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referring now to the drawing figures in which like reference designators refer to like elements , fig1 shows a base station controller ( bsc ) 10 which controls wireless communications within multiple cells 12 , which cells are served by corresponding base stations ( bs ) 14 . in some configurations , each cell is further divided into multiple sectors 13 ( not shown ). in general , each base station 14 facilitates communications using ofdm with mobile terminals 16 , which are within the cell 12 associated with the corresponding base station 14 . the movement of the mobile terminals 16 in relation to the base stations 14 results in significant fluctuation in channel conditions . as illustrated , the base stations 14 and mobile terminals 16 may include multiple antennas to provide spatial diversity for communications . in some configurations , relay stations 15 may assist in communications between base stations 14 and mobile terminals 16 . mobile terminals 16 can be handed off 18 from any cell 12 , sector 13 ( not shown ), base station 14 or relay 15 to an other cell 12 , sector 13 ( not shown ), base station 14 or relay 15 . in some configurations , base stations 14 communicate with each and with another network ( such as a core network or the internet , both not shown ) over a backhaul network 11 . in some configurations , a base station controller 10 is not needed . with reference to fig2 , an example of a base station 14 is illustrated . the base station 14 generally includes a control system 20 , a baseband processor 22 , transmit circuitry 24 , receive circuitry 26 , antennas 28 , and a network interface 30 . the receive circuitry 26 receives radio frequency signals bearing information from one or more remote transmitters provided by mobile terminals 16 ( illustrated in fig3 ) and relay stations 15 ( illustrated in fig4 ). a low noise amplifier and a filter ( not shown ) may cooperate to amplify and remove broadband interference from the signal for processing . downconversion and digitization circuitry ( not shown ) will then downconvert the filtered , received signal to an intermediate or baseband frequency signal , which is then digitized into one or more digital streams . the baseband processor 22 processes the digitized received signal to extract the information or data bits conveyed in the received signal . this processing typically comprises demodulation , decoding , and error correction operations . as such , the baseband processor 22 is generally implemented in one or more digital signal processors ( dsps ) or application - specific integrated circuits ( asics ). the received information is then sent across a wireless network via the network interface 30 or transmitted to another mobile terminal 16 serviced by the base station 14 , either directly or with the assistance of a relay 15 . on the transmit side , the baseband processor 22 receives digitized data , which may represent voice , data , or control information , from the network interface 30 under the control of control system 20 , and encodes the data for transmission . the encoded data is output to the transmit circuitry 24 , where it is modulated by one or more carrier signals having a desired transmit frequency or frequencies . a power amplifier ( not shown ) will amplify the modulated carrier signals to a level appropriate for transmission , and deliver the modulated carrier signals to the antennas 28 through a matching network ( not shown ). modulation and processing details are described in greater detail below . with reference to fig3 , an example of a mobile terminal 16 is illustrated . similarly to the base station 14 , the mobile terminal 16 will include a control system 32 , a baseband processor 34 , transmit circuitry 36 , receive circuitry 38 , antennas 40 , and user interface circuitry 42 . the receive circuitry 38 receives radio frequency signals bearing information from one or more base stations 14 and relays 15 . a low noise amplifier and a filter ( not shown ) may cooperate to amplify and remove broadband interference from the signal for processing . downconversion and digitization circuitry ( not shown ) will then downconvert the filtered , received signal to an intermediate or baseband frequency signal , which is then digitized into one or more digital streams . the baseband processor 34 processes the digitized received signal to extract the information or data bits conveyed in the received signal . this processing typically comprises demodulation , decoding , and error correction operations . the baseband processor 34 is generally implemented in one or more digital signal processors ( dsps ) and application specific integrated circuits ( asics ). for transmission , the baseband processor 34 receives digitized data , which may represent voice , video , data , or control information , from the control system 32 , which it encodes for transmission . the encoded data is output to the transmit circuitry 36 , where it is used by a modulator to modulate one or more carrier signals that is at a desired transmit frequency or frequencies . a power amplifier ( not shown ) will amplify the modulated carrier signals to a level appropriate for transmission , and deliver the modulated carrier signal to the antennas 40 through a matching network ( not shown ). various modulation and processing techniques available to those skilled in the art are used for signal transmission between the mobile terminal and the base station , either directly or via the relay station . in ofdm modulation , the transmission band is divided into multiple , orthogonal carrier waves . each carrier wave is modulated according to the digital data to be transmitted . because ofdm divides the transmission band into multiple carriers , the bandwidth per carrier decreases and the modulation time per carrier increases . since the multiple carriers are transmitted in parallel , the transmission rate for the digital data , or symbols , on any given carrier is lower than when a single carrier is used . ofdm modulation utilizes the performance of an inverse fast fourier transform ( ifft ) on the information to be transmitted . for demodulation , the performance of a fast fourier transform ( fft ) on the received signal recovers the transmitted information . in practice , the ifft and fft are provided by digital signal processing carrying out an inverse discrete fourier transform ( idft ) and discrete fourier transform ( dft ), respectively . accordingly , the characterizing feature of ofdm modulation is that orthogonal carrier waves are generated for multiple bands within a transmission channel . the modulated signals are digital signals having a relatively low transmission rate and capable of staying within their respective bands . the individual carrier waves are not modulated directly by the digital signals . instead , all carrier waves are modulated at once by ifft processing . in one embodiment , ofdm is preferably used for at least downlink transmission from the base stations 14 to the mobile terminals 16 . each base station 14 is equipped with “ n ” transmit antennas 28 ( n & gt ;= 1 ), and each mobile terminal 16 is equipped with “ m ” receive antennas 40 ( m & gt ;= 1 ). notably , the respective antennas can be used for reception and transmission using appropriate duplexers or switches and are so labelled only for clarity . when relay stations 15 are used , ofdm is preferably used for downlink transmission from the base stations 14 to the relays 15 and from relay stations 15 to the mobile terminals 16 . with reference to fig4 , an example of a relay station 15 is illustrated . similarly to the base station 14 , and the mobile terminal 16 , the relay station 15 includes a control system 132 , a baseband processor 134 , transmit circuitry 136 , receive circuitry 138 , antennas 130 , and relay circuitry 142 . the relay circuitry 142 enables the relay 14 to assist in communications between a base station 16 and mobile terminals 16 . the receive circuitry 138 receives radio frequency signals bearing information from one or more base stations 14 and mobile terminals 16 . a low noise amplifier and a filter ( not shown ) may cooperate to amplify and remove broadband interference from the signal for processing . downconversion and digitization circuitry ( not shown ) will then downconvert the filtered , received signal to an intermediate or baseband frequency signal , which is then digitized into one or more digital streams . the baseband processor 134 processes the digitized received signal to extract the information or data bits conveyed in the received signal . this processing typically comprises demodulation , decoding , and error correction operations . the baseband processor 134 is generally implemented in one or more digital signal processors ( dsps ) and application specific integrated circuits ( asics ). for transmission , the baseband processor 134 receives digitized data , which may represent voice , video , data , or control information , from the control system 132 , which it encodes for transmission . the encoded data is output to the transmit circuitry 136 , where it is used by a modulator to modulate one or more carrier signals that is at a desired transmit frequency or frequencies . a power amplifier ( not shown ) will amplify the modulated carrier signals to a level appropriate for transmission , and deliver the modulated carrier signal to the antennas 130 through a matching network ( not shown ). various modulation and processing techniques available to those skilled in the art are used for signal transmission between the mobile terminal and the base station , either directly or indirectly via a relay station , as described above . with reference to fig5 , a logical ofdm transmission architecture will be described . initially , the base station controller 10 will send data to be transmitted to various mobile terminals 16 to the base station 14 , either directly or with the assistance of a relay station 15 . the base station 14 may use the channel quality indicators ( cqis ) associated with the mobile terminals to schedule the data for transmission as well as select appropriate coding and modulation for transmitting the scheduled data . the cqis may be directly from the mobile terminals 16 or determined at the base station 14 based on information provided by the mobile terminals 16 . in either case , the cqi for each mobile terminal 16 is a function of the degree to which the channel amplitude ( or response ) varies across the ofdm frequency band . scheduled data 44 , which is a stream of bits , is scrambled in a manner reducing the peak - to - average power ratio associated with the data using data scrambling logic 46 . a cyclic redundancy check ( crc ) for the scrambled data is determined and appended to the scrambled data using crc adding logic 48 . next , channel coding is performed using channel encoder logic 50 to effectively add redundancy to the data to facilitate recovery and error correction at the mobile terminal 16 . again , the channel coding for a particular mobile terminal 16 is based on the cqi . in some implementations , the channel encoder logic 50 uses known turbo encoding techniques . the encoded data is then processed by rate matching logic 52 to compensate for the data expansion associated with encoding . bit interleaver logic 54 systematically reorders the bits in the encoded data to minimize the loss of consecutive data bits . the resultant data bits are systematically mapped into corresponding symbols depending on the chosen baseband modulation by mapping logic 56 . preferably , quadrature amplitude modulation ( qam ) or quadrature phase shift key ( qpsk ) modulation is used . the degree of modulation is preferably chosen based on the cqi for the particular mobile terminal . the symbols may be systematically reordered to further bolster the immunity of the transmitted signal to periodic data loss caused by frequency selective fading using symbol interleaver logic 58 . at this point , groups of bits have been mapped into symbols representing locations in an amplitude and phase constellation . when spatial diversity is desired , blocks of symbols are then processed by space - time block code ( stc ) encoder logic 60 , which modifies the symbols in a fashion making the transmitted signals more resistant to interference and more readily decoded at a mobile terminal 16 . the stc encoder logic 60 will process the incoming symbols and provide “ n ” outputs corresponding to the number of transmit antennas 28 for the base station 14 . the control system 20 and / or baseband processor 22 as described above with respect to fig5 will provide a mapping control signal to control stc encoding . at this point , assume the symbols for the “ n ” outputs are representative of the data to be transmitted and capable of being recovered by the mobile terminal 16 . for the present example , assume the base station 14 has two antennas 28 ( n = 2 ) and the stc encoder logic 60 provides two output streams of symbols . accordingly , each of the symbol streams output by the sic encoder logic 60 is sent to a corresponding ifft processor 62 , illustrated separately for ease of understanding . those skilled in the art will recognize that one or more processors may be used to provide such digital signal processing , alone or in combination with other processing described herein . the ifft processors 62 will preferably operate on the respective symbols to provide an inverse fourier transform . the output of the tuft processors 62 provides symbols in the time domain . the time domain symbols are grouped into frames , which are associated with a prefix by prefix insertion logic 64 . each of the resultant signals is up - converted in the digital domain to an intermediate frequency and converted to an analog signal via the corresponding digital up - conversion ( dug ) and digital - to - analog ( dia ) conversion circuitry 66 . the resultant ( analog ) signals are then simultaneously modulated at the desired rf frequency , amplified , and transmitted via the rf circuitry 68 and antennas 28 . notably , pilot signals known by the intended mobile terminal 16 are scattered among the sub - carriers . the mobile terminal 16 , which is discussed in detail below , will use the pilot signals for channel estimation . reference is now made to fig6 to illustrate reception of the transmitted signals by a mobile terminal 16 , either directly from base station 14 or with the assistance of relay 15 . upon arrival of the transmitted signals at each of the antennas 40 of the mobile terminal 16 , the respective signals are demodulated and amplified by corresponding rf circuitry 70 . for the sake of conciseness and clarity , only one of the two receive paths is described and illustrated in detail . analog - to - digital ( aid ) converter and down - conversion circuitry 72 digitizes and downconverts the analog signal for digital processing . the resultant digitized signal may be used by automatic gain control circuitry ( agc ) 74 to control the gain of the amplifiers in the rf circuitry 70 based on the received signal level . initially , the digitized signal is provided to synchronization logic 76 , which includes coarse synchronization logic 78 , which buffers several ofdm symbols and calculates an auto - correlation between the two successive ofdm symbols . a resultant time index corresponding to the maximum of the correlation result determines a fine synchronization search window , which is used by fine synchronization logic 80 to determine a precise framing starting position based on the headers . the output of the fine synchronization logic 80 facilitates frame acquisition by frame alignment logic 84 . proper framing alignment is important so that subsequent pet processing provides an accurate conversion from the time domain to the frequency domain . the fine synchronization algorithm is based on the correlation between the received pilot signals carried by the headers and a local copy of the known pilot data . once frame alignment acquisition occurs , the prefix of the ofdm symbol is removed with prefix removal logic 86 and resultant samples are sent to frequency offset correction logic 88 , which compensates for the system frequency offset caused by the unmatched local oscillators in the transmitter and the receiver . preferably , the synchronization logic 76 includes frequency offset and clock estimation logic 82 , which is based on the headers to help estimate such effects on the transmitted signal and provide those estimations to the correction logic 88 to properly process ofdm symbols . at this point , the ofdm symbols in the time domain are ready for conversion to the frequency domain using eft processing logic 90 . the results are frequency domain symbols , which are sent to processing logic 92 . the processing logic 92 extracts the scattered pilot signal using scattered pilot extraction logic 94 , determines a channel estimate based on the - extracted pilot signal using channel estimation logic 96 , and provides channel responses for all sub - carriers using channel reconstruction logic 98 . in order to determine a channel response for each of the sub - carriers , the pilot signal is essentially multiple pilot symbols that are scattered among the data symbols throughout the ofdm sub - carriers in a known pattern in both time and frequency . continuing with fig6 , the processing logic compares the received pilot symbols with the pilot symbols that are expected in certain sub - carriers at certain times to determine a channel response for the sub - carriers in which pilot symbols were transmitted . the results are interpolated to estimate a channel response for most , if not all , of the remaining sub - carriers for which pilot symbols were not provided . the actual and interpolated channel responses are used to estimate an overall channel response , which includes the channel responses for most , if not all , of the sub - carriers in the ofdm channel . the frequency domain symbols and channel reconstruction information , which are derived from the channel responses for each receive path are provided to an stc decoder 100 , which provides stc decoding on both received paths to recover the transmitted symbols . the channel reconstruction information provides equalization information to the stc decoder 100 sufficient to remove the effects of the transmission channel when processing the respective frequency domain symbols . the relay station could act as another base station or as a terminal in the context of this invention . the recovered symbols are placed back in order using symbol de - interleaver logic 102 , which corresponds to the symbol interleaver logic 58 of the transmitter . the de - interleaved symbols are then demodulated or de - mapped to a corresponding bitstream using dc - mapping logic 104 . the bits are then de - interleaved using bit de - interleaver logic 106 , which corresponds to the bit interleaver logic 54 of the transmitter architecture . the dc - interleaved bits are then processed by rate dc - matching logic 108 and presented to channel decoder logic 110 to recover the initially scrambled data and the crc checksum . accordingly , crc logic 112 removes the crc checksum , checks the scrambled data in traditional fashion , and provides it to the de - scrambling logic 114 for de - scrambling using the known base station de - scrambling code to recover the originally transmitted data 116 . in parallel to recovering the data 116 , a cqi , or at least information sufficient to create a cqi at the base station 14 , is determined and transmitted to the base station 14 as noted above , the cqi may be a function of the carrier - to - interference ratio ( cir ), as well as the degree to which the channel response varies across the various sub - carriers in the ofdm frequency band . for this embodiment , the channel gain for each sub - carrier in the ofdm frequency band being used to transmit information is compared relative to one another to determine the degree to which the channel gain varies across the ofdm frequency band . although numerous techniques are available to measure the degree of variation , one technique is to calculate the standard deviation of the channel gain for each sub - carrier throughout the ofdm frequency band being used to transmit data . in some embodiments , a relay station may operate in a time division manner using only one radio , or alternatively include multiple radios . fig1 to 6 provide one specific example of a communication system that could be used to implement embodiments of the application . it is to be understood that embodiments can be implemented with communications systems having architectures that are different than the specific example , but that operate in a manner consistent with the implementation of the embodiments as described herein . fig7 is a diagram showing an exemplary arrangement of cells 12 divided into sectors or “ regions ” 124 . each base station 14 supports three sectors 124 . of course , cells 12 can be divided into more or fewer than three sectors . as is shown , mobile terminal 16 a is on the edge of sector 124 a and may be served by base station 14 a and mobile terminal 16 b is at the edge of sector 124 b and may be served by base station 14 b . mobile terminal 16 a may include base stations 14 a , 14 b and 14 c in its active set and mobile terminal 16 b may include base stations 14 b and 14 c in its active set . as noted , fractional frequency reuse ( ffr ) can be used to improve the coverage for cell edge mobile terminals 16 a and 16 b . in ffr , the bandwidth is divided into multiple sub - bands ( hereinafter referred to as “ zones ”) where each sector 124 defines some high power zones and some power restricted zones . a coverage gain can be obtained when neighbouring sectors 124 define non - overlapping high power zones . the zones are logical zones that can consist of tones that are either contiguous ( localized zones ) or non - contiguous ( distributed zones ). the channel condition for a cell edge interference limited mobile terminal 16 improves on the high power zone as neighbouring sectors 124 reduce the power on the power restricted zones . in order to obtain an accurate estimate of the channel on each zone , each sector 124 must define each zone using the same tones . the hopping pattern for the diversity channels in each zone should use a different hopping pattern in order to obtain interference diversity . an example of an ffr allocation for sectors 124 a , 124 b and 124 c is illustrated in fig8 . as shown , given there are three sectors 124 per cell 12 , each sector 124 may divide the available bandwidth into three zones where one zone is a high power zone 127 and the other zones are power restricted zones 128 . each ffr zone has its own control channel . as illustrated in fig9 , each control channel 144 consists of a multicast control segment 145 , which contains a combination index ( ci ). the combination index indicates how the resources within the zone are partitioned . the combination index for each zone can be encoded together and broadcast to all mobile terminals 16 or each combination index can be signalled separately in the beginning of each zone . each partition within the ffr zone contains the control channel 144 , which is located at the beginning of the partition . a cell edge mobile terminal 16 can be instructed to only decode the control information in the high power ffr zone , whereas cell centre mobile terminals 16 can attempt to decode the control information in each ffr zone . the transmit power level on the power restricted zones 128 can be adapted in response to coverage problems . as noted , the power level may be controlled based on the backhaul communication scheme disclosed in united states patent application number 2009 / 0061778 , the contents of which are incorporated by reference herein . alternatively , or in combination with that approach , the power level may be controlled based on feedback from mobile terminal 16 to the non - serving base stations 14 of its active set . specifically , once the ffr zones are configured , a mobile terminal 16 that detects a strong interfering base station from the members of its active set can send an interference indicator to the interfering base station . the interference indicator for a given base station 14 indicates how much interference the base station 14 is causing to the mobile terminal 16 . for example , the interference indicator can be the difference between the carrier to interference power ratios ( cirs ) of the interfering base station and the serving base station . in response to receiving an interference indicator , the interfering base station can adapt its transmit power on the corresponding ffr zone . advantageously , mobile assisted adaptive ffr allows for faster power level adaptation than the backhaul communication scheme , though a more limited number of base stations are controlled . an uplink ffr feedback channel is required to signal the interference indicator . in some embodiments , the uplink ffr channel may be in the packet data unit ( pdu ) header of the terminal &# 39 ; s uplink burst . alternatively , in some embodiments the uplink ffr channel could be a dedicated control region in the ofdma frame that is used only for ffr , or it could be included in an existing dedicated control region . the dedicated control region may be preferred since the base station would likely have less decoding to do and could obtain the information quicker . the interference indicator can either be decoded directly by the interfering base station or it can be decoded by the serving base station and sent to the interfering base station on the backhaul . if the uplink ffr feedback channel is intended to be decoded by the interfering base station then it can be power controlled to target the intended interfering sector using either open loop or closed loop power control . otherwise , if the uplink ffr feedback channel is intended to be decoded by the serving base station then it may be power controlled by the serving base station . the interfering base station may combine the interference indicator with indicators from other mobile terminals . if the number of mobile terminals that report a given interference level on a dedicated channel exceeds a threshold , the interfering base station can reduce its transmit power on the corresponding ffr zone . alternatively , in the case where the mobile terminal &# 39 ; s serving base station allocates the ffr feedback channel ( s ) only when the serving base station plans to transmit data to the mobile terminal , the non - serving base station may react immediately to the feedback from the mobile terminal . as noted , the interference indicator can be the difference between the cirs of the serving bs and the interfering bs . alternatively , the indicator can be a command from the mobile terminal 16 to a given interfering base station 14 to decrease the transmit power . the mobile terminal can measure the cir on the assigned ffr zone for both the serving base station and the interfering base station since the pilot tones are orthogonal . further , since the pilot tones are not power controlled ( only the data tones are power controlled ), and the transmitted level is known at both base stations , mobile terminal 16 can derive a metric ( e . g ., the difference between cirs ) from the relative power levels received from each base station 14 indicating how much the non - serving base station is interfering . if for example that metric exceeds a predefined threshold , mobile terminal 16 will broadcast the interference indicator . other modifications will be apparent to those skilled in the art and , therefore , the invention is defined in the claims .
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reference will now be made in detail to exemplary aspects of the present disclosure that are illustrated in the accompanying drawings . wherever possible , the same reference numbers will be used throughout the drawings to refer to the same or like parts . aspects of the present disclosure relate to ferrule - less fiber optic connectors . as used herein , a ferrule - less fiber optic connector is a fiber optic connector that does not have a ferrule bonded or otherwise affixed to an end portion of an optical fiber of the fiber optic connector . structures are disclosed herein to provide enhanced fiber protection to end portions of optical fibers . example structures can include shutters and / or retractable nose pieces . fig3 and 4 illustrate an example fiber optic connector 20 in accordance with the principles of the present disclosure . the fiber optic connector 20 is depicted as a ferrule - less fiber optic connector . the fiber optic connector 20 includes a connector body 22 having a front end 24 and an opposite rear end 26 . the connector body 22 defines a longitudinal axis 28 that extends through the connector body 22 in an orientation that extends from the front end 24 to the rear end 26 of the connector body 22 . an optical fiber 30 extends through the connector body 22 from the rear end 26 to the front end 24 . the optical fiber 30 has a fiber end 32 accessible at the front end 24 of the connector body 22 . the fiber optic connector 20 also includes a nose piece 34 mounted at the front end 24 of the connector body 22 . the nose piece 34 defines a fiber passage 36 through which the optical fiber 30 extends . the nose piece is movable along the longitudinal axis 28 between an extended position ( see fig3 ) where a front end portion 38 of the optical fiber 30 is protected within the fiber passage 36 and a retracted position ( see fig4 ) where the front end portion 38 of the optical fiber 30 projects forwardly beyond the nose piece 34 . the fiber optic connector 20 further includes a shutter 40 mounted at the front end 24 of the connector body 22 . the shutter is movable between a first position ( e . g ., a closed position as shown at fig3 ) where the shutter 40 covers the nose piece 34 and a second position ( e . g ., open position as shown at fig4 ) where the nose piece 34 is exposed . in certain examples , the fiber optic connector 20 can include a spring 42 for biasing the nose piece 34 toward the extended position . in certain examples , the nose piece 34 retracts back into the connector body 22 as the nose piece 34 moves from the extended position toward the retracted position . in certain examples , the shutter 40 is configured to pivot relative to the connector body 22 as the shutter moves between the open and closed positions . in certain examples , the fiber optic connector 20 can include a latch for retaining the shutter 40 in the closed position . in certain examples , the latch can be released when the fiber optic connector 20 is inserted within a mating fiber optic adapter thereby allowing the shutter 40 to be moved between the closed and open positions . in certain examples , relative movement is permitted between the nose piece 34 and the optical fiber 30 so that the nose piece 34 can slide relative to the optical fiber 30 . in certain example , the fiber optic connector 20 includes a fiber anchoring region 41 near the rear end of the connector body 22 where the optical fiber 30 is fixed in position relative to the connector body 22 thereby preventing relative axial movement between the fiber 30 and the connector body 22 at the anchoring location 41 . in certain examples , a fiber buckling region 43 is provided in the connector body 22 between the anchoring region 41 and the end portion 38 of the optical fiber 30 . the buckling region allows the fiber to buckle ( i . e ., bend , flex ) within the connector body 22 when an optical connection is being made . fig5 and 6 show an example fiber optic adapter 50 compatible with the fiber optic connector 20 . it will be appreciated that the fiber optic connector 50 is configured for coupling two of the fiber optic connectors 20 together such that optical signals can be conveyed between the optical fibers of the coupled fiber optic connectors 20 . the fiber optic adapter 50 can have an alignment feature 52 for receiving and coaxially aligning the front end portions 38 of the optical fibers of the coupled fiber optic connectors 20 . in certain examples , the alignment feature 52 can include an alignment passage such as a v - groove 53 . in certain examples , the alignment feature 52 can include a biasing structure such as a spring - loaded component that presses the front end portions 38 of the optical fibers 30 into the alignment passage . as depicted , the spring - loaded components can include members 55 ( e . g ., balls , rods , or other structures ) spring - biased toward fiber alignment surfaces ( e . g ., surfaces defining a v - groove ) of the alignment passage . in certain examples , fiber optic adapter 50 can include opposite first and second adapter ports 54 , 56 with the alignment feature 52 disposed therein between . the first and second adapter ports 54 , 56 can be configured for respectively receiving fiber optic connectors 20 desired to be coupled together . it will be appreciated that the shutters 40 of the fiber optic connectors 20 move from the closed position to the open position as the fiber optic connectors 20 are inserted into their respective ports 54 , 56 . similarly , the nose pieces 34 of the fiber optic connectors 20 move from the extended positions to the retracted positions as the fiber optic connectors 20 are inserted into their respective ports 54 , 56 . when the nose pieces 34 retract , the front end portions 38 of the optical fibers 30 protrude forwardly beyond the nose pieces 34 and thereby can be inserted into the alignment passage ( e . g ., groove ) of the alignment feature 52 . in certain examples , the shutters 40 move at least partially toward the open positions prior to the nose pieces 34 beginning to move from the extended positions toward the retracted positions . in certain examples , the fiber passages 36 of the nose pieces 34 align with the alignment passages of the alignment feature 52 to assist in guiding the front end portions 38 into the alignment groove of the alignment feature 52 as the nose pieces 34 retract . as described above , in certain examples , the alignment passage is defined by an open - sided groove such as a v - groove . additionally , in certain examples , resilient structures are provided for biasing the front end portions 38 of the optical fibers 30 into the open sided grooves . in certain examples , the resilient structures can include structures such as spring - biased balls , flexible cantilevers and other structures . in certain examples , the alignment passage is defined by the fiber alignment feature 52 of the fiber optic adapter 50 . in certain examples , the fiber alignment feature 52 can include first and second opposite ends 58 , 59 . in certain examples , the nose pieces 34 of the fiber optic connectors 20 inserted within the adapter ports 54 , 56 respectively abut against the first and second ends 58 , 59 of the fiber alignment feature 52 when the fiber optic connectors 20 are inserted into the first and second adapter ports 54 , 56 thereby causing the nose pieces 34 to retract . fig7 - 10 illustrate another fiber optic connector 120 in accordance with the principles of the present disclosure . in the depicted example , fiber optic connector 120 is a ferrule - less , multi - fiber fiber optic connector . referring still to fig7 - 10 , the fiber optic connector 120 includes a connector body 122 having a front end 124 and an opposite rear end 126 . in certain examples , a fiber optic cable can be coupled to the fiber optic connector 120 adjacent the rear end 126 . the connector body 122 defines a longitudinal axis 128 that extends through the connector body 122 in an orientation that extends from the front end 124 to the rear end 126 of the connector body 122 . a plurality of optical fibers 130 extend through the connector body 122 from the rear end 126 to the front end 124 . the optical fibers 130 have fiber ends 132 accessible at the front end 124 of the connector body 122 . the fiber optic connector 120 also includes a nose piece 134 mounted at the front end 124 of the connector body 122 . the nose piece 134 defines a plurality of fiber passages 136 through which the optical fibers 130 extend . it will be appreciated that the optical fibers 130 are slidable within the fiber passages 136 such that relative movement is permitted in an orientation that extends along the longitudinal axis 128 . the nose piece 134 is movable along the longitudinal axis 128 relative to the connector body 122 between an extended position ( see fig7 and 8 ) where front end portions 138 of the optical fibers 130 are protected within the fiber passages 136 and a retracted position ( see fig9 and 10 ) where the front end portions 138 of the optical fibers 130 project forwardly beyond the nose piece 134 . it will be appreciated that when the nose piece 134 is in the retracted position , the front end portions 138 of the optical fibers 130 project forwardly beyond the nose piece 134 a distance sufficiently long to allow the front end portions 138 to be inserted within a suitable alignment structure . in certain examples , an alignment structure can be provided within a fiber optic adapter configured for coupling two of the fiber optic connectors 120 together . in another example , a direct connection may be made between mating fiber optic connectors without the use of an intermediate adapter . in such an example , the front end portions 138 of the fibers of one fiber optic connector may fit within alignment grooves defined by a mating fiber optic connector . referring to fig8 and 10 , the fiber optic connector 120 can include a spring 142 for biasing the nose piece 134 toward the extended orientation . additionally , as shown at fig7 and 9 , registration elements can be provided on the nose piece 134 to assist in providing registration between two fiber optic connectors desired to be coupled together . in certain examples , the registration structures can include alignment pins 143 and / or alignment openings 144 . in certain examples , the alignment pins 143 can fit within alignment openings of a corresponding fiber optic connector or a corresponding fiber optic adapter , and the alignment openings 144 can receive alignment pins of a mating fiber optic connector or a mating fiber optic adapter . in certain examples , fiber optic connector 120 is a robust , hardened fiber optic connector suitable for outdoor use . in certain examples , fiber optic connector 120 can include structure for providing environmental sealing when inserted within the port of a corresponding fiber optic adapter or when coupled to a mating fiber optic connector . for example , as shown at fig8 and 10 , the fiber optic connector 20 can include a sealing element such as an annular sealing ring 145 ( e . g ., an o - ring ) that mounts within an annular groove that extends about the perimeter of the connector body 122 . in certain examples , a robust coupling element can be provided for securing the connector body 22 within the corresponding port of a fiber optic adapter or to a mating fiber optic connector . for example , the robust coupling element can include a twist - to - lock coupling element such as a threaded coupling element 147 ( e . g ., an exteriorly threaded nut or an interiorly threaded sleeve ) or a bayonet - style coupling element . it will be appreciated that the connector body 122 can also include one or more keying features for ensuring that the fiber optic connector is inserted into a corresponding port of a fiber optic adapter or mating fiber optic connector at a predetermined rotational orientation . example keying structures can include rails , projections , grooves or other structures . as depicted , the fiber optic connector 120 is provided with a key in the form of a rail 146 configured to fit within a corresponding groove defined by a mating adapter or connector port . fig1 - 13 illustrate another multi - fiber fiber optic connector 220 in accordance with the principles of the present disclosure . the fiber optic connector 220 includes a connector body 222 having a front end 224 and an opposite rear end 226 . the connector body 222 defines a longitudinal axis 228 that extends along a length of the connector body 222 . the rear end 226 of the connector body 224 can be configured to couple to a fiber optic cable 227 . the fiber optic cable 227 can include a jacket 229 containing a plurality of optical fiber ribbons 231 . the fiber optic cable 227 can include reinforcing members 233 ( e . g ., reinforcing rods such as epoxy reinforced fiber glass rods or other types of reinforcing elements such as aramid yarn ). in certain examples , the reinforcing members 233 can be secured ( e . g ., bonded , clamped , or otherwise attached ) to the connector body 222 . in certain examples , the reinforcing members 233 can be secured within openings 235 ( see fig1 ) defined adjacent the rear end 226 of the connector body 222 . as depicted , the fibers are not shown routed through the fiber optic connector 220 . referring to fig1 , the connector body 122 has a two - part construction including a main body 237 and a cover 239 . the main body 237 and the cover 239 mate together to form the connector body 222 . a reinforcing sleeve 241 can be mounted over the connector body 222 after the cover 239 and the main body 237 have been mated together . the fiber optic connector 120 can also include an outer housing 243 that mounts over the connector body 222 . additionally , the fiber optic connector 220 can include a fastening element such as a robust fastening element for securing the fiber optic connector 220 to a corresponding fiber optic adapter 245 . in certain examples , the fastening element can include a twist - to - lock fastening element such as a bayonet - style fastening element or a threaded fastening element . as depicted , the fastening element includes an internally threaded sleeve 247 that mates with corresponding exterior threads 249 provided at one end of a fiber optic adapter 245 . the fiber optic adapter 245 includes a first port 251 that receives the fiber optic connector 222 and an opposite second port 253 adapted to receive a fiber optic connector desired to be optically coupled to the fiber optic connector 222 . in certain examples , the fiber optic adapter 245 can be mounted within a hole in an enclosure or panel and can have suitable sealing structure for providing an environmental seal with the panel or enclosure . referring to fig1 , fiber optic connector 220 can include a nose piece 234 that is movable along the longitudinal axis 228 relative to the connector body 222 between an extended position and a retracted position . the nose piece 234 can define a plurality of fiber passages 236 that receive front end portions of optical fibers corresponding to the optical fiber ribbons 231 . in certain examples , the front end portions can be bare glass portions of the optical fibers including only the fiber cores and cladding layers . it will be appreciated that the front end portions ( not shown ) of the optical fibers can slide within the nose piece 234 as the nose piece 234 is moved between the extended and retracted positions . when the nose piece 234 is extended , the front end portions of the optical fibers are protected and enclosed within the nose piece 234 . when the nose piece 234 is retracted , the front end portions of the optical fibers are exposed thereby allowing the front end portions to be inserted within a corresponding alignment feature provided in the fiber optic adapter 245 . in certain examples , the nose piece 234 can be spring - biased toward the extended position by one or more springs 255 positioned within the connector body 222 . in certain examples , the nose piece 134 can include a main body 257 and a front extension 259 . the main body 257 can be captured within an interior of the connector body 222 , and the front extension 259 can extend into a front opening 260 defined at the front end 224 of the connector body 222 . the main body 257 can define flanges that project outwardly from the front extension 259 . in certain examples , the springs 255 can be positioned on opposite sides of the optical fibers ( e . g ., above and below ) and can engage a backside of the main body 257 at the flanges . in certain examples , the two - piece construction of the connector body 222 facilitates laterally loading the nose piece 234 , the springs 255 and other components into the interior of the connector body 222 . it will be appreciated that the fiber optic connector 220 can also include structure within the interior of the connector body 220 for managing and anchoring the optical fibers . in certain examples , the fiber management and anchoring structure can be defined by a stack of miniature fiber management trays 261 positioned within the connector body 222 . the fiber management trays 261 can define a separate fiber buckling passages 262 corresponding to each of the optical fibers . the stack of fiber management trays 261 can also include a fiber anchoring region 265 for anchoring the optical fibers relative to the connector body 222 . it will be appreciated that the fiber buckling passages 264 are positioned between the fiber anchoring region 265 and the passages 236 in the nose piece 234 for receiving the front end portions of the optical fibers . as shown at fig2 - 26 , the fiber management trays 261 can each include a first side ( e . g ., a top side as depicted ) defining a plurality of parallel shallow grooves 290 and an opposite second side ( e . g ., a bottom side as depicted ) defining a plurality of deeper grooves 291 . when the trays 261 are stacked , the top and bottom sides of adjacent trays 261 oppose one another and interlock or mate with one another to provide mechanical registration between the trays 261 . the shallow and deeper grooves 291 register within one another and cooperate to define the separate fiber buckling passages 262 . the opposing sides of adjacent trays 261 also form clamping regions 293 where the spacing between the opposing sides is small enough that the optical fibers are compressed between the trays and held in place . the clamping regions 293 can form the fiber anchoring region 265 . in certain examples , fiber management trays 261 are mounted in fixed relation relative to the connector body 222 , and the nose piece 234 is free to move forwardly and rearwardly relative to the fiber management trays 261 . in certain examples , the fiber buckling slots 263 generally align with the fiber passages 236 of the nose piece 234 . it will be appreciated that the fiber optic adapter 245 can include an interior fiber alignment feature 271 for coaxially aligning the optical fibers of the fiber optic connector 220 with the optical fibers of a corresponding fiber optic connector desired to be coupled to the fiber optic connector 220 via the fiber optic adapter . in certain examples , the fiber alignment feature 271 includes a stack of fiber alignment trays 272 that define an array of alignment grooves ( e . g ., v - grooves 295 ) for receiving the front end portions of the optical fibers when the fiber optic connector 220 is inserted within the first port 251 and the nose piece 234 is retracted . it will be appreciated that the fiber passages 236 assist in registering the optical fibers 130 with the alignment grooves 295 defined by the fiber alignment trays 272 ( see fig1 ). in certain examples , an end of the fiber alignment feature 271 can fit or mate at least partially within the front end 224 of the connector body 222 ( e . g ., the alignment feature can fit within the front opening 260 ). in this way , the distance the fibers project beyond the front end of the connector body 222 is minimized while still allowing substantial lengths of the optical fibers to be inserted within the fiber alignment feature 271 of the fiber optic adapter 245 . the fiber optic adapter 245 can also include alignment projections 275 that fit within corresponding alignment openings 277 defined by a front face of the connector body 222 when the fiber optic connector 220 is inserted within the first port 251 of the fiber optic adapter 245 . the mating alignment projections 275 and alignment openings 277 can provide an alignment and keying function . additionally , when the alignment projections 275 slide into the alignment openings 277 , the alignment projections 275 can engage a front side of the main body 257 of the nose piece 234 thereby causing the nose piece to move from the extended position toward the retracted position as the fiber optic connector 220 is inserted into the first port 251 . when the fiber optic connector 220 is optically coupled to another fiber optic connector by the fiber optic adapter 245 , the fiber ends of the coupled fiber optic connectors preferably engage one another . the fiber buckling slots 263 provide space for allowing the optical fibers 230 to slightly buckle within the connector body 222 as the fiber ends 232 contact one another . thus , the fiber buckling slots 263 provide take - up regions for receiving buckled portions of the fibers when an optical connection is made . the buckling of the fibers provides axial loading on the optical fibers that ensures the end faces of the optical fibers remain in contact with one another . additionally , the ability to allow the optic fibers to buckle provides extra tolerance and range of motion that ensures all of the optical fibers of the interconnected fiber optic connectors in engagement with one another . in certain examples , the fiber alignment feature 271 can include rows of cantilevers 280 for biasing the fiber end portions into the v - grooves 295 ( see fig2 and 21 ). in certain examples , one cantilever 280 is provided for every two of the v - grooves 295 . the cantilevers 280 can be part of a biasing layer 296 that includes two sets of cantilevers 280 with one set of cantilevers 280 a corresponding to the fibers of one of the fiber optic connectors received within the fiber optic adapter and the other set of cantilevers 280 b corresponding to the other fiber optic connector received within the fiber optic adapter . the biasing layers 296 can be formed by stamping the cantilevers 280 from plates . the biasing layers 296 can be provided between the fiber alignment trays 272 of the alignment tray stack . various modifications and alterations of this disclosure will become apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of this disclosure , and it should be understood that the scope of this disclosure is not to be unduly limited to the illustrative examples set forth herein .
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the following description is of the best - contemplated mode of carrying out the invention . this description is made for the purpose of illustrating the general principles of the invention and should not be taken in a limiting sense . the scope of the invention is best determined by reference to the appended claims . fig1 is a schematic diagram of an exemplary embodiment of a dac . dac 10 comprises capacitors cin p , cin n , cf 1 , cf 2 , an operational amplifier 110 , and switches sw 1 ˜ sw 12 . all nodes labeled op are coupled together . all nodes labeled on are coupled together . switches sw 1 ˜ sw 4 are controlled by a clock signal φ 1 . switches sw 1 , sw 3 and capacitor cin p are serially connected between a reference voltage vrefp and a common mode voltage v cm . switches sw 2 , sw 4 and capacitor cin n are serially connected between a reference voltage vrefn and the common mode voltage v cm . switches sw 5 ˜ sw 8 are controlled by a clock signal φ 2 and a digital code di . switches sw 9 ˜ sw 12 are controlled by the clock signal φ 2 and a digital code dib . the digital code di is generated by a delta - sigma modulator ( dsm ) 120 . an inverter 130 inverts the digital code di to generate the digital code dib . in this embodiment , the dsm 120 generates a single - bit code . in a first period , switches sw 1 ˜ sw 4 are turned on such that the capacitor cin p stores an amount of charge ( vrefp − v cm )* cin p and the capacitor cin n stores an amount of charge ( vrefn − v cm )* cin n . in a second period , switches sw 5 , sw 6 , sw 9 , and sw 10 connect the capacitor cin p to the operational amplifier 110 according to the digital codes di and dib . similarly switches sw 7 , sw 8 , sw 11 , and sw 12 connect the capacitor cin n to the operational amplifier 110 according to the digital codes di and dib . in this embodiment , the operational amplifier 110 comprises a non - inverting input , an inverting input , a non - inverting output , and an inverting output . the capacitor cf 1 is coupled to the operational amplifier 110 in parallel at the inverting input and the non - inverting output . the capacitor cf 2 is coupled to the operational amplifier 110 in parallel at the non - inverting input and the inverting output . in the second period , switches sw 5 and sw 6 connect the capacitor cin p to the inverting input and the non inverting output of the operational amplifier 110 according to the digital code di . thus , the capacitor cin p is connected to the capacitor cf 1 in parallel . similarly , switches sw 7 and sw 8 connect the capacitor cin n to the non inverting input and the inverting output of the operational amplifier 110 according to the digital code di . thus , the capacitor cin n is connected to the capacitor cf 2 in parallel . in the second period , switches sw 9 and sw 10 connect the capacitor cin p to the non inverting input and the inverting output of the operational amplifier 110 according to the digital code dib . thus , the capacitor cin p is connected to the capacitor cf 2 in parallel . similarly , switches sw 11 and sw 12 connect the capacitor cin n to the inverting input and the non inverting output of the operational amplifier 110 according to the digital code dib . thus , the capacitor cin n is connected to the capacitor cf 1 in parallel . it is assumed that a logic high value of the clock signal φ 1 or φ 2 makes the corresponding switches turned on . when the clock signal φ 1 or φ 2 is low , the corresponding switches are turned off . in the first period , the clock signal φ 1 is high such that switches sw 1 ˜ sw 4 are turned on . the capacitor cin p stores the amount of charge ( vrefp − v cm )* cin p and the capacitor cin n stores the amount of charge ( vrefn − v cm )* cin n in the second period , φ 1 is low and φ 2 is high . if the digital code di is high and the digital code dib is low , the switches sw 5 ˜ sw 8 are turned on and the switches sw 1 ˜ sw 4 are turned off . the capacitor cin p is connected to the capacitor cf 1 in parallel and the capacitor cin n is connected to the capacitor cf 2 in parallel . the output signal of the non - inverting output is determined by a charge sharing between cin p and cf 1 . that is , the charge ( vrefp − v cm )* cin p transferred by the second period is added to the parallel connection of cin p and cf 1 . it is noted that cf 1 may have charge caused by the last φ 2 . the final charge redistributes on the parallel connection of cin p and cf 1 . the output signal of the inverting output is determined by a charge sharing between cin n and cf 2 . that is , the charge ( vrefn − v cm )* cin n transferred by the second period is added to the parallel connection of cin n and cf 2 . it is noted that cf 2 may have charge caused by the last φ 2 . the final charge redistributes on the parallel connection of cin n and cf 2 . similarly , if the clock signal φ 2 and the digital code dib are high and the clock signal φ 1 and the digital code di are low , the switches sw 9 ˜ sw 12 are turned on and the switches sw 1 ˜ sw 4 are turned off . the capacitor cin p is connected to the capacitor cf 2 in parallel and the capacitor cin n is connected to the capacitor cf 1 in parallel . the output signal of the non - inverting output is determined by a charge sharing between cin n and cf 1 . that is , the charge ( vrefn − v cm )* cin n transferred by the second period is added to the parallel connection of cin n and cf 1 . it is noted that cf 1 may have charge caused by the last φ 2 . the final charge redistributes on the parallel connection of cin n and cf 1 . the output signal of the inverting output is determined by a charge sharing between cin p and cf 2 . that is , the charge ( vrefp − v cm )* cin p transferred by the second period is added to the parallel connection of cin p and cf 2 . it is noted that cf 2 may have charge caused by the last φ 2 . the final charge redistributes on the parallel connection of cin p and cf 2 . as described previously , according to digital code di , capacitor cin p is connected to capacitor cf 1 in parallel and the capacitor cin n is connected to capacitor cf 2 in parallel . additionally , according to digital code dib , capacitor cin p is connected to capacitor cf 2 in parallel and capacitor cin n is connected to capacitor cf 1 in parallel . fig2 is a schematic diagram of another exemplary embodiment of the dac . fig2 is similar to fig1 with the exception that dac 20 provides a chopper function for modulating flicker noises of an operational amplifier 210 into a higher frequency band . the modulated flicker noises can be filtered out . as shown in fig2 , switches sw 5 ˜ sw 12 are controlled by the clock signals φ 2 , φ ch , φ chb , and digital codes di and dib . the clock signal φ ch is an inverted signal of the clock signal φ chb . the dac 20 does not require additional switches to achieve the chopper function . switches sw 5 ˜ sw 12 of dac 20 additionally consider the clock signals φ ch and φ chb to comprise the chopper function . the boolean operation of ( di * φ ch + dib * φ chb ) can be implemented by digital circuits to control the switch sw 5 . similarly , sw 6 - sw 12 can be controlled by digital circuits . for performing the chopping function , adding digital operation into a chip is less expensive than adding additional switches on signal paths of the dac 20 . fig3 is a schematic diagram of another exemplary embodiment of the dac . the dac 30 processes multi - bit codes . inverters 331 ˜ 33 n respectively process digital codes di 1 ˜ di n provided by the sdm 320 to generated digital codes dib 1 ˜ dib n . all nodes labeled op are coupled together . all nodes labeled on are coupled together . all nodes labeled ip are coupled together . all nodes labeled in are coupled together . in the first period , switches sw 1 1 ˜ sw 4 1 and sw 1 n ˜ sw 4 n are controlled by the clock signal φ 1 such that the capacitors cin p1 and cin pn are charged according to the reference voltage vrefp and v cm . the capacitors cin n1 and cin nn are charged according to the reference voltage vrefn and v cm . in the second period , switches sw 5 1 ˜ sw 12 1 are controlled by the clock signal φ 2 and digital codes di 1 and dib 1 such that the capacitor cin p1 is connected to the capacitor cf 1 or cf 2 in parallel and the capacitor cin n1 is connected to the capacitor cf 2 or cf 1 in parallel . similarly switches sw 5 n ˜ sw 12 n are controlled by the clock signal φ 2 and digital codes di n and dib n such that the capacitor cin pn is connected to the capacitor cf 1 or cf 2 in parallel and the capacitor cin nn is connected to the capacitor cf 2 or cf 1 in parallel . while the invention has been described by way of example and in terms of the preferred embodiments , it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments . to the contrary , it is intended to cover various modifications and similar arrangements ( as would be apparent to those skilled in the art ). therefore , the scope of the appended claims should be accorded the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and similar arrangements .
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in describing a preferred embodiment of the subject invention , it is stressed that the following description is of only one embodiment , and that such description should not limit the scope of the invention herein to one such embodiment , as more than one embodiment may fall within the scope of the subject invention as set forth in the claims . referring now to fig1 in which a schematic representation of the preferred embodiment of the subject invention is shown , the basic elements of the subject system incorporating the subject system are shown . for purposes of further orientation in describing the preferred embodiment herein , the word “ inner ” will refer to those parts of the system directly incorporated in the alarm system while the work “ external ” will be used relative to those elements outside the described alarm system . referring now to the drawings , and particularly fig1 in which a preferred embodiment of the subject invention is shown , setting forth schematically the sub elements of the subject invention . specifically in fig1 is shown schematically a calling mechanism 10 which may be in the form of a telephone integrated directly or indirectly into the overall system . a ring or call detector 20 which has a recording control device generally of an electromechanical structure . the ring or call detector is directly linked to an audio recorder 30 the output of which is fed through an and gate 40 , which in turn leads to an audio amplifier 50 to amplify the sound signal to the speaker 60 . moreover , the subject system integrally includes a timing mechanism 70 , generally in the form of a clock having means to set a signal at a predetermined time for alarm or other purposes . the clock 70 is interconnected to the audio recorder 30 with means to activate the audio recorder at the time preset in the timing mechanism 70 . a reset device 80 enables the user to reset the alarm set system in the timing mechanism in the timing mechanism . additionally , the timing mechanism may be equipped with a manually replay switch 100 that the user can replay the sound or voice received through the audio recorder 30 . moreover , there is a recorder reset switch 110 integrated with the audio recorder which functions to reset the audio recorder for possible replay . the specific interactions of elements are more fully described below . attention is again addressed to the schematic display shown in fig1 , as seen the caller mechanism 10 is the first element both from the sequential aspect and a real time perspective . a caller will initiate a call to the telephone 10 and upon the detection of a call the detector 20 is automatically activated which in turn relays an electrical signal through electrical lead 130 to the audio recorder 30 in order to turn on the audio recorder . the audio recorder 30 may be used either with an analog system or a digital recording system . specifically , in an analog recording system , a presentation of the sound wave is stored directly in the recording medium and on the other hand in digital recording a description of the sound wave is stored in the form of binary or two - state numbers that are recorded as simple on - off signals . the latter method used to encode a sound wave in a numeric form accurately reconstructs in playback through the use of integrated - circuit chips or other means . the digital audio recording is preferably but not necessarily accomplished on compact disc . the compact disc or other means may be reproductions systems monophonic or stereophonic , or quadraphonic sound . once the audio recorder records the signal voice or sound message it is stored as discussed above , using one of the recording system discussed above or by way of other recording methods . the sound message is retained in such recorded and stored status until such time as the pre - set time signal in the timing mechanism 70 is set . the timing mechanism in clock 70 is interconnected through lead 1160 which in turn leads to the and gate 40 , with the electrical impulse being withheld from the clock to the and gate until such time as the pre - set time is reached to activate the play back system . for this purpose the clock timer sends dual signals to the audio recorder and the and switch 40 through electrical leads 170 and 180 respectively . as stated above , the audio recorder 30 is linked to the and gate 40 through electrical lead 195 which will transfer the recorded sound signal through the and gate 40 and ultimately to the audio amplified 50 . the output of the and gate 40 is thus governed and controlled by both the input signals through leads 170 from the clock timer and lead 195 from the audio recorder . alternately stated there will be no output for the audio recorder signal to the audio recorder through the and gate 40 until both the clock signal and recorder signal is activated and relays those signals through the and gaate 40 thence to the amplifier 50 and speaker 60 . the and gate having received both signals will in turn send the ultimate recorded sound signal to the audio amplifier and speaker . an attendant optional attribute of the subject invention is a manual replay switch interconnected to either the clock or recorder which will activate a replay of the recorded source .
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the description that follows includes exemplary apparatus , methods , techniques , and instruction sequences that embody techniques of the inventive subject matter . however , it is understood that the described embodiments may be practiced without these specific details . fig2 depicts a downhole tool 50 , such as a plug , a packer , or the like , in an unset or run - in condition in casing c ( although the tool 50 can be used in an open hole ). the tool 50 has a mandrel 52 , an end gage ring 54 , a sealing element 56 , and a push ring 58 . the end gage ring 54 is fixed to the lower end of the mandrel 52 and may be secured to the mandrel 52 using known techniques . the push ring 58 as well as the sealing element 56 are movable along the outside of the mandrel 52 . in this way , a setting tool ( not shown ) can be used to hold the mandrel 52 and push the push ring 58 toward the fixed ring 54 , causing the sealing element 56 to be compressed and expand radially . in general , the sealing element 56 may be an elastomer or any other material that may be relatively easily deformed . moreover , although the sealing element 16 has been described above as a compressible element , other types of sealing elements , such as a swellable sealing element , can be used and benefit from the teachings of the present disclosure . to prevent extrusion of the sealing element 56 through the annular spaces between the rings 54 and 58 and the casing c and into the annulus spaces between the mandrel 52 and the casing c , the tool 50 uses anti - extrusion devices 60 according to the present disclosure . one device 60 fits at one ( downhole ) end of the tool 50 between the end of the sealing element 56 and the fixed gage ring 54 , while another device 60 fits at the other ( uphole ) end between the opposite end of the sealing element 56 and the push ring 58 . each anti - extrusion device 60 has a number of slots 64 formed into it to allow the middle section 66 to expand radially outward . the proximal section 62 may be relatively solid to prevent the proximal section 62 from expanding radially , thereby maintaining an anti - extrusion seal against the mandrel 52 . the distal section 68 may be relatively solid to prevent the distal section 68 from expanding radially outward . by having a relatively solid distal section 68 , the anti - extrusion device 60 is able to resist tearing or snagging as the tool 50 is run into the wellbore . in some instances , it may be desired to allow the distal section 68 to radially expand a certain amount . in these instances , the distal section 68 may have a separate set of expansion slots , or it may be reinforced by a reinforcing ring , where the reinforcing ring could be stretchable , split , or split with overlapping rings . the slots 64 are typically longitudinally elongated slits or splits cut through the material of the device 60 , but they could also be perforations , indentations , thinned areas , score lines , etc . ( e . g ., “ burst lines ”) formed partially through or on the anti - extrusion device 60 to allow the middle section 66 to split along the slots 64 , which would allow the anti - extrusion device 60 to expand against the wellbore or casing c and prevent the sealing element 56 from extruding past the anti - extrusion device 60 . in some instances , it may be desirable to overlap multiple anti - extrusion devices 60 on top of one another at each end of the sealing element 56 so that any gaps formed by the slots 64 in one layered device 60 are overlapped by the petals of the device 60 in an adjacent layer . when the tool 50 is a plug and is set in position downhole , a setting tool ( not shown ) is secured to the mandrel 52 and applies force in the direction of arrow p to the push ring 58 . where the tool 50 is a packer and is set in position downhole , the components for setting the element would be part of the packer &# 39 ; s assembly so that a separate setting tool may not be used . either way , as the push ring 58 is forced downwards along the mandrel 52 , each of the slidably mounted components is also moved longitudinally downwards against the fixed gage ring 54 . a locking mechanism ( not shown ) may typically be used to hold the push ring 58 in place on the mandrel 52 once forced downward . at the same time , the sealing element 56 is longitudinally compressed and expands radially outwards to seal against both the mandrel 52 and the casing c , sealing the exterior of the mandrel 52 to fluid flow in either direction . as the sealing element 56 expands radially outward , portions of the sealing element 56 may tend to extrude longitudinally . the anti - extrusion devices 60 tend to limit the extrusion of the sealing element 56 . fig3 a - 3c depict an embodiment of an anti - extrusion device 100 according to the present disclosure . fig3 a depicts a cross - sectional view of the anti - extrusion device 100 , fig3 b depicts an end - sectional view of the anti - extrusion device 100 , and fig3 c depicts an orthographic view of the anti - extrusion device 100 . the anti - extrusion device 100 has an inner ring 110 at a proximal end or edge , a sheath 120 in a middle section , and a reinforcing ring or band 130 at a distal end or edge . the band 130 reinforces the distal edge 126 of the sheath 120 and , as noted herein , acts as anti - hooping band . the inner ring 110 is mounted on a tool &# 39 ; s mandrel , such as the mandrel 52 from fig2 , and may have fastener holes 112 or the like . if used adjacent a fixed gage ring or other component , the inner ring 110 may be fixedly held on the mandrel 52 . if used adjacent a push ring or other movable component , the inner ring 110 may be slidably mounted on the mandrel 52 . the sheath 120 extends from the inner ring 110 , and has the distal edge 126 where the reinforcing band 130 is attached . when placed on a tool prior to the tool being set , the reinforcing band 130 and the sheath 120 fit over the end of the sealing element , such as sealing element 56 from fig2 . a distal portion of the sheath 120 , nearest to the reinforcing band 130 tends to have a relatively uniform diameter for a set longitudinal distance , such as distance 128 . this distance 128 is typically the distance that the anti - extrusion device 100 overlaps the sealing element 56 . the proximal portion of the sheath 120 nearest to the inner ring 110 has a rapidly diminishing diameter where it attaches to the inner ring 110 . slots 124 are defined around the circumference of the sheath 120 . the slots 124 can be cut , formed , molded , or otherwise produced in the material of the sheath 120 . typically , the slots 124 are disposed longitudinally along the sheath 120 and may extend from the inner ring 110 to the reinforcing band 130 . the slots 124 can be full slits or perforations defined through the material of the sheath 120 . in other instances , the slots 124 may not perforate through the material of the sheath 120 . instead , the slots 124 may be creased , cut , or molded areas of reduced thickness , such as burst lines , in the sheath material so that the sheath material may break to form split slits when expanded . either way , the sheath 120 may form a number of petals 122 upon expansion of the sealing element 56 . the anti - extrusion device 100 can be composed of plastic , metal , other material , or a combination thereof . the inner ring 110 and the sheath 120 may be integrally formed as one piece , while the reinforcing band 130 can be a separate component affixed , fused , embedded , molded , or otherwise attached to the distal end of the sheath 120 . the reinforcing band 130 may in fact be formed as a metal ring with a round , flat , or other cross - section that is molded , embedded , or affixed to the distal edge 126 of the sheath 120 , which may be formed of the same or different material . in another alternative , the inner ring 110 can be a flat metal ring affixed or disposed on the proximal end of the sheath 120 . in yet another alternative , the reinforcing band 130 can be integrally formed with the sheath 120 as one piece . in fig4 , an embodiment of the anti - extrusion device 100 according to the present disclosure is depicted in a side cut away view . the sealing element 56 has been expanded against the casing c and the mandrel 52 to seal the annular area a , thereby preventing fluid flow past the tool 50 . prior to its radial expansion , the sealing element 56 and the anti - extrusion device 100 were arranged so that a portion of the sheath 120 as well as the reinforcing band 130 on the leading edge 126 of the sheath 120 overlaid a portion of the exterior of an end of the sealing element 56 . as the sealing element 56 radially expands , the sealing element 56 causes the portion of the sheath 120 to move radially outward to contact the casing c , thereby preventing the sealing element 56 from extruding past the point where the anti - extrusion device 100 contacts the casing c . as discussed previously , the leading edge 126 of the sheath 120 of the anti - extrusion device 100 is attached to the reinforcing band 130 . during run - in and after the sealing element 56 has been expanded , the reinforcing band 130 protects the leading edge 126 from snags that the leading edge 126 may encounter as it moves in the wellbore . the reinforcing band 130 also tends to limit the leading edge 126 from expanding with the sealing element 56 radially outwards to an extent towards the casing c that in certain instances may cause the anti - extrusion device 100 to have the appearance of a cresting wave in cross - section . in certain embodiments , the reinforcing band 130 may be of an expandable type of material or may be split to allow the leading edge 126 to expand at least to some extent with the sheath 120 and the sealing element 56 . it may also be desirable to have the reinforcing band 130 comprise overlapping reinforcing rings . fig5 a and 5b show another embodiment of an anti - extrusion device 100 according to the present disclosure . rather than having a separate or round reinforcing band 130 , the device 100 of fig5 a - 5b has a reinforcing area 132 at the distal edge 126 of the sheath 120 . this reinforcing area 132 is not slotted and may not have an area of reduced diameter . in some instances , this reinforcing area 132 may be radially thicker than the adjacent leading edge 126 . again , the anti - extrusion device 100 can be composed of plastic , metal , other material , or a combination thereof . the inner ring 110 and the sheath 120 may be integrally formed as one piece , while the reinforcing area 132 can be a separate component affixed , fused , embedded , molded , or otherwise attached to the distal end of the sheath 120 . the reinforcing band 130 may in fact be formed as a metal ring with a flat cross - section . also , the reinforcing band 130 may also be integrally formed with the inner ring 110 and the sheath 120 . in some instances , it may be desirable to mount multiple anti - extrusion devices 100 adjacent to one another , but have the slots 124 of each anti - extrusion device 100 offset from an adjacent anti - extrusion device 100 on the tool &# 39 ; s mandrel 52 . by mounting multiple anti - extrusion devices 100 adjacent to one another in this way , any gaps 124 between the petals 122 of one anti - extrusion device 100 can be covered by the petals 122 of the adjacent anti - extrusion device 100 . as one example , fig6 a depicts a cross - sectional view of another anti - extrusion device according to the present disclosure for use on one end of a sealing element ( not shown ). this device includes an inner device 200 disposed between an outer device 100 and the sealing element ( not shown ). the outer device 100 can be similar to those disclosed above having the reinforcing ring or band 130 . the inner device 200 can also be the same and can have such a reinforcing band ( not shown ). as depicted in fig6 a , however , the inner device 200 may lack a reinforcing band . instead , as best shown in the isolated perspective of fig6 b , the inner anti - extrusion device 200 includes an inner ring 210 at a proximal end and a sheath 220 at an opposing end . the inner ring 210 is mounted on a tool &# 39 ; s mandrel , such as the mandrel 52 from fig2 , and may have fastener holes 212 or the like . if used adjacent a fixed gage ring or other component , the inner ring 210 may be fixedly held on the mandrel 52 . if used adjacent a push ring or other movable component , the inner ring may be slidable mounted on the mandrel 52 . the sheath 220 extends from the inner ring 210 and has a distal edge 226 . when placed on a tool prior to the tool being set , the distal edge 226 and the sheath 220 fit over the end of the sealing element , such as sealing element 56 from fig2 . as shown , the distal edge 226 of the sheath 220 lacks a reinforcing ring in this embodiment . instead , the slots 224 ( e . g ., slits or burst lines ) are defined on the sheath 220 from the inner ring 210 to the device &# 39 ; s distal edge 226 so that the inner device 200 has a number of free petals 222 . with the inner device 200 disposed inside of the outer device 100 as shown in fig6 a , the inner device &# 39 ; s distal edge 226 is preferably shorter than the extent of the outer device 100 . in this way , the reinforcing band 130 on the outer device 100 can overlap further on the sealing element ( not shown ) when disposed adjacent thereto . as further noted above and as shown in fig6 a , the slots 224 ( slits or burst lines ) in the inner sheath 220 are preferably radially misaligned with the slots 124 ( slits or burst lines ) in the outer sheath 120 , although other arrangements are possible . for instance , the inner and outer devices 100 and 200 may have different numbers of slots 124 and 224 and may be offset from one another in different configurations . the foregoing description of preferred and other embodiments is not intended to limit or restrict the scope or applicability of the inventive concepts conceived of by the applicants . it will be appreciated with the benefit of the present disclosure that features described above in accordance with any embodiment or aspect of the disclosed subject matter can be utilized , either alone or in combination , with any other described feature , in any other embodiment or aspect of the disclosed subject matter . in exchange for disclosing the inventive concepts contained herein , the applicants desire all patent rights afforded by the appended claims . therefore , it is intended that the appended claims include all modifications and alterations to the full extent that they come within the scope of the following claims or the equivalents thereof .
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in the drawings , the thickness of layers and regions are exaggerated for clarity . embodiments of the present invention are described herein with reference to cross - section illustrations that are schematic illustrations of idealized embodiments of the present invention . as such , variations from the shapes of the illustrations as a result , for example , of manufacturing techniques and / or tolerances , are to be expected . as shown in fig1 and 3 , an lcd according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention includes a liquid crystal ( lc ) panel assembly 300 , an image scanning driver 400 , an image data driver 500 , a sensing signal processor 800 , a gray voltage generator 550 coupled to the image data driver 500 , a contact determiner 700 coupled to the sensing signal processor 800 , and a signal controller 600 for controlling the above - referenced elements as described further herein . referring to fig1 to 5 , the lc panel assembly 300 , in an equivalent circuital view , includes a plurality of signal lines g 1 - g n and d 1 - d m , a plurality of pixels px , a plurality of sensor signal lines sy 1 - sy n , sx 1 - sx m , and rl , and a plurality of sensing units su , a plurality of sensor signal output units sout connected to the sensor signal lines sy 1 - sy n and sx 1 - sx m , respectively , and a plurality of output data lines oy 1 - oy n and ox 1 - ox m . the pixels px are connected to the signal lines g 1 - g n and d 1 - d m and are arranged substantially in a matrix , and the sensing units su are connected to the sensor signal lines sy 1 - sy n , sx 1 - sx m , and rl and are arranged substantially in a matrix . the panel assembly 300 , in a structural view shown in fig2 and 6 , includes a thin film transistor array panel 100 , a common electrode panel 200 , a liquid crystal layer 3 interposed therebetween , and a plurality of spacers ( not shown ). the spacers form a gap between the panels 100 and 200 and are transformed by pressure applied from the outside . the signal lines g 1 - g n and d 1 - d m include a plurality of image scanning lines g 1 - g n for transmitting image scanning signals and a plurality of image data lines d 1 - d m for transmitting image data signals . the sensor signal lines sy 1 - sy n , sx 1 - sx m , and rl include a plurality of horizontal and vertical sensor scanning lines sy 1 - sy n and sx 1 - sx m for transmitting sensor data signals and a plurality of reference voltage lines rl for transmitting reference voltages . the reference voltage lines rl may be omitted if necessary . as shown in fig1 and 3 , the image scanning lines g 1 - g n and the horizontal sensor data lines sy 1 - sy n extend substantially in a row direction and are substantially parallel to each other , while the image data lines d 1 - d m and the vertical sensor data lines sx 1 - sx m extend substantially in a column direction and are substantially parallel to each other . the reference lines rl extend substantially in the row direction or in the column direction . referring to fig2 , each pixel px , for example a pixel px in the i - th row ( i = 1 , 2 , . . . , n ) and the j - th column ( j = 1 , 2 , . . . , m ), is connected to signal lines g i and d j and includes a switching element q connected to the signal lines g 1 - g n and d 1 - d m , and an lc capacitor c lc and a storage capacitor c st that are connected to the switching element q . however , it will be understood that the storage capacitor c st may be omitted . the switching element q , such as a tft , is provided on the lower panel 100 and has three terminals : a control terminal connected to one of the image scanning lines g 1 - g n ; an input terminal connected to one of the image data lines d 1 - d m ; and an output terminal connected to the lc capacitor c lc and the storage capacitor c st . the tft may be made of amorphous silicon or poly crystalline silicon . the lc capacitor c lc includes a pixel electrode 191 provided on the tft array panel 100 and a common electrode 270 provided on the common electrode panel 200 , as two terminals . the lc layer 3 disposed between the two electrodes 191 and 270 functions as a dielectric of the lc capacitor c lc . the pixel electrode 191 is connected to the switching element q , and the common electrode 270 is supplied with a common voltage vcom and covers an entire surface of the common electrode panel 200 . while shown on the common electrode panel 200 in fig2 for illustrative purposes , it will be understood that the common electrode 270 may be provided on the tft array panel 100 , and both electrodes 191 and 270 may have shapes comprising , e . g ., bars or stripes . the storage capacitor c st is an auxiliary capacitor for the lc capacitor c lc . the storage capacitor c st includes the pixel electrode 191 and a separate signal line ( not shown ), which is provided on the lower panel 100 , overlaps the pixel electrode 191 via an insulator ( not shown ), and is supplied with a predetermined voltage such as the common voltage vcom . in alternative embodiments , the storage capacitor c st includes the pixel electrode 191 and an adjacent image scanning line ( one of g 1 - g n ), called a previous image scanning line , which overlaps the pixel electrode 191 via an insulator . for color display , each pixel px uniquely represents one of various colors ( i . e ., spatial division ) or each pixel px sequentially represents the colors ( e . g ., primary colors ) in turn ( i . e ., temporal division ) such that a spatial or temporal sum of the colors is recognized as a desired color . an example of a set of the colors includes primary colors of red , green , and blue . fig2 shows an example of the spatial division in which each pixel px includes a color filter 230 representing one of the colors in an area of the upper panel 200 facing the pixel electrode 191 . in alternative exemplary embodiments , the color filter 230 is provided on or under the pixel electrode 191 on the tft array panel 100 . one or more polarizers ( not shown ) are attached to at least one of the panels 100 and 200 . referring to fig4 , each of the sensing units su includes a variable capacitor cv connected to a horizontal or vertical sensor data line that is represented as a drawing reference “ sl ”, and a reference capacitor cp connected between the sensor data line sl and a reference voltage line rl . the reference capacitor cp is formed between the reference voltage line rl of the tft array panel 100 and the sensor data line sl via an insulator . the variable capacitor cv includes the sensor data line sl of the tft array panel 100 and the common electrode 270 provided on the common electrode panel 200 as two terminals , and an lc layer 3 interposed therebetween , which functions as an insulator . the capacitance of the variable capacitor cv varies by external stimulus such as the user touching the lc panel assembly 300 . an example of the external stimulus is pressure , and when the pressure is applied to the common electrode panel 200 , the distance between the two terminals of the variable capacitor cv varies under the applied pressure , changing the capacitance of variable capacitor cv . the variation of the capacitance of the variable capacitor cv , varies the voltage vn ( referred to as “ a touch voltage ”) at the point of contact between reference capacitor cp and variable capacitor cv . the touch voltage vn applied to sensor data line sl is a sensor data signal that indicates whether or not contact is made . at this time , since the reference capacitor cp has a predetermined capacitance and the reference voltage applied to the reference capacitor cp is also fixed , the touch voltage vn is varied within a constant range . thereby , the sensor data signal is varied within the constant range , and whether contact is made , and if so a contact position , are easily determined . one sensing unit su is disposed for two adjacent pixels px . the concentration of a pair of the sensing units su disposed adjacent to an intersected area of the corresponding sensor data lines sy 1 - sy n and sx 1 - sx m , may be , for example , about ¼ of the concentration of the “ dots ”, where the term “ dot ” includes a set of different colored pixels px and is the basic unit for representing color and determining the resolution of the lcd . the set of pixels px may includes a red pixel , a green pixel , and a blue pixel sequentially arranged in a row . alternatively , the set of pixels px may include a red pixel , a green pixel , a blue pixel , and a white pixel . as an example of the pair of the sensing units su having about ¼ concentration of the concentration of the dots , concentrations in horizontal and vertical directions of the sensing units su are about half the concentrations of horizontal and vertical directions of the pixels px , respectively . in this case , there may be pixel rows and pixel columns without the sensing units su . an lcd having the concentration of sensing units su and dots as above - described may be required in various application fields for high letter recognition and accuracy . the concentration of sensing units su may be varied if necessary . by disposing the sensing units su according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention , the space occupied by the sensing units su and the sensor data lines sl may advantageously be lower than the concentration of pixels px , thereby minimizing the decrementation of the optical aperture . the sensor signal output units sout have substantially similar structure and will be described with reference to fig5 . in fig5 , for convenience , one sensor signal line sl ( in fig3 , sy 1 - sy n , sx 1 - sx m ) is connected to one sensing unit su , but in reality , it is connected to a plurality of sensing units su . referring to fig5 , the sensor signal output unit sout includes first and second reset transistors qr 1 and qr 2 and an output transistor qs . transistors qr 1 , qr 2 , and qs , such as thin film transistors , etc ., have three terminals , respectively . that is , the first reset transistor qr 1 has a control terminal connected to reset control signal rst 1 , an input terminal connected to a reset voltage vr 1 , and an output terminal connected to a sensor signal line sl . the second reset transistor qr 2 has a control terminal connected to a reset control signal rst 2 , an input terminal connected to a reset voltage vr 2 , and an output terminal connected to the sensor signal line sl . output transistor qs also has a control terminal connected to the sensor data line sl , an input terminal connected to an input voltage vdd , and an output terminal connected to an output data line ol ( in fig3 , oy 1 - oy n , ox 1 - ox m ). output data lines oy 1 - oy n and ox 1 - ox m include a plurality of horizontal and vertical output data lines oy 1 - oy n and ox 1 - ox m connected to horizontal and vertical sensor data lines through the corresponding sensor signal output units sout , respectively . output data lines oy 1 - oy n and ox 1 - 0 x m are connected to the sensing signal processor 800 , and transmit the output signals from the sensor signal output units sout to the sensing signal processor 800 . the horizontal and vertical output data lines oy 1 - oy n and ox 1 - ox m extend almost in a longitudinal direction , and are substantially parallel to each other . referring again to fig1 and 3 , gray voltage generator 550 generates two sets of gray voltages ( or reference gray voltages ) related to the transmittance of the pixels . the gray voltages in the first set have a positive polarity with respect to the common voltage vcom , while the gray voltages in the second set have a negative polarity with respect to the common voltage vcom . the image scanning driver 400 in fig1 is connected to the image scanning lines g 1 - g n of the panel assembly 300 , and synthesizes a first high voltage and a first low voltage to generate the image scanning signals for application to the image scanning lines g 1 - g n . image data driver 500 in fig1 is connected to the image data lines d 1 - d m of the panel assembly 300 , and applies image data signals selected from the gray voltages to the image data lines d 1 - d m . however , it will be understood that the image data driver 500 may generate gray voltages for both sets of gray voltages by dividing the reference gray voltages and selecting the data voltages from the generated gray voltages when the gray voltage generator 550 generates reference gray voltages . as shown in fig3 , sensing signal processor 800 is connected to output data lines oy 1 - oy n and ox 1 - ox m of the lc panel assembly 300 , and is provided with the output signals transmitted through the output data lines oy 1 - oy n and ox 1 - ox m . after signal processing such as amplifying , etc ., to generate analog sensing signals , the sensing signal processor 800 converts the analog sensing signals into digital sensing signals using an analog - digital converter , etc ., to generate digital sensing signals dsn . contact determiner 700 is provided with the digital sensing signals dsn from the sensing signal processor 800 , processes predetermined operations to determine whether contact is made , and if so , a contact position is output to an external device as contact information . contact determiner 700 senses the operations of sensing units su based on the digital sensing signals dsn and control signals applied to the sensing units . signal controller 600 controls image scanning driver 400 , image data driver 500 , gray voltage generator 550 , and sensing signal processor 800 , etc . referring to fig1 and 3 , each of the aforementioned units 400 , 500 , 550 , 600 , 700 , and 800 may include at least one integrated circuit ( ic ) chip mounted on the lc panel assembly 300 or on a flexible printed circuit ( fpc ) film as a tape carrier package ( tcp ) type , which are attached to the panel assembly 300 . in alternative embodiments , at least one of the units 400 , 500 , 550 , 600 , 700 , and 800 may be integrated with the panel assembly 300 along with the signal lines g 1 - g n , d 1 - d m , sy 1 - sy n , sx 1 - sx m , oy 1 - oy n , ox 1 - ox m , and rl , and the switching elements q . referring to fig6 , the lc array panel assembly 300 is divided into a display area p 1 , a periphery area p 2 , and exposed area p 3 . most of pixels px , the sensing units su , and signal lines g 1 - g n , d 1 - d m , sy 1 - sy n , sx 1 - sx m , and rl are disposed in the display area p . the common electrode panel 200 includes a light blocking member ( not shown ) such as a black matrix , and the light blocking member substantially covers the periphery area p 2 to block light from the outside . in addition , the sensor signal output units sout and the output data lines oy 1 - oy n and ox 1 - ox m are mainly disposed in the periphery area p 2 . the size of the common electrode panel 200 is less than that of the tft array panel 100 such that portions of the tft array panel 100 are exposed to form the exposed area p 3 . a single chip 610 is mounted onto the exposed area p 3 and a fpc ( flexible printed circuit board ) substrate 620 is attached thereon . the chip 610 includes operating units , that is , the image scanning driver 400 , the image data driver 500 , the gray voltage generator 550 , the signal controller 600 , the contact determiner 700 , and the sensing signal processor 800 . the units 400 , 500 , 550 , 600 , 700 , and 800 may be integrated into the single chip 610 to decrease the occupied size of the units 400 , 500 , 550 , 600 , 700 , and 800 and consumption power . if necessary , at least one of the units 400 , 500 , 550 , 600 , 700 , and 800 or at least one circuit element thereof may be located outside of the single ic chip . the image signal lines g 1 - g n and d 1 - d m and the output data lines oy 1 - oy n and ox 1 - ox m extend to the exposed area p 3 and are connected to the corresponding units 400 , 500 , and 800 . the fpc substrate 620 receives signals from an external device and transmits the signals to the single chip 610 or lc panel assembly 300 . the fpc substrate 620 mainly has connectors for easily contacting the external device at end portions thereof . operation of the lcd will now be described in accordance with exemplary embodiments . the signal controller 600 is supplied with input image signals r , g , and b and input control signals for controlling the display thereof , from an external graphics controller ( not shown ). the input image signals r , g , and b contain luminance information of each pixel px , and the luminance has a predetermined number of grays , for example 1024 (= 2 10 ), 256 (= 2 8 ), or 64 (= 2 6 ). the input control signals include a vertical synchronization signal vsync , a horizontal synchronization signal hsync , a main clock signal mclk , a data enable signal de , etc . on the basis of the input control signals and the input image signals r , g , and b , the signal controller 600 generates image scanning control signals cont 1 , image data control signals cont 2 , and sensor data control signals cont 3 , and it processes the image signals r , g , and b to be suitable for the operation of the panel assembly 300 . the signal controller 600 sends the image scanning control signals cont 1 to the image scanning driver 400 , the processed image signals dat and the image data control signals cont 2 to the image data driver 500 , and the sensor data control signals cont 3 to the sensing signal processor 800 . the image scanning control signals cont 1 include an image scanning start signal stv for instructing start of an image scanning operation , and at least one clock signal for controlling the output time of the first high voltage . the image scanning control signals cont 1 may include an output enable signal oe for defining the duration of the first high voltage . the image data control signals cont 2 include a horizontal synchronization start signal sth for informing of the start of image data transmission for a group of pixels px , a load signal load for instructing application of the image data signals to the image data lines d 1 - d m , and a data clock signal hclk . the image data control signals cont 2 may further include an inversion signal rvs for reversing the polarity of the image data signals ( e . g ., with respect to the common voltage vcom ). responsive to the image data control signals cont 2 from the signal controller 600 , the image data driver 500 receives a packet of the digital image data dat for the group of pixels px from the signal controller 600 , and receives one of the two sets of the gray voltages supplied from the gray voltage generator 550 . the image data driver 500 converts the processed image signals dat into analog image data voltages selected from the gray voltages supplied from the gray voltage generator 550 , and applies the image data voltages to the image data lines d 1 - d m . the image scanning driver 400 applies a gate - on voltage von to the image scanning lines g 1 - g n in response to receiving the image scanning control signals cont 1 from the signal controller 600 , thereby turning on the switching elements q connected thereto . the image data voltages applied to the image data lines d 1 - d m are supplied to the pixels px through the activated switching elements q . the difference between the voltage of an image data signal and the common voltage vcom is represented as a voltage across the lc capacitor c lc , which is referred to as a pixel voltage . the lc molecules in the lc capacitor c lc have orientations depending on the magnitude of the pixel voltage , and the molecular orientations determine the polarization of light passing through the lc layer 3 . the polarizer ( s ) converts light polarization into light transmittance to display images . by repeating this procedure for each unit of the horizontal period ( also referred to as “ 1 h ”, which is equal to one period of the horizontal synchronization signal hsync and the data enable signal de ), all image scanning lines g 1 - g n are sequentially supplied with the first high voltage , thereby applying the image data signals to all pixels px to display an image for a frame . when the next frame starts after one frame finishes , the inversion control signal rvs applied to the image data driver 500 is controlled such that the polarity of the data voltages is reversed ( which is referred to herein as “ frame inversion ”). the inversion control signal rvs may also be controlled such that the polarity of the image data signals flowing in an image data line is periodically reversed during one frame ( for example , row inversion and dot inversion ), or the polarity of the image data signals in one packet is reversed ( for example , column inversion and dot inversion ). the sensing signal processor 800 reads the sensor data signals through the output data lines oy 1 - oy n and ox 1 - ox m in a porch period between two adjacent frames in accordance with the sensor data control signals cont 3 every frame . this is to decrease the influence of driving signals on sensor data signals from the imager scanning driver 400 and the image data driver 500 , etc ., such that reliability of the sensor data signals is increased . however , the reading of the sensor data signals by the sensing signal processor 800 is not necessarily performed every frame , and if necessary , it may be performed once for a plurality of frames . furthermore , the reading of the sensor data signals may be performed twice and more in one porch period . when a period of reading the sensor data signals by the sensing signal processor 800 ends , the sensor signal output units sout transmit the sensor data signals form the sensor data lines sy 1 - sy n and sx 1 - sx m to the output data lines oy 1 - oy n and ox 1 - ox m . operations of the sensor signal output units sout will be described with reference to fig7 . fig7 is a timing chart for the sensing operation of a sensor signal output unit according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention . referring to fig7 , an lcd reads sensing signals in the porch period between two adjacent frames as described above , and in particular , preferably in the front porch period before the vertical synchronization signal vsync . the common voltage vcom has a high level and a low level , and swings between the high level and the low level in about 1 h . the first and second reset control signals rst 1 and rst 2 have a turn - on voltage ton and a turn - off voltage toff for turning on and turning off the transistors rst 1 and rst 2 , respectively . the turn - on voltage ton may be the gate - on voltage von and the turn - off voltage toff may be the gate - off voltage voff . the turn - on voltage ton of the first reset control signal rst 1 is applied when the common voltage vcom has a high level . sl ( in fig3 , sy 1 - sy n , sx 1 - sx m ), the turn - on voltage ton is applied to the control terminal of the first reset transistor qr 1 to make the first reset transistor qr 1 turn on . thereby , the reset voltage vr 1 applied to the input terminal of the first reset transistor qr 1 is applied to the sensor data line sl to initialize the state of the sensor data line sl by the reset voltage vr 1 . after the above - described initializing of the sensor data line sl , the sensor signal output unit sout outputs a sensor data signal from the corresponding sensor data line sl . then , when the first reset control signal rst 1 has a turn - off voltage in synchronization with finishing of the initializing of the sensor data line sl , the state of the sensor data line sl is floated , and thereby a voltage applied to the control terminal of the output transistor qs is varied based on the capacitance variation of the variable capacitor cv and the variation of the common voltage vcom , responsive to whether or not contact occurs . the current amount of the output transistor qs is varied on the basis of the variation of the voltage , and thereby the sensing signal having a magnitude defined by the current amount is output through the output data line ol ( in fig3 , oy 1 - oy n and ox 1 - ox m ). thereby , the sensing signal processor 800 reads the sensing signal applied from the sensor data line sl . the sensor data signal is preferably read within about 1 h after the state of the first reset control signal rst 1 is changed into the turn - off voltage toff . that is , the sensing signal is preferably read before the common voltage vcom has a high level again since the sensing signal is varied by the level variation of the common voltage vcom . since the sensor data signal is varied based on the reset voltage vr 1 , the sensor data signal has a constant voltage range , and thereby whether contact occurs , and if so a contact position , are easily determined . after the sensing signal processor 800 reads the sensing signal , the state of the second reset control signal rst 2 is changed from the turn - off voltage toff to the turn - on voltage ton to turn on the second reset transistor qr 2 . thereby , the second reset voltage vr 2 is applied to the sensor data line sl . at this time , the state of the second reset voltage vr 2 becomes a ground voltage gnd such that the sensor data line sl is reset by the ground voltage gnd . the second reset voltage vr 2 is maintained until the next first reset voltage vr 1 is applied to the sensor data line sl . thereby , since the output transistor qs maintain the turn - off state until the next first reset voltage vr 1 is applied , power consumption of the output transistor qs by unnecessary operations decreases . the turn - on voltage ton of the first reset control signal rts 1 may be applied when the common voltage vcom has a low level , and at this time it is preferable that the sensing signal processor 800 reads the sensing signal before the common voltage vcom has a low level again . also , the first reset control signal rts 1 may be synchronized with an image scanning signal applied to the final image scanning line g . the second reset control signal rts 2 may have a turn - on voltage ton right next to an approximate 1 h or in any subsequent approximate 1 h after the sensing signal is read . then , the sensing signal processor 800 processes , for example amplifies , etc ., the read sensor data signals using an amplifier ( not shown ) and converts them into digital sensing signals dsn to output to the contact determiner 700 . the contact determiner 700 suitably operates the received digital sensing signals dsn and determines whether contact occurs , and if so , determines a contact position to output the contact information to an external device . the external device transmits the image signals r , g , and b to an lcd based on the contact information from the contact determiner 700 . next , for the lcd in which the image displaying and the sensing are performed as described , a visual inspecting ( vi ) method for inspecting states of the sensor signal output units sout will be described . first , referring to fig8 , construction of the lc panel assembly for inspecting the states of the sensor signal output units sout will be described . fig8 is a schematic layout view of an lc panel assembly on which a plurality of inspection switching elements , a plurality of inspection lines , and a plurality of inspection pads for inspecting a sensor signal output unit are formed according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention . referring to fig8 , an lc panel assembly ( not shown ) for inspecting states of the sensor signal output units sout includes a plurality of inspection switching elements ty 1 - ty n and tx 1 - tx m , a signal line l 1 , an inspection pad ip 3 , an inspection lines l 2 and l 3 . the inspection switching elements ty 1 - ty n and tx 1 - tx m include the inspection switching elements ty 1 - ty n between the output data lines oy 1 - oy n and the adjacent image scanning lines g 1 - g n and the inspection switching elements tx 1 - tx m between the output data lines ox 1 - ox m and the adjacent image data lines d 1 - d m . that is , each of the switching elements ty 1 - ty n includes an input terminal connected to the corresponding output data line oy 1 - oy n , an output terminal connected to the subsequent image scanning line g 1 - g n adjacent thereto , and a control terminal connected to the inspection line l 2 , and each of the switching elements tx 1 - tx m includes an input terminal connected to the corresponding output data line ox 1 - ox m , an output terminal connected to the subsequent image data line d 1 - d m adjacent thereto , and an control terminal connected to the inspection line l 2 . the signal line l 1 transmits a switching element off voltage vss from the single chip 610 . the inspection pad ip 3 is connected to the signal line l 1 and the inspection line l 2 . the inspection line l 3 is connected to the inspection line l 2 through a contact point c 3 . in addition , under the single chip 610 , inspection lines il 1 and il 2 , inspection pads ip 1 and ip 2 , an output pad vp , and a plurality of input pads px 1 - px m and py 1 - py m are formed . the inspection line il 1 is connected to the odd - numbered image data lines d 1 , d 3 , . . . through contact points c 1 , and the inspection line il 2 is connected to the even - numbered image data lines d 2 , d 4 , . . . through contact points c 2 . the inspection pad ip 1 is connected to the inspection line il 1 and the inspection pad ip 2 is connected to the inspection line il 2 . the output pad vp is connected to the signal line l 1 and outputs the switching element off voltage v ss , and the input pads py 1 - py n and px 1 - px m are connected to the output data lines oy 1 - oy n and ox 1 - ox m , respectively . the switching elements ty 1 - ty n and tx 1 - tx m , the signal line l 1 , the inspection lines l 2 and l 3 , and the inspection pad ip 3 are formed on the periphery area p 2 . next , the vi method will be described . before the inspecting of the sensor signal output units sout , the states of the pixels px , the image scanning lines g 1 - g n , and image data lines d 1 - d m are inspected . since the vi methods to the image scanning lines g 1 - g n and the image data lines d 1 - d m are very similar , the vi method for the image data lines d 1 - d m with reference to fig8 will only be described and the vi method for the image scanning lines g 1 - g n will be omitted . in this case , it is assumed that the states of the image scanning lines g 1 - g n are normal . after manufacturing the lc panel assembly , a gate - on voltage von is applied to all the image scanning lines g 1 - g n using a test apparatus ( not shown ) to turn on the switching elements q of the pixels px . the single chip 610 is not mounted on the lc panel assembly . in this state , when an image data line test signal is applied to the inspection pad ip 1 using a probe of the test apparatus , the test signal is transmitted to image data lines , that is , the odd - numbered image data lines d 1 , d 3 , . . . through the inspection line il 1 and the contact portion c 1 . thereby , the pixels connected to the image scanning lines supplied with the gate - on voltage von represent brightness corresponding to a voltage value of the image data test signal . subsequently , an inspector examines the display status such as for brightness of pixels by eye to check for disconnection of the image data lines and the operation of the lcd , and then stops the application of the test signal . next , when an image data line test signal is applied to the inspection pad ip 2 using the probe of the test apparatus , the test signal is transmitted to image data lines , that is , the even - numbered image data lines d 2 , d 4 , . . . through the inspection line il 2 and the contact portion c 2 . the inspector examines the display status such as for brightness of pixels by eye to check for disconnection of the image scanning lines and image data lines and the operation of the lcd , and then stops the application of the test signal . when the vi methods for all the image lines d 1 - d m are finished , the inspection lines il 1 and il 2 interconnecting the inspection pads ip 1 and ip 2 and the image data lines d 1 - d m , respectively , are cut along a cutting line l 11 using an appropriate apparatus such as a laser trimming device . next , an inspecting method to the sensor signal output units sout will be described . first , operations for inspecting states of the first reset transistors qr 1 and the output transistors qs of the sensor signal output units sout will be described . using a test apparatus , voltages of which each has a high level , for example gate - on voltages von , are applied to the input terminals and the control terminals of the first reset transistors qr 1 and the input terminals of the output transistors qs , and voltages of which each has a low voltage , for example gate - off voltages voff , are applied to the input terminals and the control terminals of the second reset transistors qr 2 . thereby , the first reset transistors qr 1 and the output transistors qs are turned on . next , a test signal is applied to the inspection pad ip 3 using the test apparatus , to turn on the switching elements ty 1 - ty n and tx 1 - tx m . thereby , the gate - on voltages von through the respective turned - on output transistors qs are applied to the image scanning lines g 1 - g n and the image data lines d 1 - d m through the respective turned - on switching elements ty 1 - ty n and tx 1 - tx m , respectively as gate - on voltages of the switching elements q and data signals of the image data lines d 1 - d m , to operate the pixels px . at this time , when the first reset transistors qr 1 or the output transistors qs of the sensor signal output units sout connected to the horizontal sensor data lines sy 1 - sy n are abnormal , the gate - on voltages are not applied to the corresponding image scanning lines g 1 - g n such that the corresponding pixels px are not operated . furthermore , when the first reset transistors qr 1 or the output transistors qs of the sensor signal output units sout connected to the vertical sensor data lines sx - sx m are abnormal , the gate - on voltages are not applied to the corresponding image data lines g 1 - g n as data signals such the corresponding pixel columns represent different brightness from normal pixel columns . thereby , the inspector examines the pixel operation status or the display status such as for brightness of pixels by eye to check states the sensor signal output units sout or sensor data lines sy 1 - sy n and sx 1 - sx m , and then stops the application of the test signal . next , operations for inspecting states of the second reset transistors qr 2 of the sensor signal output units sout will be described . using the test apparatus , the voltages applied to the input terminal and the control terminal of the first reset transistors qr 1 are changed into the gate - off voltages voff of a low level , and the gate - on voltages von of a high level are applied to the input terminals of the output transistors qs . the gate - on voltages von are also applied to the input terminals and the control terminals of the second reset transistors qr 2 . thereby , the first reset transistors qr 1 are turned off , and the second reset transistors qr 2 and the output transistors qs are turned on . at this time , it is assumed that the output transistors qs are normal because of the vi performed previously . next , using the test apparatus , a test signal for turning on the inspection switching elements ty 1 - ty n and tx 1 - tx m is applied to the inspection pad ip 3 . thereby , pixels px operate by signals applied to the respective image scanning lines g 1 - g n and the image data lines d 1 - d m through the turned - on switching elements ty 1 - ty n and tx 1 - tx m . at this time , when the second reset transistors qr 2 of the sensor signal output units sout connected to the horizontal sensor data lines sy 1 - sy n are abnormal , the output transistors qs are not turned on such that the gate - on voltages are not applied to the corresponding image scanning lines g 1 - g n , and thereby the pixels px of the corresponding pixel rows are not operated . furthermore , when the second reset transistors qr 2 of the sensor signal output units sout connected to the vertical sensor data lines sx - sx m are abnormal , the gate - on voltages are not applied to the corresponding image data lines g 1 - g n , and thereby the corresponding pixel columns represent different brightness from normal pixel columns . thereby , the inspector examines the pixel operation status or the display status such as for brightness of pixels by eye to check states of the output transistors qs of the sensor signal output units sout , and then stops the application of the test signal . when the vi is finished for all the sensor signal output units sout , the single chip 610 is mounted on the lc panel assembly . then , the single chip 610 outputs a switching element off voltage vss through the output pad vp . the switching element off voltage v ss is applied to the inspection lines l 2 and l 3 through the signal line l 1 and the inspection pad ip 3 such that the switching elements ty 1 - ty n and tx 1 - tx m maintain the turned - off state . thereby , the pixels px are operated by the controlling of the single chip 610 . next , referring to fig9 , a vi method of the sensor signal output units sout according to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention will be described . fig9 is a schematic layout view of an lc panel assembly on which a plurality of inspection switching elements , a plurality of inspection lines , and a plurality of inspection pads for inspecting a sensor signal output unit are formed according to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention . as compared with fig8 , a sensing signal processor 800 in fig9 is not integrated on the single chip 610 ′, but is manufactured as a separate chip to be mounted on the lc panel assembly . thereby , as shown in fig9 , the input pads py 1 - py n and px 1 - px m are formed on the sensing signal processor 800 , of which each is connected to a corresponding output data line oy 1 - oy n and ox 1 - ox m . furthermore , as compared with fig8 , an output pad vp 12 is further formed under the single chip 610 ′, as well as an output pad vp 11 for outputting a switching element off voltage vss to the inspection pad ip 3 . the output pad vp 12 transmits the switching element off voltage vss to an inspection line l 2 . except for the above description , the construction shown in fig9 is substantially the same as that shown in fig8 , and thereby the elements performing the same operations are indicated as the same reference numerals , and a detailed description thereof is omitted . next , a vi method for inspecting states of the sensor signal output units sout will be described . the vi method according to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention is very similar to the vi method described with reference to fig8 . as above - described , in a state in which the single chip 610 ′ and the sensing signal processor 800 are not mounted on the lc panel assembly , after inspecting the states of the pixels px , the image scanning lines g 1 - g n , and the image data lines d 1 - d m using a vi method , the inspection lines il 1 and il 2 connected between the inspection pads ip 1 and ip 2 and the image data lines d 1 - d m are cut along the cutting line l 11 using an appropriate apparatus such as a laser trimming device . next , an inspecting method to the sensor signal output units sout will be described . first , operations for inspecting states of the first reset transistors qr 1 and the output transistors qs of the sensor signal output units sout will be described . using a test apparatus , gate - on voltages of a high level are applied to the input terminals and the control terminals of the first reset transistors qr 1 and the input terminals of the output transistors qs such that the first reset transistors qr 1 and the output transistors qs are turned on , and gate - off voltage of a low level are applied to the input terminals and the control terminals of the second reset transistors qr 2 such that the second reset transistors qr 2 are turned off . next , a test signal is applied to the inspection pad ip 3 using the test apparatus , to turn on the switching elements ty 1 - ty n and tx 1 - tx m . thereby , the gate - on voltages von through the respective turned - on output transistors qs are applied to the image scanning lines g 1 - g n and the image data lines d 1 - d m through the respective turned - on switching elements ty 1 - ty n and tx 1 - tx m , respectively , to operate the pixels px . that is , when the first reset transistors qr 1 or the output transistors qs of the sensor signal output units sout connected to the horizontal sensor data lines sy 1 - sy n are abnormal , the corresponding pixels px are not operated . furthermore , when the first reset transistors qr 1 or the output transistors qs of the sensor signal output units sout connected to the vertical sensor data lines sx - sx m are abnormal , the corresponding pixel columns represent different brightness from normal pixel columns . thereby , the inspector examines the pixel operation status or the display status such as for brightness of pixels by eye to check states the first reset transistors qr 1 or the output transistors qs , and then stops the application of the test signal that is applied to the sensor signal output units sout and the inspection pad ip 3 . next , operations for inspecting states of the second reset transistors qr 2 of the sensor signal output units sout will be described . using the test apparatus , the gate - off voltages of a low level are applied to the input terminal and the control terminal of the first reset transistors qr 1 , and the gate - on voltages von of a high level are applied to the input terminals of the output transistors qs . the gate - on voltages von are also applied to the input terminals and the control terminals of the second reset transistors qr 2 . thereby , the first reset transistors qr 1 are turned off , and the second reset transistors qr 2 and the output transistors qs are turned on . at this time , it is assumed that the output transistors qs are normal . next , using the test apparatus , a test signal for turning on the inspection switching elements ty 1 - ty n and tx 1 - tx m is applied to the inspection pad ip 3 . thereby , pixels px operate by signals applied to the respective image scanning lines g 1 - g n and the image data lines d 1 - d m through the turned - on switching elements ty 1 - ty n and tx 1 - tx m . at this time , when the second reset transistors qr 2 of the sensor signal output units sout connected to the horizontal sensor data lines sy 1 - sy n are abnormal , the pixels px of the corresponding pixel rows are not operated , and when the second reset transistors qr 2 of the sensor signal output units sout connected to the vertical sensor data lines sx - sx m are abnormal , the corresponding pixel columns represent different brightness from normal pixel columns . thereby , the inspector examines the pixel operation status or the display status such as for brightness of pixels by eye to check states of the output transistors qs of the sensor signal output units sout , and then stops the application of the test signal . when the vi is finished for all the sensor signal output units sout , the single chip 610 ′ and the sensing signal processor 800 are mounted on the lc panel assembly . then , the single chip 610 ′ and the sensing signal processor 800 output a switching element off voltage vss through the output pads vp 11 and vp 12 , respectively . the switching element off voltage v ss is applied to the inspection lines l 2 and l 3 through the signal line l 1 and the inspection pad ip 3 such that the switching elements ty 1 - ty n and tx 1 - tx m maintain the turned - off state . thereby , the pixels px are normally operated by the controlling of the single chip 610 ′ and the sensing signal processor 800 , etc . next , referring to fig1 , when the concentrations of the pixels and the sensing units are different , a connection between the inspection switching elements and the image scanning and image data lines will be described . fig1 is an equivalent circuit diagram illustrating a connection between the inspection switching elements and the image scanning and image data lines when the concentrations of the pixels and the sensing units are different , in testing the sensor signal output units according to embodiments of the present invention . as shown in fig1 , the concentration of the sensing units su is less than that of the pixels px such that sensor data lines sx 1 , sx 2 , . . . , sy 1 , sy 2 , . . . are disposed for each predetermined of number pixel rows and columns , for example every two successive pixel rows ( hereinafter referred to as “ a pixel row group ”) and two successive pixel columns ( hereinafter referred to as “ a pixel column group ”). in this case , the inspection switching elements tx 1 - tx m have the output terminals connected to the respective image data lines d 1 - d m and the control terminals connected to the inspection line l 3 , and the inspection switching elements ty 1 - ty n have the output terminals connected to the respective image data lines g 1 - g n and the control terminals connected to the inspection line l 2 . that is , the switching elements ty 1 - ty n and tx 1 - tx m are respectively connected to one image scanning line g 1 - g n and one image data lines d 1 - d m . however , the switching elements tx 1 - tx m and ty 1 - ty n included in the same pixel row groups and the same pixel column groups are respectively connected to the same output data lines ox 1 - ox m and oy 1 - oy n , through the output terminals . for example , as shown in fig1 , the switching elements tx 1 and tx 2 connected to the first and second image data lines d 1 and d 2 are connected to the output data line ox 1 , and the switching elements tx 3 and tx 4 connected to the third and fourth image data lines d 3 and d 4 are connected to the output data line ox 2 . in addition , the switching elements ty 1 and ty 2 connected to the first and second image scanning lines g 1 and g 2 are connected to the output data line oy 1 , and the switching elements ty 3 and ty 4 connected to the third and fourth image scanning lines g 3 and g 4 are connected to the output data line oy 2 . in fig1 , the sensor data lines sx 1 - sx m are located on the left side of the pixel column groups , but they may be located on the right side , and the sensor data lines sy 1 - sy n ) are located on the upper side of the pixel row groups , but they may be located on the lower side of the pixel row groups . alternatively , the sensor data lines sx 1 - sx m and sy 1 - sy n may be located with shapes different from those shown in fig1 . thereby , in performing the vi of the sensor signal output units sout , a signal from one sensor signal output unit sout is applied to a plurality of image scanning signals or image data lines included in the same pixel row group and the same pixel column group through the respective inspection switching elements to make the pixels operate for vi . when one sensor signal output unit sout is abnormal , the pixels included in the corresponding pixel row group or the corresponding pixel column group do not normally operate such that an inspector determines that the sensor signal output unit sout connected to the pixel row group or the pixel column group is in an abnormal state . in fig1 , one sensor line is disposed every two pixel rows and pixel columns , but may be disposed every three or more pixel rows and columns . in the embodiments , as one example of the sensing unit , the sensor unit is formed by a variable capacitor and a reference capacitor , but may be formed with different types thereof . furthermore , an lcd is described in the embodiments of the present invention as one example of a display device , but the present invention may be apply to flat display devices such as a plasma display device or an organic light emitting diode ( oled ) display , etc . accordingly to the present invention , by forming the inspection switching elements , the sensor signal output units outputting the sensor data signals are visual inspected before costly driving ics are mounted . thereby , waste of the costly driving ics due to the abnormal sensor signal output units decreases such that a manufacturing cost is saved and a defect rate of the display devices is reduced . while the present teachings of invention have been provided with reference to exemplary embodiments , it is to be understood that various modifications and equivalent arrangements will be apparent to those skilled in the pertinent art after having read the present disclosure and that such various modifications may be made without , however , departing from the spirit and scope of the teachings .
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referring more specifically to the drawings , for illustrative purposes aspects of the present invention is depicted in the exemplary embodiments generally shown in fig1 - 10 . it will be appreciated that the illustrated embodiments may vary as to their details , for example , representative icons ( a square may be a circle ), configuration ( the exact screen layout may be adjusted ), etc ., without departing from the basic concepts disclosed herein . the following description , therefore , should not to be taken in a limiting sense . fig1 illustrates a graphical representation of an exemplary embodiment of the present invention . as shown , the graphical view includes several underlying support mechanisms including : colorized grid of nodes ( fig1 - 1 . 0 ) being monitored , grouped for ease of association ( in this example , the white lines in the grid divide the nodes by location ) colored by evaluation of change status . note : the concept of node is not limited to a physical object and can be extended to a logical concept like a business process , object or application a map of nodes ; baselines ( fig1 - 2 . 0 ): a selection of sets of predefined node attribute values with which to evaluate node conformity ; groups ( fig1 - 3 . 0 ): user defined node groupings for change and behavior pattern isolation ; pie charts ( fig1 - 4 . 0 , 4 . 1 ): for providing quantitative percentage of change within the selected set of nodes for referential comparison ; time frame ( fig1 - 5 . 0 , 5 . 1 , 5 . 2 ): utilities from which to alter the time frame evaluated and presented ; auto focus ( fig1 - 6 . 0 ): a utility which evaluates the groups to present those with the greatest deviation from expected values ; custom color ( fig1 - 7 . 0 ): a utility to select the colors in which the graduated values for change appear ; rotate ( fig1 - 8 . 0 ): providing view control ; create report t ( fig1 - 9 . 0 ): a report generator . fig2 illustrates the group selection progression of functionality listed in the description of fig1 . it presents the group pattern identification process which consists of the primary graphical view and supporting mechanisms : selection of groups ( fig2 - 1 . 0 ), select the group to be distinguished from the enterprise node view ; identification of nodes within group selection ( fig2 - 2 . 0 ), nodes which belong to the selected node group are highlighted to be distinguished from the full population of nodes ; group selection pie chart ( fig2 - 3 . 6 ) provides visualization of the quantitative percentage of change within the selected set of nodes ; node view pie chart ( fig2 - 4 . 0 ) provides visualization of the quantitative percentage of change in full population to provide a basis with which to compare the group to the whole . this ability provides a means by which to isolate the groups with the highest rate of change . the auto focus button ( fig2 - 5 . 0 ) when clicked , will automatically select and present the group with the most significant rate of change . fig3 progresses beyond group selection and into analysis of the group selection through baseline comparison . 1 it is not necessary to select a group in order to select a baseline . one could look at a baseline for patterns of change or behavior across the enterprise node view ; however , patterns are more easily tracked when using both the baseline and a group . fig3 and 4 combined illustrate the use of baseline compare to quickly analyze and isolate the set of attributes which are out of range within a group . selection of groups ( fig3 - 1 . 0 ), select the group to be distinguished from the enterprise node view ; selection of baseline ( fig3 - 2 . 0 ), select the baseline through which to filter the node group ( this example provides a visualization of nodes in web - grp 1 and how they align with the pre - established attribute - value pairs in the web - patches baseline ). node view ( fig3 - 3 . 0 ) presents the group nodes with the status relative to the baseline ; node view pie chart ( fig3 - 4 . 0 ) continually provides visualization of the quantitative percentage of change in full population . group selection pie chart ( fig3 - 5 . 0 ) provides visualization of the quantitative percentage of change within the baseline for the selected set of nodes ( in this example , 100 % of web - grp 1 exactly match the web - patches baseline . this would quickly allow a system administrator to dismiss web - patches as a problem area and allow him or her to look for other areas in which to find root cause of change . 2 multiple groups may be selected . fig4 illustrates the means with which to progress through the baselines to identify the properties , or patterns , of the most intense change in the infrastructure . the group selected remains as it was in fig3 , i . e ., web - grp 1 . since , as described in fig3 , the user learned that the baseline web - patches had no changes , they move to another baseline in an effort to identify a pattern of the change . selection of baseline ( fig4 - 1 . 0 ), select the baseline through which to filter the node group ( this example provides a visualization of nodes in web - grp 1 as filtered through the attribute - value associations of nt - perf ). node view ( fig4 - 2 . 0 ) presents the group nodes with the status relative to the baseline ; node view pie chart ( fig4 - 3 . 0 ) continually provides visualization of the quantitative percentage of change in full population group selection pie chart ( fig4 - 4 . 0 ) provides visualization of the quantitative percentage of change within the baseline for the selected set of nodes . comparing the node view pie chart to the group view pie chart indicates quickly that the percentage of change is greater in the nt perf baseline than the greater population and indicates an area for further investigation . 3 multiple baselines may be selected . fig5 depicts the drill down from fig4 , focusing specifically on the node group and baseline selected at the point the user drills down . node group view ( fig5 - 1 . 0 ), presents the selected group nodes , delineated by location , with the status relative to the baseline . the drill - down view reduces the number of nodes in the map , while leaving the remainder of the screen and its corresponding functionality intact . fig6 illustrates alternate 3d views of drill down . 3d - z axis ( fig6 - 1 . 0 ) is the power axis and can be configured by the user to represent any key aspect of the nodes being monitored ( e . g . cpu power ( 3 of cpus * cpu speed ), # of users , revenue ,) the color assigned to a node is determined using a weighted moving average . increasing the time of the sampled data for each attribute creates an average . the greater the percentage of change against that average , the greater the deviation and the greater the color shift ( e . g . green to red ). the delta time is used to compute a moving average for each sample . time is actually the number of samples back in time , e . g ., if the daily sample is selected ( as shown in fig6 ), a delta time of 5 equates to the average of the last five days . the maximum and minimum of the averages are used to compute the entire range of possibility . for example , if a cpu attribute is selected and it is currently 25 %, and the last five days it was : 90 %, 10 %, 50 % 50 % and 50 %, the min is 10 %, the max is 90 % and the moving average is ( 90 + 10 + 30 + 35 + 50 )/ 5 = 43 %. since 25 is less then 43 % it will be on the green scale where 10 is bright green and 43 is the midway point to red . to compute the exact color of green on the scale , 43 − 10 is 33 and 25 − 10 = 15 , so 15 / 33 is the percentage of green on the scale . fig7 depicts a graphical illustration of this point . fig8 identifies the radio button selections for time comparison ( fig7 - 1 . 0 ) daily , weekly and monthly . the timeframe can be customized by using the custom timeframe button ( fig7 - 2 . 0 ), this customization will allow complex time selections like each monday between 2 pm and 5 pm . sliding sample mean time ( fig7 - 3 . 0 ) is used to allow the end user to change the default moving average in the computation of changes for metrics types of attributes . as shown in fig9 , a user can change the colors in their view according to the user preferences . finally , fig1 illustrates an exemplary network / compute infrastructure having managers ( fig1 - 1 . 0 , 2 . 0 , 2 . 1 , 2 . 2 ), managers with gateways ( fig1 - 3 . 0 ), gateways ( fig1 - 4 . 0 ), managed nodes with agents ( fig1 - 5 . 1 , 5 . 2 , 5 . 3 etc ), managed nodes that are agentless ( fig1 - 6 . 0 , 6 . 1 , 6 . 2 etc ), software including application software , that can be managed like a node ( fig1 - 7 . 0 , 7 . 1 etc . ), and special devices that can be managed ( fig1 - 8 . 0 , 8 . 1 , etc ). having now described embodiments of the present invention , it should be apparent to those skilled in the art that the foregoing is illustrative only and not limiting , having been presented by way of example only . all the features disclosed in this specification ( including any accompanying claims , abstract , and drawings ) may be replaced by alternative features serving the same purpose , and equivalents or similar purpose , unless expressly stated otherwise . therefore , numerous other embodiments of the modifications thereof are contemplated as falling within the scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims and equivalents thereto . the techniques may be implemented in hardware or software , or a combination of the two . specifically , the techniques may be implemented in computer programs executing on programmable computers that each include a processor , a storage medium readable by the processor ( including volatile and non - volatile memory and / or storage elements ), at least one input device and one or more output devices . program code is applied to data entered using the input device to perform the functions described and to generate output information . the output information is applied to one or more output devices . each program is preferably implemented in a high level procedural or object oriented programming language to communicate with a computer system , however , the programs can be implemented in assembly or machine language , if desired . in any case , the language may be a compiled or interpreted language . each such computer program is preferably stored on a storage medium or device ( e . g ., cd - rom , hard disk or magnetic diskette ) that is readable by a general or special purpose programmable computer for configuring and operating the computer when the storage medium or device is read by the computer to perform the procedures described in this document . the invention may also be considered to be implemented as a computer - readable storage medium , configured with a computer program , where the storage medium so configured causes a computer to operate in a specific and predefined manner .
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fig1 illustrates the general principle of the present invention wherein the first electromagnetic field is generated by superposition of electromagnetic fields emitted from a first set of waveguides 1 , 2 , . . . , m . the system 1 comprising the complex spatial electromagnetic field converter converts the first electromagnetic field into the desired second electromagnetic field that is the superposition of desired propagating modes of a second set of waveguides 1 , 2 , . . . , n . the system operates to perform both mode conversion and switching . fig2 shows a 4 f optical system 1 for conversion of a first electromagnetic field 6 , namely a light beam emitted by a laser 2 and collimated by the collimator 3 , into a desired second electromagnetic field 8 for propagation through the microstructured waveguide 10 . a complex spatial electromagnetic field converter 4 , such as a spatial light modulator ( slm ), is positioned for reception of the first electromagnetic field 6 that is transmitted through tile complex spatial electromagnetic field converter 4 and a fourier transforming lens 5 having a focal length f 1 . the complex spatial electromagnetic field converter 4 is positioned in the front focal plane of the lens 5 . another fourier transforming lens 7 with a focal length f 2 is positioned so that its front focal plane coincides with the back focal plane of lens 5 as is well known in 4 f optical systems . the magnification of the system is f 2 / f 1 . the converted electromagnetic field 8 is generated in the back focal plane 9 of the lens 7 and input to the microstructured waveguide 10 . it is seen that the surface of the complex spatial electromagnetic field converter 4 is imaged onto the end surface of the waveguide 10 by the fourier transforming lenses 5 , 7 , e . g . ( x , y ) is imaged onto ( x ′, y ′) at the end of the waveguide 10 . as previously described , each resolution element ( x , y ) of a spatial light modulator modulates the phase and the amplitude of electromagnetic radiation incident upon it with a predetermined complex value a ( x , y ) e | φ ( x , y ) . further the spatial light modulator may modulate the polarization of the incoming electromagnetic field by selectively modulating vector components of the field individually by each resolution element ( x , y ). thus , the values of a ( x , y ) and φ ( x , y ) for each vector component are determined from the amplitude and phase values at corresponding positions ( x ′, y ′) at the waveguide end of the desired waveguide mode whereby the collimated electromagnetic field 6 is converted into the desired electromagnetic field 8 that matches a desired mode of the microstructured waveguide 10 . the system 1 may be simplified by positioning of the complex spatial electromagnetic field converter 4 in the fourier plane of lens 5 , i . e . the front focal plane of lens 7 , and removal of lens 5 . this requires that the complex spatial electromagnetic field converter 4 converts the incoming electromagnetic field 6 into the fourier transformed field of the desired mode of the waveguide 10 since the lens 7 generates a fourier transformation of the field at the output surface of the complex spatial electromagnetic field converter 4 . in this case the resolution , i . e . number of resolution elements , of the complex spatial electromagnetic field converter 4 must be much higher than for the 4 f system of fig1 . the lenses 5 , 7 may be compound lenses , doublets , achromats , f - theta lenses . microscope lenses , microscope objectives , graded - index lenses , aspherical lenses and / or non - circularly symmetrical lenses , etc . further , the lenses 5 , 7 may be ball lenses offering a system of a small size . the complex spatial electromagnetic field converter 4 may be a spatial light modulator ( slm ), such as a phase - only spatial light modulator ( poslm ) wherein the amplitude of the field is not modulated , a complex spatial light modulator modulating amplitude and phase , or a polarization modulator also modifying the field vector components of the electromagnetic field . the microstructured waveguide may be an index - guided crystal fiber , photonic band gap crystal fiber , coaxial omniguide , polymer optical fiber , polymer crystal fiber , hole assisted light guide fiber , hollow optical fiber , waveguides in integrated optical circuits , such as photonic crystal based planar waveguides , a slab waveguide structure , etc , a surface plasmon polariton based waveguide , resonators , coupled cavity waveguides , coupling resonator optical waveguides , photonic wire waveguides ( i . e . very tightly confined waveguides ), couplers , powersplitters , combiners , e . g . 3 db couplers , etc , a microstructured waveguide may transmit an electromagnetic field passively or may form part of an active component , e . g . a rare earth doped fiber amplifier , such as an er doped fiber amplifier , an yb doped fiber amplifier , etc , raman amplifier , brillouin amplifier , etc . it is obvious that other systems according to the present invention may be designed with optical components in fresnel planes . fig3 shows a 4 f optical system similar to the system shown in fig2 , however in fig3 the electromagnetic field 6 to be converted is emitted by a microstructured waveguide 10 . the complex spatial electromagnetic field converter 4 is adapted to convert the mode of the microstructured waveguide 10 into the mode of the single mode step index fiber 12 , of course the single mode step index fiber 12 may be substituted with any of the fibers mentioned above . fig4 combines the system illustrated in fig3 with the system illustrated in fig1 whereby system requirements of each of the complex spatial electromagnetic field converters may be lowered compared to the previously illustrated systems . for example , poslms may be used for provision of both amplitude and phase modulation . fig5 schematically shows the microstructure of an exemplary photonic band gap crystal fiber , and fig6 schematically shows the cross - sectional phase distribution of a propagating mode of the photonic band gap crystal fiber , it is seen that in this case the phase changes sign six times as a function of the angular position in a cross - section of the fiber . in a preferred embodiment of the invention , the complex spatial electromagnetic field converter 4 is dynamically adjustable . for example , the resolution elements ( x , y ) of a spatial light modulator may be addressed so that the modulating values of a ( x , y ) and φ ( x , y ) can be adjusted . in this way the modulation pattern a ( x , y ) e | φ ( x , y ) of the spatial light modulator may be rotated until its phase pattern coincides with the phase pattern of the mode of the waveguide 10 either in the case wherein the first electromagnetic field 6 is emitted by the waveguide 10 or wherein the converted second field is coupled into the waveguide 10 . also the modulation pattern may be adjusted to selectively match different desired modes of the waveguide 10 , or a desired mode may selectively be turned on or off with a powerful suppression of possible other modes if desired . it should be noted that the illustrated propagating mode of fig4 is an example . fibers may be provided with propagating modes with an arbitrary number of phase changes radially and tangentially across a cross - section of the fiber . fig7 and 8 illustrate utilization of an analog hologram as a complex spatial electromagnetic field converter . in fig7 , light 14 of a desired mode of a microstructured waveguide 10 is emitted from the end of the waveguide 10 and is collimated by the lens 20 and impinges on the surface of the hologram 22 for interference with a collimated reference beam 24 . the reference beam may be emitted by a semiconductor laser , by another microstructured waveguide , a conventional optical fiber , etc . in fig8 , the desired mode is excited in the waveguide 10 by emitting a conjugated reference beam 26 towards the hologram 22 whereby the collimated electromagnetic field 16 of the desired mode is regenerated for coupling into the waveguide 10 . obviously , the fringe pattern of the hologram 22 may be computer generated thus , eliminating the need for the optical recording set - up illustrated in fig7 . fig9 and 10 illustrate utilization of a volume hologram 22 as a complex spatial electromagnetic field converter . in fig9 , light 14 of a desired mode of a microstructured waveguide 10 is emitted from the end of the waveguide 10 and is collimated by the lens 20 and impinges on the hologram 22 for interference with a collimated reference beam 241 . different desired modes of the waveguide 10 may be recorded on the volume hologram 22 with different respective reference beams 24 1 , 24 2 , . . . , 24 n . again , the reference beam may be emitted by a semiconductor laser , by another microstructured waveguide , a conventional optical fiber , etc . in fig1 , one of the desired modes is selectively excited in the waveguide 10 by emitting the corresponding conjugated reference beam 26 i towards the hologram 22 whereby the collimated electromagnetic field 16 of the desired mode is regenerated for coupling into the waveguide 10 . in a diffractive optical element , electromagnetic field converting fringe patterns may be combined with other functional fringe patterns , such as beam splitting fringe patterns . thus , the incoming field 6 may be generated by several waveguides , and likewise the converted electromagnetic field may be directed towards a plurality of waveguides and , in combination with such a diffractive optical element , waveguide couplers , switches , etc . may be provided . a dynamic optical element that is recorded in a dynamically rewriteable medium may provide dynamic switching between waveguides . fig1 shows another 4 f optical system wherein the electromagnetic field 6 to be converted is emitted by a microstructured waveguide 10 , and the complex spatial electromagnetic field converter 4 is positioned in the fourier plane of the first fourier transforming lens 5 which coincides with the front focal plane of second lens 7 . the complex spatial electromagnetic field converter 4 multiples the collimated electromagnetic field with a filter function a ( x , y ) e | φ ( x , y ) that has been predetermined so that the fourier transformed of the fourier transformed incoming field 6 times the filter function matches the desired mode of the coaxial omniguide 30 . in fig1 , the coaxial omniguide may be replaced by a detector , and the filter function of the complex spatial electromagnetic field converter 4 may be a correlator function providing a peak output when the incoming collimated field 6 matches the correlator function . this may be utilized in waveguide sensing systems wherein the propagating mode of the waveguide 10 is changed in response to a specific influence . the change may be detected utilizing an appropriate correlator function , e . g . in relation to detection of strain , rotation , tilt , off - set , temperature , etc . in hollow core waveguides , such as air core photonic crystal fibers , hole assisted light guide fibers , single hole core doped fibers , etc , this may be utilized for detection of presence of specific substances , pressure detection , etc . in fig1 , the electromagnetic field 6 to be converted is emitted by a microstructured waveguide 10 . the complex spatial electromagnetic field converter 4 is arranged perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the waveguide 10 . the electromagnetic field 6 emitted by the waveguide broadens into an expanded region as it emerges from the waveguide . when the field 6 passes through the complex spatial electromagnetic field converter 4 the amplitude and / or phase is changed . a focusing lens 7 focuses the field into the coaxial omniguide 30 . fig1 shows a system according to the present invention comprising a plurality of the complex spatial electromagnetic field converters 4 , 4 ′. the electromagnetic field emitted by a microstructured waveguide 10 is collimated by lens 5 and then it passes through two complex spatial electromagnetic field converters 4 , 4 ′ and is finally focused by lens 7 into the coaxial omniguide 30 . fig1 schematically shows a system according to the present invention integrated into a waveguide module . the integration is provided utilizing grin lenses 34 and a micro - hologram 35 . all of the previously suggested systems may be integrated in one waveguide coupling module , such as a flip - flop module for a wafer with integrated waveguide ( s ), or , a fiber coupling module that may be fused to e . g . optical fibers , etc . fig1 illustrates a complex spatial electromagnetic field converter 38 that is integrated with the end facet 36 of the microstructured waveguide 10 or alternatively , with the end facet of the single mode fiber 32 . in the figure , the converter 38 is shown separated from the end facet 36 for clarity only . in an operating system , the converter 38 is positioned at the end facet 36 , and the microstructured fiber 10 and the single mode fiber 32 are fused together , e . g . by gluing . the phase variations 37 of the mode propagating through the microstructured fiber 10 is illustrated at the end facet 36 in the same way as in fig6 . the complex spatial electromagnetic field converter 38 is adapted to convert the mode of the microstructured waveguide 10 into the mode of the single mode step index fiber 32 . thus , light may travel from the single mode fiber 32 towards the microstructured waveguide 10 , or , light may travel from the microstructured waveguide 10 towards the single mode fiber 32 . in the illustrated example , the phase shift of the converter 38 is equal to π , i . e . the difference in travelling distance of an electromagnetic field propagating through an area marked with π and an electromagnetic field propagating through a surrounding area is half a wavelength . however , a specific substance , e . g . the substance of the microstructured fiber 10 may be deposited onto the and facet 36 of the fiber 10 , or , the fiber 32 , with a height profile that provides the phase shifts needed for the desired electromagnetic field conversion . in the illustrated example , a stepped height profile is indicated but it is obvious that a height profile of any desired shape may be provided . since the height is small , i . e . on the order of half a wavelength , the height profile does not mechanically influence the fusing of the two fibers 10 , 32 . alternatively , a fiber may be cleaved to provide the desired height profile at the end facet of the fiber . the desired conversion may also be provided by provision of a material with a desired refractive index profile at the end facet of the fiber in question without changing the surface of the end facet , i . e . without a height or a depth profile , for example by doping of the material at the end facet . the desired phase shifting may also be provided by removal , e . g . etching , of material from the end facet 37 of the microstructured fiber 10 , or , from the end facet of the fiber 32 , with a depth profile providing the desired phase shift . further , the added or removed material may have a desired refractive index profile and may be birefringent so that , in combination with a desired height or depth profile , any desired phase , amplitude , and polarization conversion may be provided .
| 6 |
the invention is a tar sand recovery and separation technique wherein mined tar sand is separated into its component parts , that is , sand , clay , water and petroleum . the invention may be better understood by reference to the attached fig1 upon which is schematically depicted a typical embodiment of the invention . this embodiment is not intended to limit the invention in any way and is only given for illustration . mined tar sand is carried by conveyor 1 and deposited in a tank 2 which contains toluene at about - 10 ° f . the mined tar sand and cold toluene are thoroughly mixed and sand is removed at 3 and ice at 11 by gravity separation and settling . the tar and toluene are then transported to a filter 4 to remove additional sand and crystalline ice . the upgraded tar and toluene mixture is then moved to another chiller 5 wherein the temperature is once again lowered to about 0 ° f . after this chilling operation , the tar and toluene mixture is moved to a centrifuge 6 wherein any additional sand and ice crystals are removed . the now sand - and ice - free tar and toluene mixture is routed through a heat exchanger to raise its temperature from about 5 ° to about 130 ° f wherein this hot tar and toluene mixture is introduced into a distillation tower 8 and the toluene and petroleum are separated . the petroleum from the tar sand is removed at 9 and the toluene is the overhead at about 250 ° f . this toluene is routed through heat exchanger 7 to raise the temperature of the incoming tar and toluene mixture to the distillation tower . after emerging from the heat exchanger at about 50 ° f , the recovered toluene is introduced into a chiller 10 wherein the temperature of the toluene is lowered to - 10 ° f . this toluene is then routed back into the first phase separator 2 to be mixed with more incoming tar sand . the solvent used in the method of the invention may be any material capable of dissolving bitumen contained in tar sands . aliphatic or aromatic hydrocarbons capable of dissolving bitumen are suitable for the process of my invention . mixtures of aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons may also be used as well as hydrocarbons containing both aromatic and aliphatic characteristics . suitable aromatic hydrocarbons include mononuclear and polynuclear species . aliphatic hydrocarbons , preferably linear or branched paraffinic hydrocarbons having from 4 to 10 carbon atoms , are suitable materials for use in practicing the process of the invention . for example , butane , pentane , hexane , heptane , octane , etc . and mixtures thereof as well as commercial blends such as natural gasoline will function as a satisfactory liquid solvent for many bitumens . of course , any solvent used in the process of the invention must have a freezing point well below that of any water contained in the tar sand . also , it has been noted that many aliphatic hydrocarbons will not totally dissolve some bitumens . thus in selecting an aliphatic hydrocarbon , it may be well to thoroughly test samples of the bitumen to be recovered in the laboratory with a series of solvents to choose the one most likely to dissolve the greatest amount of bitumen . most mononuclear aromatic hydrocarbons , however , will dissolve bitumen totally and therefore , they are excellent candidates for solvents in the process of the invention . however , many of these mononuclear aromatic hydrocarbons have a freezing point above that of water . these are unacceptable for the process of the invention . solvents which have a very low freezing point are particularly preferred . this class includes but is not necessarily limited to toluene , meta - xylene and orthoxylene . a mixture of an aliphatic hydrocarbon such as pentane and an aromatic hydrocarbon such as toluene comprise an excellent solvent for use in our process . mixed aromatic solvents are frequently available from processing streams of refineries and may contain a mixture of mononuclear aromatic aromatic hydrocarbons and a substantial amount of aliphatic hydrocarbons as well as many other types of hydrocarbons . such materials may be economic solvents and frequently the materials are very satisfactory . their ability to perform in the process of the invention may best be determined by simple tests utilizing the solvent under consideration and a sample of the bitumen from the formation at the low temperature at which the separation is to be performed . a freezing point test should also be undertaken to see if the solvents freeze at a point above that which will be used in the process . chlorinated methane including carbon tetrachloride or carbon disulfide are also suitable solvents for use in this process . the particular temperature to be used in the process during the extraction stages is not critical as long as it is below the freezing point of the water in the tar sands and therefore able to form ice crystals so that the water can be removed as solid ice . of course , the temperature of the tar sand and solvent mixture must be at least as low as the freezing point of water , that is 32 ° f ( 0 ° c ) but it is also conceivable that the temperature must be below this point since the water contained in the tar sands may be contaminated by dissolved minerals or salts and have a freezing point below 32 ° f . therefore , before undertaking the process of the invention , the water naturally occurring in the tar sand should be tested for its freezing point , and the operating temperature of the process then determined . these are steps well within the skill of the practitioner in the art and need not be explained in detail here . the method of the invention may be performed in a variety of sequences all leading to the same result ; that is , the water in the tar sands is converted to ice crystals , and these are then removed from the tar sand - solvent mixture . in one embodiment of the invention , the solvent is added to the tar sand at above the freezing point of the water in the tar sand and then the entire mixture is cooled to a temperature below the freezing point of the water in the tar sand . the sand and ice thus formed may then be easily removed by filtering and centrifuging . in another embodiment of the invention , the solvent is added to the tar sand at a temperature below the freezing point of the water in the tar sand and ice crystals are formed immediately upon mixing . the sand and ice is then separated mechanically by filtering and centrifuging . in yet another embodiment of the invention , the solvent is added to the tar sand at a temperature above the freezing point of the water in the tar sand and the sand is then separated from the mixture . at this point , the temperature of the remaining materials , principally butane , solvent and water , is lowered to a temperature below the freezing point of the water in the tar sand and the ice crystals thus formed are separated . this is a particularly attractive embodiment in that the energy otherwise required to reduce the temperature of sand present in the tar sand to below the freezing point of water is saved . many other variations could be thought of by those skilled in the art armed with the teachings herein without departing from the scope of the invention . a series of multi - stage extractions ( by leaching ) were performed at - 2 ° f . a sample ( 214 grams ) of athabasca tar sand was treated with toluene by stages at - 2 ° f . the sample containing 13 . 23 weight percent tar and had &# 34 ; dried &# 34 ; out since it contained only 3 percent water and about a 20 percent gas saturation . fig2 shows a recovery of 91 %, an efficiency of 7 . 3 barrels of toluene for barrel of bitumen recovered and a tar concentration in the toluene extract decrease from 35 to 8 % from the first to sixth stage . initially , two units of toluene were required to obtain a supernatant liquid . the final points were obtained by permitting the system to warm to room temperature , washing with water and recovering additional supernatant extract . the efficiency can be increased by washing with water earlier such as after treating with 2 to 4 units of toluene . note that the maximum efficiency , without washing with water , occured at 3 . 7 parts of toluene per part of original in - place tar .
| 2 |
reference will now be made in detail to 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 to explain the present invention by referring to the figures . before explaining embodiments of the invention in detail , it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of design and the arrangement of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings . the invention is capable of other embodiments or of being practiced or carried out in various ways . also , it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein is for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting . by way of introduction , embodiments of the present invention are directed to securing against theft a shipping container and its contents . embodiments of the present invention may alternatively or in addition be useful for logistics management of shipping containers and / or their contents . according to a feature of the present invention a circuit board and power supply for the circuit board is provided in a housing which looks like vent cover 16 mounted on the side of a shipping container . in embodiments of the present invention the circuit board and the power supply preferably are mounted in a housing as part of injection molding or other manufacturing process used to form the housing or the circuit board and / or power supply is mounted in the housing after manufacture of the housing . vent holes on the exterior wall of the container may be used to allow sensing of the container interior . the vent holes may be situated at a standard place in the wall of the container or at a non - standard place on the container . the “ vent holes ” may be drilled , bored or punched or otherwise formed when the vent cover according to embodiments of the present invention is installed on the shipping container . referring now to the drawings , reference is now made to fig3 a which shows an isometric view 30 of a housing 16 a used to secure a shipping container 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention . housing 16 a like vent cover 16 is attached to a container 10 via fasteners 22 and typically also performs the function of allowing air to flow between the interior and exterior through ventilation slots 26 . to an observer , housing 16 a attached to container 10 looks no different than housing 16 attached to container 10 . circuit board 34 , battery holder 32 and / or one or more antennas 36 are mounted inside or on surface of housing 16 a in such a way that housing 16 a is visually indistinguishable from vent cover 16 when mounted on shipping container 10 . battery holder 32 typically may hold for instance one or more standard aa or aaa size replaceable batteries or rechargeable batteries such as nickel cadmium ( nicad ) types . the batteries , when mounted in battery holder 32 , supply direct current power to circuit board 34 during operation . reference is now made to fig3 b which shows a cross - sectional detail of housing 16 a according to an embodiment of the present invention . housing 16 a is shown attached to flat surface of wall 12 between corrugated sections of wall 12 and mounted on the outside of a shipping container 10 . a transducer 304 , e . g . electromagnetic transducer , is located on the inside of container 10 and is attached to circuit board 34 with cable 306 . cable 306 connects board 34 to transducer 304 through ventilation hole 24 . multiple ventilation holes 24 may allow for multiple sensors , transducers or antennas to be located inside container 10 which may be connected to circuit board 34 . multiple sensors , transducers or antennas located inside container 10 typically may allow for sensing of temperature , humidity , pressure , air quality , motion , along with the removal and placement of objects inside container 10 . antenna 36 is connected to circuit board 34 and may be disposed on the inside of housing 16 a ( along with board 34 and battery holder 32 ) if housing 16 a is made from an electrically non - conductive material . if housing 16 a is made from electrically conductive material such as metal , antenna 36 may be mounted outside the exterior surface of housing 16 a . antenna 36 is typically located and orientated to allow for either vertical and / or horizontal polarization . antenna 36 is shown externally on a vertical face of housing 36 by way of example only . one or more antennas 36 may be placed on other external faces of housing 16 , disposed internally within housing 36 and / or as part of circuit board 34 . circuit board 34 , battery holder 32 and / or batteries ( not shown ) may be cast inside of housing 16 a as part of the manufacturing process , e . g . injection molding , of housing 16 a . the manufacturing process , may include use of either thermoplastic or thermoset , e . g . epoxy , urethane materials . alternatively battery holder 32 and / or circuit board 34 may be mounted inside of housing 16 a using conventional attachment means known in the art subsequent to injection molding . a mutual inductive coupling 302 , on the inside of housing 16 a , may be used for charging re - chargeable batteries . coupling 302 may have an aperture 310 which provides a mutual inductive coupling to a secondary magnetic core . mutual inductive coupling 302 has a secondary winding which is wound around the secondary magnetic core . the secondary winding provides a low voltage alternating current ( ac ) output when a primary magnetic core ( with a primary winding connected to mains electricity ) is inserted into the aperture 310 of coupling 302 . the low voltage ac output of the secondary winding is rectified to provide a direct current ( dc ) used for charging batteries in battery holder 32 when batteries are re - chargeable . batteries in battery holder 32 may need to be re - charged or replaced prior to the shipping and delivery of a container 10 . when the batteries in battery holder 32 are replaced , typically when container 10 is being reloaded , housing 16 a is removed from the side of container 10 by unfastening fasteners 22 , the batteries in battery holder 32 are replaced and housing 16 a is re - attached to container 10 using fasteners 22 . alternatively , batteries may be recharged using solar and / or wind power from an external power generation device , e . g . solar panel , wind turbine . reference is now also made to fig3 c which shows further details of circuit board 34 according to an aspect of the present invention . circuit board 34 is powered by batteries placed in battery holder 32 . circuit board 34 includes an antenna interface 342 which allows one or multiple antennas 36 to be connected to one or more transmitters , receivers and / or transceivers . a single transceiver 341 and a single antenna interface 342 is shown , by way of example only . transceiver 341 may be for a global system for mobile communications ( e . g . gsm transceiver , and / or for a wireless local area network or wireless wide area network . optionally , a satellite receiver 343 for global positioning system ( gps ) may be attached to a port 346 for a satellite antenna externally mounted in or outside housing 16 a . both satellite receiver 343 and transceiver 341 are operatively connected to a processor 344 ( with memory 346 built in and / or attached thereto ) along with a sensor interface 345 . sensor interface 345 allows data to be sent and received from one or multiple sensors 304 located inside container 10 . the data are typically processed by processor 344 . interface 345 typically may provide the function of sample and hold and appropriate analogue to digital ( a / d ) and digital to analogue ( d / a ) conversion of data sent and received between processor 344 and multiple sensors located inside container 10 . reference is now also made to fig3 d which shows a cross sectional plan view 399 of rectangular container 10 and an electromagnetic signal 324 inside container 10 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention . housing 16 a is mounted between corrugated sections of wall 12 . walls 12 have a length l which is typically around 12 . 2 meters and a width w which is typically around 2 . 4 meters and height h ( not shown ) typically around 2 . 5 meters . items inside container 10 which are to be shipped are shown as items 380 a and 380 b . electromagnetic transducer 304 is typically located near a corner of container 10 and is connected to housing 16 a using cable 306 through one of vent holes 24 ( not shown ). transducer 306 connected to processor 344 is used to detect the proximity and movement of objects 380 a , 380 b . transducer 306 typically emits an electromagnetic signal or pulse 324 and also senses a change in return signal 322 . emitted signal 324 typically may be an acoustic signal , an electromagnetic signal or infra red signal . reference is now made to fig3 e which shows a method 301 used to secure a shipping container 10 against theft according to an embodiment of the present invention . electromagnetic transducer 306 transmits an electromagnetic signal 324 inside container 10 ( step 303 ). step 303 may be performed periodically ( once an hour for example ) as part of a monitoring mode which is used to save battery power of batteries in holder 32 . an electromagnetic signal may be selected within a frequency band which has a full wave , half - wave or quarter - wave corresponding or similar to one of the dimensions of container 10 , preferably at low power or within a citizen &# 39 ; s band . for example , the frequency of signal 324 which typically corresponds to half a wavelength or a quarter wavelength is determined by either the height ( h ), length ( l ) or width ( w ) of container 10 . if length l of container 10 is 12 . 2 meters ( 40 feet ) for a wavelength of l4 would give a frequency f determined by equation eq . 1 . equation 1 gives approximately , a frequency of approximately 10 mhz for signal 324 for a wavelength l / 4 or 6 mhz a for a wavelength of l / 2 . the choice of 12 mhz or 6 mhz for signal 324 is intended so that the inside of container 10 acts as an electromagnetic wave cavity with respect to signal 324 . a similar estimation may be performed for a container of length 6 . 1 meters ( 20 feet ). referring back to fig3 e , a response signal 322 is sensed ( step 305 ) by transducer 306 . response signal 322 may be sensed in terms of the amplitude and phase or frequency content of response signal 322 . according to an aspect of the present invention steps 303 and 305 may be first performed prior to shipping a container 10 , with the amplitude , phase and / or frequency content of response signal 322 and signal 324 stored in memory 346 in a look - up table as calibration values . decision 307 may include an evaluation of sensed signal 322 . the evaluation may involve calculating a difference between phase / amplitude / frequency content of transmitted signal 324 and sensed response signal 322 . and comparing with values for response signal 322 and signal 324 previously stored in memory 346 look up table . the evaluation may also further involve consideration from other sensors connected to sensor interface 345 which sense for example humidity , motion , temperature , and shipping container 10 door positioning for example . if the difference is below a certain pre - defined threshold , periodic transmission in monitoring or sleep ( power saving ) mode ( step 303 ) continues . if the difference is above a certain pre - defined threshold , an alert of theft is transmitted ( step 309 ) optionally over transceiver 341 , e . g . gsm cellular , and an active mode of operation for circuit board 34 is initiated ( step 311 ). the active mode typically may further involve the activation of transceivers 341 and gps 343 to actively attempt communication with other communication systems such as satellite links , wide area networks ( wan ), a local area networks ( lan ), global system for mobile communications ( gsm ) gateway or portable cells or any other communication method . the definite articles “ a ” or “ an ” as used herein , such as “ a housing ”, “ a sensor ” have the meaning of “ one or more ” that is “ one or more housings ” or “ one or more sensors ”. although selected embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described , it is to be understood the present invention is not limited to the described embodiments . instead , it is to be appreciated that changes may be made to these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the invention , the scope of which is defined by the claims and the equivalents thereof .
