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the modem shown in the drawing comprises basically three active integrated circuits -- the transmitter 10 in the form of a 74ls04 hex inverter , a receiver 20 in the form of a tda440 am receiver , and switch / interface 30 in the form of a 74ls00 quad nand gate . data input terminal 11 receives data to be transmitted and is connected through resistor 12 and through two series connected buffer inverters 13 and 14 to one input of nand gate switch 31 . an oscillator , in the form of parallel connected resistor 15 , ceramic filter 16 and inverter 17 , is connected through buffer inverter 18 to the other input of nand gate switch 31 . the nand gate 31 amplitude modulates the signal from inverter 18 with data from invertre 14 . the output from nand gate 31 is buffered by inverter 19 and connected through filter section 40 to channel terminal 41 . filter section 40 comprises the series connection of resistor 42 , ceramic filter 43 and resistor 44 . since the output from switch 31 through inverter 19 is rich in the harmonics of the basic frequency supplied by oscillator 15 - 17 , filter 40 , whose ceramic filter 43 is matched in frequency to ceramic filter 16 , hard limits all harmonics to the envelope of the filter . thus , the carrier frequency supplied to channel terminal 41 matches the frequency supplied by oscillator 15 - 17 . channel terminal 41 is connected to a transmission channel to which similar modems are connected . the signal supplied to the transmission channel is received at a head end which converts the first carrier frequency to a second carrier frequency to which the receive side , receiver 20 , is tuned . thus , the data received by the modem in the drawing is connected through a selective resonant network 50 comprising capacitor 51 connected on one side to channel terminal 41 and on its other side to the parallel network of capacitor 52 and inductor 53 the other side of which network is connected to ground . the junction of capacitor 51 and the parallel network 52 - 53 is connected through capacitor 54 to pin 1 , the input pin , of receiver 20 . in receiver 20 , the data signal is amplified and applied to a resonator connected across pins 8 and 9 and comprised of the parallel combination of capacitor 21 and inductor 22 . pins 2 and 3 are connected together through bypass capacitor 38 and pins 3 and 4 are connected together through the parallel combination of capacitor 23 and resistor 24 . thus , the carrier is switched or rectified for feedback to an automatic gain control network inherent in circuit 20 . the time constant of the automatic gain control is determined by capacitor 23 and resistor 24 . receiver 20 demodulates the data received at pin 1 and supplies the demodulated signal at pin 12 where the demodulated signal is applied to zener diode 25 for ttl compatible level shifting . other elements of receiver 20 include a gain control resistor 26 connected between pins 7 and 11 , bypass capacitor 27 connected between pin 2 and pin 15 , bypass capacitors 28 , 29 , 55 and 56 connected respectively from pins 16 , 15 , 14 and 13 to ground . pins 14 and 13 are interconnected to the power supply through bleeder resistor 57 and pin 12 is connected through zener diode 25 and resistor 58 to ground . furthermore , gain control resistor 59 connects pin 10 to ground . supply pin 3 is also tied directly to ground . transistor 60 has its collector connected to pin 13 and to a positive input voltage supply , its base connected to pin 14 and its emitter supplies voltage to pin 14 of transmitter 10 and switch / interface 30 . transistor 60 converts the 12 volt supply to a 5 volt supply . the demodulated output from receiver 20 is taken at the junction of zener diode 25 and resistor 58 and is connected to the first input of nand gate 32 of switch / interface 30 . the second input of nand gate 32 is taken from the output of nand gate 33 which has a first input tied to a positive source and a second input connected through delay network 70 from the output of inverter 71 which has its input tied to the data input terminal 11 through inverter 13 . delay network 70 comprises resistor 72 and resistor 73 series connected between the output of inverter 71 and the second input of nand gate 33 . capacitors 74 and 75 are series connected across resistor 73 with the junction of these two capacitors connected to ground . pin 14 of transmitter 10 is connected to a positive supply and also through capacitor 76 to ground from emitter 60 . delay network 70 receives the data applied to data input terminal 11 and delays this data by an amount dependent upon the delay which results from transmitting the data down the transmission channel , converting it to the second carrier frequency at the head end , and transmitting the data back along the transmission line to the modem shown in the figure . this delayed data is then applied to the second input of nand gate 33 and consequently to the second input of nand gate 32 for blocking the received data supplied by receiver 20 to the first input of nand gate 32 . thus , the modem will block data which it has transmitted along the transmission channel from its data output terminal 81 but will allow data from all other modems online to be presented to data output terminal 81 . the output from nand gate 32 is buffered by nand gate 34 before data from it is supplied to data output terminal 81 . pin 14 of switch / interface network 30 is connected to the positive supply from emitter 60 and it is also connected to ground through bypass capacitor 35 . pin 7 of switch / interface 30 is connected to ground as is pin 7 of transmitter 10 . the junction of resistor 12 and pin 5 of transmitter 10 is connected to ground through the reverse junction of signal clipping diode 82 . thus , a simple modem is provided which can be arranged in a very small package and comprises very few parts . the modem provides proper filtering to insure that it transmits a frequency which will be recognized by the head end and will recognize the proper frequency transmitted by the head end . the modem also blocks data from the data output terminal data which the modem has transmitted itself . in some instances such a function may not be desirable for reasons of an automatic loopback feature . such a feature is obtained by connecting pin 12 of switch network 30 to ground potential . in the preferred embodiment the ceramic filters used are murate sfe 10 . 7ms2 - z units providing for operation between a transmit frequency of 10 . 7 mhz and receive frequency of 53 . 1 mhz .
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the present disclosure is directed to an automated mix in - cup apparatus and the method of using the same . in general , the automated mix in - cup apparatus is thought to be more effective , safer , faster , cleaner and easier to operate than known devices . the apparatus and method are described and illustrated in terms of various embodiments . of course , the present disclosure is not limited to the embodiments disclosed herein but also includes variations and equivalent structures that would be apparent to one of skill in the art , having studied the subject disclosure . turning now to the drawings , fig1 illustrates a combined commercial fluid / ice dispensing and mixing unit 2 . unit 2 comprises an outer housing to cover both the dispensing and mixing machinery . unit 2 may also include a cabinet 6 accommodating a plurality of fluid containers 8 fluidly connected to a dispenser . an ice or frozen slurry dispenser and / or hopper may also be included in the unit . the overall operation of unit 2 comprises a user selecting the cup 4 , which may be selected from a single size or a plurality of differently sized cups , and placing cup 4 on unit 2 proximate to a dispensing mechanism ( not illustrated or described further herein ). the dispensing mechanism is actuated to at least partially fill cup 4 from fluid containers 8 and / or a frozen fluid dispenser . the fluid containers 8 could contain various flavors of consumable drink mix . the cup would also at least partially be filled with ice or other frozen consumable material from unit 2 . one or more automated mix in - cup apparatuses 10 are located next to the dispensing apparatus for mixing / blending drinks such as smoothies , milkshakes , ice coffee drinks , or the like . after the step of dispensing a fluid into the cup , the user positions cup 4 containing the selected flavor and frozen material at a cup - receiving position on mix in - cup apparatus 10 . mix in - cup apparatus 10 is then engaged to commence an automated mixing operation of the cup contents , as explained further below . the user does not contact the apparatus 10 other than to select mix cycles or otherwise actuate the switches or buttons necessary to begin the operation of the unit . with respect to fig2 - 14 , there is illustrated one or more embodiments of the mix in - cup apparatus and the method of operation of the same as described herein . the apparatus moves between three operational positions , as detailed further below with specific reference to the figures and labeled elements . in general , the first position is the open or “ home ” position where a mixing blade , a mixing motor , and a splash shield are elevated above a cup - receiving position so as to allow a user access to the cup - receiving position . in the mixing position , the splash shield is lowered until it engages and closes cup 4 . the shield is held on the cup by gravity . while the shield always surrounds the sides and top of the mixing blade , the shield also surrounds the sides of cup 4 and closes the top of cup 4 in the mixing position . the mixing blade is positioned inside cup 4 when the apparatus is in the mixing position . during a mix cycle , the blade may move up and down within the cup independent of the movement of the splash shield . in a cleaning position , the cup is first removed from the cup - receiving position , and the shield is again lowered until it contacts a floor . the floor and shield act to create a sealed interior space . in the cleaning position , the blade is moved into a position that may be below the cup - receiving position . a user cannot access the mixing blade in the cleaning or mixing positions without manually displacing the shield . turning to fig2 and 3 in further detail and with specific reference to the labeled elements , there is illustrated a mix in - cup apparatus 10 in accordance with at least one embodiment of this disclosure . the automated mix in - cup apparatus 10 for mixing consumable material includes a frame 12 supporting a stepper motor 13 . frame 12 in this embodiment is generally an l - shaped , substantially vertical structure with sufficient width to support mechanical components as described below . frame 12 could in turn be mounted to the structure of the combined unit 2 and be largely enclosed behind a housing . it is also envisioned that mix in - cup apparatus 10 might instead serve as a standalone device for mixing consumable material in cup 4 . fig2 and 3 illustrate the home position of apparatus 10 . as illustrated , the horizontal portion of the l - shaped frame 12 supports cup 4 at a cup - receiving position . the stand portion of frame 12 supports a vertically aligned lead screw 15 connected to stepper motor 13 . stepper motor 13 is positioned at the top of frame 12 . the distal end of lead screw 15 is mounted in a bearing ( not illustrated ). one or more guide rails 16 are vertically aligned on frame 12 and are parallel to lead screw 15 . lead screw 15 and guide rails 16 pass through a carriage 17 . a nut ( not illustrated ) under carriage 17 on lead screw 15 retains carriage 17 in place on lead screw 15 . as stepper motor 13 rotates lead screw 15 , the nut moves up and down on the screw . as a result , carriage 17 moves up and down relative to frame 12 . guide rails 16 further support carriage 17 and maintain the alignment of carriage 17 as it moves . overall , activating stepper motor 13 rotates lead screw 15 , and lead screw 15 translates the rotational movement into the linear up - and - down movement of carriage 17 . in one embodiment , as explained further below , a pulley system acts as a cord management system for a power cord 19 connected to carriage 17 . power cord 19 , which might also enclose sensor wires , is fixedly secured to carriage 17 at a first end and is fixedly secured to frame 12 at a second end . to account for the movement of carriage 17 , the pulley system includes one stationary pulley 18 and one moveable , spring - biased pulley 21 . moveable pulley 21 is at least partially placed within a pulley housing that slides within a vertical track defined by frame 12 . moveable pulley 21 includes an axle mounted to the sliding housing . a spring 23 is secured to the housing a proximate end . distal end of spring 23 is attached to a point on frame 12 beneath the pulley housing so as to maintain a tension force on the pulley housing . as carriage 17 moves down on lead screw 15 , moveable pulley 21 is lifted by the tension placed on power cord 19 . that is , the downward force on carriage 17 overcomes the tension force of spring 23 . as carriage 17 is lifted on lead screw 15 so as to move up relative to frame 12 , spring 23 biases moveable the pulley housing downwards so that pulley 21 move down within the frame &# 39 ; s track . in this manner , any slack in cord 19 is controlled by the pulley system . carriage 17 supports a mixing motor 14 , a shield prop 70 , and a splash shield 50 . any suitable type of electric motor may be employed as mixing motor 14 , as would be known or used in the mixing art . a mixing motor housing 54 surrounds and supports mixing motor 14 and housing 54 , in turn , is secured to carriage 17 . in this manner , carriage 17 supports motor 14 . mixing motor 14 is axially aligned above cup 4 when cup 4 is in the cup - receiving position . the horizontal portion of the frame defines a floor to support cup 4 or an optional cup - receiving holder 40 may be positioned on frame 12 at the cup - receiving position . in an embodiment where frame 12 defines a fluid - receiving well , holder 40 is at least partially placed in the well . with the holder , a cup never contacts a drain or floor of the apparatus , which is thought to be more sanitary . a rotatable mixing blade 20 extends vertically downwardly from mixing motor 14 via a shaft 22 . blade 20 is used for mixing a consumable material in cup 4 . motor 14 is operable to rotate mixing blade 20 and shaft 22 . blade 20 moves relative to frame 12 when mixing motor 14 is raised or lowered via carriage 17 . shaft 22 extends from mixing motor 14 at a fixed length . as such , blade 20 is reciprocally moveable along a shared axis with mixing motor 14 . in one embodiment , frame 12 further comprises a liquid well 30 sharing a vertical axis with cup 4 , mixing motor 14 , shaft 22 , and splash shield 50 . well 30 is a recess in the horizontal portion of the l - shaped frame 12 including a floor 32 and a sidewall 34 . in this embodiment , floor 32 is considered to be a part of frame 12 . well 30 may be a plastic molded part inserted into frame 12 . a liquid inlet manifold 36 is integral to or connected to frame 12 , and manifold 36 includes at least one nozzle fluidly connecting the manifold to the exterior of frame 12 ( see also fig1 and 11 ). in the illustrated embodiments where an optional recessed well 30 is employed , manifold 36 is integral to or connected to well 30 . a cleaning liquid , which might be water or a combination of water and a known cleaning agent , is selectively ejected from manifold 36 . a drain 38 acts as at least one liquid outlet . in the embodiment containing the well , drain 38 is integral to or connected to well 30 . in either embodiment , a drainpipe would connect to the drain so that the cleaning fluid is removed from apparatus 10 . the optional cup - receiving holder 40 is positioned to support a cup above frame 12 , such as above floor 32 of well 30 . holder 40 may be selectively removable from the apparatus for cleaning , as further described below ( see also fig1 ). splash shield 50 may consist of an opaque , semi - transparent or transparent material . in the cup - receiving position , such as when cup 4 is placed on holder 40 , cup 4 is axially aligned beneath shield 50 . shield 50 comprises a shield lid 52 and a cylindrical sidewall 56 depending from lid 52 . shield 50 defines an open bottom end 60 into which cup 4 and / or cup - receiving holder 40 can be placed . shield 50 is suspended from motor housing 54 by a shield prop 70 . prop 70 includes two guide rods 72 and upper stop plate 74 . in a home position , stop plate 74 rests atop mixing motor 14 or mixing motor housing 54 with guide rods 72 securely fixed to shield lid 52 . as carriage 17 moves to a mixing position , shield lid 52 engages the open top of cup 4 so as to close the lid . shield sidewall 56 at least partially surrounds cup 4 at the cup - receiving position . in the mixing position , the downward movement of shield 50 is limited by the height of cup 4 , and shield 50 rests atop cup 4 . however , carriage 17 may continue to move downward along lead screw 15 after shield 50 engages cup 4 . the continued downward motion of carriage 17 causes motor housing 54 to move along shield god rods 72 . the upper stop plate separates from mixing motor 14 and motor housing 54 . carriage 17 can continue downwards until motor housing 53 engages the top of lid 52 . moving carriage 17 upwards will not displace shield 50 until mixing motor 14 and / or motor housing 54 engage upper stop plate 74 . once engaged , the continued upward movement of carriage 17 lifts stop plate 74 . guide rods 72 , which are fixed at a first end to plate 74 and at a second end to shield 50 , then lift shield 50 . for aesthetic purposes , an outer housing 53 can selectively nest over motor housing 54 . outer housing 53 is supported atop lid 52 . as motor housing 54 moves away from shield 50 , outer housing 53 encases guide rods 72 and shaft 22 between motor housing 54 and lid 52 . as the motor housing 54 is brought into closer proximity to lid 52 , outer housing 53 nests over motor housing 54 . splash shield 50 surrounds blade 20 on all sides and covers the top of blade 20 . shaft 22 extends through an aperture 62 in the shield &# 39 ; s top end . a seal 63 is employed to prevent the escape of a fluid up and through lid 52 . one embodiment of seal 63 is illustrated in fig3 a . seal 63 is in the lid aperture 62 through which shaft 22 passes . seal 63 reduces or prevents fluid from passing around shaft 22 upwardly through the shield &# 39 ; s top end . shaft 22 can move independently of shield 50 so seal 63 allows for the linear movement of shaft 22 into and out of shield 50 . the inside face of seal 63 in contact or close proximity with shaft 22 includes a helical groove 64 . groove 64 permits and encourages the downward flow of fluid were any fluid to enter seal 63 . fig2 and 3 illustrate motor 14 and shield in the home position whereby a user can access cup 4 and the cup - receiving position . in this home position , mixing motor 14 cannot be activated , as further described below . turning then to fig4 and 5 , there is illustrated the embodiment of fig1 and 2 but where carriage 17 has been moved downwards to the mixing position . in the mixing position , as briefly referenced above , shield 50 comes to rest on a cup 4 . in the absence of a cup , shield 50 would rest on frame 12 . in this illustrated embodiment , shield 50 does not contact frame 12 or floor 32 of well 30 due to the height of the cup . in the mixing position , cup 4 is closed by lid 52 and is at least partially surrounded by shield 50 . in one embodiment , the connection of shield sidewall 56 to closed top end 58 forms a frustoconical shape or portion 59 . that is , the connection between sidewall 56 and lid 52 is sloped as if to form a cone . however , the cone tip is truncated . conical portion 59 creates an effective seal on cup 4 despite the use of cups that might be of different diameters . conical portion 59 also serves to center cup 4 on the cup - receiving position or holder . where the conical portion engages a cup disproportionally on one side , the slope of lid 52 translates the downward motion of shield 50 into a lateral motion to better position cup 4 within shield 50 . fig5 a further illustrates the pulley - based cord management system . a portion of frame 12 , which helps to define a vertical track , is removed to better illustrate the cord management system . moveable pulley 21 is secured via an axle to the moveable pulley housing . the pulley housing slides within the vertical track defined by frame 12 . the downward movement of carriage 17 places tension on cord 19 . this tension exceeds the spring bias provided by spring 23 . as a result , pulley 21 moves up within frame 12 . as carriage 17 is lifted on lead screw 15 so as to move up relative to frame 12 , spring 23 biases pulley 21 , via the pulley housing , downwards . in this manner , any slack in cord 19 is controlled by the pulley system . with respect to fig6 and 7 , it is evident that blade 20 and motor 14 may continue to move down relative to frame 12 even after shield 50 comes into contact , and is stopped by , cup 4 . prop 70 is fixed to shield 50 by guide rods 72 . motor 14 slidably moves along guide rods 72 . as carriage 17 continues to move mixing motor 14 closer to shield 50 , upper stop plate 74 moves away from mixing motor 14 . in this manner , mixing motor 14 can be reciprocally moved up and down without displacing shield 50 during the mix cycle . the ability to move blade 20 up and down during a mix cycle increases the quality and consistency of the blended product . following the mix cycle , which can comprise a pre - programmed sequence of blade movements and variable blade speed changes , stepper motor 13 is actuated to rotate lead screw 15 to lift carriage 17 . the motor engages the stop plate 74 . as a result , shield 50 and blade 20 are withdrawn from cup 4 . cup 4 is then removed . turning now to fig8 and 9 , apparatus 10 or a user then engages a cleaning cycle . carriage 17 is positioned , via the stepper motor and lead screw , in a cleaning position . in the cleaning position , shield 50 brought into contact with frame 12 ( such as well 30 ) to create an enclosed space about the cup - receiving position . cup - receiving holder 40 would be encased by shield 50 and well floor 32 , for example . as further illustrated in fig8 and 9 , with cup 4 removed , motor 14 can be lowered past the lowest mix position . as a result , blade 20 and / or shaft 22 extend below the cup - receiving position . for example , blade 20 can pass through the cup - receiving holder 40 . during the cleaning operation or cycle , it would again be possible to reciprocally move blade 20 up and down without displacing shield 50 . in the cleaning operation , and with reference to fig1 and 11 , fluid enters a manifold 36 via pipe 35 . the fluid is transmitted to the space enclosed by shield 50 via manifold 36 and fluid nozzles 37 . the fluid will strike blade 20 , which can be rotated during the cleaning cycle to further disperse the fluid . the cleaning operation rinses the interior of shield 50 ( including shield lid 52 ), cup - receiving holder 40 , blade 20 , and shaft 22 . cleaning fluid exits the frame via the drain 38 , which is tied to an outlet pipe . the cleaning operation is automatic and requires little to no user involvement . as such , the automated mix in - cup apparatus is self - cleaning , which permits a user to fill another cup during the cleaning operation . fig1 illustrates the underside of well 30 with manifold 36 in an exploded view . a bottom plate 39 of manifold 36 is removed to reveal one embodiment of the interior of manifold 36 . holder 40 is illustrated as being removed from well 30 . turning to fig1 , cup - receiving holder 40 includes an open ring 42 upon which cup 4 rests . ring 42 provides an aperture through which blade 20 passes when carriage 17 is in the cleaning position . as briefly noted above , holder 40 may be selectively removable from frame 12 . holder 40 could include one or more hollow posts 44 that engage vertical posts 46 on frame 12 . for instance , vertical posts 46 might be integral to well floor 32 . vertical posts 46 nest within hollow posts 44 of the holder in order to frictionally retain holder 40 in place . a user could lift holder 40 off frame 12 to independently clean holder 40 , if necessary . removing holder 40 provides the means to further clean the holder and / or the drain and frame that are located beneath holder 40 . overall , apparatus 10 is easy to operate , safe , and fast in that shield 50 and mixing blade 20 automatically move into and out of the mix position . a user is provided one - handed operation in that they merely need to place the cup before the mix cycle and remove the cup after the mix cycle . there is no need to manually manipulate the cup , the shield , or any other components of the apparatus besides cup 4 . nevertheless , a user may mistakenly attempt to access or manipulate the splash shield or to otherwise access the cup during a mix cycle . turning now to fig1 , there is illustrated a close - up view of shield 50 in the mixing position . in the illustrated embodiment , a magnetic strip 80 is integrated into or otherwise secured to sidewall 56 of shield 50 . corresponding shield sensors 82 on frame 12 ( e . g ., in well 30 ) are operable to detect magnetic strip 80 . in the mix and cleaning positions , mixing motor 14 will not rotate blade 20 unless shield sensors 82 detect magnetic strip 80 . a control unit will disengage mixing motor 14 once strip 80 is displaced . as such , a user cannot lift shield 50 to access cup 4 without disengaging mixer motor 14 . additional sensors provide feedback to the control unit , as further illustrated in fig1 . a home sensor 84 is used to determine if carriage 17 is properly returned to the home position after each mix and cleaning cycle . home sensor 84 is operable to detect a magnet 86 located on carriage 17 . stepper motor 13 runs until home sensor 84 detects magnet 86 or until there is a time - out condition . for example , if carriage 17 is obstructed , stepper motor 13 will run for a predetermined period of time that is longer than it takes for carriage 17 to return to the home position . if the magnet 86 is not detected within that time period , stepper motor 13 is deactivated and apparatus 10 would be reset . once home sensor 84 detects magnet 86 , stepper motor 13 reverses lead screw 15 until magnet 86 is no longer detected . carriage 17 is then raised a second time until magnet 86 is detected by home sensor 84 . this provides an optional calibration mechanism so that the position of carriage 17 is calibrated prior to a mix or cleaning cycle . a cup sensor 88 also works in conjunction with magnet 86 and the control unit . the failure to detect magnet 86 at cup sensor 88 indicates to the control unit that shield 50 is not in the cleaning position . as referenced above , in the cleaning position , shield 50 contacts frame 12 ( e . g ., well floor 32 ). shield 50 creates an enclosed interior space to capture the cleaning fluid during the cleaning cycle . with the cup in place , shield 50 does not reach the frame or well floor . as a result , shield 50 will not properly rest against frame 12 or well floor 32 . the shield will not create an enclosed interior space so that the cleaning fluid will not be fully contained during the cleaning cycle . cup sensor 88 prevents the initiation of the cleaning cycle where a user leaves the cup in place . in addition , carriage 17 moves blade 20 to a cleaning position that is below the blade &# 39 ; s “ mixing position ” and below the cup - receiving portion of holder 40 . if a user forgets to remove cup 4 , blade 20 will move downwardly until it contacts the floor of the cup . the floor will resist the further movement of blade 20 on shaft 22 . the extra load on the stepper motor causes it to stall . as a result , carriage 17 will not be in the proper position for cup sensor 88 to detect magnet 86 on carriage 17 . the method of using the subject apparatus provides for one - handed operation that is fast , safe , clean , easy to use , and effective . in use , a user places a cup with consumable material at the cup - receiving position , such as on the cup - receiving holder , and activates the apparatus via a switch , button , touchpad , or the like . the apparatus automatically lowers the carriage to the mixing position . in the mixing position , the shield lid closes the top of the cup , and the mixing blade is positioned within the cup and consumable material . the mixing motor is automatically activated to rotate the mixing blade thereby causing the consumable material to be mixed . the speed of the blade may be variable , and the blade may move up and down within the cup during the mix cycle without displacing the splash shield . after the mix cycle is completed , the carriage is returned to the home position whereby the splash shield and mixing blade are lifted from the cup . the user can access and remove the cup from the cup - receiving position . a cleaning cycle is then manually or automatically activated . the splash shield , which still surrounds the blade , is again lowered into contact with the frame . the splash shield and frame ( such as well floor 32 ) create an enclosed entire space . the cup - receiving position and / or cup - receiving holder are encased by the splash shield and frame . the blade can be positioned at various distances from the frame including beneath the level of the cup - receiving holder . mixing blade could be moved during the cleaning cycle without displacing the splash shield . the cleaning cycle is initiated , and fluid is injected into the interior of the shield via an inlet manifold . the fluid contacts and cleans the shield ( including the lid ), blade , cup - receiving position , and optional cup - receiving holder . the mixing motor can be engaged to rotate the mixing blade during the cleaning cycle to increase fluid distribution or force . the rinse fluid is removed via the drain . in this manner , the automated mixing of the material and subsequent cleaning of the apparatus can be achieved . a user may select the flavors to be dispensed for the next order while the mix in - cup apparatus mixes a previous order and executes a self - clean operation . the mixing blade is isolated from the user during the mixing and cleaning operations . an attempt to displace the splash shield during the mixing or cleaning cycles deactivates the mixing motor . while the disclosure has been described with reference to specific embodiments thereof , it will be understood that numerous variations , modifications and additional embodiments are possible , and all such variations , modifications , and embodiments are to be regarded as being within the spirit and scope of the disclosure .
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the compounds of the invention include compounds which are of the following general formula i or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof : wherein r 1 is selected from the group consisting of : h , chloro , methyl , methoxy , ethoxy , nitro and fluoro ; r 2 is selected from the group consisting of : h , chloro , methyl , methoxy , trifluoromethyl , propanoylamino and 2 - methylpropanoylamino ; r 3 is selected from the group consisting of : h , methyl , amino , methylamino , dimethylamino , phenylamino and 3 - pyridylamino ; r 4 is selected from the group consisting of : h , chloro , methyl , methoxy , trifluoromethyl and trifluoromethoxy ; and r 5 is selected from the group consisting of h and methyl . preferably , r 1 is hydrogen or chloro ; r 2 is hydrogen or trifluoromethyl ; r 3 is amino or methylamino ; r 4 is hydrogen or methoxy ; and r 5 is hydrogen . preferably , the compound of formula i of the present is selected from the group consisting of : n -[( 4 - amino - 3 - methoxy - phenyl ) carbamothioyl ]- 4 - tert - butyl - benzamide ; n -[( 4 - amino - 2 - chloro - phenyl ) carbamothioyl ]- 4 - tert - butyl - benzamide hydrochloride ; 4 - tert - butyl - n -[[ 2 - chloro - 4 -( methylamino ) phenyl ]- carbamothioyl ] benzamide hydrochloride ; 4 - tert - butyl - n -[( 2 - chloro - 5 - methyl - phenyl )- carbamothioyl ] benzamide ; 4 - tert - butyl - n -[( 2 - chloro - 6 - methyl - phenyl )- carbamothioyl ] benzamide ; 4 - tert - butyl - n -[[ 2 - chloro - 3 -( trifluoromethyl ) phenyl ]- carbamothioyl ] benzamide ; n -[( 4 - amino - 3 - methoxy - phenyl ) carbamothioyl ]- 4 - tert - butyl - benzamide hydrochloride ; 4 - tert - butyl - n -[( 2 - chloro - 3 - methyl - phenyl )- carbamothioyl ] benzamide ; 4 - tert - butyl - n -[[ 4 -( methylamino ) phenyl ]- carbamothioyl ] benzamide hydrochloride ; 4 - tert - butyl - n -[[ 2 - chloro - 4 -( dimethylamino ) phenyl ]- carbamothioyl ] benzamide hydrochloride ; 4 - tert - butyl - n -[[ 2 - chloro - 5 -( trifluoromethoxy ) phenyl ]- carbamothioyl ] benzamide ; 4 - tert - butyl - n -[[ 4 -( 3 - pyridylamino ) phenyl ]- carbamothioyl ] benzamide hydrochloride ; 4 - tert - butyl - n -[( 2 - chlorophenyl ) carbamothioyl ]- benzamide ; 4 - tert - butyl - n -( o - tolylcarbamothioyl )- benzamide ; 4 - tert - butyl - n -[[ 2 - chloro - 5 -( trifluoromethyl ) phenyl ]- carbamothioyl ] benzamide ; n -[( 4 - anilinophenyl )- carbamothioyl ]- 4 - tert - butyl - benzamide ; 4 - tert - butyl - n -[( 3 - chloro - 2 - methyl - phenyl )- carbamothioyl ] benzamide ; 4 - tert - butyl - n -[( 2 , 4 - dimethylphenyl )- carbamothioyl ] benzamide ; 4 - tert - butyl - n -[( 4 - dimethylaminophenyl )- carbamothioyl ] benzamide ; 4 - tert - butyl - n -[( 2 , 5 - dichlorophenyl )- carbamothioyl ] benzamide ; 4 - tert - butyl - n -[( 2 - methoxyphenyl )- carbamothioyl ] benzamide ; 4 - tert - butyl - n -[( 3 - chlorophenyl )- carbamothioyl ] benzamide ; 4 - tert - butyl - n -( phenylcarbamothioyl )- benzamide ; 4 - tert - butyl - n -[( 2 , 3 - dimethylphenyl )- carbamothioyl ] benzamide ; 4 - tert - butyl - n -[( 3 , 4 - dimethylphenyl )- carbamothioyl ] benzamide ; 4 - tert - butyl - n -[( 2 - ethoxyphenyl )- carbamothioyl ] benzamide ; 4 - tert - butyl - n -[[ 3 -( 2 - methylpropanoylamino )- phenyl ] carbamothioyl ]- benzamide ; 4 - tert - butyl - n -[( 2 - nitrophenyl ) carbamothioyl ]- benzamide ; 4 - tert - butyl - n -( p - tolylcarbamothioyl )- benzamide ; n -[( 4 - aminophenyl )- carbamothioyl ]- 4 - tert - butyl - benzamide ; 4 - tert - butyl - n -[( 2 - fluorophenyl ) carbamothioyl ]- benzamide ; 4 - tert - butyl - n -[[ 3 -( propanoylamino ) phenyl ]- carbamothioyl ] benzamide ; 4 - tert - butyl - n -( m - tolylcarbamothioyl )- benzamide ; 4 - tert - butyl - n -[( 3 , 5 - dimethylphenyl )- carbamothioyl ] benzamide ; 4 - tert - butyl - n -[( 3 - methoxyphenyl )- carbamothioyl ] benzamide ; 4 - tert - butyl - n -[( 2 , 5 - dimethylphenyl )- carbamothioyl ] benzamide ; 4 - tert - butyl - n -[( 4 - dimethylaminophenyl )- carbamothioyl ] benzamide hydrochloride ; and 4 - tert - butyl - n -[( 2 , 6 - dimethylphenyl )- carbamothioyl ] benzamide . preferably , x is oxygen ; y is — ch 2 — or — c (═ o )—; a is c — h ; b is c — h ; r 1 is hydrogen ; r 2 is hydrogen ; r 3 is methoxy ; r 4 is chloro ; and each of r 5 and r 6 is hydrogen . preferably , the compound of formula ii is selected from the group consisting of : n -[ 4 -[( 4 - tert - butylbenzoyl )- carbamothioylamino ]- 2 - hydroxy - phenyl ]- 2 - chloro - benzamide ; 4 - tert - butyl - n -[[ 4 -[( 2 - chlorophenyl )- methylamino ]- 3 - methoxy - phenyl ]- carbamothioyl ]- benzamide ; n -[ 2 - amino - 4 -[( 4 - tert - butylbenzoyl )- carbamothioylamino ]- phenyl ]- 2 - chloro - benzamide hydrochloride ; n -[( 4 - benzamido - 2 - chloro - phenyl ) carbamothioyl ]- 4 - tert - butyl - benzamide ; 4 - tert - butyl - n -[[ 4 -[( 2 - chlorobenzene - carbothioyl ) amino ]- 3 - methoxy - phenyl ]- carbamothioyl ] benzamide ; 4 -( aminomethyl )- n -[ 4 -[( 4 - tert - butylbenzoyl )- carbamothioylamino ]- 2 - methoxy - phenyl ] benzamide hydrochloride ; n -[ 4 -[( 4 - tert - butylbenzene - carboximidoyl )- carbamothioylamino ]- 2 - methoxy - phenyl ]- 2 - chloro - benzamide ; 4 - tert - butyl - n -[[ 4 -[( 2 - chlorobenzene - carboximidoyl ) amino ]- 3 - methoxy - phenyl ]- carbamothioyl ] benzamide ; 3 -( aminomethyl )- n -[ 4 -[( 4 - tert - butylbenzoyl )- carbamothioylamino ]- 2 - methoxy - phenyl ] benzamide hydrochloride ; 2 - amino - n -[ 4 -[( 4 - tert - butylbenzoyl )- carbamothioylamino ]- 2 - methoxy - phenyl ] benzamide ; n -[ 4 -[( 4 - tert - butylbenzoyl )- carbamothioylamino ]- 2 - methoxy - phenyl ] pyridine - 3 - carboxamide ; n -[ 4 -[( 4 - tert - butylbenzoyl )- carbamothioylamino ]- 2 - methoxy - phenyl ] pyridine - 4 - carboxamide ; n -[[ 4 -[( 4 - aminobenzoyl ) amino ]- 3 - methoxy - phenyl ]- carbamothioyl ]- 4 - tert - butyl - benzamide hydrochloride ; n -[ 4 -[( 4 - tert - butylbenzoyl )- carbamothioyl - ethyl - amino ]- 2 - methoxy - phenyl ]- 2 - chloro - benzamide ; n -[ 4 -[( 4 - tert - butylbenzoyl )- carbamothioylamino ]- 2 - methoxy - phenyl ]- 2 - chloro - benzamide ; and n -[( 4 - benzamidophenyl )- carbamothioyl ]- 4 - tert - butyl - benzamide . preferably , y is — c (═ o )—; r 1 is an aryl more preferably r 1 is selected from the group consisting of : substituted monocyclic , unsubstituted monocyclic , unsubstituted polycyclic and heteroaryl , most preferably r 1 is a substituted monocyclic aryl ring ; r 2 is an alkyl selected from the group consisting of : c 1 - c 6 branched alkyl , unbranched alkyl , substituted alkyl and unsubstituted alkyl , more preferably r 2 is an unbranched alkyl ; r 3 is an aryl selected from the group consisting of : substituted aryl , unsubstituted monocyclic aryl , unsubstituted polycyclic aryl and heteroaryl , more preferably , r 3 is c 3 - c 7 cycloalkane , c 1 - c 4 branched or unbranched alkyl or a substituted aryl . preferably , the compound of formula iii is selected from the group consisting of : ( nz )- 4 - tert - butyl - n -[( 2 - chloro - 5 - methyl - anilino )- ethylsulfanyl - methylene ] benzamide ; n -[ 4 -[[( z )— n -( 4 - tert - butylbenzoyl )- c - ethylsulfanyl - carbonimidoyl ] amino ]- 2 - methoxy - phenyl ]- 2 - chloro - benzamide ; and ( nz )- 4 - tert - butyl - n -[( 2 - chloroanilino )- ethylsulfanyl - methylene ] benzamide . the method of the present invention is for the treatment or prophylaxis of a viral or bacterial infection or disease associated therewith , comprising administering in a therapeutically effective amount to a mammal in need thereof , any of the compounds described above . preferably , the mammal is a human . also preferably , the viral infection is caused by a virus family selected from the group consisting of : bunyaviridae , poxviridae , arenaviridae , picornaviridae , togaviridae , flaviviridae , filoviridae , paramyxoviridae , orthomyxoviridae and retroviridae . in one embodiment of the invention , the viral infection is a bunyaviridae infection preferably caused by a virus selected from the group consisting of rift valley fever virus , la crosse virus and andes virus . in another embodiment of the invention , the viral infection is a poxviridae infection preferably caused by a virus selected from the group consisting of the vaccinia virus and monkeypox virus . in yet another embodiment of the invention , the viral infection is an arenaviridae infection preferably caused by a virus selected from the group consisting of tacaribe virus and lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus . in another embodiment of the invention , the viral infection ds a picornaviridae infection preferably caused by encephalomyocarditis virus . in yet another embodiment of the invention , the viral infection is a togaviridae infection preferably caused by sindbis virus . in yet another embodiment of the invention , the viral infection is a flaviviridae infection preferably caused by a virus selected from the group consisting of dengue virus , west nile virus , yellow fever virus , japanese encephalitis virus , and tick - borne encephalitis virus . most preferably , the flavivirus is a dengue virus selected from the group consisting of den - 1 , den - 2 , den - 3 , and den - 4 . in yet another embodiment of the invention , the viral infection is associated with a condition selected from the group consisting of dengue fever , yellow fever , west nile , st . louis encephalitis , hepatitis c , murray valley encephalitis , and japanese encephalitis . most preferably , the viral infection is associated with dengue fever wherein said dengue fever is selected from the group consisting of classical dengue fever , dengue hemorrhagic fever syndrome , and dengue shock syndrome . in yet another embodiment of the invention , the viral infection is a filoviridae infection preferably caused by a virus selected from the group consisting of ebola virus and zaire strain . in yet another embodiment of the invention , the viral infection is an orthomyxoviridae infection preferably caused by an influenza virus , preferably the h1n1 virus . in yet another embodiment of the invention , the viral infection is caused by a retroviridae infection preferably caused by a human immunodeficiency virus . the method of the present invention may also comprise co - administration of : a ) other antivirals such as ribavirin or cidofovir ; b ) vaccines ; and / or c ) interferons or pegylated interferons . preferably , the bactaerial infection is caused by a bacteria family selected from the group consisting of chlamydiaceae and coxiellaceae . in one embodiment , the bacterial infection is a chlamydiaceae infection preferably caused by bacteria selected from the group consisting of chlamydophila caviae and chlamydophila muridarum . in another embodiment of the invention , the bacterial infection is a coxiellaceae infection preferably caused by coxiella burnetti bacteria . in accordance with this detailed description , the following abbreviations and definitions apply . it must be noted that as used herein , the singular forms “ a ,” “ an ,” and “ the ” include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise . the publications discussed herein are provided solely for their disclosure . nothing herein is to be construed as an admission regarding antedating the publications . further , the dates of publication provided may be different from the actual publication dates , which may need to be independently confirmed . where a range of values is provided , it is understood that each intervening value is encompassed . the upper and lower limits of these smaller ranges may independently be included in the smaller , subject to any specifically - excluded limit in the stated range . where the stated range includes one or both of the limits , ranges excluding either both of those included limits are also included in the invention . also contemplated are any values that fall within the cited ranges . unless defined otherwise , all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art . any methods and materials similar or equivalent to those described herein can also be used in practice or testing . all publications mentioned herein are incorporated herein by reference to disclose and describe the methods and / or materials in connection with which the publications are cited . by “ patient ” or “ subject ” is meant to include any mammal . a “ mammal ,” for purposes of treatment , refers to any animal classified as a mammal , including but not limited to , humans , experimental animals including rats , mice , and guinea pigs , domestic and farm animals , and zoo , sports , or pet animals , such as dogs , horses , cats , cows , and the like . the term “ efficacy ” as used herein refers to the effectiveness of a particular treatment regime . efficacy can be measured based on change of the course of the disease in response to an agent . the term “ success ” as used herein in the context of a chronic treatment regime refers to the effectiveness of a particular treatment regime . this includes a balance of efficacy , toxicity ( e . g ., side effects and patient tolerance of a formulation or dosage unit )′, patient compliance , and the like . for a chronic administration regime to be considered “ successful ” it must balance different aspects of patient care and efficacy to produce a favorable patient outcome . the terms “ treating ,” “ treatment ,” and the like are used herein to refer to obtaining a desired pharmacological and physiological effect . the effect may be prophylactic in terms of preventing or partially preventing a disease , symptom , or condition thereof and / or may be therapeutic in terms of a partial or complete cure of a disease , condition , symptom , or adverse effect attributed to the disease . the term “ treatment ,” as used herein , covers any treatment of a disease in a mammal , such as a human , and includes : ( a ) preventing the disease from occurring in a subject which may be predisposed to the disease but has not yet been diagnosed as having it , i . e ., causing the clinical symptoms of the disease not to develop in a subject that may be predisposed to the disease but does not yet experience or display symptoms of the disease ; ( b ) inhibiting the disease , i . e ., arresting or reducing the development of the disease or its clinical symptoms ; and ( c ) relieving the disease , i . e ., causing regression of the disease and / or its symptoms or conditions . treating a patient &# 39 ; s suffering from disease related to pathological inflammation is contemplated . preventing , inhibiting , or relieving adverse effects attributed to pathological inflammation over long periods of time and / or are such caused by the physiological responses to inappropriate inflammation present in a biological system over long periods of time are also contemplated . as used herein , “ acyl ” refers to the groups h — c ( o )—, alkyl - c ( o )—, substituted alkyl - c ( o )—, alkenyl - c ( o )—, substituted alkenyl - c ( o )—, alkynyl - c ( o )—, substituted alkynyl - c ( o )—, cycloalkyl - c ( o )—, substituted cycloalkyl - c ( o )—, aryl - c ( o )—, substituted aryl - c ( o )—, heteroaryl - c ( o )—, substituted heteroaryl - c ( o )—, heterocyclic - c ( o )—, and substituted heterocyclic - c ( o )— wherein alkyl , substituted alkyl , alkenyl , substituted alkenyl , alkynyl , substituted alkynyl , cycloalkyl , substituted cycloalkyl , aryl , substituted aryl , heteroaryl , substituted heteroaryl , heterocyclic and substituted heterocyclic are as defined herein . “ alkylamino ” refers to the group — nrr where each r is independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen , alkyl , substituted alkyl , alkenyl , substituted alkenyl , alkynyl , substituted alkynyl , aryl , substituted aryl , cycloalkyl , substituted cycloalkyl , heteroaryl , substituted heteroaryl , heterocyclic , substituted heterocyclic and where each r is joined to form together with the nitrogen atom a heterocyclic or substituted heterocyclic ring wherein alkyl , substituted alkyl , alkenyl , substituted alkenyl , alkynyl , substituted alkynyl , cycloalkyl , substituted cycloalkyl , aryl , substituted aryl , heteroaryl , substituted heteroaryl , heterocyclic and substituted heterocyclic are as defined herein . “ alkenyl ” refers to alkenyl group preferably having from 2 to 10 carbon atoms and more preferably 2 to 6 carbon atoms and having at least 1 and preferably from 1 - 2 sites of alkenyl unsaturation . “ alkoxy ” refers to the group “ alkyl - o —” which includes , by way of example , methoxy , ethoxy , n - propoxy , iso - propoxy , n - butoxy , tert - butoxy , sec - butoxy , n - pentoxy , n - hexoxy , 1 , 2 - dimethylbutoxy , and the like . “ alkyl ” refers to linear or branched alkyl groups having from 1 to 10 carbon atoms , alternatively 1 to 6 carbon atoms . this term is exemplified by groups such as methyl , t - butyl , n - heptyl , octyl and the like . “ aryl ” or “ ar ” refers to an unsaturated aromatic carbocyclic group of from 6 to 14 carbon atoms having a single ring ( e . g ., phenyl ) or multiple condensed rings ( e . g ., naphthyl or anthryl ) which condensed rings may or may not be aromatic ( e . g ., 2 - benzoxazolinone , 2h - 1 , 4 - benzoxazin - 3 ( 4h )- one , and the like ) provided that the point of attachment is through an aromatic ring atom . “ substituted aryl ” refers to aryl groups which are substituted with from 1 to 3 substituents selected from the group consisting of hydroxy , acyl , acylamino , thiocarbonylamino , acyloxy , alkyl , substituted alkyl , alkoxy , substituted alkoxy , alkenyl , substituted alkenyl , alkynyl , substituted alkynyl , amidino , alkylamidino , thioamidino , amino , aminoacyl , aminocarbonyloxy , aminocarbonylamino , aminothiocarbonylamino , aryl , substituted aryl , aryloxy , substituted aryloxy , cycloalkoxy , substituted cycloalkoxy , heteroaryloxy , substituted heteroaryloxy , heterocyclyloxy , substituted heterocyclyloxy , carboxyl , carboxylalkyl , carboxyl - substituted alkyl , carboxyl - cycloalkyl , carboxyl - substituted cycloalkyl , carboxylaryl , carboxyl - substituted aryl , carboxylheteroaryl , carboxyl - substituted heteroaryl , carboxylheterocyclic , carboxyl - substituted heterocyclic , carboxylamido , cyano , thiol , thioalkyl , substituted thioalkyl , thioaryl , substituted thioaryl , thioheteroaryl , substituted thioheteroaryl , thiocycloalkyl , substituted thiocycloalkyl , thioheterocyclic , substituted thioheterocyclic , cycloalkyl , substituted cycloalkyl , guanidino , guanidinosulfone , halo , nitro , heteroaryl , substituted heteroaryl , heterocyclic , substituted heterocyclic , cycloalkoxy , substituted cycloalkoxy , heteroaryloxy , substituted heteroaryloxy , heterocyclyloxy , substituted heterocyclyloxy , oxycarbonylamino , oxythiocarbonylamino , — s ( o ) 2 - alkyl , — s ( o ) 2 - substituted alkyl , — s ( o ) 2 - cycloalkyl , — s ( o ) 2 - substituted cycloalkyl , — s ( o ) 2 - alkenyl , — s ( o ) 2 - substituted alkenyl , — s ( o ) 2 - aryl , — s ( o ) 2 - substituted aryl , — s ( o ) 2 - heteroaryl , — s ( o ) 2 - substituted heteroaryl , — s ( o ) 2 - heterocyclic , — s ( o ) 2 - substituted heterocyclic , — os ( o ) 2 - alkyl , — os ( o ) 2 - substituted alkyl , — os ( o ) 2 - aryl , — os ( o ) 2 - substituted aryl , — os ( o ) 2 - heteroaryl , — os ( o ) 2 - substituted heteroaryl , — os ( o ) 2 - heterocyclic , — os ( o ) 2 - substituted heterocyclic , — os ( o ) 2 — nrr where r is hydrogen or alkyl , — nrs ( o ) 2 - alkyl , — nrs ( o ) 2 - substituted alkyl , — nrs ( o ) 2 - aryl , — nrs ( o ) 2 - substituted aryl , — nrs ( o ) 2 - heteroaryl , — nrs ( o ) 2 - substituted heteroaryl , — nrs ( o ) 2 - heterocyclic , — nrs ( o ) 2 - substituted heterocyclic , — nrs ( o ) 2 — nr - alkyl , — nrs ( o ) 2 — nr - substituted alkyl , — nrs ( o ) 2 — nr - aryl , — nrs ( o ) 2 — nr - substituted aryl , — nrs ( o ) 2 — nr - heteroaryl , — nrs ( o ) 2 — nr - substituted heteroaryl , — nrs ( o ) 2 — nr - heterocyclic , — nrs ( o ) 2 — nr - substituted heterocyclic where r is hydrogen or alkyl , mono - and di - alkylamino , mono - and di -( substituted alkyl ) amino , mono - and di - arylamino , mono - and di - substituted arylamino , mono - and di - heteroarylamino , mono - and di - substituted heteroarylamino , mono - and diheterocyclic amino , mono - and di - substituted heterocyclic amino , unsymmetric di - substituted amines having different substituents independently selected from the group consisting of alkyl , substituted alkyl , aryl , substituted aryl , heteroaryl , substituted heteroaryl , heterocyclic and substituted heterocyclic and amino groups on the substituted aryl blocked by conventional blocking groups such as boc , cbz , formyl , and the like or substituted with — so 2 nrr where r is hydrogen or alkyl . “ cycloalkyl ” refers to cyclic alkyl groups of from 3 to 8 carbon atoms having a single cyclic ring including , by way of example , cyclopropyl , cyclobutyl , cyclopentyl , cyclohexyl , cyclooctyl and the like . excluded from this definition are multi - ring alkyl groups such as adamantanyl , etc . “ heteroaryl ” refers to an aromatic carbocyclic group of from 2 to 10 carbon atoms and 1 to 4 heteroatoms selected from the group consisting of oxygen , nitrogen and sulfur within the ring or oxides thereof . such heteroaryl groups can have a single ring ( e . g ., pyridyl or furyl ) or multiple condensed rings ( e . g ., indolizinyl or benzothienyl ) wherein one or more of the condensed rings may or may not be aromatic provided that the point of attachment is through an aromatic ring atom . additionally , the heteroatoms of the heteroaryl group may be oxidized , i . e ., to form pyridine n - oxides or 1 , 1 - dioxo - 1 , 2 , 5 - thiadiazoles and the like . additionally , the carbon atoms of the ring may be substituted with an oxo (═ o ). the term “ heteroaryl having two nitrogen atoms in the heteroaryl , ring ” refers to a heteroaryl group having two , and only two , nitrogen atoms in the heteroaryl ring and optionally containing 1 or 2 other heteroatoms in the heteroaryl ring , such as oxygen or sulfur . “ substituted heteroaryl ” refers to heteroaryl groups which are substituted with from 1 to 3 substituents selected from the group consisting of hydroxy , acyl , acylamino , thiocarbonylamino , acyloxy , alkyl , substituted alkyl , alkoxy , substituted alkoxy , alkenyl , substituted alkenyl , alkynyl , substituted alkynyl , amidino , alkylamidino , thioamidino , amino , aminoacyl , aminocarbonyloxy , aminocarbonylamino , aminothiocarbonylamino , aryl , substituted aryl , aryloxy , substituted aryloxy , cycloalkoxy , substituted cycloalkoxy , heteroaryloxy , substituted heteroaryloxy , heterocyclyloxy , substituted heterocyclyloxy , carboxyl , carboxylalkyl , carboxyl - substituted alkyl , carboxyl - cycloalkyl , carboxyl - substituted cycloalkyl , carboxylaryl , carboxyl - substituted aryl , carboxylheteroaryl , carboxyl - substituted heteroaryl , carboxylheterocyclic , carboxyl - substituted heterocyclic , carboxylamido , cyano , thiol , thioalkyl , substituted thioalkyl , thioaryl , substituted thioaryl , thioheteroaryl , substituted thioheteroaryl , thiocycloalkyl , substituted thiocycloalkyl , thioheterocyclic , substituted thioheterocyclic , cycloalkyl , substituted cycloalkyl , guanidino , guanidinosulfone , halo , nitro , heteroaryl , substituted heteroaryl , heterocyclic , substituted heterocyclic , cycloalkoxy , substituted cycloalkoxy , heteroaryloxy , substituted heteroaryloxy , heterocyclyloxy , substituted heterocyclyloxy , oxycarbonylamino , oxythiocarbonylamino , — s ( o ) 2 - alkyl , — s ( o ) 2 - substituted alkyl , — s ( o ) 2 - cycloalkyl , — s ( o ) 2 - substituted cycloalkyl , — s ( o ) 2 - alkenyl , — s ( o ) 2 - substituted alkenyl , — s ( o ) 2 - aryl , — s ( o ) 2 - substituted aryl , — s ( o ) 2 - heteroaryl , — s ( o ) 2 - substituted heteroaryl , — s ( o ) 2 - heterocyclic , — s ( o ) 2 - substituted heterocyclic , — os ( o ) 2 - alkyl , — os ( o ) 2 - substituted alkyl , — os ( o ) 2 - aryl , — os ( o ) 2 - substituted aryl , — os ( o ) 2 - heteroaryl , — os ( o ) 2 - substituted heteroaryl , — os ( o ) 2 - heterocyclic , — os ( o ) 2 - substituted heterocyclic , — oso 2 — nrr where r is hydrogen or alkyl , — nrs ( o ) 2 - alkyl , — nrs ( o ) 2 - substituted alkyl , — nrs ( o ) 2 - aryl , — nrs ( o ) 2 - substituted aryl , — nrs ( o ) 2 - heteroaryl , — nrs ( o ) 2 - substituted heteroaryl , — nrs ( o ) 2 - heterocyclic , — nrs ( o ) 2 - substituted heterocyclic , — nrs ( o ) 2 — nr - alkyl , — nrs ( o ) 2 — nr - substituted alkyl , — nrs ( o ) 2 — nr - aryl , — nrs ( o ) 2 — nr — substituted aryl , — nrs ( o ) 2 — nr - heteroaryl , — nrs ( o ) 2 — nr — substituted heteroaryl , — nrs ( o ) 2 — nr - heterocyclic , — nrs ( o ) 2 — nr - substituted heterocyclic where r is hydrogen or alkyl , mono - and di - alkylamino , mono - and di -( substituted alkyl ) amino , mono - and di - arylamino , mono - and di - substituted arylamino , mono - and di - heteroarylamino , mono - and di - substituted heteroarylamino , mono - and diheterocyclic amino , mono - and di - substituted heterocyclic amino , unsymmetric di - substituted amines having different substituents independently selected from the group consisting of alkyl , substituted alkyl , aryl , substituted aryl , heteroaryl , substituted heteroaryl , heterocyclic and substituted heterocyclic and amino groups on the substituted aryl blocked by conventional blocking groups such as boc , cbz , formyl , and the like or substituted with — so 2 nrr where r is hydrogen or alkyl . “ sulfonyl ” refers to the group — s ( p ) 2 r where r is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen , alkyl , substituted alkyl , alkenyl , substituted alkenyl , alkynyl , substituted alkynyl , aryl , substituted aryl , cycloalkyl , substituted cycloalkyl , heteroaryl , substituted heteroaryl , heterocyclic , substituted heterocyclic wherein alkyl , substituted alkyl , alkenyl , substituted alkenyl , alkynyl , substituted alkynyl , cycloalkyl , substituted cycloalkyl , aryl , substituted aryl , heteroaryl , substituted heteroaryl , heterocyclic and substituted heterocyclic are as defined herein . “ optionally substituted ” means that the recited group may be unsubstituted or the recited group may be substituted . “ pharmaceutically - acceptable carrier ” means a carrier that is useful in preparing a pharmaceutical composition or formulation that is generally safe , non - toxic , and neither biologically nor otherwise undesirable , and includes a carrier that is acceptable for veterinary use as well as human pharmaceutical use . “ pharmaceutically - acceptable salt ” refers to salts which retain the biological effectiveness and properties of compounds which are not biologically or otherwise undesirable . pharmaceutically - acceptable salts refer to pharmaceutically - acceptable salts of the compounds , which salts are derived from a variety of organic and inorganic counter ions well known in the art and include , by way of example only , sodium , potassium , calcium , magnesium , ammonium , tetraalkylammonium , and the like ; and when the molecule contains a basic functionality , salts of organic or inorganic acids , such as hydrochloride , hydrobromide , tartrate , mesylate , acetate , maleate , oxalate and the like . pharmaceutically - acceptable base addition salts can be prepared from inorganic and organic bases . salts derived from inorganic bases include , by way of example only , sodium , potassium , lithium , ammonium , calcium and magnesium salts . salts derived from organic bases include , but are not limited to , salts of primary , secondary and tertiary amines , such as alkyl amines , dialkyl amines , trialkyl amines , substituted alkyl amines , di ( substituted alkyl ) amines , tri ( substituted alkyl ) amines , alkenyl amines , dialkenyl amines , trialkenyl amines , substituted alkenyl amines , di ( substituted alkenyl ) amines , tri ( substituted alkenyl ) amines , cycloalkyl amines , di ( cycloalkyl ) amines , tri ( cycloalkyl ) amines , substituted cycloalkyl amines , disubstituted cycloalkyl amine , trisubstituted cycloalkyl amines , cycloalkenyl amines , di ( cycloalkenyl ) amines , tri ( cycloalkenyl ) amines , substituted cycloalkenyl amines , disubstituted cycloalkenyl amine , trisubstituted cycloalkenyl amines , aryl amines , diaryl amines , triaryl amines , heteroaryl amines , diheteroaryl amines , triheteroaryl amines , heterocyclic amines , diheterocyclic amines , triheterocyclic amines , mixed di - and tri - amines where at least two of the substituents on the amine are different and are selected from the group consisting of alkyl , substituted alkyl , alkenyl , substituted alkenyl , cycloalkyl , substituted cycloalkyl , cycloalkenyl , substituted cycloalkenyl , aryl , heteroaryl , heterocyclic , and the like . also included are amines where the two or three substituents , together with the amino nitrogen , form a heterocyclic or heteroaryl group . examples of suitable amines include , by way of example only , isopropylamine , trimethyl amine , diethyl amine , tri ( iso - propyl ) amine , tri ( n - propyl ) amine , ethanolamine , 2 - dimethylaminoethanol , tromethamine , lysine , arginine , histidine , caffeine , procaine , hydrabamine , choline , betaine , ethylenediamine , glucosamine , n - alkylglucamines , theobromine , purines , piperazine , piperidine , morpholine , n - ethylpiperidine , and the like . it should also be understood that other carboxylic acid derivatives would be useful , for example , carboxylic acid amides , including carboxamides , lower alkyl carboxamides , dialkyl carboxamides , and the like . pharmaceutically - acceptable acid addition salts may be prepared from inorganic and organic acids . salts derived from inorganic acids include hydrochloric acid , hydrobromic acid , sulfuric acid , nitric acid , phosphoric acid , and the like . salts derived from organic acids include acetic acid , propionic acid , glycolic acid , pyruvic acid , oxalic acid , malic acid , malonic acid , succinic acid , maleic acid , fumaric acid , tartaric acid , citric acid , benzoic acid , cinnamic acid , mandelic acid , methanesulfonic acid , ethanesulfonic acid , p - toluene - sulfonic acid , salicylic acid , and the like . a compound may act as a pro - drug . pro - drug means any compound which releases an active parent drug in vivo when such pro - drug is administered to a mammalian subject . pro - drugs are prepared by modifying functional groups present in such a way that the modifications may be cleaved in vivo to release the parent compound . pro - drugs include compounds wherein a hydroxy , amino , or sulfhydryl group is bonded to any group that may be cleaved in vivo to regenerate the free hydroxyl , amino , or sulfhydryl group , respectively . examples of pro - drugs include , but are not limited to esters ( e . g ., acetate , formate , and benzoate derivatives ), carbamates ( e . g ., n , n - dimethylamino - carbonyl ) of hydroxy functional groups , and the like . ( 1 ) preventing the disease , i . e . causing the clinical symptoms of the disease not to develop in a mammal that may be exposed to or predisposed to the disease but does not yet experience or display symptoms of the disease , ( 2 ) inhibiting the disease , i . e ., arresting or reducing the development of the disease or its clinical symptoms , or ( 3 ) relieving the disease , i . e ., causing regression of the disease or its clinical symptoms . a “ therapeutically - effective amount ” means the amount of a compound that , when administered to a mammal for treating a disease , is sufficient to effect such treatment for the disease . the “ therapeutically - effective amount ” will vary depending on the compound , the disease , and its severity and the age , weight , etc ., of the mammal to be treated . in general , compounds will be administered in a therapeutically - effective amount by any of the accepted modes of administration for these compounds . the compounds can be administered by a variety of routes , including , but not limited to , oral , parenteral ( e . g ., subcutaneous , subdural , intravenous , intramuscular , intrathecal , intraperitoneal , intracerebral , intraarterial , or intralesional routes of administration ), topical , intranasal , localized ( e . g ., surgical application or surgical suppository ), rectal , and pulmonary ( e . g ., aerosols , inhalation , or powder ). accordingly , these compounds are effective as both injectable and oral compositions . the compounds can be administered continuously by infusion or by bolus injection . the actual amount of the compound , i . e ., the active ingredient , will depend on a number of factors , such as the severity of the disease , i . e ., the condition or disease to be treated , age , and relative health of the subject , the potency of the compound used , the route and form of administration , and other factors . toxicity and therapeutic efficacy of such compounds can be determined by standard pharmaceutical procedures in cell cultures or experimental animals , e . g ., for determining the ld 50 ( the dose lethal to 50 % of the population ) and the ed 50 ( the dose therapeutically effective in 50 % of the population ). the dose ratio between toxic and therapeutic effects is the therapeutic index and it can be expressed as the ratio ld 50 / ed 50 . the data obtained from the cell culture assays and animal studies can be used in formulating a range of dosage for use in humans . the dosage of such compounds lies within a range of circulating concentrations that include the ed 50 with little or no toxicity . the dosage may vary within this range depending upon the dosage form employed and the route of administration utilized . for any compound used , the therapeutically - effective dose can be estimated initially from cell culture assays . a dose may be formulated in animal models to achieve a circulating plasma concentration range which includes the ic 50 ( i . e ., the concentration of the test compound which achieves a half - maximal inhibition of symptoms ) as determined in cell culture . such information can be used to more accurately determine useful doses in humans . levels in plasma may be measured , for example , by high performance liquid chromatography . the amount of the pharmaceutical composition administered to the patient will vary depending upon what is being administered , the purpose of the administration , such as prophylaxis or therapy , the state of the patient , the manner of administration , and the like . in therapeutic applications , compositions are administered to a patient already suffering from a disease in an amount sufficient to cure or at least partially arrest the symptoms of the disease and its complications . an amount adequate to accomplish this is defined as “ therapeutically - effective dose .” amounts effective for this use will depend on the disease condition being treated as well as by the judgment of the attending clinician depending upon factors such as the severity of the inflammation , the age , weight , and general condition of the patient , and the like . the compositions administered to a patient are in the form of pharmaceutical compositions described supra . these compositions may be sterilized by conventional sterilization techniques , or may be sterile filtered . the resulting aqueous solutions may be packaged for use as is , or lyophilized , the lyophilized preparation being combined with a sterile aqueous carrier prior to administration . it will be understood that use of certain of the foregoing excipients , carriers , or stabilizers will result in the formation of pharmaceutical salts . the active compound is effective over a wide dosage range and is generally administered in a pharmaceutically - or therapeutically - effective amount . the therapeutic dosage of the compounds will vary according to , for example , the particular use for which the treatment is made , the manner of administration of the compound , the health and condition of the patient , and the judgment of the prescribing physician . for example , for intravenous administration , the dose will typically be in the range of about 0 . 5 mg to about 100 mg per kilogram body weight . effective doses can be extrapolated from dose - response curves derived from in vitro or animal model test systems . typically , the clinician will administer the compound until a dosage is reached that achieves the desired effect . when employed as pharmaceuticals , the compounds are usually administered in the form of pharmaceutical compositions . pharmaceutical compositions contain as the active ingredient one or more of the compounds above , associated with one or more pharmaceutically - acceptable carriers or excipients . the excipient employed is typically one suitable for administration to human subjects or other mammals . in making the compositions , the active ingredient is usually mixed with an excipient , diluted by an excipient , or enclosed within a carrier which can be in the form of a capsule , sachet , paper or other container . when the excipient serves as a diluent , it can be a solid , semi - solid , or liquid material , which acts as a vehicle , carrier , or medium for the active ingredient . thus , the compositions can be in the form of tablets , pills , powders , lozenges , sachets , cachets , elixirs , suspensions , emulsions , solutions , syrups , aerosols ( as a solid or in a liquid medium ), ointments containing , for example , up to 10 % by weight of the active compound , soft and hard gelatin capsules , suppositories , sterile injectable solutions , and sterile packaged powders . in preparing a formulation , it may be necessary to mill the active compound to provide the appropriate particle size prior to combining with the other ingredients . if the active compound is substantially insoluble , it ordinarily is milled to a particle size of less than 200 mesh . if the active compound is substantially water soluble , the particle size is normally adjusted by milling to provide a substantially uniform distribution in the formulation , e . g ., about 40 mesh . some examples of suitable excipients include lactose , dextrose , sucrose , sorbitol , mannitol , starches , gum acacia , calcium phosphate , alginates , tragacanth , gelatin , calcium silicate , microcrystalline cellulose , polyvinylpyrrolidone , cellulose , sterile water , syrup , and methyl cellulose . the formulations can additionally include : lubricating agents such as talc , magnesium stearate , and mineral oil ; wetting agents ; emulsifying and suspending agents ; preserving agents such as methyl - and propylhydroxy - benzoates ; sweetening agents ; and flavoring agents . the compositions of the invention can be formulated so as to provide quick , sustained , or delayed - release of the active ingredient after administration to the patient by employing procedures known in the art . the quantity of active compound in the pharmaceutical composition and unit dosage form thereof may be varied or adjusted widely depending upon the particular application , the manner or introduction , the potency of the particular compound , and the desired concentration . the term “ unit dosage forms ” refers to physically - discrete units suitable as unitary dosages for human subjects and other mammals , each unit containing a predetermined quantity of active material calculated to produce the desired therapeutic effect , in association with a suitable pharmaceutical excipient . the compound can be formulated for parenteral administration in a suitable inert carrier , such as a sterile physiological saline solution . the dose administered will be determined by route of administration . administration of therapeutic agents by intravenous formulation is well known in the pharmaceutical industry . an intravenous formulation should possess certain qualities aside from being just a composition in which the therapeutic agent is soluble . for example , the formulation should promote the overall stability of the active ingredient ( s ). also , the manufacture of the formulation should be cost - effective . all of these factors ultimately determine the overall success and usefulness of an intravenous formulation . other accessory additives that may be included in pharmaceutical formulations and compounds as follow : solvents : ethanol , glycerol , propylene glycol ; stabilizers : edta ( ethylene diamine tetraacetic acid ), citric acid ; antimicrobial preservatives : benzyl alcohol , methyl paraben , propyl paraben ; buffering agents : citric acid / sodium citrate , potassium hydrogen tartrate , sodium hydrogen tartrate , acetic acid / sodium acetate , maleic acid / sodium maleate , sodium hydrogen phthalate , phosphoric acid / potassium dihydrogen phosphate , phosphoric acid / disodium hydrogen phosphate ; and tonicity modifiers : sodium chloride , mannitol , dextrose . the presence of a buffer is necessary to maintain the aqueous ph in the range of from about 4 to about 8 . the buffer system is generally a mixture of a weak acid and a soluble salt thereof , e . g ., sodium citrate / citric acid ; or the monocation or dication salt of a dibasic acid , e . g ., potassium hydrogen tartrate ; sodium hydrogen tartrate , phosphoric acid / potassium dihydrogen phosphate , and phosphoric acid / disodium hydrogen phosphate . the amount of buffer system used is dependent on ( 1 ) the desired ph ; and ( 2 ) the amount of drug . generally , the amount of buffer used is able to maintain a formulation ph in the range of 4 to 8 . generally , a 1 : 1 to 10 : 1 mole ratio of buffer ( where the moles of buffer are taken as the combined moles of the buffer ingredients , e . g ., sodium citrate and citric acid ) to drug is used . a useful buffer is sodium citrate / citric acid in the range of 5 to 50 mg per ml . sodium citrate to 1 to 15 mg per ml . citric acid , sufficient to maintain an aqueous ph of 4 - 6 of the composition . the buffer agent may also be present to prevent the precipitation of the drug through soluble metal complex formation with dissolved metal ions , e . g ., ca , mg , fe , al , ba , which may leach out of glass containers or rubber stoppers or be present in ordinary tap water . the agent may act as a competitive complexing agent with the drug and produce a soluble metal complex leading to the presence of undesirable particulates . in addition , the presence of an agent , e . g ., sodium chloride in an amount of about of 1 - 8 mg / ml , to adjust the tonicity to the same value of human blood may be required to avoid the swelling or shrinkage of erythrocytes upon administration of the intravenous formulation leading to undesirable side effects such as nausea or diarrhea and possibly to associated blood disorders . in general , the tonicity of the formulation matches that of human blood which is in the range of 282 to 288 mosm / kg , and in general is 285 mosm / kg , which is equivalent to the osmotic pressure corresponding to a 0 . 9 % solution of sodium chloride . an intravenous formulation can be administered by direct intravenous injection , i . v . bolus , or can be administered by infusion by addition to an appropriate infusion solution such as 0 . 9 % sodium chloride injection or other compatible infusion solution . the compositions are preferably formulated in a unit dosage form , each dosage containing from about 5 to about 100 mg , more usually about 10 to about 30 mg , of the active ingredient . the term “ unit dosage forms ” refers to physically discrete units suitable as unitary dosages for human subjects and other mammals , each unit containing a predetermined quantity of active material calculated to produce the desired therapeutic effect , in association with a suitable pharmaceutical excipient . the active compound is effective over a wide dosage range and is generally administered in a pharmaceutically effective amount . it will be understood , however , that the amount of the compound actually administered will be determined by a physician , in the light of the relevant circumstances , including the condition to be treated , the chosen route of administration , the actual compound administered , the age , weight , and response of the individual patient , the severity of the patient &# 39 ; s symptoms , and the like . for preparing solid compositions such as tablets , the principal active ingredient is mixed with a pharmaceutical excipient to form a solid preformulation composition containing a homogeneous mixture of a compound of the present invention . when referring to these preformulation compositions as homogeneous , it is meant that the active ingredient is dispersed evenly throughout the composition so that the composition may be readily subdivided into equally effective unit dosage forms such as tablets , pills and capsules . this solid preformulation is then subdivided into unit dosage forms of the type described above containing from , for example , 0 . 1 to about 2000 mg of the active ingredient . the tablets or pills may be coated or otherwise compounded to provide a dosage form affording the advantage of prolonged action . for example , the tablet or pill can comprise an inner dosage and an outer dosage component , the latter being in the form of an envelope over the former . the two components can be separated by an enteric layer which serves to resist disintegration in the stomach and permit the inner component to pass intact into the duodenum or to be delayed in release . a variety of materials can be used for such enteric layers or coatings , such materials including a number of polymeric acids and mixtures of polymeric acids with such materials as shellac , cetyl alcohol , and cellulose acetate . the liquid forms in which the novel compositions may be incorporated for administration orally or by injection include aqueous solutions , suitably flavored syrups , aqueous or oil suspensions , and flavored emulsions with edible oils such as cottonseed oil , sesame oil , coconut oil , or peanut oil , as well as elixirs and similar pharmaceutical vehicles . compositions for inhalation or insufflation include solutions and suspensions in pharmaceutically - acceptable , aqueous or organic solvents , or mixtures thereof , and powders . the liquid or solid compositions may contain suitable pharmaceutically - acceptable excipients as described supra . compositions in pharmaceutically - acceptable solvents may be nebulized by use of inert gases . nebulized solutions may be breathed directly from the nebulizing device or the nebulizing device may be attached to a face masks tent , or intermittent positive pressure breathing machine . solution , suspension , or powder compositions may be administered from devices which deliver the formulation in an appropriate manner . the compounds can be administered in a sustained release form . suitable examples of sustained - release preparations include semipermeable matrices of solid hydrophobic polymers containing the compounds , which matrices are in the form of shaped articles , e . g ., films , or microcapsules . examples of sustained - release matrices include polyesters , hydrogels ( e . g ., poly ( 2 - hydroxyethyl - methacrylate ) as described by langer et al ., j . biomed . mater . res . 15 : 167 - 277 ( 1981 ) and langer , chem . tech . 12 : 98 - 105 ( 1982 ) or poly ( vinyl alcohol )), polylactides ( u . s . pat . no . 3 , 773 , 919 ), copolymers of l - glutamic acid and gamma ethyl - l - glutamate ( sidman et al ., biopolymers 22 : 547 - 556 , 1983 ), non - degradable ethylene - vinyl acetate ( langer et al ., supra ), degradable lactic acid - glycolic acid copolymers such as the lupron depot ™ ( i . e ., injectable microspheres composed of lactic acid - glycolic acid copolymer and leuprolide acetate ), and poly - d -(−)- 3 - hydroxybutyric acid ( ep 133 , 988 ). the compounds can be administered in a sustained - release form , for example a depot injection , implant preparation , or osmotic pump , which can be formulated in such a manner as to permit a sustained - release of the active ingredient . implants for sustained - release formulations are well - known in the art . implants may be formulated as , including but not limited to , microspheres , slabs , with biodegradable or non - biodegradable polymers . for example , polymers of lactic acid and / or glycolic acid form an erodible polymer that is well - tolerated by the host . transdermal delivery devices (“ patches ”) may also be employed . such transdermal patches may be used to provide continuous or discontinuous infusion of the compounds in controlled amounts . the construction and use of transdermal patches for the delivery of pharmaceutical agents is well known in the art . see , e . g ., u . s . pat . no . 5 , 023 , 252 , issued jun . 11 , 1991 , herein incorporated by reference . such patches may be constructed for continuous , pulsatile , or on - demand delivery of pharmaceutical agents . direct or indirect placement techniques may be used when it is desirable or necessary to introduce the pharmaceutical composition to the brain . direct techniques usually involve placement of a drug delivery catheter into the host &# 39 ; s ventricular system to bypass the blood - brain barrier . one such implantable delivery system used for the transport of biological factors to specific anatomical regions of the body is described in u . s . pat . no . 5 , 011 , 472 , which is herein incorporated by reference . indirect techniques usually involve formulating the compositions to provide for drug latentiation by the conversion of hydrophilic drugs into lipid - soluble drugs . latentiation is generally achieved through blocking of the hydroxy , carbonyl , sulfate , and primary amine groups present on the drug to render the drug more lipid - soluble and amenable to transportation across the blood - brain barrier . alternatively , the delivery of hydrophilic drugs may be enhanced by intra - arterial infusion of hypertonic solutions which can transiently open the blood - brain barrier . in order to enhance serum half - life , the compounds may be encapsulated , introduced into the lumen of liposomes , prepared as a colloid , or other conventional techniques may be employed which provide an extended serum half - life of the compounds . a variety of methods are available for preparing liposomes , as described in , e . g ., szoka et al ., u . s . pat . nos . 4 , 235 , 871 , 4 , 501 , 728 and 4 , 837 , 028 each of which is incorporated herein by reference . pharmaceutical compositions are suitable for use in a variety of drug delivery systems . suitable formulations for use in the present invention are found in remington &# 39 ; s pharmaceutical sciences , mace publishing company , philadelphia , pa ., 17th ed . ( 1985 ). in the examples below , if an abbreviation is not defined above , it has its generally accepted meaning . further , all temperatures are in degrees celsius ( unless otherwise indicated ). the following methods were used to prepare the compounds set forth below as indicated . the above ingredients are mixed and filled into hard gelatin capsules in 340 mg quantities . the components are blended and compressed to form tablets , each weighing 240 mg . a dry powder inhaler formulation is prepared containing the following components : the active mixture is mixed with the lactose and the mixture is added to a dry powder inhaling appliance . tablets , each containing 30 mg of active ingredient , are prepared as follows : the active ingredient , starch , and cellulose are passed through a no . 20 mesh u . s . sieve and mixed thoroughly . the solution of polyvinyl - pyrrolidone is mixed with the resultant powders , which are then passed through a 16 mesh u . s . sieve . the granules so produced are dried at 50 ° to 60 ° c . and passed through a 16 mesh u . s . sieve . the sodium carboxymethyl starch , magnesium stearate , and talc , previously passed through a no . 30 mesh u . s . sieve , are then added to the granules , which after mixing , are compressed on a tablet machine to yield tablets each weighing 150 mg . capsules , each containing 40 mg of medicament , are made as follows : the active ingredient , cellulose , starch , an magnesium stearate are blended , passed through a no . 20 mesh u . s . sieve , and filled into hard gelatin capsules in 150 mg quantities . suppositories , each containing 25 mg of active ingredient , are made as follows : the active ingredient is passed through a no . 60 mesh u . s . sieve and suspended in the saturated fatty acid glycerides previously melted using the minimum heat necessary . the mixture is then poured into a suppository mold of nominal 2 . 0 g capacity and allowed to cool . suspensions , each containing 50 mg of medicament per 5 . 0 ml dose , are made as follows : the medicament , sucrose , and xanthan gum are blended , passed through a no . 10 mesh u . s . sieve , and then mixed with a previously made solution of the microcrystalline cellulose and sodium carboxymethyl cellulose in water . the sodium benzoate , flavor , and color are diluted with some of the water and added with stirring . sufficient water is then added to produce the required volume . hard gelatin tablets , each containing 15 mg of active ingredient , are made as follows : the active ingredient , cellulose , starch , and magnesium stearate are blended , passed through a no . 20 mesh u . s . sieve , and filled into hard gelatin capsules in 560 mg quantities . therapeutic compound compositions generally are placed into a container having a sterile access port , for example , an intravenous solution bag or vial having a stopper pierceable by a hypodermic injection needle or similar sharp instrument . the white soft paraffin is heated until molten . the liquid paraffin and emulsifying wax are incorporated and stirred until dissolved . the active ingredient is added and stirring is continued until dispersed . the mixture is then cooled until solid . an aerosol formulation may be prepared as follows : a solution of the candidate compound in 0 . 5 % sodium bicarbonate / saline ( w / v ) at a concentration of 30 . 0 mg / ml is prepared using the following procedure : 1 . add 0 . 5 g sodium bicarbonate into a 100 ml volumetric flask . 1 . add 0 . 300 g of the candidate compound into a 10 . 0 ml volumetric flask . 2 . add approximately 9 . 7 ml of 0 . 5 % sodium bicarbonate / saline stock solution . 4 . q . s . to 10 . 0 ml with 0 . 5 % sodium bicarbonate / saline stock solution and mix . 4 - tert - butyl - n -[[ 2 - chloro - 4 -( methylamino ) phenyl ]- carbamothioyl ] benzamide hydrochloride ( compound 5 ) was synthesized according to the following scheme : to a stirred solution of 4 - tert - butylbenzoyl chloride ( 6 g , 198 mmol ) in acetone ( 250 ml ) was added ammonium thiocynate ( 28 g , 237 mmol ). the resulting yellow suspension was stirred at room temperature for 2 hours , condensed to dryness and then reconstituted through the addition of ethyl acetate ( 200 ml ). the organic portion was washed with a saturated sodium bicarbonate solution ( 2 × 200 ml ) and brine ( 200 ml ). the resulting organic phase was dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate and concentrated to a sticky liquid . the residue was chilled in a − 10 ° c . freezer to give 37 grams of intermediate a as a yellow solid ( 88 %). to a stirred solution of intermediate a ( 5 . 85 g , 24 . 6 mmol ) in acetone ( 120 ml ) was added 2 - chloro - 4 - nitroanaline ( 4 . 25 g , 24 . 6 mmol ) in one portion . the resulting yellow solution was stirred at room temperature for 36 hours , condensed and purified via normal phase column chromatography using a solvent system of 0 - 10 % ethyl acetate in hexanes to yield 8 . 6 g of compound 5 - 1 as a yellow solid ( 89 %). to a stirred solution of compound 5 - 1 ( 8 . 6 g , 22 mmol ) in acetonitrile ( 200 ml ) was added ammonium chloride ( 17 . 6 g , 330 mmol ) and water ( 100 ml ). to the resulting light yellow suspension was added iron powder ( 18 . 5 g , 330 mmol ) which resulted in a dark green mixture . after stirring for 24 hours , the reaction was filtered through a pad of celite and the filter cake was washed with ethyl acetate . the organic portion of the filtrate was removed and the aqueous portion was extracted twice with ethyl acetate . the combined organic portions were washed with brine and dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate . the resulting solution was concentrated to dryness to yield 6 . 6 g of compound 5 - 2 as a yellow solid ( 83 %). to a stirred solution of compound 5 - 2 ( 1 . 60 g , 4 . 4 mmol ) in tetrahydrofuran ( 100 ml ) was added formaldehyde ( 37 % aqueous , 0 . 4 ml , 4 . 8 mmol ), sodium triacetoxyborohydride ( 0 . 6 ml , 17 . 6 mmol ) and acetic acid ( 0 . 5 ml , 8 . 8 mmol ). the resulting yellow suspension was stirred at room temperature for 36 hours . the reaction mixture was diluted with dichloromethane ( 200 ml ) and washed with a saturated sodium bicarbonate solution and brine . the organic layer was concentrated and then purified via normal phase column chromatography using 0 - 5 % ethyl acetate in dichloromethane to yield 530 mg of compound 5 - 3 as a yellow solid ( 32 %). to an ice - water bath cooled solution of 5 - 3 ( 200 mg , 0 . 53 mmol ) in dichloromethane ( 6 ml ) was added 2m hcl in diethyl ether ( 0 . 35 ml , 0 . 69 mmol ). the resulting red solution was stirred at room temperature for 30 minutes . after removing solvents , the material was dried under high vacuum to yield 210 mg of compound 5 as a yellow solid ( 96 %). to a solution of intermediate a ( see example 12 ; 1 . 8 g , 8 . 22 mmol ) in acetone ( 30 ml ) was added ( 4 - amino - 2 - methoxy - phenyl )- carbamic acid tert - butyl ester ( 1 . 95 g , 8 . 22 mmol ). the reaction mixture was stirred at room temperature for 16 hours , concentrated to dryness and treated with ethyl acetate ( 200 ml ). the organic portion was washed with water and a brine solution followed by evaporation of solvent . the residue was purified by normal phase column chromatography utilizing 10 - 50 % ethyl acetate in hexanes to provide 2 . 41 g of compound 3 - 1 as a pale white solid ( 64 %). a solution of compound 3 - 1 ( 12 g , 26 . 2 mmol ) in anhydrous dichloromethane ( 180 ml ) was cooled to 0 ° c . to the reaction mixture was added a solution of trifluoroacetic acid ( 20 ml , 262 mmol ) in dichloromethane ( 70 ml ). after stirring at room temperature for 16 hours , the solvent was removed and the residue was co - evaporated with anhydrous acetonitrile . the remaining oil was treated with diethyl ether followed by the addition of 2 . 0m hcl in diethyl ether ( 15 ml ). the solution was stirred at room temperature for 2 hours and then concentrated to provide a white solid . the solid was washed with copious amounts of diethyl ether to afford 9 . 2 g of compound 3 - 2 as a white solid ( 89 %). to a solution of compound 3 - 2 ( 150 mg , 0 . 381 mmol ) in dichloromethane ( 4 ml ) was added 2 - chlorobenzaldehyde ( 54 mg , 0 . 572 mmol ). the solution was stirred at room temperature for 1 hour followed by the addition of triacetoxyborohydride ( 121 mg , 0 . 572 mmol ). after stirring the suspension for 18 hours at room temperature , the reaction was quenched by the addition of a saturated sodium bicarbonate solution ( 3 ml ) and concentrated . the residue was treated with ethyl acetate , washed with brine and dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate . after removing solvents , the residue was purified by normal phase column chromatography eluting 15 - 45 % ethyl acetate in hexanes to yield 35 mg of compound 3 as a yellow solid ( 19 %). to a solution of 2 - chlorobenzoyl chloride ( 100 μl , 0 . 789 mmol ) and diisopropylethylamine ( 165 μl , 0 . 947 mmol ) in tetrahydrofuran ( 8 ml ) at 0 ° c . was added 4 - nitrobenzene - 1 , 2 - diamine ( 200 mg , 0 . 789 mmol ) drop wise . the reaction was allowed to warm to room temperature and stir for 3 hours . the reaction mixture was concentrated and the resulting residue was purified by normal phase column chromatography utilizing 75 % hexanes in ethyl acetate to produce 452 mg of compound 6 - 1 as a solid after vacuum drying (& gt ; 99 %). to a solution of compound 6 - 1 ( 0 . 452 g , 0 . 789 mmol ) in tetrahydrofuan ( 5 ml ) was added a saturated ammonium chloride solution ( 3 ml ) followed by iron powder ( 220 mg , 3 . 95 mmol ). the reaction was stirred for 72 hours and then filtered through celite . the filtrate was concentrated and the resulting residue was purified by normal phase column chromatography using 0 . 5 - 1 % methanol in , dichloromethane to produce 152 mg of compound 6 - 2 as a solid ( 53 %). to a solution of compound 6 - 2 ( 99 . 7 mg , 0 . 42 mmol ) in acetone ( 8 ml ) was added intermediate a ( see example 12 ; 152 mg , 0 . 42 mmol ). the reaction was stirred for 2 hours at room temperature and then concentrated . the resulting residue was purified by normal phase column chromatography eluting 75 % hexanes in ethyl acetate to produce 238 mg of compound 6 - 3 as a solid ( 97 %). to a solution of compound 6 - 3 ( 237 mg , 0 . 40 mmol ) in dichloromethane ( 2 ml ) at 0 ° c . under argon was added a 50 % solution of trifluoroacetic acid in dichloromethane ( 8 ml ). the reaction was stirred for 3 hours at room temperature and then concentrated . the residue was dissolved in dimethylformamide and purified by prep - hplc to afford 148 mg of a solid following vacuum drying . a solution of 79 mg of the free base was dissolved in dichloromethane ( 2 ml ) and cooled with an ice - water bath followed by the slow addition of 2 . 0m hcl in diethyl ether ( 2 ml ). the mixture was evaporated immediately to afford 74 mg of compound 6 as a brown solid ( 88 %). to a solution of 2 - chloro - 5 - methylphenylamine ( 72 . 8 mg , 0 . 514 mmol ) in acetone ( 3 ml ) was added a solution of intermediate a ( see example 12 ; 122 mg , 0 . 556 mmol ) in acetone ( 3 ml ). the reaction was stirred at room temperature for 2 hours and then concentrated . the resulting residue was purified by normal phase column chromatography eluting 85 % hexanes in ethyl acetate to yield 187 mg of compound 9 - 1 as a solid following vacuum drying (& gt ; 99 %). to a solution of compound 9 - 1 ( 150 mg , 0 . 42 mmol ) in dimethylformamide ( 4 ml ) was added potassium carbonate ( 72 mg , 0 . 52 mmol ) followed by iodoethane ( 65 mg , 0 . 42 mmol ). the reaction mixture was stirred at room temperature for 4 hours . after the reaction period , the mixture was diluted with ethyl acetate ( 50 ml ), washed with brine ( 2 × 15 ml ) and water ( 15 ml ), dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate and concentrated under reduced pressure . the crude material was purified by normal phase column chromatography using a gradient elution of 100 to 98 % hexanes in ethyl acetate to produce 60 mg of compound 9 as a white powder ( 36 %). sensitive and reproducible high throughput screening ( hts ) assays were established to measure cytopathic effect induced by infection with either rift valley fever virus ( rvfv ) or la crosse virus ( lacv ), viruses that represent two distinct genera in the genetically diverse bunyaviridae family . to determine the amount of lacv stock required to produce complete cpe , vero cell monolayers were seeded on 96 - well plates and infected with 2 - fold serial dilutions of the lacv stock . at 3 , 4 , or 5 days post - infection , replicate cultures were fixed with 5 % glutaraldehyde and stained with 0 . 1 % crystal violet . virus - induced cytopathic effect ( cpe ) was quantified spectrophotometrically at od570 . from this analysis , a 1 : 20 , 000 dilution of lacv stock ( moi of 0 . 01 pfu / cell ) was chosen for use in the hts assay , and the optimum time of infection at this dilution prior to fixation and crystal violet staining was determined to be 4 days . a cpe assay used to measure cpe caused by the rvfv vaccine strain mp - 12 ( provided by viropharma , inc .) was similarly optimized using vero cells and a 1 : 12 , 000 dilution of rvfv stock ( 0 . 03 pfu / cell ). rvfv vaccine strain mp12 and lacv were provided by viropharma , inc . virus stocks were prepared in bhk - 21 cells infected at low multiplicity ( 0 . 01 plaque forming units ( pfu )/ cell ) and harvested when at the time of maximum cpe . the samples were frozen and thawed to release cell - associated virus . the cell debris was removed by low - speed centrifugation , and the resulting virus suspension was stored in 1 ml aliquots at − 80 ° c . the titer of the virus suspension was quantified by standard assay on vero cells . the lacv and rvfv cpe assays were used to identify antiviral compounds from the siga chemical library capable of inhibiting both lacv - induced and rvfv - induced cpe . each evaluation run consisted of 48 × 96 - well plates with 80 compounds per plate to generate 3 , 840 data points per run per virus , and each run incorporated ribavirin controls ( ec 50 value 0 . 75 mm for lacv and 0 . 3 mm for rvfv ). compounds were dissolved in dmso and diluted in medium such that the final concentration in each well was 5 μm compound and 0 . 5 % dmso . the compounds were added robotically to the culture medium using the perkinelmer multiprobe ® ii ht plus robotic system . following compound addition , cultures were infected with lacv or rvfv as above . after 4 days incubation , plates were processed and the cpe quantified on a perkinelmer envision ii plate reader system . the results of these experiments indicated that the 96 - well assay format is robust and reproducible . the s / b ratio ( ratio of signal of cell control wells ( signal ) to virus control wells ( background )) has averaged 9 . 0 ± 1 . 8 . the well - to - well variability was determined for each individual plate and found to have a coefficient of variance of less than 15 % for both positive control and negative control wells , and overall assay - to - assay variability was less than 15 %. taken together , these results show that a sensitive and reproducible hts assay has been successfully developed to evaluate our compound library for inhibitors of lacv and rvfv replication . vero cells were seeded onto 24 - well plates in complete media and inclubated overnight at 37 ° c . the following day , compounds were added to triplicate wells of the plate across a range of concentrations between 25 μm and 0 . 1 nm . control wells lacking virus or containing dmso vehicle only were also prepared in triplicate . wells were then infected with tacaribe virus at an moi of 0 . 01 and incubated for 72 hours at 37 ° c . supernantants harvested at 72 hours from each well were serially diluted ( 10 − 1 to 10 − 5 ) and each dilution was plated onto a fresh monolayer of vero cells in duplicate , and overlayed with 3 ml of 1 . 1 % seaplaque agarose in media ( mem + 5 % fbs + p / s ). cells were incubated for 7 days at 37 ° c . following incubation , cells were fixed with 5 % gluteraldehyde and stained with 0 . 1 % crystal violet . viral plaques counted were used to calculate yield reduction as compared to cells treated with dmso vehicle . chemically tractable hits identified in either the lacv or the rvfv primary screens were subsequently tested for potency against both lacv and rvfv in cell culture . this secondary screen serves to confirm the result from the primary assay , determine the effective dose range of the compound , and identify any compounds from the individual primary screens that have broad spectrum activity against both rvfv and lacv . dose response curves are generated by measuring virus replication in the presence of a range of compound concentrations . typically , eight compound concentrations are used ( 25 , 8 , 2 . 56 , 0 . 81 , 0 . 26 , 0 . 084 , 0 . 027 and 0 . 009 μm ) in order to generate inhibition curves suitable for calculating ec 50 values . compounds that have ec 50 values & lt ; 25 μm against both lacv and rvfv were further evaluated for selectivity . to determine if compounds are selective for inhibition of virus replication and not simply toxic to cells , cytotoxicity of each hit that produces ec 50 values & lt ; 10 μm is determined by an alamar blue fluorometric method , which measures the in situ reduction of resazurin ( 7 - hydroxy - 3h - phenoxazin - 3 - one 10 - oxide ) by mitochondrial enzymes in metabolically active cells . the alamar blue assay is used to generate dose response curves and the cytotoxic concentration that kills 50 % of cells ( cc 50 ) is determined . cells are seeded at subconfluent densities in order to identify compounds that may be cytostatic . hits that were potent and selective against both rvfv and lacv were tested in additional ongoing antiviral hts programs at siga against a spectrum of pathogens from different viral and bacterial families . testing for in vitro antiviral activity was performed using clinically relevant members of multiple virus families including vaccinia virus and monkeypox virus ( poxviridae ), tacaribe virus and lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus ( arenaviridae ), encephalomyocarditis virus ( picornaviridae ), sindbis virus ( togaviridae ), dengue fever virus ( flaviviridae ), ebola virus ( filoviridae ), andes virus ( bunyaviridae ), respiratory syncytial virus ( paramyxoviridae ), influenza virus ( orthomyxoviridae ) human immunodeficiency virus ( retroviridae ). cpe assays for vaccinia virus , sindbis virus and encephalomyocarditis virus were carried out in a manner similar to that described for lacv and rvfv . antiviral activities against ebola virus , human immunodeficiency virus , lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus , and dengue virus were assessed using virus yield assays similar to that described for tacaribe virus . mic values for compounds 1 , 2 , and 3 against chlamydophila caviae were determined using a fluorescent marker to label intracellular bacterial growth in cell culture . briefly , compounds were delivered in media to vero cells across a range of concentrations ( 25 , 8 , 2 . 56 , 0 . 81 , 0 . 26 , 0 . 084 , 0 . 027 and 0 . 0075 μm ). cells were then inoculated with c . caviae at a multiplicity of infection of 0 . 8 . infected cells were centrifuged for 40 min ( 1200 rpm , 37 ° c .) and then incubated in a standard cell culture incubator for 20 hours . at this point media were removed from each well and a fluorescent tracker of host golgi metabolism ( nbd c6 - ceramide , molecular probes cat # n1154 : 1 μg / ml in pbs ) was added to the cells . nbd - c6 - ceramide traffics to intracellular chlamydia within infected cells and the abundance of label can be measured using fluorescein or gfp channels on a fluorimeter or fluorescent microscope . the label was incubated on cells for 30 min in the cell culture incubator and then replaced with mem - 10 . after 3 hr in the incubator , medium was removed and replaced with pbs . the development of chlamydia in cells was quantified by fluorescent measurement of retained label , and by visual evaluation of the infected cells . for influenza virus ec50 determination , a549 cells were plated in flat bottom , 96 - well plates . compounds were delivered in media to a549 cells across a range of concentrations ( 25 , 8 , 2 . 56 , 0 . 81 , 0 . 26 , 0 . 084 , 0 . 027 and 0 . 0075 μm ). cells were then inoculated with influenza virus in media containing 4 μg / ml tpck - treated trypsin and incubated at 37 c for 72 hours . following incubation , 25 ul of supernatant from infected wells was transferred to a separate , white , 96 - well assay plate . 75 μl of munana neuraminidase substrate ( 20 mm in emem - 0 ) was added to each well . plates were incubated at 37 c for 1 hour and 100 μl of stop solution was added to each well . plates were read at excitation wavelength of 360 nm and emission wavelength of 465 nm . the spectrum of activity of various compounds of the present invention against a broad range of viral and intracellular bacterial targets was measured as indicated above and is shown in tables 9 - 15 below . the invention has been described in terms of preferred embodiments thereof , but is more broadly applicable as will be understood by those skilled in the art . the scope of the invention is only limited by the following claims .
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fig1 shows a side view of a stand system 10 , along the yz plane , capable of tilting a monitor 12 substantially about its center axis 14 . the stand system 10 includes a base 16 and a neck 18 . the base 16 may have an arc configuration where the radius of curvature of the base has a radius r 1 . the radius r 1 is the approximate distance between the center axis 14 and the base 16 . note that the partial circular hash lines are shown for illustrative purpose only to indicate that the base 16 may have an arc representing a portion of a circle 20 having a radius r 1 where the center of the circle 20 is represented by the center axis 14 . the neck 18 may be provided between the monitor 12 and the base 16 . the neck 18 may have a proximal end 22 and a distal end 24 . the neck 18 may be sized so that the distance between the center axis 14 and the base 16 has a radius r 1 . note that the neck may have a variety of configuration with the distance between the center axis 14 and the base 16 has a radius r 1 . the proximal end 22 of the neck 18 may be coupled to the base 16 , and the distal end 24 of the neck 18 may be adapted to couple to the monitor 12 . the location of the distal end 24 may be near the center of the circle 20 so that once the monitor 12 is attached to the distal end 24 , the center axis 14 of the monitor 12 is substantially along the focal point of the arc formed by the base 16 . the base 16 may be supported by one or more rollers 24 to allow the base 16 to move substantially along the arc formed by the circle 20 . the base 16 may be engaged with a gear 26 that rotates to cause the base 16 to move along the path formed by the circle 20 . the gear 26 may be driven either manually or through a motor . for instance , a counter - clockwise rotation of the gear 26 may cause the base 16 to move in counter - clockwise direction ; and , conversely , clockwise rotation of the gear 26 may cause the base 16 to move in clockwise direction . the center of gravity of different monitors may differ depending on the placement of their internal components . assuming , however , that the center axis 14 of the monitor 12 substantially represents the center of gravity of the monitor 12 , the monitor 12 may pivot about its center of gravity as the base 16 moves . this allows the stand system 10 to tilt the monitor 12 substantially along its center of gravity , in the yz plane , so that moment of inertia due to the mass of the monitor 12 may be minimized . fig1 shows the monitor 12 in a first position 28 that is substantially along the direction of gravitation force . fig2 shows the mount 12 in a second position 30 that is in a titled down position . in this regard , the gear 26 may rotate in the counter - clockwise direction to move the base 16 in the counter - clockwise direction along the path defined by the circle 20 , which in turn tilts the monitor 12 downwards about its center of gravity . note that the downward tilting angle ø 1 may be increased or decreased by increasing or decreasing the radius r 1 , respectively , while maintaining the same circumference length of the base 16 . fig3 shows the mount 12 in a third position 32 that is in a tilted up position . in this regard , the gear 26 may rotate in the clockwise direction to move the base 16 in the clockwise direction along the path defined by the circle 20 , which in turn tilts the monitor 12 upwards about its center of gravity . note that in the three positions 28 , 30 , and 32 , the center of gravity of the monitor 12 is substantially maintained in the same position so that the weight of the monitor 12 may be supported by the rollers 24 . in addition , torque required on the gear 26 to move the base 16 may be minimized with the moment of inertia due to the mass of the panel 12 being minimized as the monitor tilts . with the stand system 10 described above , even a heavy tv such as a plasma tv can be tilted substantially along its center of gravity to minimize the torque required on the gear 26 . fig4 shows a top view of the stand system 10 along the xz plane . the stand system 10 may include a carousel 34 adapted to rotate relative to a base plate 36 . the base plate 36 may be adapted to sit on the floor or on top of a table . the carousel 34 may rotate either clockwise or counter - clockwise direction along the xz plane . the carousel 34 may rotate either manually or through a motor . the base 16 may be coupled to the carousel 34 so that as the carousel 34 rotates , the monitor 12 may be rotated or swivel about the xz plane . note that the distal end 24 of the neck 18 may couple to the back side of the monitor 12 so that the center of gravity of the monitor 12 is substantially along the center of the carousel 34 so that the monitor 12 may substantially swivel about its center of gravity . fig5 shows an enlarge view of the distal end of the neck 18 along the yz plane . in this embodiment , a motor 38 may be provided on the distal end 24 of the neck 18 to swivel the monitor 12 along the xz plane . the distal end 24 of the neck 18 extends from a housing 46 that includes a shaft 40 that is coupled to the neck 18 . the housing includes a wheel gear 42 that is coupled to the shaft 40 . the motor 38 has a motor gear 44 that is engaged with the wheel gear 42 . as the motor gear 44 rotates , the housing 46 rotates about the shaft 40 or swivels about the xz plane , which in turn swivels the monitor 12 around the shaft 40 or along the xz plane . the distal end 24 may also be coupled to a second housing 45 adapted to receive a portion of the neck 18 . this allows the distal end 24 to be adjustable along the z - axis relative to the neck 18 so that the center axis 14 of the monitor 12 may be the focal point of the arc formed by the base 16 . with the embodiments shown in fig4 and 5 , the monitor 12 may be swiveled either through the carousel 34 or the housing 46 . fig6 shows a control diagram 48 for adjusting the viewing angle of the monitor 12 through a remote control 50 . the remote control 50 may have swivel left button 52 , swivel right button 54 , tilt up button 56 , and a tilt down button 57 . the control diagram 48 includes a receiver 58 that receives the control signal from the remote control 50 . the receiver 58 sends the control signal to a processor 60 , which then controls the motors 62 and 64 to tilt and / or swivel the monitor 12 . for instance , the motor 62 may be linked to the gear 26 to tilt the monitor up by rotating the gear in the clockwise direction or tilt the monitor down by rotating the gear 26 in a counter - clockwise direction . the motor 64 may be linked to the carousel 34 to swivel the carousel 34 either in clockwise or counter - clockwise direction to swivel the monitor . in reference to fig5 where the monitor is swiveled through the housing 46 , the motor 64 may be the motor 38 discussed above . with the remote control 50 , a user can adjust the viewing angle of the monitor 12 by pushing one or more of the buttons 52 , 54 , 56 , and 57 . for instance , a viewer can push the tilt down button 57 to adjust the viewing angle of the monitor 12 towards the second position 30 ; and push the tilt up button 56 to adjust the viewing angle of the monitor 12 towards the third position 32 . fig7 shows that the gear 26 may be located at different locations . for instance , the gear 26 may be located at a first position 70 and / or a second position 72 . by locating the gear 26 in the first position 70 , which is in the front side of the monitor 12 , the stand system 10 may have greater tilt angle in the clockwise direction than in the counter - clockwise direction . conversely , by locating the gear 26 in the second position 72 , which is in the rear side of the monitor 12 , the stand system 10 may have greater tilt angle in the counter - clockwise direction than in the clockwise direction . in reference , to fig1 , by having the gear 26 located at the center of the base 16 , the tilt angle is same in either direction . note that a gear that is mechanically coupled to a motor may be located on the top side of the base 16 and / or on the bottom side of the base 16 . fig8 shows a stand system 200 having a first portion 202 and a second portion 204 . the first portion 202 has a proximal end 206 that is adapted to extend and retract relative to the second portion 204 in an arcing manner . the distal end 208 of the first portion is adapted to couple to the back side of a monitor 210 . the second portion 204 has a neck 212 adapted to receive the proximal end 206 of the first portion 202 . the second portion 204 has a base 214 adapted to sit on top of a table or floor , or adapted to attached to a ceiling . fig8 shows the stand system 200 in a first position 216 where the monitor is tilted upwards ; a second position 218 where the monitor is substantially in an upright position ; and a third position 220 where the monitor is tilted downwards . as the first portion 202 extends from the second portion 204 , the first portion 202 may be shaped in a semi - circular configuration to form an arc having a radius “ r ” about the focal point “ f .” the second portion 204 may have one or more openings 222 to allow cables and cords to pass therethrough and couple to the inputs in the monitor 210 to provide audio and video signals and power to the monitor . fig9 shows a rear perspective view of the stand system 200 in the second position 218 . the second portion 204 has two openings 222 to allow audio and video wires and power cords to pass therethrough and connect to the input sockets on the monitor . as discussed above , the second portion 204 may swivel relative to the base 214 . while various embodiments of the invention have been described , it will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that many more embodiments and implementations are possible within the scope of this invention . accordingly , the invention is not to be restricted except in light of the attached claims and their equivalents .
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fig4 schematically depicts a network comprising a dual process x / pex display server in accordance with the present invention . this network , like the network of fig1 ( a ), comprises an x client program 10 , lan 12 and display hardware 16 ; however , instead of the single process display server 14 of the fig1 ( a ) network , the present invention employs first and second processes 60 , 62 , first - in - first - out ( fifo ) registers 64 and shared memory ( e . g ., random access memory ( ram )) 66 . the x client program 10 generates requests as described above . the requests are received by the x server ( first process ) 60 and dispatched by a request dispatcher to an appropriate request servicing function . the request dispatcher is similar to the dispatcher 28 discussed above in connection with fig1 ( a ), 2 and 3 , but it includes a pex request dispatcher 60a that is different from the prior art pex request dispatcher 50 . fig5 depicts steps carried out by the pex request dispatcher 60a in dispatching pex requests . when a pex request is received , rather than a second level of dispatching taking place as in the prior art single process server 14 ( fig1 ( a )), the requests are passed on to the second process 62 . the pex request dispatcher 60a first determines at step s1 whether or not the second pex request servicing process 62 is idle ( not busy ). if the second pex request servicing process 62 is already operating on a previously issued request from another client , the newly arrived request is enqueued at step s2 and will await servicing until the second process becomes available . if the second process 62 is idle , at step s4 the request for pex services is put in memory buffer 66 ( fig4 ), which is shared by the first and second processes 60 , 62 , and at step s5 a message is sent from the first process 60 to the second process 62 via a fifo register ( or queue ) 64a . this message may , e . g ., indicate to the second process 62 that a pex request is present and ready for processing . regardless of whether the second process 62 is presently idle ( as determined at step s1 ), the requesting client is blocked from further attention at step s3 . when a client is blocked , the request dispatcher will &# 34 ; ignore &# 34 ; any further communications from that client ; however , the ignored requests are not discarded , but rather are saved until that client is unblocked at a later time . blocking in this manner preserves atomicity of the request stream . this allows requests to be serviced in the order in which they are received , and avoids out of order execution of intermixed pex and x requests . after the request dispatcher has completed blocking the requesting client , it immediately returns control to the x server &# 39 ; s dispatcher ( which is not specifically shown in fig4 but which is generally shown in fig1 ( a )) and reports that the operation has been successfully completed . it does this without waiting for the actual result of the operation . this is done so that the first process 60 can continue to respond to requests that may be present from other client programs . fig6 schematically depicts a system for use by the second process 62 for dispatching messages from the first process 60 . this figure specifically shows the processing by the second process 62 of messages that are received from the first process 60 via the communications fifo 64a ( fig4 ). the system comprises a message dispatcher 62a and a table 82 of addresses of message servicing functions 84 . the message dispatcher 62a normally sits idle , waiting for messages to arrive . messages sent by the first process 60 to the second process 62 include : when one of these messages arrives , a dispatch process similar to that described above for x client requests takes place . the appropriate message function is called ; this function responds in accordance with a prescribed program for that message and then returns control to the message dispatcher 62a . the message dispatcher 62a then returns to the state of waiting for a next message from the first process 60 . the dispatch message causes the second process 62 to examine the pex request that the first process 60 placed in the shared memory buffer 66 ( fig4 ). the appropriate pex function is called to provide the proper request services . this level of dispatching is similar to that provided in the single process server of the prior art , but in this case all of the pex operations are performed by the second process 62 . this allows the first process 60 to continue servicing x requests . the initialize , reset , and registercodes messages are used during startup and shutdown of the second process 62 . the destroywindow and freeclientresources messages are sent by the first process 60 to alert the second process 62 of the possible abnormal termination of client programs . one issue that arises in connection with the dual process server scheme of the present invention is how to return messages to a client that originated a pex request . the resolution of this issue is made difficult by the fact that the thread of execution in the first process 60 , with respect to that pex client , will typically have been released by the time the message is to be sent to the client . this is because the request dispatcher 60a will have been reentered and led to believe that the requested pex operation was successfully completed , when in fact it may not have actually begun yet . this problem is solved through messages that are sent back from the second process 62 to the first process 60 . the messages sent by the second process 62 to the first process 60 include : the idle message is sent to the first process 60 via fifo register 64b when the second process 62 is ready to service new requests . the first process 60 , upon receiving this message , unblocks the client that issued the last request sent to the second process 62 . the first process 60 also checks for any client that has been enqueued because its pex request arrived while the second process was busy . if such a client is found , that client &# 39 ; s pex request is passed to the second process 62 and a dispatch message is sent to fifo register 64a . any previously enqueued client is not unblocked at this time . unblocking will occur when the second process 62 sends an idle message to fifo register 64b after servicing the client &# 39 ; s pex request . the write , error and event messages instruct the first process 60 to transmit response messages back to the requesting client program . to the client program these messages are indistinguishable from those that would be generated in the single process display server of the prior art . the getdrawable message is used to determine characteristics of display objects used by the second process 62 . this information is obtained as it is needed by the second process . fig7 schematically depicts a system for use by the first process 60 for dispatching both x protocol requests from a client program and messages from the second process 62 . this system includes the request dispatcher 60a , a set of dispatch tables 70 , each table containing a list of addresses of client request servicing functions 36 , and a table 72 containing a list of addresses of message servicing functions 74 . the message servicing functions 74 service messages from the second process 62 ( fig4 ). fig7 particularly shows the features of the first process 60 that distinguish it from the single process 14 of the prior art single process server ( fig1 ( a ) and 2 ) and that allow it to respond to messages from the second process 62 . the basic dispatching mechanism of the prior art is used , however in the present invention the second process 62 appears to the first process 60 as a special type of client program . the second process &# 39 ; &# 34 ; pseudo - client &# 34 ; dispatch table 72 contains addresses of the idle , write , error , event , and getdrawable service functions . service functions for the response messages ( write , error , event ) obtain data that is to be sent to the originating client from both the fifo register 64b and the shared memory 66 . the first process 60 responds to getdrawable messages by placing the requested information into the shared memory 66 . it then indicates to the second process ( e . g ., through the shared memory ) that the drawable information is available . the foregoing description of exemplary embodiments of the present invention is not intended to limit the scope of protection provided by the following claims , which describe the invention in accordance with its true scope .
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in the drawings , there is illustrated drive mechanism 10 arranged to move slide 12 carrying object 14 along slideway 16 of stationary support 18 . object 14 may comprise a mirror , mechanical pointer , measuring scale , single lens , system of lenses or any one or combination of items requiring precision adjustment and / or highly accurate final positioning relative to reference means , e . g . the stationary support 18 or a target item such as ophthalmic lens 20 ( fig2 ). for purposes of illustration only , object 14 is shown as comprising an optical objective of the type commonly used in microscopes . the objective in this case is directed toward ophthalmic lens 20 which has convex surface 22 requiring surface power measurement , for example . this measurement may be determined by precise positioning of object 14 ( optical objective ) along axis a -- a at a point where collimated light reaching and reflected from surface 22 becomes focused at point 24 ( fig2 ). the source for collimated light directed upon surface 22 of target 20 may comprise laser 26 , plane mirror 28 and beam splitter 30 which directs a portion of the laser light along axis a -- a , through the lens system of object 14 to surface 22 . portions of this light reflected from surface 22 reversely along axis a -- a through the lens system of object 14 and beam splitter 30 may be brought to focus at point 24 by adjustment of object 14 ( the objective lens system ) along axis a -- a . the extent of this adjustment of object 14 ( the objective lens system ) and final positioning thereof denote focal length of surface 22 and the reciprocal of this focal length , in meters , represents power in diopters . the foregoing discussion of determining surface power of an ophthalmic lens is merely exemplary of a particular use to which the present invention may be put and is not to be considered as restrictive of the invention . the crux of this invention is to provide novel means for adjusting and / or precisely positioning object 14 at various selected positions along slideway 16 . as already mentioned , object 14 may comprise a mirror , pointer , measuring scale or other means serving a different purpose than the illustrated objective lens system . referring now to details of the drive mechanism which includes lead screw s carried by u - shaped bracket 32 ( fig1 ), it can be seen that back plate 34 of bracket 32 is pivotally mounted upon plate 36 of stationary support 18 . to this end , bearing 38 on pivot post 40 is secured to plate 34 by extension 42 which is best illustrated in fig3 . with such means , bracket 32 may be pivoted about axis b -- b ( fig2 ) which intersects axis a -- a and axis c -- c of lead screw s for selectively adjusting the angular relationship θ between screw s and axis a -- a . slide 12 is adjustable along axis a -- a . set screws 43 are providing for locking mechanism 10 in various desired angular relationships with axis a -- a . adjustment of slide 12 along axis a -- a for movement of objective 14 is accomplished with screw s as follows : being driven by stepping motor m , lead screw s is threaded through pivotal nut 44 ( fig1 and 2 ) which is supported by extension 46 of slide 12 . nut 44 is permitted to freely rotate about its axis in socket 48 ( fig2 ) which is carried by slide 50 . slide 50 is mounted on slideway 52 which provides freedom for lateral movement of nut 44 as it is advanced or retracted along screw s with operation of motor m . slideway 52 , slide 50 , socket 48 and nut 44 provide a universal connection between screw s and slide 12 wherewith the operation of slide 12 can be effected regardless of the selection of angular settings of mechanism 10 relative to axis a -- a . it should be understood that the setting of mechanism 10 does not exclude disposing screw s parallel to axis a -- a . stepping motor m which may embody the commercial product identified as &# 34 ; sigma stepping motor no . 2220 &# 34 ; manufactured by sigma instruments inc . of braintree , mass . is given a selected number of electrical pulses causing nut 44 to traverse screw s along axis c -- c for a distance equal to the number of screw revolutions times the screw pitch . with the travel of nut 44 along screw s , slide 50 traverses slideway 52 while slide 12 simultaneously traverses slideway 16 along axis a -- a by an amount equal to the extent of nut 44 travel times the cosine of angle θ between axes a -- a and c -- c . the angle θ is adjustable by pivoting bracket 32 about pivot post 40 , thereby varying the amount of travel of object 14 on slide 12 per revolution of screw s . for example , with the objective of moving object 14 exactly 26 mm in 4 , 644 equal motor steps at 200 steps per revolution of screw s and with screw s having a lead of 0 . 05 in ., angle θ may determined as follows : ## equ1 ## to accomplish the same result as above by prior art method , a 0 . 044 pitch lead screw having 22 . 727 leads / inch would be required , i . e . ## equ2 ## a non - standard 0 . 044 pitch lead screw would be unduly expensive and would serve only the single purpose of satisfying the above exemplary objective , i . e . adjustability to suit other requirements would be lacking . from the above , it can be seen that this invention provides a stepping motor drive mechanism which is universally adjustable and adaptable to various requirements of object movement and / or precision positioning with completion of full motor steps in each case while using standard lead screw pitch . it is to be understood , however , that there may be modifications and other adaptations of the presently illustrated form of the invention and that the foregoing illustration is not to be interpreted as restrictive of the invention beyond that necessitated by the following claims .
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in the circuit diagram of fig1 first and second digital mixers dm1 and dm2 are of conventional design and are interposed in like manner in the two signals paths connected to the input e , the following first and second digital low - pass filters tp1 and tp2 , respectively , and the first and second sampling stages as1 and as2 , which follow the low - pass filters tp1 and tp2 , respectively , and are clocked with the second clock signal f2 . at the same sampling instant in each period of the first clock signal f1 , binary numbers which are equivalent to the decimal numbers 1 , 0 , - 1 , 0 , 1 . . . are fed to the first digital mixer dm1 , while the second digital mixer dm2 is supplied at the same sampling instants with binary numbers which are equivalent to the decimal numbers 0 , 1 , 0 , - 1 , 0 . . . as is stated in the publication mentioned above , through the supply of these numerical values , the digital signals at the input e , which are delivered by a suitable analog - to - digital converter ( not shown ), are mixed with two signals which have the same frequency as the second clock signal , but differ in phase by exactly 90 °. in fig1 each of the two low - pass filters tp1 , tp2 consists of a cascade of five nonrecursive digital - filter stages each with the transfer function h &# 39 ;( z )= 1 + z - 1 , so that the transfer function of each of the low - pass filters tp1 , tp2 is : h ( z )=( 1 + z - 1 ) 5 , where z is the complex frequency variable corresponding to the frequency of the first clock signal f1 . the individual digital - filter stages are of identical design . each of them consists of the delay stage v , whose delay is equal to the period of the first clock signal f1 , and the adder stage a , one input of which is presented with the undelayed input signal , while the other is supplied with the signal delayed by the delay stage v . located at the ends of the signal paths and , thus , at the outputs of the digital filters tp1 and tp2 are the first and second sampling stages as1 and as2 , respectively , which are clocked with the second clock signal f2 whose frequency is equal to one quarter of the frequency of the first clock signal f1 . the output of the first sampling stage as1 is the output x of the first signal path , and that of the second sampling stage as2 is the output y of the second signal path . although , for simplicity and ease of illustration , only connecting lines are shown in the figures of the drawing between individual subcircuits as if only single conductors were present , the interconnections are buses consisting of many parallel conductors because the digital signals to be processed are present in parallel form and the signal processing in each of the stages takes place and is completed during one period of the first clock signal f1 . this is also apparent from the fact that the frequency of the first clock signal f1 is equal to four times the frequency of the chrominance - subcarrier reference of the secam color - television signal ; accordingly , the second clock frequency f2 is equal to this reference frequency . fig2 shows a simplified embodiment of the arrangement of fig1 which requires only five of the ten delay stages v of fig1 namely the delay stages v1 , v2 , v3 , v4 and v5 , which follow the input e in a cascade arrangement , and whose input signals y2 , x2 , y1 , x1 , and y0 and the output signal x0 of the fifth delay stage v5 are applied alternately to the two signal paths . in the first signal path , the input signals of the second and fourth delay stages v2 and v4 and the output signal of the fifth delay stage v5 are fed to the first computing circuit r1 , which is designed exclusively to calculate the term 2 - 6 ( x0 - 10x1 + 5x2 ), whereas the input signals y2 , y1 , and y5 of the first , third , and fifth delay stages v1 , v3 , and v5 are fed to the second computing circuit r2 , which is designed exclusively to calculate the term 2 - 6 ( 5y0 - 10y1 + y2 ). what was said about the buses used is indicated in fig2 by a diagonal in the lead connected to the input e , which is designated by the reference number 13 , and by diagonals in the leads running to the outputs x and y , which are designated by the reference numerals 11 . the numerals signify that 13 - bit and 11 - bit digital words , respectively , are transferred over these buses in parallel . accordingly , all subcircuits in the arrangement according to the invention handle the signals in parallel . fig3 shows a circuit diagram of a further simplification if the invention is realized using two - phase insulated - gate field - effect transistor circuits . this technique has been known for a long time and is described , for example , in &# 34 ; the electronic engineer &# 34 ;, march 1970 , pages 56 to 61 . in this realization , the five delay stages v1 . . . v5 of fig2 their two associated computing circuits r1 , r2 , and the two sampling stages as1 , as2 of fig1 are functionally united as follws . the input e is followed by the three delay stages v1 &# 39 ;, v2 &# 39 ;, v3 &# 39 ; in a cascade arrangement . the first clock signal f1 is divided into the two clock phases ph1 , ph2 of the two - phase clock system , which have the same frequency as the first clock signal f1 . on the leading edge of each first clock phase ph1 , the respective signal at the input e is transferred to the first input of the multiplier m , whose second input is fed with a binary word corresponding to the decimal factor &# 34 ; 5 &# 34 ;. on the leading edge of each second clock phase ph2 , the output signal of the multiplier m is transferred to the input of the doubler stage vd , i . e ., a stage which multiplies the output signal of the multiplier m by a binary word corresponding to the decimal factor 2 . this can be done simply by shifting the output signal of the multiplier m one place to the left in the straight binary code , as is well known . on the next leading edge of the first clock phase ph1 , the output signal of the doubler stage vd is applied to the subtrahend input of the subtracter sb . the output of the third delay stage v3 &# 39 ; is coupled to the first input of the first electronic switch s1 , whose output is connected to minuend input of the subtracter sb . the second input of the first electronic switch s1 is connected to the output of the multiplier m via the first delay element vg1 , which delays the multiplier &# 39 ; s output signal by 2 . 5 times the period of the first clock signal f1 . the output of the subtractor sb is coupled to the first input of the adder ad . the input e is preceded by the second delay element vg2 , which provides a delay equal to half the period of the first clock signal f1 . the input thus formed , e &# 39 ;, is connected to the first input of the second electronic switch s2 , whose second input is connected to the output of the multiplier m , and whose output is coupled to the second input of the adder ad . within four periods of the first clock signal f1 , the first inputs of the two switches s1 , s2 are connected to the outputs of the respective switches during the second and fourth periods , and the second inputs during the first and third periods . the output of the adder ad is connected to the input of the third electronic switch s3 . the input is connected to the output x of the first signal path during the third period , and to the output y of the second signal path during the fourth period . as mentioned above , the computing subcircuits , i . e ., the multiplier m , the subtracter sb , and the adder ad , perform the computation within a maximum time equal to half the period of the first clock signal f1 , i . e ., within a maximum period of 28 ns . such simple computing circuits are realizeable without difficulty . the multiplier m is preferably implemented as a series combination of two adders the first of which shifts the multiplier &# 39 ; s input signal two places to the left , which correspond to a multiplication by the decimal factor 4 , and the second of which adds the input signal to the result of the shift . after one period of the first clock signal s1 , a signal equal to ten times the signal value present at the input e at the end of the preceding period appears at the subtrahend input of the subtracter sb . similar time considerations apply to the other input of the subtracter sb and to the two inputs of the adder ad .
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as explained earlier , u . s . pat . no . 6 , 776 , 042 entitled “ micro - machined accelerometer ” discloses an improved micro - machined suspension plate which may be utilized in an accelerometer , seismometer ( velocimeter ) and / or other similar device . the subsequent u . s . patent application ser . no . 10 / 851 , 029 entitled “ improved micro - machined suspension plate with integral proof mass for use in a seismometer or other device ” discloses improvements to the basic design of the suspension plate . the suspension plate of the &# 39 ; 029 application is formed of and includes a revolutionary , in - plane suspension geometry rather than a traditional — spring design . more particularly , the suspension plate is micro - machined to form a central proof mass and flexural elements located on opposite sides of the proof mass . fig1 illustrates a cross - sectional diagram of a seismometer 1 having a suspension plate 2 and two capacitive plates 3 a - b ( alternatively , the device can have one capacitive plate ), with a centrally located proof mass 8 supported by flexural elements 6 utilized in a known , prior - art micro - machined in - plane suspension geometry , as described and set forth in u . s . pat . no . 6 , 776 , 042 . as shown in fig1 , the proof mass 8 is centrally located and surrounded by a hollow cavity 4 . the flexural elements 6 extend from opposite directions and allow the proof mass 8 to move in one direction , in the plane of suspension , but suppress motion of the proof mass in all other directions . these flexural elements 6 represent a significant improvement over the conventional use of a mechanical cantilevered spring design for supporting the proof mass . fig2 illustrates a suspension plate having a proof mass 201 supported by flexural elements 202 and further having intermediate frames 204 inter - disposed there between , in accordance with a first preferred embodiment of the present invention . use of these intermediate frames 204 eliminates any spurious modes over a much larger bandwidth and allows the production of a device with a flat response over the region of such bandwidth . the intermediate frames 204 also provide additional support to the proof mass 201 and help reduce the out of plane sag . this improvement was disclosed in u . s . patent application ser . no . 10 / 851 , 029 . for practical production of a seismometer device having a suspension plate and two conductive or capacitive plates , as described in u . s . pat . no . 6 , 776 , 042 , it is highly desirable that a single device geometry can be used to produce all three components of the sensor — i . e . the capacitive plates and the suspension plate . in order to accomplish this , all three plates are preferably arranged in a “ galperin ” orientation so each sees the same gravity vector . due to the geometry of the device it is important to ensure for optimal operation and design that when exposed to this gravity vector the proof mass is centered . if the suspension plate it manufactured separate from the capacitive plates , then the gravity force on the proof mass will effect the centering of the proof mass relative to each of the other capacitive plates and this will affect the readings as to each plate when the whole device is formed . to ensure that the proof mass is centered after production , the mask set is deliberately biased so that the flexural elements are “ pre - deflected ” when lying flat . this pre - deflection is such that when orientated at the “ galperin ” orientation or angle of 54 . 7 degrees , to the vertical the spring mass system is centered . when the material is removed by a method such as deep reactive ion etching ( drie ) the spring assumes a centered position at the galperin angle of 54 . 7 degrees . the pre - deflection can be calculated either analytically or using finite element analysis , both techniques are well know to those skilled in the art , such that the pattern is the same deflection pattern that would be observed in a released symmetrical structure when subject to an acceleration of opposite magnitude and direction to that the system when orientated at the galperin position . this level of pre - deflection will then almost exactly counterbalance deflection due to the gravity vector in the galperin orientation so that the mass will be nearly perfectly centered . fig3 illustrates a mask set that has been deliberately biased so that the flexural elements are “ pre - deflected ” when lying flat . fig4 shows the design of a capacitive plate 400 using an insulator such as glass . the use of an insulator rather than a semiconductor for this plate ensures that the stray capacitance from the displacement transducer pick - up capacitor 402 is minimized as stray capacitance to the semi - conductor substrate is eliminated . a further improvement is realized by using a differential pick - up capacitor such that common mode pick up of extraneous signals can be rejected in the electronics . the two capacitors , shown as 403 and 404 in the enlargement , illustrate the geometrical design for such a pickup array . the capacitors driving this array are placed on the proof mass and are a similar pattern of inter - digitated fingers with the same repeat period as the capacitive pick up array . one problem of insulators such as glass is that they are subject to surface charge build up which can adversely affect the device . to prevent this very high resistivity film 410 such as indium tin oxide can be applied over the surface to prevent charge build up . an important feature of the design is that whether two capacitive plates are used or one capacitive plate and a backing plate these plates should be of the same thickness to ensure that the overall seismometer dies does not bend due to thermal mismatch between the capacitive plate ( s ) and the silicon suspension plate . the cross section 401 of the capacitive plate shows such a capacitive plate being formed by micro - abrasion from both sides of the plate using a protective mask . the metallization pattern is first applied to the plain wafer to form the displacement transducer pickup capacitor 402 the interconnection paths and the connection pads 408 . the metal is then protected with the masking material . the first abrade then forms the controlled depth hollow 406 and the structure including the support beam 412 and the pedestal for the displacement transducer pickup capacitor 402 . the depth can be controlled by careful control of the micro - abrasion parameters , particle size , gas pressure , nozzle diameter and distance from the work piece , and running for a constant time with the nozzles moving at a constant velocity across the part . the second abrade them forms trenches to allow the individual capacitive plates to be separated and the structures for the mechanical support of the seismometers . through wafer tooling holes are also formed to allow mechanical alignment of all elements of the seismometer . to allow the seismometers to be assembled at the wafer level it is important that the capacitive plate , suspension plate and the backing plate remain as a contiguous wafer until they are bonded together . separating these by a dicing saw is not a good process as explained earlier . in fig5 we illustrate in cross section the process and mask required to form perforated support areas that will fracture in a controlled manner to allow the devices to be separated . in fig5 a the metalized capacitive plate wafer 500 has been masked with a suitable abrasion resistant cavity mask 502 . the technique for forming such a mask is known to one skilled in the art of abrasive machining . in fig5 b the abrasive jet 503 has created a cavity trench on the top surface . in fig5 c and 5 d the bottom mask 506 also illustrated in the figure has been applied to the bottom surface and the abrasive jet 503 has been applied to the bottom surface . in fig5 c the abrasive jet has cut through the wafer completely to form a through trench 508 , while in fig5 d the abrasive cut has created a pit shaped perforation 510 . when the devices are singulated the fracture line 512 will be directed by the weak area of the pits to follow the desired path and not damage the device on either side . the glass backing wafer can be attached to the silicon proof mass wafer using a variety of techniques known to those skilled in the art , such as glass frit bonding , anodic bonding , eutectic solder bonding . solder balls can be aligned on one of the wafers to be bonded by depositing a volume of solder in molten form through a positionable microjet , using precise “ pick and place ” machinery , or by deposition via holes in a solder - ball frame . the solder balls in the latter two cases are immobilized on the wafer to be bonded by a partial re - melt before the second wafer to be bonded is aligned to the solder - ball carrying wafer , and full reflow performed . our technique is an extension of the third , whereby the solder - ball carrier is formed by micromachining a silicon wafer , preferably by drie , with an array of circular holes in a mirror image of the final solder - ball locations on one of the wafers to be bonded . this wafer we call the solder - ball alignment wafer 601 . in the alignment wafer , the diameter 603 of the solder ball holes 602 is a little larger than the solder balls 605 , and the depth 604 of the holes a little less than the diameter of the solder balls . in one example , the hole dimensions for 100 - micron - diameter solder balls was 105 - microns diameter and 90 - microns depth . as solder balls are available with tolerances of 2 microns in their diameter , lateral positioning can be performed to very nearly as tight a tolerance , as the hole diameter need only be slightly larger . an excess of solder balls 606 used to populate all the holes required for sealing either a die or a wafer is poured onto the micro machined solder - ball alignment wafer ( fig6 b ), which is then gently vibrated by hand to ensure all the holes are populated . the dimensions of the holes 602 ensures a single solder ball 605 occupies each one , and the excess solder balls 606 can be poured off by slightly tilting the carrier wafer and reused ( fig6 c ). to improve location and retention of the solder balls , which may be deflected by electrostatic forces , a further design modification to the solder ball wafer carrier is the inclusion of through wafer vertical channels from the un - recessed surface of the wafer to allow the application of a vacuum . the channels should be of a smaller diameter than the solder balls so that a reasonable seal is produced once the recess is occupied by a solder ball . the channels may be produced by drie from the lower surface of the wafer . the wafer to be bonded 607 is then offered face down to the alignment wafer for alignment between the solder balls and the patterned wetting layer 608 . this inter - wafer alignment can be achieved either through visual manipulation , if the wafer to be bonded is transparent , through infrared ( ir ) imaging assisted manipulation , if the wafer is ir transparent , or by using alignment holes in both wafers with either precisely dimensioned rods or balls to mechanically lock the two wafers . after alignment the solder balls are immobilized on the wafer to be bonded either with a partial reflow onto the wetting metal layer , or by adhesion to a thin film of solder flux which has been previously deposited on the wafer to be bonded . after the solder balls are thus immobilized , the alignment wafer can be removed ( fig6 e ), a procedure which will not be impeded by any reflow as the solder will not adhere , but rather de - wet the silicon of the alignment wafer . if vacuum has been used to hold down the solder balls , it should be during this stage of the process . the second wafer to be bonded 609 with its wetting pattern 610 can then be aligned to the solder - ball carrying wafer to be bonded and the final bond achieved ( fig6 f ) through heating and reflow of the solder 611 . the thickness control of the seal is achieved by knowing the exact volume of solder in the solder balls 605 and the exact pattern of the metallization on both wafers 608 610 by controlling these parameters the solder reflow 611 will result in a controlled separation 612 between the wafers . when one of the wafers to be bonded has a flat surface , an extension of this technique can be performed without the need for an alignment wafer . the initially flat wafer to be bonded 700 is in this case patterned with the solder ball holes 701 . subsequent populating of the holes and alignment to the other wafer to be bonded 702 is as before , ( fig2 b - d ) but a full reflow is then performed ( fig2 e ). the pattern of the wetting metal 703 around the alignment holes on the flat wafer to be bonded is such that reflow de - wets the solder balls from the solder ball holes and then re - wets the metallization on the second wafer 704 and then the metallization on the first wafer 703 , forming the reflowed solder bond 705 between the two wafers with controlled separation 706 . to ensure a precise alignment of the seismometer die to the mounting a three point mounting technique is used that precisely constrains but does not over constrain the seismometer die . this technique has general applicability to mems devices that need to be accurately mounted with minimal thermal stress . the capacitive plate 800 has a precision diameter hole abraded into it 802 , and a slot with the same minor diameter 804 , and a smooth un - machined surface 806 is available . to mount the device it is located at a point in space by a precision metallic or ceramic ball 808 located in the hole 802 , a second ball 810 aligns the die along a line between the hole 802 and the slot 804 . finally the third ball 812 defines a point in space on the die 806 fixing its location in space . the force 814 from a resilient pad then presses on the die keeping it located onto the three point support provided by the balls . the use of an elastomeric connector that preferably uses embedded gold plated wires allows for minimum capacitance , minimum stress electrical connections between the seismometer die and the electronics . in fig9 the suspension plate 900 has a slot etched 901 etched through it during the drie process needed to form the other structures . the dimensions of this slot 902 are designed such that it ensures the correct degree of compression on the elastomeric connector 902 as this is sandwiched between the seismometer die and the printed circuit board 914 . the elastomeric connector 902 makes contact with the electrical connection pads 908 on the capacitive plate 904 using the e embedded gold plated wired 910 . these wires 910 then make electrical connection to the printed circuit board traces 912 on the printed circuit board 914 . the backing plate 906 is machined to clear the printed circuit board . the design of the elastomeric connector 902 , contacts 908 , and traces 912 is such that the pitch of the gold wires 910 is designed that no pads 908 can be connected to the wrong trace 912 by the wires 910 . the preferred design for thermal isolation by through - wafer etching is illustrated in the plan view of a micro machined die in fig1 . the central portion of the die 1000 can be used to fabricate any sensor structure which would benefit from thermal isolation . the conductive thermal coupling is reduced by etching out much of the die towards the edge to leave a series of thin beams 1001 and interconnections at the midpoints 1002 and corners 1003 . in incorporating a thermal frame into an inertial sensor , it is important not to compromise the dynamics of the coupling between the sensor on the central portion of the die and the environment . hence the design has to ensure maximum rigidity at the same time as producing the longest thermal path from the frame to the central die . for a vertical downwards acceleration , the central die is supported by the sets of beams on the left and right hand side , within which there will be compressive and extensive strains . the central interconnections 1002 have no overall stress at these , the weakest , points . the upper and lower sets of beams take very little of the load — and would not be very rigid if they did as they would undergo cantilever deflection . without the left and right beam sets the thermal frame produces a non - rigid suspension geometry . the external frame 1004 forms the connection to the external packaging of the die . the structure will be very rigid below euler &# 39 ; s critical loading of the compressed beams with no bending of the beams . above that loading the side beams will deflect as cantilevers until the beams touch , at which point the structure will become rigid again . from the formula for the critical loading , fcrit , where e is young &# 39 ; s modulus , i is the second moment of the beam , which for a rectangular cross - sectional beam as produced by drie is w3 t / 12 , where w is the width of the beam , t is the thickness of the wafer , and l is the length of the beam , approximately half the die size . the acceleration to reach critical loading can then be calculated to be where r is the density of silicon . for a 2 cm die and 40 - micron beams , acrit is about 5 g . below 5 g , the resonant frequency of this structure is approximately 5 khz . the dynamics of the structure could be exploited for shock protection . the thermal behavior can be simply modeled . the structure above has two periods of thermal isolation structure . for each period there are eight equivalent thermal paths of length 2l . the thermal conductance is therefore given by : where k is the thermal conductivity of silicon , and n is the number of periods of thermal isolation structure . the structure implemented by drie would in fact have parallel beams , approximately spaced by w , and so if a border width on each side of the die , x , is given to thermal isolation , n = x / 4w , and so the thermal capacity of the central die , treating it as an un - machined block of silicon , is given by where g is the heat capacitance of silicon . the thermal time constant now becomes for a 2 - cm die , a 1 - mm margin and 40 - micron beams t is 30 minutes . the conductance is 0 . 05 mw / k . if 2 mm is set aside and 20 - micron beams and spacing are achievable , a four - hour time constant is obtained and the conductance is reduced to 0 . 006 mw / k and only 0 . 5 milli watts would be required to hot bias the sensing element by 80 degrees celsius . in addition , the suspension itself further reduces the thermal conductance by a small amount . for 30 - micron springs , with effectively half the thermal pathways and four thermal periods per spring set ( eight cantilevers ), they have an additional 100 - s period per spring set . all the above considers just conductive losses . effective radiative conductance will be given from stefan &# 39 ; s law as approximately where e is the emissivity of the die , s is stefan &# 39 ; s constant and t is the temperature . this gives the ratio of radiative to conductive losses as : for e of 0 . 01 , for a 2 - cm die with 1 - mm thermal margin and 40 - micron beams , yrad / ycond is 26 %. radiative losses will be about the same as conductive losses for the second case , indicating that a thermal time constant of about two hours is probably the best achievable without mitigation of radiation losses . to complete the packaging of the device and preserve the thermal isolation a vacuum must be maintained in the hollow cavity 1101 around the suspension plate 1100 as shown in fig1 a . the suspension plate 1100 has the thermal isolating structure 1102 etched into it and then the flexural elements and proof mass 1104 . using an abraded capacitive plate 1106 and a backing plate 1107 sealed to the suspension plate 1100 by seals 1112 under vacuum conditions a vacuum cavity 1101 is created . as part of this fabrication a gettering material such as the commercially available “ nanogetter ” film 1110 should be applied to either the capacitive plate 1106 or the backing wafer 1107 . if solder ball sealing is utilized the temperature is not sufficient to activate the standard commercial getters . rather than use electrical resistive heating with its requirement for additional electrical connections if the insulating plates are glass a laser can be shone through the material to local heat and activate the getter without reflowing the solder seal . the outer cavities have thin layers of smooth reflective metal such as gold or aluminum deposited in unused areas as a radiative shield 1108 . the exterior of the die can also be coated with a radiation shield layer if desired . in fig1 b a design is shown in which there are two distinct cavities formed as described above . the inner cavity will act as a thermal reservoir for the contained sensing element 1104 , while the additional outer packaging 1114 presents an additional radiative barrier using a smooth metal deposition 1108 , gettering material 1110 is present in both cavities . obviously this concept could be extended to additional cavities if required for the application . this packaging concept can be used for any sensor that requires isolation from short term temperature variations in the environment . during the operation of a force balance control loop using an electro - magnetic actuator a current is required to flow in the coil to create the required restoring force . the process is illustrated in fig1 a . here the force balance control loop 1200 outputs a restoring current 1201 that flows through the coil 1206 that creates a force due to the current &# 39 ; s interaction with the magnetic field present in the actuator . in the seismometer there are resistive elements present in the circuit . the resistance of the thermal isolation path is represented by resistors 1203 , the resistance of the flexural elements by resistors 1204 and finally the resistance of the coil itself on the proof mass by the resistor 1205 . the current passing through these resistors causes a voltage drop and heat to be dissipated in the resistors . providing the voltage drop does not cause the current source in the control loop to fall out of compliance this will not affect the performance of the force balance loop . however , the heating can cause a non - linearity in the system response as the restoring current causes heating and changes in the spring rate of the flexural elements . a technique to minimize this effect is shown in fig1 b . in this figure an oscillator has been added to the circuit that produces a frequency considerably above the seismic band of interest and such that the force produced is filtered out by the mechanics of the system . this signal is then passed through a voltage controlled oscillator 1210 resulting in an amplitude modulated signal 1212 , this is injected via capacitor 1214 into the coil circuit . the voltage of the coil drive 1216 including the resistors is input to the buffer and rms level detector and low passed filtered 1218 . this voltage 1220 is then compared to a dc value 1222 that sets the operating point for power dissipation in the resistors . the output of the amplifier 1223 is then used to control the variable gain amplifier 1210 . with the feedback loop properly compensated the circuit will vary the ac signal inversely to the seismic signal such that the rms power dissipation is maintained constant within the operating range of the loop . the implementation described is just one of many possible implementations of such a control loop . the novel feature is the use of a high frequency amplitude modulated ac carrier to maintain constant heating in the resistors as the low frequency seismic signal varies . an additional input is shown as digital temperature compensation 1224 , one possible implementation of this is shown in fig1 c . generally a digital system will be preferred for this system due to the very long time constants required in the control loop . the system is illustrated with inputs from three temperature sensors , sensor 1226 monitors the external temperature , sensor 1228 monitors the temperature of the frame after the thermal isolator , while sensor 1230 monitors the temperature of the proof mass . the temperature reading is converted to a digital stream via the adc 1231 and read by the microprocessor 1232 . the firmware within the microprocessor can be written using several control strategies known to those skilled in the art to produce one or more outputs that can be converted to an analog voltage by the dac 1234 . the voltages can be fed into the control loop of fig1 b 1224 or they can be used to dissipate power in a resistor 1236 that would be situated on the frame after the thermal isolator . the number of sensors and heater locations could be increased in this scheme to further reduce the temperature variation seen on the springs . fig1 illustrates the spurious mode rejection ratio for in - axis and out of axis frequencies as the number of intermediate frames is increased . we can see from fig1 that in order to maximize the rejection ratio for both in - axis and out of axis frequencies , the number of frames that should be incorporated into the design is five , one between each of the six flexural elements . as the rejection ratio rises more steeply for the off - axis case than it falls for the on - axis case , there will be an overall tendency for more frames to produce better performance . if we take an example with more flexural elements we can calculate more data points and see again the convergence of the “ on - axis ” and “ off - axis ” modes to give an improved overall rejection ratio . for example , in one preferred embodiment let us assume we have twenty - four flexural elements in order to achieve a desired frequency response . for this case , let us again plot the in - axis and out - of - axis frequencies in relation to the fundamental frequency , the so called “ spurious - mode rejection ratio ”. fig1 illustrates the spurious mode rejection ratio for in - axis and out of axis frequencies as the number of intermediate frames is increased . we can see from fig1 that in order to maximize the rejection ratio the maximum number of frames utilized in the design should be approximately twenty - three , one between each intermediate frame should be incorporated into the design . it is important to note that in some designs it may be desirable for other system considerations to not optimize for an equivalent spurious mode both for the in - axis and off - axis , but to allow say a lower off - axis spurious mode compared with the in - axis mode . this could be used for example when the off - axis is suppressed by the displacement transducer geometry , while the in - axis mode is not . the techniques presented can be used for any desired optimization . the invention also preferably includes a dampening structure that is highly effective during non - powered / non - operational states ( i . e . when the feedback control system is not powered and does not provide any dampening ). preferably , this dampening structure includes a spring / gas dampening structure configured to provide damping during non - powered states . fig1 illustrates a perspective view of a suspension plate 1500 having a spring / gas dampening structure 1510 in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention . as shown in fig1 , each of the intermediate frames 1501 is preferably larger ( longer ) in length then the flexural elements 1503 disposed between each of the frames , with each frame traversing a larger portion of the internal cavity 1502 . the intermediate frames are also sufficiently rigid , but as light as possible , in order to suppress out of plane movement of the proof mass while also suppressing spurious resonant frequencies without breaking or fracturing . the intermediate frames 1501 are designed to physically contact with each other before the flexural elements 1503 interspersed between them are compressed sufficiently to cause damage to the flexural elements 1503 . in order to prevent fracturing and / or damage due to extreme external shock or vibration , the invention preferably further includes the specially formed spring / gas dampening structure 1510 , which provides additional damping to the system during non - powered states . turning to fig1 , there is shown a close - up view of a preferred embodiment of the spring / gas dampening structure 1510 . as shown , the preferred embodiment preferably includes one or more trapezoidal shaped pistons 1601 and engagement apertures 1602 . in a preferred embodiment , a piston 1601 is preferably positioned on the last ( most outward ) intermediate frame 1605 , facing outward , and the corresponding engagement aperture 1602 is then positioned on the inner surface of outer frame of the suspension plate 1607 , facing inward . as the most outward intermediate frame 1605 approaches the inner surface of the outer frame of the suspension plate 1607 , the piston 1601 will engage and insert into the aperture 1602 , thereby providing a dampening effect before the intermediate frame can contact the surface of the outer frame of the suspension plate . in a preferred embodiment , the cavity of the suspension plate is preferably filled with a non - conductive gas such as air or nitrogen . as the outermost intermediate frame 1605 moves toward the inner surface of the outer frame of the suspension plate 1607 , the piston 1601 engages with and inserts into the engagement aperture 1602 . as the piston recedes further into the aperture , the gas within the engagement aperture increases in pressure , causing a force to be exerted against the piston and slowing the motion of the intermediate frame until , possibly over multiple oscillations of the spring mass system , it comes to rest , thereby preventing damage to the flexural elements . alternatively , the cavity within the suspension plate may be evacuated . in this case , the spring / gas dampening structure is preferably comprised of an aperture and a corresponding piston wherein the piston is actually formed of two separate portions coupled together using a small resistance spring . fig1 is a close - up view of such an alternative embodiment of a piston 1700 used in a spring / gas damping structure , wherein the piston is formed of two separate portions coupled together using a small resistance spring . as shown , the piston includes a first half - portion 1701 and a second half - portion 1703 , which are coupled together using small resistance springs 1705 . in normal operation when the pistons are not engaged these two spring elements are separate , but as the parts contact they form a spring element . as the piston 1700 inserts further into the aperture of the spring / gas dampening structure , second half portion 1703 of the piston is pushed against and closer to the first half portion 1701 while the resistance spring provides a force against the second half portion 1703 . as the second half portion 1703 moves closer to the first half portion 1701 , the resistance from the spring increases . this spring motion can be used both to dissipate energy , but also to act as an energy store to disengage the first and second half portions to prevent them “ sticking ” together by the force of stiction and preventing the device from functioning as a spring mass system . alternatively , as shown in fig1 , a layer of damping material such as a visco - elastic polymer 1706 may be inserted between the first half portion 1701 and the second half portion 1703 , in place of or in addition to the resistance spring . a visco - elastic material block 1707 can also be deposited on top of the spring element 1705 to provide damping and energy loss in the spring . while the description above refers to particular embodiments of the present invention , it will be understood that many modifications may be made without departing from the spirit thereof . the presently disclosed embodiments are therefore to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive , the scope of the invention being indicated by the appended claims , rather than the foregoing description , and all changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are therefore intended to be embraced herein .
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various embodiments of the present invention are directed towards user navigation and / or guidance within an indoor location . more specifically , various embodiments utilize indoor map - based features to constrain or adjust a predicted or estimated user location that is based upon dead - reckoning , or the like . fig1 illustrates an implementation of a logical block diagram according to some embodiments of the present invention . fig1 includes a data store 110 , a physical input 120 , a processing module 130 , and a navigation output 140 . in various embodiments , data store 110 may be implemented as a database , a file system , or any other conventional data store . data store 110 may be embodied within memory of a portable device ( e . g . ram , sd card , etc . ), as a network - based storage external to the portable device ( e . g . cloud storage , network storage , or the like . in various embodiments , data store 110 may store one or more maps representing an indoor location , e . g . a mall , a store , a factory , or the like . the map data typically indicate open regions , e . g . corridors , rooms , etc , as well as physical partitions , e . g . walls , doors , stairwell , and the like . in various embodiments , queries may be made upon data store 110 , and map data may be returned for purposes of indoor navigation , as described herein . in various embodiments , physical input 120 may include data representing physical perturbations imparted to a portable device , as described herein . in some examples , the physical perturbations include directional acceleration as determined by one or more accelerometers ; directional rotation as determined by one or more gyroscopes ; directional magnetic orientation changes determined by one or more magnetometers ; altitude changes determined by one or more pressure sensors ; or the like . in some embodiments , these types of physical perturbation sensors may be included within a portable device ( e . g . a cell phone ), or located external to the portable device , but linked ( e . g . wires , bluetooth , wi - fi , or the like ) to the portable device . in the embodiment illustrated in fig1 , the sensed physical perturbations may be provided as physical input 120 , and / or be signal processed and conditioned , before being provided as physical input 120 . in other embodiments , additional processing may be performed to determine an estimated position and / or heading of the physical device including the functionality described herein . in fig1 , a processing module 130 is illustrated . in various embodiments , module 130 may be implemented as one or more software programs or functions executed upon one or more microprocessors in the portable device . as illustrated , a navigation output 140 is provided as an output from processing module 130 and may be a map - data - modified user location within the indoor location , or the like , as described below . as illustrated in the example in fig1 , processing module 130 includes an identification module 150 , a weighting module 160 , a zone module 170 , a adjustment module 180 , a conflict determination module 190 , and optionally , a conflict resolution module 200 . in some embodiments , a subset of modules may be used , or additional functional modules may be provided . in various embodiments , based upon an initial user location within a map , identification module 150 may access data store 110 to determine what map - based features are physically close to the initial user location ( estimated user position and / or heading ). as mentioned above , the identified map - based features may include walls , corridors , intersections , doors , stairs , exits , shops , kiosks , or the like . in various embodiments , zone module 170 receives physical input 120 from one or more physical perturbation sensors . in various embodiments , based upon physical input 120 , a general determination is made as to whether the user is positioned within large rooms , auditoriums , gymnasiums , atriums , lobbies , open spaces , or the like within the map . in such embodiments , for map guidance purposes , there are many possible routes a user may take through such open air regions , accordingly when a user is with such regions , the map - based augmentation may be deemphasized . in various embodiments , when zone module 170 determines the user is within such “ wander zones ,” zone module 170 may direct other modules to not augment the user estimated position . for instance , zone module 170 may indicate to weighting module 160 to not assign weights to map features , may indicate to conflict determination module 190 to not return conflicts , or the like , as discussed below . in various embodiments , in weighting module 160 , weights may be dynamically assigned to specific map features close to a user &# 39 ; s estimated position within a map . as examples , a corridor where a user is currently estimated to be within is given a higher weight compared to corridors further away to where the user is estimated to be currently positioned . in some embodiments , if the user is using a guidance or navigation mode , corridors , halls , doors , stairs , or the like along a suggested navigation path may also be associated with a higher weight compared to equally distant map features not along the suggested navigation path . in some embodiments , based upon the user &# 39 ; s estimated position with a map and the weightings determined in weighting module 160 , a map - based adjustment , illustrated in examples below , are determined in adjustment module 180 . in some examples , the adjustments may suggest a correction to the user &# 39 ; s estimate position from an edge of a hallway towards the middle of the hallway ; the adjustments may suggest a correction to the user &# 39 ; s estimated heading from a first direction , e . g . north east , to a second direction , e . g . east . ; or the like . in some embodiments , an estimated user position ( even after adjustment , above ) may conflict with specific map features and require resolution . in conflict determination module 190 , the estimated user position ( after adjustment ) is compared to known map features or obstacles , e . g . walls , pillars , built - in furniture , or the like to see if they overlap . as examples , the estimated user position may be within a wall , outside a building , or the like . if such a conflict is determined , in various embodiments , conflict resolution module 200 typically modifies the estimated user position to eliminate the conflict . this may include modifying the user position to be within a corridor , along a navigation path , or the like . as illustrated in fig1 , after augmentation due to map - based weighting and / or map - based conflict resolution , an estimated user position is output as navigation output 140 . fig2 illustrates an example according to various embodiments of the present invention . more specifically , fig2 illustrates an example of map - based augmentation of a user &# 39 ; s estimated position and heading . in fig2 , an example of a map 300 is illustrated including a number of walls 310 , corridors 320 , doors 320 . in various embodiments , as described above , dead reckoning data , or the like may be used to determine an estimated user position within a map . this estimated position may then be blended with map - based features . in various embodiments , these map - based updates may be used to logically constrain the estimated user positions to locations that make sense within the context of a map . in other words , it makes logical sense that the user is walking into a meeting room rather than walking into a broom closet . as discussed above , in some embodiments , based upon an estimated position 340 , corridors 350 and 360 may have weights assigned thereto . each candidate corridor would have a certain level of attraction that would pull the estimated position 340 toward it . in this example , as corridor 350 is closer or more closely aligned to estimated position 340 , the estimated position 340 may be modified to position 340 ′. in various examples , the estimated user positions may be drawn towards the middle of the pre - determined corridors , or the like . in various embodiments , modification of an estimate user heading may also be performed . for example , if a user is walking down a straight narrow corridor , the estimated user heading may be heavily constrained to face down the hallway , however if the user is walking in an area with many turns , the estimated user heading may be less constrained . in an implementation , in areas with long straight corridors , or the like , the map - based heading constraints that may have a heavier weight compared to areas with many turns . in fig2 , examples of constraint resolution are also illustrated . in fig2 , estimated user positions ( and headings ) 360 , 370 , and 380 are shown . in map 300 , these estimated user positions ( and headings ) indicate that the user is walking through a solid internal wall 390 . in various embodiments , as was discussed above , each of these positions 360 - 370 are compared to map features within a conflict determination module 190 , which determines the conflicts with wall 390 . accordingly , conflict resolution module 200 modifies each estimated user positions 360 - 380 to positions within map 300 that make more logical sense , e . g . modified positions 360 ′, 370 ′ and 380 ′, respectively . in some embodiments of the present invention , the navigation output 140 ( e . g . the modified estimated user location ) may be fed - back into processing module 130 to help refine modifications to the estimated user locations . in other embodiments , such a feedback loop may not be needed . in some embodiments , feedback may be in the form of the user indicating that they reached a destination , the user taking a picture , a portable device sensing of other signals ( e . g . wi - fi signals , bluetooth signals , rf signals , nfc signals , or the like ). fig3 illustrates a functional block diagram of various embodiments of the present invention . in fig3 , a computing device 400 typically includes an applications processor 410 , memory 420 , a touch screen display 430 and driver 440 , an image acquisition device 450 , audio input / output devices 460 , and the like . additional communications from and to computing device are typically provided by via a wired interface 470 , a gps / wi - fi / bluetooth interface 480 , rf interfaces 490 and driver 500 , and the like . also included in various embodiments are physical sensors 510 . in various embodiments , computing device 400 may be a hand - held computing device ( e . g . apple ipad , apple itouch , lenovo skylight / ideapad , asus eee series , microsoft 8 tablet , samsung galaxy tab , android tablet ), a portable telephone ( e . g . apple iphone , motorola droid series , google nexus series , htc sensation , samsung galaxy s series , nokia lumina series ), a portable computer ( e . g . netbook , laptop , ultrabook ), a media player ( e . g . microsoft zune , apple ipod ), a reading device ( e . g . amazon kindle fire , barnes and noble nook ), or the like . typically , computing device 400 may include one or more processors 410 . such processors 410 may also be termed application processors , and may include a processor core , a video / graphics core , and other cores . processors 410 may be a processor from apple ( a4 / a5 ), intel ( atom ), nvidia ( tegra 3 , 4 , 5 ), marvell ( armada ), qualcomm ( snapdragon ), samsung , ti ( omap ), or the like . in various embodiments , the processor core may be an intel processor , an arm holdings processor such as the cortex - a , - m , - r or arm series processors , or the like . further , in various embodiments , the video / graphics core may be an imagination technologies processor powervr - sgx , - mbx , - vgx graphics , an nvidia graphics processor ( e . g . geforce ), or the like . other processing capability may include audio processors , interface controllers , and the like . it is contemplated that other existing and / or later - developed processors may be used in various embodiments of the present invention . in various embodiments , memory 420 may include different types of memory ( including memory controllers ), such as flash memory ( e . g . nor , nand ), pseudo sram , ddr sdram , or the like . memory 420 may be fixed within computing device 400 or removable ( e . g . sd , sdhc , mmc , mini sd , micro sd , cf , sim ). the above are examples of computer readable tangible media that may be used to store embodiments of the present invention , such as computer - executable software code ( e . g . firmware , application programs ), application data , operating system data or the like . it is contemplated that other existing and / or later - developed memory and memory technology may be used in various embodiments of the present invention . in various embodiments , touch screen display 430 and driver 440 may be based upon a variety of later - developed or current touch screen technology including resistive displays , capacitive displays , optical sensor displays , electromagnetic resonance , or the like . additionally , touch screen display 430 may include single touch or multiple - touch sensing capability . any later - developed or conventional output display technology may be used for the output display , such as tft - lcd , oled , plasma , trans - reflective ( pixel qi ), electronic ink ( e . g . electrophoretic , electrowetting , interferometric modulating ). in various embodiments , the resolution of such displays and the resolution of such touch sensors may be set based upon engineering or non - engineering factors ( e . g . sales , marketing ). in some embodiments of the present invention , a display output port , such as an hdmi - based port or dvi - based port may also be included . in some embodiments of the present invention , image capture device 450 may include a sensor , driver , lens and the like . the sensor may be based upon any later - developed or convention sensor technology , such as cmos , ccd , or the like . in various embodiments of the present invention , image recognition software programs are provided to process the image data . for example , such software may provide functionality such as : facial recognition , head tracking , camera parameter control , or the like . in various embodiments , audio input / output 460 may include conventional microphone ( s )/ speakers . in some embodiments of the present invention , three - wire or four - wire audio connector ports are included to enable the user to use an external audio device such as external speakers , headphones or combination headphone / microphones . in various embodiments , voice processing and / or recognition software may be provided to applications processor 410 to enable the user to operate computing device 400 by stating voice commands . additionally , a speech engine may be provided in various embodiments to enable computing device 400 to provide audio status messages , audio response messages , or the like . in various embodiments , wired interface 470 may be used to provide data transfers between computing device 400 and an external source , such as a computer , a remote server , a storage network , another computing device 400 , or the like . such data may include application data , operating system data , firmware , or the like . embodiments may include any later - developed or conventional physical interface / protocol , such as : usb 4 . 0 , 5 . 0 , micro usb , mini usb , firewire , apple ipod connector , ethernet , pots , or the like . additionally , software that enables communications over such networks is typically provided . in various embodiments , a wireless interface 480 may also be provided to provide wireless data transfers between computing device 400 and external sources , such as computers , storage networks , headphones , microphones , cameras , or the like . as illustrated in fig3 , wireless protocols may include wi - fi ( e . g . ieee 802 . 11a / b / g / n , wimax ), bluetooth , ir , near field communication ( nfc ), zigbee and the like . gps receiving capability may also be included in various embodiments of the present invention , however is not required . as illustrated in fig3 , gps functionality is included as part of wireless interface 480 merely for sake of convenience , although in implementation , such functionality is currently performed by circuitry that is distinct from the wi - fi circuitry and distinct from the bluetooth circuitry . additional wireless communications may be provided via rf interfaces 490 and drivers 500 in various embodiments . in various embodiments , rf interfaces 490 may support any future - developed or conventional radio frequency communications protocol , such as cdma - based protocols ( e . g . wcdma ), gsm - based protocols , hsupa - based protocols , or the like . in the embodiments illustrated , driver 500 is illustrated as being distinct from applications processor 410 . however , in some embodiments , these functionality are provided upon a single ic package , for example the marvel pxa330 processor , and the like . it is contemplated that some embodiments of computing device 400 need not include the rf functionality provided by rf interface 490 and driver 500 . fig3 also illustrates computing device 400 to include physical sensors 510 . in various embodiments of the present invention , physical sensors 510 are multi - axis micro - electro - mechanical systems ( mems ) based devices being developed by m - cube , the assignee of the present patent application . physical sensors 510 developed by m - cube , the assignee of the present patent application , currently include very low power three - axis sensors ( linear , gyro or magnetic ); ultra - low jitter three - axis sensors ( linear , gyro or magnetic ); low cost six - axis motion sensor ( combination of linear , gyro , and / or magnetic ); ten - axis sensors ( linear , gyro , magnetic , pressure ); and various combinations thereof . various embodiments may include an accelerometer with a reduced substrate displacement bias , as described above . accordingly , using such embodiments , computing device 400 is expected to have a lower sensitivity to temperature variations , lower sensitivity to production / assembly forces imparted upon to an accelerometer , faster calibration times , lower production costs , and the like . as described in the patent applications referenced above , various embodiments of physical sensors 510 are manufactured using a foundry - compatible process . as explained in such applications , because the process for manufacturing such physical sensors can be performed on a standard cmos fabrication facility , it is expected that there will be a broader adoption of such components into computing device 400 . in other embodiments of the present invention , conventional physical sensors 510 from bosch , stmicroelectronics , analog devices , kionix or the like may be used . in various embodiments , any number of future developed or current operating systems may be supported , such as iphone os ( e . g . ios ), windowsmobile ( e . g . 7 , 8 ), google android ( e . g . 5 . x , 4 . x ), symbian , or the like . in various embodiments of the present invention , the operating system may be a multi - threaded multi - tasking operating system . accordingly , inputs and / or outputs from and to touch screen display 430 and driver 440 and inputs / or outputs to physical sensors 510 may be processed in parallel processing threads . in other embodiments , such events or outputs may be processed serially , or the like . inputs and outputs from other functional blocks may also be processed in parallel or serially , in other embodiments of the present invention , such as image acquisition device 450 and physical sensors 510 . fig3 is representative of one computing device 400 capable of embodying the present invention . it will be readily apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art that many other hardware and software configurations are suitable for use with the present invention . embodiments of the present invention may include at least some but need not include all of the functional blocks illustrated in fig3 . for example , in various embodiments , computing device 400 may lack image acquisition unit 450 , or rf interface 490 and / or driver 500 , or gps capability , or the like . additional functions may also be added to various embodiments of computing device 400 , such as a physical keyboard , an additional image acquisition device , a trackball or trackpad , a joystick , or the like . further , it should be understood that multiple functional blocks may be embodied into a single physical package or device , and various functional blocks may be divided and be performed among separate physical packages or devices . further embodiments can be envisioned to one of ordinary skill in the art after reading this disclosure . in other embodiments , combinations or sub - combinations of the above disclosed invention can be advantageously made . the block diagrams of the architecture and flow charts are grouped for ease of understanding . however it should be understood that combinations of blocks , additions of new blocks , re - arrangement of blocks , and the like are contemplated in alternative embodiments of the present invention . the specification and drawings are , accordingly , to be regarded in an illustrative rather than a restrictive sense . it will , however , be evident that various modifications and changes may be made thereunto without departing from the broader spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the claims .
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according to this invention , in an integrated circuit manufacturing process employing ion implantation to dope a semiconductor , an electrically inactive species is implanted well beneath the dopant implant to retard diffusion of the implant deeper into the semiconductor . fig1 shows a typical , well known , as - implanted profile of boron dopant atoms in single crystal silicon , along with profiles after 35 minute furnace anneals at temperatures ranging between 700 ° c . and 1100 ° c . the diffusion occurring during the anneal cycles broadens the dopant profiles and shifts the leading edge deeper into the substrate , causing the aforementioned problems in mos device performance . fig2 shows well known calculated damage density profiles caused by boron implantation at energies ranging between 10 kev and 1000 kev . the depth x into the sample is normalized by the projected range r p of the implanted ions themselves . the calculated damage density profiles are similar in shape to the ideal as - implanted boron profile , but the peak position is at a shallower depth than the dopant peak position . at higher implant energies the damage peak more closely coincides with the dopant peak . fig3 shows a model of the motion of dopants through a silicon lattice via interstitial , interstitialcy , and vacancy mechanisms . in interstitial kickout , a substitutional dopant atom 2 in a lattice site of silicon lattice 4 is &# 34 ; kicked out &# 34 ; by a silicon interstitial atom 6 , after which dopant atom 2 moves between lattice sites 8 through interstitial region 10 until it encounters another vacant site or itself kicks out an atom from an occupied site . the interstitialcy mechanism schematic shows a silicon interstitial atom 12 doubly occupying silicon lattice site 14 along with silicon atom 15 . interstitial 12 then moves to doubly occupy lattice site 16 along with dopant atom 18 , which then moves to doubly occupy lattice site 20 with silicon atom 22 . these interstitial and interstitialcy mechanisms , which are the dominant diffusion mechanisms for boron , indium , and phosphorus , provide for much faster diffusion rate than does the vacancy mechanism , whereby dopant atom 24 moves only from lattice site 26 to neighboring vacancy 28 , leaving vacancy 29 . with reference to fig4 a concentration profile is shown for a double implant structure utilizing this inventive process . the structure comprises a dopant species , boron by way of example , having concentration peak 30 at depth d 1 , and an electrically inactive species , argon by way of example , having concentration peak 32 at depth d 2 , well below d 1 . damage from implantation of the dopant species results in silicon interstitial peak 34 at depth d 3 , slightly shallower than depth d 1 of dopant peak 30 . similarly , damage from implantation of the electrically non - active species results in silicon interstitial peak 36 at depth d 4 , slightly shallower than depth d 2 of peak 32 , but deeper than depth d 1 , of dopant peak 30 . interstitial gradient 38 , which is negative towards greater depth , is associated with interstitial peak 34 and causes transient enhanced diffusion of the dopant into the silicon during subsequent anneal . this would increase junction depth if the dopant implant were a source / drain or ldd implant . however , the negative or &# 34 ; downhill &# 34 ; direction of interstitial gradient 40 associated with interstitial peak 36 from the electrically inactive species implant , is towards the surface . gradient 40 would thereby oppose diffusion of the dopant deeper into the silicon during subsequent anneal . gradient 38 is termed the &# 34 ; accelerating gradient &# 34 ;, and gradient 40 is termed the &# 34 ; retarding gradient &# 34 ;. to achieve the retarding effect , peak 32 is positioned sufficiently deeper than dopant peak 30 so that interstitial gradient 40 is deeper than the dopant atoms to be retarded . implantation of the electrically inactive species , thereby forming a &# 34 ; retarding implant &# 34 ;, may precede or follow implantation of the dopant species . with reference to fig5 a process flow is shown for a preferred embodiment of my invention as it would be applied to the source / drain and ldd implants of a pmos transistor with a polysilicon gate , as illustrated in fig7 . in step 42 , a silicon substrate is provided having a grown gate oxide at its surface and having a polysilicon gate thereon . in step 44 , implantation of boron ldd structures is performed , using standard methods with the polysilicon gate serving as an implant mask , and the implanted dopant species ions penetrating the substrate in the regions not covered by the polysilicon . typical doses for step 44 implant are 4 - 5 e13 / cm 2 , energies of 25 - 35 kev using bf 2 + ions as the implanted boron containing species . in step 46 , a further implantation is performed , this time with argon , at a 1e13 to 1e14 / cm 2 dose range with the polysilicon gate serving as the implant mask , and with the implantation energy which is generally in the 300 - 400 kev range , selected so that the resulting non - active argon concentration peak is positioned well below the ldd implant ( fig6 b , 62 ). in step 48 , gate sidewall spacers of 1000 - 1500 a width are generally formed using standard deposition and etchback techniques ( fig7 ). sidewall spacers are not always required , so this step may be optional . in step 50 , implantation of source / drain structures is performed , using standard methods , with the polysilicon gate ( and sidewall spacers ) serving as an implant mask . typical s / d implantation parameters are in the ranges of 50 - 100 kev energy , 1e15 to 5e15 / cm 2 dose . standard rapid thermal anneal ( rtp ) steps may be implemented during the process . these are typically in the range of 980 °- 1050 ° c . for 30 to 60 seconds . with reference to prior art fig6 a , ldd regions with implants 52 of boron , by way of example , are shown in silicon substrate 53 , having surface 51 with junction 54 , 59 there between . polysilicon gate 55 having edges 55 &# 39 ; is over gate oxide 56 and serves as a mask for implants 52 . the implanted ions penetrate into the substrate through regions 57 not covered by polysilicon 55 . side scatter during implantation causes ldd implants to extend laterally beneath gate 55 a lateral distance 58 , to lateral junction portion 59 . the vertically displaced junction portion 54 at depth 64 &# 39 ; and lateral junction portion 59 together comprise the &# 34 ; leading edge &# 34 ; of the ldd implant . channel 60 is disposed between implants 52 . without utilizing my invention , annealing results in diffusion of implants 52 and causes motion of the dopant atoms in the direction of arrows 61 , causing junction portion 54 to deepen and channel 60 to shorten . with reference to fig6 b , according to my invention , additional retarding implants 62 of an electrically inactive species , argon by way of example , are positioned with trailing edge portions 63 forming a boundary portion between the inactive implant 62 and the substrate , 53 at a vertical depth 64 well below depth 64 &# 39 ; ldd implant junctions 54 . polysilicon gate 55 serves as a mask for retarding implants 62 , the implanted ions penetrating into the substrate through regions 65 not covered by polysilicon 55 . side scatter causes lateral trailing edge portions 67 of implants 62 to extend a lateral distance 68 beneath gate 55 which is greater than the lateral distance 58 of edges 59 of the ldd active species implant , edge portion 67 thereby forming a second boundary portion . in this case , dopant and damage profiles in the lateral direction are equivalent to those extending vertically into the substrate , as previously described . therefore , the presence of the retarding implants further beneath the gate both impedes lateral diffusion of ldd active species implants into channel region 60 , thereby decreasing short - channel effects for a given gate dimension , and also impedes vertical diffusion of the active species into the substrate . with reference to fig7 showing ldd region 52 , sidewall spacer 72 , and source / drain structures , the ldd implant 52 extends under gate 55 a distance 58 to junction portion 59 . source / drain implant 70 is masked by polysilicon gate 55 and by sidewall spacer 72 , and extends laterally to form junction portion 74 . source / drain vertical displaced junciton portion 76 is deeper than ldd junction portion 54 , but source / drain lateral junction portion 74 does not extend as far under gate 55 as does ldd lateral junction portion 59 . electrically inactive retarding implants 78 , 62 having different implantation energies are shown . lower energy implant 78 extends deeper than both source / drain junction 76 and ldd junction 54 . however , its lateral edge 80 is between junction 59 of ldd implant and junction 74 of source / drain implant . therefore , while implant 78 would retard lateral diffusion of source / drain implant 70 , it would enhance and accelerate lateral spread of ldd implant 52 . higher energy retarding implant 62 is positioned deeper ( 63 ) than both source / drain junction 76 and ldd junction 54 . additionally , its lateral edge 67 extends further beneath gate 55 than do junction 59 of ldd implant and junction 74 of source / drain implant . implant 62 would retard both vertical and lateral diffusion of ldd and source / drain implants . optimum energy of the retarding implant depends on ldd implant energy and dose , source / drain energy and dose , width of sidewall spacer , and temperature and duration of post - implant heat cycles . by way of example , for a case where the ldd spacer oxide width is ˜ 1300 å , the n + implant is as + implanted @ 80 kev , the nldd implant is phosphorous implanted @ 25 kev and baked at 900 ° c . for approximately 45 minutes , the retarding implant 62 will be implanted at an energy chosen , in the 300 - 400 kev range , to reach its rp ( measured laterally under the gate , not vertically ) at 3000 å , with the resultant peak of interstitials at 2400å . utilizing my invention , diffusion of dopants during high temperature post - anneal processing will be retarded by the opposing interstitial gradient . this effect , while transient in nature , is expected to have large impact on final dopant profiles , since it will occur during the critical period of transient enhanced diffusion caused by the damage from the retarding implant . as a result of my invention , source - drain junctions will diffuse less and therefore remain shallower , and lateral spread of ldd implants into the channel region will be decreased . the process will not cause formation of an amorphous layer because the retarding implant doses are only in the range of 1e13 to 1e14 , therefore implant damage will be repaired by subsequent anneal steps . the process is easily incorporated into standard mos manufacturing process flows . whereas the invention as described utilizes a boron ldd and source / drain implant and an argon retarding implant following ldd implant , it is not essential that this exact process be followed . by way of example , the retarding implant could be performed before the ldd implant , using the gate as a mask , or it could be performed after the sidewall spacers were formed , either before or after the source / drain implant . in this case , a higher retarding implant energy would be required to position the lateral edge of the retarding implant further under the gate than the lateral edge of the ldd implant . also by way of example , this invention would also be effective in retarding arsenic or phosphorus ldd and source / drain implant diffusion . additionally , the retarding implant could be comprised of any electrically inactive species , preferably of relatively low atomic mass . the scope of the invention should be construed in light of the claims . with this in mind ,
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in the embodiment illustrated in fig1 through fig6 the ornamental flower bed base assembly or matrix material 1 according to this invention comprises a base plate 2 and a plurality of flower plant holders 3 which can be removably mounted on said base plate 2 . the base plate 2 is part of a hollow base frame 4 forming a semi - spherical curved surface and a plurality of circular mounting openings or insertion through - holes 5 disposed at uniform intervals over the entire surface of said hollow base frame 4 . this base plate 2 is made of plastics or light metal so that it will not contribute much to the overall weight . the flower plant holders 3 are also made of lightweight plastics and , in this particular embodiment , each consists of a top ring - shaped flange frame 6 , a ring - shaped bottom frame 7 and a plurality of longitudinal frame members 8 interconnecting said top and bottom frames and forming a lateral side of the flower plant holder 3 . therefore , this flower plant holder is open not only at the top but has ample irrigation openings or orifices 9 along the lateral and bottom sides . moreover , this flower plant holder 3 has a flower plant anti - slip member 10 adapted to prevent accidental slip - off of the flower plants . the anti - slip member 10 , in this embodiment , comprises a top ring - shaped , inwardly - oriented flange 11 , a plurality of legs 12 projecting downwards from said flange 11 with some outwardly biasing resilient force , and an engaging projection 14 having upper and lower tapered guide faces 13 . when this flower plant antislip member 10 is inserted into the holder 3 , said projection 14 is engageable with the lower edge of the flange frame 6 of the holder 3 . the overall configuration of the holder 3 is preferably a tapered shape like the usual flower pot , for the mounting thereof into the insertion throughhole 5 can then be carried out smoothly . moreover , the outer diameter of the top portion of the holder 3 is preferably made slightly larger than the inner diameter of the insertion through - hole 5 , for the holder is then fit tight into the hole 5 so that it will not easily move off . to set the holder 3 securely in the insertion through - hole 5 , one may insert the holder 3 into the hole 5 and cause the projection 14 of the flower plant anti - slip member 10 to engage the lower circumferential edge of the insertion hole 5 . the holder 3 can be easily dislodged from the insertion through - hole 5 by pulling the holder 3 in the outward direction . as an alternative mounting method , though not shown , it may be so arranged that an engaging projection having upper and lower guide faces is provided externally of the longitudinal frame 8 of the holder so that when the holder is removably inserted into the insertion throughhole , said projection engages the inner portion of the peripheral edge of the through - hole . many other mounting modes may be used without departing from the scope of this invention . the following is a description of an exemplary procedure for planting flower plants in the flower plant holder 3 constructed as above . in order to prevent spilling of soil a from the holder , a material b having both water - penetrability and water - holding properties such as sphagnum ( moss ), polyurethane from sponge , rock wool or the like is first set in position and , then , soil a is poured into the holder . flower plants c are then planted in the soil and an additional amount of said material b is laid over the roots of the plants . by so doing , the soil a is precluded from being scattered away or the irrigation water from oozing out from the irrigation orifices . when grown in this condition for a certain time , the flower plants c grow and develop in the holder 3 and the flower plants are positively protected by the anti - slip members of the holder against slip - off so that even if the holder is inclined on its side or inverted , the flower plants will not slip off from the holder . fig7 and 8 show another embodiment of the flower plant holder according to this invention . this flower plant holder 3 , too , is made of lightweight plastics and is provided with a plurality of slit - like irrigation openings or orifices 15 , moreover , in a plurality of positions on the upper part of the peripheral wall of the holder 3 , a couple of engaging projections 17 , 17 having upper and lower tapered mounting guide faces 16 , respectively , are provided in two vertical rows at suitable intervals . in addition , at appropriate intervals on the top peripheral part of the flower plant holder 3 , a plurality of flanges 19 each having an engaging hole 18 are provided . moreover , this flower plant holder 3 is provided with an anti - slip means 20 adapted to prevent accidental slip - off of the flower plants from the holder 3 . this anti - slip member 20 is also molded from lightweight plastics and consists of a ring - shaped anti - slip body , the diameter of which is smaller than the inner diameter of the top opening of holder 3 and a plurality of engaging members 22 adapted to be inserted into the respective engaging holes 18 of the holder 3 , each of said engaging members extending downwardly from the outer periphery of said body 21 . as shown in fig7 this engaging member 22 has an engaging land 23 disposed on the outer side of each of its two legs and as these two legs of each engaging member 22 are forced into the corresponding engaging hole 18 , the engaging lands 23 are engaged by the lower edge of the flange 19 so as to mount the anti - slip member 20 on the top of the flower plant holder 3 . moreover , by closing the two legs of each engaging member 20 by inward biasing , the anti - slip member 20 can be separated from the flower plant holder 3 . moreover , the ring - shaped body 21 of this anti - slip member 20 is discontinuous in one position so that even if there is a minor error in the relative position of each engaging hole 18 and engaging member 22 , this discontinuation 24 assures smooth engagement and disengagement between the two elements . as shown in fig8 the flower plant holder 3 having the above construction can be positively mounted in the insertion through - hole 5 by inserting the holder 3 into the hole 5 and , then , engaging the peripheral edge of the insertion through - hole 5 between the engaging projections 17 in the upper row , among the projections 17 , 17 provided in two vertical rows , and a reinforcing rib 19a of each flange 19 . the holder 3 may be easily dismounted from the insertion throughhole 5 by pulling it outwardly . the engaging projections 17 in the lower row are provided as a secondary means for preventing disengagement of the holder 3 from the insertion through - hole 5 when the engaging projections 17 in the upper row are accidentally disengaged from the insertion through - hole 5 . then , a variety of modes can be employed for assembling such flower plant holders 3 carrying flower plants with the base plate 2 to construct an ornamental flower bed . to construct a spherical ornamental flower bed f as illustrated in fig9 for instance , two base plates 2 each part of a hollow spherically curved base frame 4 may be jointed by mating their open ends with each other and mounting a plurality of holders 3 carrying flower plants c into the respective insertion through - holes 5 of the base plate 2 . and the spherical ornamental flower bed f can for example be used as suspended from both ends of the horizontal beam e of a pole d as illustrated in fig9 . in this arrangement , the attractiveness of the flower balls as an ornamental flower bed is further enhanced . when it is desired to construct a wall type ornamental flower bed f such as the one shown in fig1 , a rectangular hollow base plate having a flat surface ( not shown ) may be provided with a multiplicity of circular or rectangular insertion through - holes at equal intervals over its entire surface and a flower plant holder 3 carrying flower plants be inserted into each of the through - holes . the resulting product is a flower wall type ornamental flower bed f . the above description pertains only to some preferred embodiments of this invention and these embodiments are only illustrative of the invention and by no means limitative of the scope of the invention . thus , many changes and modifications may be made in the shape , construction , relative position , etc . of said base plate 2 , insersion through - holes 5 , flower plant holders 3 , irrigation orifices 9 , 15 , anti - slip members 10 , 20 , engaging projections 14 , 17 and so on without departing from the scope of this invention .
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in the following description , numerous specific details are set forth . however , it is understood that embodiments of the invention may be practiced without these specific details . in other instances , well - known circuits , structures and techniques have not been shown in detail in order not to obscure the understanding of this description . fig2 is a block flow diagram of an embodiment of a method 212 of counting events in a logic device . in various embodiments , the method may be performed by a general - purpose processor , a special - purpose processor ( e . g ., a graphics processor or a digital signal processor ), a hardware accelerator , a controller , or another type of logic device . at block 214 , an event count of an event counter may be stored . the event counter may count events that occur during execution within the logic device . then , the event counter may be restored to the stored event count , at block 216 . typically , the event counter has counted additional events between the time the event count was stored and the time the event count was restored . advantageously , the ability to store and restore the event count of the event counter may allow certain events to be excluded from the final event count . in one or more embodiments , events during aborted and / or un - committed execution , which is not committed to final program flow , may be excluded . for example , in one or more embodiments , events during aborted and / or un - committed speculative execution may be excluded from the final event count . alternatively , events during other types of execution may optionally be excluded from the final event count . fig3 is a block diagram of an embodiment of a logic device 320 . in various embodiments , the logic device may include a general - purpose processor , a special - purpose processor ( e . g ., a graphics processor or a digital signal processor ), a hardware accelerator , a controller , or another type of logic device . in one or more embodiments , the logic device has out - of - order execution logic . the logic device has an event counter 322 . the event counter may count events that occur during execution within the logic device . for example , the counter may be incremented each time an event of a specific type occurs . the event counter has an event count 324 . suitable event counters are known in the arts . the event counters are sometimes referred to in the arts as event monitoring counters , performance monitoring counters , or simply performance counters . further information on particular examples of suitable performance monitoring counters , if desired , is available in intel ® 64 and ia - 32 architectures software developer &# 39 ; s manual , volume 3b , system programming guide , part 2 , order number 253669 - 032us , september 2009 . see e . g ., chapters 20 and 30 , and appendices a - b . in one or more embodiments , the event counter is a hardware counter and / or includes circuitry . event counter checkpoint logic 326 is coupled with , or otherwise in communication with , the event counter 322 . a brief explanation of the term “ coupled ” may be helpful . the term “ coupled ” is broader than the term “ connected ”. as used herein , the term “ connected ” means that two or more elements are in direct physical or electrical contact . likewise , the term “ coupled ” may mean that two or more elements are in direct physical or electrical contact . however , the term “ coupled ” may also mean that two or more elements are not in direct physical or electrical contact , but may still cooperate , interact , or communicate with one other . for example , the event counter and the event counter checkpoint logic may be coupled with one another through one or more intervening components . the event counter checkpoint logic 326 is operable to store the event count 324 of the event counter 322 . the term “ checkpoint ” is sometimes used to mean different things . for clarity , as used herein , the term “ checkpointing ,” as in the phrase check pointing an event count , is intended to mean that the event count is stored or otherwise preserved . likewise , the “ event counter checkpoint logic ” is intended to mean that the logic is operable to store or otherwise preserve the event count . in other words , the term checkpointing as used herein is not intended to inherit additional meaning other than what is explicitly stated herein . as shown , in one or more embodiments , the logic device may optionally have an event count storage location 328 to store an event count 330 . in one or more embodiments , the event count storage location may include one or more special - purpose registers ( e . g ., one or more dedicated event counter registers ) located on - die with the logic device . alternatively , in one or more embodiments , the event count storage location may not be part of the logic device . for example , the event count storage location may be part of system memory . an event count restore logic 332 is coupled with , or otherwise in communication with , the event counter . also , in the particular illustrated embodiment , the event count restore logic is coupled with , or otherwise in communication with , the optional event count storage location . the event count restore logic is operable to restore the event count 324 of the event counter 322 to the stored event count 330 . in the illustration , the particular stored event count 330 is m . the illustration also shows an example of restoring the event count 324 of the event counter 322 from the value ( m + n ) back to the stored event count value of m . in this example , n may represent a count of events that occur in aborted and / or un - committed execution which are excluded from the final event count . one area in which embodiments disclosed herein may find great utility is in the area of speculative execution . speculative execution generally refers to the execution of code speculatively before being certain that the execution of this code should take place and / or is needed . such speculative execution may be used to help improve performance and tends to be more useful when early execution consumes lesser resources than later execution would , and the savings are enough to compensate for the possible wasted resources if the execution was not needed . performance tuning inside speculative regions tends to be challenging partly because it is difficult to distinguish event counts that occur during speculative regions that are not committed to final execution from events that occur during speculative regions that are committed to final execution . speculative execution is used for various different purposes and in various different ways . as one example , speculative execution is often used with branch prediction . fig4 is a block diagram illustrating an example embodiment 401 of counting events during speculative execution performed in conjunction with branch prediction . initially , m events 406 may be counted by an event counter prior to a conditional branch instruction ( or other control flow instruction ) 432 . the conditional branch instruction results in a branch in program flow . in the illustration two branches are shown . when the conditional branch instruction is encountered , the logic device may not know which of the two branches is the correct branch to be taken . instead , branch prediction may be used to predict which branch is the correct branch . then speculative execution may be performed earlier assuming that the predicted branch is correct . if the predicted branch is later confirmed to be correct , then the speculative execution may be committed to final code flow . otherwise , if the predicted branch is later determined to be incorrect , then the speculative execution of the incorrect branch may be aborted . all computation past the branch point may be discarded . this execution is un - committed execution that is not committed to final code flow . execution may then be rolled back and the correct branch may be executed un - speculatively . checkpointing may be used to record the architectural state prior to the speculative execution so that the architectural state may be rolled back to the state it was at prior to the speculative execution . checkpointing is traditionally used for such fault tolerance , but as previously described event counters are not traditionally checkpointed . such branch prediction and speculative execution is well known in the arts . referring again to the illustration , after encountering the branch instruction 432 , and before counting events for the initially predicted branch , in accordance with one or more embodiments , the event count ( m ) of the event counter may be checkpointed or stored 434 . in one or more embodiments , a conditional branch instruction , or other control flow instruction , may represent a trigger to cause the logic device to checkpoint the event counter . then , the branch 436 on the right - hand side ( in this particular case ), which is the initially predicted branch , may be executed speculatively . as shown , n additional events 4 may be counted by the event counter before the speculative execution is stopped ( e . g ., it is determined that this branch is incorrect ). the speculative execution for this branch may be aborted and not committed to final code flow . as shown , the value of the event counter when the last event of this branch was counted may be ( m + n ). after deciding to abort the initially predicted branch , and before counting events of the committed branch 440 , in accordance with one or more embodiments , the previously stored event count ( m ) of the event counter may be restored 438 . in one or more embodiments , a decision to abort a speculatively executed branch may represent a trigger to cause the logic device to restore the event counter to a stored event count . the stored event count ( m ) may then b ˜ discarded . the stored event count ( m ) may also be discarded if alternatively the speculative execution discussed above was committed instead of aborted . without limitation , the program counter , registers , stacks , altered memory locations , as well as other parameters traditionally checkpointed during such speculative execution , may also be restored to their checkpointed values , although the scope of the invention is not limited in this regard . execution may then resume un - speculatively with the committed branch 440 on the left - hand side ( in this particular case ). the committed branch is now known to be the correct branch . the execution of the committed branch is committed to final code flow . as shown , the event counter , upon counting the first event of the committed branch , may have the event count ( m + 1 ), instead of ( m + n + 1 ), which would be the case if the n events counted during the aborted speculative execution were not excluded . as another example , speculative execution is often performed in conjunction with transactional memory . fig5 is a block diagram illustrating an example embodiment 501 of counting events during speculative execution performed in conjunction with execution in a transactional memory 550 . initially , m events 506 may be counted by an event counter . the count ( m ) may represent a positive integer . then a determination to perform transactional memory execution may be made . transactional memory execution is known in the arts . a detailed understanding of transactional memory execution is not needed to understand the present disclosure , although a brief overview may be helpful . some logic devices may execute multiple threads concurrently . traditionally , before a thread accesses a shared resource , it may acquire a lock of the shared resource . in situations where the shared resource is a data structure stored in memory , all threads that are attempting to access the same resource may serialize the execution of their operations in light of mutual exclusivity provided by the locking mechanism . additionally , there tends to be high communication overhead . this may be detrimental to system performance and / or in some cases may cause program failures , e . g ., due to deadlock . to reduce performance loss resulting from utilization of locking mechanisms , some logic devices may use transactional memory . transactional memory generally refers to a synchronization model that may allow multiple threads to concurrently access a shared resource without utilizing a locking mechanism . transactional memory may provide speculative lock elision . in transactional memory execution code may be executed speculatively within a transactional memory region without the lock . checkpointing may be used to record the architectural state prior to the speculative execution so that the architectural state may be rolled back to the state it was at prior to the speculative execution if failure or abort occurs . if the speculative execution succeeds , the performance impact of locks may be elided . if the speculative execution is aborted , such as , for example , another component or process acquires the lock , the checkpointed architectural state may be restored . the code may then be executed un - speculatively in the transactional memory region . referring again to the illustration , after determining to perform transactional memory execution , and before counting events during the transactional memory execution , in accordance with one or more embodiments , the event count ( m ) of the event counter may be checkpointed or stored 534 . in one or more embodiments , a determination to perform transactional memory execution may represent a trigger to cause the logic device to checkpoint the event counter . then , the execution may be performed in the transactional memory speculatively . as shown , n additional events 508 may be counted by the event counter before the speculative execution in the transactional memory is stopped or aborted . the speculative transactional memory execution may not be committed to final code flow . as shown , the value of the event counter when the last event was counted may be ( m + n ). after deciding to abort the speculative transactional memory execution , and before counting additional events , in accordance with one or more embodiments , the previously stored event count ( m ) of the event counter may be restored 538 . in one or more embodiments , a decision to abort speculative transactional memory execution may represent a trigger to cause the logic device to restore the event counter to a stored event count . the stored event count ( m ) may then be discarded . the stored event count ( m ) may also be discarded if alternatively the speculative execution discussed above was committed instead of aborted . without limitation , the program counter , registers , stacks , altered memory locations , as well as other parameters traditionally checkpointed during such speculative execution , may also be restored to their checkpointed values , although the scope of the invention is not limited in this regard . execution may then resume . un - speculatively and one or more events may be counted during committed execution 542 . as shown , the event counter , upon counting the first event , may have the event count ( m + 1 ), instead of ( m + n + 1 ), which would be the case if the n events counted during the aborted speculative transactional memory execution were not excluded . often in such speculative transactional memory execution , the number of instructions speculatively executed and aborted is not on the order of tens to hundreds of instructions , but generally tends to be larger , such as , for example , often ranging from tens to hundreds of thousands , or even millions . as a result , the events detected during the aborted and / or un - committed execution may represent a significant proportion of the total events . advantageously , the embodiment of the event counter described , which is able to exclude events during aborted and / or un - committed execution and selectively count events during committed execution may help to improve understanding and / or performance of the logic device . these aforementioned examples of speculative execution are only a few illustrative examples of ways in which speculative execution may be used . it is to be appreciated that speculative execution may also be used in other ways . fig6 is a block diagram of an embodiment of a logic device 620 having an embodiment of a first event counter 622 to exclude events during un - committed execution from an event count 624 and an embodiment of a second event counter 660 to include events counted during un - committed execution in an event count 662 . the logic device has the first event counter 622 . the first event counter is operable to maintain a first event count 624 . as shown , in one or more embodiments , the first event count 624 may include events counted during committed execution but may exclude events during un - committed execution . such an event count is not available from single known event counters , and is not easily otherwise determined . the logic device also has an event counter checkpoint logic 626 , an optional event count storage location 628 , and an event count restore logic 632 . these components may optionally have some or all of the characteristics of the correspondingly named components of the logic device 320 of fig3 . the logic device also has a second event counter 660 . in alternate embodiments , there may be three , four , ten , or more . event counters . notice that the second event counter does not have in this embodiment , or at least does not utilize in this embodiment , event counter checkpoint logic and / or event count restore logic . that is , in one or more embodiments , at least one event counter is checkpointed and restored whereas at least one other event counter is not checkpointed and restored . the second event counter is operable to maintain a second event count 662 . as shown , in one or more embodiments , the second event count 662 may include events counted during both committed execution and events counted during un - committed execution . the first event count 624 , and the second event count 662 , represent different pieces of information about execution within the logic device . as previously mentioned , the first event count includes information that is not available from a single known event counter , and is not easily otherwise determined . it provides information about those events counted during committed execution while excluding events during un - committed execution . additionally , the combination of the first and second event counts 624 , 662 provides additional information . for example , subtracting the first event count 624 from the second event count 662 gives information about how many events were counted during un - committed or aborted execution . this may provide information about essentially wasted execution ( e . g ., aborted speculative execution due to mispredicted branches and / or aborted speculative execution due to aborted transactional memory execution ). the first and second event counts 624 , 662 may be used in different ways . in one or more embodiments , one or more of the first and second event counts may be used to tune or adjust the performance of the logic device . for example , in one or more embodiments , one or more of the first and second event counts may be used to tune or adjust speculative execution of the logic device . tuning or adjusting the speculative execution may include tuning or adjusting a parameter , algorithm , or strategy . the tuning or adjusting may tune or adjust how aggressive the speculative execution is . as one particular example , if the absolute difference between the first and second event counters ( which provides information about events occurring during essentially wasted execution ) is higher than average , higher than a threshold , higher than desired , or otherwise considered high , then speculative execution may be decreased , throttled back , turned off , or otherwise tuned or adjusted . depending upon the implementation , this may be desired in order to reduce heat generation , conserve battery power or other limited power supply , or for other reasons . one or more of the first arid second event counts may also or alternatively be used to analyze , optimize , and / or debug code . for example , information about wasted speculative execution may help to allow better branch prediction algorithms to be developed or selected for certain types of processing . in one or more embodiments , the logic device 620 may include additional logic ( not shown ) to use one or more of the first and second event counts 624 , 662 in any of these various different ways . for example , in one or more embodiments , the logic device may include performance tuning logic and / or speculative execution tuning logic . in one or more embodiments , an external component 664 , which is external to the logic device , may access and / or receive one or more of the first and second event counts 624 , 662 . in one or more embodiments , the external component may include software . in one aspect , the software may include an operating system or operating system component . in another aspect , the software may include a performance tuning application . in yet another aspect , the software may include a debugger . by way of example , in one or more embodiments , the first and / or the second event counts may be stored in a register or other storage location that may be read , for example , with a machine instruction . in one or more embodiments , the first and / or the second event counts may be used to optimize or at least improve the code so that it executes better ( e . g ., there is less aborted code ). performance monitoring counters are often used to improve code in this way . in one or more embodiments , the external component 664 may include hardware . in one aspect , the hardware may include a system ( e . g ., a computer system , embedded device , network appliance , router , switch , etc .). by way of example , in one or more embodiments , the first and / or the second event counts may be provided as output on a pin or other interface . fig7 is a block diagram of an embodiment of a configurable logic device 720 . the configurable logic device has one or more control and / or configuration registers 767 . in this embodiment , at least one event counter is capable of being enabled or disabled by a user or application for checkpoint and restore . the one or more registers have an event counter checkpoint enable / disable 768 for the at least one event counter . for example , in one particular embodiment , a single bit in a register corresponding to a particular event counter may be set to a value of one ( 1 ) to enable event counter checkpointing and restoring as disclosed herein to be performed for that event counter . if desired , a plurality or each event counter may similarly have one . or more corresponding bits in one or more corresponding registers to enable or disable event counter checkpointing and restoring for each corresponding event counter . in one or more embodiments , additional bits may be provided for each event counter to specify various different types of event counter checkpointing and restoring , such as , for example , if the checkpointing and restoring is to be performed for aborted speculative execution or some other form of execution to differentiate with respect to . in this embodiment , at least one event counter is a programmable event counter . the one or more registers have an event select 770 for the at least one programmable event counter . for example , in one particular embodiment , a plurality of bits ( e . g ., eight bits or sixteen bits , or some other number of bits ) may represent a code that encodes a particular type of event to count . if desired , a plurality or each event counter may similarly have a plurality of corresponding bits in one or more corresponding registers to allow event selection for each of the event counters . in one aspect , depending upon the implementation , anywhere from tens to hundreds of different types of events may be selected for counting . alternatively , rather than programmable event counters , fixed event counters that always count the same thing may optionally be used . still other embodiments pertain to a computer system , or other electronic device having an event counter and logic and / or performing a method as disclosed herein . fig8 is a block diagram of a first example embodiment of a suitable computer system 801 . the computer system includes a processor 800 . the processor includes an event counter 822 , event counter checkpoint logic 826 , and event count restore logic 832 . these may be as previously described . in one or more embodiments , the processor may be an out - of - order microprocessor that supports speculative execution . in one or more embodiments , the processor may support speculative execution in transactional memory . the processor is coupled to a chipset 881 via a bus ( e . g ., a front side bus ) or other interconnect 880 . the interconnect may be used to transmit data signals between the processor and other components in the system via the chipset . the chipset includes a system logic chip known as a memory controller hub ( mch ) 882 . the mch is coupled to the front side bus or other interconnect 880 . a memory 886 is coupled to the mch . in various embodiments , the memory may include a random access memory ( ram ). dram is an example of a type of ram used in some but not all computer systems . as shown , the memory may be used to store instructions 887 and data 888 . a component interconnect 885 is also coupled with the mch . in one or more embodiments , the component interconnect may include one or more peripheral component interconnect express ( pcie ) interfaces . the component interconnect may allow other components to be coupled to the rest of the system through the chipset . one example of such components is a graphics chip or other graphics device , although this is optional and not required . the chipset also includes an input / output ( vo ) controller hub ( ich ) 884 . the ich is coupled to the mch through hub interface bus or other interconnect 883 . in one or more embodiments , the bus or other interconnect 883 may include a direct media interface ( dmi ). a data storage 889 is coupled to the ich . in various embodiments , the data storage may include a hard disk drive , a floppy disk drive , a cd - rom device , a flash memory device , or the like , or a combination thereof . a second component interconnect 890 is also coupled with the ich . in one or more embodiments , the second component interconnect may include one or more peripheral component interconnect express ( pcie ) interfaces . the second component interconnect may allow various types of components to be coupled to the rest of the system through the chipset . a serial expansion port 891 is also coupled with the ich . in one or more embodiments , the serial expansion port may include one or more universal serial bus ( usb ) ports . the serial expansion port may allow various other types of input / output devices to be coupled to the rest of the system through the chipset . a few illustrative examples of other components that may optionally be coupled with the ich include , but are not limited to , an audio controller , a wireless transceiver , and a user input device ( e . g ., a keyboard , mouse ). a network controller is also coupled to the ich . the network controller may allow the system to be coupled with a network . in one or more embodiments , the computer system may execute a version of the windows ™ operating system , available from microsoft corporation of redmond , wash . alternatively , other operating systems , such as , for example , unix , linux , or embedded systems , may be used . this is just one particular example of a suitable computer system . for example , in one or more alternate embodiments , the processor may have multiple cores . as another example , in one or more alternate embodiments , the mch 882 may be physically integrated on - die with the processor 800 and the processor may be directly coupled with a memory 886 through the integrated mch . as a further example , in one or more alternate embodiments , other components may be integrated on - die with the processor , such as to provide a system - on - chip ( soc ) design . as yet another example , in one or more alternate embodiments , the computer system may have multiple processors . fig9 is a block diagram of a second example embodiment of a suitable computer system 901 . the second example embodiment has certain similarities to the first example computer system described immediate above . for clarity , the discussion will tend to emphasize the differences without repeating all of the similarities . similar to the first example embodiment described above , the computer system includes a processor 900 , and a chipset 981 having an i / o controller hub ( ich ) 984 . also similarly to the first example embodiment , the computer system includes a first component interconnect 985 coupled with the chipset , a second component interconnect 990 coupled with the ich , a serial expansion port 991 coupled with the ich , a network controller 992 coupled with the ich , and a data storage 989 coupled with the ich . in this second embodiment , the processor 900 is a multi - core processor . the multi - core processor includes processor cores 994 - 1 through 994 - m , where m may be an integer number equal to or larger than two ( e . g . two , four , seven , or more ). as shown , the core - 1 includes a cache 995 ( e . g ., an l1 cache ). each of the other cores may similarly include a dedicated cache . the processor cores may be implemented on a single integrated circuit ( ic ) chip . in one or more embodiments , at least one , or a plurality or all of the cores may have an event counter , an event counter checkpoint logic , and event count restore logic , as described elsewhere herein . such logic may additionally , or alternatively , be included outside of a core . the processor also includes at least one shared cache 996 . the shared cache may store data and / or instructions that are utilized by one or more components of the processor , such as the cores . for example , the shared cache may locally cache data stored in a memory 986 for faster access by components of the processor . in one or more embodiments , the shared cache may include one or more mid - level caches , such as level 2 ( l2 ), level 3 ( l3 ), level 4 ( l4 ), or other levels of cache , a last level cache ( llc ), and / or combinations thereof . the processor cores and the shared cache are each coupled with a bus or other interconnect 997 . the bus or other interconnect may couple the cores and the shared cache and allow communication . the processor also includes a memory controller hub ( mch ) 982 . as shown in this example embodiment , the mch is integrated with the processor 900 . for example , the mch may be on - die with the processor cores . the processor is coupled with the memory 986 through the mch . in one or more embodiments , the memory may include dram , although this is not required . the chipset includes an input / output ( i / o ) hub 993 . the i / o hub is coupled with the processor through a bus ( e . g ., a quickpath interconnect ( qpi )) or other interconnect 980 . the first component interconnect 985 is coupled with the 110 hub 993 . this is just one particular example of a suitable system . other system designs and configurations known in the arts for laptops , desktops , handheld pcs , personal digital assistants , engineering workstations , servers , network devices , network hubs , switches , embedded processors , digital signal processors ( dsps ), graphics devices , video game devices , set - top boxes , micro controllers , cell phones , portable media players , hand - held devices , and various other electronic devices , are also suitable . in general , a huge variety of systems or electronic devices capable of incorporating a processor and / or an execution unit as disclosed herein are generally suitable . one or more embodiments include an article of manufacture that includes a tangible machine - accessible and / or machine - readable medium . the medium may include , a mechanism that provides , for example stores , information in a form that is accessible by the machine . for example , the medium may optionally include recordable mediums , such as , for example , floppy diskette , optical storage medium , optical disk , cd - rom , magnetic disk , magneto - optical disk , read only memory ( rom ), programmable rom ( prom ), erasable - and - programmable rom ( eprom ), electrically - erasable - and - programmable rom ( eeprom ), random access memory ( ram ), staticram ( sram ), dynamic - ram ( dram ), flash memory , and combinations thereof . the tangible medium may include one or more solid materials to store information . the medium may store and provide instructions , which , if processed by a machine , may result in and / or cause the machine to perform one or more of the operations or methods disclosed herein . in one or more embodiments , the medium may provide instructions that if processed by the machine cause or result in the machine reading an event count of an event counter that is configured to omit events counted during aborted speculative execution from the event count . in one or more embodiments , the medium may further include instructions to cause the machine to adjusting a performance parameter of the machine ( for example a speculative execution parameter ) based on the event count . in one or more embodiments , the medium may further include instructions to cause the machine to read a second event count corresponding to a second event counter that is configured to include events counted during the aborted speculative execution in the event count . in one or more embodiments , the medium may further include instructions to cause the machine to evaluating a difference between the second event count and the event count . in one or more embodiments , the instructions may include instructions code of an operating system . suitable machines include , but are not limited to , general - purpose processors , special - purpose processors ( e . g ., graphics processors , network communications processors ), network devices , computer systems , personal digital assistants ( pdas ), and a wide variety of other types of electronic devices . certain operations disclosed herein may be performed by hardware components ( for example a circuit ). the circuit or hardware may be part of a general - purpose or special - purpose processor , or logic circuit , to name just a few examples . the operations may also optionally be performed by a combination of hardware and / or firmware and / or software . in the description above , for the purposes of explanation , numerous specific details have been set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the embodiments of the invention . it will be apparent however , to one skilled in the art , that one or more other embodiments may be practiced without some of these specific details . the particular embodiments described are not provided to limit the invention but to illustrate it . the scope of the invention is not to be determined by the specific examples provided above but only by the claims below . in other instances , well - known circuits , structures , devices , and operations have been shown in block diagram form or without detail in order to avoid obscuring the understanding of the description . it will also be appreciated , by one skilled in the art , that modifications may be made to the embodiments disclosed herein , . such as , for example , to the sizes , shapes , configurations , forms , functions , materials , and manner of operation , and assembly and use , of the components of the embodiments . all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are encompassed within embodiments of the invention . for simplicity and clarity of illustration , elements illustrated in the figures have not necessarily been drawn to scale . for example , the dimensions of some of the elements are exaggerated relative to other elements for clarity . further , where considered appropriate , reference numerals or terminal portions of reference numerals have been repeated among the figures to indicate corresponding or analogous elements , which may optionally have similar characteristics . various operations and methods have been described . some of the methods have been described in a basic form , but operations may optionally be added to and / or removed from the methods . the operations of the methods may also often optionally be performed in different order . many modifications and adaptations may be made to the methods and are contemplated . it should also be appreciated that reference throughout this specification to “ one embodiment ”, “ an embodiment ”, or “ one or more embodiments ”, for example , means that a particular feature may be included in the practice of the invention . similarly , it should be appreciated that in the description various features are sometimes grouped together in a single embodiment , figure , or description thereof for the purpose of streamlining the disclosure and aiding in the understanding of various inventive aspects . this method of disclosure , however , is not to be interpreted as reflecting an intention that the invention requires more features than are expressly recited in each claim . rather , as the following claims reflect , inventive aspects may lie in less than all features of a single disclosed embodiment . thus , the claims following the detailed description are hereby expressly incorporated into this detailed description , with each claim standing on its own as a separate embodiment of the invention .
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the following description of the preferred embodiments is merely exemplary in nature and is in no way intended to limit the invention , its application , or uses . for purposes of clarity , the same reference designations will be used in the drawings to identify similar elements . referring now to fig1 , a fuel cell system 10 includes a high voltage direct current ( hvdc ) power bus 12 and a fuel cell stack 14 . the fuel cell stack 14 is represented as two voltage sources v 1 and v 2 . exemplary values for v 1 and v 2 are 200v , although other values may be used . assuming 200v for v 1 and v 2 , the total voltage across the fuel cell stack 14 is 400v . the fuel cell stack 14 includes coolant flowing through manifolds . since the coolant can be conductive ( not a perfect electrical insulator ), the coolant forms resistive paths from the fuel cell through the coolant tubes towards grounded metallic parts of the coolant system ( e . g . vehicle front radiator ). the coolant inlet / exit is indicated as parallel resistors r c . exemplary values for the resistors r c are 20 kω each or 10 kω total . the hvdc power bus 12 includes positive and negative nodes ( hv + and hv −, respectively ) and a capacitor circuit 16 . given the exemplary values of v 1 and v 2 and assuming the voltage balance is symmetrical , hv + is at + 200v and hv − is at − 200v . the capacitor circuit includes capacitors c 1 , c 2 and c 3 . c 1 is called x - capacitor and bridges hv + and hv −. c 2 and c 3 are called y - capacitors and bridge hv + to chassis or safety ground or hv − to chassis or safety ground . capacitors can be distributed across multiple electric devices connected to the hvdc bus and are represented as lumped single capacitors here . exemplary values for c 1 , c 2 and c 3 are 3000 μf , 5 μf and 5 μf , respectively . the y - capacitors c 2 , c 3 protects the hvdc power bus 12 from electromagnetic interference ( emi ). a typical fault contact , for example a human body , is indicated as a fault resistance r fault . although the fault contact is shown at hv +, the fault contact can also occur at hv − or at any intermediate voltage . an exemplary value for r fault is 1 kω . as a result of the fault contact , a discharge current causes the y - cap circuit 16 to discharge through r fault to ground . the energy in the y - cap circuit that is dissipated during the fault contact is equal to ½cv 2 . as shown in fig3 , which is discussed in further detail below , the typical discharge current immediately peaks upon fault contact and then gradually decreases to under 25 ma , given the exemplary values provided herein . the area beneath the typical discharge current curve indicates the energy that is dissipated through r fault ( e . g ., human body ). referring now to fig2 , a fuel cell system 20 includes a high voltage direct current ( hvdc ) power bus 22 and a fuel cell stack 24 . the fuel cell stack 24 is represented as two voltage sources v 1 and v 2 . exemplary values for v 1 and v 2 are 200v , although other values may be used . assuming 200v for v 1 and v 2 , the total voltage across the fuel cell stack 24 is 400v . the fuel cell stack . 24 includes coolant flowing through manifolds , which is indicated as parallel resistors r 1 and r 4 . exemplary values for r 1 and r 4 are 22 kω and 18 kω , respectively . the coolant is provided by a coolant system 26 as indicated by parallel resistors r 9 and r 8 . exemplary values for r 9 and r 8 are 10 kω each . r 9 and r 8 are in respective series connection with r 1 and r 4 . the coolant represented by r 8 and r 9 are in contact with chassis or safety ground through metallic coolant loop members ( e . g . radiator ). the hvdc power bus 22 includes positive and negative nodes ( hv + and hv −, respectively ) and a capacitor circuit 28 . given the exemplary values of v 1 and v 2 and assuming that the voltage balance is symmetrical , hv + is at + 200v and hv − is at − 200v . the cap circuit 28 includes capacitors c 8 , c 1 and c 2 . exemplary values for c 8 , c 1 and c 2 are 3000 μf , 5 μf and 5 μf , respectively . the cap - circuit 28 protects the hvdc power bus from electromagnetic interference ( emi ). the y - capacitors c 2 , c 3 bridges the hvdc power bus to a vehicle chassis ( not shown ) or safety ground . a y - cap discharge compensation circuit 29 bridges the hvdc power bus 22 and includes a monitoring circuit 30 and a switching circuit 32 . the monitoring circuit 30 includes capacitors c 11 , c 12 and c 13 and resistors r y - cap , r 18 , r 19 , r 21 , and r 22 . exemplary values for c 11 , c 12 and c 13 include 1 μf each . an exemplary value for r y - cap includes 100 ω and exemplary values for r 18 , r 19 , r 21 and r 22 include 5 kω each . the switching circuit 32 includes an operational amplifier ( op - amp ) 34 , a first n - channel mosfet transistor switch s 1 and a second p - channel mosfet transistor s 2 . the op - amp 34 includes a positive input 36 that is connected to ground . an output 38 is connected to s 1 and s 2 . a negative input 40 is connected to the monitoring circuit and the output through a capacitor c 7 and a resistor r 7 . s 1 includes a gate input 42 that is connected to the op - amp output 38 . an input 46 ( drain ) is connected to hv − through a resistor r 17 and an output 48 ( source ) is connected to ground through a resistor r inj . s 2 includes a gate input 50 that is connected to the op - amp output 38 . an input ( drain ) 54 is connected to hv + through a resistor r 16 and an output 56 ( source ) is connected to ground through the resistor r inj . exemplary values for r 16 and r 17 include 50 ω each and an exemplary value for r inj includes 10 ω . s 1 and s 2 function as switches . when in a conductive state , s 1 and s 2 provide an alternate current path from the hvdc bus terminals to ground through r inj and r 16 or r 17 . in operation , the monitoring circuit 30 provides current to the switching circuit 32 indicating a discharge current of the y - capacitors c 2 , c 3 circuit 28 . more particularly , the monitoring circuit 30 monitors the rate of change of voltage ( dv / dt ) of the hvdc bus terminals with respect to chassis or safety ground . if dv / dt of the hvdc bus terminals is greater than a threshold level , a fault discharge current situation is indicated . that is to say , the y - capacitors c 2 or c 3 are being caused to discharge by a fault contact such as a person touching either hv +, hv − or any intermediate voltage point . the op - amp 34 receives the current signal from the monitoring circuit 30 . more particularly , the dv / dt signal is generated by the differentiating capacitor - resistor network that includes r y - cap and c 12 . the dv / dt signal is filtered and smoothed by r 21 and c 13 . the filtered signal causes the output 38 of the op - amp to change to positive or negative depending on the sign of dv / dt , which depends on the fault location being on the positive or negative hvdc bus terminal . if the opamp output exceeds the turn on gate threshold voltage of the mosfet switches s 1 ( e . g . − 5v ) or s 2 ( e . g . + 5v ), it causes s 1 or s 2 to turn on , which redirects the main fault discharge current path . for example , in the event of a fault at hv +, as illustrated in fig2 , the op - amp output closes s 2 to create a discharge path to ground through r 16 and r inj . as a result , the energy of the y - cap circuit 28 is dissipated mainly through r 16 and r inj instead of through r fault . similarly , in the event of a fault at hv −, the op - amp output closes s 1 to create a discharge path to ground through r 17 and r inj . referring now to fig3 , a graph illustrates y - cap fault discharge currents according to the present invention . typical discharge currents for conventional circuits are illustrated by the dashed lines . the discharge current for the discharge compensation circuit 29 of the present invention is illustrated by the solid line . the discharge current drops more rapidly . additionally , the area under each of the curves indicates the amount of energy dissipated through r fault . a significantly decreased amount of energy is dissipated through r fault using the discharge compensation circuit 29 . referring now to fig4 , the fuel cell system 20 includes an active isolation circuit 60 . the active isolation circuit includes ground fault current sensors 62 , 64 that are associated with the coolant . the fault sensors 62 , 64 are connected to the inverting input 40 of the op - amp 34 and ground through resistors r s1 and r s2 , respectively . the fault sensors 62 , 64 measure net fault current flowing through all coolant resistant paths of the fuel cell system 20 . although the fuel cell system 20 of fig4 is shown to include both the y - cap discharge compensation circuit 29 and the active isolation circuit 60 together , the function of the active isolation circuit 60 can be achieved using the active isolation circuit 60 and the switching circuit 32 alone . in the event of a sufficient fault current through the coolant resistance paths , the active isolation circuit 60 signals the switching circuit 32 to provide a discharge path to ground . for example , when a sufficient negative fault current is detected by the fault sensor 64 or 62 , the op - amp output closes s 2 to create a discharge path to ground through r 16 + r inj . as a result , the fault current is forced towards 0 ma . similarly , when a sufficient positive fault current is detected by the fault sensor 62 or 64 , the op - amp output closes s1 to create a discharge path to ground through r 17 and r inj , again resulting in the fault current being forced towards 0 ma . the active isolation circuit 29 supports a fuel cell stack coolant scheme that includes a low conductivity coolant entering and exiting the fuel cell stack 24 . furthermore , implementation of the active isolation circuit 29 requires the use of isolated or non - conductive coolant manifolds or non - conductive coolant entrance and exit areas to form a high resistance path upstream and downstream of the fault sensors 62 , 64 . those skilled in the art can now appreciate from the foregoing description that the broad teachings of the current invention can be implemented in a variety of forms . therefore , while this invention has been described in connection with particular examples thereof , the true scope of the invention should not be so limited since other modifications will become apparent to the skilled practitioner upon a study of the drawings , the specification and the following claims .
