning liquid in each of thanks 2 - 1 and 2 - 2 , deionized water was employed . the temperature of the cleaning liquid in tank 1 - 1 was between 40 and 45 ° c . and the temperature of the cleaning liquid in each of tanks 2 - 1 and 2 - 2 were between 25 and 30 ° c . dipping time to each tank was 1 minute , and conveyance time between tanks 1 - 1 and 2 - 1 was 7 minutes . after cleaning , the support was dried at 100 ° c . for 10 minutes and was then left to cool to the ambient temperature . one of the supports underwent esca measurement and resulted in δ [ si / al ]= 0 . 633 and δ [ na / al ]= 0 . 188 . after cooling , the rest of the supports were subjected to formation of a photosensitive layer . ten cylindrical supports composed of an aluminum alloy underwent a cleaning process . the cleaning was carried out employing the process shown in fig1 ( a ). as a cleaning liquid in tank 1 - 1 , a cleaning agent liquid 7 was employed . as a cleaning liquid in each of tanks 2 - 1 and 2 - 2 , deionized water was employed . the temperature of the cleaning liquid in tank 1 - 1 were between 40 and 45 ° c . and the temperature of the cleaning liquid in each of tanks 2 - 1 and 2 - 2 was between 25and 30 ° c . dipping time to tank 1 - 1 was 2 minutes and to tanks 2 - 1 and 2 - 2 was 30 seconds , and conveyance time between tanks 1 - 1 and 2 - 1 was 10 minutes . after cleaning , the support was dried at 100 ° c . for 10 minutes and was then left to cool to the ambient temperature . one of the supports underwent esca measurement and resulted in δ [ si / al ]= 0 . 822 and δ [ na / al ]= 0 . 310 . after being left to cool , the rest of the supports were subjected to formation of a photosensitive layer . further , esca is measured in the following way : an element ratio is calculated from the element peak area intensities of silicon ( si ): si 2p , sodium ( na ): na kll , and aluminum ( al ): al 2p measured with a shimadzu x - ray photoelectron analyzer ( esca - 1000 , a product of shimadzu seisasusho : mgka tube ) at an x - ray output of 10 kv and 30 ma . further , the composition of each cleaning liquid is described below . each cleaning agent was employed as a 2 % aqueous solution . the described ph is that of the working solution . table 1______________________________________ cleaning agent liquid no . compound and ph 1 2 3 4 5 6 7______________________________________nonionic surface active agent alkylpolyoxyethylene 29 52 43 28 ether type ( hlb 10 ) pruronic type 28 30 31 ( hlb 12 ) anionic surface active agent sodium alkylsufonate 13 8 20 27 20 sodium 16 28 alkylbenzenesulfonate amphoteric surface active agent alkylcarboxybetaine 5 4 ( a ) alkylsulfobetaine 10 3 ( b ) sodium 15 14 13 alkylaminopropionate ( c ) inorganic builder sodium metasilicate 6 13 10 13 20 11 16 other additives sodium gluconate 26 20 20 sodium citrate 23 7 3 sodium p - 5 5 4 4 ethylbenzenesulfonate sodium xylene - 6 10 20 9 9 sulfonate ph 11 . 3 12 . 3 11 . 9 12 . 0 13 . 0 12 . 0 12 . 7______________________________________ further , upon coating a photosensitive layer , firstly , a subbing layer is coated on a photoreceptor support , and a charge generating layer and a charge transport layer were coated in this order . the composition of each layer liquid is as follows . ______________________________________ethylene - vinyl acetate - methacrylic acid 50 g copolymer ( elvax 4260 , manufactured by mitsui du pont chemical co .) toluene 1770 ml methyl ethyl ketone 180 ml______________________________________ the coating composition consisting of the compounds above was coated on a photoreceptor support so as to form a dried layer thickness of 0 . 4 μm . ______________________________________t type metal - free phthalocyanine pigment 50 g silicone resin ( kr - 5240 , manufactured by 50 g shin - etsu kagaku co .) methyl ethyl ketone 2 , 400 ml______________________________________ the above - mentioned composition was dispersed in a sand mill for two hours . the resulting liquid was dip - coated on the above - mentioned subbing layer at a thickness of 0 . 5 μm . ______________________________________styryl series compound ( el - 26 having a 1 , 400 g structure of compound 2 described below ) polycarbonate ( z - 200 , manufactured by 2 , 300 g mitsubishi gas kagaku co .) silicone oil ( kf - 54 , manufactured by 0 . 5 g shin - etsu kagaku co .) irganox 1010 ( manufactured by 70 g ciba - geigy co .) ______________________________________ a mixture consisting of the compounds above was dissolved in 10 , 000 ml of 1 , 2 - dichloroethane and the resulting solution was dip - coated on the above - mentioned charge generating layer , followed by drying at 90 ° c . for 60 minutes to form a charge transport layer having an average thickness of 20 μm . ## str2 ## performance evaluation a practical image - forming test the photoreceptor drum according to the present invention was installed in a konica 9028 ( manufactured by konica corp ., a copying machine employing a semiconductor laser as a light source , a photoreceptor utilizing an organic photoconductor , and reversal development ). after running 5 , 000 image - forming copies , image background density increase and unevenness of image density ( visually observed in terms of black spots , presence of unevenness of intermediate image density ) were evaluated . the density of a white part was measured by a reflection densitometer ( improved pda - 65 manufactured by konica corp .) b : density is not more than 0 . 002 and exhibits no problems for commercial use c : density is 0 . 002 or more and is marginally acceptable for commercial use d : density is 0 . 05 or more and is definitely not acceptable for commercial use a : neither black spots nor unevenness of intermediate image density is observed b : black spots and unevenness of intermediate image density are negligible and exhibits no problem for commercial use c : black spots and unevenness of intermediate image density are observed at a level to cause problems for commercial use instead of the development device in konica 9028 , a potentiometer was installed and electric potential of the photoreceptor was measured at low temperature and low humidity ( 10 ° c . and 20 % rh ). the difference between charged electric potentials of unexposed parts of the initial image and after running 5 , 000 copies was obtained as described below . a : not more than 5 % and absolutely no problem for commercial use b : not more than 10 % and no problem for commercial use c : not less than 10 % and not more than 15 %, and problems exist for commercial use d : not less than 15 % and definite problems exist for commercial use table 2______________________________________convey - image uneven - electric ance time back - ness of poten - between ground image tial tanks si / al na / al density density stability______________________________________example 1 1 . 5 minutes 0 . 441 0 . 135 b b b example -- 0 . 433 0 . 129 -- -- -- 1b example 2 1 minute 0 . 082 0 . 077 a a a example 3 2 . 5 minutes 0 . 079 0 . 094 a a a example 4 5 minutes 0 . 324 0 . 015 b b b example 5 3 minutes 0 . 101 0 . 045 a a a compara - 7 minutes 0 . 633 0 . 188 d c d tive example 1 compara - 10 minutes 0 . 822 0 . 310 d d d tive example 2______________________________________ 1b : esca measurement after peeling off of the photosensitive layer as can clearly be seen in table 2 , examples 1 to 5 according to the present invention exhibit excellent properties regarding both practical image - forming tests ( image background density and unevenness of image density ) and electric potential stability . however , comparative examples 1 and 2 are found to be not suitable for commercial use . the present invention , can provide a cleaning method of an electrophotographic photoreceptor which causes no defects such as background density , black spots or white spots ; causes no pollutants and is readily handled , a production method of a photoreceptor and an electrophotographic photoreceptor using the same , and an image - forming apparatus using the same .	6
the present invention will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings , in which exemplary embodiments of the invention are shown . fig1 a shows an example of a data storage device . referring to fig1 a , the data storage device includes a data storage medium 10 and probes 11 . the data storage medium 10 stores data , and each of the probes 11 is disposed near the data storage medium 10 and includes a tip for recording and reading data . the data storage medium 10 is positioned on a stage 12 which is driven by a scanner 13 that receives a signal from a controller 14 . here , the scanner 13 may drive the probes 11 instead of the stage 12 to record to or reproduce data from the data storage medium 10 . the data storage medium 10 is divided into n × m data regions a on which data can be recorded and h servo regions b which store information on positions of the data regions a . n × m probes 11 are provided in the data regions a , respectively , and h probes 11 are provided in the servo regions b , respectively . generally , each of the probes 11 includes the tip ( 11 a of fig3 ), which is in contact with a recording surface or is spaced a predetermined distance apart from the recording surface , and a cantilever ( 11 b of fig3 ) for supporting the tip . fig1 b shows the data region a of fig1 a , and fig1 c shows the servo region b of fig1 a . referring to fig1 b , the data region a includes n × m data unit cells . referring to fig1 c , the servo region b includes n × m servo unit cells . a probe 11 moves over the data unit cells and the servo unit cells to read from or record data to the respective unit cells . fig1 d is a partial view of the data or servo unit cells . referring to fig1 d , a unit cell 22 includes data bits “ 0 ” or “ 1 ” 21 , each of which has a radius r . it is assumed that the unit cell 22 has a length of 4 r and a width of 2 r . fig1 d shows a set of unit cells 22 in 3 rows ( m 1 , m 2 , and m 3 ). here , data bits 21 in adjacent rows ( m 1 and m 2 or m 2 and m 3 ) have a phase difference of 180 °. hereinafter , a method of tracking data stored in a data storage device according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to fig2 . fig2 illustrates a method of tracking data stored in a data storage device according to the present invention . fig2 also shows the data bits 21 in 3 rows ( m 1 , m 2 , and m 3 ) included in the data or servo unit cells 22 as shown in fig1 d . the tip 11 a of the probe 11 positioned on each of the data regions a and the servo regions b scans the data or servo unit cells 22 in the rows ( m 1 , m 2 , and m 3 ) to record or reproduce data . a data bit “ 0 ” or “ 1 ” is recorded on the unit cell 22 in accordance with a certain rule . reference character 21 a ( shaded ) denotes a data bit “ 1 ” and reference character 21 b ( unshaded ) denotes a data bit “ 0 ”. the tip 11 a of the probe 11 scans data bits in the direction of row m 2 . in spite of an external environment , the tip 11 a oscillates and scans the data bits in the row m 2 between the upper and lower rows m 1 and m 3 to precisely track data . here , to oscillate the tip 11 a with respect to the data storage medium 10 , the data storage medium 10 may be oscillated using the scanner 13 of fig1 a , or the probe 11 may be oscillated on its own . that is , the controller 14 transmits a signal to the scanner 13 such that the data storage medium 10 or the probe 11 is oscillated at a low frequency . actually , initial oscillation of the tip 11 a is equal to the sum of the low - frequency oscillation driven by the scanner 13 and oscillatory motion resulting from external disturbance of the data storage device . as shown in fig2 , the cycle of a scanning wave of the tip 11 a is 8 r , i . e ., 8 times the radius r of the data bit 21 . the cycle and amplitude of oscillation of the tip 11 a can be changed according to specific characteristics of the data storage medium 10 and the probe 11 . as shown in fig2 , when the tip 11 a scans data bits “ 1 ”, a probe signal is detected by the tip 11 a . here , the tip 11 a may cross over into the lower row m 3 due to an external disturbance . thus , off - track signal 24 is detected from the probe signal . if the off - track signal 24 is detected , the controller 14 adds a compensation signal to the probe signal . here , the magnitude of the off - track signal 24 varies according to the displacement of the tip 11 a , and a compensation signal having a predetermined magnitude is applied to the data storage medium 10 or the probe 11 through the scanner 13 in consideration of the magnitude of the off - track signal 24 . it can be confirmed from the probe signal of fig2 that a compensation signal is applied from a position where the off - track signal 24 is detected . accordingly , from this moment on , the oscillation ( w ) 23 of the tip 11 a becomes equal to the sum of a chopping wave with magnitude w o and a compensation signal with magnitude w c . here , an off - track check region is in a position of data bits in the upper and lower rows m 1 an m 2 , in a direction in which the tip 11 a scans data bits in the row m 2 . a scan position of the tip 11 a is moved upward by the compensation signal with magnitude w c . likewise , if the tip 11 a crosses over into the upper row m 1 due to an external disturbance during scanning of the row m 2 , the same process described above is performed . specifically , data recorded in the data bit 21 is detected using the tip 11 a while scanning row m 2 . here , if the tip 11 a scans a data bit in row mi above row m 2 , information regarding the size of the violated region can be determined from the probe signal . thus , based on the information from the incursion , the controller 14 applies a compensation signal for the off - track signal to the data storage medium 10 or the probe 11 . in response to the compensation signal , the scanner 13 reduces an oscillation position of the data storage medium 10 or the probe 11 . in summary , at the outset , the probe 11 or the data storage medium 10 is oscillated , an off - track error of the probe 11 or the data storage medium 10 is detected from the oscillation , and , if necessary , compensation of the scan position of the probe 11 is provided by the scanner 13 based on the off - track error . the data storage device ( especially , the controller 14 ) will be described in detail with reference to fig3 , which shows a detailed construction of the data storage device of fig1 . in a left servo region , the tip 11 a attached to the cantilever 11 b of the probe 11 can scan and reproduce data bits “ 1 ” ( shaded ) 21 a in a row direction . also , in a right data region , the tip 11 a attached to the cantilever 11 b of the probe 11 can scan and reproduce data bits “ 0 ” ( unshaded ) 21 b in a row direction . to record or reproduce data , a scanning signal generator generates a signal and outputs the signal to a scanner to drive the data storage medium 10 or the probe 11 . here , the same displacement occurs between a probe in the servo region and a probe in the data region . if data in the left servo region is reproduced ( or detected ), a synchronizer generates a signal which is synchronized with the patterns of the data and transmits the generated signal to an interruption generator . in response to the generated signal , operational timings of an off - track detector , an oscillation signal generator , and a recording / reproduction controller are controlled . that is , if the off - track detector detects any off - track error of the tip 11 a , a compensator shifts a direct current ( dc ) level of a low - frequency oscillation signal and applies the shifted low - frequency oscillation signal to the scanner 13 . here , the oscillation signal generator applies a signal along with the low - frequency oscillation signal to the scanner 13 , thereby varying the oscillation range of the tip 11 a . as a result , the probe 11 , which scans the data region , enables the recording / reproduction controller to record and reproduce data in the data region . fig4 shows a waveform obtained when a probe scans data bits to record or reproduce data on a data storage medium using the data tracking method according to the present invention . referring to fig2 and 4 , in the absence of a compensation signal ( refer to reference numeral 45 ), the tip 11 a oscillates over data bit 21 in the row m 2 due to external disturbances . here tip 11 a sometimes scans beyond the radius r of the data bit 21 . that is , the tip 11 a crosses over to the data bits in the upper row m 1 ( refer to 41 ) and the lower row m 3 ( refer to 42 ). in this case , a scanning process of the tip 11 a can be adjusted by adding a compensation signal ( refer to 44 ) to the probe signal so that the tip 11 a scans nearer to the center of the data bits in the row m 2 . the present invention can serially detect off - track errors of data in a data storage medium using a tip of a probe for recording or reproducing data , and compensate for off - track errors through a simple compensation algorithm without the need for precise patterns . consequently , data can be reliably recorded on and reproduced from the data storage medium .	1
the following is a description of several preferred embodiments of various aspects of the invention , showing details of how systems may be constructed to carry out the invention , and the steps that can be employed to utilize such systems and to practice such methods . these embodiments are illustrative only , and the invention is by no means limited to particular examples shown . for example , certain preferred embodiments are described in relation to an implementation with specific storage hardware , operating systems , and virtualization software , but it should be appreciated that the disclosure that follows was intended to enable those skilled in the art readily to apply the teachings set forth to other storage hardware , operating systems , and virtualization environments . the specific features of any particular embodiment should not be understood as limiting the scope of what may be claimed . the following terms have a defined meaning as used in this application : backup software : creates backup images capturing incremental changes and preserving points in time in the past on secondary storage . backup software creates application consistent images and additionally captures machine configuration including persistent and volatile state . secondary storage : distinct from primary storage ( which is where production data resides ), this is the destination for backup as well as the data repository for luns that form virtual machine disks . only changes require additional storage , thus little secondary storage beyond what is necessary for backup is needed . this storage may be write once read many ( worm ) to support un - alterable content retention to meet legal requirements . virtualization hardware : a single machine or a set of machines running virtualization software and virtual machines on demand . the same hardware depending on configuration may also serve as the destination for backups and run the backup intelligence . virtualization software : virtualizes physical hardware , allowing many virtual machines to run on a given piece of hardware . each virtual machine runs on virtual hardware . oss are decoupled from physical hardware . volume : a unit of backup , a single file system comprising many files and directories that are backed up at the block level . backup images are created by transferring allocated blocks for the first backup followed by changed blocks for subsequent backups . an application - consistent snapshot is created for a set of volumes , and the resulting data is moved in unison to secondary storage . after the first backup , only changes since the last backups are captured and applied to the existing secondary image . along with data , machine configuration and state is transferred to secondary storage and is saved as meta - data for a given machine . a separate backup image exists for each source volume of the backed up machine . a snapshot taken of these images in conjunction with meta - data , saves this point - in - time state for future virtualization . the meta - data captured includes hard drive configuration including geometry , size , logical volume features etc ., along with storage , and network controller details . the snapshot captures enough data and state to virtualize the entire machine on demand at some later time . backup images created in this manner are saved in a format required by the specified virtualization server . fig1 illustrates this process . a primary system 100 is backed up to a read - write lun 111 created by the backup software which works off the read - only backup image 161 using additional space 162 only for changed data . the metadata captured as part of the process is stored in metadata file 113 . in certain situations the backup images may pre - exist or be externally created as luns on replicated volumes on san or nas storage . in this situation the backup software needs to be run against these luns ( or images ) to generate meta - data and encapsulate machine state suitable for virtualization . the backup storage could also be worm ( write once read many ) to meet regulatory or hardening requirements . when desired by the user these backup images can “ come to life ” or be virtualized with the help of of - the - shelf virtualization software . since the backup images for a machine were saved in a form required by the virtualization software , virtual machines may be restarted directly from the backup images to restore machine state to the point - in - time of the backup , usually the latest . the whole process is very quick since there is no data movement . the total time is entirely dominated by the time it takes the virtual machine to boot . fig2 and the description below show how this process works , in one embodiment : 1 . the user selects a node ( or a set of nodes ) representing individual machines , clusters , or a set of machines constituting vital data center function from the latest snapshot or any other point in time . ( for simplicity of illustration , fig2 assumes that the selection made was for a single node , in that case primary system 100 of fig1 .) these machines could come up on their own private network if the need to virtualize is for verification or to fulfill other light - weight analytical functions , or they could come up on the public corporate network to take the place of failed machines . default values for memory and number of cpus are chosen automatically by the software depending on the amount of physical hardware available on the target hardware , or the user can tailor these values . the process of selection , virtualization and then satisfaction could be iterative , refined , remembered , and rehearsed . templates from many runs could be saved and applied instantly when the need arises . 2 . once above the selection is done , a virtual machine configuration for virtual machine 200 is created that is appropriate for the virtualization software , which is then loaded in virtualization server 220 . directives for the number of cpus , amount of memory , type of network and scsi controllers and the number of hard drives is created as part of the configuration , based on the contents of metadata file 113 . 3 . each backup image of a source volume is transformed into a lun by creating a pseudo - file 202 which presents an envelope on top of the backup image 111 . this lun is seen by the virtual machine as a normal read / write scsi hard drive . writes to the lun do not affect the integrity of the backup image 161 but are persisted separately 162 ( especially if the secondary storage is worm then writes are not possible for both technical and business reasons ). these luns survive reboot and retain all writes that are made to it . depending on whether the source machine was stand - alone or a cluster , luns are created differently . for stand - alone machines single partition luns are created out of each volume , regardless of how many physical hard drives existed on the source . logical volume manager controlled volumes are stripped of that quality . ( performance and / or reliability criteria for virtual disks are achieved through qualities of the underlying storage on the virtualization box .) in case of clusters the exact number of shared hard drives is re - created as a set of multi - partition luns so that clustering software may function . the important thing to note is that no additional storage is needed to accomplish this . only newly created and / or changed data needs new storage ( 162 ). ( this is typically 5 % of the original storage .) not only is no additional hardware required to virtualize many machines , little additional storage is required to accomplish this . ( typical over capacity available on secondary storage is usually sufficient ) note : many virtual machines may be created from the same set of backup images each with their own independent life cycles , still leaving the original images unaltered . 4 . in order that these virtual machines may boot , the boot and system drives are impregnated with boot records appropriate for the operating system , and partition table jumps created , and the boot sector of the file system fixed if needed . this enables the virtual machine bios to transfer control to the boot strap code on the lun so that the operating system on the backed up machine can be launched , which in turn brings up databases , line of business applications etc . ( this step is specific to the operating system image being virtualized .) 5 . the system drive of the target vm is then made visible to the virtualization box and a process called osfixer runs , which modifies files and / or configuration on the system drive so that the previous step of booting into virtual hardware may succeed . this involves os specific steps depending on both the source and the target to repurpose the system drive for virtual machine booting . 6 . the virtual machine or machines are then launched to complete the process . these machines may appear on the public network or on a segregated network depending on why these machines are being brought up . what happens next depends on the business function that needs to be fulfilled and is described below . a . stand - in for site disasters or virus attacks and other rolling corruption : a critical set of machines ( including clusters ) may be virtualized from backup images for business continuity reasons on a temporary basis on scaled down hardware at an alternate site using almost no additional storage other than what was allocated to disk backup , at a shared facility , in a mobile data center or even in some technology savvy basement . in case of virus attacks or rolling corruption the point - in - time chosen is not necessarily the latest but before the attack or corruption . various machines may be rolled back to various points in time in the case there is rolling or creeping corruption . the down time from an outage could be as low as minutes . b . regulatory compliance : compliance is facilitated by the fact that machines , and / or set of machines may be virtualized with minimum hardware cost from regulatory significant points in time from the past . not only would all data be available but entire machines with relevant applications could be resurrected in their entirety , representing the ultimate in good faith in part of business in the face of audits . legal discovery , compliance , and / or the auditing process would be reduced from long months to days , even hours . c . dr drill / backup verification : most backups these days go un - verified because of expense and time constraints . dr drills are also costly and excruciating . backup virtualization makes this simple , effective , extremely quick , and a business must have . this can be used as a routine business practice , as a more effective protector of business data and configuration . d . near - lining legacy application together with legacy data for posterity : typically backups protect only data , but backup virtualization protects both data and configuration which may be recreated in a virtual machine and understood by the legacy application long after the company which created the application is out of business or stopped support . ( backup virtualization can also be realized from tape if backups have expired — although this requires restore from tape to disk .) e : data warehousing and general purpose what - if : when line - of - business applications based on databases need to export data that are used for seasonal forecasting , analysis , reporting , testing etc ., an enormous amount of additional storage and administrative overhead is incurred ( not to mention lost creativity while highly paid analysts wait ). backup virtualization not only makes the data available but the machine and the hosting database can be recreated from the desired point in time ( as analytically appropriate ) at the fraction of the hardware and storage cost and almost near instantaneously . the cost savings for business are enormous . f . migration from physical to virtual machines : once physical machines are virtualized from backup images these might become permanent , thus allowing migration from legacy hardware . g . cloning or many machines from one : since many virtual machines may be created from a single set of images from a given point - in - time , this allows easy cloning of a “ good ” configuration as well as many users using many virtual machines each sharing the same set of images and using storage only for actual changes that are made on individual virtual machines . depending on why backup virtualization was employed there are essentially three scenarios . 1 . the need is short term : in this case after “ backup to virtual ” ( b2v ) has served it business purpose , it can be torn down and forgotten , freeing up resources and storage space . the set of backup images ( till they expire ) remain available in their pristine form for further virtualization if the need arises . 2 . the need is longer term : the virtual machines may prove useful and need more muscle . this may be accomplished by freeing the underlying luns from their backup snapshots and then moving them and / or giving them more virtual hardware . this is affected by copying all blocks in the background from the backup image on to the lun . the other option is to seed a physical machine from the same point - in time backup image via bare - metal restore and then synchronizing it with the live virtual machine , with minimum down - time . 3 . the need is short term but end of life synchronization is needed : when backup virtualization is used to stand in for failed machines or during scheduled maintenance , resynchronization at some future point in time is necessary . this is because the virtual machines have been live during this period and data has diverged from the point - in - time of the backup image . the new state and data that now exists within the virtual machine needs to de resynchronized after the original failed machines have been restored via bare - metal restore , or scheduled maintenance completes . the re - synchronization process minimizes application downtime by keeping the virtual machines running till they are ready to be switched over . how this is accomplished is described below . how virtual machines converge with the real : the luns that underlie the virtual hard disks of the virtual machines keep track of writes that happen through the virtual machine and store them separate from the backup image . situations where the changing data on the luns might need to re - synchronized at a later time ( indicated by the user ), require that these luns are check pointed at frequent intervals . this involves saving all changes in an interval to a tagged file when the checkpoint happens and then switching to a new checkpoint file . each lun for each volume has a series of checkpoint files containing changes between checkpoints . the re - synchronization process starts at the end of the bare - metal process or is user initiated and copies data from these check point files on top of existing or restored data for the volume . if the osfixer has altered the system drive to make it bootable under virtual hardware this specific checkpoint file is ignored for resynchronization . in situations where the target hardware is different from the source hardware an additional osfixer step is required to make the image conform to the target hardware . once all the checkpoint files are copied the virtual machine is stopped and the final checkpoint file is applied . the real machine then takes over . the virtual machine may then be recycled , reclaiming resources . it is evident that the embodiments described herein accomplish the stated objects of the invention . while the presently preferred embodiments have been described in detail , it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the principles of the invention are realizable by other devices , systems and methods without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention , as be defined in the following claims .	6
further scope of applicability of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description given hereinafter . however , it should be understood that the detailed description and specific examples , while indicating preferred embodiments of the invention , are given by way of illustration only , since various changes and modifications within the spirit and scope of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from this detailed description . the tool 10 includes two main parts 1 , 2 which are linearly movable in relation to one another , in a direction that stretches between the short ends of the tool . a ring 4 is rotatably mounted in one main part 1 . the outer periphery 15 of the ring 4 is received in a corresponding opening 42 through the part 1 . the ring 4 has an outwardly projecting peripheral flange 45 that includes markings 46 spaced peripherally around said flange and capable of being read against a read - off line 17 on the part 1 . the flange 45 is exposed outwardly of the part 1 , so as to enable the ring 4 to be readily rotated manually , via the flange 45 . the inner wall of the ring 4 has a polygonal configuration which is comprised of a number of supports 41 that lie at different distances from the rotational axis 27 of the ring 4 . the part 1 carries a cutting blade 3 whose cutting edge is exposed in the ring cavity at its portion facing towards the part 2 . the part 2 extends into the upper portion of the part 1 through the medium of a pair of posts 21 , and is connected to a crosspiece 22 . the part 1 has a recess which receives the portions 21 , 22 of the part 2 . the upper end wall 18 of the part 1 defines an abutment surface 11 for a pair of spring elements 5 , which also act on the crosspiece 22 . the springs 5 include two spring legs and a winding turn located between said legs and received on an associated guide pin 16 in the part 1 . the springs 5 form pressure springs that act between the end wall 18 and the crosspiece 22 for moving the parts 1 , 2 away from each other . a latching element 14 , 25 prevents the parts 1 , 2 from being parted by the springs 5 beyond a chosen limit position . the crosspiece 22 forms an angled abutment 23 . the part 2 has a finger opening 20 at its exposed end , the axis of said opening being parallel with the axis of the ring 4 . fig3 shows that the placement of the supports 41 around the inner perimeter of the ring 4 and the rotational mounting of the ring 4 in the part 1 enables a limited length of the tool 10 to be achieved in the relative direction of displacement of the parts 1 , 2 , so that the tool 10 can be comfortably gripped between the index finger 61 and the thumb 62 of one hand for squeezing of the tool 10 against the action of the springs 5 . when so squeezed , the abutment 23 will expose the opening of the ring 4 intermediate the two ends to which force is applied and therewith enable the cable to be inserted therein . when the compression load on the tool is thereafter relieved , the abutment 23 drives the cable 7 against the cutting blade 3 , which cuts into the cable 7 to a depth defined by the support 41 located at that instance in the co - operating position relative to the blade edge 3 . it will be noted that the cutting depth of the blade 3 can be set easily , by rotating the ring 4 via its exposed ring - flange 45 . when the cable 7 is firmly gripped between the abutment and the blade , the operator is able to insert a finger into the opening 20 of the part 2 and turn the tool 10 around the cable 7 through one revolution , whereafter the tool can be displaced axially towards the end of the cable to strip - off the cut cable casing . alternatively , the tool can be squeezed to enable it to be removed from the cable 7 . fig1 shows the tool 10 in a squeezed state , and shows that the edge of the cutting blade is exposed in the opening of the ring 4 , when viewing the tool in the axial direction of the ring . the abutment 23 is shown in the upper part of the ring opening for the sake of clarity . when the load on the tool is removed , i . e ., when the first and second parts are no longer pressed toward one another by the user , the abutment 23 moves towards the cutting blade 3 . the cutting blade 3 may be replaceable and swapped with blades whose edges have a different angle to the axis of the ring , so as to provide other cutting - depth ranges . the cutting blade 3 is conveniently perpendicular to the direction of relative displacement of the tool parts , so that the cutting depth of the blade will be generally the same in both possible directions of rotation of the tool around the cable 7 . alternatively , the depth of the blade 3 can be controlled or adjusted by the modification shown in fig4 and 5 . the modification includes a support element 148 which is guided linearly by a guide 150 in a direction towards the centre region of the ring 4 . the support element 148 may have a generally cupped - shape , i . e . include a bottom and side - walls for stable reception of a cable whilst the tool 10 is pressed around said cable . the support element 148 includes a cam follower 50 which engages a cam 48 on the ring 4 . the distance of the cam 48 from the centre of the ring varies around the ring perimeter , and the cam can thus displace the support element 148 to different distances from the cutting blade 3 . the support element 148 is shown to be biased by a spring in a radially outward direction , while the support element 148 rests on the cam follower 50 at the same time . fig6 shows the ring 4 fitted in the part 1 , and also shows that the outer perimeter 42 of the ring supports against a shoulder 51 on the part 2 when the parts 1 , 2 are combined , with the exception of one position of rotation of the ring 4 in which a recess 98 in the periphery 42 of the ring 4 receives the shoulder 51 . this position of rotation may correspond to an end position for rotation of the ring 4 , which is indicated in fig6 by a marking x on the ring 4 lying in alignment with an indicator 77 on the part 1 . in this particular rotational position of the ring 4 , the parts 1 , 2 can be brought further together through a distance corresponding to the depth of the recess 98 . as will be seen from fig4 , the part 1 includes a through - passing channel 31 for accommodating a blade holder 30 which grips the cutting blade 3 . the blade holder may have the form of a plastic body which receives the blade 3 and which forms a finger - grip 32 at one end of the channel 31 . the finger - grip end 32 is shown to be flush with the outside of the part 1 when the blade holder unit 30 is fully inserted into the channel 31 . provided on the insertion end of the unit 30 is a further plastic body 34 which may be an integral part of a plastic - portion 33 that receives the bottom portion of the blade 3 and connects the parts 32 , 34 as well as the side parts 37 . the part 34 is extended by a flexible arm 35 which carries a latch hook 36 which is shown to grip over a latch strip 38 . the underpart of the body 34 is shown to consist of a wedge - shaped surface that co - acts with a post 80 connected to the part 2 . the wedge - shaped surface of the body 34 is shown to comprise two adjacent oblique surfaces 91 , 92 of different inclinations , and the post 80 is shown to have two corresponding oblique surfaces 81 , 82 . the steep surfaces 81 , 91 first engage one another when the shoulder 51 engages the recess 98 ( fig6 ) and then promote axial displacement of the unit 30 to the left in fig7 , wherein the latch hook 36 , which may optionally have an oblique latching surface , and the arm 35 are able to pass free from the latch strip 38 . when the less steep wedge - like surfaces 82 , 92 engage one another , the unit 30 is driven out of the channel 31 and therewith allow the unit to be gripped at its grip end 32 for withdrawal and replacement . when a new unit 30 is placed in the channel 31 , the arm 35 and the latch hook 36 , which has a wedge - shaped surface , can be bent out to engage behind the latch strip 38 . the latch hook 36 and the arm 35 are arranged , together with the latch strip 38 , to hold the blade holder unit 30 firmly in the channel 31 . the invention being thus described , it will be apparent 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 recognized by one skilled in the art are intended to be included within the scope of the following claims .	7
without being held bound to a particular mechanism of operation , it is believed that the osmotic device of the invention delivers one or more active agents to an environment of use as follows . referring to fig2 , the osmotic device ( 1 ) comprising a first active agent - containing core ( 5 surrounded by a semipermeable membrane ( 4 ) delivers the first active agent to an environment of use in a controlled manner through the passageway ( 6 ) after the plug ( 7 ) has partially or completely dissolved or eroded from the passageway and after the core has imbibed or absorbed sufficient fluid from the environment of use . at least a portion of the semipermeable membrane ( 4 ) is surrounded by a water soluble polymer coat ( 3 ) which also forms the plug ( 7 ) that completely covers the passageway ( 6 ). at least a portion or all of the polymer coat ( 3 ) dissolves or erodes in fluid present in the environment of use after the second active agent - containing external coat ( 2 ) has partially or completely dissolved in the environment of use . in particular embodiments , the active agent or an osmotic agent will dissolve or swell in the fluid that enters into the core ( 5 ) through the membrane ( 4 ) thereby creating an osmotic pressure gradient across the semipermeable membrane ( 4 ), which gradient provides the force required to force the first active agent through the passageway ( 6 ) from the core to the exterior of the osmotic device ( 1 ). the first active agent will continue to be released from the core ( 5 ) until osmotic equilibrium between the core and the environment of use is reached . this equilibration of osmotic forces occurs gradually over a period of time thereby serving to control the release of and thus the release profile for the first active agent . the extent to which the release of the first active agent is controlled is known to depend upon a number of other variables such as the permeability of the semipermeable membrane ( 4 ) and the magnitude of the osmotic pressure gradient . when used as a drug delivery device , the multi - layered osmotic device of the invention can operate as follows provided the right combination of materials is used to formulate the various layers and the core of the osmotic device . following administration to a mammal , the acid soluble , erodible and / or swellable second active agent - containing external coat ( 2 ) begins to dissolve , erode , swell and / or detach from the osmotic device thereby releasing the second active agent into the stomach . as the osmotic device ( 1 ) moves through the gi tract , portions of the external coat ( 2 ) will have partiallyor completely dissolved , eroded or become detached , thereby exposing the polymer coat ( 3 ), which in preferred embodiments is not soluble in acidic gastric juices . the polymer coat ( 3 ) then dissolves or erodes in one or more regions of the intestines according to the particular materials that comprise the polymer coat ( 3 ). for example , materials that are soluble in fluids having a ph of 4 - 6 will dissolve in the small intestine , whereas materials that dissolve in fluids having a ph of 7 - 8 will dissolve in the large intestine or colon . combinations of these materials can be used . the polymer coat ( 3 ) can also be microporous to permit absorption of water into the core ( 5 ) of the osmotic device ( 1 ) without dissolution of the polymer coat ( 3 ). once the polymer coat ( 3 ) has dissolved or eroded or once at least the plug ( 7 ) of the polymer coat ( 3 ) has dissolved or eroded , the core ( 5 ) will begin to release the first active agent through the passageway ( 6 ) into the intestines . the osmotic device ( 1 ) will deliver one or more active agents in a controlled manner , and mechanisms employed for such controlled delivery can include active agent release that is ph - dependent or ph - independent ; diffusion or dissolution controlled ; pseudo - zero order , zero - order , pseudo - first order , first - order or second - order ; or rapid , slow , delayed , timed or sustained release or otherwise controlled . although fig1 depicts an exemplary osmotic device ( 1 ) configured as an oval pill or tablet , it should be understood that the osmotic device can assume any shape or form currently known in the art of osmotic devices . that is , the osmotic device may assume any different shape and / or size according to which are optimal for the intended environment of use . in particular embodiments , the shape and size of the osmotic device will be optimal for use in mammal such as animals or human beings . the device of the invention can be a pill , sphere , tablet , bar , plate , granule , agglomerate or the like . the osmotic device can also include surface markings , cuttings , grooves , letters and / or numerals for the purposes of decoration , identification and / or other purposes . the external coat ( 2 ) contains a second active agent that may or may not be the same as a first active agent in the core ( 5 ). the second active agent is available for immediate , slow , delayed , sustained , pseudo - first order , pseudo - zero order , timed , controlled release or combinations thereof . the second active agent can be applied to the surface of the device according to common methods of preparing similar osmotic devices which are known to those of ordinary skill such as applying to its surface solids in solution or suspension through the use of a sprayer that spreads them uniformly over the core of by employing nucleated compression or other suitable methods known to those of ordinary skill in the art . the external coat can comprise poly ( vinyl pyrrolidone ) ( pvp ) and poly ( ethylene glycol ) ( peg ) and can further comprise materials such as , by way of example and without limitation , hydroxypropyl methylcellulose ( hpmc ), ethylcellulose ( ec ), hydroxyethylcellulose ( hec ), sodium carboxymethyl - cellulose ( cmc ), dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate - methacrylic acid ester copolymer , ethylacrylate - methylmethacrylate copolymer ( ga - mma ), c - 5 or 60 sh - 50 ( shin - etsu chemical corp .) and combinations thereof . the active agent - containing external coat ( 2 ) can also comprise dissolution aids , stability modifiers , and bioabsorption enhancers when the external coat ( 2 ) comprises a combination of materials , the relative amounts and ratios of those materials can be varied as desired . for example , when the external coat ( 2 ) comprises pvp and peg , the ratio of pvp : peg is generally from about 3 - 60 % by weight of pvp : about 0 . 1 - 30 % by weight of peg based upon the weight of the external cost . the external coat ( 2 ) can also comprise a second active agent generally present in an amount ranging from about 0 . 1 to 99 % by weight of the coat . this wide range provides great latitude in the design and application of the osmotic device . those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the particular amount of second active agent employed will vary according to , among other things , the identity and physical properties and characteristics of the second active agent , the intended application of the osmotic device , the desired effect the second active agent is intended to have , and the physiological condition , if any , being treated . the polymeric coat ( 3 ) covering the semipermeable wall ( 4 ) and blocking the passageway ( 6 ) is made of synthetic or natural material which , through selective dissolution or erosion shall allow the passageway to be unblocked thus allowing the process of osmotic delivery to start . this slow or fast dissolving polymer coat ( 3 ) can be impermeable to a first external fluid , while being soluble in a second external fluid . this property can help to achieve a controlled and selective release of the active compound in the nucleus . the polymer coat ( 3 ) will generally comprise an inert and non - toxic material which is at least partially , and preferably substantially completely , soluble or erodible in an environment of use . the polymer coat ( 3 ) can be soluble in one or more environments of use . for example , the polymer coat ( 3 ) can be soluble in the same environment of use in which the external coat ( 2 ) is soluble in , or it can be soluble in the same environment of use in which the core ( 5 ) is soluble . although the art discloses microporous layers comprising materials which can be included in the polymer coat ( 3 ), the presence of poly ( vinyl pyrrolidone )-( vinyl acetate ) copolymer in the polymer coat ( 3 ) has been found to provide unique and advantageous properties and characteristics to the polymer coat . thus , the polymer coat ( 3 ) will comprise poly ( vinyl pyrrolidone )-( vinyl acetate ) copolymer , and it can also include other materials useful for this type of coat . exemplary materials are disclosed in u . s . pat . nos . 4 , 576 , 604 and 4 , 673 , 405 , and the text pharmaceutical dosage forms : tablets volume i , second edition . a . lieberman , ed . 1989 , marcel dekker , inc . the relevant disclosures of which are hereby incorporated by reference . in preferred embodiments , the polymer coat ( 3 ) will be insoluble in the fluid of a first environment of use , such as gastric juices , acidic fluids , or polar liquids , and soluble or erodible in the fluid of a second environment of use , such as intestinal juices , substantially ph neutral or basic fluids , or apolar liquids . a wide variety of other polymeric materials are known to possess these various solubility properties and can be included in the polymer coat ( 3 ). such other polymeric materials include , by way of example and without limitation , cellulose acetate phthalate ( cap ), cellulose acetate trimelletate ( cat ), poly ( vinyl acetate ) pthalate ( pvap ), hydroxypropylmethylcellulose phthalate ( hp ), poly ( methacrylate ethylacrylate ) ( 1 : 1 ) copolymer ( ma - ea ), poly ( methacrylate methylmethacrylate ) ( 1 : 1 ) copolymer ( ma - mma ), poly ( methacrylate methylmethacrylate ) ( 1 : 2 ) copolymer , eudragit l - 30 - d ™ ( ma - ea , 1 : 1 ), eudragit l - 100 - 55 ™ ( ma - ea , 1 : 1 ), hydroxypropylmethylcellulose acetate succinate ( hpmcas ), coateric ™ ( pvap ), aquateric ™ ( cap ), aqoat ™ ( hpmcas ) and combinations thereof . the polymer coat ( 3 ) can also comprise dissolution aids , stability modifiers , and bioadsorption enhancers . when the polymer coat ( 3 ) is intended to be dissolved , eroded or become detached from the core in the colon , materials such as hydroxypropylcellulose , microcrystalline cellulose ( mcc , avicel ™ from fmc corp . ), poly ( ethylenevinyl acetate ) ( 60 : 40 ) copolymer ( evac from aldrich chemical co . ), 2 - hydroxyethylmethacrylate ( hema ), mma , terpolymers of hema : mma : ma synthesized in the presence of n , n ′- bis ( methacryloyloxyethyloxycarbonylamino ) azobenzene , azopolymers , enteric coated timed release system ( time clock ® from pharmaceutical profiles , ltd ., uk ) and calcium pectinate can be included in the polymer coat ( 3 ). a preferred polymeric material for use in the polymer coat ( 3 ) involves enteric materials that resist the action of gastric fluid avoiding permeation through the semipermeable wall while one or more of the materials in the core ( 5 ) are solubilized in the intestinal tract thereby allowing delivery of a drug in the core ( 5 ) by osmotic pumping to begin . a material that easily adapts to this kind of requirement is a poly ( vinylpyrrolidone )- vinyl acetate copolymer , such as the material supplied by basf under its kollidon va64 trademark , mixed with magnesium stearate and other similar excipients . the polymer coat ( 3 ) can also comprise povidone , which is supplied by basf under its kollidon k 30 trademark , and hydroxypropyl methylcellulose , which is supplied by dow under its methocel e - 15 trademark . the materials can be prepared in solutions having different concentrations of polymer according to the desired solution viscosity . for example , a 10 % p / v aqueous solution of kollidon k 30 has a viscosity of about 5 . 5 - 8 . 5 cps at 20 ° c ., and a 2 % p / v aqueous solution of methocel e - 15 has a viscosity of about 13 - 18 cps at 20 ° c . the polymer coat ( 3 ) can also comprise other materials suitable which are substantially resistant to gastric juices and which will promote either enteric or colonic release . for this purpose , the polymer coat ( 3 ) can comprise one or more materials that do not dissolve , disintegrate , or change their structure in the stomach and during the period of time that the osmotic device ( 1 ) resides in the stomach . representative materials that keep their integrity in the stomach can comprise a member selected from the group consisting of ( a ) keratin , keratin sandarac - tolu , salol ( phenyl salicylate ), salol beta - naphthylbenzoate and acetotannin , salol with balsam of peru , salol with tolu , salol with gum mastic , salol and stearic acid , and salol and shellac ; ( b ) a member selected from the group consisting of formalized protein , formalized gelatin , and formalized cross - linked gelatin and exchange resins ; ( c ) a member selected from the group consisting of myristic acid - hydrogenated castor oil - cholesterol , stearic acid - mutton tallow , stearic acid - balsam of tolu , and stearic acid - castor oil ; ( d ) a member selected from the group consisting of shellac , ammoniated shellac , ammoniated shellac - salol , shellac - wool fat , shellac - acetyl alcohol , shellac - stearic acid - balsam of tolu , and shellac n - butyl stearate ; ( e ) a member selected from the group consisting of abietic acid , methyl abictate , benzoin , balsam of tolu , sandarac , mastic with tolu , and mastic with tolu , and mastic with acetyl alcohol ; ( f ) acrylic resins represented by anionic polymers synthesized from methacrylate acid and methacrylic acid methyl ester , copolymeric acrylic resins of methacrylic and methacrylic acid and methacrylic acid alkyl esters , copolymers of alkacrylic acid and alkacrylic acid alkyl esters , acrylic resins such as dimethylaminoethylmethacrylate - butylmethacrylate - methylmethacrylate copolymer of 150 , 000 molecular weight , methacrylic acid - methylmethacrylate 50 : 50 copolymer of 135 , 000 molecular weight , methacrylic acid - methylmethacrylate - 30 : 70 - copolymer of 135 , 000 mol . wt ., methacrylic acid - dimethylaminoethyl - methacrylate - ethylacrylate of 750 , 000 mol . wt ., methacrylic acid - methylmethacrylate - ethylacrylate of 1 , 000 , 000 mol . wt ., and ethylacrylate - methylmethacrylate - ethylacrylate of 550 , 000 mol . wt ; and ( g ) an enteric composition comprising a member selected from the group consisting of cellulose acetyl phthalate , cellulose diacetyl phthalate , cellulose triacetyl phthalate , cellulose acetate phthalate , hydroxypropylmethylcellulose phathalate , sodium cellulose acetate phthalate , cellulose ester phthalate , cellulose ether phthalate , methylcellulose phthalate , cellulose ester - ether phthalate , hydroxypropyl cellulose phthalate , alkali salts of cellulose acetate phthalate , alkaline earth salts of cellulose acetate phthalate , calcium salt of cellulose acetate phthalate , ammonium salt of hydroxypropyl methylcellulose phthalate , cellulose acetate hexahydrophthalate , hydroxypropyl methylcellulose hexahydrophthalate , polyvinyl acetate phthalate diethyl phthalate , dibutyl phthalate , dialkyl phthalate wherein the alkyl comprises from 1 to 7 straight and branched alkyl groups , aryl phthalates , and other materials known to one or ordinary skill in the art . the preformed passageway ( 6 ) in the semipermeable wall ( 4 ) that communicates the core ( 5 ) of the osmotic device with the exterior of the device can be generated by mechanical perforation , laser perforation or any other similar method known to those of ordinary skill in the art . although the osmotic device ( 1 ) is depicted with a single passageway ( 6 ), it is contemplated that a device according to the present invention can comprise at least one or more passageways including two , three , four , five , six , seven , eight , nine , ten or more passageways . the semipermeable membrane ( 4 ) is formed of a material that is substantially permeable to the passage of fluid from the environment of use to the core and substantially impermeable to the passage of active agent from the core . many common materials known by those of ordinary skill in the art are suitable for this purpose . exemplary materials are cellulose esters , cellulose ethers and cellulose esters - ethers . however , it has been found that a semipermeable membrane consisting essentially of cellulose acetate ( ca ) and poly ( ethylene glycol ) ( peg ), in particular peg 400 , are preferred when used in combination with the other materials required in the present osmotic device . this particular combination of ca and peg provides a semipermeable membrane that gives the osmotic device a well controlled release profile for the active agent in the core and that retains its chemical and physical integrity in the environment of use . the ratio of ca : peg generally ranges from about 50 - 99 % by weight of ca : about 50 - 1 % by weight of peg , and preferably about 95 % by weight of ca : about 5 % by weight of peg . the ratio can be varied to alter permeability and ultimately the release profile of the osmotic device . other preferred materials can include a selected member of the group of cellulose acylates such as cellulose acetate , cellulose diacetate , cellulose triacetate and combinations thereof . many suitable polymers , include those disclosed in argentine patent no . 199 , 301 and other references cited herein , the disclosures of which are hereby incorporated by reference . the core ( 5 ) of the osmotic device of the present invention will comprise a first active agent and an osmotic agent and can further comprise many other materials as discussed herein . the amount of first active agent present can vary as described above for the external coat ( 2 ). generally , the first active agent will be present in an amount ranging from 0 . 1 - 99 . 9 % by weight of the uncoated core ( 5 ). preferred ranges will vary according to the active agent use and the intended use of the osmotic device . when the active agent that is going to be administered is of limited solubility in the environmental of use , osmotically effective solutes , osmotic agents or osmagents , that are capable of being totally or partially solubilized in the fluid are added . these osmagents will aid in either the suspension or dissolution of the active agent in the core . exemplary osmagents include organic and inorganic compounds such as salts , acids , bases , chelating agents , sodium chloride , lithium chloride , magnesium chloride , magnesium sulfate , lithium sulfate , potassium chloride , sodium sulfite , calcium bicarbonate , sodium sulfate , calcium sulfate , calcium lactate , d - mannitol , urea , tartaric acid , raffinose , sucrose , alpha - d - lactose monohydrate , glucose , combinations thereof and other similar or equivalent materials which are widely known in the art . these osmagents can also be incorporated to the core of the osmotic device to control the release of an active agent therein . when the agent is only partially or incompletely soluble in the fluid of an environment of use , it can be released as a suspension provided sufficient fluid has been imbibed or absorbed by the core to form a suspension . the osmotic device of the invention can also comprise adsorbents , antioxidants , buffering agents , colorants , flavorants , sweetening agents , tablet antiadherents , tablet binders , tablet and capsule diluents , tablet direct compression excipients , tablet disintegrants , tablet glidants , tablet lubricants , tablet or capsule opaquants and / or tablet polishing agents . as used herein , the term “ adsorbent ” is intended to mean an agent capable of holding other molecules onto its surface by physical or chemical ( chemisorption ) means . such compounds include , by way of example and without limitation , powdered and activated charcoal and other materials known to one of ordinary skill in the art . as used herein , the term “ antioxidant ” is intended to mean an agent which inhibits oxidation and thus is used to prevent the deterioration of preparations by the oxidative process . such compounds include , by way of example and without limitation , ascorbic acid , ascorbyl palmitate , butylated hydroxyanisole , butylated hydroxytoluene , hypophophorous acid , monothioglycerol , propyl gallate , sodium ascorbate , sodium bisulfite , sodium formaldehyde sulfoxylate and sodium metabisulfite and other materials known to one of ordinary skill in the art . as used herein , the term “ buffering agent ” is intended to mean a compound used to resist change in ph upon dilution or addition of acid or alkali . such compounds include , by way of example and without limitation , potassium metaphosphate , potassium phosphate , monobasic sodium acetate and sodium citrate anhydrous an dihydrate and other materials known to one of ordinary skill in the art . as used herein , the term “ sweetening agent ” is intended to mean a compound used to impart sweetness to a preparation . such compounds include , by way of example and without limitation , aspartame , dextrose , glycerin , mannitol , saccharin sodium , sorbitol and sucrose and other materials known to one of ordinary skill in the art . as used herein , the term “ tablet antiadherents ” is intended to mean agents which prevent the sticking of tablet formulation ingredients to punches and dies in a tableting machine during production . such compounds include , by way of example and without limitation , magnesium stearate , talc , calcium stearate , glyceryl behenate , peg , hydrogenated vegetable oil , mineral oil , stearic acid and other materials known to one of ordinary skill in the art . as used herein , the term “ tablet binders ” is intended to mean substances used to cause adhesion of powder particles in table granulations . such compounds include , by way of example and without limitation , acacia , alginic acid , carboxymethylcellulose sodium , poly ( vinylpyrrolidone ), compressible sugar ( e . g ., nutab ), ethylcellulose , gelatin , liquid glucose , methylcellulose , povidone and pregelatinized starch and other materials known to one of ordinary skill in the art . when needed , binders may also be included in the present osmotic device . exemplary binders include acacia , tragacanth , gelatin , starch , cellulose materials such as methyl cellulose and sodium carboxy methyl cellulose , alginic acids and salts thereof , polyethylene glycol , guar gum , polysaccharide , bentonites , sugars , invert sugars , poloxamers ( pluronic f68 , pluronic f127 ), collagen , albumin , gelatin , cellulosics in nonaqueous solvents , combinations thereof and the like . other binders include , for example , polypropylene glycol , polyoxyethylene - polypropylene copolymer , polyethylene ester , polyethylene sorbitan ester , polyethylene oxide , combinations thereof and other materials known to one of ordinary skill in the art . as used herein , the term “ tablet and capsule diluent ” or “ fillers ” is intended to mean inert substances used as fillers to create the desired bulk , flow properties , and compression characteristics in the preparation of tablets and capsules . such compounds include , by way of example and without limitation , dibasic calcium phosphate , kaolin , lactose , sucrose , mannitol , microcrystalline cellulose , powdered cellulose , precipitated calcium carbonate , sorbitol , and starch and other materials known to one of ordinary skill in the art . as used herein , the term “ tablet direct compression excipient ” is intended to mean a compound used in direct compression tablet formulations . such compounds include , by way of example and without limitation , dibasic calcium phosphate ( e . g ., ditab ) and other materials known to one of ordinary skill in the art . as used herein , the term “ tablet glidant ” is intended to mean agents used in tablet and capsule formulations to reduce friction during tablet compression . such compounds include , by way of example and without limitation , colloidal silica , cornstarch , talc , calcium silicate , magnesium silicate , colloidal silicon , silicon hydrogel and other materials known to one of ordinary skill in the art . as used herein , the term “ tablet lubricant ” is intended to mean substances used in tablet formulations to reduce friction during tablet compression . such compounds include , by way of example and without limitation , calcium stearate , magnesium stearate , mineral oil , stearic acid , and zinc stearate and other materials known to one of ordinary skill in the art . as used herein , the term “ tablet / capsule opaquant ” is intended to mean a compound used to render a capsule or a tablet coating opaque . may be used alone or in combination with a colorant . such compounds include , by way of example and without limitation , titanium dioxide and other materials known to one of ordinary skill in the art . as used herein the term “ tablet polishing agent ” is intended to mean a compound used to impart an attractive sheen to coated tablets . such compounds include , by way of example and without limitation , carnauba wax , and white wax and other materials known to one of ordinary skill in the art . as used herein , the term “ tablet disintegrant ” is intended to mean a compound used in solid dosage forms to promote the disruption of the solid mass into smaller particles which are more readily dispersed or dissolved . exemplary disintegrants include , by way of example and without limitation , starches such as corn starch , potato starch , pre - gelatinized and modified starches thereof , sweeteners , clays , such as bentonite , microcrystalline cellulose ( e . g ., avicel ), carboxymethylcellulose calcium , cellulose polyacrilin potassium ( e . g ., amberlite ), alginates , sodium starch glycolate , gums such as agar , guar , locust bean , karaya , pectin , tragacanth and other materials known to one of ordinary skill in the art . as used herein , the term “ colorant ” is intended to mean a compound used to impart color to solid ( e . g ., tablets ) pharmaceutical preparations . such compounds include , by way of example and without limitation , fd & amp ; c red no . 3 , fd & amp ; c red no . 20 , fd & amp ; c yellow no . 6 , fd & amp ; c blue no . 2 , d & amp ; c green no . 5 , d & amp ; c orange no . 5 , d & amp ; c red no . 8 , caramel , and ferric oxide , red , other f . d . & amp ; c , dyes and natural coloring agents such as grape skin extract , beet red powder , beta - carotene , annato , carmine , turmeric , paprika , and other materials known to one of ordinary skill in the art . the amount of coloring agent used will vary as desired . as used herein , the term “ flavorant ” is intended to mean a compound used to impart a pleasant flavor and often odor to a pharmaceutical preparation . exemplary flavoring agents to flavorants include synthetic flavor oils and flavoring aromatics and / or natural oils , extracts from plants , leaves , flowers , fruits and so forth and combinations thereof . these may also include cinnamon oil , oil of wintergreen , peppermint oils , clove oil , bay oil , anise oil , eucalyptus , thyme oil , cedar leave oil , oil of nutmeg , oil of sage , oil of bitter almonds and cassia oil . other useful flavors include vanilla , citrus oil , including lemon , orange , grape , lime and grapefruit , and fruit essences , including apple , pear , peach , strawberry , raspberry , cherry , plum , pineapple , apricot and so forth . flavors which have been found to be particularly useful include commercially available orange , grape , cherry and bubble gum flavors and mixtures thereof . the amount of flavoring may depend on a number of factors , including the organoleptic effect desired . flavors will be present in any amount as desired by those of ordinary skill in the art . particularly preferred flavors are the grape and cherry flavors and citrus flavors such as orange . the present osmotic device can also employ one or more commonly known surface active agents or cosolvents that improve wetting or disintegration of the osmotic device core or layers . plasticizers can also be included in the present osmotic device to modify the properties and characteristics of the polymers used in the coats or core of the device . as used herein , the term “ plasticizer ” includes all compounds capable of plasticizing or softening a polymer or binder used in invention . the plasticizer should be able to lower the melting temperature or glass transition temperature ( softening point temperature ) of the polymer or binder . plasticizers , such as low molecular weight peg , generally broaden the average molecular weight of a polymer in which they are included thereby lowering its glass transition temperature or softening point . plasticizers also generally reduce the viscosity of a polymer . it is possible the plasticizer will impart some particularly advantageous physical properties to the osmotic device of the invention . plasticizers useful in the invention can include , by way of example and without limitation , low molecular weight polymers , oligomers , copolymers , oils , small organic molecules , low molecular weight polyols having aliphatic hydroxyls , ester - type plasticizers , glycol ethers , poly ( propylene glycol ), multi - block polymers , single block polymers , low molecular weight poly ( ethylene glycol ), citrate ester - type plasticizers , triacetin , propylene glycol and glycerin . such plasticizers can also include ethylene glycol , 1 , 2 - butylene glycol , 2 , 3 - butylene glycol , styrene glycol , diethylene glycol , triethylene glycol , tetraethylene glycol and other poly ( ethylene glycol ) compounds , monopropylene glycol monoisopropyl ether , propylene glycol monoethyl ether , ethylene glycol monoethyl ether , diethylene glycol monoethyl ether , sorbitol lactate , ethyl lactate , butyl lactate , ethyl glycolate , dibutylsebacate , acetyltributylcitrate , triethyl citrate , acetyl triethyl citrate , tributyl citrate and allyl glycolate . all such plasticizers are commercially available from sources such as aldrich or sigma chemical co . it is also contemplated and within the scope of the invention , that a combination of plasticizers may be used in the present formulation . the peg based plasticizers are available commercially or can be made by a variety of methods , such as disclosed in poly ( ethylene glycol ) chemistry : biotechnical and biomedical applications ( j . m . harris , ed . ; plenum press , new york ) the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference . it is contemplated that the osmotic device of the invention can also include oils , for example , fixed oils , such as peanut oil , sesame oil , cottonseed oil , corn oil and olive oil ; fatty acids , such as oleic acid , stearic acid and isotearic acid ; and fatty acid esters , such as ethyl oleate , isopropyl myristate , fatty acid glyceridees and acetylated fatty acid glycerides . it can also be mixed with alcohols , such as ethanol , isopropanol , hexadecyl alcohol , glycerol and propylene glycol ; with glycerol ketals , such as 2 , 2 - dimethyl - 1 , 3 - dioxolane - 4 - methanol ; with ethers , such as poly ( ethyleneglycol ) 450 , with petroleum hydrocarbons , such as mineral oil and petrolatum ; with water , or with mixtures thereof ; with or without the addition of a pharmaceutically suitable surfactant , suspending agent or emulsifying agent . soaps and synthetic detergents may be employed as surfactants and as vehicles for detergent compositions . suitable soaps include fatty acid alkali metal , ammonium , and triethanolamine salts . suitable detergents include cationic detergents , for example , dimethyl dialkyl ammonium halides , alkyl pyridinium halides , and alkylamine acetates ; anionic detergents , for example , alkyl , aryl and olefin sulfonates , alkyl , olefin , ether and monoglyceride sulfates , and sulfosuccinates ; nonionic detergents , for example , fatty amine oxides , fatty acid alkanolamides , and poly ( oxyethylene )- block - poly ( oxypropylene ) copolymers ; and amphoteric detergents , for example , alkyl β - aminopropionates and 2 - alkylimidazoline quaternary ammonium salts ; and mixtures thereof . various other components , not otherwise listed above , can be added to the present formulation for optimization of a desired active agent release profile including , by way of example and without limitation , glycerylmonostearate , nylon , cellulose acetate butyrate . d . 