| 1 |
as shown in fig1 , and 3 , the present invention includes a casing 1 , a bristle means 2 and a bristle extender 3 . casing 1 comprises a perforated pad 11 drilled with plurality of bristle holes 11a , several bristle - extending guides 12 , a cylindrical wall 14 disposed on the perforated pad 11 , and a cover 15 covering cylindrical wall 14 . bristle means 2 comprises a bristle base 21 and a plurality of bristles 22 fixed on base 21 . each bristle - extending guide 12 is formed with a pin hole 12a which is inserted with a pin 13a of a limiting cap 13 . each guide 12 is jacketed with a tension spring 12b . the bristle base 21 is drilled with several guide holes 21a each passing the bristle - extending guide 12 . the bristle means 2 is then movably on the guides 12 and is resiliently backed by the springs 12b . the limiting caps 13 define the backward motion of bristle means 2 . bristle extender 3 comprises a rotating knob 31 , a raising arm 32 formed as u - shaped to raise bristle means 2 , a positioning gear 33 connected between raising arm 32 and rotating knob 31 , two retaining springs 34 , 34a respectively disposed on both ends of raising arm 32 , and a releasing means 35 which includes a pivot 35a for rotatably mounting releasing means 35 , a releasing button 35b extending through a hole 14b formed on cylindrical wall 14 , a latch 35c engaging with positioning gear 33 , and a spring plate 35d resiliently biasing latch 35c to resiliently engage with gear 33 . the cylindrical wall 14 is formed with washing holes 14a so that the present invention may be dipped in detergent water for flushing the oil dirts possibly penetrating into casing through bristle holes 11a . the perforated pad 11 may be made from elastomers or rubber materials so that the bristles 22 , 22a as shown in fig4 and 5 may be retracted into pad 11 and the elastomer material of pad 11 will serve as a packing for sound sealing and prevent dirt penetration through the holes 11a . one end of retaining spring 34 is fixed on positioning gear 33 and another end thereof is fixed on the wall 14 . another retaining spring 34a is fixed on the wall 14 opposite to spring 34 and is also fixed on a disk 34b connected with raising arm 32 . a washer 31a is provided between the rotating knob 31 and the wall 14 for smooth rotation of knob 31 . a handle 4 is connected with casing 1 as shown in fig6 . the raising arm 32 may be extended through a handle 4 by connecting a link 31b and terminated by the rotating knob 31 as fig7 shown . when using the present invention , the rotating knob 31 may be rotated to allow the raising arm 32 to push bristle means 2 upwards to extend bristles for combing use . as the positioning gear 33 is always locked by latch 35c or releasing means 3 so that , whenever extending the bristles 22 , the bristles 22 will not be retracted and will be stable as the bristle base 21 is resiliently supported by springs 12b . during the rotation of knob 31 , the retaining springs 34 , 34a are wound to store the resilience . when depressing the releasing button 35b , the latch 35c is separated from the engagement with gear 33 so that gear 33 is no longer locked and the resilience of springs 34 , 34a will re - rotate the raising arm 32 to retract the bristles 22 within perforated pad 11 , whereby the dirts or hairs accumulated on bristles 22 will then be easily removed . accordingly , the present invention has the following advantages in comparison with the prior wall &# 39 ; s patent : 1 . the bristles can be retracted automatically only by depressing a releasing button . the extension of bristles is merely operated by rotating knob 31 in an easier and more convenient way . 2 . when not in use , the bristles can be retracted into perforated pad for compact storage or handling . 3 . the pad 11 may serve as a packing to prevent penetration of dirts through the bristle holes 11a . even a little amount of dirt may still come into casing , the washing hole 14a provides a water passage for flushing and washing purpose . 4 . the bristles can be optionally positioned and automatically locked as the positioning gear 33 is normally engaged by a latch 35c of a releasing means 35 of the present invention . the present invention is applied both for combs and brushes . the cover 15 may be formed as a mirror for wider uses .
| 0 |
in order to provide a clear and consistent understanding of terms used in the present description , a number of definitions are herein provided . array : in the context of this invention , an array is a set of different spotted dna consisting of capture probes for target nucleic acids . such an array is described in u . s . pat . no . 5 , 700 , 637 . complementary dna ( cdna ): dna that has been synthesized from rna by the effect of the enzyme reverse transcriptase , converting rna bases into their complements ( a to t , u to a , g to c , c to g ). cy3 , cy5 : non - radioactive fluorescent dyes from amersham pharmacia biotech that are widely used for labeling dna in microarray experiments . feature : a feature is a spot ( typically of dna ) on a slide . the collection of such features is called a microarray . hydridization : the process of joining two complementary strands of dna , or one strand each of dna and rna , to form a double - stranded molecule . messenger rna ( mrna ): rna that is used to direct the protein synthesis that is part of gene expression . it represents but a small fraction of the total rna found in a cell . mrna - derived cdna : cdna synthesized from a mrna template using reverse transcriptase and a mrna - specific primer . microarray - sequestered dna or dna capture probe : dna ( single - stranded or double - stranded ) that are anchored onto the solid surface of a microarray . ( see fuller description of microarrays immediately following this glossary .) oligonucleotide : a short strand of single - stranded dna , typically composed of up to 50 bases . pixel intensity : the raw intensity of a pixel on a genepix ( axon instrument inc .) single - wavelength or ratio image , falling in a range from 0 to 65535 . pmt : photomultiplier tubes in scanners used to analyze array images . these array images are the end products of comparative hybridization experiments . ratio image : the ratio image is an rgb ( red - green - blue ) overlay image . in this image , wavelength # 1 ( 635 nm ) is mapped to the green channel of the rgb image , and wavelength # 2 ( 532 nm ) is mapped to the red channel . superimposing these two images onto each other results in a third , composite image , whose color is a blend of the red and green signals . ratio of medians : the ratio of medians is the ratio of the background subtracted median pixel intensity at the second wavelength to the background subtracted median pixel intensity at the first wavelength . reference cdna : this cdna originates from a reference sample that is used for comparison with another one , called test cdna obtained from a test sample . the reference cdna serves as a control against which test cdnas may be compared to quantify changes in the level of expression of any mrna found in the test sample . typically , the reference cdna is labelled with cy3 - dctp ( green fluorescent label ) when a fluorescent label is used . ribosomal rna ( rrna ): structural rna found in the ribosomes . it is the most abundant form of rna in the cell and does not vary significantly . rrna - cdna probe : a probe which is designed to hybridize to the rrna - derived cdna found in the hybridization mixture . this probe may be the capture probe , which may have the same sequence as the rrna competitor probe ( see below ) so as to compete with it for the target rrna - derived cdna . rrna competitor probe : a dna oligonucleotide with the same sequence as part of a ribosomal rna - cdna sequence and capable of competing with the microarray capture probe for hybridization with a rrna - derived cdna . this oligonucleotide has the role of competing for the limited space available on the rrna cdna capture probe bound to the microarray , thus reducing the quantity of rrna - derived cdna which can be retained on the microarray and thus allowing the use of rrna - derived cdna as an & lt ;& lt ; internal standard & gt ;& gt ;. rrna - derived cdna : cdna synthesized from a rrna template using reverse transcriptase and a rrna - specific primer . saturation : saturation refers to the overloading of the photodetection circuitry . saturation can be reduced by reducing the amount of light that is reaching the pmts , which is done by reducing the amount of incident laser light . in practice , this is accomplished by reducing the voltage of the pmt , which reduces its gain . saturating pixels in genepix 1 . 0 are shown as white pixels in the raw wavelength images . spotted dna : known dna capture probe that is spotted onto a microarray slide and used to identify the nucleic acids present in unknown samples ( test and reference ). the spotted dna could be oligonucleotide or cdna . test cdna : cdna from a cell sample that is to be tested , in comparison with a reference sample . typically , the test cdna is labelled with cy5 - dctp ( red fluorescent label ) when a fluorescent label is used . microarrays are made from a collection of purified dnas . a drop of each type of dna in solution is placed onto a specially - prepared glass microscope slide by an arraying machine . the arraying machine can quickly produce a regular grid of thousands of spots in a square about 2 cm on a side , small enough to fit under a standard slide cover slip . the dna in the spots is bound to the glass to keep it from washing off during the hybridization reaction . the choice of dna to be used within the spots on a microarray &# 39 ; s surface determines which genes can be detected in a comparative hybridization assay . these dna probes could be synthetic oligonucleotides or pcr amplified dna ( hence the terms “ oligo microarray ” and “ cdna microarray ”). the invention relates to rrna used as an internal standard for the normalization of the fluorescence intensities in microarray analysis experiments . this can provide an estimate of relative abundance of multiple mrnas and allow direct comparison between two rna samples . use of rrna for normalization provides a sound method of identifying differentially expressed genes between two samples because its percentage of abundance in total rna does not vary through the cell cycle or with a particular treatment . in order to detect the difference in gene expression between two samples on a single microarray slide , the rna should be reverse transcribed to cdna and labelled with two different fluorophores prior to cohybridizing both samples to the same slide and same spots simultaneously . there are several techniques that allow labeling of cdna . direct labeling is done by the incorporation of a fluorescent nucleotide such as , for example , cy3 - dctp ( green ) or cy5 - dctp ( red ) ( from amersham - pharmacia biotech ), during the reverse transcription reaction . other protocols may be used for labeling the cdna following the reverse transcription reaction ( indirect labeling ). alternatively , the cdna can be used for rna amplification involving t7 polymerase . this method relies on attaching a t7 promoter sequence to the reverse transcriptase primer used for synthesis of the first cdna strand . after second strand cdna synthesis , one can generate amplified rna ( arna ) using t7 rna polymerase and the double - stranded cdna molecules as targets for the linear amplification . those targets can then be labelled directly or indirectly . in the present invention , the reverse transcriptase reaction for the cdna labeling step involves the use of two kinds of reverse transcriptase primers in the same reaction : an oligo - dt and specific primers for rrna ( 5 . 8s , 1 8s or 28s rrna ). one set of rna to be reverse transcribed is all the polya + mrna that is present in the rna sample , the other set is the rrna . both sets are labelled in the same sample with the same label . random short primer like random hexamers or sets of specific primers could also be used as alternative methods to reverse transcribe all the polya + mrna . in a typical experiment , the reference cdna is labelled with cy3 and the test cdna is prepared in the presence of cy5 . both of these cdna populations are hybridized to the same spotted dna capture probes on the microscope slide . after the hybridization and washing steps , the slide is scanned at the appropriate wavelengths and an image is generated for each wavelength . in the derived ratio image , a red spot indicates that the test cdna for this feature is more abundant than the reference cdna which means that the test cdna is being expressed at a level higher than the reference cdna ; a yellow spot means that there is no change in the expression level between the two populations of test and reference cdna . in order to measure changes in gene expression numerically , image analysis software like genepix 1 . 0 ( axon instruments , inc .) extracts the intensity of a given feature ( spot ) from an image and performs a number of computations on the raw data . in this kind of comparative analysis , normalization is essential to compensate for variations in rna isolation techniques , initial quantification errors , tube to tube variation in reverse transcriptase reactions and other experimental variations . that is where the present invention intervenes : normalization is possible upon correcting the green intensity and the red intensity of the spot having the internal standard capture probe to achieve a ratio of 1 . this normalization therefore leads to the obtention of a correction factor that is applied to the intensities of signals specific to each reference and test samples . the end product of a comparative hybridization experiment is a scanned array image . saturated pixels appear when there are more photons detected than can be processed by the photomultiplier tubes ( pmt ) of the scanner . this occurs when the amount of hybridized target per shot is too high . saturated pixels cannot be used for proper measurement of the signal intensity . pmt should then be set to avoid the detection of saturated pixels . as a consequence , this reduces the signal intensity of all other spots and low levels of cdna will not be detected . in the present invention , the hybridization step is performed with specific amounts of free rrna - derived cdna ( competitor probe ) added into the hybridization buffer so as to set up a competition for ribosomal cdna of the test cdna and of the reference cdna ( if the latter is part of the experiment ) with the capture probe . for efficient competition , the competition probe should be nearly identical to the capture probe or have a high level of overlapping sequences therewith . the hybridization efficiency of the rrna - derived cdna with the capture probe can be predictably and reproducibly altered . reducing the hybridization of these internal and abundant targets in microarray experiments has the effect of generating a signal intensity in the same dynamic range of detection as the less abundant targets in microarrays . the competition is important because the control must be detected at a level similar to the test transcript . if one target is present at a significantly higher concentration than the other , the pmt ( laser voltage ) has to be reduced to avoid a saturated signal , with the consequence of reducing all the other signals . the ability to obtain quantitative information for low abundant mrna will then be lost . with the applicants &# 39 ; invention , the normalization factor is computed using the ratio of intensity obtained between the signal detected for the test cdna and that of the reference cdna . this ratio should be 1 . 0 . for example , if the ratio is 0 . 8 , a normalization factor of 1 . 25 would have to be calculated ( 1 / 0 . 8 ). the analyzed data is then corrected using this factor . if the normalization factor is greater than 2 ( or less than 0 . 5 ) the slide is usually rescanned with other pmt voltage to ensure maximum data integrity . the applicants used the products and protocols that are described herein , which results in proper normalization . [ 0073 ] fig1 illustrates how a given sample ( reference or test ) is labelled and hybridized to capture probes ( a plurality of specific cdna probed spots and one internal standard probe spot ). the labelled ribosomal cdna is mixed with a competitor probe that is here identical to the capture probe . [ 0074 ] fig2 illustrates the organization of the rdna locus . the microarray was made from a collection of synthetic dna oligonucleotides as dna probes . [ 0075 ] fig3 illustrates the positions of spotted dna capture probes on the slide . in order to use the cdna made from rrna for normalisation , a dna capture probe having a sequence that is complementary to the rrna - derived cdna has also been spotted on the array slide . table 1 shows the sequences of two dna - probes designed for that purpose . 3d - link activated slides from surmodics inc . were used according to the supplier &# 39 ; s protocol for the covalent attachment of the 5 ′ amino modified oligonucleotides and prehybridization treatment of the slides . on the dna microarray used here , each spot contains approximately 0 . 15 ng of bound dna probe . the cdna for microarray analysis was prepared from rna templates by incorporation of fluorescent - labelled deoxyribonucleotides during first strand cdna synthesis . 10 μg of total rna extract from jurkat and jurkat - tpa cell lines ( geneka biotechnology ) was used . priming of cdna synthesis was performed using 2 μg of oligo ( dt ). for each labeling reaction , 50 ng of 18s primer were included to allow reverse transcription of the 18s rrna . table 1 shows the sequences of the 18s reverse transcriptase primer . in this experiment , labelled reference cdna from jurkat total rna was prepared using cy3 - dctp while jurkat - tpa total rna was reverse transcribed and labelled using cy5 - dctp ( amersham pharmacia biotech ) to produce labelled test cdna . reverse transcriptase reactions were performed using the superscript ii reverse transcriptase ( lifetechnologies ) enzyme according to the supplier &# 39 ; s protocol . for the hybridization and washing steps the following conditions were used ( optimized conditions for 3d - link activated slides , surmodics inc .). labelled cdnas were cohybridized in 5 × ssc - 0 . 1 % sds buffer for 16 hours at 45 ° c . washing was performed by incubating slides two times 15 minutes in 2 × ssc - 0 . 1 % sds at 45 ° c ., one time 5 minutes in 0 . 2 × ssc at room temperature and one time 5 minutes in 0 . 1 × ssc at room temperature . slides were dried by low speed centrifugation . the test and reference cdnas were analyzed through hybridization with the microarray - sequestered cdna . in this type of experiment , if the test or reference cdna contains a sequence that is complementary to the dna on a given spot , that cdna will hybridize to the spot , where it will be detectable by virtue of its fluorescence . [ 0080 ] fig4 shows a ratio image of a typical cohybridized cdna with no internal standard according to the invention . the target cdnas and the results are listed in table 2 ( see right column ). fig5 and 6 show counterparts of arrays of fig4 but with 5 ng and 50 ng of ribosomal competitor probe , respectively , in accordance with this invention . the results are listed in table 2 , in the middle and left columns , respectively . saturated spots were observed for the two rrna cdna probes ( dna probe 1 and probe 2 ). the genepix 3 . 0 software ( axon instruments inc .) was used to extract the intensity of each feature ( hybridized spot ) from the image . table 2 shows the mean value of pixel intensity for each spot . to analyse feature intensity and calculate a ratio , the local background should be subtracted from the median value of the pixel . the method used by genepix pro 3 . 0 for determining the background intensity is a local background subtraction technique . a different background is therefore computed for each individual feature - indicator and the median value of the background pixel intensities are reported ( table 2 ). the end product of a comparative hybridization experiment is a scanned array image . saturated pixels appear when there are more photons detected than the photomultiplier tubes ( pmt ) of the scanner can process . this occurs when the amount of hybridized cdna to the spot is too high . saturated pixels cannot be used for proper measurement of the signal intensity . pmt should then be set to avoid the detection of saturated pixels . as a consequence , this reduces the signal intensity of all other spots , and lower levels of cdna will not be detected . because of the high abundance of the rrna - derived cdna relatively to the mrna - derived cdna , it is important to reduce its hybridization to the microarray - sequestered dna . in this invention , the applicants compete the hybridization of the rrna - derived cdna to the microarray dna capture probe by adding a defined amount of rrna competitor probe in the hybridization buffer , said probe carrying the same sequence as the microarray - bound probe . five ( 5 ) to 100 molar excess of competitor probe relative to the quantity of microarray dna capture probe is enough to obtain a rrna - derived cdna signal intensity in the same dynamic range of detection as the other cdnas ( i . e ., test and / or reference mrna - derived cdna ), which are otherwise present in much lesser quantities in the reaction buffer . the amount of molar excess to be used is essentially a function of the amount of the total rna used for the assay ( for example : 0 . 2 to 20 μg ). in short , because of their relatively invariant expression across tissues and treatments , 18s and 28s rna are ideal internal controls for quantitative rna analysis by microarrays . the current invention describes how to use these rrnas to that end by compensating , thanks to competition with specific oligos , for their overabundance relative to the mrna of test and reference cell samples . the overall exhaustive results of comparison of test and reference cdnas , normalized in accordance with the method and principles of the present invention , are provided in appendix 1 . although the present invention has been described hereinabove by way of preferred embodiments thereof , it can be modified , without departing from the spirit and nature of the subject invention , as defined in the appended claims . [ 0087 ] table 2 hybridization with 50 ug of probe 2 as competitor ratio of median value not normalized beta - actin 18 s f635 f532 block column row gene name probe name — 1 . 02 — median median 8 1 5 18s probe 1 1 . 04 1 . 02 undetectable 27678 26672 1 11 6 18s probe 1 1 . 00 0 . 98 undetectable 65217 65349 1 12 6 18s probe 1 1 . 00 0 . 98 undetectable 65217 65352 8 2 5 18s probe 1 0 . 85 0 . 83 undetectable 21986 26060 10 1 6 18s probe 2 0 . 93 0 . 91 undetectable − 73 33 10 2 6 18s probe 2 1 . 27 1 . 25 undetectable − 31 10 3 12 6 18s probe 2 1 . 00 0 . 98 undetectable 83 254 3 11 6 18s probe 2 1 . 02 1 . 00 undetectable 122 285 5 7 6 beta actin actin 1 0 . 78 0 . 76 undetectable 1159 1791 5 8 6 beta actin actin 1 0 . 88 0 . 87 undetectable 977 1351 10 3 1 beta actin actin 1 0 . 87 0 . 85 undetectable 1674 2034 10 4 1 beta actin actin 1 0 . 89 0 . 87 undetectable 1880 2213 4 3 1 beta actin actin 1 0 . 63 0 . 62 undetectable 2010 3400 11 14 5 beta actin actin 1 0 . 86 0 . 84 undetectable 1607 1981 11 13 5 beta actin actin 1 0 . 91 0 . 89 undetectable 1760 2021 4 4 1 beta actin actin 1 0 . 68 0 . 67 undetectable 1833 2880 6 1 1 beta actin actin 2 0 . 96 0 . 94 undetectable 3619 3853 3 2 1 beta actin actin 2 0 . 88 0 . 86 undetectable 278 603 4 2 1 beta actin actin 2 0 . 81 0 . 80 undetectable 1667 2185 6 2 1 beta actin actin 2 1 . 00 0 . 98 undetectable 3013 3092 1 8 6 beta actin actin 2 0 . 75 0 . 73 undetectable 1641 2348 4 1 1 beta actin actin 2 0 . 75 0 . 73 undetectable 1651 2355 3 1 1 beta actin actin 2 0 . 93 0 . 91 undetectable 419 686 5 1 1 beta actin actin 2 0 . 87 0 . 86 undetectable 530 827 5 2 1 beta actin actin 2 0 . 79 0 . 77 undetectable 323 673 1 7 6 beta actin actin 2 0 . 76 0 . 75 undetectable 2157 2986 3 8 6 beta actin actin 3 1 . 41 1 . 38 undetectable 1765 1336 3 7 6 beta actin actin 3 1 . 26 1 . 23 undetectable 2079 1744 11 2 1 beta actin actin 3 1 . 51 1 . 48 undetectable 1697 1175 11 1 1 beta actin actin 3 1 . 50 1 . 47 undetectable 1852 1299 12 2 1 beta actin actin 3 1 . 22 1 . 19 undetectable 572 534 12 1 1 beta actin actin 3 1 . 13 1 . 11 undetectable 545 651 10 2 1 beta actin actin 3 1 . 11 1 . 09 undetectable 980 947 9 2 1 beta actin actin 3 1 . 23 1 . 21 undetectable 1173 1020 10 1 1 beta actin actin 3 0 . 92 0 . 90 undetectable 514 655 8 2 1 beta actin actin 3 1 . 28 1 . 25 undetectable 991 808 8 1 1 beta actin actin 3 1 . 36 1 . 34 undetectable 931 704 9 13 5 beta actin actin 3 1 . 28 1 . 25 undetectable 1379 1128 9 1 1 beta actin actin 3 1 . 43 1 . 40 undetectable 1330 976 9 14 5 beta actin actin 3 1 . 51 1 . 48 undetectable 1946 1303 2 1 1 beta actin actin 3 0 . 76 0 . 74 undetectable 1630 2269 2 2 1 beta actin actin 3 0 . 76 0 . 75 undetectable 1800 2462 4 2 4 9g8 splicing l22253_b 0 . 69 0 . 68 undetectable 361 689 9 14 4 a - myb x13294_b 2 . 30 2 . 25 undetectable 197 64 4 8 4 ash1 l08424_a 1 . 33 1 . 31 undetectable 587 487 3 5 3 bteb d31716_b 3 . 88 3 . 80 undetectable 332 33 3 12 5 btf3 homologue m90355_a 4 . 15 4 . 07 undetectable 1627 338 4 4 2 cbfa1 / osf2 af053949_b 0 . 52 0 . 51 undetectable − 136 14 2 2 5 cdp m74099_b 0 . 45 0 . 44 undetectable − 54 173 11 10 5 cyclin d1 aml 12 1 . 75 1 . 72 undetectable 4205 2401 6 6 4 en2 l12700_b 2 . 93 2 . 88 undetectable 1517 476 8 15 6 gapdh s6 - 1 1 . 37 1 . 35 undetectable 2104 1553 2 10 2 gtf2ip1 af036613_b 0 . 49 0 . 48 undetectable − 106 21 5 12 1 zrp - 1 af000974_a 2 . 99 2 . 93 undetectable 4235 1405 hybridization with 5 ug of probe 2 as competitor ratio of median value not normalized beta - actin 18s f635 f532 block column row gene name probe name — 1 . 20 1 . 11 median median 8 1 5 18s probe 1 0 . 73 0 . 61 0 . 66 5617 7877 1 11 6 18s probe 1 0 . 77 0 . 65 0 . 70 50642 65367 1 12 6 18s probe 1 0 . 68 0 . 56 0 . 61 28798 42677 8 2 5 18s probe 1 0 . 79 0 . 66 0 . 71 4808 6252 10 1 6 18s probe 2 1 . 19 0 . 99 1 . 07 1446 1275 10 2 6 18s probe 2 1 . 24 1 . 03 1 . 12 1437 1211 3 12 6 18s probe 2 1 . 01 0 . 84 0 . 92 2904 2973 3 11 6 18s probe 2 0 . 99 0 . 82 0 . 89 2970 3112 5 7 6 beta actin actin 1 0 . 78 0 . 65 0 . 71 2778 3771 5 8 6 beta actin actin 1 0 . 81 0 . 67 0 . 73 2813 3723 10 3 1 beta actin actin 1 0 . 89 0 . 74 0 . 80 2114 2491 10 4 1 beta actin actin 1 0 . 95 0 . 60 0 . 86 1958 2142 4 3 1 beta actin actin 1 0 . 79 0 . 66 0 . 72 886 1246 11 14 5 beta actin actin 1 0 . 85 0 . 70 0 . 76 4081 4908 11 13 5 beta actin actin 1 0 . 82 0 . 68 0 . 74 4163 5178 4 4 1 beta actin actin 1 0 . 84 0 . 70 0 . 76 630 861 6 1 1 beta actin actin 2 1 . 34 1 . 12 1 . 21 6216 6179 3 2 1 beta actin actin 2 1 . 13 0 . 94 1 . 02 2734 2573 4 2 1 beta actin actin 2 1 . 07 0 . 89 0 . 97 3255 3107 6 2 1 beta actin actin 2 1 . 29 1 . 07 1 . 16 5016 3954 1 8 6 beta actin actin 2 0 . 90 0 . 75 0 . 81 5528 6304 4 1 1 beta actin actin 2 0 . 86 0 . 72 0 . 78 3905 4676 3 1 1 beta actin actin 2 1 . 13 0 . 95 1 . 02 6154 5479 5 1 1 beta actin actin 2 0 . 97 0 . 81 0 . 88 2991 3266 5 2 1 beta actin actin 2 0 . 80 0 . 67 0 . 72 1924 2563 1 7 6 beta actin actin 2 0 . 93 0 . 78 0 . 84 8491 9183 3 8 6 beta actin actin 3 1 . 38 1 . 15 1 . 25 7582 5556 3 7 6 beta actin actin 3 1 . 46 1 . 22 1 . 32 9368 6469 11 2 1 beta actin actin 3 1 . 73 1 . 44 1 . 56 1674 996 11 1 1 beta actin actin 3 1 . 83 1 . 53 1 . 66 2150 1173 12 2 1 beta actin actin 3 1 . 31 1 . 09 1 . 18 4607 3517 12 1 1 beta actin actin 3 1 . 28 1 . 07 1 . 16 4478 3494 10 2 1 beta actin actin 3 1 . 18 0 . 99 1 . 07 1003 920 9 2 1 beta actin actin 3 1 . 65 1 . 37 1 . 49 7356 4461 10 1 1 beta actin actin 3 1 26 1 . 05 1 . 14 5499 4379 8 2 1 beta actin actin 3 1 . 69 1 . 41 1 . 52 1957 1167 8 1 1 beta actin actin 3 1 . 60 1 . 33 1 . 44 1998 1288 9 13 5 beta actin actin 3 1 . 67 1 . 39 1 . 50 4283 2609 9 1 1 beta actin actin 3 1 . 70 1 . 41 1 . 53 8913 5248 9 14 5 beta actin actin 3 1 . 60 1 . 33 1 . 44 2481 1579 2 1 1 beta actin actin 3 1 . 18 0 . 98 1 . 06 986 905 2 2 1 beta actin actin 3 1 . 13 0 . 94 1 . 02 4407 3937 4 2 4 9g8 splicing l22253_b 0 . 98 0 . 82 0 . 89 777 875 9 14 4 a - myb x13294_b 2 . 73 2 . 28 2 . 47 1228 429 4 8 4 ash1 l08424_a 1 . 49 1 . 24 1 . 35 1332 908 3 5 3 bteb d31716_b 2 . 86 2 . 38 2 . 58 1565 510 3 12 5 btf3 homologue m90355_a 3 . 47 2 . 89 3 . 13 3479 1036 4 4 2 cbfa1 / osf2 af053949_b 1 . 25 1 . 04 1 . 13 62 99 2 2 5 cdp m74099_b 0 . 79 0 . 66 0 . 72 138 296 11 10 5 cyclin d1 aml 12 1 . 60 1 . 33 1 . 45 11710 7312 6 6 4 en2 l12700_b 3 . 61 3 . 01 3 . 26 1835 458 8 15 6 gapdh s6 - 1 2 . 15 1 . 79 1 . 94 3462 1593 2 10 2 gtf2ip1 af036613_b 0 . 66 0 . 57 0 . 62 − 45 83 5 12 1 zrp - 1 af000974_a 3 . 24 2 . 70 2 . 92 12043 3689 hybridization without competitor ratio of median value not normalized beta - actin 18 s f635 f532 block column row gene name probe name — 0 . 56 — median median 8 1 5 18s probe 1 1 . 01 1 . 80 saturated 65181 65226 1 11 6 18s probe 1 1 . 01 1 . 80 saturated 65181 65226 1 12 6 18s probe 1 1 . 01 1 . 80 saturated 65160 65187 8 2 5 18s probe 1 1 . 01 1 . 80 saturated 65154 65211 10 1 6 18s probe 2 1 . 01 1 . 80 saturated 65250 65274 10 2 6 18s probe 2 1 . 01 1 . 80 saturated 65250 65283 3 12 6 18s probe 2 1 . 01 1 . 80 saturated 65157 65199 3 11 6 18s probe 2 1 . 01 1 . 80 saturated 65115 65168 5 7 6 beta actin actin 1 0 . 66 1 . 18 saturated 42650 65208 5 8 6 beta actin actin 1 0 . 60 1 . 07 saturated 32564 54998 10 3 1 beta actin actin 1 0 . 54 0 . 96 saturated 31689 59418 10 4 1 beta actin actin 1 0 . 50 0 . 89 saturated 20804 42413 4 3 1 beta actin actin 1 0 . 52 0 . 93 saturated 5227 10326 11 14 5 beta actin actin 1 0 . 57 1 . 02 saturated 5227 9416 11 13 5 beta actin actin 1 0 . 57 1 . 02 saturated 4828 8663 4 4 1 beta actin actin 1 0 . 47 0 . 85 saturated 3316 7269 6 1 1 beta actin actin 2 0 . 61 1 . 10 saturated 12776 21111 3 2 1 beta actin actin 2 0 . 60 1 . 07 saturated 11482 19359 4 2 1 beta actin actin 2 0 . 56 1 . 00 saturated 9879 18018 6 2 1 beta actin actin 2 0 . 62 1 . 10 saturated 8311 13731 1 8 6 beta actin actin 2 0 . 56 1 . 01 saturated 8060 14583 4 1 1 beta actin actin 2 0 . 50 0 . 89 saturated 6632 13645 3 1 1 beta actin actin 2 0 . 56 1 . 00 saturated 5885 10732 5 1 1 beta actin actin 2 0 . 51 0 . 92 saturated 4246 8568 5 2 1 beta actin actin 2 0 . 50 0 . 89 saturated 3917 8126 1 7 6 beta actin actin 2 − 0 . 91 − 1 . 63 saturated − 206 − 149 3 8 6 beta actin actin 3 0 . 72 1 . 28 saturated 12612 17918 3 7 6 beta actin actin 3 0 . 65 1 . 16 saturated 10632 16662 11 2 1 beta actin actin 3 0 . 87 1 . 55 saturated 9874 11511 11 1 1 beta actin actin 3 0 . 93 1 . 66 saturated 8951 9743 12 2 1 beta actin actin 3 0 . 66 1 . 18 saturated 7276 11204 12 1 1 beta actin actin 3 0 . 61 1 . 09 saturated 7196 11985 10 2 1 beta actin actin 3 0 . 54 0 . 97 saturated 6401 12065 9 2 1 beta actin actin 3 0 . 67 1 . 20 saturated 5666 8611 10 1 1 beta actin actin 3 0 . 53 0 . 94 saturated 5565 10881 8 2 1 beta actin actin 3 0 . 79 1 . 42 saturated 4425 5686 8 1 1 beta actin actin 3 0 . 66 1 . 19 saturated 4266 6610 9 13 5 beta actin actin 3 0 . 62 1 . 11 saturated 3873 6437 9 1 1 beta actin actin 3 0 . 70 1 . 26 saturated 3211 4705 9 14 5 beta actin actin 3 0 . 62 1 . 10 saturated 2984 5021 2 1 1 beta actin actin 3 0 . 48 0 . 86 saturated 2319 5083 2 2 1 beta actin actin 3 0 . 44 0 . 79 saturated 2317 5572 4 2 4 9g8 splicing l22253_b 0 . 48 0 . 86 saturated 1217 2852 9 14 4 a - myb x13294_b 0 . 84 1 . 50 saturated 664 877 4 8 4 ash1 l08424_a 0 . 70 1 . 25 saturated 3104 4657 3 5 3 bteb d31716_b 1 . 18 2 . 10 saturated 3709 3172 3 12 5 btf3 homologue m90355_a 1 . 14 2 . 03 saturated 5707 5036 4 4 2 cbfa1 / osf2 af053949_b 0 . 51 0 . 91 saturated 219 754 2 2 5 cdp m74099_b 0 . 32 0 . 57 saturated 88 743 11 10 5 cyclin d1 aml 12 1 . 03 1 . 84 saturated 15590 15215 6 6 4 en2 l12700_b 1 . 41 2 . 51 saturated 7429 5251 8 15 6 gapdh s6 - 1 0 . 43 0 . 76 saturated 3632 9331 2 10 2 gtf2ip1 af036613_b 0 . 36 0 . 65 saturated 20 458 5 12 1 zrp - 1 af000974_a 1 . 61 2 . 88 saturated 13359 8293 appendix 1 : signal normalization using 18s rna as an internal standard . two microarray analyses were performed independently , each one comparing the expression of many transcription factors in jurkat cells and in jurkat cells treated with the phorbol ester tpa . the signals obtained in the latter case were divided by the signals obtained in the former case to get a ratio of induction by tpa in these cells . the signals were normalized using 18s rna as a standard ( see columns 3 and 4 ). since 18s rna is used as a control in both experiments and that the same type of cells were used , presumably giving very similar results , the ratio of the results obtained in each experiment should be nearing 1 . that ratio is presented in column 5 . column 3 jurkat / jurkat column 4 column 5 column 2 tpa jurkat / jurkat ratio of column 1 accession ratio tpa ratio experiments gene name number experiment 1 experiment 2 1 and 2 9g8 splicing factor l22253 0 . 84 1 . 00 0 . 836078512 9g8 splicing factor l22253 0 . 77 0 . 99 0 . 779340183 a - myb x66087 1 . 32 1 . 38 0 . 950679679 a - myb x66087 1 . 34 1 . 43 0 . 937305665 a - myb x13294 1 . 12 1 . 21 0 . 924150275 a - myb x13294 1 . 12 1 . 21 0 . 924083463 abf - 1 af060154 0 . 45 0 . 39 1 . 166895465 abf - 1 af060154 0 . 39 0 . 38 1 . 029207795 abh nm_006020 0 . 91 1 . 05 0 . 865303363 abh nm_006020 0 . 81 0 . 98 0 . 822950019 abp / zf u82613 1 . 32 1 . 64 0 . 804108596 abp / zf u82613 1 . 25 1 . 60 0 . 783304597 af10 nm_004641 1 . 24 1 . 31 0 . 947593818 af10 nm_004641 1 . 23 1 . 32 0 . 931357689 aib3 af208227 1 . 33 1 . 28 1 . 034779297 aib3 nm_014071 1 . 09 1 . 25 0 . 870698314 aib3 nm_014071 1 . 07 1 . 36 0 . 784035932 aib3 af208227 1 . 10 1 . 40 0 . 782294079 all - 1 u04737 1 . 65 1 . 88 0 . 880126672 all - 1 u04737 1 . 58 1 . 88 0 . 838592996 all - 1 l04284 0 . 66 0 . 79 0 . 838134698 aml2 z35278 0 . 44 0 . 51 0 . 858684813 aml2 z35278 0 . 42 0 . 55 0 . 77112205 aml3 af001450 1 . 28 1 . 32 0 . 974983445 aml3 af001450 1 . 34 1 . 39 0 . 966458433 ap - 2gamma u85658 2 . 57 2 . 62 0 . 978390776 ap - 2gamma u85658 2 . 23 2 . 59 0 . 86381938 ap - 4 x57435 1 . 21 1 . 23 0 . 984438472 ap - 4 x57435 1 . 17 1 . 28 0 . 91144528 ap4 nm_014374 1 . 39 1 . 59 0 . 871879245 ap4 nm_014374 1 . 32 1 . 59 0 . 831996755 apbb1 nm_001164 0 . 95 0 . 97 0 . 984113563 apbb1 nm_001164 0 . 79 0 . 99 0 . 801180869 apc m74088 1 . 50 1 . 31 1 . 148676257 apc m74088 1 . 29 1 . 46 0 . 8859936 apeced ab006682 1 . 49 1 . 56 0 . 957659838 apeced ab006682 1 . 38 1 . 65 0 . 837168643 apex nm_001641 0 . 88 1 . 13 0 . 783250131 apex nm_001641 0 . 84 1 . 08 0 . 780343345 apobec2 nm_006789 1 . 15 1 . 12 1 . 031439776 apobec2 nm_006789 1 . 04 1 . 05 0 . 990111417 appl nm_012096 1 . 32 1 . 54 0 . 856820461 appl nm_012096 1 . 31 1 . 56 0 . 839878811 ar nm_000044 1 . 74 2 . 04 0 . 855879355 ar nm_000044 1 . 60 2 . 01 0 . 796494966 arnt m69238 1 . 25 1 . 42 0 . 880056649 arnt m69238 1 . 24 1 . 42 0 . 876705905 arnt y18500 0 . 78 0 . 96 0 . 816130578 ash2l2 af056717 1 . 34 1 . 35 0 . 994678817 ash2l2 af056717 1 . 38 1 . 40 0 . 991252318 atbf1 nm_006885 0 . 90 1 . 01 0 . 889758762 atbf1 nm_006885 0 . 90 1 . 02 0 . 879456944 atf d90209 1 . 05 1 . 01 1 . 035713928 atf d90209 0 . 97 1 . 01 0 . 960323304 atf - a x52943 1 . 54 1 . 88 0 . 817277421 atf - a x52943 1 . 51 1 . 93 0 . 780957523 atf1 nm_005171 0 . 84 0 . 91 0 . 927916867 atf1 nm_005171 0 . 87 1 . 02 0 . 854281302 atf6 nm_007348 1 . 29 1 . 29 1 . 00327664 atf6 nm_007348 1 . 09 1 . 28 0 . 856533977 bach1 nm_001186 1 . 49 1 . 31 1 . 137064444 bach1 nm_001186 1 . 45 1 . 62 0 . 891057108 bapx1 nm_001189 2 . 55 2 . 33 1 . 093826453 bapx1 nm_001189 2 . 46 2 . 59 0 . 946872482 barx2 nm_003658 1 . 17 1 . 27 0 . 917084438 barx2 nm_003658 1 . 14 1 . 37 0 . 830998058 bcl2 nm_000633 1 . 43 1 . 65 0 . 866945304 bcl2 nm_000633 1 . 37 1 . 70 0 . 806442848 bcl3 u05822 1 . 11 1 . 26 0 . 877431885 bcl3 m31732 1 . 17 1 . 38 0 . 848343893 bcl3 m31732 1 . 13 1 . 37 0 . 825031918 bcl3 u05822 1 . 02 1 . 30 0 . 790257156 beta - actin x00351 1 . 02 1 . 19 0 . 855958172 beta - actin x00351 1 . 02 1 . 21 0 . 843968769 beta - actin x00351 1 . 01 1 . 21 0 . 837209294 beta - actin x00351 1 . 00 1 . 19 0 . 836410947 beta - catenin x89593 2 . 01 2 . 06 0 . 977986591 beta - catenin x89593 1 . 99 2 . 11 0 . 942592932 bf - 2 x74143 1 . 28 1 . 38 0 . 931388014 bf - 2 x74143 1 . 22 1 . 37 0 . 894927517 bfp / znf179 ab026054 1 . 33 1 . 32 1 . 005754548 bfp / znf179 ab026054 1 . 36 1 . 37 0 . 993222418 birc4 nm_001167 1 . 51 1 . 44 1 . 054435009 birc4 nm_001167 1 . 40 1 . 50 0 . 932289706 bmzf3 nm_005773 0 . 92 1 . 08 0 . 850837495 bmzf3 nm_005773 0 . 90 1 . 13 0 . 798215326 brahma x72889 5 . 90 5 . 49 1 . 074544412 brahma x72889 5 . 14 5 . 97 0 . 86166573 brca2 nm_000059 1 . 45 1 . 75 0 . 824507422 brca2 nm_000059 1 . 39 1 . 74 0 . 798236353 brn - 3b u06233 1 . 48 1 . 37 1 . 078166711 brn - 3b u06233 1 . 47 1 . 50 0 . 974841891 brn - 4 x82324 1 . 57 1 . 06 1 . 486851514 brn - 4 x82324 1 . 29 1 . 07 1 . 198217087 brs3 nm_001727 2 . 71 2 . 75 0 . 983814035 brs3 nm_001727 2 . 36 2 . 77 0 . 851828571 bteb d31716 4 . 86 4 . 21 1 . 153934489 bteb d31716 4 . 30 4 . 32 0 . 995197771 bteb2 d14520 1 . 25 1 . 27 0 . 978590601 bteb2 d14520 1 . 30 1 . 39 0 . 933625786 btf3 nm_001207 1 . 05 1 . 10 0 . 955111894 btf3 nm_001207 0 . 99 1 . 08 0 . 913787418 btf3a m90352 2 . 83 2 . 32 1 . 219855319 btf3a m90352 2 . 70 2 . 39 1 . 130461687 btf3l1 nm_001208 1 . 22 1 . 07 1 . 137813523 btf3l1 nm_001208 1 . 16 1 . 05 1 . 102860167 btf3l3 m90356 1 . 44 1 . 37 1 . 049188317 btf3l3 m90356 1 . 24 1 . 34 0 . 927268611 bzip protein b - atf u15460 1 . 07 1 . 14 0 . 9426678 bzip protein b - atf u15460 0 . 97 1 . 08 0 . 901877866 c - ets - 1 x14798 1 . 09 1 . 25 0 . 873492353 c - ets - 1 x14798 1 . 10 1 . 32 0 . 830363686 c - maf af055376 5 . 74 4 . 79 1 . 19705637 c - maf af055376 4 . 91 5 . 10 0 . 962031195 c - rel m11595 1 . 33 1 . 41 0 . 946493027 c - rel x75042 1 . 32 1 . 46 0 . 902036285 c - rel m11595 1 . 27 1 . 42 0 . 889929469 c - rel x75042 1 . 14 1 . 47 0 . 777782886 c2h2 znf af033199 1 . 07 1 . 14 0 . 938338671 c2h2 znf af033199 0 . 99 1 . 16 0 . 852890579 c2h2 - type znf u95991 1 . 19 1 . 01 1 . 173282928 c2h2 - type znf u95991 0 . 98 1 . 04 0 . 942590144 c2orf3 nm_003203 1 . 46 1 . 22 1 . 196699322 c2orf3 nm_003203 1 . 01 0 . 93 1 . 093811577 cbf ( 5 ) m37197 4 . 06 4 . 25 0 . 956014195 cbf ( 5 ) m37197 3 . 60 4 . 09 0 . 88090602 cbf1 af098297 1 . 61 1 . 63 0 . 991664197 cbf1 af098297 1 . 38 1 . 78 0 . 772546908 cbfa1 l40992 1 . 30 1 . 45 0 . 898057655 cbfa1 l40992 1 . 26 1 . 46 0 . 865127809 cbfa1 / osf2 af053949 1 . 22 1 . 28 0 . 951727989 cbfa1 / osf2 af053949 1 . 22 1 . 33 0 . 92146037 cbfa2t1 nm_004349 1 . 49 1 . 65 0 . 901008111 cbfa2t1 nm_004349 1 . 24 1 . 59 0 . 780002118 cbfb l20298 2 . 33 2 . 74 0 . 851333501 cbfb l20298 2 . 36 2 . 91 0 . 8088749 cdp m74099 1 . 39 1 . 61 0 . 85914075 cdp m74099 1 . 27 1 . 64 0 . 77621359 cebpb nm_005194 1 . 24 1 . 47 0 . 846246886 cebpb nm_005194 1 . 26 1 . 49 0 . 846246188 cebpd nm_005195 0 . 83 1 . 00 0 . 829917576 cebpd nm_005195 0 . 84 1 . 03 0 . 822579365 cebpe u48866 1 . 91 2 . 01 0 . 948532903 cebpe u48866 2 . 06 2 . 38 0 . 86669978 cezanne nm_020205 2 . 88 2 . 96 0 . 974633442 cezanne nm_020205 2 . 65 2 . 83 0 . 935357017 chd1 nm_001270 1 . 62 1 . 59 1 . 014951939 chd1 nm_001270 1 . 43 1 . 59 0 . 898362477 chd4 nm_001273 1 . 54 1 . 70 0 . 909055986 chd4 nm_001273 1 . 49 1 . 72 0 . 862018232 chfr nm_018223 4 . 35 4 . 43 0 . 982194772 chfr nm_018223 3 . 92 4 . 36 0 . 899117503 chn1 nm_001822 1 . 42 1 . 53 0 . 927629676 chn1 nm_001822 1 . 37 1 . 49 0 . 923095091 cis4 nm_004232 1 . 67 1 . 79 0 . 935688257 cis4 nm_004232 1 . 82 2 . 13 0 . 851569476 cited1 nm_004143 1 . 10 1 . 30 0 . 850853943 cited1 nm_004143 1 . 17 1 . 39 0 . 844249881 cnbp m28372 0 . 67 0 . 54 1 . 233592517 cnbp m28372 0 . 62 0 . 54 1 . 163359863 coactivator ebv nuclear u22055 0 . 82 0 . 94 0 . 869546763 protein 2 coactivator ebv nuclear u22055 0 . 81 1 . 00 0 . 810099254 protein 2 copeb nm_001300 1 . 14 1 . 29 0 . 885046712 copeb nm_001300 1 . 12 1 . 34 0 . 833843243 cops5 nm_006837 2 . 46 2 . 14 1 . 148421053 cops5 nm_006837 2 . 48 2 . 32 1 . 071355007 cp2 u01965 1 . 01 1 . 23 0 . 82004865 cp2 u01965 1 . 00 1 . 30 0 . 771414141 cr53 af017433 1 . 33 1 . 33 0 . 997732351 cr53 af017433 1 . 29 1 . 39 0 . 925956448 cre - bp1 j05623 1 . 13 1 . 38 0 . 819277436 cre - bp1 j05623 1 . 02 1 . 26 0 . 815059942 creb m27691 0 . 92 1 . 09 0 . 842697518 creb m27691 0 . 85 1 . 06 0 . 7964146 crebbp nm_004380 1 . 09 1 . 25 0 . 872661186 crebbp nm_004380 1 . 12 1 . 30 0 . 86705145 crebpa nm_004904 1 . 26 1 . 30 0 . 971711147 crebpa nm_004904 1 . 10 1 . 24 0 . 887551154 croc4 nm_006365 1 . 15 1 . 25 0 . 926055212 croc4 nm_006365 1 . 16 1 . 38 0 . 842320854 crsp70 nm_004831 0 . 91 1 . 06 0 . 854668195 crsp70 nm_004831 0 . 92 1 . 15 0 . 803384327 crsp9 nm_004270 1 . 37 1 . 49 0 . 919973517 crsp9 nm_004270 1 . 40 1 . 53 0 . 919262135 csda nm_003651 2 . 00 2 . 09 0 . 956497534 csda nm_003651 1 . 79 2 . 09 0 . 857935728 cspg4 nm_001897 6 . 91 6 . 16 1 . 121744511 cspg4 nm_001897 6 . 24 6 . 25 0 . 998642122 cyclin t1 af048730 1 . 27 1 . 54 0 . 823279433 cyclin t1 af048730 1 . 20 1 . 47 0 . 813677962 cyclin t2a af048731 1 . 50 1 . 54 0 . 973727374 cyclin t2a af048731 1 . 65 1 . 70 0 . 971786333 daxx ab015051 1 . 22 1 . 49 0 . 814149894 daxx ab015051 1 . 16 1 . 45 0 . 796739358 db1 d28118 1 . 21 1 . 38 0 . 873780256 db1 d28118 1 . 20 1 . 38 0 . 871224304 ddxbp1 nm_016166 1 . 20 1 . 32 0 . 908250709 ddxbp1 nm_016166 1 . 14 1 . 32 0 . 865664426 ded aj249940 0 . 85 0 . 90 0 . 947823489 ded aj249940 0 . 84 0 . 90 0 . 93599742 dek s89712 1 . 38 1 . 62 0 . 856330516 dek s89712 1 . 32 1 . 55 0 . 852478465 dffb nm_004402 1 . 36 1 . 40 0 . 968276574 dffb nm_004402 1 . 22 1 . 55 0 . 787420865 dip1 nm_012142 1 . 39 1 . 14 1 . 217929208 dip1 nm_012142 1 . 17 1 . 15 1 . 01617335 dlc1 nm_006094 3 . 06 3 . 29 0 . 931248269 dlc1 nm_006094 2 . 97 3 . 29 0 . 903164687 dlx3 nm_005220 1 . 13 1 . 26 0 . 894141987 dlx5 nm_005221 1 . 45 1 . 39 1 . 04166642 dlx5 nm_005221 1 . 25 1 . 61 0 . 775477519 dmahp x84813 1 . 10 1 . 29 0 . 851587242 dmahp x84813 1 . 08 1 . 31 0 . 825399746 dmrt1 aj276801 1 . 41 1 . 41 1 . 002793104 dmrt1 aj276801 1 . 43 1 . 48 0 . 961743556 dna - binding protein x60824 1 . 36 1 . 52 0 . 897844438 dna - binding protein x60824 1 . 32 1 . 48 0 . 88927803 dnase1 nm_005223 1 . 21 1 . 25 0 . 964151008 dnase1 nm_005223 0 . 97 1 . 21 0 . 798481304 dnase2 nm_001375 2 . 98 3 . 43 0 . 867988126 dnase2 nm_001375 2 . 89 3 . 55 0 . 815129956 dra nm_000111 1 . 26 1 . 39 0 . 904139999 dra nm_000111 1 . 21 1 . 41 0 . 862444488 dream aj131730 0 . 78 0 . 96 0 . 819901761 dream aj131730 0 . 76 0 . 98 0 . 770874238 e2f1 m96577 0 . 89 1 . 03 0 . 869321414 e2f1 m96577 0 . 91 1 . 05 0 . 867695906 ear - 1r d16815 2 . 06 2 . 10 0 . 984212792 ear - 1r d16815 1 . 88 2 . 21 0 . 850783292 egr1 x52541 1 . 47 1 . 50 0 . 979883348 egr1 x52541 1 . 44 1 . 51 0 . 953589751 egr1 m17254 0 . 86 1 . 03 0 . 832083695 egr1 m17254 0 . 87 1 . 05 0 . 827505943 egr4 nm_001965 0 . 60 0 . 71 0 . 840382873 egr4 nm_001965 0 . 63 0 . 81 0 . 775954581 eklf u65404 0 . 98 1 . 04 0 . 944031465 eklf u65404 0 . 96 1 . 03 0 . 935317019 elf1 m82882 1 . 76 1 . 83 0 . 964878433 elf1 m82882 1 . 62 1 . 76 0 . 921751518 elf4 nm_001421 1 . 45 1 . 41 1 . 027947336 elf4 nm_001421 1 . 36 1 . 37 0 . 991044834 elk3 nm_005230 1 . 28 1 . 57 0 . 815739725 elk3 nm_005230 1 . 33 1 . 68 0 . 790796088 ell nm_006532 0 . 95 1 . 16 0 . 822566492 ell nm_006532 0 . 95 1 . 16 0 . 819455294 elongation factor 1 - x16869 1 . 35 1 . 50 0 . 8947725 alpha elongation factor 1 - x16869 1 . 36 1 . 59 0 . 853485168 alpha l34587 1 . 41 1 . 64 0 . 861800291 elongation factor siii elongation factor siii l34587 1 . 49 1 . 82 0 . 820065033 elongation factor - 1 - z21507 0 . 81 0 . 99 0 . 81190776 delta elongation factor - 1 - z21507 0 . 78 1 . 00 0 . 782148893 delta en1 l12698 1 . 36 1 . 45 0 . 935865444 en1 l12698 1 . 23 1 . 47 0 . 836794344 epas1 nm_001430 1 . 18 1 . 38 0 . 856844874 epas1 nm_001430 1 . 15 1 . 46 0 . 783761416 ercc2 x52222 5 . 72 4 . 80 1 . 193231705 ercc2 x52222 5 . 33 4 . 73 1 . 127089247 ercc3 nm_000122 1 . 36 1 . 57 0 . 863467286 ercc3 nm_000122 1 . 30 1 . 60 0 . 812147676 erf - 2 x78992 2 . 14 2 . 41 0 . 889330713 erf - 2 x78992 2 . 26 2 . 55 0 . 883602051 erg nm_004449 1 . 62 1 . 42 1 . 142428678 erg nm_004449 1 . 49 1 . 50 0 . 996969892 erm x96375 4 . 16 4 . 29 0 . 969559654 erm x96375 3 . 27 3 . 55 0 . 921520209 ert af017307 2 . 43 2 . 68 0 . 90894817 ert af017307 2 . 51 2 . 82 0 . 891141057 esrrg nm_001438 0 . 95 1 . 13 0 . 839582135 esrrg nm_001438 0 . 95 1 . 15 0 . 821231854 etr101 nm_004907 2 . 74 2 . 75 0 . 997375352 etr101 nm_004907 2 . 49 2 . 80 0 . 887790293 ets transcription factor af115403 1 . 14 1 . 31 0 . 87442124 ese - 2b ets transcription factor af115403 1 . 11 1 . 43 0 . 77156259 ese - 2b ets - 1 gene af193068 1 . 21 1 . 38 0 . 874625305 ets - 1 gene af193068 1 . 22 1 . 40 0 . 868962372 ets - like u30174 1 . 40 1 . 23 1 . 131217765 ets - like u30174 1 . 49 1 . 35 1 . 098811633 ets - like z49980 1 . 61 1 . 51 1 . 067048232 ets - like z49980 1 . 54 1 . 56 0 . 991710772 ets2 m30137 1 . 75 2 . 02 0 . 86945137 ets2 m30137 1 . 78 2 . 11 0 . 844919404 etv1 nm_004956 1 . 13 1 . 25 0 . 910122678 etv1 nm_004956 1 . 39 1 . 59 0 . 871215971 etv6 u45432 1 . 38 1 . 43 0 . 965065589 etv6 nm_001987 0 . 90 1 . 11 0 . 811726255 evi - 1 s82592 2 . 53 2 . 10 1 . 208239627 evi - 1 s82592 2 . 26 2 . 15 1 . 055074375 ewsr1 nm_005243 1 . 01 1 . 28 0 . 789906804 ewsr1 nm_005243 1 . 00 1 . 28 0 . 783731221 ezh2 u61145 1 . 26 1 . 35 0 . 932953273 ezh2 u61145 1 . 27 1 . 39 0 . 907474288 factp140 nm_007192 1 . 43 1 . 48 0 . 96265369 factp140 nm_007192 1 . 41 1 . 48 0 . 954817504 fas - binding protein af015956 0 . 90 1 . 08 0 . 833884369 daxx fas - binding protein af015956 0 . 89 1 . 09 0 . 81465638 daxx fbw1a af129530 1 . 31 1 . 45 0 . 900471742 fbw1a af129530 1 . 27 1 . 54 0 . 829306514 fgd1 u11690 1 . 33 1 . 14 1 . 173441119 fgd1 u11690 1 . 21 1 . 23 0 . 990554056 fgr nm_005248 1 . 33 1 . 58 0 . 839283541 fgr nm_005248 1 . 27 1 . 60 0 . 790883893 fhl1 af110763 1 . 56 1 . 77 0 . 88200997 fhl1 af110763 1 . 45 1 . 76 0 . 822210318 fkhl7 af048693 3 . 42 3 . 29 1 . 040543697 fkhl7 af048693 3 . 65 3 . 62 1 . 006927826 fkhr af032885 2 . 42 2 . 08 1 . 161966778 fkhr af032885 2 . 36 2 . 18 1 . 082816723 fkhrl1p1 af032887 1 . 42 1 . 54 0 . 924383924 fkhrl1p1 af032887 1 . 46 1 . 60 0 . 912174436 fli_cdna al360183 1 . 33 1 . 28 1 . 036167415 fli_cdna al360183 1 . 37 1 . 37 0 . 996443864 flj10173 nm_018014 1 . 04 1 . 04 0 . 999229429 flj10173 nm_018014 1 . 01 1 . 01 0 . 996944727 flj10251 nm_018039 1 . 31 1 . 43 0 . 911977997 flj10251 nm_018039 1 . 31 1 . 46 0 . 897214657 flj10339 nm_018063 1 . 62 1 . 87 0 . 866263178 flj10339 nm_018063 1 . 53 1 . 86 0 . 822236451 flj10469 nm_018102 0 . 94 1 . 09 0 . 865336872 flj10469 nm_018102 0 . 94 1 . 09 0 . 865236102 flj10688 ak001550 0 . 97 1 . 11 0 . 881574929 flj10688 ak001550 0 . 95 1 . 19 0 . 802514491 flj10891 nm_018260 1 . 22 1 . 31 0 . 928051813 flj10891 nm_018260 1 . 15 1 . 38 0 . 83802715 flj10909 ak001771 2 . 36 2 . 38 0 . 988865574 flj10909 ak001771 2 . 19 2 . 39 0 . 917728349 flj11015 nm_018300 1 . 10 1 . 19 0 . 922727928 flj11015 nm_018300 0 . 99 1 . 17 0 . 845365497 flj11137 nm_018337 1 . 43 1 . 64 0 . 875337744 flj11137 nm_018337 1 . 33 1 . 60 0 . 831187459 flj11340 ak002202 3 . 74 3 . 96 0 . 944037815 flj11340 ak002202 3 . 72 4 . 02 0 . 925252175 flj11344 ak002206 1 . 11 1 . 24 0 . 900786005 flj11344 ak002206 1 . 22 1 . 39 0 . 879708376 flj11688 ak021750 1 . 31 1 . 41 0 . 925531252 flj11688 ak021750 1 . 35 1 . 50 0 . 901037884 flj12606 ak022668 1 . 11 1 . 15 0 . 965529216 flj12606 ak022668 0 . 96 1 . 10 0 . 876202729 flj12628 ak022690 1 . 30 1 . 38 0 . 938935506 flj12628 ak022690 1 . 25 1 . 36 0 . 925116959 flj12644 ak000909 0 . 98 1 . 09 0 . 901825689 flj12644 ak000909 1 . 02 1 . 16 0 . 874104763 flj13479 ak023541 1 . 12 1 . 35 0 . 830838509 flj13479 ak023541 1 . 05 1 . 27 0 . 825925564 flj20337 nm_017772 1 . 55 1 . 60 0 . 969110576 flj20337 nm_017772 1 . 60 1 . 66 0 . 966477023 flj20428 ak000435 1 . 00 1 . 13 0 . 88699187 flj20428 ak000435 1 . 03 1 . 16 0 . 883146291 flj20438 ak000445 2 . 61 2 . 97 0 . 876697181 flj20438 ak000445 2 . 41 2 . 99 0 . 807812353 flj22332 ak025985 1 . 37 1 . 67 0 . 823105199 flj22332 ak025985 1 . 22 1 . 52 0 . 80219778 flj22973 ak026626 0 . 93 1 . 11 0 . 841359026 flj22973 ak026626 0 . 94 1 . 14 0 . 825377156 fog2 nm_012082 1 . 03 1 . 10 0 . 930301277 fog2 nm_012082 1 . 11 1 . 24 0 . 901732208 fosl2 nm_005253 1 . 42 1 . 73 0 . 818161857 fosl2 nm_005253 1 . 40 1 . 80 0 . 775807396 foxd2 nm_004474 1 . 36 1 . 49 0 . 918399567 foxd2 nm_004474 1 . 35 1 . 48 0 . 912187342 foxd3 nm_012183 1 . 67 1 . 55 1 . 072311149 foxd3 nm_012183 1 . 55 1 . 63 0 . 952188792 foxo3a nm_001455 0 . 87 1 . 10 0 . 789948212 foxo3a nm_001455 0 . 85 1 . 09 0 . 780082817 fra - 1 x16707 1 . 19 1 . 22 0 . 975373174 fra - 1 x16707 1 . 15 1 . 25 0 . 920368654 freac1 u13219 1 . 33 1 . 44 0 . 920850002 freac1 u13219 1 . 33 1 . 47 0 . 900355759 freac10 af042831 1 . 37 1 . 53 0 . 895510594 freac10 af042831 1 . 29 1 . 49 0 . 862685753 freac6 l13203 0 . 68 0 . 76 0 . 894745854 freac6 l13203 0 . 65 0 . 75 0 . 865206105 freac7 u13225 0 . 82 0 . 70 1 . 159351607 freac7 u13225 0 . 70 0 . 72 0 . 971169803 frphe af026692 1 . 02 1 . 11 0 . 917414227 frphe af026692 0 . 99 1 . 17 0 . 852068204 gabpb1 nm_005254 1 . 74 1 . 77 0 . 98532103 gabpb1 nm_005254 1 . 74 1 . 82 0 . 956282084 gadd 153 s40706 1 . 28 1 . 47 0 . 871741003 gadd 153 s40706 1 . 09 1 . 42 0 . 76973024 gapdh m33197 0 . 58 0 . 61 0 . 949162972 gapdh m33197 0 . 56 0 . 59 0 . 947048611 gcma nm_003643 1 . 20 1 . 32 0 . 908325507 gcma nm_003643 1 . 15 1 . 32 0 . 870108289 gcn5l1 nm_001487 0 . 80 0 . 93 0 . 856784201 gcn5l1 nm_001487 0 . 73 0 . 90 0 . 820087548 giot - 1 ab021641 1 . 29 1 . 45 0 . 884372648 giot - 1 ab021641 1 . 22 1 . 50 0 . 812297818 giot - 2 nm_016264 0 . 93 1 . 07 0 . 868101488 giot - 2 nm_016264 0 . 91 1 . 10 0 . 82720992 giot - 3 nm_016265 0 . 87 0 . 97 0 . 893216374 giot - 3 nm_016265 0 . 86 0 . 97 0 . 884789805 giot - 4 nm_016266 1 . 73 2 . 15 0 . 806073313 giot - 4 nm_016266 1 . 78 2 . 27 0 . 783305867 gli x07384 1 . 34 1 . 32 1 . 019171414 gli x07384 1 . 28 1 . 34 0 . 958829722 gli3 m57609 2 . 18 1 . 98 1 . 098071683 gli3 m57609 1 . 95 2 . 06 0 . 944192578 gpx5 nm_001509 0 . 94 1 . 08 0 . 865100605 gpx5 nm_001509 1 . 37 1 . 62 0 . 847040407 grlf1 nm_004491 0 . 79 0 . 87 0 . 906709069 grlf1 nm_004491 0 . 71 0 . 80 0 . 885942625 gtf2b nm_001514 2 . 16 2 . 30 0 . 937394785 gtf2b nm_001514 1 . 95 2 . 44 0 . 799673306 gtf2e1 nm_005513 0 . 76 0 . 98 0 . 784112092 gtf2e1 nm_005513 0 . 74 0 . 96 0 . 769972038 gtf2i nm_001518 2 . 68 2 . 80 0 . 958900201 gtf2i nm_001518 2 . 58 2 . 96 0 . 869928806 gtf2ip1 af036613 0 . 95 0 . 70 1 . 359169172 gtf2ip1 af036613 0 . 84 0 . 84 0 . 988769754 gtf3a nm_002097 1 . 49 1 . 59 0 . 932083753 gtf3a nm_002097 1 . 58 1 . 70 0 . 931723008 gtf3c1 nm_001520 2 . 07 2 . 25 0 . 919747554 gtf3c1 nm_001520 1 . 99 2 . 34 0 . 847308047 gtf3c2 nm_001521 1 . 31 1 . 28 1 . 027107124 gtf3c2 nm_001521 1 . 22 1 . 29 0 . 943844023 gtf3c3 nm_012086 1 . 64 1 . 64 0 . 996581398 gtf3c3 nm_012086 1 . 52 1 . 67 0 . 907893639 gtf3c4 nm_012204 1 . 11 1 . 28 0 . 860437792 gtf3c4 nm_012204 1 . 13 1 . 33 0 . 851773956 gtp af054183 1 . 98 2 . 25 0 . 880760132 gtp af054183 1 . 86 2 . 27 0 . 818437867 h1f3 m60746 1 . 08 1 . 27 0 . 853497342 h1f3 m60746 1 . 10 1 . 33 0 . 824710104 h2afx x14850 1 . 24 1 . 33 0 . 934617922 h2afx x14850 1 . 19 1 . 40 0 . 849848259 h4 x67081 0 . 83 0 . 97 0 . 859373264 h4 x67081 0 . 84 1 . 00 0 . 842811776 hairless af039196 1 . 39 1 . 46 0 . 951801096 hairless af039196 1 . 37 1 . 53 0 . 896272718 hap2 m59079 1 . 59 1 . 49 1 . 062457371 hap2 m59079 1 . 33 1 . 71 0 . 780793131 hat1 nm_003642 1 . 05 0 . 86 1 . 223229142 hat1 nm_003642 1 . 06 1 . 04 1 . 026464835 hb16 m31630 0 . 97 1 . 09 0 . 894291244 hb16 m31630 1 . 01 1 . 26 0 . 797052293 hb9 u07663 2 . 64 2 . 61 1 . 013508831 hb9 u07664 0 . 92 1 . 03 0 . 895489189 hboa nm_007067 1 . 27 1 . 37 0 . 929935594 hboa nm_007067 1 . 23 1 . 35 0 . 912294782 hcf - 2 af117210 1 . 43 1 . 56 0 . 918694023 hcf - 2 af117210 1 . 43 1 . 61 0 . 888145397 hd - znf1 nm_004876 1 . 11 1 . 22 0 . 910541692 hd - znf1 nm_004876 1 . 05 1 . 19 0 . 884372648 hdac1 nm_004964 0 . 83 0 . 97 0 . 851140233 hdac1 nm_004964 0 . 82 0 . 97 0 . 844737874 hdac4 nm_006037 2 . 76 2 . 40 1 . 153229661 hdac4 nm_006037 1 . 64 1 . 99 0 . 825094678 heb m83233 0 . 75 0 . 89 0 . 83812814 heb m83233 0 . 73 0 . 90 0 . 814864061 hen1 m96739 1 . 51 1 . 61 0 . 937658625 hen1 m96739 1 . 49 1 . 69 0 . 883530062 herp1 af232238 1 . 64 1 . 78 0 . 918811847 herp1 af232238 1 . 48 1 . 69 0 . 873182906 herp2 af232239 0 . 88 0 . 97 0 . 913791819 herp2 af232239 0 . 82 1 . 01 0 . 814129508 hes4 ab048791 1 . 12 1 . 24 0 . 906421263 hes4 ab048791 1 . 17 1 . 31 0 . 892326717 hgs nm_004712 1 . 13 1 . 22 0 . 925941974 hgs nm_004712 1 . 08 1 . 23 0 . 884627755 hic1 nm_006497 1 . 01 1 . 19 0 . 84718439 hic1 nm_006497 0 . 94 1 . 20 0 . 789513268 hivep1 nm_002114 1 . 24 1 . 14 1 . 08520656 hivep1 nm_002114 1 . 03 1 . 16 0 . 893216374 hivep2 nm_006734 2 . 86 2 . 87 0 . 99372865 hke4 nm_006979 1 . 51 1 . 70 0 . 89115193 hke4 nm_006979 1 . 35 1 . 66 0 . 814320291 hlf m95585 1 . 28 1 . 32 0 . 971118298 hlf m95586 1 . 15 1 . 26 0 . 910803018 hmg - 1 d63874 1 . 27 1 . 25 1 . 015741343 hmg - 1 d63874 1 . 23 1 . 22 1 . 008346304 hmg - 2 x62534 1 . 70 1 . 82 0 . 938295788 hmg - 2 x62534 1 . 55 1 . 76 0 . 878616998 hmg17 nm_005517 0 . 99 1 . 14 0 . 868604212 hmg17 nm_005517 0 . 97 1 . 15 0 . 841273347 hmgiy nm_002131 0 . 92 1 . 04 0 . 886466628 hmgiy nm_002131 0 . 93 1 . 13 0 . 824826257 hnf - 1a m57732 1 . 03 1 . 19 0 . 868596298 hnf - 1a m57732 1 . 07 1 . 25 0 . 861349263 hnf - 1b x71346 2 . 40 2 . 21 1 . 087117438 hnf - 1b x71346 2 . 25 2 . 18 1 . 030922798 hnf - 3gamma l12141 1 . 46 1 . 53 0 . 956635501 hnf - 3gamma l12141 1 . 40 1 . 54 0 . 90844598 hnf - 4alpha3 u72967 2 . 92 3 . 06 0 . 953909282 hnf - 4alpha3 u72967 2 . 76 3 . 16 0 . 871764387 hnf - 6alpha af035580 1 . 20 1 . 00 1 . 202677165 hnf - 6alpha af035580 1 . 02 1 . 07 0 . 954515537 hnf3a nm_004496 1 . 35 1 . 39 0 . 968770391 hnf3a nm_004496 1 . 30 1 . 39 0 . 934312714 hox l11239 1 . 29 1 . 55 0 . 831459424 hox l11239 1 . 22 1 . 56 0 . 784287548 hox11 s38742 0 . 82 0 . 97 0 . 846268344 hox11 s38742 0 . 89 1 . 06 0 . 840219605 hox11l2 aj223798 5 . 90 5 . 44 1 . 08601856 hox11l2 aj223798 5 . 29 5 . 47 0 . 967027069 hoxa - 9 u81511 2 . 28 2 . 06 1 . 107860869 hoxa - 9 u81511 2 . 06 2 . 02 1 . 019494694 hoxa1 s79910 1 . 47 1 . 44 1 . 023612925 hoxa1 s79910 1 . 22 1 . 31 0 . 930731462 hoxa11 af071164 1 . 23 1 . 36 0 . 902672948 hoxa11 af071164 1 . 28 1 . 48 0 . 86247018 hoxa13 nm_000522 7 . 13 5 . 19 1 . 375914112 hoxa13 nm_000522 3 . 90 4 . 45 0 . 876388041 hoxa4 u56105 1 . 20 1 . 41 0 . 854164123 hoxa4 u56105 1 . 19 1 . 46 0 . 814779811 hoxa7 nm_006896 1 . 14 1 . 20 0 . 952764133 hoxa7 nm_006896 1 . 09 1 . 21 0 . 899003953 hoxb1 x16666 1 . 59 1 . 81 0 . 877682176 hoxb1 x16666 1 . 62 2 . 00 0 . 80887332 hoxb2 x78978 1 . 84 1 . 60 1 . 145917 hoxb2 x78978 1 . 64 1 . 72 0 . 957991608 hoxb2 x16665 1 . 39 1 . 54 0 . 905368978 hoxb2 x16665 1 . 42 1 . 59 0 . 895429132 hoxb3 x16667 1 . 92 1 . 73 1 . 107588304 hoxb3 x16667 1 . 87 1 . 84 1 . 015740013 hoxb4 af005652 1 . 16 1 . 27 0 . 911652213 hoxb4 af005652 1 . 09 1 . 24 0 . 880915725 hoxb5 m92299 1 . 18 1 . 38 0 . 854344138 hoxb5 m92299 1 . 20 1 . 49 0 . 803737757 hoxb7 m16937 0 . 95 1 . 22 0 . 778800068 hoxb7 m16937 0 . 97 1 . 24 0 . 778387715 hoxc10 af255675 1 . 16 1 . 28 0 . 905053085 hoxc10 x99685 1 . 12 1 . 27 0 . 881270065 hoxc10 af255675 1 . 13 1 . 31 0 . 858450467 hoxc10 x99685 1 . 10 1 . 33 0 . 82796661 hoxc6 m16938 1 . 26 1 . 49 0 . 844466889 hoxc6 m16938 1 . 16 1 . 46 0 . 800039127 hoxc8 x99681 1 . 12 1 . 30 0 . 860768554 hoxc8 x99681 0 . 97 1 . 24 0 . 783209726 hoxd3 nm_006898 1 . 51 1 . 62 0 . 92856985 hoxd3 nm_006898 1 . 47 1 . 61 0 . 918716026 hoxd4 x04706 1 . 24 1 . 40 0 . 886519344 hoxd4 x67079 1 . 56 1 . 78 0 . 877418885 hoxd4 x67079 1 . 54 1 . 86 0 . 826005297 hoxd4 x04706 1 . 22 1 . 52 0 . 804048475 hpx42b nm_014468 1 . 02 1 . 04 0 . 980963071 hpx42b nm_014468 0 . 91 1 . 00 0 . 913143774 hrev x72631 1 . 25 1 . 35 0 . 929674185 hrev x72631 1 . 28 1 . 42 0 . 902255362 hs747e2a nm_015370 1 . 07 1 . 12 0 . 959032318 hs747e2a nm_015370 1 . 02 1 . 17 0 . 873166624 hsa275986 nm_018403 1 . 80 1 . 66 1 . 081002809 hsa275986 nm_018403 1 . 61 1 . 81 0 . 888060724 hsbp1 af068754 2 . 24 2 . 62 0 . 853507954 hsbp1 af068754 2 . 27 2 . 83 0 . 801085361 hset d14678 0 . 47 0 . 56 0 . 84140568 hset d14678 0 . 46 0 . 59 0 . 779570541 hsf2bp nm_007031 2 . 36 2 . 61 0 . 904409562 hsf2bp nm_007031 2 . 24 2 . 57 0 . 86866997 hsgt1 nm_007265 1 . 14 1 . 17 0 . 973056944 hsgt1 nm_007265 1 . 12 1 . 27 0 . 878498082 hsim2 d85922 2 . 71 2 . 85 0 . 952407887 hsim2 d85922 2 . 65 2 . 91 0 . 910509622 hsp90 x07270 0 . 92 1 . 11 0 . 82588322 hsp90 x15183 2 . 01 2 . 48 0 . 812100632 htfiis . h aj223473 0 . 99 1 . 13 0 . 878742961 htfiis . h aj223473 0 . 98 1 . 14 0 . 856298131 hunki y12059 1 . 59 1 . 62 0 . 976707993 hunki y12059 1 . 33 1 . 50 0 . 884627755 hzf2 x78925 1 . 12 1 . 19 0 . 948487222 hzf2 x78925 1 . 08 1 . 19 0 . 908973223 hzf3 x78926 1 . 28 1 . 39 0 . 920945575 hzf3 x78926 1 . 10 1 . 31 0 . 838730175 hzf8 x78931 1 . 56 1 . 52 1 . 022134201 hzf8 x78931 1 . 40 1 . 56 0 . 896953681 hzf9 x78932 1 . 14 1 . 24 0 . 918602524 hzf9 x78932 1 . 11 1 . 30 0 . 857126824 id1 nm_002165 1 . 24 1 . 23 1 . 00902126 id1 nm_002165 1 . 13 1 . 41 0 . 80522294 id3 a17548 1 . 38 1 . 31 1 . 055781754 id3 x69111 1 . 27 1 . 28 0 . 990641606 id4 y07958 1 . 15 1 . 26 0 . 913664616 id4 y07958 1 . 09 1 . 32 0 . 830113526 insaf s73205 1 . 84 2 . 05 0 . 898920183 insaf s73205 1 . 85 2 . 13 0 . 871765981 intergenic region u15407 2 . 30 2 . 60 0 . 88468389 hoxb7 - hoxb6 intergenic region u15407 2 . 04 2 . 59 0 . 785453268 hoxb7 - hoxb6 iqgap2 nm_006633 1 . 12 1 . 12 0 . 998484582 iqgap2 nm_006633 0 . 94 1 . 12 0 . 840859025 irf - 1 x14454 2 . 41 2 . 57 0 . 938218115 irf - 1 x14454 2 . 39 2 . 58 0 . 925343204 irf2 nm_002199 3 . 34 2 . 85 1 . 173965009 irf2 nm_002199 2 . 94 2 . 56 1 . 14907375 irf4 u52682 1 . 32 1 . 28 1 . 029933166 irf4 u52682 1 . 37 1 . 43 0 . 959410817 irf5 nm_002200 1 . 37 1 . 51 0 . 904052621 irf5 nm_002200 1 . 36 1 . 59 0 . 858607001 irf6 nm_006147 1 . 29 1 . 58 0 . 813425333 irf6 nm_006147 1 . 18 1 . 50 0 . 789190299 irf7 u53830 1 . 84 1 . 44 1 . 27973546 irf7 nm_004029 1 . 32 1 . 21 1 . 084000454 irx - 4 nm_016358 1 . 19 1 . 15 1 . 029933166 irx - 4 nm_016358 1 . 17 1 . 22 0 . 956334448 isgf - 3gamma m87503 1 . 42 1 . 55 0 . 915149715 isgf - 3gamma m87503 1 . 39 1 . 56 0 . 887975373 jun - d x56681 2 . 38 2 . 25 1 . 056280294 jun - d x56681 2 . 04 2 . 18 0 . 933938896 junb x51345 1 . 02 1 . 14 0 . 892190868 junb x51345 0 . 98 1 . 14 0 . 855272625 k - alpha - 1 nm_006082 0 . 83 0 . 96 0 . 86884485 k - alpha - 1 nm_006082 0 . 83 0 . 97 0 . 859281424 kf1 nm_005667 0 . 93 1 . 05 0 . 890983333 kf1 nm_005667 0 . 91 1 . 06 0 . 864474263 kiaa0048 d28588 1 . 17 1 . 24 0 . 943988673 kiaa0048 d28588 1 . 19 1 . 30 0 . 918453567 kiaa0065 d31763 2 . 61 2 . 47 1 . 058679492 kiaa0065 d31763 2 . 53 2 . 52 1 . 005681703 kiaa0071 nm_015156 2 . 49 2 . 21 1 . 124047572 kiaa0071 nm_015156 2 . 30 2 . 27 1 . 015956269 kiaa0130 nm_014815 1 . 35 1 . 36 0 . 9886418 kiaa0130 nm_014815 1 . 17 1 . 34 0 . 869733568 kiaa0161 d79983 1 . 43 1 . 66 0 . 85937708 k1aa0161 d79983 1 . 42 1 . 69 0 . 837823111 kiaa0211 d86966 1 . 41 1 . 67 0 . 846204986 kiaa0211 d86966 1 . 37 1 . 73 0 . 79442123 kiaa0222 d86975 2 . 22 2 . 40 0 . 925360475 kiaa0222 d86975 2 . 02 2 . 43 0 . 82835128 kiaa0244 nm_015153 1 . 54 1 . 39 1 . 1095751 kiaa0244 nm_015153 1 . 45 1 . 36 1 . 067040755 kiaa0314 ab002312 2 . 38 2 . 57 0 . 927343337 kiaa0314 ab002312 2 . 33 2 . 65 0 . 876030662 kiaa0333 ab002331 1 . 05 1 . 22 0 . 861487483 kiaa0333 ab002331 1 . 07 1 . 25 0 . 854015656 kiaa0352 nm_014830 2 . 88 3 . 18 0 . 9057295 kiaa0352 nm_014830 2 . 37 2 . 80 0 . 8492877 kiaa0395 ab007855 1 . 56 1 . 77 0 . 879373168 kiaa0395 ab007855 1 . 42 1 . 77 0 . 801179995 kiaa0426 nm_014724 1 . 17 1 . 17 0 . 995781911 kiaa0426 nm_014724 1 . 06 1 . 23 0 . 866553199 kiaa0478 ab007947 2 . 27 2 . 38 0 . 954072874 kiaa0478 ab007947 2 . 25 2 . 62 0 . 857934327 kiaa0569 nm_014795 1 . 66 1 . 65 1 . 011174941 kiaa0569 nm_014795 1 . 39 1 . 76 0 . 78836631 kiaa0595 ab011167 1 . 90 1 . 85 1 . 026787356 kiaa0595 ab011167 1 . 71 2 . 19 0 . 782500333 kiaa0600 ab011172 1 . 90 1 . 34 1 . 413460448 kiaa0600 ab011172 2 . 18 1 . 58 1 . 381300612 kiaa0929 ab023146 1 . 54 1 . 62 0 . 949493335 kiaa0929 ab023146 1 . 55 1 . 63 0 . 949132006 kiaa1015 ab023232 2 . 58 2 . 62 0 . 982939758 kiaa1015 ab023232 2 . 17 2 . 68 0 . 811021231 kiaa1259 ab033085 0 . 85 1 . 04 0 . 817749165 kiaa1259 ab033085 0 . 91 1 . 18 0 . 771007682 kiaa1442 ab037863 2 . 14 2 . 34 0 . 914709549 kiaa1442 ab037863 2 . 15 2 . 39 0 . 898110711 kiaa1528 ab040961 6 . 42 6 . 40 1 . 003589265 kiaa1528 ab040961 6 . 67 6 . 98 0 . 955545485 kiaa1741 aw081989 1 . 58 1 . 79 0 . 882769399 kiaa1741 aw081989 1 . 68 1 . 99 0 . 846731464 kid d38751 1 . 54 1 . 48 1 . 042612741 kid d38751 1 . 45 1 . 52 0 . 95955196 klf13 nm_015995 1 . 04 1 . 28 0 . 816419879 klf13 nm_015995 0 . 91 1 . 14 0 . 796485569 knsl4 ab017335 1 . 22 1 . 41 0 . 866676983 knsl4 ab017335 1 . 19 1 . 45 0 . 818446687 kox1 x52332 1 . 02 1 . 16 0 . 880125266 kox1 x52332 0 . 98 1 . 24 0 . 789133958 kox23 x52354 0 . 91 1 . 08 0 . 842330108 kox23 x52354 0 . 90 1 . 08 0 . 832659332 kox26 x52357 1 . 00 1 . 19 0 . 83622347 kox26 x52357 0 . 99 1 . 26 0 . 785398373 kox29 x52360 0 . 96 1 . 07 0 . 90087877 kox29 x52360 0 . 98 1 . 09 0 . 897521031 kox30 x52361 1 . 58 1 . 72 0 . 918425379 kox30 x52361 1 . 38 1 . 53 0 . 902401118 krab m67508 1 . 56 1 . 63 0 . 955633904 krab m67508 1 . 47 1 . 60 0 . 922478172 kruppel - type znf aj245587 2 . 04 2 . 40 0 . 851750841 kruppel - type znf aj245587 1 . 79 2 . 14 0 . 836843037 kup x16576 0 . 96 1 . 15 0 . 839112982 kup x16576 0 . 92 1 . 13 0 . 816714046 l - myc - 1 ( long form ) x07262 1 . 05 1 . 20 0 . 876584744 l - myc - 1 ( long form ) x07262 1 . 01 1 . 23 0 . 826416004 laf4 nm_002285 0 . 67 0 . 83 0 . 815483937 laf4 nm_002285 0 . 65 0 . 84 0 . 784014372 lbr nm_002296 1 . 25 1 . 30 0 . 966371608 lbr nm_002296 1 . 23 1 . 38 0 . 891519857 ld5 - 1 u88080 1 . 15 1 . 38 0 . 82971758 ld5 - 1 u88080 1 . 11 1 . 41 0 . 790825308 ldoc1 nm_012317 1 . 33 1 . 41 0 . 946393907 ldoc1 nm_012317 1 . 28 1 . 42 0 . 897325005 lef - 1 af203908 1 . 27 1 . 37 0 . 928294795 lef - 1 af203908 1 . 16 1 . 44 0 . 810978586 lens epithelium - derived af063020 1 . 24 1 . 42 0 . 870186854 gf lens epithelium - derived af063020 1 . 13 1 . 39 0 . 81400662 gf leucine zipper af056184 2 . 24 2 . 72 0 . 824441293 leucine zipper af056184 2 . 47 3 . 10 0 . 796652442 leucine zipper kinase af251441 2 . 80 3 . 31 0 . 846204986 azk leucine zipper kinase af251441 2 . 71 3 . 35 0 . 808081689 azk lhx2 nm_004789 1 . 42 1 . 48 0 . 953866869 lhx2 nm_004789 1 . 33 1 . 52 0 . 87550605 lhx6 nm_014368 1 . 31 1 . 42 0 . 921284172 lhx6 nm_014368 1 . 28 1 . 42 0 . 905610681 lim af061258 1 . 13 1 . 44 0 . 78655152 lim af061258 1 . 09 1 . 41 0 . 773071315 lim domain only 1 m26682 1 . 39 1 . 44 0 . 966564434 ( rhombotin 1 ) lim domain only 1 m26682 1 . 32 1 . 49 0 . 883805842 ( rhombotin 1 ) lim protein mlp u49837 0 . 96 1 . 03 0 . 937706079 lim protein mlp u49837 0 . 95 1 . 14 0 . 82868354 lim1 u14755 1 . 17 1 . 23 0 . 952256263 lim1 u14755 1 . 01 1 . 27 0 . 798369687 limk d26309 2 . 92 3 . 03 0 . 964180024 limk - 2 d45906 1 . 60 1 . 66 0 . 965944664 limk - 2 d45906 1 . 63 1 . 73 0 . 945399728 lmo4 u24576 0 . 85 0 . 84 1 . 007125772 lmo4 u24576 0 . 85 0 . 88 0 . 960803963 loc51043 nm_015872 0 . 86 0 . 91 0 . 949928525 loc51043 nm_015872 0 . 96 1 . 02 0 . 943797482 loc51131 nm_016119 1 . 08 1 . 04 1 . 041898041 loc51131 nm_016119 1 . 01 1 . 03 0 . 974830053 loc51193 nm_016331 1 . 18 1 . 40 0 . 846337164 loc51193 nm_016331 1 . 26 1 . 54 0 . 817829826 loc51591 nm_015905 5 . 44 4 . 01 1 . 354983586 loc51591 nm_015905 5 . 77 4 . 26 1 . 353823958 loc51717 nm_016285 1 . 43 1 . 55 0 . 919576048 loc51717 nm_016285 1 . 32 1 . 54 0 . 856030646 loc55862 nm_018479 3 . 18 3 . 29 0 . 96566812 loc55862 nm_018479 2 . 90 3 . 29 0 . 882904561 loc56899 af164792 1 . 35 1 . 46 0 . 923685155 loc56899 af164792 1 . 24 1 . 47 0 . 843151755 lyf - 1 u40462 1 . 17 1 . 33 0 . 881798663 lyf - 1 u40462 1 . 04 1 . 28 0 . 809448886 lzlp nm_013344 1 . 63 1 . 78 0 . 914937922 lzlp nm_013344 1 . 50 1 . 67 0 . 897409878 madh4 nm_005359 1 . 48 1 . 23 1 . 202041185 madh4 nm_005359 1 . 27 1 . 13 1 . 118588098 madh5 nm_005903 1 . 19 1 . 37 0 . 867598314 madh5 nm_005903 1 . 20 1 . 38 0 . 864484722 maf nm_005360 0 . 82 0 . 83 0 . 983383327 maf nm_005360 0 . 74 0 . 92 0 . 79706277 mafg nm_002359 1 . 33 1 . 60 0 . 833961234 mafg nm_002359 1 . 37 1 . 65 0 . 833526497 map4 nm_002375 3 . 80 4 . 62 0 . 824293011 map4 nm_002375 3 . 69 4 . 71 0 . 78417244 mapk8 nm_002750 0 . 88 1 . 00 0 . 88152506 mapk8 nm_002750 0 . 88 1 . 02 0 . 860049569 maz m94046 1 . 21 1 . 47 0 . 819442731 maz m94046 1 . 19 1 . 48 0 . 804052549 mb67 z30425 1 . 08 1 . 02 1 . 060408157 mb67 z30425 0 . 99 1 . 08 0 . 915952791 mcg4 nm_006782 1 . 15 1 . 31 0 . 87362439 mcg4 nm_006782 1 . 15 1 . 34 0 . 857557298 mef2a u49020 1 . 18 1 . 29 0 . 917750293 mef2a u49020 1 . 08 1 . 27 0 . 851735738 mef2b nm_005919 1 . 02 1 . 07 0 . 950137026 mef2b nm_005919 0 . 95 1 . 04 0 . 910069513 mef2d nm_005920 1 . 39 1 . 33 1 . 043108425 mef2d nm_005920 1 . 20 1 . 44 0 . 837034123 metallopanstimulin u85979 1 . 98 2 . 01 0 . 985678226 metallopanstimulin u85979 1 . 94 2 . 20 0 . 882570172 mhox ( k - 2 ) m95929 1 . 07 1 . 17 0 . 914292266 mhox ( k - 2 ) m95929 0 . 95 1 . 17 0 . 810474232 mi z29678 1 . 71 1 . 66 1 . 030471845 mi z29678 1 . 76 1 . 79 0 . 986205176 mitf af034755 1 . 23 1 . 24 0 . 99130983 mitf af034755 1 . 32 1 . 50 0 . 883057308 miz - 1 y09723 1 . 01 1 . 15 0 . 876000186 miz - 1 y09723 0 . 93 1 . 14 0 . 814161592 mlh3 nm_005784 0 . 54 0 . 63 0 . 855999025 mlh3 nm_005784 0 . 62 0 . 78 0 . 801334083 mlx af203978 1 . 41 1 . 49 0 . 949042398 mlx af203978 1 . 36 1 . 48 0 . 923306997 mog u64564 1 . 32 1 . 37 0 . 960484338 mog u64564 1 . 27 1 . 39 0 . 915925265 mrg1 af109161 3 . 76 4 . 37 0 . 860312626 mrg1 af109161 3 . 73 4 . 50 0 . 827783082 mterf nm_006980 1 . 51 1 . 80 0 . 838119573 mterf nm_006980 1 . 35 1 . 70 0 . 789625228 mtf - 1 aj251881 2 . 11 2 . 39 0 . 881959401 mtf - 1 aj251881 1 . 95 2 . 39 0 . 815353763 mttf1 x64269 1 . 47 1 . 59 0 . 925536704 mttf1 x64269 1 . 44 1 . 57 0 . 914838473 mxi1 nm_005962 1 . 16 1 . 29 0 . 898657286 mxi1 nm_005962 1 . 16 1 . 36 0 . 857867078 mybbp1a af147709 2 . 29 1 . 77 1 . 292847997 mybbp1a af147709 1 . 85 1 . 75 1 . 054649057 mycbp nm_012333 3 . 73 3 . 58 1 . 040887845 mycbp nm_012333 3 . 47 3 . 48 0 . 997884909 mycl2 nm_005377 2 . 12 2 . 03 1 . 044677307 mycl2 nm_005377 2 . 04 2 . 00 1 . 018897998 myclk1 m64786 1 . 43 1 . 73 0 . 828883125 myclk1 m64786 1 . 49 1 . 80 0 . 826354974 myt2 nm_003871 4 . 01 4 . 17 0 . 962205771 myt2 nm_003871 4 . 04 4 . 42 0 . 915182881 n - cor af044209 1 . 33 1 . 29 1 . 027153581 n - cor af044209 1 . 25 1 . 29 0 . 969389141 n - oct - 3 z11933 3 . 50 3 . 17 1 . 103689021 n - oct - 3 z11933 2 . 91 3 . 05 0 . 955346496 n143 aj002572 3 . 89 3 . 16 1 . 232431216 n143 aj002572 2 . 82 3 . 41 0 . 828068155 naca nm_005594 1 . 34 1 . 26 1 . 061449635 naca nm_005594 1 . 22 1 . 36 0 . 899257451 naga nm_000262 2 . 23 2 . 55 0 . 873072079 naga nm_000262 2 . 02 2 . 54 0 . 795967326 ncoa1 nm_003743 1 . 34 1 . 43 0 . 939022342 ncoa1 nm_003743 1 . 36 1 . 45 0 . 932646647 ncoa3 nm_006534 2 . 14 2 . 15 0 . 995002762 ncoa3 nm_006534 1 . 97 2 . 05 0 . 959254041 ncym nm_006316 1 . 18 1 . 11 1 . 067219564 ncym nm_006316 1 . 07 1 . 16 0 . 917384574 ndufa6 nm_002490 0 . 80 0 . 82 0 . 969899497 ndufa6 nm_002490 0 . 71 0 . 92 0 . 772339515 negative control negative control 1 . 29 1 . 11 1 . 161392449 negative control negative control 5 . 43 5 . 29 1 . 027043989 neurod2 u58681 1 . 14 1 . 28 0 . 889551897 neurod2 u58681 1 . 02 1 . 28 0 . 795592113 neurog1 u63842 1 . 39 1 . 71 0 . 812574039 neurog1 u63842 1 . 29 1 . 63 0 . 795487149 nf - 1x u07811 0 . 99 0 . 82 1 . 215806558 nf - 1x u07811 0 . 64 0 . 82 0 . 782275487 nfat1 u43341 2 . 28 2 . 65 0 . 861852199 nfat1 u43341 2 . 30 2 . 80 0 . 819721245 nfatc1 nm_006162 1 . 21 1 . 27 0 . 956885723 nfatc1 nm_006162 1 . 20 1 . 33 0 . 906442678 nfatx u14510 1 . 09 1 . 35 0 . 8066644 nfatx u14510 0 . 99 1 . 24 0 . 798995238 nfil3 nm_005384 3 . 33 3 . 43 0 . 969982487 nfil3 nm_005384 3 . 22 3 . 36 0 . 957589194 nfkb1 m58603 2 . 44 2 . 68 0 . 910234175 nfkb1 m55643 1 . 23 1 . 37 0 . 894069494 nfkb2 u09609 1 . 09 1 . 21 0 . 899003953 nfkb2 u09609 1 . 04 1 . 28 0 . 815426014 nfkbib nm_002503 0 . 66 0 . 74 0 . 891632657 nfkbib nm_002503 0 . 61 0 . 73 0 . 835589511 nfkbie nm_004556 1 . 34 1 . 34 0 . 995844935 nfkbie nm_004556 1 . 30 1 . 37 0 . 951450999 nfkbp105 m55643 0 . 82 0 . 80 1 . 028950235 nfkbp105 m55643 0 . 78 0 . 88 0 . 882630106 ngn3 aj133776 1 . 04 1 . 14 0 . 911675496 ngn3 aj133776 1 . 01 1 . 15 0 . 877939013 nme2 nm_002512 1 . 08 1 . 28 0 . 849242645 nme2 nm_002512 0 . 99 1 . 21 0 . 819907039 nmi u32849 1 . 50 1 . 65 0 . 908824603 nmi u32849 1 . 46 1 . 67 0 . 874987469 nod1 af149774 0 . 88 0 . 97 0 . 913819737 nod1 af149774 0 . 80 0 . 97 0 . 829329103 not3 nm_014516 1 . 10 1 . 05 1 . 043010425 not3 nm_014516 1 . 01 1 . 32 0 . 770565768 np220 d83032 1 . 59 1 . 80 0 . 886060234 np220 d83032 1 . 50 1 . 74 0 . 861556367 npas1 nm_002517 2 . 55 3 . 06 0 . 832115639 npas1 nm_002517 2 . 53 3 . 18 0 . 795687598 nr0b1 nm_000475 0 . 89 0 . 90 0 . 985394227 nr0b1 nm_000475 0 . 84 1 . 02 0 . 822398708 nr2f6 nm_005234 1 . 11 1 . 26 0 . 878406569 nr2f6 nm_005234 1 . 03 1 . 23 0 . 843593242 nr3c1 nm_000176 1 . 45 1 . 63 0 . 884627755 nr3c1 nm_000176 1 . 37 1 . 57 0 . 872392013 nr4a2 nm_006186 5 . 15 5 . 52 0 . 933470433 nr4a2 nm_006186 4 . 88 5 . 68 0 . 859257687 nr5a1 nm_004959 1 . 55 1 . 88 0 . 827098402 nr5a1 nm_004959 1 . 56 1 . 94 0 . 806250074 nrl m81840 1 . 12 1 . 36 0 . 824507422 nrl m81840 1 . 08 1 . 34 0 . 802675923 nrsf form 2 u13879 1 . 51 1 . 60 0 . 940689035 nrsf form 2 u13879 1 . 29 1 . 56 0 . 826356612 nsep1 nm_004559 4 . 08 4 . 54 0 . 898882683 nsep1 nm_004559 4 . 09 4 . 85 0 . 843016697 nuclear factor 1 b - type u07810 1 . 67 1 . 72 0 . 970651102 nuclear factor 1 b - type u07810 1 . 50 1 . 56 0 . 957498055 nuclear factor i - b2 u85193 5 . 86 6 . 80 0 . 86191166 nuclear factor i - b2 u85193 6 . 04 7 . 09 0 . 85215085 nuclear factor iv x57500 1 . 44 1 . 28 1 . 118113871 nuclear factor iv x57500 1 . 35 1 . 53 0 . 882482444 oaz af221712 0 . 95 0 . 98 0 . 974744849 oaz af221712 0 . 82 0 . 94 0 . 867200363 oct - 1b = pou s66902 1 . 11 1 . 23 0 . 901795827 homeodomain oct - 1b = pou s66902 1 . 07 1 . 22 0 . 879755632 homeodomain oct - 4a z11900 1 . 44 1 . 75 0 . 825538314 oct - 4a z11900 1 . 43 1 . 85 0 . 773109431 ogl12 af023203 2 . 31 2 . 68 0 . 864811744 ogl12 af023203 2 . 45 2 . 92 0 . 837215348 osmrb u60805 0 . 90 1 . 09 0 . 825581 osmrb u60805 0 . 78 0 . 97 0 . 805457565 otf3c z11901 6 . 19 4 . 42 1 . 40097838 otf3c z11901 5 . 89 4 . 42 1 . 332945525 otx1 ab037501 1 . 87 1 . 84 1 . 018457389 otx1 ab037501 1 . 75 1 . 86 0 . 938379 ovol1 nm_004561 1 . 34 1 . 20 1 . 12018921 ovol1 nm_004561 1 . 05 1 . 21 0 . 869990813 p130 s67171 2 . 11 1 . 71 1 . 231079229 p130 s67171 1 . 56 1 . 60 0 . 975948711 p243 aj242977 1 . 27 1 . 43 0 . 884227005 p243 aj242977 1 . 37 1 . 69 0 . 812266478 p38ip nm_017569 0 . 99 1 . 09 0 . 90720651 p38ip nm_017569 0 . 94 1 . 10 0 . 856087428 p53 k03199 1 . 39 1 . 68 0 . 831158406 p53 k03199 1 . 38 1 . 67 0 . 828166161 p621 aj242978 1 . 19 1 . 20 0 . 990516633 p621 aj242978 1 . 06 1 . 18 0 . 898178687 pace4 nm_002570 1 . 29 1 . 48 0 . 867988727 pace4 nm_002570 1 . 26 1 . 48 0 . 852795758 pax1 nm_006192 1 . 20 1 . 32 0 . 903818349 pax1 nm_006192 1 . 06 1 . 32 0 . 807894213 pax2 u45255 1 . 46 1 . 62 0 . 901165711 pax2 u45255 1 . 40 1 . 63 0 . 858751434 pax3 nm_000438 1 . 21 1 . 36 0 . 886358667 pax3 nm_000438 1 . 16 1 . 37 0 . 850478749 pax5 u56835 0 . 93 1 . 06 0 . 871188843 pax5 nm_016734 1 . 71 2 . 02 0 . 846266 pax6 u63833 1 . 33 1 . 53 0 . 865756264 pax6 u63833 1 . 27 1 . 52 0 . 833925287 pax8 s55490 1 . 94 2 . 07 0 . 934433059 pax8 s55490 1 . 82 2 . 05 0 . 885815601 pax9 nm_006194 0 . 78 0 . 95 0 . 817959194 pax9 x92850 1 . 17 1 . 49 0 . 784900153 pbx1 nm_002585 1 . 46 1 . 26 1 . 160624187 pbx1 nm_002585 1 . 56 1 . 36 1 . 14486291 pbx2 nm_002586 1 . 14 1 . 28 0 . 885932245 pbx2 nm_002586 1 . 14 1 . 34 0 . 848773413 pc4 nm_006713 0 . 70 0 . 80 0 . 879994421 pc4 nm_006713 0 . 70 0 . 81 0 . 86301099 pcaf nm_003884 1 . 07 1 . 34 0 . 798415415 pcaf nm_003884 1 . 03 1 . 29 0 . 796481403 pdef nm_012391 1 . 17 1 . 33 0 . 876561702 pdef nm_012391 1 . 38 1 . 70 0 . 811137032 pea3 d12765 1 . 21 1 . 54 0 . 784602478 pea3 d12765 1 . 21 1 . 56 0 . 775569587 pepd j04605 0 . 66 0 . 78 0 . 8570049 pepd j04605 0 . 71 0 . 86 0 . 827558815 pgf nm_002632 1 . 08 1 . 18 0 . 917061973 pgf nm_002632 1 . 01 1 . 20 0 . 83593402 pgli3hh m20674 1 . 21 1 . 31 0 . 921799298 pgli3hh m20674 1 . 13 1 . 32 0 . 856812924 pias3 nm_006099 3 . 47 4 . 09 0 . 849170482 pias3 nm_006099 3 . 59 4 . 26 0 . 842175439 pinch u09284 1 . 62 1 . 49 1 . 088214315 pinch u09284 1 . 44 1 . 44 1 . 001116263 pit - 1 d10216 2 . 56 2 . 74 0 . 934572932 pit - 1 d10216 2 . 26 2 . 72 0 . 831778211 pitx1 nm_002653 1 . 04 1 . 23 0 . 841903944 pitx1 nm_002653 0 . 95 1 . 22 0 . 780247958 pitx2 u69961 2 . 17 1 . 90 1 . 142972468 pitx2 u69961 1 . 90 1 . 73 1 . 099447256 pitx3 nm_005029 1 . 08 1 . 19 0 . 908904038 pitx3 nm_005029 1 . 05 1 . 16 0 . 900257494 pknox1 nm_004571 2 . 66 2 . 91 0 . 915727678 pknox1 nm_004571 2 . 43 2 . 80 0 . 867326045 plcg1 nm_002660 0 . 88 1 . 09 0 . 801330479 plcg1 nm_002660 0 . 87 1 . 12 0 . 777390419 pml m79462 2 . 93 3 . 22 0 . 90918611 pml m79462 2 . 83 3 . 18 0 . 891376967 pou6f1 nm_002702 1 . 18 1 . 38 0 . 853348217 pou6f1 nm_002702 1 . 11 1 . 39 0 . 803725887 ppar delta af187850 1 . 68 2 . 05 0 . 817974153 ppar delta af187850 1 . 63 2 . 05 0 . 797208472 pparbeta l07592 1 . 12 1 . 30 0 . 860735779 pparbeta l07592 1 . 09 1 . 30 0 . 841097109 pparbp nm_004774 2 . 49 2 . 42 1 . 028888699 pparbp nm_004774 2 . 59 2 . 62 0 . 989587372 pparg nm_005037 1 . 76 1 . 92 0 . 919451555 pparg nm_005037 1 . 54 1 . 87 0 . 82431469 ppargc1 nm_013261 4 . 02 4 . 08 0 . 985608174 ppargc1 nm_013261 3 . 61 3 . 97 0 . 910308604 ppih nm_006347 1 . 11 1 . 36 0 . 810066673 ppih nm_006347 1 . 10 1 . 37 0 . 797849135 prb x16439 1 . 29 1 . 40 0 . 923240454 prb x16439 1 . 21 1 . 44 0 . 839720657 prdm4 nm_012406 1 . 09 1 . 14 0 . 952491603 prdm4 nm_012406 1 . 02 1 . 09 0 . 935085892 protein id4 u28368 1 . 18 1 . 11 1 . 06450375 protein id4 u28368 1 . 29 1 . 23 1 . 054319434 protein p38 aj242975 1 . 63 1 . 95 0 . 834950074 protein p38 aj242975 1 . 44 1 . 85 0 . 781801717 prx2 nm_016307 4 . 82 3 . 63 1 . 326456916 prx2 nm_016307 4 . 32 4 . 25 1 . 017671923 pscdbp nm_004288 0 . 74 0 . 85 0 . 86992699 pscdbp nm_004288 0 . 69 0 . 84 0 . 81936229 psmc1 nm_002802 1 . 36 1 . 52 0 . 894759062 psmc1 nm_002802 1 . 18 1 . 33 0 . 891456342 pthr1 nm_000316 1 . 31 1 . 42 0 . 924499528 pthr1 nm_000316 1 . 20 1 . 40 0 . 8556512 pxmp3 nm_000318 1 . 62 2 . 02 0 . 804068402 pxmp3 nm_000318 1 . 40 1 . 80 0 . 78066981 pxn nm_002859 2 . 72 2 . 90 0 . 93925013 pxn nm_002859 2 . 51 2 . 90 0 . 863012935 rab 13 x75593 1 . 25 1 . 23 1 . 008775651 rab 13 x75593 1 . 12 1 . 33 0 . 83974611 rar - alpha1 x06614 1 . 43 1 . 62 0 . 88166305 rar - alpha1 x06614 1 . 30 1 . 60 0 . 814209521 rar - b m96016 1 . 57 1 . 95 0 . 801619789 rar - b m96016 1 . 57 2 . 00 0 . 782949951 rara nm_000964 1 . 42 1 . 65 0 . 862685131 rara nm_000964 1 . 40 1 . 65 0 . 847918555 rarg nm_000966 1 . 42 1 . 61 0 . 882296859 rarg nm_000966 1 . 41 1 . 60 0 . 882261145 rb1 nm_000321 0 . 97 1 . 19 0 . 812728745 rb1 nm_000321 0 . 96 1 . 20 0 . 800478062 rbl1 nm_002895 2 . 04 2 . 42 0 . 841470759 rbl1 nm_002895 1 . 92 2 . 35 0 . 817621225 rbp - l ab026048 0 . 94 0 . 70 1 . 339824561 rbp - l ab026048 0 . 80 0 . 71 1 . 133824475 rcl nm_006443 1 . 26 1 . 39 0 . 906711617 rcl nm_006443 1 . 24 1 . 39 0 . 891529469 rela z22951 0 . 86 0 . 89 0 . 96567493 rela z22951 0 . 80 0 . 85 0 . 94852389 repressor protein d30612 1 . 37 1 . 53 0 . 890929984 repressor protein d30612 1 . 32 1 . 52 0 . 87316143 req nm_006268 1 . 43 1 . 67 0 . 860238236 req nm_006268 1 . 46 1 . 72 0 . 847602428 retinoid x receptor u66306 2 . 17 2 . 44 0 . 889382828 alpha retinoid x receptor - u38480 2 . 07 2 . 33 0 . 889199662 gamma rfp nm_006510 3 . 73 3 . 97 0 . 940382915 rfp nm_006510 3 . 81 4 . 43 0 . 858648769 rfx3 x76092 1 . 62 1 . 47 1 . 1024024 rfx3 x76092 1 . 43 1 . 62 0 . 8816817 rhohp1 d85815 1 . 42 1 . 33 1 . 069393174 rhohp1 d85815 1 . 46 1 . 53 0 . 955107329 ring1 nm_002931 1 . 42 1 . 59 0 . 896164283 ring1 nm_002931 1 . 41 1 . 60 0 . 880810591 rlf nm_012421 3 . 38 3 . 75 0 . 901013305 rlf nm_012421 3 . 65 4 . 07 0 . 898102049 rnf ny - ren - 43 af155109 1 . 18 1 . 29 0 . 913146151 rnf ny - ren - 43 af155109 1 . 16 1 . 43 0 . 811644103 rnf13 nm_007282 1 . 22 1 . 33 0 . 916119358 rnf13 nm_007282 1 . 20 1 . 31 0 . 912867135 rnf15 nm_006355 1 . 29 1 . 45 0 . 893216374 rnf15 nm_006355 1 . 17 1 . 44 0 . 811128245 rnf4 nm_002938 1 . 35 1 . 44 0 . 936370857 rnf4 nm_002938 1 . 32 1 . 45 0 . 907740218 rnf9 nm_006778 1 . 25 1 . 36 0 . 918123369 rnf9 nm_006778 1 . 18 1 . 36 0 . 863185084 rnp - specific a x06347 1 . 31 1 . 39 0 . 94551044 rnp - specific a x06347 1 . 16 1 . 47 0 . 788038353 roralpha2 u04898 4 . 15 4 . 42 0 . 938764319 roralpha2 u04898 4 . 03 4 . 29 0 . 938708029 rorbeta y08639 1 . 29 1 . 50 0 . 858111801 rorbeta y08639 1 . 27 1 . 50 0 . 842642276 rorc nm_005060 1 . 39 1 . 61 0 . 861315789 rorc nm_005060 1 . 43 1 . 77 0 . 807520338 rp58 aj223321 1 . 34 1 . 40 0 . 953320654 rp58 aj223321 1 . 19 1 . 38 0 . 866072097 rpf - 1 u91934 1 . 26 1 . 51 0 . 833565324 rpf - 1 u91934 1 . 23 1 . 50 0 . 822227125 rpl13a x56932 0 . 87 0 . 88 0 . 991870123 rpl13a x56932 0 . 77 0 . 87 0 . 883814097 rpl15 nm_002948 1 . 01 1 . 07 0 . 944600915 rpl15 nm_002948 0 . 98 1 . 14 0 . 859452181 rpl21 nm_000982 1 . 60 1 . 53 1 . 04809166 rpl21 nm_000982 1 . 57 1 . 58 0 . 995425213 rpl23a nm_000984 1 . 59 1 . 42 1 . 117137899 rpl23a nm_000984 1 . 46 1 . 38 1 . 059317332 rpl37 nm_000997 1 . 09 1 . 23 0 . 883744302 rpl37 nm_000997 1 . 09 1 . 30 0 . 842639916 rps11 nm_001015 1 . 55 1 . 32 1 . 171184602 rps11 nm_001015 1 . 30 1 . 22 1 . 068789518 rps19 nm_001022 0 . 84 1 . 00 0 . 841774594 rps19 nm_001022 0 . 86 1 . 05 0 . 819892642 rrn3 nm_018427 1 . 64 1 . 61 1 . 015843155 rrn3 nm_018427 1 . 10 1 . 40 0 . 78552954 ruvbl1 nm_003707 1 . 21 1 . 41 0 . 864080705 ruvbl1 nm_003707 1 . 15 1 . 43 0 . 805614035 rx af001911 1 . 40 1 . 19 1 . 169408279 rx af001911 1 . 21 1 . 29 0 . 940515001 rxr - alpha x52773 1 . 14 1 . 20 0 . 95178794 rxr - alpha x52773 1 . 02 1 . 17 0 . 875212013 rxrb u00961 1 . 41 1 . 76 0 . 802764083 rxrb u00961 1 . 32 1 . 64 0 . 802187954 safb nm_002967 2 . 08 1 . 85 1 . 122521568 safb nm_002967 1 . 98 1 . 85 1 . 072239203 sall1 nm_002968 1 . 06 1 . 32 0 . 799379966 sall1 nm_002968 1 . 09 1 . 37 0 . 794919835 sap - 1a m85165 1 . 02 1 . 15 0 . 893216374 sap - 1a m85165 0 . 99 1 . 14 0 . 868660598 sep3b af285109 1 . 36 1 . 52 0 . 895524427 sep3b af285109 1 . 34 1 . 51 0 . 891662954 sf1 d88155 1 . 24 1 . 23 1 . 006655807 sf1 d88155 0 . 89 1 . 10 0 . 815406356 sf3a1 nm_005877 0 . 94 1 . 18 0 . 796947498 sf3a1 nm_005877 0 . 98 1 . 24 0 . 789354005 six1 x91868 1 . 28 1 . 26 1 . 011940877 six1 x91868 1 . 15 1 . 27 0 . 899649002 six6 af141651 1 . 31 1 . 51 0 . 866808238 six6 af141651 1 . 28 1 . 61 0 . 795100662 ski nm_003036 1 . 27 1 . 34 0 . 951830965 ski nm_003036 1 . 23 1 . 34 0 . 916814067 skil nm_005414 1 . 22 1 . 23 0 . 996060051 skil nm_005414 1 . 18 1 . 23 0 . 965665088 smad2 u78726 1 . 54 1 . 70 0 . 902843033 smad2 u78726 1 . 52 1 . 74 0 . 876401307 smarca3 nm_003071 2 . 60 2 . 63 0 . 988267744 smarca3 nm_003071 2 . 52 2 . 58 0 . 977550509 smarca4 nm_003072 1 . 20 1 . 41 0 . 850958457 smarca4 nm_003072 1 . 14 1 . 43 0 . 798506046 smarcc1 nm_003074 1 . 37 1 . 53 0 . 897049921 smarcc1 nm_003074 1 . 31 1 . 51 0 . 867695906 smarcc2 nm_003075 1 . 11 1 . 36 0 . 816630385 smarcc2 nm_003075 1 . 10 1 . 37 0 . 803295263 smn1 u18423 2 . 14 2 . 06 1 . 0410434 smn1 u18423 1 . 93 2 . 06 0 . 938075938 snap190 af032387 1 . 08 1 . 15 0 . 940066948 snap190 af032387 1 . 19 1 . 34 0 . 88972042 snapc3 nm_003084 0 . 64 0 . 65 0 . 973605848 snapc3 nm_003084 0 . 58 0 . 67 0 . 873988625 snrnp b x17567 0 . 99 0 . 98 1 . 010085806 snrnp b x17567 0 . 82 0 . 97 0 . 840177885 sox10 aj001183 1 . 71 1 . 82 0 . 937524016 sox10 aj001183 1 . 59 1 . 78 0 . 894532832 sox13 nm_005686 1 . 71 1 . 92 0 . 891384762 sox13 nm_005686 1 . 66 1 . 93 0 . 860515571 sox4 x70683 0 . 90 0 . 93 0 . 960960313 sox4 x70683 0 . 82 0 . 92 0 . 894488762 sox6 x65663 0 . 69 0 . 79 0 . 882795517 sox6 x65663 0 . 65 0 . 75 0 . 87280897 sox8 af164104 1 . 79 2 . 09 0 . 857375717 sox8 af164104 1 . 65 2 . 13 0 . 774778844 sox9 z46629 1 . 69 1 . 88 0 . 898185589 sox9 z46629 1 . 55 1 . 92 0 . 807916038 sp1 j03133 1 . 18 1 . 30 0 . 909375062 sp1 j03133 1 . 16 1 . 30 0 . 887824726 sp3 x68560 1 . 66 1 . 66 1 . 001079125 sp3 x68560 1 . 45 1 . 77 0 . 818395433 srf j03161 1 . 45 1 . 67 0 . 867315899 srf j03161 1 . 43 1 . 69 0 . 84824421 sry l10101 1 . 18 1 . 21 0 . 982441028 sry l10101 1 . 13 1 . 21 0 . 934783803 stat2 m97934 1 . 41 1 . 52 0 . 926980567 stat2 m97934 1 . 41 1 . 62 0 . 868724958 stat5b nm_012448 1 . 56 1 . 40 1 . 114847778 stat5b nm_012448 1 . 40 1 . 71 0 . 821978259 stat6 nm_003153 1 . 27 1 . 36 0 . 938049629 stat6 nm_003153 1 . 21 1 . 37 0 . 879605458 szf1 nm_016089 1 . 21 1 . 50 0 . 802961061 szf1 nm_016089 1 . 16 1 . 49 0 . 774800507 t - star nm_006558 0 . 67 0 . 78 0 . 861849244 t - star nm_006558 0 . 68 0 . 82 0 . 831664605 t3r y00479 1 . 71 1 . 62 1 . 053389262 t3r y00479 1 . 60 1 . 53 1 . 041322337 t3r x55066 1 . 56 1 . 89 0 . 824459774 taf ( i ) 63 l39061 1 . 00 1 . 12 0 . 896350467 taf ( i ) 63 l39061 1 . 02 1 . 30 0 . 783696377 taf ( ii ) 30 u25816 1 . 51 1 . 40 1 . 074026032 taf ( ii ) 30 u25816 1 . 40 1 . 38 1 . 015134059 taf ( ii ) 32 u21858 0 . 98 1 . 22 0 . 802461769 taf ( ii ) 32 u21858 0 . 98 1 . 23 0 . 792812413 taf ( ii ) 70 - alpha l25444 0 . 96 1 . 02 0 . 941312641 taf ( ii ) 70 - alpha l25444 0 . 90 1 . 03 0 . 872787029 taf2a nm_004606 1 . 13 1 . 14 0 . 999330892 taf2a nm_004606 0 . 93 1 . 11 0 . 838249213 taf2f nm_005642 1 . 03 1 . 26 0 . 81530342 taf2f nm_005642 1 . 02 1 . 30 0 . 784947723 taf2i nm_005643 1 . 50 1 . 43 1 . 045218429 taf2i nm_005643 1 . 39 1 . 41 0 . 991353741 taf2i af118094 1 . 11 1 . 26 0 . 881120736 taf2j nm_005644 1 . 28 1 . 40 0 . 913232427 taf2j nm_005644 1 . 23 1 . 45 0 . 849684168 taf2k nm_005645 2 . 39 2 . 40 0 . 997067405 taf2k nm_005645 2 . 40 2 . 47 0 . 972697492 tafii105 y09321 1 . 26 1 . 45 0 . 867396208 tafii105 y09321 1 . 19 1 . 45 0 . 818176516 tal - 1 nm_003189 1 . 37 1 . 51 0 . 902488517 tal - 1 nm_003189 1 . 27 1 . 53 0 . 828923165 tarbp2 nm_004178 1 . 09 1 . 24 0 . 873471591 tarbp2 nm_004178 1 . 08 1 . 37 0 . 786576406 tbp nm_003194 2 . 77 2 . 67 1 . 040623399 tbp nm_003194 2 . 51 2 . 58 0 . 973841382 tbpl1 nm_004865 1 . 28 1 . 30 0 . 987855849 tbpl1 nm_004865 1 . 11 1 . 40 0 . 794804113 tbr1 nm_006593 1 . 19 1 . 20 0 . 996692807 tbr1 nm_006593 1 . 05 1 . 26 0 . 836636729 tbx19 nm_005149 1 . 36 1 . 48 0 . 923280344 tbx19 nm_005149 1 . 44 1 . 59 0 . 909429873 tbx2 nm_005994 0 . 85 1 . 07 0 . 798962867 tbx2 nm_005994 0 . 83 1 . 06 0 . 785853316 tbx20 aj237589 1 . 34 1 . 21 1 . 102533818 tbx20 aj237589 1 . 36 1 . 64 0 . 831910222 tbx6 nm_004608 4 . 15 4 . 62 0 . 899551242 tbx6 nm_004608 3 . 96 4 . 53 0 . 875140298 tcea1 nm_006756 1 . 27 1 . 14 1 . 110125734 tcea1 nm_006756 1 . 16 1 . 11 1 . 05196336 tceb2 nm_007108 0 . 58 0 . 43 1 . 337134151 tceb2 nm_007108 0 . 51 0 . 40 1 . 277713489 tcf - 1 z47365 1 . 00 1 . 16 0 . 86404602 tcf - 1 z47365 0 . 92 1 . 18 0 . 774647829 tcf - 4 y11306 1 . 36 1 . 46 0 . 928464375 tcf - 4 y11306 1 . 32 1 . 56 0 . 849608167 tcf21 nm_003206 1 . 75 2 . 02 0 . 863693344 tcf21 nm_003206 1 . 69 2 . 12 0 . 798699048 tcf4 nm_003199 0 . 93 0 . 92 1 . 021001263 tcf4 nm_003199 0 . 84 0 . 92 0 . 912194059 tcf6l1 nm_003201 1 . 67 1 . 95 0 . 857799865 tcf6l1 nm_003201 1 . 82 2 . 34 0 . 776883554 tcfl1 nm_005997 1 . 45 1 . 63 0 . 891060583 tcfl1 nm_005997 1 . 45 1 . 68 0 . 863907712 tcfl5 nm_006602 1 . 87 2 . 31 0 . 809256058 tcfl5 nm_006602 1 . 79 2 . 27 0 . 788010751 tead1 m63896 1 . 97 2 . 40 0 . 821174945 tead1 m63896 1 . 84 2 . 35 0 . 783305005 tef - 4 x94440 1 . 14 1 . 29 0 . 883210896 tef - 4 x94440 1 . 13 1 . 33 0 . 854457478 tf u79243 1 . 42 1 . 54 0 . 919800195 tf u79243 1 . 29 1 . 63 0 . 789904601 tfcp2 nm_005653 0 . 99 1 . 11 0 . 887949768 tfcp2 nm_005653 0 . 94 1 . 13 0 . 832221275 tfe3 al161985 1 . 20 1 . 25 0 . 952888449 tfe3 al161985 1 . 16 1 . 30 0 . 896818053 tfiia nm_015859 0 . 84 0 . 82 1 . 018380452 tfiia nm_015859 0 . 80 0 . 82 0 . 977671128 tfiid z22828 2 . 50 2 . 34 1 . 068758898 tfiid z22828 2 . 55 2 . 73 0 . 936976254 tfiih - cyclin h u11791 1 . 28 0 . 95 1 . 34843684 tfiih - cyclin h u11791 1 . 29 0 . 98 1 . 318842969 tfiih - mo15 x77743 2 . 43 2 . 39 1 . 014330459 tfiih - mo15 x77743 2 . 43 2 . 39 1 . 012865369 tfiih - p34 z30093 2 . 74 2 . 96 0 . 92722107 tfiih - p34 z30093 2 . 34 2 . 95 0 . 792209645 tfrc nm_003234 1 . 33 1 . 49 0 . 895571075 tfrc nm_003234 1 . 28 1 . 59 0 . 809200973 tgif nm_003244 1 . 75 1 . 38 1 . 274809288 tgif nm_003244 1 . 52 1 . 51 1 . 004868421 tieg2 nm_003597 1 . 39 1 . 48 0 . 938352308 tieg2 nm_003597 1 . 35 1 . 51 0 . 889349637 tif1gamma nm_015906 1 . 01 1 . 27 0 . 800846532 tif1gamma nm_015906 1 . 01 1 . 30 0 . 777179202 tif2 x97674 1 . 33 1 . 45 0 . 922316636 tif2 x97674 1 . 31 1 . 45 0 . 902108121 tim44 nm_006351 1 . 33 1 . 57 0 . 847735407 tim44 nm_006351 1 . 36 1 . 61 0 . 84323103 timeless af098162 2 . 00 2 . 39 0 . 833636058 timeless af098162 1 . 93 2 . 42 0 . 796169622 timm8b af152350 1 . 40 1 . 42 0 . 984849477 timm8b af152350 1 . 42 1 . 51 0 . 941288783 timm9 nm_012460 0 . 71 0 . 77 0 . 920513309 timm9 nm_012460 0 . 68 0 . 84 0 . 805700618 tis11d u07802 1 . 12 1 . 35 0 . 827564107 tis11d u07802 1 . 04 1 . 27 0 . 821167897 tnrc11 nm_005120 0 . 88 1 . 05 0 . 836486567 tnrc11 nm_005120 0 . 85 1 . 05 0 . 802230359 tob1 nm_005749 1 . 02 1 . 29 0 . 790953507 tob1 nm_005749 1 . 02 1 . 32 0 . 77856472 top1 u07806 3 . 49 3 . 40 1 . 026563028 top1 u07806 3 . 18 3 . 15 1 . 008577791 tp53bp1 nm_005657 0 . 83 0 . 86 0 . 969466553 tp53bp1 nm_005657 0 . 79 0 . 86 0 . 910836728 tp73 nm_005427 4 . 36 4 . 73 0 . 923146915 tp73 nm_005427 3 . 95 4 . 55 0 . 867754692 tr2 af171055 1 . 60 1 . 59 1 . 007806633 tr2 af171055 1 . 53 1 . 69 0 . 90288023 traf6 nm_004620 1 . 25 1 . 38 0 . 902520712 traf6 nm_004620 1 . 33 1 . 62 0 . 825230675 ttf - 1 u43203 1 . 57 1 . 92 0 . 818730798 ttf - 1 u43203 1 . 59 1 . 97 0 . 8042506 ttf - i interacting af000560 0 . 93 1 . 01 0 . 912809508 peptide ttf - i interacting af000560 0 . 92 1 . 02 0 . 908180051 peptide ttf1 nm_007344 1 . 36 1 . 32 1 . 03206288 ttf1 nm_007344 1 . 21 1 . 33 0 . 908191402 ttp m63625 1 . 47 1 . 69 0 . 871059069 ttp m63625 1 . 45 1 . 78 0 . 812551459 tumor suppressor aj224819 0 . 97 0 . 96 1 . 010680445 tumor suppressor aj224819 0 . 94 0 . 94 1 . 002997158 twist x91662 1 . 15 1 . 30 0 . 889607419 twist x91662 1 . 14 1 . 32 0 . 862171118 tzfp nm_014383 1 . 61 1 . 57 1 . 026900096 tzfp nm_014383 1 . 31 1 . 62 0 . 806125978 ubiquitin m26880 1 . 25 1 . 29 0 . 968558812 ubiquitin m26880 1 . 20 1 . 38 0 . 866123555 ubp1 nm_014517 1 . 16 1 . 39 0 . 837548498 ubp1 nm_014517 1 . 05 1 . 31 0 . 801834157 uklf ab015132 0 . 94 1 . 15 0 . 812199016 uklf ab015132 0 . 91 1 . 13 0 . 807110731 usf1 x55666 0 . 92 0 . 77 1 . 202641159 usf1 x55666 0 . 90 1 . 16 0 . 779296001 usf2 x90824 1 . 70 1 . 51 1 . 12444728 usf2 x90824 1 . 49 1 . 47 1 . 010033818 utf1 nm_003577 0 . 78 0 . 92 0 . 852557876 utf1 nm_003577 0 . 75 0 . 88 0 . 846901451 vax - 2 y17791 1 . 95 1 . 73 1 . 125466134 vax - 2 y17791 1 . 50 1 . 58 0 . 944890049 vdr nm_000376 2 . 14 1 . 94 1 . 102535767 vdr nm_000376 2 . 17 1 . 98 1 . 096166462 vimentin x56134 0 . 85 0 . 82 1 . 03779146 vimentin x56134 0 . 77 0 . 78 0 . 995470101 vsx1 nm_014588 1 . 19 1 . 38 0 . 862794625 vsx1 nm_014588 1 . 14 1 . 36 0 . 838036984 wave2 ab026542 1 . 37 1 . 57 0 . 873152446 wave2 ab026542 1 . 34 1 . 56 0 . 8602453 whn y11746 0 . 95 1 . 05 0 . 89877812 whn y11739 0 . 98 1 . 10 0 . 8889781 winged - helix af055080 1 . 80 1 . 62 1 . 112375194 tfforkhead 5 winged - helix af055080 1 . 64 1 . 65 0 . 995925632 tfforkhead 5 xb u52701 0 . 93 1 . 00 0 . 931696975 xb u52701 0 . 86 0 . 99 0 . 874287286 xbp1 nm_005080 1 . 32 1 . 48 0 . 894006132 xbp1 nm_005080 1 . 29 1 . 50 0 . 861985033 xg z48514 0 . 94 1 . 07 0 . 879021004 xg z48514 0 . 94 1 . 11 0 . 844934408 xpe - bf u32986 1 . 23 1 . 06 1 . 157546744 xpe - bf u32986 1 . 11 1 . 18 0 . 939655721 xpot nm_007235 0 . 93 1 . 04 0 . 888739099 xpot nm_007235 0 . 91 1 . 09 0 . 833312043 yaf2 u72209 1 . 78 1 . 60 1 . 115424048 yaf2 u72209 1 . 29 1 . 55 0 . 831250433 ypt3 x79780 1 . 04 1 . 04 0 . 999551657 ypt3 x79780 0 . 91 1 . 09 0 . 841560488 ywhaz nm_003406 1 . 42 1 . 48 0 . 955552146 ywhaz nm_003406 1 . 34 1 . 45 0 . 924713154 zfd25 ab027251 1 . 38 1 . 47 0 . 935259419 zfd25 ab027251 1 . 38 1 . 59 0 . 867549237 zfm1 d26120 1 . 38 1 . 52 0 . 904756638 zfm1 d26120 1 . 32 1 . 51 0 . 870056053 zfn3 x60153 1 . 11 1 . 27 0 . 873020321 zfn3 x60153 1 . 08 1 . 27 0 . 84639825 zfn5128 nm_014347 1 . 68 1 . 48 1 . 132667677 zfn5128 nm_014347 1 . 69 1 . 51 1 . 116327465 zfp161 nm_003409 1 . 54 1 . 51 1 . 021814742 zfp161 nm_003409 1 . 53 1 . 56 0 . 977142745 zfp36 nm_003407 1 . 35 1 . 21 1 . 119420521 zfp36 nm_003407 1 . 40 1 . 26 1 . 107958549 zfp37 nm_003408 2 . 85 3 . 53 0 . 806477053 zfp37 nm_003408 3 . 00 3 . 78 0 . 795656333 zfs - 2 d70832 1 . 25 1 . 31 0 . 960341853 zfs - 2 d70832 1 . 19 1 . 34 0 . 887098454 zinc finger factor gklf af105036 2 . 60 2 . 44 1 . 066684361 zinc finger factor gklf af105036 2 . 21 2 . 60 0 . 850960542 zk1 nm_005815 1 . 09 1 . 29 0 . 849600519 zk1 nm_005815 1 . 13 1 . 34 0 . 848599298 zmpste24 nm_005857 1 . 59 1 . 96 0 . 807467602 zmpste24 nm_005857 1 . 64 2 . 04 0 . 804181945 znf af024700 1 . 37 1 . 42 0 . 968200406 znf af024700 1 . 25 1 . 43 0 . 877660819 znf af024702 2 . 44 2 . 27 1 . 071242218 znf af024702 2 . 13 2 . 46 0 . 864203489 znf af024708 0 . 85 1 . 06 0 . 803894737 znf af024708 0 . 88 1 . 10 0 . 795504238 znf af244088 0 . 96 1 . 18 0 . 80824225 znf al359576 1 . 96 2 . 40 0 . 816139265 znf al359576 1 . 97 2 . 45 0 . 804419877 znf l14787 0 . 81 0 . 94 0 . 858334842 znf l14787 0 . 77 0 . 99 0 . 776247563 znf l14843 1 . 04 1 . 21 0 . 859382421 znf l14843 1 . 00 1 . 22 0 . 819499696 znf m77171 0 . 87 1 . 07 0 . 819786317 znf m77171 0 . 84 1 . 06 0 . 788842997 znf m77172 1 . 11 1 . 29 0 . 86138076 znf m77172 1 . 10 1 . 31 0 . 841409825 znf u69645 1 . 02 1 . 11 0 . 923798753 znf u69645 1 . 01 1 . 10 0 . 92309697 znf u90919 1 . 91 2 . 41 0 . 791009945 znf x16282 1 . 04 1 . 06 0 . 976817907 znf x16282 0 . 97 1 . 08 0 . 896468376 znf h140 u80232 1 . 31 1 . 38 0 . 951857602 znf h140 u80232 1 . 25 1 . 46 0 . 852470368 znf riz u17838 1 . 37 1 . 49 0 . 919856161 znf riz u17838 1 . 33 1 . 52 0 . 878560838 znf10 nm_003419 1 . 14 1 . 24 0 . 918736842 znf10 nm_003419 1 . 06 1 . 25 0 . 852019812 znf124 nm_003431 1 . 66 1 . 70 0 . 976675202 znf124 nm_003431 1 . 69 1 . 79 0 . 942839506 znf131 u09410 4 . 06 3 . 16 1 . 287565844 znf131 u09410 3 . 52 3 . 10 1 . 135482919 znf132 nm_003433 1 . 58 1 . 92 0 . 819592954 znf132 nm_003433 1 . 39 1 . 80 0 . 770618048 znf133 nm_003434 1 . 00 1 . 08 0 . 92665805 znf133 nm_003434 0 . 98 1 . 07 0 . 917239309 znf133 u09366 1 . 59 1 . 48 1 . 074070972 znf133 u09366 1 . 44 1 . 60 0 . 901250209 znf134 nm_003435 0 . 87 1 . 03 0 . 842143011 znf134 nm_003435 0 . 89 1 . 11 0 . 803684073 znf135 nm_003436 1 . 21 1 . 31 0 . 927158596 znf136 nm_003437 1 . 76 1 . 84 0 . 953483104 znf136 nm_003437 1 . 71 1 . 96 0 . 871707485 znf139 u09848 1 . 82 2 . 14 0 . 854333258 znf139 u09848 1 . 88 2 . 25 0 . 83696718 znf140 nm_003440 1 . 18 1 . 31 0 . 902148538 znf140 nm_003440 1 . 10 1 . 38 0 . 795943758 znf141 nm_003441 0 . 94 1 . 10 0 . 852952765 znf141 nm_003441 0 . 97 1 . 14 0 . 851266923 znf143 nm_003442 1 . 23 1 . 38 0 . 888983121 znf143 nm_003442 1 . 25 1 . 41 0 . 88328255 znf144 nm_007144 1 . 39 1 . 50 0 . 928320948 znf144 nm_007144 1 . 37 1 . 47 0 . 926533504 znf146 nm_007145 2 . 27 2 . 48 0 . 916337136 znf146 nm_007145 2 . 13 2 . 64 0 . 805090416 znf154 u20648 1 . 01 1 . 10 0 . 91658232 znf154 u20648 0 . 98 1 . 10 0 . 890033893 znf157 nm_003446 3 . 06 3 . 63 0 . 842644802 znf157 nm_003446 3 . 32 4 . 07 0 . 815095843 znf169 u28251 1 . 07 1 . 06 1 . 007079353 znf169 u28251 0 . 99 1 . 12 0 . 884849008 znf173 nm_003449 1 . 76 1 . 84 0 . 954247529 znf173 nm_003449 1 . 69 1 . 91 0 . 885869838 znf174 u31248 1 . 05 1 . 11 0 . 946809357 znf174 u31248 0 . 98 1 . 07 0 . 916147357 znf175 nm_007147 1 . 42 1 . 58 0 . 896913462 znf175 nm_007147 1 . 37 1 . 66 0 . 824940576 znf177 nm_003451 1 . 35 1 . 31 1 . 030771696 znf177 nm_003451 1 . 16 1 . 36 0 . 850314531 znf180 nm_013256 0 . 97 1 . 13 0 . 856084978 znf180 nm_013256 0 . 97 1 . 18 0 . 824583936 znf186 nm_012480 1 . 05 1 . 14 0 . 913656108 znf186 nm_012480 0 . 99 1 . 11 0 . 892164294 znf191 af016052 3 . 91 4 . 38 0 . 892949504 znf191 af016052 4 . 30 5 . 22 0 . 823076704 znf200 nm_003454 1 . 53 1 . 36 1 . 124250225 znf200 nm_003454 1 . 47 1 . 43 1 . 02397083 znf211 nm_006385 2 . 54 2 . 24 1 . 133216101 znf211 nm_006385 2 . 36 2 . 13 1 . 105677798 znf214 nm_013249 1 . 12 1 . 35 0 . 833321399 znf214 nm_013249 1 . 15 1 . 43 0 . 806432749 znf215 nm_013250 1 . 09 1 . 24 0 . 879083204 znf215 nm_013250 1 . 13 1 . 35 0 . 837769383 znf216 af062073 6 . 28 6 . 85 0 . 916789497 znf216 af062073 6 . 12 6 . 94 0 . 882430365 znf22 nm_006963 1 . 06 1 . 27 0 . 835382221 znf22 nm_006963 1 . 05 1 . 29 0 . 80987367 znf220 nm_006766 1 . 16 1 . 31 0 . 88697634 znf220 nm_006766 1 . 15 1 . 35 0 . 848209348 znf223 nm_013361 1 . 29 1 . 44 0 . 90055118 znf223 nm_013361 1 . 25 1 . 45 0 . 865757643 znf228 nm_013380 1 . 13 1 . 10 1 . 028423144 znf228 nm_013380 0 . 84 1 . 00 0 . 838339028 znf229 af192979 1 . 44 1 . 74 0 . 826578529 znf229 af192979 1 . 41 1 . 76 0 . 802898585 znf231 nm_003458 1 . 29 1 . 38 0 . 933778707 znf231 nm_003458 1 . 24 1 . 42 0 . 875912367 znf232 nm_014519 3 . 91 3 . 54 1 . 103967871 znf232 nm_014519 3 . 65 3 . 40 1 . 074957509 znf232 af080171 0 . 94 1 . 07 0 . 871430609 znf232 af080171 0 . 92 1 . 08 0 . 856315576 znf258 nm_007167 3 . 65 2 . 56 1 . 429969861 znf258 nm_007167 2 . 86 2 . 23 1 . 280364117 znf261 nm_005096 2 . 03 2 . 19 0 . 929608653 znf261 nm_005096 1 . 79 2 . 05 0 . 873798627 znf297 nm_005453 1 . 40 1 . 66 0 . 844649054 znf297 nm_005453 1 . 39 1 . 65 0 . 841507575 znf31 u71600 0 . 91 1 . 13 0 . 804205241 znf31 u71600 0 . 89 1 . 16 0 . 770222697 znf35 nm_003420 1 . 53 1 . 57 0 . 977397734 znf35 nm_003420 1 . 52 1 . 62 0 . 938058006 znf37a x69115 0 . 96 1 . 05 0 . 915518905 znf37a x69115 0 . 94 1 . 13 0 . 835188396 znf41 m92443 1 . 52 1 . 91 0 . 798258529 znf41 m92443 1 . 53 1 . 99 0 . 771414141 znf41 x60155 0 . 99 1 . 06 0 . 934017616 znf41 x60155 1 . 01 1 . 10 0 . 917673489 znf47 u71601 1 . 03 1 . 18 0 . 872466879 znf47 u71601 0 . 96 1 . 14 0 . 8440485 znf7 nm_003416 1 . 04 1 . 17 0 . 895223602 znf7 nm_003416 1 . 07 1 . 23 0 . 869409968 znf8 m29581 0 . 94 1 . 00 0 . 940042921 znf8 m29581 0 . 84 0 . 94 0 . 89819251 znf80 nm_007136 2 . 05 1 . 92 1 . 064684732 znf80 nm_007136 1 . 98 1 . 93 1 . 024108326 znf85 nm_003429 1 . 27 1 . 39 0 . 915903902 znf85 nm_003429 1 . 14 1 . 42 0 . 797896136 znf91 nm_003430 1 . 09 1 . 09 1 . 002040082 znf91 nm_003430 1 . 04 1 . 07 0 . 975112741 znfb7 u34249 1 . 41 1 . 47 0 . 955940013 znfb7 u34249 1 . 34 1 . 50 0 . 893216374 znfn1a3 nm_012481 1 . 17 1 . 06 1 . 108208901 znfn1a3 nm_012481 1 . 17 1 . 06 1 . 100020165 znk75a x91826 0 . 99 1 . 18 0 . 840732485 znk75a x91826 0 . 98 1 . 24 0 . 792918773 zrp - 1 af000974 4 . 16 4 . 74 0 . 87742034 zrp - 1 af000974 4 . 06 4 . 99 0 . 813590373 zyx nm_003461 1 . 40 1 . 36 1 . 031031823 zyx nm_003461 1 . 31 1 . 36 0 . 963983275 1 . chen , y ., dougherty , e . r ., bittner , m . l . ( 1997 ) j . biomed . optics 24 : 364 - 374 . 2 . hegde , p ., qi , r ., abernathy , k ., gay , c ., dharap , s ., gaspard , r ., earle - hughes , j ., snesrud , e ., lee , n ., quackenbush , j . ( 2000 ) biotechniques 29 : 548 - 562 . [ 0092 ] 3 . yang m c , ruan q g , yang j j , eckenrode s , wu s , mcindoe r a , she j x . ( 2001 ) physiol genomics 7 : 45 - 53 . [ 0093 ] 4 . schena m , shalon d , davis r w , brown p o . ( 1995 ). science 270 : 467 - 70 . 5 . cho y j , meade j d , walden j c , chen x , guo z , liang p . ( 2001 ) biotechniques 30 : 562 - 8 , 570 , 572 [ 0095 ] 6 . brown a j , planta r j , restuhadi f , bailey d a , butler p r , cadahia j l , cerdan m e , de jonge m , gardner d c , gent m e , hayes a , kolen c p , lombardia l j , murad a m , oliver r a , sefton m , thevelein j m , tournu h , van delft y j , verbart d j , winderickx j , oliver s g . ( 2001 ). embo j 20 : 3177 - 86 . [ 0096 ] 7 . chaib h , cockrell e k , rubin m a , macoska j a . ( 2001 ) neoplasia : 43 - 52 . [ 0097 ] 8 . barbu v , dautry f . ( 1989 ) nucleic acids res17 : 7115 [ 0098 ] 9 . gaudette m f , crain w r . ( 1991 ). nucleic acids res . 19 : 1879 - 84 . [ 0099 ] 10 . horikoshi s , fukuda k , ray p e , sawada m , bruggeman l a , klotman p e . ( 1992 ). kidney int . 42 : 764 - 9 . [ 0100 ] 11 . kerr m k , churchill g a . ( 2001 ). proc natl acad sci u s a 98 : 8961 - 5
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reference is made to fig1 - 6 for illustrating one preferred embodiment of a compact camera 20 of the self - developing type that is made in accordance to the principles of the present invention . included in the camera 20 is a light - tight housing assembly 24 that essentially comprises a main frame assembly 24 , an upper casing shell or member 26 , a lower casing shell or member 28 , and an electrical strobe board 30 that carries the electrical components for operation of the camera . the upper casing member 26 defines an elliptical recess 32 for accommodating in a generally flush relationship thereto a decorative and removable top panel 34 that a user can replace in order to change styling of the camera . the decorative top panel 34 is latched to the upper casing . the upper casing 26 has an opening for accommodating a shutter button 36 and an elongated slot 38 for an aperture selector tab 40 . the upper and lower casing members are suitably joined together to enclose the main frame assembly 24 and define an elliptical recess 41 in the front thereof for accommodating a decorative and replaceable front panel 42 . the front panel 42 is latched to the housing assembly 22 so as to fit generally flush within the recess 41 . the front panel 42 has a strobe opening 44 , a taking lens opening 46 , and a viewfinder opening 48 . the lower casing member 28 has an enlarged generally rectangular opening 50 sized for allowing a film loading door 52 to move pivotally between open and closed conditions . as a consequence , a film assembly is allowed to be inserted and removed . provision is made for a generally rectangular retaining plate 56 that has a taking lens aperture 58 and a viewfinder aperture 60 that is mounted on the main frame assembly 24 and is enclosed within the casing members 26 , 28 . reference is made back to the main frame assembly 24 , wherein provision is made for a film box cavity 62 that is sized for removably receiving a film package ( not shown ) that stores the film assemblage 54 in a light - tight relationship . by virtue of such a condition being achieved , it is possible to make the surrounding upper and lower casing members of a transparent material without the risk of damaging the film . the film assemblage 54 is , preferably , of the self - developing kind that is particularly adapted for use in a camera of the above type . the film assemblage is similar in construction to those described in commonly - assigned u . s . pat . nos . : 5 , 838 , 999 and 5 , 888 , 693 , and hence , the descriptions thereof are incorporated herein and made a part hereof . however , only those portions of the film assemblage 54 necessary to understand the present invention will be set forth herein . in this regard , the film assemblage is in the form of an elongated strip 64 with separable individual film frames 66 housed in a folded and stacked relationship within the film package or cassette . a leading tab 68 of each frame 66 is adapted to protrude from an exit slot 70 ( fig4 ) and a spring - biased film flap 72 is pivotally mounted adjacent one end of the camera housing , whereby an operator can grasp and pull the film assemblage for indexing the latter . the film flap does not , per se , form an aspect of the present invention . a detailed description thereof is described in the last noted patent application and is incorporated herein and made a part hereof . the film frames 66 are frangibly connected to each other , whereby they separate into individual frames when the film strip is pulled from the housing assembly . thus , when an operator pulls on a leading tab 68 of an exposed film frame , the film is advanced thereby effecting processing of an exposed film unit as the latter is withdrawn from a focal plane 74 and passes through a nip defined by a pair of processing rollers 80 a , b ( fig4 ). as a result , each of the emerging and distal end film frames separate from a successive film frame that has been simultaneously indexed from the film cavity which has its leading tab emerge . continued reference is to fig4 - 6 wherein the film loading door 52 is pivotally mounted to one end of the main frame housing assembly 24 adjacent a film flap 72 . the spread roller 80 a is mounted for rotation on the door 52 adjacent a pre - spread feature 82 that is mounted on the door immediately prior to a nip defined by and between the rollers 80 a and 80 b . a latch 84 is located at one end of the film loading door 52 and cooperates with a complementary catch for releaseably securing the door in a closed relationship with the main frame assembly . a more complete description this structure is found in commonly filed patent application ( case 8453pro ) noted above which is incorporated herein and made a part hereof . the camera is also envisioned to be a one - time use camera , whereby the door would be locked against customer opening and the film preloaded prior to being locked . for defining the focal plane 74 there is provided a taking lens 86 , a mirror 88 , and a focal cone 90 defined by and at the bottom of the main housing assembly 24 . the taking lens 86 is mounted by the retaining plate and is generally positioned to reduce the height of camera relative to , for example , the camera described in u . s . pat . no . 6 , 099 , 172 . the taking lens 86 is positioned more laterally with respect to a longitudinal axis of the camera while retaining the same focal length as the taking lens in the noted patent . this relationship in turn lowers the mirror , thus reducing the height profile . the focal cone 90 is defined to accommodate the size format of the film . adjacent the focal cone 90 is a film path defining ramp 92 that serves to reduce the height of the camera . the spread roller 80 b is spring biased and is mounted for rotation in the bottom wall of the main frame assembly 24 . the spread roller 80 b defines a nip with roller 80 a whenever the loading door is in the closed condition . one viewfinder lens 94 of the viewfinder assembly 96 is retained by the retaining plate 46 . the viewfinder assembly 96 can be anyone of several kinds . as illustrated , a pair of generally parallel battery receiving cavities 97 a , 97 b are mounted in close proximity to the viewfinder assembly 96 and the shutter button 36 . the battery receiving cavities lie in a plane that includes the viewfinder assembly 96 for purposes of establishing a compact relationship . batteries ( not shown ) engage with the battery contacts 98 . a battery compartment door 99 is provided . a flash tube assembly 112 of any suitable type is mounted on the strobe board 30 as illustrated for use in generating pulses of artificial illumination directed at the scene . a capacitor 114 is provided for energizing the flash tube assembly 112 and is mounted on an underside surface of the strobe board 30 with its axial length extending along a bottom surface of the strobe board and generally parallel to such bottom surface . the horizontally mounted strobe board 30 has an aperture 116 that is configured and sized to fit over and surround the periphery of an aperture selector mechanism 120 made according to the principles of the present invention . the aperture 116 also encloses a top portion of the mirror housing , thereby lowering the overall height of the camera . included in the aperture selector mechanism 120 is an elongated aperture selector slide 122 that is mounted for slidable movement on the main frame assembly 24 and is otherwise manually displaceable by an operator to one of several distinct aperture settings corresponding to , for example , iconographic information or symbols ( not shown ) on the exterior of the housing . the aperture selector slide 122 is housed and guided for movement by a slide retainer housing 124 ; both of which have their longitudinal axes generally parallel to each other and a top surface of the strobe board 30 . the slide and its retainer are generally centrally disposed along the length of the camera and are positioned to be above the taking lens . reference is initially made to fig7 and 8 for illustrating an improved shutter and aperture selector assembly or mechanism 120 in a rest or “ off ” condition . a shutter link 126 has a wing portion 126 a that is engaged by a plunger 53 on the shutter button 36 . the shutter link 126 is pivoted about an axis 127 and has another wing portion 126 b with a cam 128 at a distal end thereof . the cam 128 engages a complementary surface on a clasping or detenting mechanism 130 for reasons to be described hereinafter . it will be further appreciated that the clasp can only engage and stop the slide when it the former is in one of the notches . if the clasp engages at any location other than the notches the shutter is prevented from further operation . the aperture selector assembly 120 includes an elongated and generally flat aperture selector slide 122 that is partially enclosed by aperture selector slide retainer 124 . the slide 122 is mounted on tracks , not shown , on the main housing assembly for allowing its reciprocal movement . a protrusion 132 protrudes upwardly from the slide 122 and is free to travel in an axial direction in an elongated slot 134 formed in the slide retainer 124 . the protrusion 132 cooperates with the aperture selector tab 132 that protrudes through a corresponding slot in the plate 34 for allowing a user to displace the slide from its “ off ” position ( fig7 & amp ; 8 ) to the one of three distinct settings ( not shown ) corresponding to “ indoor ”; “ sunny ” or “ partly cloudy ” conditions . the slide 122 has an elongated cut - out 136 located on a bottom surface and positioned adjacent one lateral side thereof for defining a hook or shoulder 138 that is adapted to cooperate with a radially protruding hammer tab 148 of a rotatable hammer bypass device 150 . a shutter hammer 152 is mounted for rotation on the same axis as the bypass device 150 and is adapted to be driven by the latter . however , the hammer 152 moves independently of the hammer bypass 150 for reasons to be made evident . the hammer 152 is shown in a non - cocked or raised condition for either its first exposure or following a previously completed exposure . as will be described , the hammer 152 when actuated is adapted to trip a shutter blade 154 . the shutter blade 154 is spring biased by a shutter spring 156 to a scene light blocking or closed position covering aperture 158 of the taking lens . [ 0062 ] fig9 & amp ; 10 illustrate the aperture selector slide 122 in a position after it has been displaced by an operator , from it rest condition ( fig7 & amp ; 8 ) towards a desired aperture setting condition ; but before it arrives the aperture setting condition . during this early phase of displacement , the shoulder 138 drivingly engages the tab 148 for rotating the bypass device 150 , against a spring bias by a spring 151 ( fig1 ) that has an arm portion thereof engaging a surface of the device . since the bypass device 150 is in engagement with a pin on the side of the hammer 152 , the latter is likewise rotationally displaced to its cocked condition ( see fig1 and 14 ). the hammer when so driven stretches a hammer spring 160 attached at one end thereof for providing energy for operating the shutter . the hammer is latched in its cocked condition ( fig1 & amp ; 12 ) when a portion 162 thereof engages a surface on a flexibly resilient hammer latch 164 in the same manner as described in the last noted patent . it will be noted that if the user decides not to take an exposure after cocking the hammer , the slide 122 can be moved back to its original or “ off ” position without requiring a firing of the shutter . this can happen since the bypass 150 is independently rotatably with respect to the hammer in the opposite direction . toward this end , a shoulder 145 on the cut - out 144 can override the tab 148 when returning because the bypass is independently rotatable with respect to the hammer . it will be noted that the slide 122 returns automatically to the original position under the influence of a clasp spring 166 mounted on the main frame assembly 24 as will be described . reference is made to fig1 for better illustrating how the strobe 112 is powered “ on ” in response to displacement of the slide 122 . in this regard , a strobe power switch 170 connected to the strobe board 30 has an elongated spring arm 170 a having a distal end biased into engagement with a side of the slide 122 to maintain the switch in an open or “ off ” condition as illustrated in fig7 and 11 . however , as the slide member 122 is moved to a first aperture setting position ( fig1 ) switch arm 170 a follows a cam surface 172 onto a reduced width portion of the slide , thereby closing the switch and thus effecting energization of a strobe capacitor . thus , the strobe will be energized during aperture select without the user having to make a conscious decision to use the strobe . it will be appreciated that the strobe will be fired in each of the aperture settings . [ 0064 ] fig1 and 14 illustrate an arrangement of components wherein the slide 122 is detented in the first aperture setting condition . in this condition , a slide detent member 174 is pivotally mounted on the slide housing 124 and has a tapered distal end 176 that is urged into a first aperture setting detent notch 178 a by a clasp spring 180 . it will noted that the detent notch 178 a corresponds to the “ indoor ” aperture setting . for effecting this detenting operation , a clasp spring 180 has an end 180 a engaging a projection on the slide housing 124 and another end 180 b engaging a surface of the detent member 174 . the spring 180 urges the distal end 176 into the notch 178 a when there is registration between the latter . however , it will be further noted that the clasping mechanism 130 is maintained out of engagement with the slide 122 during the aperture setting mode . it will be further noted that there are three notches 178 a - c , each corresponding to one of the three aperture settings . in the first aperture setting position shown in fig1 , it will be further noted that aperture plate 182 is pivotally mounted at 184 to the main frame assembly and remains out of an overlying relationship with the aperture 156 , thereby not modulating incident scene light to the film plane during the indoor exposure . [ 0066 ] fig1 & amp ; 16 illustrate a second aperture setting position corresponding to a “ sunny ” scene condition . to reach this setting , an operator further displaces the slide 122 until the selector tab 40 is positioned adjacent the “ sunny ” iconographic setting on the camera . at this location , the distal end 176 engages the detent notch 178 b under the influence of the spring 180 . it will be understood that during sliding movement , a depending shoulder 186 of the slide 122 extends downwardly and into the path of an aperture plate pin 188 . as the slide 122 is displaced , the shoulder 186 and an accompanying recess 187 trap the pin and effect rotation of the aperture plate so that an aperture 190 , corresponding to an appropriate f - number for “ sunny ” conditions , is in optical alignment with the exposure aperture 156 . the aperture plate 182 is positively locked into an overlying optical registry with the exposure aperture 156 . [ 0067 ] fig1 & amp ; 18 illustrate the components when the aperture select mechanism 120 is in its third aperture setting condition corresponding to , for example , “ partly sunny ” conditions , whereby an aperture 192 on the plate is in alignment with the exposure aperture 156 . the aperture 192 is set when the slide 122 and its depending shoulder 186 drive rotatably the aperture plate 182 until the distal end 176 of the slide detent 174 is driven into engagement with detent notch 178 c and thus resist movement of the slide 122 . the aperture 192 has an appropriate f - number that corresponds to a so - called “ partly sunny ” scene condition . [ 0068 ] fig1 & amp ; 21 illustrate a shutter actuating procedure and , in particular , the positioning of several components following the shutter button 36 being depressed by an operator . in such a position , the shutter link 126 has been pivoted upwardly and effects swinging movement of the clasping mechanism 130 from an inoperative position to an operative or clasping position ( fig1 ). in particular , the cam 128 while pivoted upwardly rides on and drives an inclined surface 200 about 45 degrees with respect to a vertical plane on a clasping arm portion 204 of the clasping mechanism 130 about a vertical axis 206 ; whereby a distal end 208 of a clasping arm 209 engages a notch 210 a formed on a side of the slide 122 ; thereby retaining the latter until the clasping mechanism 130 is released in a manner to be described . it will be noted that the slide 122 includes a series of detent notches 210 a - c corresponding in position with the detent notches 178 a - c so that the clasping mechanism holds the slide until it is by an operator releasing the shutter button . referring back to the shutter link 126 , its upward movement drives a link pin 212 that engages and moves the hammer latch 164 so as to release the hammer 152 , whereby the latter is rotated upwardly by the hammer spring 160 to trip the shutter 154 to commence opening of the shutter aperture 156 . the shutter 154 will then be driven back to its closed position , thereby terminating exposure by the shutter return spring 158 . as the hammer 152 moves to its upward position , a cam 214 carried thereby engages a strobe fire switch 216 that depends from the strobe board for firing the strobe during the time that the shutter allows scene light to the film plane through the aperture 156 . it will be appreciated that the hammer 152 remains in its upward position until it is recocked . [ 0070 ] fig2 , 25 , 26 a & amp ; 26 b illustrate that the cam 214 on the hammer drives the detent arm 174 out of engagement with a respective one of the notches 178 a - c generally simultaneously as the strobe fire switch is closed ( fig2 a , 26b ). however , the slide 122 remains stationary because of the clasping arm 209 retaining the slide in place until released by the operator in a manner to be described . [ 0071 ] fig2 and 28 illustrate release of the clasping arm 209 upon release of the shutter button 36 by the operator , thereby freeing the slide to return to the original position under the urging of the clasp spring 166 . because of a spring ( not shown ) the shutter link 122 is rotated back to its original position about axis 127 upon release of operator pressure . as this occurs , the cam 128 moves downwardly . it will be realized that an arm 166 a of the clasp spring 166 engages the arm 204 portion beyond the axis 206 and retains engagement with the cam 128 such that as the cam is rotated the arm 209 is thereby rotated in a counterclockwise direction to remove the distal end 208 from one of the notches 210 a . owing to the clasp spring portion 166 b engaging the slide 122 , the latter is returned automatically to the opposite end of the slot whereby the button engages the retainer housing to retain the slide in its original “ off ” condition ( fig2 & amp ; 30 ) [ 0072 ] fig3 illustrates a bottom view of the aperture selector slide 122 which includes a main slide portion 122 a that is interconnected to and relatively movable with respect to a stop element 122 b by virtue of a spring 123 for allowing the slide portion and the stop element to mfove relative to each other for purposes made apparent . it will be appreciated that the notches are generally aligned in both the main slide portion and the stop element . in this embodiment , the clasp engages the notches in the stop element 122 b and not necessarily the main slide portion 122 a ; wherein the stop element is actually spring biased by the clasp spring 166 ( not shown ). because of this construction and arrangement , a user can easily and reliably manually return the aperture slide 122 to its original or “ off ” position ; after the slide has been moved to one of the aperture setting conditions . in particular , when the user moves the main portion 122 a its notches will move relative the stop element that has received in detenting relationship the clasp . owing to the relative movement the notches of the main portion will force the clasp from the notches of the stop element thereby allowing the user to return the slide to its original position if the operator decides not to take a picture . it will be appreciated that changes may be made in the above structure and process without departing from the scope of the invention described herein . it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted in an illustrative and not in a limiting sense . thus , other alternatives and modifications will now become apparent without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention .
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a wireless input and a non - wireless input are effectively combined so that both may be efficiently provided as an audio output signal . this is achieved by selecting a frequency at which all the digital signals are provided to a common digital audio mixer . shown in fig1 is an audio system 10 comprising an rf front end 12 , an rf front end 14 , a converter 16 , a resonator 18 , an analog audio source 20 , a digital audio source 22 , a dsp adder 24 , and a controller 26 . rf front end 12 receives an rf signal which may be fm , am , weather band , or short wave or some other wireless type signal . similarly , rf front end 14 receives an rf signal of the same class as that received by rf front end 12 . rf front end 12 and rf front end 14 each provide an intermediate frequency signal to converter 16 . analog audio source 20 provides differing analog audio signals to converter 16 . digital audio source 22 provides multiple digital signals representative of audio information to dsp adder 24 . controller 26 coupled to dsp adder 24 provides control information to the dsp adder 24 , converter 16 , rf front end 12 , and rf front end 14 . the controller information from controller 26 may be routed through dsp adder 24 or applied directly to converter 16 , rf front end 12 , rf front end 14 , as well as dsp adder 24 . converter 26 comprises a clock generator 28 , a bus interface 30 , a bus interface 32 , and a digital - to - analog converter ( dac ) and analog - to - digital converter ( adc ) 34 . in operation , resonator 18 coupled to clock generator 28 , provides for a clock oscillator to operate at 28 . 8 megahertz ( mhz ). this clock frequency is then utilized to provide a rf reference to rf front end 12 and rf front end 14 at 7 . 2 mhz . this 28 . 8 mhz clock frequency is also used to provide a dsp reference to dsp adder 24 at 57 . 6 mhz . rf front end 12 and rf front end 14 operate in a similar fashion but may be operating on different input signals . rf front end 12 converts the received rf signal to an intermediate frequency signal utilizing a frequency derived from the rf reference of 7 . 2 mhz . the if frequency is provided at 10 . 8 mhz . the intermediate frequency is then sampled and converted to a digital signal by dac and adc 34 and provided as an output by converter 16 through bus interface 32 to dsp adder 24 . an input from analog audio source 20 is converted to a digital signal by dac and adc 34 and provided as an output to dsp adder 24 via bus interface 32 . bus interface 32 is controlled by controller 26 and multiplexes the signal received from analog audio source 20 and rf front ends 12 and 14 to dsp adder 24 . digital audio source 22 provides digital signals to dsp adder 24 . dsp adder 24 combines the wireless signals received by front ends 12 and 14 as converted to digital form with signals received from analog audio source 20 , and digital audio source 22 under the control of controller 26 . typically , digital audio source 22 and analog audio source 20 are separate units of hardware that are designed for the particular type of audio information they provide such as a cassette player or an mp3 player . it has become a standard for most digital audio sources that they provide data at a rate of 48 khz or multiples thereof . for the purpose of mixing a wireless audio signal with such a 48 khz digital audio signal , it is a benefit for the information that is received as a wireless signal to be also at a data rate of 48 khz . thus , it is desirable that the clock frequency used as dsp reference for dsp adder 24 be such that 48 khz is an integer - number multiple thereof . in this case the chosen dsp reference is 57 . 6 mhz . 57 . 6 mhz is conveniently twice that of the crystal oscillator that provides a 28 . 8 mhz clock frequency . similarly , rf front ends 12 and 14 receive the rf reference at 7 . 2 mhz , which is conveniently one fourth of the clock frequency of 28 . 8 mhz . the frequency of 7 . 2 mhz is carefully chosen so that it is a multiple of the raster spacing for a number of different radio tuning requirements throughout the world . the typical required raster spacings that cover the vast majority of the requirements of the world , as shown is fig5 are 16 , 18 , 20 , 25 , and 30 khz . the frequency of 7 . 2 mhz is a whole number multiple of each of these desirable raster spacings . rf front ends 12 and 14 perform filtering , rf mixing , and amplifying of the wireless broadcast signal to produce a wireless input signal at an intermediate frequency . the frequency of 10 . 8 mhz as the if is conveniently generated as a frequency whose alias , one fourth of the sample frequency , is equidistant from 7 . 2 mhz as 10 . 8 mhz is . downconverting the if signal to base band using an alias image is well known and commonly called sub - sampling . thus the rf reference in this described embodiment is halfway between the intermediate frequency and its alias . this is desirable because there is essentially no interference between this reference frequency and the if frequency and its alias . in this case the alias is created using a sampling clock at 14 . 4 mhz in the converter 16 making the alias 3 . 6 mhz . this technique of centering the reference frequency between the if and its alias image is effective so long as the if is sufficiently narrow in bandwidth so that it does not extend to the mid frequency point of 7 . 2 mhz in this case . thus the selection of a clock frequency of 28 . 8 mhz is advantageously used in the rf front ends 12 and 14 to provide the wide variety of raster spacings , the if sampling frequency , and also to provide the optimum sample frequency consistent with the industry standard for mp3 and dvd audio for digital mixing and represented as digital audio source 22 in fig1 . analog outputs from converter 16 result from conversion of digital signals provided by dsp adder 24 to converter 16 . converter 16 performs a digital - to - analog conversion and provides the analog outputs . these analog outputs are then useful for providing the desired audio outputs . these analog output signals would typically be received by a power amplifier that would in turn be connected to speakers . as an alternative , dsp adder 24 could provide digital signals directly to an active speaker system capable of converting digital signals to analog signals and driving the speakers . a benefit of using the frequency of 7 . 2 mhz for the rf reference is that a type of noise called synthesizer reference spurs is generated at 18 khz or above , which is generally considered above the audible range . this arises because the 7 . 2 mhz rf reference is integer divisible by 18 khz as well as the other raster spacings . thus , the synthesizer reference spurs occur at or above these raster spacing frequencies . if a lower frequency is required in order to achieve the lower raster spacing , then the synthesizer spurs are generated at this lower frequency and may become audible . another benefit of not having to go to a lower frequency than the raster spacing frequency itself is faster locking in rf front end 12 or rf front end 14 . shown in fig2 is dsp adder 24 in more detail . dsp adder 24 comprises a phase lock loop 36 , a source selector 38 , radio signal processing block 40 , audio signal processing block 42 , audio signal processing block 44 , audio signal processing block 46 , decimator 48 , decimator 50 , decimator 52 , decimator 54 , selector adder 56 , and a chime generator 58 . phase lock loop 36 provides a dsp clock derived from clock generator 28 . dsp clock and controller 26 are coupled to radio signal processing 40 , audio signal processing 42 - 46 , decimators 48 - 54 , selector adder 56 , source selector 38 , and chime generator 58 . source selector 38 receives digital signals from adc bus interface 32 and selectively couples the signals to either radio signal processing 40 or one of audio signal processing blocks 42 - 46 . source selector 38 also receives digital audio signals from digital audio source 22 and selectively couples them to one of audio signal processing 42 - 46 . shown here is just one radio signal processing block 40 and three audio signal processing blocks 42 - 46 , but there may be more of each in a different embodiment . the signal processing by blocks 40 - 46 varies depending upon the particular need . for example , for blocks 42 - 46 in particular decompression decoding may occur . for radio signal processing block 40 , radio signal demodulation and audio fidelity improvement processing are particularly relevant . for all blocks 40 - 46 treble , bass , and volume control may be applied . decimators 48 - 54 reduce the frequency , if necessary , of the signal from signal processing blocks 40 - 46 by an amount to achieve the desired 48 khz data rate . the “ x ” value in at least some of the decimators 50 - 54 can be 1 . some of the signal processing may be moved from between source selector 38 and decimators 48 , 50 , 52 , and 58 to from between decimators 48 , 50 , 52 , and 58 and selective adder 56 . filtering , for example , may only require a single set of coefficients for signals that are the same frequency . thus , it may save memory to move filters between decimators 48 , 50 , 52 , and 58 and selective adder 56 . thus selective adder 56 receives multiple inputs derived directly from decimators 48 - 54 all at the same sample frequency and synchronous with each other . thus , selective adder 56 can easily mix these signals in a normal audio context . the effect of selective adder 56 is to superimpose the content of any two or more of the incoming signals together . they can be superimposed or added in a ratio determined by controller 26 . further , chime generator 58 provides a signal at a sample rate of 48 khz , which may also be mixed with any of the other signals provided to selective adder 56 . chime generator 58 is convenient for indicating to the occupants of a vehicle of an incoming phone call or any other type of alert . thus music that is playing does not have to be muted in order to provide the alert . the sampling frequencies of 48 khz being in common is conveniently provided because only integer decimation is needed for it to be achieved . in some cases no decimation may be required . digital audio 22 provided externally to dsp adder 24 may not be exactly 48 khz . in such case it may be necessary to convert it to precisely 48 khz and have it timed perfectly with the other signals . this timing is achieved using the dsp clock provided by pll 36 . this processing would typically be provided prior to source selector 38 receiving the signal . a common technique for achieving this is the use of an asynchronous sample rate converter . the synchronization may also be achieved by the decimators that provide phase adjustment as needed . shown in fig3 is converter 16 in more detail . converter 16 comprises bus interface 30 , an a to d converter ( adc ) 62 , an a to d converter 64 , clock generator 28 , an a to d converter 66 , an a to d converter 68 , a d to a converter 70 , a d to a converter 72 , bus interface 32 , mixer 74 and mixer 76 . bus interface 30 provides microcontroller information to the rf front ends 12 and 14 . microcontroller input arrives via bus interface 32 . not all of the microcontroller connections are shown in fig3 . for example , the microcontroller inputs arriving at bus interface 32 are coupled to each of the elements shown in fig3 such as a to d converters 62 - 68 and clock generator 28 as well as mixers 74 and 76 . also , microcontroller inputs are coupled to dacs 70 and 72 . a to d converters 62 and 64 receive the intermediate center frequency from rf front ends 12 and 14 . there may be even additional rf front ends and corresponding a to d converters as part of converter 16 . a to d converters 62 and 64 convert the intermediate center frequency to a digital signal sampled at 14 . 4 mhz so the a to d converters 62 and 64 are designed so that they operate on the image of the intermediate center frequency , the image in this case being 3 . 6 mhz . the result is a digital signal with a 3 . 6 center frequency . if digital mixers 74 and 76 mix the digital if signal with 3 . 6 mhz to provide the digital signal without central frequency . the center frequency is removed so it is simply a digital signal so the outputs of mixers 74 and 76 are provided to bus interface 32 . bus interface 32 multiplexes them as an output to dsp adder 24 . similarly , a to d converters 66 and 68 , and there may be more than just the two shown , receive an analog signal and convert it to a digital signal . the sample rate is a multiple of 48 khz but is typically greater than 48 khz . the output of a to d converter 66 and 68 are coupled to bus interface 32 which multiplexes them to dsp adder 24 . the a to d converters 62 - 68 each thus provide a digital signal at a rate which is a multiple of 48 khz . bus interface 32 receives a digital signal from dsp adder 24 and couples them to one or more of d to a converters 70 and 72 . additionally , there may be more d to a converters than the two shown . the d to a converters convert the digital signal provided by dsp adder 24 and coupled by bus interface 32 to an analog signal that is in a condition to be further amplified and provided to a speaker via output the digital output of selective adder 56 . clock generator 28 , as shown in fig3 is coupled to resonator 18 to provide the desired 28 . 8 mhz frequency . this 28 . 8 mhz base clock frequency is thus convenient for providing the desired 7 . 2 mhz reference clock for the rf front ends 12 and 14 , which in turn provide the 10 . 8 mhz intermediate center frequency . similarly , the 28 . 8 mhz clock frequency provides convenience for the sample rates for the a to d converters 66 and 68 and is thus consistent with the industry standard . 48 khz of digital sources such as mp3 and dvd audio . shown in fig4 is a portion of front end 12 comprising a divider 78 , a phase detector 80 , a low pass filter , 82 , a divider 84 , a divider 86 , and a vco 88 . divider 78 divides the incoming rf reference , which is at a frequency of 7 . 2 mhz , by an integer selected to obtain one of 16 , 18 , 20 , 25 , and 30 khz , depending upon the relevant raster spacing . phase detector 80 receives the output of divider 78 and an output of divider 84 , which provides the output as a signal divided from vco 88 . phase detector 80 compares these two outputs and provides an error output if they are not in phase . low pass filter 82 receives the output of phase detector 80 and provides a control signal to vco 88 . eventually vco will adjust until the frequency of the output of divider 84 is the same frequency as the output of divider 78 and phase lock is obtained . the phase lock is not perfect however so that the unintentional synthesizer reference spurs are generated at the rate of the output of the phase detector 80 . the spurs are detrimental to analog signals but are not problematic in digital transmission . further , if the band is am , anything above 10 khz is filtered out anyway because 10 khz is the maximum audio frequency that is transmitted . divider 86 is considered the output of the local oscillator and provides the output frequencies used by rf front end such as that required to produce the 10 . 8 mhz if . shown in fig5 is a table showing , by jurisdiction , bands , local oscillator frequencies , change in frequency by a change of one in n , raster frequencies , and the integer divisors applied to dividers 80 , 84 , and 86 of fig4 to achieve the if of 10 . 8 mhz . note that in all cases the 7 . 2 mhz is divided by a number no greater than 400 , which is 18 khz , except for one case , and that case is digital transmission . in the foregoing specification , the invention has been described with reference to specific embodiments . however , one of ordinary skill in the art appreciates that various modifications and changes can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention as set forth in the claims below . accordingly , the specification and figures are to be regarded in an illustrative rather than a restrictive sense , and all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of present invention . benefits , other advantages , and solutions to problems have been described above with regard to specific embodiments . however , the benefits , advantages , solutions to problems , and any element ( s ) that may cause any benefit , advantage , or solution to occur or become more pronounced are not to be construed as a critical , required , or essential feature or element of any or all the claims . as used herein , the terms “ comprises ,” “ comprising ,” or any other variation thereof , are intended to cover a non - exclusive inclusion , such that a process , method , article , or apparatus that comprises a list of elements does not include only those elements but may include other elements not expressly listed or inherent to such process , method , article , or apparatus .
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described herein is a folding table for supporting medical equipment bedside . the table comprises three main components which may be folded from an extended position for transport or storage . the folded position is configured to allow the table to be easily transported along with the medical equipment during travel . the table is also configured to be unfolded and stabilized bedside to support the medical equipment without the need of tools , or excessive time or mechanical skills the table comprises three main components , the principal being a table top , which supports the medical equipment and has several features to facilitate ease of use for the medical equipment . the secondary components are a support which extends extends outward from the side of the table at approximately one - hundred eighty degrees ( 180 °), and a stabilizer which extends outward from the bottom of the table so as to be oriented perpendicular to the bottom plane of the table surface , and oriented perpendicular to the common side of the table and support previously described . the table is designed such that the support is positioned between an upper and lower mattress such that the table top extends beside the bed at approximately the height of the mattresses intersection and parallel with the lying surface of the bed . the stabilizer supports the table top and redirects the downward forces of the table top and its contents approximately ninety of the lower mattress thus allowing the table top to support heavier loads . in the preferred embodiment , the table is a molded plastic with a plurality of hinge barrels oriented proximately along the bottom edges of two perpendicular sides of the table . the hinge barrels are offset unequal distances from the bottom of the table surface such that the stabilizer and support , when mated with the table top may be folded against the table &# 39 ; s underside to a stacked configuration without interference between the support and stabilizer . one skilled in the art would appreciate that other types of hinges and other configurations of the main components may be utilized within the spirit of the innovation . examples include , but are not limited to offset hinges , double hinge configurations , removable and attachable stabilizer and / or support . further , the innovation may be implemented in a non - folding configuration , which would be bulkier for transport , but may be suitable for home , or treatment facility where more consistent use is expected without extensive transportability . the preferred implementation utilizes a series of machine supports to keep the machine situated on the table during minor bumps , knocks , or other table / bed movements . alternatives may include utilizing straps , or belts to secure the machine to the table top , sticky pads , suction cups , etc . for some machines , it may be desirable to place a cushioned pad on the table surface to reduce the transmission of vibrations from the machine . to further protect the machine , from being knocked from the table top , the preferred embodiment comprises a power cord trap . the power cord trap is implemented as an angled groove in one side surface of the table into which a user may guide the power cord such that it is semi - locked or trapped into the groove against casual removal . this power cord trap causes any minor forces on the cord to be transferred to the table top , instead of directly to the machine , or power outlet into which it is connected . further , if the machine is ever knocked from the table surface , the power cord acts as a restraint to aid in securing the machine to the table , and at least prevent an unrestricted impact with the floor . the preferred embodiment also includes a mask support hook in the form of a void in one corner of the table which produces a pin , hook , or holder over which a straps of a mask can be hung to support the mask when not in use . hanging the mask from the strap allows air to pass around the mask during the day to dry any moisture which accumulates during use . this mask hanger , also support the mask in a position conveniently reached for storage and retrieval of the mask by the user . the mask hanger also secures the mask to prevent it from being knocked to the floor , or from taking up space on a bedside table , or the bed lying surface . the support is a substantially flat planer like surface which can be positioned between the mattresses of a bed without disturbing the lying surface of the bed . in the preferred embodiment the support has a roughened texture to prevent unrestricted slipping from between the mattresses once placed there between . i . e . sufficient force must be applied to remove the support from between the mattresses , and that force amount is dependent on the size of the physical characteristics of the embodiment and the anticipated loads to be placed on the table surface . the roughened texture should not be sufficiently rough to cause damage to the mattress surfaces , and may include a nonskid material rather than a surface texture . this may be a random texture , or a patterned texture molded , cut , or otherwise embossed or embedded to one or more surfaces of the support . one skilled in the arts would appreciate that dependent on the material construction of the support , the unrestricted slipping from between the mattress may be accomplished by texture , material content , and / or coatings and treatments thereto . the primary requirements would be sufficient resistance from slippage as previously described , and no intentional damage or residue evidence on mattress surfaces after use . in keeping with the goals of no intentional damage , all surface joints should be deburred , “ knocked down ,” or rounded . further , the same treatment should apply to all edges which may be exposed to contact during normal expected use . for the same reasoning , the stabilizer in the preferred embodiment having a hinged joint with the bottom surface of the table in the preferred embodiment has a rounded outer edge joining the table contacting edge to avoid having an unnecessary corner protruding from under the table top surface by creating a quarter rounded shape . other embodiments may have an angled joint producing a triangular shape . in other embodiment , a decorative shape may be utilized , or a plurality of hooks or handles may be molded , cut , or embossed onto one or more surfaces of the stabilizer for hooking or holding hoses , wires , medical devices , etc . to store or transport the table , the power cord for the machine is removed from the power cord trap , and the machine and mask are removed from the table . the table is then removed from between the mattresses . the stabilizer is folded approximately ninety degrees ( 90 °) to lie flat against the bottom of the table . the support is then folded approximately one hundred eighty degrees ( 180 °) against the bottom of the table , or more specifically against the stabilizer which is against the bottom of the table . one skilled in the arts would appreciate that the exact folding configuration of the table could be altered and still be consistent with the illustrative principals fo the innovation described herein . in the folded configuration , the table is approximately the same size as the footprint of the machine , and is substantially flat , and can be easily transported along with the machine . fig1 a illustrates a folding table supporting a cpap machine on the side of a bed during night use by a patient in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the invention . the user ( 70 ) lies upon the surface of a bed ( 60 ) comprised of an upper mattress ( 60 a ) and a lower mattress ( 60 b ). a cpap mask ( 55 ), positioned over the face of the user , and held in position with straps ( 56 ) connects by air hose ( 54 ) to the air intake ( 51 ) of a cpap machine ( 50 ). the machine ( 50 ) rest on a table ( 100 ) which is positioned beside the bed ( 60 ), with the support ( 300 ) between the mattresses ( 60 a , 60 b ) such that the main body of the table ( 100 ) protrudes from between the mattresses ( 60 a , 60 b ) with the table top &# 39 ; s stabilizer ( 200 ) is against the side of the lower mattress ( 60 b ). the power cord ( 53 ) is connected to the machine ( 50 ) and connected to the power cord trap ( 140 ). the mask support hook , or mask hanger ( 130 ) is shown as a notch in one edge of the table ( 100 ) distal the support ( 300 ) such that the mask ( 55 ) will hang away from the bed ( 60 ) to promote air circulation around the mask ( 55 ) when not in use and supported by the hanger ( 130 ). fig1 b illustrates a folding table supporting a cpap machine on the side of a bed during day use with the mask supported by the mask support hook in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the invention . a cpap mask ( 55 ), hangs by the straps ( 56 ) from a mask hanger ( 130 ) on the edge of the table ( 100 ) distal the support ( 300 ). the mask ( 55 ) connects by air hose ( 54 ) to the air intake ( 51 ) of a cpap machine ( 50 ). the mask support hook , or mask hanger ( 130 ) supports the mask ( 55 ) away from the bed ( 60 ) to promote air circulation around the mask when not in use . fig2 a illustrates a folding table for supporting medical equipment in a folded configuration in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the invention . fig2 b illustrates a folding table for supporting medical equipment in an extended configuration in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the invention . the table ( 100 ) is sized such that a cpap machine ( 50 ) or other medical device , fits comfortably on the table top ( 110 ) and is secured around the edges by machine supports ( 120 ). in another embodiment , the machine supports ( 120 ) may be closer to the edge of the table top ( 110 ), or they may be shaped to accommodate machines ( 50 ) which are different shapes . additionally , the machine supports may be pegs , or pins which insert into one or more receptacles in the table top ( 110 ) to allow repositioning such that a universal table top ( 110 ) can be customized to hold multiple types of machines ( 50 ). the table top further comprises a mask hanger ( 130 ) in an edge , and a power cord trap ( 140 ) which in the preferred embodiment illustrated here are created by notches in the edge of the table top ( 110 ) and passing completely through the table surface . the table &# 39 ; s support ( 300 ) is hinged to one side of the table top ( 110 ) by hinge joints ( 170 ), which allow the support ( 300 ) to swing ( 410 ) to a position ( 300 ′) extending away from the table top ( 110 ) and substantially parallel . in the preferred embodiment , the support ( 300 , 300 ′) is supported in the extended position by a support hinge stop ( 175 ). the table also includes a stabilizer ( 200 , 200 ′) shown in fig2 a in the closed position ( 200 ) and in fig2 b in the the open position ( 200 ′) having been rotated ( 420 ) about a hinge joint ( 160 ) to an orientation approximately perpendicular to the table top ( 110 ) and perpendicular to the hinge joing ( 170 ) of the support ( 300 ). the support ( 300 ) and the stabilizer ( 200 ) may be locked in place by offset hinges , or other locking means which would be familiar to one skilled in the arts . however , in the preferred embodiment illustrated , locking is accomplished by positioning of the support ( 300 ) between the mattresses of the bed such that the stabilizer ( 200 ) rest against the edge of a bottom mattress ( see fig1 ), preventing the table from closing . fig3 a shows a perspective view from above of the table top component of a folding table in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the invention . the table top ( 110 ) has machine supports ( 120 ) which extend above the table top &# 39 ; s ( 110 ) top surface . the table top has openings or grooves which pass from the tables top surface to the bottom surface to create notches in the table top . one such notch creates a mask hanger ( 130 ), and is a substantially straight notch located in a corner of the table surface and extending in approximately one half to one inch , being located from the corner approximately a distance equal to the table thickness . the actual dimensions are not specific and are dependent on implementation of the embodiment , being depended on the type of mask to be utilized with the table , and the thickness and strength of the table materials . another such notch creates a power cord trap ( 140 ), and is a substantially “ j ” shaped notch located somewhere along a edge of the table surface and extending approximately two times the width of a typical power cord , and then angling approximately ninety degrees . the actual dimensions and shape of the notch are not specific and are dependent on implementation of the embodiment , being depended on the type of power cord to be utilized , and the thickness and strength of the table materials . multiple mask hangers ( 130 ) and power cord traps ( 140 ) can be positioned on the table ( 100 ) to allow options for the user to orient the machine ( 50 , not shown ) to suit their convenience . in other embodiments , the power cord trap ( 140 ) and / or the mask hanger ( 130 ) can be extended from the table surface to the side , or above or below the upper or bottom surface , however doing so may compromise the folding and transportability of the table design . fig3 b shows a perspective view from below of the table top component of a folding table in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the invention . the table top ( 110 ), viewed from the underside shows the mask hanger ( 130 ) and the power cord trap ( 140 ) since they extend through the table from the upper to the lower surface . also visible at this angle is a plurality of barrel hinges ( 160 ) for the stabilizer ( 200 , not shown ) having a hinge support stop ( 165 ) which would constrain the hinge to a ninety degree ( 90 °) range between the hinge support stop ( 165 ) and the table top &# 39 ; s ( 110 ) lower surface . also visible at this angle is a plurality of barrel hinges ( 170 ) for the support ( 300 , not shown ) having a hinge support stop ( 175 ) which would constrain the hinge to a one - hundred eighty degree ( 180 °) range between the hinge support stop ( 175 ) and the table top &# 39 ; s ( 110 ) lower surface . fig4 shows a perspective view from above of the support component of a folding table in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the invention . the support ( 300 ) comprises a barrel hinge ( 320 ) located on one edge , which mates with the barrel hinges ( 170 , not shown ) of the table top ( 110 , not shown ). fig5 shows a perspective view from above of the stabilizer component of a folding table in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the invention . the stabilizer ( 200 ) comprises a barrel hinge ( 220 ) located on one edge , which mates with the barrel hinges ( 160 , not shown ) of the table top ( 110 , not shown ). the table has a supporting edge ( 240 ) which is a straight edge perpendicular to the axis of the barrel hinges ( 220 ). in the preferred embodiment , a curved edge ( 210 ) joints the supporting edge ( 240 ) and the perpendicular edge containing the barrel hinges ( 220 ) to create an approximate quarter round shape . this configuration means no corners protrude from under the table surface which may cause a hazard . fig6 shows a perspective view of hinge pins for a folding table in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the invention . in the preferred embodiment barrel hinges ( 220 and 160 ) were utilized for joining the support to the table top and barrel hinges ( 320 and 170 ) were utilized for joining the stabilizer to the table top . in the preferred embodiment , a plurality of hinge pins ( 230 ) extend from either end of the support to meet in the middle of the center barrel ( 220 ) of the three barrel configuration . due to the positioning of the stabilizer in the preferred embodiment , a single hinge pin ( 330 ) was utilized for the three barrel configuration of the support . one skilled in the arts would appreciate many other configurations and hinge joints , types , and orientations that may accomplish the same general functions and would be in accordance with the illustrative principals of the innovation described herein . the diagrams in accordance with exemplary embodiments of the present invention are provided as examples and should not be construed to limit other embodiments within the scope of the invention . for instance , heights , widths , and thicknesses may not be to scale and should not be construed to limit the invention to the particular proportions illustrated . additionally some elements illustrated in the singularity may actually be implemented in a plurality . further , some element illustrated in the plurality could actually vary in count . further , some elements illustrated in one form could actually vary in detail . further yet , specific numerical data values ( such as specific quantities , numbers , categories , etc .) or other specific information should be interpreted as illustrative for discussing exemplary embodiments . such specific information is not provided to limit the invention . the above discussion is meant to be illustrative of the principles and various embodiments of the present invention . numerous variations and modifications will become apparent to those skilled in the art once the above disclosure is fully appreciated . it is intended that the following claims be interpreted to embrace all such variations and modifications .
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the preferred form of the present invention will now be described . it is understood that there can be various changes to the preferred form of the present invention without detracting from the spirit or the scope of the invention . the invention is primarily formed from a high grade industrial steel . it is comprised of three main components : a main frame 10 , part of which is a drum 15 on which cable 90 is stored ; a carriage 30 which rotates around the drum 15 winds or unwinds cable 90 from the drum 15 ; and a cable guide fairlead 40 which is affixed to the carriage 30 through which the cable 90 is picked up and positioned for winding or unwinding . each of these components will be described separately and then their function and relationship to the other components will be described hereinafter . the main frame 10 is comprised of a supporting base of skids 18 , a rear housing 12 and the cable drum 15 . the skids 18 support the entire device and permit it to be moved on the skids . the frame is formed of substantial steel members comprising the outside dragging skids 18 and cross members 19 . these members are generally welded . the rear housing 12 is formed from heavy metal plate and is formed as an integral part of the drum 15 . the drum 15 protrudes from the rear housing 12 towards the front of the skids 18 , so as to cantilever from the rear housing 12 . the inner storage portion of drum 15 is defined by a front flange 17 and a rear flange 16 . the inside of the drum as well as the rear housing is hollow and serves to house the mechanical elements of the invention as described hereinafter . on the front side of the front flange 17 is disposed the front drive sprocket 68 and on the outside of rear flange 16 is disposed the rear drive sprocket 69 . both sprockets 68 and 69 are solidly affixed to front and rear flanges 16 and 17 respectively . ( they do not turn ). on the outside of each flange is disposed a track 84 and 85 in which the cam follower bearings 80 of the carriage 30 travel , as described hereinafter . the carriage 30 has a front square frame 31 and a rear square frame 34 . the carriage frames 31 and 34 are formed of heavy steel members and welded at the comers . the carriage frames 31 and 34 have cam follower bearings 80 disposed at the mid point of each side of each frame and also at the comers where they engage the front 84 and rear 85 of the cam follower track 84 and 85 . four carriage cross members 32 connect the front 31 and rear 34 carriage frames and make the carriage 30 an integral rigid member . the cross frame members 32 are typically welded to the front 31 and rear 34 frames . a level wind tube 50 is also welded to the front and rear carriage frame as shown in fig1 and 2 . the construction and operation of the level wind tube 50 are described hereinafter . the carriage 30 is disposed around the drum 15 and rotates freely there around on the cam followers bearings 80 as they engage the cam follower tracks 84 and 85 . a guide fairlead 40 is coupled to the front carriage frame 31 such that it has a front end that projects forward of the front carriage frame 31 . the fairlead tube 40 serves to collect the cable 90 so as to pass through and be spooled or unspooled on drum 15 when the carriage 30 rotates as hereinafter described . the guide fairlead 40 is formed from &# 34 ; rolled or radiused &# 34 ; angle iron and has multiple rollers 41 spaced throughout its length on which the cable 90 passes without impingement . the guide fairlead 40 has it &# 39 ; s lead end 86a disposed at the forward of and at the center line of the drum 15 . the guide fairlead 40 transforms gradually so as to extend outside of the entire drum 15 , and then curves gently so as to parallel the axis of the storage drum . the fairlead 40 then curves gently at a right angle and is terminated at the rear end 86b which is located so as to be in parallel alignment with the front flange 17 . cable 90 which passes through the guide fairlead 40 enters at the front end 86a of the fairlead 40 and makes several bends until it exits the fairlead 90 degrees from its entry position 86a and can be picked up from the drum as it is unwound or wound on the drum 15 . end 86b of the guide fairlead 40 is in the preferred form secured in place by two steel cross members 35 that are attached to the front and rear of the carriage frame 30 . the level wind tube 50 is disposed so that cable 90 exiting the guide fairlead 40 passes through the level wind rollers 88 . the rollers 88 are secured to the indexing fairlead frame 53 . as the carriage 30 rotates , the indexing fairlead causes rollers 88 to move along the level wind tube 50 as the ball screw 52 inside the level wind tube turns , thus driving sliding follower 51 . in this manner cable 90 will be wound uniformly on drum 15 . sprocket 54 is mounted to the ball screw of the level wind tube 50 . sprockets 54 and 55 are joined by chain 43 . sprockets 55 and 56 are on the same axis with a reversing planetary transmission 44 between them which selects and provides the left and right and direction of travel to the indexing fairlead 53 as needed . a carriage drive shaft 70 is mounted on the carriage frame so as to be on the opposite side as the level wind tube 50 . a power sprocket 72 is mounted near the front end of the drive shaft 70 and drive sprockets 71 and 73 are mounted near the front and rear ends . the drive sprockets are disposed so as to be in alignment with the sprockets 68 and 69 respectively . a chain 74 is disposed around the rear carriage drive sprocket 71 and a similar chain around the front drum sprocket 68 . this system of sprockets and chains are used to uniformly drive the carriage 30 around the drum 15 as is described hereinafter . the mechanical equipment that is used to drive the present invention is housed within the drum 15 . in this manner the equipment is protected from the environment and other damage . the mechanical equipment comprises an air operated main drive clutch 61 , a gear reducer 62 , an electric motor 63 and an air rotor seal 65 . also an air compressor 64 and control box 66 are located inside the drum 15 . the electric motor 63 is coupled to the power shaft 60 through the gear reducer 62 and the main clutch drive 61 . the power shaft extends from the front of the drum 15 and has two drive sprockets 57 and 58 coupled thereto . drive sprocket 57 is aligned with the drive sprocket 56 that is mounted on the level wind sprocket and has a chain 59 that encircles the two drive sprockets . drive sprocket 58 is aligned with the carriage power sprocket 72 and has chain 76 that engages sprocket 58 and the drive sprocket 72 . the operation and interaction of the various elements of the invention will now be described . initially the power cable 90 is threaded through the guide fairlead and wrapped around the drum 15 and exits towards the rear of the invention and connected to a power source . the other end , the lead end is coupled to the working unit . when the working unit , a miner for example , reverses it &# 39 ; s direction of travel there is excess cable 90 . the invention senses the reduction in tension on the cable 90 and the electric motor begins to turn shaft 60 . shaft 60 simultaneously begins turning drive sprockets 57 and 58 . chain 76 turns sprocket 72 , thereby turning sprocket 71 and 73 which forces the entire carriage 30 to begin to rotate clockwise around the drum 15 and wind cable 90 onto the drum 15 . at the same time sprocket 57 engages chain 59 and drives , sprocket 56 , which in turn activates reversing transmission 44 . cable 90 is properly layered by changing rotation of sprocket 55 which automatically activates the pneumatic controls of reversing transmission 44 and drives sprocket 54 which in turn causes ball screw 52 and indexing guide 53 to move along the drum so as to cause the cable 90 to be uniformly wound on the drum 15 . when the working unit starts moving forward and demands additional cable 90 the drive clutch 61 senses the increase in tension in the cable 90 and releases carriage 30 so that it is essentially free wheeling which allows cable 90 to be withdrawn from the drum 15 , under controlled conditions . since the drum 15 does not rotate , one end of the cable 90 can be coupled directly to the primary power source . the cable 90 can then be partially spooled on the drum 15 exit the invention through the guide fairlead 40 and be coupled directly to the working unit . in this manner the power cable 90 is uninterrupted and there is no need for use of split rings and / or the like . the invention is portable and is capable of being moved from place to place , but can be located away from the actual work area and be out of harms - way , while still being able to manage the demand for the cable so that the working unit can move about and the cable 90 will be wound or unwound as required . in the preferred form drum 15 is perforated with randomly placed holes through which air can flow . the inside of the drum 15 is enclosed so that air can be released into the drum through the air seal 65 which allows air to be forced out of the perforations and around the cable 90 disposed on the drum . the air cools the cable 90 which can heat and can cause cable damage if not properly cooled . in the preferred form of the invention a steel frame 100 is constructed around the invention and a heavy steel mesh 101 is attached to the frame . this frame and mesh prevent and protect the invention from getting hit by falling rocks or other debris in work areas . it is understood that the mechanical system as described herein that drive the carriage around the drum can be altered or parts thereof can be substituted to perform the same function and not detract from the spirit and scope of the invention .
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the present invention provides , in an 802 . 11 - based or similar network , a method to admit and route users . the method routes the user &# 39 ; s traffic through multiple - hop wireless links , determines and provides ( implicitly or explicitly ) traffic - shaping options at one or more of the hops . in certain situations , the admissibility condition is also a stability condition that each communication group has to satisfy for a given set of parameters or options ( e . g ., aggregation level , bursting level , and connection rates ). the solution determines an acceptable set of parameters ( more than one solution may exist ) and the route and traffic profile across the network , for each user and communication group , without overloading or violating quality of service ( qos ) constraints imposed for existing and new users . according to one embodiment of the present invention , a central or “ control ” entity collects data regarding the state of the network and computes the loads for each communication group as would occur under different potential options . this control entity can exist anywhere in the network ; in fact , it may be collocated with or implemented in the gap . the control entity may collect information from and may take advantage of entities within the network that include automated mechanisms for adaptation ( e . g . some communication groups may be able to adapt certain parameters autonomously as mentioned above , based the links they support ). one example of such an automated mechanism is the relay access point ( rap ) which makes local decisions on aggregation and bursting levels in each of its outbound link , based on corresponding inbound traffic parameters , such as the number and types of inbound users , the number and types of inbound aggregated or burst flows from other raps , and the snrs on different links . unlike the prior art , a method under the present invention takes into account multiple parameters ( e . g ., aggregation level , bursting level , and connection rates ) for selectively admitting users . in the detailed description below , “ system load ” may be determined from calculating the relative channel occupancy time in each communication group . system load may be used as a metric for stability . a stable system results when the communication groups can support the system load . for voice traffic , for example , if the time interval between voice packet generation for each user is x milliseconds , and the time required to transmit all packets generated over the x milliseconds interval is y milliseconds , for all traffic associated with users having links passing through a given communication group , y being greater than x , the system is unstable . the stability condition ensures that the voice packets of all voice calls are serviced in a timely manner , without a long queuing time and without a large packet loss rate ( e . g . less than 1 %, overall ). one can also consider a more aggressive condition for stability , such as the y being less than x by a known gap , i . e . a link budget . according to one embodiment of the present invention , the stability condition is deemed only a limiting condition . that is , there are many possible admission and routing options that can support a user and enable the system to perform in a stable fashion , providing the required quality of service to all users . a “ system load ” vector may be provided to adapt the traffic - shaping options under a given admission or routing selection . the system load vector may also be used to indicate unstable communication groups . one approach to admission that takes into account multiple parameters is disclosed in the article “ analyzing and managing traffic shaping in the transmission of voice over multi - hop 802 . 11 networks ” (“ lkrp06 ”), by d . li , u . c . kozat , s . a . ramprashad , c . pepin , unpublished docomo internal document , november 2006 . this article provides a mathematical description of the load calculation that can be used effectively . the article under review “ an analysis of joint aggregation , bursting and rate adaptation mechanisms for increasing voip capacity in multi - hop 802 . 11 networks ”, s . a . ramprashad , d . li , u . c . kozat , and c . pepin , under review by ieee transactions on wireless communications , submitted february 2007 , revised october 2007 . (“ rlkp07 ”) describes the concept in greater detail . in particular this article provides detailed mathematical descriptions of another method of load calculation which accounts for the transmission of packets in greater detail . to provide an in - depth discussion for these load calculation techniques , the lkrp06 and rlkp07 articles are attached herewith as appendices a and b , and are hereby incorporated by reference in their entireties . fig2 shows system 200 to which the present invention is applicable . as shown in fig2 , system 200 includes a number of access points , including relay access points ( rap 1 to rap 3 ) and a gateway access point ( gap ), thus creating a multi - hop network . ( technically , the network of fig2 is a mixed 2 - hop and 3 - hop tree - rooted network . fig5 shows a system with two gaps which is not tree - rooted and for which the principles also apply ). the gap provides connectivity to another network ( e . g ., a wired network ). for example , the gap may be a high - speed wired connection to the internet . system 200 provides wireless multi - hop paths from mobile terminals to the gap . such a system may include multiple gaps as in fig5 . in fig2 , the multi - hop network consists of multiple communication groups , with each communication group and its links being labeled by the same reference number ( e . g ., communication group 1 includes four links associated with the gap ). a communication group may be defined by the radio channel or the radio interfaces shared by the links . the radio channel or interfaces are a common wireless resource that is shared by the associated originating or destination mobile terminals or access points . one example of a wireless resource is an 802 . 11 channel , or a 802 . 11 hybrid scheme , such as hcca . the wireless resource may also consist of different time intervals ( e . g ., a communication group may be refined to be the distributed contention time - interval or a centralized controlled ( point coordination function — pcf mode ) interval ). the network supports a number of mobile clients , providing each mobile client a route ( i . e ., a set of one or more connected links ) to at least one gap . clients may connect to any one of the four access points rap 1 - rap 3 or the gap . the packets exchanged between the gap and the mobile client may traverse only one - hop to the gap ( e . g . in fig2 clients that connect directly to the gap over links labeled “ 1 ”), or multiple hops to the gap . ( although the basic network topology illustrated in this detailed description is a tree - structure , the method of the present invention is applicable to more general network topologies .) as shown in fig2 , access points can participate in several communication groups . one implementation provides an access point with different wireless network interface cards that allow them to receive and transmit simultaneously in each group . alternatively , a single interface card is used with appropriate time - sharing between its use for multiple communication groups . one may generalize the concept of communication groups to simply links that use the same channel or strongly interfere with each other . for example , fig3 illustrates another allocation of communication groups , in which a relay access point rap 3 uses the same time and channel as the gap . such an arrangement results in a system with less performance than the one shown in fig2 . however , such an arrangement may be user or preferable when the number of independent available 802 . 11 channels or time slots in the system is inadequate . each communication group may be characterized by the following state variables : ( a ) the aggregation level used in each of the outbound flows to other terminals , raps or gaps ; ( b ) the bursting level used in each of the outbound flows to other terminals , raps or gaps ; ( c ) the aggregation level used in each of the inbound flows from other terminals , raps or gaps ; ( d ) the bursting level used in each of the inbound flows from other terminals , raps or gaps ; ( e ) the number of mobile terminals directly supported by the aps in the group ; ( f ) the packet generation rate ( e . g ., in packets / second ) and the data rate ( e . g ., in mega or kilo bits / second ) in each flow and from each user ; ( g ) the physical layer data rate of each link or flow ; ( h ) the channel state seen by each flow ; and ( i ) the medium access control ( mac ) parameter settings or each mac mechanism in the group . while this list of parameters is not exhaustive , these parameters may be used to estimate a “ load ” on each communication group , according to one embodiment of the present invention , as discussed below . many of these parameters are traffic - shaping parameters . other state variables are possible , and include , for example , the present buffer levels at each transmitting terminal or mac mechanism . while communication groups are assumed not to interfere with each other in the wireless medium ( for the most part ), communication groups affect each other through the nature of their respective flows . for example , in fig2 , the state of one communication group “ 4 ” affects the state of communication group “ 1 ”. this is because the packets sent to ( from ) mobiles in group 4 do eventually terminate ( originate ) at the gap , and therefore do use the link rap 3 ←→ gap in group “ 1 ”. furthermore , the traffic - shaping options of a first communication group on one rap or gap can affect the traffic - shaping options of other communication groups or links involve in forwarding the traffic of the first communication group . for example , the traffic - shaping settings and state of rap 1 applied on its group “ 2 ” link to rap 2 affects the qos in communication group “ 2 ”. the selected traffic - shaping options may even have an effect on the qos seen in group “ 1 ” since the flow from rap 1 → rap 2 eventually flows to the gap over a group “ 1 ” link . further , in a communication group , traffic - shaping inbound traffic ( i . e ., the number and the types of packets ) can affect traffic - shaping on outbound packets . after all , inbound traffic is collected together for outbound transmissions . in this detailed description , one focus application is voip traffic . stability with respect to the packetization interval of the voice codec may be used as a performance parameter for an voip application . for simplicity , the following model assumes that the network support only voip applications and considers stability with respect to the packetization interval . if all users use the same coder and packetization interval , the method of the present invention described below computes a channel occupancy time ( i . e ., the “ load ”) of each communication group as the expected ( or maximum ) time to transfer on the links in the communication group one packet per user that uses this group . typically , a user &# 39 ; s route to the gap may include multiple links and thus involves multiple communication groups . at each access point ( i . e ., at the gap and at each of the raps ), packets are collected for transmission over the wireless links along the assigned routes . the collected packets to a common destination ( over a common link ) may be processed as a group in various ways to allow efficient use of the wireless resources . specifically , an access point may choose between ( i ) several options of “ aggregating ” multiple voice or transmission packets into larger single transmission packets and ( ii ) using a single transmission opportunity ( e . g ., an opportunity granted after contention in the carrier sense multiple access - csma scheme of 802 . 11 ) to “ burst ” multiple transmission packets over the wireless medium . using both the common transmission packet payloads and the transmission opportunities efficiently reduces overheads associated with data transmission over the 802 . 11 wireless interface . as discussed in the wiopt06 , lkrp06 and rlkp07 articles , overheads can consume more than ⅔ of the total available wireless resource , in some instances , leaving ⅓ or less of the wireless resource for actual data transmission . by placing more data in each packet , or by transmitting more packets at each transmission opportunity , the relative overhead per bit of payload information transmitted over an 802 . 11 link is reduced . given the number and the types of flows supported by a communication group , a combination of system parameters ( e . g ., “ aggregation level ”, “ bursting level ”, “ physical layer rate , and “ signal - to - noise ratio on the link ”) affect the resource utilization efficiency of the wireless resource each communication group has over the wireless medium . for a given communication group , such parameters are given values that result in the best efficiency , or a desired level of efficiency or performance ( e . g ., delay ). fig4 shows an example of using both aggregation and bursting at a transmission opportunity to improve efficiency . as shown in fig4 , at a transmission opportunity , a burst of two transmission packets ( i . e ., packets 401 and 402 ) and acknowledgement of packet 403 , separated from each other by a short interframe spacing ( sifs ). transmission packets 401 and 402 are each formed by aggregating three voice data packets . here the aggregation level on flow “ i ” is indicated by “ a ( i )”, and the bursting level by “ b ( i )” as in lkrp06 and rlkp07 . more generally , each packet in a burst transmission may use a different aggregation level . here , in the mathematical framework below and in the appendices , we use “ a ( i , j )” to refer to the aggregation level of the j - th packet in a burst of flow “ i ”, where “ j ” goes from 1 to b ( i ). all “ a ( i , j )” and “ b ( j )” values can also be statistical quantities . according to one embodiment of the present invention , when a new user enters the system , an access point is selected for the new user to associate and a route to the gap is assigned . in some instances , the route may be implicitly assigned upon admission due to the simple topologies . admission ( and associated parameter settings ) is correctly managed such that the resulting system parameter values achieve desirable performance ( e . g . maximized efficiency ). further , a method of the present invention not only takes into account admission and routes , but also defines ( implicitly or explicitly ) a traffic - shaping mechanism ( e . g ., aggregation and bursting level ) for transferring packets collected at one access point to the next access point . fig1 illustrates a method that takes admission , routing and traffic - shaping into consideration in the process of admitting a new user , in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention . at step 101 , as each new user ( or a group of users ) joins the network , the method first collects information regarding possible admission decisions and routes that are to be , or can be , considered for admitting the user into the system . at step 102 , the method collects the existing state of the network ( e . g ., the aggregation levels , the bursting levels , the snrs , and the number and types of users in each communication group ). the admission control algorithm includes primarily the following steps : ( i ) decompose or note the map of the multi - hop network into communication groups ; ( ii ) compute the load in each communication group for different possible route and traffic - shaping options ( steps 103 - 105 ); ( iii ) check the stability condition for each communication group for every possible scenario ( step 106 ); ( iv ) consider further load attributes if stability is achieved for more than one scenario ( step 107 ); ( iv ) admit or reject each user to the network , based on the best solution . in fig1 , the search for stable scenarios is conducted by theoretically computing the load vector ( vector consisting of load values for each communication group ) for each admission and routing scenario . according to one embodiment of the present invention , for each aggregation level , bursting level , transmission rate , and number of users or access points in a communication group , a channel occupancy time is computed for that communication group . each scenario takes into account the constraints of the multi - hop network . the constraints may include the numbers of access points , users , and current connections , and the sensing range of each user . setting of proper constraints generally limits the search space . in one embodiment where the users may have several access points in their sensing range and the network allows re - association of the users ( without violating the stability condition ), then scenarios where users who are already admitted into the network are re - associated to different access points may be investigated . for each possible admission option , the state of the system may change as result of a new user &# 39 ; s admission . in fact , multiple changes may result from each admission option , and multiple admission options exist . for example , the number of users and the types of users in each communication group may change , and a change in one communication group typically leads to a change in another communication group . such changes follow directly from the fact that the traffic for a new user is carried by the assigned route or routes to and from one of the gaps , the possible routes based on the admission options considered or selected . further , and of significance , a method of the present invention determines how each change in a communication group ( e . g ., whether directed centrally or as a result of self - adaptation ) changes traffic - shaping settings ( e . g ., aggregation , bursting levels and phy rate on its links ). traffic shaping has a strong influence on system performance , and admission decisions affect traffic - shaping . the method may have options to re - associate existing users ( i . e ., changing the aps with which the user are associated and their routes to the gap ) as part of the admission consideration and the change in system state . for each potential admission option being considered , and the associated joint route and traffic - shaping changes implicit in selecting that option , a new “ load ” may be computed for each communication group to provide a new network state . these potential “ load ” measurements can then be used for making admission control decisions and to select between routing options and traffic - shaping options , where many options exist for a given admission option . the computed “ load ” indicates a relative ( fractional ) or weighted channel occupancy time for each communication group . for the entire network , the “ system load ” for a given option may be expressed as a vector of load values , with each value in the vector corresponding to the load for a communication group . the new “ system load ” for a given admission , routing and traffic - shaping option may in fact contain load values that show instability in one or more of the communication groups ( i . e ., the communication groups cannot support the admission option ). for example , the load on one or more communication groups exceeds a pre - determined limit for acceptable operation ( e . g ., a load which exceeds the wireless medium &# 39 ; s ability to deliver an acceptable qos in delay or packet loss ). alternatively , a number of potential admission and routing options may allow all communication groups to operate acceptably . in that situation , the final admission and routing decision among these possibilities may be made based on other criteria , such as the least number of hops , the highest signal - to - noise ratio , minimization of the maximum load over all groups , and load balancing , given the current constraints of the network . as discussed above , loads are calculated for each communication group . in calculating such loads it is useful to note that there are different types of load components . some components are incurred per packet transmission , such as 802 . 11 phy and mac headers , while others are incurred per transmission opportunity , such as contention overheads . still other load components are invariant to how many packets are transmitted , or how many transmission opportunities are used , such as the actual voice ( or media ) data being transmitted . the former two types of loads are intimately connected with traffic - shaping , since the loads can be amortized , using the techniques of aggregation and bursting , over multiple voice - packets . many main system state parameters may be used to calculate a system load value that can then be used in making admission , routing and traffic - shaping decisions . details of two such calculations can be found in lkrp06 and rlkp07 ( attached as appendices ), with lkrp06 providing a simple method , and rlkp07 providing a more detailed method . for example , each inbound or outbound flow “ i ” in a communication group , one can consider traffic - shaping variables ( a ) aggregation level a ( i ) or a ( i , j ), ( b ) bursting level b ( i ), and ( c ) physical layer data rate phy ( i ). many possible combinations of such parameters may be selected . a particular combination may refer to a particular admission and routing option . aggregation level a ( i ) refers to the number of packets ( e . g ., voice packets ) that are aggregated into a single 802 . 11 - packet in flow i . bursting level b ( i ) refers to the number of 802 . 11 - packets that are transmitted per transmission opportunity in flow i . if different aggregation levels are used for different packets in a burst one can use the notation “ a ( i , j )” as described above to refer to the aggregation level of the “ j - th ” packet in a burst . phy ( i ) refers to physical layer data rate that is used to transmit the i - th flow . under the 802 . 11 standard , phy ( i ) takes values of 1 , 2 , 11 , . . . , 54 mega - bits - sec ( mbs ). to illustrate the use of both aggregation and bursting , fig4 shows a flow in which a ( i ) and b ( i ) have values 3 and 2 respectively ( here a ( i , 1 )= a ( i , 2 )= 3 ). fig4 also assumes the aggregation includes exactly one voice packet from each user in the communication group . in practice , a ( i ) is more realistically the effective aggregation level ( i . e ., some 802 . 11 - packets may contain two or more voice data packets from a single user ; but each user provides on the average one voice packet per 802 . 11 - packet ). in this detailed discussion , aggregate level a ( i ) and bursting level b ( i ) are assumed the same at every transmission opportunity . although other values of aggregation level a ( i ) and bursting value b ( i ) are possible . b ( i ) need not be the same at every transmission opportunity . b ( i ) may be , for example , an average value over many bursts . each admission and routing decision includes an assumption regarding a level of data packet traffic that results on each link in each communication group per packetization interval . for example , for voip traffic , a 2 - way constant bit - rate ( or constant packet rate ) traffic may be assumed . if one voice packet is generated per call per direction within each frame - interval (“ voice - packet - interval ”), the number of voice packets transported within that communication group is given by 2 × the number of users using links in the communication group . it may also be 4 × the number of users using links in the communication group , at a rap , if inbound and outbound likes use the same group , i . e . where the voice packet appears in both inbound and outbound links in the same wireless interface using the same channel . of course , the assumption single voice packet per voice - packet - interval per direction is invalid for a variable bit - rate service , or where a single user may use multiple routes . compensation for the incorrect assumption can be provided in the calculation as needed and described in rlkp07 . in all cases , these models suggest that a load to be borne by the communication group may be associated with each admission and routing decision based on the number of packets ( per packetization interval ) supported by flows in the communication group . this number defines the possible aggregation and bursting parameter options “ a ( i )” ( or “ a ( i , j )”) and “ b ( i )” that may be considered for flow “ i ” in the group . such parameters may also be implicit on the operation of the nodes in response to the new traffic it sees , as discussed above . an option may consider a joint selection of admission , routing and set of parameter choices for all flows in the communication group . a load for the group can then be calculated . in the following , the parameters a ( i ), b ( i ) and phy ( i ) are used to illustrate calculating a channel occupancy required to support that load . this calculation is done for all groups affected by the admission and routing possibility ( option ) being tested . lkrp06 and rlkp07 provide in greater detail the calculation described below . to do the calculation other application - or scenario - specific parameters may be used . these parameters may include : ( i ) the number of bits v ( i ) per voice packet ; ( ii ) packet error rate p ( i ); and ( iii ) a statistical description of the probability of successful transmissions p ( i , j , m ). v ( i ) refers to the number of bits per voice packet within the i - th flow . as with a ( i ) and b ( i ), v ( i ) may be provided the same fixed value for each user to simplify calculation of the load , although the analysis can be extended to cases where different users generates different bits per voice packet . v ( i ) may be used to model not only speech data generated by the speech or audio encoder , but also other overhead quantities such as ( a ) internet protocol ( ip ) header overheads ; ( b ) real time transport ( rtp ) overheads ; user datagram protocol ( udp ) header overheads , and ( d ) any other overhead ( on average or amortized over users ) within the payload of each 802 . 11 packet . packet error rate p ( i ) refers the packet error rate of each transmitted 802 . 11 packet in the i - th flow , which is a function of v ( i ), phy ( i ), and a ( i ). see , e . g ., the “ lkrp06 ” and “ rlkp07 ” article mentioned above . to transmit a burst of packets may take multiple transmission attempts because of collisions and errors on the wireless medium , which may be accounted for in the calculation . transmission probability p ( i , j , m ) refers to the probability that it takes “ m ” transmit opportunities to transfer the “ j ” packet in a burst for flow i . in one embodiment of the present invention , the load ( i . e ., “ channel occupancy time ”) for each packetization interval consists of three additive parameters : ( a ) successful transmission time t s ; ( b ) unsuccessful transmission time t f ; and ( c ) the time when nodes are not transmitting but are in contention for the wireless medium , known as the back - off time t b . successful transmission time t s refers to the time spent successfully transmitting packets . unsuccessful transmission time t f refers to the time wasted due to transmission failures . back - off time t b refers to the time spent in back - off mode by each mac in the communication group . successful transmission time t s includes 3 components : ( a ) the time spent transmitting voice ( or another application payload ) bits on each link , ( b ) the time spent transmitting an acknowledgement ( ack ) packet , and ( c ) additional overhead , such as interframe ( if ) spacing . the time spent transmitting an application payload ( e . g ., voice ) is a parameter invariant to the number of successful voice - packets or successful transmission opportunities used to transmit the data . assuming v ( i ), a ( i ), and b ( i ) are fixed and the same for each user on link i , v ( i )× a ( i )× b ( i ) bits are transmitted during each packet - interval ( e . g ., one voice - packet per user ) over the link . the time required to transmit these bits , assuming the same physical layer data rate phy ( i ) for each user , is simply v ( i )× a ( i )× b ( i )/ phy ( i ) in microseconds , if phy ( i ) is expressed in mega - bits / second . the time spent transmitting an ack packet acknowledging is spent following successful transmissions . in theory , one or more ack packets may be sent per transmission opportunity to cover all packets burst transmitted during that transmission opportunity . for example , if there are no hidden terminals ( i . e . all nodes in a group can sense transmissions from all other nodes ) and if there are no other channel impairments resulting in bit or symbol losses , it is shown in lkrp06 and rlkp07 that if the first packet in a burst transmission is successful , then all other packets in the burst are successful . therefore , for a set of b ( i ) burst packets on ack would be used to acknowledge the burst . assuming that the b ( i ) burst of 802 . 11 - packets are all part of the same transmission opportunity , one ack packet is provided for transmission of v ( i )× a ( i )× b ( i ) bits . traffic - shaping via both aggregation ( a ( i )) and burst processing b ( i ) amortizes the overhead over multiple voice packets . alternatively , one ack packet may be sent for each 802 . 11 - packet transmitted in a burst . there are two cases in which this can happen . the first case is when the system chooses to do so ( this practice may not conform to the 802 . 11 standard ). the second case is when there are channel impairments such as hidden terminals or bit or symbol losses due to noise on the wireless channel . in the second case individual packets in a burst can be lost , terminating the burst transmission and resulting in retransmissions of the lost packets as described in rlkp07 . this is where the parameter “ p ( i , j , m )” helps to describe the average number of ack packets that are transmitted . for greater detail , see , the rlkp07 article . also see the 802 . 11e / d13 . 0 standard 1 , and the 802 . 11a standard 2 for greater details on the ack mechanism . note , in all cases the aggregation mechanism helps to amortize ack overheads from multiple speech packets by creating a single ack for an aggregated transmission . bursting can further amortize acks over multiple aggregated packets , depending on the ack mechanism and channel impairments . 1 ieee p802 . 11e / d13 . 0 , part ii wireless lan medium access control ( mac ) and physical layer ( phy ) specifications : amendment medium access control ( mac ) quality of service ( qos ) enhancements , ieee , january 2005 2 ieee computer society , “ part 11 : wireless lan medium access control ( mac ) and physical layer ( phy ) specifications : higher - speed physical layer ( phy ) extension in the 5 ghz band },” ieee std . 802 . 11a - 1999 r2003 . additional overheads , such as inter - frame spacings ( ifs ) ( e . g . short ifs ( sifs ), the preamble ( plcp ), phy header , and mac header , are seen per 802 . 11 — transmitted packet , while others such as some of the distributed ifs ( difs )) spacing occur once per transmission opportunity . as with acks , these overheads are amortized over many voice packets by the process of aggregation and bursting leading to increased efficiency by these processes . the exact values of these times are defined in the standard . see , e . g ., the articles lkrp06 and rlkp07 , the 802 . 11e / d13 . 0 standard , and the 802 . 11a standard . time wasted due to transmission failures ( i . e ., time t f ) can result from collisions in the transmission medium , or errors in transmitted information due to channel impairments . failures can happen at each transmission opportunity and for each packet transferred within a burst of transmission . depending on the channel impairments , aggregation level a ( i ) can affect the packet loss rate . t f depends on the number ( or expected number ) of transmission failures per transmitted burst ( i . e ., on transmission probability p ( i , j , m )). see , e . g ., the articles lkrp06 and rlkp07 for a description of how to calculate time t f , and the 802 . 11e / d13 . 0 standard and the 802 . 11a standard , for the overheads relevant to each failure . in calculating time t f per transmission attempt , the main time not included is time for ack packets that are missing from 802 . 11 - packets , or which are not correctly received . since transmissions lost due to collisions and failures are often a statistical process , time t f is often given as an expected value , and not an deterministic value as in time t s . see , for example , the lkpr06 and rlkp07 articles . other ways for calculating a value representative of time t f includes the distribution of the t f value , or the probability that time t f exceeds a predetermined time value . time t b spent in back - off mode by each mac in the communication group represents the time wasted while the channel is idle , or when mac mechanisms in the system are in a random back - off state , contending for access to the channel . time t b is a central part of the distributed coordination function ( dcf ) mode under the 802 . 11 standard , which is based on a carrier sense multiple access ( csma ) scheme . see , e . g ., the descriptions in the 802 . 11e / d13 . 0 standard and the 802 . 11a standard . the total system load is then estimated by taking into account all links and users , and adding all the individual contributions to the values t s , t f and t b . once the totals are known over all traffic within the communication group , the load for the communication group is given by the sum : this time - based load may be converted to a relative value . for example , in an voip application , when the voice - packet interval is d s , and the load is the time spent transmitting all voice packets generated by users , or transmitted in flows during that interval , a “ relative load ” may be used , given by : for stability , the relative load for all communication groups may be either strictly less than , or at times sufficiently less than or equal , to 1 . the time load and the relative load values given above for each communication group form a vector of load values for a admission option . if stability is achieved with more than one option , the relative load of each communication group for each option can be used to compare options . for example , the maximum load or the average load estimated across communication groups for each option can be used to compare options . comparison of options can be refined using other metrics , such as the number of hops of each flow or delays . the above detailed description is provided to illustrate specific embodiments of the present invention and is not intended to be limiting . numerous modifications and variations within the scope of the present invention are possible . the present invention is set forth in the accompanying claims .
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agents of the present invention include nucleic acid molecules and more specifically est nucleic acid molecules or nucleic acid fragment molecules thereof . fragment est nucleic acid molecules may encode significant portion ( s ) of , or indeed most of , the est nucleic acid molecule . alternatively , the fragments may comprise smaller oligonucleotides ( having from about 15 to about 250 nucleotide residues , and more preferably , about 15 to about 30 nucleotide residues ). a subset of the nucleic acid molecules of the present invention includes nucleic acid molecules that are marker molecules . another subset of the nucleic acid molecules of the present invention include nucleic acid molecules that encode a protein or fragment thereof . another subset of the nucleic acid molecules of the present invention are est molecules . the term “ substantially purified ”, as used herein , refers to a molecule separated from substantially all other molecules normally associated with it in its native state . more preferably a substantially purified molecule is the predominant species present in a preparation . a substantially purified molecule may be greater than 60 % free , preferably 75 % free , more preferably 90 % free , and most preferably 95 % free from the other molecules ( exclusive of solvent ) present in the natural mixture . the term “ substantially purified ” is not intended to encompass molecules present in their native state . the agents of the present invention will preferably be “ biologically active ” with respect to either a structural attribute , such as the capacity of a nucleic acid to hybridize to another nucleic acid molecule , or the ability of a protein to be bound by antibody ( or to compete with another molecule for such binding ). alternatively , such an attribute may be catalytic , and thus involve the capacity of the agent to mediate a chemical reaction or response . the agents of the present invention may also be recombinant . as used herein , the term recombinant means any agent ( e . g . dna , peptide etc . ), that is , or results , however indirect , from human manipulation of a nucleic acid molecule . it is understood that the agents of the present invention may be labeled with reagents that facilitate detection of the agent ( e . g . fluorescent labels ( prober , et al ., science 238 : 336 - 340 ( 1987 ); albarella et al ., ep 144914 , chemical labels ( sheldon et al ., u . s . pat . no . 4 , 582 , 789 ; albarella et al ., u . s . pat . no . 4 , 563 , 417 , modified bases ( miyoshi et al ., ep 119448 , all of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety ). it is further understood , that the present invention provides bacterial , viral , microbial , and plant cells comprising the agents of the present invention . nucleic acid molecules or fragment thereof of the present invention are capable of specifically hybridizing to other nucleic acid molecules under certain circumstances . as used herein , two nucleic acid molecules are said to be capable of specifically hybridizing to one another if the two molecules are capable of forming an anti - parallel , double - stranded nucleic acid structure . a nucleic acid molecule is said to be the “ complement ” of another nucleic acid molecule if they exhibit complete complementarity . as used herein , molecules are said to exhibit “ complete complementarity ” when every nucleotide of one of the molecules is complementary to a nucleotide of the other . two molecules are said to be “ minimally complementary ” if they can hybridize to one another with sufficient stability to permit them to remain annealed to one another under at least conventional “ low - stringency ” conditions . similarly , the molecules are said to be “ complementary ” if they can hybridize to one another with sufficient stability to permit them to remain annealed to one another under conventional “ high - stringency ” conditions . conventional stringency conditions are described by sambrook , et al ., in : molecular cloning , a laboratory manual , 2nd edition , cold spring harbor press , cold spring harbor , n . y . ( 1989 ), and by haymes , et al . in : nucleic acid hybridization , a practical approach , irl press , washington , d . c . ( 1985 ), the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference . departures from complete complementarity are therefore permissible , as long as such departures do not completely preclude the capacity of the molecules to form a double - stranded structure . thus , in order for an nucleic acid molecule or fragment of the present invention to serve as a primer or probe it need only be sufficiently complementary in sequence to be able to form a stable double - stranded structure under the particular solvent and salt concentrations employed . appropriate stringency conditions which promote dna hybridization are , for example , 6 . 0 × sodium chloride / sodium citrate ( ssc ) at about 45 ° c ., followed by a wash of 2 . 0 × ssc at 50 ° c ., are known to those skilled in the art or can be found in current protocols in molecular biology , john wiley & amp ; sons , n . y . ( 1989 ), 6 . 3 . 1 .- 6 . 3 . 6 . for example , the salt concentration in the wash step can be selected from a low stringency of about 2 . 0 × ssc at 50 ° c . to a high stringency of about 0 . 2 × ssc at 50 ° c . in addition , the temperature in the wash step can be increased from low stringency conditions at room temperature , about 22 ° c ., to high stringency conditions at about 65 ° c . both temperature and salt may be varied , or either the temperature or the salt concentration may be held constant while the other variable is changed . in a preferred embodiment , a nucleic acid of the present invention will specifically hybridize to one or more of the nucleic acid molecules set forth in seq id no : 1 through seq id no : 27278 or complements thereof under moderately stringent conditions , for example , at about 2 . 0 × ssc and about 65 ° c . in a particularly preferred embodiment , a nucleic acid of the present invention will include those nucleic acid molecules that specifically hybridize to one or more of the nucleic acid molecules set forth in seq id no : 1 through seq id no : 27278 or complements thereof under high stringency conditions . in one aspect of the present invention , the nucleic acid molecules of the present invention have one or more of the nucleic acid sequences set forth in seq id no : 1 through seq id no : 27278 or complements thereof . in another aspect of the present invention , one or more of the nucleic acid molecules of the present invention share between 100 % and 90 % sequence identity with one or more of the nucleic acid sequences set forth in seq id no : 1 through seq id no : 27278 or complements thereof . in a further aspect of the present invention , one or more of the nucleic acid molecules of the present invention share between 100 % and 95 % sequence identity with one or more of the nucleic acid sequences set forth in seq id no : 1 through seq id no : 27278 or complements thereof . in a more preferred aspect of the present invention , one or more of the nucleic acid molecules of the present invention share between 100 % and 98 % sequence identity with one or more of the nucleic acid sequences set forth in seq id no : 1 through seq id no : 27278 or complements thereof . in an even more preferred aspect of the present invention , one or more of the nucleic acid molecules of the present invention share between 100 % and 99 % sequence identity with one or more of the sequences set forth in seq id no : 1 through seq id no : 27278 or complements thereof . in a further , even more preferred aspect of the present invention , one or more of the nucleic acid molecules of the present invention exhibit 100 % sequence identity with one or more nucleic acid molecules present within the cdna libraries soymon018 , and soymon028 ( monsanto company , st . louis , mo ., united states of america ). in a preferred embodiment of the present invention , a soybean protein or fragment thereof of the present invention is a homologue of another plant protein . in another preferred embodiment of the present invention , a soybean protein or fragment thereof of the present invention is a homologue of a fungal protein . in another preferred embodiment of the present invention , a soybean protein or fragment thereof of the present invention is a homologue of mammalian protein . in another preferred embodiment of the present invention , a soybean protein or fragment thereof of the present invention is a homologue of a bacterial protein . in another preferred embodiment of the present invention , a soybean protein or fragment thereof of the present invention is a homologue of a maize protein . in a preferred embodiment of the present invention , the nucleic molecule of the present invention encodes a soybean protein or fragment thereof where a soybean protein or fragment thereof exhibits a blast probability score of greater than 1e - 12 , preferably a blast probability score of between about 1e - 30 and about 1e - 12 , even more preferably a blast probability score of greater than 1e - 30 with its homologue . in another preferred embodiment of the present invention , the nucleic acid molecule encoding a soybean protein or fragment thereof exhibits a % identity with its homologue of between about 25 % and about 40 %, more preferably of between about 40 and about 70 %, even more preferably of between about 70 % and about 90 % and even more preferably between about 90 % and 99 %. in another preferred embodiment , of the present invention , a soybean protein or fragment thereof exhibits a % identity with its homologue of 100 %. in a preferred embodiment of the present invention , the nucleic molecule of the present invention encodes a soybean protein or fragment thereof where the soybean protein exhibits a blast score of greater than 120 , preferably a blast score of between about 1450 and about 120 , even more preferably a blast score of greater than 1450 with its homologue . nucleic acid molecules of the present invention also include non - soybean homologues . preferred non - homologues are selected from the group consisting of alfalfa , arabidopsis , barley , brassica , broccoli , cabbage , citrus , cotton , garlic , oat , oilseed rape , onion , canola , flax , an ornamental plant , maize , pea , peanut , pepper , potato , rice , rye , sorghum , strawberry , sugarcane , sugarbeet , tomato , wheat , poplar , pine , fir , eucalyptus , apple , lettuce , lentils , grape , banana , tea , turf grasses , sunflower , oil palm and phaseolus . the degeneracy of the genetic code , which allows different nucleic acid sequences to code for the same protein or peptide , is known in the literature . ( u . s . pat . no . 4 , 757 , 006 , the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference ). in an aspect of the present invention , one or more of the nucleic acid molecules of the present invention differ in nucleic acid sequence from those encoding a soybean protein or fragment thereof in seq id no : 1 through seq id no : 27278 due to the degeneracy in the genetic code in that they encode the same protein but differ in nucleic acid sequence . in another further aspect of the present invention , one or more of the nucleic acid molecules of the present invention differ in nucleic acid sequence from those encoding a soybean protein or fragment thereof in seq id no : 1 through seq id no : 27278 due to fact that the different nucleic acid sequences encode a protein having one or more conservative amino acid residues . it is understood that codons capable of coding for such conservative substitutions are known in the art . it is well known in the art that one or more amino acids in a native sequence can be substituted with another amino acid ( s ), the charge and polarity of which are similar to that of the native amino acid , i . e ., a conservative amino acid substitution , resulting in a silent change . conserved substitutes for an amino acid within the native polypeptide sequence can be selected from other members of the class to which the naturally occurring amino acid belongs . amino acids can be divided into the following four groups : ( 1 ) acidic amino acids , ( 2 ) basic amino acids , ( 3 ) neutral polar amino acids , and ( 4 ) neutral nonpolar amino acids . representative amino acids within these various groups include , but are not limited to , ( 1 ) acidic ( negatively charged ) amino acids such as aspartic acid and glutamic acid ; ( 2 ) basic ( positively charged ) amino acids such as arginine , histidine , and lysine ; ( 3 ) neutral polar amino acids such as glycine , serine , threonine , cysteine , cystine , tyrosine , asparagine , and glutamine ; and ( 4 ) neutral nonpolar ( hydrophobic ) amino acids such as alanine , leucine , isoleucine , valine , proline , phenylalanine , tryptophan , and methionine . conservative amino acid changes within the native polypeptides sequence can be made by substituting one amino acid within one of these groups with another amino acid within the same group . biologically functional equivalents of the proteins or fragments thereof of the present invention can have 10 or fewer conservative amino acid changes , more preferably seven or fewer conservative amino acid changes , and most preferably five or fewer conservative amino acid changes . the encoding nucleotide sequence will thus have corresponding base substitutions , permitting it to encode biologically functional equivalent forms of the proteins or fragments of the present invention . it is understood that certain amino acids may be substituted for other amino acids in a protein structure without appreciable loss of interactive binding capacity with structures such as , for example , antigent - binding regions of antibodies or binding sites on substrate molecules . because it is the interactive capacity and nature of a protein that defines that protein &# 39 ; s biological functional activity , certain amino acid sequence substitutions can be made in a protein sequence and , of course , its underlying dna coding sequence and , nevertheless , obtain a protein with like properties . it is thus contemplated by the inventors that various changes may be made in the peptide sequences of the proteins or fragments of the present invention , or corresponding dna sequences that encode said peptides , without appreciable loss of their biological utility or activity . it is understood that codons capable of coding for such amino acid changes are known in the art . in making such changes , the hydropathic index of amino acids may be considered . the importance of the hydropathic amino acid index in conferring interactive biological function on a protein is generally understood in the art ( kyte and doolittle , j . mol . biol . 157 , 105 - 132 ( 1982 ), herein incorporated by reference in its entirety ). it is accepted that the relative hydropathic character of the amino acid contributes to the secondary structure of the resultant protein , which in turn defines the interaction of the protein with other molecules , for example , enzymes , substrates , receptors , dna , antibodies , antigens , and the like . each amino acid has been assigned a hydropathic index on the basis of its hydrophobicity and charge characteristics ( kyte and doolittle , 1982 ); these are isoleucine (+ 4 . 5 ), valine (+ 4 . 2 ), leucine (+ 3 . 8 ), phenylalanine (+ 2 . 8 ), cysteine / cystine (+ 2 . 5 ), methionine (+ 1 . 9 ), alanine (+ 1 . 8 ), glycine (− 0 . 4 ), threonine (− 0 . 7 ), serine (− 0 . 8 ), tryptophan (− 0 . 9 ), tyrosine (− 1 . 3 ), proline (− 1 . 6 ), histidine (− 3 . 2 ), glutamate (− 3 . 5 ), glutamine (− 3 . 5 ), aspartate (− 3 . 5 ), asparagine (− 3 . 5 ), lysine (− 3 . 9 ), and arginine (− 4 . 5 ). in making such changes , the substitution of amino acids whose hydropathic indices are within ± 2 is preferred , those which are within ± 1 are particularly preferred , and those within ± 0 . 5 are even more particularly preferred . it is also understood in the art that the substitution of like amino acids can be made effectively on the basis of hydrophilicity . u . s . pat . no . 4 , 554 , 101 , incorporated herein by reference in its entirety , states that the greatest local average hydrophilicity of a protein , as govern by the hydrophilicity of its adjacent amino acids , correlates with a biological property of the protein . as detailed in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 554 , 101 , the following hydrophilicity values have been assigned to amino acid residues : arginine (+ 3 . 0 ), lysine (+ 3 . 0 ), aspartate (+ 3 . 0 ± 1 ), glutamate (+ 3 . 0 ± 1 ), serine (+ 0 . 3 ), asparagine (+ 0 . 2 ), glutamine (+ 0 . 2 ), glycine ( 0 ), threonine (− 0 . 4 ), proline (− 0 . 5 ± 1 ), alanine (− 0 . 5 ), histidine (− 0 . 5 ), cysteine (− 1 . 0 ), methionine (− 1 . 3 ), valine (− 1 . 5 ), leucine (− 1 . 8 ), isoleucine (− 1 . 8 ), tyrosine (− 2 . 3 ), phenylalanine (− 2 . 5 ), and tryptophan (− 3 . 4 ). in making such changes , the substitution of amino acids whose hydrophilicity values are within ± 2 is preferred , those which are within ± 1 are particularly preferred , and those within ± 0 . 5 are even more particularly preferred . in a further aspect of the present invention , one or more of the nucleic acid molecules of the present invention differ in nucleic acid sequence from those encoding a soybean protein or fragment thereof set forth in seq id no : 1 through seq id no : 27278 or fragment thereof due to the fact that one or more codons encoding an amino acid has been substituted for a codon that encodes a nonessential substitution of the amino acid originally encoded . one aspect of the present invention concerns markers that include nucleic acid molecules seq id no : 1 through seq id no : 27278 or complements thereof or fragments of either that can act as markers or other nucleic acid molecules of the present invention that can act as markers . genetic markers of the present invention include “ dominant ” or “ codominant ” markers “ codominant markers ” reveal the presence of two or more alleles ( two per diploid individual ) at a locus . “ dominant markers ” reveal the presence of only a single allele per locus . the presence of the dominant marker phenotype ( e . g ., a band of dna ) is an indication that one allele is present in either the homozygous or heterozygous condition . the absence of the dominant marker phenotype ( e . g . absence of a dna band ) is merely evidence that “ some other ” undefined allele is present . in the case of populations where individuals are predominantly homozygous and loci are predominately dimorphic , dominant and codominant markers can be equally valuable . as populations become more heterozygous and multi - allelic , codominant markers often become more informative of the genotype than dominant markers . marker molecules can be , for example , capable of detecting polymorphisms such as single nucleotide polymorphisms ( snps ). snps are single base changes in genomic dna sequence . they occur at greater frequency and are spaced with a greater uniformity throughout a genome than other reported forms of polymorphism . the greater frequency and uniformity of snps means that there is greater probability that such a polymorphism will be found near or in a genetic locus of interest than would be the case for other polymorphisms . snps are located in protein - coding regions and noncoding regions of a genome . some of these snps may result in defective or variant protein expression ( e . g ., as a results of mutations or defective splicing ). analysis ( genotyping ) of characterized snps can require only a plus / minus assay rather than a lengthy measurement , permitting easier automation . snps can be characterized using any of a variety of methods . such methods include the direct or indirect sequencing of the site , the use of restriction enzymes ( botstein et al ., am . j . hum . genet . 32 : 314 - 331 ( 1980 ), the entirety of which is herein incorporated reference ; konieczny and ausubel , plant j 4 : 403 - 410 ( 1993 ), the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference ), enzymatic and chemical mismatch assays ( myers et al ., nature 313 : 495 - 498 ( 1985 ), the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference ), allele - specific pcr ( newton et al ., nucl . acids res . 17 : 2503 - 2516 ( 1989 ), the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference ; wu et al ., proc . natl . acad . sci . ( u . s . a .) 86 : 2757 - 2760 ( 1989 ), the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference ), ligase chain reaction ( barany , proc . natl . acad . sci . ( u . s . a .) 88 : 189 - 193 ( 1991 ), the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference ), single - strand conformation polymorphism analysis ( labrune et al ., am . j . hum . genet . 48 : 1115 - 1120 ( 1991 ), the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference ), primer - directed nucleotide incorporation assays ( kuppuswami et al ., proc . natl . acad . sci . usa 88 : 1143 - 1147 ( 1991 ), the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference ), dideoxy fingerprinting ( sarkar et al ., genomics 13 : 441 - 443 ( 1992 ), the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference ), solid - phase elisa - based oligonucleotide ligation assays ( nikiforov et al ., nucl . acids res . 22 : 4167 - 4175 ( 1994 ), the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference ), oligonucleotide fluorescence - quenching assays ( livak et al ., pcr methods appl . 4 : 357 - 362 ( 1995 ), the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference ), 5 ′- nuclease allele - specific hybridization taqman assay ( livak et al ., nature genet . 9 : 341 - 342 ( 1995 ), the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference ), template - directed dye - terminator incorporation ( tdi ) assay ( chen and kwok , nucl . acids res . 25 : 347 - 353 ( 1997 ), the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference ), allele - specific molecular beacon assay ( tyagi et al ., nature biotech . 16 : 49 - 53 ( 1998 ), the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference ), pinpoint assay ( haff and smirnov , genome res . 7 : 378 - 388 ( 1997 ), the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference ) and dcaps analysis ( neff et al ., plant j 14 : 387 - 392 ( 1998 ), the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference ). additional markers , such as aflp markers , rflp markers and rapd markers , can be utilized ( walton , seed world 22 - 29 ( july , 1993 ), the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference ; burow and blake , molecular dissection of complex traits , 13 - 29 , paterson ( ed . ), crc press , new york ( 1988 ), the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference ). dna markers can be developed from nucleic acid molecules using restriction endonucleases , the pcr and / or dna sequence information . rflp markers result from single base changes or insertions / deletions . these codominant markers are highly abundant in plant genomes , have a medium level of polymorphism and are developed by a combination of restriction endonuclease digestion and southern blotting hybridization . caps are similarly developed from restriction nlclease digestion but only of specific pcr products . these markers are also codominant , have a medium level of polymorphism and are highly abundant in the genome . the caps result from single base changes and insertions / deletions . another marker type , rapds , are developed from dna amplification with random primers and result from single base changes and insertions / deletions in plant genomes . they are dominant markers with a medium level of polymorphisms and are highly abundant . aflp markers require using the pcr on a subset of restriction fragments from extended adapter primers . these markers are both dominant and codominant are highly abundant in genomes and exhibit a medium level of polymorphism . ssrs require dna sequence information . these codominant markers result from repeat length changes , are highly polymorphic and do not exhibit as high a degree of abundance in the genome as caps , aflps and rapds , snps also require dna sequence information . these codominant markers result from single base substitutions . they are highly abundant and exhibit a medium of polymorphism ( rafalski et al ., in : nonmammalian genomic analysis , birren and lai ( ed . ), academic press , san diego , calif ., pp . 75 - 134 ( 1996 ), the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference ). it is understood that a nucleic acid molecule of the present invention may be used as a marker . a pcr probe is a nucleic acid molecule capable of initiating a polymerase activity while in a double - stranded structure with another nucleic acid . various methods for determining the structure of pcr probes and pcr techniques exist in the art . computer generated searches using programs such as primer3 ( available on the worldwide web at genome . wi . mit . edu / cgi - bin / primer / primer3 . cgi ), stspipeline ( available on the worldwide web at genome . wi . mit . edu / cgi - bin / www - sts_pipeline ), or geneup ( pesole et al ., biotechniques 25 : 112 - 123 ( 1998 ) the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference ), for example , can be used to identify potential pcr primers . it is understood that a fragment of one or more of the nucleic acid molecules of the present invention may be a probe and specifically a pcr probe . a class of agents comprises one or more of the protein or peptide molecules encoded by seq id no : 1 through seq id no : 27278 or one or more of the protein or fragment thereof or peptide molecules encoded by other nucleic acid agents of the present invention . as used herein , the term “ protein molecule ” or “ peptide molecule ” includes any molecule that comprises five or more amino acids . it is well know in the art that proteins may undergo modification , including post - translational modifications , such as , but not limited to , disulfide bond formation , glycosylation , phosphorylation , or oligomerization . thus , as used herein , the term “ protein molecule ” or “ peptide molecule ” includes any protein molecule that is modified by any biological or non - biological process . the terms “ amino acid ” and “ amino acids ” refer to all naturally occurring l - amino acids . this definition is meant to include norleucine , ornithine , homocysteine , and homoserine . one or more of the protein or fragment of peptide molecules may be produced via chemical synthesis , or more preferably , by expression in a suitable bacterial or eukaryotic host . suitable methods for expression are described by sambrook , et al ., ( in : molecular cloning , a laboratory manual , 2nd edition , cold spring harbor press , cold spring harbor , n . y . ( 1989 )), or similar texts . a “ protein fragment ” is a peptide or polypeptide molecule whose amino acid sequence comprises a subset of the amino acid sequence of that protein . a protein or fragment thereof that comprises one or more additional peptide regions not derived from that protein is a “ fusion ” protein . such molecules may be derivatized to contain carbohydrate or other moieties ( such as keyhole limpet hemocyanin , etc .). fusion protein or peptide molecule of the present invention are preferably produced via recombinant means . another class of agents comprise protein or peptide molecules encoded by seq id no : 1 through seq id no : 27278 or complements thereof or , fragments or fusions thereof in which non - essential , or not relevant , amino acid residues have been added , replaced , or deleted . an example of such a homologue is the homologue protein of all non - soybean plant species , including but not limited to alfalfa , arabidopsis , barley , brassica , broccoli , cabbage , citrus , cotton , garlic , oat , oilseed rape , onion , canola , flax , maize , an ornamental plant , pea , peanut , pepper , potato , rice , rye , sorghum , strawberry , sugarcane , sugarbeet , tomato , wheat , poplar , pine , fir , eukalyptus , apple , lettuce , peas , lentils , grape , banana , tea , turf grasses , etc . particularly preferred non - soybean plants to utilize for the isolation of homologues would include alfalfa , arabidopsis , barley , cotton , corn , oat , oilseed rape , rice , corn , canola , ornamentals , sugarcane , sugarbeet , tomato , potato , wheat , and turf grasses . such a homologue can be obtained by any of a variety of methods . most preferably , as indicated above , one or more of the disclosed sequences ( seq id no : 1 through seq id no : 27278 or complements thereof ) will be used to define a pair of primers that may be used to isolate the homologue - encoding nucleic acid molecules from any desired species . such molecules can be expressed to yield homologues by recombinant means . one aspect of the present invention concerns antibodies , single - chain antigen binding molecules , or other proteins that specifically bind to one or more of the protein or peptide molecules of the present invention and their homologues , fusions or fragments . such antibodies may be used to quantitatively or qualitatively detect the protein or peptide molecules of the present invention . as used herein , an antibody or peptide is said to “ specifically bind ” to a protein or peptide molecule of the present invention if such binding is not competitively inhibited by the presence of non - related molecules . nucleic acid molecules that encode all or part of the protein of the present invention can be expressed , via recombinant means , to yield protein or peptides that can in turn be used to elicit antibodies that are capable of binding the expressed protein or peptide . such antibodies may be used in immunoassays for that protein . such protein - encoding molecules , or their fragments may be a “ fusion ” molecule ( i . e ., a part of a larger nucleic acid molecule ) such that , upon expression , a fusion protein is produced . it is understood that any of the nucleic acid molecules of the present invention may be expressed , via recombinant means , to yield proteins or peptides encoded by these nucleic acid molecules . the antibodies that specifically bind proteins and protein fragments of the present invention may be polyclonal or monoclonal , and may comprise intact immunoglobulins , or antigen binding portions of immunoglobulins ( such as ( f ( ab ′), f ( ab ′) 2 ) fragments , or single - chain immunoglobulins producible , for example , via recombinant means ). it is understood that practitioners are familiar with the standard resource materials which describe specific conditions and procedures for the construction , manipulation and isolation of antibodies ( see , for example , harlow and lane , in antibodies : a laboratory manual , cold spring harbor press , cold spring harbor , n . y . ( 1988 ), the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference ). murine monoclonal antibodies are particularly preferred . balb / c mice are preferred for this purpose , however , equivalent strains may also be used . the animals are preferably immunized with approximately 25 μg of purified protein ( or fragment thereof ) that has been emulsified a suitable adjuvant ( such as titermax adjuvant ( vaxcel , norcross , ga .)). immunization is preferably conducted at two intramuscular sites , one intraperitoneal site , and one subcutaneous site at the base of the tail . an additional i . v . injection of approximately 25 μg of antigen is preferably given in normal saline three weeks later . after approximately 11 days following the second injection , the mice may be bled and the blood screened for the presence of anti - protein or peptide antibodies . preferably , a direct binding enzyme - linked immunoassay ( elisa ) is employed for this purpose . more preferably , the mouse having the highest antibody titer is given a third i . v . injection of approximately 25 μg of the same protein or fragment . the splenic leukocytes from this animal may be recovered 3 days later , and are then permitted to fuse , most preferably , using polyethylene glycol , with cells of a suitable myeloma cell line ( such as , for example , the p3x63ag8 . 653 myeloma cell line ). hybridoma cells are selected by culturing the cells under “ hat ” ( hypoxanthine - aminopterin - thymine ) selection for about one week . the resulting clones may then be screened for their capacity to produce monoclonal antibodies (“ mabs ), preferably by direct elisa . in one embodiment , anti - protein or peptide monoclonal antibodies are isolated using a fusion of a protein , protein fragment , or peptide of the present invention , or conjugate of a protein , protein fragment , or peptide of the present invention , as immunogens . thus , for example , a group of mice can be immunized using a fusion protein emulsified in freund &# 39 ; s complete adjuvant ( e . g . approximately 50 μg of antigen per immunization ). at three week intervals , an identical amount of antigen is emulsified in freund &# 39 ; s incomplete adjuvant and used to immunize the animals . ten days following the third immunization , serum samples are taken and evaluated for the presence of antibody . if antibody titers are too low , a fourth booster can be employed . polysera capable of binding the protein or peptide can also be obtained using this method . in a preferred procedure for obtaining monoclonal antibodies , the spleens of the above - described immunized mice are removed , disrupted , and immune splenocytes are isolated over a ficoll gradient . the isolated splenocytes are fused , using polyethylene glycol with balb / c - derived hgprt ( hypoxanthine guanine phosphoribosyl transferase ) deficient p3 × 63xag8 . 653 plasmacytoma cells . the fused cells are plated into 96 - well microtiter plates and screened for hybridoma fusion cells by their capacity to grow in culture medium supplemented with hypothanthine , aminopterin and thymidine for approximately 2 - 3 weeks . hybridoma cells that arise from such incubation are preferably screened for their capacity to produce an immunoglobulin that binds to a protein of interest . an indirect elisa may be used for this purpose . in brief , the supernatants of hybridomas are incubated in microtiter wells that contain immobilized protein . after washing , the titer of bound immunoglobulin can be determined using , for example , a goat anti - mouse antibody conjugated to horseradish peroxidase . after additional washing , the amount of immobilized enzyme is determined ( for example through the use of a chromogenic substrate ). such screening is performed as quickly as possible after the identification of the hybridoma in order to ensure that a desired clone is not overgrown by non - secreting neighbors . desirably , the fusion plates are screened several times since the rates of hybridoma growth vary . in a preferred sub - embodiment , a different antigenic form of immunogen may be used to screen the hybridoma . thus , for example , the splenocytes may be immunized with one immunogen , but the resulting hybridomas can be screened using a different immunogen . it is understood that any of the protein or peptide molecules of the present invention may be used to raise antibodies . as discussed below , such antibody molecules or their fragments may be used for diagnostic purposes . where the antibodies are intended for diagnostic purposes , it may be desirable to derivatize them , for example with a ligand group ( such as biotin ) or a detectable marker group ( such as a fluorescent group , a radioisotope or an enzyme ). the ability to produce antibodies that bind the protein or peptide molecules of the present invention permits the identification of mimetic compounds of those molecules . a “ mimetic compound ” is a compound that is not that compound , or a fragment of that compound , but which nonetheless exhibits an ability to specifically bind to antibodies directed against that compound . it is understood that any of the agents of the present invention can be substantially purified and / or be biologically active and / or recombinant . the nucleic acid molecules and fragments thereof of the present invention from library soymon018 are from soybean leaf tissue . leaves are the carbohydrate factories of crop plants , therefore , the nucleic acid molecules of the present invention will find great use in the isolation of a variety of agronomically significant genes , including but not limited to genes that are necessary for the interception and transformation of light energy via photosynthesis linked with plant growth , quality and yield . genes isolated using the disclosed nucleic acid molecules would also be in pathways including but not limited to a pathway such as nitrogen metabolism linked to fruiting and mobilization and distribution of nitrogen . the nucleic acid molecules and fragments thereof from library soymon028 are from drought stressed soybean root tissue at the r3 and r5 developmental stage . roots play a role in major vegetative organs which supply water , minerals , and substances essential for plant growth and development , therefore , the ests of the present invention will find great use in the isolation of a variety of agronomically significant genes , including but not limited to genes that result from drought stress , genes for absorption , anchorage , storage , transport , propagation , and nitrogen fixation . such genes are associated with plant growth , quality , and yield and could also serve as links in important plant developmental , metabolic and catabolic pathways . the nucleic acid molecules and fragments thereof of the present invention from libraries soymon018 , and soymon028 , are from soybean genotype a3244 . this genotype has disease resistance to brown stem rot ( phialophora gregata ) and phytophthora root rot ( phytophthora sojae ). libraries from this genotype are likely to find use in the isolation of genes involved in disease resistance against a number of agronomically important fungal pathogens . nucleic acid molecules and fragments thereof of the present invention may be employed to obtain other nucleic acid molecules . such molecules include the nucleic acid molecules of other plants or other organisms ( e . g ., alfalfa , rice , potato , cotton , oat , rye , barley , maize , wheat , arabidopsis , brassica , etc .) including the nucleic acid molecules that encode , in whole or in part , protein homologues of other plant species or other organisms , and sequences of genetic elements such as promoters and transcriptional regulatory elements . such molecules can be readily obtained by using the above - described nucleic acid molecules or fragments thereof to screen cdna or genomic libraries obtained from such plant species . methods for forming such libraries are well known in the art . such homologue molecules may differ in their nucleotide sequences from those found in one or more of seq id no : 1 through seq id no : 27278 or complements thereof because complete complementarity is not needed for stable hybridization . the nucleic acid molecules of the present invention therefore also include molecules that , although capable of specifically hybridizing with the nucleic acid molecules may lack “ complete complementarity .” any of a variety of methods may be used to obtain one or more of the above - described nucleic acid molecules ( zamechik et al ., proc . natl . acad . sci . ( u . s . a ) 83 : 4143 - 4146 ( 1986 ), the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference ; goodchild et al ., proc . natl . acad . sci . ( u . s . a .) 85 : 5507 - 5511 ( 1988 ), the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference ; wickstrom et al ., proc . natl . acad . sci . ( u . s . a .) 85 : 1028 - 1032 ( 1988 ), the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference ; holt , et al ., molec . cell . biol . 8 : 963 - 973 ( 1988 ), the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference ; gerwirtz , et al ., science 242 : 1303 - 1306 ( 1988 ), the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference ; anfossi , et al ., proc . natl . acad . sci . ( u . s . a .) 86 : 3379 - 3383 ( 1989 ), the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference ; becker , et al ., embo j . 8 : 3685 - 3691 ( 1989 ); the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference ). automated nucleic acid synthesizers may be employed for this purpose . in lieu of such synthesis , the disclosed nucleic acid molecules may be used to define a pair of primers that can be used with the polymerase chain reaction ( mullis , et al ., cold spring harbor symp . quant . biol . 51 : 263 - 273 ( 1986 ); erlich et al ., ep 50 , 424 ; ep 84 , 796 , ep 258 , 017 , ep 237 , 362 ; mullis , ep 201 , 184 ; mullis et al ., u . s . pat . no . 4 , 683 , 202 ; erlich , u . s . pat . no . 4 , 582 , 788 ; and saiki , r . et al ., u . s . pat . no . 4 , 683 , 194 , all of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety ) to amplify and obtain any desired nucleic acid molecule or fragment . promoter sequence ( s ) and other genetic elements including but not limited to transcriptional regulatory elements associated with one or more of the disclosed nucleic acid sequences can also be obtained using the disclosed nucleic acid sequences provided herein . in one embodiment , such sequences are obtained by incubating est nucleic acid molecules or preferably fragments thereof with members of genomic libraries ( e . g . maize and soybean ) and recovering clones that hybridize to the est nucleic acid molecule or fragment thereof . in a second embodiment , methods of “ chromosome walking ,” or inverse pcr may be used to obtain such sequences ( frohman , et al ., proc . natl . acad . sci . ( u . s . a .) 85 : 8998 - 9002 ( 1988 ); ohara , et al ., proc . natl . acad . sci . ( u . s . a .) 86 : 5673 - 5677 ( 1989 ); pang et al ., biotechniques , 22 ( 6 ); 1046 - 1048 ( 1977 ); huang et al ., methods mol . biol . 69 : 89 - 96 ( 1977 ); hartl et al ., methods mol . biol . 58 : 293 - 301 ( 1996 ), all of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety ). in one embodiment , the disclosed nucleic acid molecules are used to identify cdnas whose analogous genes contain promoters with desirable expression patterns . the nucleic acid molecules isolated from the library of the present invention are used to isolate promoters of tissue - enhanced , tissue - specific , developmentally - or environmentally - regulated expression profiles . isolation and functional analysis of the 5 ′ flanking promoter sequences of these genes from genomic libraries , for example , using genomic screening methods and pcr techniques would result in the isolation of useful promoters and transcriptional regulatory elements . these methods are known to those of skill in the art and have been described ( see for example birren et al ., genome analysis : analyzing dna , 1 , ( 1997 ), cold spring harbor laboratory press , cold spring harbor , n . y ., the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference ). promoters obtained utilizing the nucleic acid molecules of the present invention could also be modified to affect their control characteristics . examples of such modifications would include but are not limited to enhancer sequences as reported by kay et al ., science 236 : 1299 ( 1987 ), herein incorporated by reference in its entirety . such genetic elements could be used to enhance gene expression of new and existing traits for crop improvements . the nucleic acid molecules of the present invention may be used to isolate promoters of tissue enhanced tissue specific , cell - specific , cell - type , developmentally or environmentally regulated expression profiles . isolation and functional analysis of the 5 ′ flanking promoter sequences of these genes from genomic libraries , for example , using genomic screening methods and pcr techniques would result in the isolation of useful promoters and transcriptional regulatory elements . these methods are known to those of skill in the art and have been described ( see , for example , birren et . al ., genome analysis : analyzing dna , 1 , cold spring harbor laboratory press , cold spring harbor , n . y . ( 1997 ), the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference ). promoters obtained utilizing the nucleic acid molecules of the present invention could also be modified to affect their control characteristics . examples of such modifications would include but are not limited to enhancer sequences as reported by kay , et al science 236 : 1299 ( 1987 ), herein incorporated reference in its entirety . such genetic elements could be used to enhance gene expression of new and existing traits for crop improvements . in an aspect of the present invention , one or more of the nucleic molecules of the present invention are used to determine whether a plant ( preferably soybean ) has a mutation affecting the level ( i . e ., the concentration of mrna in a sample , etc .) or pattern ( i . e ., the kinetics of expression , rate of decomposition , stability profile , etc .) of the expression encoded in part or whole by one or more of the nucleic acid molecules of the present invention ( collectively , the “ expression response ” of a cell or tissue ). as used herein , the expression response manifested by a cell or tissue is said to be “ altered ” if it differs from the expression response of cells or tissues of plants not exhibiting the phenotype . to determine whether a expression response is altered , the expression response manifested by the cell or tissue of the plant exhibiting the phenotype is compared with that of a similar cell or tissue sample of a plant not exhibiting the phenotype . as will be appreciated , it is not necessary to re - determine the expression response of the cell or tissue sample of plants not exhibiting the phenotype each time such a comparison is made ; rather , the expression response of a particular plant may be compared with previously obtained values of normal plants . as used herein , the phenotype of the organism is any of one or more characteristics of an organism ( e . g . disease resistance , pest tolerance , environmental tolerance , male sterility , yield , quality improvements , etc .). a change in genotype or phenotype may be transient or permanent . also as used herein , a tissue sample is any sample that comprises more than one cell . in a preferred aspect , a tissue sample comprises cells that share a common characteristic ( e . g . derived from leaf , root , or pollen etc ). in one sub - aspect , such an analysis is conducted by determining the presence and / or identity of polymorphism ( s ) by one or more of the nucleic acid molecules of the present invention and more specifically , one or more of the est nucleic acid molecules or fragments thereof which are associated with phenotype , or a predisposition to phenotype . any of a variety of molecules can be used to identify such polymorphism ( s ). in one embodiment , one or more of the est nucleic acid molecules ( or a sub - fragment thereof ) may be employed as a marker nucleic acid molecule to identify such polymorphism ( s ). alternatively , such polymorphisms can be detected through the use of a marker nucleic acid molecule or a marker protein that is genetically linked to ( i . e ., a polynucleotide that co - segregates with ) such polymorphism ( s ). in an alternative embodiment , such polymorphisms can be detected through the use of a marker nucleic acid molecule that is physically linked to such polymorphism ( s ). for this purpose , marker nucleic acid molecules comprising a nucleotide sequence of a polynucleotide located within 1 mb of the polymorphism ( s ), and more preferably within 100 kb of the polymorphism ( s ), and most preferably within 10 kb of the polymorphism ( s ) can be employed . the genomes of animals and plants naturally undergo spontaneous mutation in the course of their continuing evolution ( gusella , ann . rev . biochem . 55 : 831 - 854 ( 1986 )). a “ polymorphism ” is a variation or difference in the sequence of the gene or its flanking regions that arises in some of the members of a species . the variant sequence and the “ original ” sequence co - exist in the species &# 39 ; population . in some instances , such co - existence is in stable or quasi - stable equilibrium . a polymorphism is thus said to be “ allelic ,” in that , due to the existence of the polymorphism , some members of a species may have the original sequence ( i . e ., the original “ allele ”) whereas other members may have the variant sequence ( i . e ., the variant “ allele ”). in the simplest case , only one variant sequence may exist , and the polymorphism is thus said to be di - allelic . in other cases , the species &# 39 ; population may contain multiple alleles , and the polymorphism is termed tri - allelic , etc . a single gene may have multiple different unrelated polymorphisms . for example , it may have a di - allelic polymorphism at one site , and a multi - allelic polymorphism at another site . the variation that defines the polymorphism may range from a single nucleotide variation to the insertion or deletion of extended regions within a gene . in some cases , the dna sequence variations are in regions of the genome that are characterized by short tandem repeats ( strs ) that include tandem di - or tri - nucleotide repeated motifs of nucleotides . polymorphisms characterized by such tandem repeats are referred to as “ variable number tandem repeat ” (“ vntr ”) polymorphisms . vntrs have been used in identity analysis ( weber , u . s . pat . no . 5 , 075 , 217 ; armour , et al ., febs lett . 307 : 113 - 115 ( 1992 ); jones , et al ., eur . j . haematol . 39 : 144 - 147 ( 1987 ); horn , et al ., pct application wo91 / 14003 ; jeffreys , european patent application 370 , 719 ; jeffreys , u . s . pat . no . 5 , 699 , 082 ; jeffreys . et al ., amer . j . hum . genet . 39 : 11 - 24 ( 1986 ); jeffreys . et al ., nature 316 : 76 - 79 ( 1985 ); gray , et al ., proc . r . acad . soc . lond . 243 : 241 - 253 ( 1991 ); moore , et al ., genomics 10 : 654 - 660 ( 1991 ); jeffreys , et al ., anim . genet . 18 : 1 - 15 ( 1987 ); hillel , et al ., anim . genet . 20 : 145 - 155 ( 1989 ); hillel , et al ., genet . 124 : 783 - 789 ( 1990 ), all of which are herein incorporated by reference in their entirety ). the detection of polymorphic sites in a sample of dna may be facilitated through the use of nucleic acid amplification methods . such methods specifically increase the concentration of polynucleotides that span the polymorphic site , or include that site and sequences located either distal or proximal to it . such amplified molecules can be readily detected by gel electrophoresis or other means . the most preferred method of achieving such amplification employs the polymerase chain reaction (“ pcr ”) ( mullis , et al ., cold spring harbor symp . quant . biol . 51 : 263 - 273 ( 1986 ); erlich , et al ., european patent appln . 50 , 424 ; european patent appln . 84 , 796 , european patent application 258 , 017 , european patent appln . 237 , 362 ; mullis , european patent appln . 201 , 184 ; mullis , et al ., u . s . pat . no . 4 , 683 , 202 ; erlich ., u . s . pat . no . 4 , 582 , 788 ; and saiki , et al ., u . s . pat . no . 4 , 683 , 194 , all of which are herein incorporated by reference ), using primer pairs that are capable of hybridizing to the proximal sequences that define a polymorphism in its double - stranded form . in lieu of pcr , alternative methods , such as the “ ligase chain reaction ” (“ lcr ”) may be used ( barany , proc . natl . acad . sci . ( u . s . a .) 88 : 189 - 193 ( 1991 ), the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference ). lcr uses two pairs of oligonucleotide probes to exponentially amplify a specific target . the sequences of each pair of oligonucleotides is selected to permit the pair to hybridize to abutting sequences of the same strand of the target . such hybridization forms a substrate for a template - dependent ligase . as with pcr , the resulting products thus serve as a template in subsequent cycles and an exponential amplification of the desired sequence is obtained . lcr can be performed with oligonucleotides having the proximal and distal sequences of the same strand of a polymorphic site . in one embodiment , either oligonucleotide will be designed to include the actual polymorphic site of the polymorphism . in such an embodiment , the reaction conditions are selected such that the oligonucleotides can be ligated together only if the target molecule either contains or lacks the specific nucleotide that is complementary to the polymorphic site present on the oligonucleotide . alternatively , the oligonucleotides may be selected such that they do not include the polymorphic site ( see , segev , pct application wo 90 / 01069 , the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference ). the “ oligonucleotide ligation assay ” (“ ola ”) may alternatively be employed ( landegren , et al ., science 241 : 1077 - 1080 ( 1988 ), the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference ). the ola protocol uses two oligonucleotides which are designed to be capable of hybridizing to abutting sequences of a single strand of a target . ola , like lcr , is particularly suited for the detection of point mutations . unlike lcr , however , ola results in “ linear ” rather than exponential amplification of the target sequence . nickerson , et al . have described a nucleic acid detection assay that combines attributes of pcr and ola ( nickerson , et al ., proc . natl . acad . sci . ( u . s . a ) 87 : 8923 - 8927 ( 1990 ), the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference ). in this method , pcr is used to achieve the exponential amplification of target dna , which is then detected using ola . in addition to requiring multiple , and separate , processing steps , one problem associated with such combinations is that they inherit all of the problems associated with pcr and ola . schemes based on ligation of two ( or more ) oligonucleotides in the presence of nucleic acid having the sequence of the resulting “ di - oligonucleotide ”, thereby amplifying the di - oligonucleotide , are also known ( wu , et al ., genomics 4 : 560 ( 1989 ), the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference ), and may be readily adapted to the purposes of the present invention . other known nucleic acid amplification procedures , such as allele - specific oligomers , branched dna technology , transcription - based amplification systems , or isothermal amplification methods may also be used to amplify and analyze such polymorphisms ( malek , et al ., u . s . pat . no . 5 , 130 , 238 ; davey , et al ., european patent application 329 , 822 ; schuster et al ., u . s . pat . no . 5 , 169 , 766 ; miller , et al ., pct application wo 89 / 06700 ; kwoh , et al ., proc . natl . acad . sci . ( u . s . a .) 86 : 1173 - 1177 ( 1989 ); gingeras , et al ., pct application wo 88 / 10315 ; walker , et al ., proc . natl . acad sci . ( u . s . a .) 89 : 392 - 396 ( 1992 ), all of which are herein incorporated by reference in their entirety ). the identification of a polymorphism can be determined in a variety of ways . by correlating the presence or absence of it in a plant with the presence or absence of a phenotype , it is possible to predict the phenotype of that plant . if a polymorphism creates or destroys a restriction endonuclease cleavage site , or if it results in the loss or insertion of dna ( e . g ., a vntr polymorphism ), it will alter the size or profile of the dna fragments that are generated by digestion with that restriction endonuclease . as such , individuals that possess a variant sequence can be distinguished from those having the original sequence by restriction fragment analysis . polymorphisms that can be identified in this manner are termed “ restriction fragment length polymorphisms ” (“ rflps ”). rflps have been widely used in human and plant genetic analyses ( glassberg , uk patent application 2135774 ; skolnick , et al ., cytogen . cell genet . 32 : 58 - 67 ( 1982 ); botstein , et al ., ann . j . hum . genet . 32 : 314 - 331 ( 1980 ); fischer , et al . ( pct application wo90 / 13668 ); uhlen , pct application wo90 / 11369 ). polymorphisms can also be identified by single strand conformation polymorphism ( sscp ) analysis . the sscp technique is a method capable of identifying most sequence variations in a single strand of dna , typically between 150 and 250 nucleotides in length ( elles , methods in molecular medicine : molecular diagnosis of genetic diseases , humana press ( 1996 ), the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference ); orita et al ., genomics 5 : 874 - 879 ( 1989 ), the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference ). under denaturing conditions a single strand of dna will adopt a conformation that is uniquely dependent on its sequence conformation . this conformation usually will be different , even if only a single base is changed . most conformations have been reported to alter the physical configuration or size sufficiently to be detectable by electrophoresis . a number of protocols have been described for sscp including , but not limited to lee et al ., anal . biochem . 205 : 289 - 293 ( 1992 ), the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference ; suzuki et al ., anal . biochem . 192 : 82 - 84 ( 1991 ), the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference ; lo et al ., nucleic acids research 20 : 1005 - 1009 ( 1992 ), the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference ; sarkar et al ., genomics 13 : 441 - 443 ( 1992 ), the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference ). it is understood that one or more of the nucleic acids of the present invention , may be utilized as markers or probes to detect polymorphisms by sscp analysis . polymorphisms may also be found using a dna fingerprinting technique called amplified fragment length polymorphism ( aflp ), which is based on the selective pcr amplification of restriction fragments from a total digest of genomic dna to profile that dna . vos , et al ., nucleic acids res . 23 : 4407 - 4414 ( 1995 ), the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference . this method allows for the specific co - amplification of high numbers of restriction fragments , which can be visualized by pcr without knowledge of the nucleic acid sequence . aflp employs basically three steps . initially , a sample of genomic dna is cut with restriction enzymes and oligonucleotide adapters are ligated to the restriction fragments of the dna . the restriction fragments are then amplified using pcr by using the adapter and restriction sequence as target sites for primer annealing . the selective amplification is achieved by the use of primers that extend into the restriction fragments , amplifying only those fragments in which the primer extensions match the nucleotide flanking the restriction sites . these amplified fragments are then visualized on a denaturing polyacrylamide gel . aflp analysis has been performed on salix ( beismann , et al ., mol . ecol . 6 : 989 - 993 ( 1997 ), the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference ); acinetobacter ( janssen , et al ., int . j . syst . bacteriol 47 : 1179 - 1187 ( 1997 ), the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference ), aeromonas popoffi ( huys , et al ., int . j . syst . bacteriol . 47 : 1165 - 1171 ( 1997 ), the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference ), rice ( mccouch , et al ., plant mol . biol . 35 : 89 - 99 ( 1997 ), the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference ); nandi , et al ., mol . gen . genet . 255 : 1 - 8 ( 1997 ); cho , et al ., genome 39 : 373 - 378 ( 1996 ), herein incorporated by reference ), barley ( hordeum vulgare ) ( simons , et al ., genomics 44 : 61 - 70 ( 1997 ), the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference ; waugh , et al ., mol . gen . genet . 255 : 311 - 321 ( 1997 ), the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference ; qi , et al ., mol . gen . genet . 254 : 330 - 336 ( 1997 ), the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference ; becker , et al ., mol . gen . genet . 249 : 65 - 73 ( 1995 ), the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference ), potato ( van der voort , et al ., mol . gen . genet . 255 : 438 - 447 ( 1997 ), the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference ; meksem , et al ., mol . gen . genet . 249 : 74 - 81 ( 1995 ), the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference ), phytophthora infestans ( van der lee , et al ., fungal genet . biol . 21 : 278 - 291 ( 1997 ), the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference ), bacillus anthracis ( keim , et al ., j . bacteriol . 179 : 818 - 824 ( 1997 )), astragalus cremnophylax ( travis , et al ., mol . ecol . 5 : 735 - 745 ( 1996 ), the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference ), arabidopsis ( cnops , et al ., mol . gen . genet . 253 : 32 - 41 ( 1996 ), the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference ), escherichia coli ( lin , et al ., nucleic acids res . 24 : 3649 - 3650 ( 1996 ), the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference ), aeromonas ( huys , et al ., int . j . syst . bacteriol . 46 : 572 - 580 ( 1996 ), the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference ), nematode ( folkertsma , et al ., mol . plant . microbe interact . 9 : 47 - 54 ( 1996 ), the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference ), tomato ( thomas , et al ., plant j 8 : 785 - 794 ( 1995 ), the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference ), and human ( latorra , et al ., pcr methods appl . 3 : 351 - 358 ( 1994 )). aflp analysis has also been used for fingerprinting mrna ( money , et al ., nucleic acids res . 24 : 2616 - 2617 ( 1996 ), the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference ; bachem , et al ., plant j 9 : 745 - 753 ( 1996 ), the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference ). it is understood that one or more of the nucleic acids of the present invention , may be utilized as markers or probes to detect polymorphisms by aflp analysis for fingerprinting mrna . polymorphisms may also be found using random amplified polymorphic dna ( rapd ) ( williams et al ., nucl . acids res . 18 : 6531 - 6535 ( 1990 ), the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference ) and cleaveable amplified polymorphic sequences ( caps ) ( lyamichev et al ., science 260 : 778 - 783 ( 1993 ), the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference ). it is understood that one or more of the nucleic acids of the present invention , may be utilized as markers or probes to detect polymorphisms by rapd or caps analysis . polymorphisms are useful , through linkage analysis , to define the genetic distances or physical distances between polymorphic traits . a physical map or ordered array of genomic dna fragments in the desired region containing the gene may be used to characterize and isolate genes corresponding to desirable traits . for this purpose , yeast artificial chromosomes ( yacs ), bacterial artificial chromosomes ( bacs ), and cosmids are appropriate vectors for cloning large segments of dna molecules . although fewer clones are needed to make a contig for a specific genomic region by using yacs ( agyare et al ., genome res . 7 : 1 - 9 ( 1997 ), the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference ; james et al ., genomics 32 : 425 - 430 ( 1996 ), the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference ), chimerism in the inserted dna fragment can arise . cosmids are convenient for handling smaller - size dna molecules and may be used for transformation in developing transgenic plants . bacs also carry dna fragments and are less prone to chimerism . through genetic mapping , a fine scale linkage map can be developed using dna markers and , then , a genomic dna library of large - sized fragments can be screened with molecular markers linked to the desired trait . molecular markers are advantageous for agronomic traits that are otherwise difficult to tag , such as resistance to pathogens , insects and nematodes , tolerance to abiotic stress , quality parameters and quantitative traits such as high yield potential . the essential requirements for marker - assisted selection in a plant breeding program are : ( 1 ) the marker ( s ) should co - segregate or be closely linked with the desired trait ; ( 2 ) an efficient means of screening large populations for the molecular marker ( s ) should be available ; and ( 3 ) the screening technique should have high reproducibility across laboratories and preferably be economical to use and be user - friendly . the genetic linkage of marker molecules can be established by a gene mapping model such as , without limitation , the flanking marker model reported by lander and botstein , genetics 121 : 185 - 199 ( 1989 ) and the interval mapping , based on maximum likelihood methods described by lander and botstein , genetics 121 : 185 - 199 ( 1989 ) and implemented in the software package mapmaker / qtl ( lincoln and lander , mapping genes controlling quantitative . traits using mapmaker / qtl , whitehead institute for biomedical research , massachusetts , ( 1990 ). additional software includes qgene , version 2 . 23 ( 1996 ), department of plant breeding and biometry , 266 emerson hall , cornell university , ithaca , n . y ., the manual of which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety ). use of qgene software is a particularly preferred approach . a maximum likelihood estimate ( mle ) for the presence of a marker is calculated , together with an mle assuming no qtl effect , to avoid false positives . a log 10 of an odds ratio ( lod ) is then calculated as : lod = log 10 ( mle for the presence of a qtl / mle given no linked qtl ). the lod score essentially indicates how much more likely the data are to have arisen assuming the presence of a qtl than in its absence . the lod threshold value for avoiding a false positive with a given confidence , say 95 %, depends on the number of markers and the length of the genome . graphs indicating lod thresholds are set forth in lander and botstein , genetics 121 : 185 - 199 ( 1989 ) the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference and further described by arús and moreno - gonzález , plant breeding , hayward et al ., ( eds .) chapman & amp ; hall , london , pp . 314 - 331 ( 1993 ), the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference . additional models can be used . many modifications and alternative approaches to interval mapping have been reported , including the use of non - parametric methods ( kruglyak and lander , genetics 139 : 1421 - 1428 ( 1995 ), the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference ). multiple regression methods or models can be also be used , in which the trait is regressed on a large number of markers ( jansen , biometrics in plant breeding , van oijen and jansen ( eds . ), proceedings of the ninth meeting of the eucarpia section biometrics in plant breeding , the netherlands , pp . 116 - 124 ( 1994 ); weber and wricke , advances in plant breeding , blackwell , berlin , 16 ( 1994 ), both of which is herein incorporated by reference in their entirety ). procedures combining interval mapping with regression analysis , whereby the phenotype is regressed onto a single putative qtl at a given marker interval and at the same time onto a number of markers that serve as ‘ cofactors ,’ have been reported by jansen and stam , genetics 136 : 1447 - 1455 ( 1994 ), the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference and zeng , genetics 136 : 1457 - 1468 ( 1994 ) the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference . generally , the use of cofactors reduces the bias and sampling error of the estimated qtl positions ( utz and melchinger , biometrics in plant breeding , van oijen and jansen ( eds .) proceedings of the ninth meeting of the eucarpia section biometrics in plant breeding , the netherlands , pp . 195 - 204 ( 1994 ), the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference , thereby improving the precision and efficiency of qtl mapping ( zeng , genetics 136 : 1457 - 1468 ( 1994 )). these models can be extended to multi - environment experiments to analyze genotype - environment interactions ( jansen et al ., theo . appl . genet . 91 : 33 - 37 ( 1995 ), the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference ). selection of an appropriate mapping population is important to map construction . the choice of an appropriate mapping population depends on the type of marker systems employed ( tanksley et al ., molecular mapping plant chromosomes . chromosome structure and function : impact of new concepts , gustafson and appels ( eds . ), plenum press , new york , pp 157 - 173 ( 1988 ), the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference ). consideration must be given to the source of parents ( adapted vs . exotic ) used in the mapping population . chromosome pairing and recombination rates can be severely disturbed ( suppressed ) in wide crosses ( adapted × exotic ) and generally yield greatly reduced linkage distances . wide crosses will usually provide segregating populations with a relatively large array of polymorphisms when compared to progeny in a narrow cross ( adapted × adapted ). an f 2 population is the first generation of selfing after the hybrid seed is produced . usually a single f 1 plant is selfed to generate a population segregating for all the genes in mendelian ( 1 : 2 : 1 ) fashion . maximum genetic information is obtained from a completely classified f 2 population using a codominant marker system ( mather , measurement of linkage in heredity , methuen and co ., ( 1938 ), the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference ). in the case of dominant markers , progeny tests ( e . g . f 3 , bcf 2 ) are required to identify the heterozygotes , thus making it equivalent to a completely classified f 2 population . however , this procedure is often prohibitive because of the cost and time involved in progeny testing . progeny testing of f 2 individuals is often used in map construction where phenotypes do not consistently reflect genotype ( e . g . disease resistance ) or where trait expression is controlled by a qtl . segregation data from progeny test populations ( e . g . f 3 or bcf 2 ) can be used in map construction . marker - assisted selection can then be applied to cross progeny based on marker - trait map associations ( f 2 , f 3 ), where linkage groups have not been completely disassociated by recombination events ( i . e ., maximum disequilibrium ). recombinant inbred lines ( ril ) ( genetically related lines ; usually & gt ; f 5 , developed from continuously selfing f 2 lines towards homozygosity ) can be used as a mapping population . information obtained from dominant markers can be maximized by using ril because all loci are homozygous or nearly so . under conditions of tight linkage ( i . e ., about & lt ; 10 % recombination ), dominant and co - dominant markers evaluated in ril populations provide more information per individual than either marker type in backcross populations ( reiter et al ., proc . natl . acad . sci . ( u . s . a .) 89 : 1477 - 1481 ( 1992 ), the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference ). however , as the distance between markers becomes larger ( i . e ., loci become more independent ), the information in ril populations decreases dramatically when compared to codominant markers . backcross populations ( e . g ., generated from a cross between a successful variety ( recurrent parent ) and another variety ( donor parent ) carrying a trait not present in the former ) can be utilized as a mapping population . a series of backcrosses to the recurrent parent can be made to recover most of its desirable traits . thus a population is created consisting of individuals nearly like the recurrent parent but each individual carries varying amounts or mosaic of genomic regions from the donor parent . backcross populations can be useful for mapping dominant markers if all loci in the recurrent parent are homozygous and the donor and recurrent parent have contrasting polymorphic marker alleles ( reiter et al ., proc . natl . acad . sci . ( u . s . a .) 89 : 1477 - 1481 ( 1992 )). information obtained from backcross populations using either codominant or dominant markers is less than that obtained from f 2 populations because one , rather than two , recombinant gametes are sampled per plant . backcross populations , however , are more informative ( at low marker saturation ) when compared to rils as the distance between linked loci increases in ril populations ( i . e . about 15 % recombination ). increased recombination can be beneficial for resolution of tight linkages , but may be undesirable in the construction of maps with low marker saturation . near - isogenic lines ( nil ) created by many backcrosses to produce an array of individuals that are nearly identical in genetic composition except for the trait or genomic region under interrogation can be used as a mapping population . in mapping with nils , only a portion of the polymorphic loci are expected to map to a selected region . bulk segregant analysis ( bsa ) is a method developed for the rapid identification of linkage between markers and traits of interest ( michelmore et al ., proc . natl . acad . sci . ( usa ) 88 : 9828 - 9832 ( 1991 ), the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference ). in bsa , two bulked dna samples are drawn from a segregating population originating from a single cross . these bulks contain individuals that are identical for a particular trait ( resistant or susceptible to particular disease ) or genomic region but arbitrary at unlinked regions ( i . e . heterozygous ). regions unlinked to the target region will not differ between the bulked samples of many individuals in bsa . it is understood that one or more of the nucleic acid molecules of the present invention may be used as molecular markers . it is also understood that one or more of the protein molecules of the present invention may be used as molecular markers . in accordance with this aspect of the present invention , a sample nucleic acid is obtained from plants cells or tissues . any source of nucleic acid may be used . preferably , the nucleic acid is genomic dna . the nucleic acid is subjected to restriction endonuclease digestion . for example , one or more est nucleic acid molecule or fragment thereof can be used as a probe in accordance with the above - described polymorphic methods . the polymorphism obtained in this approach can then be cloned to identify the mutation at the coding region which alters the protein &# 39 ; s structure or regulatory region of the gene which affects its expression level . in one aspect of the present invention , an evaluation can be conducted to determine whether a particular mrna molecule is present . one or more of the nucleic acid molecules of the present invention , preferably one or more of the est nucleic acid molecules of the present invention are utilized to detect the presence or quantity of the mrna species . such molecules are then incubated with cell or tissue extracts of a plant under conditions sufficient to permit nucleic acid hybridization . the detection of double - stranded probe - mrna hybrid molecules is indicative of the presence of the mrna ; the amount of such hybrid formed is proportional to the amount of mrna . thus , such probes may be used to ascertain the level and extent of the mrna production in a plant &# 39 ; s cells or tissues . such nucleic acid hybridization may be conducted under quantitative conditions ( thereby providing a numerical value of the amount of the mrna present ). alternatively , the assay may be conducted as a qualitative assay that indicates either that the mrna is present , or that its level exceeds a user set , predefined value . a principle of in situ hybridization is that a labeled , single - stranded nucleic acid probe will hybridize to a complementary strand of cellular dna or rna and , under the appropriate conditions , these molecules will form a stable hybrid . when nucleic acid hybridization is combined with histological techniques , specific dna or rna sequences can be identified within a single cell . an advantage of in situ hybridization over more conventional techniques for the detection of nucleic acids is that it allows an investigator to determine the precise spatial population ( angerer et al ., dev . biol . 101 : 477 - 484 ( 1984 ), the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference ; angerer et al ., dev . biol . 112 : 157 - 166 ( 1985 ), the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference ; dixon et al ., embo j . 10 : 1317 - 1324 ( 1991 ), the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference ). in situ hybridization may be used to measure the steady - state level of rna accumulation . it is a sensitive technique and rna sequences present in as few as 5 - 10 copies per cell can be detected ( hardin et al ., j . mol . biol . 202 : 417 - 431 . ( 1989 ), the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference ). a number of protocols have been devised for in situ hybridization , each with tissue preparation , hybridization , and washing conditions ( meyerowitz , plant mol . biol . rep . 5 : 242 - 250 ( 1987 ), the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference ; cox and goldberg , in : plant molecular biology : a practical approach ( ed . c . h . shaw ), pp . 1 - 35 . irl press , oxford ( 1988 ), the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference ; raikhel et al ., in situ rna hybridization in plant tissues . in plant molecular biology manual , vol . b9 : 1 - 32 . kluwer academic publisher , dordrecht , belgium ( 1989 ), the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference ). in situ hybridization also allows for the localization of proteins within a tissue or cell ( wilkinson , in situ hybridization , oxford university press , oxford ( 1992 ), the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference ; langdale , in situ hybridization 165 - 179 in : the maize handbook , eds . freeling and walbot , springer - verlag , new york ( 1994 ), the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference ). it is understood that one or more of the molecules of the present invention , preferably one or more of the est nucleic acid molecules of the present invention or one or more of the antibodies of the present invention may be utilized to detect the level or pattern of a protein or fragment thereof by in situ hybridization . fluorescent in situ hybridization also enables the localization of a particular dna sequence along a chromosome which is useful , among other uses , for gene mapping , following chromosomes in hybrid lines or detecting chromosomes with translocations , transversions or deletions . in situ hybridization has been used to identify chromosomes in several plant species ( griffor et al ., plant mol . biol . 17 : 101 - 109 ( 1991 ), the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference ; gustafson et al ., proc . nat &# 39 ; l . acad . sci . ( u . s . a .). 87 : 1899 - 1902 ( 1990 ), herein incorporated by reference ; mukai and gill , genome 34 : 448 - 452 . ( 1991 ); schwarzacher and heslop - harrison , genome 34 : 317 - 323 ( 1991 ); wang et al ., jpn . j . genet . 