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the acylates of the present invention , which by way of non - limiting exemplification may result from acylation with formation of a — co — o —, — co — s — or — co — nr 1 r 2 moiety ( where each of r 1 and r 2 is independently selected from a hydrogen atom or an optionally substituted hydrocarbyl group and nr 1 r 2 may also constitute a heterocyclic ring ), may be prepared by any of the appropriate methods known to the organic chemist , and thus the manner of their preparation does not constitute , per se , a part of the present invention . where , in the standard methods of reaction for preparing e . g ., the amides , esters or thioesters which may be acylates according to the present invention , reactant ( a ) contains an atom or substituent which interferes with such reaction , then such interfering atom or substituent may be blocked or protected in a manner known to persons in the art . although the present acylates will frequently be pro - drugs , that is , substances which when administered in the animal or human body release at the desired site a pharmacologically active entity , nevertheless , this in the alternative or additionally , the acylates may have pharmacological activity in their own right . further , the acylates include substances in which component ( a ) is not itself pharmacologically active at the target site , but when released metabolizes to a substance having desired pharmacological activity . group ( a ) substances include naturally occurring ( x - aminocarboxylic acids , which are of course “ building blocks ” in the formation of proteins which perform important functions in the animal and human body , and at least some of which acids functional also as neurotransmitters . exemplary amino acids are α - aminocarboxylic acids and are selected from alanine , arginine , asparagine , aspartic acid , β - carboxyaspartic acid , γ - carboxyglutamic acid , cysteine , cystine , glutamine , glutamic acid , glycine , histidine , homoserine , hydroxylysine , hydroxyproline , isoleucine , leucine , lysine , methionine , phenylalanine , proline , serine , threonine , tryptophan , tyrosine and valine . two amino acids of particular importance , tyrosine and tryptophan , are not formed in the body but must be ingested in food . tyrosine is metabolized successively to dopa , dopamine , norepinephrine and epinephrine ( scheme a , below ), while tryptophan is metabolized first to 5 - hydroxytryptophan and thus to 5 - hydroxytryptamine ( scheme b , below ). group ( a ) substances further include other neurotransmitters , e . g ., γ - aminobutyric acid ( gaba ), dopamine , epinephrine , norepinephrine and 5 - hydroxytryptamine . it will be apparent that the amino acids tyrosine and tryptophan thus perform , in the present context , the invaluable function of forming neurotransmitters in the body . while parkinson &# 39 ; s disease is related to a deficiency of the central neurotransmitter dopamine , this cannot be administered to patients because is cannot pass the blood - brain barrier . the conventional solution to this problem is the administration of levodopa ; however , this always causes undesirable side - effects , to a greater or lesser extent . thus , in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention , there is provided a method for the treatment of parkinson &# 39 ; s disease which comprises treating a patient with an effective amount of at least one compound selected from n - and / or o - acylated derivatives of tyrosine , levodopa and dopamine , where the acyl group is that of an essential fatty acid , such as , e . g ., α - or γ - linolenoyl , linoleoyl or arachidonoyl . such derivatives constitute presently preferred acylates of the invention , as do also the n - and / or o - acylated derivatives of epinephrine and norepinephrine ; the n - acylated derivatives of tryptophan ; and the n - and / or o - acylated derivatives of 5 - hydroxytryptophan and 5 - hydroxytryptamine , in all of which the acyl group is that of an essential fatty acid , such as , e . g ., α - or γ - linolenoyl , linoleoyl or arachidonoyl . it is believed to be a clear implication from the specific example set forth herein , that the acylates of the present invention ( in relation to central neurotransmitters and the treatment of cns - related conditions generally ) are able to pass the blood - brain barrier , and it may be predicted with a reasonable degree of confidence that they would have the ability also to access appropriate receptors in relation to peripheral nervous system conditions . by definition , substance ( a ) must contain a functional group including an acylatable hydrogen atom , or a reactive derivative thereof , in order that it may potentially be reacted with an essential fatty acid ( or a reactive derivative thereof ), so as to result in formation of a prodrug according to the present invention . the table which follows shows , by way of non - limiting illustration only , substances ( a ), classified according to their pharmacological activity , and indicating the nature of the functional group ( rather than the category of compound ) containing the hydrogen atom substitutable by e . g ., α - or γ - linolenoyl , linoleoyl or arachidonoyl . the acylates of the invention may be formulated with carriers , diluents and adjuvants as is well known in the pharmaceutical art and they may be administered in the usual modes , such as orally , parenterally , rectally of transdermally . consequently , the present pharmaceutical formulations , except insofar as they contain the present novel and inventive acylates , are not otherwise to be regarded as innovative per se , and they may be manufactured and administered by known methods . similarly to the method described by inman , j . k . et al ., enzyme structure , 1983 , vol . 91 p . 564 , academic press , acetonitrile ( 0 . 25 ml ) and methanol ( 1 ml ) were dissolved in ether ( 5 ml ). in presence of anhydrous calcium sulfate , and in a nitrogen atmosphere , the solution , kept at 0 ° c ., was saturated with anhydrous hci , and thereafter maintained at 0 ° c . for two hours . the solution was shaken with dry ether ( 50 ml ) and after standing a further hour at 0 ° c ., the product crystallized out and was collected by decantation and washing with 2 - 10 ml cold dry ether . it was dried under vacuum and stored for 24 hours prior to use in a tightly stoppered bottle under anhydrous conditions at − 20 ° c . the initially formed methylacetamidate hydrochloride was reacted in known manner with tyrosine ( 1 g ) and α - linolenic acid ( 1 ml ), and the desired n -( α - linolenoyl ) tyrosine was isolated . the identity of the product as n -( α - linolenoyl ) tyrosine was confirmed by testing in a mass spectrometer ( vg70 ) which showed the presence of n -( α - linolenoyl ) and tyrosine moieties , as well as by use of a plane - polarized infrared spectrophotometer ( varian ir 427 ) which inter alia showed the presence of the amide group . in an alternative method , the carboxylic acid function in tyrosine is protected prior to reaction with α - linolenic acid ( or a reactive derivative thereof ), and the resultant carboxyl - protected n -( α - linolenoyl ) tyrosine is deprotected , giving the desired product . one of the major behavioral methods to measure the increase in dopamine activity in the brain is rotational behavior . dopamine is the neurotransmitter in the striatum . the striatum controls motor movements and motor integration . in the brain there are two striata , in the right and left hemispheres , respectively . unilateral ablation of a striatum will result in walking in circles , as the intact striatum is still functioning ; ungerstadt , u . et al ., brain res ., 1970 , 24 : 485 - 492 , created a lesion in one striatum and measured the effect on rotational behavior . since then , this technique has been used to screen molecules , such as stimulants or potential anti - parkinson drugs , which induce increase in dopaminergic activity . groups of 6 male sprague - dawley rats ( charles river laboratories , wilmington , mass .) weighing 100 - 120 g , were housed 6 per cage in a well - ventilated and air - conditioned room of ambient temperature ( 22 ± 2 ° c .) and relative humidity 45 %. the rats had access to food ( big red laboratory chow , agway inc ., syracuse , n . y .) and water ad libitum . light (“ vita light ”, duro test corp ., north bergen , n . j .) was provided between 9 am and 9 pm . all surgery was performed under anesthesia ( sodium pentobarbital , 50 mg / ml , as required ). the rats were placed in a kopf stereotaxic instrument ( model # 900 ). unilateral anodal electrolytic lesions were made with constant current supply ( lesion - producing device # 58040 , stoelting , chicago , ill .). current ( 2 . 0 mv for 10 seconds ) was passed through stainless steel insulated wire pe 32 , 0 . 008 inches diameter (“ formax ”, stoelting , chicago , ill . ), bared only at the tip . the coordinates ( modified from konig and klippel , 1963 ) for caudate nucleus lesion were : a 8 . 5 , l 2 . 2 , v + 1 . 8 . the lesions were made in the left side of the brain . tests were made at day 4 after surgery . rotational behavior was tested in a rotameter , modified from the design of ungerstedt et al ., 1970 . each rat , mounted in a special harness , was placed in an acrylic transparent dome of 41 cm radius . its rotational movements were transduced from the harness via a stainless steel tube ( ⅛ inch ) and a precision universal joint ( pic bc 12 ) to a 5k linear potentiometer ( spoctrol ), which received an excitation current from a sanborn polygraph ( 7702 b recorder , hewlett - packard ). the potentiometer ( preamplifier 8805 a ) measured and recorded the changes in the amount of current which passed through it , resulting from the rotational movements of the rats . when each rat turned to the right , the recording pen was deflected upward ; a leftward turn deflected the pen downward . continuous recordings were made on chart paper rjn at a speed of 1 mm / sec . each rat was placed in the rotameter and treated with an i . p . injection of saline or ( i ) ( 10 mg / kg ) as prepared above . two observers watched the rats for abnormal behavior ( i . e . stereotype — which was not found ). the frequency of turning was measured between 30 - 40 minutes post - injection . after this time lapse , the treated rats had increased their rate of rotational motion from 4 cycles / minute to 40 cycles / minute . at the end of the experiment , the rats were removed from the rotameter and the brain was taken for verification of the lesion as follows . the rats were given an overdose of pentobarbital and perfused with saline , followed by 10 % formalin . brains were removed and serial coronal slices were made at 40 microns using a freezing microtome . representative slices were stained with cresyl violet and mounted on slides . the histological examination showed that in all tested rats the lesion was confined to the striatum . all other brain areas were intact . this functional derivative of n - β - linolenyltyrosine was prepared as follows . to an ice - cooled solution of p - tert - butoxy - β - phenylalanine methyl ester , hcl salt ( 2 . 1 g ) in ch 2 cl 2 ( 50 ml ), in an argon atmosphere , was added dropwise et 3 n ( 1 ml = 0 . 74 g ), and then — after three minutes - β - linolenic acid ( 1 . 8 g ) in ch 2 cl 2 ( 35 ml ), followed by ( as solids ) dicyclohexylcarbodiimide ( 1 . 5 g ) and hydroxybenzotriazole ( 0 . 96 g ), and then dmf ( 35 ml ), the temperature being maintained at 0 ° c . for two hours , with stirring , and finally at room temperature for 40 hours . ethyl acetate ( 50 ml ) was added , and the mixture was filtered , concentrated in vacuo , and again filtered . ether ( 30 ml was added and the mixture was extracted successively with water , 1 % aq . hcl , 1 % aq . koh and water . the organic phase was dried ( mgso 4 ) and after filtration and evaporation , a mixture of trifluoroacetic acid ( 70 ml ) and triethylsilane ( 1 ml ) were added to the residue at − 10 ° c . ( argon atmosphere ). the mixture was stirred for 20 minutes at 0 ° c ., after which it was allowed to attain ambient temperature , stirred for 5 minutes , evaporated in vacuo at 30 ° c ., re - evaporated with methanol ( 4 × 50 ml ), and finally chromatographed on a merck silica column ( h = 30 cm , d = 3 . 2 cm ). elution was effected with chcl 3 ( 1 . 5 l ), uv detection at 270 nm , the product being obtained as a viscous oil ( 2 g ), elemental composition confirmed by mass spectrum as c 28 h 41 no 4 . high resolution mass - spectrum ( cl by ch 4 ): 456 . 310112 ( m +, 100 %), c 28 h 42 no 4 calc . 456 . 311384 . 1 h — nmr ( cdcl 3 ): 0 . 97 ( t , j = 7 . 5 hz ; 3h ), 1 . 28 ( broadened ; 10h ), 1 . 58 ( m ; 2h ), 2 . 07 ( m ; 4h ), 2 . 19 ( t , j = 5 . 6 hz ; 2h ), 2 . 80 ( m ; 2h ), 3 . 03 ( m ; 2h ), 3 . 37 ( s ; 3h ), 4 . 87 ( m ; 1h ), 5 . 37 ( m ; 6h ), 6 . 04 ( d , j = 8 . 0 hz ; 1h ), 6 . 10 ( broadened ; 1h ), 6 . 83 ( m , 4h ) ppm . 13 c — nmr ( cdcl 3 ): 14 . 24 ; 20 . 51 ; 25 . 49 ; 25 . 52 ; 25 . 57 ; 27 . 16 ; 29 . 08 ; 29 . 15 ; 29 . 54 ; 36 . 48 ; 37 . 18 ; 52 . 40 ; 53 . 17 ; 115 . 53 ; 126 . 94 ; 127 . 07 ; 127 . 70 ; 128 . 21 ; 128 . 27 ; 130 . 21 ; 131 . 93 ; 155 . 45 ; 172 . 30 ; 173 . 53 ppm . three groups of 12 male sprague - dawley rats ( charles river laboratories , wilmington , mass .) weighing 100 - 150 g , were housed 6 per cage in a well - ventilated and air - conditioned room of ambient temperature ( 22 ± 2 ° c .) and relative humidity 45 %. the rats had access to food ( big red laboratory chow , agway inc ., syracuse , n . y .) and water ad libitum . light (“ vita light ”, duro test corp ., north bergen , n . j .) was provided between 9 am and 9 pm . these groups were used for rotational study , the dosage of ( ii ) being 100 mg / kg , i . p . one group served as a control group ( no treatment ), a second group was a sham operated group , and a third group was the operated group . all surgery was performed under anesthesia ( sodium pentobarbital , 50 mg / ml , as required ). the rats were placed in a kopf stereotaxic instrument ( model # 900 ). unilateral anodal electrolytic lesions were made with constant current supply ( lesion - producing device # 58040 , stoelting , chicago , ill .). current ( 2 . 0 mv for 10 seconds ) was passed through stainless steel insulated wire pc 32 , 0 . 008 inches diameter (“ formax ”, stoelting , chicago , ill . ), bared only at the tip . the coordinates ( modified from konig and klippel , 1963 ) for caudate nucleus lesion were : a 8 . 5 , l 2 . 2 , v + 1 . 8 . the lesions were made in the left side of the brain . sham operated animals were treated as lesioned animals , i . e . they were placed in the stereotaxic instrument and an electrode was placed in the brain , but without passing electric current therethrough . after surgery , each rat was placed in an individual cage . tests were made at day 10 after surgery . at the end of the experiment , each rat was given an overdose of pentobarbital and perfused with saline , followed by 10 % formalin . brains were removed and serial coronal slices were made at 40 micra , using a freezing microtome . representative slides were stained with cresyl violet for verification of the lesion . details of the procedure with regard to determination of rotational behavior were substantially as described above for testing ( i ). results are summarized in the following table , which demonstrates that administration of ( ii ) influences rotational behavior in a statistically significant manner ( anova p ≦ 0 . 001 ). this is an involuntary spasm of the orbicular muscles of the eye , causing forceful closure of the eyes . symptomatically there is a significant increase in the rate of eyelid closures / min . this phenomenon is regarded as a type of dystonia , a decrease in the brain dopamine level being the etiology of this syndrome . ro4 - 1284 is a powerful dopamine - depleting agent . in saline - treated animals , ro4 - 1284 is able to induce an animal model of benign essential blephrospasm . groups of rats similar to those described above were treated daily for 14 days with 25 mg / kg ( ii ), i . p ., and then were challenged with a dose of 40 mg / kg ro4 - 1284 , i . p . the results of this test were shown in the following table . conclusions of biological testing ( i ) and ( ii ) cross the blood - brain barrier and are enzymatically converted to one or more of dopamine , norepinephrine and epinephrine . to the best of the inventor &# 39 ; s knowledge , it has never been recorded that either α - linolenic acid or tyrosine influence rotational motion or blephrospasm as was found in these experiments . by implication , the acylates of the present invention generally , including their functional derivatives , should be capable of crossing the blood - brain barrier and / or accessing the relevant receptors . while the present invention has been particularly described with reference to certain embodiments , it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that many modifications and variations may be made . the invention is accordingly not to be construed as limited in any way by such embodiments , rather its concept is to be understood according to the spirit and scope of the claims which follow .
| 2 |
the novel compounds encompassed by the instant invention can be described by general formula i . the present invention also encompasses compounds of general formula ii : ## str17 ## or the pharmaceutically acceptable non - toxic salts thereof wherein : n , r 1 , r 2 , r 5 , and w are as defined above . the present invention also encompasses compounds of general formula iii : ## str18 ## or the pharmaceutically acceptable non - toxic salts thereof where r 1 , r 2 , r 3 , and w are as defined above the present invention also encompasses compounds of general formula iv : ## str19 ## or the pharmaceutically acceptable non - toxic salts thereof where w , z and tare as defined above , and u is methylene or carbonyl . the present invention also encompasses compounds of general formula v : ## str20 ## or the pharmaceutically acceptable non - toxic salts thereof where w , e and r 15 are as defined above . r &# 34 ; represents hydrogen or straight or branched chain lower alkoxy having about 1 - 6 carbon atoms ; and r &# 39 ;&# 34 ; represents hydrogen , halogen or straight or branched chain lower alkoxyhaving about 1 - 6 carbon atoms . preferred compounds of formula vi are those where the halogen is fluorine . the present invention also encompasses compounds of formula vlla and vllb : ## str22 ## or the pharmaceutically acceptable non - toxic salts thereof where r &# 34 ; and r &# 39 ;&# 34 ; independently represent hydrogen , methoxy or ethoxy . non - toxic pharmaceutical salts include salts of acids such as hydrochloric , phosphoric , hydrobromic , sulfuric , sulfinic , formic , toluene sulfonic , hydroiodic , acetic and the like . those skilled in the art will recognize awide variety of non - toxic pharmaceutically acceptable addition salts . by lower alkyl in the present invention is meant straight or branched chainalkyl groups having 1 - 6 carbon atoms , such as , for example , methyl , ethyl , propyl , isopropyl , n - butyl , sec - butyl , tert - butyl , pentyl , 2 - pentyl , isopentyl , neopentyl , hexyl , 2 - hexyl , 3 - hexyl , and 3 - methylpentyl . by lower alkoxy in the present invention is meant straight or branched chain alkoxy groups having 1 - 6 carbon atoms , such as , for example , methoxy , ethoxy , propoxy , isopropoxy , n - butoxy , sec - butoxy , tert - butoxy , pentoxy , 2 - pentoxy , isopentoxy , neopentoxy , hexoxy , 2 - hexoxy , 3 - hexoxy , and 3 - methylpentoxy . by halogen in the present invention is meant fluorine , bromine , chlorine , and iodine . by n - alkyl piperazyl in the invention is meant radicals of the formula : ## str23 ## where r is a straight or branched chain lower alkyl as defined above . where r 15 is -- cor 16 and r 16 is straight or branched chain lower alkoxy or phenylalkoxy , -- cor 16 represents an alkyl ester or analkyl ester having a phenyl substituent . representative compounds of the present invention , which are encompassed byformula i , include , but are not limited to the compounds in fig1 - 4 and their pharmaceutically acceptable salts . the invention also encompasses the tautomeric forms of the compounds of formula 1 . the pharmaceutical utility of compounds of this invention are indicated by the following assay for gabaa receptor binding activity . assays are carried out as described in thomas and tallman ( j . bio . chem . 156 : 9838 - 9842 , j . neurosci . 3 : 433 - 440 . 1983 ). rat cortical tissue is dissected and homogenized in 25 volumes ( w / v ) of 0 . 05m tris hcl buffer ( ph7 . 4 at 4 ° c .). the tissue homogenate is centrifuged in the cold ( 4 °) at 20 , 000 × g for 20 &# 39 ;. the supernatant is decanted and thepellet is rehomogenized in the same volume of buffer and again centrifuged at 20 , 000 × g . the supernatant is decanted and the pellet is frozen at - 200 ° c . overnight . the pellet is then thawed and rehomogenized in 25 volume ( original wt / vol ) of buffer and the procedure is carried out twice . the pellet is finally resuspended in 50 volumes ( w / vol of 0 . 05m tris hcl buffer ( ph 7 . 4 at 40 ° c .). lncubations contain 100 μl of tissue homogenate . 100 μl of radioligand 0 . 5 nm ( 3 h -- ro15 - 1788 3 h - flumazenil ! specific activity 80 ci / mmol ), drug or blocker and buffer to a total volume of 500 μl . incubations are carried for 30 min at 4 ° c . then are rapidlyfiltered through gfb filters to separate free and bound ligand . filters arewashed twice with fresh 0 . 05m tris hcl buffer ( ph 7 . 4 at 4 ° c .) and counted in a liquid scintillation counter . 1 . 0 μm diazepam is added to some tubes to determine nonspecific binding . data are collected in triplicate determinations , averaged and % inhibition of total specific binding is calculated . total specific binding = total - nonspecific . in some cases , the amounts of unlabeled drugs is varied and total displacement curves of binding are carried out . data are converted to a form for the calculation of ic 50 and hill coefficient ( nh ). data for the compoundsof this invention are listed in table i . table i______________________________________compound number . sup . 1 ic . sub . 50 ( μm ) ______________________________________1 0 . 0152 0 . 1673 0 . 0934 0 . 061______________________________________ . sup . 1 compound numbers relate to compounds shown in figures 1 - 4 . compounds 1 , 3 and 4 are particularly preferred embodiments of the present invention because of their potency in binding to the gabaa receptor . the compounds of general formula i may be administered orally , topically , parenterally , by inhalation or spray or rectally in dosage unit formulations containing conventional non - toxic pharmaceutically acceptablecarriers , adjuvants and vehicles . the term parenteral as used herein includes subcutaneous injections , intravenous , intramuscular , intrasternalinjection or infusion techniques . in addition , there is provided a pharmaceutical formulation comprising a compound of general formula i and a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier . one or more compounds of general formula i may be present in association with one or more non - toxic pharmaceutically acceptable carriers and / or diluents and / or adjuvants and if desired other active ingredients . the pharmaceutical compositions containing compounds of general formula i may be in a form suitable for oral use , for example , as tablets , troches , lozenges , aqueous or oily suspensions , dispersible powders or granules , emulsion , hard or soft capsules , or syrups or elixirs . compositions intended for oral use may be prepared according to any method known to the art for the manufacture of pharmaceutical compositions and such compositions may contain one or more agents selected from the group consisting of sweetening agents , flavoring agents , coloring agents and preserving agents in order to provide pharmaceutically elegant and palatable preparations . tablets contain the active ingredient in admixturewith non - toxic pharmaceutically acceptable excipients which are suitable for the manufacture of tablets . these excipients may be for example , inertdiluents , such as calcium carbonate , sodium carbonate , lactose , calcium phosphate or sodium phosphate ; granulating and disintegrating agents , for example , corn starch , or alginic acid ; binding agents , for example starch , gelatin or acacia , and lubricating agents , for example magnesium stearate , stearic acid or talc . the tablets may be uncoated or they may be coated byknown techniques to delay disintegration and absorption in the gastrointestinal tract and thereby provide a sustained action over a longer period . for example , a time delay material such as glyceryl monosterate or glyceryl distearate may be employed . formulations for oral use may also be presented as hard gelatin capsules wherein the active ingredient is mixed with an inert solid diluent , for example , calcium carbonate , calcium phosphate or kaolin , or as soft gelatin capsules wherein the active ingredient is mixed with water or an oil medium , for example peanut oil , liquid paraffin or olive oil . aqueous suspensions contain the active materials in admixture with excipients suitable for the manufacture of aqueous suspensions . such excipients are suspending agents , for example sodium carboxymethylcellulose , methylcellulose , hydropropylmethylcellulose , sodium alginate , polyvinylpyrrolidone , gum tragacanth and gum acacia ; dispersing or wetting agents may be a naturally - occurring phosphatide , forexample , lecithin , or condensation products of an alkylene oxide with fattyacids , for example polyoxyethylene stearate , or condensation products of ethylene oxide with long chain aliphatic alcohols , for example heptadecaethyleneoxycetanol , or condensation products of ethylene oxide with partial esters derived from fatty acids and a hexitol such as polyoxyethylene sorbitol monooleate , or condensation products of ethylene oxide with partial esters derived from fatty acids and hexitol anhydrides , for example polyethylene sorbitan monooleate . the aqueous suspensions may also contain one or more preservatives , for example ethyl , or n - propyl p - hydroxybenzoate , one or more coloring agents , one or more flavoring agents , and one or more sweetening agents , such as sucrose or saccharin . oily suspensions may be formulated by suspending the active ingredients in a vegetable oil , for example arachis oil , olive oil , sesame oil or coconutoil , or in a mineral oil such as liquid paraffin . the oily suspensions may contain a thickening agent , for example beeswax , hard paraffin or cetyl alcohol . sweetening agents such as those set forth above , and flavoring agents may be added to provide palatable oral preparations . these compositions may be preserved by the addition of an anti - oxidant such as ascorbic acid . dispersible powders and granules suitable for preparation of an aqueous suspension by the addition of water provide the active ingredient in admixture with a dispersing or wetting agent , suspending agent and one or more preservatives . suitable dispersing or wetting agents and suspending agents are exemplified by those already mentioned above . additional excipients , for example sweetening , flavoring and coloring agents , may also be present . pharmaceutical compositions of the invention may also be in the form of oil - in - water emulsions . the oily phase may be a vegetable oil , for exampleolive oil or arachis oil , or a mineral oil , for example liquid paraffin or mixtures of these . suitable emulsifying agents may be naturally - occurring gums , for example gum acacia or gum tragacanth , naturally - occurring phosphatides , for example soy bean , lecithin , and esters or partial estersderived from fatty acids and hexitol , anhydrides , for example sorbitan monoleate , and condensation products of the said partial esters with ethylene oxide , for example polyoxyethylene sorbitan monoleate . the emulsions may also contain sweetening and flavoring agents . syrups and elixirs may be formulated with sweetening agents , for example glycerol , propylene glycol , sorbitol or sucrose . such formulations may also contain a demulcent , a preservative and flavoring and coloring agents . the pharmaceutical compositions may be in the form of a sterile injectable aqueous or oleaginous suspension . this suspension may be formulated according to the known art using those suitable dispersing or wetting agents and suspending agents which have been mentioned above . the sterile injectable preparation may also be sterile injectable solution or suspension in a non - toxic parenterally acceptable diluent or solvent , for example as a solution in 1 . 3 - butanediol . among the acceptable vehicles andsolvents that may be employed are water , ringer &# 39 ; s solution and isotonic sodium chloride solution . in addition , sterile , fixed oils are conventionally employed as a solvent or suspending medium . for this purpose any bland fixed oil may be employed including synthetic mono - or diglycerides . in addition , fatty acids such as oleic acid find use in the preparation of injectables . the compounds of general formula i may also be administered in the form of suppositories for rectal administration of the drug . these compositions can be prepared by mixing the drug with a suitable non - irritating excipient which is solid at ordinary temperatures but liquid at the rectaltemperature and will therefore melt in the rectum to release the drug . suchmaterials are cocoa butter and polyethylene glycols . compounds of general formula i may be administered parenterally in a sterile medium . the drug , depending on the vehicle and concentration used , can either be suspended or dissolved in the vehicle . advantageously , adjuvants such as local anaesthetics , preservatives and buffering agents can be dissolved in the vehicle . dosage levels of the order of from about 0 . 1 mg to about 140 mg per kilogram of body weight per day are useful in the treatment of the above - indicated conditions ( about 0 . 5 mg to about 7 g per patient per day ). the amount of active ingredient that may be combined with the carrier materials to produce a single dosage form will vary depending uponthe host treated and the particular mode of administration . dosage unit forms will generally contain between from about 1 mg to about 500 mg of anactive ingredient . it will be understood , however , that the specific dose level for any particular patient will depend upon a variety of factors including the activity of the specific compound employed , the age , body weight , general health , sex , diet , time of administration , route of administration , and rate of excretion , drug combination and the severity of the particular disease undergoing therapy . an illustration of the preparation of compounds of the present invention isgiven in scheme i . those having skill in the art will recognize that the starting materials may be varied and additional steps employed to produce compounds encompassed by the present invention , as demonstrated by the following examples . ## str24 ## wherein : ## str25 ## represents : ## str26 ## and n is 0 , 1 or 2 ; r 1 and r 2 are the same or different and represent hydrogen or straight or branched chain lower alkyl having 1 - 6 carbon atoms ; w is phenyl , 2 - or 3 - thienyl , or 2 -, 3 -, or 4 - pyridyl ; or phenyl . 2 - or 3 - thienyl , or 2 -, 3 -, or 4 - pyridyl , each of which is mono or disubstitutedwith halogen , hydroxy , straight or branched chain lower alkyl having 1 - 6 carbon atoms , straight or branched chain lower alkoxy having 1 - 6 carbon atoms , amino , or mono - or dialkyl amino where each alkyl portion is straight or branched chain lower alkyl having 1 - 6 carbon atoms ; y is n -- r 3 where r 3 is hydrogen , straight or branched chain loweralkyl having 1 - 6 carbon atoms , phenyl , or phenylalkyl where the alkyl is straight or branched chain lower alkyl having 1 - 6 carbon atoms :, straight or branched chain lower alkoxy having 1 - 6 carbon atoms , or phenylalkoxy where the alkoxy is straight or branched chain lower alkoxy having 1 - 6 carbon atoms ; or -- cor 4 or -- so 2 r 4 where r 4 is straight or branched chain lower alkyl having 1 - 6 carbon atoms ; c ═ o , cr 6 or 5 , cr 6 cor 5 , cr 6 co 2 r 5 , cr 6 ocor 5 , and cr 5 r 6 , where r 5 is hydrogen , straight or branched chain lower alkyl having 1 - 6 carbon atoms , phenyl , orphenylalkyl where the alkyl is straight or branched chain lower alkyl having 1 - 6 carbon atoms ; and r 6 is hydrogen , or straight or branched chain lower alkyl having 1 - 6 carbon atoms : cr 6 conr 7 r 8 or cr 6 ( ch 2 ) q nr 7 r 8 where q is 0 , 1 , or 2 , and r 6 and r 7 are the same or different and represent hydrogen , or straight or branched chain lower alkyl having 1 - 6 carbon atoms ; and r 8 is hydrogen , straight or branched chain lower alkyl having 1 - 6 carbon atoms , phenyl , pyridyl , or phenylalkyl wherethe alkyl is straight or branched chain lower alkyl having 1 - 6 carbon atoms ; or nr 7 r 8 is morpholyl , piperidyl , pyrrolidyl , or n - alkylpiperazyl ; cr 6 nr 9 co 2 r 10 where r 6 is hydrogen , or straight or branched chain lower alkyl having 1 - 6 carbon atoms , and r r and r 10 are the same or different and represent hydrogen , straight or branched chain lower alkyl having 1 - 6 carbon atoms , phenyl , or phenylalkylwhere the alkyl is straight or branched chain lower alkyl having 1 - 6 carbonatoms : cr 6 c ( oh ) r 11 r 12 where r 11 and r 12 are the same ordifferent and represent straight or branched chain lower alkyl having 1 - 6 carbon atoms , phenyl , or phenylalkyl where the alkyl is straight or branched chain lower alkyl having 1 - 6 carbon atoms , and r 6 is hydrogen , or straight or branched chain lower alkyl having , 1 - 6 carbon atoms ; or y is a group of the formula : ## str27 ## where m is 0 , 1 or 2 . r 13 is hydrogen , straight or branched chain lower alkyl having 1 - 6 carbon atoms , phenyl , or phenylalkyl where the alkyl is straight or branched chain lower alkyl having 1 - 6 carbon atoms ; z is methylene , oxygen , nr 14 or chconr 14 where r 14 is hydrogen , straight or branched chain lower alkyl having 1 - 6 carbon atoms , phenyl , pyridyl , or phenylalkyl or pyridylalkyl where the alkyl is straight or branched chain lower alkyl having 1 - 6 carbon atoms ; and b is n or cr 15 where r 15 is hydrogen , halogen , straight or branched chain lower alkyl having 1 - 6 carbon atoms , phenyl , phenylalkyl where the alkyl is straight or branched chain lower alkyl having 1 - 6 carbon atoms , -- coor 16 , -- conr 16 r 17 , -- cor 16 or -- so 2 r 16 where r 16 is straight or branched chain lower alkyl having 1 - 6 carbonatoms , straight or branched chain lower alkoxy having 1 - 6 carbon atoms , or phenylalkyl where the alkyl is straight or branched chain lower alkoxy having 1 - 6 carbon atoms , and r 17 is straight or branched chain lower alkyl having 1 - 6 carbon atoms ; and e is hydrogen , or straight or branched chain lower alkyl having 1 - 6 carbon atoms . the invention is illustrated further by the following examples which are not to be construed as limiting the invention in scope or spirit to the specific procedures and compounds described in them . a mixture of 2 - hydroxymethyl - benzimidazole ( 11 . 9 g ) and mno 2 ( 59 . 5 g in ethanol ( 250 ml ) was vigorously stirred for 2 days . the reaction was concentrated in vacuo , hot dimethylformamide was added and the mixture wasfiltered through celite . after removal of the solvent in vacuo the tan solid was triturated with ethanol to afford 2 - benzimidazolecarboxaldehyde as a tan powder . a mixture of 2 - benzimidazolecarboxaldehyde ( 154 mg ), 4 - methoxyphenylglycineethyl ester ( 220 mg ) and 3 g oa 3a molecular sieves was refluxed for 2 h . after filtration through celite the solvent was removed in vacuo to affordthe corresponding imine ( compound a1 ) as a glassy solid . to a solution of the crude imine a1 ( 240 mg ) in 9 ml of methanol and 3 ml of water is added 30 mg of lithium hydroxide monohydrate and the mixture is stirred at room temperature for 2 h . after neutralization with dilute hcl and dilution with water , most of the methanol was removed in vacuo andthe resulting solid was collected to afford 2 -( 4 - methoxyphenyl )- benzimidazo 1 , 2 - a ! pyrazin - 1 -( 5h )- one ( compound 1 ), m . p .& gt ; 150 ° c . ( dec ). the following compounds were prepared according to the procedure described in examples i - iv : the invention and the manner and process of making and using it , are now described in such full , clear , concise and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains , to make and use the same . it is to be understood that the foregoing describes preferred embodiments of the present invention and that modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit or scope of the present invention as setforth in the claims . to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter regarded as invention , the following claims conclude this specification .
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referring to fig1 , a line drawing of exemplary network architecture is shown in which methods and systems according to embodiments of the present invention may be implemented . while the present invention is operable with various binding schemes , such as binding to a specific receiver in standard pki applications , binding to a specific media in cprm and aacs media , fig1 shows the binding scheme wherein the binding is to a specific user &# 39 ; s content in xcp cluster protocol . the network of fig1 includes an xcp compliant network cluster 32 that includes several xcp compliant network devices including a cellular telephone 18 , a television 10 , a dvd player 16 , a personal computer 14 , and an mp3 player 20 . the network may be any type of wired or wireless network , such as local area network ( lans ) or wide area networks ( wans ). content may be any data deliverable from a source to a recipient and may be in the form of files such as an audio data file , a video data file , a media data file , a streaming media file , an application file , a text file , or a graphic . an encryption system allows receiving devices within the home network to freely share and utilize encrypted content between them while preventing non - compliant devices from decrypting the encrypted content . a receiving device may optionally be able to record content onto a recorded device for use outside the home network . the network cluster supports a key management block 38 for the cluster , an authorization table 12 that identifies all the devices currently authorized to join in the cluster , a binding key 36 for the cluster , and a cluster id 46 . the key management block 38 is a data structure containing an encryption of a management key with every compliant device key . that is , the key management block contains a multiplicity of encrypted instances of a management key , one for every device key in the set of device keys for a device . the binding key 36 for the cluster is calculated as a cryptographic one - way function of a management key and a cryptographic hash of a cluster id and a unique data token for the cluster . the management key for the cluster is calculated from the key management block 38 and device keys . the network of fig1 includes a content server 31 that is capable of encrypting content with title keys provided to it by content providers , content owners , or a legal licensing authority . content server 31 is also capable of calculating a binding key for a cluster , given enough information about the cluster , and using the binding key 36 to encrypt a title key and package it with encrypted contents . more particularly , content server 31 may control broadcast encryption of content for a network cluster 32 from outside the cluster by receiving from a network device in the cluster a key management block 38 for the cluster 32 , a unique data token for the cluster 32 , and an encrypted cluster id . the content server is capable of using the key management block 38 for the cluster 32 , the unique data token for the cluster 32 , and the encrypted cluster id to calculate the binding key for the cluster . the network of fig1 further includes a digital rights server 39 that is capable of storing rights objects that define rights for the broadcast encryption content . in addition , a digital rights server 39 is also capable of calculating a binding key for a cluster , given enough information about the cluster , and using the binding key to encrypt a title key and insert it into a rights object . more particularly , if a third party drm solution exists , the present invention is compatible with said third party drm solution to control broadcast encryption of content for a network cluster 32 from outside the cluster by encrypting a title key with a binding key 36 , and inserting the encrypted title key into the rights object . at this point , an external check could be made to the third party drm solution prior to making content available from a participating device . if a drm solution is present , access is granted or denied based upon unique identification of encrypted content from the requesting device . a digital rights server may be capable of using a key management block 38 for the cluster 32 , a unique data token for the cluster 32 , and an encrypted cluster id to calculate a binding key for the cluster . a generalized diagram of an encryption management system that may be used in the practice of the present invention is shown in fig2 . the cryptographic system may be any combination of hardware and / or software that may perform one or more of such tasks as encrypting or decrypting , and attaching a key to content . a typical cryptographic system may be a general purpose computer with a computer program that , when loaded and executed , carries out the methods described herein . alternatively , cryptographic system may be a specific use computer system containing specialized hardware for carrying out one or more of the functional tasks of the cryptographic system . a specific use computer system may be part of a receiving device , for example , such as an encryption / decryption module associated with a dvd player . cryptographic system may include one or more central processing units ( cpus 19 ), an input / output ( i / o ) interface 22 , a user application 26 that includes a binding calculation object 28 wherein a context key 40 , indirection key ( s ) 42 , and encryption key 44 are found , external devices 24 , and a database 49 . cryptographic system may also be in communication with a source 57 or a recipient 47 . source 57 may be the source of any content to be encrypted or decrypted or any entity capable of sending transmissions , such as a content owner , a content service provider , or a receiver in a home network . information received from a source 57 may include any type of information , such as encrypted content , content , content usage conditions , a kmb , encrypted title keys , or binding identifiers . similarly , a recipient 47 may be any entity capable of receiving transmissions or that is a destination for any encrypted content or other information , such as a receiver in a home network . cpu 19 may include a single processing unit or may be distributed across one or more processing units in one or more locations , such as on a client and server or a multi - processor system . i / o interface 22 may include any system for exchanging information with an external source . external devices 24 may include any known type of external device , such as speakers , a video display , a keyboard to other user input device , or a printer . database 49 may provide storage for information used to facilitate performance of the disclosed embodiment . database 49 may include one or more storage devices , such as a magnetic disk drive or optional disk drive . user application 26 may include components of application specific information , such as media id , or authorization table . binding calculation object 28 may include a context key 40 that is set up via a user &# 39 ; s specific information , one or more indirection keys 42 , and a final encryption key 44 used to encrypt content . the binding calculation object 28 can be reused in several various applications and is a standard defined mechanism . this standard defined mechanism can be used to create trusted entities that handle a state of a binding transaction for an application . secret information , such as title keys , media keys , or session keys , can be kept inside these trusted entities ( binding calculation objects ) decreasing the security risks of transmitting sensitive information in application components . specific measures can be taken to detect and prevent decryption of title keys outside of the trusted entities . the binding calculation object or trusted cryptography object 28 can be implemented as a trusted software component that executes in a trusted operating system environment . for example , a computer system could be supplied with a trusted java virtual machine ( java is a trademark of sun microsystems , inc .) whose execution options are known and controlled by the system owner . in the alternative , binding calculation object 28 can be embodied in a read only memory device or application specific hardware device to ensure that no compromising operations can be performed . the advantage is that the decrypted secret information such as the title key is always maintained in the binding object 28 with external access blocked and thus cannot be compromised . fig3 is a flowchart showing the development of a process according to the present invention for managing encrypted content using logical partitions . means are provided for managing encrypted content using logical partitions of title keys encrypted with binding information , step 70 . means are provided for requesting access to content on a compliant device stored by content provider service , step 71 . a user can choose to manage the encrypted title keys of the encrypted content in these partitions . a user may choose to manage the encrypted content in these partitions , but can also have a reference to the encrypted content in another location . means are provided for identifying content partition of which requested content is a member , step 72 . one binding scheme that could be used with the present invention is xcp . means are provided for retrieving content binding context for identified partitions , step 73 . means are provided for determining if binding context represents most current set of binding information for device , step 74 . means are provided for restoring binding information using the content binding context , step 75 . means are provided for allowing for rebinding title keys to current cluster binding information level , step 76 . the content binding service can allow users to provide preferences when content can optimally be rebound , e . g . at times of low usage . the provider can allow for time intervals to be set by the user that when the period occurs , a binding currency check is made for content contexts associated with content partitions it manages . re - encryption of large sets of title keys can occur on different threads at lower priorities to match the device &# 39 ; s processing capabilities or to defer to times when the device &# 39 ; s processing capabilities permit . a simplified run of the process set up in fig3 will now be described in with respect to the flowchart of fig4 . first , a determination is made regarding whether to manage encrypted content using logical partitions , step 80 . if no , the process ends since we only describe a process using logical partitions with regard to fig4 . if yes , access is requested to content stored by content provider service , step 81 . when content is acquired by a device and stored directly or indirectly ( e . g . from a content server via the content binding service ) to the content provider , the content provider is always provided the encrypted content , encrypted title key , and the binding context which it can use to partition the encrypted content and encrypted title keys . it should be noted that partitions can be actual physical partitions mapped to physical storage media or logical partitions which can maintain an association to the physical location where the actual content and title keys reside . the partition is identified of which requested content is a member , step 82 . a determination is made regarding whether the binding information used for encryption of title keys is outdated using the binding context associated with that partition , step 83 . if yes , the content provider requests that the title key encrypted with outdated binding information be re - encrypted by content binding service , step 84 . the content provider presents the outdated binding context associated with the logical partition the title key was a member of to the binding service , step 85 . the content binding service uses the outdated binding context to recover outdated binding material and uses it to decrypt the outdated title key , step 86 . the binding service then re - encrypts the title key with the current set of binding information for the cluster , step 87 . the content binding service returns the re - encrypted title key and current binding context to the content provider , step 88 . the content provider re - partitions the title key to the “ current ” logical partition , creating a “ current ” partition if one does not yet exist , step 89 , and either chooses to rebind each title key in the outdated partition or marks the partition as being outdated and defers its binding ( on a schedule determined by the compliant device or user ). further in fig4 , when the content provider service identifies the partition with current content context , the content and newly encrypted title key are associated with the partition . association of the content and keys are removed from the previous partition , and remaining content associated with requested content which is in a partition with outdated content context is marked and monitored . the content binding service can comprise a notification system for the content provider service to provide real time determination of binding changes . a content provider can opt to rebind ( as in steps 84 - 89 ) the title keys within partitions at the time of notification by the content binding service &# 39 ; s notification system . alternatively , a content provider can opt to defer rebinding title keys at the time of the notification by the content binding service &# 39 ; s notification system flagging the partition and associated content and title keys for a future update interval . if no , the binding information used for encryption of title keys is not outdated , then the encrypted title key and encrypted content is returned to content binding service , step 90 , and title key is decrypted by content binding service with current binding information , step 91 . then the decrypted title key is used to decrypt the content itself , step 92 . decrypted content is provided to the rendering service ( including but not limited to audio and / or video ) on the compliant device ( e . g . dvd player , mp3 player , or the like ), step 93 , then the process ends . the present invention is described in this specification in terms of methods for the secure and convenient handling of cryptographic binding state information . one skilled in the art should appreciate that the processes controlling the present invention are capable of being distributed in the form of computer readable media of a variety of forms . the invention may also be embodied in a computer program product , such as a diskette or other recording medium , for use with any suitable data processing system . embodiments of a computer program product may be implemented by use of any recording medium for machine - readable information , including magnetic media , optical media , or other suitable media . persons skilled in the art will immediately recognize that any computer system having suitable programming means will be capable of executing the steps of the method of the invention as embodied in a program product . although certain preferred embodiments have been shown and described , it will be understood that many changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the scope and intent of the appended claims .
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in the embodiment illustrated in fig1 the bifurcation stent 5 comprises a first leg 10 , a second leg 15 , and a stem 20 . fig2 shows a first sheet 25 which is used to form first leg 10 , a second sheet 30 which is used to form second leg 15 , and a third sheet 35 which is used to form stem 20 . the first sheet 25 and second sheet 30 are substantially flat and are sized to a predetermined length and width . for many applications , the first sheet 25 and second sheet 30 will have substantially the same dimensions so as to produce legs 10 and 15 that are substantially the same size , however , the legs 10 and 15 , and the sheets 25 and 30 used to produce them , may be of varying sizes as specific applications dictate . the stents of this invention may be sized so that when assembled they are their final size , however , in a preferred embodiment the stents are expandable and sized and adapted to assume their final dimensions upon expansion . the stent sheets 70 and 75 may be patterned or etched with perforations forming a variety of patterns as specific applications dictate to achieve the expandable features required as previously discussed . the third sheet 35 is sized so that when it is rolled into a tube its internal cross - section can be made to accommodate the cross - sectional external diameters of first leg 10 and second leg 15 . first sheet 25 has a first edge 26 , a second edge 27 , a third edge 28 , and a fourth edge 29 . second sheet 30 has a first edge 31 , a second edge 32 , a third edge 33 , and a fourth edge 34 . third sheet 35 has a first edge 36 , a second edge 37 , a third edge 38 , and a fourth edge 39 . after the sheet metal has been cut to form sheets 25 , 30 , and 35 , it is deformed and rolled so as to cause two opposite edges to meet and create a cylinder . in the example shown in fig2 and 3 , edge 27 is joined to edge 29 via weld run 14 to form first leg 10 . edge 32 is joined to edge 34 via weld run 19 to form second leg 15 . edge 37 is joined to edge 39 via weld run 29 to form stem 20 . the edges may be joined in a wide variety of ways well known to those skilled in the art as suitable for this purpose , e . g ., screwing , crimping , soldering , however , in a preferred embodiment welding is utilized . in an especially preferred embodiment , spot welding is utilized . as shown in fig3 first leg 10 has a proximal end 11 , a distal end 12 , and defines a longitudinal bore 13 . second leg 15 has a proximal end 16 , a distal end 17 , and defines a longitudinal bore 18 . the stem 20 has a proximal end 26 , a distal end 27 , and defines a longitudinal bore 28 . fig4 shows the first leg 10 , second leg 15 , and stem 20 just prior to assembly . to form the bifurcated stent 5 , the proximal end 11 of first leg 10 and the proximal end 16 of second leg 15 are joined to the distal end 27 of the stem portion 20 so that the longitudinal bores 13 , 18 , and 28 are in communication with each other . fig5 is an end view and fig6 is a side view of the assembled apparatus . [ 0040 ] fig1 shows a second embodiment of a bifurcation stent manufactured in accordance with this invention . the stent 50 is provided with a first leg 55 and a second leg 60 attached to a stem portion 65 . the bifurcation stent 50 is formed from a first sheet 70 and a second sheet 75 as shown in fig7 . the stent sheets 70 and 75 may be patterned or etched with perforations forming a variety of patterns as specific applications dictate to achieve the expandable features required as previously discussed . the sheets 70 and 75 are substantially flat and have a predetermined length and width . first sheet 70 has a first edge 71 , a second edge 72 , a third edge 73 and a fourth edge 74 . the second sheet 75 has a first edge 76 , a second edge 77 , a third edge 78 , and a fourth edge 79 . to form the legs of the stent a portion of edge 72 is rolled towards a portion of edge 74 and a portion of edge 77 is rolled towards a portion of edge 79 . demarcation points 80 , 81 , 82 , and 83 are selected on sheets 70 and 75 as shown in fig8 . these demarcation points 80 , 81 , 82 , and 83 are selected to meet the requirement of specific applications and may be adjusted depending upon the length required for legs 55 and 60 and the length required for stem 65 . demarcation points 80 and 81 that are equidistant from edges 73 and 71 and demarcation points 82 and 83 that are equidistant from edges 76 and 78 will result in a stent in which the legs 55 and 60 have a length that is substantially equal to stem portion 65 . if the demarcation points are selected to be closer to edges 73 and 78 than to edges 71 and 76 the stem will have a length that is greater than the length of each of the legs . if the demarcation points are selected to be closer to edges 71 and 76 than to edges 73 and 78 , each of the legs 60 and 65 will have a length that is greater than the length of the stem 65 . in a preferred embodiment , however , the demarcation points 80 , 81 , 82 , and 83 , are selected so that proximal edges 72 ″, 74 ″, 77 ″, and 79 ″ are about ⅓ the length of edges 72 , 74 , 77 , and 79 . as shown in fig8 demarcation point 80 divides edge 72 at approximately its midpoint into a distal edge 72 ′ and a proximal edge 72 ″. demarcation point 81 divides edge 74 at approximately its midpoint into a distal edge 74 ′ and a proximal edge 74 ″. demarcation point 82 divides edge 77 at approximately its midpoint into a distal edge 77 ′ and a proximal edge 77 ″ and demarcation point 83 divides edge 79 at approximately its midpoint into a distal edge 79 ′ and a proximal edge 79 ″. to form the stent , edge 72 ′ is connected to edge 74 ′ via weld run 90 to form first member 95 having a first leg portion 55 and a first stem half 65 ′ as shown in fig9 . edge 77 ′ is connected to edge 79 ′ via weld run 91 to form second member 100 having a second leg portion 60 and a second stem half 65 ″. as previously discussed , the edges may be connected in a variety of ways well known to those skilled in the art . fig1 shows the first member 95 and the second member 100 shown in fig9 in alignment just prior to assembly . to produce the bifurcated stent 50 shown in fig1 and 12 , edge 72 ″ is connected to edge 79 ″ via weld run 92 and edge 74 ″ is connected to edge 77 ″ via weld run 93 so that first stem half 65 ′ and second stem half 65 ″ form stem 65 . fig1 is a cross - sectional end view of the stent shown in fig1 . in the embodiment shown in fig7 sheets 70 and 75 are squares or rectangles . the sheets 70 and 75 are not limited to this configuration , however , as shown in fig7 b . fig1 b shows a bifurcation stent manufactured using the sheets 270 and 275 shown in fig7 b . the stent 250 is provided with a first leg 255 and a second leg 260 attached to a stem portion 265 . the bifurcation stent 250 is formed from a first sheet 270 and a second sheet 275 as shown in fig7 b . the stent sheets 270 and 275 may be sized and etched as previously discussed . as shown in fig7 b , first sheet 270 has a first edge 271 , a second edge 272 , a third edge 273 , a fourth edge 274 , a fifth edge 275 , and a sixth edge 276 , a seventh edge 146 , and an eighth edge 147 . the second sheet 275 has a first edge 277 , a second edge 278 , a third edge 279 , a fourth edge 280 , a fifth edge 281 , a sixth edge 282 , a seventh edge 148 , and an eighth edge 149 . as shown in fig9 b , edge 274 is connected to edge 276 via weld run 290 to form first member 295 having a first leg portion 255 and a first stem half 265 ′. edge 280 is connected to edge 282 via weld run 291 to form second member 300 having a second leg portion 260 and a second stem half 265 ″. as previously discussed , the edges may be connected in a variety of ways well known to those skilled in the art . fig1 b shows the first member 295 and the second member 300 shown in fig9 b in alignment just prior to assembly . to produce the bifurcated stent 250 shown in fig1 b and 12b , edge 272 is connected to edge 149 via weld run 292 and edge 278 is connected to edge 147 via weld run 293 so that first stem half 265 ′ and second stem half 265 ″ form stem 265 . fig1 b is a cross - sectional end view of the stent shown in fig1 b . fig1 c shows an alternative pattern that may be used in place of the patterns shown in fig7 and 7b . a third embodiment of this invention comprises two portions which are deployed serially in two steps and assembled within the patient to form a bifurcated stent . fig1 shows stem and first leg portion 110 provided with a longitudinal bore 131 and having a proximal end 115 defining a stem portion 125 and a distal end 120 defining a first leg portion 130 . second leg portion 140 is provided with a longitudinal bore 132 and has a proximal end 145 and a distal end 150 . stem and first leg portion 110 and second leg portion 140 may be sized and patterned or etched as previously discussed . a branch aperture 135 is disposed between the proximal end 115 and the distal end 120 of stem and first leg portion 110 . the branch aperture 135 is sized to receive second leg portion 140 and is adapted to engage and secure the second leg portion 140 when it has been expanded within the branch aperture 135 . second leg portion 140 is sized and adapted to engage and be secured into branch aperture 135 upon expansion . fig1 to 21 show how the bifurcated stent is assembled within a bifurcated lumen . as shown in fig1 to 21 , the area to be treated is a bifurcated lumen having a first or trunk lumen 190 and a second or branch lumen 195 . as shown in fig1 , a first guide wire 155 is introduced into the trunk lumen 190 and a second guide wire 156 is introduced into the branch lumen 195 . as shown in fig1 , a balloon expandable stem and first leg portion 110 is disposed on the tip of a first balloon catheter 170 so that the balloon 175 is disposed within longitudinal bore 131 . a second balloon catheter 171 is then introduced into longitudinal bore 131 of stem and first leg portion 110 and is advanced so that the balloon 176 is disposed within aperture 135 . first catheter 170 is mounted on first guide wire 155 and second catheter 171 is mounted on second guide wire 156 . as shown in fig1 , the unexpanded stem and first leg portion 110 is guided to the area to be treated so that first leg portion 130 is disposed within trunk lumen 190 and branch aperture 135 communicates with branch lumen 195 . guide wire 156 facilitates the orientation of the branch aperture 135 with the branch lumen 195 . the size of the conventional catheters and balloons is not to scale and details well known to those skilled in the art have been omitted for clarity . balloon 175 is inflated which causes the stem and first leg portion 110 to expand , as shown in fig1 , to secure it in the desired position . after expansion , the external wall of stem and first leg portion 110 would contact the interior walls of trunk lumen 190 , however , a gap has been intentionally left for clarity . the balloon 175 on first catheter 170 is left inflated and the balloon 176 on second catheter 171 is then inflated to enlarge the branch aperture 135 as shown in fig1 . as the branch aperture 135 is enlarged a portion of the stent defining the branch aperture 135 is pushed outward to form a branch securing lip 180 . balloons 175 and 176 are deflated , second catheter 171 is withdrawn , and second guide wire 156 is left in place in the branch lumen 195 . second leg portion 140 is then applied to second catheter 171 so that balloon 176 is disposed in longitudinal bore 132 and second catheter 171 is then applied to second guide wire 156 . second leg portion 140 is then guided to , and introduced into , the longitudinal bore 131 of the stem and first leg portion 110 and is advanced and passed through branch aperture 135 so that the distal end 150 of the second leg portion 140 protrudes into the branch lumen 195 and the proximal end 145 communicates with longitudinal bore 131 , as shown in fig1 . the balloon 176 on second catheter 171 is partially inflated and the balloon 175 on first catheter 170 is then partially inflated to a pressure substantially equal to the pressure in balloon 176 . both balloons 175 and 176 are then simultaneously inflated to substantially equal pressures . as shown in fig2 , inflation of the balloon 176 on second catheter 171 causes second leg member 140 to expand so that its external walls engage and are secured to the area surrounding aperture 135 . inflation of the balloon 175 on the first catheter 170 prevents stem and first leg portion 110 from collapsing when balloon 176 is inflated . after expansion , the external walls of second leg 140 would contact the inner wall of lumen 195 , however , a gap has been intentionally left for clarity . the balloons 175 and 176 are deflated , catheters 170 and 171 and guide wires 155 and 156 are withdrawn , and the assembled bifurcated stent 160 is left in place as shown in fig2 .
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fig1 a shows the relative positions of several individual axes according to an embodiment of the present invention , which are of significance for taking measurements using a surveying instrument , such as a theodolite or tacheometer . a vertical axis sta is shown oriented substantially vertically , or lengthwise with respect to the page . a tilt axis ka is shown orthogonal to the vertical axis sta and is oriented substantially horizontally , or widthwise with respect to the page . referring briefly to fig1 d the upper part of the surveying instrument is rotatable about the vertical axis sta . the tilt axis ka is located in the upper part of the surveying instrument and runs orthogonally to the vertical axis sta . the telescope body of the survey instrument is thus swivelable about the tilt axis ka . referring back to fig1 a the optical axes of different optical arrangements in the surveying instrument that form the sighting axes za n ( n = 0 ; 1 ; 2 ; . . . ) intersect at a common intersection point s . as can be seen from fig1 a and even better from fig1 b , the three sighting axes za 0 to za 2 illustrated stand vertically on the tilt axis ka . the right angles , which the sighting axes za 0 to za 2 form with the tilt axis , are highlighted by a dot in fig1 a . the angles α n ( n = 1 , 2 , . . . ), which enclose the neighboring sighting axes za 0 and za 1 or za 0 and za 2 , are marked α 1 and α 2 . the vertices of these angles α 1 and α 2 lie at the common intersection point s . in the following discussion , the angles α n are looked at first , with the angles β n ( reference to the vertical angle measuring device ) being considered zero . this means , a special case is being described here where all optical axes or sighting axes run vertically to the tilt axis ka and are , therefore , in one plane , on which the tilt axis stands vertically . in fig1 b , v 0 to v 2 denote vertical angles . in surveying , the vertical angle is the angle between the zenith of the instrument and the object point lying in the vertical plane and is sighted through a sighting axis . the orientation of the vertical angle measuring system in a surveying instrument is defined in such a way that a vertical angle v 0 of 90 ° ( 100 gon ) is obtained when an object point lying in the horizon is being sighted ( fig1 b ). if there are several optical or sighting axes in the surveying instrument which , as shown in fig1 b , run orthogonally to the tilt axis ka and intersect at the intersection point s , the following angle relationships can be deduced : therefore , the sights of the optical or sighting axes za 1 and za 2 lie at the vertical angles v 1 and v 2 , with the object point p being observed with respect to the sighting axis za 0 at the angle v 0 . if the object point p is to be sighted with a different optical arrangement of the surveying instrument , the vertical angle v 0 must be reset on the vertical divided circle of the instrument . accordingly , the following relationship can be derived for sighting with the sighting axis za 1 ( fig1 c ): the sights of the optical or sighting axes za 1 and za 2 equally result from the relationships [ 1 ] and [ 2 ]. if a changeover from the currently used sighting axis za 1 to the sighting axis za 2 is to be effected , the angle α 1 must be added according to the relationship [ 3 ]. in a general form , the relationships can be described as follows . the vertical angle v 0 is in the position i on the vertical divided circle , and one observes an object point p using the optical or sighting axis za n . if a different optical arrangement of the surveying instrument is to be used for an observation , i . e ., another sighting axis is to be switched on , a new vertical angle v results at the position i + 1 , namely , v 0i + 1 = v 0 , 1 − α n , m . this also results in new vertical angles at which the sights of the other optical or sighting axes lie . then , the general relationship reads as follows : the parameter n corresponds to the activated optical or sighting axis za n , and the angle α n , m is known and corresponds to the angle between the sighting axis m being switched off and on . this angle is to be inserted in the general form [ 4 ] with the correct algebraic sign . considerations analogous to those made with respect to the vertical angle v n are undertaken for the optical arrangements with their optical or sighting axes za n , which lie in the same plane as the tilt axis , i . e ., the tilt axis ka itself lies in this plane and the optical axes or the sighting axes za n do not exclusively stand vertically on the tilt axis ka . here , the angles β n are considered . for the sake of simplicity , this is done for the case when the angles α n are zero . for this reason , the angles β n are being related to the horizontal angle hz n . fig2 shows these angular relationships in a plan view on a horizontal divided circle . in an analogous manner to the above description with reference to fig1 b and 1 c , the following relationship results in a general form for an object point on the horizontal divided circle observed at a horizontal angle hz 0 at the position i when there is a changeover to another optical or sighting axis : the following equation then results for the direction of an optical or sighting axis za m at the position hz 0 , i + 1 : since the angles β n have the same effect as a side collimation error , the above equations apply , strictly speaking , only to a sight that lies in the horizon . if work is performed at a vertical angle other than 90 ° ( 100 gon ), corrections must be made that are known in surveying . in so doing , it is assumed that the optical or sighting axis za 0 stands vertically on the vertical axis sta and is not subject to a side collimation error . hz 0 , i + 1 = hz 0 , 1 − β n , m / sin ( v ) [ 7 ] and hz m , i + 1 = hz 0 , i + 1 − β n , m / sin ( v ) [ 8 ]. fig3 shows the position of the sighting axes za 0 to za 2 , which form angles with tilt axis ka that are not equal to 90 ° and whose vertices lie at the intersection point of vertical axis sta and tilt axis ka . the angles β 0 to β 2 are angles that can be produced by rotating the upper part about the vertical axis sta . the angles v 0 to v 2 , again , denote vertical angles , which the sighting axes za 0 and za 2 form with the vertical axis sta . the sighting axes can be aligned with a target by properly rotating the upper part at an angle β , which is dependent on the vertical angle v , about the vertical axis sta and by setting a relevant angle about the tilt axis ka for the telescope body . the angle at which the target object is located in relation to the plumb - line direction , as seen from the surveying instrument , is regarded as the vertical angle v . if one proceeds , as depicted in fig3 in simplified form , from an arbitrary arrangement of the optical or sighting axes and stipulate as the only condition that the sighting axes za 0 to za 2 intersect at the intersection point s of vertical axis sta and tilt axis ka , the connection of the optical axes with the angle - measuring devices of the surveying instrument can be described by a relevant combination of the angles αand β . referring to fig6 , another view is provided which shows the sighting axes za 0 to za 2 , which form angles with tilt axis ka that are not equal to 90 ° and whose vertices lie at the intersection point of vertical axis sta and tilt axis ka . as illustrated , the vertical axis sta is oriented substantially vertically to the page . the tilt axis ka is illustrated as a plane orthogonal to the vertical axis sta . the sighting axes za 0 to za 2 are projected in the three dimensional coordinate space defined by the vertical axis sta and the tilt axis ka , and intersect at a common intersection point s . in order to effect the changeover from an optical arrangement n for an object point p to another optical arrangement m , a change of direction in the vertical line from v 0 , 1 to v 0 , i + 1 is required . the following relationship applies : by way of analogy , the relevant optical or sighting axis m appears at the vertical angle consequently , the following applies to the horizontal direction hz 0 , i + 1 to be set : hz 0 , i + 1 = hz , 01 − β n , m / sin ( v m , i + 1 ) [ 11 ]. the horizontal direction , in which the object point p is seen with the sighting axis za m , corresponds to the relationship hz m , i + 1 = hz 0 , i + 1 + β n , m / sin ( v m , i + 1 ) [ 12 ]. the angles α n , m and β n , m represent the angles between an optical or a sighting axis n and another optical or sighting axis m in each of their horizontal and vertical components . referring to fig4 , a surveying instrument , for example , a video tacheometer , a theodolite or any other instrument used in geodetic surveying for measuring angles or distances is shown in a simplified fashion . the surveying instrument comprises a fixable lower part mostly attached to a tripod 1 , which is equipped with a tribrach 2 with foot screws 3 for fastening and leveling the instrument . a push - on sleeve for receiving a positive centering system is known to be used with such surveying instruments , but is not shown for the sake of simplicity . the surveying instrument also includes a system of vertical axes 4 with a horizontal circle 5 and a gear wheel 6 of a horizontal drive 7 . an upper part 8 of the surveying instrument is mounted in bearings 9 and 10 so that it can be pivoted about a vertical axis sta , and is placed on the system of vertical axes 4 . the rotatable upper part 8 includes , among other things , a support 11 and a telescope body 13 , which comprises a telescope 12 and is swivelable about the tilt axis ka owing to journals 14 and 15 mounted in bearings 16 ; 17 located in the support 11 . as demonstrated in fig5 , the telescope 12 comprises an objective 12 a , a focusing element 12 b , an image inversion system 12 c and an eyepiece 12 d with a graticule 12 e . the optical axis 18 of the telescope 12 is equally a sighting axis za 1 , which is directed at an object ( target ). apart from the telescope 12 , further optical arrangements implementing optical beam paths are provided , such as an illuminating beam path 19 with objective 19 a , deflecting element 19 b and light source 19 c , as well as a ccd camera 20 with imaging lens 20 a and matrix receiver element 20 b , whose optical axes 21 and 22 form additional sighting axes za 2 and za 3 . the deflecting element 19 b deflects the beam path 19 . with such an illuminating beam path 19 , information can be exchanged , for instance , between the measuring spot ( place where the surveying instrument is located ) and the target spot ( position of the target ) or a collimating mark can be projected onto the target spot . it should be mentioned briefly at this point that an optical arrangement for a coudé optical beam can also be placed inside the telescope body . notably , the optical axes 18 , 21 and 22 or the straight extension 21 a of the optical axis 21 going through the objectives 12 a , 19 a and 20 a run through the common intersection point s , which lies at the intersection point of vertical axis sta and tilt axis ka . in a simplified manner , fig5 illustrates a surveying instrument where the optical axes 18 , 21 and 22 , which correspond to the sighting axes za 1 to za 3 , run vertically to the tilt axis ka . surveying instruments with optical arrangements inside a telescope body , whose optical or sighting axes intersect the tilt axis ka at angles other than 90 ° are equally conceivable , however , so long as the optical or sighting axes za 1 ; za 2 ( fig2 ) intersect the tilt axis ka at the intersection point s or close to it . further , the surveying instrument comprises adjustment devices 23 and 24 for manually adjusting the telescope body 13 about the tilt axis ka and the upper part 8 about the vertical axis sta . these adjustment devices 23 and 24 can effect the relevant mechanical rotation of the telescope body 13 and the upper part 8 in the well - known way . it is an advantage , however , if the adjustment devices 23 and 24 only act on the vertical drive 25 or the horizontal drive 7 via transducers ( not shown herein ), with the aid of a computer 26 . motorized tacheometer drives of this type are known . essentially , the computer 26 reads a measuring system 27 for the horizontal angle hz , and a measuring system 28 for the vertical angle v . the computer 26 further controls the motors for the horizontal drive 7 and the vertical drive 25 on the basis of the angles hz picked up by a transducer 27 ′ and the angle v identified by an angular - motion transducer 28 ′, so that certain angles are set . the certain angles may , for instance , have been predetermined by the adjustment devices 23 and 24 . the angles are set according to the relationships defined above , so that the relevant angle is adjusted when a new optical axis ( sighting axis za ) is set for a given target position and is kept at the desired value by the motorized drive . this can also be done in a simple manner by switching means ( not shown ), which switch off the drive in question when the desired angle is reached . on the other hand , a known control loop , through which the computer 26 keeps the desired angle constant , can also be provided . the computer 26 , which also controls the horizontal drive 7 and the vertical drive 25 , is located in the upper part 8 and swivels the telescope body 13 about the tilt axis ka ( rotation of the telescope body about the tilt axis ). using the computer 26 , the measured values can be processed and the measurement results can be determined , displayed and recorded . also , the angles corresponding to the various target positions or sighting axes za can be stored in the memory of the computer 26 . an optical arrangement can then be set from one target position to another by a relevant command . owing to the motorized computer - controlled adjustment of the telescope body 13 and / or the upper part 8 , easy automatic switching between the various optical arrangements is possible . as a matter of principle , mechanical arresters , for example , taking the form of a locking device or suitable mechanical stops such as detents , can also be provided for positioning and fixing the optical arrangements at a desired target position . for this purpose , one or more of those arresters are arranged between the support 11 and the telescope body 13 for each of these sighting axes za . the above mechanical arrestors can be constructed in such a way that they are adjustable and lockable in relation to the telescope body 13 . referring to fig7 , one example of the use of a survey instrument according to at least one embodiment of the present invention is illustrated . the survey instrument has a plurality of sighting axes za 0 to za 2 . as shown , the sighting axis za 1 is directed towards a target . referring to fig8 , the same survey instrument shown in fig7 is again illustrated , however , the sighting axes za 0 to za 2 have been reoriented on the survey instrument such that now the sighting axis za 2 is directed towards the target . having described the invention in detail and by reference to preferred embodiments thereof , it will be apparent that modifications and variations are possible without departing from the scope of the invention defined in the appended claims .
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reference is made to u . s . patent application ser . no . 09 / 753 , 532 , filed jan . 2 , 2001 , which shows constructional features of the tub grinder of the present invention . references is also made to u . s . pat . no . 5 , 419 , 502 which shows a tub grinder . referring to fig1 in particular , a tub grinder illustrated generally at 10 has an open top , rotating tub 14 mounted onto a grinder frame 16 . the tub 14 is rotatable about an upright axis , and is used for comminuting or disintegrating materials with a grinder cylinder shown schematically at 23 . the tub grinder 10 has an engine 20 that is used for powering the tub and grinding cylinder , and the tub grinder includes a folding conveyor 22 that is shown in its folded position in the figures , by way of illustration . the conveyor has a section 21 under the tub that will receive material that has been ground by a grinder cylinder 23 shown schematically in fig5 that is used for disintegrating material placed in the open top of the tub . a screen 23 a is provided below the rotor and material disintegrated or ground passes through the screen to conveyor section 21 . the top edge of the tub is illustrated at 24 , for illustrative purposes . the tub , engine , conveyor and frame 16 forms a self - contained unit , that is mounted onto a hook lift or support frame assembly 26 . the lift or support frame assembly has various supports for supporting the grinder frame 16 and the tub grinder , which is a large , extremely heavy unit . the lift or support frame 26 is made so that it is capable of being moved and lifted from a hook lift or hoist assembly on a truck 32 . the hook lift or hoist is of conventional design as shown in fig2 at 30 , that is mounted onto a truck 32 . the truck has a truck frame 34 , and the hook lift or hoist includes frame members 36 , that are pivotally mounted to the truck frame 34 . the members 36 are pivoted and controlled with a hydraulic cylinder 38 . a hook holder arm 40 is pivotally mounted to the members 36 about an axis 42 , and a hydraulic cylinder 44 is used for controlling the pivoting of the arm 40 . the arm 40 carries a large hook indicated at 46 which will hook onto the front of lift frame 26 that supports the tub grinder 10 . the hook lift or hoist 30 is a conventional frame used on trucks for hauling and lifting roll - on containers , and is made by stellar industries , inc ., 280 west 3 rd street , garner , iowa . hook lifts or hoists sold under the trademark stellar shuttle by stellar industries have been found to be suitable . additional showings of hoist frames by stellar industries are illustrated in u . s . pat . nos . 5 , 082 , 217 and 5 , 427 , 495 . it should be noted that the hook that is used for this application is similar to that shown in fig1 of patent &# 39 ; 495 which is labeled as prior art , but the pivoting hoist is of the form shown in the rest of the figures of that patent with the modifications of having a single arm protruding rearwardly for hooking onto the frame 26 . lift or support frame 26 is shown in perspective view in fig3 with the grinder removed for sake of clarity . also , fig4 shows the front view of the frame 26 . frame 26 includes longitudinally extending main frame rails 50 , that are joined together with a rear cross member 52 , that as can be seen extends laterally outwardly from rails 50 . support sections 54 are provided so the lateral width of the cross member 52 is substantially greater than the spacing of the rail members 50 which are made to fit onto conventional rollers or tracks 33 on the truck frame 34 for the truck 32 to lift the lift or support frame 26 . the forward end of the lift or support frame 26 is joined with a cross member 56 , which is positioned between the longitudinal rail or frame members 50 . an a - frame or lift arm 58 has upright members 60 that taper together upwardly to support a hook rail 62 on which a schematically shown hook 46 from the hook lift on the truck will engage . the upstanding a - frame or arm is used for lifting and pulling the lift or support frame 26 onto the truck . suitable bracing on the frame is provided , as shown . the cross member 56 supports side plates 66 that have apertures for receiving end portions of the grinder frame 16 of the tub grinder so that the tub grinder can be pinned into place on those portions . additionally , the lift or support frame 26 has a raised support saddle 68 , that has longitudinal members 70 , and cross members 72 . the members 70 are supported on brackets 69 at the front and are spaced above the longitudinal rails 50 . the space between members 70 and the cross - members 72 receives the lower portions of the grinding cylinder 23 that are below the floor of the tub grinder , as illustrated schematically . also , the members 70 provide clearance for the horizontal portion of a conveyor section 21 that receives ground material and transfers it to the folding conveyor 22 . the folding conveyor 22 will receive material from the lower conveyor sections 21 underneath the tub , as the material is ground . the frame 26 has four retractable stabilizer assemblies shown generally at 78 , which are substantially identical , and are mounted on opposite sides of the frame adjacent the front and rear ends . the stabilizer assemblies 78 are shown somewhat schematically . there are a plurality of stabilizer supports or anchors 80 , extend laterally out from the longitudinal rail members 50 . the stabilizer supports include hubs 82 for mounting pivoting stabilizer arms 84 . the stabilizer arms 84 are channel shaped and are pivotally mounted on the hubs 82 . the stabilizer arms are reinforced suitably . the side walls of the channel shaped stabilizer arms fit to the outside of the hubs , and also straddle upright members 86 forming part of the support for the stabilizers . the stabilizers are controlled for movement about the axis of the hubs 82 by a hydraulic actuator 88 . the hydraulic actuator 88 is pivotally mounted as at 90 to an upright flange 92 , in a suitable manner . the hydraulic actuator 88 for each of the stabilizers has an extendable and retractable rod 93 that has its rod end pivotally mounted on a pin 94 that also mounts a stabilizer foot 96 . by extending and retracting the actuators 88 , the stabilizer arms can be pivoted from a raised position or transport position shown on the right - hand side of fig4 to a stabilizing or lowered position shown on the left - hand side of fig4 . it can be seen that the stabilizers can be lowered to support part of the tub grinder weight to stabilize the lift frame 26 . while not contemplated for operation the frame can be lifted off the ground . the weight carried by the stabilizer arms can be such that it insures that the lift frame 26 is not likely to rock or tilt , and that there is a firm base for supporting the grinder when it is in operation grinding materials . when the frame 26 and the tub grinder 10 are supported on the ground , as shown in fig5 the open top of the tub is accessible and material can be dropped into the tub from the top in a normal manner . the conveyor is shown removed from its transport position over the top of the tub in fig5 . the top of the tub grinder is lowered substantially over when it is mounted on a truck or semi - trailer . the tub grinder together with its drive motor can remain on the frame 26 and be used for disintegrating material that is brought to the site of the tub grinder . a roll - on container truck can deliver containers of the material to be ground up , and the material then can be loaded into the tub grinder with a grapple or front - end loader as desired . the lower height of the top of the tub , or in other words the lower loading height , will permit smaller loaders , such as skid steer loaders , to be used for handling the debris . when the tub grinder is to be moved , the hook 46 mounted on the lift or hoist 30 is lowered to a position where it will go under the cross member 62 on the lift frame , and then the hydraulic actuators 38 and 44 are operated to lift the a - frame 58 , and the front end of the lift frame 26 ( after the stabilizer arms have been raised to the position shown in fig5 ). the lift frame and tub grinder then can be tilted to the position shown in fig2 where the longitudinal rails 50 will roll onto suitable rollers on the truck frame 34 so that the unit can be loaded . its fully loaded position is shown in fig1 and the hook lift or hoist is moved to a position so that the arm 40 extends uprightly just ahead of the a - frame 58 on the tub grinder frame 26 . the removal process is the opposite movement , and is accomplished quite easily . once loaded , the truck of course can be moved in any desired location before the tub grinder is off loaded . the spacing of the longitudinal rail members 50 can be such that they will roll on rollers used for roll off containers , and the overall assembly can easily be modified to fit existing hook lift or hoist trucks . once the tub grinder is installed on the frame and is securely anchored , it will remain on the frame and moved from site to site for use as desired . although the present invention has been described with reference to preferred embodiments , workers skilled in the art will recognize that changes may be made in form and detail without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention .
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in fig1 a high - voltage compressed - gas circuit interrupter is generally indicated at 1 and it comprises an elongated tubular housing for casing 3 which is preferably cylindrical and which is comprised of an electrically insulating material such as glass reinforced epoxy . the upper end of the casing 3 is closed by a top cover and the lower end is closed by a bottom cover 7 . the circuit interrupter 1 also includes a stationary contact 9 , a movable contact 11 , means for moving the movable contact and including an elongated rod 13 , and rod actuating means generally indicated at 15 . the circuit interrupter 1 also comprises means for directing a blast of arc interrupting gas into the zone between the separating contacts and generally indicated at 17 which means includes a puffer cylinder 19 , a floating piston or diaphragm 21 , a gas conduit 23 , and a gas source or air supply 25 . the prior art includes u . s . pat . no . 3 , 171 , 937 , issued to d . h . mckeough on mar . 2 , 1965 which is entitled &# 34 ; arc - extinguishing structure for compressed - gas circuit interrupter &# 34 ;, which among other things discloses a two - gas system for extinguishing arcs occurring between separating contacts . compressed air is used for evacuating a puffer cylinder of extinguishing gas ( sf 6 ) which cylinder is fixedly mounted within the outer casing of the circuit interrrupter . where higher speeds are desired for extinguishing an arc and particularly for flooding the arc zone with even greater amounts of extinguishing gas , it is believed that the fixed puffer cylinder limits the volume and speed of the gas that could otherwise be delivered to the arc zone . as shown in fig2 the stationary contact 9 is supported from the top cover 5 and is disposed substantially axially of the casing 3 . the stationary contact 9 is preferably tubular and includes vent apertures 27 in the upper portion thereof . surrounding the contact 9 is a cylindrical member or skirt 29 of electrically conductive material which supplements the contact 9 in carrying the current load . accordingly , the stationary contact including the contacts 9 and 29 are fixedly mounted at the upper end of the circuit interrupter 1 . the movable contact 11 , being disposed at the upper end of the rod 13 , is comprised of a plurality of resilient contact fingers 11 to form a tubular contact structure which engages the lower end portion of the stationary contact 9 when the contacts are closed as shown in the broken - line positions in fig2 . surrounding the movable contact 11 is a shroud 31 of insulating material having an orifice 33 through which the stationary contact 9 extends . the shroud 31 is secured in place by an annular clamp 35 which in turn is secured to an end plate 37 . the puffer cylinder 19 is secured at its upper end to the end plate 37 in a suitable manner such as by an annular weld 39 . in the closed position of the contacts the skirt 29 engages the clamp 35 which together with the end plate 37 are comprised of electrically conductive material . the circuit through the circuit interrupter 1 extends from a line terminal connection l 1 at the upper end through the top cover , the stationary contacts 9 , 29 , the movable contact 11 , the clamp 35 , the end plate 37 , the cylinder 19 , a plurality of tapping fingers 41 , a base 43 , and a line terminal connection l 2 . in accordance with this invention the assembly of the cylinder 19 and the movable contact 11 move simultaneously when the rod 13 is actuated by the rod actuating means 15 which in turn operates in response to an overcurrent . as the movable contact assembly moves from the closed - circuit ( broken - line ) position to the open position ( fig2 ), an electric arc 45 usually occurs between the stationary and movable contacts 9 , 11 . simultaneously , a valve 47 ( fig1 ) in the gas conduit 23 opens the conduits whereby compressed gas , such as air , is transmitted to a plurality of telescopically fitting members 49 leading to the lower part of the puffer cylinder 19 . the floating piston or diaphragm 21 separates the compressed air entering the cylinder 19 from the arc interrrupting gas such as sf 6 in the upper portion of the cylinder . the compressed air drives the piston 21 upwardly to force the sf 6 gas through the orifice 33 of the nozzle 31 , whereby the arc 45 is extinguished . as the sf 6 gas leaves the zone of the orifice 33 to extinguish the arc 45 , it moves into the ambient atmosphere surrounding the operating portions of the circuit interrupter and within the casing 3 . moreover , in accordance with this invention the cylinder 19 and the movable contact 11 , being interconnected through spaced radial members or a spider 51 move together with the rod 13 . as a result the compressed air has the sole purpose of moving the piston 21 to evacuate the sf 6 from the interior of the upper cylinder 19 through apertures 53 formed by the spider 51 and thence through the nozzle orifice 33 in the zone of the arc 45 . moreover , as the cylinder 19 lowers to the open position , the telescopic members 49 move into their surrounding telescopic members 55 which are sealed together by gasket means or o - rings 57 . thus , the downward movement of the cylinder augments the pressure of the air and which is used for operating the valve 47 . suffice it to say , the cylinder 19 moves by means other than the air which in turn has the sole purpose of driving the sf 6 into the orifice 33 for extinguishing the arc 45 . another embodiment of the invention is shown in fig3 in which similar numerals refer to similar parts . this embodiment includes a cylinder 59 extending downwardly from the end plate 37 in a manner similar to the puffer cylinder 19 of fig2 . the lower end of the cylinder 59 is open and a floating piston or diaphragm 61 is movably mounted therein . the piston 61 has a central opening 63 so that the piston is slidable longitudinally of the rod 13 within the cylinder 59 . the interior of the cylinder 59 between the end plate 37 and the piston 61 is filled with an arc interrupting gas , such as sf 6 , which is expelled through the upper end of the cylinder when the piston 61 is raised in a manner similar to that shown in fig2 . in accordance with this invention means for raising and lowering the piston 61 are also provided and comprise a plurality of spaced fluid drive , means such as pneumatic cylinders 65 , the upper ends of which are attached to the underside of the piston 61 . the lower portions of the cylinders 65 are mounted on air conduits 67 . the cylinders 65 and the conduits 67 are preferably telescopically disposed in an airtight manner . pressurized air is introduced into the cylinders 65 through openings 69 . conversely , when the piston 61 is lowered the opening 69 may serve as a return port , whereby a partial vacuum created thereby in the cylinder 59 draws the interrupting gas sf 6 into the cylinder . the outer periphery of the piston 61 includes a gasket 71 and the inner periphery surrounding the aperture 63 is likewise provided with a sliding gasket 73 . accordingly , the high - compression puffer - type circuit interrupter of this invention comprises advantages over certain interrupters of prior art construction . one advantage is that the puffer cylinder is mounted on the rod on which the movable contact is mounted whereby the cylinder moves with the contact independently of another moving means such as compressed air and separately of the surrounding casing 3 . thus , the compressed air is available solely for compressing the interrupting gas such as sf 6 to provide a larger gas force for extinguishing an arc . second , the compressed gas flows through an aerodynamically favorable passage from the cylinder to the electrode - arc area to provide a direct interruption of the arc . third , the pressurized gas or air operates only the piston and not the electrode assembly so that the electrode movement is independently controlled through an unspecified operating mechanism outside of the puffer enclosure , thereby providing flexibility to activate either independently of the other . fourth , the electrode is closed by external means and the piston is moved by an ambient sf 6 pressure which is preferably maintained at 70 - 80 psi at all times and independently of other mechanical means such as springs which are previously compressed during the opening operation . the extinguishing gas ( sf 6 ) flows into the center of the movable electrode assembly and out through orifices in the electrode rod to return to the plenum or ambient atmosphere of the interrupter . finally , the puffer - type circuit interrupter of this invention requires no arc catcher as is required by existing circuit interrupters .
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an overview of the system of the present invention may be discussed by reference to the schematic drawing shown in fig1 . in this overview of the system , the mattress components are shown in relation to and interconnected with the various control components of the system . in various embodiments , blower box 10 can be comprised of a blower fan 12 that incorporates a dust filter 14 on its intake and an output that incorporates a pressure transducer 16 and passes through a heater unit 18 before being passed into the conduits of the system . the output of the blower box 10 is established through hose connector 20 that incorporates a manifold of air connections as well as electrical connections ( not shown ) in the same connector unit ( described in more detail below ). in various embodiments , hose connector 20 can be single piece or multi - piece connector and can include a number of components , such as springs , latches , and the like . hose connector 20 mates with and connects to distribution block 22 , which distributes the air flow from blower box 10 through three separate conduits . a first conduit 24 is connected to two proportional control valves 26 and 28 that are associated with the body cushion 30 . a second conduit 32 is connected to proportional control valve 34 associated with head cushion 36 , as well as proportional control valves 38 and 40 associated with foot cushion 42 . each of the proportional control valves mentioned is connected to its respective cushion by means of quick release connector 44 . head cushion 36 is a single chamber unit ( e . g ., a single inflatable chamber ) as is described in more detail below . the single chamber is connected by way of a quick release connector 44 to proportional control valve 34 . body cushion 30 is a multi - chamber unit ( e . g ., dual inflatable chambers ) having interleaved chambers for alternating the pressurized air chamber for therapeutic purposes . each of the two separate chambers is connected by way of a quick release connector 44 to the respective proportional control valves 26 and 28 . foot cushion 42 is a multi - chamber unit ( e . g ., dual inflatable chambers ) structured much the same as body cushion 30 , and incorporates two interleaved chambers that are individually connected by way of quick release connectors 44 to their respective proportional control valves 38 and 40 . the specific construction of each of the cushion components of the system of the present invention is described in more detail below . the control of the air pressure within head cushion 36 , body cushion 30 , and foot cushion 42 is described in greater detail herein below and forms part of the basic structure and functionality of the present invention . in general , however , these three cushion components are maintained in an inflated condition by the electronic control of proportional control valves and / or blower speed control under the operation of microprocessors or microcontrollers which include computer executable instructions , e . g ., program instructions and / or algorithms that include therapeutic air inflation pressures and regimens , in addition to being connected one to another by way of a digital signal network . in various embodiments , a third air conduit can be provided . in embodiments having the third air conduit , such as the embodiment shown in fig3 , the air conduit leaves from distribution block 22 to carry the flow of air to the remaining bladders associated with the mattress system of the present invention . this air conduit 46 is split between two conduits 48 and 50 . conduit 48 passes to a stepper actuated directional control valve 52 that alternately inflates and deflates turning bladders 54 and 56 . directional control valve 52 is operated by means of stepper motor 51 . air is distributed from directional control valve 52 through two conduits 58 and 60 , which pass through manual cpr release block 62 which is monitored by cpr switch 61 . each of conduits 58 and 60 incorporate pressure transducers 64 and 66 and quick release connectors 44 as they pass into their respective turning bladders 54 and 56 . the inflation of turning bladders 54 and 56 is generally accomplished in alternating fashion and is controlled by the directional control valve 52 so as to inflate one turning bladder and deflate the second turning bladder in a manner that rotates the patient to one side or the other . the orientation of the turning bladders lengthwise along the mattress system , as described in more detail below , makes this turning process possible . referring again to fig1 , in various embodiments , air conduit 50 , extending from distribution block 22 by way of air conduit 46 , can pass through an activation solenoid 68 and thereafter pass through cpr release block 62 . from release block 62 air conduit 50 continues through a pressure transducer 70 and through a quick release connector 44 before finally serving to inflate mrs ( mattress replacement system ) bladder 72 . mrs bladder 72 is provided with a vent to atmosphere by way of solenoid 74 . in various embodiments , a foam cushion or mattress can be implemented and can replace the mrs 72 and its associated components . in such embodiments , components such as air conduit 50 for example , can be removed . the blower box 10 described above is generally incorporated into a user interface unit that mounts on the footboard of the bed on which the mattress system of the present invention is placed . in this user interface unit are contained some of the electronics associated with the programming and operation of the system , e . g ., controller area network ( can ) nodes and other circuitry . reference is now made to fig2 for an overview of the control components associated with the system of the present invention and duplicates in part the overview pneumatic diagram described above with respect to fig1 . in fig2 , blower box 10 is again seen to include blower fan 12 , which ultimately ( albeit through a number of other manifold connectors not shown in this diagram ) serves to provide the inflation air to left turning bladder 54 , right turning bladder 56 , foot cushion 42 , body cushion 30 , head cushion 36 and mrs bladder 72 . the electrical connections shown in blower box 10 include the electric power necessary to run heater 18 , which serves to warm the air after it passes out of the blower fan 12 as well as connections to a data i / o device 101 , e . g ., a user data interface ( udi ), graphical user interface ( gui ), among others , which in the preferred embodiment includes an lcd display having touchscreen functionality . otherwise , the electrical / electronic connections from user interface 100 are shown as including a power connection 102 and a communications connection 104 . as indicated above , these electrical / electronic connections are maintained through the same hose connector assembly 20 discussed above , and thereby form the electrical / electronic connection from the blower box to the mattress assembly . the mattress assembly 105 itself incorporates a mattress controller 106 which receives both power and communication signals from user interface 100 . the same power and communication lines are in turn relayed to stepper valve controllers associated with each of the three cushion components of the mattress system of the present invention . these controllers are established as “ network nodes ” and include stepper valve controller 108 ( associated with the foot cushion 42 ), stepper valve controller 110 ( associated with body cushion 30 ) and stepper valve controller 112 ( associated with head cushion 36 ). each of these stepper valve controllers is directly connected to both the infrared receivers associated with the cushion to which it is attached , as well as the control valves that direct the inflation of that cushion . stepper valve controller 108 , for example , receives signal from infrared receiver 114 and thereby controls valves 38 and 40 to maintain the appropriate inflation of foot cushion 42 . likewise , stepper valve controller 110 is associated with infrared receivers 116 , 118 , 120 , and 122 as well as control valves 26 and 28 , each associated with body cushion 30 . finally , stepper valve controller 112 is associated with infrared receiver 124 and control valve 34 , which are each associated with head cushion 36 . the networked structure of this chain of controllers makes it possible to add additional controllers at connector 113 , which can be positioned at various locations including the stepper valve controllers 108 , 110 , and 112 , as may be required by alternative cushion structures and functionality . referring further to fig2 , left turning bladder 54 and right turning bladder 56 are each controlled from the mattress controller 106 by means of the programmed operation of directional control valve 52 shown in split configuration in fig2 . likewise , the inflation of mrs bladder 72 is controlled by way of mattress controller 106 by means of the programmed operation of mrs clamp solenoid 68 and mrs vent solenoid 74 . in the preferred embodiment , the inflation of the mrs bladder may be varied to help establish the firmness of the overall mattress system while the turning bladders may , of course , be varied to accomplish the turning function described above . as discussed above , in some embodiments , a foam type cushion or mattress can be implemented and thus , in such embodiments , the mattress controller would not be utilized to control the foam mattress . in various embodiments , the mattress controller can include a number of different configurations . for example , the mattress controller can include an mrs vent solenoid in embodiments that utilize the mrs bladder , as discussed herein . reference is now made to fig3 which shows in greater detail the controller network of the control interlayer for the mattress system of the present invention . mattress controller 106 is shown having direct control connections to the stepper actuated directional control valve 52 associated with the turning bladders , as well as the mrs vent solenoid 74 and the mrs clamp solenoid 68 . likewise , mattress controller 106 serves to power ( and illuminate ) each of the infrared transmitters ( six in the preferred embodiment ) 130 , 132 , 134 , 136 , 138 , and 140 . these ir transmitters are ir light emitting diodes ( leds ) in the preferred embodiment and are operated in concert at the indicated 3 khz signal frequency . other frequencies are contemplated . mattress controller 106 likewise receives input signal data from an angle sensor input 142 , a temperature sensor input 144 , and side rail position sensors input 146 . a manual cpr switch 148 is associated with cpr release block 62 described above . a pressure - in connection 150 receives pneumatic air pressure measurements from pressure gauge 16 described above . in various embodiments , mattress controller 106 forms a base network node for network connection 152 that includes the network transmission and receive signal lines as well as power voltage and return lines . this network connection 152 is distributed through to each of the stepper valve controllers mentioned above as network nodes 108 , 110 and 112 . these microcontrollers , again acting as nodes on the local network , individually receive input from the infrared receivers 114 , 116 , 118 , 120 , 122 , and 124 associated with foot cushion 42 , body cushion 30 , and head cushion 36 , respectively . in turn each of these controllers operates and controls the stepper motors connected to the proportional control valves described above . these stepper motors include stepper motor 126 associated with control valve 40 of foot cushion 42 , stepper motor 128 associated with control valve 38 of foot cushion 42 , stepper motor 130 associated with control valve 28 of body cushion 30 , stepper motor 132 associated with control valve 26 of body cushion 30 , and finally stepper motor 134 associated with control valve 34 of head cushion 36 . each of stepper valve controllers 108 , 110 and 112 are programmed controllers that are capable of independently maintaining the appropriate inflation of their respective cushions without relying on the network connection to the mattress controller 106 or to the connection back to the user interface unit 100 . each stepper valve controller acts as a network node in accordance with a can ( controller area network ) protocol as described in more detail below . this network structure serves to improve operation of the system as a whole and provides a highly efficient maintenance of the appropriate inflation of the mattress system components , even in response to movement by the patient that might otherwise result in “ bottoming ” through the mattress cushions . each of the microcontrollers in the described preferred embodiment of the present invention may be satisfied by an h8 / 3687n type microcontroller ic or its equivalent . in various embodiments , the network structure can include a variety of can nodes , configurations , and protocols . in some embodiments , each of the stepper valve controllers and other controllers ( e . g ., mattress controller , and various valve controllers , among others ) can be uniquely identified as nodes on the network by way of the indicated address jumpers . in other embodiments , nodes can be dynamically addressed . in some embodiments can nodes can be connected in a specific order and addressed in a specific order . for example , in one embodiment , can nodes can be connected in the following order : gui ( network supervisor ), blower controller ( bc ), mattress controller ( mc ), foot valve controller ( fvc ), body valve controller ( bvc ), and head valve controller ( hvc ). as one of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate , the various controllers can include similar controllers having the same or similar functions , and should not be limited to those described above . for example , the blower controller can include any controller that controls a rate of air flow from a blower , fan , or other source of pressurized fluid . in various embodiments , dynamic addressing can begin with a broadcast message sent on the network by the gui node requesting all nodes to prepare for dynamic addressing . when a node receives this message , the node replies with a node identification message , which is an identification number given to each type of board . for example , in various embodiments , a bc node can have an identification number of 1 , the mc node can have an identification number of 2 , and a vc node can have an identification number of 3 . the gui node assigns a network address to each node that returns an identification number . in some embodiments , a sequential power - up sequence can also be implemented with the dynamic addressing process . for example , in some embodiments , when dynamic addressing begins , power is supplied to the gui , bc , mc , and fvc nodes . after the bc , mc , and fvc nodes power up and get addressed , the fvc node relays power to the bvc node , which is the only valve controller ( vc ) node on the network without an address . the gui will be able to differentiate it from the other vc nodes . once the bvc node gets addressed it relays power to the hvc node and it is now the only vc node on the network without an address . once the hvc node gets addressed the network is ready for normal use . fig4 provides further detail on mattress controller 106 , showing the microcontroller and its connection to the various inputs and outputs associated with the controller . included as o / g inputs are the cpr switch connections 148 , the angle sensor connection 142 , the temperature sensor connection 144 , the pneumatic pressure sensor connection 150 , and the side rail sensor inputs 146 . the mattress controller circuitry shown in fig4 also incorporates a voltage regulator 160 for powering the operation of the microcontroller and each of the ancillary components . the outputs of the microcontroller 106 include the 3 khz wave form driver 162 that powers and drives the infrared transmitters in concert as discussed above . the microcontroller also includes output signals to control solenoid drivers 164 and 166 that direct the mrs vent and clamp solenoids respectively . finally , the microcontroller 106 operates the stepper motor driver 168 that controls the stepper actuated directional control valve which inflates and deflates the turning bladders . as mentioned above , microcontroller 106 is connected to and forms a node on the can and the mattress controller unit maintains the can network protocol circuitry 170 , and the can transceiver circuitry 172 . in various embodiments , the stepper controller can include a number of different configurations . for example , in some embodiments , the stepper controller can include one or more stepper driver circuits . in other embodiments , the stepper controller can include circuits for filtering , buffering , and gain . in some embodiments of the stepper controller , circuitry can be included or omitted which can be based on one or more desired functions to be elicited from the controller . in the embodiment illustrated in fig5 a detailed diagram of the typical stepper valve controller is provided . this diagram describes a typical example of one of the three stepper valve controllers positioned in association with each of the three cushions in the preferred embodiment of the mattress system of the present invention . stepper valve controller 110 associated with the body cushion is used in this example as it utilizes four input data signals associated with four ir sensors . inputs to microcontroller 110 include buffered and filtered inputs from each of the infrared sensors as shown . buffer / filter circuits 180 , 182 , 184 and 186 condition the analog signals from the individual ir sensor devices for appropriate monitoring by the microcontroller . the stepper valve controller likewise incorporates a voltage regulator 202 for powering the components in the controller circuitry . outputs from the microcontroller 110 ( as in each stepper valve controller ) include output signals for the stepper driver circuits 188 and 190 for the two proportional control valves under the control of the particular stepper valve controller . operation of these drivers is accomplished through a current monitoring system 192 and 194 that allows the microcontroller direct feedback on the condition or state of the two proportional control valves . as indicated above , each microcontroller has an address configuration circuit 196 set to distinguish it from the other controller nodes on the network . each microcontroller circuit likewise includes can protocol circuitry 198 and can transceiver circuitry 200 to maintain communications over the network . the can ( controller area network ) is a serial bus system that was originally developed for automotive applications in the early 1980 &# 39 ; s . the can protocol was internationally standardized in 1993 as iso 11898 - 1 and comprises the data link layer of the seven layer iso / osi reference model . can , which is now available from a large number of semiconductor manufacturers in hardware form , provides two communication services : the sending of a message ( data frame transmission ) and the requesting of a message ( remote transmission request , rtr ). all other services such as error signaling , and automatic re - transmission of erroneous frames are user - transparent , which means the can circuitry will automatically perform these services without the need for specific programming . the can controller is comparable to a printer or a typewriter and can uses , such as in the present application , still must define the language / grammar and the words / vocabulary to communicate . can does , however , provide a multi - master hierarchy , which allows the building of intelligent and redundant systems which is , as mentioned above , a feature of particular importance in the operation of the inflation maintenance objectives of the present invention . if one network node is defective , the network is still able to operate . can also provides broadcast communication wherein a sender of information may transmit to all devices on the bus simultaneously . thus , programming through the user interface of the present invention may be distributed to each of the controller nodes on the can in a manner that may effect a regimen alteration throughout the system . all receiving devices read the message and then decide if it is relevant to them . this guarantees data integrity because all devices in the system use the same information . can also provides sophisticated error detection mechanisms and re - transmission of faulty messages . reference is now made to fig6 & amp ; 7 for a description of the physical placements of the various control components identified and discussed above . fig6 & amp ; 7 show , in perspective and plan views respectively , the underside of the control interlayer that is incorporated into the mattress system of the present invention . these views reflect the positions of the indicated components as they would be seen if the mattress system were flipped over and the mrs bladder and turning bladders were removed ( this overall structure is described in more detail below with respect to fig1 ). the controller interlayer is constructed primarily of flexible walled enclosure 210 surrounding a foam core 212 within which are positioned the various control components of the present invention . mattress controller 106 is positioned as shown , as are stepper valve controllers 108 , 110 and 112 . the stepper valve controllers are positioned so as to be proximate to the cushion component for which they are specifically responsible . all but one of the ir transmitters are shown in place and connected together in concert . ir transmitters 132 , 134 , 136 , 138 and 140 are shown in place in fig6 & amp ; 7 . ir transmitter 130 has been removed to show the placement of ir transmitter window 131 positioned to receive placement of the transmitter on one side of controller 106 . on an opposite side of the control interlayer are the ir sensors , or more specifically shown in fig6 & amp ; 7 , the ir sensor windows into the individual cushions , as described in more detail below . sensor windows 115 , 117 , 119 , 121 , 123 and 125 are shown in fig6 & amp ; 7 positioned in association with their respective foot , body and head cushion components . also associated with the appropriate cushion components are air flow inlet connectors 214 ( associated with the head cushion ), connectors 216 and 218 ( associated with the body cushion ) and connectors 220 and 222 ( associated with the foot cushion ). manifold 22 is shown positioned to receive the single large air flow hose ( not shown ) to separate and distribute the air flow to three smaller conduits for subsequent distribution to the cushions and mattress components . in fig6 & amp ; 7 all air flow conduits have been removed for clarity . from manifold 22 two air flow conduits would connect with stepper valve controllers 108 , 110 and 112 to provide the necessary air flow into the mattress cushions . a third air flow conduit connects from manifold 22 to mattress controller 106 where the necessary air flow is provided to the turning bladders and the primary mrs bladder as described above . also removed for clarity in fig6 & amp ; 7 are most of the electrical / electronic connections between the various control components . the exception to this is the 2 - wire connection linking each of the ir transmitters together along one edge of the interlayer . in normal operation , a sixth ir transmitter 130 would be positioned over window 131 and would likewise be linked to the 2 - wire circuit that is shown . additional electrical / electronic connections between the components would be present as described above with respect to fig2 . in addition , the hardwired network connections between the controller enclosures , as shown and described in association with fig3 - 5 , would also be present . reference is now made to fig8 for a brief description of the mattress controller 106 and its enclosure . various electronics and electromechanical controls are included within the mattress enclosure controller . the air flow source is by way of conduit 46 which feeds conduit 48 and conduit 50 . conduit 48 provides air flow to stepper actuated directional control valve 52 which is driven by stepper motor 51 . this provides the necessary air flow to the turning bladders by way of conduit connections 58 and 60 . conduit 50 provides air flow to solenoid valve 68 which in turn directs air flow out of the enclosure to the mrs bladder and to a vent through solenoid valve 74 . each of the solenoid valves 68 and 74 , as well as directional control valve 52 , are electrically connected to pc board 230 on which the controller circuitry described above ( for the mattress controller ) is provided . the micro - controller ic is likewise positioned on pc board 230 and forms the core of the controller as a whole . the electrical / electronic connections discussed above are generally not shown in fig8 for clarity but would enter the enclosure through the ports , some of which can be water tight , shown on the sides of the enclosure . a lid ( not shown ) would complete the walled enclosure to generally seal it against fluids . reference is now made to fig9 for a brief description of a representative example of the stepper valve controllers that operate in conjunction with the mattress controller and provide the regulated air flow to the mattress cushions as described above . in fig9 , stepper valve controller 110 , which services the requirements of the body cushion 30 of the system , is shown as an example . it is understood that the remaining two stepper valve controllers would be either identical in structure or would comprise one - half of the operational components of the example shown . in this view , stepper motor driven proportional control valves 26 and 28 are shown . the source of air flow to the unit is shown on one side of the enclosure at “ from 22 ”, indicating the source as coming from the manifold 22 . outflow of air from the control valves is directed to body cushion 30 by way of the indicated connectors on the opposite sides of the enclosure . each of the control valves 26 and 28 are electrically connected to pc board 240 on which the controller circuitry is provided . here again , the electrical / electronic connections ( wires ) both within the enclosure and into and out of the enclosure are omitted for clarity . control of the valve operation includes monitoring the rate of valve openings and closings in an effort to reduce overall valve noise associated with the operation of the system . in addition , control of the stepper motors involves monitoring of current as a means of error checking the control signal . the pc boards in the three stepper valve controller enclosures are essentially the same and are distinguished on the network as they are dynamically addressed during installation . because of the distributed processing structure of the network of the system , it is possible to power - up and activate individual nodes / controllers on the system in progressive fashion . this greatly facilitates both initial implementation and subsequent maintenance of the system . a diagnostic mode of operation also facilitates these aspects of the distributed network . reference is now made to fig1 - 13 for a description of the construction and configuration of the cushions associated with the mattress replacement system of the present invention . fig1 a and 10b show the general construction of the body cushion 30 of the system of the present invention . as shown in fig1 above , body cushion is generally constructed with two interleaved chambers so as to provide alternating pulsation air flow into the cushion as a known therapy for bedridden patients . these chambers are constructed of generally box shaped channels that run parallel across the cushion . the topside view of body cushion 30 is shown in fig1 a and by way of the fabric seams shown , indicates the configuration of the interleaved channels . air flow inlet connectors 216 and 218 are shown in fig1 b ( a view of the underside of the cushion ) where they would align with and connect to their corresponding connections on the control interlayer discussed above . the construction of body cushion 30 is of any of a number of different high and / or low air loss fabrics that provide the airflow “ outlet ” for the air inflation system , as is generally known in the art . the cushion is generally constructed by sewing techniques “ inside out ” and is then turned “ right side out ” though an initially open section of the seam ( shown in fig1 a ). the mattress cushions of the present invention may be sewn as indicated above or may be rf ( radio frequency ) welded as is known in the art . the finished cushion is maintained in its position in the mattress replacement system by way of the indicated zippers ( or similar attachment means ) to corresponding zipper components ( or similar attachment means ) on the mattress replacement system enclosure material . fig1 a and 11b disclose the construction of foot cushion 42 which , like body cushion 30 , is constructed of two interleaved chambers . air flow connectors 220 and 222 are shown in fig1 b ( the underside view of the cushion ). the construction techniques for foot cushion 42 are the same as those described above for body cushion 30 . fig1 a and 12b disclose the construction of head cushion 36 which differs from the construction of body cushion 30 and foot cushion 42 . head cushion 36 is not designed to be subjected to an alternating chamber pressurization therapy and is therefore constructed of a single chamber with a single air flow inlet connector 214 shown in fig1 b ( the underside view of the cushion ). parallel “ channels ” are still sewn or otherwise integrated into the cushion as shown in fig1 a for the purpose of maintaining the flat configuration of the cushion , but interior air flow between these “ channels ” is provided for , resulting in an integrated interior chamber . reference is now made to fig1 for a brief description of one manner of interior cushion construction that integrates ir reflective surfaces to facilitate the measurement of the ir illumination with the cushion by the ir sensors . in this example of cushion construction , cushion 250 is made up of fabric box envelop 256 and top surface 252 shown separated in this exploded view for clarity . the important distinguishing feature in this construction is the placement of ir reflective surfaces 254 a , 254 b and 254 c ( a variety of which are known in the art ) on specific interior sides of the box shaped channels formed within the cushion . in this manner , discrete portions of the cushion become the focus of the ir illumination ( thereby allowing the system to better identify the portion of the cushion that may require greater inflation ) and help to prevent “ cross - talk ” between the ir illuminated sections of the cushion . these features , when combined with the manner of timed polling of the ir sensors discussed in more detail below , serve to provide a more accurate indication of the portion of the cushion that may require modified inflation pressures . although the chamber construction of the cushion 250 shown in fig1 is somewhat different than the chamber construction shown in fig1 - 12 the principle of ir reflective surfaces strategically placed on the interior walls of the box shaped channels is easily applicable . fig1 is a detailed plan view of a representative ir transmitter / sensor device of the system of the present invention . an objective in the design of the ir device is a single structure that may be configured to function either as the ir transmitter or the ir sensor . used as an example in fig1 is ir transmitter 134 shown positioned over window 135 in control interlayer envelope material 210 . transmitter 134 is positioned in a pocket 260 constructed of pliable polymer sheet material ( such as a polyurethane material ) capable of being sewn or welded to the material of the interlayer envelope . the pocket 260 is sized so as to both retain and position the ir transmitter 134 . closure material 262 is positioned across the opening of pocket 260 to provide retention of the device within the pocket . closure 262 is not necessarily water tight as the construction of the ir transmitter itself is , in the preferred embodiment , a generally water tight enclosure . hook and loop type material would be one appropriate structure for closure means 262 . ir transmitter / sensor 134 may include an injection molded rigid plastic enclosure having at least one side transparent to ir illumination that is directed into the associated cushion chamber . within the rigid plastic enclosure is positioned pc board 272 on which are positioned ir led 274 and / or ir sensor 276 . a number of ir light sources ( typically solid state led devices ) and ir sensors are commercially available that are suitable for use in conjunction with the system of the present invention . the circuitry associated with the ir sensors utilized in the preferred embodiment is configured to operate the sensors in the linear region of their output ( typically the saturated region ) and incorporates an auto gain adjustment to place the sensor into the linear region . in this manner , a more accurate and direct correlation between illumination levels and sensor output is achieved . this approach is particularly important for smaller displacements of the mattress cushion chamber being monitored ( smaller changes in the illumination level ) that under previous approaches might have been missed . in addition , optical filters are utilized in the preferred embodiment of the present invention to narrow the ir frequency band received and monitored . this bandwidth narrowing allows for an optimal auto gain adjustment to put the sensors into the linear region of their output as described above . although the circuitry of the system for driving the ir transmitters described above drives the devices in concert , an alternative approach would drive the transmitters and poll the corresponding sensors in banks so as to further avoid the effects of “ cross talk ” between chambers . avoiding the simultaneous polling of sensor / transmitter pairs that are directed to adjacent chambers at the same time would serve to diminish or eliminate such cross talk ( light from one transmitter being picked up by a sensor from a different transmitter / sensor pair ). reference is now made to fig1 for a description of the manner in which the system of the present invention utilizes a measurement of ir illumination within an inflated chamber to determine when a decrease in chamber height warrants an increase in inflation pressure to that chamber to re - elevate the chamber . fig1 also provides a description of the layered arrangement of the bladder components of the system of the present invention . the mattress replacement system is intended to be placed on existing hospital bed structures and the like although the principles of operation may readily translate into original equipment manufacturing designs . in the replacement environment the system comprises mrs bladder 72 surrounded in part by system envelope 210 . turning bladders 54 and 56 are likewise enclosed in envelope 210 and are , in the preferred embodiment , further positioned and retained within sub - envelopes integrated into envelope 210 . various compartments and sub - envelopes may be created within envelope 210 as necessary to position and retain the various bladders , control components , cables and air flow conduits . these compartments may be sewn or welded together or they may be constructed with sections of material that removably attach one to another with zippers or hook and loop attachment surfaces . straps sewn into the envelope and secured with buckles and ties may also be utilized to position and retain the various components of the system in place . the control interlayer of the system is further shown in fig1 as a cross section generally from side to side on the bed through the center of the mattress system . in this location , body cushion 30 is shown with ir transmitter 134 positioned on one side of the cushion and ir sensor 118 positioned on an opposite side . mattress controller 106 ( which retains the circuitry to drive the ir transmitters ) is shown , as is stepper valve controller 108 ( which is responsible for the inflation of body cushion 30 ). foam interlayer core material 212 is also seen in cross section in this view . shown in dashed line form are the exterior components of the system , namely blower box 10 with display 101 and primary air flow conduit 280 , as they would be positioned on the bed in association with the replacement mattress system . operation of the ir sensor system is structured to be a measurement of illumination level within a chamber as opposed to simply the interruption of a line of sight beam of ir light . thus the orientation of the ir transmitter and the ir sensor is not one towards the other but rather into the chamber as a whole . light paths shown in fig1 within cushion 30 ( within one or more cross - bed box shaped channel of cushion 30 ) represent the direction , dispersion and internal reflection of the ir light within the chamber and its eventual reception at the ir sensor . from this it can be seen how even slight modifications to the upper planar surface of the cushion will result in a decrease in the level of illumination received at the sensor . significant changes in the planar surface , such as might occur if an elbow or other narrowly focused pressure were directed onto the outside surface of the cushion , would result in a more significant change in the overall level of illumination received at the sensor . in this manner , a more accurate determination of the degree of surface displacement , and of the danger of “ bottoming out ” can be achieved . the controllers described above and their direct connection to a bank of ir sensors as well as their direct connection to air inflation valves are therefore configured to provide a more immediate and appropriate response to the need for increased ( or decreased ) inflation pressures in any specific portion of the mattress system . reference is finally made to fig1 for a brief description of the manner in which the system of the present invention may be positioned on a standard hospital bed or the like . in this view , bed 290 is configured with footboard panel 284 onto which is placed and positioned the blower box enclosure 10 of the present invention . replacement mattress system 282 is shown positioned on bed 290 much in the same manner that a standard mattress might be placed . clamp 286 is a rigid panel connected to blower box 10 in an adjustable fashion that allows the blower box to be retained and secured to the footboard panel 284 . blower box enclosure 10 incorporates an ergonomic handle 288 to facilitate its placement onto , and removal from , the bed . primary air flow conduit connects the blower box 10 to manifold 22 ( not seen in this view ) associated with the interlayer of the mattress system 282 . as mentioned above , the requisite electrical / electronic cables and connections between the blower box and the control interlayer are incorporated into the structure of the primary air flow conduit so as to eliminate the need for additional connections . in the preferred embodiment , air flow conduit 280 incorporates a quick disconnect coupling 281 that allows the rapid separation of the blower box from the balance of the system . electrical power cord 292 provides the necessary ac power to drive all of the electrical and electronic components of the system of the present invention . also shown in fig1 is wireless data communication device 296 that may be configured to communicate by close proximity ( low power ) rf signals with the various controller devices incorporated into the system . recognizing that various calibrations , regimens , parameter settings and the like may need to be programmed into the micro - controllers of the present system , it is beneficial to utilize such close proximity data communication devices to provide a means for modifying the setting of the various controllers . the pc boards described in association with the controller enclosures shown in fig8 and 9 may incorporate the necessary wireless communication transceiver circuitry to permit such data transmission back and forth with a close proximity handheld unit . the network protocol utilized in the preferred embodiment of the present invention ( can protocol ) may be further utilized with the wireless capability by making the hand held unit a discretely identified node on the network . the hand held unit may then act to reset the parameters programmed into the individual controllers , and / or may act to receive and download historical data associated with the performance of the controller over time in response to the various pressure and temperature changes being monitored as well as the cushion displacement measurements made by the ir sensors . although the present invention has been described in terms of the foregoing preferred embodiments , this description has been provided by way of explanation only , and is not intended to be construed as a limitation of the invention . those skilled in the art will recognize modifications of the present invention that might accommodate specific existing patient support structures or hospital bed configurations . such modifications as to size , and even configuration , where such modifications are merely coincidental to existing structures of the bed , do not depart from the spirit and scope of the invention .
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reference will now be made in detail to the present embodiments of the present invention , examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings , wherein like reference numerals refer to the like elements throughout . the embodiments are described below in order to explain the present invention by referring to the figures . fig1 illustrates the configuration of a color image forming apparatus 1 according to an embodiment . as shown , the single - pass color image forming apparatus 1 to create a color image by sequentially transferring toner images of different colors overlappingly onto a piece of paper p . the single - pass color image forming apparatus 1 includes , within a body 10 forming its exterior , a paper feeding unit 20 , optical scanning units 30 , a development unit 40 , a transfer unit 50 , a fixing unit 60 , a paper discharge unit 70 , and a sensor unit 80 . according to other aspects of one or more embodiments , the single - pass color image forming apparatus 1 may include additional and / or different units . similarly , the functionality of two or more of the above units may be integrated into a single component . moreover , aspects of one or more embodiments can be implemented using other types of color image forming apparatuses , such as a multi - purpose type color image forming apparatus the paper feeding unit 20 is provided with a paper feeding cassette 21 detachably mounted to a bottom of the body 10 , a paper pressing plate 22 on which the paper p is stacked , an elastic member 23 under the paper pressing plate 22 , and a pick - up roller 24 positioned at a leading end of the paper p stacked on the paper pressing plate 22 . the paper pressing plate 22 is rotatable upward and downward within the paper feeding cassette 21 . the elastic member 23 elastically supports the paper pressing plate 22 . the pick - up roller 24 picks up the paper p from the paper pressing plate 22 . the optical scanning units 30 ( or 30 k , 30 y , 30 m and 30 c ) scans light corresponding to image information of different colors , for example , black k , yellow y , magenta m and cyan c onto the development unit 40 . a laser scanning unit ( lsu ) using a laser diode as a light source may be used for the optical scanning units 30 . as shown , the apparatus 1 uses four colors , but aspects of one or more embodiments are not limited to the shown colors , and is also usable with different numbers of colors . the development unit 40 includes four developers 40 k , 40 y , 40 m and 40 c to accommodate toners of different colors ( for example , black k , yellow y , magenta m , and cyan c toners ) therein . the developers 40 k , 40 y , 40 m and 40 c respectively include photosensitive media 41 k , 41 y , 41 m and 41 c on which electrostatic latent images are formed by the optical scanning units 30 . while the photosensitive media 41 k , 41 y , 41 m and 41 c are installed in the developers 40 k , 40 y , 40 m and 40 c in the illustrated case of fig1 , they may be provided separately from the developers 40 k , 40 y , 40 m and 40 c in the body 10 . each of the developers 40 k , 40 y , 40 m and 40 c has a toner storage 42 having toner , a charge roller 43 , a development roller 44 to develop an electrostatic latent image formed on a photosensitive medium to a toner image , and a supply roller 45 to supply the toner to the development roller 44 . the transfer unit 50 transfers toner images developed on the photosensitive media 41 k , 41 y , 41 m , and 41 c onto the paper p . the transfer unit 50 is provided with a paper transfer belt ( ptb ) 51 that goes around in contact with the photosensitive media 41 k , 41 y , 41 m and 41 c , a driving roller 52 that drives the ptb 51 , a support roller 53 that maintains the tensile force of the ptb 51 , and four transfer rollers 54 that transfer the toner images from the photosensitive media 41 k , 41 y , 41 m and 41 c to the paper p . the fixing unit 60 fixes the toner images onto the paper p by heat and pressure . the fixing unit 60 includes a heating roller 61 and a pressing roller 62 . the heating roller 61 has a heating source to heat the paper p with the toner transferred thereon . the pressing roller 62 faces the heating roller 61 to maintain a fixing pressure at a predetermined level with respect to the heating roller 61 . the paper discharge unit 70 discharges the printed paper p outside the body 10 . the paper discharge unit 70 includes a discharge roller 71 and a back - up roller 72 that rotates along with the discharge roller 71 . the sensor unit 80 senses toner transfer positions of acr patterns printed on the transfer belt 51 , for color registration . the sensor unit 80 includes an optical sensor including a light emitter and a light receiver . the optical sensor projects light toward the transfer belt 51 before the light emitter along an x - axis direction . the light receiver receives the light reflected from the transfer belt 51 . the sensor unit 80 detects the toner transfer positions of the acr patterns by receiving the light reflected from toner layers of the acr patterns ( offset correction patterns for the respective colors ) printed on the transfer belt 51 . because color registration may differ in one end portion and the other end portion of the transfer belt 51 along a width direction of a color image due to the scanning skews of the optical scanners 30 , the light receiver is positioned at both ends of the transfer belt 51 . fig2 is a control block diagram of the color image forming apparatus to perform color registration according to an embodiment . the color image forming apparatus includes an operation mode decider 100 , a storage unit 102 , a controller 104 , and a printer 106 . while not required in all aspects , the decoder 100 and controller 104 can be implemented on one or more processors and / or computers , and may be implemented using software and / or firmware stored on one or more computer readable media . the operation mode decider 100 selects an operation mode in which color registration is to be performed in the single - pass color image forming apparatus 1 . the operation mode may be a first operation mode or a second operation mode . in the first operation mode , acr is performed under the condition that the toner transfer position for each color is greatly out of alignment by at least a predetermined number of dots due to replacement of a consumable part , such as the developers 40 k , 40 y , 40 m and 40 c or the transfer belt 51 . in the second operation mode , acr is performed under the condition that the toner transfer position for each color is slightly out of alignment by fewer than a predetermined number of dots due to variations in set conditions other than replacement of a consumable part , such as an increase in the number of printed papers , a temperature change of a set , power on / off , and the like . the storage 102 sets and stores acr patterns of a different horizontal length according to the acr operation mode used . the storage 102 sets the horizontal length of the acr patterns ( the x - axis length of offset correction patterns ) shorter in the second operation mode than in the first operation mode . the reason for using the shorter acr patterns in the second operation mode is to reduce toner consumption and an acr process time by changing the horizontal length of the acr patterns according to the used operation mode , considering the fact that the misalignment of the toner transfer positions is less in the second operation mode than in the first operation mode . while not required in all aspects , the storage 102 can be magnetic and / or optical media , and can be rewritable as in the case that the acr patterns are updated . the acr patterns are offset correction patterns corresponding to the four colors , black k , yellow y , magenta m and cyan c for color registration . these acr patterns may take various shapes . according to aspects of one or more embodiments , the acr patterns are set to correct offset deviations in x - axis and y - axis directions , taking into account x - axis and y - axis misalignments of the toner transfer positions depending on whether a consumable part ( such as the developer 40 k , 40 y , 40 m , or 40 c , or the transfer belt ) is replaced . to this end , the horizontal of the acr patterns is changed depending on whether the consumable part is replaced with a new one , which will be described later with reference to fig3 and 4 . as shown , the x axis is horizontal , and the y axis is parallel to a moving direction of the paper . the controller 104 selects the acr patterns for use in x - axis and y - axis offset correction from the storage 102 to perform color registration according to the operation mode of the color image forming apparatus 1 decided by the operation mode decider 100 . the controller 104 provides the selected acr patterns to the printer 106 so that the printer 106 prints the acr patterns . the printer 106 prints the selected acr patterns on the transfer belt 51 . the sensor unit 80 senses the toner transfer positions of the acr patterns and notifies the controller 104 of the sensed toner transfer positions . the controller 104 performs the acr according to the toner transfer positions of the acr patterns to calibrate color registration by controlling the optical scanners 30 k , 30 y , 30 m and 30 c such that images of the respective colors are overlapped at accurate positions . fig3 illustrates acr patterns with which y - axis offsets are corrected in the first operation mode in the color image forming apparatus according to an embodiment . fig4 illustrates acr patterns with which x - axis offsets are corrected in the first operation mode in the color image forming apparatus according to an embodiment . referring to fig3 and 4 , the horizontal lengths d of the acr patterns for use in x - axis and y - axis offset correction are equal . the horizontal length d of the acr patterns for the first operation mode may be computed by where a denotes a left margin deviation ( generally about 1 . 5 mm ) along a main scanning direction of a reference color ( e . g . black ) among the four colors , black k , yellow y , magenta m and cyan c , with respect to a maximum deviation that may occur in the x - axis direction ( i . e . the main scanning direction ) when the developers 40 k , 40 y , 40 m and 40 c are mounted initially , b denotes a pre - acr correction x - axis offset deviation ( generally about 2 . 5 mm ) between the reference color ( black ) and the other colors ( e . g . yellow , magenta , and cyan ), and c denotes the beam diameter ( generally about 1 . 5 mm ) of the optical sensor being the optical sensor unit . referring to fig4 , as acr patterns for x - axis offset correction , a bar pattern along a horizontal direction and a slant pattern inclined from the horizontal direction by a predetermined angle are formed for each color . therefore , the toner transfer position of each color may be adjusted by as many x - axis dots as misaligned based on the differences between the bar - slant pattern interval of the reference color ( black ) and the bar - slant pattern intervals of the other colors ( yellow , magenta , and cyan ). fig5 illustrates acr patterns with which y - axis offsets are corrected in the second operation mode in the color image forming apparatus according to an embodiment . fig6 illustrates acr patterns with which x - axis offsets are corrected in the second operation mode in the color image forming apparatus according to an embodiment . referring to fig5 and 6 , the horizontal lengths e of the acr patterns for use in x - axis and y - axis offset correction are equal . the horizontal length e of the acr patterns for the second operation mode may be computed by where a denotes a left margin deviation ( generally about 1 . 5 mm ) along the main scanning direction of the reference color ( e . g . black ) among the four colors , black k , yellow y , magenta m and cyan c , with respect to a maximum deviation that may occur in the x - axis direction ( i . e . the main scanning direction ) when the developers 40 k , 40 y , 40 m and 40 c are mounted initially , b ′ denotes an x - axis offset deviation ( generally about 0 . 2 mm ) between the reference color ( black ) and the other colors ( e . g . yellow , magenta , and cyan ), which may be caused by an increase in the number of printed papers and a temperature change of the set after acr correction . c denotes the beam diameter ( generally about 1 . 5 mm ) of the optical sensor being the optical sensor unit 80 . the values of a , b , b ′, and c are for purposes of example ; aspects of one or more embodiments are not limited thereto . referring to fig6 , as acr patterns for x - axis offset correction in the second operation mode , a bar pattern along the horizontal direction and a slant pattern inclined from the horizontal direction by a predetermined angle are formed for each color . as noted , because the horizontal length e of the acr patterns for the second operation mode is shorter than the horizontal length d of the acr patterns for the first operation mode , the longitudinal length f of the slant patterns is also shortened . because the positions of the other color images ( yellow , magenta , and cyan ) are corrected with respect to the position of the reference color image ( black ) by the acr , the x - axis inter - set deviation a of the reference color ( black ) is not corrected even after the acr . the x - axis deviations between the reference color ( black ) and the other colors ( yellow , magenta , and cyan ) include the main scanning - directional deviations b among the colors of the optical scanners 30 k , 30 y , 30 m and 30 c when an acr is initially performed , and are the deviations b ′ caused by a change in set conditions since an acr is performed based on previous correction values after the acr . in a current set , b and b ′ are roughly given as follows . therefore , the horizontal length of the acr patterns may be decreased by the horizontal length e ( about 6 . 4 mm ) of the acr patterns calculated by [ equation 2 ] in the second operation mode is about 58 . 2 % shorter than the horizontal length d ( about 11 mm ) of the acr patterns calculated by [ equation 1 ] in the first operation mode . the acr is performed mostly in the second operation mode in the color image forming apparatus 1 . the use of the shorter horizontal length e of the acr patterns leads to the reduction of toner consumption for each color during acr and also to the decrease of the longitudinal length f of the slant patterns for x - axis color registration ( refer to fig6 ). the resulting decrease of the total y - axis length of the acr patterns shortens the total acr process time . with respect to the x - axis offset correction patterns , since the sensing distance between a bar pattern and a slant pattern is reduced , the influence of a y - axis velocity of the transfer belt 51 that is generated during rotation of the transfer belt 51 may be minimized , as illustrated in fig7 . fig8 is a flowchart of a color registration method in the color image forming apparatus according to an embodiment . in operation 200 , the single - pass color image forming apparatus 1 determines a current operation mode for color registration through the operation mode decider 100 by checking a status change caused by replacement of a consumable part ( a developer or a transfer belt ) or a change in set conditions . the operation mode may be a first operation mode in which an acr is performed under the condition that the toner transfer position of each color is greatly misaligned by a predetermined number of or more dots because of replacement of a consumable part ( such as the developers 40 k , 40 y , 40 m and 40 c or the transfer belt 51 ), or a second operation mode in which an acr is performed under the condition that the toner transfer position of each color is slightly misaligned by fewer than a predetermined number of dots because of operation errors or the like , without replacement of a consumable part . in operation 202 , the controller 104 determines whether the current operation mode is the first operation mode . in the case of the first operation mode , the controller 104 selects acr patterns corresponding to the first operation mode as illustrated in fig3 and 4 from the storage 102 in operation 204 . in operation 206 , the controller 104 provides the first - operation mode acr patterns to the printer 106 and controls the printer 106 to print the patterns onto the transfer belt 51 . the optical sensor unit 80 at both end portions of the transfer belt 51 senses the toner transfer positions of the acr patterns and notifies the controller 104 of the sensed toner transfer positions . in operation 208 , the controller 104 performs an acr by controlling the optical scanning units 30 to overlap the images of the respective colors at correct positions according to the toner transfer positions of the acr patterns , thereby calibrating color registration . if the current operation mode is not the first operation mode in operation 202 , the controller 104 determines whether the current operation mode is the second operation mode in operation 210 . in the case of the second operation mode , the controller 104 selects acr patterns corresponding to the second operation mode as illustrated in fig5 and 6 from the storage 102 in operation 212 . in operation 214 , the controller 104 provides the second - operation mode acr patterns to the printer 106 and controls the printer 106 to print the patterns onto the transfer belt 51 . the pair of sensor units 80 at both end portions of the transfer belt 51 sense the toner transfer positions of the acr patterns and notifies the controller 104 of the sensed toner transfer positions . in operation 208 , the controller 104 performs an acr by controlling the optical scanning units 30 to overlap the images of the respective colors at correct positions according to the toner transfer positions of the acr patterns , thereby calibrating color registration . as described above , different acr operation modes may employ acr patterns of different horizontal lengths according to the misalignment degrees of toner transfer positions caused by replacement or non - replacement of a consumable part . while shown with only two modes for purposes of simplicity , further modes can be defined to account for different color registration problems caused by specific events . according to other aspects of one or more embodiments , acr patterns may be changed , taking into further account the velocity change of the transfer belt 51 . this method will be described below with reference to fig9 . fig9 illustrates acr patterns with which x - axis offsets are corrected according to a change in the velocity of the transfer belt in the color image forming apparatus according to an embodiment . as shown in fig9 , a bar pattern and a slant pattern for the reference color ( black ) are formed with a minimal distance to bar and slant patterns for the other colors ( yellow , magenta and cyan ). the distance g between each black pattern and any other color pattern is determined based on the beam diameter of the sensor unit 80 and y - axis offset deviations among the colors . when the reference - color patterns ( the black patterns ) are close to specific - color patterns ( e . g . yellow patterns ) in x - axis offset correction of yellow , the influence of the y - axis velocity change of the transfer belt 51 caused by its rotation may be reduced . this is because the velocity change of the transfer belt 51 may need to be considered and the impact of the velocity change of the transfer belt 51 may need to be avoided as well , for y - axis offset correction . as is apparent from the above description , the single - pass color image forming apparatus performs color registration using acr patterns of a different length according to an operation mode used . therefore , toner consumption and an acr process time are reduced . also , the accuracy of the color registration is improved by changing the positions of the correction patterns according to a velocity change of the transfer belt when an acr is performed . although a few embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described , it would be appreciated by those skilled in the art that changes may be made in these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the invention , the scope of which is defined in the claims and their equivalents .
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fig1 shows an exemplary system that can be built using a fire suppression system according to the invention . the system shown in fig1 , without the fire suppression system according to the present invention is described in co - pending u . s . application ser . no . 11 / 783 , 437 , filed apr . 10 , 2007 , which is incorporated herein by reference . fig1 of the present invention shows a schematic view of a holding tank 10 for receiving oil / water mixture according to a preferred embodiment of the invention . the tank may be closed at the top or may be open to the atmosphere , depending for example on the nature of the vapor produced . as the oil / water mixture is pumped into the holding tank 10 from inlet pipe 12 the oil 14 separates from the water 16 . additionally , vapor 18 which may be oil vapor , methane , natural gas or other flammable or non - flammable gases may collect above the oil 14 . water 16 is drained or pumped from tank 10 via outlet pipe 20 , and may be returned to the well w for reuse . oil 14 is drained or pumped from the tank 10 via flexible oil recovery hose 22 and sent to a separate holding tank or pipeline for transport to a refinery . likewise , gas or vapor 18 may be removed via a vacuum hose 24 and sent to another holding tank or pipeline for transport to a refinery . the oil recovery hose 22 is constructed of flexible oil resistant material such as neoprene or other plastic material having properties necessary to withstand corrosive substances commonly found in crude oil . the oil recovery hose 22 is supported within the tank 10 by floats 26 . floats 26 may be formed of rubber , plastic or stainless steel or other suitable material that is both buoyant and resistant to corrosive substances commonly found in crude oil . as can be seen in fig1 , floats 26 may optionally include an upper set of floats 28 and a lower set of floats 30 or may include only the upper or lower set . now with reference to fig2 , it can be seen that oil recovery hose 22 includes a preferably rigid pipe component 32 joined thereto at connection 34 . at the upper end of the pipe component is a top or cap 36 spaced apart from component 32 by braces 37 to form openings 38 therein . spaced downwardly from the upper end 34 are upper attachment ports 40 for connecting upper float arms 42 extending from upper floats 44 . lower attachment ports 46 are spaced below upper attachment ports 40 . lower float arms 48 extend from lower attachment ports 46 and join lower floats 50 to the lower attachment ports 46 . upper floats 44 and lower floats 50 have additional attachment ports 52 so that additional floats 46 or 50 can be added for greater buoyancy . it is important to note that the buoyancy of upper floats 44 is greater than that of lower floats 50 so that lower floats 50 , while being buoyant in water 16 are not buoyant in oil 14 . upper floats 44 are buoyant in both water 16 and oil 14 . using this difference in buoyancy between the upper floats 44 and the lower floats 50 , the top 36 is maintained above the upper level of the oil 14 and the oil drain openings 54 are maintained above the upper level of the water 16 . vacuum hose ports 56 are located above the oil drain openings 54 to prevent oil from being drawn into the vacuum hoses 58 which draw the vapor through the openings 38 of cap 36 and transport the vapors out of the tank 10 . now with reference to fig3 , an array of floats 26 is shown . using attachment ports 52 , floats 26 can be added or removed to control buoyancy . factors affecting buoyancy include the weight of the hoses 22 and 58 which may vary due to changes in diameter and materials thus requiring an adjustment of the number of floats 44 and / or 50 to achieve the correct calibration . fig4 and 5 show detailed views of the preferred embodiment of oil drain openings 54 . the drain openings are spaced about a portion of the pipe component 32 and open upwardly . the upwardly opening design aids in the prevention of water being drawn up into the oil drain openings since any whirl pooling caused by the flow of oil 14 into the drain openings 54 will extend upwardly away from the water 16 . fig4 shows the openings 54 extending outwardly from the pipe component 32 . in order to protect the system against fires or to reduce the deleterious effects of fire or hazardous materials , a fire suppression system according to a preferred embodiment of the invention may be installed to allow fire suppression gases , liquid , foams , chemicals or the like into the interior compartments of the system . the fire suppression may take advantage of existing pipes and hoses in the system , or may replace or supplement the existing hose and pipes by a dual pipe system . fig1 shows both one added line and one modified line , though more than one line could be modified or both lines could be modified without departing from the scope of the invention . line 24 has been added next to line 25 . these lines may be next to each other , separated from each other , side by side , concentric , etc . in practice , line 24 could be replaced with a line having two chambers or two separate lines could be provided that are optionally attached together . preferably , the connector component 32 is made or modified to accept two hoses or pipes 24 , 25 in communication with openings 38 . where multiple vacuum lines 24 , 58 are provided as shown in fig2 , one fire inlet line 25 may be provided for each vacuum line or only one inlet line total may be provided . the inlet line may be have the same interior diameter of the vacuum line or may be of a different size to handle the liquid , gas or foam to be piped through the fire inlet hose 25 and opening ( s ) 38 . additionally , while separate ports 56 , 57 are shown accepting hoses 56 , 57 , one port may be provided for accepting both hoses or a combined hose . referring again to fig1 , the end opposite port 57 of line 25 is connected to a flow control device such as a valve 62 . the valve may be automated or manually activated . the valve automation may be in response to fire , heat or pressure , or may respond to a monitor , emergency crew or other personnel activating the fire suppression system . a tank 60 containing nitrogen , foam or other chemical or agent may be provided or connected to the fire suppression system permanently or temporarily to aid in suppressing a fire or explosion . the tank may be on a vehicle , such as a fire emergency vehicle or a cart that can be moved into place , remote from the tank , but close enough to minimize the volume of fluid or gas in the hose before being applied to the tank . however , preferably , the tank is permanently attached to one or more tank . if necessary a pump 64 may be provided to assist in moving the fire suppression chemicals or gases to the tank or to pressurize the same . an inlet 68 may be provided to replenish the tank to connect a portable or supplementary tank ( not shown ). line 22 connected to inlet 54 is also modified to allow fire suppression chemicals or gases to be pumped into tank 10 . a valve 72 is provided at the inlet or at a point downstream of the inlet 54 . the valve 72 allows fluid to normally be pumped or conveyed from the inlet 54 to a holding tank or pipeline for transport to a refinery ( not shown ). the valve is also in communication with a separate inlet hose or pipe 23 . the hose may be connected to a tank or housing 66 storing fire suppression gases , liquids or foams for use in suppressing a fire . as discussed in relation to line 25 , the housing could be temporary or permanent and may have a supplementary inlet for supplying materials to the tank 66 . the tank 66 may be the same as , connected to , or separate and independent from tank 60 . a pump or pressurizing means may be provided in the tank or on line 23 or the like to provide motive force or pressurization of the fire suppression materials . preferably , tanks 60 and 66 contain different fire suppression materials from each other to enhance the overall chance or suppressing a fire by hitting it with more than one type of chemical , gas or agent . in operation , the valve 72 on line 22 can by switched from communicating the tank from the line outlet such as a vacuum source to the fire suppression fluid inlet line 23 . in this way line 22 can be reversed under pressure of the incoming fluid in line 23 to receive the fire suppression gas or foam or other agent to pipe the same to tank 10 . the pumps , valves , and elements of the fire suppression system may have their own power source such as a generator or battery as a main or back up power source , so that the system may operate when the main power is cut , for example , by the source of the tank fire or is cut by an explosion in one or more of the tanks . in an emergency situation such as a fire or explosion or unsafe condition , it may become necessary to pump a fire suppression chemical or gas into tank 10 . normally , a fire caused by lightning strike , static , heat , acts of god , or operator errors or the like causes a rent in the roof of the tank during explosion of the vapors , such as methane , in the tank . for this reason , the tank may be designed with a weakened seam to allow the tank to break safely at an upper periphery to avoid breakage or leaks below the liquid level line to avoid undue spillage of flammable products . a pressure relief valve 70 may also be provided in the tank 10 to automatically release pressure in an overpressure situation if a rent does not occur . to combat such a hazard , fire personnel in the past have used a natural opening in the tank from the explosion to pump in nitrogen or foam or other agents into the tank . this required personnel to first be contacted , then for the personnel to arrive at the site and to come in close contact with potentially hazardous tank . in the present invention , however , it is only necessary to automatically or manually activate the fire suppression system . the tank can then be flooded by a gas such as nitrogen pumped into the space above the liquid 16 to replace the oxygen in the area above the tank to starve out the fire . alternatively , or in addition , foam can be pumped into the tank to smoother or kill the fire . in the embodiment according to fig1 , valve 62 is actuated automatically or manually to connect line 25 with tank 60 . if necessary , pump 64 pumps gas from tank 60 through line 25 to the space above the liquid 16 via opening 38 to starve the fire by replacing the oxygen in the tank . if necessary a pump may be used to pressurize the gas prior to piping the nitrogen to tank 10 . the pump may be more necessary if a material other than pressurized gas is provided in the tank 60 , such as foam or other chemicals . at the same time , line 24 may be shut down by a valve or other means to prevent fluid or vapor from returning to the tank and to prevent spread of the fire through line 24 . in addition to or alternative to the nitrogen gas pumped through line 25 , a fire suppressant foam may be provided to the tank through line 22 . valve 72 is manually or automatically activated to shut off the flow of fluids from the tank through valve 72 to a point downstream such as a holding tank . simultaneous to shutting flow down line 22 or subsequent to shutting down line 22 , tank 66 is placed in communication with line 22 to pipe a fire suppression material , such as foam . the foam is then piped through line 22 to the tank 10 via port 54 to suppress the fire or to seal the materials in the tank from the source of the flame or other potential hazard , which used proactively . one skilled in the art would recognize that additional fire suppression systems , including but not limited to additional lines from disparate sources could be used to prevent or control other types of fire or for use with different , specific materials in the tank to provide redundant fire suppression systems without departing from the scope of the invention . in this way , fire personnel or plant personnel can suppress or avoid a tank fire by automated means without having to approach or come in close contact to the tank and / or fire . the inlet lines also provide fire or emergency personnel with a way to pipe materials , such as fire suppression gases or foams , into the tank without having to approach the tanks too closely , thereby potentially saving lives or severe injuries to emergency crew and other personnel . while this invention has been described as having a preferred design , it is understood that it is capable of further modifications , uses and / or adaptations of the invention following in general the principle of the invention and including such departures from the present disclosure as come within the known or customary practice in the art to which the invention pertains and as maybe applied to the central features hereinbefore set forth , and fall within the scope of the invention . for example , the system may be used to pump other materials into the tanks for reasons other than fire suppression or prevention . disparate chemicals could be provided into various lines or only in some lines to treat different fluids using different chemicals or only to treat the vapor or fluids . while two levels are shown in the drawings , other nozzles could be provided to treat the fluids at different levels such as the bottom of the tank or if additional fluids or vapors were know to separate at additional levels , nozzles buoyant to the appropriate additional levels could be added . for example , in a particular tank , water may be the bottommost layer and it may be easiest to pump the water from the bottom of the tank instead of at the separation level . however , the nozzle at the separation level may be used instead of the bottom - located nozzle to prevent , for example , sediment in the bottom of the tank from being disturbed , such as in a refinery , power plant or other process water storage area to extend the life of the pumps and filters . the following are illustrative examples of how one or more aspects of the present invention might be used , but do not limit the invention &# 39 ; s other uses : 1 . oil production tanks , onshore and offshore . the inventive tool has the capability to recover methane gas , draw liquid from the top level to treat bad oil and transfer oil . it also has the ability to inject chemical through it to the top level , letting the chemical disperse at the top level , allowing it to fall through the bad oil treating it . it also has the capability to reverse its flow out of the tank and go back into the tank with inert gas such as nitrogen . it also can do the same with fire fighting foam to blanket the oil from the flames , sealing the oil and vapors underneath . by doing this the fire department , or manufacturing facility does not have to be directly at the tank location to extinguish fire . 2 . oil transfer tanks / pipeline - storage tanks will have different gravities of oil in them , this tool allows you to pull from the top , the lighter gravity and work your way down to the heavy gravity . 3 . refineries may have many different hydrocarbon tanks that are on a continuous feed , and when the tank becomes contaminated , for example with water , the water will be at the bottom of the tank , where the suction lines off the tank are located . by using the present invention , it is possible to pull from the top level ( hydrocarbon ), down to the water . 4 . produced water tanks / water flood stations may occur where a large volume of produced water is stored for circulation into the produced zone and brought back to the tanks . there is always a carryover of oil to these water tanks . by having the present invention in a tank , it is possible to pull from the top down , recovering the hydrocarbons and putting them back to the oil tanks for sale . this keeps the water tanks all water and produces money for the oil producer . 5 . process water storage that is used for cooling or other purposes in processes such as electrical power plants , refineries , and chemical plants may also benefit from the present invention . by pulling liquid level from the top down , less sediment than what is on the bottom of the tank is pumped , creating a longer life span for our equipment and filters . 6 . potable water tanks can also benefit . by pulling from the top , we will bring in a much better tasting quality of water than pulling off the bottom where sediment rests . 7 . in food processing plants , the present invention allows fats to be skimmed off the top creating a leaner food process . 8 . in the drilling industry , unbalanced drilling is in great demand . this is where they allow the well to produce while it is being drilled . there is water , gas and oil coming out of the hole into the tanks . the oil will be the top level , where the present invention can be used to efficiently pull the oil from the top . the vapors can be also be recovered , leaving the water cleaned for subsequent use in drilling purposes . 9 . any tank that has more than one phase can be separated . the oil sands of colorado , wyoming and canada would see a big benefit of using this tool when they steam the dirt that has the contaminated oil in it , which ( a .) releases the oil , ( b .) steam condenses to water , ( c .) heat creates vapor off the oil . using the present invention , all three phases can separated and captured . 10 . any tank with more than one phase can benefit from the present invention .
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the present invention relates in a first aspect to a handheld spray gun according to claim 1 . in an example of the present handheld spray gun the second nozzle is directed such that the second fluid intimately mixes with the first fluid at a distance of 1 - 10 cm of the first nozzle , preferably 2 - 7 cm . is has been found that in order to reduce overspray and have a good mixing the first and second fluid mix at a certain distance from the top . depending on a pressure applied , and to a ratio of the pressures , as well as on the nozzles provided , a distance may vary somewhat . the distance is preferably not too large , as mixing is than not optimal and overspray increases . a similar argument holds for a too small distance . in an example of the present handheld spray gun the first nozzle has an opening with a first area , preferably a circular opening , wherein the second nozzle has an opening with a second area , preferably a circular opening , wherein a ratio between the first area and the second area is between 0 . 2 and 5 , preferably between 0 . 33 and 3 . 5 , more preferably between 0 . 45 and 2 . 5 , such as between 0 . 66 and 1 . 5 . it has been found that the openings are relatively small , such as 0 . 28 - 0 . 8 mm for the first nozzle , and 0 . 35 - 1 . 0 mm for the second nozzle . the openings preferably have an annular form . it has also been found that the ratio of surface areas of the openings of the two nozzles is within the above mentioned ranges , despite the first fluid being provided in much larger quantities , compared to the second fluid . in an example of the present handheld spray gun is capable of withstanding a first fluid pressure of 200 - 800 kpa ( 2 - 8 bar ), preferably at 250 - 400 kpa , more preferably at 275 - 350 kpa . in other words , compared to other airless systems , the first fluid is provided at a relatively low pressure . it has been found that , in combination with the nozzle and nozzle tip , such a pressure provides a very good spray pattern , e . g ., in terms of quantity provided per unit surface area , in terms of overspray , in terms of mixing , in terms of tailoring , in terms of amount of airborne particles , etc . the pressure used is also relatively safe for employees using the present spray gun . in an example of the present handheld spray gun is capable of withstanding a second fluid pressure of 10 - 100 kpa ( 0 . 1 - 1 . 0 bar ), preferably at 12 - 40 kpa , more preferably at 20 - 30 kpa . despite the pressure being provided with air , the pressures used are surprisingly low and can be provided with e . g . a simple ring tubing for pressurized air , a container having pressurized air , etc . the amount of air used is estimated to be about 1 - 10 % com - pared to prior art air spray guns . it is noted that the second fluid itself is pressurized as well , comparable to the first fluid , but at a lower pressure , typically at a pressure of 15 - 100 kpa ( 0 . 15 - 1 . 0 bar ), preferably at 20 - 50 kpa , more preferably at 25 - 35 kpa . it is noted that with the present adaptable nozzles a spray pattern can be adjusted easily , such as by adjusting a pressure . also a mixing ratio between first and second fluid can be adjusted easily . in a second aspect the present invention relates to a system for spraying a two - component adhesive comprising an aerosol spray gun according to any of the preceding , comprising : ( a ) a means for providing an airless pressure of 200 - 800 kpa to the first fluid , and ( b ) a means for providing an air pressure of 10 - 100 kpa to the second fluid . in a third aspect the present invention relates to a method of spraying a two component adhesive comprising a first and second fluid . the method comprises the steps of providing an aerosol spray gun according to any of claims 1 - 5 or a system according to claim 6 . the first fluid relates to a first component of a two component adhesive . it is preferably selected from a polychloroprene dispersion , polyurethane dispersion , polyacrylate dispersion , vinylacetate - ethylene dispersion , ethylene - vinylacetate dispersion , natural rubber dispersion , styrene - butadiene - styrene copolymer dispersion , styrene - butadiene rubber dispersion , and combinations thereof . the first component is preferably provided at a pressure of 200 - 800 kpa ( 2 - 6 bar ), preferably at 250 - 400 kpa , more preferably at 275 - 350 kpa . the second fluid relates to a second component of a two component adhesive . the second fluid is preferably an activator . it is preferably selected from a salt of a multivalent metal such as zinc , aluminum or calcium ; or an acid solution , such as selected from citric acid , formic acid , acetic acid , lactic acid and mineral acid having a ph below 5 , preferably below 4 . 5 , most preferably below 4 , and combinations thereof . the second component is preferably provided at a pressure of 150 - 500 kpa ( 0 . 15 - 0 . 5 bar ), preferably at 200 - 400 kpa , more preferably at 250 - 300 kpa . a next step relates to applying the combined fluids as an adhesive to a surface . in an example of the present method the viscosities of the first - and second - fluids are in the range of 0 . 2 mpa * s to 10 pa * s at 25 ° c . it has been found that for intimate mixing , obtaining a good spray pattern , reducing overspray , etc ., these viscosities suit particularly well . in an example of the present method a pressure for spraying is provided by one or more selected from : positive dis - placement pumps , such as double diaphragm pumps or piston pumps ; pressurized systems such as pressure tanks ; and , gravity feed feeding systems . in an example the present method is for applying & gt ; 90 wt . % of adhesive as provided to a surface , preferably & gt ; 95 wt . %, such as & gt ; 98 wt . %. an amount of overspray ( loss ) and an amount of adhesive applied ( yield ) is measured according to din 13966 ( september 2003 ), specifically part 1 thereof . if boundary conditions are optimized almost 100 . 0 wt . % is provided to an intended surface . as such the present method reduces overspray and provides further advantages , as mentioned . an amount of overspray ( loss ) and an amount of adhesive applied ( yield ) is measured according to din 13966 , specifically part 1 thereof . in a fourth aspect the present invention relates to a use of the present spray gun or system for one or more of limiting use of air by more than 50 %, limiting overspray to less than 10 wt . %, improving mixing of first and second fluid to more than 90 %, improving homogeneity of a sprayed layer to more than 90 %, enlarging a width of a spray pattern by more than 20 %, limiting an amount of adhesive per unit sprayed area to less than 80 %, and limiting tailing to less than 10 %. in a fifth aspect the present invention relates to an adhesive layer , such as obtainable by a method according to the invention , amongst others having an improved homogeneity to more than 90 %. the invention is further detailed by the accompanying figures and examples , which are exemplary and explanatory of nature and are not limiting the scope of the invention . to the person skilled in the art it may be clear that many variants , being obvious or not , may be conceivable falling within the scope of protection , defined by the present claims . 10 main body of spray gun 20 air input regulator 30 opening and closing mechanism 40 material needle 70 nipple 80 airless nozzle 81 slit 90 swivel 95 spray gun add on 1 first and second connection 2 first nozzle and second nozzle 3 separate fluid passage ways 4 first and second mechanism for opening and closing 5 trigger for simultaneous control of the mechanisms 6 third fluid passage way 7 chamber fig1 relates to a spray gun 100 . therein various elements of an example of the present spray gun can be seen . for instance an input regulator for air 20 is shown . also a handle 60 for opening and closing is provided . part 10 relates to a main body . further an opening and closing mechanism 30 for air and a material needle 40 for adhesive is shown . also an air hose to activator switch 50 is shown . further , the elements 1 - 7 ( found in claim 1 ) have been identified in the figure . fig2 a - c relate to a spray gun add on 95 . the add - on is for providing air pressure to a second component of the adhesive to be applied . fig2 a shows the assembled activator switch , whereas fig2 b shows construction of the switch . fig2 c shows a worked open version of the add on 95 . further , the elements 1 - 7 ( found in claim 1 ) have been identified in the figure . it should be appreciated that for commercial application it may be preferable to use one or more variations of the present system , which would similar be to the ones disclosed in the present application and are within the spirit of the invention .
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embodiments of the invention will be described below with reference to the drawings . embodiments 1 to 7 are aimed at improvement of display quality by improving clarities of displayed colors . embodiments 8 to 10 are aimed at improvement of display quality by preventing color shift in white display . in the following description , members of similar functions bear the same reference numbers , and will not be repetitively described in detail . fig1 is a cross section of a liquid crystal display 100 of a first embodiment of the invention . as shown in fig1 the liquid crystal display 100 includes a transparent plate 55 , a transparent electrode 14 , a liquid crystal and polymer composite film 20 including a polymer material 21 and liquid crystal 22 dispersed therein , a transparent electrode 13 and a transparent plate 50 which are layered in this order . transparent electrodes 13 and 14 are connected to a power supply 80 , which applies a voltage across the transparent electrodes 13 and 14 . in response to this applied voltage , the liquid crystal and polymer composite film 20 changes its state from a transparent state for allowing transmission of visible rays to a selective reflection state for selectively reflecting visible rays of a specific wavelength and vice versa , as will be described later in detail . when the composite film 20 is in the selective reflection state , and white rays such as natural light rays are irradiated downward in fig1 to the liquid crystal display 100 , the composite film 20 reflect the visible rays of a specific wavelength , which are observed as display of a specific color . in the liquid crystal display 100 , at least one of the polymer material 21 , liquid crystal 22 , transparent electrode 13 at the observation side and the transparent plate 50 at the observation side contains a coloring agent added thereto . this coloring agent can absorb spectral rays in a wavelength range different from the selective reflection wavelength range of the liquid crystal 22 . the coloring agent can absorb light components , which may cause turbidity of color in the color display performed by selective reflection of the liquid crystal 22 or may cause lowering of a transparency in the transparent state of the liquid crystal 22 , and therefore can improve the display quality . two or more of the components in the liquid crystal display 100 may contain a coloring agent . for example , both the polymer 21 and the liquid crystal 22 may contain the coloring agent . the coloring agent added to the liquid crystal display 100 may be selected from various kinds of known coloring agent which has spectral properties of absorbing spectral rays in a wavelength range different from the selective reflection wavelength range of the liquid crystal 22 . in particular , it is preferable to use a coloring agent having a peak in the light absorbing properties which appears in a wavelength range different from the selective reflection wavelength range of the liquid crystal 22 . as will be described later , it is considered that the light component which lowers the display quality is primarily present at a lower wavelength area . therefore , it is more preferable to use a coloring agent , which absorbs rays in a range of shorter wavelengths than the selective reflection wavelength of the liquid crystal 22 . for example , red coloring agent is preferable , if the liquid crystal 22 selectively reflects the red . yellow or green coloring agent is preferable , if liquid crystal 22 selectively reflects the green . even the coloring agent which slightly absorbs the light in the selective reflection wavelength range of the liquid crystal , it can be used provided that the agent can sufficiently absorb the spectral rays in a wavelength range different from the selective reflection wavelength range of the liquid crystal 22 . more specifically , the coloring agent added to the liquid crystal display 100 may be selected , for example , from various kinds of dyestuff such as dyestuff for resin coloring and dichromatic dyestuff for liquid crystal display . the dyestuff for resin coloring may be spr red1 ( manufactured by mitsui toatsu senryo co ., ltd .). the dichromatic dyestuff for liquid crystal is specifically si - 424 or m - 483 ( both manufactured by mitsui toatsu senryo co ., ltd .). among these kinds of dyestuff , appropriate dyestuff can be selected for absorbing spectral rays in a wavelength range different from the selective reflection wavelength of the liquid crystal 22 . an amount of added coloring agent is not specifically restricted provided that addition of the coloring agent does not remarkably impair switching operation characteristics of the liquid crystal for display , and that , if the polymer is formed by polymerization as will be described later , the addition does not inhibit the polymerization . however , it is preferable that the quantity of added coloring agent is 0 . 1 weight % or more with respect to the liquid crystal . further , about 5 weight % or less is desirable , and about 0 . 5 weight % is a sufficient amount in many cases . instead of use of the coloring agent , resin or the like , which is originally colored and therefore does not require additional coloring agent , may be used as the polymer material 21 , transparent electrode 13 and transparent plate 50 . however , addition of coloring agent is more advantageous because a degree of the absorbing effect can be controlled by adjusting the quantity of the coloring agent . according to the investigation by the inventors , the following fact has been found , although specific reasons are not clear . rays of a wavelength longer than the selective reflection wavelength of the liquid crystal can pass through the liquid crystal and polymer composite film to a higher extent . conversely , rays of a wavelength shorter than the selective reflection wavelength of the liquid crystal scatters in the liquid crystal and polymer composite film to a higher extent , as the wavelength decreases . therefore , the liquid crystal and polymer composite film selectively reflecting visible rays of a longer wavelength such as red rays can effectively improve the clarity of the displayed color and the transparency in the transparent state . in the liquid crystal display for green or blue display , addition of the coloring agent can improve the clarity of the displayed color in the selective reflection state only to an extent lower than the case of red display , but the effect of improving the clarity in the transparent state can be achieved to an extent similar to that in the case of red display . the transparent plates 50 and 55 may be a colorless and transparent glass plates or polymer films of polyethylene terephthalate , polyether sulfone , polycarbonate or the like . this embodiment employs the transparent plates 50 and 55 on which transparent electrodes 13 and 14 are layered , respectively . alternatively , transparent plates which have electric conductivity in itself may be employed . at 60 is indicated a light absorber , which may be arranged at the lowermost position viewed from the observation side , if desired . the light absorber 60 absorbs the rays of the wavelength other than the selective reflection wavelength of the liquid crystal and polymer composite film 20 , so that black display can be performed when the cholesteric liquid crystal does not perform the selective reflection in the visible light region . the light absorber may be a black film . the light absorber may be provided by applying black dye such as black ink to the lowermost surface of the display viewed from the observation side . each of the paired transparent electrodes 13 and 14 forming the liquid crystal display 100 is formed of a plurality of band - shaped electrode elements which are parallel to each other with a fine space therebetween . the band - shaped electrode elements of the transparent electrode 13 are perpendicular to those of the transparent electrode 14 opposed to the electrode 13 . a voltage is successively supplied to the upper and lower band - shaped electrode elements , and a voltage is successively applied in a matrix manner to the liquid crystal and polymer composite film 20 ( i . e ., matrix drive is performed ). owing to this matrix drive , the liquid crystal display 100 can display images . a voltage in a pulse form is preferably used as a voltage to be applied across the transparent electrodes 13 and 14 by the power supply 80 for selecting the colored states of the liquid crystal display 100 . the liquid crystal and polymer composite film 20 included in the liquid crystal display 100 may be made of a liquid crystal and polymer composite member , which is fabricated in such a manner that light such as ultraviolet light is irradiated to mixture of liquid crystal and photo - curing resin material for hardening the mixture and thereby causing phase separation between the liquid crystal and the resin . cholesteric liquid crystal is used as the liquid crystal 22 used in the liquid crystal and polymer composite film 20 included in the liquid crystal display 100 . the cholesteric liquid crystal has a layered structure in which major axes of liquid crystal molecules are oriented parallel , and each layer has a spiral structure in which neighboring molecules have long axes shifted slightly from each other . it is particularly preferable that the cholesteric liquid crystal exhibits a cholesteric phase at a room temperature . the cholesteric liquid crystal may be a chiral nematic liquid crystal produced by adding a chiral dopant to a nematic liquid crystal . the nematic liquid crystal contains columnar liquid crystal molecules parallel to each other , but does not have a layered structure . preferably , the nematic liquid crystal has a positive dielectric anisotropy , and therefore contains , e . g ., cyanobiphenyl , tolane or pyrimidine . more specifically , mn1000xx ( manufactured by chisso co ., ltd .) as well as zli - 1565 and bl - 006 ( both manufactured by merck co ., ltd .) may be used . chiral dopant is used as additive to the nematic liquid crystal for twisting the molecules of the nematic liquid crystal . owing to addition of the chiral dopant to the nematic liquid crystal , a spiral structure of the liquid crystal molecules having a predetermined pitch length is formed , and thereby the cholesteric phase is produced . the chiral nematic liquid crystal has such a feature that the pitch length of the spiral structure thereof can be varied by varying the amount of chiral dopant added thereto , and therefor has such an advantage that the selective reflection wavelength of the liquid crystal can be controlled by varying the amount of chiral dopant . in general , the pitch length of a spiral structure of liquid crystal molecules is represented by a helical pitch length , which is defined by a distance between liquid crystal molecules rotated 360 degrees along the spiral structure . the chiral dopant may be compound having asymmetric carbon and capable of inducing optical rotary power in liquid crystal molecules . for example , it is possible to use a cholesteric liquid crystal having cholesteric rings , a chiral nematic liquid crystal or an organic compound which does not exhibit liquid crystal properties but can twist molecules of nematic liquid crystal . as typical chiral dopant , s811 , s1011 , cb15 , ce2 and others manufactured by merck co ., ltd . are available . the chiral dopant added to the nematic liquid crystal may be mixture of several kinds of chiral dopant . use of several kinds of chiral dopant is effective in increasing a phase transition temperature of the liquid crystal , reducing change in the selective reflection wavelength caused by change in temperature , improving the transparency of the composite film in the transparent state and achieving rapid change in a display manner between the transparent state and the selective reflection state of the liquid crystal display . the liquid crystal and polymer composite film formed of such liquid crystal and the polymer can be switched , in response to the voltage application , between the transparent state allowing transmission of the visible rays and the selective reflection state for selectively reflecting the visible rays of a specific wavelength , or between the light scattering state for scattering the visible rays and the transparent state allowing transmission of the visible rays , and further can maintain these states even when a voltage is not applied thereto . in the liquid crystal and polymer composite film using the chiral nematic liquid crystal described above , the orientation state of liquid crystal molecules can be switched between the planar state and the focal conic state by selectively applying two kinds of , i . e ., high and low pulse voltages . thereby , the liquid crystal display using the liquid crystal and polymer composite film can be switched between the transparent state and the selective reflection state . in the liquid crystal and polymer composite film using the chiral nematic liquid crystal , the amount of chiral dopant added to the nematic liquid crystal is controlled to adjust the helical pitch length of the chiral nematic liquid crystal and thereby set the selective reflection wavelength to a value , for example , corresponding to red , green or blue . thereby , the liquid crystal and polymer composite film can attain the selective reflection state colored in red , green or blue in the planar state , and can attain the colorless transparent state in the focal conic state . the liquid crystal and polymer composite film thus formed is held between the transparent electrodes to complete the color liquid crystal display . the relationship between the helical pitch length p ( nm ) and the selective reflection wavelength λ ( nm ) is expressed by the following formula [ i ] where n represents an average refractive index , and can be represented by the following formula : where n 1 represents the refractive index in the case where rays are irradiated along the major axes of liquid crystal molecules , and n 2 represents the refractive index in the case where rays are irradiated in a direction perpendicular to the major axes of the liquid crystal molecules . the liquid crystal display 100 may be fabricated , for example , in such a manner that mixture of the liquid crystal and the photo - curing resin material is held between a pair of transparent plates , and rays such as ultraviolet rays are irradiated thereto to harden the photo - curing resin material in the mixture and thereby causing phase separation between the liquid crystal and the resin . in this process , a spacer may be arranged together with the mixture between the transparent plates , which facilitates control of the thickness of the liquid crystal and polymer composite film . the photo - curing resin material may be a liquid mixture containing a photo - curing monomer ( or oligomer ) and a photo polymerization initiator , and , for example , may be various kinds of acrylic monofunctional resin , acrylic polyfunctional resin or the like . more specifically , adamantane acrylate bf - 530 ( daihachi kagaku co ., ltd . ), tpa - 320 ( nippon kayaku co ., ltd .) or the like may be used . when the liquid mixture of the photo - curing monomer ( or oligomer ) and the photo polymerization initiator is used , such a photo - induced phase separating method may be employed that the mixture and the liquid crystal are mixed and then are irradiated with ultraviolet rays to photo - cure the resin material and thereby cause the phase separation between the liquid crystal and the resin . as the photo polymerization initiator may be a material in which radiation of ultraviolet rays induces polymerization such as radical polymerization of the photo - curing resin , and more specifically , may be darocur1173 , igracur184 ( both manufactured by chiba gaigy co ., ltd .) or the like . fig2 is a cross section of a liquid crystal display 200 of a second embodiment of the invention . as shown in fig2 the liquid crystal display 200 has a structure similar to that shown in fig1 except for that a coloring agent is not added thereto , and alternatively a colored filter 70 having properties of absorbing rays in a wavelength range different from the selective reflection wavelength range of the liquid crystal 22 is arranged at the surface of the liquid crystal display . this embodiment does not employ such a structure that a coloring agent is added to at least one of components , i . e ., the liquid crystal and polymer composite film 20 , transparent electrodes 13 and 14 , transparent plates 50 and 55 , but alternatively employ such a structure that a plate member , a sheet member or the like forming a colored filter layer such as a color glass filter , a colored resin film ( color film ) is arranged at the observation side of the liquid crystal display . owing to this structure , an effect similar to that already described can be achieved . the filter 70 may be made of a colorless transparent material containing pigment added thereto , a material which is originally colored without addition of the coloring agent , a thin film of specific substance having a function similar to the foregoing coloring agent , or the like . such a structure may also be employed that the coloring agent is added to at least one of components , i . e ., the liquid crystal and polymer composite film 20 , transparent electrodes 13 and 14 , and transparent plates 50 and 55 , and the colored filter 70 is also additionally arranged . the transparent plate 50 itself at the observation side may be replaced with the colored filter 70 . fig3 is a cross section of a liquid crystal display 300 of a third embodiment of the invention . as shown in fig3 the liquid crystal display 300 includes a red display layer 301 which selectively reflects the red for red display , and a green display layer 302 which is layered on the layer 301 and selectively reflects the green for green display . the red display layer 301 has a structure similar to that already described in connection with the first embodiment . the green display layer 302 has a structure similar to that already described in connection with the first embodiment except for that the liquid crystal and polymer composite film 30 uses liquid crystal selectively reflecting the green . in this embodiment , however , the transparent substrate 51 serves as an upper member of the red display layer 301 and a lower member of the green display layer 302 . naturally , independent upper and lower members may be layered together . a green display layer 302 is fabricated , for example , by controlling the quantity of the chiral dopant added to the nematic liquid crystal and thereby adjusting the helical pitch of the chiral nematic liquid crystal to set the selective reflection wavelength to a value corresponding to the green light . addition of a coloring agent in the liquid crystal display 300 will be described later . the liquid crystal display 300 can perform the red display when the green display layer 302 is set to the transparent state and the red display layer 301 is set to the selective reflection state . by setting the green display layer 302 to the selective reflection state , the green display is performed . by simultaneously setting the green and red display layers 302 and 301 to the selective reflection state , mixed color of green and red , i . e ., yellow is displayed . by simultaneous matrix drives of both the layers 302 and 301 , intermediate color display can be falsely performed with matrixes of red and green . in the liquid crystal display 300 , if the red display layer 301 contains a coloring agent which absorbs spectral rays in a wavelength range different from the selective reflection wavelength range of the liquid crystal 22 similarly to the foregoing structure in the first embodiment , the quality of red display can be improved . however , in the structure where the liquid crystal display layers are layered as is done in this embodiment , it is preferable to suppress an influence which the upper layer may exert on the light reflection by the lower layer . in other words , it is preferable that the wavelength of the light absorbed by the coloring agent in the upper layer does not overlap with the selective reflection wavelength of the display layer at the lower layer . accordingly , the liquid crystal display 300 may contain the coloring agent added in the following manner . ( 1 ) a coloring agent ( e . g ., red dye ) absorbing rays in a wavelength range different from the selective reflection wavelength range of the liquid crystal 22 is added to the liquid crystal and polymer composite film 20 of the red display layer 301 , and a coloring agent is not added to the liquid crystal and polymer composite film 30 of the green display layer 302 , whereby the clarity of red display and a transparency in the transparent state of the red display layer 301 can be enhanced without impairing the quality of green display by the green display layer 302 . ( 2 ) without adding a coloring agent to the liquid crystal and polymer composite film 20 of the red display layer 301 , a blue - absorbing coloring agent ( e . g ., yellow dye ) may be added to the liquid crystal and polymer composite film 30 of the green display layer 302 , whereby the clarity of green display and a transparency in the transparent state of the green display layer 302 can be enhanced without impairing the quality of red display by the red display layer 301 . ( 3 ) a coloring agent ( e . g ., red dye ) absorbing rays in the wavelength range different from the selective reflection wavelength range of the liquid crystal 22 may be added to the liquid crystal and polymer composite film 20 of the red display layer 301 , and a blue - absorbing coloring agent ( e . g ., yellow dye ) may be added to the liquid crystal and polymer composite film 30 of the green display layer 302 , whereby the display quality of the red and green display layers can be improved . in this embodiment , positions of addition of the coloring agent can be appropriately selected similarly to the first embodiment , and a colored filter may be employed instead of addition of the coloring agent already described in the second embodiment . fig4 is a cross section of a liquid crystal display 400 of a fourth embodiment of the invention . as shown in fig4 a green display layer 402 selectively reflecting green light is layered on a red display layer 401 selectively reflecting red light , and a blue display layer 403 selectively reflecting blue light is layered on the layer 402 . the red and green display layers 401 and 402 have structures similar to those already described in the third embodiment . the blue display layer 403 has a structure similar to that in the first embodiment except for that a liquid crystal and polymer composite film 40 performs selective reflection of blue light . addition of a coloring agent will be described later . in this embodiment , a transparent substrate 52 is arranged at a boundary between the red display layer 401 and the green display layer 402 , and a transparent substrate 51 is arranged at a boundary between the green display layer 402 and the blue display layer 403 . red display can be performed by setting the blue and green display layers 403 and 402 to the transparent state and setting the red display layer 401 to the selective reflection state . by setting the blue display layer 403 to the transparent state and setting the green display layer 402 to the selective reflection state , green display can be performed . further , blue display can be performed by setting the blue display layer 403 to the selective reflection state . the clarity of display of the liquid crystal display 400 can be increased by adding a coloring agent ( e . g ., red dye ) absorbing rays in a wavelength range different from the selective reflection wavelength of the liquid crystal 22 similarly to the first embodiment . as already described in connection with the embodiment 3 , the liquid crystal display may have a layered structure , in which case it is preferable to suppress an influence exerted on the light reflection of the lower layer by the upper layer . for this purpose , the liquid crystal display 400 may contain , for example , a red coloring agent added to the composite film of the red display layer , and a blue - absorbing coloring agent ( e . g ., yellow coloring agent ) added to the composite film of the green display layer without adding a coloring agent to the blue display layer . the third and fourth embodiments have been described in connection with examples which include two - layer or three - layer structures formed of liquid crystal display layers displaying different colors , respectively . the order of layering , the number of layers , the kinds of colors and others are not restricted to those in the foregoing embodiments , and may be varied in various manners . for example , the layering order of the layers viewed from the observation side may be red - green - blue , green - red - blue , blue - blue - green - red or blue - red . in summary , the layering order of the liquid crystal display layers , the number of layers , the kinds of colors , the kinds of added coloring agents and others are not restricted provided that the added coloring agent does not impede the color display by the display layers at the lower levels viewed from the observation side . liquid crystal display layers of the same color may be layered . for example , a red liquid crystal display layer of cholesteric liquid crystal having a right optical rotary power or a right optical activity and a red liquid crystal display layer of cholesteric liquid crystal having a left optical activity may be layered together , and the coloring agent may be added only to the upper layer , whereby display brightness can be increased . fig5 is a cross section of a liquid crystal display 500 of a fifth embodiment of the invention . as shown in fig5 the liquid crystal display 500 includes the transparent plate 55 on which the liquid crystal and polymer composite film 20 and the transparent plate 50 are successively layered . similarly to the foregoing embodiments , this embodiment may include the light absorbing member 60 arranged at the lower surface of the liquid crystal display . the liquid crystal display 500 does not have an electrode layer in contrast to the foregoing embodiments , but can be fabricated in a manner similar to that already described in connection with the first embodiment . the liquid crystal display 500 is subjected to an electric field which is produced by external electrodes arranged above and below the same , and selectively attains the transparent state and the selective reflection state in accordance with the applied electric field . the liquid crystal display 500 may have a sheet - like form , in which case it can be used as a recordable and erasable record medium by using the following voltage applying means . fig6 shows an embodiment of a structure for applying a voltage to the liquid crystal display 500 . as shown in fig6 the liquid crystal display 500 which is being transferred at a predetermined speed by transfer rollers 90 and 91 is supplied with a voltage corresponding to image information from an electrode array 81 , so that an image is displayed on the liquid crystal display 500 . fig7 shows another structure for applying a voltage to the liquid crystal display 500 . as shown in fig7 the liquid crystal display 500 is laid on a grounded electrode plate 83 , and a pen - type electrode 82 is used to apply an electric field to the liquid crystal display 500 . for example , an operator can draw an image on the liquid crystal display 500 with the electrode 82 in his / her hand . the embodiments have been described as examples in which resin is used as a matrix containing cholesteric liquid crystal dispersed therein . however , the resin is not essential , and , for example , cholesteric liquid crystal may be directly held between two transparent substrates . the embodiments have been described in connection with the examples in which the transparent substrates are arranged at upper and lower surfaces of the composite film containing cholesteric liquid crystal dispersed in matrix resin . however , the transparent substrates are not essential . for example , liquid crystal in the form of droplets may be dispersed in the resin , e . g ., by increasing the quantity of resin in the composite film , whereby the transparent substrate can be eliminated . the first embodiment will now be described further in detail in connection with specific experimental examples . a chiral nematic liquid crystal having a selective reflection wavelength of 680 nm was prepared by such a manner that cholesteric liquid crystal cn ( merck co ., ltd .) at 16 weight parts and chiral dopant s811 ( merck co ., ltd .) at 8 weight parts were added , as chiral agent , to tolane nematic liquid crystal mn1000xx ( chisso co ., ltd ., δn = 0 . 219 , t ni = 69 . 9 ° c .) at 76 weight parts which contained fluorine and exhibited a nematic phase at a room temperature . δn represents a refractive index measured with d - line ( of 589 nm in wavelength ) of a mercury lamp . t n1 represents a temperature at which change from a liquid phase to an isotropic phase occurs during rising of a temperature , and thus represents a phase transition temperature . then , a photo - curing resin material was prepared by adding photo polymerization initiator darocur1173 ( chiba gaigy co ., ltd .) at 3 weight parts to the mixture containing metacrylate resin , i . e ., adamantane metacrylate at 76 weight parts , acrylate resin bf - 530 ( daihachi kagaku co ., ltd .) at 20 weight parts and acrylate resin tpa - 320 ( nippon kayaku co ., ltd .) at 4 weight parts . dichromatic dyestuff si - 426 ( mitsui toatsu senryo co ., ltd .) for liquid crystal display is added at a weight ratio of 0 . 1 % with respect to the chiral nematic liquid crystal to the mixture of the chiral nematic liquid crystal and the photo - curing resin material at a weight ratio of 85 : 15 . fig8 shows spectral characteristics of the above dyestuff . as shown in fig8 this dyestuff is red dye having an absorption peak at the vicinity of 500 nm , and effectively absorbs visible rays of wavelengths shorter than 500 nm . conversely , it hardly absorbs visible rays of a wavelength longer than 600 nm . the mixture thus prepared was held between two glass plates provided at their surfaces with transparent conductive films directed inward with a spacer of 10 μm therebetween . then , ultraviolet rays were irradiated at 15 mw / cm 2 to it at a room temperature for three minutes , whereby hardening and phase separation occurred . in this manner , the liquid crystal display having the structure shown in fig1 was completed . a pulse voltage (± 5 ms ) of 150 v was applied across the conductive films of the liquid crystal display thus formed , so that red selective reflection occurred . at this time , luminous reflectance y was 7 . 78 , chromaticity coordinates were x = 0 . 420 and y = 0 . 319 , and excitation purity was 28 . 2 % ( reference light : x = 0 . 306 , y = 0 . 317 ). in this state , when a pulse voltage (± 5 ms ) of 70 v was applied , the liquid crystal display exhibited a transparent state ( luminous reflectance y = 0 . 60 , chromaticity coordinates : x = 0 . 210 and y = 0 . 156 ). fig9 shows chromaticity diagram , in which a circular mark represents the chromaticity coordinates in the selective reflection state of the liquid crystal display of this experimental example . the excitation purity represents a ratio between a distance , by which a reference chromaticity point ( x mark in fig9 ) of illuminating light is spaced from a chromaticity point of a primary wavelength on a spectrum locus of the chromaticity coordinates , and a distance , by which the chromaticity point of illuminating light is spaced from the chromaticity point of the liquid crystal display sample . thus , between two liquid crystal displays having the same brightness , the liquid crystal display having the chromaticity point remoter from the chromaticity point of illuminating light has the higher color purity ( display quality ). the luminous reflectance and chromaticity coordinates were measured with a spectrocolorimeter cm - 1000 ( manufactured by minolta co ., ltd .). the excitation purity was calculated from the chromaticity coordinates of the liquid crystal display sample and the chromaticity coordinates of the reference light . the experiment was performed with a liquid crystal display having the structure shown in fig1 and prepared in accordance with the same steps as the experimental example 1 except for that the quantity of dyestuff added to the chiral nematic liquid crystal is 0 . 3 wt %. a pulse voltage (± 5 ms ), of 150 v was applied across the conductive films of the liquid crystal display thus formed , so that red selective reflection occurred . at this time , luminous reflectance y was 6 . 30 , chromaticity coordinates were x = 0 . 525 and y = 0 . 341 , and excitation purity was 64 . 6 % ( reference light : x = 0 . 306 , y = 0 . 317 ). in this state , when a pulse voltage (± 5 ms ) of 70 v was applied , the liquid crystal display exhibited a transparent state ( luminous reflectance y = 0 . 53 , chromaticity coordinates : x = 0 . 253 and y = 0 . 201 ). in fig9 a triangular mark represents the chromaticity coordinate in the selective reflection state of the liquid crystal display of this experimental example . the experiment was performed with a liquid crystal display having the structure shown in fig1 and prepared in accordance with the same steps as the experimental example 1 except for that the quantity of dyestuff added to the chiral nematic liquid crystal is 0 . 5 wt %. a pulse voltage (± 5 ms ) of 150 v was applied across the conductive films of the liquid crystal display thus formed , so that red selective reflection occurred . at this time , luminous reflectance y was 6 . 06 , chromaticity coordinates were x = 0 . 567 and y = 0 . 345 , and excitation purity was 76 . 6 % ( reference light : x = 0 . 306 , y = 0 . 317 ). in this state , when a pulse voltage (± 5 ms ) of 70 v was applied , the liquid crystal display exhibited a transparent state ( luminous reflectance y = 0 . 43 , chromaticity coordinates : x = 0 . 249 and y = 0 . 195 ). in fig9 a square mark represents the chromaticity coordinate in the selective reflection state of the liquid crystal display of this experimental example . fig1 shows spectral reflection characteristics of the above liquid crystal display in the selective reflection state and the transparent state . the solid line shows the spectral reflection characteristics in the selective reflection state , and the broken line shows the spectral reflection characteristics in the transparent state . the spectral reflection characteristics were measured by a spectrocolorimeter cm - 1000 ( minolta ). as is apparent from fig1 , the reflectance or reflection factor is small over the entire range from 400 to 700 nm in the transparent state , and therefore a high transparency can be achieved . in the selective reflection state , a high reflection peak is attained at the vicinity of 650 nm , and the reflectance is small in a wavelength range shorter than 600 nm , which achieves clear red display . the experiment was performed with a liquid crystal display having the structure shown in fig1 and prepared in accordance with the same steps as the experimental example 1 except for that dyestuff was not added . a pulse voltage (± 5 ms ) of 150 v was applied across the conductive films of the liquid crystal display thus formed , so that red selective reflection occurred . at this time , luminous reflectance y was 8 . 02 , chromaticity coordinates were x = 0 . 411 and y = 0 . 315 , and excitation purity was 76 . 6 % ( reference light : x = 0 . 306 , y = 0 . 317 ). in this state , when a pulse voltage (± 5 ms ) of 70 v was applied , the liquid crystal display exhibited a transparent state ( luminous reflectance y = 0 . 62 , chromaticity coordinates : x = 0 . 216 and y = 0 . 170 ). in fig9 a solid circular mark represents the chromaticity coordinate in the selective reflection state of the liquid crystal display of this experimental example . as compared with the liquid crystal displays of the experimental examples 1 - 3 containing dyestuff added thereto , the liquid crystal display of this experimental example exhibits a low excitation purity in the selective reflection state and a high luminous reflectance in the transparent state , and therefore the display quality is low . fig1 shows spectral reflection properties of the above liquid crystal display in the selective reflection state and the transparent state . as compared with the liquid crystal display of the experimental example 3 to which dyestuff is added , the peak intensity at the selective reflection wavelength is low , and the luminous reflectance is high in the transparent state . a liquid crystal display was prepared in accordance with the same steps as the experimental example 1 except for that dyestuff was not added . then , a liquid crystal display of the structure shown in fig2 was prepared by attaching a color filter ( wratten filter no . 25 manufactured by eastman kodak co ., ltd .) to the surface of the above liquid crystal display at the observation side . fig1 shows spectral characteristics of the color filter used in the experiment ., a pulse voltage (± 5 ms ) of 150 v was applied across the conductive films of the liquid crystal display thus formed , so that red selective reflection occurred . at this time , luminous reflectance y was 3 . 20 , chromaticity coordinates were x = 0 . 652 and y = 0 . 310 , and excitation purity was 90 . 0 % ( reference light : x = 0 . 306 , y = 0 . 317 ). in this state , when a pulse voltage (± 5 ms ) of 70 v was applied , the liquid crystal display exhibited a transparent state ( luminous reflectance y = 0 . 68 , chromaticity coordinates : x = 0 . 440 and y = 0 . 336 ). fig1 shows spectral reflection characteristics of the above liquid crystal display in the selective reflection state and the transparent state . as shown in fig1 , the reflectance is extremely small over the entire range from 400 to 700 nm in the transparent state . in the selective reflection state , substantially no reflectance occurs in a wavelength range shorter than 600 nm , so that a high display quality can be achieved . a liquid crystal display was prepared in accordance with the same steps as the experimental example 5 except for that a color filter was attached to the surface opposite to the observation side . a pulse voltage (± 5 ms ) of 150 v was applied across the conductive films of the liquid crystal display thus formed , so that red selective reflection occurred . at this time , luminous reflectance y was 8 . 10 , chromaticity coordinates were x = 0 . 410 and y = 0 . 315 , and excitation purity was 20 % ( reference light : x = 0 . 306 , y = 0 . 317 ). in this state , when a pulse voltage (± 5 ms ) of 70 v was applied , the liquid crystal display exhibited a transparent state ( luminous reflectance y = 0 . 65 , chromaticity coordinates : x = 0 . 210 and y = 0 . 170 ). the liquid crystal display exhibited spectral reflection characteristics in the selective reflection state and the transparent state which are similar to those of the experimental example 4 . a chiral nematic liquid crystal was prepared in accordance with the same steps as the experimental example 1 , and a red dyestuff similar to that used in the experimental example 1 was added at 0 . 5 wt % to the liquid crystal thus formed . the chiral nematic liquid crystal containing the dyestuff was held between two glass plates provided at their surfaces with transparent conductive films directed inward with a spacer of 10 μm therebetween . in this manner , a liquid crystal display was prepared . a pulse voltage (± 5 ms ) of 150 v was applied across the conductive films of the liquid crystal display thus formed , so that red selective reflection occurred . at this time , luminous reflectance y was 5 . 64 , chromaticity coordinates were x = 0 . 531 and y = 0 . 334 , and excitation purity was 64 . 1 % ( reference light : x = 0 . 306 , y = 0 . 317 ). in this state , when a pulse voltage (± 5 ms ) of 70 v was applied , the liquid crystal display exhibited a transparent state ( luminous reflectance y = 1 . 19 , chromaticity coordinates : x = 0 . 328 and y = 0 . 301 ). a liquid crystal display was prepared in accordance with the same steps as the experimental example 7 except for that dyestuff was not added to thereto . a pulse voltage (± 5 ms ) of 150 v was applied across the conductive films of the liquid crystal display thus formed , so that red selective reflection occurred . at this time , luminous reflectance y was 5 . 67 , chromaticity coordinates were x = 0 . 531 and y = 0 . 334 , and excitation purity was 64 . 2 % ( reference light : x = 0 . 306 , y = 0 . 317 ). in this state , when a pulse voltage (± 5 ms ) of 70 v was applied , the liquid crystal display exhibited a transparent state ( luminous reflectance y = 1 . 6 , chromaticity coordinates : x = 0 . 243 and y = 0 . 238 ). fig1 is a cross section showing a full - color liquid crystal display 600 of an eighth embodiment of the invention . as shown in fig1 , the liquid crystal display 600 includes a red display layer 601 for red display , a green display layer 602 for green display , a blue display layer 603 for blue display and a white display 604 for white display which are layered in this order . these display layers are connected to a power supply 80 capable of controlling a voltage applied to each display layer independently of the other layers . at 60 is indicated the light absorbing member already described , which is provided if desired . each of the display layers 601 - 604 has a structure similar to the structure already described , and specifically includes sheet - like transparent electrodes as well as a liquid crystal and polymer composite film held between these transparent electrodes . the red , green and blue display layers 601 , 602 and 603 are the same as those in the fourth embodiment except for that the coloring agent is not added thereto . naturally , a coloring agent may be added to each of the display layers 601 - 603 as described before . the white display layer 604 basically has such a structure that the liquid crystal and polymer composite film 10 is held between transparent electrodes 13 and 14 connected to a power supply 80 , and is responsive to a voltage applied across the transparent electrodes to be switched between the light transmission state allowing transmission of visible rays and a light scattering state for scattering visible rays , and vice versa , which is a difference from the other display layers . the white display layer exhibits a white appearance in the light scattering state because it scatters the visible rays , and attains a colorless transparent state in the light transmission state because the visible rays pass therethrough . accordingly , when white rays of white light such as natural light are irradiated downward in fig1 to the full - color liquid crystal display 600 , at least one of the display layers can reflect the visible rays of a specific wavelength , so that a specific color is displayed and observed . when the full - color liquid crystal display 600 performs color display , the white display layer 600 is in the light transmission state , and intended one or more of the color display layers 601 - 603 are in the selective reflection state . in this operation , when two or more color display layers 601 - 603 are simultaneously set to the selective reflection state , a mixed color can be displayed . when white display by the full - color liquid crystal display 600 is to be done , the white display layer 604 is set to the light scattering state . the order of layering of the display layers is not restricted to that in fig1 , and may be arbitrarily determined . however , according to the structure shown in fig1 , in which the white display layer is arranged at the position nearest to the observation side , the reflection intensity for white display can be effectively increased . in the structure where three color display layers for displaying red , green and blue are layered , the layering order of the blue , green and red display layers viewed from the observation side , which is employed in this embodiment , can suppress lowering of the intensity of reflection light . the amount of added chiral dopant may be controlled to adjust the helical pitch of the chiral nematic liquid crystal so that the selective reflection wavelength corresponds to infrared rays . this provides a liquid crystal and polymer composite film , which attains a transparent state exhibiting a colorless transparent appearance in the planar state , and attains a light scattering state exhibiting a white appearance owing to isotropic scattering in a focal conic state . the liquid crystal and polymer composite film thus formed is arranged between the transparent electrodes , so that the white display layer is completed . the film thickness of the liquid crystal and polymer composite film used in each display layer is not particularly restricted . however , it is preferable that the thickness of , the liquid crystal and polymer composite film for the white display layer is larger than that of the liquid crystal and polymer composite film for the color display layer . a color display layer for a specific color may be formed of first and second display layers . the first layer has a composite film using a chiral nematic liquid crystal having a left optical activity ( left optical rotary power ). the second display layer has a composite film using a chiral nematic liquid crystal having a right optical activity ( right optical rotary power ) and operable to selectively reflect rays of the same wavelength as those selectively reflected by the above chiral nematic liquid crystal having a left optical activity . this structure increases the reflectance , and therefore can further improve the color display . in particular , a total color balance is improved by intensely displaying the blue and red , of which relative visibilities are lower than the green . therefore , the above multilayer structures can be effectively employed in the blue display layer or red display layer . smectic liquid crystal may be added to the liquid crystal and polymer composite film for the white display layer . addition of the smectic liquid crystal improves the transparency of the liquid crystal and polymer composite film , and therefore can improve a contrast between the colorless transparent state and the white state . specific experimental examples of the eighth embodiment will be described below in detail . a chiral nematic liquid crystal having a selective reflection wavelength of 1100 nm ( helical pitch length of 685 nm ) was prepared by such a manner that liquid crystal s2 ( merck co ., ltd .) at 30 weight % exhibiting a smectic phase at a room temperature and chiral dopant s811 ( merck co ., ltd .) at 19 . 8 weight % were added to tolane nematic liquid crystal mn1000xx ( chisso co ., ltd ., δn = 0 . 219 , t ni = 69 . 9 ° c .) which contained fluorine and exhibited a nematic phase at a room temperature . δn and t n1 represent the same parameters as those in the experimental example 1 . then , a photo - curing resin material was prepared by adding photo polymerization initiator darocur1173 ( chiba gaigy co ., ltd .) at 3 weight % to monofunctional acrylate r128h ( nippon kayaku co ., ltd .). the mixture of the chiral nematic liquid crystal and the photo - curing resin material at a weight ratio of 9 : 1 was held between two transparent conductive films with a spacer of 20 μm therebetween . then , ultraviolet rays were irradiated at 15 mw / cm 2 to it at a room temperature for five minutes , whereby hardening and phase separation occurred . in this manner , the white display layer was completed . the phase transition temperature was 41 . 0 ° c . the phase transition temperature was measured as follows . a portion of the liquid crystal and polymer composite film which was prepared in the same steps as the above was extracted as a specimen . this specimen in a thin form , which was held between slide and cover glasses , was observed with a polarization microscope , while its temperature was rising at a rate of about 1 ° c ./ minute , and the temperature at which isotropic phase started to appear was measured . the phase transition temperature was desirably 40 ° c . or more a pulse voltage (± 5 ms ) of 140 v was applied across the conductive films of the white display layer thus formed , so that the white display layer exhibited a transparent state ( transmittance : 65 %, color stimulus value : 3 . 5 ). in this state , when a pulse voltage (± 5 ms ) of 70 v was applied , the white display layer exhibited a light scattering state ( transmittance : 2 %). a time for switching between the transparent state and the scattering state is 500 ms . the color stimulus value was measured by a spectrocolorimeter cm - 1000 ( minolta ). the color stimulus value of the display layers to be described later were also measured by the same meter . the color stimulus value in the colorless transparent state is desirable 4 . 5 or less . desirably , the color stimulus value is 10 . 0 or more in the white state , 15 . 0 or more in the red state , 20 . 0 or more in the green state and 8 . 0 or more in the blue state . the transmittance was measured in such a manner that a stabilized he — ne laser was irradiated to the white display layer , and the intensity of transmitted rays or scattered rays was detected by a photodiode . the switching time was measured by a digital oscilloscope ( cor5521 : manufactured by kikusui co ., ltd . ), and specifically , a time from instantaneous change of orientation of liquid crystal molecules by application of high - voltage pulses to the display layer in the planar state to restoring to the state providing an initial transmittance . the transmittance , phase transition temperature and switching time of the display layers to be described later were measured by the same manners as the above . fig1 shows spectral reflection characteristics of the white display layer described above . as can be seen from fig1 , the spectral reflection characteristics of the white display layer are flat and do not have a peak . the spectral reflection characteristics were measured by a spectrocolorimeter cm - 1000 ( minolta co ., ltd .). the spectral reflection characteristics of the respective display layers described below were measured in the same manner . a chiral nematic liquid crystal having a selective reflection wavelength of 490 nm ( helical pitch length of 303 nm ) was prepared by such a manner that mixture of chiral dopant s811 and s1011 ( both manufactured by merck co ., ltd .) at a weight ratio of 1 : 1 was added at 17 . 9 wt % to tolane nematic liquid crystal mn1000xx ( chisso co ., ltd ., δn = 0 . 219 , t ni = 69 . 9 ° c .) which contained fluorine and exhibited a nematic phase at a room temperature . then , a photo - curing resin material was prepared by adding photo polymerization initiator darocur1173 ( chiba gaigy co ., ltd .) at 3 weight % to monofunctional acrylate r128h ( nippon kayaku co ., ltd .). the mixture of the chiral nematic liquid crystal and the photo - curing resin material at a weight ratio of 7 : 1 was held between two transparent conductive films with a spacer of 10 μm therebetween . then , ultraviolet rays were irradiated at 15 mw / cm 2 to it at a room temperature for five minutes , whereby hardening and phase separation occurred . in this manner , the blue display layer was completed . the phase transition temperature was 45 . 9 ° c . a pulse voltage (± 5 ms ) of 130 v was applied across the conductive films of the blue display layer thus formed to perform selective reflection of the blue . in this state , when a pulse voltage (+ 5 ms ) of 70 v was applied , the blue display layer exhibited a transparent state ( color stimulus value : 3 . 5 ). a time for switching between the blue selective reflection state and the transparent state was 200 ms . fig1 shows spectral reflection characteristics of the blue display layer in the blue selective reflection state . a chiral nematic liquid crystal having a selective reflection wavelength of 570 nm ( helical pitch length of 351 nm ) was prepared by such a manner that mixture of chiral dopant s811 and s1011 ( both manufactured by merck co ., ltd .) at a weight ratio of 1 : 1 was added at 15 . 1 wt % to tolane nematic liquid crystal mn1000xx ( chisso co ., ltd ., δn = 0 . 219 , t ni = 69 . 9 ° c .) which contained fluorine and exhibited a nematic phase at a room temperature . then , a photo - curing resin material was prepared by adding photo polymerization initiator darocur1173 ( chiba gaigy co ., ltd .) at 3 weight % to monofunctional acrylate r128h ( nippon kayaku co ., ltd .). the mixture of the chiral nematic liquid crystal and the photo - curing resin material at a weight ratio of 7 : 1 was held between two transparent conductive films with a spacer of 10 μm therebetween . then , ultraviolet rays were irradiated at 15 mw / cm 2 to it at a room temperature for five minutes , whereby hardening and phase separation occurred . in this manner , the green display layer was completed . the phase transition temperature was 48 . 6 ° c . a pulse voltage (± 5 ms ) of 120 v was applied across the conductive films of the green display layer thus formed to perform selective reflection of the green . in this state , when a pulse voltage (± 5 ms ) of 60 v was applied , the green display layer exhibited a transparent state ( color stimulus value : 3 . 8 ). a time for switching between the green selective reflection state and the transparent state was 400 ms . fig1 shows spectral reflection characteristics of the green display layer in the green selective reflection state . a chiral nematic liquid crystal having a selective reflection wavelength of 650 nm ( helical pitch length of 400 nm ) was prepared by such a manner that mixture of chiral dopant s811 and s1011 ( both manufactured by merck co ., ltd .) at a weight ratio of 1 : 1 was added at 13 . 0 wt % to tolane nematic liquid crystal mn1000xx ( chisso co ., ltd ., δn = 0 . 219 , t ni = 69 . 9 ° c .) which contained fluorine and exhibited a nematic phase at a room temperature . then , a photo - curing resin material was prepared by adding photo polymerization initiator darocur1173 ( chiba gaigy co ., ltd .) at 3 weight % to monofunctional acrylate r128h ( nippon kayaku co ., ltd .). the mixture of the chiral nematic liquid crystal and the photo - curing resin material at a weight ratio of 7 : 1 was held between two transparent conductive films with a spacer of 10 μm therebetween . then , ultraviolet rays were irradiated at 15 mw / cm 2 to it at a room temperature for five minutes , whereby hardening and phase separation occurred . in this manner , the red display layer was completed . the phase transition temperature was 51 . 6 ° c . a pulse voltage (± 5 ms ) of 110 v was applied across the conductive films of the red display layer thus formed to perform selective reflection of the red . in this state , when a pulse voltage (± 5 ms ) of 50 v was applied , the red display layer exhibited a transparent state ( color stimulus value : 4 . 2 ). a time for switching between the red selective reflection state and the transparent state was 500 ms . fig1 shows spectral reflection characteristics of the red display layer in the red selective reflection state , the red display layer was layered on the light absorbing member , i . e ., black film , and then the green , blue and white display layers are successively layered thereon , so that the full - color liquid crystal display having the layered structure shown in fig1 was fabricated . as shown in fig1 , the transparent plates were arranged between the light absorbing member and the red display layer , between the respective display layers and on the surface of the green display layer at the observation side , respectively . as can be seen from fig1 to 18 , each display layer has such spectral reflection characteristics that the transmittance at wavelengths shorter than the selective reflection wavelength of the display layer is lower than that at the wavelengths longer than the selective reflection wavelength of the display layer . in this experimental example , therefore , the blue , green and red display layers were layered in this order from the observation side , whereby reduction in quantity of reflected light was prevented . mixture of two kinds of chiral dopant was used for fabricating each of the blue , green and red display layers in this experimental example . thereby , the phase transition temperature could be higher than that in the case of using single kind of chiral dopant , which improved the transparency in the transparent state of the polymer dispersion liquid crystal , and reduced the time for switching between the transparent state and the selective reflection state of each color display layer . table 1 shows kinds of pulse voltages applied to the respective display layers for white display and the states of the respective display layers . table 2 relates to an example of green display , and shows kinds of pulse voltages applied to the respective display layers for color display and the states of the respective display layers . fig1 shows spectral reflection characteristics in the case where the full - color liquid crystal display performs the white display , i . e ., in the case where the white display layer is in the light scattering state , and the red , green and blue display layers are in the selective reflection state . as shown in fig1 , the spectral reflection characteristics are flat and do not have a peak value . a good white appearance can be achieved even when the display is viewed obliquely . it is considered that the fact that the white display layer itself has the flat spectral reflection characteristics without a peak value as described in connection with fig1 contributes to this good appearance . as can be seen from comparison between fig1 and 15 , the full - color liquid crystal display of this experimental example has a high reflectance , and can perform monochrome display with a high contrast . according to the specific measurement , the contrast of about 3 : 1 was obtained from the structure in which the white display layer was arranged on the light absorbing member , but the contrast of 6 : 1 was obtained when the full - color liquid crystal display of this experimental example performed the white display in the manner shown in fig1 . in the structure of this experimental example in which the white display layer is arranged at the observation side with respect to the color display layers , rays transmitted from the observation side are scattered , when the white display layer is in the light scattering state , so that rays enter the color display layers at various angles . therefore , the color display layers reflect the rays in various angles , so that the display can provide the flat spectral reflection characteristics as a whole . in addition to this , a large amount of light is reflected by the color display layers to the white display layer , so that a high reflectance can be obtained . in fig1 , black arrows schematically show a manner of reflection and scattering of incident rays to the full - color liquid crystal display . this example used a full - color liquid crystal display 700 which was similar to that of the experimental example 9 except for that a white display layer was not provided , and which included red , green and blue display layers layered on a light absorbing member . fig2 shows a cross section of the liquid crystal display thus formed . in fig2 , the same parts and portions as those in fig1 bear the same reference numbers . fig2 shows spectral reflection characteristics of the full - color liquid crystal display 700 in the case where all of the red , green and blue display layers are in the selective reflection state . as shown in fig2 , the spectral spectrum exhibits a convex form . even if the full - color display is set to exhibit a white appearance when view perpendicularly to the observation surface , it does not exhibit a white appearance when viewed obliquely , and it is difficult to exhibit a good monochrome appearance . this is probably due to the fact that the spectrum shifts toward the shorter wavelength side in accordance with the following formula [ ii ]. λ = λ 0 cos θ ′= λ 0 ( 1 − sin 2 θ / n 2 ) ½ [ ii ] where λ represents a wavelength of rays reflected by the observed display layer , and λ 0 represents the selective reflection wavelength of each display layer . θ ′ represents an angle between the travelling direction of rays in the liquid crystal and polymer composite film and the helical axis in the state that the rays are irradiated toward a reference point on the observation surface of the display layer and in the direction along line connecting the reference point and the observation point . θ represents an angle of the line connecting the observation point and the reference point on the observation surface with respect to the direction perpendicular to the observation surface , n represents an average refractive index satisfying n 2 =( n 1 2 + n 2 2 )/ 2 . a chiral nematic liquid crystal having a selective reflection wavelength of 570 nm ( helical pitch length of 353 nm ) was prepared by such a manner that mixture of chiral dopant s811 and s1011 ( both manufactured by merck co ., ltd .) at a weight ratio of 1 : 1 was added at 13 . 2 wt % to tolane nematic liquid crystal mn1008xx ( chisso co ., ltd ., δn = 0 . 218 , t ni = 73 . 9 ° c .) which contained fluorine and exhibited a nematic phase at a room temperature . then , a photo - curing resin material was prepared by adding photo polymerization initiator darocur1173 ( chiba gaigy co ., ltd .) at 3 weight % to monofunctional acrylate r128h ( nippon kayaku co ., ltd .). the mixture of the chiral nematic liquid crystal and the photo - curing resin material at a weight ratio of 7 : 1 was held between two transparent conductive films with a spacer of 10 μm therebetween . then , ultraviolet rays were irradiated at 15 mw / cm 2 to it at a room temperature for five minutes , whereby hardening and phase separation occurred . in this manner , the green display layer was completed . the phase transition temperature was 52 . 4 ° c . a pulse voltage (± 5 ms ) of 120 v was applied across the conductive films of the green display layer thus formed to perform selective reflection of the green . in this state , when a pulse voltage (± 5 ms ) of 60 v was applied , the green display layer exhibited a transparent state ( color stimulus value : 3 . 6 ). a time for switching between the green selective reflection state and the transparent state was 400 ms . in this manner , even the liquid crystal other than the tolane liquid crystal containing fluorine can be used to form the liquid crystal display layer having a superior performance similarly to that of the experimental example 9 . a chiral nematic liquid crystal having a selective reflection wavelength of 570 nm ( helical pitch length of 355 nm ) was prepared by such a manner that mixture of chiral dopant s811 and s1011 ( both manufactured by merck co ., ltd .) at a weight ratio of 1 : 1 was added at 14 . 3 wt % to cyanobiphenyl nematic liquid crystal e31lv ( merck co ., ltd ., δn = 0 . 227 , t ni = 61 . 5 ° c .) which exhibited a nematic phase at a room temperature . then , a photo - curing resin material was prepared by adding photo polymerization initiator darocur1173 ( chiba gaigy co ., ltd .) at 3 weight % to monofunctional acrylate r128h ( nippon kayaku co ., ltd .). the mixture of the chiral nematic liquid crystal and the photo - curing resin material at a weight ratio of 7 : 1 was held between two transparent conductive films with a spacer of 10 μm therebetween . then , ultraviolet rays were irradiated at 15 mw / cm 2 to it at a room temperature for five minutes , whereby hardening and phase separation occurred . in this manner , the green display layer was completed . the phase transition temperature was 29 . 2 ° c . a pulse voltage (± 5 ms ) of 100 v was applied across the conductive films of the green display layer thus formed to perform selective reflection of the green . in this state , when a pulse voltage (± 5 ms ) of 60 v was applied , the green display layer exhibited a transparent state ( color stimulus value : 6 . 0 ). a time for switching between the green selective reflection state and the transparent state was 200 ms . a chiral nematic liquid crystal having a selective reflection wavelength of 460 nm ( helical pitch length of 290 nm ) was prepared by such a manner that chiral dopant s811 ( manufactured by merck co ., ltd .) was added at 38 . 6 wt % to tolane nematic liquid crystal mn10000xx ( chisso co ., ltd ., δn = 0 . 219 , t ni = 69 . 9 ° c .) which contained fluorine and exhibited a nematic phase at a room temperature . then , a photo - curing resin material was prepared by adding photo polymerization initiator darocur1173 ( chiba gaigy co ., ltd .) at 3 weight % to monofunctional acrylate r128h ( nippon kayaku co ., ltd .). the mixture of the chiral nematic liquid crystal and the photo - curing resin material at a weight ratio of 7 : 1 was held between two transparent conductive films with a spacer of 10 μm therebetween . then , ultraviolet rays were irradiated at 15 mw / cm 2 to it at a room temperature for five minutes , whereby hardening and phase separation occurred . in this manner , the blue display layer was completed . the phase transition temperature of the layer thus formed was 24 . 0 ° c . therefore , various kinds of properties were measured at 20 ° c . a pulse voltage (± 5 ms ) of 130 v was applied across the conductive films of the blue display layer thus formed to perform selective reflection of the blue . in this state , when a pulse voltage (± 5 ms ) of 70 v was applied , the blue display layer exhibited a transparent state ( color stimulus value : 3 . 5 ). a time for switching between the blue selective reflection state and the transparent state was 200 ms . a chiral nematic liquid crystal having a selective reflection wavelength of 570 nm ( helical pitch length of 355 nm ) was prepared by such a manner that chiral dopant s811 ( merck co ., ltd .) was added at 31 . 0 wt % to tolane nematic liquid crystal mn1000xx ( chisso co ., ltd ., δn = 0 . 219 , t ni = 69 . 9 ° c .) which contained fluorine and exhibited a nematic phase at a room temperature . then , a photo - curing resin material was prepared by adding photo polymerization initiator darocur1173 ( chiba gaigy co ., ltd .) at 3 weight % to monofunctional acrylate r128h ( nippon kayaku co ., ltd .). the mixture of the chiral nematic liquid crystal and the photo - curing resin material at a weight ratio of 7 : 1 was held between two transparent conductive films with a spacer of 10 μm therebetween . then , ultraviolet rays were irradiated at 15 mw / cm 2 to it at a room temperature for five minutes , whereby hardening and phase separation occurred . in this manner , the green display layer was completed . the phase transition temperature was 30 . 2 ° c . a pulse voltage (± 5 ms ) of 100 v was applied across the conductive films of the green display layer thus formed to perform selective reflection of the green . in this state , when a pulse voltage (± 5 ms ) of 70 v was applied , the green display layer exhibited a transparent state ( color stimulus value : 4 . 3 ). a time for switching between the green selective reflection state and the transparent state was 500 ms . a chiral nematic liquid crystal having a selective reflection wavelength of 460 nm ( helical pitch length of 290 nm ) was prepared by such a manner that mixture of chiral dopant s811 and cn ( both manufactured by merck co ., ltd .) at a weight ratio of 1 : 1 was added at 29 . 0 wt % to tolane nematic liquid crystal mn1000xx ( chisso co ., ltd ., δn = 0 . 219 , t ni = 69 . 9 ° c .) which contained fluorine and exhibited a nematic phase at a room temperature . then , a photo - curing resin material was prepared by adding photo polymerization initiator darocur1173 ( chiba gaigy co ., ltd .) at 3 weight % to monofunctional acrylate r128h ( nippon kayaku co ., ltd .). the mixture of the chiral nematic liquid crystal and the photo - curing resin material at a weight ratio of 7 : 1 was held between two transparent conductive films with a spacer of 10 μm therebetween . then , ultraviolet rays were irradiated at 15 mw / cm 2 to it at a room temperature for five minutes , whereby hardening and phase separation occurred . in this manner , the blue display layer was completed . the phase transition temperature was 48 . 0 ° c . a pulse voltage (± 5 ms ) of 150 v was applied across the conductive films of the blue display layer thus formed to perform selective reflection of the blue . in this state , when a pulse voltage (± 5 ms ) of 80 v was applied , the blue display layer exhibited a transparent state ( color stimulus value : 4 . 5 ). a time for switching between the blue selective reflection state and the transparent state was 10 ms . this experimental example used a blue display layer formed of two blue display layers which were layered together . one of the layered blue display layers used a chiral nematic liquid crystal having a left optical activity ( optical rotary power ). the other used a cholesteric nematic liquid crystal having a right optical activity . a chiral nematic liquid crystal having a selective reflection wavelength of 490 nm ( helical pitch length of 303 nm ) was prepared by such a manner that mixture of chiral dopant r811 having a right optical activity and r1011 having a right optical activity ( both manufactured by merck co ., ltd .) at a weight ratio of 1 : 1 was added at 17 . 9 wt % to tolane nematic liquid crystal mn1000xx ( chisso co ., ltd ., δn = 0 . 219 , t ni = 69 . 9 ° c .) which contained fluorine and exhibited a nematic phase at a room temperature . then , a photo - curing resin material was prepared by adding photo polymerization initiator darocur1173 ( chiba gaigy co ., ltd .) at 3 weight % to monofunctional acrylate r128h ( nippon kayaku co ., ltd .). the mixture of the chiral nematic liquid crystal and the photo - curing resin material at a weight ratio of 7 : 1 was held between two transparent conductive films with a spacer of 10 μm therebetween . then , ultraviolet rays were irradiated at 15 mw / cm 2 to it at a room temperature for five minutes , whereby hardening and phase separation occurred . in this manner , the blue display layer was completed . the phase transition temperature was 45 . 9 ° c . a pulse voltage (± 5 ms ) of 130 v was applied across the conductive films of the blue display layer thus formed to perform selective reflection of the blue . in this state , when a pulse voltage (± 5 ms ) of 70 v was applied , the blue display layer exhibited a transparent state ( color stimulus value : 3 . 5 ). a time for switching between the blue selective reflection state and the transparent state was 200 ms . the blue display layer thus fabricated was layered on the blue display layer fabricated in the experimental example 9 , and the spectral reflectance was measured . both the chiral dopant s811 and s1011 , which were used for fabricating the blue display layer of the experimental example 9 , have a left optical activity . the results are shown in fig2 . as can be seen from comparison between fig2 and fig1 relating to the experimental example 9 , the reflectance in the selective reflection wavelength range is higher than that of a single layer structure . in the cholesteric liquid crystal , it is considered that rays inciding parallel to the helical axis in the planar state are divided into two circularly polarized light groups of right and left optical activities , one of which is used in selective reflection . therefore , the other light group is to have transmitted therethrough . however , owing to provision of the two layers having right and left optical activities , respectively , it is considered that the rays transmitted through one of the layers are reflected by the other layer , resulting in increase in reflectance . as described above , the reflectance can be increased by provision of the two , i . e ., first and second display layers layered together , one using the chiral nematic liquid crystal of the left optical activity and the other using the chiral nematic liquid crystal of the right optical activity . therefore , in the display including the layered structure of multiple color display layers as described in the experimental example 9 , the above structure can be effectively applied to the color display layers , and particularly to the blue display layer for blue display and the red display layer for red display . this experimental example used a red display layer formed of two red display layers which were layered together . one of the layered red display layers used a chiral nematic liquid crystal having a left optical activity . the other used a chiral nematic liquid crystal having a right optical activity . a chiral nematic liquid crystal having a selective reflection wavelength of 650 nm ( helical pitch length of 400 nm ) was prepared by such a manner that mixture of chiral dopant s811 of a right optical activity and r1011 of a right optical activity ( both manufactured by merck co ., ltd .) at a weight ratio of 1 : 1 was added at 13 . 0 wt % to tolane nematic liquid crystal mn1000xx ( chisso co ., ltd ., δn = 0 . 219 , t ni = 69 . 9 ° c .) which contained fluorine and exhibited a nematic phase at a room temperature . then , a photo - curing resin material was prepared by adding photo polymerization initiator darocur1173 ( chiba gaigy co ., ltd .) at 3 weight % to monofunctional acrylate r128h ( nippon kayaku co ., ltd .). the mixture of the chiral nematic liquid crystal and the photo - curing resin material at a weight ratio of 7 : 1 was held between two transparent conductive films with a spacer of 10 μm therebetween . then , ultraviolet rays were irradiated at 15 mw / cm 2 to it at a room temperature for five minutes , whereby hardening and phase separation occurred . in this manner , the red display layer was completed . the phase transition temperature was 51 . 6 ° c . a pulse voltage (± 5 ms ) of 110 v was applied across the conductive films of the red display layer thus formed to perform selective reflection of the red . in this state , when a pulse voltage (± 5 ms ) of 50 v was applied , the red display layer exhibited a transparent state ( color stimulus value : 4 . 2 ). a time for switching between the blue selective reflection state and the transparent state was 500 ms . the red display layer thus fabricated was layered on the red display layer fabricated in the experimental example 9 , and the spectral reflectance was measured . the results are shown in fig2 . as can be seen from comparison between fig2 and fig1 relating to the experimental example 9 , the reflectance in the selective reflection wavelength range is higher than that of a single layer structure . although the present invention has been fully described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings , it is to be noted that various changes and modifications will be apparent to those skilled in the art . therefore , unless otherwise such changes and modifications depart from the scope of the present invention , they should be constructed as being included therein .