1 - poly ( lactic acid ), 1 , 6 - hexanediamine , diethylenetriamine , starches , derivitized starches , acetylated monoglycerides , gelatin coacervates , poly ( styrene - maleic acid ) copolymer , glycowax , castor wax , stearyl alcohol , glycerol palmitostearate , poly ( ethylene ), poly ( vinyl acetate ), poly ( vinyl chloride ), 1 , 3 - butyleneglycoldimethacrylate , ethyleneglycol - dimethacrylate and methacrylate hydrogels . it should be understood , that compounds used in the art of pharmaceutical formulation generally serve a variety of functions or purposes . thus , if a compound named herein is mentioned only once or is used to define more than one term herein , its purpose or function should not be construed as being limited solely to that named purpose ( s ) or function ( s ). active agents include physiological substances or pharmacological active substances that produce a systemic or localized effect or effects on animals and human beings . active agents also include pesticides , herbicides , insecticides , antioxidants , plant growth instigators , sterilization agents , catalysts , chemical reagents , food products , nutrients , cosmetics , vitamins , sterility inhibitors , fertility instigators , microorganisms , flavoring agents , sweeteners , cleansing agents and other such compounds for pharmaceutical , veterinary , horticultural , household , food , culinary , agricultural , cosmetic , industrial , cleansing , confectionery and flavoring applications . the active agent can be present in its neutral , ionic , salt , basic , acidic , natural , synthetic , diastereomeric , isomeric , enantiomerically pure , racemic , hydrate , chelate , derivative , analog , or other common form . further therapeutic compounds which can be formulated into the present osmotic devices also include antibacterial substances , antihistamines and decongestants , anti - inflammatories , antiparasitics , antivirals , local anesthetics , antifungal , amoebicidal , or trichomonocidal agents , analgesics , antiarthritics , antiasthmatics , anticoagulants , anticonvulsants , antidepressants , antidiabetics , antineoplastics , antipsychotics , neuroleptics , antihypertensives , muscle relaxants , depressants , hypnotics , sedatives , psychic energizers , tranquilizers , anti - convulsants , antiparkinson agents , muscle contractants , anti - microbials , antimalarials , hormonal agents , contraceptives , sympathomimetics , diuretics , hypoglycemics , ophthalmics , electrolytes , diagnostic agents and cardiovascular drugs . representative antibacterial substances are beta - lactam antibiotics , tetracyclines , chloramphenicol , neomycin , gramicidin , bacitracin , sulfonamides , aminoglycoside antibioticss , tobramycin , nitrofurazone , nalidixic acid , penicillin , tetracycline , oxytetracycline , chlorotetracycline , erythromycin , cephalosporins and analogs and the antimicrobial combination of fludalanine / pentizidone . other representative antibacterial agents include of the poorly water - soluble pyrridone - carboxylic acid type such as benofloxacin , nalidixic acid , enoxacin , ofloxacin , amifloxacin , flumequine , tosfloxacin , piromidic acid , pipemidic acid , miloxacin , oxolinic acid , cinoxacin , norfloxacin , ciprofloxacin , pefloxacin , lomefloxacin , enrofloxacin , danofloxacin , binfloxacin , sarafloxacin , ibafloxacin , difloxacin and salts thereof . representative antiparasitic compounds are ivermectin , bephenium , hydroxynaphthoate , dichlorophen and dapsone . representative anti - malarial compounds are 4 - aminoquinolines , 8 - aminoquinolines and pyrimethamine . representative anti - inflammatory drugs are cortisone , hydrocortisone , betamethasone , dexamethasone , fluocortolone , prednisolone , phenylbutazone , triamcinolone , sulindac and its salts and corresponding sulfide , indomethacin , salicylamide , naproxen , colchicine , fenoprofen , diclofenac , indoprofen , dexamethasone , allopurinol , oxyphenbutazone , probenecid and sodium salicylamide . representative analgesic drugs are diflunisal , aspirin , ibuprofen , profen - type compounds , morphine , codeine , meperidine , nalorphine , or acetaminophen . representative antihistamines and decongestants are perilamine , chlorpheniramine , cimetidine , tetrahydrozoline , loratadine , and antazoline . representative antiasthma drugs are theophylline , pseudoephedrine , ephedrine , beclomethasone dipropionate and epinephrine . representative psychic energizers are isocoboxazid , nialamide , phenelzine , imipramine , tranycypromine , and parglyene . representative anticonvulsants are diphenylhydantoin , primidone , enitabas , diphenylhydantion , ethltion , pheneturide , ethosuximide and diazepam . representative antidiabetics are insulin , somatostatin and its analogs , tolbutamide , tolazamide , chlorpropamide , isophane insulin , protamine zinc insulin suspension , globin zinc insulin , extended insulin zinc suspension and acetohexamide . representative antineoplastics are adriamycin , fluorouracil , methotrexate , nechlorethamine , uracil mustard , 5 - fluorouracil , 6 - 6 - thioguanine and procarbazine asparaginase . representative steroidal drugs are prednisolone , cortisone , cortisol and triamcinolone ; androgenic steroids such as methyltesterone , and fluoxmesterone ; estrogenic steroids such as 17β - estradiol , α - estradiol , estriol , α - estradiol 3 benzoate , and 17 - ethynylestradiol - 3 - methyl ether ; progestational steriods such as progesterone , 19 - nor - pregn - 4 - ene - 3 , 20 - dione , 17 - hydroxy - 19 - nor - 17 - α - pregn - 5 ( 10 )- ene - 20 - yn - 3 - one , 17α - ethynyl - 17 - hydroxy - 5 ( 10 )- estren - 3 - one , and 9β , 10α - pregna - 4 , 6 - diene - 3 , 20 - dione . representative antipsychotics are propsychotics are prochlorperazine , lithium carbonate , lithium citrate , thioridazine , molindone , fluphenazine , trifluoperazine , perphenazine , amitriptyline and trifluopromazine . representative hypnotics and sedatives are pentobarbital sodium , phenobarbital , secobarbital , thiopental , heterocyclic hypnotics , dioxopiperidines , glutarimides , diethylisovaleramide , α - bromoisovaleryl urea , urethanes , disulfanes and mixtures thereof . representative antihypertensives are spironolactone , methyldopa , hydralazine , clonidine , chlorothiazide , deserpidine , timolol , propranolol , metoprolol , prazosin hydrochloride , methyl dopa ( l - β - 3 , 4 - dihydroxyphenylalanine ), pivaloyloxyethyl ester of α - methyldopa hydrochloride dihydrate and reserpine . representative tranquilizers are chloropromazine , promazine , fluphenazine , reserpine , deserpidine , meprobamate , and benezodiazepines such as chlordiazepoxide . representative anti - spasmodics and muscle contractants are atropine , scopolamine , methscopolamine , oxyphenonium , papaverine , and prostaglandins such as pge 1 pge 2 pgf 1α pgf 2α and pga . representative local anesthetics are benzocaine , procaine , lidocaine , maepaine , piperocaine , tetracaine and dibucaine . representative muscle relaxants and anti - parkinson agents are succinylcholine - chloride , danbrolene , cyclobenzaprine , methocarbamol , diazepam , mephenesin , methocarbomal , trihexylphenidyl , and biperiden . representative cardiovascular drugs are procainamide , procainamide hydrochloride , amyl nitrite , nitroglycerin , dipyredamole , sodium nitrate and mannitol nitrate . representative β - blockers are pindolol , propranolol , practolol , metoprolol , oxprenolol , timolol , atenolol , alprenolol , and acebutolol . representative nutritional agents are ascorbic acid , niacin , nicotinamide , folic acid , choline biotin , panthothenic acid , and vitamin b 12 , essential amino acids ; essential fats . representative ophthalmic agents are pilocarpine , pilocarpine salts such as pilocarpine nitrate , pilocarpine hydrochloride , dichlophenamide , atropine , atropine sulfate , scopolamine and eserine salicylate . representative electrolytes are calcium gluconate , calcium lactate , potassium chloride , potassium sulfate , sodium chloride , potassium fluoride , ferrous lactate , ferrous gluconate , ferrous sulfate , ferrous fumurate and sodium lactate . the therapeutic compound ( s ) contained within the present osmotic device can be formulated as its pharmaceutically acceptable salts . as used herein , “ pharmaceutically acceptable salts ” refer to derivatives of the disclosed compounds wherein the therapeutic compound is modified by making acid or base salts thereof . examples of pharmaceutically acceptable salts include , but are not limited to , mineral or organic acid salts of basic residues such as amines ; alkali or organic salts of acidic residues such as carboxylic acids ; and the like . the pharmaceutically acceptable salts include the conventional non - toxic salts or the quaternary ammonium salts of the parent compound formed , for example , from non - toxic inorganic or organic acids . for example , such conventional non - toxic salts include those derived from inorganic acids such as hydrochloric , hydrobromic , sulfuric , sulfonic , sulfamic , phosphoric , nitric and the like ; and the salts prepared from organic acids such as amino acids , acetic , propionic , succinic , glycolic , stearic , lactic , malic , tartaric , citric , ascorbic , pamoic , maleic , hydroxymaleic , phenylacetic , glutamic , benzoic , salicylic , sulfanilic , 2 - acetoxybenzoic , fumaric , toluenesulfonic , methanesulfonic , ethane disulfonic , oxalic , isethionic , and the like . the pharmaceutically acceptable salts of the present invention can be synthesized from the parent therapeutic compound which contains a basic or acidic moiety by conventional chemical methods . lists of suitable salts are found in remington &# 39 ; s pharmaceutical sciences , 17th ed ., mack publishing company , easton , pa ., 1985 , p . 1418 , the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference . the phrase “ pharmaceutically acceptable ” is employed herein to refer to those compounds , materials , compositions , and / or dosage forms which are , within the scope of sound medical judgment , suitable for use in contact with the tissues of human beings and animals without excessive toxicity , irritation , allergic response , or other problem or complication , commensurate with a reasonable benefit / risk ratio . as used in this disclosure , the term vitamin refers to trace organic substances that are required in the diet . for the purposes of the present invention , the term vitamin ( s ) include , without limitation , thiamin , riboflavin , nicotinic acid , pantothenic acid , pyridoxine , biotin , folic acid , vitamin b12 , lipoic acid , ascorbic acid , vitamin a , vitamin d , vitamin e and vitamin k . also included within the term vitamin are the coenzymes thereof coenzymes are specific chemical forms of vitamins and can include thiamine pyrophosphates ( tpp ), flavin mononucleotide ( fmn ), flavin adenine dinucleotive ( fad ). nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide ( nad ), nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate ( nadp ), coenzyme a ( coa ), pyridoxal phosphate , biocytin , tetrahydrofolic acid , coenzyme b12 , lipoyllysine , 11 - cis - retinal , and 1 , 25 - dihydroxycholecalciferol . the term vitamin ( s ) also includes choline , carnitine , and alpha , beta , and gamma carotenes . as used in this disclosure , the term “ mineral ” refers to inorganic substances , metals , and the like required in the human diet . thus , the term “ mineral ” as used herein includes , without limitation , calcium , iron , zinc , selenium , copper , iodine , magnesium , phosphorus , chromium and the like , and mixtures thereof . the term “ dietary supplement ” as used herein means a substance which has an appreciable nutritional effect when administered in small amounts . dietary supplements include , without limitation , such ingredients as bee pollen , bran , wheat germ , kelp , cod liver oil , ginseng , and fish oils , amino - acids , proteins , plant extracts , plant powder , herbs , herbal extracts and powders , vitamins , minerals , combinations thereof and the like . as will be appreciated , essentially any dietary supplement may be incorporated into the present osmotic device . the amount of therapeutic compound incorporated in each osmotic device will be at least one or more unit dose and can be selected according to known principles of pharmacy . an effective amount of therapeutic compound is specifically contemplated . by the term “ effective amount ”, it is understood that , with respect to , for example , pharmaceuticals , a pharmaceutically effective amount is contemplated . a pharmaceutically effective amount is the amount or quantity of a drug or pharmaceutically active substance which is sufficient to elicit the required or desired therapeutic response , or in other words , the amount which is sufficient to elicit an appreciable biological response when administered to a patient . as used with reference to a vitamin or mineral , the term “ effective amount ” means an amount at least about 10 % of the united states recommended daily allowance (“ rda ”) of that particular ingredient for a patient . for example , if an intended ingredient is vitamin c , then an effective amount of vitamin c would include an amount of vitamin c sufficient to provide 10 % or more of the rda . typically , where the tablet includes a mineral or vitamin , it will incorporate higher amounts , preferably about 100 % or more of the applicable rda . for nasal administration of therapeutic compounds , the osmotic device may be included in a paste , cream or ointment containing the appropriate solvents ( such as water , aqueous , nonaqueous , polar , apolar , hydrophobic , hydrophilic and / or combinations thereof ) and optionally other compounds ( stabilizers , perfumes , antimicrobial agents , antioxidants , ph modifiers , surfactants and / or bioavailability modifiers ). it is contemplated that bioavailability enhancers such as alcohols or other compounds that enhance the penetration of the therapeutic compound from the pharmaceutical formulation into the masal mucosa may be needed to prepare suitable formulations for nasal administration . for oral , buccal , and sublingual administration , the osmotic device may be in the form of a caplet , tablet , suspension , agglomerate , granulate or powder . for rectal administration , the osmotic device ca be included in a suppository , ointment , enema , tablet or cream for release of a therapeutic compound into the intestines , sigmoid flexure and / or rectum . the term “ unit dosage form ” is used herein to mean an osmotic device containing a quantity of the therapeutic compound , said quantity being such that one or more predetermined units may be provided as a single therapeutic administration . the osmotic device of the invention can be prepared according to the methods disclosed herein or those well known in the art . for example , according to one manufacturing technique , the active agent , and excipients that comprise the core can be mixed in solid , semisolid or gelatinous form , then moistened and sieved through a specified screen to obtain uncoated cores . the uncoated cores are then dried in a dryer and compressed , for example , by punching . the compressed and uncoated cores ( 5 ) are then covered with a solution of suitable materials that comprise the a semipermeable membrane ( 4 ). subsequently , the semipermeable membrane ( 4 ) surrounding each core is perforated with , for example , laser equipment . the coated and perforated cores are then coated with a polymeric suspension such as the one previously described which blocks the passageway and forms the polymer coat ( 3 ). finally , the active agent - containing external coat ( 2 ) is applied . if desired , the osmotic devices of the invention can be coated with a finish coat ( 8 ) ( shown in phantom ) as is commonly done in the art to provide the desired shine , color , taste or other aesthetic characteristics . materials suitable for preparing the finish coat are well known in the art and found in the disclosures of many of the references cited and incorporated by reference herein . the following examples should not be considered exhaustive , but merely illustrative of only a few of the many embodiments contemplated by the present invention . the methods described herein can be followed to prepare osmotic devices according to the invention . theophylline monoethanolamine ( 2 . 0 kg ), mannitol ( 0 . 173 kg ), kollidon 90 ™ ( 0 . 075 kg ), povidone ( 0 . 150 kg ) and colloidal silicon dioxide ( 0 . 005 kg ) are mixed in a bowl . the mixture is sieved through a 40 mesh u . s . p . screen . subsequently , a solution containing kollidon 90 ( 0 . 025 kg ), polyethylene glycol 1500 ( 0 . 1 kg ) and deionized water ( 0 . 18 l ) is added while shaking until the desired consistency is achieved . the resulting wet mixture is sieved through a 10 mesh screen and the resulting granules are placed in trays and dried in a heated oven at 45 ± 2 ° c . for 12 hours . the dried granulate is then sieved through a 20 mesh screen and placed in a powder mixer or in a double polyethylene bag . a mixture of colloidal silicon dioxide ( 0 . 0075 kg ) together with magnesium stearate ( 0 . 015 kg ) is previously sieved through a 50 mesh screen and added to the dried granulate . this mixture is then compressed with a set of 11 mm diameter punches to form partial cores of exemplary osmotic devices . the partial cores are then covered with a suspension of 22 % kollidon va64 ™ and 88 % talc in isopropyl alcohol to a core weight increase of 20 mg to form completed cores which are subsequently coated with a solution that contains 95 % cellulose acetate , 5 % polyethylene glycol 400 in 80 % methylene chloride and 20 % ethanol to form semipermeable membrane coated cores of about 62 mg . the semipermeable membrane of the coated cores are then perforated using convention laser equipment to form cores each having at least one passageway through its respective semipermeable membrane . the perforated cores are then covered with a suspension comprising kollidon va64 ( 19 . 56 %, poly ( vinylpyrrolidone ) copolymer - vinyl acetate ), titanium dioxide ( 16 . 59 %), talc 62 . 2 %), and punzó 4r aluminum lake ( 1 . 66 %) in isopropyl alcohol to form cores coated with the polymer coat of the invention . the external drug - containing coat is coated onto the just formed coated cores by applying a suspension comprising theophylline monoethanolamine ( 73 . 60 %); colloidal silicon dioxide ( 3 . 70 %), cl - m kollidon ( 7 . 40 %), polyethylene glycol 6000 ( 2 . 04 %), hydroxypropyl methylcellulose ( 10 . 46 %), polyethylene glycol 400 ( 1 . 40 %) and tween 20 ( 1 . 40 %) in a solution of 75 % methylene chloride and 25 % ethyl alcohol ( 96 % in water ). a finish coat surrounding the drug - containing external coat is applied as follows . the just formed osmotic devices are coated with a suspension comprising hydroxypropyl methylcellulose 60 ( 11 %), polyethylene glycol 6000 ( 17 . 3 %) and titanium dioxide ( 22 . 59 %) in a solution of 50 % methylene chloride and 50 % ethyl alcohol ( 96 % in water ). the above solutions and suspensions are applied in appropriate pulverization equipment . after each coating is finished , the devices are placed in a heater with forced air circulation for 12 hours to dry the coats . d - pseudoephedrine hydrochloride ( 2 , 400 g ), grams sodium chloride ( 810 g ), grams microcrystalline cellulose ( 360 . 0 g ) and poly ( vinylpyrrolidone ) ( 500 g ) are mixed in a laboratory mixer . the mixture is then sieved through a 40 mesh screen and kneaded while adding of solution containing poly ( ethylene glycol ) 400 ( 10 . 7 %) in ethyl alcohol ( 96 % in water ). the wet product is sieved through an 8 mesh screen and dried in a heated oven for 12 hours at 45 ° c . a mixture of colloidal silicon dioxide ( 25 . 0 g ) and magnesium stearate ( 75 . 0 g ), previously sieved through a 50 mesh screen , is added to the dry granulate . the resulting granulate mixture is compressed in a compressor with 10 mm diameter punches to form uncoated cores . resulting uncoated cores are then coated with a solution containing cellulose acetate ( 95 %) and polyethylene glycol 400 ( 5 %) in a mixture of methylene chloride ( 80 %) and methanol ( 20 %) to form semipermeable membrane coated cores . the semipermeable membrane coat of each core is then perforated with laser equipment to form at least one passageway through the semipermeable coat . the perforated cores are then covered with a suspension comprising kollidon va64 ( 19 . 56 %, poly ( vinylpyrrolidone ) copolymer - vinyl acetate ), titanium dioxide ( 16 . 59 %), talc ( 62 . 2 %), and punzó 4r aluminum lake ( 1 . 66 %) in isopropyl alcohol to form cores coated with the polymer coat of the invention . the coated cores having sealed passageways are subjected to a coating process through compression with a granulate as follows . in a laboratory mixer - kneader , loratidine ( 80 g ), lactose monohydrate ( 1516 . 0 g ), microcrystalline cellulose ( 1600 g ), maize starch ( 400 g ) are mixed . this wet mixture is sieved through a 40 mesh screen and later kneaded with a solution containing povidone ( 41 . 18 %), polyethylene glycol 4000 ( 47 . 06 %), and polyethylene glycol 400 ( 11 . 16 %) in deionized water . the wet mixture is then sieved through a 10 mesh screen and dried in a heated oven at 45 ° c . for 12 hours . the dried granulate is sieved through a 20 mesh screen and then mixed with a previously prepared mixture of colloidal silicon dioxide ( 16 . 0 g ) and magnesium stearate ( 48 . 0 g ) and the final mixture is sieved through a 50 mesh screen to form a granulate . this resulting granulate is applied over the coated core through compression , as previously described . these particular devices have a 14 mm outer diameter and containing a 10 mm outer diameter osmotic core . finally , a finish coat is applied to the devices by applying a suspension comprising hydroxypropyl methylcellulose ( 60 . 27 %), polyethylene glycol ( 17 . 18 %), and titanium dioxide ( 22 . 55 %) in a mixture of ( 50 %) methylene chloride and ( 50 %) ethyl alcohol ( 96 % in water ). in a laboratory mixer - kneader , ranitidine hydrochloride ( 2400 g ), microcrystalline cellulose ( 811 . 0 g ), and colloidal silicon dioxide ( 4 . 0 g ) are mixed . the mixture is sieved through a stainless steel 40 mesh screen and kneaded with a 30 % povidone solution in ethyl alcohol . the wet mixture is then sieved through a 8 mesh screen and dried in heated oven at 40 ° c . for 12 hours to form a granulate which is sieved through a 20 mesh screen . this granulate is mixed with a mixture of colloidal silicon dioxide ( 10 . 0 g ) and magnesium stearate ( 90 . 0 g ) which has been previously sieved through a 50 mesh screen . the final mixture is then compressed in a compressor with 10 mm diameter punches to form uncoated cores . the uncoated cores are coated with a 95 % cellulose acetate and 5 % polyethylene glycol 400 solution in an 80 % methylene chloride and 20 % methanol mixture . the coated cores are placed in a heater at 45 ° c . for 12 hours and eventually subjected to laser perforation of their respective semipermeable membranes as described above . the perforated cores are then covered with a suspension comprising kollidon va64 ( 19 . 56 %, poly ( vinylpyrrolidone ) copolymer - vinyl acetate ), titanium dioxide ( 1 6 . 59 %), talc ( 62 . 2 %), and punzó 4r aluminum lake ( 1 . 66 %) in isopropyl alcohol to form cores coated with the polymer coat of the invention . these coated cores having blocked passageways are subjected to a compression coating process with a granulate previously prepared as follows . in a laboratory mixer , ranitidine hydrochloride ( 557 . 2 g ) and grams microcrystalline cellulose ( 1993 . 3 g ) are mixed . this mixture is sieved through a 40 mesh screen and kneaded with a solution of ammonium poly ( methacrylate ) 12 , 5 % in isopropyl alcohol . the wet mixture is sieved through an 8 mesh screen and dried in a heater at 40 ° c . for 12 hours . the dried granules are then sieved through a 20 mesh screen . in separate laboratory mixer , cisapride monohydrate ( 207 . 7 g ), povidone ( 300 g ) and microcrystalline cellulose ( 1 , 373 . 3 g ) are mixed . this mixture is sieved through a stainless steel 40 mesh screen and kneaded with a solution of polyethylene glycol 6000 ( 34 . 73 %) and polyethylene glycol 400 ( 6 . 95 %) in deionized water . the wet mass is sieved through an 8 mesh screen and dried in a heater at 40 ° c . for 12 hours . once dried , it is sieved through a 20 mesh screen . both granulates just formed are mixed together and then mixed with sodium carboxymethylcellulose ( 105 . 4 g ), colloidal silicon dioxide ( 33 . 7 g ) and magnesium stearate ( 75 . 3 g ) in a laboratory powder mixer . this resulting granulate mixture is applied over the coated cores through compression as previously described . the resulting devices have a 14 mm outer diameter and include the coated , perforated and blocked core . finally , a finish coat is applied to the devices by applying a suspension comprising hydroxypropyl methylcellulose ( 60 . 27 %), polyethylene glycol ( 17 . 18 %), and titanium dioxide ( 22 . 55 %) in a mixture of ( 50 %) methylene chloride and ( 50 %) ethyl alcohol ( 96 % in water ). d - pseudoephedrine ( 2 , 400 . 0 g ), sodium chloride ( 810 . 02 g ), microcrystalline cellulose ( 1335 . 0 g ) and poly ( vinylpyrrolidone ) ( 400 . 0 g ) are mixed in a laboratory mixer . the mixture is then sieved through a 40 mesh screen and kneaded while adding a solution containing poly ( vinylpyrrolidone ) ( 30 %) in ethyl alcohol ( 96 % in water ). the wet product is sieved through an 10 mesh screen and dried in a heated oven for 5 hours at 45 ° c . a mixture of colloidal silicon dioxide ( 29 . 97 g ) and magnesium stearate ( 75 . 0 g ), previously sieved through a 50 mesh screen , is added to a dry granulate . the resulting granulate mixture is compressed in a compressor with 10 mm diameter punches to form uncoated cores . resulting uncoated cores are then coated with a solution containing cellulose acetate ( 95 %) and polyethylene glycol 400 ( 5 %) in a mixture of methylene chloride ( 80 %) and methanol ( 20 %) to form semipermeable membrane coated cores . the semipermeable membrane coat of each core is then perforated with laser equipment to form at least one passageway through the semipermeable coat . the perforated cores are then covered with a suspension comprising copolyvidone ( 19 . 56 %, poly ( vinylpyrrolidone )); titanium dioxide ( 16 . 59 ), talc ( 62 . 2 %), and punzó 4r aluminum lacquer ( 1 . 66 %) in isopropyl alcohol ( 25 %) to form cores coated having passageways sealed with the polymer coat of the invention . the coated cores having blocked passageways are then coated with a suspension comprising astemizole ( 52 . 00 %); colloidal silicon dioxide ( 2 . 65 %); crospovidone ( 15 . 63 %); peg 6000 ( 1 . 63 %); copolyvidone ( 25 . 95 %); polysorbate 20 ( 1 . 06 %), and peg 400 ( 1 . 06 %) in isopropyl alcohol ( 4 %). a finish coat is then applied by spraying the following suspension onto the cores : hydroxypropyl methylcellulose ( 60 . 27 %); polyethylene glycol 6000 ( 17 . 18 %); titanium dioxide ( 21 . 50 %); aluminum lacquer dye ( 1 . 05 %), in a mixture of 50 % methylene chloride and 50 % ethyl alcohol ( 96 % in water ); followed by drying of the finish coat . in a laboratory mixer - kneader , diltiazem malate ( 364 . 9 g ), anhydrous glucose ( 255 . 93 g ), and colloidal silicon dioxide ( 6 . 0 g ) are mixed . the mixture is sieved through a 40 mesh screen and kneaded while adding a solution of povidone ( 34 . 2 %) in ethyl alcohol ( 96 % in water ) and peg 400 ( 0 . 57 %). the wet product is sieved through an 10 mesh screen and dried in a heated oven for 3 hours at 40 ° c . a mixture of colloidal silicon dioxide ( 9 . 0 g ) and magnesium stearate ( 6 . 84 g ), previously sieved through a 50 mesh screen , is added to the dry granulate . the resulting granulate mixture is compressed in a compressor with 9 mm diameter punches to form uncoated cores of 336 mg . weight . resulting uncoated cores are then coated with a solution containing cellulose acetate ( 95 %) and polyethylene glycol 400 ( 5 %) in a mixture of methylene chloride ( 80 %) and methanol ( 20 %) to form semipermeable membrane coated core , with 24 . 8 mg weight of coating per core . the semipermeable membrane coat of each core is then perforated with laser equipment to form at least one passageway through the semipermeable coat . the perforated cores are then covered with a colored suspension comprising copolyvidone ( 30 . 00 %); hydroxypropyl methylcellulose ( 37 . 00 %); peg 6000 ( 10 . 50 %); titanium dioxide ( 18 . 50 %); yellow of quinoline aluminum lacquer ( 4 . 00 %), in a mixture of methylene chloride ( 75 %) and ethyl alcohol 96 ° ( 25 %) at 5 . 2 %, thereby sealing the passageways . this device can be prepared according to example 5 up to the step of perforation . the perforated cores are then covered with the colored suspension and then a suspension comprising enalapril maleate ( 40 . 97 %) ( 5 . 0 mg / tablet ); colloidal silicon dioxide ( 2 . 10 %); crospovidone ( 12 . 29 %); copolividone ( 20 . 45 %); polysorbate 20 ( 0 . 82 %); peg 6000 ( 17 . 20 %); titanium dioxide ( 22 . 56 %), in a mixture of methylene chloride ( 50 %) and ethyl alcohol 96 ° ( 50 %) at 4 . 6 %. oxybutynin chloride ( 154 . 5 g ), mannitol ( 2660 . 5 g ), anhydrous glucose ( 400 . 0 g ) and povidone ( 250 . 0 g ) are mixed in a laboratory mixer . the mixture is kneaded with an alcoholic solution containing poly ( ethylene glycol ) 400 ( 3 . 04 %) and peg 6000 ( 13 . 04 %). the wet product is sieved through a 10 mesh screen and dried in a heated oven for 5 hours at 45 ° c . the dried granulate is sieved through a 20 mesh screen . a mixture of colloidal silicon dioxide ( 80 . 0 g ) and magnesium stearate ( 40 . 0 g ), previously sieved through a 50 mesh screen , is added to the dry granulate . the resulting granulate mixture is compressed in a compressor with 9 . 25 mm diameter punches to form uncoated cores of 380 mg weight . resulting uncoated cores are then coated with a solution containing cellulose acetate ( 95 %) and peg 400 ( 5 %) in a mixture of methylene chloride ( 80 %) and methanol ( 20 %) in a 5 % concentration to form a semipermeable membrane coated core with 30 mg weight of coating per core . the semipermeable membrane of each core is then perforate to form at least one passageway through the semipermeable coat . the perforated cores are then covered with a colored suspension , thereby sealing the passageways , comprising copolividone ( 19 . 50 %); titanium dioxide ( 17 . 50 %); ponceau 4 % aluminum lake ( 0 . 50 %) and talc ( 62 . 50 %) in isopropyl alcohol at a 6 % concentration . a final coat is applied by spraying the following suspension onto the coated cores : hydroxypropyl methylcellulose ( 60 . 25 %); peg 6000 ( 17 . 2 %); and titanium dioxide ( 22 . 55 %) in a mixture of methylene chloride ( 75 %) and 50 % methanol ( 25 %), resulting in a 5 . 13 % solids concentration . in a laboratory mixer - kneader , cisapride monohydrate ( 83 . 08 g ), microcrystalline cellulose ( 100 . 12 g ), sodium chloride ( 150 . 0 g ), peo ( 180 . 0 g ), hydroxypropyl methylcellulose ( 12 . 40 g ), povidone ( 63 . 0 g ) are mixed . the mixture is sieved through a 40 mesh screen . the mixture is kneaded in an alcoholic solution of polysorbate 20 ( 3 . 40 %). the wet mixtures is sieved through a 10 mesh screen and dried in a heated oven for 3 . 5 hours at 40 ° c . the dried granulate is sieved through a 20 mesh screen . a mixture of colloidal silicon dioxide ( 3 . 0 g ) and magnesium stearate ( 5 . 0 g ), previously sieved through a 50 mesh screen , is added to the dry granulate . the resulting granulate mixture is compressed in a compressor with 9 . 25 mm diameter punches to form uncoated cores of 300 mg , weight each . resulting uncoated cores are then coated with a solution containing cellulose acetate ( 95 %) and polyethylene glycol 400 ( 5 %) in a mixture of methylene chloride ( 80 %) and methanol ( 20 %) at a 5 % concentration , to form a semipermeable membrane coated core , with 36 mg weight of coating per core . the semipermeable membrane coat of each core is then perforated with laser equipment to form at least one passageway through the semipermeable coat . the perforated cores are then covered with a colored suspension , sealing the passageways , comprising copolyvidone ( 30 . 00 %); hydroxypropyl methylcellulose ( 37 . 00 %); polyethylene glycol 6000 ( 10 . 50 %); titanium dioxide ( 18 . 50 %); yellow of quinoline aluminum lacquer ( 4 . 00 %), in a mixture of methylene chloride ( 75 %) and ethyl alcohol 96 ° ( 25 %) at 5 . 2 %. a final coat is applied by spraying onto the cores a suspension comprising hydroxypropyl methylcellulose ( 60 . 27 %); peg 6000 ( 17 . 20 %); titanium dioxide ( 22 . 20 %); aluminum lacquer dye ( 0 . 37 %), in a mixture of methylene chloride ( 50 %) and methyl alcohol ( 96 % in water ) ( 50 %) in 4 . 65 % concentration . the above is a detailed description of a particular embodiment of the invention . it is recognized that departures from the disclosed embodiment may be made within the scope of the invention and that obvious modifications will occur to a person skilled in the art . the full scope of the invention is set out in the claims that follow and their equivalents . accordingly , the claims and specification should not be construed to unduly narrow the full scope of protection to which the invention is entitled . those of skill in the art should , in light of the present disclosure , appreciate that many changes can be made in the specific embodiments where are disclosed herein and still obtain a like or similar result without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention . all of the compositions and methods disclosed and claimed herein can be made and executed without undue experimentation in light of the present disclosure . it will be apparent that certain compounds which are both physiologically and chemically related may be substituted for the therapeutic compound described herein while the same or similar results are achieved .	0
the basic idea of the invention is to manufacture a hub by winding so as to form an extra thickness of composite material at the interfaces of the future part , to assemble each hub to a sleeve in order to form a mandrel about which layers of braided fibres are subsequently applied . the layers of reinforcing fibres are thus rigidly secured to the hub after injection and polymerization of resin in these layers and at the junction of these layers with the hub . the hub , which is shown on its own in fig2 , indicated by reference numeral 11 , is manufactured from a generally tubular support 12 , extending along an axis marked in this instance at , about which reinforcing fibres are wound . the fibres may take the form of strands , the form of a strip of woven fibres , or another form and they may be impregnated with resin or not impregnated . they are wound about the outer face of the support 12 so as to form a hub having a generally spherical outer shape in the middle of the hub . this can be obtained with a support 12 formed by a portion of tube of constant section , by winding a greater quantity of fibres around the central region of this tube than around its ends . but the generally tubular support 12 may also have a changing section which is greater in its central region than at its ends , as illustrated in fig3 , in which the support 12 has in its central region an approximately spherical outer shape . the winding of the fibres 13 can then be optimized to have a greater thickness at the ends of the tube because they are subjected to the highest stresses in operation , and have a lesser thickness in the central region which is less highly stressed from the mechanical point of view . as shown schematically in fig3 , it is possible to obtain a thickness of fibres that differs from one region to the other along the axis at of the tube , by modifying the angle of winding of the fibres 13 during the winding operation . thus , in the example of fig3 , the angle of winding is small at the ends in order to form a considerable thickness , and it is great in the central region in order to form a lesser fibre thickness . this can be obtained both when the fibres take the form of a directly wound strand , and when these fibres take the form of a woven ribbon or a strip that is then wound around the support 12 . thus , as can be seen in fig2 , the hub 11 formed by the tube and the reinforcing fibres that surround it , indicated here by reference numeral 13 , has a general shape approaching that of a sphere traversed by a hole which is delimited by the inner face of the tube 12 . this hub corresponds to the body of the bearing or diffusing element incorporated into the arm , and it forms the extra thickness of material making it possible to limit the effect of stress concentration induced by the forces that are applied to the arm by the mechanical shaft passing through the bearing . the tube 12 is for example manufactured with reinforcing fibres taking the form of a fabric preimpregnated with resin , which is applied to a cylindrical part so as to form the tube shape . the tube thus formed is prepolymerized so as to give it a sufficient rigidity to be manipulated and to wind the reinforcing fibres 13 . as shown in fig4 , the hub 11 is then attached to one end of a sleeve 14 so that the tube 12 of the hub extends transversely to this sleeve 14 , this assembly being produced by bonding with resin . this operation can be carried out with an autoclave , for example in two portions , delimiting an inner shape corresponding to the outer shape of the mandrel . the operation then consists in applying , in the semicylindrical region of the autoclave , layers of fabric of preimpregnated reinforcing fibres in order to form the sleeve . the hub 11 is then installed in the corresponding recess of the autoclave , adhesive then being able to be placed in the zones of junction in order to ensure a bonding of the hub 11 at the end of each half - sleeve . a film is then applied to the inner face of the sleeve before establishing a vacuum in order to flatten the wall of this sleeve 14 against the corresponding faces of the autoclave . a heating cycle is then begun in order to prepolymerize the impregnated resin in the layers 13 forming the hub and in the layers forming the sleeve 14 . this heating cycle is adjusted to ensure a polymerization of the resin that is sufficient to give the mandrel 15 formed by the hub 11 and the sleeve 14 a sufficient mechanical strength to be handled for the purpose notably of applying to the outer face of this mandrel several layers of braided reinforcing fibres . as can be seen in fig4 , the sleeve 14 has a generally tubular shape , but its end is advantageously designed to be flared so as to closely follow the approximately spherical outer shape of the hub 11 in the region in which it is secured to the end of the sleeve 14 . other solutions can be applied to form the mandrel . for example , the sleeve 14 and the hub 11 may be manufactured and prepolymerized separately , before securing the end of the sleeve 14 to the hub 11 simply by bonding . when the whole of the mandrel has been manufactured , a sealing test is advantageously carried out so as to ensure that it cannot traversed by resin injected around this mandrel , during a subsequent operation described below . once the whole mandrel 15 is formed and sufficiently rigid , several layers of braided reinforcing fibres are applied successively all around this mandrel and over the whole of its length by means of a braiding machine . as shown in fig5 , the mandrel 15 is then installed in the braiding machine 17 which essentially comprises a ring 18 supporting at its rear face a series of fibre windings such as carbon fibres , supported by movable supports that can rotate relative to the ring . these fibres 19 join together in a region called the braiding point which is situated substantially on the axis ap while being offset along this axis relative to the plane of the supporting ring 18 . in the example of fig5 , the supporting ring 18 is centred on the axis ap , and extends along a plane normal to this axis . when the braiding cycle is begun , the mandrel 15 is moved along the axis ap relative to the supporting ring 18 , which causes the braiding of a boot of fibres on the outer face of the mandrel 14 . several passes are thus made to form several layers of braided fibres surrounding the mandrel 15 over the whole of its length , that is to say around the sleeve and around the hub , each layer having a substantially constant thickness . once the various layers of braided fibres have been applied , the part thus formed , which therefore comprises the mandrel surrounded by the various fibre layers , is placed in a mould such as a mould in two portions that are symmetrical with one another relative to a parting line . each portion then comprises a semicylindrical portion corresponding to one half of the sleeve , and terminating in a recess in which one half of the hub 11 is housed . the resin is then injected so as to completely impregnate the various layers of braided fibres and optionally the wound fibres of the hub , until it reaches the outer faces of the support 12 and of the sleeve 14 so as to ensure the best possible cohesion between the mandrel and these layers , in particular at the hub . this gives an optimal transmission of the forces applied to the hub 11 , to the peripheral layers of braided fibres forming the body of the arm . the sealing of the mandrel mentioned above ensures that the injected resin cannot penetrate the inside of the sleeve that is provided to be hollow in order to optimize the weight of the assembly . this seal is provided by the tubular support 12 and by the sleeve 14 , the ends of the sleeve advantageously having been closed off before assembly with the hub 11 . after injection of the resin , the mould is controlled to carry out a curing cycle which ensures on the one hand the complete curing of the layers of braided composite material 21 surrounding the mandrel and which terminates moreover in the curing of the elements forming the mandrel , that is to say the sleeve and the hub . when the curing is complete , the hub and the layers of braided reinforcing fibres with the resin that binds the assembly form the main structure of the arm or rocker arm . the rough part thus obtained is then machined so as to give the bearing its final shape , as illustrated in fig6 . these machinings consist essentially of two milling operations along the planes normal to the transverse axis at , at the hub . these milling operations therefore consist in removing layers of reinforcing fibres in the regions situated facing each end of the tube 12 so that these ends are no longer closed off . additionally , the ends of the connecting rod are also machined . the inside of the tube 12 can also be bored in order to give it a precise internal diameter corresponding to a predefined tolerance dimension . once the boring of the internal diameter of the tube 11 has been carried out , one or more metal rings may be installed inside this tube so as to accommodate the mechanical shaft passing through this bearing . it should be noted that , in the example of the figures , the bearing is situated at one end of the arm , but the invention also makes it possible to produce in a similar manner an arm or a structural element having a bearing situated for example in its central region . in this case , provision is made for example of two sleeves that are fitted on either side of the hub while being rigidly secured to the latter so as to form the mandrel . the two sleeves may be positioned so as to form an angle relative to one another so that the arm then has a bent shape , the bearing being situated in the bent zone while extending transversely relative to each sleeve . if necessary , one or two other hubs may additionally be attached to the free ends of these two sleeves so as to form a structural element that may comprise two or three bearings .	1
reference will now be made in detail to the present embodiment of the invention , an example of which is illustrated in the accompanying drawing . fig1 is a structural view of an image forming apparatus which is a four - tandem color printer and is an example of an image forming apparatus ( mfp ) of the embodiment . as shown in fig1 , a secondary transfer roller 11 to transfer an image on an intermediate transfer belt 10 onto a transfer medium 12 , and image forming units 20 y , 20 m , 20 c and 20 k of yellow , magenta , cyan and black are arranged along a conveyance direction ( arrow direction ) of the intermediate transfer belt 10 . the image forming units 20 y , 20 m , 20 c and 20 k include photoreceptors 21 y , 21 m , 21 c and 21 k as image carriers . further , chargers 22 y , 22 m , 22 c and 22 k as charging units , developing devices 23 y , 23 m , 23 c and 23 k including developing rollers as developing members and containing developers including respective color toner particles of yellow , magenta , cyan and black and carrier particles , primary transfer rollers 24 y , 24 m , 24 c and 24 k as transfer units , and cleaner units 25 y , 25 m , 25 c and 25 k are provided around the respective photoreceptors . these are respectively arranged along rotation directions of the corresponding photoreceptors 21 y , 21 m , 21 c and 21 k . the respective primary transfer rollers 24 y , 24 m , 24 c and 24 k are disposed inside the intermediate transfer belt 10 , and nip the intermediate transfer belt 10 in cooperation with the corresponding photoreceptors 21 y , 21 m , 21 c and 21 k . exposure devices 26 y , 26 m , 26 c and 26 k are respectively arranged so that exposure points are formed on outer peripheral surfaces of the photoreceptors 21 y , 21 m , 21 c and 21 k between the chargers 22 y , 22 m , 22 c and 22 k and the developing devices 23 y , 23 m , 23 c and 23 k . the secondary transfer roller 11 is arranged outside the intermediate transfer belt 10 so as to contact therewith . a print operation is performed as described below by the image forming apparatus constructed as described above . a toner image of yellow formed on the photoreceptor of the image forming unit 20 y is primarily transferred onto the intermediate transfer belt 10 . a toner image is formed in the image forming unit 20 y . the same process is performed also in the image forming units 20 m , 20 c and 20 k in synchronization with a timing of the toner image formation in the image forming unit 20 y . toner images of magenta , cyan and black formed on the photoreceptors of the image forming units 20 m , 20 c and 20 k are also sequentially primarily transferred onto the intermediate transfer belt 10 . the transfer medium 12 is conveyed from a cassette ( not shown ), and is sent to the intermediate transfer belt 10 by an aligning roller ( not shown ) in synchronization with the timing of the toner image on the intermediate transfer belt 10 . a bias (+) having a polarity opposite to a toner charge polarity is applied to the secondary transfer roller 11 by a power source ( not shown ). as a result , the toner image on the intermediate transfer belt 10 is transferred onto the transfer medium 12 by a secondary transfer voltage applied between the intermediate transfer belt 10 and the secondary transfer roller 11 . a fixing unit ( not shown ) to fix the toner transferred on the transfer medium 12 is disposed , and a fixed image is obtained by causing the transfer medium 12 to pass through the fixing unit . incidentally , here , although the description is made on the example in which the image forming units are arranged in the order of yellow , magenta , cyan and black , the color order is not particularly limited . fig2 is a schematic structural view of an image forming unit 20 of the image forming apparatus of the embodiment . incidentally , the image forming units 20 y , 20 m , 20 c and 20 k of the respective colors have the same structure . as shown in fig2 , a charger 22 , a developing device 23 and a cleaner unit 25 are arranged around a photoreceptor 21 . a toner cartridge 27 is mounted to the developing device 23 . a memory 28 is provided to the image forming apparatus and a memory 29 in which control data is written is attached to the toner cartridge 27 . incidentally , the toner cartridge 27 may be integrated with the developing device and the like to form a developing unit . in this case , the memory 29 has only to be attached to the developing unit . besides , the memory 29 is separated from the toner cartridge 27 or the like and may be separately mounted to the image forming unit . in the image forming apparatus as stated above , readout is performed from the memory on the toner cartridge as described below , and the image forming apparatus is placed into a print operation ready state . fig3 is block diagram of a structural portion in which the readout of data from the memory on a toner cartridge side is performed . as shown in fig3 , a cpu 31 as a processing mechanism of arithmetic control or the like is connected to the respective components of the image forming units 20 y , 20 m , 20 c and 20 k such as the chargers 22 y , 22 m , 22 c and 22 k , the memory 28 on the image forming apparatus side , a temperature and humidity sensor 30 as a measuring equipment , and a display part 32 to display an error or the like , and is connected to memories 29 k , 29 y , 29 m and 29 c of toner cartridges 27 k , 27 y , 27 m and 27 c . fig4 shows a correspondence table of address and information content in the memory 28 of the image forming apparatus , and fig5 shows correspondence tables of address and information content in the memories 29 k , 29 y , 29 m and 29 c of the toner cartridges . as shown in the table of fig4 , the memory 28 of the image forming apparatus includes , for each address , an area ( a001 ) in which an identification code for identifying a machine type is inputted , areas ( a002 - a005 ) in which color codes of the image forming units 20 k , 20 y , 20 m and 20 c are inputted , a measurement data area ( a006 ) in which temperature and humidity data from the temperature and humidity sensor 30 is written , areas ( a007 - a010 ) in which toner control data from the memories 29 k , 29 y , 29 m and 29 c , described later , are written , and areas ( a011 - a014 ) in which standard control data of the respective toners are inputted . as shown in the table of fig5 , each of the memories 29 y , 29 m , 29 c and 29 k of the toner cartridge includes areas in which an identification code ( 00h ), a color code ( 01h ), a data reference destination ( 02h ), a correction coefficient ( 03h ) as a correction value for standard control data , and control data ( 04h - ffh ) corresponding to temperature and humidity are inputted . by the structure as stated above , in the image forming unit , readout of control data , such as a charge amount , is performed as described below . fig6 is a flowchart . as shown in fig6 , a power source is turned on , or a front cover is opened and closed in order to attach a new toner cartridge ( act 1 ). first , readout is performed from the memory 29 k of the toner cartridge 27 k . the identification code is read from 00h of the memory 29 k , and it is determined whether the identification code is coincident with that of a001 of the memory 28 ( act 2 - 1 ). when the identification codes are coincident , the color code k is read from 01h of the memory 29 k , and it is determined whether the color code is coincident with the color code k of a002 ( act 2 - 2 ) when the identification codes are not coincident , the display part 32 display an error to that effect ( act 6 - 1 ), and the toner cartridge is replaced , or a shift is made to a non - recognition print mode in which control data is not read ( act 6 - 2 ). when the color codes are coincident , the reference destination of the control data is read from 02h of the memory 29 k ( act 2 - 3 ). at this time , for example , with respect to the toner stored in the toner cartridge 27 k , when a control condition can be calculated by correcting standard data by a specified correction value independently of the temperature and humidity , the reference destination is the memory 28 . in this case , only correction coefficient is read from 03h of the memory 29 k ( act 2 - 4 ). the cpu 31 calculates the control condition from the standard data of a011 of the memory 28 and the correction coefficient of 03h ( act 2 - 5 ). on the other hand , in the toner stored in the toner cartridge 27 k , for example , when the correction value for calculating the control condition is changed by the temperature and humidity , the reference destination is the memory 29 k . in this case , all the control data of 04h - ffh are read ( act 2 - 6 ). the cpu 31 selects the control condition from the control data based on the temperature and humidity data previously acquired by the temperature and humidity meter 30 and stored in a006 ( act 2 - 7 ). the calculated or selected control condition is stored in a007 of the memory 28 ( act 2 - 8 ). when the color codes are not coincident , an error to that effect is displayed ( act 7 - 1 ), and the toner cartridge is replaced with a correct one ( act 7 - 2 ). similarly , readout from the memory 29 y of the toner cartridge 27 y , storage of the control condition ( act 3 - 1 to act 3 - 8 ), readout from the memory 29 m of the toner cartridge 27 m , storage of the control condition ( act 4 - 1 to act 4 - 8 ), readout from the memory 29 c of the toner cartridge 27 c , and storage of the control condition ( act 5 - 1 to act 5 - 8 ) are sequentially performed . the readout from the memories 29 k , 29 y , 29 m and 29 c of all the toner cartridges 27 k , 27 y , 27 m and 27 c , and the calculation of the control conditions are ended , the image forming apparatus is placed into the print operation ready state ( act 8 ). in the respective image forming units 20 k , 20 y , 20 m and 20 c , the print operations under the respective control conditions stored in a007 to a010 are performed ( act 9 ). in this way , the selection can be performed such that when the control condition can be corrected by the fixed correction value , only the correction value is read , and when not so , all the control data are read . accordingly , a readout time of the unnecessary readout can be shortened . for example , as in the related art , when all control data are read , a readout processing time in each of the toner cartridges 27 k , 27 y , 27 m and 27 c is 1 . 020 seconds , and a total processing time is 4 . 080 seconds . on the other hand , when only the correction value is read , the readout processing time of each is 0 . 060 seconds , and the total processing time is 0 . 240 seconds . accordingly , a memory content is not changed from that of the related art , and the readout time can be greatly shortened . the data readout time can be shortened not only in full - color printing but also in monochrome or monocolor printing . in this embodiment , although the control condition is a charging output and a development bias , and the measurement data is the temperature and humidity , no limitation is made to this . for example , the control condition may be a laser output , and the measurement data may be the temperature and humidity . besides , the control data is made a correction value for the standard data dependent on the measurement data , and the control condition may be calculated by the correction value selected based on the measurement data . incidentally , by reading intrinsic data of the toner cartridge , such as a serial number of the toner cartridge , it can be determined whether the toner cartridge is a new toner cartridge or is not changed ( the same as the toner cartridge at the last printing ). when the intrinsic data is coincident with previously read intrinsic data ( the same toner cartridge ), the correction data is not read , and the control condition stored in a007 of the memory of each toner cartridge can be used as it is . by this , the readout time can be further shortened . while certain embodiments have been described , these embodiments have been presented by way of example only , and are not intended to limit the scope of the inventions . indeed , the novel embodiments described herein may be embodied in a variety of other forms ; furthermore , various omission , substitutions and changes in the form of the embodiments described herein may be made without departing from the spirit of the inventions . the accompanying claims and their equivalents are intended to cover such forms or modifications as would fall within the scope and spirit of the inventions .	6
the present invention provides a laser writing system that includes a laser system . the laser system includes an oscillator system or an oscillator / amplifier system . the oscillator / amplifier system is similar to the oscillator system but includes one or more amplifiers . the oscillator and oscillator / amplifier systems can be coupled with second , third , fourth and fifth harmonic generators . a second harmonic generator can be used alone with the oscillator and oscillator / amplifier systems and in various combinations with third , fourth and fifth harmonic generators . additionally , the harmonic generators can be coupled with an opo . the opo can be pumped by a fundamental beam from an oscillator or from the harmonic generators . an output of the opo can be mixed with the harmonic generators to generate a variable wavelength source . in one embodiment , the oscillator system includes an nd : yvo 4 gain media and is mode locked by a multiple quantum well absorber . in a specific embodiment of this oscillator system , the oscillator is pumped by a single fiber - coupled diode bar that provides 13 watts of pump power incident on the nd : yvo 4 gain media , and typically produces 5 - 6 watts of 5 - 15 picosecond pulses at 80 mhz repetition rate . in another embodiment , an oscillator / amplifier system includes an nd : yvo 4 gain media mode locked by a multiple quantum well absorber , a double pass amplifier and two single pass amplifiers . each of the amplifiers has an nd : yvo 4 gain media and is pumped by two fiber - coupled diode pump sources . this oscillator / amplifier system produces 25 - 30 watts of 5 - 15 picosecond pulses at 80 mhz repetition rate . the oscillator and oscillator / amplifier systems can be mode locked with a multiple quantum well saturable absorber , a non - linear mirror mode locking method , a polarization coupled mode locking method or other mode locking techniques , including but not limited to use of an ao modulator . an example of a quantum well saturable absorber is disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 5 , 627 , 854 , incorporated herein by reference . an example of a non - linear mirror mode locking method is disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 914 , 658 , incorporated herein by reference . an example of a polarization coupled mode locking method is disclosed in ser . no . 09 / 062 , 057 , filed apr . 17 , 1998 , assigned to the same assignee as this application and incorporated herein by reference . in order to producer shorter pulses and a single output beam the gain media is positioned adjacent to a fold mirror as described in u . s . pat . no . 5 , 812 , 308 , incorporated herein by reference . a high power oscillator system with the performance of an oscillator / amplifier system is achieved by using multiple fiber - coupled diodes and either a non - linear mirror mode locking technique or a polarization coupled mode locking method . this high power oscillator system produces 10 - 20 watts of output power with 4 - 10 picosecond pulses at a repetition rate of 80 - 120 mhz . high repetition rates are desirable for applications where the laser system is used as a quasi - cw source . for some applications , 80 mhz repetition rate is sufficiency high to be consider to be quasi - cw . this repetition rate is achieved with an oscillator cavity length of 1 . 8 meters . when the cavity length is shorted to 0 . 4 meters the repetition rate increases to 350 mhz . referring now to fig1 one embodiment of an oscillator system 10 has a resonator cavity 12 defined by a high reflector 14 and an output coupler 16 . a gain media 18 is positioned in resonator cavity 12 . suitable gain media 18 include but are not limited to , nd : yvo 4 , nd : yag , nd : ylf , nd : glass , ti : sapphire , cr : yag , cr : forsterite , yb : yag , yb : glass and the like . a preferred gain media 18 is nd : yvo 4 . a mode locking device 19 is positioned in oscillator cavity 12 . in the embodiment , oscillator system 10 is mode locked and pumped by a fiber - coupled bar 20 that produces 13 watts of power . oscillator cavity 12 can produce 1 to 6 watts of power nominally at a 80 mhz repetition rate with pulse widths of 5 to 15 picoseconds . optionally included is one or more amplifiers , generally denoted as 23 . an output beam 22 from resonator cavity 12 can be amplified by a first amplifier 24 . a second amplifier 26 can be included . additional amplifiers may also be included to increase power . typically , amplifiers 24 and 26 have the same gain media used in resonator cavity 12 . nd : yvo 4 is a suitable gain media material because it provides high gain in an amplifier . the higher gain of nd : yvo 4 provides a simplified amplifier design requiring fewer passes through the gain media . amplifiers 24 and 26 produce output beams 28 and 30 respectively . amplifiers 24 and 26 can be single pass , double pass and four pass . a four pass amplifier is disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 5 , 812 , 308 , assigned to the same assignee as this application and incorporated herein by reference . oscillator / amplifier system 10 using an oscillator , a double pass amplifier and two single pass amplifiers can provide 30 watts of average power . output beams 22 , 28 or 30 can be incident on a harmonic generator generally denoted as 31 and can include a second harmonic generator 32 . an output 34 from second harmonic generator 32 can be incident on a third harmonic generator 36 to produce an output beam 40 . output 34 can be incident on a fourth harmonic generator 42 to produce an output beam 44 . it will be appreciated that oscillator system 10 can include various combinations of harmonic generators 32 , 36 , 42 as well as a fifth harmonic generator or an opo . second harmonic generator 32 can use non - critically phase matched lbo , third harmonic generator 36 can employ type ii lbo and fourth harmonic generator 42 can use type ibbo . in a specific embodiment , oscillator system 10 includes oscillator cavity 12 with harmonic generation . output beam 22 is incident on second harmonic generator 32 . in this specific embodiment , oscillator system 10 may also include third and fourth harmonic generators 36 and 42 . the output power of this oscillator system 10 is 5 watts at 1064 nm . a harmonic generation system produces 2 watts at 532 nm or 1 watt at 355 nm or 200 milliwatts at 266 nm . in another specific embodiment , nd : yvo 4 is the gain media of oscillator / amplifier system 10 , and 29 watts of 7 picosecond pulses at 1064 nm is produced . the harmonic generation system can generate 22 watts at 532 nm or 11 watts at 355 nm or 4 . 7 watts at 266 nm . in another specific embodiment , oscillator / amplifier system 10 includes oscillator cavity 12 , a four pass amplifier 24 and second harmonic generator 32 to produce 2 watts at 532 nm . this oscillator / amplifier system can pump an opo that utilizes non - critically phase matched lbo as described in kafka , et al ., j . opt . soc . am . b 12 , 2147 - 2157 ( 1995 ) incorporated herein by reference . in another specific embodiment , oscillator / amplifier system 10 includes oscillator cavity 12 , a double pass amplifier 24 and three single pass amplifiers 26 that produces 42 watts of 7 picosecond pulses at 1064 nm . this oscillator / amplifier system can pump an opo using non - critically phase - matched kta and produce an output beam at 1535 nm . the output beam at 1535 nm can be mixed with a 1064 nm beam to provide 11 . 6 watts at 629 nm , as described in nebel , et al ., in conference on lasers and electro - optics , vol . 6 of 1998 osa technical digest series ( optical society of america , washington , d . c ., 1998 ) postdeadline paper cpd3 . 40 watts fiber - coupled bars , commercially available from opto - power , tucson , ariz . can be used to increase the output power of oscillator or oscillator / amplifier systems 10 . the use of an nd : yvo 4 gain media 18 with a doping level of less than 0 . 5 % can also be used to increase the output power of oscillator or oscillator / amplifier systems 10 . the combination of the 40 watt fiber - coupled bars with the low doped nd : yvo 4 gain media greatly increases the output power of oscillator and oscillator / amplifier systems 10 . use of low doped nd : yvo 4 gain media 18 can also reduce the sensitivity of oscillator cavity 12 to misalignment as well as improve the output beam quality from an amplifier 24 or 26 . the use of low doped nd : yvo 4 gain media , a longer nd : yvo 4 gain media as well as a larger pump volume in nd : yvo 4 gain media is disclosed in commonly owned application ser . no . 09 / 199 , 031 , filed nov . 24 , 1998 , incorporated herein by reference . referring now to fig2 output beams 22 , 28 , 30 , 34 , 40 or 44 ( hereafter collectively referred to as output beam 110 ) can be passed through an acousto - optic modulator 112 , which may be controlled by driver 114 , including but not limited to a radio frequency ( rf ) driver 114 . hereafter , oscillator system and / or oscillator / amplifier system 10 , shall collectively be referred to as oscillator 10 . a controller 116 is coupled to driver 114 . controller 116 may include a computer work station that permits the creation and design of different integrated circuits . output beam 110 is directed to a scanning mirror 118 , which directs the beam into a spot 120 on a photoresist coated integrated circuit wafer 122 . in one embodiment , integrated circuit wafer 122 is mounted on a motorized x - y axis movable table 124 that is also controlled by controller 116 and output beam 110 is passed through a lens 125 including but not limited to a microscope objective . focussed laser spot 120 can be on the order of 0 . 7 microns . both the motorized x - y table 124 and output beam 110 are under computer control to expose the photoresist selectively according to information stored in controller 116 . an interconnect pattern of an integrated circuit is transferred from data stored in controller 116 directly to the photoresist layer of integrated circuit wafer 122 . scanning mirror 118 improves the throughput of the system by enabling output beam 110 and focussed spot 120 to be moved rapidly along both the x and y axis . table 124 has a certain amount of inertia and this restricts the ability of table 124 to be moved rapidly along both the x and y axis and increases the overall speed of production by orders of magnitude . scanning mirror 118 is used to deflect output beam 110 in order to produce a selected size spot on the y axis scan line . in one embodiment , scanning mirror 118 is motor driven and moved mechanically . output beam 110 can be switched on and off by acousto - optic modulator 112 . the modulated output beam is then deflected by scanning mirror 118 . this same type of scanning function can be provided by a resonant scanner commercially available from general scanning of watertown , mass . referring now to fig3 and 4 , the deflected output beam 110 then enters a beam expander 126 . in one embodiment , beam expander 126 includes at least two lenses 128 and 130 . output beam 110 becomes an expanded beam 132 . expanded beam 132 can be focussed with lens 125 according to the size , shape , degree of pattern accuracy and level of actinic light exposure . in another embodiment illustrated in fig5 expanded beam 132 is directed at a photoresist - coated workpiece 134 to effect its exposure . relative motion between workpiece 134 and expanded output beam 132 is controlled to produce a desired pattern . the relative motion can be produced in a number of ways including but not limited to , ( i ) movement of oscillator 10 , ( ii ) use of a movable light reflector or refractor or ( iii ) movement of workpiece 134 . in the embodiment illustrated in fig5 a solid surface table 136 carries a mount 138 for oscillator 10 . output beam 110 is directed towards workpiece 134 that is supported on table 136 . three movement tables 140 can be provided for independent translational movement along orthogonal x , y and z axes . two movement tables 142 may be provided for independent rotational movement about vertical and horizontal axes . a fixed lens 144 is used to focus or partially focus output beam 110 into an image on workpiece 134 , which is shown for purposes of illustration only , as spherical . exposure of the photoresist on workpiece 134 is achieved by appropriate computer controlled movement of workpiece 134 through movement of tables 140 and 142 to effect the desired pattern shape , resolution and level of exposure . a controller ( not shown ) governs the distance of workpiece 134 from lens 144 , the angle of incidence of output beam 110 on workpiece 134 . output beam 110 image size and intensity as well as its surface velocity . a beam image on workpiece 134 can be formed in front of or behind a focal point of lens 144 , depending on the size of the spot desired . in some applications lens 144 may be removed entirely . compound lenses and systems of lenses of any geometry may be used for focussing or beam shaping . when required , attenuating filters and irises may also be used in various combinations . the foregoing description of a preferred embodiment 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 forms disclosed . obviously , many modifications and variations will be apparent to practitioners skilled in this art . it is intended that the scope of the invention be defined by the following claims and their equivalents .	6
in this specification , adjectives such as first and second , left and right , and the like may be used solely to distinguish one element or action from another element or action without necessarily requiring or implying any actual such relationship or order . words such as “ comprises ” or “ includes ” are intended to define a non - exclusive inclusion , such that a process , method , article , or apparatus that comprises a list of elements does not include only those elements but may include other elements not expressly listed , including elements that are inherent to such a process , method , article , or apparatus . fig1 shows a section of a magneto - optic structure 10 according to a first embodiment of the present invention . the structure 10 is planar and includes a substrate 11 , a first bonding layer 12 a , a lower mirror 13 , a magneto - optic layer 14 and an upper mirror 15 . the first bonding layer 12 a is used to improve a bond between the substrate 11 and the lower mirror 13 . polarized light 20 enters the structure 10 and passes through the upper mirror 15 to the magneto - optic layer 14 where the polarized light 20 is rotated through a plane of polarization in the presence of a magnetic field applied to the structure 10 . the polarized light 20 is reflected by the lower mirror 13 and passes through the magneto - optic layer 14 for a second time where the polarized light 20 is rotated further before output light 30 exits the structure 10 . the structure 10 places the magneto - optic layer 14 in an optical cavity formed by the upper mirror 15 and the lower mirror 13 . the optical cavity causes a peak in the electric field across the magneto - optic layer 14 and thereby enhances the polar kerr effect in this layer . although fig1 shows the polarized light 20 entering the structure 10 at an angle , it should be appreciated that the polarized light 20 may enter normally ( i . e . at right angles ) to the structure 10 or at any suitable angle of incidence . however , it may be advantageous to have a small angle , for example approximately 7 degrees , in order to separate the polarized light 20 from the output light 30 . fig2 shows a section of a magneto - optic structure 10 b according to a second embodiment of the present invention . the structure 10 b is identical to the structure 10 shown in fig1 with the exception that second bonding layers 12 b are used to bond the magneto - optic layer 14 to each mirror 13 , 15 . in addition to improving a bond between the mirrors 13 , 15 and the magneto - optic layer 14 , the bonding layers 12 b prevent an absorbing layer forming between the mirrors 13 , 15 and the magneto - optic layer 14 . fig3 shows a section of a lower mirror 13 of the structure of fig1 and 2 and fig4 shows a section of an upper mirror 15 of the structure of fig1 and 2 according to an embodiment of the present invention . each mirror 13 , 15 is formed from a number of repetitions x , y of a high refractive index layer 13 h , 15 h adjoining a low refractive index layer 13 l , 15 l . the number of repetitions x that forms the lower mirror 13 is greater than the number of repetitions y that form the upper mirror 15 . the thickness of each high refractive index layer 13 h , 15 h is λ / 4n and the thickness of each low refractive index layer 13 l , 15 l is also λ / 4n λ is the wavelength of visible light of operation , for example , red , green or blue . the materials used for manufacturing the mirrors 13 , 15 are preferably dielectric and preferably crystallize at temperatures higher than temperatures required to crystallize the magneto - optic layer 14 . in a preferred embodiment , the material used for the low refractive index layer 13 l , 15 l is chosen from magnesium oxide ( mgo ), sapphire ( al 2 o 3 ) or silicon dioxide ( sio 2 ). mgo and al 2 o 3 are most preferable as they have strong bonds with dissimilar materials . preferably , the high refractive index layer 13 h , 15 h is chosen from tantalum pentoxide ( ta 2 o 5 ), gallium oxide ( ga 2 o 3 ) or dysprosium oxide ( dy 2 o 3 ) however dy 2 o 3 is the preferred material as it crystallizes at temperatures over 1000 c . the magneto - optic layer 14 is preferably made of bismuth iron garnets , such as bi 2 dyfe 4 gao 12 or cerium iron garnets such as ce 2 dyfe 4 gao 12 . the thickness of the magneto - optic layer 14 depends on a wavelength of operation and is an integral number , m , of half wavelengths of the wavelength of operation . thus the thickness is m ( λ / 2n ), m = integer ( 1 , 2 , 3 . . . z ) determined to provide the required kerr rotation ; an additional third bonding layer 12 c may be used between each high refractive index layer 13 h , 15 h and each low refractive index layer 13 l , 15 l in the mirrors 13 , 15 as shown in fig5 and 6 . the third bonding layer 12 c is used in this instance to prevent the mirrors 13 , 15 from delaminating , cracking and , from absorbing layers forming between the high and low refractive index layers . the absorbing layers can be formed due to diffusion between the high refractive layers 13 h , 15 h and the lower refractive index layers 13 l , 15 l . when second bonding layers 12 b are used , the thickness of the low refractive index material 13 l , 15 l nearest to the magneto - optic layer 14 needs to be reduced to take into account the thickness of the second bonding layers 12 b . similarly the thickness of each low refractive index material 13 l , 15 l used to form the mirrors 13 , 15 needs to be reduced when the third bonding layers 12 c are used such that the low refractive index layer 13 l , 15 l plus the third bonding layer 12 c is still a quarter of a wavelength thick . each bonding layer 12 is a lower refractive index material than each high refractive index layer 13 h , 15 h and may be the same low refractive index material used in the mirror 13 , 15 layers . in a preferred embodiment , the bonding layer is mgo or al 2 o 3 . an additional advantage of mgo is that it may shield an electronic circuit formed in or on the substrate 11 from high annealing temperatures . it should be appreciated that the bonding layers 12 may be of any suitable material that produces a strong bond between the lower mirror 13 and the substrate , between the mirrors 13 , 15 and the magneto - optic layer 14 , and between the high and low refractive index layers , 13 h , 15 h , 13 l , 15 l used to form the mirrors 13 , 15 . furthermore it should be appreciated that different materials may be used in the first , second and third bonding layers 12 a , 12 b , 12 c . the structures 10 , 10 b are manufactured by depositing a first bonding layer 12 a on a top surface of the substrate 11 . this is followed by the high and low refractive index layers and , if required , third bonding layers 12 c to form the lower mirror 13 . the second bonding layer 12 b , if required , is deposited on top of the lower mirror 13 and the magneto - optic layer 14 is deposited on top of the lower mirror 13 followed by another second bonding layer 12 b ( if required ). the last step is to deposit the high and low refractive layers 13 h , 15 h , 13 l , 15 l and , if necessary third bonding layers 12 c , to form the upper mirror 15 . each layer is deposited using sputtering techniques such as rf magnetron sputtering and reactive ion sputtering , however it should be appreciated that other sputtering techniques are available . it should be noted that the second bonding layer 12 b is optional and in this case the mirrors 13 , 15 rely on the low refractive layer 13 l , 15 l to bond the mirrors 13 , 15 to the magneto - optic layer 14 . the structure 10 is then heated to crystallize the magneto - optic layer 14 . each bonding layer 12 promotes a mechanical bond , prevents the mirrors 13 , 15 from delaminating and cracking and prevents absorbing layers from forming at an interface of the mirrors and the magneto - optic layer . similar effects occur when a third bonding layer 12 c is between the high and low refractive index layers 13 h , 15 h , 13 l , 15 l used in the mirrors 13 , 15 . absorbing layers are formed due to the diffusion of material between each layer and the substrate and the use of a bonding layer 12 acts as a diffusion barrier . in use , the structures 10 , 10 b are designed to operate at a required frequency , wavelength or colour . for use in cinema projection , three primary colours are required : red , green and blue . thus the thicknesses of the layers are set according to the wavelength of the chosen colour . nominal wavelengths of the primary colours are shown below : an example of a structure will now be described with reference to the figures . in this example the first bonding layer 12 a material is mgo and the mirrors 13 , 15 are made from alternating layers of ta 2 o 5 ( high refractive index layer 13 h , 15 h ) and al 2 o 3 ( low refractive index layer 13 l , 15 l ). the thickness of the mgo layer forming the first bonding layer 12 a is not important ; however it is typically 15 nm . ta 2 o 5 has a nominal refractive index of 2 . 1 and al 2 o 3 has an nominal refractive index of 1 . 6 at visible wavelengths thus the thicknesses at each primary colour wavelength is calculated according to the equation : thus the approximate thicknesses of each high refractive layer 13 h , 15 h and each low refractive index layer 13 l , 15 l is shown in the table below : if a second layer bonding layer 12 b of mgo is used then the thickness of a low refractive index layer 13 l , 15 l used in each mirror closest to the magneto - optic layer 14 needs to be reduced to compensate for the second bonding layer 12 b . thus if a 15 nm layer of mgo is used then the thickness of the al 2 o 3 will be reduced such that thickness of the al 2 o 3 layer plus the bonding layer 12 b is still a quarter of a wavelength thick at the wavelength of operation . the thickness of the low refractive index layer of al 2 o 3 in this situation is calculated using techniques such as effective media approximation ( ema ). similarly , the thickness of each low refractive index layer 13 l , 15 l is reduced to take into account when a third bonding layer 12 c is used to bond the high refractive index layers 13 h , 15 h to the low refractive index layers 13 l , 15 l in the mirrors 13 , 15 . in one embodiment , the number of layers x used to form the lower mirror 13 made from al 2 o 3 and ta 2 o 5 is 24 and the number of layers y used to form the upper mirror 15 is 6 . the number of layers x is determined such that the reflectivity of the lower mirror 13 exceeds 99 %. the number of layers y to form the upper mirror 15 along with the dielectric materials used in the top mirror is determined to such that the overall reflectivity of the structure is in the range 10 % to 40 %. the thickness of the magneto - optic layer 14 is set according to an integral , m , of the following equation : m = integer ( 1 , 2 , 3 . . . z ) determined in conjunction with the total reflectivity to provide the required kerr rotation in a preferred embodiment , m = 3 thus the thickness of a magneto - optic layer 14 made of bi 2 dyfe 4 gao 12 , having a refractive index of 2 . 23 at 632 nm , 2 . 34 at 532 nm and 2 . 42 at 477 nm is shown in the table below : it should be noted that the exemplary structure 10 may also be presented as : t is a quarter wavelength of ta 2 o 5 ; a is a quarter wavelength of al 2 o 3 ; m is a quarter wavelength of magneto - optic material ( i . e . 3 half wavelengths ); and it should be appreciated that the thicknesses in the examples above have been calculated assuming that the polarized light 20 enters normally ( i . e . at right angles ) to the structure 10 . a person skilled in the art will appreciate that the thicknesses would need to be adjusted depending on the angle of incidence of the polarized light 20 on the structure 10 . some advantages over the prior art may be summarised as follows : 1 ) the bond between the lower mirror and the substrate is improved by using a first bonding layer . furthermore , the first bonding layer prevents the lower mirror from cracking . 2 ) the bond between the magneto optic layer and the lower mirror and / or the upper mirror is improved by using a second bonding layer . furthermore , the second bonding layer prevents diffusion between the magneto optic layer and the lower mirror and the magneto optic layer and the upper mirror . 3 ) the structure is simplified and thus easier to manufacture compared with the prior art . 4 ) the use of a third bonding layer between the high and low refractive layers used in the upper mirror and the lower mirror prevents the mirrors from cracking and / or delaminating when annealed . furthermore , the third bonding layer prevents diffusion between the low and high refractive index layers thus improving the optical performance of the structure . the above description of various embodiments of the present invention is provided for purposes of description to one of ordinary skill in the related art . it is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to a single disclosed embodiment . as mentioned above , numerous alternatives and variations to the present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art of the above teaching . accordingly , while some alternative embodiments have been discussed specifically , other embodiments will be apparent or relatively easily developed by those of ordinary skill in the art . accordingly , this patent specification is intended to embrace all alternatives , modifications and variations of the present invention that have been discussed herein , and other embodiments that fall within the spirit and scope of the above described invention . limitations in any patent claims should be interpreted broadly based on the language used in the claims , and such limitations should not be limited to specific examples described herein . in this specification , the terminology “ present invention ” is used as a reference to one or more aspects within the present disclosure . the terminology “ present invention ” should not be improperly interpreted as an identification of critical elements , should not be improperly interpreted as applying to all aspects and embodiments , and should not be improperly interpreted as limiting the scope of any patent claims .	1