66 : 313 - 316 ( 1991 ), the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference ; parra and windle , nature genetics , 5 : 17 - 21 ( 1993 ), the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference ). it is understood that the nucleic acid molecules of the present invention may be used as probes or markers to localize sequences along a chromosome . it is also understood that one or more of the molecules of the present invention , preferably one or more of the est nucleic acid molecules of the present invention or one or more of the antibodies of the present invention may be utilized to detect the expression level or pattern of a protein or mrna thereof by in situ hybridization . another method to localize the expression of a molecule is tissue printing . tissue printing provides a way to screen , at the same time on the same membrane many tissue sections from different plants or different developmental stages . tissue - printing procedures utilize films designed to immobilize proteins and nucleic acids . in essence , a freshly cut section of an organ is pressed gently onto nitrocellulose paper , nylon membrane or polyvinylidene difluoride membrane . such membranes are commercially available ( e . g . millipore , bedford , mass .). the contents of the cut cell transfer onto the membrane , and the molecules are immobilized to the membrane . the immobilized molecules form a latent print that can be visualized with appropriate probes . when a plant tissue print is made on nitrocellulose paper , the cell walls leave a physical print that makes the anatomy visible without further treatment ( varner amd taylor , plant physiol . 91 : 31 - 33 ( 1989 ), the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference ). tissue printing on substrate films is described by daoust , exp . cell res . 12 : 203 - 211 ( 1957 ), the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference , who detected amylase , protease , ribonuclease , and deoxyribonuclease in animal tissues using starch , gelatin , and agar films . these techniques can be applied to plant tissues ( yomo and taylor , planta 112 : 35 - 43 ( 1973 ); harris and chrispeels , plant physiol . 56 : 292 - 299 ( 1975 ). advances in membrane technology have increased the range of applications of daoust &# 39 ; s tissue - printing techniques allowing ( cassab and varner , j . cell . biol . 105 : 2581 - 2588 ( 1987 ), the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference ; the histochemical localization of various plant enzymes and deoxyribonuclease on nitrocellulose paper and nylon ( spruce et al ., phytochemistry , 26 : 2901 - 2903 ( 1987 ), the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference ; barres et al . neuron 5 : 527 - 544 ( 1990 ), the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference ; the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference ; reid and pont - lezica , tissue printing : tools for the study of anatomy , histochemistry , and gene expression , academic press , new york , n . y . ( 1992 ), the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference ; reid et al . plant physiol . 93 : 160 - 165 ( 1990 ), herein incorporate by reference ; ye et al . plant j . 1 : 175 - 183 ( 1991 ), the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference ). it is understood that one or more of the molecules of the present invention , preferably one or more of the est nucleic acid - molecules of the present invention or one or more of the antibodies of the present invention may be utilized to detect the presence or quantity of a protein by tissue printing . further , it is also understood that any of the nucleic acid molecules of the present invention may be used as marker nucleic acids and or probes in connection with methods that require probes or marker nucleic acids . as used herein , a probe is an agent that is utilized to determine an attribute or feature ( e . g . presence or absence , location , correlation , etc .) or a molecule , cell , tissue or plant . as used herein , a marker nucleic acid is a nucleic acid molecule that is utilized to determine an attribute , or feature ( e . g ., presence or absence , location , correlation , etc .) or a molecule , cell , tissue or plant . a microarray - based method for high - throughput monitoring of plant gene expression may be utilized to measure gene - specific hybridization targets . this ‘ chip ’- based approach involves using microarrays of nucleic acid molecules as gene - specific hybridization targets to quantitatively measure expression of the corresponding plant genes ( schena et al ., science 270 : 467 - 470 ( 1995 ), the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference ; shalon , ph . d . thesis . stanford university ( 1996 ), the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference ). every nucleotide in a large sequence can be queried at the same time . hybridization can be used to efficiently analyze large amounts of nucleotide sequence . several microarray methods have been described . one method compares the sequences to be analyzed by hybridization to a set of oligonucleotides representing all possible subsequences ( bains and smith , j . theor . biol . 135 : 303 ( 1989 ), the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference ). a second method hybridizes the sample to an array of oligonucleotide probes . an array consisting of oligonucleotides complementary to subsequences of a target sequence can be used to determine the identity of a target sequence , measure its amount , and detect differences between the target and a reference sequence . nucleic acid molecules microarrays may also be screened with protein molecules or fragments thereof to determine nucleic acid molecules that specifically bind protein molecules or fragments thereof . the microarray approach may be used with polypeptide targets ( u . s . pat . no . 5 , 445 , 934 ; u . s . pat . no . 5 , 143 , 854 ; u . s . pat . no . 5 , 079 , 600 ; u . s . pat . no . 4 , 923 , 901 , all of which are herein incorporated by reference in their entirety ). essentially , polypeptides are synthesized on a substrate ( microarray ) and these polypeptides can be screened with either protein molecules or fragments thereof or nucleic acid molecules in order to screen for either protein molecules or fragments thereof or nucleic acid molecules that specifically bind the target polypeptides . implementation of these techniques rely on recently developed combinatorial technologies to generate any ordered array of a large number of oligonucleotide probes ( fodor et al ., science 251 : 767 - 773 ( 1991 ), the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference ). it is understood that one or more of the molecules of the present invention , preferably one or more of the nucleic acid molecules or protein molecules or fragments thereof of the present invention may be utilized in a microarray based method . in a preferred embodiment of the present invention microarrays may be prepared that comprise nucleic acid molecules where preferably at least 10 %, preferably at least 25 %, more preferably at least 50 % and even more preferably at least 75 %, 80 %, 85 %, 90 % or 95 % of the nucleic acid molecules located on that array are selected from the group of nucleic acid molecules that specifically hybridize to one or more nucleic acid molecule having a nucleic acid sequence selected from the group of seq id no : 1 through seq id no : 27278 or complement thereof or fragments of either . a particular preferred microarray embodiment of the present invention is a microarray comprising nucleic acid molecules encoding genes or fragments thereof that are homologues of known genes or nucleic acid molecules that comprise genes or fragment thereof that elicit only limited or no matches to known genes . a further preferred microarray embodiment of the present invention is a microarray comprising nucleic acid molecules having genes or fragments thereof that are homologues of known genes and nucleic acid molecules that comprise genes or fragment thereof that elicit only limited or no matches to known genes . site - directed mutagenesis may be utilized to modify nucleic acid sequences , particularly as it is a technique that allows one or more of the amino acids encoded by a nucleic acid molecule to be altered ( e . g . a threonine to be replaced by a methionine ). three basic methods for site - directed mutagenesis are often employed . these are cassette mutagenesis ( wells et al ., gene 34 : 315 - 23 ( 1985 ), the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference ), primer extension ( gilliam et al ., gene 12 : 129 - 137 ( 1980 ), the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference ); zoller and smith , methods enzymol . 100 : 468 - 500 ( 1983 ), the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference ; and dalbadie - mcfarland et al ., proc . natl . acad . sci . ( u . s . a .) 79 : 6409 - 6413 ( 1982 ), the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference ) and methods based upon pcr ( scharf et al ., science 233 : 1076 - 1078 ( 1986 ), the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference ; higuchi et al ., nucleic acids res . 16 : 7351 - 7367 ( 1988 ), the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference ). site - directed mutagenesis approaches are also described in european patent 0 385 962 , the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference , european patent 0 359 472 , the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference , and pct patent application wo 93 / 07278 , the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference . site - directed mutagenesis strategies have been applied to plants for both in vitro as well as in vivo site - directed mutagenesis ( lanz et al ., j . biol . chem . 266 : 9971 - 6 ( 1991 ), the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference ; kovgan and zhdanov , biotekhnologiya 5 : 148 - 154 ; no . 207160n , chemical abstracts 110 : 225 ( 1989 ), the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference ; ge et al ., proc . natl . acad . sci . ( u . s . a .) 86 : 4037 - 4041 ( 1989 ), the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference , zhu et al ., j . biol . chem . 271 : 18494 - 18498 ( 1996 ), chu et al ., biochemistry 33 : 6150 - 6157 ( 1994 ), the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference , small et al ., embo j . 11 : 1291 - 1296 ( 1992 ), the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference , cho et al ., mol . biotechnol . 8 : 13 - 16 ( 1997 ), kita et al ., j . biol . chem . 271 : 26529 - 26535 ( 1996 ), the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference , jin et al ., mol . microbiol . 7 : 555 - 562 ( 1993 ), the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference , hatfield and vierstra , j . biol . chem . 267 : 14799 - 14803 ( 1992 ), the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference , zhao et al ., biochemistry 31 : 5093 - 5099 ( 1992 ), the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference ). any of the nucleic acid molecules of the present invention may either be modified by site - directed mutagenesis or used as , for example , nucleic acid molecules that are used to target other nucleic acid molecules for modification . it is understood that mutants with more than one altered nucleotide can be constructed using techniques that practitioners skilled in the art are familiar with such as isolating restriction fragments and ligating such fragments into an expression vector ( see , for example , sambrook et al ., molecular cloning . a laboratory manual , cold spring harbor press ( 1989 )). sequence - specific dna - binding proteins play a role in the regulation of transcription . the isolation of recombinant cdnas encoding these proteins facilitates the biochemical analysis of their structural and functional properties . genes encoding such dna - binding proteins have been isolated using classical genetics ( vollbrecht et al ., nature 350 : 241 - 243 ( 1991 ), the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference ) and molecular biochemical approaches , including the screening of recombinant cdna libraries with antibodies ( landschulz et al ., genes dev . 2 : 786 - 800 ( 1988 ), the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference ) or dna probes ( bodner et al ., cell 55 : 505 - 518 ( 1988 ), the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference ). in addition , an in situ screening procedure has been used and has facilitated the isolation of sequence - specific dna - binding proteins from various plant species ( gilmartin et al ., plant cell 4 : 839 - 849 ( 1992 ), the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference ; schindler et al ., embo j . 11 : 1261 - 1273 ( 1992 ) the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference ). an in situ screening protocol does not require the purification of the protein of interest ( vinson et al ., genes dev . 2 : 801 - 806 ( 1988 ), the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference ; singh et al ., cell 52 : 415 - 423 ( 1988 ), the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference ). steps may be employed to characterize dna - protein interactions . the first is to identify promoter fragments that interact with dna - binding proteins , to titrate binding activity , to determine the specificity of binding , and to determine whether a given dna - binding activity can interact with related dna sequences ( sambrook et al ., molecular cloning : a laboratory manual , 2 nd edition . cold spring harbor laboratory press , cold spring harbor , n . y . ( 1989 ). electrophoretic mobility - shift assay is a widely used assay . the assay provides a simple , rapid , and sensitive method for detecting dna - binding proteins based on the observation that the mobility of a dna fragment through a nondenaturing , low - ionic strength polyacrylamide gel is retarded upon association with a dna - binding protein ( fried and crother , nucleic acids res . 9 : 6505 - 6525 ( 1981 ), the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference ). when one or more specific binding activities have been identified , the exact sequence of the dna bound by the protein may be determined . several procedures for characterizing protein / dna - binding sites are used , including methylation and ethylation interference assays ( maxam and gilbert , methods enzymol . 65 : 499 - 560 ( 1980 ), the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference ; wissman and hillen , methods enzymol . 208 : 365 - 379 ( 1991 ), the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference ) and footprinting techniques employing dnase i ( galas and schmitz , nucleic acids res . 5 : 3157 - 3170 ( 1978 ), the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference ), 1 , 10 - phenanthroline - copper ion methods ( sigman et al ., methods enzymol . 208 : 365 - 379 ( 1991 ), the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference ) or hydroxyl radical methods ( dixon et al ., methods enzymol . 208 : 380 - 413 ( 1991 ), the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference ). it is understood that one or more of the nucleic acid molecules of the present invention , preferably one or more of the est nucleic acid molecules of the present invention may be utilized to identify a protein or fragment thereof that specifically binds to a nucleic acid molecule of the present invention . it is also understood that one or more of the protein molecules or fragments thereof of the present invention may be utilized to identify a nucleic acid molecule that specifically binds to it . the two - hybrid system is based on the fact that many cellular functions are carried out by proteins that interact ( physically ) with one another . two - hybrid systems have been used to probe the function of new proteins ( chien et al ., proc . natl . acad . sci . ( u . s . a .) 88 : 9578 - 9582 ( 1991 ) the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference ; durfee et al ., genes dev . 7 : 555 - 569 ( 1993 ) the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference ; choi et al ., cell 78 : 499 - 512 ( 1994 ), the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference ; kranz et al ., genes dev . 8 : 313 - 327 ( 1994 ), the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference ). interaction mating techniques have facilitated a number of two - hybrid studies of protein - protein interaction . interaction mating has been used to examine interactions between small sets of tens of proteins ( finley and brent , proc . natl . acad . sci . ( u . s . a .) 91 : 12098 - 12984 ( 1994 ), the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference ), larger sets of hundreds of proteins , ( bendixen et al ., nucl , acids res . 22 : 1778 - 1779 ( 1994 ), the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference ) and to comprehensively map proteins encoded by a small genome ( bartel et al ., nature genetics 12 : 72 - 77 ( 1996 ), the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference ). this technique utilizes proteins fused to the dna - binding domain and proteins fused to the activation domain . they are expressed in two different haploid yeast strains of opposite mating type , and the strains are mated to determine if the two proteins interact . mating occurs when haploid yeast strains come into contact and result in the fusion of the two haploids into a diploid yeast strain . an interaction can be determined by the activation of a two - hybrid reporter gene in the diploid strain . the primary advantage of this technique is that it reduces the number of yeast transformations needed to test individual interactions . it is understood that the protein - protein interactions of protein or fragments thereof of the present invention may be investigated using the two - hybrid system and that any of the nucleic acid molecules of the present invention that encode such proteins or fragments thereof may be used to transform yeast in the two - hybrid system . synechocystis 6803 is a photosynthetic cyanobacterium capable of oxygenic photosynthesis as well as heterotrophic growth in the absence of light . the entire genome has been sequenced , and it is reported to have a circular genome size of 3 . 57 mbp containing 3168 potential open reading frames . open reading frames ( orfs ) were identified based upon their homology to other reported orfs and by using orf identification computer programs . sixteen hundred potential orfs were assigned based on their homology to previously identified orfs . of these 1600 orfs , 145 were identical to reported orfs ( kaneko et al ., dna research 3 : 109 - 36 ( 1996 ), herein incorporated by reference in its entirety ). several prokaryote promoters have been used in synechocystis to express heterologous genes including the tac , lac , and lambda phage promoters ( bryant ( ed . ), the molecular biology of cyanobacteria , kluwer academic publishers , ( 1994 ); ferino and chauvat , gene 84 : 257 - 266 ( 1989 ), both of which are herein incorporated by reference in their entirety ). several bacterial origins of replication such as rsf1010 and acyc are reported to replicate in synechocystis ( mermet - bouvier and chauvat , current microbiology 28 : 145 - 148 ( 1994 ); kuhlemeier et al ., mol . gen . genet . 184 : 249 - 254 ( 1981 ), both of which are herein incorporated by reference in their entirety ). synechocystis has been used to study gene regulation by gene replacement through homologous recombination or by gene disruption using antibiotic resistance markers ( pakrasi et al ., embo 7 : 325 - 332 ( 1988 ), herein incorporated by reference in its entirety ). in such gene regulation studies , double reciprocal homologous regions of the host genome flanking the gene of interest recombine to stably integrate the gene of interest into the genome . the gene of interest can be expressed once that gene has been stably integrated into the geriome . biochemical analysis can be performed to study the effect of the replaced or deleted gene . it is understood that the agents of the present invention may be employed in a synechocystis system . exogenous genetic material may be transferred into a plant cell and the plant cell regenerated into a whole , fertile or sterile plant . exogenous genetic material is any genetic material , whether naturally occurring or otherwise , from any source that is capable of being inserted into any organism . such genetic material may be transferred into either monocotyledons and dicotyledons including but not limited to the crops , maize and soybean ( see specifically , chistou , particle bombardment for genetic engineering of plants , pp 63 - 69 ( maize ), pp 50 - 60 ( soybean ), biotechnology intelligence unit . academic press , san diego , calif . ( 1996 ), the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference and generally chistou , particle bombardment for genetic engineering of plants , biotechnology intelligence unit . academic press , san diego , calif . ( 1996 ), the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference ). transfer of a nucleic acid that encodes for a protein can result in overexpression of that protein in a transformed cell or transgenic plant . one or more of the proteins or fragments thereof encoded by nucleic acid molecules of the present invention may be overexpressed in a transformed cell or transformed plant . such overexpression may be the result of transient or stable transfer of the exogenous material . exogenous genetic material may be transferred into a plant cell by the use of a dna vector or construct designed for such a purpose . design of such a vector is generally within the skill of the art ( see , plant molecular biology : a laboratory manual eds . clark , springer , new york ( 1997 ), the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference ). a construct or vector may include a plant promoter to express the protein or protein fragment of choice . a number of promoters which are active in plant cells have been described in the literature . these include the nopaline synthase ( nos ) promoter ( ebert et al ., proc . natl . acad . sci . ( u . s . a .) 84 : 5745 - 5749 ( 1987 ), the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference ), the octopine synthase ( ocs ) promoter ( which are carried on tumor - inducing plasmids of agrobacterium tumefaciens ), the caulimovirus promoters such as the cauliflower mosaic virus ( camv ) 19s promoter ( lawton et al ., plant mol . biol . 9 : 315 - 324 ( 1987 ), the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference ) and the camv 35s promoter ( odell et al ., nature 313 : 810 - 812 ( 1985 ), the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference ), the figwort mosaic virus 35s - promoter , the light - inducible promoter from the small subunit of ribulose - 1 , 5 - bis - phosphate carboxylase ( ssrulbisco ), the adh promoter ( walker et al ., proc . natl . acad . sci . ( u . s . a .) 84 : 6624 - 6628 ( 1987 ), the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference ), the sucrose synthase promoter ( yang et al ., proc . natl . acad . sci . ( u . s . a .) 87 : 4144 - 4148 ( 1990 ), the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference ), the r gene complex promoter ( chandler et al ., the plant cell 1 : 1175 - 1183 ( 1989 ), the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference ), and the chlorophyll a / b binding protein gene promoter , etc . these promoters have been used to create dna constructs which have been expressed in plants ; see , e . g ., pct publication wo 84 / 02913 , herein incorporated by reference in its entirety . promoters which are known or are found to cause transcription of dna in plant cells can be used in the present invention . such promoters may be obtained from a variety of sources such as plants and plant viruses . it is preferred that the particular promoter selected should be capable of causing sufficient expression to result in the production of an effective amount of a protein to cause the desired phenotype . in addition to promoters which are known to cause transcription of dna in plant cells , other promoters may be identified for use in the current invention by screening a plant cdna library for genes which are selectively or preferably expressed in the target tissues or cells . for the purpose of expression in source tissues of the plant , such as the leaf , seed , root or stem , it is preferred that the promoters utilized in the present invention have relatively high expression in these specific tissues . for this purpose , one may choose from a number of promoters for genes with tissue - or cell - specific or - enhanced expression . examples of such promoters reported in the literature include the chloroplast glutamine synthetase gs2 promoter from pea ( edwards et al ., proc . natl . acad . sci . ( u . s . a .) 87 : 3459 - 3463 ( 1990 ), herein incorporated by reference in its entirety ), the chloroplast fructose - 1 , 6 - biphosphatase ( fbpase ) promoter from wheat ( lloyd et al ., mol . gen . genet . 225 : 209 - 216 ( 1991 ), herein incorporated by reference in its entirety ), the nuclear photosynthetic st - ls1 promoter from potato ( stockhaus et al ., embo j . 8 : 2445 - 2451 ( 1989 ), herein incorporated by reference in its entirety ), the phenylalanine ammonia - lyase ( pal ) promoter and the chalcone synthase ( chs ) promoter from arabidopsis thaliana . also reported to be active in photosynthetically active tissues are the ribulose - 1 , 5 - bisphosphate carboxylase ( rbcs ) promoter from eastern larch ( larix laricina ), the promoter for the cab gene , cab6 , from pine ( yamamoto et al ., plant cell physiol . 35 : 773 - 778 ( 1994 ), herein incorporated by reference in its entirety ), the promoter for the cab - 1 gene from wheat ( fejes et al ., plant mol . biol . 15 : 921 - 932 ( 1990 ), herein incorporated by reference in its entirety ), the promoter for the cab - 1 gene from spinach ( lubberstedt et al ., plant physiol . 104 : 997 - 1006 ( 1994 ), herein incorporated by reference in its entirety ), the promoter for the cabir gene from rice ( luan et al ., plant cell . 4 : 971 - 981 ( 1992 ), the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference ), the pyruvate , orthophosphate dikinase ( ppdk ) promoter from maize ( matsuoka et al ., proc . natl . acad . sci . ( u . s . a .) 90 : 9586 - 9590 ( 1993 ), herein incorporated by reference in its entirety ), the promoter for the tobacco lhcb1 * 2 gene ( cerdan et al ., plant mol . biol . 33 : 245 - 255 . ( 1997 ), herein incorporated by reference in its entirety ), the arabidopsis thaliana suc2 sucrose - h + symporter promoter ( truemit et al ., planta . 196 : 564 - 570 ( 1995 ), herein incorporated by reference in its entirety ), and the promoter for the thylacoid membrane proteins from spinach ( psad , psaf , psae , pc , fnr , atpc , atpd , cab , rbcs ). other promoters for the chlorophyl a / b - binding proteins may also be utilized in the present invention , such as the promoters for lhcb gene and psbp gene from white mustard ( sinapis alba ; kretsch et al ., plant mol . biol . 28 : 219 - 229 ( 1995 ), the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference ). for the purpose of expression in sink tissues of the plant , such as the tuber of the potato plant , the fruit of tomato , or the seed of maize , wheat , rice , and barley , it is preferred that the promoters utilized in the present invention have relatively high expression in these specific tissues . a number of promoters for genes with tuber - specific or - enhanced expression are known , including the class i patatin promoter ( bevan et al ., embo j . 8 : 1899 - 1906 ( 1986 ); jefferson et al ., plant mol . biol . 14 : 995 - 1006 ( 1990 ), both of which are herein incorporated by reference in its entirety ), the promoter for the potato tuber adpgpp genes , both the large and small subunits , the sucrose synthase promoter ( salanoubat and belliard , gene . 60 : 47 - 56 ( 1987 ), salanoubat and belliard , gene . 84 : 181 - 185 ( 1989 ), both of which are incorporated by reference in their entirety ), the promoter for the major tuber proteins including the 22 kd protein complexes and proteinase inhibitors ( hanapel , plant physiol . 101 : 703 - 704 ( 1993 ), herein incorporated by reference in its entirety ), the promoter for the granule bound starch synthase gene ( gbss ) ( visser et al ., plant mol . biol . 17 : 691 - 699 ( 1991 ), herein incorporated by reference in its entirety ), and other class i and ii patatins promoters ( koster - topfer et al ., mol gen genet . 219 : 390 - 396 ( 1989 ); mignery et al ., gene . 62 : 27 - 44 ( 1988 ), both of which are herein incorporated by reference in their entirety ). other promoters can also be used to express a fructose 1 , 6 bisphosphate aldolase gene in specific tissues , such as seeds or fruits . the promoter for β - conglycinin ( chen et al ., dev . genet . 10 : 112 - 122 ( 1989 ), herein incorporated by reference in its entirety ) or other seed - specific promoters such as the napin and phaseolin promoters , can be used . the zeins are a group of storage proteins found in maize endosperm . genomic clones for zein genes have been isolated ( pedersen et al ., cell 29 : 1015 - 1026 ( 1982 ), herein incorporated by reference in its entirety ), and the promoters from these clones , including the 15 kd , 16 kd , 19 kd , 22 kd , 27 kd , and gamma genes , could also be used . other promoters known to function , for example , in maize , include the promoters for the following genes : waxy , brittle , shrunken 2 , branching enzymes i and ii , starch synthases , debranching enzymes , oleosins , glutelins , and sucrose synthases . a particularly preferred promoter for maize endosperm expression is the promoter for the glutelin gene from rice , more particularly the osgt - 1 promoter ( zheng et al ., mol . cell . biol . 13 : 5829 - 5842 ( 1993 ), herein incorporated by reference in its entirety ). examples of promoters suitable for expression in wheat include those promoters for the adpglucose pyrophosphorylase ( adpgpp ) subunits , the granule bound and other starch synthases , the branching and debranching enzymes , the embryogenesis - abundant proteins , the gliadins , and the glutenins . examples of such promoters in rice include those promoters for the adpgpp subunits , the granule bound and other starch synthases , the branching enzymes , the debranching enzymes , sucrose synthases , and the glutelins . a particularly preferred promoter is the promoter for rice glutelin , osgt - 1 . examples of such promoters for barley include those for the adpgpp subunits , the granule bound and other starch synthases , the branching enzymes , the debranching enzymes , sucrose synthases , the hordeins , the embryo globulins , and the aleurone specific proteins . root specific promoters may also be used . an example of such a promoter is the promoter for the acid chitinase gene ( samac et al ., plant mol . biol . 25 : 587 - 596 ( 1994 ), the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference ). expression in root tissue could also be accomplished by utilizing the root specific subdomains of the camv35s promoter that have been identified ( lam et al ., proc . natl . acad . sci . ( u . s . a .) 86 : 7890 - 7894 ( 1989 ), herein incorporated by reference in its entirety ). other root cell specific promoters include those reported by conkling et al . ( conkling et al ., plant physiol 93 : 1203 - 1211 ( 1990 ), the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference ). additional promoters that may be utilized are described , for example , in u . s . pat . nos . 5 , 378 , 619 , 5 , 391 , 725 , 5 , 428 , 147 , 5 , 447 , 858 , 5 , 608 , 144 , 5 , 608 , 144 , 5 , 614 , 399 , 5 , 633 , 441 , 5 , 633 , 435 , and 4 , 633 , 436 , all of which are herein incorporated in their entirety . in addition , a tissue specific enhancer may be used ( fromm et al ., the plant cell 1 : 977 - 984 ( 1989 ), the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference ). constructs or vectors may also include , with the coding region of interest , a nucleic acid sequence that acts , in whole or in part , to terminate transcription of that region . for example , such sequences have been isolated including the tr7 3 ′ sequence and the nos 3 ′ sequence ( ingelbrecht et al ., the plant cell 1 : 671 - 680 ( 1989 ), the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference ; bevan et al ., nucleic acids res . 11 : 369 - 385 ( 1983 ), the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference ), or the like . a vector or construct may also include regulatory elements . examples of such include the adh intron 1 ( callis et al ., genes and develop . 1 : 1183 - 1200 ( 1987 ), the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference ), the sucrose synthase intron ( vasil et al ., plant physiol . 91 : 1575 - 1579 ( 1989 ), the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference ) and the tmv omega element ( gallie et al ., the plant cell 1 : 301 - 311 ( 1989 ), the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference ). these and other regulatory elements may be included when appropriate . a vector or construct may also include a selectable marker . selectable markers may also be used to select for plants or plant cells that contain the exogenous genetic material . examples of such include , but are not limited to , a neo gene ( potrykus et al ., mol . gen . genet . 199 : 183 - 188 ( 1985 ), the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference ) which codes for kanamycin resistance and can be selected for using kanamycin , g418 , etc . ; a bar gene which codes for bialaphos resistance ; a mutant epsp synthase gene ( hinchee et al ., bio / technology 6 : 915 - 922 ( 1988 ), the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference ) which encodes glyphosate resistance ; a nitrilase gene which confers resistance to bromoxynil ( stalker et al ., j . biol . chem . 263 : 6310 - 6314 ( 1988 ), the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference ); a mutant acetolactate synthase gene ( als ) which confers imidazolinone or sulphonylurea resistance ( european patent application 154 , 204 ( sep . 11 , 1985 ), the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference ); and a methotrexate resistant dhfr gene ( thillet et al ., j . biol . chem . 263 : 12500 - 12508 ( 1988 ), the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference ). a vector or construct may also include a transit peptide . incorporation of a suitable chloroplast transit peptide may also be employed ( european patent application publication number 0218571 , the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference ). translational enhancers may also be incorporated as part of the vector dna . dna constructs could contain one or more 5 ′ non - translated leader sequences which may serve to enhance expression of the gene products from the resulting mrna transcripts . such sequences may be derived from the promoter selected to express the gene or can be specifically modified to increase translation of the mrna . such regions may also be obtained from viral rnas , from suitable eukaryotic genes , or from a synthetic gene sequence . for a review of optimizing expression of transgenes , see koziel et al ., plant mol . biol . 32 : 393 - 405 ( 1996 ), the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference . a vector or construct may also include a screenable marker . screenable markers may be used to monitor expression . exemplary screenable markers include a glucuronidase or uida gene ( gus ) which encodes an enzyme for which various chromogenic substrates are known ( jefferson , plant mol . biol , rep . 5 : 387 - 405 ( 1987 ), the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference ; jefferson et al ., embo j . 6 : 3901 - 3907 ( 1987 ), the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference ); an r - locus gene , which encodes a product that regulates the production of anthocyanin pigments ( red color ) in plant tissues (( dellaporta et al ., stadler symposium 11 : 263 - 282 ( 1988 ), the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference ); a β - lactamase gene ( sutcliffe et al ., proc . natl . acad . sci . ( u . s . a .) 75 : 3737 - 3741 ( 1978 ), the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference ), a gene which encodes an enzyme for which various chromogenic substrates are known ( e . g ., padac , a chromogenic cephalosporin ); a luciferase gene ( ow et al ., science 234 : 856 - 859 ( 1986 ), the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference ) a xyle gene ( zukowsky et al ., proc . natl . acad . sci . ( u . s . a .) 80 : 1101 - 1105 ( 1983 ), the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference ) which encodes a catechol diozygenase that can convert chromogenic catechols ; an α - amylase gene ( ikatu et al ., bio / technol . 8 : 241 - 242 ( 1990 ), the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference ); a tyrosinase gene ( katz et al ., j . gen . microbiol . 129 : 2703 - 2714 ( 1983 ), the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference ) which encodes an enzyme capable of oxidizing tyrosine to dopa and dopaquinone which in turn condenses to melanin ; an α - galactosidase , which will turn a chromogenic α - galactose substrate . included within the terms “ selectable or screenable marker genes ” are also genes which encode a scriptable marker whose secretion can be detected as a means of identifying or selecting for transformed cells . examples include markers which encode a secretable antigen that can be identified by antibody interaction , or even secretable enzymes which can be detected catalytically . secretable proteins fall into a number of classes , including small , diffusible proteins detectable , e . g ., by elisa , small active enzymes detectable in extracellular solution ( e . g ., α - amylase , β - lactamase , phosphinothricin transferase ), or proteins which are inserted or trapped in the cell wall ( such as proteins which include a leader sequence such as that found in the expression unit of extension or tobacco pr - s ). other possible selectable and / or screenable marker genes will be apparent to those of skill in the art . methods and compositions for transforming a bacteria and other microorganisms are known in the art ( see for example sambrook et al ., molecular cloning : a laboratory manual , second edition , cold spring harbor laboratory press , cold spring harbor , n . y ., ( 1989 ), the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference ). there are many methods for introducing transforming nucleic acid molecules into plant cells . suitable methods are believed to include virtually any method by which nucleic acid molecules may be introduced into a cell , such as by agrobacterium infection or direct delivery of nucleic acid molecules such as , for example , by peg - mediated transformation , by electroporation or by acceleration of dna coated particles , etc . ( pottykus , ann . rev . plant physiol . plant mol . biol . 42 : 205 - 225 ( 1991 ), the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference ; vasil , plant mol . biol . 25 : 925 - 937 ( 1994 ), the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference . for example , electroporation has been used to transform maize protoplasts ( fromm et al ., nature 312 : 791 - 793 ( 1986 ), the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference ). other vector systems suitable for introducing transforming dna into a host plant cell includes but is not limited to binary artificial chromosome ( bibac ) vectors ( hamilton et al ., gene 200 : 107 - 116 , ( 1997 ), the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference , and transfection with rna viral vectors ( della - cioppa et al ., ann . n . y . acad . sci . ( 1996 ), 792 ( engineering plants for commercial products and applications ), 57 - 61 , the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference . technology for introduction of dna into cells is well known to those of skill in the art . four general methods for delivering a gene into cells have been described : ( 1 ) chemical methods ( graham and van der eb , virology , 54 : 536 - 539 ( 1973 ), the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference ); ( 2 ) physical methods such as microinjection ( capecchi , cell 22 : 479 - 488 ( 1980 ), electroporation ( wong and neumann , biochem . biophys . res . commun ., 107 : 584 - 587 ( 1982 ); fromm et al ., proc . natl . acad . sci . usa , 82 : 5824 - 5828 ( 1985 ); u . s . pat . no . 5 , 384 , 253 ; and the gene gun ( johnston and tang , methods cell biol . 43 : 353 - 365 ( 1994 ), all of which the entirety is herein incorporated by reference ; ( 3 ) viral vectors ( clapp , clin . perinatol ., 20 : 155 - 168 ( 1993 ); lu et al ., j . exp . med ., 178 : 2089 - 2096 ( 1993 ); eglitis and anderson , biotechniques , 6 : 608 - 614 ( 1988 ), all of which the entirety is herein incorporated by reference ); and ( 4 ) receptor - mediated mechanisms ( curiel et al ., hum . gen . ther ., 3 : 147 - 154 ( 1992 ); wagner et al ., proc . natl . acad . sci . usa , 89 : 6099 - 6103 ( 1992 ), all of which the entirety is herein incorporated by reference ). acceleration methods that may be used include , for example , microprojectile bombardment and the like . one example of a method for delivering transforming nucleic acid molecules to plant cells is microprojectile bombardment . this method has been reviewed by yang and christou , eds ., particle bombardment technology for gene transfer , oxford press , oxford , england ( 1994 ), the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference ). non - biological particles ( microprojectiles ) that may be coated with nucleic acids and delivered into cells by a propelling force . exemplary particles include those comprised of tungsten , gold , platinum , and the like . a particular advantage of microprojectile bombardment , in addition to it being an effective means of reproducibly , and stably transforming monocotyledons , is that neither the isolation of protoplasts ( cristou et al ., plant physiol . 87 : 671 - 674 ( 1988 ), the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference ) nor the susceptibility of agrobacterium infection is required . an illustrative embodiment of a method for delivering dna into maize cells by acceleration is a biolistics g - particle delivery system , which can be used to propel particles coated with dna through a screen , such as a stainless steel or nytex screen , onto a filter surface covered with corn cells cultured in suspension . gordon - kamm et al ., describes the basic procedure for coating tungsten particles with dna ( gordon - kamm et al ., plant cell 2 : 603 - 618 ( 1990 ), the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference ). the screen disperses the tungsten nucleic acid particles so that they are not delivered to the recipient cells in large aggregates . a particle delivery system suitable for use with the present invention is the helium acceleration pds - 1000 / he gun which is available from bio - rad laboratories ( bio - rad , hercules , california ) ( sanford et al ., technique 3 : 3 - 16 ( 1991 ), the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference ). for the bombardment , cells in suspension may be concentrated on filters . filters containing the cells to be bombarded are positioned at an appropriate distance below the microprojectile stopping plate . if desired , one or more screens are also positioned between the gun and the cells to be bombarded . alternatively , immature embryos or other target cells may be arranged on solid culture medium . the cells to be bombarded are positioned at an appropriate distance below the macroprojectile stopping plate . if desired , one or more screens are also positioned between the acceleration device and the cells to be bombarded . through the use of techniques set forth herein one may obtain up to 1000 or more foci of cells transiently expressing a marker gene . the number of cells in a focus which express the exogenous gene product 48 hours post - bombardment often range from one to ten and average one to three . in bombardment transformation , one may optimize the prebombardment culturing conditions and the bombardment parameters to yield the maximum numbers of stable transformants . both the physical and biological parameters for bombardment are important in this technology . physical factors are those that involve manipulating the dna / microprojectile precipitate or those that affect the flight and velocity of either the macro - or microprojectiles . biological factors include all steps involved in manipulation of cells before and immediately after bombardment , the osmotic adjustment of target cells to help alleviate the trauma associated with bombardment , and also the nature of the transforming dna , such as linearized dna or intact supercoiled plasmids . it is believed that pre - bombardment manipulations are especially important for successful transformation of immature embryos . in another alternative embodiment , plastids can be stably transformed . methods disclosed for plastid transformation in higher plants include the particle gun delivery of dna containing a selectable marker and targeting of the dna to the plastid genome through homologous recombination ( svab et al ., proc . natl . acad . sci . ( u . s . a .) 87 : 8526 - 8530 ( 1990 ); svab and maliga , proc . natl . acad . sci . ( u . s . a .) 90 : 913 - 917 ( 1993 ); staub and maliga , embo j . 12 : 601 - 606 ( 1993 ); u . s . pat . nos . 5 , 451 , 513 and 5 , 545 , 818 , all of which are herein incorporated by reference in their entirety ). accordingly , it is contemplated that one may wish to adjust various aspects of the bombardment parameters in small scale studies to fully optimize the conditions . one may particularly wish to adjust physical parameters such as gap distance , flight distance , tissue distance , and helium pressure . one may also minimize the trauma reduction factors by modifying conditions which influence the physiological state of the recipient cells and which may therefore influence transformation and integration efficiencies . for example , the osmotic state , tissue hydration and the subculture stage or cell cycle of the recipient cells may be adjusted for optimum transformation . the execution of other routine adjustments will be known to those of skill in the art in light of the present disclosure . agrobacterium - mediated transfer is a widely applicable system for introducing genes into plant cells because the dna can be introduced into whole plant tissues , thereby bypassing the need for regeneration of an intact plant from a protoplast . the use of agrobacterium - mediated plant integrating vectors to introduce dna into plant cells is well known in the art . see , for example the methods described ( fraley et al ., biotechnology 3 : 629 - 635 ( 1985 ); rogers et al ., meth . in enzymol , 153 : 253 - 277 ( 1987 ), both of which are herein incorporated by reference in their entirety . further , the integration of the ti - dna is a relatively precise process resulting in few rearrangements . the region of dna to be transferred is defined by the border sequences , and intervening dna is usually inserted into the plant genome as described ( spielmann et al ., mol . gen . genet ., 205 : 34 ( 1986 ), the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference ). modern agrobacterium transformation vectors are capable of replication in e . coli as well as agrobacterium , allowing for convenient manipulations as described ( klee et al ., in : plant dna infectious agents , t . hohn and j . schell , eds ., springer - verlag , new york , pp . 179 - 203 ( 1985 ), the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference . moreover , recent technological advances in vectors for agrobacterium - mediated gene transfer have improved the arrangement of genes and restriction sites in the vectors to facilitate construction of vectors capable of expressing various polypeptide coding genes . the vectors described have convenient multi - linker regions flanked by a promoter and a polyadenylation site for direct expression of inserted polypeptide coding genes and are suitable for present purposes ( rogers et al ., meth . in enzymol ., 153 : 253 - 277 ( 1987 ), the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference ). in addition , agrobacterium containing both armed and disarmed ti genes can be used for the transformations . in those plant strains where agrobacterium - mediated transformation is efficient , it is the method of choice because of the facile and defined nature of the gene transfer . a transgenic plant formed using agrobacterium transformation methods typically contains a single gene on one chromosome . such transgenic plants can be referred to as being heterozygous for the added gene . more preferred is a transgenic plant that is homozygous for the added structural gene ; i . e ., a transgenic plant that contains two added genes , one gene at the same locus on each chromosome of a chromosome pair . a homozygous transgenic plant can be obtained by sexually mating ( selfing ) an independent segregant transgenic plant that contains a single added gene , germinating some of the seed produced and analyzing the resulting plants produced for the gene of interest . it is also to be understood that two different transgenic plants can also be mated to produce offspring that contain two independently segregating added , exogenous genes . selfing of appropriate progeny can produce plants that are homozygous for both added , exogenous genes that encode a polypeptide of interest . back - crossing to a parental plant and out - crossing with a non - transgenic plant are also contemplated , as is vegetative propagation . transformation of plant protoplasts can be achieved using methods based on calcium phosphate precipitation , polyethylene glycol treatment , electroporation , and combinations of these treatments . see for example ( potrykus et al ., mol . gen . genet ., 205 : 193 - 200 ( 1986 ); lorz et al ., mol . gen . genet ., 199 : 178 , ( 1985 ); fromm et al ., nature , 319 : 791 , ( 1986 ); uchimiya et al ., mol . gen . genet . : 204 : 204 , ( 1986 ); callis et al ., genes and development , 1183 , ( 1987 ); marcotte et al ., nature , 335 : 454 , ( 1988 ), all of which the entirety is herein incorporated by reference ). application of these systems to different plant strains depends upon the ability to regenerate that particular plant strain from protoplasts . illustrative methods for the regeneration of cereals from protoplasts are described ( fujimura et al ., plant tissue culture letters , 2 : 74 , ( 1985 ); toriyama et al ., theor appl . genet . 205 : 34 . ( 1986 ); yamada et al ., plant cell rep ., 4 : 85 , ( 1986 ); abdullah et al ., biotechnology , 4 : 1087 , ( 1986 ), all of which the entirety is herein incorporated by reference ). to transform plant strains that cannot be successfully regenerated from protoplasts , other ways to introduce dna into intact cells or tissues can be utilized . for example , regeneration of cereals from immature embryos or explants can be effected as described ( vasil , biotechnology , 6 : 397 , ( 1988 ), the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference ). in addition , “ particle gun ” or high - velocity microprojectile technology can be utilized ( vasil et al ., bio / technology 10 : 667 , ( 1992 ), the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference ). using the latter technology , dna is carried through the cell wall and into the cytoplasm on the surface of small metal particles as described ( klein et al ., nature , 328 : 70 , ( 1987 ); klein et al ., proc . natl . acad . sci . usa , 85 : 8502 - 8505 , ( 1988 ); mccabe et al ., biotechnology , 6 : 923 , ( 1988 ), all of which the entirety is herein incorporated by reference ). the metal particles penetrate through several layers of cells and thus allow the transformation of cells within tissue explants . other methods of cell transformation can also be used and include but are not limited to introduction of dna into plants by direct dna transfer into pollen , hess et al ., intern rev . cytol ., 107 : 367 , ( 1987 ); luo et al ., plant mol . biol . reporter , 6 : 165 , ( 1988 ), all of which the entirety is herein incorporated by reference ), by direct injection of dna into reproductive organs of a plant ( pena et al ., nature , 325 : 274 , ( 1987 ), the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference ), or by direct injection of dna into the cells of immature embryos followed by the rehydration of desiccated embryos ( neuhaus et al ., theor . appl . genet ., 75 : 30 , ( 1987 ), the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference ). the regeneration , development , and cultivation of plants from single plant protoplast transformants or from various transformed explants is well known in the art ( weissbach and weissbach , in : methods for plant molecular biology , ( eds . ), academic press , inc . san diego , calif ., ( 1988 ), the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference ). this regeneration and growth process typically includes the steps of selection of transformed cells , culturing those individualized cells through the usual stages of embryonic development through the rooted plantlet stage . transgenic embryos and seeds are similarly regenerated . the resulting transgenic rooted shoots are thereafter planted in an appropriate plant growth medium such as soil . the development or regeneration of plants containing the foreign , exogenous gene that encodes a protein of interest is well known in the art . preferably , the regenerated plants are self - pollinated to provide homozygous transgenic plants , as discussed before . otherwise , pollen obtained from the regenerated plants is crossed to seed - grown plants of agronomically important lines . conversely , pollen from plants of these important lines is used to pollinate regenerated plants . a transgenic plant of the present invention containing a desired polypeptide is cultivated using methods well known to one skilled in the art . there are a variety of methods for the regeneration of plants from plant tissue . the particular method of regeneration will depend on the starting plant tissue and the particular plant species to be regenerated . methods for transforming dicots , primarily by use of agrobacterium tumefaciens , and obtaining transgenic plants have been published for cotton ( u . s . pat . no . 5 , 004 , 863 , u . s . pat . no . 5 , 159 , 135 , u . s . pat . no . 5 , 518 , 908 , all of which the entirety is herein incorporated by reference ); soybean ( u . s . pat . no . 5 , 569 , 834 , u . s . pat . no . 5 , 416 , 011 , mccabe et al ., biotechnology 6 : 923 , ( 1988 ), christou et al ., plant physiol ., 87 : 671 - 674 ( 1988 ), all of which the entirety is herein incorporated by reference ); brassica ( u . s . pat . no . 5 , 463 , 174 , the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference ); peanut ( cheng et al ., plant cell rep . 15 : 653 - 657 ( 1996 ), mckently et al ., plant cell rep . 14 : 699 - 703 ( 1995 ), all of which the entirety is herein incorporated by reference ); papaya ( yang et al ., ( 1996 ), the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference ); pea ( grant et al ., plant cell rep . 15 : 254 - 258 , ( 1995 ), the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference ). transformation of monocotyledons using electroporation , particle bombardment , and agrobacterium have also been reported . transformation and plant regeneration have been achieved in asparagus ( bytebier et al ., proc . natl . acad . sci . usa 84 : 5345 , ( 1987 ), the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference ); barley ( wan and lemaux , plant physiol 104 : 37 , ( 1994 ), the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference ); maize ( rhodes et al ., science 240 : 204 , ( 1988 ), gordon - kamm et al ., plant cell , 2 : 603 , ( 1990 ), fromm et al ., bio / technology 8 : 833 , ( 1990 ), koziel et al ., bio / technology 11 : 194 , ( 1993 ), armstrong et al ., crop science 35 : 550 - 557 , ( 1995 ), all of which the entirety is herein incorporated by reference ); oat ( somers et al ., bio / technology , 10 : 1589 , ( 1992 ), the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference ); orchardgrass ( horn et al ., plant cell rep . 7 : 469 , ( 1988 ), the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference ); rice ( toriyama et al ., theor appl . genet . 205 : 34 , ( 1986 ); park et al ., plant mol . biol ., 32 : 1135 - 1148 , ( 1996 ); abedinia et al ., aust . j . plant physiol . 24 : 133 - 141 , ( 1997 ); zhang and wu , theor . appl . genet . 76 : 835 , ( 1988 ); zhang et al . plant cell rep . 7 : 379 , ( 1988 ); battraw and hall , plant sci . 86 : 191 - 202 , ( 1992 ); christou et al ., bio / technology 9 : 957 , ( 1991 ), all of which the entirety is herein incorporated by reference ); sugarcane ( bower and birch , plant j . 2 : 409 , ( 1992 ), the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference ); tall fescue ( wang et al ., bio / technology 10 : 691 , ( 1992 ), the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference ), and wheat ( vasil et al ., bio / technology 10 : 667 , ( 1992 ), the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference ; u . s . pat . no . 5 , 631 , 152 , the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference . assays for gene expression based on the transient expression of cloned nucleic acid constructs have been developed by introducing the nucleic acid molecules into plant cells by polyethylene glycol treatment , electroporation , or particle bombardment ( marcotte , et al ., nature , 335 : 454 - 457 ( 1988 ), the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference ; marcotte , et al ., plant cell , 1 : 523 - 532 ( 1989 ), the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference ; mccarty , et al ., cell 66 : 895 - 905 ( 1991 ), the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference ; hattori , et al ., genes dev . 6 : 609 - 618 ( 1992 ), the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference ; goff , et al ., embo j . 9 : 2517 - 2522 ( 1990 ), the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference ). transient expression systems may be used to functionally dissect gene constructs ( see generally , mailga et al ., methods in plant molecular biology , cold spring harbor press ( 1995 )). any of the nucleic acid molecules of the present invention may be introduced into a plant cell in a permanent or transient manner in combination with other genetic elements such as vectors , promoters enhancers etc . further any of the nucleic acid molecules of the present invention may be introduced into a plant cell in a manner that allows for over expression of the protein or fragment thereof encoded by the nucleic acid molecule . cosuppression is the reduction in expression levels , usually at the level of rna , of a particular endogenous gene or gene family by the expression of a homologous sense construct that is capable of transcribing mrna of the same strandedness as the transcript of the endogenous gene ( napoli et al ., plant cell 2 : 279 - 289 ( 1990 ), the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference ; van der krol et al ., plant cell 2 : 291 - 299 ( 1990 ), the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference ). cosuppression may result from stable transformation with a single copy nucleic acid molecule that is homologous to a nucleic acid sequence found with the cell ( prolls and meyer , plant j 2 : 465 - 475 ( 1992 ), the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference ) or with multiple copies of a nucleic acid molecule that is homologous to a nucleic acid sequence found with the cell ( mittlesten et al ., mol . gen . genet . 244 : 325 - 330 ( 1994 ), the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference ). genes , even though different , linked to homologous promoters may result in the cosuppression of the linked genes ( vaucheret , c . r . acad . sci . iii 316 : 1471 - 1483 ( 1993 ), the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference ). this technique has , for example been applied to generate white flowers from red petunia and tomatoes that do not ripen on the vine . up to 50 % of petunia transformants that contained a sense copy of the chalcone synthase ( chs ) gene produced white flowers or floral sectors ; this was as a result of the post - transcriptional loss of mrna encoding chs ( flavell , proc . natl . acad . sci . ( u . s . a .) 91 : 3490 - 3496 ( 1994 )), the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference ). cosuppression may require the coordinate transcription of the transgene and the endogenous gene , and can be reset by a developmental control mechanism ( jorgensen , trends biotechnol , 8 : 340344 ( 1990 ), the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference ; meins and kunz , in : gene inactivation and homologous recombination in plants ( paszkowski , j ., ed . ), pp . 335 - 348 . kluwer academic , netherlands ( 1994 ), the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference ). it is understood that one or more of the nucleic acids of the present invention including those comprising seq id no : 1 through seq id no : 27278 or complement thereof or fragments of either or other nucleic acid molecules of the present invention may be introduced into a plant cell and transcribed using an appropriate promoter with such transcription resulting in the co - suppression of an endogenous protein . antisense approaches are a way of preventing or reducing gene function by targeting the genetic material ( mol et al ., febs lett . 268 : 427 - 430 ( 1990 ), the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference ). the objective of the antisense approach is to use a sequence complementary to the target gene to block its expression and create a mutant cell line or organism in which the level of a single chosen protein is selectively reduced or abolished . antisense techniques have several advantages over other ‘ reverse genetic ’ approaches . the site of inactivation and its developmental effect can be manipulated by the choice of promoter for antisense genes or by the timing of external application or microinjection . antisense can manipulate its specificity by selecting either unique regions of the target gene or regions where it shares homology to other related genes ( hiatt et al ., in genetic engineering , setlow ( ed . ), vol . 11 , new york : plenum 49 - 63 ( 1989 ), the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference ). the principle of regulation by antisense rna is that rna that is complementary to the target mrna is introduced into cells , resulting in specific rna : rna duplexes being formed by base pairing between the antisense substrate and the target mrna ( green et al ., annu . rev . biochem . 55 : 569 - 597 ( 1986 ), the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference ). under one embodiment , the process involves the introduction and expression of an antisense gene sequence . such a sequence is one in which part or all of the normal gene sequences are placed under a promoter in inverted orientation so that the ‘ wrong ’ or complementary strand is transcribed into a noncoding antisense rna that hybridizes with the target mrna and interferes with its expression ( takayama and inouye , crit . rev . biochem . mol . biol . 25 : 155 - 184 ( 1990 ), the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference ). an antisense vector is constructed by standard procedures and introduced into cells by transformation , transfection , electroporation , microinjection , or by infection , etc . the type of transformation and choice of vector will determine whether expression is transient or stable . the promoter used for the antisense gene may influence the level , timing , tissue , specificity , or inducibility of the antisense inhibition . it is understood that protein synthesis activity in a plant cell may be reduced or depressed by growing a transformed plant cell containing a nucleic acid molecule whose non - transcribed strand encodes a protein or fragment thereof . antibodies have been expressed in plants ( hiatt et al ., nature 342 : 76 - 78 ( 1989 ), the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference ; conrad and fielder , plant mol . biol . 26 : 1023 - 1030 ( 1994 ), the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference ). cytoplamic expression of a scfv ( single - chain fv antibodies ) has been reported to delay infection by artichoke mottled crinkle virus . transgenic plants that express antibodies directed against endogenous proteins may exhibit a physiological effect ( philips et al ., embo j . 16 : 4489 - 4496 ( 1997 ), the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference ; marion - poll , trends in plant science 2 : 447 - 448 ( 1997 ), the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference ). for example , expressed anti - abscisic antibodies reportedly result in a general perturbation of seed development ( philips et al ., embo j . 16 : 4489 - 4496 ( 1997 )). antibodies that are catalytic may also be expressed in plants ( abzyrnes ). the principle behind abzymes is that since antibodies may be raised against many molecules , this recognition ability can be directed toward generating antibodies that bind transition states to force a chemical reaction forward ( persidas , nature biotechnology 15 : 1313 - 1315 ( 1997 ), the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference ; baca et al ., ann . rev . biophys . biomol . struct . 26 : 461 - 493 ( 1997 ), the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference ). the catalytic abilities of abzymes may be enhanced by site directed mutagensis . examples of abzymes are , for example , set forth in u . s . pat . no . 5 , 658 , 753 ; u . s . pat . no . 5 , 632 , 990 ; u . s . pat . no . 5 , 631 , 137 ; u . s . pat . no . 5 , 602 , 015 ; u . s . pat . no . 5 , 559 , 538 ; u . s . pat . no . 5 , 576 , 174 ; u . s . pat . no . 5 , 500 , 358 ; u . s . pat . no . 5 , 318 , 897 ; u . s . pat . no . 5 , 298 , 409 ; u . s . pat . no . 5 , 258 , 289 and u . s . pat . no . 5 , 194 , 585 , all of which are herein incorporated in their entirety . it is understood that any of the antibodies of the present invention may be expressed in plants and that such expression can result in a physiological effect . it is also understood that any of the expressed antibodies may be catalytic . in addition to the above discussed procedures , practitioners are familiar with the standard resource materials which describe specific conditions and procedures for the construction , manipulation and isolation of macromolecules ( e . g ., dna molecules , plasmids , etc . ), generation of recombinant organisms and the screening and isolating of clones , ( see for example , sambrook et al ., molecular cloning : a laboratory manual , cold spring harbor press ( 1989 ); mailga et al ., methods in plant molecular biology , cold spring harbor press ( 1995 ), the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference ; birren et al ., genome analysis : analyzing dna , 1 , cold spring harbor , n . y ., the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference ). the nucleotide sequence provided in seq id no : 1 , through seq id no : 27278 or fragment thereof , or complement thereof , or a nucleotide sequence at least 90 % identical , preferably 95 %, identical even more preferably 99 % or 100 % identical to the sequence provided in seq id no : 1 through seq id no : 27278 or fragment thereof , or complement thereof , can be “ provided ” in a variety of mediums to facilitate use fragment thereof . such a medium can also provide a subset thereof in a form that allows a skilled artisan to examine the sequences . in one application of this embodiment , a nucleotide sequence of the present invention can be recorded on computer readable media . as used herein , “ computer readable media ” refers to any medium that can be read and accessed directly by a computer . such media include , but are not limited to : magnetic storage media , such as floppy discs , hard disc , storage medium , and magnetic tape : optical storage media such as cd - rom ; electrical storage media such as ram and rom ; and hybrids of these categories such as magnetic / optical storage media . a skilled artisan can readily appreciate how any of the presently known computer readable mediums can be used to create a manufacture comprising computer readable medium having recorded thereon a nucleotide sequence of the present invention . as used herein , “ recorded ” refers to a process for storing information on computer readable medium . a skilled artisan can readily adopt any of the presently known methods for recording information on computer readable medium to generate media comprising the nucleotide sequence information of the present invention . a variety of data storage structures are available to a skilled artisan for creating a computer readable medium having recorded thereon a nucleotide sequence of the present invention . the choice of the data storage structure will generally be based on the means chosen to access the stored information . in addition , a variety of data processor programs and formats can be used to store the nucleotide sequence information of the present invention on computer readable medium . the sequence information can be represented in a word processing text file , formatted in commercially - available software such as wordperfect and microsoft word , or represented in the form of an ascii file , stored in a database application , such as db2 , sybase , oracle , or the like . a skilled artisan can readily adapt any number of data processor structuring formats ( e . g . text file or database ) in order to obtain computer readable medium having recorded thereon the nucleotide sequence information of the present invention . by providing one or more of nucleotide sequences of the present invention , a skilled artisan can routinely access the sequence information for a variety of purposes . computer software is publicly available which allows a skilled artisan to access sequence information provided in a computer readable medium . the examples which follow demonstrate how software which implements the blast ( altschul et al ., j . mol . biol . 215 : 403 - 410 ( 1990 )) and blaze ( brutlag et al ., comp . chem . 17 : 203 - 207 ( 1993 ), the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference ) search algorithms on a sybase system can be used to identify open reading frames ( orfs ) within the genome that contain homology to orfs or proteins from other organisms . such orfs are protein - encoding fragments within the sequences of the present invention and are useful in producing commercially important proteins such as enzymes used in amino acid biosynthesis , metabolism , transcription , translation , rna processing , nucleic acid and a protein degradation , protein modification , and dna replication , restriction , modification , recombination , and repair . the present invention further provides systems , particularly computer - based systems , which contain the sequence information described herein . such systems are designed to identify commercially important fragments of the nucleic acid molecule of the present invention . as used herein , “ a computer - based system ” refers to the hardware means , software means , and data storage means used to analyze the nucleotide sequence information of the present invention . the minimum hardware means of the computer - based systems of the present invention comprises a central processing unit ( cpu ), input means , output means , and data storage means . a skilled artisan can readily appreciate that any one of the currently available computer - based system are suitable for use in the present invention . as indicated above , the computer - based systems of the present invention comprise a data storage means having stored therein a nucleotide sequence of the present invention and the necessary hardware means and software means for supporting and implementing a search means . as used herein , “ data storage means ” refers to memory that can store nucleotide sequence information of the present invention , or a memory access means which can access manufactures having recorded thereon the nucleotide sequence information of the present invention . as used herein , “ search means ” refers to one or more programs which are implemented on the computer - based system to compare a target sequence or target structural motif with the sequence information stored within the data storage means . search means are used to identify fragments or regions of the sequence of the present invention that match a particular target sequence or target motif . a variety of known algorithms are disclosed publicly and a variety of commercially available software for conducting search means are available and can be used in the computer - based systems of the present invention . examples of such software include , but are not limited to , macpattern ( embl ), blastin and blastix ( ncbia ). one of the available algorithms or implementing software packages for conducting homology searches can be adapted for use in the present computer - based systems . the most preferred sequence length of a target sequence is from about 10 to 100 amino acids or from about 30 to 300 nucleotide residues . however , it is well recognized that during searches for commercially important fragments of the nucleic acid molecules of the present invention , such as sequence fragments involved in gene expression and protein processing , may be of shorter length . as used herein , “ a target structural motif ,” or “ target motif ,” refers to any rationally selected sequence or combination of sequences in which the sequences or sequence ( s ) are chosen based on a three - dimensional configuration which is formed upon the folding of the target motif . there are a variety of target motifs known in the art . protein target motifs include , but are not limited to , enzymatic active sites and signal sequences . nucleic acid target motifs include , but are not limited to , promoter sequences , cis elements , hairpin structures and inducible expression elements ( protein binding sequences ). thus , the present invention further provides an input means for receiving a target sequence , a data storage means for storing the target sequences of the present invention sequence identified using a search means as described above , and an output means for outputting the identified homologous sequences . a variety of structural formats for the input and output means can be used to input and output information in the computer - based systems of the present invention . a preferred format for an output means ranks fragments of the sequence of the present invention by varying degrees of homology to the target sequence or target motif . such presentation provides a skilled artisan with a ranking of sequences which contain various amounts of the target sequence or target motif and identifies the degree of homology contained in the identified fragment . a variety of comparing means can be used to compare a target sequence or target motif with the data storage means to identify sequence fragments sequence of the present invention . for example , implementing software which implement the blast and blaze algorithms ( altschul et al ., j . mol . biol . 215 : 403 - 410 ( 1990 )) can be used to identify open frames within the nucleic acid molecules of the present invention . a skilled artisan can readily recognize that any one of the publicly available homology search programs can be used as the search means for the computer - based systems of the present invention . having now generally described the invention , the same will be more readily understood through reference to the following examples which are provided by way of illustration , and are not intended to be limiting of the present invention , unless specified . the soymon018 cdna library is generated from soybean cultivar asgrow 3244 ( asgrow seed company , des moines , iowa u . s . a .) leaf tissue harvested 45 and 55 days post - flowering . leaves from field grown plants are harvested 45 and 55 days after flowering from the fourth node . approximately 27 g and 33 g of seeds are harvested from the respective seed pods and immediately frozen in dry ice . the harvested tissue is then stored at − 80 ° c . until rna preparation . seq id no : 1 through seq id no : 21357 are from soymon018 the cdna library is constructed as described in example 2 . the soymon028 cdna library is generated from soybean cultivar asgrow 3244 ( asgrow seed company , des moines , iowa u . s . a .) drought - stressed root tissue . seeds are planted in moist metromix 350 medium at a depth of approximately 2 cm in trays . the trays are placed in an environmental chamber set to a 12 h day / 12 h night cycle , 26 ° c . daytime temperature , 21 ° c . night temperature and 70 % relative humidity . daytime light levels are measured at 300μ einsteins / m 2 . soil is checked and watered daily to maintain even moisture conditions . at the r3 stage of development , water is withheld from half of the plant collection ( drought stressed population ). after 3 days , half of the plants from the drought stressed condition and half of the plants from the control population are harvested . after another 3 days ( 6 days post drought induction ) the remaining plants are harvested . a total of 27 g and 40 g of root tissue is harvested from plants at two time points and immediately frozen in dry ice . the harvested tissue is then stored at − 80 ° c . until rna preparation . total rna is prepared from the combination of equal amounts of drought stressed root tissue from both time points and the cdna library is constructed as described in example 2 . seq id no : 21358 through seq id no : 27278 are from soymon028 . the stored rna is purified using trizol reagent from life technologies ( gibco brl , life technologies , gaithersburg , md . u . s . a . ), essentially as recommended by the manufacturer . poly a + rna ( mrna ) is purified using magnetic oligo dt beads essentially as recommended by the manufacturer ( dynabeads , dynal corporation , lake success , new york u . s . a .). construction of plant cdna libraries is well - known in the art and a number of cloning strategies exist . a number of cdna library construction kits are commercially available . the superscript ™ plasmid system for cdna synthesis and plasmid cloning ( gibco brl , life technologies , gaithersburg , md . u . s . a .) is used , following the conditions suggested by the manufacturer . normalized libraries are made using essentially the soares procedure ( soares et al ., proc . natl . acad . sci . ( u . s . a .) 91 : 9228 - 9232 ( 1994 )). this approach is designed to reduce the initial 10 , 000 - fold variation in individual cdna frequencies to achieve abundances within one order of magnitude while maintaining the overall sequence complexity of the library . in the normalization process , the prevalence of high - abundance cdna clones decreases dramatically , clones with mid - level abundance are relatively unaffected and clones for rare transcripts are effectively increased in abundance . normalized libraries are prepared from single - stranded and double - stranded dna . single - stranded and double - stranded dna representing approximately 1 × 10 6 colony forming units are isolated using standard protocols . rna , complementary to the single - stranded dna , is synthesized using the double stranded dna as a template . biotinylated datp is incorporated into the rna during the synthesis reaction . the single - stranded dna is mixed with the biotinylated rna in a 1 : 10 molar ratio ) and allowed to hybridize . dna - rna hybrids are captured on dynabeads m280 streptavidin ( dynabeads , dynal corporation , lake success , new york u . s . a .). the dynabeads with captured hybrids are collected with a magnet . the non - hybridized single - stranded molecules remaining after hybrid capture are converted to double stranded form and represent the primary normalized library . the cdna libraries are plated on lb agar containing the appropriate antibiotics for selection and incubated at 37 ° for a sufficient time to allow the growth of individual colonies . single colonies are individually placed in each well of a 96 - well microtiter plates containing lb liquid including the selective antibiotics . the plates are incubated overnight at approximately 37 ° c . with gentle shaking to promote growth of the cultures . the plasmid dna is isolated from each clone using qiaprep plasmid isolation kits , using the conditions recommended by the manufacturer ( qiagen inc ., santa clara , calif . u . s . a .). the template plasmid dna clones are used for subsequent sequencing . for sequencing the cdna libraries of soymon018 , and soymon028 , a commercially available sequencing kit , such as the abi prism drhodamine terminator cycle sequencing ready reaction kit with amplitaq ® dna polymerase , fs , is used under the conditions recommended by the manufacturer ( pe applied biosysteins , foster city , calif .). the ests of the present invention are generated by sequencing initiated from the 5 ′ end of each cdna clone . a number of sequencing techniques are known in the art , including fluorescence - based sequencing methodologies . these methods have the detection , automation and instrumentation capability necessary for the analysis of large volumes of sequence data . currently , the 377 dna sequencer ( perkin - elmer corp ., applied biosystems div ., foster city , calif .) allows the most rapid electrophoresis and data collection . with these types of automated systems , fluorescent dye - labeled sequence reaction products are detected and data entered directly into the computer , producing a chromatogram that is subsequently viewed , stored , and analyzed using the corresponding software programs . these methods are known to those of skill in the art and have been described and reviewed ( birren et al ., genome analysis : analyzing dna , 1 , cold spring harbor , n . y ., the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference ).
| 2 |
the alkynols utilized in the present invention are well known compounds which are readily commercially available . there may be employed primary , secondary or tertiary alkynols of the general formula ## str1 ## wherein r 1 and r 2 are selected from the group consisting of hydrogen , alkyl , cycloaklyl , or carbocycloaryl , wherein the alkyl groups contain from 1 - 12 , the cycloalkyl contain from 3 - 12 and the carbocycloaryl groups contain from 5 - 12 carbon atoms respectively , and r 1 and r 2 may be the same or different . as examples of primary alkynols that may be mentioned 1 - propyn - 2 - ol ; 1 - butyn - 4 - ol and 3 - hexyn - 1 - ol . as examples of secondary alkynols that may be mentioned 1 - butyn - 3 - ol ; 1 - pentyn - 3 - ol ; 4 - methyl - 1 - pentyn - 3 - ol and 3 - phenyl - 1 - propyn - 3 - ol . as examples of tertiary alkynols that may be mentioned 3 - methyl - 1 - butyn - 3 - ol ; 3 - methyl - 1 - pentyn - 3 - ol ; 3 , 5 - dimethyl - 1 - hexyn - 3 - ol ; 3 - methyl - 1 - nonyn - 3 - ol ; 3 - phenyl - 1 - butyn - 3 - ol and 1 - ethynylcyclohexanol . it is especially preferred to utilize tertiary alkynols such as 3 - methyl - 1 - butyn - 3 - ol and 3 - methyl - 1 - pentyn - 3 - ol . the increase in efficiency is fairly directly related to the amount of alkynol utilized . thus , at a ratio of about one part of alkynol to about 150 parts of regular gasoline in the tank ( circa . 6 parts of alkynol per 1000 parts of gasoline or about 400 ml . of alkynol per 16 gallons of gasoline ), there is noticed a mileage improvement of about four miles / gallon in 20 m . p . g . while at a ratio of 1 to 1020 ( 0 . 97 parts per thousand or 200 ml . of alkynol per 16 gallons of gas ) the change is only about 1 mile / gallon in 20 miles per gallon . where the alkynol is aspirated the improvement is even greater . while the invention is not to be considered as limited to the use of about one pint of alkynol per 16 gallons of gas , the use of larger amounts would probably not be cost effective . the alkynols may suitably be compounded with other non - acetylenic additives to economically formulate various fuel additive mixtures . such additives include alcohols , sitably lower alkanols of 1 - 5 carbon atoms , such as methanol , ethanol , isopropanol , n - butanol , secondary butanol , tertiary butanol ; lower dialkylethers of 1 - 5 carbon atoms , peralkyl moiety , diethylether , di - n - propylether , diisopropylether , methyl - tertiary - butylether , lower alkanes of 1 - 10 carbons , n - pentane , n - hexane , n - heptane , isooctane ; phenyl lower alkanes such as toluene xylenes and isomers of the preceeding hydrocarbons ; n , n - dimetylformamide , n , n - dimethylacetamide , low molecular weight ketones and esters and amines . where an additive is utilized , the total composition may contain between 5 and 80 % alkanol and between 20 and 80 % of alkanol and between 0 and 10 % of water . the composition which is employed will depend somewhat upon the mode of application of the additive mixture . thus where the additive mixture is added to the gas tank or other fuel reservoir the composition will be a matter of choice and might well be guided more by other factors , for example , the desirability of reducing fuel line freeze and the like . however , where the additive is used in the aspirator , it is preferable that the amount of alkynol not exceed 50 , suitably 46 %. indeed , compositions containing between 10 and 20 % of the alkynol are entirely satisfactory . the aspirator comprises a container 1 , suitably of cylindrical shape and constructed of a solvent resistant plastic , of glass , or of metal . the neck of vessel 1 is provided with a closure means 2 , suitably a screw top or tight stopper through which are journaled two openings thru which pass tubes 3 and 5 . the lower end of tube 3 projects slightly below closure means 2 . the upper end is securable into the air flow system of the burning means , for example , pcv return line 4 . the tube 5 protrudes into the lower portion of vessel 1 and is provided at the lower end thereof with a fritted or porous sparger piece 7 . the upper end of tube 5 is provided with an air needle valve 6 . the additive mixture is charged to vessel 1 to a level above sparger piece 7 and below the lower end of tube 3 . in the operation of the device the normal air flow thru the pcv system , or any other air intake system reduces the air pressure in the vessel above the additive mixture . this reduced pressure causes air to flow thru needle valve 6 down tube 5 and thru porous sparger 7 thus carrying air saturated with additive into the air space from which it is thence drawn into the engine . the amount of air flow can be controlled by valve 6 in the conventional manner . to 20 gallons of leaded or non - leaded gasoline is added 200 - 300 ml . ( 0 . 053 - 0 . 079 gal .) of a typical additive mixture shown below , the composition of which is expressed in volume - percent . ______________________________________formulation avolume - percent component______________________________________ 5 3 - methyl - 1 - butyn - 3 - ol40 methanol20 hexane15 toluene15 diisopropyl ether 5 n , n -- dimethylformamide______________________________________ with each new , 20 gallon addition of gasoline to the car tank , a 100 - 150 ml . portion of the above mixture is added to the gasoline tank . although the mixture is completely miscible in gasoline and related hydrocarbons , a rocking motion imparted to the car helps facilitate initial mixing . the aspirator vessel is filled to approximately 85 - 90 % of capacity with the following mixture : ______________________________________formulation bvolume - percent component______________________________________10 3 - methyl - 1 - butyn - 3 - ol20 isopropanol ( 20 propanol ) 40 methanol25 n - hexane 5 water______________________________________ ______________________________________formulation cvolume - percent component______________________________________10 3 - methyl - 1 - butyn - 3 - ol35 methanol10 toluene 5 diisopropyl ether 5 n , n -- dimethylformamide35 isopropanol ( 2 - propanol ) ______________________________________ in accordance with the procedures of examples i and ii in place of 3 - methyl - 1 - butyn - 3 - ol , there may be utilized any of the alkynols disclosed in the present specification , together with any of the alkanols similarly disclosed . table i__________________________________________________________________________highway mileage performance tests - alkynol based fuel saving mixtures total gallons car mileageadditive tank car ( mi ./ gal . ) formulation method car type gals . fuel additive miles additive control__________________________________________________________________________i a + b tank addit . + 1974 dodge swinger 758 2 . 01 14 , 400 19 aspiration none control 1974 dodge swinger 938 0 . 0 15 , 000 -- 16ii a + b tank addit . + 1972 dodge coronet aspiration trips : 1 . tank addit . + 60 0 . 160 1 , 250 21 aspiration 2 . tank addit . + 31 0 . 082 590 19 aspiration 3 . tank addit . + 152 0 . 210 3 , 200 21 aspiration 4 . tank addit . + 100 0 . 265 2 , 000 20 aspiration 5 . tank addit . + 13 0 . 034 263 20 aspiration 6 . tank addit . + 40 0 . 106 848 21 aspiration 7 . tank addit . only 45 0 . 119 851 19 total 365 0 . 976 7 , 402 av . 20 none control 1972 dodge coronet 8 . av . highway 311 0 . 0 5 , 286 17 9 . av . city 309 0 . 0 4 , 320 14iii c tank addit . 1973 ford ltd 77 0 . 31 1 , 028 13 . 4 station wagon control 1973 ford ltd 87 0 . 0 983 11 . 3 station wagon__________________________________________________________________________ mainly daily highway driving from east st . louis to baldwin , mo .- 60 miles per day and 5 days per week ; total mileage 14 , 400 miles using both the tank - additive ( formulation a ) and aspiration ( formulation b ) methods described in example i . test i was carried out during 1975 using as test vehicle , a 1974 dodge swinger . 8 cylinder car , 318 engine ( 48 h . p .). the amounts of formulations a and b that were used are the quantities described in example i . total consumption of additives and gasoline are summarized in tables i and ii . comprises 7 separate trips using as test vehicle , a 1972 dodge coornet , 8 cylinder , 318 engine ( 48 h . p .). the tank - additive and aspirator quantities are the same as in test i . trip ( 1 ) east st . louis to columbia , mo .- 250 miles round - trip ; total mileage 1250 miles for 5 identical trips ( 1975 - 1979 ). trip ( 2 ) east st . louis to chicago , ill .- 590 miles round - trip ( 1976 ). trip ( 3 ) east st . louis to lynchburg , va .- 1600 miles round - trip ; total mileage 3200 miles for two similar trips ( 1977 , 1978 ). trip ( 4 ) east st . louis to fallsburg , n . y .- 2 , 000 miles round - trip ( 1978 ). trip ( 5 ) east st . louis to columbia , mo .- 263 miles round - trip ( 1979 ). trip ( 6 ) east st . louis to washington , d . c .- 848 miles one - way ( 1979 ). trip ( 7 ) washington , d . c . to east st . louis - 848 miles one - way ( 1979 ); tank - mix additive only used . local winter driving during 1978 - 1979 at whitehouse station , n . j ., using as test vehicle a 1973 ford ltd station wagon , 400 standard engine ( 460 cu . in ); tank additive only used as formulation c , example ii . table ii__________________________________________________________________________highway fuel economics based on table i datagallons - fuel or additive gal . tank aspir .. sup . ( 1 ) total total mileage fuel . sup . ( 2 ) ratio fuel : test formulation fuel addit . addit . addit . car miles ( mi . gal .) saved total addit . __________________________________________________________________________i a + b 758 2 . 01 4 . 35 6 . 36 14 , 400 19 143 119i control 901 0 . 0 0 . 0 0 . 0 14 , 400 16 0 0ii . sup . ( 3 ) a + b 365 0 . 98 2 . 30 3 . 28 7 , 402 20 70 111 ( trips 1 - 7 ) ii control 435 0 . 0 0 . 0 0 . 0 7 , 402 17 0 0iii tank addit . 77 0 . 31 0 . 0 0 . 31 1 , 028 13 . 4 14 248iii control 91 0 . 0 0 . 0 0 . 0 1 , 028 11 . 3 0 0__________________________________________________________________________ . sup . ( 1 ) aspirator formulation usage is 0 . 528 gallons ( 2 . 0 liters ) per 1 , 700 miles highway travel . . sup . ( 2 ) fuel savings is equal to total mileage used with additives ( addit .) minus the control ; tests i , ii , iii . . sup . ( 3 ) all trips except ( 7 ) used the tank additive + aspirator method ( + b ); trip 7 used only tank additive , formulation ( c ). table iii__________________________________________________________________________highway mileage performance tests - use of only alkynol ( m . b .) total gallons car gals . tank car mileage ( 16 gal . tank ) alkynol method car type fuel additive miles ( mi . gal .) comments__________________________________________________________________________none tank addit . 1984 ford ltd 177 . 8 0 3 , 555 19 . 99 local + highway only wagon ( control ) methyl butynol tank addit . 1984 ford ltd 54 . 2 0 . 053 1 , 133 20 . 90 200 ml . m . b ./ 16 gal . ( m . b .) only wagon gas . local + highwaymethyl butynol tank addit . 1984 ford ltd 42 . 5 0 . 053 924 21 . 74 200 ml . m . b ./ 16 gal . ( m . b .) only wagon gas . local + highwaymethyl butynol tank addit . 1984 ford ltd 16 . 8 0 . 106 397 23 . 63 400 ml . m . b ./ 16 gal . ( m . b .) only wagon gas . local + highwaymethyl butynol tank addit . 1984 ford ltd 26 . 9 0 . 106 592 22 . 00 400 ml . m . b ./ 16 gal . ( m . b .) only wagon gas . local + highwaymethyl butynol tank addit . 1984 ford ltd 41 . 4 0 . 027 833 20 . 12 100 ml . m . b ./ 16 gal . ( m . b .) only wagon gas . local + highway__________________________________________________________________________ table iv__________________________________________________________________________aspirator only - highway mileage performanceformulation__________________________________________________________________________none aspirator 1972 dodge 36 . 9 0 . 0 506 13 . 71 control only coronet no methyl butynol45 . 5 % m . b . ; 45 % aspirator 1972 dodge 31 . 4 0 . 115 506 16 . 11 mb . -- ch . sub . 3 oh -- h . sub . 2 oh . sub . 2 o ; 50 % methanol only coronet mixture22 . 7 % m . b . ; 2 . 3 % aspirator 1972 dodge 32 . 4 0 . 115 506 14 . 21 mb . -- ch . sub . 3 oh -- h . sub . 2 oh . sub . 2 o ; 75 . 0 % methanol only coronet mixture__________________________________________________________________________ asspirator test : 1972 dodge coronet ; round trips st . to kansas city , 506 miles .
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with general reference to the figures and with special reference now to fig2 a general overview of an embodiment of the rfc manager of the present invention is shown and described next , applied to a situation in which the requestor application is systems management software and the target application is an integrated business application . conceptually , the implementation thereof consists of at least two processes , an rfc dispatcher ( rfcd ) and at least one rfc connector ( rfcc ) which physically may run on the same machine , or on different machines , as well . in a case of the same machine shared memory can be used for exchanging information between both processes . an adequate prior art information management can be accomplished when the manager is implemented as a distributed application , distributed over more than one machine . the rfc manager itself is represented by the frame 23 . each systems management software application 10 to 13 sends its rfc requests via socket communication in the above - mentioned one - machine case to one dedicated port 22 the rfc dispatcher 24 listens to . basically , the following information is sent from every systems management software application 10 to 13 to the rfc dispatcher 24 : the integrated business application login data ( described below ), the name of the rfc module to call , and the parameters of the rfc . the dispatcher 24 can manage , i . e ., create , use , and delete a predetermined number of so - called connectors 25 , 26 , 27 . those connectors represent the logical envelope for physical connections 28 , 29 , 30 , 31 to the different integrated business application systems denoted by reference signs 32 , 33 , 34 . the vertical line represents the spatial distance between the systems management software system and the three different business application systems . each of the connectors is implemented as a separate process . the rfc dispatcher 24 decides which of the existing rfc connectors 25 , 26 , 27 currently has free working resources , and routes the request to the appropriate one . the selected rfc connector opens the connection to the integrated business application system and executes the rfc . then it passes back the results over a predetermined port . this is done initially for the first request . assuming there is a permanent connection ( see the description below ), the rfc dispatcher 24 remembers the rfc connector process which is responsible for this connection . then it routes the new request to this process again . if necessary a new thread is created and managed for that new connection . it is also possible to have only one connector process . in this case the rfc manager can in general not handle that much workload as a rfc manager with several rfc connectors could , but the design of such an rfc manager is much more simple . the rfc manager 23 is started by starting the rfc dispatcher module 24 via an operating system - specific mechanism , as e . g ., a starter daemon on a unix platform or via a dedicated service for windows nt , for example . the rfc dispatcher 24 starts a predetermined number of rfc connector processes 25 , 26 , 27 . with additional reference now to fig3 each rfc connector process 25 , 26 , 27 consists of several working threads 31 a - 31 d , 32 a - 32 d , and 33 a - 33 d , as shown in fig3 . each thread can handle one rfc connection at a time . these threads are started during initialization , as well . after initialization it is possible to start more threads on request , up to a predetermined maximum number . the values for number of rfc connector processes , initial number of working threads per rfc connector , and maximum number of working threads per rfc connector are advantageously specified in a connection configuration file 34 , which the rfc dispatcher 24 reads during startup . these values should be able to be adjusted and revisited by the dispatcher 24 , depending on the dynamically varying workload of the whole system . this approach helps to provide a better scalability of the rfc manager 23 . because the number of threads per process is limited , the rfc manager can handle more rfc connections if multiple rfccs are available . on the other hand , if the number of connections to handle is smaller than the number of threads per process , a single rfcc is enough . next , and with additional reference to fig4 , some more details are given how the rfc dispatcher 24 and the rfc connectors 25 , 26 , 27 work together to process an application &# 39 ; s request . simply stated , the rfcd waits for and listens to rfc requests on a dedicated port 22 , step 405 . when it receives a request , step 410 , it copies the data from the port to a shared memory block and delegates the request to a free rfcc to execute . this is done with step 415 , reading the traffic data of the request , i . e ., in particular the target location , followed by step 420 where the connection configuration file 34 is confirmatorily checked . the delegation of the request is then done by checking , decision 430 , if one or more suited connections are already open to the concerned target application . if no , a respective connection is created and used thereafter , step 435 . if yes , however , the best connection is selected for the processing of the current request , step 440 . then the dispatcher 24 waits for the next request , i . e ., it is branched back to step 405 , while the control is delivered to the respective elected connector process for the request to be processed , step 445 . thus , concurrent processes are maintained : the dispatcher process and the plurality of connector processes . a preferred embodiment of the present invention assures that the dispatcher 24 needs not know any connectivity details , like which rfc should be called , nor what the parameters for the rfc might look like . to achieve this the protocol for the socket communication between the systems management software application and rfcd is proposed to look as specified below . it should be noted that this is a preferred protocol adapted to the present embodiment only . other applications require different protocols : according to the protocol the applications 10 , 11 , 12 , and 13 ( refer back to fig2 ) send data packets which consist of : name of the rfc size of rfc import parameters size of rfc export parameters size of rfc table parameters memory block of import parameters memory block of export parameters memory block of table parameters integrated business application login data flag : permanent connection or not the data packets are sent over the port in this form from the application by calling an application programming interface ( api ) as described next below : the application api consists of a set of routines , which are delivered in a dll . these routines replace the currently implemented calls to the rfc library . so the first disadvantage as discussed above is surmounted . it is not necessary for the application to link with the rfc library from the integrated business application anymore . only the header files with the data types for a certain rfc call must be included . integrated business application logon data or ‘ defaultuser ’ rfc name pointer to import parameter pointer to export parameter pointer to table parameter size of import parameter size of export parameter size of table parameter application keyword timeout value a suitable return value including error description is provided as well as what is required by the respective request . integrated business application logon data application keyword and a respective return value . sid ( 3 - letter system identifier ) hostname user name password system id ( a number between 0 and 98 to identify the integrated business application instance ) client interface keyword : the integrated business application has defined certain areas of rfc interfaces , for example a specific one for batch processing . to use an rfc call from these interfaces an additional logon is done . with this keyword the application specifies which interface it wants to log on to . pointers to rfc parameter : the application builds up the rfc parameters as is done according to prior art . these pointers are equal to the parameters in the rfcreceiveresp and rfccallreceive calls . application keyword : to remember a connection , the rfc manager uniquely identifies the application which sends the request . therefore an application - unique keyword is provided . the application keyword together with the integrated business application logon data uniquely identifies a connection . timeout value : time after which the call returns with an error if no response from the integrated business application system is available . 0 means indefinite wait . to provide maximum flexibility , the applications 10 to 13 can send requests to rfcd by calling smscallrfc with or without setting the hold - connection flag to true . in the first case the rfc manager will leave the connection open for further calls of smscallrfc . so the performance overhead can be minimized while opening a connection and doing the authorization checks in the integrated business application system . setting the hold - connection flag to false will cause the rfc manager to close the connection after the rfc call . the above - described interface can replace all currently implemented rfc calls in any systems management software application . an application builds the rfc parameters as it currently does , but has not to take care about rfc itself anymore . this means an application can include only the header files for the parameters and does not have to link against the rfc library . also all rfc error handling is done internally through the new interface . this saves a lot of duplicate coding in the application . the second call , smssetdefaultuser , sets a default user for a certain application . it is stored in a user configuration file . the password can be encrypted . if the keyword ‘ defaultuser ’ is specified for the user in a smscallrfc call , the default user of the application is used . all other integrated business application logon parameters can be set to null . this offers another possibility for the application to reduce its amount of administrative work . the rfc manager 23 consists of one rfcd process 23 and as many rfcc processes as specified in the connection configuration file . each rfcc 25 , 26 , 27 consists of several working threads 31 a - 31 d , 32 a - 32 d , 33 a - 33 d , which also can be specified in the connection configuration file . as it was already mentioned above , rfcd 23 decides which rfcc gets a certain request . the decision is advantageously made upon free resources , and / or former requests with an already open connection , respectively . rfcd 24 passes the rfc data as target login data , name of rfc module and module parameters , to a certain rfcc , and signals it to process the request . then the rfcc opens or uses an already opened connection to the integrated business application system to process the request . with reference back to fig4 the results of the rfc are sent back to the application over a specified port , step 450 . the socket communication including error handling and timeout is handled internally within the api layer , step 455 . then , the respective rfcc updates some internal administration data , step 460 , possibly closes the connection or leaves it open , step 470 , and waits for the next request , branch back to 445 . there might be as many requests per process in parallel as working threads are available . as should be revealed by the above description , the freedom of freely configuring the number of rfcc processes and working threads gives a great flexibility to adapt the rfc manager according to the required workload or the system resources available on the machine the rfc manager is running , respectively . due to the fact that only the rfc connector processes deal with the remote function calls themselves , only the rfcc code has to be linked with a respective rfc library . therefore the danger of runtime errors because of incompatible rfc libraries is dramatically reduced . in the foregoing specification the invention has been described with reference to a specific exemplary embodiment thereof . it will , however , be evident that various modifications and changes may be made thereto without departing from the broader spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims . the specification and drawings are accordingly to be regarded as illustrative rather than in a restrictive sense . for example , the concept of the present invention can be easily inverted in terms of requestor and target application . or , mechanisms other than remote function calls , e . g ., remote procedure calls ( rpcs ), in general all ip client - server communications , can be applied advantageously with the concepts of the current invention . or it can be applied to set up a multi - user system in which repetitive calls to a stock exchange management system are processed . the present invention can be realized in hardware , software , or a combination of hardware and software . a remote function call ( rfc ) manager tool according to the present invention can be realized in a centralized fashion in one computer system , or in a distributed fashion where different elements are spread across several interconnected computer systems . any kind of computer system or other apparatus adapted for carrying out the methods described herein is suited . a typical combination of hardware and software could be a general purpose computer system with a computer program that , when being loaded and executed , controls the computer system such that it carries out the methods described herein . the present invention can also be embedded in a computer program product , which comprises all the features enabling the implementation of the methods described herein , and which when loaded in a computer system is able to carry out these methods . computer program means or computer program in the present context mean any expression , in any language , code or notation , of a set of instructions intended to cause a system having an information processing capability to perform a particular function either directly or after either or both of the following : a ) conversion to another language , code or notation ; b ) reproduction in a different material form .
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as shown in fig1 a heating plate is provided with a heater and a temperature detector , and is maintained at a predetermined temperature , for instance 37 ° c ., according to reaction conditions . the heating plate 1 has straight grooves x1 and x2 and straight grooves y1 and y2 which are orthogonal to the former . these straight grooves x1 , y1 , x2 and y2 together form a circulation path . a partition wall 2 is formed between the straight grooves x1 and x2 , so that the corners of carriers 3 sliding on the straight grooves x1 and x2 will not be caught by or engaged with one another ; however , it is not always necessary to provide the partition wall 2 . pushing levers 4 , 5 , 6 and 7 are provided at the corners of the circulation path , respectively , so that the carrier 3 at a corner may be moved by one frame , or two frames as the case may be . a channel 9 is connected to an insertion inlet 8 , and a chemical analysis slide 10 is placed in the channel . body fluid is placed on the sample side of the slide 10 . after the body fluid has been spread , the slide 10 is moved by the pushing lever 11 , so that it is placed in a carrier 3 . the carrier 3 into which the chemical analysis slide 10 has been inserted , is moved to the left by one frame at a time along the straight groove x1 by the pushing lever 6 until it reaches the straight groove y1 . the carrier 3 , which has reached the straight groove y1 , is then moved by the pushing lever 5 until it reaches the straight groove x2 . the carrier 3 is further moved along the straight groove x2 by the lever 4 until it reaches the straight groove y2 . the carrier 3 is correctly positioned by the corner of the straight groove y2 , so that it may be subjected to colorimetric determination to perform a quantitative analysis of a particular component of the body fluid . after the colorimetric determination , the carrier 3 is moved to a discharge position by the pushing lever 7 . a discharging outlet 12 is provided at the discharge position . when the carrier 3 reaches the outlet 12 , only the slide 10 is allowed to drop into a container for receiving chemical analysis slides . the carrier 3 , after discharging the slide 10 , is pushed back to the inserting inlet 8 by the pushing lever 6 . the chemical analysis slide 10 is incubated at a predetermined temperature while being intermittently moved along the circulation path from the inserting inlet 8 to the measurement position . the period of incubation can be set to a desired value by controlling the timing of the operations of the pushing levers 4 through 7 . for instance in the case where glycosidase is employed as an enzyme to measure the density of glycoside in the blood , it is suitable for the incubating period to be six minutes at 37 ° c . the heating plate 1 is made of aluminum , which is excellent in thermal conductivity . the carrier 3 is made of a resin or metal which exhibits a small coefficient of friction . fig2 shows the arrangement of an analysis / measurement section . an upper cover 15 is placed on the heating plate 1 . the upper cover 15 is made of transparent glass or resin so that the operator can observe the movement of the carriers 3 . in order to maintain the circulation path at a uniform temperature , it is desirable to provide a heater for the upper cover 15 . if a heater is provided only for the upper cover 15 and not for the heating plate 1 , it is possible to set the temperature of the heating plate 1 to a certain value using only heat radiated from the upper cover 15 . a hole 16 is formed in the heating plate 1 at the aforementioned measurement position . a dark box or enclosure 17 is provided below the hole 16 . the dark box 17 incorporates an illuminating light source 18 , a lens 19 , a color filter 20 and a photo - detector 21 . the upper cover 15 has a hoel 15a above the aforementioned hole 16 . a dark box 22 is provided in such a manner as to surround the hole 15a . the chemical analysis slide 10 is made up of a measurement element 24 which is obtained by forming reagent layers in a dry multi - layer film , and a frame 25 which receives the measurement element 24 and has an upper hole 25a , namely , a liquid specimen receiving hole , and a lower hole 25b , namely , a photometric hole . in the reagent layer , the reagent reacts with the liquid specimen , as a result of which coloring is effected to a density corresponding to a particular material of the liquid specimen . the degree of the coloring reaction depends on the incubation time , the amount of moisture and the amount of oxygen . among these factors , the amount of moisture is most important ; that is , it is essential that there be a sufficient amount of moisture during the coloring reaction . since the amount of liquid specimen is very small , for instance 10 μl , the moisture dissipates through the hole 25a during incubation , as a result of which the coloring process may stop . on the other hand , no moisture dissipates through the hole 25b on the photometric side , because a base layer ( or a transparent plastic film ) closes the hole 25b . as the carrier 3 is placed on the specimen side to close the hole 25a , the evaporation of moisture can be effectively prevented and the coloring reaction may be sufficiently effected . a layer of air is formed in the hole 25a ; that is , a sufficient amount of oxygen is supplied for the reaction . when the chemical analysis slide 10 is set upside down so that the specimen side faces downwardly , the specimen side is brought into close contact with the heating plate 1 by the weight of the carrier 3 . in this case also , the evaporation of moisture can be prevented . in addition , it should be noted that the position of the box 17 is opposite to that of the dark box 22 in this case . if the chemical analysis slide 10 is set upside down when the carrier 3 is not used , then the specimen side is brought into close contact with the heating plate 1 by the weight of the slide 10 , so that the evaporation of moisture can be prevented . the chemical analysis slide 10 at the measurement position is illuminated by light from the light source 18 . light reflected from the reagent layer of the slide 10 advances through the hole 25b , the hole 16 , the lens 19 and the color filter 20 to the photo - detector 21 , where light of only a predetermined range of wavelengths is subjected to photo - electric conversion . when , after the colorimetric measurement , the pushing lever 7 is moved as shown in fig3 the carrier 3 is moved to the outlet 12 and the chemical analysis slide 10 is discharged therethrough . while the lever 7 is moved as described above , light reflected from a white point 7a below the lever 7 is measured by the photo - detector 21 . the white point is of titanium oxide or ceramic . when the pushing lever 7 is retracted as shown in fig4 there is nothing over the hole 16 . in this case , light reflected from the black interior of the dark box 22 is measured . the dark box 22 is used as a black reference point , and its photometric output or reflection factor is 0 %. the photo - metric output of the white reference point 7a is of a reflection factor of 100 %. therefore , when the reagent - layer is subjected to photometry by the detector using these outputs as reference levels , a correct reflection factor can be obtained from the output of the detector . the white reference point and the black reference point may be provided on the pushing lever 7 in such a manner that they are spaced from each other . in this case , pushing lever 7 would be pushed in two steps . the output of the photo - detector 21 is applied to an analysis control unit 27 , where quantitative analysis is carried out by referring to a preset standard curve , and the result thereof is output . usually , the results of the analysis are printed out along with the chemical analysis slide number . the analysis control device is a microcomputer which carries out the analysis process , as well as temperature and drive control . fig5 and 6 show the aforementioned carrier 3 in more detail . the carrier 3 has a recess 3a with an inlet 3b at the bottom thereof , so that the chemical analysis slide 10 can be inserted into the recess 3a via the inlet 3b . the inlet 3b is inclined so that the slide 10 can be smoothly inserted into the recess 3a . fig7 shows the insertion of the chemical analysis slide into the carrier . as the pushing lever 11 is pushed , the chemical analysis slide 10 is pushed into the recess 3a of the carrier 3 thereby . the height of the recess 3a is smaller than the thickness of the slide 10 . therefore , at the start of the insertion , the inlet 3b of the carrier 3 is raised . when the slide 10 has been completely inserted into the recess 3a , the carrier 3 is positioned on the chemical analysis slide 10 ; i . e ., it is brought into close contact with the specimen side thereof . since the end portion of the pushing lever 11 must move into the inlet 3b of the carrier 3 , it must be made relatively thin . fig8 illustrates the operation of the pushing lever 5 . the pushing lever 5 has a step 5a at the end thereof . the lever 5 pushes both the carrier 3 and the slide 10 until the latter moves along the straight groove y1 by one frame . fig9 shows the operation of the pushing lever 4 . when the pushing lever 4 is advanced , all of the series of carriers 3 in the groove x2 are moved along the groove by one frame . fig1 shows a pushing - lever drive device . a pulley 31 is mounted on the output shaft of a motor 30 . the rotation of the motor 30 is transmitted through the pulley 31 and a belt 32 to a pulley 33 . a cam 34 is provided coaxially with the pulley 33 . the cam 34 is substantially in the form of a semicircle obtained by cutting a portion of a circle . four followers 35 , 36 , 37 and 38 are rockably provided in such a manner that they are in contact with the cam 34 . the followers are coupled to the pushing levers through identical mechanisms , respectively . therefore , only the mechanism through which the follower 35 is coupled to the pushing lever 4 will be described . the follower 35 is pivotablly mounted on a shaft 40 , and has a roller 41 at one end , which is in contact with the periphery of the cam 34 . a connecting rod 42 is connected to the other end of the follower 35 , so that the motion of the follower 35 is transmitted to a lever 43 . the lever 43 is pivotablly mounted on a shaft 44 , and a roller 45 is mounted on one end of the lever . the roller 45 is fitted in a u - shaped rail 46 provided in the pushing lever 4 . the cam 34 has a circular cam surface and a straight cam surface . when the straight cam surface of the cam 34 comes to the position of the follower 35 as the cam 34 is turned , the follower 35 is turned counterclockwise , and accordingly the lever 43 is turned counterclockwise through the connecting rod 42 . as the lever 43 is turned counterclockwise , the pushing lever is moved to the right , thereby to shift carriers 3 along the groove x2 by one frame . as the cam 34 is further turned , the straight cam surface leaves the follower 35 . thereupon , the pushing lever 4 is moved to the left , thus retracting from the circulation path . as the cam 34 turns , the pushing levers 4 through 7 are operated successively . that is , as the cam makes one revolution , all the carriers 3 in the circulation path are advanced by one frame . the pushing lever 11 is provided to insert chemical analysis slides 10 into the carrier 3 as described above . the pushing lever 11 is moved back and forth by means of a pin 49 embedded in a cam 48 and engaged with an elongated hole 11a cut in the lever 11 . the cam 48 is synchronous with the aforementioned cam 34 , and therefore the lever 11 is moved forwardly while the pushing lever 6 is maintained stopped . in the above - described embodiment , no carrier is provided at one corner , and the pushing levers 4 through 7 are operated successively so that the empty corner is shifted forwardly . two empty corners may be provided , at the upper left corner and a the lower right corner . in this case , the pushing levers 5 and 7 may be operated simultaneously , and the pushing levers 4 and 6 may likewise be operated at the same time . in the above - described embodiment , the pushing levers 4 through 7 are operated by a cam mechanism ; however , if solenoids are provided for the levers , respectively , the levers can be driven independently . furthermore , if a valve plate is provided for the discharging outlet 12 , a chemical analysis slide 10 can be circulated plural times by operating the valve plate . the latter method is effective in simultaneously incubating chemical analysis slides which have different incubation times . fig1 and 12 show one modification of the carrier which is designed so as to prevent the vibration of the chemical analysis slide therein . a pawl 51a is formed in the inlet of the carrier 51 as shown in fig1 , to prevent relative movement between the chemical analysis slide 10 and the carrier 51 . fig1 shows another embodiment of the invention . in this embodiment , a step 53 is formed along the straight grooves . the inlet side of the carrier 3 is placed on the step 53 , while the side of the chemical analysis slide 10 is placed in contact with the side wall of the step 53 . fig1 illustrates another embodiment of the invention , in which the circulation path is in the form of a maze . in this case , a plurality of partition walls 57 and 58 are formed in the recess 56 of the heating plate 55 . the carriers in the circulation path are advanced by one frame by successively operating pushing levers a through d . the inserting inlets and the discharging outlets may be provided at any desired positions . as is apparent from the above description , according to the invention , a circulation path is formed on the heating plate , and the chemical analysis slides are inserted into the circulation path and are moved stepwise along the circulation path . therefore , a number of chemical analysis measurement units can be continuously and efficiently incubated . even when the heating plate is somewhat non - uniform in temperature distribution , the chemical analysis measurement units can be uniformly incubated as they are moved on the heating plate . furthermore , since the chemical analysis measurement units are intermittently moved from the inserting inlet to the discharging outlet , the incubation time is maintained constant .
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because vehicle engines are well known , the present description will be directed to particular elements forming parts of , or in cooperation directly with , the system in accordance with the present invention . it is to be understood that elements not specifically shown or described can take various forms well known to those skilled in the automobile engine art . referring to the drawings in detail , and particularly to fig1 an automobile engine having an intake system in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention is shown . the automobile engine has an engine block 1 formed with a cylinder 2 slidably receiving a piston 3 which forms combustion chamber 4 therein . facing the combustion chamber 4 , there are disposed intake and exhaust valves 5a and 6a respectively seated in intake and exhaust ports 5 and 6 formed in the engine block 1 . these intake and exhaust valves 5a and 6a are timely driven by a cam shaft 7 to open and close the intake and exhaust ports 5 and 6 . a spark plug ( not shown ), which is threaded into the engine block 1 at the top of the combustion chamber 4 and which cooperates with a distributor 8 , constitutes a firing system well known in the art . the combustion chamber 4 is in communication with intake and exhaust manifolds 10 and 30 . the intake manifold 10 , connecting an air cleaner 11 to the combustion chamber 4 , is provided , in order , with an air - flow sensor 12 disposed adjacent to the air cleaner 11 for detecting the amount of intake air , a throttle valve 13 following the air - flow sensor 12 for controlling quantity of air reaching the combustion chamber 4 , and a fuel injector 14 disposed adjacent to the intake port 5 for controlling the quantity of fuel . it is to be noted that in this embodiment , the air - flow sensor 12 is used as an engine control value detection means , i . e ., an acceleration detector for judging the acceleration of engine by metering the amount of intake air as an acceleration judging parameter . in association with the throttle valve 13 , a throttle opening sensor 15 is provided to send an appropriate output signal indicating the opening of the throttle valve 13 to a microcomputer as an engine control unit 50 . the intake manifold 10 is further provided with a bypass passage pipe 16 with an idle speed control ( isc ) valve 16a , which allows part of the intake air flow to bypass the throttle valve 13 so as to supply supplementary air into a downstream part of the intake manifold 10 . the exhaust manifold 30 , connecting the combustion chamber 4 to a catalytic converter 32 for significantly lowering emission levels of hydrocarbons , carbon monoxide , and , in the case of some converters , oxides of nitrogen , as is well known in the art , is provided with an oxygen sensor 31 near the exhaust port 6 . the engine control unit 50 receives signals from a crank angle sensor 41 provided in association with the cam shaft 7 for detecting engine speed , an intake air temperature sensor 42 provided in association with the air - flow sensor 12 , and engine coolant temperature sensor 43 and an idle sensor 44 which is kept turned on when the engine is idling , as well as from the air - flow sensor 12 , throttle opening sensor 15 and oxygen sensor 31 . the operation of the fuel control system depicted in fig1 is best understood by reviewing fig2 to 4 , which are flow charts illustrating various sequences for the microcomputer of the control unit 50 . programming a computer is a skill well understood in the art . the following description is written to enable a programmer having ordinary skill in the art to prepare an appropriate program for the microcomputer . the particular details of any such program would , of course , depend upon the architecture of the particular computer selected . referring to fig2 which is a flow chart of the asynchronous injection judgement sequence , the first step in step s1 is to make a decision whether the operating condition of the engine is in a fuel cut zone or deceleration zone or whether the engine is at the beginning of starting . the decision made in step s1 is repeated until the yes decision is provided . if , in fact , the answer to the decision is yes , this indicates that the engine is not under acceleration or that the engine has not been warmed up . then , a decision is made in step s2 as to whether or not a prohibition timer ( pt ) indicates a count of zero ( 0 ). the fuel control system is adapted to prohibit the first detection of acceleration for a certain time period after a predetermined number of asynchronous fuel injections . as long as the prohibition timer ( pt ) determines that the prohibition of asynchronous fuel injection is still occurring during acceleration , the first and second decisions in steps s1 and s2 are repeatedly made . if the prohibition timer ( pt ) has counted down and there is no prohibition of asynchronous fuel injection , a decision is made in step s3 as to whether the idle sensor ( id . sw ) 44 is turned off . this decision is made in order to avoid the misjudgment of acceleration resulting from the fluctuations of an output signal from the air - flow sensor 12 during idling . if the idle sensor ( id . sw ) 44 is turned on , this indicates that because of engine idling , no increase in fuel amount is required , and then , the asynchronous injection judgement sequence orders a return to the first decision in step s1 . if the idle sensor 44 is turned off , this indicates that the engine is possibly loaded . a decision is then made in step s4 as to whether the engine is still loaded . if the answer to the decision is yes , indicating that there is no engine load , then , a decision is made in step s5 as to whether a one - second time period has elapsed after the disappearance of engine load . if the answer to the decision is no , the asynchronous injection judgement sequence orders a return to the first decision in step s1 without increasing the amount of fuel . this is because it is presumed that the disappearance of engine load results from having shifted the transmission 2 to its neutral range . therefore , it is necessary to avoid misjudging the engine as being under acceleration if a rapid increase in engine speed after a speed range shift operation is detected . on the other hand , if the one second time period has elapsed , a decision is made in step s6 as to whether the temperature of engine coolant te is lower than - 40 ° c . if the answer to the decision indicates an engine coolant temperature of lower than - 40 ° c ., the asynchronous injection judgement sequence orders a return to the first decision in step s1 without increasing the amount of fuel . this is because , an increase in the fuel amount upon acceleration would certainly make the fuel mixture too rich , since the fuel system otherwise generally increases a basic amount of injected fuel when the temperature of the engine coolant te is lower than - 40 ° c . if the answer to the decision in step s6 is yes , decisions regarding changes of the intake air amount δvs are made in steps s9 and s10 . if the answer to the decision in step s4 regarding engine load is no , this indicates the engine is loaded . then , a decision is made in step s7 as to whether the transmission 2 is automatic ( abbreviated by a / t ) or manual ( abbreviated by m / t ). if it is decided that the transmission 2 is automatic , the decisions regarding changes in the intake air amount are made in steps s9 and s10 . on the other hand , if it is decided that the transmission 2 is manual , a decision is made in step s8 as to whether a one and one - half second time period has elapsed after the disappearance of engine load . if the answer to the decision is no , this indicates that the speed of the engine is not yet stable . the asynchronous injection judgement sequence then orders a return to the first decision in step s1 without increasing the amount of fuel in order to avoid the misjudgment of acceleration . if the answer to the decision regarding the elapse of the one and half - second time period is yes , the decisions regarding changes of intake air amount are made in steps s9 and s10 . the decisions made in steps s9 and s10 are made in order to decide whether a previous change of intake air amount δvsp per unit time and a current change of intake air amount δvsc per the unit time are equal to or larger than a specific value th , respectively . if either the previous or the current change in intake air amount is smaller than the specific value th , the asynchronous injection judgement sequence orders a return to the first decision in step s1 without increasing the amount of fuel for the presumable judgement of no demand for acceleration . on the other hand , if both the previous and current changes of intake air amount per unit time are equal to or larger than the specific value th , an asynchronous fuel injection flag afi is set in step s11 to execute an asynchronous fuel injection , since the engine has a demand for acceleration . the continuous decisions in steps s9 and s10 prevent a misjudgment of acceleration due to fluctuations of an output signal from the air - flow sensor 12 . referring to fig3 which is a flow chart of the critical level setting sequence , the first step in step s21 is to make a decision as to whether the transmission 2 is automatic ( a / t ) or manual ( m / t ) to set the specific value th suitably for the type of the transmission 2 . if it is determined that the transmission 2 is automatic , an appropriate specific value th is drawn from a specific value curve a / t shown in fig5 according to the temperature of engine coolant te , in step s22 . otherwise , if it is determined that the transmission 2 is manual ( m / t ), an appropriate specific value th is drawn from a specific value curve m / t shown in fig5 according to the temperature of engine coolant te in step s23 . as is apparent from fig5 the specific value th is established so as to be higher over the whole range of temperatures of engine coolant te for the manual transmission than for the automatic transmission . this is because the automatic transmission is subjected to a larger load than the manual transmission and , therefore , needs more fuel mixture in order to ensure a quick response to acceleration than the manual transmission . it is also apparent from fig5 that the lower the temperature of engine coolant te becomes , the lower the specific value th is . for this reason , as shown in fig7 and 8 , the number of executions of asynchronous fuel injection is higher before than after the engine has warmed up for a given change of intake air amount δvs per unit time before and after the engine has warmed up . referring to fig4 which is a flow chart of the asynchronous fuel injection sequence , the first step in step s31 is to make a decision as to whether the transmission 2 is automatic ( a / t ) or manual ( m / t ) in order to calculate the amount of fuel , f , in asynchronous fuel injection in step s32 or s33 . the amount of fuel f in asynchronous fuel injection is calculated in step s32 if the answer to the decision indicates that the transmission 2 is manual ( m / t ) or in step s33 if the answer to the decision indicates that the transmission 2 is automatic ( a / t ). for the calculation of the amount of fuel according to a change of intake air amount δvs per unit time for every asynchronous injection , a map shown in fig6 is prepared . in fig6 curves m1 and m2 are used for the manual transmission , and curves a1 and a2 are used for the automatic transmission . the curve m1 or a1 gives the amount of fuel in asynchronous fuel injection when fuel is injected without any increase after the engine has started , while the curve m2 or a2 gives the amount of fuel in asynchronous fuel injection when fuel is injected with an increase after the engine has started . after the calculation of the amount of fuel , f , in asynchronous fuel injection in step s32 , or s33 , a decision is made in step s34 as to whether a current amount of fuel fc is equal or larger than a previous amount of fuel fp . taken as an eventual amount of fuel is the current amount of fuel fc , if it is equal to or larger than the previous amount of fuel fp , in step s35 , or the previous amount of fuel fp , if the current amount of fuel fc is smaller than the previous amount of fuel fp , in step s36 . thereafter , a decision is made in step s37 to test an asynchronous fuel injection flag afi to determine whether the asynchronous fuel injection conditions are satisfied and , if the decision made in step s37 , the asynchronous fuel injection is executed in step s38 . either after the execution of the asynchronous fuel injection in step s38 or , if the asunchronous fuel injection flag afi is down and the decision made in step s37 is no the asynchrounous fuel injection sequence orders return to the first decision in step s31 . as is apparent from the description of the fuel control system according to the preferred embodiment of present invention , the asynchronous fuel injection is executed when the change of intake air amount δvs per the unit time reaches a critical level , or the specific value th , so as to increase the amount of fuel to be injected , and the fuel mixture is prevented from temporarily becoming lean upon acceleration . because the critical level or the specific value th is set higher when the engine has warmed up , the asynchronous fuel injection is executed upon rapid acceleration or the like only , thereby avoiding an unnecessary increase of fuel so as to prevent the fuel mixture from becoming overly rich . furthermore , because the critical level or the specific value th is set lower when the engine has not warmed up , the asynchronous fuel injection is executed even upon starting or quick and slight acceleration so as to increase the amount of fuel to be inejction , thereby preventing fuel mixture from becoming lean , so as to improve the responsiveness of the acceleration . it is apparent from the above description that the asynchronous injeciton judgement sequence and asynchronous fuel injection sequence shown in fig2 and 4 , respectively , act as fuel increase means which controls the fuel injector 14 so as to increase the amount of fuel to be injected when the air - flow sensor 12 , acting as an acceleration detector detects that the change of intake air amount per unit time has reached a critical level . the specific value setting sequence shown in fig3 acts as critical level change means for setting a lower critical level in the fuel increase means when a temperature sensor , such as the engine coolant temperature sensor 43 , detects that the engine has warmed up . it is to be understood that although the invention has been described in detail with respect to a preferred embodiment , nevertheless , various other embodiments and variants are possible which are within the spirit and scope of the invention , and such are intended to be covered by the following claims .
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in describing the preferred embodiment , certain terminology will be utilized for the sake of clarity . such terminology is intended to encompass the recited embodiment , as well as all technical equivalents which operate in a similar manner for a similar purpose to achieve a similar result . the present invention relates to an injection implant comprising two separate delivery vehicles of the same biologically active ingredient . the first vehicle is capable of providing an immediate - release of the ingredient to the animal system whereas the second vehicle is capable of providing a sustained or extended release of the same active . by the term “ implant ” is meant any physical device containing the biologically active material in multiple delivery vehicles such that the vehicles are delivered to the animal &# 39 ; s system via an injection . in most embodiments the implant contains the immediate - release and sustained - release vehicles such that they both be administered in a single injection , but embodiments where multiple injections of either the immediate - release and / or sustained - release vehicles occurring at different points in time is expressly covered . the concept of injectable implants is well known to those skilled in the art and it is submitted that one could envision any of a number of embodiments designed to simultaneously deliver the multiple vehicles via a single injection . for example , an injectable implant system is described in u . s . pat . no . 5 , 874 , 098 . to the extent necessary for completion , this reference is expressly incorporated by reference . the term “ immediate - release ” defines a vehicle that , within a finite period of time , for example 24 hours , releases in vivo enough of the biologically active material to begin to achieve a desired effect in the patient . for example , an implant which releases at least 30 % percent of its active material within 24 hours as defined by the methodology of example 1 could qualify as such a vehicle . the term “ sustained - release ” defines a vehicle that releases the same active material at a slower rate as compared to the “ immediate - release ” vehicle . for example , an implant which retains at least 30 % percent of its active material within 24 hours as defined by the methodology of example 1 , provided that its release rate is slower than that of the immediate - release vehicle could qualify as such a vehicle . the concept of immediate - release and sustained - release compositions are known in the art . however , the use of an implant containing multiple delivery vehicles which can deliver the same active both immediately and over a sustained period of time is novel . furthermore , the time period defined by “ immediate - release ” or “ sustained - release ” is often determined by the disease or disorder being treated . for example , for some diseases or disorders , an immediate - release will produce a desired effect in minutes or hours , whereas for other diseases or disorders , an immediate - release will produce a desired effect in a matter of days or weeks . the first delivery vehicle comprises a delivery system capable of immediately releasing enough active material to generate a desired effect in a patient shortly after administration . there are many ways to design a vehicle capable of this and such vehicles are considered as being within the skill of the artisan . examples of immediate - release vehicles include , but are not limited to the following : coated solids or liquids where the coating wall material is very thin , coated solids or liquids where the coating wall material is very soluble in body fluids , porous or freeze - dried solids having an increased surface area contact , a solid tablet or pellet containing a disintegrating agent which causes the solid tablet to rapidly break down when in body fluids , a solid or pellet containing a relatively small or micronized active particle size , an osmotic delivery system where the osmotic system is such that a substantial amount of the active is released upon implantation , and mixtures thereof . the above listing is considered merely representative and one skilled in the art could envision other immediate - release mechanisms / embodiments . the second delivery vehicle comprises a sustained release delivery system . as a practical matter , the skilled artisan may select any of the following non - limiting sustained release delivery vehicles to contain the actives of the implant of the claimed invention : encapsulated solutions or suspensions , biodegradable solid substances , conventional tablet / pellet formulations optionally utilizing either disintegrating agents and / or active particle size to modulate release , conventional tablet / pellet formulations coated with a polymeric membrane to control release ( e . g ., ethylcellulose ), matrix - tablets based on gel - forming excipients ( e . g ., hydroxypropyl methyl cellulose ), matrix - type systems based on non - biodegradable polymers ( e . g ., medical grade silastics ), membrane - type systems based on non - biodegradable polymers ( e . g ., medical grade silastics ), matrix - type systems based on biodegradable polymers ( e . g ., polylactic acid and polyglycolic acid homo and copolymers of various compositions ), matrix - type systems based on lipidic excipients ( e . g ., cholesterol , waxes ), mass transfer systems based on osmotic pressure pumping through a hole in an impermeable coating and mixtures thereof . the above listing is considered merely representative and one skilled in the art could envision other sustained release mechanisms / embodiments . in particularly preferred embodiments , the implant comprises a magazine containing solid biodegradable pellets containing the same actives and having differential release characteristics it is still further contemplated that a magazine containing greater than two pellets could be used in accordance with the present invention . selection of the specific implant embodiment is largely determined by the specific end result desired . in a preferred embodiment , the biologically active ingredient can be provided in the form of a immediate - release component containing a disintegrating agent and a sustained - release component that does not contain a disintegrating agent . the immediate - release component can be provided in the form of granules or pellets containing the biologically active ingredient and can be formed by conventional granulation practices or through direct compression processes . the pellets typically contain from about 1 to 99 wt . % of the biologically active ingredient with the remainder being conventional tableting ingredients such as magnesium stearate , stearic acid , colloidal silicon dioxide , talc , titanium dioxide , magnesium , calcium and aluminum salts , lactose , povidone , high molecular weight polyethylene glycols and derivatives thereof , bioerodible polymers such as poly ( orthoesters ) and polyanhydrides and anhydride co - polymers , polyoxystearates , carboxymethylcellulose , cellulose esters such as acetate phthalate , acetate succinate and cellulose acetate , n , n - diethylamino acetate , polyvinyl alcohol , hydroxypropyl methyl cellulose , and the like . in the immediate - release vehicle , a disintegrating agent is also preferably present in order to enable the immediate - release of the pharmacologically active ingredient once it is implanted into the subject . conventional disintegrating agents used in tableting processes can be used in the present invention with sodium crosscaramellose , sodium carboxymethylcellulose , microcrystalline cellulose , powdered cellulose , colloidal silicon dioxide , crospovidone , guar gum , magnesium aluminum silicate , methyl cellulose , alginic acid , calcium carboxymethylcellulose , potassium polacrilin ( and other cation exchange resins such as amberlite resins ), starch , pregelatinized starch , sodium starch glycolate , and sodium alginate being especially preferred . the disintegrating agent typically is contained in the pellet in an amount of 0 . 1 - 50 % by weight , based on the total weight of the pellet , with 0 . 5 - 15 % by weight being preferred and 1 - 6 % by weight being especially preferred . the pellets are formed according to conventional methods that involve the mixing of the ingredients , wet , dry , or fluid - bed granulation , or extrusion / spheronization , followed by screening , drying , screening / sizing , lubrication and compression . these steps are well known in the art . as discussed above , the implant dose is comprised of a combination of the two types of pellets . the time release properties of the implant composition can be controlled by varying the number of pellets containing the disintegrating agent with respect to the pellets not containing a disintegrating agent . the number of pellets containing a disintegrating agent and the number of pellets which do not contain a disintegrating agent in the implant composition can be readily determined depending on the drug being administered , the subject to whom the drug is being administered and the desired duration of treatment . alternatively , differential active loadings can also be utilized to achieve desired results . the method of choice is considered as falling within the skill of the artisan . in the present invention , the biologically active ingredient contained in the implant composition is not critical and can be any substance such as enzymes or other organic catalysts , ribozymes , organometalics , proteins and glycoproteins , peptides , poly ( amino acids ), antibodies , nucleic acids , steroids , antibiotics , antimycotics , anti - narcotics , cytostatics , cytotoxics , cytokines , carbohydrates , oleophobics , lipids , antihistamines , laxatives , vitamins , decongestants , gastrointestinal sedatives , anti - inflammatory substances , antimanics , anti - infectives , coronary vasodilators , peripheral vasodilators , cerebral vasodilators , psychotropics , stimulants , anti - diarrheal preparations , anti - anginal drugs , vasoconstrictors , anticoagulants , antithrombotic drugs , analgesics , antipyretics , hypnotics , sedatives , antiemetics , antinauseants , anticonvulsants , neuromuscular drugs , hyperglycemic and hypoglycemic agents , antivirals , antineoplastics antidepressants , anticholinergics , antiallergic agents , antidiabetic agents , antiarrythmics , antihormones , antihistamines , β - blockers , cardiac glycosides , contraceptives , contrast materials , radiopharmaceuticals , dopaminergic agents , lipid - regulating agents , uricoscurics , tranquilizers , thyroid and antithyroid preparations , diuretics , antispasmodics , uterine relaxants , mineral and nutritional additives , antiobesity drugs , hormones , antihelmentics , pharmaceuticals and other therapeutic agents . the invention may also be employed for the delivery of microorganisms , either living , attenuated or dead such as bacteria , and viruses such as indigenous vira , enterovira , bacteriophages . the present invention is especially suited for the immediate and sustained delivery of hormones and steroids such as androgens , such as testosterone , trenbolone acetate ( tba ), dihydroepiandroterone , and other androgenic steroids , estrogens , such as estradiol - 17 - β , estradiol benzoate , zeralanone , and other estrogenic steroids , progestins , such as progesterone , melengestrol acetate ( mga ), megestrol acetate , medroxyprogesterone acetate , norgestemet , norethidrone , and other progestin compounds , releasing factors , such as leutinizing hormone releasing hormone and analogs , growth hormone releasing hormone and analogs , thyroid releasing hormone and analogs , and other releasing factors and analogs , growth hormones / somatotropin , such as natural and recombinant somatotropins and analogs from various species , growth factors , such as insulin - like growth factor , epidermal growth factor and other such factors . it is also especially suited for delivery of antihelmintics , such as invermectins , and antigens . an especially preferred use of the present invention is in the suppression of estrus , inhibition of pregnancy and increased body weight of cattle through the implantation of the implant composition of the present invention in the body of the cattle containing mga , a combination of mga and tba or a combination of mga , tba and estradiol as the biologically active ingredient . a preferred embodiment for this use comprises an implant containing one to four , more preferably one to two immediate - release pellets and four to six , more preferably three to five sustained - release pellets . an even more preferred embodiment for this use comprises an implant containing one immediate - release pellet and five sustained - release pellets . in practice , the active ingredients are contained in the delivery vehicle , for example pellets , preferably in an amount of from 1 to 99 % and preferably from 50 to 90 wt . %. in particularly preferred embodiments , when used to administer mga and / or tba , the present invention can provide beneficial and advantageous results in the hormonal control of the reproductive cycle in animals , for example , by reducing the post - partum anestrual period in cattle ; by synchronization of the estrual period in a group of cattle ; by preventing estrual activity in fattening meat animals ; by controlling the estrual period in individual animals ; and by providing compositions and methods to further weight gain with lessened side effects in beef cattle . when mga or tba are the biologically active compositions , each delivery vehicle contains between about 5 to about 200 mg of mga or tba . in addition , the carcass composition of the animal may be improved ; for example , a carcass having increased lean and less fat may result . in addition to the active ingredients , each of the delivery vehicles of the implant may independently contain standard granulating aids such as lubricants , diluents , binders and glidants , magnesium stearate , stearic acid , colloidal silicon dioxide , talc , titanium dioxide , magnesium , calcium and aluminum salts , lactose , cyclodextrins and derivatives thereof , starches , povidone , high molecular weight polyethylene glycols and derivatives thereof , bioerodible polymers such as poly ( orthoesters ) and polyanhydride and anhydride co - polymers , polystearates , carboxymethyl cellulose , cellulose esters such as acetate phthalate , acetate succinate and cellulose acetate , n , n - diethylamine acetate , polyvinyl alcohol , hydroxypropyl methyl cellulose , other biologically active or inactive substances , other pharmaceutically active or inactive substances , and the like . the implant composition of the present invention can be administered subcutaneously , intramuscularly , intraperitoneally , intracranially , etc ., depending on the most desirable site of administration for the biologically active ingredient . in a particularly preferred embodiment , the implant is injected via needle subcutaneously in the posterior of the ear of the animal . the implanter used to inject the needle may be any of those commonly used in the art , with an implanter equipped with a hypodermic needle being particularly preferred . the implant composition of the present invention can be used to deliver the active ingredient on an immediate and a sustained release basis to the following types of animals : cows , horses , sheep , swine , dogs , cats or any other suitable animal , including humans . in particularly preferred embodiments the implant containing differentially releasing mga and / or tba is injected into a heifer . to use the implant of the present invention , the implant composition containing the immediate and sustained release vehicles is first prepared and then packaged for injectable use , typically as a magazine . thereafter , the magazine is inserted into the implanter housing and the operator activates the implanter to puncture the skin of the animal . this is typically accomplished by a hypodermic needle . the implant composition thereafter traverses through the bore of the needle and into the puncture site . the operator thereafter withdraws the needle , leaving the implant device in the animal . because of the physical or chemical nature of the immediate - release vehicle , the active is immediately released to the body and once distributed into the body is able to achieve an immediate and desired result . for example in a heifer , an immediate - release of substantial amount of mga ( e . g ., in one pellet ) can immediately inhibit pregnancy of the heifer . because of the physical or chemical nature of the sustained release vehicle , the same active is distributed to the animal over a desired period of time ( e . g ., in five pellets ). using the above example , the sustained release of mga can inhibit pregnancy for an extended period of time . in the preferred embodiment where mga ( either alone or in combination with other actives ) is contained in differential releasing pellets , the composition is capable of providing immediate and sustained release properties so that one injection will yield desired results in the animal first , immediately , and then for between about 60 to about 365 days with a more preferred range of from about 150 to about 200 days and a most preferred range of from about 180 to about 200 days . by utilizing the implant composition and method as claimed herein , the following advantages are provided to the operator : dual effect by using the same biologically active material , modification of release rate providing for both immediate and sustained duration of effectiveness , potential reduction of residues that would occur if only one type of vehicle were used and treatment dosage only for the desired duration since a larger - than - optimal dose is not needed in order to achieve a rapid - onset of action , and possible carcass improvement in the case where the animal subject to treatment is a food animal . two sets of biologically active pellets are formulated by conventional tableting technology , such as wet granulation with water as a granulation liquid or dry granulation , followed by screening , sizing and tablet compression . mg per component pellet immediate - release pellets : melengestrol acetate micronized 24 mg lactose monohydrate nf bolted 5 . 0 mg crosscaramellose sodium nf type a 1 . 5 mg pregelatinized starch nf 6 . 0 mg colloidal silicon dioxide nf 0 . 2 mg magnesium stearate nf powder food grade 1 . 0 mg sustained - release pellets : melengestrol acetate micronized 24 mg lactose monohydrate nf bolted 8 . 235 mg sorbitol nf crystalline 0 . 355 mg sucrose nf granular 0 . 2755 pregelatinized starch nf 2 . 0 mg colloidal silicon dioxide nf 0 . 2 mg magnesium stearate nf powder food grade 1 . 0 mg in - vitro release characteristics of the rapid - release and slow - release pellets of example 1 are shown in fig1 for dissolution testing carried out in a usp dissolution apparatus no . ii ( paddle ) at 37 ° c ., in a dissolution medium composed of 0 . 3 % sds ( sodium dodecyl sulfate ), at 25 rpm . referring to fig1 the combining of the immediate - release and sustained - release pellets in different proportions in the same implant dose will allow for a wide range of in - vitro release profiles to be created , and thereby giving a range of in - vivo release rates . for the same total dose of active agent , an implant comprising of a larger number of rapid - releasing pellets , when compared to another comprising fewer of the rapid - releasing pellets , will provide a more rapid onset of action and also a shorter total duration of effect . one or more of each of the immediate - release and sustained - release pellets of example 1 are inserted into the magazine of an implanter device containing a hypodermic needle . for example , the implant may contain one immediate - release pellet and five sustained - release pellets . the operator activates the implanter to first puncture the skin , then deliver the implant composition through the needle and into the animal . in the case where the animal is a heifer , it is preferred that the puncture occurs at the posterior portion of the ear . the immediate - release pellet of the implant delivers the mga in an amount of and rate sufficient to immediately inhibit pregnancy . the sustained - release pellets of the implant delivers the mga in an amount of and rate sufficient to deliver to the heifer on a sustained release basis in order to exhibit growth increase , estrus suppression and inhibit pregnancy for an additional time period of from 150 to 200 days . various modifications of the present invention can be made without departing from the spirit or scope thereof and it should be understood that the invention is intended to be limited only as defined in the appended claims .