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fig1 is an overall view of a compression ignition type internal combustion engine . referring to fig1 , 1 indicates an engine body , 2 a combustion chamber of each cylinder , 3 an electronically controlled fuel injector for injecting fuel into each combustion chamber 2 , 4 an intake manifold , and 5 an exhaust manifold . the intake manifold 4 is connected through an intake duct 6 to an outlet of a compressor 7 a of an exhaust turbocharger 7 , while an inlet of the compressor 7 a is connected through an intake air amount detector 8 to an air cleaner 9 . inside the intake duct 6 , a throttle valve 10 which is driven by an actuator is arranged . around the intake duct 5 , a cooling device 11 is arranged for cooling the intake air which flows through the inside of the intake duct 6 . in the embodiment which is shown in fig1 , the engine cooling water is guided to the inside of the cooling device 11 where the engine cooling water is used to cool the intake air . on the other hand , the exhaust manifold 5 is connected to an inlet of an exhaust turbine 7 b of the exhaust turbocharger 7 , and an outlet of the exhaust turbine 7 b is connected through an exhaust pipe 12 to an inlet of an exhaust purification catalyst 13 . in an embodiment of the present invention , this exhaust purification catalyst 13 is comprised of an no x storage catalyst 13 . an outlet of the exhaust purification catalyst 13 is connected to a particulate filter 14 and , upstream of the exhaust purification catalyst 13 inside the exhaust pipe 12 , a hydrocarbon feed valve 15 is arranged for feeding hydrocarbons comprised of diesel oil or other fuel used as fuel for a compression ignition type internal combustion engine . in the embodiment shown in fig1 , diesel oil is used as the hydrocarbons which are fed from the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 . note that , the present invention can also be applied to a spark ignition type internal combustion engine in which fuel is burned under a lean air - fuel ratio . in this case , from the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 , hydrocarbons comprised of gasoline or other fuel used as fuel of a spark ignition type internal combustion engine are fed . on the other hand , the exhaust manifold 5 and the intake manifold 4 are connected with each other through an exhaust gas recirculation ( hereinafter referred to as an “ egr ”) passage 16 . inside the egr passage 16 , an electronically controlled egr control valve 17 is arranged . further , around the egr passage 16 , a cooling device 18 is arranged for cooling the egr gas which flows through the inside of the egr passage 16 . in the embodiment which is shown in fig1 , the engine cooling water is guided to the inside of the cooling device 118 where the engine cooling water is used to cool the egr gas . on the other hand , each fuel injector 3 is connected through a fuel feed tube 19 to a common rail 20 . this common rail 20 is connected through an electronically controlled variable discharge fuel pump 21 to a fuel tank 22 . the fuel which is stored inside of the fuel tank 22 is fed by the fuel pump 21 to the inside of the common rail 20 . the fuel which is fed to the inside of the common rail 21 is fed through each fuel feed tube 19 to the fuel injector 3 . an electronic control unit 30 is comprised of a digital computer provided with a rom ( read only memory ) 32 , a ram ( random access memory ) 33 , a cpu ( microprocessor ) 34 , an input port 35 , and an output port 36 , which are connected with each other by a bidirectional bus 31 . downstream of the exhaust purification catalyst 13 , a temperature sensor 23 is arranged for detecting the temperature of the exhaust gas flowing out from the exhaust purification catalyst 13 , and a differential pressure sensor 24 for detecting the differential pressure before and after the particulate filter 14 is attached to the particulate filter 14 . the output signals of these temperature sensor 23 , differential pressure sensor 24 and intake air amount detector 8 are input through respectively corresponding ad converters 37 to the input port 35 . further , an accelerator pedal 40 has a load sensor 41 connected to it which generates an output voltage proportional to the amount of depression l of the accelerator pedal 40 . the output voltage of the load sensor 41 is input through a corresponding ad converter 37 to the input port 35 . furthermore , at the input port 35 , a crank angle sensor 42 is connected which generates an output pulse every time a crankshaft rotates by , for example , 15 °. on the other hand , the output port 36 is connected through corresponding drive circuits 38 to each fuel injector 3 , the actuator for driving the throttle valve 10 , hydrocarbon feed valve 15 , egr control valve 17 , and fuel pump 21 . fig2 schematically shows a surface part of a catalyst carrier which is carried on a substrate of the exhaust purification catalyst 13 shown in fig1 . at this exhaust purification catalyst 13 , as shown in fig2 , for example , there is provided a catalyst carrier 50 made of alumina on which precious metal catalysts 51 comprised of platinum pt are carried . furthermore , on this catalyst carrier 50 , a basic layer 53 is formed which includes at least one element selected from potassium k , sodium na , cesium cs , or another such alkali metal , barium ba , calcium ca , or another such alkali earth metal , a lanthanide or another such rare earth and silver ag , copper cu , iron fe , iridium ir , or another metal able to donate electrons to no x . in this case , on the catalyst carrier 50 of the exhaust purification catalyst 13 , in addition to platinum pt , rhodium rh or palladium pd may be further carried . note that the exhaust gas flows along the top of the catalyst carrier 50 , so the precious metal catalysts 51 can be said to be carried on the exhaust gas flow surfaces of the exhaust purification catalyst 13 . further , the surface of the basic layer 53 exhibits basicity , so the surface of the basic layer 53 is called the “ basic exhaust gas flow surface parts 54 ”. if hydrocarbons are injected from the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 into the exhaust gas , the hydrocarbons are reformed by the exhaust purification catalyst 13 . in the present invention , at this time , the reformed hydrocarbons are used to remove the no x at the exhaust purification catalyst 13 . fig3 schematically shows the reformation action performed at the exhaust purification catalyst 13 at this time . as shown in fig3 , the hydrocarbons fig which are injected from the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 become radical hydrocarbons hc with a small carbon number due to the precious metal catalyst 51 . fig4 shows the feed timing of hydrocarbons from the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 and the change in the air - fuel ratio ( a / f ) in of the exhaust gas which flows into the exhaust purification catalyst 13 . not that , the change in the air - fuel ratio ( a / f ) depends on the change in concentration of the hydrocarbons in the exhaust gas which flows into the exhaust purification catalyst 13 , so it can be said that the change in the air - fuel ratio ( a / f ) in shown in fig4 expresses the change in concentration of the hydrocarbons . however , if the hydrocarbon concentration becomes higher , the air - fuel ratio ( a / f ) in becomes smaller , so , in fig4 , the more to the rich side the air - fuel ratio ( a / f ) in becomes , the higher the hydrocarbon concentration . fig5 shows the no x purification rate r 1 by the exhaust purification catalyst 13 with respect to the catalyst temperatures tc of the exhaust purification catalyst 13 when periodically making the concentration of hydrocarbons which flow into the exhaust purification catalyst 13 change so as to as shown in fig4 , periodically make the air - fuel ratio ( a / f ) in of the exhaust gas flowing to the exhaust purification catalyst 13 rich . in this regard , as a result of a research relating to no x purification for a long time , it is learned that if making the concentration of hydrocarbons which flow into the exhaust purification catalyst 13 vibrate within a predetermined range of amplitude and within a predetermined range of period , as shown in fig5 , an extremely high no x purification rate r 1 is obtained even in a 350 ° c . or higher high temperature region . furthermore , it is learned that at this time , a large amount of reducing intermediates which contain nitrogen and hydrocarbons continues to be held or adsorbed on the surface of the basic layer 53 , that is , on the basic exhaust gas flow surface parts 54 of the exhaust purification catalyst 13 , and the reducing intermediates play a central role in obtaining a high no x purification rate r 1 . next , this will be explained with reference to fig6 a and 6b . note that , these fig6 a and 6b schematically show the surface part of the catalyst carrier 50 of the exhaust purification catalyst 13 . these fig6 a and 6b show the reaction which is presumed to occur when the concentration of hydrocarbons which flow into the exhaust purification catalyst 13 is made to vibrate within a predetermined range of amplitude and within a predetermined range of period . fig6 a shows when the concentration of hydrocarbons which flow into the exhaust purification catalyst 13 is low , while fig6 b shows when hydrocarbons are fed from the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 and the air - fuel ratio ( a / f ) in of the exhaust gas flowing to the exhaust purification catalyst 13 is made rich , that is , the concentration of hydrocarbons which flow into the exhaust purification catalyst 13 becomes higher . now , as will be understood from fig4 , the air - fuel ratio of the exhaust gas which flows into the exhaust purification catalyst 13 is maintained lean except for an instant , so the exhaust gas which flows into the exhaust purification catalyst 13 normally becomes a state of oxygen excess . at this time , part of the no which is contained in the exhaust gas deposits on the exhaust purification catalyst 13 , while part of the no which is contained in the exhaust gas , as shown in fig6 a , is oxidized on the platinum 51 and becomes no 2 . next , this no 2 is further oxidized and becomes no 3 . further , part of the no 2 becomes no 2 − . therefore , on the platinum pt 51 , no 2 − and no 3 are produced . the no which is deposited on the exhaust purification catalyst 13 and the no 2 − and no 3 which are formed on the platinum pt 51 are strong in activity . therefore , below , these no , no 2 − , and no 3 will be referred to as the “ active no x *”. on the other hand , if hydrocarbons are fed from the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 and the air - fuel ratio ( a / f ) in of the exhaust gas flowing to the exhaust purification catalyst 13 is made rich , the hydrocarbons successively deposit over the entire exhaust purification catalyst 13 . the majority of the deposited hydrocarbons successively react with oxygen and are burned . part of the deposited hydrocarbons are successively reformed and become radicalized inside of the exhaust purification catalyst 13 as shown in fig3 / therefore , as shown in fig6 b , the hydrogen concentration around the active no x * becomes higher . in this regard , if , after the active no x * is produced , the state of a high oxygen concentration around the active no x * continues for a constant time or more , the active no x * is oxidized and is absorbed in the form of nitrate ions no 3 − inside the basic layer 53 . however , if , before this constant time elapses , the hydrocarbon concentration around the active no x * becomes higher , as shown in fig6 b , the active no x * reacts on the platinum 51 with the radical hydrocarbons ho to thereby form the reducing intermediates . the reducing intermediates are adhered or adsorbed on the surface of the basic layer 53 . note that , at this time , the first produced . reducing intermediate is considered to be a nitro compound r — no 2 . if this nitro compound r — no 2 is produced , the result becomes a nitrile compound r — cn , but this nitrile compound r — cn can only survive for an instant in this state , so immediately becomes an isocyanate compound r — nco . this isocyanate compound r — nco becomes an amine compound r — nh 2 if hydrolyzed . however , in this case , what is hydrolyzed is considered to be part of the isocyanate compound r — nco . therefore , as shown in fig6 b , the majority of the reducing intermediates which are held or adsorbed on the surface of the basic layer 53 is believed to be the isocyanate compound r — nco and amine compound r — nh 2 . on the other hand , as shown in fig6 b , if the produced reducing intermediates are surrounded by the hydrocarbons hc , the reducing intermediates are blocked by the hydrocarbons hc and the reaction will not proceed any further . in this case , if the concentration of hydrocarbons which flow into the exhaust purification catalyst 13 is lowered and then the hydrocarbons which are deposited around the reducing intermediates will be oxidized and consumed , and thereby the concentration of oxygen around the reducing intermediates becomes higher , the reducing intermediates react with the no x in the exhaust gas , react with the active no x *, react with the surrounding oxygen , or break down on their own . due to this , the reducing intermediates r — nco and r — nh 2 are converted to n 2 , co 2 , and h 2 o as shown in fig6 a , therefore the no x is removed . in this way , in the exhaust purification catalyst 13 , when the concentration of hydrocarbons which flow into the exhaust purification catalyst 13 is made higher , reducing intermediates are produced , and after the concentration of hydrocarbons which flow into the exhaust purification catalyst 13 is lowered , when the oxygen concentration is raised , the reducing intermediates react with the no x in the exhaust gas or the active no x * or oxygen or break down on their own whereby the no x is removed . that is , in order for the exhaust purification catalyst 13 to remove the no x , the concentration of hydrocarbons which flow into the exhaust purification catalyst 13 has to be periodically changed . of course , in this case , it is necessary to raise the hydrocarbon concentration to a concentration sufficiently high for producing the reducing intermediates and it is necessary to lower the hydrocarbon concentration to a concentration sufficiently low for making the produced reducing intermediates react with the no x in the exhaust gas or the active no x * or oxygen or break down on their own . that is , it is necessary to make the concentration of hydrocarbons which flow into the exhaust purification catalyst 13 vibrate by within a predetermined range of amplitude . note that , in this case , it is necessary to hold these reducing intermediates on the basic layer 53 , that is , the basic exhaust gas flow surface parts 54 , until the produced reducing intermediates r — nco and r — nh 2 react with the no x in the exhaust gas or the active no x * or oxygen or break down themselves . for this reason , the basic exhaust gas flow surface parts 54 are provided . on the other hand , if lengthening the feed period of the hydrocarbons , the time until the oxygen concentration becomes higher becomes longer in the period after the hydrocarbons are fed until the hydrocarbons are next fed . therefore , the active no x * is absorbed in the basic layer 53 in the form of nitrates without producing reducing intermediates . to avoid this it is necessary to make the concentration of hydrocarbons which flow into the exhaust purification catalyst 13 vibrate within a predetermined range of period . therefore , in the embodiment according to the present invention , to react the no x contained in the exhaust gas and the reformed hydrocarbons and produce the reducing intermediates r — nco and r — nh 2 containing nitrogen and hydrocarbons , the precious metal catalysts 51 are carried on the exhaust gas flow surfaces of the exhaust purification catalyst 13 . to hold the produced reducing intermediates r — nco and r — nh 2 inside the exhaust purification catalyst 13 , the basic exhaust gas flow surface parts 54 are formed around the precious metal catalysts 51 . the reducing intermediates r — nco and r — nh 2 which are held on the basic exhaust gas flow surface parts 54 are converted to n 2 , co 2 , and h 2 o . the vibration period of the hydrocarbon concentration is made the vibration period required for continuation of the production of the reducing intermediates r — nco and r — nh 2 . incidentally , in the example shown in fig4 , the injection interval is made 3 seconds . if the vibration period of the hydrocarbon concentration , that is , the injection period of hydrocarbons from the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 , is made longer than the above predetermined range of period , the reducing intermediates r — nco and r — nh 2 disappear from the surface of the basic layer 53 . at this time , the active no x * which is produced on the platinum pt 53 , as shown in fig7 a , diffuses in the basic layer 53 in the form of nitrate ions no 3 − and becomes nitrates . that is , at this time , the no x in the exhaust gas is absorbed in the form of nitrates inside of the basic layer 53 . on the other hand , fig7 b shows the case where the air - fuel ratio of the exhaust gas which flows into the exhaust purification catalyst 13 is made the stoichiometric air - fuel ratio or rich when the no x is absorbed in the form of nitrates inside of the basic layer 53 , in this case , the oxygen concentration in the exhaust gas falls , so the reaction proceeds in the opposite direction ( no 3 − → no 2 ), and consequently the nitrates absorbed in the basic layer 53 successively become nitrate ions no 3 − and , as shown in fig7 b , are released from the basic layer 53 in the form of no 2 . next , the released no 2 is reduced by the hydrocarbons hc and co contained in the exhaust gas . fig8 shows the case of making the air - fuel ratio ( a / f ) in of the exhaust gas which flows into the exhaust purification catalyst 13 temporarily rich slightly before the no x absorption ability of the basic layer 53 becomes saturated . note that , in the example shown in fig8 , the time interval of this rich control is 1 minute or more . in this case , the no x which was absorbed in the basic layer 53 when the air - fuel ratio ( a / f ) in of the exhaust gas was lean is released all at once from the basic layer 53 and reduced when the air - fuel ratio ( a / f ) in of the exhaust gas is made temporarily rich . therefore , in this case , the basic layer 53 plays the role of an absorbent for temporarily absorbing no x . note that , at this time , sometimes the basic layer 53 temporarily adsorbs the no x . therefore , if using term of “ storage ” as a term including both “ absorption ” and “ adsorption ”, at this time , the basic layer 53 performs the role of an no x storage agent for temporarily storing the no x . that is , in this case , if the ratio of the air and fuel ( hydrocarbons ) which are supplied into the engine intake passage , combustion chambers 2 , and upstream of the exhaust purification catalyst 13 in the exhaust passage is referred to as “ the air - fuel ratio of the exhaust gas ”, the exhaust purification catalyst 13 functions as an no x storage catalyst which stores the no x when the air - fuel ratio of the exhaust gas is lean and releases the stored no x when the oxygen concentration in the exhaust gas falls . the solid line of fig9 shows the no x purification rate r 2 when making the exhaust purification catalyst 13 function as an no x storage catalyst in this way . note that , the abscissa of the fig9 shows the catalyst temperature tc of the exhaust purification catalyst 13 . when making the exhaust purification catalyst 13 function as an no x storage catalyst , as shown in fig9 , when the catalyst temperature tc is 250 ° c . to 300 ° c ., an extremely high no x purification rate is obtained , but when the catalyst temperature tc becomes a 350 ° c . or higher high temperature , the no x purification rate r 2 falls . note that , in fig9 , the no x purification rate r 1 shown in fig5 is illustrated by the broken line . in this way , when the catalyst temperature tc becomes 350 ° c . or more , the no x purification rate r 2 falls because if the catalyst temperature tc becomes 350 ° c . or more , no x is less easily stored and the nitrates break down by heat and are released in the form of no 2 from the exhaust purification catalyst 13 . that is , so long as storing no x in the form of nitrates , when the catalyst temperature tc is high , it is difficult to obtains a high no x purification rate r 2 . however , in the new no x purification method shown from fig4 to fig6 a and 6b , the amount of no x stored in the form of nitrates is small , and consequently , as shown in fig5 , even when the catalyst temperature tc is high , a high no x purification rate r 1 is obtained . in the embodiment according to the present invention , to be able to purify no x by using this new no x purification method , a hydrocarbon feed valve 15 for feeding hydrocarbons is arranged in the engine exhaust passage , an exhaust purification catalyst 13 is arranged in the engine exhaust passage downstream of the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 , precious metal catalysts 51 are carried on the exhaust gas flow surfaces of the exhaust purification catalyst 13 , the basic exhaust gas flow surface parts 54 are formed around the precious metal catalysts 51 , the exhaust purification catalyst 13 has the property of reducing the no x contained in exhaust gas if making a concentration of hydrocarbons flowing into the exhaust purification catalyst 13 vibrate within a predetermined range of amplitude and within a predetermined range of period and has the property of being increased in storage amount of no x contained in exhaust gas if making the vibration period of the concentration of hydrocarbons longer than this predetermined range , and , at the time of engine operation , the hydrocarbons are injected from the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 within the predetermined range of period to thereby reduce the no x which is contained in the exhaust gas in the exhaust purification catalyst 13 . that is the no x purification method which is shown from fig4 to fig6 a and 6b can be said to be a new no x purification method designed to remove no x without forming so much nitrates in the case of using an exhaust purification catalyst which carries precious metal catalysts and forms a basic layer which can absorb no x . in actuality , when using this new no x purification method , the nitrates which are detected from the basic layer 53 are smaller in amount compared with the case where making the exhaust purification catalyst 13 function as an no x storage catalyst . note that , this new no x purification method will be referred to below as the “ first no x removal method ”. now , as mentioned , before , if the injection period δt of the hydrocarbons from the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 becomes longer , the time period in which the oxygen concentration around the active no x * becomes higher becomes longer in the time period after the hydrocarbons are injected to when the hydrocarbons are next injected . in this case , in the embodiment shown in fig1 , if the injection period δt of the hydrocarbons becomes longer than about 5 seconds , the active no x * starts to be absorbed in the form of nitrates inside the basic layer 53 . therefore , as shown in fig1 , if the vibration period δt of the hydrocarbon concentration becomes longer than about 5 seconds , the no x purification rate r 1 falls . therefore , the injection period δt of the hydrocarbons has to be made 5 seconds or less . on the other hand , in the embodiment of the present invention , if the injection period δt of the hydrocarbons becomes about 0 . 3 second or less , the injected hydrocarbons start to build , up on the exhaust gas flow surfaces of the exhaust purification catalyst 13 , therefore , as shown in fig1 , if the injection period δt of the hydrocarbons becomes about 0 . 3 second or less , the no x purification rate r 1 falls . therefore , in the embodiment according to the present invention , the injection period of the hydrocarbons is made from 0 . 3 second to 5 seconds . now that , in the embodiment according to the present invention , when the no x purification action by the first no x purification method is performed , by controlling the injection amount and injection timing of hydrocarbons from the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 , the air - fuel ratio ( a / f ) in of the exhaust gas flowing into the exhaust purification catalyst 13 and the injection period δt of the hydrocarbons are controlled so as to become the optimal values for the engine operating state . in this case , in the embodiment according to the present invention , the optimum hydrocarbon injection amount wt when the no x purification action by the first no x purification method is performed is stored as a function of the injection amount q from fuel injectors 3 and the engine speed n in the form of a map such as shown in fig1 a in advance in the rom 32 . further , the optimum injection period δt of the hydrocarbons at this time is also stored as a function of the injection amount q from the fuel injectors 3 and the engine speed n in the form of a map such as shown in fig1 b in advance in the rom 32 . next , referring to fig1 and fig1 , an no x purification method when making the exhaust purification catalyst 13 function as an no x storage catalyst will be explained specifically . the no x purification method in the case of making the exhaust purification catalyst 13 function as an no x storage catalyst in this way will be referred to below as the “ second no x removal method ”. in this second no x removal method , as shown in fig1 , when the stored no x amount σno x of no x which is stored . in the basic layer 53 exceeds a predetermined allowable amount max , the air - fuel ratio ( a / f ) in of the exhaust gas flowing into the exhaust purification catalyst 13 is temporarily made rich . if the air - fuel ratio ( a / f ) in of the exhaust gas is made rich , the no x which was stored in the basic layer 53 when the air - fuel ratio ( a / f ) in of the exhaust gas was lean is released from the basic layer 53 all at one and reduced . due to this , the no x is removed . note that if the operating state of the engine is determined , the amount of no x which is exhausted from the engine is accordingly determined , in the example shown in fig1 , the stored no x amount σno x is calculated from the amount of no x exhausted in accordance with the operating state of the engine . in this second no x removal method , as shown in fig1 , by injecting an additional fuel wr into each combustion chamber 2 from the fuel injector 3 in addition to the combustion - use fuel q , the air - fuel ratio ( a / f ) in of the exhaust gas which flows into the exhaust purification catalyst 13 is made rich . note that , in fig1 , the abscissa indicates the crank angle . this additional fuel wr is injected at a timing at which it will burn , but will not appear as engine output , that is , slightly before atdc90 ° after compression top dead center . this fuel amount wr is stored as a function of the injection amount q and engine speed n in the form of a map in advance in the rom 32 . note that , in the embodiment according to the present invention , roughly speaking , the second no x removal method is used when the catalyst temperature tc is low while the first no x removal method is used when the catalyst temperature tc is high . fig1 a and 14b show enlarged views of the surrounding of the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 shown in fig1 . note that , fig1 a shows a fuel feed device 60 for feeding hydrocarbons , that is , fuel to the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 . as shown in fig1 a , the fuel feed device 60 is comprised of a pump chamber 61 which is filled with pressurized fuel , a pressurizing piston 62 for pressurizing the fuel in the pump chamber 61 , an actuator 63 for driving the pressurizing piston 62 , a pressurized fuel outflow chamber 65 which is connected through the fuel feed pipe 64 to the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 , and a pressure sensor 66 for detecting the fuel pressure in the pressurized fuel outflow chamber 65 . the pump chamber 61 is on the one hand connected to the fuel tank 22 through a check valve 67 which enables flow only from the fuel tank 22 toward the pump chamber 61 and on the other hand connected to the pressurized fuel outflow chamber 65 through a check valve 68 which enables flow only from the pump chamber 61 toward the pressurized fuel outflow chamber 65 . if the actuator 63 causes the pressurizing piston 62 to move to the right in fig1 a , the fuel in the fuel tank 22 is sent through the check valve 67 to the inside of the pump chamber 61 , while if the actuator 63 causes the pressurizing piston 62 to move to the left in fig1 a , the fuel in the pump chamber 61 is pressurized and sent through the check valve 63 to the inside of the pressurized fuel outflow chamber 65 . next , this fuel is fed to the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 . the fuel which is fed to the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 , that is , the hydrocarbons , is injected from the nozzle port of the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 along the injection path 69 to the inside of the exhaust gas . in the example which is shown in fig1 a , the nozzle port of this hydrocarbon feed valve 15 is arranged in a recessed part 70 which is formed at the inside wall surface of the exhaust pipe 12 . at the inside of this recessed part 70 , the injection path 69 is formed . fig1 shows an injection signal of hydrocarbons from the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 , a pump drive signal for driving the pressurizing piston 62 by the actuator 63 , a change of fuel pressure px of fuel which is fed to the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 , and a change of air - fuel ratio of exhaust gas which flows into the exhaust purification catalyst 13 when an no x removal action is performed by the first no x removal method . note that , the fuel pressure px of fuel which is fed to the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 shows the fuel pressure inside the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 , that is , the fuel pressure inside the fuel feed pipe 64 . if the pump drive signal is generated , the actuator 63 is driven and the fuel in the pump chamber 61 is pressurized by the pressurizing piston 62 . due to this , as shown in fig1 by the solid line , the fuel pressure px of the fuel which is fed to the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 is made to rapidly rise just a bit . next , the fuel pressure px falls just slightly due to the leakage of fuel to the pump chamber 61 etc . this fuel pressure px , as shown in fig1 by the solid line , is made to increase a little at a time until the target fuel pressure px 0 each time the pump drive signal is generated . if the fuel pressure px reaches the target fuel pressure pxo , after that , the pressurizing piston 62 is made to operate when the fuel pressure px falls lower than the target fuel pressure pxo and the action of increasing the fuel pressure px is performed . on the other hand , if the hydrocarbon injection signal is issued , the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 is made to open . due to this , the fuel , that is , hydrocarbons , is injected from the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 . note that at this time the opening time of the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 is made the injection time wt which is calculated from the map shown in fig1 a . if hydrocarbons are injected from the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 , as shown in fig1 by the solid line , the fuel pressure px of the fuel which is fed to the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 rapidly falls . if the fuel pressure px falls , the pressurizing piston 62 is made to operate each time the pump drive signal is generated and the fuel pressure px is made to increase a little at a time until the target fuel pressure pxo . in this regard , if the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 is clogged , the amount of hydrocarbons which are injected from the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 per unit time decreases . as a result , as shown an fig1 by the broken line , the drop δpx 2 of the fuel pressure px of the fuel which is fed to the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 when the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 is made to open becomes smaller . not that , in fig1 , δpx 1 shows the drop of fuel pressure px when the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 is not clogged . if the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 is clogged in this way , compared with when the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 is not clogged , the drop δpx of the fuel pressure px becomes smaller . therefore , when the drop δpx of the fuel pressure px becomes smaller , it can be judged that the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 is clogged . now , in fig1 , for example , when the fuel injector 3 is clogged , the drop in the fuel pressure inside the common rail 20 when fuel is injected from the fuel injector 3 decreases . however , in this case , since the volume of the common rail 20 is large , at this time , the drop in fuel pressure inside the common rail 20 is extremely small . therefore , at this time , it is difficult to detect clogging of the fuel injector 3 from the change in the drop of fuel pressure in the common rail 20 . however , in the fuel feed device 60 which is used in the present invention , the sum of the volumes of the parts which store the fuel which is fed to the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 , that is the sum of the volumes of the inside of the fuel feed pipe 64 , the inside of the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 , and the inside of pressurized fuel outflow chamber 65 , is small . therefore , when the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 is clogged , the drop δpx of the fuel pressure tx of the fuel which is fed to the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 greatly appears . therefore , in the present invention , it becomes possible to accurately detect from the drop δpx of the fuel pressure px whether the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 is clogged . note that , as will be understood from fig1 , when the drop δpx of the fuel pressure px falls from δpx 1 to δpx 2 , the fuel pressure px when it falls the most increases from px 1 to px 2 , the time tx after the fuel pressure px falls , then rises to the target pressure pxo is shortened from tx 1 to tx 2 , and the number of times the pump is driven when the fuel pressure px falls , then rises to the target pressure pxo decreases . in the present invention , at expressed in a representative manner to cover all of these phenomena , a drop δpx of the fuel pressure px is used . therefore , in the present invention , a small drop δpx of the fuel pressure px includes an increase of the fuel pressure px when fallen the most , a shorter time tx from when the fuel pressure px falls , then rises to the target pressure pxo , and a decreased number of times the pump is driven when the fuel pressure px falls , then rises to the target pressure pxo . now , if hydrocarbons are injected from the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 , the hydrocarbons are partially oxidized or oxidized on the exhaust purification catalyst 13 . the heat of oxidation reaction which occurs at this time is used to make the exhaust purification catalyst 13 rise in temperature . regarding the cases where the hydrocarbons which are injected from the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 are used to make the exhaust purification . catalyst 13 rise in temperature , these include the case of warming up the exhaust purification catalyst 13 , the case of releasing the so x from the exhaust purification catalyst 13 , and other cases , but below , the case of regenerating the particulate filter 14 by using the hydrocarbons which are injected from the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 to make the exhaust purification catalyst 13 rise in temperature will be used as an example to perform control to raise the temperature of the exhaust purification catalyst 13 . to regenerate the particulate filter 14 , it is necessary to make the temperature of the particulate filter 14 rise until the 600 ° c . or so regeneration temperature . in order to make the temperature of the particulate filter 14 rise until the regeneration temperature , the temperature of the exhaust purification catalyst 13 has to be raised to the target temperature at which the particulate filter 14 can start the regeneration action . next , the temperature raising control of the exhaust purification catalyst 13 will be explained with reference to fig1 . fig1 shows the the injection signal of hydrocarbons from the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 , the injection amount of hydrocarbons from the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 , and the change of the catalyst bed temperature tc of the exhaust purification catalyst 13 when performing regeneration control of the particulate filter 14 while performing the no x removal action by the first no x removal method . note that , in fig1 , tcx shows the target temperature at which the particulate filter 14 starts the regeneration action . in the region in fig1 which is shown by a , the temperature raising action of the exhaust purification catalyst 13 is not performed . at this time , the no x removal action by the first no x removal method is performed . at this time , the catalyst bed temperature tc of the exhaust purification catalyst 13 is maintained at a relatively low temperature . next , the temperature raising control of the exhaust purification catalyst 13 is performed while performing the no x removal action by the first no x removal method . at this time , the injection period of hydrocarbons from the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 is made shorter , and the amount of injection of hydrocarbons from the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 per unit time is increased . in the embodiment according to the present invention , the optimal hydrocarbon injection amount fwt when performing temperature raising control of the exhaust purification catalyst 13 while performing the no x removal action by the first no x removal method is stored as a function of the injection amount q from the fuel injector 3 and the engine speed n in the form of a map such as shown in fig1 a in advance in the rom 32 . further , the optimal injection period δft of hydrocarbons at this time is also stored as a function of the injection amount q from the fuel injector 3 and the engine speed n in the form of a map such as shown in fig1 b in advance in the rom 32 . if temperature raising control of the exhaust purification catalyst 13 is performed , usually as shown in fig1 by the solid line , the catalyst bed temperature tc of the exhaust purification catalyst 13 is raised by exactly δtc 1 and reaches the target temperature tcx whereby the action of regeneration of the particulate filter 14 is performed . that is , the amount of injection of hydrocarbons per unit time , corresponding to the operating state of the engine , required for raising the catalyst bed temperature tc of the exhaust purification catalyst 13 by exactly δtc 1 is found in advance . hydrocarbons are injected from the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 by this amount of injection of hydrocarbons per unit time found in advance required for raising the catalyst bed temperature tc of the exhaust purification catalyst 13 by exactly δtc 1 . at this time the catalyst bed temperature tc of the exhaust purification catalyst 13 is raised by exactly δtc 1 and reaches the target temperature tcx whereby the action of regeneration of the particulate filter 14 is performed . in this regard , in this case , if for example the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 clogs , even if an instruction is issued for injecting the hydrocarbons from the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 by the amount of injection of hydrocarbons found in advance required for raising the catalyst bed temperature tc of the exhaust purification catalyst 13 by exactly δtc 1 , the amount of injection of hydrocarbons from the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 is decreased . as a result , for example , as shown in fig1 by the broken line , the catalyst bed temperature tc of the exhaust purification catalyst 13 only rises by δtc 2 . therefore , in this case , it is necessary to correct the hydrocarbon injection amount per unit time to increase so that the catalyst bed temperature tc of the exhaust purification catalyst 13 reaches the target temperature tcx . however , when in this way using the catalyst bed temperature tc of the exhaust purification catalyst 13 as the basis to correct the injection amount of hydrocarbons , it is necessary to accurately estimate the catalyst bed temperature tc of the exhaust purification catalyst 13 . in this regard , if a large amount of hydrocarbons per injection is injected from the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 such as when the no x removal action by the first no x removal method is performed , the precision of estimation of the catalyst bed temperature tc of the exhaust purification catalyst 13 ends up falling . that is , even in the past , at the time of regeneration of the particulate filter , sometimes additional fuel is fed into the combustion chamber or exhaust passage , but when , as in the present invention , the regeneration control of the particulate filter 14 is performed while performing the no x removal action by the first no x removal method , the amount of hydrocarbons per injection from the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 becomes considerably greater compared with the past . if the amount of hydrocarbons per injection becomes greater , the hydrocarbons cannot completely react at just the front end of the exhaust purification catalyst 13 and react at the downstream side to generate the heat of reaction . as a result , the temperature gradient in the exhaust purification catalyst 13 becomes uneven . the catalyst bed temperature tc of the exhaust purification catalyst 13 is obtained by estimation or detection of one part somewhere in the exhaust purification catalyst 13 . therefore , if the temperature gradient in the exhaust purification catalyst 13 becomes uneven , the estimated or detected temperature no longer represents the be temperature tc of the catalyst as a whole . as a result , the precision of estimation of the catalyst bed temperature tc falls . in this way , when the no x removal action by the first no x removal method is being performed , the precision of estimation of the catalyst bed temperature it falls . therefore , for example , regardless of the fact that the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 is not clogged , there is the danger of the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 being mistakenly judged as clogged . to prevent such mistaken judgment , it is necessary to make up for the drop in the precision of estimation of the catalyst bed temperature tc . therefore , in the present invention , the judgment of the results of detection of the fuel pressure px of the fuel which is fed to the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 is jointly used . due to this , it is possible to judge clogging of the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 with a higher precision compared with judgment from a change of the catalyst bed temperature tc . in this regard , the temperature of the catalyst bed temperature tc of the exhaust purification catalyst 13 was found to be greatly affected not only by clogging of the hydrocarbon . feed valve 15 , but also other phenomena . next , this will be explained with reference to fig1 b . that is , if hydrocarbons are injected from the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 along the injection path 69 , the injected fuel deposits on the inside wall surfaces of the exhaust pipe 12 around the injection path 69 , mainly the inside , wall surfaces of the recessed part 70 , and sometimes the particulates contained in the exhaust gas gradually build up on the deposited injected fuel . in this case , deposits 71 form on the inside wall surfaces of the exhaust pipe 12 . due to the deposits 71 , the injection path 69 is clogged . if the deposits 71 form on the inside wall surfaces of the exhaust pipe 12 in this way , for example , even if hydrocarbons are injected from the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 to regenerate the particulate filter 14 , the hydrocarbons deposit on the deposits 71 and , as a result , the exhaust purification catalyst 13 is no longer sufficiently fed with hydrocarbons . therefore , in this case , even if the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 is not clogged , the catalyst bed temperature tc of the exhaust purification catalyst 13 no longer reaches the target temperature tcx . that is , even if the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 is clogged or even if the injection path 69 is clogged by the deposits 71 , the temperature rise of the exhaust purification catalyst 13 due to the hydrocarbons which are fed from the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 becomes smaller than a predetermined rise . in other words , when the temperature rise of the exhaust purification catalyst 13 due to the hydrocarbons which are fed from the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 becomes smaller than the predetermined rise , it can be judged that the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 is clogged or the injection path 69 is clogged by the deposits 71 . in this case , when hydrocarbons are injected from the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 , if the drop δpx of the fuel pressure px of the fuel which is fed to the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 becomes smaller , it is judged that the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 is clogged . therefore , when the temperature rise of the exhaust purification catalyst 13 due to the hydrocarbons which are fed from the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 becomes smaller than a predetermined rise , if the drop δpx of the fuel pressure px of the fuel which is fed to the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 becomes larger , it can be judged that the injection path 69 is clogged by the deposits 71 . therefore , in the present invention , in a control system of an internal combustion engine which comprises an exhaust purification catalyst 13 arranged in an engine exhaust passage , a hydrocarbon feed valve 15 arranged in the engine exhaust passage upstream of the exhaust purification catalyst 13 , and a fuel feed device 60 for feeding fuel to the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 , and in which hydrocarbons is injected from the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 into an exhaust gas along a predetermined injection path , and fuel pressure of fuel which is fed to the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 falls when hydrocarbons are injected from the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 , when a temperature rise of the exhaust purification catalyst 13 due to the hydrocarbon fed from the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 as smaller than a predetermined rise and a drop of the fuel pressure of fuel fed to the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 is larger than a predetermined drop , it is judged that the injection path 69 is clogged . fig1 shows the injection control routine for working this invention . this routine is executed by interruption every fixed time period . referring to fig1 , first , at step 80 , hydrocarbons are injected from the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 and the no x removal action by the first no x removal method is performed . next , at step 81 , the change of the catalyst bed temperature tc of the exhaust purification catalyst 13 is estimated . this catalyst bed temperature tc can be estimated using a model and can be estimated from the output value of the temperature sensor 23 . next , at step 82 , the change of the fuel pressure px of the fuel which is fed to the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 is detected by the fuel pressure sensor 66 . next , at step 83 , it is judged if the temperature rise δtc of the exhaust purification catalyst 13 due to the hydrocarbons fed from the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 is smaller than a predetermined set amount and the drop δpx of the fuel pressure of fuel fed to the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 is larger than a predetermined set amount . in this case , the predetermined set amount for the temperature rise δtc is , for example , made a temperature rise corresponding to 80 percent of the predetermined temperature rise δtc 1 , while the predetermined set amount for the drop δpx of the feed fuel pressure px is , for example , made a fuel , pressure drop corresponding to 80 percent of the drop δpx 1 of the feed fuel pressure px when the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 is not clogged . when , at step 83 , it is judged that the temperature rise δtc of the exhaust purification catalyst 13 due to the hydrocarbons fed from the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 is smaller than the predetermined set amount and the drop δpx of the fuel pressure of fuel fed to the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 is larger than the predetermined set amount , the routine proceeds to step 84 where it is judged that the injection path 69 is clogged . on the other hand , when it is judged from the drop δpx of the fuel pressure px of the fuel which is fed to the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 that the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 is clogged , if the catalyst bed temperature tc of the exhaust purification catalyst 13 reaches the target temperature tcx , it becomes questionable if the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 is actually clogged . as opposed to this , when it is judged from the drop δpx of the fuel pressure px of the fuel which is fed to the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 that the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 is clogged , if the catalyst bed temperature tc of the exhaust purification catalyst 13 does not reach the target temperature tcx , the possibility of the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 being clogged becomes extremely high . that is , when the drop δpx of the fuel pressure px of the fuel which is fed to the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 becomes small when hydrocarbons are injected from the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 , if the temperature rise of the exhaust purification catalyst 13 due to the hydrocarbons which are fed from the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 becomes smaller than a predetermined rise , it can be judged that the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 is clogged . therefore , in the present invention , in a control system of internal combustion engine which comprises an exhaust purification catalyst 13 arranged in an engine exhaust passage , a hydrocarbon feed valve 15 arranged in the engine exhaust passage upstream of the exhaust purification catalyst 13 , and a fuel feed device 60 for feeding fuel to the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 , and in which hydrocarbons is injected from the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 into an exhaust gas along a predetermined injection path , and fuel pressure of fuel which is fed to the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 fails when hydrocarbons are injected from the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 , when a temperature rise of the exhaust purification catalyst 13 due to the hydrocarbons fed from the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 is smaller than a predetermined rise and a drop of the fuel pressure of fuel fed to the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 is smaller than a predetermined drop , it is judged that the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 is clogged . fig1 shows the injection control routine for working this invention . this routine is executed by interruption every fixed time period . referring to 19 , first , at step 90 , hydrocarbons are injected from the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 and the no x removal action by the first no x removal method is performed . next , at step 91 , the change of the catalyst bed temperature tc of the exhaust purification catalyst 13 is estimated . this catalyst bed temperature tc can be estimated using a model and can be estimated from the output value of the temperature sensor 23 . next , at step 92 , the change of the fuel pressure px of the fuel which is fed to the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 is detected by the fuel pressure sensor 66 . next , at step 93 , it is judged if the temperature rise δtc of the exhaust purification catalyst 13 due to the hydrocarbons fed from the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 is smaller than a predetermined set amount and the drop δpx of the fuel pressure of fuel fed to the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 is smaller than a predetermined set amount . in this case as well , in the same way as the injection control routine which is shown in fig1 , the predetermined set amount for the temperature rise δtc is , for example , made a temperature rise corresponding to 80 percent of the predetermined temperature rise δtc 1 , while the predetermined set amount for the drop δpx of the feed fuel pressure px is , for example , made a fuel pressure drop corresponding to 80 percent of the drop δpx 1 of the feed fuel pressure px when the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 is not clogged . when , at step 93 , it is judged that the temperature rise δtc of the exhaust purification catalyst 13 due to the hydrocarbons fed from the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 is smaller than the predetermined set amount and the drop δpx of the fuel pressure of fuel fed to the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 is smaller than the predetermined set amount , the routine proceeds to step 94 where it is judged that the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 is clogged . fig2 shows another embodiment of the injection control routine . in this embodiment , when the possibility of the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 clogging is extremely high , an increase correction for increasing the amount of hydrocarbons fed from the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 is performed . explaining this slightly more specifically , in this embodiment , the injection amount wto of hydrocarbons from the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 is made a value (= k · wt or k · fwt ) which is obtained by multiplying the injection amount wt shown in fig1 a or the injection amount ft shown in fig1 a with the correction coefficient k (≧ 1 . 0 ). furthermore , in this embodiment , when the drop δpx of the fuel pressure px of the fuel which is fed to the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 becomes smaller when hydrocarbons are injected from the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 , the correction coefficient k is made greater the smaller the drop δpx of the feed fuel pressure px . for example , when hydrocarbons are injected from the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 , if the drop δpx of the fuel pressure px of the fuel which is fed to the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 , as shown in fig1 , is decreased from drop δpx 1 where the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 is not clogged to the drop δpx 2 , the correction coefficient k is made k = δpx 1 / δpx 2 . on the other hand , in this embodiment , when it is judged that the injection path 69 is clogged by the deposits 71 , an exhaust gas amount increasing action which increases an amount of exhaust gas is performed so that the flow of exhaust gas blows of the deposits 71 . in this case , the amount of exhaust gas which is exhausted from the engine increases the higher the engine load and increases the smaller the opening degree of the for control valve 17 is made , that is , the more the amount of recirculation of the exhaust gas is decreased . therefore , in this embodiment according to the present invention , the amount of exhaust gas is increased by decreasing the amount of recirculation of the exhaust gas . in this case , preferably , at the time of engine high load operation , the egr control valve 17 is closed to make the recirculation action of the exhaust gas stop so as to increase the amount of exhaust gas . fig2 shows an injection control routine for working this invention . this routine is executed by interruption every fixed time period . referring to fig2 , first , at step 100 , the amount of injection wto of hydrocarbons from the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 (= k · wt or k · fwt ) is calculated by multiplying the injection amount nt shown in fig1 a or the in action amount fwt shown in fig1 a with the correction coefficient k . that is , when the injection amount wt shown in fig1 a is used as the injection amount wto of the hydrocarbons from the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 , the injection amount wt shown in fig1 a is multiplied with the correction coefficient k (= k · wt ) while when the injection amount fwt shown in fig1 a is used as the injection amount wto of the hydrocarbons from the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 , the injection amount fwt shown in fig1 a is multiplied with the correction coefficient k (= k · fwt ). at step 101 , hydrocarbons are injected from the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 by the injection amount wto which is calculated at step 100 , and the no x removal action by the first no x removal method is performed . next , at step 102 , the change of the catalyst bed temperature tc of the exhaust purification catalyst 13 is estimated . this catalyst bed temperature tc can be estimated using a model and can be estimated from the output value of the temperature sensor 23 . next , at step 103 , the change of the fuel pressure px of the fuel which is fed to the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 is detected by the fuel pressure sensor 66 . next , at step 104 , it is judged if the temperature rise δtc of the exhaust purification catalyst 13 due to the hydrocarbons which are fed from the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 is smaller than a predetermined set amountg . in this case , the predetermined set amount for the temperature rise δtc is , for example , made a temperature rise corresponding to 80 percent of the preset temperature rise δtc 1 . when the temperature rise δtc of the exhaust purification catalyst 13 due to the hydrocarbons which are fed from the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 is smaller than the predetermined set amount , the routine proceeds to step 105 where it is judged if the drop δpx of the feed fuel pressure px to the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 when hydrocarbons are injected from the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 is larger than a predetermined set amount . in this case , the predetermined set amount for the drop δpx of the feed fuel pressure px is , for example , made a fuel pressure drop corresponding to 80 percent of the drop δpx 1 of the feed fuel pressure px when the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 is clogged . when at step 105 it is judged that the drop δpx of the feed fuel pressure px to the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 when hydrocarbons are injected from the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 is larger than the predetermined set amount , it is judged that the injection path 69 is clogged , then the routine proceeds to step 106 where the exhaust gas amount increasing action which increases an amount of exhaust gas is performed . as opposed to this , when at step 105 it is judged that the drop δpx of the feed fuel pressure px to the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 when hydrocarbons are injected from the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 is smaller than the predetermined set amount , it is judged that the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 is clogged , then the routine proceeds to step 107 where the correction coefficient k is calculated . that is , the increase correction for increasing the amount of hydrocarbons fed from the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 is performed . fig2 shows an embodiment designed to detect the drop δpx of the fuel pressure px of the fuel which is fed to the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 before performing the temperature raising control when an instruction is issued to perform regeneration control of the particulate filter 14 . note that , when the pressure difference before and after the particulate filter 14 which is detected by the differential pressure sensor 24 is over a predetermined set pressure , an instruction is issued to perform regeneration control of the particulate filter 14 . when an instruction is issued to perform regeneration control of the particulate filter 14 , the regeneration control which is shown in fig2 is performed . this regeneration control routine is performed by interruption every fixed time period . referring to fig2 , first , at step 110 , it is judged if the detection of the drop δpx of the fuel pressure px of the fuel which is fed to the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 has been completed . when the detection of the drop δpx of the fuel pressure px of the fuel which is fed to the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 has not been completed , the routine proceeds to step 111 where the injection amount wto (= k · wt ) of hydrocarbons from the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 is calculated by multiplying the injection amount wt shown in fig1 a with the correction coefficient k . next , at step 112 , hydrocarbons are injected from the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 by the injection amount wto which is calculated at step 111 , and the no x removal action by the first no x removal method is performed . next , at step 113 , it is judged if the steady state of the engine has been continuing for a certain time or more , that is , if the steady state of the engine is stable . when the steady state of the engine is stable , the routine proceeds to step 114 . at step 114 , the chance of the fuel pressure px of the fuel which is fed to the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 is detected by the fuel pressure sensor 66 . next , at step 115 , it is judged if the drop δfx of the feed fuel pressure px to the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 when hydrocarbons are injected from the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 is smaller than a predetermined set amount . in this case , the predetermined set amount for the drop δpx of the feed fuel pressure px is for example made a fuel pressure drop corresponding to 80 percent of the drop δpx 1 of the feed fuel pressure px when the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 is not clogged . when at step 115 it is judged that the drop δpx of the feed fuel pressure px to the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 when hydrocarbons are injected from the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 is smaller than the predetermined set amount , it is judged that the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 is clogged , then the routine proceeds to step 116 where the correction coefficient k is calculated . that is , the increase correction for increasing the amount of hydrocarbons fed from the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 is performed . when the detection of the drop δpx of the fuel pressure px of the fuel which is fed to the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 has been completed , the routine proceeds from step 110 to step 117 where the injection amount wto (= k · fwt ) of hydrocarbons from the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 is calculated by multiplying the injection amount fwt shown in fig1 a with the correction coefficient k . next , at step 118 , hydrocarbons are injected from the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 by the injection amount wto which is calculated at step 117 and the temperature raising control of the exhaust purification catalyst 13 is started . next , at step 119 , the change in the catalyst bed temperature tc of the exhaust purification catalyst 13 is estimated . this catalyst bed temperature tc can be estimated using a model and can also be estimated from the output value of the temperature sensor 23 . next , at step 120 , it is judged if the temperature raising action of the exhaust purification catalyst 13 has been completed . when the temperature raising action of the exhaust purification catalyst 13 has been completed , the routine proceeds to step 121 . at step 121 , it is judged if the temperature rise δtc of the exhaust purification catalyst 13 due to the hydrocarbons which are fed from the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 is smaller than a predetermined set amount . in this case , the predetermined set amount for the temperature rise δtc is , for example , made a temperature rise corresponding to 80 percent of the temperature rise temperature rise δtc 1 found in advance . when the temperature rise δtc of the exhaust purification catalyst 13 due to the hydrocarbons which are fed from the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 is smaller than the predetermined set amount , the routine proceeds to step 122 where it is judged if the correction coefficient k is larger than the set value k 0 , that is , if the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 is clogged . when the correction coefficient k is not larger than the set value k 0 , that is , when the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 is not clogged , the routine proceeds to step 123 where the exhaust gas amount increasing action which increases an amount of exhaust gas is performed . in the embodiment which is shown in fig2 , when in the operating region which is shown in fig1 by a , the drop of the fuel pressure of fuel fed to the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 is detected , and when the temperature raising control is being performed , the temperature rise of the exhaust purification catalyst 13 is detected . on the other hand , as explained above , when the temperature raising control of the exhaust purification catalyst 13 is performed , compared with the time of the operating region which is shown in fig1 by a , the amount of hydrocarbons which are injected from the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 per unit time is made to increase . therefore , the amount of feed of hydrocarbons per unit time when detecting the temperature rise of the exhaust purification catalyst 13 is made larger than the amount of feed of hydrocarbons per unit time when detecting the drop of the fuel pressure of fuel fed to the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 . further , in the embodiment which is shown in fig2 , when the amount of feed of hydrocarbons per unit time from the hydrocarbon feed valve 15 is made to increase so as to regenerate the particulate filter 14 , the temperature rise of the exhaust purification catalyst 13 is detected . note that , as another embodiment , it is also possible to arrange an oxidation catalyst for reforming hydrocarbons upstream of the exhaust purification catalyst 13 in the engine exhaust passage .
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referring to the drawing and in particular to fig1 the invention comprises a payout device for sheets . an elevator 11 is provided in the form of a big rectangular plate ( see the lower portion of fig1 ). elevator 11 acts to pile the sheet bodies such as bills and to upwardly carry the layered sheet bodies . the elevator 11 is equipped to rise when the weight is lightened . this is accomplished by means of a spring ( not shown ) and the like which is sensitive to the weight . two standing guide frames 12 , 13 surround each end part of the elevator 11 . the standing guide frames 12 , 13 are , for instance , plate bodies which are formed to be bent in the u - shaped form . in the upper portion of guide frame 12 on the left or outlet side of the apparatus as shown in fig1 an outlet 14 is formed to pay out a sheet body ( not shown ). at the lower edge of this outlet 14 , a guide fragment 15 is provided . near the upper outside portion of the outlet 14 a gripper in the form of , two pairs of rubber rollers 16 , 17 are disposed . these rubber rollers 16 , 17 act to sandwich and draw out the sheet body . these rollers 16 , 17 are preferably mounted on a case 34 of a box form which covers the whole apparatus and forms a drawer means . a sheet body suction apparatus 21 is provided as a slightly big box form , shown at the center of fig1 . this suction apparatus 21 , as shown in fig2 and fig4 is provided with a lower part or receiving side with an opening 22 and the upper part with a small opening 23 . the suction apparatus 21 is fixed on by welding or the like inside the guide frame 13 . the guide frame 13 is intervened by one pair of protruded arms 24 , 25 . the suction apparatus 21 is , as shown in fig2 formed at the slightly raised and diagonal posture against the elevator 11 . at the center on the suction apparatus 21 , a small fan apparatus 26 is disposed . in the drawing , the fan apparatus 26 is illustrated schematically . when the fan apparatus 26 is driven , as shown at the arrow in fig2 air flows to the small opening 23 from the big opening 22 . as an alternative an insert tube ( not shown ) may be provided , inserted into the small opening 23 instead of the fan apparatus 26 . such an insert tube may be mounted in an airtight manner for providing suction . in the big opening 22 of suction apparatus 21 at nearly the outlet 14 , a small rubber wheel in the form of a small rubber tire 27 is rotatably disposed on an shaft . a pulley 28 is fixed at the out end of the rotating axis of tire 27 . this tire 27 operates to send out a sheet body ( not shown ) which was absorbed or sucked up at the opening 22 of suction apparatus 21 to the direction of outlet 14 by the frictional power which occurs based on contact between the sheet body and the rubber wheel 27 . a motor 29 is provided on the suction apparatus 21 . the motor 29 is fixed to a pulley 30 which is provided on the shaft axis of the motor 29 . a rubber belt 31 , which acts as a transmission device , is expanded over the pulleys 28 , 30 to provide a pulley pair . the operation of the embodiment which comprises the above - mentioned constitution , is described below firstly as with reference to the showing of fig5 a . a plurality of sheet bodies s are piled on the elevator 11 in a layered manner . when the sheet body s is a bill , a gap g between the first sheet body s 1 on the sheet bodies s and the edge most below in the opening 22 is desirably about 5 mm . however , the size of gap g may be changed on the basis of the size , the thickness , the weight and the like such as sheet bodies s which are in the form of a card . therefore , one is not limited to above - mentioned numerical value , of course . next , when the suction apparatus 26 is driven , as shown in fig5 b , the air is blown upwardly and the negative pressure occurs in the opening 22 . the sheet body s 1 , the uppermost top sheet body s , is as a result absorbed or sucked up at the opening 22 , as shown in fig5 b . in this case , the underside of the suction apparatus 21 , i . e . the edge surface on the opening 22 has an angle k ( referring to fig5 a ) to the horizontal plane . therefore , the sheet body s 1 is , as shown in fig5 b , bent at a bend line located at ⅓ from the right or opposite side of the apparatus or the body s 1 . as a result , in case of sheet bodies s being new bills , or in case of sheet bodies s being so - called new tickets , by this bend , the top new bill is totally separated from the new bill below . therefore , there is the certainty that two - sheets ( sheet bodies s ) do not pass out . in case of cards it may not be possible to provide for such a bend or the like . the angle k is not necessary . moreover , at the underside of the box - shaped suction apparatus 21 , as seen in fig2 the opening edges 32 , 33 form a part of a receiving surface of the receiving side . as shown in fig4 b , the area of the opening 22 is larger than the area of the receiving surface . the receiving surfaces formed by edges 32 , 33 on either side of the opening 22 are curved slightly and projectingly to the lower direction , as shown fig4 a . in the case of a bill in which a short portion is left with the sheet body s rounded or curled , the bill is curved to the direction of the width of the bill with the curve of opening edges 32 , 33 when the bill is absorbed by the suction apparatus 21 . therefore , the curl in the length direction is removed and the bill becomes flat . however , the opening edges 32 , 33 on either side may also be curved and depressed to the upper direction , contrary to fig4 a . also , in case of the sheet body s which doesn &# 39 ; t have a curl and the like , the curves of the concave or convex opening edges 32 , 33 are not necessary of course . next , in the condition shown in fig5 b , when the motor 29 is operated , the tire 27 is rotated through the pulley 30 , the belt 31 , the pulley 28 . as the result , as shown in fig5 c , the sheet body s 1 which is absorbed on the opening 22 is sent out to the direction of outlet 14 by the friction power of the tire 27 . when the about ¼ portion on the left side ( viewing fig5 c ) of sheet body s 1 is sent out , the tip part of this sheet body s 1 is sandwiched between rollers 16 and 17 which are paired . as soon as this is sandwiched , it is quickly dragged by the rollers 16 , 17 which turn faster than the tire 27 and , as shown in fig5 d , it begins to be paid out to the outside direction . when moving from the condition of fig5 c to the condition of fig5 d , the tip part of the first sheet body s 1 is put between a pair of rollers 16 and 17 , and an approximately ⅔ portion on the left side of sheet body s 1 is sent out from the suction apparatus 21 . at this time , the illustration is omitted and , the about a right half portion of opening 22 ( in fig5 d ) is released , and the center of the following second sheet body s 2 is sucked and rises up . moreover , when the whole opening 22 is released , the following sheet body s 2 is , as shown in fig5 d , absorbed at the opening 22 of the suction apparatus 21 . further , in the operation description at the above mentioned fig5 a - 5 d , the suction apparatus 21 is continuously driven and the tire 27 is rotated as needed . however , continuous rotation of the tire 27 is also possible and the calculation of the number of sheet bodies s to pay out is made with another apparatus ( not shown ). the invention allows a payout of sheet bodies s surely and with certainty and moreover at higher speed than prior devices . also , according to the invention and the disclosed preferred embodiment , the tire ( or wheel ) is disposed within the opening 22 of the suction apparatus . however , depending on the size , the hardness and the like of sheet body s , the opening 22 is made small and the tire 27 may be disposed outside of opening 22 . in this case , the tire 27 touches a part of the sheet body s which is outside the suction apparatus 21 or a part of the card body and , the sheet or card body is sent out by the frictional power . also , in the description so far , a sending out apparatus of which the elevator 11 is arranged below is illustrated . however , being based on the size , the thickness of the sheet or the card body and the like , the apparatus of which the elevator 11 is arranged diagonally or perpendicularly or above is permitted of course . in other words , depending on the size , the thickness of the sheet or the card body and the like , even if the sending out apparatus illustrated is mounted on a setting up condition or on a upside down condition or on a tumble condition , a similar operation is gotten of course . according to this present invention above mentioned , by the combination with simple constitution , a desirable effect is achieved that a sheet body payout apparatus is provided with a small and simple structure . that is , by combining a suction means of the fan and the like and a sending out means of the tire and the like according to this present invention , a sheet body payout apparatus with the small and simple structure is attained . in addition , according to this present invention , a big advantage is also attained that sheet bodies one by one can be sent surely and at high speed . while a specific embodiment of the invention has been shown and described in detail to illustrate the application of the principles of the invention , it will be understood that the invention may be embodied otherwise without departing from such principles .
| 1 |
the ir imaging fiber of the present invention and the method to make it are novel and have unique features . the fiber is comprised of a non - silica glass , specifically a chalcogenide glass , and more specifically an arsenic sulfide - based glass . as shown in fig1 , the fiber has a square cross sectional shape 101 invariable in shape and dimension along the fiber length . the fiber has multiple fiber cores 102 arranged in a regular rectangular lattice , running the entire length of the fiber . the spacing between any two adjacent cores 103 is constant and double the distance 104 between any core along the fiber perimeter 105 and the outer surface of the fiber 106 . the cores 102 may be round , approximately round , square , or some other shape . as shown in fig2 , the fiber has a proximal end 201 and a distal end 202 . the cores of the fiber are coherently registered such that each core ( e . g . 203 , 204 , 205 ) is in the same relative position at the proximal end 201 , the distal end 202 , and everywhere along the length of the fiber between the ends . in some embodiments , the fiber has a polymer webbing 301 between each adjacent core and around the outer surface of the fiber as shown in fig3 . this polymer serves to mechanically protect the outer surface and strengthen the fiber . it also reduces cross - talk by absorbing any light leaking from one core thus preventing it from entering another core . in a preferred embodiment , the polymer is polyethersulfone . as shown in fig4 , the imaging fibers of the present invention can function as building blocks for a larger ir imaging fiber bundle 401 . the fiber bundle in fig4 consists of nine multi - core square - registered coherent imaging fibers , each comprising 25 cores . the fiber bundle is also square registered and coherent , meaning that the individual fibers are in the same relative spatial position and rotation at the proximal 402 and distal 403 ends . by fusing the imaging fibers over a short length 404 , 405 at the ends only , large bundles are possible while maintaining flexibility . since the inter - core spacing within the fiber 103 is exactly double the core to fiber perimeter distance 104 , bundles assembled from this fiber have a consistent inter - core spacing across the entire array , including near the fiber joints 407 . these fibers are fabricated using a multi - step extrusion and preform - draw process . first , cladding tubes with a square outer shape and a single round hole are extruded from an ir transparent glass . the tube width is approximately 10 - 20 mm and the hole is approximately 8 - 18 mm in diameter . second , a solid , round ir glass core rod is cast , for example in a silica ampoule . the diameter of the core rod ( approximately 7 . 9 - 17 . 9 mm ) is slightly smaller than the hole of the cladding tube . the glass comprising the core rod has a slightly different composition than the glass comprising the cladding tube , such that it has a larger refractive index . this index contrast determines the numerical aperture of the imaging fiber . third , the core rod is inserted into the cladding tube , forming a core - clad preform assembly . at this time , a thin ( about 10 - 100 μm thick ) layer of polymer film may be applied to the outer surface of the cladding tube and become a part of the core - clad preform assembly , if it is desired to have a cross - talk reducer in the final fiber . the core - clad preform assembly is now consolidated by fusing the components at an elevated temperature . a self - squaring press may be used during this step to ensure the outer shape of the core - clad preform does not deform , or for correcting the outer shape of an imperfect preform . a vacuum may optionally be used during this step to ensure no gaps at the core - clad interface or the clad - polymer interface . fourth , the consolidated core - clad preform is stretched into cane , for example on a fiber optic draw tower , to widths smaller than the preform ( around 0 . 5 - 2 mm ). fifth , short lengths ( about 4 - 40 cm ) of cane are assembled into a registered preform by stacking them in a squaring press . care is taken to not impart any twist or crossing among the canes . sixth , the registered preform is consolidated by simultaneously heating and pressing the preform . the pressing is best done using a self - squaring press and applying equal force from all 4 sides of the square registered preform . the ends of the preform may be constrained , but pressing on the ends is not required . seventh , the consolidated registered preform is drawn on a fiber optic draw tower into a coherent imaging fiber using standard fiber drawing practices . the fiber typically has a width of about 100 - 1000 μm . example 1 is a 25 - core , square - registered coherent ir imaging fiber and is shown schematically in fig1 and 2 . the individual cores 102 are comprised of as - 39 %- s - 61 % glass and are surrounded by a continuous glass cladding matrix comprised of as - 38 %- s - 62 % glass . the core diameter is approximately 40 μm . the core pitch , the center - to - center spacing between cores is approximately 50 μm . the fiber width is approximately 250 μm . example 2 is a 25 - core , square - registered coherent ir imaging fiber with cross - talk reducing barrier 301 , the cross - section of which is shown schematically in fig3 . this barrier is comprised of a polymer film , specifically polyethersulfone ( pes ) and is approximately 0 . 5 μm thick . the individual cores are comprised of as - 39 %- s - 61 % glass and are surrounded by a cladding comprised of as - 38 %- s - 62 % glass . the core diameter is approximately 30 μm . the core pitch is approximately 42 μm . the fiber width is approximately 210 μm . example 3 is a 64 - core , square registered coherent ir imaging fiber , an optical micrograph of an illuminated end face is shown in fig5 ( a ). the cores are comprised of as - 39 %- s - 61 % glass and have diameters between 18 μm and 20 μm . the core pitch ranges from 38 μm - 40 μm . the cladding is a continuous matrix comprised of as - 38 %- s - 62 % glass . the end face of this fiber measures 316 μm × 325 μm . the cross - talk for this fiber is shown in fig5 ( b ). example 4 is a 64 - core , square registered coherent ir imaging fiber with crosstalk reducing barrier , an optical micrograph of an illuminated end face is shown in fig6 ( a ). the diameters of the individual cores measure 18 μm - 20 μm , and the core pitch ranges from 38 μm - 40 μm . the end face of this fiber measures 316 μm × 325 μm . the cross - talk for this fiber is & lt ; 1 % and is shown in fig6 ( b ). the above descriptions are those of the preferred embodiments of the invention . various modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teachings without departing from the spirit and broader aspects of the invention . it is therefore to be understood that the claimed invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described . any references to claim elements in the singular , for example , using the articles “ a ,” “ an ,” “ the ,” or “ said ,” is not to be construed as limiting the element to the singular .
| 2 |
regardless of the fact that for mail collection purposes the present invention can be installed as a completely independent unit , its processes will be described on the assumption that the machine is connected to telephone and telex lines . each of the machine &# 39 ; s processes will be separately described according to the following order : use of the machine as a data listing and data entering device ; referring specifically to the drawings , fig1 illustrates one embodiment of the present invention . with reference to fig1 and in accordance with the invention , there is provided a coin changer 2 with escrow to vend / escrow to select ability , a bill acceptor / validator 3 with escrow to vend / escrow to select ability , a magnetic and ic card reader / writer 4 , a dot matrix printer 5 with an opening 51 for refilling with paper and ribbon , an alphanumerical keyboard 6 , a liquid crystal display ( lcd ) 8 , a transparent glass window 7 , a phone handle dialing unit 10 , and a disc drive unit 11 all built into the machine housing 1 . referring now to fig1 , and 12 , the machine &# 39 ; s front - placed photo sensor 9 is also built into the machine housing 1 and upon detecting a person standing in front of the housing 1 indicates this to the machine &# 39 ; s central processing unit ( cpu ) 37 which causes a wake - up routine to occur . first , instructions for the starting procedure are displayed on the machine &# 39 ; s lcd 8 . these instructions include information on how a minimum amount in coins , bills , magnetic cards , or ic cards is to be inserted and how to enter commands which select the desired machine function . as shown in fig1 and 12 , cpu 37 starts by reading the status of the coin changer 2 and if changer 2 activity is detected , the accumulated amount in escrow is counted , the information is loaded into the temporary memory unit 40 , and the balance is displayed on lcd 8 . if no changer 2 activity is detected , cpu 37 reads the status of the bill acceptor / validator 3 , which upon bill insertion automatically checks the bill &# 39 ; s validity and , if the bill is valid , drives it into escrow . if this is the case , the bill is held in escrow , the accumulated amount is counted , the information is loaded into temporary memory unit 40 , and the balance is displayed on lcd 8 . if after a reasonable period of time the amount in escrow , either in bills or in coins , is still lower than requested , a request for additional fund insertion is displayed . if within a reasonable period of time an additional amount is not inserted , the amount in escrow is returned and the machine goes back to the starting procedure as shown in fig1 . if neither coin changer 2 nor bill acceptor / validator 3 activity is detected , the status of the magnetic and ic card reader / writer 4 is read , as shown in fig1 , and if any card is inserted , the procedure is continued , as shown in fig1 , to identify what kind of a card was inserted . if the inserted card is identified as a credit card , the machine checks the card &# 39 ; s validity and if it is not valid returns it by the procedure shown in fig1 . the procedure further includes a check of whether the card is one with or without a pin ( personal identification number ). if the card has a pin , a request to enter the pin is displayed . the customer gets two chances to enter the correct corresponding pin on keyboard 6 and if after the second try the correct pin is not entered , the card is returned and the process is suspended as shown in fig1 . when a valid credit or ic card and a correct pin are entered , the card is kept inside the reader / writer 4 until the entire process is completed . if the inserted card is identified as a debit card , the company identification is checked and , if correct , the machine continues the procedure by checking whether a minimum amount exists on the card as shown in fig1 . if a minimum amount exists , the machine enables the process to continue , holding the card until the process is finished . if , however , any of the checks do not comply with the requirements , the card is returned and the process is suspended as shown in fig1 . after any initial minimum amount requirement is satisfied , the machine can continue the process for any of the machine &# 39 ; s functions . the mail collection process will be described first . referring now to fig1 , 3 , 4 , 5 , and 15 , if a customer enters an instruction that the mail collection process is desired , the instruction on how to insert a mailing is displayed on lcd 8 and the solenoid 13 opens the insertion sliding door as shown in fig2 . the customer then inserts the mailing into the scale insertion slot 12 , fig2 and as soon as the loading photosensor 30 , fig4 detects the incoming mailing , the electromotor 27 is activated and its transmission mechanism 28 drives the first transport conveyor 25 which turns over its transmission cylinders 29 , fig4 and carries the mailing toward the right border of the insertion slot 12 as shown in fig5 . when the second loading sensor 31 , fig4 detects the mailing &# 39 ; s edge , the electromotor 27 stops , thereby causing the first transport conveyor 25 to stop and the mailing is left positioned in front of the printing window 122 , as shown in fig3 and 4 , and behind the mailing pressing panel 16 , as shown in fig2 and 5 . according to the physical configuration of the present invention , the insertion slot 12 , the transport conveyor mechanisms 25 , 27 , 28 , and 29 , and the mailing pressing mechanisms 14 , 15 , and 16 are all mounted on the electronic scale device 26 so that they do not influence the weight calculation of the mailing during the mailing procedure . when the transport conveyor 25 stops , the scale weighing device 26 is activated and the mailing weight data is then loaded into the temporary memory unit 40 . simultaneously , instructions on how to enter the required data about the mailing &# 39 ; s destination on keyboard 6 are displayed and the customer has to enter this data . the customer can read this data from the face of the mailing because the mailing has to be inserted in such a way that the address written on its face comes behind the transparent glass window 7 and the transparent mailing pressing panel 16 and can be read from outside of the machine after the mailing is driven inside the insertion slot 12 . the data to be entered on keyboard 6 may comprise the mailing &# 39 ; s country of destination , the zip code , and a variety of special requests such as registered mail , express mail , etc ., or any other data required by company standards . referring now to fig1 , according to the data about the mailing weight , the data about the destination and about any special requests , and based on any instructions stored in the machine &# 39 ; s memory , a charge is calculated and displayed together with a request for an additional payment if the amount in escrow is not sufficient to cover the charge . as shown in fig1 , the customer is asked to insert an additional amount and if the request is not fulfilled after a second displayed warning , the mailing and any already inserted cash are returned . according to this procedure , and as shown in fig1 , both the first and the second transport conveyors are activated and they drive the mailing out of the machine housing 1 through the returning sliding door which is opened by its solenoid 24 as shown in fig2 . if the charge is to be paid by a magnetic card , the machine continues the procedure as shown in fig1 . if the existing credit on the debit card is not sufficient , an additional amount can be inserted in cash or paid by a new debit card after the first card is debited to zero . if , however , the request is not fulfilled , the machine continues the above described returning procedure as shown in fig1 . for payment with a credit or ic card , as shown in fig1 , the data about the card and any corresponding charge is loaded into temporary memory unit 40 in order to be stored and forwarded for the purposes of later billing . after the charge is paid by any of these means , the machine continues the procedure , as shown in fig2 , and 18 , by activating the mailing pressing unit &# 39 ; s electromotor 14 which , by using the transmission mechanism 15 , pushes forward the transparent pressing panel 16 . according to the process of the present invention , the panel 16 presses the mailing to the insertion slot &# 39 ; s rear wall 121 and firmly secures it there so that the rear side of the mailing leans against printing window 122 , fig3 and 4 , in a flat fashion so that the bar code can be printed . simultaneously , the entered data is converted into a chosen form of laser readable bar code and when the mailing is pressed , the thermal transfer printing head 21 , shown in fig2 and 3 , prints the bar code on the part of the mailing which leans against the printing window 122 as shown in fig3 and 4 . as shown in fig3 the thermal transfer printing configuration comprises four lateral holders built on the machine &# 39 ; s base , wherein the two holders 22 are used to support the configuration carriers 18 which are driven up and down over the two indented holders 19 by indented axle built - in stepping motor 17 . as shown in fig3 the configuration further comprises a stepping motor 20 which drives the thermal transfer printing head 21 left and right . the bar code is printed by the head 21 during its left to right movement . when the head 21 reaches the right printing margin , the carriers 18 move one step downward and carry the head 21 to the next line printing position . according to the described procedure , the bar code is printed on the stationary mailing by moving the printing head 21 in all four possible directions . as shown in fig1 , when using alphanumeric type bar code , the country code can be printed as a combination of two letters ( e . g ., fr for france ), the zip code in numerals ( e . g ., 75116 ), and the special request code as a single letter ( e . g ., e for express mail ) with the assumption that when a special request is entered , the machine automatically prints an identification number ( e . g ., 000001 ) which is printed in the second line together with the date of acceptance which is printed in human readable characters on the bottom . if required , the postage paid can also be printed in human readable characters on the bottom line . it is to be understood that any type of laser readable bar code can be used and arranged in any form depending on which code and arrangement is proven to be the most suitable for the purposes of later tracking and scanning . considering the fact that not all countries have numerical zip codes and that the country code and special request code can be simply formed as a combination of letters , alphanumeric code - 39 as shown appears to be the most suitable . it is also to be understood that some other printing means can be used instead of the thermal transfer printing head which seems to be the most suitable considering the costs and the bar code quality required . after the bar code printing procedure is completed , the printing head 21 returns to its starting position and the pressing panel 16 returns backward , leaving the mailing on the first transport conveyor 25 which , according to the process of the invention as shown in fig1 , drives the mailing onto second transport conveyor 32 . the second transport conveyor 32 , as shown in fig7 is powered by its electromotor 34 through its transmission mechanism 35 and rotates over its cylinders 33 . according to the process of the present invention , the second transport conveyor 32 starts rotating simultaneously with the first transport conveyor 25 and drives the mailing into the storage cassette 23 as shown in fig8 and 9 . within a predetermined period of time after the mailing disappears from the sight of the second loading sensor 31 , fig4 the storage cassette &# 39 ; s solenoid 36 pushes the cassette 23 forward , causing the mailing to drop into a storage box , as shown in fig9 where the mailing is stored for subsequent pick up . simultaneously , both transport conveyors 25 and 32 stop and the machine displays instructions on how one can continue the process by entering directions for a &# 34 ; follow on &# 34 ; procedure which can be entered when another of the machine &# 39 ; s services is required as shown in fig1 . if no &# 34 ; follow on &# 34 ; directions are entered , the machine continues the procedure by printing and dispensing a receipt from its dot matrix printer 5 in the case of a mailing with a special request , taking the charged amount from escrow and returning the change or the card , fig1 , and loading or transferring the relevant data as shown in fig2 . the machine can either load all relevant data on a disc in its disc drive unit 11 for later use or , when connected to some external database , transfer it to that database for later use . another function of the present invention is as a payphone device wherein the same previously described payment accepting and displaying means are used . referring now to fig1 there is shown a phone handle 10 hung on machine housing 1 , comprising a phone unit connected to a phone line through the housing 1 and including a dialing keyboard inside its middle section . referring now to fig1 , if there is no minimum amount required for using the machine as a pay - phone device , as soon as any amount is inserted , the customer can pick up the phone handle 10 and get a dial tone . for all other payment means , the card validity checking procedure corresponds to the one previously described for the machine &# 39 ; s mail collection function and as shown in fig1 and 14 . once a dial tone is obtained , the credit in escrow or on a debit card , or the confirmation for the use of a credit or ic card is displayed , as shown in fig2 , and the machine continues the procedure by displaying instructions on how to dial the desired number . when the customer starts to dial the desired number , the number is permanently displayed as dialed in order to avoid the dialing of a wrong number . the machine continues by displaying information on whether the number was connected and instructions on how to repeat the dialing procedure if the desired number is not obtained . after the desired number is connected and if the payment was made by cash or through a debit card , the remaining credit is permanently displayed and the line remains connected for as long as the credit equals zero , as shown in fig2 . if the payment was made by a credit or ic card , the accumulated charge is permanently displayed and the line can be disconnected if a certain given limit is reached . referring now to fig2 , if the line is disconnected by the customer before the credit equals zero or the limit is not reached , the customer has the opportunity to enter directions for a &# 34 ; follow on &# 34 ; procedure before any change from escrow or a card is returned , as shown in fig2 , after which the machine continues the procedure as shown in fig2 . assuming that the present invention is connected to some external database , the invention can also be used as a data listing and data entry device which uses the same payment making , data entering , data displaying , and data printing means as discussed previously . referring now to fig1 , 13 , and 14 , the payment procedure for an initial minimum amount corresponds to the one previously described for the machine &# 39 ; s use as a mail collecting device . as shown in fig2 , when a customer enters the direction that a connection with a database is desired , the information on how to obtain a connection with that certain database is displayed on lcd 8 . the payment procedure in this case corresponds to the one described for use of the machine as a pay - phone device , with the assumption that the charge per time unit ( seconds ) is higher than in the previous case . various data from numerous databases can be listed , such as data from phonebooks , yellow pages , thomas catalogs , etc ., and each set of data can be printed on the machine &# 39 ; s dot matrix printer 5 and dispensed to the customer if such an instruction is entered on the machine &# 39 ; s keyboard 6 . in addition to the data listing procedure , and when allowed by the particular database process , the customer can enter data into the database by using the machine &# 39 ; s keyboard 6 . different reservation , purchasing , or advertising procedures can be performed by using this process which allows for convenient and economical access to various databases for the general public . if connected to a telex line , the present invention can also be used as a telex sending device for the purpose of sending messages to any desired telex number . the same payment making , data entering , data displaying , and printing means as described previously can be used . referring now to fig1 , 13 , and 14 , the payment procedure for an initial minimum amount corresponds to the procedure previously described for the machine &# 39 ; s other functions . if the customer enters an instruction that a telex connection is desired , instructions on how to print a message and the destination are displayed on lcd 8 as shown in fig2 . the customer enters a message and destination number which are simultaneously displayed on lcd 8 and which can be corrected before entering the instruction that the message is completed . referring again to fig2 , according to the length of the entered message and its destination , the charge is calculated and displayed for the customer together with a request for an additional amount of payment if the amount in escrow is not sufficient to cover the charge . in the case of a debit card payment , a warning is also displayed and if the request is not fulfilled following the displayed warning , the message is erased and the inserted amount or the card are returned according to the procedure shown in fig2 . if the payment is correctly made , instructions on how to enter an execute order are displayed as shown in fig2 and upon this order , the machine automatically dials the desired number and sends the entered message . if the desired destination number is not available , the machine continues the dialing procedure for a certain period of time while keeping the message memorized until it determines that the number is not obtainable , upon which time the message is erased and the cash or card returned as shown in fig2 . when the desired number is connected , the message is sent and erased from the machine &# 39 ; s memory . if , however , the customer wants the message to be printed and has previously entered this instruction , the machine prints the message on its dot matrix printer 5 and dispenses it to the customer as it is being sent . change from escrow or the inserted card is returned according to the procedure shown in fig2 unless a &# 34 ; follow on &# 34 ; direction is entered by the customer . in accordance with the present invention , the data storing and forwarding procedures and the change or card returning procedures are identical , regardless of the machine &# 39 ; s function , to those shown in fig2 and 24 . according to the process of the present invention , in any case when payment is made by a credit or ic card , a receipt for charges paid is printed and dispensed to customer . also according to the process of the present invention , and regardless of the machine &# 39 ; s function or its stage in the procedures , a customer can always correct any entered data immediately by moving the pointer over the displayed text . it will be understood that the present invention has been described in relation to particular embodiments , herein chosen for the purpose of illustration , and that the claims are intended to cover all changes and modifications , apparent to those skilled in the art , which do not constitute a departure from the scope and spirit of the invention .
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fig1 a and 1 b show an elevation view and a plan view respectively of a speaker 101 in an embodiment of the present invention . speaker 101 in this embodiment comprises an outer container 102 . in this example the container may be a plastic container , like a pill bottle . the container in this example has a lid 103 which may be removed to fill the container at least partially with a ferrofluid 105 . a ferrofluid is a stable colloidal suspension of sub - domain magnetic particles in a liquid or semi - liquid carrier . the particles , which in one embodiment have an average size of about 100 å ( 10 nm ), may be coated with a stabilizing dispersing agent ( surface - acting , or surfactant ) which prevents particle agglomeration even when a strong magnetic field gradient is applied to the ferrofluid . in the absence of a magnetic field , the magnetic moments of the particles are randomly distributed and the fluid typically has no net magnetization . an unanchored permanent magnet 104 , labeled m is suspended in the ferrofluid as a primary force generator . the permanent magnet in this embodiment is freely suspended inside container 102 that contains the ferrofluid 105 that provides dampening and force transmission . lines of force 106 related to the permanent magnet cause the permanent magnet to be suspended in the ferrofluid . a coil 107 , in this case of electrically conductive metal , for transmitting an audio signal from a source , is wound about container 102 in this example . the coil acts as an excitation apparatus for the permanent magnet in proximity of the container . the coil may , in some embodiments be encapsulated in the container walls , may be adhered to the container in different ways , or may be situated separately from the container such that the coil is not subject to forces acting on the container walls . in some embodiments there may be multiple coils arranged in different geometry for various purposes . one might desire , for example to have bass audio transmitted by one coil , and other audio by another . audio directional effects may be varied by different coils in different geometry as well . in this example the coil is connected to an output of an audio amplifier , not shown , such as an amplifier that drives a conventional speaker . the signal on the coil generates a varying magnetic field in the environment of the permanent magnet , which is immersed and suspended in the ferrofluid . the varying field from the coil vibrates the magnet , which movement transmits movement by force across the essentially incompressible ferrofluid to walls of the container . the container walls act as a resonator in place of the paper or metal cone of conventionally designed speakers , causing pressure perturbations in the surrounding air , indicated in fig1 a and 1 b by pressure lines 108 . it is not required that the container , such as container 102 in this example , be of the shape of a bottle , as shown . in some embodiments the container may be spherical , or egg - shaped , or may have some other shape depending on aesthetic or acoustical considerations . the container may also be made of any one or a combination of different materials , including , but not limited to plastic , wood , metal and plastic . it is not always required that the material of the container be rigid . in some cases the walls may be somewhat flexible . in some embodiments the container may be mounted to other structures , for example a tabletop , which than also act as a resonator . one advantage of such a design is that there are no fragile moving parts , such as a paper cone , that may tear when too high an input signal is provided , or that may degrade substantially over time . in another embodiment the container may be attached to a conventional cone of a conventional speaker . in another embodiment the container is cone made of a high strength material . magnet strength may be chosen in coordination with the viscosity of the ferrofluid , particle size in ferrofluid , saturation magnetization , and volume of ferrofluid used , as well as in concert with other considerations . due to various properties of ferrofluids in reaction to the field of the permanent magnet , the fluid gathers into a substantially spherical shape around the core magnet that is placed inside the container . the number of coils should be sufficient to generate a substantial force on the magnet / fluid system and a standard impedance value for audio output systems may be preferred . the leads of the coil should be attached to an appropriate audio source for the rest of the construction parameters chosen . to enhance the sound quality and ensure that the primary drive magnet stays floating or suspended in the ferrofluid , magnets of significantly lesser strength may be placed in opposite polarity to the primary magnet at the ends of the drive cylinder . in one prototype design a fragment of a permanent magnet from a computer hard drive is used , and suspended in a volume of approx . 25 ml of ferrofluid in a plastic prescription pill bottle . the ferrofluid used in this particular prototype has the following properties : this volume of ferrofluid is placed in a cylinder approx 0 . 75 ″ in diameter and 1 . 5 ″ in height . fifty coils of 20 ga . magnetic wrap wire are used for electromagnetic excitation . for additional amplification , the container is placed inside a tin can approx 3 . 5 ″ in diameter and 1 ″ in height . the core apparatus is held in place by a light foam insulator that fills the remainder of the tin can resonator . this prototype is sufficient to listen to television audio and music at reasonable volume levels and with negligible distortion from a distance of up to about thirty feet . in other embodiments the number of coils may be significantly increased and the gauge of wire used significantly decreased . the number of coils and gauge of wire used in this prototype were chosen to allow manual assembly and manipulation . a magnet of known strength and shape might be chosen to best attenuate the signal of the coils . the properties and volume of ferrofluid might also need to change based on the properties of the coil and magnet used . the container used in this prototype is likely not ideal , and was a simple medicine bottle . it was chosen for its ability to prevent fluid from leaking and as a convenient and efficient shape on which to wind the magnetic coils . in practice , a cylinder might still be a favorable shape for a container , due to properties of magnetic coils . however the shape and size may change to best suit any application . novel and advantageous applications for such unique speakers exist in a broad variety . in the quest for ever more powerful speakers , the audio industry must develop newer , stronger metals and polymers that can cope with ever - increasing power requirements . in the design of this invention in various embodiments , one of the few known strict requirement is that the container must not leak fluid . other than that it can be constructed out of essentially any durable material that is impervious to the destructive environment most speakers face . as was demonstrated by the prototype described above , even with arbitrarily chosen components a simple medicine bottle was sufficient to produce a clear audible sound from a reasonable listening distance . the speaker is also inherently weatherproof by not having any material external to the device which could be damaged by the environment however it is possible for the fluid to freeze or to boil if the thermal limits of the medium are exceeded . it will be apparent to the skilled artisan that there are many variations that might be made in embodiments of the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention , and there are a broad variety of applications for the invention , in essence creating new inventions in many other areas . for example , there are many sorts of ferrofluids that might be used . some are opaque , and some are transparent . mixtures of the two may be used to provide unusual appearance through a transparent or semi - transparent container . many shapes and materials may be used for containers . many shapes and materials may be used for connected resonators . it is possible to make transparent coils as well to enhance the visual effects that may be obtained in concert with the audio effects . in some cases containers may be completely filled with ferrofluid , and even pressurized to provide special effects . in application speakers in novel shapes and sizes may be provided . one may , for example , make a life - size model of a person , with the head filled or partially filled with ferrofluid with a suspended magnet and appropriate coils , so the pseudo person may be made to speak without use of conventional speakers . there are many such novel applications and more will emerge as the technology is developed . in another embodiment the container of such a speaker may be transparent , so the magnet within and the ferrofluid may be visible through the walls of the container . the ferrofluid may have color . in some cases the container may be a colored plastic , and there may be one or more light sources inside the container coordinated in function with the signals provided by the excitation apparatus .
| 7 |
referring to fig1 , a recommendation system 100 provides recommendations 110 of items to users 106 in a user population 105 . the system is applicable to various domains of items . in the discussion below movies are used as an example domain . the approach also applies , for example , to music albums / cds , movies and tv shows on broadcast or subscriber networks , games , books , news , apparel , recreational travel , and restaurants . in the first version of the system described below , all items belong to only one domain . extensions to recommendation across multiple domains are feasible . the system maintains a state of knowledge 130 for items that can be recommended and for users for whom recommendations can be made . a scorer 125 uses this knowledge to generate expected ratings 120 for particular items and particular users . based on the expected ratings , a recommender 115 produces recommendations 110 for particular users 106 , generally attempting to recommend items that the user would value highly . to generate a recommendation 110 of items for a user 106 , recommendation system 100 draws upon that user &# 39 ; s history of use of the system , and the history of use of the system by other users . over time the system receives ratings 145 for items that users are familiar with . for example , a user can provide a rating for a movie that he or she has seen , possibly after that movie was previously recommended to that user by the system . the recommendation system also supports an elicitation mode in which ratings for items are elicited from a user , for example , by presenting a short list of items in an initial enrollment phase for the user and asking the user to rate those items with which he or she is familiar or allowing the user to supply a list of favorites . additional information about a user is also typically elicited . for example , the user &# 39 ; s demographics and the user &# 39 ; s explicit likes and dislikes on selected item attributes are elicited . these elicitation questions are selected to maximize the expected value of the information about the user &# 39 ; s preferences taking into account the effort required to elicit the answers from the user . for example , a user may find that it takes more “ effort ” to answer a question that asks how much he or she likes something as compared to a question that asks how often that user does a specific activity . the elicitation mode yields elicitations 150 . ratings 145 and elicitations 150 for all users of the system are included in an overall history 140 of the system . a state updater 135 updates the state of knowledge 130 using this history . this updating procedure makes use of statistical techniques , including statistical regression and bayesian parameter estimation techniques . recommendation system 100 makes use of explicit and implicit ( latent ) attributes of the recommendable items . item data 165 includes explicit information about these recommendable items . for example , for movies , such explicit information includes the director , actors , year of release , etc . an item attributizer 160 uses item data 165 to set parameters of the state of knowledge 130 associated with the items . item attributizer 160 estimates latent attributes of the items that are not explicit in item data 165 . users are indexed by n which ranges from 1 to n . each user belongs to one of a disjoint set of d cohorts , indexed by d . the system can be configured for various definitions of cohorts . for example , cohorts can be based on demographics of the users such as age or sex and on explicitly announced tastes on key broad characteristics of the items . alternatively , latent cohort classes can be statistically determined based on a weighted composite of demographics and explicitly announced tastes . the number and specifications of cohorts are chosen according to statistical criteria , such as to balance adequacy of observations per cohort , homogeneity within cohort , or heterogeneity between cohorts . for simplicity of exposition below , the cohort index d is suppressed in some equations and each user is assumed assigned on only one cohort . the set of users belonging to cohort d is denoted by d d . the system can be configured to not use separate cohorts in recommending items by essentially considering only a single cohort with d = 1 . referring to fig2 , state of knowledge 130 includes state of knowledge of items 210 , state of knowledge of users 240 , and state of knowledge of cohorts 270 . state of knowledge of items 210 includes separate item data 220 for each of the i recommendable items . data 220 for each item i includes k attributes , x ik , which are represented as a k - dimensional vector , x i 230 . each x ik is a numeric quantity , such as a binary number indicating presence or absence of a particular attribute , a scalar quantity that indicates the degree to which a particular attribute is present , or a scalar quantity that indicates the intensity of the attribute . data 220 for each item i also includes v explicit features , v ik , which are represented as a v - dimensional vector , v i 232 . as is discussed further below , some attributes x ik are deterministic functions of these explicit features and are termed explicit attributes , while other of the attributes x ik are estimated by item attributizer 160 based on explicit features of that item or of other items , and based on expert knowledge of the domain . for movies , examples of explicit features and attributes are the year of original release , its mpaa rating and the reasons for the rating , the primary language of the dialog , keywords in a description or summary of the plot , production / distribution studio , and classification into genres such as a romantic comedy or action sci - fi . examples of latent attributes are a degree of humor , of thoughtfulness , and of violence , which are estimated from the explicit features . state of knowledge of users 240 includes separate user data 250 for each of the n users . data for each user n includes an explicit user “ preference ” z nk for one or more attributes k . the set of preferences is represented as a k - dimensional vector , z n 265 . preference z nk indicates the liking of attribute k by user n relative to the typical person in the user &# 39 ; s cohort . attributes for which the user has not expressed a preference are represented by a zero value of z nk . a positive ( larger ) value z nk corresponds to higher preference ( liking ) relative to the cohort , and a negative ( smaller ) z nk corresponds to a preference against ( dislike ) for the attribute relative to the cohort . data 250 for each user n also includes statistically estimated parameters π n 260 . these parameters include a scalar quantity α n 262 and a k - dimensional vector β n 264 that represent the estimated ( expected ) “ taste ” of the user relative to the cohort which is not accounted for by their explicit preference . parameters α n 262 and β n 264 , together with the user &# 39 ; s explicit “ preference ” z n 265 , are used by scorer 125 in mapping an item &# 39 ; s attributes x i 230 to an expected rating of that item by that user . statistical parameters 265 for a user also include a v + 1 dimensional vector τ n 266 that are used by scorer 125 in weighting a combination of an expected rating for the item for the cohort to which the user belongs as well as explicit features v i 232 to the expected rating of that item by that user . statistical parameters π n 260 are represented as the stacked vector π n =[ α n , β ′ n , τ ′ n ]′ of the components described above . user data 250 also includes parameters characterizing the accuracy or uncertainty of the estimated parameters π n in the form of a precision ( inverse covariance ) matrix p n 268 . this precision matrix is used by state updater 135 in updating estimated parameters 260 , and optionally by scorer 125 in evaluating an accuracy or uncertainty of the expected ratings it generates . state of knowledge of cohorts 270 includes separate cohort data 280 for each of the d cohorts . this data includes a number of statistically estimated parameters that are associated with the cohort as a whole . a vector of regression coefficients p d 290 , which is of dimension 1 + k + v , is used by scorer 125 to map a stacked vector ( 1 , x ′ i , v ′ i )′ for an item i to a rating score for that item that is appropriate for the cohort as a whole . the cohort data also includes a k - dimensional vector γ d 292 that is used to weight the explicit preferences of members of that cohort . that is , if a user n has expressed an explicit preference for attribute k of z nk , and user n is in cohort d , then that product { tilde over ( z )} nk = z nk γ dk is used by scorer 125 in determining the contribution based on the user &# 39 ; s explicit ratings as compared to the contribution based on other estimated parameters , and in determining the relative contribution of explicit preferences for different of the k attributes . other parameters , including θ d 296 , η d 297 , and φ d 294 , are estimated by state updater 135 and used by scorer 125 in computing a contribution of a user &# 39 ; s cohort to the estimated rating . cohort data 280 also includes a cohort rating or fixed - effect vector f 298 , whose elements are the expected rating f id of each item i based on the sample histories of the cohort d that “ best ” represent a typical user of the cohort . finally , cohort data 280 includes a prior precision matrix p d 299 , which characterizes a prior distribution for the estimated user parameters π i 280 , which are used by state updater 125 as a starting point of a procedure to personalize parameters to an individual user . a discussion of how the various variables in state of knowledge 130 are determined is deferred to section 4 in which details of state updater 125 are presented . recommendation system 100 employs a model that associates a numeric variable r in to represent the cardinal preference of user n for item i . here r in can be interpreted as the rating the user has already given , or the unknown rating the user would give the item . in a specific version of the system that was implemented for validating experiments , these rating lie on a 1 to 5 scale . for eliciting ratings from the user , the system maps descriptive phrases , such as “ great ” or “ ok ” or “ poor ,” to appropriate integers in the valid scale . for an item i that a user n has not yet rated , recommendation system 100 treats the unknown rating r in that user n would give item i as a random variable . the decision on whether to recommend item i to user n at time t is based on state of knowledge 130 at that time . scorer 125 computes an expected rating { circumflex over ( r )} in 120 , based on the estimated statistical properties of r in , and also computes a confidence or accuracy of that estimate . the scorer 125 computes { circumflex over ( r )} in based on a number of sub - estimates that include : a . a cohort - based prior rating f id 310 , which is an element of f 298 . b . an explicit deviation 320 of user i &# 39 ; s rating relative to the representative or prototypical user of the cohort d to which the user belongs that is associated with explicitly elicited deviations in preferences for the attributes x i 230 for the item . these deviations are represented in the vector z n 265 . an estimated mapping vector γ d 292 for the cohort translates the deviations in preferences into rating units . c . an inferred deviation 330 of user i &# 39 ; s rating ( relative to the representative or prototypical user of the cohort d to which the user belongs taking into account the elicited deviations in preferences ) arises from any non - zero personal parameters , α n 262 , β n 264 , and τ n 266 , in the state of knowledge of users 130 . such non - zero estimates of the personal parameters are inferred from the history of ratings of the user i . this inferred ratings deviation is the inner product of the personal parameters with the attributes x i 230 , the cohort effect term f id 298 , and features v i 232 . the specific computation performed by scorer 125 is expressed as : r ^ in = ( f id ) + ( z ~ n x i ) + ( α n + β n x i + τ n [ f id , v i ′ ] ′ ) = ( f id ) + ( z ~ n x i ) + ( π n [ 1 , x i ′ , f id , v i ′ ] ′ ) ( 1 ) here the three parenthetical terms correspond to the three components ( a .- c .) above , and { tilde over ( z )} n ≡ diag ( z n ) γ d ( i . e ., the direct product of z n and γ d ). note that multiplication of vectors denotes inner products of the vectors . as discussed further below , f id is computed as a combination of a number of cohort - based estimates as follows : f id = α d + θ id { overscore ( r )} i , d + η id { overscore ( r )} i ,\ d +( 1 − θ id − η id ) p d [ 1 , x ′ i , v ′ i ]′ ( 2 ) r _ i , d = ∑ m ∈ d d r im / n i , d is the average rating for item i for users of the cohort , and { overscore ( r )} i ,\ d is the average rating for users outside the cohort . as discussed further below , parameters θ id and η id depend on an underlying set of estimated parameters φ d =( φ 1 , . . . , φ 4 ) 294 . along with the expected rating for an item , scorer 125 also provides an estimate of the accuracy of the expected rating , based on an estimate of the variance using the rating model . in particular , an expected rating { circumflex over ( r )} in is associated with a variance of the estimate σ in 2 which is computed using the posterior precision of the user &# 39 ; s parameter estimates . scorer 125 does not necessarily score all items in the domain . based on preferences elicited from a user , the item set is filtered based on the attributes for the item by the scorer before passing computing the expected ratings for the items and passing them to the recommender . cohort data 280 for each cohort d includes a cohort effect term f id for each item i . if there are sufficient ratings of item i by users belonging to d d , whose number is denoted by n i , d , then the cohort effect term f id can be efficiently estimated by the sample &# 39 ; s average rating , r _ i , d = ∑ m ∈ d d r im / n i , d . in many instances , n i , d is insufficient and the value of the cohort effect term of the rating is only imprecisely estimated by the sample average of the ratings by other users in the cohort . a better finite - sample estimate of f id is obtained by combining the estimate due to { overscore ( r )} i , d with alternative estimators , which may not be as asymptotically efficient or perhaps not even converge . one alternative estimator employs ratings of item i by users outside of cohort d . let n i ,\ d denote the number of such ratings available for item i . suppose the cohorts are exchangeable in the sense that inference is invariant to permutation of cohort suffixes . this alternative estimator , the sample average of these n i ,\ d rating for item i users outside cohort , is denoted { overscore ( r )} 8 ,\ d . a second alternative estimator is a regression of r im on [ 1 , x ′ i , v ′ i ]′ yielding a vector of regression coefficients p d 290 . this regression estimator is important for items that have few ratings ( possibly zero , such as for brand new items ). all the parameter for the estimators , as well as parameters that determine the relative weights of the estimators , are estimated together using the following non - linear regression equation based on the sample of all ratings from the users of cohort d : r im = α d + θ id { overscore ( r )} i , d \ m + η id { overscore ( r )} i ,\ d +( 1 − θ id − η id )[ 1 , x ′ i , v ′ i ] p d + x i diag ( z m ) γ d + u im ( 3 ) here { overscore ( r )} i , d \ m is the mean rating for item i by users in cohort d excluding user m ; p d is interpretable as the vector of coefficients associated with the item &# 39 ; s attributes that can predict the average between - item variation in ratings without using information on the ratings assigned to the items by other users ( or when some of the items for whom prediction is sought are as yet unrated ). the weights θ id and η id are nonlinear functions of n i , d and n i ,\ d which depend on the underlying set of parameters φ d =( φ 1 , . . . , φ 4 ) 294 : θ id = n i , d n i , d + ϕ 1 / ( 1 + ϕ 2 ⅇ - ϕ 3 ln n i , \ d ) + ϕ4 , η id = ϕ 1 / ( 1 + ϕ 2 ⅇ - ϕ 3 ln n i , \ d ) n i , d + ϕ 1 / ( 1 + ϕ 2 ⅇ - ϕ 3 ln n i , \ d ) + ϕ4 the φ j &# 39 ; s are positive parameters to be estimated . note that the relative importance of { overscore ( r )} i , d \ m grows with n i , d . all the parameters in equation ( 3 ) are invariant across users in the cohort d . however , with small n □, d , even these parameters may not be precisely estimated . in such cases , an alternative is to impose exchangeability across cohorts for the coefficients of equation ( 3 ) and then draw strength from pooling the cohorts . modern bayesian estimation employing markov - chain monte - carlo methods are suitable with the practically valuable assumption of exchangeability . the key estimates obtained from fitting the non - linear regression ( 3 ) to the sample data , whether by classical methods for each cohort separately or by pooled bayesian estimation under assumptions of exchangeability , are : γ d , and the parameters that enable f id to be computed for different i . referring to fig4 , state updater 135 includes a cohort regression module 430 that computes the quantities γ d 292 , p d 290 , and the four scalar components of φ d =( φ 1 , φ 2 , φ 3 , φ 4 ) 294 using equation ( 2 ). based on these quantities , a cohort derived terms module 440 computes θ id 296 and η id 297 and from those f id 298 according to equation ( 2 ). state updater 135 also includes a bayesian updater 460 that updates parameters of user data 280 . in particular , bayesian updater 460 maintains an estimate π n =( α n , β ′ n , τ n )′ 260 , as well as a precision matrix p n 268 . the initial values of p n and π n are common to all users of a cohort . the value of π n is initially zero . the initial value of p n is computed by precision estimator 450 , and is a component for cohort data 280 , p d . the initial value of the precision matrix p n is obtained through a random coefficients implementation of equation ( 1 ) without the f id term . specifically , each user in a cohort is assumed to have coefficient that are a random draw from a fixed multivariate normal distribution whose parameters are to be estimated . in practice , the multivariate normal distribution is assumed to have a diagonal covariance matrix for simplicity . the means and the variances of the distribution are estimated using markov - chain monte - carlo methods common to empirical bayes estimation . the inverse of this estimated variance matrix is used as the initial precision matrix p n . parameters of state of users 250 are initially set when the cohort terms are updated and then incrementally updated at intervals thereafter . in the discussion below , time index t = 0 corresponds to the time of the estimation of the cohort terms , and a sequence of time indices t = 1 , 2 , 3 . . . correspond subsequent times at which user parameters are updated . state updater 135 has three sets of modules . a first set 435 , includes cohort regression module 430 and cohort derived terms module 440 . these modules are executed periodically , for example , once per week . other regular or irregular intervals are optionally used , for example , every hour , day , monthly , etc . a second set 436 includes precision estimator 450 . this module is generally executed less often that the others , for example , one a month . the third set 437 includes bayesian updater 460 . the user parameters are updated using this module as often as whenever a user rating is received , according to the number of ratings that have not been incorporated into the estimates , or periodically such as ever hour , day , week etc . the recommendation system is based on a model that treats each unknown rating r in ( i . e ., for an item i that user n has not yet rated ) as an unknown random variable . in this model random variable r in is a function of unknown parameters that are themselves treated as random variables . in this model , the user parameters π n =( α n , β ′ n , τ n )′ introduced above that are used to computer the expected rating { circumflex over ( r )} in are estimates of those unknown parameters . in this model , the true ( unknown random ) parameter π * n is distributed as a multivariate gaussian distribution with mean ( expected value ) π n and covariance p n − 1 , which can be represented as π * n □ n ( π n , p n − 1 ). r in =( f id )+( { tilde over ( z )} n x i )+( π * n [ 1 , x ′ i , f id , v ′ i ]′)+ ε in ( 4 ) where ε in is an error term , which is not necessarily independent and identically distributed for different values of i and n . for a user n who has rated item i with a rating r in , a residual term { hacek over ( r )} in reflects the component of the rating not accounted for by the cohort effect term , or the contribution of the user &# 39 ; s own preferences . the residual term has the form { hacek over ( r )} in = r in −( f id )−( { tilde over ( z )} n x i )= π * n [ 1 , x ′ i , f id , v ′ i ]′+ ε in as the system obtains more ratings by various users for various items , the estimate of the mean and the precision of that variable are updated . at time index t , using ratings up to time index t , the random parameters are distributed as π * n □ n ( π n ( t ) , p n ( t ) ). as introduced above , prior to taking into account any ratings by user n , the random parameters are distributed as π * n □ n ( 0 , p d ), that is , π n ( 0 ) = 0 and p n ( 0 ) = p d . at time index t + 1 , the system has received a number of ratings of items by users n , which we denote h , that have not yet been incorporated into the estimates of the parameters π n ( t ) and p n ( t ) . an h - dimensional ( column ) vector { hacek over ( r )} n is formed from the h residual terms , and the corresponding stacked vectors ( 1 , x ′ i , f id , v ′ i )′ form a h - column by 2 + k + v - row matrix a . the updated estimate of the parameters π n ( t + 1 ) and p n ( t + 1 ) given { hacek over ( r )} n and a and the prior parameter values π n ( t ) and p n ( t ) are found by the bayesian formulas : π n ( t + 1 ) =( p n ( t ) + a ′ a ) − 1 ( p n ( t ) π n ( t ) + a ′{ hacek over ( r )} n ), p n ( t + 1 ) = p n ( t ) + a ′ a ( 5 ) equation ( 5 ) is applied at time index t = 1 to incorporate all the user &# 39 ; s history of ratings prior to that time . for example , time index t = 1 is immediately after the update to the cohort parameters , and subsequent time indices correspond to later times when subsequent of the user &# 39 ; s ratings incorporated . in an alternative approach , equation ( 5 ) is reapplied using t = 1 repeatedly starting from the prior estimate and incorporating the user &# 39 ; s complete rating history . this alternative approach provides a mechanism for removing ratings from the user &# 39 ; s history , for example , if the user re - rates an item , or explicitly withdraws a past rating . referring to fig1 - 2 , item attributizer 160 determines data 220 for each item i . as introduced above , data 220 for each item i includes k attributes , x ik , which are represented as k - dimensional vector , x i 230 , and v features , v ik , which are represented as v - dimensional vector , v i 232 . the specifics of the procedure used by item attributizer 160 depends , in general , on the domain of the items . the general structure of the approach is common to many domains . information available to item attributizer 160 for a particular item includes values of a number of numerical fields or variables , as well as a number of text fields . the output attribute x ik corresponds to features of item i for which a user may express an implicit or explicit preference . examples of such attributes include “ thoughtfulness ,” “ humor ,” and “ romance .” the output features v ik may be correlated with a user &# 39 ; s preference for the item , but for which the user would not in general express an explicit preference . an example of such an attribute is the number or fraction of other users that have rated the item . in a movie domain , examples of input variables associated with a movie include its year of release , its mpaa rating , the studio that released the film , and the budget of the film . examples of text fields are plot keywords , keyword that the movie is an independent - film , text that explains the mpaa rating , and a text summary of the film . the vocabularies of the text fields are open , in the range of 5 , 000 words for plot keywords and 15 , 000 words for the summaries . as is described further below , the words in the text fields are stemmed and generally treated as unordered sets of stemmed words . ( ordered pairs / triplets of stemmed words can be treated as unique meta - words if appropriate .) attributes x ik are divided into two groups : explicit attributes and latent ( implicit ) attributes . explicit attributes are deterministic functions of the inputs for an item . examples of such explicit attributes include indicator variables for the various possible mpaa ratings , an age of the film , or an indicator that it is a recent release . latent attributes are estimated from the inputs for an item using one of a number of statistical approaches . latent attributes form two groups , and a different statistical approach is used for attributes in each of the groups . one approach uses a direct mapping of the inputs to an estimate of the latent attribute , while the other approach makes use of a clustering or hierarchical approach to estimating the latent attributes in the group . in the first statistical approach , a training set of items are labeled by a person familiar with the domain with a desired value of a particular latent attribute . an example of such a latent attribute is an indication of whether the film is an “ independent ” film . for this latent variable , although an explicit attribute could be formed based on input variables for the film ( e . g ., the producing / distributing studio &# 39 ; s typical style or movie budget size ), a more robust estimate is obtained by treating the attribute as latent and incorporating additional inputs . parameters of a posterior probability distribution pr ( attr . k | input i ), or equivalently the expected value of the indicator variable for the attribute , are estimated based on the training set . a logistic regression approach is used to determine this posterior probability . a robust screening process selects the input variables for the logistic regressions from the large candidate set . in the case of the “ independent ” latent attribute , pre - fixed inputs include the explicit text indicator that the movie is independent - film and the budget of the film . the value of the latent attribute for films outside the training set is then determined as the score computed by the logistic regression ( i . e ., a number between 0 and 1 ) given the input variables for such items . in the second statistical approach , items are associated with clusters , and each cluster is associated with a particular vector of scores of the latent attributes . all relevant vectors of latent scores for real movies are assumed to be spanned by positively weighted combinations of the vectors associated with the clusters . this is expressed as : e ( s ik | inputs of i )= σ c s ck × pr ( i ε cluster c | inputs of i ) where s □ k denotes the latent score on attribute k , and e (□) denotes the mathematical expectation . the parameters of the probability functions on the right - hand side of the equation are estimated using a training set of items . specifically , a number of items are grouped into clusters by one or more persons with knowledge of the domain , hereafter called “ editors .” in the case of movies , approximately 1800 movies are divided into 44 clusters . for each cluster , a number of prototypical items are identified by the editors who set values of the latent attributes for those prototypical items , i . e ., s ck . parameters of probability , pr ( i ε cluster c | inputs of i ), are estimated using a hierarchical logistic regression . the clusters are divided into a two - level hierarchy in which each cluster is uniquely assigned to a higher - level cluster by the editors . in the case of movies , the 44 clusters are divided into 6 higher - level clusters , denoted c , and the probability of membership is computed using a chain rule as pr ( cluster c | input i )= pr ( cluster c | cluster c , input i ) pr ( cluster c | input i ) the right - hand side probabilities are estimated using a multinomial logistic regression framework . the inputs to the logistic regression are based on the numerical and categorical input variables for the item , as well as a processed form of the text fields . in order to reduce the data in the text fields , for each higher - level cluster c , each of the words in the vocabulary is categories into one of a set of discrete ( generally overlapping ) categories according to the utility of the word in discriminating between membership in that category versus membership in some other category ( i . e ., a 2 - class analysis for each cluster ). the words are categorized as “ weak ,” “ medium ,” or “ strong .” the categorization is determined by estimating parameters of a logistic function whose inputs are counts for each of the words in the vocabulary occurring in each of the text fields for an item , and the output is the probability of belonging to the cluster . strong words are identified by corresponding coefficients in the logistic regression having large ( absolute ) values , and medium and weak words are identified by corresponding coefficients having values in lower ranges . alternatively , a jackknife procedure is used to assess the strength of the words . judgments of the editors are also incorporated , for example , by adding or deleting works or changing the strength of particular words . the categories for each of the clusters are combined to form a set of overlapping categories of words . the input to the multinomial logistic function is then the count of the number of words in each text field in each of the categories ( for all the clusters ). in the movie example with 6 higher - level categories , and three categories of word strength , this results in 18 counts being input to the multinomial logistic function . in addition to these counts , additional inputs that are based on the variables for the item are added , for example , an indicator of the genre of a film . the same approach is repeated independently to compute pr ( cluster c | cluster c , input i ) for each of the clusters c . that is , this procedure for mapping the input words to a fixed number of features is repeated for each of the specific clusters , with different with different categorization of the words for each of the higher - level clusters . with c higher - level clusters , an additional c multinomial logistic regression function are determined to compute the probabilities pr ( cluster c | cluster c , input i ). note that although the training items are identified as belonging to a single cluster , in determining values for the latent attributes for an item , terms corresponding to each of the clusters contribute to the estimate of the latent attribute , weighted by the estimate of membership in each of the clusters . the v explicit features , v ik , are estimated using a similar approach as used for the attributes . in the movie domain , in one version of the system , these features are limited to deterministic functions of the inputs for an item . alternatively , procedures analogous to the estimation of latent attributes can be used to estimate additional features . referring to fig1 , recommender 115 takes as inputs values of expected ratings of items by a user and creates a list of recommended items for that user . the recommender performs a number of functions that together yield the recommendation that is presented to the user . a first function relates to the difference in ranges of ratings that different users may give . for example , one user may consistently rate items higher or lower than another . that is , their average rating , or their rating on a standard set of items may differ significantly from than for other users . a user may also use a wider or narrower range of rating than other users . that is , the variance of their ratings or the sample variance of a standard set of items may differ significantly from other users . before processing the expected ratings for items produced by the scorer , the recommender normalizes the expected ratings to a universal scale by applying a user - specific multiplicative and an additive scaling to the expected ratings . the parameters of these scalings are determined to match the average and standard deviation on a standard set of items to desired target values , such as an average of 3 and a standard deviation of 1 . this standard set of items is chosen such that for a chosen size of the standard set ( e . g ., 20 items ) the value of the determinant of x ′ x is maximized , where x is formed as a matrix whose columns are the attribute vectors x i for the items i in the set . this selection of standard items provides an efficient sampling of the space of items based on differences in their attribute vectors . the coefficients for this normalization process are stored with other data for the user . the normalized expected rating , and its associated normalized variance are denoted { circumflex over ({ tilde over ( r )})} in and { tilde over ( σ )} in 2 . a second function is performed by the scorer is to limit the items to consider based on a preconfigured floor value of the normalized expected rating . for example , items with normalized expected ratings lower than 1 are discarded . a third function performed by the recommender is to combine the normalized expected rating with its ( normalized ) variance as well as some editorial inputs to yield a recommendation score , s in . specifically , the recommendation score is computed by the recommender as : s in ={ circumflex over ({ tilde over ( r )})} in − φ 1 , n { tilde over ( σ )} in + φ 2 , n x i + φ 3 e id the term φ 1 , n represents a weighting of the risk introduced by an error in the rating estimate . for example , an item with a high expected rating but also a high variance in the estimate is penalized for the high variance based on this term . optionally , this term is set by the user explicitly based on a desired “ risk ” in the recommendations , or is varied as the user interacts with the system , for instance starting at a relatively high value and being reduced over time . the term φ 2 , n represents a “ trust ” term . the inner product of this term with attributes x i is used to increase the score for popular items . one use of this term is to initially increase the recommendation score for generally popular items , thereby building trust in the user . over time , the contribution of this term is reduced . the third term φ 3 e id represents an “ editorial ” input . particular items can optionally have their recommendation score increased or decreased based on editorial input . for example , a new film which is expected to be popular in a cohort but for which little data is available could have the corresponding term e id set to a non - zero value . the scale factor φ 3 determines the degree of contribution of the editorial inputs . editorial inputs can also be used to promote particular items , or to promote relatively profitable items , or items for which there is a large inventory . when a new user first begins using the system , the system elicits information from the new user to begin the personalization process . the new user responds to a set of predetermined elicitation queries 155 producing elicitations 150 , which are used as part of the history for the user that is used in estimating user - specific parameters for that user . initially , the new user is asked his or her age , sex , and optionally is asked a small number of additional questions to determine their cohort . for example , in the movie domain , an additional question related to whether the watch independent films is asked . from these initial questions , the user &# 39 ; s cohort is chosen and fixed . for each cohort , a small number of items are pre - selected and the new user is asked to rate any of these items with which he or she is familiar . these ratings initialize the user &# 39 ; s history or ratings . given the desired number of such items , with is typically set in the range of 10 - 20 , the system pre - selects the items to maximize the determinant of the matrix x ′ x where the columns of x are the stacked attribute and feature vectors ( x ′ i v ′ i )′ for the items . the new user is also asked a number of questions , which are used to determine the value of the user &# 39 ; s preference vector z n . each question is designed to determine a value for one ( or possibly more ) of the entries in the preference vector . some preferences are used by the scorer to filter out items from the choice set , for example , if the user response “ never ” to a question such as “ do you ever watch horror films ?” in addition to these questions , some preferences are set by rule for a cohort , for example , to avoid recommending r - rated films for a teenager who does not like science fiction , based on an observation that these tastes are correlated in teenagers . the approach described above , the correlation structure of the error term ε in in equation ( 4 ) is not taken into account in computing the expected rating { circumflex over ( r )} in . one or both of two additional terms are introduced based on an imposed structure of the error term that relates to closeness of different items and closeness of different users . in particular , an approach to effectively modeling and taking into account the correlation structure of the error terms is used to improve the expected rating using was can be viewed as a combination of user - based and an item - based collaborative filtering term . an expected rating { circumflex over ( r )} in for item i and user n is modified based on actual ratings that have been provided by that user for other items j and actual ratings for item i by other users m in the same cohort . specifically , the new rating is computed as { circumflex over ({ circumflex over ( r )})} in ={ circumflex over ( r )} in + σ j { circumflex over ( λ )} ij { circumflex over ( ε )} jn + σ m { circumflex over ( ω )} mn { circumflex over ( ε )} im where { circumflex over ( ε )} in ≡{ circumflex over ( r )} in − r in are fitted residual values based on the expected and actual ratings . the terms λ =[{ circumflex over ( λ )} ij ] and ω =[{ circumflex over ( ω )} ij ] are structured to allow estimation of a relative small number of free parameters . this modeling approach is essentially equivalent to gathering the errors ε in in a i □ n - dimensional vector ε and forming an error covariance as e ( εε ′)= λ ω . one approach to estimating these terms is to assume that the entries of λ have the form { circumflex over ( λ )} ij ={ circumflex over ( λ )} 0 { circumflex over ( λ )} ij where the terms { tilde over ( λ )} ij are precomputed terms that are treated as constants , and the scalar term { circumflex over ( λ )} 0 is estimated . similarly , the other term assumes that the entries of ω have the form { circumflex over ( ω )} mn ={ circumflex over ( ω )} 0 { circumflex over ( ω )} mn . one approach to precomputing the constants is as { tilde over ( λ )} ij =|| x i − x j || where the norm is optionally computed using the absolute differences of the attributes ( l1 norm ), using a euclidean norm ( l2 norm ), or using a covariance weighted norm using a covariance σ β is the covariance matrix of the taste parameters of the users in the cohort . in the analogous approach , the terms { tilde over ( ω )} ij represent similarity between users and is computed as || δ nm ||, where δ nm ≡( β n + z n γ )−( β m + z m γ ). a covariance - weighted norm , δ ′ nm σ x δ nm , uses σ x , which is the covariance matrix of the attributes of items in the domain , and the scaling idea here is that dissimilarity is more important for those tastes associated with attributes having greater variation across items ; another approach to computing the constant terms uses a bayesian regression approach using e ({ circumflex over ( ε )} im |{ circumflex over ( ε )} jm )= λ ij { circumflex over ( ε )} jm . the residuals are based on all users in the same cohort who rate both items i and j , λ ij ˜ n ( λ ij 0 , σ λ ) and λ ij 0 is specified based on prior information about the closeness of items of type i and j ( for example , the items share a known common attribute ( e . g ., director of movie ) that was not included in the model &# 39 ; s x i or the preference - weighted distance between their attributes is unusually high / low ). the bayesian regression for estimating the λ ij - parameters may provide the best estimate but is computationally expensive . it employs { circumflex over ( ε )}&# 39 ; s to ensure good estimates of the parameters associated with the error - structure of equation ( 4 ). to obtain the { circumflex over ( ε )}&# 39 ; s in practice for these regressions when no preliminary λ ij values have been computed , the approach ignores the error - correlation structure ( i . e ., λ ij 0 = 0 ) and compute the individual - specific idiosyncratic coefficients of equation ( 4 ) for each individual in the sample given the cohort function . the residuals from the personalized regressions are the { circumflex over ( ε )}&# 39 ; s . regardless , the λ ij - parameters can always be conveniently pre - computed since they do not depend on user n for whom the recommendations are desired . that is , the computations of the λ ij - parameters are conveniently done off - line and not in real - time when specific recommendations are being sought . similarly , the bayesian regression e ({ circumflex over ( ε )} jn |{ circumflex over ( ε )} jm )= ω nm { circumflex over ( ε )} jm , where the residuals are based on equation is based on all items that have been jointly rated by users m and n . the regression method may not prove as powerful here since the number of items that are rated in common by both users may be small ; moreover , since there are many users , real time computation of n regressions may be costly . to speed up the process , the users can optionally be clustered into g □ n groups or equivalently the ω matrix can be factorized with g factors . in a first alternative recommendation approach , the system described above optionally provides recommendations for a group of users . the members of the group may come from different cohorts , may have histories of rating different items , and indeed , some of the members may not have rated any items at all . the general approach to such joint recommendation is to combine the normalized expected ratings { circumflex over ({ tilde over ( r )})} in for each item for all users n in a group g . in general , in specifying the group , different members of the group are identified by the user soliciting the recommendation as more “ important ” resulting in a non - uniform weighting according to coefficients ω ng , where σ nεg ω ng = 1 . if all members of the group are equally “ important ,” the system sets the weights equal to ω ng =| g | − 1 . the normalized expected joint rating is then computed as { circumflex over ({ tilde over ( r )})} ig = σ nεg ω ng { circumflex over ({ tilde over ( r )})} in joint recommendation scores s ig are then computed for each item for the group incorporating risk , trust , and editorial terms into weighting coefficients φ k , g where the group as a whole is treated as a composite “ user ”: s ig ={ circumflex over ({ tilde over ( r )})} ig − φ 1 , g { tilde over ( σ )} ig + φ 2 , g x i + φ 3 e ig the risk term is conveniently the standard deviation ( square root of variance ) { tilde over ( σ )} ig , where the variance for the normalized estimate is computed accord to the weighted sum of individual variances of the members of the group . as with individual users , the coefficients are optionally varied over time to introduce different contributions for risk and trust terms as the users &# 39 ; confidence in the system increases with the length of their experience of the system . alternatively , the weighted combination is performed after recommendation scores for individual users s in are computed . that is , computation of a joint recommendation on behalf of one user requires accessing information about other users in the group . the system implements a two - tiered password system in which a user &# 39 ; s own information in protected by a private password . in order for another user to use that user &# 39 ; s information to derive a group recommendation , the other user requires a “ public ” password . with the public password , the other user can incorporate the user &# 39 ; s information into a group recommendation , but cannot view information such as the user &# 39 ; s history of ratings , or even generate a recommendation specifically for that user . in another alternative approach to joint recommendation , recommendations for each user are separately computed , and the recommendation for the group includes at least a best recommendation for each use in the group . similarly , items that fall below a threshold score for any user are optionally removed from the joint recommendation list for the group . a conflict between a highest scoring item for one user in the group that scores below the threshold for some other user is resolved in one of a number of ways , for example , by retaining the item as a candidate . the remaining recommendations are then included according to their weighted ratings or scores as described above . yet other alternatives include computing joint ratings from individual ratings using a variety of statistics , such as the maximum , the minimum , or the median individual ratings for the items . the groups are optionally predefined in the system , for example , corresponding to a family , a couple , or some other social unit . the system described above can be applied to identifying “ similar ” users in addition to ( or alternatively instead of ) providing recommendations of items to individuals or groups of users . the similarity between users is used to can be applied to define a user &# 39 ; s affinity group . one measure of similarity between individual users is based on a set of standard items , j . these items are chosen using the same approach as described above to determine standard items for normalizing expected ratings , except here the users are not necessarily taken from one cohort since an affinity group may draw users from multiple cohorts . for each user , a vector of expected ratings for each of the standard items is formed , and the similarity between a pair of users is defined as a distance between the vector of ratings on the standard items . for instance , a euclidean distance between the ratings vectors is used . the size of an affinity group is determined by a maximum distance between users in a group , or by a maximum size of the group . affinity groups are used for a variety of purposes . a first purpose relates to recommendations . a user can be provided with actual ( as opposed to expected ) recommendations of other members of his or her affinity group . another purpose is to request ratings for an affinity group of another user . for example , a user may want to see ratings of items from an affinity group of a well known user . another purpose is social rather than directly recommendation - related . a user may want to find other similar people , for example , to meet or communicate with . for example , in a book domain , a user may want to join a chat group of users with similar interests . computing an affinity group for a user in real time can be computationally expensive due to the computation of the pair wise user similarities . an alternative approach involves precomputing data that reduces the computation required to determine the affinity group for an individual user . one approach to precomputing such data involves mapping the rating vector on the standard items for each user into a discrete space , for example , by quantizing each rating in the rating vector , for example , into one of three levels . for example , with 10 items in the standard set , and three levels of rating , the vectors can take on one of 3 10 values . an extensible hash is constructed to map each observed combination of quantized ratings to a set of users . using this precomputed hash table , in order to compute an affinity group for a user , users with similar quantized rating vectors are located by first considering users with the identical quantized ratings . if there are insufficient users with the same quantized ratings , the least “ important ” item in the standard set is ignored and the process repeated , until there are sufficient users in the group . alternative approaches to forming affinity groups involve different similarity measures based on the individuals &# 39 ; statistical parameters . for example , differences between users &# 39 ; parameter vectors π ( taking into account the precision of the estimates ) can be used . also , other forms of pre - computation of groups can be used . for example , clustering techniques ( e . g ., agglomerative clustering ) can be used to identify groups that are then accessed when the affinity group for a particular user is needed . alternatively , affinity groups are limited to be within a single cohort , or within a predefined number of “ similar ” cohorts . in alternative embodiments of the system , the modeling approach described above for providing recommendations to users is used for selecting targeted advertising for those users , for example in the form of personalized on - line “ banner ” ads or paper or electronic direct mailings . in another alternative embodiment of the system , the modeling approach described above for providing recommendations to users is used to find suitable gifts for known other users . here the information is typically limited . for example , limited information on the targets for the gift may be demographics or selected explicit tastes such that the target may be explicitly or probabilistically classified into explicit or latent cohorts . in another alternative embodiment , users may be assigned to more than one cohort , and their membership may be weighted or fractional in each cohort . cohorts may be based on partitioning users by directly observable characteristics , such as demographics or tastes , or using statistical techniques such as using estimated regression models employing latent classes . latent class considerations offer two important advantages : first , latent cohorts will more fully utilize information on the user ; and , second , the number of cohorts can be significantly reduced since users are profiled by multiple membership in the latent cohorts rather than a single membership assignment . specifically , we obtain a cohort - membership model that generates user - specific probabilities for user n to belong to latent cohort d , pr ( n ε d d | demographics of user n , z n ). here user n &# 39 ; s explicitly elicited tastes are z n . estimates of pr ( n ε d d | demographics of user n , z n ) are obtained by employing a latent class regression that extends equation ( 3 ) above . while demanding , this computation is off - line and infrequent . with latent cohorts , the scorer 125 uses a modification of the inputs indicated in equation ( 1 ): for example , f id is replaced by the weighted average ∑ d = 1 d pr ( n ∈ d | demographics , z n ) × f id . for the scores , the increased burden with latent cohorts is very small , which allows the personalized recommendation system to remain very scalable . the approach described above considers a single domain of items , such as movies or books . in an alternative system , multiple domains are jointly considered by the system . in this way , a history in one domain contributes to recommendations for items in the other domain . one approach to this is to use common attribute dimensions in the explicit and latent attributes for items . it is to be understood that the foregoing description is intended to illustrate and not to limit the scope of the invention , which is defined by the scope of the appended claims . other embodiments are within the scope of the following claims .
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with reference now to the drawings , and in particular to fig1 to 6 thereof , a new and improved process for abatement of asbestos fibers embodying the principles and concepts of the present invention and generally designated by the reference numeral 10 through 15 will be described . more specifically , it will be noted that the process for abatement of asbestos fibers essentially comprises a heating of cyanoacrylate to volatility wherein a fuming of the cyanoacrylate is effected . the fuming of the chemical effects a bonding and encapsulating of the asbestos fibers within a finite area , such as a room to be treated . it should be noted that cyanoacrylate is available under commercial names such as &# 34 ; zapagap &# 34 ; ( t . m .) by pacer tech . or &# 34 ; scotchweld &# 34 ; by 3m corporation . while a physical heating of the cyanoacrylate is set forth , it may be noted that a chemical catalyst may be employed but the use of physical heating will be more specifically described . fig1 as illustrated and depicted by numeral 10 , sets forth a first step of the invention where predetermined surfaces of a treatment zone , or room , is sealed with a plasticlike film or other suitable non - porous material to cover items such as window openings , interior door sills , electrical fixtures , air ventilation face plates , and the like . fig2 illustrates an interior surface of the room wherein the various portions thereof not to be coated by the fuming of the cyanoacrylate is illustrated and depicted by numeral 11 . numeral 12 per fig3 illustrates a subsequent step of positioning a portable heating unit 16 within the interior of the room to be treated with an associated electrical resistance heating element 17 and electrical cord 18 . a timer unit 19 of conventional and commercial availability is utilized to enable a user to leave the treatment area prior to heating of the cyanoacrylate . subsequent to the heating unit 16 being electrically associated with an appropriate electrical outlet 22 , a container 20 , as illustrated in fig4 and depicted by numeral 13 , is positioned on the electrical resistance heating element 17 . thereafter , liquid cyanoacrylate is deposited within the container 20 . it has been found desirable to utilize approximately 1 to 2 drops of cyanoacrylate 21 deposited within container 20 per liter of volume of the treatment area , or room as illustrated . the cyanoacrylate is heated to an elevated temperature to effect vaporization where it has been found that temperature to exceed 80 degrees c . has been found suitable with 100 degrees c . heating desirable . fig5 illustrates the fuming of the liquid cyanoacrylate to create a vaporous fuming 23 wherein the interior walls of the area to be treated are thereby coated and accordingly entrap and encapsulate asbestos fibers and seal the walls against asbestos fibers within the treatment area . it should be understood , however , should physical destruction of the seal of cyanoacrylate take place subsequent to treatment , a resealing and retreatment of the room may be deemed desirable . fuming of the cyanoacrylate tends to encapsulate airborne asbestos fibers within the room to effect their removal therefrom . fig6 is illustrative of the treatment area subsequent to fuming wherein the cyanoacrylate has been given ample time to dry where it has been deemed desirable to allow at least ten minutes to an hour to effect drying as cyanoacrylate vapors dry very rapidly , but due to their potentially harmful effects upon humans , it is desirable to allow adequate time for the drying procedure to take place whereupon removal of the sealing medium , depicted as numerals 24 , may then be removed . the manner of usage and operation of the instant invention therefore should be apparent from the above description and accordingly , no further discussion relative to the manner of usage and operation will be provided . with respect to the above description then , it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of the invention , to include variations in size , materials , shape , form , function and manner of operation , assembly and use , are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art , and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by the present invention . therefore , the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention . further , since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art , it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described , and accordingly , all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to , falling within the scope of the invention .
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turning now to the drawings , fig1 shows some of the operational components used in the computing environment of the preferred embodiment of the present invention . computer system 100 is an enhanced ibm iseries computer system , although other computer systems could be used . depicted components include : main memory 105 , processor 130 , mass storage 135 , network interface 140 , and user interface 145 . processor 130 is a powerpc processor used in iseries computer systems , which is used in the preferred embodiments in the conventional way . main memory 105 is also used in the preferred embodiments in the conventional manner . mass storage 135 is used in fig1 to represent one or more secondary storage devices such as magnetic or optical media . network interface 140 is used to communicate with other computer systems , while user interface 145 is used to accept commands and relay information to the one or more users of computer system 100 . shown within main memory 105 is operating system 125 . operating system 125 is that known in the industry as ibm i5 / os . shown utilizing operating system 125 are applications 110 and database engine 115 . applications 110 are programs that make use of the facilities provided by database engine 115 , which is responsible for providing managed access to information stored on computer system 100 . shown within database engine 115 is normalizer 120 . normalizer 120 , which is described in more detail in subsequent paragraphs , is responsible for generating database indices , which themselves provide more efficient access to information stored on the system . it should be noted that while normalizer 120 is shown and described herein as a separate entity for the purposes of explanation , it could well be incorporated into database engine 115 . it should be noted that while the inventors have set forth a specific hardware platform within this specification , the present invention and the preferred embodiments should be considered fully applicable to other platforms . it should be further understood that while the embodiments of the present invention are being described herein in the context of a complete system , the program mechanisms described ( e . g ., database engine 115 , and normalizer 120 ) are capable of being distributed in program product form . of course , a program product can be distributed using different types of signal bearing media , including , but not limited to : recordable - type media such as floppy disks , cd roms , and memory sticks ; and transmission - type media such as digital and analog communications links . it should also be understood that embodiments of the present invention may be delivered as part of a service engagement with a client company , nonprofit organization , government entity , internal organizational structure , or the like . aspects of these embodiments may include configuring a computer system to perform , and deploying software systems and web services that implement , some or all of the methods described herein . aspects of these embodiments may also include analyzing the client company , creating recommendations responsive to the analysis , generating software to implement portions of the recommendations , integrating the software into existing processes and infrastructure , metering use of the methods and systems described herein , allocating expenses to users , and billing users for their use of these methods and systems . fig2 shows a database index created in accordance with prior art index building mechanisms . as shown , several players have a weight that is mathematically equal to 200 lbs . note , however , that precise values have been brought forward from table 220 into index 215 . therefore , when a user issues a query against table 220 to find all players with a weight of 200 lbs , the user must individually check each “ 200 entry ” to determine which records actually satisfy their query . said another way , the user must check ( i . e ., though a more complicated query , mathematical comparisons , or manually ) each and every possible representation of 200 ( i . e ., 200 , 200 . 0 , 200 . 00 , etc .) to actually determine which records are mathematically equivalent to the value 200 . this , of course , represents additional time and effort on the part of the user . another problem with the prior art approach ( not shown on fig2 ) is the difficulty associated with collating precise values . each data type used in an index requires a collation order that creates a unique representation for each distinct value such that the representation for value a appears earlier in the index than the representation for value b if , and only if , value a is less than or equal to value b . because an index may be built over multiple columns of a database with differing data types ( i . e ., multiple keys ), the key values for each record are usually converted to character form , and the multiple character strings appended together to form the overall index key . in the presence of cohorts , developing a correct collation ordering scheme can be difficult . for example , the character representation for 2 . 000 must be lexically less than the character representation for 2 . 1 , even though the former has more digits . furthermore , the database designer must decide whether 2 . 0 is less than 2 . 000 or vice versa , since all distinct values must compare unequal . these difficulties have solutions , but they pose a nuisance . fig3 shows how the database index of fig2 would appear if created in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention . as shown , the precise values of table 220 have not been brought forward into index 315 . thus , the user &# 39 ; s query results simply show that players smith , jones , lamps , and stens each weigh 200 lbs . the user did not need to check each value against the whole set of possible representations to arrive at this conclusion . from a collating standpoint , each index value can be collated using standard character - based techniques because the one or more trailing zeros of the weight values of players smith lamps , and stens need not be considered . if the user was particularly interested in the precise values of table 220 , for example only those players whose weight was listed as 200 . 00 , the user would simply include the precise keyword as part of the query . this would cause the mechanism of the preferred embodiment to filter the returned results such that only the records for players smith and lamps were returned . fig4 is a flow diagram showing highlighted steps used to create and update database indexes according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention . ( note here that the acts of creating an index and updating an index both involve placing one or more entries .) normalizer 120 of the preferred embodiment receives an index related request in block 400 . this request is generated whenever a new index is being built by database engine 115 or whenever a new index entry is needed . if the index already exists , it is retrieved in block 410 , prior to normalization step 420 . if the index does not exist , normalizer 120 proceeds directly to normalization step 420 . normalizer 120 normalizes the value associated with the identified key value . in the preferred embodiment , values are normalized by stripping off trailing zeros , although those skilled in the art appreciate that other approaches could be used . the normalized value is then inserted into the index [ block 425 ]. blocks 420 and 425 are then repeated for each key value . it should be noted that new indexes and updates to existing indexes may each involve multiple key values . the processing of normalizer 120 then ends in block 435 after all of the keys have been normalized and inserted in the index . fig5 is a flow diagram showing highlighted steps used to process queries according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention . queries are received in block 500 . the query is parsed to determine if the keyword precise has been specified . in the preferred embodiment , the precise keyword has been added to the grammar of the query mechanism of computer system 100 ( i . e ., structured query language ( sql ) of the preferred embodiment ); however , those skilled in the art appreciate that other terms and methods could be used that would effectively identify the need to examine the actual column values instead of relying solely on the normalized values in the index . the argument of the precise keyword is then compared to the actual to - be - returned value [ block 515 ] and presents [ block 510 ] only those records to the user having values that precisely match that specified in the argument . processing then ends in block 520 . the embodiments and examples set forth herein were presented in order to best explain the present invention and its practical application and to thereby enable those skilled in the art to make and use the invention . however , those skilled in the art will recognize that the foregoing description and examples have been presented for the purposes of illustration and example only . thus , the description as set forth is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed . many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teaching without departing from the spirit and scope of the following claims .
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a preferred embodiment of a pinion shaft - supporting ball bearing of the present invention ( that is , a ball bearing for supporting a pinion shaft of a differential apparatus ) will now be described with reference to the drawings . fig1 is a cross - sectional view roughly showing the construction of the differential apparatus , fig2 is an enlarged cross - sectional view showing a condition in which pinion shaft - supporting double row ball bearings are used , and fig3 is a an enlarged cross - sectional view showing the double row ball bearing alone . first , the overall construction of the differential apparatus 1 will be described . as shown in fig1 , the differential apparatus 1 includes a differential case 2 . this differential case 2 comprises a front case 3 and a rear case 4 , and the two cases 3 and 4 are connected together by a bolt / nut arrangement 2 a . bearing - mounting annular walls 27 a and 27 b are formed within the front case 3 . the differential case 2 contains a differential speed - change mechanism 5 connecting right and left wheels together in a differential manner , and a pinion shaft ( drive pinion ) 7 having a pinion gear 6 formed at one end thereof . the pinion gear 6 is in mesh with a ring gear 8 of the differential speed - change mechanism 5 . a shaft portion 9 of the pinion shaft 7 is stepped to decrease in diameter sequentially toward the other end thereof . the one end portion ( pinion gear - side portion ) of the shaft portion 9 of the pinion shaft 7 is supported on the annular wall 27 a via the first double row angular contact ball bearing ( hereinafter referred to merely as “ double row ball bearing ”) 10 so as to rotate about an axis of the pinion shaft . also , the other end portion ( anti - pinion - gear - side portion ) of the shaft portion 9 is supported on the annular wall 27 b via the second double row angular contact ball bearing ( hereinafter referred to merely as “ double row ball bearing ”) 25 so as to rotate about the axis of the pinion shaft . as shown in fig2 , the first double row ball bearing 10 comprises a single first outer ring member 11 having a pinion gear - side larger - diameter outer ring raceway surface 11 a and an anti - pinion - gear - side smaller - diameter outer ring raceway surface 11 b , and a first assembly 21 . the first double row ball bearing 10 is assembled by mounting the first assembly 21 onto the first outer ring member 11 in the direction of the axis of the pinion shaft and also in a direction away from the pinion gear . the first outer ring member 11 is fitted on an inner peripheral surface of the annular wall 27 a . a counter - bored outer ring is used as this first outer ring member 11 . the first outer ring member 11 has a flat surface portion 11 c formed between the larger - diameter outer ring raceway surface 11 a and the smaller - diameter outer ring raceway surface 11 b , and this flat surface portion 11 c is larger in diameter than the smaller - diameter outer ring raceway surface 11 b , and is continuous with the larger - diameter outer ring raceway surface 11 a . with this construction , the inner peripheral surface of the first outer ring member 11 is formed into a slanting shape . the first assembly 21 comprises a single first inner ring member 13 having a larger - diameter inner ring raceway surface 13 a opposed to the larger - diameter outer ring raceway surface 11 a of the first outer ring member 11 in the radial direction and a smaller - diameter inner ring raceway surface 13 b opposed to the smaller - diameter outer ring raceway surface 11 b in the radial direction , a pinion gear - side larger - diameter - side ball group 15 , an anti - pinion - gear - side smaller - diameter - side ball group 16 , a resin - made cage 19 holding balls 17 ( forming the ball group 15 ) at equal intervals in the circumferential direction , and a resin - made cage 20 holding balls 18 ( forming the ball group 16 ) at equal intervals in the circumferential direction . a counter - bored inner ring is used as the first inner ring member 13 . the pinion shaft 7 is passed through the first inner ring member 13 . the first inner ring member 13 has a flat surface portion 13 c formed between the larger - diameter inner ring raceway surface 13 a and the smaller - diameter inner ring raceway surface 13 b , and this flat surface portion 13 c is larger in diameter than the smaller - diameter inner ring raceway surface 13 b , and is continuous with the larger - diameter inner ring raceway surface 13 a . with this construction , the outer peripheral surface of the first inner ring member 13 is formed into a stepped shape . an end surface of the first inner ring member 13 abuts against an end surface of the pinion gear 6 in the axial direction , and the first inner ring member 13 is held between the end surface of the pinion gear 6 and a preload - setting plastic spacer 23 ( fitted on an intermediate portion of the shaft portion 9 of the pinion gear 7 ) in the axial direction . in the first double row ball bearing 10 , each ball 17 of the larger - diameter - side ball group 15 is equal in diameter to each ball 18 of the smaller - diameter - side ball group 16 , and the ball groups 15 and 16 have different pitch circle diameters d1 and d2 , respectively , as shown in fig3 . namely , the pitch circle diameter d1 of the larger - diameter - side ball group 15 is larger than the pitch circle diameter d2 of the smaller - diameter - side ball group 16 . the first double row ball bearing 10 having the ball groups 15 and 16 having the different pitch circle diameters d1 and d2 is called “ a tandem - type double row ball bearing ”. the balls 17 and 18 are made , for example , of bearing steel such as jis suj2 or sae52100 , and their surface hardness is set to 62 to 66 on a rockwell c hardness ( hrc ) scale . the first outer ring member 11 and the first inner ring member 13 are made of carburized steel ( such for example as jis scr420 , sae5120 or the like ) containing 0 . 1 to 1 . 0 wt . % c ( carbon ). the first outer ring member 11 and the first inner ring member 13 are applied to a heat treatment such as a carbonitriding treatment or a high concentration carburizing treatment , and as a result the surface hardness of each of the first outer ring member 11 and the first inner ring member 13 in a region from its surface to a depth of 50 μm is set to hrc 63 to 67 which is substantially equal to the surface hardness of the balls 17 and 18 . furthermore , the amount of surface retained austenite is not smaller than 20 % and not larger than 25 %. the first outer ring member 11 and the first inner ring member 13 are produced by the following method . a carburizing and quenching treatment is applied to a bearing part stock ( made of carburized steel ) beforehand worked into a predetermined shape , and then a sub - zero treatment is applied to the bearing part after it is applied to a preliminary tempering treatment , and further a complete tempering treatment is applied to the bearing part . the carburizing and quenching treatment is carried by holding the bearing part at a temperature of 900 to 950 ° c . for a predetermined period of time . at this time , the surface hardness of the carburized and quenched surface or layer is hrc55 to 65 , and the amount of retained austenite is about 30 to about 65 %. the preliminary tempering treatment is carried out by holding the bearing part at a temperature of 110 to 130 ° c . for one hour or more . the sub - zero treatment is carried out by holding the bearing part at a temperature of − 50 to − 80 ° c . for one hour or more . the surface hardness after the sub - zero treatment is hrc63 to 68 , and the amount of the retained austenite is about 20 to about 25 %. then , after a similar carburizing and quenching treatment as described above is carried out , a secondary quenching ( hardening ) treatment is carried out , and further after a similar preliminary tempering treatment and a similar sub - zero treatment as described above are carried out , a complete tempering treatment is carried out . this secondary quenching treatment is carried out by heat - treating the bearing part at a temperature of 800 to 850 ° c . for 0 . 5 hour or more and then by cooling it , for example , by oil . the complete tempering treatment is carried out by holding the bearing part at a temperature of 140 to 175 ° c . for two hours or more . with this method , the desired retained austenite amount can be obtained . namely , when the sub - zero treatment is carried out without effecting the preliminary tempering treatment , the austenite is liable to be decomposed to become martensite , so that the retained austenite amount is reduced . however , by effecting the preliminary tempering treatment , the retained austenite which is unstable after the carburizing and quenching treatment becomes stable , and is less liable to become martensite even when the sub - zero treatment is carried out . incidentally , in the above method , the need for the preliminary tempering treatment can , in some cases , be obviated by suitably adjusting the treatment temperature of the sub - zero treatment . in conventional rolling bearings of this type , the surface hardness of first outer and inner ring members ( corresponding respectively to the first outer and inner ring members 11 and 13 ) has heretofore been set to hrc60 to 64 . in the first double row ball bearing 10 of this embodiment , the larger - diameter inner ring raceway surface 13 a and the smaller - diameter inner ring raceway surface 13 b have substantially the same radius of curvature as shown in fig3 , and this radius of curvature is represented by ri . in the first double row ball bearing 10 , the larger - diameter outer ring raceway surface 11 a and the smaller - diameter outer ring raceway surface 11 b have substantially the same radius of curvature , and this radius of curvature is represented by ro . the diameter of the balls 17 and 18 is represented by bd . the radius ri of curvature , the radius ro of curvature and the diameter bd are so determined as to satisfy the following formulas ( 1 ), ( 2 ) and ( 3 ). the radius ro of curvature is 1 % larger than the radius ri of curvature . more specifically , in the case of ri = 0 . 505 * bd , ro = 0 . 515 bd is provided . incidentally , conventional rolling bearings of this type have heretofore been arranged such that the formula , 0 . 515 · bd ≦ ri ≦ 0 . 525 · bd , and the formula , 0 . 525 · bd ≦ ro ≦ 0 . 535 · bd , are established . in this embodiment , when an angle formed by an action line a 1 ( interconnecting two points at which the ball 17 contacts the inner and outer ring raceway surfaces 13 a and 11 a ) and a radial plane , that is , a contact angle , is represented by θ1 , and an angle formed by an action line a 2 ( interconnecting two points at which the ball 18 contacts the inner and outer ring raceway surfaces 13 b and 11 b ) and a radial plane , that is , a contact angle , is represented by θ2 , the relation , θ1 = θ2 , is established . θ1 , θ2 satisfies the following formula ( 4 ). more specifically , θ1 , θ2 is set to any of 20 °, 25 °, 30 °, 35 °, 40 ° and 45 °. as shown in fig2 , the second double row ball bearing 25 comprises a single second outer ring member 12 having a pinion gear - side smaller - diameter outer ring raceway surface 12 a and an anti - pinion - gear - side larger - diameter outer ring raceway surface 12 b , and a second assembly 22 . the second double row ball bearing 25 is assembled by mounting the second assembly 22 onto the second outer ring member 12 in the direction of the axis of the pinion shaft and also in the direction toward the pinion gear . the second outer ring member 12 has a flat surface portion 12 c formed between the smaller - diameter outer ring raceway surface 12 a and the larger - diameter outer ring raceway surface 12 b , and this flat surface portion 12 c is larger in diameter than the smaller - diameter outer ring raceway surface 12 a , and is continuous with the larger - diameter outer ring raceway surface 12 b . with this construction , the inner peripheral surface of the second outer ring member 12 is formed into a slanting shape . the second outer ring member 12 is fitted on an inner peripheral surface of the annular wall 27 b . a counter - bored outer ring is used as this second outer ring member 12 . the second assembly 22 comprises a single second inner ring member 14 having a smaller - diameter inner ring raceway surface 14 a opposed to the smaller - diameter outer ring raceway surface 12 a of the second outer ring member 12 in the radial direction and a larger - diameter inner ring raceway surface 14 b opposed to the larger - diameter outer ring raceway surface 12 b in the radial direction , a pinion gear - side smaller - diameter - side ball group 28 , an anti - pinion - gear - side larger - diameter - side ball group 29 , a cage 32 holding balls 30 ( forming the ball group 28 ) at equal intervals in the circumferential direction , and a cage 33 holding balls 31 ( forming the ball group 29 ) at equal intervals in the circumferential direction . a counter - bored inner ring is used as the second inner ring member 14 . the pinion - shaft 7 is passed through the second inner ring member 14 , and the second inner ring member 14 is held between the preload - setting plastic spacer 23 and a closure plate 37 in the axial direction . the second inner ring member 14 has a flat surface portion 14 c formed between the smaller - diameter inner ring raceway surface 14 a and the larger - diameter inner ring raceway surface 14 b , and this flat surface portion 14 c is smaller in diameter than the larger - diameter inner ring raceway surface 14 b , and is continuous with the smaller - diameter inner ring raceway surface 14 a . with this construction , the outer peripheral surface of the second inner ring member 14 is formed into a stepped shape . in the second double row ball bearing 25 , each ball 30 of the smaller - diameter - side ball group 28 is equal in diameter to each ball 31 of the larger - diameter - side ball group 29 , and the ball groups 28 and 29 have different pitch circle diameters ( not designated by reference numerals ), respectively . namely , the pitch circle diameter of the smaller - diameter - side ball group 28 is smaller than the pitch circle diameter of the larger - diameter - side ball group 29 . this second double row ball bearing 25 is also a tandem - type double row ball bearing ”. the second double row ball bearing 25 is smaller in diameter than the first double row ball bearing 10 . more specifically , the second outer ring member 12 is smaller in diameter than the first outer ring member 11 , and the second inner ring member 14 is smaller in diameter than the first inner ring member 13 , and the pitch circle diameter of the ball group 29 of the second double row ball bearing 25 is smaller than the pitch circle diameter d 1 of the ball group 15 of the first double row ball bearing 10 , and the pitch circle diameter of the ball group 28 of the second double row ball bearing 25 is smaller than the pitch circle diameter d2 of the ball group 16 of the first double row ball bearing 10 . in the first and second double row ball bearings 10 and 25 , the balls 17 and 31 of the larger - diameter - side ball groups 15 and 29 are equal in diameter to the balls 18 and 30 of the smaller - diameter - side ball groups 16 and 28 . the materials respectively forming the constituent elements ( the outer ring member , the inner ring member , the balls and the cages ) of the first double row ball bearing 10 are similar respectively to those of the second double row ball bearing 25 , and the contact angles in the first and second double row ball bearings 10 and 25 are equal to each other although the directions of these contact angles are reversed relative to each other . therefore , explanation of these will be omitted . in the differential apparatus 1 of this embodiment , the front case 3 has an oil circulating passageway 40 formed between its outer wall and the annular wall 27 a as shown in fig1 , and an oil inlet 41 of the oil circulating passageway 40 is open toward the ring gear 8 , and an oil outlet 42 of the oil circulating passageway 40 is open to a region between the annular walls 27 a and 27 b . the differential apparatus 1 includes a companion flange 43 . this companion flange 43 includes a barrel portion 44 , and a flange portion 45 formed integrally with the barrel portion 44 . the barrel portion 44 is fitted on the other end portion ( disposed close . to a drive shaft ( not shown )) of the shaft portion 9 of the pinion gear 7 . the closure plate 37 is interposed between one end surface of the barrel portion 44 and an end surface of the second inner ring member 14 of the second double row ball bearing 25 . an oil seal 46 is disposed between the outer peripheral surface of the barrel portion 44 and an inner peripheral surface of an opening portion ( remote from the pinion gear ) of the front case 3 . a seal protection cup 47 is attached to the opening portion of the front case 3 , and covers the oil seal 46 . a threaded portion 48 is formed at the other end portion of the shaft portion 9 , and projects into a recess 43 a formed in a central portion of the flange portion 45 . a nut 49 is threaded on the threaded portion 48 . the nut 49 is thus threaded on the threaded portion 48 , and by doing so , the first inner ring 13 of the first double row ball bearing 10 and the second inner ring 14 of the second double row ball bearing 25 are held between the end surface of the pinion gear 6 and the end surface of the companion flange 43 in the axial direction , so that a predetermined preload is imparted to the balls 17 and 18 of the first double row ball bearing 10 and the balls 30 and 31 of the second double row ball bearing 25 through the closure plate 37 and the plastic spacer 23 . in the differential apparatus 1 of the above construction oil 50 is stored at a predetermined level within the differential case 2 when the operation is stopped . during the operation , the oil 50 is circulated within the differential case 2 , that is , the oil 50 is spattered in accordance with the rotation of the ring gear 8 , and is fed through the oil circulating passageway 40 within the front case 3 , and is supplied to upper portions of the first and second double row ball bearings 10 . and 25 to lubricate the first and second double row ball bearings 10 and 25 . in this embodiment , the first double row ball bearing 10 having a small frictional resistance is used as the pinion gear - side ball bearing ( disposed close to the pinion gear 6 ) on which larger loads act as compared with the anti - pinion - gear side ball bearing disposed remote from the pinion gear 6 . with this arrangement , a rotation torque becomes smaller as compared with the tapered roller bearings used in the conventional bearing device , and the efficiency of the differential apparatus 1 can be enhanced . and besides , not a single row ball bearing but the double row ball bearing is used as each of the first and second ball bearings , and with this construction a larger load capacity can be achieved as compared with such a single row ball bearing , and a sufficient supporting rigidity can be obtained . furthermore , there is used the first double row ball bearing 10 of the tandem type in which the pitch circle diameter d1 of the pinion gear ( 6 )- side larger - diameter - side ball group 15 is larger than the pitch circle diameter d2 of the anti - pinion - gear - side smaller - diameter - side ball group 16 . therefore , the number of the balls 17 of the pinion gear ( 6 )- side larger - diameter - side ball group 15 ( on which a larger load acts when the balls 17 and 18 of the two rows have the same diameter ) can be increased , and therefore the first double row ball bearing 10 can withstand a large load . incidentally , in the above differential apparatus 1 , metallic wear powder develops within the differential case 2 . this metallic wear powder is included in the oil 50 , and intrudes into the interior of the first double row ball bearing 10 , and reaches the inner and outer ring raceway surfaces thereof . however , as indicated by the formulas ( 2 ) and ( 3 ), the radius ri of curvature of the inner ring raceway surfaces 13 a and 13 b and the radius ro of curvature of the outer ring raceway surfaces 11 a and 11 b are both made smaller than those of conventional bearing devices , and with this construction the area of contact ( receiving surface ) between each ball 17 and each of the inner and outer ring raceway surfaces 13 a and 11 a , as well as the area of contact between each ball 18 and each of the inner and outer ring raceway surfaces 13 b and 11 b , increases , and a contact pressure is reduced , so that an indentation or impression is hardly formed on the inner and outer ring raceway surfaces . and besides , as indicated in the above formula ( 4 ), the value of the contact angle θ1 , θ2 is larger than the value ( 2020 ≦( θ1 , θ2 )≦ 25 °) of conventional bearing devices , and with this arrangement the load capacity for the axial load is increased . as described above , in this embodiment , although an indentation or impression is hardly formed on the inner and outer ring raceway surfaces , there are occasions when such indentation is formed as shown in an enlarged view of fig4 . however , the surface hardness of the conventional first outer ring member ( corresponding to the first outer ring member 11 ) is set to hrc60 to 64 , whereas the surface hardness of each of the first outer ring member 11 and the first inner ring member 13 is set to hrc62 to 67 , and the amount of the surface retained austenite is set to the range from not smaller than 20 % to less than 25 %. therefore , in accordance with the rolling movement of the balls 17 and 18 on the respective raceway surfaces , a height h of a bulged portion of the indentation becomes small with time ( in a short time ). fig5 is a graph in which the horizontal axis represents surface hardness ( hrc ), and the vertical axis represents a height h ( μm ) of a bulged portion 60 of an indentation . fig6 is a graph showing results obtained through tests , in which the horizontal axis represents a number of stress repetitions ( cycles ), and the vertical axis represents a height h ( μm ) of a bulged portion 60 of an indentation . in fig6 , marks o represent data obtained when a test piece having a surface hardness of hrc62 . 2 and a surface retained austenite amount of 16 . 9 % was used , and marks □ represent data obtained when a test piece having a surface hardness of hrc62 . 9 and a surface retained austenite amount of 31 . 5 % was used . it will be appreciated from fig6 that when the retained austenite amount increases , the height of the bulged portion will not become smaller than a certain level even when the number of stress repetitions increases . it is thought that the fact that the height h of the bulged portion 60 will not become small with the increased amount of the surface retained austenite is attributable to work hardening developing in the bulged portion 60 . thus , in the embodiment of the invention , even when an indentation is formed on the inner and outer raceway surfaces , this indentation is decreased in a short time into such a small size as not to adversely affect the operation of the bearing . the above advantageous effects are also achieved in the second double row ball bearing 25 . in the above embodiment , although the first double row ball bearing 10 and the second double row ball bearing 25 are used as the bearings for supporting the pinion shaft of the differential apparatus 1 of the vehicle , the bearings 10 and 25 are not limited to such use . namely , the bearing device of the invention can be applied to the type of apparatus in which one bearing ring ( one constituent part of a double row ball bearing ) is mounted on one of a shaft and a housing , while the other constituent part is mounted on the other of the shaft and the housing , and the shaft is passed through the housing .
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data from the present inventors laboratory shows that 2 - me inhibits the growth of brain , nervous system and prostate cancer cells but that 16 - epiestriol does not . this indicates that substituting the second position of 17b - estradiol ( e 2 ) with a methoxy group generates a molecular structure that shows significant and selective growth inhibitory activity toward prostate cancer cells while simultaneously eliminating the potentially detrimental growth stimulating activity of e 2 itself . the analogues of 2 - me to be prepared as described below are designed ( 1 ) to determine which components of the 2 - me molecule in addition to the 2 - methoxy group are required for the observed chemopreventive effects and ( 2 ) to determine if growth - inhibitory 2 - me analogues can be created that are effective . the initial compounds to be synthesized will be 2 alkoxy substituted analogues of estrone shown in fig1 . these compounds will then be converted into the 2 - me analogues as shown in fig3 ( analogues 19 - 21 , 23 - 25 , and 27 - 29 ). [ 0028 ] fig1 illustrates how the a ring of the e 2 steroidal nucleus will be modified to generate 2 - alkoxy substituted analogues of estrone ( analogues 8 - 10 ) and a 2 - ethyl substituted estrone analogue ( analogue 14 ). the key reactions in this figure are the synthesis of compound 2 , 2 , 4 - diiodoestrone , and its conversion to compound 3 , the 2 - iodoestrone derivative . the iodination and diodination of the estrone starting material ( analogue 1 ) will be carried out as described by ikegawa et al in their synthesis of catecholic equilin and equilin derivatives . ( 4 ) the proposed conversion of the ethylenedioxy protected 2 - iodoestrone derivative 4 to the protected 2 - methoxy , 2 - ethoxy , and 2 benzyloxy derivatives 5 - 7 by cu ( i ) catalyzed reactions of the alkoxides in dimethylformamide in the presence of a crown ether is based upon the comparable reaction of a protected 2 - iodoequilin also described by ikegawa et . al in the synthesis of catechol equilins . ( 4 ) it should be noted that if it proves necessary the estrone starting material used in fig1 could be protected as the ethylenedioxy derivative by treatment with ethylene glycol prior to the iodination reaction . the pd ( ph 3 ) cl 2 / cui catalyzed coupling of the aryl iodide ( analogue 4 ) with trimethylsilyl substituted acetylene to yield the 2 - alkynyl substituted estrone derivative 11 shown in fig1 has many known precedents ( 5 ). the present inventors have carried out many such coupling reactions in their laboratory and have found that molecules containing active hydrogens ( nh 2 or oh groups ) can be successfully coupled in such reactions if care is taken to form the reactive cu - tms acetylene complex before the halogenated aromatic substrate is added . it is therefore anticipated that this reaction will proceed as shown in fig1 . if , however , the reaction fails to be successful as shown in fig1 the intermediate 4 will be coupled with trimethylsilylacetylene in 9 : 1 ch 3 cn / h 2 o catalyzed with pd ( aco ) 2 / pph 3 / cui . the present inventors have carried out a model reaction in their laboratory with an unprotected iodophenol that gave the desired coupling product with this procedure . [ 0029 ] fig2 outlines the reaction sequence that will be employed to prepare the 2 , 3 - methylenedioxyestrone derivative ( analogue 18 ). this reaction sequence is based upon the reaction sequence employed by stubenrauch and knuppen to prepare catechol estrogens . ( 6 ) [ 0030 ] fig3 and 4 illustrate how 2 - methoxyestrone and the 2 - methoxyestrone analogues prepared as outlined in fig1 and 2 above will be converted into ( i ) 2 - methoxyestrone and its analogues and ( ii ) 2 , 3 - methylenedioxyestrone analogues modified at position c - 17 . the preparation of these structures will not only allow us to test the requirement for the 17b - hydroxyl group in the chemopreventive activity of 2 - me but will also enable us to determine if substitutions at c - 17 ( for example , the 17 - ethynyl2 - me derivative , 23 ) will decrease the rate of metabolism and deactivation of 2 - me and its analogues . as outlined in fig3 and 4 below , the present inventors propose to prepare both 2 - ethyl - 17b - estradiol ( analogue 22 ) and 2 , 3 - methylenedioxy - 17b - estradiol ( analogue 32 ). in addition , since 17a - ethynylestradiol ( ethynylestradiol ) is both a potent estrogenic and long - lived analogue of e 2 , the 17a - ethynyl derivative of 2 - me ( analogue 19 ) will be prepared as outlined in fig3 . in addition , by directing synthesis to produce estrone analogues of the target structures ( analogues 8 - 10 , 14 , and 18 ) as illustrated in fig1 and 2 , it will be possible to prepare 17a - ethynyl , and 17a - ethyl derivatives of the 2 - alkoxy , 2 - ethyl , and 2 , 3 - methylenedioxy analogues ( analogues 23 - 26 , 27 - 30 , 31 and 32 ). it should be noted that the proposed reactions used to modify the c - 17 carbonyl of the estrone analogues shown in fig3 and 4 are standard reactions that have been successfully applied to estrone . ( 7 ) although not explicitly shown in fig1 and 3 , the 2 - ethynyl intermediate shown in fig1 ( analogue 12 ) will also be converted into 2 - ethynylestrone and 2 - ethynylestradiol for testing . further , although not explicitly indicated in fig1 and 2 , the 2 - ethynylestrone derivative 11 shown in fig1 will also be converted into 2 - ethynylestrone and 2 - ethynylestradiol as shown in fig2 for the other intermediates . this will generate two additional 2 - me analogues for biological testing . lastly , it is also possible to modify the acetylene coupling reaction shown in fig1 to prepare 2 -( 1 - propynyl ) and 2 -( 1 - butynyl ) derivatives of 2 - me that could serve as precursors of 2 - propyl and 2 - butyl 2 - me analogues . the synthesis reactions in fig1 - 4 outlined above will provide an efficient way of generating 2 - me ( analogue 19 ) and fourteen 2 - me analogues ( analogues 20 - 33 ) that can be utilized to determine the effects of modifying both the c - 17 and the c - 2 position of 2 - me . samples of the estrone analogues themselves ( analogues 8 - 10 , 14 , 18 ) will also be tested for their potential growth - inhibitory activity . the reaction sequences outlined in fig1 - 4 will therefore produce a total of 21 new 2 - me analogues to be tested as potential selective inhibitors of cancer cell growth and angiogenesis . it is anticipated that one or more of these analogues may manifest selective growth - inhibitory activities towards cancer cells while , at the same time , being less subject to metabolic conversions that will deactivate or eliminate these active analogues . it is also likely that 17a - ethylnyl derivative of 2 - me may have a longer effective half - life both in vitro and in vivo . referring to fig6 eugenol also inhibits the growth of lncap cells significantly . a concentration of approximately 0 . 75 mm was necessary to see 50 % inhibition of growth of lncap cells whereas a concentration of more than 2 mm was necessary to see similar effect in du145 cells . the investigational work of the present inventors establish that eugenol works in combination with 2 - me to achieve even more impressive results than either substance alone . cells were treated with either eugenol ( 0 . 25 , 0 . 5 , 0 . 75 or 1 mm ) or 2 - me ( 0 . 5 , 1 , 2 or 3 mm ) or both ( 0 . 25 , 0 . 5 , 0 . 75 or 1 mm of eugenol along with 0 . 5 mm of 2 - me ). cell growth was measured following 72 hours of treatment as described above . as shown in fig7 . 5 mm of 2 - me inhibited growth of lncap cells by about 20 % and 0 . 25 mm of eugenol inhibited the growth by about 30 %. however , combining both the agents showed more than 50 % inhibition thereby establishing a synergistic activity of eugenol and 2 - me in combating cancer cells . the mechanisms of action at work against the cell lines investigated thus far are reasonably expected to be equally efficacious in treating other cancers and pre - cancerous conditions , such bph and the cancers of brain , liver , lung , colon and skin , and in preventing initial onset of cancers and preventing recurrence of cancers after treatment ( such as prostectomies ). since both hormone - responsive and hormone - refractory prostate cancer cells are inhibited by 2 - me and its analogs , with or without synergistic compounds such as eugenol , patients can be treated with these agents after surgery to prevent the recurrence of hormone - refractory cancer . additionally , the analogues of 2 - me described above are expected to provide even greater efficacy , along and in combination with synergistic , similarly structured compounds as eugenol . this expectation is well - founded on the efficacy indications established for 2 - me and the effect of the above - taught structural changes to 2 - me as indicated by the work of the present inventors . application to existing , in vivo tumors may be of varying means , including , but not limited to , direct injection of the herein described agents , electrophoresis , and non - electromotive transdermal migration . practitioners skilled in the use of chemopreventative agents will adjust dosages to meet the apparent needs of any particular patient , and the disclosure contained herein shall provide an enabling disclosure for the use of 2 - me and its analogs respectively alone , and with the synergistic compound of eugenol in the prevention of cancerous tumors as well as the suppression of recurrent cancers after treatment such as surgery .
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it is thus an object of the invention to provide improved shrink rates without appreciably reducing tensile strengths for polypropylene tape fibers . a further object of the invention is to provide a class of additives that , in a range of concentrations , will provide low shrinkage and / or higher tensile strength levels for such inventive tape fibers ( and yarns made therefrom ). a further object of the invention is to provide a carpet made with a polypropylene backing exhibiting very low heat shrinkage rates . another object of the invention is to provide a specific method for the production of nucleator - containing polypropylene tape fibers permitting the ultimate production of such low - shrink , high tensile strength , fabrics therewith . yet another object of the invention is to provide a carpet article having a backing comprising a majority of relatively inexpensive polypropylene fibers that exhibits very low shrinkage . accordingly , this invention encompasses a polypropylene tape fiber comprising at least 10 ppm of a nucleator compound , and exhibiting a tensile strength of at least 3 grams / denier . also encompassed within this invention is a polypropylene tape fiber comprising at least 10 ppm of a nucleator compound and exhibiting a shrinkage rate after exposure to 150 ° c . hot air of at most 2 %, wherein said fiber further exhibits a tensile strength of at least 2 . 5 grams / denier . also , this invention encompasses a polypropylene tape fiber exhibiting an x - ray scattering pattern such that the center of the scattering peak is at most 0 . 4 degrees . certain yarns and fabric articles comprising such inventive fibers are also encompassed within this invention . of particular concern is a carpet article having a top side and a bottom side , wherein a fiber substrate of either tufted fiber , berber fiber , or like type is attached to said top side and a backing comprising a majority of poylpropylene fibers wherein said fibers comprise at least 10 ppm of a nucleator compound , is attached to said bottom side . preferably , such a carpet article exhibits very low shrinkage rates on par with those noted above . furthermore , this invention also concerns a method of producing such fibers comprising the sequential steps of a ) extruding a heated formulation of polypropylene comprising at most about 2000 ppm , preferably at most about 1500 ppm , more preferably at most about 1000 ppm , and most preferably below about 800 ppm , of a nucleator compound into a film or tube ; b ) immediately quenching the film or tube of step “ a ” to a temperature which prevents orientation of polypropylene crystals therein ; c ) slitting said film or tube with cutting means oriented longitudinally to said film or tube thereby to produce individual tape fibers therefrom ; d ) mechanically drawing said individual tape fibers at a draw ratio of at least 5 : 1 while exposing said fibers to a temperature of at between 250 and 360 ° c ., preferably between 260 and 330 ° c ., and most preferably between 270 and 300 ° c ., thereby permitting crystal orientation of the polypropylene therein . preferably , step “ b ” will be performed at a temperature of at most 95 ° c . and at least about 5 ° c ., preferably between 5 and 60 ° c ., and most preferably between 10 and 40 ° c . ( or as close to room temperature as possible for a liquid through simply allowing the bath to acclimate itself to an environment at a temperature of about 25 - 30 ° c .). again , such a temperature is needed to ensure that the component polymer ( being polypropylene , and possibly other polymeric components , such as polyethylene , and the like , as structural enhancement additives therein that do not appreciably affect the shrinkage characteristics thereof ) does not exhibit orientation of crystals . upon the heated draw step , such orientation is effectuated which has now been determined to provide the necessary rigidification of the target tape fibers and thus to increase the strength and modulus of such fibers . the drawing speed to line speed ratio should exceed at least five times that of the rate of movement of the film to the cutting means . preferably , such a drawing speed is at from 400 - 700 feet / minute , while the prior speed of the film to the cutting means from about 50 - 400 feet / minute , with the drawing speed ratio between the two areas being from about 3 : 1 to about 10 : 1 , and is discussed in greater detail below , as is the preferred method itself . the final heat - setting temperature is necessary to “ lock ” the polypropylene crystalline structure in place after extruding and drawing . such a heat - setting step generally lasts for a portion of a second , up to potentially a couple of minutes ( i . e ., from about { fraction ( 1 / 10 )} th of a second , preferably about ½ of a second , up to about 3 minutes , preferably greater than ½ of a second ). the heat - setting temperature must be well in excess of the drawing temperature and must be at least 265 ° f ., more preferably at least about 290 ° f ., and most preferably at least about 300 ° f . ( and as high as 380 ° f .). the term “ mechanically drawing ” is intended to encompass any number of procedures which basically involve placing an extensional force on fibers in order to elongate the polymer therein . such a procedure may be accomplished with any number of apparatus , including , without limitation , godet rolls , nip rolls , steam cans , hot or cold gaseous jets ( air or steam ), and other like mechanical means . such tape yarns may also be produced through extruding individual fibers of high aspect ratio and of a sufficient size , thereby followed by drawing and heatsetting steps in order to attain such low shrinkage rate properties . all shrinkage values discussed as they pertain to the inventive fibers and methods of making thereof correspond to exposure times for each test ( hot air and boiling water ) of about 5 minutes . the heat - shrinkage at about 150 ° c . in hot air is , as noted above , at most 2 . 0 % for the inventive fiber ; preferably , this heat - shrinkage is at most 1 %; more preferably at most 0 . 5 %; and most preferably at most 0 . 1 %. also , the amount of nucleating agent present within the inventive fiber is at least 10 ppm ; preferably this amount is at least 50 ppm ; and most preferably is at least 100 ppm , up to a preferred maximum ( for tensile strength retention ) of about 700 - 800 ppm . any amount within this range should suffice to provide the desired shrinkage rates after heat - setting of the fiber itself ; again , however , excessive amounts ( e . g ., above about 2 , 000 ppm ) should be avoided , primarily due to costs and tensile strength problems . however , in the event that very high processing speeds ( either initial drawing speeds or heatsetting drawing speeds , as examples ) are practiced for very quick fibers production , higher amounts of nucleator compound ( s ) may be desired , up to about 2000 ppm , for instance , in order to provide faster crystallization rates at such high drawing speeds . furthermore , it has now been determined that the presence of between 10 and 1000 ppm of a nucleator compound within polypropylene fibers for incorporation within primary ( or secondary ) carpet backing provides the highly desirable result of no appreciable shrinkage of the backing , as well as of a tufted substrate / backing composite , or even of an entire carpet article . thus , any low - shrink carpet backing component comprising a majority of polypropylene fibers including such nucleator compound ( in the requisite amounts , preferably between 200 and 800 ppm , and most preferably between about 400 and 700 ppm ), provides the necessary low shrinkage properties . fibers and / or yarns of the inventive tape type , as well as polypropylene staple , multifilament , and monofilament , types , are available in such capacity for such improved , low - shrink carpet articles . the term “ polypropylene ” is intended to encompass any polymeric composition comprising propylene monomers , either alone or in mixture or copolymer with other randomly selected and oriented polyolefins , dienes , or other monomers ( such as ethylene , butylene , and the like ). such a term also encompasses any different configuration and arrangement of the constituent monomers ( such as syndiotactic , isotactic , and the like ). thus , the term as applied to fibers is intended to encompass actual long strands , tapes , threads , and the like , of drawn polymer . the polypropylene may be of any standard melt flow ( by testing ); however , standard fiber grade polypropylene resins possess ranges of melt flow indices between about 2 and 50 . contrary to standard plaques , containers , sheets , and the like ( such as taught within u . s . pat . no . 4 , 016 , 118 to hamada et al ., for example ), fibers clearly differ in structure since they must exhibit a length that far exceeds its cross - sectional area ( such , for example , its diameter for round fibers ). fibers are extruded and drawn ; articles are blow - molded or injection molded , to name two alternative production methods . also , the crystalline morphology of polypropylene within fibers is different than that of standard articles , plaques , sheets , and the like . for instance , the dpf of such polypropylene fibers is at most about 5000 ; whereas the dpf of these other articles is much greater . polypropylene articles generally exhibit spherulitic crystals while fibers exhibit elongated , extended crystal structures . thus , there is a great difference in structure between fibers and polypropylene articles such that any predictions made for spherulitic particles ( crystals ) of nucleated polypropylene do not provide any basis for determining the effectiveness of such nucleators as additives within polypropylene fibers . the terms “ nucleators ”, “ nucleator compound ( s )”, “ nucleating agent ”, and “ nucleating agents ” are intended to generally encompass , singularly or in combination , any additive to polypropylene that produces nucleation sites for polypropylene crystals from transition from its molten state to a solid , cooled structure . hence , since the polypropylene composition ( including nucleator compounds ) must be molten to eventually extrude the fiber itself , the nucleator compound will provide such nucleation sites upon cooling of the polypropylene from its molten state . the only way in which such compounds provide the necessary nucleation sites is if such sites form prior to polypropylene recrystallization itself . thus , any compound that exhibits such a beneficial effect and property is included within this definition . such nucleator compounds more specifically include dibenzylidene sorbitol types , including , without limitation , dibenzylidene sorbitol ( dbs ), monomethyldibenzylidene sorbitol , such as 1 , 3 : 2 , 4 - bis ( p - methylbenzylidene ) sorbitol ( p - mdbs ), dimethyl dibenzylidene sorbitol , such as 1 , 3 : 2 , 4 - bis ( 3 , 4 - dimethylbenzylidene ) sorbitol ( 3 , 4 - dmdbs ); other compounds of this type include , again , without limitation , sodium benzoate , na - 11 , and the like . the concentration of such nucleating agents ( in total ) within the target polypropylene fiber is at least 10 ppm , preferably at least 50 ppm . thus , from about 10 to about 2000 ppm , preferably from about 50 ppm to about 1500 ppm , and most preferably from about 100 ppm to about 800 ppm . furthermore , such inventive tape fibers must be produced by basically the slitting of extruded films or tubes as outlined above . also , without being limited by any specific scientific theory , it appears that the shrink - reducing nucleators which perform the best are those which exhibit relatively high solubility within the propylene itself . thus , compounds which are readily soluble , such as 1 , 3 : 2 , 4 - bis ( p - methylbenzylidene ) sorbitol provides the lowest shrinkage rate for the desired polypropylene fibers . the dbs derivative compounds are considered the best shrink - reducing nucleators within this invention due to the low crystalline sizes produced by such compounds . other nucleators , such as na - 11 , also provide acceptable low - shrink characteristics to the target polypropylene fiber and thus are considered as potential nucleator compound additives within this invention . basically , the selection criteria required of such nucleator compounds are particle sizes ( the lower the better for ease in handling , mixing , and incorporation with the target resin ), particle dispersability within the target resin ( to provide the most effective nucleation properties ), and nucleating temperature ( e . g ., crystallization temperature , determined for resin samples through differential scanning calorimetry analysis of molten nucleated resins ), the higher such a temperature , the better . it has been determined that the nucleator compounds that exhibit good solubility in the target molten polypropylene resins ( and thus are liquid in nature during that stage in the fiber - production process ) provide effective low - shrink characteristics . thus , low substituted dbs compounds ( including dbs , p - mdbs ) appear to provide fewer manufacturing issues as well as lower shrink properties within the finished polypropylene fibers themselves . although p - mdbs is preferred , however , any of the above - mentioned nucleators may be utilized within this invention as long as the x - ray scattering measurements are met or the low shrink requirements are achieved through utilization of such compounds . mixtures of such nucleators may also be used during processing in order to provide such low - shrink properties as well as possible organoleptic improvements , facilitation of processing , or cost . in addition to those compounds noted above , sodium benzoate and na - 11 are well known as nucleating agents for standard polypropylene compositions ( such as the aforementioned plaques , containers , films , sheets , and the like ) and exhibit excellent recrystallization temperatures and very quick injection molding cycle times for those purposes . the dibenzylidene sorbitol types exhibit the same types of properties as well as excellent clarity within such standard polypropylene forms ( plaques , sheets , etc .). for the purposes of this invention , it has been found that the dibenzylidene sorbitol types are preferred as nucleator compounds within the target polypropylene fibers . the closest prior art references teach the addition of nucleator compounds to general polypropylene compositions ( such as in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 016 , 118 , referenced above ). however , some teachings include the utilization of certain dbs compounds within limited portions of fibers in a multicomponent polypropylene textile structure . for example , u . s . pat . nos . 5 , 798 , 167 to connor et al . and 5 , 811 , 045 to pike , both teach the addition of dbs compounds to polypropylene in fiber form ; however , there are vital differences between those disclosures and the present invention . for example , both patents require the aforementioned multicomponent structures of fibers . thus , even with dbs compounds in some polypropylene fiber components within each fiber type , the shrink rate for each is dominated by the other polypropylene fiber components which do not have the benefit of the nucleating agent . also , there are no lamellae that give a long period ( as measured by small - angle x - ray scattering ) thicker than 20 nm formed within the polypropylene fibers due to the lack of a post - heatsetting step being performed . again , these thick lamellae provide the desired inventive higher heat - shrink fiber . also of importance is the fact that , for instance , connor et al . require a nonwoven polypropylene fabric laminate containing a dbs additive situated around a polypropylene internal fabric layer which contained no nucleating agent additive . the internal layer , being polypropylene without the aid of a nucleating agent additive , dictates the shrink rate for this structure . furthermore , the patentees do not expose their yarns and fibers to heat - setting procedures in order to permanently configure the crystalline fiber structures of the yarns themselves as low - shrink is not their objective . in addition , spruiell , et al , journal of applied polymer science , vol . 62 , pp . 1965 - 75 ( 1996 ), reveal using a nucleating agent , mdbs , at 0 . 1 %, to increase the nucleation rate during spinning , but not for tape fibers . however , after crystallizing and drawing the fiber , spruiell et al . do not expose the nucleated fiber to any heat , which is necessary to impart the very best shrinkage properties , therefore the shrinkage of their fibers was similar to conventional polypropylene fibers without a nucleating agent additive . of particular interest and which has been determined to be of primary importance in the production of such inventive low - shrink polypropylene fibers , is the discovery that , at the very least , the presence of nucleating agent within heat - set polypropylene fibers ( as discussed herein ), provides high long period measurements for the crystalline lamellae of the polypropylene itself . this discovery is best explained by the following : polymers , when crystallized from a melt under dynamic temperature and stress conditions , first supercool and then crystallize with the crystallization rate dependent on the number of nucleation sites , and the growth rate of the polymer , which are both in turn related to the thermal and mechanical working that the polymer is subjected to as it cools . these processes are particularly complex in a normal fiber drawing line . the results of this complex crystallization , however , can be measured using small angle x - ray scattering ( saxs ), with the measured saxs long period representative of an average crystallization temperature . a higher saxs long period corresponds to thicker lamellae ( which are the plate - like polymer crystals characteristic of semi - crystalline polymers like pp ), and which is evidenced by a saxs peak centered at a lower scattering angle than for comparative unnucleated polypropylene tape fibers . the higher the crystallization temperature of the average crystal , the thicker the measured saxs long period will be . further , higher saxs long periods are characteristic of more thermally stable polymeric crystals . crystals with shorter saxs long periods will “ melt ”, or relax and recrystallize into new , thicker crystals , at a lower temperature than those with higher saxs long periods . crystals with higher saxs long periods remain stable to higher temperatures , requiring more heat to destabilize the crystalline structure . in highly oriented polymeric samples such as fibers , those with higher saxs long periods will remain stable to higher temperatures . thus the shrinkage , which is a normal effect of the relaxation of the highly oriented polymeric samples , remains low to higher temperatures than in those highly oriented polymeric samples with lower saxs long periods . in this invention , as is evident from these measurements , the nucleating additive is used in conjunction with a thermal treatment to create fibers exhibiting a center of the saxs scattering peak of at most 0 . 4 degrees , which corresponds to thicker lamellae that in turn are very stable and exhibit low shrinkage up to very high temperatures . furthermore , such fibers may also be colored to provide other aesthetic features for the end user . thus , the fibers may also comprise coloring agents , such as , for example , pigments , with fixing agents for lightfastness purposes . for this reason , it is desirable to utilize nucleating agents that do not impart visible color or colors to the target fibers . other additives may also be present , including antistatic agents , brightening compounds , clarifying agents , antioxidants , antimicrobials ( preferably silver - based ion - exchange compounds , such as alphasan ® antimicrobials available from milliken & amp ; company ), uv stabilizers , fillers , and the like . furthermore , any fabrics made from such inventive fibers may be , without limitation , woven , knit , non - woven , in - laid scrim , any combination thereof , and the like . additionally , such fabrics may include fibers other than the inventive polypropylene fibers , including , without limitation , natural fibers , such as cotton , wool , abaca , hemp , ramie , and the like ; synthetic fibers , such as polyesters , polyamides , polyaramids , other polyolefins ( including non - low - shrink polypropylene ), polylactic acids , and the like ; inorganic fibers such as glass , boron - containing fibers , and the like ; and any blends thereof . of particular interest as end - uses for such inventive tape fibers are primary carpet backings and thus carpets comprising such backing components . these are described in greater detail below . the accompanying drawings , which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification , illustrate a potentially preferred embodiment of producing the inventive low - shrink polypropylene fibers and together with the description serve to explain the principles of the invention wherein : [ 0027 ] fig1 is a schematic of the potentially preferred method of producing low - shrink polypropylene tape fibers . [ 0028 ] fig2 is a side view of a preferred carpet article comprising the inventive fibers within a backing . [ 0029 ] fig1 depicts the non - limiting preferred procedure followed in producing the inventive low - shrink polypropylene tape fibers . the entire fiber production assembly 10 comprises a mixing manifold 11 for the incorporation of molten polymer and additives ( such as the aforementioned nucleator compound ) which then move into an extruder 12 . the extruded polymer is then passed through a metering pump 14 to a die assembly 16 , whereupon the film 17 is produced . the film 17 then immediately moves to a quenching bath 18 comprising a liquid , such as water , and the like , set at a temperature from 5 to 95 ° c . ( here , preferably , about room temperature ). the drawing speed of the film at this point is dictated by draw rolls and tensionsing rolls 20 , 22 , 24 , 26 , 28 set at a speed of about 100 feet / minute , preferably , although the speed could be anywhere from about 20 feet / minute to about 200 feet / minute , as long as the initial drawing speed is at most about ⅕ th that of the heat - draw speed later in the procedure . the quenched film 19 should not exhibit any appreciable crystal orientation of the polymer therein for further processing . sanding rolls 30 , 31 , 32 , 33 , 34 , 35 , may be optionally utilized for delustering of the film , if desired . the quenched film 19 then moves into a cutting area 36 with a plurality of fixed knives 38 spaced at any distance apart desired . preferably , such knives 38 are spaced a distance determined by the equation of the square root of the draw speed multiplied by the final width of the target fibers ( thus , with a draw ratio of 5 : 1 and a final width of about 3 mm , the blade gap measurements should be about 6 . 7 mm ). upon slitting the quenched film 19 into fibers 40 , such fibers are moved uniformly through a series of nip and tensioning rolls 42 , 43 , 44 , 45 prior to being drawn into a high temperature oven 46 set at a temperature level of between about 280 and 350 ° c ., in this instance about 310 ° c ., at a rate as noted above , at least 5 times that of the initial drawing speed . such an increased drawing speed is effectuated by a series of heated drawing rolls 48 , 50 ( at temperatures of about 360 - 400 ° f . each ) over which the now crystal - oriented fibers 54 are passed . a last tensioning roll 52 leads to a spool ( not illustrated ) for winding of the finished tape fibers 54 . turning to fig2 then , an inventive carpet article 110 is shown comprising a pile layer 112 comprising tufted fibers 114 tufted through a fabric substrate 113 ( which could be woven , knit , or non - woven in structure and comprise any type of natural fibers , such as cotton , and the like , or synthetic fibers , such as polyamide , and the like ; preferably , it is a woven substrate comprising polyamide fibers ), and embedded within an adhesive layer 115 , to which is attached a primary backing layer 116 comprising the inventive fibers , and a secondary backing layer 118 ( which may be a fabric , such as a felt , or resin , such as polyvinyl chloride other like compound ; preferably , it is felt in nature ) to provide increased dimensional stability thereto . the primary backing layer 116 is adhered to both the pile layer 112 and the secondary backing layer 118 to form the desired carpet article 110 . the inventive primary backing layer 116 , comprising such low - shrink polypropylene tape fibers , thus accords the desired low - shrink characteristics to the entire carpet article 110 itself . of course , alternative configurations and arrangements of backing layers ( such as an increase or decrease in the number required ) as well as types of fibers ( such as berber , short pile , and the like ) within the pile layer may be employed , as well as myriad other variations common within the carpet art and industry . the following non - limiting examples are indicative of the preferred embodiment of this invention : the carpet backing slit film fibers were made on the standard production equipment as described above at a drawing rate of 600 ft / min as follows : a 3 . 5 - 3 . 8 melt flow homopolymer polypropylene resin ( p4g32 - 050 , from huntsman ) was blended with an additive concentrate consisting of 10 % 4 - methyl - dbs and 90 % 4 mfi homopolypropylene resin . the blending ratio was changed to adjust the final additive level , as shown in the table below . this mixture , consisting of pp resin and the additive , was extruded on a single screw extruder through a film dye approximately 72 inches wide . the pp flow was adjusted to give a final tape thickness of approximately 0 . 002 inches . the molten film was quenched in room temperature ( about 25 ° c .) water , then transferred by rollers to a battery of knives , which cut it into parallel strips . an approximately 100 ppm concentration of 4 - methyl - dbs ( aka , p - methyl - dbs ) was utilized . upon production , the film appeared clear . the film , having been slit into strips , was run across three large rolls all running at 110 ft / min , and then into an oven , approximately 14 ft long and set a temperature of about 330 ° f ., where it was drawn . after leaving the oven , the film strips were transferred to three more rolls , running at speeds of 600 , 500 and 500 ft / min , respectively . the first two rolls were heated by hot oil to temperatures of 367 ° f . these film strips were then traversed to winders where they were individually wound up . these final film strips are thus referred to as the polypropylene tape fibers . several tape fibers were made in this manner , adjusting the concentrated additive - pp mixture level to adjust the final additive level . these tape fibers were tested for tensile properties on an mts sintech 10 / g instrument . they were also tested for shrinkage at 150 ° c . and 155 ° c . in hot air by measuring 5 10 ″ strips , exposing them in an oven for 5 minutes at the aforementioned temperatures , and then removing the strips and measuring the resultant length . shrinkage was calculated as the average shrinkage of the five strips in relation to the initial lengths thereof . the concentration level of 4 - methyl - dbs in the tape fiber was also measured by gas chromatograhy . all of these results are reported in the table below for different nucleator compound levels in different fibers ( with the denier measured at xg / 9000 m , and the shrinkage rates measured at 150 ° c . in hot air ). the long period spacing of several of the above yarns was tested by small angle x - ray scattering ( saxs ). the small angle x - ray scattering data was collected on a bruker axs ( madison , wis .) hi - star multi - wire detector placed at a distance of 105 cm from the sample in an anton - paar vacuum chamber where the chamber was evacuated to a pressure of not more than 100 mtorr . x - rays ( λ = 1 . 54178 å ) were generated with a macscience rotating anode ( 40 kv , 40 ma ) and focused through three pinholes to a size of 0 . 2 mm . the entire system ( generator , detector , beampath , sample holder , and software ) is commercially available as a single unit from bruker axs . the detector was calibrated per manufacturer recommendation using a sample of silver behenate . a typical data collection was conducted as follows . to prepare the sample , the yarn was wrapped around a 3 mm brass tube with a 2 mm hole drilled in it , and then the tube was placed in an anton - paar vacuum sample chamber on the x - ray equipment such that the yam was exposed to the x - ray beam through the hole . the path length of the x - ray beam through the sample was between 2 - 3 mm . the sample chamber and beam path was evacuated to less than 100 mtorr and the sample was exposed to the x - ray beam for one hour . two - dimensional data frames were collected by the detector and unwarped automatically by the system software . the data were smoothed within the system software using a 2 - pixel convolution prior to integration . to obtain the intensity scattering data [ i ( q )] as a function of scattering angle [ 2θ ] the data were integrated over φ with the manufacturer &# 39 ; s software set to give a 2θ range of 0 . 2 °- 2 . 5 ° in increments of 0 . 010 ° using the method of bin summation . the data was collected upon exposure to such high temperatures for one - half hour , and subtracting the baseline obtained by taking similar data with no tape fiber sample in place . the center of the scattering peak is obtained by integrating a 60 degree wedge above the sample , said wedge centered on the axis that defines the tape fiber direction . the peak is defined in two ways : either as the position of maximum counts near the center of the peak , or as the average of the positions of the left half maximum and the right half maximum of the peaks . the position of the maximum counts and the center are shown in the table below . yarns of the tape fibers above were then woven into a primary carpet backing component for carpet tiles . such tape fibers were made with knives set to cut the tape to different widths , such that yarns of both approximately 1100 and 600 denier measurements were made . the 600 denier yarns were warped at 24 yarns / inch and a fall width of about 168 inches . these warped yarns were then woven with the wider , 1100 denier yarns on a rapier loom at approximately 12 picks per inch to provide a backing substrate . upon attachment of such a backing ( 18 inches wide ) to a tufted substrate ( also 18 inches wide ), followed by printing with liquid colorants and dyes of the surface opposite the backing itself , the resultant composite was then exposed to drying temperatures ( about 130 ° c .). the complete composite subsequently exhibited no appreciable modification of the dimensions thereof . a comparative polypropylene tape fiber - containing primary backing exhibited a shrinkage rate of about 4 - 5 %, thereby reducing the dimensions of the comparative tufted substrate / primary backing composite by a similar amount . thus , it is apparent that the inventive tape fibers are substantial improvements over the typical , traditional , state of the art polypropylene tape fibers utilized today . there are , of course , many alternative embodiments and modifications of the present invention which are intended to be included within the spirit and scope of the following claims .
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referring now to the drawings , a vehicle signal module generally indicated by the numeral 10 includes a housing 12 which is rigidly mounted to a stock 14 by a fastener 16 which extends through the housing 12 , a flattened portion 18 of the stock 14 and a bottom cover member 20 . the stock 14 is rigidly mounted on the vehicle steering column . a printed circuit board 22 is mounted between the housing 12 and the cover member 20 to provide the necessary electrical connections within the housing 12 as will hereinafter be explained . the stock 14 is provided with an opening 24 to permit wires fed through the stock 14 to be connected to the circuit board 22 . the housing 12 includes a side edge 26 , an opposite side edge 28 an end edge 30 , and a transverse surface 32 extending between the edges 26 , 28 and 30 . the orientation of the various surfaces 26 - 32 is illustrated in fig1 in the positions which they assume when the stock 14 is installed on the aforementioned steering column ( not shown ). depressions or cavities 34 , 36 and 38 and 40 are provided in the top 32 , end 30 and transverse edges 26 - 28 respectively . the depressions or cavities 34 - 40 are sized to accept a human finger . holders 42 , 44 support a conventional light emitting diode and a optically responsive solid state switch respectively on opposite sides of the depression 34 . accordingly , a light beam emitted by the light emitting diode transverses the cavity 34 and is received by the optically responsive switch mounted in holder 44 . accordingly , when the operator inserts a finger into the depression or cavity 34 , the beam transmitted by the light emitting diode in holder 42 and received by the solid state switch in holder 44 is interrupted . similar holders 46 and 48 ; 50 and 52 ; and 54 and 56 are installed on opposite sides of the cavities 36 , 38 and 40 respectively . accordingly , when a human finger is inserted in any of the cavities 34 - 40 , the corresponding light beam transmitted by the corresponding light emitting diode and received by the optically responsive solid state switch will be broken . referring now to fig5 which illustrates schematically the various electrical connections within the housing 12 provided by the circuit board 22 , connectors 58 , 60 provide connections with the regulated vehicle voltage supply and ground respectively . a light emitting diode 62 is connected between the power supply and ground through a bias resistor r 1 , and an optically responsive solid state switch 64 is connected between power supply and ground through a bias resistor r 2 . the light emitting diode 62 and switch 64 are installed in holders 42 , 44 , and , as discussed above , the switch 64 responds to breaking of the beam provided by the light emitting diode 62 to change the state of the signal at left turn output terminal 66 . similarly , light emitting diode 68 and optically responsive solid state switch 70 are connected between power and ground through bias resistors r 3 and r 4 respectively , and are installed within holders 46 and 48 on opposite sides of the depression or cavity 36 . the switch 70 responds to an interruption of the light beam received from light emitting diode 68 to change the state of the signal at the output terminal 72 . still another light emitting diode 74 and optically responsive solid state switch 76 are connected between power and ground through appropriate bias resistors r 5 and r 6 respectively . the light emitting diode 74 and switch 76 are installed in holders 50 and 52 on opposite sides of the depression or cavity 38 . the switch 76 is responsive to interruption of the beam of light received from light emitting diode 74 to change the state of the signal at output terminal 78 . light emitting diode 80 and optically responsive solid state switch 82 are connected between power and ground through appropriate bias resistors r 7 and r 8 . the light emitting diode 80 and switch 82 are installed in holders 54 , 56 on opposite sides of the cavity or depression 40 . the switch 82 responds to interruption of the beam of light received from light emitting diode 80 to change the state of the signal at output terminal 84 . a light emitting diode 86 is connected between the power and ground through a bias resistor r 9 and is mounted on the housing 12 in an appropriate place ( not shown ) to provide an indication that power is being supplied to the housing . referring now to fig6 a microprocessor generally indicated by the numeral 88 is connected to power through a conventional regulating and filtering circuit generally indicated by the numeral 90 and is also connected to ground as indicated at 92 . input terminal 94 of microprocessor 88 is connected to terminal 66 , terminal 96 of microprocessor 88 is connected to terminal 72 input terminal 98 of microprocessor 88 is connected to terminal 78 , and input terminal 100 of microprocessor 88 is connected to terminal 84 . each of the terminals 66 , 72 , 78 and 84 are connected to their corresponding input terminals of microprocessor 88 through appropriate voltage regulating filtering and protection circuitry generally indicated by the numeral 102 . the microprocessor 88 also has an input ( not shown ) connected to a signal representing vehicle speed from the multiplex data buss . output terminal 104 of microprocessor 88 is connected to a solid state switching device 106 , which is responsive to a change of state of terminal 104 to switch left turn signals connected to a terminal generally indicated at 108 . output terminal 110 of microprocessor 88 is connected to solid state switching device 112 , which is responsive to a change of state of output terminal 110 to switch the right turn signals connected to terminal generally indicated by the numeral 114 . output terminal 116 of microprocessor 88 is connected to a solid state switch 118 which is responsive to a change of state on terminal 116 to switch the vehicle head light beams from the high beam to the low beam ( or vice versa ) which are connected to terminal generally indicated by the numeral 120 . output terminal 122 of microprocessor 88 is connected to solid state switching device 124 which is responsive to a change of state on terminal 122 to switch on or off the vehicle emergency flashers connected to a terminal generally indicated by the numeral 126 . in operation , when the vehicle operator desires to signal a left turn , the operator places a finger in the cavity or depression 34 , thereby interrupting the beam between the light emitting diode 62 and the optically responsive solid state switch 64 . accordingly , the signal at terminal 66 changes state and microprocessor 88 responds to this change of state ( which is transmitted to the microprocessor through input terminal 94 ) to generate a signal switching the solid state switch 106 to turn on the left turn signals connected to terminal 108 . microprocessor 88 is programmed to maintain the signal on output terminal 104 even after the operator removes his finger from cavity or depression 34 , whereupon the optically responsive solid state switch 64 switches back to its initial state , thus removing the signal from input terminal 94 of microprocessor 88 . microprocessor 88 is programmed to turn off solid state switch 106 by changing the state on output terminal 104 if the vehicle operator again places his finger in the cavity 34 causing the terminal 94 to change state , and is also programmed to turn off the solid state switch 106 if the vehicle speed exceeds a predetermined level . when the vehicle operator desires to signal a right turn , the vehicle operator places a finger in the cavity 36 thereby causing optically responsive solid state switch 70 to signal microprocessor 88 to turn on solid state switch 112 to actuate the right turn signals connected to terminal 114 . of course , the vehicle operator turns off the right turn signals by again placing the finger cavity 36 thereby signaling microprocessor 88 to turn solid state switch 112 off . the microprocessor is also programmed to turn off switch 112 when the vehicle speed attains a predetermined level and / or a predetermined time period has elapsed . it will be noted that the stock 14 is conveniently mounted the steering wheel so that the vehicle operator may place a finger in the cavity 34 or 36 without removing his hand from the wheel . this concept is such that the switch is totally independent of the vehicle steering column . it may be located in any location which is ergonomically desirable . when the vehicle operator desires to switch the vehicle head lamps to high beam from low beam , the vehicle operator places a finger in the cavity 38 , thereby causing optically responsive solid state switch 76 to change the state on terminal 78 which signals microprocessor through input terminal 98 to change the state on output terminal 116 thereby switching the solid state switching device 118 to switch the head lights connected to terminal 120 to the high beams . the microprocessor 88 is programmed to maintain the signal on the terminal 116 even after the vehicle operator has removed his finger from cavity 38 . when the vehicle operator again places his finger in cavity 38 , the microprocessor 88 responds to the signal transmitted to input terminal 98 to switch solid state switch 118 back to its initial state , thereby switching the head lights from the high beams to the low beams . when the vehicle operator desires to actuate the vehicle warning flashers , the vehicle operator places a finger or thumb in the cavity 40 , thereby causing the optically responsive solid state switch 82 to change the state on terminal 84 . this change of state is communicated to microprocessor 88 through input terminal 100 , which responds to change the state on output terminal 122 , causing the solid state switch 124 to switch on the emergency flashers 126 . these emergency flashers remain on after the vehicle operator removes his finger or thumb from cavity . when the vehicle operator again places his finger or thumb in cavity 40 , microprocessor 88 responds to the corresponding change of state on input terminal 100 to change the state of output terminal 122 , thereby switching off the solid state switch 124 to turn off the flashers connected to the terminal 126 . microprocessor 88 is also programmed to turn off and / or prevent the turning on of the flashers connected to terminal 126 when the vehicle speed exceeds a predetermined level .
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in the present invention , the water removal solvent comprises a fluorinated solvent containing an alcohol , and it contains water removed from the article when used . further , the water removal solvent may be a fluorinated solvent containing a small amount of other components in addition to the alcohol . the fluorinated solvent in the present invention is preferably a hydrofluoroether or a hydrofluorocarbon . however , the fluorinated solvent is not limited thereto , and it may be another fluorinated solvent . the fluorinated solvent other than the hydrofluoroether or the hydrofluorocarbon may be a perfluorocarbon or a hydrochlorofluorocarbon . the fluorinated solvent is preferably flame retardant or nonflammable . the hydrofluoroether is preferably a compound represented by the formula 1 : in the above formula , each of r 1 and r 2 which are independent of each other , is an alkyl group or a fluorinated alkyl group . the total number of fluorine atoms contained in r 1 and r 2 is not 0 , the total number of hydrogen atoms contained in r 1 and r 2 is at least 1 , and the total number of carbon atoms contained in r 1 and r 2 is from 4 to 8 . when the total number of carbon atoms contained in r 1 and r 2 is m , the total number of fluorine atoms contained in r 1 and r 2 is preferably at least m + 1 , more preferably at least m + 3 . such a hydrofluoroether having a large number of fluorine atoms tends to be flame retardant or nonflammable . particularly , the hydrofluoroether is preferably 1 , 1 , 2 , 2 - tetrafluoroethyl - 2 , 2 , 2 - trifluoroethylether , ( perfluorobutoxy ) methane or ( perfluorobutoxy ) ethane , and they may be used alone or as a mixture of two or more . the hydrofluorocarbon is a compound represented by c n f p h q ( wherein n is an integer of at least 3 , p is an integer of at least 1 , q is an integer of at least 1 , and p + q is 2n + 2 or 2n ), and is an aliphatic hydrofluorocarbon when p + q is 2n + 2 , and is an alicyclic hydrofluorocarbon when p + q is 2n . n is preferably from 3 to 8 , more preferably from 4 to 6 . the number ( p ) of fluorine atoms is preferably at least n + 1 , more preferably at least n + 3 . such a hydrofluorocarbon having a large number of fluorine atoms tends to be flame retardant or noncombustible . the hydrofluorocarbon may , for example , be a compound represented by c 4 f 5 h 5 , c 4 f 6 h 4 , c 4 f 7 h 3 , c 4 f 8 h 2 , c 4 f 9 h , c 5 f 6 h 6 , c 5 f 7 h 5 , c 5 f 8 h 4 , c 5 f 9 h 3 , c 5 f 10 h 2 , c 5 f 11 h , c 6 f 7 h 7 , c 6 f 8 h 6 , c 6 f 9 h 5 , c 6 f 10 h 4 , c 6 f 11 h 3 , c 6 f 12 h 2 or c 6 f 13 h , or cyclic c 5 f 7 h 3 . 1 , 1 , 1 , 3 , 3 - pentafluorobutane , 1 , 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 4 - hexafluorobutane , 2 - methyl - 1 , 1 , 1 , 3 , 3 , 3 - hexafluoropropane , 1 , 2 , 2 , 3 , 3 , 4 - hexafluorobutane , 1 , 1 , 1 , 2 , 3 , 3 , 4 - heptafluorobutane , 1 , 1 , 2 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 4 - heptafluorobutane , 1 , 1 , 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 4 - heptafluorobutane , 1 , 1 , 2 , 2 , 3 , 3 , 4 - heptafluorobutane , 1 , 1 , 1 , 2 , 3 , 3 , 4 , 4 - octafluorobutane , 1 , 1 , 1 , 2 , 2 , 3 , 3 , 4 - octafluorobutane , 1 , 1 , 2 , 2 , 3 , 3 , 4 , 4 - octafluorobutane , 1 , 1 , 1 , 2 , 2 , 3 , 3 , 4 , 4 - nonafluorobutane , 1 , 1 , 1 , 2 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 4 , 4 - nonafluorobutane . 1 , 1 , 2 , 3 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 5 - octafluoropentane , 1 , 1 , 1 , 2 , 2 , 5 , 5 , 5 - octafluoropentane , 1 , 1 , 2 , 2 , 3 , 3 , 4 , 4 , 5 - nonafluoropentane , 1 , 1 , 1 , 2 , 3 , 3 , 4 , 4 , 5 - nonafluoropentane , 1 , 1 , 1 , 2 , 2 , 4 , 5 , 5 , 5 - nonafluoropentane , 1 , 1 , 1 , 2 , 2 , 3 , 5 , 5 , 5 - nonafluoropentane , 1 , 1 , 1 , 2 , 3 , 3 , 4 , 4 , 5 , 5 - decafluoropentane , 1 , 1 , 1 , 2 , 2 , 3 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 5 - decafluoropentane , 1 , 1 , 1 , 2 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 5 , 5 - decafluoropentane , 1 , 1 , 1 , 2 , 2 , 4 , 4 , 5 , 5 , 5 - decafluoropentane , 1 , 1 , 1 , 2 , 2 , 3 , 3 , 4 , 4 , 5 , 5 - undecafluoropentane , 1 , 1 , 1 , 2 , 2 , 3 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 5 , 5 - undecafluoropentane , 1 , 1 , 1 , 2 , 2 , 3 , 3 , 4 , 4 - nonafluorohexane . among them , the hydrofluorocarbon is preferably 1 , 1 , 1 , 3 , 3 - pentafluorobutane , 1 , 1 , 1 , 2 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 5 , 5 - decafluoropentane , 1 , 1 , 1 , 2 , 2 , 3 , 3 , 4 , 4 - nonafluorohexane , 2 - trifluoromethyl - 1 , 1 , 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 5 , 5 - nonafluoropentane , or 1 , 1 , 1 , 2 , 2 , 3 , 3 , 4 , 4 , 5 , 5 , 6 , 6 - tridecafluorohexane , and they may be used alone or as a mixture of two or more . the content of the fluorinated solvent in the water removal solvent in the present invention is preferably from 80 to 99 mass %, more preferably from 85 to 97 mass %. as the alcohol , allyl alcohol or an alkanoyl may , for example , be used . among them , a c 1 - 3 alkanol is preferred , and methanol , ethanol or isopropyl alcohol is particularly preferred . they may be used alone or as a mixture of two or more . in the present invention , if the content of the alcohol in the water removal solvent is too low , the solubility of water in the water removal solvent tends to be decreased , and it tends to be difficult to remove water from the surface of an article having the water attached on its surface , when the article is dipped in the water removal solvent . thus , the water tends to remain on the surface when the article is withdrawn , thus leading for formation of stains . on the other hand , if the content of the alcohol in the water removal solvent is too high , the water removal solvent tends to be a composition having a flash point , whereby its handling tends to be cumbersome . further , the concentration of the alcohol contained in the water separated from the water removal solvent tends to be high , and at the same time the content of the alcohol in the water removal solvent tends to decrease , whereby it tends to be difficult to maintain the water removal performance . further , if the concentration of the alcohol contained in the water to be separated from the water removal solvent and discharged becomes high , the load for the treatment of the water also increases . from such a viewpoint , the content of the alcohol in the water removal solvent in the present invention is preferably from 1 to 20 mass %, particularly preferably from 3 to 15 mass %. further , with respect to the content of the alcohol , in a case where the hydrofluoroether or the hydrofluorocarbon and the alcohol will form an azeotropic composition , it is possible to control the compositional change during evaporation . accordingly , it is most preferred to employ such an azeotropic composition as the water removal solvent . further , an azeotropic - like composition can also be used as the water removal solvent . specific examples preferred as the water removal solvent in the present invention will be shown in table 1 . the water removal solvents shown in table 1 are azeotropic compositions of an alcohol and a fluorinated solvent , and their compositions and azeotropic points are shown . to the fluorinated solvent in the present invention , other components other than the alcohol may be contained depending upon various purposes . for example , in order to increase the solubility or to control the evaporation speed , an organic solvent ( hereinafter referred to as another organic solvent ) other than the fluorinated solvent and the alcohol may further be contained . as such another organic solvent , at least one member selected from the group consisting of hydrocarbons , ketones , ethers containing no halogen atoms , esters and halogenated hydrocarbons other than the hydrofluorocarbon , may be employed . if such other organic solvents are contained , the contents of such other organic solvents are preferably contents at which the purpose can be achieved within a range not to impair the water removal performance of the water removal solvent , and specifically from 1 to 20 mass %, particularly preferably from 2 to 10 mass %, in the water removal solvent . as the hydrocarbons , c 5 - 15 linear or cyclic saturated or unsaturated hydrocarbons are preferred , such as n - pentane , 2 - methylbutane , n - hexane , 2 - methylpentane , 2 , 2 - dimethylbutane , 2 , 3 - dimethylbutane , n - heptane , 2 - methylhexane , 3 - methylhexane , 2 , 4 - dimethylpentane , n - octane , 2 - methylheptane , 3 - methylheptane , 4 - methylheptane , 2 , 2 - dimethylhexane , 2 , 5 - dimethylhexane , 3 , 3 - dimethylhexane , 2 - methyl - 3 - ethylpentane , 3 - methyl - 3 - ethylpentane , 2 , 3 , 3 - trimethylpentane , 2 , 3 , 4 - trimethylpentane , 2 , 2 , 3 - trimethylpentane , 2 - methylheptane , 2 , 2 , 4 - trimethylpentane , n - nonane , 2 , 2 , 5 - trimethylhexane , n - decane , n - dodecane , 1 - pentene , 2 - pentene , 1 - hexene , 1 - octene , 1 - nonene , 1 - decene , cyclopentane , methylcyclopentane , cyclohexane , methylcyclohexane , ethylcyclohexane , bicyclohexane , cyclohexene , α - pinene , dipentene , decalin , tetralin and amylnaphthalene . more preferred is , for example , n - pentane , cyclopentane , n - hexane , cyclohexane or n - heptane . the ketones are preferably c 3 - 9 linear or cyclic saturated or unsaturated ketones . specifically , they include , for example , acetone , methyl ethyl ketone , 2 - pentanone , 3 - pentanone , 2 - hexanone , methyl isobutyl ketone , 2 - heptanone , 3 - heptanone , 4 - heptanone , diisobutyl ketone , mesityl oxide , phorone , 2 - octanone , cyclohexanone , methylcyclohexanone , isophorone , 2 , 4 - pentanedione , 2 , 5 - hexanedione , a diacetone alcohol and acetophenone . more preferred is , for example , acetone or methyl ethyl ketone . the ethers containing no halogen atoms are preferably c 2 - 5 linear or cyclic saturated or unsaturated ethers , such as diethyl ether , dipropyl ether , diisopropyl ether , dibutyl ether , ethyl vinyl ether , butyl vinyl ether , anisole , phenetole , methylanisole , dioxane , furan , methylfuran and tetrahydrofuran . more preferred is , for example , diethyl ether , diisopropyl ether , dioxane or tetrahydrofuran . the esters are preferably c 2 - 19 linear or cyclic saturated or unsaturated esters . specifically , they include , for example , methyl formate , ethyl formate , propyl formate , butyl formate , isobutyl formate , pentyl formate , methyl acetate , ethyl acetate , propyl acetate , isopropyl acetate , butyl acetate , isobutyl acetate , sec - butyl acetate , pentyl acetate , methoxybutyl acetate , sec - hexyl acetate , 2 - ethylbutyl acetate , 2 - ethylhexyl acetate , cyclohexyl acetate , benzyl acetate , methyl propionate , ethyl propionate , butyl propionate , methyl butyrate , ethyl butyrate , butyl butyrate , isobutyl isobutyrate , ethyl 2 - hydroxy - 2 - methylpropionate , methyl benzoate , ethyl benzoate , propyl benzoate , butyl benzoate , benzyl benzoate , γ - butyrolactone , diethyl oxalate , dibutyl oxalate , dipentyl oxalate , diethyl malonate , dimethyl maleate , diethyl maleate , dibutyl maleate , dibutyl tartarate , tributyl citrate , dibutyl sebacate , dimethyl phthalate , diethyl phthalate , and dibutyl phthalate . more referred is , for example , methyl acetate or ethyl acetate . the halogenated hydrocarbons other than the hydrofluorocarbon , are preferably c 1 - 6 saturated or unsaturated chlorinated hydrocarbons , such as methylene chloride , 1 , 1 - dichloroethane , 1 , 2 - dichloroethane , 1 , 1 , 2 - trichloroethane , 1 , 1 , 1 , 2 - tetrachloroethane , 1 , 1 , 2 , 2 - tetrachloroethane , pentachloroethane , 1 , 1 - dichloroethylene , 1 , 2 - dichloroethylene , trichloroethylene , tetrachloroethylene and 1 , 2 - dichloropropane . now , the process for removing water of the present invention will be specifically described . fig1 is a schematic view illustrating one example of an apparatus for removing water / drying to carry out the process of the present invention . a dipping sump 1 is an open - topped sump , and a water removal solvent 2 in a liquid state is stored therein . a cooling pipe 3 is provided on the inside wall at an upper portion of the dipping sump 1 , the water removal solvent condensed on the surface of the cooling pipe 3 is collected in a trough 4 provided on the inside wall below the cooling pipe , and the collected water removal solvent is sent out of the dipping sump 1 from a sending - out pipe 5 . on the other hand , into the dipping sump 1 , a new water removal solvent is introduced through an introducing pipe 6 . here , the new water removal solvent is a water removal solvent having a water concentration lower than that of the water removal solvent sent out , and it may be one having the water concentration of the water removal solvent sent out adjusted , or a separate water removal solvent containing no water may be used . at the bottom of the dipping sump 1 , a heater 7 is provided , and the water removal solvent 2 in the liquid state is kept in a boiling state by heating by the heater 7 . a vapor zone 8 of the water removal solvent is formed above the water removal solvent 2 in a liquid state and below the height where the cooling pipe 3 is present . as described above , the water removal solvent 2 in the dipping sump 1 is kept in a boiling state , and the evaporated water removal solvent forms the vapor zone 8 , the vapor of the water removal solvent at an upper portion of the vapor zone 8 is cooled and condensed , and the condensed water removal solvent is sent out of the dipping sump 1 through the sending - out pipe 5 . on the other hand , a new water removal solvent is introduced into the dipping sump 1 through the introducing pipe 6 , and by keeping the amount of the new water removal solvent introduced to substantially the same as the amount of the condensed water removal solvent sent out , the amount of the water removal solvent 2 in the dipping sump 1 is kept in a stationary state . an article having water attached is dipped in the liquid of the water removal solvent 2 in the dipping sump 1 from the open top of the dipping sump 1 , and the water attached to the article is dissolved or dispersed in the water removal solvent so that it is removed from the article . then , the article is withdrawn from the water removal solvent 2 , and is taken out from the dipping sump 1 through the vapor zone 8 . the water removal solvent attached to the article withdrawn from the water removal solvent 2 is preferably evaporated and removed ( dried ) after the article is withdrawn from the vapor zone 8 until it passes by the cooling pipe 3 and is taken out from the top of the dipping sump 1 . the apparatus for removing water / drying to carry out the process of the present invention preferably further has a water separation sump 9 . the water separation sump 9 is a sump to separate water from the water removal solvent by a specific gravity separation method , and in the sump , the water removal solvent in a liquid state containing precipitated water is left at rest , a layer of the water is formed over the liquid layer of the water removal solvent by the specific gravity difference , and water can be taken out from the layer of the water . to the water separation sump 9 , the above sending - out pipe 5 is connected , the condensed water removal solvent is introduced into the water separation sump 9 , and the separated water is discharged from the water separation sump 9 through a discharge pipe 10 . on the other hand , the water removal solvent from which the water is separated is returned to the dipping sump 1 from the water separation sump 9 through the introducing pipe 6 connected to the water separation sump 9 . in the present invention , the temperature of the water removal solvent in a boiling state in the dipping sump is the boiling point of the water removal solvent . here , in a case where the water removal solvent is an azeotropic composition or an azeotropic - like composition , the boiling point of the water removal solvent is the azeotropic point . further , in a case where the water removal solvent is not an azeotropic composition , the boiling point is the temperature of the water removal solvent boiling in the dipping sump . further , the azeotropic - like composition is generally a composition which has no true azeotropic point but the compositional change of which after evaporation and condensation are repeated , is negligible . in the present invention , it is a composition of which the compositional change after evaporation and condensation are repeated is within ± 3 % by the proportion of the alcohol ( however , it is at least 1 mass % even in the case of one having a minimum proportion of the alcohol ). in the process for removing water from an article of the present invention , the article having water attached is dipped in the liquid of the water removal solvent in a boiling state stored in the dipping sump 1 . most of the water attached to the article is dissolved or dispersed in the water removal solvent from the article . during this dipping , the time required for removing water can be shortened by the flow of the water removal solvent in a boiling state . the time during which the article is dipped in the water removal solvent is usually preferably from 30 seconds to 10 minutes . in order to keep the water content in the water removal solvent to at most the saturated water concentration , it is necessary to remove water in an amount equal to or larger than the amount of the water to be added to the water removal solvent per unit time , from the water removal solvent in the dipping sump . in the stationary state , the amount of water added to the water removal solvent and the water removed from the water removal solvent per unit time are equal . the water added to the water removal solvent is the water removed from the article dipped ( further , water may sometimes be added to the water removal solvent from the environment ). in the present invention , by sending the condensed water removal solvent from the dipping sump , the water accompanying the condensed water removal solvent is removed from the dipping sump . in order to keep the amount of the water removal solvent in the dipping sump substantially constant , the water removal solvent in an amount substantially equal to the amount of the condensed water removal solvent sent out is introduced into the dipping sump . the water removal solvent to be introduced is required to be a water removal solvent containing water at a concentration less than the saturated water concentration at the boiling temperature of the water removal solvent or a water removal solvent containing no water . in the present invention , the concentration of the water in the vapor of the water removal solvent is higher than the concentration of the water in the water removal solvent in a boiling state . that is , the water removal solvent in the present invention has a property to be a vapor accompanied by the water in a larger amount than the saturated water amount in the boiling water removal solvent . the water in the vapor of the water removal solvent is sent out of the dipping sump as accompanying the condensed water removal solvent , whereby the water concentration in the boiling water removal solvent can be at most the saturated water concentration at least when the article is withdrawn . in order to keep the amount of the water in the water removal solvent to at most the saturated water concentration at least when the article is withdrawn ( preferably constantly ), the amount of water sent out of the dipping sump is adjusted depending on the amount of water added from the article . this adjustment is carried out by adjusting the amount of the condensed water removal solvent sent out . for example , in order to increase the amount of water sent out , e . g . a means of increasing the performance to heat the water removal solvent thereby to increase the evaporation amount and increasing the amount of condensation thereby to increase the amount of the condensed water removal solvent sent out , may be employed . it is more preferred to adjust the amount of the water in the water removal solvent so that the water concentration in the boiling water removal solvent is at most 90 % of the saturated water concentration at the temperature ( boiling point ) of the water removal solvent . in the present invention , as shown in fig1 , it is preferred that the water separation sump 9 is further provided , the water removal solvent sent out of the dipping sump is introduced in the water separation sump 9 , the water is separated from the water removal solvent by the specific gravity separation method in the water separation sump 9 , the separated water is discharged from the water separation sump 9 , and the water removal solvent from which the water is separated is introduced into the dipping sump 1 from the water separation sump 9 , as the water removal solvent containing the water at a concentration less than the saturated water concentration . in the water separation sump 9 , the water removal solvent and the water are separated by the specific gravity separation method . since the fluorinated solvent has a specific gravity greater than that of water and only a small amount of water is soluble in the fluorinated solvent , the water removal solvent having a low alcohol content will easily be separated from the water . when the water removal solvent containing the water introduced to the water separation sump 9 is left at rest , the water removal solvent is separated into an upper layer comprising the water in which the alcohol is dissolved and a lower layer comprising the water removal solvent . it is only necessary to leave the water removal solvent at rest usually for from about 1 to 30 minutes . with a view to carrying out separation easily and quickly , the temperature of the water removal solvent in the water separation sump 9 is preferably at least a temperature lower by 10 ° c . than the boiling point of the water removal solvent , particularly preferably at least a temperature lower by 5 ° c . than the boiling point . that is , where the temperature of the water removal solvent in the water separation sump 10 is t and the boiling point of the water removal solvent is t b , it is preferred that t b − 10 ≦ t & lt ; t b , particularly preferably t b − 5 ≦ t & lt ; t b . if the temperature of the water removal solvent in the water separation sump 9 is lower than ( t b − 10 ), the water dissolved in the water removal solvent or the water dispersed in the form of fine particles is rapidly cooled to form a suspension state of the water in the water removal solvent . if suspension occurs , it will be difficult to separate the water removal solvent and the water by the specific gravity separation . accordingly , the temperature of the water removal solvent in the water separation sump 9 is preferably adjusted within the above temperature range . after the water removal solvent and water are separated into two layers in the water separation sump 9 , the water in the upper layer is discharged from the water separation sump 9 . the water discharged contains a very small amount of hfc or hfe in addition to the alcohol . accordingly , the discharged water is preferably disposed of after the above components other than water are removed by means of e . g . distillation or pervaporation . further , such components other than water may be recovered from the discharged water and reused . in the water removal solvent in the lower layer after separation into two layers in the water separation sump 9 , the water in a saturation amount of the water removal solvent at the temperature of the water separation sump 9 is contained . in general , the solubility of the water in a water removal solvent increases as the liquid temperature of the water removal solvent increases . accordingly , by subjecting a mixture of the water removal solvent and the water to separation at a temperature lower than the boiling point of the water removal solvent in the water separation sump 9 , the concentration of the water contained in the water removal solvent in the lower layer is at most the saturated water concentration of the water removal solvent in a boiling state . as described above , the amount of the water contained in the water removal solvent in the lower layer in the water separation sump 9 is less than the amount of water of the saturated water concentration of the water removal solvent in a boiling state . accordingly , the water removal solvent in the lower layer can be introduced into the dipping sump 1 from the water separation sump 9 , as the water removal solvent containing the water at a concentration less than the saturated water concentration . to the water removal solvent returned from the water separation sump to the dipping sump , an alcohol or a fluorinated solvent may be added for the component adjustment . for example , as described above , since an alcohol is contained in the water discharged from the water separation sump , the amount of the alcohol in the water removal solvent returned from the water separation sump to the dipping sump is smaller than the amount of the alcohol in the original water removal solvent , whereby the water removal performance may be decreased . accordingly , it is preferred to add an alcohol in an amount to compensate for deficiency to the water removal solvent to be introduced to the dipping sump from the water separation sump . in a case where the water removal solvent contains another organic solvent in addition to the alcohol , as the case requires , such another organic solvent to make up for deficiency may be added in the same manner as the alcohol , to the water removal solvent to be introduced to the dipping sump from the water separation sump . further , since a part of the water removal solvent is brought when the article is taken out from the dipping sump , or a part of the water removal solvent sent out of the dipping sump flies off in e . g . the water separation sump in many cases , even when all the amount of the water removal solvent separated and sent out of the water separation sump is returned to the dipping sump , the amount is smaller than the water removal solvent sent out of the dipping sump , and the amount of the water removal solvent in the dipping sump may be reduced with time . accordingly , in such a case , a new water removal solvent can be introduced into the dipping sump together with the water removal solvent separated and sent out of the water separation sump . this new water removal solvent may be introduced into the dipping sump separately from the water removal solvent separated and sent out of the water separation sump . further , as the new water removal solvent , a water removal solvent containing substantially no water may be used . further , in the present invention , the water may further be removed from the water removal solvent sent out of the water separation sump , before it is returned to the dipping sump . for example , the water removal solvent may be subjected to filtration through a coalescer type filter to further remove the water . in such a case , a coalescer type filtration type water separation apparatus is disposed between the water separation sump and the dipping sump , the water removal solvent discharged from the water separation sump is subjected to the filtration separation apparatus to further remove the water , and the water removal solvent having a smaller water amount discharged from the filtration type water separation apparatus is returned to the dipping sump . in the present invention , the method of removing the water from the water removal solvent sent out of the dipping sump is not limited to the above - mentioned specific gravity separation method using the separation sump , for example , the water can be removed from the water removal solvent by the above - mentioned coalescer type filtration type water separation apparatus . in this case also , the water removal solvent from which the water is removed is preferably returned to the dipping sump as the water removal solvent containing the water at a concentration less than the above saturated water concentration . in the present invention , in a case where the water is removed from the water removal solvent by circulating the water removal solvent among the dipping sump and the water separation sump and the like , the circulating time of the water removal solvent is not particularly limited , but is preferably from 1 minute to 2 hours , more preferably from 30 minutes to 1 hour . if the circulating time is too short , the energy required for heating for boiling or for cooling for condensation tends to be enormous , and further , separation of the water from the water removal solvent in the water separation sump will be difficult . further , if the circulating time is too long , the water removal amount per unit time from the water removal solvent tends to be small , it tends to be difficult to sufficiently remove the water brought as attached to the article , and the water removal treatment efficiency tends to be decreased . the article which is dipped in the liquid of the water removal solvent in a boiling state in the dipping sump and from which the water is removed , is withdrawn from the liquid of the water removal solvent , and then the attached water removal solvent is removed ( dried ). drying may be carried out in the dipping sump or may be carried out outside the dipping sump . removal of the water removal solvent attached to the article is preferably carried out when the article passes by the cooling pipe at an upper portion of the dipping sump . if the water removal solvent attached to the article is removed by evaporation at a point where there is no vapor of the water removal solvent , the temperature of the article tends to be decreased by the heat of evaporation , and a phenomenon such as condensation of moisture in the air may occur . for example , in a case where the heat capacity of the article is small and the surrounding temperature is not sufficiently high , the temperature of the article is likely to be decreased due to evaporation of the water removal solvent . consequently , if the temperature at the surface of the article becomes lower than the ambient temperature , there may be a phenomenon such that moisture in the air will be condensed , or the water removal solvent attached to the surface of the article will absorb moisture in the atmosphere before it is evaporated , whereby stains may sometimes be formed on the surface of the article . accordingly , it is preferred to heat the article to a temperature of the boiling point of the water removal solvent in the vapor of the water removal solvent . in a case where the article is dried outside the dipping sump , transfer of the article from the dipping sump to the drying zone , is preferably carried out in vapor of the water removal solvent in order to prevent partial drying during the transfer or to prevent a cause for formation of stains e . g . by absorption of ambient moisture in the water removal solvent attached to the article . the atmosphere in the transfer and further , the drying zone , are preferably an atmosphere of vapor of the water removal solvent , e . g . the water removal solvent sent out of the dipping sump , the water removal solvent after the water separation , or a new water removal solvent containing no water . further , it is possible to use a solvent of a type different from the water removal solvent stored in the dipping sump to form an atmosphere of vapor to the drying zone . in the present invention , removal ( drying ) of the water removal solvent attached to the article is preferably carried out beside the cooling pipe 3 above the vapor zone in the dipping sump . the vapor zone in the dipping sump is formed , as shown in fig1 for example , between the liquid surface of the water removal solvent in a boiling state and a position where the cooling means is present . in order to heat the article to the boiling point of the water removal solvent in the vapor zone 8 , it is preferred to adjust the thickness of the vapor zone to be a sufficient thickness in accordance with the size and the shape of the article . if the thickness of the vapor zone is insufficient or if there is no vapor zone , stains may be formed on the article . the article heated to the boiling temperature of the water removal solvent in the vapor zone is taken out from the vapor zone 8 and is easily and immediately in the dried state . now , the present invention will be described in further detail with reference to examples . a test of cleaning to remove water was carried out in examples 1 to 5 using an apparatus shown in fig1 . this apparatus mainly comprises a dipping sump 1 equipped with a heater 7 to carry out a dipping step , and a water separation sump 9 to carry out specific gravity separation of water from a water removal solvent , and the capacity of the dipping sump 1 is 18 l , and the capacity of the water separation sump 9 is 18 l . a water removal solvent 2 is evaporated by heating by means of the heater 7 , and the water removal solvent in an amount equal to that of the water removal solvent decreased from the dipping sump 1 is sent to the dipping sump 1 from a water separation sump 10 . the vapor of the water removal solvent containing the water brought by an article is condensed by a cooling pipe 3 and is sent to the water separation sump 9 through a trough 4 . the water removal solvent 2 in the dipping sump 1 was brought to a boiling state by supplying electric current to the heater 7 in the dipping sump 1 . further , by controlling the electric current supplied to the heater 7 , the circulating time of the water removal solvent was adjusted to 1 hour . the water concentrations of the water removal solvent in the dipping sump 1 and the water removal solvent obtained by condensing the vapor of the water removal solvent in the dipping sump 1 were measured by a karl fischer moisture content measuring apparatus . a test of drying by removal of water was carried out by using as a water removal solvent asahiklin ae - 3100e ( an azeotropic mixture of hydrofluoroether and ethanol manufactured by asahi glass company , limited , 1 , 1 , 2 , 2 - tetrafluoroethyl - 2 , 2 , 2 - trifluoroethyl ether ( 94 )/ ethanol ( 6 ), boiling point : 54 ° c .) and by using as an article a # 100 stainless mesh ( 5 cm × 5 cm ) which had been preliminarily well cleaned and dipped in water . first , the article was dipped in ae - 3100e at the boiling point , and water was removed for 1 minute . on that occasion , no suspension in the dipping sump was observed . then , vapor cleaning was carried out in a vapor zone of ae - 3100e for 30 seconds , and then the drying state of the withdrawn article and the formation of stains were visually confirmed . the stainless mesh after the vapor cleaning was well dried , and favorable drying property by removal of water was observed . the test of drying by removal of water was carried out in the same manner as in example 1 except that as the article , a glass plate ( 5 cm × 5 cm ) which had been preliminarily well cleaned and dipped in water was used . no suspension in the dipping sump was observed , the glass plate after vapor drying was well dried , and favorable drying property by removal of water was observed . the test of drying by removal of water was carried out in the same manner as in example 1 except that as the water removal solvent , ac - 2220 ( azeotropic mixture of hydrofluorocarbon and ethanol manufactured by asahi glass company , limited , 1 , 1 , 1 , 2 , 2 , 3 , 3 , 4 , 4 , 5 , 5 , 6 , 6 - tridecafluorohexane ( 91 )/ ethanol ( 9 ), boiling point : 61 ° c .) was used . no suspension in the dipping sump was observed , the stainless mesh after the vapor drying was well dried , and favorable drying property by removal of water was observed . the test of drying by removal of water was carried out in the same manner as in example 2 except that as the water removal solvent , ac - 2220 was used . no suspension in the dipping sump was observed , the glass plate after the vapor drying was well dried , and favorable drying property by removal of water was observed . the same drying by removal of water as in example 1 was repeatedly carried out 40 times using asahiklin ae - 3100e as the water removal solvent and using a glass plate ( 5 cm × 5 cm ) which had been preliminarily well cleaned and dipped in water as the article . under conditions where the water concentration in the dipping sump 1 at the time of initiation of the test was the saturated water concentration of the solvent , and drying by removal of water was carried out at a rate of once for every 3 minutes , all the 40 glass plates were well dried after the vapor drying . the saturated water concentration at the boiling point of ae - 3100e is about 6 , 000 ppm , and from the water separation sump to the dipping sump , the water removal solvent containing water at a concentration of the saturated water concentration at the liquid temperature in the water separation sump is sent . in fig3 is shown the water concentration change in the dipping sump 1 when the water concentration in the dipping sump at the initiation of the test was 6 , 000 ppm and 0 . 3 g of water attached to the glass plate was brought to the dipping sump 1 by drying by removal of water of one glass plate . the water concentration in the dipping sump 1 was at least the saturated water concentration immediately after dipping of the glass plate , whereas the water concentration in ae - 3100e in the dipping sump 1 was reduced to the saturated water concentration or below immediately before the next drying by removal of water was carried out . further , when the test of drying by removal of water on glass plates was repeatedly carried out while the boiling state in the dipping sump was maintained in such a system , the water concentration in ae - 3100e in the dipping sump 1 was gradually decreased as shown in fig3 . further , in this test , no white turbidity in the dipping sump 1 was observed . accordingly , the water could be removed from the article by the water removal solvent in the dipping sump by dissolving the water attached to the article . further , in the vapor of the water removal solvent during the test , moisture at a level of from about 7 , 000 to 8 , 000 ppm , which was at least the saturated water concentration , was always present . the same drying by removal of water as in example 1 is repeatedly carried out by an apparatus for drying by removal of water without water separation sump with an amount of a solvent of 18 l in a dipping sump by using asahiklin ae - 3100e as the water removal solvent . under conditions where the water concentration in the dipping sump at the initiation of the test was the saturated water concentration of the water removal solvent and drying by removal of water was carried out at a rate of once for every 3 minutes , water remained on the surface of all the glass plates after vapor drying , and drying by removal of water could not be carried out . further , at a point where the number of dipping of the glass plate exceeded 10 times , the water removal solvent in the dipping sump became cloudy due to presence of a large amount of the water . drying by removal of water from a stainless mesh was carried out by using a cleaning apparatus shown in fig2 , by using asahiklin ae - 3100e as a water removal solvent . the cleaning apparatus in fig2 comprises a dipping sump 11 to carry out a dipping step , a water separation sump 12 to carry out a specific gravity separation step , and a vapor generating sump 13 to generate a vapor for an exposure step . the dipping sump 11 is filled with a water removal solvent 14 , and has a ultrasonic vibration 15 at its bottom . the capacity of the dipping sump 11 is 18 l , the capacity of the water separation sump 12 is 15 l , and the capacity of the vapor generating sump 13 is from 10 to 20 l . in this apparatus , the water removal solvent in the water separation sump 12 is suctioned by a pump 16 from the bottom of the water separation sump 12 and returned to the dipping sump 1 at a rate of about 5 l / minutes . from the water separation sump 12 , the water removal solvent is supplied , whereby the water removal solvent overflows from the dipping sump 11 to a trough 17 , and flows into the water separation sump 12 from the bottom of the trough 17 . in a case where an article having water attached on its surface is practically dipped in the dipping sump 11 , water removed from the article will surface to the liquid surface of the water removal solvent , whereby the liquid overflowing to the trough 17 will be a mixed liquid of the surfaced water and the water removal solvent . at an upper portion of the apparatus , a cooing pipe 18 and a trough 19 to receive the water removal solvent thereby condensed , are provided , and the solvent entered into the trough 19 will be supplied to the water separation sump 12 . adjustment of the temperature of the water removal solvent in the dipping sump 11 or the water separation sump 12 was carried out by controlling the electric current supplied to a heater 20 or 21 . further , in a case where the exposure step by vapor was to be carried out , an electric current was supplied to a heater 22 of the vapor generating sump 13 to bring the water removal solvent to a boiling state thereby to generate vapor . the vapor generated will be contacted to a cooling pipe 18 and condensed , and the condensed solvent will enter into the trough 19 and then will enter into the water separation sump 12 . an article was dipped in ae - 3100e at 45 ° c . in the dipping sump 11 shown in fig2 , and ultrasonic waves were applied to carry out removal of water for 1 minute . then , the article was subjected to vapor cleaning in a vapor zone 23 of ae - 3100e for 30 seconds , and then the drying state of the withdrawn article and the formation of stains were visually confirmed . such an operation was repeatedly carried out with respect to 40 sheets of stainless mesh at a rate of once for every 3 minutes . as a result , the stainless mesh was dried immediately after withdrawn from the dipping sump 11 , and no formation of stains was confirmed , immediately after initiation of the cleaning . whereas , about one and a half hours after initiation of the cleaning , suspension of water in the water removal solvent 14 in the dipping sump 11 started to be observed , and substantially at the same time , stains were formed on the stainless mesh after removal of water . the same test of drying by removal of water as in comparative example 2 was carried out except that as the article , a glass plate ( 5 cm × 5 cm ) which had been preliminarily well cleaned and dipped in water was used . immediately after initiation of the cleaning , the glass plate was dried immediately after withdrawn from the dipping sump 11 , and no formation of stains was observed , but about 2 hours after initiation of the cleaning , suspension of water in the water removal solvent 14 in the dipping sump 11 started to be observed , and substantially at the same time , stains were formed on the glass plate after removal of water . the present invention can be applied to drying by removal of water to remove water from the surface of articles such as lenses , components of liquid crystal display devices , electronic parts and precision mechanical parts , in the precision machine industry , the optomechanical industry , the electrical and electronic industry , the plastic industry , etc . the entire disclosure of japanese patent application no . 2009 - 027304 filed on feb . 9 , 2009 including specification , claims , drawings and summary is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety .
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fig1 is a front elevation in partial cross - section of a water flush toilet fitted with a preferred embodiment of the flushing mechanism of this invention ; fig2 is a cross - sectional elevation of the flushing mechanism of fig1 . referring to fig1 syphon action toilet 10 is shown with base fixture 11 comprising the bowl supporting flush tank 12 . pressurized water supply pipe 13 is plumbed into tank 12 and is equipped with water supply valve 14 . float controlled operator 15 is operably fitted to valve 14 to bias the valve closed when the level of water within tank 12 reaches a prescribed fill level and to bias valve 14 open when the water level in tank 12 drops . tank drain fitting 16 is provided configured with collar portion 17 chamfered to provide a conical annular seating surface . integral overflow pipe 18 extends from the base of tank 12 to above the water fill level of the tank for protecting against overflowing of water from tank 12 by providing a safety outlet into fitting 16 below collar portion 17 . a supplementary water line from valve 14 which empties into overflow pipe 18 may be provided in conventional manner , but is not shown . all of the means described in this paragraph are conventional and comprise no part of this invention . referring to fig1 and 2 , bouyant drain check valve member 20 is disposed to operably seat on collar 17 of drain fitting 16 . valve member 20 is of bulbous , hollow configuration and is provided with ports 21 , which as shown are multiple in number but may consist of but a single port opening into the lower portion of the member , and is additionally provided with tube 22 communicating the internal volume of the member above the basemost portion which may be water flooded , with external environment below the base of the valve member , a region which is occupied by air when valve member 20 is seated and may be occupied by air in a water vortex when the drain is open and water is draining from tank 12 . gasket 23 comprising resilient material preferably , is fitted on the base of valve member 20 to effect an operable water seal on collar 17 when the tank drain is closed . vessel 25 is shown cylindrically bell shaped with an open bottom and closed top in which hollow stud 30 and accompanying nipple 31 for tubing connection are shown . vessel 25 depends in tank 12 to surround a portion of valve member 20 and may be elevationally adjusted and centered over valve member 20 and the drain opening in fitting 16 by means of stud 26 which depends below and beyond the perimeter of the vessel for being secured in ring clamp 27 which is fitted about overflow pipe 18 and is tightened by thumb screw 28 . thus , by rotationally adjusting stud 26 both about its own axis and also along the periphery of overflow pipe 18 , vessel 25 may be precisely centered over check valve 20 . air valve 35 is shown provided with nipple 36 to which tube 32 is connected at one end , the other end being connected to nipple 31 on vessel 25 . valve body 37 comprises barrel cavity 46 and is disposed with one end portion provided with threads 38 projecting through an opening in tank 12 where it is secured by threaded nut 39 , engaged on threads 38 , being tightened against the face of tank 12 . bolt 40 is biasable rotationally and axially within cavity 46 by manipulation of handle 41 , which is fixed to protruding shaft portion 42 of bolt 40 . guideway slot 43 in bolt 40 receives guide pin 45 protruding radially inward from valve body 37 and is configured axially extending along bolt 40 a distance clearly shown in fig2 and also through a circumferential arc partially around bolt 40 at the inboard end of the axial portion of the slot for restricting the angular position of bolt 40 during push - pull axial biasing and for restricting the translational position of bolt 40 during rotational biasing of the bolt by manual actuation of handle 41 . helical compression spring 50 is received in an enlarged inboard end portion of cavity 46 and is secured within valve body 37 by end cap 52 which may be affixed to valve body 37 by threaded connection or other operable means . annular spring thruster 51 provides for axial biasing of spring 50 by being engaged by snap ring 56 operably fitted on stem 55 of bolt 40 . key 57 is integral with bolt 40 extending longitudinally of stem 55 as a radial vane , positioned to traverse in an arcuate sweep the upper inboard portion of cavity 46 when handle 41 is rotationally manipulated . air valve member 60 is disposed for being operably lodged on valve seat 61 of valve body 37 and is configured with depending stem 67 which can be contacted and displaced to unseat valve member 60 from valve seat 61 either by key 57 when bolt 40 is operably rotated or by shoulder 68 of bolt 40 when the bolt is axially biased . compression spring 62 loads valve member 60 causing it to effect return rotation of bolt 40 and re - seating of valve member 60 upon release of manual rotational actuation of bolt 40 . a similar function is performed by spring 50 when bolt 40 is axially biased . unseating of valve member 60 communicates the confines of vessel 25 to cavity 46 of air valve 35 , which by means of ports 47 and 48 is vented to atmosphere . a single vent opening is sufficient if placed where it is not covered by biasing of bolt 40 . bolt locking operator 70 is configured as an annular ring surrounding valve body 37 of air valve 35 , with a depending open bottomed float portion 72 . diametrically opposed vertical openings 63 and 64 provided in valve body 37 receive respectively , free - falling pin 71 and fixed pin 81 of operator 70 . pin 71 is provided with head 77 at its base extremity and with operably attached snap ring 78 thereabove . annular thruster 88 fixed to operator 70 is disposed about pin 71 to move freely between head 77 and snap ring 78 on pin 71 . in operation , tank 12 may be filled with water in operable manner and bolt 40 of air valve 35 may be disposed in unactuated position as shown in fig2 . toilet flushing actuation may be accomplished in either of two ways , either by rotating handle 41 or by pushing handle 41 inward toward toilet tank 12 . in the rotational mode of actuation , the rotational traverse of key 57 contacts and displaces stem 67 to unseat valve member 60 . the handle turning operation is momentary and upon release of handle 41 , spring 62 acts to return - rotate handle 41 and bolt 40 , and valve member 60 is re - seated on valve seat 61 . during the period that valve member 60 is unseated there is communication between the confines of vessel 25 and atmosphere , so that super - atmospheric pressure within vessel 25 , caused by water rising within tank 12 to fill it compressing air trapped within the vessel , is relieved and check valve member 20 immediately rises under buoyant force from drain fitting 16 , opening the drain and enabling water to flow by gravity from tank 12 into bowl fixture 11 . during the time that tank 12 is draining , check valve member 20 is partially flooded by water entering through ports 21 and air displaced by the water flooding is vented through tube 22 . loss of buoyancy of valve member 20 effected by such flooding is insufficient , however , to fully overcome the increase in the buoyancy of the member effected by a partial vacuum being created within vessel 25 by sinking of member 20 in the lowering water in tank 12 . when the level of the draining water drops below the skirt of vessel 25 , the partial vacuum existing therein is broken , decreasing the buoyancy of valve member 20 and causing it to operably seat . water then refills tank 12 until fill valve 14 is shut by action of float operator 15 . in the alternate mode of operation , that of pushing actuation of handle 41 , stem 67 is displaced by contact with shoulder 68 of bolt 40 to unseat valve member 60 . the translational displacement of bolt 40 places recess 75 in bolt 40 in alignment with pin 71 and under the urging of buoyant float portion 72 of bolt locking operator 70 , pin 71 engages recess 75 thus obstructing further movement of bolt 40 . the urging of spring 50 on bolt 40 causes there to be some frictional binding of pin 71 in recess 75 so that as the level of water recedes in tank 12 ( the drain valve having opened in the same manner as previously described for the rotational mode of handle actuation ) bolt locking operator 70 is lowered as portion 72 floats lower until head 77 of pin 71 carries some of the gravitational weight of operator 70 . when sufficiently loaded , pin 71 is pulled downward clearing recess 75 , but simultaneously with the abrupt dropping of operator 70 occasioned by the weight supported by pin 71 being added , fixed pin 81 engages recess 85 thus retaining bolt 40 in position . communication between atmosphere and the confines of vessel 25 remains open and water flooding of the interior of check valve member 20 is sufficient to cause member 20 to sink , in the absence of a vacuum being drawn in vessel 25 , and seat upon drain fitting 16 thus abbreviating the flush cycle while the level of water in tank 12 is above the bottom of the skirt of vessel 25 . as tank 12 is being refilled with water from supply valve 14 , operator 70 again resumes floating as portion 72 becomes immersed in the rising water and pin 81 is gradually lifted from recess 85 in bolt 40 enabling the bolt to be returned to unactuated position as shown in fig2 under urging of spring 50 . valve member 60 is simultaneously seated to interrupt communicating air passage between vessel 25 and atmosphere . with continuing rise in the water level , thruster 88 engages snap ring 78 and provides buoyant loading for pin 71 which will cause it to operably engage and retain bolt 40 when the bolt is again actuated for the partial flush mode of operation . the use of the valve of this invention as a toilet flush valve has been described , but the use of the valve as a regulating valve in other applications requiring a liquid level controller is obvious . design adaptations in the valve will also be obvious such as re - locating valve closure member 60 and valve seat 61 co - axially within cavity 46 for operable loading by spring 50 so as to eliminate spring 62 . in such an arrangement stem portion 55 may be foreshortened and stem 67 of valve closure member 60 may be disposed parallel in radially offset position from the axis of cavity 46 for being operably biased by key 57 and shoulder 68 in the manner hereinbefore described . if desired , two buoyant members may be provided , one each for pin 71 and pin 81 or other similar projection , replacing the single operator 70 . also , float portion 72 may be eliminated and replaced with a cup portion of inverted design and be compensated with counterbalancing spring means provided in obvious manner for providing functional operation . alternate manners of venting check valve member 20 may be provided such as by providing a flexible tube connection through the wall of vessel 25 or by running a tube co - axially with tube 32 . it is also possible to provide separate and independent air valves 35 for vessel 25 and check valve member 20 thereby providing greater flexibility of operation and control . the level to which water in tank 12 recedes during the minimized or partial flush operational mode of actuation for air valve 35 is determined both by the air pressure within vessel 25 and within check valve member 20 ; the former may be regulated , in addition to the time and water level constants built into air valve 35 , by the elevational setting of vessel 25 using adjustable placement of stud 26 under clamp 27 . while the air pressure within check valve member 20 can only be regulated by a separate and independent air valve , which is not shown , the rate of water flooding of check valve member 20 is controlled by the setting of member 30 with flooding occuring more rapidly with submerged depth of check valve depth in water in tank 12 , thus resulting in earlier seating of check valve member 20 and increased minimization of water usage during a flush cycle using the delayed valve closing mode of operation . the setting of threaded stud 30 and the elevational adjustment of vessel 25 may both be employed to provide a partial flush cycle of desired volume for a syphon action toilet of any particular design .
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in order to gain an insight into the fundamental principles in accordance with the present invention as well as to introduce terminology useful in the sequel , an overview is first presented , followed by an elucidation of an illustrative embodiment . the present invention relates to a network for realizing low latency , high throughput , and cost - effective bandwidth - on - demand for large blocks of data for ngi applications . cost - effective and interoperable upgrades to the network are realized by interposing portable ‘ plug - and - play ’ modules on the existing wdm network elements to effect so - called “ wdm optical label switching ” or , synonymously , “ optical label switching ”. the invention impacts primarily the hardware for the ngi network from the network element design perspective . as alluded to , the methodology carried out by the network and concomitant circuitry for implementing the network are engendered by a technique called wdm optical label - switching — defined as the dynamic generation of a routing path for a burst duration by an in - band optical signaling header . data packets are routed through the wdm network using an in - band wdm signaling header for each packet . at a switching node , the signaling header is processed and the header and the data payload ( 1 ) may be immediately forwarded through an already existing flow state connection , or ( 2 ) a path can be setup for a burst duration to handle the header and the data payload . wdm label - switching enables highly efficient routing and throughput , and reduces the number of ip - level hops required by keeping the packets routing at the optical level to one hop as managed by the network control and management ( nc & amp ; m ) which creates and maintains routing information . the depiction of fig1 shows the inter - relation between optical layer 120 and electrical layer 110 of generic network 100 as provided by intermediate layer 130 coupling the optical layer and the electrical layer . electrical layer 110 is shown , for simplicity , as being composed of two conventional ip routers 111 and 112 . optical layer 120 is shown as being composed of network elements or nodes 121 - 125 . intermediate layer 130 depicts conventional atm / sonet system 131 coupling ip router 112 to network element 122 . also shown as part of layer 130 is header network 132 , which in accordance with the present invention , couples ip router 111 to network element 121 . fig1 pictorially illustrates the location of network 132 on a national - scale , transparent wdm - based backbone network with full interoperability and reconfigurability . it is important to emphasize at this point that the elements of fig1 are illustrative of one embodiment in accordance with the present invention ; thus , for example , element 111 may , in another embodiment , be an atm router or even a switch . now with reference to fig2 optical layer 120 of fig1 is shown in more detail including the basic technique , in accordance with the present invention , for setting up a fast connection in optical network 201 , composed of network elements 121 - 125 ; the setup uses optical signaling header 210 for the accompanying data payload 211 . this technique combines the advantages of circuit - switched based wdm and packet - switched based ip technologies . new signaling information is added in the form of an optical signal header 210 , which is carried in - band within each wavelength in the multi - wavelength transport environment . optical signaling header 210 is a label containing routing and control information such as the source , destination , priority , and the length of the packet , propagates and through optical network 201 preceding data payload 211 . each wdm network element 121 - 125 senses optical signaling header 210 , looks - up a connection table ( discussed later ), and takes necessary steps such as cross - connections , add , drop , or drop - and - continue . the connection table is constantly updated by continuous communication between nc & amp ; m 220 and wdm network elements 121 - 125 through logical connections , such as channel 221 . data payload 211 , which follows optical signaling header 210 , is routed through a path in each network element ( discussed later ) as established by the connection . with the arrangement of fig2 there is no need to manage the time delay between optical signaling header 210 and data payload 211 , shown by t in fig2 because each network element provides the optical delay needed for the short time required for connection set - up within each network element via delay on an interposed fiber . moreover , the format and protocol of the data payload is independent of that of the header , that is , for a given network whereas the format and protocol of the header are predetermined , the format and the protocol of the data payload can be the same as or different from those of the header . each destination is associated with a preferred path which would minimize ‘ the cost ’— in fig2 the overall path from source 123 to destination 122 includes paths 201 and 202 in cascade , both utilizing wavelength wp . this cost is computed based on the total propagation distance , the number of hops , and the traffic load . the preferred wavelength is defaulted to the original wavelength . for example , the preferred wavelength on path 202 is wp . if this preferred path at the default wavelength is already occupied by another packet , then network element 121 quickly decides if there is an available alternate wavelength wa through the same preferred - path . this alternate wavelength must be one of the choices offered by the limited wavelength conversion in network element 121 . if there is no choice of wavelengths which allows transport of the packet through the most preferred path , the next preferred path is selected ( path deflection ). for example , in fig2 paths 203 and 204 in cascade may represent the alternative path . at this point , the preferred wavelength will default back to the original wavelength wp . the identical process of looking for an alternate wavelength can proceed if this default wavelength is again already occupied . in fig2 path 203 is an alternative path with the same wavelength wp , and path 204 is an alternate path using alternate wavelength wa . in an unlikely case where there is no combination of path and wavelength deflection that can offer transport of the packet , network element 121 will decide to drop the packet of lower priority . in other words , the new packet transport through the preferred path at the originating wavelength takes place by dropping the other packet of the lower priority which is already occupying the preferred path . network elements 121 - 125 are augmented with two types of so - called ‘ plug - and - play ’ modules to efficiently handle bursty traffic by providing packet switching capabilities to conventional circuit - switched wdm network elements 121 - 125 whereby signaling headers are encoded onto ip packets and are removed when necessary . the first type of ‘ plug - and - play ’ module , represented by electro - optical element 132 of fig1 is - now shown in block diagram form in fig3 . whereas conceptually module 132 is a stand - alone element , in practice , module 132 is integrated with network element 121 as is shown in fig3 ; module 132 is interposed between compliant client interface ( cci ) 310 of network element 121 and ip router 111 to encode optical signaling header 210 onto the packets added into the network via header encoder 321 , and to remove optical signaling header 210 from the packets dropping out of the network via header remover 322 . generally , encoding / removing module 132 is placed where the ip traffic is interfaced into and out of the wdm network , which is between the client interface of the network element and the ip routers . the client interfaces can be either a cci - type or a non - compliant client interfaces ( nci )- type . at these interfaces , header encoder 321 puts optical header 210 carrying the destination and other information in front of data payload 211 as the ip signal is transported into network 201 is based on the ip signal &# 39 ; s original ip address , which is obtained from ip router 111 through interface 311 , and . optical header 210 is encoded in the optical domain by an optical modulator ( discussed later ). signaling header remover 322 deletes header 210 from the optical signal dropped via a client interface , and provides an electrical ip packet to ip router 111 . more specifically , module 132 accepts the electrical signal from ip router 111 , converts the electrical signal to a desired compliant wavelength optical signal , and places optical header 210 in front of the entire packet . module 132 communicates with nc & amp ; m 220 and buffers the data before optically converting the data if requested by nc & amp ; m 220 . module 132 employs an optical transmitter ( discussed later ) with the wavelength matched to the client interface wavelength . ( as indicated later but instructive to mention here , module 132 is also compatible with nci 404 of fig4 since the wavelength adaptation occurs in the nci ; however , the bit - rate - compatibility of nci wavelength adaption and the ip signal with optical headers must be established in advance .) fig4 depicts a second type of ‘ plug - and - play ’ module , optical element 410 , which is associated with each wdm network element 121 - 125 , say element 121 for discussion purposes . module 410 is interposed between conventional network element switch - controller 420 and conventional switching device 430 . module 410 detects information from each signaling header 210 propagating over any fiber 401 - 403 , as provided to module 410 by tapped fiber paths 404 - 406 . module 410 functions to achieve very rapid table look - up and fast signaling to switching device 430 . switch controller 420 is functionally equivalent to the conventional “ craft interface ” used for controlling the network elements ; however , in this case , the purpose of this switch controller 420 is to accept the circuit - switched signaling from nc & amp ; m 220 and determine which control commands are to be sent to label switch controller 410 based on the priority . thus , label switch controller 410 receives circuit - switched control signals from network element circuit switch controller 420 , as well as information as derived from each signaling header 210 , and intelligently chooses between the circuit - switched and the label - switched control schemes . the switches ( discussed later ) comprising switching device 430 also achieve rapid switching . the delay imposed by fibers 415 , 416 , or 417 , which are placed in input paths 401 - 403 to switching device 430 , are such that the delay is larger than the total time it takes to read signaling header 210 , to complete a table look - up , and to effect switching . approximately , a 2 km fiber provides 10 microsecond processing time . the types of wdm network elements represented by elements 121 - 125 and which encompass switching device 430 include : wavelength add - drop multiplexers ( wadms ); wavelength selective crossconnects ( wsxcs ); and wavelength interchanging crossconnects ( wixcs ) with limited wavelength conversion capabilities . in operation , module 410 taps a small fraction of the optical signals appearing on paths 401 - 403 in order to detect information in each signaling header 210 , and determine the appropriate commands for switching device 430 after looking up the connection table stored in module 410 . the fiber delay is placed in paths 401 - 403 so that the packet having header 210 and payload 211 reaches switching device 430 only after the actual switching occurs . this fiber delay is specific to the delay associated with header detection , table look - up , and switching , and can typically be accomplished in about 10 microseconds with about 2 km fiber delay in fibers 415 - 417 . packets are routed through network 201 using the information in signaling header 210 of each packet . when a packet arrives at a network element , signaling header 210 is read and either the packet ( a ) is routed to a new appropriate outbound port chosen according to the label routing look - up table , or ( b ) is immediately forwarded through an already existing label - switching originated connection within the network element . the latter case is referred to as “ flow switching ” and is supported as part of optical label - switching ; flow switching is used for large volume bursty mode traffic . label - switched routing look - up tables are included in network elements 121 - 125 in order to rapidly route the optical packet through the network element whenever a flow switching state is not set - up . the connection set - up request conveyed by optical signaling header 210 is rapidly compared against the label - switch routing look - up table within each network element . in some cases , the optimal connections for the most efficient signal routing may already be occupied . the possible connection look up table is also configured to already provide an alternate wavelength assignment or an alternate path to route the signal . providing a limited number of ( at least one ) alternative wavelength significantly reduces the blocking probability . the alternative wavelength routing also achieves the same propagation delay and number of hops as the optimal case , and eliminates the difficulties in sequencing multiple packets . the alternate path routing can potentially increase the delay and the number of hops , and the signal - to noise - ratio of the packets are optically monitored to eliminate any possibility of packets being routed through a large number of hops . in the case where a second path or wavelength is not available , contention at an outbound link can be settled on a first - come , first - serve basis or on a priority basis . the information is presented to a regular ip router and then is reviewed by higher layer protocols , using retransmission when necessary . an illustrative wdm circuit - switched backbone network 500 for communicating packets among end - users in certain large cities in the united states is shown in pictorial form in fig5 — network 500 is first discussed in terms of its conventional operation , that is , before the overlay of wdm optical label switching in accordance with the present invention is presented . with reference to fig5 it is supposed that new york city is served by network element 501 , chicago is served by network element 502 , . . . los angeles is served by network element 504 , . . . , and minneapolis by network element 507 . ( network elements may also be referred to as nodes in the sequel .) moreover , nc & amp ; m 220 has logical connections ( shown by dashed lines , such as channel 221 to network element 501 and channel 222 to network element 507 ) to all network elements 501 - 507 via physical layer optical supervisory channels ; there is continuous communication among nc & amp ; m 220 and network elements 501 - 507 . nc & amp ; m 220 periodically requests and receives information about : ( a ) the general state of each network element ( e . g ., whether it is operational or shut down for an emergency ); ( b ) the optical wavelengths provided by each network element ( e . g ., network element 501 is shown as being served by optical fiber medium 531 having wavelength w 1 and optical fiber medium 532 having wavelength w 2 which connect to network elements 502 ( chicago ) and 505 ( boston ), respectively ); and ( c ) the ports which are served by the wavelengths ( e . g ., port 510 of element 501 is associated with an incoming client interface conveying packet 520 , port 511 is associated with w 1 and port 512 is associated with w 2 , whereas port 513 of element 502 is associated with w 1 ). thus , nc & amp ; m 220 has stored at any instant the global information necessary to formulate routes to carry the incoming packet traffic by the network elements . accordingly , periodically nc & amp ; m 220 determines the routing information in the form of , for example , global routing tables , and downloads the global routing tables to each of the elements using supervisory channels 221 , 222 , . . . the global routing tables configure the ports of the network elements to create certain communication links . for example , nc & amp ; m 220 may determine , based upon traffic demand and statistics , that a fiber optic link from new york city to los angeles ( network elements 501 and 504 , respectively ) is presently required , and the link will be composed , in series , of : wi coupling port 511 of element 501 to port 513 in network element 502 ; w 1 coupling port 514 of element 502 to port 515 of element 503 ; and w 2 coupling port 516 of element 503 to port 517 of element 504 . then , input packet 520 incoming to network element 501 ( new york city ) and having a destination of network element 504 ( los angeles ) is immediately routed over this established link . at network element 504 , the propagated packet is delivered as output packet 521 via client interface port 518 . in a similar manner , a dedicated path between elements 506 and 507 ( st . louis and minneapolis , respectively ) is shown as established using w 3 between network elements 506 and 502 , and w 2 between elements 502 and 507 . links generated in this manner — as based upon the global routing tables — are characterized by their rigidity , that is , it takes several seconds for nc & amp ; m 220 to determine the connections to establish the links , to download the connectivity information for the links , and establish the input and output ports for each network element . each link has characteristics of a circuit - switched connection , that is , it is basically a permanent connection or a dedicated path or “ pipe ” for long intervals , and only nc & amp ; m 220 can tear down and re - establish a link in normal operation . the benefit of such a dedicated path is that traffic having an origin and a destination that maps into an already - established dedicated path can be immediately routed without the need for any set - up . on the other hand , the dedicated path can be , and most often is , inefficient in the sense that the dedicated path may be only used a small percentage of the time ( e . g ., 20 %- 50 % over the set - up period ). moreover , switching device 430 ( see fig4 ), embedded in each network element which interconnects input and output ports , has only a finite number of input / output ports . if the above scenario is changed so that link from st . louis to minneapolis is required and a port already assigned to the new york to los angeles link is to be used ( e . g ., port 514 of network element 502 ), then there is a time delay until nc & amp ; m 220 can respond and alter the global routing tables accordingly . now the example is expanded so that the subject matter in accordance with the principles of the present invention is overlaid on the above description . first , a parameter called the “ label - switched state ” is introduced and its use in routing is discussed ; then , in the next paragraph , the manner of generating the label - switch state is elucidated . the label - switch state engenders optical label switching . nc & amp ; m 220 is further arranged so that it may assign the label - switch state to each packet incoming to a network element from a client interface — the label - switch state is appended by plug & amp ; play module 132 and , for the purposes of the present discussion , the label - switch state is commensurate with header 210 , ( see fig2 ). the label - switch state is computed by nc & amp ; m 220 and downloaded to each network element 501 - 507 in the form of a local routing table . with reference to fig6 there is shown network element 501 and its embedded switch 601 in pictorial form . also shown is incoming optical fiber 602 , with delay loop 603 , carrying packet 620 composed of header 210 and payload 211 — payload 211 in this case is packet 520 from fig5 . fiber 6022 delivers a delayed version of packet 620 to network element 501 . also , a portion of the light energy appearing on fiber 602 is tapped via fiber 6021 and inputted to optical module 410 which processes the incoming packet 620 to detect header 210 — header 210 for packet 620 is shown as being composed of the label - switch state ‘ 11101011000 ’, identified by reference numeral 615 . also shown in fig6 is local look - up table 610 , being composed of two columns , namely , “ label - switch state ” ( column 611 ), and “ local address ” ( column 612 ). the particular label - switch state for packet 620 is cross - referenced in look - up table 610 to determine the routing of the incoming packet . in this case , the label - switch state for packet 620 is the entry in the fourth row of look - up table 610 . the local switch address corresponding to this label - switch state is “ 0111 ”, which is interpreted as follows : the first two binary digits indicate the incoming port , and the second two binary digits indicate the output port . in this case , for the exemplary four - input , four - output switch , the incoming packet is to be routed from input port “ 0 ” to output port “ 11 ”, so switch 601 is switched accordingly ( as shown ). after the delay provided by fiber delay 603 , the incoming packet on fiber 6022 is propagated onto fiber 604 via switch 601 . the foregoing description of label - switch state indicates how it is used . the manner of generating the label - switch state is now considered . nc & amp ; m 220 , again on a periodic basis , compiles a set of local look - up tables for routing / switching the packet through each corresponding network element ( such as table 610 for network element 501 ), and each look - up table is then downloaded to the corresponding network element . the generation of each look - up table takes into account nc & amp ; m 220 &# 39 ; s global knowledge of the network 500 . for instance , if incoming packet 620 to network 501 is destined for network 504 ( again , new york to los angeles ), if port 510 is associated with incoming port “ 01 ,” and serves fiber 602 , and if outgoing port 511 is associated with outgoing port “ 11 ” and serves fiber 604 , then nc & amp ; m 220 is able to generate the appropriate entry in look - up table 610 ( namely , the fourth row ) and download table 610 to network element 510 . now , when packet 520 is processed by electro - optical module 132 so as to add header 210 to packet 520 to create augmented packet 620 , nc & amp ; m 220 &# 39 ; s knowledge of the downloaded local routing tables as well as the knowledge of the destination address embedded in packet 520 as obtained via module 132 enables nc & amp ; m 220 to instruct module 132 to add the appropriate label - switch state as header 210 — in this case ‘ 11101011000 ’. it can be readily appreciated that processing a packet using the label - switch state parameter is bursty in nature , that is , after switch 601 is set - up to handle the incoming label - switch state , switch 601 may be returned to its state prior to processing the flow state . for example , switch 601 may have interconnected input port ‘ 01 ’ to output port ‘ 10 ’ prior to the arrival of packet 620 , and it may be returned to the ‘ 0110 ’ state after processing ( as determined , for example , by a packet trailer ). of course , it may be that the circuit - switched path is identical to the label - switch state path , in which case there is no need to even modify the local route through switch 601 for processing the label - switch state . however , if it is necessary to temporarily alter switch 601 , the underlying circuit - switched traffic , if any , can be re - routed or re - sent . as discussed so far , label switching allows destination oriented routing of packets without a need for the network elements to examine the entire data packets . new signaling information — the label — is added in the form of optical signal header 210 which is carried in - band within each wavelength in the multi - wavelength transport environment . this label switching normally occurs on a packet - by - packet basis . typically , however , a large number of packets will be sequentially transported towards the same destination . this is especially true for bursty data where a large block of data is segmented in many packets for transport . in such cases , it is inefficient for each particular network element to carefully examine each label and decide on the routing path . rather , it is more effective to set up a “ virtual circuit ” from the source to the destination . header 210 of each packet will only inform continuation or ending of the virtual circuit , referred to as a flow state connection . such an end - to - end flow state path is established , and the plug - and - play modules in the network elements will not disrupt such flow state connections until disconnection is needed . the disconnection will take place if such a sequence of packets have come to an end or another packet of much higher priority requests disruption of this flow state connection . the priority aspect of the present invention is also shown with respect to fig6 . the local look - up table has a “ priority level ” ( column 613 ) which sets forth the priority assigned to the label - switching state . also , header 210 has appended priority data shown as the number ‘ 2 ’ ( reference numeral 616 ). both the fourth and fifth row in the “ label - switch state ” column 611 of table 610 have a local address of ‘ 0111 .’ if an earlier data packet used the entry in the fifth row to establish , for example , a virtual circuit or flow switching state , and the now another packet is processed as per the fourth row of column 611 , the higher priority data (‘ 2 ’ versus ‘ 4 ’, with ‘ 1 ’ being the highest ) has precedent , and the virtual circuit would be terminated . in order to achieve ultra - low latency ip over wdm label switching , processing of the optical header at each optical switch must be kept to a minimum during the actual transmission of the optical packet . to achieve this end , a new signaling architecture and packet transmission protocol for performing optical wdm label switching is introduced . the signaling and packet transmission protocols decouple the slow and complex ip routing functions from the ultra - fast wdm switching and forwarding functions . this decoupling is achieved via the setup of an end - to - end routing path which needs to be performed very infrequently . to send ip packets from a source to a destination , the following step is executed in accordance with the present invention : optical packet transmission , where the arrival of the optical packet triggers the local header processing which among other things looks up the output port for forwarding the packet on to the next hop based on the optical label inside the optical header . although routing path setup involves invoking the routing function which is generally a slow and complicated procedure , it is performed prior to packet transmission handling , and hence it is not in the critical path that determines transmission latency . during routing path setup , the internal connection table of a wdm packet switch will be augmented with a label - switch look - up table , and contains the pertinent packet forwarding information . in particular , in the interest of achieving ultra - low latency and hardware simplicity , the inventive scheme produces label - switch states that remain constant along the flow path for example , label - switch assignments include the following techniques : ( 1 ) destination - based flow label assignment — in this scheme the destination , e . g . a suitable destination ip address prefix , can be used as the label - switch state in next hop look - up . in addition to having no need to modify the optical header , the same header can be used in the event of deflection routing . ( 2 ) route - based flow label assignment — in this scheme the label - switch state assigned refers to the end - to - end route that is computed dynamically at the label - switch state setup phase . the advantage of this scheme is that it can be specialized to meet the quality - of - service requirements for each individual label - switched states . the present -; day lack of a viable optical buffer technology implies that conventional buffering techniques cannot be used to handle switching conflicts . as previously described , the invention embodiment utilizes fixed delay implemented by an optical fiber to allow switching to occur during this time delay , but not to achieve contention resolution as electrical buffers do in conventional ip routers . to resolve switching contentions , in accordance with the present invention , the following three methods are used : ( a ) limited wavelength interchange — where a packet is routed through the same path but at a different wavelength . since this wavelength conversion is utilized just to avoid the contention , it is not necessary that the network elements must possess the capability of converting to any of the entire wavelength channels . rather , it is sufficient if they can convert some of the entire wavelength channels . this wavelength conversion converts both the signaling header and the data payload . care must be taken to prevent a packet from undergoing too many wavelength conversions which will result in poor signal fidelity . a possible policy is to allow only one conversion , which and can easily be enforced by encoding the original wavelength in the optical header . this way an intermediate wdm switch will allow conversion if and only if it is carried on its original wavelength . ( b ) limited deflection routing — where a packet may be deflected to a neighboring switching node from which it can be forwarded towards its destination . care again must be taken to prevent a packet from being repeatedly deflected , thereby causing signal degradation , as well as wasting network bandwidth . a solution scheme is to record a “ timestamp ” field in the optical header , and allow deflections to proceed if and only if the recorded timestamp is no older than a maximum limit . ( c ) prioritized packet preemption — where a newly arrived packet may preempt a currently transmitting packet if the arriving packet has a higher priority . the objective is to guarantee fairness to all packets so that eventually a retransmitted packet can be guaranteed delivery . in this scheme , each packet again has a timestamp field recorded in its optical header , and older packets have higher priority compared to newer packets . furthermore a retransmitted packet assumes the timestamp of the original packet . this way , as a packet “ ages ,” it increases in priority , and will eventually be able to preempt its way towards its destination if necessary . it is noted that in all these schemes the optical header can remain constant as it moves around in the network . this is consistent with the desire to keep the optical switching hardware fast and simple . it is also possible to consider combinations of these schemes . for a network the size of the ngi , centralized routing decisions are quite unfeasible , so the approach needs to be generalized to distributed decision making . hierarchical addressing and routing are used as in the case of ip routing . when a new connection is requested , nc & amp ; m 220 decides whether a wdm path is provisioned for this ( source , destination ) pair within the wdm - based network . if it is , the packets are immediately sent out on that ( one - hop ip - level ) path . if no such path is provisioned , nc & amp ; m 220 decides on an initial outbound link for the first wdm network element and a wavelength to carry the new traffic . this decision is based on the rest of the connections in the network at the time the new connection was requested . nc & amp ; m 220 then uses signaling , through an appropriate protocol , to transfer the relevant information to the initial wdm network element to be placed in the signaling header . after the initial outbound link is determined , the rest of the routing decisions are taken at the individual network element ( ne &# 39 ; s ) according to the optical signaling header information . this method ensures that the routing tables at each switching node and the signaling header processing requirements are kept relatively small . it also enables the network to scale easily in terms of switching nodes and network users . it is noted , too , that multiple wdm subnetworks can be interconnected together and each subnetwork will have its own nc & amp ; m . when a path is decided upon , within a wdm ne , the optical switches can be set in that state ( i ) for the duration of each packet through the node and then revert back to the default state ( called optical label - switching ), or ( ii ) for a finite , small amount of time ( called flow switching ). the former case performs routing on a regular packet - by - packet basis . the system resources are dedicated only when there is information to be sent and at the conclusion of the packet , these resources are available for assignment to another packet . the latter case is used for large volume bursty mode traffic . in this case , the wdm ne only has to read a flow state label from the optical signaling header of subsequent packets arriving at the ne to be sure such a packet is bound for the same destination , without the need to switch the switching device , and forward the payload through the already existing connection through the ne as previously established by the optical label - switching . the packets are self - routed through the network using the information in the signaling header of each packet . when a packet arrives at a switching node , the signaling header is read and either the packet is forwarded immediately through an already existing flow state connection or a new appropriate outbound port is chosen according to the routing table . routing tables in each node exist for each wavelength . if the packet cannot follow the selected outbound port because of contention with another packet ( the selected outbound fiber is not free ), the routing scheme will try to allocate a different wavelength for the same outbound port ( and consequently the signal will undergo wavelength translation within the switching node ). if no other eligible wavelength can be used for the chosen outbound port , a different outbound port may be chosen from another table , which lists secondary ( in terms of preference ) outbound links . this routing protocol of the inventive technique is similar to the deflection routing scheme ( recall the background section ), where the session is deflected to some other outbound link ( in terms of preference ) if the preferred path cannot be followed . the packet is not allowed to be continuously deflected . in traditional routing protocols , a hop count is used to block a session after a specified number of hops . in the new scheme , in case no header regeneration is allowed at the switching nodes , then the hop count technique cannot be used . alternatively , the optical signaling header characteristics ( i . e ., the signaling header &# 39 ; s signaling to noise ratio can be looked upon to decide whether a packet should be dropped . the technique used by nc & amp ; m 220 to determine the routing tables is based upon shortest path algorithms that route the packets from source to destination over the path of least cost . specific cost criteria on each route , such as length , capacity utilization , hop count , or average packet delay can be used for different networks . the objective of the routing function is to have good performance ( for example in terms of low average delay through the network ) while maintaining high throughput . minimum cost spanning trees are generated having a different node as a root at each time , and the information obtained by these trees can then be used to set - up the routing tables at each switching node . if deflection routing as outlined above is implemented , the k - shortest path approach can be used to exploit the multiplicity of potential routing paths . this technique finds more than one shortest path , with the paths ranked in order of cost . this information can be inputted into the switching node routing tables , so that the outbound link corresponding to the minimum cost path is considered first , and the links corresponding to larger cost paths are inputted in secondary routing tables that are used to implement deflection routing . the present invention is based upon two types of plug - and - play modules to be attached to the wdm network elements . introduction of these plug - and - play modules add optical label switching capability to the existing circuit - switched network elements . in fig3 both header encoder 321 and header remover 322 were shown in high - level block diagram form ; fig7 and 8 show , respectively , a more detailed schematic for both encoder 321 and remover 322 . in fig7 ip packets or datagrams are processed in microprocessor 710 which generates each optical signaling header 210 for label switching . optical signaling header 210 and the original ip packet 211 are emitted from microprocessor 710 at baseband . signaling header 210 is mixed in rf mixer 720 utilizing local oscillator 730 . both the mixed header from mixer 720 and the original packet 211 are combined in combiner 740 and , in turn , the output of combiner 740 is encoded to an optical wavelength channel via optical modulator 760 having laser 750 as a source of modulation . in fig8 the optical channel dropping out of a network element is detected by photodetector 81 . 0 and is electrically amplified by amplifier 820 . normally , both photodetector 810 and the amplifier 820 have a frequency response covering only the data payload but not the optical signaling header rf carrier frequency provided by local oscillator 730 . low - pass - filter 830 further filters out any residual rf carriers . the output of filter 830 is essentially the original ip packet sent out by the originating ip router from the originating network element which has been transported through the network and is received by another ip router at another network element . block diagram 900 of fig9 depicts the elements for the detection process effected by plug - and - play module 410 of fig4 to convert optical signal 901 , which carries both label - switching signaling header 210 and the data payload 211 , into baseband electrical signaling header 902 . initially , optical signal 901 is detected by photodetector 910 ; the output of photodetector 910 is amplified by amplifier 920 and filtered by high - pass filter 930 to retain only the high frequency components which carry optical signaling header 210 . rf splitter 940 provides a signal to local oscillator 950 , which includes feedback locking . the signal from local oscillator 950 and the signal from splitter 940 are mixed in mixer 960 , that is , the high frequency carrier is subtracted from the output of filter 920 to leave only the information on label - switching signaling header 210 . in this process , local oscillator 950 with feedback locking is utilized to produce the local oscillation with the exact frequency , phase , and amplitude , so that the high frequency component is nulled during the mixing of this local oscillator signal and the label - switching signaling header with a high - frequency carrier . low - pass filter 970 , which is coupled to the output of mixer 960 , delivers baseband signaling header 210 as electrical output signal 902 . the circuit diagram of fig1 shows an example of a more detailed embodiment of fig4 . in fig1 , each header detector 1010 , 1020 , . . . , 1050 , . . . , or 1080 processes information from each wavelength composing the optical inputs arriving on paths 1001 , 1002 , 1003 , and 1004 as processed by demultiplexers 1005 , 1006 , 1007 , and 1008 , respectively ; each header detector is exemplified by the circuit 900 of fig9 . the processed information is grouped for each wavelength . thus , for example , fast memory 1021 receives as inputs , for a given wavelength , the signals appearing on lead 1011 from header detector 1010 , . . . , the signals appearing on lead 1012 from header detector 1030 , the signals appearing on lead 1013 from header detector 1050 , and the signals appearing on lead 1014 from header detector 1070 . each fast memory 1021 - 1024 , such as a content - addressable memory , serves as an input to a corresponding label switch controller 1031 - 1034 . each label switch controller 1031 - 1034 also receives circuit - switched control signals from network element switch controller 420 of fig4 . each label switch controller intelligently chooses between the circuit switched control as provided by controller 420 and the label switched information supplied by its corresponding fast memory to provide appropriate control signals the switching device 430 of fig4 . flow diagram 1100 of fig1 is representative of the processing effected by each label - switch controller 1031 - 1034 . using label - switch controller 1031 as exemplary , inputs from circuit - switched controller 420 and inputs from fast memory 1021 are monitored , as carried out by processing block 1110 . if no inputs are received from fast memory 1021 , then incoming packets are circuit - switched via circuit - switched controller 420 . decision block 1120 is used to determine if there are any inputs from fast memory 1021 . if there are inputs , then processing block 1130 is invoked so that label - switch controller 1031 can determine from the fast memory inputs the required state of switching device 430 . then processing block 1160 is invoked to transmit control signals from label - switch controller 1031 to control switching device 430 . if there are no fast memory inputs , then the decision block 1140 is invoked to determine if there are any inputs from circuit - switched controller 1140 . if there are inputs from circuit - switched controller 420 , then processing by block 1150 is carried out so that label - switch controller 1031 determines from the inputs of circuit - switched controller 420 the required state of switching device 430 . processing block 1160 is again invoked by the results of processing block 1150 . if there are no present inputs from circuit - switched controller 1140 or upon completion of procession block 1160 , control is returned to processing block 1110 . by way of reiteration , optical label - switching flexibly handles all types of traffic : high volume burst , low volume burst , and circuit switched traffic . this occurs by interworking of two - layer protocols of the label - switched network control . thus , the distributed switching control rapidly senses signaling headers and routes packets to appropriate destinations . when a long stream of packets reach the network element with the same destination , the distributed switching control establishes a flow switching connection and the entire stream of the packets are forwarded through the newly established connections . a label switching method scales graciously with the number of wavelengths and the number of nodes . this results from the fact that the distributed nodes process multi - wavelength signaling information in parallel and that these nodes incorporate predicted switching delay in the form of fiber delay line . moreover , the label switching utilizes path deflection and wavelength conversion for contention resolution . the foregoing description focused on optical header processing at a level commensurate with the description of the overall ngi system configured with the overlaid plug - and - play modules . discussion of header processing at a more detailed level is now appropriate so as to exemplify how low - latency can be achieved at the circuit - detail level . to this end , opto - electrical circuitry 1200 of fig1 , which is a more detailed block diagram elucidating certain aspects of prior figures , especially fig9 and 10 , is considered . by way of a heuristic overview , the processing carried out by the opto - electrical circuitry 1200 is such that a header signal ( e . g ., 155 mb / s on a microwave carrier ) is frequency - division multiplexed with a baseband data payload ( e . g ., 2 . 5 gb / s ). the header signal is processed by a single - sideband ( ssb ) modulator , so only the upper sideband representation of the header signal is present in the frequency - division multiplexed signal . moreover , the technique effected by circuitry 1200 is one of label replacement wherein the original header signal at the given carrier frequency is first removed in the optical domain , and then a new header signal is inserted at the same carrier frequency in the optical domain . a notch filter is used to remove the original header signal ; the notch filter is realized , for example , by the reflective part of a fabry - perot filter . in particular , circuitry 1200 has as its input the optical signal at optical wavelength λ 1 on path 1001 as received and processed by demux 1005 , both of which are re - drawn from fig1 . circuitry 1200 is composed of : a lower path to process optical signal 1201 emanating from demux 1005 ; and an upper path to process optical signal 1202 emanating from demux 1005 . the lower path derives the label , conveyed by the incoming ssb header in optical signal 1001 , to control optical switch 1203 ; switch 1203 is a multi - component element encompassing components already described , including fast memory 1021 and label switch controller 1031 of fig1 as well as switching device 430 of fig4 . the upper path is used to delete the old header signal , including the label , at the sub - carrier frequency and then insert a new header label , in a manner to be described below after the lower path is first described . the lower path is an illustrative embodiment of header detector 1010 originally shown in high - level block diagram form in fig1 . in particular , header detector 1010 includes , in cascade : ( a ) opto - electrical converter 1210 ( e . g .,; a photodetector ) for producing electrical output signal 1211 ; ( b ) multiplier 1215 to convert electrical signal 1211 to intermediate frequency signal 1217 — to accomplish this , multiplier 1215 is coupled to local oscillator 1218 which provides a sinusoid 1216 at a frequency to down - convert the incoming sub - carrier conveying the header label , designated for discussion purposes as ƒ c , to an intermediate frequency ƒ i ; ( c ) intermediate frequency bandpass filter 1220 having signal 1217 as its input ; ( e ) demodulator 1225 to convert the intermediate frequency to baseband ; ( e ) detector 1230 responsive to demodulator 1225 ; and ( f ) read circuit 1235 which outputs signal on lead 1011 of fig1 . elements 1211 , 1215 , 1216 , 1217 , 1220 , 1225 , and 1230 can all be replaced by a simple envelope detector if the subcarrier header was transmitted using an incoherent modulator such as ask ( amplitude - shift keying ). it is not always required to use a coherent demodulator as shown in fig1 . ( in fact , fig1 will depict the case for an incoherent modulation ). the operation of header detector 1010 of fig1 is as follows . it is assumed that the second type of ‘ plug - and - play ’ module of fig4 injects a 2 . 5 gbps ip data packet ( e . g ., with qpsk / qam modulation ) which is sub - carrier multiplexed with a 155 mbps single - sideband header packet ( e . g ., with ssb modulation ) at the modulation frequency ƒ c ; as before , the header precedes the data payload in time and both are carried by the optical wavelength λ 1 . in each network node that receives the combined header and payload at wavelength λ 1 , the sub - carrier header at ƒ c is multiplied by multiplier 1215 , is band - pass filtered by intermediate filter 1220 , and is demodulated to baseband by demodulator 1225 . then , the demodulated baseband data burst is detected by detector 1230 ( e . g ., a 155 mbps burst - mode receiver ), and read by circuit 1293 ( e . g ., a microprocessor ). this foregoing operational description has focused only on the detection of the optical header to control the routing path through switch 1203 . as alluded to in the background section , header replacement is now considered important to present - day ngi technology so as to accomplish high - throughput operation in a packet switched network in which data paths change due to , for example , link outages and variable traffic patterns . moreover , header replacement is useful to maintain protocol compatibility . the upper path components of fig1 that have heretofore not been described play a central role in header replacement . actually , the notion of header replacement has a broader connotation in that the header may be composed of various fields , such as a “ label ” field and a “ time - to - leave ” field . the description to this point has used the header and label interchangeably ; however , it is now clear that the header may actually have a plurality of fields , and as such any or all may be replaced at any node . now continuing with the description of fig1 , the upper processing path which processes the optical signal on path 1202 includes : ( a ) circulator 1240 ; ( b ) fabry - perot ( ffp ) filter 1245 , coupled to circulator 1240 via path 1241 , with filter 1245 being arranged so that one notch in its free spectral range ( fsr ) falls at ƒ c ; and ( c ) attenuator 1250 coupled to the reflective port ( r ) of ffp 1245 . an exemplary ffp 1245 is available from the micron optics , inc . as model no . ffp - tf (“ fiber fabry - perot tunable filter ”). the combination of these latter three elements , shown by reference numeral 1251 , produces a notch filter centered at ƒ c which removes the ssb header signal propagating with ƒ c as its center frequency , as shown pictorially by the spectra in the upper portion of fig1 . as illustrated , spectrum 1242 of signal 1202 includes both a baseband data spectrum and the header signal spectrum centered at ƒ c . after processing by notch filter 1251 , spectrum 1243 obtains wherein only the baseband data spectrum remains . the output of notch filer 1251 , appearing on path 1244 of circulator 1240 , serves as one input to mach - zender modulator ( mzm ) 1270 . two other inputs to mzm 1270 are provided , namely , via path 1271 emanating from multiplier 1290 and via path 1272 emanating from phase shift device 1295 . as discussed in the next paragraph , the signal appearing on lead 1271 is the new header signal which is double - sideband in nature . the signal on path 1272 is phase - shifted by π / 2 relative to the signal on path 1271 . mzm 1270 produces at its output the upper - sideband version of the signal appearing on path 1271 , that is , the new header signal . the single - sideband processing effected by mzm 1270 is described in detail in the paper entitled “ overcoming chromatic - dispersion effects in fiber - wireless systems incorporating external modulators ”, authored by graham h . smith et al ., as published in the ieee transactions on microwave theory and techniques , vol . 45 , no . 8 , august 1997 , pages 1410 - 1415 , which is incorporated herein by reference . moreover , besides converting the new header signal to an optical single - sideband signal ( ossb ), mzm 1270 also adds this ossb signal to the incoming optical baseband signal on path 1244 to produce the desired frequency - multiplexed signal of baseband plus ssb header on output path 1273 from mzm 1270 . the new header signal delivered by path 1271 is derived as follows . write circuit 1275 is responsible for providing data representative of a new header signal , such as a new label represented in binary . the header signal that arrives at the input to demux 1005 is referred to as the active header signal . the replacement header signal is called the new header signal . write circuit 1275 has as its input the output of read device 1235 , so write circuit 1275 can reference or use information from the active header signal to derive the new header signal , if necessary . the new header signal , as provided at the output of write circuit 1275 , is delivered to pulse generator 1280 , which performs the operation of converting the new header signal data to , as exemplary , a 155 mb / s signal on a microwave carrier . the signal from generator 1280 is filtered by low - pass filter 1285 to remove spurious high - frequency energy . then the signal from filter 1285 is delivered to modulator 1290 ; modulator 1290 also has as a sinusoidal input at frequency ƒ c provided by local oscillator 1218 . the output of modulator 1290 , which appears on path 1271 , is the new header signal centered at a frequency of the local oscillator , namely ƒ c ; also , the output of modulator 1290 serves as the only input to phase - shift device 1295 . mzm 1270 produces a spectrum that includes both the original baseband data spectrum as well as the spectrum of the new header signal at ƒ c . this is shown in frequency domain visualization 1274 in the top right - hand comer of fig1 , which is counterpart of the visualization in the top left - hand comer . the new optical signal on path 1273 is switched via optical switch 1203 , as controlled by the active or original incoming header signal , under control of the label on lead 1011 it is noted that , in terms of presently available components , the processing time of the header removal and insertion technique should take less than 30 ns . on the other hand , if it is assumed that there are 15 bits in each packet header signal , then the time to read 15 bits , write 15 bits , and add 10 preamble bits can take about 260 ns for a 155 mbps burst . therefore , allowing for some variations , each header signal is about 300 ns . this means that it may be necessary to insert a delay line in the main optical path between circulator 1240 and mzm 1270 of 300 ns , so the length of delay line would be around 60 meters . to save processing time , the data rate of the subcarrier header can be increased to , for example , 622 mb / s or higher , depending upon the future network environment . the circuit arrangement of fig1 is realized using the so - called reflective port of ffp 1245 . ffp 1245 also has a transmission port which may be utilized wherein the characteristics of the optical signal emanating from the transmission port are the converse of the optical signal from the reflective port . so whereas the reflective port provides an attenuation notch at ƒ c , the transmission port attenuates frequencies relative to ƒ c , so that only frequencies in the vicinity of ƒ c are passed by the transmission port . an alternative to circuitry 1200 of fig1 is shown by circuitry 1300 of fig1 . the main difference between fig1 and fig1 is the manner in which the lower processing path now derives its input signal via path 1301 ( as compared to input signal on path 1201 of fig1 ). in particular , ffp 1325 now has a transmission ( t ) port in addition to the reflective ( r ) port . the output from transmission port , on path 1301 , now serves as the input to opto - electrical converter 1210 . because the signal on path 1301 conveys only frequencies centered about ƒ c , that is , the baseband data information has been attenuated by ffp notch filter 1345 , and can be processed directly by detector 1230 via lpf 1320 . the remainder of circuitry 1300 is essentially the same as circuitry 1200 of fig1 . optical technologies span a number of important aspects realizing the present invention . these include optical header technology , optical multiplexing technology , optical switching technology , and wavelength conversion technology . optical header technology includes optical header encoding and optical header removal as discussed with respect to fig3 and 4 . in effect , optical header 210 serves as a signaling messenger to the network elements informing the network elements of the destination , the source , and the length of the packet . header 210 is displaced in time compared to the actual data payload . this allows the data payload to have any data rates / protocols or formats . optical multiplexing may illustratively be implemented using the known silica arrayed waveguide grating structure . this waveguide grating structure has a number of unique advantages including : low cost , scalability , low loss , uniformity , and compactness . fast optical switches are essential to achieving packet routing without requiring excessively long fiber delay as a buffer . micromachined electro mechanical switches offer the best combination of the desirable characteristics : scalability , low loss , polarization insensitivity , fast switching , and robust operation . recently reported result on the mem based optical add - drop switch achieved 9 microsecond switching time wavelength conversion resolves packet contention without requiring path deflection or packet buffering . both path deflection and packet buffering cast the danger of skewing the sequences of a series of packets . in addition , the packet buffering is limited in duration as well as in capacity , and often requires non - transparent methods . wavelength conversion , on the other hand , resolves the blocking by transmitting at an alternate wavelength through the same path , resulting in the identical delay . illustratively , a wsxc with a limited wavelength conversion capability is deployed . although various embodiments which incorporate the teachings of the present invention have been shown and described in detail herein , those skilled in the art can readily devise many other varied embodiments that still incorporate these teachings .
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an improved tostada forming and cooking apparatus 10 made in accordance with and embodying the principles of the present invention , is shown in fig1 of the drawings . associated with the apparatus 10 , is a tortilla loading station 11 and a tostada unloading or delivery station 12 . an upstanding frame 13 serves to support a pan 14 that is adapted to contain a supply of cooking oil which may be of such volume to reach the level line 16 . the cooking oil 16 is re - circulated between the pan 14 and a remotely located heat exchanger ( not shown ) through the conduits 17 and 18 , and during re - circulation the oil is heated to the desired cooking temperature and filtered so as to remove particles dislodged from the product in the cooking and forming operation . referring particularly to fig1 and 2 , a hood 19 is mounted with respect to the pan 14 to form an enclosure for the cooking activity and more particularly to contain and control the vapors generated during the normal , cooking operation . as , is evident from the corner detail 21 , fig2 the hood 19 and pan 14 nest together when the hood is in the closed position as shown and means ( not shown ) are provided for raising the hood 19 away from the pan 14 for cleaning and maintenance purposes . a conveyor structure 22 including spaced apart left and right positioned drive chains , is arranged within the hood and is supported with respect to the pan 14 . the conveyor structure 22 includes left and right side frame members 23 as well as upper track - ways 24 and lower track - ways 26 shown best in fig3 . as clearly illustrated in fig2 taken in association with fig1 there is received in each laterally spaced apart track - way an endless roller chain 27 . the roller chains ride within a slot formed in the track - ways 24 , 26 . as shown best in fig5 each link in the roller chain 27 has rigidly mounted thereto an l - shaped tab 28 which serves as an attachment base upon which to mount the laterally extending cross - bars 29 that extend between and thereby connect , via suitable fasteners , with the left and right hand roller chains 27 . mounted at each end of the conveyor structure 22 is a rotatable shaft 32 , 33 upon which is mounted a spaced - apart pair of sprockets 31 over which the roller chain 27 is received . thus , two sprockets 31 are operatively mounted upon the drive shaft 32 and similarly upon the idler shaft 33 . a chain - tensioner mechanism 34 is mounted near the discharge end 34 of the conveyor 22 , as dearly shown in fig4 . the drive shaft 32 is driven by a variable speed motor transmission unit ( not shown ), so that the conveyor will advance in the direction of the arrows 36 , as indicated in fig1 from the tortilla loading station 11 to the tostada delivery station 12 , for carrying the tortilla carrying elements through the cooking zone , the hot cooking oil in the pan 14 . referring particularly to fig2 , and 6 , a plurality of mold sets 37 are fixedly secured to the conveyor cross - bars 29 by fasteners such as cap screws 38 . it will be understood and on certain occasions such as in maintenance or repair or change in product size or shape it is highly desirable to have the capability of removal , replacement or substitution of one or more of the mold sets 37 . this is facilitated and may be expeditiously achieved by removal of the cap screws or similar fasteners 38 and dismounting of the selected mold sets 37 from the cross bars 29 . for example , this feature is advantageous should one or more of the mold sets 37 suffer operational wear or damage or when it is desired to replace one or all of the mold sets 37 to achieve a different cooked shape or some other specific purpose of the operator , the food processor . in fig2 and 6 it is shown that the mold sets 37 comprise molds elements of hermaphrodite configuration , that is to say that each mold is configured to present on one side , fig5 a concave female component and on the opposite side , fig6 a convex male component . as shown in fig2 the mold sets 37 in this embodiment are formed in lateral pairs with three lateral pairs being mounted on each cross bar 29 thus giving six mold sets extending across the cooker 10 . this invention however is not limited to a six - across configuration of mold sets for the reason that it would be apparent to a worker skilled in this field that the number of mold sets may be varied to achieve a desired production output capacity of the cooker 10 . thus it is within the scope of this invention , as indicated in fig1 and 12 , to have a conveyor carrying a series of single hermaphrodite molds through a cooker 10 as well as a conveyor carrying molds in lateral pairs with two , four , five , up to even eight or ten lateral pairs extending across the cooker 10 , all as production requirements dictate . fig5 and 6 depict the opposite sides of a mold set 37 , fig5 illustrating the concave or cavity portion 39 of the mold set and fig6 illustrating the convex mold surface 41 . both the concave surface 39 and the convex surface 41 define walls of the mold 37 and are provided with a multiplicity of spaced - apart apertures 42 which permit the flow of cooking oil into and through the mold sets 37 . an end connector panel 43 is integrally formed alone one margin of the convex mold surface 41 . an end spacer panel 44 is integrally formed at each end of the concave mold surface 39 . a bottom connector panel 46 is integrally formed as by bending at a right angle from the convex surface 41 and is fixedly secured as by welding to the mold element 39 so as to establish thereby a box - like structure comprising the end or side panels 43 and the bottom connector panel 46 . the upper portion of the mold set may be configured as illustrated in fig5 with the spaced - apart in turned panels 47 defining a slot there between so as to receive connectors ( not shown ) for securing the mold set to the crossbar 29 . a u - shaped top connector panel 48 is fixedly secured as by spot - welding to the concave and convex mold panels and is positioned as shown in fig5 and 6 so as to receive therein the carrier bar 29 . as indicated in fig3 a procession of mold sets 37 are connected to the roller chains 27 and oriented so that the convex mold surface proceeds in the direction of travel 36 and thus places each concave mold surface 39 in close proximity to the next trailing mold set and in particular to the convex surface 41 thereof . thus it will be understood that the series of mold sets 37 on the conveyor 22 move in close proximity . however means are provided to inhibit or prevent the convex mold surface 41 of a one mold set 37 from fully engaging the concave mold surface 39 of the next adjacent mold set , in other words to provide a space between adjacent complimentary mold surfaces for forming a tortilla into a cooked tostada . to this end a plurality of abutment stops or stubs 49 are disposed in a protruding relationship near the bottom margin of the concave mold surface 39 shown best in fig5 . the abutment stops 39 engage the next adjacent convex mold surface 41 thus preventing full closure between the complimentary surfaces and thereby establish a cavity or pocket , in which the tortilla resides during the cooking step of the process . also as shown in fig5 a plurality of tortilla positioning pins or stops 51 are disposed in an array with , for example , two pins or stops 51 may be positioned along and extend outwardly from the lower margin of each mold in the set and four pins or stops 51 may be positioned and extend outwardly from the upper margin of the mold . as shown in fig6 openings 52 for the tortilla positioning stops or pins 51 are arrange in the convex mold surface 41 so that when the molds are in a closed condition the positioning pins or stops may protrude into the openings 52 . the openings are sized to permit the positioning pins 51 to move unobstructedly there through as the convex and concave mold surfaces shift relative to each other during the loading and unloading of product from the conveyor 22 at the loading 11 and unloading stations 12 . the four pins or stops 51 serve to arrest the motion of the tortilla upon its placement in the mold and locates the tortilla in the optimum position with respect to the forming cavity between adjacent mold surfaces . these pins serve to prevent the tortilla from “ floating ” upwardly in the mold forming cavity because of its buoyancy during cooking in the hot oil . conversely , the two stops or pins 51 along the lower margin of the mold serve to prevent the product from sliding out of the space between the mold surfaces during the cooking step . it will be understood from the above that while cooking , the product is “ captured ” between adjacent convex - concave mold surfaces and located there in a positive fashion by the positioning stops or pins 51 . the mold surfaces themselves are spaced apart during cooking as defined by the length of the abutments buttons or stops 49 thereby to define a forming and cooking space or cavity in which the tortilla resides between the adjacent convex and concave surfaces as described above . fig1 and 4 illustrate the structures that co - operate with the mold sets 37 as they move along on the conveyor 22 to cause them to shift from a closed together condition , such as when moving through the oil filled pan 14 in the cooking step , to the first opened condition , as indicated in fig3 for receiving tortillas at the loading station 11 , and again to the second or subsequent opened condition for the discharge of a cooked tostada product , as indicated in fig4 . to this end the upper and lower track - ways 24 , 26 include the longitudinally extending bars 56 and 57 which are vertically spaced apart to define a slot 58 which serves as a guide for the roller chains 27 , shown best in fig2 . similarly , the lower track - ways 26 includes longitudinally extending bars 59 , 61 that are vertically spaced apart to define a slot 62 serving a like purpose . these parts interact so that as the mold sets supported on the cross - bars coupled to the roller chains that traverse the generally horizontal slots 58 , 62 , the mold sets will remain in the “ dosed ” condition as evident in fig1 . the track - way bars 56 , 57 at the tostada loading portion of the conveyor terminate with their ends spaced from the drive sprockets 31 . the roller chains will exit the slots 58 and engage the sprockets 31 , shown best in fig3 . as the roller chains traverse the sprockets 31 , the mold sets translate or “ fan out ” from the closed to the opened condition thereby providing an open “ window ” into which a tortilla may be inserted from the infeed conveyor 11 onto the concave or receiving surface of the mold . as the molds , now loaded with tortillas , move or translate downwardly and pass through the “ nine o &# 39 ; clock ” position relative to the drive sprockets , the adjacent molds on the conveyor line shift progressively into the closed condition . on each side of the conveyor a contoured cam guide comprising the spaced - apart plates 63 , 64 affords a defined path for the roller chain so that the molds are carried downwardly into thee oil bath where cooking begins . the cams guide 63 , 64 afford a smooth transition for the roller chain to move downwardly from the drive sprockets onto the lower track - way 26 . referring now to fig4 each lower track - way 26 includes toward one end an upwardly inclined transition section 66 which serves as a guide for the roller chain to cause the mold sets 37 to be carried upwardly out of the cooking oil and toward the tostada delivery or unloading station 12 . while moving alone the transition section 66 , the mold sets 31 remain in the closed condition . when the associated roller chain links traverse the sprockets 31 , the mold sets translate or “ yawn ” into the open condition as shown in fig4 . here the tortillas now cooked and formed into tostadas can be removed from the mold sets either by gravity forces or through assistance from elements not shown such as a blast of compressed air or via contact with rotating brushes or other product removing elements . a suitable take - away conveyor mounted adjacently to the discharge end of the apparatus 10 serves to convey the cooked products for further treatment and packaging . from the above description it will be understood that as the roller chains carrying the mold sets 37 traverses the sprockets 31 at the in - feed end , the adjacent mold sets pivot or “ yawn ” into an open condition so that products may be inserted and received therein . accurate spacing of the product to be cooked on the in - feed conveyor an its synchronization with the conveyor 22 for the mold set openings is achieved via apparatus well known in the field and accordingly will not be further detailed . tortillas delivered from the in - feed conveyor into the opened mold and placed on the receiving surface of the mold so as to engage the positioning pins 51 . thus the tortilla &# 39 ; s in feed movement is arrested and the tortilla is optimally positioned on the receiving surface of the mold . upon closing or converging of the adjacent mold surfaces as the conveyor carries the mold sets downwardly , the molds close and converge until the buttons or stops 49 engage the proximate surfaces of the adjacent mold set . the product positioning elements 51 project into the apertures 52 of the surface 41 . the lower positioning pins or elements 51 serve to prevent the tortilla from dropping out into the cooking oil while being conveyed in the closed molds through the cooking oil . similarly , the upper pins or elements 51 maintain the product in the desired position as loaded and prevent the product from upward movement with respect to the molds due to product buoyancy in the cooking oil while it is being cooked and shaped in the space permitted between adjacent molds . in the foregoing description of the mold sets 37 , as a matter of convenience the surface 39 , is referring to as a concave surface and the surface 41 is referred to as a convex surface of the mold 37 , as clearly shown in fig5 and 6 . the general configuration of the surfaces is somewhat that of a shallow bowl or could be a deep bowl as permitted by the spacing between adjacent complimentary molds and these are only a few of the various tostada configurations that are achievable with the cooking and forming apparatus of the present invention . more particularly , another form of mold sets 71 made in accordance with and embodying principles of the present invention is shown in fig7 - 12 . the mold - configuration 71 is substantially planar on the forming surfaces and includes parts previously described and these will be marked with the same identifier numeral as used above but with a ′ [ prime ] symbol . the mold sets 71 are mounted on roller chains 27 ′ with the “ l ” shaped tabs 28 ′, shown best in fig1 and 12 . whereas in the case of the mold sets 31 , there was present the concave and convex mold surfaces , in the instance of the second mold configuration 71 , there is a “ leading ” mold surface 72 and “ trailing ” or product receiving mold surface 73 . the terminology “ leading ” and “ trailing ” refer to the direction of movement of the molds 71 through the cooking oil bath . the substantially planar mold surfaces 72 , 73 are provided with a multiplicity of oil flow apertures 42 ′. the trailing or product receiving mold surface 73 has integrally formed on three sides marginal portions or spacer panels 74 which serve to capture the tortilla and prevent its dislodgement during the cooking step . tortilla positioning pins 51 ′ project from the trailing surface 73 and serve in the loading phase to arrest inward movement of the tortilla in the mold . four such positioning pins are shown in fig1 , but the number may vary depending upon the size of a tortilla selected for use in the process . a bottom flange or spacer panel 74 , serves a function analogous to the bottom pair of positioning pins 51 as indicated in fig5 . similarly , abutment stops 76 perform a function analogous to the abutment stops 49 on the concave surface 39 . the abutment stops 76 engage the next adjacent mold in the procession on the conveyor and define the void into which the tortilla will be cooked and permitted to take on the desired cooked shape of a mexican style product . the forming and cooking apparatus 10 may be equipped with a conveyor carrying but a single mold set such as those illustrated in fig1 and 12 . this reflects the versatility of the equipment in design and operation . the conveyor shown in fig1 for purposes of illustration only is depicted with both mold configurations disclosed herein . in practice the conveyor would preferably be equipped with molds of a single type . it is advantageous that the procession or array of mold sets 37 , 71 be readily changeable to enable different shapes and sizes of tortilla based products such as tostadas and tacos to be formed in the cooker 10 so as to accommodate the varying needs and requirements of the marketplace . this feature is of great importance to the owner - operator of the cooker 10 because the capital investment in cooking and forming equipment of this type obviates the need for similar equipment for producing products of differing sizes and shapes . thus , the savings can be substantial over employing just a single shape or size tostada or taco cooker . for example this feature is illustrated in fig1 and 13 , wherein the procession or array of mold sets 37 on the first configuration and the procession or array of mold sets 71 on the second configuration may be exchanged once the tostada cooking and forming unit 10 has been shut down for this purpose or for normal periodic servicing . the mold sets may be designed and intended to produce tacos . a swivel - wheel equipped storage and transfer carriage 80 is provided to receive the series of molds extracted from the cooker 10 for temporary storage or for servicing . the transfer carriage or tug 80 can be repositioned with respect to the cooker discharge end 12 to provide for the installation of a second series of molds into the cooker 10 . to this end the storage and transfer carriage 80 is provided with two longitudinally extending bays arranged side by side , a right - hand bay 81 being shown in fig1 and a left - hand bay 82 is illustrated in fig1 . the mold storage and transfer bays 81 , 82 are disposed within a framework 83 for the carriage 80 which is clearly shown in fig1 . as mentioned above , swivel wheel sets 84 are fitted to the framework 83 so as to enable the unit 80 to be shifted laterally and longitudinally with respect to the cooker 10 to facilitate the loading and unloading of the procession or array of different molds . a positive docking connection 86 mechanism is arranged between the cooker 10 and carriage or tug 80 one component thereof being secured to the upstanding cooker framework 13 and the other component being secured to the carriage 80 at the lower portion thereof as shown best in fig1 . the docking mechanism 86 establishes , when in the locked condition , a precise positional relationship and fixity between the moveable carriage 80 and the relative stationary cooker unit 10 . an upper docking mechanism 87 couples the units 10 , 80 together in an alignment such that the entire procession of molds readily may be removed or extracted from the cooker 10 and shifted onto the carriage 80 . more specifically , the carriage or tug 80 is equipped at one end with a laterally extending shaft 88 equipped with a pair of sprockets 89 spaced apart at the same distance as the pair of sprockets 31 mounted on the shaft 33 . there is reeved over the sprockets 89 a pair of dummy or extractor roller chains 91 arranged to extend horizontally the full length of the carriage or tug 80 and presenting top and bottom free ends for uniting to the top and bottom runs of the roller chains 27 when these are broken open for conducting the operation of mold transfer onto the carriage 80 , as shown in fig1 . to remove or extract from the cooker 10 , a procession of molds such as the molds 71 mounted on the pair of roller chains 27 , each of chains the 27 is first opened or “ broken ” and then coupled to the end link from each the top and bottom runs of the dummy roller chains 91 on the carriage 80 . before this maneuver is undertaken , it will be understood that the wheeled carriage 80 is first positioned securely with respect to the cooker 10 by means of the upper 87 and lower 86 docking mechanisms so that the receiving bay 82 is properly aligned with the conveyor structure 22 . with rotation of the shaft 88 , such as by a hand crank or the like ( not shown ) the dummy chains 91 reeved over the sprocket set 89 will withdraw from the cooker 10 the pair of roller chains 27 and the mold sets mounted there between . these move onto a set of support rails 92 . concurrently , the dummy roller chains 91 will be transferred into cooker 10 to occupy the position formerly taken by the roller chains 27 and from this it will be understood that the chains 27 and 91 are substantially the same length . when all of the mold sets and associated roller chains have been drawn onto the receiving bay 82 of the carriage 80 , the dummy chain is then present virtually entirely within the cooker 10 and its ends are uncoupled and freed from the “ broken ends ” or links of the mold carrying chains 27 . after this step , the swivel wheel equipped carriage 80 is moved laterally so that the storage bay 81 of the carriage is positioned in alignment with the cooker 10 . the dummy chains free ends extending from the cooker are then linked to the roller chains carrying the mold sets 37 which have been stored previously on the carriage 80 in the storage bay 81 . again , the sprocket equipped shaft 88 may be rotated or the motor driving the conveyor may be actuated so that the dummy chains in the cooker will draw the mold sets 37 from the carriage 80 into the cooker . in this step the dummy chains are drawn from the cooker onto the carriage 80 . thus it is apparent from the above that the cooker 10 with its associated mold storage and transfer carriage 80 is provides the food processing operator a versatile method and apparatus for producing a variety of tostada shapes and sizes which are adaptable to readily shift from one size or shape to another so as to achieve the desired production objectives . the above descriptions of the preferred embodiments of the invention are the best known to the applicants at the time of filing this application . the description is presented for the purposes of illustration and full disclosure . it is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed and obviously many modifications and variations , are possible in light of the above teachings . the embodiments were chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention and its practical application to thereby enable others skilled in the field to best utilize the invention in various embodiments and with various modifications as are suited to the particular uses contemplated . however , it is intended that the scope of the invention will be defined by the claims appended below .
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hereinafter , embodiments according to the present invention will be fully explained by referring to the attached drawings . fig1 shows an example of network construction of a home network system , into which a home gateway can be applied , according to an embodiment of the present invention . also , fig3 shows an example of the hardware structures of a home server within the network construction shown in fig1 . in fig1 , a reference numeral 10 depicts an application download server , 40 a public communication network or a communication network for exclusive use , using a wire or radio waves , 50 a rooter , 60 a home gateway , 70 an equipment to be controlled , which the home gateway controls , and 100 a home network with using a wire or radio waves . the home gateway 60 is connected with the communication network 40 through the home network 80 and the rooter 50 . also , to the communication network 40 is connected the application download server 10 . and , to the home network 80 are connected the equipments 70 , 71 and 72 . the application download server 10 is built up with a general pc server , and it is able to download an application into the home server responding to a request from the home gateway 60 . the home gateway 60 communicates with the application download server 10 through the communication network 40 , thereby to download an application enabling to control the equipments 70 to be controlled from the application download serve , and therefore it can communicate and / or control the equipment 70 to be controlled by executing the application . the equipment 70 to be controlled is an equipment , which is connected with the home network 80 through the radio wave or the wires , and it can send / receive ( i . e ., communicate ) information between the application ( s ) on the home gateway 60 . according to the present embodiment , it is assumed that the equipment 70 to be controlled is the equipment , which is connected with an ip communication network at home through the wires or the radio wave ; however , as far as it can communicate the information between the home gateway 60 , it may be an equipment that uses the communication network other than the ip , such as , specification small electricity radio communication network , a serial communication network , and an ieee 1394 communication network , etc ., for example . fig3 attached herewith is a hardware structure view of the home gateway 60 , which the present embodiment can be applied therein . the home gateway 60 comprises a cpu 601 , a main memory 602 , a eprom 603 , a non - volatile memory device 604 , a lan i / f 605 , a display device 606 , and an input device 607 . and , each of those constituent elements is connected with a bus 608 , so that necessary information can be communicated among those elements . but , not shown in the figure , in case when connecting the equipments 70 to be controlled with the specification small electricity radio communication network , the serial communication network , and the ieee 1394 communication network , etc ., it is necessary to add an apparatus or device corresponding to it . within the eprom 603 is stored a boot program . into the non - volatile memory device 604 is stored various kinds of programs . and , when the gateway 60 starts , then the cpu 601 starts up responding to this boot program . the cpu 601 loads the various kinds of programs mentioned above from the non - volatile memory device 604 into the main memory 602 . the cpu 601 conducts transmission of signals to the lan i / f 605 , the display device 606 , and the input device 607 , by executing the various kinds of programs , which are loaded into the main memory 60 , and thereby conducting the transmission of information between the application download server 10 and / or the equipment 70 to be controlled . the non - volatile memory device 604 stores the various kinds of programs and information , which the cpu 601 loads them on the main memory 602 to execute , and it may be achieved by a flash memory or a hard disk , etc . the lan i / f 605 is connected with the home network 80 , so that it can communicate the information with the various kinds of devices connected with the home network or the communication network 40 , and it may be achieved by a network card , etc . the input device 607 , accepting an input from a user , may be achieved with a keyboard , a mouse , an infrared remote controller , etc . the display device 606 communicates necessary information for connecting with a crt tube television or a pc monitor , to make drawing on a screen thereof , and it may be achieved with a vga card , or a video output terminal , etc . among the elements shown in fig3 , an unnecessary one ( s ) can be omitted from those . for example , in case when not needing an output to the monitor and an input from the keyboard , but being connected with the home gateway 60 , from the web browser , etc ., via the network , it is possible omit the input device 607 and the display device 606 from the construction thereof . fig4 is a view for showing the hardware construction of the equipment 70 to be controlled , into which the present embodiment can be applied . the equipment 70 to be controlled comprises a cpu 701 , an eprom 703 , a non - volatile memory device 704 , and a lan i / f 705 . and , each of those constituent elements is connected with through a bus 706 , so that each can communicate necessary information between them in the structures thereof . although not shown in the figure , in case when connecting the above - mentioned equipment 70 to be controlled through the specification small electricity radio communication network , the serial communication network , and the ieee 1394 communication network , etc ., it is necessary to add an apparatus or device corresponding to it . within the eprom 703 is stored a boot program . in the non - volatile memory device 704 are stored various kinds of programs . and , when the equipment 70 to be controlled starts , then the cpu 701 operates responding to this boot program . the cpu 701 loads the various kinds of programs , from the non - volatile memory device 704 into the main memory 702 , with an aid of the boot program . the cpu 701 conducts transmission of signals to the lan i / f 705 by executing the various kinds of programs loaded onto the main memory 702 , so that it makes communication of the information with the home gateway 60 . the non - volatile memory device 704 stores the various kinds of programs and information , which the cpu 701 loads them on the main memory 702 to execute , and it may be achieved by a flash memory or a hard disk , etc . the lan i / f 705 is connected with the home network 80 , so that it communicate information with the home gateway 60 , and it may be achieved with a network card , etc . among the elements shown in fig4 , an unnecessary one ( s ) can be omitted from the construction . next , explanation will be made on operations of the present embodiment . fig8 is the structure view of software and a table of the home gateway 60 . the home gateway 60 is built up with software and tables , such as , a web server 61 , an equipment management portion 62 , a service management portion 63 , an application 64 , an application 65 , an application 66 , a service undertaker use memory information table 1000 , a service ap use equipment information table 1100 , an equipment information table 1200 , a service ap information table 1300 , a service undertaker information table 1400 , etc ., for example . the web server functions as a user i / f , so that the user can communicate information with the home gateway 60 , through making a connection from the browser installed into a pc or a digital television not shown in fig1 , which the user owns . also , it is possible to execute a service application for making a downloading from the application download server 10 ( hereinafter , being called “ service ap ”). the equipment management portion 62 manages information of the equipment 70 to be controlled , which is connected with the home network 80 , with using the equipment information table 1200 . it also provides home - equipment information , which is described on the equipment information table 1200 , to the service ap , or it manages connection to the home - equipment , with using the service ap use equipment information table 1100 . the service management portion 63 starts the service ap with using the service undertaker use memory information table 1000 . the applications 64 , 65 and 66 are examples of the service aps , which are downloaded from the application download server 10 . the home gateway 60 manages the information relating to the equipment 70 to be controlled , which is connected with the home network 80 , with using the equipment information table 1200 , as shown in fig7 . fig5 shows the service undertaker use memory information table 1000 . this service undertaker use memory information table 1000 is made up with a service undertaker id 1001 and a use memory volume 1002 . information of those are obtained at the time when downloading the service ap , together with that service ap . fig6 shows the service ap use equipment information table 1100 . this service ap use equipment information table 1100 is made up with a service ap id 1101 and a use equipment id 1102 . information of those are set up when downloading the service ap , etc ., for example , by a user . fig7 shows the equipment information table 1200 . this equipment information table 1200 is made up with an equipment id 1201 , an equipment name 1202 , and an ip address 1203 . information of those are obtained in advance through communication between the home gateway 60 and the equipment 70 to be controlled , or through setting up , which is made by the user to the home gateway 60 . fig9 shows the service ap information table 1300 . this service ap information table 1300 is made up with a service ap id 1301 and a service ap name 1302 . information of those are obtained when downloading the service ap from the application download server 10 . fig1 shows the service undertaker information table 1400 . this service undertaker information table 1400 is made up with a service ap if 1401 and a service undertaker id 1402 . the service ap is started upon the fact that the user transmits an instruction for a program ( cgi ), which is operable on the web server 61 . fig1 shows a flowchart from when the user transmits the instruction up to when the service ap is started . first of all , the user connects with the web server through the browser , so as to select the service ap to be started ( s 1001 ), and next , the cgi operable on the web server 61 transmits a service start request and the service ap id , which the user selects , to the service management portion 63 ( s 1002 ). next , the service management portion 63 obtains the service undertaker id corresponding to that service ap id , from the service undertaker information table 1400 ( s 1003 ), and next the service management portion 63 obtains the use memory volume corresponding to that service undertaker id , from the service undertaker user memory information table 1000 ( s 1004 ). next , the service management portion 63 starts that service ap , so that the memory does not exceeds that use memory volume ( s 1005 ). first of all , explanation will be made on the case when the service ap is java ( registered trade mark ). the java ( registered trade mark ) is able to designate a maximum heap region , when starting a java ( a registered trade mark ) vm . then , by designating the use memory volume to be such the maximum heap region , it is possible to designate so that the service ap does not use the memory exceeding that use memory volume . for example , in case where the use memory volume of “ ap64 . class ” is 10 mb , a java ( the registered trademark ) command is “ java ( registered trade mark ) − xmx10m ap64 ”. next , explanation will be given about the case where the service ap is not the java ( registered trade mark ), but is a native program . first of all , the service ap is executed with a normal procedure . next , by means of the system call , a process number of that service ap is obtained . next , a memory volume consumed by the service ap of that process number is obtained through the system call , and it is observed . in case when the consumed memory volume exceeds the use memory volume of the service , it is possible to start up the service ap so that it cannot use the memory exceeding the use memory volume , by compulsively ending the process of that process number . starting the service ap in accordance with the steps mentioned above enables to executed the service aps of plural number of service undertakers , so that the service ap of a certain service undertaker does not give an ill influence upon the service aps of other service undertakers . fig1 is a flowchart for showing steps for the service ap to control the equipment 70 to be controlled . first of all , a list is obtained about the equipments , which the service ap can control ( s 1101 ). next , the service ap obtains the detailed information of the equipment at desire , so as to make communication ( s 1102 ). the details of steps in s 1101 will be shown in fig1 attached herewith . first of all , the service ap transmits a request for obtaining the list of controllable equipments and the service ap id , to the equipment management portion ( s 1201 ). next , the equipment management port obtains the list of the use equipment ids corresponding to that service ap , from the service ap use equipment information table 1100 ( s 1202 ). next , the equipment management portion returns the list of controllable equipments back to that service ap ( s 1203 ). also , the details of steps in s 1102 will be shown in fig1 attached herewith . first of all , the service ap transmits a request for obtaining the detailed information of equipments , the equipment ids of the equipments to be controlled and the service ap id , to the equipment management portion ( s 1301 ). next , the equipment management portion obtain a list of the use equipment ids corresponding to that service ap id from the service ap use equipment information table ( s 1302 ) next , determination is made on whether that equipment id is included or not within the list of use equipment id ( s 1303 ), and if it is included , the equipment management portion obtains the ip address corresponding to that equipment id , so as to send it to the service ap ( s 1304 ), and the service ap makes connection with the equipment of that ip address , to make communication therewith ( s 1305 ). in case when that equipment id is not included within the list of use equipment ids , in the step of s 1303 , the equipment management portion transmits error information to the service ap ( s 1306 ) controlling the equipment 70 to be controlled , which the service ap connects to the home network 80 in the manner mentioned above , it is possible for the service ap to make control only upon the predetermined equipment ( s ) to be controlled . as was mentioned above , according to the present embodiment , with controlling the volume of memory , which the service application operating on the home gateway uses within a home where the service applications of plural number of service undertakes are mixed with , the plural number of the service undertakers are operable without obstructing with each other . also , by making the service applications unable to connect with others than the equipments within the home , which are determined in advance , it is possible to achieve smooth facilities of services within a home network system where the service applications of the plural number of service undertakes are mixed with . while we have shown and described several embodiments in accordance with our invention , it should be understood that disclosed embodiments are susceptible of changes and modifications without departing from the scope of the invention . therefore , we do not intend to be bound by the details shown and described herein but intend to cover all such changes and modifications that fall within the ambit of the appended claims .
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the invention is a microchannel plate image intensifier ( mcpi ) with inclusion of a collimator . light 10 enters at the top of fig1 penetrates the faceplate 12 and strikes the photocathode 14 . some of the light 10 ( photons ) react with the photocathode 14 to liberate electrons 16 , which enter the vacuum space ( gap ) 18 between the photocathode 14 and the mcp 20 . this gap is sometimes referred to as a proximity - focusing electron lens . electrons 16 are accelerated towards mcp 20 by an electric field in gap 18 between cathode 14 and mcp 20 . the electrons have some initial transverse ( sideways ) energy as they leave the cathode causing them to take a parabolic path on their journey to mcp 20 . this energy is in the order of between zero and about 0 . 1 ev and results in a spot on mcp 20 that is larger than the spot on photocathode 14 from which electrons 16 originated . most of the electrons reaching mcp 20 will enter holes in the mcp , be multiplied in numbers and exit the bottom of the mcp . the transverse energy of these electrons is about ten times as great as for the photocathode case mentioned above . the electrons enter gap 22 between mcp 20 and phosphor screen 24 and are accelerated towards phosphor screen 24 by an electric field in this gap . this gap is also referred to as a proximity - focusing electron lens . the spot on the screen is much larger than for the case mentioned above , due , in part , to the greater initial transverse energy of the electrons leaving the mcp . the spot size on the screen is also proportional to the gap between the mcp and the screen and inversely proportional to the square - root of the voltage across the gap . to reduce the spot size ( increase the resolution of the tube ), the conventional approach has been to reduce the gap distance and increase the gap voltage . at some point the gap will break down , cause local heating and rip loose the aluminizing layer covering the phosphor , which usually ends up bridging the gap , shorting out and destroying the tube . there is an additional factor that affects spot size . it is estimated that about 20 % of the electrons are elastically scattered when they strike a surface . they rebound with their initial energy , are decelerated as they travel up towards their source , and then are pulled back down again by the electric field , striking the surface at a distance from their initial impact of up to two times the gap distance . in the screen region , this distance can be over two mm , resulting in a spot or halo diameter of over four mm . as a reference , the normal spot size of an average tube is about 0 . 045 mm . although the intensity of this halo is low ( about 0 . 1 % of the peak intensity ), it can degrade the performance of a tube where high dynamic range of brightness is important , e . g . looking at a dim object next to a bright object . by inserting collimator 26 either in contact with or slightly above phosphor screen 24 , as indicated in fig1 the following advantages are achieved . electrons entering collimator 26 at an angle greater than the collimator acceptance angle will strike the collimator walls and be prevented from reaching phosphor screen 24 . the collimator angle can be adjusted to eliminate all of the elastically scattered electrons and to remove the electrons with transverse energies above any desired level . the collimator angle is determined by the length - to - diameter ratio of the collimator and is easily controlled during the collimator manufacturing process , permitting any desired collimator acceptance angle . the smaller the collimator acceptance angle , the lower the transmission of the collimator and the smaller the spot size . this means that there is a trade - off between collimator efficiency and resolution of the tube . there is also a maximum efficiency of the collimator set by the open - area - ratio of the collimator , or the hole - to - wall - area ratio at the entrance surface , this can be about 75 % to 80 %. these factors reduce the number of electrons that get through the collimator to about 25 % to 50 % of those leaving the mcp . the breakdown voltage is usually controlled by the roughness of the two opposing surfaces . in the case of the intensifier being discussed , this is usually controlled in the screen gap by the roughness of the aluminum layer on the phosphor screen and of the phosphor screen roughness itself . by inserting a smooth glass collimator as described , the screen roughness is isolated from the gap field and the breakdown is controlled by two smooth surfaces . this second collimator advantage will allow the electric field to be increased sufficiently to overcome the efficiency losses of the collimator . for example , if only 25 % of the electrons get through the collimator , the effect will be to make the output image 25 % as bright on the phosphor screen . by increasing the screen - mcp gap voltage from its normal 6 , 000v to 10 , 000v , the brightness loss can be recovered . tests have confirmed that a voltage in excess of 10 , 000v can be sustained across a screen - mcp gap of less than 0 . 5 mm if a dielectric coating is applied to the mcp output surface . the collimator will be manufactured using a process identical to that for standard mcps , with some modifications . in the standard mcp process , a lead glass sleeve ( the cladding ) is placed over a glass rod ( the core ) and fused to the rod . the combination is heated and drawn into a fiber to reduce its diameter . the fiber is then cut into many equal lengths , bundled and then fused into a boule . the boule is heated and drawn into a fiber again ( the second drawing ), and the cutting , bundling and fusing process is repeated , resulting in a second boule composed of many tiny glass fibers which have a thin cladding glass surrounding them . the diameter of these tiny fibers is in the order of 10 μm at this point . next , the boule is sliced at an angle of 5 ° to 7 ° from normal to the boule axis , into wafers about 0 . 4 - mm thick . the wafers are placed into an echant which dissolves the core glass but not the cladding glass , leaving an array of 10 μm holes , called channels or pores , with 1 μm thick walls . this process turns the wafer into a mcp . next the mcps are activated by hydrogen firing to reduce the lead in the glass to free lead so that the walls of the channels are slightly conductive , permitting the establishment of an electric field gradient throughout the length of the channel when a voltage is applied across the mcp . finally , electroding is deposited on the top and bottom sides of the mcp to provide for making electrical connection to the input and output of the mcp in order to permit establishing the internal electric field . for a collimator , the above process is modified as follows . the second drawing is controlled to obtain the desired pore or channel diameter , which will be between 15 and 30 μm , depending upon the application . the pore length - to - diameter ratio determines the acceptance angle of the collimator . the minimum pore length is determined by practical considerations of handling the collimator , e . g . how thin a collimator can be before it breaks when it is picked up . this dimension is about 0 . 4 mm , which , along with the collimator acceptance angle , determines the required pore diameter . the second modification is that the bias angle must be zero . the wafers are sliced perpendicularly to the boule axis . the third modification is to reduce the glass during hydrogen firing as much as practical to make the pore walls as conductive as possible . this will reduce the possibility of collimator wall charging from electron collisions , which may affect the collimation factor -- what percentage of the electrons get through . the fourth modification is to apply the electroding over the entire collimator , including the edges , so that both surfaces remain at the same potential . this permits transfer of the potential applied to the screen of the intensifier to the entire collimator , ensuring that there is no field gradient across the collimator . in one embodiment , the collimator is placed in close proximity to or in contact with the aluminization layer covering the phosphor screen of the mcp intensifier . other implementations to accomplish the goal can be used . fig2 shows a cross section of the edge of the mcp , collimator and screen section of an intensifier . the cathode section is not shown . shown on the right are cemmic body sections 30 of the tube which are welded to the metal shoulder 32 which supports the mcp 34 and the screen fiber optics 36 . the rim 38 ( shaded areas of the mcp and collimator ) comprises solid glass areas used to reduce crushing of the channels near the edge of the wafer . a cemmic spacer 40 , placed on a recessed shoulder of the collimator , is used to establish the collimator - to - mcp spacing . a thin conductive metal spacer 42 is used to establish a two or three micron separation between the collimator and screen . this spacer can be made by deposition of nickel or inconel onto the edge of the collimator near the rim . changes and modifications in the specifically described embodiments can be carried out without departing from the scope of the invention , which is intended to be limited by the scope of the appended claims .
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background information regarding the present invention may be had by reference to u . s . pat . no . 5 , 644 , 764 , entitled a method for supporting object modeling in a repository ; and a co - pending patent application ser . no . 08 / 505 , 140 , entitled a method for providing object database independence in a program written using the c ++ programming language , respectively , both of which are assigned to the same assignee hereof . referring now to the drawings and fig1 in particular , a block diagram is shown of a client - server network 10 including a server system 11 typically executing either nt or unix operating systems and a repository program being executed thereby ( e . g ., urep ); and a client 12 system typically executing windows operating system . each system 11 and 12 includes a console 13 and 14 , respectively . the server system 11 includes a cpu 15 and a memory 16 , which has stored therein an application programming interface ( api ) 17 and an object request broker ( orb ) 18 . the client system 12 includes a cpu 19 , and a memory 20 having stored therein object linking and embedding ( ole ) 21 and an orb 22 , which will be explained further hereinafter . the systems 11 and 12 are coupled together to form the network 10 by means of a local area network ( lan ) 23 ( or via the internet ). an object has features , which can be either an operation or a property . an operation defines an action that an object can perform , or an action that can be performed on the object . for example , &# 34 ; make withdrawal &# 34 ; could be defined as an operation on a banking account object . properties indicate the state of an object . every property of an object has a value , and it is the property values that define the state of the object . a property can be either an attribute or a reference . an attribute defines a value that is stored within the object . for example , &# 34 ; current account balance &# 34 ; could be an attribute of the banking account object . the numeric value for the banking account balance would be stored in the banking account object . a reference is a link or pointer to another object , and implies a relationship to that other object . a reference is typically used when it is desired not to duplicate data . with reference to fig2 the object types of the repository schema ( also known as a model ) are shown . a type 25 is a template that describes a set of features ( the state and behavior ) that an object or another type can possess . a type 25 defines a pattern that can be used to create or identify objects ; it does not contain the actual object . a repository schema is defined by a hierarchy of data types / and collections 26 ( also referred to as transient types ) and persistent object types 27 . transient types 26 and collections define values of attributes stored in a repository . next are features 28 which are categorized into operations 29 or properties 30 . a feature defines some element of either the state or the behavior that objects can possess . a feature is defined for a type , but applied to the corresponding objects . in other words , a type defines the layout of the data for the objects , and objects are instances of the type . properties define a state . for example , the salary feature is a property that defines an employee &# 39 ; s current salary . operations define behavior . for example , the setsalary feature is an operation that defines the mechanism for changing an employee &# 39 ; s salary . the properties 30 are categorized as attributes 31 , whose values are embedded and access to persistent objects must occur only during a transaction referring now to fig3 a diagram of a typical client - server architecture is schematically illustrated as comprising three parts : automation classes 35 , interface classes 36 and server classes 37 . automation classes 35 expose the server api 17 to ole automation 21 . interface classes 36 provide the orb interoperability interface . server classes 37 provide the connection from the network to the repository using the native api of the repository . for each class in the repository model , there is a corresponding automation class , interface class and server class . all classes follow the class hierarchy of the model and contain the same methods as the class in the repository . method inheritance is supported . the differences come during method execution . for each object created by the client application , a corresponding automation class is instantiated . only one interface object is instantiated , however , and only when the first automation class is instantiated . the interface class 36 is used by the automation class 35 to communicate with the server 11 . when created , each automation object contains a handle 38 of the corresponding object in the language - binding table on the server 11 . the handle 38 is passed to the server 11 with most of the methods . two interfaces are generated that do not correspond to classes in the repository : the factory interface 39 and the proxy interface 40 . the factory interface 39 exposes class creation functions and persistent object casting functions to the client application and is the starting point for client automation calls . class creation functions correspond to c ++ constructors , with construction performed on both the client 12 and the server 11 . the factory interface 39 gets things started by providing the first ole dispatch pointer to the client program . a dispatch pointer is a pointer to an interface ( a table of function pointers ), allowing ole automation to access the methods of that interface . each model factory has a globally unique identifier ( guid ) that is registered in the ole registration database along with a textual name . the client application needs only to create an object of that name to bring up the client side automation server ( left side of fig3 ). using the dispatch pointer obtained from the factory 39 , the client application can then create repository objects and access the api 17 . when the factory is brought up on the client 12 , it &# 34 ; binds &# 34 ; to its corresponding server program , starting it running ( one server program for each client application ). this &# 34 ; binding &# 34 ; is handled by the orb . depending on the orb used , the server 11 may or may not time out the client 12 . if the client crashes and does not disconnect properly , the server may remain running until the client 12 restarts windows . calls appear synchronous to the caller , but are asynchronous and do not lock out the client 12 . the proxy class 40 is responsible for making instances of interface classes . the factory 39 makes a proxy object and a proxy interface object on startup . each method call for an automation class checks to see if the corresponding interface class has been initialized and , if not , asks the proxy class to initialize it . the proxy class interface is not exposed to the client application . generation is performed on the client 11 with a visual basic program . to generate a model , one opens the repository desired and then selects the model to generate . first , an idl file is generated from the metadata in the repository . attributes , operations and references are turned into idl methods . next , the program runs the vendor - supplied idl compiler to generate the code for the interface classes and the server skeleton ( a framework provided for filling in the server side implementation of the method ). next the automation classes are generated primarily from the idl with a few calls to the metadata . after this , the server skeleton is altered ( it is different than if it was generated using the server idl compiler ) and the methods are filled in with the correct native repository api call . a server main program is also generated . this completes generation . the user can select idl or automation classes or server code to be generated and can select a subset of the api to generate ( in order to save time when the model changes ). to make a server executable , the idl file and the server source files must be copied to the server machine and the idl compiler run on the server to create the server - side interface classes . referring now to fig4 an overall flow chart of the method of the present invention is illustrated . the process begins with an enter bubble 45 , followed by a step of generating idl ( i . e ., the language used to communicate between the client and server ) as depicted by a process block 46 . the idl is generated from the metadata within the repository 11 . this step will be described in greater detail hereinbelow in conjunction with a description of fig5 . next , a step of generating ole from the idl is performed as depicted by a process block 47 , the details of which are illustrated in fig8 and described further hereinafter . after this , a step of generating server software is performed as depicted by a process block 48 . this step is specific to the orb employed , and is explained in greater detail in the above - cited u . s . pat . no . 5 , 644 , 764 entitled a method for supporting object modeling in a repository , and the co - pending patent application ser . no . 08 / 505 , 140 , entitled a method for providing object database independence in a program written using the c ++ programming language . referring now to fig5 the routine of generating idl is illustrated , which routine begins with opening the repository ( bubble 50 ). next , the process determines which models to look at ( process block 51 ). there are many models in the repository , and one may be dependent on another . the process also determines such dependency relationships . following this , data types are generated ( process block 52 ). the data types are strings and enumerations of data types to be used by the interface . next , forward references are generated ( process block 53 ). forward references predefine all interfaces to allow any interface to be referenced by any other interface . factory and proxy interfaces are next generated ( process block 54 ), which are two interfaces required by the repository to allow the user to start and communicate with the repository . an inquiry is next made as to whether or not the model is a repository service model (&# 34 ; rsm &# 34 ;, decision diamond 55 ), which is the predefined model that is a part of the urep from which all other models are derived . if the model is an rsm , then non - persistent classes ( classes which are not part of the metadata ) are generated ( process block 56 ). non - persistent classes are datatypes , collections and administrative classes necessary to operate the repository , but are only active when the repository is opened and in use . if the model is not an rsm , the sub - model collections are generated ( block 57 ). collections are lists , sets or arrays of objects which can be accessed one after the other . following this , the idl interfaces for the classes in the model are generated ( block 58 ). this step is detailed in fig6 a , and will be described further hereinafter . as a result of this step , an ascii text file that describes the interface is created . this file is capable of being compiled by any vendor &# 39 ; s idl compiler , which will generate code and will allow the client 12 to communicate with the server 11 . next , the idl file is split into classes since it is a very large file and produces code too big to compile , which step is depicted by a process block 59 . each class thus becomes a separate file . the next step of the process is to run an idl compiler for each class , as depicted by a process block 60 . the process is then exited , bubble 61 . separating the main idl file into classes facilitates partial re - generation if the model changes in the future . referring now to fig6 a , the detail process steps for generating idl interfaces is shown . the process begins with an enter bubble 62 , followed by a process step of generating &# 34 ; interface &# 34 ; with inheritance ( block 63 ). that is , this process step goes through each class of the model and determines the inheritance -- i . e ., which class inherits behavior from what other class or classes . it is pointed out that multiple inheritance is supported . next , a process step of generating &# 34 ; find &# 34 ; calls is performed ( block 64 ). this is a detail feature required by the repository and is not part of the metadata . &# 34 ; find &# 34 ; calls allow the user to collect instances of attributes by name . the details of this process step are illustrated in fig6 b and are amplified further hereinbelow . following this , a process step of generating idl calls is performed ( block 65 ). details of this process step are illustrated in fig7 a and are described further hereinafter . an inquiry is next made as to whether or not there are more classes in the model ( diamond 66 ). if the answer is yes then a return is made back to the process block 63 to repeat the process . once all of the classes in the model have been processed then an exit is taken from the no leg of the diamond 66 to an exit bubble 67 . referring now to fig6 b , details of a routine generate idl &# 34 ; find &# 34 ; files are illustrated . the process begins with an enter bubble 68 followed by an inquiry as to whether or not there are more meta attributes in the class ( diamond 69 ). if the answer to this inquiry is no , then an exit is taken from this routine to bubble 70 . on the other hand , if the answer to this inquiry is yes , then another inquiry is made as to whether or not this is an index key attribute ( diamond 71 ). if the answer to this inquiry is yes , then a process step of generating &# 34 ; find -- & lt ; attribute & gt ; -- name &# 34 ; is performed ( block 72 ). this step allows instances of attributes that are index keys to be retrieved by name . after this step has been performed , or if the answer to the inquiry in the diamond 71 is no , then another inquiry is made as to whether or not this is a string attribute ( diamond 73 ). if the answer to this inquiry is yes then a process step of generating &# 34 ; find -- string &# 34 ; call is performed ( block 74 ). once this step has been performed or if the answer to the inquiry in the diamond 73 is no , then still another inquiry is made as to whether or not this is a text attribute ( diamond 75 ). if the answer to this inquiry is yes , then a process step of generating &# 34 ; find -- text &# 34 ; call is performed ( block 76 ). once this step has been performed or if the answer to the inquiry in the diamond 75 is no , then yet another inquiry is made as to whether or not this is a blob attribute ( diamond 77 ). if the answer to the inquiry in the diamond 77 is yes , then a process step of generating &# 34 ; find -- blob &# 34 ; call is performed ( block 78 ). once this process step is complete or if the answer to this inquiry is no , then a branch is made to fig6 c ( via a connector b ) wherein another inquiry is made as to whether or not this is an integer attribute ( diamond 79 ). if the answer to this inquiry is yes , then a process step of generating &# 34 ; find -- integer &# 34 ; call is performed ( block 80 ). once this process step is complete or if the answer to this inquiry is no , then yet another inquiry is made as to whether or not this is a timestamp attribute ( diamond 81 ). if the answer to this inquiry is yes , then a process step of generating &# 34 ; find -- timestamp &# 34 ; call is performed ( block 82 ). once this step has been performed or if the answer to this inquiry is no , still another inquiry is made as to whether or not this is a coordinate attribute ( diamond 83 ). if the answer to this inquiry is yes , then a process step of generating &# 34 ; find -- coordinate &# 34 ; call is performed ( block 84 ). once this process step has been performed or if the answer to the inquiry in the diamond 83 is no , the another inquiry is made as to whether or not this is an enumeration attribute ( diamond 85 ). if the answer to this inquiry is yes , then a process step of generating &# 34 ; find -- integer &# 34 ; call is performed ( block 86 ). once this step has been performed or if the answer to this inquiry is no , then a return is made ( via a connector c ) to the diamond 69 inquiring if more meta attributes are in the class . referring now to fig7 a , the first of a two - part diagram illustrates the steps for generating idl calls . the process begins with an enter bubble 88 followed by an inquiry as to whether or not the feature is a meta attribute ( diamond 89 ). if the answer to this inquiry is yes , then another inquiry is made as to whether or not the attribute is overridden ( diamond 90 ). if the answer to this inquiry is yes , then a process step of prepending & lt ; class -- name & gt ; to the attribute is performed ( block 91 ). this is done because idl , as defined , does not support overriding ( i . e ., one class re - defining a method that it inherited from another class ) the & lt ; class name & gt ; is prepended to differentiate the call from the one it overrides , as urep and ole does to support overriding . once this step has been performed or if the answer to the inquiry in the diamond 90 is no , then a process step of generating idl calls per the rules given in c ++ binding is performed ( block 92 ). different attribute types generate different methods to access / modify the attribute . an attribute that is read - only requires an access method . next , an inquiry is made as to whether or not the feature is a meta reference ( diamond 93 ). if the answer to this inquiry is yes , then another inquiry is made as to whether or not the reference is overridden ( diamond 94 ). if the answer to this inquiry is yes , then a process step of prepending & lt ; class -- name & gt ; is performed ( block 95 ). following this , or if the answer to the inquiry in the diamond 94 is no , a process step of generating idl calls per the rules given in c ++ binding is performed ( block 96 ). after this step , or if the answer to the inquiry in the diamond 93 is no , a branch is taken to remainder of this routine illustrated in fig7 b as denoted by a connecting tag 97 . referring now to fig7 b , the second part of the process for generating idl calls is shown . from the connecting tag 97 , an inquiry is made as to whether or not the feature is an operation ( diamond 98 ). if the answer to this inquiry is yes , then another inquiry is made as to whether or not the operation is overridden ( diamond 99 ). if the operation is overridden then a process step of prepending & lt ; class -- name & gt ; to the operation is performed ( block 100 ). once this step is performed , or if the operation is not overridden , a process step of determining return type of operation is performed ( block 101 ). next , an inquiry is made as to whether or not the operation is overloaded ( diamond 102 ). if the answer to this inquiry is yes , then a process step of appending & lt ; integer & gt ; to the end of the operations is performed ( block 103 ). this is done because ole automation does not support overloading ( where a method can be called by the same name but with different parameter lists ). this allows the same method to perform differently based on its signature . thus , an overloaded method &# 34 ; a &# 34 ; appears in ole automation as &# 34 ; a1 , a2 . . . &# 34 ;. once this step has been performed , or if the answer to the inquiry in the diamond 102 is no , then a process step of generating the parameter list for the method is performed ( block 104 ). next , a process step of determining if the operation is a class feature and determining if the parameter is in or out or in / out ( block 105 ). a class feature is a method that can operate on the class itself and does not require an instance of that class . parameters in idl can be input (&# 34 ; in &# 34 ;), output only (&# 34 ; out &# 34 ;) and both input and output (&# 34 ; in / out &# 34 ;). following this , an inquiry is made as to whether or not there are more class in feature ( diamond 106 ). if the answer to this inquiry is yes , then a return is made back to the diamond 89 in fig7 a as depicted by a connection tag 107 . if the answer to this inquiry is no , then an exit is taken ( bubble 108 ). returning to the inquiry diamond 98 briefly , if the answer to this inquiry is no , then a branch is taken to the diamond 106 . referring now to fig8 details of the routine to generate ole are illustrated in flow - chart form . the process begins with an enter bubble 110 followed by a process step of setting up data type mapping for mapping repository data types to ole data types ( block 111 ). next , a process step of generating ole header files is performed ( block 112 ). the details of this process step are illustrated in fig9 a and described further hereinafter . following this , a process step of generating ole c ++ files is performed ( block 113 ). the details of this step are illustrated in fig9 b and described further hereinafter . next , another process step of generating orb independent header files is performed ( block 114 ). the orb independent header files present the same interface to the automation classes -- regardless of the orb used underneath . note that the underlying interoperability can be provided by something other than an orb , e . g ., by a lower level interface such as windows sockets or by a higher - level interface such as the urep interoperability layer . once this step is complete , yet another process step of generating orb specific c ++ files is performed ( block 115 ). although the orb code here is specific to each orb , the generation code is designed in such a way as to make adding new orb &# 39 ; s quite easy . an inquiry is next made as to whether or not there are more classes in the model ( diamond 116 ). if the answer to this inquiry is yes , then the process steps denoted by the blocks 112 through 115 are repeated until there are no more classes in the model . once this has been accomplished ( no branch from the diamond 116 ) then an exit is taken from this routine as denoted by an exit bubble 117 . referring now to fig9 a , the routine for generating ole c ++ header files is illustrated . the routine begins with an enter bubble 118 , followed by a process step of determining the class in which inheritance is performed ( block 119 ). as alluded to hereinabove , classes may inherit from one or more other classes . thus , it is necessary to determine the class inheritance before proceeding further . next , a process step of generating the necessary ole macros is performed ( block 120 ). these are required by the microsoft foundation classes (&# 34 ; mfc &# 34 ;) to properly define the class for automation . following this step , another process step of generating a method signature is performed ( block 121 ). a method signature is its parameter list . an inquiry is next made as to whether or not there are more methods in the class ( diamond 122 ). if the answer to this inquiry is yes , then the process step depicted by the block 121 is repeated until all methods in the class have been processed . on the other hand , if the answer to this inquiry is no , then an exit is taken from this routine ( bubble 123 ). referring now to fig9 b , the routine for generating ole c ++ code is illustrated . the routine begins with an enter bubble 125 , followed by a process step of generating include statements ( block 126 ). include statements bring in c ++ ole header files for automation or interface classes referenced in the code for this class and is required to properly compile . next , a process step of determining inheritance is performed ( block 127 ). this process step is the same as the process step depicted by the block 119 ( fig9 a ) and described hereinabove . following this , a process step of generating external statements is performed ( block 128 ). external statements define data defined outside this class and are necessary to properly compile . another process step of generating miscellaneous functions is next performed ( block 129 ). an exemplary miscellaneous function is a c ++ constructor and destructor and is used to create and destroy automation classes . a process step of generating ole automation signature macros for the method is performed ( block 130 ). that is , the automation signature macros are used by mfc to build information to properly describe the method to ole automation . next , a process step of generating code for the method is performed ( block 131 ), which code interfaces to the corresponding interface class . an inquiry is next made as to whether or not there are more methods in the class interface ( diamond 132 ). if the answer to this inquiry is yes , then the process steps depicted by the blocks 130 and 131 are repeated until there are no more methods in the class . finally , an exit is taken from this routine as depicted by a bubble 133 . this program opens the test repository and prints to the debug screen all the subclasses of ureppersistentobject , which demonstrates how the ole method of the present invention is used . ______________________________________dim factory as objectdim urep as objectdim metaclassset as objectdim metaclass as objectset factory = createobject (&# 34 ; rsmfactory &# 34 ;) set urep = factory . createurepif ( not urep . open (&# 34 ;&# 34 ;, &# 34 ;&# 34 ;, &# 34 ;&# 34 ;, &# 34 ;&# 34 ;, &# 34 ; test &# 34 ;) = false ) then , endset metaclassset = factory . create (&# 34 ; urepmetaclass &# 34 ;, urep ). getbyname ( urep ,&# 34 ; ureppersistentobject &# 34 ;, &# 34 ; rsm &# 34 ;). getsubclassesfor i = 0 to metaclassset . size - 1set metaclass = metaclassset . lookup ( i ) debug . print metaclass . getmodel . getprefixdebug . print metaclass . getname2set metaclass = nothingnext iset metaclassset = nothingurep . endsession ( true ) urep . logouturep . closerepositoryset urep = nothingend______________________________________ no overloading and no underscores are allowed in automation , so get -- name in the urep api becomes getname2 . the following files are the header and c ++ automation class files for the employee class in the pm model . ole classes and macros defined in microsoft foundation classes ( mfc ) are used . the idl for the employee class is given below , where the employee class in the repository has one multivalued reference ( to the class task ) called tasks , and two operations : construct and destruct . employee inherits from urepuser . ______________________________________interface iemployee : iurepuser { pmset /* task */ get . sub .-- tasks ( in interophandle handle ); task get . sub .-- tasks . sub .-- loc ( in interophandle handle , in tasklocation ); udt . sub .-- boolean contains . sub .-- tasks ( in interophandle handle , in task object ); udt . sub .-- integer size . sub .-- tasks ( in interophandle handle ); udt . sub .-- boolean isnull . sub .-- tasks ( in interophandle handle ); void set . sub .-- tasks ( in interophandle handle , in pmset /* task */ value ); void add . sub .-- tasks ( in interophandle handle , in taskobject ); void remove . sub .-- tasks ( in interophandle handle , in taskobject ); void remove . sub .-- tasks . sub .-- loc ( in interophandle handle , inurepinteger location ); void flush . sub .-- tasks ( in interophandle handle ); void employee . sub .-- construct ( in interophandle handle , in urepld initname , inout urepnamespace initnamespace , in urepid initloginid ); void employee . sub .-- destruct ( in interophandle handle , in urepreferenceprocessing freemode );}; ______________________________________ pmset is derived from urepset and handles the template types for the pm model . when a collection is returned by an interface method or passed in as a parameter , the template class name is generated as a comment . this is used by the generation tool when generating automation class and server class code . although not shown , the idl also contains enumerations from the model . ______________________________________the . h file is given below :# ifndef . sub .-- aemployee . sub .-- h . sub .--# define . sub .-- aemployee . sub .-- h . sub .--# include . sub .-- urepobject . sub .-- h . sub .--# include . sub .-- ureppersistentobject . sub .-- h . sub .--# include . sub .-- urepnamedobject . sub .-- h . sub .--# include . sub .-- urepusersobject . sub .-- h . sub .--# include . sub .-- urepuser . sub .-- h . sub .-- class aemployee : public aurepuser { declare . sub .-- dyncreate ( aemployee ) private : void initifnecessary ( ); public : aemployee ( ); virtual . sup .˜ aemployee ( ); virtual void onfinalrelease ( ); afx . sub .-- msg lpdispatch get . sub .-- tasks ( ); afx . sub .-- msg lpdispatch get . sub .-- tasks . sub .-- loc ( lpdispatchlocation ); afx . sub .-- msg bool contains . sub .-- tasks ( lpdispatch object ); afx . sub .-- msg long size . sub .-- tasks ( ); afx . sub .-- msg bool isnull . sub .-- tasks ( ); afx . sub .-- msg void set . sub .-- tasks ( lpdispatch value ); afx . sub .-- msg void add . sub .-- tasks ( lpdispatch object ); afx . sub .-- msg void remove . sub .-- tasks ( lpdispatch object ); afx . sub .-- msg void remove . sub .-- tasks . sub .-- loc ( long location ); afx . sub .-- msg void flush . sub .-- tasks ( ); afx . sub .-- msg void construct ( bstr initname , lpdispatch initnamespace , bstr initloginid ); afx . sub .-- msg void destruct ( short freemode ); declare . sub .-- dispatch . sub .-- map ( )};# endif______________________________________ the declare -- dyncreate macro allows the mfc framework to dynamically create this class at runtime . ( it needs to know the inheritance to support .) the macro declare -- dispatch -- map is defined in mfc . the dispatch map macro maps the interface definitions above it into automation calls . the base class for rsm is ccmdtarget , an ole enabled mfc class . ______________________________________ # include &# 34 ; stdafx . h &# 34 ;# include & lt ; time . h & gt ;# include & lt ; string . h & gt ;# include &# 34 ; pm . hh &# 34 ; /* the include file for theinterface classes */# include &# 34 ; pm . h &# 34 ;# include . sub .-- pmset . sub .-- h # include . sub .-- task . sub .-- h . sub .--# include . sub .-- urepnamespace . sub .-- h . sub .--# include . sub .-- einployee . sub .-- h . sub .--# ifdef . sub .-- debug # undef this . sub .-- filestatic char based . sub .-- code this . sub .-- file ! = . sub .-- . sub .-- file . sub .-- . sub .-- ;# endifiemployee * gemployee = null ; /* the global interfacepointerfor employee */ extern ipmproxy * gpmproxy ; /* the proxy interfacepointer for pm model */ implement . sub .-- dyncreate ( aemployee , aurepuser ) aemployee :: aemployee () etnableautomation (); /* inherited fromccmdtarget */} aemployee ::. sup .˜ aemployee (){} void aemployee :: onfinalrelease () /* ole destructorinherited from ccmdtarget */{ destructobject ( handle ); delete this ;} void aemployee :: initifnecessary (){ if ( gemployee == null ) gemployee = newnewemployee ( gpmproxy );} begin . sub .-- dispatch . sub .-- map ( aemployee , aurepuser )/* the disp . sub .-- function defines the automation interface forthe class by giving the method name as it is known toautomation (&# 34 ; gettasks &# 34 ;), the method name as defined inthe class body (&# 34 ; get . sub .-- tasks &# 34 ;), the return value ( vt . sub .-- dispatch ) and the parameter list ( vts . sub .-- none ). */ disp . sub .-- function ( aemployee , &# 34 ; gettasks &# 34 ;, get . sub .-- tasks , vt . sub .-- dispatch , vts . sub .-- none ) disp . sub .-- function ( aemployee , &# 34 ; gettasksloc &# 34 ;, get . sub .-- tasks . sub .-- loc , vt . sub .-- dispatch , vts . sub .-- dispatch ) disp . sub .-- function ( aemployee , &# 34 ; containstasks &# 34 ;, contains . sub .-- tasks , vt . sub .-- bool , vts . sub .-- dispatch ) disp . sub .-- function ( aemployee , &# 34 ; sizetasks &# 34 ;, size . sub .-- tasks , vt . sub .-- 14 , vts . sub .-- none ) disp . sub .-- function ( aemployee , &# 34 ; isnulltasks &# 34 ;, isnull . sub .-- tasks , vt . sub .-- bool , vts . sub .-- none ) disp . sub .-- function ( aemployee , &# 34 ; settasks &# 34 ;, set . sub .-- tasks , vt . sub .-- empty , vts . sub .-- dispatch ) disp . sub .-- function ( aemployee , &# 34 ; addtasks &# 34 ;, add . sub .-- tasks , vt . sub .-- empty , vts . sub .-- dispatch ) disp . sub .-- function ( aemployee , &# 34 ; removetasks &# 34 ;, remove . sub .-- tasks , vt . sub .-- empty , vts . sub .-- dispatch ) disp . sub .-- function ( aemployee , &# 34 ; removetasksloc &# 34 ;, remove . sub .-- tasks . sub .-- loc , vt . sub .-- empty , vts . sub .-- i4 ) disp . sub .-- function ( aemployee , &# 34 ; flushtasks &# 34 ;, flush . sub .-- tasks , vt . sub .-- empty , vts . sub .-- none ) disp . sub .-- function ( aemployee , &# 34 ; construct &# 34 ;, construct , vt . sub .-- empty , vts . sub .-- bstr vts . sub .-- dispatchvts . sub .-- bstr ) disp . sub .-- function ( aemployee , &# 34 ; destruct ⃡, destruct , vt . sub .-- empty , vts . sub .-- i2 ) end . sub .-- dispatch . sub .-- map () lpdispatch aemployee :: get . sub .-- tasks . sub .-- loc ( lpdispatch location ){ initifnecessary (); atask * p1task = ( atask *) fromidispatch ( location ); atask * pr = new atask ; pr -& gt ; handle = gemployee -& gt ; get . sub .-- tasks . sub .-- loc ( handle , p1task -& gt ; handle ); return ( pr -& gt ; getidispatch ( false ));} bool aemployee :: contains . sub .-- tasks ( lpdispatch object ){ initifnecessary (); atask * p1task = ( atask *) fromidispatch ( object ); return ( gemployee -& gt ; contains . sub .-- tasks ( handle , p1task -& gt ; handle ));} long aemployee :: size . sub .-- tasks (){ initifnecessary (); return ( gemployee -& gt ; size . sub .-- tasks ( handie ));} bool aemployee :: isnull . sub .-- tasks (){ initifnecessary (); return ( gemployee -& gt ; isnull . sub .-- tasks ( handle ));} void aemployee :: set . sub .-- tasks ( lpdispatch value ){ initifnecessary (); apmset * p1pmset = ( apmset *) fromidispatch ( value ); gemployee -& gt ; set . sub .-- tasks handle , p1pmset -& gt ; handle );} void aemployee :: add . sub .-- tasks ( lpdispatch object ){ initifnecessary (); atask * p1task = ( atask *) fromidispatch ( object ); gemployee -& gt ; add . sub .-- tasks handle , p1task -& gt ; handle );} void aemployee :: remove . sub .-- tasks ( lpdispatch object ){ initifnecessary (); atask * p1task = ( atask *) fromidispatch ( object ); gemployee -& gt ; remove . sub .-- tasks handle , p1task -& gt ; handle );} void aemployee :: remove . sub .-- tasks . sub .-- loc ( long location ){ initifnecessary (); gemployee -& gt ; remove . sub .-- tasks . sub .-- loc ( handle , location );} void aemployee :: flush . sub .-- tasks (){ initifnecessary (); gemployee -& gt ; flush . sub .-- tasks ( handle );} void aemployee :: construct ( bstr initname , lpdispatch initnamespace , bstr initloginid ){ initifnecessary (); aurepnamespace * p2urepnamespace = ( aurepnamespace *) fromidispatch ( initnamespace ); gemployee -& gt ; employee . sub .-- construct ( handle , initname , p2urepnamespace -& gt ; handle , initloginid );} void aemployee :: destruct ( short freemode ){ initifnecessary (); gemployee -& gt ; employee . sub .-- destruct ( handle ,( urepreferenceprocessing ) freemode );} ______________________________________ while the 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 . ______________________________________appendices______________________________________appendix a : ole / orb generationgenerate idlgenerate olegenerate server { specific to drb } appendix b : generate idl open repository include required models generate data types { string , enumerations , etc . } generate forward references { so idl willcompile } generate factory and proxyif model is rsm generate non - persistent classes { not in metadata } else generate sub - model collections { discussedhereinbelow } generate idl interfaces split idl file into classes run vendor &# 39 ; s idl compiler for each classappendix c : for each class in model generate &# 34 ; interface &# 34 ; with inheritance generate idl &# 34 ; find &# 34 ; calls generate idl callsend ifgenerate idl &# 34 ; find &# 34 ; callsfor each meta attribute in class if index key attribute generate &# 34 ; find . sub .-- & lt ; attribute . sub .-- name & gt ;&# 34 ; if string attribute , then generate &# 34 ; find . sub .-- string &# 34 ; call if text attribute then generate &# 34 ; find . sub .-- text &# 34 ; call if blob attribute then generate &# 34 ; find . sub .-- blob &# 34 ; call if integer attribute then generate &# 34 ; find . sub .-- integer &# 34 ; call if timestamp attribute then generate &# 34 ; find . sub .-- timestamp &# 34 ; call if coordinate attribute then generate &# 34 ; find . sub .-- coordinate &# 34 ; call if enumeration attribute then generate &# 34 ; find . sub .-- integer &# 34 ; callend ifappendix d : generate idl callsfor each class feature if feature is meta attribute determine if attribute is overriden if attribute is overriden prepend & lt ; class name & gt ; to attribute generate idl calls per rules given in c ++ bindingend ifif feature is meta reference if model is not rsm determine if reference is overridden if reference is overridden prepend & lt ; class name & gt ; to reference generate idl calls per rules given in c ++ binding end ifif feature is an operation determine if operation overridden if operation is overridden prepend & lt ; class name & gt ; to operation determine return type of operation if operation is overloaded append . sub .-- & lt ; integer & gt ; to end of operation generate parameter list ( b { determine if operation is a classfeature } { determine if parameter is in or out or in / out } end ifendforappendix e : generate ole setup data type mapping array for mapping data types urep data types to ole data typesfor each class in model ( from idl ) generate ole header filegenerate ole c ++ fileendiffor each class in model generate orb specific header file generate orb specific c ++ fileendifappendix f : generate ole header file determine inheritance generate necessary ole macros for each method in class interface generate method signature endifgenerate ole c ++ file generate include statements determine inheritance generate extern statements generate misc . functions for each method in class interface generate ole automation signature macro formethod endif for each method in class interface generate code for method { add template inf ormation for coliections } endif______________________________________
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the following description is of the best mode currently contemplated for practicing the invention . the basic concept of the invention relating to forming an efficient defibrillation waveform can be practiced with two or more capacitors within the icd . a preferred number of capacitors is three . however , the basic concept will first be explained in the context of a two - capacitor icd . in accordance with one aspect of the invention , then a biphasic pulse or waveform is generated by an icd device having two capacitors that includes a positive phase of duration t 1 ms and a negative phase of duration t 2 ms , as shown in fig1 . first and second capacitors , c a and c b , within the icd device are initially charged to a voltage v 1 and are connected in parallel . the biphasic defibrillation pulse begins by discharging the charged parallel capacitors through the cardiac tissue by way of defibrillation electrodes in contact with the cardiac tissue . thus , a leading edge of the biphasic pulse starts at a first peak voltage of approximately v 1 volts ( the charge on the first and second capacitors when first connected to the electrodes ). during a first portion of the positive phase of the biphasic pulse , the amplitude of the biphasic pulse decays from the first peak voltage v 1 to a voltage v 2 in accordance with a first time constant τ 1 . the first time constant τ 1 varies as a function of ( c a + c b ) r , where c a is the value of the first capacitor , c b is the value of the second capacitor , and r is an effective resistance associated with the discharge through the first and second electrodes . a second portion of the positive phase begins by connecting the first and second capacitors in series . this sudden series connection increases the defibrillation pulse to a second peak voltage of approximately 2 ( v 2 ) volts ( the sum of the voltages on each of the first and second capacitors at the time the series connection is made ), as illustrated in fig1 . the amplitude of the biphasic pulse decays during the second portion of the positive phase from the second peak voltage 2 ( v 2 ) to a voltage v 3 in accordance with a second time constant τ 2 . the second time constant τ 2 varies as a function of ( c a c b / c a c b ) ) r . advantageously , the voltage at the trailing edge of the positive phase , v 3 , occurs at a time that is near the maximum cell membrane response . the negative phase of the biphasic waveform begins by inverting the polarity of the series - connected first and second capacitors . such negative phase thus commences at a third peak voltage of approximately − v3 volts , and decays thereafter towards zero in accordance with the second time constant τ 2 . after a prescribed time period t 2 , the negative phase ends . the biphasic waveform produced in accordance with the two - capacitor icd is illustrated in fig1 . the first portion of the positive phase may terminate when either : ( 1 ) the voltage decreases below a threshold voltage v 3 ; or ( 2 ) a prescribed time period t a has elapsed . the tissue membrane voltage that results when the waveform of fig1 is applied to excitable cardiac tissue membranes is as shown in fig2 . this membrane voltage is obtained by modeling the tissue membranes as taught in the blair reference , previously cited . as shown in fig1 - 20 , the optimum duration for t a will be described in more detail . a functional block diagram of the pulse generation circuitry used to generate the biphasic waveform of the two - capacitor icd is shown in fig3 . as seen in fig3 a cardiac tissue - stimulating device 10 includes a power source 12 , e . g ., at least one battery , a timing and control circuit 14 , a charging circuit 16 , an isolation switch network sw 1 , a series parallel switch network sw 2 , at least two capacitors c a and c b , an output switch network sw 3 , and at least two electrodes 20 and 22 . the electrodes 20 and 22 are adapted to be positioned within or on the heart . the electrodes 20 and 22 are connected to the output switch sw 3 through conventional leads 21 and 23 , respectively . a voltage sense amplifier 24 senses the voltage held on the capacitor c b ( which will be the same voltage as capacitor c a when c a and c b are connected in parallel ). in some embodiments of the invention , a current sense amplifier 26 may also be used to sense the current flowing to or returning from one of the electrodes 20 or 22 . in fig3 such current is sensed by differentially measuring the voltage across a small current - sense resistor r s connected in series with electrode 22 . the outputs of the voltage sense amplifier 24 and the current sense amplifier 26 are directed to the timing and control circuit 14 . a suitable cardiac activity sensor 28 is also employed within the device 10 in order to detect cardiac activity . the function of the sensor 28 is to sense cardiac activity so that an assessment can be made by the timing and control circuitry whether a defibrillation pulse needs to be generated and delivered to the cardiac tissue . such sensor 28 may take many forms , e . g , a simple r - wave sense amplifier of the type commonly employed in implantable pacemakers . the details of the sensor 28 are not important for purposes of the present invention . the power source 12 is connected to provide operating power to all components and circuitry within the device 10 . the power source 12 also provides the energy needed to generate the biphasic defibrillation pulse . that is , energy stored within the power source 12 is used to charge capacitors c a and c b , through the charging circuit 18 , up to the desired initial defibrillation starting pulse voltage v 1 . such charging is carried out under control of the timing and control circuit 14 . typically , v 1 may be a relatively high voltage , e . g ., 350 volts , even though the power source 12 may only be able to provide a relatively low voltage , e . g ., 3 - 6 volts . the charging circuit 16 takes the relatively low voltage from the power source 12 and steps it up to the desired high voltage v 1 , using conventional voltage step - up techniques as are known in the art . this stepped - up voltage v 1 is then applied through the isolation switch sw 1 to both capacitors c a and c b at a time when c a and c b are connected in parallel , i . e ., when sw 2 is in its “ p ” position , and at a time when the output switch is in its open , or off , position . as the capacitors c a and c b are being charged , the voltage sense amplifier 24 monitors the voltage level on the capacitors . when the desired voltage v 1 has been reached , the timing and control circuitry 14 turns off the charging circuit 16 and opens the isolation switch sw 1 , thereby holding the voltage v 1 on capacitors c a and c b until such time as a defibrillation pulse is needed . when a defibrillation pulse is called for by the timing and control circuit 14 , the output switch sw 3 is placed in its positive phase position , pos , thereby connecting the parallel connected capacitors c a and c b ( on which the starting voltage v 1 resides ) to the cardiac tissue through the electrodes 20 and 22 . such connection starts the discharge of capacitors c a and c b through the cardiac tissue in accordance with the first time constant τ 1 as described above in connection in fig1 . after a period of time t a , or as soon as the voltage across the parallel - connected capacitors c a and c b has decreased to the threshold value v 2 ( as sensed by the voltage sense amplifier 24 ), the timing and control circuit switches sw 2 to its series - connected or “ s ” position , thereby connecting the capacitors c a and c b in series across the electrodes 20 and 22 . such series connection doubles the voltage across the electrodes 20 and 22 to a value of 2 ( v 2 ) thereafter , the discharge of the series - connected capacitors c a and c b continues through the cardiac tissue in accordance with the second time constant τ2 as described above . this discharge continues until the end of the positive phase . the positive or first phase ends at a time t 1 from the beginning of the positive phase ( as measured by timing circuits within the timing and control circuit 14 ), or when the voltage has decayed to a value v 3 ( as sensed by voltage sense amplifier 24 ). alternatively , the positive phase may end as a function of the sensed current ( as sensed by the current sense amplifier 26 ), e . g ., at a time when the sensed current has decreased from a peak value by a prescribed amount or percentage . as soon as the positive phase ends , the timing and control circuit 14 switches the output switch sw 3 to the negative phase position , neg , thereby reversing the polarity of the discharge of the series - connected capacitors c a and c b through the cardiac tissue . the negative phase lasts thereafter for a time period t 2 determined by the timing and control circuitry . the functions represented by the functional block diagram of fig3 may be implemented by those of skill in the art using a wide variety of circuit elements and components . it is not intended that the present invention be directed to a specific circuit , device or method ; but rather that any circuit , device or method which implements the functions described above in connection with fig3 to produce a defibrillation waveform of the general type shown in fig1 be covered by the invention . turning next to fig4 there is shown a simplified schematic diagram of an icd having three 120 μf capacitors c 1 , c 2 and c 3 . the manner of charging the capacitors while they are connected in parallel is the same or similar to that shown in fig3 . when the capacitors c 1 , c 2 and c 3 have been charged to a high voltage , e . g ., 370 v , a stored energy of approximately 25 joules is realized . once the capacitors have been charged by the icd , the capacitors are configured for a parallel discharge . this is accomplished by closing switches s 1 , s 2 , s 3 and s 4 , while maintaining switches s 5 and s 6 open . the parallel discharge takes place from time t = 0 until a time d 1 . once d 1 elapses , one of two options may be used to discharge the remaining charge . in accordance with a first option , or option 1 , after d 1 has elapsed ( i . e ., after the capacitors are discharged in parallel until time d 1 ), all of the capacitors are discharged in series for the remainder of the pulse . this is accomplished by opening s 1 , s 2 , s 3 and s 4 and closing s 5 and s 6 . at a later time , d 2 , the “ h bridge ” circuit 40 ( fig4 ) is used to reverse the polarity of the output . at yet a later time , d , the output pulse is truncated . the waveform generated in accordance with option 1 is illustrated in fig5 . the tissue membrane voltage associated with the waveform of fig5 is modeled and computed , using the blair model , as shown in fig6 . for the example shown in fig5 and 6 , the optimum value of d 1 is nominally about 3 . 5 ms . the optimum choice of d 2 is when the elapsed time at d 2 is about 1 . 5 times the elapsed time at d 1 , or when the elapsed time at d 2 ( from t = 0 ) is about 5 . 25 ms . in accordance with a second option , or option 2 , the capacitors c 1 and c 2 remain in parallel and are in series with c 3 until time d 2 . this is accomplished by opening s 3 and s 4 and closing s 6 . after d 2 all the capacitors are in series ( s 1 and s 2 also open , 55 closed ) until c 3 runs out of charge at a time d 4 . after d 4 , the diode d 1 bypasses the depleted capacitor and the time constant of discharge is of c 1 and c 2 in series . at a time d 3 , where d 2 & lt ; d 3 & lt ; d 4 , the polarity of the output is reversed using the h bridge 40 . the pulse is truncated at time d . the resulting waveform is shown in fig7 . the resulting membrane voltage is modeled and computed and shown in fig8 . for the example shown in fig7 and 8 , the optimum values of d , is 2 . 7 ms , d 2 is 1 . 5 times d 1 ( or about 4 ms ) , d 3 is d 2 + 1 . 25 ms . the value of d 4 is computed to be about 7 . 6 ms . the choice of d can be in the range of 1 . 5 to 2 . 0 times that of d 3 . with either option 1 or option 2 , the choice of the values d 1 , d 2 and d 3 are primarily functions of the icd &# 39 ; s capacitance value , the discharge pathway impedance , and the tissue time constant ( τ m ). the advantage of option 2 is that the peak waveform voltage is lower than option 1 yet a minute increase in membrane voltage over option 1 is achieved . however , option 1 is simpler to implement and diode d 1 is not needed since all the capacitors are discharged equally . the advantages of either option 1 or option 2 are better appreciated by comparing the results of such discharge , as presented in fig5 , 7 and 8 , with the corresponding discharge achieved with a two - capacitor icd series discharge , as is commonly used in a conventional icd of the prior art . the discharge waveform achieved with a conventional two - capacitor icd using series discharge , and the resulting membrane voltage , is shown in fig9 and 10 , respectively . note , that to store equal energy to the three capacitor icd , each capacitor of the two - capacitor icd must have 1 . 5 times the capacitance value , or two capacitors each with c = 180 μf . as can be seen from a comparison of fig9 and 10 with fig5 and 6 ( option 1 ), and 5 a and 5 b ( option 2 ), for equal stored energy , the value of the peak membrane voltage for option 2 is 1 . 18 times higher than the membrane voltage realized using the conventional waveform . similarly , option 1 yields a membrane voltage that is 1 . 17 times higher than is realized using the conventional waveform . in other words , a 25 joule icd with three 120μf capacitors and a switching network as in option 2 performs equally to a 34 . 4 joule conventional icd with two 180μf capacitors . this represents a remarkable improvement in performance . as shown in fig1 , the two - step waveform has been reproduced . although identical in nature to that shown in fig1 the designators have been changed slightly for purposes of the in depth analysis that will follow . as described above in conjunction with fig3 two capacitors , c a & amp ; c b , have been charged to the same initial voltage , v 01 . the system resistance ( as seen by device ) is given by r s . for purposes of this discussion , the myocardium has been modeled as a parallel - rc circuit with myocardial tissue time constant , τ m . the amplitude of each step of the positive portion of the defibrillation waveform , shown in fig1 , can be characterized with the following basic equations : v s1 ( t 1 )= v 01 · exp [− t 1 / τ s1 ] 0 ≦ t 1 ≦ d 1 v s2 ( t 2 )= v 02 · exp [− t 2 / τ 2 ] 0 ≦ t 2 ≦ d 2 v s1 is the exponential decay during the first period , t 1 , ( i . e ., step 1 ); v s2 is the exponential decay during the second period , t 2 , ( i . e ., step 2 ); τ s1 is the time constant of c a and c b in parallel ; τ s2 is the time constant of c a and c b in series ; v 01 is the initial voltage during step 1 on the capacitors c a and c b once fully charged to the source voltage , v 01 ; and v 02 is the initial voltage during step 2 remaining on the capacitors c a and c b now configured in series . the analysis that follows directly will explain how to determine the absolute and approximate solutions for the optimal durations , d 1 and d 2 , to maximize induced myocardial potential , v m ( t ), when the two capacitors are arranged in a parallel - series , two - step arrangement . consider the myocardial responses to v s1 ( t 1 ) [ step 1 ] and v s2 ( t 2 ) [ step 2 ] separately . note that the following derivations ( equations 1 - 4 ) make absolutely no assumptions regarding any specific relationships between the characteristics of step 1 and step 2 . the “ step 1 ” myocardial response , v m1 , to the step 1 waveform , v s1 , is described by : v m1 ( t 1 ) t 1 + v m1 ( t 1 ) τ m ∝ v s1 ( t 1 ) τ m ( eq . 1 ) v m1 ( t 1 ) = { v 01 α 1 · ( exp [ - t 1 τ s1 ] - exp [ - t 1 τ m ] ) τ s1 ≠ τ m v 01 τ s1 · ( t 1 · exp [ - t 1 τ s1 ] ) τ s1 = τ m where α 1 = 1 - ( τ m / τ s1 ) . ( eq . 2 ) the “ step 2 ” myocardial response , v m2 , to the step 2 waveform , v s2 , is governed by : v m2 ( d 1 , t 2 ) t 2 + v m2 ( d 1 , t 2 ) τ m ∝ v s2 ( t 2 ) τ m ( eq . 3 ) with the initial condition : v m2 ( d 1 , 0 )= v m1 ( d 1 ), where d 1 represents the final duration of step 1 . this initial condition ensures that there is a continuity of myocardial voltage when transitioning from the end of step 1 into the start of step 2 . the solution to this differential equation is : v m2 ( d 1 , t 2 ) = v m1 ( d 1 ) · exp [ - t 2 τ m ] + { v 02 ( d 1 ) α 2 · ( exp [ - t 2 τ s2 ] - exp [ - t 2 τ m ] ) τ s2 ≠ τ m v 02 ( d 1 ) τ s2 · ( t 1 · exp [ - t 2 τ s2 ] ) τ s2 = τ m ( eq . 4 ) where α 2 = 1 −( τ m / τ s2 ), and v 02 is proportional to v s2 ( 0 ) equation ( 4 ) describes a curve with a single maximum value . the step durations , d 1 = d 1 opt and d 2 = d 2 opt , that maximize this shock - induced myocardial voltage , v m2 ( t 1 , t 2 ) can be determined by solving the simultaneous equations given by : ∂ v m2 ( d 1 opt , d 2 opt ) ∂ d 1 opt = 0 ∂ v m2 ( d 1 opt , d 2 opt ) ∂ d 2 opt = 0 ( eq . 5 ) from equation ( 5 ), two equations that describe d 2 opt as a function of d 1 opt can be found ( the following derivations assume τ s1 ≢ τ m and τ s2 ≢ τ m ): d 2 opt = τ m α 2 · ln { 1 + ( α 2 α 1 · v 01 ∂ v 02 / ∂ d 1 opt ) · ( 1 τ s1 exp [ - d 1 opt τ s1 ] - 1 τ m exp [ - d 1 opt τ m ] ) } ( eq . 6 ) d 2 opt = τ m α 2 · ln { t 2 τ m [ 1 - ( α 2 α 1 · v 01 v 02 ( d 1 opt ) ) · ( exp [ - d 1 opt τ s1 ] - exp [ - d 1 opt τ m ] ) ] } ( eq . 7 ) setting equations ( 6 ) and ( 7 ) equal to each other and simplifying produces the following implicit equation for d 1 opt : ( τ m τ s2 · α 1 v 01 ) = ( 1 / τ s1 ∂ v 02 / ∂ d 1 opt + τ s2 / τ m v 02 ( d 1 opt ) ) exp [ - d 1 opt τ s1 ] - ( 1 / τ m ∂ v 02 / ∂ d 1 opt + τ s2 / τ m v 02 ( d 1 opt ) ) exp [ - d 1 opt τ m ] ( eq . 8 ) further simplifications of equation ( 8 ) require that v 02 ( d 1 ) be explicitly defined . when the two system capacitors ( c a & amp ; c b ) are configured into a parallel arrangement during step 1 and then reconfigured into a series arrangement during step 2 , the system time constants can be explicitly defined as : τ s1 = r s ·( c a + c b ) τ s2 = r s ·( c a c b )/( c a + c b ) ( eq . 9 ) v 02 ( d 1 )= 2 · v s1 ( d 1 ) = 2 · v 01 · exp [− d 1 / τ s1 ] ( eq . 10 ) where equation ( 10 ) codifies the notion that , in a parallel - series arrangement , the leading edge voltage of step 2 equals twice the trailing edge voltage of step 1 . substituting equation ( 10 ) into equation ( 8 ) and solving explicitly for d 1 opt and subsequently d 2 opt [ via equation ( 6 ) or ( 7 )] yields : d 1 opt = - τ m α 1 · ln { ( τ m τ s1 ) ( 2 α 1 - α 2 α 1 - α 2 ) } ( eq . 11 ) d 2 opt = + τ m α 1 · ln { ( 1 2 ) ( 2 α 1 - α 2 α 1 - α 2 ) } ( eq . 12 ) the maximum myocardial voltage attained using these optimal parallel - series step durations can then be determined by substituting equations ( 10 )-( 12 ) into equation ( 4 ) and simplifying : v m2 ( d 1 opt , d 2 opt ) = v 01 ( 1 2 ) - 1 α 2 ( τ m τ s1 ) 1 α 1 - 1 ( 2 α 1 - α 2 α 1 - α 2 ) 1 α 1 - 1 α 2 ( eq . 13 ) note that equations ( 11 )-( 13 ) are valid for any independent values of c a and c b . according to this simple rc model of defibrillation , successful defibrillation is achieved when the myocardial voltage ( as embodied herein by v m1 and v m2 ) is “ depolarized ” to its threshold value , v th . an equation that describes the minimum relative magnitude for v 0 ( i . e ., the voltage to which each of the capacitors is charged in preparation for the defibrillation shock ) that successfully drives v m2 to v th can be obtained from equation ( 13 ) by setting v m2 = v th and solving for v 01 ( which , for these parallel - series shocks , is equivalent to v 0 ). since the total stored energy in capacitors c a and c b is given by : e stored = 1 2 ( c a + c b ) · v 0 2 ( eq . 14 ) then the optimal relationship between c a and c b that maximizes myocardial voltage for a given total stored energy can be found by substituting c a = k · c b into equation ( 14 ) and then solving for k in ∂ e stored /∂ k = 9 . the result is : the above result implies that c a should equal c b in order to achieve maximum myocardial impact for any given total energy . the relationship c a = c b is equivalent to τ s1 = 4 · τ s2 [ see equation ( 9 )], from which simplified versions of equations ( 1l )-( 13 ) can be derived : d 1 opt = τ m α 1 · ln { ( 1 3 ) ( 1 + τ m 2 τ s2 ) } ( eq . 16 ) d 2 opt = + τ m α 2 · ln { ( 1 3 ) ( 1 + 2 τ s2 τ m ) } ( eq . 17 ) v m2 ( d 1 opt , d 2 opt ) = 2 v 01 ( τ m 2 τ s2 ) 1 α 2 - 1 [ ( 1 3 ) ( 1 + τ m 2 τ s2 ) ] 1 α 1 - 1 α 2 ( eq . 18 ) finally , the optimal capacitance for a given r s and τ m is determined by finding the value of c a that minimizes e stored , that is , solving for c a in ∂ e stored /∂ c a = 0 ( with k = 1 ). the result is : c a = c b = τ m r s ( eq . 19 ) or equivalently , the optimal capacitance ( for a given r s and τ m ) is that which satisfies : 1 2 τ s1 = 2 τ s2 = τ m ( eq . 20 ) d 1 opt =+ 2τ m · 1 n [ 3 / 2 ] ≈ 0 . 811 · τ m ( eq . 21 ) d 2 opt =+ τ m · 1 n [ 3 / 2 ] ≈ 0 . 405 · τ m ( eq . 22 ) further insights into the preceding theoretical calculations can be gleaned from corresponding graphical analyses . the relative stored energy required for defibrillation ( e stored ) for all possible parallel - series two - step waveforms is graphically illustrated in the contour plot of fig1 . in this plot , the x - axis is indexed by the total capacitance ( c a + c b , scaled by τ m / r s ) while the y - axis is indexed by the ratio of the two capacitances ( k = c a / c b ). although perhaps seemingly non - intuitive axis definitions , they efficiently provide complete coverage of the entire parameter space of all possible capacitor combinations for two - step waveforms . as indicated by the horizontal line 100 and the vertical line 102 overlaid on this plot ( and as consistent with the conclusions of equations ( 15 ) and ( 19 )), the most efficient two - step positive portion for the biphasic shock is delivered when : the contours then step out from this optimal point in 1 % increments , thus providing an indication as to the relative sensitivity of the energy efficiency to deviations in either total capacitance or capacitance ratio . in fact , energy efficiency remains quite robust : for example , energy efficiency remains within 1 % of optimal for : ˜ 1 . 5 · τ m / r s & lt ;( c a + c b )& lt ;˜ 2 . 7 · τ m / r s ; and two - dimensional contour plots of optimal step 1 and step 2 durations ( normalized by τ m , i . e ., d 1 opt / τ m and d 2 opt / τ m ) as given by equations ( 11 ) and ( 12 ) are presented in fig1 and 14 , respectively . similar to fig1 , fig1 and 14 have respective horizontal lines 110 , 120 and vertical lines 112 , 122 from have been overlaid on these contour maps as well . their respective intersections 114 , 124 appropriately correspond to the “ 0 . 811 ” and “ 0 . 405 ” coefficients found in equations ( 21 ) and ( 22 ), respectively . since r s and τ m represent patient - specific variables that directly impact the choice of durations used for these stepped waveforms , it is perhaps useful to present example values for d 1 opt and d 2 opt for a representative range of values for r s ( 30 - 90 ω ), τ m ( 2 - 4 ms ), and c a ( 30 - 90 μf ). the tables shown in fig1 - 17 provide such a set of example values , wherein values for d 1 opt and d 2 opt are computed from equations ( 16 ) and ( 17 ), respectively . given the limits of the ranges used for r s , τ m , and c a in the tables shown in fig1 - 17 , d 1 opt and d 2 opt range from lows of 1 . 286 and 0 . 422 ms ( when τ m = 2 ms , c a = 30 μf , and r s = 30 ω ) to highs of 3 . 704 and 2 . 689 ms ( when τ m = 4 ms , c a = 90 μf , and r s = 90 ω ), respectively . of course , d 1 opt and / or d 2 opt could move outside of these ranges if any one or more of r s , τ m , and c a exceed the limits used for these tables . in those cases , equations ( 16 ) and ( 17 ) could be used to compute exactly the optimal step durations for any combination of r s , τ m and c a . in another embodiment , the device could also determine d 1 opt and d 2 opt based on measured values for r s , and / or a programmed value for τ m based on a particular value for c a and c b . by way of example , if the capacitance value for c a and c b is set to 60 μf , so that equation 19 is satisfied for a tissue resistance , r s equal to nominally 50 ohms and a tissue time constant , τ m , then for a range for τ m , of 2 ms to 4 ms , and a range for r s of 30 - 90 ohms , then : ( c a + c b )* r s / τ m = 0 . 9 to further assist with interpreting the results embodied in fig1 and 14 and the table shown in fig1 - 17 , fig1 graphs a subset of those data as simple functions of r s and τ m . in particular , fig1 presents a pair of graphs : the left and right halves plot d 1 opt and d 2 opt , respectively , as functions of r s for three representative values of τ m ( 2 , 3 , and 4 ms ). for these graphs , c a = c b = 60 μf ( thus k = 1 . 0 ). consistent with the data in the tables shown in fig1 - 17 both d 1 opt and d 2 opt increase in value with increasing r s or τ m . moreover , this figure helps illustrate how d 1 opt appears significantly more sensitive to relative changes in τ m than in r s , while d 2 opt appears to have the opposite sensitivity . while fig1 - 17 provide a comprehensive overview of all possible parallel - series two - step waveforms , it is also useful to consider some specific examples that can aid in illustrating the relative improvements gained by using such a parallel - series two - step capacitor arrangement over the traditional one - step arrangement . [ 0118 ] fig1 graphically compares the positive portion of the biphasic shock waveform shapes ( v s , top two waveforms , 150 and 160 ) and associated tissue responses ( v m , bottom two waveforms , 152 and 162 ) for one - step , 150 , and parallel - series two - step , 160 , shocks having equal stored energies and leading - edge voltages . τ m = 3 ms , r s = 50 ω , c a = c b = 60 μf the one - step shock is generated by essentially keeping c a and c b in a parallel arrangement for its entire shock duration , for a constant effective capacitance of 120 μf . as is evident from the tissue responses ( i . e ., comparing the one - step response 152 to the two - step response 162 ), two - step the myocardial voltage ( 162 ) reaches a higher higher final cell membrane potential (+ 18 . 6 %) in a shorter total duration ( 3 . 65 vs . 4 . 16 ms 12 . 3 %) as compared to the final cell membrane potential ( 152 ) using the one - step shock . a consequence of this improved tissue response is that this two - step waveform requires a lower effective leading - edge voltage ( and hence a lower stored energy ) to achieve the same defibrillation efficacy as its equivalent one - step waveform . [ 0123 ] fig2 illustrates this scenario by resealing the results presented in fig1 such that the strength of each shock is sufficient to produce tissue responses of equal amplitudes . consistent with the results presented in fig1 , this two - step positive portion of the biphasic shock waveform 164 theoretically requires a 15 . 6 % lower leading - edge voltage than its one - step counterpart 154 , which translates into a 28 . 8 % reduction in required stored energy , and a potentially lower pain waveform for the patient since the leading edge of the shocking pulse is reduced . [ 0124 ] fig2 and 22 illustrate analogous results to those depicted in fig2 , but for relatively extreme combinations of r s and c a . in fig2 , r s = 30 ω and c a = c b = 30 μf , while in fig2 , r s = 90 ω and c a = c b = 90 μf . as is evident in fig2 and 22 , the shape of the optimal parallel - series two - step waveform depends strongly on the magnitudes of r s and c a . furthermore , the relative improvement in energy efficiency also strongly depends on these values . for example , in fig2 , the two - step waveform 166 induced an equivalent final tissue response as its one - step waveform 156 , but with an 8 . 8 % shorter duration ( 2 . 1 vs . 2 . 3 ms ), a 6 . 5 % lower leading - edge voltage , and a 12 . 6 % reduction in required stored energy . in fig2 , the relative improvements were a 14 . 3 % shorter duration ( 5 . 3 vs . 6 . 3 ms ), a 25 . 9 % lower leading - edge voltage , and a 45 . 0 % reduction in required stored energy . thus , these comparisons suggest that there would be especially great incentive for utilizing two - step waveforms instead of traditional one - step waveforms when the magnitudes of r s and c a are large , while the incentive is relatively minimal when the magnitudes of r s and c a are small . unfortunately , because of the inherent limitations of this theoretical model , it is not possible to directly compare amplitude - based results ( e . g ., leading - edge voltage , required stored energy ) derived for differing r s or τ m . for this reason , the results of fig2 - 22 are all self - normalized ( that is , there is no relationship between the amplitudes in these graphs ). finally , while equations ( 16 ) and ( 17 ) provide exact formulas for determining d 1 opt and d 2 opt when k = 1 ( i . e . , c a = c b ) , it is sometimes helpful and / or practical to also identify various approximations to such solutions . consider the following infinite series expansion of the natural logarithm : ln [ x ] = 2 · [ ( x - 1 x + 1 ) + 1 3 · ( x - 1 x + 1 ) 3 + 1 5 · ( x - 1 x + 1 ) 5 + … ] ( 23 ) utilizing just the first term of this expansion , equations ( 16 ) and ( 17 ) can be simplified to : d 1 opt ≈ 2 τ m 3 - α 1 = 2 τ s1 · τ m 2 τ s1 + τ m ⇒ 1 d 1 opt ≈ 1 2 τ s1 + 1 τ m = 1 4 r s c a + 1 τ m ( 24 ) d 2 opt ≈ 2 τ m 3 - 2 α 2 = τ s2 · 2 τ m τ s2 + 2 τ m ⇒ 1 d 2 opt ≈ 1 τ s2 + 1 2 τ m = 1 2 · ( 4 r s c a + 1 τ m ) ( 25 ) in words , these relationships suggest that the optimal step durations can be well approximated by computing variously weighted parallel combinations of system and myocardial time constants . and despite using only one term of equation ( 23 ), these approximations are relatively quite accurate over a broad range of τ s1 / τ m and τ s2 / τ m ratios ( only their ratios , not their absolute values , impact their accuracy ). for example , the relative error for d 1 opt is less than 5 % for 0 . 4 & lt ; τ s1 / τ m & lt ; 5 , while the relative error for d 2 opt is less than 5 % for 0 . 2 & lt ; τ s2 / τ m & lt ; 3 . when equation ( 20 ) is also satisfied ( that is , when system and myocardial time constants are ideally matched ), these relative errors are each only 1 . 35 %. in all cases , these approximation calculations underestimate the true values by these respective relative errors . 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 .
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the major hardware components of the vliw architecture according to the present invention are the same as shown in fig2 . the configuration of cpu 101 , however , differs . these differences are illustrated in fig4 . specifically , fig4 illustrates the alu input connection in a vliw architecture according to the present invention which provides for functionally expanding an instruction parcel . in fig4 like reference numerals have been used to designate like components . fig4 illustrates two parcels of a vliw . a parcel 400 represents an instruction parcel , while a parcel 402 represents an eiu parcel . as discussed above in the summary of the invention section , the eiu parcel 402 need not be adjacent to the instruction parcel 400 on the right side , but can instead be adjacent to the instruction parcel 400 on the left as well . accordingly , the connections to eiu parcel 402 illustrated in fig4 are also present for the parcel adjacent to instruction parcel 400 on the left . these connections for the left adjacent parcel , however , have not been illustrated for the sake of clarity . also , since the connections between each alu , the parcel corresponding thereto , the parcels adjacent to the corresponding parcel , the gprs 204 , and the condition registers 208 are the same , fig4 only illustrates the connections of one alu for the sake of clarity . additionally , it should be understood that the various data paths within cpu 101 have been represented in fig4 in greatly simplified form for clarity . in reality , many separate data paths into and out of the various components are required to support simultaneous data flow to and from multiple alus , registers , cache locations , etc . additionally , many data and control lines have been omitted entirely from fig4 for clarity . the instruction parcel 400 and the eiu parcel 402 are positioned adjacent to one another to minimize propagation delays . if the eiu parcel 402 were disposed in a parcel further from the instruction parcel 400 , more time would be required for the eiu information to travel to the components ( e . g ., alu , etc .) processing the instruction parcel 400 . such propagation delay can become so significant that it takes more than one clock cycle to process a vliw including an instruction parcel and associated eiu parcel . by , preferably , placing the eiu parcel 402 adjacent to the associated instruction parcel 400 , these propagation delays can be minimized . furthermore , the instruction register 200 and corresponding vliw architecture of the preferred embodiment is organized to achieve parcel affinity such as described above . additionally , in a preferred embodiment , the vliw architecture of the present invention is based on a risc instruction set . of course , the above merely sets forth the preferred embodiment , and modifications could be made thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention if the vliw architect were willing to accept the resulting propagation delays and problems associated therewith . in fig4 four 3 - to - 8 decoders 302 , 304 , 316 , and 318 are connected to the instruction parcel 400 . the 3 - to - 8 decoders 302 and 304 form part of a first selector logic 309 , and the 3 - to - 8 decoders 316 and 318 form part of a second selector logic 414 . the first selector logic 309 serves to decode the source register field ra , while the second selector logic 414 serves to decode a second register field rb ( not shown ) when included in a parcel . each of the first and second selector logic 309 and 414 has additional capabilities as discussed below . the two 3 - to - 8 decoders 302 and 304 supply decoded output to the 8 - way selector 306 and a 8 - way selector 308 also forming part of the first selector logic 309 . the 8 - way selector 306 is connected to the gprs 204 , and the 8 - way selector 308 is connected to the gprs 204 via the 8 - way selector 306 . the output of the 8 - way selector 308 is connected to both source inputs 310 and 312 of the alu . similarly , the two 3 - to - 8 decoders 316 and 318 supply decoded output to the 8 - way selector 320 and a 9 - way selector 410 also forming part of the second selector logic 414 . the 8 - way selector 320 is connected to gprs 204 , and the 9 - way selector 410 is connected to gprs 204 via the 8 - way selector 320 . the output of the 9 - way selector 410 is connected to both source inputs 310 and 312 of the alu . the 9 - way selector 410 receives data from the eiu parcel 402 . similar connections exist between the 9 - way selector 410 and an eiu parcel which may be disposed to the left of the instruction parcel 400 , but these connections have not been shown for the sake of clarity . the 9 - way selector 410 also receives a selection input from a special case selector 408 . as shown in fig4 the special case selector 408 is connected to the i - cache 103 via a special bits decoder 406 . the special case selector 408 outputs selection signals based on special bits set in the i - cache 103 by combinatorial logic 418 included therein . the special case selector 408 also sends output to a condition register selector 416 . the condition code values output by the alu are sent to the condition register selector 416 . the condition register selector 416 selects one of the condition registers 208 in which to store the condition code values . as discussed above , this selection is performed according to a positional default unless the parcel includes a crs field . accordingly , the condition register selector 416 is also connected to the instruction parcel 400 and the eiu parcel 402 to receive the contents of a crs field should one be present . the operation of the present invention illustrated in fig4 will now be described . those elements previously described with respect to fig3 however , will not be described in detail to eliminate repetitiveness . the instruction parcel 400 includes the same fields discussed with respect to parcel 300 . accordingly , a description of those fields will not be repeated . the eiu parcel 402 illustrated in fig4 includes a first field of 6 bits specifying the operation code op for the eiu parcel 402 , the next 18 bits are the immediate field si , the next field l indicates whether the eiu parcel 402 is a left or right eiu parcel , the next field of 4 bits is the crs field , and the last field of 3 bits is an operation code extension . the operation code op and , if present , the operation code extension indicate the operation to be performed using the eiu parcel 402 . for instance , the operation code op indicates that the eiu parcel 402 is an eiu parcel , and the format of the eiu parcel . accordingly , the operation code op can also identify whether a crs field is present in the eiu parcel 402 . it should be understood , however , that the eiu parcel 402 represents but one example of the many possible eiu parcel formats which one skilled in the art could readily construct in light of this disclosure . during cache reload , the combinatorial logic 418 in the i - cache 103 detects special case vliws , and sets special case bits within the l1 and / or l0 cache of the i - cache 103 associated with a vliw to identify the detected special cases . the special cases include eiu left , eiu right , 16 bit immediate field , d - field , and crs field . this list of special cases is by no means exhaustive , and can be expanded or reduced based on the design preferences of the computer architect . the special case bits associated with the vliw indicate whether one or more of these special cases exist . the special case eiu left indicates that the instruction parcel has an eiu parcel associated therewith , and that this eiu parcel is adjacent to the left of the instruction parcel . similarly , the eiu right special case indicates that the instruction parcel has an eiu parcel associated therewith , and that the eiu parcel is adjacent to the right of the instruction parcel . the 16 bit immediate field special case indicates that as opposed to having only 14 bits in the immediate field , the instruction parcel has a 16 bit immediate field . the d - field special case indicates an extended displacement field on a memory reference instruction , and that this extended field is located in the eiu parcel . the crs special case indicates that the eiu parcel includes a crs field . during cache reload , combinatorial logic 418 forming part of the control logic of the i - cache 103 decodes the operation codes op for each parcel of each vliw . from the decoded operation codes op , the combinatorial logic can determine whether a parcel is an eiu parcel or includes a 16 bit immediate field , a d - field , or crs field since this information , as discussed above , is specified in the operation codes op . when a parcel is identified as an eiu parcel , the l field of the eiu parcel is used to determine whether the eiu parcel is an eiu left or eiu right . based on the decoding operation , the combinatorial logic sets special bits in the i - cache 103 associated with each vliw to indicate the special cases detected and for which parcels . since the instruction set , and thus operation codes op , used for a given architecture are freely specified by the computer architect , a specific example of the combinatorial logic 418 will not be discussed . furthermore , the use of combinatorial logic 418 to decode instructions ( i . e ., operation codes ) to test for operations specified therein is well - known and routine in the art of computer architecture . accordingly , based on the instruction set chosen , the combinatorial logic 418 required to detect the special cases discussed above would be readily apparent to one skilled in the art . during operation , the decoder 406 decodes the special case bits associated with each vliw in the i - cache 103 , and supplies the decoded output to a special case selector 408 . when the decoded output from decoder 406 indicates that no eiu parcel is present , the special case selector 408 sends a disabling output to the 9 - way selector 410 . when , however , the decoded output of the decoder 406 indicates that an eiu parcel is associated with the instruction parcel 400 , the special case selector 408 enables the 9 - way selector 410 . as discussed with respect to prior art fig3 the upper 3 bits of a second source register field rb are decoded by a 3 - to - 8 decoder 316 . this decoded output is used by an 8 - way selector 320 to select one of the eight groups of 64 - bit gprs 204 . when disabled , the 9 - way selector 410 operates as an 8 - way selector , and selects one of the 64 - bit gprs in the group of gprs selected by the 8 - way selector 320 based on the output of 3 - to - 8 decoder 318 . in this manner , when the 9 - way selector is disabled , the architecture of fig4 operates in the same manner as that discussed above with respect to fig3 . if , however , the special case selector 408 enables the 9 - way selector 410 , the 9 - way selector 410 will select the immediate field si of the eiu parcel 402 ( or left adjacent eiu parcel if a left adjacent eiu parcel is provided instead of right adjacent eiu parcel 402 ). the 9 - way selector 410 will then output the immediate field si of the eiu parcel to the same alu input 310 or 312 to which the immediate field ui of the instruction parcel 400 is sent . for instance , suppose that the immediate field ui of the instruction parcel is sent to alu input 310 , then the immediate field si of the eiu parcel 402 will be sent to the same alu input 310 such that the immediate field si and the immediate field ui are concatenated . when concatenated , the immediate field si of the eiu parcel 402 forms the most significant bits of the resulting 32 bit data word . meanwhile , the 3 - to - 8 selectors 302 and 304 decode the source register field ra , and the 8 - way selectors 306 and 308 send the contents of the gpr in the gprs 204 designated by the source register field ra to , for example , the other alu input 312 . the alu then performs the operation specified by the op code op in the instruction parcel 400 . the alu outputs the result of the operation to a gpr in the gprs 204 designated by the destination register field rt , and sends the condition code value to the condition register selector 416 . as with fig3 the architecture of fig4 includes selector logic ( not shown ) similar to selector logic 309 which supplies the output of the alu to the gpr designated by the destination register field rt . if the decoded output of the decoder 406 indicates that the eiu parcel 402 includes a crs field , then the special case selector 408 enables the condition register selector 416 to store the condition code value output by the alu in the condition register of condition registers 208 specified by the crs field in eiu parcel 402 . by utilizing the eiu parcel 402 , a greater level of optimization can be achieved since larger numbers may be represented in the vliw than previously permissible . accordingly , operations using large numbers can be performed in a single clock cycle . additionally , use of the eiu parcel 402 provides for greater optimization through the provision of condition register selection . it will be understood by those skilled in the art that instruction parcel 400 is but one example of many possible parcel formats , and that instruction parcel 400 and eiu parcel 402 represent only two examples of many possible functional expansions using an eiu parcel . furthermore , as one skilled in the art will readily appreciate , a controller ( not shown ) determines which of the alu source inputs 310 and 312 receives the output of the 9 - way selector 410 and the immediate field of the instruction parcel 400 . besides the functional expansion capabilities discussed above , the architecture of fig4 can perform the same operations as the architecture of fig3 . accordingly , the present invention achieves the above - described functional expansion without increasing the size of the vliw , and without significantly increasing the complexity of the resulting architecture . while the invention has been described in connection with what is presently considered the most practical and preferred embodiments , it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments , but on the contrary , is intended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the appended claims .
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reference is now made to fig1 which is a simplified pictorial illustration of a modem pool arrangement useful in understanding the present invention . a modem pool , generally referenced 100 , and comprising a plurality of individual modems is seen in communication with a modem pool , generally referenced 102 , via a plurality of connections 104 over a telephone network 106 . connections 104 are typically copper wire pairs arranged in one or more bundles 108 . the modem pools preferably operate in a coordinated manner using conventional techniques , such as is described in u . s . patent application ser . no . 09 / 510 , 550 filed feb . 22 , 2000 , and entitled “ high speed access system over copper cable plant .” the interference on each connection 104 , the attenuation coefficients of the crosstalk between connections 104 , the attenuation of each connection 104 from end to end , as well as the bit error rate ( ber ) of each connection 104 may be measured using conventional techniques , and any of this information may be communicated to any of the modems shown , including via connections other than connections 104 , such as via a back channel 116 . the addition of a new modem pair 110 , 112 communicating via a connection 114 in bundle 108 will typically introduce crosstalk interference to the connections 104 , degrading the signals sent and received by modems 100 and 102 . reference is now made to fig2 which is a simplified pictorial illustration of elements of a modem pool arrangement useful in understanding the present invention . in fig2 , two modems a 1 and a 2 of one side of a modem pool are shown . as in fig1 , modems a 1 and a 2 communicate via separate channels l 1 and l 2 , respectively , of a shared communications medium ( not shown ), such as a telephone wire bundle , and , as such , have a crosstalk effect on each other . the crosstalk effect that modem a 1 has on channel l 2 and , as a result , on transmissions received by modem a 2 , is shown as h 1 , 2 , while the crosstalk effect that modem a 2 has on channel l 1 and modem a 1 , is shown as h 2 , 1 . h 1 , 2 and h 2 , 1 are typically expressed as linear transfer functions . according to the reciprocity principle , h 1 , 2 and h 2 , 1 are symmetrical , and thus h 1 , 2 may be derived from h 2 , 1 , and vice versa . a crosstalk canceller c 2 , 1 typically being an adaptive filter , is shown , which models the crosstalk of h 2 , 1 using conventional techniques and communicates this information to modem a 1 . modem a 1 may then use this information to compensate for the crosstalk it experiences from modem a 2 using conventional techniques . similarly , a crosstalk canceller c 1 , 2 is shown , which models the crosstalk of h 1 , 2 communicates this information to modem a 2 which compensates for the crosstalk it experiences from modem a 1 . reference is now made to fig3 which is a simplified pictorial illustration of a modem pool arrangement with hitless modem expansion , constructed and operative in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention . in the present invention , when a modem a n is added to a modem pool , and either before modem a n begins to transmit a signal at all or before modem a n begins to transmit a signal sufficiently strong enough to degrade the performance of any of the modems in the modem pool in accordance with a predefined measure , a modem a 1 in the modem pool learns the crosstalk c n , 1 that modem a n will cause to signals received by modem a 1 once a n begins transmitting normally . to accomplish this , in fig3 a signal transmitted by modem a 1 is sampled within modem a 1 by a crosstalk canceller c 1 , n . a transformator tx 1 then preferably performs a transformation upon the signal , such as by applying conventional transmission filters , and the signal is transmitted on channel l 1 , being the ordinary path of the transmission signal . the crosstalk caused by modem a 1 to channel l n of modem a n is received by the receiver of a n , which may perform a transformation rx n on the crosstalk received . crosstalk canceller c 1 , n then models the concatenation of the coupling of tx n , h 1 , n and rx n . due to the reciprocal nature of crosstalk between modems in a modem pool , the crosstalk information learned by c 1 , n may be used to generate a crosstalk canceller c n , 1 this is preferably accomplished by multiplying c 1 , n by the ratio ( tx n * rx 1 )/( tx 1 * rx n ). c n , 1 may then be used to eliminate crosstalk that modem a n will cause to signals received by modem a 1 once a n begins transmitting a signal at full power or at a power level sufficient to cause crosstalk interference to modem a 1 in accordance with a predefined measure by modeling the concatenation of the coupling of tx n , h n , 1 and rx 1 . in this manner , a different crosstalk canceller c n , x may learn the crosstalk caused by each modem a x in the modem pool to modem a n and provide the information to a crosstalk canceller c x , n for reciprocal cancellation of crosstalk caused by modem a n to modem a x . reference is now made to fig4 , which is a simplified pictorial illustration of a modem pool arrangement with hitless modem expansion including adjustment for different transmission characteristics , constructed and operative in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention . it is appreciated that the transmission mechanism tx 1 could differ from that of tx n , and / or the reception mechanism rx 1 could differ from that of rx n , having , for example , different gain or phase . nevertheless , the linear part of the transfer functions h 1 , n and h n , 1 are expected to be identical . differences between rx 1 and rx n may occur for several reasons . for example , rx 1 might introduce a different delay into its received signal than might rx n . to compensate for the different delays , an adjustment element adj may adjust the delay in the signal received at canceller c n , 1 using conventional techniques . the difference in delays may be measured for any two modems in the modem pool at any time . where the modems are from different vendors and / or employ different technologies ( e . g ., shdsl vs . adsl ), the receivers and transmitters of the modems may include filters which are substantially different from one another . differences in both gain and delay may also be compensated for by adjustment element adj , such as where c 1 , n is a discretization of a continuous time filter c 1 ( t ), and c n , 1 is a discretization of a continuous time filter c 2 ( t ), which are related by the equation : c 1 ( t )= g * c 2 ( t + d ), where g and d are gain and delay factors respectively . to compensate , g and d may be estimated in advance , allowing c n , 1 to be computed from g , and d , and c 1 , n , using any conventional interpolation methods . in another example of compensating for the effect of different transmission and reception mechanisms ( e . g ., tx 1 and rx n ), the combinations of crosstalk cancellation filters c i , j for each combination of tx i and rx j may be determined prior to activation of the modem pool . as the ratio of the transfer function of any two filters c i , j / c j , i reflects the difference between the two tx mechanisms and the two rx mechanisms , this ratio may be expected to be the same for the crosstalk coupling measured prior to activation of the modem pool and the crosstalk coupling at steady state . thus , the ratio c i , j / c j , i measured prior to activation can be used by adjustment element adj at steady state to compute c j , i from c i , j multiplying c i , j by c j , i / c i , j . in another method , the transfer functions of rx and tx are measured separately for each tx device and each rx device directly using a network analyzer . these functions may then be used by adjustment element adj to compute c j , i from c i , j by multiplying c i , j by the ratio ( tx j * rx i )/( tx i * rx j ). it is appreciated that one or more of the steps of any of the methods described herein may be omitted or carried out in a different order than that shown , without departing from the true spirit and scope of the invention . while the methods and apparatus disclosed herein may or may not have been described with reference to specific computer hardware or software , it is appreciated that the methods and apparatus described herein may be readily implemented in computer hardware or software using conventional techniques . while the present invention has been described with reference to one or more specific embodiments , the description is intended to be illustrative of the invention as a whole and is not to be construed as limiting the invention to the embodiments shown . it is appreciated that various modifications may occur to those skilled in the art that , while not specifically shown herein , are nevertheless within the true spirit and scope of the invention .
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the present invention provides cargo loading for a short body length airplane configuration , such as that shown in copending u . s . patent application ser . no . ( pending ), attorney docket number boei - 1 - 1016 , filed oct . 2 , 2001 , which is hereby incorporated by reference . as shown in fig1 a short body low wing airplane 26 includes forward passenger cabin doors 30 and aft passenger cabin doors 32 . the passenger cabin doors are suitably hinged to open either sideways or upwards , or mounted on a translating mechanism to swing outside the fuselage and then translate laterally , in order to avoid a cargo door interfering with the passenger cabin doors 30 , 32 , cargo doors 36 , 38 are located below the passenger cabin doors 30 , 32 and are shown in more detail in fig2 - 4 below . fig2 shows a cargo door 42 in the closed position . in the closed position a latch 46 at one end of the door 42 secures the door 42 shut . the end of the cargo door 42 opposite the end that includes the latch 46 is a hinge 44 . the hinge 44 is located lower on the airplane fuselage than the latch 46 location , thereby allowing the door 42 to swing open down and away from the airplane &# 39 ; s centerline , as shown in fig3 . fig3 shows the cargo door 42 open , in a configuration suitable for loading and unloading a cargo container 50 into or from a cargo compartment 40 by translating it laterally into or out of the airplane &# 39 ; s cargo compartment . by way of non - limiting example , the cargo container 50 is shown as an ld3 - 46 container . however , it will be appreciated that other types of cargo containers may be used as desired . fig4 shows an enlargement of fig3 and illustrates powered or unpowered rollers 56 to move the container 50 into or out of the cargo compartment 40 from or to a conventional cargo loader vehicle ( not shown ). a deployable bumper element 54 is shown deployed at the latch end of the door 42 . the bumper element 54 softens the impact of contact when a cargo loader vehicle first mates with the cargo door 42 of the aircraft 26 . a sensor device ( not shown ) connected at the end of the door 42 adjacent to the bumper element 54 detects any contact forces . a warning device , such as an audible alarm ( not shown ), warns flight and maintenance crews if any contact with the door 42 is excessive and may endanger the structural integrity of the cargo door 42 or the airplane 26 . the door 42 is supported by locking bars 52 . the locking bars 52 support and maintain the cargo door 42 in a desired , substantially horizontal open configuration for loading or unloading operations . not shown are suitable structural reinforcements for maintaining fuselage structural strength , with the main cabin door 30 or 32 and the cargo door 36 or 38 being one on top of the other . fig5 shows a top view of a typical ground service equipment ( gse ) laid out around the representative low - wing airplane 26 of fig1 equipped with the above - described bottom hinged cargo doors 42 for loading and unloading cargo into and from the forward and aft lower deck cargo compartments . even for this very short body airplane , it is possible to simultaneously load containerized cargo into a forward lower deck containerized cargo compartment 40 , and an aft lower deck containerized cargo compartment 58 , load bulk cargo into an aft bulk cargo compartment 60 , load passengers through the main deck forward left cabin door 30 , and provide galley and cleaning service through the main deck aft left cabin door 32 . if it is undesirable to service a forward galley by moving carts through the cabin from the illustrated galley truck 74 location , alternately a galley truck 74 could be sequenced into the forward right main deck cabin door 62 either before or after cargo service has been provided to the forward cargo compartment 40 . while the cargo end door configuration of the present invention have been described with reference to the airplane 26 , it will be appreciated that the above described cargo and door configurations can also be applied to other fuselage cross - sections and airplane configurations , within the spirit and scope of the invention . fig6 - 8 illustrates an alternate embodiment for cargo loading in a high - wing airplane 80 or a low - wing airplane 26 as shown in fig1 . as shown in fig7 a cargo door 90 is located on the belly of the airplane 80 and is shown in the closed position . in the closed position latches ( not shown ) secure the door 90 to the fuselage . fig8 shows the cargo door 90 open with a container 94 resting thereon . the translating cargo door 90 lowers a container supported by the door 90 . the cargo compartment 92 and the door 90 include powered or unpowered rollers ( not shown ). once the door 90 is open , the container 94 is translated laterally over the rollers onto a container dolly or a low - sill - height cargo loader vehicle ( not shown ). fig9 and 10 illustrate another innovative approach to enabling cargo loading for a short body length airplane . this alternate approach applies preferably to a high - wing airplane configuration , such as the airplane 80 . a lower deck bulk cargo compartment 120 includes a conveyor belt floor surface 121 for supporting cargo . the conveyor belt floor surface 121 includes an aft portion supported by a ventral cargo door 122 , which is shown in closed and open configurations respectively in fig9 and 10 . use of the conveyor belt floor surface 121 enables automated loading and unloading thus reducing or eliminating risk of back injuries to cargo loading personnel . this concept can also apply to airplane configurations with a small cargo compartment height . while certain preferred embodiments of the invention have been illustrated and described , as noted above , many changes can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention . accordingly , the scope of the invention is not limited by the disclosure of the preferred embodiment . instead , the invention should be determined entirely by reference to the claims that follow .
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a smart circuit interrupter 10 is shown in fig1 and consists of an insulative case 11 to which an insulative cover 12 is securely fastened . as described in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 754 , 247 , an accessory cover 13 is attached to the circuit breaker cover and provides access to the circuit breaker accessories by means of a pair of accessory doors 13a , 13b . the circuit interrupter includes an operating mechanism as further described within the aforementioned u . s . pat . no . 4 , 754 , 247 for interrupting circuit current upon the occurrence of an overcurrent condition and further includes an operating handle 14 for turning the circuit breaker between its on and off conditions . electrical connection is made with the associated electrical equipment by means of load lug connectors 15 arranged at the load end . as described in aforementioned u . s . pat . no . 4 , 870 , 531 , an electronic trip unit 16 which includes an external display 17 and keypad 18 is arranged on top of the electronic trip unit in modular assembly . the keys 19 allow an operator to access the memory elements contained within the trip unit for displaying the trip points as well as the circuit current and circuit voltage parameters . the rating plug 20 allows a single circuit interrupter size to be used over a wide range of circuit interrupter ampere ratings . the electronic trip circuit 9 within the electronic trip unit 16 is shown in fig2 connected with the electrical power distribution cables 37 by means of current transformers 33 which provide input data to a signal conditioner circuit 32 over conductors 31 . the circuit interrupter contacts 35 are electrically arranged within the electric distribution cables and are operably coupled as indicated at 36 with the circuit interrupter trip actuator unit 34 . the input data from the signal conditioner circuit is connected with the microprocessor 26 by means of conductor 27 and with the rom 45 , nvm 46 and ram 47 memory elements by means of an 8 - bit databus 28 . the microprocessor connects with the memory elements by means of the 12 - bit databus 30 and connects with the 8 - bit databus over a separate conductor 29 as indicated . the display unit 17 interconnects with the interface circuit 21 by means of the multi - conductor cable 22 and interfaces with the microprocessor 26 over a similar multi - conductor cable 23 . the interface circuit operates in the manner described within the aforementioned u . s . pat . no . 4 , 991 , 042 and connects with a voltage source over conductor 24 . voltage signal input is provided to the microprocessor 26 through the switches 25 contained within the keypad unit 18 over the multi - conductor cable 48 . in accordance with the teachings of the invention , an rfi and emi filter 40 ( hereafter &# 34 ; filter &# 34 ;) is arranged around the microprocessor 26 , the rom 45 , and nvm 46 and ram 47 memory elements to shield the sensitive memory elements and the microprocessor from extraneous rfi and emi signals . the filter 40 is selectively positioned under the electronic trip unit 16 in the manner best seen by referring now to the circuit interrupter 10 depicted in fig3 . prior to arranging the electronic trip unit 16 within the recess 39 ( formed within the circuit interrupter cover 12 ), the filter 40 is first inserted within the recess . as described in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 884 , 048 , transformer pin connectors 49 extend up through the bottom of the recess 39 and a rectangular slot 50 is formed therein for providing electrical connection with electrical components contained within the circuit interrupter cover . the bottom 43 of the rfi filter 40 accordingly contains openings 43a to receive the transformer pin connectors within the circuit board 38 . to effectively shield the sensitive electronic components contained within the printed circuit board 38 , and without interfering with the visual access to the display 17 or digital access to the keypad 18 , the rfi filter has the rectangular box - like configuration having opposing sidewalls 42a and endwalls 42b extending up from the bottom 43 . electrical conductivity is provided on the outside surface of the sidewalls and endwalls and on the outside bottom surface by the provision of a coating 44 that includes metal pigments such as silver , copper , nickel or aluminum . one example of an effective metallic coating is in the form of type 4900 silver conductive coating supplied from chomerics corporation . the shield is vacuum - formed from a thermoplastic material in an off - line operation and the metallic coating 44 is applied to the exterior surface of the sidewalls , endwalls and bottom . all openings are punch - formed after the coating 44 has been applied to ensure that no metal coating contacts the inside bottom 43 of the rfi and emi filter or resides on the walls of the openings . this arrangement also ensures that none of the metal coating contacts the recess 39 which could cause electric circuit between the transformer pin connectors . the inner surfaces of the bottom 43 and the sidewalls 42a and endwalls 42b remain clear and uncoated to ensure additional electrical insulation to the electronic components contained within the printed circuit board 38 . besides providing excellent rfi and emi shielding to the electronic trip unit , the filter 40 provides improved electrical isolation by virtue of the thermoplastic material . the heat generated within the trip unit is carried by the conductive coating 44 out to the sides of the circuit breaker cover in heat - sink fashion to provide cooling function to the trip unit during overload circuit conditions .
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referring to fig1 a fifo memory 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention is fabricated as an integrated circuit device and includes a memory cell array 20 , a write control circuit 30 and a read control circuit 40 similarly to the memory shown in fig1 . however , the present fifo memory 10 further includes a mode signal input circuit 50 supplied with a mode signal md via a terminal 107 and the write and read control circuits 30 and 40 operate to change the number of bits to be accessed in response to the level of the mode signal md . in the present embodiment , there are provided a first mode in which one word is constructed of 8 bits and a second mode in which one word is constructed of 16 bits . the mode signal md takes the high level to designate the first mode and the low level to designate the second mode . the mode signal input circuit 50 detects the level of the mode signal md and then supplies the detected level to the circuits 30 and 40 as an internal mode signal imd . as described in detail later , the first mode is designated by the high level of the ( internal ) mode signal ( i ) md , the write control circuit 30 writes data into the memory cell array 20 8 - bit by 8 - bit in order and the read control circuit 40 read data from the array 20 8 - bit by 8 - bit in order . when the mode signal md is changed to the low level to designate the second mode , the data write operation and read operation are performed 16 - bit by 16 - bit in order . since the 8 - bit data read / write operation and 16 - bit data read / write operation are supported , the number of data input terminals 101 supplied with write data wdt is 16 and that of data output terminals 104 from which read data rdt is outputted is 16 . a write clock signal wclk and a write reset signal wrst are supplied to terminals 102 and 103 , respectively . a read clock signal rclk and a read reset signal rrst are supplied to terminals 105 and 106 , respectively . referring to fig2 the memory cell array 20 includes n word lines w0 - wn - 1 , 128 pairs of bit lines ( b0 , bob )-( b127 , b127b ) and a plurality of memory cells mc disposed on the respective intersections of the word and bit lines . in this embodiment , each memory cell is of a static type . the write control circuit 30 is further shown in fig2 . more specifically , the circuit 30 includes a row pointer 303 coupled to the word lines w0 - wn - 1 . one of the outputs ws0 - wsn - 1 is driven to the active high level to select one word line w . coupled to the selected word line w are 128 memory cells in the present embodiment . theses memory cell mc are divided into 16 groups each consisting of 8 memory cells . 16 column switches dw0 - dw15 are provided correspondingly to those groups . as shown in the drawing , each column switch dw is composed of n - channel mos transistors . the even - numbered column switches dw0 , . . . , dw14 are connected in common to 8 pairs of digit lines ( d0 , d0b )-( d7 , d7b ) and odd - numbered column switches dw1 , . . . , dw15 are connected in common to other 8 pairs of digit lines ( d8 , d8b )-( d15 , d15b ). each of the column switches are turned on by the active high level of a corresponding one of selection signals ds0 - ds15 from the column pointer 302 . the digit lines ( d0 , d0b )-( d15 , d15b ) are connected to a data write circuit 304 which are in turn connected to the data input terminals 101 - 0 to 101 - 15 . the column pointer 302 and row pointer 303 control the respective output signals ds0 - ds15 and ws0 - wsn - 1 under the control of a timing controller 301 . this controller 301 responds to the write clock signal wclk and write reset signal wrst and further to the mode signal imd to control the pointers 302 and 303 . turning to fig3 the column pointer 302 includes 16 shift registers 302 - 0 to 302 - 15 connected in series . since each of the shift registers are the same construction as each other , only the first shift register 302 - 0 is shown . this shift register 302 - 0 is of a master - slave type . a master flip - flop mst includes a first clock node n1 , a second clock node n2 , two transfer gates each composed of n - channel and p - channel transistors , and two inverters , which are connected as shown . a slave flip - flop slv has the same construction as the master one mst . however , the first and second clock nodes of the slave one slv is called n3 and n4 , respectively . the shift register 302 - 0 further includes a nand gate 3020 and an inverter 3021 and generates the column selection signal ds0 . as shown , the clock nodes n2 , n1 , n4 and n3 of the even - numbered shift registers 302 - 0 , . . . , 302 - 14 are connected to a first clock line ck1 , its inverted clock line ck1b , a second clock line ck2 and its inverted clock line ck2b , respectively . whereas the clock nodes n1 , n2 , n3 and n4 of the odd - numbered shift resisters 302 - 1 , . . . , 302 - 15 are connected to the lines ck1b , ck1 , ck1 and ck1b , respectively . on these clock lines , clock signals synchronism with the write clock signal wclk appear by five inverters 3010 - 3014 and two transfer gates 3053 and 3054 which constitute the timing controller 301 . the transfer gates 3053 and 3054 are controlled in opened or closed state by the mode signal imd and the inverted mode signal imdb whose levels are in turn controlled by the mode signal md by inverters 51 and 52 . specifically , when the mode signal md takes the high level , the gate 3053 is opened or tuned on and the gate 3054 is closed or tuned off , so that clock signals equal in phase to and opposite in phase to the write clock signal wclk on the clock lines ck1 and ck2 , respectively . on the other hand , in the case of the low level of the mode signal md , the transfer gate 3054 is tuned on , so that both the clock lines ck1 and ck2 take the signal equal in phase to the write clock signal wclk . the first shift register 302 - 0 is connected to an inverter 3016 supplied with the output of a nor gate 3015 receiving the write reset signal wrst and a carry signal of the last shift register 302 - 15 . the row pointer 303 includes n pieces of shift registers 303 - 0 to 303 -( n - 1 ) connected in series . as shown in the drawing , the clock nodes n2 and n3 of each shift register are connected to a row clock line rc1 and the nodes n1 and n4 thereof are connected to its clock line rc1b . the clock line rc1 is supplied with the output signal of an inverter 3019 receiving the output signal of a nand gate 3017 , and the clock line rc1b is supplied with the output signal of the nand gate 3017 . the nand gate 3017 is supplied with the clock signal ck1 and the output signal of an inverter 3016 . the output signal of each shift register is supplied to the corresponding one of and gates 3030 receiving the clock signal ck1 as another input , the output signal of the and gate being used as the word line signal ws . the first shift register 303 - 0 is supplied as its input with ored signal of the write reset signal wrst and a carry output signal of the last shift register 303 -( n - 1 ) through a nor gate 3051 and an inverter 3052 . referring to fig4 the data write circuit 304 includes input buffers 3040 - 0 to 3040 - 15 having input nodes connected respectively to the data input terminals 101 - 0 to 101 - 15 and output nodes connected respectively to data amplifiers 3043 - 0 to 3043 - 15 through n - channel transistors 3041 - 0 to 3041 - 15 , respectively . the output of each data amplifier 3043 is connected to the corresponding digit line pair ( d , db ). the outputs of the input buffers 3040 - 0 to 3040 - 7 are further connected to the data amplifiers 3043 - 8 to 3043 - 15 through n - channel mos transistors 3042 - 0 to 3042 - 7 , respectively . the transistors 3041 - 0 to 3041 - 7 are supplied in common at gates thereof with a data switching signal dsw0 from a shift register 3048 . the gates of the transistors 3042 - 0 to 3042 - 7 are connected in common to an and gate 3045 which preforms an and operation on the mode signal imd and a data switching signal dsw1 from a shift register 3049 , and the gates of the transistors 3041 - 8 to 3041 - 15 are connected in common to an and gate 3044 which performs the signals dsw1 and the inverted mode signal imdb . each of the shift registers 3048 and 3049 have the same construction as the shift register 302 - 0 and the clock nodes thereof n1 - n4 are connected to the clock lines ck1 , ck1b , ck2 and ck2b , respectively , as shown . the input of the shift register 3048 is connected to an or gate 3060 receiving the write reset signal wrst and the carry output signal from the shift register 3049 . the read control circuit 40 ( fig1 ) also has a similar circuit construction to that of the write control circuit 30 . however , in fig4 the inputs of the data amplifiers 3043 - 0 to 3043 - 15 are connected to the digit lines d , and output buffers are used in place of the input buffers 3040 . in addition , a row pointer of the read control circuit 40 is provided on the right side of the memory cell array 20 and a data read circuit including column switches thereof are provided on the lower side of the array 20 . although the description will be made below on a data writing operation , a data reading operation is performed by regarding &# 34 ; data writing &# 34 ; as &# 34 ; data reading &# 34 ;. when the mode signal md takes the high level to designate the first mode ( data writing in 8 - bit units ), the following data writing operation is performed in accordance with the timing chart shown in fig5 . more specifically , since the signal md is at the high level , the same signal in phase as the write clock signal wclk appears on the clock line ck1 and the opposite signal in phase to that appears on the clock line ck2 . in order to write data into the first address , the write reset signal wrst is generated with a phase relationship as shown in fig5 . as a result , the row pointer 303 and column pointer 302 change the selection signals ws0 and ds0 to the active high level , respectively . the word line w0 is thus selected and the column switch dw0 is turned on , so that the first , 8 - bit memory cells are selected . the shift register 3048 ( fig4 ) also produces the active high level data switching signal dsw0 . the transistors 3041 - 0 to 3041 - 7 are thereby turned on to connect the input buffers 3040 - 0 to 3040 - 7 to the data amplifiers 3043 - 0 to 3043 - 7 , respectively . thus , the 8 - bit input data supplied to the input terminals 101 - 0 to 101 - 7 are written into the selected eight memory cells mc . each time the write clock signal wclk changes to the high level , the data &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ; in the shift register 302 - 0 is shifted to the succeeding shift registers in order , so that the column selection signal ds1 - ds15 become the active high level in that order ( fig5 ). that is , the column switches dw1 - dw15 are turned on in that order . on the other hand , the clock signals to the respective shift registers in the row pointer 303 are not supplied because the nand gate 3017 is closed , and hence the shift register 303 - 0 keeps to hold the data &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ;. by the and gate 3030 - 0 , the word selection signal ws0 for the word line w0 takes the active high level in synchronism with the clock signal wclk ( fig5 ). in the shift registers 3048 and 3049 ( fig4 ), the carry output of the shift register 3049 is fed back to the shift register 3048 via the or gate 3060 , and therefore the data switching signals dsw0 and dsw1 take the active high level alternately in synchronism with the write clock signal wclk , as shown in fig5 . that is , the sets of transistors 3041 - 0 to 3041 - 7 and those 3042 - 0 to 3042 - 7 are turned on alternately . thus , the 8 - bit input data supplied to the terminals 101 are written into the succeeding addresses in that order . when the shift register 302 - 15 produces the active high level selection signal ds15 to change the carry signal dc0 to the high level , the high level signal . dc0 is fed back to the shift register 302 - 0 via the gates 3015 and 3016 . the selection signal ds0 is thereby changed again to the high level . at this time , the nand gate 3017 ia made open to shift the data &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ; to the shift register 303 - 1 from the shift register 303 - 0 . the word selection signal ws1 for the word line w1 is changed to the active high level through the and gate 3030 - 1 , as shown in fig5 . thus , the high level of the mode signal md designates the first mode to write 8 - bit data to consecutive addresses in that order . when the mode signal md is changed to the low level to designate the second mode ( data writing in 16 - bit units ), the writing operation according to the timing chart of fig6 is performed . more specifically , since the transfer gates 3054 and 3053 are turned on and off , respectively , the same signal in phase as the write clock signal wclk appear on both clock lines ck1 and ck2 . as apparent from the connection between the clock nodes n1 - n4 and the clock lines cl , the output of the or gate ( 3015 , 3016 ) is transferred through the shift register 302 - 0 and further through the waster flip - flop mst of the shift register 302 - 1 to the slave flip - flop thereof . accordingly , the column selection signals ds0 and ds1 takes the active high level simultaneously with each other , the column switches dw0 and dw1 are both selected ( fig6 ). similarly , the data switching signals dsw0 and dsw1 from the shift registers 3048 and 3049 takes the active high level simultaneously with each other . the and gate 3045 is however closed because of the low level of the signal imd to turn the transistors 3042 - 0 to 3042 - 7 off . on the other hand , the and gate 3044 is made open to turn the transistors 3041 - 8 to 3041 - 15 on . consequently , the 16 - bit data supplied to the input terminals 101 are written into the selected 16 memory cells mc . each time the write clock signal wclk changes the high level , the next two column switches are selected , so that the 16 - bit data writing operation is performed . as described above , the data writing and reading operation in 8 - bit units are performed on the consecutive addresses in the first mode and those in 16 - bit units are performed on the consecutive addresses in the second mode . the row pointer 303 can be modified as shown by the column pointer 302 in fig3 and the column pointer 303 can be also modified as shown by the row pointer 302 in fig3 . in this case , the word lines w0 - wn - 1 are selected each time the write clock signal wclk changes the high level in that order , whereas the column switch dw0 is kept being selected until the all the word lines w are selected once . moreover , combinations other than 8 - bit and 16 - bit such as 4 - bit , 8 - bit , 16 - bit and 32 - bit can be similarly constituted . as apparent from fig3 the change in level of the mode signal md is accepted anytime . that is , the 16 - bit reading operation can be performed on data written by the 8 - bit writing operation . therefore , it is preferable that the change in mode is always carried out from the leading address . for this purpose , the input circuit 50 is modified as shown in fig7 . specifically , the present input circuit further includes a d - type flip - flop 53 having a data input d supplied with the output of the inverter 52 and a clock input supplied with write reset signal wrst . the true output q and inverted output qb are lead out as the internal mode signal imd and inverted internal mode signal imdb , respectively . thus , the level of the mode signal md is fetched only when the write reset signal wrst is changed to the active high level , and the internal mode signal imd is controlled in accordance therewith . that is , the change in mode is performed only on resetting . in fig4 the level of the input terminals 101 - 8 to 101 - 15 are at the invalid level during the first mode , so that the outputs of the input buffers 3040 - 8 to 3040 - 15 are not determined but take the high or low level to cause an error in operation in the internal circuit . therefore , each of the input buffers 3040 - 8 to 3040 - 15 are preferably constructed as shown in fig8 . that is , each of the input terminals 101 - 8 to 101 - 15 is connected to one input end of the corresponding and gate 3046 having the input end supplied with the inverted internal mode signal imdb . the output of the and gate 3046 is supplied to the corresponding transistor 3041 via the inverters 3047 and 3048 . consequently , the output of the and gate 3046 is held at the low level in the first , 8 - bit mode , so that the respective outputs of the input buffers 3040 - 8 to 3040 - 15 are also held at the low level . also in the output terminals 104 ( fig1 ), there are eight terminals which are not used in the first mode . these output terminals are connected to the corresponding external data bus lines ( not shown ). therefore , each of the output buffers connected to such output terminals are preferably constructed by a tri - state buffer 1040 as shown in fig9 . when the inverted mode signal imdb takes the low level to designate the first mode , the tri - state buffer 1040 is brought into a high impedance state . it apparent that the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments but may be changed and modified without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention .
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for one of preferred embodiments of the present invention , a noise eliminator to be incorporated in an in - car radio receiver or the like will be described with reference to fig1 a to 1 e . fig1 a is a block diagram showing the configuration of the noise eliminator according to the present embodiment . fig1 b to 1 e are waveform charts for explaining the operation of the noise eliminator according to the present embodiment . in fig1 a , this noise eliminator 1 comprises a gate unit 2 , a noise detection unit 3 , and a detuning frequency detection unit 4 which receive the reception signal output from an internal tuner ( not shown ) of the receiver , or an if signal s 1 , and a gate control unit 5 . the noise detection unit 3 detects pulsed noise such as ignition noise and thunderbolt noise when any is mixed in the if signal s 1 , and outputs a noise detection signal s 3 for indicating the periods τ of occurrence of the pulsed noise . the detuning frequency detection unit 4 detects the frequency fu of an adjacent interference signal superimposed on the if signal s 1 . the detuning frequency detection unit 4 also detects a frequency difference ( hereinafter , referred to as “ detuning frequency ”) δf between the frequency fu and the frequency fd of a desired signal , and outputs a detuning frequency detection signal s 4 for indicating the detuning frequency δf . the gate control unit 5 receives the noise detection signal s 3 and the detuning frequency detection signal s 4 , and calculates periods ( m / δf ) which are m ( integer ) times the reciprocal of the detuning frequency δf , or ( 1 / δf ), and are the closest to the periods τ of occurrence of the pulsed noise , respectively . the gate control unit 5 then outputs a gate control signal s 5 of rectangular waveform , having gate periods τs which extend from the times t of occurrence of the respective noise pulses to when the periods ( m / δf ) have elapsed . the gate unit 2 interrupts the passing of the pulsed noise mixed in the if signal s 1 during the gate periods τs indicated by the gate control signal s 5 , and lets the if signal s 1 pass during periods other than the gate periods τs . the gate unit 2 thus outputs an if signal s 2 of which pulsed noise is eliminated . next , description will be given of the operation of the noise eliminator 1 having the foregoing configuration . for example , when an adjacent interference signal is superimposed on the if signal s 1 and relatively periodic pulsed noise such as ignition noise is mixed in as shown in fig1 b , the noise detection unit 3 detects the time t of occurrence and the period τ of occurrence of the noise pulse by pulse , and outputs a noise detection signal s 3 of rectangular waveform as shown in fig1 c . moreover , the detuning frequency detection unit 4 detects the frequency fu of the adjacent interference signal , detects the detuning frequency δf , or the frequency difference between the detected frequency fu and the frequency fd of the desired signal , and outputs the detuning frequency detection signal s 4 . then , the gate control unit 5 calculates the period ( m / δf ), which is m ( integer ) times the reciprocal of the detuning frequency δf , or ( 1 / δf ), and is the closest to the period τ , with respect to each pulse of the noise . the gate control unit 5 thus outputs the gate control signal s 5 of rectangular waveform in which the gate period τs is set at the elapsed time of the period ( m / δf ) since the time t of occurrence of the noise pulse by pulse . suppose , for example , that the three pulses of noise shown in fig1 c have periods τ of occurrence of 1 msec , 2 msec , and 3 msec in order of elapsed time , respectively . for the gate period τs for eliminating the pulsed noise of 1 msec , the gate control unit 5 calculates a period ( m / δf ) which is m ( integer ) times the reciprocal of the detuning frequency δf and is the closest to 1 msec . for the gate period τs for eliminating the pulsed noise of 2 msec , the gate control unit 5 then calculates a period ( m / δf ) which is m ( integer ) times the reciprocal of the detuning frequency δf and is the closest to 2 msec . for the gate period τs for eliminating the pulsed noise of 3 msec , the gate control unit 5 then calculates a period ( m / δf ) which is m ( integer ) times the reciprocal of the detuning frequency δf and is the closest to 3 msec . the gate control unit 5 thus outputs the gate control signal s 5 of rectangular waveform as shown in fig1 d . then , the gate unit 2 interrupts the passing of the pulsed noise mixed in the if signal s 1 during the individual gate periods τs indicated by the gate control signal s 5 , and lets the if signal s 1 pass during periods other than the gate periods τs . the gate unit 2 thus outputs the if signal s 2 of which pulsed noise is eliminated . when the if signal s 1 on which an adjacent interference signal is superimposed and in which pulsed noise is mixed is input to the gate unit 2 , the gate unit 2 interrupts the pulsed noise during the gate periods τs for elimination . as shown in fig1 e , the if signal s 2 output from the gate unit 2 has a frequency spectrum expressed as the product of the frequency spectrum of the interruption characteristic in the gate periods τs and the frequency spectrum of the if signal s 1 on which the adjacent interference signal is superimposed . more specifically , the frequency spectrum of the interruption characteristic is the same as the fourier transform of the gate control signal s 2 of rectangular waveform shown in fig1 d , exhibiting the harmonic characteristic of large attenuations at frequencies m ( integer ) times the frequency of 1 / τs , i . e ., 1 / τs , 2 / τs , 3 / τs , . . . . meanwhile , the frequency spectrum of the if signal s 1 on which the adjacent interference signal is superimposed includes those of the desired wave having the frequency fd and the adjacent interference signal having the frequency fu . consequently , the frequency spectrum of the if signal s 2 is expressed as the product of the frequency spectrum of the foregoing interruption characteristic and the frequency spectrum of the if signal s 1 on which the adjacent interference signal is superimposed , or as shown in fig1 e . then , as shown in fig1 e , the spurious signal ascribable to the adjacent interference signal occurs at the frequency fu while the desired signal occurs at a frequency of { fu −( 1 / τs )}. in addition , the frequency spectrum of the harmonics included in the if signal s 2 , resulting from the interruption characteristic , makes a significant attenuation at the frequency of { fu −( 1 / τs )}. consequently , the desired signal in the if signal s 2 is no longer susceptible to the spurious signal ascribable to the adjacent interference signal and the harmonics ascribable to the interruption characteristic . when the if signal s 2 is passed through the if filter , the desired signal containing no pulsed noise or spurious signals can be extracted and supplied to a detector or the like without deteriorating the selectivity of the if filter . that is , since the frequency { fu −( 1 / τs )} of the desired signal shown in fig1 e is different from the frequency fu of the adjacent interference signal by the detuning frequency δf , it coincides with the passband fd of the if filter provided in the receiver . as a result , even if any filter or the like having a special pass frequency band for extracting the desired signal in the if signal s 2 is not connected to the subsequent stage of this noise eliminator 1 , it is possible to extract the desired signal containing no pulsed noise or spurious signals from the if signal s 2 and supply it to the detector or the like with no deterioration in selectivity by simply connecting an ordinary if filter provided in the receiver . next , a more specific practical example of the foregoing embodiment will be described with reference to fig2 to 3 g . fig2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a receiver which is provided with the noise eliminator of this practical example . fig3 a to 3 g are waveform charts for explaining the operation of the noise eliminator . in fig2 , parts identical or equivalent to those of fig1 a are designated by the same reference numerals . initially , the configuration of the receiver will be overviewed with reference to fig2 . an rf multiplier 8 is connected to the output of an rf amplifier 6 which is connected with a reception antenna ant . then , the rf multiplier 8 mixes an rf signal output from the rf amplifier 6 and a local oscillation signal output from a local oscillator 7 to output a frequency - converted if signal s 1 . an if filter 10 , an if amplifier 11 , and a detector 12 are connected in series with the output of a gate circuit 2 to be described later . next , the configuration of the noise eliminator according to this practical example will be described in comparison with the noise eliminator shown in fig1 a . this noise eliminator 1 comprises a gate circuit 2 corresponding to the gate unit 2 shown in fig1 a , a noise detection circuit 3 corresponding to the noise detection unit 3 shown in fig1 a , a detuning frequency detection circuit 4 corresponding to the detuning frequency detection unit 4 shown in fig1 a , and a d flip - flop 5 corresponding to the gate control unit 5 shown in fig1 a . moreover , the detuning frequency detection circuit 4 comprises an if multiplier 4 a , an if oscillator 4 b , a high - pass filter 4 c , and a limiter amplifier 4 d . a delay circuit 9 has a predetermined delay time equal to the internal delay time of the noise detection circuit 3 , the detuning frequency detection circuit 4 , and the d flip - flop ( hereinafter , referred to as “ dff ”) 5 . the delay circuit 9 delays the if signal s 1 output from the rf multiplier 8 and supplies the resultant to the gate circuit 2 , thereby adjusting the timing of pulsed noise elimination processing in the gate circuit 2 to be described later . the noise detection circuit 3 detects the periods τ of occurrence of pulsed noise mixed in the if signal s 1 , and outputs a noise detection signal s 3 of rectangular waveform which turns to “ h ” in logic during the periods τ of occurrence alone . to be more specific , the noise detection circuit 3 comprises an amplitude detector , a high - pass filter , a low - pass filter , an amplifier , and a comparator which are not shown . the amplitude detector detects the if signal s 1 . the high - pass filter extracts noise included in the output signal of the amplitude detector , in the range of frequencies higher than that of the desired signal . the low - pass filter smoothens the noise of higher frequencies in the output signal of the amplitude detector , thereby generating a smoothened signal near direct current . the amplifier amplifies the smoothened signal at a predetermined gain . the comparator compares the amplitude of the amplified smoothened signal and that of the output signal of the high - pass filter . then , the comparator detects the periods in which the amplitude of the output signal of the high - pass filter exceeds that of the amplified smoothened signal as the periods τ of occurrence of the pulsed noise , and outputs a noise detection signal s 3 . the if oscillator 4 b is made of an oscillator for outputting an alternating signal ck having the same frequency as the intermediate frequency . the if multiplier 4 a is made of a multiplier . it multiplies ( mixes ) the if signal s 1 and the alternating signal ck to generate and output a mixed signal sif which is the if signal s 1 frequency - converted based on the alternating signal ck . for example , an if signal s 1 having an adjacent interference signal superimposed thereon is input to the if multiplier 4 a , the if multiplier 4 a frequency - converts the foregoing desired signal included in the if signal s 1 and the adjacent interference signal into the baseband frequency and the detuning frequency δf , respectively . then , the frequency - converted mixed signal sif is supplied to the high - pass filter 4 c . the high - pass filter 4 c is made of a high - pass filter which passes signal components in the range of frequencies higher than that of the baseband desired signal included in the mixed signal sif . the limiter amplifier 4 d limits the amplitude of the signal passed through the high - pass filter 4 c , thereby outputting a wave - shaped binary signal , or a detuning frequency detection signal s 4 . when the foregoing mixed signal sif including the frequency - converted adjacent interference signals is input to the high - pass filter 4 c , the high - pass filter 4 c passes and outputs the adjacent interference signal having the same frequency as the detuning frequency δf described above . in addition , the limiter amplifier 4 d limits the amplitude of the adjacent interference signal , thereby outputting the detuning frequency detection signal s 4 of rectangular waveform which makes logic inversions at periods equivalent to the reciprocal of the detuning frequency δf , or ( 1 / δf ). the dff 5 receives the noise detection signal s 3 and the detuning frequency detection signal s 4 at its input terminal d and clock input terminal cp , respectively , and outputs a gate control signal s 5 from its output terminal q . to be more specific , suppose that the detuning frequency detection signal s 4 which makes logic inversions at the foregoing periods of ( 1 / δf ) is input to the dff 5 during the foregoing periods . τ of occurrence in which the noise detection signal s 3 is “ h ” in logic . then , the dff 5 outputs the gate control signal s 5 of rectangular waveform which remains “ h ” in logic during the periods τs which are m ( integer ) times the period of ( 1 / δf ) and is longer than and the closest to the foregoing periods τ of occurrence ( i . e ., during the gate periods ). the gate circuit 2 is made of a switch element such as an analog switch . in the gate periods τs where the gate control signal s 5 is “ h ” in logic , the switch element interrupts the passing of an if signal sa supplied from the delay circuit 9 . in the periods other than the gate periods τs , i . e ., while the gate control signal s 5 is “ l ” in logic , the switch element passes the if signal sa . consequently , when the if signal sa having pulsed noise mixed therein is input to the gate circuit 2 , the gate circuit 2 interrupts the passing of the pulsed noise according to the gate control signal s 5 during the gate periods τs which are in synchronization with the periods τ of occurrence of the pulsed noise . as a result , the gate circuit 2 outputs the if signal 2 of which pulse noise is eliminated , to the if filter 10 . now , an example of operation of the noise eliminator 1 according to this practical example having the foregoing configuration will be described with reference to fig3 a to 3 g . suppose , for example , that the rf multiplier 8 outputs such an if signal s 1 as shown in fig3 a on which an adjacent interference signal is superimposed and in which pulsed noise is mixed . the noise detection circuit 3 detects the time of occurrence and the period τ of occurrence of the noise pulse by pulse , generates the noise detection signal s 3 of rectangular waveform as shown in fig3 b , and supplies it to the input terminal d of the dff 5 . the if multiplier 4 a mixes the if signal s 1 and the alternating signal ck output from the if oscillator 4 b to output the frequency - converted mixed signal sif . the mixed signal sif is passed through the high - pass filter 4 c and the limiter amplifier 4 d . as a result , the detuning frequency detection signal s 4 of rectangular waveform as shown in fig3 c is generated and input to the clock input terminal cp of the dff 5 . then , based on the noise detection signal s 3 and the detuning frequency detection signal s 4 , the dff 5 generates the gate control signal s 5 as shown in fig3 d and supplies it to the gate circuit 2 through the output terminal q . more specifically , the dff 5 receives the noise detection signal s 3 of rectangular waveform , which turns to “ h ” in logic during the period τ of occurrence of each pulse of the noise mixed in the if signal s 1 , and the detuning frequency detection signal s 4 , which repeats logic inversions at periods equivalent to the reciprocal of the detuning frequency δf , or ( 1 / δf ). this is equivalent to so - called delay processing on the noise detection signal s 3 based on the detuning frequency detection signal s 4 . as a result , the dff 5 outputs the gate control signal s 5 of rectangular waveform which remains “ h ” in logic during the periods τs which are m ( integer ) times the period ( 1 / δf ) and are longer than and the closest to the foregoing periods τ of occurrence ( i . e ., gate periods ). next , the gate circuit 2 interrupts the passing of the pulsed noise mixed in the if signal sa supplied through the delay circuit 9 during the individual gate periods τs indicated by the gate control signal s 5 , and lets the if signal sa pass during periods other than the gate periods τs . the gate circuit 2 thus outputs the if signal s 2 of which pulsed noise is eliminated . then , when the if signal s 2 is input to the if filter 10 having the passband set at the frequency of the desired signal ( in other words , intermediate frequency ), a desired signal sb included in the if signal s 2 is extracted . the if amplifier 11 then amplifies the extracted desired signal sb into a signal sc , which is input to the detector 12 . the detector 12 outputs a detection signal sd . the noise eliminator 1 of this practical example provides the following effects . initially , suppose the case where pulsed noise occurring relatively periodically , such as ignition noise , is mixed in the if signal s 1 , and an adjacent interference signal having a frequency fu different from the frequency fd of the desired signal by the detuning frequency δf is superimposed on the if signal s 1 as shown in fig3 a . here , fig3 e shows the frequency spectrum of the mixed signal sif output from the if multiplier 4 a . fig3 f shows the frequency spectrum of the interruption characteristic when the gate circuit 2 interrupts pulsed noise according to the gate control signal s 5 . that is , in the frequency spectrum of the mixed signal sif , the desired signal and the adjacent interference signal occur at the positions of the baseband frequency and the detuning frequency δf , respectively . the frequency spectrum of the interruption characteristic varies with the period t and the gate period τs of occurrence of the pulsed noise as parameters , and attenuates significantly at frequencies n ( integer ) times the reciprocal of the gate period τs , or ( n / τs ) consequently , the if signal s 2 of which pulsed noise is eliminated , output from the gate circuit 2 , has the frequency spectrum expressed as the product of the frequency spectrum of the mixed signal sif and the frequency spectrum of the interruption characteristic as shown in fig3 g . here , the spurious signal resulting from the adjacent interference signal included in the if signal s 2 occurs at the frequency fu . the desired signal included in the if signal s 1 , having the frequency of fd , appears in the if signal s 2 at the position of the frequency { fu −( 1 / τs )}. moreover , the frequency spectrum of the harmonics included in the if signal s 2 , resulting from the interruption characteristic , attenuates significantly at the frequency { fu −( 1 / τs )}. thus , the desired signal in the if signal s 2 is no longer susceptible to the harmonics and spurious signals ascribable to the adjacent interference signal and the interruption characteristic . as above , the gate periods τs are determined as periods which are m ( integer ) times the period equivalent to the reciprocal of the detuning frequency δf , or ( 1 / δf ), and are longer than and the closest to the respective periods τ of occurrence of the pulsed noise . these gate periods τs are used to approximate the periods τ of occurrence of the pulsed noise . as a result , it is possible to adjust the frequency spectrum of the if signal s 2 so that the desired signal shown in fig3 e occurs in accordance with the frequency ( 1 / τs ) at which the harmonics of the interruption characteristic shown in fig3 f attenuate significantly . thus , when the if signal s 2 is supplied to the if filter 10 , it is possible to extract the desired signal containing no pulsed noise or spurious signals from the if signal s 2 and supply it to the detector 12 and the like without a deterioration in selectivity . moreover , since the frequency { fu −( 1 / τs )} of the desired signal shown in fig3 g is different from the frequency fu of the adjacent interference signal by the detuning frequency δf , it coincides with the passband fd of the if filter 10 provided in the receiver . this eliminates the need to provide an if filter having a special pass frequency band for the sake of extracting the desired signal in the if signal s 2 . it is possible to extract the desired signal containing no pulsed noise or spurious signals from the if signal s 2 and supply it to the detector or the like with no deterioration in selectivity by simply connecting the gate circuit 2 with the ordinary if filter 10 provided in the receiver . next , the noise eliminator 1 according to a second practical example will be described with reference to fig4 to 5 c . fig4 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a receiver which is provided with the noise eliminator of this practical example . fig5 a to 5 c are waveform charts for explaining the operation of the noise eliminator . in fig4 , parts identical or equivalent to those of fig1 a and 2 are designated by the same reference numerals . in fig4 , this noise eliminator 1 comprises a gate circuit 2 , a noise detection circuit 3 , a detuning frequency detection circuit 4 , a dff 5 , and a delay circuit 9 . the detuning frequency detection circuit 4 comprises an if multiplier 4 a , an if oscillator 4 b , a high - pass filter 4 c , a limiter amplifier 4 d , an am detector 4 e , a comparator 4 f , and a switching circuit 4 g . the am detector 4 e and the comparator 4 f function as sensing means for sensing if any adjacent interference signal is superimposed on an if signal s 1 . that is , in terms of configuration , this noise eliminator 1 is different from the noise eliminator shown in fig2 in that the detuning frequency detection circuit 4 is provided with the am detector 4 e , the comparator 4 f , and the switching circuit 4 g . here , the switching circuit 4 g is made of an analog multiplexer or analog switch of two - input one - output type , which makes switching operations in accordance with a switch control signal sg from the comparator 4 f . one input terminal a is connected to the limiter amplifier 4 d , and the other input terminal b to the if oscillator 4 b . the output terminal c is connected to the clock input terminal cp of the dff 5 . when the switching circuit 4 g is switched to the input terminal a , the detuning frequency detection signal s 4 which makes logic inversions at periods ( 1 / δf ), output from the limiter amplifier 4 d , is transferred to the clock input terminal cp of the dff 5 . when the switching circuit 4 g is switched to the input terminal b , the alternating signal ck having the same frequency as the intermediate frequency , output from the if oscillator 4 b , is transferred to the clock input terminal cp of the dff 5 . the am detector 4 e subjects an adjacent interference signal se output from the high - pass filter 4 c to am detection , and outputs the resulting am detection signal sf to the comparator 4 f . more specifically , the if multiplier 4 a mixes the if signal s 1 having the adjacent interference signal superimposed thereon and the alternating signal ck , and outputs the mixed signal sif including the frequency - converted adjacent interference signal to the high - pass filter 4 c . then , the adjacent interference signal se passed through the high - pass filter 4 c is input to the am detector 4 e . the am detector 4 e subjects this adjacent interference signal se to am detection , thereby outputting the am detection signal sf to the comparator 4 f . the comparator 4 f compares the amplitude of the am detection signal sf with a predetermined threshold , and outputs the result of comparison as the switch control signal sg . if the amplitude of the am detection signal sf is greater than the threshold , the switching circuit 4 g is switched to the input terminal a . if the amplitude of the am detection signal sf is smaller than the threshold , the switching circuit 4 g is switched to the input terminal b . now , an example of operation of the noise eliminator 1 having the foregoing configuration will be described with reference to fig3 a to 3 c . suppose , for example , that the rf multiplier 8 outputs such an if signal s 1 as shown in fig3 a on which an adjacent interference signal is superimposed and in which pulsed noise is mixed . the noise detection circuit 3 detects the time of occurrence and the period τ of occurrence of the noise pulse by pulse , generates the noise detection signal s 3 of rectangular waveform as shown in fig3 b , and supplies it to the input terminal d of the dff 5 . the if multiplier 4 a mixes the if signal s 1 and the alternating signal ck output from the if oscillator 4 b to output the frequency - converted mixed signal sif . the mixed signal sif is passed through the high - pass filter 4 c and the limiter amplifier 4 d . as a result , the detuning frequency detection signal s 4 of rectangular waveform as shown in fig3 c is generated and input to the one input terminal a of the switching circuit 4 g . the am detector 4 e subjects the adjacent interference signal se to am detection , thereby outputting the am detection signal sf . the comparator 4 f generates the switch control signal sg from the am detection signal sf , so that the switching circuit 4 g is switched to the input terminal a . consequently , the detuning frequency detection signal s 4 is input to the clock input terminal cp of the dff 5 through the input terminal a of the switching circuit 4 g . then , the dff 5 receives the noise detection signal s 3 and the detuning frequency detection signal s 4 which repeats logic inversions at periods equivalent to the reciprocal of the detuning frequency δf , or ( 1 / δf ). as a result , the dff 5 generates the gate control signal s 5 of rectangular waveform which remains “ h ” in logic during the periods τs which are m ( integer ) times the period ( 1 / δf ) and are longer than and the closest to the foregoing periods τ of occurrence of the pulsed noise ( i . e ., the gate periods ). the gate control signal s 5 is supplied to the gate circuit 2 . next , the gate circuit 2 interrupts the passing of the pulsed noise mixed in the if signal sa supplied through the delay circuit 9 during the individual gate periods τs indicated by the gate control signal s 5 , and lets the if signal sa pass during periods other than the gate periods τs . the gate circuit 2 thus outputs the if signal s 2 of which pulsed noise is eliminated . up to this point , description has been given of the operation for situations where the rf multiplier 8 outputs the if signal s 1 on which an adjacent interference signal is superimposed and in which pulsed noise is mixed . when the rf multiplier 8 outputs an if signal s 1 on which no adjacent interference signal is superimposed but in which pulsed noise is mixed , the noise eliminator 1 makes the following operation . initially , the noise detection circuit 3 detects the time of occurrence and the period τ of occurrence of the noise pulse by pulse , generates the noise detection signal s 3 of rectangular waveform as shown in fig3 b , and supplies it to the input terminal d of the dff 5 . the if multiplier 4 a mixes the if signal s 1 and the alternating signal ck output from the if oscillator 4 b to output the frequency - converted mixed signal sif . note that since no adjacent interference signal is superimposed on the if signal s 1 , the mixed signal sif does not contain any adjacent interference signal . thus , even when the mixed signal sif is passed through the high - pass filter 4 c and the limiter amplifier 4 d , such a detuning frequency detection signal s 4 as shown in fig3 c is not supplied to the input terminal a of the switching circuit 4 g . in addition , the signal se input from the high - pass filter 4 c to the am detector 4 e does not contain any adjacent interference signal , either , so that the am detection signal sf output from the am detector 4 e becomes smaller in amplitude . the comparator 4 f compares the am detection signal sf and the threshold , and thus outputs the switch control signal sg for switching the switching circuit 4 g to the input terminal b . consequently , when no adjacent interference signal is superimposed on the if signal s 1 , the alternating signal ck output from the if oscillator 4 b is input to the clock input terminal cp of the dff 5 through the input terminal b of the switching circuit 4 g . receiving the noise detection signal s 3 and the alternating signal ck , the dff 5 then generates the gate control signal s 5 of rectangular waveform which remains “ h ” in logic during the periods τs which are integer multiples of the period equivalent to the reciprocal of the frequency of the alternating signal ck and are longer than and the closest to the foregoing periods τ of occurrence of the pulsed noise ( i . e ., the gate periods ). the gate control signal s 5 is supplied to the gate circuit 2 . next , the gate circuit 2 interrupts the passing of the pulsed noise mixed in the if signal sa supplied through the delay circuit 9 during the individual gate periods τs indicated by the gate control signal s 5 , and lets the if signal sa pass during periods other than the gate periods τs . the gate circuit 2 thus outputs the if signal s 2 of which pulsed noise is eliminated . as described above , in the noise eliminator 1 shown fig4 , the am detector 4 e and the comparator 4 f detect whether or not any adjacent interference signal is superimposed on the if signal s 1 . if any adjacent interference signal is superimposed on the if signal s 1 , the gate circuit 2 interrupts the pulsed noise by using periods which are m ( integer ) times the period ( 1 / δf ) equivalent to the reciprocal of the detuning frequency δf and are longer than and the closest to respective periods τ of occurrence of the pulsed noise as the gate periods τs . if no adjacent interference signal is superimposed on the if signal s 1 , the gate circuit 2 interrupts the pulsed noise by using periods which are integral multiples of the period equivalent to the reciprocal of the frequency ( intermediate frequency ) of the alternating signal ck and are longer than and the closest to respective periods τ of occurrence of the pulsed noise . the noise eliminator 1 according to this practical example provides the following effects . first , as described above , when pulsed noise is mixed in the if signal s 1 having no adjacent interference signal superimposed thereon , the am detector 4 e and the comparator 4 f detect that no adjacent interference signal is superimposed on the if signal s 1 . meanwhile , the noise detection circuit 3 detects the periods τ of occurrence of the pulsed noise . consequently , the noise detection signal s 3 indicating the periods τ of occurrence is supplied to the input terminal d of the dff 5 , and the alternating signal ck having the same frequency as the intermediate frequency is supplied to the clock input terminal cp through the switching circuit 4 g . then , the dff 5 makes the gate circuit 2 interrupt the pulsed noise by using the periods which are integer multiples of the period equivalent to the reciprocal of the frequency of the alternating signal ck and are longer than and the closest to the respective periods τ of occurrence of the pulsed noise as the gate periods τs . here , as shown in the frequency spectrum of fig5 a , the alternating signal ck occurs at the position of the intermediate frequency . as shown in fig5 b , the frequency spectrum of the interruption characteristic when the gate circuit 2 interrupts the pulsed noise makes large attenuations at frequencies which are integer multiples of the frequency ( 1 / τs ). then , the if signal s 2 of which pulsed noise is eliminated , output from the gate circuit 2 , exhibits the frequency spectrum expressed as the product of the frequency spectrum of the alternating signal ck and the frequency spectrum of the interruption characteristic as shown in fig5 c . then , as is evident from fig5 c , the harmonics ascribable to the interruption characteristic attenuate significantly at a frequency n ( integer ) times the frequency ( 1 / τs ), and the desired signal occurs right at the frequency of attenuation of the harmonics . this makes the desired signal in the if signal s 2 insusceptible to the harmonics ascribable to the interruption characteristic . when the if signal s 2 is supplied to the if filter 10 , it is possible to extract the desired signal containing no pulsed noise from the if signal s 2 and supply it to the detector 12 and the like . second , when pulsed noise is mixed in and an adjacent interference signal superimposed on the if signal s 1 , the am detector 4 e and the comparator 4 f detect that the adjacent interference signal is superimposed on the if signal s 1 . meanwhile , the noise detection circuit 3 detects the periods τ of occurrence of the pulsed noise . consequently , the noise detection signal s 3 indicating the periods τ of occurrence is supplied to the input terminal d of the dff 5 , and the detuning frequency signal s 4 is supplied to the clock input terminal cp through the switching circuit 4 g . then , the dff 5 determines periods which are m ( integer ) times the period ( 1 / δf ) equivalent to the reciprocal of the detuning frequency δf and are longer than and the closest to the respective periods τ of occurrence of the pulsed noise as the gate periods τs . the dff 5 eliminates the pulsed noise by controls the gate circuit 2 with the gate control signal s 5 having the gate periods τs approximated to the periods τ of occurrence of the pulsed noise . consequently , the if signal s 2 output from the gate circuit 2 exhibits the same frequency spectrum as shown in fig3 g , so that the desired signal in the if signal s 2 becomes insusceptible to the harmonics and spurious signals ascribable to the adjacent interference signal and the interruption characteristic . when the if signal s 2 is supplied to the if filter 10 , it is possible to extract the desired signal containing no pulsed noise or spurious signals from the if signal s 2 and supply it to the detector 12 and the like without a deterioration in selectivity . as above , according to the noise eliminator 1 of this practical example , it is possible to eliminate pulsed noise in both cases that the pulsed noise is mixed in the if signal s 1 having no adjacent interference signal superimposed thereon , and that the pulsed noise is mixed in and an adjacent interference signal is superimposed on the if signal s 1 . it is also possible to extract the desired signal from the if signal s 2 and supply it to the detector 12 and the like without a deterioration in selectivity . furthermore , in the case of eliminating the pulsed noise mixed in the if signal s 1 having no adjacent interference signal superimposed thereon , the gate circuit 2 interrupts the pulsed noise by using the periods that are integer multiples of the period equivalent to the reciprocal of the frequency of the alternating signal ck and are longer than and the closest to the periods τ of occurrence of the pulsed noise as the gate periods τs . the frequency at which the harmonics of the interruption characteristic shown in fig5 c attenuate significantly can thus be matched with the frequency of the desired signal . it is therefore possible to extract the desired signal in a favorable manner and supply it to the detector and the like without affecting the interruption characteristic in eliminating the pulsed noise . next , the noise eliminator 1 according to a third practical example will be described with reference to fig6 . fig6 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a receiver which is provided with the noise eliminator of this practical example . in fig6 , parts identical or equivalent to those of fig1 a , 2 , and 4 are designated by the same reference numerals . in fig6 , this noise eliminator 1 comprises a gate circuit 2 , a noise detection circuit 3 , a detuning frequency detection circuit 4 , a dff 5 , and a delay circuit 9 . the gate circuit 2 is interposed between a local oscillator 7 and an rf multiplier 8 . the delay circuit 9 is interposed between an rf amplifier 6 and the rf multiplier 8 . moreover , the detuning frequency detection circuit 4 comprises an if oscillator 4 b , first and second multipliers 4 h and 4 i , a high - pass filter 4 c , and a limiter amplifier 4 d . the gate circuit 2 is made of an analog switch or the like which turns on during gate periods τs and turns off during periods other than the gate periods τs according to a gate control signal s 5 supplied from the dff 5 . during the gate periods τs , a local oscillation signal lo output from the local oscillator 7 is supplied to the rf multiplier 8 . in the periods other than the gate periods τs , the supply of the local oscillation signal lo to the rf multiplier 8 is stopped . the delay circuit 9 is provided for the sake of timing adjustment , as in the first and second practical examples . it delays a reception signal output from the rf amplifier 6 , or an rf signal srf , by a predetermined time and supplies the resultant to the rf multiplier 8 . consequently , the rf multiplier 8 mixes the rf signal srf supplied through the delay circuit 9 and the local oscillation signal lo supplied through the gate circuit 2 , thereby frequency - converting the rf signal srf of radio frequency into an intermediate frequency signal s 2 , and supplies the resultant to an if filter 10 . the noise detection circuit 3 detects pulsed noise mixed in the rf signal srf , and supplies an input terminal d of the dff 5 with a noise detection signal s 3 of rectangular waveform which turns to “ h ” in level during the periods τ of occurrence of the pulses . the if oscillator 4 b outputs the alternating signal ck having the same frequency as the intermediate frequency , and supplies it to the first multiplier 4 h . the first multiplier 4 h is made of a multiplier . it multiplies ( mixes ) the local oscillation signal lo from the local oscillator 7 and the alternating signal ck to generate a signal ( hereinafter , referred to as “ first mixed signal ”) sm 1 , and supplies it to the second multiplier 4 i . the second multiplier 4 i is made of a multiplexer . it multiplies ( mixes ) the rf signal srf and the first mixed signal sm 1 to generate a signal ( hereinafter , referred to as “ second mixed signal ”) sm 2 , and supplies it to the high - pass filter 4 c . now , when the first multiplier 4 h multiplies ( mixes ) the local oscillation signal lo and the alternating signal ck , the first mixed signal sm 1 is generated with the frequency fd of the desired signal . when the second multiplier 4 i multiplies ( mixes ) the rf signal srf and the first mixed signal sm 1 , a signal having the frequency difference ( fu − fd ) between the frequency fu of the adjacent interference signal superimposed on the rf signal srf and the frequency fd of the desired signal , or the detuning frequency δf , appears in the second mixed signal sm 2 . the high - pass filter 4 c has a cutoff frequency for passing the signal having the foregoing detuning frequency δf , included in the second mixed signal sm 2 . the high - pass filter 4 c supplies the passed signal having the detuning frequency δf to the limiter amplifier 4 d . the limiter amplifier 4 d limits the amplitude of the signal passed through the high - pass filter 4 c , having the foregoing detuning frequency δf , and thereby outputs a wave - shaped binary signal , or a detuning frequency detection signal s 4 . more specifically , the limiter amplifier 4 d generates a detuning frequency detection signal s 4 which repeats logic inversions at periods equivalent to the reciprocal of the detuning frequency δf , or ( 1 / δf ), and supplies it to the clock input terminal cp of the dff 5 . the dff 5 receives the noise detection signal s 3 indicating the periods τ of occurrence of the pulsed noise , output from the noise detection circuit 3 , and the detuning frequency detection signal s 4 from the limiter amplifier 4 . the dff 5 then performs so - called delay processing on the noise detection signal s 3 based on the detuning frequency detection signal s 4 . as a result , the dff 5 outputs the gate control signal s 5 of rectangular waveform which remains “ h ” in logic during the periods τs which are m ( integer ) times the periods ( 1 / δf ) equivalent to the reciprocal of the detuning frequency δf and are longer than and the closest to the foregoing periods τ of occurrence . ( i . e ., gate periods ). consequently , in the gate periods τs approximated to the periods τ of occurrence of the pulsed noise mixed in the rf signal srf , the dff 5 turns off the gate circuit 2 to stop the supply of the local oscillation signal lo to the rf multiplier 8 . on the other hand , in the periods other than the gate periods τs , the dff 5 turns on the gate circuit 2 so that the local oscillation signal lo is supplied to the rf multiplier 8 . according to the noise eliminator 1 of this practical example having the foregoing configuration , when an adjacent interference signal is superimposed on and pulsed noise is mixed in the rf signal srf , the noise detection circuit 3 detects the periods τ of occurrence of the pulsed noise and outputs the noise detection signal s 3 . the detuning frequency detection circuit 4 detects the detuning frequency δf and outputs the detuning frequency detection signal s 4 . the dff 5 outputs the gate control signal s 5 for turning off the gate circuit 2 during the gate periods τs approximated to the periods τ of occurrence of the pulsed noise . consequently , when the gate circuit 2 is turned off during the gate periods τs , the rf multiplier 8 stops mixing the local oscillation signal lo and the pulsed noise which is mixed in the rf signal srf supplied through the delay circuit 9 , and outputs the if signal s 2 of which pulsed noise is eliminated . in addition , the gate periods τs are ones m ( integer ) times the period ( 1 / δf ) equivalent to the reciprocal of the detuning frequency δf and are longer than and the closest to the foregoing periods τof occurrence . this results in a coincidence between the frequency of the desired signal in the if signal s 2 and the frequency at which a large attenuation occurs in the frequency spectrum of the interruption characteristic when the gate circuit 2 is turned off to interrupt the supply of the local oscillation signal lo to the rf multiplier 8 . consequently , the desired signal in the if signal s 2 is no longer susceptible to the spurious signal ascribable to the adjacent interference signal and the harmonics ascribable to the interruption characteristic of the gate circuit 2 . when the if signal s 2 is passed through the if filter , the desired signal containing no pulsed noise or spurious signals can thus be extracted and supplied to the detector or the like without deteriorating the selectivity of the if filter 10 . while there has been described what are at present considered to be preferred embodiments of the present invention , it will be understood that various modifications may be made thereto , and it is intended that the appended claims cover all such modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention .
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it is to be understood that this invention is not limited to the details of construction and arrangement of components illustrated in the accompanying drawings . the invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or carried out in a variety of ways . further , the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for purposes of description and not of limitation . elements employed in illustrating the practice of the instrument pig and the methods of determining the characteristics of the interior and exterior surfaces of a metal pipeline , as illustrated in the attached drawings , will be identified by numbers indicated hereinbelow : referring to fig1 , a typical instrument pipeline pig of the type that can employ the principals of this invention is illustrated . the overall pipeline instrument pig is indicated generally by the numeral 10 and includes an instrumentation section 12 to which this invention is specifically directed . the typical instrument pipeline pig 10 includes the use of a plurality ( 5 being shown ) of elastomeric cups 14 that have two basic functions . first , the cups 14 support the pipeline pig centrally within the pipeline , and second , they have circumferential edges or lips that engage a pipeline interior wall , forming a piston - like relationship so that fluid flowing through the pipeline causes a force against the cups that moves the instrument pipe 10 through the pipeline . in addition to the instrumentation section 12 , a typical pipeline pig 10 includes as illustrated , an instrument support package 16 that typically contains batteries by which electrical energy is supplied to the instrumentation section 12 , and recording instruments . instrument support package 16 is connected to the instrumentation section 12 by means of an internal cable ( not shown ). further , the typical pipeline pig includes an odometer 18 that is in the form of a wheel that engages the pipeline interior wall surface to provide electrical signals by which the location of detected anomalies in the pipeline wall are recorded . it must be understood that the instrument pig 10 is illustrated by way of example only and not by limitation . the invention herein lies exclusively within the arrangement of the instrumentation section 12 and such instrument section can be used in conjunction with other instrument pig systems . the instrumentation section 12 is illustrated in greater detail in fig2 - 6 . referring to fig2 and 3 , a basic structural arrangement of an instrumentation system by which this invention can be practiced is illustrated . the instrumentation section 12 includes a pig body 20 having spaced apart end plates 22 a and 22 b . supported between the end plates are a plurality of elongated armatures 24 that are in closely spaced parallel arrangement and positioned circumferentially around the pig body 20 . each armature 24 supports at one end a positive pole magnet 26 and at the other end a negative pole magnet 28 . rather than being called “ negative ” and “ positive ” pole magnets , they are frequently referred to as north pole and south pole magnets . magnets 26 and 28 mounted on associated armatures 24 are closely spaced and of magnetic intensity so that the circumferential portion of the length of the pipe between magnets 26 and 28 is at least substantially fully magnetically saturated . each armature 24 is supported between plates 22 a and 22 b by a forward link - arm 30 and a rearward link - arm 32 . each of the forward link - arms 30 is pivoted at one end to plate 22 a and at the rearward end to an armature 24 . the rearward link - arms 32 are each pivoted to an armature 24 at one end and the rearward end has a pin 34 received in a slot 36 . the link arms 30 and 32 thereby allow flexible radial position of each armature 24 with respect to the pig body 20 — that is , each armature can be deflected inwardly and outwardly as required to conform to the internal cylindrical surface of the pipe wall through which the instrument pig travels . to maintain the magnets 26 and 28 in close proximity to the interior pipeline wall but at the same time prevent the magnets from being worn by engagement with the pipeline wall , spacers 38 are employed . spacers 38 may be wheels as illustrated in the drawings or may be pads arranged to slide against the internal wall of the pipeline to thereby space the magnets 26 and 28 in close proximity to the pipeline wall but without touching the wall . the use of wheels functioning as spacers is a known technology and not a part of this invention . the essence of the invention is best illustrated by referring to fig5 and 6 . fig5 diagrammatically illustrates the basic concepts . the instrument pig 10 as generally indicated in fig5 carries with it instrumentation that includes essentially a hall - effect sensor 40 supported by the instrument in close proximity to the interior circumferential surface 42 of a cylindrical pipeline 44 that has a corresponding exterior circumferential surface 46 . the use of hall - effect sensors 40 is known technique for detecting flux leakage in a magnetically saturated pipe wall . the range of detection of anomalies obtained by hall - effect sensor 40 is indicated by the dotted lines 48 in fig5 . if the instrument pig 10 of this invention included instrumentation that contained only hall - effect sensors , it would function to provide a record indicative of anomalies in the pipe wall but such record would not provide information as to whether the detected anomalies are on the pipe interior circumferential surface 42 or the exterior circumferential surface 46 . to provide this lacking information , the instrument package of the instrument pig of this invention includes the use of eddy current sensor systems 50 . an “ eddy current ” is , generally speaking , an induced electric current in an electrically conductive object that typically causes a loss of energy . eddy currents are sometimes also called “ foucault currents .” eddy currents move contrary to the direction of a main current and usually in a circular motion . a unique characteristic of eddy currents is that when induced into a conductive object , they typically are confined to a shallow depth of the skin surface of the object . this characteristic is taken advantage of in the present invention in that , as illustrated in fig5 , each eddy current sensor system 50 functions by inducing an eddy current indicated by the dotted lines 54 into the interior circumferential surface 42 of pipeline wall 44 . the eddy currents 54 are induced by pulsing a coil carried by the eddy currents sensor system 54 . eddy current sensors are often employed to measure the proximity of electrically conductive materials . they exploit the “ skin depth ” effects that result from exposing a conductive material to a high - frequency magnetic field . as such , their effective field of view into the material is limited to a few thousandths of an inch . additionally , they are able to operate inside a strong low - frequency magnetic field with little effect on performance . the sensor concept disclosed in fig5 incorporates both the hall - effect sensor 40 and the eddy current sensor system 50 that are supported in the same head assembly , such head assemblies 56 being seen best in fig3 , 4 and 6 . the system of this invention employs hall - effect sensors 40 as primary quantitative indicators of metal loss and therefore the existence of anomalies in the pipe wall interior and exterior circumferential surfaces 42 and 46 . this is so since the field of view , that is the range of measurement 48 seen in fig5 , includes the entire pipe wall 44 . however the eddy current sensors see only a short depth into the interior pipe wall 42 and responds to metal loss that is localized to the inside wall of the pipe . the eddy current sensor systems 50 employ the use of a pulse coil design to minimize the power required . this is illustrated in fig5 by an induced eddy current 54 and a sensed eddy current represented by the dotted lines of 58 . the quantitative extent of sensed eddy currents indicate the presence or absence of anomalies , that is missing metal , from the interior circumferential surface 42 of pipe 44 . an important feature of the present invention is that the eddy current sensor system 50 is energized or excited to produce the induced eddy current 54 only as requested from the instrument electronics . this is schematically represented in fig6 which shows hall - effect process circuitry 60 that responds to detected anomalies 62 a through 62 d in the wall of pipeline 44 . when requested by the signal processing circuit 70 , eddy current pulser circuit 64 is activated to stimulate the eddy current sensor system 50 to initiate induced eddy current represented by 54 in fig5 . an eddy current process circuit 66 responds sensed eddy current 58 ( fig5 ) and provides an output signal on conductor 68 to signal processing output circuit 70 . fig6 indicates schematically a portion of the instrument pig 10 of this invention showing the pig body 20 , an armature 24 , positive and negative magnets 26 and 28 as supported on the armature and a head assembly 56 positioned between the magnets that contain hall - effect instrumentation 72 and eddy current instrumentation 74 . eddy current instrumentation 74 responds to eddy current pulser circuit 64 to cause induced eddy currents 54 as seen in fig5 and for detecting and measuring resultant sensed eddy current flow indicated by the numeral 58 in fig5 . as shown in fig6 , the eddy current pulser signal is carried by conductor 76 to eddy current instrument 74 while the sensed eddy current is carried by conductor 78 to eddy current processing circuit 66 . the conductor 80 carries the signal from hall - effect instrumentation 72 to the hall - effect processing circuitry 60 . initiating signals from processing circuit 70 to actuate eddy current pulser 64 are carried by conductor 82 while the quantitative process signal generated by the hall - effect instrument 72 is passed by conductor 84 to signal processing and output circuit 70 . fig6 shows the use of an odometer wheel 86 supplying signals to an odometer circuit 88 which provides a positioning signal 90 to signal processing and output circuit 70 . while id / od discrimination sensors have conventionally been arranged in a second array of heads located somewhere away from the magnetizer systems of an instrument pig , in the invention herein the hall - effect sensor 72 and eddy current instrumentation 74 are in the same head assembly 56 positioned between magnetic poles 26 and 28 . this system eliminates the need for a secondary sensor array located elsewhere on a tool and subsequently reduces the number of connectors and cables required to pass signals from the sensor heads to the data logging electronics . in summary , first instrumentation hall - effect instrumentation 72 that is included in head assembly 56 and positioned between magnetic pole 26 and 28 is arranged to generate signals by way of conductor 80 that are responsive to flux leakage and thereby serves to provide first information as to anomalies 62 a through 62 d in the pipeline interior or exterior surfaces 42 and 46 . second instrumentation , that is , eddy current instrumentation 74 , is supported by head assembly 56 between magnets 26 and 28 and arranged to generate signals that are responsive to eddy currents 54 and 58 as seen in fig5 that are induced in the pipeline interior surface 42 that provides second information as to anomalies in the interior wall 42 of the pipeline 44 . an important feature of the invention herein as illustrated in the schematic circuit diagram of fig6 is that the second eddy current instrumentation is energized only in response to signals generated by signal processing circuit 70 . in this way the energy required to operate eddy current instrumentation 74 is employed only when data is required and thus substantial energy saving is obtained . the invention described herein is not limited to the specific illustrations contained in the drawings which are representative only of one embodiment of the invention which are presented to be a preferred embodiment at the time of the preparation of this application , but it is understood that the invention is limited only by the scope of the attached claim or claims including the full range of equivalency to which each element or step thereof is entitled .
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fig1 is a perspective view of a thermal printer 20 for printing on a print medium passing along a print path . in fig1 the print path is closed . the thermal printer 20 includes a first housing 22 and a second housing 24 . the first housing 22 encloses electrical components mounted on printed circuit boards . the first housing 22 also includes a control panel 26 which allows the thermal printer 20 to be controlled and adjusted by a user . the control panel 26 includes a liquid crystal display ( lcd ) 28 , a plurality of buttons 30 , and a plurality of light - emitting diodes ( leds ) 32 . the lcd 28 provides an alphanumeric display of various commands useful for the user to control and adjust the thermal printer 20 . the buttons 30 implement the user &# 39 ; s choices of controls and adjustments , and the leds 32 provide displays of the status of the thermal printer 20 . for example , one of the buttons 30 can be used to toggle the thermal printer 20 on - and off - line , with one of the leds 32 lighting to indicate when the printer is on - line . another one of the buttons 30 can be used to select an array of menus including choices of print speeds and media types , among other choices . another one of the buttons 30 can be used to reload or advance the print medium through the thermal printer 20 . yet another button 30 can be used to open the thermal printer 20 in order to change the print medium . the second housing 24 includes a printer module 34 and a motor drive module 36 which are normally latched together . the printer module 34 and the motor drive module 36 are separated by a print medium path 38 along which the print medium passes . by activating another one of the buttons 30 , the printer module 34 can be caused to unlatch from the motor drive module 36 so that it can be rotated backwards , in a clockwise direction , to the position seen in fig3 . this action opens the print medium path 38 and allows the adjustment and replacement of the print medium which is introduced into the print medium path 38 from a print medium roll 40 ( see fig1 ). the print medium supplied on the print medium roll 40 is available in a variety of thicknesses , thermal sensitivities , and materials , depending upon the use to be made of the print medium . the print medium supplied from the print medium roll 40 passes through the print medium path 38 and exits through an opening 42 at the front of the second housing 24 . if the print medium is a thermal transfer medium , a thermal transfer ribbon is placed in a separate drive mechanism ( not shown ) contained within the printer module 34 . this separate drive mechanism provides supply and take - up rolls for the thermal transfer ribbon . the rolls for the thermal transfer ribbon are controllable independently of the movement of the print medium . this allows saving the ribbon when the print medium contains areas where no printing is required . the motor drive module 36 also contains a cooling fan ( not shown ) which exhausts air through a side grill 44 . a conventional print medium 45 shown in fig2 comprises a long strip of backing material 46 with self - adhesive labels 48 adhered at spaced - apart positions along the length of the backing material , and the print medium is rolled to form the print medium roll 40 . fig2 shows three labels 48 adhered to a short segment of the backing material 46 . the backing material 46 has a pair of parallel straight edges 50 extending in the direction the backing material travels along the print medium path 38 . the labels 48 are spaced away from each of the edges 50 by a predetermined distance d . the labels 48 are separated from one another in the direction of travel of the backing material 46 by gaps 52 , which extend perpendicularly to the edges 50 . the invention is adapted to sense the presence of the gaps 52 , or more precisely , the leading edge of a label , by the change in transmissivity of light through the backing material 46 which is caused by the presence or absence of a label 48 . the print medium 45 from the print medium roll 40 passes through the print medium path 38 with the side of the backing material to which the labels 48 of the print medium are attached facing up . as best shown in fig5 the print medium 45 is advanced through the print medium path 38 by an advancement mechanism ( to be described subsequently ) and forced to pass between a platen roller 53 positioned within the motor drive module 36 at the opening 42 of the print medium path 38 and a thermal printhead 80 ( to be described in fig5 ), which is positioned within the printer module 34 . the print medium 45 , including the labels 48 which have been printed on , exit through the front opening 42 ( see fig1 ). when the printer module 34 is latched to the motor drive module 36 , the side of the print medium to which the labels 48 are adhered , is forced against the thermal printhead 80 by the platen roller 53 . in order to accommodate a wide variety of print media , the pressure between the platen roller 53 and the printhead 80 is variably adjustable . fig3 is a perspective view of the thermal printer 20 of fig1 with the print medium path 38 being open . fig4 is a perspective view of the tracking section of the thermal printer 20 . the motor drive module 36 includes a stepper motor 51 having a shaft 52 with a drive gear 54 attached near its end . the stepper motor 51 is controlled by electrical circuitry contained in the first housing 22 . the electrical circuitry will be described subsequently . the drive gear 54 engages a large gear 56 which drives a pulley 58 . the pulley 58 engages a belt 60 which also passes over two equally - sized pulleys 62 and 64 . the pulley 62 is attached to the end of a platen shaft 66 which drives the platen roller 53 . the pulley 64 is attached to the end of a slew roller shaft 68 which supports a slew roller 70 . a pinch roller 72 , which is held by member 73 , can be caused to rotate about a pivot shaft 74 toward the slew roller 70 with the print medium therebetween . when this happens , any print medium 45 passing through the print medium path 38 will be driven toward the front opening 42 by the driven slew roller 70 . the speed at which the print medium is advanced toward the front opening 42 is governed by the rotational speed of the slew roller shaft 68 . the platen shaft 66 , which is driven at the same speed as the slew roller shaft 68 , causes the print medium to pass between the platen roller 46 and the thermal printhead 80 ( shown in fig5 ) at the same speed . when the thermal printer 20 is printing , the platen roller 53 moves the print medium 45 . otherwise , as will be seen , the platen roller 53 is not frictionally engaged with the print medium and the slew roller 70 working in conjunction with the pinch roller 72 advance the print medium through the thermal printer 20 . the motor drive module 36 also includes a guide mechanism 78 for guiding the backing material 46 through the print medium path 38 . it includes edge guides 79 which guide the edges 50 of the backing material 46 . fig5 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of an advancement mechanism 81 used with the thermal printer 20 of fig1 . the advancement mechanism 81 is placed below the guide mechanism 78 shown in fig3 and 4 . in the advancement mechanism 81 the printhead 80 pivots about a shaft 82 rotatably supported by a frame portion 83 of the printer module 34 . the shaft 82 has one end affixed to an arm 84 . accordingly , a clockwise movement of the arm 84 ( as viewed in fig5 ) rotates the shaft 82 clockwise and causes the printhead 80 to move toward the platen roller 53 . the printer module 34 is connected to the motor drive module 36 when the thermal printer 20 is in use by a latch 120 which pivots about a latch shaft 122 that is rotatably supported by a frame portion 37 of the motor drive module 36 . the latch 120 , which is driven by a mechanism ( not shown ) in the motor drive module 36 , engages a pin 124 which projects from the printer module 34 . when latched , the printhead 80 is moved so that it is engaged against the print medium 45 passing between the platen roller 53 and the printhead 80 . fig6 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of a guide mechanism for use with the invention . the mechanism includes a frame 130 having two arms 132 which are arranged parallel to one another to guide the backing material 46 received from the roll 40 through the print medium path 38 of the thermal printer 20 . a first pair of the edge guides 79 is attached to the frame 130 and a second pair of the edge guides 79 is attached to the ends of the arms 132 . the edge guides 79 engage the edges 50 of the 1 backing material 46 and keep the backing material properly located in the print medium path 38 . the thermal printer 20 uses a &# 34 ; center tracking &# 34 ; scheme which keeps the print medium 45 centered in the print medium path 38 regardless of the width of the print medium , which can range between 2 . 2 and 5 . 2 inches . the arms 132 are adjusted automatically to fit the width of the backing material 46 specified through the control panel 26 of the thermal printer 20 . the frame 130 is located in the motor drive module 36 above . it has an aperture 134 through which the pinch roller 72 can reach the backing material . an array of light - emitting diodes ( leds ) 136 is attached to one side of the frame 130 , and extends perpendicularly to one of the arms 132 to cast a substantially uniform beam of light upward from the frame 130 toward the print medium path 38 . preferably the leds 136 emit infrared ( ir ) light . if the print medium 45 is loaded in the print medium path 38 , the light cast by the array of leds 136 will strike the downward facing side of the backing material 46 . opposing the array of leds 136 is a fiber optic holder 138 , which holds an end portion of a flexible fiber optic 140 oriented perpendicularly to the array of leds 136 and a light receiving end of the fiber optic 140 facing toward the array to receive light it generates . the fiber optic holder 138 moves with the arm 132 to which it is attached . as noted above , the arm 132 moves laterally inward and outward to adjust to the width of the backing material 46 being used . the fiber optic 140 is held by the holder 138 so as to always be positioned inward of the adjacent edge 50 of the backing material 46 being guided through the print medium path 38 . therefore , depending upon the width of the backing material 46 , the light receiving end of the fiber optic 140 will always be opposite one of the leds in the array of leds 136 with the backing material 46 therebetween . the light collected by the end of the fiber optic 140 is directed to its other end 141 which is located opposite a conventional photodiode 225 which comprises part of a sensor 226 , shown in fig7 b and 8 . the photodiode is terminated in a selectable load resistance , as will be described subsequently the sensor 226 produces an electrical signal whose level depends upon the amount of light collected by the fiber optic 140 . this amount of light depends , in turn , upon whether the backing material 46 passing between the leds 136 and the fiber optic 140 has a label 48 attached thereto . this signal is sent to an analog - to - digital converter in the sensor 226 . the information in the resulting digital signal is processed by a conventionally programmed print engine microprocessor to measure the actual lengths of the labels 48 , the lengths of the gaps between the labels 48 , or other features relating to the spacing of the labels 48 along the print medium 45 , or even to sense the absence of the print medium 45 in the print medium path 38 . the components described above operate to detect changes in transmissivity between the print medium 45 above ( a gap ) and the print medium 45 with a label 48 adhered thereto . however , it will be understood by those skilled in the art that , while most labels 48 are somewhat transmissive , some could be opaque . in this case , the above - described components will still serve their functions well . it will also be understood by those skilled in the art that the same operation might be accomplished in some applications by placing the light source and the light detector in the same side of the backing as the print labels and detecting the changes in reflectivity as the labels pass by . it will also be understood by those skilled in the art that to accommodate for both the variation in the sensitivity of the components chosen to implement the functions of the present invention and the wide range of transmissivity ( or opacity ) of the print media , the sensor 226 requires a gain setting that can be varied . that is accomplished by choosing an appropriate load resistance for the photodiode 225 . as shown in fig8 the load resistance is comprised of the resistors 227a , 227b , 227c , and 227d . these resistors 227 can be grounded through activation of their associated open collector devices 229a , 229b , 229c , and 229d . if the values of resistance of the resistors 227 are chosen correctly , the load resistance that could be applied to the photodiode 225 could have 2 4 different values . this can be accomplished by causing each of the resistors 227 to have a resistance that differs from the resistance of the others by a factor that is an integral power of two . the open collector devices 229 ( which can be field effect transistors , open collector logic gates , etc .) are selectively activated , under software control , by the prior engine microprocessor 208 . with the above - described sensor 226 , the thermal printer 20 can be calibrated to account for the variations described above . this is accomplished by passing a particular print medium through the printer 20 in a special calibrate mode that can be chosen by a user . in this calibrate mode , each available gain of the sensor 226 will be tried and one selected . the gain that is selected is the one that results in the largest difference between readings of the a / d converter 231 for the backing only and the backing and label together . fig7 a - 7c comprise a block diagram of the electrical circuitry used with the guide mechanism of fig6 . the electrical circuitry includes a print engine microcomputer 202 and an image microcomputer 204 . the print engine microcomputer 202 is primarily responsible for controlling the movement of the print medium 45 and the thermal transfer ribbon ( if any ) through the print medium path 38 and supplying print timing commands to the printhead 80 . the image microcomputer 204 produces the images which are to be printed on the print medium . the print engine microcomputer 202 includes a print engine microprocessor 208 , a read - only memory ( rom ) 210 , an input interface 212 , and an output interface 214 . the rom 210 communicates with the print engine microprocessor 208 over bidirectional lines . the input interface 212 transmits input signals to the print engine microprocessor 208 and the print engine microprocessor 208 transmits output signals to the output interface 214 . the image microcomputer 204 includes an image microprocessor 216 . the print engine microprocessor 208 and the image microprocessor 216 both communicate over bidirectional lines with a shared random access memory ( ram ) 206 . in addition , the print engine microprocessor 208 communicates interrupt signals to the image microprocessor 216 and the image microprocessor 216 communicates interrupt signals to the print engine microprocessor 208 . through the output interface 214 , the print engine microprocessor 208 sends control signals to a ribbon take - up drive 218 , a ribbon supply drive 220 , a stepper motor drive 222 , and a head motor drive 224 . the stepper motor drive 222 produces appropriate drive signals and transmits them to the stepper motor 51 . movements of the print medium 45 caused by the stepper motor 50 are sensed by the sensor 226 which produces signals that are transmitted to the input interface 212 . the head motor drive 224 also produces appropriate signals and transmits them to the stepper motors 92 , 150 . movements of the printhead 80 caused by the stepper motor 92 , 150 are sensed by two sensors , the optical caliper detector 114 and a print module position sensor 228 . the optical caliper detector 114 transmits signals to the input interface 212 , indicating whether the printhead 80 is in the print mode or the idle mode . the print module position sensor 228 transmits signals to the input interface 212 , indicating whether the printer module 34 is disengaged from the motor drive module 36 . as indicated above , detailed illustrative embodiments are disclosed herein . however , other embodiments , which may be detailed rather differently from the disclosed embodiments , are possible . consequently , the specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are merely representative : yet in that regard , they are deemed to afford the best embodiments for the purposes of disclosure and to provide a basis for the claims herein , which define the scope of the present invention .
| 1 |
referring to fig1 a dc ( direct current ) line voltage is supplied to an led ( light - emitting diodes ) module 1 via line 11 . the led module 1 consists of a functional circuitry 10 , a pcb ( printed circuit board ) led light source array 12 and a safety circuitry 14 . the functional circuitry 10 includes an input power switch circuit 22 ( shown in fig2 ) that typically converts a + 10 vdc input voltage to an 100 ma output constant current for the red , white and yellow leds , and 60 ma for the green leds of the led light source array 12 . the safety circuitry 14 includes a fuse blow out circuit 30 and a led current detector circuit 38 ( shown in fig2 ) that monitors the led &# 39 ; s current and turns off permanently the input power switch circuit 22 ( see fig2 ) by blowing the fbo fuse when the leds current is typically below 20 % of its nominal value . the pcb led light source array 12 may be , for example , a matrix of high - brightness 5 mm leds configured for redundancy . as will be described further below , the current flowing in the leds is regulated by a psu &# 39 ; s ( power supply unit ) feedback loop providing constant light flow . the leds preferably form a pattern made of 4 columns ( one group of 4 leds connected in parallel ) by 22 rows ( 22 groups connected in series ) for the red leds , 4 × 33 for the yellow leds and 6 × 15 for the green and white leds . in case of an led failure in a group over the course of operation , the current is redistributed to the other leds of the same group and the signal maintains its light output . the leds are also more generally referred to in the present specification as light - emitting diode loads . various embodiments of led arrays can be used . these embodiments are well known to those of ordinary skill in the art and , accordingly , will not be further described in the present specification . referring now to fig2 the led module 1 may be made of 3 physical parts : the pcb led array 12 , a dummy load 16 and a pcb psu ( power supply unit ) 18 . the input line current is monitored by the system lod ( light out detection ) function that consists to check if the lamp is functional or not . in a preferred embodiment , the module 1 detects a light out if the input current is below a predetermined value . the psu 18 regulates the leds current in order to maintain constant light intensity . the power stage circuit 20 provides output constant power and assuming that the internal losses are almost constant for different input voltage conditions , it could be assumed that the input power delivered to the psu 18 is constant . having a constant input power , the line current amplitude is higher at 8 vdc and lower at 16 vdc . in terms of input impedance , the psu 18 has a negative slope resistance . a dummy load resistor 16 may be added across the input line to cancel out the negative slope effect of the psu &# 39 ; s input impedance . the input power switch circuit 22 isolates the dummy load when the psu 18 is off . the + 10 vdc input line voltage is fed to the psu pcb 18 via the connector j 3 . the connector j 3 provides also an interface connection to feed the + 10 vdc to the dummy load resistor 16 when the power switch circuit 22 turns on . the psu &# 39 ; s power stage circuit 20 converts the + 10 vdc to a constant current that flows in the leds 12 via the wiring cable 24 connected to connector j 1 and the led array pcb connector 26 . as shown in fig2 the psu 18 provides the following functions that will be described below : the connector j 3 is a 4 circuits connector that is used to mate the + 10 vdc voltage source and the dummy load wires with awg 16 wires , as shown in fig3 . the connectors j 2 and j 4 that are illustrated in fig3 are used only for testing the psu 18 during the manufacturing process to verify the main functions of the psu 18 . referring to fig2 and 3 , the protected input filter circuit 28 provides protection against the psu &# 39 ; s internal overload , input voltage reverse polarity and line voltage surges . the protected input filter circuit 28 filters the switching frequency of the power stage input current in order to meet fcc conducted and radiated fcc class a emc . referring to fig3 the fuse f 1 provides protection against overload greater than 2a . the power supply has a constant output current and that condition will occur only when a component fails short as described above . the diode d 1 provides protection against reverse polarity connection . the diode d 1 may be a mur420 diode having a current rating of 4a and can handle the input line current that can vary between 1 . 2 and 2a . the psu 18 may withstand a surge of 1000 volts 1 . 2 / 50 μs open circuit voltage and a 8 / 20 μs short circuit current surge having a source impedance of 2 ohms . the varistor v 1 clamps v in to 170v when subjected to these threats . the switching frequency of the power stage input current is filtered by l 1 and c 1 . measurements of the conducted and radiated emission show that the emc specifications are met . railroads safety issue requires a circuit to control the turn - on and turn - off of the led module 1 . the implementation of the input power switch circuit 22 of the psu 18 provides such protection against out of range low input voltage . the input power switch circuit 22 has a turn - on feature that monitors the input line voltage . the specifications typically require to turn on the light signal at 8 vdc and to turn it off at 4 vdc . the input power switch circuit 22 is therefore designed to turn on when the input line voltage exceeds 7 vdc and turns off below 5 . 5 vdc providing sufficient margins . referring to fig3 there is shown a combined protected input filter and input power switch circuit . the input power switch circuit 22 shown in fig2 is linked to the input voltage by a 125 ma fuse f 70 that is shown in fig3 . the fuse f 70 blows when a fbo ( fuse blow out ) command is enabled at line f 2 . that way the psu 18 will turn off and the cft ( cold filament test ) circuit 32 will detect a failure by the system &# 39 ; s controller as will be explained further below . also , to make sure that upon physical damage of the signal ( by bullet or other impact ) the input switch is kept off , a serpentine trace 42 ( shown in fig1 ) is added in series with fuse f 70 all around the psu 18 . this trace occupies a complete layer of a multi - layer pcb so that if a bullet penetrates the power supply pcb 18 or if the power supply &# 39 ; s pcb 18 is damaged , the trace 42 opens . this is equivalent as having the fuse f 70 blown and ensures detection of a dark signal in case of physical damage . referring to fig3 the function of diode d 70 is to prevent capacitor c 70 from discharging when the fbo command is activated at line f 2 . this occurs when fuse f 70 is shorted to ground . the energy bank of capacitor c 70 keeps mosfets q 70 and q 71 on long enough to blow fuse f 70 when the fbo circuit 30 is activated . the resistor r 70 provides the adequate time constant with capacitor c 70 to allow the fbo circuit 30 to open fuse f 70 when required . furthermore , the resistor r 70 limits the inrush current through fuse f 70 at turn - on . the mosfets q 70 and q 71 which act as a power switch provide the function of a solid state switch that isolates the power stage circuit 20 when the input voltage is below the input voltage range . the mosfets q 70 and q 71 turn on when the voltage at line 3 of comparator u 70 a reaches 1 . 225v and turns off when it is below it . diode d 71 is a 1 . 225v high precision voltage reference diode that is stable under temperature variations . resistor r 73 limits the bias current of diode d 71 . resistors r 71 and r 72 form the voltage divider that reduces down the input voltage to be compared to the voltage reference . the comparators u 70 a and u 70 b combined with the hysteresis resistor r 74 provide noise immunity against false triggering signals . diode d 75 forces line 1 of comparator u 70 a to low when comparator u 70 b reacts faster than comparator u 70 a . line 7 of comparator u 70 b provides the interface command of the mosfets q 70 and q 71 acting as the power switch . diodes d 71 , d 72 , d 73 and d 74 provide immunity against the varistor v 1 clamped voltage lightning surge . resistor r 77 limits the current when input line voltage surge occurs . referring to fig4 the led current detection circuit 38 disables the fbo , cft and start - up circuits 30 , 32 , 34 when the led current exceeds 20 % of its nominal value . if the led current does not reaches 20 % of i nom within 300 ms then the fbo circuit 30 blows out f 70 and the psu 18 turns off . in the current detection circuit 38 , the voltage sense v s ( the voltage across the current sense resistor ) is compared to a reference voltage . in normal operation , voltage sense v s is regulated at 2 . 5v and the reference voltage is set at 17 % of the nominal value . the 4 . 7v zener diode d 53 is biased by resistor r 57 from voltage v cc to provide voltage v ref and the voltage divider resistors r 58 and r 59 reduce voltage v ref to 0 . 43v or 17 % of nominal current i nom providing a margin of 3 %. voltage sense v s is applied at line 6 of comparator u 50 b ( inverted input ) and the 0 . 45v reference voltage at line 5 of comparator u 50 b ( non - inverted input ). at turn - on , voltage sense v s is 0v and the comparator output at line 7 of comparator u 50 b - 7 is floating ( lm2903 is an open collector comparator ) which enable the fbo , cft and start - up circuits 30 , 32 , 34 to operate . typically after 50 ms , voltage sense v s reaches 0 . 43v and line 7 of comparator u 50 b is shorted to ground to disable the fbo , cft and start - up circuits 30 , 32 , 34 . the time taken by voltage sense v s to reach 0 . 43v depends directly to the input line voltage amplitude , the amount of leds in series and the forward voltage of the leds . referring to fig5 the fuse blow out ( fbo ) circuit 30 forces the fuse f 70 to blow out when the led current is lower than 20 % of its nominal value . if that condition occurs , the link between voltage v in and the input power switch circuit 22 is permanently opened , as the mosfets q 70 and q 71 open and the psu 18 turns off . the led module 1 will then be unusable anymore and the system &# 39 ; s cft ( cold filament test ) circuit 32 detects a failure . a time delay circuit 40 has been implemented in order to provide enough time to the psu 18 to turn on ( 100 to 170 ms ) and sufficiently short to blow the fuse f 70 in a flashing mode ( 330 ms ). the time delay is obtained from the time constant given by resistors r 50 , r 51 and capacitor c 50 . capacitor c 50 ( 1 uf ) charges through resistor r 50 ( 523 k ) up to half v ref ( 2 . 4v ) and is fed to line 3 of comparator u 50 a via resistor r 53 . at turn - off , resistor r 51 provides a path to ground to discharge capacitor c 50 . in order to minimize the offset voltage of the comparator u 50 a , the resistance value of resistor r 52 matches the input impedance at line 3 of comparator u 50 a ( parallel combination of resistors r 53 and r 54 ). resistors r 53 and r 54 provide the comparator threshold voltage , at line 2 of comparator u 50 a , which matches 63 % of half v ref ( 1 . 5v ). capacitor c 50 being 1 μf , the time delay is easily computed by dividing the value of resistor r 53 by 2 where the result is in milliseconds ( 1 uf × 523 k / 2 = 262 ms ). at turn - on , capacitor c 50 charges only during 50 ms , typically , and is clamped by diode d 50 to ground by line 7 of comparator u 50 b when 20 % of led current i led is reached , as described above with regard to the led current detection circuit 38 . the clamping voltage is about 0 . 5v at 25 ° c . and will vary at hot and cold temperature . in case of a failure occurrence , where line 7 of comparator u 50 b is floating after turn - on , then capacitor c 50 starts charging from 0 . 5v toward 2 . 4v and reaches a 1 . 5v comparator threshold voltage faster but this does not cause any concern . line 1 of comparator u 50 a becomes floating when capacitor c 50 charges above 1 . 5v , voltage v cc is applied to the gate of the power mosfet q 50 via resistor r 55 , mosfet q 50 saturates pulling to ground diode d 55 , and the + 10 vdc input voltage appears across fuse f 70 and fuse f 70 blows out . in normal operation , line 7 of comparator u 50 b is shorted to ground , line 1 of comparator u 50 a maintains the mosfet &# 39 ; s q 50 gate to ground and the fbo command is disabled . diode d 54 limits the gate - source voltage of mosfet q 50 below its maximum limit of 20v . the purpose of diode d 55 is to isolate fuse f 70 from voltage v cc when the fbo circuit 30 is enabled . originally , the cold filament test ( cft ) has been incorporated to verify if the filament of the incandescent lamp is open or not . the system controller supplies the lamp for 2 ms and checks the lamp current . of course , 2 ms is too short for an incandescent lamp to radiate light and is sufficient to validate its status . the same test may be performed on the led module 1 to check it . when the system controller applies the input voltage to the psu 18 , the input power switch circuit 22 turns on and capacitor c 1 starts to charge up . the voltage across capacitor c 1 , v fl , is applied directly to the gate of mosfet q 60 via r 60 ( see fig6 ). typically , mosfet q 60 starts to conduct when v fl reaches 4 . 2v . v fl rises up to the + 10 vdc input line voltage . mosfet q 60 saturates and connects resistors r 61 and r 62 to ground providing 7 . 5 ohms across the + 10 vdc input line voltage . the system controller starts monitoring the led module &# 39 ; s input current after the application of the input voltage and the current must be greater than a pre - determined value , otherwise the test fails . the load current of the cft circuit 32 combined with the dummy load current and the inrush current of capacitor c 1 during turn - on provides the necessary current at 8 vdc . diode d 60 limits the gate - source voltage of mosfet q 60 below its maximum limit of 20v . in normal operation during turn - on , the cft circuit 32 stays enabled until 20 % of the led current is reached . then , line 7 of comparator u 50 b ( see fig4 ) goes low and the gate of mosfet q 60 is kept below the gate threshold voltage via diode d 52 disabling the cft circuit 32 . referring to fig7 the start - up circuit 34 that is shown in fig2 is a switch - mode boost converter that uses the voltage across capacitor c 1 , v fl , ( shown in fig3 ) to generate voltage v cc . the duty cycle is constant and set to get an output voltage of 15v for an input voltage of 7v . the pulse width modulator ( pwm ), u 1 ( shown in fig9 ), needs 15v to start up . the start - up circuit 34 stays enabled until 20 % of the led current is reached . the start - up circuit stops feeding v cc and lines 6 and 10 of transformer t 1 start feeding v cc via resistor r 49 and diode d 5 ( shown in fig9 ). the boost converter is fed from v fl and is made of inductor l 30 , mosfet q 30 , diode d 31 and capacitor c 3 . inductor l 30 builds energy in its core when mosfet q 30 is on and inductor l 30 transfers its energy to capacitor c 3 via diode d 31 when mosfet q 30 is off . mosfet q 30 is driven at a constant rate of 50 % provided by timer circuit u 30 and the voltage at capacitor c 3 is about twice v fl . line 3 of timer circuit u 30 , se555cn timer , works in the a stable mode where the duty cycle is set by resistors r 33 , r 34 and capacitor c 32 . the supply voltage at line 8 of timer circuit u 30 is limited to 14v by diode d 32 . voltage v fl could reach 36v for 80 ms . resistor r 31 is the bias resistor of diode d 32 . capacitor c 31 is a high frequency bypass capacitor used to filter the control voltage at line 5 of timer circuit u 30 . the reset at line 4 of timer circuit u 30 is kept high by the pull - up resistor r 32 to ensure the operation at line 3 of timer circuit u 30 . the start - up circuit 34 stays enabled until 20 % of the led current is reached . then , line 7 of comparator u 50 b ( shown in fig4 ) goes low pulling down to ground the reset pin at line 4 of timer circuit u 30 to disable line 3 of timer circuit u 30 . referring to fig8 the purpose of the quick - bleeder circuit 36 ( also shown in fig2 ) is to turn off faster the led module 1 . the bleeder circuit 36 uses a peak voltage detector to monitor the switching waveform voltage of transformer t 1 . at turn - off , the switching waveform voltage disappears and a 1 kohm resistor r 1 is shunted across the output capacitor c 7 to force capacitor c 7 to discharge faster . the auxiliary voltage , v aux , is a square waveform that is used to feed v cc via diode d 5 ( shown in fig7 ). capacitor c 6 charges up to v aux via resistor r 49 and diode d 8 . diode d 8 prevents capacitor c 6 from discharging when v aux is 0v . capacitor c 6 discharges slowly through resistor r 17 and transistor q 5 , based on a time constant established by capacitor c 6 and resistor r 17 . capacitor c 6 recharges at the beginning of each cycle of v aux . the saturation of transistor q 5 is maintained as long as the voltage across capacitor c 6 is sufficient to drive the base current such as the forced hfe is greater than 15 ( forced hfe = ic / ib ). the collector of transistor q 5 forces the gate of transistor q 4 to ground thus keeping transistor q 4 off . the led module turn - off command occurs when the system controller removes the + 10 vdc from the input voltage line . the input power switch circuit 22 turns off and the switching waveform voltage v aux stops when the energy of the input filter made of inductor l 1 and capacitor c 1 vanishes . capacitor c 6 stops recharging and discharges slowly toward 0v at a time rate of 100 μs . after 500 uμs , transistor q 5 turns off , the gate of transistor q 4 charges up to 14v , limited by diode d 9 , via resistor r 16 . transistor q 4 turns on when v gs exceeds 4 . 2v and resistor r 1 is pulled down to ground . capacitor c 7 discharges through the leds and resistor r 1 . without the use of the bleeder resistor r 1 , capacitor c 7 would discharge at a constant rate established by the characteristic v f − i f of the leds down to v f minimum . at v f minimum , i f is very small and capacitor c 7 would discharge even slower . the resultant would be that the leds would still emit light that would be detected by the eyes . resistor r 1 will force capacitor c 7 discharging down to 0v in a short period of time . referring to fig9 the boost power stage circuit 20 that is shown in fig2 is a switch - mode converter that transforms the + 10 vdc voltage across capacitor c 1 , v fl , to a constant output dc current to feed the leds . that way the leds emit constant light . a boost converter topology is used since the resultant voltage across the leds is 57v for 22 red leds , 75v for 33 yellow leds and 52v for 15 green leds . the pulse width modulator , u 1 , starts up when v cc exceeds 15v . the power stage is fed from v fl and is made of transformer t 1 ( primary winding inductance at lines 1 and 5 ), mosfet q 1 , diode d 7 , and capacitor c 7 . transformer t 1 ( at lines 1 and 5 ) builds energy in its core when mosfet q 1 is on and that energy is transferred to capacitor c 7 via diode d 7 when mosfet q 1 is off . mosfet q 1 is driven by line 7 of pwm u 1 where resistor r 8 limits the turn - on gate current . the pulse width modulator , u 1 , ( mc33262 ) does not have an oscillator but the operation frequency is determined by the power stage . the power stage is a peak detector current - mode boost converter that operates in critical conduction mode at a fixed on - time and variable off - time . the critical conduction mode is the boundary limit between the continuous and the discontinuous conduction mode of the power inductor current leading to stable current loop without the need of slope compensation . there is no switching loss at turn - on when using the critical mode . the off - time is determined when transformer t 1 is completely discharged . the voltage at transformer t 1 ( lines 10 and 6 ), v aux , is fed to line 5 of pwm u 1 via resistor r 5 . when the voltage at line 5 of pwm u 1 goes below 1 . 5v , pwm u 1 resets the drive output at line 7 of pwm u 1 and mosfet q 1 turns on . the switching power stage current is sensed by the parallel combination of resistors r 7 and r 9 . the on - time ends when the boost inductor current reaches a determined peak value . the boost inductor current is sensed by resistors r 7 and r 9 . the resultant sensed voltage is filtered by resistor r 6 and capacitor c 5 and fed to line 4 of pwm u 1 . the voltage at line 4 of pwm u 1 is compared to a voltage reference established by the product combination of the voltage at lines 2 and 3 of pwm u 1 . the power mosfet q 1 turns off when the voltage at u 1 - 4 exceeds the voltage reference . the voltage at u 1 - 3 is proportional to the input voltage v fl determined by the voltage divider made of resistors r 2 and r 3 thus allowing feedforward compensation for the input voltage variations . the voltage across the leds current sense resistor is fed to line 1 of pwm u 1 and internally inverted . that feedback voltage is available at line 2 of pwm u 1 where capacitor c 4 is used to compensate the loop . the leds current being constant , the peak current of transitor t 1 at lines 1 and 5 is directly proportional to the input voltage and the on - time remains constant . capacitor c 2 is a high frequency bypass capacitor used to filter the feedforward voltage at line 3 of pwm u 1 . diode d 10 clamps the voltage at − 0 . 2v to prevent false triggering . the power stage provides the feature to select the leds current using a shunt with s 1 . the current selection is : 40 ma , 60 ma , 80 ma , 100 ma and 120 ma . current sense resistors r 40 , r 41 , r 43 - r 47 are used to set the leds current at the predetermined value shown above . in normal operation , the voltage is regulated to 2 . 5v at line 1 of pwm u 1 and the current value is obtained by dividing 2 . 5v by the current sense resistor . resistor r 42 and capacitor c 8 is a low pass filter to attenuate the switching ripple across capacitor c 7 . although the present disclosure describes particular types of transistors in the different circuits shown in the figures , it should be kept in mind that these different types of transistors can be substituted or replaced by other available types of transistors . although preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail herein and illustrated in the accompanying drawings , it is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to this precise embodiment and that various changes and modifications may be effected therein without departing from the scope or spirit of the present invention .
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the present invention is based on the observation that some materials , such as , but not limited to metals , can be bound to a surface by a highly controllable way and , said materials , then can be used to trigger substantial release of energy on the surface when the surface and its content are exposed to em radiation , including , but is not limited to , microwave radiation . depending on the intensity of microwave radiation and properties of the surface and said material , the effect from release of the energy can vary from local over - heating of the surface to micro - explosion ( arcing ) and even ejecting substance from the surface . spatial size of the area on the surface affected by the release of em radiation energy might be significantly bigger than the size of the area initially covered by the material which has triggered the process . therefore , the change on the surface , which resulted from the release of em radiation energy , can be used to point out the location on the surface and quantitatively characterize the amount of said material to provide information about the primary process which bound radiation absorbing material to the surface . in particular , we have discovered that biomolecules , such as oligonucleotides or proteins , bound to a surface and tagged with metal particles can then be detected , and the location of the biomolecules on the surface can be identified by exposing the surface and its content to an electromagnetic radiation , and particularly , to microwave radiation , and more specifically , through the steps of : 1 . solid surface , on which analysis will be performed , first is prepared by covering or by painting the surface with a thin layer of a material ( paint ) with a distinguishable property , i . e ., either of an optical property , mechanical property , magnetic property , or chemical property . said surface might be a surface of a plate of glass , plastic , or any other material which does not have significant absorption of em radiation , which said radiation is used for treatment as described herein . said plate might have any shape and size including , but not limited to , the rectangular shape or might be shaped as a disk , similar to a computer compact disk ( cd ) or computer floppy disk . a microarray of probe oligonucleotide or proteins is prepared on said surface by binding the species to the surface the way it is described in the previous art , see , e . g ., gingeras , et al ., “ hybridization properties of immobilized nucleic acids ”, nucleic acids res ., 15 ( 13 ), 5373 - 5390 ( 1987 ); saiki et al , “ genetic analysis of amplified dna with immobilized sequence - specific oligonucleotide probes ”, proc . natl . acad . sci . usa ., 86 , 6230 - 6234 ( 1989 ); chee et al , “ accessing genetic information with high - density dna arrays ”, science , 274 , 5287 ( 1996 ); cheung et al , “ making and reading microarrays ”, nature genetics , 21 ( 1 ), 15 - 20 ( 1999 ); lipshutz et al , “ high density synthetic oligonucleotide arrays ”, nature genetics , 21 ( 1 ), 20 - 25 ( 1999 ). the cited art is hereby incorporated herein by reference so that the general procedures and methods in that art that are of use to practice of the present invention need not be rewritten herein . location on the surface of each specific type of probe is known and the location of the probe can be used to uniquely identify type of the specie , for example , based on its sequence in the case of oligonucleotide , or based on sequence and / or structure in the case of proteins . 2 . said surface with immobilized probes is exposed to solution of target species , which would be bound or hybridized to the probes on the surface if said target is complementary to the probe because of the primary sequence . ( for example , in the case of oligonucleotides , or structure , in the case of proteins .) the targets do not bound to the surface if they are not complementary to the probes on the surface , see , e . g ., dale ( 2000 ) u . s . pat . no . 6 , 087 , 112 ; hori et al ., ( 2001 ), u . s . pat . no . 6 , 194 , 148 ; fodor et al ., ( 2001 ) u . s . pat . no . 6 , 197 , 326 ; fodor et al ., ( 1992 ), pat . no . wo92 / 10588 ; virtanen , ( 1998 ), pat . no . wo98 / 01533 . the target species have the capability of attaching reporter molecules or particles through the reaction similar to biotin - streptavidin reaction , thioether linkage , or other methods of covalent or non - covalent molecule - surface binding known from the previous art , see , e . g ., forster et al , “ non - radioactive hybridization probes prepared by the chemical labeling of dna and rna with a novel reagent , photobiotin ”, nucleic acids research , 13 ( 3 ), 745 - 761 ( 1985 ); symons et al ., u . s . pat . no . 4 , 898 , 951 ; lavrich et al , “ physiosorption and chemisorption of alkanethiols and alkylsulfides on au ( 111 )”, princenton university , princeton , n . j . 08544 ; hegde et al ., “ a concise guide to cdna microarray analysis ”, biotechniques , 29 , 548 - 562 ( 2000 ) 3 . the targets , which were not bound or hybridized to the probes on the surface during step 2 , are washed away and the surface and bound species are exposed to the solution of reporter material , either molecules or particles , including either micro - or nano - meter size particles . the material for the reporter species is chosen from a set of materials which can efficiently interact and / or absorb electromagnetic radiation . such materials might include , but are not limited to , pure metals , metal alloys , metal compounds , semiconductors , etc . the reporter particles are attached to the surface in locations where target and probe have been bound or hybridized . 4 . when necessary , the surface with immobilized tagging particles can be additionally treated by confining said surface substrate between two smooth solid surfaces ( casts ) and by applying pressure to the casts of usually not less than 10 5 pa , which of capable to squeeze said substrate and the tagging particles on said substrate surface to the degree when the tagging particles would penetrate or immerse into the sensitive layer of said substrate . such treatment can improve the mechanical contact between tagging particles and solid substrate . 5 . substrate with species on its surface tagged by the reporter is placed for treatment into a microwave oven similar or identical to a consumer microwave oven . equally acceptable , said substrate can be treated by any other source of electromagnetic radiation , including , but is not limited to a source of coherent laser radiation , whereby said source is capable to produce radiation which can be absorbed / dissipated by tagging particles . next , the sample is exposed to an electromagnetic radiation . the exposure time can vary from seconds to minutes depending on which property of the substrate and reporter particles is used . extensive release energy of em radiation in the spots modifies or damages the underlying layer of the substrate , which was sensitized as was described in the step 1 . the size of the area where the substrate coverage was affected by em radiation might be significantly bigger than the area originally covered by a reporter material . this , in fact , increases visibility of the small amount of reporter material on the surface and makes it possible to detect the location on the surface and measure the quantity of the reporter material . since the reporter material would be allocated only in spots where probe and target were bound or hybridized , the modification of the substrate surface by em radiation indicates the spots where the probe is complimentary to the target . therefore the sequence or structural information about target can be obtained for dna and protein microarrays respectively . 6 . yet in the another embodiment of the invention , we discovered that the solid surface , on which analysis will be performed , first can be covered or painted by a thin layer of a magnetic paint , which is similar or identical to one used in manufacturing computer floppy disks , see , e . g ., j . u . lemke , “ magnetic storage : principles and trends ”, mrs bulletin , march 1990 , pp . 31 - 35 ; m . p . sharrock , “ particulate recording media ”, mrs bulletin , march 1990 , pp . 53 - 61 ; and j . h . judy , “ thin film recording media ”, mrs bulletin , march 1990 , pp . 63 - 72 . said surface might be a plastic disk similar or identical to a computer floppy disk . before performing steps 2 - 4 as described above for obtaining sequence or structural information on target moieties , the surface of the disk can be magnetized or special magnetic pattern can be recorded on the disk essentially through the same steps used for recording digital information on floppy disks . then steps 2 - 4 can be pursued as described herein . release of em energy on the surface of the magnetic paint can destroy the magnetic pattern recorded on the disk , either because of producing mechanical damage of the surface or because of demagnetizing the magnetic material in the spots where reporter material was bound to the surface . we would like point out here that magnetizing and demagnetizing magnetic material in the spots due to rising temperature is known , for example , from technology of magneto - optical computer disks , or from the approach of “ thermo - coping ” magnetic audio and video records when chromium based magnetic media is used . the condition of the magnetic layer and magnetized pattern can be analyzed by reading back the magnetic pattern and by comparing what was read with what was recorded at the same spot on the disk . read errors , i . e ., the discrepancy in the pattern read versus the pattern that has been written , would indicate the spots where the reporter material was bound to the surface , and thus , would indicate the location where probe and target were hybridized . it is essential that in this embodiment of the invention the target - probe bond or hybridization can be detected even when the underlying array &# 39 ; s surface stays mechanically intact . the hybridization events still can be detected because of complete or partial destruction of the magnetic pattern on the array &# 39 ; s surface . 7 . yet in the another embodiment of the invention , we also discovered that the solid surface , on which analysis will be performed , first can be covered or painted with a concentric pattern of tracks in a way very similar or identical to that used for manufacturing of a recordable compact disk ( cd ). said surface might be a plastic disk similar or identical to a computer compact disk ( cd ). before performing steps 2 - 4 as described above for obtaining sequence or structural information of the target moieties , an optical properties of the tracks on the surface can be modified by burning a pattern , which is performed similar or identical to the way information is written to computer compact disk ( cd ). then steps 2 - 4 can be pursued as described above dissipation of electromagnetic energy on the surface of the paint can destroy the tracks and the pattern burned on the disk mainly by means of producing mechanical damage or because of modifying optical properties of the paint in the spots where reporter material was bound to the surface . the condition of the tracks and recorded pattern can be analyzed by reading back the pattern and by comparing what was read with what was recorded at the same spot on the disk . read errors , i . e ., the discrepancy of the pattern read versus the pattern that has been written , would indicate the spots where the reporter material was bound to the surface , and thus , would indicate the location where probe and target moieties were hybridized . 8 . yet in another embodiment of the invention , we found the steps 2 - 4 can be pursued using a plate , referred as a reaction plate , with a surface which was not treated as described in step 1 . to detect spots where probe and target were bound or hybridized and where the reporter material was bound to the surface plate , the reaction plate after pursuing step 4 is placed in close mechanical contact with another plate , referred as witness plate , which was treated as described in the step 1 above , but which did not go through the step 2 - 4 . the assembly of the reaction and witness plates then is put for treatment by a source of em radiation , such as , for example , a microwave oven . extensive release energy of em radiation in the spots where the reporter material is bound to the surface of the reaction plate modifies or damages the layer of paint of the witness plate , which is in close mechanical contact with the reaction plate . therefore , the procedure enables transfer of the pattern from the reaction plate with the spots of the reporter material onto the surface of the witness plate . later the witness plate can be analyzed to find out spots where the probe and target moieties were hybridized on the reaction plate . an important aspect of this embodiment of the invention is that two different plates are used for monitoring binding or hybridization , such that the surface of one plate , the reaction plate , can be optimized for attachment probes and for hybridization , and the surface of the another plate , the witness plate , can be optimized for efficient detection of a small amount of the reporter material . the monitoring of the witness plate can be done using the techniques including , but not limited to , magnetic or optical detection as known from the previous art and was disclosed herein . the following section presents particular examples of implementation of the system covered by this invention . however , possible design of the system is not limited to these particular examples . the disclosure presented herein enables one of average skill in the art to practice the present invention in many different forms to achieve a desired analyte or particle detection capability to suit many others diagnostic assay format types , and apparatus types . different types of inexpensive apparatus and test kits can be made by practice of the invention in one form or another to suit a specific analytic diagnostic need . an objective of this particular example is to overcome some current limitation of sensitivity and selectivity of dna microarrays . in this example , highly sensitive detection of dna hybridization on a surface can be achieved by amplifying a small change of a local property of the surface at the spot where hybridization has occurred . the array surface can be monitored and hybridization on the surface can be qualitatively and quantitatively characterized by using inexpensive and highly developed technology based on an optical reader similar to a computer cd reader . for an outline of relevant prior art see , e . g ., wang et al , ( 1999 ), u . s . pat . no . 5 , 922 , 617 ; adelman , ( 1997 ), u . s . pat . no . 5 , 656 , 429 ; virtanen , ( 2001 ), u . s . pat . no . 6 , 200 , 755 ; gordon et al ., ( 1996 ), pat . no . wo96 / 09548 ; demers , ( 1998 ), pat . no . wo98 / 12559 ; virtanen , ( 1998 ), pat . no . wo98 / 38510 ; and remacle , ( 1999 ), pat . no . wo99 / 35399 . by using approach disclosed in our present invention the sensitivity of detection of biopolymer molecules can he further improved versus approaches and techniques known from the previous art . an overview of steps for preparing the surface of a cd microarray for hybridization detection and using em radiation treatment for enhancing detection sensitivity are presented in steps illustrated in fig1 - 5 . more details are described as follows : a . a writable cd is used as a substrate for preparing dna array . the cd surface is covered by a thin layer of a “ witness ” material , i . e , a layer of water - non - soluble dye which has strong optical absorption for detection . the witness material can cover the surface uniformly , or it can be deposited with a pattern of concentric tracks on a disk surface depending on the kind of equipment used to analyze the surface . b . as illustrated in fig2 probes are immobilized on small spots of the surface , such that each spot contains probes with a specific sequence and the location on the surface of each particular probe is known ( see fig2 ). a number of methods and commercial kits are available to link dna to the surface . as an example , in the protocol from brown lab of stanford university , the array surface is first covered by polylysine , following with rehydration , printing probes and uv crosslinking . some other protocols include aldehyde coating for the direct attachment of dna to the surface , and using epoxysilynated surfaces to tether dna containing amino linkages at its termini . c . before performing hybridization with probes , genomic target dnas or pcr products are labeled with biotin . it is equally acceptable to use either terminal biotin labeling during the pcr process or the photoactivable form of biotin for covalent attachment to nucleic acids as described by forster et al , “ non - radioactive hybridization probes prepared by the chemical labeling of dna and rna with a novel reagent , photobiotin ”, nucleic acids research , 13 ( 3 ), 745 - 761 ( 1985 ); see also symons et al ., u . s . pat . no . 4 , 898 , 951 . once the target dna is prepared , the array surface is exposed to the solution of the biotinylated target dna . then target and probe molecules are hybridized on spots where probe and target have complementary sequence as illustrated in fig3 . d . array surface is exposed to a colloid solution of streptavidin coated metal particles . micro - size metal particles with streptavidin on the surface are currently commercially available from a few vendors . during this step , metal particles are attached to the array &# 39 ; s surface on spots where probes and biotinylated targets are hybridized . ( see fig4 ) to remove non - specifically hybridized molecules , the array can be washed at the temperature just 1 - 2 degrees below the optimal stringency temperature . this step is expected to be especially efficient for metal tagged hybridized complexes . it was discovered recently , tagging by a metal alters the melting profiles of the hybridized probe and target dnas , see , e . g ., taton et al , scanometric dna array detetction with nanoparticle probes ”, science , 289 , 1757 - 1760 ( 2000 ) and references herein . the difference permits better discrimination between perfectly matched and mismatched hybridization and therefore provides a unique opportunity to improve selectivity . attachment of metal particles to hybridized dna complexes provide advantages in delivering a desirable amount of reporter material per single dna complex , as compared with conventional fluorescent tagging . indeed , consideration of mechanical strength of the probe - target pair indicates that even single complex is able to anchor a 1 um size particle on the array surface . the amount of tagging material can be of 7 × 10 − 12 g versus the mass of a single fluorescent molecule of 2 × 10 − 22 g . when metal particles immobilized on dielectric substrate are exposed to em radiation , and particularly to microwave radiation , the energy absorbed by metal particles can be significantly higher than the em energy absorbed and released by a dielectric substrate . fast energy release in metal causes its overheating and explosive evaporation which “ bums ” and damages the surface area much bigger than the area originally covered by a metal . fig5 , and 7 illustrate this process schematically and fig9 shows that the em radiation heating can produce the mark from the sample on one plate to the other . fig1 a , b shows a photograph of the actual effect of microwave radiation on the spot covered by gold particles . fig1 a shows the spot covered by gold particles deposited on the substrate by drying colloid solution of 25 nm size particles . a total amount of gold in the spot in fig1 a can be estimated as 10 − 8 g . the particles have effectively covered an area of 1000 sq . um , thus the density of the gold coverage is estimated as 10 − 11 g / sq . um . the substrate was then exposed to microwave radiation ; the volume density of radiation in the microwave cavity was 10 kw / m 3 . the exposure time was of 10 sec . fig9 b shows the picture of the surface taken after the surface was exposed by microwave radiation . marks in fig9 b indicate damage spots were found only in the area covered by gold particles . the initial size of “ nucleus ” where explosive evaporation have occur can be estimated as about 1 sq . um , and therefore the amount of metal material required for easily detectable damage on the surface at the present experimental condition is of 10 − 11 g . in this experiment 25 nm gold particles were used to deposit gold material on the surface . the mass of an individual colloid particle estimated from its size and the density of gold is 25 nm × 25 nm × 25 nm × 12 . 500 g / cm 3 = 10 − 16 g , and one can estimate that the number of gold particles in a single cluster which initiated the damage on the surface is about 3 × 10 5 . this number corresponds to the number of dna molecules in the local spot on the surface to be detected . the amount is equal to about 0 . 0005 femto mole . this sensitivity is two to three orders of magnitude better than fluorescence detection of dna and also significantly more sensitive than radioactive tagging method . further increase of sensitivity can be achieved by increasing the intensity of the microwave radiation and by increasing the size of the metal particle used for tagging . we expect that optimization of the experimental condition can increase the sensitivity by another one to two order of magnitude , compared with what has been presented here . in principle , there is a potential to even detect single dna hybridization . with the improvement of sensitivity , the use of pcr may not be needed . it will save significant time for dna analysis . it can also be used to probe genomic dnas . to make microarray reading less expensive and easy to use in the field , in this particular example of implementation of the invention , we will take the benefit of know - how developed in the computer field to prepare dna array on disks similar to optical compact disk ( cd ) and use a commercial computer cd drive as a platform for reading the array . preparation and use of a standard cd disk in such an experiment is illustrated in fig1 . a standard commercial recordable cd - r is a plastic 5 ″ disk assembled as a sandwich of polycarbonate substrate with dye recording layer , reflective metallic film , and protective layers on top of it . information is recorded on cd - r using a laser to burn pits in the organic dye . photochemical decomposition of dye on the surface of the disk produced during the recording phase changes optical properties . it can be detected and read during the reading phase , when the laser beam is tightly focused onto the recording surface of the disk which is in contact with the reflective layer . to use a standard commercial disk as a substrate for dna array , the protective layer needs to be removed as shown in fig1 to provide access to the recording surface of the disk . the surface then can be treated and the dna probe can be attached to the surface using known dna &# 39 ; s microarrays protocols . after hybridization and tagging dna with metal particles , the disk is exposed to microwave radiation , which causes explosive evaporation of the metal clusters on the surface and produces damage of the organic dye on the recording surface that is very similar the way a laser produces photo - chemical decomposition of dye during the recording phase . the disk can be read by a standard cd reader and the area where probe and metal attached target dna hybridized will be recognized because of the change of the optical property of the disk . the reading noise can be reduced significantly if , before using the cd for dna detection , the disk is formatted by recording a reference pattern using a standard cd writer . the pattern recorded on disk might be a file , for example , with a continuous set of 0 and 1 : 01010101 . . . the pattern provides a reference set for the comparison of what was written and what was actually read from the same spatial location on the disk . read errors are generated in spots where recording media was damaged by explosive evaporation of metal particles . the errors mark spots where probe and target dna were hybridized . fig1 shows a snapshot of a computer screen using our experimental system to analyze the surface of recording media . the top view window shows an analog signal acquired from an individual track of the disk and the bottom view window shows a map representation of 1 cm × 1 cm area of the disk with spots marking the surface on the disk where recording error was detected . the spots in the bottom view window in fig1 marks defects on the disk , which were created by directly depositing non - magnetic metal material on the disk &# 39 ; s surface . similar approach and system can be used to analyze surface of the magnetic media , such as magnetic diskette , where said media and its surface can be used to carry an array of probes for hybridization analysis .
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the invention will be more fully and completely discussed and understood with reference to the following drawings : fig1 is a side view of a cushion constructed in accordance with the prior art ; fig2 is a cross - section of a cushion constructed in accordance with the present invention ; fig3 a - 3c show in cross - section a number of typical convoluting patterns which may be employed in practicing my invention . in the construction of the fiberfill wrapped cushions of the prior art , as shown in fig1 a rectilinear foam core 10 , is wrapped with a batt of non - woven fibers 11 , the ends of which are joined at 12 by stitching or adhesive , or are merely overlapped . in the practice of the invention foam blocks of the desired pre - determined dimensions are passed through conventional apparatus to provide blocks which have a convoluted upper surface and a smooth back surface . these blocks are then cut to produce a core of a size suitable to obtain the desired outer dimensions of the pillow , sofa or chair seat or back cushion . as shown in fig2 a pair of these convoluted blocks 21 and 22 are then put together back - to - back leaving the convoluted faces exposed , and then wrapped with a quantity of resilient non - woven fibrous material 23 which is sufficient to provide the desired exterior contour and fullness to the finished upholstered cushion product . if desired for reasons of foam material availability or the need to produce cushions of unusually large thickness an additional foam block having flat surfaces can be inserted between the two convoluted blocks . the blocks can be cemented together with a suitable adhesive in order to facilitate their subsequent handling and wrapping . suitable adhesives are known in the art and include organic solutions or aqueous emulsions of rubber , polyvinyl chloride , polyvinyl acetate and their copolymers ; polyurethanes , acrylates , starches ; proteins and 100 % ( neat ) adhesives such as hot melts from polyamides or from ethylene - vinyl acetate copolymers . the types of resilient flexible foam material which are in use in the furniture and bedding manufacturing industry , and which are suitable for use in producing the convoluted foam cores of the invention include latex foam rubber , polyurethane foam , both polyester and polyether , and vinyl foams . because of its ready availability from numerous sources , relative economy and its desirable properties , a polyester polyurethane type of foam is preferred in the practice of the invention . the depth of the convolutions in the outer surfaces of the foam core are determined at least in part by the thickness of the individual pieces making up the cushion . for ease and economy of manufacture and fabrication the thickness of each piece of smooth - backed convoluted foam will be one - half of the overall foam thickness desired . thus , if the cushion is to contain a foam core of a nominal thickness of five and one - half inches each piece will measure two and three - quarter inches from the top of the foam lands to the smooth back . satisfactory results have been obtained with convolutions ranging in depth from 17 % to 80 % of the total thickness of the foam core . the preferred range for cushions having an overall thickness of from five to six inches is to provide convolutions having a depth in the range of from 25 % to 75 %. although any of the various patterns for the convoluted foam surface shown in fig3 are suitable for use in the practice of the invention those of 3b and 3c are preferred as having geometrically uniform patterns without regard to the orientation of the cushion face . various soft non - woven fibrous materials exhibiting high loft , such as the polyester material sold under the trademark dacron 91 by the dupont company , are especially useful in the practice of the invention . because of its popularity and widespread availability of polyester fiberfill to the united states furniture industry , the examples described below have been directed to the use of this particular product . however , as will be apparent to anyone possessing any degree of skill in this art , any number of other similar non - woven , high loft fibrous products such as nylon , rayon , cellulose acetate and the like which have comparable properties can be substituted . the polyester fiberfill batting used for wrapping the convoluted foam core should give good loft and bulk support with a mimimum of weight . to maintain the integrity of the non - woven fibers for use and handling the batts are commercially sold either in bonded form , using a resin , or are sewn to a light - weight cloth cover . sewn batting commonly employs cheesecloth on one or both sides of the fiberfill and costs substantially more than the unsewn batting . while the fiberfill batting of the bonded or unsewn type , or either of the sewn types can be used in the practice of the invention , the unsewn material is preferred for reasons of economy . the quantity of non - woven resilient fibrous material to be applied about the resilient flexible foam block will be readily apparent to one skilled in the art or can be determined without undue experimentation , as that quantity which is necessary when put into the pillow covering or upholstery material to provide a tailored look and the desired fullness to the finished article . batts of polyester fiberfill material are commercially available in uncompressed thickness of from about one - half to three inches . in the practice of the invention , a polyester fiberfill batt ranging in thickness from one to two inches is preferred . a satisfactory density for the one - inch material is approximately 3 / 4 of an ounce per square foot . the fiberfill batt 23 shown in fig2 can be wrapped about the convoluted surfaces of the foam core in a single layer of the desired thickness , or multiple layers can be wrapped to build up to the desired thickness . where at least one outer layer of cheesecloth is sewn to the batting this can be hand - stitched at 24 following wrapping to facilitate further handling of the cushion , and its stuffing into the final cover . as an alternative to stitching , the ends of the batting can be butted together as shown in fig2 and joined with a suitable adhesive . this type of butt seam is preferably located along one of the edges of the core rather than on a convoluted surface . the principal advantages to be achieved from the invention is a cushion which has superior softness and comfort , which maintains its luxurious appearance during a longer period of use and which is much more economical to produce than either cushions containing fiberfill alone , or those containing a smooth foam core wrapped with fiberfill batting . it is believed that these advantages are obtained in the novel construction of the invention as a result of the interaction between the non - woven fiberfill and the peaks and valleys of the convoluted surface of the foam core . the convoluted surface has the ability to hold the non - woven fibers batting in place and prevent slipping and sagging . it also provides in conjunction with the fiberfill , a surface area that combines a close and gradually varying pattern of supporting regions with pockets of the softer material . various combinations of plain and convoluted resilient flexible foam cores wrapped with resilient non - woven fibrous batts were constructed and subjectively tested for appearance and comfort , but none was found to provide the superior performance as that of the present invention . in order to obtain subjective criteria for the purposes of comparing various cushion constructions , samples are prepared by cutting 20 &# 34 ; by 20 &# 34 ; blocks from the same ether - based flexible polyurethane foam material and wrapping each with a single one - inch thickness of non - woven polyester fiberfill batting having a density of 3 / 4 ounce per square foot . the ends of the batting are joined with adhesive and without overlapping . the samples are of the following constructions : sample 2 : foam 51 / 2 inches thick convoluted one side only , pattern 3b of fig3 . sample 3 : foam 23 / 4 &# 34 ; thick two pieces back - to - back , convoluted back and front , pattern 3b of fig3 . sample 4 : two pieces 23 / 4 &# 34 ; thick single convoluted foam , peaks in same direction , pattern 3b . sample 5 : same two pieces as in sample 4 with peaks meshed into other &# 39 ; s valleys , ( i . e . nested ). when the above samples were laid flat and gradually compressed against a firm surface by hand , sample 1 feels least comfortable because the initial softness is quickly replaced by a feeling of firmness so that if hand pressure is applied quickly and forcefully , all that is felt is firmness , substantially as though the foam were not wrapped with any fiberfill batting . product of sample 5 substantially duplicates the feel of sample 1 . when the product of sample 2 is tested with peaks toward the pressing hand , the initial sensation of softness tends to last longer as the hand gradually presses down and a sensation of firmness does not come as quickly when the hand presses down either gradually or forcefully . when product of sample 2 is tested with peaks pointed toward a flat unyielding surface , a wobbly sensation is felt rather than one of comfort . the wobbly feeling and lack of either comfort or firmness are even stronger when the product of sample 4 is tested ( with both sets of peaks simultaneously pointed in the same direction ) regardless of whether they are pointed up or down . product of sample 3 , which can be tested from either side , gives better initial softness than any of the others , a richer feeling of comfort as the hand comes down and no hardness to the firming as the hand comes down forcefully . a further subjective comparison is made between sample cushions measuring 20 &# 34 ; by 20 &# 34 ; constructed as follows : sample 6 : laminate of 1 - inch thick unconvoluted supersoft polyester urethane foam to 3 - inch thickness of foam of earlier examples using no batting . sample 7 : two pieces of convoluted foam each 2 &# 34 ; thick back - to - back , patterns 3a in fig3 no batting . sample 8 : same as sample 7 but wrapped with a single 2 &# 34 ; thickness of polyester fiberfill batting . despite the fact that the product of sample 8 is far more massive than the other two , it produces a much softer feel for a longer period of time as additional pressure is applied to it so that even when the cushion is forcefully hand compressed there was no final &# 34 ; bottoming out &# 34 ; felt .
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it must be noted that as used herein and in the appended claims , the singular forms “ a ”, “ an ”, and “ the ” include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise . thus , for example , reference to “ a compound ” includes a plurality of compounds . unless defined otherwise , 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 belongs . as used herein the following terms have the following meanings . the term “ about ” when used before a numerical designation , e . g ., temperature , time , amount , concentration , and such other , including a range , indicates approximations which may vary by (+) or (−) 10 %, 5 % or 1 %, or any subrange or subvalue there between . “ comprising ” or “ comprises ” is intended to mean that the compositions and methods include the recited elements , but not excluding others . “ consisting essentially of ” when used to define compositions and methods , shall mean excluding other elements of any essential significance to the combination for the stated purpose . thus , a device or method consisting essentially of the elements as defined herein would not exclude other materials or steps that do not materially affect the basic and novel characteristic ( s ) of the claimed invention . “ consisting of ” shall mean excluding more than trace elements of other ingredients and substantial method steps . embodiments defined by each of these transition terms are within the scope of this invention . one aspect of the invention is described in further detail below with reference to the drawings . as shown in fig1 , a fast high - pressure syngas sampling apparatus , comprising a main gas line 1 , a sample container 3 filled with liquid and sample tube 6 , a closed circuit of bypass gas line 11 is coupled with the main gas line 1 . the upper end of the sample tube 6 is connected with bypass gas line 11 , the sampling tube 6 extends into the inside of the sample container 3 , on top of the sampling container 3 is gas outlet pipe 23 . a gas distributor 5 is attached to the bottom of the sampling tube 6 , syngas flows through the gas distributor thus dispersing more evenly into the liquid . the gas outlet pipe 23 is connected with the pressure regulator 12 and a low pressure orifice 13 . the pressure regulator regulates the cooled sample gas pressure and keep it stable for analytical sampling , the low pressure orifice prevents sudden gas flow increases which would otherwise result in the loss of liquid entrainment . low pressure clean syngas passes through the pressure regulator and flows at higher velocity at low pressure to analytical instruments house for various syngas components analysis . a high pressure limiting orifice 10 is attached to the upper part of the sampling tube 6 . sample bypass line 11 is provided on the particulate filter 11 a , the upper end of sampling tube 6 is connected to the particulate filter . syngas from sampling the bypass line flows through the particulate filter and high pressure limiting orifice before entering the sampling container . particulate filters are used to filter out large particles in the syngas . the upper narrowed neck section of the sampling container 3 has a built - in demister 9 , the cooled syngas passes through the demister before leaving the sample container top . in addition , the sampling container 3 is also provided with an overflow pipe 18 . the lower part of the overflow pipe 18 is connected to the lower portion of the sample container 3 . the upper end of the overflow pipe 18 is connected to the upper portion of the sample container . a manual drain valve 19 is also attached to the overflow pipe 18 . the overflow pipe 18 is connected to the drain pipe 24 , the drain pipe 24 is also equipped with a solution chamber 15 which features a liquid - repellent seat 17 with drainage holes . the solution chamber 15 is equipped with a float ball 14 , which is connected to the liquid - repellent part 16 , the part 16 matches with liquid - repellent seat 17 . the drain pipe 24 communicates with the main gas line . if sample container becomes too full the liquid will be discharged through the overflow pipe into the drain pipe . as the solution level of liquid chamber rises , the float moves up , which drive the valve resulting in liquid being discharged through the valve opening into the main gas line . as the solution level in drain pipe is reduced , the float drops down and the valve returns back to being a small opening or closed . in addition , the bottom of the sample container is provided with blowdown pipe , with upper valve 21 and the lower valve 22 , and with a liquid supplement pipe between the valves . any unclean liquid and / or solid in the sampling container can be discharged via the blow down pipe . wherein the syngas contains a small amount of fine dust , the dust will also be sampled into the sample container in contact with the liquid , any dust is washed to the bottom of the sample container the two valves of blowdown pipe will exclude the possibility of solids in the sample container . by using the blowdown pipe and two valves in cyclic mode , any sludge at the bottom of the container is discharged to the main gas pipeline . during normal operation , the upper valve opens and the blowdown volume is filled with sludge , after a certain period of time , the upper valve is turned off and the bottom valve opened , the whole volume of water and sludge is discharged , then the bottom valve is closed . a supplemental water line is used to fill the blowdown volume , the water line is then closed , and the top valve opened to begin a new cycle . in most cases , together with the condensate overflowing , the overflow pipe may withdraw the most part of sludge collected in the sample container . the sample container 3 has a sidewall cooling device , the cooling device can be an air or water cooler . the cooler maintains the container liquid temperature to prevent any temperature rise due to contact with the hot gases . since the gas flow rate is small , about 5 ˜ 20 l / min , while the volume of the liquid container is large , the applicable temperature of sample gas source may be higher , the hot gas may sampled without the need for additional cooling treatment . gas temperature suitable for sampling is about 50 ˜ 750 ° c ., as long as the piping material is configured appropriate temperature may also be higher . the syngas source pressure may be about 0 . 2 ˜ 10 mpa . in addition , the sample container 3 has a level display meter 4 , a pressure gauge 7 and a thermometer 8 . the level display meter provides a real - time view into the level of organic absorbents and condensate water . the pressure gauge and thermometer , provide real - time working pressure and fluid temperature measurements . typically the liquid in sample container is filled with absorbent such as diesel and other organic additives , the liquid in the container is filled as full as possible . absorbents such as diesel after prolonged use need regular ( eg weekly ) replacement and replenishing . since the density of absorbent diesel is lower than the density of water the diesel remains in the upper layer of the sampling container , while the water forms the lower layer . a portion of the syngas from the main flow line is side lined through a bypass line , a small fraction of syngas is sampled and flows through the particulate filter and high pressure limiting orifice into the inner sampling tube , then into the sample container . the syngas sample is cooled while in direct contact with liquid in the vessel , water vapor contained in the gas sample is condensed into water , potential polyaromatic hydrocarbons are liquefied or solidified . for example , benzene liquefies , while larger molecules such as naphthalene , phenanthrene condense out and under normal conditions becomes crystalline , but because of their solubility in absorbents such as diesel in cold condition , organic components such as these polyaromatic hydrocarbons dissolved in diesel to form a homogeneous liquid . the diesel absorbent has significantly lower density than water , therefore the diesel and organic components remain located in the top of the container , whilst the water stays in the lower lay . in the general case , the syngas has condensable organics content about 0 . 1 to 2 %, and the water vapor content can be about 2 % to 50 %. with gas sampling , an increase in the organic content in diesel is slow , while the condensed water is accumulated relatively quickly . by using the overflow mechanism automatically , the condensed water from vessel low layer is exported outside the sampling container , so as the liquid level within the sample container remains unchanged . condensate drained from the sampling system returns to the syngas main line . potential dust contained in the syngas sample is washed out and removed from vessel together with condensate draining . in the sampling vessel , the syngas is cooled by the liquid , it then rises to the top of the sample container , the demister provides gas - liquid separation , then the synthesis gas passes through the pressure regulator and the pressure is controlled to ensure stable pressure for the analytical instruments used . the low pressure gas line orifice prevents sudden gas flow increases , which may result in the loss of liquid entrainment . low pressure clean synthesis gas flows at higher velocity through the pipeline to gas analyzer for composition analysis . the sampling device may be used at high pressure or low pressure . when the source gas is dust free , the high pressure flow restriction orifice is used to let down pressure , then the sampling device is preferably operated at low pressure , which even further facilitates the reduction of sampling time . when the source gas contains dust , the dust laden gas is allowed to enter the sampling device . in this case , sampling device is preferably used at high pressure by using pressure regulator to prevent any drop in pressure . it is to be understood that this invention is not limited to particular embodiments described , as such may , of course , vary . it is also to be understood that the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only , and is not intended to be limiting , since the scope of this invention will be limited only by the appended claims .
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the numerals 1 , 2 , and 3 each designate a cover material , a rubber string woven in the cover material and a core member formed of a bunch of slender rubber lines , respectively . as shown the rubber string 2 is spirally wound round the core member of the rubber cord with substantially a constant pitch . the rubber string 2 is elongated or contracts as the rubber cord is elongated or allowed to contract . the rubber string 2 , by elongation , is tightened up to and firmly fastened to the core member 3 so as not to slide over the core member 3 longitudinally or circumferentially . accordingly no matter how the whole rubber cord may be elongated , allowed to contract or twisted , the rubber string 2 remains wound round the core member at the same location thereon and does not slide over the core member . further since that rubber string 2 is mixedly woven in the texture of the cover material , the whole cover material also is free from longitudinal or circumferential shifting in relation to the core member . therefore non - uniformity is not developed in the texture of the woven cover material and the core member of the rubber cord is kept coated with the woven cover material of an even texture throughout . the rubber cord can therefore be elongated or allowed to contract uniformly throughout its length and circumference . thus while the conventional woven cover material of the rubber cord allows the local fatigue to accumulate in the core member to expedite the breach or snapping of the rubber cords , the cover material according to the invention is totally free from such disadvantage and instead offer only the advantages obtained by the coating of the core member of the rubber cord . as shown , the rubber string 2 is closely fitted to the core member and submerged in the thickness of the woven cover material so as to be protected by the woven cover material . further the rubber string 2 naturally need not be extensible at a greater rate than the core member . therefore the rubber string 2 does not break off earlier than the core member in normal use . where an uncovered rubber string is mixedly woven in the cover material , the friction between the rubber string and the core member , which is formed of uncovered rubber lines , is considerably great and may aid in fixing the location of the rubber string in relation to the core member . however , except where , for example , the rubber cord is used for special purposes and subjected to especially great forces , a covered rubber string as mentioned before can sufficiently produce the effects of fixing its location in the texture of the woven cover material and the position of the cover material in relation to the core member of the rubber cord without any inconveniences .
| 3 |
[ 0027 ] fig3 depicts in greater detail an exemplary representation of a typical grid voltage control circuit 260 . the grid voltage control circuit 260 , which is a simple shunt regulation circuit , contains seven cascaded pnp bipolar transistors that would be connected directly to the pin scorotron grid 245 . this circuit , while effective in providing adequate power to drive the pin scorotron grid 245 , is ineffective in providing reduced power dissipation in the high voltage power supply , which will improve electromagnetic emission profiles . [ 0028 ] fig4 depicts an exemplary embodiment of the charge / recharge xerographic power supply 400 according to this invention . as shown in fig4 the charge / recharge xerographic power supply 400 comprises the pin scorotron device 270 and the discorotron device 210 . in the pin scorotron device 270 , as in conventional systems , a high - voltage dc signal is applied to the pins 240 by the pin current supply 250 . the pin scorotron grid 245 is located between the photoreceptor 120 and the pins 240 . the discorotron device 210 , as in conventional systems , comprises the shield 225 formed of aluminum or the like and having the open lower end , the corona discharge electrode 230 , such as a glass coated tungsten wire or the like , extending within the shield 225 , and the discorotron grid 235 disposed opposite the opening of the shield 225 and between the shield and the photoreceptor 120 . the discorotron high - voltage ac source 220 is connected to the corona discharge electrode 230 to produce the corona discharge . however , as shown in fig4 the separate pin scorotron grid voltage control circuit 260 and the separate grid voltage active control circuit 215 of the conventional system are replaced by a single combined charge / recharge power supply 500 . that is , the pin scorotron grid 245 is held at a constant voltage and the discorotron grid 235 is driven by the combined charge / recharge power supply 500 . this configuration recycles the power provided from the pin scorotron grid 245 to drive the discorotron grid 235 through a series pass regulation circuit . fig5 shows the current flow direction and demonstrates that the current from a shunt regulation circuit naturally flows in a proper direction to allow shunt regulation of the pin scorotron grid 245 while also providing an active drive voltage for the discorotron grid 235 . [ 0031 ] fig5 shows in greater detail a schematic diagram of one exemplary embodiment of the circuit elements of the combined charge / recharge xerographic power supply 500 . the combined charge / recharge power supply 500 has two main sections 501 and 502 . the first main section 502 is a pin scorotron grid voltage control circuit 502 . the second main section 501 is a high side gate drive circuit 501 . in fig5 the pin current supply 250 , pins 240 and the pin scorotron grid 245 are represented by current source 554 and resistors 551 and 553 , respectively . also in fig5 the discorotron grid is represented by resistor 555 . the discorotron high voltage ac source 220 and corona discharge electrode 230 are not shown in fig5 because they have no particular bearing on the invention . as shown in fig5 the pin scorotron grid voltage control circuit 502 includes a positive terminal of a voltage source 503 connected to a first node 505 through a first resistor 504 . the negative terminal of the voltage source 503 is connected to ground 556 . also connected at the first node 505 are a gate of a first p - channel mosfet 507 and a second resistor 506 . a drain of the first p - channel mosfet 507 is connected to the common ground 556 . a source of the first p - channel mosfet 507 is connected to the drain of a second p - channel mosfet 509 . the second resistor 506 is connected at a second node 508 to a gate of the second p - channel mosfet 509 and a third resistor 510 . similarly , a source of the second p - channel mosfet 509 is connected to a drain of a third p - channel mosfet 511 . a third resistor 510 is connected at a third node 512 to the gate of the third p - channel mosfet 511 and a fourth resistor 513 . similarly , the source of the third p - channel mosfet 511 is connected to the drain of a fourth p - channel mosfet 514 . the fourth resistor 513 is connected at node 515 to the gate of the fourth p - channel mosfet 514 and a fifth resistor 516 . similarly , the source of the fourth p - channel mosfet 514 and the other end of the fifth resistor 516 are connected to a fifth node 517 . also connected at the fifth node 517 are a sixth resistor 519 , the source of a first n - channel mosfet 520 and a first pull - up resistor 518 . the sixth resistor 519 is connected at a sixth node 521 to the gate of the first n - channel mosfet 520 and a seventh resistor 522 . similarly , the drain of the first n - channel mosfet 520 is connected to the source of a second n - channel mosfet 523 . an eighth resistor 527 is connected at a seventh node 524 to the seventh resistor 522 , a ninth resistor 525 and the gate of the second n - channel mosfet 523 . similarly , the drain of the second n - channel mosfet 523 is connected to the ninth resistor 525 at an eighth node 526 . also connected at the eighth node 526 is a second pull - up resistor 550 and a tenth resistor 529 , which is a part of the high side gate drive 501 . this configuration makes up the pin scorotron grid voltage control circuit 502 . the high side gate drive circuit 501 includes the positive terminal of a variable voltage source 549 , which is connected to a ninth node 547 through an eleventh resistor 548 . the negative terminal of the variable voltage source 549 is connected to ground 556 . also connected at the ninth node 547 is the gate of a fifth p - channel mosfet 546 and a twelfth resistor 543 . the drain of the fifth p - channel mosfet 546 is connected to ground 556 . similarly , the source of the fifth p - channel mosfet 546 is connected to a tenth node 544 . also connected at the tenth node 544 is a first tap terminal 545 and the drain of a sixth p - channel mosfet 542 . a thirteenth resistor 538 is connected at an eleventh node 541 to the gate of the sixth p - channel mosfet 542 and the twelfth resistor 543 . similarly , the source of the sixth p - channel mosfet 542 is connected to a twelfth node 539 . also connected at the twelfth node 539 is a second tap terminal 540 and the drain of a seventh p - channel mosfet 536 . a fourteenth resistor 535 is connected at a thirteenth node 537 to the gate of a seventh p - channel mosfet 536 and the thirteenth resistor 538 . similarly , the source of the seventh p - channel mosfet 536 is connected to a fourteenth node 532 . also connected at the fourteenth node 532 is a third tap terminal 533 and the drain of the eighth p - channel mosfet 531 . the fourteenth resistor 535 is connected at a fourteenth node 530 to the gate of the eighth p - channel mosfet 531 and the other end of the tenth resistor 529 . similarly , the source of the eighth p - channel mosfet 531 is connected to a fifteenth node 528 . also connected at the fifteenth node 528 is a fourth tap terminal 534 and the other end of the eighth resistor 527 . as shown in fig5 the high side gate drive circuit 501 is connected to the pin scorotron grid voltage control 502 at the eighth and fifteenth nodes 526 and 528 , respectively . active current is supplied to the discorotron grid through the first pull - up resistor 518 . the first pull - up resistor 518 is connected to ground 556 through the discorotron grid terminal load resistance . in this instance , the discorotron grid terminal load of the discorotron grid 235 is shown as a fifteenth resistor 555 . in operation of the combined charge / recharge power supply 500 , as the voltage of the variable voltage source 549 is varied , the gate - to - source voltage of the first and second n - channel mosfets 520 and 523 is varied through the cascaded configuration of the high side gate drive circuit 501 . additionally , the voltage of voltage source 503 serves as the discorotron analog error voltage . the voltage supplied by the voltage source 503 serves to bias and stabilize the current supplied to the fifteenth resistor 555 . the second pull - up resistor 550 is connected between the eighth node 526 and a sixteenth node 552 to provide a path for current flow and shunt regulation of the pin scorotron grid 245 . a fifteenth resistor 551 and the pin scorotron grid terminal load of the pin scorotron grid 245 , which is shown in fig5 as a sixteenth resistor 553 , are connected at the sixteenth node 552 . the sixteenth resistor 553 is also connected to ground 556 . a current source 554 is connected to the fifteenth resistor 551 . the current source 554 serves to drive the pin scorotron grid 245 . there are two constraints in the circuit shown in fig5 . the first constraint is that the voltage at the discorotron grid terminal load , i . e ., at the fourteenth resistor 555 , cannot exceed the voltage at the pin scorotron grid terminal load , i . e ., the voltage at the sixteenth resistor 553 . in this instance this means that the voltage at node 517 cannot be made more negative than the voltage at node 526 . this constraint arises because the voltage supply for the discorotron grid 235 is derived from the pin scorotron grid 245 . the second constraint stems from the same instance , in that the current flow into the terminal of the discorotron grid 235 cannot exceed the current flow from the terminal of the pin scorotron grid 245 . the first constraint can be overcome by adding a small transformer coupled dc to dc converter in series with resistor 550 , with the positive terminal connected nearest to node 552 . this source would allow the pin scorotron grid voltage to be maintained at a less negative voltage than required at the discorotron grid terminal . using this method , several tens of volts are capable of being added to the output of the discorotron grid 235 . the second constraint does not particularly affect the operation of a system using this invention . this is true because , as previously discussed , the majority of the pin current is collected by the grid in the pin scorotron device 270 . thus , only a small portion is actually used to charge the photoreceptor 1 20 . similarly , only a small amount of dc current is required at the discorotron grid terminal to recharge the photoreceptor 120 . while this invention has been described in conjunction with the exemplary embodiment outlined above , it is evident that many alternative modifications and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art . accordingly , the exemplary embodiment of the inventions as set forth above , are intended to be illustrative , not limiting . various changes may be made without departing from the spirit and the scope of the invention .
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referring now to the drawings wherein like reference numerals are used throughout the various views to designate like parts and , more particularly , to fig1 according to this figure , a flask 3 is seated on a pattern plate 1 with a pattern 2 and a filling frame 4 is placed on the flask 3 . over the mold chamber there is a pressure vessel 5 , which in the present working example takes up compressed air when supplied therewith by way of a connection line 6 coming from a pressure receiver or , if the input pressure is lower , by way of the compressed air line in the plant . as its floor or lower wall 7 the pressure vessel has a stationary plate , whose part over the mold chamber is perforated with , for example , slots 8 so that it resembles a grating . on the lower side of the floor 7 , a frame 9 is fixed in position by way of a flange and it in turn is joined up with an air let off pipe having a valve 10 . the pressure vessel 5 with the frame 9 on the one hand and the pattern plate 1 with its pattern 2 , the flask 3 and the filling frame 4 on the other hand are able to be parted to make it possible for the mold chamber to be charged with mold material . prior to compaction these two units are moved and pressed together at their parting faces . a valve member , in the form of a stiff plate 11 , is provided for cooperation with the part of the floor 7 having the slots 8 . the plate 11 also includes slots 12 . furthermore a sealing layer 13 is seated on the top side of the valve plate on the part thereof with the slots 12 and within the area of the slots in the floor 7 . as will be clear from the left hand side of fig1 the slots 8 in the floor 7 and the slots 12 in the valve plate 11 are positioned so that they are not aligned with each other when the valve is closed . the valve plate 11 is mounted on a guide rod generally designated by the reference numeral 14 , that is able to be lifted by a driving piston 15 sliding on it out of the position to be seen on the right ( the open position of the valve plate ) into the closed position as shown in the left of fig1 . shock absorbing cylinders 17 are mounted on the stationary cylinder 16 , placed within the pressure vessel 5 , belonging to the driving piston 15 . the shock absorbing cylinders 17 cooperate with a cross head 18 fixed on the guide rod 14 . the top end of the driving piston 15 acts against the cross head 18 when the piston is moved upwards . furthermore the guide rod 14 includes a clamping device generally designated by the reference numeral 19 and one gripping part 20 axially movable within a housing 21 supported on the floor and another clamping part 22 seated on the guide rod . the clamping parts may be wedges or the like . finally , a support part 23 is provided on the floor , with the support part 23 partitioning a flow transfer space 24 with the floor 7 . the support part has coaxial slots 25 in its outer wall that are covered over by an outer turning ring 26 , which includes slots 27 . in the closed position of fig1 wherein the slots 25 in the support part 23 are shut off or closed by the ring 26 , the pressure vessel 5 may be filled with gas under pressure by the connection line 6 . the clamping device 19 maintains the valve plate 11 forced gas - tightly against the floor 7 , and the mold flask 3 and the filling frame 4 have been filled with loose foundry sand . to start the opening stroke , the ring 26 is turned so that the slots 27 thereof are aligned with the slots 25 in the support part 23 as illustrated in the right hand part of fig1 and so that the gas under pressure moves into the transfer space 24 . subsequently a mechanical safety catch 28 is released and the driving piston 15 is lowered with the clamping device 19 in the locking condition , it sliding down the guide rod 14 . after this , the clamping device 19 is hydraulically taken off so that the guide rod 14 and the valve plate 11 are free to move . the gas , under pressure , moving through the slots 8 and acting on the valve plate 11 violently accelerates the plate in a downward direction so that the gas under pressure is able to expand through the slots and through the gap between the edge of the plate 11 and the inner wall face of the mold chamber . while this opening stroke is taking place the guide rod 14 is decelerated because the cross head 18 runs down onto the shock absorbing cylinders 17 . the valve plate moves as far as the position marked on the right hand side of fig1 . at the same time the foundry sand is accelerated and then decelerated on the pattern plate 1 and the pattern 2 itself and is compacted . at the end of the opening stroke the ring 26 is twisted back again to stop escape of gas from the vessel 5 when a further filling operation is to take place . it is furthermore possible for the gas mass flow to be set by adjustment of the ring 26 , for the purpose of changing the hardness of the mold to meet particular needs . the driving piston 15 is then moved so that by way of the cross head 18 the guide rod 14 with the valve plate 11 is lifted back up again and locked in the shut position ( see the left hand side of the figure ) by the clamping device . the safety catch 28 is put on again , and at the same time the gas under pressure still present in the mold chamber is released through the valve 10 . as shown in fig2 the floor or lower wall 7 of the pressure vessel 5 has an opening 29 that may match the inner form of the filling frame ( so that it will then be rectangular ) or it may be round and as large as possible . the opening 29 is covered by a flexible valve diaphragm 30 , fixed in place at its middle on the lower part 14 &# 39 ; of the guide rod 14 , that in the present case is bipartite . in the closed position , the valve diaphragm 30 is generally level and has its edge 31 forced gas - tightly against the floor 7 of the pressure vessel 5 around the opening by a loading frame or ring 32 that is fixed on the lower part 14 &# 39 ; of the guide rod 14 and may be shifted axially therewith , the axial stroke being limited by shock absorbing cylinders 33 , which are fixed to the top part 14 &# 34 ; of the guide rod 14 . furthermore the guide rod has a clamping device 19 similar to the arrangement of fig1 . lastly , the guide rod 14 has a drive 34 with the same function as the driving piston 15 as in fig1 . the loading ring or frame 32 has a plurality of energy storing springs 35 disposed there around it , with the energy storing springs 35 being tensioned on the ring 32 and forced against the valve diaphragm edge 31 supported on the floor 7 . for this purpose , the springs each have a downwardly extending plunger acting on the spring placed so that the lower end of each such plunger rests on the floor 7 of the pressure vessel 5 . in the closed position shown in the left of fig2 the part 14 &# 39 ; of the guide rod 14 is in the lower position . at its edge 31 , the valve diaphragm 30 is pressed by the ring 32 gas - tightly against the floor 7 . the energy storing springs 35 are tensioned . the guide rod 14 is locked by the clamping device 19 . for initiating the opening motion , the first step is releasing the clamping device so that there is nothing holding back the springs 35 and the ring or frame 32 jumps suddenly upwards and the shock absorbing cylinders 33 are compressed . at the same time the complete guide rod 14 is lifted by the drive 34 . by virtue of the effect of the gas under pressure acting on the valve diaphragm 30 its edge is pulled out of the gap between the floor 7 and the ring 32 . it is then swept by the gas inwards and downwards into the position shown in the right of fig2 so that the greater part of the opening cross section is cleared and uncovered . while this is going on , the foundry sand in the flask 3 and the filling frame 4 is compacted . as soon as the pressure has been completely equalized , the valve diaphragm is moved upwards again and because of its elasticity in the form of a restoring force it comes up against the ring 32 ( see the top position of the valve diaphragm in the right hand part of fig2 ). after this the guide rod 14 together with the ring 32 is moved downwards until the plungers 36 of the springs 35 run against the floor 7 and are so tensioned . lastly , the ring 32 clamps the edge 31 of the valve diaphragm 30 against the floor 7 . the top part 14 &# 34 ; of the guide rod is again lifted a little by the drive 34 so that the ring or frame 32 has the necessary play or clearance in relation to the shock absorbing cylinders 33 .
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reference is now made to fig1 , which is a simplified pictorial illustration of a mirror - based detector constructed and operative in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention , and to fig2 a and 2b , which are simplified sectional illustrations of the detector of fig1 in two alternative configurations . as seen in fig1 , the detector typically includes a mirror having fourteen mirror segments , each defining a corresponding detection zone of the detector . the mirror segments are arranged in a mutually concave arrangement in two rows . as seen in the illustrated embodiment , a sensor 10 is associated with mirror segments 12 , 14 , 16 , 18 , 20 , 22 and 24 in a top row and with mirror segments 32 , 34 , 36 , 38 , 40 , 42 and 44 in a bottom row . each of the mirror segments is operative to focus radiation from its corresponding detection zone onto the sensor 10 . the mirror segments 12 , 14 , 16 , 18 , 20 , 22 and 24 preferably are arranged in a concave arrangement in a circular arc within a housing element 50 . similarly , mirror segments 32 , 34 , 36 , 38 , 40 , 42 and 44 preferably are arranged in a concave arrangement in a circular arc within housing element 50 . the housing element 50 defines an aperture 52 adjacent which is preferably located a window 54 having a circular cross - section . window 54 preferably is made of a thin material transparent to infrared radiation , such as hdpe , silicon , germanium or any other suitable material . alternatively , other appropriate window shapes may be used . sensor 10 preferably comprises a dual element pyroelectric sensor , such as an lhi - 968 sensor , commercially available from perkin - elmer of freemont , calif ., usa . as seen with particular clarity in fig2 a , it is a particular feature of the present invention that mirror segments 12 , 14 , 16 , 18 , 20 , 22 and 24 are coated with a coating layer 57 , which is selectively substantially reflective to far infra - red radiation , having wavelengths of 7 - 14 μm and strongly absorbs visible light and near infra - red radiation having wavelengths shorter than 2 μm . preferably , the coating layer 57 is formed of black nickel or black chrome . additionally or alternatively coating layer 57 can also include black copper , black zinc , black cobalt or iron oxide . the coating preferably has a thickness between 0 . 2 and 10 microns . preferably , mirror segments 32 , 34 , 36 , 38 , 40 , 42 and 44 ( fig1 ) are also coated with a coating layer similar to coating layer 57 . in an alternative configuration , as shown in fig2 b , the selective layer 57 of fig2 a is replaced by a first coating layer 58 , formed of black nickel , and preferably having a thickness between 0 . 2 and 10 microns , deposited onto a reflective coating layer 59 , preferably formed of bright nickel . additionally or alternatively the first coating layer 58 may include black chrome , black copper , black zinc , black cobalt or iron oxide , and the reflective coating layer 59 may be formed of chrome , silver , aluminum , copper , steel or gold , preferably having a bright finish . in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention , the mirror segments 12 , 14 , 16 , 18 , 20 , 22 , 24 , 32 , 34 , 36 , 38 , 40 , 42 and 44 are formed of a substrate base preferably made of a plastic material , such as acrylonitrile butadiene styrene ( abs ), or any other suitable material , preferably by injection molding , vacuum forming , or by any other suitable process . the mirror segments are then coated or electroplated , preferably by forming a black nickel coating , which functions as first coating layer 58 , over bright nickel , which functions as reflective coating layer 59 , as shown in fig2 b . reflective coating layer 59 is formed by plating the plastic substrate base with a first conductive layer , such as by electroless nickel plating , followed by electroplating a second layer of bright acid copper over the first conductive layer , further followed by electroplating a third layer of bright nickel over the second layer . this is followed by electroplating a layer of black nickel over the bright nickel third layer , which layer of black nickel functions as first coating layer 58 . alternatively , the bright nickel third layer may be obviated , and the layer of black nickel may be formed directly over the bright acid copper second layer . as a further alternative , the bright acid copper layer may also be obviated , and the layer of black nickel may be formed directly over the first conductive layer . preferably , the first conductive layer is formed by electroless nickel plating or electroless copper , preferably having a bright finish . reference is now made to fig3 , which is a simplified pictorial illustration of a mirror - based detector constructed and operative in accordance with another preferred embodiment of the present invention , and to fig4 a and 4b , which are simplified sectional illustrations of the detector of fig3 in two alternative configurations . as seen in fig3 - 4b , the detector typically includes a mirror having fourteen mirror segments , each defining a corresponding detection zone of the detector . the mirror segments are arranged in a mutually concave arrangement in two rows . as seen in the illustrated embodiment , a sensor , preferably a pyroelectric sensor 60 , is associated with mirror segments 62 , 64 , 66 , 68 , 70 , 72 and 74 in a top row and with mirror segments 76 , 78 , 80 , 82 , 84 , 86 and 88 in a bottom row . each of the mirror segments is operative to focus radiation from its corresponding detection zone onto the sensor 60 via at least one intermediate reflecting surface 90 . the mirror segments 62 , 64 , 66 , 68 , 70 , 72 and 74 preferably are arranged in a concave arrangement in a circular arc within a housing element 92 . similarly , mirror segments 76 , 78 , 80 , 82 , 84 , 86 and 88 preferably are arranged in a concave arrangement in a circular arc within housing element 92 . the sensor 60 may be located at any suitable location within the housing 92 . the at least one intermediate reflecting surface 90 , here shown as a single intermediate reflecting surface , is located along optical paths defined by mirror segments 62 , 64 , 66 , 68 , 70 , 72 , 74 , 76 , 78 , 80 , 82 , 84 , 86 and 88 at a location suitable for redirecting radiation from the mirror segments to pyroelectric sensor 60 . in the illustrated embodiment of fig3 - 4b , the sensor 60 is shown mounted at an aperture 93 in mirror segment 68 . it is appreciated that alternatively , the sensor 60 may be located rearward of the aperture , and in such a case may be mounted on a circuit board ( not shown ) which also mounts the mirror segments . in such a case , intermediate reflecting surface 90 may require some optical power . the housing element 92 defines aperture 94 adjacent which is preferably located a window 95 , having a circular cross - section . window 95 preferably is made of a thin material transparent to infrared radiation , such as hdpe , silicon , germanium or any other suitable material . alternatively , other appropriate window shapes , such as a flat window , may be used . sensor 60 preferably comprises a dual element pyroelectric sensor , such as an lhi - 968 sensor , commercially available from perkin - elmer of freemont , calif ., usa . as seen with particular clarity in fig4 a , it is a particular feature of the present invention that mirror segments 62 , 64 , 66 , 68 , 70 , 72 and 74 are coated by a coating layer 97 , which is selectively substantially reflective to far infra - red radiation , having wavelengths of 7 - 14 μm , and strongly absorbs visible light and near infra - red radiation , having wavelengths shorter than 2 μm . preferably , the coating layer 97 is formed of black nickel or black chrome . alternatively , coating layer 97 can be formed of black copper , black zinc , black cobalt or iron oxide . the coating preferably has a thickness between 0 . 2 and 10 microns . additionally , mirror segments 76 , 78 , 80 , 82 , 84 , 86 and 88 and / or intermediate reflecting surface 90 may also be coated by coating layer 97 . in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention , which provides an enhanced radiation selectivity effect , the mirror segments 62 , 64 , 66 , 68 , 70 , 72 , 74 , 76 , 78 , 80 , 82 , 84 , 86 and 88 and one or more intermediate reflecting surfaces , such as intermediate reflecting surface 90 , are coated by coating layer 97 . it is appreciated that not all the mirror segments and / or intermediate reflecting surfaces need necessarily be coated with coating layer 97 . one may choose to coat only some of the segments or intermediate reflecting surfaces with coating layer 97 , such that the segments or intermediate reflecting surfaces which are not coated have a bright reflective coating . in an alternative configuration , as shown in fig4 b , the selective layer 97 of fig4 a is replaced by a first coating layer 98 , formed of black nickel , and preferably having a thickness between 0 . 2 and 10 microns , deposited onto a reflective coating layer 99 , preferably formed of bright nickel . additionally or alternatively , the first coating layer 98 may include black chrome , black copper , black zinc , black cobalt or iron oxide , and the reflective coating layer 99 may be formed of chrome , silver , aluminum , copper , steel or gold , preferably having a bright finish . in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention , the mirror segments 62 , 64 , 66 , 68 , 70 , 72 , 74 , 76 , 78 , 80 , 82 , 84 , 86 and 88 , as well as the intermediate reflecting surface 90 , are formed of a substrate base preferably made of a plastic material such as abs or of any other suitable material , preferably by injection molding , vacuum forming , or by any other suitable process . the mirror segments , as well as the intermediate reflecting surface 90 , are then coated or electroplated preferably by one of the processes described hereinabove with respect to fig1 - 2b . it will be appreciated by persons skilled in the art that the present invention is not limited to what has been particularly shown and described hereinabove . rather the scope of the present invention includes both combinations and subcombinations of the various features described hereinabove as well as modifications and variations thereof as would occur to a person of skill in the art upon reading the foregoing specification and which are not in the prior art .
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fig1 illustrates a vehicle 18 that has an example system 20 configured to autonomously determine edges and use that information for controlling a vehicle . the system 20 includes at least a processor 24 , a camera 26 , one or more light sources 28 , vehicle control components 30 and memory 32 . the processor 24 is in signal communication with the memory 32 , the camera 26 and the vehicle control components 30 and may also be in signal communication with the light sources 28 . the camera 26 records images of a surface and sends the recorded images to the processor 24 . the one or more light sources 28 illuminate the surface based on a predefined protocol while the camera 26 is recording images . the processor 24 analyzes the recorded images to determine the location of an edge based on predefined threshold requirements . edge detection information produced by the processor 24 is sent to the vehicle control components 30 . the vehicle control components 30 then navigate the vehicle 18 based on predefined navigation rules with regard to the detected edge . an example technique for using the system 20 or a portion of the system 20 ( only one illumination source ( light 28 ) includes continuously illuminating the edge in such a way as to create a strong shadow . the processor 24 uses edge detection processing to locate the illuminated edge . another example technique includes alternately illuminating ( i . e . strobe ) from a first angle where a shadow caused by the edge is formed and an opposing second angle where no shadow is formed . the processor 24 detects the edge by taking a difference of image frames of the different light sources and setting a mid - point ( or other value ) threshold on the difference data . if the two light sources are of equal brightness , then the average luminance for the non - shadowed area will be nearly equal . consequently , the difference in the non - shadowed area will be nearly zero while the difference in shadow - non - shadow area will be much larger . other illumination and processing techniques may be used . fig2 a , b illustrate an example of the layout of two side light sources 28 a , b relative to the camera 26 . the exact angle at which the light sources 28 a , b is adjustable depending upon the assumed heights and types of edges that are to be detected . in this example the light sources 28 a , b are placed so that their line - of - sight ( beam angle ) is greater than 20 ° away from the line - of - sight ( centerline ) of the camera 26 . the left light source 28 a is first illuminated onto a surface 40 , thereby exposing areas 42 and 44 of the surface 40 . a gap that is in the shadow between 42 and 44 is not illuminated by light emanating from the light source 28 a . the camera 26 then captures that image and stores it in the memory 32 . next , as shown in fig3 b , the left light source 28 a is deactivated and the right light source 28 b is activated , thereby illuminating the entire area 46 of the surface 40 . the camera 26 then obtains another image and stores it in the memory 32 . then , the processor 24 compares the stored images to determine changes in various image qualities , such as chrominance or luminance . the processor 24 uses the determined changes in image qualities to perform edge detection . an edge is detected when a threshold number of proximate pairs ( or other combinations ) of pixels vary in predefined image quality by a threshold amount . other edge detection techniques may be used on the result of the compared images . in one embodiment , the light sources 28 a , b are strobbed at a predefined frequency relative to the frame rate of the camera 26 ( video ). for example , if a camera has a raw frame rate of 60 hz and two light sources were used then the strobe frequency would be no higher than 30 hz on each strobe light — one for alternate frames . the rate at which the edge needs to be examined depends on the speed of the vehicle , the linearity / dynamics of the edge being tracked , the dwell of the strobe , the ability of the vehicle to coast between edge observations , and other factors . in another embodiment , the light sources 28 a , b are continuously illuminated or can be alternated with various other illumination schemes ( such as strobbing ), thereby allowing the processor 24 to analyze various illumination schemes upon a desired surface . fig3 illustrates a surface 50 that includes a narrow channel 52 that is desired to be detected by the system 20 . in order to provide better illumination enhancement , the second light source 28 b has a line - of - sight with an angular difference from the line - of - sight of the camera 26 that is less than 30 °. the actual angle depends on the depth and width of the slot . it may be in the same plane as the camera 26 or greater than 30 °. the angles of the light sources 28 a , b relative to the camera 26 and the surface 50 are set in order to produce the best illumination results for increasing edge detection by the processor 24 . also , 3 or more lights ( a third light source 28 c ) may be needed to track the slot for left and right deviations depending on its depth / width ratio . fig4 illustrates another application of the system 20 for use in determining a raised edge 58 on a surface 56 . similar to the process described in fig3 a , b , the light sources 28 a , b are alternately illuminated thereby allowing the camera 26 to capture various images with differently angled light sources in order to analyze , compare and determine if an edge ( in this case raised edge ) exists . in one embodiment of the invention , the light source 28 can be any of a number of visible illumination sources , such as fluorescent light , an incandescent light or xenon light . the light source 28 may also produce a non - visible illumination , such as light - emitting diodes ( leds ) for producing infrared light or laser diodes for producing a laser light beam . if a laser light source is used , then mechanisms may be included for scanning the laser beam in a desired pattern along a targeted surface . in other embodiments , more than two light sources may be used at a variety of other angles relative to the camera 26 . also , in a low - light environment a single light source might be capable of producing an adequate shadow for allowing the processor 24 to detect an edge . any combination of illumination sources may be used . also , the illumination source may be restricted to a certain frequency range , such as when illumination in a specific color is desired . in one embodiment , the vehicle 18 ( fig1 ) may be any of a variety of vehicles that would benefit from having improved edge detection capabilities , for example an automated lawn mower . the edge detection capabilities discussed above could be combined with other navigation systems , such as gps , to provide a more comprehensive autonavigation system . if the form of the edge is fixed and known , steps up like a curb on the passenger side of a car , or steps down like the uncut - to - cut edge of turf , then the placement of the light sources and the location of the edge relative to the shadow pattern is also fixed . if the form of the edge is not fixed , the system combines some of the lighting patterns and techniques shown in the figures above to allow the system to deduce the form of the edge based on the contrast patterns produced when it is illuminated from different angles . if the ambient light is low or the frequency of the supplemental light can be filtered from the ambient light , processing the attained images to determine the edge is much more effective since the contrast between the shadow and illuminated surfaces will be greater . while the preferred embodiment of the invention has been illustrated and described , as noted above , many changes can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention . accordingly , the scope of the invention is not limited by the disclosure of the preferred embodiment . instead , the invention should be determined entirely by reference to the claims that follow .
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certain terminology is used herein for convenience only and is not to be taken as a limitation on the embodiments of the systems and methods for electrochemical triglyceride assays . in the drawings , the same reference letters are employed for designating the same elements throughout the several figures . in many embodiments , the intended use may be to test whole blood . there are many advantages provided by an electrochemical triglyceride assay , as compared to an optical assay . in contrast to many optical assays , by having an amperometric triglyceride assay , no membranes are necessary . many current optical assays are dependent on different membrane manufacturers which discontinue membranes at their discretion . calibration of the analyzer may be easier with electrochemical testing . measuring current ( na ) is a standardized process , whereas standardizing reflectance is more difficult . testing electrochemically for triglycerides may result in a cheaper cost per test strip due to less reagent , less raw materials ( membranes , strip carriers , etc . ), and automation of the process . electrochemical test strips are generally inexpensive to produce due to the automation and small amounts of reagent used . the proposed electrochemical triglyceride assay is not dependent on oxygen and , thus , can test both venous and capillary blood . testing triglycerides via electrochemistry may , in many configurations , result in better precision than optical tests . the test range of an electrochemical triglyceride assay may be larger than a reflectance assay in many embodiments . reflectance tests are limited at the high concentrations by the amount of color that can be generated . however , electrochemical assays are able to measure much higher concentrations . this would be beneficial for the triglyceride assay , as we have had requests from those experimenting with animals to have a triglyceride range to 1000 mg / dl or more . in some embodiments , the sample size will be small : ˜ 1 . 2 μl instead of 15 μl as is used in an optical system . in many embodiments , a transfer pipette is not needed to apply blood to a strip , since the blood sample simply is wicked into the sampling port . the triglyceride concentration in blood is an important analyte for healthcare providers to test . high blood pressure , obesity , heart disease , and diabetes are all correlative to high triglyceride levels . in addition , testing triglycerides with total cholesterol and hdl will allow for the calculation of ldl . by having an electrochemical triglyceride assay , a foundation has been laid to create a full electrochemical lipid panel . the following reaction below is one embodiment of a reaction for creating an electrochemical triglyceride test . we have demonstrated proof of concept of reactions 3 and 4 . reactions 1 and 2 currently are practiced in the pts reflectance test strip and , based on these results , will work when fully optimized from the last equation on up . an alternative to using diaphorase may be to incorporate dojindo &# 39 ; s 1 - methoxy pms mediator . also , other mediators more conducive to alkaline conditions may be used in place of potassium ferricyanide . a key aspect of embodiments of an electrochemical test strip for triglycerides is using glycerol - 3 - phosphate dehydrogenase . in many embodiments , the enzyme glycerol - 3 - phosphate dehydrogenase has shown that there is potential for an assay . further optimization of ph , concentration of reactants , experimentation with mediators , etc ., will yield better precision , greater slope , and lower intercept for a triglyceride assay . provided herein is proof of concept of an electrochemical triglyceride assay . fig1 shows a proof - of - concept of electrochemical strip that was made to test glycerol - 3 - phosphate solutions in glycine buffer ph 9 . further optimization should allow for a lower intercept , better slope , and better precision . in addition to having an amperometric triglyceride sensor , in some embodiments , it is possible to incorporate a previous invention using a versatile electrochemical test strip and offer multiple tests with the triglyceride test . while the triglycerides are tested , it may be helpful to check other important analytes such as glucose , cholesterol , hdl , etc . fig2 shows one embodiment of the strip design including a triglycerides detector . shown are four strips 10 . from left to right , the strips 10 have 4 , 3 , 2 , and 1 sample receiving ports 20 . each sample receiving port 20 may have an electrode 30 , a counter electrode 40 , and a reference electrode 50 . the reference electrode 50 may provide for a fill indication , as it will only pass a voltage when the sample reaches the electrode 50 . the contacts 70 , 80 also are visible , which interconnect with the electrodes and connect to contacts in the analyzer when inserted . the strip size does not change depending on the number of assays . in addition , the electrode placement does not change depending on the type of assays . depending on what is desired for the testing scheme , sheets are printed for one , two , three , or four analytes . the spirit behind this invention disclosure is not to limit the size of the panel to only four analytes , but to provide a concept that is protected whether one or ten analytes are tested . also , the electrodes do not all need to be on one side of the strip . superior technology may be able to place electrodes on both sides of the strip , thus allowing for miniaturization . in some embodiments , single analyte test strips are designed to have the same location with at least four associated electrodes . the electrode 60 that appears as an “ h ” is used for strip detection by the analyzer . the remaining assays will have at least three electrodes — one for sample fill detection , and the other two as a counter electrode and a working electrode . these assays are not limited to a set number of electrodes , for it is foreseen in some embodiments that more electrodes may be added for purposes of determining and correcting for hematocrit or other interfering substances . in multiple configurations , reagents may be painted on the electrodes . alternatively , reagents may be printed , coated , dip coated , or otherwise applied , as will be apparent in the field . various types of electrodes may be used as well , including those made of carbon , gold , platinum , copper , or other conductive materials , as will be apparent to those in the field . fig2 displays separate blood sampling ports for each assay . some embodiments may include separate sampling ports , particularly if there could be “ cross talk ” between reagents . in summary , embodiments of a novel idea for an electrochemical triglyceride assay have been presented . it is demonstrated that an electrochemical reaction with glycerol - 3 - phosphate and a mediator is a viable testing technique . an electrochemical triglyceride assay will have a smaller sample size , shorter test time , better precision , and will be cheaper to manufacture . many animal testing laboratories have requested the ability to test triglycerides at values around 1000 mg / dl . while this kind of a range is difficult for a reflectance test , an electrochemical test can easily test high concentrations . this test could be advantageous for rat , mice , rabbit , etc ., testing when the amount of blood taken is critical . provided are multiple embodiments of an electrochemical triglyceride assay . a strip for checking triglyceride levels is a convenient point - of - care ( poc ) assay , but it is best when married to a cholesterol and hdl test to form a lipid panel . we have shown evidence of the first building block to an electrochemical lipid panel . building an electrochemical lipid panel will overwhelm the competition in the poc market . an electrochemical lipid panel will have a smaller sample size , shorter test time , better precision , and will be cheaper to manufacture . while specific embodiments have been described in detail in the foregoing detailed description and illustrated in the accompanying drawings , it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that various modifications and alternatives to those details could be developed in light of the overall teachings of the disclosure and the broad inventive concepts thereof . it is understood , therefore , that the scope of this disclosure is not limited to the particular examples and implementations disclosed herein but is intended to cover modifications within the spirit and scope thereof as defined by the appended claims and any and all equivalents thereof . note that , although particular embodiments are shown , features of each attachment may be interchanged between embodiments .
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the disk brakes shown are an opposed type which is one type of disk brakes . fig1 is a plan view of one of such disk brakes embodying the present invention . this disk brake includes a caliper 1 formed with hydraulic cylinders 2 arranged opposite to the disk rotor d and communicating with a fluid inlet 3 , and pistons 4 slidably received in the respective cylinders 2 . fluid pressure introduced through the fluid inlet 3 is applied through passages ( not shown ) leading to the respective cylinders 2 to the back of the pistons 4 . the outer periphery of each piston 4 is liquid - tightly sealed by a piston seal 5 having a piston retracting function . pad pins 8 extending across a window 7 formed in the caliper 1 extend loosely through holes 6 b formed in back plates 6 a of friction pads 6 provided opposite to each other on both sides of the disk rotor d to support the friction pads 6 so as to be slidable in the axial direction of the disk rotor d . the friction pads 6 are adapted to be urged into frictional contact with the disk rotor d under fluid pressure applied to the back of the pistons 4 . when the friction pads 6 are brought into frictional contact with the disk rotor d , braking torque is applied to the pads 6 . this braking torque is borne by torque bearing portions 9 of the caliper 1 . thus , braking force is applied to the members which rotate with the disk rotor , such as a wheel . according to the present invention , the friction pads 6 are kept in frictional contact with the disk rotor d at a predetermined surface pressure even while the brake is not applied . for this purpose , as shown in fig2 a shim 10 is provided between each friction pad 6 and the pistons 4 . the shim 10 has a plurality of integral tongues 10 a pressing against the back plate 6 a of the pad 6 and the end faces of the pistons 4 to resiliently bias the pad 6 and the pistons 4 away from each other . the shim 10 also has claws 10 b straddling the back plate 6 a to set a stroke l of the claws 10 b . the stroke l is determined based on the maximum run - out of the disk rotor . for example , the disk rotor d of a disk brake mounted on a typical rv car has an effective braking radius r ( distance from the axle center to the center of each piston of the disk brake ) of about 130 mm . according to the service manual of such an rv car , the run - out of the disk is not more than 0 . 05 mm within the effective braking radius . besides such normal - temperature run - out , the disk rotor may also run out up to 0 . 15 mm due to thermal deformation during braking because the kinetic energy produced during braking is converted to thermal energy , so that the disk can be heated to about 300 ° c . thus , in such a case , the stroke l should be set at about 0 . 2 mm ( 0 . 05 + 0 . 15 mm ). next , the dragging force produced in a disk brake of an rv is described . suppose here that the disk rotor d of the disk brake shown in fig1 has an effective braking radius r = 130 mm , and a run - out to one side of 0 . 15 mm , and the friction pads have a friction coefficient μ = 0 . 35 . fig6 shows how the dragging force produced in this disk brake changes for each revolution of the disk rotor d when an input fluid pressure of 70 kgf / cm 2 is applied and then released . line x in fig6 indicates fluctuations in dragging torque produced in a known opposed type disk brake . line x was obtained by converting such torque fluctuations into electric signal level fluctuations using a load cell . the line x has peaks x 1 and x 2 exceeding 3 . 5 kgf . cm . such peaks appear because even though the pistons should be retracted 0 . 2 - 0 . 3 mm by the retractor means , proper clearance is not formed between the pistons 4 and the back plates 6 a of the pads 6 due to compression strain of the friction pads 6 and the deflection of the caliper 1 , and thus the resistance to the piston retracting force is instantaneously applied to the pistons . due to the presence of such peaks , the disk rotor d is periodically attacked by the pads and worn unevenly . in the prior art , there is known a disk brake which is free of this problem . this brake has piston retracting means which can retract pistons a distance greater than the sum of the amount of deformation of each pad 6 due to compression strain and the amount of deflection of the caliper 1 , and coupling means for coupling the pads 6 and the pistons 4 together . with this arrangement , when the pistons 4 retract , the pads 6 move with the pistons , separating from the disk rotor d . thus , it is possible to prevent uneven wear of the disk rotor d . but this arrangement has its own problem in that earth , sand and muddy water tend to get into large gap formed between the disk rotor d and the pads 6 while the brake is not applied , thus quickening wear of the friction pads 6 . in order for the disk rotor d to maintain stable interfaces and to keep uneven wear of the disk to less than 15 μm , which is an upper limit of judder - free region , the dragging torque has to be kept under 3 kgf . cm even if the pads are made of a semimetallic material , which is known to severely attack the disk rotor . the above is clear from the graph of fig6 . line y in fig6 indicates fluctuations in dragging torque produced in an opposed type disk brake according to the present invention in which a resilient member is interposed between each friction pad 6 and the piston 4 to keep the pads 6 in frictional contact with the disk rotor d at a predetermined surface pressure . in this arrangement , the dragging force is kept low within a narrow range at around 2 kgf . cm . this is possible because even if the pads 6 are deformed due to compression strain and / or the caliper 1 is deflected , the pistons will reliably retract and separate from the back plates 6 a of the pads 6 by the distance l as soon as the braking pressure is released . that is , while the brake is not applied , a gap is always present between each back plate and the end faces of the pistons 4 . thus , the pistons 4 will never be pushed back while the brake is not applied . while the disk rotors d are usually made from gray cast iron equivalent to fc20 , friction pads 6 are made from various materials . for example , most older pads were made of mainly asbestos fiber and hot - formed with addition of a phenol , a thermosetting resin . but because of its carcinogenicity , asbestos is rarely used in today &# 39 ; s friction pads . semimetallic pads , i . e . pads mainly made of metallic fiber , especially those containing ferrous metallic fiber , are also not preferred now , because such pads tend to rust and also severely attack the disk rotor . now , non - asbestos friction pads in which asbestos fiber in older pads is replaced with aramide ( aromatic polyamide ) fiber are most popular . description is now made on how the amount of wear of the disk rotor is affected by the surface pressure applied to the disk rotor and the friction pads by the resilient members disposed between the pads and the pistons , and by the material of the pads . asbestos , semimetallic and nonasbestos ( each in two kinds ) test pieces ( having a pressed surface area of 3 . 125 cm 2 ) were pressed against a disk rotor d made of fc29 over the area defined by an effective braking radius r = 96 . 5 mm at a surface pressure of 0 . 2 - 1 . 0 kgf / cm 2 under conditions equivalent to the conditions when a vehicle is driven at 130 km / h for 20 hours . the results of this test are shown in fig7 . in fig7 the surface pressure of 1 kgf / cm 2 on the x - axis corresponds to 10 kgf . cm of dragging torque , though this rate depends on the material of the friction pads . according to the present invention , the dragging torque is set at a value not exceeding 3 kgf . cm , which corresponds to the surface pressure of 0 . 3 kgf / cm 2 . thus , as long as the friction pads are non - asbestos pads , the disk rotor will be abraded little . in order to keep the dragging torque at a value not exceeding 3 kgf . cm , the resilient members have to be designed in the manner described below . dragging torque t is given by the following equation : wherein μ is the friction coefficient of the friction pads ; p is the pressure applied by the resilient members ; and r is the effective braking radius of the disk rotor d if for semimetallic material μ = 0 . 35 , p = 0 . 1 kgf , and r = 13 cm , then t = 0 . 91 kgf . cm . further , if the stroke l of the resilient member is 0 . 2 mm , and the spring constant k of the resilient members for absorbing the run - out of the disk rotor d is 0 . 5 kgf / mm , the mounting load p ′ of the resilient members when the stroke l is consumed will be 0 . 1 kgf . thus , tmax = 2μ ( p + p ′) r will be 1 . 82 kgf . cm . even if the mounting load of the resilient member is 50 % larger than the above value , tmax is still 2 . 275 kgf . cm , which is well below 3 kgf . cm , the upper limit . specific embodiments of disk brakes according to the present invention are now described . the disk brakes of these embodiments are all of a type having one piston 4 on one side of the caliper 1 . fig2 is a sectional view of a first embodiment , in which a piston 4 slidably fits in a fluid pressure cylinder 2 formed in the caliper 1 . a piston seal 5 seals around the piston 4 and serves to retract the piston 4 when the fluid pressure is released . a stretchable piston boot 11 is provided which has one end thereof engaged tightly in a boot groove 4 a formed in the piston 4 and the other end in a clip groove 12 formed in the caliper 1 to prevent the entry of earth , sand and muddy water into the cylinder 2 through its open end . a shim 10 in the form of a flat plate is provided between the piston 4 and the friction pad 6 to bias the friction pad 6 against the disk rotor d at a predetermined surface pressure by a predetermined stroke . the surface pressure is set by the flexibility of a plurality of tongues 10 a formed by cutting and raising portions of the shim 10 , while the stroke l is set by claws 10 b provided on the shim 10 so as to straddle the back plate 6 a of the friction pad 6 . this arrangement is economically applicable to any known opposed type disk brake simply by changing the design of the shim 10 . fig3 is a sectional view of a second embodiment , in which a deep - drawn cap 13 having a shoulder 13 a is inserted in the piston 4 so as to be disposed between the piston 4 and the friction pad 6 . a coil spring 14 is received in the cap 13 . while not shown , a shim in the shape of a flat plate may be provided between the cap 13 and the friction pad 6 to suppress brake squeaks . the surface pressure applied to the friction pad 6 is set by the mounting load of the coil spring 14 , while the stroke l is determined by the position of a snap ring 15 fitted in a groove formed in the inner wall of the piston 4 and the position of the shoulder 13 a . the resilient member of this embodiment is durable and easy to mount . fig4 shows a section of a third embodiment , in which a member having a leaf spring 16 is provided between the piston 4 and the friction pad 6 through a shim 10 in the shape of a flat plate and engaged by a plurality of anchors 10 c formed by cutting and raising portions of the shim 10 . the surface pressure applied to the friction pad 6 is set by the flexibility of the leaf spring 16 , while the stroke l is determined by the size of the anchors 10 c . fig5 a and 5b , which are sections taken along line a — a of fig4 show how the shim 10 and the piston 4 are mounted . in the state of fig5 a , the anchors 10 c pass anchor grooves 4 b leading to boot grooves 4 a formed in the piston 4 , while the leaf spring 16 deflects to lines s ( fig4 ) on fixing grooves 4 c provided offset from the anchor grooves 4 b . in this state , the piston 4 is turned in the direction of arrow ( fig5 a ) to slide the leaf spring 16 until it is locked at line t in the grooves 4 c . the resilient member of this embodiment is durable . the disk brake of this embodiment is made up of a small number of parts and easy to assemble . the disk brakes of the embodiments are all opposed type disk brakes for use in rv &# 39 ; s . but the concept of the present invention is equally applicable to floating type disk brakes , i . e . disk brakes having a fluid pressure cylinder or cylinders only on one side of the disk . according to the present invention , the friction pads are always kept in frictional contact with the disk rotor at a predetermined surface pressure . thus , it is possible to prevent earth , sand or muddy water from coming into the gap between the friction pads and the disk rotor even while the vehicle is traveling on a muddy or marshy ground . this makes it possible to stably maintain sufficient braking force and to prevent abnormal wear of the friction members . while the vehicle is traveling on a paved road , the friction pad biasing mechanism prevents uneven wear of the disk rotor , which is a leading cause of a judder of the disk brake .
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referring to fig1 and 1a , the apparatus according to the invention for feeding a rotary filter by a continuous or trickle flow with a suspension of which the liquid and solid phases are to be separated is made up of two channels 1 and 2 and a feed tank 3 which is disposed at the head end of the two channels . each channel comprises an internal side wall 4 and a bottom or floor 5 , one of the ends 6 of which is sealingly fixed to the feed tank 3 , while the other end 7 is closed by a partitioning wall 8 . each of the channels 1 and 2 which are disposed on respective sides of a disc 9 formed by the sectors 10 and driven by the hollow shaft 11 and which are provided with their floor 5 also has a means , generally 12 , for regulating a space 13 between the floor 5 of the channel and the side surface of the disc 9 , which permits the suspension to be distributed over a disc portion 14 which is involved in the filtration step by a continuous or trickle flow before it is immersed in the suspension 15 , at the level indicated at 16 in trough 17 . for each disc 9 , a feed chamber 3 for the supply of suspension to be filtered is disposed at the head end of the channels 1 and 2 , at the end 6 . the feed chamber 3 is provided with an intake 18 and two outlet openings 19 and 20 , which respectively communicate with channels 1 and 2 . the outlet openings 19 , 20 are individually controllable by adjusting sliding shutters 19a and 20a , which move vertically and which are manually operated by two adjusting fillister head screws 19b and 20b . thus , the flow opening and consequently , flow rate of suspension can be regulated in each channel according to each situation of use . in a particular example , openings 19 and 20 will have a width of 60 mm , and a height regulable between 50 and 200 mm by the shutters . the suspension which is to be subjected to separation of its liquid and solid phases is introduced as indicated by the arrow 21 into the feed tank 3 and then issues therefrom by way of the openings 19 and 20 to feed the channels 1 and 2 which are disposed on respective sides of the disc 9 . the suspension is then distributed over the two faces of the disc portion 14 which is involved in the filtration step by the continuous or trickle flow 22 while the disc rotates as indicated by arrow 23 , well before the portion 14 of the disc is immersed in the suspension 15 contained in the trough 17 . thus , by means of the apparatus according to the invention , for each disc of a rotary filter , it becomes possible for the beginning of the filtration phase to be maintained at a constant height , irrespective of the level of suspension in the trough . referring to fig2 the apparatus according to the invention for feeding the faces of a rotary filter disc by a continuous or trickle flow comprises the channels 1 and 2 which are disposed on respective sides of the disc 9 . each channel is formed by an external side wall 4 , and a bottom or floor 5 disposed at the upper part of the trough 17 . the floors 5 of the channels 1 and 2 have a laterally adjustable block 12 for adjusting the gap 13 between the edges of the adjustable block 12 and the faces of the disc 9 . the adjustable block 12 provides for distributing along the channels 1 and 2 the suspension 24 which flows away through the gap 13 in the form of a trickle - flow sheet of liquid 22 which is subjected to the filtration operation and which flows over the surface 14 of the disc over the entire length of the sector . when the disc is driven in rotation in the direction indicated by the arrow 23 to provide for separation of the liquid and solid phases of the suspension , the solid phase which has formed the cake 25 , having undergone the draining and blowing stages , is diverted by the deflectors 26 which are disposed above the channels 1 and 2 , and passed outside the trough as indicated by the arrow 27 . fig1 a , 2a and 2b show in detail a particular configuration for lateral adjustment of means 12 for regulating the space 13 between the floor 5 of the channel and the side surface of disc 9 . the means 12 shown in the figures comprises a weakly flexible strip 12a formed of metal or plastic which is screwed , riveted or otherwise attached onto the length of a rigid , rectangular plate 12b , formed of metal or plastic , so as to realize an overlap jointed assembly . rectangular plate 12b extends longitudinally along the floor of the channel 5 , and the plate is attached to an upwardly extending lug 12c . two manually operable screws 12d pass through the side wall 4 and are fixed to the lugs 12c with nuts . the screws 12d are in threaded engagement with nuts 12e fixed to side wall 4 , such that adjustment of screws 12d causes horizontal movement of the screws , lugs 12c , plates 12b and strips 12a , with plates 12b in sliding contact with the floor 5 of the channel . in this manner , there is lateral movement of plate 12b and strip 12a , and adjustment of the gap 13 thereby . gap 13 is generally between 1 and 10 mm wide . the various regulating mechanisms are operated together in order to obtain an even distribution of suspension 24 over disc surfaces 14 so as to form a trickle flow sheet of liquid 22 on the whole surface of the disc portion . generally , the initial settings of the regulating mechanisms will be to maintain the regulable openings 19 and 20 at their maximum positions by proper adjustment of shutters 19a and 20a , so a maximum flow rate of suspension can be admitted to each channel . the initial gap 13 between the faces of the disc 9 and the strip 12a will be the minimum gap possible , generally about 1 mm . suspension 21 is then admitted to feed chamber 3 by intake 18 and flows from outlets 19 and 20 . because the openings are at their maximum while the gap is at its minimum , the stream of suspension into the channels 1 and 2 will be excessive , and will overflow the side wall 4 of the channel and the partitioning wall 8 . a first , coarse adjustment is then made by gradually lowering the sliding shutters 19a and 20a until the decreasing flow of suspension is then only slightly overflowing each channel . then , the gap 13 is gradually increased until the equilibrium between the feed flow and the trickle flow is reached and the overflow of suspension is stopped . generally , this coarse adjustment is not sufficient to obtain directly a trickle flow forming a continuous sheet of liquid 22 on the whole disc portion 14 . a second , fine , step by step adjustment is then made by gradually raising the sliding shutters until the increasing flow of suspension is slightly overflowing channels 1 and 2 again . likewise , gap 13 is gradually increased until the equilibrium between the feed flow and the trickle flow is reached again . if a continuous sheet 22 of liquid is not yet achieved , a third adjustment is then made . the final gap will generally be between 1 and 10 mm whatever type of suspension is provided . it is , of course , possible to use means other than sliding shutters to regulate the flow through outlet openings 19 and 20 and means other than 12a through 12e to regulate the gap 13 . any other suitable means for regulating the outlet openings and the gap can be utilized . further , rather than purely manual adjustment of the openings and the gap , it is possible to utilize electrical motors to regulate the openings and the gap , or to utilize pneumatic controls , with such regulating means governed by the flowrate . referring to fig3 the rotary filter is formed by filter discs 9 which are provided with filtering sectors 10 of trapezoidal shape , connected to the hollow horizontal driveshaft 11 . the disc 9 is disposed vertically in the trough 17 containing the suspension 15 to be filtered . when the filter is in operation , the filtering sector passes from the drainage position a to the blowing position b and then to position c for the commencement of filtration by separation of the liquid and solid phases of the suspension , by virtue of the feed thereto of suspension by a continuous flow by means of the apparatus according to the invention , even before the sector concerned is immersed in the suspension 15 contained in the trough 17 . the disc portion 14 is fed ( over each face thereof ) by the continuous trickle flow 22 of the suspension to be filtered , and perform its function of separating the solid and liquid phases by filtration well before the sector is ( partially or totally ) immersed in the trough 17 containing the suspension 15 to be filtered . by referring to fig3 it is possible to verify that , by means of the apparatus according to the invention , for each disc of the rotary filter , it is possible to maintain the beginning of the filtration phase at a constant height irrespective of the level 16 of suspension in the trough 17 , whereas in the prior art , the filtration operation can be carried out only when the whole of the sector 10 is immersed in the suspension 15 contained in the trough 17 . fig3 a shows in cross section the fixed distributor means 40 for accomplishing the blowing , filtration and draining steps . the distributor means 40 includes an outer wall 42 , which surrounds the rotary shaft 11 defining therebetween a space 46 over part of their circumferences . a vacuum outlet 48 is provided for vacuum draining of the filter disc passing drainage position a and a vacuum outlet 50 is provided for filtration of sectors of the filter disc passing filtration position c . an air inlet 52 is provided for blowing of particulate from the disc as it passes blowing position b . the fixed distributor means provides for isolation of the vacuum sections from the blowing section . also shown in fig3 b is a rotary stirrer 60 located at the bottom of trough 17 . the subject - matter of the invention was studied and compared before ( prior art ) and after modification ( invention ) of a disc - type rotary filter comprising : a trough 17 having a capacity of 30 m 3 , a cylindrical driveshaft 11 with a diameter of 0 . 6 meter and comprising seven discs 9 with a diameter of 3 . 9 meters , providing for separation of the liquid and solid phases of an aqueous suspension of al ( oh ) 3 , with a concentration of dry matter of 0 . 25 tonne per cubic meter . the suspension flow on each disc is about 70 to 110 m 3 / hour , so the flow through each regulable opening and gap is about 35 to 55 m 3 / hour . the flowrate is reduced when the solid fraction of the suspension increases . the discharge of the cake 25 is achieved by the two inclined deflectors 26 defining an angle α d with horizontal axis dd &# 39 ;, and positioned on each face of the disc above the horizontal channels 1 , 2 . each filtering disc 9 comprises 24 sectors each representing an angle α s of about 15 ° over the surface of the disc , being defined by the radial edges of the sector , α s being defined by the relationship 360 °/ n wherein n is the number of sectors forming the disc . the filtering support of each sector gives the disc a filtering surface area which is defined by an external radius r equal to 2 . 0 meters and an internal radius of 0 . 5 meter . in the three figures of drawings ( 4 , 5 and 6 ), the position 28 of the sector at the beginning of the blowing operation was fixed at an angle β of 60 ° with respect to the horizontal line dd &# 39 ;, upstream of the filtration step . as shown in fig4 and 5 which illustrate the prior art , the driveshaft 11 is immersed in the suspension to be filtered to a proportion of 50 % ( fig4 ) and 35 % ( fig5 ) of its surface area . as shown in fig4 the above - mentioned position 28 and the position 29 corresponding to total immersion of the sector , that is to say , corresponding to the beginning of the filtration step , when the sector forms an angle β i to the line dd &# 39 ;, define an inactive angle α m which is equal to ( β + β i ). the filtration step begins at position 29 when the sector is completely immersed and is concluded when the sector is in an intermediate position between position 30 at the time at which the sector begins to emerge and a position 31 at which the sector has emerged completely . that mean position and the position 29 define a filtration angle α f which also depends on immersion and the angle α s of the sector , α f being equal in that case to ( 180 °- α s / 2 ). the drainage step begins at the mean position , between positions 30 and 31 , that is to say , at the end of the filtration phase , and is completed when the sector is in position 28 ( commencement of the blowing operation ), those two positions thus defining a drainage angle α e of ( 360 °- α f - α m ). thus , the various angles referred to above are of the following values : referring to fig5 the above - mentioned position 28 and the position 32 corresponding to total immersion of the sector , that is to say , corresponding to the beginning of the filtration step , define an inactive angle α m which is equal to ( β + β i ), β i being the angle defined by the horizontal line dd &# 39 ; and the position 32 of the sector when it is totally immersed . the filtration step begins when the sector is in the complete immersion position 32 and is completed in an intermediate position between position 33 at the time at which the sector begins to emerge and position 34 at which the sector has emerged completely . the intermediate position and the position 32 define the filtration angle α f which also depends on the immersion and the angle α s of the sector . the drainage step begins at the intermediate position between positions 33 and 34 , that is to say , at the end of the filtration operation , and is completed when the sector is in position 28 ( beginning of blowing ), those two positions thus defining a drainage angle α e equal to ( 360 °- α f - α m ). referring to fig6 which illustrates the subject of the invention , the continuous flow feed apparatus takes effect only if the level 16 of the suspension in the trough 17 is below the level 24 of the feed of suspension by way of the channels 1 and 2 ( see fig1 and 2 ). the level 16 corresponds to a degree of immersion of 35 % of the disc , as in the situation shown in fig5 . in the situation shown in fig6 the feed apparatus according to the invention is positioned in such a way that the feed level 24 is disposed at the level of the line dd &# 39 ;. hence , the filtration step begins when the sector is in the position 29 fixing the angle α m which is equal to ( β + β i ). the filtration step begins when the sector reaches the position 29 in which it is completely involved in the continuous trickle flow according to the invention . the filtration step is completed in an intermediate position between the position 33 at the time at which the sector begins to emerge and the position 34 at the time at which the sector has completely emerged . the intermediate position and the position 29 define the filtration angle α f which also depends on immersion and the angle α s of the sector . in the case of the invention , the level 16 of the suspension in the trough , that is to say , the level of immersion of the disc , influences the end of the filtration step , being the position between positions 33 and 34 , but has no influence on the beginning of the filtration step , that is to say , on position 29 , when it is involved in the continuous trickle flow . thus , irrespective of the magnitude of immersion , the angle α m is constant and accordingly the sum of the productive angles α f and α e remains constant whereas in the prior art ( fig4 and 5 ), the angle α m and the sum of the angles α f and α e vary depending on the magnitude of disc immersion . thus , according to the invention , the various angles are of the following values : in the particular case according to the invention where the level 16 in the trough 17 reaches the feed level 24 of the channels 1 and 2 of the apparatus according to the invention , the effect of the flow over the disc is neutralized by virture of the immersion effect , and the situation corresponds to that shown in fig4 giving rise , in regard to the angles α m , α f and α e , to a condition of equality with those shown in fig4 . for a degree of immersion of less than 35 %, when the sector portion which is disposed close to the shaft is no longer immersed , that is to say , passing above the level of the suspension in the trough , the non - immersed portion does not give rise to a breakdown in the vacuum effect , as in the prior art , as that portion was coated with solid phase when it passed through the continuous flow region which is between the level of the suspension in the trough and the level of the feed at 24 . all the values of the angles α m , α f and α e and the sum thereof , α f + α e , are set forth in the following table to permit a comparison to be made between the prior art and the subject of the invention . table i______________________________________angles prior art invention______________________________________ fig4 % immersion 50 % immersion of the driveshaft of the driveshaft equivalent to fig4 α . sub . m 67 . 5 ° 67 . 5 ° α . sub . f 172 . 5 ° 172 . 5 ° α . sub . e 120 ° 120 ° α . sub . f + α . sub . e 292 . 5 ° 292 . 5 ° fig5 fig6 % immersion 35 % immersion of the driveshaft of the driveshaftα . sub . m 120 ° 67 . 5 ° α . sub . f 88 ° 140 . 5 ° α . sub . e 152 ° 152 ° α . sub . f + e 240 ° 292 . 5 ° ______________________________________ in the case of the prior art , it is found that the angles α f and α e vary according to the degree of immersion , which is well known , whereas the angle α m increases consequentially when the level of suspension in the trough falls , giving rise to a reduction in the productivity of the filter since the sum ( α f + α e ) falls simultaneously with the reduction in the degree of immersion ; in the case of the invention , the angle α m is constant irrespective of the level of suspension in the trough while the angles α f and α e vary in accordance with that level , as in the prior art , while retaining in respect of the sum ( α f + α e ) a value which is at least equal to that of the prior art when the degree of immersion is at a maximum ( that is to say 50 %). the sum ( α f + α e ) remains at a maximum when the level of immersion is less than 50 % and remains constant in the case of the invention whereas it decreases simultaneously with the degree of immersion in the case of the prior art . as already stated above , an accidental drop in level in the trough of the filter below a limit which is fixed by the filtering portion of the sector , in the case of the prior art , gives rise to a breakdown in the vacuum because the filtering region of the sector which is close to the shaft is no longer immersed , whereas in the invention , an accidental drop in level in the trough , to the same degree , does not cause the vacuum to be broken since the nonimmersed filtering region of the sector has been previously covered by the solid phase at the time at which the sector was passing through the continuous flow region . it follows from the above - indicated particularity that it is possible voluntarily to vary the level of the suspension in the trough in order to vary the angles α f and α e without having to take action on the distributor means of the filter , whereas such action is essential in the case of the prior art , by simultaneously causing a variation in the angle α m .
| 1 |
in fig1 the data processing system of the present invention is shown to include a main store 2 , a storage control unit 4 , an instruction unit 8 , an execution unit 10 , a channel unit 6 with associated i / o and a console 12 . the system of fig1 operates under control of instructions where an organized group of instructions form a program . instructions and the data upon which the instructions operate are introduced from the i / 0 equipment via the channel unit 6 through the storage control unit 4 into the main store 2 . from the main store 2 , instructions are fetched by the instruction unit 8 through the storage control 4 and are processed so as to control the execution within the execution unit 10 . the system of fig1 is , for convenience , compatible with the ibm system / 360 and the ibm / 370 and accordingly , general details as to the operation of data processing systems may be had by reference to the publication : &# 34 ; ibm system / 370 principles of operation &# 34 ;, ibm systems reference library , form ga22 - 7000 - 3 . the above publications are hereby incorporated by reference into this specification for the purpose of teaching the general operation of data processing systems , for identifying nomenclature , and for defining the architectural requirements of the systems / 360 and 370 . by way of introduction , the information format in the above data processing systems organizes eight bits into a basic building block called a &# 34 ; byte &# 34 ;. each byte also typically includes a ninth bit for parity used in error detection . although express mention of the ninth bit in each byte is not generally made throughout this specification , it is assumed that there is a parity bit associated with each byte and that the normal parity checking circuitry is included throughout the system in a well - known manner . two bytes are organized into a larger field defined as a half - word , and four bytes or two - half words are organized into a still larger field called a word . two words form a double word . a word is four consecutive bytes . while these definitions are employed in the specification , it will be understood that words or bytes can equal any number of bits . various data formats may be employed in the environmental system so that instructions and operands may be of different length depending upon the particular operation which is to be carried out . the instruction formats include rr , rx , rs , si , and ss . as a typical example , the rx instruction includes an 8 - bit op code , a 4 - bit r1 code , a 4 - bit x code , a 4 - bit b2 code and a 12 - bit d2 code . the op code specifies one out of 256 instructions . the r1 , x2 and b2 fields each identify one of 16 general registers . the d2 field contains a displacement number between 0 and 2 12 - 1 . as an example of the rx instruction , the ad instruction adds the contents of the register identified by the r1 field to the contents of the main storage location addressed by the sum of the number in the d2 field added to the contents of the register identified by the x2 field again added to the contents of the register identified by the b2 field . the result is placed in the register identified by the r1 field . the rx instructions require two accesses to storage for execution , one to fetch the instruction and one to fetch one of the two operands . rr instructions require one storage access while ss instructions require a minimum of three . in fig2 the program event recorder stores the lower - address ( e ) in a register 322 and the length ( l &# 39 ;) of contiguous addresses to be addressed in a register 307 . the system of fig1 uses the information in the registers 322 and 307 to access information from the storage control unit 4 which in turn fetches and stores information in the main store 2 . in order to detect when the addresses specified by the registers 322 and 307 fall within some control range , the lower limit of the control range is stored in the register 346 ( dtcl ) and the upper limit of the range is stored in the register 347 ( dtcu ). the effective address specified by the register 322 and the control range registers 346 and 347 have their outputs connected as inputs to high - speed carry - lookahead adder structures 1035 through 1038 . the adder structure 1035 detects the w condition which indicates that the lower limit ( dtcl ) exceeds the upper limit ( dtcu ). the adder structure 1036 detects the x condition which is that the lower address e is less than or equal to the upper limit control address ( dtcu ). the adder structure 1037 and associated logic determine the y condition that the upper address ( e + l ) is equal to or greater than the lower limit control address ( dtcl ). the adder structure 1038 determines the z condition which is that the lower address ( e ) is greater than the upper address ( e + l ). the four conditions produced by the adder structures 1035 through 1038 are logically combined in the per logic circuit 1039 which gives an indication of a program event record on its output . the program event record indicates that an address used by the system of fig1 falls between the address limits specified in the registers 346 and 347 . in fig3 the instruction ( i ) unit 8 of fig1 is shown in detail . the i - unit 8 includes a plurality of addressing registers . the addressing registers include the 12 - bit d register 310 for storing the displacement d1 or d2 obtained from the various instruction fields , the 24 - bit wa register 312 for storing an address constant k , the 24 - bit x register 313 for storing the register addressed by the x2 field of the instruction , the 24 - bit b register 314 for storing the contents of the register identified by the b1 or b2 field , and a 24 - bit ia register 316 for storing the instruction address . during the initial instruction fetching sequence , the ia register 316 stores bits 40 through 63 of the 64 - bit program status word ( psw ). bits 32 through 39 of the psw are stored in the psw - 1 register 315 . bits 0 through 31 of the psw are stored in the psw - 2 register 348 . the addressing registers are connected with inputs to the effective address adder 318 which functions to add the contents of the selected addressing registers to form an effective address which is input to the effective address register ( ear ) 322 . the effective address stored in the register 322 , in addition to providing inputs back into the addressing registers , is connected as an input to the storage control unit 4 and specifically , to the buffer address register ( bar ) 363 ( shown in fig5 of the cross - referenced patent ) via bus 362 . from that bar register 363 , the effective address addresses the high - speed buffer ( hsb ) 355 ( shown in fig5 of the cross - referenced patent ) to access the desired instruction . the accessed instruction is one word in length and is stored in the iw register 388 ( shown in fig5 of the cross - referenced patent ) from where it is gated into the instruction buffer ib register 330 or directly via the selection gates 332 into the instruction pipeline 350 . for use in generating the appropriate addresses and loading the addressing registers and for storing operands and other information the i - unit 8 includes an even register stack ( ers ) 338 and an odd register stack ( ors ) 339 . each of the stacks 338 and 339 includes four 32 - bit scratch pad registers , and eight 32 - bit general purpose registers for a total of eight scratch pad registers and sixteen general purpose registers . additionally , the even and odd stacks 338 and 339 each include four 32 - bit registers which together define four 64 - bit floating point registers . the outputs from each of the registers in the stacks 338 and 339 are connected via appropriate gates to readout bus rob1 and to readout bus rob2 . bus rob1 is connected as an input to the 1r register 342 and bus rob2 is connected as an input to the 2r register 341 . the 1r register 342 and the 2r register 341 have their outputs connected via buses 285 and 286 to the execution unit 10 as inputs to the luck 20 and the 1r register also has its output connected to the storage control unit 4 via bus 352 as an input to the store data select gates 386 ( shown in fig5 of the cross - referenced patent ). the buses rob1 and rob2 from the register stacks 338 and 339 also serve as inputs to the addressing registers . in order to gate information into the registers of the stacks 338 and 339 , the result register rr in the execution unit 10 connects as an input to the write even wre register 334 and the write odd wro register 335 , which connect as inputs to the even register stack 338 and the odd register stack 339 , respectively . additionally , the write odd register 335 has its output connected as an input to the control registers 344 through 348 . the output from the control registers 344 through 348 pass through selection gates 343 the output of which is the readout bus rob3 which in turn is connected as an input to the 1r register 342 . the registers 344 through 348 provide a means whereby the control functions generally derived from the pipeline 350 insert their control conditions into the data stream of the data processing system . the instruction fetch and the instruction presentation portions of the instruction sequence are segments pfo , ia , ib1 and ib2 . the initial sequence processing is carried out under the control of the sequencer 325 in fig3 . the sequencer 325 controls the sequential instruction fetching and determines the next sequential instruction . after the prefetch offset ( pfo ), the sequential instruction fetching processing of sequencer 325 is in one of four states , the ia state , the ib1 state , the interlock state , or the wait state . the states are determined by logical determinations responsive to priority and other control signals in the data processing system . the next sequential instruction selection is carried out by the sequencer 325 to select whether the next instruction inserted into the pipeline 350 is obtained from the instruction word iw register 388 , from the s - unit of fig5 or whether the next instruction is derived from the instruction buffer ib register 330 . the determination by sequencer 325 of which instruction is the next to be gated into the pipeline 350 is responsive to various control signals generated throughout the data processing system . the target fetch ( tf ) determines which instruction is to be gated into the iw or ib registers as a candidate for the next instruction to be gated into the instruction pipeline 350 . the target fetch is responsive to various control signals generated throughout the data processing system . the logic circuitry for controlling the states in sequencer 325 are implemented using standard data processing techniques . for example , the sequencer is typically a serial counter which determines that instructions are fetched in a sequential counting order until the ordered sequence is interrupted , for example , by a branch instruction . such techniques are well known in the data processing field . the initial segments pfo , ia , ib1 , ib2 of the instruction sequence are processed under control of the sequencer 325 in fig3 . sequencer 325 operates over the cycles c0 , c1 , c2 and c3 . the prefetch offset segment pfo is carried out during time c0 to c1 which is one clock period and one cycle of the data processing system . during the pfo segment , a number to be added to the contents of the ia register 316 is loaded into the k register 312 and latched at time c1 . during the address formation , ia segment , the registers 310 through 316 are appropriately gated into the effective address adder eaa 318 which adds up to three inputs to form an effective address which is gated into the effective address register ear 322 where that address is latched at time c2 . during the instruction buffering segment ib1 , the effective address from register 322 is gated via bus 362 to the buffer address register bar 363 which is in the s - unit of fig5 . the register 363 is latched at time c3 . the latching of data at time c3 is effective to address the high - speed buffer ( hsb ) 355 . during the buffering segment ib2 the addressed information is accessed from the buffer 355 and is latched in the instruction word iw register 388 at time c4 . at time c4 , the data is introduced into the pipeline 350 . pipeline 350 includes the register and control stages 301 , 302 , 303 , 304 , 305 and 306 . the stages 301 , 302 and 303 each are active for two segments . those stages each store pipeline information and generate control signals during two cycles of time c11 . the information latched in the register of stage 304 is employed for the period from c11 to c12 to generate control signals to perform the check segment of the instruction sequence . at clock pulse c12 , the stage 304 information segment becomes latched in the register of stage 305 . finally , information in the register of the stage 305 is used during the w segment , during the period from c12 to c13 to generate control signals for writing information . thereafter , the information in the pipeline 350 is discarded and is no longer retained . in fig4 the program event recorder is shown in further detail . the register for storing the lower address e is the effective address register 322 in fig3 . the register for storing the lower limit control address ( dtcl ) is the control register ( cr - 10 ) 346 in fig3 . the register for storing the upper limit control address ( dtcu ) is the control register ( cr - 11 ) 347 in fig3 . the register for storing the length field ( l &# 39 ;) is register 307 in fig3 . the length register is loaded by the i unit sequencer 350 prior to the time or concurrently with the loading of the ear register 322 . each of the registers 322 , 346 and 347 is 32 bits . register 307 is 5 bits , however , in one preferred embodiment only three bits are active since address accesses at any one time are limited to eight bytes . each of the registers 322 , 346 , 347 and 307 has provision for a complement ( c ) output . for a logical 1 in any register bit position , the c output of that bit is a logical 0 . the inversion is employed since the adders in a preferred embodiment require an inversion . to operate on a quantity + a , the adders require an input of - a . registers 322 , 346 , 347 and 307 are indicated as storing information at clock time ( ck1 ). in actuality , in the system of fig4 some of those registers actually receive their information prior to ck1 time . for simplicity , however , they are shown to be latched at ck1 time since , for the present invention , this is the time by which the data must be latched . the output from the registers are input to the four condition circuits 1035 , 1036 , 1037 and 1038 . these condition circuits are identical in number and function to the ones previously described in conjunction with fig2 . in fig4 the w condition circuit 1035 includes four eight - bit adders . the four adders include two adders 94 - 1 and 94 - 2 which employ negative - true logic and two adders 95 - 1 and 95 - 2 which employ positive - true logic . each of the adders has an 8 - bit a input port on the left - hand side and a 8 - bit b input port on the right - hand side . for example , the adder 94 - 1 receives at its a port the eight negative inputs - a0 , - a1 , ..., - a7 which are designated as - a ( 0 - 7 ). similarly , the adder 94 - 1 receives , at its b port , eight inputs - b ( 0 - 7 ). the adder 94 - 1 has a carryout which propagates the signal - co . similarly , the adder 94 - 1 has a carryin which receives the signal + ci . the adder is 94 - 1 receives a positive carryin , + ci , and operates to provide a negative carryout , - co . the meaning of positive and negative as used in connection with the carryin and carryout signals is as follows . a logical true condition ( t ) is represented by a high - signal level ( 1 ) for a positive carryin , + ci , and is represented by a low - signal level ( 0 ) for a negative carryin . the same rules apply for a positive carryout , + co , where a high signal is a logical true and a low signal is a logical false and apply for a negative carryout , - co , where a high signal is a logical false and a low signal is a logical true . the adders 94 - 1 and 94 - 2 , which employ negative - true logic , receive positive carryins , + ci , and provide negative carryouts , - co . the adders 95 - 1 and 95 - 2 , which employ positive - true logic , receive negative carryins , - ci , and produce positive carryouts , + co . the + co carryout from the stage 95 - 2 is , of course , the + ci carryin to the stage 94 - 2 . similarly , the - co carryout from stage 94 - 2 is the - ci carryin to the stage 95 - 1 and the + co carryout from the stage 95 - 1 is the + ci carryin to the stage 94 - 1 . the - co carryout from the stage 94 - 1 serves as the input to the latch circuit 191 . the - co carryout from stage 94 - 1 is inverted on the input to latch 191 and therefore , the w condition stored by latch 191 on its q output is in positive - true form . latch 191 is any well - known latch having , for example , a q output which is employed and a complemented output q * which is not employed in the present instance . latch 191 is latched at clock time ck2 established by the clock distribution circuit 1053 . the a inputs to the adders in the condition circuit 1035 are derived from the cr - 10 register 346 which stores the lower limit address dtcl of the per range . the output is derived from the complement ( c ) output . the complement is employed since the adders , such as adder 94 - 1 , of the condition circuit 1035 require negative inputs (- a ) in order to perform positive logic since those adders have an inherent inversion . the high - order eight bits from register 346 are input to adder 94 - 1 as bits - a ( 0 - 7 ). the next eight bits from high - order to low - order are input to the stage 95 - 1 as bits - a ( 8 - 15 ). the next eight bits in order from register 346 are input to stage 94 - 2 as bits - a ( 16 - 23 ). finally , the low - order eight bits are input to the stage 95 - 2 as bits - a ( 24 - 31 ). in this manner , the 32 - bits representing the quantity + a which is the address dtcl are input in the form of - a to the a ports of the adders in the condition circuit of 1035 . ignoring the inversions inherent in the adders 94 and 95 , the value + a of dtcl in register 346 operated upon in the condition circuit 1035 is the true value and the inversions necessary for the actual implementation can be ignored . the inputs to the b ports of the adders in the condition circuit 1035 is the complemented value - b derived from the + b value of the upper address dtcu stored in register 347 . again the inversion is necessary because of the adder operation . the operation of the byte adders , for example adder 94 - 1 , in the condition circuit 1035 is to form the sum a - b using the inputs - a ( 0 - 7 ) plus - b ( 0 - 7 ). a true carryout condition , that is - co = 0 , is provided if a is greater than b and the carryin is false , that is , + ci = 0 . if the carryin is false and if a is not greater than b , then the carryout is false . if the carryin is true , then the adders of the condition circuit 1035 provide a true carryout if a is greater than or equal to b and provide a false carryout if b is greater than a . the operation of each byte adder is summarized in the following chart i : chart i______________________________________ci a - b co______________________________________false a & gt ; b truefalse a ≦ b falsetrue a ≧ b truetrue a & lt ; b false______________________________________ while each of the adders 94 - 1 , 95 - 1 , 94 - 2 and 95 - 2 operates in the manner indicated in chart i on 8 - bit bytes , the four adders together , with carryouts connected to carryins as indicated , operate on 32 - bits . the carryin of the lowest - order stage 95 - 2 is chosen to be false ( f ) so that the four adders together perform the function of detecting whether a is greater than b . as previously indicated , the value of a is dctl and the value of b is dtcu and they are latched in registers 346 and 347 , respectively , at least by ck1 time . at ck2 time , latch 191 has its q output set to 1 if dctl is greater than dtcu or set to 0 if dctl is not greater than dtcu . the x condition circuitry 1036 includes the byte adders 94 - 1 , 95 - 1 , 94 - 2 and 95 - 2 which are identical to the adders in condition circuitry 1035 . the a ports receive the value of e from the effective address register 322 . the b ports receive the value of dtcu from the register 347 . since the carryin to stage 95 - 2 is always false ( f ), the carryout from stage 94 - 1 is true if e is greater than dtcu and is false if e is less than or equal to dtcu . the carryout from stage 94 - 1 is inverted and stored in the latch 192 . the x condition , however , is taken as the complement q * output of latch 192 . accordingly , x and the q * output is a 1 if e is less than or equal to dtcu and is a 0 if e is greater than dtcu . the y condition circuit 1037 is again identical to the circuits 1035 and 1036 for the w and x conditions . additionally , the y condition circuit 1037 includes length logic 195 in addition to the latch 193 and the byte adders 94 - 1 , 95 - 1 , 94 - 2 and 95 - 2 . in circuit 1037 , the byte adders receive the effective address e from register 322 and receive on the b ports the value of dctl from register 346 . the adder 95 - 2 in the y condition circuit 1037 receives as its carryin a true ( t ) input . therefore , in accordance with the rules in the above - identified chart i , the carryout from the byte adder 94 - 1 is true if e is greater than or equal to dctl and is false if e is less than dctl . that carryout from stage 94 - 1 is input to the length logic 195 . the length logic 195 in fig4 also includes the propagate input - p ( 0 - 7 ) from adder 94 - 1 , the propagate inputs - p ( 8 - 12 ) and - p ( 13 - 15 ) from adder 95 - 1 , the inputs - p ( 16 - 23 ) from adder 94 - 2 , and the input - p ( 24 - 28 ) from adder 95 - 2 . additionally , adder 95 - 2 provides five additional propagate and generate signals on bus 1040 . length circuit 195 also receives the length l &# 39 ; from the register 307 on bus 1044 . the length logic 195 provides an output through an inverting input to latch 193 . the q * output from latch 193 is the y condition . the function of the length logic 195 is to determine if any address between e and e + l is greater than or equal to the lower per address dtcl . the details of the logic 195 are shown in fig7 . the z condition circuit 1038 includes one byte adder 95 - 2 which is like the same - numbered byte adders in the w , x and y condition circuits . in circuit 1038 , the adder 95 - 2 receives , on its a port , the complement of the five low - order bits ( 27 - 31 ) of the effective address e in register 322 and , on its b port , the true value of the five bits of l through logic 1076 . logic 1076 functions in a conventional manner to receive the complement of l &# 39 ; from register 307 , invert it to the true value of l &# 39 ;, and subtract + 1 to form the true value of l . since the adder 95 - 2 receives the low - order 5 - bit complement of e and the true value of l it performs the addition e + l for those five bits . the other 27 high - order address bits of e are input to a 27 - way nand gate 197 . gate 197 performs the function of determining when all high - order twenty - seven bits of e are 1 &# 39 ; s . when that condition is met , and gate 196 is enabled . gate 196 has its other input derived from the carryout of adder 95 - 2 . since the carryin to adder 95 - 2 is false ( f ), adder 95 - 2 functions to provide a true carryout if the five low - order bits of e summed with the five bits of l are greater than 2 5 - 1 and to provide a false carryout if the low - order bits of e summed with l are less than or equal to 2 5 - 1 . this use of the adder 95 - 2 in combination with the other circuits determines e + l & gt ; 2 n - 1 which is the same as determining e & gt ; e + l when the 27 high - order bits of e are true . under the conditions of a true output from adder 95 - 2 , gate 196 becomes satisfied , when enabled by gate 197 ( as occurs when the 27 high - order bits of e are true ), and stores its value in latch 194 . the z condition appears as the q output from latch 194 . each of the latches 191 through 194 is set by the clock distribution circuit 1053 at ck2 time . at ck2 time , the w , x , y and z conditions are input to the per logic 1039 . the per logic 1039 includes an or gate 1046 for ok &# 39 ; ing the z and w conditions , an or gate 1047 for or &# 39 ; ing the x and y conditions , an and gate 1048 for and &# 39 ; ing the x and y conditions , and an and gate 1049 for and &# 39 ; ing the w and z conditions . the outputs from gates 1046 and 1047 are further combined in the and gate 1052 to provide an input to or gate 1051 . similarly , the outputs from gates 1048 and 1049 are combined in or gate 1050 which in turn provides the second input to or gate 1051 . the output from gate 1051 is in turn input to the latch 198 where it is stored as the per condition . the per condition appears on the q output of latch 198 . latch 198 is latched at ck3 time . the logical function performed by the per logic is given by the following equation : the positive - true byte adder of fig5 is typical of the byte adders 95 - 1 in fig4 . also , the adder of fig5 is typical of the adders 95 - 2 in fig4 if the quantity 16 is added to all the propagate , generate and bit numbers in fig5 . for example , the input bits - a8 through - a15 for the adders 95 - 1 become the bits - a24 through - a31 after an addition of 16 . the function of the adder of fig5 is to generate a true carryout , + co equal to 1 , whenever the quantity + a is greater than + b . in making that determination , however , the adder of fig5 receives - a and - b inputs as indicated . the operations performed on bit 15 are typical . for bit 15 - a15 and - b15 are input to the phase - splitting gates 1060 and 1061 , respectively . the dot - or of the non - inverting output from gate 1060 and the inverting output of gate 1061 provide the negative 1 &# 39 ; s generate term - g ( 15 ). the inverting output of gate 1060 and the non - inverting output of gate 1061 are combined in the gate 1062 to provide on its inverting output the negative 1 &# 39 ; s propagate term - p ( 15 ). in a similar manner , each of the other bits 8 through 14 have negative propagate and generate terms formed . the propagate and generate lines - p ( 15 ), - g ( 15 ), - p ( 14 ), - g ( 14 ) and - p ( 13 ) form the 5 - bit bus 1040 &# 39 ;. the bus 1040 &# 39 ; is not explicitly used . however , by adding a quantity 16 to each of those terms for a corresponding circuit 95 - 2 , the terms - p ( 31 ), - g ( 31 ), - p ( 30 ), - g ( 30 ) and - p ( 29 ) are formed and constitute the bus 1040 output from the adder 95 - 2 in the y condition circuit 1037 of fig4 . in fig5 certain of the negative propagate terms are or &# 39 ; ed . specifically , or gate 1063 receives as inputs the terms - p ( 13 ), - p ( 14 ), and - p ( 15 ) and or &# 39 ; s those terms to form the term - p ( 13 - 15 ) which is equal to [- p ( 13 )] v [- p ( 14 )] v [- p ( 15 )]. the symbol &# 34 ; v &# 34 ; is the logical or symbol . the or gate 1064 also receives five input propagate terms for bits 8 through 12 and forms the output - p ( 8 - 12 ). the propagate and generate terms thus produced are then collected in nine nor gates 1065 which function to invert the negative generate and propagate terms to positive generate and propagate terms . the outputs from the nine nor gates 1065 are or &# 39 ; ed to form the + co term . each of the nine gates 1065 essentially is one of nine ways in which a positive carryout can be generated . it should be noted that the negative carryin , - ci , only passes through one logic gate in influencing the carryout term . the carryout term , + co , is given by the following equation : in the above equation , the nine terms correspond to nine outputs from the gates 1065 . the dot &# 34 ;.&# 34 ; symbol is the logical and symbol . the symbol + p ( 8 , 10 ) is equal to [+ p ( 8 )]. sup .. [+ p ( 9 )]. sup .. [+ p ( 10 )]. the positive propagate , + p ( i ), and the positive generate + g ( i ), are 1 &# 39 ; s propagate and generate terms . for any two typical bits + a ( i ) and + b ( i ) in forming the sum [+ a ( i )] - [+ b ( i )], a logical 1 is produced as the 1 &# 39 ; s propagate , + p ( i ), if + a ( i ) is 1 or + b ( i ) is 0 . a 1 is produced for the 1 &# 39 ; s generate , + g ( i ), if + a ( i ) is 1 and + b ( i ) is 0 . in fig6 the byte adder shown is typical of the byte adders 94 - 1 in fig4 . further , by addition of the quantity 16 to any of the bit , propagate and generate terms in fig6 the fig6 adder becomes typical of the adders 94 - 2 in fig4 . the adder of fig6 operates on 0 &# 39 ; s as contrasted with the adder of fig5 which operates on 1 &# 39 ; s . specifically , for two typical bits + a ( i ) and + b ( i ) in forming [+ a ( i )] - [+ b ( i )], the zero propagate term , p ( i ) and the zero generate term , g ( i ), obey the following rules . the positive zero propagate term , + p ( i ), is 1 if + a ( i ) is 0 or + b ( i ) is 1 . the positive zero generate term , + g ( i ), is 1 if + a ( i ) is 0 and + b ( i ) is 1 . in forming the positive zero propagate and generate terms , the adder of fig6 initially employs the negative bit inputs , - a ( i ) and - b ( i ), because of the inversion in the fig6 adder . bit 7 ( i = 7 ) in fig6 is discussed as typical . the inputs - a7 and - b7 are input to the phasesplitting gates 1060 and 1061 , respectively . the non - inverting output from gate 1061 is dot - or &# 39 ; ed with the inverting output of gate 1060 to form the negative zero propagate term - g ( 7 ). the non - inverting output of gate 1060 and the inverting output of gate 1061 are combined in the nor gate 1066 to provide the negative zero propagate term - p ( 7 ). gate 1067 is also provided for forming - b ( 7 ) and - g ( 7 ) from the - g ( 7 ) output from gates 1060 and 1061 . the terms - p ( 0 ) through - p ( 7 ) are or &# 39 ; ed in gate 1069 to provide the or &# 39 ; ed output - p ( 0 - 7 ) which denotes a &# 34 ; 1 &# 39 ; s propagate &# 34 ; output . a gate 1068 is provided for collecting the negative zero propagate terms - p ( 0 ) through - p ( 4 ) to provide the or &# 39 ; ed output - p ( 0 - 4 ). the zero propagate and generate terms are collected in nine nor gates 1070 . the outputs from the gates 1070 are or &# 39 ; ed to provide the negative carryout - co . the negative carryout , - co , is defined by the following equation : in the above equation for - co , each of the nine terms correspond to the output from the nine gates 1070 . the symbol &# 34 ; v &# 34 ; represents the logical or and the symbol &# 34 ;.&# 34 ; represents the logical and . the term &# 34 ;[+ p ( 0 , 2 )]&# 34 ; represents [+ p ( 0 )]. sup .. [+ p ( 1 )]. sup .. [+ p ( 2 )]. the meaning of the - co term is that there are nine conditions by which a 0 will be propagated . prapagating a 0 has the same meaning as not propagating a 1 . in fig7 further details of the length logic 195 of fig4 are shown . gate 1071 receives the or &# 39 ; ed propagate signals from the byte adders within the y condition circuitry 1037 and forms the output - p ( 0 , 28 ) which signifies when all of the high - order bits 0 through 28 of e and dtcl are identical provided no carryout has occurred . the identity exists since , in the absence of a carryout and + p ( 0 , 28 ) is true , no generates can exist and therefore the propagate must derive from identity . that signal - p ( 0 , 28 ) is input to enable the seven nor gates 1073 . byte inhibit logic 1042 also provides an input to each of the gates 1073 . inhibit logic 1042 is a tree decoder which decodes the input length l &# 39 ; on line 1044 from register 307 . if the length l &# 39 ; indicates one byte ( which means only address e is of concern , the input to gate 1073 - 1 is enabled . if the length is two bytes ( e + 1 ) the input to gate 1073 - 2 is enabled as well as the input to gate 1073 - 1 . if the length is three bytes ( e + 2 ) then the inputs to gates 1073 - 3 , 1073 - 2 and 1073 - 1 are enabled . the progression continues in the same measure until for l &# 39 ; equal to 7 ( e + 6 ) all of the gates 1073 - 7 through 1073 - 1 are enabled . each of the gates 1073 receives a third input from the byte circuits 1072 . the byte circuits 1072 detect whenever the length l when added to the address e will cause the address e + l to exceed dtcl . the carryout input on line 1041 through the inverter to the or gate 1043 serves to detect whether e by itself is greater than dtcl . if the address e by itself does not cause an output from gate 1043 , then the byte circuits 1032 for signals - byte 2 through - byte 7 determine whether the length l when added to e will cause an output from the gate 1043 . in the particular system of fig1 the length l &# 39 ; is limited to eight bytes , but only seven bytes are actually used and hence only - byte 1 , . . . , - byte 7 signals are generated . the - byte 1 signal for the y condition is redundant and makes the same determination as the signal on line 1041 . the details of the circuit 1072 for generating the - byte 1 signal are shown to include a gate for forming the and function -[+ p ( 29 )]. sup .. [+ p ( 30 )]. sup .. [+ p ( 31 )]. the meaning of the - byte 1 signal in combination with the signal from gate 1071 is that all propagate terms from + p ( 0 ) to + p ( 31 ) are present . this condition signifies that e is identical to dtcl if no carryout is indicated on line 1041 . if l &# 39 ; is 1 , then circuit 1042 enables gate 1073 - 1 and provides an output through or gate 1043 on line 1045 . the details of each of the other circuits are shown schematically in logical notation in fig7 . each of those other circuits logically test whether the addition of a particular value of l &# 39 ; to the three low - order bits 29 , 30 and 31 of e will cause e + l to equal or exceed dtcl . the operation of the program event recorder of fig2 in connection with storage alteration by the system of fig1 is explained with reference to a specific examples . for purposes of explanation , the lower per range address dtcl is chosen to be 001ffc30 ( addresses in hexadecimal format ). the upper per range address dtcu is chosen to be 001ffc34 . with this per range , for a storage alteration per determination the operation of the fig2 circuit for an effective address of 001ffc36 and an e + l address of 001ffc39 is summarized in the following chart ii : chart ii______________________________________ck1 dtcl = 001ffc30 dtcu = 001ffc34 e = 001ffc36 l &# 39 ;= 4______________________________________ck2 w = false ( 0 ) x = false ( 0 ) y = true ( 1 ) z = false ( 0 ) ______________________________________ck3 per = false ( 0 ) ______________________________________ in the above chart ii , the indicated values of dtcl , dtcu , and e are stored in the registers 346 , 347 and 322 . the value of l &# 39 ; equal to is similarly stored in the register 307 so that the value of e + l is equal to 001ffc39 . with a value of l &# 39 ; equal to 4 , the system of fig1 operates to access four bytes starting with the byte specified by the effective address e . at ck1 time , the values in chart ii are latched in the indicated registers and are input to the respective w , x , y and z condition circuits which operate to make determinations in the manner previously described . at ck2 time , the latches 191 through 194 in fig4 are latched with the determined conditions . with the input address information of chart ii , the w condition is false , 191q equal to 0 , since dtcl is not greater than dtcu . the x condition is false , 192q * equal to 0 , since e is greater than dtcu . the y condition is true , 193q * equal to 1 since e + l is greater than dtcl . the z condition is false , 194q * equal to o , since e is not greater than e + l . at ck2 time , the indicated values of w , x , y and z are input to the per logic 1039 where the logic determines that per is false ( 0 ). in fig4 that false determination is latched into latch 198 at ck3 time rendering 198q equal to 0 . in a second example , the lower per range address is 001ffc35 and the upper per range address dtcu is 001ffc38 . the effective address e is 001ffc33 and the address e + l is 001ffc36 indicating that l &# 39 ; is 4 . the operation of the circuit of fig2 with the indicated input conditions is summarized in the following chart iii : chart iii______________________________________ck1 dtcl = 001ffc35 dtcu = 001ffc38 e = 001ffc33 l &# 39 ;= 4______________________________________ck2 w = false ( 0 ) x = true ( 1 ) y = true ( 1 ) z = false ( 0 ) ______________________________________ck3 per = true ( 1 ) ______________________________________ in the above chart iii , the per test is true since two bytes in the address range from e to e + l fall within the per range between dtcl and dtcu . specifically , those bytes are the two bytes 001ffc35 and 001ffc36 . if the example of chart ii were modified so that l &# 39 ; were equal to 2 and all other values were the same , the per determination would be false since no addresses would fall within the per range . in the example of chart iii the fig7 circuitry operates in the following manner . all high - order binary bits 0 through 28 of dtcl and e are identical and , therefore , an enabling output will be generated by gate 1071 . because l &# 39 ; is equal to 4 , all of the gates 1073 - 1 through 1073 - 4 are enabled by logic 1042 . the last four bits , bits 28 , 29 , 30 and 31 , of e are 0011 ( equal to hex 3 ) and of dtcl are 0101 ( equal to hex 5 ). the term + p ( 28 ) equals 1 as is required by gate 1071 . additionally , + p ( 29 ) is 0 , + p ( 30 ) is 1 , + p ( 31 ) is 1 , + g ( 30 ) is 1 , and + g ( 31 ) is 0 . the negative value of those terms appear as an input on bus 1040 in fig7 . with the indicated inputs , the - byte 1 signal from gate 1072 is not energized since the + p ( 29 ) term is 0 , that is , the - p ( 29 ) term is 1 . similarly , there is no output from the - byte 2 circuit since + p ( 29 ) and + g ( 31 ) are both 0 &# 39 ; s . there is an output from the - byte 3 circuit 1072 in fig7 however , since + g ( 30 ) is 1 and + p ( 31 ) is 1 . the output from the - byte 3 circuit is input to the gate 1073 - 3 . gate 1073 - 3 is also enabled by the other two inputs from circuit 1071 and 1042 as described . accordingly , gate 1073 - 3 provides an output to the or gate 1043 indicating that the address 001ffc35 is within the per range . the circuitry of fig2 was described in connection with program event records which involved accesses to storage . an indication of whether any address over the range e to e + l fell within the per range was made . additionally , it is of interest in the fig1 system to determine explicitly whether the present instruction or a prefetched future instruction falls within the per range . the present instruction has the address e , the next possible prefetched instruction has the address e + 2 , the next possible prefetched instruction has the address e + 4 , and the next possible prefetched instruction has the address e + 6 . in the data processing system of fig1 which has the capability of fetching 8 bytes of an instruction stream on a single memory access , good system performance requires the detection of a per event for instructions at addresses e , e + 2 , e + 4 , and e + 6 . the reason for interest in e , e + 2 , e + 4 , and e + 6 is that , for the fig1 system , an instruction may begin on any halfwood boundary . since at the time of the instruction fetch it is not known which of the halfword boundaries is actually the start of a new instruction , the detection of whether each halfword boundary is a per event is desirable . thereafter , when it is finally determined which halfword boundaries actually begin new instructions , the proper per event determination for that instruction can be reported to the system . to make the determination explicitly for the addresses e , e + 2 , e + 4 , and e + 6 , the circuitry of fig7 is modified and duplicated and used both in the x condition circuitry 1036 and the y condition circuitry 1037 . the circuitry of fig7 is modified by both x and y tests by eliminating the byte inhibit logic 1042 and the gates 1073 . for test y , a determination that e itself is within the per range is then determined by the signal of opposite polarity of the carryout signal - co on line 1041 . for test y , a determination of whether e + 2 is within the range is obtained by the or of the opposite polarities ( e . g . + byte 1 ) of the signals - byte 2 , - byte 1 and - co . for test y , a determination of whether the address e + 4 is within the range is determined by the or of the opposite polarities of the signals - byte 4 , - byte 3 , - byte 2 , - byte 1 , and - co . for test y , a determination of whether the instruction address e + 6 is within the range is determined by the or of the opposite polarities of the signals - byte 6 , - byte 5 , ..., - byte 1 , and - co . these determinations are made in parallel by conventional inverters and or gates ( not shown ) and stored in latch circuits ( not shown ) clocked at ck2 time . for test x , a determination of whether e is less than or equal to dtcu , is made by the signal of opposite polarity of the carryout signal - co on line 1041 . for test x , a determination of whether e + 2 ; e + 4 ; and e + 6 are each less than or equal to dtcu , the opposite polarity of the signals - byte 2 , - byte 1 , and - co ; of the signals - byte 5 , - byte 4 , ..., - byte 1 and - co ; and of the signals - byte 7 , - byte 6 , ..., - byte 1 and - co , respectively , are or &# 39 ; ed . these determinations are made by conventional inverters and or gates ( not shown ) and the results are latched in latch circuits ( not shown ) at time ck2 . the latched results of the x and y tests for the four separate address values e , e + 2 , e + 4 and e + 6 are then each input to the per logic 1039 at different times to make four separate per determinations , one for each separate address value . while the embodiment of fig2 was described in connection with memories having contiguous addresses accross the memory boundary from the highest address , 2 n - 1 , to the lowest address , zero , the invention can be used for addresses which do not have the capability of crossing the memory boundary . if addresses never cross the memory boundary , then the w condition and the z condition are not required . the per logic 1039 is simplified by simply allowing the w and z terms to be 0 . for systems where it is only desired to know whether the address e is in the per range , then the length logic 195 in fig4 can be eliminated and the - co signal from adder 94 - 1 is directly input to the latch 193 . while the invention has been particularly shown and described with reference 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 the scope of the invention .