with reference to the drawings and initiating from fig1 to 3 , the safety liner for protecting the tubeless tires on deflation of the present invention is combined with a plurality of predetermined number of identical segments 10 to form a circular configuration 100 ( as shown in fig1 ) fittable to snugly secure to a drop center of a rim . the number of the segments 10 may be even or odd depending upon the diameter of the rim , assuming that the safety liner of 14 inches diameter is required , the number of the segments is fourteen , if the diameter is 15 inches , fifteen segments must be employed and etc . fig1 shows a pair of the foregoing segments denoted as 10 or 10 &# 39 ; which comprises an arcuate rectangular body 11 or 11 &# 39 ; of a roughly i - shaped section , an inversal curved surface 12 formed in a left bottom , an arcuate rectangular receiving space 13 in a right bottom relative to the longitudinal axis of the segment 10 , a first grooved coupling end 14 , a second grooved coupling end 15 alternately formed relative to the first grooved coupling end 14 so that each pair of adjacent segments 10 are engageable , a pair of first thru holes 16 and 16a formed in an appropriate center of the second grooved coupling end 15 registering with a pair of second thru holes 17 and 17a in an appropriate center of the first grooved coupling end 14 . both the thru holes 16a and 17a at each coupling ends 14 and 15 are prepared to facilitate the user using at option in order to have more flexibility in dealing with different depths of the drop center of the rim . the segment 10 further has a pair of first and second vertical threaded recesses 18 and 19 formed spaced apart in the upper wall of the receiving space 13 and a slant threaded recess 28 in a center of the inversal arcuate surface 12 ( as shown in fig9 ). the wedge plate 30 slidably inserts into the receiving space 13 and secured to the segment 10 by appropriate fastening means such as a ramp head screw 61 as shown in fig9 . the plate 30 is generally rectangular in form and has a streamlined surface 31 on underside abutting the outward edge for confronting with the inner surface of the drop center and a pair of notches 32 and 33 of dovetail section facing the inward side relative to the receiving space 13 . the notches 32 and 33 of dovetail section engageable with the shank and the ramp head of the screw 61 so that the plate 30 can be transversely slidable within the receiving space 13 in order to fit any sized rim . a cover means 40 which is made from flexible material such as rubber or plastic has a shape conforming with the arcuate recatngular surface 11 of the segment 10 so as to be firmly attached thereto , a first and a second introversively arcuate side walls 41 and 42 fittable to the lateral protrusions of the segment 10 so that they are fixedly clasping the protrusions ( as shown in fig2 and 3 ). a locking pin 50 adapted to secure between the adjacent segments 10 together during combination , the pin 50 includes a cylinder body engageable into the first and second thru holes 16 , 16a , 17 and 17a , a large diameter round head screw 51 at one end and an annular groove 52 proximal the other end . when combining , engage the second grooved coupling end 15 of a first segment 10 with the first grooved coupling end 14 &# 39 ; of a second or adjacent segment 10 &# 39 ; until making sure that the first thru holes 16 or 16a is aligned with the second thru hole 17 &# 39 ; or 17a &# 39 ;, then , insert the locking pin 50 into the thru holes 16 or 16a and 17 &# 39 ; or 17a &# 39 ; and secure the pin 50 with a c - shaped retaining ring 53 and a washer 54 within the annular groove 52 which will emerges from the other end of the thru hole 17 &# 39 ; or 17a &# 39 ;. because both the first and second grooved coupling ends 14 and 15 are approximately right angled so that the combination of the segments 10 is deemed to be stable . furthermore , the chamfered edges are formed on the upper and lower ends of the segment 10 , there would be no interference acurred between the adjacent segments 10 . fig4 shows a combination of adjacent segments 10 and 10 &# 39 ; by a locking pin 50 . referring to fig7 and 8 of the drawings , an adjustable locking device 70 is formed at the confronting ends of the well combined segments 10 . for the purpose of easier understanding , the segments 10 at that confronting end are axially turned about 90 degrees relative to fig1 and their grooved coupling ends 14 and 15 are respectively reformed and re - denoted as 71 and 72 for cooperating with other components of the device 70 . you &# 39 ; ll see that the thru holes 16 and 16a in the flat portion of the coupling end 71 which is positioned at a first confronting end of the circular liner 100 has been omitted and instead of is centrally formed a longitudinal slot 75 of an inverse t - shaped section . the slot 75 includes an opened outer end and a t - shaped bolt 76 including a threaded central bore 761 embedded into the inner end of the slot 75 and integrated with the coupling end 71 with the narrow upper portion engaged with the narrow portion 73 and a wide portion 74 . whereas the thru hole 17 &# 39 ; and 17a &# 39 ; in the flat portion of the coupling end 72 or of the second confronting remain unchanged for rotatably receiving a locking means 77 which includes a cylinder body insertable into the thru hole 17 &# 39 ; or 17a &# 39 ;, a large diameter semi - cylinder portion 78 having transverse thru hole engageable with the wide portion 74 of the slot 75 , a threaded upper shank 79 on the top center of the semi - cylinder portion 78 and a threaded lower shank 79a , a rectangular nut 80 which has a flat portion 81 , a central bore 81 engageable with the threaded upper shank 79 and a pair of downward bending portions 82 perpendicular to a pair of opposite edges , a first bolt 83 fastening the upper shank 79 with a first washer 84 positioned therebetween , a king screw 85 having threaded shank 86 insertable into the transverse hole 781 and fastened into the threaded central bore 761 of the t - shaped bolt 76 with a second washer 87 engaged therebetween and a second bolt 88 engageable with the threaded lower shank 79a with a third washer 89 positioned therebetween . when assembling , first insert the semi - cylinder portion 78 into the hole 17 &# 39 ; or 17a &# 39 ; and secure by the bolt 88 with the washer 89 positioned therebetween , nevertheless , the semi - cylinder portion 78 is somewhat rotatable in the thru hole 17 &# 39 ; or 17a &# 39 ;, then , draw the confronting ends 71 and 72 together by fastening the king screw 85 into the threaded central bore 761 . this time , sleeve the rectangular nut 80 onto the shank 79 and fasten both the bolts 83 and 88 onto the shanks 79 and 79a respectively with the washer engaged therebetween . so that the semi - cylinder portion 78 is completely restrained and can no longer be swung . if the length of the circular liner 100 needs to adjust again , unfastening both the nut 83 and 88 and the rectangular nut 80 and rotatably fastening or unfastening the king screw 85 and then fastening the bolt 83 and 88 again . referring to fig9 which is a sectional view to show a combined circular safety liner 100 of the present invention mounting up to the drop center of the rim of a tubeless tire . the rim 60 is generally a v - shaped section including a drop center , a first and a second bead flange 62 and 63 for respectively forming the seats for the first and second beads 64 and 65 of a tire 66 . before mounting the circular liner 100 onto the rim 60 , the wedge plate 30 has to be laterally adjusted to conforming with the surface of the drop center . in fig9 it assumes that the circular liner 100 has already been mounted onto the drop center by means of the adjustable locking device 70 in the manner as recited above . note that the tire 66 is normally mounted in such manner that the second bead 65 ( or left side bead thereof in fig9 ) is first engaged in place into the second bead flange 63 and then insert the first bead 64 of the tire 66 in place into the first bead flange 62 . when the beads 64 and 65 are all in place in the rim 60 , the second bead 65 should drop deeper to a position as shown by the broken line . after inflation , the bead 65 will be moved up to a normal place closer to the flange 63 and the introversive arcuate surface 12 of the segments 10 shall be engageable with the arcuate surface of the drop center 61 . if it is not disengageable because of different type of the rim 60 , a cushion runner 67 may be adaptable to remedy the gap therebetween ( as shown in the tilt lines in fig9 ). the cushion runner 67 includes a plurality of recesses formed spaced apart for embedding the retaining pins 68 which are made in registry with the slant threaded recess 28 centrally formed in the introversive arcuate surface 12 of each of the segments 10 . this arrangement facilitates the safety liner 100 of the present invention suitable to any different type of the rims 60 . further , a flat rubber cushion may be placed between the wedge plate 30 and the drop center of the rim 60 ( not shown ) to provide more flexibility and friction hereto for obviating the tire on deflation from damaged on an uneven surface . fig1 indicates a well combined safety liner 100 of the present invention which is composed of a predetermined number of segments 10 which contact with the drop center of the tire snugly at two points ( i . e . the two engaging notches 32 , 33 ) which provide more flexibility to protect the deflated tire from damaged on an uneven surface either . accordingly , the safety liner for protecting tubeless tires of the present invention provides novel features and advantages set forth as follows : a ) the circular liner is combined with a plurality of segments which are of identical shape and facilitate to a massive production and low cost to manufacture , b ) a flexible structure of the safety liner can suite to any different type rims of tubeless tires , c ) two points ( i . e . the two engaging notches 32 , 33 ) attachment between the segment and the drop center of the rim provides greater flexibility to protect a deflated tubeless tire from damaged on an uneven surface , d ) an adjustable locking device to firmly and adjustably couple the confronting end of the circular liner shall be safe and durable , and e ) comfered edges formed on the upper and lower end of the segment will obviate any interference between the adjacent elements . note that the specification relating to the above embodiment should be construed as exemplary rather than as limitative of the present invention , with many variations and modifications being readily attainable by a person of average skill in the art without departing from the spirit or scope thereof as defined by the appended claims and their legal equivalents .	1
in describing the preferred embodiments of the present invention , reference will be made herein to fig1 - 8 of the drawings in which like numerals refer to like features of the invention . referring to fig1 there is shown the completed volumetric sonar array 10 fabricated in accordance with one embodiment of the invention . sonar array 10 generally comprises transducer layers 12 a , 12 b and 12 c , and circuit support layers 14 . circuit support layers 14 are bonded to the transducer layers 12 a , 12 b and 12 c to form the completed array 10 . transducer layers 12 form a two dimensional array of individual transducers 15 . each of these transducers has an operating frequency band determined by the nyquist criteria ; however , it is understood that one could group a plurality of these transducers in a three dimensional region to form a logical transducer having a lower operating frequency band . each circuit support layer 14 includes terminals 16 that are configured to be electrically connected to wires or conductors ( not shown ) to enable transfer of signals to and from transducers 15 in array 10 . thus , other sonar components and systems can receive or transmit signals from or to , respectively , array assembly 10 . the three - dimensional configuration of transducers elements 15 allows formation of acoustic beams in any direction . array 10 can be used for both transmitting and receiving . the construction of array 10 is discussed in detail in the ensuing description . referring to fig2 a , 2 b and 3 , there is shown a portion of one transducer layer 12 having a piezoelectric layer 18 made from a piezoelectric polymer ( such as polyvinylidene fluoride ( pvdf ) or the like ). layer 18 comprises side 20 and side 22 . sides 20 and 22 are substantially the same in construction . either side 20 or 22 can be designated as the positive - polarity side or negative polarity side . for purposes of explaining the present invention , sides 20 and 22 are designated as the positive and negative polarity sides , respectively . it is to be understood that other suitable materials that can achieve the same results also can be used to fabricated piezoelectric layer 18 . such materials include electrostrictive polyurethanes , and polyvinylidene difluoroethylene and polyvinylidene trifluoroethylene . side 20 comprises an electrically non - conductive portion 24 and electrically conductive portions 26 that are formed by electro - depositing adhesive films ( or any other technique known in the art ) onto layer 24 . conductive portions or electrodes 26 are spaced apart and electrically isolated from one another . in a preferred embodiment , conductive portions 26 have the same geometrical shape . in one embodiment , each conductive portion 26 has a generally rectangular shape , includes a first plated through - hole 28 in the upper left hand corner thereof . thus , each plated through - hole 28 is in electrical contact with conductive portion 26 associated with that plated through - hole 28 . a portion of each conductive portion 26 is notched or cut away , as indicated by numeral 30 . a second plated through - hole 32 is located in the notched portion 30 of conductive portion 26 . second plated through - holes 32 are electrically isolated from the conductive portions 26 . in a preferred embodiment , plated through - holes 28 and 32 are configured as copper - plated through - holes . in one embodiment , a photo - etched pattern is used to effect electrical isolation of the second through - holes 32 . in another embodiment , second through - holes 32 are positioned in the non - conductive portion near an associated conductive portion 26 . side 22 ( fig2 b ) comprises electrically non - conductive portion 24 and electrically conductive portions or electrodes 34 . conductive portions 34 are equidistant and electrically isolated from one another . in a preferred embodiment , conductive portions 34 have the same geometrical shape . in one embodiment , each conductive portion 34 has a generally rectangular shape . each conductive portion , 34 includes a corresponding second plated through - hole 32 in electrical contact with the corresponding conductive portion 34 . a portion of each conductive portion 34 is notched or cut away , as indicated by numeral 36 so as to provide space for first plated through - hole 28 . as above , other embodiments can feature different arrangements for avoiding conduction between conductive portion 34 and first through - hole 28 . thus , each conductive portion 26 is located directly opposite , but is electrically isolated from , a corresponding conductive portion 34 . in a preferred embodiment , conductive portions 26 and 34 are arranged in a row - column ( i . e . two - dimensional ) arrangement as shown in fig1 and 2a . thus , each conductive portion 26 and 34 may be referred to by its row - column location . for example , conductive portion 26 a is located at row - column location ( 1 , 4 ). similarly , conductive portion 34 a is located a row column location ( 2 , 2 ). although fig1 and 2a show twelve columns and three rows , it is to be understood that the actual number of conductive portions 26 and 34 required depends upon the particular application for which the volumetric array of the present invention is to be used . in one embodiment , electrically non - conductive portion 24 is fabricated from piezoelectric plastic . conductive portions 26 can be formed by metallic layers that are electroplated or electro deposited on layer 24 . in one embodiment , layer 18 has a length l 1 of about four feet , a width w 1 of about eighteen inches , and an overall thickness of about 0 . 20 inch . however , layer 18 may be configured to have other dimensions depending upon the required number of conductive portions 26 and the particular application for which the volumetric array of the present invention is to be used . layer 18 further includes fiducial marks 33 located on sides 20 and 22 . referring to fig4 a plurality of layers 18 , designated by 18 a , 18 b , 18 c , 18 d , 18 e , and 18 f , are joined together to form a multi - layer transducer 15 . the view shown in fig4 is a partial , exploded view , in cross - section , of one transducer layer 12 . in a preferred embodiment , a z - axis conductive film 40 is positioned between layers 18 a , 18 b , 18 c , 18 d , 18 e , and 18 f to bond the layers together . film 40 serves two purposes : bonding layers together and allowing conduction in vertical direction between layers . this allows conduction between conductive portions 26 as shown by 38 a while preventing conduction between conductive portions 26 and conductive portions 34 having an opposite polarity . other embodiments of this invention can feature other structures known in the art which provide these functions separately or in combination . layers 18 are arranged such that the positive polarity sides of layers 18 b - f face the positive polarity side of the adjacent layer and the negative polarity sides of layers 18 b - f face the negative polarity side of adjacent layers 18 . thus , electrodes having opposite polarizations never confront each other . lines 48 a show the electrical connection of the positive (+) polarity conductive portions 26 . lines , 38 b show the electrical connection between the negative (−) polarity conductive portions 34 . line 38 c shows the connection formed among the positive polarity conductive portions 26 of a different transducer 15 . layers 18 are bonded together such that the rows and columns of conductive portions 26 and 34 of the layers 18 are substantially aligned . although six layers 18 are shown in fig4 it is to be understood that this is merely exemplary and that the actual number of layers 18 and conductive portions 26 and 34 , depend upon the actual application ( i . e ., frequency band ) for which the array of the present invention is to be used . furthermore , the element aperture will also vary according to the frequencies of operation . for example , for relatively high frequencies , the number of layers 18 utilized can be five or six with element apertures on the order of about 0 . 39 inch . lines 38 a , 38 b and 38 c provide conductive joining . referring to fig2 a and 4 , each conductive portion 26 of each layer 18 a - f that corresponds to the same row - column location is electrically connected together via a conductive connector , such as a line 38 a shown in fig2 a . preferably , line 38 a is a conductive path provided by a well known z - axis conductive film ; however other techniques well known in the art can be used to provide this conductive path . referring to fig2 b and 4 , each conductive portion 34 of each layer 18 a - f that corresponds to the same row - column location is electrically connected together via the conductive path 38 b shown in fig2 a . preferably , line 38 b is a z - axis conductive film as discussed above . referring to fig5 and 6 a - c , there is shown circuit support layer 14 used in the array of the present invention . circuit support layer 14 is a single - sided circuit and comprises electrically non - conductive layers 44 . layer 44 has side 44 a and 44 b . in one embodiment , layers 44 are fabricated from kapton ™. circuit support layer 14 further includes conductive portions 48 which are electrically isolated from one another . each conductive portion 48 is positioned so that it is substantially aligned with a particular row - column location on an element 26 on the piezoelectric polymer layer 18 . circuit support layer 14 further includes terminal portions 16 which are attached to or formed on the periphery of circuit support layer 14 . an arbitrary number of conductive terminals 16 allow wires to be attached to the circuit support layer which connects to the conductive portions 26 that are in each column ( see fig1 ). circuit support layer 14 further includes conductive traces 54 . each conductive trace 54 is between layers 44 and extends from a particular terminal portion 16 to a particular conductive portion 48 . side 44 b has no electrically conductive material thereon . preferably , layers 44 are configured from a material that enables the portions of layers 44 having no conductive trace 54 therebetween to bond to each other . since circuit support layer 14 is a single - sided flex circuit , side 44 b does not have any conductive portions thereon . in a preferred embodiment , circuit support layers 14 are used as the outer most layers of the array wherein side 44 b is the exposed side . circuit support layer 14 is just one example of a suitable single - sided circuit support layer that can be used in the sonar array of the present invention . other suitable single sided circuit support layer configurations can used as well . in order to utilize single - sided circuit support layer 14 in the array &# 39 ; s interior wherein conductive portions of the piezoelectric polymer layers 18 ( i . e . conductive portions 26 or 34 ) are on both sides of circuit support layer 14 , two circuit support layers 14 are bonded together using a non - conductive adhesive film so as to function as a double - sided circuit support layer . in another embodiment , double sided - circuit support layers can be used in the interior of the array . in an alternate embodiment , stiffening plates ( not shown ) are attached to circuit support layers 14 to provide structural rigidity . referring to fig7 a plurality of laminate transducer layers 12 and circuit support layers 14 are joined together to form a laminate array assembly 10 . it should be understood that fig7 is not to scale , and the layers may be much thinner than those shown in this figure . an adhesive film 58 is used to bond circuit support layers 14 to layers 12 . in one embodiment , adhesive film 58 is configured as the commercially available z - axis adhesive film which conducts electrical current in the direction perpendicular to the surface of the film . other types of suitable adhesives may be used as well , such as b - stage adhesive films . for purposes of identification and to facilitate understanding of the present invention , the designations 12 a , 12 b , 12 c and 12 d refer to particular transducer layers 12 that are part of array assembly 10 , while the designations 18 a , 18 b , 18 c , 18 d , 18 e , 18 f and 18 g refer to particular ones of layers 18 that are part of each transducer layer 12 . the individual transducers 15 are the combined columns of transducer material layers 18 positioned on a transducer layer 12 . circuit support layers 14 are used as the outermost layers of assembly 10 . circuit support layers 14 are also used in the interior of assembly 10 . as described above , two circuit support layers 14 are bonded together to form a double - sided circuit support layer . a non - conductive adhesive film 60 is used to bond the two single - sided circuit support layers 14 together . adhesive film 58 is disposed over layer 18 a of transducer layer 12 a and bonds circuit support layer 14 to layer 18 a . when circuit support layer 14 is bonded to layer 18 a , the conductive portions 48 are electrically connected to the exposed corresponding conductive portions ( i . e . portions 26 or 34 ) of layer 18 a . similarly , adhesive film 58 bonds the other circuit support layer 14 to layer 18 g of transducer layer 12 c . when the circuit support layer 14 is bonded to layer 18 g , the conductive portions 48 are electrically connected to the exposed corresponding conductive portions ( i . e ., portions 26 or 34 ) of layer 18 g . all positive polarity conductive portions 26 of layers 18 a - 18 g of transducer layer 12 a that correspond to a particular row - column location are electrically connected together and to the conductive portion 48 of the top circuit support layer 14 that has the same row - column location . similarly , all negative polarity conductive portions 34 of layers 18 a - 18 g of transducer layer 12 a that correspond to a particular transducer layer 12 and column location are electrically connected together and to the conductive portion 48 of the bottom circuit support layer 14 that corresponds to that same particular row - column location . together , the positive and negative portions of a single row - column location form individual transducer 15 . columns of layers 18 a - 18 g on layers 12 b and 12 c are joined together in a similar manner to form a plurality of transducers 15 in a three dimensional array . array assembly 10 has a generally planar geometry . however , other geometrical shapes are possible . for example , fig8 shows a sonar array 100 of the present invention which has a generally cylindrical shape . array 100 generally comprises circuit support layers 102 a , 102 b , 102 c and 102 d , and multi - layer array transducer elements 104 a , 104 b and 104 c that are rolled about backing member 106 to provide the cylindrical shape . circuit support layers 102 a and 102 d are configured as single sided circuit support layers and form the outermost and innermost layers , respectively , of assembly 100 . circuit support layers 102 b and 102 c are double - sided circuit support layers . adhesive layers , not shown but similar to adhesive layers 58 , bond the circuit support layers to the array transducer elements . each transducer layer 104 a , 104 b and 104 c is generally the same in construction as transducer layer 12 . however , the precise location or placement of the conductive portions of the layers of particular layers 104 a - c as well as the conductive portions of particular circuit support layers 102 a - d are shifted to account for the overall thickness of array 100 as the aforesaid circuit support layers and transducer elements are rolled about backing member 106 . electronics cavity 108 is located in the center of backing member 106 . in a preferred embodiment , the aforementioned components are wound in a scroll - like fashion in order to achieve the cylindrical shape of array 100 . in accordance with one aspect of the invention , the components described in the foregoing description are arranged so as to provide a volumetric or three - dimensional sonar array . the three - dimensional array elements of the array of the present invention provide a relatively greater spatial operational capability . the utilization of plastic components such as the piezoelectric polymer layers , the thin kapton ™ copper circuit support layers and then the thin adhesive layers provide the individual array layers 12 a , 12 b and 12 c with very wide operational bandwidths , and acoustic transparency needed to form a volumetric array . while the present invention has been particularly described , in conjunction with a specific preferred embodiment , it is evident that many alternatives , modifications and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art in light of the foregoing description . it is therefore contemplated that the appended claims will embrace any such alternatives , modifications and variations as falling within the true scope and spirit of the present invention .	1
flowcharts of the entire software system are shown in fig4 through 12 , and are divided into principle modules . commented pseudo - code for all the modules is shown in the appendix . the appendix sections are divided into modules , and they have the same designations as the figures corresponding to those modules . the program comprises a main program that initializes itself by clearing certain control variables and retrieving from an appropriate source ( s ) the current price for each different issue in the portfolio ( it is assumed for purposes of this discussion that these are the current ask price on the u . s . exchanges , e . g ., nasdaq , nyse and amex ). the primary storage media for all this stock related data can be a microsoft excel spreadsheet . portions of a sample spreadsheet are shown in fig1 . after initialization and loading of stock price data into the spreadsheet , the main program comprises of a simple loop that passes through the users portfolio starting with the first stock and proceeding to the last stock in the portfolio , and performs the calculations necessary to determine a decision for that particular time period ( i . e ., end - of - day ) whether to buy , sell , or hold that stock as well as a recommendation of the number of shares to buy or sell at the quoted ( i . e ., retrieved ) price . fig4 represents the flowchart for the main program , and the code with comments for the main routine is shown in the appendix for fig4 . the principal sub - functions are : calculateadvice ( shown in fig7 ), exponentialmethod_buyadvice ( shown in fig9 a and 9b ), and exponentialmethod_selladvice ( shown in fig1 ( a ) and 10 ( b ) . the steps that are performed by the main routine after the price data has been loaded consist of looping thru the following series of functions ( for z = 1 to nip , where nip stands for number of stocks in portfolio , and cp stands for current price ): this routine invokes a function called autosamplesize ( shown in fig5 ( a ) ) that determines the best sample size for a particular stock &# 39 ; s latest sample set of prices . the determined sample size is stored in an array g_samplesize ( z ) which is the z th stock in the user &# 39 ; s portfolio . the number of stocks in the user &# 39 ; s portfolio varies from 1 to nip , which is a global variable which is an acronym for number in portfolio . the smallest and largest sample sizes in the entire portfolio of stocks are maintained in g_smallestsamplesize and g_largestsamplesize . this sub - function determines the “ best ” sample size to use for all calculations relating to this individual stock . the determination is made by calculating three ( 3 ) moving statistics : mean , variance , and standard deviation for the stock price over the range from g_maxsamplesize stepping down to g_minsamplesize and determining for what sample range its variance is the lowest . the sample size with the lowest variance , yet greater than zero , is defined to be the “ best ” sample , based on the rationale that the least variance represents the smallest difference between the members of the sample and its current moving mean . g_meanprice ( z ) and g_deviation ( z ) can then be set to the calculated moving mean price and the calculated moving standard deviation for this stock using the best sample . the formulas for these calculations are well known in the art . this function calculates an “ exponentially smoothed ” value of the price for each stock in the current portfolio . the current smoothed value ( esmooth ( z )) is checked to determine if it is equal to zero in which case , it is blank and not used , therefore the smoothed value for that stock is set to the current day &# 39 ; s price . if the current smoothed value is not zero , the new smoothed value is calculated as : this subroutine creates the actual recommendation ( buy / sell / hold ) for each stock within the user &# 39 ; s portfolio by iterating through a loop from 1 to nip ( the number of stocks in the user &# 39 ; s portfolio ). the recommendation is based on a set of tests , starting with the “ buy ” test , and if that is false , proceeding to the “ sell ” test , and finally if neither is true , defaulting to the “ hold ” status . if a buy or sell recommendation is made , the routine calculates the percentage of the holding which should be bought or sold and stores it as a decimal number in g_buyadvice ( z ) or g_selladvice ( z ), where again z is an index to the stock entry in the user &# 39 ; s portfolio . the test for “ buying ” is whether the current stock price is less than the mean price ( g_meanprice ( z )) minus the standard deviation of the price ( g_deviation ( z )) and the current price is less than or equal to the exponentially smoothed price for the stock ( g_esmooth ( z )). this second test is an assurance against an incorrect sample size since the smoothed price is independent of sample size and only determined by the value of “ k ”; also , this second test will decrease the influence of older prices in an exponential manner . if either test for buying is false , then the “ sell ” test is performed . the sell determination involves three conditions versus the two in the buy test . the current stock price is greater than the mean price ( g_meanprice ( z )) plus the standard deviation of the price ( g_deviation ( z )) and the current price is greater than or equal to smoothed price for the stock ( g_esmooth ( z )) and the current price is also greater than g_ac ( z ), which is a portion of the broker &# 39 ; s fee plus the share price paid . this last test is to assure that the selling price is profitable , i . e ., greater than the current average cost of acquiring the shares [( total price for shares + broker &# 39 ; s commission )/ shares bought ]. both buy and sell use a positive , absolute value , version of the student &# 39 ; s t - distribution ( equation 3 below ) l buyfactor = abs ( lcp − g _meanprice ( z ))/[( g _deviation ( z )/ sqrt ( g _samplesize ( z ))] when sample sizes are less then 30 elements , the student &# 39 ; s t - distribution will function in place of the z - score and used as the index root . for example : lcp is the current price of the stock ( at location z in the user &# 39 ; s portfolio ) under consideration g_meanprice ( z ) is the mean price of the z th stock ( determined using g_samplesize ( z )). the absolute value of the conventional student &# 39 ; s t - distribution will result in values which could take on any value , but potentially greater than 1 . 0 and less than 0 . 0 are not of interest and are useless . these values (=& gt ; 1 and & lt ;= 0 ) would be useless as a percentage of the current shares held to be bought / sold . the student &# 39 ; s t - distribution is significant , and therefore utilized because it represents the deviation of the individual price from the standard deviation . in order to utilize the student &# 39 ; s t - distribution , to generate a trading percentage , it should be transformed into a value between ( but not equal to ) 0 and 1 . the transform used by calculateadvice is determined as : and results in a value for g_buyadvice ( z ) or g_selladvice ( z ) in the proper range ( 0 & lt ; x & lt ; 1 ) which is then used as the percentage of the current holding to sell or of available cash reserve to buy . in order to keep a running count of the number of buys and sells the two counters : g_embuycount and g_emsellcount , are both initially set equal to zero and only incremented by one in an appropriate manner . note : at the conclusion of the major loop in calculateadvice ( 1 to nip ) each of the stocks will have an associated determination whether to buy , sell , or hold . if it is to buy or sell , a decimal percentage of current holdings is recommended . however , this only represents the first step of the process . what remains is to determine from all of the recommendations for the entire portfolio and the available cash what portion of each buy recommendation to actually execute . if the recommendations are just processed sequentially the earliest portfolio members will consume most of the available cash and the later members may have significantly limited cash available to acquire what may turn out to be excellent investment choices . therefore all of g_buyadvice array should be examined in order to make an appropriate and more reasonable set of buy choices . further analysis of the set of buy recommendations is done by the routine exponentialmethod_buyadvice ( shown in fig9 a and 9b ) the results yield approximately the same amount of available cash to be used for each individual “ buy ” ( depending on the shares to be purchased and the price ). after determining if there are stocks for which a “ buy ” is recommended ( g_embuycount & gt ; 0 ) and that a crisis ( like sep . 11 , 2001 ) has not caused a market plunge ( tested by dividing the number of buy recommendations ( g_embuycount ) by the number of issues in the portfolio ( nip ) and seeing if that result is greater than the “ g_safety ” a constant set by the user , a medium safety limit would be from 0 . 3 to 0 . 7 ) the normal processing can proceed . a loop is executed through the entire portfolio in order to determine the stock with the lowest recommended purchase percentage . this is performed to allocate cash first to those stocks whose purchase price has changed the least and therefore are assumed to require the least attention . the purpose for doing this is so that the portions of each that are not used can be saved for those stocks with larger , thus more urgent , purchasing advice . before a buy can be made , certain “ safety checks ” are made throughout this routine . the primary check is to insure that the current price is not exceptionally low ( a severe drop ) by comparing it to a user defined variable if the default of 75 % of the mean price as a lower limit . a value of 75 % is used here as an example value to represent the user &# 39 ; s choice , which is stored in a variable called “ lbuybarrierwarning ”. normal processing of a buy order comprises invoking the autotradefactor function ( see fig9 ( c ) ) which returns a decimal value that is applied ( multiplied ) to g_buyadvice in order to adjust it based on the amount of unused cash . a second safety check is done here to insure that the value of g_buyadvice does not exceed a preset maximum value ( g_highestadvicelimit ), if it does then the g_highestadvicelimit is used as the value for g_buyadvice . before the “ buy ” can be approved , a check is made to determine if the stock is in a temporary downward trend , indicating that buying should be avoided until the trend bottoms out . this check is made by the function buydown3 ( refer to fig8 ) which will return a value unchanged ( i . e ., not negative ) if the past history contains less then a specified number of “ buys ” ( parameter passed to function ) over a user specific past sample size ( g_buydownsample ). conversely , if there are equal to or greater then the specified number of “ buys ”, the value of buydown3 is set to a negative number indicating to the calling routine to skip that recommended purchase . if the “ buy ” is to proceed normally , the amount of available funds for the buy is computed by dividing the available cash ( g_cash ) by a denominator equal to 2 + the remaining number of “ buys ” to be processed . the slightly increased denominator ( by 2 ) assures that exactly all of the available funds will not be allocated to only the current “ buys ”. before the “ buy ” transaction proceeds to be approved , a check is made to assure that there are enough funds left ( lsegmentedfunds ) to cover the purchase of a single share plus any broker &# 39 ; s fees ( g_broker ). the number of shares , as an integer value , to acquire ( lacquire ) is then computed with these two formulas : the available cash is updated by deducting the cost of this buy ([ shares * price ] plus broker &# 39 ; s fee ) and the remaining housekeeping ( updating of totals , etc .) is performed prior to conclusion of this routine . this function counts backward from the current day , and determines the segment of the past transactions ( until either g_buydownsample is completed or g_buydownlimit number of buys has been found ) are “ buys ”. if there are equal to or more “ buys ” then the g_buydownlimit specifies , a negative value is returned back to the calling statement . this negative return signals its calling statement not to buy because of a declining market . if there are not many “ buys ”, it returns a positive result indicating to proceed with the current buy transaction . this function returns a value which is used to adjust the percentage of the current position to buy ( g_buyadvice ) based on g_cash after calling the function usedfunds ( see fig1 ). the returned value will equal the ratio unless it exceeds certain prescribed limits in this version of the pseudo - code the max is 4 . 5 and the min is 1 . 0 . yet both lmaxlimit and lminlimit can be user specified . this function determines the current value of the entire portfolio while utilizing a boolean parameter which indicates if the true “ profit ” should be returned to the calling routine or not . if profit is requested , the value g_unusedcash is subtracted from the total value before returning . if “ profit ” is not the desired result ( whereby the boolean parameter &# 39 ; s value = false ), then g_unusedcash is not subtracted . the routine first verifies that there are recommended sell transactions to be processed by checking to see if g_emsellcount is greater than zero . a loop passing through the entire portfolio ( from 1 to nip ) looks at each entry to determine if g_selladvice ( z ) is & gt ; 0 and that the user owns some shares of the stock ( i . e ., g_own ( z )& gt ; 0 ). the number of shares to be sold is determined in two steps . first , the autotradefactor function is called to generate a value for g_sellscalar and g_selladvice ( z ) is then multiplied by g_sellscalar ; the result is an adjusted percentage of shares to be sold . a test is made to determine if there are only a small number of shares owned ( g_own ( z )& lt ;= 5 ) in which case they are all sold by setting g_selladvice ( z ) to 1 . 0 ( 100 %). if more than a few shares are held , a second test is made to assure that not too many shares are sold by comparing g_selladvice ( z ) to a constant ( g_highestadvicelimit ) used to prevent excessively large orders from being placed and thereby skewing the portfolio towards certain issues . otherwise the new calculated value of g_selladvice ( z ) is used to calculate lswap the integer number of shares ( out of g_own ( z )) to be sold . before the sell order is made the following tests are performed : first , the number of shares ( lswap ) has to be & gt ; 0 ; and then , the profit to be made on the sale is & gt ; the broker &# 39 ; s fee ; and finally , the cash on hand ( g_cash ) is & gt ; the broker &# 39 ; s fee . if these tests are all successful ( true ), then the sale is placed by notifying the user or brokerage firm via a outputted message or a spreadsheet . the final step in the loop &# 39 ; s processing is to update the various variables ( g_cash , g_own ( z ), g_ac ( z ), and g_emsoldcount ) based on the agreed upon sale . the variable g_ac ( z ) is calculated by the function averagecost . this function calculates the average cost of the z th stock in the portfolio . if this routine was used recently with identical parameters , to save processing time , it will return the previously calculated value . the average cost is based on the transaction type : if a “ buy ” order were completed , then the total cost is based on the total amount formerly paid for the shares held of that stock ( g_totalcost ( z )) plus the shares traded or those now acquired ( lst ) times the current price ( lcp ) in addition to the broker &# 39 ; s fee ( g_broker ); which is then divided by the number of shares ( g_own ( z )) held post the completion of this purchase transaction . if the transaction type was a “ sell ”, then the total cost is based on the former average cost ( g_ac ( z )) immediately prior to this transaction completion times the number of shares held ( g_own ( z )) plus the broker &# 39 ; s fee , which is then divided by the number of shares ( g_own ( z )). this is a function that will calculate and adjust the values to be displayed . note that this comment also applies to “ t19 . updatedisplay ”. it is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above , but encompasses any and all embodiments within the scope of the following claims . variable “ nip ” and all other variables with “ g_ ” prefix are declared global . all stock price arrays have been updated from an online source . lstockindex = 0 this block is where the sequence begins . for g_day = g_maxsamplesize to g_pfl end if g_embuycount = 0 g_emsellcount = 0 call calculateadvice ( ) call exponentialmethod_buyadvice ( ) call exponentialmethod_selladvice ( ) call sumarizeresults ( ) call excel_body ( ) call t19 . updatedisplay ( ) if g_day = g_pfl then this routine will set and call the autosamplesize ( ) subroutine which will deduce the best possible sample size each new price , for each unique stock within the current portfolio . setsamplesize ( ) should be called just before autosamplesize ( ). this will keep autosamplesize ( ) isolated and secure . this order will also maximize the difference between the new price and sample mean because new price value has not yet been added into the current sample . create z as integer = 0 create ltotalsamplesize as single = 0 . 0 for z = 1 to nip this immediately above line of code will call the “ autosamplesize ” function with “ z ”, “ g_minsamplesize ”, and “ g_maxsamplesize ”. when “ autosamplesize ” function ends , it will return the most optimum sample size for the z th stock of the portfolio at this exact time . the results may be completely different than any other result . therefore “ setsamplesize ” routine should be executed each time a new price has been found at regular time intervals and before this new price is added into the current sample . this is proven true since the best moving mean and variance may have altered when the new sample size changed . function autosamplesize ( lstockindex as integer , min as integer , max as integer ) as integer /* see fig5 ( a ) / this function is meant to determine the best sample size for the specified lstockindex within the limits imposed by min and max . this function is meant to be called immediately after each new price is available before its included in the sample . this routine is designed to calculate the current moving mean , variance , standard deviation for each stock of each different sample size . the least variance will determine the best sample size . the mean and standard deviation of the least variance are assigned to the global variables called , “ g meanprice ( )” and “ g_deviation ( )”. create ldayindex , lsamplesize , bestsample as integer create lcp , lsigma , lmeanprice as single create ldeviation as single = 0 . 0 create llowestdev as single = 99999 create lmad as single = 0 . 0 create llowestmad as single = 99999 create lvariance as single = 0 . 0 create llowestvar as single = 99999 if max = g_day then because the denominator of the variance formula is “ n − 1 ” and division by zero is undefined , then the minimum value that we can use should be greater than one . the remainder of this function should only be completed when this is true . therefore the condition statement above tests if this is correct . when it is , then the portion directly below is processed . otherwise processing is skipped down to the “ else ” clause further below . this is the main “ for . . . next ” loop in this routine . this line will count backwards one at a time from “ max ” to “ min ” as “ step − 1 ” illustrates . backwards is advised because the larger the samples size the more reliable the results . during which , each iteration it will assign a new value to “ lsamplesize ”. the above “ for . . . next ” loop is a little different because it also counts backwards from current date ( herein stored in the global variable called “ g_day ”) down through the “ lsamplesize ” to its beginning . still only appropriate sample data will be considered . granted , this could have been done as the others were in the default forward manner , but i chose to do this backwards so that , as i step through , i can watch the variable “ lsigma ” ( two lines below ) increase . with this manner , its operation can be verified to show what to expect for different sample sizes . to illustrate , if i stopped execution of this loop when the index equals 20 and i stepped through while watching “ lsigma ” change , then i would know what it would be for that sample size . yet as i progress onward to the next value , i could note each different ending value of lsigma , which would show the next developing result . however , if this “ for . . . next ” loop was like the others and did not count backwards but forward , then this simple benefit to step through and verify the results would be lost . lcp = g_populationprice ( lstockindex , ldayindex ) lsigma = lsigma + lcp next ldayindex lmeanprice = lsigma / lsamplesize lsigma = 0 . 0 for ldayindex = g_day to ( g_day − lsamplesize + 1 ) step − 1 the above “ for . . . next ” loop also decreases in the same way spoken of above . therefore it illustrates its purpose for those wishing to step through and verify its results . lcp = g_populationprice ( lstockindex , ldayindex ) lsigma = lsigma +(( lcp − lmeanprice )̂ 2 ) next ldayindex ldeviation = sqrt ( lsigma /( lsamplesize − 1 )) lvariance = lsigma /( lsamplesize − 1 ) lsigma = 0 . 0 for ldayindex = g_day to ( g_day − lsamplesize + 1 ) step − 1 lcp = g_populationprice ( lstockindex , ldayindex ) lsigma = lsigma +( abs ( lcp − lmeanprice )) next ldayindex lmad = lsigma / lsamplesize if ( lvariance & lt ; llowestvar ) andalso ( lvariance & lt ;& gt ; 0 ) then when “ lvariance ” is less then the value stored in “ llowestvar ” and also not equal to “ 0 ”, then processing is permitted to continue immediately below . otherwise the next six lines are skipped . this line copies “ lvariance ” value into another variable called “ llowestvar ” for future reference . this particular line copies “ ldeviation ” contents into another variable called “ llowestdev ” for future comparisons . this line is the whole reason why this function was designed ! since the lowest variance represents the least distance each price within the sample is away from its current mean , therefore the risk is least if the current sample size is used . hence , the value stored in the “ lsamplesize ” variable is copied into contents of “ bestsample ”. because our goal is to discover the “ bestsample ” and we have already calculated the “ lmeanprice ” for it , then we should copy that value into the “ g_meanprice ( z )” array to be used later . as with “ lmeanprice ” above , the standard deviation of the best sample size is assigned to the “ g_deviation ( z )” array for future reference as stated above , the most valuable “ lsamplesize ” is stored in “ bestsample ”. therefore the content of “ bestsample ” is moved into this function &# 39 ; s name “ autosamplesize ”. consequently , the purpose of this function is complete . else msgbox (“ error ! min sample size sent to autosamplesize function is to small !”) beep ( ) stop end if the above code portion will notify the user of an unanticipated error . this code segment has never been used because no errors like this have ever occurred or been found . this routine will generate unique advice for each individual stock within the current and prospective portfolio . this routine is meant to be called frequently after the existing price for each stock share is known . generate stock transaction advice . the first condition of the above if . . . then statement , “( lcp & lt ;( g_meanprice ( z )− g_deviation ( z )))” is extremely critical . it tests to see if the current price , stored within the variable called “ lcp ”, of this stock is less than it &# 39 ; s “ g_meanprice ( z )” minus it &# 39 ; s “ g_deviation ( z )”. if the sample size is correct , then this condition alone should be true ˜ 18 % of the time . if this portion is true then the second condition needs to be evaluated . if this first condition is false , the connecting “ andalso ” boolean condition would bypass the second condition and proceed downward since both these expressions should be true to process the block of code immediately below . the second condition “( lcp & lt ;= g_esmooth ( z ))” should verify trend direction . it will also help avoid the undesirable influence caused by an improper sample size . if sample size is incorrect , it may corrupt the first condition , but cannot influence the second condition because “ g_esmooth ( z )” is influenced by the “ k ” factor and not the sample size . therefore , “ g_esmooth ( z )” plays an important role since it will allow older prices to have an exponentially diminishing influence on the current “ g_esmooth ( z )” value . the reason why “& lt ;=” is used instead of just “& lt ;” in the above condition is that we don &# 39 ; t need to be stringent since the lower condition of “( lcp & gt ; g_ac ( z ))” will enforce a profitable trade . this code segment will be discussed in further detail below . it should be reemphasized , that only when both above conditions are true are the three lines below processed . only then will the exponential method advise a buy order . yet when just one of these conditions is almost , but not fully true , the next three lines are skipped and processing will resume with the elseif . . . then statement discussed further below . l buyfactor = abs ( lcp − g _meanprice ( z ))/( g _deviation ( z )/ sqrt ( g _samplesize ( z ))) this is the absolute value of the student &# 39 ; s t - distribution is used as the index root . for example : \|( 1 /\| t \|)− 1 \|̂( 1 /\| t \| t ). g _buyadvice ( z )=\| t \|√{ square root over (\|( 1 / \| t \| )− 1 \|)} this is the second of four challenging lines of this formula investment strategy ( fis ). its key importance is its ability to convert the current price change from its normal value into an effective purchase transaction . please keep in mind that the student &# 39 ; s “ t ” distribution has been stored in the “ lbuyfactor ” variable immediately before using the above formula . the “ t ” distribution plays two parts , one as the radicand as well as the index of that same radical . first , the radicand is absolute value of 1 divided by the t distribution minus 1 . secondly , the absolute value of the “ t ” distribution is also the index of that same radical . the decimal result of this formula is placed in the z th element of the “ g_buyadvice ( z )” array . therefore the z th element would contain , in decimal format , the percent that should be purchased . this change of “ g_buyadvice ” array is further marked by incrementing “ g_embuycount ” by one which was originally set to zero . this will maintain a count representing the number of times a suggestion has been made to purchase shares . maintaining accurate transaction count like this is needed to make sure all suggestions are processed . since the share price has generated purchase advice , then after “ g_embuycount ” is increased , the procedure jumps down to the line below the “ end if ” statement that reads “ next z ”. then , if “ z ” isn &# 39 ; t greater than “ nip ”, processing would jump continue above for the following element of “ z ”. this line is a mirror image of its above accomplice . the only difference is the goal to decide weather or not “ lcp ” is large enough to advise its user to sell some held shares . to this end , it compares the value of “ lcp ” in three conditions . therefore , “ lcp ” should be greater than the “ g_meanprice ( z )” plus the “ g deviation ( z )”, “ lcp ” should also be greater than or equal to the current “ g_esmooth ( z )”, and finally “ lcp ” should be greater than the average amount paid to acquire each share . the unique operational specifications of these above three conditions have been discussed of in the above “ if . . . then ”. therefore , further discussion would reveal no additional details . the unique character of the third condition warrants additional explanation . the condition “( lcp & gt ; g_ac ( z ))” will verify that a profitable transaction can be made . without this test being successfully completed , the user runs a very large risk of having less profitable redemptions . the two previous conditions only evaluate if a transaction should be made for a gainful return but they do not verify profit . yet , this condition alone confirms if it can be profitable because “ g_ac ( z )” was previously assigned the broker &# 39 ; s fee with the share price . details of this calculation will also be discussed in the next few pages . l sellfactor = abs ( lcp − g _meanprice ( z ))/( g _deviation ( z )/ sqrt ( g _samplesize ( z ))) this is the absolute value of student &# 39 ; s t - distribution is used as the index root . for example : \|( 1 /\| t \|)− 1 \|̂( 1 /\| t \|). as described above , this is the last challenging line of this fis . its key importance is its ability to convert the current price change from its normal value into an effective redemption transaction . like above , the t - distribution for the current price is now stored in “ lsellfactor ” variable immediately before using the above formula . please review above formula description as its operation is the same . the decimal result of this formula is placed in the z th element of the “ g_selladvice ( z )” array . therefore the z th element of this array would indicate the percent that should be sold . to signify that “ g_selladvice ( z )” has been calculated , the “ g_emsellcount ” is incremented by one which was originally set to zero . this is completed in the line above . this line is also similar to the one a few lines above that incremented “ g_embuycount ”. sub exponentialmethod_buyadvice ( ) / see fig9 a through 9c / this subroutine will process each peace of stock advice stored in g_embuyadvice ( ) array that was generated above . process embuy advice . static lblockcount as integer = 0 . 0 static lblockindex as integer = 0 const lsafety as single = g_safety create ltempstring as string =“ ” if ( g_embuycount & gt ; 0 ) andalso (( g_embuycount / nip )& lt ; lsafety ) then this begins with a rather simple check to see if we should process the block of code below . the “ g_embuycount ” variable is immediately checked to see if any stocks in the users portfolio that should be purchased . the second condition is a little more complex because its been designed to protect from drastic market drops like those post 9 - 11 - 2001 . when “ g_embuycount ” is divided by the “ nip ”, it ought to be less then the “ lsafety ” in order to proceed . if the user specified a middle value ranging from 0 . 3 to 0 . 7 then this condition should effectively skip those stock &# 39 ; s whose share value are in the process of dropping . yet when only a few stocks are ideal for purchase while others recommend sales , then those purchase recommendations will be processed below as suggested . create y as integer = 0 create x as integer = 0 create llowest as single = 0 . 0 create lrecall as integer = 0 create lcp as single = 0 . 0 create lbuybarrierwarning as single = 0 . 75 create llimit as integer = 3 create lsegmentedfunds as single = 0 . 0 create lacquire as single = 0 . 0 recreate while maintaining g_stocksymbol ( nip ) the array named “ g_stocksymbol ( nip )” re - dimensioned or expanded to the correct size while it current content is preserved . in a similar manner like those above , it &# 39 ; s necessary to step through the portfolio in order to purchase shares of each stock that have an exceptionally low trading value . this time the variable called “ y ” will be used as an index witch will range in value from 1 to the number presently in “ g_embuycount ” and not “ nip ”. “ g_embuycount ” should be used because it contains the number of stocks within the portfolio that are ideal for purchase . since all purchases will be made with the same general cash pool , the results of other strategies will all pull from the same cash source . therefore the first stock to be purchased will use the largest portion of cash reserve . this will cause a large number of shares of that stock to be added to the current portfolio . provestment exponential method does this differently . each stock will use close to the same amount of funds . yet no purchase can use 100 % of this portion because “ g_highestadvicelimit ” limits it . therefore a small portion will remain and will be given back into the universal cash reserve from which subsequent stocks purchase orders will be able to utilize . these small and unused portions do accumulate to large values . hence , the amount allocated as segmented funds increases because no stock uses 100 % of which have been allotted . therefore those with the smallest purchase order should be processed first so available funds will be used by those stocks that require only little attention . unlike those stocks whose current price is significantly lower than normal and should be given greater attention . therefore , those stocks that provestment has determined require more attention are allotted a greater portion of cash reserve since they are the last to be processed . this above block of code will search through the “ g_buyadvice ( x )” array seeking those who have a value greater than “ 0 ” and have the least purchase order . the array index with the least will be assigned to “ lrecall ”. therefore , “ lrecall ” will be the specific array element processed through the remainder of this routine . msgbox (“ warn user ” & amp ; lrecall & amp ; “ stock price is very low !”, 0 , “ warning !”) the purpose of the above block of code will check to see if the current trading value of the stock referenced by “ lrecall ” is not exceptionally low . such price drops can occur because of lack of user attentiveness , company going out - of - business , or some other reason . in such case , the user is warned of this situation . the decimal advice stored within “ g_embuyadvice ( lrecall )” is replaced by “− 2 ”, and processing jumps down to the line labeled with “ nextfor ”. yet when the current price is not exceptionally low normal processing may continue . in this situation , the function called “ autotradefactor ” is used referencing both “ g_cash ” and the value returned by “ usedfunds ( true )” function . the decimal value returned from the function called , “ autotradefactor ” is assigned to “ g_buyscalar ” variable . as seen above in the line of code , this variable is multiplied against “ g buyadvice ( lrecall )” to adjust its value and place it back into “ g_buyadvice ( lrecall )” array element . if this value is larger then “ g_highestadvicelimit ” then it is replaced by “ g_highestadvicelimit ”. this will prevent provestment exponential method from risking over action beyond advised reason . this looks at past transactions to see if they are either “ buy ” or “ hold ” orders . if they are , then the current purchase should be cancelled . if ( g_day & gt ; llimit ) andalso ( g_own ( lrecall )& gt ; 0 ) then lrecall = buydown3 ( lrecall ) if lrecall & lt ; 0 then it is necessary to verify that the current stock referenced by “ lrecall ” is not just experiencing a downward price trend . if it is , then further purchases should be delayed until the price is near its bottom . in this situation , a function called “ buydown3 ( lrecall )” is used to determine the recent past trade transactions of this particular stock . the result of which is assigned back into “ lrecall ” which will be used as an array index . if this index value is negative , it signifies the “ lrecall ” stock should not be traded because its price is in a temporarily downward trend . hence , the value stored in “ lrecall ” is made positive , “ g_buyadvice ( lrecall )” is assigned “− 7 ”, and processing jumps down to “ nextfor ”. this above section of code will determine the amount of “ lsegmentedfunds ” that should be used for this particular stock given the current situation . the denominator of the “ lsegmentedfunds ” formula is slightly larger than it could be to prevent over hording available funds . if the value of “ lsegmentedfunds ” is greater than the “( lcp + g_broker )” then processing continues as normal . when all goes well , the exact number of shares is calculated by multiplying “ lsegmentedfunds ” with “ g_buyadvice ( lrecall )” and finally dividing that result by the current value of “ lcp ”. since only the integer , which is a whole number , portion of this is used the “ int ” compiler function has been selected . however , when the above if condition is not true , the “ else ” portion is processed which assigns “ g_buyadvice ( lrecall )” the value of “− 3 ”. processing then jumps down to the line labeled , “ nextfor ”. only when the above conditions are valid should share purchase be allowed to continue . processing is allowed to continue when “ lacquire ” is greater then zero and the amount stored within “ lsegmentedfunds ” is large enough to afford the current purchase with the broker fee of “ g_broker ”, then processing is allowed to continue below . msgbox (“ buy ” & amp ; lacquire & amp ; “ share ( s ) of ” & amp ; g_stocksymbol ( lrecall ) & amp ; “.”, 0 , “ pv ”) g_cash = g_cash −( lacquire lcp )− g_broker if g_cash & lt ; g_unusedcash then when the situation permits processing to this point , the user is notified via the “ msgbox ” command above and “ g_cash ” is adjusted appropriately . when the amount stored in “ g_cash ” is less then “ g_unusedcash ” then “ g_unusedcash ” is adjusted . g_own ( lrecall )= g_own ( lrecall )+ lacquire g_sharestraded ( lrecall , g_day )= lacquire g_transactiontype ( lrecall , g_day )= 1 g_ac ( lrecall )= averagecost ( lrecall , g_day ) g_empurchasecount = g_empurchasecount + 1 end if the remaining value stored within “ g_own ( lrecall )” is incremented by “ lacquire ”. the “ g_sharestraded ” and the “ g_transactiontype ” array are adjusted as per “ lrecall ” and “ g_day ” index elements . the “ g_sharestraded ” is adjusted to record the number of shares logged in “ lacquire ” while “ g_transactiontype ” will retain this trade as a purchase . the “ g_ac ( lrecall )” is assigned the return of the “ averagecost ” function . this section concludes with “ g_empurchasecount ” incremented by one . next y elseif (( g_embuycount / nip )& gt ;= lsafety ) then lblockcount = lblockcount + 1 lblockindex = g_day open “ blockedpurchase . csv ” for append save blocked statistic information fileclose ( fp 1 ) in reference to the value assigned above in “ g_safety ”, which is assigned to “ lsafety ”, a major market drop should be detected . when it is discovered this “ elseif ” should be processed . this would bypass the procedure to process all advised stock purchase orders stated above . only “ lblockcount ” is incremented by one , “ lblockindex ” is assigned “ g_day ”, and “ blocked statistic information ” is saved . this routine starts by verifying the need through checking that “ g_emsellcount ” has been incremented beyond zero . when it is greater than zero it begins by defining and clearing key variables , which will be used below . the above block of code will iterate through the entire portfolio and each time it detects “ g_selladvice ( z )” is larger than zero and that the portfolio is currently holding more than zero shares , recorded in g_own ( z ), then it proceeds to the lines below . this is similar to a section of code within the “ exponentialmethod_buyadvice ( )” subroutine . here the “ autotradefactor ” is used to calculate a decimal value using “ usedfunds ( true )” and “ g_cash ”. the decimal value is returned and assigned to “ g_sellscalar ”. please note that “ g_cash ” is second and not first as described above in “ exponentialmethod_buyadvice ( )” subroutine . this alteration is critical ! in the second line , “ g_selladvice ( z )” is multiplied with “ g_sellscalar ” its effect will be either increase or decrease its original value . the minimum value returned is specified by user assigned “ lminlimit ” of “ autotradefactor ( )” function . the code immediately above will set and adjust “ g_selladvice ( z )” depending if its new value is beyond the user specified “ g_highestadvicelimit ”. if its value is equal to or larger then “ g_highestadvicelimit ”, then the number of shares is assessed . if only a few remain , for example “& lt ;= 5 ”, then 100 % percent of those few shares will be allowed to be sold . if more then “ 5 ” shares are held of that stock , then only “ g_highestadvicelimit ” portion of them will be allowed to be sold . “ lcp ” is assigned the current price from the current “ g_samplesize ( z )”. “ lswap ” will hold the actual number of shares this system advises the user to sell . therefore it is assigned the integer portion of those shares currently within “ g_own ( z )” and is multiplied against “ g_selladvice ( z )”. this block of code will finally decide if a sell order should be made . when “ lswap ” is greater than zero , and when the profit determined by “( lcp − g_ac ( z ))” is multiplied by “ lswap ” is greater then the broker fee , and if “ g_cash ” is greater then the broker fee , then this sell order proceeds . when it is allowed to continue , the user is advised of this action by the statement within the “ msgbox ” command . g_cash = g_cash +( lswap * lcp )− g_broker g_own ( z )= g_own ( z )− lswap g_sharestraded ( z , g_day )= lswap g_transactiontype ( z , g_day )= 2 g_ac ( z )= averagecost ( z , g_day ) g_emsoldcount = g_emsoldcount + 1 end if the code above will adjust the portfolio as per the actions taken . for example “ g_cash ” is adjusted by adding to it the amount gained less the broker fee . the shares sold are removed from those currently held . “ g_sharestraded ( z , g_day )” is adjusted to record the details of exactly how many shares were traded of what stock on which business day . this transaction type is recorded into the “ g_transactiontype ” array at the “ z ” element . “ g_ac ( z )” is set to the decimal returned by the “ averagecost ” function . one concludes this block of code when “ g_emsoldcount ” is incremented . the content &# 39 ; s of “ g_selladvice ( z )” is replaced by “− 6 ” to avoid it being mistakenly reprocessed to soon . function averagecost ( byval z as integer , byval ldayindex as integer ) as single /* see fig1 / this function is designed to calculate the current average cost of the stock indicated by the z index . it is meant to be called any time . static previous_z as integer = nothing static previous_ldayindex as integer = nothing static previous_return as single = nothing if ( previous_z & lt ;& gt ; z ) orelse ( previous_ldayindex & lt ;& gt ; ldayindex ) then the above conditions verify that this subroutine has not been executed before for this same business day and for this same stock . if it has been used with the same argument values , then the ending results will be the same . therefore this routine would jump down to the “ else ” portion at the bottom of this routine which begins with , “ z = previous_z ”. create lindex as integer = 0 create ltt as integer = g_transactiontype ( z , ldayindex ) create lst as single = g_sharestraded ( z , ldayindex ) create lcp as single = g_populationprice ( z , ldayindex ) create lac as single = 0 . 0 create ltotalcost as single = 0 . 0 create lheld as single = 0 . 0 if the values passed are different , then this routine will proceed . in such case , the above variables need to be defined and their contents assigned . if and when the above “ ltt ” ( transaction type ) variable equals “ 1 ” which would signal a “ buy ” order , as described in the above comment , then three variables are adjusted . first , “ ltotalcost ” has the value of “ lst ” ( shares traded ) multiplied by “ lcp ” ( current price ) and the broker &# 39 ; s fee is added in last . second , “ lac ” ( average cost ) is simply the “ ltotalcost ” divided by the number of shares currently held in the variable array called “ g_own ( z )”. third , the value of “ g_own ( z )” temporary assigned to “ lheld ” because it will be used in a condition below . when “ ltt ” is “ 2 ” to indicate a number of shares from a specific stock were sold , then this block of code will be executed . here the same three variables are adjusted in almost the same manner as in the previous block above . however here the first one , “ ltotalcost ” is not increased but rather decreased to reflect that the user &# 39 ; s portfolio actually holds fewer shares of stock “ z ” since some have been sold . therefore the “ ltotalcost ” of those shares of this stock that remain have not significantly increased much . yet they may have increased slightly if only a few shares were sold and the sole value of the broker &# 39 ; s fee for the last sale is added into “ ltotalcost ”. it is rare but the chance does exist for all shares of a stock to be sold . this has happened before . therefore , in light of such a rare event , this possibility should be accounted for . if what was stated above is true then “ ltotalcost ” could be viewed as equal to the broker fee of “ g_broker ”. so “ lac ” is set to zero , and “ lheld ” is assigned “ g_own ( z )” which should be zero as stated in the above if condition . if a mistake ever occurred and the value stored in “ ltt ” is not recognized by any of the above conditions , then this section will be executed . please note that this has never occurred . therefore it is highly advised for this “ case else ” segment to be removed . at this stage the local variables are assigned to their global counterparts and the local version of the “ static dim ” variables are updated so their values will remain if this routine is called again with the same argument values . this section of code will be executed only if this routine is called to report results of the same argument values . in such case the previous results are simply assigned back into the concluding variables and the function ends . this procedure will prevent purchasing shares of a dying stock . this is designed to be used each time calculateadvice ( ) is executed . create ldayindex as integer = g_day create ltt as integer = 0 create lfound as integer = 0 &# 39 ; this counts the number of past “ buy ”. for lday =( g_day — 1 ) to ( g_day − g_buydownsample ) step − 1 just after this “ do . . . loop ” begins “ lday ” is decremented and “ ltt ” is set to the contents of it &# 39 ; s global equivalent stored in the indexed array “ g_transactiontype ( z , lday )”. when “ ltt ” is equal to “ 1 ”, which is the transaction code for “ buy ”, then one past purchase has been found . hence , “ lfound ” is incremented by one . if and when “ lfound ” is equal to “ g_buydownlimit ” in that case the number sought after has been found and this for . . . next loop should end . the above for . . . next loop is complete when the “ lday ” index has finished iterating through the value stored in “ g_buydownsample ”. this condition structure will determine if the calling routine should receive a negative or positive response . if the past does contain “ g_buydownlimit ” number of pervious “ buy ” transactions then a negative return will be sent to the calling routine . for example if “ z ” was “ 17 ” then “− 17 ” would be stored in this function &# 39 ; s name . if “ lfound ” is less than “ g_buydownlimit ” for this stock , then the value sent back will be returned without being changed . this function will be called from the within either exponentialmethod_buyadvice or exponentialmethod_selladvice subroutines in order to automatically balance either the g_buyscalar or the g sellscalar . / see fig9 ( a )- 9 ( c ) / this routine is meant to be called each time one of those two subroutines is executed . create lfactor as single create lmaxlimit as single = 4 . 5 create lminlimit as single = 1 . 0 if n & gt ; d then this segment of code will be used only when “ n ” ( for the numerator ) is larger then “ d ” ( for the denominator ). if that is true then the result of “ n / d ” will be assigned to a variable called , “ lfactor ”. when “ lfactor ” is larger then the user defined variable called , “ lmaxlimit ” then “ lfactor ” is decreased to the value of “ lmaxlimit ”. yet if “ n ” is not greater then “ d ”, “ lfactor ” is set equal to the user defined variable called , “ lminlimit ”, which in this sample pseudo code is “ 1 . 0 ” as described in the third “ create ” statement near the top of this routine . whatever the results of “ lfactor ” are , they are assigned and returned via the function &# 39 ; s name of “ autotradefactor ” as illustrated in the immediate line above . this procedure will generate the current exponentially smoothed average . this routine will calculate this value for each stock within the current portfolio . this subroutine is meant to be used the instant before calculateadvice ( ) is executed . create z as integer = 0 create lcp as single = 0 . 0 create k as single = 0 . 7 &# 39 ; k factor . . . calculate exponential smoothed average for each stock . for z = 1 to nip in the above line , “ lcp ” is set equal to the current price of stock element “ z ” of “ g_day ”. when “ g_esmooth ( z )” already has a value , then it is readjusted to a new value by using “ k ” portion of its current value , with “( 1 − k )” portion of “ lcp ”. therefore , the new value of “ g_esmooth ( z )” will contain “ k ” portion of its previous value and “( 1 − k )” portion of the newest value . in the above example , “ g_esmooth ( z )” will only be slightly changed to be more like the current value in “ lcp ” by 30 % while “ k ” remains set to “ 0 . 7 ”, and only the two terms above remain as they are . therefore , “ g_esmooth ( z )” will be 30 % closer to “ lcp ” and 70 % of “ g_esmooth ( z )” will reference its past . if “ g_esmooth ( z )” has not been used or is equal to zero , then it is simply set to “ lcp ”. function usedfunds ( byval profits as boolean ) as single / see fig1 */ this function is designed to total the complete value of the current portfolio . however , if “ profits ” is “ true ”, it will subtract the value of g_unusedcash . if it is false , g_unusedcash will be included in the value returned . this routine is designed to be called whenever desired . static lday as integer = 0 static lprofits as boolean static previousreturn as single = 0 the “ static ” variables defined above will retain their values even after this function is complete . therefore the next time this routine is used , it can reference previous results and simply return the same content without executing unnecessary processing time . only when the previous returned values are not appropriate , are these variables declared and set to initial default values . this “ for . . . next ” loop will iterate through each stock within the portfolio incrementing the index “ z ” from “ 1 to nip ”. with each new “ z ” value , a new current value is assigned into “ lcp ” from the “ g_sampleprice ( z , g_samplesize ( z ))” array . finally “ lcp ” is multiplied against the number of shares held as stated by “ g_own ( z )” to arrive at a value stating how much the currently held shares of element “ z ” are worth . this value is added to the current value of “ ltotalreturn ”. when “ profits ” is set to “ true ” then only the explicit gains are desired . in such case , the value of “ g_unusedcash ” is removed from “ g_cash ” and the result is added to the current value of “ ltotalreturn ”. if “ profits ” is not “ true ”, then the value of “ g_unusedcash ” is not removed , and “ g_cash ” is added to “ ltotalreturn ”. since “ lday ” is a static variable whose contents will remain , it will be set equal to “ g_day ”. the “ static ” variable of “ lprofits ” is assigned the passed value of “ profits ” and the function name “ usedfunds ” is set equal to the “ static ” calculated value of “ previousreturn ”. thus if and when this routine is called again for the same results it currently has , then the values within the “ static ” variables will suffice , and they will be sent back without wasting processing time .	6