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examples are provided to further illustrate the process and intermediates according to the present disclosure . nevertheless , the following examples are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure . a synthetic route involved in examples 1 to 80 of the present disclosure is shown as follows . a cryostat was turned on , and the temperature was set at − 12 ° c . 500 ml dichloromethane was measured with a 1 l graduated cylinder and added into a 1 . 0 l three - necked bottle . the three - necked bottle was placed in the cryostat to be cooled under agitation . 50 g ( 0 . 068 mol ) of compound 2 was weighed with a counter balance and added into the reaction flask , and 300 ml of dichloromethane was measured with the 1 l graduated cylinder and added therein . the mixture was stirred , dissolved and cooled . an inner temperature of the reaction flask was cooled to 0 - 5 ° c . to the reaction solution , the temperature of which is kept at 0 - 5 ° c ., was slowly added dropwise a mixed solution of 11 . 98 ml of benzyl chloroformate and 60 ml of dichloromethane . after the addition of the mixed solution , the reaction was carried out under the same temperature for 1 h . the reaction progress was monitored through thin layer chromatography ( developing solvent : dichloromethane / methanol = 10 : 1 , with addition of two drops of ammonia ). after the reaction was completed , the resulting reaction solution was concentrated under vacuum ( with a temperature being ≦ 50 ° c . and a vacuum degree being ≦− 0 . 086 mpa ) to give about 300 ml of compound 3 . a low temperature cooling device was turned on , and the temperature was set at − 75 ° c . temperature was cooled to a range from − 70 to − 60 ° c . the 300 ml compound 3 liquid obtained from the concentration according to example 1 was transferred to a 1 . 0 l three - necked reaction flask . 106 . 46 ml ( 117 . 11 g or 1 . 498 mol ) of dimethyl sulfoxide was added into the reaction flask under room temperature ( 25 - 30 ° c .). after dimethyl sulfoxide was added , the reaction flask was placed in the cryostat to be cooled under agitation to a temperature in a range from − 70 to 60 ° c . 21 . 55 ml ( 0 . 152 mol or 31 . 865 g ) of trifluoroacetic anhydride was slowly added dropwise , a dropping speed thereof being controlled , so that a temperature of the reaction solution can be maintained in a range from − 65 to − 60 ° c . the reaction was carried out under the same temperature for 0 . 5 h . under the condition that the temperature of the reaction solution was maintained in the range from − 65 to − 60 ° c ., 47 . 3 ml ( 0 . 339 mol , 34 . 35 g ) of triethylamine was slowly added dropwise , and then stirred for 0 . 5 h under the same temperature . after the completion of the reaction , the reaction solution was warmed to the room temperature . the reaction liquid at room temperature ( 20 - 30 ° c .) was transferred to a 2 . 0 l separating funnel , into which 350 ml of purified water was added . after extraction , a water layer was discarded and an organic layer was obtained . the organic layer was extracted again with 250 ml of saturated sodium bicarbonate solution , from which an organic layer was obtained and a water layer was discarded . the organic layer obtained was extracted again with 350 ml of purified water , from which a water layer was discarded and an organic layer is obtained . the organic layer was transferred to a 1 . 0 l beaker , into which 20 g of anhydrous magnesium sulfate was added . after agitation for 20 minutes , the mixture in the beaker is dried and dehydrated . then , magnesium sulfate was filtered out , and pale yellow filtrate was obtained . the pale yellow filtrate was concentrated to a volume of 125 ml under vacuum , with a temperature being ≦ 60 ° c . and a vacuum degree being ≦− 0 . 086 mpa . to the concentrate , was added 135 ml of isopropanol , and concentrated again to a volume of 135 ml . the liquid finally obtained from the concentration was transferred into the 1 . 0 l three - necked reaction flask . 700 ml of tert - butyl methyl ether was added into the reaction flask , and 11 . 2 ml ( 0 . 1497 mol , 17 . 07 g ) of trifluoroacetic acid was slowly added therein dropwise at room temperature . the resulting mixture was crystallized under stirring at room temperature . after suction filtration , the filter cake was washed with n - heptane ( 200 ml × 2 ) by stirring for 30 min . the filter cake was dried by forced air at 30 ° c ., to afford 8 . 2 g of compound 4 , with a yield of 82 . 2 % and hplc purity of 91 % ( applying hplc - waters symmetry c8 , 15 cm × 3 . 9 mm column , mobile phase : methanol : ammonium acetate ( 25 : 75 ), flow rate : 2 . 0 ml / min , residence time : 5 . 07 min ). to a 3 . 0 l beaker were added 50 g ( 0 . 0456 mol ) of compound 4 of example 2 and 80 ml of dichloromethane . after uniform mixing , the solution was dried with 15 g of anhydrous magnesium sulfate for 20 min and then filtered by suction filtration . the filtrate was dried for the second time with 7 g of anhydrous magnesium sulfate for 20 min and then filtered by suction filtration . the filter residue , which was washed with dichloromethane , and the filtrate , which was refilled with dichloromethane to a volume of 160 ml ( the measured content of moisture in the filtrate should be less than 0 . 3 %) were reserved for later use . a low temperature cooling device was turned on and set at − 8 ° c . 170 ml of tetrahydrofuran ( dried with anhydrous magnesium sulfate for 30 min and filtered by suction filtration ) was added into a 1 . 0 l three - necked bottle . the three - necked bottle was placed in a cryostat to be cooled under agitation to a temperature in a range from − 5 to 0 ° c . 20 g ( 0 . 1273 mol ) of trimethylsulfonium bromide was added into the three - necked bottle , and 20 g ( 0 . 11 . 786 mol ) of potassium tert - butoxide was added therein at − 5 - 0 ° c . after being vacuumized by a circulating water pump , the three - necked bottle was filled with nitrogen . the reaction mixture was stirred for for 15 min under nitrogen atmosphere . the temperature of the low temperature cooling device was adjusted to − 75 ° c ., and an inner temperature thereof was reduced to a range from − 65 to − 60 ° c . the solution , which has been deoxidized and dried , was slowly added into the reaction flask dropwise , meanwhile timekeeping begun . in this course , the temperature of the reaction solution was kept in a range from − 65 to − 60 ° c . after the addition of the solution , the reaction was carried out at − 65 to − 60 ° c . till the timekeeping reached 3 h . reaction progress was monitored by thin layer chromatography ( developing solvent : dichloromethane / methanol = 10 : 1 , with addition of two drops of ammonia ). after the reaction was completed , to the reaction mixture was added a solution of 21 . 5 g ( 0 . 405 mol ) of ammonium chloride in 120 ml of water . the resulting mixture was stirred for 15 min at 5 - 10 ° c . after stratification , the water layer was extracted once with 200 ml of dichloromethane ; and organic phases were combined , and washed with water for four times ( 4 × 100 ml ). the organic layer was concentrated under vacuum until no more distillate was observed . remaining solvent was vaporized by being substituted with 200 ml methanol . after two substitutions , the solution was concentrated , thereby obtaining compound 5 . compound 5 prepared in example 3 was dissolved in 350 ml of methanol and transferred to a 1 . 0 l three - necked bottle . 16 g of palladium and 142 g ( 0 . 2246 mol ) of ammonium formate were added into the three - necked bottle . the reaction was carried out at 50 ° c . for 2 h . reaction progress was monitored by thin layer chromatography ( developing solvent : dichloromethane / methanol = 10 : 1 , with addition of two drops of ammonia ). after the reaction was completed , the reaction solution was cooled to lower than 30 ° c ., and then filtered by suction . the filtrate was concentrated under vacuum until about 200 ml of mixture remained , and the filter cake was kept sealed with water . the concentrate was slowly added into 550 ml of water dropwise within 20 min , and crystallized under stirring for 1 h . after suction filtration , the filter cake was washed with methanol / water ( 1 : 3 ), and then dried , to afford compound 6 ( applying waters acquity uplc beh c18 chromatographic column ( 2 . 1 × 50 mm , 1 . 7 μm ); mobile phase : acetonitrile - 0 . 01 mol / l ammonium acetate in water ( 55 : 45 ), flow rate : 0 . 20 ml / min , residence time : 2 . 77 min , detecting wavelength : 210 nm , column temperature : 40 ° c ., and inj . vol : 2 . 5 μl ). compound 6 ( 0 . 5 g , 0 . 6698 mmol ), potassium iodide ( 1 . 11 g , 0 . 698 mmol ) and cyclopropylamine ( 2 . 43 ml , 2 . 00 g , 35 mmol ) were dissolved under vibration at 50 ° c . in 5 ml isopropanol in a 50 ml round - bottom flask , and the resulting mixture was stirred at 50 ° c . reaction progress was monitored by tlc . after the reaction was completed , the resulting reaction mixture was concentrated , and the residue was dissolved in water ( 50 ml ) and ethyl acetate ( 100 ml ). after standing stratification , the water layer was washed with ethyl acetate ( 3 × 50 ml ). the organic phases were combined , washed with saturated sodium bicarbonate solution ( 50 ml ) and brine ( 40 ml ), dried with anhydrous sodium sulfate , and filtered . the filtrate was concentrated under vacuum to afford crude product . the crude product was purified by silica gel chromatograph ( gradient of eluents of methanol : dichloromethane : ammonia water from 4 : 95 . 6 : 0 . 4 to 6 : 93 . 5 : 04 ) to afford 0 . 38 g of the titled compound ( 2r , 3s , 4r , 5s , 8r , 10r , 11r , 12s , 13s , 14r )- 13 -[( 2 , 6 - dideoxy - 3 - c - methyl - 3 - o - methyl - 4 - c -[( cyclopropylamino ) methyl ]- α - l - ribopyranosyl ) oxy ]- 2 - ethyl - 3 , 4 , 10 - trihydroxy - 3 , 5 , 8 , 10 , 12 , 14 - hexamethyl - 11 -[[ 3 , 4 , 6 - trideoxy - 3 -( dimethylamino )- β - d - xylo - hexopyranosy ] oxy ]- 1 - oxa - 7 - azacyclopentadecan - 15 - one . compound 6 ( 0 . 5 g , 0 . 6698 mmol ), tetrabutylammonium iodide ( 0 . 74 , 2 . 0 mmol ) and n - butylamine ( 0 . 395 ml , 0 . 2938 , 4 mmol ) were dissolved under vibration in 5 ml methanol at 50 ° c ., and the resulting mixture was stirred at the same temperature . reaction progress was monitored by tlc . after the reaction was completed , the resulting reaction mixture was concentrated , and residue was dissolved in 20 ml of water and 20 ml of ethyl acetate . after standing stratification , the water layer was washed with ethyl acetate ( 3 × 20 ml ). the organic extractants were combined and washed with 40 ml of brine , dried with anhydrous sodium sulfate , and filtered . the filtrate was concentrated under vacuum , thereby obtaining crude product . the crude product was purified by silica gel chromatograph ( gradient of eluents of methanol : dichloromethane : ammonia water from 4 : 95 . 6 : 0 . 4 to 6 : 93 . 5 : 0 . 4 ) to afford 0 . 0888 g of the titled compound ( 2r , 3s , 4r , 5s , 8r , 10r , 11r , 12s , 13s , 14r )- 13 -[( 2 , 6 - dideoxy - 3 - c - methyl - 3 - o - methyl - 4 - c -[( butylamino ) methyl ]- α - l - ribopyranosyl ) oxy ]- 2 - ethyl - 3 , 4 , 10 - trihydroxy - 3 , 5 , 8 , 10 , 12 , 14 - hexamethyl - 11 -[[ 3 , 4 , 6 - trideoxy - 3 -( dimethylamino )- β - d - xylo - hexopyranosy ] oxy ]- 1 - oxa - 7 - azacyclopentadecan - 15 - one . compound 6 ( 0 . 5 g , 06694 mmol ) and n - propylamine ( 0 . 5 g ) were dissolved under vibration in isopropanol ( 10 ml ) at 50 ° c ., and the resulting mixture was stirred at the same temperature for 48 h . reaction progress is monitored by tlc . after the reaction was completed , the resulting reaction mixture was concentrated , and residue was added into saturated sodium bicarbonate solution ( 50 ml ) and dichloromethane ( 80 ml ). the mixture was vibrated uniformly , and stood to be stratified . the organic phase dichloromethane was washed with water ( 3 × 50 ml ), dried with mgso 4 , and concentrated under vacuum to dryness . the resulting substance was dissolved in dichloromethane , and applied on gf254 silica gel . thin layer chromatography separation was performed with an eluent of 4 / 1 cyclohexane / diethylamine or 4 / 1 / 0 . 01 dichloromethane / methanol / ammonia water . the chromatographic band corresponding to the desired product was scraped off and further purified by silica gel chromatography eluted with a mixture of dichloromethane / methanol / ammonia in a ratio of 4 / 1 / 0 . 01 . the mobile phase was concentrated at 50 ° c . under vacuum and dried , thereby obtaining 0 . 16 g of ( 2r , 3s , 4r , 5s , 8r , 10r , 11r , 12s , 13s , 14r )- 13 -[( 2 , 6 - dideoxy - 3 - c - methyl - 3 - o - methyl - 4 - c -[( propylamino ) methyl ]- α - l - ribopyranosyl ) oxy ]- 2 - ethyl - 3 , 4 , 10 - trihydroxy - 3 , 5 , 8 , 10 , 12 , 14 - hexamethyl - 11 -[[ 3 , 4 , 6 - trideoxy - 3 -( dimethylamino )- β - d - xylo - hexopyranosy ] oxy ]- 1 - oxa - 7 - azacyclopentadecan - 15 - one as pure amine . compounds according to examples 5 to 80 have structures shown by the following general formula 1 . in examples 5 to 80 , r is a group shown by table 1 , and nitrogen or sulfur in r is directly attached to methylene of r 3 . r ′ in each of examples 5 to 80 is h . specific reaction time for each of compounds of examples 6 to 80 prepared according to the above general preparation process 1 , general preparation process 2 and general preparation process 3 of example 5 is shown in table 1 . in table 1 , data relating to structures , yields and mass spec are the data of the final compounds . 600 ml of dichloromethane was added into a 2 l three - necked bottle . the three - necked bottle was placed in the cryostat to be cooled under agitation . 30 g ( 0 . 3861 mol ) of compound 11 , which was prepared according to the process as described in chinese patent cn102239174a , was measured and added into the reaction flask to be dissolved under stirring , and then cooled to 0 - 5 ° c . to the reaction solution , the temperature of which is kept at 0 - 5 ° c ., was slowly added dropwise a mixed solution of 6 . 8 ml ( 0 . 424 mol , 82 . 32 g ) of benzyl chloroformate and 60 ml of dichloromethane . after the addition of the mixed solution , the reaction was carried out under 0 - 5 ° c . for 1 h . the reaction solution was concentrated under vacuum , with a temperature being ≦ 50 ° c . and a vacuum degree being ≦− 0 . 086 mpa , to give 180 ml of concentrate of compound 7 . the concentrate of compound 7 was transferred to the 2 l three - necked reaction flask , into which 60 . 6 ml ( 66 . 6 g , 8 . 532 mol ) of dimethyl sulfoxide was added at room temperature ( 20 - 30 ° c .). after dimethyl sulfoxide was added , the reaction flask was placed in the cryostat to be cooled under agitation to a temperature in a range from − 70 to − 60 ° c . 12 . 18 ml ( 0 . 864 mol , 181 . 32 g ) of trifluoroacetic anhydride was slowly added dropwise , a dropping speed thereof being controlled , so that a temperature of the reaction solution can be maintained in a range from − 65 to − 60 ° c . the reaction was carried out at the same temperature for 0 . 5 h . under the condition that the temperature of the reaction solution was maintained in the range from − 65 to − 60 ° c ., 26 . 88 ml ( 1 . 932 mol , 195 . 3 g ) of triethylamine was slowly added dropwise , and then stirred for 0 . 5 h at the same temperature . after the reaction was completed , the reaction solution was warmed to the room temperature , and then transferred to a 2 l separating funnel , into which 210 ml of purified water was added . after extraction , an organic layer was obtained and a water layer was discarded . the organic layer was extracted again with 150 ml of saturated sodium bicarbonate solution , from which an organic layer was obtained and a water layer was discarded . again , the organic layer obtained was extracted with 200 ml of purified water , from which a water layer was discarded and an organic layer was obtained . the organic layer was transferred to a 1 . 0 l beaker , into which 120 g of anhydrous magnesium sulfate was added . after agitation for 20 minutes , the mixture in the beaker is dried and dehydrated . then , magnesium sulfate was filtered out , and pale yellow filtrate was obtained . the pale yellow filtrate was concentrated under vacuum to dryness , with a temperature being ≦ 60 ° c . and a vacuum degree being ≦− 0 . 086 mpa , to afford compound 8 . 170 ml of tetrahydrofuran was added into a 1 . 0 l three - necked bottle . the three - necked bottle was placed in a cryostat to be cooled under agitation to a temperature in a range of − 5 - 0 ° c . trimethylsulfonium bromide ( 0 . 12256 mol , 19 . 25 g ) was added into the three - necked bottle , and potassium tert - butoxide ( 0 . 17156 mol , 19 . 25 g ) was added therein at − 5 - 0 ° c . the reaction mixture was stirred for 15 min under nitrogen atmosphere . an inner temperature was reduced to − 70 ° c ., and a dichloromethane solution of compound 8 prepared according to example 81 was slowly added dropwise into the three - necked bottle , meanwhile timekeeping begun . in this course , the temperature of the reaction solution was kept in a range from − 65 to − 60 ° c . after the addition of the solution , the reaction was carried out under nitrogen atmosphere till the timekeeping reached 3 h . to the reaction solution was added a solution of 20 . 85 g ( 0 . 39 mol , 20 . 85 g ) of ammonia chloride in 120 ml of water . the resulting mixture was stirred for 15 min at 5 - 10 ° c . after stratification , the water layer was extracted once with 200 ml of dichloromethane . the dichloromethane layer and the organic phase were combined , and washed with water ( 4 × 200 ml ). the organic layer was concentrated under vacuum until no more distillate was observed . remaining solvent was vaporized by being substituted with 200 ml methanol . after two substitutions , the solution was concentrated , thereby obtaining compound 9 . compound 9 prepared in example 82 was dissolved in 170 ml of methanol . 16 g of palladium and 13 . 63 g ( 0 . 2164 mol , 13 . 63 g ) of ammonium formate were added into the resulting solution . the reaction was carried out at 50 ° c . for 2 h . after the reaction was completed , the reaction solution was cooled and then filtered . the filter cake was kept sealed with water , and the filtrate was concentrated under vacuum until about 80 ml of mixture remained . the concentrate was slowly added dropwise into 250 ml of water within 20 min . the concentrate was regulated with 10 % sodium hydroxide solution until the ph thereof reached 10 . 5 ± 0 . 5 , and crystallized under stirring for 1 h . after suction filtration , the filter cake was washed with methanol / water ( 1 : 3 ), and then dried under forced air at 40 ° c ., thereby affording compound 10 . in a 50 ml round - bottom flask , compound 10 ( 0 . 5 g , 0 . 6698 mmol ) prepared according to example 83 , potassium iodide ( 1 . 11 g , 0 . 698 mmol ) and cyclopropylamine ( 2 . 43 ml , 2 . 00 g , 35 mmol ) were dissolved under vibration at 50 ° c . in 5 ml of isopropanol , and the resulting mixture was stirred at 50 ° c . reaction progress was monitored by tlc . after the reaction was completed , the resulting reaction mixture was concentrated , and the residue was dissolved in water ( 50 ml ) and ethyl acetate ( 100 ml ). after stratification , the water layer was washed with ethyl acetate ( 3 × 50 ml ). the organic phases were combined , washed with saturated sodium bicarbonate solution ( 50 ml ) and brine ( 40 ml ), dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate , and filtered . the filtrate was concentrated under vacuum to afford a crude product . the crude product was purified by silica gel chromatograph ( gradient of eluents of methanol : dichloromethane : ammonia water from 4 : 95 . 6 : 0 . 4 to 6 : 93 . 5 : 0 . 4 ) to afford 0 . 38 g of the titled corn pound . compound 10 ( 0 . 5 g , 0 . 6698 mmol ) prepared according to example 83 , tetrabutylammonium iodide ( 0 . 74 , 2 . 0 mmol ) and n - butylamine ( 0 . 395 ml , 0 . 2938 , 4 mmol ) were dissolved under vibration in 5 ml methanol at 50 ° c ., and the resulting mixture was stirred at the same temperature . reaction progress was monitored by tlc . after the reaction was completed , the resulting reaction mixture was concentrated , and the residue was dissolved in water ( 20 ml ) and ethyl acetate ( 20 ml ). after stratification , the water layer was washed with ethyl acetate ( 3 × 20 ml ). the organic extractants were combined and washed with 40 ml of brine , dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate , and filtered . the filtrate was concentrated under vacuum , thereby obtaining a crude product . the crude product was purified by silica gel chromatography ( gradient of eluents of methanol : dichloromethane : ammonia water being in a range from 4 : 95 . 6 : 0 . 4 to 6 : 93 . 5 : 0 . 4 ) to afford 0 . 0888 g of the titled compound . compound 10 ( 0 . 5 g , 0 . 6694 mmol ) prepared according to example 83 and n - propylamine ( 0 . 5 g , 25 nlmmol ) were dissolved under vibration in isopropanol ( 10 ml ) at 50 ° c ., and the resulting mixture was stirred at the same temperature for 72 h . reaction progress was monitored by tlc . after the reaction was completed , the resulting reaction mixture was concentrated , and the residue was added into saturated sodium bicarbonate solution ( 50 ml ) and dichloromethane ( 80 ml ). the mixture was vibrated uniformly , and stood to be stratified . the organic phase dichloromethane was washed with water ( 3 × 50 ml ). the organic phases were combined , dried over mgso 4 , and concentrated under vacuum to dryness . the resulting substance was dissolved in dichloromethane , and applied on gf254 silica gel . thin layer chromatography separation was performed with an eluent of 4 / 1 cyclohexane / diethylamine or 4 / 1 / 0 . 01 dichloromethane / methanol / ammonia water . the chromatographic band corresponding to the desired product was scraped off and further purified by silica gel chromatography eluted with a mixture of dichloromethane / methanol / ammonia in a ratio of 4 / 1 / 0 . 01 . the mobile phase was concentrated at 50 ° c . under vacuum and dried , thereby obtaining 0 . 16 g of the titled compound as a pure amine . compounds of examples 85 - 187 each have a structure shown by the following general formula 1 , in which substituent group r is as shown by table 2 . compounds of examples 85 - 187 are prepared according to the general preparation process ( a ), general preparation process ( b ) and general preparation process ( c ) of the above example 84 . specific reaction time for preparation of each of compounds of examples 85 to 187 is shown in table 2 . in table 2 , structures , yields and mass spec are data of the final compounds . in examples 84 to 187 , r is a group shown by table 2 , and nitrogen or sulfur in r is directly attached to methylene of r 3 . r ′ in each of examples 84 to 187 is n - propyl . although the present disclosure is described based on specific examples , certain changes and equivalents are obviously understandable for a person skilled in the art , which fall within the scope of the present disclosure . table 3 shows structural formulas of some compounds in table 1 and table 2 . in accordance with the performance standards for antimicrobial disk susceptibility tests : approved standard published by the us national committee for clinical laboratory standards , the antibacterial activities of compounds prepared according to examples 5 to 187 were tested . the mics ( minimum inhibitory concentration ) of the medicaments prepared according to the examples on the following bacterial strains were measured through mini broth dilution technique . staphylococcus aureus cvcc26003 , streptococcus equines cvcc556 . actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae cvcc262 , haemophilus parasuis , and pasteurella multocida cvcc399 , which were purchased from the control institute of veterinary bioproducts and pharmaceuticals , china . gamithromycin prepared by a process referring to that described in cn102239174a , the content thereof being 95 . 2 %; and tulathromycin prepared by a process referring to that described in cn1530370a , the content thereof being 96 . 4 %. an sw - cj - 2fd model clean bench manufactured by suzhou anti airtech co ., ltd , a dnp - 9272bs - iii model electro - thermal incubator manufactured by shanghai xinmiao medical instruments manufacturing co ., ltd , mba of batch no . 20120921 manufactured by qingdao hope bio - technology co ., ltd , mhb of batch no . 20120229 manufactured by qingdao hope bio - technology co ., ltd , new - born calf serum of batch no . 20120824 manufactured by weikesheng biotech co ., ltd , liquid culture medium : camhb . to mhb ( prepared according to the specification of the final product ) were added cacl 2 and mgcl 2 , so that a final concentration of ca 2 + in the culture medium was 20 mg / l and that of mg 2 + therein was 10 mg / l . solid culture medium : nina prepared according to the specification of the final product . liquid culture medium : camhb with 10 % calf serum and 0 . 005 % nad +. solid culture medium : mha with 10 % calf serum and 0 . 005 % nad +. the strains were taken out of a refrigerator at − 20 ° c . to be revived , and were spreaded by streaking on the solid culture medium with an inoculating loop . the inoculated culture medium was cultured at 35 ° c . in a constant temperature incubator for 20 h . monoclonal antibodies were selected from a well - grown culture plate and streaked on the solid culture medium . the inoculated culture medium was cultured at 35 ° c . in the constant temperature incubator for 20 h . the compounds of examples 5 to 80 and the compounds of examples 84 to 187 each were prepared with 100 % dmso into a solution having a concentration of 8 . 8 mg / ml . a 96 - well plate was used , and 100 μl of dmso was added into each of wells 2 to 11 , and 200 μl of ready - prepared medicament solution was added into the 1 st well , 100 μl of the medicament solution was extracted from the 1 st well and added into the 2 nd well . double dilution was performed until the 11 th well , thereby forming 11 gradients . in this case , compound of parent plate was prepared . 3 μl of double diluted medicament solution was extracted with a 12 - channel pipettor and added into wells 1 - 11 of a new disposable 96 - well culture plate . the 12 th well thereof is a control well . for each medicament , there are two adjacent rows which are parallel . the transferred compound plate was reserved for later use . representative bacterial colony was selected from the plate prepared in the above section 4 . 2 and added into normal saline , an od 600 value being adjusted to a range of 0 . 14 - 0 . 15 . the dilution ratio was recorded , and the bacterial liquid for the tests was diluted according to the recorded dilution ratio . subsequently , the bacterial suspension and the liquid culture medium were diluted in the proportion of 1 : 200 . the diluted solution was reserved for later use . the medicaments and bacterial liquid were added into the compound plates from section 4 . 3 , two rows for each medicament , and one plate for one bacterium . the test results are as shown in table 5 . the mics of partial compounds failed to be determined in one test , thus further tests were performed under new diluted concentration , so as to further determine the mics of the compounds . the in vivo antibacterial activity was measured by conventional animal experiment process well known to the person skilled in the art , and the test animals were balb / c mice . test materials : standard strain of streptococcus pneumoniae , under accession number cmcc 31203 , purchased from the national center for medical culture collections ; and tulathromycin prepared by a process referring to that described in cn1530370a . test medicaments : compounds ( syzx - 1 , syzx - 2 , syzx - 6 ) prepared according to the three general preparation processes of example 5 , and compounds prepared in example 6 ( syzx - 3 ), example 8 ( syzx - 5 ), example 12 ( syzx - 10 ), example 13 ( syzx - 11 ), example 14 ( syzx - 12 ), example 15 ( syzx - 14 ), example 16 ( syzx - 15 ), example 17 ( syzx - 17 ), example 18 ( syzx - 101 prepared according to the general preparation process ( c )), example 26 ( syzx - 30 ), example 30 ( syzx - 35 ), example 38 ( syzx - 47 ), example 45 ( syzx - 58 ), example 52 ( syzx - 65 ), example 53 ( syzx - 66 ), example 54 ( syzx - 67 ), and example 170 ( syzx - 213 ). in the meantime , tulathromycin was used for comparison . the compounds each were dissolved in absolute ethyl alcohol . the mixture was supplemented until the volume reached a required level , and sufficiently mixed to afford solution with a concentration of 1 mg / ml . mice each weighed in a range of 18 - 20 g were selected from 350 mice of 5 to 6 weeks and divided into different cages , with 10 mice in each cage . the mice were breeded for 72 h , and entered into tests if observations turned out normal . before the tests started , streptococcus pneumoniae was cultured in a blood plate for 24 h , and then added into a sterility broth containing serum for shaking culture ( 120 r / min ) at 37 ° c ., for 20 h , so that an enriched culture can be conducted . viable count was performed . the bacteria were diluted to 5 × 10 8 cfu / ml , with sterilized saline water . the mice each were infected with 0 . 5 ml of the bacterial liquid by intraperitoneal injection . the day after the infection , compounds prepared according to the above examples and the medicament for comparison were administered to the mice by subcutaneous injection via neck at a dose of 5 mg per kg of body weight for 3 consecutive days . in the meantime , control groups , such as blank control groups and medicament control groups , were arranged . the blank control groups were not administered with any medicament after being infected . the mice in the medicament control groups each were injected with tulathromycin at a dose of 10 mg per kg of body weight after being infected . after infection and administration , the mice were observed every day , and the death count in each group was recorded until the seventh day , table 6 shows the influence of the compounds shown in the general formula of the present disclosure on the survival rate of mice infected by streptococcus pneumoniae . as shown in table 6 , administration of the compounds shown by the formula of the present disclosure at a dose of 5 mg per kg of body weight can reduce deaths of the mice due to infection by streptococcus pneumoniae . as compared with the control groups , the compounds of the present disclosure can significantly improve the survival rate of the infected mice , and have manifested evident in vivo antibacterial activity . name of the medicaments : compound no . syzx - 24 , and tulathromycin having a content of 96 . 4 % prepared by the process referring to that described in chinese patent cn1530370a . balb / c mice , each weighed 16 . 0 - 19 . 0 g , were selected . the mice were half male and half female . before the tests started , the mice were fed in different cages and observed for 3 days . 12 ( half male and half female ) healthy and brisk mice were selected for tests . the mice were prohibited from feeding , but not water , for 14 h ( from 6 pm to 8 am the next morning ) before administration . a mice gavage device , a 1 ml disposable syringe , a 50 ml beaker and a 100 ml beaker , individual ventilated cages ( ivc ), ophthalmologic operating scissors , tweezers , a medical tray , 0 . 5 % basic fuchsin dye liquor , medical rubber gloves , an analytical balance , and electronic scales . three groups were arranged for the tests , each having four mice ( half male and half female ). the three groups were respectively tulathromycin group , syzx - 24 group , and solvent control group . the mice were marked with 0 . 5 % basic fuchsin dye liquor . the marked parts of mice in the tulathromycin group were respectively left upper shoulders ( female ), left ribs ( female ), right upper shoulders ( male ) and right ribs ( male ). the marked parts of mice in the syzx - 24 group were respectively left hinder limbs ( female ), necks ( female ), right hinder limbs ( male ), and necks ( male ). the mice in the solvent control group were not marked . mice in the administered group were administered at a dose of 2000 mg / kg · d - 1 ( it was reported that the minimum lethal dose of tulathromycin in orally intoxicated mice is higher than 2000 mg / kg · d - 1 ). 0 . 2 g of sodium carboxymethylcellulose was added into 40 ml of purified water and dissolved therein under stirring at 80 ° c ., thereby forming 0 . 5 % sodium carboxymethylcellulose solution as solvent for preparing the medicament . the test medicament was added into the 0 . 5 % sodium carboxymethylcellulose solution according to the dosage of administration , which gave 170 mg / ml suspension . 0 . 5 % sodium carboxymethylcellulose solution of the same volume was added into the suspension and screened through a 100 mesh , whereby a suspension having a concentration of 85 mg / ml was prepared . the medicaments were formulated into 85 mg / ml suspensions and administered by gastric perfusion once at a dose of 2000 ing / kg · d - 1 . in other words , the medicament was administered to each mouse at a dose of 0 . 47 ml per 20 g of body weight . specific grouping and administration are shown in table 7 . after administration of the medicaments , toxic symptoms and deaths of the animals within 6 h after administration were observed and recorded . the animals were continuously observed for 30 min after administration , and observed once from 1 h to 4 h after administration . subsequently , the animals were observed once a day until recovery . toxic symptoms and deaths were recorded , and dead animals were dissected without delay , so that organs , such as heart , liver , spleen , lungs , kidneys , stomach and intestines , can be observed . 3 . 1 death rates after 6 h upon infection were compared . table 8 shows the death status and death rates of the groups . 1 ml disposable plastic sterile syringe , small operating scissors , disposable rubber gloves , a wkz - 4 model pulverizer , a mortar , a measuring cylinder , a beaker , tianyija2003 electronic scales , a medical tray , carbazotic acid dye , medical rubber gloves , a mice gavage device ( no . 12 ), sodium carboxymethylcellulose ( tianjin kemiou chemical reagent co ., ltd ), and the like . compounds ( syzx -, syzx - 2 , syzx - 6 ) prepared through the three general preparation processes according to example 5 , compound of example 6 ( syzx - 3 ), compound of example 8 ( syzx - 5 ), compound of example 12 ( syzx - 10 ), compound of example 13 ( syzx - 11 ), compound of example 14 ( syzx - 12 ), compound of example 15 ( syzx - 14 ), compound of example 16 ( syzx - 15 ), compound of example 17 ( syzx - 17 ), compound of example 45 ( syzx - 58 ), compound ( syzx - 101 ) prepared in general preparation process ( c ) of example 84 , and compound of example 170 ( syzx - 213 ). spf level konmin mice purchased from henan provicial laboratory animal center , license number being scxk ( ) 2010 - 0002 . the mice comprise half male and half female , each weighed 18 - 22 g . the female mice and the male mice are separated and fed in individual ventilated cages . rearing condition of the mice include sterilized complete teed , free choice feeding and drinking , room temperature in a range of 10 - 24 ° c ., and relative humidity in a range of 40 - 60 %. 0 . 2 g of sodium carboxymethylcellulose was dissolved in 100 ml of purified water , placed overnight for swelling , and then stirred uniformly for later use . 2 . 1 . 2 the compounds of some examples were powdered using a mortar , and sifted through mesh ( 100 - mesh ) for later use . trial tests were performed repeatedly , so that an interval range between ld 0 and ld 100 can be determined and divided into groups , thereby grouping and determining the difference between the groups . in official tests , 60 mice each weighed in a range of 18 - 22 g were selected for each medicament . male mice and female mice were separated and respectively weighed . mice of the same weight range ( for example a range of 18 . 0 - 18 . 9 g or a range of 19 . 0 - 19 . 9 g ) were marked and fed in the same cage . the male mice and the female mice were respectively divided into 6 groups at random based on weight , so that mice of different gender and different weight can be evenly distributed in each group , and each group included 10 mice , in which half were male and half were female . before the mice were infected , the medicament was prepared with 0 . 2 % sodium carboxymethylcellulose solution based on a predetermined concentration . the mice each were gavaged once at a dose of 0 . 2 ml per 10 g of body weight . the mice were prohibited from feeding , but not from water , within 12 - 16 h before gavaging . the general health conditions , toxic symptoms , and the death process of the mice were minutely observed and recorded right after the gavaging . the dead mice were roughly dissected without delay , and continuously observed for 7 days . per os ld 50 and 95 % fiducial limit ( fl ) were calculated according to improved karber method . the calculation equations are as follows : ld 50 = lg - 1 [ x m - i ( ∑ p - 0 . 5 ) ] s x 50 = i ∑ pq n the 95 % fiducial limit : fl = lg − 1 ( lgld 50 ± 1 . 96 × s x50 ) in the above equations , x m — logarithmic value of the maximum dosage , according to the ld 50 dosage grading stardards for acute toxicity of chemicals in the guidelines for acute toxicity of veterinary drugs , a drug , the ld 50 , of which is in a range of 501 - 5000 mg / kg body weight , is assessed as low toxic . obviously , the compounds prepared according to the present disclosure have lower toxicity . it is known to the person skilled in the art that the higher the value of ld 50 , the lower the toxicity . the above embodiments are described only for better understanding , rather than restricting , the present disclosure . various modifications and variants to the present disclosure may be made by anyone skilled in the art , without departing from the scope and spirit of the present disclosure . the scope of the present disclosure should still be subjected to the scope defined in the claims .
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referring to the only figure , a one - step loading adapter 10 is shown in perspective . adapter 10 is removably attached to a mounting table , not shown , on a lifting device , not shown , such as an mj - 1 lift truck or an a / m32a - 88 manual lift universal dolly . adapter 10 includes a mounting plate 12 having fixedly attached thereon two i beam tracks 14 in parallel , a boom trolley 16 , a boom assembly 18 , a cradle assembly trolley 20 , a lateral track assembly 22 , a lateral cradle trolley 24 , a cradle base 26 , a cradle 28 , a hold down belt 30 , a boom actuator 32 removably attached to boom trolley 16 , a boom base 56 , a boom 36 , and a hoist beam 38 . tracks 14 on mounting plate 12 are shaped like i beams and thus have an outside track 40 and an inside track 42 . stops 44 being bolts or pins prevent boom trolley 16 and cradle assembly trolley 20 from running off their respective tracks 14 . boom trolley 16 has two support plates 46 and a fixed connecting member 48 such as a metal tube between plates 46 . two cam - follower type bearings 50 are attached to each support plate 46 and ride in outside track 40 . bearings 50 closely fit within track 40 so as to prevent tilting of boom assembly 18 when a load is lifted . pins 44 prevent bearings 50 from running off tracks 40 . a pivoting post 52 supports boom assembly 18 and a pin lock 54 thereon functions to prevent rotation as desired and allows removal of boom assembly 18 from adapter 10 for storage or when needed for clearance under an aircraft wing . boom assembly 18 includes a base 56 that is pivotally connected to pivoting post 52 and a first boom section 58 . first vertical boom section 58 pivots about a pin 60 attached to base 56 . also fixedly attached is manual actuator 14 . an actuator shaft 62 is pivotally attached by pin 64 to first vertical boom section 58 . a second vertical boom section 66 is pivotally attached to first vertical boom section 58 by pin 68 . second boom section 66 can be rotated to the aft direction to store the boom assembly 18 but when attached it typically is held in the near vertical position as shown by a stop internal to first boom section 58 . a horizontal boom section 70 is pivotally attached to second boom section 66 by pivot pin 72 . a stop , not shown , prevents the downward movement of horizontal boom 70 relative to second vertical boom section 66 and thus boom 70 and boom section 66 are at about a 90 degree angle . a bracket 74 is fixedly attached by bolts 76 to horizontal boom 70 . a coupling 78 is mounted between bracket 74 and hoisting beam 38 . actuator 14 can be either manually driven or hydraulically driven . the greater the usage would most likely require hydraulic means , not shown . handle 80 can be removed from handle shaft 81 and a hydraulic drive place thereon . ball screw actuator 14 is manually operated by a ratchet handle 80 to raise and lower a store . handle 80 rotation is selected by a lever , not shown , on ratchet handle 80 that can be positioned to either side of neutral for clockwise or counterclockwise handle rotation . the neutral position of the lever allows handle 80 to assume a free wheeling condition . a no - back feature is built into a gear box portion 82 of actuator 14 . the no - back prevents the inadvertent dropping of a missile supported by hoist beam 38 if ratchet handle 80 is unrestrained and free to rotate . the no - back consists of two sets of clutches that lock in a fail safe mode to avoid dropping the store being handled . actuator 14 has a gear drive release button 84 located adjacent to crank handle 80 that places the actuator drive mechanism in a free - wheeling mode for the rapid manual positioning of the unloaded boom 18 in preparation for attaching a store to beam 38 for lifting ; release button 84 can be actuated while there is no load on lift boom 36 only by first applying a moderate manual force at the lift boom 36 / actuator 32 attach point ( as though attempting to retract the actuator piston ). while maintaining a constant force towards the actuator piston , one depresses release button 84 to disengage the actuator drive mechanism to a free - wheeling mode . the actuator piston can then be rapidly extended or retracted to any position by applying an appropriate force at the lift boom 36 . once the store is attached to hoist beam 38 , the store is raised and positioned over cradle assembly 28 . cradle assembly trolley 20 is constructed of two parallel beams 86 having two cam - follower type bearings 88 on each beam 86 which ride inside tracks 42 of tracks 14 . attached to the other ends of beams 86 is lateral track assembly 22 that is made of two &# 34 ; c &# 34 ; shaped tracks 90 . lateral cradle trolley 24 having cam - follower type bearings , not shown , rides in c - shaped tracks 90 to provide a lateral degree of freedom . fixedly attached to lateral cradle trolley 24 is a cradle base 26 beam constructed of two support rods 92 that are further attached to two end plates 94 . end plates 94 have two cam - follower type bearings 96 . bearings 96 ride in cradle tracks 98 . cradle tracks 98 are fixedly held in position by connecting rods 100 . a plurality of four pivoting support pads 102 provide support for the store when placed in cradle 28 . although not shown , conventional locks are provided to prevent the motion of cradle tracks 98 , lateral track assembly 24 , and cradle assembly trolley 20 once the store is loaded thereon . each lock can be individually released to allow movement for positioning the store accurately under the aircraft attach lugs on whatever is used for holding the store . the details of one - step loading adapter ( osla ) 10 are provided in table 1 . table 1__________________________________________________________________________ general maximum operating temp 71 ° c . 160 ° f . minimum operating temp - 40 ° c . - 40 ° f . weight 62 kg 135 pounds ( approx .) size 483 mm × 508 mm × 19 &# 34 ; w × 20 &# 34 ; h × 1117 . 6 mm 44 &# 34 ; l operation full travel of boom handle 30 revolutions ( cranks ) crank handle force 16 pounds ( approx .) crank motion side to side ± 4 inches ( lateral travel ) cradle motion fore and aft ± 61 / 2 inches ( axis travel ) boom motion rotation ± 90 ° boom motion rotation pin lock - 90 °, 0 °, + 90 ° ( 3 positions ) cradle motion in roll 90 ° travel cradle stores sizes 5 &# 34 ; dia 7 &# 34 ; dia and 8 &# 34 ; dia . cradle or boom capacity 510 pounds hydraulics ( with mj - 1 lift truck ) hydraulic kit ( 6452a0001 - 01 ) pressure 1500 psi operating flow less than 1 gpm required to operate the osla motor volume per revolution 1 . 21 cu . in . accessories required for hydraulic motor operation : p / n 4b45c - 2 ( fmc 98296 ) ( gfe ; nsn 17300 - 00 - 894 - 0323 ) power take off kit osla compatible with aircraft : f - 15 , f - 16 and f - 4 osla compatible with missles : aim - 9 , aim - 7 , aim - 120a , agm - 45 ( requires p / n 53e120002 - 1001 hoisting beam . ) __________________________________________________________________________ a . rotate the crank handle 80 clockwise ( cw )/ counterclockwise ( ccw ) to raise / lower boom assembly 18 . b . attach hoist beam 38 to the lugs of the missile . position the hoist beam fork clevis on the forward lug of the missile . remove the ball lock pin 104 to release the telescoping rod equipped with a fitting for engaging the missile aft lug . slide the rod rearward into the missile lug and secure the rod with ball lock pin 104 . if the missile is oriented in the wrong direction for installation of the aircraft launcher , it can be rotated , tail first , under the truck / dolly boom , while suspended from hoist beam 38 of one - step adapter 10 . this operation is accomplished with the wings and fins removed from the missile . c . manually rotate the crank handle 80 cw to retract actuator 32 and raise the horizontal boom 70 and missile to the elevated position . d . slide cradle assembly 28 under missile ( rotate cradle slightly to clear missile waveguide tunnel ). e . lower missile by rotating crank handle 80 ccw . position waveguide tunnel , if such , located on bottom of missile into the appropriate notch in the bottom of cradle 28 . f . tighten side to side , fore and aft and roll locks as deemed necessary . g . with the weight of the missile on cradle assembly 28 , disconnect hoist beam 38 from missile lugs . h . three ( 3 ) options are available to facilitate hoist beam / boom assembly clearance with the aircraft during the missile loading phase . the hoist beam / boom assembly may be rotated ± 90 ° about post 52 , as a first option of positioning the beam / boom assembly 36 . ( the spring loaded lock pin is released at the base of the post to facilitate this rotational action .) a second option is to elevate and rotate the hoist beam 38 / boom assembly 18 back until it is resting over the crank handle 80 and gear box assembly 82 . ( this option may be used in conjunction with option 1 , if necessary , to clear aircraft structure during loading operation .) a third option is to completely remove the hoist beam 38 / boom assembly 18 by lifting it out of post 52 . i . secure the missile in cradle 98 with missile holddown belt 30 provided with osla 10 ; and j . one - step loading adapter 10 is then ready to be moved with the missile in place . the missile can be accurately positioned to be attached to the missile launcher on the aircraft by only one person . clearly , many modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in light of the above teachings and it is therefore understood , that within the inventive scope of the inventive concept , the invention may be practiced otherwise than specifically claimed .
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in carrying out the method of this invention , cultures of suspended plant cells having at least part of their plant cell walls , such as cell suspension cultures , can be obtained from monocotyledonous plants in a conventional manner ( li et al ( 1990 ) plant mol . biol . rep . 8 : 276 wen et al ( 1991 ) plant mol . biol . rep . 9 : 308 hodges et al ( 1991 ) in &# 34 ; rice biotechnology &# 34 ; ed . khush and toenniessen , c . a . b . international , united kingdom , p . 157 ; yang et al ( 1991 ) aust . j . plant physiol . 18 : 445 ; redway et al ( 1990 ) plant cell reports 8 : 714 ; jahne et al ( 1991 ) theor . appl . genet . 82 : 74 ; gordon - kamm et al ( 1990 ) the plant cell 2 : 603 ; fromm et al ( 1990 ) bio / technology 8 : 833 ; rhodes et al ( 1988 ) bio / technology 6 : 56 ; vasil and vasil ( 1986 ) j . plant physiol . 124 : 399 ; kamo and hodges ( 1986 ) plant science 45 : 111 ). since cell suspension cultures have typically been generated so as to provide protoplasts , which can then be transformed and cultured to produce transgenic plants , procedures for making such cell cultures have generally been directed towards establishing and maintaining regenerable suspension cultures ( i . e ., cell suspension cultures from which regenerable callus can be obtained ). however , since regeneration in cereals occurs mainly means of embryogenesis , cell suspension cultures of cereals , from which regenerable ( in this case , callus can be obtained , will generally be embryogenic suspension cultures . hence , in the following description and examples , the method of this invention is described mainly with reference to embryogenic suspension cultures cereals , such as rice , as a starting material . however , the method of the invention can be applied to any culture suspended walled cells obtained from any monocotyledonous plant species , particularly to any culture of regenerable suspended cells , including any culture of cells regenerable by organogenesis , as well as to walled monocotyledonous cells which can be used to form such cultures of suspended walled cells . preferred cultures of suspended cells are the various types of liquid cultures which can be obtained by conventional methods , in the course of establishing cell suspension cultures , and which are characterized by : initially , suspended callus clumps , and later , progressively more homogeneous suspended cell aggregates in liquid culture media . the method of this invention is equally applicable to the initial and the later stages but will be particularly exemplified with respect to preferred cultures of suspended cell clumps or aggregates . whether a culture of suspended walled cells , such as a culture of suspended cell clumps or a cell suspension culture ( e . g ., an embryogenic suspension culture ), of a particular line of a monocot species ( e . g ., rice ) is suitable for plant regeneration can be determined by plating a large number ( i . e ., at least 100 ) of cell aggregates derived from the suspension ( or calli derived from such cell aggregates on a suitable propagation medium ) on a suitable regeneration medium and determining what proportion of the aggregates give rise to phenotypically normal , fertile plants . if normal fertile plants are obtained from at least about 10 %, preferably at least 25 %, particularly at least 50 %, of the cell aggregates , the suspension culture can be considered to be suitable for the purposes of using the method of this invention to obtain transgenic monocotyledonous plants . embryogenic suspension cultures of this invention can be established and maintained by conventional procedures . the embryogenic suspension cultures can generally be described as fast growing and homogeneous in cell type . they consist of well - dispersed aggregates , which are composed of a few to approximately 200 tightly packed embryogenic cells , in livid ( e . g ., aqueous ) medium . the embryogenic cells are round - or oval - shaped , actively dividing and rich in cytoplasm , they can contain lipid droplets and starch grains , and they retain at least part , preferably all , of their cell walls . the embryogenic cells can have doubling times of , for example , 27 to 32 hours and , after plating on suitable media , can give rise to embryogenic calli , from which plants can be regenerated . the specific appearance and characteristics of a given regenerable suspension culture , for example the size of cell clusters , the growth rate , or the color , and the time required for establishing the suspension culture , may depend on the plant species and cultivar use , on the media , and on the physical culture conditions . cultures of suspended cells that are not cell suspension cultures ( i . e ., cultures of suspended cell clumps ) will generally consist essentially of cell aggregates that 1 ) are relatively more heterogeneous in size ( and the cultures may even contain a large number of relatively large cell clumps ) and cell type , and 2 ) contain cells that readily divide and generally do not show signs of necrosis ( e . g ., browning ). procedures that can be used for establishing and maintaining embryogenic suspension cultures have been described , for example , for : rice ( li et al ( 1990 ) plant mol . biol . rep . 8 : 276 ; wen et al ( 1991 ) plant mol . biol . rep . 9 : 308 ; hodges et al ( 1991 ) in &# 34 ; rice biotechnology &# 34 ; ed . khush and toenniessen , c . a . b . international , united kingdom , p . 157 ), wheat ( yang et al ( 1991 ) aust . j . plant physiol . 18 : 445 ; redway et al ( 1990 ) plant cell reports 8 : 714 ), barley ( jahne et al ( 1991 ) theor . appl . genet . 82 : 74 ), and corn ( gordon - kamm et al ( 1990 ) the plant cell 2 : 603 ; fromm et al ( 1990 ) bio / technology 8 : 833 ; rhodes et al ( 1988 ) bio / technology 6 : 56 ; vasil and vasil ( 1986 ) j . plant physiol . 124 : 399 ; kamo and hodges ( 1986 ) plant science 45 : 111 ). likewise , general procedures for establishing cultures , especially regenerable cultures , of suspended cells , particularly of cell clumps , of this invention are well known to those skilled in the art . in fact , media and procedures that are conventionally used during the establishment of cell suspension cultures can generally be used for the establishment of such cultures of suspended cells , irrespective of whether cell suspension cultures could be obtained from them . in fact , it is believed that the establishment of such a culture of suspended cells is generally easier than the establishment of a cell suspension culture . explants that can be used to induce callus , from which suitable cultures of suspended cells of this invention can be obtained , are well known . for rice , for example , such explants include dry seeds , immature embryos , young leaf bases , immature inflorescenses , anthers , microspores , nodes and roots ( particularly root tips ), but for other cereals , some of the above explants cannot be used as effectively . it is generally believed that immature embryos are the preferred explants for the induction of callus , particularly regenerable callus . it is believed , however , that those skilled in the art will generally be able to modify and optimize existent media and procedures for use with particular plant species or for particular lines and genotypes within a plant species . for the purposes of this invention , particularly where the transformed cells are to be regenerated into transgenic plants , it is preferred that the suspension cultures be relatively young , preferably not older than about four months , especially not older than three months , particularly for suspensions of rice cells . thus , it is often preferred that electroporation of suspended cells , as described below , be carried out before the fourth month , preferably before the third month , after initiation of the suspension culture . it is also preferred that the majority of the cells of the embryogenic suspension culture have a chromosome number that is normal for the plant species , from which the culture is derived . in this respect , it is preferred that at least about 50 %, preferably at least 75 %, particularly 80 %, quite particularly 90 %, of such cells have a normal chromosome number . hence , cultures of suspended cells are preferably used which are significantly younger than established cell suspension cultures in order to reduce significantly any somaclonal variations and other adverse effects in plants that are regenerated from such cells . the present invention is based on the surprising finding that cultures of suspended walled monocotyledonous cells , particularly cultures of such cells from which regenerable ( e . g ., embryogenic ) callus can be obtained , especially relatively young embryogenic suspension cultures of such cells , as well as walled monocotyledonous cells capable of being used to form such cultures of suspended cells , are competent , not only with respect to regeneration of phenotypically normal plants , but also with respect to dna uptake by means of electroporation and to subsequent integrative transformation . the walled monocot cells , to be transformed by the method of this invention , will usually be part of cell aggregates . whenever such cell aggregates are obtained from cell suspension cultures , particularly embryogenic cell suspension cultures , such cell aggregates will consist of a few to several hundred ( i . e ., up to about 500 ) cells and will generally have an average diameter that is smaller than about 0 . 5 mm . when such cell aggregates are obtained from tissue or callus , preferably regenerable callus , that can be used to form a liquid culture of cell aggregates , they will usually be much larger , with an average diameter of between about 0 . 5 and 3 mm , preferably with an average diameter of between 1 and 2 mm . when such cell aggregates are obtained from a liquid culture of suspended cells such as from a culture obtained during the establishment of a cell supension culture , they will generally be rather heterogeneous in size , with average dimensions between about 0 . 5 and 3 mm . however , the dimensions of cell aggregates , described above and in the examples , are considered preferred dimensions in view of the dimensions of the electroporation cuvettes , which are described below , and are not necessary dimensions for this invention . in accordance with this invention , electroporation can be carried out in a conventional manner ( see , e . g ., fromm et al ( 1987 ) meth . enzymol . 153 : 351 ). in this regard , walled cells , particularly aggregates of walled cells much as are contained in a culture of suspended cells ( e . g ., an embryogenic suspension culture ) or such as can be used to form such a culture , can be transferred to a cuvette suitable for use with an electroporation apparatus ( e . g ., as described by dekeyser et al ( 1990 ) the plant cell 2 : 591 ). alternatively , the walled cells , particularly aggregates thereof , can be suspended in electroporation buffer and transferred by pipette to the cuvette , or the liquid medium can be removed from a suspension culture and its walled cells can then be transferred by spatula to cuvettes that already contain a suitable volume of electroporation buffer . preferably , about 30 mg to 150 mg , particularly 50 mg to 125 mg , most particularly 75 mg to 100 mg , of cell aggregates per 100 to 200 μl , preferably 100 to 150 μl , of electroporation buffer are transferred to the cuvette . prior to transfer to the cuvettes , it is preferred that the walled cell aggregates be suspended in the electroporation buffer , preferably while shaking , for a period of about 15 minutes to 3 hours , preferably for a period of about 45 minutes to 1 . 5 hours , but the period can be decreased down to a few ( i . e ., 1 to 5 ) minutes . also , the incubation of a cell material need not be carried out in the electroporation buffer but can in fact be carried out in any hypertonic buffer . prior to electroporation , it may also be desirable to treat briefly the cell aggregates with plant cell wall - degrading enzymes or with mechanical forces ( such as sieving through a fine mesh ) in order to damage slightly the cell walls or to make the cell aggregates more homogenous in size . when used , such an enzyme pretreatment should preferably not be for longer than 30 minutes , particularly not for longer than 10 minutes , quite particularly not for longer than3 to 5 minutes . enzymes or enzyme compositions that can be used for this purpose are well known ( see , e . g ., power and chapman ( 1985 ) in &# 34 ; plant cell tissue culture : a practical approach &# 34 ;, irl press , oxford ). after the dna fragments are added to the cuvette containing the walled cells , particularly aggregates thereof , in electroporation buffer , the electroporation can be carried out in accordance with this invention . preferably , the dna is coincubated for as long as about two or three hours or as little as about five to fifteen minutes ( and as low as about one minute ), but typically for about one hour , with the walled cells prior to electroporation . it is believed that best results can be obtained with linear , rather than circular , dna of relatively small size , preferably smaller than about 20 kb , especially smaller than 15 kb , particularly smaller than 10 kb , quite particularly smaller than 6 kb ( e . g ., down to about 2 - 3 kb ). in this regard , multiple linear dna fragments of different composition can be used to transform the competent monocot plant cells of this invention with multiple genes of interests . preferably , about 5 to 30 μg , particularly about 10 to 25 μg , quite particularly about 10 or 20 μg , of dna are added to the cuvette containing the cell aggregates . substances that prevent dna degradation , such as spemidine , can be added . particular electroporation conditions are not believed to be critical , and good results can be obtained ( e . g ., in rice ) with one pulse with an electrical field strength of between about 600 and 700 v / cm discharged from a capacitor of about 800 to 900 μf . although optimal electroporation conditions for different types of cells and their aggregates ( e . g ., from suspension cultures ) are likely to be different , conditions as described by fromm et al ( 1987 ) meth . enzymol . 153 : 351 and dekeyser et al ( 1990 ) supra can generally be used . in this regard , optimal electroporation conditions for any type of cell aggreate are believed to be dependent on the plant species , being transformed and , when using suspension cultures , the age and general condition of the suspension , and such conditions can be experimentally determined . hence , it is generally preferred that an exploratory experiment to be carried out initially with the cell aggregates , in which experiment no dna is added to the electroporation cuvette containing the cell aggregates in electroporation buffer and that , after the electroporation pulse , at least about 50 %, preferably at least 75 %, particularly at least 90 %, of the cell aggregates develop into calli after plating on solid culture medium . the composition of the electroporation buffer is also not believed to be critical , and generally , conventional electroporation buffers can be used ( see , e . g ., fromm et al ( 1987 ) supra ). when the transformation by electroporation is completed , the cell aggregates , containing the transformed monocot cells , are transferred to a suitable culture medium ( which may be a solid medium , a bead - type medium , or even a liquid medium ), preferably a selective medium when the transformed cells contain dna fragments encoding a selectable marker . this transfer should be as soon as possible after , preferably immediately after , the transformation event and especially within about one to three days after the transformation event . preferably , cell aggregates transformed with dna fragments encoding a selectable marker are cultured using conventional culture conditions , culture procedures , and culture media ( see , e . g ., references in vasil ( 1988 ) supra ) supplemented with a selective agent . the selection of the selective agent wall depend on the selectable marker used in the dna fragments to transform the walled cells , as discussed below . the concentration of the selective agent should provide a suitable selective pressure on the transformed cells so that only stably transformed cells , in which the dna fragments encoding the selectable marker are integrated , preferably fully integrated , in the genome of the cells , survive and can be isolated . although such transformed cell aggregates can be cultured for a few days on non - selective medium , it is preferred that they be transferred to selective medium as soon as possible and maintained for a sufficiently long period ( e . g ., as long as about six months ), preferably at least about one month , especially two to three months , to produce significant amounts of transformed morphogenic callus , such as transformed embryogenic callus , which can be used to regenerate a phenotypically normal plant . it is also preferred that the hypertonicity of the medium be maintained for a limited time ( e . g ., up to about two to three weeks ), for instance by supplementing the medium with mannitol . in accordance with this invention , any dna fragment can be integrated in the genome , particularly the nuclear genome , of a monocotyledonous plant . generally , the dna fragment contains a foreign or endogenous gene or other dna sequence which is functional in the transformed plant cells and confers an additional property to such cells and to plants regenerated from the cells . to this end , the dna fragment preferably comprises one or more chimaeric genes which contain the following operably linked dna sequences : 1 ) a promoter sequence capable of directing expression of a coding sequence in the plant cell ( a &# 34 ; promoter &# 34 ;); 2 ) a sequence ( a &# 34 ; coding sequence &# 34 ;) coding for a protein with a specific activity within the plant cell ( a &# 34 ; protein of interest &# 34 ;): and 3 ) suitable 3 &# 39 ; transcription regulation signals . in order to obtain the required functionality of the protein , it may also be necessary that the protein be targeted to one or more particular compartments of the plant cell , such as the cytosol , mitochondria , chloroplasts or endoplasmatic reticulum . for targeting to the cytosol , the chimaeric gene ( s ), as described above , can be used as such . however for targeting to the other compartments , it is required that there be an additional sequence ( a &# 34 ; targeting sequence &# 34 ;) between the dna sequences 1 ) and 2 ) of the chimaeric gene ( s ). if required , the chimaeric gene ( s ) can also contain transcriptional and / or translational enhancers , and the codon usage of the dna sequences can be optimized or expression in plant cells . chimaeric genes in accordance with this invention can be constructed according to well - established principles and techniques . in this regard , the various dna sequences should be linked so that translation is initiated at the initiation codon of the coding sequence of the protein ( or of the targeting sequence , when present ). it is believed that the various constitutive and organ - and tissue - specific promoters that are presently used to direct expression of genes in transformed dicotyledonous plants will also be suitable for use in transformed monocots of this invention . in this regard , particular plant cells can be transformed with a chimaeric gene comprising : a coding sequence encoding a protein of interest and upstream ( i . e ., 5 &# 39 ;) thereof , either a foreign or an endogenous promoter suitable for expression of the coding sequence . suitable foreign constitutive promoters include : the promoter of the cauliflower mosaic virus (&# 34 ; camv &# 34 ;) isolates cm1841 ( gardner et al ( 1981 ) nucl . acids . res . 9 : 2871 ) and cabbb - b ( franck et al ( 1980 ) cell , 21 : 285 ) ( the &# 34 ; 35s promoter &# 34 ;) which directs constitutive expression of heterologous genes ( odell et al ( 1983 ) nature 313 : 810 ); a related promoter ( the &# 34 ; 3583 promoter &# 34 ;) which can be isolated from the camv isolate cabbb - ji ( hull and howell ( 1978 ) virology 86 : 482 ) and which differs from the 35s promoter in its sequence ( the sequence of the 3583 promoter is disclosed in european patent publication (&# 34 ; ep &# 34 ;) 359617 ) and in its greater activity in transgenic plants ( harpster et al ( 1988 ) mol . gen . genet . 212 : 182 ) and the tr1 &# 39 ; and the tr2 &# 39 ; promoters which drive the expression of the 1 &# 39 ; and 2 &# 39 ; genes , respectively , of the t - dna of agrobacterium ( velten et al ( 1984 ) embo j . 3 : 2723 ) and are wound - induced promoters . suitable organ - specific , tissue - specific and / or inducible foreign promoters are also known ( see , e . g ., references cited in kuhlemeier et al ( 1987 ) ann . rev . plant physiol . 38 : 221 ) such as the promoters of the small subunit genes ( such as the 1a gene ) of 1 , 5 - ribulose bisphosphate carboxylase of arabidopsis thaliana ( the &# 34 ; ssu &# 34 ; promoter ) which are light inducible promoters ( krebbers et al ( 1988 ) plant mol . biol . 11 : 745 ) active only in photosynthetic tissue ; the anther - specific promoters disclosed in ep 344029 : and the seed - specific promoters of , for example , arabidopsis thaliana ( krebbers et al ( 1988 ) plant physiol . 87 : 859 ). promoters of particular usefulness for transforming monocots to render them male - sterile , as described in european patent publication (&# 34 ; ep &# 34 ;) 344029 , are the tapetum - specific promoters pta29 , pta26 and pta13 , particularly pta29 , of ep 344029 . likewise , it is believed that known 3 &# 39 ; transcription regulation sequences and polyadenylation signals used in transformed dicotyledonous plants can be used in transformed monsters of this invention . such 340 transcription regulation signals can be provided downstream ( i . e . 3 &# 39 ;) of the coding sequence . in this regard , a particular plant cell can be transformed with a chimaeric gone containing either foreign or endogenous , transcription termination and polyadenylation signals suitable for obtaining expression of the chimaeric gene . for example , the foreign 3 &# 39 ; untranslated ends of genes , such as gene 7 ( veltan and schell ( 1985 ) nucl . acids res . 13 : 6998 ), the octopine synthase gene ( gielen et al ( 1983 ) embo j . 3 : 835 ) and the nopaline synthase gene of the t - dna region of agrobacterium tumefaciens ti - plasmid can be used . for construction of a chimaeric gene which can be expressed in a transformed plant cell , preferably in its cytoplasm followed by translocation of its protein of interest to the cell &# 39 ; s mitochondria , chloroplasts and / or lumen of the endoplasmatic reticulum , suitable targeting sequences are known . selection of such targeting sequences is not believed to be critical , and a particular plant cell can be transformed with a chimaeric gene containing either a foreign or endogenous targeting sequence encoding a targeting peptide which will provide translocation of the expression product of the gene . by &# 34 ; targeting peptide &# 34 ; is meant a polypeptide fragment which is normally associated , in an eucaryotic cell , with a chloroplast or mitochondrial protein or subunit of the protein or with a protein translocated to the endoplasmatic reticulum and which is produced in a cell as part of precursor protein encoded by the nuclear dna of the cell . the targeting peptide is responsible for the translocation process of the nuclear - encoded chloroplast or mitochondrial protein or subunit into the chloroplast or the mitochondria or the lumen the endoplasmatic reticulum . during the translocation process , the targeting peptide is separated or proteolytically removed from the protein or subunit . a targeting sequence can be provided in the chimaeric gene to express a targeting peptide which can translocate an expressed protein of interest within a transformed plant cell as generally described in european patent applications (&# 34 ; epa &# 34 ;) 85402596 . 2 and 88402222 . 9 . a suitable targeting peptide for transport into chloroplasts is the transit peptide of the small subunit of the enzyme 1 , 5 - ribulose bisphosphate carboxylase ( krebbers et al ( 1988 ) plant mol . biol . 11 : 745 epa 85402596 . 2 ), but other chloroplast transit peptides , such as those listed by watson ( 1924 ) nucl . acids res . 12 : 5145 and von heijne et al ( 1991 ) plant mol . biol . rep . 9 : 104 , can also be used . suitable mitochondrial targeting peptides are the mitochondrial transit peptides as described by schatz ( 1987 ) eur . j . biochem . 165 : 1 and listed by watson ( 1924 ) supra . suitable targeting peptides that can translocate a protein of interest to the lumen of the endoplasmatic reticulum of a plant cell are , for instance , the signal peptides described by von heijne ( 1988 ) biochem . biophys . acta 947 : 307 and listed by watson ( 1984 ) supra . coding sequences that can be used in the production transgenic dicotyledonous plants arm well known ( see , for example , the coding sequences listed in weising et al ( 1982 ) annual rev . genet . 22 : 421 ), and it is believed that such coding sequences can be put to equally good use in transformed monocotyledonous plants in accordance with this invention . in this respect , the coding sequences can be either foreign or endogenous to the plants and can , for example , code for proteins which : are toxic to insect species , thus protecting the plants against insect attack ( ep 193259 , ep 305275 and ep 358557 ); protect the plants against stress conditions ( ep 359617 ) confer on the plants a resistance or tolerance to specific herbicides ( ep 242236 ); kill or disable plant cells in which the proteins are expressed so that , when the coding sequences are under the control of a male or female organ - specific promoter ( ep 344029 , wo 92 / 00274 and wo 92 / 00275 ), the proteins can render the plants respectively male sterile ( ep 344029 ) or female sterile ( ep 412006 ); can be extracted from the plants or selected plant organs and optionally be further processed so that the plants can be used as sources of economically important peptides or proteins ( ep 319353 ); or are enriched in nutritionally important amine acids so that transformed plants or their organs , in which the proteins are expressed , can be used as food with enhanced nutritional value for animals or humans ( ep 318341 ). coding sequences of particular usefulness for transforming monocots to render them insect - resistant are the genes isolated from bacillus thuringiensis (&# 34 ; bt &# 34 ;) strains and truncated portions thereof that code for insecticidal crystal proteins and their insecticidal polypeptide toxins ( for a review , see : hofte and whiteley ( 1989 ) microbiol . rev . 53 : 242 ). the following bt genes are believed to be particularly important for insect control in cereals ( e . g ., rice , wheat , corn and barley ): the cryiab gene ( ep 193259 ) and cryiac gene for control of helicoverpa species ( e . g ., h . zea and h . armigera ); the cryiab gene and the cryib gene ( ep 358557 ) for control of ostrinia species ( e . g ., o . nubilalis ) in corn ; the cryiac gene for the control of agrotis species in con and wheat ; and the cryid and cryie genes ( ep 358557 ) for the control of spodoptera species ( e . g ., s . frugiperda ) in corn . to achieve sufficient expression of such genes in tissues of transgenic plants , it is preferred that the genes be modified as described in pct application pct / ep 91 / 00733 ( pct publication wo 91 / 16432 ). selectable markers in accordance with this invention can be encoded by chimaeric genes in which the coding sequences encode proteins which confer on the plant cells , in which they are expressed , resistance to a selective agent such as an antibiotic and / or herbicide . screenable markers in accordance with this invention can be encoded by chimaeric genes in which the coding sequences encode proteins which confer on the plant cells , in which they are expressed , a different appearance , such as a different color , making plants transformed with the screenable marker separable manually . the selection of coding sequences for a selectable or screenable marker , preferably a selectable marker , for transforming a monocotyledonous plant in accordance with this invention is not believed to be critical , and it is believed that coding sequences for conventional selectable and screenable markers can be used ( see , for example , the markers listed in weising et al ( 1988 ) supra ). examples of suitable coding sequences for selectable markers are : the neo gene ( beck et al ( 1982 ) gene 19 : 327 ) that codes for the enzyme neomycin phosphotransferase which confers resistance to the antibiotic kanamycin ; the hvg gene ( gritz and davies ( 1983 ) gene 25 : 179 ) that codes for the enzyme hygromycin phosphotransferase which confers resistance to the antibiotic hygromycin ; and the bar gene ( ep 242236 ) that codes for phosphinothricin acetyl transferase which confers resistance to the herbicidal compounds phosphinothricin and bialaphos . in using a selectable marker gene coding for a protein that confers tolerance or resistance to a herbicide or other selective agent that acts on chloroplast metabolism , such as the bar gene , it is preferred that the marker gene be part of a chimaeric gene together with a chloroplast targeting sequence as described above . examples of suitable coding sequences for screenable markers are the gus gene ( jefferson et al ( 1986 ) pnas 6 : 3901 ) encoding beta - glucuronidase and the luciferase gene ( ow et al ( 1986 ) science 234 : 856 ). during the culturing of transformed cell aggregates of this invention , the selection pressure , provided by the presence of a selective agent in the culture media , should be high enough and should be maintained long enough to separate transformed cells from untransformed cells . it is believed , however , that particular selection pressures and durations are not critical and that the chaise of selection pressures and their durations can be made in a conventional manner . however , when the bar gene is used as a selectable marker gene , phosphinothricin ( ppt ) is preferably used in concentrations of about 0 . 5 mg to 50 mg , particularly 2 mg to 20 mg , per liter of the culture medium . morphogenic sectors , preferably embryogenic sectors , of morphogenic callus , preferably embryogenic callus , produced in a culture of transformed cells of electroporated walled cell aggregates ( e . g ., from suspension cultures ) of this invention , can then be regenerated into phenotypically normal ( e . g ., mature and fertile ) plants in a conventional manner ( see , e . g ., references in vasil ( 1988 ) supra , lazzeri and lorz ( 1988 ) supra , and lynch et al ( 1991 ) in &# 34 ; rice biotechnology &# 34 ; ed . khush and toenniessen , c . a . b . international , united kingdom , p . 135 and references cited therein ). the regenerated plants , thus obtained , will be transgenic and will at least contain and dna fragments encoding a selectable or screenable marker , preferably a selectable marker , stably integrated into their nuclear genome . the presence and expression of other genes of interest can then be evaluated in a conventional manner , such as by means of southern blotting and / or by the polymerase chain reaction ( sambrook et al ( 1989 ) molecular cloning : a laboratory manual , second edition , cold spring harbor laboratory press , n . y .) and / or by ascertaining the phenotypic expression of the genes of interest . for the purposes of this invention , a phenotypically normal plant as produced by the transformation and regeneration procedures of this invention should be understood as at least one plant that does not differ substantially from an untransformed plant of the same line in any of its phenotypic characteristics except in those characteristics that are added or changed due to the expression of the dna fragment ( s ) introduced in the plant &# 39 ; s genome during transformation in accordance with this invention . of course , any procedure that results in transgenic plants usually produces a number of transgenic plants that display a variety of phenotypes , only some of which are phenotypically normal as defined above . the method of this invention can be applied to all monocotyledonous plant species , from which liquid cultures of suspended walled cells , particularly liquid cultures of walled cell aggregates , such as suspension cultures , preferably suspension cultures from which regenerable callus , particularly embryogenic callus , can be obtained by in vitro culture of explants derived from various explant sources such as immature and mature zygotic embryos , leaf bases , young inflorescences , anthers , microspores , etc . the method will be especially useful or the transformation of economically important gramineous crops , particularly the major cereals , such as rice , wheat , oats , barley , corn , sorghum , rye and millet . the resulting transgenic plants of this invention can be used to create , in a rapid and efficient manner , novel lines and / or cultivate of high agronomic value . this invention provides a rapid , efficient and reproducible method for transforming walled cells of monocotyledonous plants by : electroporation of cultures of the suspended cells ( e . g ., cell suspension cultures ), as well as walled cells capable of forming such cultures ( e . g ., cells obtained from explant - derived callus ). when regenerable ( e . g ., embryogenic ) suspension cultures of walled cells are electroporated in accordance with this invention , cultures of transformed morphogenic callus can be produced , from which phenotypically normal , fertile plants can be regenerated . this is surprising as electroporation of such walled cells , particularly those embryogenic suspension cultures , has generally not been regarded as a suitable method for obtaining stable transformants in monocotyledonous plants ( see , e . g ., potrykus ( 1991 ) annu . rev . plant physiol . plant mol . biol . 42 : 205 ). the electroporation of such walled cells , particularly without any enzymatic or mechanical pretreatment thereof , in accordance with this invention is a distinct improvement on existing monocot transformation methods . because the method of this invention requires only a relatively short period of in vitro culture , the method is far less time and labor consuming than most previous methods . the short tissue culture period also ensures that the occurrence of somaclonal variation is reduced . the method of this invention can be used to produce novel , phenotypically normal ( e . g ., fertile ), transgenic monocotyledonous plants , particularly gramineous plants , quite particularly cereals , most particularly rice , wheat and barley , which are transformed with at least one ( e . g ., foreign ) gene of interest , stably integrated into their nuclear genome . the method is believed to be relatively independent of the genotype of the plant , being transformed , and capable of transforming cells of any plant , from which regenerable ( e . g . embryogenic ) suspension cultures can be obtained from at least one of its tissues . this makes it possible to transform the majority of monocot species and a substantial number of lines within each species . indeed , the capacity to form suitable regenerable suspension cultures can be transferred , by means of classical breeding programs , from one plant line that posesses such capacity to another line that does not , making the method of this invention applicable to even more plant lines . as described above , stably transformed monocotyledonous plant cells can be advantageously obtained by electroporation of cultures of suspended walled plant cells in accordance with this invention . in this regard , if regenerable callus ( such as embryogenic callus ) can be obtained from the cultures of suspended cells , some of the so - transformed plant cells of the callus can subsequently be regenerated in accordance with this invention into transgenic monocotyledonous plants that contain at least one gene of interest stably integrated into the genome of all of its cells . however , it is believed that a culture of suspended cells of this invention need not be a &# 34 ; cell suspension culture &# 34 ; in the strict sense of the term as it is used with respect to a cell culture to be used for the preparation of protoplasts . indeed , it is believed that , in accordance with this invention , essentially the same results in the transformation and regeneration of plant cells can be obtained by electroporation of any culture of plant cells which retain their cell wall sandals suspended in a liquid ( e . g ., aqueous ) medium . in this regard , a culture of suspended cells of this invention should be understood as encompassing any liquid culture of cell aggregates obtained from plant tissue or from a callus obtained from plant tissue . in fact , the use of a liquid culture of suspended cell aggregates obtained from callus in the method of this invention could further reduce in vitro culture time and any subsequent somaclonal variation in transformed cells and / or plants . furthermore , it appears that essentially the same results can be obtained by electroporation of cells from a certain type of callus for each plant species which can be used to form a culture of suspended cells of this invention . for example , in rice , such callus can be part of explant - derived ( e . g ., embryo - derived ) embryogenic callus and consist of compact yellow and / or whitish , often round - or oval - shaped , cell clumps that can be easily separated from the rest of the callus tissue . the examples , which follow , illustrate this invention . unless otherwise indicated , all experimental procedures for manipulating recombinant dna were carried out by the standardized procedures described in sambrook et al ( 1989 ) molecular cloning : a laboratory manual , cold spring harbor laboratory press , n . y . any oligonucleotides were designed according to the general rules outlined by kramer and fritz ( 1968 ) methods in enzymology 154 : 350and synthesized by the phosphoramidite method of beaucage and caruthers ( 1981 ) tetrahadron letters 22 : 1859 on an applied biosystems 380a dna synthesizer ( applied biosystems b . v ., maarssen , netherlands ). the compositions of the 2n6 , n67 , aa , n683 , and hormone - free n6 media , used in the examples , were kindly provided by japan tobacco inc ., plant breeding and genetics research laboratory , 700 higashibara , toyoda , iwata , shizuoka 438 , japan . in the following examples , reference will be made to the following sequence listing : cell suspension cultures of the rice cultivate nipponbare and kochihibiki were made from seed - derived callus as follows . mature dry rice seeds were dehulled , surface sterilized and plated on solid 2n6 medium ( n6 medium as described by chu et al ( 1975 ) sci . sin . peking 18 : 659 supplemented with 0 . 5 mg / l nicotinic acid , 0 . 5 mg / l pyridoxine hcl , 1 . 0 mg / l thiamine hcl , 2 . 0 mg / l 2 , 4 dichlorophenoxyacetic acid ( 2 , 4 - d ), 30 g / l sucrose , 2 . 0 g / l gelrite , ph 5 . 8 ). the plates were incubated at 30 ° c . for 4 weeks , after which , approximately one gram of compact whitish and / or yellow parts of embryo - derived compact and embryogenic callus was transferred to 65 ml aa medium ( macronutrients , amine acids , growth regulators and sugar as described for the a medium of toriyama and hinata ( 1985 ) plant science 41 : 179 with micronutrients and vitamins from the ms medium as described by murashige and skoog ( 1962 ) physiol . plant . 15 : 473 , ph 5 . 8 ) in a 250 ml erlenmeyer flask . these cultures were maintained in the dark on a rotary shaker at approximately 20 rpm . the cultures were subcultured weekly . after the first subculture , all aa medium was removed from the culture flask and replaced by 65 ml fresh aa liquid medium . during subsequent subcultures , 1 to 2 ml of packed cell volumes of smaller , usually creamy or yellow , cell clumps , which were formed when bigger cell clusters dissociated into smaller fragments , were selected and transferred to 65 ml fresh aa medium . at each subculture , care was taken to eliminate cell clusters with brown ureas ( necrosis ). after 1 - 2 months of subculture , clean ( i . e ., no brown cell clusters ) suspension cultures , consisting well dispersed and compact cell aggregates of different sizes , were obtained . the cell suspension cultures of the two cultivate were then maintained by transferring 1 ml packed cell volumes to 65 ml fresh medium during each subculture . the cell clusters of the suspensions were regularly checked for their potential of regenerating plants by plating them on n683 medium ( n6 medium , but with major salts at half strength , supplemented with 0 . 5 mg / l nicotinic acid , 0 . 5 mg / l pyridoxine hcl , 1 . 0 mg / l thiamine hcl , 876 mg / l glutamine , 266 mg / l aspartic acid , 174 mg / l arginine , 7 . 5 mg / l glycine , 1 . 0 g / l casamino acids , 0 . 2 mg / l naphthaleneacetic acid ( naa ), 1 . 0 mg / l kinetin , 20 g / l sucrose , 4 . 0 g / l gelrite , ph 5 . 8 ) for plant regeneration . transformation of rice cell suspension cultures with a herbicide resistance gene the cell suspension cultures from rice cultivate nipponbare and kochihibiki of example 1 were transformed with a herbicide resistance gene , and transformed cells were regenerated into transgenic plants as follows . a cell suspension culture was established and maintained for a period of two months . four days after the last subculture , the aa culture medium was removed , the cell clusters were washed with electroporation buffer aa ( 35 mm l - aspartic acid , 35 mm l - glutamic acid , 5 mm d - gluconic acid , 5 mm 2 - n - morpholino ! ethane sulfonic acid ( mes ), 0 . 4m mannitol , ph 5 , 8 ( tada et al ( 1990 ) theor . appl . genet . 80 : 475 )) and kept in this buffer for one hour on a shaker at 30 rpm . thereafter , the cell aggregates were washed twice with electroporation buffer aa . approx . 75 mg to 100 mg of cell clusters were transferred to electroporation cuvettes and resuspended in approx . 100 to 150 μl electroporation buffer aa . 15 μg of pde110 plasmid dna , linearized with hindiii , were added to each cuvette . plasmid pde110 is a plasmid with a length of 4883 bp and contains the phosphinothricin ( ppt ) resistance gene ( bar ) under control of the camv 3583 promoter ( ep 359617 ). the complete sequence of pde110 is given in seq id no . 1 . after addition of the plasmid dna , the cuvettes were put on ice for 10 min . then , a single pulse with a field strength of 700 v / cm was discharged from a 800 82 f capacitor to the mixture of cell clusters and dna . immediately after the pulse , liquid n67 medium ( n6 medium supplemented with 0 . 5 mg / l nicotinic acid , 0 . 5 mg / l pyridoxine hcl , 1 . 0 mg / l thiamine hcl , 1 . 0 mg / l 2 , 4 d , 0 . 5 mg / l 6 - benzyleminopurine , 20 g / l sucrose , 30 g / l sorbitol , ph 5 . 8 ) was added to the cell clusters , which were then plated on to solid selective n67 medium ( n6 medium supplemented with 0 . 5 mg / l nicotinic acid , 0 . 5 mg / l pyridoxine hcl , 1 . 0 mg / l thiamine hcl , 1 . 0 mg / l 2 , 4 - d , 0 . 5 mg / l 6 - benzylaminopurine , 20 g / l sucrose , 30 g / l sorbitol , 2 . 0 g / l gelrite , ph 5 . 8 ) containing 5 mg / l ppt . the plates were incubated at 26 ° c . under a light / dark regime of 16 / 8 hours . after 6 weeks of culture , ppt - resistant calli developing from the treated suspension aggregates were placed on fresh n67 medium plus ppt for another 12 days . thereafter , ppt - resistant calli were transferred to plant regeneration medium n623 supplemented with 5 mg / l ppt . from two of the selected calli , plants could be regenerated . as soon as the developing plantlets reached a height of approximately 10 cm ( usually within one to two months ), they were transferred to hormone - free n6 medium ( n6 medium supplemented with 0 . 5 mg / l nicotinic acid , 0 . 5 mg / l pyridoxine hcl , 1 . 0 mg / l thiamine hcl , 1 . 0 g / l casamino acids ( vitamin assay ), 20 g / l sucrose , 2 . 0 g / l gelrite , ph 5 . 8 ) end cultured on this medium until they were strong enough to be transferred to soil and to the greenhouse ( usually after a period of one to three weeks ). a cell suspension culture was established and maintained for a period of 4 . 5 months . four days after the last subculture , the aa culture medium was removed , the cell clusters were washed with electroporation buffer 9 ( 0 . 4m mannitol , 10 mm kcl , 4 mm cacl 2 . 2h 2 o , 10 mm n - 2 - hydroxyethylpiperazine - n &# 39 ;- 2 - ethanesulfonic acid ( hepes ), ph 7 . 2 ) and kept in this buffer on a shaker for one hour . thereafter , the cell clusters were washed twice with electroporation buffer 9 . approx . 75 to 100 mg of cell aggregates were transferred to electroporation cuvettes end resuspended in approximately 100 to 150 μl electroporation buffer 9 per cuvette . 12 μg of pde110 plasmid dna , linearized with ecori , were added to each cuvette and coincubated with the cell clusters for 45 min at room temperature ( 25 ° c .). the cuvettes were placed on ice for 10 min ., and the cell aggregates in each cuvette were electroporated by applying a single pulse discharged from a capacitor with one of the following voltage - capacitance characteristics : 700 v / cm - 800 μf ( 4 cuvettes ), 600 v / cm - 900 μf ( 4 cuvettes ), 700 v / cm - 900 μf ( 5 cuvettes ). liquid n67 medium was added to each cuvette immediately after the pulse , and the cell clusters were plated on solid selective n67 medium supplemented with 5 mg / l ppt . the plates were incensed at 26 ° c . under a light / dark regime of 16 / 8 hours for 19 days . developing ppt - resistant calli were isolated and transferred to fresh n67 medium plus 5 mg / l ppt and propagated for another 18 days . after this second selection cycle , the well - developing ppt - resistant calli were place on plant regeneration medium n683 supplemented with 5 mg / l ppt . plants were regenerated from 17 of the selected calli ; five calli were from cell aggregates electroporated with a 700 v / cm - 800 μf pulse ; two calli were from cell aggregates electroporated with a 600 v / cm - 900 μf pulse ; and ten calli were from cell aggregates electroporated with a 700 v / cm - 900 μf pulse . as soon as the developing plantlets reached a height of approximately 10 cm ( usually within one to two months ), they were transferred to hormone - free n6 medium and cultured on this medium until they were strong enough to be transferred to soil and to the greenhouse ( usually after a period of one to three weeks ). in a second round of experiments , the same kochihibiki suspension culture , described above , was used 5 months after initiation . five days after the last subculture , the cell clusters were washed in electroporation buffer 9 , kept for 45 min . in this buffer on a shaker , and washed twice thereafter with the same buffer . approximately 75 to 100 mg of cell clusters were transferred to each of 16 electroporation cuvettes and resuspended in approximately 100 to 150 μl electroporation buffer 9 per cuvette . 15 μg of pde110 plasmid dna , linearized with hindiii , were added to each cuvette . eight of these cuvettes ( batch a ) were put on ice for 10min and then pulsed ; the other eight cuvettes ( batch b ) were kept at room temperature for one hour prior to electroporation . pulses of 600 v / cm - 900 μf ( four cuvettes from each batch ) and 700 v / cm - 900 μf ( four cuvettes from each batch ) were applied to the mixture of cell clusters and dna . immediately after the pulse , n67 liquid medium was added to each cuvette , and the cell clusters were plated on selective n67 medium supplemented with 5 mg / l ppt . the plates were incubated as above . after 23 days , the developing ppt - resistant calli derived from plated suspension clusters were transferred to fresh selective n67 medium plus 5 mg / l ppt for a second selection cycle and further propagation . after 21 days , well growing calli were transferred to plant regeneration medium n683 plus 5 mg / l ppt . plants could be regenerated from 24 of the selected calli ; two calli were from cell aggregates of batch a electroporated with a 600 v / cm - 900 μf pulse ; three calli were from cell aggregates of batch a electroporated with a 700 v / cm and 900 μf pulse ; nine calli were from cell aggregates of batch b electroporated with a 600 v / cm - 900 μf pulse ; and ten calli were from cell aggregates of batch b electroporated with a 700 v / cm - 900 μf pulse . as soon as the developing plantlets reached a height of approximately 10 cm ( usually within one to two months ), they were transferred to hormone - free n6 medium and cultured on this medium until they were strong enough to be transferred to soil and to the greenhouse ( usually after a period of one to three weeks ). the plants of example 2 were cultivated in the greenhouse and sprayed with a 0 . 5 % basta ( ppt ) solution 4 - 6 weeks after transfer to soil . all of the plants were basta - resistant , whereas non - transformed control plants turned brown and died within one week after herbicide treatment . southern analysis was performed on 13 selected primary transformants ( in vitro plants derived from 13 separate regenerating calli ). for southern analysis , the rice was digested with the restriction enzymes , ecorv , bglii and pvuii , southern blotted , and probed with pde110 dna . the southern analysis showed that three of the plants carried single copy inserts of the complete pde110 - derived chimaeric bar gene ( i . e ., the bar gene with promoter and 3 &# 39 ; untranslated end ), integrated into the rice genome . five of the plants had one to three copies of pde110 - derived dna integrated into their genome , with at least one of the copes containing the complete chimaeric bar gene . three of the plants carried multiple inserts of pde110 - derived dna , while two other plants had only parts of the chimaeric bar gene integrated into the genome . three of the plants , regenerated from one of two independently transformed calli of nipponbare of example 2 . 1 , were grown to maturity and set seed . one of these plants was analyzed in detail . southern analysis of this plant proved that its genome contained an insert , at a single locus in the rice genome , that comprises one almost complete copy of the transforming dna ( pde110 ), including the p358 - bar - 3 &# 39 ; nos chimeric gene . from this plant ( designated as e253 ), s1 seeds ( after selfing ) were harvested . some of the seeds were used for an analysis of the segregation of the bar gene in the progeny plants . 93 seedlings were sprayed with basta : 73 / 93 seedlings were basta resistant , 20 / 93 seedlings were basta sensitive ( x 2 = 0 . 52 , which is not significantly different from mendelian segregation at a single dominant locus ). four of the basta - resistant progeny plants were analyzed in southern blots . all four plants had the same hybridization pattern as determined for primary transformant e253 . for kochihibiki , integration of the transforming dna was confirmed by southern analysis of in vitro shoots or regenerated plants obtained from various calli . one regenerated plant ( designated as x32 ), obtained from one of the 24 independently transformed calli of example 2 . 2 was analyzed in more detail and was shown to contain an almost complete copy of the transforming dna ( pde110 ), including the complete p358 - bar - 3 &# 39 ; nos chimeric gene . from primary transformant k32 , the s1 seeds were harvested , and segregation of the bar gene was analyzed in 98 progeny plants by basta spraying : 80 / 98 seedlings were basta - resistant , 18 / 98 seedlings were basta - sensitive ( x 2 = 2 . 36 , which is not significantly different from mendelian segregation at a single dominant locus ). four of the basta - resistant progeny plants were analyzed in southern blots . all four plants had the same hybridization pattern as determined for primary transformant k32 . mature dry seeds of the rice cultivars kochihibiki and chiyonishiki were dehulled , surface sterilized and plated on solid 2n6 medium . the plates were incubated at 30 ° c . for approximately 1 month . embryogenic suspension cultures were then initiated using the small , round - and oval - shaped , yellow and whitish callus clumps ( some of which have globular structures on the surface which may represent proembryos ) that appeared in the resulting callus and that constituted the majority of the observed callus types in the culture or were located at the surface of larger calli . these callus clumps were usually not attached to the surfaces of the larger calli or to each other , and they were easily removed individually with a pair of forceps . the callus clumps , with an average maximum diameter of about 2 mm , were carefully transferred immediately to electroporation buffer 9 and kept in this buffer for one hour on a shaker ( 30 rpm ). thereafter , the callus clumps were washed once with electroporation buffer 9 . approx . 75 to 100 mg of callus clumps were transferred to electroporation matts , and resuspended in approx . 150 μl buffer 9 . 10 μg of pde4 plasmid dna were added to each cuvette . plasmid pde4 is a plasmid with a length of 5642 bp and contains a gene ( gus ) encoding beta - glucuronidase ( jefferson et al ( 1986 ) pnas 83 : 8447 ) under the control of the camv 3583 promoter ( ep 359617 ). the complete sequence of pde4 is given in seq id no . 2 . the plasmid dna was coincubated with the callus clumps for 45 min . at room temperature . the cuvettes were then placed on ice for 10 min . thereafter , a single pulse with a field strength of 600 v / cm was discharged from a 900 μf capacitor to the mixture of callus clumps and dna . immediately after the pulse , liquid aa medium was added to each cuvette , and the callus clumps were transferred to a petri dish ( 3 . 5 mm diameter ). the liquid was removed and replaced by 2 ml aa medium per petri dish . the callus clumps were cultured in the dark for 5 days . thereafter , the callus clumps were transferred to x - gluc ( 5 - bromo - 4 - chloro - 3 - indolyl glucuronide ) solution for in situ detection of beta - glucuronidase ( gus ) activity ( as described in denecke et al ( 1989 ) methods in mol . and cell . biol ., jan / feb 1989 , 19 - 27 ). after incubation for 24 to 48 hours at 37 ° c . the blue - colored products of gus activity were visible , and the number of blue areas ( i . e ., blue cells indicating gus expression ) was counted under a stereo microscope . approx . 30 % of the treated callus clumps showed one or several blue areas ( kochihibiki : 12 of 41 electroporated callus clumps ; chiyonishiki : 10 of 35 electroporated callus clumps ). immature zygotic embryos were isolated from surface sterilized developing rice kernels ( in milky stage ) of greenhouse - grown plants of the rice cultivars kochihibiki and chiyonishiki . the immature embryos were placed , embryo axis towards the medium , on solid 2n6 medium ( see example 1 ). the plated explants were kept at 27 ° c . in darkness . within 2 - 3 weeks after culture initiation , small compact yellowish callus clumps with a smooth surface grew out from primary callus and directly from the explant . approximately 30 of such callus clumps of different size , with diameters of between 0 . 1 mm and 2 . 0 mm , were each transferred into 65 ml of n6 liquid medium ( chu et al ( 1975 ) supra ), supplemented with 0 . 3 g / l casamino acid ( vitamin assay ), 30 g / l sucrose and 1 mg / l 2 , 4 - d , in a 250 ml erlenmeyer flask . these flasks with the cultures were kept in the dark on a rotary shaker at approximately 120 rpm . subculturing was done weekly ; at the first subculture ( one week after culture initiation ), soft and whitish callus pieces were discarded , and all medium was removed and replaced by 65 ml of fresh n6 liquid medium . the same procedure was used at the second subculture ( 2 weeks after culture initiation ). during the first two weeks , the original callus clumps grew into bigger pieces . an the third week of culture , newly developed small cell aggregates started to separate from the bigger callus clumps . at the third subculture , these smaller aggregates and the big yellow compact pieces were selected and transferred to fresh liquid n6 medium at the fourth subculture , only small compact yellow clumps were selected and transferred to fresh medium ; the bigger clumps were discarded . at the following subcultures , 1 - 2 ml packed cell volume ( pvc ) of selected small compact yellow aggregates were tranferred to 65 ml fresh n6 medium . the cultures of suspended cell clumps from rice cultivars kochihibiki and chiyonishiki of example 5 were transformed with a herbicide resistance gene , and transformed cells were regenerated into transgenic plants as follow : a culture of suspended cell clumps was established and maintained in n6 medium for 18 days prior to electroporation . four days after the second weekly subculture , the n6 medium was removed , the cell clumps were washed with electroporation buffer 9 and then kept in this buffer for 1 hour at room temperature . the cell clumps were washed in buffer 9 again and transferred to electroporation cuvettes and resuspended in approximately 120 μl of buffer 9 . about 13 μg of pde110 dna , linearized with hindiii , was added per cuvette , and the mixture of cell aggregates in buffer 9 and dna was incubated , first for 45 min at room temperature and then for 10 min on ice . then , a single pulse with a field strength of 650 v / cm was discharged from a 900 μf capacitor to the mixture of cell clumps and dna . liquid n67 medium was then added to the cuvettes , and the electroporated cell clumps were transferred to solid n67 medium supplemented with 5 mg / l ppt . after 23 days , the developing calli were transferred to fresh n67 medium plus ppt . after another 21 days on selective n67 medium , the selected calli were transferred to selective regeneration medium . after 35 days on regeneration medium , shoots were transferred to n6 hormone - free medium . for each callus , three in vitro plantlets of approximately 10cm height were transferred to soil and to the greehouse . in similar experiments , cultures of suspended cell aggregates were electroporated 6 days or 12 days after establishing the culture . from these experiments , transformed calli were obtained , from which transgenic plants were regenerated . a culture of suspended cell clumps was established and maintained using essentially the sue procedures as described above for kochihibiki in example 6 . 1 . however , cell clumps for electroporation were harvested four days after the third weekly subculture . electroporation , subsequent callus initiation and propagation , and regeneration of plants were also carried out essentially as described in example 6 . 1 . some of the cell clumps were electroporated with pde110 , and other cell clumps were electroporated with plasmid dna hat contained both a chimeric bar gene and another chimaeric gene containing the dna coding for barstar under the control of one of the following stamen - specific promoters of rice : pt72 , pt42 and pe1 ( wo 92 / 00274 ). six kochihibiki plants of example 6 . 1 , derived from two independent transgenic callus lines , were cultivated in the greenhouse , were sprayed with basta , and were found to be basta - resistant . two plants , designated as kb25 and kb28 , each of which was derived from a different transgenic callus line , were analyzed in detail . both plants scored positive in enzymatic assays for phosphinotricin acetyl transferase ( pat ) activity . for southern analysis , the rice genomicdna was digested with the restriction enzymes xhoi , bglii and pvuii , southern blotted and probed with pde110 dna . in both plants , the pde110 - derived dna was found to be located on a single xhoi restriction fragment . kb25 and kb28 both contained a functional 35s promoter linked to the complete bar gene as indicated by the 1 . 54 kb bglii fragment and the 1 . 65 kb pvuii fragment . kb25 carried multiple inserts , and kb28 carried 1 to 4 copies of pde110 - derived dna . both plants were found to set seed . plants regenerated from a selected callus of example 6 . 2 , after transformation with pde110 , were cultivated in the greenhouse , sprayed with basta , and were found to be basta - resistant . one plant , designated as cb23 , scored positive in a pat assay and was found to contain 1 - 3 almost complete copies of pde110 dna in a southern hybridization performed as described above for kochihibiki . plants regenerated from selected calli of example 6 . 2 , after transformation with dna containing two chimaeric genes , including the barstar gene , were found to be basta - resistant , to be pat - positive , and to contain both the chimaeric bar gene and the chimaeric barstar gene . expression of the barstar gene in immature spikelets is determined by northern analysis . __________________________________________________________________________sequence listing ( 1 ) general information :( iii ) number of sequences : 2 ( 2 ) information for seq id no : 1 :( i ) sequence characteristics :( a ) length : 4883 base pairs ( b ) type : nucleic acid ( c ) strandedness : double stranded ( d ) topology : circular ( ii ) molecule type : pde110 : plasmid dna replicable in e . coli ( ix ) feature :( d ) other information : 1 - 395 : puc18 derived sequence396 - 1779 : &# 34 ; 35s3 &# 34 ; promoter sequence derived fromcauliflower mosaic virus isolate cabbb - ji1780 - 2331 : coding sequence of phosphinotricinacetyltransferase gene2332 - 2619 : 3 &# 39 ; regulatory sequence containing thepolyadenylation site derived from agrobacteriumt - dna nopaline synthase gene2620 - 4883 : puc18 derived sequenceother information : plasmid is replicable in e . coli , confers ampicillin resistance to the bacterium ( xi ) sequence description : seq id no : 1 : tcgcgcgtttcggtgatgacggtgaaaacctctgacacatgcagctcccg50gagacggtcacagcttgtctgtaagcggatgccgggagcagacaagcccg100tcagggcgcgtcagcgggtgttggcgggtgtcggggctggcttaactatg150cggcatcagagcagattgtactgagagtgcaccatatgcggtgtgaaata200ccgcacagatgcgtaaggagaaaataccgcatcaggcgccattcgccatt250caggctgcgcaactgttgggaagggcgatcggtgcgggcctcttcgctat300tacgccagctggcgaaagggggatgtgctgcaaggcgattaagttgggta350acgccagggttttcccagtcacgacgttgtaaaacgacggccagtgaatt400ccaatcccaccaaaacctgaacctagcagttcagttgctcctctcagaga450cgaatcgggtattcaacaccctcataccaactactacgtcgtgtataacg500gacctcatgccggtatatacgatgactggggttgtacaaaggcagcaaca550aacggtgttcccggagttgcgcataagaagtttgccactattacagaggc600aagagcagcagctgacgcgtatacaacaagtcagcaaacagataggttga650acttcatccccaaaggagaagctcaactcaagcccaagagctttgcgaag700gccctaacaagcccaccaaagcaaaaagcccactgctcacgctaggaacc750aaaaggcccagcagtgatccagccccaaaagagatctcctttgccccgga800gattacaatggacgatttcctctatctttacgatctaggaaggaagttcg850aaggtgaaggtgacgacactatgttcaccactgataatgagaaggttagc900ctcttcaatttcagaaagaatgctgacccacagatggttagagaggccta950cgcagcaggtctcatcaagacgatctacccgagtaacaatctccaggaga1000tcaaataccttcccaagaaggttaaagatgcagtcaaaagattcaggact1050aattgcatcaagaacacagagaaagacatatttctcaagatcagaagtac1100tattccagtatggacgattcaaggcttgcttcataaaccaaggcaagtaa1150tagagattggagtctctaaaaaggtagttcctactgaatctaaggccatg1200catggagtctaagattcaaatcgaggatctaacagaactcgccgtgaaga1250ctggcgaacagttcatacagagtcttttacgactcaatgacaagaagaaa1300atcttcgtcaacatggtggagcacgacactctggtctactccaaaaatgt1350caaagatacagtctcagaagaccaaagggctattgagacttttcaacaaa1400ggataatttcgggaaacctcctcggattccattgcccagctatctgtcac1450ttcatcgaaaggacagtagaaaaggaaggtggctcctacaaatgccatca1500ttgcgataaaggaaaggctatcattcaagatgcctctgccgacagtggtc1550ccaaagatggacccccacccacgaggagcatcgtggaaaaagaagacgtt1600ccaaccacgtcttcaaagcaagtggattgatgtgacatctccactgacgt1650aagggatgacgcacaatcccactatccttcgcaagacccttcctctatat1700aaggaagttcatttcatttggagaggacacgctgaaatcaccagtctctc1750tctataaatctatctctctctctataaccatggacccagaacgacgcccg1800gccgacatccgccgtgccaccgaggcggacatgccggcggtctgcaccat1850cgtcaaccactacatcgagacaagcacggtcaacttccgtaccgagccgc1900aggaaccgcaggagtggacggacgacctcgtccgtctgcgggagcgctat1950ccctggctcgtcgccgaggtggacggcgaggtcgccggcatcgcctacgc2000gggcccctggaaggcacgcaacgcctacgactggacggccgagtcgaccg2050tgtacgtctccccccgccaccagcggacgggactgggctccacgctctac2100acccacctgctgaagtccctggaggcacagggcttcaagagcgtggtcgc2150tgtcatcgggctgcccaacgacccgagcgtgcgcatgcacgaggcgctcg2200gatatgccccccgcggcatgctgcgggcggccggcttcaagcacgggaac2250tggcatgacgtgggtttctggcagctggacttcagcctgccggtaccgcc2300ccgtccggtcctgcccgtcaccgagatctgatctcacgcgtctaggatcc2350gaagcagatcgttcaaacatttggcaataaagtttcttaagattgaatcc2400tgttgccggtcttgcgatgattatcatataatttctgttgaattacgtta2450agcatgtaataattaacatgtaatgcatgacgttatttatgagatgggtt2500tttatgattagagtcccgcaattatacatttaatacgcgatagaaaacaa2550aatatagcgcgcaaactaggataaattatcgcgcgcggtgtcatctatgt2600tactagatcgggaagatcctctagagtcgacctgcaggcatgcaagcttg2650gcgtaatcatggtcatagctgtttcctgtgtgaaattgttatccgctcac2700aattccacacaacatacgagccggaagcataaagtgtaaagcctggggtg2750cctaatgagtgagctaactcacattaattgcgttgcgctcactgcccgct2800ttccagtcgggaaacctgtcgtgccagctgcattaatgaatcggccaacg2850cgcggggagaggcggtttgcgtattgggcgctcttccgcttcctcgctca2900ctgactcgctgcgctcggtcgttcggctgcggcgagcggtatcagctcac2950tcaaaggcggtaatacggttatccacagaatcaggggataacgcaggaaa3000gaacatgtgagcaaaaggccagcaaaaggccaggaaccgtaaaaaggccg3050cgttgctggcgtttttccataggctccgcccccctgacgagcatcacaaa3100aatcgacgctcaagtcagaggtggcgaaacccgacaggactataaagata3150ccaggcgtttccccctggaagctccctcgtgcgctctcctgttccgaccc3200tgccgcttaccggatacctgtccgcctttctcccttcgggaagcgtggcg3250ctttctcaatgctcacgctgtaggtatctcagttcggtgtaggtcgttcg3300ctccaagctgggctgtgtgcacgaaccccccgttcagcccgaccgctgcg3350ccttatccggtaactatcgtcttgagtccaacccggtaagacacgactta3400tcgccactggcagcagccactggtaacaggattagcagagcgaggtatgt3450aggcggtgctacagagttcttgaagtggtggcctaactacggctacacta3500gaaggacagtatttggtatctgcgctctgctgaagccagttaccttcgga3550aaaagagttggtagctcttgatccggcaaacaaaccaccgctggtagcgg3600tggtttttttgtttgcaagcagcagattacgcgcagaaaaaaaggatctc3650aagaagatcctttgatcttttctacggggtctgacgctcagtggaacgaa3700aactcacgttaagggattttggtcatgagattatcaaaaaggatcttcac3750ctagatccttttaaattaaaaatgaagttttaaatcaatctaaagtatat3800atgagtaaacttggtctgacagttaccaatgcttaatcagtgaggcacct3850atctcagcgatctgtctatttcgttcatccatagttgcctgactccccgt3900cgtgtagataactacgatacgggagggcttaccatctggccccagtgctg3950caatgataccgcgagacccacgctcaccggctccagatttatcagcaata4000aaccagccagccggaagggccgagcgcagaagtggtcctgcaactttatc4050cgcctccatccagtctattaattgttgccgggaagctagagtaagtagtt4100cgccagttaatagtttgcgcaacgttgttgccattgctacaggcatcgtg4150gtgtcacgctcgtcgtttggtatggcttcattcagctccggttcccaacg4200atcaaggcgagttacatgatcccccatgttgtgcaaaaaagcggttagct4250ccttcggtcctccgatcgttgtcagaagtaagttggccgcagtgttatca4300ctcatggttatggcagcactgcataattctcttactgtcatgccatccgt4350aagatgcttttctgtgactggtgagtactcaaccaagtcattctgagaat4400agtgtatgcggcgaccgagttgctcttgcccggcgtcaatacgggataat4450accgcgccacatagcagaactttaaaagtgctcatcattggaaaacgttc4500ttcggggcgaaaactctcaaggatcttaccgctgttgagatccagttcga4550tgtaacccactcgtgcacccaactgatcttcagcatcttttactttcacc4600agcgtttctgggtgagcaaaaacaggaaggcaaaatgccgcaaaaaaggg4650aataagggcgacacggaaatgttgaatactcatactcttcctttttcaat4700attattgaagcatttatcagggttattgtctcatgagcggatacatattt4750gaatgtatttagaaaaataaacaaataggggttccgcgcacatttccccg4800aaaagtgccacctgacgtctaagaaaccattattatcatgacattaacct4850ataaaaataggcgtatcacgaggccctttcgtc4883 ( 2 ) information for seq id no : 2 :( i ) sequence characteristics :( a ) length : 5642 base pairs ( b ) type : nucleic acid ( c ) strandedness : double stranded ( d ) topology : circular ( ii ) molecule type : pde4 : plasmid dna replicable in e . coli ( ix ) feature :( d ) other information : 1 - 395 : puc18 derived sequence396 - 1284 : &# 34 ; 35s3 &# 34 ; promoter sequence derived fromcauliflower mosaic virus isolate cabbb - ji1285 - 3093 : coding sequence of - glucuronidase gene3094 - 3378 : 3 &# 39 ; regulatory sequence containing thepolyadenylation site derived from agrobacteriumt - dna nopaline synthase gene3379 - 5642 : puc18 derived sequenceother information : plasmid is replicable in e . coli , confers ampicillin resistance to the bacterium ( xi ) sequence description : seq id no : 2 : tcgcgcgtttcggtgatgacggtgaaaacctctgacacatgcagctcccg50gagacggtcacagcttgtctgtaagcggatgccgggagcagacaagcccg100tcagggcgcgtcagcgggtgttggcgggtgtcggggctggcttaactatg150cggcatcagagcagattgtactgagagtgcaccatatgcggtgtgaaata200ccgcacagatgcgtaaggagaaaataccgcatcaggcgccattcgccatt250caggctgcgcaactgttgggaagggcgatcggtgcgggcctcttcgctat300tacgccagctggcgaaagggggatgtgctgcaaggcgattaagttgggta350acgccagggttttcccagtcacgacgttgtaaaacgacggccagtgaatt400cgagctcggtacccggggatcctctagagtcgacctgcaggcatgcaagc450tcctacgcagcaggtctcatcaagacgatctacccgagtaacaatctcca500ggagatcaaataccttcccaagaaggttaaagatgcagtcaaaagattca550ggactaattgcatcaagaacacagagaaagacatatttctcaagatcaga600agtactattccagtatggacgattcaaggcttgcttcataaaccaaggca650agtaatagagattggagtctctaaaaaggtagttcctactgaatctaagg700ccatgcatggagtctaagattcaaatcgaggatctaacagaactcgccgt750gaagactggcgaacagttcatacagagtcttttacgactcaatgacaaga800agaaaatcttcgtcaacatggtggagcacgacactctggtctactccaaa850aatgtcaaagatacagtctcagaagaccaaagggctattgagacttttca900acaaaggataatttcgggaaacctcctcggattccattgcccagctatct950gtcacttcatcgaaaggacagtagaaaaggaaggtggctcctacaaatgc1000catcattgcgataaaggaaaggctatcattcaagatgcctctgccgacag1050tggtcccaaagatggacccccacccacgaggagcatcgtggaaaaagaag1100acgttccaaccacgtcttcaaagcaagtggattgatgtgacatctccact1150gacgtaagggatgacgcacaatcccactatccttcgcaagacccttcctc1200tatataaggaagttcatttcatttggagaggacacgctgaaatcaccagt1250ctctctctataaatctatctctctctctataaccatggtccgtcctgtag1300aaaccccaacccgtgaaatcaaaaaactcgacggcctgtgggcattcagt1350ctggatcgcgaaaactgtggaattgatcagcgttggtgggaaagcgcgtt1400acaagaaagccgggcaattgctgtgccaggcagttttaacgatcagttcg1450ccgatgcagatattcgtaattatgcgggcaacgtctggtatcagcgcgaa1500gtctttataccgaaaggttgggcaggccagcgtatcgtgctgcgtttcga1550tgcggtcactcattacggcaaagtgtgggtcaataatcaggaagtgatgg1600agcatcagggcggctatacgccatttgaagccgatgtcacgccgtatgtt1650attgccgggaaaagtgtacgtatcaccgtttgtgtgaacaacgaactgaa1700ctggcagactatcccgccgggaatggtgattaccgacgaaaacggcaaga1750aaaagcagtcttacttccatgatttctttaactatgccggaatccatcgc1800agcgtaatgctctacaccacgccgaacacctgggtggacgatatcaccgt1850ggtgacgcatgtcgcgcaagactgtaaccacgcgtctgttgactggcagg1900tggtggccaatggtgatgtcagcgttgaactgcgtgatgcggatcaacag1950gtggttgcaactggacaaggcactagcgggactttgcaagtggtgaatcc2000gcacctctggcaaccgggtgaaggttatctctatgaactgtgcgtcacag2050ccaaaagccagacagagtgtgatatctacccgcttcgcgtcggcatccgg2100tcagtggcagtgaagggcgaacagttcctgattaaccacaaaccgttcta2150ctttactggctttggtcgtcatgaagatgcggacttacgtggcaaaggat2200tcgataacgtgctgatggtgcacgaccacgcattaatggactggattggg2250gccaactcctaccgtacctcgcattacccttacgctgaagagatgctcga2300ctgggcagatgaacatggcatcgtggtgattgatgaaactgctgctgtcg2350gctttaacctctctttaggcattggtttcgaagcgggcaacaagccgaaa2400gaactgtacagcgaagaggcagtcaacggggaaactcagcaagcgcactt2450acaggcgattaaagagctgatagcgcgtgacaaaaaccacccaagcgtgg2500tgatgtggagtattgccaacgaaccggatacccgtccgcaagtgcacggg2550aatatttcgccactggcggaagcaacgcgtaaactcgacccgacgcgtcc2600gatcacctgcgtcaatgtaatgttctgcgacgctcacaccgataccatca2650gcgatctctttgatgtgctgtgcctgaaccgttattacggatggtatgtc2700caaagcggcgatttggaaacggcagagaaggtactggaaaaagaacttct2750ggcctggcaggagaaactgcatcagccgattatcatcaccgaatacggcg2800tggatacgttagccgggctgcactcaatgtacaccgacatgtggagtgaa2850gagtatcagtgtgcatggctggatatgtatcaccgcgtctttgatcgcgt2900cagcgccgtcgtcggtgaacaggtatggaatttcgccgattttgcgacct2950cgcaaggcatattgcgcgttggcggtaacaagaaagggatcttcactcgc3000gaccgcaaaccgaagtcggcggcttttctgctgcaaaaacgctggactgg3050catgaacttcggtgaaaaaccgcagcagggaggcaaacaatgaxxxxxxg3100aattgatccgaagcagatcgttcaaacatttggcaataaagtttcttaag3150attgaatcctgttgccggtcttgcgatgattatcatataatttctgttga3200attacgttaagcatgtaataattaacatgtaatgcatgacgttatttatg3250agatgggtttttatgattagagtcccgcaattatacatttaatacgcgat3300agaaaacaaaatatagcgcgcaaactaggataaattatcgcgcgcggtgt3350catctatgttactagatcgggaagatcctctagagtcgacctgcaggcat3400gcaagcttggcgtaatcatggtcatagctgtttcctgtgtgaaattgtta3450tccgctcacaattccacacaacatacgagccggaagcataaagtgtaaag3500cctggggtgcctaatgagtgagctaactcacattaattgcgttgcgctca3550ctgcccgctttccagtcgggaaacctgtcgtgccagctgcattaatgaat3600cggccaacgcgcggggagaggcggtttgcgtattgggcgctcttccgctt3650cctcgctcactgactcgctgcgctcggtcgttcggctgcggcgagcggta3700tcagctcactcaaaggcggtaatacggttatccacagaatcaggggataa3750cgcaggaaagaacatgtgagcaaaaggccagcaaaaggccaggaaccgta3800aaaaggccgcgttgctggcgtttttccataggctccgcccccctgacgag3850catcacaaaaatcgacgctcaagtcagaggtggcgaaacccgacaggact3900ataaagataccaggcgtttccccctggaagctccctcgtgcgctctcctg3950ttccgaccctgccgcttaccggatacctgtccgcctttctcccttcggga4000agcgtggcgctttctcaatgctcacgctgtaggtatctcagttcggtgta4050ggtcgttcgctccaagctgggctgtgtgcacgaaccccccgttcagcccg4100accgctgcgccttatccggtaactatcgtcttgagtccaacccggtaaga4150cacgacttatcgccactggcagcagccactggtaacaggattagcagagc4200gaggtatgtaggcggtgctacagagttcttgaagtggtggcctaactacg4250gctacactagaaggacagtatttggtatctgcgctctgctgaagccagtt4300accttcggaaaaagagttggtagctcttgatccggcaaacaaaccaccgc4350tggtagcggtggtttttttgtttgcaagcagcagattacgcgcagaaaaa4400aaggatctcaagaagatcctttgatcttttctacggggtctgacgctcag4450tggaacgaaaactcacgttaagggattttggtcatgagattatcaaaaag4500gatcttcacctagatccttttaaattaaaaatgaagttttaaatcaatct4550aaagtatatatgagtaaacttggtctgacagttaccaatgcttaatcagt4600gaggcacctatctcagcgatctgtctatttcgttcatccatagttgcctg4650actccccgtcgtgtagataactacgatacgggagggcttaccatctggcc4700ccagtgctgcaatgataccgcgagacccacgctcaccggctccagattta4750tcagcaataaaccagccagccggaagggccgagcgcagaagtggtcctgc4800aactttatccgcctccatccagtctattaattgttgccgggaagctagag4850taagtagttcgccagttaatagtttgcgcaacgttgttgccattgctaca4900ggcatcgtggtgtcacgctcgtcgtttggtatggcttcattcagctccgg4950ttcccaacgatcaaggcgagttacatgatcccccatgttgtgcaaaaaag5000cggttagctccttcggtcctccgatcgttgtcagaagtaagttggccgca5050gtgttatcactcatggttatggcagcactgcataattctcttactgtcat5100gccatccgtaagatgcttttctgtgactggtgagtactcaaccaagtcat5150tctgagaatagtgtatgcggcgaccgagttgctcttgcccggcgtcaata5200cgggataataccgcgccacatagcagaactttaaaagtgctcatcattgg5250aaaacgttcttcggggcgaaaactctcaaggatcttaccgctgttgagat5300ccagttcgatgtaacccactcgtgcacccaactgatcttcagcatctttt5350actttcaccagcgtttctgggtgagcaaaaacaggaaggcaaaatgccgc5400aaaaaagggaataagggcgacacggaaatgttgaatactcatactcttcc5450tttttcaatattattgaagcatttatcagggttattgtctcatgagcgga5500tacatatttgaatgtatttagaaaaataaacaaataggggttccgcgcac5550atttccccgaaaagtgccacctgacgtctaagaaaccattattatcatga5600cattaacctataaaaataggcgtatcacgaggccctttcgtc5642__________________________________________________________________________
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the entire disclosure of u . s . patent application ser . no . 11 / 082 , 495 , entitled surgical instrument incorporating an electrically actuated articulation mechanism , filed on mar . 17 , 2005 , now u . s . pat . no . 7 , 506 , 790 , is incorporated herein by reference . the entire disclosure of u . s . pat . no . 6 , 667 , 825 , entitled stable conjugated polymer electrochromic devices incorporating ionic liquids , issued on jan . 3 , 2002 , is incorporated herein by reference . the entire disclosure of u . s . patent application ser . no . 11 / 061 , 908 , entitled surgical instrument incorporating a fluid transfer controlled articulation mechanism , filed on feb . 18 , 2005 , now u . s . pat . no . 7 , 559 , 450 , is incorporated herein by reference . in fig1 - 3 , a surgical stapling instrument 10 has at its distal end an end effector , depicted as a staple applying assembly 12 , spaced apart from a handle 14 ( fig2 ) by an elongate shaft 16 . the staple applying assembly 12 includes a staple channel 18 for receiving a replaceable staple cartridge 20 . pivotally attached to the staple channel 18 is an anvil 22 that clamps tissue to the staple cartridge 20 and serves to deform staples 23 ( fig3 ) driven up from staple holes 24 in the staple cartridge 20 against staple forming recesses 26 ( fig6 ) in an anvil undersurface 28 into a closed shape . when the staple applying assembly 12 is closed , its cross sectional area , as well as the elongate shaft 16 are suitable for insertion through a small surgical opening , such as through a cannula of a trocar ( not shown ). with particular reference to fig1 , correct placement and orientation of the staple applying assembly 12 is facilitated by controls on the handle 14 . in particular , a rotation knob 30 causes rotation of the shaft 16 about its longitudinal axis , and hence rotation of the staple applying assembly 12 . additional positioning is enabled at an articulation joint 32 in the shaft 16 that pivots the staple applying assembly 12 in an arc from the longitudinal axis of the shaft 16 , thereby allowing placement behind an organ or allowing other instruments such as an endoscope ( not shown ) to be oriented behind the staple applying assembly 12 . this articulation is advantageously effected by an articulation control switch 34 on the handle 14 that transmits an electrical signal to the articulation joint 32 to an electroactive polymer ( eap ) actuator 36 , powered by an eap controller and power supply 38 contained within the handle 14 . once positioned with tissue in the staple applying assembly 12 , a surgeon closes the anvil 22 by drawing a closure trigger 40 proximally toward a pistol grip 42 . once clamped thus , the surgeon may grasp a more distally presented firing trigger 44 , drawing it back to effect firing of the staple applying assembly 12 , which in some applications is achieved in one single firing stroke and in other applications by multiple firing strokes . firing accomplishes simultaneously stapling of at least two rows of staples while severing the tissue therebetween . retraction of the firing components may be automatically initiated upon full travel . alternatively , a retraction lever 46 may be drawn aft to effect retraction . with the firing components retracted , the staple applying assembly 12 may be unclamped and opened by the surgeon slightly drawing the closure trigger 40 aft toward the pistol grip 42 and depressing a closure release button 48 and then releasing the closure trigger 40 , thereby releasing the two stapled ends of severed tissue from the staple applying assembly 12 . while an articulation joint 32 is depicted in fig1 , for clarity and as an alternative application , the surgical stapling instrument 10 of fig2 - 14 omit an articulation joint 32 . it should be appreciated , however , that aspects of the present invention have particular advantages for articulation as described below with regard to fig1 - 18 . in fig1 - 3 , the staple applying assembly 12 accomplishes the functions of clamping onto tissue , driving staples and severing tissue by two distinct motions transferred longitudinally down the shaft 16 over a shaft frame 70 . this shaft frame 70 is proximally attached to the handle 14 and coupled for rotation with the rotation knob 30 . an illustrative multi - stroke handle 14 for the surgical stapling and severing instrument 10 of fig1 is described in greater detail in the co - owned u . s . patent application ser . no . 10 / 674 , 026 , entitled surgical stapling instrument incorporating a multistroke firing position indicator and retraction mechanism , now u . s . pat . no . 7 , 364 , 061 , the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety , with additional features and variation as described herein . while a multi - stroke handle 14 advantageously supports applications with high firing forces over a long distance , applications consistent with the present invention may incorporate a single firing stroke , such as described in commonly owned u . s . patent application ser . no . 10 / 441 , 632 , entitled surgical stapling instrument having separate distinct closing and firing systems , now u . s . pat . no . 7 , 000 , 818 , the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety . with particular reference to fig3 , the distal end of the shaft frame 70 is attached to the staple channel 18 . the anvil 22 has a proximal pivoting end 72 that is pivotally received within a proximal end 74 of the staple channel 18 , just distal to its engagement to the shaft frame 70 . the pivoting end 72 of the anvil 22 includes a closure feature 76 proximate but distal to its pivotal attachment with the staple channel 18 . thus , a closure tube 78 , whose distal end includes a horseshoe aperture 80 that engages this closure feature 76 , selectively imparts an opening motion to the anvil 22 during proximal longitudinal motion and a closing motion to the anvil 22 during distal longitudinal motion of the closure tube 78 sliding over the shaft frame 70 in response to the closure trigger 40 . the shaft frame 70 encompasses and guides a firing motion from the handle 14 through a longitudinally reciprocating , two - piece knife and firing bar 90 . in particular , the shaft frame 70 includes a longitudinal firing bar slot 92 that receives a proximal portion of the two - piece knife and firing bar 90 , specifically a laminate tapered firing bar 94 . it should be appreciated that the laminated tapered firing bar 94 may be substituted with a solid firing bar or of other materials in applications not intended to pass through an articulation joint , such as depicted in fig2 - 14 . an e - beam 102 is the distal portion of the two - piece knife and firing bar 90 , which facilitates separate closure and firing as well as spacing of the anvil 22 from the elongate staple channel 18 during firing . with particular reference to fig3 - 4 , in addition to any attachment treatment such as brazing or an adhesive , the knife and firing bar 90 are formed of a female vertical attachment aperture 104 proximally formed in the e - beam 102 that receives a corresponding male attachment member 106 distally presented by the laminated tapered firing bar 94 , allowing each portion to be formed of a selected material and process suitable for their disparate functions ( e . g ., strength , flexibility , friction ). the e - beam 102 may be advantageously formed of a material having suitable material properties for forming a pair of top pins 110 , a pair of middle pins 112 and a bottom pin or foot 114 , as well as being able to acquire a sharp cutting edge 116 . in addition , integrally formed and proximally projecting top guide 118 and middle guide 120 bracketing each vertical end of the cutting edge 116 further define a tissue staging area 122 assisting in guiding tissue to the sharp cutting edge 116 prior to being severed . the middle guide 120 also serves to engage and fire the staple applying apparatus 12 by abutting a stepped central member 124 of a wedge sled 126 ( fig5 ) that effects staple formation by the staple applying assembly 12 , as described in greater detail below . forming these features ( e . g ., top pins 110 , middle pins 112 , and bottom foot 114 ) integrally with the e - beam 102 facilitates manufacturing at tighter tolerances relative to one another as compared to being assembled from a plurality of parts , ensuring desired operation during firing and / or effective interaction with various lockout features of the staple applying assembly 12 . in fig6 - 7 , the surgical stapling instrument 10 is shown open , with the e - beam 102 fully retracted . during assembly , the lower foot 114 of the e - beam 102 is dropped through a widened hole 130 in the staple channel 18 and the e - beam 102 is then advanced such that the e - beam 102 slides distally along a lower track 132 formed in the staple channel 18 . in particular , the lower track 132 includes a narrow slot 133 that opens up as a widened slot 134 on an undersurface of the staple channel 18 to form an inverted t - shape in lateral cross section , as depicted particularly in fig7 and 8 , which communicates with the widened hole 130 . once assembled , the components proximally coupled to the laminate tapered firing bar 94 do not allow the lower foot 114 to proximally travel again to the widened hole 130 to permit disengagement . in fig9 , the laminate tapered firing bar 94 facilitates insertion of the staple applying assembly 12 through a trocar . in particular , a more distal , downward projection 136 raises the e - beam 102 when fully retracted . this is accomplished by placement of the downward projection 136 at a point where it cams upwardly on a proximal edge of the widened hole 130 in the staple channel 18 . in fig1 , the laminate tapered firing bar 94 also enhances operation of certain lockout features that may be incorporated into the staple channel 18 by including a more proximal upward projection 138 that is urged downwardly by the shaft frame 70 during an initial portion of the firing travel . in particular , a lateral bar 140 is defined between a pair of square apertures 142 in the shaft frame 70 ( fig3 ). a clip spring 144 that encompasses the lateral bar 140 downwardly urges a portion of the laminate tapered firing bar 94 projecting distally out of the longitudinal firing bar slot 92 , which ensures certain advantageous lockout features are engaged when appropriate . this urging is more pronounced or confined solely to that portion of the firing travel when the upward projection 138 contacts the clip spring 144 . in fig6 - 7 , the e - beam 102 is retracted with the top pins 110 thereof residing within an anvil pocket 150 near the pivoting proximal end of the anvil 22 . a downwardly open vertical anvil slot 152 ( fig2 ) laterally widens in the anvil 22 into an anvil internal track 154 that captures the top pins 110 of the e - beam 102 as they distally advance during firing , as depicted in fig9 - 10 , affirmatively spacing the anvil 22 from the staple channel 18 . thus , with the e - beam 102 retracted , the surgeon is able to repeatably open and close the staple applying assembly 12 until satisfied with the placement and orientation of tissue captured therein for stapling and severing , yet the e - beam 102 assists in proper positioning of tissue even for a staple applying assembly 12 of reduced diameter and correspondingly reduced rigidity . in fig2 - 3 , 5 - 6 , 8 - 14 , the staple applying assembly 12 is shown with the replaceable staple cartridge 20 that includes the wedge sled 126 . longitudinally aligned and parallel plurality of downwardly open wedge slots 202 ( fig8 ) receive respective wedges 204 integral to the wedge sled 126 . in fig8 - 10 , the wedge sled 126 thus cams upwardly a plurality of staple drivers 206 that are vertically slidable within staple driver recesses 208 . in this illustrative version , each staple driver 206 includes two vertical prongs , each translating upwardly into a respective staple hole 210 to upwardly force out and deform a staple 23 resting thereupon against a staple forming surface 214 ( fig1 ) of the anvil 22 . a central firing recess 216 ( fig3 ) defined within the staple cartridge 20 proximate to the staple channel 18 allows the passage of the bottom , horizontal portion 218 ( fig5 ) of the wedge sled 126 as well as the middle pins 112 of the e - beam 102 . specifically , a staple cartridge tray 220 ( fig3 ) attaches to and underlies a polymer staple cartridge body 222 that has the staple driver recesses 208 , staple holes 210 , and central firing recess 216 formed therein . as staples 23 are thus formed to either side , the sharp cutting edge 116 enters a vertical through slot 230 passing through the longitudinal axis of the staple cartridge 20 , excepting only a most distal end thereof . firing the staple applying assembly 12 begins as depicted in fig1 with the two - piece knife and firing bar 90 proximally drawn until the downward projection 136 cams the middle guide 120 on the e - beam 102 upward and aft , allowing a new staple cartridge 20 to be inserted into the staple channel 18 when the anvil 22 is open as depicted in fig2 . in fig1 , the two - piece knife and firing bar 90 has been distally advanced a small distance , allowing the downward projection 136 to drop into the widened hole 130 of the lower track 132 under the urging of the clip spring 144 against the upward projection 138 of the laminate tapered firing bar 94 . the middle guide 120 prevents further downward rotation by resting upon the stepped central member 124 of the wedge sled 126 , thus maintaining the middle pin 112 of the e - beam within the central firing recess 216 . in fig1 , the two - piece knife and firing bar 90 has been distally fired , advancing the wedge sled 126 to cause formation of staples 23 while severing tissue 242 clamped between the anvil 22 and staple cartridge 20 with the sharp cutting edge 116 . thereafter , in fig1 , the two - piece knife and firing bar 90 is retracted , leaving the wedge sled 126 distally positioned . in fig1 , the middle pin 112 is allowed to translate down into a lockout recess 240 formed in the staple channel 18 ( also see fig7 ). thus , the operator would receive a tactile indication as the middle pin 112 encounters the distal edge of the lockout recess 240 when the wedge sled 126 ( not shown in fig1 ) is not proximally positioned ( i . e ., missing staple cartridge 20 or spent staple cartridge 20 ). in fig1 , an articulation joint 32 is depicted that advantageously benefits from the flexible strength of the two - piece knife and firing bar 90 . in fig1 - 18 , the articulation joint 32 is depicted as a flex neck joint 300 formed by vertebral column body 302 having laterally symmetric pairs of arcing recesses 304 that allow articulation in an articulation plane . it is generally known to simultaneously compress and expand respective lateral sides 306 , 308 by selective movement of control rods ( not shown ) that longitudinally pass through the respective lateral sides 306 , 308 . depicted , however , are eap plate actuators 310 , 312 , each capable of powered deflection to one or both lateral directions . a central passage 320 ( fig1 ) defined longitudinally through the vertebral column body 302 receives a pair of support plates 322 , 324 that prevent buckling and binding of the laminate tapered firing bar 94 . in the illustrative version , each support plate 322 , 324 has a proximal fixed end 326 ( fig1 ) and a sliding end 328 to accommodate changes in radial distance during articulation . having a firing bar 94 of a thinner thickness is thus supported . while the present invention has been illustrated by description of several embodiments and while the illustrative embodiments have been described in considerable detail , it is not the intention of the applicant to restrict or in any way limit the scope of the appended claims to such detail . additional advantages and modifications may readily appear to those skilled in the art . for example , while there are a number of advantages to having a wedge sled integral to a staple cartridge , in some applications consistent with aspects of the present invention , the wedge sled may be integral instead to an e - beam . for instance , an entire end effector may be replaceable rather than just the staple cartridge .