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sets forth below are definitions of terms that are used in describing implementations of the present invention . these definitions are provided to facilitate understanding and illustration of implementations of the present invention and should in no way be construed as limiting the scope of the invention to a particular example , class , or category . an output device profile ( or object ) includes software and data entity , which encapsulates within itself both data and attributes describing an output device and instructions for operating that data and attributes . an output device profile may reside in different hardware environments or platforms or applications , and may be transported in the form of a file , a message , a software object or component among other forms and techniques . for simplicity of discussion , a profile or object may also include , for example , the concept of software components that may have varying granularity and can consist of one class , a composite of classes , or an entire application . the term profile or object used herein is not limited to software or data as its media . any entity containing information , descriptions , attributes , data , instructions etc . in any computer - readable form or medium such as hardware , software , files based on or including voice , text , graphics , image , or video information , etc ., are all valid forms of profile and object definition . a profile or object may also contain in one of its fields or attributes a reference or pointer to another profile or object , or a reference or pointer to data and or content . a reference to a profile or object may include one or more , or a combination of pointers , identifiers , names , paths , addresses or any descriptions relating to a location where an object , profile , data , or content can be found . an output device profile may contain one or more attributes that may identify and describe , for example , the capabilities and functionalities of a particular output device such as a printer . an output device profile may be stored in the memory component of an output device , an information apparatus or in a network node . a network node includes any device , server or storage location that is connected to the network . as described below in greater detail , an information apparatus requesting output service may communicate with an output device . during such local service negotiation , at least a partial output device profile may be uploaded to the information apparatus from the output device . by obtaining the output device profile ( or printer profile in the case of a printer ), the information apparatus may learn about the capability , compatibility , identification , and service provided by the output device . as an example , an output device profile may contain one or more of the following fields and or attribute descriptions . each of following fields may be optional , and furthermore , each of the following fields or attributes may or may not exist in a particular implementation ( e . g ., may be empty or null ): identification of an output device ( e . g ., brand , model , registration , ip address etc .) services and feature sets provided by an output device ( e . g ., color or grayscale output , laser or inkjet , duplex , output quality , price per page , quality of service , etc .) type of input languages , formats , output data and / or input requirements ( e . g ., postscript , pcl , xml , rtl , etc .) supported by an output device . device specific or dependent parameters and information ( e . g ., communication protocols , color space , color management methods and rendering intents , resolution , halftoning methods , dpi ( dots - per - inch ), bit depth , page size , printing speed , number of independent colors channels or ink etc .) data and tables needed for image processing such as color table , halftone table , scale factor , encoding / decoding parameters and methods , compression and decompression parameters and method etc . another profile which contain parameters and information about the output device and its service ( e . g . color profiles , halftoning profiles , communication profiles , rasterization profiles , quality of service etc .). payment information on a plurality of services provided by an output device . information or security requirements and type of authentication an output device supports . date and version of the output device profile , history of its modification and updates . software components containing algorithms or instructions or data , which may be uploaded to run in an information apparatus . for example , a graphical user interface ( gui ) software component may be uploaded to an information apparatus . the software component may be incorporated into or launched in the information apparatus by a client application of present invention to capture a user &# 39 ; s preferences ( e . g ., print quality , page layout , number of copies , number of cards per page , etc .). in another example , software components may include methods , instructions or executables for compression / decompression , encoding / decoding , color matching or correction , segmentation , scaling , halftoning , encryption / decryption among others . pointer or reference to one or more output device parameters , including one or more of the above described output device profile or object fields and or attribute descriptions . for example , a more up - to - date or original version of output device parameters may sometimes be stored in a network node ( any device , server or storage location that is connected to the network ), or within the information apparatus where it can be obtained by the client application . an output device profile may include pointer or pointers to these output device parameters . content ( or data content , digital content , output content ) is the data intended for output , which may include texts , graphics , images , forms , videos , audio among other content types . content may include the data itself or a reference to that data . content may be in any format , language , encoding or combination , and it can be in a format , language or encoding that is partially or totally proprietary . a digital document is an example of content that may include attributes and fields that describe the digital document itself and or reference or references to the digital document or documents . examples of a digital document may be any one or combination of file types : html , vhtml , postscript , pcl , xml , pdf , ms word , powerpoint , jpeg , mpeg , gif , png , wml , vwml , chtml , hdml , ascii , 2 - byte international coded characters , etc . content may be used interchangeably with the term data content , output content or digital content in the descriptions of present invention . output data ( or print data in case of a printer ) is the electronic data sent from an information apparatus to an output device . output data is related to the content intended for output and may be encoded in a variety of formats and languages ( e . g . postscript , pcl , xml ), which may include compressed or encrypted data . some output device manufacturers may also include in the output data ( or print data ) a combination of proprietary or non - proprietary languages , formats , encoding , compression , encryption etc . intermediate output data is the output data of the present invention , and it includes the broader definition of an output file or data generated by an information apparatus , or a client application or device driver included in the information apparatus . an intermediate output data may contain text , vector graphics , images , video , audio , symbols , forms or combination and can be encoded with one or more of a page description language , a markup language , a graphics format , an imaging format , a metafile among others . an intermediate output data may also contain instructions ( e . g . output preferences ) and descriptions ( e . g . data layout ) among others . part or all of an intermediate output data may be compressed , encrypted or tagged . in a preferred embodiment of this invention , intermediate output data contains rasterized image data . for example , vector graphics and text information or objects that are not in image form included in content can be rasterized or conformed into image data in an information apparatus and included in an intermediate output data . device dependent image processing operations of a rip such as digital halftoning and color space conversions can be implemented at an output device or an output system . the intermediate output data can be device dependent or device independent . in one implementation , the rasterized output image is device dependent if the rasterization parameters used , such as resolution , scale factor , bit depth , output size and or color space are device dependent . in another implementation of this invention , the rasterized image may be device independent if the rasterization parameters used are device independent . rasterization parameter can become device independent when those parameters include a set of predetermined or predefined rasterization parameters based on a standard or a specification . with predefined or device independent rasterization parameters , a client application of present invention can rasterize at least a portion of the content and generate a device independent image or images included in the intermediate output data . by doing so , the intermediate output data may become device independent and therefore , become universally acceptable with output devices that have been pre - configured to accept the intermediate output data . one advantage of rasterizing or converting text and graphics information into image data at the information apparatus is that the output device or printer controller no longer needs to perform complex rasterization operation nor do they need to include multiple fonts . therefore , employing the intermediate output data and the data output method described herein could potentially reduce the cost and complexity of an output controller , printer controller and or output device . one form of image data encoding is known as mixed raster content , or mrc . typically , an image stored in mrc includes more than one image or bitmap layers . in mrc , an image can be segmented in different layers based on segmentation criteria such as background and foreground , luminance and chrominance among others . for example , an mrc may include three layers with a background layer , a foreground layer and a toggle or selector layer . the three layers are coextensive and may include different resolution , encoding and compression . the foreground and background layers may each contain additional layers , depending on the manner in which the respective part of the image is segmented based on the segmentation criteria , component or channels of a color model , image encoding representation ( hls , rgb , cmyk , ycc , lab etc ) among others . the toggle layer may designate , for each point , whether the foreground or background layer is effective . each layer in a mrc can have different bit depths , resolution , color space , which allow , for example , the foreground layer to be compressed differently from the background layer . the mrc form of image data has previously been used to minimize storage requirements . further , an mrc format has been proposed for use in color image fax transmission . in one embodiment of present invention , the intermediate output data includes one or more rasterized output images that employ mrc format , encoding and or related compression method . in this implementation , different layers in the output image can have different resolutions and may include different compression techniques . different information such as chrominance and luminance and or foreground and background information in the original content ( e . g . digital document ) can be segmented and compressed with different compression or encoding techniques . segmented elements or object information in the original content can also be stored in different image layers and with different resolution . therefore , with mrc , there is opportunity to reduce output data file size , retain greater image information , increase compression ratio , and improve image quality when compared to other conventional image encoding and compression techniques . implementations of rasterization , raster image processing and intermediate output data that include mrc encoding in the present invention are described in more detail below . rasterization is an operation by which graphics and text in a digital document are converted to image data . for image data included in the digital document , rasterization may include scaling and interpolation . the rasterization operation is characterized by rasterization parameters including , among others bit depth and resolution . a given rasterization operation may be characterized by several more rasterization parameters , including output size , color space , color channels etc . values of one or more of the rasterization parameters employed in a rasterization operation may be specified by default ; values of one or more of the rasterization parameters may be supplied to the information apparatus as components of a rasterization vector . in a given application , the rasterization vector may specify a value of only one rasterization parameter , default values being employed for other rasterization parameters used in the rasterization operation . in another application the rasterization vector may specify values of more than one , but less than all , rasterization parameters , default values being employed for at least one other rasterization parameter used in the rasterization operation . and in yet another application the rasterization vector may specify values of all the rasterization parameters used in the rasterization operation . fig2 a and 2b are block diagrams illustrating components of an operating environment that can implement the process and apparatus of present invention . fig2 a shows an electronic system which includes an information apparatus 200 and an output device 220 . the output device 220 includes an output controller 230 . fig2 b illustrates a second implementation of an electronic system that includes an information apparatus 200 and an output system 250 . the output system 250 includes an output device 220 and an output controller 230 which may be externally connected to , or otherwise associated with , the output device 220 in the output system 250 . information apparatus 200 is a computing device with processing capability . in one embodiment , information apparatus 200 may be a mobile computing device such as palmtop computer , handheld device , laptop computer , personal digital assistant ( pda ), smart phone , screen phone , e - book , internet pad , communication pad , internet appliance , pager , digital camera , etc . it is possible that information apparatus 200 may also include a static computing device such as a desktop computer , workstation , server , etc . fig3 a and 3b are block diagrams illustrating examples of hardware / software components included in an information apparatus 200 of present invention . information apparatus 200 may contain components such as a processing unit 380 , a memory unit 370 , an optional storage unit 360 and an input / output control unit ( e . g . communication manager 330 ). information apparatus 200 may include an interface ( not shown ) for interaction with users . the interface may be implemented with software or hardware or a combination . examples of such interfaces include , without limitation , one or more of a mouse , a keyboard , a touch - sensitive or non - touch - sensitive screen , push buttons , soft keys , a stylus , a speaker , a microphone , etc . information apparatus 200 typically contains one or more network communication unit 350 that interfaces with other electronic devices such as network node ( not shown ), output device 220 , and output system 230 . the network communication unit may be implemented with hardware ( e . g ., silicon chipsets , antenna ), software ( e . g ., protocol stacks , applications ) or a combination . in one embodiment of the present invention , communication interface 240 between information apparatus 200 and output device 220 or output system 250 is a wireless communication interface such as a short - range radio interface including those implemented according to the bluetooth or ieee 802 . 11 standard . the communication interface may also be realized by other standards and / or means of wireless communication that may include radio , infrared , cellular , ultrasonic , hydrophonic among others for accessing one or more network node and / or devices . wired line connections such as serial or parallel interface , usb interface and fire wire ( ieee 1394 ) interface , among others , may also be included . connection to a local network such as an ethernet or a token ring network , among others , may also be implemented in the present invention for local communication between information apparatus 200 and output device 220 . examples of hardware / software components of communication units 350 that may be used to implement wireless interface between the information apparatus 200 and the output device 220 are described in more detail with reference to fig8 a and 8b below . for simplicity , fig3 illustrates one implementation where an information apparatus 200 includes one communication unit 350 . however , it should be noted that an information apparatus 200 may contain more than one communication unit 350 in order to support different interfaces , protocols , and / or communication standards with different devices and / or network nodes . for example , information apparatus 200 may communicate with one output device 220 through a bluetooth standard interface or through an ieee 802 . 11 standard interface while communicating with another output device 220 through a parallel cable interface . the information apparatus 200 may also be coupled to a wired or wireless network ( e . g . the internet or corporate network ) to send , receive and / or download information . information apparatus 200 may be a dedicated device ( e . g ., email terminal , web terminal , digital camera , e - book , web pads , internet appliances etc .) with functionalities that are pre - configured by manufacturers . alternatively , information apparatus 200 may allow users to install additional hardware components and or application software 205 to expand its functionality . information apparatus 200 may contain a plurality of applications 205 to implement its feature sets and functionalities . as an example , a document browsing or editing application may be implemented to help user view and perhaps edit , partially or entirely , digital documents written in certain format or language ( e . g ., page description language , markup language , etc .). digital documents may be stored locally in the information apparatus 200 or in a network node ( e . g ., in content server ). an example of a document browsing application is an internet browser such as internet explorer , netscape navigator , or a wap browser . such browsers may retrieve and display content ( e . g . digital content ) written in mark - up languages such as html , wml , xml , chtml , hdml , among others . other examples of software applications in the information apparatus 200 may include a document editing software such as microsoft word ™ which also allows users to view and or edit digital documents that have various file extensions ( e . g ., doc , rtf , html , xml etc .) whether stored locally in the information apparatus 200 or in a network node . still , other example of software applications 205 may include image acquisition and editing software . as illustrated previously with reference to fig1 , there are many difficulties in providing output capability to an information apparatus 200 that has limited memory and processing capability . to address theses difficulties , information apparatus 200 includes a client application 210 that helps provide the universal data output capability of the present invention . client application 210 may include software and data that can be executed by the processing unit 380 of information apparatus 200 . client application 210 may be implemented as a stand - alone software application or as a part of or feature of another software application , or in the form of a device driver , which may be invoked , shared and used by other application software 205 in the information apparatus 200 . client application 210 may also include components to invoke other applications 205 ( e . g ., a document browsing application , editing application , data and / or image acquisition application , a communication manager , a output manager etc .) to provide certain feature sets , as described below . fig3 illustrates a configuration where the client application 210 is a separate application from the other application 205 such as the case when the client application is a device driver ; however , it should be noted that the client application 210 can be combined or being part of the other application not shown in fig3 . client application 210 may be variously implemented in an information apparatus 200 and may run on different operating systems or platforms . the client application 210 may also run in an environment with no operating system . for example , fig3 a illustrates an implementation where the information apparatus 200 a includes an operating system 340 a ; while fig3 b illustrates an implementation where the information apparatus 200 b does not include an operating system . client application 210 includes a rasterization component 310 to conform content into one or more raster output images according to one or more rasterization parameters ; an intermediate output data generator component 320 that generates and / or encodes intermediate output data that includes the one or more output images ; and a communications manager 330 that manages the communication and interaction with an output device 220 or system 250 or output controller 230 . communications manager can be implemented as part of the client application 210 ( shown in fig3 ) or as a separate application ( not shown ). components in a client application can be implemented in software , hardware or combination . as an example , client application 210 may include or utilize one or more of the following : components or operations to obtain content ( e . g . digital document ) for output . the client application 210 may obtain a digital document from other applications 205 ( e . g . document browsing application , content creation and editing application , etc . ), or the client application 210 may provide its own capability for user to browse , edit and or select a digital document . components or operations to rasterize content that includes text , graphics and images among others objects or elements into one or more raster images according to a set of rasterization parameters such as scale factor , output size , bit depth , color space and resolution . the rasterization parameters may be obtained in various ways , for example , from an output device profile uploaded from an output device 220 , or stored locally in information apparatus 200 , or manually inputted by a user . alternatively , rasterization parameters may be based on a predefined standard or specification stored in the information apparatus 200 as a set of defaults , or hard - coded in the client application 210 , or calculated by the client application 210 after communicating with an output device 220 , output controller 230 , and / or a user . components or operations to generate intermediate output data that includes at least one rasterized output image corresponding to the content ( e . g . digital document ). this process may further include one or combination of compression , encoding , encryption and color correction among others . the intermediate output data may include , for example , images , instructions , documents and or format descriptions , color profiles among others . components or operations to transmit the intermediate output data to an output device 220 or system 250 through wired or wireless communication link 240 . the client application 210 may also optionally include or utilize one or more of the following components or operations : components or operations to communicate with one or more output devices 220 to upload an output device profile . components or operations to communicate directly or indirectly ( such as through an operating system or component or object model , messages , file transfer etc .) with other applications 205 residing in the same information apparatus 200 to obtain objects , data , and or content needed , or related to the pervasive output process of present invention ( e . g . obtain a digital document for printing ). components or operations to manage and utilize directly or indirectly functionalities provided by hardware components ( e . g . communication unit 350 ) residing in its host information apparatus 200 . components or operations to provide a graphical user interface ( gui ) in host information apparatus to interact with user . components or operations to obtain user preferences . for example , a user may directly input his or her preferences through a gui . a set of default values may also be employed . default values may be pre - set or may be obtained by information apparatus 200 as result of communicating and negotiating with an output device 220 or output controller 230 . the above functionalities and process of client application 210 of present invention are described in further detail in the client application process with reference to fig1 . output device 220 is an electronic system capable of outputting digital content regardless of whether the output medium is substrate ( e . g ., paper ), display , projection , or sound . a typical example of output device 220 is a printer , which outputs digital documents containing text , graphics , image or any combination onto a substrate . output device 220 may also be a display device capable of displaying still images or video , such as , without limitation , televisions , monitors , and projectors . output device 220 can also be a device capable of outputting sound . any device capable of playing or reading digital content in audio ( e . g ., music ) or data ( e . g ., text or document ) formats is also a possible output device 220 . a printer is frequently referred to herein as an example of an output device to simplify discussion or as the primary output device 220 in a particular implementation . however , it should be recognized that present invention applies also to other output devices 220 such as fax machines , digital copiers , display screens , monitors , televisions , projectors , voice output devices , among others . rendering content with an output device 220 refers to outputting the content on a specific output medium ( e . g ., papers , display screens etc ). for example , rendering content with a printer generates an image on a substrate ; rendering content with a display device generates an image on a screen ; and rendering content with an audio output device generates sound . a conventional printing system in general includes a raster image processor and a printer engine . a printer engine includes memory buffer , marking engine among other components . the raster image processor converts content into an image form suitable for printing ; the memory buffer holds the rasterized image ready for printing ; and the marking engine transfers colorant to substrate ( e . g ., paper ). the raster image processor may be located within an output device ( e . g . included in a printer controller 410 ) or externally implemented ( in an information apparatus 200 , external controller , servers etc ). raster image processor can be implemented as hardware , software , or a combination ( not shown ). as an example , raster image processor may be implemented in a software application or device driver in the information apparatus 200 . examples of raster image processing operations include image and graphics interpretation , rasterization , scaling , segmentation , color space transformation , image enhancement , color correction , halftoning , compression etc . fig4 a illustrates a block diagram of one conventional printing system or printer 400 a that includes a printer controller 410 and a printer engine 420 a . the printer controller 410 includes an interpreter 402 and a raster image processor 406 , and the printer engine 420 includes memory buffer 424 a and a marking engine 426 a . marking engine may use any of a variety of different technologies to transfer a rasterized image to paper or other media or , in other words , to transfer colorant to a substrate . the different marking or printing technologies that may be used include both impact and non - impact printing . examples of impact printing may include dot matrix , teletype , daisywheel , etc . non - impact printing technologies may include inkjet , laser , electrostatic , thermal , dye sublimation , etc . the marking engine 426 and memory buffer 424 of a printer form its printer engine 420 , which may also include additional circuitry and components , such as firmware , software or chips or chipsets for decoding and signal conversion , etc . input to a printer engine 420 is usually a final rasterized printer - engine print data generated by a raster image processor 406 . such input is usually device dependent and printer or printer engine specific . the printer engine 420 may take this device dependent input and generate or render output pages ( e . g . with ink on a substrate ). when a raster image processor is located inside an output device 220 , it is usually included in a printer controller 410 ( as shown in fig4 a ). a printer controller 410 may interpret , rasterize , and convert input print data in the form of a page description language ( e . g ., postscript , pcl ), markup language ( e . g ., xml , html ) or other special document format or language ( e . g . pdf , emf ) into printer - engine print data which is a final format , language or instruction that printer engine 420 a can understand . print data sent to a printer with printer controller 410 is usually in a form ( e . g . postscript ) that requires further interpretation , processing or conversion . a printer controller 410 receives the print data , interprets , process , and converts the print data into a form that can be understood by the printer engine 420 a . regardless of the type of print data , conventionally , a user may need a device - specific driver in his or her information apparatus 200 in order to output the proper language , format , or file that can be accepted by a specific printer or output device 220 . fig4 b illustrates another conventional output device 400 b . output device 400 b may be a printing device , a display device , a projection device , or a sound device . in the case that the output device is a printing device or a printer , the printer with reference to fig4 b does not include a printer controller 410 . as an example , printer 400 b may be a low - cost printer such as a desktop inkjet printer . rip operations in this example may be implemented in a software application or in a device driver included in an information apparatus 200 . the information apparatus 200 generates device dependent output data ( or print data in case of a printer ) by rasterizing and converting a digital document into output data ( e . g . into a compressed cmky data with one or more bits per pixel ) that can be understood by an output engine ( or printer engine in case of a printer ) 420 b . regardless of type or sophistication level , different output device 220 conventionally needs different printer drivers or output management applications in an information apparatus 200 to provide output capability . some mobile devices with limited memory and processing power may have difficulty storing multiple device drivers or perform computational intensive rip operations . it may also be infeasible to install a new device dependent or specific printer driver each time there is a need to print to a new printer . to overcome these difficulties , present invention provides several improvements to output device 220 or output system 250 as described in detail next . in present invention , output device 220 may include an output controller 230 to help managing communication and negotiation processes with an information apparatus 200 and to process output data . output controller 230 may include dedicated hardware or software or combination of both for at least one output device 220 . output controller 230 may be internally installed , or externally connected to one or more output devices 220 . the output controller 230 is sometimes referred to as a print server or output server . fig5 a and 5b illustrate two exemplary internal implementations of the output controller 230 of present invention . fig5 a illustrates the implementation of an output controller 230 inside a conventional printer with reference to fig4 a , which includes a conventional printer controller 410 ( 5 a ). the output controller 230 ( 5 a ) includes an interpreter 510 a component for decoding the intermediate output data of present invention ; and a converter component 530 a for converting one or more decoded output images into a printer - controller print data that is suitable for input to the printer controller 410 ( 5 a ). an optional image processing component 520 a may be included in the output controller 230 ( 5 a ). fig5 b illustrates the implementation of an output controller 230 included internally in a conventional output device 220 with reference to fig4 b , which does not include a printer controller . the output controller 230 ( 5 b ) includes an interpreter 510 b component for decoding the intermediate output data of present invention ; an image processor 520 b component for performing one or more image processing operations such as color space conversion , color matching and digital halftoning ; and an optional encoder 530 b component to conform the processed output images into an output - engine output data that is suitable for input to the output engine 420 b if the result of the image processing is not already in required form suitable for the output engine 420 b . in one implementation , output device 220 may include a communication unit 550 or adapter to interface with information apparatus 200 . output device 220 may sometimes include more than one communication unit 550 in order to support different interfaces , protocols , or communication standards with different devices . for example , output device 220 may communicate with a first information apparatus 200 through a bluetooth interface while communicating with a second information apparatus 200 through a parallel interface . examples of hardware components of a wireless communication unit are described in greater detail below with reference to fig8 a and 8b . in one embodiment , output controller 230 does not include a communication unit , but rather utilizes or manages a communication unit residing in the associated output device 220 such as the illustration in fig5 . in another embodiment , output controller 230 may include or provide a communication unit to output device 220 as shown in fig6 . for example , an output controller 230 with a wireless communication unit may be installed internally or connected externally to a legacy printer to provide it with wireless communication capability that was previously lacking . fig6 includes three functional block diagrams illustrating the hardware / software components of output controller 230 in three different implementations . each components of an output controller 230 may include software , hardware , or combination . for example , an output controller 230 may include components using one or more or combinations of an application - specific integrated circuit ( asic ), a digital signal processor ( dsp ), a field programmable gate array ( fpga ), firmware , system on a chip , and various communication chip sets . output controller 230 may also contain embedded processors 670 a with software components or embedded application software to implement its feature sets and functionalities . output controller 230 may contain an embedded operating system 680 . with an operating system , some or all functionalities and feature sets of the output controller 230 may be provided by application software managed by the operating system . additional application software may be installed or upgraded to newer versions in order to , for example , provide additional functionalities or bug fixes . fig6 a and fig6 c illustrates examples of implementation with an operating system 680 while fig6 b illustrates an example without the operating system 680 or the optional embedded processor 670 . output controller 230 typically includes a memory unit 640 , or may share a memory unit with , for example , printer controller 410 . the memory unit and storage unit , such as rom , ram , flash memory and disk drive among others , may provide persistent or volatile storage . the memory unit or storage unit may store output device profiles , objects , codes , instructions or data ( collectively referred to as software components ) that implement the functionalities of the output controller 230 . part of the software components ( e . g ., output device profile ) may be uploaded to information apparatus 200 during or before a data output operation . an output controller 230 may include a processor component 670 a and 670 c , a memory component 650 , an optional storage component 640 , and an optional operating system component 680 . fig6 shows one architecture or implementation where the memory 650 , storage 640 , processor 670 , and operating system 680 components , if exist , can be share or accessed by other operational components in the output controller 230 such as the interpreter 610 and image processor 650 . fig6 shows two communication units 660 a and 660 b included in the output controller 230 ; however , the output controller 230 of present invention may include any number of communication units 660 . it is also possible that the output controller does not contain any communication unit but rather utilizes the communication unit of an output device . the output controller 230 may be connected externally to an output device 220 or integrated internally into the output device 220 . fig5 a and 5b illustrate implementations of output controller 230 inside an output device 220 . the output controller 230 , however , may also be implemented as an external box or station that is wired or wirelessly connected to an output device 220 . an output controller 230 implemented as an external box or station to an output device 220 may contain its own user interface . one example of such an implementation is a print server connected to an output device 220 in an output system 250 . another configuration and implementation is to integrate or combine the functionalities of an output controller 230 with an existing printer controller 410 ( referred to as “ combined controller ”) if the output device 220 is a printer as shown with reference to fig7 c or 7f . a combined controller can also be internally integrated or externally connected to output device 220 , and include functionalities of both printer controller 410 ( e . g ., input interpretation and or raster image processing ) and output controller 230 of present invention . one advantage of this configuration is that the functionalities or components of output controller 230 and printer controller 410 may share the same resources , such as processing unit , memory unit , etc . fig6 c illustrates an example of a combined controller implementation or output controller 230 where the printer controller 410 c , interpreter 610 c and converter 630 c shares the use of the processor 670 c , memory 650 c and storage 640 c , managed by an operating system 680 c . various exemplary implementations and configurations of an output controller 230 with respect to an output device 220 or output system 250 are illustrated in further detail with reference to fig7 . other possible implementations of output controller 230 may include , for example , a conventional personal computer ( pc ), a workstation , and an output server or print server . in these cases , the functionalities of output controller 230 may be implemented using application software installed in a computer ( e . g ., pc , server , or workstation ), with the computer connected with a wired or wireless connection to an output device 220 . using a pc , server , workstation , or other computer to implement the feature sets of output controller 230 with application software is just another possible embodiment of the output controller 230 and in no way departs from the spirit , scope and process of the present invention . the difference between output controller 230 and printer controller 410 should be noted . printer controller 410 and output controller 230 are both controllers and are both dedicated hardware and or software for at least one output device 220 . output controller 230 refers to a controller with feature sets , capabilities , and functionalities of the present invention . a printer controller 410 may contain functions such as interpreting an input page description language , raster image processing , and queuing , among others . an output controller 230 may include part or all of the features of a printer controller 410 in addition to the feature sets , functionalities , capabilities , and processes of present invention . functionalities and components of output controller 230 for the purpose of providing universal data output may include or utilize : components and operations to receive output data from a plurality of information apparatus 200 ; the output data may include an intermediate output data containing at least one rasterized image related to the data content intended for output . components and operations to interpret and / or decode the intermediate output data . components and operations to process the intermediate output data . such components and operations may include image processing functions such as scaling , segmentation , color correction , color management , gcr , image enhancement , decompression , decryption , and or halftoning among others . components and operations to generate an output - engine output data , the output - engine output data being in an output data format acceptable for input to an output engine . components and operations to send the output - engine output data to the output engine . when associated with an output device 220 that includes a printer controller 410 , the output controller of present invention may further include or utilize : components and operations to convert the intermediate output data into a printer - controller print data ( e . g . a pdl such as postscript and pcl ), the printer - controller print data being in a format acceptable to a printer controller . components and operations to send printer - controller print data to one or more printer controllers . in addition to the above components and functionalities , output controller 230 may further include one or more of the following : components and operations to communicate with one or more information apparatus 200 through a wired or wireless interface . components and operations to communicate and or manage a communication unit included in the output controller 230 or output device 220 . components and operations to store at least part of an output device profile ( a printer profile in case of a printer ) in a memory component . components and operations to respond to service request from an information apparatus 200 by transmitting at least part of an output device profile to the information apparatus requesting service . the output controller 230 may transmit the output device profiles or object in one or multiple sessions . components and operations to broadcast or advertise the services provided by a host output device 220 to one or more information apparatus 200 that may request such services . components and operations to implement payment processing and management functions by , for example , calculating and processing payments according to the services requested or rendered to a client ( information apparatus 200 ). components and operations to provide a user interface such as display screen , touch button , soft key , etc . components and operations to implement job management functions such as queuing and spooling among others . components and operations to implement security or authentication procedures . for example , the output controller 230 may store in its memory component ( or shared memory component ) an access control list , which specifies what device or user may obtain service from its host ( or connected ) output device 220 . therefore , an authorized information apparatus 200 may gain access after confirming with the control list . when output controller 230 is implemented as firmware , or an embedded application , the configuration and management of the functionalities of output controller 230 may be optionally accomplished by , for example , using controller management software in a host computer . a host computer may be a desktop personal computer ( pc ), workstation , or server . the host computer may be connected locally or through a network to the output device 220 or the controller 230 . communication between the host computer and the output controller 230 can be accomplished through wired or wireless communication . the management application software in the host computer can manage the settings , configurations , and feature sets of the output controller 230 . furthermore , host computer &# 39 ; s configuration application may download and or install application software , software components and or data to the output controller 230 for the purpose of upgrading , updating , and or modifying the features and capabilities of the output controller 230 . output device 220 in one implementation includes or is connected to output controller 230 described above . therefore , functionalities and feature sets provided by output controller 230 are automatically included in the functionalities of output device 220 . the output device 220 may , however , implement or include other controllers and / or applications that provide at least partially the features and functionalities of the output controller 230 . therefore , the output device 220 may include some or all of the following functionalities : components and operations to receive multiple service requests or queries ( e . g ., a service request , a data query , an object or component query etc .) from a plurality of information apparatus 200 and properly respond to them by returning components , which may contain data , software , instructions and / or objects . components and operations to receive output data from a plurality of information apparatus 200 ; the output data may include an intermediate output data containing one or more rasterized image related to the content intended for output . components and operations to interpret and / or decoding the intermediate output data . components and operations to process and / or convert the intermediate output data into a form ( e . g . output - engine print data ) suitable for rendering at an output engine associated with the output device . components and operations to render a representation or an image related to the content onto an output medium ( e . g . substrate or a display screen ). an output device 220 may further comprise optionally one or more of the following functionalities : components and operations for establishing and managing a communication link with an information apparatus 200 requesting service ; the communication link may include wired or wireless communication . components and operations for storing at least part of an output device profile ( e . g . printer profile ) in a memory component . components and operations to provide at least part of an output device profile ( e . g ., printer profile in case of a printer ) to one or more information apparatus 200 requesting service . the output device 220 may transmit the output device profile in one or multiple sessions . components and operations to advertise or broadcast services provided or available to one or more information apparatus 200 . components and operations to implement payment processing and management functions by , for example , calculating and processing payments according to the services requested by or rendered to a client ( information apparatus 200 ). components and operations to implement job management functionalities such as queuing and spooling among others . components and operations to provide a user interface such as display screen touch button , soft key , power switch , etc . components and operations to implement security or authentication procedures . for example , the output device 220 may store in its memory component ( or a shared memory component ) an access control list , which specifies what device or user may obtain service from it . therefore , an authorized information apparatus 200 may gain access after confirming with the control list . fig7 a - 7f illustrate various alternative configurations and implementations of output controller 230 with respect to an output device 230 . printer is sometimes used as an exemplary output device 230 to demonstrate the various configurations . it should be understood , however , the output device 230 of present invention is not limited to printers . as described with reference to fig4 ., a printer may or may not contain a printer controller 410 . printer 400 a that includes a printer controller 410 typically has higher speed and is more expensive than printer 400 b which does not include a printer controller 410 . fig7 a shows that output controller 230 may be cascaded externally to one or more printers ( only one shown ). information apparatus 200 communicates with output controller 230 a , which then communicates with output device 220 such as a printer 220 a . the communication link between the output controller 230 a and the printer 220 a may be a wired link or a wireless link , as described above . fig6 a and 6b illustrates two examples of functional component design of the output controller that can implement the configuration illustrated in fig7 a . the image processor 620 in this implementation is optional . fig7 b shows another implementation in which output controller 230 b is installed as one or more circuit boards or cards internally inside printer 220 b . the output controller 230 b may co - exist with printer controller 410 and other components of the printer 220 b . one example of this implementation is to connect output controller 230 b sequentially with the printer controller 310 . fig5 a shows as an example of an implementation . fig7 c shows another implementation in which the functionalities of output controller 230 and printer controller 410 are combined into a single controller ( referred to as “ combined controller ”) 230 c . in this implementation , it is possible to reduce the cost of material when compared to implementing two separate controllers as shown in fig7 b . as an example , the combined controller 230 c may share the same processors , memories , and storages to run the applications and functionalities of the two types of controllers and therefore , may have lower component costs when compared to providing two separate controllers . fig6 c illustrates an example of a combined controller functional component implementation . some printers do not include a raster image processor or printer controller 410 , as illustrated in fig4 b . an example of this type of printer is a lower cost desktop inkjet printer . input to an inkjet printer may consist of a compressed cmyk data ( proprietary or published ) with one or more bits per pixel input . to output to a printer that does not include a printer controller , a device specific software application or a printer driver is typically required in an information apparatus 200 to perform raster image processing operations . accordingly , output controller 230 can be implemented into a variety of output devices 220 and / or output systems 250 including printers that do not have printer controllers for performing raster image processing operations . fig7 d and fig7 e illustrate two implementations of output controller 230 in an output device 220 or system 250 . the output device 230 or system 250 may include a display device , a projection device , an audio output device or a printing device . in the case when the output device 220 d or 220 e is a printer , it does not include a printer controller . fig7 d illustrates an implementation of an output controller 230 d installed as an external component or “ box ” to output device 220 d . for example , the output controller 230 may be implemented as an application in a print server or as a standalone box or station . in this configuration , some or all of raster image processing operations may be implemented in the output controller 230 d . output controller 230 d receives intermediate output data from an information apparatus 200 and generates output - engine output data that is acceptable to the output engine included in the output device 220 d . the output controller 230 d may send the output data to the output device 220 d through a wired or wireless communication link or connection . fig6 a and 6b illustrates two example of functional component design of the output controller that can implement the configurations for both fig7 d and 7e . fig7 e shows a fifth implementation of output controller 230 e in which the output controller 230 e is incorporated within output device 220 e as one or more circuit boards or cards and may contain software and applications running on an embedded processor . as with output device 220 d ( fig7 d ), output device 220 e does not include a printer controller 410 . accordingly , the output controller 230 e implements the functionalities and capabilities of present invention that may include part of or complete raster imaging processing operation . fig7 f shows a sixth implementation , an external combined controller 230 f that integrates the functionalities of a printer controller 310 and an output controller into a single external combined controller component or “ box ” 230 f . the two controller functions may share a common processor as well as a common memory space to run applications of the two types of controllers . under this configuration , either information apparatus 200 or the combined controller 230 f could perform or share at least part of raster image processing functionality . fig6 c shows an example of functional components of a combined controller 230 f . another implementation of the combined controller 230 f shown in fig7 f is to use an external computing device ( pc , workstation , or server ) running one or more applications that include the functionality of output controller 230 and printer controller 410 . the above are examples of different implementations and configurations of output controller 230 . other implementations are also possible . for example , partial functionalities of output controller 230 may be implemented in an external box or station while the remaining functionalities may reside inside an output device 220 as a separate board or integrated with a printer controller 410 . as another example , the functionalities of output controller 230 may be implemented into a plurality of external boxes or stations connected to the same output device 220 . as a further example , the same output controller 230 may be connected to service a plurality of output devices 220 fig8 a and 8b are block diagrams illustrating two possible configurations of hardware / software components of wireless communication units . these wireless communication units can be implemented and included in information apparatus 200 , in output controller 230 and in output device 220 . referring to fig8 a , a radio adapter 800 may be implemented to enable data / voice transmission among devices ( e . g ., information apparatus 200 and output device 220 ) through radio links . an rf transceiver 814 coupled with antenna 816 is used to receive and transmit radio frequency signals . the rf transceiver 814 also converts radio signals into and from electronic signals . the rf transceiver 814 is connected to an rf link controller 810 by an interface 812 . the interface 812 may perform functions such as analog - to - digital conversion , digital - to - analog conversion , modulation , demodulation , compression , decompression , encoding , decoding , and other data or format conversion functions . rf link controller 810 implements real - time lower layer ( e . g ., physical layer ) protocol processing that enables the hosts ( e . g ., information apparatus 200 , output controller 230 , output device 220 , etc .) to communicate over a radio link . functions performed by the link controller 810 may include , without limitation , error detection / correction , power control , data packet processing , data encryption / decryption and other data processing functions . a variety of radio links may be utilized . a group of competing technologies operating in the 2 . 4 ghz unlicensed frequency band is of particular interest . this group currently includes bluetooth , home radio frequency ( home rf ) and implementations based on ieee 802 . 11 standard . each of these technologies has a different set of protocols and they all provide solutions for wireless local area networks ( lans ). interference among these technologies could limit deployment of these protocols simultaneously . it is anticipated that new local area wireless technologies may emerge or that the existing ones may converge . nevertheless , all these existing and future wireless technologies may be implemented in the present invention without limitation , and therefore , in no way depart from the scope of present invention . among the currently available wireless technologies , bluetooth may be advantageous because it requires relatively lower power consumption and bluetooth - enabled devices operate in piconets , in which several devices are connected in a point - to - multipoint system . referring to fig8 b , one or more infrared ( ir ) adapters 820 may be implemented to enable data transmission among devices through infrared transmission . the ir adapters 820 may be conveniently implemented in accordance with the infrared data association ( irda ) standards and specifications . in general , the irda standard is used to provide wireless connectivity technologies for devices that would normally use cables for connection . the irda standard is a point - to - point ( vs . point - to - multipoint as in bluetooth ), narrow angle , ad - hoc data transmission standard . configuration of infrared adapters 820 may vary depending on the intended rate of data transfer . fig8 b illustrates one embodiment of infrared adapter 820 . transceiver 826 receives / emits ir signals and converts ir signals to / from electrical signals . a uart ( universal asynchronous receiver / transmitter ) 822 performs the function of serialization / deserialization , converting serial data stream to / from data bytes . the uart 822 is connected to the ir transceiver 826 by encoder / decoder ( endec ) 824 . this configuration is generally suitable for transferring data at relatively low rate . other components ( e . g ., packet framer , phase - locked loop ) may be needed for higher data transfer rates . fig8 a and 8b illustrate exemplary hardware configurations of wireless communication units . such hardware components may be included in devices ( e . g ., information apparatus 200 , output controller 230 , output device 220 , etc .) to support various wireless communications standards . wired links , however , such as parallel interface , usb , firewire interface , ethernet and token ring networks may also be implemented in the present invention by using appropriate adapters and configurations . fig9 is a logic flow diagram of an exemplary raster imaging process ( rip ) 902 that can implement the universal output method of present invention . content ( e . g . digital document ) 900 may be obtained and / or generated by an application running in an information apparatus 200 . for example , a document browsing application may allow a user to download and or open digital document 900 stored locally or in a network node . as another example , a document creating or editing application may allow a user to create or edit digital documents in his / her information apparatus 200 . a client application 210 in the information apparatus may be in the form of a device driver , invoked by other applications residing in the information apparatus 200 to provide output service . alternatively , the client application 210 of present invention may be an application that includes data output and management component , in addition of other functionalities such as content acquisitions , viewing , browsing , and or editing etc . for example , a client application 210 in an information apparatus 200 may itself include components and functions for a user to download , view and or edit digital document 900 in addition of the output management function described herein . raster image process method 902 allows an information apparatus 200 such as a mobile device to pervasively and conveniently output content ( e . g . a digital document ) to an output device 220 or system 250 that includes an output controller 230 . a client application 210 in an information apparatus 200 may perform part of raster image processing operations ( e . g . rasterization operation ). other operations of raster image processing such as halftoning can be completed by the output device 220 or by the output controller 230 . in conventional data output methods , raster image processing is either implemented entirely in an information apparatus ( e . g . a printer that does not include a printer controller with reference to fig1 a ) or in an output device ( e . g . a printer that includes a printer controller with reference to fig1 b ). present invention provides a more balanced approach where raster image process operations are shared between an information apparatus 200 and an output device 220 or system 250 . for example , content 600 may be processed ( e . g . raster image processed ) by different components or parts of an overall output system from a client application 210 to an output controller 230 before being sent to an output engine or a printer engine for final output in step 960 . because the raster image processing operations are not completely implemented in the information apparatus 200 , there is less processing demand on the information apparatus 200 . therefore , present rip process may enable additional mobile devices with less memory and processing capability to have data output capability . in step 910 , rasterization operation , a content ( e . g . digital document ), which may include text , graphics , and image objects , is conformed or rasterized to image form according to one or more rasterization parameters such as output size , bit depth , color space , resolution , number of color channels etc . during the rasterization operation , text and vector graphics information in the content are rasterized or converted into image or bitmap information according to a given set of rasterization parameters . image information in the content or digital document may be scaled and or interpolated to fit a particular output size , resolution and bit depth etc . the rasterization parameters are in general device dependent , and therefore may vary according to different requirements and attributes of an output device 220 and its output engine . there are many ways to obtain device dependent rasterization parameters , as described in more detail below with reference to fig1 a . device dependent rasterization parameters , in one example , may be obtained from an output device profile stored in an information apparatus 200 , an output device 220 or an output controller 230 . in an alternative implementation , rasterization parameters may be predetermined by a standard or specification . in this implementation , in step 910 the content 900 is rasterized to fit or match this predefined or standard rasterization parameters . therefore , the rasterized output image becomes device independent . one advantage of being device independent is that the rasterized output image is acceptable with controllers , devices and / or output devices implemented or created with the knowledge of such standard or specification . a rasterized image with predefined or standardized attributes is usually more portable . for example , both the client application 210 and output device 220 or its output controller 230 may be preprogrammed to receive , interpret , and or output raster images based on a predefined standard and / or specification . occasionally , a predefined standard or specification for rasterization parameters may require change or update . one possible implementation for providing an easy update or upgrade is to store information and related rasterization parameters in a file or a profile instead of hard coding these parameters into programs , components or applications . client application 210 , output controller 230 , and / or the output device 220 can read a file or a profile to obtain information related to rasterization parameters . to upgrade or update the standard specification or defaults requires only replacing or editing the file or the profile instead of replacing a software application or component such as the client application 210 . in step 920 the rasterized content in image form is encoded into an intermediate output data . the intermediate output data , which describes the output content , may include image information , instructions , descriptions , and data ( e . g . color profile ). the rasterized output image may require further processing including one or more of compression , encoding , encryption , smoothing , image enhancement , segmentation , color correction among others before being stored into the intermediate output data . the output image in the intermediate output data may be encoded in any image format and with any compression technique such as jpeg , bmp , tiff , jbig etc . in one preferred embodiment , a mixed raster content ( mrc ) format and its related encoding and / or compression methods are used to generate the output image . the advantages of using mrc over other image formats and techniques may include , for example , better compression ratio , better data information retention , smaller file size , and or relatively better image quality among others . in step 930 , the intermediate output data is transmitted to the output device 220 or output system 250 for further processing and final output . the transmission of the intermediate output data may be accomplished through wireless or wired communication links between the information apparatus 200 and the output device 220 and can be accomplished through one or multiple sessions . in step 940 , the output device 220 or output system 250 receives the transmitted intermediate output data . the output device 220 or output system 250 may include an output controller 230 to assist communicating with the information apparatus 200 and / or processing the intermediate output data . output controller 230 may have a variety of configurations and implementations with respect to output device 220 as shown in fig7 a - 7f . interpretation process 940 may include one or more of parsing , decoding , decompression , decryption , image space conversion among other operations if the received intermediate output data requires such processing . an output image is decoded or retrieved from the intermediate output data and may be temporarily stored in a buffer or memory included in the output device / output system ( 220 / 250 ) or output controller 230 for further processing . if the intermediate output data includes components with mrc format or encoding techniques , it may contain additional segmented information ( e . g . foreground and background ), which can be used to enhance image quality . for example , different techniques or algorithms in scaling , color correction , color matching , image enhancement , anti - aliasing and or digital halftoning among others may be applied to different segments or layers of the image information to improve output quality or maximize retention or recovery of image information . multiple layers may later be combined or mapped into a single layer . these image processing and conversion components and / or operations can be included in the output controller 230 of present invention . in step 950 , the decoded or retrieved output image from the intermediate output data may require further processing or conversion . this may include one or more of scaling , segmentation , interpolation , color correction , gcr , black generation , color matching , color space transformation , anti - aliasing , image enhancement , image smoothing and or digital halftoning operations among others . in an embodiment where the output device 220 does not include a printer controller , an output controller 230 or an output device 220 that includes output controller , after performing the remaining portion of rip operations ( e . g . color space conversion and halftoning ) on the output image , may further convert the output data in step 950 into a form that is acceptable for input to a printer engine for rendering . in an alternative embodiment where the output device 220 or the output system 250 includes a conventional printer controller , the output controller may simply decodes and or converts the intermediate output data ( print data in this example ) into format or language acceptable to the printer controller . for example , a printer controller may require as input a page description language ( e . g . postscript , pcl , pdf , etc . ), a markup language ( html , xml etc ) or other graphics or document format . in these cases , the output controller 230 may interpret , decompress and convert the intermediate print data into an output image that has optimal output resolution , bit depth , color space , and output size related to the printer controller input requirements . the output image is then encoded or embedded into a printer - controller print data ( e . g . a page description language ) and sent to the printer controller . a printer - controller print data is a print data that is acceptable or compatible for input to the printer controller . after the printer controller receives the printer - controller print data , the printer controller may further perform operations such as parsing , rasterization , scaling , color correction , image enhancement , halftoning etc on the output image and generate an appropriate printer - engine print data suitable for input to the printer engine . in step 960 , the output - engine output data or printer - engine print data generated by the output controller 230 or the printer controller in step 950 is sent to the output engine or printer engine of the output device for final output . fig1 illustrates a flow diagram of a universal data output process of the present invention that includes the raster image processing illustrated with reference to fig9 . a universal data output process allows an information apparatus 200 to pervasively output content or digital document to an output device . the data output process may include or utilize : a user interface component and operation where a user initiates an output process and provides an indication of the selected output content ( e . g . digital document ) for output . a client application component or operation that processes the content indicated for output , and generates an intermediate output data . the intermediate output data may include at least partly a raster output image description related to the content . an information apparatus component or operation that transmits the intermediate output data to one or more selected output device 220 . an output device component ( e . g . output controller ) or operation that interprets the intermediate output data and may further process or convert the output data into a form more acceptable to an output engine for rendering of the content . with reference to fig1 , a user in step 1000 may initiate the universal output method or process 1002 . typically , a user initiates the output process by invoking a client application 210 in his / her information apparatus 200 . the client application 210 may be launched as an independent application or it may be launched from other applications 205 ( such as from a document browsing , creating or editing application ) or as part of or component of or a feature of another application 205 residing in the same information apparatus 200 . when launched from another application 205 , such as the case when the client application is a device driver or helper application , the client application 210 may obtain information , such as the content ( e . g . digital document ) from that other application 205 . this can be accomplished , for example , by one or combinations of messages or facilitated through an operating system or a particular object or component model etc . during output process 1002 , a user may need to select one or more output devices 220 for output service . an optional discovery process step 1020 may be implemented to help the user select an output device 220 . during the discovery process step 1020 , a user &# 39 ; s information apparatus 200 may ( 1 ) search for available output devices 220 ; ( 2 ) provide the user with a list of available output devices 220 ; and ( 3 ) provide means for the user to choose one or more output devices 220 to take the output job . an example of a discovery process 1020 is described below in greater detail with reference to fig . the optional discovery process 1020 may sometimes be unnecessary . for example , a user may skip the discovery process 1020 if he or she already knows the output device ( e . g ., printer ) 220 to which the output is to be directed . in this case , the user may simply connect the information apparatus 200 to that output device 220 by wired connections or directly point to that output device 220 in a close proximity such as in the case of infrared connectivity . as another example , a user may pre - select or set the output device or devices 220 that are used frequently as preferred defaults . as a result , the discovery process 1020 may be partially or completely skipped if the default output device 220 or printer is found to be available . in stage 1030 , the client application may interact with output device 220 , the user , and / or other applications 205 residing in the same information apparatus 200 to ( 1 ) obtain necessary output device profile and / or user preferences , ( 2 ) perform functions or part of raster image processing operations such as rasterization , scaling and color correction , and / or ( 3 ) convert or encode at least partially the rasterized content ( e . g . digital document ) into an intermediate output data . the processing and generation of the intermediate output data may reflect in part a relationship to an output device profile and / or user preferences obtained , if any . the intermediate output data generated by the client application 210 is then transmitted through wired or wireless local communication link ( s ) 240 to the output controller 230 included or associated with the selected output device 220 or output system 250 . an exemplary client application process is described in greater detail with reference to fig1 . in step 1040 , the output controller 230 of present invention receives the intermediate output data . in the case where the selected output device 230 does not include a printer controller , the output controller 230 of present invention may further perform processing functions such as parsing , interpreting , decompressing , decoding , color correction , image enhancement , gcr , black generation and halftoning among others . in addition , the output controller 230 may further convert or conform the intermediate output data into a form or format suitable for the output engine ( e . g . printer engine in the case of a printer ). the generated output - engine output data from the output controller is therefore , in general , device dependent and acceptable for final output with the output engine ( or the printer engine in case of a printer ) included in the selected output device 220 or output system 250 . in the case where the selected output device 220 is a printer , and when the printer includes or is connected to a printer controller , the output controller 230 may generate the proper language or input format required to interface with the printer controller ( referred to as printer - controller print data ). the printer controller may for example require a specific input such as a page description language ( pdl ), markup language , or a special image or graphics format . in these cases , the output controller 230 in step 1040 may interpret and decode the intermediate output data , and then convert the intermediate output data into the required printer - controller print data ( e . g . pdl such as postscript or pcl ). the printer - controller print data generated by the output controller is then sent to the printer controller for further processing . the printer controller may perform interpretation and raster image processing operations among other operations . after processing , the printer controller generates a printer - engine print data suitable for rendering at the printer engine . in either case , the output controller 230 or printer controller generates an output - engine output data that is suitable for sending to or interfacing with the output engine or the printer engine included in the output device for rendering . the output data may be temporarily buffered in components of the output device 220 . an implementation of the output device process 1040 is described in greater detail with reference to fig1 . the steps included in the universal pervasive output process 1002 may proceed automatically when a user requests output service . alternatively , a user may be provided with options to proceed , cancel , or input information at each and every step . for example , a user may cancel the output service at any time by , for example , indicating a cancellation signal or command or by terminating the client application 210 or by shutting down the information apparatus 200 etc fig1 is a flow diagram of an example of a discovery process 720 , which may be an optional step to help a user locate one or more output devices 220 for an output job . the discovery process 1020 may , however , be skipped partially or entirely . implementation of discovery process 1020 may require compatible hardware and software components residing in both the information apparatus 200 and the output device 220 . the information apparatus 200 may utilize the client application 210 or other application 205 in this process . the discovery process 1020 may include : an information apparatus 200 communicating with available output devices 220 to obtain information and attributes relating to the output device 220 and or its services such as output device capability , feature sets , service availability , quality of service , condition . an information apparatus 200 provides the user information on each available and or compatible output devices 220 . a user selects or the client application 210 ( automatically or not ) selects one or more output devices 220 for the output service from the available or compatible output devices 220 . various protocols and or standards may be used during discovery process 1020 . wireless communication protocols are preferred . wired communication , on the other hand , may also be implemented . examples of applicable protocols or standards may include , without limitation , bluetooth , havi , jini , salutation , service location protocol , and universal plug - and - play among others . both standard and proprietary protocols or combination may be implemented in the discovery process 1020 . however , these different protocols , standards , or combination shall not depart from the spirit and scope of present invention . in one implementation an application ( referred here for simplicity of discussion as a “ communication manager ,” not shown ) residing in the information apparatus 200 helps communicate with output device 220 and manages service requests and the discovery process 1020 . the communication manager may be a part of or a feature of the client application 210 . alternatively or in combination , the communication manager may also be a separate application . when the communication manager is a separate application , the client application 210 may have the ability to communicate , manage or access functionalities of the communication manager . the discovery process 1020 may be initiated manually by a user or automatically by a communication manager when the user requests an output service with information apparatus 200 . in the optional step 1100 , a user may specify searching or matching criteria . for example , a user may indicate to search for color printers and or printers that provide free service . the user may manually specify such criteria each time for the discovery process 1020 . alternatively or in combination , a user may set default preferences that can be applied to a plurality of discovery processes 1020 . sometimes , however , no searching criteria are required : the information apparatus 200 may simply search for all available output devices 220 that can provide output service . in step 1101 , information apparatus 200 searches for available output devices 220 . the searching process may be implemented by , for example , an information apparatus 200 ( e . g . with the assistance of a communication manager ) multi - casting or broadcasting or advertising its service requests and waiting for available output devices 220 to respond . alternatively or in combination , an information apparatus 200 may “ listen to ” service broadcasts from one or more output devices 220 and then identify the one or more output devices 220 that are needed or acceptable . it is also possible that multiple output devices 220 of the same network ( e . g ., lan ) register their services with a control point ( not shown ). a control point is a computing system ( e . g ., a server ) that maintains records on all service devices within the same network . an information apparatus 200 may contact the control point and search or query for the needed service in step 1102 , if no available output device 220 is found , the communication manager or the client application 210 may provide the user with alternatives 1104 . such alternatives may include , for example , aborting the discovery process 1020 , trying discovery process 1020 again , temporarily halting the discovery process 1020 , or being notified when an available output device 220 is found . as an example , the discovery process 1020 may not detect any available output device 220 in the current wired / wireless network . the specified searching criteria ( if any ) are then saved or registered in the communication manager . when the user enters a new network having available output devices 220 , or when new compatible output devices 220 are added to the current network , or when an output device 220 becomes available for any reason , the communication manager may notify the user of such availability . in step 1106 , if available output devices 220 are discovered , the communication manager may obtain some basic information , or part of or the entire output device profile , from each discovered output device 220 . examples of such information may include , but not limited to , device identity , service charge , subscription , service feature , device capability , operating instructions , etc . such information is preferably provided to the user through the user interface ( e . g ., display screen , speaker , etc .) of information apparatus 200 . in step 1108 , the user may select one or more output devices 220 based on information provided , if any , to take the output job . if the user is not satisfied with any of the available output device 220 , the user may decline the service . in this case , the user may be provided with alternatives such as to try again in step 1110 with some changes made to the searching criteria . the user may choose to terminate the service request at any time . in step 1112 , with one or more output devices 220 selected or determined , the communication link between information apparatus 200 and the selected output device or devices 220 may be “ locked ”. other output devices 220 that are not selected may be dropped . the output process 1020 may then proceed to the client application process of step 1030 of fig1 . fig1 a is a flow diagram of an exemplary client application process with reference to step 1030 of fig1 . a client application process 1202 for universal output may include or utilize : a client application 210 that obtains content ( e . g . digital document ) intended for output . a client application 210 that obtains output device parameters ( e . g . rasterization parameters , output job parameters ). one example of implementation is to obtain the output device parameters from an output device profile ( e . g . printer profile ), which includes device dependent parameters . such profile may be stored in an output controller 230 , output device 220 or information apparatus 200 . a client application 210 that may optionally obtain user preferences through ( 1 ) user &# 39 ; s input ( automatic or manual ) or selections or ( 2 ) based on preset preference or pre - defined defaults or ( 3 ) combination of the above . a client application 210 that rasterizes at least part of the content intended for output ( e . g . a digital document ) according to one or more rasterization parameters obtained from previous steps such as through output device profile , user selection , predefined user preferences , predefined default or standard etc . a client application 210 that generates an intermediate output data containing at least part of the rasterized image related at least partly to the content intended for output . a client application that transmits the intermediate output data to an output device 220 or output controller 230 for further processing and or final output . a client application 210 may obtain content ( e . g . digital document ) 900 or a pointer or reference to the content in many ways . in a preferred embodiment , the client application 210 is in the form of a device driver or an independent application , and the content or its reference can be obtained by the client application 210 from other applications 205 in the same information apparatus 200 . to illustrate an example , a user may first view or download or create a digital document by using a document browsing , viewing and or editing application 205 in his / her information apparatus 200 , and then request output service by launching the client application 210 as a device driver or helper application . the client application 210 communicates with the document browsing or editing application to obtain the digital document or reference to the digital document . as another example , the client application 210 is an independent application and it launches another application to help locate and obtain the digital document for output . in this case , a user may first launch the client application 210 , and then invoke another application 205 ( e . g . document editing and or browsing application ) residing in the same information apparatus 200 to view or download a digital document . the client application 210 then communicates with the document browsing or editing application to obtain the digital document for output . in another embodiment , the client application 210 itself provides multiple functionalities or feature sets including the ability for a user to select the content ( e . g . digital document ) for output . for example , the client application 210 of present invention may provide a gui where a user can directly input or select the reference or path of a digital document that the user wants to output . in order to perform rasterization operation on content ( e . g . digital document ) 900 , the client application 210 in step 1210 needs to obtain device dependent parameters of an output device 220 such as the rasterization parameters . device dependent parameters may be included in an output device profile . a client application 210 may obtain an output device profile or rasterization parameters in various ways . as an example , an output device profile or rasterization parameters can be obtained with one or combination of the following : the client application communicates with an output device 220 to upload output device profile or information related to one or more rasterization parameters . the client application 210 obtains the output device profile from a network node ( e . g . server ). a user selects an output device profile stored in the user &# 39 ; s information apparatus 200 . the client application 210 automatically retrieves or uses a default profile , predefined standard values or default values among others . the client application 210 obtains output device parameters by calculating , which may include approximation , based at least partly on the information it has obtained from one or combination of an output device 220 , a user , default values , and a network node . it is important to note that step 1210 is an optional step . in some instance , part of or the entire output device profile or related device dependent information may have been already obtained by the client application 210 during the prior optional discovery process ( step 1020 in fig1 ). in this case , step 1210 may be partially or entirely skipped . in one implementation , the client application 210 communicates with one or more output devices 220 to upload output device profiles stored in the memory or storage components of those one or more output devices 220 or their associated one or more output controllers 230 . in some instance , the uploaded output device profile may contain partially or entirely references or pointers to device parameters instead of the device parameters themselves . the actual output device parameters may be stored in a network node or in the information apparatus 200 , where they can be retrieved by the client application 210 or by other applications 205 using the references or pointers . it should be noted that a plurality of information apparatuses 200 may request to obtain output device profile or profiles from the same output device 220 at the same time or at least during overlapping periods . the output device 220 or its associated output controller 230 may have components or systems to manage multiple communication links and provide the output device profile or profiles concurrently or in an alternating manner to multiple information apparatuses 200 . alternatively , an output device 220 may provide components or systems to queue the requests from different information apparatuses 200 and serve them in a sequential fashion according to a scheme such as first come first served , quality of service , etc . multi - user communication and service management capability with or without queuing or spooling functions may be implemented by , for example , the output controller 230 as optional feature sets . in another implementation , one or more output device profiles may be stored locally in the information apparatus 200 . the client application 210 may provide a gui where a user can select a profile from a list of pre - stored profiles . as an example , the gui may provide the user with a list of output device names ( e . g . makes and models ), each corresponding to an output device profile stored locally . when the user selects an output device 220 , the client application 210 can then retrieve the output device profile corresponding to the name selected by the user . in certain cases , during a discovery or communication process described earlier , the client application 210 may have already obtained the output device id , name , or reference or other information in a variety of ways described previously . in this case , the client application 210 may automatically activate or retrieve an output device profile stored in the information apparatus 200 based on the output device id , name , or reference obtained without user intervention . in yet another implementation , the client application 210 may use a set of pre - defined default values stored locally in a user &# 39 ; s information apparatus 200 . such defaults can be stored in one or more files or tables . the client application 210 may access a file or table to obtain these default values . the client application 210 may also create or calculate certain default values based on the information it has obtained during previous steps ( e . g . in optional discovery process , based on partial or incomplete printer profile information obtained , etc ). a user may or may not have an opportunity to change or overwrite some or all defaults . finally , if , for any reason , no device dependent information is available , the client application 210 may use standard output and rasterization parameters or pre - defined default parameters . the above illustrates many examples and variations of implementation , these and other possible variations in implementation do not depart from the scope of the present invention . in step 1220 , the client application 210 may optionally obtain user preferences . in one exemplary implementation , the client application 210 may obtain user preferences with a gui ( graphical user interface ). for simplicity , a standard gui form can be presented to the user independent of the make and model of the output device 220 involved in the output process . through such an interface , the user may specify some device independent output parameters such as page range , number of cards per page , number of copies , etc . alternatively or in combination , the client application 210 may also incorporate output device - dependent features and preferences into the gui presented to the user . the device - dependent portion of the gui may be supported partly or entirely by information contained in the output device profile obtained through components and processes described in previous steps . to illustrate , device dependent features and capabilities may include print quality , color or grayscale , duplex or single sided , output page size among others . it is preferred that some or all components , attributes or fields of user preferences have default values . part or all default values may be hard - coded in software program in client application 210 or in hardware components . alternatively , the client application 210 may also access a file to obtain default values , or it may calculate certain default values based on the information it has obtained during previous steps or components ( e . g . from an output device profile ). a user may or may not have the ability to pre - configure , or change or overwrite some or all defaults . the client application 210 may obtain and use some or all defaults with or without user intervention or knowledge . in step 1230 , the client application 210 of present invention performs rasterization operation to conform a content ( e . g . a digital document ), which may includes objects and information in vector graphics , text , and images , into one or more output images in accordance with the rasterization parameters obtained in previous steps . during rasterization process , text and vector graphics object or information in the content is rasterized or converted into image or bitmap form according to the given set of rasterization parameters . image information in the content may require scaling and interpolation operations to conform the rasterization parameters . rasterization process may further include operations such as scaling , interpolation , segmentation , image transformation , image encoding , color space transformation etc . to fit or conform the one or more output images to the given set of rasterization parameters such as target output size , resolution , bit depth , color space and image format etc . in step 1240 , the client application 210 generates an intermediate output data that includes the rasterized one or more output images . the intermediate output data of the present invention may contain image information , instructions , descriptions , and data such as color profile among others . creating and generating intermediate output data may further include operations such as compression , encoding , encryption , smoothing , segmentation , scaling and or color correction , among others . the image or images contained in an intermediate output data may be variously encoded and / or implemented with different image formats and / or compression methods ( e . g . jpeg , bmp , tiff , jbig etc or combination ). one preferred implementation is to generate or encode the output image in the intermediate output data with mixed raster content ( mrc ) description . the use of mrc in the data output process of present invention provides opportunities to improve the compression ratio by applying different compression techniques to segmented elements in the content . in addition , mrc provides opportunities to maintain more original content information during the encoding process of the output image and , therefore , potentially improve output quality . in step 1250 , the client application 210 transmits intermediate output data to an output device 220 through local communication link 240 . the communication link may be implemented with wired or wireless technologies and the transmission may include one or multiple sessions . it should be recognized that fig1 a illustrates one example of a client application process 1030 in the data output method 1002 of present invention . other implementations with more or less steps are possible , and several additional optional processes not shown in fig1 may also be included in the client application process 1030 . use of these different variations , however , does not result in a departure from the scope of the present invention . as an example , an optional authentication step may be included when the selected output device 220 provides service to a restricted group of users . various authentication procedures may be added in step 1210 when client application 210 obtains output device profile by communicating with an output device or an output controller . as another example , authentication procedures may also be implemented in step 1250 when the client application transmits intermediate output data to one or more output devices 220 or output controllers 230 . a simple authentication may be implemented by , for example , comparing the identity of an information apparatus 200 with an approved control list of identities stored in the output device 220 or output controller 230 . other more complex authentication and encryption schemes may also be used . information such as user name , password , id number , signatures , security keys ( physical or digital ), biometrics , fingerprints , voice among others , may be used separately or in combination as authentication means . such identification and or authentication information may be manually provided by user or automatically detected by the selected output device or devices 220 or output controller 230 . with successful authentication , a user may gain access to all or part of the services provided by the output device 220 . the output device profile that the client application 210 obtains may vary according to the type or quality of service requested or determined . if authentication fails , it is possible that a user may be denied partially or completely access to the service . in this case , the user may be provided with alternatives such as selecting another output device 220 or alternative services . another optional process is that a user may be asked to provide payment or deposit or escrow before , during or after output service such as step 1210 or 1250 with reference to fig1 . examples of payment or deposit may include cash , credit card , bankcard , charge card , smart card , electronic cash , among others . the output controller 220 may provide payment calculation or transaction processing as optional feature sets of present invention . fig1 b illustrates another exemplary client application output process 1030 with which an information apparatus 200 can pervasively and universally output content to one or more output devices 220 associated with or equipped with an output controller 230 of present invention . the process illustrated in fig1 b is similar to the process described in fig1 a except that step 1210 , obtaining output device profile , is skipped . in this embodiment , the client application 210 utilizes a set of hard - coded , standard or predefined output device parameters including rasterization parameters with which the client application 210 can perform rasterization operation and other required image processing functions . users may be provided with the option of changing these parameters or inputting alternative parameters . rasterization parameters include output size , output resolution , bit depth , color space , color channels , scale factors etc . these pre - defined parameters typically comply with a specification or a standard . the same specification and standard may also defined or describe at least partly the intermediate output data . predefined standard parameters can be stored in a file or profile in an information apparatus 200 , an output controller 230 , and / or in an output device 220 for easy update or upgrade . in client output process 1204 , since the rasterization parameters are predefined , the client application 210 may not need to upload printer profiles from the selected output device 230 . consequently , no two - way communication between the information apparatus 200 and the output device or devices 220 is necessary in this process 1204 when compared with process 1202 illustrated in fig1 a . the client application 210 performs rasterization operation 1225 based on standard and / or predefined parameters and generates a rasterized output image with predefined or standard properties of those rasterization parameters . the resulting intermediate output data , which includes at least one rasterized output image , is transmitted from the information apparatus 200 to an output device 220 in step 1250 or to its associated output controller 230 for rendering or output . the intermediate output data generated in process 1202 in general is less device dependent compared to the intermediate output data generated in the process 1202 shown in fig1 a . the output controller 230 included or associated with the output device 220 may be preprogrammed to interpret the raster output image , which includes properties or attributes that correspond to those standard or predefined parameters . the standard or predefined rasterization parameters may be hard coded or programmed into the client application 210 and / or the output controller 230 . however , instead of hard coding those parameters , one technique to facilitate updates or changes is to store those standard parameters in a default file or profile . the standard or predefined parameters contained in the file or profile can be retrieved and utilized by applications in an information apparatus 200 ( e . g . client application 210 ) and / or by applications or components in an output device 220 or the output controller 230 . in this way , any necessary updates , upgrades or required changes to those predefined or standard parameters can be easily accomplished by replacing or modifying the file or profile instead of modifying or updating the program , application or components in the information apparatus 200 , output device 220 and / or output controller 230 . a client application process 1204 providing universal output capability to information apparatus 200 may include or utilize : a client application 210 that obtains content ( e . g . digital document ) intended for output . a client application 210 that optionally obtains user preferences ( in step 1220 ) through ( 1 ) user &# 39 ; s input ( automatic or manual ) or selections or ( 2 ) based on preset preference or predefined defaults or ( 3 ) combination of the above . a client application 210 that rasterizes content ( in step 1230 or 1225 ) according to pre - defined or standard rasterization parameters . a client application 210 that generates intermediate output data ( in step 1240 ) for rendering or output at an output device 220 ; the intermediate output data containing at least partially a rasterized image related to the content intended for output . a client application 210 that transmits the intermediate output data to an output device 220 ( in step 1250 ) for further processing and final output . one advantage of the client output process 1204 of fig1 b compared to the process 1202 illustrated in fig1 a is that the generated intermediate output data is in general less device dependent . the device independent attribute allows the intermediate output data to be more portable and acceptable to more output devices equipped or associated with output controllers . both data output processes ( 1202 and 1204 ) enable universal output ; allowing a user to install a single client application 210 or components in an information apparatus 200 to provide output capability to more than one output device 220 . fig1 a illustrates one example of an output device process 1302 and its associated raster imaging method of present invention . in this output device process 1302 , an output device 220 is capable of receiving an intermediate output data from an information apparatus 200 . the output device process 1302 and its operations may include or utilize : an output device / system or output controller that receives intermediate output data ( in step 1300 ). the intermediate output data includes at least partially a raster output image describing at least part of the content for rendering at the output device 220 or system 250 . an output device / system or output controller that interprets ( in step 1310 ) the intermediate output data ; in one preferred embodiment , the intermediate output data includes an output image utilizing one or more mrc formats or components . an output device / system or output controller that performs image processing operation ( in step 1320 ) on the raster image . the image processing operation may include but not limited to image decompression , scaling , halftoning , color matching , among others . an output device / system or output controller that converts and or generates ( in step 1330 ) output - engine output data that is in a format or description suitable for input to an output engine ( e . g . printer engine in case of a printer ) included in an output device 220 . an output engine in an output device 220 that renders or generates a final output ( e . g . the output - engine output data ) in step 1370 . the output device 220 or output system 250 may include an output controller 230 internally or externally to assist the management and operation of the output process 1302 . as shown in fig7 , there are many possible configurations and implementations of an output controller 230 associated to an output device 220 herein and after , output controller 230 is regarded as an integral part of the output device to which it is attached . hence , the following described output device operations may be partially or completely performed by the output controller associated with it . in step 1300 , output device process 1302 is initiated by client application 210 transmitting an intermediate output data to output device 220 or output system 250 . in step 1310 , the output device 220 reads and interprets the intermediate output data , containing at least one raster output image relating to the content intended for output . during the reading and interpretation process 1310 , the output device 220 may include components that parse the intermediate output data and perform operations such as decompression , decoding , and decryption among others . the output image may be variously encoded and may include one or more compression methods . in the event that the method of image encoding includes mrc format , then , in one example implementation , during decoding and mapping of the output image in step 1310 , the lower resolution layer and information in an image that includes mrc may be mapped , scaled or interpolated to a higher - resolution output image to produce a better image quality . therefore , step 1310 , in the event that the intermediate output data includes mrc component , each layer in an mrc image can be decompressed , processed , mapped and combined into a single combined output image layer . step 1310 may also include scaling , color space transformation , and / or interpolation among others . in addition to the possibility of mapping methods using different scaling and interpolation ratio with different layers , another advantage of using mrc is that segmentation information contained in mrc can be utilized to apply different image processing and enhancement techniques to data in different layers of an mrc image in step 1320 . in step 1320 , the output device 220 may further perform image processing operations on the decoded output image . these image processing operations may include , for example , color correction , color matching , image segmentation , image enhancement , anti - aliasing , image smoothing , digital watermarking , scaling , interpolation , and halftoning among others . the image processing operations 1320 may be combined or operated concurrently with step 1310 . for example , while each row , pixel , or portion of the image is being decoded and or decompressed , image processing operations 1320 is applied . in another implementation , the image processing 1320 may occur after the entire output image or a large portion of the image has been decoded or decompressed . if the intermediate output data includes mrc component , then in step 1320 , there are additional opportunities to improve image quality . an image encoded in mrc contains segmented information that a traditional single layer image format does not usually have . as an example , foreground can be in one layer , and background in another . as another example , chrominance information may be in one layer and luminance may be in another . this segmented information in mrc may be used to apply different or selective image processing methods and algorithms to different layers or segments to enhance image quality or retain or recover image information . different image processing techniques or algorithms may include color matching , color correction , black generation , halftoning , scaling , interpolation , anti - aliasing , smoothing , digital watermarking etc . for example , one can apply calorimetric color matching to foreground information and perceptual color matching to background information or vice versa . as another example , error diffusion halftoning can be applied to foreground and stochastic halftoning can be applied to background or vice versa . as yet another example , bi - cubic interpolation can be applied to a layer and bi - linear or minimum distance interpolation can be applied to a different layer . in step 1330 , the output device 220 or the output controller 230 may convert the processed image ( e . g . halftoned ) into a form acceptable to the output engine of output device 220 . this conversion step is optional , depending on the type , format and input requirement of a particular output device engine ( e . g . printer engine in case of a printer ). different output engines may have different input raster image input requirements . as an example different output engines may require different input image formats , number of bits or bytes per pixel , compression or uncompressed form , or different color spaces ( e . g . such as rgb , cmy , cmyk , or any combination of hi - fi color such as green , orange , purple , red etc ). incoming raster image data can be encoded in a row , in a column , in multiple rows , in multiple columns , in a chunk , in a segment , or a combination at a time for sending the raster data to the output engine . in some cases , step 1330 may be skipped if the result of step 1320 is already in a form acceptable to the output device engine . in other cases , however , further conversion and or processing may be required to satisfy the specific input requirement of a particular output device engine . it is important to note that the above described processing from step 1310 to step 1330 may require one or more memory buffers to temporarily store processed results . the memory buffer can store or hold a row , a column , a portion , or a chunk , of the output image in any of the steps described above . storing and retrieving information into and from the memory buffer may be done sequentially , in an alternating fashion , or in an interlaced or interleaved fashion among other possible combinations . step 1310 to step 1330 operations can be partially or completely implemented with the output controller 230 . in step 1370 , the output device engine included in the output device 220 or output system 250 receives the output - engine output data generated in step 1330 or step 1320 . the output - engine output data is in a form that satisfies the input requirements and attributes of the output engine , such as color space , color channel , bit depth , output size , resolution , etc . the output engine then takes this output - engine output data and outputs or renders the data content through its marking engine or display engine . one advantage of data output method 1002 that includes output device process 1302 is that it has less processing requirements on an information apparatus 200 compared to conventional process with reference to fig1 a , and therefore , enables more information apparatus 200 with relatively lower processing power and memory space to have output capability . for example , some image processing functions , such as halftoning ( e . g . error diffusion ) may require substantial processing and computing power . in data output process 1002 that includes output device process 1302 , halftoning is performed in step 1320 by an output device component ( e . g . the output controller 230 ) included in the output device 220 or the output system 250 , not in the information apparatus 200 ; therefore reducing the computational requirements for the information apparatus 200 . another advantage of data output 1302 is that the intermediate output data is less device dependent than the output data generated by conventional output method 102 with reference to fig1 a . the device independence provides opportunity to allow a single driver or application in an information apparatus 200 to output intermediate output data to a plurality of output devices 220 that include output controllers 230 . some output devices 220 may contain a printer controller 410 . an example of this type of output device or printer is a postscript printer or pcl printer among others . fig1 b illustrates an example of an output device process 1304 with a printer that includes a printer controller 410 . as discussed in fig1 , a printer with a printer controller requires input such as page description language ( e . g . postscript , pcl etc . ), markup language ( html , xml etc ), special image format , special graphics format , or a combination , depending on the type of the printer controller . there are many printing system configurations for providing the data output capability and process to a printer or a printing system that includes a printer controller . in one example , the existing printer controller in the output device 220 may incorporate the feature sets provided by the output controller to form a “ combined controller ” as described previously with reference to fig7 c and 7f . in another example , the output controller 230 of present invention may be connected sequentially or cascaded to an existing printer controller ; the output controller 230 can be internally installed ( with reference to fig7 b ) or externally connected ( with reference to fig7 a ) to the output device 220 . for output device 220 that includes a printer controller , the output controller 230 may simply decode the intermediate output data in step 1310 and then convert it into a form acceptable for input to the printer controller in step 1350 . an output device process 1304 and operations for an output device 220 or system 250 that includes a printer controller 410 may include or utilize : an output controller 230 or components in an output device 220 or system 250 that receives an intermediate print data or output data ( with reference to step 1300 ), the intermediate print data includes at least a raster image related at least in part to the content for rendering at the output device 220 . an output controller 230 or components in an output device 220 or system 250 that interprets the intermediate output data ( with reference to step 1310 ); in one preferred embodiment , the intermediate output data includes an output image utilizing one or more mrc format or components . an output controller 230 or components in an output device 220 or system 250 that converts the intermediate output data into a printer - controller print data ( with reference to step 1350 ); the printer - controller print data includes a format or language ( e . g . pdl , pdf , html , xml etc .) that is acceptable or compatible to the input requirement of a printer controller . a printer controller or components in an output device 220 or system 250 that receives a printer controller print data ; the printer controller may parse , interpret and further process ( e . g . rasterization , scaling , image enhancement , color correction , color matching , halftoning etc .) and convert the printer - controller print data into a printer - engine print data ( with reference to step 1360 ); the printer - engine print data comprising of a format or description acceptable for input to a printer engine in the output device 220 or the output system 250 . a printer engine or components in an output device 220 or system 250 that renders or generates a final output ( with reference to step 1370 ) with the input printer engine print data . in output device process 1304 , step 1300 ( receiving intermediate output data ) and step 1310 ( interpret intermediate output data ) are identical to step 1300 and step 1310 in output device process 1302 , which have been described in previous sections with reference to fig1 a . in step 1350 , the output controller 230 converts the intermediate print data into a printer - controller print data that is in a form compatible or acceptable for input to a printer controller . for example , a printer controller may require as input a specific page description language ( pdl ) such as postscript . the output controller 230 then creates a postscript file and embeds the output image generated or retrieved in step 1310 into the postscript file . the output controller 230 can also create and embed the output image from step 1310 into other printer controller print data formats , instructions or languages . in step 1360 , the printer controller receives printer - controller print data generated in step 1350 that includes an acceptable input language or format to the printer controller . the printer controller may parse , interpret , and decode the input printer - controller print data . the printer controller may further perform raster image processing operations such as rasterization , color correction , black generation , gcr , anti - aliasing , scaling , image enhancement , and halftoning among others on the output image . the printer controller may then generate a printer - engine print data that is suitable for input to the printer engine . the type and or format of printer - engine print data may vary according to the requirement of a particular printer engine . it is important to note that the above described process from step 1310 to step 1360 may require one or more memory buffer to temporarily store processed results . the memory buffer can store or hold a row , a column , a portion , or a chunk , of the output image in any of the steps described above . storing and retrieving information into and from the memory buffer may be done sequentially , alternated , or in an interlaced or interleaved fashion among other possible combinations . process and operations of step 1310 to step 1360 can be implemented with output controller 230 . in step 1370 , the printer engine included in the output device 220 or output system 250 generates or renders the final output based on the printer - engine print data generated in step 1360 . for example , the printer - engine print data may be in cmy , cmyk , and rgb etc , and this may be in one or more bits per pixel format , satisfying the size and resolution requirement of the printer engine . the printer engine included the output device 220 may take this print data and generate or render an output page through its marking engine . having described and illustrated the principles of our invention with reference to an illustrated embodiment , it will be recognized that the illustrated embodiment can be modified in arrangement and detail without departing from such principles . in view of the many possible embodiments to which the principles of our invention may be applied , it should be recognized that the detailed embodiments are illustrative only and should not be taken as limiting the scope of our invention . rather , i claim as my invention all such embodiments as may come within the scope of the following claims and equivalents thereto . unless the context indicates otherwise , a reference in a claim to the number of instances of an element , be it a reference to one instance or more than one instance , requires at least the stated number of instances of the element but is not intended to exclude from the scope of the claim a structure or method having more instances of that element than stated . specifically , but without limitation , a reference in a claim to an or one output device or system , to an or one image , or to a or one rasterization parameter is not intended to exclude from the scope of the claim a structure or method having , including , employing or supplying two or more output devices or system , images or rasterization parameters .
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[ 0026 ] fig3 is a schematic diagram of a 2 × 2 array 100 of 2 - bit non - volatile memory ( nvm ) transistors 101 - 104 in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention . while a 2 × 2 array is shown , it is understood that arrays having other sizes can be implemented , and are considered to fall within the scope of the invention . array 100 also includes row decoder 111 , column decoder 112 , word lines 121 - 122 and bit lines 131 - 133 . word line 121 is coupled to the control gates of nvm transistors 101 - 102 , and word line 122 is coupled to the control gates of nvm transistors 103 - 104 . as described in more detail below , word lines 121 - 122 are polycide or salicide in the described embodiment . word lines 121 - 122 are also coupled to row decoder 111 . bit lines 131 - 133 are coupled to the source / drain regions of nvm transistors 101 - 104 , as illustrated . as described in more detail below , bit lines 131 - 133 are formed by doped diffusion regions in a semiconductor substrate . these doped diffusion regions can be coupled to other doped diffusion regions by metal strap lines . bit lines 131 - 133 are also coupled to column decoder 112 . fig4 - 12 are cross sectional views that illustrate the fabrication of nvm transistors 101 and 102 in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention . nvm transistors 103 and 104 ( not shown in fig4 - 12 ) are fabricated at the same time as nvm transistors 101 and 102 . as illustrated in fig4 array 100 is fabricated in a semiconductor region 401 . in the described embodiment , semiconductor region 401 is a p - type well formed in a monocrystalline silicon substrate . semiconductor region 401 has a dopant concentration of about 5e16 - 2e17 atoms / cm . in other embodiments , semiconductor region 401 can be a p - type silicon substrate . field oxide 402 is thermally grown at the upper surface of substrate 401 using a conventional local oxidation of silicon ( locos ) process . in the described embodiment , field oxide 402 is grown to a thickness in the range of about 4000 to 8000 å . in the described embodiment , the field oxide is grown to a thickness of about 6000 å . in an alternate embodiment , field oxide 402 can be replaced with a shallow trench isolation ( sti ) structure . after field oxide 402 has been grown , a sacrificial oxide layer ( not shown ) is grown and then removed ( etched ) with a diluted hydrofluoric acid ( hf ). in one embodiment , a blanket threshold voltage implant is performed through the sacrificial oxide . however , in the described embodiment , no threshold voltage implant is performed through the sacrificial oxide . rather , the required threshold voltage implant is performed as described in more detail below . field oxide 402 defines the perimeter of the area where the nvm transistors 101 - 104 of array 100 are fabricated . however , field oxide 402 is not used to provide isolation between nvm transistors 101 - 104 . for this reason , the resulting configuration of nvm transistors is referred to as a fieldless array of nvm transistors . gate dielectric layer 403 is then thermally grown or deposited on the upper surface of semiconductor region 401 . in the described embodiment , gate dielectric layer 403 is silicon oxide , which is thermally grown to a thickness in the range of about 50 to 150 å over the upper surface of semiconductor region 401 . in a particular embodiment , gate dielectric layer 403 has a thickness of about 70 å . polysilicon layer 404 is then deposited over field oxide 402 and gate oxide layer 403 . as described in more detail below , polysilicon layer 404 is used to create the charge storage regions of nvm transistors 101 - 104 . in the described embodiment , polysilicon layer 404 is undoped polysilicon deposited to a thickness in the range of 1000 to 3000 å . in a particular embodiment , polysilicon layer 404 has a thickness of about 2000 å . in an alternate embodiment , polysilicon layer 404 can be doped . a photoresist mask 405 , having openings 406 , is formed over polysilicon layer 404 . as will become apparent in view of the following disclosure , openings 406 define certain edges of the floating gate electrodes of the nvm transistors . each of openings 406 has a width that corresponds with the minimum line width of the process used to fabricate the array . in the described embodiment , the process has a minimum line width of 0 . 18 microns , such that each of openings 406 has a width of 0 . 18 microns . as illustrated in fig5 polysilicon layer 404 is etched through openings 406 , thereby creating polysilicon regions 404 1 , 404 2 and 404 3 . this etch is controlled to leave underlying gate oxide layer 403 substantially intact . as illustrated in fig6 photoresist layer 405 is stripped , and a thin dielectric layer 407 is deposited over the resulting structure . in the described embodiment , dielectric layer 407 includes a silicon oxide layer and a silicon nitride layer , which is deposited over the silicon oxide layer . in one embodiment , the silicon oxide layer has a thickness in the range of about 50 to 200 å , and the silicon nitride layer has a thickness in the range of about 50 to 200 å . in a particular embodiment , both the silicon oxide layer and the silicon nitride layer have a thickness of about 70 å , such that dielectric layer 407 has a thickness of about 140 å . in an alternate embodiment , the silicon nitride layer can be replaced with a silicon oxynitride ( sion ) layer . in the described embodiment , the upper surface of dielectric layer 407 cannot be silicon oxide , for reasons that will become apparent in view of the following disclosure . as illustrated in fig7 a photoresist mask 408 , having openings 409 - 411 , is formed over dielectric layer 407 . as will become apparent in view of the following disclosure , openings 409 - 411 define certain edges of the floating gates of the nvm transistors . each of openings 409 - 411 has a width that corresponds with the minimum line width of the process being used to fabricate the array . in the described embodiment , each of openings 409 - 411 has a width of 0 . 18 microns . openings 409 - 411 are offset with respect to openings 406 ( fig4 - 5 ). in the described embodiment , openings 409 - 411 are offset by 0 . 18 microns with respect to openings 406 . as illustrated in fig8 a first etch is performed through openings 409 - 411 , thereby removing the exposed portions of dielectric layer 407 . a second etch is then performed through openings 409 - 411 , thereby removing the exposed portions of polysilicon regions 4041 - 4043 . this second etch is controlled to leave the underlying portions of gate dielectric layer 403 substantially intact . the remaining portions of polysilicon regions 404 1 - 404 3 are labeled as polysilicon regions 404 11 , 404 21 , 404 21 , 404 22 , 404 31 , and 404 32 . as described in more detail below , polysilicon regions 404 11 and 404 21 form the floating gate electrodes of nvm transistor 101 , and polysilicon regions 404 22 and 404 32 form the floating gate electrodes of nvm transistor 102 . openings 409 - 411 also define the diffusion bit lines of array 100 . more specifically , openings 409 , 410 and 411 define the locations of diffusion bit lines 131 , 132 and 133 , respectively . after the above - described etching steps are completed , high angle implants are performed through openings 409 - 411 . more specifically , a p - type impurity , such as boron , is implanted through openings 409 - 411 411 at high angles with respect to the upper surface of semiconductor substrate 401 , such that the dopant extends under the edges of photoresist mask 408 . in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention , the high angle implants are performed by implanting p - type impurities with a dopant density in the range of 1e13 to 5e13 ions / cm 2 , and an implantation energy in the range of 40 to 100 kev . in a particular embodiment , the high angle implants are performed with a dopant density of about 2 . 2e13 ions / cm 2 and an implantation energy of about 25 kev . in one embodiment , the high angle implants are performed at angles in the range of 15 to 45 degrees from the vertical axis of fig8 which extends perpendicular to the upper surface of substrate 401 . in the described embodiment , the high angle implants are performed at angles approximately 25 degrees from the vertical axis of fig8 . the implanted boron serves to adjust the threshold voltages of nvm transistors 101 - 104 . the implanted p - type impurities are illustrated as regions 412 - 414 in fig8 . in an alternate embodiment , the p - type impurities can be implanted along the vertical axis of fig8 . note that in the described example , the pocket implant ( and other process features ) are less critical than in the nvm transistor 10 of fig1 and 2 , because a simpler process technology is being used in the present invention . in an alternative embodiment , an additional counter - doping implant can be implemented . the counter doping implant is performed by implanting an n - type impurity , such as phosphor , using parameters similar to the parameters of the above - described high angle implants . the n - type impurity provides improved junction edge optimization . in yet another embodiment , counter - doping is achieved by performing a blanket low energy implant of an n - type impurity over the entire array , after the formation of field oxide 402 . after performing the high angle implants , an n - type impurity , such as arsenic , is implanted through openings 409 - 411 of photoresist mask 408 . in one embodiment , arsenic is implanted with a dopant density in the range of 1e15 to 1e16 ions / cm 2 and an implantation energy in the range of 30 to 100 kev . in a particular embodiment , arsenic is implanted with a dopant density of about 3e15 ions / cm 2 and an implantation energy of about 60 kev . the implanted n - type impurities are illustrated as regions 422 - 424 in fig9 . photoresist mask 408 is then stripped , and a thermal oxidation step is performed , thereby creating bit line oxide regions 442 - 444 and sidewall oxide regions 442 a - 444 a , as illustrated in fig1 . this thermal oxidation step also results in the formation of a thin silicon oxide layer over the exposed silicon nitride of dielectric layer 407 . the growth of bit line oxide regions 442 - 444 causes the portions of polysilicon regions 404 11 - 404 11 , 404 21 - 404 22 and 404 31 - 404 32 , which are adjacent to bit line oxide regions 442 - 444 to bend upward . in one embodiment , the bit line oxide is thermally grown using a wet oxidation process at a temperature in the range of 800 to 1000 ° c . to a thickness in the range of 100 to 500 å . in a particular embodiment , the bit line oxide is thermally grown using a wet oxidation process at a temperature of about 900 ° c . to a thickness of about 200 å . this oxidation step also activates and diffuses the implanted impurities 412 - 414 and 422 - 424 , thereby forming diffusion bit lines 432 - 434 . note that diffusion bit lines 432 - 434 diffuse under polysilicon regions 404 11 - 404 11 , 404 21 - 404 22 and 404 31 - 404 32 , as illustrated . ( subsequent high temperature processing steps complete the activation of the implanted impurities in regions 412 - 414 and 422 - 424 ). normally , the relatively low temperature of 700 ° c . would result in very slow oxidation of silicon . however , the heavy doping of diffusion bit lines 432 - 434 increases the rate of silicon oxidation by approximately a factor of four . consequently , low temperature oxidation at 700 ° c ., which provides better control , can be used . as illustrated in fig1 , a blanket layer of polysilicon 451 is then deposited over the upper surface of the resulting structure . in some embodiments , phosphorus oxychloride ( pocl 3 ) is used to dope polysilicon layer 451 to increase the conductivity of polysilicon layer 451 . other embodiments may implant impurities such as phosphorus ions to increase the conductivity of polysilicon layer 451 . a layer of metal silicide , such as tungsten silicide , is deposited directly on polysilicon layer 451 to form metal silicide layer 452 . in an alternate embodiment , a blanket layer of a refractory metal , such as tungsten , titanium , or cobalt , is sputtered over the upper surface of polysilicon layer 451 , and subsequently reacted to form a metal silicide . a photoresist mask ( not shown ) is then formed over the resulting structure . this photoresist mask is patterned to define the control gates and word lines of the nvm transistors 101 - 104 . an etch is then performed to remove the portions of metal silicide layer 452 and polysilicon layer 451 that are exposed by the photoresist mask . in one embodiment , this polycide etch is a dry etch . tungsten silicide layer 452 is etched with a gas mixture of hbr , sf 6 and he . polysilicon layer 451 is etched with a gas mixture of hbr and cl 2 . after the polycide etch is completed , the photoresist mask is stripped and a tungsten silicide anneal is then performed at 900 ° c . with low oxygen flow . ( this anneal adheres the tungsten silicide to the underlying polysilicon and is part of the activation of the impurities in the buried diffusion bit lines 432 - 434 ). a boron implant is then performed to prevent current leakage between diffusion bit lines at the locations between adjacent gates electrodes in the fieldless array . this boron implant is a blanket implant , with no mask protection provided on the wafer . in one embodiment , boron is implanted at a dopant density in the range of 1e12 to 6e12 ions / cm 2 and an energy in the range of 20 to 60 kev . in a particular embodiment , boron is implanted at a dopant density of about 3e12 ions / cm 2 and an energy of about 30 kev . [ 0045 ] fig1 is a top view of nvm transistors 101 - 104 . nvm transistors 101 - 102 are labeled with the reference numbers described above in fig4 - 11 . each of nvm transistors 101 - 104 has a horizontal dimension of 0 . 72 microns ( between the centers of the adjacent diffusion bit lines ), and a vertical dimension of 0 . 5 microns . these dimensions are shown on nvm transistor 104 in fig1 . the area of each nvm transistor is therefore 0 . 36 u 2 , with a per bit area of 0 . 18 u 2 . the operation of nvm transistors 101 - 104 in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention will now be described . [ 0047 ] fig1 is a circuit diagram illustrating an erase operation of array 100 . in the described embodiment , array 100 is operated as a flash memory , such that all of the nvm transistors 101 - 104 in the array are erased as a block . to accomplish this , column decoder 112 is controlled to apply an erase voltage of 4 to 6 volts to bit lines 131 - 133 , and row decoder 111 is controlled to apply an erase voltage of − 3 to − 6 volts to word lines 121 - 122 . under these conditions , electrons are drawn out of the floating gate electrodes ( e . g ., floating gate electrodes 404 11 , 404 21 , 404 22 and 404 32 ) of nvm transistors 101 - 104 , thereby leaving these floating gate electrodes substantially uncharged . note it is not possible to over - erase nvm transistors 101 - 104 because of the portion of the channel region located between the floating gates of each transistor . for example , even if floating gates 404 11 , and 404 21 are over - erased ( and thereby exhibit a positive charge ), the portion of the channel region located between these floating gates will not be significantly affected by the positive charge on these floating gates . thus , nvm transistor 101 will turn on in response to the over - erased floating gates 404 11 , and 404 21 . although fig1 illustrates all of the nvm transistors 101 - 104 being erased at the same time , in other embodiments , these nvm transistors can be erased in sections . [ 0048 ] fig1 a and 14b illustrate read operations of floating gates 404 11 and 404 21 , respectively , of nvm transistor 101 . as illustrated in 14 a , floating gate 404 11 is read as follows . row decoder 111 is controlled to apply a voltage of about 3 - 4 volts to the control gate of nvm transistor 101 via word line 121 . column decoder 112 is controlled to apply a voltage of 0 volts to bit line 131 and a voltage of about 1 . 5 to 2 volts to bit line 132 . under these conditions , relatively large read current will flow through nvm transistor 101 if floating gate 40411 is not programmed . conversely , a relatively small current will flow through nvm transistor 101 if floating gate 404 11 is programmed . column decoder 112 further couples a sense amplifier ( not shown ) to bit lines 131 - 132 in order to sense the read current . in response , the sense amplifier provides an amplified signal representative of the current flow through nvm transistor 101 . as will become apparent in view of the following described programming operations , floating gate 404 11 is read using a reverse read operation . as illustrated in 14 b , the state of floating gate 404 21 is read as follows . row decoder 111 is again controlled to apply a voltage of about 3 - 4 volts to the control gate of nvm transistor 101 via word line 121 . column decoder 112 is controlled to apply a voltage of 0 volts to bit line 132 and a voltage of about 1 . 5 to 2 volts to bit line 131 . under these conditions , a relatively large read current will flow through nvm transistor 101 if floating gate 404 21 is not programmed . conversely , a relatively small read current will flow through nvm transistor 101 if floating gate 404 21 is programmed . column decoder 112 further couples a sense amplifier ( not shown ) to bit lines 131 - 132 in order to sense the read current . in response , the sense amplifier provides an amplified signal representative of the current flow through nvm transistor 101 . as will become apparent in view of the following described programming operations , floating gate 404 21 is read using a reverse read operation . table 1 below summarizes the read currents for the possible read operations of nvm transistor 101 . [ 0051 ] fig1 a and 15b illustrate programming operations of floating gates 404 11 and 404 21 , respectively , of nvm transistor 101 . in general , each programming operation is preceded by a read operation , such that the appropriate programming voltages can be determined . thus , to program floating gate 404 11 , a read operation is first performed on floating gate 404 21 , in the manner illustrated in fig1 b . the read state of floating gate 404 21 is used to determine the appropriate programming voltages required to program floating gate 404 11 . if the read operation determines that floating gate 404 21 is in an erased state , then the subsequent programming of floating gate 404 11 can be performed as follows . row decoder 111 is controlled to apply a voltage of about 1 - 2 volts to the control gate of nvm transistor 101 via word line 121 . column decoder 112 is controlled to apply a voltage of 0 volts to bit line 132 and a voltage of about 5 to 8 volts to bit line 131 . under these conditions , electrons are transferred into floating gate 404 11 by hot electron injection . however , if the read operation of floating gate 404 21 determines that floating gate 404 21 is in a programmed state , then the subsequent programming of floating gate 404 11 is performed as follows . row decoder 111 is controlled to apply a voltage of about 3 - 4 volts to the control gate of nvm transistor 101 via word line 121 . note that the voltage applied to the control gate of nvm transistor 101 must be higher if floating gate 404 21 is programmed . column decoder 112 is controlled to apply a voltage of 0 volts to bit line 132 and a voltage of about 5 to 8 volts to bit line 131 . under these conditions , electrons are transferred into floating gate 404 11 by hot electron injection . advantageously , the read operation and the following program operation require similar voltages . thus , reading floating gate 404 21 and programming floating gate 404 11 both require : 0 volts on bit line 132 , a positive voltage on bit line 131 , and a positive voltage on word line 121 . as a result , the transition between the read operation and the subsequent program operation does not require large signal swings on word line 121 or bit lines 131 - 132 . note that row decoder 111 allows word line 122 to float , such that nvm transistors 103 and 104 are not programmed . also note that column decoder 112 allows bit line 133 to float , such that nvm transistor 102 is not programmed . in addition , over - programming is suppressed in nvm transistor 101 because as the floating gate potential increases , the hot electron channeling is suppressed . [ 0056 ] fig1 b illustrates the programming of floating gate 404 21 , which is programmed using the same read - then - program method described above in connection with fig1 a . other advantages of the 2 - bit nvm transistor of the present invention are listed below . because floating gates 404 21 and 404 11 are electrically isolated from each other , the programmed / erased charges are easily maintained in the desired locations . that is , charge migration is not possible . because there is no charge migration over time , there is no degradation in cycling / endurance . moreover , because there is no over - erase or over - programming , the program / erase algorithm may be made relatively simple compared to conventional 2 - bit non - volatile memory transistors . that is , a wider program / erase window is allowed because there is no over - program and no over - erase . furthermore , the split - gate structure of nvm transistors 101 - 104 allows the required word line voltages and the required programming current to be relatively low . as a result , these nvm transistors can be scaled relatively easily . in addition , the polysilicon construction of the floating gates in the present invention enables the nvm transistors to be erased by exposure to ultraviolet light . thus , after manufacturing , it is possible to use an ultraviolet light to initially reduce the threshold voltages of nvm transistors 101 - 104 . this option is not available in the conventional 2 - bit nvm transistor 10 of fig1 and 2 . although the invention has been described in connection with several embodiments , it is understood that this invention is not limited to the embodiments disclosed , but is capable of various modifications , which would be apparent to a person skilled in the art . for example , although the invention has been described in connection an n - channel nvm transistor , it is understood that the described conductivity types can be reversed to provide a p - channel nvm transistor . thus , the invention is limited only by the following claims .
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in one embodiment , the process comprises the spot welding of a perforated metal sheet to a piece of metal wall to be insulated . a layer of fiber mat is placed adjacent to the perforated metal sheet and a layer of multiple porous ceramic fiber bricks is located adjacent to the fiber mat . at approximately uniform intervals , spiral springs are screwed through the porous ceramic fiber brick , for example , by means of a drill provided for the purpose , until the ends of the spiral springs have passed through the porous ceramic fiber brick through the fiber mat , and are engaged in the perforated metal sheet . the perforated metal sheet has openings , and can comprise , for example , a rib mesh , a perforated plate , a wire mesh or a wire grid . the hardness of the porous ceramic fiber bricks and the spiral spring material is selected so that when the springs are screwed into the brick , a small spiral - shaped hole is formed . the space located inside the spring remains filled up by brick and is not disturbed during the insertion process . the strength with which the insulation is held to the wall is thereby significantly increased . this process is suitable both for flat walls , such as roofs and doors , and for external or internal insulation of metal tubes . the spiral springs absorb the thermally - induced stresses . gaps which could occur if there were a fixed connection between the metal surface and the insulation are eliminated . as a result , long service lives can be achieved by this invention . in one preferred embodiment , there are recesses in the porous ceramic fiber bricks ( on the side of the brick opposite the metal surface ) into which the spiral springs are introduced . after the spiral springs are screwed in , the recesses can be plugged up with filler material . abbreviated spiral springs can be used such that the ends of the spiral springs disappear into the recesses of the brick . the recesses can then be plugged with a refractory filler material , for example , fiber wool or mortar . plugs can be used , either with or without additional refractory material , to provide a flush surface with the fiber bricks . another embodiment , which also uses recesses in the fiber bricks , utilizes stopper plugs , equipped with a head , which are inserted in the recesses . the stopper plugs can have a cylindrical head which projects from the porous ceramic and a bolt portion which fits into the recess in the fiber bricks . the bolt portion can be provided with a thread having pitch and size dimensions such that the bolt portion can be screwed into the spiral grooves left by the springs in the recess walls , or the plug bolts can be threaded and sized to mate with the interior of the spiral springs . the dimensions are preferably such that the bolt portions screw into the interior thread of the springs as this assures an additional attachment between the insulation and the metal surface . the force with which the insulation is pressed against the metal wall can be adjusted by varying how far the stopper plugs are screwed in . in addition , the heads of at least some of the stopper plugs can exhibit grooves or graduations . the spiral springs with the stopper plugs can be approximately arranged to provide mountings on the wall insulation . the heads of the stopper plugs can be designed , for example , with a milled groove or a graduation , such that heating coils can be fastened to them . on curved metal surfaces , such as tubes , interior covering assemblies can be placed to insulate the interior of a tube . such assemblies can be constructed of fiber brick with a flexible perforated metal sheet wrapped around the porous fiber brick ( preferably with at least one intermediate fiber mat ) and with the assembly joined by screwing the spiral springs through the perforated metal sheet , through any fiber mats , and into the fiber bricks . the interior coverings for the tube can be assembled around fiber bricks which are in a cylindrical ( tubular ) shape and with a perforated metal sheet on the outside . the perforated metal sheet can be equipped with hinges such that the assembly can be held together by a locking rod ( pushed through the hinges ). the spiral springs are screwed through the perforated metal sheet into the fiber bricks , and the spiral springs can be fastened , for example , by welding , to the perforated metal sheet . after the assembly is inserted into the tube , the locking rod can be removed . the interior covering assembly preferably comprises several layers with the inside layer being fiber bricks assembled in a tubular manner , and around which at least one layer of fiber mat is laid . the fiber may can be soaked in water to provide a better fit . a perforated metal sheet , provided with hinges , for example , located on metal brackets on two opposite edges of the perforated metal sheet , is laid around the fiber mat . a locking rod is pushed into the hinges . spiral springs are screwed in radially through the openings in the perforated metal sheet toward the middle of the fiber bricks at approximately equal intervals . the ends of the spiral springs can be cut off and , for example , welded to the perforated metal sheet . this prefabicated covering assembly is introduced into the tube to be insulated . additional prefabricated covering assemblies can be introduced in a similar manner , with assemblies being located axially adjacent to one another ( end to end ) to insulate longer lengths of pipe . preferably , a cap - shaped flow lock equipped with a hole is used between the prefabricated covering assemblies to prevent back flows of the medium flowing through the tube . the flow locks can be fabricated from , for example , graphite or aluminum . the process offers advantages in that the metal surfaces are insulated so that the stresses which can cause cracks between the ceramic insulation layer and the metal wall , such as those that are caused , for example , by temperature changes , are absorbed or eliminated . in addition , the present process offers a simple and time - saving method of applying the insulation layer to a metal surface . fig1 shows a side view of a flat wall insulation . the wall is constructed of a metal surface 3 spot welded to a perforated metal sheet 5 ( which exhibits openings into which spiral springs 2 can be screwed ). attached to the metal surface 3 is a ceramic layer 1 comprising a fiber mat 7 and fiber bricks 8 . the spiral springs 2 are screwed through the fiber bricks 8 . the fiber bricks 8 have a porosity of 80 to 90 %, and thus are soft enough to allow the spiral springs 2 to be screwed through them . the ends 4 of the spiral spring 2 facing the perforated metal sheet 5 are engaged in the perforated metal sheet 5 and hold the ceramic layer 1 in position . the opposite ends 23 ( ends away from the metal wall ) of the spiral springs 2 can be cut off and protected in various ways , as illustrated in fig2 . in the upper portion of fig2 there are surface recesses 9 into which abbreviated springs 2 are admitted . the recesses 9 are then plugged up with filler material 10 , which can comprise fiber wool or mortar , and sealed with a stopper plug 25 . in the lower portion of fig2 the recesses 9 for the spiral springs 2 are closed by means of a stopper plug 11 , comprising a head 12 and a bolt 24 . the bolts 24 of the stopper plugs 11 have the same thread pitch as the spiral springs 2 , so that the spring force of the spiral springs 2 , with which the ceramic 1 is to be pressed against the metal surface 3 , can be adjusted . in fig3 and 4 , the heads 12 of the stopper plugs 11 are designed so that a heating coil 13 can be fastened to them . the stopper plug heads 12 shown in fig3 have a groove 19 , and those shown in fig4 have a graduation 6 to hold the heating coil 13 . fig5 shows an overhead view of an insulation wall with a heating coil 13 ( shown incompletely ), which is laid around the stopper plugs 11 , which are designed as a heating coil mounting device . fig6 shows the construction of an interior covering 15 for the insulation of a tube ( see 14 in fig7 ). first , a tubular layer is assembled from fiber bricks 16 . the fiber bricks 16 are surrounded with a fiber mat 17 , which can be soaked with a fluid , for example , water . around this fiber mat 17 , a perforated metal sheet 18 , provided with hinges , is laid and held in place by means of a locking rod 21 . as shown in fig7 and 8 , the spiral springs 2 are screwed through the openings in the perforated metal sheet 18 in a radial direction to approximately the center of the fiber bricks 16 . the ends of the spiral springs 2 can be cut off and welded to the perforated metal sheet 18 . these prefabricated covering assemblies 15 are combined with one another in a tube 14 to be insulated ( as shown in fig7 ). the direction of the flow is shown by an arrow . once the covering assembly 15 is inside the tube 14 , the locking rod 21 can be removed . to prevent back flows , cup - shaped flow locks 22 can be used between the coverings . these flow locks 22 are illustrated in fig6 , and 9 . the invention as described hereinabove in the context of the preferred embodiments is not to be taken as limited to all of the provided details thereof , since modifications and variations thereof may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention .
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for purposes of promoting an understanding of the principles of the invention , reference will now be made to the embodiments illustrated in the drawings , and specific language will be used to describe the same . it will nonetheless be understood that no limitation of the scope of the invention is intended by the illustration and description of certain embodiments of the invention . in addition , any alterations and / or modifications of the illustrated and / or described embodiment ( s ) are contemplated as being within the scope of the present invention . further , any other applications of the principles of the invention , as illustrated and / or described herein , as would normally occur to one skilled in the art to which the invention pertains , are contemplated as being within the scope of the present invention . referring now to the figures , and in particular , fig1 , a schematic of a fuel cell system 10 in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention is depicted . fuel cell system 10 includes one or more of a fuel cell 12 , and includes a reducing gas generator 14 . fuel cell system 10 is configured to provide power to an electrical load 16 , e . g ., via electrical power lines 18 . in the present embodiment , fuel cell 12 is a solid oxide fuel cell ( sofc ), although it will be understood that the present invention is equally applicable to other types of fuel cells , such as alkali fuel cells , molten - carbonate fuel cells ( mcfc ), phosphoric acid fuel cells ( pafc ), and proton exchange membrane ( pem ) fuel cells . in the present embodiment , fuel cell system 10 is suitable , but not limited to , use in a fuel cell turbine hybrid system where high - pressure feed streams are employed . reducing gas generator 14 of the present embodiment is configured to generate a reducing gas having a combustibles content ( which is primarily hydrogen — h 2 and carbon monoxide — co ) that may be varied within a compositional range of approximately 3 % combustibles content to approximately 45 % combustibles content . in other embodiments , different compositional ranges may be employed , for example , a range of approximately 2 % combustibles content to approximately 50 % combustibles content in some embodiments , and approximately 1 % combustibles content to approximately 60 % combustibles content in other embodiments . as set forth below , reducing gas generator 14 of the present embodiment is tailored to yield a start gas in the form of a reducing gas having a primary function of protecting the anode of fuel cell 12 from oxidation during startup of fuel cell 12 , e . g ., during system heat - up prior to power generation . as power generation is started , the reducing gas is transitioned off . in the embodiment of fig1 , various features , components and interrelationships therebetween of aspects of an embodiment of the present invention are depicted . however , the present invention is not limited to the particular embodiment of fig1 and the components , features and interrelationships therebetween as are illustrated in fig1 and described herein . for example , other embodiments encompassed by the present invention , the present invention being manifested by the principles explicitly and implicitly described herein via the present figures and detailed description and set forth in the claims , may include a greater or lesser number of components , features and / or interrelationships therebetween , and / or may employ different components and / or features having the same and / or different nature and / or interrelationships therebetween , which may be employed for performing similar and / or different functions relative to those illustrated in fig1 and described herein . referring now fig2 , fuel cell 12 and reducing gas generator 14 are described in greater detail . fuel cell 12 includes at least one each of an anode 20 , an electrolyte 22 , a cathode 24 , and a reformer 26 . anode 20 , electrolyte 22 and cathode 24 are considered part of fuel cell 12 . reformer 26 is an internal steam reformer that receives steam as a constituent of a recycled fuel cell product gas stream , and heat for operation from fuel cell 12 electro chemical reactions . reducing gas generator 14 is not a part of fuel cell 12 , but rather , is configured for generating gases for use in starting up and shutting down fuel cell 12 . anode 20 is electrically coupled to electrical load 16 via electrical power line 18 , and cathode 24 is also electrically coupled to electrical load 16 via the other electrical power line 18 . electrolyte 22 is disposed between anode 20 and cathode 24 . anode 20 and cathode 24 are electrically conductive , and are permeable to oxygen , e . g ., oxygen ions . electrolyte 22 is configured to pass oxygen ions , and has little or no electrical conductivity , e . g ., so as to prevent the passage of free electrons from cathode 24 to anode 20 . reformer 26 is coupled to anode 20 , and is configured to receive a fuel and an oxidant and to reform the fuel / oxidant mixture into a synthesis gas ( syngas ) consisting primarily of hydrogen ( h 2 ), carbon monoxide ( co ), as well as other reformer by - products , such as water vapor in the form of steam , and other gases , e . g ., nitrogen and carbon - dioxide ( co 2 ), methane slip ( ch 4 ), as well as trace amounts of hydrocarbon slip . in the present embodiment , the oxidant employed by fuel cell 12 during normal operations , i . e ., in power production mode to supply electrical power to electrical load 16 , is air , and the fuel is natural gas , although it will be understood that other oxidants and / or fuels may be employed without departing from the scope of the present invention . the synthesis gas is oxidized in an electro - chemical reaction in anode 20 with oxygen ions received from cathode 24 via migration through electrolyte 22 . the electro - chemical reaction creates water vapor and electricity in a form of free electrons on the anode that are used to power electrical load 16 . the oxygen ions are created via a reduction of the cathode oxidant using the electrons returning from electrical load 16 into cathode 24 . once fuel cell 12 is started , internal processes maintain the required temperature for normal power generating operations . however , in order to start the fuel cell , the primary fuel cell system components must be heated , including anode 20 , electrolyte 22 , cathode 24 and reformer 26 . in addition , some fuel cell 12 components may be protected from damage during the start - up , e . g ., due to oxidation . for example , anode 20 may be subjected to oxidative damage in the presence of oxygen at temperatures above ambient but below the normal operating temperature of fuel cell 12 in the absence of the synthesis gas . also , reformer 26 may need a specific chemistry , e . g . h 2 o in the form of steam in addition to the heat provided during start - up of fuel cell 12 , in order to start the catalytic reactions that generate the synthesis gas . further , it is desirable that fuel cell 12 be started in a safe manner , e . g ., so as to prevent a combustible mixture from forming during the starting process . thus , it may be desirable to purge anode 20 with a nonflammable reducing gas during the initial startup as the temperature of anode 20 increased . in one aspect , a characteristic of reducing gas generator 14 is that the reducing gas may be made sufficiently dilute in combustibles to prevent the potential formation of a flammable ( i . e ., potentially explosive ) mixture upon mixing with air . this may be desirable during the low temperature portion of heat - up of fuel cell 12 where any combustibles mixing with air are below auto - ignition temperature , and therefore , can potentially build up to form dangerous quantities of potentially pressurized flammable gases within the vessel that contains fuel cell 12 . the reducing gas strength for protecting anode 20 of fuel cell 12 from oxygen migration can be quite high , e . g ., up to 45 % combustibles content in the present embodiment , up to 50 % in other embodiments , and up to 60 % combustibles content in still other embodiments . mechanisms that cause the migration of oxygen through electrolyte 22 to the anode 20 side of the fuel cell 12 are often temperature dependent and include oxygen permeation through electrolyte 22 or oxygen transfer induced by short circuit currents . also , physical leakage mechanisms may become worse with temperature as materials differentially expand . thus , the ability of reducing gas generator 14 to increase combustibles content at high fuel cell 12 temperatures during startup may be particularly useful in protecting anode 20 from oxidation damage . from a safety perspective , it may be possible to step to a greater reducing strength at higher temperatures during fuel cell 12 startup , since the possibility of mixing the reducing gas with a pressurized volume of air to form an combustible mixture in or near fuel cell 12 is reduced if the reducing gas is above auto - ignition temperature , because the reducing gas would tend to immediately burn upon mixing with air . in addition , this may prevent build - up of a flammable mixture that can potentially deflagrate if the mixture were to suddenly come in contact with an ignition source , since any such mixture would tend to burn immediately when above the auto - ignition temperature , rather than build up a large quantity of the mixture . thus , in some embodiments , it may be desirable to operate reducing gas generator 14 in a manner by which the reducing gas is initially weakly reducing and well below the flammability limit , e . g ., 3 % combustibles content in the present embodiment , although other values may be employed , for example , 2 % combustibles content in some embodiments and 1 % combustibles content or less in other embodiments . in still other embodiments , the combustibles content may be greater than 3 %. the combustibles content may subsequently be changed to a strongly reducing ( i . e ., higher combustibles ) condition ( higher reducing strength ) when temperature conditions in fuel cell 12 , e . g ., anode 20 , are high enough to ensure that the reducing gas is far above its lower flammability limit . for example , the strongly reducing condition may be up to 45 % combustibles content in the present embodiment , up to 50 % combustibles content in other embodiments , and up to 60 % combustibles content or greater in yet other embodiments , depending upon the conditions in fuel cell 12 . the increased energy input to the system with a stronger reducing gas may be offset by decreasing fuel flow to the fuel cell power plant &# 39 ; s off - gas burner for such plants so equipped . accordingly , embodiments of the present invention may employ reducing gas generator 14 to generate a purging gas to purge fuel cell 12 of oxidants , in particular , cathode 24 , as well as to generate a safe gas , i . e ., a weak reducing gas having a relatively low level of combustibles . in addition , embodiments of the present invention may also employ reducing gas generator 14 to produce a variable - reducing - strength reducing gas . the reducing gas composition provided by reducing gas generator 14 may also be configured to contain adequate steam to initiate the operation of the internal reformer 26 as the normal fuel cell 12 fuel stream flow , e . g ., natural gas , is started . accordingly , the reducing gas supplied to fuel cell 12 from reducing gas generator 14 may be considered a transition gas as power production by fuel cell 12 is ramped up . additionally , reducing gas generator 14 of the present embodiment may be capable of rapid start - up , e . g ., for protecting anode 20 in the event of emergency fuel cell 12 shutdown events , for example , by maintaining certain elements of reducing gas generator 14 at elevated temperatures in order to speed up initiation of the catalytic reactions that yield the reducing gas . in the present embodiment , as illustrated in fig2 , reducing gas generator 14 includes a fuel system 28 , an oxidant system 30 , a merging chamber 32 , and a catalytic reactor 34 having a catalyst 36 . in the present embodiment , the outputs of fuel system 28 and oxidant system 30 are combined in merging chamber 32 and directed to fuel cell 12 via catalytic reactor 34 to selectively provide purging gas , safe gas , and variable strength reducing gas to anode 20 and reformer 26 . in the embodiment depicted in fig2 , various features , components and interrelationships therebetween of aspects of an embodiment of the present invention are depicted . however , the present invention is not limited to the particular embodiment of fig2 and the components , features and interrelationships therebetween as are illustrated in fig2 and described herein . for example , other embodiments encompassed by the present invention , the present invention being manifested by the principles explicitly and implicitly described herein via the present figures and detailed description and set forth in the claims , may include a greater or lesser number of components , features and / or interrelationships therebetween , and / or may employ different components and / or features having the same and / or different nature and / or interrelationships therebetween , which may be employed for performing similar and / or different functions relative to those illustrated in fig2 and described herein . in any event , in the embodiment of fig2 , fuel system 28 includes a fuel input 38 , a pressure regulator 40 , a sulfur capture sorbent 42 , a fuel flow controller 44 , and a variable position / output fuel control valve 46 . fuel input 38 is configured to receive a hydrocarbon fuel , e . g ., natural gas , and serves as a source of the hydrocarbon fuel used by reducing gas generator 14 . pressure regulator 40 is fluidly coupled to fuel inlet 38 , and regulates the pressure of the hydrocarbon fuel . sulfur capture sorbent 42 is fluidly coupled to pressure regulator 40 , and is configured to capture sulfur from the fuel stream received from pressure regulator 40 . fuel flow controller 44 and fuel control valve 46 are coupled to the output of sulfur capture sorbent 42 , and are configured to control the amount of fuel delivered to merging chamber 32 . oxidant system 30 functions as an oxidant source for reducing gas generator 14 , and includes an air intake 48 , an air compressor 50 as a pressurized air source , a pressure regulator 52 , a nitrogen generator 54 having a nitrogen separation membrane 56 , a variable position / output air control valve 58 , an air flow controller 60 , a variable position / output oxidant control valve 62 , an oxidant flow controller 64 and an oxygen sensor 66 . air intake 48 may be any structure or opening capable of providing air , and is fluidly coupled to air compressor 50 , which compresses ambient air received from the atmosphere . pressure regulator 52 is fluidly coupled to air compressor 50 , and regulates the air pressure delivered to reducing gas generator 14 . air control valve 58 is part of an air charging system structured to variably add air to the nitrogen - rich gas received from nitrogen generator 54 to yield an oxidant having a variable o 2 content . the o 2 content may be sensed by oxygen sensor 66 , which may be used by the control system of reducing gas generator 14 to vary the o 2 content of the oxidant supplied to merging chamber 32 . for example , under normal operating conditions , the o 2 content is controlled based on a control temperature , e . g ., the temperature of catalyst 36 in the present embodiment , although other temperatures may be used in other embodiments , e . g ., the temperature of the reducing gas output by reducing gas generator 14 . however , during startup of reducing gas generator 14 , oxygen sensor 66 may be used to provide feedback until the temperature is available as a feedback . the amount or flow of the oxidant having the variable o 2 content is controlled by oxidant control valve 62 and oxidant flow controller 64 . nitrogen generator 54 is configured to generate a nitrogen - rich stream , which may be used as a purging gas , and which may also be combined with air to form a low oxygen ( o 2 ) content oxidant stream , e . g ., a nitrogen - diluted air stream , used by reducing gas generator 14 to form a reducing gas . the purity of the nitrogen - rich stream may vary with the needs of the particular application , for example , and may consist essentially of nitrogen . alternatively , it is considered that in other embodiments , other gases may be employed in place of or in addition to nitrogen , such as argon or helium , for use as a purging gas and / or as a constituent of a low o 2 content oxidant stream , e . g ., as a dilutant ( diluent ) of air . as used herein , “ low o 2 content oxidant ” means that the oxygen content of the oxidant stream is less than that of atmospheric air under the same pressure and temperature conditions . nitrogen generator 54 and air control valve 58 are fluidly coupled in parallel to pressure regulator 52 , and receive pressurized air from air compressor 50 for use in reducing gas generator 14 operations . nitrogen generator 54 has an output 54 a , e . g ., an opening or passage structured to discharge the products of nitrogen generator 54 . nitrogen generator 54 is structured to receive air from air intake 48 , extract oxygen ( o 2 ) from the air , and to discharge the balance in the form of a nitrogen - rich gas from the outlet . the extracted o 2 is discharged from nitrogen generator 54 to the atmosphere in the present embodiment , although it will be understood that in other embodiments , the extracted o 2 may be employed for other purposes related to fuel cell 12 and / or reducing gas generator 14 , e . g ., as part of an oxidant stream . nitrogen separation membrane 56 of nitrogen generator 54 is configured to separate oxygen out of the air received from air intake 48 , and provides the nitrogen - rich stream , which is then combined with the air supplied by air control valve 58 to yield the low o 2 content oxidant , which is delivered to oxidant control valve 62 . oxidant control valve 62 is fluidly coupled to the outputs of both nitrogen generator 54 and air control valve 58 . oxygen sensor 66 , which may be in the form of an o 2 analyzer , is fluidly coupled downstream to oxidant control valve 62 , and provides a control signal via control line 68 that communicatively couples oxygen sensor 66 with air flow controller 60 . air flow controller 60 provides control signals to air control valve 58 to control the amount of air added to the nitrogen - rich stream based on the control input from oxygen sensor 66 . merging chamber 32 is in fluid communication with the output of nitrogen generator 54 and fuel input 38 , and is structured to receive and combine the hydrocarbon fuel and nitrogen - rich gas and discharge a feed mixture containing both the fuel and the oxidant including the nitrogen - rich gas to catalytic reactor 34 . catalytic reactor 34 is structured to receive the feed mixture and to catalytically convert the feed mixture into a reducing gas . the form of merging chamber 32 is a simple plumbing connection joining the oxidant stream with the fuel stream in the present embodiment , although any arrangement that is structured to combine an oxidant stream with a fuel stream may be employed without departing from the scope of the present invention . for example , a dedicated mixing chamber having swirler vanes to mix the streams may be employed . reducing gas generator 14 includes a start control valve 69 having a valve element 70 and a valve element 72 ; and a feed mixture heater 74 , which may be used to start the process of generating reducing gas . in one form , valve elements 70 and 72 are part of a combined valving element . the inlets of valve elements 70 and 72 are fluidly coupled to merging chamber 32 downstream thereof . the outlet of valve element 70 is fluidly coupled to catalytic reactor 34 for providing the feed mixture to catalyst 36 of catalytic reactor 34 . the outlet of valve element 72 is fluidly coupled to the inlet of feed mixture heater 74 . in one form , start control valve 69 is a three - way valve that operates valve elements 70 and 72 to direct flow entering valve 69 into catalytic reactor 34 directly or via feed mixture heater 74 . it is alternatively considered that other valve arrangements may be employed , such as a pair of individual start control valves in place of start control valve 69 with valve elements 70 and 72 . feed mixture heater 74 includes a heating body 76 and a flow coil 78 disposed adjacent to heating body 76 . the outlet of feed mixture heater 74 is fluidly coupled to catalytic reactor 34 for providing heated feed mixture to catalyst 36 of catalytic reactor 34 . in the normal operating mode , valve elements 70 and 72 direct all of the feed mixture directly to the catalytic reactor 34 . in the startup mode , the feed mixture is directed through feed mixture heater 74 . in one form , all of the feed mixture is directed through feed mixture heater 74 , although in other embodiments , lesser amounts may be heated . feed mixture heater 74 is configured to “ light ” the catalyst 36 of catalytic reactor 34 ( initiate the catalytic reaction of fuel and oxidant ) by heating the feed mixture , which is then supplied to catalytic reactor 34 . in one form , the feed mixture is heated by feed mixture heater 74 to a preheat temperature above the catalyst light - off temperature of the feed mixture ( the catalyst light - off temperature is the temperature at which reactions are initiated over the catalyst , e . g ., catalyst 36 ). once catalyst 36 is lit , the exothermic reactions taking place at catalyst 36 maintain the temperature of catalytic reactor 34 at a controlled level , as set forth below . also , once catalyst 36 is lit it may no longer be necessary to heat the feed mixture , in which case valve elements 70 and 72 are positioned to direct all of the feed mixture directly to the catalytic reactor 34 , bypassing feed mixture heater 74 . in order to provide for a quick supply of reducing gas in the event of a sudden shutdown of fuel cell 12 , heating body 76 is configured to continuously maintain a temperature sufficient to light catalyst 36 during normal power production operations of fuel cell 12 . that is , while fuel cell 12 is operating in power production mode to supply power to electrical load 16 , which is the normal operating mode for fuel cell 12 , heating body 76 maintains a preheat temperature sufficient to heat the feed mixture in order to be able to rapidly light the catalyst for startup of reducing gas generator 14 so that reducing gas may be supplied to fuel cell 12 during shutdown . in addition , one or more catalyst heaters 80 are disposed adjacent to catalytic reactor 34 , and are configured to heat catalyst 36 and maintain catalyst 36 at a preheat temperature that is at or above the catalyst light - off temperature for the feed mixture supplied to catalytic reactor 34 . this preheat temperature is maintained during normal operations of fuel cell 12 in power production mode in the event of a sudden need for reducing gas , e . g ., in the event of the need for a shutdown of fuel cell 12 . in other embodiments , it is alternatively considered that another heater 82 may be used in place of or in addition to heaters 74 and 80 , e . g ., a heater 82 positioned adjacent to catalytic reactor 34 on the upstream side . such an arrangement may be employed to supply heat more directly to catalyst 36 in order to initiate catalytic reaction of the feed mixture in an upstream portion of catalytic reactor 34 . in the present embodiment , heaters 74 , 80 and 82 are electrical heaters , although it is alternatively considered that in other embodiments , indirect combustion heaters may be employed in addition to or in place of electrical heaters . also , although the present embodiment employs both feed mixture heater 74 and heaters 80 to rapidly light the feed mixture on the catalyst , it is alternatively considered that in other embodiments , only one such heater may be employed , or a greater number of heaters may be employed , without departing from the scope of the present invention . a control temperature sensor 84 is positioned adjacent catalyst 36 of catalytic reactor 34 , and is structured to measure the temperature of catalyst 36 . in one form , control temperature sensor 84 is structured to provide a signal indicating the temperature of a portion of catalyst 36 via a sense line 92 that communicatively couples air flow controller 60 with control temperature sensor 84 . the control temperature is a temperature employed by control system 96 in regulating the output of reducing gas generator 14 . air flow controller 60 is configured to direct the operations of air control valve 58 based on the signal received from control temperature sensor 84 in conjunction with the signal received from oxygen sensor 66 . in another form , other temperatures may be sensed for purposes of controlling reducing gas generator 14 . for example , in one such embodiment , the temperature of the reducing gas produced by reducing gas generator 14 , e . g ., as output by catalytic reactor 34 , may be measured and used as a control temperature feedback to direct the operations of air control valve 58 . a reducing gas combustibles detection sensor 86 , which in the present embodiment is in the form of a hydrogen ( h 2 ) sensor or h 2 analyzer , is configured to determine the quantity of one or more combustibles , e . g ., percent mole , present in the reducing gas output by catalytic reactor 34 . in other embodiments , reducing gas combustibles detection sensor 86 may be in the form of a carbon monoxide ( co ) sensor or analyzer in addition to or in place of the h 2 sensor / analyzer . in any case , a control line 94 communicatively couples fuel flow controller 44 and reducing gas combustibles detection sensor 86 . reducing gas combustibles detection sensor 86 is configured to supply a signal reflecting the combustibles content of the reducing gas to fuel flow controller 44 . fuel flow controller 44 is configured to control the amount of fuel delivered to merging chamber 32 . the reducing gas output by catalytic reactor 34 is cooled using a heat exchanger 88 . in one form , heat exchanger 88 is an indirect heat exchanger . in other embodiments , other types of heat exchangers may be employed . in one form , reducing gas combustibles detection sensor 86 is positioned downstream of heat exchanger 88 . in other forms , reducing gas combustibles detection sensor 86 may positioned in other locations , for example , upstream of heat exchanger 88 or inside of or mounted on heat exchanger 88 . the pressure output of catalytic reactor 34 is maintained by a backpressure regulator 90 downstream of heat exchanger 88 . heat exchanger 88 maintains the temperature of the reducing gas downstream of catalytic reactor 34 at a suitable level to prevent damage to backpressure regulator 90 . in one form , the reducing gas is cooled to between 100 ° c . and 150 ° c . using cooling air . in other embodiments , other suitable fluids may be used as the heat sink , and other temperatures may be used . in one form , a control loop ( not shown ) may be used to control the temperature of the reducing gas exiting heat exchanger 88 by varying the flow of cooling air or other cooling fluid . the output of reducing gas generator 14 is fluidly coupled to catalytic reactor 34 , and is in fluid communication with anode 20 , e . g ., either directly or via reformer 26 . the output of backpressure regulator 90 serves as a reducing gas output in the present embodiment , and is operative to direct the reducing gas to anode 20 and reformer 26 . the “ reducing gas output ” is the output of reducing gas generator 14 that discharges the product of reducing gas generator 14 into fuel cell 12 , and may be one or more of any opening or passage structured to discharge the products of reducing gas generator 14 . fuel flow controller 44 , air flow controller 60 and oxidant flow controller 64 form a control system 96 that is structured to control the temperature and chemical makeup of the product mixture supplied from catalytic reactor 34 based on the signals output by oxygen sensor 66 ( during startup in the present embodiment ), control temperature sensor 84 and reducing gas combustibles detection sensor 86 . in particular , air control valve 58 is controlled by air flow controller 60 to regulate the o 2 content of the oxidant stream supplied to merging chamber 32 , e . g ., the amount of o 2 expressed as a mole percentage of the o 2 in the oxidant stream . oxidant control valve 62 is controlled by oxidant flow controller 64 to regulate flow of the oxidant stream formed of nitrogen - rich gas and air supplied to merging chamber 32 . fuel control valve 46 is controlled by fuel flow controller 44 to regulate the amount of hydrocarbon fuel supplied to merging chamber 32 . thus , in the present embodiment , control system 96 is configured to control the oxygen ( o 2 ) content of the oxidant stream , and to also control the oxidant / fuel ratio of the feed mixture , which is defined by a ratio of the amount of the oxidant in the feed mixture to the amount of hydrocarbon fuel in the feed mixture , e . g ., the mass flow rate of the oxidant stream relative to the mass flow rate of the hydrocarbon fuel stream . in particular , the o 2 content of the oxidant stream supplied to merging chamber 32 is controlled by air control valve 58 via the output of air flow controller 60 based on the signal received from oxygen sensor 66 . in addition , the oxidant / fuel ratio of the feed mixture supplied to catalytic reactor 34 is controlled by fuel control valve 46 and oxidant control valve 62 under the direction of fuel flow controller 44 and oxidant flow controller 64 , respectively . in one form , the flow of reducing gas output by reducing gas generator 14 is controlled by oxidant control valve 62 , e . g ., including an offset or other compensation to account for the amount of fuel in the feed mixture , whereas the oxidant / fuel ratio is then controlled using fuel control valve 46 . in other embodiments , other control schemes may be employed . in the present embodiment , each of fuel flow controller 44 , air flow controller 60 and oxidant flow controller 64 are microprocessor - based , and execute program instructions in the form of software in order to perform the acts described herein . however , it is alternatively contemplated that each such controller and the corresponding program instructions may be in the form of any combination of software , firmware and hardware , and may reflect the output of discreet devices and / or integrated circuits , which may be co - located at a particular location or distributed across more than one location , including any digital and / or analog devices configured to achieve the same or similar results as a processor - based controller executing software or firmware based instructions , without departing from the scope of the present invention . further , it will be understood that each of fuel flow controller 44 , air flow controller 60 and oxidant flow controller 64 may be part of a single integrated control system , e . g ., a microcomputer , without departing from the scope of the present invention . in any event , control system 96 is configured to execute program instructions to both vary the o 2 content of the oxidant stream and vary the oxidant / fuel ratio of the feed mixture while maintaining a selected temperature of the reducing gas in order to achieve a selected combustibles content at desired flow rate . the flow rate may be varied , e . g ., depending upon the particular application or operational phase . control system 96 varies the o 2 content of the oxidant stream and the oxidant / fuel ratio of the feed mixture based on the output of control temperature sensor 84 , oxygen sensor 66 and reducing gas combustibles detection sensor 86 . reducing gas generator 14 may be employed during startup and shutdown of fuel cell 12 , e . g ., to provide reducing gas of various reducing strengths , including reducing gas in the form of a safe ( non - flammable ) gas , and in some embodiments , to provide a purging gas with no combustibles . the reducing gas is generated by combining the nitrogen - rich stream with air supplied via air control valve 58 to form the oxidant stream , which is regulated by oxidant control valve 62 and combined with the hydrocarbon fuel supplied via fuel control valve 46 to form the feed mixture that is catalytically converted in catalytic reactor 34 into the reducing gas . as set forth herein , the o 2 content of the oxidant stream and the oxidant fuel ratio of the feed mixture are varied by control system 96 in order to both regulate the control temperature , e . g ., at catalytic reactor 34 , while also controlling the reducing strength of the reducing gas to achieve the selected combustibles content at the desired flow rate . the combustibles content may be selected in order to provide the appropriate reducing gas chemical configuration during various phases in the fuel cell 12 startup and shut down processes . in the present embodiment , control system 96 is structured to maintain the control temperature , e . g ., the catalyst 36 temperature , while varying the combustibles content . for example , the reducing strength may be varied from weakly reducing , i . e ., a low reducing strength , for purposes of forming a safe gas , to a high reducing strength having greater combustibles content . the combustibles content is primarily in the form of hydrogen ( h 2 ) and carbon monoxide ( co ). the safe gas may be supplied to fuel cell 12 during ramp up to fuel cell 12 operating temperature . in one form , the reducing gas may be supplied to fuel cell 12 in the form of a safe gas to transition reformer 26 into service . in another form , as the operating temperature of fuel cell 12 increases , e . g ., the temperature of anode 20 and reformer 26 , the strength of the reducing gas may be increased by increasing the combustibles content of the reducing gas , which may thus protect anode 20 at the higher temperatures at which a significant amount of oxidation damage may otherwise occur , e . g ., due to oxygen migration through electrolyte 22 or other leakages . in addition , as anode 20 ( and / or reformer 26 , in some embodiments ) approaches normal operating temperatures , the combustibles content of the reducing gas may be further increased to achieve combustibles content levels similar to that of the synthesis gas that is produced by reformer 26 during normal power generation operations of fuel cell 12 , which may help initiate the normal electrical power - producing reactions of anode 20 . in embodiments where supplied to reformer 26 , this may help initiate the normal operating catalytic reactions of reformer 26 . regarding the purging gas , in some embodiments , a noncombustible purging gas may be generated by nitrogen generator 54 in the form of a nitrogen - rich stream , e . g ., consisting primarily of nitrogen , which may supplied to fuel cell 12 via back pressure regulator 90 , although other plumbing schemes to direct the output of nitrogen generator 54 to fuel cell 12 may alternatively be employed . in one form , the purging gas may be supplied to fuel cell 12 , e . g ., to purge one or more of cathode 24 and / or other fuel cell 12 components , e . g ., when a cold start of fuel cell 12 is desired . in another form , the purging gas may be supplied to fuel cell 12 to purge fuel cell 12 before maintenance . in yet another form , nitrogen generator 54 and / or a second nitrogen generator may be employed to create a purge gas . for example , in the event of a loss of the power plant &# 39 ; s main air supply during an emergency shut - down , a nitrogen rich cathode purge may be supplied to cathode 24 with , e . g ., using nitrogen generator 54 and / or a second nitrogen generator , while nitrogen generator 54 is used to generate the reducing gas supplied to the anode 20 loop . such embodiments may be used to ensure that “ safe ” non - flammable mixtures reside in the fuel cell 12 vessel . having thus described exemplary means for varying the combustibles content of the reducing gas output by catalytic reactor 34 while maintaining a constant reducing gas output temperature from catalytic reactor 34 , including means for varying the o 2 content in oxidant supplied to merging chamber 32 and means for varying the oxidant / fuel ratio of feed mixture exiting merging chamber 32 , an exemplary embodiment of a method for generating a purging gas and a reducing gas for startup and shutdown of a fuel cell is described as follows . the exemplary embodiment is described with respect to fig3 a - 3d , which form a flowchart having control blocks b 100 - b 146 depicting a method for starting up and shutting down a fuel cell . although a particular sequence of events is illustrated and described herein , it will be understood that the present invention is not so limited , and that other sequences having the same or different acts in lesser or greater numbers and in the same or different order may be employed without departing from the scope of the present invention . referring now to fig3 a , at block b 100 , a command to start fuel cell 12 is received by control system 96 , e . g ., via an operator of fuel cell 12 . at block b 102 , a bypass system 98 is engaged . bypass system 98 opens a vent line to vent the output of reducing gas generator 14 , and closes the flowpath to fuel cell 12 . the output of reducing gas generator is vented until the control loop , e . g ., control system 96 , holds process parameters within their prescribed bounds , at which point bypass system 98 closes the vent line and opens the flowpath to fuel cell 12 . at block b 104 , air is supplied to reducing gas generator 14 , e . g ., via air intake 48 , by initiating operation of air compressor 50 . at block b 106 , air compressor 50 compresses the air received from air intake 48 . in one form , the air is compressed to a pressure in a range from 5 bar absolute to 14 bar absolute . in other embodiments , the pressure of the compressed air may fall within a different range , for example , in a range from 2 bar absolute to 25 bar absolute in some embodiments , and in other embodiments , 1 bar absolute to 30 bar absolute . the pressure supplied by air compressor 50 may vary , for example , depending upon the characteristics of nitrogen separation membrane 56 and nitrogen generator 54 . at block b 108 , the nitrogen - rich gas stream is generated in nitrogen generator 54 of reducing gas generator 14 by supplying the compressed air to nitrogen separation membrane 56 . the o 2 removed from the air by nitrogen separation membrane 56 as a byproduct of the nitrogen generation process is directed offboard , e . g ., for use elsewhere , or simply vented , whereas the resulting nitrogen - rich stream is directed toward oxidant control valve 62 . in the present embodiment , the nitrogen - rich stream contains oxygen , albeit at levels lower than that of ambient air . in other embodiments , the nitrogen stream may consist essentially of nitrogen ( e . g ., & lt ; 1 % o 2 ). at block b 110 , compressed air is added to the nitrogen - rich stream in a controlled manner by air control valve 58 under the direction of air flow controller 60 to form a low oxygen ( o 2 ) content oxidant stream , i . e ., an oxidant stream having less o 2 than ambient atmospheric air . at block b 112 , a flow of hydrocarbon fuel to reducing gas generator 14 is initiated by fuel control valve 46 under the direction of fuel flow controller 44 . fuel flow may be initially set to a default value anticipated to achieve the desired combustibles content of the reducing gas and the control temperature , and may be subsequently adjusted . at block b 114 , the oxidant stream is combined with the hydrocarbon fuel stream in merging chamber 32 to form the feed mixture having an oxidant / fuel ratio , e . g ., defined by a ratio of the mass flow rate of the oxidant stream in the feed mixture to the mass flow rate of the hydrocarbon fuel stream in the feed mixture . referring now to fig3 b , at block b 116 , heating devices are operated at a temperature at or above the catalyst light - off temperature of the feed mixture , and the heat output by the heating devices is supplied to the feed mixture . in one form , the heating devices are turned on immediately after receiving the command to start the fuel cell 12 , e . g ., immediately after block b 100 . in other embodiments , the heating devices may be turned on at other times suitable to the application , e . g ., depending upon how much time it takes the heaters to reach the desired temperature . in the present embodiment , the heating devices are feed mixture heater 74 and heater 80 , although in other embodiments , only one heater may be employed or a plurality of heaters may be employed in place of or in addition to one or both of feed mixture heater 74 and heater 80 . the types or forms of heaters used in other embodiments may vary with the needs of the application . heating body 76 and flow coil 78 are maintained at or above the catalyst light - off temperature of the feed mixture . the heat from heating body 76 and flow coil 78 is supplied to the feed mixture by diverting feed mixture through feed mixture heater 74 , in particular , flow coil 78 . in one form , all of the feed mixture is diverted through feed mixture heater 74 . in another form , a portion of the feed mixture is diverted through feed mixture heater 74 . the feed mixture is diverted to flow coil 78 by controlling the output of start control valve 69 to operate valve elements 70 and 72 . the resulting heated feed mixture is directed to catalyst 36 of catalytic reactor 34 to help initiate the catalytic reactions that yield reducing gas . once the catalytic reactions in catalytic reactor 34 have been started , three - way start control valve 69 is re - oriented to direct all of the feed mixture directly to catalytic reactor 34 , bypassing feed mixture heater 74 . while the present application is described using a feed mixture heater 74 with heating body 76 and flow coil 78 , it will be understood that other types of heaters may be employed in embodiments that utilize a flow mixture heater . heater 80 of the present embodiment is in the form an electric band heater , and maintains catalyst 36 at or above the catalyst light - off temperature of the feed mixture , thereby promoting rapid lighting ( hence , re - lighting ) of catalyst 36 . it will be understood that other types of heaters may be employed without departing from the scope of the present invention . in other embodiments , heater 82 may be employed to heat catalyst 36 at or near the location where the feed mixture is supplied to catalyst 36 in order to initiate the catalytic reactions . in various other embodiments , one or more heaters 82 may be used in place of or in addition to heaters 74 and 80 . at block b 118 , the heated feed mixture is directed to catalyst 36 , where catalytic reactions are initiated . in one form , the catalytic reactions are initiated based on the heat received from feed mixture heater 74 . in various other forms , the reactions may be initiated based on heat received from feed mixture heater 74 and / or heater 80 and / or heater 82 ). at block b 120 , the feed mixture is catalytically converted to reducing gas in catalytic reactor 34 of reducing gas generator 14 . at block b 122 , the o 2 content of the oxidant stream and the oxidant / fuel ratio of the feed mixture are each controlled by control system 96 to maintain the selected control temperature of the reducing gas and to yield the reducing gas in the form of a safe gas . in one form , the o 2 content of the oxidant stream is controlled by air flow controller 60 directing the operations of air control valve 58 , although in other embodiments , the o 2 content of the oxidant stream may be controlled differently . in one form , the oxidant / fuel ratio is controlled by fuel flow controller 44 directing the operations of respective fuel control valve 46 , although in other embodiments , the oxidant / fuel ratio may be controlled differently . prior to reaching the control temperature , control of the o 2 content may be based on the output of oxygen sensor 66 . once a temperature indicating catalytic combustion is achieved , the control algorithm switches to feedback based on control temperature sensor 84 . the control temperature in some embodiments may be , for example , a function of reducing gas flow rate ( catalyst load ), time at service , or some other operating parameter . in other embodiments , the output of either or both of oxygen sensor 66 and control temperature sensor 84 may be employed during system startup and / or normal operation . the flow rate of the feed mixture is controlled primarily by oxidant flow controller 64 directing the operations of oxidant control valve 62 . in the form of a safe gas , i . e ., a weakly reducing gas mixture , the reducing gas may have a combustibles content ( e . g ., predominantly co + h 2 ) of approximately 4 . 5 %. other reducing gases having greater or lesser percentages of combustibles content may be employed without departing from the scope of the present invention . because the mass flow of the feed mixture is based predominantly on the flow rate of the oxidant flow stream , the total flow of the feed mixture , and hence the reducing gas output by reducing gas generator 14 , is based primarily on the flow rate of the oxidant control flow stream as governed by oxidant flow controller 64 . the selected control temperature in the present embodiment is 800 ° c ., which is measured at one of the hottest points in catalyst 36 , and which in the present embodiment yields a bulk average temperature of 770 ° c . the selected temperature in the present embodiment is a predetermined temperature value selected based on life considerations for components of reducing gas generator 14 and fuel cell 12 , as well as catalytic conversion efficiency . other temperature values and measurement locations may be employed in other embodiments . at block b 124 , bypass system 98 is disengaged from the bypass mode , and the reducing gas in the form of a safe gas is thus directed from reducing gas generator 14 to anode 20 of fuel cell 12 . in other embodiments , the safe gas may be directed to reformer 26 . referring now to fig3 c , a block b 126 is illustrated . in one form , block b 126 is bypassed , and process flow proceeds directly to block b 128 . in another form , at block b 126 the o 2 content of the oxidant stream and the oxidant / fuel ratio of the feed mixture are controlled to selectively vary the reducing strength of the reducing gas by selectively varying the combustibles content of the reducing gas while maintaining the selected temperature of the reducing gas of block b 122 . as set forth above with respect to block b 122 , in one form , the o 2 content of the oxidant stream is controlled by air flow controller 60 directing the operations of air control valve 58 . in other forms , the o 2 content of the oxidant stream may be controlled differently . in one form , the oxidant / fuel ratio is primarily controlled by fuel flow controller 44 , and the reducing gas flow is primarily controlled by oxidant flow controller 64 directing the operations of oxidant control valve 62 . in other forms , the oxidant / fuel ratio and reducing gas flow rate may be controlled differently . control of the o 2 content of the oxidant stream and of the oxidant / fuel ratio of the feed mixture to selectively vary the reducing strength of the reducing gas while maintaining the selected temperature and flow rate of the reducing gas output by catalytic reactor 34 in the present embodiment is now described . reducing gas generator 14 catalytically converts the low o 2 content oxidant and hydrocarbon fuel to form the reducing gas with sufficient combustibles content to protect fuel cell anode 20 of fuel cell 12 during start - up and shutdown of the fuel cell system 10 power plant . by adjusting the o 2 content of the oxidant gas in combination with changing the oxidant / fuel ratio , the reducing gas strength may be changed while the catalyst operating temperature is held constant , e . g ., at an ideal conversion temperature . this temperature is sensed by control temperature sensor 84 and used as input to control system 96 for use in maintaining the output temperature of catalytic reactor 34 at the selected temperature . referring now to fig4 , an example of catalytic reactor 34 parameters is depicted . the illustrated parameters include oxidant stream mass flow rate 100 ; hydrocarbon fuel stream mass flow rate 102 ; percent (%) stoichiometric air 104 , which represents the percentage amount of air in the oxidant stream relative to the amount of air required for complete combustion of the hydrocarbon fuel stream ; and the oxygen / carbon ratio ( o 2 / c ) 106 . in the plot of fig4 , the abscissa is h 2 content of the reducing gas , the left - hand ordinate is in units of percent and also grams per second ( g / s ), against which % stoichiometric air 104 and oxidant stream mass flow rate 100 are plotted . the right - hand ordinate is in units of both molar fraction and g / s , against which o 2 / c ratio 106 and hydrocarbon fuel stream mass flow rate 102 are plotted . fig4 illustrates catalytic reactor 34 operating parameters over a reducing gas compositional range of 2 % to 20 % h 2 and 1 % to 10 % co ( 3 % to 30 % co + h2 ). to produce higher combustibles content ( co + h 2 ), the o 2 content in the oxidant is raised . at a constant oxidant / fuel ratio of the feed mixture , e . g ., air to fuel ratio , raising the o 2 content in the oxidant stream reduces combustibles and raises operating temperature . however , in the present embodiment , as the o 2 content in the oxidant stream is increased , the oxidant / fuel ratio of the feed mixture is simultaneously decreased , i . e ., made more fuel rich , in order to achieve higher combustibles content at the same operating temperature . by varying both the o 2 content in the oxidant stream and the oxidant / fuel ratio of the feed mixture , a broad range of reducing gas strengths may be achieved at a selected catalyst operating temperature , e . g ., 770 ° c . in the present embodiment . for example , in one form , the range may extend from a reducing gas strength that represents normal operating conditions for reformer 26 (˜ 45 % co + h 2 ) to weakly reducing conditions (˜ 3 % co + h 2 ). in other forms , different ranges may be employed , e . g ., as set forth herein . as 20 % h 2 content in the reducing gas is approached , conditions in catalytic reactor 34 may approach that normally occurring in reformer 26 in power production mode as the oxidant approaches air with respect to % o 2 content and the o 2 to c molar ratio reaches 0 . 65 . as the reducing gas becomes richer in combustibles , the fuel flow may increase by a factor of about 4 at 20 % h 2 relative to weakly reducing conditions . the percentage of the fuel burned may decrease significantly as conditions approach those in the reformer 26 . the temperature may be sustained because the lower percentage of combustion oxygen is offset by the combination of the elevated fuel flow rate and the decreased heat dissipation through less n 2 dilution in the oxidant . thus , even though the o 2 concentration in the oxidant increases for increased reducing strength , as a percentage of oxygen required to completely consume the fuel , the oxygen level decreases . in the present embodiment , percent co content is about ½ of the percent of h 2 content at the desired operating temperature , and hence the combustibles content of the reducing gas is approximately 1 . 5 times the percent of h 2 content in the reducing gas . while described in the present application with respect to a fuel cell system , it will be understood that reducing gas generator 14 is equally applicable to other systems , such as systems for generating reducing gas for other purposes . referring again to fig3 c , at block b 128 , the reducing gas is supplied to reformer 26 , and to anode 20 , e . g ., via reformer 26 . at block b 130 , a transition of fuel cell 12 into power production mode is initiated , which includes supplying to fuel cell 12 flows of the primary fuel and the primary oxidant that are normally provided to fuel cell 12 for operation in power production mode , in contrast to the oxidant and hydrocarbon fuel provided to reducing gas generator 14 to generate reducing gas for use during startup or shutdown of fuel cell 12 . the transition into power production mode also includes heating portions of fuel cell 12 , including anode 20 and reformer 26 , to normal operating temperature in a controlled fashion so as to reduce mechanical stresses that might result from thermal gradients within and between such components . the heating of fuel cell 12 may be performed prior to , during and after the provision of reducing gas to fuel cell 12 , and may be performed until satisfactory operating temperatures in such portions , e . g ., anode 20 and reformer 26 , are achieved . during the transition into power production mode , bypass system 98 may be transitioned into bypass mode . at block b 132 , fuel cell 12 is operated in power production mode , i . e ., normal operating mode , to supply power to electrical load 16 . at block b 134 , the airflow and fuel flow supplied to reducing gas generator 14 are terminated , ending the production of reducing gas by reducing gas generator 14 . referring now to fig3 d , at block b 136 , the temperature of the heating device is maintained at or above the temperature required to initiate catalytic reaction of the feed mixture at catalyst 36 . this temperature is maintained during operation of the fuel cell in the power production mode , e . g ., in order to provide for rapid restart of reducing gas generator 14 , including rapid restart of catalyst 36 , in the event of a need to shut down fuel cell 12 . at block b 138 , a command to shut down fuel cell 12 from the power production mode is received by control system 96 , e . g ., via a human input or an automated process . it will be noted that in some embodiments , block b 136 may be performed subsequent to receiving the command to shut down fuel cell 12 . for example , in some embodiments , the heating device may be not be heated to a temperature at or above the catalytic light - off temperature until the command to shutdown fuel cell 12 is received . at block b 140 , reducing gas generator 14 generates reducing gas in response to the command , e . g ., by performing some or all of the actions indicated above with respect to blocks b 102 to b 128 , including controlling the o 2 content of the oxidant stream and the oxidant / fuel ratio of the feed mixture to selectively vary the reducing strength of the reducing gas by selectively varying the combustibles content of the reducing gas to a desired level while maintaining a selected temperature , e . g ., the selected temperature of block b 122 , above . at block b 142 , the reducing gas generated by reducing gas generator 14 is supplied to anode 20 of fuel cell 12 by disengaging bypass system 98 from the bypass mode . this may help to prevent oxidation damage to anode 20 during shutdown of fuel cell 12 . initially , the reducing gas may have a high reducing strength , which may be decreased as the temperature of fuel cell 12 decreases . at block b 144 , a transition of fuel cell 12 out of the power production mode is initiated , including gradually reducing the flow to anode 20 of the primary fuel that is normally provided during operation in power production mode . at block b 146 , the airflow and fuel flow supplied to reducing gas generator 14 are terminated , ending the production of reducing gas by reducing gas generator 14 . block b 146 may be executed after anode 20 is sufficiently cooled to a temperature at which oxidative damage is not a concern , which may vary with the materials used to manufacture anode 20 . a reducing gas generator in accordance with some embodiments of the present application may include a compressed air supply that feeds a polymer nitrogen - separation membrane , which uses the high pressure to segregate oxygen from nitrogen across a polymer fiber . such embodiments may preclude the need for bottled nitrogen . in other embodiments , other nitrogen sources may be employed . the product gas is a nitrogen - rich stream that is depleted in oxygen . a variable - position bypass valve may divert a relatively small stream of the feed air around the nitrogen generator for blending with the nitrogen - rich stream . in some embodiments , the bypass airflow is directly proportional to the final oxygen content of the blended streams . the blended stream of nitrogen - rich product gas and bypass air may be referred to as an oxidant stream , which passes through a flow control device that sets the flow of oxidant to the process . the bypass valve controls the proportions of bypass air and nitrogen - rich gas to achieve the desired oxygen content of the oxidant stream . a relatively small quantity of hydrocarbon fuel may be metered into the oxidant stream through a flow control device . in a steady state flow mode , the premixed oxidant and fuel blend is fed directly into a catalytic reactor that converts the feed mixture into the reducing gas . compared with ordinary combustion in air , the reduced oxygen content oxidant stream may translate to less fuel per unit combustibles yield in the reducing gas . thus , the required chemical energy input ( i . e ., the thermal load due to the input of fuel ) per unit production of combustibles ( e . g ., h 2 and co ) may also be decreased , and therefore , less heat may need to be extracted from the process gas to cool the product stream to a required temperature . the nitrogen dilution of the oxidant stream may also decrease the reaction temperature into the range that may be preferable for the catalyst , and may not exceed the material limits in the downstream heat exchanger . in contrast to embodiments of the present invention , a reactor designed for combustion with normal air ( in contrast to the nitrogen - rich oxidant employed in embodiments of the present invention ) at the required scale might be complex , and might require cooling jackets that would likely require a liquid coolant , or otherwise a very high volumetric flow of coolant gas , and therefore , would have a relatively large heat duty in order to protect reactor materials from excessive temperature . in contrast , the catalytic reactor of some embodiments of the present invention may be designed to operate at a lower temperature without the need for external cooling . fuel oxidation with an oxygen - depleted oxidant may yield a given range of combustibles concentration ( or molar flow ) over a much wider range of air to fuel ratio relative to ordinary combustion with air , which makes control of the combustibles content easier to achieve . thermocouple ( s ) may monitor the exit temperature at the catalyst exit . the thermocouple may act as the control input for the air bypass valve . if the exit temperature were to fall too far below the set point , a control signal would open the bypass by some amount since an oxidant stream having a higher proportion of o 2 elevates the exit temperature ( by oxidizing more fuel ) and vice versa . the set point temperature is set high enough to achieve complete conversion of the flammable feed mixture to the equilibrated gas composition , but not too high as to approach the operational material limit temperatures for either the catalyst or the downstream heat exchanger . an oxygen sensor 66 may measure the oxygen content on a volume basis of the oxidant stream downstream of the mix point for the bypass air and the nitrogen - rich stream exiting the nitrogen generator . an alternative embodiment may employ the measured oxygen concentration rather than the exit temperature to position air bypass control valve so that the exit temperature is maintained to a set point value . this may be preferable at start - up before a representative steady state reactor exit temperature is available to set the bypass valve position . the oxygen sensor may be a small zirconia sensor maintained at a high temperature , e . g ., around 600 ° c . for some embodiments , which develops a nernst potential when exposed to oxygen , which is related to the oxygen content of the gas . the sensor can be located in - situ . however , the sensor may alternatively be submerged in a controlled small slip stream that is blown down off the main process line through a critical flow orifice . the control software may dictate the relationship between the deviation of the measured oxygen content from the targeted value , and the incremental amount the bypass valve is opened as a result . the sensor may have a rapid response to changes in the oxygen content of the process gas , and therefore , the optimized tuning parameters on the air bypass valve control loop may provide more reliable control over a broader range of conditions . the downstream heat exchanger cools the reducing gas to a temperature that is required for introduction of the reducing gas into the downstream process . a temperature control loop may vary a flow of cooling air or other cooling medium to the heat exchanger based on the deviation of the catalyst exit temperature from the temperature set point of the outlet gas . the heat exchanger may be a compact alloy steel or ceramic design to withstand the temperature of the gas exiting the catalyst . a hydrogen or combustibles sensor may extract a slipstream of the process gas downstream of the heat exchanger to measure the percent by volume hydrogen or combustibles as a constituent of the reducing gas . the control software may compare the measured % h 2 to a set point value , and based on the difference sends a control signal to fuel control valve . if the measured % h 2 deviates too far below the set point , the fuel feed would be increased , and vice versa . the control software may dictate the relationship between the deviation of the measured % h 2 with the targeted % h 2 , and the incremental amount the fuel valve is opened or closed . one approach for continuously measuring hydrogen uses a thermal conductivity hydrogen sensor calibrated over the permissible range of hydrogen content for the reducing gas . similar to the oxygen sensor , a critical flow orifice may be used as a relatively inexpensive and simple way to meter a very small slipstream of the reducing gas at the correct sample gas flow to the sensor . a method for rapid restart of the catalyst from a standby condition to bring the reducing gas generator back on - line as quickly as possible for unforeseen events within the fuel cell system that will require an immediate supply of safe reducing gas may also be provided by embodiments of the present invention . a rapid restart capability may avoid the need for a bottled storage of reducing - gas necessary to bridge the gap between the time that the gas is demanded and the time required to bring the reducing gas generator on - line . a rapid restart method may employ a heater with a high thermal mass located just upstream of the catalyst reactor and , e . g ., a pair of valves or a three - way valve for diverting feed mixture flow through the heater . during normal operation the valve directs the mixture directly into the catalytic reactor , bypassing the heater . at start - up , flow may be diverted through the heater . in the absence of flow , e . g ., under idle conditions of the reducing gas generator , the heater is continuously supplied sufficient power to sustain the metal at the desired preheat temperature while balancing a relatively small heat loss , and thus , this power demand may be small . within the heater , a flow coil may be engulfed with a metallic body . the heater may contain sufficient thermal mass so that when flow is initiated upon a re - start attempt , the process stream immediately acquires the targeted ignition temperature . such a design may be relatively safe because it may achieve good electrical isolation between the flammable mixture and the power supply that acts on the metallic body . prior to a re - start sequence , the heater regulates power to the internal metal to the required temperature prior to the introduction of flow , and must only maintain power to offset heat loss through the surrounding insulation at this condition . on a start - up attempt , power may be immediately ramped up to sustain or elevate the set - point preheat temperature until reaction of the catalyst feed mixture is achieved . once this is achieved , e . g ., as indicated by a sufficient rise in temperature at the catalyst exit , the flow may be diverted around the ignition heater directly into the catalyst ( normal operating flow mode ) to prevent overheating of the catalyst . to further promote rapid re - start , band heaters may provide an additional heat source . the band heaters may surround the catalyst reactor to hold the catalyst at or above the catalyst light - off temperature before flow is initiated at start - up . prior to start - up , the band heaters would preferably provide the energy to offset heat loss through the insulation surrounding the band heaters . once the catalyst is lit , the band heaters may turn off as the skin temperature rises above the set point temperature of the heaters . power to the heater may be either turned off or turned down to sustain the heater &# 39 ; s thermal mass at the temperature set point for the next restart . other alternative embodiments would simplify the heat - up scheme by employing a closely coupled heater at the catalyst inlet . this approach may use a low thermal mass heater that would locally initiate reaction near the front side of the catalyst by close thermal coupling , which in such embodiments may potentially reduce the reducing gas generator &# 39 ; s part count and cost . in an additional embodiment , the reducing gas generator may replace the internal reformer for the fuel cell system for those embodiments where the reducing gas generator is structured to produce a reducing gas that is suitable for power production in the fuel cell system . in some such embodiments , the reduced gas generator may be used for producing a reducing gas of one composition for startup and shutdown of the fuel cell system , and for producing a reducing gas of an alternate composition for the normal operation of the fuel cell system . referring to fig5 a and 5b , some aspects of non - limiting examples of a reducing gas generator 214 in accordance with embodiments of the present invention are schematically depicted . in the embodiments depicted in fig5 a and 5b , various features , components and interrelationships therebetween of aspects of embodiments of the present invention are depicted . however , the present invention is not limited to the particular embodiments of fig5 a and 5b and the components , features and interrelationships therebetween as are illustrated in fig5 a and 5b and described herein . for example , other embodiments encompassed by the present invention , the present invention being manifested by the principles explicitly and implicitly described herein via the present figures and detailed description and set forth in the claims , may include a greater or lesser number of components , features and / or interrelationships therebetween , and / or may employ different components and / or features having the same and / or different nature and / or interrelationships therebetween , which may be employed for performing similar and / or different functions relative to those illustrated in fig5 a and 5b and described herein . in some reducing gas generator embodiments , it is desirable to increase the flammables content ( concentration ) of the reducing gas , which may also be referred to as a reformed fuel , than that afforded by some previously described embodiments . the flammables ( also referred to as combustibles ) content in the reformed gas varies with the oxygen ( o 2 ) content ( concentration ) present in the oxidant supplied with the hydrocarbon fuel to the reformer . for example , some previously described embodiments employed air control valve 58 to variably add air to the nitrogen - rich gas received from nitrogen generator 54 to yield an oxidant having a variable oxygen content ranging from , for example and without limitation , 5 % to approximately 21 % by volume . in such embodiments , the flammables content of the reformed gas discharged by catalytic reactor 34 , which is a reducing gas , varies with the amount of oxygen provided in the oxidant . the inventor has determined that an oxygen - enriched oxidant having a greater oxygen content than air may be employed to yield a higher flammability content in the reformed gas exiting catalytic reactor 34 than that achieved by using air or nitrogen - enriched air having a lower oxygen content than air as the oxidant . accordingly , in some embodiments , 214 reducing gas generator includes an oxidant system 230 configured to provide an oxidant with an oxygen content greater than that of ambient atmospheric air . in one form , oxidant system is configured to provide the oxidant without the use of stored oxygen , e . g ., bottled oxygen or other forms of compressed or liquefied oxygen . reducing gas generator 214 is configured to provide or discharge a reducing gas 215 having an expanded range of flammables content relative to the reducing gas provided by reducing gas generator 14 , based on using the oxidant discharged by oxidant system 230 . reducing gas 215 may be supplied , in various embodiments , to other systems , such as piston engines , gas turbine engines , fuel cell systems and / or other systems that employ reducing gas . in some embodiments , oxidant system 230 is configured to provide an oxidant with the oxygen content at a selected value in a range having a maximum value that exceeds the oxygen content of air , e . g ., in the range of approximately 21 % to 40 % oxygen by volume in some embodiments , and approximately 21 % to 50 % oxygen by volume or greater in other embodiments . in some embodiments , oxidant system 230 is configured to provide a variable oxygen content in the oxidant in a range having a maximum value that exceeds the oxygen content of air , e . g ., in the range of approximately 21 % to 40 % oxygen by volume in some embodiments , and approximately 21 % to 50 % oxygen by volume or greater in other embodiments . in some embodiments , oxidant system 230 is configured to vary the oxygen content in a range extending from below the oxygen content of ambient atmospheric air to an oxygen content above that of ambient atmospheric air e . g ., in the range of approximately 5 % to 40 % oxygen by volume in some embodiments , and approximately 5 % to 50 % oxygen by volume or greater in other embodiments or lesser in still other embodiments . in some embodiments , oxidant system 230 is used in place of oxidant system 30 in reducing gas generator 14 to yield a reducing gas generator 214 configured to discharge a reducing gas having a higher flammables content than reducing gas generator 14 . oxidant system 230 has many of the same components described above with respect to oxidant system 30 , which perform the same or similar functions as those described above with respect to oxidant system 30 and reducing gas generator 14 . in one form , reducing gas generator 214 employs the same components to perform the same or a similar function as that described above with respect to reducing gas generator 14 , most of which are not illustrated in fig5 for purposes of clarity , except that oxidant system 30 is replaced with an oxidant system 230 . in other embodiments , reducing gas generator 214 may include only one or more of the components described above with respect to reducing gas generator 14 and / or may include components not described above with respect to reducing gas generator 14 . in some embodiments , any of the same components as described above with respect to gas generator 14 may provide the same and / or a different function in reducing gas generator 214 . although the component identified with element number 34 has been referred to as a “ catalytic reactor ,” it will be understood by those having ordinary skill in the art that catalytic reactor 34 is one form of a reformer . hence , catalytic reactor 34 may also be referred to as “ reformer 34 .” it will also be understood by those having ordinary skill in the art that one or more other reformer types may be employed in addition to or in place of a catalytic reactor in some embodiments of the present invention . in one form , oxidant system 230 includes an air intake 48 ( which in various may or may not be pressurized , e . g ., may or may not be provided with pressurized air ); a compressor 50 ; a valve 52 , e . g ., a pressure regulator ; a nitrogen generator or separator 54 having a nitrogen separation membrane 56 , a valve 58 , for example and without limitation , a gas flow control valve ; a merge chamber 232 ; a controller 60 , for example and without limitation , a gas flow controller ; a valve 62 , for example and without limitation , an oxidant flow control valve ; a controller 64 , for example and without limitation , an oxidant flow controller ; and an oxygen sensor 66 . the output of oxidant system 230 is discharged to merge chamber 32 . in one form , each of merge chamber 32 , air intake 48 , compressor 50 , valve 52 , nitrogen generator or separator 54 with nitrogen separation membrane 56 , controller 60 , valve 62 , controller 64 and oxygen sensor 66 are each same or similar and configured to perform the same or similar function as set forth above with respect to oxidant system 30 and reducing gas generator 14 , and hence are described using the same reference characters ( element numbers ). in other embodiments , oxidant system 230 may include only one or more of the components described above with respect to oxidant system 30 and / or one or more of such components may perform a different function ; and / or oxidant system 230 may include components not described above with respect to oxidant system 30 . for example , in some embodiments , valves 52 and 62 , and controller 64 may be replaced by a flow sensor that controls the speed of compressor 50 . it will be understood that in some embodiments , other types of nitrogen extraction systems may be employed in addition to or in place of nitrogen separation membrane 56 . oxidant system 230 also includes a valve 234 , for example and without limitation , a back - pressure regulating valve , although other valve types may be employed in other embodiments of the present invention . compressor 50 is in fluid communication with air intake 48 . valve 52 is in fluid communication with compressor 50 and nitrogen separator 54 on the high pressure side 236 of nitrogen separation membrane 56 ( as in reducing gas generator 14 ), and is configured to control the air flow delivered to nitrogen separator 54 . nitrogen separation membrane 56 configured to extract nitrogen from the air supplied thereto , and to discharge the balance of the air supplied as an oxygen - rich gas having a greater oxygen content than ambient atmospheric air , wherein the oxygen - rich gas forms at least a part of the oxidant discharged by oxidant system 230 . hence , nitrogen generator 54 is also configured extract oxygen from air in the form of an oxygen - rich gas , and to discharge an oxygen - rich gas with the extracted oxygen to form at least a part of the oxidant . nitrogen generator 54 is also configured to discharge a nitrogen - rich gas , the nitrogen - rich gas having a nitrogen content greater than that of ambient atmospheric air , e . g ., in terms of percentage by volume . valve 58 is coupled to a merge chamber 232 , which has structural attributes similar to those described above with respect to merge chamber 32 . merging chamber 232 is also in fluid communication with nitrogen separator 54 on the low pressure side 238 of nitrogen separation membrane 56 , which provides an oxygen - rich gas , e . g ., oxygen - enriched air . merging chamber 32 is configured to receive the hydrocarbon fuel and the oxidant discharged from oxidant system 230 , and to discharge a feed stream containing both the hydrocarbon fuel and the oxidant . controller 60 is operably coupled to valve 58 and configured to operate valve 58 . valve 62 is in fluid communication with merge chamber 32 and configured to discharge an oxidant ( stream ) to merge chamber 32 . controller 64 is operably coupled to valve 62 and configured to operate valve 62 . oxygen sensor 66 is configured to sense the oxygen content of the oxidant discharged from valve 62 . valve 234 is in fluid communication with nitrogen separator 54 on the high pressure side 236 , and with valve 58 . excess nitrogen - rich gas is vented , e . g ., to atmosphere or a component or system requiring nitrogen rich gas . valve 234 is determines much excess nitrogen - rich gas is vented from oxidant system 230 . in one form , valve 234 regulates back pressure against the high pressure side 236 of nitrogen separator 54 , and against valve 58 . in one form , the amount of excess nitrogen - rich gas that is vented increases with increasing oxygen content in the oxidant discharged by oxidant system 230 . the back - pressure maintained by valve 234 determines , at least in part , how much oxygen - rich gas is discharged by low pressure side 238 of nitrogen separator 54 . valve 58 is configured to control the amount of nitrogen - rich gas from nitrogen separator 54 that is supplied to merge chamber 232 . in one form , the output of low pressure side 236 of nitrogen separator 54 is supplied directly to merging chamber 232 for combining the oxygen - rich gas from low pressure side 236 of nitrogen separator 54 with the nitrogen - rich gas supplied by high pressure side 236 of nitrogen separator 54 to yield an oxidant ( stream ). valve 62 and controller 64 are configured to control how much oxidant is supplied to merge chamber 32 for combining with a gaseous hydrocarbon fuel , such as natural gas or compressed natural gas ( cng ), for use in reformer 34 . reformer 34 is in fluid communication with merging chamber 32 , and is configured to receive the feed stream from merging chamber 32 , to reform the feed mixture into a reducing gas , and to discharge the reducing gas . low pressure side 238 of nitrogen separator 54 is configured to discharge the oxygen - rich gas with an oxygen content greater than ambient atmospheric , for example and without limitation , up to 40 % oxygen content by volume in some embodiments , and up to 50 % or more oxygen content by volume in other embodiments . by mixing the oxygen - rich gas with nitrogen rich gas , the resultant oxygen content of the oxidant discharged by oxidant system 230 may be reduced , e . g ., from a maximum value . hence , the oxidant discharged by oxidant system 230 of oxidant system may have a maximum value for oxygen content greater than that of air , up to 40 % oxygen content by volume in some embodiments , and up to 50 % or more oxygen content by volume in other embodiments . in some embodiments , a lower oxygen content may also be obtained , e . g ., down to 5 % or less oxygen by volume . referring to fig5 b , in some embodiments , as set forth above , oxidant system 230 may be configured to provide an oxidant having an oxygen content less than that of ambient atmospheric air , e . g ., to 5 % or less , for example , by including some additional aspects of oxidant system 30 . for example , in some embodiments , oxidant system 230 may also include a second instance of valve 58 and controller 60 , referred to herein as valve 258 and controller 260 , in fluid communication between the discharge of valve 52 and merging chamber 232 . controller 260 is coupled to oxygen sensor 66 , and is configured to operate valve 260 to control a flow of pressurized air from compressor 50 and valve 52 to merging chamber 232 . in addition , such embodiments of oxidant system 230 may include a valve 201 , for example and without limitation , a shutoff valve ; a valve 203 , for example and without limitation , a bypass valve ; and a valve 205 , for example and without limitation , a three - way valve . in order to output an oxidant having an oxygen content approximately 21 % or less by volume , valve 201 is closed to prevent the venting of nitrogen - rich gas from high pressure side 236 of nitrogen separator 54 . in addition , valve 203 is opened , and valve 58 is closed , thereby shunting the output of high pressure side 236 of nitrogen separator 54 ( nitrogen - rich gas ) directly to merging chamber 232 . also , valve 205 is switched vent the output of low pressure side 238 of nitrogen separator 54 , e . g ., to atmosphere or an application that employs an oxygen - rich gas . in order to output an oxidant having an oxygen content approximately 21 % or greater by volume , valve 201 is opened to allow the venting of nitrogen - rich gas from high pressure side 236 of nitrogen separator 54 via a valve 234 . in addition , valve 203 is closed , and valve 58 is opened , thereby directing the output of high pressure side 236 of nitrogen separator 54 ( other than that which is vented ) through valve 58 to merging chamber 232 . also , valve 205 is switched supply the output of low pressure side 238 of nitrogen separator 54 to merging chamber 232 . in some embodiments , one or more of compressor 50 , and valves 52 , 234 , 58 and 62 may be adjusted or controlled , manually or automatically , to provide an oxidant having an oxygen content selectable from , for example and without limitation , the range of approximately 21 % to 40 % oxygen by volume in some embodiments , and approximately 21 % to 50 % oxygen by volume or greater in other embodiments . in some embodiments , one or more of compressor 50 , and valves 52 , 234 , 58 and 62 , as well as valves , 201 , 203 , 205 , 258 and 260 may be adjusted or controlled , manually or automatically , to provide an oxidant having an oxygen content selectable from the range of , for example and without limitation , the range of approximately 5 % to 40 % oxygen by volume in some embodiments , and approximately 5 % to 50 % oxygen by volume or greater in other embodiments . in other embodiments , one or more of compressor 50 , and valves 52 , 234 , 58 and 62 , and in some embodiments , one or more of valves , 201 , 203 , 205 , 258 and 260 as well , may be adjusted or controlled , manually or automatically to provide a variable oxygen content in the oxidant supplied by oxidant system 230 , i . e ., that varies within a range , “ on the fly ,” e . g ., to meet some demand , such as a desired flammables content of the reducing gas discharged by reducing gas generator 214 . in various embodiments , the range may be , for example and without limitation , approximately 21 % to 40 % oxygen by volume in some embodiments , and approximately 21 % to 50 % oxygen by volume or greater in other embodiments , or may be from approximately 5 % to 40 % oxygen by volume in some embodiments , and approximately 5 % to 50 % oxygen by volume or greater in other embodiments . in other embodiments , other suitable ranges may be selected . the reducing gas exiting reformer 34 includes flammables , including primarily hydrogen ( h 2 ) and carbon monoxide ( co ), and some methane slip , e . g ., on the order of approximately 1 %, and trace amounts of higher hydrocarbon slip , such as ethane . the reducing gas also includes also contains other gases , e . g ., including nitrogen , carbon dioxide ( co 2 ) and water vapor ( steam ). referring to fig6 , a non - limiting example of a plot 106 of percent flammables output by a reformer , such as reformer 34 , vs . percent oxygen in the oxidant supplied to the reformer , at constant methane conversion , i . e ., at a constant percentage of methane in the reducing gas discharged by reformer 34 , is depicted . the plot of fig6 is based on thermodynamic equilibrium process simulation calculations . from the plot of fig6 , it is seen that the flammables content ( percent flammables ) of the reducing gas increases with increasing oxygen in the oxidant supplied to as part of the feed stream provided to reformer 34 . the oxygen / carbon ratio in the plot of fig6 is varies between approximately 0 . 6 ( e . g ., at 50 % oxygen by volume ) to 0 . 7 ( e . g ., at 21 % oxygen by volume ). the flammables content of fig6 varies from approximately 45 % by volume at approximately 21 % oxygen content by volume in the oxidant to approximately 80 % by volume at 50 % oxygen content by volume in the oxidant . by providing an oxidant having a greater oxygen content than that of ambient atmospheric air , the amount of flammables in the reducing gas discharged by reformer 34 may be greater than that capable of being generated using an oxygen content equivalent to that of air . in addition , by varying the oxygen content , e . g ., in one or more of the ranges set forth above , the flammables content of the reducing gas 215 discharged by reducing gas generator may be varied over a substantial range . for example and without limitation , in some embodiments , approximately 45 % to 70 % flammables content by volume , in other embodiments , approximately 45 % to 80 % flammables content by volume ; in yet other embodiments , approximately near 0 % to 70 % flammables content by volume ; and in still other embodiments , in yet other embodiments , approximately near 0 % to 80 % flammables content by volume . in some embodiments , the reducing gas is generated by generating an oxidant with oxidant system 230 having an oxygen content greater than that of ambient atmospheric air , forming a feed stream with the oxidant and a hydrocarbon fuel ; and reforming the feed stream , e . g ., in reformer 34 , e . g ., by directing the feed stream to catalyst 36 ; and catalytically converting the feed stream into a reducing gas . in some embodiments , the oxygen content of the oxidant may be varied or selected within a range , e . g ., as set forth above . in one form , the generating of the oxidant includes supplying pressurized air to nitrogen separation membrane 56 ; extracting an oxygen - rich gas using nitrogen separation membrane 56 ; and forming the oxidant at least in part using the oxygen - rich gas . in some embodiments , the oxidant may be provided having a selectable oxygen content in the range of approximately 21 % to 40 % 21 % to 40 % oxygen by volume , and approximately 21 % to 50 % oxygen by volume or greater in other embodiments . in some embodiments , the oxidant may be provided having a selectable oxygen content in the range of approximately 5 % to 40 % oxygen by volume in some embodiments , and approximately 5 % to 50 % oxygen by volume or greater in other embodiments . in some embodiments , the reducing gas may be generated by using oxidant system 230 to generate an oxidant having a selectable oxygen content , wherein a maximum oxygen content of the oxidant exceeds that of ambient atmospheric air ; using reformer 34 to reform a hydrocarbon fuel with the oxidant to produce reducing gas 215 ; and discharging reducing gas 215 from reformer 34 . in some embodiments , the oxidant may also be generated to have an oxygen content less than that of ambient atmospheric air . embodiments of the present invention include a reducing gas generator , comprising : an oxidant system configured to generate from air an oxidant having a variable oxygen content , and configured to provide an oxygen content of the oxidant at a selected value in a range from the oxygen content of ambient atmospheric air to greater than that of ambient atmospheric air ; a merging chamber in fluid communication with the oxidant system and a source of a hydrocarbon fuel , wherein the merging chamber is configured to receive the hydrocarbon fuel and the oxidant and to discharge a feed stream containing both the hydrocarbon fuel and the oxidant ; and a reformer in fluid communication with the merging chamber , wherein the reformer is configured to receive the feed stream from the merging chamber , to reform the feed stream into a reducing gas , and to discharge the reducing gas . in a refinement , the oxidant system includes a nitrogen separator having a nitrogen separation membrane configured to extract nitrogen from air supplied thereto , and to discharge the balance of the air supplied as an oxygen - rich gas , wherein the oxygen - rich gas forms at least a part of the oxidant . in another refinement , the oxygen - rich gas has a higher oxygen content than ambient atmospheric air . in yet another refinement , the oxygen - rich gas has an oxygen content in the range of approximately 21 % to 50 % by volume . in still another refinement , the nitrogen separator is also configured to discharge a nitrogen - rich gas , the nitrogen - rich gas having a nitrogen content greater than that of ambient atmospheric air . in yet still another refinement , the reducing gas generator further comprises at least one valve configured to combine the nitrogen - rich gas with the oxygen - rich gas to form the oxidant . in a further refinement , the reducing gas generator is configured to generate a reducing gas having a flammables content in the range of approximately 0 % to 80 % by volume . in a still further refinement , the reducing gas generator is configured to generate a reducing gas having a flammables content in the range of approximately 0 % to 80 % by volume . embodiments of the present invention include a reducing gas generator , comprising : an oxidant system configured to provide an oxidant , and configured to provide an oxygen content of the oxidant having a value that exceeds the oxygen content of ambient atmospheric air , wherein the oxidant system is configured to provide the oxidant without the use of stored oxygen ; and a reformer configured to receive the oxidant from the oxidant source , to receive a hydrocarbon fuel , to reform the oxidant and fuel into a reducing gas , and to discharge the reducing gas . in a refinement , the oxidant system is configured generate the oxidant from ambient atmospheric air . in another refinement , the oxidant system is configured to provide a variable oxygen content in the oxidant in a range having a maximum value that exceeds the oxygen content of air . in yet another refinement , the oxidant system is configured to provide a selectable oxygen content of the oxidant in a range of approximately 21 % to 50 % by volume . in still another refinement , the oxidant system is configured to provide a selectable oxygen content in the oxidant in a range of approximately 5 % to 50 % by volume . in yet still another refinement , the oxidant system includes a nitrogen generator having a nitrogen separation membrane operable to extract nitrogen from air , and wherein the nitrogen generator is configured to discharge the balance of the air supplied thereto as an oxygen - rich gas , wherein the oxygen - rich gas forms at least a part of the oxidant . in a further refinement , the nitrogen generator is also configured to discharge a nitrogen - rich gas , the nitrogen - rich gas having a nitrogen content greater than that of ambient atmospheric air . in a yet further refinement , the reducing gas generator further comprises at least one valve configured to mix the nitrogen - rich gas with the oxygen - rich gas to form the oxidant . embodiments of the present invention include a method of generating a reducing gas , comprising : generating an oxidant having an oxygen content greater than that of ambient atmospheric air without the use of stored oxygen ; forming a feed stream with the oxidant and a hydrocarbon fuel ; and reforming the feed stream . in a refinement , the method further comprises varying the oxygen content of the oxidant . in another refinement , the reforming of the feed stream includes directing the feed stream to a catalyst ; and catalytically converting the feed stream into a reducing gas . in yet another refinement , the generating of the oxidant includes supplying pressurized air to a nitrogen separation membrane ; extracting an oxygen - rich gas using the nitrogen separation membrane ; and forming the oxidant at least in part of the oxygen - rich gas . in still another refinement , the generating of the oxidant includes providing a selectable oxygen content of the oxidant in a range of approximately 21 % to 50 % oxygen by volume . in yet still another refinement , the generating of the oxidant includes generating the oxidant with the oxygen content of the oxidant being in a range of approximately 5 % to 50 % oxygen by volume . embodiments of the present invention include a method of generating a reducing gas , comprising : generating an oxidant having a selectable oxygen content , wherein a maximum oxygen content of the oxidant exceeds that of ambient atmospheric air , wherein the generating is performed without the use of stored oxygen ; reforming a hydrocarbon fuel with the oxidant to produce a reducing gas ; and discharging the reducing gas from a reformer . in a refinement , the generating of the oxidant includes generating the oxidant with an oxygen content being less than that of ambient atmospheric air . while the invention has been described in connection with what is presently considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiment , it is to be understood that the invention is not to be limited to the disclosed embodiment ( s ), but on the contrary , is intended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the appended claims , which scope is to be accorded the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and equivalent structures as permitted under the law . furthermore it should be understood that while the use of the word preferable , preferably , or preferred in the description above indicates that feature so described may be more desirable , it nonetheless may not be necessary and any embodiment lacking the same may be contemplated as within the scope of the invention , that scope being defined by the claims that follow . in reading the claims it is intended that when words such as “ a ,” “ an ,” “ at least one ” and “ at least a portion ” are used , there is no intention to limit the claim to only one item unless specifically stated to the contrary in the claim . further , when the language “ at least a portion ” and / or “ a portion ” is used the item may include a portion and / or the entire item unless specifically stated to the contrary .
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many of the terms used throughout this application have recently been redefined by the american national standard institute in their new packaging material standards for esd sensitive items ela - 541 , published in june of 1988 . in these new standards , packaging materials are defined as being in the &# 34 ; conductive &# 34 ; range if they have a measurable surface resistivity of less than 10 4 ohms per square . until the standards were changed in june , 1988 , &# 34 ; conductive materials &# 34 ; were defined as those having measurable surface resistivity of less than 10 5 ohms per square . similarly , the new standard , ansi / eia - 541 - 1988 , defines &# 34 ; static - dissipative materials &# 34 ; ( formerly known as static - dissipative or anti - static materials ) as those having a surface resistivity greater than 10 5 ohms / square , but less than 10 12 ohms / square . and , these same standards now define &# 34 ; insulative materials &# 34 ; as those having surface resistivity equal to or greater than 10 12 ohms / square . &# 34 ; anti - static materials &# 34 ; are now defined by these new standards as those materials which minimize electrostatic charge when rubbed against or separated from themselves or other similar materials . for purposes of this application , and when used in this application , the terms &# 34 ; anti - static ,&# 34 ; &# 34 ; static - dissipative ,&# 34 ; &# 34 ; conductive &# 34 ; and &# 34 ; insulative &# 34 ; shall be used as defined in the new definitions contained in ansi / eia - 514 - 1988 . with reference first to fig1 there is illustrated a container 10 embodying the invention of this application . this container 10 is fitted therein with transverse dividers or partitions 12 and longitudinal dividers or partitions 13 which define the side walls of a plurality of cells 14 . each cell 14 is designed to hold an article 15 to be shipped . both the transverse dividers 12 and the longitudinal dividers 13 have some excess portion 16 which extends beyond an adjacent cell 14 and into contact with side panels 17 of the container 10 , thereby defining a plurality of voids 18 or empty spaces which remain unused . as known in the container industry , the transverse dividers 12 have vertically , downwardly extending slits , and the longitudinal dividers 13 have corresponding vertically , upwardly extending slits , to enable interfitting of the dividers within the container 10 to partially define the cells 14 . alternately , the vertical slits in the transverse divider 12 may be upwardly extending and the vertical slits in the longitudinal dividers 13 may extend downwardly . as shown in fig2 a lower pad 23 resides beneath the dividers , and an upper pad 22 overlays the dividers to completely enclose the cells 14 . according to the invention , the transverse dividers 12 , the longitudinal dividers 13 , and the top 22 and bottom 23 pads are comprised of a multiple - ply anti - static paperboard 25 , which is shown in fig3 . the multiple - ply anti - static paperboard 25 comprises a layer of insulative paperboard or fiberboard 26 which is preferably sandwiched between two layers of low - density , anti - static polyethylene 27 , as shown in fig3 . the interior paperboard ply 26 is electrically insulative , having a surface resistivity equal to or greater than 10 12 ohms per square . the preferred insulative inner layer 26 is a relatively rigid ply of paperboard formed by a conventional paper making slurry process to create a fiberboard or paperboard sheet having a surface resistivity equal to or greater than 10 12 ohms per square . the insulative property of the paperboard is not critical to the practice of this invention . it is only critical that the inner layer 26 be relatively rigid such that it may be self - standing and provide physical protection to articles contained in the cells of the container . a preferred embodiment of the multiple - ply anti - static paperboard 25 is illustrated in fig3 . in this embodiment , precast , permanently anti - static / static - dissipative plastic layers 27 are laminated onto the opposite sides of the conductive paperboard 26 . the preferred precast , permanently anti - static / static - dissipative plastic layers 27 are layers of low - density , polyethylene film which have been coated and subjected to high - energy , electron - beam radiation so as to render the film permanently anti - static and permanently static dissipative . a complete description of the process for manufacturing such a polyethylene film may be found in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 623 , 594 . this polyethylene film is characterized by a surface resistivity of more than 10 5 but less than 10 12 ohms per square . one preferred precast , polyethylene film having this permanent anti - static / static - dissipative surface resistivity is manufactured by mpi metallized products , inc . of winchester , massachusetts and is identified by that company as its &# 34 ; staticure &# 34 ; product . this &# 34 ; staticure + product is particularly advantageous for use in this application because it is a permanently anti - static and static dissipative , i . e ., it does not lose its anti - static and static - dissipative qualities or change its surface resistivity over prolonged periods of time . with reference to fig4 there is illustrated schematically the manner in which the paperboard product 25 of fig3 is manufactured . as there illustrated , a roll 30 of paperboard 26 is unwound at a first level 31 . the paperboard 26 may be electrically conductive , high - carbon content paperboard or it may alternatively be nonconductive or insulative paperboard . at a first extruding station 32 , a thin film 33 of low - density , molten , polyethylene is extruded onto the top side of the paperboard 26 . before the polyethylene film solidifies , a first ply of the precast permanently anti - static / static - dissipative plastic film 27 is unwound from a roll 34 and applied over the top surface of the molten polyethylene film 33 . rollers 34 then direct the paperboard 26 , having one ply of precast anti - static plastic film 27 applied thereto , to a second level 35 . as the paperboard 26 moves along the second level 35 , the paperboard 26 passes beneath a second extruding station 56 at which a second thin film 33 of molten , low - density polyethylene is applied to the now top surface ( formerly the undersurface ) of the paperboard 26 . while this second film 33 of molten polyethylene is still in the molten state , a second ply 27 of precast permanently anti - static / static - dissipative plastic film is unrolled from a roll 37 onto the top surface of the molten polyethylene film 33 . when the polyethylene films 33 are solidified , they permanently secure the top and bottom plies or laminates 27 to the paperboard 26 which is now sandwiched therebetween . the multiple - ply , anti - static paperboard 25 is now ready to be cut for use . thus , according to one preferred embodiment of the invention , a layer of paperboard 26 or other relatively rigid ply of material is sandwiched by layers of permanently anti - static / static - dissipative material . the anti - static layer adjacent the article prevents sloughing or abrading of the paperboard material onto articles packaged in the material , which could cause circuit damage . it also prevents generation of static electricity resulting from relative movement of the protected articles and the packaging paperboard . the multiple - ply anti - static / static - dissipative paperboard also provides sufficient rigidity to physically protect packaged articles . this physical protection is achieved with a savings in material and labor , as compared to packaging requiring a bag . the multiple - ply anti - static / static - dissipative paperboard of this invention has the advantage of being permanently anti - static and of permanently maintaining its static - dissipative quality . otherwise expressed , the invention of this application , because of this permanence , has no shelf life . heretofore , all anti - static and / or static - dissipative coatings or materials have been produced by doping polypropylene or other plastic materials with an amine so as to impart the anti - static property to the polypropylene plastic . that amine , though , was solely dissipated or gassified from the polypropylene plastic over a period of time with the result that the polypropylene plastic lost its anti - static property over a period of time . consequently , such material had a limited shelf life . because the multiple - ply anti - static / static - dissipative paperboard of this invention is amine free , the material does not cause amine corrosion of metal packaged within such amine - free material . additionally , many printed electrical circuits are imprinted on polycarbonate plastic , which plastic is subject to stress cracking when subjected or exposed to amines . the invention of this application , because it contains no amines , does not have this adverse effect upon polycarbonate boards . anti - static plastics which contain amines are also humidity sensitive , i . e ., they are only operative and only maintain their anti - static properties so long as there is some minimal humidity level maintained in the atmosphere . the amine - containing anti - static plastics therefore are not operative in very dry atmospheres to which such anti - static materials are often exposed . the invention of this application is not humidity dependent . the multiple - ply anti - static paperboard of this invention may be made to provide chemical protection for packaged articles . for example , a corrosion inhibitor commonly referred to as cobra tech , manufactured by pmc specialty and formerly made by sherwin williams , may be mixed into the outer layers 27 prior to application of these outer layers to the interior layer 26 in order to protect copper or copper alloyed articles . this substance dissipates off the outer layer to attach itself to the copper or copper alloy , thereby shielding the article from sulfuric compounds in the paper . similarly , other corrosion inhibitors could be used with other types of articles , depending upon the metal that is required to be protected . because the low - density anti - static / static - dissipative polyethylene layers of the preferred embodiment are chemically inert , they will physically shield the packaged article from chemical corrosion . thus , the addition of a corrosion inhibitor for this embodiment would not be necessary , but would provide added protection against chemical corrosion . while i have heretofore described one preferred embodiment of the multiple - ply anti - static / static - dissipative material of this invention as embodying a single ply of paperboard or other relatively rigid material sandwiched between two plies of anti - static / static - dissipative material , the invention of this application contemplates that such multiple - ply material may comprise only a single ply or coating 27 on one side of the base material 26 as illustrated in fig5 . such a multiple - ply product is particularly useful in many packaging applications wherein only a single side of the material may be exposed to electrical components or static - sensitive articles . one such application for single - side coated , multiple - ply anti - static / static - dissipative material is in the production of corrugated paperboard material used in the manufacture of boxes or containers within which static - sensitive electrical components or articles may be packaged . when used to produce permanently anti - static / static - dissipative corrugated paperboard , the base ply of paperboard is first laminated or coated with a single ply of anti - static / static - dissipative material , and then that coated or laminated material is subjected to a corrugating process in which it is converted into corrugated paperboard . as yet another alternative to the practice of this invention , the base ply of material 26 , rather than being electrically insulative paperboard , may be a relatively rigid sheet of extruded plastic material to which the coating or ply of anti - static / static - dissipative material may be applied . in the description of this invention , the preferred practice of this invention has been described as having the exterior ply of anti - static / static - dissipative material laminated to the base ply of paperboard or other material . it is contemplated , though , that exterior ply may be applied to the base ply 26 by extrusion of the permanently anti - static / static - dissipative material onto the base ply . the preferred embodiment of the invention described hereinabove employs &# 34 ; staticure ,&# 34 ; a polyethylene material which has been chemically coated and subjected to high energy electron beam radiation as the anti - static / static - dissipative material in the multiple - ply product . the process by which such &# 34 ; staticure &# 34 ; material is created is completely described in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 623 , 594 issued nov . 18 , 1986 to mpi metallized products , inc . this material has been found to be very satisfactory in the practice of this invention . it is contemplated , though , that such polyethylene material prior to being treated so as to render it anti - static / static - dissipative may have compounded therein conventional materials to render the polyethylene material biodegradable either by chemical breakdown of the material or by ultraviolet light breakdown . it is also contemplated , and within the scope of this invention , that in lieu of polyethylene film material being utilized in the practice of this invention as the permanently anti - static / static - dissipative material , polyethylene foam may be treated and used as the permanently anti - static / static - dissipative ply of material . the polyethylene foam would otherwise be treated the same as the film in order to impart to the foam the permanent anti - static / static - dissipative quality . after formation of the foam and anti - static agent and treatment by exposure to electron beam radiation to render the foam permanently anti - static / static - dissipative , the foam would be adhered to the paperboard or other relatively rigid substrate in exactly the same manner that the polyethylene film is described hereinabove as being laminated to the paperboard or other substrate . the advantage of the foam - coated product is , of course , that it provides additional physical protection of any products packaged with the multiple - ply foam - coated product . while i have described only a limited number of embodiments of the multiple - ply anti - static paperboard of this invention , it is to be understood that the invention is not to be limited solely to these embodiments . various other alternative embodiments will be readily apparent to persons skilled in this art . accordingly , it is to be understood that changes may be made without departing from the scope of the invention as particularly set forth and described .
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as is shown in fig1 the present invention provides a mechanically expandable pad 10 residing substantially in the x - y plane having multiple layers and a center . further , the mechanically expandable pad 10 comprises a first layer 15 having a pair of opposed end edges 16 and a pair of opposed longitudinal edges 17 to make up a periphery 14 . a second layer 18 ( not shown ) is attached to the first layer 15 . the mechanically expandable pad &# 39 ; s 10 opposed end edges 16 and pair of opposed longitudinal edges 17 making up the periphery 14 of the mechanically expandable pad 10 are shared by both the first layer 15 and the second layer 18 . the mechanically expandable pad 10 further comprises an expandable member 35 having a first end 36 and a second end 38 positioned between the first layer 15 and the second layer 18 . also , the expandable member 35 comprises a pair of longitudinal edges . preferably , the expandable member 35 will comprise at least two layers , as is shown in fig2 , and 4 . more specifically , the pad 10 will preferably comprise an expandable member 35 having a top layer 45 and a bottom layer 47 . ( fig2 - 4 ). in use , the end edges 36 and the longitudinal edges 38 of a multi - layered expandable member 35 line up with one another for attachment of layers along their aligned edges . suitable materials for use for the top layer 45 or bottom layer 47 are nonwovens , sponge material , polyethylene , polypropylene , suede , vinyl , leather , any of several known polymeric materials in the art and combinations thereof . the expandable member 35 may be fringed along its longitudinal edges . fig9 shows a top plan view of the top layer 47 of the expandable member 35 . as seen , fringes 60 line - up in a perpendicular orientation to the confining channel 20 . the purpose of the fringes 60 is to provide greater surface area and bulkiness to the member 35 . the fringes 60 shown in the top layer 47 correspond exactly to the fringes 60 ( not shown ) in the bottom layer 47 which is not shown . the fringes 60 most preferably consist of slits or cuts in the top layer 45 and the bottom layer 47 . such cutting can be done mechanically by a knife . additionally , the pad 10 will comprise cinch members attached thereto ; e . g ., first cinch member 22 and second cinch member 24 . first cinch member 22 is attached to the bottom layer 47 at the connection point 23 which is along the second end edge 38 of the expandable member 35 . in like fashion , second cinch member 24 is attached to the top layer 45 at the connection point 25 which is along the first end 36 of the expandable member 35 . this orientation is formed such that the cinch members 22 and 24 may be pulled into the direction opposite to the side of the expandable member 35 on which they are attached . it is further noted herein that the first cinch member 22 is preferably positioned adjacent to the top surface of the bottom layer 47 of the member 35 . also preferably , the second cinch member 24 is positioned adjacent to the bottom surface of the top layer 45 of the member 35 . the cinch members 22 and 24 are preferably attached at the connection points 23 and 25 by adhesive . however , the cinch members 22 and 24 may also be attached to the member 35 at the points 23 and 25 by mechanical means ( such as crimping , embossing , etc . ), ultrasonic bonding , thermal bonding , or any other suitable means known in the art . in practice each cinch member ( 22 and 24 ) will be pulled in opposite directions through the top layer 45 and the bottom layer 47 of the expandable member 35 . more specifically , the first cinch member 22 is positioned above the bottom layer 47 and the second cinch member is positioned below the top layer 45 . in this configuration , each cinch member is pulled through openings 40 and 41 . the openings 40 and 41 are formed by free spaces between the top layer 45 and the bottom layer 47 that are not attached to one - another . it should be noted herein that fig2 - 4 show exploded views of the expandable member 35 . in practice , the top layer 45 and bottom layer 47 are attached to one - another about their periphery , which includes their end edges 16 and their longitudinal edges 17 . such attachment may be provided by adhesive , thermal bonds , ultrasonic bonds , crimping , embossing , and other mechanical means . the expandable member 35 also comprises a confining channel 20 and connection lines 30 . as shown in fig1 the confining channel 20 extends in the direction of the x - axis from one longitudinal edge 17 to the other longitudinal edge 17 . the confining channel 20 is a channel formed by creating a secure attachment along the connection lines 30 shown . the attachment is between the top layer 45 and the bottom layer 47 . between the connection lines 30 are portions of unattachment between the top layer 45 and the bottom layer 47 which make up the openings 40 and 41 of the expandable member 35 . as is also shown , preferably , the connection lines 30 will extend along the first end 36 of the expandable member 35 and also along the second end 38 of the expandable member 35 to provide attachment along the ends 36 and 38 everywhere but at the openings 40 and 41 . again , the longitudinal edges 42 and 44 of the expandable member 35 are attached to one - another along their ends such that the expandable member 35 is jointly fitted and attached together everywhere except at the openings 40 and 41 . the attachments formed between the top layer 45 and the bottom layer 47 , the confining channel 20 and the connection lines are formed from suitable adhesives known in the art for use with absorbent articles . for example , the known adhesives in the art for securing a topsheet to a backsheet in a diaper , sanitary napkin or like article are highly desirable for the attachments listed above . adhesives which have been found to be satisfactory are manufactured by h . b . fuller . company of st . paul , minn . under the designation hl - 1258 or h - 2031 . other suitable bonding processes known in the art may also be used ; e . g ., ultrasonic bonding , thermal bonding , and others . when the cinch members 22 and 24 are pulled through their respective openings 40 and 41 , the ends 36 and 38 of the expandable member 35 are pulled closer together , thereby causing the mechanically expandable pad 10 to elevate out of the x - y plane and into the z - plane . such pulling of the cinch members 22 and 24 across the expandable member 35 forms a raised and puffed mechanically expandable pad center 70 which substantially breaks the x - y plane of the mechanically expandable pad orientation . ( see fig5 and 6 ). the hump 70 may be liquid transportive , liquid absorbent or have substantial qualities of both . where the hump 70 is primarily liquid transportive , it will therefore operate as a liquid distribution mechanism . specifically , the hump 70 will substantially not absorb liquids but will readily collect and distribute them to other liquid absorbing portions of the pad 10 ; e . g ., where an absorbent element exists within the pad 10 . such liquid distribution is performed by components in the expandable member 35 specifically designed for such liquid distribution . such components include the use of inherently hydrophobic fibers , polyethylene fibers , polypropylene fibers , capillary channel fibers , and cellulosic fibers treated with a hydrophobic agent thereon ; this list is not meant to be exhaustive . in fact , any fibers which are hydrophobic or made to be hydrophobic and are known in the art to be suitable for the use in an absorbent article are envisioned for the expandable member 35 . in addition , the expandable member 35 may be liquid absorbent . specifically , the member 35 may comprise absorbent elements which allow it readily receive and absorb liquids . these elements may be taken from the group consisting of cellulose fibers , functional absorbent materials ( i . e ., foam ), spongy materials , fibers treated to become hydrophilic and any other type of absorbent material known in the art an suitable for the pad 10 herein . in one embodiment of an absorbent pad 10 , absorbent gelling material may be used within the expandable member 35 to lock - in liquids at contact thereof . as mentioned above , the pad 10 may comprise substantial elements of both liquid distribution and absorbency . that is , the pad 10 may one part distributive and comprise the above - mentioned elements therefor and also another part absorbent and therefore also comprising the necessary elements of absorbency mentioned above . fig3 and 4 show alternative embodiments of the embodiment shown in fig2 . fig3 additionally comprises crease lines 37 which are additional lines of attachment between the top layer 45 and the bottom layer 47 of the expandable member 35 . the use of the crease lines 37 creates cinch profiles 50 ( fig5 and 6 ) whereby the expandable member 35 will cinch or hump in a prescribed fashion corresponding to the settings of the crease lines . for example , fig5 shows a cinch profile made up of a crease line 37 pattern which causes the resultant cinch profile 50 of the expandable member 35 . furthermore , in a multi - layered member 35 , this cinch profile 50 also indicates that the top layer 45 of the member 35 is more rigid than the bottom layer 47 . when the top layer 45 and the bottom layer 47 comprise materials having differing rigidities , whichever layer is most flexible will be the layer that partially , nearly or substantially conforms to the more rigid layer . at this conformity , especially where it is the pronounced sort shown in fig5 one layer of the expandable member 35 will be substantially elevated in the z - plane while the other layer either conforms substantially to the elevated layer or remains substantially planar ; i . e ., the less rigid layer either remains substantially planar or elevates to conform with the humps or creases of the more rigid layer . the crease lines 37 may be formed by adhesive such as that used to attach the top layer 45 and the bottom layer 47 of the expandable member 35 . additionally , the crease lines 37 may be formed from any suitable bonding process which will bind , i . e ., attach , those portions of the top layer 45 and the bottom layer 47 shown in fig3 - 5 . such bonding techniques include thermal bonding , ultrasonic bonding , crimping , embossing and any other suitable mechanical bonding technique known in the art . furthermore , any known bonding technique in the art suitable for attaching top layer 45 and bottom layer 47 is hereby proscribed herein . obviously , such one - sided conformity is important where it is desired to create a pad 10 that &# 34 ; puffs &# 34 ; or &# 34 ; humps &# 34 ; substantially in one direction . by the terms &# 34 ; puffs &# 34 ; or &# 34 ; humps &# 34 ; it is meant herein that the expandable member 35 will move out of the x and y planes and into the z - plane . however , fig6 shows an embodiment wherein both sides of the member 35 expand out of the x and y planes and into the z - plane . generally , this occurs when the multiple layers of the expandable member 35 are at least of approximately equal rigidity . this is also an important feature because for certain functions it may be desired to have a pad 10 which comprises a two - sided hump 70 . in an alternative embodiment herein , the exapandable member 35 may not form a hump 70 but rather a densification zone 70 . specifically , the densification zone 70 is a zone formed from the contracted member 35 that does not substantially form a hump ; i . e ., does not substantially protrude into the z - plane . at such contraction of the member 35 , a densified portion 70 is formed which substantially does not break into the z - plane . therefore , the expandable member 35 , when contracted , will develop into one of two forms : 1 ) a densified zone 70 that does not substantially elevate into the z - plane or 2 ) a hump 70 which does substantially elevate into the z - plane . the importance of a densification zone 70 , of which there may be many such zones 70 , is to provide densified zones of liquid collection , distribution and / or absorption . the zones 70 may , upon collection of liquids distribute the liquid to other portions of the pad 10 . otherwise or additionally , a densification zone may provide absorption of the aforesaid liquids , for example , right at the point of liquid impact . in an alternative embodiment of the invention as shown in fig7 the mechanically expandable pad 10 may further comprise a breakable package 75 that is attached to the expandable member 35 . note that alternatively , the breakable package 75 may also or separately be attached to one or both of the cinches 22 and / or 24 . when the ends 36 and 38 of the expandable member 35 are pulled toward one - another , the attached package 75 breaks and releases at least one type of substance within the interior of the mechanically expandable pad 10 . also alternatively , the mechanically expandable pad 10 may be so constructed as to allow the released substance ( s ) to disperse to and saturate through the first layer 15 and / or the second layer 18 of the mechanically expandable pad 10 . the breakable package 75 may comprise at least one material from the group consisting of perfume , oils , lotions , emollients , cyclodextrins , deodorizers , surfactants , bleaches , acids , alcohols and mixtures thereof . it is conceivable herein to provide a mechanically expandable pad for washing , cleaning or scrubbing in which all of the necessary substances to perform a task are located within the mechanically expandable pad 10 and released upon expansion of the mechanically expandable pad into the z - direction . it is also conceived herein that a mechanically expandable pad 10 having cinch members 22 and 24 may be employed that does not expand into the z - plane but rather , when such cinch members are activated , a breakable package attached thereto is broken and its substance dispersed into and throughout the mechanically expandable pad to perform a pre - determined function . as is shown in fig8 the breakable package 75 may be multi - compartmental in one preferred embodiment . further , each compartment 76 of the multi - compartmental package may comprise differing substances . the substances in each compartment may be chosen from the group consisting of perfumes , oils , lotions , emollients , cyclodextrins , deodorizers , surfactants , bleaches , bleach activators , chelants , builders , polymers , disinfectnats , acids , bases , alcohols and mixtures thereof . the breakable package 75 may be formed from polyethylene , polypropylene , nonwovens , or paper . the first layer 15 of the mechanically expandable pad 10 may be either fluid permeable or impermeable and formed from material thereof . likewise , the second layer may be fluid permeable or impermeable . in one embodiment , the first layer 15 of the mechanically expandable pad 10 may be used for cleaning ; the second layer 18 of the mechanically expandable pad 10 may be used for polishing or buffing , and vice versa . also , the mechanically expandable pad 10 may form one or more shapes from the group consisting of circles , squares , stars , triangles , multi - sided shapes and combinations thereof . suitable materials for use for the first layer 15 or second layer 18 are nonwovens , sponge material , polyethylene , polypropylene , suede , vinyl , leather , any of several known polymeric materials in the art and combinations thereof . it is also important to note that where the pad 10 comprises a bleach , acid or other toxic substance therein that the material used in the pad be fully resistant to molecular breakdown and decomposure . where either the first layer 15 and / or the second layer 18 is liquid permeable , the layers may be compliant , soft feeling , and non - irritating to the user &# 39 ; s skin . further , a liquid permeable layer permits liquids to readily penetrate through its thickness . a suitable liquid permeable layer may be manufactured from a wide range of materials , such as porous foams ; reticulated foams ; apertured plastic films ; or woven or nonwoven webs of natural fibers ( e . g ., wood or cotton fibers ), synthetic fibers ( e . g ., polyester or polypropylene fibers ), or a combination of natural and synthetic fibers . if the liquid permeable layer is made of a hydrophobic material , at least the upper surface thereof is treated to be hydrophilic so that liquids will transfer through the liquid permeable layer more rapidly . the liquid permeable layer can be rendered hydrophilic by treating it with a surfactant . suitable methods for treating the liquid permeable layer with a surfactant include spraying the material with the surfactant and immersing the material in the surfactant . a more detailed discussion of such a treatment and hydrophilicity is contained in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 988 , 344 entitled &# 34 ; absorbent articles with multiple layer absorbent layers &# 34 ; issued to reising , et al . of jan . 29 , 1991 . there are a number of manufacturing techniques which may be used to manufacture the liquid permeable layer . for example , the liquid permeable layer may be a nonwoven web of fibers . when the liquid permeable layer comprises a nonwoven web , the web may be spunbonded , carded , wet - laid , meltblown , hydroentangled , combinations of the above , or the like . a preferred liquid permeable layer is carded and thermally bonded by means well known to those skilled in the fabrics art . a preferred liquid permeable layer comprises staple length polypropylene fibers having a denier of about 2 . 2 . as used herein , the term &# 34 ; staple length fibers &# 34 ; refers to those fibers having a length of at least about 15 . 9 mm ( 0 . 625 inches ). preferably , the liquid permeable layer has a basis weight from about 18 to about 25 grams per square meter . a suitable liquid permeable layer is manufactured by veratec , inc ., a division of international paper company , of walpole , mass . under the designation p - 8 . either the first layer 15 and / or the second layer 18 may be liquid impervious to liquids . such a liquid impervious layer is preferably manufactured from a thin plastic film , although other flexible liquid impervious materials may also be used . as used herein , the term &# 34 ; flexible &# 34 ; refers to materials which are compliant and will readily conform to the general shape and contours of the human body . the liquid impervious layer may thus comprise a woven or nonwoven material , polymeric films such as thermoplastic films of polyethylene or polypropylene , or composite materials such as a film - coated nonwoven material . preferably , the liquid impervious layer is a thermoplastic film having a thickness of from about 0 . 012 mm ( 0 . 5 mil ) to about 0 . 051 mm ( 2 . 0 mils ). the liquid impervious layer preferably comprises a polyethylene blend film of about 0 . 025 mm ( 1 . 0 mil ) as is manufactured by tredegar corporation of terre haute , ind . and marketed as p8863 . preferably , once the cinch members 22 and 24 are pulled or extended through openings 40 and 41 , the cinch members will remain stationary such that the expanded structure of the expandable member 35 will remain in its expanded configuration . to these ends , one embodiment herein contemplates providing the cinch members with tape tabs and / or hooks and loops ( i . e ., fastening systems ) so that when the cinch members 22 and 24 are pulled , they may either be brought around to either the first layer 15 or second layer 18 of the mechanically expandable pad 10 and be secured thereto or secured to one - another . if , for example , the second layer 18 comprises a nonwoven layer , the ends of the cinch members 22 and 24 may have attached thereon a tab comprising hooks which can engage the nonwoven second layer 18 and remain fixed thereto . alternatively , if the second layer comprises polymer material , the ends of the cinch members 22 and 24 may likewise comprise tape tabs that readily adhere to the polymer layer . preferably , such tape tabs would also be readily releasable from the polymer layer . these cinch member attachments devices notwithstanding , preferably the cinch members 22 and 24 are constructed such that when they are pulled , the expandable member 35 remains in a cinched position by virtue of the rigidity of one or more of the layers ( top 45 or bottom 47 ) that make - up the expandable member 35 . exemplary fastening systems are disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 846 , 815 entitled &# 34 ; disposable diaper having an improved fastening device &# 34 ; issued to scripps on jul . 11 , 1989 ; u . s . pat . no . 4 , 894 , 060 entitled &# 34 ; disposable diaper with improved hook fastener portion &# 34 ; issued to nestegard on jan . 16 , 1990 ; u . s . pat . no . 4 , 946 , 527 entitled &# 34 ; pressure - sensitive adhesive fastener and method of making same &# 34 ; issued to battrell on aug . 7 , 1990 ; u . s . pat . no . 3 , 848 , 594 entitled &# 34 ; tape fastening system for disposable diaper &# 34 ; issued to buell on nov . 19 , 1974 ; u . s . pat . no . 4 , 662 , 875 entitled &# 34 ; absorbent article &# 34 ; issued to hirotsu et al . on may 5 , 1987 ; and the herein before referenced u . s . pat . application ser . no . 07 / 715 , 152 ; each of which is incorporated herein by reference . exemplary fastening systems comprising mechanical fastening components ( i . e ., hooks and loops ) are described in u . s . pat . no . 5 , 058 , 247 entitled &# 34 ; mechanical fastening prong &# 34 ; issued to thomas oct . 22 , 1991 ; u . s . pat . no . 4 , 869 , 724 entitled &# 34 ; mechanical fastening systems with adhesive tape disposal means for disposal of absorbent articles &# 34 ; issued to scripps on sep . 26 , 1989 ; and u . s . pat . no . 4 , 846 , 815 entitled &# 34 ; disposable diaper having an improved fastening device &# 34 ; issued to scripps on jul . 11 , 1989 . an example of a fastening system having combination mechanical / adhesive fasteners is described in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 946 , 527 entitled &# 34 ; pressure - sensitive adhesive fastener and method of making same &# 34 ; issued to battrell on aug . 7 , 1990 . each of these patents are incorporated herein by reference . while particular embodiments of the present invention have been illustrated and described , it would be obvious to those skilled in the art that various other changes and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention . it is therefore intended to cover in the appended claims all such changes and modifications that are within the scope of this invention .