referring to fig1 - 3 , there is illustrated a pillow 10 having an internal core 12 which may be slightly compressible foam , an inflatable member or the like , and a cover 14 of a suitable finish material , such as a soft foam sheet . the core 12 includes a generally horizontal planar rectangular base 16 which provides a waist and lumbar support assembly 18 and a thoracic support assembly 20 . the waist and lumbar support assembly 18 includes a leading edge 21 of elongate wedge shape to merge smoothly with an underlying bed surface . a head support assembly 22 extends generally perpendicularly upwardly from the base 16 and extends laterally to adjacent the sides 24 , 26 of the base 16 . although the base 16 is illustrated as extending under the head support assembly 22 , it will be apparent it may terminate at a front face 28 of the head support assembly 22 provided the assembly 22 is suitably thickened , i . e . the junction between the base 16 and the head support assembly 22 may be vertical rather than horizontal as illustrated . the upper surface 30 of the head support assembly 22 is preferably horizontal but may tilt slightly to the rear and provides a pair of inclined sections 32 , 34 adjacent the sides of the pillow 10 for purposes more fully apparent hereinafter . the pillow 10 manifestly can be made of different size to accommodate larger or smaller individuals . an additional technique to this end is to provide a removable block 36 in the head support assembly 22 . with the block 36 removed , there is a much shorter distance between the thoracic support assembly 20 and the surface that effectively supports the sleeper &# 39 ; s head thereby providing a simple means to adjust the core 12 to accommodate smaller individuals . extending forwardly from the head support assembly 22 are a pair of arms or panels 38 , 40 that merge with the base 16 or , more specifically , with the thoracic support assembly 20 and / or the waist and lumbar support assembly 18 . the arms 38 , 40 are spaced apart a distance smaller than the width of the sleeper &# 39 ; s shoulders and larger than the thickness of the sleeper &# 39 ; s torso , i . e . the distance from the inside faces of the arms 38 , 40 are less than the width of the sleeper &# 39 ; s shoulders and larger than the thickness of the sleeper &# 39 ; s torso . although the distance between the arms 38 , 40 may vary somewhat , this distance is almost always eighteen inches or less . for a child &# 39 ; s size pillow of this invention , the distance between the arms 38 , 40 is typically less than one foot . the arms 38 , 40 may extend toward the waist and lumbar support assembly 18 for a suitable distance , which may vary considerably . it is preferred that the arms 38 , 40 not be very long in order to minimize any claustrophobic sensations by the sleeper . the arms 38 , 40 taper toward the waist and lumbar support assembly 18 as shown best in fig1 and taper downwardly toward the thoracic support assembly 20 as shown best in fig2 . although the pillow 10 may be made with one arm 38 , 40 on an edge of the pillow , fig1 shows a preferred embodiment where both arms 38 , 40 are spaced from the edges of the pillow 10 in order so the user can sleep on either side . spacing the arms 38 , 40 from the edges of the pillow 10 creates an area between the outside of the arm and the face 28 for the sleeper &# 39 ; s arm to fit . a side ramp 42 , 44 is placed between the outside of each arm 38 , 40 and the face 28 to provide a rest for the forearm of the user . this is much more comfortable for the sleeper when compared to the situation where the forearm rests horizontally on the base 16 . each side ramp 42 , 44 merges with the inclined sections 32 , 34 of the head support assembly 22 thereby providing a long support section for the forearm and hand of the sleeper . the angle of the side ramps 42 , 44 and the inclined sections 32 , 34 are preferably equal to provide a long more - or - less continuous inclined section for receiving the forearm and hand of the sleeper . in small batches , the pillow 10 is made by cutting and gluing blocks of foam material to provide the core 12 which is then covered with a soft foam cover 14 . this approach is very similar to the manufacture of the pillow shown in u . s . pat . no . 6 , 226 , 817 , the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference . when larger production runs are feasible , a mold may be made in which to cast a complete pillow . in the alternative , the pillow 10 may be of an inflatable member which also provides a number of advantages . it will be seen that the foam cover 14 not only provides a desirable surface texture , it also modifies the shape of the underlying core 12 to the extent of providing a rounded pillow 10 as shown in fig3 rather than the angular appearing core 12 as shown in fig1 - 2 . as shown in fig1 , if it is desirable to make a wedge shaped pillow in order to elevate the sleeper &# 39 ; s head , a convenient technique is to make the base 16 of wedge shape or add one or more wedges 46 below the base 16 . in the alternative , a mechanical adjustment may be provided on an underlying chaise lounge type support , as is common in outdoor furniture . use of the pillow 10 should now be apparent . the pillow 10 is typically covered with a pillow case . the sleeper lies on one side , e . g . the right side for purposes of illustration , with the head on the head support assembly 22 in the area of the block 36 . it will be appreciated that the face of the sleeper , or rather the side of the face , is supported either on the top surface 30 of the head support assembly 22 or on a top surface 48 , 50 of the arms 38 , 40 , depending on whether the sleeper is more - or - less straight or is somewhat curled . the sleeper &# 39 ; s right shoulder lies in the corner between the thoracic support assembly 20 and the face 28 of the head support assembly 22 . the sleeper &# 39 ; s right arm , from the shoulder to the elbow , lies adjacent the sleeper &# 39 ; s torso . the right arm of the sleeper can either be straight at the side of the sleeper or can bend at the elbow so the forearm lies on the side ramp 42 with the sleeper &# 39 ; s right hand on the inclined section 32 . thus , the length of the arms 38 , 40 is roughly the length of a sleeper &# 39 ; s arm from the shoulder to the elbow , or shorter . although this invention has been disclosed and described in its preferred forms with a certain degree of particularity , it is understood that the present disclosure of the preferred forms is only by way of example and that numerous changes in the details of operation and in the combination and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as hereinafter claimed .	0
referring now to fig1 there is shown a charged particle beam apparatus in accordance with one embodiment of this invention which can perform ion etching , ion implantation , etc . by using ion beams 17 emitted from a liquid metal ion electron source 25 . the charged particle beam apparatus of this invention is constructed by the liquid metal ion electron source 25 , an e x b type mass separator , an objective lens 26 and a deflection lens 15 . the liquid metal ion electron source 25 is constituted by a needle tip 1 , a reservoir 2 , material 4 for generating ions , a cap 3 for preventing the material from being vaporized , an emitting electrode 5 , an intermediate electrode 6 and a post acceleration retardation electrode 7 . for the purpose of illustration , means for heating the tip is omitted . the e × b type mass separator is constituted by a magnetic path 9 made of e . g . iron , a magnet of a coil 8 for producing magnetic fluxes , and parallel plate electrodes 10 . further , an aperture 11 for blanking is provided immediately below the mass separator to remove unnecessary ions or electrons . the objective lens 26 includes three electrodes 12 , 13 and 14 , and the deflection electrode 15 includes a parallel plate type two - dimensional deflector . the ion beams 17 derived by voltage sources 18 , 19 and 20 are supplied with selected current and voltage from an e × b magnetic field control circuit 23 and a composite circuit 22 of an e × b electric field control circuit and a blanking circuit . the currents and voltage are selected so that only desired ions pass the blanking aperture 11 and are imaged or focussed at a desired position of a sample 16 by the objective lens 26 and the deflection electrode 15 . then , the electric field and the magnetic field are controlled so as to meet equation ( 1 ) the blanking is performed by applying a voltage to the parallel plate electrode 10 so that another kind of ions are not emitted from the aperture 11 . alternatively , the blanking can be performed by the application of magnetic field . however , the electrostatic blanking , which permits a high speed driving , is preferably adopted . in the case where the emission of electrons is intended , the voltages from the voltage sources 18 , 19 and 20 applied with the polarities opposite to those as shown in fig1 . the electrons emitted can be passed through the aperture 11 by controlling the magnetic field and electric field so as to meet equation ( 1 ). this can be implemented by the method of controlling both magnetic field and electric field or the method of controlling the magnetic field with the electric field used for the ion separation being fixed . the electrons passed through the aperture 11 are imaged as a spot at a desired position of the sample 16 by the objective lens 26 and the deflection electrode 15 , which permits the image observation of the sample , analysis thereof , etc . then , since the objective lens 26 and the deflector 15 are those of an electrostatic type , the electrons are imaged or focussed on the same position as the ions . the blanking can be performed at desired timings by controlling the electric field in the e × b type mass separator using the composite circuit 22 of the e × b type electric field control circuit and the blanking circuit . in controlling the magnetic field as mentioned above , it is desired that the influence from the hysterisis thereof is obviated by increasing or decreasing a predetermined reference current to a desired current . alternatively , the influence from the hysterisis of the magnetic field can be completely obviated by applying an a . c . magnetic field so as to gradually attenuate the magnetic field to be converged to a desired magnetic field . thus , the desired magnetic field can be set . one example of implementing the above method is shown in fig2 in block form . fig3 a to 3e show waveforms at the respective parts of the device shown in fig2 . referring now to fig2 and fig3 a to 3e , when an a . c . signal for changing the magnetic strength is sent from a control circuit 36 to a magnetic strength setting circuit 35 , the output voltage v a from the circuit 35 changes as shown in fig3 a . namely , it changes from the ion selection mode to the electron selection mode at a time t 1 . in this case , the electron selection mode operates with the magnetic strength being zero , and when the electron beam being &# 34 ; on &# 34 ;, the electric field must be zero . thus , the optical system thereof is equivalent to that of the ordinary electron beam apparatus , such as an electron beam writing system . the output voltage v a from the magnetic field strength setting circuit 35 is applied to a differentiation circuit 34 nd an adder circuit 32 . in the differentiation circuit 34 , a voltage waveform v b as shown in fig3 b is produced . the output v b from the differentiation circuit 34 is applied , together with the output v c from an oscillator 30 as shown in fig3 c , to a multiplier circuit 31 , which produces an output v d as shown in fig3 d . this output v d is sent , together with the output v a from the circuit 35 , to the adder circuit 32 , thus providing an output voltage v e as shown in fig3 e . this output v e is sent to a constant current circuit 33 to provide a current output having the same waveform as that of fig3 e . this current is applied to the coil 8 . then , the magnetic flux density changes from the state of ( a ) to the state of ( b ) as shown in fig4 . this acts to gradually attenuate the a . c . magnetic flux to be converged to a desired magnetic field strength . although fig3 a to 3e and fig4 explain the shift from the ion selection mode to the electron selection mode , the same explanation can be also applied for the shift from the electron selection mode to the ion selection mode or the shift from one ion selection mode to another ion selection mode ; the magnetic field can be changed to implement a magnetic circuit entirely free from the influence of the hysterisis of the magnetic field . further , when , with the magnetic field strength being not zero , the magnetic field meets equation ( 1 ), certain ions can be passed through the aperture 11 . fig2 only shows one example of applying the current waveform as shown in fig3 e to the coil 8 , and other means can be adopted for the purpose . a movably mounted permanent magnet such as a magnet stand may be used in place of the coil 8 to control the magnetic field strength . further , the control circuit may be replaced by computer control . the liquid metal ion electron source 25 may be replaced by an ion source such as a duoplasmatron . referring now to fig5 there is shown a charged particle beam apparatus in accordance with another embodiment of this invention which can be used for ion etching , ion implantation , etc . by using ion beams 17 emitted from the liquid metal ion electron source 25 . in fig5 like reference numerals refer to like elements in fig1 . the charged particle beam apparatus shown in fig5 is constituted by the liquid metal ion electron source 25 , a quadrupole mass separator 43 , blanking electrodes 44 , a beam emission limiting aperture 11 , the objective lens 26 , the deflection electrode 15 and the sample 16 . the liquid metal ion electron source 25 is constituted by the needle tip 1 , the reservoir 2 , the material 4 for generating ions , the cap 3 for preventing the material from being vaporized , the emitting electrode 5 , the intermediate electrode 6 and the post acceleration retardation electrode 7 . for the purpose of illustration , means for heating the tip is omitted . the quadrupole mass separator 43 is constituted by an incidence limiting aperture 40 , quadrupoles 41 and an emission limiting aperture 42 . the blanking means is constituted by the blanking electrodes of parallel plates and the beam emission limiting aperture 11 . the objective lens 26 includes an einzel - lens consisting of three electrodes 12 , 13 and 14 . the deflecting electrodes 15 include a parallel plate type two - dimensional deflector . first , the case when ions are emitted will be explained . the ion beams are emitted from the liquid metal ion electron source 25 by the application of the voltages v 0 , v 1 and v 2 by the voltage sources 18 , 19 and 20 . the ion beams pass the incidence limiting aperture 40 and are incident to quadrupoles 41 . the signals provided by the superposition of a d . c . component u and a high frequency component v coswt are applied to the quadrupoles 41 by a quadrupole driving circuit 45 in such a manner that +( u + v coswt ) is applied to one opposite electrodes while -( u + v coswt ) is applied to the other opposite electrodes perpendicular to the one opposite electrodes ; this application is made while maintaining the u / v ratio constant so that charged beams having a particular mass can pass the emission limiting aperture 42 . thus , only certain ion beams pass the separator 43 while the remaining ion beams diverge or oscillate in the quadrupoles 41 and are trapped by the walls of the quadrupoles 41 or the beam emission limiting aperture 42 . the ion beams 17 passed through the separator 43 are modulated at desired timings by the blanking electrodes 44 by control of the blanking circuit 46 which controls the blanking voltage to be zero for beam - on and several ten volts for beam - off and incident to the objective lens 26 . further , the ion beams are focussed or imaged at a desired position on the sample 16 by the deflecting electrodes 15 for the purpose of ion etching , ion implantation , etc . electrons are emitted from the liquid metal ion electron source 25 by reversing the respective polarities of the voltage sources 18 , 19 and 20 . the electrons thus emitted are incident to the quadrupole mass separator 43 . the electrons , which travel at a higher speed than the ions , pass the emission limiting aperture 42 without being almost subjected to the mass separation when the voltages of ±( u + v coswt ) are applied to the quadrupoles 41 , and are incident to the blanking electrode 44 . the electrons modulated at desired timings by the blanking electrode 44 are focussed on a desired position of the sample through the objective lens 26 and the deflecting electrodes 15 . incidentally , it is desired that the signal to be applied to the quadrupole mass separator 43 is zero volt since in this case the electrons are not entirely influenced . the control circuit including a power source may be replaced by computer control ( including software control ). in accordance with this embodiment , it is possible to provide both ions and electrons in the same optical system , and also provide those minute beams which are not entirely influenced from the leaked magnetic field of a magnetic circuit since the magnetic circuit is not used for the selection of certain ions or electrons unlike the prior art . in accordance with this invention , in addition to providing ions and electrons in the same optical system , the following meritorious effects are obtained . ( 1 ) certain ions and electrons are alternately and individually emitted from the same source so that the respective properties thereof can be employed to realize a high performance charged particle beam apparatus . ( 2 ) because of the above effect ( 1 ), sample milling and analysis can be performed using the emitted ions and also sem ( scanning electron microscopic ) images can be provided using the emitted electron beams . thereupon , without any injury and with high accuracy , the positions to be milled and analyzed can be determined and the shape can be observed . ( 3 ) three dimensional observation and three dimensional analysis can be performed by means of alternate use of the ions and electrons . ( 4 ) the apparatus of this invention can be used for circuit diagnosis . namely , by making holes in the electrodes , etc . below surface layers through ion etching and irradiating electron probes , the performance estimation of elements can be performed and the poor - bit relief can be modified . ( 5 ) the apparatus in accordance with this invention can be applied to a maskless ion implantation device having electron beam alignment function , etc .	7
fig1 shows a processor complex of a symmetric multiprocessing ( smp ) system . smp systems in general have wide application , such as in high - performance general - purpose or special - purpose computing systems and complex embedded computing systems . below is described one particular type of smp system , which is a hardware interface module of a data storage system . the processor complex of fig1 includes a plurality of processors 10 ( e . g ., 10 - 1 , 10 - 2 , . . . , 10 - n as shown ) coupled to memory 12 . the memory 12 includes shared memory 14 which is accessible by all the processors 10 , as well as a plurality of private memories 16 ( e . g . 16 - 1 , 16 - 2 , . . . , 16 - n as shown ) each accessible to only a corresponding processor . the memory 12 may be implemented in a variety of fashions . it may be convenient , for example , to utilize a single physical memory structure with logical ( e . g ., address - based ) partitions to define the shared memory 14 and individual memories 16 as respective memory regions . alternatively , it may be desirable in some embodiments to utilize separate physical memory structures for each of the private memories 16 as well as the shared memory 14 . generally , an smp system utilizes the individual processors 10 as resources that can be assigned to perform processing for a single set of tasks or processes defined in the system . in other words , there is one instance of an operating system defined in the multiprocessing system , along with one set of processes that are to be executed by the multiprocessing system . these processes are executed by the processors 10 in a dynamic fashion . theoretically , at any given time any of the processes might be executing on any of the processors 10 . in some systems , there may be mechanisms in place that restrict which processes can run on which processors 10 for any of a variety of reasons . however , in the most general sense smp involves treating the processors 10 as a pool of resources that can be freely assigned as necessary to the set of processes that are active in the system . the smp system employs a software task called a “ scheduler ” as part of the operating system to coherently assign processing tasks among the processors 10 . in the arrangement of fig1 , the scheduler is realized as a set of distributed identical or “ symmetric ” schedulers 18 ( e . g . 18 - 1 , 18 - 2 , . . . , 18 - n as shown ). each scheduler 18 is executed by , and performs scheduling for , the corresponding processor 10 , i . e ., scheduler 18 - 1 is executed by processor 10 - 1 , scheduler 18 - 2 by processor 10 - 2 , etc . each scheduler 18 has access to a scheduling data structure 20 and a lock 22 residing in the shared memory 14 . the structure and use of the scheduling data structure 20 are described below . the lock 22 is usually a simple binary variable on which an atomic “ test and set ” operation can be performed , as known in the art . each scheduler 18 includes routines for accessing the lock 22 to either “ set ” or “ clear ” it . when a scheduler 18 successfully sets the lock 22 , that scheduler 18 obtains exclusive access to the scheduling data structure 20 ( i . e ., exclusive of the other schedulers 18 ). when a scheduler 18 clears the lock 22 , it has relinquished such exclusive access such that another scheduler 18 can thereafter obtain exclusive access by setting the lock 22 . there are a variety of mechanisms by which the lock 22 can be controlled and used . for purposes of the present description , it is assumed that a so - called “ spin lock ” technique is utilized in which a scheduler 18 , upon finding the lock 22 set by another scheduler 18 at a time it is attempting to set the lock 22 , simply loops until the other scheduler 18 clears the lock 22 , at which time the looping ( or spinning ) scheduler 18 can successfully set the lock 22 . other lock methods may also be used . with spin locks and other lock mechanisms , it is necessary to incorporate some type of starvation - avoidance technique to ensure that no scheduler 18 will be systematically prevented from setting the lock 22 for any significant period of time . such starvation - avoidance techniques are generally known in the art . fig2 shows the contents and structure of the scheduling data structure 20 . for each process that is active in the smp system , there is corresponding process execution state information 24 ( e . g ., 24 - 1 , 24 - 2 , . . . , 24 - m as shown , where m is the number of active processes ). in the illustrated embodiment , the collection of per - process state information 24 is organized as a circular array to facilitate “ round robin ” scheduling , as described below . the set of possible process execution states is generally a function of the type of operating system and the processor architecture . in one embodiment particularly suitable for embedded systems , the powerpc ® processor architecture may be employed . for purposes of the present description , three potential process states are of interest , and these are referred to herein as follows : the “ executing ” state means that the process is already executing on another processor 16 . the “ executable ” state occurs , for example , when an input / output operation or similar blocking event has been completed but the blocked process has not yet been selected for execution by a processor 10 . the “ not executable ” state can occur , for example , when a process is blocked waiting for an input / output or other operation to complete . the schedulers 18 ignore any processes in the executing state and any in the not executable state for purposes of selecting a process to be executed next . when activated , each scheduler 18 chooses from among the executable processes to identify a process to be executed on the corresponding process 10 , whereupon the selected process enters the executing state . the scheduling data structure 20 also includes a plurality of process pointers 26 ( e . g ., 26 - 1 , 26 - 2 , . . . , 26 - n as shown ), one for each processor 10 . each pointer 26 indicates which process was most recently scheduled for execution on the corresponding processor 10 . in the situation illustrated in fig2 , for example , the mapping of processes to processors 10 is as follows : during each scheduling activity as described below , a given scheduler 18 will generally change its process pointer 26 to point to a new process that has been selected for execution on the corresponding processor 10 . thus the primary purpose of the process pointers 26 is to indicate which processes are being executed by which processors 10 . as mentioned above , in one embodiment so - called “ round robin ” scheduling is utilized . according to this scheduling algorithm , the processes are ordered in a circular fashion and selected for execution according to the ordering . at any given scheduling opportunity ( across all the schedulers 18 ), the highest priority process for execution is the process immediately following the process that was most recently selected for execution , and each successive process has a successively lower priority . thus , a given scheduler 18 looks forward from the current process pointed to by its process pointer 26 to find the next executable process . in alternative embodiments , other scheduling algorithms may be employed , including for example so - called “ weighted round robin ” scheduling as well as other more complex algorithms . it should be noted that the symmetric scheduling approach described herein may be particularly synergistic with relatively simple scheduling algorithms ( such as round robin ) in systems having relatively few active processes and relatively high context switching rates . the general idea of symmetric distributed scheduling is that each processor 10 operates as independently as possible , including the manner in which it assigns processing tasks to itself . in larger - scale systems such as large servers with potentially thousands of process threads , complex scheduling criteria , and a relatively heavy workload per scheduling interval ( e . g ., thousands of machine cycles per scheduling interval ), it may be necessary to employ a complex scheduling system that may not be easily or efficiently decomposed into pieces that can be distributed in a symmetric manner among a set of processors . rather , the scheduling system may be implemented in a more asymmetric fashion that requires some or all processors to synchronize with each other when scheduling occurs , creating a potential performance bottleneck . as long as the scheduling interval is relatively long , as it generally is in such systems , the magnitude of the performance degradation from such asymmetric scheduling may not be significant . in contrast , in systems having fewer processing threads ( e . g ., tens of threads or processes ) and much higher context switch rates ( e . g ., 10 3 to 10 6 context switches per second ), it is beneficial to use a simpler , computationally efficient scheduling algorithm and distribute it in a fully symmetric fashion among a set of independent schedulers such as schedulers 18 . fig3 shows the process performed by each scheduler 18 at regular intervals . it will be appreciated that on each processor 10 the respective scheduler 18 itself must be “ scheduled ”, i . e ., activated to run . although a scheduler 18 may be activated in any of a variety of ways , in one embodiment the scheduler 18 is configured as the default process on the respective processor 10 . whenever an executing process is suspended , either by the expiration of its quantum ( preemption ) or by yielding the remainder of its quantum in some fashion , the scheduler 18 is activated in order to select the next process to receive use of the processor 10 . upon activation , at step 28 the scheduler 18 accesses the lock 22 to obtain exclusive access to the scheduling data structure 20 . as described above , this process involves an atomic operation for testing and conditionally setting the lock 22 . if the scheduler 18 does not obtain the lock 22 , then it “ spins ”, i . e ., repeats step 28 in a loop until it either obtains the lock 22 or some other event ( not shown ) forces it from the loop . when the scheduler 18 obtains the lock 22 , it proceeds to perform a scheduling routine as shown in step 30 . the scheduling routine includes steps 32 and 34 as shown . in step 32 , the scheduler 18 identifies the next executable process according to the scheduling algorithm and the process execution states 24 . in the case of a round - robin algorithm , the scheduler 18 looks for the next sequential process in the ordered circle that is in an executable state . a an example based on the situation shown in fig2 , the scheduler 18 - 1 of processor 1 looks forward from process 3 . process 4 has already been assigned to processor 10 - 2 as indicated by the value of the process 2 process pointer 26 - 2 . the scheduler 18 - 1 thus continues searching in the order of ( 5 , 6 , . . . , m , 1 , 2 , 3 ) for the first process having an executable state . referring again to fig3 , in step 34 , upon identifying a next executable process , the scheduler 18 does the following : ( 1 ) activate the identified process ( i . e ., make it the executing process on the respective processor 10 ). ( 2 ) update the execution state 24 of the activated process to indicate that it is now executing ; and ( 3 ) move the respective process pointer 26 ( e . g ., pointer 26 - 1 for scheduler 18 - 1 , etc .) to point to the activated process upon completing the scheduling routine of step 30 , the scheduler 18 at step 36 accesses the lock 22 to relinquish exclusive access to the scheduling data structure 22 , to enable another scheduler 18 of another processor 10 to perform its scheduling routine . each of the schedulers 18 performs the process shown in fig3 . it will be appreciated that whenever the lock 22 has been obtained by one of the schedulers 18 , any other schedulers 18 that perform their instance of step 28 will spin until the lock 22 is released , at which point one of the spinning schedulers 18 will obtain the lock 22 and proceed to its instance of step 30 . as previously mentioned , the spin lock mechanism of the smp system should provide fair access to the lock 22 by all the schedulers 18 such that no scheduler 18 is “ starved ”, i . e ., prevented from executing the scheduling routine of step 30 for an excessively long period . fig4 shows an exemplary application for an smp processor complex such as shown in fig1 and the symmetric scheduling technique disclosed herein . the application is a data storage system for storing data for a number of host computers ( or simply hosts ). the host computers are coupled to respective host adapters 38 of the data storage system via respective interconnect buses 40 , such as fiber channel or other high - speed storage interconnect buses . the host adapters 38 are coupled to cache and interconnect block 42 , which in turn is coupled to disk adapters 44 . each disk adapter 44 interfaces to one or more storage buses 46 to which a plurality of disk drives ( dd ) 48 are connected . the storage buses 46 may be fiber channel or small computer system interconnect ( scsi ) buses for example . in the illustrated example , these components are part of a storage system component 50 that may include a distinct physical housing . an example of such a storage system component is a symmetrix ® storage system sold by emc corporation . the processor complex of fig1 may be utilized , for example , in each of the host adapters 38 and disk adapters 44 . within each type of adapter 38 and 44 , a set of processes is executed that carry out pertinent operations . within the host adapters 38 , for example , there may be distinct processes that supervise the transfer of data between the respective hosts and the cache and interconnect block 42 , and other processes that perform various kinds of background functions , such as link light level monitoring , inter - board messaging , environmental monitoring , etc . similarly , there may be processes in the disk adapters 44 for functions such as global memory cache integrity testing , disk drive monitoring , inter - board messaging , etc . while this invention has been particularly shown and described with references to preferred embodiments thereof , it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims .	6
the management of a subject in a hospital setting is a complex undertaking . in treating subjects , clinicians are confronted with memorizing and recalling in detail multiple and often complex treatment algorithms . most clinicians use only a small subset of medical care algorithms routinely , yet many clinicians , particularly clinicians practicing emergency and critical care , are expected to remember and correctly perform every step of a medical care algorithm upon request . the ability of a clinician to recall and follow the steps of a medical care algorithm can have a substantial impact in the life of a subject , yet , during a crisis , stress can impair a clinician &# 39 ; s ability to recall , and apply a standard - of - care protocol , particularly if the protocol requires putting into practice steps of a medical care algorithm that have not been used or reviewed frequently . furthermore , during a medical emergency , decisions regarding the care of a subject are often conducted within short periods of time , and therefore require both speed and accuracy from a clinician ( s ) and the clinical personnel treating the subject . clinicians face the challenge of internalizing and recalling several medical care algorithms they are expected , and occasionally required to implement . the system and methods of the invention described herein provide easy and convenient access to a plurality of medical care algorithms at the selection of an icon . a clinician can access , retrieve , acknowledge , and record in a medical record the steps of critical , semi - critical , non - critical , pediatric , and specialty - specific medical care algorithms used in the treatment of a subject , simply by selecting at least one selectable icon provided by the invention . a clinician can also use the system and methods of the invention to access and review a series of standard medical parameters that normally guide standard - of - operation protocols used in routine medical appointments , initial primary care appointments , initial specialty care appointments , acute appointments , subject follow - up appointments , procedure appointments , and appointments with multiple subjects . furthermore , many medical care algorithms currently available to clinicians are designed as study review materials for medical courses , and are therefore not formatted for actual use during a crisis . medical care algorithms designed as study materials can be overly comprehensive , and such algorithms can often be formatted as small booklets , which are hard to navigate . as a consequence , the layout of many existing accredited algorithms is generally not readily applicable for use as a reference in real - life clinical treatments . nonetheless , clinicians do not always have easy and fast access to medical care algorithms , in any format , layout , or design . an anesthesiologist can work in a hospital where , for example , the most commonly used critical care algorithm provided by the advanced cardiovascular life support ( acls ) association , is presented as a flow chart that is affixed as a poster to the wall of a treating room . the same anesthesiologist can also work in a different hospital where the same critical care algorithm provided by acls only exists within a handbook of emergency care provided by the acls . the acls handbook of emergency care can be available in a treating room utilized by the anesthesiologist or not available at all . several medical care algorithms are specialty specific , and there is no uniform organization or presentation format used to provide such algorithms in a clinical environment . a clinician can be familiarized with , for example , the design and format of a critical care algorithm provided to the clinician during residence training , and the clinician can be provided with a different design and format of the same critical care algorithm as an attending clinician . there exists a need to provide the information comprised within a medical care algorithm to a physician in a comprehensible , consistent , concise , clear , easily - available , rapidly available , and uniform credited format . the present invention offers more than efficient access to medical care algorithms , the invention can also provide a check - point system to ensure that every aspect of a medical care algorithm is considered and acknowledged when treating a subject . in some embodiments , the invention further comprises a navigation and an acknowledgement module that allows a treating physician , or another member of a treating clinical team , to navigate different branches of a medical care algorithm . with the selection of an icon , a physician , a physician assistant , a nurse , or a plurality of other members of the treating clinical team can : a ) confirm the methods selected in treating a subject ; and b ) upload the treatment information to a medical record associated with the subject . a physician , for example , working on an emergency medical code in an intensive care unit ( icu ) can use the system and methods of the invention to access a standard - of - care medical algorithm that is relevant in treating the critical care code . the invention offers a structured method to effectively and accurately fill a medical prescription that is associated with a course of treatment outlined by a selected medical care algorithm . in some embodiments , the invention provides an interface to at least one medicine dispensing system . the interface provides a system and method for a physician to submit a prescription to a medicine dispensing machine while consulting the medical care algorithm used in treating the subject . medicine dispensing machines can be found in emergency rooms , operating rooms , doctors &# 39 ; offices , clinics , and other healthcare facilities . medicine dispensing machines , for example , such as those sold by instymeds ™, and pyxis carefusion ™ are becoming ubiquitously present in the hospital setting , and the system and methods of the invention can provide an interface that greatly facilitates the convenience , promptness , and accuracy of filling a prescription . medicine dispensing machines can hold about 100 of some of the most often used medications that can range from intravenously administered pharmaceuticals , oral capsules , to drops to creams . filling a prescription with the system and methods of the invention promotes practicality and speed in the emergent health care setting . in some embodiments , the system and methods of the invention provide an interface to a pharmacy . medicine dispensing machines can offer a plurality of commonly - prescribed medications ; however , some subjects can require prescription medications not offered by medicine dispensing machines . some subjects can require counseling by a pharmacist on the use of a prescription medication . the interface of the invention provides a system and methods for a physician to submit a prescription to a pharmacy while consulting the medical care algorithm used in treating the subject . the system and methods of the invention can : a ) provide an electronic medical record that documents navigation of the medical care algorithm including the use of cpr or shock treatment by a user ; b ) provide an electronic or a pharmacy medical record documenting the submission of a prescription request to a medicine dispensing machine or to a pharmacy ; and c ) provide an electronic or a pharmacy medical record documenting the filling of a prescription request by a medicine dispensing machine or a pharmacy . all electronic records provided by the invention can include a time stamp , which documents the year , month , day , hour , minute , and second , when the electronic record was produced . in some cases , the systems and methods of the invention function as an interface to a separate electronic health record system . the invention allows health care providers to focus their time and energy on treating subjects rather than searching for a medical care algorithm , and similarly allows physicians to focus on health care improvements rather than reviewing medical care algorithms by ineffective means . thus , the invention improves work flow and productivity . clinicians are confronted with memorizing and then recalling in detail multiple and often complex medical care algorithms . a medical care algorithm can comprise a decision tree , a flowchart , a chart , a diagram , a schematic , a computation , a formula , a protocol , a list , a statistical survey , a nomogram , or a table . a medical care algorithm can be used in conjuncture with a medical treatment . a medical care algorithm can be used in conjuncture with a medical lecture . medical care algorithms can be applied in many medical settings , including the diagnosis , treatment / therapy , and prognosis steps of medical treatment . for example , a medical care algorithm can be used to support a physician &# 39 ; s decision regarding a surgical procedure . a medical care algorithm can comprise distinct branches , and a physician can utilize personalized subject information , which can be displayed by the systems and methods of the invention alongside a medical algorithm , to decide which branch should be pursued in treating a subject . a medical care algorithm can comprise any chart , diagram , table , or schematic that supports a physician in recalling and selecting preferred standard - of - care steps in treating a subject . a subject can be , for example , elderly adults , adults , adolescents , pre - adolescents , children , toddlers , and infants . a subject can be , for example , an individual in need of critical care , semi - critical care , non - critical care , emergency care , surgery , or specialty specific care . a subject can be a patient . a medical care algorithm can be accessed by a user on a computer system . a medical care algorithm can be , for example , displayed as a touch screen product . the system and methods of the invention can display on a touch screen interface at least one or a group of algorithms . the touch screen interface can be easily accessed at the site of care delivery , simple to use , and focused on a real - time application of the algorithm . a medical care algorithm can be associated with one , or a plurality of selectable icons . selecting by the user at least one of the selectable icons alerts the computer system that the user selected the selectable icon that was selected , whereupon the computer system searches a medical algorithm database for a medical care algorithm associated with the selectable icon that was selected to provide a selected medical care algorithm , wherein the computer system comprises a processor , and the search is performed by a processor . the system and methods of the invention can display at least a portion of a selected medical care algorithm on , for example , the touch screen device . a plurality of users can access a medical care algorithm using the system and method of the invention . a user can be , for example , a health care provider . a health care provider can be , for example , a physician . in some embodiments , the user is a health care provider attending the subject . non - limiting examples of physicians and health care providers that can be users of the invention can include , an anesthesiologist , a bariatric surgery specialist , a blood banking transfusion medicine specialist , a cardiac electrophysiologist , a cardiac surgeon , a cardiologist , a certified nursing assistant , a clinical cardiac electrophysiology specialist , a clinical neurophysiology specialist , a clinical nurse specialist , a colorectal surgeon , a critical care medicine specialist , a critical care surgery specialist , a dental hygienist , a dentist , a dermatologist , an emergency medical technician , an emergency medicine physician , a gastrointestinal surgeon , a hematologist , a hospice care and palliative medicine specialist , a homeopathic specialist , an infectious disease specialist , an internist , a maxillofacial surgeon , a medical assistant , a medical examiner , a medical geneticist , a medical oncologist , a midwife , a neonatal - perinatal specialist , a nephrologist , a neurologist , a neurosurgeon , a nuclear medicine specialist , a nurse , a nurse practioner , an obstetrician , an oncologist , an oral surgeon , an orthodontist , an orthopedic specialist , a pain management specialist , a pathologist , a pediatrician , a perfusionist , a periodontist , a plastic surgeon , a podiatrist , a proctologist , a prosthetic specialist , a psychiatrist , a pulmonologist , a radiologist , a surgeon , a thoracic specialist , a transplant specialist , a vascular specialist , a vascular surgeon , and a veterinarian . the medical care algorithm could be viewed simultaneously by multiple users . a medical care algorithm can comprise a critical care algorithm such as managment of a ) anaphylaxis ; b ) difficult airway ; c ) supraventricular tachycardia ; d ) pulseless arrest ; e ) malignant hyperthermia ; f ) hypotensive shock ; or a ) massive transfusion . a subject suffering from a critical illness or an injury that acutely impairs one or more vital organ system &# 39 ; s such that there is a high probability of imminent or life threatening deterioration in the subject &# 39 ; s condition can be considered a critical care subject . treatment of a critical care subject can involve complex subject assessment , subject manipulation , and intervention to prevent further life threatening deterioration of the subject &# 39 ; s condition . non - limiting examples of vital organ system failure include central nervous system failure , circulatory failure , shock , renal , hepatic , metabolic , and / or respiratory . a user of the invention can access a plurality of critical care algorithms . a user of the invention can select a critical care algorithm , and a user of the invention can apply treatment recommendations comprised within a medical care algorithm to the treatment of a subject . in some embodiments , a user of the invention can provide an emergency health care service to a subject . in some embodiments a medical care algorithm selected by a user and provided by the invention comprises an algorithm for performing a surgical procedure . in some embodiments , the system and method of the invention provide a medical care algorithm comprising a critical care algorithm . a medical care algorithm can comprise a semi - critical care algorithm such as a ) pulmonary embolism ; b ) pneumothorax ; c ) cva ; d ) acs : e ) local anesthetic toxicity ; f ) hypoxia ; g ) high regional block in ob ; and h ) bronchspasm . a plurality of clinical cases can be interpreted as semi - critical care cases . a plurality of procedures can be interpreted as semi - critical care procedures , even if the subject receiving the procedure is considered to be , for example , in a critical or in a stable condition . common procedures that can be considered semi - critical care procedures , and that can be supported by a semi - critical care algorithm include , for example , treatment of local anesthetic toxicity and elective electrical cardioversion . in some embodiments , the system of the invention can display relevant medical media with the medical care algorithm . for example , a live video from a video laryngoscope used during an endotracheal intubation can be displayed alongside a medical care algorithm comprising an endotrachael intubation . a live video from a video laryngoscope can display a real time example of the relevant cardiac arrhythmia . in some embodiments , the system and method of the invention provide a medical care algorithm comprising a semi - critical care algorithm . a medical care algorithm can comprise pediatric advanced life support ( pals ) care algorithms . management of children often requires distinct medical care algorithms with age and weight specific protocols . for instance , the respiratory rate of an infant can range from about 30 to about 60 breaths per minute ( breaths / min ), of a toddler from about 24 to about 40 breaths / min , of a preschooler from about 22 to about 34 breaths / min , of a school - age child from about 18 to about 30 breaths / min , and of an adolescent from about 12 to about 16 breaths per minute . the sleeping heart rate of a newborn to 3 month old baby can range from about 80 to about 160 beats per minute ( rate / min ), of a 3 month to 2 year - old child from about 75 to about 160 rate / min , of a 2 year - old to 10 year - old child from about 60 to about 90 rates / min , and the sleeping heart rate of an older child can range from about 50 to about 90 beats per minute . to facilitate the management of pediatric patients , a medical care algorithm of the invention can provide pals specific algorithms . pediatric algorithms can include , for example , a newborn resuscitation algorithm , a pals pulseless arrest algorithm , a pals bradycardia algorithm , a pals tachycardia algorithm , and a pediatric bls algorithm . a medical care algorithm can comprise a non - critical care algorithm . a plurality of clinical cases can be interpreted as non - critical care cases . a plurality of procedures can be interpreted as non - critical care procedures , even if the subject receiving the procedure is considered to be , for example , in a critical or in a stable condition . common procedures that can be considered non - critical care procedures , and that can be supported by a non - critical care algorithm include , for example , dialysis , hyperglycemia , bone density scans , treatment of infections , headache treatments , and stress tests for heart disease . for example , the management of hyperglycemia in a hospitalized subject can be considered non - critical . a hyperglycemic subject can be a diabetic subject whose treatment is being governed by pre - established insulin delivery algorithms . a user of the invention can apply a system of the invention to navigate a standard - of - care algorithm with recommendations for the treatment of a hospitalized hyperglycemic diabetic subject . the user of the invention can , for example , read and acknowledge by selecting a selectable icon a personalized recommended dosages of , for example , insulin , that is comprised within at least one displayed portion of the algorithm and that are personalized to , for example , the age , weight , or gender of the subject . a medical care algorithm can comprise specialty or facility specific algorithms . specialty specific algorithms can be specific to a field , or to a sub - field of medicine . specialty specific medical care algorithms can comprise , for example , anesthesia , cardiology , endocrinology , gastroenterology , hematology , hepatology , nephrology , neurology , obstetrics , and a plurality of surgical algorithms . a nephrologist , for example , can treat a subject receiving hemodialysis . the nephrologist can be a user of the invention . the nephrologist can access a specialty specific medical care algorithm describing the standard - of - care in treating a hospitalized subject undergoing hemodialysis . the nephrologist can navigate a hemodialysis medical care algorithm and the nephrologist can incorporate the treatment decisions made while navigating a specialty specific algorithm to an electronic medical record associated with a subject by selecting a selectable icon . in some embodiments , the user can upload the navigating the treatment algorithm . this category can also include facility based information such as color code lists . a system of the invention can also provide access to general practice standards , facility , and procedure based protocols . examples of general practice standards , facilities and procedure based protocols include : a ) basic life support ( bls ) review ; b ) a review of arrhythmias ; c ) crash cart navigation information ; d ) references to protocols ; e ) malignant hyperthermia cart navigation information ; f ) world alliance for patient safety ( who ) surgical safety checklist and implementation manual ; operating room fire prevention algorithm ; and g ) code sheets . a medical care algorithm can be customized to a subject based on at least one parameter associated with the subject . a plurality of parameters associated with a subject can be used to customize a medical care algorithm to a subject . for example , the weight of a subject can be used to customize the dosage of a pharmaceutical recommended as a course of treatment for a condition in a medical care algorithm . a subject &# 39 ; s medical history , such as a history of allergic reactions to a medication , can be used to customize a medical care algorithm of a subject . a system of the invention can be used to access a medical care algorithm from , for example , an emergency room , an operating room , a hospital crash cart , or an ambulance . in some embodiments , a system of the invention is a downloadable application , and a system of the invention can be downloaded to a computer system owned by a health care facility , such as a hospital , or a system of the invention can be downloaded to a computer system owned by a health care provider . a copy of the app could be downloaded and subsequently located on multiple devices operated by a facility . the invention provides one , or a plurality , of medical care treatment algorithms presented in an intuitive , pragmatic , and easily navigable format . a user can access the invention from a computer system and a user can visualize a home icon fig1 of the invention in a display . a home icon of the invention can present a user with the option to access one or a plurality of selectable icons . selecting of a selectable icon can be used as a method to navigate the algorithm . a home icon of the invention can comprise , for example , critical 102 , semi - critical 103 , and pediatric advanced life support ( pals ) 104 medical care algorithms . a home icon of the invention can also offer access to general practice standards and facility based protocols 105 in healthcare . in some embodiments , a selectable icon of the invention can be a touch screen icon . the process of navigating a medical care algorithm by a user can start when a user accesses a system of the invention from a computer system fig2 . the user can access 201 the system of the invention by selecting a selectable icon . selecting a selectable icon can be done , for example , by clicking a clickable icon , dragging and dropping an icon , sliding a selectable icon , or by voice recognition of an icon to a command . the user can navigate the system of the invention by , for example selecting one , or a plurality of selectable icons . the user can select a group of algorithms 202 , for example , a critical care group of algorithms , by selecting a selectable icon . the user can select an algorithm 203 within a group of critical care algorithms , for example , a hypoxia algorithm , by selecting a selectable icon . a system of the invention can receive the request submitted by a health care practitioner to access a medical care algorithm , and a system of the invention can display at least a portion of the medical care algorithm in a display . the user can navigate the hypoxia algorithm 204 by selecting on one , or a plurality of selectable icons describing the algorithm . in some embodiments , at least one step of the medical care algorithm is recorded in a medical record when a user selects a selectable icon of the invention . a check - off or acknowledgement function can be required to move to a next step to insure that each step is completed and not skipped , and to provide documentation of the process . for example , selecting an icon associated with the medical care algorithm can be a check - off function , and selecting an icon can track a subject &# 39 ; s progress through the identified medical care algorithm . selecting an icon associated with the medical care algorithm can be recorded by a computer system in an electronic medical record . a user can be a physician 205 , and a user can record at least one step of the medical care algorithm in a medical record when a user selects on a selectable icon of the invention . in addition , a system of the invention can determine the dosage of a pharmaceutical prescription to be prescribed to a subject based on personalized subject parameters such as subject weight and drug history . a user can submit a request for a prescription using a system of the invention 206 . a system of the invention can provide auditory guidance to a clinical procedure . in some embodiments , the system of the invention can recite audible steps of a medical care algorithm . the system of the invention can comprise a voice recognition module that uses , for example , a natural language user interface to recognize verbal commands from a clinician . a clinician can navigate a medical care algorithm of the invention by speaking commands , and a system of the invention can recognize verbal commands . in some embodiments , a clinician can acknowledge performing a step of a medical care algorithm with a verbal command . the system can audibly count out the pace of chest compressions or ventilations as required for cardiopulmonary resuscitation . a system of the invention can provide visual guidance to a clinical procedure . a medical care algorithm of the invention can be accompanied by , for example , a metronome displaying the heartbeat of a subject . a medical care algorithm of the invention can be accompanied by , for example , a representative image of a subject undergoing a specified procedure . for example , a clinician that is performing a difficult intubation procedure can use a system of the invention to visualize a picture or a video of an intubation protocol . a clinician that is determining the best motor response of a child on a modified glasgow coma scale can find it useful to visualize reference images or videos of children with a range of motor responses scored on a similar scale . a clinician can navigate a medical care algorithm of the invention that is supplemented with representative images of the described treatment . a system of the invention can be accessed from an operating room , an emergency room or from a hospital crash cart . a system of the invention can also provide documentation of an action taken , a medication prescribed , and / or a medication administered in the care of a subject . a system of the invention can interface with an electronic medical record or a pharmacy medical record to provide a record of treatment . this system is can provide an electronic health record ( ehr ) of events that were acknowledged . an electronic health record provided by a system of the invention can be annotated with , for example , a medical treatment code . a medical treatment code can include an icd ( international classification of diseases ) code ; a cpt ( current procedural terminology ) code ; a national drug ( ndc ) code ; a psychiatric illness code , such as the dsm - iv - tr code ; a diagnosis related group ( drg ) code ; a disability code , such as an icf ( international classification of function ) code ; a hcpcs ( healthcare common procedure coding system ) code ; a medicare specific code ; a medicaid specific code ; or a code that is specific to a group or a hospital , such as an insurance specific code or a hospital specific code . a system of the invention can , for example , transmit a prescription electronically to a pharmacy and associate the prescribed medication with an icd code , a ndc code , or both . the present invention pertains to a system and a method for providing a medical care algorithm to a user . a user can be a health care provider . the health care provider can be for example , a surgeon . the surgeon can access a medical care algorithm that is relevant to the treatment of the subject on a computer system , and the surgeon can select on a plurality of selectable icons as the surgeon reads , acknowledges , and navigates the medical care algorithm . the surgeon can be attending a critical - care , a semi - critical care , and a non - critical care subject . the surgeon can navigate a critical care , a semi - critical care , and a non - critical medical care algorithm to support the care of the subject . the surgeon can be a specialist in a field , for example , the surgeon can be a cardiac surgeon or a neurosurgeon . the surgeon can navigate a specialty specific , such as a cardiovascular surgery based algorithm , to support the care of a subject . in some embodiments , the medical care algorithm management system further provides a method for incorporating medical information in an electronic medical record whilst a user navigates a selected medical care algorithm . for example , a user can navigate a medical care algorithm associated with a subject by selecting at least one selectable icon on a computer system , and the computer system can provide an electronic medical record of the process . the user can be a physician attending the subject , and the system and methods of the invention can associate the steps of a critical care algorithm navigated by a physician with a medical record associated with the subject . as the physician navigates the algorithm by selecting on at least one of the selectable icons in the selected algorithm , an ehr record can be generated and provided . in some embodiments , progress is recorded in an electronic medical record as a user navigates an algorithm provided by the invention . the ehr can be hosted on the same computer system as the software of the invention , or on another computer . an electronic medical record can comprise one or a compilation of documents describing medical information of a subject . an electronic medical record can comprise the complete medical history and care of a subject across a period of time , or an electronic medical record can comprise a single event in a subject &# 39 ; s medical history . an electronic medical record can describe major and minor diseases , a surgical history , an obstetric history , medications and medical allergies , family history , social history , habits , immunization history , growth and developmental history . a subject &# 39 ; s electronic medical record can refer to a medical history of what has happened to the subject since birth . for example , medical history can be a record of diseases , major and minor illnesses , and / or growth landmarks . an electronic medical record can describe a chief complaint , a history of the present illness , a physical examination , an assessment of a clinical case , and a proposed course of action to treat a condition . a subject &# 39 ; s electronic medical record can comprise surgical history . surgical history can describe surgery performed on a subject , for example , dates of operations , operative reports , and / or the detailed narrative of what a surgeon performed . in some embodiments , the present invention comprises a system and methods to provide a medical care algorithm to a user , wherein the medical care algorithm comprises a surgical procedure . pharmacy medical records ( pmr ) can relate to records pertaining to a subject &# 39 ; s pharmacological history . pharmacy medical records can be provided electronically . a subject &# 39 ; s pharmacological history can comprise a subject &# 39 ; s prescription history , current prescription regimen , and side effect information , for example , dosage information , length of time a subject has been taking a prescription , and other drugs known to cause negative side effects with a subject &# 39 ; s current prescription regimen . in some embodiments , the system of the invention comprises a computer program product , comprising a computer - readable medium having computer - executable code encoded therein , the computer - executable code adapted to be executed to implement a method for providing a medical care algorithm to a user , the method comprising providing a medical care algorithm management system , wherein the medical care algorithm management system comprises a display module , a detecting module , a search module and an output module . in some embodiments , the system further provides an interface to a medicine pharmaceutical dispensing machine . in some embodiments , the system further provides an interface to a pharmacy . in some embodiments , the system can provide a pharmacy medical record by interfacing with a medicine dispensing machine or a pharmacy . communications between a system of the invention , an ehr system , and a medicine dispensing machine can happen according to a plurality of communication protocols including , for example , hardwired , wi - fi , bluetooth , user - datagram - protocol ( s ) ( udp ), real - time - streaming - protocol ( s ) ( rtsp ), real - time - transport - protocol ( s ) ( rtp ), the real - time - transport - control - protocol ( s ) ( rtcp ), adaptative bitrate streaming , transmission - control - protocol ( s ) ( tcp ), and ieee reliant protocols . in some embodiments , a health care provider can submit a prescription request to a medicine dispensing machine using a system of the invention . in some embodiments , a system of the invention and a medicine dispensing machine can share the same hardware platform . a system and a method of the invention can document the administration and delivery of a pharmaceutical or therapeutic intervention to a subject . a medical record provided by the invention can be associated with a timestamp . a time stamp can indicate the year , day , hour , minute , and second a pharmaceutical or therapeutic intervention was administered to a subject . a time stamp can indicate the brand name , generic name , dosage , and treatment regimen administered in association with the treatment of a subject . in some embodiments , a medical care algorithm management system further comprises a navigation module , wherein the navigation module comprises a recognition and / or acknowledgement icon , and wherein the navigation module further displays a subsequent step detecting that the acknowledgement icon has been selected . in some embodiments , selecting an acknowledgment icon can provide an electronic medical record associated with the completion of treatment of the subject . in some embodiments , selecting an acknowledgment icon can provide an electronic medical record indicating that a user has accessed the algorithm . electronic medical records ( emrs ) can relate to records obtained and stored by a subject &# 39 ; s doctor , clinician , insurance company , hospital and / or other facilities where a subject is a subject . in some embodiments , a health care provider can include a medical doctor , a dentist , an optometrist , a therapist , a chiropractor , and anyone who provides healthcare services to the subject . electronic medical records ( emr ) can comprise , for example , cat scans , mris , ultrasounds , blood glucose levels , diagnoses , allergies , lab test results , ekgs , medications , daily charting , medication administration , physical assessments , admission nursing notes , nursing care plans , referrals , present and past symptoms , medical history , life style , physical examination results , tests , procedures , treatments , medications , discharges , history , diaries , problems , findings , immunizations , admission notes , on - service notes , progress notes , preoperative notes , operative notes , postoperative notes , procedure notes , delivery notes , and discharge notes . a medical record provided by a system or methods of the invention can function as a self - sufficient or free standing electronic medical record . a medical record provided by a system and methods of the invention can be compatible with and easily interfaced with commercial electronic medical record systems . a medical record provided by a system and methods of the invention can be integrated with existing electronic medical records or non - electronic medical records of a subject . in some embodiments , data delivery of an expert review of a medical record is compliant with the health insurance portability and accountability act ( hipaa ) standards . the system and methods of the invention provide a medical care algorithm management system wherein the medical care algorithm management system comprises a display module , a detecting module , a search module , and an output module . the modules can display , detect , search , and output at least one identified critical care algorithm , semi - critical care algorithm , non - critical care algorithm , or a specialty specific algorithm . in some embodiments the algorithms can be branched algorithms . the system and methods of the invention can display a plurality of branch icons , wherein each branch icon is independently associated with a different branch of the identified medical care algorithm . medical media associated with a subject &# 39 ; s electronic medical records can be displayed alongside a medical care algorithm identified by the invention . health care providers , including attending physicians , specialists , nurses , and medical residents , can have access to medical media displayed by a system of the invention alongside a medical care algorithm . personalized medical information associated with a subject &# 39 ; s medical records can also be displayed alongside a medical care algorithm identified by the invention . in some embodiments , the medical care algorithm is customized based on individual parameters associated with the subject . in some embodiments , a parameter associated with the treated subject comprises the weight of the treated subject . in some embodiments , a parameter associated with the treated subject comprises the age of the treated subject . in some embodiments , a parameter associated with the treated subject comprises the gender of the treated subject . in some embodiments , the invention comprises a system and a method for accessing recommendations within a medical care algorithm to support the treatment of a subject by a health care provider . in some embodiments , the medical care algorithm further comprises a medical imaging module . the medical imaging module can provide , for example , physicians , nurses , and specialist &# 39 ; s access to medical images associated with a medical record of a subject in real - time . the medical media within the medical media module can be associated with at least one text description ( s ) detailing an existing reading or interpretation of the medical media . the medical images can be deprived of any prior reading or interpretation of the medical media . the medical media can be , for example , a real - time media visualization of an electrocardiogram of a subject in critical care , medical procedure or surgical technique . in some embodiments , the system further provides an interface to a recording module . in some embodiments , the recording module provides an electronic medical record indicating that a user navigated a medical care algorithm when treating a subject . a user of the system can , for example , record at least one parameter associated with the treated subject in a recording module . in some embodiments , a user of the invention can submit a prescription request to a medicine dispensing machine based on the recorded at least one parameter associated with the treated subject . in some embodiments , a user of the invention can submit a prescription request to a pharmacy based on the recorded parameter associated with the treated subject . a system of the invention can , for example , associate a timestamp with the request . this in turn could be interfaced with a larger electronic health record system also known as an enterprise system . the data generated from the event could be shared between the two systems . the present invention provides a system and methods for accessing , retrieving , customizing , recording , and navigating medical care algorithms . in some embodiments , the invention provides a system and a method to direct a therapeutic intervention for a subject . in some embodiments , the suggested therapeutic intervention is customized to specific parameters associated with a subject . for example , the dosage of a therapeutic intervention can be customized to the weight of a subject . a type of medication , for example pediatric or adult medication , can be customized to the age of a subject . certain interventions , for example , interventions prescribing estrogen or testosterone administration , can be customized to the gender of a subject . a therapeutic intervention can be , for example , the administration of a pharmaceutical to a subject . a therapeutic intervention can be , for example , a preventive step in a procedure such as the precautionary administration of an antibiotic prior to surgery . a therapeutic intervention can be , for the example , a remediation step in an intervention such as the administration of a beta - blocker to a patient with heart disease . a therapeutic intervention can be suggested to a subject in connection with the navigation of a medical care algorithm . for example , a therapeutic intervention can be cpr or shock electrotherapy . various computer architectures are suitable for use with the invention . fig3 is a block diagram illustrating a first example architecture of a computer system 300 that can be used in connection with example embodiments of the present invention . as depicted in fig3 , the example computer system can include a processor 302 for processing instructions . non - limiting examples of processors include : intel core i7 ™ processor , intel core i5 ™ processor , intel core i3 ™ processor , intel xeon ™ processor , amd opteron ™ processor , samsung 32 - bit risc arm 1176jz ( f )- s v1 . 