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fig1 shows in a perspective view of a first exemplary embodiment of a cube - shaped object 10 consisting of twenty - seven individual building blocks 20 . the building blocks 20 are in the assembled state of the cube - shaped object 10 arranged three in width , three in depth and three in height . each of the building blocks 20 is provided with at least four differently designed side faces 21 , which are in this exemplary embodiment and for purposes of ease of explanation of the principle of the invention realized herein in the form of numbers as the connecting means . the numbers as possible embodiments of the side faces 21 of the building blocks 20 are , however , merely to be understood only as examples , and other motifs or color designs or design forms of the side faces 21 of building blocks 20 , such as geometric forms , simple colors or pictorial designs may be used for this purpose , as shown by way of example in fig4 a and 4 b . in the correctly assembled predefined state of the cube - shaped object 10 , the cube - shaped object 10 has on each of its six outer sides a respective uniform design of the outer face 11 ; for example , in the example of fig1 , on the top face the continuous representation with the number five and on the front face with the number two . the differently formed side faces 21 of the individual building blocks 20 thus represent both connecting means for constructing the cube - shaped object 10 as well as in the correct , i . e . form - congruent structure of the cube - shaped object 10 , a part of the respective form or design of the entire outer faces 11 . the design of the individual building blocks 20 thus has a dual function , i . e . on the one hand , the visualization of the respective defined form of the outer faces 11 as well as coding for the respective assembly of adjacent building blocks 20 of a respective cube - shaped object 10 . here , each building block 20 in this example is designed with at least five different side faces 21 and is in this embodiment also a unique feature within each cube - shaped object 10 . in other words , in this cube - shaped object 10 consisting of twenty - seven individual building blocks 20 , the specific form and design of each building block 20 appear only once . the design of the individual building blocks 20 is selected such that with a correct , form - congruent assembly of the cube - shaped object , not only are uniform outer faces 11 of the cube - shaped object 10 formed on all six sides ( see . fig1 ), but the design of the side faces 21 that each face adjacent building blocks 20 or abut each other also matches in the interior . this is illustrated in the fig1 by way of a corner building block 20 that has been removed . the back side of the building block 20 illustrated in fig1 has , for example , the number one , while the bottom side has the number three corresponding to the adjacent building blocks 20 . according to the invention , a specific embodiment of the respective individual building blocks 20 of the modular cube - shaped object 10 is thus realized wherein not only similarities in the design or implementation of the side faces result , which together form the respective outer faces 11 of the cube - shaped object 10 , but also of the abutting side faces 21 of each building block 20 disposed in the interior of the cube - shaped object 10 . an embodiment with numbers is given here only an example to facilitate illustration of the principle of the invention . other embodiments of the sides of the building blocks by way of designs , symbols , colors , or relief - like faces are also possible within the scope of the invention , as long as they allow for a kind of coding for the modular block - like assembly of the entire cube - shaped object . according to the invention , this produces not only a three - dimensional match of side faces of the building blocks 20 in the vertical and horizontal layers , but also design of the outer faces 11 of the cube - shaped object 10 on the outer six faces . this is achieved by forming each building block 20 of each cube - shaped object 10 in at least four and at most six different versions . this will be explained in more detail in conjunction with the other exemplary embodiments illustrated in fig2 through 3 d . fig2 shows a building block 20 of a second exemplary embodiment of a cube - shaped object in the form of a polyhedral net and a partially three - dimensionally folded polyhedral net to illustrate the representations of the building blocks 20 of the cube - shaped systems in the form of polyhedral nets . fig3 shows a third embodiment of a possible form of building blocks 20 for an exemplary embodiment of a polyhedral net of a cube in corresponding representations as a polyhedral net ( left hand side ) and the three - dimensional composition of the individual side faces 21 of the building block 20 , which are each formed with at least five different designs on the side faces 21 . in the illustrations in the form of cubes crosses , the center square is always the bottom side face 21 and the bottom face is the respective side face 21 on the top side of the building block 20 . the other four faces form the respective lateral side faces , i . e . rear , front , right and left side faces . as can be clearly seen in fig2 and 3 , the building block 20 of the cube - shaped object 10 is characterized by at least four different designs of side faces 21 , i . e . only at least one form of a side face is repeated , in the example of fig3 the top and right side faces 21 . the building blocks 20 of the cube - shaped object are here regular squares and can be made for example of wood or another material that can be realized with different forms of side faces . the different forms of the side faces 21 of the building blocks 20 of each cube - shaped object 10 are preferably realized in the form of color designs or with motifs from pictures or with symbols . however , the side faces 21 may also differ in their form , as long as at least four differently formed side faces 21 are present in each building block 20 . this specific different design of the individual side faces of the building blocks produces the modular cube - shaped object 10 , as shown for example in the perspective view of fig1 . the individual forms of the exemplary embodiments according to fig2 and 3 , i . e . the respective designs of their individual building blocks 20 , will be described in the following based on the polyhedral net representations in the different layers of each cube - shaped object 10 of fig2 a to 3 d . in fig2 a , the building blocks 20 of the lowest layer of one exemplary embodiment of a cube - shaped object 10 according to the invention are shown with twenty - seven individual building blocks 20 . fig2 b shows the form of the individual building blocks 20 of the middle layer and the fig2 c shows the form of the individual building blocks 20 of the top layer of the building blocks of this exemplary embodiment . it can be seen from fig2 a that the building blocks 20 are realized such that they are identically constructed in the assembled state at the outer side faces 20 and the lower side ( bottom ). the center side face of each polyhedral net of a cube 1 . 1 . 1 to 1 . 3 . 3 is here realized identically with the points in the center gray area and diagonal hatching in all building blocks 20 . likewise , this is true for the polyhedral nets 1 . 3 . 1 , 1 . 3 . 2 and 1 . 3 . 3 for the rear side face 21 ( upper square with white points motif ) as well as at the respective lateral side faces at the outer sides of the cube - shaped object 10 , i . e . the left column and the right column of the polyhedral nets in fig2 a . the layer 2 and layer 3 of the cube - shaped object are similar , as shown in fig2 b and 2 c . thus , the respective outer faces 11 of the cube - shaped object 10 are each implemented uniformly . the individual building blocks 20 are designed such that only matching forms of side faces face each other in the interior . for example , in fig2 b , the building block 2 . 2 . 2 with his black design will abut the likewise black design of the left side face 21 of the building block 2 . 2 . 3 . this correspondence or match of respective abutting side faces 21 thus forms in the embodiment according to the invention a kind of coding for the three - dimensional assembly of the individual building blocks 20 of the cube - shaped object 10 in order to obtain uniform outer designs of the outer faces 11 of the finished modular cube - shaped object . the differently designed side faces 21 of the building block 20 thus represent a kind of connecting means for the assembly of the cube - shaped object , which can be implemented by way of a different design with motifs , colors , symbols or the like , but also by way of different forms . an example of connecting means is shown in fig5 , depicting elevations 22 and depressions 23 on the side faces 21 . while fig2 a to 2 c show an embodiment of a cube - shaped object with twenty - seven individual building blocks 20 , fig3 a to 3 d show another exemplary embodiment of a cube - shaped object of the present invention 10 with sixty - four individual building blocks , i . e . with four layers and each having four individual building blocks arranged in depth , width and height of the assembled cube - shaped object . unlike the previous embodiment , the individual side faces 21 of the differently designed building blocks 20 are here implemented in a different form , in order to explain that the type or form of the motifs or the color of the side faces are not important , but rather the fact that according to the invention at least four different side faces 21 are implemented on each individual building block 20 . in this further embodiment shown in fig3 a to 3 d , the outer faces 11 of the entire cube - shaped object 10 as well as the opposing side faces 21 of the building blocks 20 in the interior have only matching forms of side faces 21 . as clearly seen in fig3 a , the opposing side faces 21 of the cubes 1 . 1 . 1 and 1 . 1 . 2 , are designed white , whereas the side faces of the cubes 1 . 2 . 1 and 1 . 2 . 2 disposed above have a checkered pattern . here too , the different versions of the side faces 21 of the building blocks 20 realized with motifs , forms or colors form both the means for the predefined correct assembly of the cube - shaped object 10 as well as , in relation to the outer faces 11 , a part or a building block of the uniform embodiment of the cube - shaped object 10 that forms the outer faces 11 . the other three layers of the cube - shaped object constructed from sixty - four individual building blocks 20 , which each represent a unique feature in this exemplary embodiment , are evident from the corresponding representations of the polyhedral nets in fig3 b , 3 c and 3 d . when the respective cube - shaped object 10 is assembled with its individual building blocks 20 in the pre - defined form of the composition ( see . fig1 ), all six outer faces 11 of the cube - shaped object 10 have different contents , representations or motifs , i . e . six different designs on all six sides of the cube - shaped object . simultaneously , due to the special form and design of the individual building blocks 20 , a coding of the assembly of the particular modular cube - shaped object 10 due to the respective structure of the side faces 21 of the building blocks 20 is provided , which is used in the proper construction and defines the composition of the building blocks 20 . advantageously , each building block 20 is unique , i . e . is different from any other building block 20 of a cube - shaped object 10 due to the at least five different side faces 21 per building block 20 . the side faces 21 of the building blocks 20 of the cube - shaped object 10 thus match in each horizontal and each vertical inner layer . the respective outer faces 11 of the entire cube - shaped object 10 are also formed identically or with matching designs , whether by way of color coding , an alphanumeric identification or by way of pictorial motifs or partial motives that can be used for applications of the cube - shaped object 10 as a visualization medium or as a multi - dimensional display or the like . as an example , five of the outer faces 11 of the cube - shaped object 10 may be each realized in a same color , while the sixth outer face 11 in the form - congruent assembly , i . e . with a color matching structure formed in the interior , may for example have an image of a national flag . the latter would then be quasi the top side or front side of the finished cube - shaped object for visualization purposes . the modular cube - shaped object 10 illustrated as an example is in particularly well suited as a device for training the spatial imagination . due to the special design and construction of the individual building blocks 20 , a three - dimensional spatial assembly of all six sides of each building block 20 can be consistently observed in order to obtain the predefined , correct form of the assembly of the cube - shaped object from the building blocks 20 . unlike previous conventional systems , such as the so - called rotary cubes , the form does not only match on the outer sides of the elements in the defined state , but the respective design of the interior side faces 21 must also always still be taken into account . the individual building blocks 20 according to the illustrated exemplary embodiments can be both loosely assembled in various ways as well as assembled by using detachable connection means which ensure easy assembly and a better grip of the building blocks 20 to one another . the illustrated embodiments relate to a cube - shaped object 10 with twenty - seven or sixty - four building blocks 20 , respectively . however , a greater number of building blocks 20 may be provided , for example , one hundred twenty five or two hundred and sixteen , as long as the individual building blocks 20 and the outer faces 11 of the cube - shaped object are implemented with uniform cube - shaped forms that are prepared with at least four and at most six different designs on each side face 21 .
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referring now to the drawings , in which like numerals refer to like components or steps , there are disclosed broad aspects of various exemplary embodiments . a direct sequence spread spectrum ( dsss ) signal is a commonly used type of spread spectrum signal . a dsss signal will be used as an example of a spread spectrum signal in the description of embodiments below . this is not intended to limit these embodiments to dsss signals , but rather these embodiments may be used with other types of spread spectrum signals . a test for the presence of a desired dsss input signal may be based on the known properties of the autocorrelation function of the expected input signal . the test may simply work on the incoming data samples and may not require any synchronization to the spreading code sequence to work well . the idea behind this method may be to compute the autocorrelation function of the incoming data samples for a window of limited size and compare the results against the known pattern of the autocorrelation function over the same window for the desired dsss input signal . of course this assumes that any unwanted interferer will not be able to produce an autocorrelation function result , which matches the autocorrelation function of the desired dsss input signal . accordingly , it may be possible to compute the autocorrelation function only for a number of points of interest and not over the entire length of the chosen spreading code sequence . this will be shown with respect to fig1 and 2 below . this may help to limit the extra hardware and / or software resources needed to implement the method . fig1 is a plot illustrating an auto correlation function of a spread spectrum signal using a gold code of length 2047 . as can be seen in fig1 there is a very sharp mainlobe 105 and low sidelobes 110 . the peak of the mainlobe reaches 2047 , which is the length of the spreading code ( including oversampling if employed ), in this example perfect correlation occurs at zero offset . outside the mainlobe region 110 , the autocorrelation function has a very low value . fig2 is the plot illustrating the shape of the mainlobe of an auto correlation function of a spread spectrum signal using a gold code of length 2047 as shown in fig1 . fig2 illustrates the fact that the mainlobe 105 actually has a triangular shape due to oversampling of the dsss signal . fig2 further illustrates that outside the mainlobe 105 , the sidelobes 110 have a limited magnitude . it is these characteristics of the autocorrelation function that may be used to efficiently determine the presence of a dsss signal . for example , threshold values 115 and 120 are illustrated . these threshold values 115 and 120 bound the range of the expected sidelobe values of the autocorrelation function . in the alternative , the threshold values may be a single absolute magnitude value that may be compared to the magnitude of the sidelobe values of the autocorrelation function . for a dsss signal with an oversampling ratio of , for example , 3 × or 6 ×, a method may be used to capture the shape of the triangle around zero offset of a dsss signal autocorrelation function and then verify that the measured autocorrelation function has a value close to zero at distances away from the zero offset , for example , distances corresponding to five and / or eight chips from the offset . the hardware required to implement this method may include a delay line for the desired offsets and one complex multiplier and accumulator unit for each point of the autocorrelation function that may be observed . further , the method may use a sufficiently wide accumulator to compute the autocorrelation results for the desired width of the correlation window . the width of the correlation window may be chosen such that the signal to noise ratio for a desired input signal may be positive with a comfortable margin . for an example of a spreading code of length 225 chips and an oversampling ratio of 3 ×, the window size might be chosen to be 1350 samples ( or two data bit periods ). fig3 is a block diagram illustrating a system that determines the presence of a spread spectrum signal . fig4 is a diagram illustrating correlation windows used for determining the presence of a spread spectrum signal . fig4 also illustrates the data structure of the incoming data stream and the relative position of proposed windows used to perform the autocorrelation . the position of the correlation windows may be arbitrary and may not be aligned with the start of the spreading code sequence . the system 300 may include : delay lines 310 a , 310 b , 310 c , 310 d , and 310 e ; multipliers 315 a , 315 b , 315 c , 315 d , 315 e , and 315 f ; accumulators 320 a , 320 b , 320 c , 320 d , 320 e , and 320 f ; and signal presence determiner 325 . the system 300 may receive input samples 305 . the input samples move through the delay lines 310 where the input samples are delayed by various amounts : δ , δ , pδ , kδ , and qδ , where δ is a time delay based upon the sampling rate of the input samples and p , k , and q are integers . the complex conjugate of current input sample may be applied to each of the multipliers 315 . if the input samples are only real valued then the complex conjugate of the input sample is the same as the input sample . the other input to the multipliers are the delayed input samples based upon the amount of delay applied by the various delay lines 310 . the outputs of the multipliers 315 are applied to accumulators 320 which sum the outputs received from the multipliers 315 . once all of the input samples in the correlation window have been processed , the accumulators output autocorrelation function results g 0 ( nt ), g 1 ( nt ), g 2 ( nt ), g p + 2 ( nt ), g k + p + 2 ( nt ), and g k + p + q + 2 ( nt ). these autocorrelation function results are applied to signal presence determiner 325 . the signal presence determiner 325 may apply the following tests to the autocorrelation function results in order to positively identify a desired signal . first , the autocorrelation function results for the first mainlobe correlation points need to be in descending order , i . e ., g 0 ( nt ), g 1 ( nt ), and g 0 ( nt ) must be in descending order . this corresponds to the triangle portion of the mainlobe as shown above in fig2 . next , the autocorrelation function results for the k correlation points outside the mainlobe need to be within a predetermined threshold range , i . e ., g p + 2 ( nt ), g k + p + 2 ( nt ), and g k + p + q + 2 ( nt ). alternatively , if only the magnitude of the autocorrelation function results are used , then the threshold is a single value that the results must be below . if both of these conditions are met , then the signal presence determiner may indicate the presence of a dsss signal . the signal presence determiner may operate on as few as two mainlobe correlation points and two correlation points outside the mainlobe . while more points may provide more reliable determination of the presence of a dsss signal , it may increase the amount of processing and resources needed . therefore , a balance between these competing needs may be made in order to select the desired number of points to calculate for any give environment , application , and design . while the system 300 has been discussed as implemented in hardware , the system may also be implemented using software in a computer or processor . the processor may be a general purpose processor , a graphic processor , or a signal processing element , or any other type of computing device . further , the system 300 may be implemented as an integrated circuit . the following discussion provides specific mathematical details of the method . although in this analysis the signals are all shown as real signals , the actual implementation may accommodate complex input signals . as described above , the method computes the autocorrelation function of the input data with itself for a number of specific offsets that would reflect points of interest for the input dsss signal that is expected . the correlation may be computed over an arbitrary correlation window size of length m samples . the size m may be chosen such that it is at least as large as a single data bit , e . g ., 675 samples for a 225 chip spreading sequence length with 3 × oversampling . this correlation window does not have to be aligned with the data frame structure of the incoming data stream , although the computations are basically the same regardless of which output may be observed , the first output , g 0 ( nt ) may be analyzed separately from all the others for convenience . for the correlation point with zero offset , g 0 ( nt ): g 0 ( nt )= σ i = 0 m − 1 ( s ( t 0 + it )+ n ( t 0 + it ))( s ( t 0 + it )+ n ( t 0 + it )) ( 1 ) in equation ( 1 ) to is an arbitrary offset , where the computation of the correlation starts . g 0 ( nt )= σ i = 0 m − 1 s 2 ( t 0 + it )+ σ i = 0 m − 1 n 2 ( t 0 + it )+ 2 σ i = 0 m − 1 s ( t 0 + it ) n ( t 0 + it )) ( 2 ) the first term represents the value of the autocorrelation function of the input signal s ( nt ) with zero offset or the power of the wanted input signal . the second term reflects the power of the ( thermal ) noise contained in the input stream . the third term reflects the cross - correlation of the wanted input signal and the noise and on average should vanish as the wanted signal and the noise input are not correlated . the result g 0 ( nt ) will directly reflect the signal to noise ratio , and for negative signal to noise ratios the result g 0 ( nt ) will primarily reflect the input noise level . in particular from equation ( 2 ), it is noted that g 0 ( nt ) will not enjoy spreading gain according to the spreading factor used . it should further be noted that the result in ( 2 ) is different from the output of a classical matched filter tuned to the desired input signal s ( nt ), which does not contain the n 2 ( ) term and includes only one of the cross - terms . g k ( nt )= σ i = 0 m − 1 ( s ( t 0 + it )+ n ( t 0 + it ))( s ( t 0 + it + kδ )+ n ( t 0 + it + k δ )) ( 3 ) breaking up the product summation into individual summations produces the following four components in the correlation result gk ( nt ): g k , 1 ( nt )= σ i = 0 m − 1 s ( t 0 + it ) s ( t 0 + it + kδ ) ( 4 ) g k , 2 ( nt )= σ i = 0 m − 1 s ( t 0 + it ) n ( t 0 + it + kδ ) ( 5 ) g k , 3 ( nt )= σ i = 0 m − 1 s ( t 0 + it + k δ ) n ( t 0 + it ) ( 6 ) g k , 4 ( nt )= σ i = 0 m − 1 n ( t 0 + it ) n ( t 0 + it + kδ ) ( 7 ) the first term , equation ( 4 ), corresponds to the value of the autocorrelation function of the desired input signal s ( nt ) at offset ka . this component allows the method to take advantage of the a - priori knowledge of the autocorrelation properties of the desired spread spectrum input signal . as before , equation ( 4 ) does not give any indication that there may be any benefit from spreading gain . the second and third terms , equations ( 5 ) and ( 6 ), correspond to the cross - correlation of the wanted signal and the noise and on average should vanish . the forth term , equation ( 7 ), is the value of the autocorrelation function of the noise input and for white gaussian noise assumed here should also vanish on average . similar calculations may be used when the input signal is complex and not real valued . in such a case , the complex input samples may be multiplied with the complex conjugate time delayed signals , and all multiplications will be complex . as for the time delays to choose , the ml mainlobe correlation computations may be carried out within the mainlobe of the autocorrelation function of the desired input signal , i . e ., within one chip offset , and k correlation computations outside this mainlobe . the delays corresponding to the k computations outside this mainlobe may be placed at distances that are not equal . this may provide the benefit of preventing sinusoidal interference from correlating in the sidelobe region . the correlation window size m may be chosen such that sufficiently high margin against thermal noise input may be ensured for the targeted system . the specific size may depend on the actual application . the embodiments described above may be applied in any wireless communications system which employs direct sequence spread spectrum methodology with relatively short spreading sequences . typical examples include wireless long distance remote access systems ( automotive applications ), wireless sensor networks , remote meter reading , home automation . further , these embodiments may be applied to other spread spectrum signal systems . the method for determining the presence of a spread spectrum signal may be used to determine the presence of the spread spectrum signal before synchronization of the signal is accomplished . this allows for fewer resources to be used in receiver hardware and / or software until an actual spread spectrum signal is found to be present . at that time , full acquisition and synchronization of the spread spectrum signal may begin . further , the method may be used to determine the continued presence of a spread spectrum signal in an established communication link utilizing a spread spectrum signal . once the spread spectrum signal has been found to have been absent for a specified period of time , the communication link may be terminated , and hardware and software resources conserved . accordingly , this method may lead to reduced power usage in communication systems , especially those that have infrequent communication . it should be appreciated by those skilled in the art that any block diagrams herein represent conceptual views of illustrative circuitry embodying the principles of the invention . although the various exemplary embodiments have been described in detail with particular reference to certain exemplary aspects thereof , it should be understood that the invention is capable of other embodiments and its details are capable of modifications in various obvious respects . as is readily apparent to those skilled in the art , variations and modifications can be affected while remaining within the spirit and scope of the invention . accordingly , the foregoing disclosure , description , and figures are for illustrative purposes only and do not in any way limit the invention , which is defined only by the claims .
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the foregoing and other objects , features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following more particular description of preferred embodiments of the invention , as illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which like reference characters refer to the same parts throughout the different views . the drawings are not necessarily to scale , emphasis instead being placed upon illustrating the principles of the invention . methane hydrates form when water molecules bond with methane molecules . both water and methane contain hydrogen . one methane molecule contains one carbon atom and four hydrogen atoms ( ch 4 ); one water molecule contains one oxygen atom and two hydrogen atoms ( h 2 o ). methane hydrates are a form of “ clathrate ,” which are compounds formed when molecules of one type form a lattice structure around a cavity and molecules of another type are included in the cavity . in its simplest form , a methane hydrate crystal consists of methane molecules surrounded by cages of water molecules as shown in fig1 . there are three structures of hydrates : i , ii , and h , as shown in fig2 a - 2 c . each structure has different numbers of water and gas molecules . the ratio of water molecules to gas molecules is called the “ hydrate number .” the amount of gas actually contained in a hydrate is called “ the degree of filling .” structure i hydrates contain 46 water molecules per 8 gas molecules . the hydrate number is 5 . 75 . the water molecules form two small pentagonal dodecahedral voids and six large tetradecahedral voids . these voids can hold only small gas molecules ( methane , ethane ) with molecular diameters not exceeding 5 . 2 angstroms . structure ii hydrates contain 136 water molecules per 24 gas molecules . the hydrate number is 5 . 67 . the water molecules form 16 small dodecahedral voids and 8 large hexakaidecahedral voids . they may contain gases with molecular dimensions from 5 . 9 to 6 . 9 , such as propane , a three - carbon hydrocarbon , and isobutane . structure ii hydrate was first produced in laboratory experiments . it was first found in a natural environment in 1983 at a depth of 530 meters . structure h hydrates contain 34 water molecules per 6 gas molecules . the hydrate number is 5 . 67 . this structure is large enough to hold molecules like isopentane , a branched - chain hydrocarbon molecule with five carbon atoms . structure h was first found in nature in 1993 , at a similar water depth to structure ii , near jolliet field , a large oil and gas producing area in the gulf of mexico . in u . s . pat . nos . 5 , 800 , 576 and 5 , 997 , 590 , the teachings of which are incorporated herein by reference , it is taught that the highest - energy molecular electron orbitals of a pentagonal dodecahedral water cluster of the type forming the structure 1 hydrate cage ( fig1 and 2 ) are in the form of gigantic “ s ,” “ p ,” and “ d ” orbitals ( fig3 a - 3 c ). this unique electronic structure of a water clathrate cage gives rise to 300 to 3000 ghz frequency ( submillimeter wavelength ) “ hg squashing ” vibrational modes of the type shown in fig3 d - 3 f , where the vibrational amplitudes are represented by arrows . while not intending to be bound by the mechanism involved , it is believed that methane molecules clathrated in a dodecahedral water - molecule cage like that shown in fig1 , 2 a - 2 c and 3 a - 3 f interact with the cage electronically via the overlapping water - cluster molecular orbitals ( fig3 a - 3 c ) and vibrationally via the 300 to 3000 ghz frequency water - cluster “ hg squashing ” vibrational modes shown in fig3 d - 3 f . the resulting vibronic coupling between each clathrated methane molecule within its water - cluster cage can produce large - amplitude , 300 to 3000 ghz frequency oscillations of the methane molecule resonant with the water - cluster cage vibrations , as shown in the fig4 resulting from ab initio quantum - chemistry computations . similar results are obtained for methane hydrate structures ii and h in fig2 b and 2c , as well as for other hydrocarbon ( e . g . neopentane ) gas hydrates of small linear dimension . it should be emphasized that the vibrations of a free methane molecule or other hydrocarbon gas molecule are confined to much higher - frequency c - h “ stretching ” modes , so the vibronic property is unique to gas hydrates . submillimeter radiation optimized to the 300 to 3000 ghz frequency region of the electromagnetic spectrum is applied to methane hydrate to excite the preferred large - amplitude methane - hydrate vibrations . such vibrations cause the energy gap between the highest - energy occupied methane - hydrate bonding molecular orbitals ( homos ) and lowest - energy , otherwise unoccupied methane - hydrate antibonding molecular orbitals ( lumos ), shown in fig5 to close , pouring electrons from the bonding into the antibonding methane - hydrate orbitals and thereby causing the release of methane from its water - clathrate cages . generally , the method of the invention includes an electromagnetic wave - induced molecular vibronic process for recovering gas from gas hydrates , comprising exposing gas hydrate to radiation in the wavelength of between about 0 . 1 and about 1 mm ( between about 3000 and about 300 ghz frequency ) of the electromagnetic spectrum , resulting in the release of gas molecules and recovering the released gas . in one embodiment , the hydrate is present beneath the ocean floor and exposure to the electromagnetic radiation occurs in situ . in another embodiment , the gas hydrate is in permafrost and , again , exposure to electromagnetic radiation by the method of the invention occurs in situ . alternatively , the gas hydrate that is exposed to electromagnetic radiation by the method of the invention can be in a storage zone or a gas pipeline . the gas contained in the gas hydrate can be selected from the group , for example , of methane , natural gas , and other hydrocarbon gas molecules of small linear dimension . in one specific embodiment , the gases contained in the gas hydrate are hydrocarbon gas molecules of small linear dimension together with other light gases . in another embodiment , the invention is a system for recovering gas from a gas hydrate , comprising a generator for producing radiation having a wavelength in a range of between about 0 . 1 mm and about 1 mm ( between about 3000 ghz and about 300 ghz ), and a recovery means for capturing gas released from the gas hydrate which has been exposed to the radiation . in one embodiment , the generator is a free electron laser . in another embodiment , the radiation generator is an array of submillimeter - wavelength small - dish antennae connected remotely via wave guides to gyrotrons . the recovery means can be , for example , a capture cone . in one specific embodiment , the generator produces radiation that predominantly has a wavelength in a range of between about 0 . 1 mm and about 1 mm ( between about 3000 ghz and about 300 ghz frequency region of the electromagnetic spectrum ). [ 0038 ] fig6 a and 6b are side and plan views , respectively , of a system of the invention for recovering gas from gas hydrate . as shown therein , system 10 includes radiation generator 12 . radiation generator 12 includes power / signal conduit 14 , capture cone 15 and terahertz signal radiator 16 . when in use , radiation generator 12 rests on or within hydrate deposit 18 . activation of system 10 generates electromagnetic waves in a wavelength between about 0 . 1 to 1 mm ( 3000 to 300 ghz frequency ) and consequent release of gas molecules from hydrate deposit 18 by the method of the invention . the released gas is collected and transported through capture cone 15 and power / signal conduit 16 by suitable means to a collection vessel , not shown . [ 0039 ] fig7 is a three - dimensional representation of a system of the invention in a typical application . as shown in fig7 system 20 includes terahertz signal radiator 21 . terahertz signal radiator 21 is suspended within well 22 by cable 24 . cable 24 connects terahertz signal radiator 21 to terahertz transmitter electronics 26 , which can be located on , for example , an ocean or permafrost surface 28 . terahertz signal radiator 21 is located within gas hydrate layer 30 . typically , gas hydrate layer is located between sediment layers 32 and 34 . during use , terahertz signal radiator denerates electromagnetic radiation at a wavelength in a range of between about 0 . 1 and about 1 mm ( between about 3000 and about 300 ghz frequency ). the gas that is released from a hydrate state by use of the terahertz signal radiator 20 is conducted to ocean or permafrost surface 28 through conduit 36 at the perimeter of well 22 . a methane hydrate is formed as follows : to a 200 cc pressure vessel is added 100 g water . the vessel is jacketed and has a transducer capable of emitting an electromagnetic radiation predominately of 0 . 2 mm wavelength ( a frequency of 1 , 500 ghz ) and a thermocouple mounted in the bottom . the water is cooled to 0 ° c ., thereby freezing it . a vacuum is drawn . the system is sealed off and the water melted . vacuum is drawn again . the water is heated to 10 ° c . to the gas connection is added 20 . 96 g of methane ( 29 . 33 l , at standard temperature and pressure ( stp )). as the first 5 . 27 g is added , the pressure rises to 1110 psig and stabilizes there while the rest of the methane is added . this indicates that hydrate formation has taken place . methane then is released from the methane hydrate through the practice of this invention , as follows : the transducer is activated with 2 watts , energy and emits an electromagnetic radiation predominately of a 0 . 6 mm wavelength . the temperature of the system rises to 12 ° c . methane gas is allowed to bleed off , maintaining a pressure of 1400 psig . the system stays at 12 ° c . until no more methane is given off . the methane is collected in a series of inverted 10 l graduates . after 30 minutes , 19 . 5 l of methane is recovered in the graduates . this indicates almost complete methane recovery . as a counter or control experiment , the same experiment is carried out on the same amount of methane hydrate , except that the transducer , activated with the same 2 watts of energy , is adjusted to emit a frequency of 1 ghz ( 300 mm wavelength electromagnetic radiation ). the water heats only very slowly and never reaches 12 ° c . because of the cooling of the jacket . the pressure in the system rises only a few pounds to about 1125 psig , indicating that little or no methane was released in 30 minutes of operation . while this invention has been particularly shown and described with references to preferred embodiments thereof , it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the scope of the invention encompassed by the appended claims .
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the electrical circuit of the present invention is illustrated by specific embodiments , along with methods for forming the electrical circuits . one embodiment provides a method for producing an rfid tag utilizing an integrated circuit that is designed to require an external connection of the first and second terminal of an inductor coil antenna , first terminal coupling to the back surface of the integrated circuit and second terminal to a pad on the front surface of the integrated circuit . fig4 is a top view diagram illustrating this embodiment of the present invention . a conductive layer is formed and patterned on unitary substrate 1 . such patterning can be achieved utilizing any of a variety of methods including printing with conductive ink such as polymer ink with silver particles , chemically etching a deposited conductive layer , or stamping of a suitable conductive foil and adhering the stamped foil to unitary substrate 1 . in describing the pattern of the conductive layer , it is useful to figuratively divide unitary substrate 1 into two portions around a fold line 35 , forming second substrate 40 and first substrate 41 . inductor coil 3 is formed on second substrate 40 . in the center of inductor coil 3 is a conductive region forming the substrate contact pad 33 , a contact to the inner terminal of inductor coil 3 . on first substrate 41 , another conductive region forms substrate contact pad 31 . substrate contact 31 is connected to the outer terminal 11 of inductor coil 3 with conductor trace 32 . the back surface of the integrated circuit is now attached on top of substrate pad 33 , thereby making electrical contact between substrate pad 33 and the back surface of the integrated circuit . such attachment could be accomplished with a number of techniques including the use of conductive adhesive . fig5 is a top view of the structure after integrated circuit 5 is placed . a conductive trace 50 connecting the inner terminal of inductor coil 3 to substrate contact 33 is now underneath integrated circuit 5 , making electrical contact to the back surface of integrated circuit 5 . integrated circuit pad 30 on integrated circuit 5 is now visible in the top view presented in fig5 . a dielectric layer is now formed on top of the conductive layer such that if unitary substrate 1 were folded about fold line 35 , no electrical connection is formed between the conductors that fold onto each other except substrate pad 31 and integrated circuit pad 30 . in the case of this embodiment , this can be achieved by forming a dielectric layer in the area marked 37 of fig5 . this dielectric region serves only to avoid an electrical connection between conductive trace 32 on first substrate 41 and inductor coil 3 on the second substrate 40 . as such , this dielectric region is not subjected to tight alignment tolerances . further , this dielectric region is not subjected to tight thickness requirements . as long as the dielectric region electrically isolates the conductors on the top and bottom of the dielectric region , this dielectric region is not subjected to tight quality requirements either . such standards could be achieved at very low cost , such as by applying tape made of dielectric material over region 37 of fig5 . fig6 is a cross sectional view of the above - described structure , like numbers indicating like elements . conductive adhesive is applied to either the surface of substrate contact 31 or the contact pad 30 of integrated circuit 5 . unitary substrate 1 is now folded around fold line 35 . integrated circuit contact pad 30 on second substrate 40 aligns with substrate contact 31 on first substrate 41 , thereby making electrical contact between substrate contact 31 and integrated circuit contact 30 . fig7 illustrates a cross section of the resulting structure . second substrate 40 is now upside down on top of first substrate 41 . since substrate contact 31 is coupled to the outer terminal 11 of inductor coil 3 and since substrate contact 33 is coupled to the back surface of integrate circuit 5 , the inner and outer terminals of antenna coil 3 are coupled to respective contacts on integrated circuit 5 . in order to reduce the alignment tolerance required to align integrated circuit pad 30 with substrate pad 31 , integrated circuit pad 30 on integrated circuit 5 could be enlarged utilizing a layer of metal covering the surface of integrated circuit 5 , in whole or part , that is electrically insulated from all other conductors on the integrated circuit , and coupling that metal layer to integrated circuit pad 30 . though this surface may not be suitable for some conventional bonding techniques , such as ball bonding , due to possible damage that may result on the structures below and in the vicinity of the contact point , this surface is suitable for the type of bonding technique appropriate in this embodiment , such as conductive adhesive . in an alternative to this embodiment , integrated circuit 5 can be mounted upside down onto pad 31 of first substrate 41 instead of mounting the integrated circuit right side up on pad 33 on the second substrate 40 . when first substrate 41 and second substrate 40 are folded onto each other , pad 33 on second substrate 40 will align with the back surface of integrated circuit 5 . this method has the benefit of a lower required alignment tolerance when folding the substrate than if bond pad 30 of integrated circuit 5 needs to align with contact pad 31 . an alternative to this embodiment provides for a method of forming a high quality dielectric layer . after the back surface of integrated circuit 5 is adhered to substrate pad 33 , a dielectric layer is formed , thereby covering the conductive layer on unitary substrate 1 and integrated circuit 5 mounted on unitary substrate 1 . now openings in the dielectric are formed on substrate pad 33 and integrated circuit pad 30 . second substrate 40 is then folded onto first substrate 41 , thereby making electrical contact between substrate pad 31 and integrated circuit pad 30 . an alternative to this embodiment provides a method for enlarging the size of integrated circuit pad 30 using a second conductive layer on unitary substrate 1 . after the back surface of integrated circuit 5 is adhered to substrate pad 33 , a dielectric layer is formed , thereby covering the conductive layer on unitary substrate 1 and integrated circuit 5 mounted on unitary substrate 1 . now openings in the dielectric are formed on substrate pad 31 and integrated circuit pad 30 . a second conductive layer is now formed that is electrically insulated from all conductive traces on unitary substrate 1 by the , dielectric , but is coupled to integrated circuit pad 30 via the opening in the dielectric . second substrate 40 is then folded onto first substrate 41 , thereby making electrical contact between substrate pad 31 and integrated circuit pad 30 . another alternative to this embodiment provides for another method of forming a high quality dielectric layer . before integrated circuit 5 is placed on unitary substrate 1 , a dielectric layer is formed on the conductive layer . openings in the dielectric are formed on substrate contact 33 and substrate contact 31 . integrated circuit 5 is now adhered to substrate contact 33 through the opening in the dielectric , thereby making electrical contact between substrate contact 33 and the back surface of integrated circuit 5 . second substrate 40 is then folded onto first substrate 41 , thereby making electrical contact between substrate pad 31 and integrated circuit pad 30 . another alternative to this embodiment is to produce second substrate 40 and first substrate 41 independently by the methods above described , and then to adhere the surface of second substrate 40 to the surface of first substrate 41 . fig8 illustrates of another variation of this embodiment wherein a capacitor circuit element is also produced utilizing the methods disclosed in the present invention . utilizing one of the methods described above , integrated circuit 5 is adhered on substrate contact 33 , thereby making electrical contact with the back surface of integrated circuit 5 . integrated circuit pad 30 is now visible in the top view presented in fig8 . substrate contact 31 is placed so that if unitary substrate 1 is folded around fold line 35 , the substrate contact 31 and integrated circuit pad 30 align . in addition , a conductive region 56 is formed on second substrate 40 , electrically coupled to the inner terminal of inductor coil 3 and to the back surface of integrated circuit 5 via conductive trace 57 . a corresponding conductive region 55 is formed on first substrate 41 placed so that if unitary substrate 1 were folded around fold line 35 , conductive regions 55 and 56 would align . conductive region 55 is electrically coupled to the substrate pad 31 via conductive trace 58 and 53 and to the outer terminal of inductor coil 3 via conductive trace 58 and 54 . no openings are formed in the dielectric on conductive regions 55 and 56 . fig9 is a cross sectional drawing of the resulting structure . fig1 is a cross sectional drawing when unitary substrate 1 is folding around fold line 35 . a capacitor is now formed between conductive region 56 and conductive region 55 , separated by the dielectric layer on top of the conductive region 56 and the dielectric layer on conductive region 55 . in a variation of this embodiment , a dielectric opening could be made over conductive region 56 or conductive region 55 , then forming a capacitor with one half of the dielectric thickness . an alternative embodiment provides a method for producing an rfid tag utilizing an integrated circuit that is designed to require an external connection of first and second terminal of an inductor coil antenna , first and second terminals coupling to two pads on the front surface of the integrated circuit . fig1 illustrates a top view drawing of this embodiment . coil inductor 3 is formed on second substrate 40 with substrate contact 60 connecting to the inner terminal and substrate contact 63 to the outer terminal . in addition , substrate contact 61 and 62 are placed inside coil inductor 3 . on first substrate 41 , integrated circuit 5 is adhered to the dielectric layer , and placed such that integrated circuit pads 70 and 71 would align with substrate contact 60 and substrate contact 61 , respectively , if unitary substrate 1 were folded about fold line 35 . further , substrate contacts 72 and 73 are placed on the first substrate 41 such that substrate contacts 62 and 63 would align with substrate contacts 72 and 73 , respectively , if unitary substrate 1 were folded about fold line 35 . now unitary substrate 1 is folded about fold line 35 , thereby coupling substrate contact 60 to integrated circuit pad 70 , substrate contact 61 to integrated circuit pad 71 , substrate contact 62 to substrate contact 72 , and substrate contact 63 to substrate contact 73 . consequently , integrated pad 70 is connected to inner terminal 60 of coil inductor 3 . outer terminal 63 of coil inductor 3 couples to integrated circuit pad 71 through a sequence of connections , specifically outer terminal 63 of coil inductor 3 couples with substrate contact 73 , which in turn is coupled to substrate contact 73 via conductor trace 75 , which in turn is coupled to substrate contact 62 , which in turn is coupled to substrate contact 61 via conductor trace 65 , which in turn is coupled to integrated circuit pad 71 . fig1 illustrates a variation of this embodiment wherein capacitor circuit elements are also produced utilizing the methods disclosed in the present invention . coil inductor 3 is formed on second substrate 40 , substrate contact pad 80 and substrate contact 81 placed on the inner terminal and substrate contact 84 placed on the outer terminal . substrate contact 82 and 83 are placed inside the inner loop of coil inductor 3 , coupled by conductor trace 88 . substrate contact 84 is coupled to conductive region 85 via conductor trace 86 . substrate contact 90 , 93 , and 94 are placed on substrate left 41 such that if unitary substrate 1 were folded about fold line 35 , these contacts would align with substrate contacts 80 , 83 , and 84 , respectively . integrated circuit 5 is adhered to the dielectric layer in first substrate 41 such that integrated circuit pads 91 and 92 would align with substrate contacts 81 and 82 if unitary substrate 1 were folded about fold line 35 . substrate contact 94 is coupled to substrate contact 93 via conductor trace 96 . substrate contact 90 is coupled to a conductive region 95 via conductor trace 97 . conductive region 95 is placed on first substrate 41 such that it would align with conductive region 85 if unitary substrate 1 were folded about fold line 35 . dielectric openings are made on substrate contacts 80 , 81 , 82 , 83 , 84 , 90 , 93 , 94 , and integrated circuit pads 91 and 92 . no dielectric openings are made in conductive regions 85 and 95 . now unitary substrate 1 is folded about fold line 35 , thereby coupling substrate contact 80 to substrate contact 90 , substrate contract 81 to integrated circuit pad 91 , substrate pad 82 to integrated circuit pad 92 , substrate contact 83 to substrate contact 93 , and substrate contact 84 to substrate contact 94 . conductive regions 85 and 95 align , but are separated by the dielectric covering the conductive regions , thereby forming a capacitor with electrodes 85 and 86 , separated by the dielectric covering those conductive regions . integrated circuit pad 91 is , now coupled to the inner terminal of coil inductor 3 by coupling to substrate pad 81 . integrated circuit pad 91 is also coupled to the bottom electrode 95 of the capacitor by a series of connections , specifically integrated circuit pad 91 couples to substrate contact 81 , which in turn is coupled to substrate contact 80 via conductor trace 87 , which in turn in coupled to substrate contact 90 , which in turn is connected to conductive region 95 via conductor trace 97 . integrated circuit pad 92 is now coupled to the outer terminal 84 of coil inductor 3 by a series of connections , specifically integrated circuit pad 92 couples to substrate contact 82 , which in turn couples to substrate contact pad 83 via conductive trace 88 , which in turn couples to substrate contact 93 , which turn couples to contact pad 94 via conductive trace 96 , which in turn couples to the outside terminal of inductor coil 3 , substrate contact 84 . integrated circuit pad 92 is also coupled to the top electrode 85 of the capacitor through a series of connections , specifically integrated circuit pad 92 is coupled to substrate contact 82 , which in turn is coupled to substrate contact 83 via conductor trace 88 , which in turn is coupled to the top electrode 85 of the capacitor . therefore , integrated circuit pad 91 is now coupled to the inner terminal of coil inductor 3 and bottom electrode 95 of the capacitor . integrated circuit pad 92 is now coupled to the outer terminal of coil inductor 3 and the top electrode of the capacitor 85 . a variation of this embodiment provides a method of producing a capacitor circuit element having twice the capacitance by forming an opening on either conductive region 85 or 95 . when unitary substrate 1 is folded about fold line 35 , the dielectric thickness separating electrode 85 and 95 is one half the thickness when compared to having no openings in the dielectric on conductive regions 85 and 95 , thereby providing twice the capacitance . fig1 is a schematic diagram illustrating another embodiment wherein an external antenna inductor 116 , a tuning capacitor 111 , and a coupling capacitor 112 are produced on the substrate and are connected to an rfid integrated circuit without making openings in the dielectric layer . circuitry 119 resides on the integrated circuit . fig1 is a cross sectional diagram illustrating the mounting of the integrated circuit in this embodiment . the integrated circuit has a first terminal 110 on the back surface and a second terminal 102 on the front surface . second terminal 102 comprises a metal layer on the front surface of the integrated circuit overlying inter - dielectric 113 on the integrated circuit , making contact with underlying conductive layer 114 via opening 115 in inter - dielectric 113 . the integrated circuit is mounted with conductive adhesive onto substrate contact 101 , first terminal 110 of the integrated circuit thereby coupled to substrate contact 101 . a dielectric layer 118 is then formed over the integrated circuit and the conductive pattern formed on the substrate . no openings are made in dielectric layer 118 . fig1 is a top view illustrating the conductive pattern formed on the substrate to form the circuit elements of fig1 , like structures having like numbers . in the planar view , second terminal 102 of the integrated circuit is visible . underneath the integrated circuit is substrate pad 101 to which first terminal 110 of the integrated circuit is coupled . when first substrate 41 is folded onto second substrate 40 , second terminal 162 of the integrated circuit forms one plate of coupling capacitor 112 . substrate pad 103 forms the other plate of capacitor 112 . substrate pad 103 is coupled to substrate pad 104 , forming one plate of capacitor 111 , the other plate being formed by substrate pad 107 , which is coupled to substrate pad 101 which is in turn coupled to first terminal 110 of the integrated circuit . substrate pad 103 is also coupled to the outside terminal 106 of the antenna inductor 116 . the inside terminal 105 of antenna inductor 116 is coupled to substrate pad 101 which is in turn coupled to the first terminal 110 of the integrated circuit . the circuit illustrated in fig1 is thereby formed . one advantage of this embodiment is that no openings are made in the dielectric overlying the integrated circuit and the conductive layer on the substrate , thereby providing significant cost savings . another advantage of this embodiment is first substrate 41 and second substrate 40 can be folded on top of each other with non - critical alignment tolerance requirements . substrate pad 103 can be made larger than conductive layer 102 on the integrated circuit to further reduce alignment tolerance requirements . similarly , substrate pad 104 can be made larger than unitary substrate 107 to further reduce alignment tolerance requirements . such looser alignment tolerance requirements increase yield and reduce production costs . fig1 is a schematic diagram illustrating another embodiment wherein an external antenna inductor 134 , a tuning capacitor 135 , a top coupling capacitor 136 and a bottom coupling capacitor 137 are produced on the substrate and are connected to an rfid integrated circuit without making openings in the dielectric layer . circuitry 138 resides on the integrated circuit . fig1 is a cross sectional diagram illustrating the mounting of the integrated circuit in this embodiment . a conductive layer is deposited on the surface of unitary substrate 131 , and is then patterned and etched . a dielectric layer 132 is formed on top of conductive layer 121 . the integrated circuit is mounted on top of dielectric layer 132 . the integrated circuit has a first terminal 133 on the back surface and a second terminal 122 on the front surface . second terminal 122 comprises a metal layer on the front surface of the integrated circuit overlying an inter - dielectric layer on the integrated circuit , making contact to conductive layers below utilizing appropriate openings in the inter - dielectric layer on the integrated circuit . in one embodiment , a dielectric layer 139 is formed on the front surface of the integrated circuit . in another embodiment , dielectric layer 139 is not formed . no openings are made in dielectric layer 132 . fig1 is a top view illustrating the conductive pattern formed on the substrate to form the circuit elements of fig1 , like structures having like numbers . in the planar view , second terminal 122 of the integrated circuit is visible . underneath the integrated circuit , first terminal 133 forms one plate of capacitor 137 , substrate pad 121 forming the other plate . substrate pad 121 is coupled to the inside terminal 125 of the antenna coil . unitary substrate 121 is also coupled to substrate pad 127 , forming one plate of tuning capacitor 135 . when first substrate 40 is folded onto second substrate 41 , substrate pad 123 forms the other plate of capacitor 135 . substrate pad 124 is coupled to the outside terminal 126 of the antenna coil . substrate pad 124 is also coupled to substrate pad 123 , forming one plate of top coupling capacitor 123 , the other plate being formed by the second terminal 122 of the integrated circuit . the circuit illustrated in fig1 is thereby formed . in another embodiment , substrate contact pads 124 and 123 of fig1 can be merged into a single large conductive structure on first substrate 41 . the appropriate capacitors are then formed where the large conductive structure overlaps contact pad 122 of the integrated circuit and substrate contact pad 127 . fig1 is a schematic diagram illustrating another embodiment wherein an external antenna inductor 147 and a coupling capacitor 148 are produced on the substrate and are connected to an rfid integrated circuit without making openings in the dielectric layer . circuitry 149 resides on the integrated circuit . fig2 is a cross sectional diagram illustrating the mounting of the integrated circuit in this embodiment . the integrated circuit has a first terminal 151 on the back surface and a second terminal on the front surface 142 . second terminal 142 comprises a metal layer on the front surface of the integrated circuit . the integrated circuit is mounted with conductive adhesive onto substrate contact 151 , first terminal thereby coupled to substrate contact 151 . in one embodiment , a , dielectric layer 152 is then formed over the integrated circuit and the conductive pattern formed on the substrate . in another embodiment , a dielectric layer is formed on the surface of the integrated circuit , and dielectric layer 152 is not formed . in this case , the integrated circuit couples to the conductive pattern on the substrate utilizing capacitive coupling without making direct electrical contact . fig2 is a top view illustrating the conductive pattern formed on the substrate to form the circuit elements of fig1 , like structures having like numbers . in the planar view , second terminal 142 of the integrated circuit is visible . underneath the integrated circuit is substrate pad 141 to which the first terminal of the integrated circuit is coupled . when first substrate 40 is folded onto second substrate 41 , second terminal 142 of the integrated circuit forms one plate of coupling capacitor 148 and substrate pad 143 forms the other plate . substrate pad 143 is coupled to the outside terminal 146 of the inductor antenna 147 . the inner terminal 145 of the inductor antenna 147 is coupled substrate pad 141 , which is in turn coupled to first terminal 151 of the integrated circuit . the circuit illustrated in fig1 is thereby formed . fig2 is a schematic diagram illustrating another embodiment wherein an external antenna inductor 156 , a top coupling capacitor 155 and a bottom coupling capacitor 157 are produced on the substrate and are connected to an rfid integrated circuit without making openings in the dielectric . circuitry 158 resides on the integrated circuit . fig2 is a cross sectional diagram illustrating the mounting of the integrated circuit in this embodiment . a conductive layer is deposited on top of unitary substrate 161 , and is then patterned and etched . a dielectric layer 172 is formed on top of conductive layer 161 . the integrated circuit is mounted on top of dielectric layer 172 . the integrated circuit has a first terminal 163 on the back surface and a second terminal 162 on the front surface . second terminal 162 comprises a metal layer on the front surface of the integrated circuit overlying an inter - dielectric layer on the integrated circuit , making contact to conductive layers below via appropriate openings in the inter - dielectric layer on the integrated circuit . in one embodiment , a dielectric layer 173 is formed on the front surface of the integrated circuit . in another embodiment , a dielectric layer is formed oh the integrated circuit and dielectric layer 173 is not formed . no openings are made in dielectric layer 172 . fig2 is a top view illustrating the conductive pattern formed on the substrate to form the circuit elements of fig2 , like structures having like numbers . in the planar view , second terminal 162 of the integrated circuit is visible . underneath the integrated circuit , first terminal 163 forms one plate of capacitor 157 , substrate pad 161 forming the other plate . substrate pad 161 is coupled to the inside terminal 165 of the antenna inductor 156 . when first substrate 40 is folded onto second substrate 41 , substrate pad 169 and second terminal 162 of the integrated circuit form the plates of capacitor 155 . substrate pad 169 is coupled to the outside terminal 166 of antenna inductor 156 . the circuit illustrated in fig2 is thereby formed . in another embodiment , the circuit of fig2 is produced utilizing an integrated circuit that has first terminal 162 and second terminal 163 on the front surface . fig2 illustrates the mounting of the integrated circuit with first terminal 162 and second terminal 163 on the front surface of the integrated circuit . a first conductive layer 182 is formed on the unitary substrate 180 , and is then patterned and etched . the integrated circuit is then mounted on unitary substrate 180 in a region where the conductive material in the first conductive layer 182 has been etched away . first dielectric layer 183 is formed over the integrated circuit and on top of first conductive layer 182 . second conductive layer 184 is formed over first dielectric layer 184 , and is then patterned and etched . connections between conductive traces of first conductive layer 182 is coupled to conductive traces of second conductive layer 184 via openings formed in first dielectric layer 184 . second dielectric layer 185 is formed on top of second conductive layer 184 . no openings are formed in second dielectric layer 185 . fig2 is a top view illustrating the conductive pattern in first conductive layer 182 and second conductive layer 184 to form the circuit of fig2 . when first substrate 40 is folded onto second substrate 41 , substrate contact pad 169 and integrated circuit terminal 169 forms capacitor 155 . substrate contact pad 169 is coupled to the inside terminal 165 of antenna coil 156 via conductive trace 190 of the first conductive layer , opening 193 in the first dielectric layer , conductive trace 191 of the second conductive layer , opening 194 in the first dielectric layer , and conductive trace 195 . the outer end terminal 166 of antenna inductor 156 is coupled to substrate pad 161 . substrate contact 161 and integrated circuit terminal 163 form the plates of capacitor 157 . the circuit illustrated in fig2 is thereby formed . in summary , the present invention provides a method for producing an electrical circuit , such as an rfid tag , on a substrate utilizing simple and economical methods to form antenna structures , capacitor structures and conductive traces to interconnect the circuit elements formed on the substrate and to connect the contact pads of one or more integrated circuits that are mounted on the substrate . these circuit elements are used to form antennas , tuning capacitors , and coupling capacitors of resonant circuits external to the integrated circuit . a conductivity layer is formed and patterned on a substrate , substrate comprising paper , sheets of plastic , polypropylene , polyolefin , or like materials . a dielectric layer is formed on top of the conductive layer . in one embodiment , openings through the dielectric layer to the conductive layer are formed in regions where contact to the conductive layer is desired . in another embodiment , no openings are made in the dielectric layer . the integrated circuit is then adhered to the substrate , either on the dielectric layer or in an opening making contact with the conductivity layer , depending on the electrical connections desired . a portion of the substrate is then folded onto itself so that contact points on one side of the fold will align with contact points on the other side of the fold or to contact pads on the integrated circuit , thereby electrically coupling the aligned contact points . in addition , capacitor circuit elements are formed when two conductive regions on the substrate covered with the dielectric layer align when a portion of the substrate is folded onto itself . alternatively , the folded portion of the substrate and the unfolded portion of the substrate could be cut apart rather than folded , or the two portions could be produced separately . the foregoing description is only illustrative of the invention . various alternatives and modifications can be devised by those skilled in the art without departing from the invention . in particular , wherever a device is connect or coupled to another device , additional devices may be present between the two connected devices . further , though the above described embodiments make reference to an integrated circuit having one pad or two pads on the surface of a single integrated circuit , the invention can apply to any number of pads on any number of integrated circuits . further , though the above - described embodiments make reference to a coil antenna , the present invention also applies to other type of antenna constructed with conductive layers including dipole antennas and fractal antennas . further , though the above - described embodiments make reference to “ folding ” the two portions of the substrate , the portions of substrate could also be cut apart or produced independently . further , the rfid tags described in the embodiments herein could be laminated in order to protect the components on the substrate while still encompassing the scope of this invention . further , though the electrodes of the capacitors formed in the above - described embodiments refer to the electrodes completely aligning , a smaller capacitance could be provided if the electrodes overlapped only partially . further , though reference is made in the embodiments to a coil inductor antenna , other antenna types formed with other patterns in the conductive layer are within the scope of this invention . further , though the embodiments described utilize primarily a single layer metal process on the substrate , the principles of this invention apply to two level metal processes and multi - level metal process on the substrates . accordingly , the present invention embraces all such alternatives , modifications , and variances that fall within the scope of the appended claims .
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the preferred embodiments of the present invention will be explained in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings . an example of structure of the fifo type data input / output apparatus of the present invention is illustrated in fig1 . the fifo type data input / output apparatus of the present invention includes , as the principal structural elements a memory circuit 1101 formed of flip - flop circuit ( d - ff ) as the memory circuit to hold the data contents and a control circuit 1102 for outputting a data storing position control signal to the memory circuit 1101 . the memory circuit 1101 includes a plurality of entries 1111 , 1112 , . . . for holding data . each entry 1111 , 1112 , . . . forming the memory circuit 1101 of fig1 respectively has a structure that enables data input and output for the left adjacent entry and that for the right adjacent entry . the control circuit 1102 in the fifo type data input / output apparatus of the present invention executes the data output control by outputting the load signal to the vacant entry nearest to the output terminal of a plurality of entries forming the memory circuit 1101 , storing the data via the input line and outputting the data shift signal based on the clock signal to the entry of the output terminal forming the memory circuit 1101 , namely to the entry 1111 in fig1 and also executes the control by outputting the data shift signal ( shift write signal ) to the entry that enables data shift to sequentially store the data from the entry nearer to the output terminal in a plurality of entries forming the memory circuit 1101 . with this control , data shift is sequentially executed among the entries to realize the fifo type data input and output . as will be understood from fig1 , the data selecting means ( selector circuit ) used in the fifo type data input / output apparatus of the related art is not provided in the fifo type data input / output apparatus of the present invention . therefore , the physical size of circuit can be reduced and since the data selection and transfer process in the data selecting means ( selector circuit ) are no longer required , high speed data read operation is enabled . [ 0054 ] fig1 illustrates a detail structure of an entry , for example , the entry 1111 or entry 1112 of the memory circuit 1101 forming the fifo type data input / output apparatus of the present invention . as illustrated in fig1 , an entry of the memory circuit 1101 is provided with a plurality of 4 - input / 1 - output ( 4 - to - 1 ) multiplexers 1201 and flip - flop circuits ( d - ff ) 1202 to form a structure to input , as the control signals , to each 4 - input / 1 - output ( 4 - to - 1 ) multiplexer , ( 1 ) the load signal as the instruction signal to latch the data input to the entry , ( 2 ) the shift right signal to instruct to latch the output of left entry ( left data input ) to the entry as the input data and ( 3 ) the shift left signal to instruct to latch the output of the right entry ( right data input ) to the entry as the input data . these control signals are inputted to each 4 - input / 1 - output ( 4 - to - 1 ) multiplexer from the control circuit 1102 illustrated in fig1 . in the fifio type data input / output apparatus of this embodiment , the extremely right end entry 1111 of the memory circuit 1102 is formed as the output end terminal . in this case , the shift left signal ( 3 ) to instruct to latch the output of the right side entry ( right data input ) to the entry as the input data is not always essential and the control signal outputted from the control circuit 1102 may be formed only of the shift right signal to instruct to latch , to the entry , the input data of ( 1 ) the load signal as the instruction signal to latch the data input to the entry and ( 2 ) the output of the left entry ( left data input ) each entry 1111 , 1112 , . . . forming the memory circuit 1101 of fig1 illustrates an example of structure that enables data outputs to the adjacent left entry and the right adjacent entry , but in the case of above structure , it is also possible to delete the structure for data output to the left adjacent entry and data input from the adjacent right entry . namely , each entry may be structured to enable only the data input from the data input line , data output to the right adjacent entry and data input from the left adjacent entry . the time series sequence in the data input / output process of the fifo type data input / output apparatus of the present invention will be explained with reference to fig1 to fig1 . [ 0058 ] fig1 to fig1 illustrate the data input / output condition , data storing condition in the memory circuit 1101 in the fifo type data input / output apparatus of the present invention of the clock timings 0 to 6 and the control signal outputted from the control circuit 1102 . first , fig1 illustrates the condition of the memory circuit 1101 at the time 0 , namely the initial condition thereof . in this condition , the data is not yet stored and there is no output of control signal from the control circuit 1102 . [ 0060 ] fig1 illustrates the condition at the time 1 . in this condition , the load signal is inputted to the right end entry 1111 of the memory circuit 1101 from the control circuit 1102 and the data a is stored as the input data in the entry 1111 . [ 0061 ] fig1 illustrates the condition at the time 2 . in this condition , the load signal is inputted to the entry 1112 of the memory circuit 1101 from the control circuit 1102 and the data b is stored as the input data in the entry 1112 . [ 0062 ] fig1 illustrates the condition at the time 3 . in this condition , the shift right signal is inputted to the entry 1111 of the memory circuit 1101 from the control circuit 1102 , the data a stored in the entry 1111 is read and the data b stored in the left side entry 1112 is shifted to the entry 1111 and is then stored in the entry 1111 . [ 0063 ] fig1 illustrates the condition at the time 4 . in this condition , the load signal is inputted to the entry 1112 of the memory circuit 1101 from the control circuit 1102 and the data c is stored as the input data in the entry 1112 . [ 0064 ] fig1 illustrates the condition at the time 5 . in this condition , the shift right signal is inputted to the entry 1111 of the memory circuit 1101 from the control circuit 1102 and the data b stored in the entry 1111 is read and the data c stored in the left side entry 1112 is shifted to the entry 1111 and is then stored in the entry 1111 . next , fig1 illustrates the condition at the time 6 . in this condition , the shift right signal is inputted to the entry 1111 of the memory circuit 1101 from the control circuit 1102 and the data c stored in the entry 1111 is read and the data d stored in the left side entry 1112 is shifted to the entry 1111 and is then stored in the entry 1111 . the control circuit 1102 in the fifo type data input / output apparatus of the present invention executes the control to output the data shift signal to the entry that enables data shift in order to store the data via the input line by outputting the load signal to the vacant entry nearest to the output end among a plurality of entries forming the memory circuit 1101 and sequentially store the data from the entry near to the output end among a plurality of entries forming the memory circuit 1101 . with this control , the data shift is sequentially executed among the entries to execute the fifo type data input and output . as will be apparent from above explanation , the fifo type data input / output apparatus of the present invention does not require the data selector circuit to extract the data , unlike the fifo type data input / output apparatus of the related art . therefore , the multiplexer structure of multiple stages forming the data selecting means ( selector circuit ) of the fifo type data input / output apparatus of the related art is not eliminated to simplify the circuit structure . moreover , a delay time required to extract data output is determined with a delay in the circuit up to the q terminal output from the clock of the d type flip - flop ( d - ff ) circuit , not depending on the number of words of the memory circuit . thereby , delay of output can be reduced remarkably . in the fifo type data input / output apparatus of the present invention , when delay up to the q terminal output from the clock of the flip - flop ( d - ff ) circuit is defined as tpdff , the delay time tpdtotal becomes equal to tpdff . this delay becomes constant , not depending on the word of the memory circuit . the present invention has been explained in detail with reference to the particular embodiments . however , it is apparent that the present invention allows those who are skilled in this art to make various modifications and changes without departing from the scope of the present invention . namely , the present invention has been disclosed with reference to the preferred embodiments and shall not be interpreted with limitation thereto . the present invention will be well understood only from the claims of the present invention .
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reference will now be made in detail to the preferred embodiments of the present invention , examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings . fig5 and 6 illustrates a section and a plan showing a structure of a thermopile sensor in accordance with a first preferred embodiment of the present invention . referring to fig5 and 6 , the thermopile sensor in accordance with a first preferred embodiment of the present invention includes a silicon substrate 11 having a central portion etched to expose a thin diaphragm 15 of a first oxide film 12 , a nitride film 13 , and a second oxide film 14 , and a plurality of thermocouples of a first thermoelectric material 16 and a second thermoelectric material 17 connected in series . the first thermoelectric material 16 is a semiconductor , and the second thermoelectric material 17 is a conductor , both having a great thermoelectric power of opposite polarities . and , there is a metal conductor 18 with a low resistance formed on the first thermoelectric material 16 for reducing a resistance of the device . the metal conductor 18 is of a material the same with the second thermoelectric material 17 in a form of a stripe . the metal conductor 18 is formed on a surface of the first thermoelectric material 16 not in contact with the second thermoelectric material 17 . each of the thermocouples has a hot junction disposed on an hot region and a cold junction disposed on a cold region , which hot junction and cold junction are thermally isolated to each other . in general , the cold junction is disposed on the silicon substrate 11 for heat sink , and there is a black body 21 close to the hot junction for absorbing an infrared ray . though the present invention is similar to the related art , the present invention is different form the related art in that there is a metal conductor 18 formed on the first thermoelectric material 16 for reducing an internal resistance of the device . as shown in fig5 and 6 , a basic concept of the present invention is stacking a metal on a semiconductor , the first thermoelectric material which affects the internal resistance of the device , for reducing the internal resistance of the device based on the related art thermopile sensor . as shown in fig2 the related art thermopile sensor has a semiconductor resistance r 1 and a metal resistance r 2 connected in series , wherein the internal resistance is substantially the semiconductor resistance r 1 since the metal resistance r 2 is negligible compared to the semiconductor resistance r 1 . because the thermopile sensor can not but have a total length of the thermocouples which is substantially long in view of a structure of the thermopile sensor , an overall internal resistance of the thermopile sensor also can not but be great . fig7 illustrates a detailed view of “ a ” part in fig6 . referring to fig7 if the first thermoelectric material 16 , a semiconductor , has specific resistance ρ , a thickness t , a line width w , a length c , the internal resistance r t1 of the related art thermopile sensor can be expressed as follows . r t1 = ρ · c w · t = ρ · ( 2 a + b ) w · t and , the internal resistance r t2 of the related art thermopile sensor can be expressed as follows . r t2 = 2 ( ρ · a w · t ) as a & lt ; b , r t1 & gt ; r t2 , eventually . that is , of the resistance of the first thermoelectric material 16 , a portion (‘ b ’ region ) of the resistance the metal conductor 18 is stacked is negligible , the internal resistance is reduced as much . accordingly , the - internal resistance of the sensor can be adjusted with easy by adjusting a length of the metal conductor 18 , to adjust a line width ‘ a ’ of the thermocouple . fig9 illustrates a plan view showing a structure of a thermopile sensor in accordance with a second preferred embodiment of the present invention . referring to fig9 the thermopile sensor in accordance with a second preferred embodiment of the present invention includes a plurality of metal conductors 18 formed on a first thermoelectric material 16 for preventing transfer of a heat of an incident infrared ray from a hot junction to a cold junction through the metal conductor . though the metal conductor 18 is formed in a form of stripe in the first embodiment of the present invention , the metal conductor 18 is divided into many pieces in the second embodiment of the present invention , for reducing , not only the internal resistance , but also a sensitivity loss of the sensor caused by the metal conductor 18 . the metal conductor 18 is formed only on a region of a surface of the first thermoelectric material 16 except a portion in contact with the second thermoelectric material 17 . since the metal conductor 18 is not formed over a boundary portion of the substrate 11 and the hole the diaphragm 15 is exposed thereto , the heat transfer from the hot junction to the cold junction through the metal conductor 18 can be reduced . fig1 illustrates a flow chart showing the steps of a method for fabricating a thermopile sensor of the present invention . referring to fig1 , the method for fabricating a thermopile sensor of the present invention starts with the step of selecting a silicon substrate of ( 100 ) crystal orientation as a substrate 11 , for back - side etching in a later fabrication process . then , a first oxide film 12 is deposited on both sides of the substrate 11 to approx . 2000 å by thermal oxidation , and a nitride film 13 is deposited on the first oxide film 12 to 3000 å by lpcvd . the nitride film 13 is used as an etch mask in etching the substrate 11 , as well as an etch stop layer for stopping the etching . then , a second oxide film 14 is deposited on the nitride film 13 to approx . 7000 å by lpcvd . thus , a diaphragm composed of the oxide film / the nitride film / the oxide film ( ono ; oxide / nitride / oxide ) is formed so that residual stresses of the films are compensated by each other , to provide a mechanically stable diaphragm . that is , in general , as a general oxide film has a compressive stress , and an lpcvd nitride film has a tensile stress , the stresses are compensated by each other . after formation of the diaphragm 15 , a first thermoelectric material is deposited , and patterned on the second oxide film 14 over the substrate 11 . and , alike the first thermoelectric material 16 , a second thermoelectric material 17 is deposited and patterned , and a metal conductor 18 is formed on the first thermoelectric material 16 to a required length . the first thermoelectric material 16 is a semiconductor , and the second thermoelectric material 17 and the metal conductor 18 are conductors . then , a protection film 19 is formed on an entire surface , inclusive of the first and second thermoelectric materials 16 and 17 , and the metal conductor 18 for protection of the sensor device from an external environment , and a pad 20 is formed to be in contact with the thermocouple to connect an output from the sensor to an external circuit . then , a black - body 21 is formed for absorbing an infrared ray , and a back - side of the silicon substrate 11 is etched , to expose the diaphragm 15 . in this instance , potassium hydroxide ( koh ) water solution is used as the etch solution , to proceed the etching in a direction tilted by 54 . 74 ° from a bottom of the substrate 11 as the potassium hydroxide water solution almost does not etch in an ( 111 ) orientation of a silicon crystalline direction . and , because the silicon nitride film 13 is not almost etched in the potassium hydroxide water solution , the silicon nitride film 13 is used , not only as an etch mask , but also an etch stop layer for solving a problem of a non - uniform etch surface which is caused when the entire substrate 11 is not etched on the same time at an end of the etching . in the present invention , as the metal conductor 18 for reducing a resistance is formed on the same time with the formation of the second thermoelectric material 17 , the metal conductor 18 can be formed by using the present fabrication process only without any additional process , with easy . the infrared ray sensor of a low resistance and a high sensitivity , and a method for fabricating the same of the present invention has the following advantages . first , the formation of a metal conductor on the first thermoelectric material permits to reduce an internal resistance significantly , and maintain a high sensitivity . second , the simultaneous formation of the second thermoelectric material and the metal conductor eliminates necessity for a separate fabrication process . third , the reduction of the internal resistance permits to reduce jhonson noise in an application circuit . fourth , the easy adjustment of the internal resistance of the sensor by adjusting a length of the metal conductor can improve a production yield since a range of error can be made smaller . it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made in the infrared ray sensor , and the method for fabricating the same of the present invention without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention . thus , it is intended that the present invention cover the modifications and variations of this invention provided they come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents .
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in the following detailed description , numerous details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present disclosed subject matter . however , it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the disclosed subject matter may be practiced without these specific details . in other instances , well - known methods , procedures , components , and circuits have not been described in detail so as to not obscure the disclosed subject matter . fig1 is a cross sectional diagram of a microelectronic package illustrating an embodiment in accordance with the disclosed subject matter . in this embodiment , the cross section of the package includes a substrate 108 . a number of micro - channels 106 may be etched into the substrate 108 . however , it is contemplated that the micro - channels may be formed by techniques other than etching . it is contemplated that the micro - channels may have a variety of cross sectional shapes , such as , for example , rectangular . it is contemplated that , in this context , when orienting terms , such as , for example , “ top ,” “ above ,” or “ side ,” are used , the terms are simply for illustrative purposes and do not mean that the disclosed subject matter is fixed to a certain orientation . the disclosed subject matter is obviously not limited to the described orientation and may be , for example , turned upside down from the described embodiment . micro - channels 106 may run substantially within the substrate 108 . for example , the micro - channels may , if examined from the top ( fig1 ), appear to run from left to right across the substrate . it is contemplated that the micro - channels may be run in a variety of patterns and the disclosed subject matter is not limited to any one micro - channel pattern . it is further contemplated that the micro - channel patterns may be selected based upon a variety of reasons , such as , for example , the heat generation characteristics of the microelectronic package , the heat generation characteristics / geometry of the active and passive electrical devices , or , in another embodiment , ease of manufacture . it is also contemplated that the micro - channels may run both within and without the substrate , through a number of layers . it is yet further contemplated that the micro - channels 106 may intersect or include control elements . a stop layer 110 may be placed or coupled on top 108 t of the substrate 108 . this hard layer may be in contact with and even bound micro - channels 106 . it is contemplated that micro - channels may run through the stop layer . stop layer 110 may have a substantially high thermal conductivity , so as to allow the transmittal of heat from layers above the stop layer 110 to the micro - channels 106 . these layers may be coupled with the top 110 t of the stop layer . stop layer 110 may have a thermal conductivity in excess of 2 w / cm - k . in one embodiment , the stop layer may be comprised of diamond that may have a thermal conductivity of 6 . 3 w / cm - k . it is contemplated that other materials may be used besides or in addition to diamond and that this is merely one illustrative example . it is further contemplated that the stop layer may be sufficiently hard , or , in another example , substantially chemically different to provide a mechanism to stop the micro - channels 106 from being etched beyond the substrate 108 . a microelectronic wafer 102 or additional substrate 102 may be coupled to the bottom 108 b of substrate 108 . it is contemplated that , in one embodiment , the microelectronic wafer 102 may be coupled with the substrate 108 utilizing a layer of thermally conductive adhesive 104 . however , this is merely one technique to bond the microelectronic wafer 102 with the substrate 108 may be used , such as , for example , direct or eutectic bonding . microelectronic wafer 102 may also cap the micro - channels 106 . the enclosed micro - channels 106 may be sufficiently sealed to allow the passage of a fluid through the micro - channels . the micro - channels 106 may facilitate the transference of heat from a layer above the stop layer 110 to the fluid passing through the micro - channels . it is contemplated that the package may allow for the entrance and exit of the fluid . for example , the fluid may exit or enter the package utilizing holes ( not shown ) in the substrate 108 or microelectronic wafer 102 . however , the disclosed subject matter is not limited by any particular plumbing architecture . it is further contemplated that the fluid may have sufficient thermal conductivity to act as a coolant , such as , for example , air , purified water , or oil . it is also contemplated that the fluid may go through a phase transition ( e . g ., liquid to gas ) such that the heat of vaporization may absorb a significant amount of energy . however , the disclosed subject matter is not limited to any particular fluid . it is further contemplated that the fluid may be utilized in cooling components outside of the microelectronic package or , conversely , the fluid may just be utilized to cool the microelectronic package . stop layer 110 may be coupled with a number of layers that are coupled to heat generating elements . stop layer 110 may be coupled with a fill layer 112 . it is contemplated that the fill layer may include polished single or poly - crystalline silicon . it is further contemplated that , in one embodiment , the fill layer may include a number of active electrical devices , such as for example , transistors or electro - osmotic pumps . however , it is contemplated that the fill layer may include non - electrical heat generating elements or passive electrical devices , such as thermal sensors . it is also contemplated that in some embodiments , the fill layer 112 may be the top layer of the microelectronic package . in one embodiments of the disclosed subject matter , the fill layer 112 may be coupled with a layer of silicon 118 . it is contemplated that the layer of silicon may include any of the active or passive elements described above . in one embodiment of the disclosed subject matter , the layer of polished silicon and the layer of single crystal may be bonded utilizing a first bonding layer 114 , and a second bonding layer 116 . in one embodiment , one or both bonding layers may include silicon dioxide . however , it is contemplated that other bonding techniques may be utilized . it is also contemplated that micro - channels 106 may run through or within some or all of the layers between the substrate and the layer containing the heat generating devices , for example , layers 108 , 110 , 112 , 114 , & amp ; 116 . it is contemplated that the path of the micro - channels may depend , in one embodiment , on the thermal transference and placement of any elements that control the flow of the fluid within the micro - channels . however , this is merely one embodiment and the path of the micro - channels may be selected based upon other factors . it is contemplated that the layers of the microelectronic package without active electrical devices , in one embodiment , the layers between , and including , the microelectronic wafer 102 and the second bonding layer 116 , may be considered inactive or electrically insulating material . conversely , the layer or layers with active electrical devices , in one embodiment the layer of silicon 118 , may be considered the active layer . it is further contemplated that , the micro - channels 106 may provide mechanical stress relief to the microelectronic package . fig2 through 12 are a series of cross sectional diagrams of a microelectronic package illustrating one embodiment of a technique to fabricate an embodiment in accordance with the disclosed subject matter . it is contemplated that these figures illustrate a number of actions that may be removed or altered from additional embodiments of the disclosed technique . fig2 illustrates that a substrate 108 may be selected . it is contemplated that the substrate may include , for example , single or poly - crystal silicon . it is further contemplated that the substrate has substantially flat top and bottom surfaces . fig3 illustrates that a stop layer 110 , may be deposited upon the top of the substrate . it is contemplated that the stop layer may be deposited utilizing a number of known sputter or chemical vapour deposition techniques . fig4 illustrates that a fill layer 112 may be deposited on top of the stop layer 110 . it is contemplated that the fill layer may include single or poly - crystal silicon . it is contemplated that the fill layer may be deposited utilizing a number of known techniques . fig5 illustrates that the fill layer may be polished . it is contemplated that the stop layer 110 may be too hard to polish . fig6 illustrates that a first bonding layer 114 may be grown on top of the fill layer 112 . fig7 illustrates that a cleave plane 122 may be formed within a second substrate , separating the substrate into a sacrificial layer 124 and a silicon substrate 118 . it is contemplated that the second substrate may include single or poly - crystal silicon . fig8 illustrates that a second bonding layer 116 may be grown on top of the silicon substrate 118 . fig9 illustrates that the second substrate may be bonded with the fill layer 114 utilizing the two bonding layers 114 & amp ; 116 . it is contemplated the other bonding techniques , such as , for example , copper bonding , may be utilized . fig1 illustrates that the sacrificial layer 124 and the cleave plane 122 may be removed , or cleaved off . it is contemplated that , a described above in regard to fig1 , active or passive devices , including electrical devices , may be fabricated utilizing silicon substrate 118 . fig1 illustrates that a layer of resist 120 may be used to pattern the micro - channels on the first or bottom substrate 108 . fig1 illustrates that the micro - channels 106 may be etched into the substrate 108 . it is contemplated that other techniques besides etching may be used to fabricate the micro - channels . it is further contemplated that the etching process may stop when the substrate has been etched through to the stop layer 110 . fig1 illustrates the final action , in one embodiment of the technique . it is contemplated that other embodiments may include additional actions . a microelectronic wafer 102 may be bonded to the substrate 108 to cap the micro - trenches 106 . the microelectronic wafer 102 may be bonded utilizing a layer of thermally conductive adhesive 104 . it is contemplated that a number of other techniques may be used to bond the substrate 108 and the microelectronic wafer 102 . the micro - channels 106 may be sufficiently capped so as to facilitate the passage of fluid . it is contemplated that in one embodiment , the actions illustrated by fig6 through 10 may be skipped and any active electrical devices may be fabricated utilizing the fill layer 112 . it is also contemplated that in one embodiment , the illustrated actions may be performed in a substantially different order . it is further contemplated that in other embodiments , additional devices and layers may be fabricated and that the micro - channels 106 may run or etched through additional layers besides the substrate 108 . while certain features of the disclosed subject matter have been illustrated and described herein , many modifications , substitutions , changes , and equivalents will now occur to those skilled in the art . it is , therefore , to be understood that the appended claims are intended to cover all such modifications and changes that fall within the true spirit of the disclosed subject matter .
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bittern , a by - product of salt industry , having a density of 29 - 30 ° be ′ is treated with calcium chloride as described in the pending pct patent application no . pct / in01 / 00185 dated oct . 22 , 2001 . desulphated bittern is taken into a solar pan where it undergoes evaporation with the deposition of common salt and density of bittern is raised . the density to which bittern is required to be raised depends upon quantity of excess salt required to be removed by solar evaporation which further depends upon the desired composition of potassium chloride and sodium chloride in the final product . this composition may range from 20 % kcl to 70 % kcl which is equivalent to density of bittern in this crystallizer to be in the range from 30 . 5 ° be ′ to 33 ° be ′. after removal of excess salt bittern is taken to carnallite crystallizer pans where mixture of carnallite ( kcl . mgcl 2 . 6h 2 o ) and sodium chloride crystallizes out in the density range 33 to 36 ° be ′. the mixture of carnallite double salt and sodium chloride is treated with 0 . 3 - 0 . 5 kg water / kg of solid mixture in a stirred vessel as per known procedure to decompose the double salt and produce a solid mixture of sodium chloride and potassium chloride . the solid - liquid mixture is centrifuged and the supernatant liquid , comprising mainly mgcl 2 and some ( 30 - 55 g / l ) dissolved potassium chloride and sodium chloride is recycled to the carnallite pan to recover residual quantity of potassium chloride and sodium chloride . the solid residue obtained after centrifugation is dried in a tray drier at a temperature between 90 - 130 ° c ., treated with 0 . 01 - 0 . 05 % light magnesium carbonate ( 100 - 150 g / l density ) and dried to make the same free flowing . if required , the low sodium salt may be iodized with aqueous kio 3 solution ( 10 - 50 ppm i ) to make it saleable as free flowing iodized low sodium salt . in the field of chemical technology the recovery of low sodium salt from bittern , a by - product of salt industry , has assumed importance on account of its nutritive value . the process involves chemical treatment of bittern with cacl 2 - containing distiller by - product waste of soda ash industry or pure calcium chloride , to separate sulphate ; concentrating bittern in solar pans to produce mixture of salt and carnallite and finally processing the mixture to produce low sodium salt . this salt is optionally made free flowing and iodized with suitable additives . the present invention discloses the preparation of low sodium salt containing different proportions of nacl and kcl directly from brine / bittern in solar pans and it obviates the need of any external addition of food grade kcl and other nutrients in salt . the inventive steps adopted in the present invention are : ( i ) realization that desulphated bittern of density 29 - 30 ° be ′ that yields a mixture of sodium chloride and carnallite upon further evaporation can be a source for recovery of low sodium salt directly , ( ii ) control of bittern density of desulphated bittern and charging of carnallite pan in a manner so as to adjust nacl content in crude carnallite mixture , ( iii ) decomposition of the double salt in the solid mixture in a manner so as to achieve the nacl / kcl mixture of desired ratio with highest possible yield , ( iv ) simple method of industrial centrifugation to yield low sodium salt composition with desired purity without any need for washing of the solid , and ( v ) recycling of the supernatant into carnallite pan so as to maximize yield of low sodium salt from given quantity of bittern . the following examples are given by way of illustration and therefore should not be construed to limit the scope of the present invention . in this example 35 l of bittern of subsoil source , with density 29 ° be ′ and having the following chemical analysis : mg 2 + = 48 . 0 g / l ; ca 2 + = 0 . 5 g / l ; na + = 37 g / l ( 95 g / l as nacl ); k + = 11 . 2 g / l ( 21 . 5 g / l as kcl ); cl − = 191 . 1 g / l ; so 4 2 − = 26 . 7 g / l ( 0 . 278 m ) was used for the production of low sodium salt . this bittern containing 9 . 73 moles of so 4 2 − was desulphated by using 9 . 75 moles of ca 2 + [( 2 . 46 l of calcium chloride solution ( obtained by dissolution of limestone and hydrochloric acid ) containing 440 g / l cacl 2 ]. after removal of gypsum , desulphated bittern is evaporated to a density of 35 . 5 ° be ′. 7 kg of crude carnallite containing a mixture of sodium chloride and carnallite was separated out . crude carnallite had the following chemical composition : mg 2 + = 5 . 46 %; ca 2 + = 0 . 35 %; na + = 16 . 69 % ( 42 . 09 % as nacl ); k + = 5 . 26 % ( 10 . 05 % as kcl ); cl − = 47 . 49 %; so 4 2 − 0 . 38 %; h 2 o = 24 . 4 %. the total material was treated with 2 . 8 l of water in a stirred vessel and stirring continued for 30 min . the supernatant solution was decanted and the solid residue , weighing 2 . 61 kg , had the following chemical analysis after filtration : mg 2 + = 0 . 52 %; ca 2 + = 0 . 55 %; so 4 2 − = 0 . 4 %; nacl = 76 . 1 %; kcl = 21 . 5 %. the volume of the supernatant was 4 . 02 l and contained mainly mgcl 2 besides small quantities of nacl and kcl . this liquid is evaporated to 35 . 5 ° be ′ and the carnallite obtained was processed in similar manner as above to obtain an additional 0 . 4 kg of low sodium salt . overall recovery on kcl basis worked out to be nearly 87 %. in this example the experiment was conducted in the field using bittern of sub - soil origin and utilizing solar energy for evaporation in shallow pans lined with thin gauge plastic to avoid percolation loss . 1500 l of the bittern of example 1 having total sulphate content of 417 moles was processed for this purpose . the bittern was desulphated using sulphate equivalent of calcium chloride solution of concentration as in example 1 . after removal of gypsum , the desulphated bittern was added into solar pans and left for evaporation up to 32 . 5 ° be .′ the bittern is allowed to evaporate further in a second pan where a mixture of carnallite and sodium chloride weighing 205 kg is deposited at a liquid density of 35 . 5 ° be ′. this mixture had the following chemical analysis of the main components : mg 2 + = 7 . 81 %; na + = 6 . 34 %; k + = 7 . 37 %; cl − = 39 . 38 %. the above solid after separation from end bittern is treated with 82 l of water in a stirred vessel for one hour and centrifuged when practically the entire magnesium goes into the supernatant liquid ( 180 l ) along with some fraction of sodium and potassium chlorides , and 55 kg of low sodium salt of following composition is obtained : mg 2 + = 0 . 57 %; ca 2 + = 0 . 35 %; so 4 2 − = 0 . 25 %; nacl = 53 . 58 %; kcl = 44 . 52 %. the supernatant liquid is evaporated in solar pans in similar manner as in example 1 and solid deposited is processed with water as before to recover 6 . 0 kg of additional low sodium salt giving a total yield of 61 kg . in this example high sulphate bittern of sea water origin was used for low sodium salt preparation . chemical analysis of this bittern is given below : mg 2 + = 50 . 45 g / l ; ca 2 + = 0 . 41 g / l ; na + = 37 . 39 g / l ( 95 g / l as nacl ); k + = 13 . 90 g / l ( 26 . 5 g / l as kcl ); cl − = 167 . 33 g / l ; so 4 2 − = 66 . 80 g / l . bittern was desulphated with calcium chloride obtained as liquid distiller by - product from soda ash industry . analysis of the liquid by - product is given below : water = 834 g / l ; na + = 26 . 03 g / l ; ca 2 + = 55 . 47 g / l ; cl − = 132 . 4 g / l ; oh − = 2 . 8 g / l ; caco 3 = 9 . 96 g / l ; caso 4 = 2 . 49 g / l ; mgo = 3 . 74 g / l . the above distiller by - product was settled to remove suspended impurities and a clear liquid supernatant was obtained containing 66 g / l and 128 . 7 g / l nacl and cacl 2 , respectively . 1500 l of 29 ° be ′ bittern ( containing a total of 1044 moles so 4 2 − ) was treated with 900 l of the settled distiller by - product ( containing a total of 1044 moles cacl 2 ) in a plastic - lined solar pan . mixed liquid was allowed to evaporate in the pan , to ensure complete deposition of calcium sulphate till density of 29 ° be ′ was achieved again . clear liquid from mixing pan was transferred to second pan which was also lined with plastic lining and was allowed to evaporate till liquid density of 35 . 5 ° be ′ as achieved . 300 kg of solid which was a mixture of sodium chloride and carnallite was separated from end bittern . the chemical analysis of solid mixture is given below : mg 2 + = 6 . 0 %; ca 2 + = 0 . 35 %; so 4 2 − = 0 . 4 %; na + = 16 . 31 % ( 41 . 45 % as nacl ); k + = 5 . 79 % ( 11 . 05 % as kcl ). the solid mixture was treated with 135 l of water in a stirred vessel for one hour and centrifuged . 240 l of supernatant liquid and 120 kg of low sodium salt with the composition : mg 2 + 0 . 3 %; ca 2 + = 0 . 4 %; nacl = 74 . 3 %; kcl = 22 . 2 % were obtained . in this example low sodium salt as produced above was treated with potassium iodate and light magnesium carbonate in order to provide free flowing properties to salt . accordingly 60 kg of low sodium salt was first dried at 110 ° c . and after pulverization was treated with 3 g of potassium iodate ( in the form of a 10 % solution ), followed by 12 g of light magnesium carbonate and was immediately packed tightly in bags . ( 1 ) the homogeneous mixture of sodium chloride and potassium chloride , which constitutes low sodium salt , can be produced directly from 29 - 30 ° be ′ bittern instead of producing such salt through artificial mixing of the two solids as presently undertaken . ( 2 ) the ratio of potassium chloride and sodium chloride can be adjusted in the range from 20 % kcl to 70 % kcl according to customer requirements by varying the baume density at which the carnallite crystallizer pan is charged . ( 3 ) the process involves no heating or cooling except final drying of product in an oven and the production of crude carnallite is carried out under ambient conditions with the help of solar energy while subsequent processing of the carnallite for recovery of low sodium salt is also carried out under ambient conditions . ( 4 ) other nutrients like calcium and magnesium which are beneficial in small amounts are drawn from bittern itself and need not be added from outside . ( 5 ) the supernatant liquor remaining after formation of low sodium salt can be recycled in the carnallite pan to boost yield of the process . ( 6 ) a variety of calcium ion - containing raw material can be used for the desulphatation of bittern required for carnallite production when the bittern contains high levels of sulphate . ( 7 ) compared to the high cost of production of low sodium salt by conventional route as shown in table 1 , the low sodium salt can be produced at considerably lower cost by the method of the present invention , especially when produced from sub - soil bittern as illustrated in table 2 and / or when distiller by - product of soda ash industry , after clarification , is used as calcium chloride source which would greatly reduce the calcium chloride raw material cost in table 2 and / or when low sodium salt is produced by salt manufacturers who would have bittern available at no cost since it is mostly being discharged as waste .
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the embodiment of the buckle according to the present invention will further be described with reference to the attached drawings . the buckle according to the present invention , showed in the unassembled state in the prospective view in fig1 , 2 and 3 , is an insert type buckle and it consists of the insert member ( male member ) a , casing ( female member ) b and cover c of casing . the insert ( male ) member a ( fig1 ) is intended to be inserted to the casing ( female member ) b ( fig2 ) with cover ( fig3 ). it is made from the polyoxymethylene ( pom ), but it can also be made from other thermoplastic material , in various colours , including combinations of colours . the insert member a ( male member ) of the buckle consists of body 2 having flexible arms 3 disposed on both its sides , which extend from the bottom end of the body 2 upwards . the body 2 of the insert member a equipped with arms 3 is intended to be attached to the casing b of the buckle after its inserting in guiding grooves of the casing — in guiding groove 6 of the front part and guiding groove 7 of the rear part . on the upper part of the body 2 of the insert member a there is a shaped hanging element 1 with opening 1 . 1 , which ( opening ) serves for passing the lanyard and hanging the buckle . on body 2 of the casing , approximately in the middle , there is preferably a shaped couple of protrusions 2 . 2 , which define movement of shaped arms 3 towards body 2 when inserting in the casing and pulling from it , as well as one longitudinal guiding protrusion 2 . 1 on the rear part of the body 2 , which provides for a continuous movement of the insert member and prevents from an incorrect inserting of body 2 with arms 3 in casing b of the buckle . in the longitudinal guiding protrusion 2 . 1 there can be a shaped longitudinal recess 2 . 1 . 1 for decreasing friction during inserting . the flexible arms 3 of insert member a are equipped with shaped “ locking ” protrusions 4 , which are situated opposite each other in one level on the rear part of flexible arms 3 . when inserting the arms 3 into the casing 2 the lateral surfaces 4 . 1 of the shaped protrusions 4 get into contact with lateral surfaces 9 . 1 of the shaped surfaces 9 of casing 2 and when the inserting continues , the flexible arms 3 are pressed further towards the body 2 . when the insert part a reaches the necessary depth , the pressed flexible arms 3 return to their original position , the shaped protrusions 4 snap in the relevant openings 8 in the rear part of the casing 2 , and by their upper surfaces 4 . 2 they get into contact with the bottom surfaces 9 . 2 of the shaped surfaces 9 , thus providing attachment of the insert member a to the casing b . a correct position of the insert member in the casing can also be identified according to the position of embossed protrusions 17 ( fig7 ) in the front part of arms 3 , which are in case of a correct insertion visible as “ eyes ” in the openings 18 ( fig8 ) in the front part of the casing b ( fig9 ). the parts are detached by pressing the flexible arms 3 towards body 2 and pulling the insert part a from casing b . the casing b is designed as a shaped hollow housing having a circular section . on the inner side of the front part there is a shaped guiding groove 6 for inserting the body 2 of the insert member , and on the inner side of the rear part there is a guiding groove 7 for inserting the longitudinal protrusion 2 . 1 of the body 2 of the insert member . further , in the rear part of the casing there are two openings 8 for inserting the shaped protrusions 4 of flexible arms 3 , and between openings 8 and guiding groove 7 there is a shaped surface 9 for guiding and fixing the shaped protrusions 4 of arms 3 . on the outer part of the rear part the casing b is equipped with shaped fixing protrusions 13 , which are situated next to the outer sides of the openings 8 and serve for attaching the casing b to the cover c ( fig2 ). the front part of the casing is preferably equipped with openings 18 ( fig8 ), which can not only control a correct position of arms 3 of insert member together with a shaped beak - like element 19 and protruding ends of arms 3 , but they also have an aestehetic function : after attaching the insert member to the casing they form a buckle in the shape of “ duck ”. moreover , the casing b ( female member ) is in the upper end of the outer surface of the rear part equipped with a system of elements for winding a cord , which comprises a hanging element 10 for attaching the cord 20 with the accessory ( e . g . a cell phone ), a peg 11 ended with extended part 11 . 1 and preferably a centring element 12 for central fixing of the hung cord 20 . this centring element 12 is situated in the bottom end , under the peg 11 . further , in the rear part of the casing there are two openings 8 for inserting the shaped protrusions 4 of flexible arms 3 , and shaped fixing protrusions 13 , which are situated next to the outer sides of the openings 8 and serve for attaching the casing b to the cover c . the casing b comprises cover c with openings 14 for inserting the shaped fixing protrusions 13 of the rear part of the casing . by pressing the cover c the shaped fixing protrusions 13 are inclined towards the central axis and they are directed to pass through the openings 14 . when the cover gets into its position and the protruding elements as well as the cord 20 are overlapped , the shaped protrusions 13 get into their original positions and fix the cover c . also , on its bottom part the casing has a groove 16 for guiding the cord 20 and preferably the lateral grooves 15 to facilitate opening of the cover in case of need for handling the cord . the cover is opened simply — the male member is pulled out of the casing , the flat element 5 of male member is inserted in one of the grooves 15 and the cover is detached from the casing by soft levering . 2 . 1 longitudinal guiding protrusion of rear body part 8 openings of rear part of casing ( for protrusions 4 )
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an end view 52 and a cross section view 54 of a first embodiment of the present invention is shown in fig1 and is a substantially tubular outer structure 56 having a first section 62 with an opening 64 into the outer structure 56 . the first section 62 opening 64 is typically symmetrical about a longitudinal axis extending the length of the outer structure 56 , and has a substantially uniform opening throughout the length of the opening 64 and is sized to lightly grip the shaft portion of a penis . the embodiment of the present invention shown provides some movement of the penis relative to the outer structure 56 and is shown in a rearward position 50 a as well as a maximally forward position 50 b and typically assumes a position between the forward and rearward positions . in one embodiment , the first section is approximately 1 ″ in length having an opening diameter of 0 . 75 ″, and a wall 76 thickness of about 0 . 187 ″. a second section 70 of the outer structure also has an opening 71 that aligns with the opening 64 , gradually expands from the opening 64 diameter to a larger diameter 74 , and is substantially symmetrical about the axis 60 . in one embodiment , the larger diameter 74 is about one - eight larger than opening 62 , which is approximately 0 . 85 ″ and the second section axially extends approximately 1 . 25 ″ from the first section 62 . the second section 70 has a wall 76 of thickness typically diminishing from the wall 76 thickness , and has an opening 71 typically has a rounded interior end distal from the first section 62 which is seen as a rapidly diminished diameter , at which point a third section 80 begins . the second section is typically dimensioned to retain and enclose the penis head . in the embodiment of fig1 , the third section 80 has a substantially reduced diameter opening 82 typically sized to receive a catheter therethrough , and providing a slight additional margin around the catheter to permit catheter insertion and / or retention without binding or pulling on the catheter 90 inserted into the opening 82 . in this embodiment , the opening 82 is substantially uniform in diameter along the axis 60 , and is typically centered about the axis 60 . an opening 82 in one embodiment is 0 . 185 ″ through a third section length of 0 . 75 ″ a second embodiment of the present invention shown in fig2 by an end view 86 and a cross section view 88 and is has a substantially tubular outer structure 84 having a first section 62 and second section 70 substantially the same as provided by the prior embodiment of fig1 . the second embodiment includes a third section 91 substantially the same as the third section 80 of the prior embodiment of fig1 , except that the longitudinal or axial opening 92 is non - uniform , and as shown in fig2 , tapers from a minimum opening end 93 to a maximum opening end 94 ( proximal the penis head ). in one embodiment , the minimum opening end 93 is slightly larger than the catheter 90 , e . g . approximately 3 / 16 ″ for a 14 french catheter , and the maximum opening 94 expands amounts up to at least 100 percent of the minimum opening . a third embodiment of the present invention shown in fig3 by an end view 102 and a cross section view 104 and is has a substantially tubular outer structure 106 having a first section 62 and second section 70 substantially the same as provided by the prior embodiment of fig1 . the third embodiment includes a third section 110 substantially the same as the third section 80 of the prior embodiment of fig1 , except that the longitudinal or axial opening 112 is enlarged and receives a sleeve 100 into the enlarged opening 112 . the sleeve 100 can be a single element having a cylindrical opening to receive the catheter 90 , or a multisectioned element as shown , with 2 ( or more ) mating pieces 114 , 116 , which in the embodiment shown in fig3 , includes members 118 which extend radially outward from the mating pieces 114 , 116 and each engage a corresponding recess 120 extending radially from the opening 112 in the third section 110 . a fourth embodiment of the present invention shown in fig4 by an end view 132 and a cross section view 134 and is has a substantially tubular outer structure 84 having a first section 62 and second section 70 substantially the same as provided by the prior embodiment of fig1 . in the embodiment of fig4 , the third section 130 has a substantially reduced diameter opening 138 typically sized to receive a catheter therethrough , and providing a slight additional margin around the catheter to permit catheter insertion and / or retention without binding or pulling on the catheter 90 inserted into the opening 138 , and to accommodate a lubricant , e . g . a dry , ptfe , etc . lubricant 142 between the catheter 90 and the opening 138 surface . in this embodiment , the opening 138 is substantially uniform in diameter along the axis 60 , and is typically centered about the axis 60 . an opening in one embodiment is 0 . 185 ″ through a third section length of 0 . 75 ″ a further embodiment includes a washer 140 having an inner opening sized to permit the catheter to pass through yet small enough to urge the lubricant 142 to be retained in the opening 138 without restricting movement of the catheter 90 . a typical use of the embodiments fig1 - 4 is to insert the catheter 90 into the head of the penis a desired amount and then to apply the embodiments of fig1 - 4 around the penis either by guiding the formed outer structure over the penis , or if comprising multiple section , carefully closing the outer structure over the penis . a further alternate embodiment 150 is shown in fig5 , comprising two longitudinal halves , each having a relatively rigid outer shell 152 which substantially surrounds and retains a resilient insert 154 . typically , the insert 154 comprises a softer material 154 such as foam , and are shaped to proved a sequence of longitudinal openings within sections 162 , 164 and 166 of the insert to accommodate the penis shaft , the penis head and the catheter with a corresponding sequence of inner axially aligned openings of appropriate diameters , which in one embodiment corresponds to the openings sections 62 , 70 and 80 of the embodiment of fig1 , and have wall 170 thickness defined by the section openings and the shell 152 inner dimensions . in one embodiment , the insert 154 comprises a flexible foam to allow for body changes and a compression grip about the penis shaft and / or head . moreover , the insert implementation of the present invention provide low - cost accommodation of various penis sizes by correspondingly dimensioned inner openings with different pairs of inserts 154 while maintaining the same outer shell 152 . alternate embodiments of this and other embodiments include a polypropylene or other water absorbing or water - wicking layer 157 disposed to be in contact with the penis , or porous foam 156 and / or shell 152 , or equivalent in the other embodiments of the present invention . an optional shell inner extension 158 extends into the insert recess 168 and into which the catheter is initially inserted . typically the shells 152 mate and include a means to secure the shells 152 together such as clips 160 which engage corresponding portions or recesses in the typically identical mating shell ( not shown ). alternately , the shells ( and inserts therein ) can be secured together with encircling elements ( not shown ) and a recess 172 may be included within the periphery of the shell 152 . a further embodiment 180 is shown in fig6 , wherein the catheter support comprises two mating pieces 182 a , 182 b mating on a plane substantially including the axis , and connected by a hinge 184 . in the embodiment shown , the catheter support includes 3 axially contiguous regions 192 , 194 and 196 having inner openings substantially axially aligned , and may comprise the dimensions of the corresponding openings 64 , 72 and 82 as may be proportioned to the anticipated penis dimensions . to guide the closing together of the mating catheter support pieces 182 a , 182 b about the hinge 184 , ridge guides 186 and complementary mating ridge guide recesses 188 are formed and positioned to receive the corresponding guide elements from the other of the mating pieces . in the instant embodiment , they are longitudinally disposed on the divided wall edge of the catheter holder 180 parallel to the axis 60 . in addition to the closure devices previously discussed regarding other embodiments and applied hereto , still further closure devices 190 a , 190 b or as may be known in the art may be applied to the embodiments of the present invention . closure devices applicable to this and other embodiments include tape , snaps , velcro ( a trademark of velcro corp . ), buttons and / or clasps . a typical use of the embodiments fig5 and 6 is to insert the catheter 90 into the head of the penis a desired amount and then to apply the embodiments of fig5 and 6 around the penis either by guiding the formed outer structure over the penis , or if comprising multiple section , carefully closing the outer structure over the penis . alternate embodiments of the catheter support 180 of fig6 ( or 150 of fig5 ) may further include a substantially rigid single outer shell having an central top opening through which the catheter is received , such as formed according to two mating shells 152 of fig6 applied over mating pieces 182 a , 182 b ( or two of 170 , fig5 ). this substantially rigid outer shell is applied over the inserts 154 or mating pieces 182 a , 182 b after being closed over the penis , and may further extend the entire length of the insert or mating pieces or partially therealong . the further alternate embodiment 200 of fig7 comprises a tubular member 210 having an opening 202 at one end sized to receive the penis head and shaft and a smaller opening 204 at the opposite end of the tubular member 210 through which a catheter ( not shown ) is received and supported as described in the above embodiments . the tubular member 210 includes a slot 206 extending along the wall of the tubular member 210 ( including slot in each of a penis shaft support , a penis head support and a catheter support as describe in the above embodiments aligned or otherwise in communication ) from the opening into which the penis is received , to the smaller opening 204 and through which the catheter may be moved and ultimately be place through the smaller opening 204 and into the center of the tubular member 210 . the slot 206 and other slots ( not shown ) extending along a smaller portion of the length of the tubular member may provide ventilation or air movement and mitigate the build - up of moisture , and such slots are applicable to other embodiments shown herewith . the embodiment may also include a slot 206 with walls 208 and raised portions 212 ( or other mechanism ) which urges the catheter to remain in the smaller opening 204 . alternate embodiment provide a resilient tubular member having adhesive disposed on the slot walls 208 permitting all or portions of the slot to be closed around the penis . a further alternate embodiment 220 according to the present invention comprising a tubular member 230 having a opening 222 disposed at one end of the tubular member into the penis shaft and penis head is received and a smaller opening at the opposite end of the tubular member through which a catheter 224 passes ( and is supported as provided with the above embodiments ) and forms an assembly together with the tubular member 230 . this embodiment ( and other above embodiments ) may further include apertures 232 disposed along the length of the tubular member extending inward to provide a ventilation passageway providing a flow of air proximal or in contact with the penis ( or internal moisture controlling layers , e . g . 157 of fig5 ) to reduce moisture or heat ( or both ) within the embodiments of the present invention . a further alternate embodiment 240 is shown in fig9 , wherein the catheter support end of tubular member , also receiving the penis shaft and penis head in an opposite end opening , comprises several sections 244 extending radially outward from the catheter support end opening 242 . the section 244 tips 246 converge but stop short and form the opening 242 through which the catheter passes , and may comprise the thickness necessary for catheter support as described for the above embodiments or may merely provide a sufficiently rigid outer structure to protect and support the catheter from moving radially against the head of the penis as radial or other forces are applied to the catheter outside the catheter support , having a thickened insert material therebehind to provide the above described catheter support . the embodiments provided herein are understood to be exemplary and the scope of the present invention is not limited thereto . modifications and substitutions as may be known to one of ordinary skill in the art are included herewith . the scope of the claims is not limited except by the claims which follow .
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this disclosure , its aspects and implementations , are not limited to the specific components , encapsulation types , or methods disclosed herein . many additional components and assembly procedures known in the art consistent with determining packet error rate ( per ) for wireless encapsulated network packet data communications links are in use with particular implementations from this disclosure . accordingly , for example , although particular implementations are disclosed , such implementations and implementing components may comprise any components , models , versions , quantities , and / or the like as is known in the art for such systems and implementing components , consistent with the intended operation . this disclosure relates to a method for determining the packet error rate ( per ) for encapsulated network packet data capable wireless communications links . the term per relates to the ratio of errored or missing packets verses the total number of transmitted packets over a communications link . particular implementations of determining packet error rate ( per ) for wireless encapsulated network packet data communications links disclosed herein may be specifically employed in satellite communications systems . however , as it will be clear to those of ordinary skill in the art from this disclosure , the principles and aspects disclosed herein may readily be applied to any electromagnetic ( if , rf and optical ) communications system , such as cellular phone or terrestrial broadcast network without undue experimentation . this disclosure relates to , but is not limited to , determining packet error rate ( per ) for wireless encapsulated network packet data communications links . the methods disclosed herein remove the need for special error rate test equipment or synchronous interfaces associated with ber test equipment . as disclosed herein , implementations of the methods use native packet encapsulation techniques to determine the per for a given network . these implementations support either er stimulus that is generated externally or internally to the system for determining the per of a link . particular implementations described herein may use , but are not limited to , field - programmable gate arrays ( fpga ), programmable logic devices ( pld ), programmable integrated circuits ( pic ), digital signal processors ( dsp ), application specific integrated circuits ( asic ) or microprocessors . particular implementations of the described methods and systems apply to wireless satellite communications , but the technology described is not limited to satellite communications . by knowing the optimal payload size of the data for an encapsulated system , and setting the data to an appropriate size to completely fill the transport payload size , one may determine the per for the transmission network . fig1 demonstrates a non - limiting packetized wireless satellite communications network that uses dvb - s technology using international organization / international electrotechnical commission ( iso / iec ) using the iso / iec 13818 - 1 mpeg 2 transport stream with etsi en 301 192 dvb specification for data broadcasting multi - protocol encapsulation ( mpe ) for carrying network packets over a satellite link which is an example of a typical wireless satellite network supporting encapsulated data transmission between two remotely - distributed communications locations where network data packets are received at a transmission site and forwarded to an encapsulating device 100 where the network packet data is packetized as an mpe packet and then framed as a 188 - byte mpeg 2 transport stream for transmission over the wireless satellite link . one of ordinary skill in the art would recognize that the term network data protocol is synonymous with ip , ipx , netbeui , etc ., which are carried over a local area network ( lan ) for local ( interfacility ) communications . the encapsulation of data into a wireless network allows the data introduced into the network to be abstracted from the internal , packetized - transport layer . as shown , the encapsulating device 100 encapsulates the network data packet in an encapsulation format and then frames the encapsulation packet for prior to modulation 110 , up - conversion 120 , power amplification 130 , and transmission by a transmit antenna 140 over the wireless satellite link . at the receiving site 150 , the framed packet is received , de - encapsulated , and forwarded as a network packet to the lan for delivery . fig2 shows how the er , namely the ber , is obtained in the prior art for non - lan enabled links . external devices must be connected to the transmission gear via synchronous connections such as telecommunications industry association ( tia ) recommended standard - 232 ( rs - 232 ) unbalance serial communications , rs - 422 balanced serial communications , or european standard ( en - 50083 - 9 ) asynchronous serial interfaces ( asi ) operating over a synchronous 270 mbps interface . in many instances , the rs - 232 , rs - 422 , asi , etc . interfaces may not be available on the wireless satellite equipment . as shown , the external ber tester ( bert ) 200 requires a synchronous interface 210 such as , for example , a bit serial interface such as rs - 232 ( unbalanced serial interface ), rs - 422 ( balanced serial interface ) or asynchronous serial interface ( asi ) running at 270 mbps supporting a native transport stream format to interface to the wireless network equipment . in these configurations , external test equipment 200 must be present on both the transmitting and receiving side of the link . a known pattern is injected at a pre - determined rate and transmitted over the wireless satellite link to verify the ber of the link . in another embodiment , synthetic ber data may be injected by the transmission equipment into the wireless satellite link and extracted by the receiving device and an end - to - end ber may be obtained . fig3 demonstrates how the methods described herein may be used to obtain the per of a link using common network enabled transmission equipment . there is no need for use of special equipment or interfaces to take advantage of the described method . more specifically , fig3 shows how the described method may be used for external stimulus to determine the per of the network using externally generated 300 network packet data for the determination of the per . as shown , the methods described herein may be used with a native local area network ( lan ) input interface 310 between the transmitting device , over the link and output at the receiving device to externally determine 320 the per of the end - to - end network . implementations of these methods may operate the same for both external stimuli 300 as for internally generated ( synthetic ) error rate data as shown in fig4 in which the network per generator 400 and per receiver 410 are internal to the system . the network data packets ( internal or external ) used for the error patterns are fed into the payload of the network data packets and may be fixed ( a priori ) bit or byte sequences , self - synchronizing prn sequences , sequential count sequences , or any other sequence known to one of ordinary skill in the art . the methods described in this disclosure may employ digital signal processing ( dsp ) techniques such as , but not limited to , encapsulation , framing and packetization techniques which can easily be implemented in field - programmable gate arrays ( fpga ), programmable logic devices ( pld ), programmable integrated circuits ( pic ), digital signal processors ( dsp ), application specific integrated circuits ( asic ) or microprocessors using conventional implementation methods known in the art by those with knowledge of this disclosure . the need to determine the error rate ( er ) performance of a network is critical to ensure proper operation . for wireless networks , the er performance is directly related to the power of the signal as it is received at the distant end . in the art , the error rate performance as a function of the power and / or energy is plotted in a chart known as an error rate curve . the vertical axis or “ y - axis ” contains the er performance , represented as “ ber ” or “ per ,” and the horizontal axis or “ x - axis ” contains either the bit energy over the noise density of the system , represented as eb / no , or symbol energy over the noise density of the system , represented as es / no in decibels . a decibel is a power rating expressed as 10 * log 10 ( x ) of the ratio of symbol energy ( es ) over the noise density ( no ) or ( es / no ) db . the es / no ratio is expressed in db using 10 log 10 ( es / no ). an example of the per verses ( es / no ) db curve is shown in fig9 . knowing the error rate performance as a function of the available energy allows one to know the overall performance of the system . in the art , a “ link budget ” is used in conjunction with er curves to arrive at the expected er performance based on the available power / energy and path losses to determine the appropriate system components that are required to meet the desired performance of a network . in a typical wireless transmission network , some level of error checking ( ec ) and forward error correction ( fec ) may be performed . for links with fec , the link may be operated as a less than perfect link ( containing bit errors ) and still provide a nearly error free link , known in the art as quasi - error free ( qef ), where the low - level link may be taking errors , but the higher - level link is running error free due to the fec making corrections to the erroneous bits as they are received . for dvb - s ( as specified in etsi en 300 421 ) the qef point is considered to be a “ ber ” of 1e - 10 . however , for dvb - s2 ( as specified in etsi en 302 307 ) the qef point is considered to be a “ per ” of 1e - 7 , but it is noteworthy to state a per of 1e - 7 is approximately the same as a ber of 1e - 10 , since an mpeg 2 transport frame is considered to be 188 bytes in length with 8 bits per byte provides : 1e7 packets * 8 bits / byte * 188 bytes / frame = 1 . 5e10 bits , and one packet is equivalent to one mpeg 2 transport stream frame . fig5 - 8 demonstrate implementations of methods for encapsulation of both mpe and gse network packet data , however one of ordinary skill in the art would recognize that any other appropriate encapsulation protocol such as , but not limited to ultra - lightweight encapsulation or unidirectional lightweight encapsulation ( ule ) may also be used . in particular , fig5 demonstrates the abstraction of serial or packetized network data using mpe encapsulation 500 through a network and fig6 a - b show the framing from mpe 500 to mpeg 2 600 transport stream frames using non - section and section packing , respectively . additionally , fig7 shows the described methods as used for network data 510 to gse encapsulation 710 , and fig8 depicts the framing from gse 710 to dvb - s2 base - band ( bb ) frames 800 . the method may be used by first knowing the most basic level of framing for the end - to - end link . for the described method , a network data packet 510 , which may be an internet packet ( ip ), internetwork packet exchange ( ipx ), netbios extended user interface ( netbeui ), or any other appropriate type of packet is encapsulated into an mpe packet 500 and then further framed into a 188 - byte mpeg2 transport stream frame 600 . since the mpeg 2 transport stream frame 600 is the most primitive level of framing for the link , the 188 - byte frame is considered as the smallest payload to be considered for the described methods . to obtain the true per of the network , the 188 - byte frame must be filled to 100 % capacity to ensure the packet loss of only the mpeg 2 transport stream frame layer is calculated to determine the true per of the network . for an mpe / mpeg 2 network , the encapsulation device supports 188 - byte mpeg 2 transport stream frames . the described method may support both section packed transmission configurations ( mpe data may start in the middle of an mpeg 2 frame ) or non - section packed transmission configurations ( where mpe data may only start at the beginning of an mpeg 2 frame ) as shown in fig6 a - b , respectively . in either configuration , the 188 - byte mpeg 2 transport stream frame 600 is capable of supporting 184 bytes of payload and four bytes are allocated for control information for section packed configurations , and 183 bytes of payload and five bytes of control information . for section packed configurations , the mpe data is constructed to fit 184 bytes of payload . the fifth byte is the 1st byte of the mpe packet as shown in fig6 b . for non - section packed configurations , the payload start unit indicator ( pusi ) is automatically set to ensure a fifth byte is enabled , and the result is four control bytes and a fifth byte added as a pointer field . the fifth byte must have an offset of hexadecimal zero ( 0x00 ) resulting in the sixth byte being the 1st byte of the mpe packet 500 as shown in fig5 . in the non - section packed configuration , the mpe packet 500 is 183 bytes in length . in many mpe / mpeg transmission systems , section packing may be turned off , resulting in a 183 byte payload being used to transmit a frame containing the first section of an mpe packet 500 , but in lieu of forcing the transmission system to turn off section packing , the payload may be forced to 184 bytes which will result in an mpe packet 500 fitting within an mpeg 2 transport stream frame 600 for every transmission slot . fig7 shows another type of encapsulation known as generic stream encapsulation ( gse ). gse is a more efficient type of encapsulation than mpe that may be carried over mpeg 2 transport stream . in a preferred embodiment for a wireless satellite network , the gse framed packets 710 are provided directly to a dvb - s2 base - band ( bb ) frame 800 . in dvb - s2 , the bb frame 800 has a payload that is dependent on several factors such as : for each dvb - s2 bb frame configuration , the network packet 510 may be different . the described methods may be implemented in an external fashion , but the fec type and frame size configuration may be fixed to ensure each bb frame 800 is the same during the per test , however , one of ordinary skill in the art would realize that this is not a requirement . a mechanism may be used to alert a lan device as to what the available payload size is for optimally packing the bb frame 800 for running the per test . in a preferred embodiment , the bb frames 800 may be filled with network packets 510 synthetically and injected directly into the bb frame 800 to ensure the bb frame 800 is packed optimally before transmission . implementations of the combined methods may determine the overall per by knowing the total number of packets transmitted and then accounting for the number of erroneous ( damaged , lost , out sequence , missing , etc .) packets , and the total per may be determined without the need for a specific ber or per test unit as has been required in the prior art . one of ordinary skill in the art would recognize that the per performance is determined by the following equation : fig9 shows a comparison of an actual per test using both a synchronous per tester used in the prior art verses a lan enabled per tester using the described method . fig9 shows the actual results using implementations of the described methods in which the output of a synchronous asi per tester is compared with the output using the described methods with an external lan per data . the following are provided as non - limiting examples of particular implementations of determining packet error rate ( per ) for network data capable wireless communications links : a wireless satellite network that supports a lan connection for network packet data and supports mpe over an mpeg 2 transport stream has a personal computer ( pc ) that generates a fixed number of network packets at a rate that meets the supported payload of the wireless satellite encapsulation and framing system . the mpe encapsulation device has section packing disabled and thus , can support exactly 183 bytes of payload for each mpeg 2 frame . the network packets are set to a length to precisely account for a length such that the 12 - byte mpe header and 4 - byte crc may be added to precisely fill a single mpeg 2 frame to 100 %. the contents of the network packets are an a priori sequence of changing bytes in the payload and are checked at the distant end by a network enabled pc to ensure they are correct . at the end of the transmission sequence , the total number of bytes transmitted are compared to the number received to determine the total per obtained through the network . depending on the quality of the transmission link , the per verses es / no may be determined . the wireless satellite network described in example 1 that supports a lan connection for network packet data and supports mpe over an mpeg 2 transport stream has a personal computer ( pc ) that generates a fixed number of network packets at a rate that meets the supported payload of the wireless satellite encapsulation and framing system . the mpe encapsulation device has section packing enabled , and thus , can support exactly 184 bytes of payload for each mpeg 2 frame . the network packets are set to a length to precisely account for a length such that the 12 - byte mpe header and 4 - byte crc may be added to precisely fill a single mpeg 2 frame to 100 %. the contents of the network packets are an a priori sequence of changing bytes in the payload and are checked by a network enabled pc at the distant end to ensure they are correct . at the end of the transmission sequence , the total number of bytes transmitted is compared to the number received to determine the total per obtained through the network . depending on the quality of the transmission link , the per verses es / no may be determined . a wireless satellite network that supports a lan connection for network packet data and supports mpe over an mpeg 2 transport stream synthetically generates a fixed number of network packets at a rate that meets the supported payload of the wireless satellite encapsulation and framing system . the mpe encapsulation device has section packing disabled and thus , can support exactly 183 bytes of payload for each mpeg 2 frame . the network packets are set to a length to precisely account for a length such that the 12 - byte mpe header and 4 - byte crc may be added to precisely fill a single mpeg 2 frame to 100 %. the contents of the network packets are an a priori sequence of changing bytes in the payload and are checked at the distant end to ensure they are correct by the receiving device . at the end of the transmission sequence , the total number of bytes transmitted is compared to the number received to determine the total per obtained through the network . depending on the quality of the transmission link , the per verses es / no may be determined . the wireless satellite network described in example 3 that supports a lan connection for network packet data and supports mpe over an mpeg 2 transport synthetically generates a fixed number of network packets at a rate that meets the supported payload of the wireless satellite encapsulation and framing system . the mpe encapsulation device has section packing enabled and thus , can support exactly 184 bytes of payload for each mpeg 2 frame . the network packets are set to a length to precisely account for a length that the 12 - byte mpe header and 4 - byte crc may be added to precisely fill a single mpeg 2 frame to 100 %. the contents of the network packets are an a priori sequence of changing bytes in the payload and are checked at the distant end to ensure they are correct by the receiving device . at the end of the transmission sequence , the total number of bytes transmitted are compared to the number received to determine the total per obtained through the network . depending on the quality of the transmission link , the per verses es / no may be determined . a wireless satellite network that supports a lan connection for network packet data and supports gse formatted stream over a dvb - s2 transmission link has a personal computer ( pc ) that generates a fixed number of network packets at a rate that meets the supported payload of the wireless satellite encapsulation and framing system . the gse encapsulation device encapsulates a network packet to fill the gse frame or frames . the base - band frames may be precisely filled to 100 % or partially filled , and the remaining unused payload may be padded to fill up the base - band frame before transmission . the contents of the network packets are an a priori sequence of changing bytes in the payload and are checked at the distant end to ensure they are correct by a network enabled pc . at the end of the transmission sequence , the total number of bytes transmitted are compared to the number received to determine the total per obtained through the network . depending on the quality of the transmission link , the per verses es / no may be determined . a wireless satellite network that supports a lan connection for network packet data and supports gse formatted stream over a dvb - s2 transmission generates synthetic data for a fixed number of network packets at a rate that meets the supported payload of the wireless satellite encapsulation and framing system . the gse encapsulation device encapsulates a network packet to fill the gse frame or frames . the base - band frames may be precisely filled to 100 % or partially filled , and the remaining unused payload may be padded to fill up the base - band frame before transmission . the contents of the network packets are an a priori sequence of changing bytes in the payload and are checked at the distant end to ensure they are correct by the receiving device . at the end of the transmission sequence , the total number of bytes transmitted are compared to the number received to determine the total per obtained through the network . depending on the quality of the transmission link , the per verses es / no may be determined . in places where the description above refers to particular implementations of telecommunication systems and techniques for transmitting data across a telecommunication channel , it should be readily apparent that a number of modifications may be made without departing from the spirit thereof and that these implementations may be applied to other to telecommunication systems and techniques for transmitting data across a telecommunication channel .
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in a preferred embodiment of this invention an induction heating means is placed at the exit of the forming member of an extrusion apparatus . the previously described plastically deformable material comprising electrically conductive matter is then placed in the extrusion apparatus and processed according to typical extrusion processing methods , see for example u . s . pat . no . 4 , 758 , 272 , which is incorporated by reference herein . while the inventors do not wish to be bound by theory , it appears that the inventive aspect here is that as the plastically deformable material is contained in or exits the forming member , electronic and / or magnetic activity is induced within the electrically conductive matter which comprises the plastically deformable material . as the electronic activity is induced within the material , the temperature of the plastically deformable material increases , thus uniformly raising the temperature of the extrudate . another preferred embodiment of this invention involves the extrusion of plastically deformable material comprising electrically conductive matter into a &# 34 ; honeycomb &# 34 ; type structure . the honeycomb is defined by intersecting walls surrounding open , elongated cells extending longitudinally through the formed body . when formed into such a structure , said plastically deformable material , upon final sintering , forms an article which is particularly well suited for use as a catalyst - bearing substrate or porous particulate filter . the catalyst - bearing substrate may be placed within a fluid stream in which it is desired to catalytically convert components of the stream to a different composition . the present invention is particularly well suited to being used with the process of extruding honeycomb type structures ( such as is disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 3 , 790 , 654 , which is incorporated by reference herein ) since the as extruded honeycomb body has generally low wet strength , particularly when extremely thin , 0 . 008 inch ( 0 . 20 mm ), and desirably less than 0 . 005 inch ( 0 . 13 mm ) inch thickness , internal walls are formed . such a structure generally is not wholly self - supporting thus making it subject to damage through sagging and / or handling deformation of the extruded body . such deformation of the extruded wet honeycomb structure is particularly likely when the internal walls of the honeycomb structure are very thin . the generally uniform generation of heat throughout the entire cross - section of the extruded honeycomb structure extending through the length of the structure which is in proximity to the induction device appears to either dry the extruded body through relatively uniform evaporation of water , gel a polymeric thickener ( when present ), or accomplish a combination of both . the inventors do not wish to be bound by theory but the three preceding possibilities are offered as potential explanations for the reality of the stiffening of the extruded body when placed in proximity to an induction device to effect the desired heating . it will be apparent to those familiar with the art that the advantages of the present invention , which serves to uniformly heat plastically deformable material to cause stiffening , include : ( 1 ) reduction of sagging or handling deformation through lack of adequate wet green strength , ( 2 ) reduction of surface defects , which in the past have been generally caused by non - uniform drying through the application of heat , and ( 3 ) the ability to produce bodies , particularly honeycomb - type structures , with much thinner walls which become self - supporting through the immediate stiffening , or drying step provided by the inventive method . unless otherwise specified , plastically deformable material comprising metal particles which was used for the following examples was prepared as follows : ______________________________________material supplier weight______________________________________fe / 50 al powder shieldalloy 23 lbs . ( screened - 400 mesh ) ( 10 . 45 kg ) oleic acid mallinckrodt 0 . 5 lbs . ( reagent grade ) (. 23 kg ) methyl cellulose dow chemical 3 lbs . ( 1 . 36 kg ) iron powder basf 27 lbs . ( carbonyl om ) ( 12 . 27 kg ) ______________________________________ the above components were mixed for five minutes under an argon blanket in a littleford mixer . since finely divided metal powders are highly flammable , argon was used as an inert gas blanket in the mixture to prevent oxygen intrusion . after mixing , the batch was wrapped in plastic and chilled overnight in a refrigerator . a quantity of deionized water was also chilled over night in a separate container . using a medium - sized , chilled simpson mix - muller , 7 . 1 lbs . ( 3 . 23 kg ) of water was added over a two minute mulling period to the previously described chilled batch . upon completion of the addition of the chilled deionized water , the mix - muller was run for an additional two minutes . the resulting plastically deformable material was then checked for its suitability for extrusion in a ram type extruder by one who is skilled in the art of extrusion . if additional water was required , in small amounts , to reach the desired extrusion consistency , the mix - muller was then run for two minutes after each additional aliquot of water . the mix - muller was then run for an additional five minute period after the final addition of water . again , for safety reasons , the mix - muller was operated under a blanket of argon to prevent oxygen intrusion . the batch was then transferred in plastic bags to a ram type extruder which was fitted with a &# 34 ; spaghetti making die &# 34 ;. the batch was fed into the extruder barrel and the barrel was brought down to form a seal . the exit end of the extruder was sealed with a rubber stopper such that the barrel could be evacuated . a vacuum was established for two minutes after which the ram was slowly advanced compacting the plastically deformable material and extruding it through a multi - orifice die so as to turn it into densely packed wet &# 34 ; spaghetti &# 34 ;. after all of the &# 34 ; spaghetti &# 34 ; had been formed , the multi - orifice die was changed and replaced with one designed to produce a three inch ( 7 . 6 cm ) diameter honeycomb with 0 . 003 &# 34 ; ( 0 . 76 mm ) internal walls and 550 cells per square inch ( about 85 per cm 2 ) in a transverse cross section . the extruder barrel was loaded with the formed &# 34 ; spaghetti &# 34 ; and the ram was advanced slowly until two to three feet of formed plastically deformable material in honeycomb shape was outside the extruder . all extrusions were conducted vertically . the honeycomb shaped plastically deformable material was carefully supported and cut into 4 - 6 inch ( 10 - 16 cm ) lengths . these short pieces were then placed in 500 ml beakers in an ice chest containing dry ice for between three and four hours . the hard frozen pieces were then carefully wrapped in aluminum foil and placed in a freezer at - 10 ° c . to be transported to an off - site laboratory having induction heating facilities . during transport to the off - site laboratory the honeycombed shaped pieces of plastically deformable material were kept in an ice chest with dry ice . the solidly frozen pieces of material were then placed inside an induction heating coil with a 4 inch ( 10 cm ) inside diameter , an overall length of 5 inches ( 13 cm ), and a total of eight turns . this induction heating coil is represented in fig1 where electric current from source ( 1 ) is conducted through the coils ( 2 ) to induce a current or cause hysteresis loss , and thereby cause heating , in a formed article ( 3 ). temperature measurements were made at five different points of a transverse section of the formed material . these measurements were taken with a k - type thermocouple . movement of the thermocouple along the longitudinal axis of the test pieces did not reveal any gross thermal gradients along that axis . the five points where temperatures were measured were at the center ( c ), at opposite sides ( a and e ) just inside the skin of the formed piece , and mid - way between the center of the piece and the outer edges ( points b and d ). this scheme of temperature measurement is demonstrated in fig2 where a , b , c , d , and e represent the locations of entry of the thermocouple and range ( 4 ) represents the general area where the tip of the thermocouple actually ended up during temperature measurement . generally , measurements were taken serially from left to right in alphabetical order , therefore , small temperature differences between points a and e may be attributable to the heating or cooling which was taking place during the time of measurement . the examples below demonstrate the relatively uniform heating which may be accomplished through the inventive use of induction heating for honeycomb structures formed from plastically deformable material comprising electrically conductive particles . total heating time is in seconds and it should be noted that readings were taken while the induction device was shut off . this means that initial readings were taken , the induction device was turned on for the period of time indicated , the device was then turned off , and temperature readings were taken . it should also be noted that the time periods given indicate cumulative time of application of power through the induction device to the piece being tested . as indicated , the pieces were weighed at each step . since the pieces were capable of being handled for weighing , it was apparent that substantial stiffening had occurred even early in the experiments . in this case , weight loss is probably attributable to water loss through evaporation . it is assumed that full drying did not occur in experiments in which a constant weight was not obtained for the pieces . a frequency of 2 . 5 mhz was applied at 7 . 5 kw for this experiment . the results are shown in table 1 . table 1______________________________________2 . 5 mhz / 7 . 5 kwtotal heating time temperatures ( c . )( seconds ) a b c d e weight ( g ) ______________________________________ 0 27 26 26 25 26 266 30 46 44 42 43 43 262 . 9120 88 90 99 96 76 260 . 3180 83 89 89 88 78 257 . 1240 87 91 92 90 84 253 . 3300 95 95 88 89 87 250 . 1360 97 96 94 94 92 254 . 9420 125 96 94 94 114 236 . 6______________________________________ another experiment was run on a new formed unit on the same induction device . all conditions were the same except that heating intervals were altered . the results are presented in table 2 below . table 2______________________________________2 . 5 mhz / 7 . 5 kwtotal heating time temperatures ( c . )( seconds ) a b c d e weight ( g ) ______________________________________ 0 25 25 25 25 25 273 . 2300 85 92 92 92 90 260 . 7360 82 91 93 91 85 256 . 6420 99 94 94 92 96 253 . 1______________________________________ another extruded honeycomb formed from plastically deformable material comprising electrically conductive particulate matter was tested in an induction coil with a 4 inch ( 10 cm ) inside diameter , which was 4 . 5 inches ( 11 . 5 cm ) in overall length , and had a total of eight turns . this was run on a 100 kw solid state instrument operating at 6 khz . the results of this experiment are presented in table 3 below . table 3______________________________________6 khz / 100 kwtotal heating time temperatures ( c . )( seconds ) a b c d e weight ( g ) ______________________________________ 0 25 25 25 25 25 270 . 4after tune * 35 35 42 42 38 -- 60 64 81 83 80 60 267 . 4240 90 98 98 96 84 260 . 3______________________________________ * the piece underwent some heating while the instrument was being tuned . it should be noted here that relatively even heating did occur in the test piece , as is demonstrated by the above temperature readings , but heating was nowhere near as rapid at this lower frequency , in spite of the more than tenfold increase in power output over the previous two experiments . a new extrudate was tested on a 40 kw generator with the same coil which was used in example 3 . the frequency used in this experiment was 200 khz . the results for this experiment are presented in table 4 below . table 4______________________________________30 kw / 200 khz approximatetotal heating time temperatures ( c . )( seconds ) a b c d e weight ( g ) ______________________________________ 0 26 25 25 25 25 286 . 830 40 41 41 42 39 -- 60 49 57 59 58 52 282 . 7______________________________________ again , it may be noted that even heating is occurring , but it is at a lower rate than was seen in the earlier experiments . the same machine was used for another experiment but frequency was raised to 375 khz . power output was maintained at 30 kw . the results of this experiment are presented in table 5 below . table 5______________________________________375 khz / 30 kwtotal heating time temperatures ( c . )( seconds ) a b c d e weight ( g ) ______________________________________ 0 27 26 26 25 25 269 . 230 91 96 96 94 88 265 . 660 100 102 101 99 92 258 . 575 94 100 99 98 92 253 . 790 96 97 98 97 92 249 . 2______________________________________ this experiment used the same conditions as those which were used in example 5 but the heating intervals were varied . the results of this experiment are presented in table 6 below . table 6______________________________________375 khz / 30 kwtotal heating time temperatures ( c . )( seconds ) a b c d e weight ( g ) ______________________________________ 0 25 25 25 25 25 284 . 260 95 97 99 98 92 273 . 890 100 102 102 101 98 265 . 5120 144 128 119 112 167 257 . 7______________________________________ examples 5 and 6 demonstrate clearly the uniform heating until most of the water is removed from the formed article . at that point the heating rate rapidly increases , particularly in areas where there is likely to be less water concentration as is demonstrated by the two outside temperature readings ( points a and e ) at the 120 second interval in example 6 . a second series of experiments were conducted at another off - site laboratory using only solid state induction heating equipment which operates at generally lower frequencies than is possible with the tube type equipment which was used for the first six examples . for this series of experiments , articles were formed from plastically deformable material comprising electrically conductive particulate matter in a similar manner to the articles that were formed for the first series of six experiments . again , cylindrical samples 5 inches ( 12 . 7 cm ) long with a 3 inch ( 7 . 6 cm ) diameter having 0 . 003 inch ( 0 . 076 mm ) internal walls and 550 cells per square inch ( about 85 per cm 2 ) on a transverse cross - section were produced . according to the method described earlier , these pieces were then frozen and transported to the off - site laboratory specializing in the use of solid state induction heating equipment . the induction device being used for this series of experiments was a coil of eight turns with a total length of 6 inches ( 15 . 25 cm ) and a 31 / 2 inch ( 8 . 9 cm ) inside diameter . again , the times indicated are cumulative heating times , the temperatures were taken in the same manner as the previously described series of six experiments , and weights were measured at the time of each set of temperature measurements . it should be noted , however , that for this series of experiments the weights included ceramic setters weighing 172 . 3 grams , so that actual article weights equal the stated weights minus 172 . 3 grams . this experiment was run at a frequency of 128 khz and a power output of 25 kw . the results of this experiment are presented in table 7 below . table 7______________________________________128 khz / 25 kwtotal heating time temperatures ( c . )( seconds ) a b c d e weight ( g ) ______________________________________ 0 20 19 19 19 19 489 . 6 40 54 54 56 57 51 489 . 3100 79 87 89 87 73 487 . 4160 93 98 97 95 86 483 . 3220 95 98 98 96 89 478 . 0280 98 100 101 98 94 472 . 7340 101 102 100 98 89 466 . 9400 88 100 100 97 91 461 . 7460 119 127 127 140 130 458 . 6______________________________________ uniform heating was noted here but it did not occur at a rapid rate . in an effort to increase the heating rate , the frequency generator was altered by increasing the capacitance of the tank circuit within the generator . the effect of this modification was to increase the applied frequency to something greater than 128 khz but the exact frequency is unknown . the results of this experiment are presented in table 8 below . table 8______________________________________25 kw /& gt ; 128 khztotal heating time temperatures ( c . )( seconds ) a b c d e weight ( g ) ______________________________________ 0 20 19 18 18 19 466 . 8 40 59 60 61 65 67 465 . 8100 91 97 90 94 84 460 . 5160 96 100 100 102 89 452 . 5220 100 102 100 100 98 444 . 2280 113 110 106 110 125 436 . 2______________________________________ as this set of experiments demonstrates , uniform heating of formed articles does occur but it occurs at a much lower rate on the lower frequency solid state equipment than that which occurs when using the tube type equipment . this result appears to occur in spite of the approximately equal power outputs of the two devices . the conclusion drawn here is that while lower frequencies will indeed offer the same uniform heating which may be obtained at higher frequencies , better heating efficiencies compared with power output may be obtained at higher frequencies . another set of experiments were run using sponge iron as one of the components rather than the carbonyl precipitated iron which was used in the first eight experiments . a new batch of plastically deformable material comprising electrically conductive particulate matter was made in a similar manner as described for the material which was made for the first eight experiments but a different composition was created according to the following recipe : ______________________________________material supplier weight______________________________________sponge iron mh300 hoeganaes archer 27 lbs (- 270 mesh ) ( 12 . 27 kg ) iron aluminum shieldalloy 23 lbsfe / al 50 ( 10 . 45 kg ) zinc fisher scientific 0 . 25 lbs ( lot 880435 ) ( 114 g ) oleic acid mallinckrodt 0 . 5 lbs ( reagent grade ) ( 228 g ) zinc stearate witco 0 . 5 lbs ( 228 g ) methyl cellulose dow chemical 4 lbs ( 1 . 82 kg ) cold deionized water -- 7 . 25 lbs ( 3 . 3 kg ) ______________________________________ following the earlier described processing steps , plastically deformable material comprising electrically conductive particulate matter was produced from this recipe and was extruded through a honeycomb type die which is designed to produce articles having 0 . 006 &# 34 ; ( 0 . 15 mm ) thick internal walls and 400 cells per square inch ( about 62 per cm 2 ) on a transverse cross - section . articles were produced in a manner similar to that described earlier and were transported in a similar fashion to an off - site laboratory specializing in the use of induction heating equipment . an induction coil made from rectangular copper tubing was attached to a 25 kw solid state induction heating generator operating at 123 khz . these experiments were run in a fashion similar to those described earlier and again for these two experiments , the weights include ceramic setters weighing 172 . 3 grams . the results of the first such experiment are presented in table 9 below . table 9______________________________________123 khz / 25 kwtotal heating time temperatures ( c . )( seconds ) a b c d e weight ( g )* ______________________________________ 0 18 18 18 96 18 538 . 7 40 95 97 96 96 92 535 . 7100 101 101 100 99 97 518 . 6130 122 102 103 102 114 506 . 5160 160 134 110 103 200 498 . 0______________________________________ * includes ceramic setters weighing 172 . 3 grams another article from the same batch of plastically deformable material comprising electrically conductive particulate matter was tested in the same manner as in example 9 with only the heating interval being varied . the results of this experiment are presented in table 10 below . table 10______________________________________123 khz / 25 kwtotal heating time temperatures ( c . )( seconds ) a b c d e weight ( g )* ______________________________________ 0 25 27 26 29 30 516 . 560 102 101 100 98 95 510 . 390 101 100 99 98 96 501 . 3120 117 102 101 100 101 490 . 3______________________________________ * includes ceramic setters weighing 172 . 3 grams it may be noted from these last two examples that uniform heating of the article placed in proximity to the induction device does occur but it is at a lower rate than the results noted in the earlier set of experiments . this slow rate may result from any of three possibilities , all of which constitute a change from the earlier set of experiments : ( 1 ) a lower frequency solid state induction heating generator was used , ( 2 ) the articles produced in the experiments for examples 9 and 10 had internal walls approximately twice as thick as the previous sets of experiments , or ( 3 ) the nature of the electrically conductive particulate matter which was a component in the plastically deformable material used for experiments in examples 9 and 10 was altered by the use of sponge iron which replaced the precipitated carbonyl used in the earlier sets of experiments . as described earlier , due to lack of induction equipment at the facilities where forming occurred , individual pieces were cut from the continuous forming line , frozen and transported to an independent laboratory with induction facilities . ideally , at least stiffening should occur immediately as the formed material exits the forming member in a continuous fashion . this will allow for easy cutting to proper length and easy handling for further processing at later stages in the production process . this technique is illustrated schematically in fig3 in which material moves in direction ( f ) through a material delivery means ( 5 ), such as an extruder , and into a forming member ( 6 ) such as an extrusion die , and immediately into an induction heating means ( 7 ), such as a coil . alternatively , if it were somehow advantageous , it would be possible to locate the heating means ( 7 ) downstream some distance along direction ( f ) from its shown location to allow cutting prior to stiffening but still to accomplish stiffening prior to other handling . the flexibility of this invention should also allow development of a forming member and induction heating means combination wherein stiffening of very low viscosity plastically deformable materials may be initiated as formation is occurring . this concept is schematically represented in fig4 in which material travels in direction ( g ) through a delivery means ( 8 ), such as an extruder , and into then through a forming member and induction heating means combination ( 9 ), such as an extrusion die with an integral induction device . in such a system , at least that portion of the forming member in which heating is desired to take place must be made of a material which is not an induction susceptor . such a material might be a glass , ceramic , glass - ceramic or plastic material . such a forming member may be made , for example , by incorporating an induction device within the extrusion die made of non - susceptor material described in u . s . pat . no . 3 , 826 , 603 , which is incorporated by reference herein . such a system , with an induction device positioned within the outlet end of a glass or glass - ceramic die would allow formation of a continuous extremely thin - walled article which can be cut and handled very close to the exit of the forming member and induction means combination since will have been at least stiffened during formation . with the inherent flexibility of this invention , it will be possible to place induction devices downstream from the operation which at least stiffens the article to accomplish complete drying , curing , burnout , sintering , or any combination of these options .