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referring to fig5 and 6 , an input protection transistor 180 according to the present invention comprises : a p well 202 formed on a p type substrate 200 ; a field oxide film 204 for electrically isolating a field region 203 from another field region ; n + source / drain regions 206a and 206b formed in the field region 203 apart from each other ; an oxide film 210 formed on a region in a major surface of the substrate , between the n + source / drain regions 206a and 206b ; a first gate 212 formed on the oxide film 210 ; an oxide film 214 formed on the first gate 212 ; a second gate 216 formed on the oxide film 214 ; an interlayer insulation film 218 formed on the semiconductor substrate 200 so as to cover the first and second gates ; and an aluminum interconnection 222 electrically connected to the n + source / drain regions 206a and 206b through a contact hole 220 made in the interlayer insulation film 218 . as shown in fig5 the second gate 216 is electrically connected to an aluminum interconnection 219 through a contact hole 217 . fig7 a and 7b show the input protection transistor and its peripheral circuit shown in fig5 and 6 . referring to fig7 a , an electrode pad 12 is connected through an interconnection 14 to an inverter 160 as one example of an internal logic circuit . the above described input protection circuit 180 is connected to the interconnection 14 so as not to apply an overvoltage to the inverter 160 . in the input protection transistor 180 , one n + source / drain region 206a is connected to the interconnection 14 , while the other n + source / drain region 206b , the second gate 216 as a gate electrode and the semiconductor substrate 200 are all grounded . when a surge voltage is applied to the electrode pad 12 , a charge flows into the semiconductor substrate 200 through the interconnection 14 and through the n + source / drain region 206a , but is prevented from flowing into a gate electrode of the inverter 160 . a drain of the input protection transistor 180 is formed only of a high concentration impurity region without the low concentration impurity region as shown in fig2 c , so that the gradient of intensity of an electric field in the drain is comparatively large , resulting in no destruction of the input protection transistor . modifications of the input protection transistor are shown in fig8 a , 8b , 8c , 8d , 8e , 8f and 8g . in an input protection transistor shown in fig8 a and 8b , not second gate 216 but the first gate 212 is grounded . the first gate 212 is grounded for the purpose that a charge is made possible to be stored between the first gate 212 and the semiconductor substrate 200 so as to increase a capacitance of the input protection transistor and thus make an extra charge provided to the electrode pad 12 easily escape into the semiconductor substrate 200 . fig8 c and 8d show such a case that both the first and second gates 212 and 216 are grounded . fig8 e and 8f show a case where the first gate 212 is grounded , while the second gate 216 is connected to the electrode pad 12 . when the connection is carried out as shown in the fig8 e and 8f , it gives a structure that a drain - gate overlap capacitance c 1 , a capacitance across a floating gate and a control gate ( an interlayer capacitance ) c 2 , and a drain - substrate junction capacitance c 3 are connected in parallel , as shown in fig8 g , so that charge absorbing capabilities by these capacitances are increased and thus a surge breakdown voltage is increased . description will now be given of a process for manufacturing the semiconductor device according to one embodiment of the present invention , with reference to fig9 a - 9k . since processing steps to be carried out before the step of fig9 a are identical to those shown in fig3 a - 3f , a description thereof will not be repeated . the processing steps shown in fig9 a - 9k are in correspondence with those shown in fig3 g - 3q . referring to fig9 a , a polysilicon film 212 having a thickness of approximately 3000 å is formed on the overall surface of a p type silicon substrate 200 , and is then doped with phosphorus to be made of n type . a resist film 234 is then formed on the polysilicon film in an eprom region 32 and in an input protection transistor region 36 by employing photolithography . next , with the resist film 234 used as a mask , the polysilicon film 212 is etched , so that the polysilicon film 212 is left at the eprom region 32 and input protection transistor region 36 . the resist film 234 is then removed . in order to regulate a threshold voltage of an mos transistor , repetition of applying the resist and implanting ions carries out channel doping for each transistor , and further , the oxide film 66 other than beneath the polysilicon film 212 is removed . referring to fig9 b , a gate oxide film 236 having a thickness of approximately 250 å is formed in the cmos region 34 by oxidation . at this time , an oxide film 214 is formed on the side surface and the upper surface of the polysilicon film 212 . a polysilicon film 216a having a thickness of approximately 2800 å is formed on the overall surface of the silicon substrate 200 and is then doped with phosphorus . thereafter , a molybdenum silicide film 216b having a thickness of approximately 2300 å is formed on the polysilicon film 216a . as shown in fig9 c , a resist film 238 is formed on the overall surface of the cmos region 34 and in gate forming regions of the eprom region 32 and input protection transistor region 36 . etching is then carried out , with the resist film 238 used as a mask , so as to remove the molybdenum silicide film 216b , the polysilicon film 216a , the oxide film 214 , the polysilicon film 212 and gate oxide film 66 . in regions in the eprom region 32 and input protection transistor region 36 other than their gate forming regions . the polysilicon film 212 left in the eprom region 32 constitutes a floating gate , and the polysilicon film 216a and molybdenum silicide film 216b constitute a control gate . the polysilicon film 212 left in the input protection transistor region 36 constitutes the first gate shown in fig6 while the polysilicon film 216a and molybdenum silicide film 216b in the region 36 constitute the second gate 216 . a gate length of the gate in the eprom region 32 is approximately 1 . 2 μm , while that of the gate in the input protection transistor region 36 is approximately 3 . 0 μm . the resist film 238 is then removed . referring to fig9 d , arsenic is ion - implanted into the overall surface of the semiconductor substrate 200 , with the molybdenum silicide film 216b used as a mask thereby forming an n + source / drain region 206 in a surface region of each of the eprom region 32 and the input protection transistor region 36 . with reference to fig9 e , a resist film 240 is formed on a gate forming region of the cmos region 34 and on the overall surface of the eprom region 32 and input protection transistor region 36 . with the resist film 240 used as a mask , etching is then carried out so as to remove the molybdenum silicide film 216b and polysilicon film 216a formed in regions in the cmos region 34 other than its gate forming region . therefore , gate electrodes 242 and 244 are formed in the cmos region 34 . a gate length lc of the gate electrode 242 is approximately 1 . 5 μm , while that of the gate electrode 244 is approximately 1 . 3 μm . the resist film 240 is then removed . referring to fig9 f , a resist film 246 is formed on the overall surfaces of the eprom region 32 , a p channel transistor region 33 which is a portion of the cmos region 34 , and the input protection transistor region 36 . phosphorus is then ion - implanted with the resist film 246 and the gate electrode 244 used as masks , thereby forming an n - source / drain region 248 in an n channel transistor region 35 . the resist film 246 is then removed . referring to fig9 g , an oxide film is formed by a cvd ( chemical vapor deposition ) method on the overall surface of the silicon substrate 200 having gate electrodes on its surface , and is then subjected to anisotropical etching by an rie ( reactive ion etching ) method . accordingly , sidewalls 250 are formed at peripheries of the gates 212 and 216 in the cmos region 32 and input protection transistor region 36 , and at peripheries of the respective gate electrodes 242 and 244 in the p channel transistor region 33 and n channel transistor region 35 . a resist film 252 is formed on the overall surface of the p channel transistor region 33 . next , arsenic is ion - implanted , employing the resist film 252 , the gates 212 , 216 and 244 in the cmos region 32 , n channel transistor region 35 and input protection transistor region 36 , and the sidewalls 250 at their peripheries as masks . thus , an n + source / drain region 254 is formed in the n channel transistor region 35 , resulting in a so - called ldd structure . at this time , since n + ions are further implanted into the n + source / drain region 206 in the eprom region 32 and input protection transistor region 36 , impurity concentration of regions other than beneath the sidewalls 250 is further increased . implantation of arsenic into molybdenum silicide films 216 and 244 in the eprom region 32 , n channel transistor region 35 and input protection transistor region 36 is useful for planarization of a film to be formed on the films 216 and 244 , as will be described later . the resist film 252 is then removed . with reference to fig9 h , a resist film 256 is formed on the overall surfaces of the eprom region 32 , n channel transistor region 35 and input protection transistor region 36 . boron is then ion - implanted with the resist film 256 , the gate 242 and the sidewalls 250 at their peripheries used as masks . thus , a p + source / drain region 258 is formed in the p channel transistor region 33 . the resist film 256 is then removed . for activation , a heat treatment is then carried out , for example , in nitrogen atmosphere . referring to fig9 i , a bpsg film 260 having a thickness of approximately 1000 å is formed on the whole surface of the silicon substrate 200 by the cvd method . a resist film 262 is formed thereafter on a predetermined region of the bpsg film 260 . etching is then carried out with the resist film 262 used as a mask so as to form contact holes 264 . the resist film 262 is then removed . referring to fig9 j , an al - si film 266 is formed by sputtering on the bpsg film 260 so as to fill the contact holes 264 . a resist film 268 is then formed on a predetermined region on the al - si film 266 , and thereafter etching is carried out with the resist film 268 used as a mask . accordingly , an al - si interconnection layer is formed . the resist film 268 is then removed . with reference to fig9 k , a protection film 270 made of a silicon nitride or a silicon oxide is formed on the whole surface of the silicon substrate 200 . through the foregoing steps , such a semiconductor device is manufactured as to have a double - gate structure in the eprom region 32 and in the input protection transistor region 36 and have an ldd structure in the n - channel transistor region other than the eprom region 32 and input protection transistor region 36 . this manufacturing method makes it possible to simultaneously form the input protection transistor and the memory transistor , through a smaller number of the processing steps than those required for forming the input protection transistor as a single - layered gate separately from the memory transistor , thereby facilitating the manufacture . when source / drain regions are formed in the eprom region 32 and input protection transistor region 36 in the process shown in fig9 g described above , arsenic is also ion - implanted into a molybdenum silicide film 216b of the gate 216 . accordingly , there is an advantage that a flat film can be formed on the molybdenum silicide film 216b as will be describe later . fig1 a - 10e show the changing process , according to the process after fig9 d , of the gate electrode and its peripheries in cross section in case where arsenic is not ion - implanted into the molybdenum silicide film . fig1 a - 11c show the process in cross - section in case where arsenic is ion - implanted into the molybdenum silicide film . the above described advantage will now be described with reference to fig1 a - 10e and 11a - 11c . referring to fig1 a , the gate 216 is exposed . this state of the gate 216 exposed corresponds to the state shown in fig9 d . arsenic is ion - implanted into regions to be source / drain so that ions are not implanted into the gate 216 . then , a heat treatment is carried out for oxidation and activation . accordingly , a silicon oxide film 217 is formed on the surface of the gate 216 , and thus molybdenum silicide of the film 216b is polycrystallized , as shown in fig1 b . next , in order to form sidewalls , a silicon oxide film 219 is formed on the overall surface of the substrate and is then etched by the rie method . this causes sidewalls 250 to be formed at peripheries of the gates 216 and 212 , with the surface of the molybdenum silicide film 216b being exposed , as shown in fig1 c . this state corresponds to the state shown in fig9 g . next , in the step of forming p + source / drain in the p - channel transistor region 33 , when a heat treatment is carried out for oxidation and activation after ion implantation , molybdenum silicide is sublimated as moo 2 , moo 3 , as shown in fig1 d , so that the film 216b becomes thinner , whereby a porous thick silicon oxide film 21 is formed on the molybdenum silicide film 216b with its peripheries built up higher than its central portion . this produces a steep step or a steep configuration at gate portion . when the bpsg film 260 is formed covering the gate portion , as shown in fig1 e , the bpsg film 260 has a steep step portion 260a . therefore , if an al interconnection layer is formed after the formation of bpsg film 260 , an undesired residue al remains at the step portion 260a . referring to fig1 a , as shown in the embodiment of the present invention , if arsenic is ion - implanted into the molybdenum silicide film 216b upon the formation of source / drain regions , molybdenum silicide of a portion 216c of the film 216b is made amorphous . thus , a silicon oxide film 217 is formed uniformly on the molybdenum silicide film 216b as shown in fig1 b . accordingly , as shown in fig1 c , the bpsg film 260 no longer has such a steep step portion as shown in fig1 e , but is well planarized , which thus becomes advantageous for forming a multilayer interconnection . while the semiconductor device having the eprom has been described in the above embodiment , the present invention is not limitative to the eprom but also applicable to any semiconductor devices having the double - layered gate structure . for example , the invention is applicable to an eeprom ( electrically erasable programmable read only memory ). while the p type substrate is employed as the substrate in the above embodiment , an n type substrate may be employed , offering the same effect . although the present invention has been described and illustrated in detail , it is clearly understood that the same is by way of illustration and example only and is not to be taken by way of limitation , the spirit and scope of the present invention being limited only by the terms of the appended claims .
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in the following description , the details of an attachment characterizing the invention as applied to an electric typewriter are described first , and then the operations will be generalized to the invention as applied to a whole class of keyboards . the typewriter on which the invention is to be attached is supposed to be secured onto a horizontal surface as if it were to be secured for use by a typist in a usual manner . it will be obvious , at the end of the description , that once the invention is attached onto said typewriter , the combination of said attachment and typewriter can work properly in any orientation imaginable , in the operations to be described , provided that said typewriter can tolerate such an orientation . referring to the drawing of fig1 the attachment characterizing this invention as applied to a typewriter keyboard comprises a plate 10 of adequate thickness , and of low - friction , low - wear material , having a plurality of cylindrical apertures 11 , 12 , 13 and 14 to be positioned directly above the keys of the keyboard of the typewriter to which the attachment is to be put on . there are as many of these apertures as the number of keys of the keyboard to be manipulated , said apertures accommodate slidably in a free manner a corresponding number of preferably cylindrical rods 21 , 22 , 23 , and 24 , defined as push - rods . it is to be noticed that 11 , 12 , 13 , and 14 are to be repeated from ten to twelve times in an attachment to a normal typewriter , on four lines which are essentially rectilinear and parallel to the lines of characters appearing on the paper attached to the carriage of the typewriter in a normal typing session . for the intelligence of the description , these parallel lines of apertures and their corresponding lines of push - rods are referred to from now on as rows of apertures 11 , 12 , 13 , and 14 , and rows of push - rods 21 , 22 , 23 , and 24 . owing to the standards generally adopted in typewriter manufacturing at the present time , the distances between the apertures and between push - rods in a row are essentially the same for each typewriter , and vary slightly around 3 / 4 of an inch . in one embodiment of this invention , the apertures 11 , 12 , 13 , and 14 have the same diameter , which is slightly larger than the diameter adopted for all the push - rods 21 , 22 , 23 , and 24 which have a nominal diameter of 3 / 16 &# 34 ;. the length of the push - rods , however , is only the same for the same row , and varies from one row to another for the purpose of accommodating the staircase arrangement of the rows of keys of said keyboard , in a manner such that , while each rod bears directly on its lower tip on each key of the typewriter , its upper tip is essentially at the same horizontal level as all the upper tips of the other push - rods . this horizontal level is at a suitable distance above the upper surface of plate 10 , said distance being preferably 1 / 4 &# 34 ; for an attachment to an electric typewriter . slidably moving back and forth in a direction orthogonal to rows of apertures 11 , 12 , 13 , and 14 , and parallel to plate 10 and positioned about 5 / 8 &# 34 ; above plate 10 is a plurality of flat , rectangular stips 40 of about 1 / 16 &# 34 ; of thickness , made of firm , low - friction , low - wear material , each having essentially circular apertures 41 , 42 , 43 , and 44 . these strips will be referred to as selecting elements . under the influence of pull solenoid 45 , spring 46 , and guide 82 , apertures 41 , 42 , 43 , and 44 of each selecting element 40 can be made to move back and forth in a rectilinear translation in a direction orthogonal to the rows 11 , 12 , 13 and 14 of apertures of plate 10 . the pattern of locations of apertures 41 , 42 , 43 , and 44 on each selecting element 40 can be seen in fig2 . fig5 shows twelve of these selecting elements 40 , with their apertures 41 , 42 , 43 , and 44 positioned above their corresponding push - rods and keys of the keyboard of a typewriter of the american electric standard type . it can be seen in this fig5 that one of these selecting elements 40 has only one of its apertures , aperture 41 , correspond to one of the keys of the keyboard , and another selecting element next to said first one has three of its apertures , apertures 41 , 42 , and 43 , correspond to three keys of the keyboard ; while all the remaining selecting elements have each its four apertures correspond to four keys of the keyboard . the pattern of locations of apertures of all selecting elements follows that which would correspond to the keys of said keyboard that would occupy the positions of the keys intended for the printing of characters &# 34 ; 6 ,&# 34 ; &# 34 ; t ,&# 34 ; &# 34 ; g ,&# 34 ; and &# 34 ; v &# 34 ; on said typewriter keyboard . as can be seen in fig1 the amplitude of the linear translational movement of selecting elements 40 is limited by means for limiting stops 48 and 49 . washers 49 secured on the plunger of each solenoid 45 , limit said movement of the selecting elements to the left ; while l - shape channel 48 limits said movement to the right . always referring to fig1 the left limiting position of the selecting elements will be referred to as the operative position , and the right limiting position of said selecting elements will be referred to as the inoperative position of said selecting elements . in the rest of this specification , the description of the operation of the invention is done as if each selecting element had all of its four apertures 41 , 42 , 43 , and 44 correspond to four keys of the keyboard . it will be obvious that such description would cover all other selecting elements with lesser number of apertures involved in the operation . slidable in reciprocal movements through apertures 41 , 42 , 43 , and 44 of selecting elements 40 are sticks 51 , 52 , 53 , and 54 , referred to as push - sticks . each push - stick , preferably , is formed with steel wire of about 16 gauge into a loop of inside diameter about 130 mils at one end , and into a straight line at the rest of the stick . details of such an embodiment of push - sticks can be seen in fig4 a . in the attachment for said electric typewriter , twelve push - sticks 51 are linked through their loops to the elongated , rectilinear part of about 1 / 8 &# 34 ; in diameter , of a bar 61 , which is also referred to as push - bar 61 , constructed as depicted in fig3 . spacers 66 , mounted between loops of said push - sticks , serve as means for maintaining the points of rotatable linkage between push - sticks and push - bars well located and stabilized on each push - bar . thus , referring to fig1 and repeating push - sticks 51 twelve times on push - bar 61 , it can be seen that all the loops of push - sticks 51 rotate on the same axis , are essentially parallel to themselves , and are orthogonal to that part of push - bar 61 going through them . similarly , eleven push - sticks 52 are rotatably linked to push - bar 62 ; eleven push - sticks 53 are rotatably linked to push - bar 63 ; and ten push - sticks 54 are rotatably linked to push - bar 64 . to be understood is that each push - rod in rows 21 , 22 , 23 , and 24 has one corresponding push - stick positioned above it as seen in fig1 . push - bar 61 is designed and mounted to be moved on command with proper strength and duration by an electrical pulse via solenoid 65 of a pull type , in a manner as to drive the axis of all the loops of push - sticks 51 rotating around it through an arc which is of small circular angle ; said arc being assimilable practically with a rectilinear excursion of about 1 / 4 &# 34 ;, in a direction vertical and going through the axes of all the push - rods 21 . in the preferred embodiment , this latter direction can be seen as orthogonal to the direction of movement of the selecting elements and to the direction of the elongated , rectilinear part of push - bar 61 . one way of implementing means for moving push - bar 61 in the described manner is to use a solenoid 65 of the pull type , a spring , and simple linkages well known in the art , as shown in fig3 . means for limiting the movement of the plunger of the solenoid 65 , and consequently the movement of the push - bar 61 , between two extreme positions , can be arranged as for the solenoids 45 and selecting elements 40 . these two positions for push - bar 61 , referring to fig1 are : the highest , referred to also as the inoperative position , and the lowest , referred to also as the operative position of push - bar 61 . when push - bar 61 is moved from inoperative position to operative position , one of two situations would happen : either the lower tip of one of the push - sticks 51 would go down vertically and bear on the circular area of the upper tip of one of the push - rods 21 corresponding to that push - stick and push that push - rod down a distance of about 3 / 16 &# 34 ;, or else , would go through a zone beyond the area of the upper tip of said particular push - rod 21 , and thus would have no effect on said push - rod 21 . one of these situations , made mutually exclusive , would happen depending whether the particular selecting element 40 through aperture 41 thereof slides push - stick 51 was moved to operative position or not at that particular moment . if said particular selecting element was moved to operative position , it would be pulled to the left in fig1 and the translational action of aperture 41 would cause the straight stick of push - stick 51 to be in a direction practically vertical that would go through the center of the upper tip surface of said push - rod 21 , and action on said push - rod would take place , and the corresponding key of said push - rod would be caused to move down about 3 / 16 &# 34 ; and held at that position long enough to cause the character corresponding to said key to be printed on the paper attached to the carriage of said typewriter . in the contrary , if said particular selecting element 40 was in the inoperative position at that particular moment , there would be no action on push - rod 21 . similar situations apply to push - rods 22 , 23 , and 24 , corresponding push - sticks 52 , 53 , and 54 , corresponding apertures 42 , 43 , and 44 of selecting elements , corresponding keys of the keyboard and push - bars 62 , 63 and 64 . in the operation of the invention , each time a character is to be printed , a code , e . g . one of the 128 possible 7 - bit codes of ascii , corresponding to that character is sent to the electronics of the attachment . this electronics decodes and translates this code uniquely into one electrical pulse of proper strength and duration for one and only one of the twelve solenoids 45 , and another electrical pulse of proper strength , duration and delay with respect to the first pulse , for one and only one of the four solenoids 65 . it can be seen then , one and only one character coresponding to the combined effects of one particular selecting element 40 and of one particular push - bar 61 , 62 , 63 or 64 , would be printed . the electronics of the attachment also issues an electrical pulse of proper strength , duration and a proper time ahead of the aforementioned pulses to cause the typewriter to shift up , shift down , stay up or stay down , by means of proper solenoids and linkages , in order to take care of the dual - character keys of the keyboard . as an extra part of this invention is the actuation of the class of keys characterized by &# 34 ; shift ,&# 34 ; &# 34 ; space ,&# 34 ; &# 34 ; tab ,&# 34 ; &# 34 ; carriage return ,&# 34 ; and &# 34 ; back space ,&# 34 ; which can be done more efficiently with solenoids dedicated to these functions , along with simple levers , linkages , and push - rods positioned correspondingly on the keys related to those functions . in this invention , as applied to a standard electric typewriter , eighty - eight characters can be manipulated remotely with only eighteen relatively small solenoids and their driving circuits . ( two solenoids are used in tandem for the shift - up and shift - down function to simplify the driving circuits ). this amount of hardware is relatively small compared to that required by the brute - force , one - solenoid - per - key , approach that would utilized forty - six solenoids of the same size as in this invention , with their forty - six driving circuits . this economy in hardware , and in cost , is realized whenever the invention is applicable to a keyboard of great number of keys . the greater the number of keys , the greater the economy realized , compared to said brute - force approach . the electronics can be made as sophisticated as necessary for parallel or serial communications with a remote station sending the codes , and can be implemented with state - of - the - art electronic components . each aperture of the selecting elements is such that it is large enough as to allow a large push - stick to slide in and out thereof but small enough as to ensure the suitable rigidity and durability of each selecting element and at the same time such that the movement of each selecting element between inoperative and operative positions does not create by friction the same movement in any of the other selecting elements . concavity which will enhance the reliability of the operation of the invention , and convexity for low - marring effect on keys of the keyboard can be machined into the upper and lower tips of the push - rods as shown in sectional view of fig1 . fig4 ( a ), 4 ( b ), and 4 ( c ) show three slightly varied forms of implementing means for rotatably linking the push - sticks to the push - bars . in all these forms , said elongated part of a push - bar is cylindrical and about 1 / 8 &# 34 ; in diameter . in fig4 ( a ), a push - stick is formed with steel wire of about 1 / 16 &# 34 ; in diameter into a loop of about 130 mils of inside diameter at one end , and into a straight stick at the rest of the push - stick . in fig4 ( b ), a push - stick is composed of a piece of low - friction , low - wear material having an aperture of inside diameter of about 130 mils and having attached thereto a straight stick of steel of about 1 / 16 &# 34 ; of diameter . in fig4 ( c ), a push - stick is formed in one piece , with a loop of inside diameter of about 130 mils at one end and a straight stick at the remainder . such a push - stick can be made of low - friction , low - wear materials by many processes well known in the art . in all three said forms of implementing means for rotatably linking the push - sticks to the push - bars , spacing means , similar to spacers 66 in fig3 is to be used to maintain the points of rotatable linkage between push - sticks and push - bars well located and stabilized on each push - bar . fig4 ( e ) and 4 ( g ) show another form of implementing said rotatable linkage . in this form , the elongated part of each push - bar is made of a straight strip of firm material such as steel of proper thickness . secured parallely to this strip by any means is another strip of similar material and similar dimensions having such apertures and such forming as to constitute with the first strip properly located , elongated rotatable bearings for push - sticks depicted in fig4 ( f ); said push - sticks being made as l - shaped sticks of firm material , preferably steel , of circular section of about 1 / 16 &# 34 ;. it is seen readily that spacing between push - sticks on the same push - bar is inherently built in here . the four forms of rotatable linkage just described are equally good in situations where the invention is applied to a keyboard in which the keys are readily groupable in rows and columns , one of said rows crossing one of said columns at an angle of ninety degrees . these four forms of rotatable linkage , however , will cause difficulties in the operation of the invention if said angle deviates appreciably from ninety degrees . in the most general cases , this angle not only would deviate appreciably from ninety degrees , it could vary from one crossing to another . the form of rotatable linkage depicted in fig4 ( d ) would make the operation of the invention possible in these most general cases . in this form , the elongated part of a push - bar is made similarly to the linkage depicted in fig4 ( e ) and 4 ( g ), in a manner as to form rotatable ball - and - socket joints with the globules at one end of the push - sticks ; each globule being of a diameter suitably greater than that of the rest of the push - stick , preferably made with a straight piece of steel wire of about 16 gauge . this last ball - and - socket form of rotatable linkage not only allows each push - stick in this case to rotate freely through a suitable angle in a plane as a push - stick in one of the aforementioned forms of linkage , it allows readily each push - stick to rotate freely through a suitable solid angle in space around the point of linkage . it can be seen also that spacing between push - sticks on the same push - bar is built in here , too . it can be thus appreciated that this last form of rotatable linkage allows the invention to be applicable to all the practical keyboards having a great number of keys arranged in any reasonably coordinated manner . when applied specifically to the keyboard of a typewriter , the operation of the invention can be improved with some extra parts that contribute to the strengthening of the attachment which characterizes the invention , and that allow the attachment to be quickly and easily put on , or removed from said typewriter . such parts can be seen in fig1 as a base 70 on which said typewriter is positioned and secured with fastening means that does not allow the removal of said typewriter therefrom unintentionally ; two side walls 80 secured to plate 10 and supporting it a suitable distance from base 70 , when said side walls are put to rest on said base in their operational position ; a square - section channel 84 secured at each of its ends to one of said side walls ; and finally limiters 83 secured on plate 10 along the rows of push - rods and protrusion 21a , as seen in fig6 formed in the upper tips of all the push - rods , serving the purpose of limiting the movement of the push - rods between an upper position , also referred to as inoperative position , and a lower position , also referred to as operative position of the push - rods . limiters 83 ensure the reliable operation of the invention when the combination attachment and typewriter is in such position as to orient the push - rods on a non upright and vertical direction , by preventing the push - rods from going in the direction from plate 10 to selecting elements 40 so far as to render the operation of the push - sticks difficult or impossible . protrusion 21a on the upper tips of the push - rods prevents the push - rods from falling out of plate 10 when the attachment is removed from the typewriter . the attachment can further have a cover for protection from dust and for decoration purpose , and can be managed to have room for the necessary electronics and power supplies . the whole attachment for a typewriter which is secured on a base in the manner described , can be put into the operational position on said typewriter by proper means for repeatably positioning the undersides of said side walls on the upper surface of said base , and fastening them thereto , in such a manner as to align the lower tips of all the push - rods on top of the correspondent keys of the keyboard . as the tops of said keys move along with the lower tips of the corresponding push - rods between two positions , the upper and lower positions of the keys are also referred to as the inoperative and operative positions of the keys , respectively , in the general assumption that , on the keyboard of a standard typewriter , said lower position of the keys is the one that actuates the functions intended for said keys . the invention having been described , it is to be understood that the different dimensions and forms of implementation set forth in this specification are for better visualization of the disclosure , are capable of further modification and variations , and should not be construed as to limit the scope of the invention , which is limited only by the appended claims .
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embodiments of the inventive concept will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings . the inventive concept , however , may be embodied in various different forms , and should not be construed as being limited only to the illustrated embodiments . rather , these embodiments are provided as examples so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete , and will fully convey the inventive concept to those skilled in the art . throughout the attached drawings , like reference numerals denote like elements . hereinafter , an exemplary embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings . as shown in fig1 , a computer system according to an embodiment of the inventive concept includes a storage device 1000 , a host device 2000 , and a connector 3000 . in detail , the storage device 1000 includes a processor 110 , a rom 120 , a ram 130 , a storage medium interface ( storage medium i / f ) 140 , a storage medium 150 , a host interface ( host i / f ) 160 , a nonvolatile memory device 170 , a power supply device 180 , and a bus 190 . the host device 2000 performs a process of issuing a command for operating the storage device 1000 , transmitting the issued command to the storage device 1000 connected via the connector 3000 , and transmitting or receiving data to or from the storage device 1000 according to the issued command . the connector 3000 is a means for electrically connecting an interface port of the host device 2000 and an interface port of the storage device 1000 , and includes a data connector and a power connector . for example , when a serial advanced technology attachment ( sata ) i / f is used , the connector 3000 may include a 7 - pin sata data connector and a 15 - pin sata power connector . first of all , the components of the storage device 1000 will be described . the power supply device 180 is a device for supplying a power source voltage required for the storage device 1000 , and serves to supply reserved power to the storage device 1000 when power is abnormally cut off . in fig1 , a power line is indicated by the dotted line . the operation of the power supply device 180 will be described with reference to fig1 . as shown in fig1 , the power supply device 180 includes a power supply unit 310 , a reserved power charging unit 320 , and a power distribution unit 330 . the power supply unit 310 is a means for supplying power required for the storage device 1000 in a normal power on state . the reserved power charging unit 320 is a means for supplying reserved power required for performing an operation of storing address map change information required for recovering address map information in the nonvolatile memory device 170 in the storage device 1000 when power supplied from the power supply unit 310 is abnormally turned off . a detailed operation of the reserved power charging unit 320 will be described in detail with reference to fig1 and 13 . the power distribution unit 330 serves to select power generated from the power supply unit 310 or the reserved power charging unit 320 and distribute the selected power to a required circuit in the storage device 1000 under the control of the processor 110 . in particular , in case of abnormal power off , the power distribution unit 330 supplies power charged in the reserved power charging unit 320 to the storage device 1000 according to a second control signal ctl 2 applied from the processor 110 . for reference , when the storage device 1000 is initialized , the processor 110 generates a first control signal ctl 1 having a logical value for connecting a first input terminal in 1 and an output terminal out of the power distribution unit 330 . and , while power is being normally supplied , the processor 110 generates the first control signal ctl 1 having a logical value for connecting a first input terminal in 1 and an output terminal out of the power distribution unit 330 . when power supply is abnormally turned off , the processor 110 generates a first control signal ctl 1 having a logical value for connecting a second input terminal in 2 and the output terminal out of the power distribution unit 330 . when a voltage of power applied to the storage device is dropped to below a threshold voltage in a state in which a power off control signal is not generated , the processor 110 determines that abnormal power off has occurred . namely , when the voltage of power output from the power supply device 180 is dropped to below the threshold voltage in a power on mode , the processor 110 determines that abnormal power off has occurred . in this manner , while power is normally supplied according to the first control signal ctl 1 generated by the processor 110 , power generated from the power supply unit 310 is supplied to the storage device 1000 , and when power supply is abnormally turned off , power generated by the reserved power charging unit 320 is supplied to the storage device 1000 . first , an operation of a reserved power charging unit 320 ′ according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to fig1 . as illustrated in fig1 , the reserved power charging unit 320 ′ according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a first switching unit sw 1 and a capacitor c 1 . a power source voltage vd generated by the power supply unit 310 is applied to a first terminal t 1 of the first switching unit sw 1 , a first terminal of the capacitor c 1 is connected to a second terminal t 2 of the first switching unit sw 1 , and a second terminal of the capacitor c 1 is connected to a ground . a second control signal ctl 2 for controlling the switching operation of the first switching unit sw 1 is applied to a control terminal t 3 of the first switching unit sw 1 . the second control signal ctl 2 is generated by the processor 110 as follows . the processor 110 generates the second control signal ctl 2 having a logical value for connecting the first terminal t 1 and the second terminal t 2 of the first switching unit sw 1 in a power on state . when abnormal power off occurs , the processor 110 generates a second control signal ctl 2 having a logical value for cutting off the first terminal t 1 and the second terminal t 2 of the first switching unit sw 1 . in this manner , according to the generated second control signal ctl 2 , in a power on state , the power source voltage vd is charged to the capacitor c 1 , and in a state in which supplied power is abnormally cut off , the voltage charged in the capacitor c 1 is applied to the second input terminal in 2 of the power distribution unit 330 . namely , when the supplied power is abnormally cut off , the voltage charged in the capacitor c 1 is supplied as reserved power to the storage device . with reference back to fig1 , the processor 110 interprets commands and controls the components of the data storage device according to the interpretation results . the processor generates various control signals required for controlling the power supply device 180 . also , the processor 110 may include a code object management unit , and may load a code object stored in the storage medium 150 to the ram 130 by using the code object management unit . the processor 110 loads code objects to the ram 130 for executing the method for managing address map information and the access method in a disk drive according to the flow charts of fig1 to 24 , and the method for managing address map information through a network according to the flow chart of fig4 . then , the processor 110 may execute tasks with respect to the method for managing address map information and the access method in a disk drive according to the flow charts of fig1 to 24 , and the method for managing address map information through a network according to the flow chart of fig4 by using the code objects loaded to the ram 130 . the method for managing address map information , the access method in a disk drive , and the method for managing address map information through a network executed by the processor 110 will be handled in detail in a description of fig1 to 24 and fig4 . the rom 120 stores program codes and data required for operating the data storage device . the program codes and data stored in the rom 120 or the storage medium 150 are loaded to the ram 130 under the control of the processor 110 . in an embodiment of the present invention , when the storage device is initialized , the processor 110 loads address mp information stored in the storage medium 150 to the ram 130 . if it is designed to store address map information in the nonvolatile memory device 170 , when the storage device is initialized , the processor 110 loads the address map information stored in the nonvolatile memory device 170 to the ram 130 . address map change information generated whenever data is written is stored in the ram 130 . the address map change information may include information regarding a position of data written without being reflected in address map information stored in the storage medium 150 or the nonvolatile memory device 170 . the address map change information may include a logical band number , a virtual band number , and a finally accessed virtual address . the address map change information may include a logical band number with respect to data written without being reflected in address map information stored in the storage medium 150 or the nonvolatile memory device 170 , a virtual band number allocated to the logical band , and a finally accessed virtual address in the virtual band allocated to the logical band . the ram , as a volatile memory device , may be implemented as a dram or an sram . also , the ram 130 may be designed to be driven according to an sdr ( single data rate ) method or a ddr ( double data rate ) method . the storage medium 150 is a main storage medium of the storage device , and may include a disk or a non - volatile semiconductor memory device . for example , the storage device may include a disk drive and a detailed configuration of a head disk assembly 100 , including a disk and a head in the disk drive , is shown in fig3 . referring to fig3 , the head disk assembly 100 includes at least one disk 12 rotated by a spindle motor 14 . the disk drive may also include a head 16 positioned adjacent to a surface of the disk 12 . the head 16 senses and magnetizes a magnetic field of each disk 12 , thereby reading information from or writing information to the rotating disk 12 . typically , the head 16 is coupled to a surface of each disk 12 . although a single head 16 is illustrated , the head 16 needs to be regarded as including a write head for magnetizing the disk 12 and a separate read head for sensing the magnetic field of the disk 12 . the read head may include a magneto - resistive ( mr ) element . the head 16 may be referred to as a magnetic head or a head . the head 16 may be incorporated into a slider 20 . the slider 20 is configured to generate an air bearing between the head 16 and the surface of the disk 12 . the slider 20 is coupled to a head gimbal assembly 22 that is attached to an actuator arm 24 having a voice coil 26 . the voice coil 26 is positioned adjacent to a magnetic assembly 28 so as to define a voice coil motor ( vcm ) 30 . a current provided to the voice coil 26 generates a torque which rotates the actuator arm 24 with respect to a bearing assembly 32 . the rotation of the actuator arm 24 moves the head 16 across the surface of the disk 12 . information is usually stored in ring - shaped tracks 34 of the disk 12 . each track 34 generally includes multiple sectors . a sector structure of a track is illustrated in fig5 . as shown in fig5 , one servo sector t includes a servo information field s and a data field . the data field may include a plurality of data sectors d . of course , one servo sector may include a single data sector d . the data sector is also called a sector . the data sector d may include an area for storing data and a spare area . in an embodiment of the present invention , a logical block address ( lba ) corresponding to data written to the data sector d is written in the spare area of the corresponding data sector d . also , signals as illustrated in fig6 are recorded to the servo information field s . as shown in fig6 , a preamble 601 , a servo synchronization indication signal 602 , a gray code 603 , and a burst signal 604 are written to the servo information field s . the preamble 601 provides clock synchronization when reading servo information , and provides a predetermined timing margin by setting a gap before the servo sector . also , the preamble 601 is used to determine a gain ( not shown ) of an automatic gain control ( agc ) circuit . the servo synchronization indication signal 602 consists of a servo address mark ( sam ) and a servo index mark ( sim ). the servo address mark is a signal that indicates a start of a sector , and the servo index mark is a signal that indicates a start of a first servo sector in a track . the gray code 603 provides track information , and the burst signal 604 is used to control the head 16 to follow the center of the track 34 . for example , the burst signal may include four patterns a , b , c , and d , and four burst patterns are combined to generate a position error signal used to control track following . the disk 12 is divided into a maintenance cylinder area , which is inaccessible to a user , and a user data area , which is accessible to the user . the maintenance cylinder area may be referred to as a system area . various information required to control the disk drive is stored in the maintenance cylinder area , as well as information required to perform the storage medium access method , data writing method , and storage device parameter adjustment method according to the present invention . particularly , the maintenance cylinder area stores a mapping table for converting a logical block address lba into a virtual address va based on a virtual zone or virtual band . here , the address map information may include information for converting a logical block address received from the host device into a physical address of the storage medium based on a virtual band corresponding to the physical area of the storage medium including a disk . in detail , the address map information may include mapping information between a logical band classified as an aggregate of logical block addresses and a virtual band corresponding to a physical area of the storage medium and mapping information between a logical block address in a virtual band allocated to a logical band and a virtual address . also , the address map information may include mapping table information indicating a correspondence relationship of a physical address of the storage medium to a logical block address . also , the address map information may include mapping table information indicating an allocation relationship between the logical band classified as an aggregate of logical block addresses and a virtual band corresponding to a physical area of the storage medium and an allocation relationship between the logical block address in the logical band and the virtual address . the head 16 moves across the surfaces of the disk 12 in order to read or write information in different tracks . a plurality of code objects used to realize various functions of the disk drive may be stored in the disk 12 . for example , a code object for executing an mp3 player function , a code object for executing a navigation function , a code object for executing various video games , and the like , may be stored in the disk 12 . referring again to fig1 , the storage medium interface 140 is an element that enables the processor 110 to access the storage medium 150 in order to write and read information . in detail , the storage medium interface 140 in the storage device that is implemented as a disk drive includes a servo circuit controlling the head disk assembly 100 and a read / write channel circuit performing signal processing for data reading / writing . the host interface 160 performs data transmission / reception to / from the host device 2000 such as a personal computer , a mobile device , etc ., and may be an interface having various sizes , such as a serial advanced technology attachment ( sata ) interface , a parallel advanced technology attachment ( pata ) interface , or a universal serial bus ( usb ) interface . the nonvolatile memory device 170 may be implemented as a nonvolatile semiconductor memory device . for example , the nonvolatile memory device 170 may be implemented as a flash memory , a pram ( phase change ram ), an fram ( ferroelectric ram ), a mram ( magnetic ram ), or the like . address map change information is stored in the nonvolatile memory device 170 . in detail , when supplied power is abnormally cut off , the address map change information stored in the ram 130 is read and stored to the nonvolatile memory device 170 under the control of the processor 110 . the bus 170 transfers information between the elements of the storage device . next , a software operation system of a hard disk drive , which is an example of the storage device , will be described with reference to fig2 . as shown in fig2 , a plurality of code objects 1 through n are stored in a disk 150 a , which is a storage medium of the hard disk drive ( hdd ). the rom 120 stores a boot image and a packed real time operating system ( rtos ) image . the plurality of code objects 1 through n are stored in the disk 150 a . the code objects stored in the disk may include not only code objects required for operating the disk drive but also code objects related to various functions that may be extended to the disk drive . in particular , code objects for executing the method for managing address map information and the access method in a disk drive according to the flow charts of fig1 to 24 , and the method for managing address map information through a network according to the flow chart of fig4 are stored in the disk 150 a . obviously , the code objects for executing the methods according to the flowcharts of fig1 to 24 and fig4 may also be stored in the rom 120 instead of the disk 150 a . also , code objects performing various functions such as a mp3 player function , a navigation function , a video game function , or the like may also be stored in the disk 150 a . the ram 130 reads the boot image from the rom 120 while booting the disk drive , and an unpacked rtos image is loaded to the ram 130 . also , code objects required to operate a host interface stored in the disk 150 a are loaded to the ram 130 . in particular , the address map information is loaded to the ram 130 . also , the address map change information generated whenever a data write operation is performed is stored in the ram 130 . circuits that are required to perform signal processing for data reading / writing are included in a channel circuit 200 , and circuits required for controlling the head disk assembly 100 for performing data reading / writing operations are included in a servo circuit 210 . an rtos 110 a is a real time operating system program and is a multi - program operating system using a disk . in the rtos 110 a , real time multi - processing is performed as a foreground process having high priority , and batch processing is performed as a background process having low priority according to a task . also , the rtos 110 a loads code objects from the disk and unloads code objects onto the disk . the rtos 110 a manages a code object management unit ( comu ) 110 - 1 , a code object loader ( col ) 110 - 2 , a memory handler ( mh ) 110 - 3 , a channel control module ( ccm ) 110 - 4 , and a servo control module ( scm ) 110 - 5 to perform tasks according to requested commands . the rtos 110 a also manages application programs 220 . in detail , the rtos 110 a loads code objects required for controlling the disk drive to the ram 130 when booting the disk drive . accordingly , after the booting is executed , the disk drive may be operated by using code objects loaded to the ram 130 . the comu 110 - 1 stores location information regarding locations to which code objects are written , and arbitrates a bus . also , the comu 110 - 1 stores information regarding priorities of performed tasks . in addition , the comu 110 - 1 manages task control block ( tcb ) information required to execute tasks for code objects , and stack information . the col 110 - 2 loads the code objects stored in the disk 150 a to the ram 130 using the comu 110 - 1 and unloads the code objects stored in the ram 130 to the disk 150 a . accordingly , the col 110 - 2 may load the code objects stored in the disk 150 a used to execute the methods according to the flowcharts of fig1 to 24 and fig4 to the ram 130 . the rtos 110 a may execute the methods according to the flowcharts of fig1 to 24 and fig4 , which will be described below , by using the code objects loaded to the ram 130 . the mh 110 - 3 performs writing or reading data to / from the rom 120 and the ram 130 . the ccm 110 - 4 performs channel controlling required for performing signal processing for data reading / writing , and the scm 110 - 5 performs servo controlling including the head disk assembly for performing data reading / writing . next , an electrical circuit configuration of the disk drive 1000 as an example of a storage device according to an embodiment of a technical concept of the present invention illustrated in fig1 is illustrated in fig4 . as shown in fig4 , the disk drive 1000 according to an embodiment of a technical concept of the present invention includes a pre - amplifier 410 , a read / write ( r / w ) channel 420 , a processor 430 , a voice coil motor ( vcm ) driver 440 , a spindle motor ( spm ) driver 450 , an rom 460 , a ram 470 , a host interface 480 , a nonvolatile memory device 490 , and a power supply device 500 . the processor 430 may be a digital signal processor ( dsp ), a microprocessor , a microcontroller , or the like . the processor 430 controls the r / w channel 420 to read information from the disk 12 or write information to the disk 12 according to a command received from the host device 2000 through the host interface 480 . the processor 430 is coupled to the vcm driver 440 which provides a driving current for driving the vcm 30 . the processor 430 provides a control signal to the vcm driver 440 to control motion of the head 16 . the processor 430 is coupled to the spm driver 450 , which provides a driving current for driving a spindle motor ( spm ) 14 . the processor 430 , upon being supplied with power , provides a control signal to the spm driver 450 to rotate the spm 14 at a target speed . the processor 430 is coupled to the power supply device 500 and generates control signals for controlling the power supply device 500 . the processor 430 is also coupled to the rom 460 and the ram 470 . the rom 460 stores firmware and control data for controlling the disk drive . the rom 460 also stores program codes and information for executing the methods according to the flowcharts of fig1 to 24 and fig4 . obviously , the program codes and information for executing the methods according to the flowcharts of fig1 to 24 and fig4 may be stored in the maintenance cylinder area of the disk 12 , instead of the rom 460 . the ram 470 loads the program codes stored in the rom 460 or the disk 12 in an initialization mode under the control of the processor 430 , and temporarily stores data received through the host interface 480 or data read from the disk 12 . in particular , address map information is loaded to the ram 470 in an initialization mode . namely , address map information is stored in the ram 470 in an initialization mode . also , address map change information generated whenever a data write operation is executed is stored in the ram 470 . the ram 470 may be implemented by a dynamic random access memory ( dram ) or a synchronous random access memory ( sram ). the ram 570 may be designed to operate in a single data rate ( sdr ) or double data rate ( ddr ) scheme . the processor 430 may control the disk drive so as to execute the methods according to the flowcharts of fig1 to 24 and fig4 using program codes and information stored in the rom 460 or the maintenance cylinder area of the disk 12 . the ram 490 may be implemented as a flash memory , a pram ( phase change ram ), an fram ( ferroelectric ram ), a mram ( magnetic ram ), or the like . address map change information is stored in the nonvolatile memory device 490 . in detail , when supplied power is abnormally cut off , the address map change information stored in the ram 470 is read and stored to the nonvolatile memory device 490 under the control of the processor 430 . the power supply device 500 is a device for supplying a power source voltage required for the disk drive , and when power is abnormally cut off , the power supply device 500 supplies reserved power to the disk drive . in fig4 , a power source line is indicated by the dotted line . a detailed configuration example of the power supply device 500 is illustrated in fig1 . fig1 has been already described above , so repetitive descriptions will be omitted . the reserved power charging unit 320 illustrated in fig1 may be designed as shown in fig1 or may also be designed as shown in fig1 . a detailed configuration of the reserved power charging unit illustrated in fig1 has been already described above , so repetitive descriptions thereof will be omitted . another embodiment of the reserved power charging unit illustrated in fig1 will be described . as shown in fig1 , a reserved power charging unit 320 ″ according to another embodiment of the present invention includes a first switching unit sw 1 , a second switching unit sw 2 , and a capacitor c 1 . a power source voltage vd generated by the power supply unit 310 is applied to a first terminal t 1 of the first switching unit sw 1 , a first terminal of the capacitor c 1 is connected to a second terminal t 2 of the first switching unit sw 1 , and a second terminal of the capacitor c 1 is connected to a ground . a second control signal ctl 2 for controlling the switching operation of the first switching unit sw 1 is applied to a control terminal t 3 of the first switching unit sw 1 . a terminal of a spindle motor spm generating counter electromotive force is connected to a first terminal t 4 of the second switching unit sw 2 , a first terminal of the capacitor c 1 is connected to a second terminal t 5 of the second switching unit sw 2 , and a third control signal ctl 3 for controlling a switching operation of the second switching unit sw 2 is applied to a control terminal t 6 of the second switching unit sw 2 . the second control signal ctl 2 and the third control signal ctl 3 are generated by the processor 430 as follows . the processor 430 generates the second control signal ctl 2 having a logical value for connecting the first terminal t 1 and the second terminal t 2 of the first switching unit sw 1 in a power on state . in a state in which supplied power is abnormally cut off , the processor 430 generates a second control signal ctl 2 having a logical value for cutting off the first terminal t 1 and the second terminal t 2 of the first switching unit sw 1 . in this manner , according to the generated second control signal ctl 2 , in a power on state , the power source voltage vd is charged to the capacitor c 1 , and in a state in which supplied power is abnormally cut off , the voltage charged in the capacitor c 1 is applied to the second input terminal in 2 of the power distribution unit 330 . namely , when the supplied power is abnormally cut off , the voltage charged in the capacitor c 1 is supplied as reserved power to the storage device . in the state in which supplied power is abnormally cut off , the processor 430 generates a third control signal ctl 3 having a logical value for connecting the first terminal t 4 and the second terminal t 5 of the second switching unit sw 2 , and applies the generated third control signal ctl 3 to the control terminal t 6 of the second switching unit sw 2 . accordingly , the capacitor c 1 is charged by counter electromotive force ( bemf ) generated from the spindle motor 14 rotated by inertia after supplied power is cut off . with reference to fig4 , a data read operation and a data write operation executed after a physical address of a disk corresponding to a logical block address designated by a read command or a write command will be described . in a data read mode , the disk drive amplifies an electrical signal sensed by the head 16 from the disk 12 in a pre - amplifier 410 . and then , a signal output from the pre - amplifier 410 by an automatic gain control circuit ( not shown ) which automatically varies a gain according to the amplitude of a signal in the read / write channel 420 , converted into a digital signal , and then , decoded to detect data . for example , the detected data is subjected to error correction processing using a reed - solomon code as an error correction code , converted into stream data , and then , transmitted to the host device 2000 through the host interface 480 . in a data write mode , the disk drive receives data and lbas from the host device through the host interface 480 , adds an error correction symbol by the reed - solomon code to the data by the processor 430 , encoded to fit a record channel by the read / write channel 420 , and then , recorded in the disk 12 through the head 16 by a record current amplified by the pre - amplifier 410 . in an embodiment of the present invention , corresponding lbas are written to data stored in a sector of a spare area allocated to each sector in a data write mode . an operation for executing the method according to the flow chart of fig1 to 24 and fig4 by the processor 430 by using the program codes and information loaded to the ram 470 will be described . first , a shingled write method , a novel write method proposed to enhance a record density in a disk drive as one of storage devices according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described . the shingle write method is a writing method in which data is written only in one direction as tracks on a disk are overwritten as if shingles are stacked . that is , as shown in fig7 , in the shingle write method , assuming that data is written only in the arrow direction , an ( n − 1 ) th track is partially overwritten when an nth track adjacent to the ( n − 1 ) th track is written , and the nth track is partially overwritten when the ( n + 1 ) th track adjacent to the nth track is written , thereby increasing the tpi ( track per inch ) characteristic , which is the radial recording density of a storage medium . the shingle write method has to satisfy the restriction that the ( n − 1 ) th track cannot be written after writing the nth track because a flux is always generated only in one direction . as shown in fig8 , if the ( n − 1 ) th track in the direction opposite to the shingle write direction is written after writing the nth track , the nth track is erased due to an adjacent track interference ( ati ) effect . accordingly , to solve this problem , there is a need for a technique of dynamically allocating a new disk address for a logical block address ( lba ) provided from a host so as to always perform writing only in either one of the inner and outer circumferential directions of the disk . the present invention provides a disk accessing method , which uses an existing lbas as it is by using a virtual address in the process of converting the existing lbas into a cylinder head sector ( chs ), i . e ., a physical address of a disk drive , and satisfies the condition that the shingle write direction in the disk drive is limited to only one direction . referring to fig9 , the configurations of a zone and virtual bands for realizing the accessing method suggested in the present invention will be described . a storage area of the disk 12 is divided into a plurality of physical zones . the tpi ( tracks per inch ), i . e ., recording density , and bpi ( bits per inch ) for each physical zone may be differently set . each physical zone includes a plurality of virtual bands , and each virtual band is defined as a set of consecutive m tracks to be overwritten . also , a guard track is arranged between the virtual bands to avoid overwriting between the virtual bands . referring to fig9 , ( k + 1 ) number of virtual bands vb_ 0 to vb_k are arranged in physical zone 1 . that is , a virtual band is defined as a segment of a unit size of a physical storage space of a storage medium . in the track included in the virtual bands , address map information is generated such that data is sequentially written in any one of an inner circumferential direction or outer circumferential direction of the disk . next , the structure of allocating logical bands and virtual bands for each zone will be described with reference to fig1 . fig1 is a view schematically showing the structure of allocating virtual bands vb to logical bands lb for each physical zone of a storage medium according to an embodiment of the inventive concept . as shown in fig1 , virtual bands are allocated to logical bands in order to perform an actual writing operation in a physical zone of a storage medium . physical zone 1 of the storage medium may consist of ( k + 1 ) number of logical bands . a logical band is defined as a set of consecutive logical block addresses in units of a first size . that is , a logical band refers to a set of consecutive writable logical block addresses . for example , assuming that the range of logical block addresses of physical zone 1 consists of 10 , 000 lbas of 0 through 999 , and each of the logical bands belonging to physical zone 1 is defined as a set of 1 , 000 lbas , the number of logical bands included in physical zone 1 is 10 . the number of virtual bands is set to q ( q & gt ; k ), which is more than the number of logical bands . the virtual bands are defined as the segments of the physical storage device of the storage in units of a second size . that is , if the storage medium is a disk , a virtual band is defined as a set of m tracks to be overwritten . virtual bands not allocated to logical bands may be referred to as reserved virtual bands . in other words , storage areas corresponding to the virtual bands not allocated to the logical bands may be referred to as reserved areas . reserved virtual band information is stored in a free queue to be explained in fig1 below . an operation of managing address map information in a storage device including a storage device for accessing by using a virtual band will be described . fig1 is a view showing a detailed configuration of the processor 110 and the ram 130 of the storage device illustrated in fig1 and the processor 430 and the ram 470 of the disk drive illustrated in fig4 according to an embodiment of the present invention . for the sake of explanation ; fig1 will be described with reference to the disk drive of fig4 . as shown in fig1 , the processor 430 includes a power control processor 430 - 1 , an address map information management processor 430 - 2 , and an address conversion processor 430 - 3 . address map information 470 - 1 is loaded to the ram 470 under the control of an address map information management processor 430 - 2 . here , the address map information may include information for converting a logical block address into a physical address of a storage medium by using a virtual address . the address map information may be , for example , mapping table information showing an allocation relationship between a logical band and a virtual band , and an allocation relationship between a logical block address and a virtual address in a virtual band allocated to a logical band . also , the address map information may be included in meta information . the address map information 470 - 1 may be read from the nonvolatile memory device 490 or the disk 12 and stored to the ram 470 . the address map information 470 - 1 may be configured to search for a virtual address based on lba . the virtual address may be defined based on a physical address in a storage medium . when the storage medium is a disk , the virtual address may be defined based on a physical address of a sector . also , the virtual address of the disk may be defined based on chs ( cylinder header sector ). besides , the virtual address of the disk may be defined based on a physical zone , a virtual band , a track , and a sector . the address map information 470 - 1 may be generated such that data is sequentially written in any one of an inner circumferential direction and an outer circumferential direction in a track of the disk included in a virtual band according to the shingled write method . the address map information 470 - 1 may include information representing an allocation structure of logical bands and virtual bands for each physical zone . that is , the address map information 470 - 1 may include information representing the mapping structure of virtual bands allocated to logical bands for each physical zone as shown in fig1 . address map information showing an allocation state of the virtual bands allocated to the logical bands illustrated in fig1 may be generated as shown in fig2 . as shown in fig2 , the address map information may include a logical band number lba no , a virtual band number vb no , and a finally accessed virtual address number la va in a virtual band . with reference to fig2 , it can be seen that virtual band numbers 2 and 0 are allocated to a logical band number 0 , a finally accessed virtual address in the virtual band number 2 is 199 , and a finally accessed virtual address in the virtual band number 0 is a . for example , when the size of virtual bands is allocated into 200 sectors , and virtual addresses 0 to 199 are set for each virtual band , the final virtual address 199 is allocated to the virtual band number 2 , so there is no virtual address which can be newly allocated . in case in which ‘ a ’ has a value smaller than 199 , when a write command with respect to lbas included in a logical band 0 is received , the address map information is updated such that a virtual address ( a + 1 ) of the virtual band number 0 is mapped to lbas designated by the write command . in fig2 , a , b , c , and d are virtual addresses having an integer value between 1 and 199 . an example of a mapping structure of virtual addresses ( va ) with respect to lbas in the virtual band 0 ( vb_ 0 ) allocated to the logical band number 0 is illustrated in fig2 . with reference to fig2 , the virtual band 0 ( vb_ 0 ) includes virtual addresses 0 to 199 , and the virtual addresses are allocated by sector . thus , according to fig2 , 200 sectors are included in a unit virtual band . thus , in fig2 , 200 sectors are included in a unit virtual band . horizontal lines show sectors included in a single track . as shown in fig2 , one track includes 20 sectors . 20 sectors included in a track 1 are designated as virtual addresses 0 to 19 , respectively . the 20 sectors included in a track 10 are designated as vas 180 to 199 in the same manner . as shown in fig2 , lbas 0 to 9 are allocated to vas 0 to 9 , lba 20 and 21 are allocated to vas 15 and 16 , lbas 50 to 59 are allocated to vas 38 to 47 , and lbas 10 to 18 are allocated to vas 86 to 94 . vas 10 to 14 , 17 to 37 , and 48 to 85 represent invalidated virtual addresses , and vas 95 to 199 represent non - allocated valid virtual addresses . the invalidated virtual addresses refer to previous virtual addresses corresponding to updated lbas . address map information with respect to virtual band 0 ( vb_ 0 ) illustrated in fig2 may be generated as shown in fig2 a , for example . fig2 a is a view showing a mapping table simply showing mapping relationships of vas corresponding to individual lbas allocated in vb_ 0 . the mapping table having the structure as shown in fig2 a has a structure in which vas corresponding to respective lbas are simply arranged , so the amount of data is disadvantageously large . thus , in order to complement the shortcomings , a method of generating address map information by grouping a group in which lbas and vas are sequentially increased together is proposed . namely , in the newly proposed address map information , a group in which lbas and vas are sequentially increased together is represented by a start lba , a start va , and a number ( scn ) of sequentially increased sector . with reference to fig2 , in vas 0 to 9 , lbas 0 to 9 are sequentially increased , in vas 15 to 16 , lba 20 to 21 are sequentially increased , in vas 38 to 47 , lba 50 to 59 are sequentially increased , and in vas 86 to 94 , lbas 10 to 18 are sequentially increased . the mapping information regarding the four groups in which lbas and vas are sequentially increased together as described above may be shown in fig2 b . with respect to a group in which lbas 0 to 9 are sequentially increased in vas 0 to 9 , a start lba 0 , a start va 0 , and the number of sequentially increased sectors is 10 , so ( lba , scn , va ) may be represented as ( 0 , 10 , 0 ). in the same manner , with respect to a group in which lbas 20 to 21 are sequentially increased in vas 15 to 16 , since the start lba 20 , the start va 15 , and the number of sequentially increased sectors is 2 , ( lba , scn , va ) may be represented by ( 20 , 2 , 15 ). also , in a group in which lbas 50 to 59 are sequentially increased in vas 38 to 47 may be represented by ( 50 , 10 , 38 ), and in a group in which lbas 10 to 18 in va 86 - 94 , ( lba , scn , va ) may be represented by ( 10 , 9 , 86 ). to sum up , the address map information of fig2 a may be generated as shown in fig2 b . it can be seen that the address map information is simple and the amount of data is reduced in comparison to the address map information illustrated in fig2 a . with respect to virtual bands allocated to logical bands , address map information for each virtual band may be generated in such a manner as shown in fig2 b . thus , the allocation relationship of the logical bands and the virtual bands as shown in fig2 , the mapping information representing a finally accessed virtual address in the virtual band , and mapping information representing vas corresponding to lbas in the virtual band allocated to the logical band as shown in fig2 a or 27 b may be loaded to the ram 470 by zone . with reference to fig1 , the power control processor 430 - 1 generates control signals required for controlling the power supply device in fig1 to 13 . the power control processor 430 - 1 generates a first control signal ctl 1 having a logical value connecting a first input terminal in 1 and an output terminal out of the power distribution unit 330 . the power control processor 430 - 1 generates a first control signal ctl 1 having a logical value for connecting the first input terminal in 1 and the output terminal out . when supplied power is abnormally cut off , the power control processor 430 - 1 generates the first control signal ctl 1 having a logical value for connecting the second input terminal in 2 and the output terminal out . when a power voltage applied to the storage device is dropped to below a threshold value in a state in which power off control signal is not generated , the power control processor 430 - 1 determines that supplied power is abnormally cut off . namely , when a voltage of power output in the power supply device 500 is dropped to below a threshold voltage , the power control processor 430 - 1 determines that abnormal power off has occurred . while supplied power is being normally supplied according to the first control signal ctl 1 generated in the power control processor 430 - 1 power generated by the power supply unit 310 is supplied to the circuits constituting the disk drive , and when abnormal power off occurs , power generated by the reserved power charging unit 320 is supplied to the circuits constituting the disk drive . the power control processor 430 - 1 generates a second control signal ctl 2 having a logical value for connecting a first terminal t 1 and a second terminal t 2 of the first switching unit sw 1 illustrated in fig1 in a power on state . in a state in which abnormal power off occurs , the power control processor 430 - 1 generates the second control signal ctl 2 having a logical value for disconnecting the first terminal t 1 and the second terminal t 2 of the first switching unit sw 1 . according to the second control signal ctl 2 , in the power on state , the power voltage vd is charged to the capacitor c 1 , and in a power off state in which power supply is abnormal , the voltage charged in the capacitor c 1 is applied to the second input terminal in 2 of the power distribution unit 330 . namely , when abnormal power off occurs , the voltage charged in the capacitor c 1 is supplied as reserved power to the circuits constituting the disk drive . also , in a state in which abnormal power off occurs , the power control processor 430 - 1 generates a third control signal ctl 3 having a logical value for connecting the first terminal t 4 and the second terminal t 5 of the second switching unit sw 2 and applies it to the control terminal t 6 of the second switching unit sw 2 . accordingly , the capacitor c 1 is charged by counter electromotive force ( bemf ) generated from the spindle motor 14 rotating by inertia . the address map information management processor 430 - 2 performs a process of managing address map information . in detail , when power is supplied to the disk drive , the address map information management processor 430 - 2 loads address map information stored in the nonvolatile storage device 490 to the ram 470 . namely , the address map information management processor 430 - 2 reads the address map information from the disk 12 or the nonvolatile storage device 490 and stores it to the ram 470 . the address map information management processor 430 - 2 changes the address map information 470 - 1 stored in the ram 470 based on a write command . namely , the address map information management processor 430 - 2 adds virtual band newly allocated to a logical band or virtual address information added according to lbas in an allocated virtual band to the address map information 470 - 1 stored in the ram 470 . accordingly , the address map information 470 - 1 stored in the ram 470 is updated whenever a write command is executed . whenever a write command is executed , the address map information management processor 430 - 2 generates the address map change information 470 - 2 and stores it to the ram 470 . the address map change information 470 - 2 is information related to a position of data written in the disk 12 without being reflected on address map information stored in the disk 12 or the nonvolatile memory device 490 . the address map change information 470 - 2 may be configured to include a logical band number , a virtual band number , and information regarding a finally accessed virtual address . namely , the address map change information 470 - 2 may be configured by a logical band number lb no with respect to data written to the disk 12 without being reflected on the address map information stored in the disk 12 or the nonvolatile memory 490 , a virtual band number vb no allocated to a corresponding logical band , and a virtual address la va finally accessed in a virtual band allocated to the corresponding logical band . in an embodiment of the present invention , whenever the address map information 470 - 1 stored in the ram 470 is updated according to a write command , the updated address map information 470 - 1 is not stored in the disk 12 or the nonvolatile memory device 490 . the reason is because , if the process of storing the updated address map information in the disk 12 or the nonvolatile memory device 490 is performed whenever the address map information 470 - 1 is updated , while the address map information is being stored in the disk 12 or the nonvolatile memory device 490 , a write / read process cannot be performed , degrading the performance of the disk drive . thus , in an embodiment of the present invention , for example , the address map information 470 - 1 stored in the ram 470 is stored in the disk 12 or the nonvolatile memory device 490 under the following conditions . when a system termination command is received , the address map information management processor 430 - 2 stores the address map information 470 - 1 stored in the ram 470 in the disk 12 or the nonvolatile memory device 490 . and , when the address map change information 470 - 2 stored in the ram 470 is stored in a full state on an initially set address map change information list , the address map information management processor 430 - 2 stores the address map information 470 - 1 stored in the ram 470 to the disk 12 or the nonvolatile memory device 490 . here , the full state refers to a state in which address map change information cannot be added to the address map change information list any further . the size of the address map change information list may be determined to be a size for storing the address map change information in the nonvolatile storage device 490 by reserved power when power is abnormally cut off . after storing the address map information 470 - 1 , stored in the ram 470 , to the disk 12 or the nonvolatile memory device 490 , the address map information management processor 430 - 2 deletes the address map change information 470 - 2 stored in the ram 470 . namely , after storing the address map information 470 - 1 , stored in the ram 470 , to the disk 12 or the nonvolatile memory device 490 , the address map information management processor 430 - 2 performs a process of deleting the address map change information 470 - 2 . when abnormal power off occurs , the address map information management processor 430 - 2 stores the address map change information 470 - 2 stored in the ram 470 to the nonvolatile memory device 490 by using reserved power . for reference , when voltage of power applied to the storage device is dropped to below a threshold voltage in a state in which power off control signal is not generated , the power control processor 430 - 1 determines that abnormal power off has occurred . accordingly , when the power control processor 430 - 1 determines that abnormal power off has occurred , the address map information management processor 430 - 2 stores the address map change information 470 - 2 stored in the ram 470 to the nonvolatile memory device 490 . for example , it is assumed that after the address map information having an allocation state of virtual bands with respect to the logical bands as shown in fig2 a is stored from the disk 12 or the nonvolatile memory device 490 to the ram 470 , the address map information stored in the ram 470 is changed to the address map information having the allocation state of the virtual bands with respect to the logical bands as shown in fig2 b according to performing of a write command . also , it is assumed that power is abnormally cut off before the address map information configured by the logical bands and the virtual bands as shown in fig2 b stored in the ram 470 is stored in the disk 12 or the nonvolatile memory device 490 . the address map information regarding the logical bands and the virtual bands as shown in fig2 a is as shown in fig2 . with reference to fig2 , a virtual band number 0 is allocated to a logical band number 0 , and the finally accessed virtual address in the virtual band number 0 is 199 . virtual band numbers 1 and 3 are allocated to the logical band number 3 , a finally accessed virtual address in the virtual band number 3 is 101 . virtual band numbers 2 and 4 are allocated to a logical band number k , a finally accessed virtual address in a virtual band number 2 is 199 , and a finally accessed virtual address in a virtual band number 3 is 145 . in the above description , a unit virtual band includes virtual addresses 0 to 199 . namely , the unit virtual band includes 200 sectors . thus , the virtual bands in which the finally accessed virtual address is 199 are virtual bands in which a valid virtual address that may be allocated to the lbas does not exist . when the disk drive is initialized , the address map information as shown in fig2 stored in the disk 12 or the nonvolatile memory 490 is loaded to the ram 470 . also , when the disk drive is initialized , address map information indicating a mapping relationship of vas corresponding to lbas in each virtual band allocated to the logical bands stored in the disk 12 or the nonvolatile memory device 490 is also loaded to the ram 470 . for example , when an allocation structure of vas with respect to the lbas of the virtual band number 3 allocated to the logical band number 3 is as shown in fig3 , address map information indicating a mapping relationship of the vas corresponding to the lbas with respect to the virtual band number 3 may be expressed as shown in fig3 . accordingly , the address map information as shown in fig3 representing the mapping relationship of vas corresponding to lbas in the virtual band number 3 is loaded to the ram 470 . in this manner , the address map information indicating the mapping relationship of the vas corresponding to the lbas in the other remaining virtual bands allocated to the logical bands is located to the ram 470 . next , when the address map information stored in the ram 470 is changed to the address map information including the logical bands and the virtual bands as shown in fig2 b according to performing of a write command , address map change information as shown in fig3 is generated . with reference to fig2 b , since updating occurs in virtual band numbers 5 , 6 , and 3 , corresponding address map change information is generated . when a finally accessed virtual address number in a virtual band number 5 allocated to the logical band number 0 is 13 , address map change information ( 0 , 5 , 13 ) represented by ( lb no , vb no , la va ) is generated . when a finally accessed virtual address number in a virtual band number 6 allocated to the logical band number 2 is 8 , address map change information ( 2 , 6 , 8 ) represented by ( lb no , vb no , la va ) is generated . when a finally accessed virtual address number in a virtual band number 3 allocated to the logical band number 3 is 106 , address map change information ( 3 , 3 , 106 ) represented by ( lb no , vb no , la va ) is generated . thus , the address map change information 470 - 2 as shown in fig3 is generated , and the thusly generated address map change information 470 - 2 is stored in the ram 470 . in a state in which the address map change information 470 - 2 is stored in the ram 470 , when abnormal power off occurs , as mentioned above , the address map change information 470 - 2 stored in the ram 470 is stored in the nonvolatile memory 490 . the address map information management processor 430 - 2 checks whether or not the address map change information has been stored in the nonvolatile memory device 490 when power is supplied to the disk drive . when the address map change information has been stored in the nonvolatile memory device 490 , the address map information management processor 430 - 2 reads the address map change information 470 - 2 stored in the nonvolatile memory device 490 and stores it to the ram 470 . when power is supplied to the disk drive , the address map information management processor 430 - 2 also reads the address map information 470 - 1 stored in the disk 12 or the nonvolatile memory device 490 and stores it to the ram 470 . accordingly , the address map information representing the mapping relationship of the virtual bands corresponding to the logical bands and the address map information representing the mapping relationship of the vas corresponding to the lbas for each virtual band allocated to the logical bands as shown in fig2 are stored in the ram 470 . also , the address map change information as shown in fig3 is stored in the ram 470 . the address map information management processor 430 - 2 newly allocates a virtual band number not present in the address map information among the virtual band numbers included in the address map change information to the address map information . namely , among the virtual band numbers 5 , 6 , 3 included in the address map change information illustrated in fig3 , the virtual band number 3 exists in the address map information illustrated in fig2 , but the virtual band numbers 5 and 6 do not exist . thus , the address map information management processor 430 - 2 newly allocates the virtual band numbers 5 and 6 . as shown in fig3 , it can be seen that the virtual band number 5 in the address map change information corresponds to the logical band number 0 , and the virtual band number 6 corresponds to the logical band number 2 . thus , as shown in fig3 , the virtual band number 5 is newly allocated to the logical band number 0 , and the virtual band number 6 is newly allocated to the logical band number 2 . in this manner , after reconfiguring the virtual bands , the address map information management processor 430 - 2 calculates an area of the disk 12 as a storage medium corresponding to a difference between a finally accessed virtual address in the virtual bands included in the address map change information and a finally accessed virtual address in the virtual bands included in the corresponding address map information . in detail , regarding a virtual band of the virtual band number newly allocated to the address map information among the virtual band numbers included in the address map change information , the address map information management processor 430 - 2 calculates an area of the disk corresponding to a section starting from a virtual start address with respect to the corresponding virtual band to a finally accessed virtual address in the virtual band number included in the address map change information . with reference to fig2 and 30 , the address map information management processor 430 - 2 calculates an area of virtual addresses 0 to 13 in the virtual band number 5 to which a virtual band is newly allocated , and calculates an area of virtual addresses 0 to 8 in the virtual band number 6 according to the address map change information . with respect to a virtual band included in the address map change information in which a virtual band number is not newly allocated to the address map information , the address map information management processor 430 - 2 calculates a disk area corresponding a section from an immediately next virtual address of a finally accessed virtual address read from the address map information to a finally accessed virtual address read from the address map change information . with reference to fig2 and 30 , in a virtual band 3 to which a virtual band is not newly allocated , the address map information management processor 430 - 2 calculates an area corresponding to a section starting from a next virtual address 102 of a finally accessed virtual address 101 of the virtual band number 3 read from the virtual map information to a finally accessed virtual address 106 with respect to the virtual band 3 read from the address map change information . namely , a disk area corresponding to virtual addresses 102 to 106 of the virtual band address number 3 . the address map information management processor 430 - 2 controls the disk drive to read the lbas written in the disk areas calculated as described above . in detail , the address map information management processor 430 - 2 converts the virtual addresses with respect to the virtual bands calculated as described above into physical addresses of the disk , and controls the disk drive to access the disk according to the converted physical addresses . namely , the address map information management processor 430 - 2 converts the virtual addresses into chs ( cylinder head sector ) information indicating a physical position of the disk and generates a voice coil motor driving control signal for accessing the disk based on the converted chs ( cylinder head sector ). with reference to fig4 , when the generated voice coil motor driving control signal is applied to the vcm driving unit 440 , the vcm driving unit 440 generates a voice coil motor driving current corresponding to the voice coil motor driving control signal and supplies the generated current to the voice coil motor 30 . accordingly , the magnetic head 16 is moved to a track position of the disk desired to be accessed . and then , the address map information management processor 430 - 2 generates a control signal for reading logical block addresses from an area of the disk written without being reflected on the address map information . namely , under the control of the address map information management processor 430 - 2 , lbas may be read from the sector positions of the disk corresponding to the virtual addresses 0 to 13 of the virtual band number 5 , the virtual addresses 0 to 8 of the virtual band number 6 , and the virtual addresses 102 to 106 of the virtual band number 3 . the address map information management processor 430 - 2 adds the virtual address mapping information corresponding to the read logical block addresses to the address map information stored in the ram 470 . for example , when the lbas as shown in fig3 is read from the sectors of the disk corresponding to the virtual addresses 0 to 13 of the virtual band number 5 , va mapping information corresponding to the lbas as shown in fig3 is generated and added to the address map information regarding the virtual band number 5 stored in the ram 470 . with reference to fig3 , lbas 75 to 86 are mapped to 12 continuous sectors including va 0 and lbas 101 and 102 are mapped to two continuous sectors including va 12 . and , when the lbas as shown in fig3 are read from the sectors of the disk corresponding to the virtual addresses 0 to 6 of the virtual band number 6 , the va mapping information corresponding to the lbas as shown in fig3 are generated and added to address map information regarding the virtual band number 6 stored in the ram 470 . with reference to fig3 , lbas 3050 to 3058 are mapped to nine continuous sectors including va 0 . and then , when address map information as mapping information of the vas corresponding to lbas with respect to the virtual band number 3 loaded to the ram 470 is as shown in fig3 , an allocation relationship of the lbas to the vas in the virtual band number 3 may be represented as shown in fig3 . when lbas read from sectors corresponding to virtual addresses 102 to 106 of the virtual band number 3 illustrated in fig3 according to address map change information are 3511 to 3515 , ( 3511 , 5 , 102 ) is added to the address map information including ( lba , scn , va ) with respect to the virtual band number 3 . accordingly , the address map information as shown in fig3 with respect to the virtual band number 3 loaded to the ram 470 is updated to the address map information as shown in fig3 . the address map information management processor 430 - 2 stores the updated address map information stored in the ram 470 to the disk 12 or the nonvolatile memory device 490 . and then , the address map information management processor 430 - 2 executes process of deleting the address map change information stored in the ram 470 and the nonvolatile memory device 490 . in this manner , even when power is abnormally cut off , the address map information management processor 430 - 2 may restore the address map information by using the address map change information . with reference back to fig1 , the address conversion processor 430 - 3 performs a process of converting an lba designated by a received command into physical location information of the storage medium by using a virtual band and a virtual address . a detailed configuration of the address conversion processor 430 - 3 is illustrated in fig1 . as shown in fig1 , the address conversion processor 430 - 3 may include a first processor 430 - 3 a , a second processor 430 - 3 b , and a third processor 430 - 3 c . the second processor 430 - 3 b and the third processor 430 - 3 c may be designed to be integrated into a single processor 430 - 3 b ′. obviously , though not shown in the drawings , the first processor 430 - 3 a and the second processor 430 - 3 b also may be designed to be integrated into a single processor . the first processor 430 - 3 a performs the operation of extracting an lba designated by a received command . the second processor 430 - 3 b performs the operation of converting the lba extracted by the first processor 430 - 3 a into a virtual address . that is , the second processor 430 - 3 b performs the operation of searching the mapping table 470 - 1 and converting the lba into a virtual address . the second processor 430 - 3 b finds out virtual bands and virtual addresses corresponding to the lba designated by a read command by using address map information stored in the ram 470 . the second processor 430 - 3 b allocates the virtual bands and the virtual addresses corresponding to the lba designated by the write command as follows . as shown in fig1 , the second processor 430 - 33 may include a free queue 131 , an allocation queue 132 , and a garbage queue 133 . the second processor 430 - 3 b converts an lba designated by a command into a virtual address by using the free queue 131 , the allocation queue 132 , and the garbage queue 133 . the second processor 430 - 3 b stores information about the virtual bands not assigned to a logical band in the free queue 131 in an order complying with a prescribed rule . the free queue 131 is a means that stores information about virtual bands that can be allocated to a logical band in response to a command and is on standby for selection . the free queue 131 may store classified information about virtual bands that can be allocated to a logical band for each virtual zone or each physical zone . the second processor 430 - 3 b stores information about virtual bands allocated to a logical band in the allocation queue 132 . specifically , if the virtual bands allocated to a logical band including an lba designated by a command do not exist in the mapping table 470 - 1 or all virtual addresses are already allocated and consumed for the virtual bands allocated to the logical band including the lba designated by the command , the second processor 430 - 3 b selects a virtual band on standby in the free queue 131 , and allocates the virtual band to the logical band including the lba designated by the command and moves it to the allocation queue 132 . next , the second processor 430 - 3 b allocates a virtual address corresponding to the lba designated by the command based on the virtual band allocated to the logical band stored in the allocation queue 132 . concretely , if a new virtual address is allocated to the logical band including the lba designated by the command and stored in the allocation queue 132 , the second processor 430 - 3 b allocates the newly allocated virtual address corresponding to the first sector of the logical band to the lba designated by the command . if a virtual band already allocated to the logical band including the lba designated by the command exits in the allocation queue 132 , the second processor 430 - 3 b allocates a virtual address not allocated for the virtual band to the lba designated by the command . for example , a virtual address of the sector right next to the last accessed sector in the virtual band can be allocated to the lba designated by the command . the second processor 430 - 3 b selects a virtual band , whose number of virtual addresses invalidated because of data update exceeds a threshold value , from among the virtual bands allocated to the logical band , and moves it to the garbage queue 133 ( p 2 ). for example , if the number of virtual bands stored in the free queue 131 is less than the initially set minimum value , the second processor 430 - 3 b performs a garbage collection process . that is , the second processor 430 - 3 b reads data stored in the sectors of valid virtual addresses from the virtual bands stored in the garbage queue 133 , and executes rewriting to a newly allocated virtual address designated by a virtual band . the second processor 430 - 3 b moves information about the virtual band that has executed rewriting , among the virtual bands stored in the garbage queue 133 , to the free queue 131 ( p 3 ). next , the third processor 430 - 3 c controls the storage device to convert the virtual address converted in the second processor 430 - 3 b into a physical address of the disk and access the storage medium in accordance with the converted physical address . that is , the third processor 430 - 3 c generates a voice coil motor driving control signal for converting the virtual address into cylinder head sector ( chs ) information representing the physical location of the disk and accessing the disk based on the converted chs information . referring to fig4 , when the voice coil motor driving control signal generated by the third processor 430 - 3 c is applied to the vcm driver 440 , the vcm driver 440 generates a voice coil motor driving current corresponding to the voice coil motor driving control signal and supplies it to the voice coil motor 30 . therefore , the magnetic head 16 is moved to a track position of the disk desired to be accessed , and performs a data write or read operation corresponding to a command . next , a storage medium accessing method according to an embodiment of the inventive concept executed under the control of the processor 110 shown in fig1 or the processor 430 shown in fig4 will be described with reference to the flow chart of fig1 . the processor 110 determines whether or not abnormal power off occurs in the storage device ( s 101 ). for example , when a power voltage is dropped to below a threshold value in a state in which a power off control signal is not generated , the processor 110 may determine that abnormal power off has occurred . a specific embodiment of determining abnormal power off is illustrated in fig1 . a process of determining whether or not abnormal power off occurs will be described with reference to fig1 . the processor 110 determines whether or not the storage device is in a power on mode ( s 201 ). the power on mode is a mode in which power is supplied to the storage device , and when once the storage device is changed to the power on mode , the power on mode is continuously maintained unless a command such as system termination , or the like , is generated . in the power on mode , a power off control signal is not generated unless a command such as system termination , or the like , is not generated . the processor 110 monitors the voltage vd of the power while the storage device is maintained in the power on mode ( s 202 ). the processor 110 compares the voltage vd of the monitored supply power and a threshold voltage vth ( s 203 ). here , the threshold voltage vth may be set as a value obtained by adding a marginal voltage to a minimum voltage with which the processor 110 is normally operated . obviously , the threshold voltage vth is set to be lower than a normal power voltage . when the monitored power voltage vd is lower than the threshold voltage vth , the processor 110 determines an abnormal power off state ( s 204 ). in this manner , a state in which power is abnormally turned off can be determined . with reference back to fig1 , when abnormal power off occurs according to the determination results in step s 101 , the processor 110 stores the address map change information generated in the storage device in the nonvolatile storage device 170 by using reserved power ( s 102 ). here , the address map change information is generated whenever a write command is executed and stored in the ram 130 as a volatile storage device . the address map change information is information related to a position of data written in the storage medium 150 without being reflected in the address map information stored in the storage medium 150 or the nonvolatile memory device 170 . the address map change information 470 - 2 may be configured to include a logical band number , a virtual band number , and information regarding a finally accessed virtual address . namely , the address map change information may be configured by a logical band number with respect to data written to the storage medium 150 without being reflected on the address map information stored in the storage medium 150 or the nonvolatile memory device 170 , a virtual band number vb no allocated to a corresponding logical band , and a virtual address la va finally accessed in a virtual band allocated to the corresponding logical band . for example , the address map change information may be generated in the manner as described above with reference to fig2 a , 29 b , and 31 . next , when power is supplied to the storage device again , the processor 110 performs of processing to update address map information stored in the storage medium 150 or the nonvolatile memory device 170 based on the address map change information stored in the nonvolatile memory device 170 ( s 103 ). a process of reconfiguring the va mapping information corresponding to the lbas in the address map information will be described in detail with reference to fig2 . it is determined whether or not the storage device is in a power on mode in which power is supplied ( s 301 ). namely , the processor 110 determines whether or not the storage device transitions to a power on state from a power off state . when the storage device transitions to a power on state according to the determination results in step s 301 , the processor 110 reads address map information from the storage medium 150 or the nonvolatile memory device 170 and stores it in the ram 130 ( s 302 ). next , the processor 110 determines whether or not the address map change information has been stored in the nonvolatile memory device 170 ( s 303 ). when the storage device is abnormally turned off before transitioning to the power on state , the address map change information may be stored in the nonvolatile memory device 170 . if the storage device is normally turned off according to a power off control signal without experiencing an abnormal power off occurrence before transitioning to the power on state , the address map change information is not stored in the nonvolatile memory device 170 . when the address map change information is stored in the nonvolatile memory device 170 according to the determination results in step s 303 , the processor 110 reads the address map change information and the address map information ( s 304 ). namely , the processor 110 reads the address map change information from the nonvolatile memory device 170 and stores it in the ram 130 . next , the processor 110 performs a process of reconfiguring the address map information ( s 305 ). namely , the processor 110 performs a process of adding mapping information regarding a position of data written on the storage medium 150 without being reflected on the address map information stored in the storage medium 150 or the nonvolatile memory device 170 to the address map information based on the address map change information . the process of reconfiguring the address map information in step s 305 will be described in detail with reference to fig2 . first , the processor 110 performs a process of reconfiguring a virtual band mapped to a logical band in the address map information based on the address map change information ( s 401 ). in detail , the processor 110 newly allocates a virtual band number not present in the address map information among virtual band numbers included in the address map change information to the address map information . for example , it is assumed that address map information indicating an allocation relationship between the logical bands and the virtual bands is as shown in fig2 and the address map change information is as shown in fig3 . then , among the virtual band numbers 5 , 6 , 3 included in the address map change information illustrated in fig3 , the virtual band number 3 exists in the address map information illustrated in fig2 but the virtual band numbers 5 and 6 do not exist . thus , the processor 110 newly allocates the virtual band numbers 5 and 6 . next , the processor 110 performs a process of reconfiguring va mapping information corresponding to the lbas in the address map information based on the address map change information ( s 402 ). namely , the processor 110 performs a process of adding the mapping information of the vas and lbas corresponding to the written sectors in the storage medium 150 without being reflected on the address map information to the address map information . a process of reconfiguring the va mapping information corresponding to the lbas in the address map information will be described in detail . the processor 110 calculates a storage area of data written in the storage medium 150 without being reflected on the address map information ( s 501 ). namely , the processor 110 calculates an area of the storage medium corresponding to a difference between a finally accessed virtual address in the virtual band included in the address map change information and a finally accessed virtual address in the virtual band included in the corresponding address map information . in detail , regarding a virtual band of the virtual band number newly allocated to the address map information among the virtual band numbers included in the address map change information , the processor 110 calculates an area of the disk corresponding to a section starting from a virtual start address with respect to the corresponding virtual band to a finally accessed virtual address in the virtual band number included in the address map change information . with respect to a virtual band included in the address map change information in which a virtual band number is not newly allocated to the address map information , the processor 110 calculates a disk area corresponding a section from an immediately next virtual address of a finally accessed virtual address read from the address map information to a finally accessed virtual address read from the address map change information . next , the processor 110 reads lbas from the data storage area calculated in step s 501 ( s 502 ). namely , the processor 110 reads lbas from the sectors of the area of the storage medium 150 written without being reflected on the address map information . as described above , data and corresponding lbas are written in each sector of the storage medium 150 when a write operation is performed . next , the va mapping information corresponding to the lbas read in step s 502 is added to the address map information ( s 503 ). for example , for example , when the lbas as shown in fig3 is read from the sectors of the storage medium 150 corresponding to the virtual addresses 0 to 13 of the virtual band number 5 in step s 502 , the processor 110 generates va mapping information corresponding to the lbas as shown in fig3 and adds it to the address map information regarding the virtual band number 5 stored in the ram 130 . with reference to fig3 , lbas 75 to 86 are mapped to 12 continuous sectors including va 0 and lbas 101 and 102 are mapped to two continuous sectors including va 12 . through the operation according to the flow charts of fig2 and 21 as described above , the step s 305 of reconfiguring the address map information illustrated in fig1 may be performed . with reference back to fig1 , after reconfiguring the address map information in step s 305 , the processor 110 stores the reconfigured address map information in the storage medium 150 or the nonvolatile memory device 170 ( s 306 ). and then , the processor 110 deletes the address map change information stored in the ram 130 and the nonvolatile memory device 170 ( s 307 ). namely , the processor 110 performs an operation of deleting the address map change information stored in the ram 130 and the nonvolatile memory device 170 . through such an operation , the address map information can be updated based on the address map change information . next , an access method in a disk drive according to an embodiment of the present invention executed under the control of the processor 430 will be descried with reference to fig2 . the processor 430 controls the disk drive to write data and lbas on the disk 12 based on a write command received through the host interface 480 ( s 601 ). namely , the processor 430 converts the lbas designated by the write command into physical addresses of the disk 12 by using the address map information stored in the ram 470 and write the data and the lbas in sectors corresponding to the converted physical addresses . an operation of performing a write process will be described in detail with reference to the flow chart illustrated in fig2 . the processor 430 determines a logical band ( lb ) corresponding to lbas designated by a received write command ( s 701 ). in detail , the processor 430 determines a logical band corresponding to the lbas designated by the write command received as logical band numbers including lbas designated by the received write command . for example , when a logical band number 0 is allocated to lbas 0 to 999 and lbas designated by a write command is 75 , a logical band corresponding to the lbas designated by the write command is determined to be a logical band number 0 . the processor 430 determines whether or not a virtual band allocated to the logical band determined in step s 701 exists ( s 702 ). in detail , the processor 430 searches the address map information 470 - 1 stored in the ram 470 and determines whether or not a virtual band allocated to the determined logical bands already exists in step s 701 . when there is a virtual band allocated to the logical band determined in step s 701 according to the determination results in step s 702 , the processor 430 determines whether or not allocation - available virtual addresses vas exist in the allocated virtual band ( s 703 ). namely , the processor 430 determines whether or not virtual addresses that can be allocated in the allocated virtual band have been all used up . when a finally accessed virtual address in the allocated virtual band is a virtual address corresponding to a final sector included in the virtual band , the processor 430 determines that all the virtual addresses have been used up . for example , in a state in which the size of the virtual band is set to have 200 sectors and start virtual addresses are set to be 0 to 199 , when a finally accessed virtual address is 199 , the processor 430 may determine that the virtual addresses in the corresponding virtual band have been all used up . when there is no virtual band allocated to the logical band determined in step s 701 according to the determination results in step s 702 or when there is no virtual address which can be allocated to the allocated virtual band , the processor 430 allocates a new virtual band to the logical band determined in step s 701 based on a physical zone ( s 704 ). namely , among virtual bands included in a physical zone corresponding to the logical zone including the lbas designated by the command , the processor 430 may allocate a virtual band not allocated to a different logical band to the logical band including the lbas designated by the command . next , the processor 430 allocates virtual addresses vas corresponding to the lbas designated by the command based on the allocated virtual band ( s 705 ). in detail , when a new virtual address is allocated in step s 705 , the processor 430 may allocate a start virtual address indicating a first virtual sector which has been newly allocated to the lba designated by the command . when there are virtual addresses that can be allocated to the lbas in the virtual band already allocated to the logical band , the processor 430 may allocate a next virtual address subsequent to the finally accessed virtual address to the lba designated by the command . next , the processor 430 converts the virtual addresses allocated in step s 705 into chs ( cylinder head sector ) information corresponding to physical access position information of the disk 12 ( s 706 ). next , the processor 430 executes a seek operation based on the chs information corresponding to the physical access position information converted in step s 706 ( s 707 ). in detail , the processor 430 generates a voice coil motor driving control signal for moving the magnetic head 16 to a target track position of the disk 12 according to the converted chs information . with reference to fig4 , when the generated voice coil motor driving control signal is applied to the vcm driving unit 440 , the vcm driving unit 440 generates a voice coil motor driving current corresponding to the voice coil motor driving control signal and supplies the same to the voice coil motor 30 . accordingly , the magnetic head 16 is moved to the track and sector position of the disk desired to be accessed . after finishing the seek operation in step s 707 , the processor 430 performs an operation of writing data and lbas in the sector position corresponding to the vas of the disk ( s 708 ). as described above , the processor 430 controls the disk drive to write data in the data storage region of the sector and write lbas in a spare area of the sector . according to this operation , the write process is performed in the disk drive . with reference back to fig2 , after the write process is performed in step s 601 , the processor 430 generates address map change information ( s 602 ). the address map change information is information related to a position of data written in the disk 12 without being reflected on the address map information stored in the disk 12 or the nonvolatile memory device 490 . the address map change information may be configured to include information regarding a logical band number , a virtual band number , and a finally accessed virtual address . namely , the address map change information may be configured to include a logical band number lb no , a virtual band number vb no allocated to the corresponding logical band , and a finally accessed virtual address la va in the virtual band allocated to the corresponding logical band , which are written in the disk 12 without being reflected on the address map information stored in the disk 12 or the nonvolatile memory device 490 . for example , after the address map information including the logical bands and the virtual bands as illustrated in fig2 a are stored to the ram 470 from the disk 12 or the nonvolatile memory device 490 , when it is changed to the address map information including the logical bands and virtual bands as shown in fig2 b according to performing of a write command , the address map change information may be generated in the form as shown in fig3 . the processor 430 stores the address map change information generated in step s 602 in the ram 470 ( s 603 ). after performing the step s 603 , the processor 430 determines whether or not abnormal power off occurs in the disk drive while waiting for receiving a next command ( s 604 ). when the voltage of power applied to the disk drive is dropped to below a threshold voltage in a state in which a power off control signal is not generated , the processor 430 determines that abnormal power off has occurred . namely , when the voltage of power output from the power supply device 500 is dropped to below the threshold voltage in a power on mode , the processor 430 determines that abnormal power off has occurred . when abnormal power off has occurred in the disk drive according to the determination results in step s 604 , the processor 430 reads the address map change information stored in the ram 470 and stores it in the nonvolatile memory device 490 by using reserved power ( s 605 ). after the abnormal power off occurs in the disk drive , when power is normally supplied to the disk drive again , the processor 430 updates the address map information stored in the disk 12 or the nonvolatile memory device 490 of the disk drive based on the address map change information stored in the nonvolatile memory device 490 ( s 606 ). the method of updating address map information based on the address map change information has been described in detail with reference to fig2 and 21 , so a repetitive description thereof will be omitted . next , a method for managing address map information according to another embodiment of the technical concept of the present invention executed under the control of the processor 110 illustrated in fig1 or the processor 430 illustrated in fig4 will be described with reference to the flow chart of fig2 . the processor 110 determines whether or not the address map change information is stored in a full state in an address map change information list allocated to the ram 130 ( s 801 ). here , the full state refers to a state in which address map change information cannot be added to the address map change information list any further . for reference , three address map change information items including ( lbno , vb no , and la va ) are proposed in fig3 . in case in which the size of the address map change information list is designed to store ten address map change information items , when ten address map change information items are stored in the address map change information list , it becomes a full state . the size of the address map change information may be determined within a size in which the address map change information can be stored in the nonvolatile storage device 170 by reserved power when power is abnormally cut off . when the address map change information stored in the ram 130 reaches a full state according to the determination results in step s 801 , the processor 110 stores the address map information stored in the ram 130 to the storage medium 150 or the nonvolatile memory device 170 ( s 802 ). when the storage device is a disk drive , the storage medium 150 may be a disk . after performing step s 802 , the processor 430 deletes the address map change information stored in the ram 130 ( s 803 ). a method of managing address map information through a network according to an embodiment of the technical concept of the present invention will be described . first , a network system performing a method for managing address map information regarding a storage device through a network will be described with reference to fig4 . as shown in fig4 , the network system according to an embodiment of the technical concept of the present invention includes a program providing terminal 510 , a network 520 , a host pc 530 , and a storage device 540 . the network 520 may be implemented as a communication network such as the internet . obviously , the network 520 may be implemented as a wireless communication network as well as as a wire communication network . the program providing terminal 510 stores a program for managing address map information according to the technical concept of the present invention illustrated in fig1 to 24 . the program providing terminal 510 performs a process of transmitting a program for managing address map information according to a program transmission request from the host pc 530 connected through the network 520 . the host pc 530 includes hardware and software for performing accessing the program providing terminal 510 through the network 520 , requesting a transmission of a program for managing address map information , and downloading the requested program for managing address map information from the program providing terminal 510 . the host pc 530 may execute the method for managing address map information according to the technical concept of the present invention in the storage device 540 based on the flow charts illustrated in fig1 to 24 according to the program for managing address map information downloaded from the program providing terminal 510 . a method for managing address map information through a network according to an embodiment of the technical concept of the present invention will be described with reference to the flow chart of fig4 . first , the host pc 530 using the storage device 540 such as a disk drive , or the like , accesses the program providing terminal 510 through the network 520 ( s 901 ). after accessing the program providing terminal 510 , the host pc 530 transmits information requesting a transmission of the program for managing an address map information to the program providing terminal 510 ( s 902 ). then , the program providing terminal 510 transmits the requested program for managing address map information to the host pc 530 , so that the host pc 530 can download the program for managing address map information ( s 903 ). and then , the host pc 530 processes to execute the downloaded program for managing address map information in the storage device ( s 904 ). by executing the program for managing address map information in the storage device , when abnormal power off occurs in the storage device , the address map change information is stored in the nonvolatile memory device by using reserved power and address map information regarding the storage device may be updated by using the address map change information stored in the nonvolatile memory device . one embodiment may be a method for managing address map information , the method comprising : when abnormal power off occurs in a storage device , storing address map change information generated in the storage device in a nonvolatile memory device ; and when power is applied to the storage device , updating address map information with respect to the storage device based on the address map change information stored in the nonvolatile memory device . an embodiment may also include wherein the address map information includes information for converting a logical block address received from a host device into a physical address of a storage medium . an embodiment may also include wherein the address map information includes information for converting a logical block address received from a host device into a physical address of a storage medium by using a virtual address . an embodiment may also include wherein the address map information includes information for converting a logical block address received from a host device into a physical address of a storage medium such that it is sequentially written in one direction in a virtual band corresponding to a physical area of the storage medium . an embodiment may also include wherein the address map information includes mapping information between a logical band classified as an aggregate of logical block addresses and a virtual band corresponding to a physical area of a storage medium and mapping information between a logical block address in a virtual band allocated to a logical band and a virtual address . an embodiment may also include wherein the address map change information includes information regarding a position of data written without being reflected in the address map information . an embodiment may also include wherein the address map change information includes a logical band number , a virtual band number , and a finally accessed virtual address . an embodiment may also include wherein the address map change information includes a logical band number with respect to data written without being reflected in the address map information , a virtual band number allocated to the logical band , and a virtual address finally accessed in the virtual band allocated to the logical band . an embodiment may also include wherein when a power source voltage is dropped to below a threshold voltage in a state in which power off control signal is not generated in the storage device , it is determined that abnormal power off has occurred . an embodiment may also include wherein the nonvolatile memory device includes a nonvolatile semiconductor memory device . the nonvolatile semiconductor memory device can include a nand flash memory device or a nor flash memory device . an embodiment may also include wherein the address map change information generated in the storage device is stored in a volatile memory device while power is being normally supplied . an embodiment may also include wherein , in the updating of the address map information , the address map information is reconfigured based on a logical block address read from an area in which data and a corresponding logical block address are written without being reflected in the address map information by using the address map change information stored in the nonvolatile memory device . an embodiment may also include wherein the updating of the address map information comprises : reading the address map information and the address map change information when power is applied to the storage device ; reconfiguring the address map information based on the address map change information ; and storing the reconfigured address map information in the storage device . the address map information may be read from the nonvolatile memory device or the storage medium constituting the storage device , and the address map change information may be read from the nonvolatile memory device . an embodiment may also include wherein the reconfiguring of the address map information comprises : newly allocating a virtual band number not present in the address map information among virtual band numbers included in the address map change information to the address map information ; reading a logical block address from an area of the storage medium corresponding to a difference between a virtual address finally accessed in the virtual band included in the address map change information and a virtual address finally accessed in a virtual band included in the address map information corresponding thereto ; and adding mapping information of the virtual address corresponding to the read logical block address to the address map information . an embodiment may also include wherein , in the reading of the logical block address , the logical block address is read from an area of the storage medium corresponding to a section starting from a start virtual address with respect to the virtual band of the newly allocated virtual band number to a finally accessed virtual address in the virtual band number included in the address map change information . an embodiment may also include wherein , in the reading of the logical block address , regarding a virtual band included in the address map change information to which the virtual band number is not newly allocated , the logical block address is read from an area of the storage medium corresponding to a section starting from an immediately next virtual address of the finally accessed virtual address read from the address map information to the finally accessed virtual address read from the address map change information . an embodiment may also include wherein the logical block address is read from a logical block address storage area allocated to the storage medium . an embodiment may also include wherein the logical block address storage area is allocated in units of areas designated by a physical address . an embodiment may also include wherein the physical address is allocated in units of sectors . an embodiment may also include wherein a logical block address corresponding to data written in a sector area while a write operation is being performed is written in the logical block address storage area . an embodiment may also include wherein the address map information is stored in the nonvolatile memory device or the storage medium of the storage device . an embodiment may also include wherein the storage device includes a disk drive , and the address map information is stored in a disk of the disk drive . an embodiment may also include deleting the address map change information stored in the nonvolatile memory device after the address map information is updated . an embodiment may also include wherein when abnormal power off occurs in the storage device , the address map change information stored in the volatile memory device is read by using reserved power and stored in the nonvolatile memory device . an embodiment may also include wherein the reserved power includes power supplied by a voltage charged by a charging element . an embodiment may also include further comprising : when the address map change information is stored in a full state in an initially set address map change information list , reading the address map information stored in the volatile memory device and storing the read address map information in the nonvolatile memory device of the storage medium of the storage device ; and deleting the address map change information stored in the volatile memory device after the address map information is stored in the nonvolatile memory device of the storage medium of the storage device , wherein the address map information regarding the storage device is stored in the volatile memory device when the storage device is initialized , and the address map information stored in the volatile memory device is updated whenever the address map change information is generated . another embodiment may be an access method in a disk drive , the method comprising : converting a logical block address designated in a command into a physical address of a disk based on address map information ; accessing the converted physical address position of the disk and executing a data write operation ; generating address map change information based on the data write operation ; and when abnormal power off occurs in a disk drive , storing the generated address map change information in a nonvolatile memory device , wherein when power is applied to the disk drive , a process of updating the address map information is executed based on the address map change information stored in the nonvolatile memory device . an embodiment may also include wherein when the disk drive is initialized , the address map information is read from the disk and stored in a volatile memory device , and the logical block address designated in the command is converted into a physical address of the disk based on the address map information stored in the volatile memory device . an embodiment may also include wherein the address map information is stored in the disk or the nonvolatile memory device . an embodiment may also include wherein the address map information includes information for converting a logical block address received from a host device into a physical address of the disk by using a virtual address . an embodiment may also include wherein the address map information includes information for converting a logical block address received from the host device into a physical address of the disk such that it is sequentially written in any one direction of an inner circumferential direction and an outer circumferential direction in a track included in a virtual band corresponding to a physical area of the disk . an embodiment may also include wherein the address map information includes mapping information between a logical band classified as an aggregate of logical block addresses and a virtual band corresponding to a physical area of the disk and mapping information between a logical block address in a virtual band allocated to a logical band and a virtual address corresponding to a sector . an embodiment may also include wherein data and a logical block address corresponding thereto are written to the disk when the data write operation is executed . an embodiment may also include wherein the logical block address is written by data sector of the disk . an embodiment may also include wherein when a voltage of a power source applied from the disk drive is dropped to below a threshold voltage in a state in which power off control signal is not generated in the disk drive , it is determined that abnormal power off has occurred . an embodiment may also include wherein the address map change information includes information regarding a position of data written in the disk without being reflected in the address map information stored in the disk or the nonvolatile memory device . an embodiment may also include wherein the address map change information includes a logical band number , a virtual band number , and a finally accessed virtual address . an embodiment may also include wherein the address map change information includes a logical band number with respect to data written in the disk without being reflected in the address map information stored in the disk or the nonvolatile memory device , a virtual band number allocated to the logical band , and a virtual address finally accessed in the virtual band allocated to the logical band . an embodiment may also include wherein a process of updating the address map information comprises : reading the address map information and the address map change information when power is applied to the disk drive ; reconfiguring the address map information based on the address map change information ; and storing the reconfigured address map information in the disk drive . an embodiment may also include wherein , in the reconfiguring of the address map information , a virtual band number not present in the address map information among virtual band numbers included in the address map change information is newly allocated to the address map information based on the address map change information . an embodiment may also include wherein the updating of the address map information comprises : moving a magnetic head to a first area of the disk in which data and a logical block address corresponding thereto are written without being reflected in the address map information by using the address map change information ; reading the logical block address from the first area ; and adding virtual address mapping information corresponding to the logical block address read from the first area to the address map information . an embodiment may also include wherein the first area of the disk is determined based on a difference between a finally access virtual address in a virtual band included in the address map change information and a finally accessed virtual address in a virtual band included in the address map information corresponding thereto . an embodiment may also include wherein the first area includes an area of the disk corresponding to a section starting from a start virtual address with respect to the virtual band of the newly allocated virtual band number based on the address map change information to a finally accessed virtual address in the virtual band number included in the address map change information . an embodiment may also include wherein , regarding a virtual band included in the address map change information to which the virtual band number is not newly allocated , the first area includes an area of the disk corresponding to a section starting from an immediately next virtual address of the finally accessed virtual address read from the address map information to the finally accessed virtual address read from the address map change information . an embodiment may also include wherein the process of updating the address map information further comprises : deleting the address map change information stored in the nonvolatile memory device after the step of executing the reconfigured address map information in the disk drive is executed . another embodiment may be a storage device comprising : a storage medium ; a storage media interface accessing the storage medium to write data or read data , a volatile memory device ; a nonvolatile memory device ; and a processor controlling the storage medium interface to write data to the storage medium or read data from the storage medium , wherein the processor stores address map change information generated based on a data writing operation in the volatile memory device , reads the address map change information from the volatile memory device and stores the read address map change information in the nonvolatile memory device by using reserved power in case in which abnormal power off occurs , and performs an operation of updating address map information based on the address map change information stored in the nonvolatile memory device . an embodiment may also include wherein when a voltage of a power source applied to the storage device is dropped to below a threshold voltage in a state in which power off control signal is not generated , the processor determines that abnormal power off has occurred . an embodiment may also include further comprising : a power supply device supplying reserved power to the storage device when abnormal power off occurs . an embodiment may also include wherein the power supply device comprises : a reserved power charging unit charging supplied power to a charging element ; and a power distribution unit supplying power charged in the reserved power charging unit to the storage device when abnormal power off occurs . an embodiment may also include wherein when abnormal power off occurs , the power distribution unit supplies power charged in the reserved power charging unit to the processor , the volatile memory device , and the nonvolatile memory device constituting the storage device . an embodiment may also include wherein the reserved power charging unit further comprises : a circuit for charging a counter electromotive force generated from a motor rotating by inertia in a state in which abnormal power off occurs to the charging element . an embodiment may also include wherein when the storage device is initialized , the processor stores address map information stored in the storage medium to the volatile memory device , and update the address map information stored in the volatile memory device based on a write operation . an embodiment may also include wherein when the address map change information is stored in a full state in an initially set address map change information list , the processor reads the address map information stored in the volatile memory device and writes the read address map information to the storage medium . an embodiment may also include wherein the address map information is written to the storage medium . an embodiment may also include wherein the processor reads the address map information stored in the volatile memory device , writes the read address map information to the storage medium , and then , deletes the address map change information stored in the volatile memory device . an embodiment may also include wherein the address map information includes information for converting a logical block address into a physical address of the storage medium by using a virtual address . an embodiment may also include wherein the address map information includes information for converting a logical block address designated by a command into a physical address of the storage medium such that it is sequentially written in any one of an inner circumferential direction and an outer circumferential direction in a virtual band corresponding to a physical area of the storage medium . an embodiment may also include wherein the address map information includes mapping information between a logical band classified as an aggregate of logical block addresses and a virtual band corresponding to a physical area of the storage medium and mapping information between a logical block address in a virtual band allocated to a logical band and a virtual address corresponding to a sector . an embodiment may also include wherein the processor controls the storage medium interface to write data and a logical block address corresponding thereto to the storage medium when the data write operation is executed . an embodiment may also include wherein a data storage area and a logical block address storage area are allocated in units of sectors to the storage medium . an embodiment may also include wherein the address map change information includes information regarding a position of data written in the storage medium without being reflected in the address map information . an embodiment may also include wherein the address map change information includes a logical band number with respect to data written in the storage medium without being reflected in the address map information , a virtual band number allocated to the logical band , and a finally accessed virtual address in the virtual band allocated to the logical band . an embodiment may also include wherein the processor performs an address map information updating process of accessing a first area of the storage medium written without being reflected in the address map information by using the address map change information read from the nonvolatile memory device when power is applied to the storage device , and adding virtual address mapping information corresponding to a logical block address read from the first area to the address map information . an embodiment may also include wherein the processor determines the first area based on a difference between a finally accessed virtual address in a virtual band included in the address map change information and a finally accessed virtual address in a virtual band included in the address map information . an embodiment may also include wherein the processor includes an area of the storage medium corresponding to a section starting from a start virtual address with respect to a virtual band of a newly allocated virtual band number based on the address map change information to a finally accessed virtual address in the virtual band number included in the address map change information , in the first area . an embodiment may also include wherein , regarding a virtual band included in the address map change information to which the virtual band number is not newly allocated , the processor includes an area of the storage medium corresponding to a section starting from an immediately next virtual address of the finally accessed virtual address read from the address map information to the finally accessed virtual address read from the address map change information , in the first area . an embodiment may also include wherein the processor executes an address map information updating process of newly allocating a virtual band number not present in the address map information among virtual band numbers included in the address map change information to the address map information based on the address map change information . an embodiment may also include wherein the processor performs processing of deleting the address map change information stored in the nonvolatile memory after performing the operation of updating the address map information . an embodiment may also include wherein the storage device includes a disk drive . an embodiment may also be a computer system comprising : a host device issuing a command for operating a connected storage device ; and a storage device for writing data transmitted from the host device in a storage medium or reading data from the storage medium and transmitting the data to the host device based on the command issued from the host device , wherein when supplied power is abnormally cut off , the storage device stores generated address map change information based on a data write operation in a nonvolatile memory device by using reserved power , and updates address map information with respect to the storage device based on the address map change information stored in the nonvolatile memory device . an embodiment may also include wherein the storage device writes data and a logical block address corresponding thereto in a storage medium when a data write operation is executed . an embodiment may also include wherein the address map change information includes information regarding a position of data written in a storage medium of the storage device without being reflected on the address map information . an embodiment may also include wherein , when power is applied , the storage device executes an address map information updating process of accessing a first area of the storage medium written without being reflected on the address map information by using the address map change information read from the nonvolatile memory device and adding virtual address mapping information corresponding to a logical block address read from the first area to the address map information . another embodiment may be a method for managing address map information through a network , the method comprising : downloading a program for managing address map information with respect to a storage device from a terminal connected to the network ; and executing the downloaded program for managing address map information with respect to the storage device , wherein the program for managing address map information with respect to the storage device includes a program code for performing a process of storing address map change information generated in the storage device to a nonvolatile memory device when power is abnormally cut off , and a process of updating address map information with respect to the storage device based on the address map change information stored in the nonvolatile memory device when power is applied to the storage device . another embodiment may be a computer - readable storage medium storing a program code for executing a method described herein in a computer . the present invention can be applicable to storage devices using various write methods as well as to a disk drive using the shingled write method . the present invention can be realized as a method , an apparatus , a system and so on . when the present invention is realized as software , the members of the present invention are code segments which execute necessary operations . programs or code segments may be stored in a processor readable medium . the processor readable medium may be any medium which can store or transmit information , such as an electronic circuit , a semiconductor memory device , a rom , a flash memory , an erom ( erasable rom ), a floppy disc , an optical disc , a hard disc , or the like . although the invention has been described with reference to particular embodiments , it will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art that modifications to the described embodiments may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention . therefore , it is obvious that the present invention is not restricted to the specific structures or arrangements shown or described in this specification . s 102 : store address map change information in nonvolatile memory device s 103 : update address map information based on address map change information stored in nonvolatile memory device s 303 : address map change information is stored in nonvolatile memory device ? s 306 : store reconfigured address map information in storage medium or nonvolatile memory device s 401 : reconfigure virtual band ( vb ) mapped to logical band ( lv ) s 501 : calculate data storage area written without being reflected on address map information s 503 : add va mapping information corresponding to read lba to address map information s 601 : write data and lba in storage medium based on write command s 605 : store address map change information in nonvolatile memory device s 606 : update address map information based on address map change information stored in nonvolatile memory device s 701 : determine lb corresponding to lba designated by write command
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fig1 is a block diagram of online game system . as shown in fig1 , the online game system 1 includes game server 10 , wing 12 , 3g wireless network 2 and mobile users ( ue ) 30 . the 3g wireless network 2 includes core packet network 20 and radio access network 22 . the wing 12 is connected to pstn / isdn / cspdn 14 and 3g wireless network 2 . ue 30 is connected to 3g wireless network 2 . while network gaming has long been projected to be an application of massive economic growth , as seen in the recent explosive development on the wired internet in south korea and japan , deployment of similar network games on 3g wireless networks 2 continues to be slow and difficult . one reason is that unlike their wired counterparts , wireless links are notoriously prone to errors due to channel fading , shadowing and inter - symbol interference . while 3g wireless networks 2 , such as high speed downlink packet access ( hsdpa ) of 3rd generation partnership project ( 3gpp ) release 5 ( r5 ) [ 1 ] and cdma 1x evdo of 3gpp2 [ 5 ], combat wireless link failures at the mac and physical layer with an elaborate system of channel coding , retransmission , modulation and spreading , with resulting packet loss rate being reduced to negligible 1 to 2 %, the detrimental side - effect to network gaming is the large and often unpredictable transmission delay mean and variance [ 15 ]. such large and variable delays greatly reduce the necessary interactivity of network game players and deteriorate the overall gaming experience . in a separate development , a new 3 g network element called ip multimedia subsystem ( ims ) [ 3 ] has been introduced in 3gpp specifications r5 and later , as shown in fig1 . the session initiation protocol ( sip )- based ims provides a multitude of multimedia services : from establishing connections from the legacy telephone networks to the new ip core network using voice over ip ( voip ), to delivering streaming services such as video as a value - added service to mobile users ( ue 30 ). strategically located as a pseudo - gateway to the private and heavily provisioned 3g networks , it is foreseeable that ims will continue to enlarge and enrich its set of multimedia services in future wireless networks . in this specification , we propose a performance enhancing proxy ( pep ) called ( w ) ireless ( i ) nteractive ( n ) etwork ( g ) aming proxy ( wing ) 12 to improve the timely delivery of network game data in 3g wireless networks 2 . wing 12 is located inside ims as an application service on top of the myriad of services that ims already provides . in a nutshell , wing 12 improves the delivery of game data from the game server 10 to 3 g wireless game players ( while peer - to - peer model for interactive network games is also possible , we assume the more common server - client model where the game server 10 maintains and disseminates all game states in this specification ) using the following three techniques . first , by virtue of locating at the intersection of the private wireless network and the open internet , connection from the game server 10 to the wireless game player can be strategically split ; for the server - wing 12 connection , only the statistically stable and fast round - trip time ( rtt ) and low wired - network - only packet loss rate ( plr ) are used for congestion control , resulting in a steady yet tcp - friendly server - wing 12 connection . second , by configuring parameters in the radio link layer ( rlc ) specifically for gaming during session setup , excessive rlc retransmissions are avoided , and timeliness of game data is improved at the controlled expense of increased packet losses . finally , by constructing small but error - resilient packets that contain location data , packets can be transmitted in fewer mac - layer protocol data units ( pdu ) and hence further reduces delay . the specification is organized as follows . related work is presented in section 2 . we overview the 3g wireless system in focus , hsdpa of 3gpp r5 , in section 3 . note that because similar link and mac layer transport optimizations that chiefly affect delay mean and variance are also employed in other 3g networks , our proposed wing 12 can conceivably be applied to other wireless networks such as cdma 1x evdo of 3gpp2 . we discuss the design of wing 12 in details in section 4 . finally , experimental results and conclusion are provided in section 5 and 6 , respectively . we divide the discussion on the large volume of related work into two section . section 2 . 1 discusses related research on wireless transport optimization . section 2 . 2 discusses related research in transport of network game data . we note that proxy - based transport optimization for last - hop wireless networks has a long history , with the majority of the research [ 4 , 15 ] focusing on optimization of tcp over last - hop wireless networks . in particular , [ 15 ] showed that while 3g network packet losses can indeed be successfully overcome by using ample link layer retransmissions , the resulting large rtt mean and variance may severely affect the performance of a tcp - like congestion avoidance rate control that is based on end - to - end observable statistics of rtt and plr . the limiting rate constraint and undesirable fluctuations can be alleviated using a proxy with split - connection — a theme we develop in section 4 . 2 . recently , efforts on proxy design have shifted to delay - sensitive multimedia transport [ 18 , 13 , 8 , 9 ], though all of them focused exclusively on streaming media , while we focus on network gaming . note that due to cited complexity reason , a competing end - to - end approach for rate control that does not rely on an intermediate proxy is popular as well [ 17 , 6 ]. however , we chose the proxy - based approach and will juxtapose its advantages in section 4 . 2 . in [ 3 ], a general gaming platform for ims that provides network services needed for network gaming such as session setup and registration is proposed to ease deployment over 3g networks . our work is orthogonal to [ 3 ] since we focus only on the efficient transport of game data . an early work on gaming protocol is [ 10 ], which defined a game transport protocol ( gtp ) for massive multi - player on - line games ( mmpogs ) over the internet . our proposed gaming proxy wing 12 differs in the following respects : i ) we design wing 12 specifically for lossy , bandwidth - limited networks , hence focusing on design of network - optimized differential coding to produce small but loss - resilient packets ; and , ii ) we tailor wing 12 for hsdpa of 3g wireless networks 2 , optimizing performance by intelligently configuring parameters of the rlc layer . the most similar related work is [ 12 ], which proposed an end - to - end adaptive fec and dynamic packetization algorithm to combat packet losses due to wireless link failures and reduce packet sizes . unlike [ 12 ], our approach is proxy - based , and we tailor our gaming optimization exclusively for 3g networks . hsdpa of umts release 5 , also known as 3 . 5g , improves upon release 4 with numerous lower - layer optimizations . first , a shared channel is periodically scheduled to users in the cell with good observable network conditions to take advantage of user diversity during fading without sacrificing fairness . second , an elaborate mac - layer scheme chooses an appropriate combination of fec , hybrid arq , modulation and spreading based on client observable network state . in this section , we instead focus on the rlc layer , where the user has limited control over channel behavior using configuration of parameters during session setup . the radio link control ( rlc ) layer [ 1 ] buffers upper layer service data units ( sdu ) on a per - session basis — ip packets in this case , and segments each sdu into smaller protocol data units ( pdu ) of size s pdu and await transmission at lower layers . there are three transmission modes : transparent mode ( tm ), unacknowledged mode ( um ) and acknowledged mode ( am ). only am performs link - layer retransmissions if transmission in the lower layer fails . for error resiliency , we focus only on am . in particular , we look at how sdus are discarded in the rlc layer : using a method of retransmission - based discard ( rbd ), an sdu can be discarded before successful transmission . in a nutshell , an sdu is discarded if a predefined maximum number of retransmissions b has been reached before successful transmission of a pdu belonging to the sdu . we will investigate how the value b can be selected to trade off error resiliency with delay in section 4 . 3 . before we discuss the three optimizations of our proposed gaming proxy wing 12 in details in section 4 . 2 , 4 . 3 and 4 . 4 , we first define a new type of transport data called “ variable deadline data ” in section 4 . 1 — a consequence of a prediction procedure used at a network game client to predict locations of other game players in the virtual game world . unlike media streaming applications where a data unit containing media data is fully consumed if it is correctly delivered by a playback deadline and useless otherwise [ 9 ], the usefulness ( utility ) of a game datum is inversely proportional to the time it requires to deliver it . this relationship between utility and transmission delay is the behavioral result of a commonly used game view reconstruction procedure at a game client called “ dead - reckoning ” [ 2 ]. it works as follows . to maintain time - synchronized virtual world views among game players at time t 0 , a player p a predicts the location ξ t 0 of another player p b and draws it in p a virtual world at time t 0 , extrapolating from previously received location updates of p b in the past , ξ τ , τ & lt ; t 0 . when location update ξ t0 arrives at p a from p b at a later time t 1 , p a updates its record of p b &# 39 ; s locations with ( t 0 , ξ t0 ), in order to make an accurate prediction of for display in p a &# 39 ; s virtual world at time t 1 . regardless of what prediction method is used at the client , it is clear that a smaller transmission delay will in general induce a smaller prediction error , or distortion . we term this type of data with inversely proportional relationship between quantifiable utility and delay “ variable deadline data ”. we next show examples of how such utility - delay curve u ( d ) can be derived in practice given a player movement model and a prediction method . we first consider two simple movement models that model a game player in two - dimensional space ( x , y ). the first is “ random walk ”, where for each time increment t , probability mass function ( pmf ) of random variable of x - coordinate x t , p ( x t ), is defined as follows : random variable of y - coordinate y t is calculated similarly and is independent of x t . the second movement model is “ weighted random walk ”, whose pmf is defined as follows : in words , the player continues the same movement as done in the previous instant with probability ⅔ , and changes to one of two other movements each with probability ⅙ . random variable y - coordinate y t is calculated similarly . we defined a simple prediction method called “ 0th - order prediction ” as follows : each unknown x t is simply set to the most recently updated x τ . using each of the two movement models in combination with the prediction method , we constructed distortion - delay curves experimentally as shown in fig2 a . as seen , 0th - order prediction is a better match to random walk than weighted random walk , inducing a smaller distortion for all delay values . utility u ( d )— shown in fig2 b — is simply the reciprocal of distortion . having derived u ( d ) gives us a quantifiable metric on which we can objectively evaluate game data transport systems . we argue that by locating wing 12 ( fig1 ) between the open wired internet ( ip network ) and the provisioned wireless networks ( 3 g wireless network 2 ) to conduct split - connection data transfer , stable tcp - friendly congestion control can be maintained on top of udp in the wired server - wing 12 connection . traditional congestion control algorithms like tcp - friendly rate control ( tfrc ) [ 11 ] space outgoing packets with interval t cc as a function of estimated packet loss rate ( plr ) ε cc , rtt mean m cc and rtt variance σ cc 2 due to wired network congestion : past end - to - end efforts [ 17 , 6 ] have focused on methodologies to distinguish wired network congestion losses from wireless link losses , in order to avoid unnecessary rate reduction due to erroneous perception of wireless losses as network congestion . split connection offers the same effect regarding plr by completely shielding sender from packet losses due to wireless link failures . moreover , by performing tfrc ( 3 ) in the server - wing 12 connection using only stable wired network statistics , split connection shields the server - wing 12 connection from large rate fluctuations due to large rtt variance in the last - hop 3 g link as shown in [ 15 ]. for this reason , [ 15 ] showed experimentally that indeed proxy - based split - connection congestion control performs better than end - to - end counterparts , even in negligible wireless loss environments . lastly , we note that split connection can benefit from a “ rate - mismatch ” environment [ 8 , 9 ], where the available bandwidth r 1 in the server - wing 12 connection is larger than the available bandwidth r 2 in the wing 12 - client connection . in such case , the surplus bandwidth r 1 - r 2 can be used for redundancy packets like forward - error correction ( fec ) or retransmission to lower plr in the server - wing 12 connection . we refer interested readers to [ 8 , 9 ] for further details . prior to the start of the game session , our proposed game proxy will appropriately set the maximum number of retransmissions at the radio link control ( rlc ) layer . an appropriately selected number of retransmissions , resulting in an associated queuing and transmission delay , optimizes the expected utility of delivered game data . the optimization of rlc configuration is performed between the radio access network 22 in the 3g wireless network 2 and the ue 30 ( fig1 ) by setting parameters for it . given utility - delay function u ( d ) in section 4 . 1 , we optimize configuration of rlc to maximize utility . more precisely , we pick the value of maximum retransmission limit b — inducing expected sdu loss rate l * and delay d *, so that the expected utility ( 1 − l *) u ( d *) is maximized . we assume a known average sdu size ssdu , pdu loss rate fpdu , and probability density function ( pdf ) of pdu transmission delay φ ( φ ) with mean m φ and variance σ φ 2 . first , the expected number of pdus fragmented from an sdu is for a given b , the expected sdu loss rate l sdu can be written simply : where p pdu is the probability that a pdu is successfully delivered given b . the delay d sdu experienced by a successfully delivered sdu is the sum of queuing delay d q sdu and transmission delay d t sdu . queuing delay d q sdu is the delay experienced by an sdu while waiting for head - of - queue sdus to clear due to early termination or delivery success . d t sdu is the expected wireless medium transmission delay given the sdu is successfully delivered . d t sdu is easier and can be calculated as : where x pdu is the expected number of pdu ( re ) transmissions given pdu delivery success . to calculate d q sdu we assume a m / g / l queue ( our system is actually more similar to a d / g / l queue , since the arrivals of game data are more likely to be deterministic than markovian . instead , we use m / g / l queue as a first - order approximation .) with arrival rate λ q , mean service time m q , and variance of service time σ q 2 . using pollaczek - khinchin mean value formula [ 14 ], d q sdu can be written as : in our application , λ q is the rate at which game data arrive at wing 12 from the server , which we assume to be known . m q is the mean service rate for both cases of sdu delivery success and failure and can be derived as follows : where y sdu is the expected total number of pdu ( re ) transmissions in an sdu given sdu delivery failure . similar analysis will show that the variance of service rate σ q 2 for our application is : we can now evaluate expected queuing delay d q sdu from which we evaluate expected delay d sdu . optimal b * is one that maximizes left ( 1 − l * sdu ) u ( d * sdu ). the proxy performs the repacketization of game data using loss - optimized differential coding . this is done to achieve two objectives simultaneously : i ) to reduce the transmission time by reducing the size of the data packet and hence the number of lower layer packet fragmentation ; and , ii ) to avoid error propagation due to dependency introduced by traditional differential coding . the wing 12 ( fig1 ) performs the loss - optimized differential coding by re - packetizing the data from the game server 10 to the ue 30 . the wing 12 sets mode indication bits in data packets to notify the ue 30 of the mode of loss - optimized differential coding ( refer to table 1 below ). the ue 30 decodes the received packets based on the mode indication bits . if the location data — player position updates sent to improve dead - reckoning discussed in section 4 . 1 — are in absolute values , then the size of the packet containing the data can be large , resulting in large delay due to many pdu fragmentation and spreading . the alternative is to describe the location in relative terms — the difference in the location from a previous time slot . differential values are smaller , resulting in fewer encoded bits and smaller packets , and hence smaller transmission delay . this “ differential coding ” of location data is used today in networked games . the obvious disadvantage of differential coding is that the created dependency chain is vulnerable to network loss ; a single loss can result in error propagation until the next absolute location data ( refresh ). to lessen the error propagation effect while maintaining the coding benefit of differential coding , one can reference a position in an earlier time slot . an example is shown in fig3 , where we see position 3 ( ξ 3 ) references ξ 1 instead of ξ 2 . this way , loss of packet containing ξ 2 will not affect ξ 3 , which depends only on ξ 1 . the problem is then : for a new position ξ t , how to select reference position ξ t - r for differential coding such that the right tradeoff of error resilience and packet size can be selected ? this selection must be done in an on - line manner as new position becomes available from the application to avoid additional delay . to implement loss - optimized differential coding , we first define a coding specification that dictates how the receiver should decode location packets . for simplicity , we propose only four coding modes , where each mode is specified by a designated bit sequence ( mode marker ) in the packet . assuming the original absolute position ξ is specified by two 32 - bit fixed point numbers , mode 0 encodes the unaltered absolute position in x - y order , resulting in data payload size of 2 + 64n bits for n game entities . mode 1 uses the previous position as reference for differential encoding with 16 bits per coordinate , resulting in 2 + 32n bits for n entities . mode 2 uses the first 2 bits to specify r in reference position t - r for differential encoding . each coordinate takes 8 bits , resulting in 4 + 16n total bits for n entities . mode 3 is similar to mode 2 with the exception that each of the reference marker and the two coordinate takes only 4 bits to encode , resulting in 6 + 8n bits for n entities . for given position ξ t =( x t , y t ) and reference ξ t - r =( x t - r , y t - r ), some modes may be infeasible due to the fixed coding bit budgets for reference and coordinate sizes . so limited to the set of feasible modes , we seek a reference position / mode pair that maximizes an objective function . for an ip packet of size s t containing position ξ t that is sent at time t , we first define the probability that it is correctly “ delivered ” by time τ as α t ( τ ). α t ( τ ) depends on expected plr l ( s t ) and delay d ( s t ), resulting from retransmission limit b chosen in section 4 . 3 : where n ( s t ) is the number of pdus fragmented from an sdu of size s t . l ( s t ) is plr in ( 5 ) generalized to sdu size s t . d ( s t ) is the expected queuing delay in ( 8 ) plus the transmission delay in ( 7 ) generalized to sdu size s t . we can now approximate α t ( τ ) as : where l ( x )= 1 if x ≧ 0 , and = 0 otherwise . if no acknowledgment packets ( ack ) are sent from client to wing 12 , then α t ( τ ) is simply the second case in ( 15 ). we next define the probability that position ξ t is correctly “ decoded ” by time τ as p t ( τ ). due to dependencies resulting from differential coding , p t ( τ ) is written as follows : where j t | is the set of positions j &# 39 ; s that precedes t in the dependency graph due to differential coding . given utility function u ( d ) in section 4 . 1 and decode probability ( 16 ), the optimal reference position / mode pair is one that maximizes the following objective function : max p t ( t + d ( s t )) u ( d ( s t )) ( 17 ) it should be noted that the coding modes have different packet sizes as can be seen from the rightmost column of table 1 , “ total ” column , and so change in the reference position / mode will change not only p t ( t + d ( s t )) but also u ( d ( s t )) in formula ( 17 ). we first present network statistics for hsdpa and discuss the implications . we collected network statistics of 10 , 000 ping packets , of packet size 50 , 100 and 200 bytes , spaced 200 ms apart , between hosts in tokyo and singapore inside hp intranet . the results are shown in table 2 . we then conducted the same experiment over a network emulator called wine2 [ 16 ] emulating the hsdpa link with 10 competing ftp users each with mobility model pedestrian a . we make two observations in table 2 . one , though results from both experiments had similar rtt means , hsdpa &# 39 ; s rtt variances were very large , substantiating our assertion that using split - connection to shield the server - wing 12 connection from hsdpa &# 39 ; s rtt variance would drastically improve tfrc bandwidth ( 3 ) of server - wing 12 connection . two , larger packets entailed larger rtt means for hsdpa . this means that the differential coding discussed in section 4 . 4 indeed has substantial performance improvement potential . we next used an internally developed network simulator called ( mu ) lti - path ( n ) etwork ( s ) imulator muns that was used in other simulations [ 7 ] to test rlc configurations and differential coding . for pdu transmission delay φ ( φ ), we used a shifted gamma distribution : where γ ( α ) is the gamma function [ 14 ]. the parameters used are shown in table 3 . fig4 shows the expected delay and utility as a function of retransmission limit b for different pdu loss rates . as expected , when b increases , the expected delay increases . the expected utility , on the other hand , reaches a peak and decreases . for given pdu loss rate , we simply select b with the largest expected utility . next , we compare the results of our loss - optimized differential coding optimization opt in section 4 . 4 with two schemes : abs , which always encodes in absolute values ; and , rel , which uses only previous frame for differential coding and refreshes with absolute values every 10 updates . abs represents the most error resilient coding method in differential coding , while rel represents a reasonably coding - efficient method with periodical resynchronization . note , however , that neither abs nor rel adapts differential coding in real time using client feedbacks . abs and rel were each tested twice . in the first trial , limit b was set to 1 , and in the second , b was set to the optimal configured value as discussed in section 4 . 3 . 20000 data points were generated and averaged for each distortion value in table 4 . as we see in table 4 for various pdu loss rate ε pdu , the resulting distortions for opt were always lower than abs &# 39 ; s and rel &# 39 ; s , particularly for high pdu loss rates . opt performed better than rel because of opt &# 39 ; s error resiliency of loss - optimized differential coding , while opt performed better than abs because opt &# 39 ; s smaller packets induced a smaller queuing delay and a smaller transmission delay due to smaller number of rlc fragmentations . this demonstrates that it is important not only to find an optimal rlc configuration , but a suitable differential coding scheme to match the resulting loss rate and delay of the configuration . we propose a performance enhancing proxy called wing 12 to improve the delivery of game data from a game server 10 to 3g game players using three techniques : i ) split - connection tcp - friendly congestion control , ii ) network game optimized rlc configuration , and , iii ) packet compression using differential coding . for future , we will investigate how similar techniques can be applied for the 3g uplink from game player to game server 10 . universal mobile telecommunications system ( umts ); radio link control ( rlc ) protocol specification ( 3gpp ts . 25 . 322 version 5 . 12 . 0 release 5 ). http :// www . 3gpp . org / ftp / specs / archive / 25 \ _series / 25 . 322 / 25322 - 5c0 . zip , september 2005 . s . aggarwal , h . banavar , and a . khandelwal ,. “ accuracy in dead - reckoning based distributed multi - player games ,”. in acm sigcomm netgames , portland , oreg ., august 2004 . a . akkawi , s . schaller , o . welinitz , and l . wolf ,. “ a mobile gaming platform for the ims ,”. in acm sigcomm netgames , portland , oreg ., august 2004 . h . balakrishnan , v . padmanabhan , s . seshan , and r . katz ,. “ a comparison of mechanisms for improving tcp performance over wireless links ,”. in ieee / acm trans . networking , volume 5 , no . 6 , december 1997 . q . bi and s . vitebsky ,. “ performance analysis of 3g - 1x evdo high data rate system ,”. in ieee wireless communications and networking conference , orlando , fla ., march 2002 . m . chen and a . zakhor ,. “ aio - trfc : a light - weight rate control scheme for streaming over wireless ,”. in ieee wirelesscom , maui , hi ., june 2005 . g . cheung , p . sharma , and s . j . lee ,. “ striping delay - sensitive packets over multiple bursty wireless channels ,”. in ieee international conference on multimedia and expo , amsterdam , the netherlands , july 2005 . g . cheung and w . t . tan ,. “ streaming agent for wired network / wireless link rate - mismatch environment ,”. in international workshop on multimedia signal processing , st . thomas , virgin islands , december 2002 . g . cheung , w . t . tan , and t . yoshimura , “ double feedback streaming agent for real - time delivery of media over 3g wireless networks ,”. in ieee transactions on multimedia , volume 6 , no . 2 , pages 304 - 314 , april 2004 . s . p . et al ., “ game transport protocol : a reliable lightweight transport protocol for massively multiplayer on - line games ( mmpogs ),”. in spie - itcom , boston , mass ., july 2002 . s . floyd , m . handley , j . padhye , and j . widmer ,. “ equation - based congestion control for unicast applications ,” in acm sigcomm , stockholm , sweden , august 2000 . p . ghosh , k . basu , and s . das , “ a cross - layer design to improve quality of service in online multiplayer wireless gaming networks ,” in ieee broadnets , boston , mass ., october 2005 . l . huang , u . horn , f . hartung , and m . kampmann , “ proxy - based tcp - friendly streaming over mobile networks ,”. in ieee international symposium on a world of wireless , mobile and multimedia networks , atlanta , ga ., september 2002 . a . leon - garcia ,. probability and random processes for electrical engineering . addison wesley , 1994 . m . meyer , j . sachs , and m . holzke ,. “ performance evaluation of a tcp proxy in wcdma networks ,”. in ieee wireless communications , october 2003 . f . yang , q . zhang , w . zhu , and y .- q . zhang ,. “ bit allocation for scalable video streaming over mobile wireless internet ,”. in ieee infocom , hong kong , march 2004 . t . yoshimura , t . ohya , t . kawahara , and m . etoh ,. “ rate and robustness control with rtp monitoring agent for mobile multimedia streaming ,”. in ieee international conference on communication , new york , n . y ., april 2002 .
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fig1 shows a high - level flowchart for converting a circuit description from a low - level description ( e . g ., hdl , rtl ) to a higher level of abstraction , such as a transaction level model ( tlm ). the low - level description generally includes details at the signal level , while the tlm uses high level functions and equations to calculate output transactions based on inputs and is not concerned with the device - level implementation of the circuit . esl is an emerging electronic design methodology , which focuses on the higher abstraction level . electronic system level is now an established approach at most of the world &# 39 ; s leading system - on - a - chip ( soc ) design companies , and is being used increasingly in system design . from its genesis as an algorithm modeling methodology with ‘ no links to implementation ’, esl is evolving into a set of complementary methodologies that enable embedded system design , verification , and debugging through to the hardware and software implementation of custom soc , system - on - fpga , system - on - board , and entire multi - board systems . esl can be accomplished through the use of systemc as an abstract modeling language . at process box 10 , simulation is performed on the low - level circuit description . at process box 12 , transactions are extracted from the simulation data . the simulation and transaction extraction process are described more fully in relation to fig2 - 8 , but basically the system maps signal patterns into messages using pre - defined protocols ( e . g ., amba , pci , etc .). then the messages are converted to transactions . at process box 14 , model extraction is performed . the model extraction is described more fully in relation to fig9 - 18 , but generally the system looks to repetitive correlation ( i . e ., deterministic behavior ) between input sequences and output messages . neural network functions are used to calculate the output message generation and extrapolate statistical behavior of a component . additionally , data dependencies can be extracted . finally , in process box 16 , the model is output at the higher level of abstraction . the model , in a sense , is like a black box where input transactions / messages are analyzed to generate output transactions / messages , without a focus on signal levels and values , but more a focus on timing and relationships between messages . the resulting abstract model can be simulated as - is to run pure performance analysis of a system , or can be plugged into tlm functional models and used to provide timing and functional behavior during fully functional simulation fig2 shows a flowchart of a method for converting simulation data of a circuit description to a transaction - based description , which is at a higher layer of abstraction . in process box 20 , simulation data of a circuit description is received . the circuit description may be in hdl or any other software language and it may be compiled and simulated as part of a system design flow or it may be separately compiled and simulated . thus , the simulation can be run in combination with the conversion process to a transaction - based description , or it can be run on a separate machine at a separate time . any desired simulator may be used , such as modelsim ®, available from mentor graphics corporation , or vcd ( value change dump ) files generated by any other simulator . in process box 24 , the simulated circuit is converted into a series of transactions associated with a predetermined protocol . the protocol used is typically provided as input into the system by the user . in process box 26 , the simulation data is output in the foam of the transactions , which is a higher level of abstraction than the received simulated circuit design . for example , fig4 shows a simulated circuit description , which is at a signal level including a plurality of signals on various hardware lines . fig8 illustrates the converted circuit description at a transaction level . the output may be achieved by a variety of techniques , such as displayed to the user on a display ( not shown ), output to a file , etc . fig3 shows a hardware diagram of a system 38 for converting a circuit description into a circuit description at the transaction level . a storage device 40 of any desired type has stored thereon the circuit design in hdl or any other desired language that may be used to describe circuits . a compiler 42 compiles the design and a protocol library 44 . the compiler 42 may be any desired compiler and is usually included as part of a simulator package . the protocol library 44 includes messages and transactions associated with a protocol used by the circuit . messages include part of a transaction , such as a request and an acknowledge of the bus , whereas a transaction is a complete operation , such as any of a variety of types of read or write transactions or control or setup transactions . a simulation kernel 46 simulates the compiled design in a well - known manner , as already described . the simulation kernel 46 outputs the simulation data 48 in any desired format . box 48 can also represent a pre - simulated design data ( vcd format ). a message recognition module 50 reads the simulation data 48 and analyzes the data to convert it to messages of the protocol stored in the protocol library 44 . fig4 - 6 describe this conversion more thoroughly , but generally switching signals of the simulation are compared ( during various time slices ) to messages within the protocol library 44 to determine what message is being processed during a particular time slice . the messages associated with the switching signals during each time slice are then stored to convert the switching signals into messages . a transaction recognition module 52 reads the messages determined by the message recognition module 50 and converts the messages into transactions using a comparison of a series of messages to predetermined messages within the protocol library 44 . if a match is found , then the transaction recognition module stores the series of messages as a transaction . the result is that the messages are converted into a series of transactions . a transaction sequence recognition module 54 converts multiple transactions into a single super - transaction sequence . for example , several writes can be converted into a single control operation . this conversion from multiple transactions to a super - transaction sequence is described further below in relation to fig7 . if desired , the transaction sequence recognition module 54 may be bypassed or omitted , so that the transactions are output directly . results 56 of the conversion are output onto a storage medium or a display . in any event , the simulated circuit description is taken to a higher level of abstraction , as the simulation data is converted first to messages , then to transactions , and finally , if desired , to transaction sequences . the compiler 42 , simulator kernel 46 , and modules 50 , 52 , 54 , may all be run on the same computer . alternatively , the circuit description may be compiled and simulated in a different location so that the resultant simulation data 48 is merely on a storage medium to be input into the message recognition module 50 . in such a case , as shown at 58 , it is desirable that the some of the protocol data from the protocol library 44 is incorporated into the simulation data in a pre - processing step . fig4 shows a detailed example of part of the simulated signal data 48 . various signal data 70 on hardware lines are shown including a clock line 72 , a read / write line 74 , a bus request line 76 , a ready line 78 , address lines 80 , and data lines 82 . simulation is also carried out on many more hardware lines , which are not shown for convenience . the signals being simulated follow a predetermined protocol 84 . a protocol is a set of rules or standards designed to enable circuit elements to communicate together and exchange information with as little error as possible . the protocol 84 is made up of a plurality of transactions 85 , such as shown at 86 ( i . e ., transaction a ) and at 88 ( i . e ., transaction b ). a transaction is a discrete activity , such as a read or write operation that moves data from one place to another in the system . the transactions 86 , 88 are in turn made up of a series of messages 90 . for example , transaction 86 is shown as including three messages , 92 , 94 , and 96 . a message is a smaller unit of information electronically transmitted from one circuit element to another to facilitate the transaction . example messages include “ request for bus ”, “ acknowledge ”, “ ready ”, etc . those skilled in the art will readily recognize that these are only examples of transactions and messages and others may be used . each message is associated with a time - slice 98 , such as those shown at 100 , 102 , and 104 . normally , the time - slices are based on the clock signal 72 . during each time - slice , the hardware lines 70 are analyzed to determine the message being sent in correspondence with the transactions of the protocol , as further described below . transaction 88 is similar to transaction 86 and need not be further described . fig5 shows an example part of a state machine 120 stored within the protocol library 44 . different states 122 are shown as numbered circles . messages , such as those at 90 , are shown in boxes , and cause the state machine to move from one state to another . transactions may be defined by a path through the state machine 120 that starts at an idle state 124 ( state 0 ) and that ends at the same idle state , although those skilled in the art will recognize that the state machine 120 may be constructed in a variety of different formats . for example , a read transaction 126 is made up of numbered states 0 , 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 and 5 . the read transaction 126 is completed upon return to the idle state from state 5 to state 0 , as shown by arrow 128 . a write transaction 130 is made up of numbered states 0 , 1 , 2 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , and 10 . the write transaction 130 is completed upon return to the idle state from state 7 to state 0 , as shown by arrow 132 . fig6 shows a flowchart of a method preformed by the message recognition module 50 and the transaction recognition module 52 in order to convert the simulation data into a transaction - based description . at process box 150 , the simulated input data ( see box 48 in fig3 ) is received so that it may be used by the message recognition module 50 . such simulation data is normally within a database . in process box 152 , the analysis starts by monitoring the signal data 70 on the various hardware lines upon which messages are received . additionally , in process box 152 , the protocol library 44 is read to access a state machine , such as state machine 120 , associated with the protocol . in process box 154 , in order to analyze a transaction , an assumption is made that the transaction starts from the idle state 124 . in process box 156 , a time - slice of data is read corresponding to the clock signal on hardware line 72 . for example , in fig4 , the data may be read starting with a time - slice 100 . thus , the switching signals on the various hardware lines are read in order to be analyzed . in process box 158 , the data read is analyzed by comparing the switching signals to known patterns of messages stored in the protocol library 44 . returning briefly to fig5 , from the idle state 124 , a bus request message changes the state of the state machine to state 1 . a bus request message has a particular pattern of signal data on the hardware lines , which is compared to a known pattern in the protocol library 44 . thus , once a match is found between the known pattern of messages and the message analyzed during the currently analyzed time - slice , the message has been determined and is stored in process box 160 . in process box 162 , the current state of the state machine is updated to reflect the change of state . continuing with the example , the new state is state 1 after a bus request message is received . in decision box 164 , a determination is made whether the state machine has returned to the idle state . if yes , this indicates that a transaction is complete and the transaction is determined in process box 166 by comparing a sequence of the stored messages to a sequence of known messages in the protocol library 44 . the sequence of stored messages are those received from the start of the idle state until the state machine returned to the idle state . once a match is found between the sequence of stored messages and those in the protocol library , the transaction associated with those messages is easily obtained from the protocol library 44 . the determined transaction is then stored as indicated in process box 166 . in decision box 168 , a check is made whether all of the input simulated signal data has been analyzed by reading whether the database including the signal data is at the end . if yes , the method ends as shown at 170 . otherwise , the method continues at process box 156 and the next time - slice is read ( e . g ., time - slice 102 ). once the method ends , the database of signal data is converted into a series of transactions associated with the protocol found in the protocol database 44 . fig7 shows a method implemented by the transaction sequence recognition module 54 ( see fig3 ). it may be desirable to group transactions together in order to display to a user the circuit at an even higher level of abstraction . for example , several write / read transactions can be shown as a single control transaction as opposed to individual transactions . in process box 200 , a group of transactions is selected . for example , if there are many of the same type of transactions in sequence ( e . g ., reads ), such a sequence may be condensed . in process box 202 , the selected group is compared to predetermined groups . in decision box 204 , a determination is made whether there is a match between the selected group and the predetermined groups . if there is a match , then in process box 206 , the sequence of transactions is stored as a single transaction in order to convert the circuit description to an even higher level of abstraction . in decision box 208 , a check is made whether all of the transactions have been read . if yes , then the method ends at 210 . if not , then a new group of transactions is chosen at 212 , and the process starts over at process box 202 . fig8 shows an example of a display showing the simulation data of fig3 at a higher level of abstraction . particularly , instead of signals , the simulation data is shown as a series of transactions . write transactions , such as at 240 , are shown as dotted lines and read transactions , such as shown at 242 , are shown as solid lines . throughput is shown along the y - axis and time is indicated along the x - axis . thicker lines generally mean there is a grouping of many transactions so close in time that at the current zoom level they cannot be distinguished . of course , a zoom option may be used to focus on particular transactions . as can readily be seen , the view of fig8 is much easier to read than that of fig4 and allows the designer to obtain a better overall system view of the flow of data . fig9 shows a flowchart of a method for implementing model extraction 14 ( fig1 ). in process box 300 , input files are received related to protocol information , model description , and simulation data for the circuit . the protocol information is provided by the user and is stored in the protocol library 44 . the model description is also provided by the user and includes an interface of the circuit model describing the input / output ports and the lasting state description of the circuit model that describes the internal states elements thereof . the simulation data may be simulation data 48 ( see fig3 ) or simulation data at the transaction level 56 ( fig3 ). in process box 302 , using the input files , an abstract model is generated that approximates the circuit behavior . although particular values may be associated with the approximated circuit behavior , in general the timing aspects are the focal point . for example , a particular address and read data are of less importance than when the address arrives and when the data is output . such parameters can be added manually as they are easier to model ( functionality is in many cases more simple than timing behavior ). in process box 304 , the abstract behavioral model is output . fig1 is a flowchart of showing further details of process box 302 . in process box 320 , a set of tables is created that is associated with the input files . as explained further below , these tables are used to combine all of the input information into a desirable format for the causality analysis and the learning phase . in process box 322 , causality analysis is performed on the tables . the causality analysis is described further in fig1 , but generally it is an analysis on the inputs in the table and the outputs in order to find a repetitive correlation there between . when there is a high degree of repetitive correlation of particular ‘ events ’, such events are given higher importance . on the other hand , signals that are seen only once may be disregarded in order to lessen the analysis of the learning phase . in process box 324 , learning is performed . the learning is described further in fig1 , but generally “ learning ” is a standard term used in the industry , especially relating to neural networks . for example , an article entitled “ conditional distribution learning with neural networks ”, ieee signal processing 1997 , written by tulay hadah , xiao liu , and kemal sonmer describes some aspects of “ learning ” using neural networks . in process box 326 model checking is performed in order to compare the generated model to the desired results . fig1 shows a part of the system for performing the model extraction . some aspects in fig1 have been already discussed . for example , the simulation data 56 and the protocol library 44 were discussed in relation to fig3 . although the simulation data 56 is shown at the transaction level , it may be simulation data 48 , if desired . however , simulation data at the transaction level allows much less data to be fed into the analysis , significantly speeding the process . a protocol source file 350 is passed through a compiler 352 and the result is stored in the protocol library 44 . lasting state information source file 354 contains information regarding the inner states of the circuit being analyzed ( e . g ., describes registers in the circuit ) and is also compiled in compiler 356 and stored in a file called model data 358 . an interface source file 360 contains information regarding the input and output ports of the circuit being analyzed . file 360 is passed through compiler 362 and combined with the compiled lasting state file 354 within the model data file 358 . the above - described compiled files are passed together with the simulation data 56 to a table generator 370 . the table generator uses all of the input files to generate multiple tables , including fork tables 372 , latency tables 374 , and data tables 376 . the fork table 372 includes information regarding which path was taken during simulation when a branch was encountered in the protocol . fig1 provides an example fork table and is described further below . the latency tables 374 include information regarding the delay from a change of input until the corresponding output is changed . the data tables 376 include values associated with the output . in general , data values are not needed because timing is more interesting for the overall analysis . however , some data values may be tracked depending on options set by the user . the table generator 370 outputs the resulting tables to the causality analysis engine 380 and to a neural network 302 . as described further below , the causality analysis engine performs time - based causality analysis by applying a number of algorithms to each output message to compute the most likely causality basis . the results are also statistically analyzed and reduced so that only the most pertinent information is fed to the neural network 382 . the neural network 382 generates equations that approximate the circuit behavior . those skilled in the art will recognize that the neural network can be replaced by any other machine learning or statistical algorithm . the model checker 384 performs a check by comparing the inputs and outputs using the generated equations to the simulated data . fig1 shows an example fork table 400 generated by the table generator 370 . the fork table includes multiple rows 402 representing events and multiple columns 404 , most of which represent lasting state parameters . column 406 includes a fork field . the fork field may include numbers ( not shown ) indicating which direction a fork was taken in association with an event and the associated lasting state parameters . fig1 shows an example of a latency table 410 . the latency table also includes rows 412 representing events . many columns 414 represent lasting state parameters . the last three columns 416 , 418 , and 420 represent the event name , the time , and the latency , respectively . some simple examples showing possible values are shown . as is well known , the format and fields within a table is design specific and a wide variety of different formats and fields may be used . fig1 is a flowchart of a method showing the operation of the causality engine 380 . in process box 440 , a set of causality characters is defined . basically , when a repetitive correlation between inputs and outputs is found , a character is assigned to such a situation . for each output message in the latency table , causality characters are defined with each character represented as a pair having the form ( event , time delta ). thus , the causality character describes a situation in which the specified event causes the output message after a given period of time . in process box 442 , the number of causality characters is statistically reduced . reduction of information ultimately provided to the learning process increases the speed of the system . elimination of some characters can be accomplished using a hypothesis algorithm that provides a probability for a character to be part of the actual causality model . thus , characters with limited appearances are generally eliminated . in process box 444 , the causality characters are further reduced using a genetic optimization algorithm that creates a model for the least amount of causality characters possible and still allowing to choose a cause for each output message instance . in process box 446 , tables are created including will and time tables . the will table relates to something that caused an output change , such as an input in combination with a lasting state . the time table relates contains the remaining character lines ( after the reductions ) with the latency time value . fig1 is a flowchart of a method for performing “ learning ” 324 ( fig1 ). in process box 460 , the tables generated in process box 446 ( fig1 ) are used as well as tables generated from the table generator 370 ( fig1 ) in order to create a system of weighted equations that represent the behavior of the circuit . thus , for example , the inputs and outputs are analyzed in conjunction with state information to generate the equations . such a generation of equations is well known in the art using standard techniques of neural networks . in process box 462 , input patterns are applied to the generated system of equations to generate actual values produced by the equations . in process box 464 , an error is calculated by using a difference between the actual values ( process box 462 ) to the desired values ( determined during simulation ). in process box 466 , based on this difference , the weightings in the system of equations are modified in order to more closely match the desired values . in decision box 468 , a check is made whether the actual values generated by the system of equations are within an acceptable limit . if so , the flowchart is exited at 470 . in not , the flow returns to process box 462 in order to re - analyze the equations . fig1 shows that portions of the system may be applied to a distributed network , such as the internet . of course , the system also may be implemented without a network ( e . g ., a single computer ). a server computer 480 may have an associated database 482 ( internal or external to the server computer ). the server computer is coupled to a network shown generally at 484 . one or more client computers , such as those shown at 488 and 490 , are coupled to the network to interface with the server computer using a network protocol . fig1 shows a flow diagram using the network of fig1 . in process box 500 , the circuit description to be transformed is sent from a client computer , such as 488 , to the server computer 480 . in process box 502 , the abstract model of the circuit description is generated that approximates or imitates the circuit behavior , as previously described . in process box 504 , the generated abstract model is checked against simulation results . in process box 506 , the results are sent though the network to the client computer 488 . finally , in process box 508 , the results are displayed to the user . it should be recognized that one or more of the process boxes may be performed on the client side rather than the server side , and vice versa . having illustrated and described the principles of the illustrated embodiments , it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the embodiments can be modified in arrangement and detail without departing from such principles . in view of the many possible embodiments , it will be recognized that the illustrated embodiments include only examples of the invention and should not be taken as a limitation on the scope of the invention . rather , the invention is defined by the following claims . we therefore claim as the invention all such embodiments that come within the scope of these claims .
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the present invention relates to an adhesive composition particularly suitable for use in adhesive tapes . in more detail the adhesive composition comprises at least one natural or synthetic elastomer , at least one styrene ethylene - butylene styrene block copolymer , at least one heat reactive alkyl phenolic resin having a hydroxymethyl reactive group , and at least one phenolic antioxidant . the adhesive composition may further comprise at least one accelerator activator , tackifiers , fillers , and / or a component selected from the group consisting of antimicrobials , antibacterials , and antifungals . in another embodiment a tape comprising the adhesive composition of the present invention is provided . in more detail the adhesive composition comprises at least one natural or synthetic elastomer , at least one styrene ethylene - butylene styrene block copolymer , at least one heat reactive alkyl phenolic resin having a hydroxymethyl reactive group , and at least one phenolic antioxidant . the adhesive composition may further comprise at least one accelerator activator , tackifiers , fillers , and a component selected from the group consisting of antimicrobials , antibacterials , and antifungals . in another embodiment a tape comprising at least one backing having deposited thereon a layer comprising the adhesive composition of the present invention is provided . in more detail the at least one backing may be any backing suitable for providing a tape . the adhesive composition comprises at least one natural or synthetic elastomer , at least one styrene ethylene - butylene styrene block copolymer , at least one heat reactive alkyl phenolic resin having a hydroxymethyl reactive group , and at least one phenolic antioxidant . the adhesive composition may further comprise at least one accelerator activator , tackifiers , fillers , and a component selected from the group consisting of antimicrobials , antibacterials , and antifungals . in a preferred embodiment a tape is described comprising at least one backing ; a first layer comprising the adhesive composition of the present invention , having a reinforcement dispersed therein , deposited on the at least one backing ; and a second layer comprising the adhesive composition of the present invention deposited on said first layer . in more detail the adhesive composition comprises at least one natural or synthetic elastomer , at least one styrene ethylene - butylene styrene block copolymer , at least one heat reactive alkyl phenolic resin having a hydroxymethyl reactive group , and at least one phenolic antioxidant . the adhesive composition may further comprise at least one accelerator activator , tackifiers , fillers , and a component selected from the group consisting of antimicrobials , antibacterials , and antifungals . the backing may be any backing suitable for providing a tape . the backing may further comprise a metal containing layer deposited on a surface of said backing on which no adhesive composition has been deposited . in another embodiment a composition particularly suitable for use as an antioxidant in an adhesive composition is disclosed . the composition comprises at least one heat reactive alkyl phenolic resin having a hydroxymethyl reactive group and at least one phenolic antioxidant . the antioxidant composition may further comprise at least one accelerator activator . in more detail the adhesive composition of the present invention comprises at least one natural or synthetic elastomer , at least one styrene ethylene - butylene styrene block copolymer , at least one heat reactive alkyl phenolic resin having a hydroxymethyl reactive group , and at least one phenolic antioxidant . any natural or synthetic elastomer may be used . in general , the at least one natural or synthetic elastomer is any macromolecular material that can be stretched under low stress at room temperature . exemplary natural elastomers include , but are not limited to , natural rubbers and polyisoprenes . exemplary synthetic elastomers include , but are not limited to , synthetic polyisoprene and its halogenated counterparts , for example polychloroprene rubber , butyl rubber and its halogenated counterparts , for example halobutyl rubber , polybutadiene , polyethylene - co - propylene - co - diene , poly ( butadiene - co - styrene ), poly ( butadiene - co - acrylonitrile ), poly ( isobutylene - co - isoprene ), polystyrene block copolymers with polyisoprene , polyethylene - butadiene and polybutadiene midblocks , poly ( ethylene - co - propylene - co - diene ), polydimethylsiloxane , polyalkylenesulfide , polyester or polyether urethanes . mixtures of natural elastomers may be used . mixtures of synthetic elastomers may be used . mixtures of natural and synthetic elastomers may be used . preferably , the at least one natural or synthetic elastomer is a mixture of natural rubber , butyl rubber , and styrene isoprene block copolymer . the at least one natural or synthetic elastomer in the adhesive composition is present in the adhesive composition in any suitable amount . preferably , the elastomer is present in the adhesive composition in amounts ranging from about 10 weight percent to about 75 weight percent , more preferably from about 15 weight percent to about 50 weight percent , most preferably from about 28 weight percent to about 32 weight percent . any styrene ethylene - butylene styrene block copolymer may be used . for example , the at least one styrene ethylene - butylene styrene block copolymer may be any polymer comprising styrene units and ethylene - butylene units such as a block copolymer having terminal styrene blocks and one or more ethylene - butylene mid - blocks separating the terminal styrene blocks . the styrene ethylene - butylene styrene block copolymers may also be modified as desired , for example to have one or more functionalities . preferably , the styrene ethylene - butylene styrene block copolymers comprise a styrene content of about 28 weight percent , an ethylene - butylene content of about 70 weight percent and a functionality of about 2 weight percent . more preferably , the functionality is 2 weight percent maleic anhydride . exemplary styrene ethylene - butylene styrene block copolymers are kraton fg1901 , kraton fg1921 , and kraton fg1924 , commercially available from kraton polymers , inc . ( houston , tex .). mixtures of styrene ethylene - butylene styrene block copolymers and functionalized counterparts may be used . the styrene ethylene - butylene styrene block copolymer may be present in the adhesive composition in any suitable amount . preferably , the styrene ethylene - butylene styrene block copolymer is present in the adhesive composition in amounts ranging from about 0 . 5 weight percent to about 5 weight percent , more preferably from about 1 weight percent to about 4 . 5 weight percent , most preferably from about 2 . 5 weight percent to about 4 weight percent . the at least one heat reactive alkyl phenolic resin having a hydroxymethyl reactive group crosslinks unsaturated sites in elastomers . as used herein the heat reactive alkyl phenolic resins may comprise any alkyl phenolic resin having a hydroxymethyl group as a reactive group . a heat reactive alkyl phenolic resin having a hydroxymethyl group as a reactive group requires an additional source of labile halogen to initiate reactivity . exemplary heat reactive alkyl phenolic resins with a hydroxymethyl reactive group are sp1044 and sp1045 resins , commercially available from schenectady international ( schenectady , n . y .). the heat reactive alkyl phenolic resin may further have both hydroxymethyl and halomethyl reactive groups . preferably , the at least one heat reactive alkyl phenolic resin is a heat reactive brominated octylphenol resin . exemplary heat reactive alkyl phenolic resins having both hydroxymethyl and halomethyl reactive groups suitable for use in the adhesive compositions of this invention are sp1055 and sp1056 resins , commercially available from schenectady international ( schenectady , n . y .). the at least one heat reactive alkyl phenolic resin having a hydroxymethyl reactive group is present in the adhesive composition in any suitable amount . preferably , the at least one heat reactive alkyl phenolic resin having a hydroxymethyl reactive group is present in amounts ranging from about 0 . 05 to about 2 . 50 weight percent , preferably ranging from about 0 . 25 to about 2 . 0 percent , more preferably from about 0 . 3 weight percent to about 1 . 0 weight percent . the at least one phenolic antioxidant is any phenolic antioxidant that inhibits elastomer degradation by reaction with chain propagating radicals . exemplary phenolic antioxidants are irganox 1010 , irganox 565 , irganox 1076 , and irganox 1520d , all of which are commercially available from ciba specialty chemicals , ardsley , n . y . preferably , the at least one phenolic antioxidant is comprised of pentaerythrityl tetrakis [ 3 -( 3 , 5 - di - tert - butyl - 4 - hydroxyphenyl ) propionate ]. mixtures of phenolic antioxidants may be utilized . the at least one phenolic antioxidant is present in the adhesive composition in any suitable amount . preferably , the at least one phenolic antioxidant is present in the adhesive composition in an amount ranging from 0 . 1 - 2 . 5 weight percent , preferably from 0 . 5 - 2 . 0 weight percent , more preferably from 0 . 75 - 1 . 25 weight percent . most preferably , the adhesive composition comprises about 1 . 0 weight percent phenolic antioxidant . the adhesive composition may further comprise at least one accelerator activator . the at least one accelerator activator may comprise any metal oxide that functions as an accelerator activator in increasing the elastomer vulcanization rate . exemplary metal oxides suitable for use in the adhesive compositions of the present invention are zinc oxide , magnesium oxide , and lead oxide . preferably , the metal oxide is zinc oxide . the adhesive composition may further comprise a tackifier to improve the tack of the adhesive composition . the tackifier may comprise any suitable material , preferably a hydrocarbon resin material or mixtures thereof . exemplary tackifiers are escorez 1102 , escorez 1304 , and escorez 1315 , available from exxonmobil chemical ( houston , tex . ); wingtak resins available from goodyear chemicals ( akron , ohio ); piccotac 1100 and polypale 100 available from eastman chemicals ( kingsport , tenn .). preferably , the tackifier comprises a mixture of escorez 1102 and escorez 1304 tackifiers . the adhesive composition may further comprise a component selected from the group consisting of antimicrobials , antibacterials , and antifungals . antimicrobials , antibacterials , and antifungals reduce and / or eliminate elastomer degradation initiated by microbes , bacteria or fungus . an example of a suitable antimicrobial , antibacterial , and antifungal component particularly suited for use in the adhesive composition of the present invention is microchek p commercially available from ferro corporation . in another embodiment of the present invention there is described a tape comprising the adhesive composition of the present invention . in more detail the adhesive composition comprises at least one natural or synthetic elastomer , at least one styrene ethylene - butylene styrene block copolymer , at least one heat reactive alkyl phenolic resin having a hydroxymethyl reactive group , and at least one phenolic antioxidant . the adhesive composition may further comprise at least one accelerator activator , tackifiers , fillers , and a component selected from the group consisting of antimicrobials , antibacterials , and antifungals . in another embodiment of the present invention a tape comprising at least one backing having deposited thereon a layer comprising the adhesive composition of the present invention is provided . in more detail the adhesive composition comprises at least one natural or synthetic elastomer , at least one styrene ethylene - butylene styrene block copolymer , at least one heat reactive alkyl phenolic resin having a hydroxymethyl reactive group , and at least one phenolic antioxidant . the adhesive composition may further comprise at least one accelerator activator , tackifiers , antimicrobials , antibacterials , antifungals , or other conventional additives and fillers . any suitable backing may be used in forming the tape . for example , the at least one backing may be comprised of any film , foil , fabric , woven or nonwoven , or combinations thereof . the at least one backing may comprise multiple adjacent layers , for example multiple laminated layers . the at least one backing may be of any thickness and is preferably at least about 0 . 5 mils , more preferably at least about 1 mil , most preferably at least about 1 . 5 mils . preferably , the at least one backing is a single layer having a thickness of 2 mils . the backing material may be comprised of any material suitable for supporting an adhesive composition . the at least one backing may be comprised of any natural polymer , synthetic polymer , or mixtures thereof . materials particularly suitable for use as the backing include polyolefins . exemplary polyolefins are polypropylene and polyethylene . exemplary polyethylenes are low density polyethylene , linear low density polyethylene , medium density polyethylene , and high density polyethylene . preferably , the backing comprises a single layer of low density polyethylene . tapes comprising a backing and an adhesive composition deposited on the backing may be produced utilizing any conventional techniques well - known in the art . exemplary processes are coating , laminating , and calendering . in a preferred embodiment of the present invention a tape comprising at least one backing ; a first layer comprising the adhesive composition of the present invention , having a reinforcement dispersed therein , deposited on a surface of the backing ; and a second layer comprising the adhesive composition of the present invention deposited on said first layer is provided . in more detail the adhesive composition comprises at least one natural or synthetic elastomer , at least one styrene ethylene - butylene styrene block copolymer , at least one heat reactive alkyl phenolic resin having a hydroxymethyl reactive group , and at least one phenolic antioxidant . the adhesive composition may further comprise at least one accelerator activator , tackifiers , antimicrobials , antibacterials , antifungals , or other conventional additives and fillers . any suitable backing may be used in forming the tape . for example , the at least one backing may be comprised of any film , foil , fabric , woven or nonwoven , or combinations thereof . the at least one backing may comprise multiple adjacent layers , for example multiple laminated layers . the at least one backing may be of any thickness and is preferably at least about 0 . 5 mils , more preferably at least about 1 mil , most preferably at least about 1 . 5 mils . preferably , the at least one backing is a single layer having a thickness of 2 mils . the backing material may be comprised of any material suitable for supporting an adhesive composition . the at least one backing may be comprised of any natural polymer , synthetic polymer , or mixtures thereof materials particularly suitable for use as the backing include polyolefins . exemplary polyolefins are polypropylene and polyethylene . exemplary polyethylenes are low density polyethylene , linear low density polyethylene , medium density polyethylene , and high density polyethylene . preferably , the backing comprises a single layer of low density polyethylene . the at least one backing may further comprise a metal containing layer deposited on a surface of said backing on which no adhesive has been deposited . the metal containing layer may be continuous or discontinuous . backings with metal containing layers thereon may be produced utilizing any conventional techniques well - known in the art . preferably , a continuous layer of metal is vacuum deposited on the surface of the backing . a reinforcement may be dispersed within the adhesive composition . the reinforcement may be in any suitable form such as films , foils , or woven or non - woven scrims or fabrics . exemplary materials suitable for use as the reinforcement are polyesters , polycottons , polyester / polycotton blends , rayons , nylons , glass fibers , metals , metal flakes , and paper . preferably , the reinforcement comprises a woven fabric scrim comprised of a polycotton , polyester , or a blend thereof . tapes comprising at least one backing , a first layer of the adhesive composition of the present invention having a reinforcement dispersed therein , and a second layer of the adhesive composition of the present invention , may be produced utilizing any conventional technique well - known in the art . exemplary processes are coating , laminating , and calendering . in another embodiment a composition suitable for use as an antioxidant in an adhesive composition comprising at least one heat reactive alkyl phenolic resin having a hydroxymethyl reactive group and at least one phenolic antioxidant is provided . the composition may further comprise at least one accelerator activator . the at least one heat reactive alkyl phenolic resin having a hydroxymethyl reactive group crosslinks unsaturated sites in elastomers . as used herein the heat reactive alkyl phenolic resins may comprise any alkyl phenolic resin having a hydroxymethyl group as a reactive group . a heat reactive alkyl phenolic resin having a hydroxymethyl group as a reactive group requires an additional source of labile halogen to initiate reactivity . exemplary heat reactive alkyl phenolic resins with a hydroxymethyl reactive group are sp1044 and sp1045 resins , commercially available from schenectady international ( schenectady , n . y .). the heat reactive alkyl phenolic resin may further have both hydroxymethyl and halomethyl reactive groups . preferably , the at least one heat reactive alkyl phenolic resin is a heat reactive brominated octylphenol resin . exemplary heat reactive alkyl phenolic resins suitable for use in the adhesive compositions of this invention are sp1055 and sp1056 resins , commercially available from schenectady international ( schenectady , n . y .). the at least one phenolic antioxidant may be any phenolic antioxidant that inhibits elastomer degradation by reaction with chain propagating radicals . exemplary phenolic antioxidants are irganox 1010 , irganox 565 , irganox 1076 , and irganox 1520d , all of which are commercially available from ciba specialty chemicals , ardsley , n . y . preferably , the at least one phenolic antioxidant is comprised of pentaerythrityl tetrakis [ 3 -( 3 , 5 - di - tert - butyl - 4 - hydroxyphenyl ) propionate ]. mixtures of phenolic antioxidants may be utilized . the at least one accelerator activator may comprise any metal oxide that functions as an accelerator activator in increasing the elastomer vulcanization rate . exemplary metal oxides suitable for use in the composition of the present invention are zinc oxide , magnesium oxide , and lead oxide . preferably , the metal oxide is zinc oxide . the at least one heat reactive alkyl phenolic resin having a hydroxymethyl reactive group and the at least one phenolic antioxidant are present in the composition in any suitable amount . preferably , the at least one heat reactive alkyl phenolic resin having a hydroxymethyl reactive group is present in the composition in amounts ranging from 10 - 80 weight percent . the at least one phenolic antioxidant is present in the composition in amounts ranging from 20 - 90 weight percent . preferably , the composition comprises 40 weight percent heat reactive alkyl phenolic resin having a hydroxymethyl reactive group and 60 weight percent phenolic antioxidant . the following example illustrates the use of the adhesive composition of the present invention in a tape . it should be clearly understood that the form of the present invention herein described is illustrative only and is not intended to limit the scope of the invention . an adhesive composition was prepared by mixing 19 . 2 weight percent smoke sheet natural rubber from goodyear tire and rubber co . ; 3 . 2 weight percent maleic anhydride modified styrene ethylene - butylene styrene block copolymer commercially sold as kraton fg 1901 from kraton polymers ; 9 . 8 weight percent styrene isoprene styrene block copolymer commercially sold as vector 4111 available from dexco polymers ; 0 . 1 weight percent reclaimed butyl rubber , 0 . 8 weight percent butyl 268 , butyl rubber commercially available from exxonmobil chemical ; 1 . 0 weight percent irganox 1010 commercially available from ciba specialty chemicals ; 0 . 7 weight percent heat reactive brominated octylphenol resin commercially available from schenectady international ; 1 . 6 weight percent titanium dioxide ; 0 . 8 weight percent antimicrobial commercially sold as microchek p from ferro corporation ; 31 . 1 weight percent calcium carbonate ; 1 . 7 weight percent zinc oxide ; 0 . 02 weight percent odor mask ; 17 . 1 weight percent hydrocarbon tackifying resin commercially sold as escorez 1102 from exxonmobil chemical ; 13 . 5 weight percent hydrocarbon tackifying resin commercially sold as escorez 1304 from exxonmobil chemical . a first layer of the adhesive composition was deposited , by coating , on to the surface of a metal coating roll . a reinforcement comprising a 44 × 20 thread count polycotton fabric was then dispersed within the first layer of the adhesive composition on the metal coating roll . a second layer of the adhesive composition was then deposited , by coating , on to the first layer of the adhesive composition containing the reinforcement dispersed therein . the adhesive and reinforcement containing adhesive layers were then stripped from the surface of the metal coating roll and deposited on a backing of low density polyethylene film to which a continuous layer of aluminum had been deposited . the metallized low density polyethylene film is commercially available from dunmore corporation . the adhesive and reinforcement containing adhesive layers are deposited on to the non - metallized surface of the film such that the first layer of adhesive is in contact with the non - metallized surface of the film backing . an unwind adhesion test is used to determine the performance characteristics of the finished tape . the unwind adhesion test measures the adhesive strength of tapes when unwound from their own backings and from the surface of a galvanized sheet metal circular duct after accelerated heat aging . the unwind adhesion test uses a constant — rate - of - extension machine identified as instron model 4464 commercially available from instron , canton , mass . a recording device , for example a strip - chart recorder or computer , is used for measuring the sample peel adhesion properties of the tapes disclosed herein . the constant - rate - of - extension machine is equipped with a mandrel with bearings which roll freely and suitable grips capable of clamping a specimen firmly . a galvanized sheet metal circular duct having a diameter of approximately 4 inches and a length of about 6 inches was used for testing the tapes disclosed herein . test specimens are cut 14 inches in length and 1 inch in width . the tape is then wrapped circumferentially around the circular duct with hand tension . light hand pressure is used on all surfaces of the tape to remove any visible signs of air pockets . prior to aging , the specimens are stored at 23 +/− 2 ° c . and 50 +/− 5 % relative humidity for about 16 - 24 hours . the samples are then placed in a circulating hot air oven at 110 ° c . samples are removed and tested at 7 day intervals . prior to performing the testing the samples are removed from the circulating hot air oven and allowed to equilibrate to standard test conditions of approximately 23 ° c . and 50 % humidity . a tabbed end of the tape is peeled from the duct about two inches from the test side . the duct is then mounted in the testing machine and the free end fastened into the other grip . a separation rate of 12 inches / minute is applied . the adhesion force necessary to remove the tape from its own backing or from the metal surface is recorded using the recording device . the average value between the 1 inch and 3 inch readings is recorded . the testing is performed on three samples and the values averaged . table i shows the results of the testing of the tape of this invention using the unwind adhesion test disclosed herein . as can be seen above in table i the peel force after 60 days aging at 110 ° c . is substantially the same as the peel force at 0 days aging . for applications requiring tapes that are capable of withstanding harsh environmental conditions for extended periods of time the performance exhibited by the adhesive compositions and tapes of this invention is desirable . in light of the foregoing disclosure of the invention and description of the preferred embodiments , those skilled in this area of technology will readily understand that various modifications and adaptations can be made without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention . all such modifications and adaptations are intended to be covered by the following claims .
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in fig1 a cell layer a is a wcdma based radio system operating on a first carrier frequency f 1 . the cell layer a comprises a plurality of cells of which only three , 1 - 3 , are shown . each cell has a base station site comprising a housing for transmitters , receivers , power supply units and a nearby tower or pole on which antennas are mounted . sector antennas or antenna arrays providing directivity are often used . for clarity reasons only cell 2 is shown with a base station , symbolically shown at 4 . a mobile station 5 moving within cell 2 has a radio connection with the base station 4 over a radio path 6 . the network operator of the cell layer a has co - located a base station 7 at the base station site of base station 4 . the antennas of the base station 7 are sitting at the same tower as the antennas of the base station 4 . the co - located base station is operating on a second carrier frequency f 2 . base station 7 is part of another wcdma cell layer b as shown schematically in fig1 . the mobile 5 is supposed to have the capabilities required to receive service from the base station 7 . suppose the mobile 5 should make a handover from base station 4 to the base station 7 . cell 4 is thus the serving cell and its base station is transmitting on the serving carrier f 1 . cell 7 is the target cell and its base station 7 is transmitting on the target carrier f 2 . also suppose the mobile is in its idle state in the serving cell and wants to set up a session . it therefore sends a call request to the base station 4 . a call request contains , according to the 3g standards , many different kinds of information , among these information indicative of the fact that the mobile is able to execute a new service or is able to realise a new service . the base station forwards the call request to a radio network control ( rnc ) node controlling the cells of cell layer a . when the rnc node receives the call request the network will know about the mobile with the new capabilities . the rnc node can now also verify that the mobile is on frequency f 1 , which is the wrong frequency if it should receive the service of base station 7 . a problem now arises , since the rnc cannot be sure the mobile will receive service from the target base station 7 if handover is done right away without any restrictions . a seamless handover is desired , but since cell areas and carrier power change dynamically and the mobile has one and the same given geographical position in relation to the serving and target base stations 7 the rnc cannot guarantee seamless handover if the situation for example is the one shown in fig1 , where the mobile is within cell 2 near its outer border but outside the coverage area of the target cell 8 , this coverage area being the area of circle 9 . in the situation shown in fig1 there are no neighbouring cells in cell layer b that cover the geographical position of mobile 5 . on the contrary , there are “ dead ” areas between the cells of cell layer b as illustrated . it would be an easy matter for the mobile 5 to measure the quality of target carrier , but as indicated above this is a costly operation . in accordance with the invention the quality of the target carrier is instead estimated using the following scheme in accordance with the invention : as a first , optional , step the broadcast signal from base stations in cell layer a is complemented with information that tell all mobiles to register their presence in the base stations of cell layer a . the broadcast signal from base station 4 tells the mobiles the identity of cell 2 and a threshold value a mobile &# 39 ; s signal must exceed in order for it to select cell 2 as serving cell . further , the broadcast signal from base station 4 tells the mobiles of the existence of neighbouring cells , in this case cells 1 and 3 and their respective threshold values . in this manner it will be possible to control mobiles like a pack ( of animals for example ) and tell the pack where to go , in this case cell layer a because all mobiles are supposed to support the services of this cell layer , but all mobile do not support services of cell layer b . as a first mandatory step in accordance with the invention the rnc , upon reception of a call request signal , checks if there is a cover relation at the base station from which the call request signal was received . as noted above information relating to cover relation is configured into the network . if there is a cover relation the second mandatory step in accordance with the invention is taken . if there is no cover relation , then no further steps in accordance with the invention are taken and no handover in accordance with the invention is made . as a second mandatory step in accordance with the invention a quantity that reflects the load of the base station of the serving cell and the load of the base station of the target cell is monitored in real - time . an example of one such quantity is the total output power p s of the serving carrier and the total output power p t of the target carrier . other examples of a load dependent quantity are described below . the rnc knows about the serving cell &# 39 ; s total output power . it receives this information over the interface from base stations it serves . an rnc in cell layer b will also receive the output power currently used at each of the base station it serves . in particular the rnc signals the output power of the target cell to the rnc in cell layer a over a signalling link between cell layers a and b . the total output power of base station is a load measure . a high output power is a typical indication of a high load ( in terms of number of users ) of a cell . if a cell , for example cell 2 in fig1 , has a high load this is caused by the transmissions form neighbouring cells , for example cells 1 and 3 , which are transmitting with a high power on the same frequency thus causing interference in the down link to the mobile in the 2 . cell 2 tries to compensate the interference by increasing its transmission power in the down link correspondingly . from this discussion it appears that it is not sufficient to use the output power of the target cell as a single basis for a hand over ( ho ) decision , because if the load is high , there is a risk the mobile jumps into a dead zone (= the non - coverage case discussed above ). further , the mobile takes no measurements on the target cell . as a third mandatory step in accordance with the invention a quantity which is load and coverage dependent is measured on the serving carrier . this measurement is taken by the mobile and gives as result a quality related coverage of the serving cell . an example is to measure the sir of the pilot tone from the serving cell . the sir of a pilot tone is measured as cpich e c / i o in accordance with the 3g standard . cpich is an acronym for common pilot channel , e c reflects useful rf energy from the base station and is measured at the mobile . the i o term reflects the sum of the interferences from surrounding base stations as measured in the mobile . such cpich e c / i o measurements are taken by the mobile and are reported to the rnc in the connection request message which is transmitted over the interface . the pilot tone from a cell is transmitted with constant output power and is independent of the varying total output power . if the load on the cell increases interference will increase and the sir value of pilot tone will decrease , indicating a decreasing quality . we want to get rid of the load dependence of the sir value as measured from the base station of the serving cell since it does not tell us anything of the situation prevailing at the target cell . later on we want to introduce the load dependence of the sir value at the target cell and thereby achieve an estimated quantity that reflects the load and the coverage at the base station of target cell . to begin with we eliminate the load dependence of the ( sir ) s quotient ( e c / i o ) s by multiplying it with ( i o ) s : which gives us the useful rf power , a quantity that is generally dependent of the mobile &# 39 ; s location within the serving cell , that is a quantity that reflects the path attenuation . index s relates to serving cell . however , we cannot measure i o as such . but we know there exists a relation between the useful rf power p s and ( sir ) s . this relation may not necessarily be proportional , but we assume it is so and therefore we obtain the relation where α is a proportionality factor , index s relates to serving cell and index t relates to target cell . as a fourth mandatory step in accordance with the invention the quality related coverage as measured by the mobile in the third mandatory step is compensated by the relative load on the target carrier and the serving carrier and the result is an estimated quality related coverage of the target cell . we now want to re - introduce the load dependant part of the sir , this time in the sir of the target cell . we will then have to divide e c in eq . 1 by ( i o ) t . since we do not know ( i o ) t as such we use a similar relation between ( i o ) t and total transmission power p t at the target cell ( i o ) t ≈ α ′ p t in order to obtain assuming that α and α ′ are about equal one can then write taking the logarithm of both sides and expressing the result in db gives : ( sir ) t =( sir ) s + p s − p t eq . 4 mathematically the estimated signal quality from the target cell may be written ( sir ) t = g 2 ( g 1 (( sir ) s , p s ), p t ) eq . 5 wherein ( sir ) s is the signal - to - interference ratio of a pilot tone transmitted from the base station ( 4 ) of the serving cell , g 1 is a function that aims at eliminating the load dependence on ( sir ) s from p s , g 2 is a function that aims at adding the load dependence on ( sir ) s from p t , p t is the total transmitted power from the target cell , and p s is the total transmitted power from the serving cell . the result is used as basis for taking a ho decision from the serving carrier to the target carrier . the fourth step executes in cell layer a , preferably in a rnc node . the inventive method uses the fact that the antennas of the service and target cells are located at the same site , which means that the attenuation in radio path 6 between the antenna in the serving cell and the mobile is the same as the attenuation in the radio path 10 between the target cell and the same mobile is the same provided the load of the two cells and therefore also the sirs on the cells are the same . typically the loads on the cells differ . the load difference between the target and serving cells would therefore equal the sir difference between target and serving cells . if the mobile measures the sir ( e c / i o of the pilot tone ) on the serving cell it is possible to estimate the sir of the target cell by compensating the measured sir of the serving cell with the load difference between the target and serving cells . as mentioned above the coverage varies with the load ( the transmission power in the downlink ) and therefore a difference in the load will also be a measure of the difference in coverage . note that mobiles far away from a serving cell will be closer to cells that interfere with the serving cell . loss of coverage may therefore take place for two reasons : ( a ) increased path attenuation to the mobile . the signal strength from the mobile will thus decrease . ( b ) increased interference at the mobile because the mobile is close to interfering cells . the interference power at the mobile will thus increase . reasons ( a ) and ( b ) taken together will result in a decreased sir at the mobile . ( e c / i o ) t + p t =( e c / i o ) s + p s eq . 6 which says that if the sum of the load and interference at the serving cell equals the sum of the load and interference at the target cell , then a mobile that has a certain quality of service qos in the serving cell is likely to have the same qos in the target cell 8 . as a fifth mandatory step in accordance with the invention handover is made if any of the two following conditions are fulfilled : if the estimated sir in the target cell has at least a minimum predefined sir for the service in question , that is ( cpich e c / i o ) t ≧( cpich e c / i o ) minimum . different services may have different minimum sir values . if the estimated sir in the target cell is better then the sir in the serving cell . for example the estimated sir shall be at least 3 db better than the actual sir in the serving cell 2 . for ho to take place it is of course required the mobile is of a type that has the capabilities required to be served by the target cell . the mobile sends information on its capabilities to the rnc in the call request message . fig2 illustrates the steps discussed under the headings above in a flow diagram . in the diagram rbs is an abbreviation for radio base station . instead of using the total output transmission powers from the target and serving base stations as parameters in the estimation of the signal quality from the base station other quantities that relate to the load of a base station may be used , for example code tree utilisation at the serving and target carriers . some wireless systems are based on orthogonal variable spreading factor ( ovsf ) codes . the codes are mutually orthogonal , and the codes are constructed like a binary tree , where each node has two branches . the top node is divided into two branches each one connected to a respective node . these are the spreading factor 2 codes . one step further down , there are four codes with spreading factor 4 , then eight codes with spreading factor 8 , etc . far further down , there are 128 codes with spreading factor 128 , which is the spreading factor of speech in wcdma . when allocating one code to a connection , all nodes below the allocated node become occupied . the code tree utilization can be expressed as the sum over the inverse of the spreading factor ( sf ) of all allocated codes . for example , the code tree utilization of seven services with sf 128 , one with sf 32 and two with sf 8 , equals still another load dependent quantity is the ase at serving and target carriers . ase is an abbreviation for approximate speech equivalent and is an estimation of the costs of a service normalized on the speech cost expressed in terms of radio resources . instead of p t and p s in the equations above , except in eq . 4 , the corresponding parameter should be used . in an alternative embodiment of the invention cell layer b may operate at the same frequency as cell layer a . for example cell layer a provide micro cells , while cell layer b provide macro cells . in still another embodiment of the invention cell layer a and b operate on the same frequency and ho to cell layer b is made in order to share load between base stations 4 and 7 . in still another embodiment , which may be combined with preferred embodiment and / or any of the two first mentioned alternative embodiments there is a non - shown third cell layer c with base stations and the inventive method is applied on target base stations in cell layers b and c , giving two estimated quality values . handover is made to the target base station with the best estimated quality value . other nodes than rnc nodes can calculate the estimated signals quality value at the target base station . in fig2 the order in which the steps of “ retrieving the total transmission powers in serving rbs and target rbs ” and “ have mobile measure sir of pilot tone of serving rbs ” are executed may be reversed . it should be noted that the order in which the second and third mandatory steps are performed may be reversed . from the above it is clear the invention is resource configuration based since it requires that there is a configured cover relation between the serving and target cells . at cells lacking a cover relation the invention is of no use . the invention is also service based since it applies only to a certain service . it does not apply to all services provided by a base station . finally it is load based since the load of the target cell and the load of the serving cells are used in the handover decision .
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the device incorporates essentially a group of four lengths of structural tubing . in the preferred embodiment steel tubing is utilized , but any structural tubing of appropriate strength , such as aluminum or plastic , may be sufficient . generally four sections of tubing are utilized in the preferred embodiment . these include , in the preferred embodiment , generally lateral members and longitudinal members . the lateral members , or cross - tubes , are formed through bending into a generally downward section , and thence bent again into a longitudinal section at either end . it should be noted that the orientation of the tubes and the use of longitudinal tubes is in the customary embodiment , but variations are generally not limited . an important element is the fact that the cross - tubes are manufactured in pairs , one with its longitudinally projecting elements swaged to a reduced diameter slightly less than the inside diameter of the tubing . the other paired cross - tube has its longitudinally projecting ends of a constant diameter . this provides for alternative direct engagement of the two cross - tubes at the user &# 39 ; s option . there are certain advantages to this alternative embodiment . the device has great flexibility in its orientation on the vehicle . rotation through 90 degrees in a horizontal plane , or rotation through 180 degrees in a vertical plane may be desirable for certain loads . re - location or addition of supplemental support sleeves and hold down straps readily aids this reorientation . in the preferred embodiment a second pair of tubes is utilized . the longitudinal tubes incorporate one end swaged to a reduced diameter slightly smaller than the inside diameter of the tubing , while the other is of constant diameter . in this way it is provided so that the four tubes may be engaged to form an essentially continuous length of tubing . prior to this engagement , in the initial assembly of the device , the supporing elastomeric sleeves are affixed to the longitudinally extending sections of the first pair of tubes . in addition , the looped ends of the longitudinal tensioning straps are also engaged . during the course of assembly the looped ends of the transverse straps are engaged and dispersed approximately equidistant from each other on the longitudinally projecting portions of the cross - tubes and on the longitudinal tubes . the number of transverse straps varies according to the length of the finished cargo carrier , which is itself dependent upon the length of the longitudinal tubing members . in addition , prior to the engagement of the tubing , the looped ends of the fastener ends for the longitudinal straps are engaged with the opposing one of the lateral tubes . finally , the loop ends of the fastener straps may also be engaged as desired , depending upon the number and location . as previously noted , where the device is to be disposed upon the rear deck of a vehicle , it is relatively simple to dispose supplementary forwardly located fastening means for engagement with the forward edge of a body panel . similarly , depending upon the vehicle , there may well be a location for placement of the hooks utilized for engagement with body panels at a suitable location to prevent or minimize forward or rearward displacement of the load . the invention is not limited to any particular location of the engagement hook units , but instead contemplates a great flexibility dependent upon the particular application . upon placement of all desired loops for fastening of the necessary straps , the tubing structure may be assembled . as the structural integrity of the assembly is maintained by the straps , it is unnecessary for any adhesives or fasteners to be used to maintain the tubes in position relative to one another at their respective junctions . assembly is a simple matter of engagement of the reduced diameter ends of the tubes with the standard diameter ends to which they mate . as noted , in various embodiments the size of the resultant load carrying device is essentially contingent upon the length of the longitudinal tubes . for applications in which limited area on the vehicle is available , such as on the rear deck lid of a compact or sports car , the lateral members may be engaged directly to one another at their longitudinally extending portions . on the other hand , where placement of the device is contemplated on a location such as the roof of a station wagon or a van , relatively long longitudinal straps , additional transverse straps , and any necessary engagement hook units are added . in this way an entire system utilizing many common components may be utilized by an owner who , perhaps owns two vehicles , thereby enabling the user to vary the cargo carrying unit to particular applications with minimum substitution of components . once engagement of the tubing members has been accomplished , the longitudinal straps are routed beneath each of the transverse straps and tension applied . one critical element in the invention is the use of tension straps of a flexible , yet inelastic composition . in the preferred embodiment polypropylene webbing is utilized . any alternative equivalent strapping could be utilized , however , with the degree of load carrying strength contingent upon the inelasticity of the strapping . the feature of flexibility provides for the conformance of the straps to the load , and for the ready assembly and tensioning of the straps . the degree of inelasticity contributes to a relatively fixed , rigid structure , and support members resistant to a lessening of tension . through the use of friction fasteners , or buckles , tension can be maintained for long periods . the system of tensional support straps contributes to a structure which is substantially stronger than would be expected through the inherent structural strength of the individual components . in certain applications it may be desirable to alternate the crossing of the straps , add additional straps , or both . in distinction to the transverse rail type of cargo carriers , the transverse raised tubing members in the instant structure are under a relatively constant stress , and the use of inelastic strapping more readily distributes stress no tonly throughout both the lengths of the members themselves , but also to a substantial degree to other parts of the structure . in the event the load is borne by the webbing system itself , a similar structural benefit is provided . as opposed to the prior art utilizing what is , in effect , a basket or shelf , the instant structure utilizes the straps under tension to distribute a load evenly between all of the structural elements , straps and tubing alike . in addition to the substantial addition to the strength and dispersal of unusual localized stresses , the strapping system provides the advantage of maintaining the engaged tubing members in a constant position relative to one another . in this respect the compressive forces of the straps retain the tubing in position , as opposed to other alternative fastening means , such as used of screws or bolts , which merely resist a separating motion . screws and bolts not only require the placement of engagement holes , which have numerous other structural disadvantages , but localized stresses develop in the event of forces tending to expand the structure . the use of straps further tends to transfer the weight of loads borne by the straps , or borne directly by the lateral tubing members into compressive forces tending to increasethe rigidity of the structure at the engagement points of the tubing . upon release of the tension on the lateral strapping members , disassembly is readily accomplished . as previously mentioned , the disassembly is of advantage both because of the ready substitutability and change in configuration , as well as ease of reassembly , storage , or for replacement of components in the event they fail or require substitution for other reasons . alternative substitute components include polymeric sleeves for the carriage of long , relatively flat items such as skis . these sleeves incorporate internal cylindrical openings for engagement with the tubes , while on their exterior are substantially flat along one side . incorporated in this flat side are embedded straps , or alternatively , the placement of slots for the placement of straps which may be used as hold downs for the items carried . these straps may be of varied construction , using either elasticity or tensioning fasteners to hold the items carried . the invention contemplates the use of elastic load retention straps which may be engaged with the flat - sided sleeves , or directly with the load carrying device . these straps incorporate primarily three elements . the elements are the elastic strap , the fastener , and fastener engagement openings . the preferred embodiment of these load retainer straps utilizes the elastic properties of the strap to hold the load in close relation to the load carrying device , to absorb vibration , and to provide ease of attachment , maintenance of the attached position , and ease of removal . these last features are accomplished through the special relation between the configuration of the opening and the elastic properties of the strap . the openings comprise two circular apertures interconnected by a slot . upon the application of linear tension alongthe strap the elastic properties result in the elongation of the apertures and the lateral distension of the walls of the slot , thereby permitting ease of engagement of the projecting fastener with the near aperture , sliding through the slit to the far aperture . upon release of the tension the walls of the slit close to immediately proximate placement relative to each other , thereby preventing inadvertent release . the elastic properties further permit ready release . these flat sided mounting sleeves may also be used to supplement or substitute for the generally cylindrical support sleeves . the placement of the flat sided sleeves on the lower tubular members and rotation so the flat surface provides a greater surface area , maximizing the coefficient of friction and distributing the load over a larger surface area . one further notable feature developed in the reduction to practice of the invention is the design of a particular engagement hook . in the preferred embodiment , the hook used for engagement with vehicle body panels is constructed of an essentially stamped metal sheet configuration . this includes both an opening for engagement with the strap , and a flat hook portion providing for uniform distribution of the forces along as wide a dimension as possible on the body panel edge , or other engagement portion on the vehicle . an alternative feature particularly useful as an accessory or a supplemental portion of the invention , is the construction of panel engagement hooks from formed rod . the formed rod is constructed in such a way as to have an engagement loop for engagement in the strap with a flat portion , and opposite the flat portion forwardly extending projections thence extended downward into forming a hook . the pair of forwardly extending projections , since they are formed from a rod , necessarily have a space between them which may be formed of a sufficient dimension to permit the addition or removal of this hook from a permanently sewn loop in the strap . this permits a multiple use from permanently sewn straps in that , given the alternative , they may be engaged directly on the tubing members without the permanent placement of a hook thereon . if , in an alternative embodiment an additional strap is necessary , for example to prevent load shifting forwardly or rearwardly , the strap may be utilized for a second purpose by the mere placement of the alternative embodiment &# 39 ; s engagement hook thereon . fig1 constitutes a perspective view of the invention , installed on a vehicle . fig2 constitutes a perspective view of another alternative embodiment of the invention . fig3 constitutes a plan view of the vertically displaced cross - tube embodiment . fig4 constitutes a plan view of two alternative embodiments in place upon a vehicle . fig5 constitutes one embodiment of a framework within the system . fig6 is an exploded cut - away view showing the junction end . fig7 is a perspective view of the vertically displaced cross - tube embodiment . fig9 constitutes a perspective view of one of the formed rod engagement hooks used in one embodiment . fig1 constitutes a perspective view of the invention , installed on a vehicle . apparent in fig1 is the narrowed engagement section cross - tube , 10 , the straight diameter cross - tube , 11 , and the longitudinal tubes , 12 . a larger scale cut - away view of the intersection of the tubes is indicated and displayed in fig6 below . various other elements of the preferred embodiment are apparent in fig1 . the longitudinal straps , 20 , which are in this view fastened to the looped ends of the fastener straps , 21 , at the fasteners , 22 . the longitudinal straps pass underneath the transverse straps , 23 . in this embodiment hold down straps , 24 , also incorporating fasteners , 22 , are run through hooks , 25 , for engagement with automobile body panels . further apparent are the elastomeric sleeves , 30 , in this embodiment placed on the longitudinal projecting legs of the cross - tubes . an alternative configuration is shown in fig1 in dashed lines utilizing alternative placement of elastomeric sleeves particularly adapted for carrying skis , or other substantially flat items or materials , said sleeves , 31 . a further optional accessory is a vertically displaced narrowed engagement section cross - tube , 17 , which provides for the raising of one end of a long load so as to provide clearance , for example , over the roof line of a vehicle , when the device is placed upon the rear deck of the vehicle . fig2 constitutes a perspective view of another alternative embodiment utilizing the system for the direct engagement of the cross - tubes , 10 and 11 , at the engagement point , 35 , thus resulting in a much narrower overall structure . in this embodiment the hold down strap , 24 , is necessarily placed on the longitudinal sections of the cross tubes . fig3 constitutes a plan view of the vertically displaced cross - tube embodiment . the cross - tube section is shown at 17 . in place on this cross - tube are flat - surfaced elastomeric sleeves , 31 , designed for the support of skis , or the like . said sleeves are provided with engagement slots for hold - down straps , 32 . fig4 constitutes a plan view of two alternative embodiments in place upon a vehicle . the preferred embodiment is shown mounted to the roof of an automobile . the alternative embodiment incorporating the bicycle carrier fixture is shown mounted on the rear deck of the automobile . this latter embodiment is more fully displayed in fig1 . fig5 constitutes one embodiment of a framework within the system . in this embodiment short longitudinal sections , 12 , are mounted between the cross - tubes , 10 and 11 . in this view the straps have been eliminated , thus providing clarity and making the transverse sections of the crossbars , 13 , downwardly extending sections , 14 , and longitudinally extending sections , 15 , more readily apparent . one end of each of the longitudinal tubes 12 , and both ends of the narrow - ended cross - tube , 10 , are narrowed at the junction , 16 , so as to intersect with the straight engaged longitudinal sections of the longitudinal tubes , 12 , and cross - tube , 11 , at 35 . fig6 is an exploded cut - away view showing the junction end , 16 , of the longitudinal tube , 12 , and its engagement in the straight gauge end of the cross - tube , 35 . fig7 is a perspective view of the vertically displaced cross - tube embodiment . apparent in this view are the cross - tube section , 17 , the flat - sided elastomeric collars , 31 , and load retention straps , 32 . further shown in this view is the load securing rod , 45 , with its tube engagement section , 46 and its securing mechanism engagement section , 47 . a padlock is shown as a securing mechanism , 50 . fig8 constitutes a perspective view of the flat - sided sleeve , 31 , of one of the alternative embodiments in which an elastic load retention strap , 32 , has been engaged . said elastic load retention strap , 32 , in which the apertures , 41 , and the slit , 42 , are apparent , as is the fastener , 43 , being generally cylindrical , with two enlarged heads . fig9 constitutes a perspective view of one of the formed rod engagement hooks used in one embodiment . fig1 a further accessory is a unit comprising rearwardly extending arms , 36 , and downwardly extending legs , 37 , merging into a horizontal crossbar , 38 , which may be placed in engagement with the rearwardmost cross - tube , 11 , the horizontal member of which intersects the rear of the vehicle , thus supporting the arms and permitting carriage of bicycles thereon .
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referring to the drawings in detail , and in particular to fig1 an improved force feeder chain assembly of this invention , indicated generally at 12 , is illustrated as mounted on a combine harvester apparatus 14 utilized to harvest by a grain stripper method whereupon only the grain heads are harvested . the combine harvester apparatus 14 is provided with a header assembly 16 operable through special harvester combs or fingers to remove only the grain heads which are fed into an auger assembly 18 which , in turn , moves the grain heads upwardly into the improved force feeder chain assembly 12 which operates to convey same upwardly into a threshing cylinder 24 . the header assembly 16 is provided with a plurality of rotor members 22 being revolved to utilize the combs or fingers to move the harvested grain heads into the auger assembly 18 . the improved force feeder chain assembly 12 operates to contact the grain heads and move the same upwardly while supported on a feeder housing bottom wall 23 . the improved force feeder chain assembly 12 includes a pair of spaced force drive chain assemblies 26 having mounted therebetween a force feed slat assembly 28 being the improvement over the applicant &# 39 ; s prior art u . s . pat . no . 3 , 967 , 719 entitled &# 34 ; combine conveyor means &# 34 ;. the force drive chain assembly 26 is known in the prior art and is includes a drive sprocket assembly 30 interconnected by a drive chain assembly 32 . the drive sprocket assembly 30 includes a drive sprocket member 34 and spaced driven sprocket members 36 , 38 . the sprocket members 34 , 36 , 38 are repeated on an opposite side of the force feed slat assembly 28 for identical driving and support as will become obvious . the drive sprocket member 34 is provided with 1 ) tooth drive sections 40 ; 2 ) a central drive support shaft 42 ; and 3 ) bearing members ( not shown ) to rotatably support the drive support shaft 42 . each driven sprocket member 36 , 38 is provided with the tooth drive sections 40 and drive support shaft 42 with the support shafts being supported on the bearing members as described for the drive sprocket member 34 . operation and rotation of the force drive chain assembly 26 is well known and detailed description thereof is not deemed necessary . the drive chain assembly 32 includes a chain member 46 mounted about respective sets of the sprocket members 34 , 36 for movement as noted by an arrow 122 in fig1 and 2 . as best shown in fig2 the force feed slat assembly 28 includes an elongated slat member 48 having a stripper insert member 50 releasably connected thereto by a link and slat support assembly 52 . a plurality of the force feed slat assemblies 28 are placed in spaced , parallel relationship on the force drive chain assembly 26 to provide continuous movement of severed grain heads to move the same into the threshing cylinder 24 of the combine harvester apparatus 14 . as shown in fig3 each elongated slat member 48 is provided with a main body section 54 of u - shape in transverse cross integral with a trailing flap section 56 . the main body section 54 is provided with a lead portion 58 integral with a bottom support portion 60 which , in turn , is integral with a trailing support portion 63 . the portions 58 , 60 , 63 cooperate to form the generally u - shape in transverse cross section operable to receive and releasably support a respective stripper insert member 50 therein as will be noted . the bottom support portion 60 on each outer end of the slat member 48 is provided with a pair of spaced bolt holes 59 and , centrally therebetween , is a sprocket receiving or clearance hole 61 . the trailing flap section 56 is provided with an outer end thrust portion 62 which is operable to thrust the grain heads being conveyed upwardly into the threshing cylinder 24 as noted in dotted lines in fig2 . this action of propelling the grain heads into the threshing cylinder 24 in a material receiving housing 20 is fully described in the applicant &# 39 ; s u . s . pat . no . 3 , 967 , 719 . each stripper insert member 50 is constructed of a self - lubricating plastic material , such as whmw homopolymer polypropylene such as manufactured by poly - 41 of fort wayne , indiana under their registered trademark &# 34 ; tivar &# 34 ;. this &# 34 ; tivar &# 34 ; plastic material won &# 39 ; t break in cold weather ; won &# 39 ; t rust or corrode ; is lightweight and non - stick ; is highly abrasion resistant ; and being self - lubricating . this self - lubricating feature is important as , with a grain stripper combine harvester apparatus , this prevents excessive wear on the elongated slat members 48 and the feeder housing bottom wall 23 of the combine harvester apparatus 14 . each stripper insert member 50 , preferably of square or rectangular shape in transverse cross section , includes a main body section 64 integral with respective outer end connector sections 66 . the main body section 64 is provided with spaced parallel side wall portions 68 integral with an inner wall portion 70 and an outer contact wall portion 72 . as noted in fig2 the outer contact wall portion 72 is extended outwardly of the outer surfaces of the lead portion 58 and the trailing flap section 56 . each outer end connector section 66 is provided with a stepped anchor section 74 , a sprocket receiving or clearance hole 77 , and a slat anchor hole 79 as noted in fig4 . the stepped anchor section 74 is provided with a first hole portion 76 integral with a larger second hole portion 78 for receiving portions of the link and slat support assembly 62 therein . as noted in fig3 the link and slat support assembly 52 includes a link connector housing 80 and a slat and insert connector assembly 86 for connection to the respective stripper insert members 50 and elongated slat members 48 . each lead connector housing 80 includes first and second support members 82 , 84 which are identical in appearance and utilized in pairs thereof . each first and second support member 82 , 84 include a side wall section 88 integral with a anchor flange section 90 which is to be interconnected by anchor members 92 . each side wall section 88 is provided with spaced connector holes 94 to receive the anchor members 92 therethrough . each anchor flange section 90 is provided with an anchor hole 96 to receive a portion of the slat and insert connector assembly 86 therethrough as will be noted . the anchor members 92 comprise a bolt or pin member 98 having a hole in one end to receive a connector clip 102 therethrough in the assembled condition . the slat and insert connector assembly 86 includes an insert connector assembly 104 and a slat connector assembly 106 . each insert connector assembly 104 comprises a bolt member 108 , a sleeve member 110 , a washer member 112 , and a nut member 114 to be assembled as noted in fig4 . the slat connector assembly 106 includes a slat bolt member 116 and a nut member 114 being in the assembled condition as noted in fig4 . the insert connector assemblies 104 operate to interconnect the elongated slat member 48 and the stripper insert member 50 to the inner first support members 82 . the slat connector assemblies 106 operate to interconnect the outer or second support members 84 to the elongated slat member 48 . this means of connection is important as it makes the respective stripper insert members 50 , through disassembly of the insert connector assembly 104 , easily removable when it is desired to return to conventional harvesting operations ( row crops such as corn , sunflowers , and milo with stalk and straw attached ) with the combine apparatus 14 . in the use and operation of the the improved force feeder chain assembly 12 , the use of the force drive chain assembly 26 having elongated slat members 48 mounted thereon in spaced , parallel relationship be rotated as noted by the arrow 122 in fig1 and 2 is well known in the prior art . during conventional operation of the combine harvester apparatus 14 without the use of the stripper insert members 50 , it is obvious that the same is utilized for harvesting with a conventional sickle assembly whereupon you have the crop with the head , stalk , and straw , such as with wheat , between the elongated slat members 48 and the feeder housing bottom wall 23 during the normal crop harvesting operation . the grain and straw are good lubricants and will not cause excessive wear on the feeder housing bottom wall 23 . on harvesting various crops with modern techniques , using a grain stripper combine harvester having a plurality of grain stripper headers , this operates to strip the grain heads only and leave the straw or other similar residue standing in the fields being harvested . in this case , the harvester operator would then change the force feed slat assembly 28 by adding the stripper insert member 50 into respective ones of the elongated slat members 48 as noted in fig2 . the respective elongated slat members 48 have been previously anchored to outer ones of the second support members 84 through use of the slat connector assembly 106 . this is a permanent connection and would normally not be removed . the stripper insert member 50 is then connected to the respective elongated slat members 48 through use of the insert connector assembly 104 . more particularly , it is noted that the bolt member 108 is inserted through the bolt holes 59 in the respective elongated slat member 48 and the stripper insert member 50 is mounted thereon . the sleeve member 110 is then inserted within the first hole portion 76 and the washer member 112 is mounted thereon . the respective nut member 114 is then threaded on the bolt member 108 to achieve the assembled condition in fig4 . an insert connector assembly 104 is mounted on each opposite end of the outer connector end sections 66 of the stripper insert member 50 . as noted in fig2 the outer contact wall portion 72 of the stripper insert member 50 is extended outwardly of an outer surface of the lead portion 58 and the trailing flap section 56 . the stripper insert member 50 , being of a self - lubricating material , thereupon takes the pressure of the grain heads being conveyed to the threshing cylinder 24 of the combine harvester apparatus 14 instead of causing contact and excessive wear of the slat members 48 against feeder housing bottom wall 23 . the self - lubrication of the stripper insert member 50 further prevents crushing , splitting , and cracking of the grain heads which increases the income received therefrom . it is noted that the sprocket receiving hole 61 in the elongated slat members 48 and the sprocket receiving hole 77 in the outer end connector sections 66 of the stripper insert member 50 are operable to receive and permit movement of the tooth drive section 40 of respective ones of the drive sprocket member 34 and driven sprocket members 36 , 38 to be moved therein without interference on rotation of the chain member 46 . without subject sprocket receiving holes 61 , 67 there would tend to be a build - up of grain heads therein to hinder proper rotational operation of the entire improved force feeder chain assembly 12 . it is noted that the improved force feeder chain assembly 12 of this invention is readily mountable in the combine harvester apparatus 14 for normal use during a harvesting operation for prior art harvesting methods . the self - lubricating stripper insert members 50 can be readily connected to the respective elongated slat members 48 to provide a self - lubricating stripper insert member 50 for use in a new grain stripper method of harvesting utilizing a grain stripper combine harvester apparatus which harvests the grain heads only for use in harvesting barley , rice , wheat , grasses , peas , beans , and similar edible crops . the improved force feeder chain assembly of this invention provides an easy means for assembly and disassembly of the stripper insert members on respective elongated slat members which is economical to manufacture ; requiring little labor and skill involved in assembly and disassembly of the stripper insert member ; and substantially maintenance free . while the invention has been described in conjunction with preferred specific embodiments thereof , it will be understood that this description is intended to illustrate and not to limit the scope of the invention , which is defined by the following claims :
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according to the invention , among the anhydrous forms of 4 - acetoxy - 2α - benzoyloxy - 5β , 20 - epoxy - 1 - hydroxy - 7β , 10β - dimethoxy - 9 - oxotax - 11 - en - 13α - yl ( 2r , 3s )- 3 - tert - butoxycarbonylamino - 2 - hydroxy - 3 - phenylpropionate , five different forms have been identified , among the ethanolic solvates or heterosolvates of 4 - acetoxy - 2α - benzoyloxy - 5β , 20 - epoxy - 1 - hydroxy - 7β , 10β - dimethoxy - 9 - oxotax - 11 - en - 13α - yl ( 2r , 3s )- 3 - tert - butoxycarbonylamino - 2 - hydroxy - 3 - phenylpropionate , four different forms have been identified and among the hydrates of 4 - acetoxy - 2α - benzoyloxy - 5β , 20 - epoxy - 1 - hydroxy - 7β , 10β - dimethoxy - 9 - oxotax - 11 - en - 13α - yl ( 2r , 3s )- 3 - tert - butoxycarbonylamino - 2 - hydroxy - 3 - phenylpropionate , two different forms have been identified . the five anhydrous forms identified were obtained according to the following methods : the anhydrous form b by a method which consists in heating the acetone form or form a obtained according to the patent mentioned above , between 100 and 110 ° c . under vacuum or nitrogen sweeping . this treatment is preferably carried out for at least 9 hours before a return to ambient temperature without inducing chemical decomposition . its melting point by dsc is approximately 150 ° c . the pxrd diagram of the anhydrous form b exhibits characteristic lines located at 7 . 3 , 8 . 1 , 9 . 8 , 10 . 4 , 11 . 1 , 12 . 7 , 13 . 1 , 14 . 3 , 15 . 4 and 15 . 9 ± 0 . 2 degrees 2 - theta . the anhydrous form c is obtained by maturation of the acetone solvate form a , or of the anhydrous form b , in water followed by drying at up to 50 ° c . and maintaining between 0 and 5 % rh at ambient temperature . its melting point by dsc is approximately 146 ° c . the pxrd diagram of the anhydrous form c exhibits characteristic lines located at 4 . 3 , 6 . 8 , 7 . 4 , 8 . 7 , 10 . 1 , 11 . 1 , 11 . 9 , 12 . 3 , 12 . 6 and 13 . 1 ± 0 . 2 degrees 2 - theta . it is , among the various anhydrous forms , the least stable of all the forms described in the present invention . in the presence of a relative humidity of greater than 5 %, it changes to a hydrated form . the anhydrous form d is obtained according to a first method by crystallization of the form a in an oil ( especially miglyol ), following by rinsing with an alkane , for example heptane ; the second preparation method consists in leaving a solution of 4 - acetoxy - 2α - benzoyloxy - 5β , 20 - epoxy - 1 - hydroxy - 7β , 10β - dimethoxy - 9 - oxotax - 11 - en - 13α - yl ( 2r , 3s )- 3 - tert - butoxycarbonylamino - 2 - hydroxy - 3 - phenylpropionate in a mixture of polysorbate 80 , ph 3 . 5 , ethanol and water ( preferably a 25 / 25 / 50 mixture ) to crystallize for approximately 48 hours . its boiling point by dsc is approximately 175 ° c . ( cf . fig1 ) and is found to be the highest of all the anhydrous forms isolated . the pxrd diagram of the anhydrous form d ( cf . fig2 ) exhibits characteristic lines located at 3 . 9 , 7 . 7 , 7 . 8 , 7 . 9 , 8 . 6 , 9 . 7 , 10 . 6 , 10 . 8 , 11 . 1 and 12 . 3 ± 0 . 2 degrees 2 - theta . the ftir spectrum of the anhydrous form d exhibits characteristic bands located at 979 , 1072 , 1096 , 1249 , 1488 , 1716 , 1747 , 3436 ± 1 cm − 1 ( cf . fig3 ). among all the forms described in the present invention , it is the most stable anhydrous form . the anhydrous form e is obtained at ambient temperature by maturation of the acetone form or form a in ethanol so as to intermediately form an ethanolic form which is subsequently desolvated under nitrogen sweeping or by heating at approximately 100 ° c . for 2 hours . its melting point by dsc is approximately 157 ° c . the pxrd diagram of the anhydrous form e exhibits characteristic lines located at 7 . 1 , 8 . 1 , 8 . 9 , 10 . 2 , 10 . 8 , 12 . 5 , 12 . 7 , 13 . 2 , 13 . 4 and 13 . 9 ± 0 . 2 degrees 2 - theta . the anhydrous form f is obtained by desolvating the ethanol / water heterosolvate at 120 ° c . under a nitrogen atmosphere for 24 hours and then maintaining in a dry environment at 0 % rh at ambient temperature . its melting point by dsc is approximately 148 ° c . the pxrd diagram of the anhydrous form f exhibits characteristic lines located at 4 . 4 , 7 . 2 , 8 . 2 , 8 . 8 , 9 . 6 , 10 . 2 , 10 . 9 , 11 . 2 , 12 . 1 and 12 . 3 ± 0 . 2 degrees 2 - theta . there are four crystalline forms identified in ethanolic solvate or heterosolvate form : the ethanolate form b is obtained at ambient temperature by maintaining the anhydrous form b in an ethanol - vapour - saturated environment . the pxrd diagram of the ethanolate form b exhibits characteristic lines located at 7 . 3 , 7 . 8 , 8 . 8 , 10 . 2 , 12 . 6 , 12 . 9 , 13 . 4 , 14 . 2 , 14 . 7 and 15 . 1 ± 0 . 2 degrees 2 - theta . the ethanolate form d is obtained at ambient temperature by maintaining the anhydrous form d in an ethanol - vapour - saturated environment . the pxrd diagram of the ethanolate form d ( cf . fig4 ) exhibits characteristic lines located at 3 . 8 , 7 . 5 , 7 . 7 , 8 . 4 , 9 . 4 , 10 . 3 , 10 . 5 , 11 . 1 , 11 . 5 and 11 . 9 ± 0 . 2 degrees 2 - theta . the ethanolate form e is obtained at ambient temperature by maturation of the acetonate form a in ethanol . the pxrd diagram of the ethanolate form e ( cf . fig5 ) exhibits characteristic lines located at 7 . 1 , 8 . 1 , 8 . 8 , 10 . 2 , 10 . 7 , 12 . 5 , 13 . 2 , 13 . 4 , 13 . 9 and 14 . 2 ± 0 . 2 degrees 2 - theta . the ethanol / water heterosolvate form f is obtained by maintaining the form b in a minimum amount of ethanol at reflux , slow cooling and isolation at ambient temperature and ambient relative humidity . the pxrd diagram of the ethanol / water heterosolvate form f exhibits characteristic lines located at 4 . 4 , 7 . 2 , 8 . 2 , 8 . 3 , 8 . 8 , 9 . 6 , 10 . 3 , 10 . 9 , 11 . 2 and 12 . 2 ± 0 . 2 degrees 2 - theta . the monohydrated forms c are obtained at ambient temperature by maintaining the anhydrous form c in an atmosphere containing at least 10 % relative humidity . the pxrd diagram of the monohydrate form c exhibits characteristic lines located at 4 . 3 , 6 . 8 , 7 . 4 , 8 . 6 , 10 . 1 , 11 . 1 , 11 . 9 , 12 . 2 , 12 . 6 and 13 . 3 ± 0 . 2 degrees 2 - theta . the dihydrate form c is obtained at ambient temperature by maintaining the anhydrous form c in an atmosphere containing at least 60 % relative humidity . the pxrd diagram of the dihydrate form c exhibits characteristic lines located at 4 . 2 , 6 . 9 , 7 . 5 , 8 . 4 , 9 . 9 , 10 . 9 , 11 . 7 , 12 . 3 , 12 . 6 and 13 . 2 ± 0 . 2 degrees 2 - theta . other , nonethanolic , solvates of the form b were prepared , such as in particular those obtained with the following solvents : dichloromethane , diisopropyl ether , n - propanol , isopropanol , toluene , methyl isobutyl ketone , tetrahydrofuran , dimethylformamide , ethyl acetate , etc . the present invention will be described more fully by means of the following examples which should not be considered to limit the invention . the measurements were carried out on a t . a . instruments dsc2010 thermal analyser . the sample is subjected to temperature programming from 25 ° c . to 225 ° c . with a heating rate of 5 ° c / min . the product is placed in a crimped aluminium capsule and the amount of product analysed is between 2 and 5 mg . constant nitrogen sweeping at 55 ml / min is used in the oven chamber . the analyses were carried out on a panalytical x &# 39 ; pert pro diffractometer with a reflection - mode bragg - brentano focusing geometry ( θ - 2θ ) assembly . the product analysed is deposited as a thin layer on a silicon single crystal . a copper anticathode tube ( 45 kv / 40 ma ) supplies an incident radiation cu kα 1 ( λ = 1 . 5406 å ). the beam is collimated using sollers slits which improve the parallelism and variable slits which limit scattering . an x &# 39 ; celerator detector completes the device . the diagram recording characteristics are the following : sweeping from 2 to 30 degrees 2θ , counting time from 100 to 500 seconds per step with a step of 0 . 017 °. the solid samples were analysed using a nicolet nexus spectrometer . the analysis is carried out by attenuated total reflectance ( atr ) using a smart orbit accessory from the company thermo ( single reflection diamond crystal atr accessory ). the spectral range swept is between 4000 and 400 cm − 1 with a resolution of 2 cm − 1 and an accumulated scan number of 20 . two tests of dissolution of approximately 550 mg of 4 - acetoxy - 2α - benzoyloxy - 5β , 20 - epoxy - 1 - hydroxy - 7β , 10β - dimethoxy - 9 - oxotax - 11 - en - 13α - yl ( 2r , 3s )- 3 - tert - butoxycarbonylamino - 2 - hydroxy - 3 - phenylpropionate in 14 g of miglyol 812 neutral oil , sasol are carried out . magnetic stirring is carried out at 500 rpm for 24 hours at ambient temperature . after one week , the samples are vacuum - filtered and rinsed with heptane . each sample is analysed by pxrd for confirmation of the form obtained . after filtration , between 300 and 350 mg of anhydrous form d are obtained . approximately 3 g of 4 - acetoxy - 2α - benzoyloxy - 5β , 20 - epoxy - 1 - hydroxy - 7β , 10β - dimethoxy - 9 - oxotax - 11 - en - 13α - yl ( 2r , 3s )- 3 - tert - butoxycarbonylamino - 2 - hydroxy - 3 - phenyl - propionate are dissolved in a mixture of 50 ml ethanol + 50 ml polysorbate 80 , ph 3 . 5 . 100 ml of water are added to the previous mixture and the whole is homogenized . after storage for 48 hours at ambient temperature , crystals of anhydrous form d appeared . the amount of crystallized product recovered by filtration is approximately 2 . 45 g . a comparative stability study was carried out between the acetone solvate form a and the anhydrous form d . the comparison of the pxrd analyses carried out on the a and d forms immediately after production and after having maintained said forms at 40 ° c . for one month gives the following results : form a : partial desolvation resulting in a mixture of the acetone solvate form a and of the anhydrous form b being obtained . form d : no change detected after maintaining at 40 ° c . for one month .