0 ™ processor , arm cortex - a8 samsung s5pc100 ™ processor , arm cortex - a8 apple a4 ™ processor , marvell pxa 930 ™ processor , or a functionally - equivalent processor . multiple threads of execution can be used for parallel processing . in some embodiments , multiple processors or processors with multiple cores can be used , whether in a single computer system , in a cluster , or distributed across systems over a network comprising a plurality of computers , cell phones , and / or personal data assistant devices . as illustrated in fig3 , a high speed cache 301 can be connected to , or incorporated in , the processor 302 to provide a high speed memory for instructions or data that have been recently , or are frequently , used by processor 302 . the processor 302 is connected to a north bridge 306 by a processor bus 305 . the north bridge 306 is connected to random access memory ( ram ) 303 by a memory bus 304 and manages access to the ram 303 by the processor 302 . the north bridge 306 is also connected to a south bridge 308 by a chipset bus 307 . the south bridge 308 is , in turn , connected to a peripheral bus 309 . the peripheral bus can be , for example , pci , pci - x , pci express , or other peripheral bus . the north bridge and south bridge are often referred to as a processor chipset and manage data transfer between the processor , ram , and peripheral components on the peripheral bus 309 . in some architectures , the functionality of the north bridge can be incorporated into the processor instead of using a separate north bridge chip . in some embodiments , system 300 can include an accelerator card 312 attached to the peripheral bus 309 . the accelerator can include field programmable gate arrays ( fpgas ) or other hardware for accelerating certain processing . software and data are stored in external storage 313 and can be loaded into ram 303 and / or cache 301 for use by the processor . the system 300 includes an operating system for managing system resources ; non - limiting examples of operating systems include : linux , windows ™, macos ™, blackberry os ™, ios ™, google jelly bean and other functionally - equivalent operating systems , as well as application software running on top of the operating system . in this example , system 300 also includes network interface cards ( nics ) 310 and 311 connected to the peripheral bus for providing network interfaces to external storage , such as network attached storage ( nas ) and other computer systems that can be used for distributed parallel processing . fig4 is a diagram showing a network 400 with a plurality of computer systems 402 a , and 402 b , a plurality of cell phones and personal data assistants 402 c , and network attached storage ( nas ) 401 a , and 401 b . in some embodiments , systems 402 a , 402 b , and 402 c can manage data storage and optimize data access for data stored in network attached storage ( nas ) 401 a and 402 b . a mathematical model can be used for the data and be evaluated using distributed parallel processing across computer systems 402 a , and 402 b , and cell phone and personal data assistant systems 402 c . computer systems 402 a , and 402 b , and cell phone and personal data assistant systems 402 c can also provide parallel processing for adaptive data restructuring of the data stored in network attached storage ( nas ) 401 a and 401 b . fig4 illustrates an example only , and a wide variety of other computer architectures and systems can be used in conjunction with the various embodiments of the present invention . for example , a blade server can be used to provide parallel processing . processor blades can be connected through a back plane to provide parallel processing . storage can also be connected to the back plane or as network attached storage ( nas ) through a separate network interface . in some embodiments , processors can maintain separate memory spaces and transmit data through network interfaces , back plane , or other connectors for parallel processing by other processors . in some embodiments , some or all of the processors can use a shared virtual address memory space . fig5 is a block diagram of a multiprocessor computer system using a shared virtual address memory space . the system includes a plurality of processors 501 a - f that can access a shared memory subsystem 502 . the system incorporates a plurality of programmable hardware memory algorithm processors ( maps ) 503 a - f in the memory subsystem 502 . each map 503 a - f can comprise a memory 504 a - f and one or more field programmable gate arrays ( fpgas ) 505 a - f . the map provides a configurable functional unit and particular algorithms or portions of algorithms can be provided to the fpgas 505 a - f for processing in close coordination with a respective processor . in this example , each map is globally accessible by all of the processors for these purposes . in one configuration , each map can use direct memory access ( dma ) to access an associated memory 504 a - f , allowing it to execute tasks independently of , and asynchronously from , the respective microprocessor 501 a - f . in this configuration , a map can feed results directly to another map for pipelining and parallel execution of algorithms . the above computer architectures and systems are examples only , and a wide variety of other computer , cell phone , and personal data assistant architectures and systems can be used in connection with example embodiments , including systems using any combination of general processors , co - processors , fpgas and other programmable logic devices , system on chips ( socs ), application specific integrated circuits ( asics ), and other processing and logic elements . any variety of data storage media can be used in connection with example embodiments , including random access memory , hard drives , flash memory , tape drives , disk arrays , network attached storage ( nas ) and other local or distributed data storage devices and systems . in example embodiments , the computer system can be implemented using software modules executing on any of the above or other computer architectures and systems . in other embodiments , the functions of the system can be implemented partially or completely in firmware , programmable logic devices such as field programmable gate arrays ( fpgas ) as referenced in fig5 , system on chips ( socs ), application specific integrated circuits ( asics ), or other processing and logic elements . for example , the set processor and optimizer can be implemented with hardware acceleration through the use of a hardware accelerator card , such as accelerator card 312 illustrated in fig3 . in some embodiments , the invention described herein comprises a computer program product adapted to provide access to a medical care algorithm . a product of the invention can be a medical care algorithm . a medical care algorithm can be , for example , produced and / or transmitted in a geographic location that comprises the same country as the user of the algorithm . a medical care algorithm can be , for example , produced and / or transmitted from a geographic location in one country and a user of the algorithm can be present in a different country . in some embodiments , the product of the invention is the computer program data product comprising a medical care algorithm that can be accessed and navigated by a user . in some embodiments , the data accessed by a system of the invention is a computer program product that can be transmitted from one of a plurality of geographic locations 601 to a user 602 ( fig6 ). data from a medical care algorithm can be transmitted back and forth among a plurality of geographic locations , for example , by a network , a secure network , an insecure network , an internet , or an intranet . in some embodiments , a medical care algorithm is a physical and tangible product . a physician utilizes the system and the method of the invention to support the treatment of a subject in critical condition a subject is admitted to a hospital . the subject has a pulse rate of more than 100 beats per minute , with at least three irregular heartbeats in a row . the subject is diagnosed with ventricular tachycardia by an attending physician . the attending physician accesses a system of the invention from a touch screen monitor in the operating room . the attending physician selects a home icon of the invention 101 . the attending physician selects the critical care selectable icon 102 . the attending physician seeks from a group comprising a plurality of critical care algorithms a ventricular tachycardia algorithm ( fig7 , 701 ). the attending physician selects the selectable icon comprising a ventricular tachycardia algorithm . the attending physician seeks information that supports treatment decisions made in attending the subject . the attending physician visualizes at least a portion of the ventricular tachycardia algorithm in the touch screen monitor . the attending physician can go back 702 to a home icon , and the attending physician can visualize the type of algorithm he is navigating , in this case a critical care algorithm 703 . the attending physician visualizes actions that should be taken during subject evaluation 705 . for example , the ventricular tachycardia algorithm 701 can display a recommendation suggesting that the attending physician secure and verify airway and vascular access of the subject . the attending physician can visualize previous steps 704 that have been taken by either the attending physician , or by any member of a treating clinical team attending the subject . the attending physician can visualize actions that should be taken 706 during the course of treatment . additionally , the attending physician can visualize real - time relevant medical media 707 and possible contributing factor 708 that are associated with the subject being treated and with a ventricular tachycardia diagnosis respectively . as the attending physician navigates the ventricular tachycardia algorithm 701 the physician visualizes at least a step 706 , or at least a branch 706 , of the ventricular tachycardia algorithm . the attending physician can also select on an icon that supports a full screen visualization of a branched arrangement of the algorithm ( fig8 , 801 ). as the physician navigates the ventricular tachycardia algorithm with the system of the invention , at least one step of the branched or scroll arrangement of the algorithm 801 is displayed in the action 706 window . the attending physician first visualizes a step recommending assisting subject breathing as needed 802 , followed by a recommendation to take blood pressure , to begin working on an iv line , and to connect a subject to a cardiac monitor 803 . the physician is prompted to evaluate the clinical case for serious signs or symptoms 804 . the physician consults relevant medical media 707 and other information to make a decision . the physician is prompted to select a selectable icon displayed in the action 706 window that asks if the subject is stable 805 or unstable 815 . if the subject is stable 805 , the physician is prompted to follow recommendations within the stable 805 branch of the algorithm . some of the recommended courses of action can prompt the physician to determine the qrs type 806 . if the qrs is a single qrs type 807 , the attending physician can be prompted to determine if the subject will be treated 808 with 150 mg of amiodarone given over a course of time of 10 minutes and repeated twice or 20 mg / min or procainamide . the physician can further interact with an interface of the invention that transmits a request by the attending physician to fill a prescription to an authorized medicine dispensing machine . the physician can be prompted to consider cardioversion 809 if the ventricular tachycardia persists . all steps can be visualized within an action 706 window of the invention or as a full window branched algorithm 801 . if the subject is stable 805 , but the qrs type of the subject is polymorphic 810 , the attending physician can be prompted to follow recommendations from a distinct branch of the algorithm . the attending physician can be prompted to request subject consultation by an expert 811 , for example , a cardiologist specialist . the attending physician can be prompted to correct magnesium or electrolyte levels 812 , and the attending physician can be prompted to consider pharmaceutical interventions personalized to the subject 813 . the quantity and prescribed dosage of the pharmaceutical interventions 813 can be personalized by the system and methods of the invention to subject specific criteria , such as weight , age , and gender . the physician can be prompted to consider cardioversion 814 if the ventricular tachycardia persists . all of those steps can be visualized individually within an action 706 window of the invention or as a full view window branched algorithm 801 . if the subject is unstable 815 , the physician is prompted to follow recommendations within the unstable 815 branch of the algorithm . the attending physician can be prompted to sedate the subject 816 , and the attending physician can be prompted to perform non - synchronized shock if the qrs type is polymorphic 817 . the attending physician can be prompted to cardiovert the subject 818 . the recommended strength of voltage used cardioversion 818 can be personalized by the system and methods of the invention to subject specific criteria , such as weight , age , and gender . the attending physician can be prompted to prescribe a given dosage of a pharmaceutical 819 , such as 150 mg of amiodarone , to the subject . the quantity and prescribed dosage of the pharmaceutical interventions 819 can be personalized by the system and methods of the invention to subject specific criteria , such as weight , age , and gender . the physician can be prompted to consider a higher voltage of cardioversion 820 if the ventricular tachycardia persists . all steps can be visualized within an action 706 window of the invention or as a full window branched algorithm 801 . all steps of a critical care algorithm pursued by the attending physician can be saved to an electronic medical record associated with a subject . the attending physician can acknowledge pursuing a recommendation provided by a ventricular tachycardia algorithm in treating a subject by selecting a selectable icon . all information can be saved to an electronic medical record or a pharmacy medical record associated with a subject . a member of a medical care team utilizes the system and the method of the invention to support the emergency care of a subject a subject is admitted to a hospital after a car accident . the subject is in critical condition and the subject is placed under general anesthesia . the subject develops malignant hyperthermia , a rare life - threatening condition that is usually triggered by exposure to certain drugs used for general anesthesia . since malignant hyperthermia is a rare condition , the attending physicians , and hospital staff in the emergency room have not recently reviewed and do not recall the steps in a malignant hyperthermia medical care algorithm . a member of a medical team attending the patient accesses a system of the invention from a touch screen monitor in the emergency room . the member of the medical team selects on a home icon of the invention 101 . the member of the medical team selects the critical care selectable icon 102 . the member of the medical team seeks from a group comprising a plurality of critical care algorithms a malignant hyperthermia algorithm ( fig9 , 901 ). the member of the medical team selects on the selectable icon comprising a malignant hyperthermia algorithm . the member of the medical team accesses a malignant hyperthermia algorithm and visualizes at least a portion of the malignant hyperthermia algorithm in a touch screen monitor . the member of the medical team recites the steps of the algorithm to the team : “ upon suspicion of malignant hyperthermia 902 we should take the following immediate steps 903 , stop triggering agents , remove vaporizer , double minute ventilation , start fio2 1 . 0 with high fresh gas flow , start the patient on opioids , benzodiazepines , prepare dantrolene , and take a blood sample . as secondary measures 904 we should extend monitoring , increase diuresis and prepare the postoperative intensive care unit . we should check to see if other serious signs or symptoms are present 905 , such as hypermetabolism 906 , and if yes 907 , then we should start the patient on 2 . 5 mg / kg of dantrolene as an intravenous bolus , and if no 909 we should not prepare the dantrolene ”. a nurse utilizes the system and the method of the invention to review practical guidelines and facility based protocols a nurse seeks information that supports treatment decisions made in attending a subject . the nurse accesses the invention from a touch screen device in a hospital . the nurse selects a home icon of the invention fig1 , and selects practical guidelines and facility based protocols 105 . the nurse visualizes a plurality of independent selectable icons ( fig1 , 1001 ). the nurse reviews the icons describing non critical 1002 medical care algorithms , which include htn crisis 1003 , bronchospasm 1004 , pulmonary embolism 1005 , shock 1007 , tachycardia 1008 , ischemia 1009 , regional analysis 1010 , and a selectable link to a plurality of other algorithms 1006 . the nurse selects the ischemia selectable icon and the nurse reviews the ischemia medical care algorithm . a medical student utilizes the system and the method of the invention to review practical guidelines and facility based protocols a medical student seeks information that supports a medical learning process . the medical student accesses the invention from a personally owned touch screen device , such as an ipad ™. the medical student selects on a home icon of the invention fig1 and selects the practical parameters selectable icon 105 within a home icon of the invention . the medical student visualizes a plurality of independent selectable icons fig1 , 1101 . the medical student reviews the icons describing practical parameters 1102 medical care algorithms , which include defribrillation 1103 , aspiration 1104 , pneumothorax 1105 , edema 1106 , drug error 1107 , arrythymias 1108 , and a selectable link to a plurality of other algorithms 1109 . the medical student selects the aspiration selectable icon and reviews the aspiration medical care algorithm . a pediatrician utilizes the system and the method of the invention to access a pediatric advanced life support ( pals ) algorithm a pediatrician is called to attend a four year - old child suffering from an apparent cardiac arrest . the pediatrician walks into a room where an emergency team has started cpr on the child . the pediatrician must quickly identify the cause of the cardiac arrest and treat the child . in children , cardiac arrest is usually not caused from a primary cardiac cause . rather , the mechanisms of cardiac arrest in children typically involve progressive respiratory failure or shock ( also called an asphyxial arrest ), or ventricular fibrillation ( vf )/ pulseless ventricular tachycardia ( vt ). the pediatrician is unsure of the diagnosis and the pediatrician wants to identify possible differential diagnoses . the pediatrician accesses a system of the invention from the touch screen of a tablet device . in addition to performing cpr , the medical team has provided oxygen , and connected the child to a monitor and a defibrillator . the pediatrician selects a home icon of the invention 101 . the pediatrician selects the pediatric advanced life support selectable icon 104 . the pediatrician selects a pediatric cardiac arrest algorithm . the system of the invention provides a list with possible differential diagnosis . pediatric cardiac arrest often results from progressive respiratory failure or shock , also known as asphyxial arrest . asphyxia begins with a variable period of systemic hypoxemia , hypercapnea , and acidosis , progresses to bradycardia and hypotension , and culminates with cardiac arrest . another cause of pediatric cardiac arrest is ventricular fibrillation ( vf ) or pulseless ventricular tachycardia ( vt ). the pediatrician wants to identify the underlying cause for the cardiac arrest and the pediatrician wants to know what should be the next steps in treating this child . the system of the invention proactively guides the pediatrician towards a correct diagnosis by prompting the physician to ask the right questions and provide acceptable standard - of - care treatment . clinicians classify cardiac arrest into “ shockable ” versus “ non - shockable ”, as determined by the ecg rhythm . the system of the invention prompts the pediatrician navigating a pediatric cardiac arrest algorithm to first ask : “ is the rhythm shockable ?” the treatment for cardiac arrest is immediate defibrillation if a “ shockable ” rhythm is present , while cardiopulmonary resuscitation ( cpr ) supplemented with a dosage of epinephrine is used to induce a “ shockable ” rhythm if one is not already present . the pediatrician determines that the rhythm is not shockable and the pediatrician uses the voice command feature to engage with the system of the invention . the pediatrician verbally provides a command to the system of the invention indicating that the rhythm is not shockable . the system of the invention recites audible instructions indicating to the physician that cpr should be performed every two minutes along with iv epinephrine every 3 - 4 minutes and the physician should consider an advanced airway treatment . optionally , the system of the invention calculates the dosage of epinephrine to be administered based on the weight and / or age of the child . the system of the invention proactively provides audible instructions to every step in the pediatric cardiac arrest algorithm until the child is stabilized . the pediatrician can be presented with parameters that can form a medical record of a critical event , as illustrated in fig1 . if appropriate , the pediatrician can be presented with representative parameters that can form a code blue medical record , as illustrated in fig1 . a clinician is rotating in a new hospital . the clinician is unfamiliar with procedures that are specific to the new hospital . the new hospital provides portable touch screen devices comprising the system of the invention and the clinician accesses the invention from a touch screen . the clinician selects a home icon of the invention fig1 , and selects practical guidelines and facility based protocols 105 . the clinician readily access protocols specific to that hospital from the portable device . meanwhile , the clinician is called to help with the difficult airway management of a subject . the clinician wants to review the standard - of - care steps in a difficult airway medical care algorithm . the system of the invention allows for rapid transition of one algorithm to another algorithm and the clinician quickly selects and transitions to a difficult airway critical care algorithm . the clinician sequentially navigates a graphical interface of the difficult airway algorithm on the portable device as illustrated in fig1 - 17 . fig1 - 17 illustrate representative sequential graphical displays of a difficult airway medical care algorithm . fig1 illustrates the graphical interface visualized by the clinician . in fig1 the clinician is prompted to access the likelihood and clinical impact of the basic management of four factors : a ) difficult ventilation ; b ) difficult intubation ; c ) difficulty with patient cooperation or consent ; and d ) difficult tracheostomy . the clinician can acknowledge awareness of these instructions by clicking on the acknowledge button or by audibly reciting a verbal command . subsequently , the system of the invention prompts the clinician to actively pursue opportunities to deliver supplemental oxygen throughout the process of difficult airway management ( fig1 ). the clinician can acknowledge awareness of these instructions by clicking on the acknowledge button or by audibly reciting a verbal command . the clinician is then prompted to consider the relative merits and feasibility of the following basic management choices : a ) awake intubation versus intubation attempts after induction of general anesthesia ; b ) non - invasive technique for initial approach to intubation versus invasive technique for initial approach to intubation ; c ) video assisted laryngoscopy as an initial approach to intubation ; or d ) preservation of spontaneous ventilation versus ablation of spontaneous ventilation ( fig1 ). the clinician determines that the best course of action is to consider the possibility of performing an awake intubation versus an intubation attempt after induction of general anesthesia . the clinician can acknowledge awareness of these instructions by clicking on the acknowledge button or by audibly reciting a verbal command . the clinician can continue navigating the algorithm by further visualizing primary and alternative strategies provided by the system of the invention or the clinician can return to a previous screen ( fig1 ). the system of the invention the can reset and refresh after navigation of each screen while storing a record of navigation on its memory . the following non - limiting embodiments provide illustrative examples of the invention , but do not limit the scope of the invention . a method of providing a medical care algorithm , the method of providing a medical care algorithm , the method comprising : a ) providing access to a module on a computer system comprising a processor , the module being associated with a plurality of medical care algorithms , wherein the module displays to a user a plurality of selectable icons each independently associated with at least one medical care algorithm ; b ) determining that the user has selected at least one of the selectable icons , whereupon the processor searches a medical care algorithm database for a medical care algorithm associated with the selected icon to provide a selected medical care algorithm ; c ) recording by the computer system , that the selected icon has been selected , wherein the recording provides an electronic medical record of the accessing ; and d ) displaying on a display at least a portion of the selected medical care algorithm . the method of embodiment 1 , wherein the selected medical care algorithm comprises a critical care algorithm . the method of any one of embodiments 1 - 2 , wherein the selected medical care algorithm comprises a semi - critical care algorithm . the method of any one of embodiments 1 - 3 , wherein the selected medical care algorithm comprises a pediatric care algorithm . the method of any one of embodiments 1 - 4 , wherein the selected medical care algorithm comprises a procedure specific algorithm . the method of any one of embodiments 1 - 5 , wherein the selected medical care algorithm comprises an algorithm for performing a surgical procedure . the method of any one of embodiments 1 - 6 , further comprising recording at least one step of the medical care algorithm in a medical record by selecting a step icon associated with the step . the method of embodiment 7 , wherein the recording in the medical record records a time stamp . the method of any one of embodiments 1 - 8 , further comprising displaying relevant medical media . the method of any one of embodiments 1 - 9 , further comprising suggesting a therapeutic intervention for a subject , wherein the therapeutic intervention is related to the selected icon . a computer program product comprising a computer - readable medium having computer - executable code encoded therein , the computer - executable code adapted to be executed to implement a method for providing a medical care algorithm , the method comprising : a ) providing a medical care algorithm management system , wherein the medical care algorithm management system comprises : i ) a display module ; ii ) a detecting module ; iii ) a search module ; and iv ) an output module ; b ) displaying to a user by the display module a plurality of selectable icons , wherein each selectable icon is independently associated with a medical care algorithm ; c ) detecting by the detecting module that a selectable icon has been selected by the user , wherein the selected icon has an identity ; d ) searching , based on the identity of the selected icon , by the search module a database of medical care algorithms , wherein the search identifies an identified medical care algorithm associated with the selected icon ; and e ) outputting by the output module the identified medical care algorithm . the computer program product of embodiment 11 , wherein the identified medical care algorithm comprises a critical care algorithm . the computer program product of any one of embodiments 11 - 12 , wherein the identified medical care algorithm comprises a semi - critical care algorithm . the computer program product of any one of embodiments 11 - 13 , wherein the identified medical care algorithm comprises a pediatric care algorithm . the computer program product of any one of embodiments 11 - 14 , wherein the identified medical care algorithm comprises a specialty specific algorithm . the computer program product of any one of embodiments 11 - 15 , wherein the medical care algorithm management system further comprises a prescription interface to at least one medicine dispensing system , and wherein the method further comprises submitting by the prescription interface a prescription request to the medicine dispensing machine . the computer program product of embodiment 16 , wherein the electronic medical record further comprises a time stamp . the computer program product of any one of embodiments 11 - 17 , wherein the medical care algorithm management system further comprises a pharmacy interface to at least one pharmacy , and wherein the method further comprises providing an electronic medical record . the computer program product of embodiment 18 , wherein the electronic medical record further comprises a time stamp . the computer program product of any one of embodiments 11 - 19 , wherein the output module outputs a step of the identified medical algorithm . the computer program product of any one of embodiments 11 - 20 , wherein the medical care algorithm management system further comprises a navigation module , wherein the navigation module comprises an acknowledgement icon , and wherein the navigation module further displays a subsequent step upon detecting that the acknowledgment icon has been selected . the computer program product of embodiment 21 , wherein selecting the acknowledgement icon is required prior to outputting the subsequent step . the computer program product of embodiment 21 , wherein the navigation module comprises a plurality of branch icons , wherein each branch icon is independently associated with a different branch of the identified medical care algorithm , wherein the navigation module accesses a selected branch upon detecting that the branch icon associated with the selected branch has been selected . the computer program product of any one of embodiments 11 - 23 , wherein the method further comprises a recording module , wherein the recording module records at least one parameter associated with a subject . the computer program product of embodiment 24 , wherein the method further comprises customizing the identified medical care algorithm to the subject based on the recorded parameter . the computer program product of embodiment 24 , wherein the method further comprises submitting a prescription request to a medicine dispensing machine based on the recorded parameter . the computer program product of embodiment 24 , wherein the method further comprises submitting a prescription request to a pharmacy based on the recorded parameter . the computer program product of embodiment 27 , wherein the parameter associated with the treated subject is the weight of the treated subject . the computer program product of embodiment 27 , wherein the parameter associated with the treated subject is the age of the treated subject . the computer program product of embodiment 27 , wherein the parameter associated with the treated subject is the gender of the treated subject . the computer program product of any one of embodiments 11 - 30 , wherein the method further comprises outputting relevant medical media by the output module . a method of providing a medical care algorithm , the method comprising : a ) receiving by a computer system a request , wherein the computer system comprises a processor ; b ) searching by the processor based on the request a database of medical care algorithms , thereby identifying at least one medical care algorithm associated with the request ; c ) recording by the computer system , the identified medical care algorithm , wherein the recording provides an electronic medical record of the request ; and d ) displaying at least a portion of the identified medical care algorithm . the method of embodiment 32 , further comprising tracking progress through the identified medical care algorithm . the method of embodiment 33 , wherein the progress is recorded in an electronic medical record associated with a subject . the method of any one of embodiments 32 - 34 , wherein at least a portion of the identified medical care algorithm is associated with a selectable icon . the method of embodiment 35 , wherein the selectable icon is a touch screen icon . the method of any one of embodiments 32 - 36 , further comprising displaying relevant medical media with the medical care algorithm . the method of any one of embodiments 32 - 37 , wherein the identified medical care algorithm is displayed on a mobile device . the method of any one of embodiments 32 - 38 , wherein the medical care algorithm comprises a critical care algorithm . the method of any one of embodiments 32 - 39 , wherein the medical care algorithm comprises a semi - critical care algorithm . the method of any one of embodiments 32 - 40 , wherein the medical care algorithm comprises a pediatric care algorithm . the method of any one of embodiments 32 - 41 , wherein the medical care algorithm comprises an emergency care algorithm . the method of any one of embodiments 32 - 42 , wherein the medical care algorithm comprises a surgical procedure . the method of any one of embodiments 32 - 43 , wherein the medical care algorithm comprises a specialty specific algorithm . the method of any one of embodiments 32 - 44 , further comprising recording at least one step of the identified medical care algorithm in a medical record . the method of any one of embodiments 32 - 45 , further comprising suggesting a therapeutic intervention for a subject , wherein the therapeutic intervention is related to the selected icon . a method of accessing a medical care algorithm , the method comprising : a ) accessing , by a user , a module comprising at least one medical care algorithm , whereby the module is accessed from a computer system comprising a processor ; b ) navigating the medical care algorithm within the module by selecting at least one selectable icon , wherein the processor provides an electronic medical record based on the selection ; and c ) viewing at least a portion of the medical care algorithm in a display . the method of embodiment 47 , further comprising providing a therapeutic intervention to a subject based on the medical care algorithm . the method of embodiment 47 , wherein the user is a surgeon and does at least one of a )- c ) in preparation for surgery . the method of embodiment 47 , wherein the user is a surgeon and does at least one of a )- c ) during surgery . the method of any one of embodiments 47 - 50 , wherein the navigating further comprises submitting a prescription request to a medicine dispensing machine . the method of any one of embodiments 47 - 51 , wherein the wherein the navigating further comprises submitting a prescription request to a pharmacy .	6
the present invention is more particularly described in the following examples that are intended as illustrative only since numerous modifications and variations therein will be apparent to those skilled in the art . various embodiments of the invention are now described in detail . referring to the drawings , like numbers indicate like components throughout the views . as used in the description herein and throughout the claims that follow , the meaning of “ a ”. “ an ”, and “ the ” includes plural reference unless the context clearly dictates otherwise . also , as used in the description herein and throughout the claims that follow , the meaning of “ in ” includes “ in ” and “ on ” unless the context clearly dictates otherwise . moreover , titles or subtitles may be used in the specification for the convenience of a reader , which shall have no influence on the scope of the present invention . additionally , some terms used in this specification are more specifically defined below . the terms used in this specification generally have their ordinary meanings in the art , within the context of the invention , and in the specific context where each term is used . certain terms that are used to describe the invention are discussed below , or elsewhere in the specification , to provide additional guidance to the practitioner regarding the description of the invention . for convenience , certain terms may be highlighted , for example using italics and / or quotation marks . the use of highlighting has no influence on the scope and meaning of a term ; the scope and meaning of a term is the same , in the same context , whether or not it is highlighted . it will be appreciated that same thing can be said in more than one way . consequently , alternative language and synonyms may be used for any one or more of the terms discussed herein , nor is any special significance to be placed upon whether or not a term is elaborated or discussed herein . synonyms for certain terms are provided . a recital of one or more synonyms does not exclude the use of other synonyms . the use of examples anywhere in this specification including examples of any terms discussed herein is illustrative only , and in no way limits the scope and meaning of the invention or of any exemplified term . likewise , the invention is not limited to various embodiments given in this specification . unless otherwise defined , all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention pertains . in the case of conflict , the present document , including definitions will control . as used herein . “ around ”, “ about ” or “ approximately ” shall generally mean within 20 percent , preferably within 10 percent , and more preferably within 5 percent of a given value or range . numerical quantities given herein are approximate , meaning that the term “ around ”, “ about ” or “ approximately ” can be inferred if not expressly stated . the term “ drug delivery vehicles ” refers to a vehicle that is capable of delivering medication to a patient in a manner that increases the concentration of the medication in some parts of the body relative to others . drug delivery vehicles includes , but not limited to , polymeric micelles , liposomes , lipoprotein - based drug carriers , nano - particle drug carriers , dendrimers , cells , polypeptides , etc . an ideal drug delivery vehicle must be non - toxic , biocompatible , non - immunogenic , biodegradable , and must avoid recognition by the host &# 39 ; s defense mechanisms . the term “ treating ” or “ treatment ” refers to administration of an effective amount of the compound to a subject in need thereof , who has cancer , or a symptom or predisposition toward such a disease , with the purpose of cure , alleviate , relieve , remedy , ameliorate , or prevent the disease , the symptoms of it , or the predisposition towards it . such a subject can be identified by a health care professional based on results from any suitable diagnostic method . “ an effective amount ” refers to the amount of an active compound that is required to confer a therapeutic effect on the treated subject . effective doses will vary , as recognized by those skilled in the art , depending on rout of administration , excipient usage , and the possibility of co - usage with other therapeutic treatment . the “ guidance for industry and reviewers estimating the safe starting dose in clinical trials for therapeutics in adult healthy volunteers ” published by the u . s . department of health and human services food and drug administration discloses a “ therapeutically effective amount ” may be obtained by calculations from the following formula : current treatment for colorectal cancer only has limited success due to the lack of pharmacoselectivity of the drugs to the diseased site . thus , targeted drug delivery system is necessary to effectively deliver the anticancer drugs to the tumor . we have successfully identified specific peptides binding to the human colorectal carcinoma ( hcrc ) cells through in vitro biopanning using phage - displayed peptide library . three high affinity phage clones to colorectal carcinoma were identified , and their binding activities were confirmed by cellular elisa and flow cytometry . the hcrc - targeted phages recognized five colorectal carcinoma cell line and colorectal carcinoma surgical specimens from patients . the tumor homing ability of hcrc - targeted phages was confirmed by xenograft model in vivo . to investigate whether hcrc - targeted peptides could be used to enhance the therapeutic efficacy of anti - cancer drugs , we synthesized the peptide - mediated liposome encapsulated doxorubicin ( phct74 - ld ) or vinorelbine ( phct74 - slv ). notably , hcrc - targeted peptides conjugated liposomal drugs markedly inhibited hcrc tumor growth in mouse xenograft models . combination treatment of phct74 - ld and phct74 - slv was able to completely eradicate tumors in three - sixth of the total number of tumor - bearing mice without any signs of recurrence . biodistribution studies in tumor - bearing mice indicated that chemotherapeutic drugs were localized in tumor tissue following administration of hcrc targeting peptides conjugated liposomal doxorubicin . our findings indicate that hcrc - targeted peptides have great potential to be developed into targeted drug delivery systems and imaging for cancer including , but not limited to , colorectal carcinoma . the invention relates to the discovery of targeting peptide and target protein on colorectal cancer cells by using biotinylated peptide to directly bind to intact cells , while using affinity trapping method and lc / maldi - ms / ms to identify the unknown target protein on the plasma membrane of the cells . we disclose how phage libraries can be directly selected on tumor cell lines to generate peptides , which were able to bind to cell - surface receptors and were rapidly internalized upon binding . we also demonstrated the use of phage - displayed peptide in identifying the tumor antigen by affinity trapping method and lc / maldi - ms / ms . evaluation of tumor and organ distribution profiles of the peptide - targeted and non - targeted liposomes and the antitumor activity of the peptide - targeted liposomal drugs on mice bearing xenografts of human colorectal carcinoma were performed . the combination of targeted nanomedicine showed enhanced antitumor effect and markedly extended survival of mice with orthotopic human colon cancer , suggesting great potential to be developed into targeted drug delivery systems for cancer therapy . phage clones and displayed peptide sequences are listed in fig8 . the seq id nos . are as follows : hct - 74 : ssmdivlraplm ; ( seq id no : 3 ) hct - 01 : aapelvapsiwl ; ( seq id no : 4 ) hct - 40 : slslvapvlsll ; ( seq id no : 5 ) hct - 70 : tmgftaprfphy ; ( seq id no : 6 ) hct - 50 : spglslvshmqt ; ( seq id no : 7 ) hct - 41 : ltrpngiphlsl ; ( seq id no : 8 ) hct - 21 : tsysinllstpm ; ( seq id no : 9 ) hct - 10 : sptglfmtlssr ; ( seq id no : 10 ) hct - 04 : hhrtlspsvsil ; ( seq id no : 11 ) hct - 69 : tsvsivstvltp ; ( seq id no : 2 ) hct - 63 : rlnldiiavtsv ; ( seq id no : 1 ) hct - 08 : latpftatsatg ; ( seq id no : 12 ) hct - 71 : vtsslprmfhtl ; ( seq id no : 13 ) hct - 12 : gflplprgeifs ; ( seq id no : 14 ) hct - 92 : tpslpptmfrlt ; ( seq id no : 15 ) hct - 59 : ghliplrqpshq ; ( seq id no : 16 ) hct - 47 : spnfswlplgtt ; ( seq id no : 17 ) hct - 33 : kvdaglgsifll ; ( seq id no : 18 ) hct - 34 : wgitvetaygta ; ( seq id no : 19 ) hct - 35 : selhvrlshina ; ( seq id no : 20 ) hct - 45 : ssggvrwsahws . ( seq id no : 21 ) the targeting peptide ( e . g ., phct74 peptide ) may be linked to an anti - cancer drug via a chemical linker just like adc ( antibody drug conjugate ). potential applications of the targeting peptides include , but not limited to , the following : peptide conjugates of oligonucleotides . synthesis and applications of peptide oligonucleotide are already known in art ( venkatesan et al . “ peptide conjugates of oligonucleotides : synthesis and applications ” chem . rev . 2006 , 106 , 3712 - 3761 ). peptide conjugated micelle ( layek et al . “ cell penetrating peptide conjugated polymeric micelles as a high performance versatile nonviral gene carrier ” biomacromolecules 2013 , 14 , 4071 - 4081 ). peptide - drug conjugates : peptide - drug - conjugates ( arap et al . “ cancer treatment by targeted drug delivery to tumor vasculature in a mouse model ” science 1998 , 279 ( 5349 ): 377 - 80 ; forner et al . “ peptide - drug conjugates : types , utility & amp ; manufacturing ” specialty chemicals magazine may 2012 , p 46 - 47 ; firer et al . “ targeted drug delivery for cancer therapy : the other side of antibodies ” journal of hematology & amp ; oncology 2012 , 5 : 70 ; majumdar et al . “ peptide - mediated targeted drug delivery ” medicinal research reviews 32 , no . 3 , 637 - 658 , 2012 ; zhang et al . “ cellular uptake and cytotoxicity of drug - peptide conjugates regulated by conjugation site ” bioconjugate chemistry 2013 , 24 , 604 - 613 ; lelle et a . “ novel cleavable cell - penetrating peptide - drug conjugates : synthesis and characterization ” j . of peptide science 2014 ; 20 : 323 - 333 ). peptide - polymer conjugates : annu rev phys chem . 2013 ; 64 : 631 - 57 ; cancer vaccines : ( arens et al . “ prospects of combinatorial synthetic peptide vaccine - based immunotherapy against cancer ” seminars in immunology 25 ( 2013 ) 182 - 190 ). peptide conjugated to magnetic nanoparticle : ( xie et al . “ surface - engineered magnetic nanoparticle platforms for cancer imaging and therapy ” accounts of chemical research 44 ( 10 ) 883 - 892 , 2011 ). peptide - dendrimer conjugates : ( liu et al . “ novel peptide - dendrimer conjugates as drug carriers for targeting non - small cell lung cancer ” international j . of nanomedicine 2011 : 6 59 - 69 ). radiolabeled peptides : ( fani et al . “ radiolabeled peptides : valuable tools for the detection and treatment of cancer ” theranostics 2012 , 2 ( 5 ): 481 - 501 ). peptide conjugates for cancer molecular imaging such as fe 3 o 4 : anticancer agents med chem . 2012 ; 12 ( 5 ): 476 - 99 . several functional groups on the doxorubicin have been used for conjugation to the peptides . the primary amine can be directly linked to a carboxylic acid group of the c - terminal or the asp side chain on the peptide carrier . drug - peptide conjugation via an amide bond is carried out by linking the carboxylic acid of the drug and primary amine of the spacer / peptide . for amide bond formation , the carboxylic acid on the spacer , peptide , or the drug can be activated with o - benzotriazole - n , n , n ′, n ′- tetramethyl - uronium - hexafluorophosphate ( hbtu ) or a mixture of 1 - ethyl - 3 -( 3 - dimethylaminopropyl ) carbodiimide hydrochloride ( edc ) and n - hydroxybenzotriazole ( hobt ). the activated carboxylic acid is then reacted with an amine group of the counterpart ( i . e ., drug or peptide ) in the presence of a strong base ( i . e ., diisopropylethylamine or triethylamine ) in different solvents , including dimethylformamide or dimethylsulfoxide to give the desired conjugate . to provide a spacer between the doxorubicin and the peptide carrier , the amino group is reacted with succinic or glutaric anhydride to give a product with a free carboxylic acid group , which can be linked to a free amino group on the peptide . the primary alcohol at the c14 of doxorubicin has been linked to a carboxylic acid group on the carrier molecule via an ester bond . the c13 ketone group on doxorubicin is also reacted to hydrazine to form a hydrazone spacer that is linked to the peptide carrier . the ester linkage is commonly used to conjugate drug to peptide because it can be hydrolyzed chemically or enzymatically ( i . e ., esterase ) to release the drug . to conjugate doxorubicin to peptide , c14 of doxorubicin was modified with glutaric ester and the other carboxylic acid of the glutarate was linked to the side chain amino group of d - lys on the peptide to give doxorubicin - peptide conjugate . a hydrazone linkage can be utilized as an acid - labile bond for releasing the drug molecule from the conjugate upon a decrease in ph in tumor extracellular environments and in the lysosomes . daunorubicin and doxorubicin with a ketone functional group at c - 13 were derivatized with hydrazine maleimido spacers ( i . e ., m - maleimidobenzoic acid hydrazine or p - maleimidophenylacetic acid hydrazine ) to give hydrazide intermediates . these maleimide intermediates were reacted with the thiol group of the cys residue in the peptide to give the respective conjugates . the presence of an aromatic ring on the spacer provided the possibility to regulate the stability of the hydrazone bond . camptothecin and combretastatin were conjugated to peptides using a carbamate bond between the drug and the spacer . the spacer contained a methyl - aminoethyl moiety that was attached to the carbamate nitrogen as a “ built - in - nucleophile assisted releasing ” ( binar ) moiety , which acted as a nucleophile to release camptothecin . this secondary amine of the binar moiety attacked the carbonyl carbon of the carbamate group to form a five - membered ring urea on the spacer : this was followed by the release of the drug into the medium . the peptides were conjugated to doxorubicin with 1 - ethyl - 3 -( 3 - dimethyl - aminoproproyl ) carbodiimide hydrochloride ( edc ) and n - hydroxysuccinimide ( nhs ). the conjugates were freed of reactants by gel filtration on a sephadex g25 . the carbodiimide conjugation method precluded a determination of the stoichiometry of the conjugates by mass spectrometry ( science 1998 , 279 ( 5349 ): 377 - 80 ). without intent to limit the scope of the invention , exemplary instruments , apparatus , methods and their related results according to the embodiments of the present invention are given below . note that titles or subtitles may be used in the examples for convenience of a reader , which in no way should limit the scope of the invention . moreover , certain theories are proposed and disclosed herein ; however , in no way they , whether they are right or wrong , should limit the scope of the invention so long as the invention is practiced according to the invention without regard for any particular theory or scheme of action . hct116 , ht29 , ls174t , sw620 , colo 205 , a498 , htb - 10 , b16f10 , skov3 , pc3 , u2os , 1112sk , h184 , sas , h460 , mia paca2 , sk - hep - 1 , and mahlavu cells were purchased from american type culture collection ( atcc ) and were authenticated by atcc based on dna profile , cytogenetic analysis and isoenzymology . these cells were cultured in accordance to atcc &# 39 ; s protocols and were passaged for fewer than 6 months after resuscitation . phage - displayed random peptide library ( new england biolabs , ma usa ) based on a combinatorial library of random peptide 12 - mers fused to a piii coat protein of m13 phage was used in our experiments . hct116 cells were grown to 70 - 80 % confluence . the growth medium was removed and washed two times with serum free dmem . it was then blocked with blocking buffer ( serum free dmem containing 1 % bsa ) at 4 ° c . for 30 min . the 2 × 10 11 pfu of phage - displayed peptide library was added to hct116 cells . the cells with reaction mixture were incubated on shaker at 4 ° c . for 1 hr . after incubation , the cells were washed 4 times with pbs to remove unbound phages . the phages that bound to cells were recovered with lysis buffer ( 50 mm tris - hcl , ph 7 . 4 , 150 mm nacl , 1 % nonidet p - 40 ). the recovered phages were amplified and titrated with escherichia coli er2738 culture ( new england biolabs , ma , usa ). amplified phages were subjected to next round of biopanning using hct116 cells . the 5th round phage eluates were titrated on lb / iptg / x - gal plates for phage clone identification . the selected phages were further identified by elisa screening . 1 × 10 4 cells were seeded into each well of 96 - well elisa plates ( falcon , calif ., usa ) overnight and were fixed with 2 % paraformaldehyde or methanol / acetone ( 1 : 1 ) for 10 min at rt . the plates were washed twice with pbs and were blocked with 1 % bsa in pbs ( w / v ) for 30 min at rt . then individual phage clones were added and incubated for 1 hr at rt . following washing three times with pbs , the plates were incubated with horseradish peroxidase ( hrp )- conjugated mouse anti - m13 phage antibody ( ge healthcare ) at 1 : 2000 dilution for 1 hr at rt . the plates were washed three times with pbs again , and were subsequently incubated with the peroxidase substrate o - phenylenediamine dihydrochloride ( opd ; sigma ) plus h 2 o 2 . the reaction was terminated by 3 n hcl , and the absorbance was measured using microplate reader ( model 680 , biorad ) at 490 nm . cells were grown to 70 - 80 % confluence and were harvested with 10 mm edta in pbs . peripheral blood mononuclear cells were prepared by using ficoll - paque plus density gradient separation . after washing and suspending the cells with facs buffer ( pbs containing 1 % fetal bovine serum ), the cells were incubated for 1 hr at 4 ° c . with 5 × 10 9 , 1 × 10 9 cfu individual phage clones or control phage , respectively . after washing twice with facs buffer , cells were incubated with mouse anti - m13 monoclonal antibody ( ge healthcare ) at 1 : 2000 dilution for 1 hr followed by 30 min with phycoerythrin ( pe )- conjugated goat anti - mouse secondary antibody ( jackson immunoresearch ) at 1 : 250 dilution at 4 ° c . the emission fluorescence signals were measured using facscantoll ( becton dickinson ) and were analyzed by flowjo software . the selected phage clones were amplified and precipitated by 1 / 6 volume of polyethylene glycol ( peg )- nacl [ 20 % ( wt / vol ) peg 8000 and 2 . 5m nacl ]. the phage pellet was resuspended in 100 μl of iodide buffer ( 10 mm tris - hcl ph 8 . 0 , 1 mm edta , 4 m nai ) and was incubated with 250 μl of 100 % ethanol at room temperature for 10 min . phage dna was isolated after centrifugation , washed with 70 % ethanol , air dried , and resuspended with 50 μl double distilled water . the dna sequences of purified phages were determined by di - deoxynucleotide chain termination method using an automated dna sequencer ( abi prism 377 , perkin - elmer , ca , usa ). the sequencing was performed with the - 96 giii sequencing primer 5 ′- ccctcatagttagcgtaacg - 3 ′ ( seq id no : 23 ) corresponding to the phage minor coat protein piii gene sequence . non - obese diabetic - severe combined immunodeficiency ( nod / scid ) mice were injected subcutaneously ( s . c .) into the dorsolateral flank with 5 × 10 6 hct116 cells . when the xenograft tumor size reached 300 ± 50 mm 3 , the mice were injected intravascularly ( i . v .) with 2 × 10 11 pfu of the targeting phage or control phage m13ko7 . seven min after injection , the mice were sacrificed and perfused through the heart with 50 ml of pbs to wash unbound phages . after perfusion , xenograft tumor and mouse organs were taken out , washed three times with cold pbs , and cut into pans , with some of them homogenized . the phages bound to each tissue sample were recovered by log - phase escherichia coli er2738 culture and were titered on lb / iptg / x - gal agar plates . in peptide competitive inhibition experiments , 2 × 10 9 pfu of phage was co - injected with 100 μg of corresponding peptide or an unrelated control peptide . the tissue samples from in vivo phage homing experiment were embedded in frozen blocks . to evaluate the phage distribution in each tissue by immunohistochemistry , the frozen specimens were cut to 8 - μm - thick sections and were collected on coated slides . the slides were washed with cold pbs to remove oct and were fixed with 4 % paraformaldehyde for 10 min at rt . to block endogenous peroxidase activity , the slides were soaked with 3 % hydrogen peroxide in methanol for 30 min at rt . the nonspecific antibody binding sites were blocked by immersing the section with 1 % bsa in pbs for 30 min at rt . the tissue sections were incubated with mouse anti - m13 monoclonal antibody at 1 : 250 dilution for 1 hr , followed by adding super enhancer reagent ( super sensitive ™ polymer hrp detection system / dab , biogenex ) for 20 min and poly - hrp reagent ( biogenex ) for 30 min . after washing , the sections were developed with dab ( 3 , 3 ′- diaminobenzidine ) chromogen ( biogenex ) supplemented with stable dab buffer . the reaction was stopped by adding pbs . for nuclei staining , the slides were immersed in hematoxylin for 5 min , and were then mounted with mounting solution to terminate the reaction . the images of sections were taken and analyzed using automated acquisition system ( tissuegnostics ). human colorectal carcinoma surgical specimens were obtained from the archives of department of pathology , national taiwan university hospital . the oct - embedded frozen tissue blocks were cut into 8 - μm - thick tissue sections , collected on coated slides , and fixed with 2 % paraformaldehyde for 10 min at rt . 3 % hydrogen peroxide in methanol was added to the slides for 30 min , followed by blocking with 1 % bsa in pbs for 30 min . the samples were incubated with mouse anti - m13 monoclonal antibody at 1 : 200 dilution for 1 hr , followed by adding super enhancer reagent ( super sensitive ™ polymer hrp detection system / dab , biogenex ) for 20 min and poly - hrp reagent ( biogenex ) for 30 min . after washing , the sections were developed with dab ( 3 , 3 ′- diaminobenzidine ) chromogen ( biogenex ) supplemented with stable dab buffer , and the reaction was stopped by adding pbs . for nuclei staining , the slides were immersed in hematoxylin for 5 min . and were subsequently mounted with mounting solution to terminate the reaction . the images of sections were taken and analyzed using automated acquisition system ( tissuegnostics ). the peptides were synthesized on a cem liberty automated microwave peptide synthesizer ( matthews , n . c ., usa ) using standard fmoc - based solid phase chemistry , hobt / hbtu activation , and wang resin ( 0 . 55 meq / g substitution ). biotinylated versions of the peptides included an additional n - terminal or c - terminal biotin and a gly - gly - gly spacer . the peptides were n - terminally biotinylated with biotin p - nitrophenylester ( biotin - onp ). biotin novatag ™ resin was used for the synthesis of c - terminus biotinylation peptides . the deprotection reaction was carried out by adding 7 ml of 20 % piperidine in dmf in two stages with an initial deprotection of 30 sec at 45 ° c ., followed by 3 min at 75 ° c . coupling reactions were achieved with 5 equivalents of fmoc - aa - oh with 1 : 1 : 1 aa / dic / oxyma for 5 min at 75 ° c . after completion of the synthesis , the peptide was cleaved from the resin with tfa / tis / water ( 95 : 2 . 5 : 2 . 5 ) for 2 . 5 hrs at room temperature , and then was precipitated and washed by addition of cold diethyl ether . n - hydroxysuccinimido - carboxyl - polyethyleneglycol ( mw , 3400 - derived distearoylphosphatidyl ethanolamine ( nhs - peg - dspe ; 8 . 5 mg ) dissolved in 0 . 25 ml of dichloromethane was added to 0 . 25 ml of dmso containing 3 . 1 mg of peptide . it was then mixed with 0 . 011 ml of triethylamine to catalyze the reaction . the stoichiometric molar ratio of peptide and nhs - peg - dspe was 1 . 1 : 1 . the reaction was carried out for 72 hours at room temperature . the peptide - peg - dspe conjugates were purified by dialysis with a 2 kda cut - off membrane ( spectrum ), and were then dried through lyophilization . cells were seeded in 96 - well plates 1 , 000 per well and incubated with drug in culture medium at varying concentrations at 37 ° c . for 72 hrs . the cell viability was detected by mtt assay according to manufacturer &# 39 ; s instruction . each assay was repeated four times . the data were presented as the percent of viable cells compared with that of untreated control cells . a lipid film hydration method was used to prepare pegylated liposomes composed of distearoylphosphatidylcholine , cholesterol , and mpeg 2000 - dspe , which were then used to encapsulate doxorubicin ( 3 : 2 : 0 . 3 molar ratio ) or vinorelbine ( 3 : 2 : 0 . 15 molar ratio ). the lipid film were hydrated at 60 ° c . in 250 mm ammonium sulfate or 300 mm ammonium salts of 5 - sulfosalicylic acid solution , and were extruded through polycarbonate membrane filters of 0 . 1 μm pore size using high - pressure extrusion equipment ( lipex biomembranes , vancouver , british columbia ) at 55 ° c . doxorubicin and vinorelbine were encapsulated by a remote loading method at a concentration of 1 mg of doxorubicin and 3 . 5 mg of vinorelbine per 10 μmol of phospholipid . the final concentration of liposome was estimated by phosphate assay . the peptide - peg - dspe was subsequently incorporated into pre - formed liposomes by co - incubation at 60 ° c ., the transition temperature of the lipid bilayer , for 0 . 5 hour with gentle shaking sepharose 4b ( ge healthcare ) gel filtration chromatography was used to remove released free drug , unconjugated peptides , and unincorporated conjugates . doxorubicin concentrations in the fractions of eluent were determined by measuring fluorescence at λex / em = 485 / 590 nm using a spectrofluorometer ( spectra max m5 , molecular devices ). vinorelbine concentrations were determined using the hplc method . hct116 cells were grown to 70 - 80 % confluence and were harvested with 10 mm edta in pbs . the biotinylated phct74 peptide was added to the cells and incubated for 1 hour at 4 ° c . after incubation , cells were washed with ice - cold pbs , and the dtssp solution was added to a final concentration of 2 mm . the reaction mixture was incubated on ice for 2 hours . the reaction was stopped by the addition of 20 mm tris - hcl . the plasma membrane lysates were prepared using the mem - per ® eukaryotic membrane protein extraction reagent kit , ( thermo fisher scientific , rockford , ill ., usa ) according to the manufacturer &# 39 ; s instructions . dynabeads ® myone ® streptavidin c1 ( invitrogen , ca , usa ) was added to the above protein lysates and mixed thoroughly . immuno - magnetic separation was used to pull down the peptide - protein complexes . finally , the purified proteins were separated by sds - page and silver - stained with a silverquest ™ silver staining kit ( invitrogen , ca , usa ). the protein band was digested with trypsin , and the peptide fragments were identified by lc / ms / ms . proteins were identified by searching swiss protein database using the mascot ( matrix science , london , uk ) and turbosequest search engines ( thermo fisher scientific , rockford , ill ., usa ). cancer cells ( 5 × 10 6 ) were injected subcutaneously into dorsal - lateral flank of the female nod . cb17 - prkdc scid / j mice ( 4 - 6 weeks old ). the mice bearing xenografts were then randomly assigned into several groups for different treatments . drug was administered twice a week through tail vein injection for four consecutive weeks . body weights and the tumor sizes were measured by electronic scale and calipers . the tumor volumes were calculated using the equation : length ×( width ) 2 × 0 . 52 . at the end of the experiment , tumor mass of each mouse and their visceral organs such as brain , lungs , heart , liver , and kidney were removed and embedded with oct for further histopathological examination . animal care was carried out in accordance with guide lines of academia sinica , taiwan . the orthotopic implantation methodology has been described in detail in earlier reports ( tseng et al ., 2007 ). the hct116 cells were infected with lenti - luc virus ( lentivirus containing the luciferase genes ). nsg mice ( nod . cg - prkdc scid il2rg tmiwjl / szj ) were used for orthotopic implantation . the mice were anesthetized using i . p . injection of avertin , 2 , 2 , 2 - tribromo - ethanol ( sigma chemical co ) at a dose of 250 mg / kg . for orthotopic implantation procedures , a 1 - cm laparotomy was performed , and both the caecum and ascending colon were exteriorized . exponentially growing hct116 - luc cells ( luciferase - expressed hct116 cells ) were inoculated into the cecal wall . the bowel was then returned to the peritoneal cavity and the abdomen was closed with absorbable 5 - 0 vicryl suture and skin with 5 - 0 proline suture . tumor development was monitored using bioluminescence imaging . for orthotopic therapeutic study , mice were then treated with different formulations of anti - cancer drugs . tumor progression monitored by bioluminescence quantification . mouse body weight and survival rate were measured . animal care was carried out in accordance with the guidelines of academia sinica , taiwan . we analyzed phage titer , tumor volume , body weight , and doxorubicin concentration data using two - sided unpaired student &# 39 ; s t - test . we considered a p value below 0 . 05 as significant for all analyses . values are represented as mean ± standard deviation ( s . d .). identification of colorectal carcinoma - targeting peptide ligands by in vitro phage display screenings we performed in vitro panning starting from a phage - displayed 12 - mer random peptide library using hct116 cells as the target cells . after five rounds of affinity selection , the recovery rate of the fifth round had increased by 28 . 7 - fold over that observed in the first round . individual phage clones were randomly picked up from the fifth round of selection for further screening . we performed a first validation on 95 phage clones using elisa assays with hct116 cells . fifty nine out of the ninety five selected phage clones showed weak or no binding . however , 36 phages displayed peptides were capable of high specific binding , compared to the control insertless phage ( m13ko7 phage ). multiple sequence alignment software was used to compare peptide sequences obtained from candidate phages . the peptide motifs were identified in several groups of related sequences ( fig8 , table 1 ). in order to rule out the possibility that the selected phages bind to secreted or intracellular protein of the target cells , the cell surface - binding activity was further verified by flow cytometry analysis . the results showed that seven of 36 phage clones reacted strongly with the surface receptors of hct116 cells , whereas eight phage clones had moderate reactivity , with the rest exhibiting only weak reactivity . the phage clones with high surface - binding activity to hct116 were selected for further in vive validation . to investigate the targeting ability of the selected phage clones in vivo , mice bearing hct116 xenografts ( 300 mm 3 ) were injected with 2 × 10 11 pfu of either the selected phages or control phage through the tail vein . phages were circulated and then were perfused with pbs buffer to wash out non - specific binders in circulation . after perfusion , we recovered and determined the liters of phage in tumor masses and normal organs . the results showed that the three phage clones ( hct63 , hct69 and hct74 ), but not the control phage , were significantly accumulated in the tumor mass , compared to that in the normal organs , such as brain , lungs and heart . furthermore , we verified the tissue distributions of the three selected phages with tumor homing experiments . the frozen tissue sections derived from the tumor and the normal organs were immunostained with anti - phage antibody . the results revealed that hct63 , hct69 and hct74 phages selectively localized in tumor tissues rather than in normal organ tissues , such as brain , heart , lungs and colon ( fig1 a and b ). not surprisingly , no immunoreactivity was detected in the case of control phage in the tumor and the normal organ tissues ( fig1 b ). the tumor - homing ability of hct63 , hct69 and hct74 phages were further confirmed by peptide competitive inhibition experiment . mice bearing hct116 xenografts were co - injected with hct63 , hct69 and hct74 phages clones and the homologous cognate synthetic peptide ; phct63 , phct69 and phct74 peptides ( seq id nos : 1 - 3 , respectively ), respectively . the results showed that the cognate peptides markedly inhibited the recovery of phage particles from tumor tissue ( fig1 c ). validation of the bindings of selected phage clones to various human cancer cells to further investigate whether other human colorectal carcinoma ( hcrc ) cells can be recognized by each of the selected phage clones , five hcrc cell lines , including hct116 , ht29 , ls174t , sw620 and colo205 , were incubated with selected phages , and their binding activities were analyzed by facs . the results showed that the hct63 phage reacted strongly with hct116 , ht29 . ls174t , and sw620 , but only moderately with colo205 cells . hct69 and hct74 phages showed high binding affinity to hct116 , ht29 , and sw620 , moderate affinity to ls174t cells , and only weak affinity to colo205 cell lines ( fig2 a ). to confirm that the selected phage clones did not cross - react with normal cells , we examined the binding affinities between each selected phages and peripheral blood mononuclear cells ( pbmc ). the human pbmc were first isolated and incubated with each individual phage clone , and then were analyzed by facs analysis . the results showed that all selected phages had no binding activity to pbmc ( fig2 a ). the hct63 , hct69 , and hct74 phage clones were able to bind to hcrc cells but not to normal cells . these three phage clones were chosen for further study . to evaluate the binding activities of the three selected phage clones to various human cancer cell lines , cellular elisa was performed to detect sixteen types of human cancer cell lines , including a498 , htb - 10 , b16 - f10 , skov3 , pc - 3 , u2os , 1112sk , h184 , sas , h460 , mia paca - 2 , hct116 , huvac , cl1 - 5 , mahlavu , and mda - mb - 231 . the results showed that all three selected phages exhibited extensive binding activity to various cancer cell lines . hct63 exhibited high binding specificity to all cancer cell lines , except htb - 10 . hct69 and hct74 revealed highly specific binding to a498 , b16 - f10 , skov3 , pc - 3 , u2os , 1112sk , h184 , sas , h460 , mia paca - 2 , hct116 , huvac , mahlavu , and mda - mb - 231 , but only moderate binding to htb - 10 and cl1 - 5 . the binding specificity of the selected phages to hcrc cells was further tested using immunohistochemistry with surgical specimens from colorectal carcinoma patients . the results show that all three selected phages can recognize the tumor cells in the surgical specimens of colorectal carcinoma , but not their normal counterparts . the control phage reveals no immunoreactivity in the tumor tissues ( fig2 b ). in order to find out effective chemotherapeutic agent to treat colorectal cancer , the cytotoxicity of several anticancer drugs were examined . vinorelbine showed significantly better cytotoxicity profiles than other colon and rectal cancer drugs approved by the fda . in this study , doxorubicin and vinorelbine were chosen to encapsulate by lipid - based nanoparticles . liposomal doxorubicin is the first fda - approved liposomal drug and most widely used member of the liposomal formulation of anticancer agents . preparation of liposomal doxorubicin was achieved easily by following well - established protocol ( fig3 a and b ). however , the same protocol could not be directly applied to develop liposomal vinorelbine due to its high membrane - permeability and different drug - retention properties . we successfully created a stable liposomal formulation of vinorelbine ( slv ) with modified lipid composition and loaded vinorelbine with the ammonium 5 - sulfosalicylate gradient method . vinorelbine could be trapped and precipitated in the liposome ( fig3 a ). the mean particle size of liposome incorporated with different drugs as measured with the dynamic light scattering analyzer , was in the range of 9 ) to 110 nm ( fig3 b ). the zeta potential of liposome was in the range of − 20 to − 30 mv ( fig3 b ). because of specific binding affinity to hcrc cells and in vivo tumor - homing ability , peptide ligands displayed on the hct63 , hct69 , and hct74 phages were chosen for subsequent studies . their corresponding synthetic peptides were named phct63 , phct69 and phct74 , respectively . dspe - peg 3400 - phct63 and dspe - peg 3400 - phct74 were synthesized by coupling the peptide ligands to a commercially available nhs - activated pegylyated lipid . the peptide - lipid conjugates were purified by lyophilization and dialysis , and were structurally confirmed by mass spectrometry . the major peaks of the phct63 - peg 3400 - dspe and phct74 - peg 3400 - dspe conjugates were centered at 5631 . 