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in order to improve gps satellite reception , in one embodiment , the gps antenna is moved from the base of the acu as shown in fig1 to being attached to the radome itself as shown in fig2 . fig2 presents a three - dimensional perspective view of patch antenna 4 connected to radome 8 . the radome is preferably fabricated using a method of thermoforming . thermoforming is a manufacturing process which transforms a thin thermoplastic sheet or film into a formed component . in one method of thermoforming , a sheet or film is heated between infrared heaters to its forming temperature and then is stretched over a temperature - controlled , single - surface metal mold . the sheet or film is held against the mold until it cools . with reference still to fig2 , gps patch antenna 4 lies within thermoformed antenna cup 16 which is adhered to radome 8 by adhesive ring 20 . circular shaped ground plane 17 is adhered to cup 16 by a second adhesive ring ( not shown ). a soldered connection 14 of predetermined length joins ground plane 17 to patch antenna 4 . the length of connection 14 has bearing on the gain associated with antenna 4 . gps coaxial antenna cable 22 is connected to ground plane 17 and is adhered to and along a wall of radome 8 enclosing , among other things , patch antenna 4 and rotating messaging antenna 10 . cable 22 is connected at another end to circuitry 21 within the transceiver formed by acu 2 . in one aspect , radome 8 is preferably constructed from a thin polycarbonate . however , the thin - walled thermoformed radome is not conducive toward allowing radome attachment of cup 16 and cable 22 by way of rivet , other conventional threaded fasteners ( e . g ., screws ) or other commonly available measures since the thermoplastic can easily crack in connection with such measures , thus creating a moisture ingress path from the region of penetration . this is particularly deleterious to acu 2 since base 6 and radome 8 , in one aspect , are sealed to help isolate acu 2 from the surrounding environment . in experimental tests , ultrasonic weld and solvent bond methods of adhesion of cup 16 to radome 8 proved unacceptable , causing radome 8 to become embrittled . adhesion of cup 16 and cable 22 using 3m ™ vhb ™ 5952 pressure sensitive adhesive tape obviated any need for screws , rivets , and silicones . one challenge in implementing the attachment of cable 22 and cup 16 , containing patch antenna 4 , to radome 8 lie in identifying a robust mount that would be able to withstand years of fatigue in an outdoor mobile application while potentially being exposed to the earth &# 39 ; s most extreme climates . acu 2 is frequently deployed in harsh , inhospitable regions of the world and as such , it must operate reliably when exposed to diverse climatic conditions offered by high humidity scenarios encountered in the amazon river basin , extreme heat typical of desserts in the american southwest and rugged terrain and winter temperatures reaching − 40 ° c . in northern alaska . the method of attachment would be subjected to rapid excursions in temperature , extended exposure to hot and cold extremes , and high impact stress at severe cold temperatures . preferably , the bonding agent used for adherence would have low water absorption properties and demonstrate a high degree of radio frequency ( rf ) transparency over a range of frequencies . after much experimental testing , adhesion to radome 8 was obtained using a double - sided adhesive tape . it was determined that commercially available 3m ™ vhb ™ 5952 tape was best suited to adhere cup 16 , containing patch antenna 4 , and gps antenna cable 22 to radome 8 . 3m ™ vhb ™ 5952 is a very high bond , double - sided acrylic foam tape . as illustrated in fig2 , two strips of tape 24 are applied to adhere cable 22 to the enclosing wall of radome 8 . as shown , cable 22 is captured under a strap fastened to radome 8 with two ends of tape 24 . tape 24 is deformable so as to securely affix cable 22 to the surface of radome 8 through the foam surface . adhesive ring 20 is a double - sided adhesive used to secure cup 16 on one side and radome 8 on the other , made from 3m ™ vhb ™ 5952 tape in a preferred embodiment . a smaller adhesive ring ( not shown ) is likewise a double - sided adhesive ring made from 3m ™ vhb ™ 5952 tape which secures ground plane 17 to cup 16 . the high performance tape holding the gps antenna cup to the radome was required to demonstrate durability under a number of stringent tests . a primary goal of this testing was to observe the stress responses of the tape in order to maintain its suitability and long - term reliability in the radome mounted gps application . thermal shock tests were performed to determine the ability of the high performance tape to withstand sudden changes in temperature . specifically , vibration tests were conducted to demonstrate the capacity of the tape to withstand the dynamic stress typically encountered in a usage environment . vibration tests over hot and cold temperatures were also performed to demonstrate the ability of the tape to survive under conditions most likely to cause tensile or shear failures . heavy impact tests were done to meet limited market requirements contemplated for customers concerned with vandalism . further , aggressive side impact tests were performed to assure that a low - hanging tree branch striking the side of the radome would not result in adhesion failure . the present embodiments are further illustrated by the following examples demonstrating the testing undergone by the foregoing described adhesive tape in which the tape held its bond during such testing . it was determined that an improved bond could be obtained using an adhesion promoter during adhesion of cup 16 and cable 22 to radome 8 . further , thermal shock testing demonstrated improved results by increasing the surface area of the affixed tape . fifteen thermal shock cycles in an air - to - air thermal shock chamber (− 50 ° c . to + 85 ° c .) followed by 9 hr 5 . 2 ( root mean squared ) rms random vibe ( 10 - 1000 hz ) and a quantity of 54 , 20 g amplitude bump shocks ( half sine , 11 ms ). cold random vibration ( 1 hr . 5 . 2 grms , 10 - 1000 hz ) performed in the vertical axis while acus were held at 50 ° c . ( worst case condition due to reduced tensile strength of the tape at cold temperature ). hot vibration ( 1 hr , 5 . 2 grms , 10 - 1000 hz ) performed in the horizontal axis while acus were held at + 85 ° c . ( worst case condition due to reduced tape shear strength at high temperature ). − 40 ° c . to + 70 ° c . and 90 % relative humidity ( rh ), 8 hr cycle , 17 day duration . − 50 ° c . to + 85 ° c ., 8 hr cycle , 17 day duration . three strikes from a 20 oz mass hitting the radome at an impact speed of 28 mph . three radome strikes from a 20 oz mass dropped 12 in . ( free - fall ) while acu is cold (− 50 °). one strike from a spring - loaded bar hitting the radome at an impact speed of 25 mph . one strike from a spring - loaded bar hitting the radome at an impact speed of 25 mp while the acu is cold ( 50 ° c .). although the invention herein has been described with reference to particular embodiments , it is to be understood that these embodiments are merely illustrative of the principles and applications of the present invention . for example , messaging antenna 10 of fig2 can represent a phased array antenna . further , although , described herein with reference to a transceiver , the foregoing embodiments can be modified to operate with solely a receiver or solely a transmitter . it is therefore to be understood that numerous modifications may be made to the illustrative embodiments and that other arrangements may be devised without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims .
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embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the drawings . fig1 shows a first embodiment of a matrix driver according to the present invention . the illustrated matrix driver includes a diode matrix composed of light emitting diodes d , having m rows and n columns . that is , ( m × n ) light emitting diodes are arranged in the form of a matrix , indicated by d 11 - d 1n , d 21 - d 2n , . . . , d m1 - mn . signals for driving and controlling these light emitting diodes d are supplied through a cpu 10 . specifically , a plurality of row control signals sl 1 - sl p are provided form row signal output terminals ol 1 - ol p of the cpu 10 , and a plurality of column control signals sr 1 - sr q are provided from column signal output terminals or 1 - or q of the cpu 10 . these row control signals sl 1 - sl p are supplied to corresponding signal input terminals i 1 - i p of a row address decoder 20 . the column control signals sr 1 - sr q are supplied to corresponding signal input terminals i 1 - i q of a column address decoder 30 . signal output terminals o 1 - o m of the row address decoder 20 are connected through pnp transistors t 1 - t m to the corresponding bases of m pnp transistors ql 1 - ql m for driving the row side of the diode matrix and provide row signals sl 1 - sl m serving as scanning signals . the bases of the transistors t 1 - t m are connected in common and grounded . similarly , signal output terminals o 1 - o n of the column address decoder 30 are connected through pnp transistors t &# 39 ; 1 - t &# 39 ; n to the corresponding bases of n npn transistors qr 1 - qr n for driving the column side of the diode matrix and provide column signals sr 1 - sr n . the bases of the transistors t &# 39 ; 1 - t &# 39 ; n are connected in common with a q terminal of a re - triggerable monostable multivibrator 40 . as this re - triggerable monostable multivibrator 40 an integrated circuit &# 34 ; hd74ls123 &# 34 ; is used in the embodiment which has a and b inputs and a clear input . the a input is fixed to &# 34 ; l &# 34 ; and the b input is fixed to &# 34 ; h &# 34 ;, and the clear input is connected to a control terminal con of the cpu 10 . with the a and b inputs of the retriggerable monostable multivibrator 40 being fixed as described above , an &# 34 ; l &# 34 ; pulse signal is provided from the q terminal when an &# 34 ; h &# 34 ; pulse signal is applied to the clear input , whereas the level of the q terminal transfers to &# 34 ; h &# 34 ; when an &# 34 ; l &# 34 ; pulse signal is applied to the clear input . on the other hand , if the clear input is held at &# 34 ; l &# 34 ; or &# 34 ; h &# 34 ;, the q terminal is kept in the &# 34 ; h &# 34 ; state . the emitters of the transistors ql 1 - ql m are connected in common with a driving voltage source + vcc , and the collector of each transistor is connected in common with the anodes of the light emitting diodes of the corresponding row . the emitters of the transistors qr 1 - qr n are connected in common and grounded , and the collector of each transistor is connected through a resistor , r 1 - r n , in common to the cathodes of the light emitting diodes of the corresponding column . the operation of the matrix driver of the foregoing configuration according to the present invention will now be described . the cpu 10 receives a pulse signal of a certain period from a pulse oscillator not shown and provides the row control signals sl 1 - sl p and the column control signals sr 1 - sr q so that in response to these control signals the individual light emitting diodes located at desired rowcolumn positions within the diode matrix are successively caused to emit light one at a time . these control signals sl 1 - sl p and sr 1 - sr q are of the square waveform type . consider now the case of causing one diode d 22 , for example , to emit light . this diode d 22 is positioned at the spot of 2nd row and 2nd column , so the row address must be &# 34 ; 2 &# 34 ; and the column address must be &# 34 ; 2 &# 34 ;. during the operation , the cpu 10 provides the row control signal sl 2 and the column control signal sr 2 . consequently , the signal input terminals i p , . . . , i 2 , i 1 of the row address decoder 20 are supplied with address signals &# 34 ; o , . . . , 1 , o &# 34 ;; thus , the row address decoder 20 decodes these address signals as &# 34 ; 2 &# 34 ; and provides the row signal sl 2 serving as the scanning signal from the signal output terminal o 2 . similarly , since the signal input terminals i q , . . . , i 2 , i 1 of the column address decoder 30 are supplied with address signals &# 34 ; o , . . . , 1 , o &# 34 ;, the column address decoder 30 decodes these address signals as &# 34 ; 2 &# 34 ; 0 and provides the column signal sr 2 serving as the scanning signal from the signal output terminal o 2 . however , during the non - scanning interval , the signal output terminals o 1 - o m of the row address decoder 20 are held at &# 34 ; h &# 34 ;, and the foregoing row signal sl 2 of 2nd row is now given in the form of an &# 34 ; l &# 34 ; signal . therefore , the collector of the transistor t 2 is changed to &# 34 ; l &# 34 ; and it is turned on ; thus , the base voltage of the driving transistor ql 2 of 2nd row is changed to &# 34 ; l &# 34 ;. similarly , during the non - scanning interval , the signal output terminals o 1 - o n of the column address decoder 30 are held at &# 34 ; l &# 34 ;, and the foregoing column signal sr 2 of 2nd column is now given in the form of an &# 34 ; h &# 34 ; signal . on the other hand , the cpu 10 provides a pulse signal p of &# 34 ; h &# 34 ; level from its control terminal con each time it provides the column signal , and this pulse signal p is supplied to the clear input of the re - triggerable monostable multivibrator 40 ; thus , the q terminal is changed to &# 34 ; l &# 34 ;. as a result , the bases of the transistors t &# 39 ; 1 - t &# 39 ; n are changed to &# 34 ; l &# 34 ;. consequently , the emitter of the transistor t &# 39 ; 2 is changed to &# 34 ; h &# 34 ; owing to the column signal sr 2 and it is turned on , then the base voltage of the driving transistor qr 2 of 2nd column is changed to &# 34 ; h &# 34 ;. accordingly , there is formed a closed circuit passing through the positive voltage source + vcc , the emitter - collector of the tansistor ql 2 , the diode d 22 , the resistor r 2 , the collector - emitter of the transistor qr 2 , and the ground , so that only one light emitting diode d 22 is energized to emit light . the foregoing relates to the control operation for causing the diode d 22 to emit light . in the same way as the above , other diodes of the matrix can be controlled individually so as to emit light by the row control signals sl 1 - sl p and the column control signals sr 1 - sr q provided for the cpu 10 . during the operation , if either the pulse oscillator or the cpu 10 has become abnormal , the row signal sl 2 and the column signal sr 2 , for example , are fixed to either &# 34 ; l &# 34 ; or &# 34 ; h &# 34 ;. in such a case , the transistor ql 2 of 2nd row and the transistor qr 2 of 2nd column tend to be held in the conducting state to thereby cause the diode d 22 to emit light continuously . in this embodiment , however , the clear input of the re - triggerable monostable multivibrator 40 is connected with the control terminal con of the cpu 10 . therefore , when either the pulse oscillator or the cpu 10 has become abnormal , the control terminal con of the cpu 10 is fixed to either &# 34 ; l &# 34 ; or &# 34 ; h &# 34 ;, as a result , the clear input of the re - triggerable monostable multivibrator 40 is held at &# 34 ; l &# 34 ; or &# 34 ; h &# 34 ; and its q terminal is maintained in the &# 34 ; h &# 34 ; state . consequently , the transistors t &# 39 ; 1 - t &# 39 ; n become the non - conducting state and all the driving transistors qr 1 - qr n become the non - conducting state too . accordingly , the other light emitting diodes d , as well as the light emitting diode d 22 , cannot be energized and are prevented from becoming destroyed . fig2 shows a second embodiment of the present invention . in this embodiment , a counter 1 and a counter 2 of the cpu 10 count a pulse signal given from the pulse oscillator not shown and provided individually the row control signals sl 1 - sl p and the column control signals sr 1 - sr q each time of counting . a counter 3 of the cpu 10 provides a negative pulse signals p &# 39 ; each time a certain number of clock pulses are supplied from a clock circuit 10a . this negative pulse signal p &# 39 ; is applied through a condenser ct and a resistor rt to the bases of the transistors t &# 39 ; 1 - t &# 39 ; n . the time constant of these condenser ct and resistor rt is set equal to or larger than the period of the pulse signal p &# 39 ;. the bases of the transistors t &# 39 ; 1 - t &# 39 ; n are applied through the resistor rt with the source voltage + vcc . for reference , the clock circuit 10a is used also as a means for synchronizing the respective counters . normally , in this embodiment , each time the row signals sl 1 - sl n and the column signals sr 1 - sr n are provided from the row address decoder 20 and the column address decoder 30 , the pulse signal p &# 39 ; is provided from the counter 3 of the cpu 10 , and this pulse signal p &# 39 ; turns on the transistors t &# 39 ; 1 - t &# 39 ; n ; thus , the light emitting diodes d are scanned successively to emit light . during the operation , if either the pulse oscillator or the cpu 10 has become abnormal , the counter 3 of the cpu 10 is fixed to &# 34 ; l &# 34 ; or &# 34 ; h &# 34 ; and the source voltage + vcc is continuously applied through the resistor rt to the bases of the transistors t &# 39 ; 1 - t &# 39 ; n . consequently , the transistors t &# 39 ; 1 - t &# 39 ; n are made non - conductive , and thus , energization of all the light emitting diodes d is terminated in a similar manner to the foregoing . fig3 shows a third embodiment of the present invention . in this embodiment , there are interposed reset - equipped one - shot multivibrators 50 between the signal output terminals o 1 - o m of the row address decoder 20 and the driving pnp transistors ql 1 - ql m . further , reset - equipped one - shot multivibrators 50 &# 39 ; are interposed between the signal output terminals o 1 - o n of the column address decoder 30 and the driving npn transistors qr 1 - qr n . the multivibrator 50 has , as shown in fig4 a reset input to be connected with each signal output terminal of the row address decoder 20 , and a q terminal to be connected with the base of each pnp transistor , ql 1 - ql m . the time constant of a condenser ct &# 39 ; and a resistor rt &# 39 ; is set so that a negative pulse is provided from the q terminal whose pulse duration is equal to or larger than that of the row signal . this reset - equipped multivibrator 50 provides a negative pulse from its q terminal each time a negative pulse is applied to the reset input . accordingly , when some row signal , for example , the row signal sl 2 , of &# 34 ; l &# 34 ; level is provided from the row address decoder 20 , a negative pulse is provided from the q terminal of the corresponding resetequipped multivibrator 50 and the pnp transistor ql 2 is turned on . similarly , the other reset - equipped multivibrator 50 &# 39 ; has a reset input to be connected with each signal output terminal of the column address decoder 30 and a q terminal to be connected with the base of each npn transistor , qr 1 - qr n , whose time constant on the output side is set in a similar manner to the above . this reset - equipped multivibrator 50 &# 39 ; provides a positive pulse from its q terminal each time a positive pulse is applied to the reset input . accordingly , if , for example , the column signal sr 2 of &# 34 ; h &# 34 ; level is provided form the column address decoder 30 , a positive pulse is provided from the q terminal of the corresponding reset - equipped multivibrator 50 &# 39 ; and the npn transistor qr 2 is turned on . as a result , the light emitting diode d 22 is driven to emit light . if either the pulse oscillator or the cpu 10 has become abnormal , the row signals sl 1 - sl m and the column signal sr 1 - sr n come to a standstill ; thus , all the q terminals of the reset - equipped multivibrators 50 are held at &# 34 ; h &# 34 ; level , whereas all the q terminals of the reset - equipped multivibrators 50 &# 39 ; are held at &# 34 ; l &# 34 ; level . accordingly , the driving transistors ql 1 - ql m and qr 1 - qr n are maintained in the non - conducting state , and energization of all the diodes d is terminated . for reference , in the embodiment shown in fig3 the same effect can be attained by the use only of either group of reset - equipped multivibrators 50 or 50 &# 39 ;. fig5 shows a fourth embodiment of the present invention . in this drawing , the diode matrix comprises m rows and n columns and includes ( m × n - 1 ) light emitting diodes . specifically , these light emitting diodes distributed are indicated by d 11 - d 1n , d 21 - d 2n , d 31 - d 3n , . . . , d ml - d m ( n - 1 ), and the position of d mn has no light emitting diode . signals for driving and controlling these light emitting diodes d are supplied through the cpu 10 . specifically , a plurality of row control signals sl 1 - sl p are provided from the row signal output terminals ol 1 - ol p , and another plurality of column control signals sr 1 - sr q are provided from the column signal output terminals or 1 - or q . these row control signals sl 1 - sl p are supplied through a plurality of condensers cl 1 - cl p to the signal input terminals i 1 - i p of the row address decoder 20 , and the column control signals sr 1 - sr g are supplied through a plurality of condensers cr 1 - cr g to the signal input terminals i 1 - i q of the column address decoder 30 . the input terminals i 1 - i p of the row address decoder 20 are grounded through resistors rl 1 - rl p , and the input terminals i 1 - i q of the column address decoder 30 are grounded through resistors rr 1 - rr q . the signal output terminals o 1 - o m of the row address decoder 20 are connected to the bases of m pnp transistors ql 1 - ql m for driving the row side of the diode matrix , thus supply the row signals sl 1 - sl m thereto . similarly , the signal output terminals o 1 - o n of the column address decoder 30 are connected to the bases of n npn transistors qr 1 - qr n for driving the column side of the diode matrix , thus supply the column signals sr 1 - sr n thereto . the emitters of the transistors ql 1 - ql m are connected in common with the driving voltage source + vcc , and each collector is connected in common with the anodes of light emitting diodes of the corresponding row . similarly , the emitters of the transistors qr 1 - qr n are grounded in common , and each collector is connected through a resistor , r 1 - r n , to the cathodes of light emitting diodes of the corresponding column in common . the row address decoder 20 operates in such a manner that when a given row control signal is applied as the address signal it provides the row signals sl m from the signal output terminal o m , and if no address signal is applied it also provides the row signal sl m from the signal output terminal o n . similarly , the column address decoder 30 operates in such a manner that when a given column control signal is applied as the address signal it provides the column signal sr n from the signal output terminal o n , and if no address signal is applied it also provides the column signal sr n from the signal output terminal o n . the cpu 10 receives a pulse signal of a certain period from the pulse oscillator not shown and provides the row control signals sl 1 - sl p and the column control signals sr 1 - sr g so that in response to these control signals the individual light emitting diodes located at desired row - column positions within the diode matrix are successively caused to emit light one at a time . these control signals sl 1 - sl p and sr 1 - sr g are of the square waveform type . consider now the case of causing one diode d 22 , for example , to emit light . this diode d 22 is positioned at the spot of 2nd row and 2nd column , so the row address must be &# 34 ; 2 &# 34 ; and the column address must be &# 34 ; 2 &# 34 ;. during the operation , the cpu 10 provides the row control signal sl 2 and the column signal sr 2 . consequently , the signal input terminals i p , . . . , i 2 , i 1 of the row address decoder 20 are supplied with address signals &# 34 ; o , . . . , 1 , o &# 34 ;; thus , the row address decoder 20 decodes these address signals as &# 34 ; 2 &# 34 ; and provides the row signal sl 2 from the signal output terminal o 2 . similarly , since the signal input terminals i q , . . . , i 2 , i 1 of the column address decoder 30 are supplied with address signals &# 34 ; o , . . . , 1 , o &# 34 ;, the column address decoder 30 decodes these address signals as &# 34 ; 2 &# 34 ; and provides the column signal sr 2 from the signal output terminal o 2 . however , during the non - scanning interval , the signal output terminals o 1 - o m of the row address decoder 20 are held at &# 34 ; h &# 34 ;, and the foregoing row signal sl 2 of 2nd row is now given in the form of an &# 34 ; l &# 34 ; signal . therefore , the base voltage of the driving transistor ql 2 of 2nd row is changed to &# 34 ; l &# 34 ;. similarly , during the non - scanning interval , the signal output terminals o 1 - o n of the column address decoder 30 are held at &# 34 ; l &# 34 ;, and the foregoing column signal sr 2 of 2nd column is now given in the form of an &# 34 ; h &# 34 ; signal . therefore , the base voltage of the driving transistor qr 2 of 2nd column is changed to &# 34 ; h &# 34 ;. accordingly , there is formed a closed circuit passing through the positive voltage source + vcc , the emittercollector collector of the transistor ql 2 , the diode d 22 , the resistor r 2 , the collector - emitter of the transistor qr 2 , and the ground , so that the two transistors ql 2 and qr 2 are turned on and only the diode d 22 is energized to emit light . the foregoing relates to the control operation for causing the diode d 22 to emit light . in the same way as the above , other diodes of the matrix can be controlled individually so as to emit light by the row control signals sl 1 - sl p and the column control signals sr 1 - sr q provided from the cpu 10 . during the operation , if either the pulse oscillator or the cpu 10 has become abnormal , the row signal sl 2 and the column signal sr 2 , for example , are fixed to either &# 34 ; l &# 34 ; or &# 34 ; h &# 34 ;. in such a case , if the condensers cl 2 and cr 2 were not included , the row address decoder 20 and the column address decoder 30 are held in the foregoing abnormal state . as a result , the transistor ql 2 of 2nd row and the transistor qr 2 of 2nd column are held in the conducting state , so that the diode d 22 emits light continuously . on the contrary , in this embodiment , the row control signals sl 1 - sl p and the column control signals sr 1 - sr q are supplied through the respective condensers to the decoders 20 and 30 , respectively . therefore , in the foregoing abnormal state , the row signal sl 2 and the column signal sr 2 are prevented from reaching the subsequent stages by both condensers cl 2 and cr 2 . specifically , two voltages to be applied to the individual signal input terminals i 2 of the two decoders 20 and 30 are varied by the time constant of the resistor rl 2 and the condenser cl 2 and the time constant of the resistor rr 2 and the condenser cr 2 . or , in accordance with these time constants the row control signal rl 2 and the column control signal rr 2 are changed smoothly from &# 34 ; h &# 34 ; to &# 34 ; l &# 34 ;. consequently , any part of the address signal does not become supplied to the row address decoder 20 and the column address decoder 30 . as a result , the row signal sl m is provided from the signal output terminal o m of the row address decoder 20 and the column signal sr n is provided from the signal output terminal o n of the column address decoder 30 , and the driving transistors ql m and qr n are turned on . accordingly , at the abnormal time , the position of d mn within the diode matrix is surely scanned and since this position has no light emitting diode arranged there , destruction of any light emitting diode can surely be prevented . although the row control signals sl 1 - sl p and the column control signals sr 1 - sr q are supplied through the capacitive elements to either the address decoder 20 or 30 , these elements may be replaced with monostable multivibrators . in the latter case , in response to the rising of each control signal each pulse signal of a certain duration is applied to the input terminal , i 1 - i p , i 1 - i q , of the decoder , 20 , 30 . therefore , even if some control signal maintains its outputting state , no influence results after generation of one pulse ; thus , it is possible to scan successively the d mn position having no light emitting diode , similarly to the other positions . in this embodiment , it is also possible to define external row - column positions not included in the diode matrix . if so modified , when the row and column control signals are prevented from changing , thereby resulting in the abnormal state , these external row - column positions are designated by the two decoders 20 and 30 . according to the present invention , since the driving means for causing the light emitting diodes to emit light are deactivated when the scanning signals come to a standstill , the continued emission action of the light emitting diodes that would otherwise be caused owing to , for example , a trouble of the device can surely be prevented . thus , there can be provided the matrix driver capable of causing the light emitting diodes to emit light stably over a long time . further , since the position where no light emitting diode exists is automatically designated when the signals for controlling the row and column have become abnormal , a peculiar light emitting diode can be prevented from emitting light continuously . thus , there can be provided the matrix driver which does not destroy any diodes and shorten the lifetime .
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u . s . patent application ser . no . 13 / 766 , 801 , filed feb . 14 , 2013 , which is assigned to the assignee of the present patent application and whose disclosure is incorporated herein by reference , describes depth engines that generate 3d mapping data by measuring the time of flight of a scanning beam . a light transmitter , such as a laser , directs short pulses of light toward a scanning mirror , which scans the light beam over a scene of interest . a receiver , such as a sensitive , high - speed photodiode ( for example , an avalanche photodiode ) receives light returned from the scene via the same scanning mirror . processing circuitry measures the time delay between the transmitted and received light pulses at each point in the scan . this delay is indicative of the distance traveled by the light beam , and hence of the depth of the object at the point . the processing circuitry uses the depth data thus extracted in producing a 3d map of the scene . for compactness , low cost , and low power consumption , the scanning mirror in this sort of scanning system may be produced using mems technology ( possibly by means of the sorts of techniques that are described in the above - mentioned u . s . pat . no . 7 , 952 , 781 ). to enhance the sensitivity of the system , it is advantageous that the mirror be as large as possible ( typically with an active area in the range of 5 - 25 mm 2 ). at the same time , for 3d mapping , as well as other scanning applications , it is desirable that the mirror scan mechanically about at least one axis over large angles ( typically ± 10 - 25 °) at high frequency ( typically 2 - 10 khz ). ( the scan range about the second scan axis may be even larger , but the scan frequency is typically lower .) the need for high scan frequency and range conflicts with the desire to increase mirror size , and it may be infeasible to make a single scanning mirror of the desired size , range , and frequency capabilities given the limitations of the material ( such as a silicon wafer ) from which the scanner is made . embodiments of the present invention that are described herein seek to overcome these design constraints by using an array of multiple , adjacent mirrors . the mirrors scan in mutual synchronization , and thus behave optically as though they were a single mirror , of dimensions equal to the size of the entire array . a weak mechanical link between the mirrors in the array is used to couple the oscillations of the mirrors and thus maintain the synchronization between them . in the embodiments that are illustrated in the figures , the synchronized mirror array comprises two micromirrors , which operate in phase and are mounted on a gimbaled base for two - axis scanning . ( the term “ micromirror ” is used herein simply to refer to very small mirrors , which are typically no more than a few millimeters across , although it may be possible to apply the principles of the present invention to larger mirrors .) alternatively , such mirror arrays may comprise a larger number of mirrors , and may be deployed with or without gimbaling . further alternatively or additionally , other forms of synchronization , such as anti - phased rotation of the mirrors in the array , can be implemented by appropriate design of the mirrors and the mechanical link between them . fig1 schematically illustrates elements of an optical scanning head 40 comprising a gimbaled micromirror array 100 , in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention . with the exception of the micromirror array itself , optical scanning head 40 is similar to the optical scanning head that is described in the above - mentioned u . s . patent application ser . no . 13 / 766 , 801 . a transmitter 44 emits pulses of light toward a polarizing beamsplitter 60 . typically , only a small area of the beamsplitter , directly in the light path of transmitter 44 , is coated for reflection , while the remainder of the beamsplitter is fully transparent in the transmitted wavelength range ( or even anti - reflection coated for it ) to permit returned light to pass through to a receiver 48 . the light from transmitter 44 reflects off beamsplitter 60 and then a folding mirror 62 toward micromirror array 100 . a mems scanner 64 scans the micromirror array in x - and y - directions with the desired scan frequency and amplitude . details of the micromirror array and scanner are shown in the figures that follow . light pulses returned from the scene strike micromirror array 100 , which reflects the light via folding mirror 62 through beamsplitter 60 . to limit the amount of unwanted ambient light that reaches receiver 48 , a bandpass filter ( not shown ) may be incorporated in the receiver path , possibly on the same substrate as beamsplitter 60 . receiver 48 senses the returned light pulses and generates corresponding electrical pulses . a controller 30 drives transmitter 44 and scanner 64 and analyzes the time delay between the transmitted pulses and the corresponding pulses from receiver 48 in order to measure the time of flight of each pulse . based on this time of flight , the controller computes the depth coordinate of each point in the scene that is scanned by scanning head 40 and thus generates a depth map of the scene . to enhance sensitivity of detection , the overall area of beamsplitter 60 and the aperture of receiver 48 are considerably larger than the area of the transmitted beam . it is also desirable that the micromirrors in micromirror array 100 be as large as possible , within the inertial constraints imposed by the scanner . for example , the area of each micromirror may be about 12 . 5 mm 2 , and the overall area of the micromirror array may be about 25 mm 2 . the specific mechanical and optical designs of the optical head shown in fig1 are described here by way of example , and alternative designs implementing similar principles are considered to be within the scope of the present invention . fig2 is a schematic , pictorial illustration of mems scanner 64 , in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention . this scanner is produced and operates on principles similar to those described in the above - mentioned u . s . pat . no . 7 , 952 , 781 , but enables two - dimensional scanning of micromirror array 100 . the micromirror array is produced by suitably etching a semiconductor substrate 68 to separate micromirrors 102 in the array from a support 72 ( also referred to as a gimbal ), and to separate the support from the remaining substrate 68 . after etching , micromirrors 102 ( to which a suitable reflective coating is applied ) are able to rotate in the y - direction relative to support 72 on spindles 106 , while support 72 rotates in the x - direction relative to substrate 68 on spindles 74 , which are coupled to wings 104 of support 72 . micromirrors 102 and support 72 are mounted on a pair of rotors 76 , which typically comprise permanent magnets . ( only one of the rotors is visible in this figure .) rotors 76 are suspended in respective air gaps of magnetic cores 78 . cores 78 are wound with respective coils 80 of conductive wire , thus creating an electromagnetic stator assembly . although a single coil per core is shown in fig2 for the sake of simplicity , two or more coils may alternatively be wound on each core ; coils may be wound at different places on the cores ; and different core shapes may also be used . alternative core and coil designs are shown , for example , in u . s . provisional patent application 61 / 675 , 828 , filed jul . 26 , 2012 , which is incorporated herein by reference . driving an electrical current through coils 80 generates a magnetic field in the air gaps , which interacts with the magnetization of rotors 76 so as to cause the rotors to rotate or otherwise move within the air gaps . specifically , coils 80 are driven with high - frequency differential currents so as to cause micromirror 46 to rotate resonantly back and forth about spindles 70 at high frequency ( typically in the range of 2 - 10 khz , as noted above ). this resonant rotation generates the high - speed y - direction raster scan of the output beam from engine 22 . at the same time , coils 80 are driven together at lower frequency to drive the x - direction scan by rotation of support 72 about spindles 74 through the desired scan range . alternatively , other stator configurations and drive schemes may be used for these purposes , as described in the above - mentioned u . s . provisional patent application 61 / 675 , 828 , for example . the x - and y - rotations together generate the overall raster scan pattern of micromirror 46 . assembly of optical head 40 from discrete optical and mechanical components , as shown in fig1 , requires precise alignment and can be costly . in alternative embodiments , all parts requiring precise placement and alignment ( such as the light transmitter , receiver , and associated optics ) may be combined in a single integrated package on a silicon optical bench ( siob ). this approach can save costs and may make the depth engine easier to handle . various alternative designs of these sorts are shown in the above - mentioned u . s . patent application ser . no . 13 / 766 , 801 , and may be adapted , as well , for use with a micromirror array . fig3 is a schematic rear view of gimbaled micromirror array 100 , in accordance with an embodiment of the invention . array 100 as pictured in fig3 differs in some details of shape and orientation from the micromirror array that is show in fig1 and 2 , but its elements and principles of operation are the same . as noted earlier , array 100 comprises two parallel micromirrors 102 , which are connected to support 72 by respective spindles 106 . magnetic rotors 76 are attached to wings 104 of support 72 , which are coupled to substrate 68 by spindles 74 , perpendicular to spindles 106 . in operation , rotors 76 are suspended within the air gaps of cores 78 , as shown in fig2 and explained above . mirrors 102 are linked mechanically to one another by flexible coupling members in the form of belts 108 , as explained below . fig4 is an enlarged , detail view of micromirrors 102 , showing details of one of belts 108 . this belt is produced in the same photolithographic process in which the mirrors and their spindles are etched apart from substrate 68 . belt 108 thus comprises a thin strip of silicon , typically about 10 - 100 μm wide , which is separated by grooves etched through the substrate from support 72 on one side and from micromirrors 102 on the other . the thickness of the belt ( i . e ., the dimension perpendicular to the wafer surface ) may be the full thickness of the wafer . alternatively , belt 108 may be thinned to alter the belt connection stiffness and to enable bending and stretching modes of the belt in addition to the torsion mode that is illustrated in fig5 . each end of the belt is connected to a respective one of the micromirrors , and the belt is anchored to support 72 at a central pivot point 110 . fig5 is a schematic pictorial view of array 100 in operation , powered by a mems scanner as shown above . the mems scanner drives both micromirrors 102 to rotate simultaneously about the x - axis ( as defined in fig2 ). the elastic force exerted by belts 108 couples the motion of the two micromirrors together , so that they rotate in perfect phase synchronization and have the same angular orientation during oscillation . even if the actual force exerted by the belts is small , it is sufficient to maintain mechanical phase locking and thus synchronize the two adjacent oscillators ( i . e ., the micromirrors ), which have approximately the same resonant frequency . thus , array 100 behaves optically as though it were a single oscillating mirror , with dimensions equal to the combined dimensions of both micromirrors 102 together . physically speaking , spindles 106 act as torsion springs , and belt 108 adds a third spring to the system , coupling together the masses of micromirrors 102 . when the masses are coupled via this third spring , two modes of motion are possible : one in which , the masses move in the same direction , and the other in which the masses move in opposite directions . ( each mode has its own frequency , which is shared by both mirrors , as opposed to the individual frequencies of the two mirrors in the absence of a coupling member .) the stiffness of the third spring can be adjusted , even to the point at which belt 108 is the primary spring , exerting greater force than pivots 106 . fig6 is a schematic diagram illustrating principles of operation of a gimbaled micromirror array 200 , in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention . this figure illustrates how the principles described above may be extended to arrays of three micromirrors 202 , 204 , 206 ( labeled m 1 , m 2 and m 3 ), or more . mirrors m 1 , m 2 and m 3 are mounted on pivots 208 ( such as the sort of spindles described above ), represented as springs k 3 , k 4 , k 5 , while the mirrors are linked by belts 210 represented as springs k 1 and k 2 . this arrangement can be used to synchronize the rotation of the three mirrors in the same manner as in the two - mirror embodiments described above . the three ( or more ) mirrors may likewise be mounted together on a gimbaled support . regardless of whether the array includes two , three , or more mirrors , the springs may be implemented either as the sort of pivots and belts that are shown in the preceding figures or using other sorts of flexible , elastic elements , which may be fabricated by any suitable technique that is known in the art . although the operation of micromirror array 100 is described above primarily in the context of optical head and 3d mapping , the principles of array 100 may similarly be applied in optical scanners of other types , for substantially any application requiring a compact , high - frequency resonant scanner . such scanners may be driven magnetically , as in the embodiments described above , or using any other suitable sort of drive mechanism that is known in the art , including various types of magnetic and electrostatic drives , for example . furthermore , as noted earlier , the mirrors may be coupled and driven so that while rotating at the same frequency , the mirrors are oriented at different angles during their respective scans . this latter mode of operation can be useful in synchronized multi - beam scanning systems . it will thus be appreciated that the embodiments described above are cited by way of example , and 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 variations and modifications thereof which would occur to persons skilled in the art upon reading the foregoing description and which are not disclosed in the prior art .
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in the figures there is shown a paperboard blank 10 for producing a basket - type carton 11 for carrying a number of articles as a multipack . in the arrangement shown , the articles are bottles 12 having bottle closures 13 and the carton 11 is designed to carry a total of six bottles 12 in two rows of three . it will be evident on reading the specification , however , that other articles could be carried and there could be more than three articles in each row . the blank 10 provides two main handle panels 14 which are connected along a fold line a - a . the main handle panels 14 each have a handle aperture 15 complete with a tuck flap 16 , which is known for providing added comfort when the loaded carton 11 is being carried . each main handle panel 14 is hingedly connected at each lengthwise end to an interconnecting web 17 . reinforcing panels 18 which have handle reinforcing portions 19 and web reinforcing sections 20 are hingedly connected to the respective main handle panels 14 and to the interconnecting webs 17 along fold lines b - b and c - c . each main handle panel 14 also has an extension 21 which terminates in a hook formation 22 at one end . each interconnecting web 17 is hingedly connected remote from the handle panel 14 to a side wall 23 which in turn is hingedly connected at its lower edge 24 to a main base panel 25 at one side and a secondary base panel 25 in the form of a glue panel at the other side . alternatively , interlocking formations could be employed to secure the base , as is known in the industry . each side wall 23 has an interconnecting web 17 at each lengthwise end . the main base panel 25 has a lengthwise fold 41 which is centrally disposed between the side walls 23 when the carton is assembled . at each end edge 26 of each side wall 23 , a partial end wall 27 , 28 is hingedly connected . hingedly connected along folds 29 to each partial end wall 27 , 28 is a partial center wall 30 , 31 . lateral dividers 32 , 33 are cut from the partial center walls 31 to be hinged about folds 34 , 35 . each lateral divider 32 , 33 has an adhesive tab 36 cut therefrom which tab is hingedly connected to the lateral divider by means of fold 37 . assembly of the carton 11 is as follows . first , the reinforcing panels 18 are folded about folds b - b and c - c and adhesively secured to the inside of the main handle panels 14 and the interconnecting webs 17 . next , the partial center walls 31 are folded through 180 ° about folds 29 so as to lie against the adjacent partial end wall 28 and the side wall 23 . glue is applied to the adhesive tabs 36 of the lateral dividers 32 , 33 to secure them to the respective side walls 23 . the other partial center walls 30 together with their associated partial end walls 27 are then folded through 180 ° about the edges 26 . glue is applied to the upper part of the partial center walls 30 to secure them to the respective partial center walls 31 which is overlapped . the part - assembled carton 11 is then folded about fold a - a and the two reinforced handle panels 14 are adhesively secured to each other , but the extensions 21 are not secured to each other . also adhesively secured together are the parts of the partial walls 30 , 31 around , but not including , the lateral dividers 32 , 33 . the base panels 25 can then be secured relative to each other either before or after bottles have been inserted into the article receiving compartments defined by the partial end walls , the center wall , the side walls and the base panels . each extension 21 remains on the outside of its respective center wall . it will be clear that the assembled carton 11 can in this embodiment be assembled into a flat condition which can be opened up when articles are to be inserted . when the carton 11 is opened up , hook receiving edges or notches 38 become apparent where the lateral dividers 33 hinge out of the plane of the partial center wall 31 . the handle section 14 , 21 is attached to the article receiving compartments only by means of the four reinforced interconnecting webs 17 . the handle section 14 , 21 is , therefore , movable up and down relative to the center wall 30 , 31 of the carton 11 . the pair of extensions 21 which , when assembled , extend downwardly from the main handle panels 14 on both sides of the center wall are dimensioned such that the hook formations 22 can engage in the notches 38 so as to retain the handle section 14 , 21 in a lowered position . the extensions each have at each end an angled cutaway 42 below the hook formation 22 to allow passage of the lateral divider 33 when the pack is being opened up and the handle lowered as shown clearly in fig3 and 4 . the provision of unglued extensions 21 both either side of the central wall gives the pack symmetry and helps to keep the central wall central . generally , with the bottles 12 inserted , the main handle panels 14 do not project above the bottles when the handle section 14 , 21 is in its lowered position . this is ideal for storage and stacking . an end user can , however , grasp the handle by way of the handle apertures 15 and lift the handle . the interengagement of the hook formations 22 in the notches 38 is readily overcome to allow the handle section 14 , 21 to move upwardly such that the handle apertures 15 are above the bottles 12 . optional creases 39 in the interconnecting webs 17 may be provided to facilitate the movement between the lowered and raised positions . the carton 11 illustrated has a four ply handle area 14 with reinforced webs 17 , but the reinforcement may not be necessary depending on the weight to be carried and the strength of the paperboard . also , the carton 11 could be readily modified to carry more or even less bottles than the six illustrated .
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reference will now be made in detail to the preferred embodiments , examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings , wherein like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout . as schematically illustrated in fig1 , control units sta and stb are located in two mobile switching centers msc a and msc b respectively , the control units being able to store the user request for a higher - grade service . the request for a service change ( upgrade ) is always stored locally in the control unit which detects that , at its end , e . g . because of radio access network limitations , the change to the higher - grade service 1 is not possible . the control logic is shown in fig2 in the form of a state diagram , taking the example of upgrading from “ speech ” to “ multimedia ”. according to the related art , a user can set up a speech call or a multimedia call ( transition ( 1 ) from “ start ” state to “ speech ”, or transition ( 2 ) from “ start ” to “ multimedia ”). if a multimedia call has been successfully set up and one of the two mscs is subsequently forced to downgrade from multimedia to speech , e . g . because of the deteriorating quality of the radio channel , this is memorized locally by the control logic in that msc ( transition ( 14 ) from “ multimedia ” state to “ speech ”, upgrade if possible ”). the control unit in the msc also remembers that a change to multimedia is requested : a ) if during call setup a multimedia call is requested , but the msc can only set up a speech call in the radio cell in which the mobile user controlled by the msc is located ( transition ( 3 ) from “ start ” state to “ speech , upgrade if possible ”); b ) if a connection for speech is already set up and one of the two users signals that he or she would like to upgrade to multimedia , but the change is not possible locally in the radio cell in which the mobile user controlled by the msc is located ( transition ( 12 ) from “ speech ” state to “ speech , upgrade if possible ”); and c ) if the local radio access network is temporarily unable to assign the desired radio bearer e . g . because of a high traffic load in the cell ( transition ( 13 ) from “ local bearer upgrade initiated ” to “ speech , upgrade if possible ”). in per se known manner the service change is later initially offered locally by msc a to user a ( calling party ) if , in the state “ speech , upgrade if possible ”, a change to multimedia becomes locally possible ( 15 ), e . g . after a handover of user a from a gsm to a umts cell or if the radio access network reports that the traffic load in the cell has reduced so greatly that the desired radio bearer can be assigned . if user a declines , the user request is deleted in the control unit ( 10 ). if user a accepts ( 16 ), the change is signaled to msc b . if the change is accepted at the b - end ( 6 ), the radio access bearer is also switched over locally so that the connection can be used for multimedia ( 7 ). should an error occur here , e . g . because the traffic load in the cell is too high , the network falls back to the old configuration for speech , and memorizes the user request for multimedia ( 13 ). if the service change fails at the b - end for any reason ( 5 ), the user request is deleted in the control unit of msc a . in this case the control unit in msc b knows whether the change to multimedia has been declined by user b ( called party ) or by msc b itself for network - initiated reasons . in the first case , the control unit in msc b remains in the “ speech ” state , or changes thereto if it was previously in another state , e . g . “ speech , upgrade if possible ”. in the second case , if the change has been declined by msc b , the control unit changes to the state “ speech , upgrade if possible ”, i . e . the user request for a service change remains stored in the network . however , the location where it is stored has now changed from msc a to msc b . the system also includes permanent or removable storage , such as magnetic and optical discs , ram , rom , etc . on which the process and data structures of the present invention can be stored and distributed . the processes can also be distributed via , for example , downloading over a network such as the internet . the system can output the results to a display device , printer , readily accessible memory or another computer on a network . a description has been provided with particular reference to an embodiment configurations and situation illustrated in the drawings and explained above , but is likewise possible in a large number of variations of same within the scope of competent practice ; thus , it will be understood that variations and modifications can be effected within the spirit and scope of the claims which may include the phrase “ at least one of a , b and c ” as an alternative expression that means one or more of a , b and c may be used , contrary to the holding in superguide v . directv , 358 f3d 870 , 69 uspq2d 1865 ( fed . cir . 2004 ).
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fig1 - 8 illustrate a vehicle end gate ( tail gate ), indicated generally at 10 , and portions thereof , in accordance with the present invention . the end gate 10 has an outer surface 12 that faces in an aft direction of the vehicle ( not shown ) and an inner surface 14 that faces in a forward direction of the vehicle . the inner surface 14 may be , for example , at a rear of and facing into a cargo box ( not shown ) of a pickup truck , when the end gate 10 is in its closed ( vertical ) position . the outer surface 12 includes a handle opening 16 , around which are located three tab slots 18 . the inner surface 14 includes three fastener holes 20 opposite the handle opening 16 . the upper two of the three fastener holes 20 receive a pair of top fasteners 22 , while the lower of the three fastener holes 20 receives a bottom fastener 24 . the fasteners may be , for example , bolts or screws . a latch assembly 26 assembles into a latch handle assembly 28 . the latch handle assembly 28 may be assembled to the end gate 10 by inserting the latch handle assembly 28 into the handle opening 16 , connecting the latch handle assembly 28 to latch rods 32 , and then securing the latch assembly 26 to the end gate 10 by inserting the fasteners 22 , 24 through the fastener holes 20 and screwing them into fastener holes 30 in the latch assembly 26 . the latch rods 32 may engage catches 34 ( only left side shown ) that operatively engage the vehicle to hold the end gate 10 in its closed position . the catches 34 are selectively releasable by the latch handle assembly 28 to allow the end gate 10 to pivot about hinges 36 ( only left side shown ) into an open ( horizontal ) position . a handle bezel 40 includes main body 41 with a handle opening 42 for receiving the handle portion 44 of the latch handle assembly 28 therethrough . the handle bezel 40 can be installed immediately after or during installation of the latch handle assembly 28 , or at a later time . the handle bezel 40 has three integral tabs 46 extending from the main body 41 that are located to align with and slide into the tab slots 18 when the handle bezel 40 is in the correct location and orientation relative to the handle opening 16 . each of the integral tabs 46 may include a retention spring 48 mounted thereon to provide a biasing force to help retain the integral tabs 46 in their respective tab slots 18 . the handle bezel 40 also includes a mount 50 for mounting a key cylinder 52 thereto . the key cylinder 52 engages with the latch handle assembly 28 to lock and unlock the assembly based on which direction a key ( not shown ) is turned in the key cylinder 52 . the key cylinder and its engagement with the latch handle assembly 28 may be conventional , if so desired , and so will not be discussed or shown in more detail herein . in addition , the handle bezel 40 includes a retainer bracket 54 extending from the main body 41 . the retainer bracket 54 is located to align with — and has support flanges 56 that are located to extend partially around — the bottom fastener 24 when the handle bezel 40 is mounted to the end gate 10 . a retainer clip 58 mounts in the retainer bracket 54 . it has mounting flanges 60 that are received in slots 57 of and supported by the support flanges 56 . a pair of bracket retention tabs 62 extend from the retainer clip 58 and engage with the slots 57 to prevent the retainer clip 58 from sliding out of the support flanges 56 . a stiffening flange 64 extends from the retainer clip 58 and is located between the slots 57 . the stiffening flange 64 helps minimize the flexing of the retainer bracket 54 when out of plane forces are applied to the bracket 54 . the retainer clip 58 also includes a fastener opening 66 in a main surface 70 , with fastener retention tabs 68 extending radially inward toward the center of the opening 66 . the fastener retention tabs 68 are angled out of plane from the main surface 70 . the fastener retention tabs 68 are oriented to extend radially inward and aft when the handle bezel 40 is mounted in the end gate 10 , with the fastener retention tabs 68 extending radially inward far enough to engage with threads on the bottom fastener 24 . assembly of the handle bezel 40 to the end gate 10 may include assembling the key cylinder 52 to the handle bezel 40 at the same time as a key cylinder ( not shown ) for a passenger door ( not shown ) is installed in that door so that the key cylinders will unlock with the same key ( not shown ). the handle bezel 40 for the end gate 10 may then be kept with the vehicle until such time as it is desirable to install the handle bezel 40 to the end gate 10 . of course , other sequencing may be employed in the assembly plant instead , if so desired . the handle bezel 40 is assembled to the end gate 10 by aligning each integral tab 46 with its corresponding tab slot 18 and pushing it into position . while pushing it into position , the retention springs 48 on the integral tabs 46 will each engage with its corresponding tab slot 18 , and the retainer clip 58 will slide over the bottom fastener 24 , with the fastener retention tabs 68 engaging the threads of the bottom fastener 24 . the bottom fastener 24 will already have been installed previously while securing the latch assembly 26 to the end gate 10 . the retainer clip 58 on the retainer bracket 54 of the handle bezel 40 , then , allows one to assemble the handle bezel 40 to the end gate 10 without having to lower the end gate 10 , and without having to add — or remove and reinstall — any additional fasteners to secure it in place . accordingly , once the vehicle reaches a final trim station in an assembly plant , for example , the handle bezel 40 can be assembled to the end gate 10 , even though a lock cylinder for a passenger door and the latch handle assembly 28 have been installed at previous stations in the assembly plant . moreover , since the fastener retention tabs 68 on the retainer clip 58 are angled to extend in the aft direction ( i . e ., extending back toward the bezel 40 and away from the head of the fastener 24 ), they will flex around the fastener threads during assembly of the handle bezel 40 to the end gate 10 , but will flex into the fastener threads to prevent removal of the handle bezel 40 if one attempts to remove it — thus effectively acting like barbs on a christmas tree type of fastener . unlike a christmas tree type of fastener , though , the handle bezel 40 can be removed for service . one need only to unscrew the bottom fastener 24 to disengage it from the fastener retention tabs 68 on the retainer clip 58 , and then pull on the handle bezel 40 to cause the integral tabs 46 to release from the tab slots 18 . thus , while the handle bezel 40 can be assembled with only access to the outer surface 12 , it cannot be removed without having access to the bottom fastener 24 on the inner surface 14 . this ensures that the added security provided by the key cylinder 52 is not compromised . another step that may be included in the installation of the handle bezel 40 is to apply a double sided tape 72 ( shown in fig6 ) to portions of the inner ( forward ) side of the handle bezel 40 . then , when the handle bezel 40 is slid into place , the double sided tape 72 will adhere to the outer surface 12 around the perimeter of the handle opening 16 , providing additional retention capability . even though a handle bezel and key cylinder for an end gate of a vehicle have been discussed herein , such a bezel with a retainer clip may also be employed for assembly of other bezels to other vehicle closures . while certain embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail , those familiar with the art to which this invention relates will recognize various alternative designs and embodiments for practicing the invention as defined by the following claims .
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a first embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to fig1 ˜ 3 and 7 . this embodiment is formed by applying the present invention to a cellular phone as a portable mobile unit . the construction of a circuit of the cellular phone in this mode of embodiment is shown in fig1 , and an external appearance of the cellular phone in fig7 . the cellular phone in this mode of embodiment is formed so that the cellular phone receives at a receiver circuit 2 a downlink signal from a base station ( not shown ) with an uplink signal outputted from a transmitter circuit 3 to the base station , i . e ., by - directional communication can be made between the cellular phone and the base station . a downlink signal from the base station is received at an antenna 1 , and amplified and demodulated in the receiver circuit 2 . an output from the receiver circuit 2 is supplied to a signal demodulator 4 in a signal processor 7 . the signal processor 7 has a control processor 6 and a signal modulator 5 in addition to the signal demodulator 4 . the signal demodulator 4 divides an output from the receiver 2 into a communication signal and a control signal by demodulating a cdma signal . namely , a received signal is converted into a digital signal in the demodulator 4 and subjected to despreading and pn code demodulation , the resultant signal being divided into an aural ( data ) signal as a communication signal and a control signal . the control signal is supplied to the control processor 6 , which controls the operation of the cellular phone on the basis of the control signal . the audio signal is converted into an analog signal , which is outputted from a receiver 8 . in the case of a data signal , it is shown on a display 11 , or sent to an external apparatus 21 , if any , which is connected to the cellular phone at its outside , via an outer interface 13 . concrete examples of the external apparatus 21 include an apparatus used to send and receive data , such as a personal computer , an information terminal apparatus or a telemeter system . the connection of the cellular phone to the external apparatus 21 can be attained by wireless or by a medium , such as infrared rays , not to mention by wire . a transmitter 9 is for convert voice into an input audio signal . this input audio signal is converted into a digital signal , which is then inputted into the signal modulator 5 . data signals from an input section 12 and an interface member 14 of an external interface 13 are inputted into a signal modulator 5 via the control processor 6 . in the signal modulator 5 , an input audio signal or a data signal inputted thereinto is subjected to pn code modulation as cdma signal modulation and spreading , and the resultant signal is converted into an analog signal , which is sent to the transmitter circuit 3 . in the transmitter circuit 3 , an output from the signal modulator 5 is amplified and modulated , and then sent out as an uplink signal from the antenna 1 . in this mode of embodiment , the cellular phone has a function of alarming the worsening of the uplink speech quality to its user in case of deterioration of the uplink speech quality , in addition to the function of alarming the deterioration of downlink speech quality . the latter is performed in accordance with the detection of a decrease in electric field intensity ( rssi ) and an increase in an error rate of a received signal , which occur when a received electric wave is weak enough to cause the downlink speech quality to lower , by using a function of measuring rssi of a received electric wave and a function of measuring an error rate of a received signal at the receiver circuit 2 as are employed in a regular digital cellular phone system . the receiver circuit 2 , transmitter circuit 3 , signal demodulator 4 , signal modulator 5 , control processor 6 , receiver 8 , microphone 9 , display 11 and input section 12 are contained or installed in a casing . as shown in fig7 , the antenna 1 is provided so as to project from the casing , and the receiver 8 , microphone 9 , display 11 and input section 12 on an outer surface of the casing . the display 11 is formed of a liquid crystal display , and the input section 12 has cursor direction keys ( up , down , right , left ) for moving a cursor on the display 11 and scrolling a display screen , function keys for setting or selecting various kinds of functions , and number keys for inputting telephone numbers or data . fig2 is a diagram showing an example of variation of transmission power of the cellular phone in this mode of embodiment . as shown in the drawing , the cellular phone controls its output power in accordance with a control signal sent from a base station . in a cdma system , the transmission power of a cellular phone in service is controlled by an electric power control signal , and , in an is - 95 system , fine control operations of 800 times per second are conducted . in a normal condition , a transmission power control range is within a range controlled by cellular phone in normal condition . when the uplink speech quality is deteriorated with the intensity of a received signal within a predetermined range though the receiver circuit normally receives a downlink signal , the base station transmits an uplink signal intensity control signal as a downlink signal , and the control processor 6 controls a transmission output ( po ) of the cellular phone so that the transmission output ( po ) increases . however , the transmission output ( po ) of the cellular phone is limited by and saturated at its maximum transmission output level ( pmax ). when the uplink speech quality is not yet improved , the base station continues to send out a intensity control signal so as to increase the transmission output ( po ) of the cellular phone , and , in accordance with a command of the intensity control signal , the transmission output ( po ) of the cellular phone is put in a saturated state at a maximum transmission output level ( pmax ) continuously . in such a case , the intensity of the received signal is in a normal range . accordingly , the user of the cellular phone can hear the voice of the other party but the other party cannot hear the voice of the user . in such condition , the base station holds the line for a certain period of time but , when the uplink speech quality is not improved during this time , the base station cuts off the line . when the base station continues to send out a intensity control signal so as to increase the transmission output ( po ) from the cellular phone though the downlink signal intensity is within a predetermined normal range , there is a possibility that an uplink signal does not reach or fails to reach the base station . therefore , when the condition in which the transmission output ( po ) from the cellular phone is saturated at a maximum transmission output level ( pmax ) continues to be held for a period of time not shorter than a certain period of time ( to ), the control processor 6 judges the condition as failure in uplink or the condition in which the transmission signal does not reach or fails to reach the other party or the object person , and sends out an uplink speech quality alarm signal before the line is cut off by the base station . this enables the user of the cellular phone to be informed that there is the possibility that the line is cut off . the alarming of the user may be done by producing sounds or by displaying words on a display screen of the display 11 as shown in fig7 . moreover , both the method of producing sounds and the method of displaying words on a display screen may be used together . when the user is alarmed of the worsening of the uplink speech quality by a sound producing method , the intervals of producing sounds are set different from those of producing sounds for alarming a user of the worsening of the downlink speech quality in the related techniques so that the user of the cellular phone in this mode of embodiment can distinguish the sounds from each other . for example , the intervals of a sound ( which the user hears as “ pip ” sound ) continuing for a predetermined period of time ( for example , 0 . 4 seconds ) at a predetermined frequency ( for example , 1 khz ) are changed . in a concrete example , when the downlink speech quality lowers , longer and shorter sounds are repeatedly produced ( for example , a one - second sound and a 0 . 2 - second sound are produced alternately in repetition ) so that these sounds are heard as “ pip - pip , pip - pip , pip - pip , pip - pip , pip - pip . . . ”. when the uplink speech quality lowers , the intervals of sounds are set to a predetermined larger levels ( for example , 0 . 6 seconds ) so that the sounds are heard as “ pip , pip , pip , pip , pip . . . ”. when both the downlink speech quality and uplink speech quality lower , the intervals of sounds are set to predetermined smaller levels ( for example , 0 . 1 seconds ) so that the sounds are heard as “ pip - pip - pip - pip - pip - pip - pip . . . ”. these sounds may be outputted from the receiver , or from a ringer or a speaker which produces an arrival signal sound . instead of providing intervals of producing sounds , sounds of different frequencies , different tone qualities or different rhythms or different melodies may be used so that one speech quality alarm can be distinguished from another . this enables the user to recognize a deterioration of the speech quality by his / her aural sense . also , a vibrator may be operated to appeal to tangible sense of the user . the deterioration of the speech quality can also be appealed to the visual sense of the user . as shown in fig7 , during regular oral talking or data communication , a message 34 “ uplink speech quality worsening ” may be shown on the display 11 , an indication 32 of an antenna may be blinked , or a mark or an icon instead of a message may be displayed . especially , when a color liquid crystal is used for the display 11 , the color of the indication 32 of an antenna displayed may be changed from that of the normal reception condition ( for example , when the reception condition is normal , the indication 32 is colored black , and , when the uplink speech quality lowers , it is colored red ), or the color of the letters displayed or that of the background may be changed from that of the normal reception condition when the uplink speech quality deteriorates . an arrival signal indicating led 30 not used in the talking condition may be flashed or blinked . when the led 30 is capable of emitting plural colors of light , it may be lit continuously or flashed in a color different from the color used in a normal reception condition . since this led 30 is usually provided in a position in which the led can be seen easily , the led is effective as an alarm . therefore , a visual uplink speech quality alarm can be given by using this led 30 as necessary . when the external apparatus 21 , such as a personal computer or a mobile terminal is connected to the cellular phone , an alarm signal may be sent to the external apparatus to have the external apparatus 21 give an aural or visual alarm . when this method is practiced , the user can directly know ( without examining the cellular phone ) a decrease in throughput occurring due to a deterioration in the line speech quality fig3 is a flow chart showing the processing of an uplink speech quality alarm in the cellular phone in this embodiment , with reference to which a flow of the alarm processing operation will be described . first , a function of giving an uplink speech quality alarm is checked as to whether the function is effective or not . whether the function is effective or ineffective is determined by the user &# 39 ; s operations for selecting and setting this function . when the function of giving an uplink speech quality is set “ ineffective ”, the processing operation is immediately finished ( step 101 ). when the function of giving an uplink speech quality alarm is set “ effective ”, a timer for the uplink speech quality alarm is started ( step 201 ). the cellular phone is then checked ( step 202 ) as to whether it is in service . when the cellular phone is not in service , the timer for the uplink speech quality alarm is stopped to finish ( step 203 ) the alarm processing operation . when the cellular phone is in service , a transmission output ( po ) is measured ( or a set value of a transmission output level is referred to ) ( step 301 ). the transmission output ( po ) is checked ( step 302 ) as to whether it is greater than or equal to a maximum transmission output level ( pmax ). when an actual transmission output ( po ) level is lower than the maximum transmission output level ( pmax ), the timer for the uplink speech quality alarm is reset , and the processing operation is returned ( step 303 ) to the step of checking the condition of the cellular phone . when the actual transmission output ( po ) level is greater than or equal to the maximum transmission output ( pmax ) level , the timer for the uplink speech quality alarm is updated ( step 311 ) by a period of time corresponding to the time elapsed , and a timer value ( t ) for the actual uplink speech quality alarm is checked as to whether it is smaller than a set value ( to ) or not . when the timer value ( t ) for the uplink speech quality alarm is smaller than the set value ( to ), the processing operation is returned ( step 312 ) to the step of checking the condition of the cellular phone . when the actual timer value ( t ) for the uplink speech quality alarm is not smaller than the set value ( to ), an uplink speech quality alarm signal is sent out for a specified period of time , and the processing operation is returned ( step 313 ) to the step of checking the condition of the cellular phone . therefore , when the actual transmission output ( po ) level is greater than or equal to the maximum transmission output ( pmax ) level for a period of time not shorter than the time represented by the set level ( to ) of the timer for the uplink speech quality alarm , the uplink speech quality alarm signal is sent out continuously . the above - described processing operation shown in the flow chart of fig3 is executed by the control processor 6 , and an uplink speech quality alarm signal is sent out from the control processor 6 to the receiver 8 via the signal demodulator 4 . in this embodiment , an alarm is given when the condition in which the actual transmission output ( po ) level is greater than or equal to the maximum transmission output ( pmax ) level continues for a period of time not shorter than the time represented by the timer set level ( to ) but the present invention is not limited to this embodiment . the cellular phone may be formed so that an alarm is given when the length of the time of the condition in which the level of a transmission output level ( po ) of the cellular phone is greater than or equal to that of a maximum transmission output level ( pmax ) continues is greater than or equal to a predetermined time ratio . namely , a ratio of a period of time during which a transmission output level ( po ) of the cellular phone is saturated at a maximum transmission output level ( pmax ) to a total predetermined period of time including the mentioned period of time is determined . when this ratio exceeds a predetermined level , the uplink speech quality is regarded as low , and an uplink speech quality alarm may then be given . this procedure is effective for giving an alarm when the condition where the transmission output level ( po ) is greater than or equal to the maximum transmission output level ( pmax ) occurs frequently , though the length of the time of each occurrence is lower than the timer set level ( to ). a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to fig4 . the software of this embodiment is different from that of the first embodiment but the construction of the hardware in this embodiment is basically same as that of the first embodiment . in the second embodiment , the control processor 6 judges whether a signal having an intensity that brings the uplink signal into maximum level is generated continuously for a period of time longer than or equal to a predetermined period of time while the downlink signal is received normally at a receiver circuit 2 . when the length of the time of the signal having the intensity capable of maximizing the uplink signal exceeds a predetermined level , the uplink speech quality is regarded as low or deteriorated , and an uplink speech quality alarm signal is generated . in this embodiment , the flow of a processing operation is the same as that of the processing operation shown in fig3 except that the operations of steps 301 and 302 are substituted by the operations of steps 401 and 402 . namely , a function of giving an uplink speech quality alarm is checked first as to whether the function is effective or not . when the function of giving the uplink speech quality alarm is set “ ineffective ”, the processing operation is immediately finished ( step 101 ). when the function of giving the uplink speech quality alarm is set “ effective ”, a timer for the uplink speech quality alarm is started ( step 201 ). a cellular phone is then checked ( step 202 ) as to whether it is in service . when the cellular phone is not in service , the timer for the uplink speech quality alarm is stopped and the cellular phone finishes ( step 203 ) the processing operation . when the cellular phone is in service , a intensity control signal is read ( step 401 ), and a command of this signal is checked ( step 402 ) as to whether the command is a maximum value command . when the command is a maximum value command , the timer for the uplink speech quality alarm is reset , and the processing operation is returned ( step 303 ) to the cellular phone condition checking step . when the command is not a maximum value command , the timer for the uplink speech quality alarm is updated ( step 311 ) by a period of time corresponding to a time elapsed , and an actual timer value ( t ) of the uplink speech quality alarm is checked as to whether the value ( t ) is smaller than a set value ( to ). when the timer value ( t ) is smaller than the set value ( to ), the processing operation is returned ( step 312 ) to the cellular phone condition checking step . when the actual timer value ( t ) for the uplink speech quality alarm is not smaller than the set value ( to ), an uplink speech quality alarm signal is sent out for a specified period of time , and the processing operation is returned ( step 313 ) to the cellular phone condition checking step . therefore , when the command of the intensity control signal is a maximum value command for a period of time longer than or equal to the time represented by the set value ( to ), an uplink speech quality alarm signal is sent out continuously . a third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to fig5 . the software of this embodiment is different from that of the first embodiment but the construction of the hardware on this embodiment is basically the same as that of the first embodiment . in the third embodiment , the number of base stations with which a control processor 6 can communicate is determined , and , when this number is one , an alarm is generated . when there is only one base station with which the control processor 6 can communicate , an uplink signal does not reach the base station in some cases due to topographical conditions , though a downlink signal reaches the control processor . therefore , in such a case , a judgement is given that there is a fear of deterioration in the uplink speech quality , and an uplink speech quality alarm signal is generated . in this * embodiment , the flow of the processing operation is identical with that of the processing operation shown in fig3 except the operations of steps 401 and 402 . namely , a function of giving an uplink speech quality alarm is checked first as to whether the function is effective or not . when the function of giving the uplink speech quality alarm is set “ ineffective ”, the processing operation is immediately finished ( step 101 ). when the function of giving the uplink speech quality alarm is set “ effective ”, a timer for the uplink speech quality alarm is started ( step 201 ). a cellular phone is then checked ( step 202 ) as to whether it is in service . when the cellular phone is not in service , the timer for the uplink speech quality alarm is stopped to finish ( step 203 ) the processing operation . when the cellular phone is in service , the number of the base stations is counted ( step 501 ), and the counted number of the base stations is checked ( step 502 ) as to whether the number is not smaller than two . when the number of the base stations is not smaller than two , the timer for the uplink speech quality alarm is reset , and the processing operation is returned ( step 303 ) to the cellular phone condition checking step . when the number of the base stations is one , the timer for the uplink speech quality alarm is updated ( step 311 ) by a period of time corresponding to the length of the time elapsed , and an actual value ( t ) of the timer for the uplink speech quality alarm is checked as to whether the value ( t ) is smaller than a set value ( to ) or not . when the timer value ( t ) is smaller than the set value ( to ), the processing operation is returned ( step 312 ) to the cellular phone condition checking step . when the actual value ( t ) of the timer for the uplink speech quality alarm is not smaller than the set value ( to ), an uplink speech quality alarm signal is sent out for a specified period of time , and the processing operation is returned ( step 313 ) to the cellular phone condition checking step . therefore , when the number of the base stations is one for a period of time longer than or equal to the time represented by the set value ( to ) of the timer for the uplink speech quality alarm , an uplink speech quality alarm signal is sent out continuously . a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to fig6 . this mode of embodiment relates to a communication system including a base station , and a portable mobile unit which is capable of making bi - directional wireless communication with the base station , and which is provided with a controller for control a transmission intensity of a signal on the basis of a intensity control signal contained in a downlink signal sent from the base station . when the condition in which a intensity of a reception uplink signal is lower than a predetermined level continues for a period of time longer than or equal to a predetermined period of time even though the base station sends out a intensity control signal containing a command to set a transmission intensity of the uplink signal to a maximum transmission output level , the base station judges that the uplink signal does not reach the base station . at this time , the base station transmits an alarm signal representative of the deterioration of the line speech quality to a portable mobile unit , which receives this signal and carries out at least either the displaying of the abnormality or the giving of an alarm for the abnormality . a typical example of the portable mobile unit is a cellular phone . such a system is made up of a base station in the possession of an telecommunication company ( carrier ), and a portable mobile unit belonging to a user or a subscriber who made a contract with the carrier , and a process for putting on the user the charge for a telephone call made by utilizing the wireless communication system is carried out . however , the condition in which an uplink signal does not reach or fails to reach the base station though a downlink signal normally reaches the mobile unit indicates that a telephone conversation is not established . in this embodiment , an alarm signal is sent in such a case from the base station to the portable mobile unit to stop the charging process . this enables the carrier to give improved services to the user , and the carrier &# 39 ; s competitive power with respect to that of other companies of the same trade to be improved . a flow of the processing operation will now be described with reference to fig6 . the base station first checks ( step 601 ) a downlink signal , which is transmitted to the portable mobile unit , as to whether the signal is normal or not . when this signal is not normal , the processing operation is immediately finished via a charging procedure finishing step ( step 606 ). when the downlink signal is normal , the charging procedure for the portable mobile unit is started ( step 602 ). the timer for the uplink speech quality alarm is then started ( step 603 ), and the cellular phone is checked ( step 604 ) as to whether the phone is in service . when the cellular phone is not in service , the timer for the uplink speech quality alarm is stopped ( step 605 ), and the charging procedure is finished ( step 606 ) to end the processing operation . when the cellular phone is in service , the uplink signal sent out from the portable mobile unit is measured ( step 607 ). the intensity of the uplink signal is checked ( step 608 ) as to whether the intensity is normal or not . when the uplink signal is normal , the timer for the uplink speech quality alarm is reset , and the processing operation is returned ( step 609 ) to the cellular phone condition checking step . when the intensity of the uplink signal is not normal , the timer for the uplink speech quality alarm is updated ( step 611 ) by a period of time corresponding to the length of the time elapsed , and the value ( t ) of the timer for the uplink speech quality alarm is checked as to whether the value is smaller than the set value ( to ). when the value ( t ) of the timer for the uplink speech quality alarm is smaller than the set value ( to ), the processing operation is returned ( step 612 ) to the cellular phone condition checking step . when the value ( t ) of the timer for the uplink speech quality alarm is not smaller than the set value ( to ), the uplink speech quality alarm signal is sent out ( step 613 ) to the portable mobile unit for a specified period of time , and the charging procedure is temporarily stopped ( step 614 ). the processing operation is returned to the step ( step 603 ) of starting the timer for the uplink speech quality alarm . therefore , when the intensity of the uplink signal is not normal for a period of time not shorter than the length of the time corresponding to the set value ( to ) of the timer for the uplink speech quality alarm , the uplink speech quality alarm signal is sent out continuously . according to the above - described modes of embodiment , the user perceiving an uplink speech quality alarm can judge that a transmission signal from the cellular phone in use does not reach the base station , and avoid the cutoff of the telephone communication by trying to improve the speech quality by extending the antenna or changing the talking position .
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fig1 shows one example of a pressure control device . a valve block 10 is provided with channels 9 which may be opened to allow flow / pressure communication , or closed to prevent communication , by opening or closing a respective dome type valve body 21 . valve bodies 21 extend from surface 11 of valve block . valve bodies 21 are shown in their closed positions , and are movably downward from the positions shown to open communication . a cap cover 30 is provided to enclose the valve body arrangements . the cap cover includes side plates 31 and top board 32 . cap cover 30 is mounted by fixing side plates 31 to the surface 11 of the valve block by , e . g ., bolts , screws or the like . a cushioning member 40 , which may be made of rubber or resin , or the like , for example , is placed between an inner surface of top board 32 cover 30 and the solenoid valves 20 , and particularly between the doughnut type coils 22 of the valves 20 and the top board 32 . a curb frame 33 is provided to interact with each respective coil 22 , to contain the respective coil 22 within certain radial and axial limits . a control circuit board 50 is fixed on the outer or top side of top board 32 and is electrically connected to the coils 22 as described below . an electronic circuit is printed on the control circuit board 50 and a control chip is installed on the control circuit board 50 . the control circuit board 50 is protected by an end cover 34 installed on the cover 30 . a window opening 35 is provided through the top board 32 to allow electrical interconnections between the solenoid valves 20 and circuit board 50 to pass therethrough . lead wire terminal 23 , which is electrically connected to coil 22 on one side of top board 32 , passes though window hole 35 and is electrically connected to circuit board 50 on the opposite side of top board 35 . a potting material 36 , such as a soft resin , seals the window hole 35 around the lead wire terminal 23 . each coil 22 is equipped with a resin bobbin 24 , a solenoid coil 25 rolled over the bobbin 24 , and a permeable case 26 . the lead wire terminal 23 is provided at and electrically connected with each end of the solenoid coil 25 . fig2 and 3 each show an enlarged partial view of a pressure control device , with particular attention paid to an electrical connection between a solenoid valve 20 and control circuit board 50 . a pair of flexible , elastic arms 27 , 27 are integrally formed on the upper portion of bobbin 24 , and extend radially away from bobbin 24 , as shown in fig2 . alternatively , one elastic arm 27 may be formed on one bobbin 24 , and a pair of the lead wire terminals 23 , 23 may share one elastic arm 27 . known solenoid valves have connection terminals which extended upwardly ( or axially ) from the coil to be connected with the control circuit board . the present invention , with its radially extending elastic arms 27 , allows more flexibility in design positioning of the lead wire terminal 23 . that is , providing a directional elastic arm 27 ( the direction , shape and length of which may be varied ) many different designs and relative positioning of the components are possible , thereby allowing not only more reliable connections , but more flexibility in designing the arrangements to be compact . thus , various designs in positioning the electrical connection between the pair of lead wire terminals 23 , 23 and the control circuit board 50 become possible . for example , in fig2 the respective lead wire terminal 23 , is arranged along elastic arm 27 or is embedded in the elastic arm 27 ( e . g ., see fig4 ) and further extends vertically upward from an end portion of elastic arm 27 . the lead wire terminal 23 passes through window opening 35 , as described above , and through control circuit board 50 . the end of the lead wire terminal which passes through the control circuit board 50 is soldered or welded 42 to the top side of the control circuit board 50 ( e . g ., see fig2 ). this structure allows relative movement of the lead wire terminal 23 between the coil 20 and the control circuit board 50 , without breaking or otherwise disrupting the solder connection of the lead wire terminal to the control circuit board 50 . the control circuit board 50 may have a variety of chips mounted on it , and the chips are often concentrated centrally on the board 50 , with the peripheral portion of the control circuit board 50 tending to comprise mainly dead space . thus , it is advantageous to take advantage of the dead space by locating the lead wire terminals 23 , 23 there and forming the solder joints on the peripheral portion . the present invention facilitates such peripheral placement of the lead wire terminals 23 , 23 thereby freeing up the central region of the control circuit board 50 for maximum usage by placement and arrangement of circuits thereon . this enables further minimization / miniaturization of the size of the control circuit board 50 . alternatively , the flexibility provided by the designs of the present application would also allow central placement of the lead wire terminals on the control circuit board , should it be advantageous to do so , due to a particular circuit design , for example . due to the flexibility of the elastic arms 27 , movement of the solenoid valve 20 ( and particularly the coil 22 ) in an axial direction can be tolerated without disrupting or breaking the electrical connection between the coil 20 and the control circuit board 50 . the elastic arms 27 provide some capacitance by bending or flexing during the axial movements of the coil , thereby reducing or eliminating stresses on the electrical connections at both ends of the lead wire 23 which would otherwise occur during such movements . the elasticity of the elastic arms enables the arms 27 to return to their normal configuration at such time that the coil returns to its starting position . in the same manner , elastic arms 27 also allow torquing ( radial ) or tilting motions of the coil to take place , while protecting the integrity of the electrical connections . the lead wire terminal 23 may be designed in a corrugated , or accordion folded configuration ( e . g ., see fig3 ), to allow movements of the coil and to extend with the elastic arm 27 as it flexes , without pulling at either terminal end of the lead wire 23 , so as not to disturb the electrical connections . although the elastic arms 27 may be formed to extend straight in a radial direction away from the coils 22 , as shown in fig2 it is noted that the present invention is not limited to straight configurations . for example , in addition to forming the lead wires 27 to have an accordion - folded shape , the elastic arms may be similar configured to have an accordion shape , thereby providing further capacitance or “ slack ” to be taken up by movements of the coil with respect to the control circuit board . in this example , the lead wires can have conforming accordion bends , allowing the lead wires 23 to be embedded in the respective elastic arms 27 , or the wires can be run externally of the elastic arms . the previous embodiments explain the case when the elastic arms 27 , 27 are integrally formed with the bobbin 24 . however , for example , individual and separate elastic arms 27 , 27 may be pressed fit with the bobbin 24 or may be fixed with the bobbin 24 by traditional fixing means such as adhesion and heat welding . due to the flexibility of elastic arms 27 , the present invention eliminates the need to provide an additional part , such as an interrupting conductor , which is commonly used in current pressure control devices . because no interrupting conductor or other additional part is necessary , the direct connection of the conductor of the coil with the control circuit board allows greater ease of manufacturing pressure control devices , and a reduction in their cost . since the elastic arm ( s ) may be integrally formed with the bobbin , no additional manufacturing process for the formation is necessary , thereby facilitating the manufacturing process . setting the protruding direction and length of the elastic arm allows the location of the electrical connection between the elastic arm and the control circuit board to be custom designed . advantageously , any dead space on the control circuit board may be used to locate the lead wire terminal connection , which enables a minimized control circuit board . since the elastic arms are multidirectionally flexible , they effectively allow the movement of the coil in any direction , while preventing stress on the electrical connection between the control circuit board and the lead wire terminal , as well as on the connection between the coil and the lead wire terminal . even if the cover is pressed on the valve block , the movement of the coil is allowed by the lead wire terminal without transmitting the movement energy , thereby giving a higher sealing effect . it should be understood that the specific form of the invention here in above described is intended to be representative only , as certain modifications within the scope of these teachings will be apparent to those skilled in the art . accordingly , reference should be made to the following claims in determining the full scope of the invention .
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according to the present invention , hot water is used to displace oily wastes from their ground - contaminating locations . hot - water displacement of oily wastes depends on the mobility of water relative to the mobility of the organic liquid phase . this relative mobility is typically expressed as the mobility ratio of water to oil . the mobility of each liquid phase is the ratio of relative permeability to viscosity , where the relative permeability indicates the ability of one fluid to flow relative to another , and the viscosity is a measure of internal resistance to flow . an ideal mobility ratio is 1 . 0 , and oil mobility decreases at higher mobility ratios . conventional petroleum waterfloods have been operated at mobility ratios as high as 40 ( neil et al ., &# 34 ; waterflooding and improved waterflooding &# 34 ;, interstate oil compact commission : oklahoma city , okla ., chapter 1 , 1983 ). in petroleum reservoirs , waterflooding reduces the volume of oil in the pore space to residual saturation . at residual saturation , the remaining oil is immobile and is further recovered only by dissolution . high saturations of the organic liquid phase increase oily waste mobility for hot - water displacement in the process . organic liquid phase saturations of 35 - 60 % of pore volume have been reported at one wood treating site . using standard permeability correlations ( craft et al ., &# 34 ; applied petroleum reservoir engineering &# 34 ;, prentice - hall , inc ., englewood cliffs , n . j ., 1959 ; smith , &# 34 ; mechanics of secondary oil recovery &# 34 ;, reinhold publishing corp ., new york , 1966 ) and the measured oily waste viscosity , the estimated mobility ratio of the oily waste is in the range of 2 - 130 at natural groundwater temperatures . this estimate indicates that the mobility of the more concentrated oily wastes is in the range of conventional technology for petroleum waterfloods . in fig1 a production well is shown at 11 , with oil and water being extracted from the original oil accumulation 13 at 12 . hot water is injected through injection well 19 at inlet 18 ; steam - stripped water is injected at 20 , and low quality steam is injected at 21 . the steam injection at 23 permeates the residual oil saturation 22 and oil bank 16 , so that the hot water displaces the oil bank at 15 . the absorption layer is shown at 17 . oily waste mobility is improved significantly in the process according to the present invention by increasing the temperature to reduce the viscosity of the organic liquid phase . using a standard correlation ( perry et al ., &# 34 ; perry &# 39 ; s chemical engineer &# 39 ; s handbook &# 34 ;, 4th ed . mc - graw hill book co ., new york , 1963 ) to extrapolate reported viscosities ( ch2m hill , &# 34 ; laramie , wyoming railroad tie treating plant , phase i , ii , iii , and iv reports &# 34 ;, union pacific railroad , omaha , nebr ., 1984 ; villaume , op . cit . ), the mobility ratio of water to oil is reduced to the range of 1 - 50 near the boiling point of water . at temperatures near the boiling point of water , the oily waste viscosity is about the same as the viscosity of tar sand bitumen at the saturated steam temperature . this equivalence of tar sand bitumen and oily waste viscosities at the corresponding temperatures for hot - water displacement is illustrated in fig2 . heating oily waste accumulations also reverses the density difference between the organic liquid phase and water . based on published measurements of oily waste densities at both a manufactured gas site , as disclosed by villaume and a wood treating plant ( ch2m hill op . cit . ), the densities of the organic liquid phase and water are nearly equivalent at a temperature of about 100 ° f . at higher temperatures , the organic liquid phase has a lower density than water . the thermal expansion of oily wastes and water are compared in fig3 using a standard relationship for extrapolating hydrocarbon densities ( perry et al . op . cit .). in the process according to the present invention , the downward penetration of dense organic liquids is reversed by the controlled heating of oily waste accumulations . in the process of the present invention , low - quality steam and hot water are injected to control the heating and mobilization of oily wastes . the low - quality steam and hot water may be injected together as a mixture . the low - quality steam injection is controlled to heat groundwater below the deepest penetration of organic liquids . after the steam condenses , rising hot water dislodges and sweeps buoyant organic liquids upward into more permeable regions . hot water is injected above impermeable barriers to heat and mobilize the main accumulations of oily wastes . heating the oily wastes reduces both the density and viscosity of the organic liquid phase to achieve the same oil mobilities that are typical of conventional petroleum waterfloods and tar sand steamfloods . mobility control polymers can further improve oily waste mobilization in the process according to the present invention . commercial water - soluble polymers such as polyacrylamides or xanthan gum polysaccharides are commonly used to enhance petroleum recovery ( gogarty , j . petr . tech ., 1089 - 1101 , august , 1978 ). although relatively uniform permeability distributions are expected at oily waste sites , the polymer additives can increase the water viscosity to reduce the mobility ratio for hot - water displacement . the polymer additives can also increase the water density to enhance the buoyancy of oily wastes . in the process according to the present invention , mobilized oily wastes are recovered by hot - water displacement . after organic liquids are mobilized above impermeable barriers , hot - water injection and product recovery rates are controlled to sweep accumulated oily wastes through the more permeable regions . as in conventional petroleum waterfloods and tar sand steamfloods , displacement of oily wastes increases organic liquid saturations in the subsurface pore space to form an oil bank . within the oil bank , high saturations of the organic liquid phase increase the relative permeability of oily wastes , so that injected hot water displaces the oil bank to production wells . behind the oil bank , the oil saturation is reduced to an immobile residual saturation in the subsurface pore space . hot - water displacement of oily wastes closely resembles tar sand bitumen recovery using steamflood technology . in the steamflood process . condensation of injected steam heats the tar sand , and the bitumen is displaced by hot water in the steam front . as indicated in fig2 the tar sand bitumen and oily waste viscosities are nearly the same at the corresponding temperatures of the processes . laboratory simulations of tar sand steamflood technology have nearly duplicated field test results . in the field test , the displacement process has reduced the bitumen saturation to 18 . 7 % of the pore volume ( pv ). the corresponding , three - dimensional laboratory simulation has achieved a residual bitumen saturation of 16 . 5 % pv . the one - dimensional laboratory tests have also indicated that the residual saturation depends only on the physical properties of the tar sand and not on the original saturation of the bitumen . the tar sand bitumen is always displaced to the same residual saturation , so oil recovery depends only on the original bitumen saturation in the pore space . creosote displacement by hot - water injection has also been demonstrated in a two - dimensional laboratory experiment . for this test , a commercial grade of creosate wood preservative was introduced into a bed of water - saturated silica sand . hot - water injection recovered 70 % of the creosote from the sand bed . this experiment demonstrated lateral displacement of creosote between injection and production wells at the same elevation in the sand bed and vertical displacement of creosote form permeable regions of the sand bed beneath the production well . micellar flooding additives have the ability to improve oily waste displacement in the process according to the present invention . in micellar flooding of petroleum , as reported by gogarty , j . petr . tech ., 1089 - 1101 , august , 1978 and meldau et al ., j . petr . tech ., 1279 - 1291 , july , 1983 , water - soluble surfactants reduce the surface tension between the aqueous and oil phases to form microemulsions . the surfactants also displace oil from solid surfaces by adsorption . this adsorption of surfactants on solid surfaces adversely affects the economics of petroleum recovery . however , enhanced displacement of oily wastes in comparison with other site remediation technologies may more than compensate for the cost of biodegradable surfactant losses . in situ leaching of oily wastes depends on the saturation of the organic liquid phase , the concentrations of water - soluble contaminants , and the effective solubility of the contaminants . these relationships are illustrated in fig4 by assuming that in situ leaching operates as an efficient countercurrent extraction and that the original contaminant concentration is constant for different oily waste saturations . based on these assumptions , fig4 indicates the pore volumes of water that are required for complete extraction of a contaminant from the organic liquid phase . natural groundwater permeation and conventional pump - and - treat methods are relatively ineffective for leaching water - soluble contaminants from oily waste accumulations . most oily wastes are composed primarily of organic compounds with low water solubilities . at high organic liquid saturations , decades or groundwater permeation are required for complete extraction of these contaminants , even when the groundwater is assumed to permeate uniformly through the oily waste accumulation . if the low relative permeability to water at high organic liquid saturations precludes uniform groundwater permeation , then the pore volumes of water for complete extraction of contaminants are even greater than indicated in fig4 . organic liquid recovery in the process according to the present invention reduces the pore volumes of water for complete extraction of water - soluble contaminants . hot - water displacement of the organic liquid phase recovers most of the highly water - soluble compounds and lowers the quantity of relatively insoluble groundwater contaminants . by recovering a portion of the organic liquids , the process also increases the relative permeability to water . based on the tar sand processing trials , a uniform residual saturation is expected regardless of any variations in the original oily waste saturation . these more permeable and uniform conditions are ideally suited for controlling extraction of water - soluble compounds in the process according to the present inventions . chemical additives are used in the process according to the present invention to extract specific compounds that pose an immediate environmental concern or resist microbial degradation . fig4 illustrates the potential enhancement of extraction efficiency when chemical additives increase the effective solubility product of specific compounds . by extracting specific compounds that are toxic to groundwater bacteria , the process of the present invention can also accelerate in situ biological treatment of residual oily wastes . the process of the present invention contains oily wastes vertically by controlling temperatures during the hot - water displacement . low - quality steam injection beneath oily waste accumulations heats the organic liquid phase , which thermally expands to a density that is less than the surrounding hot water . flotation of the heated organic liquid phase is limited by injecting cooler water above the oily waste accumulations . in this cooler water , the organic liquid phase contracts and becomes more dense than the surrounding water . cooler water temperatures above the oily waste accumulation are maintained by operating the displacement process in the laminar flow regime and by natural conductive heat losses to the ground surface . stratified laminar flow of cool water on top of hot water has been demonstrated using a two - dimensional bed of water - saturated silica sand . for this demonstration , cool water dyed blue was injected above a flow of warm water dyed yellow . a single production well at the same elevation as the warm water injection was pumped at a rate equal to the combined injection of both warm and cool water . at these conditions , the two laminar flows remain stratified , and no green coloration from mixing of the dyes is evident . when water dyed red is injected in place of either previous water color , the red water completely displaces the former water color . there results indicate that no water remains stagnant on either side of the boundary between the stratified laminar flows . cooler water injection above oily waste accumulations also controls vapor emissions from the process according to the present invention . lower water temperatures reduce the vapor pressure of volatile components near the ground surface . this cooler water can also serve as an absorber for volatile compounds during the hot - water displacement . in this case , both the temperature and concentration of soluble , volatile compounds are controlled to avoid vapor emissions at the ground surface . recovering oily wastes to residual saturation immobilizes any remaining organic liquid phase . at residual saturation , the organic liquid phase remains immobilized within the subsurface pore space and does not move during injection operations for chemical solution treatment or induced microbial degradation . during oily waste displacement in the process according to the present invention , only lateral containment of the site is required to isolate any residual organic liquid saturation from the surrounding groundwater system . oily wastes and soluble contaminants are contained laterally by groundwater isolation . in the process according to the present invention , a pattern of injection and production wells is used to sweep the entire oily waste accumulation and to recover both the organic liquid and aqueous phases . based on specific hydraulic measurements at a site , the well pattern and pumping rates are designed to contain all of the mobilized liquid phases within site boundaries . this design can also incorporate a physical groundwater barrier such as a slurry wall to assist lateral containment of a site . fig5 shows one embodiments of a groundwater isolation barrier for a specific set of hydraulic site characteristics . in this example , the process of the present invention is operated with production wells surrounding the oily waste accumulation . the production operations are designed to recover all of the mobilized liquid phases by depressing the potentiometric surface elevation around the site . alternatively , a surrounding ring of injection wells may isolate some process applications more effectively by maintaining a freshwater buffer around the site . the design of a groundwater isolation barrier always depends on a thorough characterization of the geohydrologic environment at any specific site . the process according to the present invention minimizes wastewater treatment if the hot - water displacement is operated by re - injecting recovered process water . in this simplest case , illustrated in fig6 only the boiler feed and discharge water are treated after separating the product oil and water phases . this wastewater treatment corresponds only to the steam injection and groundwater influx rates . injection of cooler water to control volatile emissions may also require hot - gas or steam stripping . all of the recovered water is treated when the process of the present invention is operated to remove soluble contaminants from the oily waste . suspended oils and solids are removed from the wastewater before other treatment steps . in conventional heavy oil production , suspended oils and solids are removed by gravity separation , chemical flocculation , gas flotation , mechanical filtration , or a combination of these methods . in synfuels process research , it was found that chemical additives have successfully enhanced the gravity separation of oil and water emulsions ( robertson , liquid fuels technology , 1 ( 4 ), 325 - 333 , 1983 ), and coagulation - flocculation has removed suspended oils and solids from tar sand process waters . coagulation - precipitation with cationic polymers has removed solids and acetone - soluble tar from condensates , and solvent sublation has simultaneously removed both suspended solids and dissolved phenols from condensates ( nolan et al ., &# 34 ; physical - chemical treatment of ucg wastewater by solvent sublation &# 34 ;, 11th underground coal gasification symposium proceedings , morganstown , w . va ., 1985 ). biological oxidation most economically reduces high levels of dissolved organic compounds in a variety of wastewaters from synfuel production processes . process waters from tar sand recovery have been treated successfully in two separate studies ( torpy et al ., argonne national laboratory report number anl / es - 115 , 1981 ; klock , &# 34 ; biological treatment of tar sands wastewater &# 34 ;, doe report de - ac20 - 83lc11003 , 1985 ). recent tests have also demonstrated the breakdown of phenols in wastewaters ( adams et al ., &# 34 ; phenol degradation by indigenous bacteria in underground coal gasification wastewaters , laramie , wyo ., 1986 ). combinations of physical - chemical treatments have also been developed to meet current water discharge requirements . for chemically complex wastewaters from oil shale retorting , dissolved volatiles , organics , and solids are removed by the treatment sequence of steam stripping , carbon adsorption , and reverse osmosis . groundwater affected by the process operations has also been treated using nearly the same process sequence with the addition of coagulation - precipitation to remove selected metals and calcium hardness ( nolan et al ., &# 34 ; summary report on physical - chemical treatment of ucg wastewater &# 34 ;, laramie , wyo ., 1986 ). remediation of oily waste sites is completed using in situ biological treatment in the process according to the present invention . during this final remediation , the injection and production wells are used to induce and monitor microbial activity . the process operations are complete when groundwater contaminants are no longer detected in any water samples from the site . recovering a major portion of the oily waste accumulation reduces in situ biological treatment requirements . in addition to reducing the quantity of oily wastes by hot - water displacement , chemical extraction of the residual organic liquids can reduce concentrations of oily wastes by hot - water displacement , chemical extraction of the residual organic liquids can also reduce concentrations of specific compounds that are toxic to groundwater bacteria or resist microbial degradation . also , the process according to the present invention immobilizes any residual organic liquids to prevent deeper groundwater contamination . in some cases , these preliminary treatments may adequately facilitate further site remediation strictly by natural microbial activity . the process of the present invention also enhances conditions for inducing microbial activity to accelerate complete remediation of oily waste sites . reducing oily waste accumulations to the residual saturation of the organic liquid phase increases the relative permeability to water and the uniformity of the permeability distribution . at these more uniform and permeable conditions , bacteria inoculation , nutrient addition , environmental manipulation , and byproduct removal are controlled more effectively to accelerate complete remediation . the foregoing description of the specific embodiments will so fully reveal the general nature of the invention that others can , by applying current knowledge , readily modify and / or adapt for various applications such specific embodiments without departing from the generic concept , and therefore such adaptations and modifications are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalents of the disclosed embodiments . it is to be understood that the phraseology or terminology herein is for the purpose of description and not of limitation .
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fig1 shows a typical mobile elevating work platform , which includes a wheeled base 2 , a hydraulically operated extending structure comprising a boom 4 and a lifting structure 5 , and a cage 6 for a human operator 8 . the boom 4 , which is shown here in two different operating configurations , may be retracted and folded onto the wheeled base 2 for transportation or storage . movement of the boom is controlled by various hydraulic cylinders 10 , which are connected to a hydraulic drive system ( not shown ). hydraulic motors may also be provided for driving the wheels of the wheeled base 2 . apart from the operator cage 6 , the components shown in fig1 are all conventional and will not therefore be described in detail . it should be understood that the mobile elevating work platform may take various alternative forms . the first operator cage 6 shown in fig2 to 5 includes a substantially rectangular base unit 22 , a support bracket 24 , a fence assembly 25 comprising six upright support posts 26 , an upper guard rail 28 and a lower guard rail 30 , and a control console 32 . in this example , two of the support posts 26 are located at the ends of the cage and the remaining six support posts are located adjacent the sides of the cage . the number of posts and their position may of course be varied . a portion of the lower guard rail 30 is omitted to provide a gateway 33 , allowing access to the operator cage . the base unit 22 , the upper guard rail 28 , the lower guard rail 30 and the control console 32 are all moulded plastic or composite components . the support frame 24 is preferably made of metal , for example welded steel or cast aluminium . the support posts 26 are preferably cylindrical aluminium tubes having internal screw threads at both ends . preferably , the internal screw threads are provided by inserting star nuts into the ends of the tubes having an interference fit therewith . alternatively , the tubes may be made of a plastic or composite material , for example by a pultrusion moulding process . the operator cage is assembled from the above - mentioned components , which are fixed together using screws or bolts 34 . this allows individual components to be easily removed and replaced if repair is required . it also allows the operator cage to be collapsed for shipping as shown in fig4 . after delivery , the cage can be assembled on site and mounted on the boom of the mewp . the base unit 22 is formed as a single moulding from a fire - retardant and uv - stable plastic or composite material . it is preferably hollow , comprising an outer skin enclosing a sealed cavity . a number of moulded formations interlinking the opposite surfaces may be provided to increase the strength and rigidity of the unit . the enclosed cavity may optionally be filled with a rigid foam material for even greater strength and rigidity . the floor of the base unit 22 includes upper and lower surfaces that are separated by a distance of approximately 25 mm . this double floor arrangement provides increased safety as compared to conventional single floor cages . the upper floor surface 35 is surrounded by a raised toe guard or bumper 36 , which has a reduced height entry portion 38 . a number of moulded formations 40 for receiving the lower ends of the support posts 26 are formed around the inner periphery of the toe guard 36 . the toe guard 36 prevents the operator &# 39 ; s feet from slipping off the platform and protects them from collision with any obstacles . it also serves to increase the strength and rigidity of the base unit 22 . a number of slots ( not shown ) may be formed in the floor of the base unit 22 for drainage and visibility . these slots are formed during moulding and interconnect the upper and lower floor surfaces for increased strength and rigidity . the support frame 24 is attached to the underside of the base unit with bolts 34 that pass through the support frame 24 and the base unit 22 and are screwed into the threaded ends of the side posts 26 . the support frame 24 includes a conventional fixing allowing it to be attached to the end of the operating boom 4 of the mewp . the moulded plastic or composite base unit 22 is lighter than a conventional metal component and has improved rigidity . it also has improved robustness as the resilience of the plastic or composite material gives it the ability to recover its shape after an impact . the plastic or composite material is corrosion resistant and it may be moulded in any colour or in a luminescent material for high visibility , and does not require painting . the moulded base unit is simple to manufacture and it also provides improved soundproofing as compared to a conventional metal base unit . the upper guard rail 28 comprises a single part moulding , which is made from a fire - retardant and uv - stable plastic or composite material . the upper guard rail 28 is in the shape of a hoop having moulded formations 42 on its underside for receiving the upper ends of the support posts 26 . these are secured in position with bolts 34 that are screwed through the guard rail into the threaded upper ends of the support posts 26 . the front section of the guard rail is omitted to allow it to accommodate the control console 32 . the upper guard rail 28 includes an entry portion 44 that is raised to allow easy access to the cage through the gateway 33 . the raised portion 44 of the upper guard rail also provides protection from overhead obstructions while reversing . preferably , the height of the raised portion 44 is at least 30 cm greater than the height of the control console 32 , to ensure that there is sufficient clearance to prevent an operator being crushed against an unseen overhead obstruction . optionally , one or more crush sensors and / or proximity sensors may be mounted on the raised portion 44 . the control console 32 preferably includes a hand rail 80 that extends across the front of the console . this hand rail 80 provides the operator 8 with a support that he or she can hold to avoid overbalancing when maneuvering the cage 6 . this helps to prevent inadvertent operation of the controls if the operator reaches for support when overbalancing . the lower guard rail 30 is also a single part moulding , which is preferably made from a fire - retardant and uv - stable plastic or composite material . it is in the shape of a hoop and has moulded formations 46 for receiving the support posts 26 . it is secured by bolts 34 that are screwed through the rail into the support posts . the rear portion of the lower guard rail 30 is omitted to provide a gateway 33 allowing access to the operator cage . optionally , a conventional sliding guard bar ( not shown ) may be mounted on the fence posts 26 on either side of the gateway 33 . in use , the sliding bar may be raised to allow access to the operator cage then dropped back into position level with the lower guard rail to complete the loop of the lower guard rail . as shown in fig5 , the lower guard rail 30 may optionally include a number of moulded features such as ergonomic hand grips 48 or handles , tool holders 50 or anchor lugs 52 for a safety harness . similar formations may also be provided on the upper guard rail 28 . a preferred form of an ergonomic hand grip 48 is shown in fig1 . this hand grip 48 is oval in shape with a major axis dimension of about 54 mm and a minor axis dimension of about 44 mm , the major axis being tilted at an angle of about 30 ° from the vertical . the lower guard rail 30 is shaped so that it extends outwards beyond the upper guard rail 28 by a distance of approximately 30 mm . it therefore acts as a bumper that helps to prevent the upper guard rail 28 from colliding with upright obstacles and serves as a finger guard to protect the hands of an operator holding the upper guard rail 28 . the console 32 carries the controls ( not shown ) for the mewp drive system . the console is made as a single part moulding from a fire - retardant and uv - stable plastic or composite material . it is attached to the support posts and the upper and lower guard rails in the front portion of the operator cage by bolts 34 that are screwed into the ends of the support posts 26 . the second operator cage shown in fig6 to 10 is similar to the first operator cage , except that it includes a pivoting gate 54 in the gateway 33 in the rear part of the cage . the gate 54 is attached to the lower guard rail 30 and pivots inwards as shown in fig7 and 9 to allow an operator 8 to enter or leave the cage . a spring return mechanism 56 is incorporated into the lower guard rail 30 to ensure that the gate 54 returns automatically to the closed position as shown in fig6 and 8 . a latching mechanism ( not shown ) for retaining the gate 54 in the closed position may optionally be provided . when the gate 54 is open as shown in fig7 and 9 , it restricts access to the control console , thereby ensuring that the operator 8 closes the gate before attempting to operate the mewp . as shown in detail in fig1 , the gate 54 comprises a substantially u - shaped plastic or composite moulding having two parallel horizontal bars 58 that are interconnected at the free end of the gate by a vertical crosspiece 60 . the horizontal bars 58 include at their inner ends two axially - aligned vertical bores 62 and a pair of inwards - facing recesses 64 that accommodate a pair of torsion springs 66 . when assembled , the gate 54 is supported by one of the fence assembly support posts 26 , which passes through the bores 62 at the inner ends of the horizontal bars 58 , and by the moulded formation 46 at the end of the lower guard rail 30 . the torsion springs 66 are accommodated within recesses 68 in the ends of the moulded formation 46 . in use , the springs 66 are pre - stressed so that they urge the gate 54 towards the closed position . the gate 54 may take various different forms , according to the requirements of the operator . for example , a taller gate may be provided . this may allow the height of the cage gateway 33 to be increased , since current safety regulations ( en280 standard ) require that the maximum gap between entry portion 44 of the upper guard rail 28 and the top of the gate 54 is 550 mm . providing a taller gate thus allows the height of the gateway to be increased by , for example , 100 mm , 200 mm or 500 mm . as with the first cage shown in fig4 , the cage 6 may be disassembled and collapsed for shipping in “ flat - pack ” configuration , with the upper and lower guard rails 28 , 30 placed on top of the base unit 22 . the other components ( not shown ) including the support posts , the console , the gate and the fastening bolts may be placed on top of the base unit 22 . upon delivery , the cage can be easily assembled and attached to the mewp . if any parts of the cage are damaged , they can be easily removed and replaced with new parts . fig1 to 15 illustrate another embodiment of the invention in which the operator cage 6 includes a crush sensor for sensing external crush forces applied to the operator cage , as may be caused for example by a collision between an obstruction ( not shown ) and either the cage 6 or the operator 8 . such a situation might arise for example when the operator cage 6 is being raised or driven backwards , if the operator 8 does not see the obstruction . as a result , the operator 8 might be trapped between the obstruction and the control console 32 as illustrated in fig1 and 13 . this might cause a serious risk of injury , particularly if the operator 8 is trapped in a position that actuates the controls , causing the operator cage 6 to be driven further towards the obstruction . in this embodiment , the crush sensor comprises a hand rail 70 that extends across the front of the control console 32 . the hand rail 70 is u - shaped and is connected by a pivot joint 72 at each end of the handle 70 to the sides of the control console 32 . the control console 32 is supported in turn by the upper guard rail 28 of the fence assembly 25 , which is mounted on the moulded plastic or composite base unit 22 . as shown in fig1 , the hand rail 70 is biased upwards by a strong compression spring 74 . however , if a sufficient downwards force is applied to the hand rail 70 in the direction of arrow a , the bias force of the spring 74 can be overcome allowing the hand rail to activate a sensor switch 76 located beneath the rail . this switch 76 is connected to a control device ( not shown ) that controls or restricts operation of the machine when activated . the downward movement of the hand rail 70 also helps to relieve the crushing force felt by the operator 8 . therefore , if the operator 8 is crushed against the control console 32 as shown in fig1 and 13 , the crush sensor senses the external crushing force and activates the control device , which then prevents further movement of the cage 6 . the control device may include an override control , which allows limited movement of the cage after activation , for example allowing the cage to be moved away from the obstruction . generally , any such movement will be restricted to a very low speed . the control device may also actuate an alarm . it may also include a reset control , allowing normal operation to be resumed after the crushing force has been removed . an alternative form of crush sensor is illustrated in fig1 and 17 . in this arrangement , the control console 32 includes an integral hand rail 80 that extends across the front of the console and is supported on either side by a moulded plastic or composite support structure 82 . v - shaped slots 78 are formed in the front edges of the support structure on either side of the console 32 in order to weaken the structure . if an excessive downwards force is applied to the hand rail 80 , the support structure 82 buckles in the weakened regions around these slots 78 , allowing the hand rail 80 to be displaced downwards . this relives some of the force felt by the operator and at the same time displacement of the hand rail is sensed , thereby activating the control device ( not shown ). the control device then activates an alarm and controls or restricts operation of the machine as described previously . displacement of the hand rail 80 may be sensed by means of a switch , a fuse or any other suitable device . alternatively , pressure sensors or strain gauges may be provided to sense an excessive crush force applied to the console or a hand rail or support in the vicinity of the console . a crush sensor may be provided elsewhere on the cage , for example on the raised portion 44 at the rear of the upper guard rail 28 . alternatively or additionally , one or more ultrasonic proximity sensors may be mounted on the cage to provide a warning and / or to control or restrict movement of the cage if it comes into close proximity with an obstacle . various modifications of the invention are of course possible . for example , the gateway may be positioned at one end rather than at the rear of the cage , and the raised portion of the upper rail may be positioned away from the gateway . the extending structure may take various other forms , including scissor structures and extending links . the support frame may be moulded into the base . the upper rail may include a reinforcing material such as a steel cord or a fibrous reinforcing material ( e . g . kevlar ™) to reduce the risk of the rail being damaged during use , for example from contact with a cutting tool . the second portion of the upper rail may be hinged , removable or otherwise adjustable such that it can alternatively be located in a lower position , for example level with the first portion of the upper rail . in certain circumstances it may be desirable to place the second portion of the rail in this lower position to avoid obstructing any operations being carried out by the operator . furthermore , certain aspects of the invention , for example the raised portion of the upper rail and / or the pivoting gate and / or the crush sensor , may be embodied in an operator cage that is not designed to be disassembled and / or that does not include components made of a plastic or composite material . the operator cage or features thereof may also be used or designed for use with various types of machine other than mobile elevating work platforms . for example , the operator cage may be designed for use with machines such as telescopic handling machines (“ telehandlers ”) or other machines where an operator cage is provided to accommodate ( and generally protect ) the operator .
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turning to the drawings , wherein like reference numerals refer to like elements , the invention is illustrated as being implemented in a suitable computing environment . although not required , the invention will be described in the general context of computer - executable instructions , such as program modules , being executed by a personal computer . generally , program modules include routines , programs , objects , components , data structures , etc . that perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract data types . moreover , those skilled in the art will appreciate that the invention may be practiced with other computer system configurations , including hand - held devices , multi - processor systems , microprocessor based or programmable consumer electronics , network pcs , minicomputers , mainframe computers , and the like . fig1 illustrates an example of a suitable computing environment 120 on which the subsequently described methods and apparatuses may be implemented . exemplary computing environment 120 is only one example of a suitable computing environment and is not intended to suggest any limitation as to the scope of use or functionality of the improved methods and systems described herein . neither should computing environment 120 be interpreted as having any dependency or requirement relating to any one or combination of components illustrated in computing environment 120 . the improved methods and apparatuses herein are operational with numerous other general purpose or special purpose computing system environments or configurations . examples of well known computing systems , environments , and / or configurations that may be suitable include , but are not limited to , personal computers , server computers , thin clients , thick clients , hand - held or laptop devices , multiprocessor systems , microprocessor - based systems , set top boxes , programmable consumer electronics , network pcs , minicomputers , mainframe computers , distributed computing environments that include any of the above systems or devices , and the like . as shown in fig1 , computing environment 120 includes a general - purpose computing device in the form of a computer 130 . the components of computer 130 may include one or more processors or processing units 132 , a system memory 134 , and a bus 136 that couples various system components including system memory 134 to processor 132 . bus 136 represents one or more of any of several types of bus structures , including a memory bus or memory controller , a peripheral bus , an accelerated graphics port , and a processor or local bus using any of a variety of bus architectures . by way of example , and not limitation , such architectures include industry standard architecture ( isa ) bus , micro channel architecture ( mca ) bus , enhanced isa ( eisa ) bus , video electronics standards association ( vesa ) local bus , and peripheral component interconnects ( pci ) bus also known as mezzanine bus . computer 130 typically includes a variety of computer readable media . such media may be any available media that is accessible by computer 130 , and it includes both volatile and non - volatile media , removable and non - removable media . in fig1 , system memory 134 includes computer readable media in the form of volatile memory , such as random access memory ( ram ) 140 , and / or non - volatile memory , such as read only memory ( rom ) 138 . a basic input / output system ( bios ) 142 , containing the basic routines that help to transfer information between elements within computer 130 , such as during start - up , is stored in rom 138 . ram 140 typically contains data and / or program modules that are immediately accessible to and / or presently being operated on by processor 132 . computer 130 may further include other removable / non - removable , volatile / non - volatile computer storage media . for example , fig1 illustrates a hard disk drive 144 for reading from and writing to a non - removable , non - volatile magnetic media ( not shown and typically called a “ hard drive ”), a magnetic disk drive 146 for reading from and writing to a removable , non - volatile magnetic disk 148 ( e . g ., a “ floppy disk ”), and an optical disk drive 150 for reading from or writing to a removable , non - volatile optical disk 152 such as a cd - rom / r / rw , dvd - rom / r / rw /+ r / ram or other optical media . hard disk drive 144 , magnetic disk drive 146 and optical disk drive 150 are each connected to bus 136 by one or more interfaces 154 . the drives and associated computer - readable media provide nonvolatile storage of computer readable instructions , data structures , program modules , and other data for computer 130 . although the exemplary environment described herein employs a hard disk , a removable magnetic disk 148 and a removable optical disk 152 , it should be appreciated by those skilled in the art that other types of computer readable media which can store data that is accessible by a computer , such as magnetic cassettes , flash memory cards , digital video disks , random access memories ( rams ), read only memories ( rom ), and the like , may also be used in the exemplary operating environment . a number of program modules may be stored on the hard disk , magnetic disk 148 , optical disk 152 , rom 138 , or ram 140 , including , e . g ., an operating system 158 , one or more application programs 160 , other program modules 162 , and program data 164 . the improved methods and systems described herein may be implemented within operating system 158 , one or more application programs 160 , other program modules 162 , and / or program data 164 . a user may provide commands and information into computer 130 through input devices such as keyboard 166 and pointing device 168 ( such as a “ mouse ”). other input devices ( not shown ) may include a microphone , joystick , game pad , satellite dish , serial port , scanner , camera , etc . these and other input devices are connected to the processing unit 132 through a user input interface 170 that is coupled to bus 136 , but may be connected by other interface and bus structures , such as a parallel port , game port , or a universal serial bus ( usb ). a monitor 172 or other type of display device is also connected to bus 136 via an interface , such as a video adapter 174 . in addition to monitor 172 , personal computers typically include other peripheral output devices ( not shown ), such as speakers and printers , which may be connected through output peripheral interface 175 . video adapter 174 typically includes a video graphics device . computer 130 may operate in a networked environment using logical connections to one or more remote computers , such as a remote computer 182 . remote computer 182 may include many or all of the elements and features described herein relative to computer 130 . logical connections shown in fig1 are a local area network ( lan ) 177 and a general wide area network ( wan ) 179 . such networking environments are commonplace in offices , enterprise - wide computer networks , intranets , and the internet . when used in a lan networking environment , computer 130 is connected to lan 177 via network interface or adapter 186 . when used in a wan networking environment , the computer typically includes a modem 178 or other means for establishing communications over wan 179 . modem 178 , which may be internal or external , may be connected to system bus 136 via the user input interface 170 or other appropriate mechanism . depicted in fig1 , is a specific implementation of a wan via the internet . here , computer 130 employs modem 178 to establish communications with at least one remote computer 182 via the internet 180 . in a networked environment , program modules depicted relative to computer 130 , or portions thereof , may be stored in a remote memory storage device . thus , e . g ., as depicted in fig1 , remote application programs 189 may reside on a memory device of remote computer 182 . it will be appreciated that the network connections shown and described are exemplary and other means of establishing a communications link between the computers may be used . an embodiment of the invention provides a perforation software application to run within a computer aided design program in a computer environment 120 depicted in fig1 . an example of a computer aided design program is autocad , but the invention is not limited to only such a program . further , the perforation software application implemented using visual basic application ( vba ) as described in the exemplary embodiments may use any software compatible with a computer aided design program . the preferred embodiment of invention describes the perforation software application implemented in vba and the computer aided design program to be autocad . further , the preferred embodiment lays the perforation patterns onto ceiling panel systems . however , the invention is not limited to this embodiment . fig2 is a flow diagram illustrating the top level steps of a method of an exemplary embodiment of the invention . at step 200 , a user selects an autocad object that represents an edge of a ceiling shape . at step 205 , a user selects an autocad object that represents an additional edge of the ceiling shape . the application provides the user with an option to offset the perforation pattern from an edge by a certain distance . at step 210 , the perforation application locates the geometric center for the perforations of a panel by intersecting the connecting lines between the start and end of each segment of the edges . this gives a perforation pattern that is located on radials if the ceiling edges are arcs rather than straight lines . if the connecting lines happen to be parallel then the perforation array is also parallel . at step 215 , the perforation application lays out a default perforation pattern . if the ceiling edges are arcs , the perforation pattern is located in a parallel radial pattern . the application lays out the radial perforation pattern such that the pattern is closely square to the middle of the ceiling . at step 220 , the application adjusts the perforation pattern such that there is no odd spacing at the ceiling edge . the application iterates this function until the spacing reaches a pleasing aesthetic . at step 225 , the perforation application allows the user to change the parameters of the perforation patterns such as hole size , hole spacing , hole shape , and edge spacing . once the parameters are changed , the application updates the perforation pattern automatically . fig3 - 7 are exemplary user interfaces , in accordance with an embodiment of the invention . in addition , fig3 - 7 correspond to some of the steps depicted in fig2 . fig3 illustrates a screen shot of the autocad software environment 300 . the autocad program opens an autocad drawing file containing a ceiling shape 305 . the ceiling shape contains ceiling edges that are arc segments ( 310 , 315 ). the crosshair cursor 320 allows the user to select a ceiling edge segment 310 and an additional ceiling edge segment 315 . as discussed when describing fig2 , once the user selects two ceiling edge segments , the perforation application locates the geometric center of the perforation pattern by intersecting the connecting lines between the start and end of each segment of the edges . thus , when the ceiling edge segments are arcs as in fig3 , the perforation pattern is located on radials . in addition , if the connecting lines are parallel as in the case of the ceiling shape in fig3 , then the perforation array is also parallel . fig4 illustrates the perforation application laying out a default perforation pattern 400 . the perforation pattern places radial perforation patterns such that they are closely square in the middle of the ceiling 405 . the perforation application provides a dialog box 410 that reports the number of perforation holes 415 along the short axis 417 of the ceiling shape 405 . in addition , the dialog box 410 reports the hole spacing 420 , panel edge offset 425 , and hole diameter 430 . further , the perforation application reports to the user whether the holes are square or round 435 . fig5 illustrates the manner in which the perforation application updates the perforation pattern when changing pattern parameters . the perforation application updates the perforation pattern from fig4 to the pattern 500 depicted in fig5 by changing several pattern parameters . examining the perforation application module dialog box 410 , the number of holes along the short axis has been decreased from eleven to nine ( 415 , 505 ), the panel edge offset is modified from 1 . 5 to 3 ( 420 , 515 ), and the hole diameter has been changed from 0 . 5 to 0 . 375 ( 430 , 520 ). the updated perforation pattern 500 continues to create an aesthetically pleasing array that fits the ceiling shape with no odd spacing 525 . in addition , the application creates the radial pattern where each radial is parallel to each other and the ceiling edge segments 500 . further , the pattern located the perforations to be closely square in the center of the ceiling that contributes to the pleasing aesthetic 530 . fig6 illustrates characteristic information that is reported by the “ info ” tab ( see fig5 ) of the dialog box 410 . note , the invention is not limited to this set of characteristic information . the perforation application reports that the perforation pattern occupies a total area 9620 . 66 ( 600 ), contains a total number of holes of 999 ( 605 ), area removed of 110 . 34 ( 610 ), and the percentage of open area of 1 . 15 % ( 615 ). fig7 illustrates the perforation application updating a perforation pattern when a user changes the perforation parameters and that it reports different results . the perforation pattern 700 now contains seven holes 705 across the short axis of the ceiling shape . in addition , the perforation pattern has panel edge offset of 3 ( 715 ), hole diameter of 1 ( 720 ), and contains square perforations 725 . the perforation application dialog box 410 reports that the perforation pattern 700 contains a total area of 9620 . 66 ( 730 ), total holes of 581 ( 735 ), area removed of 581 ( 740 ) and percentage of open area of 6 . 04 % ( 745 ). fig8 is a functional block diagram , in accordance with an embodiment of the invention . data is transmitted and received between a computer aided drawing ( cad ) program 800 and the perforation application module 805 through a communication link 810 . communication link 810 is typically a logical interface established between these software applications , which permits the exchange of data . fig9 is a flow diagram illustrating another embodiment of the invention . this flow diagram assumes that both the cad application and the perforation module are executing on a computer at the same time . at step 900 , a user instructs a cad application to display the program containing the ceiling shape . the cad application and perforation application module thereafter cooperatively allow a user to select ceiling edge segment objects , step 905 . at step 910 , the cad application passes the ceiling edge objects to the perforation application module , which is monitoring the selection of a ceiling edge . the perforation application thereafter receives the ceiling edge segment objects from the cad application , step 915 . at step 920 , the perforation application module calculates a default perforation pattern based on default perforation parameters . the perforation application module passes objects representing the default perforation pattern to the cad application , step 925 , which then prompts the cad application to display a dialog box allowing a user to update perforation pattern parameters . at step 930 , the cad application receives and displays the objects representing the default perforation pattern onto the ceiling shape . the cad application further displays a dialog box ( based on prompting from the perforation application ) allowing a user to update perforation parameters . further , the dialog box allows the user to access pattern information such as total area , total number of holes , area removed , and percentage of open area . a user may then update perforation parameters , step 935 . at step 940 , the cad application passes ceiling edge objects and updated perforation parameters , and at step 945 , the perforation application module receives the ceiling edge segment objects and the updated perforation parameters . the perforation application module thereafter calculates an updated perforation pattern based on the updated perforation parameters , step 950 . the perforation application module also passes cad objects representing an updated perforation pattern , step 955 , and prompts the cad application to display a dialog box to allow the user to update perforation parameters . at step 960 , cad displays the updated perforation pattern and displays the dialog box allowing a user to update perforation parameters . further , the dialog box allows the user to access pattern information such as total area , total number of holes , area removed , and percentage of open area . fig1 is an exemplary ceiling panel system that contains a perforation pattern that can be laid out using the perforation application . for example , an architect designing a ceiling panel system 1000 sends the perforation designer a cad drawing of the ceiling shape . the perforation designer uses the perforation application to lay out a perforation pattern . fig1 a - b illustrate exemplary perforation patterns ( 1100 , and 1105 ) that can be laid out by the perforation application . the perforation designer sends the cad computer file containing the ceiling shape and perforation panel to a manufacturing facility . the ceiling panel manufacturers convert the cad file into instructions to drive manufacturing equipment , such as computer numerical control ( cnc ) machine tools to produce the perforation patterns on metal ceiling panels . all references , including publications , patent applications , and patents , cited herein are hereby incorporated by reference to the same extent as if each reference were individually and specifically indicated to be incorporated by reference and were set forth in its entirety herein . the use of the terms “ a ” and “ an ” and “ the ” and similar referents in the context of describing the invention ( especially in the context of the following claims ) are to be construed to cover both the singular and the plural , unless otherwise indicated herein or clearly contradicted by context . the terms “ comprising ,” “ having ,” “ including ,” and “ containing ” are to be construed as open - ended terms ( i . e ., meaning “ including , but not limited to ,”) unless otherwise noted . recitation of ranges of values herein are merely intended to serve as a shorthand method of referring individually to each separate value falling within the range , unless otherwise indicated herein , and each separate value is incorporated into the specification as if it were individually recited herein . all methods described herein can be performed in any suitable order unless otherwise indicated herein or otherwise clearly contradicted by context . the use of any and all examples , or exemplary language ( e . g ., “ such as ”) provided herein , is intended merely to better illuminate the invention and does not pose a limitation on the scope of the invention unless otherwise claimed . no language in the specification should be construed as indicating any non - claimed element as essential to the practice of the invention . preferred embodiments of this invention are described herein , including the best mode known to the inventors for carrying out the invention . variations of those preferred embodiments may become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon reading the foregoing description . the inventors expect skilled artisans to employ such variations as appropriate , and the inventors intend for the invention to be practiced otherwise than as specifically described herein . accordingly , this invention includes all modifications and equivalents of the subject matter recited in the claims appended hereto as permitted by applicable law . moreover , any combination of the above - described elements in all possible variations thereof is encompassed by the invention unless otherwise indicated herein or otherwise clearly contradicted by context .
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in the following description , for the purposes of explanation , specific devices , method steps and arrangements are set forth in order to provide a more thorough understanding of the invention . it will be apparent to those skilled in the art , however , that the invention may be practiced without these specifically enumerated details and that the preferred embodiment can be modified so as to provide other capabilities . in some instances , well - known structures and methods have not been described in detail . fig1 shows in perspective the angioplasty device of the invention . the angioplasty device 10 comprises a combination catheter 20 and a guide wire 15 . what is shown is only the distal end of the catheter illustrating the features of the invention . like conventional vascular catheters , the catheter is very long . in medicine , a catheter typically refers to a tube that can be inserted into a body cavity or duct . catheters used in angioplasty are adapted to be inserted into major arteries that make up portions of the body &# 39 ; s vascular system . catheters are typically manufactured from a variety of different polymers , including silicone rubber latex and thermoplastic elastomers . silicone is one of the most common choices because it is inert and non - reactive to body fluids and a range of medical fluids with which it might come into contact . in the present invention , the combination catheter 20 is flexible , and able to bend into a variety of different configurations and shapes . this type of catheter is known in the art as a “ soft ” catheter . referring now to all of fig1 , 2 and 3 , the device 20 includes a first catheter portion 22 , which is attached at one end to an inflatable angioplasty balloon 24 , shown schematically . the angioplasty balloon 24 in turn is attached to a second catheter portion 26 , the catheter structure continuing through the balloon . exit holes 27 are provided in the catheter , preferably ( but not necessarily ) both distal and proximal of the balloon . at a minimum at least one exit hole is provided ; preferably the holes are positioned such that they extend around the periphery of the catheter . located at the distal end of the combination catheter 20 is a valve tip 28 and the second catheter portion 26 preferably tapers to a narrow distal end 29 at the valve tip 28 . the catheter has the shape of a long , flexible tube . the angioplasty device is intended to be inserted into a patient &# 39 ; s artery . the combination catheter 20 is therefore sized accordingly . in the preferred embodiment , the first and second catheter portions 22 and 26 have a diameter that corresponds to standard sizes used in the industry . these standard sizes are referred to in french sizes ( 3 fr = 1 mm ), and one typical size is about 5 french ( 3 and 4 fr are also used ). the first catheter portion 22 can vary in length , and has a much greater length than schematically depicted . in a preferred embodiment , the catheter ranges in size from about 40 cm to 120 cm . the particular length that is chosen will depend on the specific therapeutic purpose for which the catheter will be used on a patient ; dimensions given herein are not limiting , but are intended to show the typical size of the catheter device that will be commonly used . the cross section of the combination catheter 20 is illustrated in fig2 , as seen along the plane 2 - 2 in fig1 . as shown , in a preferred embodiment there are two channels or lumens 31 and 32 that run along the long axis of the combination catheter 20 . the first lumen 31 is used to accept the guide wire 15 ( not shown in fig2 ), and extends along the entire length of the combination catheter 20 . it terminates at the distal end of the catheter at the valve tip , which is described in more detail below . the first lumen 31 provides a pathway for the guide wire which has first been inserted in the patient &# 39 ; s artery and which supports and guides the catheter device as it is advanced into the artery . the first lumen 31 preferably is connected to the openings 27 in the side of the catheter ( unless more than two lumens are provided ). referring again to fig1 , during an angiogram , a contrast agent is inserted into the first lumen 31 and exits through the openings or series of exit holes 27 , the lumen 31 preferably being larger in diameter than the guide wire to allow the contrast liquid to be delivered without removing the guide wire . the second lumen 32 is used to inflate the angioplasty balloon 24 during an angioplasty procedure . the second lumen 32 does not extend the length of the entire catheter . rather , it ends at and is connected directly to the angioplasty balloon 24 . fig4 is another cross section taken inside the balloon , showing the lumens 31 and 32 . this section is essentially at the distal end of the lumen 32 , showing the lumen fluidly connected to the balloon interior . fig5 and 6 show another embodiment of the two lumens , these being cross section views just proximal to the balloon ( fig5 ) and at the balloon ( fig6 ). fig5 shows that the balloon inflation channel or lumen can comprise a smaller tube 32 a positioned within the basic catheter tube 22 . the guide lumen 31 a is thus defined by the main space within the larger tube 22 . at the balloon , the tube 32 a has a terminal , closed end , and a side hole ( not shown ) in the small tube and through the wall of the catheter body 22 is in fluid communication with the interior of the balloon , similar to what is shown in fig4 . fig6 shows the balloon 24 surrounding the basic catheter tube 22 , just distal of the distal end of the inflation lumen or channel 32 a , with the space 31 b within the tube 22 comprising the guide lumen . in fig5 the holes for administering contrast agent are shown schematically at 27 . in an alternative embodiment of the invention , additional lumens ( not shown ) can be added to the combination catheter 20 . the additional lumens can , for example , facilitate the delivery of medication or additional contrast as needed by the patient . the guide wire 15 is substantially circular in cross - section ( although other cross - sections can be used with equal effectiveness ). it is sized so that it will fit in one of the lumens illustrated in fig2 , 4 , 5 and 6 and discussed above . in a preferred embodiment the guide wire has a diameter in the approximate range of 0 . 018 to 0 . 035 inches ( about 1 . 4 french to about 2 . 7 french ). as is well known , the guide wire is sufficiently rigid so that it can be inserted ( pushed ) into the patient &# 39 ; s arteries or veins . at the same time , the guide wire has enough flexibility to permit it to conform to curves or deviations present in the arteries . the guide wire preferably is not of the same rigidity along its entire length ; the distal end is substantially more flexible . this prevents the guide wire from inadvertently puncturing the walls of the veins or arteries as it is being inserted . as noted above , the first and second catheter portions 22 and 26 preferably both include series of exit holes 27 that are located adjacent to the inflatable angioplasty balloon 24 . these holes are disposed around the entire circumference of the combination catheter 20 . they provide openings from the first lumen or channel 31 ( or 31 a ) to the exterior of the combination catheter 20 , for administering the contrast agent . although two sets of holes 27 are shown , one proximal and one distal of the balloon 24 , the device 10 can be provided with only series of holes , at one of these locations . the catheter is capable of being shifted on the guide to adjust its proximal / distal position in the blood vessel so that one set of holes can be sufficient for delivering the contrast agent at the location desired . the valve tip 28 comprises a flexible rubber or plastic material that is located at the distal end of the catheter device 10 . the valve tip 28 surrounds the end of the lumen 31 , which may comprise the interior volume of the second catheter portion 26 . when the guide wire 15 is fully inserted in the catheter device it passes through an opening in the distal end 29 , pushing and holding the valve tip 28 open . when the guide wire is withdrawn , the valve tip occludes the opening . the resilient nature of the valve tip , which may be connected to the catheter distal end 29 by integral plastic or rubber material , causes it to close and substantially seal against the distal end 29 in the event the guide wire is pulled back . in an alternative embodiment , the catheter is without the valve tip 28 ; instead , the distal end 29 narrows significantly to a small diameter such that the guide wire 15 substantially fills and occludes the distal end 29 and thus closes the lumen 31 . in a third embodiment the catheter tip tapers to such a small opening ( which can be pushed larger by the guide wire when present ) that the tip opening strongly impedes contrast flow , so that contrast is expelled out the exit holes 27 , even without the guide wire present . in any of these embodiments the opening at the distal end 29 is substantially sealed when contrast medium is administered , preventing any substantial amount of contrast from flowing through the distal end . this arrangement causes the contrast agent to exit through the exit holes 27 thereby facilitating the angiogram . the foregoing description has made reference to the first catheter portion 22 , inflatable angioplasty balloon 24 and second catheter portion 26 . these various elements are not necessarily separate components , and in a preferred embodiment , at least the catheter portions 22 and 26 will be produced as a single unit during the manufacturing process . the balloon can also be included with the original extruded catheter , in a known blow molding process . the reference to the various elements herein is only intended to provide a clear illustration of the structure and operation of the invention . it will also be apparent to those of skill in the art that in alternative embodiments the first catheter portion 22 , inflatable angioplasty balloon 24 and second catheter portion 26 could all be manufactured separately and joined together in a final assembly process , along with the inner balloon - inflation lumen 32 and any other inner lumen other than the catheter body interior . an alternative configuration for the angioplasty catheter device 10 a is shown in fig7 . here , the distal end 29 a of the catheter device is formed in a bend as shown , to provide steerability of the catheter through relatively tight turns in the artery . angled - tip catheters are known for devices different from those of the invention . in operation of the angioplasty device of the invention , a physician first identifies an area of interest inside a patient &# 39 ; s artery or vein that requires treatment . the area of interest can be identified using common treatment techniques well known in the art . the physician then commences treatment by inserting the guide wire 15 into the patient &# 39 ; s artery , in the normal manner . the combination catheter 20 is placed over the guide wire and advanced until the inflatable angioplasty balloon 24 has passed the area of interest ( or lesion ) which requires treatment , or until one set of exit holes 27 is properly adjacent to the area of interest for delivery of contrast . the guide wire 15 is then either left in place , for the embodiment in which the guide wire lumen 31 is oversized and the guide wire is relied on to close the distal catheter end 29 , or the guide wire is pulled back or removed from the artery by withdrawing it from the combination catheter 20 . in the latter case the valve tip 28 seals off the lumen , preventing blood from entering the device and contrast liquid from flooding out the end . the physician then injects liquid contrast agent through the lumen 31 in the combination catheter . this can be through the lumen 31 with the guide wire in place , or with the guide wire removed . the liquid passes through the holes 29 and into the artery . an angiogram can then be performed , using methods well known to those of skill in the art . it will be assumed for the purposes of illustration that the results of the angiogram indicate that angioplasty is required to treat the patient . ( if angioplasty is not required , the catheter can be withdrawn , and the treatment process is concluded .) the combination catheter 20 is pulled back slightly ( or moved forward along the guide wire , depending on catheter position , position of holes and presence or absence of guide wire ) until the angioplasty balloon 24 is adjacent to the lesion . the angioplasty balloon 24 is inflated by using a pressurized liquid injected through the second lumen 32 of the catheter . after an appropriate period of time , the angioplasty balloon is deflated . the combination catheter 20 is again moved so that the angioplasty balloon 24 is no longer over the lesion , but with holes 27 in position to deliver contrast medium appropriately . the physician then performs a post - angioplasty angiogram using the methods described above . if the results of the angiogram indicate that additional angioplasty is required , then the catheter can be moved , and the angioplasty balloon 24 re - inflated . again , the guide wire can be left in place during these steps , in one embodiment of the invention . after the physician is satisfied that the angioplasty has had its desired effect , the catheter is withdrawn from the patient &# 39 ; s artery . it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the foregoing description is for illustrative purposes only , and that various changes and modifications can be made to the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention . the full extent of the present invention is defined and limited only by the following claims .