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fig1 is a perspective partial cut away view of a steam turbine 10 including a rotor 12 that includes a shaft 14 and a low - pressure ( lp ) turbine 16 . lp turbine 16 includes a plurality of axially spaced rotor wheels 18 . a plurality of buckets 20 are mechanically coupled to each rotor wheel 18 . more specifically , buckets 20 are arranged in rows that extend circumferentially around each rotor wheel 18 . a plurality of stationary nozzles 22 extend circumferentially around shaft 14 and are axially positioned between adjacent rows of buckets 20 . nozzles 22 cooperate with buckets 20 to form a turbine stage and to define a portion of a steam flow path through turbine 10 . in operation , steam 24 enters an inlet 26 of turbine 10 and is channeled through nozzles 22 . nozzles 22 direct steam 24 downstream against buckets 20 . steam 24 passes through the remaining stages imparting a force on buckets 20 causing rotor 12 to rotate . at least one end of turbine 10 may extend axially away from rotor 12 and may be attached to a load or machinery ( not shown ), such as , but not limited to , a generator , and / or another turbine . accordingly , a large steam turbine unit may actually include several turbines that are all co - axially coupled to the same shaft 14 . such a unit may , for example , include a high - pressure turbine coupled to an intermediate - pressure turbine , which is coupled to a low - pressure turbine . in one embodiment , steam turbine 10 is commercially available from general electric power systems , schenectady , n . y . fig2 is a partial cross - sectional view of a rotor assembly 100 that may be used with steam turbine 10 . rotor assembly 100 includes a plurality of buckets 102 . each bucket 102 includes a dovetail 104 attached to a complementary shaped extension of a shaft 106 , a blade 108 extending radially outwardly from its respective dovetail 104 , and a cover 110 formed on a radial extrema , or tip of each blade 108 . in the exemplary embodiment , covers 110 are formed integrally with blades 108 . blades 108 are configured for cooperating with a motive or working fluid , such as steam . in the exemplary embodiment illustrated in fig2 , rotor assembly 100 is a section of steam turbine 10 , with blades 108 configured for suitably extracting energy from the motive fluid steam in succeeding stages . outer surfaces or shoulders 112 of dovetails 104 define a radially inner flowpath surface of the turbine section as steam is directed from stage to stage . blades 108 rotate about the axial centerline axis up to a specific maximum design rotational speed , and generate centrifugal loads in rotating components . centrifugal forces generated by rotating blades 108 are carried by dovetails 104 and portions of shaft 106 directly below each blade 108 . rotation of rotor assembly 100 and blades 108 from steam passing past blades 108 removes energy from the steam . blades 108 each include a leading edge 114 , a trailing edge 116 , and an airfoil 118 extending therebetween . fig3 is an enlarged perspective view of a portion of rotor assembly 100 including a plurality of adjacent buckets 102 . airfoil 118 includes a high - pressure side 120 and a circumferentially opposite low - pressure side 122 . high - pressure side 120 and low - pressure side 122 , respectively , extend between axially spaced apart leading and trailing edges 124 and 126 , respectively and extend in radial span between a rotor blade tip 128 and a rotor blade root 130 . a blade chord 132 is measured between airfoil 118 leading and trailing edges 124 and 126 , respectively . cover 110 includes a leading edge side 134 in a direction 136 of rotation , and a trailing edge side 138 in direction 136 of rotation . cover 110 also includes an inlet edge side 140 and an outlet edge side 142 wherein inlet and outlet are referenced to a direction 144 of steam flow past airfoil 118 . leading edge side 134 is parallel with trailing edge side 138 , and inlet edge side 140 and outlet edge side 142 are parallel . leading edge side includes an extension 146 that extends circumferentially from leading edge side 134 toward trailing edge side 138 of adjacent cover 110 . trailing edge side 138 of cover 110 each includes a groove 148 that extends inwardly from trailing edge side 138 into cover 110 . groove 148 is sized and positioned to receive extension 146 in a sliding engagement . fig4 is an enlarged elevation view of cover 110 that may be used with buckets 102 shown in fig3 . leading edge side 134 and trailing edge side 138 of adjacent covers 110 meet to form a joint 149 when rotor assembly 100 is assembled . leading edge side 134 includes extension 146 , a inner radial portion 150 and an outer radial portion 152 . inner radial portion 150 extends radially inwardly from a first extent 154 of extension 146 to an undersurface 156 of cover 110 . outer radial portion 152 extends radially outwardly from a second extent 158 of extension 146 to an outersurface 160 of cover 110 . trailing edge side 138 includes groove 148 , a inner radial portion 162 and an outer radial portion 164 . inner radial portion 162 extends radially inwardly from a first extent 166 of groove 148 to undersurface 156 of cover 110 . outer radial portion 164 extends radially outwardly from a second extent 168 of groove 148 to an outersurface 160 of cover 110 . in the exemplary embodiment , joint 149 includes metal - to - metal contact between corresponding surfaces of adjacent covers 110 . specifically , inner radial portion 150 of leading edge side 134 and inner radial portion 162 of trailing edge side 138 are butted together such that no intended gap exists between their respective surfaces . likewise , outer radial portions 152 and 164 are similarly butted together such that substantially no gap exists between their respective mated surfaces . additionally , extension 146 is received in groove 148 such that no intended gap exists between their respective surfaces . further , leading edge side 134 and trailing edge side 138 are able to slide approximately axially , with respect to each other . leading edge side 134 and trailing edge side 138 are restrained from sliding radially with respect to each other due to the engagement in the radial direction of extension 146 in groove 148 . in operation , during a startup of turbine 10 , steam 24 is admitted into inlet 26 . steam 24 is directed past airfoil 118 between shoulder 112 and covers 110 . initially , steam 24 is hotter than airfoil 118 , shoulder 112 , and covers 110 , and transfers heat to airfoil 118 , shoulder 112 , and covers 110 . the heat causes expansion of airfoil 118 , shoulder 112 , and covers 110 which may be uneven and may tend to cause warpage of airfoil 118 , shoulder 112 , and covers 110 . additionally , steam 24 may tend to leak past joint 149 due to a pressure gradient that may exist across covers 110 . to relieve compressive forces which may build up in airfoil 118 due to a thermal expansion of airfoil 118 , covers 110 of adjacent buckets 102 may slide axially , allowing the compressive forces to dissipate . because of the metal - to - metal engagement of sides 134 and 138 including extension 146 and groove 148 , respectively , steam 24 is facilitated being blocked during expansion of the components within turbine 10 . fig5 is a plan view of an exemplary embodiment of cover 110 that may be used with bucket 102 as shown in fig3 . each cover 110 includes leading edge side 134 that is parallel with trailing edge side 138 , and inlet edge side 140 that is parallel with outlet edge side 142 . an angle 170 is formed between sides 138 and 142 . in the exemplary embodiment , angle 170 is an acute angle . angle 170 being an acute angle facilitates sealing joint 149 during all operational modes of turbine 10 . sides 134 and 142 form an angle 172 . in the exemplary embodiment , angle 172 is an obtuse angle . because angles 170 and 172 are not right angles , sides 134 and 138 have a skew with reference to the longitudinal axis of rotor assembly 100 . the skew in sides 134 and 138 facilitates maintaining a seal along joint 149 . additionally , in the exemplary embodiment , sides 134 and 138 are straight from side 140 to side 142 . some known bucket covers are s - shaped or z - shaped when observed from a plan perspective . an s or z shape to cover 110 would cause adjacent covers 100 to bind as they expanded due to thermal growth if they tried to slide in a first direction , or would cause a gap in joint 149 if they slid in the opposite direction . the above - described rotor assembly is cost - effective and highly reliable . the rotor assembly includes an integral cover for each bucket that interlocks with each adjacent bucket to facilitate sealing radial leakage of working fluid . more specifically , seals include an extension and a groove formed in the cover that cooperate during various operational modes to maintain contact between the covers of adjacent covers . the covers are skewed with respect to a longitudinal axis and are slidably engaged to facilitate maintaining a seal between adjacent covers while facilitating stress relief between adjacent covers . during operation , the differential expansion of turbine bucket airfoils and covers may tend to open the cover seals . additionally , a force generated by the differential expansion turbine bucket airfoils and covers may induce compressive stress in the turbine bucket airfoils and covers . the groove and extension seal , and skewed cover facilitate relieving the stress while maintaining the seal between adjacent covers . as a result , the bucket covers facilitate sealing a radial leakage area in the rotor assembly . exemplary embodiments of rotor assembly components are described above in detail . the components are not limited to the specific embodiments described herein , but rather , components of each assembly may be utilized independently and separately from other components described herein . each rotor assembly component can also be used in combination with other rotor assembly components . while the invention has been described in terms of various specific embodiments , those skilled in the art will recognize that the invention can be practiced with modification within the spirit and scope of the claims .
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an assembly according to a first embodiment of the invention is shown in fig1 to 7 . the assembly comprises an opaque emblem 10 , which shows , for example , a logo 12 of an automobile manufacturer . the assembly further comprises an opaque plastic support 14 , a photoconductor 16 , a printed circuit board 18 with electronic components and a base 20 . the emblem 10 is a three - dimensional , relief - like solid emblem and , just as in the majority of the following embodiments of the invention , it is substantially identical in structure to emblems as have been used hitherto in non - illuminated manner . the photoconductor 16 shown individually in fig2 is a component matched to the shape of the emblem 10 with specially arranged deflection surfaces 22 having a reflecting polish ( see also detail view of fig7 b ). the photoconductor 16 may basically also be formed from a different material and may possibly have a reflecting coating . the plastic support 14 , shown individually in fig3 , for the emblem 10 is produced by injection - molding around the photoconductor 16 , preferably by a two - component injection molding process , if the photoconductor 16 is a plastic part , too . smd components ( surface mounted devices ) are arranged on the printed circuit board 18 ( see fig4 ), particularly a light - emitting diode ( led ) 24 as a light source . a recess 26 is provided for the wiring of the printed circuit board 18 in the base 20 which holds and protects the printed circuit board 18 ( see fig5 and 6 ). the assembly is shown in the assembled state in fig7 . the printed circuit board 18 is arranged so that the led 24 lies centrally under the emblem 10 and the photoconductor 16 . the uniform coupling of the light emitted from the led 24 into the photoconductor 16 is assisted by a cone 26 of the photoconductor 16 acting as a diffusor , which is arranged directly over the led 24 . as can be seen from fig7 and the detail views of fig7 a and 7 b , the photoconductor 16 is constructed so that the coupled - in light is directed to the rear side of the emblem 10 . this is made possible by the deflection surfaces 22 on which the coupled - in light is reflected . the photoconductor 16 has light outlet areas 28 which lie opposite the rear edge regions of the emblem 10 but do not project over them laterally ( see fig7 c ). as the edge regions of the emblem 10 do not lie directly on the photoconductor 16 , the emblem 10 is therefore illuminated indirectly on the rear side . a lighting effect is produced here which is comparable with a corona . like the emblem which was hitherto not illuminated , the assembly is fastened on the airbag cover of the steering wheel by means of the pins of the emblem 10 . to do this , after insertion into corresponding openings of the airbag cover , the pins are welded on the rear side of the cover , e . g . by ultrasonic welding . an assembly according to a second embodiment of the invention is illustrated in fig8 to 11 . the assembly comprises a three - dimensional , relief - like solid emblem 10 , an electroluminescence foil 24 ′ as the light source and a transparent plastic support 14 . the use of electroluminescence foils for illuminating emblems per se is known ( see , for example , de - u - 298 20 304 ), for which reason the layer structure and the electrical stimulation of the foil 24 ′ is not entered into in further detail . the foil 24 ′ and the support 14 are coordinated with the emblem 10 as regards shape , fastening bores etc . the surface of the support 14 facing the emblem 10 is coated with an enamel 30 which is opaque per se . however , the enamel layer has gaps 32 so that light can pass through the support 14 at these places . the gaps 32 can be produced by means of a laser after the support 14 is coated . basically any desired structures are able to be produced , e . g . fine honeycomb structures for a uniform illumination , or larger gaps 32 for a systematic illumination of a particular zone . a third embodiment of the invention is illustrated in fig1 to 16 . the assembly shown in an exploded view in fig1 and in the assembled state in fig1 and 14 comprises an opaque printed circuit board 18 equipped , inter alia , with leds 24 , an opaque support 14 , an opaque emblem 10 and a transparent plastic injection - molded member 34 over the emblem 10 . this assembly is distinguished in that the light of the leds 24 is coupled in through suitably arranged deflection surfaces 22 laterally past the support 14 and the emblem 10 into the transparent injection - molded member 34 , as shown in fig1 and 15 . in the injection - molded member 34 , a deflection takes place at its bevels 36 ( see fig1 ). the light which is ( at least partially ) reflected on the inner surface of the injection - molded member then illuminates the emblem 10 . in the case of an emblem 10 which is not contiguous ( i . e . if it has gaps ), the light can ( additionally ) be coupled in between the emblem structures into the transparent injection - molded member 34 . in this case , corresponding gaps are provided in the support 14 . a further illumination design is shown in fig1 . here , the assembly comprises a transparent support 14 which is illuminated from one side by one or more leds 24 . the other side of the support 14 is structured in accordance with the overlying opaque emblem 10 . the light can therefore only emerge through the elevated structures 38 of the support surface . ( it is not absolutely necessary for the structures 38 to be elevated though .) as indicated in the left half of fig1 , the light can also be coupled in from the side into the transparent support 14 . the surface of the support 14 which is not visible can be coated with a reflection foil 40 or a reflecting enamel . the elevated structures 38 of the visible surface can be printed in order to achieve a particular illumination effect . the illumination design illustrated in fig1 is similar to the one previously described . here , the support and emblem are exchanged , i . e . the support 14 is arranged on the side facing the observer and the emblem 10 has elevated structures 38 . accordingly , the emblem 10 is transparent here and the support 14 is opaque . the elevated structures 38 of the emblem 10 are pvd - coated in the manner of a venetian mirror ( one - way mirror ). the light of the leds 24 enters into the emblem 10 from the side facing away from the observer and can emerge through the elevated structures 18 . conversely , however , the observer can not see through the pvd coating . a final illumination design is shown in fig1 . a transparent support 14 has elevated structures which correspond to the positive or negative logo 12 which is to be displayed illuminated . the support 14 is injection - molded around with a transparent plastic 34 , so that the logo structure is protected . the light of one or more leds 24 is coupled in from the other side into the support 14 . the support 14 is printed black on the side facing the observer , with the exception of the elevated structures 38 , so that no light can emerge there . the elevated structures 38 , on the other hand , are printed in color and are transparent , so that the logo 12 appears to be illuminated in color . the embodiments which are described by way of example show a range of measures for the illuminated display of a logo 12 , which are also able to be combined with each other .
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the present invention provides increased flexibility through digital watermarking technology . the following section describes a computing device capable of supporting watermarking software and / or functionality . ( it should be appreciated that the illustrated device is only one possible computing platform . there are many others capable of supporting watermark embedding and decoding . it is also anticipated that there will be advances in the handheld computing field , and such advances may be suitably interchangeably incorporated with aspects of the present invention .). a typical handheld device ( also call a personal digital assistant or pda ) can function as a cellular phone , fax sender , and personal organizer . some pdas are hand - held pc with tiny keyboards . another device uses a touch - screen and stylus for data entry . a handheld computing device 10 is now described with reference to fig1 . the device 10 preferably includes a processor 12 or other processing circuitry . one common processor is the 206 mhz intel strongarm , a 32 - bit risc processor . of course , many other processors , like those made by motorola , can alternatively be used . indeed , as with other components discussed herein , it is anticipated that improvements will be made with respect to handheld processors . for example , the computation power and processing speed of handheld processors will surely continue to increase . such improved components may be suitably interchanged with the present invention . memory 14 is preferably provided in the device . memory 14 can include ram ( e . g ., sdram ), rom , flash memory , optical , and / or magnetic memory . device 10 can also communicate with external or expansion memory . device 10 also preferably includes sufficient bus structure ( not shown ) to facilitate communication between the various device components discussed herein . in one embodiment , device 10 includes an expansion slot 13 , which is a compartment or communication port to plug expansion cards or devices such as a video card , wireless or satellite modem , additional memory , gps receiver , sound card , etc ., and connect them to the system bus structure . ( of course , gps refers to a global positioning system , which is satellite - based radio positioning system that provides three - dimensional position , velocity and time information to a gps receiver , anywhere on or near the surface of the earth .). device 10 can include a plurality of output devices . for example , device 10 can include a display area 16 ( e . g ., a lcd screen , thin film lcd , etc . ), communication port 18 , speaker 20 , wireless transceiver 22 , and printer 24 . ( of course , not all of these components are necessary , and may be included as optional features or plug - in devices .). the communication port 18 may include a single or a plurality of ports , for example , an infrared port , serial port ( e . g ., rs 232 serial port ), parallel port , synchronization port , universal serial bus ( usb ), etc . communication port 18 may be used to communicate with peripherals ( e . g ., web cameras , digital camera , cell phones , modems , a computer network , a stand alone computer , scanner , gps receiver , etc .) or with a host computer . in one embodiment , communication port 18 includes an audio / video output jack or port . wireless transceiver 22 may support a variety of communication platforms , and may even include cell phone or satellite transmission capabilities . ( alternatively , a cell or satellite phone communicates with device 10 via communication port 18 or expansion slot 13 ). in one embodiment , wireless transceiver 22 communicates with a computer network , using a communication protocol such as bluetooth . as will be appreciated by those skilled in the art , bluetooth is a wireless communication technology that allows mobile phones , personal digital assistants ( pdas ), pcs and other electronic devices to talk to each other . bluetooth is a specification for small form factor , low - cost , short - range radio links between a variety of portable and mobile computing devices . for more information , see the bluetooth special interest group web site at www . bluetooth . com . of course , device 10 may support other communication standards , besides bluetooth . in one embodiment , wireless transceiver 22 communicates with a host computer 40 to establish an internet or other network connection ( fig2 a ). in another embodiment , handheld device 10 communicates directly with a dial - up or internet service provider , via a mobile phone , modem or wireless connection . in some embodiments , a peripheral device ( e . g ., a camera , web cam , scanner , gps , transceiver , optical sensor , imaging sensor , mouse , keyboard , etc .) communicates with a host computer 40 , which then relays the peripheral signal to handheld device 10 ( fig2 b ). in still another embodiment , a peripheral device 42 communicates directly with the handheld device ( fig2 c ). printer 24 is an optional component , which may be integral to device 10 , or may be in communication with device 10 . printer 24 may include a print head or thermal printing element . alternatively , printer 24 may include an ink - jet or laser - jet based printing system . device 10 preferably includes input devices , buttons or ports as well . for example , device 10 may optionally include a pen - touch interface to receive handwritten characters . device 10 may also optionally include a microphone 26 , through which device 10 responds to voice activated commands or to capture audio for recording . ( of course , voice recognition software may be running to help with the voice - activation .). a fold up ( or on a display screen ) keyboard can also be used for data entry . ( of course , communication port 18 is another source for data entry .). in another embodiment , device 10 includes or communicates with input devices such as a scanner , mouse , keyboard , modems , wireless transceivers , etc ., etc .). in another embodiment , device 10 includes a touch screen . ( device 10 may optionally include various launch buttons , which when selected , launch a particular program or software routine .). device 10 may optionally include , or communicate with , a digital camera , video capture device , web cam , optical sensor , digital eye module ( such as those provided by lightsurf , inc ., etc . ), etc . such digital eye modules typically include features such as a complete camera on a chip , cmos imaging sensor , and / or miniaturized lens and imaging software . other imaging devices include a ccd image sensor . power can be provided to device 10 in many ways . in one embodiment , device 10 includes a battery 28 , e . g ., such as a lithium - polymer battery , etc . in another embodiment , device 10 includes an energy cell , which is rechargeable . ( device 10 may also include an interface or port to receive power . usb or cradle recharging is even possible .). an on / off switch can also be provided for device 10 . ( in one embodiment , software automatically shuts down the device 10 after a predetermined period of inactivity . power is conserved as a result .). various software applications can be stored and run on device 10 . microsoft corp . even has a pocket pc windows operating system . palm and handspring have their own operating systems . many other software modules and applications are supported on handheld devices , such as word processing , device drivers , internet surfing or exploring , database management , communications , personal organization software , and many , many others . as will be appreciated by one of ordinary skill in the art , suitable software programming instructions executing via processor 12 can be used to affect various types of watermark embedding and detection . to increase performance , software - programming instructions can be optionally written as fixed - point based code , instead of floating - point based code . in another embodiment , only watermark embedding or detecting software - programming instructions are stored on device 10 , and executed when needed . there are many other handheld devices offered by a gaggle of manufactures , which may suitably support watermarking software or watermarking functionality a few such manufacturer and products are : hp ( e . g ., the jornada 520 / 540 series ), compaq ( e . g ., the ipac pocket pc ), handspring , inc ., and palm , inc . some of these handheld devices combine computing , telephone / fax and networking features . of course , it is expected that these devices , and others , will continue to improve . such improvement may be readily incorporated with the present invention . the following sections disclose various inventive methods and systems , in which device 10 executing watermarking software ( decoding and / or embedding ) is employed . in some cases , a networked computer , instead of a handheld device is used . ( although some of the following applications are described with reference to a handheld computing device , it will be understood that a compliant desktop or laptop computer could alternatively be employed . the term “ compliant ” in this disclosure implies that the device is able to embed and / or decode digital watermarks .). a compliant handheld device 10 is ideal for helping to track and manage inventory . consider a warehouse or store with inventory ( e . g ., 100 widgets and 50 wobits .). the handheld device 10 , via printer 24 , prints a watermark onto each of the inventory items ( see fig3 , step s 1 ). preferably , the watermark is directly printed or impressed onto an inventory item . alternatively , a watermark is printed on a sticker or adhesive tag that is applied to the inventory item . an inventory watermark preferably includes a unique identifier , which identifies the type of inventory item ( e . g ., a widget or wobit ), and optionally , an item number identifier ( e . g ., widget number 26 ). in another identifying scheme , each inventory item is uniquely identified . unique identifiers , representing inventory items , can be maintained in an inventory list ( step s 2 ). of course , database management software can be used to help manage and update the inventory list . the printing of the watermark can encompass artwork or printing on the inventory item or tag , the printed background , numbering , lines on the item or tag , a laminate layer applied to the item or tag , surface texture , etc . if a photograph , line design , or drawing is present , it too can be encoded . a variety of watermark encoding techniques are detailed in the patent documents discussed herein ; artisans in the field know many more . device 10 can maintain an inventory listing for each printed tag . of course , device 10 can maintain a subset of inventory information as well . alternatively , device 10 can communicate with a central computer 40 , which maintains the inventory listing . checkout stations , roving cashiers , and inventory controllers can carry or be equipped with compliant computing devices . these devices track inventory ( e . g ., by reading the embedded watermark , extracting the identifier ( s ), and recording or communicating activity ) as it is shelved , shipped , returned and / or sold ( step s 3 ). for example , a cashier with a compliant device reads a watermark as an inventory item is purchased . the unique identifier and , optionally , a unit number , is extracted from the watermark . the inventory listing can be updated accordingly to reflect the purchase ( or shipment , or shelving ). in one embodiment , a plurality of handheld devices is in communication with a host computer . changes in inventory can be updated in real - time . in another embodiment , compliant devices periodically communicate with the central computer . in still another embodiment , a handheld computing device maintains the central database . inventory can be tracked efficiently as such . another method and system that is particularly well suited for practice with a compliant handheld device involves watermarking monetary objects ( e . g ., currency , bills , coins , treasury bonds , cashier &# 39 ; s checks , traveler &# 39 ; s checks , notes , food stamps , etc .). monetary objects are watermarked to indicate denomination , such as the amount of the object . in one embodiment , a watermark payload indicates that a five - dollar bill , is in fact , a five - dollar bill . alternatively , in another embodiment , the watermark itself identifies the respective type of monetary object . optionally , a monetary object is digitally watermarked to include the source of the object , e . g ., u . s ., euro , france , mexico , etc . a monetary object is present to a compliant reading device , such as a handheld device 10 ( see fig4 , step s 10 ). the compliant device reads a digitally watermarked monetary object , and extracts the denomination information ( step s 11 ). the denomination information is handled by the compliant reading device ( or a device in communication with the compliant device ), which provides feedback to a user ( step s 12 ). in one embodiment , the compliant reading device includes audio or voice synthesis , which announces the monetary denomination ( e . g ., announces “ ten dollars ,” when a ten dollar bill is decoded ). in another embodiment , the compliant reading device communicates with a braille output device , which signals the monetary object &# 39 ; s size . ( other textile - based feedback can alternatively be provided .). a seeing impaired individual is no longer dependent upon a potentially unscrupulous cashier when making payments or receiving change . instead , the individual digitally reads the embedded watermark to determine currency size and / or type and receives an audible ( or other ) indication of bill or currency size . to implement such , watermark payload bits are set to identify corresponding currency . when decoded by a compliant device , the payload bits are used by a device to index a predetermined wave ( or audio ) file . the file can be rendered or played to announce the corresponding bill ( or other monetary object ) size . the payload bits can be feed directly to an audio - synthesis chip . the audio - synthesis chip can be alternatively preprogrammed to respond to various payloads . for example , the payload bits of a five dollar bill trigger an audio synthesis of “ five ” or “ five dollars ,” etc . alternatively , the payload bits can be handled by software , which activates a feedback device to provide predetermined feedback based on the payload bits . the feedback can be changed from time to time , but is still triggered based on the payload . in another embodiment , the type of watermark , and not the payload , triggers like functionality . ( although this embodiment is particularly well suited for handheld devices , the present invention is not so limited . indeed , a cashier station or checkout stand could be equipped with a compliant reading device , which is available to seeing impaired individuals . the compliant device can be periodically inspected to ensure that it is providing accurate results . the complaint device could decode the watermark and respond accordingly , e . g ., announce bill size based on the type of watermark , or on a watermark &# 39 ; s payload . a compliant device could also be internet - based , for example , using digimarc mediabridge technology . the monetary object identifier is decoded and provided to a digimarc server ( e . g ., an online server ). the watermark identifier is associated with a url or other information . the url or other information includes the corresponding correct feedback to be provided to the user . in this case , an audio signal or file can be provided to announce the denomination . in still another embodiment , a signal from the corresponding url server activates a braille or other output device .). street signs , restaurant menus , grocery store isles ( and goods ) can be watermarked to provide similar feedback . in this case , a sign , menu or item can be embedded with a unique identifier . a compliant device can extract an identifier , which it relays ( e . g ., via a wireless or other communications channel ) to a central database . the central database retrieves related information ( audio files , braille enabling commands , etc .) and communicates such to the querying device . in one embodiment , the database is accessed via the internet . in another embodiment , a handheld device includes a library or database of identifies and related information . in this case , the handheld device need not query an online database , but may look to its stored database . digital watermarks may also be used to help manage documents and provide quality assurance . as will be appreciated , there are several document - management and quality assurance standards in place . iso 9000 is one example . there are many others . some such standards mandate that only the most recent version of a printed document be retained , a document history be maintained , and / or security be implemented . consider the following embodiment . each time a document is printed , an identifier is steganographically embedded therein in the form of a digital watermark . the identifier identifies document data , e . g ., such as a document file name , document version number , creation and / or print time , author , edited by , printer location , etc . ( once obtained , this document data can either be contained in the embedded watermark itself , or contained in a database to which the watermark represents a pointer , or both .). a database can be used to track documents and revisions to such , based on unique identifiers assigned per print , or edit , or session , or etc . a printed , watermarked document then becomes a portal to related information , or a gatekeeper to help track document history . consider a typically office situation , in which documents are printed and then edited / updated , and where several people have access to an electronic copy of the document . a user presents a printed document to a compliant device . an image of the document is captured by an input device , e . g ., via digital camera , optical sensor , laser scanner , web cam , digital eye , ccd or cmos imaging sensor , or scanner . the embedded watermark is decoded from the captured image . related information can then be determined from the database . for example , the extracted watermark information uniquely identifies the document , e . g ., via the document data . if the document is in an electronic form , it to can be digitally watermarked . the watermark can be used to track and identify the document . in one embodiment , the document data is compared with the database information to determine whether the printed copy is the most recent copy . additional information can be determined as well . for example , the author of the latest revisions can be identified , upcoming deadlines , or sensitive conditions ( e . g ., contract terms or confidentiality agreements ) can be presented to the user . ( preferably the compliant computing device includes a user interface , through which such information is relayed . in another embodiment , such information is communicated to a user &# 39 ; s designated handheld device .). now consider an embodiment implemented in a business or home - office environment . say a business team is meeting in conference room b , on the first floor of a building . in the meeting , it becomes apparent that not everyone in the group has the same documentation . luckily , the needed documents are watermarked with document identifiers . the watermarked documents are presented to a compliant device , which extracts and decodes the respective document identifier ( see fig5 , step s 20 ). a user interface allows the meeting participants to select a printing option and printing location . ( in the case of a handheld device , the device communicates , perhaps wirelessly , with a network communication port . the user interface may reside on the handheld device itself .). the identifiers are associated in a network - accessible database according to corresponding electronic documents . an extracted , watermark identifier is used to interrogate the database to find an associated , or corresponding , electronic document ( e . g ., a word file , excel spreadsheet , pdf file , etc .). network routing software determines a printer nearest ( or convenient ) to the compliant device and renders the electronic document to the printer for printing . optionally , a message is communicated to the compliant device , indicating the printing location . so - called fragile watermarks can be embedded within a document . a fragile watermark can be designed to be lost , or to degrade predictably , when the data set into which it is embedded is processed in some manner . thus , for example , a fragile watermark may be designed so that if an image is jpeg compressed and then decompressed , the watermark is lost . or if the image is printed , and subsequently scanned back into digital form , the watermark is corrupted in a foreseeable way . ( fragile watermark technology is disclosed , e . g ., in commonly assigned applications ser . nos . 09 / 234 , 780 , 09 / 433 , 104 ( now u . s . pat . no . 6 , 636 , 615 ), ser . no . 09 / 498 , 223 ( now u . s . pat . no . 6 , 574 , 350 ), 60 / 198 , 138 , ser . nos . 09 / 562 , 516 , 09 / 567 , 405 , 09 / 625 , 577 ( now u . s . pat . no . 6 , 788 , 800 ), ser . no . 09 / 645 , 779 ( now u . s . pat . no . 6 , 714 , 683 ), and 60 / 232 , 163 .). by such arrangements it is possible to infer how a data set has been processed by the attributes of a fragile watermark embedded in the original data set . in one embodiment , a second watermark is embedded along with a fragile watermark in a document . the second watermark can include information pertaining author , printer , document version , user , etc . in this embodiment , when a compliant device decodes a document , and the fragile watermark is not detected , the document is determined to be a copy or duplicate . information from the second watermark can be used to identify the source of the document . ( the printer or user can be identified to determine a potential security breach .). movie and other event tickets may be purchased on - line from various sources . a ticket may comprise many forms , including an authorization code , digital image , audio signal , text file , and digital signal . the ticket preferably includes a unique identifier or purchase code embedded therein . in one embodiment , the ticket is transferred to a purchaser &# 39 ; s handheld device . alternatively , the online movie ticket retailer transmits a ticket in the form of a payload , authentication code , or digital file to the user &# 39 ; s computer . a plug - in on the user &# 39 ; s computer is launched , which incorporates the ticket information when creating a watermarked image . ( a handheld device can directly communicate with an online website , as shown in fig6 a , to retrieve a ticket . or the handheld device can communicate with the website via a host computer , as shown in fig2 a .). as noted in assignee &# 39 ; s u . s . patent application ser . no . 60 / 257 , 822 , filed dec . 21 , 2000 , a watermarked image can be presented on the lcd display , and captured by a web cam for various purposes . accordingly , in a preferred embodiment , a watermarked ticket image is displayed on a handheld device . at the movie theater , the ticket purchaser presents the handheld device , showing the watermarked image on the display screen , to a compliant watermark decoder 50 , as shown in fig6 b . the decoder verifies authentic tickets by opening a gate or enabling a visual confirmation , e . g ., a green light , or via a graphical user interface and / or with human intervention . the movie theater decoder can download a list of authentic payloads or identifiers prior to each movie showing or session , may query an online database to verify each ticket . the extracted identifier can be compared to the authentic identifiers to confirm a valid ticket . when the ticket identifier matches one of the authorized identifiers , the ticket is verified , and entry is permitted . ( fragile watermarks are alternatively embedded in the electronic ticket to help avoid counterfeiting .) credit at a concession stand ( or coupons for such ) can be obtained by techniques like those above . in still another embodiment , a movie or event poster ( or flyer , advertisement , etc .) is digitally watermarked to include related event information , or a pointer to such information . a compliant handheld device extracts the embedded watermark information . in a first embodiment , an extracted watermark pointer ( or index ) is used to interrogate a database point to a web address ( e . g ., via a url ). the database ( or web site ) may include data records , including related event information . for example , for a movie poster , the related information may include ticket purchase information , trailers or clips , movie reviews , behind the scenes information , and much , much more . the database can be accessed via the internet , or via a network system . alternatively , a database can be downloaded onto the handheld device . a handheld device can be configured to have a unique device identifier , presented via its display . typically , a handheld device display comprises a plurality of pixels . in one embodiment , a microlens is added for each pixel , or a subset of the plurality of pixels . ( some so - called “ camera - on - a - chip ” devices are currently equipped with microlenses . these camera - on - a - chip devices use an all - cmos process to build both a sensor array and additional on - chip signal - processing logic . in one example , the sensor array is organized as a 1 , 280 × 1 , 024 array , which corresponds to the higher resolution sxga standard . a microlens for each pixel is added to enhance sensitivity , and provided for special color filter arrays .). for handheld devices , the microlenses can be used to vary luminance of pixel elements . indeed , the microlens can polarize light , e . g ., in a horizontal and / or vertical direction . microlenses can be arranged to create a pattern of horizontal and / or vertical polarizations . a unique device identifier can be determined from the pattern . ( in a first embodiment , a pattern can be constructed to steganographically hide data , e . g ., a device identifier . in another embodiment , the pattern mathematically corresponds with a device identifier . in still another embodiment , the pattern reveals a series of binary signals , which are used to determine the device identifier . in yet another embodiment , a fourier analysis of the pattern reveals information used to determine the identifier . artisans in the field know other ways to correlate a pattern with an identifier . such may be suitably employed with the present invention .). to an unfiltered eye ( or camera ), the polarized display appears normal . the various horizontal and / or vertical polarizations are typically undetected . adding a polarized filter , however , reveals the polarized luminance pattern . in this embodiment , an input device , e . g ., a camera , web cam , optical sensor , imaging sensor , etc ., includes a filter ( e . g ., a polarized filter , a luminance filter , etc . ), which exposes the polarized pattern . an input device captures an image of the handheld device display ( e . g ., as shown in fig6 b ). the captured image includes a polarized pattern , which includes ( or hides ) a unique device identifier . in the preferred embodiment , software is used to analyze a pattern and discern the corresponding device identifier . in another embodiment , the device identifier is dynamic , in that it can change . to accomplish such , a set of microlens includes a bus structure ( or energy receptacles ) to receive electricity or energy ( hereafter both referred to as “ energy ”). energy is applied to the set of microlens to change their respective polarizations . the polarization pattern is thereby changed . accordingly , the unique identifier can be changed . software , running on the handheld device can be used to provide an interface to help change the unique identifier . there are many applications involving such a device identifier . for example , referring to the “ event tickets ” section above , a user could present her handheld device when purchasing tickets . a filtered image of the handheld device display is captured to determine the unique device identifier . the watermarked ticket image ( or authorization code ) includes the corresponding device identifier . at the event location ( e . g ., movie theater ), the watermarked ticket image is displayed via the polarized display . an image of the display is captured . the captured image ( e . g ., of the watermarked ticket image ) is decoded to extract both the ticket authorization identifier and the polarized device identifier . an image of the display can be captured via a polarized - filter input device , which can be used to determine the unique device identifier . ( of course , one input device can also be used with different filters or a filter that allows both polarization filtering and typical image capture .). the decoded device identifier is compared with the captured device identifier . if they match , then entry is allowed ( assuming the authorization matches .). in one embodiment , the embedded ticket authorization is the corresponding device identifier . as a copy control , multi - media content can be bound to a particular handheld device via the device &# 39 ; s display identifier . a device identifier can be used in a security system or network access . for example , verifying the device display identifier is one step in a security system . ( such a system may also include entry of a pin or password , etc .). of course there are many other applications with respect to uniquely identifying a handheld device via a polarized display . a handheld device equipped with , or in communication with , a digital camera or web camera , can be used as an image scanner . a digital or web camera captures image patches or swatches . assuming a watermarked document is imaged , the captured pieces can be stitched back together to form the original image . the watermark is embedded to include using an orientation or grid signal . the grid signal is redundantly embedded within a document . the grid signal can be key on , and used as a template when stitching pieces together . specifically , image pieces or swatches can be oriented according to the grid signal , and then matched with adjacent pieces . accordingly , a handheld device ( and an input device , e . g ., a web cam ) becomes a scanner . the foregoing are just exemplary implementations using digital watermarking technology . it will be recognized that there are a great number of variations on these basic themes . the foregoing illustrates but a few applications of the detailed technology . there are many others . while this application discusses a handheld computing device , the present invention is not so limited . of course , a compliant device may include a desktop or laptop computer , or even a compliant kiosk . to provide a comprehensive disclosure without unduly lengthening this specification , the above - mentioned patents and patent applications are hereby incorporated by reference . the particular combinations of elements and features in the above - detailed embodiments are exemplary only ; the interchanging and substitution of these teachings with other teachings in this application and the incorporated - by - reference patents / applications are also contemplated . the above - described methods and functionality can be facilitated with computer executable software stored on computer readable mediums , such as electronic memory circuits , ram , rom , magnetic media , optical media , removable media , etc . such software may be stored on a handheld reading device . instead of software , the watermarking functionality may be hardwired . the section headings in this application ( e . g ., “ handheld computing device ”) are provided merely for the reader &# 39 ; s convenience , and provide no substantive limitations . of course , the disclosure under one section heading may be readily combined with the disclosure under another heading . in view of the wide variety of embodiments to which the principles and features discussed above can be applied , it should be apparent that the detailed embodiments are illustrative only and should not be taken as limiting the scope of the invention . rather , we claim as our invention all such modifications as may come within the scope and spirit of the following claims and equivalents thereof .
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with reference now to the drawings and first to fig1 a rotary cutter type drill bit shown generally at 10 in quarter section which is also typically referred to in the industry as a &# 34 ; rock bit &# 34 ;. the rotary bit structure 10 generally comprises a body structure 12 having a threaded upper extremity 14 for attachment of the drill bit to the lower section of a string of drill pipe , not shown . the body structure 12 also includes a plurality of depending cutter support legs 16 each supporting a rotary cutting element such as shown at 18 and 20 each having a plurality of teeth 22 formed thereon to provide for optimum engagement between the teeth of each of the cutter elements and the formation being drilled . each of the cutter elements of the bit structure will be of slightly different configuration , whereby the teeth of each cutter will cooperate with the teeth of the other cutters to provide for efficient cutter engagement with the formation as the rock bit is rotated relative thereto . referring now to fig2 the rotary cutter 20 and its support structure is illustrated in greater detail . the depending leg 16 of the drill bit body structure may be formed to define a generally planar bearing face 24 against which the cutter element 20 bears as it rotates relative to the body structure of the bit . an annular groove 26 may also be defined in the bearing face portion of each depending leg 16 and a suitable sealing element , such as an o - ring 28 , for example , may be located within the annular groove 26 to prevent ingress of drilling mud into the support bearing of the cutter and cutter support assembly . the depending leg structure 16 may also be formed to define a bore 30 having its axis oriented in such manner as to intersect the center - line axis of the drill bit . if the drill bit incorporates rotary cutter elements for example , the center - line axis of each of the bores 30 will be oriented to intersect the vertical center line of the drill body at a point , unless it is desirable to orient the rotary axis of each of the rotary cutters in some other desirable manner . a cutter support spindle 32 may be provided which includes a reduced diameter portion 34 adapted to be received within the bore 30 . the reduced diameter portion 34 of the spindle may be inserted into the bore 30 to such extent that an annular shoulder 36 of the spindle engages the bearing face surface 24 , thus controlling the position of the spindle relative to the depending leg structure 16 of the drill body . the spindle may also be formed to define an inclined end surface 38 that may be oriented in surface alignment with the outer surface 40 of the depending leg 16 . connection between the spindle and the depending leg 16 may be positively established by welding as shown at 42 . prior to assembly of the spindle structure 32 to the depending legs 16 of the body structure of the bit , it will be desirable to form an assembly between the rotary cutter elements 20 and the respective bearings and spindles thereof . this may be conviently accomplished in the manner identified particularly in conjunction with fig2 and 3 . to establish a rotatable relationship between the rotary cutter element 20 and the spindle 32 , the spindle may be formed to define a cylindrical bearing surface 44 about which may be received a bearing element 46 . the bearing surface 44 may be such as to provide for efficient smooth rotation of the bearing 46 relative to the spindle . for example , the bearing surface 44 may be chrome plated if desired and may be ground to an extremely smooth finish . if the metal from which the spindle 32 is formed is of extremely good bearing quality , the bearing surface 44 may simply be surface ground to an efficient finish for good bearing capability . the spindle structure may also be formed to define an enlarged head portion 48 defining an annular shoulder 50 that cooperates with the bearing 46 to retain the bearing in proper operative position relative to the bearing surface 44 . it is desirable that each of the rotary cutter elements of the drill bit have a positively retained and nonrotatable relationship with the exterior surface of the bearing element 46 . this feature may be conveniently accomplished in the manner illustrated in the exploded view of fig3 . as shown at the lower portion of fig3 the bearing element 46 is shown to be provided with a generally cylindrical internal bearing surface 52 that is positioned in intimate bearing engagement with cylindrical surface 44 of spindle 32 upon assembly . the bearing 46 is also formed to define an external cutter engaging surface 54 that is tapered as shown at 55 with respect to the cylindrical surface 52 such that the bearing structure 46 is provided with a large extremity directed toward the cutter element and a small extremity directed toward the planar surface 24 of depending leg 16 . the taper of surface 54 may , for example , be in the order of 0 . 002 inches throughout the length of the bearing element 46 , which may be in the order of 2 inches . conversely , the cutter element 20 may be formed to define an internal cavity 56 which is of a configuration to receive the head portion 48 of the spindle and the bearing 46 in close relationship therein . the cavity 56 may be defined in part by a tapered surface 58 that is of larger dimension at the inner extremity thereof than at the outer extremity as shown at 59 . throughout the extremity of the tapered surface 58 the degree of taper may be in the order of 0 . 002 inches for example . the internal dimension of the cavity 56 defined particularly by tapered surface 58 may be correlated with the dimension of the external surface 54 of the bearing such that an extremely tight fit will be developed between surfaces 54 and 58 when the cutter and bearing are in assembly . moreover , the enlarged inner extremity of the bearing 46 and the cavity 56 will allow the cutter element to be firmly mechanically interlocked with the bearing element 46 , thereby preventing not only rotation between the cutter and the bearing but also preventing separation of the cutter from the bearing . to accomplish assembly of the cutter elements to the respective bearing and spindle assemblies , the cutter elements may be heated for the purpose of increasing the internal dimension established by the tapered surface 58 , while at the same time the bearing and spindle assembly may be cooled for the purpose of reducing the external dimension of the bearing . for example , a rotary cutter element having a cavity dimension of 1 . 504 inches at a normal temperature of 25 ° c . ( 72 ° f .) when heated to a temperature of 225 ° c . was determined to have increased in internal dimension to 1 . 5076 inches . at the same time , reducing the temperature of the bearing and spindle assembly from a normal temperature of 25 ° c . ( 72 ° f .) to - 75 ° c . (- 100 ° f .) resulted in a dimensional decrease of the external surface of the bearing from 1 . 503 inches to 1 . 5022 inches . with the drill cutter thus heated and the bearing and spindle assembly cooled , it is possible to readily force the bearing into properly seated relationship within the cavity 56 of the cutter . it should be borne in mind that the heated , cooled and normal temperature relationships set forth hereinabove , together with the particular dimensions identified at these temperatures , is not intended to be in any way limiting as far as this invention is concerned . it is considered obvious that other temperature ranges and dimensions may be utilized for the various parts , depending upon the particular coefficient of expansion of the materials involved , without departing from the spirit or scope of this invention . in the event the drill bit might be subjected to extremely heavy loads or excessive vibration , it may be desirable to provide means other than the mechanical expansion and contraction of parts to retain the cutters in assembly with the bearing structures . if this is desired , the cutters may be formed to define an internal groove 60 that may be positioned in registry with an annular groove 62 formed in the outer periphery of the bearing 46 when the bearing is properly positioned within the cavity 56 . in this case , a retainer ring 64 shown in fig2 may be located within the groove 62 of the bearing prior to assembly of the bearing and cutter . the retainer ring 64 may be a split ring capable of bearing substantially fully received within the annular groove 62 of the bearing , thereby enabling the retainer ring to be forced into the cavity 56 of the cutter along with the bearing during assembly . as the annular groove 62 of the bearing moves into registry with the groove 60 of the cutter , the retainer ring , which may be formed of spring material , will expand so as to become partially received within both of the grooves 60 and 62 . after the retainer ring has become so positioned , the cutter element will separate from the bearing 46 only upon the development of forces that are sufficiently great to shear the retainer ring 64 . it may also be desirable to provide the drill cutter assembly with means for providing periodic lubrication of the cutter bearing . this may be conveniently accomplished by forming the spindle structure 32 shown in fig2 with a lubricant passage 66 , the outer extremity of which may be internally threaded as shown at 68 . at externally threaded lubricant fitting such as a conventional zerk fitting 70 may be extended through a recess 72 and may be received within the internally threaded portion 68 of the lubricant passage . the recess 72 allows the fitting 70 to be recessed sufficiently to prevent the fitting from being damaged or worn as drilling operations are conducted . the space between the spindle and bearing assembly and the internal wall surfaces of the cavity 56 effectively define a reservoir 74 that receives a quantity of lubricant . as drilling operations occur , lubricant will be transferred to the bearing surfaces 44 and 52 . fig4 and 5 are representative of a further embodiment of the present invention , whereby the depending leg structure of the drill body may take similar form as illustrated in fig1 and 2 , with the exception that an annular seal groove 76 may be provided for containing a sealing element 78 such as an o - ring . the annular groove 76 will be of larger dimension as compared to the annular groove 26 in fig2 . a spindle element 80 may be provided that is retained in connection with the depending leg structure 16 in the same manner as discussed above in connection with fig2 . the spindle 80 may be formed to define a bearing surface 82 of cylindrical configuration , which bearing surface may be located between an enlarged head portion 84 and an intermediate flange portion 86 . in this case , a bearing structure may be provided in the form of a pair of semi - cylindrical bearing segments 88 each having an exterior locking groove 90 formed therein . the cutter element 20 will be of substantially identical configuration as compared to the cutter shown in fig2 with an annular internal groove 60 formed therein for registry with the grooves 90 of the bearings segments 88 . as shown in section in fig5 the cutter element 20 will be formed to define a tangential retainer insertion passage 92 that is oriented in substantially tangential relationship with the registry grooves 60 and 90 . an elongated retainer element 94 may be inserted through the passage 92 into the annular retainer chamber defined cooperatively by grooves 60 and 90 . the retainer element 94 is flexible and capable of following the annular retainer chamber as it is forced through the passage 92 . the retainer element 94 may be composed of a flexible metal material or , in the alternative , it may be formed of any other suitable metallic or non - metallic material without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention . after insertion of the retainer element the passage 92 may be closed , such as by hardenable plastic material . as a further alternative , bearing segments may be employed such as shown at 88 in fig5 and a retainer ring element such as the retainer ring shown at 64 in fig2 may be placed in assembly within the annular groove portion 90 . after this has been done , the cooled bearing and spindle assembly may then be further assembled to a heated cutter element in the manner discussed above in connection with fig2 and 3 . it is also considered desirable to provide a drill body structure that is of low cost nature without any sacrifice from the standpoint of strength and durability . this feature may be conveniently accomplished in the manner illustrated in fig6 through 8 which show a plurality of body segments that may be connected in assembly by welding to form the body structure of a rotary cutter type drill bit . fig6 - 8 each show drill segments 96 , 98 and 100 that are of substantially identical configuration . in fact , each of the drill body segments shown in fig6 and 8 may be identical and may be formed by casting or forging as desired . since the casting or forging design of each of the body segments is of simple configuration , the casting or forging costs will be quite low and yet the body structure that is developed will be of substantial strength and durability when the body sections are assembled . as further shown in fig6 - 8 , each of the body sections may be provided with cutter elements 102 , 104 , and 106 that are of cooperating configuration , allowing the development of a rock bit structure having optimum boring capability upon welded assembly of the body segments 96 , 98 and 100 . the cutter elements may be rotatably connected to the body structure or to the body segments as the case may be in the same manner discussed above in connection with fig2 - 5 . further , if desired , the cutter elements may be assembled to the body segment structures prior to welded connection of the body segments , thus simplifying the assembly procedure of the cutter elements and further enhancing the low cost nature of the drill bit structure . the upper threaded extremity of the drill bit body may be formed by machining after the body segments have been joined . as shown in fig6 - 9 , each of the body segments may be provided with internal passage surfaces 108 , 110 and 112 respectively that cooperate to define a flow passage 114 when the segments are welded in assembly . each of these body segments may further be formed to define segment abutment surfaces that are oriented at an angular relationship of 120 °. when the body segments are assembled , the abutment surfaces will be in engagement , thus orienting the rotary cutter elements in proper relationship for optimum cutting capability . each of the body segments may also be formed to cooperatively define weld grooves such as shown at 116 , 118 and 120 so that simple linear welds 122 , 124 and 126 may be formed to retain the body segments in assembly to define an integral drill body . referring now to fig1 there is shown an alternative embodiment of this invention wherein segmented bearings are employed . each of the legs 130 of the body of the bit will be constructed essentially as shown in fig4 and 6 - 9 with a bore 132 being formed to receive the connecting portion 134 of the spindle 136 . the spindle will be formed to define an enlarged diameter bearing engaging surface 138 and a head portion 140 that defines an annular stop shoulder 142 . the seal groove 144 in this case will be of slightly larger diameter as compared to seal groove 76 of fig4 and the sealing element 146 will be of correspondingly larger dimension . the cutter element 148 will be formed internally in such manner as to receive the spindle with circular bearing surface 150 engaging the planar end surface 152 of the spindle . the cutter element is also formed internally to receive bearing segments 154 that may be of semi - circular configuration or , in the alternative , may be of other partially circular configuration . the cutter element also defines an internal cavity 156 that is formed to allow insertion of the bearing segments after the spindle and cutter have been brought into assembly . this feature allows the cutter , bearing segments and spindle to be secured in interlocked assembly without requiring a retainer ring such as shown at 90 in fig4 . to assemble the cutter element to the spindle , the spindle and cutter will be placed in angulated relation with the spindle within the cutter and with one bearing segment positioned within the bearing insertion chamber of the cutter . another of the bearing segments will then be inserted into its proper position relative to the cutter . upon movement of the cutter element and spindle to the coaxial relationship thereof the bearing segment retained within the bearing insertion chamber will be shifted to its proper bearing relationship with the spindle . the bearing segments will then be encapsulated and the cutter element will be rotatably secured to the spindle . in view of the foregoing it is clearly apparent that the present invention provides a rotary drill bit construction having a body structure of exceptional strength and durability and yet being of low cost . the drill body segments , being low cost forged or cast metal structures , may be connected in assembly by simple and efficient low cost welding procedures to define an integral body structure of exceptional strength and durability . the invention also provides for optimum utilization of materials for the various components of the drill bit construction to insure optimum drilling capability and exceptional service life . lost cost , high strength materials may be utilized for the spindle and bearing structures and the cutter elements may be formed of optimum materials for insuring extended service life . further , the spindle may be secured by simple welding procedures to the drill body legs or segments thereby further simplifying the construction of the drill bit . also , the rotary cutter devices may be assembled to body segments prior to formation of the integral body to further simplify the assembly procedure and pipe threads may be machined after the body structure has been assembled . the present invention also promotes utilization of lubrication systems that allow the drill bit structure to be periodically lubricated to further enhance the service life of the bit structure . it is apparent therefore , that the present invention is one well adapted to attain all of the objects and features hereinabove set forth , together with other advantages which will become obvious and inherent from the description of the apparatus itself . it will be understood that certain combinations and subcombinations are of utility and may be employed without reference to other features and subcombinations . as many possible embodiments may be made of this invention without departing from the spirit or scope thereof , it is to be understood that all matters herein set forth or shown in the accompanying drawings are to be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense .
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various embodiments of an on - vehicle power supply system according to the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings . referring to fig1 - 7 , a first embodiment of the on - vehicle power supply system will now be described . this on - vehicle power supply system is configured based on how to calculate battery - state quantities according to the present invention . as shown in fig1 , a vehicle ve is equipped with an on - vehicle power supply system according to the present embodiment . this system functionally realizes both control and calculation apparatuses according the present invention . the on - vehicle power supply system is provided with a battery 1 , a bi - directional current controller 2 , a battery controller 3 , and an on - vehicle ecu ( electronic control unit ) 4 . the battery 1 is electrically connected with a power - supplying line 5 via the bidirectional current controller 2 and also electrically connected with on - vehicle electric loads l and an on - vehicle generator 7 via the power - supplying line 5 . the present on - vehicle power supply system is also provided with a current sensor 6 to detect charge current and discharge current to and from the battery 1 . the charge and discharge currents i are fed to the current controller 3 via a path 6 a . the voltage v of the battery 1 is also fed to the current controller 3 via the path 6 a . the power voltage vl , which is the voltage on the power - supplying line 5 , is also supplied to the current controller 3 . the current controller 3 is configured to accept , from the on - vehicle ecu 4 , a target value va ( also called “ control voltage ” at which the power voltage vl should be controlled ) for the power voltage vl . that is , the signals of the voltage v and current i ( voltage / current ) of the battery 1 , the power voltage vl , and the target value va , which are input parameters , are used in the current controller 3 with a microcomputer incorporated . thus , the current controller 3 uses the target value va to control of the charge and discharge currents to and from the battery 1 via the bi - directional current controller 2 . this control allows the power voltage vl to converge to the target value va , resulting in that the power voltage vl is controlled on the stabilized basis ( i . e ., the power - voltage stabilizing control ). the bidirectional current controller 2 is formed into a circuit provided with switching elements , which are controlled in a switching controlled manner so as to control the charge and discharge currents to and from the battery 1 to the control current is . in the following description , since the charge and discharge currents to and from the battery 1 are controlled under the operations of the bi - directional current controller 2 , those charge and discharge currents are also called “ control current is ( i . e ., target value for the current to and from the battery ),” which is paired with the “ control voltage va ( i . e ., target value for the power voltage )” in terms of their terms . referring to fig2 , the operations for realizing the power - voltage stabilizing control will now be described , which is carried out by the battery controller 3 . first of all , the battery controller 3 reads in the signals of voltage v and current i ( sampled voltage / current pair data ) of the battery 1 , control voltage va , and actual power voltage vl which is voltage on the power - supplying line 5 ( step s 1 ). then the battery controller 3 applies the value of the control voltage va to a relationship between the voltage and current of the battery 1 and calculate the control current is corresponding to the control voltage va ( step s 2 ). the relationship is memorized in the controller 3 beforehand or produced in the current processing . the battery controller 3 the provides the calculated control current is to the bidirectional current controller 2 ( step s 3 ). responsively , the bidirectional current controller 2 performs switching control on the control current is such that the charge and discharge currents to and from the battery 1 is controlled to the control current is . then the battery controller 3 determines whether or not the vehicle has ended its running operation ( step s 4 ). if the determination is yes , i . e ., the running of the vehicle has stopped , the processing is ended , while if the determination is no , the vehicle is still in running operation , the processing in the battery controller 3 is returned to step s 1 . by the way , for obtaining a function for calculating the foregoing control current is , the battery controller 3 is given an interrupt routine to be carried out at intervals or in predetermined battery state . such intervals are exemplified in fig3 as calculation timing , in which a pattern a ( fig3 ( a ) and a pattern b ( fig3 ( b ) ) exemplify , together with the calculation timing ( i . e ., timing for carrying out the interrupt routine shown in fig2 ), intervals of sampling ( i . e ., acquiring ) data pairs of voltage and current . the timing schemes for the data acquisition and the calculation , which are shown as the patterns a and b in fig3 , are simply examples , so that the timing scheme may be developed into other various ways . the interrupt routine shown in fig2 is designed so that the routine uses input information to select a function for calculating the control current is , the function being set to have less calculation error . thus , to be specific , the processing at step s 2 is reading of the value of the control current is selected by the interrupt routine . referring to fig4 , how to calculate the control current is , which is carried out at step s 2 , will now be described . this processing is also carried out repeatedly at intervals . this calculation is made by using a regression line defined by a plurality of calculating functions ( i . e ., a formula for calculating the control current is ), that is , regression formulae . a preferred one among the calculating functions is selected depending on conditions and the selected one is subjected to the calculation of the control current is . in addition , calculation of a new calculating function includes correction of the past calculating functions depending on battery states , other than addition of the current values of the sampled voltage / current pairs . as shown in fig4 , in a regular interrupt manner , the calculation routine is initiated in response to the startup of a starter for the engine . when the starter is started to be driven , the current flowing from and in the battery 1 fluctuates largely during a very short interval of time , during which time a large number of pairs of sampled voltage / current data are measured ( step s 101 ). these paired data , which have been measured during the engine startup interval , are used to calculate an internal resistance r of the battery 1 for their storage ( step s 102 ). the calculation of the internal resistance r at step s 102 will now be detailed more with reference to fig5 . this calculation is also executed by the battery controller 3 . the large number of pairs of sampled voltage / current data is first subjected to their average , so that noise components caused and involved in the data are removed or lessened ( step s 201 ). then pairs of sampled voltage / current data are prepared for calculating the internal resistance r of the battery 1 ( step s 202 ). specifically , pairs of sampled voltage / current data to be assigned to the calculation are selected from the sampled voltage / current pair data measured ( measured ) when inrush current first flows into the starter . those pairs of sampled voltage / current data to be assigned to the calculation are defined as being data collected in a voltage recovery state coming after a voltage lowest limit caused after the inrush current state . the reason why such selection is made is that the data measurement and acquisition operation is stable and a difference between an estimated voltage ( the voltage drops at the startup of the starter , i . e ., the engine ) and an actually measured voltage becomes a minimum so that there is provided current and voltage ranges for the calculation of the internal resistance . then the selected pairs of voltage / current data undergo a known calculation technique to produce a first regression line ( a regression line during the startup ) ( step s 203 ), and the slope angle of the first regression line is calculated as an internal resistance of the battery 1 for memorization ( step s 204 ). after this preparation , responsively to start of the running of the vehicle , the battery controller 3 also starts to sample pairs of voltage / current data ( fig4 , step s 103 ). the battery controller 3 then examines whether or not a flag f for selecting how to calculate the control current is is 0 ( step s 104 ). in the following , this calculation technique will now be referred to as a first calculation technique which allows the control current is to be calculated based on the internal resistance r . the value “ 0 ” of this flag f means that the control current is is calculated based on the first calculation technique , of which procedures are shown in steps s 105 to s 107 later described . meanwhile , the value “ 1 ” of the flag f means that the control current is is calculated based on a second calculation technique , of which is procedures are shown in steps s 111 to s 113 later described . this second calculation technique allows the control current is to be calculated based on the regression line . the flag f is reset to 0 by an initialization process being executed immediately after the routine processing starts , that is , immediately after the running start . thus , immediately after the running start , the processing proceeds to step s 105 from step s 104 . at step s 105 , the sampled voltage / current pair data measured during a selected part of the running interval are also subjected to production of a regression line ( i . e ., a regression line during the running ) in the same manner as that at step s 102 , this regression line is used to calculate its slope as an internal resistance r , and the data of the internal resistance r is memorized . by the way , the regression line during the startup may be used as this regression line during the running , if it has been unable to measure sampled voltage / current pair data whose dispersion is sufficient for accurately estimating a regression line . for example , this is true of a case where there is less changes in current and voltage of the battery 1 during the running . then the battery controller 3 reads in , from the on - vehicle ecu 4 , the control voltage va which is a target value for the power voltage vl of the power - supplying line 5 ( step s 106 ). the read control voltage va and the internal resistance r calculated at step s 105 both are subjected to calculation of a control current is , that is , a target value for the charge / discharged current of the battery 1 ( step s 107 ). the resultant control current is is sent to the bidirectional current controller 2 by way of a command expressing the control current is , with the result that the charge / discharge current of the battery 1 is controlled at the calculated control is ( target value ). this control current is is calculated on the following formula . where v is a battery voltage measured immediately before the calculation of the control current is . incidentally , in the formula , the internal resistance of the bidirectional current controller 2 is ignored as being relatively smaller than that of the battery 1 . this comes from the fact that the bidirectional current controller 2 is equipped with a switching regulator which is made open / close selectively depending on a specified duty every predetermined interval . hence the resistance loss during the close operation ( current flows ) is small enough to be ignored . then the battery controller 3 measures sampled voltage / current data in pairs again and calculates a voltage error α between the measured voltage v and the control voltage va ( step s 108 ). the battery controller 3 determines whether or not this voltage error α is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold ( step s 109 ). this threshold is for determining an allowable voltage range . when this determination is yes , that is , the voltage error α ≦ predetermined threshold , it is recognized that the currently employed calculation technique for the control current is is proper because the error is smaller and that this calculation technique should be kept . hence the battery controller 3 continuously gives 0 to the flag f in odder to continuously employ the second calculation technique that uses the regression line during the running , as shown in steps s 103 to s 107 ( step s 110 ). after this flag processing , it is determined whether or not the running has ended ( step s 117 ). when the running has ended , the routine is returned to a not - shown main processing , while when the running is kept continuously , the processing is returned to step s 103 in the routine . in contrast , at step s 109 , if the determination is no , that is , it is found that the voltage error & gt ; the predetermined threshold , the processing proceeds to steps s 111 to s 115 . of these steps , steps s 111 to s 113 are assigned to the second calculation technique for the control current is based on a second regression line . specifically , at step s 110 a , it is determined whether or not a flag f 1 is 0 . this flag f 1 is used to decide that the next step s 111 should be skipped or not . hence , only when it is determined that the flag f 1 is 0 ( yes at step s 110 a ), the processing at step s 111 is conducted . at step s 111 , pairs of sampled voltage / current data which are different from those selected at step s 105 are also selected from the pairs of the sampled voltage / current data measured at step s 103 , and then the selected voltage / current pair data are used to calculate a second regression line . the voltage / current pair data used for such a second regression line may be composed of various pair data , such as i ) a group of only voltage / current data pairs sampled immediately before the calculation , ii ) all data of sampled voltage / current pairs measured , or iii ) data of sampled voltage / current pairs already measured in a drive mode of the battery 1 which is similar or identical to the present drive mode of the battery 1 . such a similar or identical drive mode may be decided depending on states of the charge / discharge currents or residual capacities . for instance , the states of the charge / discharge currents are divided into four states consisting of a state in which the charge current is on the increase , a state in which the charge current is on the decrease , a state in which the discharge current is on increase , and the discharge current is on the decrease . and the comparison is made state by state to employ data of sampled voltage / current pairs belonging to a state similar or identical to the current charge / discharge current state . alternatively , data of sampled voltage / current pairs may be employed from previously memorized data when residual capacities to be calculated are similar or identical to those obtained in the past . the battery controller 3 further reads in data of a control voltage va from the on - vehicle ecu 4 ( step s 112 ). as stated , the control voltage va is a target value for the power voltage vl on the power - supplying line 5 . the read - in control voltage va is applied to the second regression line obtained at step s 111 in such a manner that a control current is , i . e ., a charge / discharge current of the battery 1 , is calculated ( step s 113 ). this control current is is given to the bidirectional current controller 2 in the form of a command signal , with the result that the battery 1 is controlled to have the charge / discharge current adjusted to the control current is . then , in the same way as the above , the battery controller 3 measures sampled voltage / current data in pairs again and calculates a voltage error α between the measured voltage v and the control voltage va ( step s 114 ). the battery controller 3 determines whether or not this voltage error α is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold ( step s 115 ). when this determination is yes , that is , the voltage error α ≦ predetermined threshold , it is recognized that the currently employed calculation technique for the control current is is proper because the error is smaller and that this calculation technique should be kept . hence the battery controller 3 continuously gives 1 to the flag f in odder to continuously employ the second calculation technique that uses the regression line during the running , as shown in steps s 103 , s 111 to s 113 ( step s 116 ). after this flag processing , it is determined whether or not the running has ended ( step s 117 ). when the running has ended , the routine is returned to the not - shown main processing , while when the running is kept continuously , the processing is returned to step s 103 in the routine . by the way , at the foregoing step s 104 , if the determination is made such that the flag f currently shows 1 , the processing also proceeds to steps s 111 to s 115 . hence , in this case , the processing is performed in the same manner as the above on the basis of the flag f = 1 showing the second calculation technique for the control current is based on a second regression line . meanwhile the determination of no at step s 115 causes the processing to proceed to step s 118 shown in fig6 . that is , when the voltage error α is over the predetermined threshold , it is recognized by the battery controller 3 that the second regression line requires to be corrected further . at step s 118 in fig6 , for correcting the regression line , the second regression line calculated at step s 111 is shifted in parallel with a line passing a coordinate ( vx , ix ) which is a pair of voltage / current sampled immediately before the calculation . the shifted line is defined as a third regression line ( simply , a shifted regression line or a third regression line ). that is , the shifted regression line is obtained with a minimum shift distance , compared to the way of shifting the line in parallel with either the voltage or current axis . then a control voltage va is read in ( step s 119 ), and this read - in control voltage va is applied to the shifted regression line to calculate a corrected control current ia ( step s 120 ). this calculation is conducted on the following formula ; where r is a slope of the second regression line , which is an internal resistance r . then , in the same way as the above , the battery controller 3 measures sampled voltage / current data in pairs again and calculates a voltage error α between the measured voltages v and the control voltage va ( step s 121 ). the battery controller 3 determines whether or not this voltage error α is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold ( step s 122 ). when this determination is yes , that is , the voltage error α ≦ predetermined threshold , it is recognized that the currently employed calculation technique for the control current is is proper because the error is smaller and that this calculation technique should be kept . hence the flag f 1 = 0 is kept ( step s 122 a ). then the battery controller 3 shifts its processing to step s 116 . in contrast , the determination at step s 122 is no , that is , the voltage error α & gt ; predetermined threshold , the processing at step s 123 is executed . at step s 123 , the battery controller 3 corrects the slope of the third regression line by a little , but predetermined angle in such a manner that the slope angle , i . e ., the internal resistance r , is amended to make the voltage error α smaller by a little , but predetermined value . this amendment will now be illustrated in fig7 . incidentally , after the processing at step s 123 , the flag f 1 is set to f = 1 to shown the skip of the processing at step s 111 ( step s 123 a ). in fig7 , the second regression line is shifted in parallel to a third regression line passing the coordinate ( vx , ix ) of a voltage / current pair sampled at the latest timing . a control voltage va is applied to the third regression line to gain a control current is . this control current is is used to control ( adjust ) the actual current of the battery 1 , so that an actual voltage vn is measured after the control . when the actually measured voltage vn is equal to or smaller than the control voltage va which is a target value , as shown in fig7 , the slope angle of the third regression line is amended so that the control current is increases . more specifically , the slope angle of the original third regression line “ m ” is decreased to have a new slope angle , which is assigned to a new third regression line “ m + 1 .” thanks to the flag processing using the fag f 1 , this new third regression line whose slope angle is amended by a predetermined value is utilized by the processing at step s 112 , instead of the second regression line produced at step s 111 . by contrast , when the actually measured voltage vn is higher than the control voltage va , the slope angle of the third regression line is amended so that the control current is decreases , that is , the slope angle of the original third regression line “ m ” is increased to have a new third regression line “ m + 1 .” in this way , the new third regression line “ m + 1 ” whose slope angle is adjusted is produced and data indicative of the new one is stored for the control to be carried out thereafter . as a modification , it is advantageous to stop , at intervals , the correction of the second regression line , which is shown in fig6 . every time the correction is stopped , new voltage / current pairs which have been sampled since the last production of the second regression line at step s 112 are used to update the second regression line , which is new and timely so that the present running conditions are reflected in a new updated second regression line . in the on - vehicle power supply system according to the present embodiment , the power voltage vl on the power - supplying line 5 , which fluctuates largely in reply to running conditions of the vehicle , is controlled by controlling the charge / discharge current of the battery 1 at a time - dependently adjusted target value . this makes it possible for the power voltage to be finely and timely adjusted in consideration of the internal charge state of the battery 1 . accordingly , control can be done with higher precision thanks to control based on a timely manner as well as consideration of the internal conditions of the battery 1 which changes time to time during the running state of the vehicle . further , compared to the conventional feedback control that controls a generated power amount depending on a difference between an actual power voltage and a target voltage , the control is quicker in response and more effective . the reason is that the power voltage is adjusted in consideration of changes in the internal state of the battery that changes on the control . especially in the present embodiment , in cases where the voltage error is still larger ( refer to step s 115 ), the regression line showing a relationship between the voltages and currents is shifted from the second one to a third one passing a coordinate of a voltage / current pair sampled at the latest timing ( refer to step s 118 ). correcting or shifting the regression line in this way reduces an error in calculating the control current is which is a target value . that is , the latest internal state of the battery can well be reflected into the shifted regression line , thus the battery state being calculated at a high precision with the calculation error reduced largely . further , the regression line can be updated . when a calculation error is larger than the threshold , that is , an allowable range , another regression line is calculated on voltage / current pair data sampled differently from those used for calculation of the currently used regression line or another regression line is calculated using a technique different from that for the currently used regression line . accordingly , an error of the calculation of the control current can be reduced , leading to fine control of the power voltage . it is also possible that when a calculation error is larger than the threshold , the regression line is corrected for the next calculation . that is , the slope angle ( internal resistance ) of the regression line is corrected to make the calculation error smaller . hence , the calculation error is reduced in the next control , so that the control is timely corrected to have the error converged within an allowable range . that is , the regression line can be switched to another one in a simple manner . although the regression line depends on voltage / current data pairs acquired in the past , it is not always true that the regression line accurately reflects the present internal state of the battery 1 , because such data pairs are sampled at different time instants in different internal states of the battery 1 . in the present embodiment , however , the next regression line is selected to be the next one when the calculation error α exceeds a predetermined threshold , which leads to a simple switchover among the regression lines , which further leads to a simple correction of the present regression line . the configuration of the on - vehicle power supply system according to the present embodiment may still be modified into further various forms . the circuitry shown in fig1 may be modified into other forms , one of which is illustrated in fig8 . as shown in fig8 , an on - vehicle power supply system according the present modification relates to omission of the foregoing bidirectional current controller 2 . in this circuitry , the control of the charge and discharge currents of the battery 1 is shifted to a generator system 7 in which there are provided a generator 7 a itself and a regulator 7 b , so that the bidirectional current controller 2 can be omitted from the circuitry . a current sensor 8 senses a generator current ig and supply it to the battery controller 3 . in contrast , in the case of fig1 , it is required to have the bidirectional current controller 2 which is responsible for such control . in the circuitry shown in fig8 , the power - voltage stabilizing control will be carried out as follows . the current controller 3 reads in signals of not only the voltage v (= power voltage vl ) and current i of the battery 1 but also an output current ( corresponding to a current to be generated ) ig from the generator 7 a via the current sensor 8 . then the battery controller 3 applies the value of the control voltage va to a relationship between the voltage and current of the battery 1 and calculate the control current is corresponding to the control voltage va . then the battery controller 3 uses the control current is , the output current ig , an actually measured current i of the battery 1 to calculate the value of a current igs to be generated ( outputted ) next from the generator 7 a on the following expression : in this expression , the term “ ig - i ” means the sum of consumed currents by the on - vehicle electric loads . thus , on this expression , a command for the current igs to be generated is given to the regulator 7 b so that the current ig to be generated next is made to equal the sum of the current total “ ig - i ” and present control current “ is ”. the regulator 7 b receives the command for the current igs to be generated , calculates the value of a field current corresponding to the commanded current igs , and supplies field current on the calculated field current value to a field coil of the generator 7 a . accordingly , in the similar way to that shown in fig1 , the on - vehicle power voltage is controlled in consideration of the characteristics ( i . e ., states ) inherent to each battery 1 . though the foregoing embodiment has been explained about a case in which the formula for calculating the control current is employs the regression line , but is not a decisive one . another example is that a number of voltage / current pairs are plotted to produce a regression curve of a predetermined curvature in the two dimensional plane and this regression curve is used to calculate the control current is by substituting a target voltage into the regression curve . still another example is to use the foregoing regression curve such that a current value expressed by a coordinate at which a tangential line at an actually - measured - point coordinate intersects a line showing a target voltage is set as the control current is . in addition , the foregoing embodiment adopts a linear regression line , but this is not a definitive list . non - linear regression curves can be adopted as well . further , for shifting the regression curve to a coordinate sampled at the latest timing , it is preferred that the regression curve is shifted twice , i . e ., one along the voltage axis and the other along the current axis , so that the shifted distances become a minimum in the two - dimensional coordinate system . according to the foregoing embodiment and modifications , there are other additional advantages . the value of the control current is changed using the regression line to be updated at predetermined timing , so that the power voltage is able to converge to a target voltage in an accurate manner . preferably , the update timing is set to be in a period of time during the current changes largely at a rapid rate . when the current does not change for a long period of time , the regression line may be updated using a large number of paired data of voltage and current acquired in the past . when the regression line is linear , shifting the regression lines can be done by drawing a liner line passing a coordinate defined by the latest - acquired data pair at a slope angle of the latest one . the second regression line is shifted to the third one so as to keep a shifted distance at a minimum amount . hence , an amount of the shift can be made smaller , further reducing the calculation error . the charge / discharge current of the battery 1 is calculated at a coordinate at which the shifted regression line intersects with a liner line showing the target voltage of the battery 1 . thus the value of an updated charge / discharge current of the battery 1 , which is necessary for the target voltage , can be estimated reliably , leading to accurate controlling of vehicle power voltage . in contrast , the voltage of the battery 1 is calculated at a coordinate at which the shifted regression line intersects with a liner line showing the current of the battery 1 , so that a battery voltage corresponding to a predetermined charge / discharge current can be detected with precision . when setting the predetermined charge / discharge current to zero , the open - circuit voltage of the battery 1 can be estimated accurately . referring to fig9 - 12 , a second embodiment of the on - vehicle power supply system according to the present invention will now be described . in the present embodiment , for the sake of a simplified and redundancy - avoided explanation , the similar or identical components to those in the first embodiment will be given the same reference numerals as those in the first embodiment . the second embodiment is characteristic of deciding a regression line on the basis of various drive modes of the battery 1 . in the present embodiment , for deciding a particular regression line , there are provided in advance four regression lines , which are composed of i ) a discharge - current increasing regression line , ii ) a discharge - current decreasing regression line , iii ) a charge - current increasing regression line , and iv ) a charge - current decreasing regression line . of these , the discharge - current increasing regression line is used when the battery 1 is in discharge and the discharge current is on the increase . the discharge - current decreasing regression line is used when the battery 1 is in discharge and the discharge current is on the decrease . the charge - current increasing regression line is used when the battery 1 is in charge and the charge current is on the increase . and the charge - current decreasing regression line is used when the battery 1 is in charge and the charge current is on the decrease . further , it is examined in which drive mode the battery 1 works at present . a particular regression line is chosen among the previously prepared four lines in accordance with the present drive mode of the battery 1 , with the chosen regression line used for the control . referring to fig9 , the processing carried out by the battery controller 3 will now be outlined . this processing is also carried out repeatedly at intervals based on for example the patterns a or b shown in fig3 . first of all , data of sampled voltage / current pairs are measured ( i . e ., detected or acquired ) during the latest interval of time ( step s 300 ). using the plurality of pairs of voltage / current data measured during the latest interval of time , the present drive mode of the battery 1 is examined ( step s 301 ). in the present embodiment , the drive mode is composed of four modes consisting of a discharge - current increasing mode , discharge - current decreasing mode , charge - current increasing mode , and charge - current decreasing mode . then , a signal regression line which accords with the drive mode examined at step s 301 is selected from the four regression lines previously memorized , mode by mode ( step s 303 ). these four regression lines are discharge - current increasing , discharge - current decreasing , charge - current increasing , and charge - current decreasing regression lines . using a known technique , the regression line selected this time is shifted to a line passing a coordinate indicative of a voltage / current pair data measured at the latest sampling timing ( step s 303 ). to be specific , a line passing a coordinate of a voltage / current pair data measured the latest sampling timing and also having a slope angle of the selected regression line is drawn in the two - dimensional plane defined by two axes representing the voltage and current . a current value at a specified coordinate existing along the drawn regression line is decided as a control current is and outputted in the form of a control command , the specified coordinate corresponding to a target voltage ( step s 304 ). secondary , referring to fig1 , how to produce the four regression lines will now be explained . this processing is also carried out repeatedly as an interrupt routine activated at intervals . at first , using a plurality of pairs of voltage / current data measured during the latest predetermined interval of time are used to examine a present drive mode of the battery 1 ( step s 400 ). then , a regression line whose mode agrees with the examined drive mode is selected from the already memorized information about the four regression lines , i . e ., the discharge - current increasing regression line rg 1 as illustrated in fig1 ( a ) , the discharge - current decreasing regression line rg 2 as illustrated in fig1 ( b ) , the charge - current increasing regression line rg 3 as illustrated in fig1 ( a ) , and the charge - current decreasing regression line rg 4 as illustrated in fig1 ( b ) ( step s 401 ). the gradient angles of the respective regression lines rg 1 to rg 4 are the same or different from each other . and the regression line which has been used so far is update to the new one selected this time ( step s 402 ). the update of the regression line will now be explained more with taking as an example the discharge - current increasing regression line . the pairs of sampled voltage / current data measured in the past are grouped into the four drive modes . a plurality of pairs of voltage / current data sampled during the latest predetermined interval are mixed with the voltage / current paired data grouped so far in the same drive mode ( in this example , the discharge - current increasing drive mode ) to update the regression line to have a new characteristic curve , i . e ., a new line , in this drive mode . hence the regression lines for the four modes are updated constantly and memorized for the control . of course , the other regression lines for the other modes can be updated in the same manner . incidentally , for mixing the new data with the old ones , it is possible to exclude the voltage / current pair data sampled in the oldest interval from the existing data . this exclusion of the old data always keeps the data fresh , so that the regression line can be estimated with precision . in addition , there is another way of calculating the regression lines , in which one regression line which has been used so far is combined with voltage / current paired data to be added this time so that a regression line is figured out by computation . in this way , it is possible to largely improve an error in calculating the control current is , because the regression line entitled to be used for calculating the control current is is produced in the same drive as that of battery 1 . in particular , it is possible to distinctively use the different types of regression lines in accordance with different battery - current states which exhibit different voltage / current characteristics of the battery 1 . such sates are due to influence of the polarization caused within in the battery 1 , for example . however , the different types of regression lines are distinctively used , reducing an error in the calculation of the control current . the present invention may be embodied in several other forms without departing from the spirit thereof . the embodiments and modifications described so far are therefore intended to be only illustrative and not restrictive , since the scope of the invention is defined by the appended claims rather than by the description preceding them . all changes that fall within the metes and bounds of the claims , or equivalents of such metes and bounds , are therefore intended to be embraced by the claims .
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although the present invention is herein described in terms of a basic embodiment , it will be readily apparent to those skilled in this art that various modifications , rearrangements , and substitutions can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention . the scope of the present invention is thus only limited by the claims appended hereto . referring now to fig1 set forth is a first embodiment of the detergent container 10 , which consists of a single housing defined by a front wall 12 , back wall 14 , top wall 16 , and a bottom wall 18 . the back wall 14 is positionable against the inner side surface 200 of a dishwasher . as illustrated , the container has a width w sized to avoid interference with the operation of items placed within the dishwasher . an elongated length l may be varied to allow placement between the storage racks of a conventional two rack dishwasher . the top surface 16 of the container includes an engagement tab 22 , which is operatively associated with holder bracket 24 . engagement tab 22 is slidable along the length of the bracket 24 which is formed into a curvature 26 along the length of the bracket 24 . similarly , a bottom bracket 28 is operatively associated with an insertion tab 30 projecting from the bottom wall 18 to juxtaposition surface 14 along inner surface 200 of the dishwasher . edge 32 of the dispenser includes a transparent window 34 to allow visual depiction of the amount of detergent alongside level indicia 36 markings . a vent 38 can be membrane for puncturing or have a removable adhesive cover placed thereover to allow free flow through the container once properly installed . the leading wall 40 includes a soft membrane 42 positioned along the lower edge to accept insertion of piercing line 44 during installation . in this manner , container 12 is slid between holders 24 and 28 along the side wall 200 wherein the membrane 42 is automatically pierced by the sharpened edge of transfer tube 44 during the installation step . the transfer tube is hollow and provides a transfer of detergent between the container and the dispensing chamber . now referring to fig2 and 2 ( a ), set forth is a second embodiment of the detergent container depicted by numeral 50 . in this embodiment the detergent container is mounted in a vertical orientation while the transparent window 52 with indicia 54 remains along the side of the container to provide visual indication of the detergent level . in this embodiment the lower surface 56 includes an engagement tab 58 which is insertable into a u - shaped channel 60 positionable along the side wall 210 of the dishwasher . a latching mechanism 62 is located along the upper portion 64 of the container 50 . in operation , the container 50 is secured to the side wall 210 by placement of the insertion tab 58 into channel 60 wherein membrane 68 is pierced by rigid fluid pipe 70 . the container is then pivoted upwardly against the side wall and is maintained against the side wall by use of latching mechanism 62 . the latch is a simple rotatable lever having handle 76 which is rotatable and positionable along the frontal surface of the container 50 . similar to the first embodiment , a vent 78 is provided to allow ease of flow of liquid detergent from the container into and through the fluid coupling pipe 70 . now referring to fig3 and 3 ( a ), set forth is a third embodiment of the instant invention . the detergent container 80 includes a rigid outer casing 82 having hinges 84 secured to the side wall 210 of a dishwasher . a latching mechanism 86 allows rigid cover 82 to pivot along hinges 84 upon rotation of the latch 86 to allow access to an interior chamber 88 . the interior chamber 88 is sized to accommodate a flexible and disposable detergent bag 90 that is held in position by the use of hangar 92 insertable through hand hold 94 . the hangar 92 maintains the bag in an upright position allowing for the flow of detergent through coupling pipe 96 . the bottom of the flexible bag 90 includes a membrane 98 which is punctured by the sharpened end 100 of coupling pipe 96 . as with the first embodiments , a side wall of the housing 82 includes a transparent window portion 102 for use in viewing the amount of detergent that remains within the container . now referring to fig4 illustrated is a detergent dispenser that is coupled to the detergent container . the detergent dispenser consists of a base frame 112 which is securable to the side wall of the dishwasher with an opening for insertion of the fluid coupling pipe 114 which allows for the fluid detergent transfer from the detergent container to a measuring bowl 116 . the measuring bowl allows for a predetermined amount of detergent to be placed therein through gravity transfer and a gravity disbursement of the detergent placed within the cavity 118 past seal mechanism 120 . the sealing mechanism may consist of a deformable end piece 122 or soft seal which is coupled to a shaft 124 and movable along pinon 126 . the pinon is mounted to the upper surface 128 of the structure with a spring 130 biased against the shaft 124 and against the bottom of the receptacle 110 along opening 132 . the upper portion 134 of the shaft includes a piece of metal wherein operation causes a solenoid 136 to energize creating a magnetic field so as to draw the upper portion 134 upward providing a space between sealing end 122 and opening 132 . the detergent placed within the receptacle 118 may then flow through the opening and into the dishwasher . the receptacle 116 may be threaded along an upper edge 136 and operatively associated with threads 138 formed integral with the housing 112 . seal 140 prevents a loss of detergent as well as inhibit detergent solidifying within the threaded portion . referring now to fig5 set forth is a second embodiment of the detergent dispenser 150 which is securable to the side wall 220 of a dishwasher . the dispenser includes a dispensing shell 152 having a cavity 154 for receipt of detergent therein through flow coupling tube 156 . upon filling of the cavity with detergent , when the dishwasher requires detergent during a wash cycle , solenoid 158 is energized so as to cause metal including surface 160 to draw against the formed magnet thereby opening seal 162 allowing detergent to flow through opening 164 . the actuating lever 160 and opening seal 162 rotate at pivot point 166 and is spring biased 168 to maintain seal 162 tightly against opening 164 , thereby preventing premature detergent discharge or washout due to a backflow of water during the rinsing cycle . it is to be understood that while a certain form of the invention is illustrated , it is not to be limited to the specific form or arrangement of parts herein described and shown . it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes may be made without departing from the scope of the invention and the invention is not to be considered limited to what is shown in the drawings and described in the specification .
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this disclosure relates to controlling communication between a carrier and at least one node positioned at an inaccessible location , such as a subsurface location . as used herein , the term “ subsurface ” refers to below the surface of land and / or a body of water , e . g ., underwater or subterranean locations . in the discussion below , reference is made to hydrocarbon producing wells . it should be understood that the teachings of the present disclosure may be applied to numerous situations outside of the oil and gas industry . for example , the teachings of the present disclosure may be applied to devices or subsurface structures associated with geothermal wells , water producing wells , pipelines , tunnels , mineral mining bores , etc . referring initially to fig1 , a wellbore or borehole 20 is shown a production well using devices or nodes 60 in communication with a communication line 42 in a carrier 26 . the carrier 26 may communicate data and / or power within the borehole 20 . the carrier 26 may be rigid or non - rigid . for example , the carrier may be non - rigid carrier such as a tubing encapsulated cable . the carrier may also be a rigid carrier such a “ wired ” drill pipe . the carrier 26 may be configured to convey signals between the surface and the nodes 60 positioned downhole ( e . g . a tubing encapsulated cable ). herein , signals may include , but are not limited , to signals for conveying information and / or energy . illustrative , but not exhaustive , signals include electromagnetic signals , acoustical signals , pressure pulses , optical signals , etc . herein , information may include raw data and processed data . the borehole 20 may include multiple production zones 24 a - d . packers 52 , which may be retrievable packers , may be used to provide zonal isolation for each of the production zones 24 a - d . each zone 24 a - d may include one or more nodes 60 . herein , a node may be any device that transmits signals to and / or receives signals from the carrier 26 . the nodes 60 may include , but are not limited to , one or more of : intelligent well completion equipment , environmental sensors ( e . g ., pressure , temperature , flow rates , etc . ), injectors , flow control devices such as valves , chokes , seals , etc . that are configured to adjust , vary and control flow from the formation into the tubing , electrical / hydraulic actuators , communication devices ( e . g ., transmitters , receivers , pulsers , etc . ), and downhole power generators . thus , a node may transmit generated information , receive information ( e . g ., instructions ), receive energy , and / or transmit generated energy via the carrier 26 . the node 60 may be configured to be positioned at an inaccessible location . an inaccessible location may be a location where intervention to repair or restore communication is not possible or cost prohibitive . a location may be inaccessible due to remoteness , hazardous conditions , dimensional restrictions , etc . inaccessible locations may include subsurface locations ( subsea , subterranean , etc .). while fig1 shows the nodes 60 as well completion equipment , the present disclosure is not limited to equipment used in a completion process . in some embodiments , one or more of the nodes 60 may include a node terminator 64 configured to terminate at least one aspect of the signal communication between the node 60 and the carrier 26 . for example , the uni - directional or bidirectional transmission of signals between a node 60 and the carrier 26 may be terminated by activating a node terminator 64 , which may be part of the node 60 . herein , the term “ terminate ” is used to describe impairing or obstructing the flow of signals to a degree that signals flowing along the carrier 26 do not influence operation of the node 60 and / or the operation or functional status of the node 60 does not influence the flow of signals along the carrier 26 . thus , in embodiments where the carrier 26 , the nodes 60 , and other devices constitute a system , the activation of node terminator 64 may operationally isolate one or more nodes 60 from the rest of the system . in some embodiments , a node terminator 64 may be configured to terminate or trigger termination of communication for more than one node 60 . after the node terminator 64 is activated , the node 60 may be isolated from some or all signals from the carrier 26 . in embodiments , a controlled signal may be used to activate the node terminator 64 . herein , a controlled signal is a signal initiated by surface and / or downhole intelligence ( e . g ., a suitably programmed microprocessor or human operator ). thus , the controlled signal is a deliberately transmitted signal , as opposed to an errant signal , that is intended to cause a specific response from the node 60 . the controlled signal may be generated at the surface , subsurface , in the borehole , or at the node itself . the controlled signal may be produced by a controller ( not shown ) that may be located at one of : ( i ) a surface location , ( ii ) a subsurface location , and ( iii ) the node 60 . the node terminator 64 may render the node 60 operationally non - responsive to signals conveyed along the carrier 26 after communication has been terminated such that communication may not be restored by sending a second controlled signal . moreover , the termination may be such that the node 60 may only reacquire signal transmission capability by in situ repair or by retrieval from the inaccessible location for repair . fig2 shows an offshore embodiment according to the present disclosure . a drill rig 210 may be supported by a platform 220 . a riser 230 may include a carrier 26 , which may extend below the sea bed 240 into a borehole 20 in the earth formation 250 . nodes 60 may be positioned along the riser 230 and / or within the borehole 20 . as discussed above , the nodes 60 may be in signal communication with the carrier 26 , at least in part , through a node terminator 64 . aspects of the node terminator 64 are illustrated in fig3 , which shows a circuit diagram of one embodiment of a node terminator 64 that terminates signal flow with the carrier 26 upon receiving a controlled signal . the node terminator 64 may include a communication linkage 310 that either directly or indirectly enables signal communication between the node 60 and the carrier 26 . the communication linkage 310 may be installed in line with the communication line 320 between the carrier 26 and the node 60 . the communication line 320 may be configured to carry signals , e . g ., electrical , hydraulic , etc . the node 60 may include a control member 330 configured to initiate an energy flow to the communication linkage 310 . the control member 330 may positioned between the communication line 320 and a ground 350 , such as cable or carrier armor . herein , “ control member ” is used to generically describe a switching device used to control energy from either an energy source or the carrier . the control member 330 may be configured to have at least two states , which may include an open circuit and a closed circuit between the communication line 320 and ground 350 . the control member 330 may also be configured to change states in response to a controlled signal on signal line 340 . in some embodiments , the control member 330 may be configured to change state permanently ( such as a latching relay ) regardless of power supplied to the control member in response to the controlled signal . in other embodiments , the control member 330 may require an energy source to maintain its state . suitable control members may include latching relays , field effect transistors , and other switchable devices known to those of skill in the art with the benefit of this disclosure . in some embodiments , the node terminator 64 terminates signal communication between the node 60 and the carrier 26 by destroying the communication linkage 310 . herein , “ destroyed ” means that some aspect of the communication linkage 310 , e . g ., a conductive material , is converted or transformed into a state that prevents the communication linkage 310 from enabling signal communication , at least to the same effectiveness as prior to being converted / transformed . that is , for example , the communication linkage 310 may be converted / transformed from a signal conveying state to a non - signal conveying state . for example , the material making up a portion of the communication linkage 310 may be disintegrated such that the material no longer conveys electrical signals . one non - limiting suitable element is a “ consumable ” element . herein , an element that is “ consumed ” generally means an element that undergoes a non - reversible , one - time conversion or transformation from one state to another ( e . g ., substantially conductive to substantially non - conductive ). consumable elements suitable for the communication linkage 310 may include , at least in part , fuses , fusable links , rupture disks , and other elements that are transformed to a desired state by application of mechanical energy ( e . g ., pressure ), electrical energy , thermal energy , etc . communication linkages that do not have a consumable component include devices that are returned to a functional position ( e . g ., signal conveying condition ) by an external operation ( e . g ., a latching relay or a latching valve ). illustrative external operations include retrieval from the subsurface location or a well intervention using tools conveyed into the well for in situ operations . in operation , signals may flow across communication linkage 310 until a controlled signal is received by control member 330 on line 340 . upon receipt of the controlled signal , the control member 330 may close , resulting in a short circuit between the communication line 320 and ground 350 . in some embodiments , the control member 330 may be supplied with energy through part or all of the disconnection operation . when the short circuit is formed , sufficient energy from the communication line 320 will flow to communication linkage 310 resulting in the consumption of at least part of communication linkage 310 and terminating communication . the consumption of at least part of communication linkage 310 may directly or indirectly terminate the flow of signals between the node 64 and the carrier 26 . it should be appreciated that the power parameters ( e . g ., voltage or pressure ) associated with the communication line 320 did not have to be adjusted or set in order to isolate the node 60 from the carrier 26 . that is , the termination of communication does not necessarily depend on a voltage or pressure change or value of communication line 320 . thus , the node 60 may be isolated in an operation that is independent of the operation of the carrier 26 . fig4 shows a circuit diagram of another embodiment of node terminator 64 that uses an energy source 420 and dual control members 330 , 430 . in this embodiment , the control member 330 indirectly initiates an energy flow to destroy at least part of the communication linkage 310 by using the control member 430 . here , control member 330 receives a controlled signal on signal line 340 and is in electrical communication with the second control member 430 and an energy source 420 . second control member 430 may be positioned between communication line 320 and ground 350 . the second control member 430 may be configured to have at least two states , which may include an open circuit and a closed circuit between the communication line 320 and ground 350 . in some embodiments , a resistor 410 may be coupled between control member 330 and second control member 430 to dissipate energy from energy source 420 to ground 350 . energy source 420 may be a stored energy source that does not receive energy from communication line 320 . energy source 420 may be any energy storage device , including , but not limited to , one of : ( i ) a battery , ( ii ) a reservoir , ( iii ) a capacitor , and ( iv ) an inductor . in operation , signals may flow across communication linkage 310 until the node 60 receives a controlled signal . the controlled signal may be received by control member 330 on signal line 340 . upon receipt of the controlled signal , the control member 330 may close , resulting in a short circuit between the energy source 420 and the second control member 430 . the energy from energy source 420 may then activate second control member 430 causing a short circuit between communication line 320 and ground 350 . in some embodiments , the control members 330 , 430 may be supplied with energy through part or all of the disconnection operation . when the short circuit is formed , sufficient energy from the communication line 320 will flow to communication linkage 310 resulting in the consumption of at least part of communication linkage 310 and terminating communication . the consumption of at least part of communication linkage 310 may be a direct or an indirect cause of the termination of communication . fig5 shows a circuit diagram of another embodiment of node terminator 64 according to the present disclosure using a second consumable element . the control member 330 may be in electrical communication with an element 510 and an energy source 520 . element 510 may include , at least in part , a consumable element in element 510 of the same type or different from the consumable element in communication linkage 310 . energy source 520 may be configured to store and release sufficient energy to consume at least part of element 510 . the element 510 may be in electrical communication with control member 330 and ground 350 . second control member 430 in electrical communication with communication line 320 and ground 350 . the second control member 430 may be configured to have at least two states , which may include an open circuit and a closed circuit between the communication line 320 and ground 350 . in some embodiments , second control member 430 may be powered by energy source 520 . in some embodiments , a one way flow element 530 ( e . g . diode , check valve ) and a resistive element 540 may be coupled and positioned between the communication line 320 and element 510 . in operation , signals may flow across communication linkage 310 until a controlled signal is received by control member 330 on signal line 340 . upon receipt of the controlled signal , the control member 330 may close , resulting in a short circuit between the energy source 520 and the second control member 430 and between the energy source 520 and the element 510 . sufficient energy from energy source 520 may then flow to the element 510 resulting in the consumption of at least part of element 510 and forming an open circuit . with an open circuit formed , second control member 430 may no longer be held to ground 350 through element 510 and may be energized by energy source 520 and / or by the communication line 320 . second control element 430 may activate and cause a short circuit between communication line 320 and ground 350 . the short circuit may result in sufficient energy to flow from communication line 320 to communication linkage 310 to consume at least part of communication linkage 310 . the consumption of at least part of communication linkage 310 may be a direct or an indirect cause of the termination of communication . in some embodiments , the control members 330 , 430 may be supplied with energy through part or all of the disconnection operation . while the foregoing disclosure is directed to the one mode embodiments of the disclosure , various modifications will be apparent to those skilled in the art . it is intended that all variations be embraced by the foregoing disclosure .
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portions of the present invention and corresponding detailed description are presented in terms of software , or algorithms and symbolic representations of operations on data bits within a computer memory . these descriptions and representations are the ones by which those of ordinary skill in the art effectively convey the substance of their work to others of ordinary skill in the art . an algorithm , as the term is used here , and as it is used generally , is conceived to be a self - consistent sequence of steps leading to a desired result . the steps are those requiring physical manipulations of physical quantities . usually , though not necessarily , these quantities take the form of optical , electrical , or magnetic signals capable of being stored , transferred , combined , compared , and otherwise manipulated . it has proven convenient at times , principally for reasons of common usage , to refer to these signals as bits , values , elements , symbols , characters , terms , numbers , or the like . it should be kept in mind , however , that all of these and similar terms are to be associated with the appropriate physical quantities and are merely convenient labels applied to these quantities . unless specifically stated otherwise , or as is apparent from the discussion , terms such as “ processing ” or “ computing ” or “ calculating ” or “ determining ” or “ displaying ” or the like , refer to the action and processes of a computer system , or similar electronic computing device , that manipulates and transforms data represented as physical , electronic quantities within the computer system &# 39 ; s registers and memories into other data similarly represented as physical quantities within the computer system memories or registers or other such information storage , transmission or display devices . note also that the software implemented aspects of the invention are typically encoded on some form of program storage medium or implemented over some type of transmission medium . the program storage medium may be magnetic ( e . g ., a floppy disk or a hard drive ) or optical ( e . g ., a compact disk read only memory , or “ cd rom ”), and may be read only or random access . similarly , the transmission medium may be twisted wire pairs , coaxial cable , optical fiber , or some other suitable transmission medium known to the art . the invention is not limited by these aspects of any given implementation . referring now to the drawings wherein the showings are for purposes of illustrating the exemplary embodiments only and not for purposes of limiting the claimed subject matter , fig1 provides a view of a wireless device 10 into which the presently described embodiments may be incorporated . the wireless device 10 is shown as a mobile phone in fig1 ; however , it may also be a wireless pda , a computerized vehicle navigation system , a wireless device with high - speed data transfer capabilities , such as those compliant with “ 3 - g ” or “ 4 - g ” standards , a “ wifi ”- equipped computer terminal , or the like . the wireless device 10 is generally in communication with a wireless network 12 . the wireless network 12 comprises any wireless network for providing voice and / or data communications , such as a cellular network , a pcs network , etc . the wireless network 12 includes a base station 14 , which is configured to provide wireless service to any number of wireless devices . the base station 14 may communicate with wireless devices using code division multiple access ( cdma ), time division multiple access ( tdma ), global system for mobile communication ( gsm ), universal mobile telecommunications system ( umts ), 802 . 11 wifi , bluetooth ( registered ), satellite , packet radio , or another protocol . the wireless network 12 may include many other base stations ( not shown ) to provide service to many mobile subscribers ( not shown ). it is to be understood that the wireless network 12 may include other devices , systems , or components not shown in fig1 , such as additional base stations , additional mscs , a home location register ( hlr ), etc . further , the wireless network 12 may have interconnections not shown in fig1 . as shown generally , the wireless device 10 includes a gps module 16 and a phone module 18 . the gps module 16 generally includes a built - in gps receiver 20 by which the wireless device 10 can obtain and store geographic position location information in automated fashion without user action . the phone module 18 generally includes a power control signaling function 22 , a power amplifier 24 , and a transceiver 26 . the mobile transceiver 26 generally includes a transmitter and a receiver for communicating with the corresponding base station receiver or transmitter via one or more links . a link typically may comprise a plurality of communication channels such as signaling channels and traffic channels , for example . traffic channels are communication channels through which users convey ( i . e ., transmit and / or receive ) user information . signaling channels may be used by the system equipment to convey signaling information used to manage , operate and otherwise control the system . the system equipment , which may be typically owned , maintained and operated by a service provider , may include various known radio and processing equipment used in communication systems . the system equipment along with user equipment , for example , mobile phones , generates and receives the signaling information . in a cdma system , for example , the cells may be operated on the same frequency band ( i . e ., with a frequency reuse of one , or k = 1 ) to achieve better utilization of the available system resources . in that case , the transmission from each transmitting entity ( e . g ., the wireless device 10 ) may act as interference to the transmissions from other transmitting entities . to minimize interference and increase system capacity on the reverse link , the transmit power of each transmitting access terminal may be controlled such that a desired level of performance is achieved while minimizing the amount of interference to other transmitting access terminals . this transmit power adjustment is achieved by a power control loop maintained for each transmitting wireless device . typical power control commands direct a mobile phone or other wireless device to raise or lower its transmit power . in general , the power control algorithm may be performed at the base station . in looking at a signal received from a mobile phone , if the signal looks weak ( e . g ., based on detected frame error rate ( fer ), for example ), the base station may send a command to either increase or decrease mobile station transmit power . for example , a comfortable level of quality in a voice system may be possible with a fer of approximately 1 %. if fer is much less than 1 %, the mobile station may be wasting power , so the power control algorithm implemented at the base station may send commands to the mobile requesting the mobile to reduce the transmit power . for fer much greater than 1 %, the level of quality may be degraded , so the base station may send a command to the mobile to bring the mobile transmit power up in order to restore quality . with this invention , the interference from the mobile transmitter 14 to its own gps receiver 20 is reduced by lowering or gating the mobile transmit power . however , it is to be understood that e911 is just one example . the interference may occur with any other service , such as voice and all kinds of data communication , as long as these services use the public safety band . fig2 illustrates an exemplary gps data acquisition operation 100 for the wireless device 10 . as indicated in fig2 , the mobile transmitter is at normal operation ( 102 ). when gps data is requested ( 104 ), the built - in gps receiver 20 will try to acquire a gps signal ( 106 ) and then decode the gps data ( 108 ). the gps receiver 20 will then determine whether the gps data is valid or not ( 110 ). if the gps data is valid , then the gps data is reported to the mobile station phone module 18 ( 112 ), and the mobile transmitter is set to normal operation ( 114 ). however , if the gps data is not valid , then the mobile transmit power is checked ( 116 ). if the mobile transmit power is not zero ( normally that is the case ), then the mobile transmit power will be mandatorily reduced by one step , say one db ( 118 ). by reducing the mobile transmit power , the interference from the wireless device 10 to its own gps receiver 20 is reduced . then , the gps receiver 20 will try to acquire ( 106 ) and decode ( 108 ) the gps data again . if the gps data is still not valid , then the transmit power will be reduced again . this process will go on until either the gps receiver 20 receives good gps data or the transmit power has been reduced to zero . if the transmit power has been reduced to zero but the gps data is still not good , which means that the gps signal is not good in that location , then the operation has failed . on the other hand , if the mobile transmit power is zero then the gps receiver 20 will report that there is no gps signal ( 120 ), and the mobile transmitter will be set to normal operation ( 114 ). once the successful measurement of the gps signal has been completed , it is necessary for the wireless device 10 to retransmit at the power level that will result in successful reception of its transmission at the base station 14 . to ensure this , the wireless device 10 tracks and aggregates the power control commands during the interval that it lowered its transmit power for gps measurement purposes . this information can be stored as one parameter . for example , let us say that the wireless device 10 lowered its power by x db ( x is positive ) for successful gps measurement , and during that interval it received y db of mobile transmit power adjustment commands ( y is the sum of the increment and decrement commands over the gps measurement interval ). upon completion of the gps measurement , the wireless device 10 adjusts its transmit power upwards by x − y db to reach the level of transmit expected by the base station 14 to enable successful reception of the other device &# 39 ; s transmission . it should be noted that the mobile station power decrementing rule described above never results in the wireless device 10 transmitting at a higher power that the base station 14 expects it to . so , for example , if the base station directed power control step is 1 db per power control group ( one or more contiguous slots , that is , an interval for which the power control commands are valid ) the wireless device 10 decrements its power for gps measurement purposes by at least 1 db over that group . another approach is for the wireless device 10 to gate its transmissions during gps measurement , concurrently notifying the base station that it is doing so . the above description merely provides a disclosure of particular embodiments of the invention and is not intended for the purposes of limiting the same thereto . as such , the invention is not limited to only the above - described embodiments . rather , it is recognized that one skilled in the art could conceive alternative embodiments that fall within the scope of the invention .
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the embodiment will be presented in the order of the figures . the figures show the relational database schema for the part definition , location definition and unit definition respectively . the figures also show the process for operation of a user interface to the database tables . the description of the process will show how the features of the table schema are used to achieve the intended purpose . the process will not be described in terms of any specific implementation of a user interface since such a user interface will be readily apparent to one skilled in the art . the primary output report of the embodiment will be described . data lookup table tlkpparttype 100 is used to categorize parts and provide control flags that determine which features of the database may or may not apply to each part category . table i defines the fields of tlkpparttype . * a counter field type is one where an index number is increased by one count for each new record . data lookup table tlkppartslist 102 is used to contain the complete list of available parts or subassemblies to be later constructed into assemblies or systems called units . a typical part has a part number and description . parts are categorized by part type . of special interest is the size field . situations may occur requiring population of multiple parts into a single location or a single part into multiple locations . a size of one or more will indicate the part takes one or more consecutive locations . a size of zero indicates a part can be added to populated location without requiring additional space . for example , a mezzanine module on a circuit card assembly or a software component added to a mass storage device . this table also uses the os_supported field to identify a compatibility matrix for operating systems with each part . this is used in the unit definition to assign parts to processor groups when multiple processors with varying operating systems are used within the system . a set of fields are also provided for configuration management control of part definitions . when a part is “ released ”, its definition is protected from further modification . when the part is not “ released ”, its definition is modifiable , but a record of the explanation for the change is maintained . table ii defines the fields of tlkppartslist 102 . data lookup table tlkpkitdef 104 is used to group parts into kits . a kits of parts is useful for more quickly assembling a parts list when multiple parts are always used together . table iii defines the fields of tlkpkitdef 104 . data lookup table tlkpif_def 106 is used in conjunction with tlkpif_family 108 and tlkptagdef to define the interfaces of a part . a part has one set of defined interfaces that are used to connect to other parts . to simplify the process of interconnecting parts , interfaces are grouped into interface families . an interface family is a collection of interfaces that are functionally and mechanically compatible with each other . interface families are grouped into the part types to help organize them because there may be very many different interface families . an interface includes gender plugs or jacks . two interfaces are compatible when they share the same interface family and opposite gender . additionally , each interface of a cable may have a tag associated with it . the cable tag is added to the cable interface end and is marked with the name of the interface , the cable reference designator , and the reference designator and interface name of the destination or mate of the cable end . this type of marking insures proper assembly and operation of the system . table iv defines the fields of tlkpif_def . table v defines the fields of tlkpif_family . table vi defines the field of tlkptagdef . data lookup table tlkpparamdef 118 is used in conjunction with tlkpparamdesc 116 to define multiple sets of general purpose configuration parameters for a part . multiple sets of configuration parameters are defined for parts that have more than one pre - definable configuration . the configuration parameter list for a part pre - defines the information deemed important about a part . in some cases the default value of a parameter may be defined . in other cases , only the parameter is defined and the value is left blank for assignment of a value during construction of a unit . in some cases , an illustration of the part is used to simplify the configuration of part in by showing the location and settings of variable switches , and the like . the data lookup tables tlkpparamlist 112 and tlkpparamgrp 114 provide a list of pre - defined and reusable parameters . reusable parameters are necessary to support clarity of the collected data and to support searching and sorting of the data . parameters are categorized into parameter groups to help organize the parameters and facilitate grouping when printing reports . typical groups of parameters may include revision identification information such as serial numbers , weight , power requirements , switch settings , firmware settings , networking information , etc . table vii defines the fields of tlkpparamlist 112 . table viii defines the fields of tlkpparamgrp 114 . table ix defines the fields of tlkpparamdesc 116 . table x defines the fields of tlkpparamdef 118 . data lookup table tlkpequiptype 200 combined with tlkplocdesc 202 and tlkplocdef 204 defines a type of equipment and the locations within the equipment that fixed subassemblies ( not cables ) may be placed . multiple sets of location definitions are supported for an equipment when necessary . an illustration may be associated with a location definition to illustrate the location definition in printed reports . this illustration should have callouts identifying the reference designated locations for subassemblies . a set of fields are also provided for configuration management control of location definitions . when a location definition is “ released ”, its definition is protected from further modification . when the location definition is not “ released ”, its definition is modifiable , but a record of the explanation for the change is maintained . in order to sort alpha - numeric reference designators properly , they must be represented with fixed length numeric strings ( e . g ., a 001 , a 002 , a 010 vs . a 1 , a 10 , a 2 .) part families are used to control the assignment of subassemblies to locations in which subassemblies are compatible . in order to sort alpha - numeric reference designators properly , they must be represented with fixed length numeric strings ( e . g . a 001 , a 002 , a 010 vs . a 1 , a 10 , a 2 ). data lookup tables tlkppartfamilydef 208 and tlkppartfamdesc 206 define the list of parts that make up a part family . a part family is then assigned to a location in tlkplocdef 204 . table xi defines the fields of tlkpequiptype 200 . table xii defines the fields of tlkplocdesc 202 . table xiii defines the fields of tlkplocdef table xiv defines the fields of tlkppartfamdesc 206 . table xv defines the fields of tlkppartfamilydef 208 . data lookup tables tblcm_memo 212 and tblcm_status 210 are used to record an explanation of changes that occur to definitions of parts , locations , or assembled units . a unique master key is assigned to each part , location definition , or unit definition defining the group of records related to it . the current key identifies the most recent comment record . a new record is added when the status changes to “ released ” and no records currently exist in the tables . after this initial record is created , a new record is created each time the status changes from “ released ”. the time , date and identity of the user are also recorded . table xvi defines the fields for tblcm_memo 212 . table xvii defines the fields for tblcm_status 210 . unit definition data table tblunitequip 300 defines a unique system or assembly . a unit is identified by the combination of fields idequiptype , serialnumber and instance . the idequiptype field identifies the type of equipment to be assembled . the serialnumber field identifies a unique piece of equipment . the instance field further identifies a different version of a serialnumber equipment if so desired . the equipcfgno field is selected from the corresponding field in data lookup table tlkplocdesc 202 to select a specific location definition for the selected equipment type . an illustration may be associated with a unit definition which can provide a functional block diagram of the system in printed reports . the functional block diagram enhances the understanding of the tabular data provided by the database without being too detailed or costly to produce . a set of fields are also provided for configuration management control of the unit definition . when a unit definition is “ released ”, its definition is protected from further modification . when the unit definition is not “ released ”, its definition is modifiable , but a record of the explanation for the change is maintained . table xviii defines the fields for tblunitequip 300 . unit definition data table tblunitpartslist 302 contains a list of parts selected from tlkppartslist 102 . parts may be added to the list in groups by selecting kits from data lookup table tlkpkitdef 104 . each part is added to the parts list of the unit assuming quantity one for each . this is necessary for each part to be uniquely configured and connected to other parts in the assembly . only the idpart field of a part from tlkppartslist is added to the parts list table since the definition of the part is always available from the part definition lookup tables . when a part is added to the parts list , it is assigned the next sequential item number in the item : number field to uniquely identity the part . when a kit is added to the parts list , each part in the kit is assigned the next sequential kit item number in field kitnumber . the kitnumber field maintains a grouping of all parts added from each kit . the kitpartnumber field preserves a link to the part number of the kit for reference . the pn_cfgno field is selected from the corresponding field in data lookup table tlkpparamdesc 116 to select a specific set of configuration parameters for a part and it is also used as a link to get to the lru_dwgpath field . the refdes field is selected from the data lookup table tlkplocdef 204 . the processorgrp field is used to combine parts that all need to be grouped under a single computer operating system . this is useful for multiprocessor systems . the processorgrp field is selected from unit definition data table tblunitprocgrp 308 . the spare field is used to designate a part that is not configured within the unit , such as a spare shipped separately . table xix defines the fields of tblunitpartslist 302 . unit definition data table tblunitparam 304 defines the list of parameters associated with a part in tblunitpartslist . when a particular configuration of a part is selected from tlkpparamdesc 116 associated with field pn_cfgno , the corresponding records from tlkpparamdef 118 are copied into tblunitparam 304 . this copy is performed to allow changing any of the parameter values unique to a part without affecting the default values intlkpparamdef 118 . table xx defines the fields of tblunitparam 304 . unit definition table tblunitconnect 306 defines all connections between interfaces within the unit . all unconnected ( no connect ) interfaces are also recorded . when all interfaces are accounted for within tblunitconnect , the connection process is verifiably completed . each connection has a unique fieldidunitconnect which is necessary for deleting connections from the table . the use of field idunitequip also allows enhanced performance by grouping records associated with the unit under construction . connections are established by identifying the idunipartslist from tblunitpartslist 302 value of a part and an interface , id_if from tlkpif_def 106 associated with the part . a mate is selected based upon the following criteria . the interface must be in the same unit , not previously assigned , not on a spare part , in the same interface family ( field id_if_family in tlkpif_def 106 ), and of opposite gender . if a mate is not selected , then the field flagnoconnect may be set with the interface . it does not matter whether an interface is assigned to the _a fields or the _b fields . table xxi defines the fields of tblunitconnect 306 . unit definition table tblunitprogrp 308 is used in conjunction with tlkpos 310 to define a processor group and assign the processor group to an operating system . the processor group is then used to select the processor group for parts in tblunitpartslist 302 . a processor group is a collection of parts that operate under a single operating system . this would include parts such as processors , mass storage devices , hmi devices and software . this grouping is helpful in systems with multiple processors and operating systems to insure operating system compatibility of parts . data lookup table tlkpos 310 contains an index which is a sequential number and a description corresponding to an operating system . the index is used as a character array index into field os_supported of tlkppartslist 102 . the treatment of field os_supported as an array allows for a varying number of operating systems without affecting the design of the database . if the character at the indexed position of field os_supported is a “ y ”, then the operating system is supported , otherwise it is not . when a part in tblunitpartslist is assigned a processor group , the os_supported field of the part is verified to support the operating system assigned to the processor group . additional parameters are provided in tblunitprocgrp 308 to further define the configuration of the processor group . table xxii defines the fields of tblunitprocgrp 308 . table xxiii defines the fields of tlkpos 310 . the process for manipulating data in the relational database tables will be described assuming a hierarchical set of actions which is typical of an event driven graphical user interface . the following tables have a column identifying the level of hierarchy for an action using an outline numbering scheme , a brief description of the action and additional explanation about the action if necessary to fully describe the action . table xxiv defines the top level process . major steps in the process will be decomposed in subsequent tables . the part definition process involves the creation of database records to define the configuration information for parts . the definition process begins with the creation of the part , and continues with the addition of parameter definitions and interface definitions . parts defined as kits will not have parameter definitions or interface definitions . to edit field os_supported in tlkppartslist 102 , use tlkpos to index into the os_supported array and toggle the character for each operating system between “ y ” and “ n ”. for certain parts that add on to other parts without taking extra space , set the size field in tlkppartslist 102 to zero . the field defaultrefdes in tlkppartslist 102 is only used for cables with a fixed reference designator assignment . when the part is initially created , the status field is set as in - process . when the part definition process for a part is completed , the status is set to released . further modifications of the part definition will require changing the status back to in - process and recording an explanation for the change . table xxv defines the part definition process . the parameter definition subprocess within the part definition process allows for the creation of multiple sets , or configurations , of parameters for a part . the parameter definition lookup table structure is a general purpose method to define arbitrary information about a part . parameters are created to be reusable on all parts so that queries may be written to extract desirable information . parameters are also created as members of parameter groups to help organize the parameters . the values assigned at this point are default values since parameters and values are copied from the selected configuration when configuring a unit . the field flagcopy in tlkpparamlist indicates that a parameter value , such as a subassembly serial number , must be cleared when one unit is copied to another . to save space within the database , the name of an illustration file or set of files ( using wildcards ) may be used in field lru_dwgpath in tlkpparamdesc 116 . the file or files can be temporarily brought into the database during printing operations . the helpnotes field of tlkpparamlist 112 provides direction to the user on the meaning of the parameter and its possible values . parameters may include information such as weight and power consumption which can be calculated with additional queries . table xxvi defines the parameter definition subprocess of the part definition process . the interface definition subprocess of the part definition process allows for the creation of a list of interfaces for connection of the corresponding part to others parts . in a large system , the number of types of interfaces is large so the interfaces need to be organized . interface families are used to categorize interfaces into functionally and mechanically compatible groups . additionally , the number of interface families may be large so the interface families are also grouped into categories of part types . as a general rule , the part type of an interface family should be based on the more fixed type of connector ( not cable interfaces ). an interface is assigned to an interface family and given a gender . the gender , plug or jack , is used to allow interfaces within the same interface family to mate when constructing a unit . as a general rule , the more fixed type of connector is defined as a jack and more flexible connectors are defined as plugs ( cable interfaces ). if a cable interface may be connected to a variety of mates , a cable tag may be assigned to the interface which can be marked with information defining the connection ( source and destination ). for example , if cable w 100 interface p 1 connects to subassembly a 1 a 2 j 2 , the marker is “ w 100 p 1 ( a 1 a 2 j 2 )”. the parentheses indicate the destination of the cable interface . table xxvii defines the interface definition subprocess of the part definition process . the location definition process is used to create a type of equipment or system and assign location definitions to it . multiple sets of location definitions may be required for some types of equipment or systems . a location definition is a list of reference designated locations corresponding to places within the equipment or system for fixed subassemblies . this does not include cables used to connect the subassemblies . in some cases , the location definition may be augmented with an illustration implemented as a file or set of files identified by the field equipdwgpath of tlkplocdesc 202 . part families are used to insure that only parts compatible with a location are later assigned to that location during the unit construction process . a part family is a list of parts compatible with location . since parts are categorized into part types , so are part families . when the equipment is initially created , the status field is set as in - process . when the location definition process for an equipment is completed , the status is set to released . further modifications of the location definition will require changing the status back to in - process and recording an explanation for the change . table xxviii defines the location definition process . the unit definition process results in a description of the construction of a unit assembly or system . a unit is made of parts selected from the parts definition tables . the parts are assigned to locations according to the part family definitions of the location definition of the selected equipment type . processor groups may be defined and parts assigned to them . the parts are then interconnected based upon the interface definitions and interface families in the part definition . finally , the parts are assigned configuration parameters based on the configuration parameter definitions in the part definition . the completed unit definition may be printed on reports to be described later . the unit definition is linked to the part definition and location definition for efficiency and coherency . when the unit is initially created , the status field is set as in - process . when the unit definition process for an equipment is completed , the status is set to released . further modifications of the unit definition will require changing the status back to in - process and recording an explanation for the change . table xxix defines the unit definition process . the unit interconnection process is used to interconnect the parts in the unit that have interfaces defined . mating interfaces are selected from the parts within the unit that have interfaces in the same interface family and opposite gender and are unconnected . to know when the interconnection subprocess is completed , all unconnected interfaces are defined explicitly as “ no connects ” thus accounting for all interfaces within a unit . the field idunitconnect of tblunitconnect 306 is necessary to delete records from the table . the field idunitequip of tblunitconnect accelerates queries for connections within a unit . table xxx defines the unit interconnection subprocess of the unit definition process . the unit parameter definition process is used to assign a specific set of configuration parameters to each part within a unit . the parameters from the selected configuration are copied to tblunitparam 304 so that parameter values may be modified independent of the part definition . a link to the original parameters in maintained with field pn_cfgno in tblunitpartslist so that the description and illustration fields in tlkpparamdesc 116 may be used . parts that have only one configuration may be automatically assigned . table xxxi defines the unit parameter definition subprocess of the unit definition process . the maintenance of supporting tables requires basic record operations . the supporting tables are not modified as part of normal activities and are considered more of an administration activity . table xxxii defines the maintenance process . the configuration management tables tblcm_status 210 and tblcm_memo 212 are used by the part definition process , the location definition process and the unit definition process to record explanations for changes in status . the status is used to secure records when the data is considered complete . when the first change in status occurs , no records will exist in the tables so an initial record is created . the initial record defines a new master key in field cm_mstrkey which assigns all records under this key the associated part , equipment or unit . the new master key is the next sequential value from the largest master key . a new current key is established in field cm_curkey which identifies each separate explanation in field comment . a new record is added and a new current key is established each time the status is change from released to in - process . each time the status changes , a new record is added to tblcm_status recording the date and time , the user and the status . the primary printed reports that may be generated define the construction of a selected unit . this report could be called a configuration identification index ( cii ). other reports may be generated to create a hard copy of part definitions or location definitions . the cii requires several chapters of reports for each topic to be printed . this document could also include title page and tables of contents . table xxxiii defines a basic set of chapters for a cii . an example use of the present invention is the documentation of the construction of a computer assembly . the part types of a computer may include , power system ( power supplies , fans , etc . ), human machine interface ( keyboards , monitors , etc . ), circuit cards ( processors , i / o , etc . ), storage devices ( hard disk , tape , cd rom etc . ), enclosures ( cabinets , panels , etc . ), networking ( routers , switches , transceivers , etc .) and cables . software can come in two categories , installed and uninstalled . installed software , such as operating systems can be put in the same category as storage devices and given size zero . then the software can be located on the storage device during the location assignment process . uninstalled software would be treated as spare parts since it is separate from the assembly . a variable computer using circuit card slots and a backplane may support multiple processors and operating systems . processor groups would be used to separate storage devices , circuit cards and hmi devices into their respective groups . circuit cards that are mezzanines on other cards and do not require additional slots cm be assigned size zero and added to locations along with the primary circuit card in the location . all of the types of illustrations ; part , equipment and functional block diagram , could be used to complement the tabular data . a genealogy of reference designators would be used with each location assigned a unique reference designator and each cable assigned a unique reference designator . the equipment illustration would show the reference designators for locations . the basic process for configuring a computer is to define the parts and their associated operating system compatibility matrix parameters and interfaces 401 . the next step is to define the locations in the enclosure for the subassemblies and create part families for the locations 402 . the last step is to construct the computer by creating the unit with selected a location definition , build the parts list , assign the parts to locations , define the processor groups ; assign the parts to processor groups , define the interconnections , select configuration parameters and assign values to the parameters . the unit may then be assembled and tested 404 according to the configuration defined in the database and the cii report may be generated . the data may be used to support the product 405 after delivery . the present invention is equally capable of documenting the construction of a system of many computers connected by a network instead of reference designators for locations within a enclosure , the locations may be defined by a grid within a building . each computer in the building would be assigned a location . other parts such as software ( size = 0 ) could be added to each computer . the configuration parameters for the computer could identify specific configuration information about the computer such as hardware features . other parts such as networking hubs and switches would also be included . the interconnect definition would completely define the network topology . parameters such as cable lengths could be recorded as well as installation dates , cable routing information , and maintenance records . the process for configuring a computer system is identical to the process for configuring a computer assembly , although more dynamic since a typical installation is constantly changing . although the embodiment preferred by the inventor is electronic units , the invention is applicable to virtually any type of manufactured goods , particularly where the good is produced with a number of configurations or versions , such as automobiles , computers , airplanes and many other products .
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fig . # _ 5 illustrates a memory circuit # _ 500 according to one embodiment of the invention . the circuit # _ 500 includes a controller # _ 510 and loads # _ 520 . a load # _ 520 can be a single dram device , a buffered module comprising many drams or a similar load . the controller # _ 510 and the loads # _ 520 are communicatively coupled by means of a command link # _ 530 . the unidirectional command link # _ 530 sends command , address and control information to the loads # _ 520 . the controller # _ 510 and the loads # _ 520 are also communicatively coupled by means of a data link # _ 5 a 0 . the bidirectional data link # _ 5 a 0 conveys read and write data between the controller # _ 510 and the loads # _ 520 . the data link # _ 5 a 0 includes a data bus # _ 5 a 1 , a first data clock ( and its logical inverse ) # _ 5 a 2 a , as well as a second data clock ( and its logical inverse ) # _ 5 a 2 b . a data clock is single - ended or , as described here , differential . a differential clock # _ 5 a 2 accompanies read and write data packets . ( in one embodiment , such clocked packets have a minimum burst length of 4 clock phases (“ 4n ”)). the two sets of dclks # _ 5 a 2 allow one circuit component # _ 510 , # _ 520 to pass control of the data link # _ 5 a 0 to another component # _ 510 , # _ 520 with minimum gap . when the circuit # _ 500 passes control of the data link # _ 5 a 0 from one device # _ 510 , # _ 520 to another , the data link # _ 5 a 0 remains at a midpoint voltage level for nominally 2n . indeterminate logic levels and multiple transitions may appear at the input buffers in the components # _ 510 , # _ 520 . this is acceptable for the data lines dq # _ 5 a 1 themselves but not for the data clocks # _ 5 a 2 used to strobe data . to address this problem , each data clock # _ 5 a 2 has a 00010 preamble before the clock transition associated with the first bit of the corresponding data . the device # _ 510 , # _ 520 receiving the data enables its dclk input buffer anytime during the first 000 period . the dummy 10 transition in the preamble removes pulse width - dependent skew from the dclk signal # _ 5 a 2 . the receiving device # _ 510 , # _ 520 ignores the first rising and falling edges of the dclk # _ 5 a 2 and begins clocking data on the second rising edge . providing two data clocks accommodates gapless 4n write bursts to different drams and 4n read bursts from different drams . the controller # _ 510 indicates in each command packet which dclk # _ 5 a 2 is to be used . the controller # _ 510 transmits cclk edges coincident with edges of ca and flag data . dclk edges originating from the controller # _ 510 coincide with dq data . the drams # _ 520 add fractional delay to incoming cclk and dclks # _ 5 a 2 to sample commands and write data at the optimum time . the controller # _ 510 programs the drams # _ 520 to add fractional delay to the dclks # _ 5 a 2 , allowing the controller read data input registers to directly strobe in read data using the received dclk # _ 5 a 2 without the need for any internal delay adjustments . fig . # _ 4 is a timing diagram illustrating a series of page - read and page - write commands issued by the memory controller # _ 510 to the drams # _ 520 . ( for purposes of illustration , all burst lengths are 4n , although the controller # _ 510 can dynamically mix 4n and 8n bursts .) the read access time to an open bank , the page - read latency , is shown here as 12n . the first two commands read a # _ 450 and # _ 460 are page reads to different banks in the dram # _ 520 a . the read data read a # _ 470 appears on the data bus # _ 5 a 1 along with dclko # _ 5 a 2 a . the data clock dclko # _ 5 a 2 a provides the memory controller # _ 510 the necessary edges to strobe in the read data . since the first two page - read commands # _ 450 , # _ 460 are for the same dram # _ 520 a , no gap is necessary between the two 4n data bursts # _ 470 , # _ 480 . the dram # _ 520 a itself continuously drives dclko # _ 5 a 2 a without any glitch . however , a 2n gap precedes the data burst # _ 490 for the following page read # _ 4 a 0 to dram # _ 520 b to allow for settling of the data link # _ 5 a 0 and for timing uncertainty between the drams # _ 520 a and # _ 520 b . the circuit # _ 500 inserts a 2n gap any time control of the data link # _ 5 a 0 passes from one device # _ 510 , # _ 520 to another , as in reads to different drams # _ 520 or read - to - write and write - to - read transitions between the drams # _ 520 and the memory controller # _ 510 . the controller # _ 510 creates the 2n gap between data by inserting a 2n gap between commands . the dclk 1 clock # _ 5 a 2 b accompanies data for the read b command # _ 4 a 0 , allowing the dram # _ 520 b to begin driving the dclk lines # _ 5 a 2 b well in advance of the actual data burst # _ 490 . the next command is a write command # _ 4 b 0 using dclko # _ 5 a 2 a to strobe write data # _ 4 c 0 into the dram # _ 520 c . the page - write latency of the dram is programmed to equal the page - read latency less 2n . to create a 2n gap between the read b data # _ 490 and write c data # _ 4 c 0 on the data link # _ 5 a 0 , the controller # _ 510 delays the write c command # _ 4 b 0 4n after the read b command # _ 4 a 0 . programming write latency in this manner creates an open 4n command slot on the command link # _ 530 , which slot may be used for non - data commands such as row open or close , register write or refresh . these non - data commands do not affect the utilization of the data link # _ 5 a 0 . the following read command # _ 4 d 0 to dram # _ 520 d does not use delay to achieve the 2n gap on the data link # _ 5 a 0 . the final burst of three consecutive write commands # _ 4 e 0 , # _ 4 f 0 , # _ 4 g 0 shows that a 2n gap between data bursts is not required when writing to different dram devices # _ 520 . different dclks # _ 5 a 2 are used so that each dram # _ 520 can identify the start of its write data burst . since all write data originates from the memory controller # _ 510 , no glitches on the dclks # _ 5 a 2 occur . such embodiments as are described herein are by way of example and not limitation . modifications to the invention as described will be readily apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art . for example , the number of data clocks can be more than two ( and , correspondingly , the flag signal more than one bit .) indeed , the invention described herein is not limited to drams or even to memories . this invention applies to any shared synchronous bus in which a clock accompanies data , as in source synchronous clocking . accordingly , the scope of the invention is to be determined by the metes and bounds of the claims which immediately follow :
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referring now to fig1 there is provided a conventional high flush waste removal system . the removal system , generally designated 10 , includes a confinement structure or barn 112 , having waste slurry pits 114 . fresh water is piped in through fresh water inlet 116 , mixes with recycled lagoon water , discussed below , and washes through the slurry pits 114 . the result is a waste slurry , typically having 0 . 5 % total solids . the waste slurry is then directed through piping 118 into a lagoon 120 , where the waste slurry is diluted to approximately 0 . 5 % total waste solids . a typical 8000 head grow / finish farm requires a 2 - 5 acre lagoon dependent on regional climate , use or disposal of treated waste , seasonal storage requirements , and demands of regulatory permits . water is then removed from lagoon 120 by pump 126 to be recycled by piping 128 , 134 back to the barn 112 through inlet 136 for further waste removal . additionally , the diluted slurry may be diverted through piping 130 for land application 132 . referring now to fig2 there is provided a preferred embodiment of a waste management system of the present invention . the waste management system , also known as an internal recirculation system , is described in connection with an 8000 head hog animal confinement facility for illustration purposes only , as the system can be utilized with any size facility and for any livestock producing waste . while a preferred system is shown retrofit onto an existing high flush waste management system , it can be appreciated by one skilled in the art that the system can be utilized in new construction . the hog waste management system 110 of fig2 is illustrated in conjunction with an animal confinement housing 112 such as a barn , having a waste removal system utilizing waste slurry pits 114 . the flow of fresh water 116 , preferably at a rate of approximately 15 gallons per minute ( gpm ), is provided to water , clean and cool the livestock . a mixture of the fresh water 116 , and recycled waste slurry , which enters the system at 166 , as discussed below , is combined to wash the animal waste products from the slurry pits 114 , preferably at a rate of approximately 200 - 400 gpm . the resulting effluent is herein designated the waste slurry . the waste slurry is directed through piping 118 and received into a wet well or surge tank 120 through surge tank inlet 122 . the surge tank 120 acts to stabilize the system flow . a minimum 12 - hour capacity , as calculated from the fresh water input is preferred . the waste slurry is then pumped from the surge tank 120 by pump 126 through surge pump outlet valve 124 into piping 128 at a rate substantially equal to the rate of flushing . in the presently preferred embodiment pump 126 is a chopper pump , thereby reducing the binding effect upon the system of the fibrous materials contained within the waste slurry . the waste slurry is then processed through a mechanical screen 130 to remove the coarse solids contained therein , thereby preventing clogging of system 110 . in a preferred embodiment , screen 130 is a circular screen separator having an 80 - mesh size , which results in approximately 10 - 30 % of the suspended solid waste being removed from the waste slurry by screen 130 . it can be appreciated , however , that other methods of separation , including but not limited to alternative mechanical screen devices , hydrocyclones , thickeners , and settling cones may be effectively utilized . the waste slurry then advances to a gravity sedimentation tank 134 , which preferably holds 3 , 000 gallons of waste slurry . the tank 134 is used to split the waste slurry passed therethrough into two components . the first component consists of a slurry of the finer solids , which were not removed by screen 130 . this portion of the slurry settles toward the bottom of sedimentation tank 134 . therefore , the waste slurry near the bottom of tank 134 is more concentrated as to total solids than the waste slurry near the top of tank 134 . the design of tank 134 minimizes accumulation of solids . sedimentation tank 134 preferably includes a level control 138 . when the level of the waste slurry in tank 134 reaches a preset level as determined by level control 138 , sedimentation tank outlet valve or pump 140 allows the concentrated waste slurry to flow through piping 142 into a slurry tank 132 at a rate roughly equivalent to the volume of fresh water input to the animal confinement housing 112 , in this case 15 gpms . with such a configuration , the hydraulic equilibrium of system 110 is maintained . if desired , coarse waste removed by screen 130 may also be directed to slurry tank 132 to be mixed with the waste slurry contained therein , thereby resulting in a waste slurry of approximately 4 - 8 % total solids . in systems where water conservation equipment is used , for example swinging waterers to reduce animal spillage , the total solids concentration can reach 11 % with animals nearing market weight . in cases where the screened solids are mixed into the slurry tank 132 , sufficient agitation of slurry tank 132 to prevent a buildup of solids must be provided . otherwise , coarse solids can be handled separately . the determination as to whether or not to reintroduce the coarse solids is typically made based on the ultimate use of the waste slurry , as the coarse and fine solids have different nutrient levels . the resulting concentrated waste slurry in tank 132 , typically 3 - 8 % total solids , may be advanced through piping 146 by pump 144 to one or more advanced treatment facilities 147 which includes chemical , biological , and thermal process technologies to produce methane , fertilizers , animal feeds , liquid fuels , waste incineration , inorganic products and additional organic products . the second component of the waste slurry advanced to gravity sedimentation tank 134 ( i . e ., the less concentrated slurry near the upper portion of the tank 134 ) comprises the primary flow from tank 134 . the waste slurry is advanced through sedimentation tank outlet valve 152 through piping 150 , to an inlet 156 of a conditioning tank 154 . any aeration , ph regulation , or other necessary processes are carried out in conditioning tank 154 . the degree of waste slurry conditioning required is determined in part by air quality considerations within the animal confinement housing 112 . partial aeration of the waste slurry is used to prevent the formation of hydrogen sulfide . under normal circumstances , the formation of hydrogen sulfide should not be a problem , as the fluid should be no more than a few hours old at any one time , and since the open tank discharges of the recycling system inherently provides partial aeration of the waste slurry . this results in an air quality in the animal confinement area which is at least as good as conventional flush systems , and is a significant improvement over other conventional methods . in a preferred embodiment , conditioning tank 154 is approximately the same size as sedimentation tank 134 ( i . e ., 3 , 000 gallons ). in an alternative embodiment , a one tank design may be implemented , wherein the slurry is conditioned in the sedimentation tank . the ph of the recycle waste slurry must be maintained below a ph of approximately 8 . 0 , but preferably in the range of ph 7 . 5 - 8 . 0 to avoid the emission of excess ammonia . the ph is regulated by the addition of acid to the waste slurry in conditioning tank 154 . while sulfuric acid is presently preferred because of its low cost and the lack of formation of secondary products , any industrial acid can be used . further processing of the waste slurry in tank 154 , including but not limited to equalization , coagulation and or flocculation may be accomplished at this time as desired . the conditioning tank 154 also preferably includes a level indicator 158 to protect the pumping system without constant human monitoring the level indicator 158 is configured so that in the event that the slurry level in tank 154 drops to a level at which any pump could be damaged by inadequate flow , the pumping system is automatically shut down . the conditioned slurry is advanced through conditioning tank outlet valve 160 through piping 164 connected between tank 154 and barn 112 by pump 162 to barn 112 at a rate which when combined with fresh water 116 , provides the necessary flow required by system 110 . in this case , the 200 - 400 gpm required by system 110 is met by the 15 gpm of fresh water 116 and 385 gpm of recycled conditioned waste slurry from the conditioning tank 154 . from the foregoing description those skilled in the art will appreciated that all of the objects of the present invention are realized . the waste management system of the present invention provides an end product waste slurry which is consistent , easy to pump and of the concentration required for the slurry to be processed by advanced waste treatment technologies . the total volume of water and size of containment vessels needed to operate the flush system are at the same time significantly reduced . further , the waste system of the present invention can be easily and economically retrofit a conventional existing high volume flush or pull plug system . under optimum conditions , the system can decrease effluent volume by up to 30 fold . in addition , problems due to salt accumulation are virtually eliminated . when used as a stand alone system , the present invention requires reduced capital and operating costs . the invention provides the livestock industry access to advanced waste treatment technologies previously unavailable due to the high volumes of dilute waste produced by existing practices . also , the waste slurry can be treated during recycling to control any potential degradation of air quality in the animal confinement barns . finally , the system inherently requires little human oversight , due to the constant flow system and level indicator pump protection within the tanks . while a specific embodiment has been shown and described , many variations are possible . while the waste removal system has been described in connection with hog farming , the system would be applicable to waste removal from other types of animal or livestock facilities , including but not limited to poultry , cattle and sheep , with few if any modifications . also , while the system of the present invention has been illustrated for use with high flush systems , the present invention could also be retrofit onto other conventional waste removal systems , including pull plug systems . finally , although direct coupling of the recycling system of the present invention to advanced processing facilities obviates the need for a lagoon , the present system can be coupled to an ambient temperature anaerobic lagoon if desired . if such a configuration is used , the screened coarse product could be composted or used directly as manure fertilizer . farm odors would be reduced by decreasing lagoon loadings , reduced odors from the confinement housing and decreased land application of liquid waste . having described the invention in detail , those skilled in the art will appreciate that modifications may be made of the invention without departing from its spirit . therefore , it is not intended that the scope of the invention be limited to the specific embodiments described . rather , it is intended that the scope of the invention be determined by the appended claims and their equivalents .
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the manufacture of semiconductor devices , leds , lcds and solar / photovoltaic cells requires the delivery of vapor phase , low vapor pressure gases to a point - of - use . these fluids must meet customer purity and flow requirements . the present invention provides an enhanced energy delivery mechanism for a bulk specialty gas supply system , employed in the transportation of a compressed gas for delivery to a semiconductor or led manufacturer . the compressed gas is delivered as a low vapor pressure vapor stream which is lean in low volatility contaminants to the point - of - use , typically at the manufacture site . as utilized herein , the term “ lean ” shall mean a vapor stream having a lower level of low volatility contaminants therein than the liquid or two - phase fluid provided by the gas manufacturer . the system provides the requisite purity on a consistent basis . further , the transport / storage vessel ( referred below , as the transport vessel ), which is part of the bulk specialty gas supply system , is preferably designed to carry more than about 500 lbs . and preferably between 20 , 000 and 50 , 000 lbs . of low vapor pressure fluid . additionally , it is preferable that the vessel be capable of being shipped , and is compliant with international standards organization ( iso ) requirements ( e . g ., iso container standards ). such transport vessel , will be understood by those skilled in the art , to include a cylinder , a drum , or a ton container or an iso container . typically , low vapor pressure non - air fluids are stored in a transport vessel under their own vapor pressure . while the fluid contained in the transport vessel delivered to the point - of - use is process dependent , for ease of reference ammonia is utilized as the fluid of choice , but it will be understood that any number of low vapor pressure non - air fluids may be utilized . the transport vessel can be constructed from a material such as carbon steel , type 304 and 316 stainless steel , hastelloy , nickel or a coated metal ( e . g ., a zirconium - coated carbon ) which is strictly non - reactive with the fluids utilized and can withstand both a vacuum and high pressures . the transport vessel , such as an iso container , is installed “ on - site ,” that is in close proximity to the manufacturing facility and may be installed outdoor , where the temperature can be as low as − 30 ° c ., or indoor . the manufacturing facility is preferably equipped with automatic gas sensors and an emergency abatement system in case of an accidental leakage or other malfunctions of the system . the transport vessel can be insulated , partially insulated or not insulated at all . as a result , the temperature of the transport vessel contents during transport and storage at the facility can be similar to ambient temperature . for example , at a temperature of 50 ° f ., the pressure in the transport vessel is approximately 89 . 2 psia . one of the issues associated with conventional systems is that away from the contact points between the heating element / pad ( referred below , as the heating element ) and the transport vessel , energy will not transfer efficiently from the heating elements to the vessel surface , resulting in increased heat losses and excessive power consumption . further , the heating elements are susceptible to overheating and burn out at those locations for which contact between the heating element and the transport vessel is poor . one of the most important parameters in the delivery of vapor phase gas from the transport vessel to the point - of - use is the flow rate . this operating parameter depends on the heat transfer to the liquefied gas in the transport vessel . as discussed above , the energy provided to the transport vessel in the form of heat requires to be carefully controlled to achieve a liquid boiling which is preferably of convective boiling regime . in this manner , the liquid droplets entrained in the vapor phase are minimized , and in turn the particulate impurities are substantially reduced . the present invention provides an energy delivery mechanism including a heating device which allows for optimal heat transfer to the transport vessel , and leads to improved gas delivery flow rates . with reference to fig1 , a schematic diagram of a transport vessel 220 with an external energy delivery device 210 is provided . specifically , the thermal interface material 510 is employed as a filler material between heating element 210 and the transport vessel wall 220 . the thermal interface material eliminates air gaps between the heater element 210 and the vessel wall 220 . moreover , the interface material fills the surface irregularities on the transport vessel wall 220 as well as the unmatched curvatures of the heating transport vessel wall 220 and the heating element 210 . a non - adhesive material 520 can be employed between the transport vessel wall 220 and the thermal interface material to facilitate easy removal of the heater element upon change - out . the non - adhesive material 520 should be able to also conform to any surface irregularities on the transport vessel wall 220 upon pressure applied by the weight of the tank or alternatively by the mechanism which secures the heater element to the vessel wall . in addition , the non - adhesive material 520 should have good thermal conductivity so that its addition does not substantially increase the resistance to the heat transfer between the heater element 210 and the vessel wall 220 . typically , the cylindrically configured transport vessel ( s ) are placed in a horizontal position at the manufacturer &# 39 ; s site . the source of energy / heat is one or more energy delivery devices disposed on the lower portion of the transport vessel . the heating elements / pads are typically electrical resistance type heating means / elements typically selected from blanket heaters , heating bars , cables and coils , band heaters , heater tape and heating wires . in the exemplified embodiment of fig2 ( a ), two layers of malleable or conformable materials ( together 410 ) are placed between the heating element 210 which can be in solid phase and the vessel wall 220 . the layer of thermal interface material 510 can have a high thermal conductivity and high surface tack in solid phase . as a result , this layer can fill air gaps between the surface of transport vessel 220 and the heating element 210 caused by surface irregularities and / or unmatching surface curvatures shown in fig2 ( b ). minimizing the air gaps , layer 410 enhances the overall heat conduction to the transport vessel wall 220 . the high surface tack enables layer 410 to be firmly attached to the heating elements without using any glue , which eliminates air gaps between this layer and the heating elements . moreover , the thermal interface material does not undergo phase transition under the operating temperature and pressure of the bulk supply gas system ( bsgs ). a second , thin and non - adhesive layer 520 ( shown in fig1 ) of the same or other material is placed on the container surface in solid phase . this non - adhesive layer will prevent the undesired adhesion of the thermal interface material 510 to the surface of the vessel , thereby allowing the change out of the heating element 210 , or otherwise facilitates taking the transport vessel off line . although the material contemplated is aluminum , foils of other material with same or larger thermal conductivity . the thickness of this layer can be in a range from 1 to 5 mils , preferably 2 to 3 mils , so long as the layer conforms to the irregularities and contour of the vessel wall . as the deformation of a thin shell / plate such as the non - adhesive layer 520 depends on the material thickness , an excessive thickness may lead to undesirable air gaps between the layer 520 and the vessel wall . the above mentioned range of thickness is appropriate for ton containers , which typically weigh a few hundred pounds . for a heavier vessel such as a drum or an iso container , the thickness of the layer 520 can be increased accordingly . in another exemplary embodiment , and with reference to co - pending u . s . patent application publication no 2008 / 0000239a1 , which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety , the transport vessel is placed in a crescent - shaped substantially rigid cradle . the crescent - shaped cradle employs rigid steel heating pads . there can be one or more separate heating pads placed in each of the various zones on the lower part of the transport vessel . the heating pads are generally , cover a portion of the vessel surface , and the size is simply dictated by the type of transport vessel utilized and the number of heating pads used . the zones are independently controlled and provide energy to liquefied ammonia therein . pieces of silicon rubber thermal interface material with thermal conductive fillings are placed and centered onto the stainless steel heating pads . the silicon rubber material preferably has high surface tack so that it can stick non - permanently to the heating pads upon application of pressure , but without utilizing an adhesive such as glue . the material also has a hardness of 5 to 70 , preferably 5 - 10 in shore a scale so that it can conform to the curvature and irregularities of the heating pads and the container surfaces . the thickness of this silicon rubber material can be within the range of 15 to 1000 mils , the operating temperature can range from − 54 to 200 ° c ., and the thermal conductivity is in excess of 0 . 024 w / mk , preferably 1 . 6 w / mk or higher . the hardness range ensures that the material can conform to surface irregularities and curvatures at the pressure applied by the transport vessel . the thickness range and the thermal conductivity ensures that the overall heat resistance of the material is less than that of the air gaps prior to the application of this material . the operating temperature range ensures that the material does not undergo drastic physical or chemical changes under the operating temperature of the heating element . upon the application of the silicon rubber material to the heating pads , a thin layer of aluminum foil , or an equivalent thereof , can be applied to the top of the silicon rubber material . due to the high surface tack of the silicon rubber material , the aluminum foil facilitates the easy removal of the heating element . various modifications can be made to the exemplary embodiments set forth above . for example , the heating element can be constructed on conformable material , such as silicon rubber , that has a higher hardness value than the thermal interface material . additionally , the heating element can be constructed from a combination of one or more layers of rigid material such as stainless steel or ceramic , and one or more layers of conformable material such as silicon rubber . in certain configurations , the heating element can have a hardness value higher than that of the thermal interface material . in another exemplary embodiment , the thermal interface material can be permanently attached to the heating element . likewise , thermal interface material can be non - adhesive on either side , yet the side facing the heater element can be attached to this element with thermal conductive glue . naturally , the operating temperature range of the glue should at least include the actual operating range of the heating element . optionally , the hardness of the thermal interface material can range from 5 to 70 shore a . it is recognized that the non - adhesive layer may not be necessary if the surface adhesion of the chosen thermal interface material is desirable or the thermal interface material is itself non - adhesive . it shall also be recognized that the energy delivery devices , even without the engagement of the thermal interface material or the non - adhesive layer , can be made removable and can be readily removed or replaced in the event of failure or degradation . the energy delivery mechanism of the present invention will be further described in detail with reference to the following examples , which are , however to be construed as limiting the invention . the energy / heat transfer efficiency of the present invention was tested on ton - container - based bulk specialty gas supply systems to determine the vapor gas delivery flow rate . in the example , a ton container filled with a mixture of liquid and vapor ammonia was placed horizontally on a crescent - shaped substantially rigid cradle , which employed rigid steel heating pads . the current invention was implemented as described in the detailed description of the invention above . the heat output from the heating pads was controlled and the temperatures and pressures were monitored at multiple locations of the system . during the experiment , the liquid ammonia was vaporized and the flow rate of the nh 3 vapor was measured . implementing the current invention allowed the heat output from the heating pads to be increased to provide a higher vapor nh 3 flow rate , yet without raising the surface temperature of the container and the heating pads . as demonstrated by experimental results , the supply gas delivery flow rate in the present invention increased by a factor of two or more . as shown in fig3 , the sustainable gas delivery flow rate , which is the flow rate at which the gas is delivered independent of the liquefied gas level ( i . e ., “ heel ” level ), increased from 200 slpm to over 460 slpm . while the invention has been described in detail with reference to exemplary embodiments thereof , it will become apparent to one skilled in the art that various changes and modifications can be made , and equivalents employed , without departing from the scope of the appended claims .
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a telephoto zoom lens system according to the present invention comprises , in order from an object , a variable - power lens system composed of a first lens group having a positive focal length for focusing , a second lens group having a negative focal length and serving as a variator for primarily effecting power variation , and a third lens group having a positive focal length and serving as a compensator for keeping a constant image surface , and a relay lens system composed of a fourth lens group following the variable - power lens system , the first lens group comprising a positive lens , a negative - meniscus lens having a convex surface facing the object , and a positive lens , the second lens group comprising a negative lens and a compound lens composed of a double - concave negative lens and a positive lens , the third lens group comprising a double - convex positive lens and a negative - meniscus lens or a negative - meniscus lens and a double - convex positive lens and including adjacent surfaces ( cemented surfaces in the compound lens ) having a large curvature , the fourth lens group comprising a lens ( a ) composed of a single positive lens having a convex surface facing the object and a lens group ( b ) spaced from the lens ( a ) and composed of a positive lens and a negative - meniscus lens having a concave surface facing the object , the telephoto zoom lens system meeting the following conditions : f max : the focal length of the entire lens system on a long - focal - length setting ; r iiim : the average of radii of curvature of adjacent surfaces of positive and negative lenses of the third lens group ( or cemented surfaces of the compound lens ); n iiip : the refractive index at d - line of the positive lens in the third lens group ; n iii η : the refractive index at d - line of the negative - meniscus lens in the third lens group ; ν iiip : the abbe number of the positive lens in the third lens group ; ν iii η : the abbe number of the negative - meniscus lens in the third lens group ; f iva : the focal length of the lens ( a ) ( single lens ) in the fourth lens group ; f ival : the radius of curvature of the surface facing the object of the lens ( a ) in the fourth lens group ; and ν iva : the abbe number of the lens ( a ) in the fourth lens group . the conditions ( 1 ), ( 2 ) and ( 3 ) are concerned with the third lens group . since the lens ( a ) closer to the object of the fourth lens group is composed of a single positive lens , as described above , the lens ( a ) facing the object has a large curvature and a large positive refractive power . no achromatic correction can be performed in the lens ( a ) in the fourth lens group . for achromatic correction , it is necessary to increase the negative refractive power of the third lens group , and hence the curvature of adjacent surfaces of the positive and negative lenses of the third lens group ( cemented surface of the compound lens ) has to be increased . if the upper limit of the condition ( 1 ) were exceeded , the negative refractive power of the third lens group would be reduced so that spherical aberration caused by the object - facing surface of the lens ( a ) of the fourth lens group could not be corrected . therefore , the lens ( a ) of the fourth lens group could not be composed of a single lens , thus failing to achieve the object of the present invention . if the lower limit of the condition ( 1 ) were exceeded , the negative refractive power of the third lens group would become too strong , resulting in a greater tendency to produce higher - order aberrations and poor balance between aberrations such as spherical aberration and chromatic aberration . if the lower limit of the condition ( 2 ) were exceeded , the negative refractive power of the third lens group would be increased and the lower limit of the condition ( 1 ) would tend to be easily exceeded , so that higher - order aberrations and the balance between aberrations could not be corrected well . the condition ( 3 ) is required to correct chromatic aberration within the ranges of the conditions ( 1 ) and ( 2 ) regardless of the fact that the lens ( a ) in the fourth lens group comprises a single positive lens . the conditions ( 4 ), ( 5 ) and ( 6 ) are directed to the lens ( a ) in the fourth lens group . heretofore , the lens ( a ) in the fourth lens group has been composed of two lenses or more , and the power of the positive lens group closer to the object has been so great that the upper limit of the condition ( 4 ) has been exceeded . with the present invention , the lens ( a ) in the fourth lens group comprises a single positive lens , and if such a single lens were composed of a lens having a large power exceeding the upper limit of the condition ( 4 ), it would be difficult to correct aberrations such as spherical aberration . if the lower limit of the condition ( 4 ) were exceeded , it would become easier to correct aberrations , but the lens system could not be rendered compact in size . the condition ( 5 ) serves to provide good balance with the condition ( 1 ). the positive refractive power would be small and no desired balance could be achieved with a large radius of curvature exceeding the upper limit of the condition ( 4 ) within the range of the condition ( 4 ). if the lower limit of the condition ( 5 ) were exceeded , the positive refractive power would excessively be large , tending to exceed the lower limit of the condition ( 1 ), with resulting problems of higher - order aberrations and poor balance between aberrations . if the lower limit of the condition ( 6 ) were exceeded , chromatic aberration would become difficult to correct since the lens ( a ) in the fourth lens group comprises a single lens . examples 1 through 4 of the present invention will be given hereinbelow . designated in examples 1 through 4 at f is a focal length , f b a back focus , ω a half angle of view , r a radius of curvature of each lens surface , d a lens thickness or a distance between lens surfaces , n a refractive index at d - line of each lens , and ν an abbe number of each lens . ______________________________________ [ example 1 ] 1 : 4 . 6 . sup . f = 82 . 3 - 195f . sub . b = 57 . 4 ω = 15 . 2 - 6 . 2surface no . r d n ν______________________________________1 72 . 950 5 . 79 1 . 51633 64 . 12 355 . 189 0 . 103 80 . 578 2 . 30 1 . 80518 25 . 44 49 . 700 1 . 355 53 . 000 7 . 19 1 . 51633 64 . 16 1942 . 416 4 . 61 - 39 . 07 - 101 . 200 1 . 70 1 . 60311 60 . 78 44 . 700 3 . 589 - 75 . 438 1 . 50 1 . 60311 60 . 710 34 . 820 3 . 80 1 . 80518 25 . 411 140 . 793 30 . 90 - 1 . 5912 81 . 685 6 . 71 1 . 48749 70 . 113 - 28 . 980 1 . 60 1 . 80518 25 . 414 - 46 . 500 12 . 77 - 7 . 715 32 . 725 5 . 64 1 . 48749 70 . 116 65 . 243 29 . 4117 88 . 200 3 . 19 1 . 52310 50 . 818 727 . 416 9 . 2419 - 23 . 500 1 . 90 1 . 54072 47 . 220 - 38 . 823______________________________________ ______________________________________ [ example 2 ] 1 : 4 . 5 . sup . f = 82 . 3 - 195f . sub . b = 55 . 3 ω = 15 . 2 - 6 . 2surface no . r d n ν______________________________________1 60 . 478 5 . 65 1 . 51633 64 . 12 127 . 701 0 . 103 70 . 609 2 . 30 1 . 80518 25 . 44 46 . 178 1 . 795 52 . 891 7 . 67 1 . 51633 64 . 16 - 726 . 894 4 . 61 - 38 . 497 - 91 . 330 1 . 70 1 . 60311 60 . 78 50 . 301 3 . 149 - 96 . 401 1 . 50 1 . 60311 60 . 710 31 . 589 3 . 80 1 . 80518 25 . 411 89 . 234 30 . 90 - 1 . 6112 47 . 716 1 . 60 1 . 80518 25 . 413 29 . 142 0 . 8514 30 . 020 6 . 00 1 . 48749 70 . 115 - 69 . 620 12 . 77 - 8 . 1716 32 . 644 4 . 13 1 . 48749 70 . 117 66 . 865 26 . 1918 166 . 025 2 . 80 1 . 52310 50 . 819 3473 . 425 14 . 6520 - 21 . 112 1 . 90 1 . 54072 47 . 221 - 29 . 070______________________________________ ______________________________________ [ example 3 ] 1 : 4 . 0 . sup . f = 71 . 4 - 204 . 7f . sub . b = 55 . 2 ω = 17 . 5 - 5 . 9surface no . r d n ν______________________________________1 85 . 928 5 . 87 1 . 51633 64 . 12 3163 . 754 0 . 153 74 . 621 2 . 70 1 . 80518 25 . 44 46 . 745 9 . 50 1 . 51633 64 . 15 270 . 121 2 . 61 - 43 . 796 - 478 . 136 1 . 20 1 . 60311 60 . 77 36 . 785 4 . 768 - 44 . 609 1 . 50 1 . 69680 55 . 59 41 . 313 4 . 50 1 . 80518 25 . 410 - 751 . 821 33 . 03 - 0 . 7011 92 . 526 6 . 47 1 . 48749 70 . 112 - 29 . 544 1 . 70 1 . 80518 25 . 413 - 48 . 631 16 . 24 - 7 . 614 31 . 661 4 . 85 1 . 48749 70 . 115 90 . 635 33 . 5916 76 . 086 3 . 88 1 . 52310 50 . 817 - 150 . 885 3 . 1018 - 25 . 971 1 . 90 1 . 54072 47 . 219 - 93 . 715______________________________________ ______________________________________ [ example 4 ] 1 : 4 . 1 . sup . f = 72 . 3 - 204f . sub . b = 54 . 5 ω = 17 . 3 - 5 . 9surface no . r d n ν______________________________________1 78 . 354 6 . 27 1 . 51633 64 . 12 347 . 828 0 . 153 75 . 240 2 . 50 1 . 80518 25 . 44 46 . 483 1 . 405 47 . 917 9 . 37 1 . 51633 64 . 16 4268 . 277 1 . 75 - 41 . 857 - 176 . 749 1 . 50 1 . 69680 55 . 58 40 . 860 3 . 709 - 50 . 569 1 . 70 1 . 69680 55 . 510 35 . 677 4 . 30 1 . 80518 25 . 411 - 1674 . 221 29 . 76 - 0 . 9612 92 . 621 6 . 90 1 . 51633 64 . 113 - 28 . 076 1 . 70 1 . 80518 25 . 414 - 48 . 655 18 . 27 - 6 . 7915 32 . 522 4 . 00 1 . 48749 70 . 116 100 . 000 35 . 4417 59 . 821 3 . 60 1 . 51112 60 . 518 - 185 . 591 3 . 7919 - 27 . 856 1 . 70 1 . 65844 50 . 920 - 101 . 645______________________________________ although certain preferred embodiments have been shown and described , it should be understood that many changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the scope of the appended claims .
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embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings . fig5 shows the overall arrangement of an information recording / reproducing apparatus according to the present invention . this embodiment exemplifies the magneto - optical recording / reproducing apparatus for magneto - optically recording / reproducing information . referring to fig5 a laser beam emitted from a semiconductor laser 41 as a light source is collimated by a collimator lens 42 . the laser beam is then transmitted through a polarization beam splitter 43 to be incident on an objective lens 44 . the laser beam is focused by the objective lens 44 to form a small beam spot on a magneto - optical recording medium 45 . in recording information on the magneto - optical recording medium 45 , a laser beam having a recording power is irradiated from the semiconductor laser 41 onto the magneto - optical recording medium 45 . as a result , a portion of the magneto - optical recording medium 45 irradiated with a beam spot is locally heated . meanwhile , a magnetic field modulated in accordance with an information signal to be recorded on the magneto - optical recording medium 45 is applied , so that magnetization of the heated portion of the magneto - optical recording medium 45 is oriented in the direction of the applied magnetic field . in this manner , an array of information pits ( domains ), each having magnetization oriented upward or downward depending on the information signal , are recorded on the magneto - optical recording medium 45 , thereby recording a series of information on the magneto - optical recording medium 45 . in reproducing recorded information , a laser beam having a reproduction power at which information cannot be recorded is emitted from the semiconductor laser 41 , and the beam spot of this reproduction power is scanned along information tracks of the magneto - optical recording medium 45 . in this case , a light beam reflected by the magneto - optical recording medium 45 passes through the objective lens 44 again , is split from the incident light by the polarization beam splitter 43 , and is guided to a beam splitter 47 . the plane of polarization of the light beam reflected by the magneto - optical recording medium 45 is rotated by the kerr effect in accordance with recorded information . part of the incident light is guided to a servo sensor 48 by the beam splitter 47 , and the remaining light is guided to the polarization beam splitter 49 . in addition , the polarization beam splitter 49 splits the light reflected by the magneto - optical recording medium 45 in accordance with the polarizing direction of the reflected light . the light beams split by the polarization beam splitter 49 are respectively received by rf sensors 50 and 51 , and the respective light - receiving signals are amplified by preamplifiers 52 and 53 . the amplified signals are differentially detected by a differential preamplifier 54 . as a result , the recorded information is reproduced as a magneto - optical signal . fig6 shows the frequency characteristics of an output from the differential preamplifier 54 . as shown in fig6 since a high - frequency component does not extend , a reproduction signal is waveform - equalized by a waveform equalization circuit . the obtained reproduction signal is sent to a reproducing circuit 55 , and reproduction data is generated from the reproduction signal , as will be described in detail later . note that a light - receiving signal received by the servo sensor 48 is supplied to a servo circuit ( not shown ). the servo circuit then performs tracking control to prevent a beam spot from deviating from an information track of the magneto - optical recording medium 45 in a recording / reproducing operation . in addition , focus control is performed to focus a light beam on a recording layer . fig7 is a block diagram showing the first embodiment of the present invention . note that in this embodiment , the present invention is applied to an apparatus of a normal information reproduction scheme ( which does not use the partial response scheme ). assume that the circuit shown in fig7 is arranged as the reproducing circuit 55 in the magneto - optical recording / reproducing apparatus shown in fig5 . referring to fig7 a differential preamplifier 1 is identical to the differential preamplifier 54 shown in fig5 . when information recorded on the magneto - optical recording medium 45 in fig5 is to be reproduced , a reproduction signal obtained by the differential preamplifier 1 is input to an equalizer 3 for pll control to optimize waveform equalization for pll control . fig8 shows a signal waveform after waveform equalization performed by the equalizer 3 . referring to fig8 the abscissa axis is normalized with a clock period t b . in the equalizer 3 , as shown in fig8 waveform equalization is performed such that the edge of a signal waveform after equalization coincides with a clock point ( 0 , 0 ). for this reason , as is apparent , the signal amplitude of a short - period waveform is considerably reduced . the output signal from the equalizer 3 is output to a binarizing circuit 5 to be compared with the slice level shown in fig8 . as a result , the signal is converted into a binary digital signal . a pll circuit 7 compares the phase of a digital signal with that of a clock from an oscillator ( not shown ). by adjusting the clock frequency of the oscillator in accordance with the phase difference , a reproduction clock is generated . as described above , since waveform equalization is performed by the equalizer 3 such that the edge of a signal waveform coincides with a clock point , dispersion ( jitter ) of edge positions is reduced . as a result , good pll characteristics can be obtained , and a stable reproduction clock can be obtained . in addition , a reproduction signal from the differential preamplifier 1 is subjected to waveform equalization optimal for data detection in an equalizer 2 for data detection . fig9 shows a signal waveform after waveform equalization performed by the equalizer 2 . referring to fig9 the abscissa axis is normalized with the clock period t b , as in fig8 . in the equalizer 2 , as shown in fig9 waveform equalization is performed such that a signal waveform after equalization becomes &# 34 ; 0 &# 34 ; or &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ; at a data distinguishing point . for this reason , as is apparent , the position of the edge of a signal is shifted depending on reproduction patterns . the output signal from the equalizer 2 is output to a binarizing circuit 4 to be compared with the slice level shown in fig9 . as a result , the signal is converted into a binary digital signal . a data separator 6 performs detection at a data distinguishing point by using a reproduction clock from the pll circuit 7 so as to generate reproduction data . as described above , since waveform equalization is performed by the equalizer 2 such that a signal waveform becomes &# 34 ; 0 &# 34 ; or &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ; at a data distinguishing point , a reproduction signal has a sufficient amplitude difference . therefore , in data detection , resistance to level variations is high , and the error rate can be sufficiently reduced . fig1 is a block diagram showing the second embodiment of the present invention . in this embodiment , the present invention is applied to an apparatus using partial response equalization . assume that the reproducing circuit in fig1 is arranged as the reproducing circuit 55 in the magneto - optical recording / reproducing apparatus shown in fig5 . referring to fig1 , a differential preamplifier 11 is identical to the differential preamplifier 54 in fig5 . a reproduction signal obtained by the differential preamplifier 11 is input to an equalizer 13 for pll control to perform optimal waveform equalization for pll control . note that partial response equalization pr ( 1 , 2 , 1 ) characteristics are employed for waveform equalization . fig1 shows a signal waveform after waveform equalization performed by the equalizer 13 . fig1 shows the frequency characteristics of an output signal from the equalizer 13 . referring to fig1 , the abscissa axis is normalized with a clock period t b . the equalizer 13 performs waveform equalization such that the edge of a reproduction signal , which crosses two slice levels , coincides with a clock point ( 0 , 0 ), as shown in fig1 . as is apparent from fig1 , the frequency characteristics of an output signal from the equalizer 13 have a lower intensity of a high - frequency component than that of the nyquist waveform shown in fig4 . therefore , the s / n ratio can be increased . the output signal from the equalizer 13 is input to a binarizing circuit 15 , in which the signal is compared with the two slice levels shown in fig1 to be converted into a digital signal . a pll circuit 17 compares the phase of the digital signal with that of a clock from an oscillator ( not shown ), and adjusts the clock frequency in accordance with the phase difference , thereby generating a reproduction clock . as described above , since waveform equalization is performed by the equalizer 13 such that the edge of a signal waveform coincides with a clock point , dispersion of edge positions is reduced , as in the first embodiment . as a result , good pll characteristics can be obtained , and a stable reproduction clock can be obtained . a reproduction signal from the differential preamplifier 11 is input to an equalizer 12 for data detection and undergoes optimal waveform equalization for data detection . assume that partial response equalization pr ( 1 , 1 ) characteristics are employed for waveform equalization . fig1 shows a signal waveform after waveform equalization performed by the equalizer 12 . fig1 shows the frequency characteristics of an output signal from the equalizer 12 . the equalizer 12 performs waveform equalization such that a signal waveform after waveform equalization becomes &# 34 ; 0 &# 34 ;, &# 34 ; 0 . 5 &# 34 ;, or &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ; at a data distinguishing point , i . e ., a ternary value of &# 34 ; 0 &# 34 ;, &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ;, or &# 34 ; 2 &# 34 ;, as shown in fig1 . for this reason , as is apparent , the positions of edges of signals are shifted depending on reproduction patterns . the output signal from the equalizer 12 is output to a binarizing circuit 14 , in which the signal is compared with the two slice levels shown in fig1 to be converted into a ternary digital signal . the obtained digital signal is output to a data separator 16 . the data separator 16 performs detection at a data distinguishing point by using a reproduction clock so as to generate reproduction data . as described above , in this embodiment as well , a signal waveform becomes &# 34 ; 0 &# 34 ;, &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ;, or &# 34 ; 2 &# 34 ; at a data distinguishing point in the equalizer 12 , and the signal has a sufficient amplitude difference . therefore , in data detection , resistance to level variations is high , and the error rate can be sufficiently reduced . fig1 is a block diagram showing the third embodiment of the present invention . in this embodiment , the present invention is applied to an apparatus designed to perform pll control separately at the leading and trailing edges of a reproduction signal in an apparatus of a general information reproduction scheme ( a scheme using no partial response equalization ). assume that the circuit shown in fig1 is arranged as a reproducing circuit 55 in the magneto - optical recording / reproducing apparatus shown in fig5 . referring to fig1 , a differential preamplifier 21 is identical to the differential preamplifier 54 in fig5 . a reproduction signal obtained by the differential preamplifier 21 is output to an equalizer 23 for leading edge pll control and an equalizer 24 for trailing edge pll control so as to be subjected to optimal waveform equalization for the respective pll control operations . in this case , since a reproduction signal exhibits asymmetry at its leading and trailing edges , pll control is separately performed at the leading and trailing edges . more specifically , the equalizer 23 performs waveform equalization such that the leading edge of a signal waveform after waveform equalization coincides with a clock point . a binarizing circuit 26 compares this signal with a slice level to convert the signal into a binary digital signal . in addition , the equalizer 24 performs waveform equalization such that the trailing edge of the signal waveform after waveform equalization coincides with a clock point . a binarizing circuit 27 compares this signal with the slice level to convert the signal into a binary digital signal . the digital signals indicating the leading and trailing edges , which are respectively obtained by the binarizing circuits 26 and 27 , are output to a pll circuit 28 . the pll circuit 28 compares the phase of each input digital signal with that of a clock from an oscillator ( not shown ), and adjusts the clock frequency of the oscillator in accordance with the phase difference , thereby generating a reproduction clock . in this embodiment , since the leading edge of a signal waveform from the equalizer 23 and the trailing edge of a signal waveform from the equalizer 24 coincide with a clock point , dispersion of edge positions is reduced . therefore , good pll characteristics can be obtained , and a stable reproduction clock can be obtained . a reproduction signal from the differential preamplifier 21 is output to an equalizer 22 to be subjected to optimal waveform equalization for data detection . that is , the equalizer 22 performs waveform equalization such that a signal waveform after waveform equalization becomes &# 34 ; 0 &# 34 ; or &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ; at a data distinguishing point . the equalizer 23 compares this signal after waveform equalization with a slice level to convert the signal into a binary digital signal . the obtained digital signal is output to a data separator 29 , in which detection is performed at a data distinguishing point by using a reproduction clock from the pll circuit 28 , thereby generating reproduction data . in this embodiment as well , a signal waveform obtained by the equalizer 22 becomes &# 34 ; 0 &# 34 ; or &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ; at a data distinguishing point , and hence the signal has a sufficient amplitude difference . therefore , in data detection , resistance to level variations is high , and the error rate can be sufficiently reduced . fig1 is a block diagram showing the fourth embodiment of the present invention . in this embodiment , the present invention is applied to an apparatus using partial response equalization , which is designed to reproduce information by digital signal processing . assume that the reproducing circuit in fig1 is arranged as the reproducing circuit 55 in the magneto - optical recording / reproducing apparatus in fig5 . referring to fig1 , a differential preamplifier 31 is identical to the differential preamplifier 54 in fig5 . a reproduction signal obtained by the differential preamplifier 31 is output to an equalizer 33 for pll control to be subjected to optimal waveform equalization for pll control . in this case , similar to the embodiment shown in fig1 , partial response equalization pr ( 1 , 2 , 1 ) characteristics are employed for waveform equalization . the equalizer 33 performs waveform equalization in the same manner as the equalizer 13 in fig1 . the output signal from the equalizer 33 is compared with a slice level by a binarizing circuit 35 to be converted into a digital signal . a pll circuit 37 then compares the phase of this signal with that of a clock , and adjusts the clock frequency in accordance with the phase difference , thereby generating a reproduction clock . a reproduction signal from the differential preamplifier 31 is output to an equalizer 32 for data detection to be subjected to optimal waveform equalization for data detection . in this case , as in the equalizer 12 in fig1 , partial response equalization ( 1 , 1 ) characteristics are employed for waveform equalization . similar to the equalizer 12 in fig1 , the equalizer 32 performs waveform equalization such that a signal waveform after waveform equalization becomes &# 34 ; 0 &# 34 ;, &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ;, or &# 34 ; 2 &# 34 ; at a data distinguishing point . the output signal from the equalizer 32 is output to an a / d converter 34 to be converted into n - bit digital data . the n - bit digital data is then output to a viterbi decoder 36 . in the viterbi decoder 36 , detection is performed at a data distinguishing point by using a reproduction clock from the pll circuit 37 to generate reproduction data . as described above , even in the case wherein information is reproduced by digital signal processing , in data detection , resistance to level variations is high , and the error rate can be sufficiently reduced . as has been described above , the present invention includes both an equalizer for pll control , which performs waveform equalization of a reproduction signal , which is suitable for pll control , and an equalizer for data detection , which performs waveform equalization of a reproduction signal , which is suitable for data detection . these equalizers separately perform waveform equalization depending on purposes . with this operation , in performing high - density recording of information , stable pll control can be realized , and a satisfactory self - clock scheme can be performed , thereby sufficiently reducing the error rate .
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in fig1 through 9 , reference character a designates an outer cylinder , character b designates an elevator cylinder , character c designates an inner cylinder , character c &# 39 ; designates an inner cylinder plate section , character d designates upper segment expanding / contracting cylinders , character e designates bead push - in cylinders , character f designates lower segment expanding / contracting cylinders , character g designates guides , character h designates metal mold bead rings , character i designates a bead height regulating bolt , character j designates bead push - in segments , character k designate bead expanding segments , character l designates push - in plates , character m designates segment expanding / contracting plates , character n designates a fixed plate , character o designates slide plates , character p designates a lower plate , character q designates threads , character r designates nuts , character s designates segment adjusting bolts , character t designates hexagonal rods , charactors u and v respectively designate sprockets , character w designates a chain , character x designates links , reference numeral 1 designates a bolster plate , numeral 2 designates a head insulator plate , numeral 3 designates an upper heater plate , numeral 4 designates an upper metal mold , numeral 5 designates a lower metal mold , numeral 6 designates an outer grip loader , numeral 7 designates a green tire , numeral 7a designates bead portions of a green tire , and numeral 10 designates a chuck mechanism . a plurality of guides g respectively slidably holding a plurality of slide plates o which have bead expanding segments k fixedly secured to their outer ends , are disposed radially , and thus form a segment assembly . fig5 ( a ) shows an expanded condition of the segment assembly in which the slide plates o have moved in the radial direction of a green tire , and fig5 ( b ) shows a contracted condition of the segment assembly . such a segment assembly is disposed at each of upper and lower positions in correspondence to the upper and lower bead positions of a green tire . more particularly , the guides g of the upper segment assembly are mounted on the lower surface of the inner cylinder plate c &# 39 ;, and the guides g of the lower segment assembly are mounted on the upper surface of the lower plate p . the lower ends of the piston rods of the elevator cylinder b provided at the top of the outer cylinder a are fixedly secured to the inner cylinder c , and hence the inner cylinder c is raised and lowered by actuation of these elevator cylinders b . on the outer side of the bead expansion segment k is held the bead push - in segment j in a vertically slidable manner , and links are mounted to the slide plate o and the bead push - in segment j as will be described later . the bead expansion segments k , the bead push - in segments j , the bead push - in plate l , the segment expanding / contracting plate m , the segment expanding / contracting cylinders d and f , the bead push - in cylinders e and the links for connecting these members , jointly form the chuck means . fig1 shows the condition where the segment assembly has been pulled up by the elevator cylinders b and the chuck means has been accommodated within the outer cylinder a . it is to be noted that the cylinders d are fixedly secured to the inner cylinder c , and the lower ends of their piston rods are fixedly secured to the plate m . the cylinders f are fixedly secured to the fixed plate n , and the lower ends of their piston rods are fixedly secured to the plate m . the cylinders e are fixedly secured to the bead push - in plate 1 , and the tip ends of their piston rods are fixedly secured to the plate m . though the upper and lower chuck means are similar mechanisms , the upper cylinders for use in the expanding / contracting operations of the upper and lower segments k is the cylinders d , while the lower cylinders for the same use are the cylinders f , and since the mounting positions of the cylinders are different between these cylinders d and f , projection and retraction of these cylinders result in inverse operations to each other . with respect to the other points , the upper chuck means and the lower chuck means are identical to each other . the operations will be described later with reference to fig9 to 11 . fig2 shows the condition where the inner cylinder c holding the chuck means has been lowered from the inside of the outer cylinder a by the elevator cylinder b . fig3 shows the condition where the upper and lower segments k have been expanded by the upper segment expanding / contracting cylinder d and the lower segment expanding / contracting cylinder f . fig4 shows the condition where in both the upper and lower chuck means , the bead push - in segments j have slid along the outer surfaces of the bead expansion segments k and have pushed the bead portions of a green tire into the metal mold bead rings h as a result of actuation of the bead push - in cylinders and the associated links . fig6 shows the means for use in bead height adjustment and bead diameter adjustment . the bead height regulating means operates in such manner that by turning the bead height regulating bolt i , the lower plate p is raised or lowered via the threads q and thereby the position of the lower plate p is determined . in this way , the distance between the upper segments and the lower segments is varied , and the bead height can be regulated . the bead diameter regulating means consists of the nuts r mounted to the inner cylinder plate section c &# 39 ; and the lower plate p , the upper and lower segment adjusting bolts s threadedly engaged with the nuts r ( the upper and lower bolts s are threaded in the opposite directions to each other ), and the hexagonal rods t penetrating through the segment adjusting bolts s . since the positions of the inner cylinder plate section c &# 39 ; and the lower plate p are fixed by the elevator cylinder b and the bead height regulating bolt i , by turning the hexagonal rods t the segment adjusting bolts s are rotated and they are raised or lowered . two hexagonal rods t are provided , and they are synchronously rotated by means of the sprockets u and v and the chain w . in this way the four segment adjusting bolts are adjusted at predetermined positions , so that the extent of expansion of the segments k are determined by the segment expanding / contracting plate m butting against the segment adjusting bolts s . fig7 and 8 show the mechanism of the segments and the bead push - in portion , in which the bead push - in segment j is guided by the bead expansion segment k and is made to slide along the outer side surface of the segment k by the links x to perform ascending and descending operations . the operation of the chuck means will be described in connection to the lower chuck means illustrated in fig9 to 11 . fig9 ( a ) shows the condition where the segments k are contracted by the segment expanding / contracting cylinders f . fig1 ( a ) shows the condition where the bead push - in segments j are raised by the bead push - in cylinders e . fig1 ( a ) shows the segment adjusting bolt s set at a predetermined height . fig9 ( b ) shows the condition where the segments k are expanded by the segment expanding / contracting cylinders f . fig1 ( b ) shows the condition of the bead push - in cylinders e and the bead push - in segments j when the segments k are expanded . fig1 ( b ) shows the condition where the segment expanding / contracting plate m butts against the segment adjusting bolts s and thereby an expanding limit of the bead expansion segments is defined . fig9 ( c ), 10 ( c ) and 11 ( c ) all show the condition where the bead push - in segments j are lowered . now the overall operation will be explained with reference to fig1 . fig1 ( a ) shows the condition where the chuck mechanism 10 is accommodated at the center of the bolster plate 1 , the heat insulator plate 2 , the upper heater plate 3 and the upper metal mold 4 by the elevator cylinders b , and the green tire 7 has been brought in between the lower metal mold 5 and the upper metal mold 4 by means of the outer grip loader 6 . fig1 ( b ) shows the condition where the chuck mechanism 10 has been lowered by the elevator cylinders b , the bead expansion segments k have been expanded and the green tire 7 has been gripped thereby . thereafter , the outer grip loader 6 retreats outwardly from the space between the lower metal mold 5 and the upper metal mold 4 . fig1 ( c ) shows the condition where the upper metal mold 4 has been lowered , the lower bead portion of the green tire 7 has come to the position of the bead ring h of the lower metal mold 5 and the upper bead portion of the green tire 7 has come to the position of the bead ring h of the upper metal mold . the bead push - in segments j have pushed the bead portions of the green tire 7 into the bead rings of the upper and lower bead rings 4 and 5 . fig1 ( d ) shows the condition where , after the bead portions of the green tire were pushed into the bead rings of the metal molds , the bead expansion segments k have been all contracted , and then the chuck mechanism 10 has been raised by the elevator cylinders b and accommodated within the outer cylinder a . as will be obvious from the detailed description above , the present invention can provide the following advantages : ( 1 ) owing to the fact that there are provided bead expanding segments which can expand and contract in the radial direction and bead push - in segments which can move vertically along the aforementioned bead expanding segments , and that the upper and lower bead portions of the green tire are mechanically pushed into the bead rings of the upper and lower metal molds , centering between the metal molds and the green tire can be achieved surely , and quality of vulcanized tires can be improved . in addition , since the bead portions are sealed , it becomes possible to carry out bladderless vulcanization . ( 2 ) owing to the provision of bead diameter regulating means and bead height regulating means , various sizes of green tires can be inserted into a tire vulcanizing machine by adjusting the height and diameter of the chuck - means . while a principle of the present invention has been described above in connection to one preferred embodiment of the invention , it is a matter of course that many apparently widely different embodiments of the present invention could be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention .
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an embodiment of the invention will be described with reference to the drawings . fig1 is a cross - sectional view showing a pixel of an organic el display device of the embodiment of the invention . in an actual organic el display device , a plurality of the pixels is arranged in a matrix . an insulating film 2 made of sio 2 as a substrate is formed on a glass substrate 1 . an r color filter layer 3 , a g color filter layer 4 , and a b color filter layer 5 are formed adjacent each other on the insulating film 2 . each of these color filter layers transmits light having a predetermined wavelength corresponding to each of r , g , and b colors , which is irradiated from a white organic el layer 10 . although not shown , an organic el element driving tft and a pixel selecting tft are formed under these color filter layers . the r color filter layer 3 , the g color filter layer 4 , and the b color filter layer 5 also serve as a first planarization insulating film , such as the one 202 in fig5 . end portions of the color filter layers are overlapped for planarization . the end portions of the color filter layers are formed in a tapered shape so as to reduce a step height h 2 at an overlapping portion . for example , the both end portions of the r color filter layer 3 are formed in a tapered shape , and one of the end portions of the g color filter layer 4 is formed to cover one of the end portions of the r color filter layer 3 . furthermore , the both end portions of the b color filter layer 5 are formed to respectively cover the end portion of the r color filer layer 3 and the end portion of the g color filter layer 4 . a conventional planarization insulating film is not formed on these color filter layers , but anode layers 6 , 7 , and 8 are formed directly on the r color filter layer 3 , the g color filter layer 4 , and the b color filter layer 5 , respectively . furthermore , a second planarization insulating film 9 is formed to cover end portions of the anode layers 6 , 7 , and 8 , and a white organic el layer 10 and a cathode layer 11 are laminated thereon in this order . a glass substrate 30 covers the cathode layer 11 , and the glass substrate 30 and the glass substrate 1 are attached at their edges to enclose the white organic el layer 10 therein . the reason to provide the second planarization insulating film 9 is the same as the conventional art , that is , the distance between the anode layers 6 , 7 , and 8 and the cathode layer 11 becomes small without the second planarization insulating film 9 so that a short circuit can occur between the anode layers 6 , 7 , and 8 and the cathode layer 11 . openings are formed in the second planarization insulating film 9 except above the end portions of the anode layers 6 , 7 , and 8 . the white organic el layer 10 is formed on the anode layers 6 , 7 , and 8 exposed in the openings , being in contact therewith . a forming method of the color filter layers will be described with reference to fig2 a , 2 b , 2 c , and 2 d . here , a forming method of the r color filter layer 3 and the g color filter layer 4 will be described . as shown in fig2 a , the r color filter material layer 3 a made of a negative photoresist containing a predetermined pigment is coated on the whole surface of the insulating film 2 serving as a substrate formed on the glass substrate 1 . then , the r color filter material layer 3 a is exposed to light through predetermined masks 12 . when the r color filter material layer 3 a undergoes next development treatment , as shown in fig2 b , a portion of the r color filter material layer 3 a which is exposed to light remains to form the r color filter layer 3 . the r color filter layer 3 is formed by this exposure and development process , having tapered portions at its ends . this is because that the r color filter material layer 3 a receives light beyond the area corresponding to the opening of the mask 12 with an intensity that is smaller than that of the central portion of the mask and is gradually decreasing . next , as shown in fig2 c , a g color filter material layer 4 a made of a negative photoresist containing a predetermined pigment is coated on the whole surface . the g color filter material layer 4 a is exposed to light through predetermined masks 13 . when the g color filter material layer 4 a undergoes next development treatment , as shown in fig2 d , a portion of the g color filter material layer 4 a which is exposed to light remains to form the g color filter layer 4 . by positioning the masks 13 as shown in fig2 d , the end portion of the g color filter layer 4 overlaps the end portion of the r color filter layer 3 . the end portion of the r color filter layer 3 is formed in a tapered shape . the end portion of the g color filter layer 4 has a tapered shape and becomes gradually thinner toward its end . therefore , a step height h 2 of an overlapping portion of the g color filter layer 4 and the r color filter layer 3 is reduced . the forming method of the b color filter layer 5 is the same as this . here , the less the step height h 2 of the overlapping portion of the r , g , and b color filter layers is , the better the display performs . however , for preventing a cut in the white organic el layer 9 formed above the r , g , and b color filter layers , which can be caused by the step height h 2 , when a film thickness of the white organic el layer 9 is h 1 , it is preferable that h 1 is larger than h 2 . in this embodiment , both end portions of the b color filter layer 5 are formed to cover the end portions of the adjacent r color filter layer 3 and g color filter layer 4 , respectively . for minimizing the step height h 2 of the overlapping portion of the color filter layers , the color filter layers are preferably formed in a decreasing order of thickness . for example , when the thicknesses of the r color filter layer 3 , the g color filter layer 4 , and the b color filter layer 5 are t 1 , t 2 , and t 3 , respectively , it is preferable that t 1 is lager than t 2 and t 2 is larger than t 3 . in this case , the r color filter layer 3 , the g color filter layer 4 , and the b color filter layer 5 are formed in this order . accordingly , in this embodiment , the r color filter layer 3 , the g color filter layer 4 , and the b color filter layer 5 serve as the first planarization insulating film . however , as shown in fig3 the first planarization insulating film 20 can be further formed on these color filter layers . this first planarization insulating film 20 can be formed thinner than the conventional art since the planarization is already realized to some extent by the r color filter layer 3 , the g color filter layer 4 , and the b color filter layer 5 . a preferable film thickness is between 200 nm and 300 nm . furthermore , since the first planarization insulating film 20 is thin , the first planarization insulating film 20 can be formed of an inorganic insulating film having low absorbency by a pcvd ( plasma - activated chemical vapor deposition ) method . it is preferable to employ a silicon oxide film , a teos film , or a silicon nitride film as the inorganic insulating film . next , an equivalent circuit of the described organic el display device and its operation will be described . fig4 is an equivalent circuit diagram of the organic el display device , showing a pixel formed in a periphery of a gate signal line 50 at an n - th row and a drain signal line 60 at an m - th column . the gate signal line 50 for supplying a gate signal gn and the drain signal line 60 for supplying a drain signal , that is , a video signal dm cross each other . an organic el element 120 , a tft 100 for driving the organic el element 120 , and a tft 110 for selecting a pixel are formed in a periphery of an intersection of the both signal lines 50 and 60 . a drive source 105 is connected with a drain 100 d of the organic el element driving tft 100 , and supplies a positive drive voltage pvdd . a source 100 s is connected with an anode 121 of the organic el element 120 . a gate 110 g of the selecting tft 110 for selecting a pixel is connected with the gate signal line 50 and supplied with a gate signal gn . a drain 110 d is connected with the drain signal line 60 and supplied with the video signal dm . the source 110 s of the selecting tft 110 is connected with the gate 100 g of the driving tft 100 . here , the gate signal gn is outputted from a gate driver circuit ( not shown ). the video signal dm is outputted from a drain driver circuit ( not shown ). the organic el element is made of the anode 121 , a cathode 122 , and an emissive layer 123 formed between the anode 121 and the cathode 122 . the cathode 122 is connected with a common source 140 for supplying a negative common voltage cv . furthermore , the gate 100 g of the driving tft 100 is connected with a storage capacitor 130 . that is , one electrode of the storage capacitor 130 is connected with the gate 100 g , and another electrode thereof is connected with the storage capacitor electrode 131 . the storage capacitor 130 is provided for storing the video signal of the pixel for one field period by storing electric charge corresponding to the video signal dm . an operation of the el display device having the described structure will be described as follows . when the gate signal gn becomes high level for one horizontal period , the selecting tft 110 turns on . then , the video signal dm is applied from the drain signal line 60 to the gate 100 g of the driving tft 100 through the selecting tft 110 . in response to the video signal dm supplied to the gate 100 g , conductance of the driving tft 100 changes . the drive electric current corresponding to the conductance is supplied from the drive source 105 to the organic el element 120 through the driving tft 100 . accordingly , luminance of the organic el element 120 is controlled . although colors of the color pixels and the color filter layers are r ( red ), g ( green ), and b ( blue ) in this embodiment , the colors may be yellow or magenta . furthermore , the “ white el ” is mainly white , but may be reddish or bluish .
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with reference to fig1 , the input peripheral 1 of the invention comprises a base 2 having a leg 3 with its end engaged in a soleplate 4 that is resting on a bearing plane p defined in this example by a table top 5 . the input peripheral 1 comprises a shell 6 of ergonomic domed shape suitable for being held easily in the hand . the shell 6 is connected to the base 2 by means of a linkage made up as follows : a first connection element 7 having a plane bottom end 8 that extends against a plane surface 9 of the base 2 parallel to the bearing plane p , and a spherical top end 10 . the first connection element 7 is thus free to slide on the plane surface 9 ; and a second connection element 11 having a bottom end 12 in the form of a spherical cavity complementary to the spherical top end 10 of the first connection element 7 and fitted thereon so as to form a ball - and - socket connection between these two elements , and having a circularly cylindrical top end 13 that rotatably receives a complementary circularly cylindrical cavity 14 of the shell 6 so as to form between the second connection element 11 and the shell 6 a pivot connection about a pivot axis referenced 7 that passes through the center of the spherical end 10 . the second connection element 11 is prevented from turning about the pivot axis z by stop means described in greater detail below with reference to fig2 . the shell 6 can tilt angularly relative to the base 2 under the effect of a torque imposed by the hand of an operator on the shell 6 about axes that are contained in an equatorial plane of the spherical end 10 and parallel to the bearing plane p ; the shell 6 can turn relative to the base 2 about the pivot axis z ; and the shell 6 can move in translation relative to the base 2 under the effect of a force developed in the base plane by the hand of the operator , during which the plane bottom end 6 of the first connection element 7 slides on the plane surface 9 of the base 2 . the tilting and the turning give the shell 6 three degrees of freedom in rotation , whereas the movement in translation gives the shell 6 two degrees of freedom in translation . it should be observed that a force exerted by the hand of the operator on the shell 6 in a transverse direction perpendicular to the plane surface 9 is transmitted directly to the base 2 via the connection elements 7 and 11 , and gives rise to no movement of the shell 6 . the operator can thus rest the hand on the shell 6 , thereby relieving the arm and avoiding any carpal stress . the five degrees of freedom of the shell 6 made possible by the linkage between the shell 6 and the base 2 are advantageously used to represent the five corresponding degrees of freedom of a virtual or real object being manipulated with the help of the input peripheral of the invention . the sixth degree of freedom , i . e . the degree that corresponds to moving in translation in the transverse direction that is prevented by the linkage , is controlled in this example by means of a scroll wheel 100 carried by the shell 6 . as can be seen in fig2 , the input peripheral 1 is fitted with auxiliary parts , namely a first slider 20 and a second slider 30 . the first slider 20 is mounted on the base 2 to slide in a direction 21 that extends in the above - mentioned equatorial plane . for this purpose , and as can be seen in fig1 , the first slider 20 has side walls with slots formed therein that receive tenons 23 carried by uprights 24 secured to the base 2 and facing each other on opposite sides of the plane surface 9 . the second slider 30 is mounted in the first slider 20 to slide in a direction 31 that extends in the above - mentioned equatorial plane , perpendicularly to the direction 21 . for this purpose , the second slider has tenons 32 that are received in grooves 22 in the first slider 20 . it should be observed that the first slider 20 and the second slider 30 are never subjected directly to the force delivered by the hand of the operator . in particular , they are never subjected to any transverse force transmitted directly from the shell 6 to the base 2 via the connection elements 7 and 11 . the sliders 20 and 30 are subjected solely to driving forces in a plane that is parallel to the plane surface 9 . they are therefore subjected to very little stress . the sliders 20 and 30 do not contribute to defining the linkage between the shell 6 and the base 2 except insofar as they prevent the second connection element 11 from turning about the pivot axis z . for this purpose , the first connection element 7 and the second slider 30 are connected together by studs 33 that extend in radial directions contained in the above - mentioned equatorial plane . in practice , the first connection element 7 and the second slider 30 are molded as a single piece . as a result , the second slider 30 is permanently centered on the spherical end 10 of the first connection element 7 and tracks the movements thereof . to enable the shell 6 to tilt angularly in spite of the presence of the studs 33 , the spherical cavity 12 in the second connection element 11 includes grooves 15 ( one of which is visible in fig1 ) allowing the studs 33 to pass through the wall of the spherical cavity 12 , and enabling the second connection element 11 to tilt angularly about an axis contained in the above - mentioned equatorial plane , while preventing the second connection element 11 from turning about the pivot axis z . thus , during a movement of the shell 6 , the second slider 30 moves by an amount equal to the component of the movement of the shell 6 in said direction 31 , and it entrains the first slider 20 , causing it to move by an amount equal to the component of the movement of the shell 6 in the direction 21 . during turning of the shell 6 , the shell 6 turns relative to the second connection element 11 by an amount that is equal to the component of the turning about the pivot axis z of the shell 6 relative to the second connection element 11 . these arrangements make it easy to put sensors into place for sensing the various movements of the shell 6 . in this respect , and as can be seen in fig1 , the shell 6 carries a two - axis inclinometer 40 suitable for measuring tilting movements of the shell 6 in rotation about axes contained in the equatorial plane . in addition , the input peripheral of the invention includes a potentiometer 41 disposed between the second connection element 11 and the shell 6 to measure turning about the pivot axis z . the potentiometer 41 comprises an inner portion and an outer portion that are free to turn relative to each other about the pivot axis z . the inner portion is engaged on a peg 42 of the second connection element 11 that presents a flat ( visible in fig3 ) for preventing the inner portion from turning . the outer portion is prevented from turning relative to the shell 6 by means of a snug 43 co - operating with the flanks of an opening 16 in the circularly cylindrical cavity 14 of the shell 6 . these two sensors serve to measure all movements in rotation of the shell about the center of the spherical end 10 of the first connection element 7 . furthermore , and as can be seen in fig3 , the input peripheral of the invention has a first rectilinear movement sensor 44 comprising an optical reader 45 secured to the base 2 and an optical ruler 46 secured to the first slider 20 , and a second rectilinear movement sensor 47 comprising an optical reader 48 secured to the first slider 20 and an optical ruler 49 secured to the second slider 30 . these two rectilinear movement sensors enable the rectilinear movements of the shell 6 along the directions 21 and 31 to be measured . finally , for the sixth degree of freedom controlled by the scroll wheel 100 , a rotation sensor 101 ( represented by dashed lines since it is hidden by the wheel 100 ) is placed on the axis of the wheel 100 to measure movement in rotation thereof . according to a particular aspects of the invention , the input peripheral includes means for reinitializing the sensors , which means are visible in fig1 . the reinitialization means comprise firstly a first ball 50 placed in a housing hollowed out in the first connection element 7 and opening out to the plane bottom end 8 thereof , the ball being urged against the plane surface 9 of the base 2 by a spring 51 . in the position shown in fig1 , the first ball 50 is engaged in a hollow formed on the plane surface 9 of the base 2 in the center of said surface , thereby enabling the shell 6 to be indexed relative to the base 2 . for example , by placing a switch in the bottom of the hollow so as to be driven by the first ball 50 , it is possible to obtain an electrical signal that can be used to reinitialize the electrical signal coming from the rectilinear movement sensors 44 and 47 when the shell 6 is thus indexed relative to the base 2 . the reinitialization means also comprise a second ball 52 received in a housing hollowed out in the first connection element 7 so as to open out into the top of the top spherical end 10 thereof , and urged against the spherical cavity 12 of the second connection element 11 by a spring 53 . in the position shown in fig1 , the second ball 52 is engaged in a hollow made in the spherical cavity 12 in line with the pivot axis z , thereby enabling the second connection element 11 to be indexed relative to the first connection element 7 , and on the same principle as described above , enabling the electrical signals coming from the inclinometer 40 to be reinitialized . in the invention , the input peripheral also includes a hull 60 that can be seen more particularly in fig4 , which hull comprises a bottom 61 with an orifice 62 , and a side wall 63 that bulges outwards a little . as can be seen in fig1 , the hull 60 is placed under the shell 6 so that the bottom 61 of the hull 60 bears against the soleplate 4 , while the side wall 63 co - operates externally with a complementary side wall 64 of the shell 6 . the orifice 62 allows the leg 3 of the base 2 to pass through the bottom 61 . the orifice is large enough to enable the shell 6 to move , while being small enough to ensure that the bottom 61 always remains captive in the space 67 that extends between the soleplate 4 and the base 2 . the hull 60 is thus constrained to move parallel to the soleplate 4 , and thus to the bearing plane p . the co - operation between the side walls of the hull 60 and the shell 6 constrains the hull 60 to follow the linear movements of the shell 6 and to follow its movements in rotation about an axis parallel to the transverse direction , with the shape of the walls 63 and 64 nevertheless allowing the shell 6 to tilt angularly relative to the hull 60 . the hull 60 prevents any objects or pollution from penetrating under the shell 6 . furthermore , it prevents a clumsy operator getting fingers pinched between the shell 6 and the soleplate 4 . in practice , the side walls of the hull 60 and of the shell 6 face each other with a small amount of clearance . skids 65 integrally molded on the inside face of the side wall 64 of the shell 6 provide contact over a small area with the side wall 63 of the hull 60 so as to reduce friction between these two elements . the input peripheral of the invention is particularly suitable for being used together with computer - assisted design ( cad ) software , or with software for viewing virtual objects . as can be seen in fig5 , a wire 66 conveying the electrical signals from the various sensors leaves the hull 60 to be connected to a computer 70 , where the software is installed . the input peripheral can be used in several ways . firstly , each position of the shell 6 and of the scroll wheel 100 as measured by the sensors can be associated with a position in the virtual space in which the virtual object being manipulated is to be found . it is also possible to associate each position of the shell 6 and of the scroll wheel 100 with a travel speed in the virtual space in which the virtual object being manipulated is to be found . in a particular aspect , both types of association can be combined , using the following method . in fig6 , there can be seen a diagram representing the five degrees of freedom of the shell 6 . the rectangle 80 defines the set of positions that can be occupied in the above - mentioned equatorial plane by the center of the spherical end 10 of the first connection element 7 . an inner rectangle 81 within the rectangle 80 defines a central zone 82 and a peripheral zone 83 . the following associations are then selected : each position of the shell 6 in the central zone 82 is associated with a position of the virtual object in the virtual space ; and each position of the shell 6 in the peripheral zone 83 is associated with a travel speed of the virtual object in the virtual space . similarly , the cone 85 defines the angular tilting possible for the pivot axis z about said center . an inner cone 86 within the outer cone 85 defines a central zone 87 and a peripheral zone 88 . the following associations are then selected : each position of the pivot axis z in the central zone 86 is associated with an angular position of the virtual object in the virtual space ; and each position of the shell 6 in the peripheral zone 88 is associated with a speed of rotation of the virtual object in the virtual space . finally , the angular sector 90 defines possible turning of the shell 6 about the pivot axis z . an inner angular sector 91 within the angular sector 90 defines a central zone 92 and a peripheral zone 93 . the following associations are then selected : each angular position of the shell 6 in the central zone 92 is associated with an angular position of the virtual object in the virtual space ; and each angular position of the shell 6 in the peripheral zone 93 is associated with a speed of rotation of the virtual object in the virtual space . the same principles are applied to the scroll wheel 100 . in order to show up these various zones , the input peripheral of the invention is fitted with means for controlling the movement of the shell 6 . as can be seen in fig7 , the control means comprise foam pads 110 placed on supports 111 and extending between the ends of the uprights 24 of the base 2 so as to form resilient abutments against which the first slider 20 comes into abutment at the ends of its stroke . the portion of the movement of the first slider 20 in which the first slider 20 does not come into contact with either of the foam pads 110 corresponds to the central zone 82 . in this portion , the shell 6 is not subjected to any opposing force ( except for low levels of friction ). the portion of the movement of the first slider 20 in which the first slider 20 is in contact with one or the other of the foam pads 110 corresponds to the peripheral zone 83 . in this portion , the shell 6 is subjected to a return force because of the first slider bearing against one or the other of the foam pads 110 . the presence of a return force enables the operator to distinguish between the central zone and the peripheral zone . by way of example , there follows a description of a rectilinear movement of the shell 6 in the direction 21 , i . e . the direction in which the first slider 20 moves . this movement is represented in fig6 by dashed line 95 . this line includes a central range 96 that is said to be “ isotonic ”, that extends in the central zone 62 and that corresponds to free movement of the shell 6 . the line 95 has two end ranges 97 that are said to be “ elastic ”, each of which extends in the peripheral zone 83 and corresponds to movement of the shell 6 that is subjected to a return force towards the central range . in similar manner , the control means include foam pads 112 disposed on the first slider 20 so as to form resilient abutments against which the second slider 30 comes into abutment at the ends of its stroke . the foam pads 112 mark the boundary between the central zone 82 and the peripheral zone 84 for rectilinear movements along the direction 31 . the control means also comprise foam pads 113 ( visible in fig4 ) disposed on the hull 60 to form resilient abutments against which the shell 6 comes into abutment at the ends of its angular tilting stroke about axes contained in the equatorial plane . the foam pads 113 mark the boundary between the central zone 87 and the peripheral zone 88 for angular tilting of the shell 6 about axes contained in the equatorial plane . finally , the control means include foam pads 114 ( visible in fig3 and in fig1 ) disposed on either side of a partition 115 of the second connection element 11 so as to form resilient abutments against which the flanks of the opening 16 in the circularly cylindrical cavity 14 of the shell 6 come into abutment at the ends of its stroke . the foam pads 114 mark the boundary between the central zone 92 and the peripheral zone 93 for the shell 6 turning about the pivot axis z . it is thus possible for all of the degrees of freedom of the shell 6 to define a central range in which the movement of the shell is free , and end ranges in which the shell is subjected to a return force towards the central range . similarly , the scroll wheel 100 carries foam pads 115 ( visible in fig1 ) that perform the same function . thus , so long as the shell is in the central zones , the software makes the position of the shell correspond to the position of the virtual object in the virtual space . the operator then has the impression of moving the virtual object displayed on the screen directly when moving the shell 6 , in a manner that is very instinctive . if the operator pushes the shell 6 so that it enters into one of the peripheral zones , then the software associates the position of the shell 6 with movement at a given speed , e . g . in order to go quickly to some other portion of the virtual object in order to view said other portion . the invention is not limited to the description above , but on the contrary covers any variant coming within the ambit defined by the claims . in particular , although a particular linkage is shown that enables the shell to move in any manner relative to the base with the exception of moving in a transverse direction that is perpendicular to the bearing plane , the invention covers any other linkage providing this type of connection , such as for example a single connection element having a plane bottom end that slides on a plane surface of the baser and a spherical top end that is received in a complementary spherical cavity of the shell . although the hull is shown as having a side wall that extends inside the side wall of the shell , the side wall of the hull could extend over the outside of the side wall of the shell . although it is stated that speeds or positions are associated with the position of the shell and the position of the scroll wheel , it is possible to associate other parameters for manipulating the object therewith , such as zooms , or indeed color changes . although it is stated that each degree of freedom has an isotonic central range and elastic end ranges , it is possible to provide for each degree of freedom any possible configuration going from a degree of freedom that is completely isotonic , to a degree of freedom that is completely elastic . although in the example shown , the positions of the shell and of the scroll wheel in the central ranges are associated with positions of the virtual object , and the positions of the shell and of the scroll wheel in the end ranges are associated with travel speeds of the virtual object , other associations could be provided , such as a slow speed in the central range and a fast speed in the end ranges . furthermore , although the movement control means of the shell are constituted by foam pads that co - operate with moving portions of the peripheral , other control means could be used , such as servo - controlled motors leaving movement free in a central range while opposing a return force on such movements in end ranges . alternatively , the peripheral need have no control means , or could have control means that act on only some of the degrees of freedom of the shell . it should be observed that the central and peripheral ranges managed by the software associated with the peripheral need not coincide with the central and peripheral ranges marked by the control means . although the shell is shown as including a member in the form of a scroll wheel for controlling an additional degree of freedom , the peripheral could include other types of control member , such as a pointer placed on the shell or some other location of the peripheral . in addition , the peripheral may include other types of member , such as selection buttons 102 ( visible in fig5 ) placed on the shell , similar to those that are to be found on a mouse . finally , although the input peripheral is described herein in association with computer design and display software , the input peripheral could be used as a member for manipulating a real object , for example via a manipulator arm .
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a compressor according to the present invention will be described by using the drawings . fig1 is a flow sheet showing one embodiment of a plunger type small capacity high - pressure compressor system 100 including a gas filter which removes oil from a working gas , in a flow sheet . for a compressor body 50 , two plunger type compressors are used for simplifying the explanation . a supply gas 1 which is supplied from gas supply equipment not shown flows into a first stage inlet line 2 of the compressor body 50 . in the compressor body 50 , an output shaft 12 a of a motor 12 is connected to a crankshaft 52 housed in a crankcase 51 . one end side of the crank shaft 52 is rotatably mounted to a main shaft 53 in the crankcase 51 . the main shaft 53 is capable of reciprocally moving in a horizontal direction . a plunger 13 constituting a first stage compressor 3 is mounted to one end of the main shaft 53 , and a plunger 14 constituting a second stage compressor 4 is mounted to the other end of the main shaft 53 . the plunger 13 of the first stage compressor 3 forms a compression chamber defined between the plunger 13 itself and a casing 13 a , and switches valves 13 b and 13 c provided near an inlet port and a discharge port to let a working gas flow into the compression chamber or discharge the working gas from the compression chamber . similarly , the plunger 14 of the second stage compressor 4 has a compression chamber defined between the plunger 14 itself and a casing 14 a , and switches valves 14 b and 14 c to let the working gas flow into the compression chamber or discharge the working gas from the compression chamber . the working gas which is compressed in the first stage compressor 3 flows into an inter cooler 6 from a first discharge line 5 . the working gas which is cooled by liquid or air in the inter cooler 6 flows into the second stage compressor 4 via a second stage inlet line 7 . the working gas which is further increased in pressure in the second stage compressor 4 flows into an after - cooler 9 via a second stage discharge line 8 , and is cooled by liquid or air . in this case , the inter cooler 6 and the after - cooler 9 are integrated . the working gas cooled in the after - cooler 9 is fed to a filter equipment 10 , and has impurities removed from it . thereafter , the working gas is fed to a consumer side through a delivery line 11 to a plant . in the compressor body 50 of the compressor system 100 constructed as above , the plunger 13 of the first compressor 3 is sealed against gas leakage to an atmosphere side by a rod packing 15 . likewise , the plunger 14 of the second stage compressor 4 is sealed against gas leakage to the atmosphere side by a rod packing 16 . further , a very small amount of seal oil is poured to the rod packings 15 and 16 of the first stage compressor 3 and the second stage compressor 4 through lubrication holes 17 and 18 formed in the casings 13 a and 14 a . part of the poured seal oil enters the working gas . thus , the filter equipment 10 is provided at an outlet port side of the compressor body 50 so that the oil mixing amount is at an allowable value or less . the detail of the filter equipment 10 will be described by using fig2 and 3 . the filter equipment 10 has a first filter 10 a and a second filter 10 b , and fig2 shows one example of the second filter . fig3 is an enlarged view of a filter element part of the second filter 10 b shown in fig2 . the second filter 10 b has a filter case 20 housing the filter element . the filter case 20 has a bottle case 21 and a flange lid 22 . the bottle case 21 is a cylindrical container extending downward with a flange 21 a formed at an upper portion . the flange lid 22 has a projection 22 a that is fitted to the flange 21 a of the bottle case 21 . the bottle case 21 and the flange lid 22 are fastened with a plurality of bolts 32 provided at an outer peripheral portion with a space left from one another in a circumferential direction . with this , an o - ring 22 b housed in a groove formed in the projection 22 a prevents the working gas from leaking outside the second filter 10 b from a space 21 b in the bottle case 21 . in the flange lid 22 positioned at upper portion of the filter case 20 , an inlet passage 23 a for a gas , which extends in the horizontal direction to a substantially central portion , is formed and a discharge passage 24 a , which is a through - hole extending vertically , is formed at a position out of the central portion . the inlet passage 23 a has an opening 23 in a side surface of the flange lid 22 , and a thread is formed in the opening 23 to be capable of connecting a pipe . likewise , the outlet passage 24 a has an opening 24 in a top surface of the flange lid 22 , and a thread is formed in the opening 24 to be capable of connecting a pipe . a second inlet passage 23 b that is a blind hole which is opened to the bottom surface side is connected to an end portion of the inlet passage 23 a at a side of the central portion of the flange lid 22 . a threaded hole 23 d is formed in the second inlet passage 23 b , at the side of the connecting portion to the inlet passage 23 a , and one end portion of a stepped fixing bolt 31 is screwed into the threaded hole 23 d . the open side of the second inlet passage 23 b is formed to be stepped , and a partition tube 30 is fitted to the stepped part . the partition tube 30 prevents a discharge gas of the compressor body 50 which flows into the filter element part from the opening 23 , and a normal gas filtered in the filter element part from mixing . a groove is formed in the flange lid 22 , and an o - ring 23 c which seals a space between the flange lid 22 and the partition tube 30 is fitted into the groove . the filter element part has two kinds of elements 25 and 26 . two kinds of cylindrical elements 25 and 26 are disposed upper and below , and a partition plate 27 partitions them . the element 26 disposed at the upper side ( downstream side ) is a functional activated carbon element , and constitutes second filter means . the element 25 disposed at the lower side ( upstream side ) is a micro glass fiber element and constitutes first filter means . in order to hold the upper element 26 with the partition plate 27 , an upper receiving seat 29 is caused to abut on an undersurface of the projection portion 22 a of the flange lid 22 . a cylindrical space 29 c is formed between the upper receiving seat 29 and the flange lid 22 , and the discharge passage 24 a communicates with the space 29 c . an edge portion 29 b projected downward is formed at an outer peripheral portion of the upper receiving seat 29 , and a through - hole in which the fixing bolt 31 and the partition tube 30 are inserted is formed in a central portion of the upper receiving seat 29 . further , a connecting hole 29 a which continues to the through - hole to guide the working gas to the space 29 c is formed in the upper receiving seat 29 . an upper end portion of the upper element 26 is held with the edge portion 29 b as a guide . a cylindrical space 26 a is formed between the upper element 26 and the partition tube 30 to form a discharge passage of the working gas filtered by the upper filter 26 . a stepped hole is formed in a central portion of the partition plate 27 , and a lower end of the partition tube 30 is fitted to a stepped portion of the stepped hole . an edge portion 27 a projected upward is formed at an outer peripheral portion of the top surface of the partition plate 27 . the upper element 26 has its lower end portion guided and held by the edge portion 27 a . a step 27 b is formed at the undersurface side of the partition plate 27 and at the position of the smaller diameter than the diameter of the edge portion 27 a . the lower element 25 is constructed by inner and outer double cylinders , that is to say , an inner element 25 a and an outer element 25 b . an upper end portion of the outer element 25 b is held by the step 27 b portion . a gap is formed between the inner element 25 a and the outer element 25 b . in order to hold a lower end portion of the lower element 25 , a lower receiving seat 28 is fitted to the stepped portion of the fixing bolt . projection portions 28 c and 28 d are formed on both upper and lower surfaces of a central portion of the lower receiving seat . the upper projection portion 28 c is used as a guide when a lower end portion of the inner element 25 a is held at an inner peripheral side thereof . likewise , the lower projection portion 28 d is used as a guide for holding a coil spring 28 a . after the coil spring 28 a is disposed on the lower projection portion 28 d as a guide , a lower end portion of the coil spring 28 a is pressed with a spring seat 28 b , and a nut 31 a is screwed into a threaded portion formed at a lower end portion of the fixing bolt 31 . a space between the lower receiving plate 28 and the fixing bolt 31 are sealed with an o - ring 31 c . after the respective elements 25 and 26 are mounted by using the step portion and the projection portion as the guides , the nut 31 a is fastened . thereby , tension acts on the fixing bolt 31 , so that the lower element 25 is held by being sandwiched by the lower receiving seat 28 and the partition plate 27 , and the upper element 26 is held by being sandwiched by the partition plate 27 and the upper receiving seat 29 . in the second filter 10 b constructed as above , the working gas , which is discharged from the compressor body 50 and cooled in the after - cooler 9 , flows as the arrows shown in fig2 . namely , the working gas which flows into the inlet flow passage 23 a flows downward along an outer peripheral surface of the fixing bolt 31 inside the second inlet passage 23 b . then , the working gas flows further downward in the gap between the partition tube 30 and the fixing bolt 31 and reaches an inner peripheral portion of the micro glass fiber element 25 that is the first filter means . the working gas which flows into the inner peripheral side of the inner micro glass fiber element 25 a changes the flow direction from the axial direction to the radial direction , and passes from the inside to the outside of the lower element 25 , in the sequence of the inner element 25 a , a cylindrical space 25 c and the outer element 25 b . on that occasion , oil is removed , and stored in the bottom portion of the bottle case 21 . namely , the micro glass fiber element 25 does not accumulate oil inside , and therefore , oil in a molecular or mist form is liquefied , and drops to the bottom portion of the bottle case 21 from the outer peripheral surface of the lower element 25 . by making the lower element 25 have double layers , the following advantages are obtained as compared with the case of a single layer . the oil which is captured by the inner element 25 a gathers at a lower side along the outer peripheral surface of the inner element 25 a . as a result , the working gas having decreased oil flows into the outer element 25 b . since the cylindrical space 25 c is formed between the two elements 25 a and 25 b , the flow rate of a gas flowing into the outer element 25 b is made uniform in this space 25 c . oil removing performance is enhanced more than use of single thick element . the working gas which passes through the lower element 25 changes the flow direction in the bottle case 21 , temporarily rises to be an inward flow in the radial direction , and thereafter flows inside from the outer periphery of the functional activated carbon element 26 that is the second filter means . oil is further removed when the working gas passes through the upper element 26 . the cylindrical space 26 a is formed between the inner periphery of the element 26 and the outer periphery of the partition tube 30 , and the space 26 a communicates with the upper cylindrical space 29 c via the communication hole 29 a . therefore , the working gas is guided to the outlet hole 24 from the discharge passage 24 a formed in the flange lid 22 and flows outside . the details are omitted in this embodiment , but in the first filter 10 a , the same element as the micro glass fiber element 25 shown in fig2 is incorporated . the element in the first filter 10 a and the micro glass fiber element 25 in the second filter 10 b perform oil removing action as the primary and secondary filters , and the activated carbon element 26 acts as the tertiary filter . accordingly , before the working gas flows into the tertiary filter , oil is already removed from the working gas with the primary and the secondary micro glass fiber elements , and therefore , the oil in the working gas can be minimized . an activated carbon captures oil inside its cells , and therefore , has a limited life . however , since in this embodiment , the primary and the secondary micro glass fiber filters are provided as the previous stage of the activated carbon filter 26 , and oil is minimized in advance , the life of the activated carbon filter before replacement can be made long . alternatively , if the filter is produced on the basis of the required removal oil amount , the required activated carbon capacity can be made small , and the filter can be made compact . since the micro glass fiber elements of the primary and secondary filters do not accumulate oil , elements do not require replacement and are semipermanently usable . as a result , the life of the filter 10 is extended and its reliability is enhanced . this embodiment requires only two filter cases which are the high - pressure containers , and therefore , manufacturing cost of the compressor equipment can be reduced , which is economical . the first filter case can be used both as a snubber at the final stage of the compressor . in this case , the number of high - pressure containers can be further reduced , which is economical . the micro glass fiber used as the primary and the secondary filters in the above described embodiment is a coalescing element made of micro glass fiber bound with a fluorocarbon resin . this filter element and the functional activated carbon element as the tertiary element are used , and the secondary filter element and the tertiary filter element are housed in the same case . therefore , oil mixing into the working gas can be removed to the minimum amount allowable in the process , for example , 1 ppm or less . as described above , according to this embodiment , in the hydrogen compressor which has the discharge pressure at a high pressure of 40 mpa or more and hates oil , even if a very small amount of seal oil is poured and used to secure the sealing property of the rod packing portion , the filter reliably removes oil from the working gas with long service life , and therefore , reliability of the plunger type or piston type compressor and quality of the generated gas can be enhanced . in addition , the manufacturing cost of the compressor can be reduced . it should be further understood by those skilled in the art that although the foregoing description has been made on embodiments of the invention , the invention is not limited thereto and various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention and the scope of the appended claims .
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