544 and 5651 . 576 mass - charge ratios , respectively , consistent with the calculated molecular weight of the peptide - lipid conjugates ( fig3 c ). the conjugates were then incorporated into a liposomal doxorubicin or liposomal vinorelbine via the post - insertion technique to perform hcrc - targeted liposomes . morphology , size distribution and zeta potential of liposome were not significant changed after peptide post - insertion ( fig3 d and e ), suggesting that the process did not alter the stability of this liposomal drugs . to determine whether the synthetic phct63 and phct74 peptides have targeting activities , we examined the delivery efficiency of peptide bearing liposomes by measuring the amount of liposomal doxorubicin internalized into hct116 cells . the doxorubicin - loaded liposomes post - inserted with various concentrations of peptide - peg 3400 - dspe were incubated for various time periods . the kinetics of phct63 0 . 5 % - ld ( with the ratio of peptide - peg 3400 - dspe to phospholipid at 0 . 5 % mole ), phct63 5 % - ld , phct74 0 . 5 % - ld , phct74 5 % - ld , and non - targeted ld uptake by hct116 cells were tested at 0 . 5th , 1th , 4th , 6th and 24th h time point ( fig3 f ). after incubating liposomes with cells and subsequently washing to remove any unbound nanoparticles , both the cells and the liposomes were lysed , and the amount of internalized doxorubicin was quantified by measuring total doxorubicin fluorescence . the results showed that cells incubated for 24 hours with phct63 0 . 5 % - ld had a 2 . 1 - fold increase in intracellular doxorubicin uptake compared with the non - targeted controls . as the ratio of phct63 - peg 3400 - dspe increased from 0 . 5 % to 5 %, the doxorubicin uptake increased from 2 . 1 - fold to 5 . 2 - fold , compared with ld under the same conditions . however , the phct74 targeting peptide markedly enhanced liposomal doxorubicin delivery to hct116 cells . the uptake of phct74 - ld increased more rapidly than phct63 - ld during early incubation . the phct74 0 . 5 % - ld and phct74 5 % - ld demonstrated at most 11 to 16 - fold more drug uptake than the non - targeted ld ( fig3 f ). this result indicates that low phct74 peptide density on the surface of liposome was sufficient for the improved delivery of the liposomes . the phct74 - ld significantly enhanced delivery of liposomes to hcrc cells in comparison with non - targeted control . although phct63 - ld also demonstrated the enhanced delivery to hct116 cells , the improvement was moderate compared to phct74 - ld . significantly , the phct74 liposomes demonstrated higher delivery efficiency than phct63 liposomes . this result suggests that phct74 peptide is superior to phct63 peptide as targeting ligand for the delivery of liposomes to hcrc cells . it is reasonable to assume that increased cellular uptake would improve the cytotoxicity of liposomal doxorubicin . thus , we sought to verify this hypothesis by comparing the cytotoxic effects of the various peptide bearing doxorubicin - loaded liposomes . as expected , phct63 - ld and phct74 - ld were more cytotoxic than the non - targeted liposomes , based on the results of drug accumulation ( fig3 g ). the ic 50 values determined for each liposome formulation are detailed in fig3 h . the ic 50 , for phct63 - ld and phct74 - ld were approximately 2 - fold lower than that for the non - targeted ld . more importantly , the ic 50 decreased with increasing peptide concentration . we also developed vinorelbine - loaded targeting liposomes . expectedly , the phct74 - slv significantly enhanced drug cytotoxicity to hct116 cells ( fig3 i ). the ic 50 for the phct74 - slv was 4 . 23 - fold lower than that for the non - targeted slv ( fig3 j ). for pharmacokinetics analysis , phct74 - ld and ld were administered to nod . cb17 - prkdc scid / j mice at matched 2 mg doxorubicin / kg through tail vein injection . blood samples were withdrawn at selected time points , and the quantities of doxorubicin were analyzed . fluorescent quantitative method for analysis was validated . the blood profiles , which declined progressively over time , were similar throughout the study for both phct74 - ld and ld . the time course of phct74 - ld and ld biodistributions to the tumor and various organs after the administration of the two liposomal drug formulations were examined . the maximum total doxorubicin concentration in tumor at 1 . 95 ± 0 . 58 μg doxorubicin / g tumor occurred at 24 hours after phct74 - ld administration and remained 1 . 60 ± 0 . 99 μg / g at 72 hours . maximum tumor accumulation of ld at 2 mg / kg ( 0 . 98 ± 0 . 42 μg / g ) occurred at 48 hours post - dose and gradually decreased with time to 0 . 73 ± 0 . 18 μg / g at 72 hours post - injection . 1 . 95 - fold higher tumor accumulation of phct74 - ld compared to ld was observed at 24 hours . in contrast , distribution of phct74 - ld in all non - malignant tissues was similar to that of ld at each time point . the tumor doxorubicin auc 0 - 72 for phct74 - ld was 106 . 69 ± 36 . 13 μg h / g and the ld auc 0 - 72 was 57 . 53 ± 17 . 93 μg h / g , representing 1 . 85 times increase in doxorubicin auc 0 - 72 for the treated mice . to determine the amount of bioavailable drug in tumor cells , we performed whole body perfusion through the left ventricle of the heart with dpbs before biodistribution analysis . this operation can eliminate blood and liposomes remained in vessel and the interstitial space of tumors . after whole body perfusion , the tumor mass , brain , heart , lung , liver and kidneys were harvested and doxorubicin were quantified . we used intracellular accumulation of doxorubicin as an indicator of bioavailability of the liposomal drug . ld and phct74 - ld were administered to tumor ( hct116 )- bearing mice ( nod . cb17 - prkdcscid / j ) at matched 1 mg doxorubicin / kg by i . v . injection . the doxorubicin levels were measured in the blood at different time points using fluorescent quantitative method . the blood profiles of both phct74 - ld and ld were similar . tumor uptake of phct74 - ld at 1 mg / kg gradually increased before peaking at 0 . 76 ± 0 . 14 μg / g at 24 hours post - dose and remained at 0 . 28 ± 0 . 20 μg / g at 72 hours . maximum tumor uptake of ld at 1 mg / kg ( 0 . 45 ± 0 . 17 μg / g ) occurred 24 hours post - dose and experienced almost no change over time at 0 . 18 ± 0 . 06 μg / g at 72 hours post - injection . 1 . 69 - fold higher uptake of phct74 - ld compared to ld was observed at 24 hours . the tumor doxorubicin auc 0 - 72 for phct74 - ld was 35 . 17 ± 6 . 50 μg h / g and the ld auc 0 - 72 was 20 . 62 ± 5 . 87 μg h / g , representing a 1 . 71 times increase in doxorubicin auc 0 - 72 for the treated mice . the uptake of both drugs in most non - malignant tissues was low at the initial 1 hour post - injection . liver and kidney uptake of both drugs gradually increased at 24 hours and then slowly declined thereafter . we propose the use of biotinylated phct74 peptide and a chemical cross - linker , dtssp , to identify the unknown target protein on the plasma membrane of hct116 cells . schematic diagram of the experimental design was shown in fig4 a . a biotin molecule was conjugated to the c terminus of synthetic phct74 peptide . the binding characteristics of biotinylated phct74 peptide to hct116 cells were evaluated by flow cytometry for analyzing the concentration dependency of the binding ( fig4 b ). this addition of a single biotin to the c terminus of the peptide did not affect its cell binding activity . the membrane proteins of hct116 cells were bound with biotin - phct74 peptide , cross - linked by dtssp ; followed by sds - page separation and lc / ms / ms analysis . a sharp bands was detected by silver staining ( fig4 c ), and subsequently analyzed by lc / ms / ms after tryptic digestion . twelve tryptic peptides were identified as alpha - enolase ( eno1 ) fragments by search algorithms based on mascot software . coverage of the identified peptides was 57 % of the alpha - enolase sequence and the probability score was 424 ( fig4 d ). to further confirm alpha - enolase was the target proteins of the phct74 peptide , correlation between the binding activity of hct74 phage and eno1 expression was examined . we established stable cell lines expressing shrnas targeting eno1 gene ( fig4 e ) and tested the binding activity of hct74 phage by flow cytometry . the binding activity of hct74 phage was reduced after eno1 gene knockdown ( fig4 f ). instead , after transient overexpression of eno1 gene , the binding activity of hct74 phage was increased ( fig4 g ). in conclusion , the expression of eno1 was consistent with the binding activity of hct74 phage . in addition , hct74 phage specific binding to the alpha enolase protein was also confirmed by direct elisa assay ( fig4 h ). therapeutic efficacy of peptide - targeted liposomal drugs in human colorectal carcinoma xenografts in vivo anti - tumor activities of peptide - targeted liposomal drugs were tested using hct116 and sw620 colorectal cancer tumor - bearing mice . to evaluate the anti - tumor efficacy of systemically administered phct74 - ld compared to ld , nod . cb17 - prkdc scid / j were inoculated s . c . with hct116 and sw620 tumors . mice bearing colorectal carcinoma xenografts (˜ 100 mm 3 ) were assigned into four groups for different treatments : a , phct74 - ld ; b , fd ; c , ld ; and d , pbs . treatments were administered through tail vein injection , 1 mg / kg every 3 . 5 days for eight doses with total cumulative dose of 8 mg / kg . on day 28 in the hct116 xenograft model , compared to untreated controls , administration of phct74 - ld significantly inhibited tumor growth by 80 . 1 % ( p & lt ; 0 . 01 ), whereas the treatment with ld and fd inhibited tumor growth by 65 . 8 % ( p & lt ; 0 . 01 ) and 44 . 6 % ( p & gt ; 0 . 01 ), respectively ( fig5 a ). the tumor size of the ld group gradually increased to 1 . 72 - fold that of the phct74 - ld by day 28 . by the end of the treatment , the final average tumor weight in mice treated with phct74 - ld was 0 . 15 g . compared to 0 . 24 g in mice treated with ld and 1 . 1 g in mice injected with pbs buffer ( fig5 b and c ). the inhibition of growth for phct74 - ld was more significant than that for ld ( p & lt ; 0 . 01 ). a similar result was observed in treatments with sw620 xenograft . the tumor size for mice bearing sw620 xenografts treated with phct74 - ld was significantly smaller than those treated with non - targeted ld ( fig5 d , e and f ). the phct74 - ld and ld groups did not have significant changes in body weight during treatment period . the efficacy of vinorelbine - loaded phct74 targeted liposomes was also investigated on growth inhibition of hct116 cells s . c . xenograft in nod . cb17 - prkdc scid / j mice . treatments were administered through tail vein injection at 1 . 5 mg / kg every 3 . 5 days for eight doses , with total cumulative dose of 12 mg / kg . on day 28 , compared to untreated controls , administration of phct74 - slv significantly inhibited tumor growth by 68 % ( p & lt ; 0 . 01 ), whereas the treatment with slv inhibited tumor growth by 34 % ( p & lt ; 0 . 01 ) ( fig5 g ). the tumor size of the slv group gradually increased to 2 . 1 - fold that of the phct74 - slv by day 28 . by the end of the treatment , the final average tumor weight in mice treated with phct74 - ld was 0 . 21 g , compared to 0 . 45 g in mice treated with ld and 0 . 86 g in mice injected with pbs buffer ( fig5 h and i ). the phct74 - slv inhibition of growth was more significant than slv ( p & lt ; 0 . 01 ). effect of the combination of systemically administered phct74 - ld and phct74 - slv on hct116 xenograft tumors in an in vivo mouse model next , we examined whether the phct74 peptide could improve the efficacy of combination therapy using doxorubicin and vinorelbine . we established hct116 xenografts in 42 nod . cb17 - prkdc scid / j mice ( 6 mice per group ). once the tumor reached the size of 280 mm 3 , we treated the mice every 3 . 5 days intravascularly ( i . v .) with either vehicle ( pbs ), ld ( 1 mg / kg ), slv ( 1 . 5 mg / kg ), both ld ( 1 mg / kg ) and slv ( 1 . 5 mg / kg ), phct74 - ld ( 1 mg / kg ), phct74 - slv ( 1 . 5 mg / kg ) or both phct74 - ld ( 1 mg / kg ) and phct74 - slv ( 1 . 5 mg / kg ) for eight doses . both 1 mg / kg ld and 1 . 5 mg / kg slv modestly inhibited tumor growth , but the combined treatment with ld and slv resulted in a statistically significant suppression of tumor growth ( fig6 a ). on day 35 , compared to untreated controls , administration of both ld ( 1 mg / kg ) and slv ( 1 . 5 mg / kg ) inhibited tumor growth by 92 . 1 %, whereas the treatment with ld and slv inhibited tumor growth by 50 . 6 % and 73 . 3 %, respectively . moreover , groups receiving phct74 - targeted liposomal drugs had better tumor growth inhibition than all treatment groups with non - targeted liposomes . the administration of both phct74 - ld ( 1 mg / kg ) and phct74 - slv ( 1 . 5 mg / kg ) significantly inhibited tumor growth by 97 . 4 %, whereas the treatment with phct74 - ld and phct74 - slv inhibited tumor growth by 67 . 5 % and 83 . 1 %, respectively . at the end of treatment , tumor tissues were dissected and weighed ( fig6 c and d ). the final average tumor weight in mice treated with combination of phct74 - ld and phct74 - slv was 0 . 038 g , compared to 2 . 46 g in mice injected with pbs buffer . the combination therapy using phct74 - ld and phct74 - slv markedly inhibited tumor growth by 98 . 4 % compared to untreated controls . in addition , three - sixths tumor treated with combination of 1 mg / kg phct74 - ld and 1 . 5 mg / kg phct74 - slv were eradicated ( fig6 e and 6d ). in many cancer cases in humans , the tumors are detected when they are large . since combination treatment of phct74 - ld and phct74 - slv is a candidate treatment strategy for hcrc , we examine the effects of this combination on the large tumor model . we treated mice bearing large hct116 xenografts ( 650 mm 3 ) i . v . with either vehicle ( pbs ), ld ( 1 mg / kg ), slv ( 2 mg / kg ), both ld ( 1 mg / kg ) and slv ( 2 mg / kg ), phct74 - ld ( 1 mg / kg ), phct74 - slv ( 2 mg / kg ) or both phct74 - ld ( 1 mg / kg ) and phct74 - slv ( 2 mg / kg ) for eight doses . we subsequently analyzed tumor development by measuring the tumor volume ( fig6 f ). a similar result was observed in treatments with the large hct116 xenograft model . both 1 mg / kg ld and 2 mg / kg slv modestly inhibited tumor growth , but combination treatment of ld and slv resulted in a statistically significant suppression of tumor growth . co - treatment of phct74 - ld and phct74 - slv enhanced the inhibition of tumor growth as compared with liposomal drug alone . furthermore , two - sixths tumor treated with combination of 1 mg / kg phct74 - ld and 2 mg / kg phct74 - slv were completely eradicated in the large tumor animal model ( fig6 f ). the toxicity profiles of combination chemotherapy are comparable . during the experiments , no lethal toxicity or significant weight loss was observed among treated mice , suggesting that the treatments did not produce any apparent toxicity ( fig6 b and g ). these results indicate that the therapeutic efficacy of combination of phct74 - ld and phct74 - slv is significantly superior to that of other formulations in colorectal carcinoma xenograft models . therapeutic potential of combination therapy in the orthotopic colorectal carcinoma model models based on the injection of cancer cell lines subcutaneously may not accurately reproduce human colon cancer biology . to study the influence of colorectal microenvironment in response to therapy , we developed an orthotopic mouse model of colorectal cancer to recapitulate the tumor growth pattern seen in colon cancer patients . we investigated the anti - tumor potential of combination of phct74 targeted liposomal doxorubicin and liposomal vinorelbine in vivo via i . v . administration in an orthotopic model of human crc using hct116 - luc tumor stably expressing firefly luciferase . orthotopic tumor growth was monitored non - invasively using bioluminescence imaging prior to the first therapeutic injection ( 5 days after tumor cell implantation ), growing orthotopic tumors were detected using bioluminescence imaging and found to be localized mainly in the colon and rectum ( fig7 a ). mice were treated with either vehicle alone ( pbs ), fd ( 1 mg / kg )+ fv ( 2 mg / kg ), ld ( 1 mg / kg )+ slv ( 2 mg / kg ) or phct74 - ld ( 1 mg / kg )+ phct74 - slv ( 2 mg / kg ) every other day for sixteen days . bioluminescence was done twice per week to monitor tumor burden . bioluminescence images revealed that there was significant inhibition of tumor growth in both ld ( 1 mg / kg )+ slv ( 2 mg / kg )- treated group and phct74 - ld ( 1 mg / kg )+ phct74 - slv ( 2 mg / kg )- treated group compared with the vehicle control group or fd ( 1 mg / kg )+ fv ( 2 mg / kg ) group ( fig6 a and b ). furthermore , the combination of phct74 - ld and phct74 - slv therapy showed enhanced antitumor effect and extended survival of mice with orthotopic human colon cancer ( fig7 d and e ). kaplan - meier survival curves of all groups are shown in fig7 d . at the end of the study , the median survival times for pbs , fd + fv , ld + slv and phct74 - ld + phct74 - slv treatment groups were 32 , 37 , 53 . 5 and 64 . 5 days , respectively ( fig7 d and e ). a survival analysis by log - rank ( mantel - cox ) test revealed phct74 - ld + phct74 - slv treatment significantly extended animal survival compared with pbs , fd + fv and ld + slv ( fig7 f ). in summary , we successfully identified specific peptides binding to the hcrc cells through in vitro biopanning using human colorectal carcinoma ( hcrc ) cell line . three high affinity phage clones targeting colorectal carcinoma were identified , and their binding activities were confirmed by cellular elisa and flow cytometry . the hcrc - targeted phages were proved to recognize five colorectal carcinoma cell lines and surgical specimens from colorectal carcinoma patient . the tumor homing ability of hcrc - targeted phages was confirmed by xenograft model in vivo . to investigate whether hcrc - targeted peptides could be used to enhance the therapeutic efficacy of anti - cancer drugs , we synthesized the peptide - mediated liposomes encapsulated doxorubicin and vinorelbine . biodistribution studies carried out in tumor - bearing mice showed that following administration , hcrc targeting peptides conjugated to liposomal doxorubicin localize to tumor tissues . the hcrc - targeting peptide - conjugated liposomal drugs markedly inhibited hcrc tumor growth in mouse xenograft models , consistent with the biodistribution studies . we examined the therapeutic efficacy of the combination of doxorubicin and vinorelbine on hct116 cells . targeting liposomes mediated by phct74 peptides markedly increased therapeutic efficacy by enhancing drug delivery to the tumor site while reducing the relative availability of the toxic drug to normal cells . the modification of liposome with phct74 peptide has identical plasma pharmacokinetics to the non - targeting liposome , suggesting that targeting liposome formulation is as stable as non - targeting liposome in blood . in addition , the phct74 - mediated targeting liposomes enhanced drug accumulation in tumor tissues without affecting the drug delivery to noncancerous host tissues or enhancing host toxicity ( fig6 b , 6g and 7c ). over the past decade , targeted drug delivery systems have been developed and studied extensively in preclinical in vitro and in vivo models , but only a few promising results have progressed to be used effectively in the clinical environment . in recent years , the clinical success of antibody - drug conjugates ( adcs ) offers a promising strategy for developing highly effective anti - cancer drugs . adcs consist of potent cytotoxic drugs linked to antibodies via chemical linkers . one of the major challenges facing most adcs is their relatively low capacity for drugs . in addition to the adcs , more effective payload strategies using different concepts to achieve the same results are urgently needed . one of the most promising drug carrier is ligand targeted nanoparticle . in the present study , we used a lipid based nanoparticle as vehicle to encapsulate chemotherapeutics to achieve high drug loading efficiency . drug encapsulated in nanoparticles was measured to contain up to 100 g ( doxorubicin ) or 350 g ( vinorelbine ) drug / mole phospholipid . we have generated nanoparticles with an average size of 100 nm . each nanoparticle contained approximately 14 , 700 doxorubicin or 36 , 000 vinorelbine molecules . this represents a 3 , 600 - to 18 , 000 - fold capacity improvement over adcs . developing ligand - targeted nanoparticles seems to be a logical approach to overcome not only drug loading capacity but also tumor cells specificity , thus resulting in more effective targeted drugs with higher efficacy and lower toxicity ( fig5 - 7 ). we successfully identified alpha - enolase as the target protein of the phct74 peptide . alpha - enolase is a multifunctional protein involved in various processes , such as metabolism , growth control , hypoxia tolerance , extracellular matrix degradation , tumor metastasis and allergic responses . it is a key glycolytic enzyme in the cytoplasm that catalyzes conversion of 2 - phosphoglyceric acid to phosphoenolpyruvic acid . cancer cells are associated with increased rates of glycolysis and glucose transport and increased anaerobic glycolysis in hypoxic conditions known as the warburg effect . several reports have shown an upregulation of alpha - enolase at the mrna and / or protein level in variant types of cancer , including colon cancer , breast cancer , gliomas , lung cancer , leukemia , hepatocellular carcinoma , esophageal cancer , head and neck cancer , pancreatic cancer , prostate cancer , testicular cancer , and ovarian cancer . in addition to glycolytic enzyme , alpha - enolase is expressed on the cell surface of most tumors , and acts as a plasminogen - binding receptor . it is not known how cytosolic alpha - enolase with no n - terminal signal sequence or transmembrane domain was transported to the plasma membrane and displayed on the cell surface . when alpha - enolase is localized on the cell surface , it forms a multi - protein complex with upa receptor ( upar ), integrins and certain cytoskeletal proteins that are responsible for adhesion , migration and proliferation . in tumor , it can modulate intravascular and pericellular fibrinolytic activity and promote cell migration and cancer metastasis . moreover , the expression of alpha - enolase frequently correlates with cancer diagnosis , survival and prognosis . patients with high alpha - enolase expression are correlated with greater tumor size , poor nodal status and a shorter disease - free interval , and have significantly poorer clinical prognosis than low expressers . thus , alpha - enolase could be considered as an ideal therapeutic target for human cancers . accumulation of evidence revealed that , in addition to its innate glycolytic function , alpha - enolase was associated with multidrug resistance in cancer cells . alpha - enolase was upregulated in the secretome of the 5 - fluorouracil - resistant cell line . it also showed higher expression in the human breast adenocarcinoma adriamycin - resistant cells when compared with drug - sensitive cells . in addition , a paclitaxel - resistant clonal population of the breast cancer cell line with superinvasive phenotype showed an significant increase in expression levels of alpha - enolase . rnai - mediated knockdown of alpha - enolase expression in tumor cell lines caused a significant increase in the sensitivity of the cells to anti - tubulin chemotherapeutics ( e . g ., vincristine and taxol ), but not to doxorubicin , etoposide or cisplatinum . it is implied that alpha - enolase was involved in modulating the microtubule network , and the anti - tubulin chemotherapeutics might have the ability to disrupt the alpha - enolase - tubulin interations . here , the alpha - enolase - targeted lipid nanoparticle that we have developed might have potential to overcome chemotherapy resistance of alpha - enolase overexpressed tumor cells . the phct74 - modified liposomal drugs showed a significantly improved therapeutic efficacy in human colorectal carcinoma cells - bearing nod . cb17 - prkdc scid / j mice , and significantly inhibited tumor cell viability , lower tumor volumes and final average tumor weights compared with control nonspecific treatments . the rapid and massive accumulation of the phct74 targeted liposomes specifically in tumor cells resulted in a prominent tumor growth regression . these therapeutic outcomes confirm the key role of the tumor - specific binding and internalization of the phct74 - ld and phct74 - slv in achieving elevated local concentration of the chemotherapeutic agent inside the tumor . these results indicate that phct74 - mediated targeting cancer therapy has distinct advantages over conventional chemotherapeutic agents or non - targeted liposomal drugs . our results should also encourage further research to expand the application of this targeting ligand to various other drug - delivery nanoparticles . the foregoing description of the exemplary embodiments of the invention has been presented only for the purposes of illustration and description and is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed . many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teaching . some references , which may include patents , patent applications and various publications , are cited and discussed in the description of this invention . the citation and / or discussion of such references is provided merely to clarity the description of the present invention and is not an admission that any such reference is “ prior art ” to the invention described herein . all references cited and discussed in this specification are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties and to the same extent as if each reference was individually incorporated by reference .	0
unless otherwise indicated , numeric ranges , for instance as in “ from 2 to 10 ,” are inclusive of the numbers defining the range ( e . g ., 2 and 10 ). unless otherwise indicated , ratios , percentages , parts , and the like are by weight . “ room temperature ,” as used in this specification , is the ambient temperature , for example , 20 - 25 ° c . “ alkyl ,” as used in this specification , encompasses straight and branched chain aliphatic hydrocarbon groups having the indicated number of carbon atoms . if no number is indicated , then 1 - 6 alkyl carbons are contemplated . unless otherwise indicated , the alkyl group is optionally substituted with 1 , 2 , or 3 , preferably 1 or 2 , more preferably 1 , substituents that are compatible with the syntheses described herein . such substituents include , but are not limited to , nitro , halogen , carboxylic acids ( e . g ., c 0 - c 6 — cooh ), c 2 - c 6 alkene , cyano , amido , and / or ester . unless otherwise indicated , the foregoing substituent groups are not themselves further substituted . as noted above , in one aspect the invention provides a compound of formula i . in another aspect , the invention provides a composition comprising a compound of formula i and a dermatologically acceptable carrier . in some embodiments , at least one of r 1 , r 2 , r 3 , r 4 , or r 5 in the compounds of formula i is − oh . in some embodiments , at least two of r 1 , r 2 , r 3 , r 4 , or r 5 in the compounds of formula i are — oh . in some embodiments , at least one of r 6 , r 7 , r 8 , r 9 , or r 10 is — oh . in some embodiments , at least one of r 6 or r 10 is — oh . in some embodiments , at least one of r 11 , r 12 , r 13 , r 14 , or r 15 is — oh . in some embodiments , r 13 is — oh . in some embodiments , at least one of r 11 , r 12 , r 13 , r 14 , or r 15 is c 1 - c 6 alkoxy . in some embodiments , r 12 or r 14 is methoxy . in some embodiments of the composition of the invention , the compound of formula i is as shown in table 1 : a person of ordinary skill in the art can readily determine the effective amount of the antioxidant compound of formula i that should be used in a particular composition in order to provide the benefits described herein ( e . g ., free radical scavenging and inhibition of collagen degradation ), via a combination of general knowledge of the applicable field as well as routine experimentation where needed . by way of non - limiting example , the amount of the compound of formula i in the composition of the invention may be in the range of from 0 . 01 to 5 weight percent , preferably from 0 . 05 to 3 weight percent , and more preferably from 0 . 1 to 1 weight percent , based on the total weight of the composition . compounds of formula i may be readily prepared by those skilled in the art using known synthetic techniques . for instance , the compounds may be prepared by the reaction of a stilbene aldehyde compound ( possibly containing one or more hydroxyl groups , such as ( e )- 2 - hydroxy - 5 -( 4 - hydroxy - 3 - methoxystyryl ) benzaldehyde ) with a benzylhydroxylamine compound ( also possibly containing one or more hydroxyl groups on the phenyl , such as 3 , 4 - dihydroxybenzylhydroxylamine ), followed by isolation and purification of the desired product . compositions of the invention also include a dermatologically acceptable carrier . such material is typically characterized as a carrier or a diluent that does not cause significant irritation to the skin and does not negate the activity and properties of active agent ( s ) in the composition . examples of dermatologically acceptable carriers that are useful in the invention include , without limitation , emulsions , creams , aqueous solutions , oils , ointments , pastes , gels , lotions , milks , foams , suspensions , powders , or mixtures thereof . in some embodiments , the composition contains from about 99 . 99 to about 50 percent by weight of the dermatologically acceptable carrier , based on the total weight of the composition . the dermatologically acceptable carrier of the invention may also include , for instance , water , a thickener , an emollient , an emulsifier , a humectant , a surfactant , a suspending agent , a film forming agent , a foam building agent , a preservative , an antifoaming agent , a fragrance , a lower monoalcoholic polyol , a high boiling point solvent , a propellant , a colorant , a pigment , glycerin , a mineral oil , silicon feel modifiers , preservatives , emollients , or mixtures thereof . other additives may be included in the compositions of the invention such as , but not limited to , abrasives , absorbents , aesthetic components such as fragrances , pigments , colorings / colorants , essential oils , skin sensates , astringents ( e . g ., clove oil , menthol , camphor , eucalyptus oil , eugenol , menthyl lactate , witch hazel distillate ), anti - caking agents , antifoaming agents , antimicrobial agents ( e . g ., iodopropyl butylcarbamate ), other antioxidants , binders , biological additives , buffering agents , bulking agents , chelating agents , chemical additives , colorants , cosmetic astringents , cosmetic biocides , denaturants , drug astringents , external analgesics , film formers or materials , e . g ., polymers , for aiding the film - forming properties and substantivity of the composition ( e . g ., copolymer of eicosene and vinyl pyrrolidone ), opacifying agents , ph adjusters , propellants , reducing agents , sequestrants , skin bleaching and lightening agents ( e . g ., hydroquinone , kojic acid , ascorbic acid , magnesium ascorbyl phosphate , ascorbyl glucosamine ), skin - conditioning agents ( e . g ., humectants , including miscellaneous and occlusive ), skin soothing and / or healing agents ( e . g ., panthenol and derivatives ( e . g ., ethyl panthenol ), aloe vera , pantothenic acid and its derivatives , allantoin , bisabolol , and dipotassium glycyrrhizinate ), skin treating agents , thickeners , and vitamins ( e . g ., vitamin c ) and derivatives thereof . the composition of the invention may be , for example , in the form of an oil , a gel , a solid stick , a lotion , a cream , a milk , an aerosol , a spray , a foam , a mousse , an ointment or a fatty ointment or a powder . compositions of the invention may be used in a variety of personal care applications , such as in cosmetics and in skin care ( e . g ., lotions , creams , oils , topical medicines , and sunscreens ). the compositions of the invention may be manufactured by processes well known in the art , e . g ., by means of conventional mixing , dissolving , granulating , emulsifying , encapsulating , entrapping or lyophilizing processes . as noted above , compositions of the invention , containing a compound of formula i , are highly effective as radical scavengers . they exhibit significantly better antioxidant attributes compared to previously known antioxidants for personal care applications . furthermore it has been found that the performance of nitrones that have phenolic groups cannot be achieved by simply adding two different antioxidants , one with a phenolic functionality and another with nitrone functionality . rather , the presence of both functionalities in the same molecule is an important aspect of their favorable performance . the cosmetic compositions of the invention are useful for the treatment and protection of skin from free radicals caused , for instance , by exposure to ultraviolet light , such as uva and uvb rays , as well as other harmful forms of radiation , such as long wave infrared . thus , for instance , the cosmetic compositions may be used in a method for inhibiting the degradation of collagen . according to such method , an effective amount of the composition may be topically administering to skin in need of such treatment . the compositions may also be used in a method for reducing the visible signs of aging , which may result from the radical induced degradation of collagen in the skin , by applying to skin in need of such treatment the composition . visible signs of aging may include , for instance , development of textural discontinuities such as wrinkles and coarse deep wrinkles , skin lines , crevices , bumps , large pores , or unevenness or roughness , reducing fine lines , loss of skin elasticity ( loss and / or inactivation of functional skin elastin ), sagging ( including puffiness in the eye area and jowls ), loss of skin firmness , loss of skin tightness , loss of skin recoil from deformation , discoloration ( including undereye circles ), blotching , sallowness , hyperpigmented skin regions such as age spots and freckles , keratoses , abnormal differentiation , hyperkeratinization , elastosis , and other histological changes in the stratum corneum , dermis , epidermis , the skin vascular system ( e . g ., telangiectasia or spider vessels ), and underlying tissues , especially those proximate to the skin . in practicing the methods of the invention , the cosmetic composition are generally administered topically by applying or spreading the compositions onto the skin . a person of ordinary skill in the art can readily determine the frequency with which the cosmetic compositions should be applied . the frequency may depend , for example , on the amount of sunlight that an individual is likely to encounter in a given day and / or the sensitivity of the individual to sunlight . by way of non - limiting example , administration on a frequency of at least once per day may be desirable . some embodiments of the invention will now be described in detail in the following examples . a 100 ml 3 - neck flask was equipped with a magnetic stirrer , a reflux condenser , an addition funnel , a thermocouple , an ice bath , and a nitrogen blanket . the flask was charged with 13 . 81 grams ( 0 . 10 mole ) of 3 , 4 - dihydroxybenzaldehyde and with 50 ml of 100 % ethanol . the mixture was stirred at room temperature under nitrogen to give a clear dark brown solution . the solution was cooled to & lt ; 15 ° c . the addition funnel was charged with 6 . 63 grams ( 0 . 10 mole ) of 50 wt . % aqueous hydroxylamine solution . the hydroxylamine solution was added to the cooled aldehyde solution over a period of about 45 minutes . during the addition , the reaction mixture temperature was maintained at & lt ; 20 ° c . after completing the hydroxylamine solution addition , the reaction mixture was heated at 55 ° c . until gc analysis showed that the aldehyde was essentially gone ( about 7 hours ). the reaction mixture was solvent - stripped by rotary evaporation to give a quantitative yield of the oxime as a brown solid . structure was confirmed by ir , nmr , and gc / ms analyses . ir analyses were performed using a nicolet 560 ftir spectrometer . for liquid samples , a small drop was cast as a neat film between two kbr plates . for solid samples , kbr dispersions were pressed . the ir spectrum was acquired in the transmission mode from 4000 to 400 cm − 1 , with a spectral resolution of 4 cm − 1 . a happ - genzel type apodization function was used . both 1 h and 13 c nmr spectra were acquired using a bruker 200 nmr spectrometer operating at 4 . 7 t . 1 h spectra were obtained using an 8 . 2 second accumulation time and 2 . 0 khz sweep width ; the 13 c spectra were obtained at a 4 . 7 second accumulation time and 7 . 0 khz sweep width . methanol - d 4 was typically used as the solvent . chemical shifts were referenced using the solvent resonances at 3 . 30 ppm for 1 h , and at 59 . 05 ppm for 13 c . gc / ms analyses were performed using a hewlett packard model 6890 gc system with an agilent mass selective detector operating in electron ionization ( ei ) mode and in positive chemical ionization ( ci ) mode . the carrier gas for the ei mode was helium at approximately 1 ml / minute . methane was used as the carrier gas for the ci mode . the column was a j & amp ; w scientific db - 5ms , 30 meter × 0 . 25 mm × 1 μm film . the initial oven temperature was 60 ° c . with a hold time of 5 minutes . the temperature was ramped at 10 ° c ./ minute to 220 ° c . with a hold of 2 minutes , and then it was ramped at 20 ° c ./ minute to 290 ° c . the injector temperature was 225 ° c . the sample size was 1 l for ei mode , and 1 l for ci mode . the split ratio was 50 : 1 . a 125 ml 3 - neck flask was equipped with a magnetic stirrer , a sintered glass sparging tube , a ph electrode with meter , and a claisen adapter fitted with a thermocouple and a gas outlet . the flask was charged with 4 . 59 grams ( 0 . 03 mole ) of the 3 , 4 - dihydroxybenzaldehyde oxime ( 34dhbzox ) prepared in example 1 above and with 40 ml of methanol . the mixture was stirred at room temperature to give a clear brown solution . sodium cyanoborohydride ( 1 . 89 grams , 0 . 03 mole ) was then added to the oxime solution in one portion . a lecture bottle of hydrogen chloride gas was connected to the sparging tube with a safety trap in between . the hcl bottle was opened just enough to allow a trickle of gas to sparge into the reaction mixture . the ph of the mixture dropped quickly from about 7 to & lt ; 3 . at the same time , the reaction mixture foamed vigorously and solids began to precipitate . sparging with hcl was stopped , and the ph was monitored . after the ph had stabilized at & lt ; 3 for 1 hour , the reaction mixture was filtered and the white solids were washed on the filter with small portions of methanol . after drying , 1 . 38 grams of white solid were obtained . the filtrate and methanol washings were combined , and the solvent was removed by rotary evaporation to give 6 . 27 grams of beige solids . these solids were combined with the solids obtained by filtration , and were dissolved in about 25 ml of water to give a clear brown solution having ph about 5 . the ph was increased to about 8 by the addition of a saturated aqueous solution of sodium bicarbonate . at this point , solids began to separate out . the mixture was cooled in an ice bath for about 1 hour , then it was filtered . the solids were washed on the filter with portions of water . after drying under vacuum at 55 ° c . for about 1 hour , the yield of hydroxylamine as a dark brown solid was 2 . 56 grams ( 55 % yield ). the structure was confirmed by ir and nmr analyses using the procedures described in example 1 above . a flask was charged with 25 g ( 0 . 166 moles ) of 2 - methoxy - 4 - vinylphenol in 300 ml of anhydrous dmf . the following compounds were added to the resulting solution in order under stirring and nitrogen purge : 34 . 94 g ( 0 . 166 mole ) of 3 , 5 - bromosalicyaldehyde , 0 . 745 g ( 0 . 0033 mole ) of palladium acetate , 0 . 201 g ( 0 . 0006 mole ) of tri - o - tolylphosphine , and 34 . 64 ml ( 0 . 249 moles , 1 . 5 equivalent ) of triethylamine . the mixture was heated for 30 hours at 110 ° c . and filtered through a celite 545 packed funnel at room temperature . the composition was extracted with 50 ml of chloroform , followed by washing with 100 ml of water three times . the organic layer was dried over mgso 4 . after removing the solvent under vacuum , the stilbene aldehyde compound was isolated by column chromatography on silica gel ( chloroform ). the resulting oil was crystallized by 5 ml of ethyl acetate and 100 ml of hexane at 2 ° c . the yield of purified product obtained was 16 . 23 g ( 36 . 4 %). the structure was confirmed by 1 h - nmr , 13 c - nmr , and ms analyses using the procedures described in example 1 above . a 25 ml 1 - neck flask was equipped with a magnetic stirrer and a reflux condenser . the flask was charged with 0 . 2705 grams ( 0 . 001 mole ) of the stilbene aldehyde ( sald ) precursor prepared in example 3 above , with 7 ml of toluene and 7 ml of methanol . the mixture was stirred and warmed to 50 ° c . until a clear amber solution was obtained . the hydroxylamine precursor benzylhydroxylamine hydrochloride in an amount of 0 . 1599 grams ( 0 . 001 mole ) and 0 . 0590 grams ( 0 . 00056 mole ) of anhydrous sodium carbonate were added to a separate small flask along with 2 ml of water . the generation of gas was observed , and a white suspension was formed . this suspension was added to the aldehyde solution in one portion . a yellow solid began to form immediately . the mixture was held at 50 ° c . for 4 hours . the resulting mixture was a yellow paste . a small amount ( about 5 ml ) of water was added to the mixture , and then the mixture was filtered . the yellow solids were washed on the filter with small portions of water . the solids were dried in a vacuum oven at 55 ° c . for a few hours to give 0 . 241 grams of yellow solid stilbene - pendant nitrone product . yield = 64 . 3 %. the structure was confirmed by ir , 1 h - and 13 c - nmr analyses using the procedures described in example 1 above . a 25 ml 1 - neck flask was equipped with a magnetic stirrer and a reflux condenser . the flask was charged with 0 . 2694 grams ( 0 . 001 mole ) of the stilbene aldehyde ( sald ) precursor prepared in example 3 above , with 7 ml of toluene and 7 ml of methanol . the mixture was stirred and warmed to 50 ° c . until a clear amber solution was obtained . the hydroxylamine precursor p - hydroxybenzylhydroxyamine ( phbzha ) in an amount of 0 . 1391 grams ( 0 . 001 mole ) was added to the aldehyde solution in one portion . the mixture was held at 50 ° c . for 4 . 5 hours . the reaction mixture was cooled to room temperature ; a yellow solid separated from solution . the mixture was cooled in a refrigerator for several hours , then the cold mixture was filtered . the solids were washed on the filter with a small amount of methanol . the product was dried in a vacuum oven at 45 ° c . for about 4 hours to give 0 . 157 grams of the stilbene - pendant nitrone product . yield = 40 . 1 %. the structure was confirmed by ir , 1 h - and 13 c - nmr analyses using the procedures described in example 1 above . a 25 ml 1 - neck flask was equipped with a magnetic stirrer and a reflux condenser . the flask was charged with 0 . 2708 grams ( 0 . 001 mole ) of the stilbene aldehyde ( sald ) precursor prepared in example 3 above , with 7 ml of toluene and 7 ml of methanol . the mixture was stirred and was warmed to 50 ° c . until a clear amber solution was obtained . the hydroxylamine precursor 2 , 4 - dihydroxybenzylhydroxylamine ( 24dhbzha ) in an amount of 0 . 1551 grams ( 0 . 001 mole ) was added in one portion . the mixture was held at 50 ° c . for 4 . 5 hours . no solids formed upon cooling the mixture to room temperature . the solvents were removed by rotary evaporation to give a brown - yellow solid . this residue was dried in a vacuum oven at 55 ° c . for about 4 hours to give 0 . 3825 grams of the stilbene - pendant nitrone product . yield = 94 %. the structure was confirmed by ir , 1 h - and 13 c - nmr analyses using the procedures described in example 1 above . a 25 ml 1 - neck flask was equipped with a magnetic stirrer and a reflux condenser . the flask was charged with 0 . 2701 grams ( 0 . 001 mole ) of the stilbene aldehyde ( sald ) prepared in example 3 above , with 7 ml of toluene and 7 ml of methanol . the mixture was stirred and was warmed to 50 ° c . until a clear amber solution was obtained . the hydroxylamine precursor 3 , 4 - dihydroxybenzylhydroxylamine ( 34dhbzha ) in an amount of 0 . 1547 grams ( 0 . 001 mole ) was added in one portion . the mixture was held at 50 ° c . for 4 . 5 hours . the mixture slurry was cooled to room temperature , and then concentrated by removal of about half of the solvent . the resulting mixture was filtered , and the solids were washed on the filter with small volumes of hexanes . the solids were dried in a vacuum oven at 55 ° c . for about 3 hours to give 0 . 2047 grams of the stilbene - pendant nitrone product . yield = 50 . 3 %. the structure was confirmed by ir , 1 h - and 13 c - nmr analyses using the procedures described in example 1 above . the compounds prepared in examples 1 - 7 were characterized for melting point and product purity . melting points were determined using a mel - temp apparatus and are uncorrected . product purity was determined by gpc analyses ( performed using a perkinelmer series 200 hplc ) that followed the progress of the synthesis reactions . two polymer laboratories plgel columns were used in series : ( 1 ) 300 nm × 7 . 5 mm , 3μ , 100 å ; and ( 2 ) 300 mm × 7 . 5 mm , 5μ , 50 å . these two columns were preceded by a guard column . the columns were maintained at 35 ° c . the mobile phase was 100 % thf at a flow rate of 2 ml / minute . uv detection was at 270 nm . the program run time was 10 minutes . the melting points and product purity are listed in table 2 . antioxidant potential is evaluated using the oxygen radical absorbance capacity ( orac ) protocol . orac is a chemical in - vitro method based on the hydrogen atom transfer ( hat ) mechanism ( see n . re et al ., free radical biology & amp ; medicine , 26 ( 9 / 10 ), 1231 ( 1997 )). orac measures antioxidant inhibition of peroxyl radical induced oxidations and thus reflects classical radical chain breaking antioxidant activity by h atom transfer . in this assay , the peroxyl radical reacts with a fluorescent probe to form a non - fluorescent product . this is quantitated using a fluorescence measurement . antioxidant capacity is determined by decreased rate and amount of product formed over time . this assay depends upon the free radical damage to the fluorescent probe resulting in the change in its fluorescence intensity . the change of fluorescence intensity is an indicator of the degree of free radical damage . in the presence of an antioxidant , the inhibition of free radical damage is reflected in higher fluorescence intensity and can be measured as antioxidant capacity against the free radicals . the uniqueness of orac assay is that the reaction is driven to completion . this allows calculation of the area under the curve ( auc ) and gives an absolute quantitation of antioxidancy as opposed to relative measurements in many other assays . as noted , the longer it takes to observe a decrease in fluorescence , the higher the antioxidant ( ao ) potential . from the auc for a given antioxidant , the auc for blank is subtracted to give its orac value . the concentration of ao needed to give the same auc values as trolox is calculated and used to represent the trolox equivalent ao capacity ( teac ). trolox is ((±)- 6 - hydroxy - 2 , 5 , 7 , 8 - tetramethylchromane - 2 - carboxylic acid , cas # 53188 - 07 - 1 ), and is used as an internal control . the orac test is conducted in the stilbene - pendant nitrone compounds of table 1 above ( inventive compounds ) as well as to vitamin c , vitamin e , and the following comparative compounds : the inventive stilbene - pendant nitrones in the orac test solutions were at a concentration of 100 micromolar , while the concentrations of trolox , vitamin c , vitamin e , bht , pbn + bht , and val - ipha were at 100 micromolar . the teac values calculated from the orac values are listed the table 3 . surprisingly , it is found that the compounds of the invention displayed significantly higher orac values compared to the known antioxidants vitamin e or c . it is also evident that the teac values of phenolic aos such as bht , a non - aromatic nitrone such as val - ipha , or an aromatic nitrone such as pbn are not very high compared to the teac values of the compounds of the invention . the teac value for a physical blend of an aromatic nitrone and a phenolic ao ( pbn + bht ) is relatively small also .	2
a description of preferred embodiments of the invention follows . to safely support life extension for aging structures and to reduce weight and maintenance / inspection costs for new structures requires both rapid and cost effective inspection capabilities . in particular , continuous monitoring of crack initiation and growth requires the permanent mounting of sensors to the component being monitored and severely limits the usefulness of calibration or reference standards , especially when placed in difficult - to - access locations on aging or new structures . permanent and surface mounting of conventional eddy - current sensors is not performed . one reason for this is the calibration requirements for the measurements and another is the variability between probes . conventional eddy - current techniques require varying the proximity of the sensor ( or lift - off ) to the test material or reference part by rocking the sensor back and forth or scanning across a surface to configure the equipment settings and display . for example , for crack detection the lift - off variations is generally displayed as a horizontal line , running from right to left , so that cracks or other material property variations appear on the vertical axis . affixing or mounting the sensors against a test surface precludes this calibration routine . the probe - to - probe variability of conventional eddy - current sensors prevents calibrating with one sensor and then reconnecting the instrumentation to a second ( e . g ., mounted ) sensor for the test material measurements . measured signal responses from nominally identical probes having inductance variations less than 2 % have signal variations greater than 35 % [ auld , 1999 ]. these shortcomings are overcome with spatially periodic field eddy - current sensors , as described herein , that provide absolute property measurements and are reproduced reliably using micro - fabrication techniques . calibrations can also be performed with duplicate spatially periodic field sensors using the response in air or on reference parts prior to making the connection with the surface mounted sensor . the capability to characterize fatigue damage in structural materials , along with the continuous monitoring of crack initiation and growth , has been demonstrated . a novel eddy - current sensor suitable for these measurements , the meandering winding magnetometer array ( mwm ™- array ), is described in u . s . pat . nos . 5 , 015 , 951 , 5 , 453 , 689 , and 5 , 793 , 206 . the mwm is a “ planar ,” conformable eddy - current sensor that was designed to support quantitative and autonomous data interpretation methods . these methods , called grid measurement methods , permit crack detection on curved surfaces without the use of crack standards , and provide quantitative images of absolute electrical properties ( conductivity and permeability ) and coating thickness without requiring field reference standards ( i . e ., calibration is performed in “ air ,” away from conducting surfaces ). the use of the mwm - array for fatigue mapping and on - line fatigue monitoring has also been described [ goldfine , 1998 nasa ]. this inspection capability is suitable for on - line fatigue tests for coupons and complex components , as well as for monitoring of difficult - to - access locations on both military and commercial aircraft . fig1 to fig1 b illustrate the standard geometry for an mwm sensor and its initial application to fatigue damage measurements . fig1 illustrates the basic geometry of the mwm sensor 16 , detailed descriptions of which are given in u . s . pat . nos . 5 , 015 , 951 , 5 , 453 , 689 , and 5 , 793 , 206 . the sensor includes a meandering primary winding 10 having extended portions for creating the magnetic field and meandering secondary windings 12 within the primary winding for sensing the response . the primary winding is fabricated in a square wave pattern with the dimension of the spatial periodicity termed the spatial wavelength . a current i 1 is applied to the primary winding and a voltage v 2 is measured at the terminals of the secondary windings . the secondary elements are pulled back from the connecting portions of the primary winding to minimize end effect coupling of the magnetic field and a second set of secondary windings can meander on the opposite side of the primary or dummy elements 14 can be placed between the meanders of the primary to maintain the symmetry of the magnetic field , as described in pending application ser . no . 09 / 182 , 693 . the magnetic vector potential produced by the current in the primary can be accurately modeled as a fourier series summation of spatial sinusoids , with the dominant mode having the spatial wavelength . for an mwm - array , the responses from individual or combinations of the secondary windings can be used to provide a plurality of sense signals for a single primary winding construct as described in u . s . pat . no . 5 , 793 , 206 . the mwm structure can be produced using micro - fabrication techniques typically employed in integrated circuit and flexible circuit manufacture . this results in highly reliable and highly repeatable ( i . e ., essentially identical ) sensors , which has inherent advantages over the coils used in conventional eddy - current sensors . as indicated by auld and moulder , for conventional eddy - current sensors “ nominally identical probes have been found to give signals that differ by as much as 35 %, even though the probe inductances were identical to better than 2 %” [ auld , 1999 ]. this lack of reproducibility with conventional coils introduces severe requirements for calibration of the sensors ( e . g ., matched sensor / calibration block sets ). in contrast , duplicate mwm sensor tips have nearly identical magnetic field distributions around the windings as standard micro - fabrication ( etching ) techniques have both high spatial reproducibility and resolution . as the sensor was also designed to produce a spatially periodic magnetic field in the material under test ( mut ), the sensor response can be accurately modeled which dramatically reduces calibration requirements . for example , in some situations an “ air calibration ” can be used to measure an absolute electrical conductivity without calibration standards , which makes the mwm sensor geometry well - suited to surface mounted or embedded applications where calibration requirements will be necessarily relaxed . an efficient method for converting the response of the mwm sensor into material or geometric properties is to use grid measurement methods . these methods map the magnitude and phase of the sensor impedance into the properties to be determined and provide for a real - time measurement capability . the measurement grids are two - dimensional databases that can be visualized as “ grids ” that relate two measured parameters to two unknowns , such as the conductivity and lift - off ( where lift - off is defined as the proximity of the mut to the plane of the mwm windings ). for the characterization of coatings or surface layer properties , three - dimensional versions of the measurement grids can be used . alternatively , the surface layer parameters can be determined from numerical algorithms that minimize the least - squares error between the measurements and the predicted responses from the sensor . an advantage of the measurement grid method is that it allows for real - time measurements of the absolute electrical properties of the material . the database of the sensor responses can be generated prior to the data acquisition on the part itself , so that only table lookup operation , which is relatively fast , needs to be performed . furthermore , grids can be generated for the individual elements in an array so that each individual element can be lift - off compensated to provide absolute property measurements , such as the electrical conductivity . this again reduces the need for extensive calibration standards . in contrast , conventional eddy - current methods that use empirical correlation tables that relate the amplitude and phase of a lift - off compensated signal to parameters or properties of interest , such as crack size or hardness , require extensive calibrations and instrument preparation . fig2 and fig3 a – b illustrate the capability of the mwm sensor to provide a measure of fatigue damage prior to the formation of cracks detectable by traditional nondestructive inspection methods . hourglass and “ dog - bone ” shaped specimens were exposed to varying fractions of their fatigue life at a known alternating stress level . the mwm conductivity measured with conductivity / lift - off grids for stainless steel and aluminum alloys correlates with fatigue life fraction , as shown in fig2 , and reflects cumulative fatigue damage . for al 2024 , the mwm measurements detect fatigue damage at less than 50 percent of the specimen &# 39 ; s fatigue life . for type 304 stainless steel specimens , the decrease in effective conductivity starts much earlier ( which can be attributed to a change in magnetic permeability due to a gradual formation of martensite of deformation ) and continues to decrease , almost linearly , with increasing fatigue life fraction , as defined by the cycle ratio n / n f , i . e ., ( cumulative cycles )/( cycles to failure ). the nonlinearity of the damage with cumulative fatigue life for al 2024 in a typical bending fatigue coupon is well depicted by mwm measurements illustrated in both fig2 and fig3 b . fig3 b shows the ability of an mwm sensor to detect the spatial distribution of fatigue damage as the sensor was scanned along the length of coupons exposed to fully reversed bending . these measurements reveal a pattern of fatigue damage focused near the dogbone specimen transition region for both the 70 and the 90 percent cumulative life specimens . the minimum conductivity at the 3 cm point on the specimen that reached 90 percent of its fatigue life corresponds precisely with the location of a visible crack . these measurements were taken with a sensor having a footprint of 1 inch by 1 inch . the presence of a damaged region in the vicinity of the crack is indicated by the depressed conductivity near the crack , even when the crack is not under the footprint of the sensor . thus , bending fatigue produces an area damaged by microcracks prior to the formation of a dominant macrocrack , and that damaged area is detectable as a significant reduction in the mwm measured conductivity . photomicrographs have shown that clusters of microcracks , 0 . 001 to 0 . 003 inches deep , begin to form at this stage . although detectable with the mwm , these microcrack clusters , termed wide - spread fatigue damage ( wfd ), were not detectable with liquid penetrant testing , except at the very edge of the 90 percent life specimen . this same behavior has been observed for mwm measurements on military and commercial aircraft structural members . fig4 a and 4 b provide two - dimensional images of the measured conductivity over the 90 percent life fatigue specimen with the mwm in two different orientations . in this case , the mwm footprint was 0 . 5 inches by 0 . 5 inches . when the extended portions of the mwm winding segments are oriented perpendicular to the cracks , the mwm has maximum sensitivity to the macrocrack and microcrack clusters ( fig4 a ). when the extended portions of the mwm are oriented parallel to the crack , the mwm has minimum sensitivity to the macrocrack and microcrack clusters ( fig4 b ). the directional dependence of the sensor response in the fatigue damaged area adjacent to the macrocrack indicates that the microcracks that form at early stages of fatigue damage are highly directional and , in this case , are aligned with the bending moment axis . similar measurements on complex aircraft structural members have shown similar behavior at early stages of fatigue damage , before detectable macrocracks have formed . note that the microcrack density and size increases are indicated by a larger reduction in the mwm absolute conductivity measurements . thus , as expected , the microcrack size and density increase near the coupon edges and are lower at the center . similar two - dimensional images of the measured conductivity have been obtained on actual military components . fig5 a and 5 b show the surface scan mapping of fatigue damage on a military aircraft bulkhead for mwm windings segments oriented both perpendicular and parallel to the bending moment axis . one portion of the bulkhead was found to contain a localized conductivity excursion characteristic of early stage fatigue microcracking . a conventional eddy - current inspection of this area found only discrete macrocracks . however , the width of the area of the mwm measured reduced conductivity beyond the macrocrack area indicates that there is a region of microcracking in addition to the discrete macrocracks . fatigue damage can also create variations in the magnetic permeability , as indicated in fig6 for two austenitic stainless steel specimens . one specimen was fatigue tested while the other was not . surface scans with the mwm windings oriented perpendicular and parallel to the length of the specimens show a bi - directional magnetic permeability in the fatigued specimen . the magnetic susceptibility is largest in the loading direction as the fatigue alters the microstructure of the stainless steel , creating a magnetic phase such as martensite from the initially nonmagnetic material . fig7 a and 7 b show the results of examinations of service exposed sections of a boeing 737 fuselage . mwm measurements were made on the lap joint near the passenger windows and on the skin panels under the pilot window post . the mwm detected several areas with substantial conductivity variations that could be identified as areas of wide - spread fatigue damage , i . e ., extensive fatigue microcracking . fig7 a shows a horizontal scan several inches above the top fastener row of the lap joint . the mwm measured conductivity has minima that correspond consistently with the vertical edge locations of the windows . thus , substantial bending fatigue damage was detected by the mwm several inches above the lap joint fastener rows . the bending fatigue coupon data suggest that this region is beyond 60 percent of its fatigue life , although it probably does not contain macrocracks which would be detectable with conventional differential eddy - current methods or with liquid penetrant testing . fig7 b shows a vertical scan down the panel . the damage begins near the bottom of the windows and increases steadily , with the maximum damage occurring at the fasteners . a key observation from these measurements is that this damage is detectable more than six inches away from the fasteners . it was later verified that cracks near fasteners were correlated with regions of reduced conductivity found by the mwm several inches away from any fasteners . five out of five locations in which macrocracks had been documented at fasteners had been in areas similar to those identified by the mwm detection of distributed damage away from the fasteners . this ability to map the spatial extent of the wide area fatigue provides information that can be used to improve the selection of patch location and size , thereby potentially improving the reliability of the repairs and reducing follow - on maintenance costs . the mwm measured conductivity information may also be used to identify specific regions that require fastener inspections , as well as to support inspection , maintenance scheduling and redesign efforts . this is important because the locations of these areas are not always intuitive , since the structural response is affected by design features such as window edge stiffeners , lap joints , and doublers , and by maintenance features such as patches and repairs in sometimes unforeseen ways . fig8 a and 8 b show expanded versions of an eight - element array . connections are made to each of the individual secondary elements 248 . for use with air calibration , dummy elements 250 are placed on the outside meanders of the primary 254 . as described in patent application ser . no . 09 / 182 , 693 , the secondaries are set back from the primary winding connectors 252 and the gap between the leads to the secondary elements are minimized . this flexible array can be inserted into a hole within the gage section of a fatigue specimen to monitor crack initiation and initial crack propagation or placed flush against a surface to monitor crack propagation . fig9 shows an example application of six mwm - arrays from fig8 a and 8 b with two mounted inside a hole and four mounted on the adjacent flat side surfaces of a fatigue test coupon . the mwm - arrays mounted within the hole can be used to detect shallow part - through wall cracks ( e . g ., tunneling cracks that have initiated inside the hole but have not propagated to the outside surface ). the mwm - arrays can also be placed around the circumference of a cylindrical or hyperbolical gage section . multi - frequency mwm measurements can provide diagnostic information to monitor crack propagation in both length and depth directions . the mwm - arrays on the sides are used once a “ corner ” or through - wall crack ( i . e ., one that has reached either or both outer surfaces ) forms . the crack length can be inferred from the mwm measured effective conductivity since the mwm measured conductivity change correlates with crack length , as shown for example in fig1 , even for relatively short surface cracks and for cracks deeper than the mwm penetration depth . the correlation with length is expected to be even more robust for through - wall cracks so that a single sensing element mwm may be used for regions outside the hole as well . this type of application is suitable for monitoring crack propagation with fatigue cycles ( da / dn ) during complex component testing . for example , monitoring of wide areas ( e . g . between skins ) in an aircraft component may not be possible optically or with potential drop methods . this mwm capability can provide a new tool to demonstrate damage tolerance of structures and establish less burdensome inspection and retirement for time policies . surface mounted mwm - arrays have also demonstrated an on - line capability to monitor cumulative fatigue damage during load cycling . fig1 shows the placement of an mwm - array , from fig8 a and 8 b , into a 0 . 25 - inch diameter hole 34 located at the center of a 1 - inch wide by 0 . 25 - inch thick ( 25 . 4 mm wide by 6 . 35 - mm thick ) specimen 30 made of an aluminum ( al 2024 - t351 ) alloy . the flat specimens with tangentially blended fillets 31 between the test section and the grip ends were tested under constant cyclic stress amplitude in tension loading . the central hole represents an elastic stress concentration factor of 2 . 4 . the mwm - array had eight sensing elements ( 1 mm by 2 . 5 mm in area ) located at 1 - mm increments along the array length in the periodic direction . six of the eight elements were mounted in contact with the internal cylindrical surface of the hole while the two outermost elements were intentionally outside the hole . the fixture 36 holds the mwm - array inside the hole and the probe electronics 32 for amplifying and multiplexing the measured signals to allow continuous monitoring throughout the test . several specimens were run to failure to determine the response throughout the fatigue life , i . e ., from crack initiation to failure , while fatigue tests of other specimens were stopped at various stages of crack initiation and propagation , as illustrated for example in fig1 a – b through 15 . fig1 a , 11 b , 12 a , and 12 b show the mwm measurements during a fatigue test . the third element channel failed in this first test so the data for the third element is not provided . fig1 a and 11 b show the absolute electrical conductivity measurements for each element of the mwm - array . fig1 a shows the conductivity as a function of the number of fatigue cycles for each element while fig1 b shows the conductivity as a function of the element position across the thickness of the drilled hole for several fatigue levels . the pronounced decrease in conductivity at around 25 , 000 cycles indicates crack initiation . the crack appears to initiate near element 2 , as this was the first element to exhibit a decrease in the conductivity . the crack then quickly propagates to the edge at element 1 and then gradually propagates to the other edge and is detected by element 6 . this particular test was stopped when element 6 began to detect the crack . upon an examination with an optical microscope at magnification of 100 times , no crack was apparent on the outer surface near element 6 . fig1 a and 12 b show the lift - off measurements for each element of the mwm - array using a uniform property model . fig1 a shows the lift - off as a function of the number of fatigue cycles for each element while fig1 b shows the lift - off as a function of the element position across the length of the cylindrical hole for several fatigue levels . the initial decrease and leveling of the lift - off data during the initial testing ( less than 15 , 000 cycles ) illustrates the “ settling ” of the mwm as the sensor adjusts to the surface . the increase of the effective lift - off during later stage testing shows the effect of the opening of the crack . although this lift - off data shows that the uniform property model can represent the crack , improved models of crack interactions with spatially periodic field sensors should enhance crack detection sensitivity and also provide depth measurements . also , monitoring of “ effective lift - off ” signals using the mwm - array for deep cracks ( over 0 . 1 inches ) provides information about the “ compliance ” of large cracks and may be useful for crack depth estimates . the ability to continuously monitor fatigue specimens while being loaded provides a capability to create samples with very early stage fatigue damage . fig1 a and 13 b show the response of an mwm - array inside a al 2024 fatigue test specimen and provide an image of the crack initiation and growth as a function of fatigue cycles and position . in this case the specimen was removed from the test after the decrease in mwm measured conductivity indicated the formation of a sizable crack at one location within the hole ( element 2 ) and the possibility of microcracking at multiple locations along the axis of the hole ( elements 1 and 3 ). metallography performed on this specimen after scanning electron microscopy ( sem ) identified a crack near element 2 about 0 . 034 inches deep and substantially smaller cracks further away from element 2 . the sem examination of the area monitored with the mwm - array revealed multi - site damage with predominantly axial cracks ranging from 0 . 004 inches to over 1 / 16 inch in length . adjacent to the sizable crack detected by the mwm , the sem examination revealed a series of intrusions parallel to the crack and normal to the machining marks from reaming . these intrusions might be associated with persistent slip bands ( psb ). the uniform reduction in absolute conductivity across the six sensing elements as the fatigue coupon warms up ( with increasing load cycles ) is distinguishable from the local reductions in conductivity by individual elements and allows for compensation of the temperature variations during the measurement . thermocouples , thermistors or other temperature monitoring methods can be used for this temperature correction . fig1 a , 14 b , 14 c , 15 a , 15 b , and 15 c show the normalized electrical conductivities for several more fatigue test specimens . specimen # 5 was a 7075 aluminum alloy while specimens # 32 and # 34 were al 2024 alloys . in order to help determine the threshold for detection of fatigue damage , these tests were stopped at different levels of conductivity reductions . in the case of specimen # 32 , the fatigue test was stopped when the mwm conductivity drop ( relative to the “ background ” level at neighboring channels ) at channels # 2 and 3 were considered indicative of either microcrack formation or advanced stages of fatigue damage accumulation prior to formation of microcracks . these samples were examined thoroughly with an sem by scanning the surface of the hole at magnifications up to 1 , 000 × across the entire area monitored during the fatigue tests with mwm - arrays . a number of areas were examined at higher magnifications , up to 10 , 000 ×. the sem examinations are extremely time consuming , since one must cover substantial surface area looking for cracks on the order of 0 . 002 inches and smaller . since the cracks for each of these specimens did not reach the outside surface of the component , it appears that the monitoring capability with the mwm - array allows tests to be stopped with various crack sizes within the hole and particularly at various early stages of “ pre - crack ” accumulated fatigue damage , during the “ short crack ” growth stage as well as during “ long crack ” growth stage . sem examinations confirmed the presence and locations of cracks in the specimens . sem examinations of specimen # 34 revealed a few microcracks , ranging from 0 . 0004 to 0 . 0036 inches ( 10 to 90 ( m ) on the surface of the hole monitored by mwm . the 0 . 0036 inch long intermittent crack was in the area monitored by elements 3 and 4 of the mwm . a crack in this location is consistent with the mwm response of fig1 b and 15 b . an examination of specimen # 34 by an nde level 3 inspector , using a very sensitive conventional eddy - current probe , did not reveal any crack - like indications in the area monitored by the mwm - array during the fatigue test . however , the eddy - current examination detected small crack - like indications on the opposite side of the hole that was not monitored by the mwm - array . this finding provides an additional confirmation that microcracks not detectable by a traditional eddy - current method but detectable and detected by mwm sensor should have existed on the side monitored by the mwm - array . after carefully cross - sectioning the specimen to the position of the 0 . 0036 inch crack , examinations of the crack area with an optical microscope at several magnification levels verified the presence of the crack . metallography revealed that the crack depth was approximately 0 . 001 inches ( 25 ( m ). similar sem examinations performed on specimen # 5 indicated two cracks , which is consistent with the mwm data of fig1 a . sem examinations of specimen # 32 revealed a few cracks ranging in length from 0 . 0005 to 0 . 006 inches ( 12 to 150 ( m ), with two distinct cracks that were less than 0 . 002 inches long . the longest detected crack was intermittent , i . e ., consisted of a few adjacent continuous cracks . assuming a semicircular geometry for the cracks , the estimated depth of individual continuous cracks ranging in length from 0 . 0005 to 0 . 0024 inches ( 12 to 60 ( m ) would be between 0 . 00025 and 0 . 00125 inches ( 6 and 30 ( m ). fig1 summarizes the results on the tested specimens in terms of crack length compared to the mwm measured data . the data for specimens # 32 and # 34 are difficult to analyze because there are multiple crack indications and the longer cracks ( e . g ., the 0 . 006 inch long crack in specimen # 32 ) appear to be intermittent ( i . e ., formed from several shorter cracks ). furthermore , the depth of penetration of the mwm magnetic fields at 1 mhz is on the order of 0 . 003 inches so that cracks shallower than 0 . 003 inches will produce a mwm conductivity dependence based on depth as well as length . for these cracks , a higher frequency measurement ( e . g . 6 or 10 mhz ) is expected to provide a more reliable measure of crack length as well as a better signal to noise for improved sensitivity to microcrack detection . multiple frequency measurements should then allow for estimating crack propagation in both length and depth directions . the reliable detection of the onset of fatigue damage and the number of cycles to crack initiation , n i , can be performed automatically using trend detection algorithms . an example detection algorithm is to use a simple hypothesis test to build a first set of statistics ( e . g ., standard deviations ) for the no damage mwm conductivity data at the beginning of the test and also a second set of statistics for a moving window of most recent data . this grouping of data is illustrated in fig1 for an example conductivity variation with number of fatigue cycles . the data must first be corrected for thermal drift , either by using thermocouples or by filtering the ( nearly linear ) temperature trend from the damage related conductivity changes vs . number of fatigue cycles data . a simple hypothesis test might require that the mwm conductivity change be at least twice the sum of the standard deviations of the no damage mwm data and the most recent mwm data . an automated test would determine the confidence level of the statement that “ the most recent data shows a conductivity drop not related to metal temperature changes , compared to the earlier no damage data .” the confidence level will depend on the statistical separation of the two sets of data . similar techniques are commonly used to detect downward trends in noisy data , such as the stock market . an automated test is an improvement over the human interpretation of visual data as human operators typically have an expectation of results , based on prior knowledge of the coupon material or expected number of cycles to initiation , that can influence the results . another aspect of the invention described here relates to unique geometries for fatigue specimens that intentionally shape the stress distribution so that the damage initiation sites will lie within the area under inspection by a surface mounted eddy - current sensor . with a traditional dogbone design , fatigue damage starts in the middle of the specimen but is not localized along the length of the samples . thus , there is no guarantee that the fatigue damage will initiate beneath the surface mounted sensor . the new specimen geometries described here , and illustrated in fig1 a – c , 19 a – c , and 20 a – c , localize fatigue damage both lengthwise to ensure it occurs in the reduced center section of the specimen 30 and in the middle of the reduced thickness center section in order to avoid cracks at the edges of the gage section . the lengthwise localization is accomplished by thinning across the center portion of the specimen 301 . reduction of the formation of cracks at the edges is accomplished with reinforcement ribs along the edges 302 and / or with symmetrical radius cutouts 303 on both sides of the specimen , above and below the gage section . fig1 a – c show a dogbone specimen 300 with thinning at the center section of the specimen 301 and reinforcement ribs 302 . the thinning at the center section can also be accomplished with cutout sections on each side in order to avoid bending moments . fig1 a – c show a dogbone specimen 300 with thinning at the center of the specimen 301 with radius cutouts 303 on both sides of the thinned section . fig2 a – c show a dogbone specimen 300 with thinning at the center section 301 and both reinforcement ribs 302 and radius cutouts 303 . each of these designs significantly reduces the stresses at the edges and thereby prevents initiation of fatigue damage at the edges in the early stages of fatigue . fig2 through 41 illustrate new embodiments for the mwm - array sensor structure and applications of these structures . these embodiments provide greater sensitivity to the flaws being investigated and can be applied to both surface mounting on and scanning across test materials . fig2 a and 21 b show a sample configuration for the detection of cracks near fasteners with mwm sensors mounted on the surface . a steel fastener 42 is attached to the fatigue test coupon 40 of al 2024 at a semicircular notch . the mounting bracket 44 holds the mwm sensor against the surface of the test coupon throughout the duration of the tension - tension fatigue test . the electronics package 46 provides signal amplification of the sensing elements in the mwm sensor , as necessary . mwm sensors can be permanently mounted at fasteners in difficult - to - access locations and elsewhere . fig2 illustrates the positioning of an mwm sensor 16 near the hole 63 used for a steel fastener 67 . a crack 61 formed beneath the fastener as a result of the tension fatigue load cycling on the test coupon of fig2 a and 21 b . the crack 61 originally initiated at the notch of the hole beneath the head of the fastener and was detected when it extended approximately 0 . 070 inches ( 1 . 75 mm ) beyond the edge of the fastener head 65 . however , this crack propagated only 0 . 020 inches under the footprint of the sensor array defined by the region covered by the active sensing element , as illustrated in fig2 . the signal measured by the mwm , and hence the effective conductivity and lift - off measured by the sensor , will change as the crack propagates across the sensing elements 18 . orienting the sensor so that the extended portions of the windings are perpendicular to the crack provides maximum sensitivity to the presence of the crack , as illustrated in fig4 a . the earliest detection of the crack occurs as the crack tip approaches the position of the end - most sensing element . this suggests that it is desirable to locate the first sensing element ( as opposed to a dummy element , denoted by 14 in fig1 ) as close as possible to the edge of the primary winding meanders . although eliminating the dummy element on the edge will influence the ability to perform an air calibration measurement , it can provide an earlier indication of the presence of a crack beneath the fastener . furthermore , although this mwm sensor does not locate the position of the crack along a meander , the length of the crack can be estimated from the reduction in the effective conductivity as the crack propagates across each individual secondary element . fig2 illustrates an alternative embodiment for an mwm - array . this linear sensing mwm - array has a primary winding 52 for creating a spatially periodic magnetic field for interrogating the mut and a plurality of secondary elements 54 along the length of each meander . the primary winding 52 is split into two parts , with lead connections 66 and 68 on either side of the sensor . this configuration for the primary winding uses two conducting loops to impose a spatially periodic magnetic field , similar to the single loop meandering winding 10 of fig1 . this configuration minimizes the effects of stray magnetic fields from the lead connections to the primary winding , which can create an extraneous large inductive loop that influences the measurements , maintains the meandering winding pattern for the primary , and effectively doubles the current through the extended portions of the meanders , as will be discussed with reference to fig3 , 37 , and 40 . secondary elements that couple to the same direction of the magnetic field generated by the primary winding , such as elements 54 and 56 , are connected with connections 70 , perpendicular to the primary winding meander direction , so that the sum of the secondary element responses appears at the winding leads 64 . to provide complete coverage when the sensor is scanned across a part or when a crack propagates across the sensor , perpendicular to the extended portions of the primary winding , secondary elements 58 in adjacent meanders of the primary are offset along the length of the meander . the dummy elements 60 are used to maintain the periodic symmetry of the magnetic field and the extension elements 62 are used to minimize differences in the coupling of the magnetic field to the various sensing elements , as described in patent application ser . no . 09 / 182 , 693 . additional primary winding meander loops , which only contain dummy elements , can also be placed at the edges of the sensor to help maintain the periodicity of the magnetic field for the sensing elements nearest the sensor edges . the secondary elements are set back from the cross - connection portions 53 of the primary winding meanders to minimize end effects on the measurements . the connection leads 64 to the secondary elements are perpendicular to the primary winding meanders , which creates a “ t ” shape and necessitates the use of a multi - layer structure in fabricating the sensor . the sensor of fig2 has the layer containing the primary winding 52 separated from a layer containing the secondary windings by a layer of insulation . generally , layers of insulation are also applied to the top and bottom surfaces of the sensor to electrically insulate the primary and secondary windings from the mut . all of the leads to the secondary elements can also be reached from one side of the sensor . in contrast , the basic sensor geometry of fig1 has a single layer structure and connections to secondary elements , when placed on opposite sides of the primary winding meanders , require access to both sides of the sensor . an advantage of the sensor of fig2 a and 23 b over the sensor geometry of fig1 is that it can detect cracks and determine the crack location within the footprint of the sensor . when a crack propagates perpendicular to the primary winding meander direction , only the secondary elements directly over the crack will sense a significant change in signal or reduction in effective conductivity . as the crack continues to propagate , the signal from additional secondary elements will be affected . in principle , the crack length can be determined from the reduction in effective conductivity . in contrast , the secondary elements 12 of fig1 span the length of the primary winding and cannot distinguish the crack position along the length of the meander . fig2 a and 24 b show a circularly symmetric embodiment of an mwm - array . this mwm - rosette or periodic field eddy - current — rosette ( pfec - rosette ) maintains the spatial periodicity of the magnetic field in the radial direction with primary winding 82 . the characteristic dimension for this radial spatial periodicity is the spatial wavelength . the plurality of secondary elements 84 , 86 , and 88 provide complete coverage around the circumference of the sensor and can be used to detect cracks and determine the crack location . the gap 89 between the primary winding conductors 85 and 87 is minimized to reduce any stray magnetic fields from affecting the measurements . fig2 a and 27 b show a circularly symmetric variation of a standard mwm - array . as with fig2 a and 24 b , the primary winding 90 maintains the spatial periodicity of the magnetic field in the radial direction . the secondary elements 92 , 94 , 96 , and 98 provide complete coverage around the circumference of the sensor and can be used to detect cracks and determine the crack length . the first active sensing ( secondary ) element is located as close as possible to the inside of the sensor to enable early detection of cracks . the primary winding 90 is fabricated onto one side of a substrate 91 while the secondary elements 92 , 94 , 96 , and 98 are fabricated onto the opposite side of the substrate . individual connections 93 are made to each of the secondary elements for independent measurements of the response of each element . alternatively , the net signal from all of the elements can be obtained by connecting the loops together . the rosette configuration is most useful for crack detection and location around circularly symmetric regions , such as around fasteners . the rosette configuration can also be used in areas where the stress distribution and the crack initiation point and growth direction may not be known because of complex component geometry or service related repairs . the mwm - array configurations of fig2 a , 24 a , and 27 a can be surface mounted on a part , as has been demonstrated for the standard mwm and mwm - array of fig1 , 8 a , and 8 b . this mounting can take the form of a clamp or pressure fitting against the surface , or the sensors can be mounted with an adhesive and covered with a sealant . since the mwm sensors do not require an intimate mechanical bond , compliant adhesives can be used to improve durability . the mwm sensors embodied in fig1 , 8 a , 23 a , 24 a , 27 a , 38 a , 39 a , 46 and 47 can also be packaged on a roll of adhesive tape . individual lengths of the tape may be cut to meet the length requirements of particular application . for example , a single strip of tape containing numerous mwm - rosettes may be placed along a row of fasteners relatively rapidly . electrical connections can be made to bond pads for the individual sensors or groups of sensors . when mounted against a surface , the adhesive can be provided along one surface of the supporting membrane to bond the selected length of the sensor array to a part to be tested . when mounted between layers , the adhesive should be provided along both the upper and lower exposed surfaces . the sensors can also be embedded between layers of a structure , such as between layers of a lap joint or under repairs using composites or metal doublers , possibly with a sealant or other fillers to support compressive loads . this is illustrated in the cross - sectional view of fig2 for mwm - arrays 266 embedded in the sealant 262 between structural panels 260 and around a fastener 264 . it also follows that the rosette configurations can be formed into “ smart ” washers that can be placed directly beneath the heads of fasteners . this is illustrated in the cross - sectional view of fig2 for an mwm - rosette 272 placed between the head of a fastener 270 and a structural panel 260 . the sealant 262 may be placed between the structural panels , between the mwm - rosette and the fastener head , or over the entire fastener head . since processing of the measured responses through the measurement grids provides the capability for each sensing element to be individually lift - off compensated and access to each element is not required for calibration , the sensor can be covered with a top coat of sealant to provide protection from any hazardous environments . furthermore , the sensor can intentionally be set off a surface , or fabricated with a porous ( or liberally perforated . e . g . at 249 in fig8 a and 8 b ) substrate material , to avoid or minimize interference with the environment causing the corrosion process to occur on the surface and to provide continuous monitoring and inspection for stress corrosion cracking or corrosion fatigue . fig2 illustrates an example configuration in which two closely spaced mwm - rosettes 97 are placed around two fasteners 99 . the fasteners are also near a corner fitting 101 . this is meant to illustrate that the rosettes can operate when next to one another , and they can be driven either simultaneously or sequentially . the winding patterns for the primaries help cancel the magnetic fields outside the footprint of each sensor so that the cross - coupling of fields between rosettes is minimal . a distributed architecture can be used for the electrical connections to each of the rosettes . the electronics 103 can be distributed so that each rosette has independent amplification and connection cables . alternatively , multiplexing or parallel processing of each of the individual sensing elements , as appropriate , can reduce the number of independent amplifiers and cables . the electronics can be located near the sensing elements or at the opposite end of the connecting cables , far from the sensing elements , as necessary . in addition , the electronics can also be made flat and flexible for embedding in the structure so that relatively few signal and power line connections are required for each rosette . these configurations , particularly when applied in a surface mount application , provide new capabilities for fatigue damage monitoring . for example , there is a stated requirement in both military and commercial sectors to more accurately determine the number of cycles to crack initiation , n i , in fatigue test coupons and component tests . for coupons , this is necessary to determine the fatigue behavior of new alloys and to qualify production runs for materials used in aircraft structures . for fatigue tests of complex structures , determination of both the number of cycles to crack initiation and monitoring of crack propagation and crack propagation rates , da / dn ( depth vs . cycles ) and dl / dn ( length vs . cycles ), is required and would provide essential information for both aging aircraft management and newer aircraft design and modification . when cracks initiate in difficult - to - access locations , however , crack propagation rates can not be determined during fatigue testing . thus , either costly disassembly is required during fatigue tests , or very conservative damage tolerance - based inspection scheduling for in - service aircraft will result . surface mounting of the sensors substantially reduces the disassembly requirement and allows for more periodic inspections . fig2 shows an alternative embodiment for a sensor 212 having a primary winding 214 and a plurality of sensing elements 216 mounted onto a common substrate 213 . the sensing elements 218 of the sensing elements 216 on one side , those in the channels opening to the bottom of fig2 , are smaller sensing elements . the sensing elements 218 are offset , starting at the top on the left of fig2 . the offset is perpendicular to the scan direction to support image building of the “ crack ” response . the staggering of the secondary positions provides for complete coverage when the sensor is scanned over the mut in a direction perpendicular to the primary meanders . individual connections to each of the staggered secondary elements 216 also support the construction of images of the measured properties . elongated extensions 226 to the secondary elements . ( 224 ) can help to minimize variations in the parasitic coupling between the primary and the secondary elements . dummy elements 222 can also be added to the endmost primary meanders , as taught in patent application ser . no . 09 / 182 , 693 . the elements 219 on the opposite side of the meandering primary are shown grouped and can be used to provide a measure of the background properties of the material which can complement the higher resolution property image obtained from the smaller sensing elements . fig4 and fig4 show two additional embodiments for linear sensor arrays where a single primary winding creates the imposed magnetic field and individual connections are made to each secondary element in the array . fig3 shows a schematic for a multilayer sensor array that provides high imaging resolution and high sensitivity to hidden macrocracks and distributed microcracks . this deep penetration array design is suitable for the detection of hidden fatigue damage at depths more than 0 . 1 inches . the sensor array contains a single primary winding 104 and an array of secondary or sensing elements designed for absolute 106 or differential 108 measurements as described below with respect to fig3 and 32 . in this tapered mwm - array current flow through the primary winding creates a spatially periodic magnetic field that can be accurately modeled . the voltage induced in the secondary elements by the magnetic field is related to the physical properties and proximity to the mut . except for the rightmost sensing elements , two sensing elements are located within each meander of the primary winding . the absolute elements are offset in the x direction from other absolute elements to provide an overlap and complete coverage of the mut when the array is scanned in the y direction . similarly the differential elements are offset from one another to also provide complete coverage . this sensor also uses a single primary winding that extends beyond the sensing elements in the x and y directions . this has the specific advantages of eliminating the problem of cross - coupling between individually driven sensing elements and reducing parasitic effects at the edges of the sensor . these parasitic effects are further reduced by the introduction of passive , dummy elements that maintain the periodicity of the sensor geometry . these elements are illustrated in fig3 in the end meanders 110 and within the meanders containing the sensing elements 112 . furthermore , the distance between the sensing elements and the primary ( drive ) winding is large enough to minimize coupling of short spatial wavelength magnetic field modes . as a result , the sensing element response is primarily sensitive to the dominant periodic mode . this produces improved depth of sensitivity to the properties of an mut . the design of the sensor in fig3 also minimizes differences in coupling of the magnetic field to the sensing elements . the taper of the primary winding in the y direction maintains the distance between the sensing elements and the edge segments of the primary winding 114 and 116 . this also effectively balances the fringing field coupling to the electrical leads 118 for connecting to the sensing elements . these leads are kept close together to minimize fringing field coupling . the leads for the primary winding 120 are kept close together to minimize the creation of fringing fields . the bond pads 122 and 124 provide the capability for connecting the sensor to a mounting fixture . the trace widths for the primary winding can also be increased to minimize ohmic heating , particularly for large penetration depths that require low frequency and high current amplitude excitations . in order to maintain the symmetry for the sensing elements , multiple layers are required for the winding patterns . in fig3 the primary winding is fabricated on one side of an electrical insulator 102 while the secondaries are deposited onto the opposite side of the insulator . the three - layer structure is then sandwiched between two additional layers of insulation , with adhesives bonding the layers together . this deposition can be performed using standard microfabrication techniques . the insulation used for the layers may depend upon the application . for conformable sensors , the insulating layers can be a flexible material such as kapton ™, a polyimide available from e . i . dupont de nemours company , while for high temperature applications the insulating layers can be a ceramic such as alumina . although the use of multilayer sensors and sensor arrays is widespread in the literature , one unique approach here is the offset combination of absolute and differential elements within a meandering winding structure that provides a spatially periodic imposed magnetic field and has been designed to minimize unmodeled parasitic effects . specific advantages of this design are that ( 1 ) it allows complete coverage with both types of sensing elements when the array is scanned over an mut , ( 2 ) the response of the individual elements can be accurately modeled , allowing quantitative measurements of the mut properties and proximity , and ( 3 ) it provides increased depth of sensitivity . in particular , while u . s . pat . no . 5 , 793 , 206 teaches of the use of numerous sensing elements within each meander of a primary winding , the design of fig3 illustrates how the layout of the primary and secondary windings can provide improved measurement sensitivity . fig3 shows an expanded view of one of the absolute sensing elements 106 . electrical connections to the sensing loop are made through the leads 130 and the bond pads 122 . the dummy elements 132 maintain the periodicity of the winding structures and reduce element to element variability . the distance between the primary winding segments 134 and the secondary winding segments 136 can be adjusted to improve measurement sensitivity , as described in patent application ser . no . 09 / 182 , 693 . it is particularly advantageous to have this distance as large as possible when attempting to detect deep defects , far from the surface . with each absolute sensing element independent of the response of the other elements , the measured signal can be processed with measurement grids , as described in u . s . pat . no . 5 , 543 , 689 , to independently measure the local material property and proximity to the mut . the measured properties from each absolute sensing element can then be combined together to provide a two - dimensional mapping of the material properties . fig3 shows an expanded view of two differential sensing elements 140 placed adjacent to one another , between two primary windings 142 . each differential element includes two sensing coils 144 with associated connection leads 146 . the meandering pattern of the leads provides essentially the same coupling areas and fields across the sensing region between the sensing coils . dummy elements 148 are placed on the sides and between the pairs of differential coils closest to the center of the sensor in the x direction to further minimize any differences between the coils . by maintaining the symmetry between the coils and the sensing leads , the coil differences can be taken at the bond pads 124 or with electronics external to the sensor itself . similar to the absolute coils , the gap spacing between the primary windings and the secondary coil can be adjusted and optimized for a particular measurement application . when scanned in the y direction , the offset of these elements in the x direction provides the capability for creating a two - dimensional mapping of the differential response , which indicates local variations in the material properties and proximity . fig3 shows an alternative orientation for the differential sensing elements 140 between the primary windings 142 . in this case , the individual windings 144 of the sensing elements are placed symmetrically on opposite sides of the centerline between the primary windings and perpendicular to the extended portions of the primary windings . in this orientation the differential response is parallel to the scan direction for the sensing array . this combination of both differential and absolute sensing elements within the same footprint of a meandering primary winding is novel and provides new imaging capabilities . the differential elements are sensitive to slight variations in the material properties or proximity while the absolute elements provide the base properties and are less sensitive to small property variations . in one embodiment , the raw differential sensor measurements can be combined with one , some or all of the raw absolute measurements to provide another method for creating a two - dimensional mapping of the absolute material properties ( including layer thicknesses , dimensions of an object being imaged , and / or other properties ) and proximity . in another embodiment , the property and proximity information obtained from the absolute measurements can be used as inputs for models that relate the differential response to absolute property variations . fig3 shows an expanded view of an alternative method for connecting to an absolute sensing element 304 . electrical connections to the sensing loop are made through the leads 310 , which are offset from the centerline 314 between adjacent conductors for the primary winding 302 . a second set of leads 316 are offset the same distance from the centerline on the other side of the centerline and connected together to form a flux linking loop with conductor 318 . the connection leads 310 to the sensing element are then connected to the second set of leads 316 in a differential format to so that the flux linked by the second set of leads essentially subtracts from the flux linked by the leads to the sensing element . this is particularly useful when the sensing elements are made relatively small to provide a high spatial resolution and the flux ( or area ) linked by the loop created by the connection leads becomes comparable to the flux ( or area ) of the sensing element . the distance 312 between the cross - connection 318 on the second set of leads and the sensing element should be minimized to ensure that the flux linked by the connection leads is nearly completely canceled . dummy elements can also be used , as illustrated in fig3 , to help maintain the periodicity of the conductors . one of the issues with planar eddy - current sensors is the placement of the current return for the primary winding . often the ends of the primary winding are spatially distant from one another , which creates an extraneous and large inductive loop that can influence the measurements . one embodiment for a layout for a primary winding that reduces the effect of this inductive loop is shown in fig3 . the primary winding is segmented with the width of each segment 150 determining the spatial wavelength λ . the segments of the primary winding are connected to bond pads 154 through leads 152 , where the leads are brought close together to minimize the creation of stray magnetic fields . after wrapping the leads and bond pads behind the face of the primary winding , the individual segments are then connected together in series . the arrows then indicate the instantaneous current direction . the space behind the sensor array can be filled with rigid insulators , foam , ferrites , or some combination of the above . this three - dimensional layout for the sensor effectively creates a meandering winding pattern for the primary with effectively twice the current in the extended portions of each segment and moves the large inductive loop for the primary winding connections far from the sensing region . the sensing elements 156 and dummy elements 158 are then placed in another layer over the primary winding . this design can also be applied to the tapered mwm array format of fig3 , where the primary windings become trapezoidal loops . grid measurement methods can also be applied to multi - layer sensor constructs . for example , fig3 shows a measurement grid for the two layer mwm sensor of fig3 a and 38 b . this measurement grid provides a database of the sensor response ( the transimpedance between the secondary winding voltage and the primary winding current ) to variations in two parameters to be determined . in fig3 , these parameters are the lift - off and the test material conductivity . the sensor response values are typically created with a model which iterates each parameter value over the range of interest to calculate the sensor response , but in circumstances where extensive reference parts are available which span the property variations of interest , empirical responses can be used to create the grids . after measuring the sensor response on a test material , the parameter values are determined by interpolating between the lines on the measurement grid . an alternative method of making connections to the various components of the primary winding elements is shown in fig3 . in this case , the cross - connections 180 between the various segments of the primary winding reduces the number of bond pad connections 154 for the primary windings . this greatly simplifies the electrical connections to the sensor as only four bond pads are required , independent of the number of meanders in the footprint of the sensor . the same concept can be applied for the secondary elements , as the connections 182 indicate . this is useful whenever a combination of secondary elements is desired or independent connections to each of the secondary elements is not required . fig3 a and 38 b illustrate another example of the “ split ” primary winding design . dummy elements 132 near the ends of the sensing elements are also included in this case . furthermore , the dummy elements 158 are extended along almost the entire length of the primary winding loops in order to maintain the design symmetry . an embodiment of an mwm - array with multiple sensing elements is shown in fig3 . the primary winding meanders 230 have connections similar to the primary shown in fig3 a and 38 b . secondary element connections 232 are made to groups of secondary elements 236 that span different regions of the primary winding structure so that scanning of the array over an mut in a direction parallel to the meanders of the primary provide measurements of spatially distinct areas . dummy elements 234 and 238 help minimize parasitic coupling between the primary and secondary elements to improve air calibrations . another embodiment for a layout of the planar primary winding reduces the effect of the primary winding inductive loop as illustrated in fig4 . the sensing windings 172 with dummy elements 170 are sandwiched between a meandering winding 162 in the first layer and a second meandering winding 168 in the third layer , with electrical insulation between each layer . vias 164 between the first and third layers provide an electrical connection between the meanders . the connections to the primary are made at the bond pads such as 160 . when stacked together , the current in the primary winding is effectively twice the current of a single layer primary winding . it is also possible to calibrate and verify the integrity of the surface mounted mwm - arrays by utilizing the accurately modeled and reproducible array geometry and measurement grids so that extensive sets of reference parts are not required . an initial “ air ” calibration is performed prior to mounting on the surface . this involves taking a measurement in air , for each array element , and then storing the calibration information ( e . g ., in a computer ) for later reference after mounting the sensors . after the sensor has been mounted to a surface , the instrument and probe electronics can be calibrated by connecting to a duplicate sensor so that an air calibration can be performed . after connecting the surface mounted sensor to the instrumentation , the sensor operation and calibration can be verified by measuring the lift - off at each element . the sensor is not operating properly if the lift - off readings are too high , which may result from the sensor being detached from the surface , or if the measurement points no longer fall on a measurement grid , which generally corresponds to a lack of continuity for one of the windings . a final verification involves comparing baseline measurements to other measurement locations that are not expected to have fatigue damage or cracks . this reference comparison can verify sensor operation and may assist in compensating for noise variables such as temperature drift . this may involve using elements of the array that are distant from the areas of high stress concentration . the electrical conductivity of many test materials is also temperature dependent . this temperature dependence is usually a noise factor that requires a correction to the data . for example , fig4 shows a representative set of conductivity measurements from the elements of the mwm - array of fig8 inserted inside a hole in a fatigue test coupon as the coupon temperature is varied and monitored with a thermocouple . the mwm was designed to be insensitive to variations in its own temperature , as described in u . s . pat . nos . 5 , 453 , 689 and 5 , 793 , 206 and u . s . patent application ser . no . 09 / 182 , 693 . the temperature of the component can be changed in a variety of ways : with the ambient conditions in the room , with the mechanical loading as the component is fatigued , by grasping it with a hand , and by blowing a hot or cold air jet across it . fig4 shows that the conductivity has an essentially linear temperature dependence , over this range of temperatures , so that conductivity measured by each element can be corrected for temperature drift . thermally induced changes in the electrical conductivity also provide a mechanism for testing the integrity of the sensor . heating the test material locally , in the vicinity of the mwm - array should only lead to a change in conductivity , not lift - off , when the array is compressed against the part . monitoring the conductivity changes with temperature , without significant lift - off changes then verifies the calibration of the sensor and also that the sensor elements themselves are intact . another component of the life extension program for aircraft is the rapid and cost - effective inspection of engine components such as the slots of gas turbine disks and spools . cracks often form in regions of fretting damage . the fretting damage often leads to false positive crack detections with conventional eddy - current sensors , which severely limits the usefulness of conventional eddy - current sensors in this inspection . for a number of disks / spools , ultrasonic ( ut ) inspection is the current standard inspection method . the current ut threshold for “ reliable ” detection of cracks in fretting damage regions is thought to be between 0 . 150 and 0 . 250 inches but there is an ongoing need to reliably detect smaller cracks , possibly as small as 0 . 060 to 0 . 080 inches in length . the jentek gridstation ( system with the conformable mwm eddy - current sensor and grid measurement methods offers the capability to detect these small cracks in fretting regions , while eliminating the need for crack calibration standards other than to verify performance . calibration can be performed with the sensor in the middle of any slot on the engine disk . a scan of this slot is then performed first to verify that no crack existed at the calibration location . then all slots on a disk are inspected without recalibration . for the inspection of nonmagnetic disks , such as titanium disks , absolute electrical conductivity and proximity ( lift - off ) measurements can be performed with mwm sensors . when a crack within a slot is encountered , it manifests itself by a distinct and repeatable drop in conductivity . fig4 a and 42 b shows an example of repeated inspections on the same slots for a stage 2 fan disk . no calibration standards were used to perform these inspections . at the start of the inspection , a selected area within a single slot ( near the middle ) was used for reference calibration and was the only calibration required for the inspection of all of the slots . the inspection consisted of scanning each slot with the mwm probe along the entire length to within approximately 0 . 08 inches from the edge . these scans can be performed in an incremental mode , where the sensor positioned is moved in increments of 1 to 2 mm , or in a continuous mode , where a position encoder automatically records the sensor position as the sensor is moved along the slot . fig4 shows the results of the slot inspection in all 46 slots , with some slots showing the characteristic decrease in conductivity associated with a crack . both fig4 a , 42 b , and 43 present the absolute electrical conductivity without any normalization . the data from fig4 after normalization to account for edge effects are given in fig4 . the slots that contained a distinct conductivity decrease and indicate the presence of a crack are marked in the legend for each plot . the arrows mark the slots where the ut inspection reported reject indications ; the slots where the mwm detected cracks while the ut indications were below the reject threshold of 30 % are encircled . in addition to conductivity vs slot location information , the grid measurement methods provide lift - off vs slot location information . the lift - off data appear to indicate the extent and relative severity of fretting . table 1 compares the findings of the mwm inspections with the ut inspection . the ut report identified rejected indications (& gt ; 30 %) in nine of the 46 slots ( slots # 9 , 10 , 11 , 13 , 22 , 34 , 35 , 36 , and 45 ). the disk slots had regions of fretting damage and , according to the ut inspection report , some of the slots contained cracks in the fretting damage regions . in contrast , the mwm with grid methods reliably detected cracks within fretting damage regions in 14 slots , including all nine slots with rejected ut indications and five additional slots ( slot # 1 , 8 , 14 , 23 , and 41 ). for verification , the well - known procedure for taking acetate replicas , that provide a “ fingerprint ” image of the surface , was adapted for the characterization of the surface condition within the slots . these replicas confirmed the mwm findings and showed images of cracks in fretting damage regions . additional measurements were also performed to illustrate the use of an encoder for determining the position in a slot and sequential thresholds for determining the acceptability of a disk slot . a typical set of measurement scan results is illustrated in fig5 . the normalized electrical conductivity , measured with the mwm , is plotted against the sensor position , measured with the linear encoder . for each scan , the initial position of the sensor in the slot is set visually , usually by aligning a “ corner ” of the shuttle with the top surface of the slot . the conductivity is then measured as the shuttle is passed through the slot at a reasonably constant rate . the presence of a crack in the slot causes a reduction in the electrical conductivity as the sensor approaches the slot edge ; as the sensor leaves the slot and goes off the edge , the effective electrical conductivity dips and becomes very large ( eventually going off of the measurement grid ). the measured electrical conductivity is normalized by the average conductivity near the center of the slot , prior to reaching the region of interest near the slot edge . typically , the averaging was performed over the 0 . 8 to 1 . 3 inch region while the edge of the slot was in the 1 . 7 to 1 . 9 inch region ; based on a limited number of scans , averaging from 0 . 5 to 1 . 3 inches does not appear to affect the measurement results . although the cracks in some of the slots extend from the edge into the averaging region , the signal obtained from the cracks still fall into the “ evaluate ” region for the response , as described below . the minimum value measured for the normalized electrical conductivity is used to determine the presence of a crack . in these tests the protocol for the acceptance decision for each slot is based on a sequential decision process . two thresholds were used in this process and are denoted by the labels a 1 and a 2 in fig5 . in the decision process , each slot scan is compared to the two thresholds . a 1 is the retest / evaluate threshold while a 2 is the accept / retest threshold . if the normalized conductivity is above a 2 , then the decision is accept ( e . g ., both a 1 and a 2 pass ). if the normalized conductivity is below a 1 on the initial scan , the slot is thought to contain a flaw and evaluate is the final decision ( e . g ., both a 1 and a 2 do not pass ). if the minimum normalized conductivity falls between a 1 and a 2 ( e . g ., a 1 pass , a 2 does not pass ), the slot must be retested several times . then the average of the inspection scans is used to reach a decision on the slot . now , if the average is below a 2 , the final decision is evaluate upon retest . otherwise , the outcome will be accept upon retest . in the case a slot is accepted upon retests , a supervisor concurrence and signature are required . thus , for the case of “ accept ,” no further action is required other than making a record . for the case of “ retest ,” the slot has to be re - inspected several times . the retested slot will then be labeled as either accept or evaluate . “ evaluate ” means that the slot is likely to have a significant flaw that needs to be evaluated by other methods . these thresholds are based on statistics for the disks being measured and the training set population . in this case , the threshold level a 1 was set to provide an evaluate decision for a 0 . 16 inch long crack while the threshold level a 2 was set to be near the minimum in normalized conductivity for a 0 . 080 inch long crack . as the number of disks and slots inspected increases , the threshold levels can be determined with statistical methods based on the probability of detection for a given crack size . representative threshold levels are a 1 = 0 . 992 and a 2 = 0 . 995 the minimum in the normalized conductivity for all of the slots on a disk are illustrated in fig5 . the column bars denote the average values while the error bars show the standard deviation of the measurements . the effect of altering the threshold levels can be seen . the a 1 ( lower ) threshold is typically set so that larger cracks ( greater than 0 . 1 inches long ) are evaluated after the first scan . the a 2 ( upper ) threshold is set to differentiate the smaller cracks from the noise in unflawed slots . again , the error bars denote the variability in the measurements so choosing an a 2 threshold that passes through ( or near ) the error bars will have an intermediate ( i . e ., between zero and one ) probability of detection . once more cracks have been characterized ( e . g ., replicated ), better statistics can be applied to determining the thresholds that should be used for detection of a given crack size . fig4 a and 45 b illustrate the crack length dependence of the minimum in the normalized conductivity for the slots of table 1 which had been replicated . in this case , three to 11 measurements were performed on each slot . three different inspectors inspected each slot . the average and standard deviation for the measurements on each slot are illustrated in fig4 a and 45 b . the vertical error bars represent the standard deviations in the measurements between the operators and illustrates the operator variability in the measurement results . the horizontal error bars denote the effective crack length due to multiple cracks or clusters of cracks greater than 0 . 005 inches long . the slot number is given on the right side of each data point . the thresholds indicate the evaluate ( a 1 ) and retest ( a 2 ) levels for the minimum in the normalized conductivity . clearly , adjusting the retest level ( a 2 ) slightly will affect the probability of detection of the smaller cracks , such as the 0 . 080 ″ and 0 . 050 ″ long cracks ( slots 6 and 2 , respectively ). the minimum detectable crack size depends upon the selection of the detection thresholds and the variability of the instrument , operators , and other noise factors . the detection thresholds set the minimum allowable reduction in the normalized conductivity for an acceptable scan . choosing thresholds beyond the measurement “ noise ” level that minimizes the number of false indications also sets the minimum detectable crack size . the use of mwm sensors and grid measurement methods can also provide a more meaningful assessment of weld quality than conventional inspection methods . the high cost and complexity of titanium welding are caused by special cleaning and shielding procedures to preclude contamination . quality control of titanium welds includes , among other things , inspection for contamination . currently , titanium welds are accepted or rejected based on surface color inspection results , even though the surface color has not been a reliable indicator of weld contamination level . the capability of the mwm to characterize contamination of the welds was demonstrated on several test specimens . autogenous gta welds were fabricated in six titanium grade 2 plates with shielding gases that included high purity argon , three levels of air contamination , and two levels of co contamination . the measurements were performed in a point - by - point “ scanning ” mode across each weld so that each scan included the titanium , grade 2 base metal , heat - affected zones on each side of a weld , and weld metal . the footprint of the mwm sensor was ½ in . by ½ in . fig4 shows an mwm measured electrical conductivity profile across the welds obtained at a frequency 400 khz . all measured conductivity values were normalized by the maximum conductivity in the base metal . the dip in conductivity in each curve corresponds to the weld metal , whereas the left and right “ shoulders ” correspond to the base metal . in the specimen containing the weld fabricated with pure argon as the shielding gas , the conductivity of the weld metal is only slightly lower than conductivity of the base metal . there is a general trend of conductivity decrease with contamination level . this trend is illustrated in fig4 , for excitation frequencies of 400 khz and 1 . 58 mhz , as air contamination in the shielding gas reduces the conductivity of the titanium weld metal . in this plot , the conductivity of weld metal is normalized by the minimum measured conductivity of weld fabricated in pure argon . periodic field eddy - current sensors can also be used to detect overheat damage in gun barrels or other steel components that may be coated with another material or uncoated . as an example , measurements were performed on two semi - cylindrical samples from a longitudinally sectioned 25 - mm gun barrel . the section of this particular gun barrel , located between axial positions 8 in . and 24 in . away from the start of the rifling , had experienced overheating . sample 2 a ( in fig5 and 53 ) was removed from the overheated section and from the part of the gun barrel between the 7 - in . and 16 - in . axial positions . sample 5 ( in fig5 and 53 ) is a section of the gun barrel not affected by overheating and from the part of the gun barrel between the 41 - in . and 51 - in . axial positions . the gun barrels were made of a low - alloy steel , which was heat - treated originally to obtain tempered martensite microstructure . in the overheated section , there was a distinct heat - affected zone around the bore where the resulting ferritic - bainitic microstructure suggests the temperatures could have been at least 900 to 1100 ( f . the inside surface of the gun barrel was plated with electrodeposited chromium where the thickness ranged from 0 . 10 mm to 0 . 20 mm . fig5 and 53 show a representative set of mwm measurements on gun barrel samples . these measurements were performed with a jentek gridstation using magnetic permeability - lift - off measurement grids at a frequency of 100 khz . axial scans along the length of the samples were performed with the mwm sensor windings oriented both parallel ( orientation # 1 ) and perpendicular ( orientation # 2 ) to the gun barrel axis . fig5 shows the results of the mwm axial scans in terms of effective relative magnetic permeability vs axial position ( within each sample ) along the barrel axis . note that the mwm is most sensitive to permeability in the direction perpendicular to its longer winding segments . the data reveal that the longitudinal effective permeability measured with orientation # 2 in sample 5 ( not affected by overheating ) is higher than the transverse permeability measured with orientation # 1 , indicating some anisotropy . the mwm data for sample 2 a show that overheating dramatically increased the longitudinal effective permeability measured with orientation # 2 in sample 2 a compared to the transverse effective permeability , measured with orientation # 1 . fig5 shows the effective permeability is plotted vs distance from the start of rifling along the barrel axis . the mwm measured results are shown in solid lines while the dotted lines indicate a possible trend in relative magnetic permeability in the region between sample 2 a and sample 5 . these measurements indicate that the mwm probe response was characteristic of a ferromagnetic material . note that the low - alloy steel is a ferromagnetic material whereas the electrodeposited chromium plating is nonmagnetic unless the plating had been exposed to high temperatures for sufficiently long time to effect diffusion of iron into the deposited plating . at a frequency of 100 khz , the estimated depth of sensitivity in pure chromium is estimated to be approximately 0 . 5 mm , which is greater than the thickness of the electrodeposited chromium plating . as result , the mwm “ sees ” beyond the plated layer of chromium and the measurements reflect the effective permeability and microstructural conditions of the low - alloy steel . thus , the unique bidirectional permeability measurement capabilities of the mwm provide sensitivity to the property changes caused by overheating . for rapid inspections of gun barrels , cylindrical probes having mwm sensors in both parallel and perpendicular orientations can be used so that a single measurement scans provides both measurements of the effective permeability . periodic field eddy - current sensors can also be used to detect and quantify the depth of subsurface cracks . as an example , consider the measurement illustrated in fig5 . in this case , two - frequency conductivity — lift - off measurements were performed on the back surface of a nickel alloy sample having notches that simulate crack - like flaws on the front surface . fig5 shows a schematic of the flaw pattern in the sample and the mwm measured conductivity scan at two frequencies . a simple ratio of the two - frequency absolute conductivity measurements ( after passing the raw data through the two - unknown measurement grid ) provides a robust correlation with distance from the flaw tip to the back surface . this method can be used to detect and determine depth or distance to hidden cracks for both fatigue cracks and , for some components , cracking associated with corrosion fatigue . while this invention has been particularly shown and described with references to preferred embodiments thereof , it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the scope of the invention encompassed by the appended claims . auld , b . a . and moulder , j . c . ( 1999 ), “ review of advances in quantitative eddy - current nondestructive evaluation ,” journal of nondestructive evaluation , vol . 18 , no . 1 . committee on aging of us air force aircraft ( 1997 ), “ aging of us air force aircraft ”, isbn 0 - 309 - 05935 - 6 , 1997 . goldfine , n ., a . washabaugh , k . walrath , p . zombo , and r . miller ( 1998 ), “ conformable eddy - current sensors and methods for gas turbine inspection and health monitoring ”, asm international , gas turbine technology conference , materials solutions &# 39 ; 98 , rosemont , ill . goldfine , n ., d . schlicker , and a . washabaugh ( 1998 nasa ), “ surface - mounted eddy - current sensors for on - line monitoring of fatigue tests and for aircraft health monitoring ,” 2 nd nasa / faa / dod conference on aging aircraft . suresh , s . ( 1998 ), fatigue of materials , second edition , cambridge university press . taira , s ., and hayashi , k . ( 1966 ), proc . 9 th japanese congress of testing materials . weiss , v . and oshida , y . ( 1984 ), “ fatigue damage characterization using x - ray diffraction line analysis ”, in fatigue 84 , p 1151 , butterworth . 1 . navy phase i proposal , titled “ application of the meandering wire magnetometer to detection and quantification of cumulative fatigue damage in aircraft structural components ”, topic # n95 - 033 , dated jan . 12 , 1995 2 . navy phase i final report , titled “ application of the meandering wire magnetometer to detection and quantification of cumulative fatigue damage in aircraft structural components ”, dated apr . 30 , 1996 , contract # n00019 - 95 - c - 0220 3 . navy phase ii proposal , titled “ application of the meandering wire magnetometer to detection and quantification of cumulative fatigue damage in aircraft structural components ”, topic # n95 - 033 , dated 5 / 17 / 96 4 . navy phase ii final report , titled “ application of the meandering wire magnetometer to detection and quantification of cumulative fatigue damage in aircraft structural components ”, dated feb . 16 , 1999 , contract # n00421 - 97 - c - 1120 5 . air force phase i proposal , titled “ portable accumulated fatigue damage inspection system using permanently mounted and wide - area imaging mwm - arrays ”, topic # af99 - 286 , dated jan . 11 , 1999 6 . air force phase ii proposal , titled “ portable accumulated fatigue damage inspection system using permanently mounted and wide - area imaging mwm - arrays ”, topic # af99 - 286 , dated dec . 3 , 1999 7 . air force phase i final report , titled “ portable accumulated fatigue damage inspection system using permanently mounted and wide - area imaging mwm - arrays ”, dated mar . 10 , 2000 , contract # f09650 - 99 - m - 1328 8 . technical paper titled “ surface - mounted eddy - current sensors for on - line monitoring of fatigue tests and for aircraft health monitoring ”, presented at the second joint nasa / faa / dod conference on aging aircraft , august 1998 9 . jentek sensors trip report to tinker afb , dated jul . 6 , 1999 10 . technical abstract titled “ new mwm arrays with high resolution and increased depth of sensitivity for quantitative imaging of “ hidden ” fatigue and corrosion over wide areas , submitted to the third joint nasa / faa / dod conference on aging aircraft , september 1999 11 . technical paper titled “ recent applications of meandering winding magnetometers to materials characterization ”, presented at the 38 th annual british conference on ndt , sep . 13 – 16 , 1999 . 12 . technical paper titled “ anisotropic conductivity measurements for quality control of c - 130 / p - 3 propeller blades using mwm (- sensors with grid methods ”, presented at the fourth joint dod / faa / nasa conference on aging aircraft , may 16 , 2000 . 13 . presentation slides titled “ anisotropic conductivity measurements for quality control of c - 130 / p - 3 propeller blades using mwm (- sensors with grid methods ”, presented at the fourth joint dod / faa / nasa conference on aging aircraft , may 6 , 2000 . 14 . faa year two final report titled “ development of conformable eddy - current sensors for engine component inspection ,” dated aug . 4 , 2000 , contract # dtfa0398 - d00008 . 15 . technical paper titled “ application of mwm - array eddy - current sensors to corrosion mapping ”, presented at the 4 th international aircraft corrosion workshop , aug . 22 , 2000 . which are incorporated herein by reference .	6
describing now the drawings , it is to be understood that to simplify the showing of the drawings only enough of the structure of the device for adjustably fixing an auxiliary member or accessory in the weft direction upon the reed of a shuttleless loom or weaving machine has been illustrated therein as is needed to enable one skilled in the art to readily understand the underlying principles and concepts of this invention . although in the previous description and also in what follows , the terms &# 34 ; air current &# 34 ; and &# 34 ; air stream &# 34 ; are employed , it will be understood that any other suitable flowing or fluid medium can be employed instead of air for transporting and stretching the weft thread segments or lengths sequentially inserted into the loom shed . the term &# 34 ; air &# 34 ; is therefore to be considered to have a very broad meaning . the illustrated exemplary embodiment of the device or arrangement for adjustably fixing an auxiliary member or accessory in the weft direction upon the reed of a shuttleless loom or weaving machine will be understood to be employed for mounting an auxiliary member or accessory 12 constituting for instance a weft stretching or pulling device as can be seen in fig1 . in such fig1 the reed is designated with the reference numeral 1 and is oscillatingly movable about a not particularly shown axis of rotation in the direction of the double - headed arrow i between the beat - up position of the reed and the withdrawn or retracted position thereof illustrated in such fig1 . the actual reed 1 is formed in conventional manner by a series of reed lamellae or dents 2 having forwardly protruding tongues or parts 2a and adjacently arranged in the direction of the width of the weaving machine and which are anchored in a reed beam or frame member 3 at the lower side and in a reed rail or upper frame member 4 at the upper side . the weaving or loom shed is designated with the reference numeral 5 and is defined by the upper warp 6 , the lower warp 7 and the entirety of the reed lamellae 2 . the already woven cloth or fabric is designated with the reference numeral 8 while the edge or fell thereof is designated with the reference numeral 9 . the fell 9 is the line or edge of the fabric 8 being woven along which the reed 1 beats up a weft thread inserted into the weaving shed 5 each time the reed 1 assumes its effective beat - up position . the insertion of a measured or pre - cut weft thread segment or length is performed by an air jet nozzle 10 arranged at one side of the weaving or loom shed 5 . the transport of the weft thread segment or length inserted by the air jet nozzle 10 supplied with air ( from a not particularly shown suitable source ) in fact takes place through a weft transport or conveying tunnel 11 limited or defined by the entirety of cut - outs or recesses 11a in the reed lamellae 2 . these cut - outs or recesses 11a are open in the direction of the beat - up line or fell 9 . the transport of the weft thread through the weaving or loom shed 5 or through the reed tunnel 11 can be , especially for greater weaving widths , supported by intermediate or auxiliary air jet nozzles carried by the reed 1 . these known auxiliary air jet nozzles are therefore not particularly shown in the drawings . the weft stretching or pulling device 12 is mounted at the end portion of the reed remote from the air jet nozzle 10 and extending beyond the edge of the cloth or fabric 8 being woven . this weft stretching device 12 comprises a molded or formed body 12a whose side facing the reed 1 is formed to correspond to the profile of the reed lamellae or dents 2 , as particulary shown in fig2 . the molded or formed body 12a of the weft stretching device 12 comprises a rib or ledge 13 which fits intimately into the portion of the reed tunnel 11 lying beyond the loom shed 5 . a reception or catch channel 14 , which can best be seen in fig2 is formed in the molded or formed body 12a of the weft stretching device 12 at the location of the rib 13 . this reception or catch channel 14 is adjacent to the &# 34 ; effective &# 34 ; or &# 34 ; operative &# 34 ; portion of the reed tunnel 11 lying within the width of the woven cloth or fabric 8 . the passage defined by the reception or catch channel 14 gradually reduces in the weft direction from the entry aperture 15 , which can best be seen in fig2 . the cross - section of the entrance aperture or opening 15 is nearly as large as that of the transport tunnel 11 . therefore , the exit aperture or opening of the reception or catch channel and designated with the reference numeral 16 in fig1 has a passage whose cross - section is only a fraction of the cross - section of the reed tunnel 11 . a flange or flange member 17 protruding from the molded or formed body 12a of the weft stretching device 12 serves for the fastening or fixation of the weft stretching device 12 on the profiled beat - up side of the reed . the protruding flange 17 passes between two adjacent reed lamellae or dents 2 . in the mounted position , the flange 17 protrudes from the rear side of the reed 1 by a certain distance . an opening or aperture 18 is situated in this protruding flange portion 17a . this aperture or opening 18 can accommodate a latching or locking pin 19 whose diameter corresponds to the diameter of the opening or aperture 18 . the latching or locking pin 19 comprises a central region or portion 19a of somewhat smaller diameter which is situated eccentrically in relation to both end portions 19b thereof . in order that the molded or formed body 12a of the weft stretching device 12 can be fixed in the desired position on the beat - up side of the protruding reed portion , support blocks or clamp collars , designated with the reference numeral 20 , and each having a flat land 20a are arranged on each end 19b of the pin 19 after insertion of such latching or locking pin 19 . the support blocks or clamp collars 20 are arranged on the locking pin 19 such that their flat lands 20a bear against the rear side or face of the reed 1 . the locking pin 19 , while its central portion 19a lies within the opening or aperture 18 of the flange 17 , is subsequently rotated such that the pin ends 19b function as eccentric or toggle cams within the support blocks or clamp collars 20 and press these support blocks or clamp collars 20 firmly against the rear side or face of the reed 1 . by means of a rotary motion in the opposite direction or sense and the removal of the support blocks or clamp collars 20 , as well as a removal of the latching or locking pin 19 , the weft stretching device 12 can be released in a simple manner . in this manner it is even possible to quickly and practically move or adjust the weft stretching device 12 in connection with the weaving of different widths of cloth or fabric . as shown in fig2 a flange portion 21 is situated around the entry aperture 15 of the reception or catch channel 14 . this flange portion 21 also fits between two adjacent reed lamellae or dents 2 and contributes to a good fixation of the weft stretching device 12 . the weft stretching device 12 gets its weft stretching or drawing action from an air stream or current which is oriented transversely to the reception or catch channel 14 in the vicinity of the entry aperture 15 and , in particular , approximately vertically through such reception or catch channel 14 . a supply channel 22 is provided in the molded or formed body of the weft stretching device 12 which can be connected to a not particularly shown source of pressurized or compressed air at the position 23 . the supply channel 22 opens into the lower wall of the reception or catch channel 14 in the vicinity of the exit aperture 16 directly opposite the catch or reception opening of a further mixing tube 24 . the mixing tube 24 takes up the tip or leading end of the inserted weft thread segment or length under the influence of an air stream . this manner of weft stretching corresponds in principle to that of the weft stretching device according to the previously mentioned u . s . pat . no . 4 , 096 , 889 . in the embodiment shown in fig3 a weft thread detection device is fastened or fixed upon the portion of the reed 1 extending beyond the edge of the cloth or fabric being woven , for instance at a location situated between the edge of the cloth or fabric and the weft stretching device 12 . the manner of fastening or fixation shown in fig3 differs from that shown in fig1 and 2 in that there are two fixation or fastening flanges 17 &# 39 ;, each of which extends between two adjacent reed lamellae or dents 2 . these fastening or fixation flanges 17 &# 39 ; ( only one of which is visible in the cross - sectional view of fig3 ) are interconnected on the front side ( beat - up side ) of the reed 1 by upper and lower connecting web members 25 and 26 . the distance or spacing between the flanges 17 &# 39 ; is chosen such that upper and lower blocks 27 and 28 comprising a suitable air - permeable plastic material will fit between them . a space or void 29 for accommodating a transmitter or receiver of the weft thread detection device is formed in each block 27 and 28 . the portion 27a of the upper block 27 which lies between the lower edge of the web 25 and the upper edge of tunnel 11 is , as viewed in a direction perpendicular to the plane of the drawing , narrowed or waisted down such that it passes between the forwardly protruding tongues or parts 2a of two adjacent reed lamellae 2 . the same is true for the portion 28a of the lower block 28 lying between the upper edge of the web 26 and the lower edge of the tunnel 11 . in contrast to the manner of fastening or fixation according to fig1 and 2 , the latching or locking pin 19 &# 39 ; and the component 20 &# 39 ; acting as eccentric or toggle cams are integrally formed and the opening or aperture 18 &# 39 ; is formed as an open - ended slot such that the latching or locking pin 19 &# 39 ; can be inserted from the underside . one end of an elastic or flexible element 30 is fastened to the portions 20 &# 39 ; arranged eccentrically in relation to the latching or locking pin 19 &# 39 ;. the other end of the elastic or flexible element 30 is connected through a spring 31 or equivalent device to an element or hook 32 which hooks over the upper reed rail or frame member 4 . the elastic or flexible element 30 tends to unwind or roll itself off the eccentric portions 20 &# 39 ; under the influence of the spring 31 which imparts a counterclockwise - directed torque to these portions . this torque moves the flanges 17 &# 39 ; to the right as seen in fig3 and thereby tightens the blocks 27 and 28 against the forward side or face of the reed 2 . it will be understood that the manners of fastening here illustrated are also suited for fastening or fixing a combined weft thread stretching and detecting device . while there are shown and described present preferred embodiments of the invention , it is to be distinctly understood that the invention is not limited thereto , but may be otherwise variously embodied and practiced within the scope of the following claims .	3
fig1 shows an interior view of a simple fuel nozzle 10 that incorporates the invention and that may form part of a fuel delivery system . as mentioned , the design can apply to liquids other than fuel . a housing 12 encloses the various elements in this embodiment , although other configurations are easily possible . a conventional design for a nozzle 10 has an internal inlet fuel duct 21 having an external threaded fitting 15 for attaching to a hose carrying pressurized fuel provided by a fuel pumping system . as will be discussed , future fuel delivery system designs may place many control components outside the nozzle housing 12 . a fuel valve 25 is shown in generic form . fuel valve 25 can be operated between at least one open setting and a closed setting in which no fuel can flow through valve 25 . fuel valve 25 can have any suitable design that reliably controls fuel flow from inlet duct 21 to an outlet duct at 55 . a spout 39 has an internal passage that receives fuel flowing from fuel valve 25 and through outlet duct 55 . fuel in spout 39 flows from a spout outlet 58 into the tank to be filled . duct 55 and spout 39 will be referred to hereafter as the downstream chamber . valve 25 is operated by an actuator such as flow control lever 45 , typically pivoted on a shaft ( not shown ) within housing 12 . a guard 16 attached to the outside of housing 12 shields lever 45 from inadvertent actuation . lever 45 is shown in the no - flow position for valve 25 . a link 49 is connected between lever 45 and fuel valve 25 . when lever 45 is moved in the direction of the adjacent arrow , link 49 operates valve 25 into the open setting . a spring , not shown , constantly urges fuel valve 25 and lever toward the closed setting . link 49 can take any convenient form that reliably and efficiently controls the fuel valve 25 setting . the invention uses a rapid flow of air or other noncombustible gas through outlet duct 55 and spout 39 immediately after valve 25 is closed , to drive or purge fuel wetting the internal surfaces of duct 55 and spout 39 into the tank to be filled . ( the term “ air ” is intended to include any noncombustible gas .) to accomplish this , an air ( non - combustible gas ) duct 18 supplies compressed air or other non - combustible gas to an air ( non - combustible gas ) valve 28 . the compressed gas source may be an external compressor connected by a hose to the end of duct 18 , or can be internal to housing 12 . air valve 28 controls flow of compressed air to an outlet pipe 31 that supplies the compressed air to an air vent 42 within the downstream chamber and adjacent to the upstream end thereof . air vent 42 is oriented to direct air flow toward the spout outlet 58 . the volume and velocity of air supplied must be adequate to purge the internal surfaces of the downstream chamber of the fuel film remaining after the liquid fuel has drained from the space . more will be said below about these considerations . vent 42 is aimed to direct a jet of air toward the internal surfaces of outlet duct 55 and spout 39 . in the simple example of fig1 , only a single , relatively small round vent 42 is shown , but the shape , size , and placement of the air vent or vents 42 can have any number of forms . a symbolically shown purge controller 35 operates air valve 28 through a linkage 52 . when linkage 52 is shifted to a first position by controller 35 , air valve 28 opens and compressed air flows to duct 31 and vent 42 . when controller 35 shifts linkage 52 to a second position , air valve 28 closes . a link element 50 senses the position of lever 45 to communicate the setting of fuel valve 25 to purge controller 35 . purge controller 35 acts to open air valve 28 during a time interval upon sensing each closing of fuel valve 25 . purge controller 35 can use other means to sense closings of fuel valve 25 as well , such as directly monitoring fuel flow stoppage . purge controller 35 will typically comprise a tinier mechanism that operates to hold air valve 28 open for a preselected time interval . the timer mechanism can have a number of different structures and may be electronic or mechanical . purge controller 35 is activated each time valve 25 is closed by releasing lever 45 , to provide for a period of time , a flow of air through duct 31 and vent 42 . fig2 a , 2 b , and 2 c are related schematics showing different operating phases of a functional mechanical version of a timer device usable as purge controller 35 . this design includes a pair of air valves 28 a and 28 b connected in series to control flow of air from duct 18 to duct 31 and that together with the duct connecting them form valve 28 of fig1 . most certainly , the purging process can be controlled electronically where electrical power is available to nozzle 10 . and perhaps , better mechanical purge controllers can be devised as well . fig2 a shows controller 35 and valves 28 a and 28 b in a rest state where valve 25 is closed and the purging operation complete for the last time valve 25 was open . fig2 b shows controller 35 and valves 28 a and 28 b in a flow state where valve 25 is open . fig2 c shows controller 35 and valves 28 a and 28 b in a purge state existing immediately after valve 25 has closed . all of these elements comprising purge controller 35 are mounted within and attached to various parts of the housing generally designated as 12 ′. in this simple design , valve 28 a has a control element 52 a that opens valve 28 a when shifted to the left as symbolized by the “ o ” on the left - pointing arrowhead . valve 28 a closes when the control element 52 a is shifted to the right , as shown by the right - pointing arrow labeled “ c ”. valve 28 b has a control element 52 b that closes valve 28 b when shifted to the left as symbolized by the “ c ” on the left - pointing arrowhead . valve 28 b opens when the control element 52 b is shifted to the right , as shown by the right - pointing arrow labeled “ o ”. the purge time is controlled by an extension spring 70 and a dashpot 75 connected in parallel between a portion 12 ′ of housing 12 and a guide or carrier 73 . spring 70 and dashpot 75 form a timer element similar in function to the well - known screen door closers , although smaller in size and designed for handling much smaller forces . dashpot 75 has a piston or plunger that translates within a cylinder . air flows slowly from the cylinder when the piston is pushed rightward creating substantial mechanical resistance to rightward movement . the piston provides little or no resistance to movement in the leftward direction . a check valve of some sort ( not shown ) provides this force difference . spring 70 is pretensioned to constantly provide force urging carrier 73 rightward . spring 70 may be of the type providing linearly increasing force in response to extension as carrier 73 shifts to the left . carrier 73 translates along a straight line path as shown by the adjacent double ended arrow . the small circles beneath carrier 73 simply suggest rolling of carrier 73 on a flat surface . more often , carrier 73 will comprise a shaft sliding in a track or guideway . we chose the symbology shown for easier understanding . carrier 73 is pulled to the left by linkage element 50 against the force of spring 70 . thus , carrier 73 and linkage element 50 cooperate with dashpot 75 and spring 70 to control the position of valve control elements 52 a and 52 b . the position of carrier 73 is controlled to all intents and purposes by force applied by link 49 to linkage element 50 , and by force from dashpot 75 and spring 70 only . that is , any effects of valves 28 a and 28 b on the position of carrier 73 can be ignored . in fig1 and 2 a , link 49 holds valve 25 shut . in this state , valve 28 a is closed and valve 28 b is open , as indicated by the “ c ” and “ 0 ” near them . air cannot flow from duct 18 to duct 31 . linkage element 50 is actuated leftward when link 49 rotates to the position opening fuel valve 25 as shown in fig2 b . link 49 rotates on a pivot 48 shown symbolically as a small circle . link 49 engages a tab or catch 51 to move linkage element 51 and carrier 73 to the left when link 49 is operated to the open position as shown in fig2 b . in transitioning to this position , carrier 73 simultaneously opens air valve 28 a and closes air valve 28 b . air still cannot flow from duct 18 to duct 31 . when fuel flow stops , link 49 rotates clockwise from the position in fig2 b to the position shown in fig2 c , opening valve 28 b , as indicated by the adjacent “ o ”. valve 28 a is also open and remains open for an interval whose length depends on the resistive force provided by dashpot 75 and the force from spring 70 . during this interval , compressed air flows from duct 18 to duct 31 and vent 42 , purging the downstream chamber of residual fuel . when the piston in dashpot 75 returns to the position in fig2 a and valve 28 a closes , the purge phase has ended . the length one should chose for this time interval depends on a number of factors . at this point we have identified the following factors as important in determining the time interval to choose : 1 ) finish on the internal surface of the downstream chamber ; 2 ) type of material forming the internal surfaces of the downstream chamber ; 3 ) volume and shape of the downstream chamber ; 4 ) velocity and volume of air flowing from vent 42 ; 5 ) shape , number , and position of vent 42 ; and 6 ) type of fuel or other liquid . items 1 , 2 , and 6 affect the amount of fuel clinging to the internal surfaces of the downstream chamber . items 3 , 4 , and 5 affect the efficiency of the purge operation . of course , the interval length must be short enough so that the motorist will not have withdrawn spout 39 from the filler pipe before the purge operation is complete , typically less than 2 sec . as a practical matter , this aspect involves human engineering . we expect that the air flowing from vent 42 will diffuse throughout the downstream chamber with a substantial velocity component directed toward outlet 58 . fuel clinging to the internal surfaces of the downstream chamber will be flushed and purged by the moving air stream , and fall from outlet 58 and the air stream as the air velocity slows outside of the outlet 58 . the volume of air is controlled for the most part by the supply pressure , pressure drops within the air or gas flow passages , and the area of vent 42 . these parameters should be adjusted to provide a total volume of atmospheric air or non - combustible gas preferably at least twice the total volume of the downstream chamber . up to 4 times the total volume of the downstream chamber of compressed air or other gas should normally be adequate . the finish and material of the interior surfaces in the downstream chamber affect the amount of fuel that adheres to these surfaces and ease with which it is removed by the airflow . liquid fuels do not easily wet certain plastics . a smooth , shiny surface also is not as easily wet as a rough surface . fig3 and 4 show one possible configuration for a compressed air vent 42 . in the side view of fig3 , compressed air from valve 28 flows through ducts 60 to a number of individual vents 63 spaced around an annular air guide 66 . the high speed air diffuses within guide 66 and purges the fuel adhering to the downstream surfaces out of outlet 58 . one may also design a shroud or guide that creates an annular vent , with the diffusion of the air velocity occurring further upstream . while the embodiment shown places the spout purging components in nozzle 10 , one can envision other embodiments where the air valve 28 and purge controller 35 are in the system housing . then the spout purging components in nozzle 10 may consist only of outlet pipe 31 and air vent 42 . in this configuration , an air hose runs along the fuel delivery hose directly to outlet pipe 31 from the air valve 28 within the system housing . the sensing of the position of lever 45 may be done indirectly by sensing fuel flow . when fuel flow ceases , then purge controller 35 senses this condition and opens air valve 28 . air then flows from a compressed air source to outlet pipe 31 and through vent 42 . once one shifts the location of the air flow control elements outside of nozzle 10 , then it is easy to use electrical devices to control airflow . in this case , purge controller 35 can be implemented electrically , using a microprocessor for example . microprocessors can easily provide for precise timing of the purging airflow , triggering purging airflow when the fuel valve 28 closes and fuel flow ceases . in another configuration nozzle 10 receives electrical power through the fuel delivery hose , in which case purge controller 35 may be located within housing 12 , but comprise electrical components and operate electrically . even an air pump could be integrated into the nozzle 10 , possibly replacing air valve 28 . such a design could effectively eliminate the need for a system housing , and might have a display integrated with nozzle 10 . this display could show information in real time regarding the transaction . the nozzle 10 could also scan a credit card and provide information to a shared printer that provides a receipt for the transaction . all of these variations as they apply to air purging of nozzles for delivery of liquids such as liquid fuel are intended to be included in the following claims .	1
in accordance with the first embodiment shown in fig1 to 5 , a front hood 1 is shown diagrammatically in fig1 and 2 . the front hood in its closed position in a given place with respect to the car body shown diagrammatically , by means of a known closure , not shown . the front hood is provided with a catch - hook arrangement designated generally as 3 . a part thereof is a u - shaped closure hoop 4 extending from of the front end of the car body 2 . its u - legs 5 are fixed at the end on the body of the car 2 , while the u - leg 6 extends horizontally . it cooperates with a closure hook f which has a first u - shaped hook part 8 leaving an opening 7 facing the closure hoop 4 . the hook part 8 is held in the region 9 of the u - vertex by a pin - like fastening means 10 , namely in a spring - actuated middle position for which schematically shown compression springs 13 act on the u - legs 11 , 12 . however , any other positioning of the hook part 8 in the middle position could also be present . for example , a swingable arrangement of the hook part 8 could also be dispensed with . the fastening means 10 is taken up by a bearing block 14 fastened on the front hood 1 . on the one u - leg end section 12 &# 39 ; there is pivoted a second hook part 15 developed as closure part . the corresponding point of articulation is designated by the numeral 16 . a torsion spring ( not shown ) acts on the second hook part 15 in counterclockwise direction in such a manner that it swings into the u - shaped intermediate space r and in this connection comes into a form - locked engagement with the other u - leg section 11 &# 39 ;. this section is formed by a hooking . for this purpose , the u - leg end section 11 &# 39 ; forms a projection 17 pointing away from the hook opening 7 and which extends into a recess 18 in the end section 19 of the second hook part 15 . on the first hook part 8 , laterally adjacent to the fastening means 10 , a release 21 is articulated around a bearing pin 20 . if the release is swung , it moves over the second hook part 15 , starting from the slit - open position of the front hood 1 , into the position of release for the closure hoop 4 . for this purpose , the release 21 is coupled with the second hook part 15 via a pin / cam control . on the second hook part 15 there is developed in its central region for this purpose a pin 22 which extends into an approximately triangular control cam 23 of the release 21 . the release 21 which is developed as bell - crank lever is in this connected acted on in clockwise direction by a torsion spring ( not shown ). in the locked position of the front hood shown in fig1 the pin 22 extends within the region of the right inner vertex of the triangular control cam 23 . the release then forms a hook extension 24 extending into the region of movement of the closure hoop 4 or its arm 6 . this hook extension is acted upon upon the closing of the front hood 1 in the final closing phase . the swinging of the release 21 which takes place hand in hand with this leads , via the pin / cam control 22 , 23 , to a swinging of the second hook part 15 in form - locked engagement . on its arm end 25 , the release 21 forms a point of attack 26 for a handle 27 which engages , via a transfer means 28 , on the point of attack 26 of the release 21 . the second hook part 15 forming the closure part has , in accordance with the position shown in fig1 an opening outwardly directed control bevel 29 . this bevel rises obliquely outward in the direction towards the projection 17 . at an acute angle to the control bevel 29 , the closure part 15 forms an opening inwardly directed supporting shoulder 30 which extends parallel to the opening 7 . both the control bevel 29 and the carrier shoulder 30 cooperate with the u - leg 6 of the closure hoop 4 , as will be further explained below . the opening of the front hood 1 requires a release of a closure , associated with the front hood , from the inside of the vehicle . after the front hood has been released , it swings under spring load into the slit - open position shown in fig1 . the closure - hoop arm 6 is , in this position , at such a distance from the second hook part 15 that the latter can swing into the release position with respect to the closure - hoop arm 6 shown in fig5 . this swinging is obtained by pulling the handle 27 in the direction of the arrow x . in this connection , the release 21 swings in counterclockwise direction around its support pin 20 , in which connection the second hook part 15 is carried along opposite the spring - loading thereof by the pin / cam control 22 , 23 . the control bevel 29 of the second hook part 15 then extends parallel to the closure hoop 4 . similarly , the carrier shoulder 30 lies outside the path of movement of the closure - hoop arm 6 . the opening 7 of the first hook part 8 is released so that the further swinging out of the front hood 1 can be carried out . if , starting from fig3 a further opening of the front hood 1 is effected from the slit - open position without the release 21 being actuated , there is established a position in accordance with fig4 . the release 21 is acted on via the closure - hoop arm 6 on its end edge 31 facing the u - shaped intermediate space r and swung slightly , by an amount which , however , is not sufficient by means of the pin / cam control 22 , 23 to bring the second hook part 15 out of form - locked engagement with the first hook part 8 . the attempted further opening of the front hood 1 then has the effect that the closure - hoop arm 6 acts on the supporting shoulder 30 of the closure part 15 and forces the latter completely into form - locked engagement . the larger the opening forces , the stronger the form - locked engagement is . therefore , the case can never occur that the front hood 1 passes into the open position during travel . after opening of the front hood 1 from the position shown in fig5 both the second closure part 15 and the release 21 turn back into the starting position shown in fig1 in hand with the reduction of the form - locked engagement between the first hook part 8 and the second hook part 15 . if the front hood is now closed , then the closure - hoop arm 6 acts on the control bevel 29 of the closure part 15 and swings it against spring load in clockwise direction , carrying the release 21 along via the pin / cam control 22 , 23 . in the final closing phase of the front hood 1 , the closure - hoop arm 6 then passes into the region of the continuation of the hook 24 of the release 21 . by action on the hook continuation 24 , the release 21 swings positively towards its basic position and , via the pin / cam control 22 , 23 , brings the second hook part into form - locked engagement with the first hook part 8 , together therewith that the opening 7 of the catch hook 8 is always properly closed . in accordance with the second embodiment shown in fig6 to 10 , the catch - hook arrangement bears the reference numeral 32 . the closure hoop 33 , which is also of u - shape , is fastened , contrary to the first embodiment , with u - legs 34 fixed on the front hood 35 shown in simplified manner in fig7 while the u - leg 36 cooperates with a closure 37 developed as rotary - trap closure as well as with a catch hook f &# 39 ;. the latter has a first u - shaped hook part 38 which extends in one piece from a carrier plate 39 . by means of laterally bent tabs 40 , carrier plate forming the catch hook f &# 39 ; and the carrier plate 39 bearing the closure 37 can be fastened to the body of the car . the hook part 38 has a u - shaped opening 41 for the entrance of the u - leg 36 of the closure hoop 33 . on both sides thereof , the u - legs 42 and 43 extend . the one u - leg end section 43 &# 39 ; of the first hook part 38 mounts a second hook part 45 , developed as closure part , on the pivot pin 44 . a torsion spring , not shown , acts on this second hook part 45 of fig6 in clockwise direction in such as manner that it swings into the u - shaped space r and in this connection enters into form - locked engagement with the other u - leg section 42 &# 39 ;. the form - locked engagement is in this connection developed in the manner of a hooking . for this purpose , the u - leg end section 42 &# 39 ; forms a projection 46 extending away from the u - opening 41 and which engages into a recess 47 in the second hook part 45 . in the region of this recess 47 , the second hook part 45 is developed in u - shape in cross section in such a manner that the recess 47 is present in the u - leg 45 &# 34 ;. the one u - leg 45 &# 39 ; of this second hook part 45 which forms the closure part continues into a lever arm which forms a handle 48 . on this u - leg 45 &# 39 ; of the closure part -- second hook part 45 -- there is fastened a pin - shaped driver 49 which , on its part , cooperates with a double - armed control lever 50 . the articulating of the latter is effected around a pivot pin 51 of the u - leg 43 of the hook part 38 . the control lever 50 , in accordance with the showing in fig6 is acted on in counterclockwise direction by a compression spring , not shown . in the locking position of the front hood shown in fig6 the first lever arm 50 &# 39 ; is struck upon by the u - leg 36 of the closure hoop 33 , while the second lever arm 50 &# 34 ; against the driver 49 of the closure part 45 in such a manner that the projection 46 of the u - leg 42 extends completely into the recess 47 in the closure part 45 . in the locked position , a rotary latch 52 of the closure 37 has been turned further by the u - leg 36 into the locking position . an open fork slit 53 on the edge side of the rotary trap 52 extends in this position approximately perpendicular to the direction of displacement of the u - leg 36 . the rotary trap 52 is arranged for rotation around a rotary - trap 54 of the carrier plate 39 . for the securing of the locking position of the rotary latch 52 there is employed 55 which , in known manner , by means of a locking tooth 56 cooperates with a locking recess 57 of the rotary latch 52 ; see fig8 . a tension spring 58 acts on the pawl 55 and on the rotary latch 52 . the rotary latch 52 is thereby spring - loaded in the direction of opening and urges the pawl 55 in the position of engagement . in order to bring the front hood 35 into its open position , it is necessary , first of all , preferably from the inside of the vehicle to bring the closure 57 into the release position . in this connection , via a lever and with a bowden cable coupled to it , the pawl 55 is swung so that its locking tooth 56 leaves the locking recess 57 of the rotary trap 52 . the latter , under the action of the tension spring 58 , swings into the open position shown in fig1 , the front hood coming into a slit - open position . thereupon it is possible by means of the handle 48 to turn the closure part 45 into the position shown in fig9 and 10 with release of the u - opening 41 of the first hook part 38 . by a swinging of the closure part 45 , the control lever 50 moves into the position shown in fig9 the second lever arm 50 &# 34 ; resting against the driver 49 . when the hood has been opened , the closure part 45 returns , as a result of the spring loading , into its locked position . also , the control lever 50 swings into the position shown in fig6 . in this position , the u - leg 45 &# 34 ; of the closure part 45 closes the u - opening 41 . furthermore , the u - leg 45 &# 34 ; rises in this direction , starting from the form - locked engagement , obliquely in the direction of the u - leg end section 43 &# 39 ;. if the front hood 35 is now closed , then the u - leg 36 strikes the closure part 45 on its u - leg 45 &# 34 ; and swings it into a position releasing the passageway for the closure hoop 33 . this displacement is transmitted to the control lever 50 . as soon as the u - leg 36 of the closure hoop 33 has passed by the closure hoop part 45 , the latter is released for backward swinging . during the course of the further closing movement , the u - leg 36 of the closure hoop 33 engages into the fork - slit 53 of the rotary trap 52 and turns it in its closing direction . furthermore , by means of the u - leg 36 , the lever arm 50 &# 39 ; of the control lever 50 which lies crosswise to the path of entrance of the closure hoop 33 , is displaced , it forcing the closure part 45 into form - locked engagement with the projection 46 of the u - leg 42 , so that assurance is had that , even in the event of difficulty of movement of the closure part 45 it assumes its intended locking position . in the final phase of the closing movement of the front hood 35 , the rotary trap 52 is displaced to such an extent that its locking recess 57 permits the entrance of the locking tooth 56 of the pawl 55 , so that the closure 37 also assumes its locking position . the catch - hook arrangement 59 , in accordance with the third embodiment , shown in fig1 to 16 , has a closure hoop 60 of u - shape fastened to the body of the car , the u - legs 61 of which are fastened on the body side and the u - leg 62 of which is directed horizontally . the catch hook f &# 34 ; which cooperates with the u - leg 62 is pivoted by means of a pivot pin 63 to the front hood ( not shown ). on the catch hook f &# 34 ;, there acts a torsion spring ( not shown ) arranged on the pivot pin 63 , which brings the catch hook f &# 34 ; in clockwise direction into a position limited by the stop 64 ; see fig1 . the catch hook f &# 34 ; has a first hook part 65 with two downward - directed legs 66 , 67 which are connected with each other by a leg 68 in the upper region . the leg is passed through by the pivot pin 63 . the obliquely downwardly extending leg 66 , in the release position , strikes against the aforementioned stop 64 , while the other leg 67 is directed vertically . from this leg 67 an extension 69 extends obliquely in the direction of the leg 66 . the extension leaves , together with the leg 66 , an opening 70 which can be closed by means of a second part hook part 71 , formed as closure part . for this purpose , the second hook part 71 is mounted around a pivot pin 72 of the leg - end section or extension 69 . there is concerned a single - leg development of the hook part 71 . on its free end , this forms a detent niche 73 which , in the closed position of the second hook part 71 shown in fig1 , enters into detent engagement with an edge of an arm 66 &# 39 ; of the leg 66 . the second hook part 71 bears a coupling pin 74 for cooperation with an angular slot 75 of a release 76 which is swingable around the pivot pin 63 . the latter also is urged in clockwise direction by a torsion spring ( not shown ). there is approximately a u - shaped development of the release 76 . the one u - leg 77 serves for mounting on the pivot pin 63 , while the other u - leg 78 has the angular slit 75 . the u - leg 79 partially covers the hook opening and when the front hood is closed , extends into the region of motion of the u - leg 62 of the closure hoop 60 . the latter is such in detail that the one edge 79 &# 39 ; of the u - leg 79 extends obliquely to the direction of the closure hoop 60 . in the closed position of the catch - hook arrangement 59 , the coupling pin 74 extends out the end of the one angle - slit section 75 &# 39 ;, which is aligned eccentric to the pivot pin 63 . the other angle - slit section 75 &# 34 ; adjoins closely in right - angle direction the angle - slit section 75 &# 39 ;. a handle ( not shown ) is coupled with the release 76 via a force transmission means 80 . the catch - hook arrangement in accordance with this third embodiment operates as follows : fig1 shows the closed position of the front hood . the opening thereof requires the prior release of the closure ( not shown ). as a result , the front hood swings into a position shown in fig1 , in which the closure hoop 60 has moved relative to the catch hook f &# 34 ;. in this slit - open position , the u - leg 62 , via the edge 79 &# 34 ; of the release 76 , swings the latter into the position shown in fig1 with the assistance of the force - transmission means 80 , which transfers the handle ( not shown ) into the region of actuation . in this position , the coupling pin 74 has entered into the angular region of the angle slit 75 . an unintended opening from this slit - open position is not possible , so that any possibility of injury is also prevented thereby . the u - leg 78 of the release namely forms a carrier shoulder which lies in the region of motion of the closure hoop 60 . the swinging - up of the front hood requires a further displacement of the release 76 into the position shown in fig1 , in which the second hook part 71 is carried along via the angle slit 75 with the release of the opening 70 . the coupling pin 74 upon this displacement moves into the downward directed angle - slit section 75 &# 34 ;. however , the release movement is not to be continued further , in which case , via the second hook part 71 , the first hook part 65 is carried along into the position shown in fig1 in such a manner that the u - leg 62 of the closure hoop 60 extends above the opening 70 , which permits the opening of the front hood . in the opened position of the front hood , the parts of catch - hook arrangement 59 return into the position shown in fig1 . if , from this position , the closure hoop is closed , then after extensive closing of the front hood , the u - leg 62 strikes a control bevel 81 of the extension 69 together with the swinging of the first hook part 65 into the position shown in fig1 . upon further pressing down of the front hood into the closure position , the u - leg 62 then swings the second hook part 71 forming the closure part into the position releasing the opening 70 ; see fig1 . after the u - leg 62 of the closure hoop 60 has entered the inside of the catch hook , the parts of the catch - hook arrangement 59 move back into the spring - loaded closed position shown in fig1 . in this position , the closure ( not shown ) has also been moved into its locked position . the catch - hook arrangement 82 shown in fig1 to 20 of the fourth embodiment contains a u - shaped closure hoop 83 the arm of which cooperates with a catch hook f &# 39 ;&# 34 ;. the catch hook f &# 39 ;&# 34 ; has a first hook part 84 with two downwardly directed legs 85 , 86 which between them leave a catch opening 87 for the entrance of the closure hoop 83 . within the upper region , the leg 85 mounts a release 89 around a pivot pin 88 . a torsion spring 90 associated with the pivot pin 80 urges the release 89 in counterclockwise direction . the swinging of the release 89 is limited by a stop projection 91 in cooperation with the leg 92 of the first hook part 84 connecting the two legs 85 , 86 ; see fig1 . the release 89 is provided in the upper region with an edge - side open niche 93 for the entrance of the closure hoop 83 . above the niche 93 , the stop cap projection 91 extends , while below the niche a control cam 94 is developed on the release 89 . a pin 95 of a second hook part 96 cooperates with the control cam 94 , it being supported around the pivot pin 97 at the lower end of the leg 85 . the second hook part 96 has a somewhat segment - shaped basic contour . a torsion spring 98 associated with the pressure pin 97 urges the second hook part 96 in clockwise direction , so that a projection 86 &# 39 ; of the leg 86 engages into a recess 99 in the second hook part 96 . in this position , the closure hoop 83 cannot leave the catch - hook opening 87 . the closure hoop 83 could , to be sure , move the release 89 out . then , however , its strikes against the second hook part 96 and acts upon it in the direction of its locking position . in the locking position shown in fig1 , the pin 95 extends at one end 100 of the angularly shaped control cam 94 . the end 100 continues into an obliquely upward directed blocking niche 101 , which extends approximately concentric to the pivot pin 97 . such a dimensioning of the torsion springs 90 , 98 is selected that the restoring spring 98 of the second hook part 96 is designed with lesser force . upon a crash of the vehicle provided with the catch - hook arrangement 82 , forces of inertia act on the second hook part 98 and on the release 89 , leading to a self - locking of the second hook part 96 and release 89 . this takes place in the manner that the second hook part 96 moves ahead of the release 89 due to the smaller dimensioned restoring spring 98 , the pin 95 extending into the blocking niche 101 of the release 98 and bringing these two parts into a blocking position , together with the fact that the closure hoop 83 cannot leave the catch - hook opening 87 ; see fig1 . an opening of the engine hood is possible only by an intentional displacement of the release 96 in clockwise direction . for this purpose a rod ( not shown ) can act on the release 89 . in this case , the pin 95 is struck by the control - cam section 102 of the pin 95 and the second hook part 96 thus swings against spring load , with release of the catch - hook opening 87 , so that the closure hoop 83 can pass by the catch - hook opening 87 . if no opening forces act on the release 89 , then both the release 89 and the second hook part 96 return under spring action to their position shown in fig1 . upon the closing of the hood , then both the release 89 and the second release are swung by the closure hoop 83 into the position releasing the catch - hook opening 87 . in the final phase of the closure actuation , the closure hoop 83 strikes against the upper edge of the niche 93 and thereby forces the release 89 into its intended end position . the catch - hook arrangement 103 shown in fig2 to 24 contains a closure hoop 104 as well as a catch hook f &# 34 ;&# 34 ;. in suitable manner , the catch hook f &# 34 ;&# 34 ; is associated with the front hood ( not shown ). the catch hook f &# 34 ;&# 34 ; forms a first hook part 105 with downward directed legs 106 and 107 , which leave a catch - hook opening 108 between them . in the region of the root of the leg 106 , the first hook part 105 mounts a release 110 around a pivot pin 109 . a torsion spring , not shown , but associated with the pivot pin 109 , loads the release 110 in counterclockwise direction . in this version , the release 110 is provided with a niche 111 open on the edge side , below which the release 110 forms a control cam 112 . the latter then cooperates with a pin 113 of a second hook part 114 . the latter is mounted around a pivot pin 115 at the lower end of the leg 107 . by means of a bend 116 , the second hook part 114 moves in the locked position of the catch - hook arrangement 103 into a recess 117 in the leg 107 as a result of spring loading . there is concerned here a torsion spring ( not shown ) which is seated on the pivot pin 115 . essentially , the control cam 112 is also of angular development in this fifth version . in the locked position of the catch - hook arrangement 103 , the pin 113 extends at one end 118 of the control cam 112 . in this way the spring - loaded swinging of the release 110 is also limited ; see fig2 . the control - cam section 119 which is closer to the pivot pin 109 is extended over by a blocking shoulder 120 . this leaves such a distance from the opposite control - cam section 121 as is sufficiently large for the passage of the pin 113 . the control - cam section 121 has in front of it a pin - acceleration curve 122 which passes , via a snap - spring - like elevation 123 , into the control - cam section 121 . also in this development , it is provided that the spring force acting on the second hook part 114 is less than the spring force acting on the release 110 . upon a crash , forces of inertia are active both on the second hook part 114 and on the release 110 , they having the result that the pin 113 comes in front of the blocking shoulder 120 of the release 110 ; see fig2 . the closure hoop 104 can accordingly not leave the catch - hook opening 108 , as a result of which the front hood is secured against springing open . upon the proper opening of the catch - hook arrangement 103 , the pin 113 travels over the control cam 122 and comes against its shoulder 124 , as a result of which the second hook part 114 is swung into a position releasing the catch - hook opening 108 ; see fig2 . the opening of the engine hood is thereby permitted . after the opening of the engine hood , both release 100 and second hook part 114 pass into their starting position shown in fig2 . these parts are then swung positively into a position of release upon the closing of the engine hood by the closure hoop 104 . however , the case in accordance with fig2 may also occur , it taking place in the event of a strongly accelerated swinging of the release . in this case , the pin - acceleration cam 122 acts on the pin 113 , which is thereby brought onto the blocking shoulder 130 so that the second hook part 114 and the release 110 enter into a blocking position with respect to each other and thus actively close the catch - hook opening 108 . the catch - hook arrangement 125 shown in fig2 to 28 has a catch hook f &# 39 ;&# 34 ;&# 34 ;, which is carried by a journal pin 126 of a bearing pedestal shown in dash - dot line . the catch hook f &# 39 ;&# 34 ;&# 34 ; forms a first hook part 128 . this is so associated with the bearing pedestal 127 that a swinging in clockwise direction is impossible . a swinging in counterclockwise direction takes place against spring loading . the hook part 128 has two downward directed legs 129 , 130 , which leave a catch - hook opening 131 between them . the size of the opening is greater than the diameter of the closure hoop 132 . the leg 130 is provided with a downwardly directed hook projection 133 which serves to reduce the size of the catch - hook opening 131 . the journal pin 126 furthermore supports a double - armed control level 134 . the downward directed lever arm 135 thereof extends by a hook projection 135 &# 39 ; into the catch - hook opening 131 and is tangent to the arm 129 , while the other lever arm 136 terminates in a coupling pin 137 . the obliquely upward pointing coupling pin 137 in the locking position shown in fig2 and 26 passes through a longitudinal slot 138 of an actuating lever 140 mounted on the bearing block 127 of the pivot pin 129 . a torsion spring ( not shown ) associated with the pivot pin 139 urge the actuating lever 140 in counterclockwise direction . the spring - actuated rotary displacement is limited by a stop shoulder 141 of the bearing block 127 . by means of its step - shaped end , the actuating lever 140 forms an attack arm 140 &# 39 ;. on it , there acts a connecting rod ( not shown ) by means of which the actuating lever 140 can be swung in clockwise direction in order to open the catch - hook arrangement 125 . between the slot 138 and the attack arm 140 &# 39 ;, the actuating lever 140 forms a control cam 142 . the aforementioned control cam 142 cooperates with a closure part 143 which is developed as a double - armed lever . the latter is mounted around a pivot pin 144 of the leg 129 . the one lever arm 143 &# 39 ; extends by its free end into the catch - hook arrangement 131 and reduces the size thereof to an amount which is less than the diameter of the closure hoop 132 . the other lever arm 143 &# 34 ; lies , on the other hand , in the direction of movement of the control cam 142 of the actuating lever 140 . a torsion spring ( not shown ) arranged on the pivot pint 140 urges the double - armed closure part 143 in clockwise direction . the swinging displacement is limited by a stop 145 present on the lower end of the leg 129 . the catch - hook arrangement in accordance with this sixth embodiment operates as follows : with the catch - hook arrangement present in locked position ( see fig2 and 26 ), the springing open of the engine hood may be prevented in the manner that the double - armed closure part 143 extends by its lever arm 143 &# 39 ; into the path of movement of the blocking hoop 132 . the opening of the engine hood requires , first of all , the release of a known closure ( not shown ). thereupon , the actuating mechanism must be pulled in the direction of the arrow shown in fig2 , together with a swinging of the actuating lever 140 . in this connection , the actuating lever 140 via the pin / slot engagement 137 / 138 carries the control lever 134 along in counterclockwise direction . after passing through a freeway , the lever arm 136 acts on a driver shoulder 146 of the hook part 128 and swings it in counterclockwise direction against spring load so that thereupon the position shown in fig2 and 28 is present . furthermore , the control cam 142 acts on the lever arm 143 &# 34 ; and swings the double arm closure part 143 connected therewith , so that the lever arm 143 &# 39 ; releases the catch - hook opening 131 , whereupon the closure hoop 132 can leave the catch - hook opening 131 . after the opening of the engine hood , the parts of the catch - hook arrangement 125 return into their starting position shown in fig2 . upon the closing of the engine hood , the closure hoop 132 strikes , one after the other , the hook part 128 , the control lever 134 , and the double - armed closure part 143 , and comes into the catch - hook opening 131 so that , then again , the starting position shown in fig2 and 26 is present .	4
according to the method of the present invention , the compound of formula ( i ), i . e ., 1 -( 4 -( 4 -( 3 , 4 - dichloro - 2 - fluorophenylamino )- 7 - methoxyquinazolin - 6 - yloxy ) piperidin - 1 - yl ) prop - 2 - en - 1 - one , can be prepared by allowing the compound of formula ( ii ), i . e ., 4 -( 3 , 4 - dichloro - 2 - fluorophenylamino )- 7 - methoxyquinazolin - 6 - ol , to react with the compound of formula ( iii ) in an inert polar protic solvent in the presence of a base . this mechanism is described in reaction scheme 2 below : particular examples of the inert polar protic solvent used in the above reaction include n , n - dimethylformamide , n , n - dimethylacetamide , n - methylpyrrolidin - 2 - one , dimethyl sulfoxide and a mixture thereof . particular examples of the base used in the above reaction is alkali metal carbonates such as sodium bicarbonate , potassium carbonate , cesium carbonate and a mixture thereof . preferably , the base is used in an amount of 1 to 5 mole equivalents based on 1 mole equivalent of the compound of formula ( ii ). the above reaction may be conducted at a temperature of 60 ° c . to 100 ° c ., preferably 70 ° c . to 90 ° c ., more preferably 70 ° c . to 80 ° c . the compound of formula ( ii ), which is used as a starting material in the present invention , can be prepared by the following steps ( see reaction scheme 3 below ): ( i ) subjecting a compound of formula ( vii ) to a reaction with a halogenating agent in the presence of an organic base to produce the compound of formula ( vi ), which is then subjected to a reaction with a compound of formula ( viii ) to obtain the compound of formula ( v ), i . e ., 4 -( 3 , 4 - dichloro - 2 - fluorophenylamino )- 7 - methoxyquinazolin - 6 - yl acetate ; and ( ii ) subjecting the compound of formula ( v ) to a reaction with an ammonia solution in a polar protic solvent . particular examples of the organic base used in step ( i ) above include diisopropylamine , triethylamine , diisopropylethylamine , diethylamine , pyridine , 4 - dimethylpyridine , morpholine and a mixture thereof . particular examples of the halogenating agent include thionyl chloride , phosphorus oxychloride and a mixture thereof . the above reaction may be conducted at 50 ° c . to 150 ° c ., preferably 60 ° c . to 90 ° c ., more preferably at about 75 ° c . in this step , the compound of formula ( vi ) is prepared in the form of a solution containing it in an organic solvent , rather than an isolated form . subsequently , the compound of formula ( vi ) contained in the organic solvent is allowed to react with the compound of formula ( viii ) to obtain the compound of formula ( v ), i . e ., 4 -( 3 , 4 - dichloro - 2 - fluorophenylamino )- 7 - methoxyquinazolin - 6 - yl acetate . the compound of formula ( vii ), which is used as a starting material of the above reaction , can be prepared by the method disclosed in korean patent no . 1013319 . in the subsequent step ( ii ), the compound of formula ( v ) prepared in the previous step ( i ) is allowed to react with an ammonia solution or ammonia gas in a polar protic solvent ( e . g ., methanol , ethanol , propanol and a mixture thereof ) at a temperature of 0 ° c . to 40 ° c ., preferably 10 ° c . to 30 ° c ., more preferably at about 25 ° c ., to obtain 4 -( 3 , 4 - dichloro - 2 - fluorophenylamino )- 7 - methoxyquinazolin - 6 - ol of formula ( ii ). also , the compound of formula ( iii ), which is used as a starting material of the present invention , can be prepared by allowing the compound of formula ( ix ) or its salt to react with the compound of formula ( x ) in the presence of a base or an amide coupling agent ( see reaction scheme 4 below ): wherein x and y are the same as defined above ; and z is halogen or hydroxyl . the above reaction can be conducted in an organic solvent such as tetrahydrofuran , ethyl acetate , acetone , 1 , 4 - dioxane , acetonitrile , dichloromethane , carbon tetrachloride , chloroform , n , n - dimethyl formamide or dimethylsulfoxide , or in a mixture of an organic solvent and water . particular examples of the base include an inorganic base such as sodium carbonate , sodium bicarbonate , calcium carbonate , potassium carbonate , sodium hydroxide , potassium hydroxide and cesium carbonate , an organic base such as diisopropylamine , triethylamine , diisopropylethylamine and diethylamine , and a mixture thereof . particular examples of the amide coupling agent include 1 - ethyl - 3 -( 3 - dimethylaminopropyl ) carbodiimide , hydroxybenzotriazole , o -( 7 - azabenzotriazol - 1 - yl )- n , n , n ′, n ′- tetramethyluronium hexafluorophosphate , n , n ′- dicyclohexylcarboimide , 1 - hydroxy - 7 - azabenzotriazole , n - n ′- diisopropylcarboimide , ( benzotriazol - 1 - yloxy ) tris ( dimethylamino ) phosphonium hexafluorophosphate and a mixture thereof . the base or amide coupling agent may be used in an amount of 3 to 5 mole equivalents based on 1 mole equivalent of the compound of formula ( ix ) or a salt thereof . the salt of the compound of formula ( ix ) above is preferably a hydrochloride salt ( 2hcl salt ) or a hydrobromide salt ( 2hbr salt ). the above reaction may be conducted at a temperature of − 30 ° c . to 30 ° c ., preferably about 0 ° c . to room temperature , by stirring for a suitable period of time . in accordance with the method of the present invention , the target compound of formula ( i ), 1 -( 4 -( 4 -( 3 , 4 - dichloro - 2 - fluorophenylamino )- 7 - methoxyquinazolin - 6 - yloxy ) piperidin - 1 - yl ) prop - 2 - en - 1 - one , can be prepared in high purity and high yield by a simple method . moreover , 1 -( 4 -( 4 -( 3 , 4 - dichloro - 2 - fluorophenylamino )- 7 - methoxyquinazolin - 6 - yloxy ) piperidin - 1 - yl ) prop - 2 - en - 1 - one hydrochloride , which can selectively and effectively inhibit drug resistance induced by the growth of cancer cells and tyrosine kinase mutations , can be prepared by allowing the compound of formula ( i ) to react with hydrochloric acid in an organic solvent ( e . g ., methanol , ethanol , propanol , isopropanol , butanol , ethyl acetate , acetone , tetrahydrofuran , acetonitrile , 1 , 4 - dioxane and a mixture thereof ) at a temperature of 0 ° c . to 60 ° c ., preferably 10 ° c . to 40 ° c ., more preferably at about 25 ° c . hereinafter , the present invention is described more specifically by the following examples , but these are provided only for illustration purposes , and the present invention is not limited thereto . 7 - methoxy - 4 - oxo - 3 , 4 - dihydroquinazolin - 6 - yl acetate ( 100 g ) was added to toluene ( 850 ml ) and n , n - diisopropylethylamine ( 82 . 5 ml ). phosphorus oxychloride ( 100 ml ) was added thereto over 20 minutes at 75 ° c ., followed by stirring for 3 hours . toluene ( 450 ml ) and 3 , 4 - dichloro - 2 - fluoroaniline ( 84 . 6 g ) were added to the resulting mixture , followed by stirring for 2 hours . upon completion of the reaction , the resulting mixture was cooled to 25 ° c ., and the solid thus obtained was filtered under a reduced pressure and washed with toluene ( 400 ml ). isopropanol ( 1 , 000 ml ) was added to the solid , and the resulting mixture was stirred for 2 hours . the solid thus obtained was filtered and washed with isopropanol ( 400 ml ), and then was dried at 40 ° c . in an oven to obtain the target compound ( 143 g , yield : 83 %). 1 h - nmr ( dmso - d 6 , 300 mhz , ppm ) δ8 . 92 ( s , 1h ), 8 . 76 ( s , 1h ), 7 . 69 - 7 . 57 ( m , 3h ), 4 . 01 ( s , 3h ), 2 . 38 ( s , 3h ). 4 -( 3 , 4 - dichloro - 2 - fluorophenylamino )- 7 - methoxyquinazolin - 6 - yl acetate ( 100 g ) prepared in step ( i ) was admixed with methanol ( 1 , 000 ml ). the mixture was cooled to 10 to 15 ° c ., added with an ammonia solution ( 460 g ), and stirred for 3 hours at 25 ° c . the solid thus obtained was filtered and washed with a mixed solvent of methanol ( 200 ml ) and water ( 200 ml ). the resulting solid was dried at 40 ° c . in an oven to obtain the target compound ( 74 g , yield : 83 %). 1 h - nmr ( dmso - d 6 , 300 mhz , ppm ) δ9 . 57 ( br , 2h ), 8 . 35 ( s , 1h ), 7 . 68 ( s , 1h ), 7 . 61 - 7 . 52 ( m , 2h ), 7 . 21 ( s , 1h ), 3 . 97 ( s , 3h ). piperidin - 4 - yl 4 - methylbenzenesulfonate hydrochloride ( 200 g , 685 mmol ), tetrahydrofuran ( thf , 1 . 6 l ) and nahco 3 ( 172 g , 2047 mmol ) were added to water ( 2 l ), and the mixture was cooled to 0 ° c . a solution prepared by adding acryloyl chloride ( 56 ml , 519 mmol ) to thf ( 0 . 4 l ) was added thereto over 30 minutes , followed by stirring for 1 hour . upon completion of the reaction , meoh ( 0 . 4 l ) was added thereto for quenching . the solution was extracted with ethyl ester ( 2 l ), and washed with water ( 2 l ). the organic layer was separated , distilled under a reduced pressure , and the residue thus obtained was recrystallized from dichloromethane - hexane to obtain the target compound ( 174 g , yield : 82 %). 1 h - nmr ( 300 mhz , dmso - d 6 ) δ7 . 82 ( d , 2h ), 7 . 48 ( d , 2h ), 6 . 80 - 6 . 71 ( m , 1h ), 6 . 10 - 6 . 03 ( m , 1h ), 5 . 67 - 5 . 62 ( m , 1h ), 4 . 76 - 4 . 71 ( m , 1h ), 3 . 70 - 3 . 68 ( m , 2h ), 3 . 43 - 3 . 31 ( m , 2h ), 2 . 42 ( s , 3h ), 1 . 73 ( m , 2h ), 1 . 52 ( m , 2h ). 4 -( 3 , 4 - dichloro - 2 - fluorophenylamino )- 7 - methoxyquinazolin - 6 - ol ( 12 g , 34 mmol ) prepared in preparation example 1 , 1 - acryloylpiperidin - 4 - yl 4 - methylbenzenesulfonate ( 16 g , 51 mmol ) prepared in step ( 1 - 1 ), k 2 co 3 ( 9 . 4 g , 68 mmol ) and dimethylacetamide ( dmac , 300 ml ) were admixed . the reaction temperature was raised to 70 ° c ., and the mixture was stirred for 24 hours . upon completion of the reaction , the mixture was cooled down to room temperature , extracted with ethyl ester ( 300 ml ), and then washed with water ( 300 ml ). the organic layer was separated , and distilled under a reduced pressure . the residue thus obtained was solidified by adding ethyl ester , filtered , and dried to obtain the target compound ( 12 . 8 g , yield : 77 %). 1 h - nmr ( 300 mhz , dmso - d 6 ) δ9 . 65 ( bs , 1h ), 8 . 40 ( s , 1h ), 7 . 88 ( s , 1h ), 7 . 64 - 7 . 56 ( m , 2h ), 7 . 24 ( s , 1h ), 6 . 89 - 6 . 80 ( m , 1h ), 6 . 15 - 6 . 08 ( m , 1h ), 5 . 70 - 5 . 66 ( m , 1h ), 4 . 78 ( m , 1h ), 3 . 94 ( s , 3h ), 3 . 87 ( m , 2h ), 3 . 48 ( m , 2h ), 2 . 03 ( m , 2h ), 1 . 70 ( m , 1h ). piperidin - 4 - yl 4 - methylbenzensulfonate hydrochloride ( 20 g , 68 mmol ) and dichloromethane ( 200 ml ) were admixed and the mixture was cooled down to 0 ° c . triethylamine ( 29 ml , 205 mmol ) and 3 - chloropropionyl chloride ( 7 . 9 ml , 82 mmol ) were added thereto , followed by stirring for 16 hours at room temperature . upon completion of the reaction , the reaction mixture was extracted with ethyl ester ( 200 ml ), and washed with water ( 200 ml ). the organic layer was separated , distilled under a reduced pressure , and the residue thus obtained was purified to obtain the target compound ( 18 g , yield : 76 %). 1 h - nmr ( 300 mhz , cdcl 3 ) δ7 . 80 ( d , 2h ), 4 . 76 - 4 . 72 ( m , 1h ), 3 . 80 ( t , 2h ), 3 . 64 - 3 . 57 ( m , 3h ), 3 . 40 ( m , 1h ), 2 . 77 ( t , 2h ), 2 . 46 ( s , 3h ), 1 . 85 - 1 . 70 ( m , 4h ). the procedure of step ( 1 - 2 ) of example 1 was repeated , except 1 -( 3 - chloropropanoyl ) piperidin - 4 - yl 4 - methylbenzenesulfonate ( 13 g , 35 mmol ) prepared in step ( 2 - 1 ) above was used instead of 1 - acryloylpiperidin - 4 - yl 4 - methylbenzenesulfonate ( 16 g , 51 mmol ) prepared in step ( 1 - 1 ), to obtain the target compound ( 7 . 4 g , yield : 58 %). 1 h - nmr ( 300 mhz , dmso - d 6 ) δ9 . 65 ( bs , 1h ), 8 . 40 ( s , 1h ), 7 . 88 ( s , 1h ), 7 . 64 - 7 . 56 ( m , 2h ), 7 . 24 ( s , 1h ), 6 . 89 - 6 . 80 ( m , 1h ), 6 . 15 - 6 . 08 ( m , 1h ), 5 . 70 - 5 . 66 ( m , 1h ), 4 . 78 ( m , 1h ), 3 . 94 ( s , 3h ), 3 . 87 ( m , 2h ), 3 . 48 ( m , 2h ), 2 . 03 ( m , 2h ), 1 . 70 ( m , 1h ).	2
referring in general to all of the figures there is illustrated , as best shown in fig1 , a pickup truck cargo compartment 10 that may include a pair of sidewalls 14 and 16 . the sidewalls 14 and 16 may be oppositely disposed along the longitudinal sides of the bed 12 , and may project generally perpendicularly upward from the bed . the bed 12 may terminate at a rear edge 18 of the cargo compartment at which location a tailgate door or other suitable barrier may be attached . while a pickup truck cargo compartment is represented in the fig1 , those skilled in the art may appreciate that the teachings of this disclosure may be generally applicable and adapted to any type of vehicle equipped with a cargo bed adapted to transport cargo . in accordance with the features of the present disclosure , there is shown a bed extension 22 that may be attached to the bed 12 of the truck cargo compartment 10 at its rear edge 18 , and may serve to safely accommodate oversized cargo on the bed 12 that would otherwise extend beyond the rear edge 18 of the cargo compartment 10 . the bed extension 22 may include a substantially planar loading platform or ramp 24 which may be pivotably attached to the tailgate door 20 near the top thereof . the loading platform 24 may be substantially the same width as the tailgate door 20 . the lateral ends of the loading platform 24 may include an extended lug portion 26 , along each side thereof , to pivotably attach the bed extension 22 to the tailgate door 20 . each lug portion 26 may include a guide slot 36 for receiving a mounting bolt 30 after the extended lug portions 26 are placed into a boss 32 that may be securely attached at each side to the tailgate door 20 . to avoid interference with loading or unloading of cargo , the boss 32 may be located in a recess in the inner panel of the tailgate door to avoid being an obstacle to loading or unloading cargo — particularly when the loading platform 24 may be removed . in fact , it is contemplated that each lug portion 26 of the bed extender may be coupled or attached to a cross - pin ( not shown ) mounted underneath the bed 12 of the cargo compartment 10 to avoid the use of a boss 32 that could become a hindrance to loading or unloading cargo . referring in particular to fig3 through 5 , the bed extension 22 may assume any one of three positions other than its storage position . fig3 illustrates a position at 90 degrees to the horizon , after the tailgate door 20 has been opened . in this vertical position , the bed extension 22 may be locked so that the bed extension 22 retains oversized cargo within the cargo compartment 10 . fig4 illustrates a position 180 degrees from its storage position or substantially co - planar with the cargo bed 12 so that it substantially extends the length of the tailgate and may support cargo . in this embodiment , it is contemplated that the tailgate and / or the bed extension may include any of a variety of cargo securing devices including an extension member or strap for securing cargo . as in the 90 degree position , the bed extension 22 may be locked to prevent it from further rotation . in this position , the bed extension 22 provides support for cargo of extended loads . the bed extension 22 may be rotatably deployed to 210 degrees , as shown in fig5 , and locked in position to receive two loading ramps 34 that may be stored within passaged located in the tailgate door 20 , as shown in fig7 . fig1 best illustrates the two loading ramps attached and locked to the bed extension 22 with the bed extension 22 deployed or rotated and locked at 210 degrees from the stowed position against the inner panel of the tailgate door 20 . in this position , wheeled vehicles , such as atv , motorcycles , mowers and / or lawn or any other known device ( including a human ) may more easily be loaded into the cargo compartment of the vehicle equipped with the device of the present disclosure . fig8 is a close - up of the extended lug portion 26 of the bed extension 22 which illustrates the guide slot 36 which may cut into the extended lug portion 26 to provide the three locked positions of the bed extension 22 . the position shown in fig8 is the bed extension located at approximately 210 degrees from the horizontal plane such as that defined by the bed of the pickup truck vehicle . the bolt 30 may be at the end of the guide slot 36 when the bed extension 22 is rotated to the horizontal position 180 degrees from the horizontal plane such as that defined by the bed of the pickup truck vehicle and the bolts 30 may move into the opposing ends 38 of the guide slots 36 . with the bed extension in a vertical position as best shown in fig3 , the bolt 30 may be locked into the medial slot 40 so that the bed extension retains oversized cargo in the cargo bed . a further feature of the present disclosure is that the cargo bed extension 22 may include the passages for receiving and retaining the ramps , illustrated in fig1 , for providing readily and always available easy access to the cargo bed for wheeled vehicles and equipment such as an atv , motorcycle , a lawn tractor or mower . an alternate end bracket and channel design is shown in fig3 for coupling the tailgate to the cargo area of the vehicle . as disclosed hereinabove , the cargo bed extension may be designed to fold and lock into four ( 4 ) distinct positions . when not in use , as shown in fig6 , the bed extension 22 may be folded and secured to the inner sidewalls of the tailgate door 20 . while in the stowed position , the bed extension 22 may be locked or , alternatively , may be secured to the sidewall of the tailgate door 20 with any suitable type of latch . as best shown in fig1 , the height of the bed extension may not be greater than and approximately equal to , the height of the sidewalls 14 , 16 above the bed 12 of the cargo area but it is contemplated that other arrangements are possible . as such , the bed extension 22 does not project above the sidewalls 14 , 16 when the bed extension 12 is in its stowed and locked position . after the tailgate door 20 is lowered , the bed extension 22 may be rotated to a 90 degree vertical position and locked at such position . in this position , the bed extension retains oversized cargo within the cargo bed . the bed extension 22 may be further deployed to 180 degrees so that it may be located substantially co - planar with the cargo bed 12 . in this position , the bed extension 22 may be locked to receive and support cargo including extended loads . lastly , the bed extension 22 may be further rotated to approximately 210 degrees from the horizontal plane as defined by the bed of the pickup truck vehicle and locked into place in order to receive the two loading ramps 34 that are stored within the confines of the tailgate door 20 as best shown in fig7 . the present description is intended to be illustrative and not restrictive . many embodiments as well as many applications besides the exemplary embodiments disclosed will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the relevant art upon understanding the present disclosure . the scope of the claimed invention should not be determined with limiting reference to the description but should instead be determined with reference to the appended claims along with the full scope of equivalents to which such claims are entitled . any disclosure of an article or reference , including patent applications and publications , is incorporated by reference herein for all purposes . any omission in the claims of any aspect of subject matter disclosed herein is not a disclaimer of such subject matter . any numerical values recited herein or in the figures are intended to include all values from the lower value to the upper value in increments of one unit provided that there is a separation of at least 2 units between any lower value and any higher value . as an example , if it is stated that the amount of a component or a value of a process variable such as , for example , temperature , pressure , time and the like is , for example , from 1 to 90 , preferably from 20 to 80 , more preferably from 30 to 70 , it is intended that values such as 15 to 85 , 22 to 68 , 43 to 51 , 30 to 32 etc . are expressly enumerated in this specification . for values which are less than one , one unit is considered to be 0 . 0001 , 0 . 001 , 0 . 01 or 0 . 1 as appropriate . these are only examples of what is specifically intended and all possible combinations of numerical values between the lowest value and the highest value enumerated are to be considered to be expressly stated in this application in a similar manner . unless expressly stated , all ranges are intended to include both endpoints and all numbers between the endpoints . the use of “ generally , “ about ” or “ approximately ”, or similar words , in connection with a range applies to both ends of the range . thus , “ about 20 to 30 ” is intended to cover “ about 20 to about 30 ”, inclusive of at least the specified endpoints . the disclosure of “ a ” or “ one ” to describe an element , ingredient , component or step is not intended to foreclose additional elements , ingredients , components or steps . plural elements , ingredients , components or steps may be provided by a single integrated element , ingredient , component or step . alternatively , a single integrated element , ingredient , component or step may include separate plural elements , ingredients , components or steps .	1
the following examples are intended to illustrate the invention in further detail . a 1 - liter glass four - necked flask fitted with a stirring rod , thermometer , dropping funnel , nitrogen gas inlet tube and condenser , after purging with nitrogen gas , was charged with 4 . 4 ml ( 20 mmol ) of diallyl isophthalate which had been dried over molecular sieves 4a1 / 16 and 0 . 20 ml ( 0 . 60 mmol ) of tetrabutyl titanate . the mixture was stirred at 170 ° c . for 30 minutes , at the end of which time 150 ml ( 1 . 35 mol ) of ε - caprolactone previously dried over molecular sieves 4a1 / 16 was added dropwise with stirring at 170 ° c . in 6 installments , viz . 4 . 4 ml ( 40 mmol ), 4 . 4 ml ( 40 mmol ), 9 . 0 ml ( 81 mmol ), 18 . 0 ml ( 0 . 16 mol ), 36 . 0 ml ( 0 . 32 mol ) and 78 . 0 ml ( 0 . 70 mol ) through the dropping funnel . after completion of each addition , the reaction mixture was analyzed by proton nmr spectrometry at a predetermined time after addition and the next addition was made only after confirming that the added ε - caprolactone had been almost completely consumed . all the additions were completed in about 3 hours , at the end of which time the mixture was further stirred at 170 ° c . for 3 hours . the proton nmr spectrum of the resulting compound is shown in fig1 which indicates that this is a polyester containing an average of 1 . 85 allyl ester terminal groups per molecule . the proton nmr spectra were registered in cdcl 3 on a 300 - mh z varian xl - 300 spectrometer . as determined by vapor pressure osmosis ( vpo ) analysis , the number average molecular weight of the compound was 8 , 000 . a 1 - liter glass four - necked flask fitted with a stirring rod , thermometer , dropping funnel , nitrogen gas inlet tube and condenser , after purging with nitrogen gas , was charged with 4 . 4 ml ( 20 mmol ) of diallyl isophthalate which had been dried over molecular sieves 4a1 / 16 and 0 . 20 ml ( 0 . 60 mmol ) of tetrabutyl titanate . the mixture was stirred at 170 ° c . for 30 minutes , after which it was cooled to 100 ° c . then , at this temperature , 100 ml ( 0 . 90 mol ) of ε - caprolactone previously dried over molecular sieves 4a1 / 16 was added dropwise through the dropping funnel in 6 installments , viz . 4 . 4 ml ( 40 mmol ), 4 . 6 ml ( 41 mmol ), 9 . 0 ml ( 81 mmol ), 18 . 0 ml ( 0 . 16 mol ), 36 . 0 ml ( 0 . 32 mol ) and 28 . 0 ml ( 0 . 25 mol ). the reaction mixture was analyzed by gel permeation chromatography ( gpc ) at a predetermined time after each addition and the next addition was made only after confirming that the added ε - caprolactone had been almost completely consumed . all the additions were completed in about 5 hours , after which the reaction mixture was stirred at 100 ° c . for 5 hours . proton nmr spectrometry of the resulting compound gave an nmr spectrum similar to that shown in fig1 which indicates that this is a polyester containing an average of 1 . 83 allyl ester terminal groups per molecule . vpo analysis revealed that the number average molecular weight of the compound is 5 , 500 . a 3 - liter stainless steel reactor fitted with a stirring rod , thermometer , dropping funnel , nitrogen gas inlet tube and condenser , after purging with nitrogen gas , was charged with 27 . 5 ml ( 125 mmol ) of diallyl isophthalate which had been dried over molecular sieves 4a1 / 16 and 1 . 28 ml ( 3 . 75 mmol ) of tetrabutyl titanate . the mixture was stirred at 170 ° c . for 5 minutes , after which 943 ml ( 8 . 5 mol ) of ε - caprolactone previously dried over molecular sieves 4a1 / 16 was added dropwise with stirring at 170 ° c . in 9 installments of 11 . 0 ml ( 99 mmol ), 19 . 0 ml ( 171 mmol ), 29 . 0 ml ( 262 mmol ), 42 . 0 ml ( 379 mmol ), 64 . 0 ml ( 578 mmol ), 95 . 0 ml ( 857 mmol ), 144 . 0 ml ( 1 . 30 mol ), 217 . 0 ml ( 1 . 96 mol ) and 322 . 0 ml ( 2 . 91 mol ) through the dropping funnel . after completion of each addition , the reaction mixture was analyzed by proton nmr spectrometry at a predetermined time after addition and the next addition was made only after confirming that the added ε - caprolactone had been almost completely consumed . all the additions were completed in about 5 hours , at the end of which time the mixture was stirred at 170 ° c . for 1 hour . the proton nmr spectrum of the resulting polyester was similar to the spectrum shown in fig1 indicating that this polyester contains an average of 1 . 86 allyl ester terminal groups per molecule . as determined by vpo analysis , the number average molecular weight of this polyester was 8 , 800 . a 1 - liter glass four - necked flask fitted with a stirring rod , thermometer , dropping funnel , nitrogen gas inlet tube and condenser , after purging with nitrogen gas , was charged with 3 . 7 ml ( 20 mmol ) of diallyl succinate which had been dried over molecular sieves 4a1 / 16 and 0 . 20 ml ( 0 . 60 mmol ) of tetrabutyl titanate . the mixture was stirred at 170 ° c . for 30 minutes , at the end of which time 150 ml ( 1 . 35 mol ) of ε - caprolactone previously dried over molecular sieves 4a1 / 16 was added dropwise with stirring at 170 ° c . in 6 installments , viz . 4 . 4 ml ( 40 mmol ), 4 . 4 ml ( 40 mmol ), 9 . 0 ml ( 81 mmol ), 18 . 0 ml ( 0 . 16 mol ), 36 . 0 ml ( 0 . 32 mol ) and 78 . 0 ml ( 0 . 70 mol ) through the dropping funnel . after completion of each addition , the reaction mixture was analyzed by proton nmr spectrometry at a predetermined time after addition and the next addition was made only after confirming that the added ε - caprolactone had been almost completely consumed . all the additions were completed in about 3 hours , at the end of which time the mixture was further stirred at 170 ° c . for 3 hours . the proton nmr spectrum of the resulting compound indicates that this is a polyester containing an average of 1 . 80 allyl ester terminal groups per molecule . as determined by vpo analysis , the number average molecular weight of the compound was 8 , 000 . a 1 - liter glass four - necked flask fitted with a stirring rod , thermometer , dropping funnel , nitrogen gas inlet tube and condenser , after purging with nitrogen gas , was charged with 4 . 4 ml ( 20 mmol ) of diallyl isophtalate and 0 . 20 ml ( 0 . 60 mmol ) of tetrabuthyl titanate . the mixture was stirred at 170 ° c . for 30 minutes , at the end of which time 222 ml ( 2 . 0 mol ) of ε - caprolactone was serially added with stirring at 170 ° c . through the dropping funnel at the speed of 37 ml / hr . all of the proton nmr spectra which were analyzed the reaction mixtures every 30 minutes indicated that the amounts of the unreacted ε - caprolactone which were available in the reaction system were less than 1 mol equivalent relative to the ester bonds other than the ester bond in the unreacted ε - caprolactone respectively . all the additions were completed in about 6 hours , at the end of which time the mixture was further stirred at 170 ° c . for 3 hours . the proton nmr spectrum of the resulting compound indicates that this is a polyester containing an average of 1 . 80 allyl ester terminal groups per molecule . as determined by vpo analysis , the number average molecular weight of the compound was 12 , 000 . a 1 - liter glass four - necked flask fitted with a stirring rod , thermometer , dropping funnel , nitrogen gas inlet tube and condenser , after purging with nitrogen gas , was charged with 4 . 4 ml ( 20 mmol ) of diallyl isophthalate which had been dried over molecular sieves 4a1 / 16 and 0 . 20 ml ( 0 . 60 mmol ) of tetrabutyl titanate . the mixture was stirred at 170 ° c . for 30 minutes and , then , cooled to 100 ° c . then , 100 ml ( 0 . 90 mol ) of ε - caprolactone previously dried over molecular sieves 4a1 / 16 was added en bloc . the mixture was then stirred at 170 ° c . for 2 hours . the h nmr spectrum of this product is shown in fig2 . this spectrum scarcely shows a peak at 4 . 5 ppm corresponding to h 3 in fig1 indicating that substantially no allyl group had been attached to the terminus of the polylactone chain . furthermore , the integration ratio of the peak at 4 . 8 ppm which is assignable to the methylene protons of the allyl group of diallyl isophthalate to the peak at 7 . 4 - 8 . 7 ppm which is assignable to the aromatic ring protons indicates that the ester bond of the diallyl isophthalate scarcely underwent an ester exchange reaction with the ester bond of polycaprolactone ( the polycaprolactone inserting reaction ) and that the product was a mixture of polycaprolactone and diallyl isophthalate . a 100 - ml glass four - necked flask fitted with a stirring rod , thermometer , dropping funnel , nitrogen gas inlet tube and condenser was purged with nitrogen gas , followed by addition of 2 . 2 ml ( 10 mmol ) of diallyl isophthalate which had been dried over molecular sieves 4a1 / 16 and 0 . 10 ml ( 0 . 30 mmol ) of tetrabutyl titanate . the mixture was stirred at 170 ° c . for 30 minutes , after which 4 . 0 ml ( 36 mmol ) of ε - caprolactone previously dried over molecular sieves 4a1 / 16 was added dropwise with stirring at 170 ° c . after 30 minutes , the reaction mixture was analyzed by proton nmr spectrometry to confirm that the added ε - caprolactone had been almost completely consumed . then , 0 . 7 g ( 7 . 0 mmol ) of succinic anhydride and 0 . 95 ml ( 7 . 0 mmol ) of phenyl glycidyl ether were simultaneously added . after 30 minutes , the reaction mixture was analyzed by proton nmr spectrometry to confirm that the added succinic anhydride and phenyl glycidyl ether had been almost completely consumed . thereafter , the dropwise addition of ε - caprolactone and the addition of succinic anhydride and phenyl glycidyl ether were repeated in the same manner as above for a total of 10 times . thus , ultimately , 40 ml ( 360 mmol ) of ε - caprolactone , 7 . 0 g ( 70 mmol ) of succinic anhydride and 9 . 5 ml ( 70 mmol ) of phenyl glycidyl ether were added over a period of about 10 hours . the reaction mixture was then stirred at 170 ° c . for 5 hours . the proton nmr spectrum of the resulting polyester is shown in fig3 . it was confirmed that this polyester is a poly ( caprolactone - succinic anhydride - phenyl glycidyl ether ) terpolymer containing an average of 1 . 75 allyl ester terminal groups per molecule . as determined by vpo analysis , the number average molecular weight of this polyester was 6 , 300 . a 1 - liter glass four - necked flask fitted with a stirring rod , thermometer , dropping funnel , nitrogen gas inlet tube and condenser was purged with nitrogen gas , followed by addition of 6 . 6 ml ( 30 mmol ) of diallyl isophthalate which had been dried over molecular sieves 4a1 / 16 and 0 . 30 ml ( 0 . 90 mmol ) of tetrabutyl titanate . the mixture was stirred at 170 ° c . for 30 minutes , after which 10 . 0 ml ( 90 mmol ) of ε - caprolactone previously dried over molecular sieves 4a1 / 16 was added dropwise with stirring at 170 ° c . after 30 minutes , the reaction mixture was analyzed by gpc to confirm that the added ε - caprolactone had been almost completely consumed . then , 4 . 5 g ( 45 mmol ) of succinic anhydride and 6 . 1 ml ( 45 mmol ) of phenyl glycidyl ether were added in sequence . after 30 minutes , the reaction mixture was analyzed by gpc to confirm that the added succinic anhydride and phenyl glycidyl ether had been substantially consumed . thereafter , the dropwise addition of ε - caprolactone and the addition of succinic anhydride and phenyl glycidyl ether were repeated in the same manner as above for a total of 8 times . thus , ultimately , 80 ml ( 720 mmol ) of ε - caprolactone , 36 . 0 g ( 360 mmol ) of succinic anhydride and 48 . 8 ml ( 360 mmol ) of phenyl glycidyl ether were added over a period of about 8 hours . the reaction system was further stirred at 170 ° c . for 5 hours . the proton nmr spectrum of the resulting polyester was similar to the spectrum shown in fig3 indicating that this polyester was a poly ( caprolactone - succinic anhydride - phenyl glycidyl ether ) terpolymer containing an average of 1 . 81 allyl ester terminal groups per molecule . as determined by vpo analysis , the number average molecular weight of this polyester was 6 , 600 . a 3 - liter stainless steel reactor fitted with a stirring rod , thermometer , dropping funnel , nitrogen gas inlet tube and condenser was purged with nitrogen gas , followed by addition of 60 . 0 ml ( 0 . 27 mol ) of diallyl isophthalate which had been dried over molecular sieves 4a1 / 16 and 2 . 7 ml ( 8 . 1 mmol ) of tetrabutyl titanate . the mixture was stirred at 170 ° c . for 30 minutes , after which 133 ml ( 1 . 20 mol ) of ε - caprolactone previously dried over molecular sieves 4a1 / 16 was added dropwise with stirring at 170 ° c . after 30 minutes , the reaction mixture was analyzed by gpc to confirm that the added ε - caprolactone had been almost completely consumed . then , a mixture of 60 g ( 0 . 60 mol ) of succinic anhydride and 86 ml ( 0 . 60 mol ) of n - butyl glycidyl ether was added . after 30 minutes , the reaction mixture was analyzed by gpc to confirm that the added succinic anhydride and n - butyl glycidyl ether had been substantially consumed . thereafter , the dropwise addition of ε - caprolactone and the addition of succinic anhydride - n - butyl glycidyl ether mixture were repeated in the same manner as above for a total of 8 times . thus , ultimately 1 , 064 ml ( 9 . 60 mol ) of ε - caprolactone , 480 g ( 4 . 80 mol ) of succinic anhydride and 688 ml ( 4 . 80 mol ) of n - butyl glycidyl ether were added over a period of about 8 hours . then , the reaction system was further stirred at 170 ° c . for 5 hours . proton nmr spectrometry revealed that the product was a poly ( caprolactone - succinic anhydride - n - butyl glycidyl ether ) terpolymer containing an average of 1 . 85 allyl ester terminal groups per molecule . as determined by vpo analysis , the number average molecular weight of this compound was 8 , 400 . a 100 - ml glass four - necked flask fitted with a stirring rod , thermometer , dropping funnel , nitrogen gas inlet tube and condenser was purged with nitrogen gas , followed by addition of 2 . 2 ml ( 10 mmol ) of diallyl isophthalate which had been dried over molecular sieves 4a1 / 16 and 0 . 10 ml ( 0 . 30 mmol ) of tetrabutyl titanate . the mixture was stirred at 170 ° c . for 30 minutes , after which 4 . 0 ml ( 36 mmol ) of ε - caprolactone previously dried over molecular sieves 4a1 / 16 was added dropwise with stirring at 170 ° c . after 30 minutes , the reaction mixture was analyzed by proton nmr spectrometry to confirm that the added ε - caprolactone had been almost completely consumed . then , 1 . 0 g ( 7 . 0 mmol ) of phthalic anhydride and 0 . 95 ml ( 7 . 0 mmol ) of phenyl glycidyl ether were added in sequence . after 30 minutes , the reaction mixture was analyzed by proton nmr spectrometry to confirm that the added phthalic anhydride and phenyl glycidyl ether had been substantially consumed . thereafter , the dropwise addition of ε - caprolactone and the addition of phthalic anhydride and phenyl glycidyl ether were repeated in the same manner as above for a total of 10 times . thus , ultimately , 40 ml ( 360 mmol ) of ε - caprolactone , 10 . 0 g ( 70 mmol ) of phthalic anhydride and 9 . 5 ml ( 70 mmol ) of phenyl glycidyl ether were added over a period of about 10 hours . the reaction mixture was further stirred at 170 ° c . for 5 hours . the proton nmr spectrum of the resulting product showed that this polyester is a poly ( carprolactone - phthalic anhydride - phenyl glycidyl ether ) terpolymer containing an average of 1 . 75 allyl ester terminal groups per molecule . as determined by vpo analysis , the number average molecular weight of this polyester was 6 , 300 . a 1 - liter glass four - necked flask fitted with a stirring rod , thermometer , dropping funnel , nitrogen gas inlet tube and condenser , after purging with nitrogen gas , was charged with 5 . 5 ml ( 25 mmol ) of diallyl adipate which had been dried over molecular sieves 4a1 / 16 and 0 . 26 ml ( 0 . 75 mmol ) of tetrabutyl titanate . the mixture was stirred at 170 ° c . for 30 minutes , at the end of which time 22 . 0 ml ( 0 . 2 mol ) of ε - caprolactone previously dried over molecular sieves 4a1 / 16 was added dropwise with stirring at 170 ° c . in 2 installments , viz . 11 . 0 ml ( 100 mmol ), 11 . 0 ml ( 100 mmol ) through the dropping funnel . a further mixture of 157 g ( 1 . 375 mol ) of ε - caprolactone , 71 g ( 0 . 55 mol ) of n - butyl glycidyl ether which had been dried over molecular sieves 4a1 / 16 and 50 g ( 0 . 5 mol ) of succinic anhydride was kept at 60 ° c . and added dropwise into the above said first mixture in 4 installments , viz . 23 . 4 g , 46 . 8 g , 93 . 6 g , 114 . 2 g . the first mixture was stirred at 170 ° c . while the further mixture was added . after completion of each installment , the reaction mixture was analyzed by proton nmr spectrometry at a predetermined time after addition and the next addition was made only after confirming that the added ε - caprolactone , n - butyl glycidyl ether and succinic anhydride had been almost completely consumed . all the additions were completed in about 6 hours , at the end of which time the mixture was further stirred at 170 ° c . for 4 hours . the proton nmr spectrum of the resulting compound indicates that this is a poly ( caprolactone - succinic anhydride - n - butyl glycidyl ether ) terpolymer containing an average of 1 . 81 allyl ester groups per molecule . as determined by vpo analysis , the number average molecular weight of the compound was 11 , 600 . a 1 - liter glass four - necked flask fitted with a stirring rod , thermometer , dropping funnel , nitrogen gas inlet tube and condenser was purged with nitrogen gas , followed by addition of 2 . 2 ml ( 10 mmol ) of diallyl isophthalate which had been dried over molecular sieves 4a1 / 16 and 0 . 10 ml ( 0 . 30 mmol ) of tetrabutyl titanate . the mixture was stirred at 170 ° c . for 30 minutes , after which 40 ml ( 360 mmol ) of ε - caprolactone which had been previously dried over molecular sieves 4a1 / 16 , 7 . 0 g ( 70 mmol ) of succinic anhydride and 9 . 5 ml ( 70 mmol ) of phenyl glycidyl ether were added all at once . thereafter , the reaction system was further stirred at 170 ° c . for 10 hours . the h nmr spectrum of this product scarcely shows a peak at 4 . 5 ppm corresponding to h k , in fig3 indicating that substantially no allyl group had been attached to the termini of the polyester . furthermore , the integration ratio of the peak at 4 . 8 ppm which is assignable to the methylene protons of the allyl group of diallyl isophthalate to the peak at 7 . 4 - 8 . 7 ppm which is assignable to the aromatic ring protons indicates that the ester bonds of the diallyl isophthalate scarcely underwent an ester exchange reaction ( the reaction for insertion of ε - caprolactone , succinic anhydride and phenyl glycidyl ether ) and that the product is a mixture of a poly ( caprolactone - succinic anhydride - phenyl glycidyl ether ) terpolymer and diallyl isophthalate .	2

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