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in a preferred embodiment , the fecal occult blood testing device 1 for use in the present invention comprises a base sheet 10 to which is secured a charged , absorbant test medium 20 ( fig1 ). a test sample volume control cover sheet 30 overlies test medium 20 and includes a plurality of openings 31 therein a portion of fecal material wiped onto volume control cover sheet 30 ( fig2 ) passes through openings 31 onto test sheet 20 , and the remaining portion of the sample is removed by removing cover sheet 30 ( fig3 ) and disposing of it . base sheet 10 is preferably made of a pliable , water - resistant material . by making base sheet 10 pliable , device 1 can be used as a wipe rather than as a receptor upon which a fecal sample is smeared using a small paddle . of course , in the broader aspects of the invention , the use of a small paddle to smear a sample of fecal material onto device 1 is contemplated . a suitable pliable , water - resistant base sheet is a 3 . 5 mil ( 0 . 0035 inch ) thick sheet of vinyl plastic material . test medium 20 comprises a sheet of filter paper impregnated with a suspension of charged material such as silica . since hematin is negatively charged , the silica must be positively charged , which it is at a ph of around 6 . 4 . the key requirement for test medium 20 is that it allow retention of a stool sample , allow the passage of solvent and can be made to carry a charge materially different from either hematin or hemoglobin . test medium 20 is adhered to base sheet 10 by a suitable adhesive such as an emulsion base acrylic pressure sensitive adhesive . the specific grade of filter paper is not particularly critical . medium grade filter paper such as watman no . 1 is operable . numerous silicas are available to those skilled in the chromatography arts , many of which are applicable in the present invention . aerosil ™ 200n is operable . the only requirement for the charged particle material is that it be differentially attractive to hematin and hemoglobin such that separation can be effected . the silica particles are approximately two hundred nanometers in diameter . they comprise a very fine , light powder which is fairly widely used . suitable impregnation can be achieved by forming a thin paste of silica in a 70 % ethanol and water carrier . this slurry is then pressed into the filter paper with a roller and the paper is allowed to dry . while impregnating filter paper with silica as described above constitutes the best mode presently contemplated for the invention , it is possible that charged medium can be created by other techniques , as for example treating filter paper with charged organic molecules such as stearates . another possibility which has not been specifically tested would be to place filter paper in a sulfuric / nitric acid mixture in order to create nitrocellulose paper . volume control cover sheet 30 controls the quantity of fecal material which is actually applied to test medium 20 . it is a sheet of thin , water - resistant material . a suitable material is a silicone coated tissue paper , at a thickness of about 2 mils . the holes or openings 31 are approximately 0 . 05 to 0 . 10 inch in diameter and eight to sixteen such openings are arranged in a pattern in one - half of cover sheet 30 . cover sheet 30 is preferably releasably adhered to test medium 20 along end edge 32 so that it can readily be lifted at end edge 33 and peeled away from test sheet 20 and deposited in the toilet . openings 31 are preferably arranged in a circle . the solvent used to facilitate migration can be placed in the approximate center of the circle defined by openings 31 and will tend to flow radially outwardly . the migration of hematin and hemoglobin will thus be in a consistent , radial pattern with respect to the circle of apertures 31 . the solvent 50 must be one which will dissolve hematin and hemoglobin in order the cause them to migrate through the test medium 20 . in the preferred embodiment , solvent 50 must also dissolve a buffering agent which helps to ensure an appropriate ph for optimum interaction between the test medium and the hematin . the ph is preferably from about six to about seven , most preferably about 6 . 4 . sodium acetate is a suitable buffer for this purpose . water is a good solvent for hematin and hemoglobin , as well as for the buffer . on the other hand , the solvent preferably includes ethanol , which facilitates the characteristic color change reaction of indicators such as guaiac . the solvent preferably includes between about 60 and about 80 % by volume ethanol to facilitate the guaiac or other oxygen colored dye color indication reaction while leaving enough water in the solvent mixture to dissolve the acetate buffer and to facilitate the migration of hematin and hemoglobin . the acetate buffer included in the solution is at a level of about 0 . 05 normal . the means for indicating the presence of hematin and hemoglobin comprise an oxygen colored dye and a peroxide developer which releases oxygen upon exposure to hematin and hemoglobin . the oxygen colored indicator dye reagent can be gum guaiac , orthodianisidine , tetramethylbenzidine , or the like , with guaiac being preferred . the concentration of oxygen colored dye , most preferably guaiac , is from about 5 to about 25 mg ./ ml ., most preferably about 7 mg ./ ml . the guaiac should not be so concentrated that it either makes the test too sensitive or obscure the peroxidase reaction . if the test is too sensitive , it will detect the minor amounts of blood normally found in the stool . the preferred solvent used is ethanol . the peroxide solution is preferably about a 1 % peroxide solution . the peroxide developer and the indicator dye can be combined in a single solution provided a peroxide stabilizer such as edta ( ethylene diamine tetraacetic acid ) is also included in the solution . in use , device 1 is preferably used as a wipe in such a way that fecal material is wiped onto volume control cover sheet 30 . a portion of the fecal material engages test sheet 20 through volume control openings 31 . cover sheet 30 is lifted from end 33 , peeled off at end 32 and disposed of . solvent is then applied by dropper 51 approximately , to the center of the circle defined by dots of fecal material 40 on test sheet 20 ( fig3 ). four drops or about 0 . 2 ml . of solvent is normally sufficient . as the solvent migrates outwardly through the test medium , it causes hematin 41 and hemoglobin 42 to migrate differently , due to the attractive charges between hematin and the charged test medium 20 . about 30 seconds to one minute are allowed for solvent migration . after the solvent has radiated outwardly approximately the distance indicated in fig4 the indicator reagent containing hydrogen peroxide and guaiac or other color indicator is applied to test medium 20 . the guaiac colors do indicate the location of hematin 41 and hemoglobin 42 in the manner indicated . stool samples which contain only blood from the upper gastrointestinal tract will show color only in close proximity to the test sample dots 40 . thus , in the lower portion of fig4 a showing for hematin 41 only is indicated in close proximity to the adjacent dot of fecal material 40a . on the other hand , stool samples containing blood only from the lower gastrcintestinal tract will tend to form an area 42 extending away from dot 40b of fecal material as indicated in the center of fig4 . if the fecal sample contains blood originating in both the upper and the lower gastrointestinal tracts , a mixed pattern will be seen as indicated with the hematin ring 41 and hemoglobin patch 42 radiating away from fecal dot 40c . the alternative embodiment device 100 ( fig5 ) makes it possible to incorporate a hydrogen peroxide &# 34 ; developer &# 34 ; directly into the solvent system . alternative embodiment 100 includes a base sheet 110 which is just like base sheet 10 . however , sheet 120 differs from test medium sheet 20 in that sheet 120 is a piece of plain , absorbant filter paper . it is not treated with charged particles such as the silica discussed above . it is , however , impregnated with guaiac or other indicator dye . a large test dot 121 which is also made of filter paper is impregnated with a suspension of silica in the manner described above . it is adhered to sheet 120 by means of a solvent impermeable adhesive layer 123 ( fig6 ). a fecal sample is applied to test dot 121 through the use of a volume control sheet 130 having openings 131 identical to openings 31 , which fall within the circumference of test dot 121 ( fig5 ). the solvent 150 used in connection with alternative embodiment device 100 contains not only acetate buffer as discussed above , but also 1 % hydrogen peroxide . the solvent solution is thus a solvent / developer , whereas in the first embodiment , the migration solvent 50 contains a buffer , but no peroxide . fig7 discloses yet another alternative embodiment device 200 which comprises a base sheet 210 , an absorbant test medium pad 220 and a volume control cover sheet 230 ( fig7 ). alternative embodiment 200 is designed so that a patient can use the device at home to collect a feces specimen , seal device 200 and bring it or mail it to the doctor or laboratory . to accomplish the foregoing , pliant base sheet 210 is coated with a pressure sensitive acrylic adhesive as described above , over its entire surface . a fold line 211 is provided laterally across base sheet 210 , approximately in the center thereof , by scoring base sheet 210 along fold line 211 . a strip of silicone coated release paper 212 is adhered along one end edge of base sheet 210 so that a user can readily grasp the cover sheet 230 along its leading edge 232 when one wants to peel cover sheet 230 off of base sheet 210 . test medium pad 220 is adhered to the surface of base sheet 210 via the pressure sensitive adhesive . test pad 220 is located on that half of base sheet 210 which is opposite the end where release liner tab 212 is located . on that half of base sheet 210 located toward release liner tab 212 , base sheet 210 is cut at spaced intervals along parallel lines 213 to define a test door 214 . test door 214 includes a fold line 215 scored in base sheet 210 at the base of door 214 . a tab of silicone release paper 216 is placed along the end of door 214 opposite fold line 215 and a matching strip of silicone release paper 217 is located along the same edge of base sheet 210 , adjacent test pad 220 . in that manner , when base sheet 210 is folded shut along fold line 211 , silicone release liner tabs 216 and 217 will line up and will make it possible to slip one &# 39 ; s finger or thumb under the end of test door 214 and peel it back away from base sheet 210 . another sheet of silicone release liner 218 is placed on the surface of test door 214 which lines up with test medium pad 220 so that the adhesive on the surface of test door 214 does not peel any portion of test pad 220 away when door 214 is opened . test pad 220 can be made exactly like test pad 20 or exactly like test pad 120 . in the former case , test pad 220 would be impregnated with silica so as to comprise a charged medium over its entire surface area . in the latter case , test pad 220 would be uncharged , but would include a test dot such as dot 121 in alternative embodiment 100 which would be charged and which would be in alignment with the volume control openings 231 in volume control cover sheet 230 . in use , volume control cover sheet 230 would initially be flat against base sheet 210 , covering test door 214 and test pad 220 . the patient would wipe with device 200 so that fecal material would pass through volume control openings 231 onto test pad 220 . cover sheet 230 would then be peeled away from base sheet 210 and disposed of . the user would then fold base sheet 210 in half along fold line 211 , pressing the two halves against one another so that the pressure sensitive adhesive on the surface of base sheet 210 would seal base sheet 210 closed around the perimeter of test pad 220 containing the dots of fecal material . the test pad so sealed can then be mailed in an envelope to a laboratory or doctor . the test for fecal occult blood would be conducted in either of the manners described above , depending on whether one used a charged test pad such as test pad 20 , or an uncharged test pad with a charged dot such as test pad 120 and dot 121 . the material of base sheet 210 and volume control cover sheet 230 are the same as described above . fig8 shows an alternative embodiment test pad 320 mounted on base sheet 210 of the alternative embodiment device 200 shown in fig7 . it is contemplated that this combination will be the best mode for practicing the invention . test pad 320 comprises an absorbant sheet of paper 320a which is generally rectangular in configuration ( fig9 and 11 ). sheet 320a is impregnated with guaiac indicator dye , also described above . superimposed over absorbant filter paper 320a is a second rectangular sheet of filter paper 321 which is the same width as sheet 320a , but which is slightly shorter in length such that sheet 320a has an exposed upper surface at each end of sheet 321 . sheet 321 is separated from sheet 320a by a solvent impermeable barrier layer 323 which , like sheets 320a and 321 is generally rectangular in configuration , and is of the same width as sheets 320a and 321 . however , solvent impermeable barrier layer 323 is slightly shorter than sheet 321 such that a portion of sheet 321 makes direct contact with sheet 320a at each of the opposed ends of sheet 321 . sheet 321 is itself divided into two halves , half 321a which is impregnated with a suspension of charged material such as silica , as described above . silica impregnation in half 321a is illustrated in cross section by small circles in half 321a ( compare cross sections of 321a to 321b in fig8 and 12 ). the other half 321b is not impregnated with a charged material . when alternative test pad 320 is used in alternative embodiment device 200 , the pattern of holes 231 in volume control cover sheet 230 has to be changed from a circular pattern to two parallel lines of holes . the lines of holes are spaced such that from six to ten openings will overlie each half 321a and 321b of sheet 321 . thus when a user wipes with device 200 , six to ten dots of fecal material 40 will be deposited on each half 321a and 321b of sheet 321 ( fig9 ). to determine the fecal occult blood content of the dots of fecal material 40 as applied to test pad 320 , several drops of solvent / developer solution 150 are deposited generally along the centerline which divides top sheet 321 into halves 321a and 321b ( fig9 and 10 ). as discussed above , solvent / developer 150 comprises 0 . 05 normal acetate buffer and 1 % hydrogen peroxide in an ethanol water mixture , wherein ethanol comprises 60 to 80 % of volume of the solution ( fig1 and 12 ). as the solvent developer spreads away from the center of sheet 321 , it will carry any hemoglobin present from the lower intestine towards the ends of sheet 321 and past the ends of solvent impermeable barrier 323 . the hemoglobin is indicated by shading on fig1 . the hemoglobin will thus continue to migrate down into the guaiac impregnated lower sheet 320a where oxygen released by the hemoglobin - peroxide peroxidase reaction will immediately cause the guaiac dye to color blue . thus blue colored patches will appear at each end of sheet 321 , on the exposed ends of sheet 320a ( fig9 ). in contrast , if the only fecal occult blood in fecal material 40 comes from the upper intestine , it will comprise hematin and other hemoglobin breakdown products which are charged . alternatively , if only dietary blood or other dietary peroxidase is present , it will also be charged . these charged blood particles will &# 34 ; stick &# 34 ; to the silica impregnated half 321a of sheet 321 . thus , the hematin and hemoglobin breakdown products and other dietary false - positives will not migrate as the solvent / developer 150 passes through them . these materials ( indicated by shading in fig1 ) will not migrate to the left end ( as viewed in fig1 ) of sheet 321 . on the other hand , both hematin and hemoglobin breakdown products will migrate through the right half 321b of sheet 321 , past the end of barrier 323 and downwardly into the lower guaiac impregnated sheet 320a . thus where blood in fecal material 40 has originated in the upper intestine , or comprises a dietary false - positive , it will create colored patches only at the right end of guaiac impregnated sheet 320a ( fig1 and 12 ). of course , it is understood that the foregoing is a preferred embodiment of the invention and that various changes and alterations can be made without departing from the spirit and broader aspects thereof .
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the following detailed description of the invention refers to the accompanying drawings . the same reference numbers in different drawings identify the same or similar elements . also , the following detailed description does not limit the invention . instead , the scope of the invention is defined by the appended claims and equivalents thereof . fig1 a depicts a prior art hub - spoke metallization pattern on an optical sensor window . as can be seen in the diagram , the entire sensor window is covered with a metallized hub - spoke pattern for emi shielding . fig1 b shows the hub - spoke pattern in more detail . as can be seen , the solid circles , or “ hubs ” 110 are connected to each - other ( and therefore to any eventual ground or dissipation means ) by spokes 120 . this ensures that there are no electrically isolated metallized circles on the sensor window . the remaining un - metallized portions 130 allow both optical and infra - red radiation to pass through the sensor window . through the use of fourier analysis , it was determined that the spokes in the hub - spoke grid were actually detrimental and should be eliminated , and that the circles could indeed overlap , rather than having to be arranged in tangential , non - overlapping contact with adjacent circles . elimination of the spokes eliminated all sources of − 13 db side lobe scattering characteristic of straight - line diffraction . fig2 shows an embodiment of a spoke - free optical sensor window elliptical metallization pattern according to the present invention . the embodiment depicted uses circle shapes . each circle 210 may be made of an electro - magnetically opaque metal or metallic substance such as gold , aluminum , platinum , various resistive alloys , graphite , or other similar materials . some embodiments may also employ an appropriate interfacing primer coating to the substrate to increase bonding durability . the optical substrate 220 between the circles is not coated with conductive material . as can be seen from the diagram , the positions of the circle centers are not uniformly spaced , but instead are uniformly randomized over the window aperture . in the embodiment shown , the circles in the pattern are electrically continuous to each other , with no floating “ islands ” ( clumps of circles contiguous to each other but not to the rest of the grid ). embodiments of rf absorptive mesh patterns utilizing rcg meshes that deliberately utilize rf - resonant organization of clumps of either conductive or resistive circle patterns may also be generated according to the present invention . in the embodiment depicted , the diameters of the circle centers were randomized using a gaussian randomization over a roughly 3 × range ( typically 200 - 600 microns with 400 micron mean diameter ). the positions of the circles are preferably randomized to some extent to reduce periodicity in the pattern , thereby reducing potentially detrimental effects of laser diffraction sidelobe reinforcement and contrast reduction in sensor imagery . other embodiments may use different randomization methods , but embodiments using randomized shape size , orientation and location distribution are generally preferred over embodiments having a discernible , repeating pattern . some embodiments may use elliptical shapes or combinations of elliptical shapes and circles . also , an embodiment with a randomized metallization pattern is easier to produce as it requires a lesser degree of precision than one having a regular pattern , such as a pattern where all the circles are uniformly sized and tangent without overlapping . fig3 shows an embodiment of a spoke - free optical sensor window metallization according to the present invention that employs a randomized elliptical grid metallization pattern . embodiments of randomization in elliptical grid approaches may include slight randomization of the ratio of minor to major axes and / or changes to the angular orientation of the major axes of the ellipses . further embodiments may allow for mixed approaches using circles and ellipses . embodiments using randomization may further reduce generation of discernable structure in far - field diffraction patterns . in an embodiment of a conductive emi / emp mesh , the individual metallized ellipses are preferably electrically continuous to each other , with no floating “ islands ” ( clumps of ellipses contiguous to each other but not to the rest of the grid ). embodiments of rf absorptive mesh patterns utilizing randomized elliptical meshes of either conductive or resistive materials with ellipses arranged in electrically isolated rf - resonant patterns may also be generated according to the present invention . in the embodiment depicted , both the ratio of the minor and major axes as well as the angular orientation of the ellipses 310 may be varied in addition to randomly dispersing them on the sensor window . the clear areas 320 are the un - metallized portions of the sensor window . the ellipses 310 depicted in this embodiment are therefore hollow in order to minimally obscure the passage of electro - optical radiation through the metallized sensor window . in the embodiment depicted , there are preferably no straight lines to generate straight - line diffraction effects , and no readily discernible pattern that may cause consistent or specific diffraction or noise under normal operating conditions . embodiments of metallizations similar to those depicted in fig2 and 3 may be fabricated with 1 - 2 micron deposition thickness and a nominal 10 micron feature width for the metallization . fabrication techniques may include etching , plating , lithography , chemical or plasma vapor deposition , sputtering , screen printing , and any other suitable technique for the creation of patterned metallization layers . an embodiment of a metallization pattern according to the present invention may be created using a variety of tools and techniques , including using calculation algorithms based on particular random distributions and / or seed values that may indicate or be predicated on any of : a desired pattern density , overall shape size , extent of variation in shape size , extent of variation in shape orientation , desired average major or minor axis values , level of variation in major or minor axis values , average thickness of a deposited shape , level of variation in shape thickness , and any gradation or change in one or more of the preceding parameters throughout the metallization pattern . an embodiment of a pattern generation and fabrication process is depicted in the flowchart on fig4 . the metallization pattern generation 410 process may be divided into steps of selecting seed values for shapes 4101 , selecting a shape distribution scheme 4105 , and selecting a shape variation scheme 4109 . embodiments of seed values for shapes may include ranges or baseline values for the major and minor ellipse axes , ranges or baseline values for ellipse rotation angles , and ranges or baseline values for shape outline thickness . further embodiments may include a specific “ circles only ” or “ no circles ” feature allowing selection of only circle shapes ( ellipses having equal major and minor axes ) or suppression of the same . yet further embodiments may include desired average shape size and rotation values with configurable standard deviation sizes or preset probability distribution curves . yet further embodiments may permit a desired mean or mode associated with one or more seed values . some further embodiments may replace or supplement seed values or variation ranges with automatically calculated values based on known or expected performance requirements embodiments of selecting a shape distribution scheme 4105 may include selecting one or more desired baseline or average pattern densities or pattern density ranges . some embodiments may allow the selection of multiple pattern densities for different local areas of a metallization pattern . other embodiments may permit the establishment of pattern density gradations and directions such as an increasing or decreasing density value in a particular direction . embodiments may include selecting a pattern density seed value as a center value in an increasing or decreasing gradation moving across a sensor window or starting from a particular point on the window and radiating outward in two or more directions . yet further embodiments may have multiple gradations and gradation directions associated with multiple pattern spread directions , such as a pattern originating from a corner of a rectangular window and having increasing density in an x - direction and decreasing density in a y - direction . yet further embodiments may employ arbitrary origination points or seed points and may employ multiple non - orthogonal spread directions . some embodiments may replace or supplement seed values with automatically calculated values based on known or expected performance requirements . in some further embodiments , pattern density may be increased toward the edge of an optical substrate aperture to synthesize electrical tapering for better impedance matching to the surrounding support frame . an embodiment having increased pattern density towards the edge of a sensor window is depicted in fig5 . yet further embodiments may include selecting or generating a probability distribution curve based on seed values or automatically calculated values based on performance requirements . some embodiments may include multiple distribution curves for different local areas of a sensor window . probability distribution curves may be linear , gaussian , skewed , logarithmic , or of any other suitable form based on operating requirements and / or design specifications . embodiments of selecting a shape variation scheme 4109 may include selecting or generating probability functions associated with the seed values , ranges , or automatically calculated values generated in the selecting seed values 4101 step . as with embodiments of selecting a shape distribution , embodiments of probability curves dictating shape variation types and ranges may be associated with a pattern or local pattern areas and may further have associated gradients dictating changes in variation range across a pattern or local pattern area . some embodiments of selecting shape variation schemes may also employ differing deposition thicknesses and / or feature widths to spatially vary rf conductivity or absorptivity . feature widths may include the sizes of major and minor ellipse axes . in the embodiment shown , after a metallization pattern is generated 410 , the substrate receiving the metallization may need to be prepared 420 . for embodiments where a substrate is a sensor window , preparation may include various forms of cleaning ( chemical cleaning , plasma cleaning , polishing ). some embodiments may include applying light - absorbing or non - reflective coatings to the sensor window substrate . further embodiments may include plating the entire substrate with the metallization or applying a precursor layer to those portions of the substrate that will eventually be metallized . in some embodiments , the process of substrate preparation may be omitted or included as part of metallization application 430 . in some embodiments , once the substrate is prepared , the metallization pattern may be applied or created 430 . for embodiments where a substrate is fully metallized during substrate preparation , embodiments of pattern creation may include application of masks or templates and an etching process to remove the unwanted portions of the metallization . alternate embodiments may include chemical or plasma deposition , lithography , screen printing , sputtering , or plating onto prepared or masked - out areas . embodiments having precursor layers may also employ etching to selectively remove portions of a blanket metallization layer and , in some embodiments , portions of underlying layers . embodiments using circles produce bessel function diffraction side lobes beginning at about 17 db below the main lobe . this is fully 4 db lower than the sin ( x )/ x diffraction side lobes caused by straight - line hub - spoke segments , which have main side lobes 13 db down from the main lobe . embodiments using elliptical patterns produce diffraction sidelobes at similar levels , with the sidelobe ellipticity oriented 90 degrees to each pattern ellipse orientation . gaussian randomization of the circle radii and / or ellipse major and minor axes and major axis orientations about a mean value may , in some embodiments , further smooth and broaden the 17 db sidelobes , improving the uniformity of the far - field diffraction pattern . although shapes having straight edges may be employed in some embodiments of randomized grid patterns , the presence of the straight edges in the shapes may lead to increased diffraction . embodiments using a circular or mixed circular / elliptical grid without straight edges are therefore preferable for their reduced levels of diffraction . grid embodiments that reduce or eliminate the spokes of the hub - spoke design realize reductions in scattering and haze . the scattered haze produced by propagation through an embodiment of an rcg pattern may be one - fourth the scattering produced by a traditional straight - line mesh or grid of equal emi / emp shielding , and may be several db lower than the hub - spoke pattern . specific amounts of scattering and haze reduction may vary based on the particular pattern distribution used in an embodiment . in embodiments where circle centers are uniformly spaced in x and y , the resulting periodicity may coherently add up in the far field to produce undesirable diffraction side lobes and modulation transfer function effects . in embodiments where the positions of the circles or ellipses are randomized while guaranteeing continuous electrical conductivity , the diffraction side lobes and periodic image structure may be eliminated , allowing for substantially improved broadband optical / ir images for a given conductivity . in some randomized embodiments , circle or ellipse randomization may be accomplished with a uniform probability distribution . in embodiments seeking to achieve higher conductivity and lower sheet resistance , more random circles and ellipses may be applied , with an attendant reduction in optical / ir transmission . embodiments seeking to achieve non - uniform conductivity , such as , for example , increasing the conductivity toward the window frame in a gradual taper for better broadband rf impedance matching between an optical window or lens and its surrounding frame , more circles and ellipses may be applied at the periphery of the window or lens than at the center . for embodiments configured to detect incident laser radiation , such as in a semi - active laser ( sal ) seeker device , laser reflections from a randomized circular grid may be greatly reduced by embodiments having multiple layers , beginning with a light - absorbing surface binder directly on the exterior glass surface . an embodiment of such a multi - layered structure is depicted in fig6 . in the embodiment shown , a first light - absorbing layer 620 disposed on the exterior glass surface 630 may be followed by a primer layer 610 that promotes better adherence of the conductive or resistive material 601 to the absorbing layer . embodiments using a thin deposition thickness and randomization of metallized ellipses may exhibit reduced sensitivity to incidence angle , thereby minimizing reflection of incident laser signal . such measures are especially advantageous in laser - guided munitions applications where signal reflection may reveal the trajectory of a munition ( and therefore allow for location or identification of the source of said munition ). reflection of laser radiation may also lead to discrepancies in target tracking on the part of the munition or other , nearby , similarly - guided munitions , so a solution that reduces or eliminates reflection of laser radiation from the surface metallization of an optical sensor window would clearly be advantageous . in some embodiments , the primer 610 as well as the metallization 601 may be patterned . in further embodiments , a light - absorbing binder layer 620 may cover the entire substrate 630 to provide improved light absorption and reduced reflection or glare . the invention being thus described , it will be obvious that the same may be varied in many ways . such variations are not to be regarded as departure from the spirit and scope of the invention , and all such modifications as would be obvious to one skilled in the art are intended to be included within the scope of the following claims .
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an optical disk reproduction apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings . fig1 is a block diagram showing an optical disk reproduction apparatus for reproducing data from an optical disk according to an embodiment of the present invention . fig2 is a block diagram showing a disk drive section for driving the optical disk shown in fig1 . fig3 shows the structure of the optical disk shown in fig1 and 2 . fig4 shows the recording format of the optical disk shown in fig2 and 3 . various data , e . g ., moving picture , audio , and sub - picture data compressed by the mpeg scheme , are recorded on optical disk 10 , from which data is reproduced by the optical disk reproduction apparatus in fig1 according to a data format corresponding to a system layer of mpeg2 . sub - picture data is obtained by performing run length compression of character data and simple animation data . in the optical disk reproduction apparatus , when a user operates key operation section & amp ; display section 4 , recorded data pieces ( i . e ., video data pieces , sub - picture data pieces , and audio data pieces ) are reproduced from optical disk 10 . the reproduced data pieces are then converted into audio and video signals in the apparatus . the converted signals are reproduced as pictures at monitor section 6 outside the apparatus , and as sounds at speaker sections 8 outside the apparatus . key operation & amp ; display section 4 is used by the user to perform various instructing operations such as &# 34 ; playback &# 34 ;, &# 34 ; stop &# 34 ;, &# 34 ; fast forward playback &# 34 ;, and &# 34 ; rewind playback &# 34 ; of optical disk 10 , display of subtitles or captions ( sub - pictures ), cancellation of parental control ( restriction on reproduction or presentation ), channel selection , menu selection , and so on . &# 34 ; parental control &# 34 ; is performed to impose restrictions ( e . g ., nationality , religion , and age ) on video data , audio data , text data , etc ., recorded in optical disk 10 . as will be described later , this parental control is executed according to parental information ( id ) described in optical disk 10 , with three hierarchical levels , i . e ., sequence , cell , and gop levels ( or with two hierarchical levels of title set and program chain levels ). this optical disk reproduction apparatus is a system for reproducing , based on the mpeg system layer , the mpeg - compressed moving picture data , the mpeg - compressed audio data , and sub - picture data used for characters of subtitles or captions and for simple animated cartoons , from optical disk 10 . characters or simple animated cartoons can be constituted by run - length - compressed bit - mapped images . hereinafter , the run - length compressed data will be referred to as sub - picture data . there are various structures for optical disk 10 . for example , as shown in fig3 there is a super high recording density type for the optical disk . this disk comprises one pair of structures 18 each having a recording layer , or reflecting layer 16 , formed on transparent substrate 14 . structures 18 are bonded to each other through adhesive layer 20 such that recording layers 16 are sealed therein . center hole 22 is formed in the center of optical disk 10 having the above structure . the spindle of spindle motor 12 can be inserted into center hole 22 . clamping area 24 is formed around center hole 22 so as to hold optical disk 10 during its rotation . information recording area 25 is defined between clamping area 24 and the outer periphery of optical disk 10 . information can be recorded on recording area 25 of optical disk 10 . the two - sided optical disk shown in fig3 and 4 has information recording areas 25 on its upper and lower surfaces . an outer peripheral area of each information recording area 25 is defined as leadout area 26 on which no information is generally recorded . similarly , an inner peripheral area of each information recording area 25 , which is in contact with clamping area 24 , is defined as lead - in area 27 on which no information is generally recorded . data recording area 28 is defined between leadout area 26 and lead - in area 27 . generally , tracks as areas on which data are to be recorded are spirally and continuously formed on recording layer 16 on information recording area 25 . as shown in fig4 each of these continuous tracks is divided into a plurality of logical sectors ( minimum recording units ) each having a predetermined storage capacity . data is recorded on the basis of these logical sectors . the recording capacity of one logical sector and the data length of one pack ( to be described later ) are set to be 2 , 048 bytes . data recording area 28 of information recording area 25 serves as an actual data recording area , on which management data , main image ( main picture ) data , sub - image ( sub - picture ) data , and audio data are recorded as physical state changes , e . g ., pits , as will be described later . when optical disk 10 is of a read - only type super high density optical disk ( or sd - rom ), pit arrays ( or pit trains ) are pre - formed by a stamper in transparent substrate 14 . a reflecting layer is formed , by vapor deposition or by sputtering , on the surface of transparent substrate 14 in which the pit arrays / bit trains are formed , and the reflecting layer is formed as recording layer 16 . in general , in this read - only optical disk 10 , no special grooves as tracks are formed , but pit arrays are set as tracks . in the optical reproduction apparatus for reproducing data from optical disk 10 , disk drive section 30 for driving optical disk 10 searches optical disk 10 with a light beam . more specifically , as shown in fig2 optical disk 10 is placed on spindle motor 12 which is driven by motor driving circuit 11 . the placed optical disk is then rotated by spindle motor 12 based on given servo control method ( e . g ., zone constant line velocity control , or zone clv control ). an optical head , or optical pickup 32 , which is used to focus a light beam or a laser beam is disposed below optical disk 10 . optical pickup 32 is mounted on a guide mechanism ( not shown ) to be movable in the radial direction of optical disk 10 so as to search information recording area 25 , particularly to search data recording area 28 . optical pickup 32 on the guide mechanism is moved by feed motor 33 , which is driven by a driving signal from driving circuit 37 , in the radial direction of optical disk 10 . objective lens 34 is held below optical disk 10 to be movable along the optical axis . objective lens 34 is moved along the optical axis in response to a driving signal from focus driving circuit 36 to be always maintained in a focused state , so that a small beam spot is formed on recording layer 16 . objective lens 34 is also held to be finely moved along the radial direction of optical disk 10 . objective lens 34 is finely moved in response to a driving signal from track driving circuit 38 to be always maintained in a tracking state , so that tracks on recording layer 16 of optical disk 10 can be traced with a light beam . optical pickup 32 detects a light beam reflected by optical disk 10 . the detection signal is supplied from optical pickup 32 to servo processing circuit 44 through head amplifier 40 . servo processing circuit 44 generates a focus signal , a tracking signal , and a motor control signal from the detection signal , and supplies these signals to focus driving circuits 36 , 38 , and 11 , respectively . with this operation , objective lens 34 is maintained in a focused state and a tracking state . in addition , spindle motor 12 is rotated at a predetermined rotational speed , and tracks on recording layer 16 are searched with a light beam from optical pickup 32 at a constant line velocity ( of zone clv or of conventional clv ). when system cpu section 50 of fig1 supplies a control signal ( access signal ) to servo processing circuit 44 , servo processing circuit 44 supplies a moving signal to driving circuit 37 . optical pickup 32 is then moved along the radial direction of optical disk 10 , and a predetermined sector of recording layer 16 is accessed . as a result , reproduction data obtained by this accessing is amplified by head amplifier 40 and output from disk drive section 30 . the reproduction data output from disk drive section 30 is stored in data ram section 56 , via system cpu section 50 and system processor section 54 which are controlled by programs stored in system rom / ram section 52 . the reproduction data stored in data ram section 56 is processed by system processor section 54 and classified into video data , audio data , and sub - picture data . the classified video data , audio data , and sub - picture data are respectively supplied to video decoder section 58 , audio decoder section 60 , and sub - picture decoder section 62 , and the supplied data pieces are decoded therein . the decoded video data , audio data , and sub - picture data are converted by d / a & amp ; reproduction processing circuit 64 into analog signals of video , audio , and sub - picture . the analog video and sub - picture signals are then subjected to mixing processing . the resultant video and sub - picture signals are supplied to monitor section 6 , and the analog audio signal is supplied to speaker section 8 . as a result , a picture ( video ) is displayed on monitor section 6 , and sound is reproduced from speaker section 8 . programs ( software or firmware ) for controlling the operation of this apparatus are stored in the rom portion of system rom / ram section 52 . these programs are automatically loaded and executed by system cpu section 50 when the system power is turned on . in addition , in the rom portion of system rom / ram section 52 , character data for displaying information indicating that parental processing is being executed is also stored . further , a reference level of parental restriction levels ( e . g ., one of five different levels ) is preset in this rom in advance . this level is the parental restriction level of the optical disk reproduction apparatus , and a parental restriction with respect to the nationality can be set , for example . the parental restriction level in the rom may be changed by an in - line package switch ( or dip - type switch ; not shown ) or the like in the manufacturing process . after completing this change , a parental restriction of nationality can be automatically activated . since the above reference level is disabled to change by a user with key operation section & amp ; display section 4 , a nationality restriction on video / pictures , audio / sound , writing / character - expressions , and so on can be automatically achieved . with this operation , a level for parents and children can be set within a level more moderate than the above reference level . incidentally , a work area for data processing is set in the ram portion of system rom / ram section 52 . the operation of the optical disk apparatus in fig1 will be described in detail later , together with the logic format of optical disk 10 , which will be described in detail next . data recording area 28 extending from lead - in area 27 to leadout area 26 of optical disk 10 in fig3 has a volume structure as a logic format like the one shown in fig5 which complies with the iso9660 standard . this volume structure is constituted by volume management information area 70 having a hierarchical structure and file area 80 . volume management information area 70 corresponds logical block numbers 0 to 23 which are specified complying with iso9660 . system area 72 and volume management area 74 are allocated to volume management information area 70 . system area 72 is generally used as an empty area in which no contents are specified , but is provided for , e . g ., a user who edits data to be recorded on optical disk 10 . a system program for driving the optical disk apparatus in accordance with the choice of the user is stored in system area 72 , as needed . volume management area 74 stores volume management information ( i . e ., information for managing the recording positions , recording sizes / capacities , and file names of all files ) for managing disk information files 76 of file area 80 ( to be simply referred to as disk information file 76 hereinafter ), and files 78 such as movie and music files . files 76 and 78 of file numbers 0 to 99 which are designated by logical block number 24 and the subsequent logical block numbers are arranged in file area 80 . file 76 of file number 0 is allocated as disk information file 76 , and files 78 of file numbers 1 to 99 are allocated as movie files , i . e ., video files and music files . as shown in fig6 disk information file 76 is constituted by file management information area 82 and menu picture data area 84 . file management information for selecting sequences which are recorded on the entire surfaces of optical disk 10 and can be selected , i . e ., the titles of video and audio data , are written in file management information area 82 . image data for a menu screen for displaying selection menu including titles and the like is stored , as menu data cells 90 , in menu picture data area 84 in units of cells . as will be described later , the menu picture data in menu picture data area 84 is divided into units each having a necessary size in accordance with a purpose . the respective units are set as i menu data cells 90 which are consecutively numbered , starting with # 1 , in the order of recording on menu picture data area 84 of optical disk 10 . video data and sub - picture data , or audio data associated with selection of a movie or audio title , selection of a program corresponding to each title , and the like are stored in each menu data cell 90 . as shown in fig6 file management information area 82 includes three information areas , i . e ., disk structure information area 86 in which disk structure information ( dsinf : disk search information , or data search information ) as information about the structure contents of each movie or music file recorded on optical disk 10 is stored , menu structure information area 87 in which menu structure information ( msinf ) is stored , and menu cell information table ( mcit ) 88 in which menu cell information ( mci ) is stored . these areas are arranged in the order named . the disk structure information ( dsinf ) in disk structure information area 86 is information about the structure contents of each movie or audio file recorded on optical disk 10 . as shown in fig7 this information is constituted by the following parameters : ffname ( file name ), ffid ( file identifier ), dsinf ( number of files ), fsinf ( file type / number of sequences subjected to title selection ), fcinf ( intra - file sub - picture / audio information ), and tsinf ( title information ). ffname is used to identify a file name . as this parameter , the same contents as those of a corresponding file identifier in a directory record are written . as ffid , a file identifier as information for identifying a disk information file is written . as dsinf , the number of movie or music files ( the number of reproduction files 78 in fig5 ) on optical disk 10 is written . as fsinf , the file type or category ( e . g ., movie or music ) of each file , the number of self - terminating type sequences ( or the number of program chains when one file is constituted by one pgc ), and the number of connection type start sequences ( or the number of leading program chains when one file is constituted by two or more pgc &# 39 ; s ) are written . fcinf is constituted by fnast ( number of audio streams ), fnspch ( number of sub - picture channels ), facode ( number of audio streams ), and fspcode ( sub - picture channel type ). as fnast , the number of audio streams in each file is written . as fnspch , the number of sub - picture channels in each file is written . as facode , the language codes ( english , japanese , and the like ) of audio streams are consecutively written in the order of audio stream numbers . if an audio stream type is data other than languages , ffh is written . as fspcode , the language codes ( english , japanese , and the like ) of sub - picture channels are consecutively written in the order of channel numbers . if corresponding data is not a sub - picture type , ffh is written . as tsinf , parental control data for the respective titles and the numbers of angles and programs in the titles are written in the order of title numbers , starting with # 1 . the number of titles is the sum total of self - terminating type sequences and connection type start sequences in each movie or music file . the title numbers continue in the ascending order of sequence numbers in file number # 1 , with title # 1 corresponding to a sequence of file number # 1 . after the last sequence subjected to title selection , the title number follows file # 2 sequence # 1 . as the parental control data , the parental level of each sequence is written . as the number of angles , the number of angle cells in an angle block contained in a sequence is written . if there is no angle block , &# 34 ; 0 &# 34 ; is written . as the number of programs , the number of programs in each sequence is written . the menu structure information ( msinf ) in menu structure information area 87 is the position information of picture data for a menu which is stored in each file . as shown in fig8 the menu structure information is constituted by the following parameters : momcel ( number of menu cells ), tmscel ( title menu start cell number ), admscel ( audio menu start cell number ), spmscel ( sub - picture menu start cell number ), pemscel ( program menu start cell number ), and agmscel ( angle menu start cell number ). as momcel , the number of menu cells recorded on this file is written . if there is no picture data for a menu is the file , 00h is written . as tmscel , a title menu start cell number is written . if there is no title menu cell , 00h is written . as admscel , an audio menu start cell number is written . if there is no audio menu cell of the corresponding file number , 00h is written . as spmscel , a sub - picture menu start cell number is written . if there is no sub - picture menu cell of the corresponding file number , 00h is written . as pemscel , a program menu start cell number is written . if there is no program menu cell of the corresponding title number , 00h is written . as agmscel , an angle menu start cell number is written . if there is no angle menu cell , 00h is written . menu cell information table ( mcit ) 88 is a table in which pieces of menu cell information ( mci ) such as positions , sizes , and reproduction times required to reproduce menu cells 90 are consecutively written . in menu cell information table 88 , the pieces of menu cell information ( mci ) are defined by a set of i menu cell information areas 89 written in the order of menu cell numbers . as shown in fig9 each menu cell information ( mci ) in menu cell information table 88 is constituted by the following parameters : mccat ( menu cell type , or menu cell category ), mcsscr ( menu cell start pack ), mcslbn ( menu cell start logical block number ), and mcnlb ( number of ( constituent logical blocks ). as mccat ( menu cell type / category table ), the following pieces of information are written : copy control information indicating whether a copy operation is permitted or inhibited , parental control information indicating the parental levels of all picture data constituting each menu cell , menu type information indicating a title menu , a program menu , an audio menu , a sub - picture menu , or an angle menu , and a language code of a menu cell . as mcsscr , the upper 32 bits of scr ( system clock reference ; system time reference value ) written in a menu cell start pack are written . as mcslbn , an offset logical block number from the file start position as the menu cell start address is written . as mcnlb , the number of logical blocks constituting each menu cell is written . in this case , the disk structure information ( dsinf ) and the menu structure information ( msinf ) are consecutively written in file management information area 82 . menu cell information table ( mcit ) 88 is aligned with a logical block boundary . music and movie data of one or a plurality of titles are respectively stored in movie and music files 78 corresponding to file numbers 1 to 99 . as shown in fig1 , each file 78 has a file structure constituted by file management information area 101 and video data area 102 . in file management information area 101 , management information ( address information and reproduction control information , etc .) is written . in video data area 102 , the video data of file 78 ( video , audio , and sub - picture data pieces , etc . are simply referred to as video data ) is written . in video data area 102 , video data is divided in units of cells , similar to menu data cells 90 of disk information file 76 . that is , the video data is arranged as j picture data cells 105 . in general , movie or audio data of a given title is expressed as a set of consecutive sequences ( or consecutive program chains ) 106 . for example , a movie story is expressed by consecutive sequences 106 corresponding to &# 34 ; introduction &# 34 ;, &# 34 ; development &# 34 ;, &# 34 ; turn &# 34 ;, and &# 34 ; conclusion &# 34 ;. video data area 102 of each file 78 can be defined as a set of sequences ( or program chains ) 106 , as shown in fig1 . each sequence 106 is expressed by a plurality of video programs ( chapters ) 107 corresponding to various scenes of the story . each video program 107 is constituted by a plurality of picture data cells 105 . incidentally , in fig1 , the file including one or more sequences is indicated as a video title set vts ; the sequence ( or program chain pgc ) including one or more programs is indicated as video object set vobs ; and the program including one or more cells is indicated as video object vob . in this case , each cell is formed of one or more information packs , and each pack is formed of a pack header and one or more packets . each picture data cell 105 is constituted by a plurality of image groups ( gop : group of pictures ) each including disk search / data search information ( dsi ) pack 92 , main picture pack 93 , sub - picture pack 95 , and audio pack 98 , as shown in fig1 . the arrangement of picture data cell 105 is almost the same as that of menu data cell 90 . in video data area 102 ( fig1 ), movie , audio , sub - picture data and the like compressed according to a compression standard such as the mpeg ( moving picture expert group ) standard are recorded according to a data format corresponding to the system layer of mpeg2 . that is , the data in video data area 102 is a program streamer specified by the mpeg standard . packs 92 , 93 , 95 , and 98 each have a pack structure constituted by pack header 97 and packet 99 corresponding to a pack . the main picture pack of the above movie is constituted by i -, p -, and b - pictures ( intra - picture , predictive - picture , and bidirectionally predictive - picture ). a plurality of sub - picture packs constitute a sub - picture unit . one still image is obtained from this sub - picture unit . at least one sub - picture unit can be formed in one cell . file management information area 101 ( fig1 ) is constituted by file management table ( fmt ) 113 , sequence information table ( sit ) 114 , cell information table ( cit ) 115 , etc . the picture data cells in video data area 102 are consecutively numbered in the order of recording on the optical disk 10 , starting with # 1 . these cell numbers are written in cell information table 115 , together with pieces of information about cells in connection with the cell numbers . more specifically , cell information table 115 is defined by a set of areas 117 in which j pieces of cell information ( ci ), which are written as information required for reproduction of picture data cells in the order of cell numbers , are stored . as this cell information ( ci ), information such as the position , size , reproduction time , etc . of a cell in file 78 is written . fig1 shows the contents of cell information ( ci ) stored in cell information table 115 . as cell information ( ci ) written in cell information area 117 , the start position of a picture cell obtained by dividing video data into units in accordance with a purpose , a size , etc . are written in the form of parameters . more specifically , this cell information ( ci ) is constituted by cell type ( or cell category ) information ( ccat ) indicating the contents of the picture cell which indicate whether the picture cell belongs to a movie , karaoke data , or an interactive menu ; cell reproduction information ( ctime ) indicating the total reproduction time of the picture cell ; system time information ( csscr ) described in the cell start pack ; cell start position information ( cslbn ) indicating the start position of the picture cell , i . e ., the start address ; and full size information ( cnlb ) indicating the size of the picture cell . the cell type / category information ( ccat ) is formed of copy control information indicating whether a copy operation is permitted or inhibited , parental control information indicating the parental level of the video data constituting the video / picture cell , cell type / category information indicating whether the video / picture cell belongs to a movie , karaoke data , or an interactive menu , and a language code ( if the cell type / category information indicates an interactive menu ). sequence information table 114 is defined by a set of areas 116 in which i pieces of sequence information ( si ), each written as information indicating , e . g ., the order of selection and reproduction of cells 105 within a range designated in units of sequences 106 , are stored . as each sequence information ( si ), reproduction control information , with respect to the reproduction order and reproduction operation of picture data cells 105 recorded in sequence 106 , is written . sequence 106 includes a self - terminating type sequence ( or a single program chain pgc ) which is completed by itself , and connection type sequences ( or a plurality of program chains pgc &# 39 ; s ) which can be branched off and connected to the next sequence ( or subsequent program chain ). the connection type sequences include a start sequence of video data representing multi - story programs . these connection type sequences are formed of : a connection type start sequence which can be branched off and connected to the next sequence ( i . e ., a connection type start sequence with which the story is changed in accordance with the manner of selection ); a connection type intermediate sequence which can be branched off from another connection type sequence and is connected to still another sequence ; and a connection type end ( or termination ) sequence to which another connection type sequence is connected to terminate this sequence , i . e ., a connection type end sequence with which the story is terminated . the numbers of these pieces of sequence information are defined as sequence numbers 1 to i , and the start position information of each sequence is written in file management table 113 . fig1 shows the contents of one piece of sequence information ( si ) stored in sequence information table 114 in file management information area 101 shown in fig1 . as shown in fig1 , the reproduction order of picture cells , sequence information , etc . are written in sequence information area 116 ( fig1 ). the numbers of these pieces of sequence information ( si ) coincide with the sequence numbers ( or program chain numbers ), and are allocated to sequence information table 114 in the order of the sequence numbers . sequence number 1 corresponds to a default reproduction sequence . the cells constituting the sequence are preferably arranged consecutively in a designated order . sequence information area 116 is formed of sequence type / category information ( scat ), the number of programs constituting the sequence ( snprg ), the number of cells constituting the program ( sncel ), a sequence reproduction time ( stime ), number information of connection sequences ( sncsq ), sequence number list information ( scsqn ), and sequence control information ( scinf ). described for sequence type / category information ( scat ) are the following pieces of information : copy control information indicating whether a copy is permitted or inhibited ; parental control information indicating the parental level of the sequence which level represents the maximum value of the parental level of a cell ( or cells ) contained in the sequence ; sequence type / category information ; and sequence application information indicating whether the sequence belongs to a movie , karaoke data , or an interactive menu . the above sequence type / category information indicates whether the sequence is : a self - terminating type sequence which is terminated when the reproduction of this sequence is completed ; a connection type start sequence which is the start sequence of video data representing a multi - story and can be branched off and connected to the next sequence ; a connection type intermediate sequence which is branched off from another connection type sequence and is connected to still another sequence ; or a connection type end sequence to which another connection type sequence is connected to terminate the sequence . described in the sequence constituting program number ( snprg ) is the number of programs ( or video objects ) constituting respective sequences ( or program chains ). described in the program constituting cell number ( sncel ) is the number of cells constituting respective programs . as the sequence reproduction time ( stime ), the total reproduction time of the sequence is written . as the connection sequence count information ( sncsq ), the number of sequences which can be connected to the connection type sequence after it is reproduced is written . as the sequence number list information ( scsqn ), a list of sequence numbers ( which indicate the sequences to which the sequence can be connected ) corresponding to the connection sequence count information ( sncsq ) is written . as the sequence control information ( scinf ), the reproduction order of cells constituting the sequence is written . in accordance with this information , the cells are reproduced and the sequence is executed . an interval in which one cell is selected from a plurality of cells and reproduced is written in the form of a block as a set of cells . by designating the block , the sequence of the block is executed . in a sequence , programs as reproduction units , each having a combination of one or more cells to be reproduced consecutively , are defined , and the program numbers are written . the program numbers are allocated to the sequence in the ascending order , starting with # 1 . file management table ( fmt ) 113 in fig1 shows numerical information associated with video file 78 . file management table 113 describes the corresponding file name and a file identifier for identifying the file as a file which can be reproduced by the optical disk reproduction apparatus in which the optical disk is loaded . in addition , in file management table 113 , the following pieces of information are written : the start address of sequence information table 114 defined by a relative distance from the top or beginning of file 78 ; the start address of cell information table 115 defined by a relative distance from the top or beginning of file 78 ; the start address of video data area 102 defined by a relative distance from the top or beginning of file 78 ; data attribute information for reproduction of each data ; and so on . described in sequence information table 114 are the numbers &# 34 ; i &# 34 ; of pieces of sequence information 116 and the respective start addresses of sequence information pieces 116 each defined by a relative distance from the top or beginning of file 78 . described in cell information table 115 are the numbers &# 34 ; j &# 34 ; of pieces of cell information 117 and the respective start addresses of cell information pieces 117 each defined by a relative distance from the top or beginning of file 78 . file management table ( fmt ) 113 is , as shown in fig1 , constituted by areas in which a plurality of parameters are written . the size ( fszfmt ) of the file management table ( fmt ) which is written in the form of the number of logical blocks ; the number of packs ( fndsip ) of disk search ( or data search ) information ( dsi ) present in the video data of the file ; the start address ( fsasit ) of sequence information table 114 in the file which is indicated by an offset logical block number from the beginning of the file ; the start address ( fsacit ) of cell information table 115 in the file which is indicated by an offset logical block number from the beginning of the file ; a disk search ( or data search ) map start address ( fsadsm ) in the file which is indicated by an offset logical block number from the beginning of the file ; a video data start address ( fsadvd ) in the file which is indicated by an offset logical block number from the beginning of the file ; the start addresses ( offset byte numbers from the top or beginning of sequence information table 114 ), and sizes ( fsaesi ) of respective pieces of the sequence information in sequence information table 114 of the file , which start addresses are written in the order of writing by the number of the sequence information pieces ; the smallest cell number of the cells used in the respective sequences presented in the file , and the number of cells ( fsncib ) between the smallest cell number and the maximum cell number , which are written in the order of writing by the number of sequences ; video data attributes ( fvatr ) indicating the reproduction form of the video data recorded in the file ; the number of audio streams ( fnast ) indicating the number of audio data streams ( data strings ) which are recorded in the file and can be reproduced in the same time zone as that of the video data ; the audio stream attributes ( faatr ) which are recorded in the order corresponding to the stream numbers of the respective streams ; the number of sub - picture channels ( fnspch ) indicating the number of channels of the sub - picture data which are recorded in the file and can be reproduced in the same time zone as that of the video data ; sub - picture channel attributes ( fspatr ) which are recorded in the order corresponding to the channel numbers of the respective channels ; a sub - picture color palette ( fspplt ) used in all the channels of the video data in the file ; a vendor definition ( fvdef ) for defining an area which can be arbitrarily used by a vendor for a specific purpose ; and the like . referring to fig1 , when the number of audio streams is n , succeeding audio data attributes are consecutively recorded in the order of the stream numbers from # 1 to # n . similarly , when the number of sub - picture channels is m , succeeding sub - picture data attributes are consecutively recorded in the order of the channel numbers from # 1 to # m . if the number of audio streams or the number of sub - picture channels is zero ( 0 ), neither audio data attribute nor sub - picture data attribute is recorded . as shown in fig1 to 12 and 16 , the video data is a set of main picture ( video ) data , audio data , sub - picture data , and disk search ( or data search ) information ( dsi ) data . each type of data is recorded in units of packs . as shown in fig1 to 23 , the above pack is constituted by a pack header and a packet which is formed of main picture data , sub - picture data , or disk search / data search information ( dsi ). the pack length of the above pack is adjusted to 2 , 048 bytes or 2k bytes (= one logical sector ). a pack header is constituted by a 4 - byte pack start code ( 000001bah ), a 6 - byte scr ( system clock reference : system time reference value ), a 3 - byte multiplexing rate ( mux rate ; 0468a8h ), and one to seven stuffing bytes ( 00h ). a standard packet consists of 2 , 034 bytes . in this packet , a padding packet ( supplementary data 00h having no meanings as data are recorded in units of bytes ) for pack length adjustment is set , as needed . the above packs include disk search / data search information ( dsi ) pack 92 constituted by disk search / data search information data , main picture pack 93 constituted by main picture data , sub - picture pack 95 constituted by sub - picture data , and audio pack 98 . as shown in fig1 , disk search / data search information pack ( dsi pack ) 92 is arranged immediately before a main picture pack containing the start data of one gop , and is constituted by a 14 - byte pack header , a 24 - byte system header , and a dsi packet as a data area in which a 6 - byte packet header and disk search / data search information data up to the 2 , 004th byte can be stored . as described above , the pack header is constituted by a 4 - byte pack start code ( 000001bah ), a 6 - byte scr ( system clock reference : system time reference value ), a 3 - byte multiplexing rate ( mux rate ; 0468a8h ), and one to seven stuffing bytes ( 00h ). the system header is constituted by a 4 - byte system header code ( 000001bbh ), 2 - byte header length data , and the like . the packet header is constituted by a 3 - byte packet start code ( 000001h ), a 1 - byte stream id , 2 - byte pes ( packetized elementary stream ) packet length data . as shown in fig1 , main picture pack 93 is constituted by a 14 - byte pack header and a main picture packet as a data area in which a 9 - byte packet header and main picture data up to the 2 , 025th byte can be stored . or , as shown in fig1 , main picture pack 93 is constituted by a 14 - byte pack header and a main picture packet as a data area in which a 19 - byte packet header and main picture data up to the 2 , 015th byte can be stored . the arrangement of these pack headers may be the same as that of dsi pack 92 . as shown in fig1 , when the packet header is constituted by 9 bytes , the 9 - byte packet header includes a 3 - byte packet start code ( 000001h ), a 1 - byte stream id , 2 - byte pes ( packetized elementary stream ) packet length data , and 3 - byte data associated with the pes . as shown in fig1 , when the packet header is constituted by 19 bytes , the 19 - byte packet header includes a 5 - byte pts ( presentation time stamp ; time management information for reproduction output ) and a 5 - byte dts ( decoding time stamp ; time management information for decoding ), in addition to the above 9 - byte data . these pts and dts are written in only the main picture packet containing the start data of the i - picture of each gop . as shown in fig2 , audio pack 95 is constituted by a 14 - byte pack header and an audio packet data area in which a 14 - byte packet header and audio data up to the 2 , 020th byte can be stored ( when audio data is compressed data encoded based on , e . g ., ac3 ; trade mark ). or , as shown in fig2 , audio pack 95 is constituted by a 14 - byte pack header and an audio acket data area in which a 14 - byte packet header , a 1 - byte sub - stream id , and audio data up to the 2 , 019th byte can be stored ( when audio data is encoded as a linear pcm ). the arrangement of these pack headers may be the same as that of dsi pack 92 . the packet header as shown in fig2 or 21 is constituted by a 3 - byte packet start code ( 00001h ), a 1 - byte stream id , 2 - byte pes ( packetized elementary stream ) packet length data , 3 - byte pes contents , and a 5 - byte pts ( presentation time stamp ; time management information for reproduction output ). as shown in fig2 , a code representing a linear pcm stream is added to a sub - stream id added to audio data based on linear pcm . as shown in fig2 , sub - picture pack 98 is constituted by a 14 - byte pack header and a sub - picture packet as a data area in which a 9 - byte packet header , a 1 - byte sub - stream id , and sub - picture data up to the 2 , 024th byte can be stored . or , as shown in fig2 , sub - picture pack 98 is constituted by a 14 - byte pack header and a sub - picture packet as a data area in which a 14 - byte packet header , a 1 - byte sub - stream id , and sub - picture data up to the 2 , 019th byte can be stored . the arrangement of these pack headers may be the same as that of dsi pack 92 . a code representing a sub - picture stream is added to the sub - stream id shown in fig2 or 23 . as shown in fig2 , the 9 - byte packet header is constituted by a 3 - byte packet start code ( 000001h ), a 1 - byte stream id , 2 - byte pes ( packetized elementary stream ) packet length data , and 3 - byte data associated with the pes . as shown in fig2 , the 14 - byte packet header includes a 5 - byte pts ( presentation time stamp ; time management information for reproduction output ), in addition to the above 9 - byte data . this pts is written in only the sub - picture packet containing the start data of respective sub - picture units . the scr ( system clock reference ) written in each pack increases in the order of recording on optical disk 10 , with the value of the start pack of video data for each file being set to 0 . the disk search / data search information ( dsi ) written in disk search / data search information pack ( dsi pack ) 92 is set at the beginning of one gop ( group of picture ). as shown in fig2 , disk search / data search information is constituted by general information , reproduction synchronization information , dsi pack address information , angle address information , effect information , and highlight information . as shown in fig2 , the general information is constituted by parameters dscr , vspts , dlbn , celn , and pctl ( or ptl -- lvl ). parameter dscr is the scr ( system clock reference : or system time reference value ) of dsi . parameter vspts is the reproduction time stamp of the gop . parameter dlbn is the logical block number of the dsi . parameter celn is a cell number . parameter pctl ( or ptl -- lvl ) is a parental control level . as the scr of the dsi , a scr to be written in a pack header is written . as the reproduction time stamp of a gop , the reproduction start time of the code display start frame of the gop is written . as the logical block number of the dsi , the address of this dsi pack is written in the form of an offset logical block number from the beginning of the file . as the cell number , the cell number to which the gop belongs is written . as the parental control level , a parental control level ( e . g ., 5 to 8 levels or less ) during a gop reproduction period is written . this parental level coincides with that of the cell to which the information belongs . the reproduction synchronization information includes the reproduction start time and position information of a gop , audio data to be reproduced in synchronism with video data , and the reproduction start time and position information of sub - picture data . the reproduction synchronization information is constituted by the pts of an i - picture of the mpeg , the address of a pack containing the i - picture , the pts of audio data , the address of the audio pack , the pts of sub - picture data , and the address of the sub - picture pack . as the pts of the i - picture , the reproductions start time of the i - picture is written in the form of an offset pts from the reproduction time stamp of the gop . as the address of the pack containing the i - picture , the address of the video pack containing the i - picture is written in the form of an offset logical block number from the dsi pack . as the pts of the audio data , the pts of the audio packet having the nearest reproduction start time after the reproduction start time of the i - picture is written in the form of an offset pts from the reproduction time stamp of the gop . as the audio pack address , the address of the audio pack for the pts of the audio data is written in the form of an offset pts from the dsi pack . as the pts of the sub - picture data , the reproduction start and end times of the sub - picture pack to be reproduced during a gop reproduction period are written in the form of an offset pts from the reproduction time stamp of the gop . as the sub - picture pack address , the address of the sub - picture pack for the pts of the sub - picture data is written in the form of an offset logical block number from the dsi pack . the dsi pack address information is the position information of another dsi pack 92 . as the effect information , information about various effect processes to be performed during a gop reproduction period is written . the highlight information includes the positions of selection items on a menu screen and changed color / contrast information . this information is effective only when the cell to which the information belongs is a menu cell or interactive menu cell . the highlight information is constituted by selection item start number / item count and the positions , colors , and contrasts of the selection items . as the selection item start number / item count , the start number of a selection item displayed on the menu screen in the form of a sub - picture , and the number of selection items are written . as the positions , colors , and contrasts of the selection items , the display rectangular areas corresponding to the selection items on the menu screen , and pieces of information representing colors and contrasts to which selected items are changed are written in order from the start selection number in quantity corresponding to the number of selection items . each display rectangular area is defined by x - and y - coordinates with the origin being set at the upper left position on the screen . system processor section 54 of fig1 includes packet transfer processing section 200 for determining the type of packet and transferring the data in the packet to each decoder . as shown in fig2 , packet transfer processing section 200 comprises memory interface section ( memory i / f section ) 201 , stuffing length detecting section 202 , pack header end address calculating section 203 , pack type discriminating section 204 , packet data transfer control section 205 , and decoder interface section ( decoder i / f section ) 206 . memory i / f section 201 outputs pack data from data ram section 56 to stuffing length detecting section 202 , pack type discriminating section 204 , packet data transfer control section 205 , and decoder i / f section 206 via data buses . stuffing length detecting section 202 detects the specific number of bytes of a stuffing length in a pack header in the pack data supplied from memory i / f section 201 . this detection result is output to pack header end address calculating section 203 . pack header end address calculating section 203 calculates a pack header end address from the stuffing length supplied from stuffing length detecting section 202 . this calculation result is output to pack type discriminating section 204 and packet data transfer control section 205 . in accordance with the pack header end address supplied from pack header end address calculating section 203 , pack type discriminating section 204 discriminates , on the basis of the contents of 4 - byte data supplied next to the address in the pack data obtained from memory i / f section 201 , whether the received pack is a main picture , audio , sub - picture , or dsi pack . this discrimination result is output to packet data transfer control section 205 . more specifically , pack type discriminating section 204 discriminates the pack as a dsi pack if a 4 - byte system header start code is supplied ; a main picture pack if a 3 - byte packet start code and a stream id indicating a 1 - byte main picture stream are supplied ; an audio pack if a 3 - byte packet start code and a 1 - byte stream id are supplied ; and a sub - picture pack if a 3 - byte packet start code and a 1 - byte stream id are received . if , however , a private stream is supplied as a stream id , pack type discriminating section 204 discriminates from a sub - stream id following a packet header whether the received pack is an audio or sub - picture pack . packet data transfer control section 205 determines a destination and a packet start address in accordance with a pack header end address and a pack type discrimination result respectively supplied from pack header end address calculating section 203 and pack type discriminating section 204 . packet data transfer control section 205 also determines a packet length in the packet header of the supplied pack data . in addition , packet data transfer control section 205 supplies a signal representing the destination as a transfer control signal to decoder i / f section 206 , and supplies a packet end address to memory i / f section 201 on the basis of the packet start address . in accordance with the transfer control signal supplied from packet data transfer control section 205 , decoder i / f section 206 outputs main picture data , audio data , or sub - picture data , as packet data containing a packet header , supplied from memory i / f section 201 , and controlled by packet data transfer control section 205 , to a corresponding one of decoder sections 58 , 60 , and 62 , or outputs dsi as packet data to data ram section 56 . reproduction of movie data having the logic format in fig5 to 16 and supplied from optical disk 10 will be described next with reference to fig1 . referring to fig1 the solid line arrows between the blocks represent data buses , and the broken line arrows represent control buses . in the optical disk apparatus in fig1 when the power supply is turned on , system cpu section 50 reads out an initial operation program from system rom / ram section 52 , and sets up disk drive section 30 . then , disk drive section 30 starts to read data from read - in area 27 , and reads out volume management information from volume management area 74 of volume management information area 70 subsequent to read - in area 27 . more specifically , system cpu section 50 generates a read instruction to disk drive section 30 to read out volume management information from volume management area 74 which is recorded at a predetermined position on optical disk 10 set in disk drive section 30 . in response to the generated instruction , system cpu section 50 fetches the contents of the volume management information , and the fetched contents are temporarily stored in data ram section 56 through system processor section 54 . further , system cpu section 50 extracts information , such as the recording position , capacity of each file and other pieces of information required for management , from the data strings of the volume management information stored in data ram section 56 , and transfers / holds the information at a predetermined location in system rom / ram section 52 . subsequently , system cpu section 50 acquires disk information file 76 corresponding to file number 0 from system rom / ram section 52 by referring to the information of the recording position and capacity of each of the previously acquired files . more specifically , system cpu section 50 supplies a read instruction to disk drive section 30 by referring to the information of the recording position and capacity of each of the previously acquired files to read out the file management information of disk information file 76 corresponding to file number 0 from system rom / ram section 52 . the readout file management information is stored in data ram section 56 through system processor section 54 . similarly , system cpu section 50 transfers / stores the acquired information at a predetermined location in system rom / ram section 52 . system cpu section 50 reproduces the sequence ( title ) selection menu in menu picture data area 84 and displays it on the screen by using the disk structure information , menu structure information , and cell information of the file management information in disk information file 76 . on the basis of selection numbers displayed on the menu screen , a user operates key operation section & amp ; display section 4 designates to select a sequence ( title ) to be reproduced . with this operation , the file number and sequence information of the selected sequence are specified . in this sequence selecting operation , a user may select all sequences on the basis of the screen . alternatively , the user may select a start sequence first , and then selects the next sequence from a menu cell contained in a picture cell at the end of the start sequence . the process of acquiring designated video file 78 and reproducing video data 102 will be described next . in order to acquire sequence information corresponding to a designated sequence number , system cpu section 50 reads out file management information 101 of video file 78 to which the sequence to be reproduced belongs by using the recording position and capacity of video file 78 obtained from volume management information 74 , and stores the readout information in data ram section 56 , as in the case of disk information file 76 described above . system cpu section 50 acquires video , audio , and sub - picture attributes from file management table 113 of the file management information stored in data ram section 56 , and outputs control signals corresponding to the respective attributes to video decoder section 58 , audio decoder section 60 , sub - picture decoder section 62 , and d / a & amp ; reproduction processing circuit 64 . system cpu section 50 acquires sequence information corresponding to the designated sequence number from sequence information table 114 of file management information area 101 stored in data ram section 56 , and transfers / stores the acquired data and cell information in cell information table 115 which is required to reproduce the sequence to / in system rom / ram section 52 . system cpu section 50 acquires cell information to be reproduced first in accordance with cell reproduction order information in the sequence information acquired in this manner , and supplies a read instruction for read access from the target address to disk drive section 30 on the basis of a video data reproduction start address and size in this cell information . disk drive section 30 drives optical disk 10 in accordance with the read instruction , and reads out the data at the target address from optical disk 10 . disk drive section 30 then sends the readout data to system processor section 54 . system processor section 54 temporarily stores the sent data in data ram section 56 , and discriminates the type ( e . g ., main picture , audio , sub - picture , or disk search / data search information ) of the data on the basis of header information added thereto . system processor section 54 transfers the main picture , audio , or sub - picture data to a corresponding one of decoder sections 58 , 60 , and 62 in accordance with the discriminated type , and transfers the disk search / data search information to data ram section 56 . this processing will be described with reference to the flow chart of fig2 and 28 . system cpu section 50 transfers a read command and the logical sector address of a pack to be reproduced to disk drive section 30 ( step s01 ). disk drive section 30 performs error correction of the data at the target data , and transfers the main data portion of the logical sector data to system processor section 54 ( step s03 ). system processor section 54 holds the data of the readout logical sector in data ram section 56 ( step s04 ). system processor section 54 reads out a pack header from the beginning of the data of the logical sector held in data ram section 56 , and holds the scr ( system time reference value ) ( step s05 ). in this case , since the beginning of the logical sector coincides with that of the pack data , data can be easily extracted . system processor section 54 then compares the self - stc with the scr of each of the stored packs , and determines a pack corresponding to an scr which has reached the stc , i . e ., a pack to be reproduced / output . system processor section 54 reads out the determined pack from data ram section 56 , discriminates the type of data in packet transfer processing section 200 , and transfers the data to one of decoder sections 58 , 60 , and 62 or data ram section 56 in accordance with the discriminated type ( step s06 ). the corresponding one of decoder sections 58 , 60 , and 62 decodes the data in accordance with the corresponding data format and the above set coding scheme , and sends the resultant data to d / a & amp ; reproduction processing circuit 64 . d / a & amp ; reproduction processing circuit 64 converts the digital signal , obtained by decoding of the video data , into an analog signal . the analog signal is subjected to frame rate processing , aspect processing , pan / scan processing , etc . on the basis of the above set conditions . the resultant data is output to monitor section 6 . d / a & amp ; reproduction processing circuit 64 converts the digital signal , obtained by decoding of the audio data , into an analog signal on the basis of the above set conditions , and performs mixing processing of the analog signal on the basis of the above set conditions . the resultant data is output to speaker section 8 . further , d / a & amp ; reproduction processing circuit 64 converts the digital signal , obtained by decoding of the sub - picture data , into an analog signal , and outputs the analog signal to monitor section 6 ( step s07 ). the above processing of steps s03 to s07 is repeated until reproduction is completed . processing performed by packet transfer processing section 200 will be described next . pack data read out from data ram section 56 is supplied to stuffing length detecting section 202 , pack type discriminating section 204 , packet data transfer control section 205 , and decoder i / f section 206 via memory i / f section 201 ( step s11 ). with this operation , a stuffing length is detected by stuffing length detecting section 202 ( step s12 ), and data representing the stuffing length is output to pack header end address calculating section 203 . pack header end address calculating section 203 calculates a pack header end address from the supplied stuffing length ( step s13 ). the calculated pack header end address is supplies the address to pack type discriminating section 204 and to packet data transfer control section 205 . in accordance with the supplied pack header end address , pack type discriminating section 204 discriminates , on the basis of the contents of 4 - byte data supplied next to this address , whether the received pack is a main picture , audio , sub - picture , or dsi pack ( step s14 ). the result of this discrimination is supplied to packet data transfer control section 205 . pack type discriminating section 204 discriminates that the received pack is a dsi pack if a 4 - byte system header start code is supplied ; a main picture pack if a 3 - byte packet start code and a stream id representing a 1 - byte main picture stream are supplied ; an audio pack if a 3 - byte packet start code and a 1 - byte stream id are supplied ; and a sub - picture if a 3 - byte packet start code and a 1 - byte stream id are supplied . if , however , a private stream is supplied as a stream id , pack type discriminating section 204 discriminates from a sub - stream id following a packet header whether the received pack is an audio or sub - picture pack . packet data transfer control section 205 determines a destination and a packet start address in accordance with the supplied pack type discrimination result and pack header end address , and also determines a packet length in the packet header of the supplied pack data ( step s15 ). with this operation , packet data transfer control section 205 supplies a signal representing the destination , as a transfer control signal , to decoder i / f section 206 , and supplies the packet end address from the packet start address to memory i / f section 201 . as a result , substantially effective packet data is supplied from memory i / f section 201 to decoder i / f section 206 via a data bus . thereafter , the data is transferred to one of the decoder sections 58 , 60 , and 62 or data ram section 56 as the destination corresponding to the pack type ( step s16 ). in this case , since the above pack data has a fixed length , the stored state of the data in data ram section 56 is constant , i . e ., the start addresses are arranged at given fixed intervals . in other words , the beginnings of the pack data in data ram section 56 are held at addresses arranged at equal intervals . pack data management therefore does not require address management and can be realized by managing only pack numbers . if it is determined in the process of discriminating a data type that the data is disk search / data search information ( dsi ) representing the reproduction position , etc . of video data , this disk search / data search information is not transferred to any decoder section , but is stored in data ram section 56 . this reproduction information is referred to by system cpu section 50 , as needed , to be used for a monitoring operation in reproducing video data . when reproduction of one cell is completed , cell information to be reproduced next is acquired from cell reproduction order information in sequence information , and reproduction processing for the acquired cell information is continued in the same manner as described above . assume that the optical disk apparatus reproduces a parental control target portion of optical disk 10 on which parent information is recorded . a basic operation for such a case will be described next with reference to the flow chart of fig2 to 32 . first of all , disk structure information ( dsinf ) in a disk information file is loaded into data ram section 56 ( step s21 ). parental information about all sequences recorded on optical disk 10 is referred to on the basis of loaded disk structure information dsinf , so as to display a title subjected to parental control on monitor section 6 ( step s22 ). a specific user ( authorized on the basis of a password or the like ) operates key operation section & amp ; display section 4 to key - input the information indicating whether to validate the reproduction restriction of the above title subjected to parental control ( step s23 ). note that the specific user can cancel only parental control of a level more moderate than the reference level recorded in system rom / ram section 52 . when the user cancels the parental control , parental cancellation information is stored in system rom / ram section 52 . when the user does not cancel the parental control ( step s24 , no ), he / she operates key operation section & amp ; display section 4 to key - input the information indicating a desired level ( or levels ) of parental control with respect to the sequence , cell , or gop level ( steps s25 ). incidentally , the number of hierarchical levels of program sources to be subjected to the parental control may be two , for example , the file level ( or title set level ) and the sequence level ( or program chain level ). if the restriction ( parental control ) of reproduction or presentation for the sequence level ( or program chain level ) is selected in step s25 , each sequence information ( si ) in sequence information table ( sit ) 114 is loaded into data ram section 56 ( step s26 in fig3 ). then , a reproduction / presentation restriction start sequence number and a reproduction restriction end sequence number are detected . thereafter , respective sequences ( or program chains ) are sequentially loaded ( step s27 ), and it is checked whether each sequence ( program chain ) is subjected to specific parental control , or is subjected to restriction of reproduction or presentation ( step s28 ). more specifically , it is checked from the parental level of each sequence ( program chain ), whether each sequence ( program chain ) is to be subjected to restriction of the parental control , or is to be subjected to reproduction restriction . if it is determined that a given sequence ( program chain ) is to be subjected to the reproduction restriction ( step s28 , yes ), this sequence ( program chain ) is not reproduced ( step s29 ), and characters indicating that parental control is being performed are displayed on monitor section 6 ( step s30 ). the next sequence is then loaded . if the next sequence is not subjected to parental control ( step s28 , no ), reproduction is resumed ( step s31 in fig2 ). incidentally , at step 29 of fig3 , if the sequence ( or program chain ) to be reproduced next is subjected to parental control , in place of reproducing this next sequence ( program chain ), another sequence ( or program chain ), which is not subjected to the parental restriction , may be reproduced . if the reproduction / presentation restriction of the cell level is selected at step s25 in fig2 , cell information in the cell information table ( cit ) is loaded into data ram section 56 ( step s44 * in fig2 , or step s32 in fig3 ). then , a reproduction restriction start cell number and a reproduction restriction end cell number are detected . the respective cells are sequentially loaded ( step s33 ), and it is checked whether each cell is to be subjected to restriction of reproduction or presentation ( step s34 ). more specifically , it is checked from the parental level of each cell whether each cell is to be subjected to parental control , or is to be subjected to reproduction restriction . if it is determined that a given cell is to be subjected to reproduction restriction ( step s34 , yes ), a reproduction inhibition signal is output to each of decoder sections 58 , 60 , and 62 , so as to stop output of any decoded signal ( step s35 ). alternatively , if the cell representing a specific scene of a given title is subjected to the parental control , this scene may be replaced with another scene , or switching to another angle of multi - angle pictures prepared separately may be performed ( step s35 ). thereafter , characters indicating that parental control is being performed are displayed on monitor section 6 ( step s36 ). when the reproduction restriction period of the cell comes to an end ( step s34 , no ), unless other parental restriction exists , reproduction inhibition or picture replacement is canceled ( step s37 in fig2 ), and reproduction is resumed ( step s31 ). if the reproduction / presentation restriction of the gop level is selected at step s25 in fig2 , pack data are sequentially loaded into data ram section 56 ( step s45 * in fig2 , or step s38 in fig3 ). then , the parental information of each gop is read from disk search / data search information ( dsi ) arranged for each gop ( step s39 ). it is checked from the read information whether a target gop is to be reproduced ( step s40 ). or , it is checked from the parental level of the target gop whether the gop is to be subjected to reproduction restriction . if it is determined that the gop is to be subjected to reproduction control ( step s40 , yes ), a reproduction inhibition signal is output to each of decoder sections 58 , 60 , and 62 , so as to stop outputting of any decoded signal ( step s41 ). thereafter , characters indicating that parental control is being performed are displayed on monitor section 6 ( step s42 ). when the reproduction restriction period of the gop comes to an end ( step s40 , no ), unless other parental restriction exists , reproduction inhibition or picture replacement is canceled ( step s37 in fig2 ), and reproduction is resumed ( step s31 ). referring to fig3 , steps s26 to s30 constitute a parental check routine for the sequence level ( or program chain level ). in fig3 , steps s32 to s36 constitute a parental check routine for the cell level . in fig3 , steps s38 to s42 constitute a parental check routine for the gop level . as shown in fig2 , after a parental check of the sequence level is performed ( allowed at s43 ), a parental check of the cell level as processing of a lower layer is performed . after a parental check of the cell level is performed ( allowed at s44 ), a parental check of the gop level as processing of a further lower layer is performed . as mentioned above , a multi - stage parental check mechanism ( steps of s43 to s45 , or any two of s43 to s45 ) is adapted . with the operation of such a multi - stage parental check mechanism , even if a reproduction skip ( or a jump of laser beam tracking of the optical pickup ) is caused by a shock , vibrations , or the like , and data to be subjected to parental control is loaded , a parental check routine at the lower level will inhibit reproduction of restricted data by parental control . a method of recording video data on optical disk 10 , from which the video data is to be reproduced , according to the logic format in fig5 to 14 and a recording system to which the recording method is applied will be described next with reference to fig3 to 45 . fig3 shows an encoder for creating a video file by decoding video data . in the system in fig3 , for example , video tape recorder ( vtr ) 211 , audio tape recorder ( atr ) 212 , and sub - picture reproduction unit ( sub - picture source ) 213 are used as main picture , audio , and sub - picture data sources . these sources generate main picture data , audio data , and sub - picture data , under the control of system controller 215 . the generated data are supplied to video encoder ( venc ) 216 , audio encoder ( aenc ) 217 , and sub - picture encoder ( spenc ) 218 . similarly , the supplied data are a / d - converted and encoded by encoders 216 , 217 , and 218 according to the respective compression schemes under the control of system controller 215 . the encoded main picture data , audio data , and sub - picture data ( comp video , comp audio , comp sub - pict ) are respectively stored in memories 220 , 221 , and 222 . system controller 215 outputs the main picture data , audio data , and sub - picture data ( comp video , comp audio , comp sub - pict ) to file formatter ( ffmt ) 224 . each data is then converted into data having the same file structure as that of video data used in this system described above , and system controller 215 stores information of the set conditions , attributes , etc . of each data , as a file , in memory 226 . a flow chart of typical encoding processing in system controller 215 for creating a file from video data will be described below . the main picture and audio data are encoded in accordance with the flow chart of fig3 to create encoded main picture data and audio data ( comp video , comp audio ). more specifically , when encoding is started , parameters required for encoding of the main picture data and audio data in step s70 of fig3 are set . some of the set parameters are held by system controller 215 and also used by file formatter ( ffmt ) 224 . in step s71 , the main picture data is pre - encoded by using the parameters to calculate the optimal code amount distribution . in step s72 , the main picture data is encoded on the basis of the code amount distribution obtained by pre - encoding . at the same time , encoding of the audio data is executed . in step s73 , the main picture data is partly re - encoded , as needed , and the re - encoded portion of the main picture data is replaced . with the series operation of the above steps , the main picture data and audio data are encoded . in addition , in steps s74 and s75 , the sub - picture data is encoded to create encoded sub - picture data ( comp sub - pict ). more specifically , parameters required to encode the sub - picture data are set in the same manner as described above . in step s74 , some of the set parameters are held by system controller 215 , and are used by file formatter ( ffmt ) 224 . the sub - picture data is encoded on the basis of these parameters . with this processing , the sub - picture data is encoded . in accordance with the processing of the flow chart in fig3 , the encoded main picture data , audio data , and sub - picture data ( comp video , comp audio , comp sub - pict ) are combined , and the combined data is converted into one having the same file structure as that of the video file described with reference to fig1 . more specifically , in step s76 , cell 105 is set as the minimum unit of picture data , and cell information table ( cit ) 115 is created . in step s77 , the structure of cells 105 constituting sequence 106 , the attributes of the main picture , sub - picture and audio , and respective parental levels , etc . are set ( as part of these pieces of attribute information , information obtained in each encoding operation is used ), and file management information ( fmi ) containing cell information table ( cit ) 115 is created . in step s78 , the encoded main picture data , audio data , and sub - picture data ( comp video , comp audio , comp sub - pict ) are divided into predetermined packs , and the respective data cells are arranged , while dsi packs 92 whose parental levels are set in units of gops are inserted , such that reproduction or presentation can be performed in the order of the time codes assigned to the respective data . as a result , the data cell are formatted into the same structures as those of disk information file 76 and file 78 such as a movie file in fig6 and 10 . in this case , packs are formed in accordance with the logical sector length . in step s77 in the flow chart of fig3 , the sequence information is written in sequence information table ( sit ) 114 by using a database of system controller 215 or re - inputting data ( parental level or the like ), as needed . fig3 shows a disk formatter system for recording files 76 and 78 , which are formatted in the above manner , on an optical disk . in the disk formatter system in fig3 , file data are supplied to volume formatter ( vfmt ) 236 from memories 230 and 232 in which created information file 76 and file 78 of , e . g ., a movie file are stored . volume formatter ( vfmt ) 236 adds volume information 74 of the disk to files 76 and 78 in the arrangement order shown in fig5 to create logical data to be recorded on optical disk 10 . in disk formatter ( dfmt ) 238 , error correction data is added to the logical data created by volume formatter ( vfmt ) 236 , and the error correction data added data is re - converted into physical data to be recorded on optical disk 10 . modulator 240 converts the physical data created by disk formatter ( dfmt ) 238 into record data to be actually recorded on optical disk 10 . typical flow charts for creating the above disk will be explained with reference to fig3 and 38 . fig3 is a flow chart for creating logical data to be recorded on optical disk 10 . more specifically , in step s80 , parameter data such as the number of video data files , the arrangement order , and the size of each video data file are set first . in step s81 , volume information is created from the set parameters and the file management information of each video data file . in step s82 , the volume information and the video data files are arranged at the corresponding logical blocks in the this order to create logical data to be recorded on optical disk 10 . subsequently , physical data to be recorded on optical disk 10 is created in accordance with the flow chart of fig3 . more specifically , in step s83 , logical data is divided into a predetermined number of bytes , and error correction data is created . in step s84 , the logical data divided into the predetermined number of bytes and the created error correction data are combined to produce physical sectors . in step s85 , the physical sectors are combined to provide physical data . modulation processing based on a predetermined rule is executed for the physical data created in accordance with the flow chart of fig3 to create record data . thereafter , this record data is recorded on disk 10 . in the flow chart in which the encoded main picture data , audio data , and sub - picture data ( comp video , comp audio , comp sub - pict ) described with reference to fig3 are combined and converted into the file structure of the video data , sequence information and a cell reproduction order are produced in the process of creating one or more sequences ( or program chains ). this process will be described in more detail with reference to fig3 to 45 . fig3 and 40 show the relationship between cell information ( ci ) associated with video cell 105 and sequence information ( si ) associated with sequence 106 . note that the drawings of fig3 and 40 can be combined , at the corresponding position , into one drawing . fig4 is a flow chart showing the process of creating the sequence information and the cell reproduction order shown in fig3 and 40 . consider a case wherein a sequence ( seq - n ) ( or nth program chain ) is created , as shown in fig3 and 40 . in step s90 in fig4 , a plurality of picture cells ( video cells ) are prepared in the hard disk or memory of a personal computer or work station , by dividing video data into units each having a prescribed size in accordance with a purpose . in step s92 , the size ( sna ) and reproduction time ( tna ) of each picture cell prepared in the above manner , a type ( cna ) representing the contents , etc . of each picture cell , a corresponding language code ( lna ), a parental level , etc . are acquired as cell information ( ci ). in step s93 , the respective pieces of cell information ( ci ) are arranged into a table in the writing order to create a cell information table ( cit ). in step s94 , cell numbers (# n , # n + 1 , # n + 2 ) constituting the sequence ( seq - n ) are extracted from the cell information table ( cit ) created in the above manner , thereby determining the number of cells constituting the sequence . in addition , a sequence reproduction time is obtained from the total time ( tna + tnb + tnc ) of the constituent cells . in step s95 , the cell numbers based on the number of cells constituting the sequence are stored in the order in which the pieces of cell information are written , starting with # 1 , to create a cell reproduction order list for determining the reproduction order of sequences , thereby creating cell reproduction order lists , as shown in fig4 to 44 . the pieces of information described above , i . e ., the number of cells constituting the sequence , the sequence reproduction time , and the cell reproduction order list , etc ., are combined into sequence information ( si ) # n . in step s96 , the next sequence is created in the same manner as described above . if there is no sequence to be created , all pieces of sequence information ( si ) are stored in the sequence information table ( sit ), with numbers being assigned thereto in the writing order from # 1 . the sequence creation processing is completed . finally , the total number of sequences , the start position of the sequence information table , the start position of each sequence information , the start position of the cell information table are stored at predetermined locations in the file management table to create a file . fig4 shows a modification of fig1 . in the example of fig4 , the file of fig1 is constituted by a plurality of video object sets vobs ; the sequence , by a plurality of video objects vob ; the program , by a plurality of cells ; the cell , by various data packs ( nav pack containing navigation data , video pack containing main picture data , sp pack containing sub - picture data , audio pack containing voice / sound data , and so on ); and each of the data packs , by a pack header and one or more data packets . fig4 is a block diagram for explaining a case wherein data is played back or reproduced from a super high density optical disk in which video information encoded according to the present invention is recorded . the reproduced data is directly on - aired or distributed via cables , and the on - aired or cable - distributed data is decoded at a user side or at a subscriber side . the parental control of the present invention is performed at a parental controller / parental processor in the receiver side . more specifically , in fig4 , optical disk player 300 basically has the same configuration as a conventional optical disk playback apparatus ( such as a compact disk player or a laser disk player ). however , optical disk player 300 has a special configuration that a digital signal , obtained before decoding the information ( i . e ., an encoded digital signal ), can be output from inserted optical disk od . since the encoded digital signal is compressed , the transmission bandwidth necessary to the encoded digital signal can be narrower than that necessary to non - compressed data . the compressed digital signal from optical disk player 300 is on - aired or is output to a communication cable , via modulator / transmitter 210 . the on - aired compressed digital signal or the cable - output compressed digital signal is received by receiver / demodulator 400 of a user or subscriber . receiver 400 is provided with a decoder and a parental processor . the decoder of receiver 400 decodes the compressed digital signal having been received and demodulated . the parental processor of receiver 400 is responsive to the parental control code in the decoded data . the parental processor executes , based on this parental control code , the multi - level parental control as explained with reference to the flow charts of fig2 to 32 . according to the result of the executed parental control , the parental processor outputs video information containing the original data before encoded which is allowed to be reproduced or presented . fig4 explains the process of writing to a read / write optical disk an encoded program source with parental information and the process of reading from the read / write optical disk the program source with parental information . encoder 500 of fig4 is so constructed that it performs the processing of fig2 to 32 based on a software or hardware ( containing a firmware or wired - logic circuits ). the record signal encoded by encoder 500 is subjected to , for example , a ( 2 , 7 ) rll modulation at modulator / laser driver 702 . the modulated record signal is sent from laser driver 702 to a high - power laser diode mounted in optical head 704 . a particular pattern corresponding to the record signal is written in a magneto - optical disk or phase - change optical disk od by means of the recording laser from optical head 704 . thereafter , the information written in disk od is read by a laser pickup of optical head 706 . the read information is then demodulated at demodulator / error correction circuit 708 in which an error correction is performed , if necessary . the demodulated and error - corrected signal is subjected to various data processing at data processor 710 for audio / video information , so that information , equivalent to the original information before recording , is played back or reproduced . data processor 710 includes a parental processing portion for executing a parental control corresponding to the flow charts of fig2 to 32 . fig4 shows a block diagram wherein various data pieces with parental information are communicated between two arbitrary computers via a communication network ( e . g ., an internet ). user # 1 having user &# 39 ; s source # 1 , which is managed by a host computer ( not shown ), has personal computer 5001 . various input / output devices 5011 and various external memory units 5021 are connected to computer 5001 . modem card 5031 incorporating the encoder and the decoder of the present invention and having a function required for communication is inserted in an internal slot ( not shown ) of personal computer 5001 . similarly , user # n having user &# 39 ; s source # n has personal computer 500n . various input / output devices 501n and various external memory units 502n are connected to computer 500n . modem card 503n incorporating the encoder and the decoder of the present invention and having a function required for communication is inserted in an internal slot ( not shown ) of personal computer 500n . assume that user # 1 operates computer 5001 to communicate with computer 500n of another user # n through line 600 such as an internet . in this case , since both users # 1 and # n have modem cards 5031 and 503n incorporating the encoders and the decoders , compressed image data can be efficiently exchanged within a short period of time . according to the system of fig4 , respective computers ( 5001 , 500n , etc .) can perform a multi - level parental control as described with reference to the flow charts of fig2 to 32 on the basis of software . for instance , assume that a catalog of adult goods for a mail order sale is circulated in an electric market on the internet . in this case , if the catalog ( or order sheet ) of that goods is subjected to the parental restriction of a prescribed parental control level , any unsuitable access by persons under age ( or children ) to that goods can be prevented . fig5 shows an outline of an ic device containing parental processor which executes parental control and its related processing with respect to fig2 to 32 . thus , the parental controller based on the present invention can be reduced to practice , with necessary peripheral circuits , in the form of a semiconductor ic . such an ic can be used in various instruments or devices , thereby providing various parental controllable instruments / devices . fig5 explains a hierarchical data structure constituted by a volume , title sets , program chains , and so on , wherein parental information is assigned only to two hierarchical levels ( title set level and program chain level in this example ). more specifically , one or more title sets each having parental id &# 39 ; s ( parental codes ) are arranged under the level of a volume manager ( vmg ), one or more program chains each having parental id &# 39 ; s ( parental codes ) are arranged under the level of the title set , and disk / data search information dsi or playback / presentation control information pci without parental id &# 39 ; s ( parental codes ) are arranged under the level of the program chain . note that , in the case of fig1 , the number of the hierarchical levels of parental information is three ( sequence level , cell level , and gop level ). and the three - level parental control is performed according to the flow charts of fig2 to 32 . on the other hand , in the case of fig5 , a two - level parental control is performed . this can be achieved by removing , for example , the gop level parental processing from the flow chart of fig2 . in this case , parental control of the title set level can be performed by a manner similar to fig3 , and parental control of the program chain level can be performed by a manner similar to fig3 . fig5 explains a plurality of different parental levels which vary for countries . more specifically , country codes ( of japan , usa , france , etc .) are assigned to the volume manager ( vmg ) of fig5 . each of the country codes is provided with not higher than 8 parental levels for various parental restrictions ( which may vary for respective country codes ). assigned to each parental level are corresponding volume manager ( vmg ) and corresponding one or more video title sets ( vts # 1 to vts # n ). thus , a manner of applying the parental restrictions can be modified in detail according to the country ( or area ). for this reason , even if all programs ( containing specific video / audio to be restricted to produce in certain country or inhibited to playback for children ) are recorded in super - high density optical disk 10 , actually - reproducible programs from that disk can be changed depending on the country ( or area ). for instance , in japan , a person of 18 years old or more adult can playback the programs of parental levels # 1 to # 6 from disk 10 , but the programs of higher than level # 6 cannot . however , in usa , since the parental coding differs from japan , an adult or grown - up person can playback the programs of level # 7 and # 8 from the same disk 10 . as described above , pieces of parental information of the sequence , cell , and gop levels are written with respect to pictures of which reproduction must be restricted . even if , therefore , a reproduction skip is caused by a shock , vibrations , or the like , the parental attribute of the resultant picture can be easily discriminated at the cell or gop level . this allows reliable parental control on the reproduction side . in imposing a restriction on reproduction of a movie or the like to be restricted , scenes to be subjected to reproduction restriction are specified in units of cells , and only the specified scenes can be partially replaced with other scenes , instead of inhibiting a whole title . if a specific user cancels parental control , users can listen to the sounds of reproduced pictures and watch the pictures without parental control . a high recording density is used as a recording medium . however , the present invention can be applied to recording media other than an optical disk , e . g ., a magnetic disk and a recording medium capable of a high - density recording operation by another physical means . other targets , except for video ( movies ) data and audio data , of parental control for restricting or inhibiting the playback or use are character data , still picture data , computer programs ( game programs ), and so on . as has been described in detail above , according to the present invention , there is provided a recording medium which allows management and discrimination at a parental level on the reproduction side , in particular , a recording apparatus for recording data on the recording medium , a recording method therefor , a reproduction apparatus for reproducing data from the recording medium , and a reproduction method therefor . additional advantages and modifications will readily occur to those skilled in the art . therefore , the invention in its broader aspects is not limited to the specific details , representative devices , and illustrated examples shown and described herein . accordingly , various modifications may be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the general inventive concept as defined by the appended claims and their equivalents .
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referring to the drawings , which are for the purpose of illustrating the present preferred embodiments of the invention and not for the purpose of limiting the same , fig1 shows a schematic circuit diagram of a matrix converter comprising 6 input phases and 3 output phases which is designed and controlled to allow natural commutations only . such a matrix converter has been disclosed in de - a - 100 51 222 as well as in the corresponding european application . a matrix converter as described in these documents as well as its mode of operation as described therein shall form the basis for the examples given here . the matrix converter 10 , when being used to convert the frequency of the voltage generated by the generator 11 to a frequency as requested by the load 12 , i . e . the grid to which the generator is connected , in a time sequence connects phases g 1 , . . . , g 6 of a generator 11 to the 3 phases l 1 , . . . , l 3 of a load 12 . the power component 13 required for it comprises 18 bi - directional switches 14 in the form of antiparallel switched thyristors . the switches 14 are arranged in a ( 6 × 3 ) matrix . a control system 17 is provided for selecting the switches 14 , said control receiving time signals from a clock 18 ( a clock frequency ). the switching state of the switches 14 ( on , off ) is monitored and in each case reported to the control system 17 via a first signal line 20 . in each instance the switches 14 are selected by the control system 17 via a control line 19 . in each of the individual phases g 1 , . . . , g 6 of the generator 11 , a current measuring device 15 is arranged in each instance which reports the sign of the phase current via a second signal line 21 , to the control system 17 . in addition , voltage measuring devices 16 are arranged between the phases g 1 , . . . , g 6 of the generator 11 , said voltage measuring devices reporting the sign of the respective phase difference voltage to the control system 17 via a third signal line 22 . as disclosed in de - a - 100 51 222 , a commutation criterion can be derived for commutation within the matrix converter 10 , said commutation criterion being essentially based on the sign of the product of the phase difference voltage between the phase to be switched off and the phase to be switched on and of the phase current in the phase to be switched off . if this product is negative , commutation between these two phases is allowed . otherwise commutation is prohibited . commutation is triggered by the control system 17 , if a commutation is present after a specified time and if the commutation criterion is met . since for commutation a “ free ” phase of the generator 11 is required and since in each instance certain switches 14 must not be activated , so as to avoid short circuits , the control system 17 must know at all times which of the phases g 1 , . . . , g 6 are free , i . e . in which of the phases g 1 , . . . , g 6 all associated switches 14 are open , i . e . not carrying any power . the control system 17 must also know to which of the output phases l 1 , . . . , l 3 the phase which is to be commuted is switched , so as to precisely switch on that switch which is suitable for this commutation . the above - mentioned commutation criterion is based on the physical premise that a natural commutation between two phases of the generator 11 can only be carried out successfully if at the point of time of commutation to the absolute value of the current igx of the phase gx from which one wants to commutate , is falling , while the absolute value of the current igy of the phase gy to which one wants to commutate , is rising . this necessary condition means that the phase to which one wants to commutate , has a higher electromotive force than , and the same sense of direction as , the phase from which one wants to commutate . however , since the electromotive force can only be measured during idling , the criterion is to be established with easily accessible or measurable quantities . as discussed extensively in de - a - 100 51 222 , one can find a commutation criterion to select natural commutations only , which is given by : i k ·( v k − v l )· k ijkl & gt ; 0 ( 1 ) with the constant k ijkl depending on the mutual inductances of the phases of the generator and the inductance of the load . thus if the constants k ijkl determined by the self - inductances and mutual inductances of the generator and the load are known , by means of the easily measurable quantities phase current i k and phase difference voltage v k - v l signs it can be determined at all times whether or not an intended natural commutation between the phases k and l of the generator can be carried out . the condition or rule ( 1 ) only depends on the signs of the currents and voltages , not however on their actual values . thus the information necessary for the commutation condition can be obtained with very simple detectors or measuring devices . the decision process which in the case of a matrix converter 10 according to fig1 leads to selection of the switches 14 , is very simple : first the clock 18 tells the control system 17 at what point in time according to the desired frequency and if applicable according to any feedback information , a new commutation is to take place , i . e . at what point in time the phases presently connected to the load 12 are to be replaced by other phases . as a result of continuous monitoring of the switches 14 and the phases g 1 , . . . , g 6 , the control system 17 knows which phases are free , i . e . do not carry any current , and which phases can subsequently be safely commutated . if one or two commutations are possible , the associated switches 14 are triggered . as has already been mentioned above , simultaneous commutation of three phases is avoided . any second and third commutations ( possible per se ) are postponed until they can be carried out safely . in order to determine a method for controlling the matrix converter , first of all the frequency of commutation has to be evaluated . the principles of how this can be done under standard conditions shall be outlined as follows : at time t , phase k of generator is connected to phase c of converter . we can then write the equality of voltages : v g ( t ) = e cos ( ω t - ( k - 1 ) 2 π n + φ g ) = e cos ( ω r t - ( c - 1 ) 2 π n r + φ c ) φ g and φ c being respectively the phase shifts of generator and converter voltages . ω t - ( k - 1 ) 2 π n + φ g = ± ( ω r t - ( c - 1 ) 2 π n r + φ c ) we notice that there are two possible frequencies of commutation . we keep the first solution , because it corresponds to the lower frequency of commutation , and consequently to the smaller number of commutations . the instants of commutations for controlling the converter can now be found as follows : if the converter voltage v c is in phase with generator voltage v g , the relationship between time t and generator phase k to be connected to network phase c is : t k = ( k - 1 2 + ɛ k + k 0 ) δ t εk : shifting of commutation k , in p . u . of δt k0 : global shifting of network phase , in p . u . of δt ( 0 for phase 1 ) when the generator frequency f is greater than network frequency f r , each network phase commutes successively on generator phases in increasing order . generator phase g k is connected to one network phase during the time interval [ t k − 1 ; t k ]. the converter output voltage is given by : v c ( t ) = e · cos [ ω t - ( k - 1 ) 2 π n ] on the contrary , in case of increasing the frequency , the order of commutations must be inverted : we commute from phase k to phase ( k − 1 ) instead of ( k + 1 ). during the time interval [ t k − 1 ; t k ], the phase g k , will be connected instead of phase g k , with k ′=( 2 − k ) modulo n . we can combine both cases , by introducing the sign of commutation frequency into the formula : v c ( t ) = e · cos [ ω t - s c ( k - 1 ) 2 π n ] note : in both cases , phase g 1 is connected to n 1 during time interval [− δt / 2 ; δt / 2 ] if commutations are regular . according to the present invention , this target curve is now adapted for obtaining the advanced clock sequence . v c ( t ) = e · cos [ ω t - ( k - 1 ) 2 π n ] in which k holds for the index of the phase which should be connected at time t to the grid phase c . departing from the above relationship ( ω - ω r ) t = ( k 1 - 1 ) 2 π n - ( c - 1 ) 2 π n r - φ g + φ c the current value of k can easily be calculated to be : the phase number thus increases linearly over time ( straight line ). it &# 39 ; s rounded to the closest integer value . the target curve for the advanced clock sequence is now set up as follows : the advanced clock sequence has a phase versus time function k ( t ) which is no longer a straight line but a broken line made of a succession of segments . each segment is defined by a starting time t i and a pulsation ω i . the function k ( t ) is continuous . the pulsation being constant over the duration of a segment , the output voltage is an arch of a cosine wave . the output voltage is also a continuous function . as a consequence of k ( t ) being a continuous function there is no zero - crossing jumps like in a “ cyclo ” sequence . the resulting number of commutations is as low as with the basic clock . therefore the commutation losses are low and the voltage output is not be lowered by the averaging effect of the high frequency part of the “ cyclo ” sequence . the benefit of defining the sequence by a handful of straight segments is to be able to predict harmonic distortion with simple formulas , i . e . with pre - calculated fourier transforms . more elegant waveforms are possible . the sequence is periodical . it has to be defined over half of a grid period . therefore the advanced clock management is done with a reduced time : with 2 segments per half grid - period : it is possible to generate a sequence where commutations are immediately done while the phase of the converter output voltage is controlled . with 3 segments per half grid - period : it is in addition possible to tune the voltage amplitude . with 4 segments per half grid - period : the fourth segment can be used to shape further the voltage , for instance to prevent commutation which would occur too close to the zero - crossing of current . the advanced clock is in the following defined by a set of 4 segments over half a grid period . additional segments can be added whenever necessary and appropriate . k ( t ) = 1 + n 2 π ( ω i ( t - t i ) + θ 0 i + ( c - 1 ) 2 π n r + φ g - φ c ) θ 0i is the required offset angle to make k ( t ) a continuous function . fig2 shows the corresponding results , i . e . the resulting output voltage waveform with the advanced clock 32 in relation to the current waveform 31 as well as to the generator voltage waveform 33 , wherein in this example t 4 = t 5 . the plot of fig2 shows the waveform of voltage , assuming a very large number of generator phases . the time parameters are also shown . the parameters of the curve are defined as follows : t 1 is the time of zero crossing of the output current . from t 1 to t 2 the pulsation is ω 1 . during this period of time the commutations to the next phase are impossible , therefore ω i should be equal to the generator pulsation ω or higher . t 2 is the first time , after t 1 , when the generator voltage reaches its maximum value . afterward normal commutation ( i −& gt ; i + 1 ) can again be done . from t 2 to t 3 the pulsation is ω i . during this period voltage is expected to be close to the peak value of the generator voltage . the voltage is maximum when ω 2 is equal to zero . when ω 2 is not set to zero , for thd improvement reasons , it should preferably be at least positive . t 3 is a the ending time of the segment with high voltage . the duration of the segment t p = t 3 - t 2 has a significant impact on the root mean square value of the voltage . from t 3 to t4 the pulsation is ω 3 . t 4 is a free parameter . after t 4 the pulsation is ω 4 . one possible use of this segment is to prevent commutations before the zero crossing of the current . in this case ω 4 = ω 1 . t 5 = t 1 + π / ω is the ending time of the considered half grid - period . it is equal to the next value of t 1 . the advanced clock sequence is defined by eight parameters in case of four segments , four characteristic times and four pulsations . generally it is defined by twice as many parameters as there is segments . some are fixed by operating conditions while others are free , within limits . ω 2 = 0 in order to maximize voltage utilization . ω 4 = ω 1 = ω in order to avoid commutation request from t 1 to t 2 and from t 4 to t 5 . ω 3 results from the equation ω 1 ( t 2 − t 1 )+ ω 3 ( t 4 − t 3 )+ ω 4 ( t 4 − t 4 )= π t 1 : time of zero - crossing of the current coming from monitoring / settings t 2 : is obtained by solving the equation s 1 = 0 t 3 and t 4 are free parameters which however one chosen of course determine the value of t 2 . for the case of the above parameterization with t 4 = t 5 for example the harmonic functions are given by : the proposed method allows for a voltage tuning capability . the most important parameter is the duration , t p = t 3 − t 2 , of the segment from t 2 to t 3 with pulsation ω 2 . in fig3 , showing the tuning possibilities , the parameter t p as been varied from 0 ms to 3 ms in small steps . fig4 essentially shows the same as fig2 with 27 phase configuration . with the waveforms of fig4 the output voltage is , most of the time , larger than the generator voltage . the following table 1 shows the amplification factors for the curves of fig4 .
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an illustrative aspect of the present invention will be hereinafter explained with reference to fig1 to 9 . as illustrated in fig1 , a facsimile system 1 comprises a client computer 10 and a multifunction apparatus 20 . in the illustrative aspect , the client computer 10 functions as a client device and a computer . in the illustrative aspect , a facsimile is abbreviated to fax . the client computer 10 ( an example of a client device and a computer ) comprises a cpu 11 , a rom 12 , a ram 13 , a storing section 14 , a display section 15 , an operation section 16 and an usb interface ( usb i / f ) 17 . the client device is configured to execute a facsimile application program . the cpu 11 ( an example of a computer to perform a first receiving step , a first determining step , a transferring step , an obtaining step and a second determining step ) executes various computations based on programs stored in the rom 12 and the storing section 14 and controls each component in the client computer 10 . the rom 12 stores various programs that are executed by the cpu 11 and data . the ram 13 is a main memory that is used when the cpu 11 executes various processes . the storing section 14 is an external memory for storing various programs and data using a non - volatile storing medium such as a hard disk or a flash memory . the storing section 14 stores an operating system ( os ), a fax application ( an example of a facsimile application program ), a fax driver ( an example of a facsimile driver program ) and permission database ( permission db ). in the present illustrative aspect , linux ( registered trademark ) is used as an os . the os is not limited to linux but may be other different os . the display section 15 is comprised of a display device such as a crt or a liquid crystal display . the operation section 16 ( an example of a registering step ) is comprised of an input device such as a mouse or a keyboard . the usb interface 17 ( an example of a second receiving step ) is connected to the multifunction apparatus 20 via a usb cable . in the present illustrative aspect , it is supposed that a plurality of users use a fax application via one client computer 10 . in such a case , each user may go to the client computer 10 to directly login the computer 10 and use the fax application or may use the fax application with remote login to the computer 10 from another computer via a communication network . in the permission db , transmission source information representing transmission sources of at commands ( an example of a facsimile command ) that are permitted to communicate with the multifunction apparatus 20 is registered . the transmission source represents a user who transmits the at command , a group to which a user belong or a fax application . namely , although the number of the client computer 10 is one , the transmission sources of the at commands are not necessarily same . in the permission db , permission or prohibition of communication ( permission or prohibition of fax transmission or fax reception ) is set by a unit of , for example , a user , a group to which a user belong or a fax application . hereinafter , the unit ( a user , a group or a fax application ) is simply referred to as a transmission source . an administrator of the client computer 10 operates the operation section 16 to register the transmission source information in the permission db and set permission or prohibition of communication in the permission db . the multifunction apparatus 20 ( an example of a facsimile device ) has a fax transmission / reception function , a printing function , a scanning function and a copying function . the multifunction apparatus 20 includes a control section 21 , a facsimile section 22 , a printer section 23 , a scanner section 24 , an operation section 25 and a usb interface ( usb i / f ) 26 . the control section 21 comprises a cpu , a rom and a ram . the cpu controls each component in the multifunction apparatus 20 based on various programs stored in the rom . the rom stores various programs and data used at the time of a control operation by the cpu . the ram is a main memory used when the cpu executes various processing . the facsimile section 22 comprises a fax modem 22 a and a fax data storing section 22 b and is connected to a telephone line . in the facsimile section 22 , the received fax data is printed by the printer section 23 and the image read by the scanner section 24 is transmitted via fax . further , the facsimile section 22 receives data from a pc via the usb i / f and transmits the received data to an external facsimile device via a telephone line and also the facsimile section 22 receives fax data from the external facsimile device and transmits the received fax data to the pc via the usb i / f . in such a case , the client computer 10 directly accesses to the fax modem 22 a via the usb interface 26 . the communication between the pc 10 and the fax modem 22 a is executed with using at commands that have been known . when the received fax data is transmitted to the client computer 10 , the whole fax data is temporally stored in the data storing section 22 b and a signal informing of incoming ( ring ) is transmitted to the client computer 10 after disconnection of the telephone line . the fax modem 22 a is different from an ordinary fax modem in this point . the client computer 10 may reject to receive the fax data from an external facsimile device . however , in the multifunction apparatus 20 according to the present illustrative aspect , the received fax data is temporally stored in the fax data storing section 22 b and then transmitted to the client computer 10 . accordingly , even if the client computer 10 rejects to receive the fax data , the external facsimile device already completes transmission of the fax data . therefore , a user of the external facsimile device is not forced to transmit the fax data again even if the client computer 10 rejects to receive the fax data . the printer section 23 forms images on a recording medium such as a paper by a laser method , an led method or an ink jet method . the scanner section 24 reads images formed on a document such as a paper by a linear image sensor under control of the cpu and generates image data . the operation section 25 includes operation buttons with which a user controls the multifunction apparatus 20 and a display for displaying various information . the usb interface 26 is connected to the client computer 10 via the usb cable . as illustrated in fig2 , the fax driver 30 is a program for relaying communication between the fax application 40 and the fax modem 22 a , and it comprises a driver r / w request processing program 31 , an at command monitor program 32 , a ring monitor program 33 and a usb - fax pipe monitor daemon program 34 . the fax driver 30 other than the usb - fax pipe monitor daemon program 34 is comprised as a kernel driver of linux . a buffer 1 and a buffer 2 are buffer areas prepared in the ram 13 . the cpu 11 functions as a fax driver section according to the fax driver 30 and functions as a fax application section according to a fax application 40 . the cpu 11 functions as a driver r / w request processing program section according to the driver r / w request processing program 31 , functions as an at command monitor program section according to the at command monitor program 32 , functions as a ring monitor program section according to the ring monitor program 33 , and functions as a usb - fax pipe monitor daemon program section according to the usb - fax pipe monitor daemon program 34 . the driver r / w request processing program 31 is executed for receiving a write request and a read request from the fax application 40 . the write request and the read request will be explained later . when receiving a write request , the driver r / w request processing program 31 transfers the write request to the at command monitor program 32 . when receiving a read request , the driver r / w request processing program 31 transfers the read request to the ring monitor program 33 . when the write request of data is received from the fax application 40 , the at command monitor program 32 is executed for writing the data in the buffer 1 . the data that is written in the buffer 1 includes various at commands transmitted to the fax modem 22 a and fax data transmitted to external facsimile devices . when writing data in the buffer 1 , the at command monitor program 32 monitors the requested write data and changes control according to the data . this process will be explained later . when a read request is received from the fax application 40 , the ring monitor program 33 is executed for transmitting the data written in the buffer 2 to the fax application 40 that has transmitted the read request . the data written in the buffer 2 includes a response code ( result code ) from the fax modem 22 a in response to the at command transmitted to the fax modem 22 a , fax data received from external facsimile devices and error information . the ring monitor program 33 monitors data read from the buffer 2 and changes control according to the data . this process will be explained later . the fax driver 30 also includes another program that is not illustrated in fig2 . according to the program , when a read request is received from the usb - fax pipe monitor daemon 34 , the data written in the buffer 1 is transmitted to the usb - fax pipe monitor daemon 34 , and when a write request is received from the usb - fax pipe monitor daemon 34 , the data is written in the buffer 2 . the usb - fax pipe monitor daemon program ( usb - fax pipe monitor daemon ) 34 is executed for monitoring the usb interface and relaying communication between the fax driver 30 and the fax modem 22 a . a usb standard is not defined such that data is voluntarily transmitted from the usb interface to the application side . therefore , the usb - fax pipe monitor daemon 34 is included in the fax driver 30 to monitor the usb interface 17 from the fax driver 30 side . if rs - 232c is used for an interface with the multifunction apparatus 20 for example , a monitor program such as the usb - fax pipe monitor daemon program is not necessary . a sequence of the fax transmission will be explained with reference to fig3 . the usb - fax pipe monitor daemon 34 is illustrated as a separate program from the fax driver 30 in fig3 for easier explanation . when receiving a command of fax transmission by a user , the fax application 40 transmits a write request of a command ( atd command ) to which a dial number is followed to the fax driver 30 . after the transmission of the write request of the atd command , the fax application 40 transmits a read request to the fax driver 30 at predetermined time intervals . when receiving the write request of the atd command from the fax application 40 , the fax driver 30 determines whether or not to permit communication with the fax modem 22 a according to the transmission source of the write request ( permission determination , an example of determination that is made based on predetermined conditions ). this determination will be explained later . when determining that the communication is not permitted , the fax driver 30 writes a result code representing an error in the buffer 2 . when receiving a read request from the fax application 40 after writing of the error result code in the buffer 2 , the fax driver 30 transmits an error written in the buffer 2 to the fax application 40 in response to the read request . thus , the atd command is not actually transmitted to the fax modem 22 a . however , the fax application 40 recognizes that the fax modem 22 a transmits an error in response to the atd command . therefore , the fax application 40 executes an error process that is executed for an ordinary error ( for example , line disconnection ). namely , the fax application 40 is not required to execute any special processing and this provides versatility to the program . when determining to allow the communication with the fax modem 22 a , the fax driver 30 writes the atd command in the buffer 1 . the usb - fax pipe monitor daemon 34 transmits a read request to the fax driver 30 at predetermined time intervals . when receiving a read request from the usb - fax pipe monitor daemon 34 , the fax driver 30 transmits the atd command written in the buffer 1 to the usb - fax pipe monitor daemon 34 in response to the read request . when receiving the atd command , the usb - fax pipe monitor daemon program transmits a write request of the atd command to the fax modem 22 a via the usb interface 17 . the usb - fax pipe monitor daemon 34 transmits a read request to the fax modem 22 a at predetermined time intervals . when receiving a result code representing whether fax transmission is available or not from the fax modem 22 a in response to the read request , the usb - fax pipe monitor daemon 34 transmits a write request of the result code to the fax driver 30 . for example , if the result code is “ connect ”, fax transmission is available , and if the result code is “ busy ” or “ no carrier ”, fax transmission is not available . when receiving the write request of the result code from the usb - fax pipe monitor daemon 34 , the fax driver 30 writes the result code in the buffer 2 . when receiving a read request from the fax application 40 after writing of the result code in the buffer 2 , the fax driver 30 transmits the result code written in the buffer 2 to the fax application 40 in response to the read request . the fax application 40 determines whether the received result code represents permission of fax transmission . if determining that the result code represents availability of fax transmission , the fax application 40 transmits a write request of fax data to the fax driver 30 . the fax data is transmitted to the fax modem 22 a and transmitted to an external facsimile device from the fax modem 22 a . if determining that the result code represents unavailability of fax transmission , the fax application 40 terminates the transmission process . general explanation of fax reception will be made with reference to fig4 . the usb - fax pipe monitor daemon program 34 is omitted here for easy understanding . when receiving a connection request from an external facsimile device via the telephone line , the fax modem 22 a connects the line and receives fax data and stores the received fax data in the fax data storing section 22 b . when completing the fax reception , the fax modem 22 a disconnects the line . processing after the line disconnection is different in a case that the fax modem 22 a is set such that automatic incoming is not executed and in a case that the fax modem 22 a is set such that automatic incoming is executed . a sequence of the fax reception in which automatic answer is not set to the fax modem 22 a will be explained with reference to fig4 . when disconnecting the line , the fax modem 22 a transmits a signal informing of incoming ( ring ) to the fax application 40 to inform of the fax incoming . when receiving ring , the fax application 40 transmits a forced answer command ( ata command ) to the fax modem 22 a . if a user of the fax application 40 determines not to respond to the fax incoming , the command is not transmitted . when receiving the ata command from the fax application 40 , the fax modem 22 a transmits fax data stored in the fax data storing section 22 b to the fax application 40 . when disconnecting the line , the fax modem 22 a transmits ring a predetermined number of times , and then , if no ata command is transmitted from the client computer 10 , the fax modem 22 a automatically transmits fax data to the fax application 40 . a sequence in which the fax modem 22 a informs the fax application 40 of fax incoming ( ring ) will be explained with reference to fig5 . when receiving a read request from the usb - fax pipe monitor daemon 34 after line disconnection , the fax modem 22 a transmits ring to the usb - fax pipe monitor daemon 34 . when receiving ring from the fax modem 22 a , the usb - fax pipe monitor daemon 34 transmits a write request of the ring to the fax driver 30 . when receiving the write request of the ring , the fax driver 30 writes the ring in the buffer 2 . when receiving a read request from the fax application 40 , the fax driver 30 determines whether or not to transfer the ring according to the transmission source of the read request . this determination will be explained later . when determining to transfer the ring , the fax driver 30 transmits the ring stored in the buffer 2 to the fax application 40 . when determining not to transfer the ring , the fax driver 30 deletes the ring from the buffer 2 . a sequence of fax reception will be explained with reference to fig6 . in the sequence , the fax application 40 that is informed of the fax incoming requests fax reception to the fax modem 22 a . when receiving the ring , the fax application 40 transmits a forced answer command ( att command ) to the fax driver 30 . a flow of transmitting the ata command from the fax application 40 to the fax modem 22 a is substantially same as the flow of the transmission of the atd command , and therefore explanation will be omitted . when receiving the ata command , the fax modem 22 a transmits the fax data stored in the fax data storing section 22 b to the usb - fax pipe monitor daemon 34 . when receiving the fax data from the fax modem 22 a , the usb - fax pipe monitor daemon 34 transmits a write request of the fax data to the fax driver 30 . when receiving the write request of the fax data , the fax driver 30 writes the fax data in the buffer 2 . when receiving a read request from the fax application 40 , the fax driver 30 transmits the fax data stored in the buffer 2 to the fax application 40 in response to the read request . automatic answer is set by transmitting an ats0 command to the fax modem 22 a . a command of atsn = x represents that a setting value of x is set to the nth register . the register satisfying that n = 0 stores the setting value of automatic answer . when x is 0 , the automatic answer is not executed . when x is set to a value other than zero , the automatic answer is executed . a user can set automatic answer at any time while the fax modem 22 a is in an idle state . the sequence for transmitting an ats0 command is substantially same as the sequence for transmitting an atd command or an ata command . ( 4 ) determination whether communication with fax modem is permitted or not as described above , when receiving a write request from the fax application 40 , the fax driver 30 determines whether communication between the fax application 40 and the fax modem 22 a is permitted . the determination will be explained below . a flow of determination when receiving a write request will be explained with reference to fig7 . the cpu 11 executes the at command monitor program to execute this process . this process is started when the cpu 11 receives a write request via the fax application 40 or the usb - fax pipe monitor daemon program 34 . at step 101 , the cpu 11 determines whether the received write request is transmitted according to the usb - fax pipe monitor daemon program 34 . if the cpu 11 determines that it is transmitted according to the usb - fax pipe monitor daemon program 34 , the process proceeds to step 102 and if the cpu 11 determines that it is not transmitted according to the usb - fax pipe monitor daemon program 34 ( it is transmitted according to the fax application 40 ), the process proceeds to step 103 . at step 102 , the cpu 11 writes the data ( ring , a result code , fax data ) received according to the usb - fax pipe monitor daemon program 34 in the buffer 2 . at step 103 , the cpu 11 obtains transmission source information representing a transmission source that transmitted the write request . the fax driver 30 is a kernel driver of linux . therefore , information representing a calling host in the kernel driver is automatically set to an internal variable . in the present illustrative aspect , the information is used as transmission source information . the transmission source information includes , for example , a user id ( an example of user identification information ) of a user who activates the fax application 40 to transmit the write request and a group id of a group to which the user belongs . at step 104 , the cpu 11 reads the permission db from the storing section 14 . at step 105 , the cpu 11 determines whether fax transmission or fax reception is allowed for the transmission source information with reference to the permission db ( permission determination ). the permission determination will be explained later . if the cpu 11 determines that fax transmission and fax reception are not allowed , the process proceeds to step 106 , and if the cpu 11 determines that at least one of fax transmission and fax reception is allowed , the process proceeds to step 107 . at step 106 , the cpu 11 writes an error in the buffer 2 and terminates the process . at step 107 , the cpu 11 determines whether the data that is requested to be written by the write request is a forced answer command ( ata command ). if the cpu 11 determines that the data is an ata command , the process proceeds to step 108 and if the cpu 11 determines that the data is not an ata command , the process proceeds to step 109 . if the cpu 11 has determined that fax reception is allowed in step 108 , the process proceeds from step 108 to step 113 , and if the cpu 11 has determined that fax reception is not allowed , the process proceeds to step 106 and the cpu 11 writes an error in the buffer 2 . at step 109 , the cpu 11 determines whether the data that is requested to be written is an automatic answer setting command ( ats0 command ). if the cpu 11 determines that the data is an automatic answer setting command , the process proceeds to step 110 , and if the cpu 11 determines that the data is not an automatic answer setting command , the process proceeds to step 111 . if the cpu 11 has determined that the fax reception is allowed in step 110 , the process proceeds from step 110 to step 113 , and if the cpu 11 has determined that the fax reception is not allowed , the process proceeds to step 106 and the cpu 11 writes an error in the buffer 2 . at step 111 , the cpu 11 determines whether the data that is requested to be written is a dial command ( atd command ). if the cpu 11 determines that the data is an atd command , the process proceeds to step 112 , and if the cpu 11 determines that the data is not an atd command , the process proceeds to step 113 . if the cpu 11 has determined that the fax transmission is allowed in step 112 , the process proceeds from step 112 to step 113 , and if the cpu 11 has determined that the fax transmission is not allowed , the process proceeds to step 106 and the cpu 11 writes an error in the buffer 2 . at step 113 , the cpu writes the data ( at command , fax data ) that is transmitted according to the fax application 40 in the buffer 1 . there are various kinds of at commands . if the data that is requested to be written is a command other than an ata command , an ats0 command and an atd command ( examples of a predetermined facsimile command ), it is transmitted to the fax modem 22 a without execution of the permission determination if at least one of fax transmission and fax reception is allowed . as described above , when receiving a read request from the fax application 40 with the ring being written in the buffer 2 , the fax driver 30 determines whether to transfer the ring . the determination will be explained below . a determination flow at the time of reception of a read request will be explained with reference to fig8 . the cpu 11 executes the ring monitor program to execute this process . this process is started when the cpu 11 receives a read request according to the fax application 40 or the usb - fax pipe monitor daemon program 34 . at step 201 , the cpu 11 determines whether a read request is transmitted according to the usb - fax pipe monitor daemon program 34 . if the cpu 11 determines that the read request is transmitted according to the usb - fax pipe monitor daemon program 34 , the process proceeds to step 202 , and if the cpu 11 determines that the read request is not transmitted according to the usb - fax pipe monitor daemon program 34 ( the read request is transmitted according to the fax application 40 ), the process proceeds to step 204 . at step 202 , the cpu 11 transmits the data written in the buffer 1 to the usb - fax pipe monitor daemon 34 . at step 203 , the cpu 11 deletes the data from the buffer 1 . at step 204 , the cpu 11 reads data from the buffer 2 . at step 205 , the cpu 11 determines whether the data read from the buffer 2 is empty . if the cpu 11 determines that the data read from the buffer 2 is empty , the process proceeds to step 206 , and if the cpu 11 determines that the data is not empty , the process proceeds to step 207 . at step 206 , the cpu 11 transmits the empty data to the fax application 40 that has transmitted the read request and this process is terminated . at step 207 , the cpu 11 obtains transmission source information like step 103 . at step 208 , the cpu 11 reads the permission db from the storing section 14 . at step 209 , the cpu 11 determines whether the data read from the buffer 2 is ring . if the cpu 11 determines that the data is ring , the process proceeds to step 210 and if the cpu 11 determines that the data is not ring , the process proceeds to step 213 . at step 210 , the cpu 11 determines whether a predetermined time has passed after the writing of the ring in the buffer 2 . if determining that the predetermined time has passed , the cpu 11 determines to be time out and the process proceeds to step 211 . if the cpu 11 determines that the predetermined time has not passed , the process proceeds to step 212 . at step 211 , the cpu 11 deletes the ring from the buffer 2 and the process proceeds to step 206 . if a predetermined time has passed after the writing of the ring in the buffer 2 , the ring is already old and the fax modem 22 a may not wait for a response to the ring . therefore , in the present illustrative aspect , if the predetermined time has passed , the ring is deleted from the buffer 2 . when the ring is deleted from the buffer 2 and the fax modem 22 a is still waiting for a response to the ring , ring is transmitted again from the fax modem 22 a after a short time . at step 212 , the cpu 11 determines whether fax reception is allowed for the transmission source information with reference to the permission db ( permission determination ). the permission determination will be explained later . if the cpu 11 determines that the fax reception is allowed , the process proceeds to step 213 . if the cpu 11 determines that the fax reception is not allowed , the process proceeds to step 206 and empty data is transmitted to the fax application 40 that has transmitted the read request . accordingly , the ring is not transferred to the fax application 40 , and therefore the fax application 40 cannot detect the ring . the fax application 40 does not start processing that is to be started in response to the ring ( transmission of an ata command ). even if the cpu 11 determines that fax reception is not allowed and empty data is transmitted to the fax application 40 , the ring is not deleted but remains in the buffer 2 . therefore , if new transmission source information that is registered to the permission db , the determination at step 212 for a read request from the new transmission source is affirmative . at step 213 , the cpu 11 transmits data read from the buffer 2 to the fax application 40 . at step 214 , the cpu 11 deletes data from the buffer 2 . permission determination is made to determine whether fax transmission and fax reception are allowed for transmission source information with reference to the permission db . a flow of the permission determination will be explained with reference to fig9 . at step 301 , the cpu 11 determines whether permission ( permission or prohibition of fax transmission and reception ) is set for a user id ( an example of information as to a fax application program ). if determining that permission is set for the user id , the cpu 11 determines whether fax transmission and fax reception are allowed according to the permission setting of the user . at step 302 , the cpu 11 determines whether permission is set for a group id ( an example of information concerning a fax application program ). if determining that permission is set for the group id , the cpu 11 determines whether fax transmission and fax reception are allowed according to the permission setting of a group to which the user belongs , the user activating the fax application 40 . at step 303 , the cpu 11 determines whether a user is a root user . if determining that a user is a root user , the cpu 11 determines that fax transmission and fax reception are allowed . at step 304 , the cpu 11 determines whether default permission is set . if determining that default permission is set , the cpu 11 determines whether fax transmission and fax reception are allowed according to the default permission setting . the default permission is applied to all users without exception . if determining that the default permission is not set , the cpu 11 determines that fax transmission is allowed and fax reception is not allowed . in the illustrative aspect of the present invention , the restricting function for using the fax modem 22 a and performing facsimile transmission is achieved according to the fax driver 30 . therefore , the restricting function is achieved with a fax modem 22 a that has no such a restricting function . according to the fax driver 30 , the restricting function with high versatility is achieved . further , according to the fax driver 30 , transmission sources that make communication with the fax modem 22 a are restricted to certain ones with reference to the permission db . further , according to the fax driver 30 , the transmission source information representing the transmission source of the at command is obtained from an os . the at command is not configured such that transmission source information representing a transmission source is added thereto , and therefore general fax applications 40 are not configured to have function of transmitting transmission source information to the fax driver 30 . therefore , even if a facsimile device has a function of user permission , the function cannot be used in transmission and reception between a computer and the facsimile device . however , according to the fax driver 30 , the transmission source information representing the transmission source of the at command is obtained from the os . therefore , the restricting function can be achieved with using general fax applications that does not have a function of transmitting transmission source information to the fax driver 30 . according to the fax driver 30 , the restricting function of high versatility is achieved . further , according to the fax driver 30 , a user id of a user who executes a fax application 40 is used as the transmission source information . therefore , the restricting function is achieved by a unit of a user . further , according to the fax driver 30 , it is determined whether communication with the fax modem 22 a is allowed for a predetermined facsimile command . therefore , the restricting function is achieved with more precisely . further , according to the fax driver 30 , if a user who is not allowed to perform fax reception is a transmission source of a read request and even if ring is written in the buffer 2 , the ring is not transferred to the fax application 40 that has transmitted the read request . therefore , unnecessary informing of incoming is not performed to a user who is not allowed to perform fax reception . in the present illustrative aspect , concerning fax reception , in addition to the permission determination whether fax transmission and fax reception are allowed , the permission determination whether ring transmission is allowed is executed . according to some fax applications 40 , a pop - up screen may be displayed on the display section 15 at the time of reception of the ring to make a user to select permission or prohibition of the fax reception . in such a case , the pop - up screen may not be displayed on the display section 15 if it is determined that the ring transmission is not allowed . accordingly , the following problem is not caused . although allowance to the fax reception is input from the pop - up screen by the user , the fax reception is not performed according to the permission determination . another illustrative aspect of the present invention will be explained with reference to fig1 . in the another illustrative aspect , a program name of a fax application 40 is obtained as information relating to the fax application 40 . in the permission db according to the another illustrative aspect , permission or prohibition of communication ( permission or prohibition of fax transmission and permission or prohibition of fax reception ) is registered by a unit of each program name of fax applications . a flow of permission determination for a fax application 40 will be explained with reference to fig1 . fig1 illustrates a flowchart that is applied commonly to determination of a write request and determination of a read request , and for the flowchart of the permission determination that is not illustrated in fig1 , the flowchart in fig7 is applied to the determination of a write request and the flowchart in fig8 is applied to the determination of a read request . at step 401 , the cpu 11 determines whether the received write request / read request is transmitted from the usb - fax pipe monitor daemon 34 . if the cpu 11 determines that it is transmitted from the usb - fax pipe monitor daemon 34 , the process proceeds to step 402 , and if the cpu 11 determines that it is not transmitted from the usb - fax pipe monitor daemon 34 ( it is transmitted from the fax application 40 ), the process proceeds to step 403 . at step 402 , the cpu 11 writes data in the buffer 2 in response to the write request transmitted from the usb - fax pipe monitor daemon 34 or transmits data written in the buffer 1 to the usb - fax pipe monitor daemon 34 in response to the transmitted read request . at step 403 , the cpu 11 obtains from the permission db a list ( allowance list ) of fax applications 40 that are allowed to perform fax communication . at step 404 , the cpu 11 obtains from the os a program name of the fax application 40 according to which the write request or the read request is transmitted to the fax driver 30 , and determines whether the obtained program name is registered in the allowance list . if determining that the obtained program name is registered in the allowance list , the cpu 11 determines that the obtained program is a fax application 40 that is allowed to perform fax communication . when a write request is received , the process proceeds to step 103 in fig7 , and when a read request is received , the process proceeds to step 204 in fig8 . if determining that the obtained program name is not registered in the allowance list , the cpu 11 determines that the obtained program is a fax application 40 that is not allowed to perform fax communication , and the process proceeds to step 405 . at step 405 , the cpu 11 writes an error in the buffer 2 and terminates the process . according to the fax driver 30 of the another illustrative aspect , a program name of a fax application 40 is used as transmission source information . therefore , the restricting function is achieved by a unit of a fax application 40 . for example , log management may be performed for fax transmission and fax reception . the log management may be performed according to the fax driver 30 or the fax application 40 . in performing the log management according to the fax application 40 , logs are centrally managed by allowing to use only the fax application 40 having a function of writing a log in a common location . next , an additional illustrative aspect of the present invention will be explained with reference to fig1 . according to the additional illustrative aspect , if the number of transmission times of the ring is three or less , only a user having a first priority is allowed to perform fax reception , and if the number of transmission times of the ring is four or greater , among all the users who are allowed to perform fax reception , a user who transmits a read request first ( a fax application 40 according to which a read request is transmitted first ) is allowed to perform fax reception . a determination flow in receiving a read request will be explained with reference to fig1 . the cpu 11 executes the ring monitor program to execute this process . this process is started when the cpu 11 receives a read request from the fax application 40 or the usb - fax pipe monitor daemon 34 . at step 501 , the cpu 11 determines whether the read request is transmitted from the usb - fax pipe monitor daemon 34 . if the cpu 11 determines that it is transmitted from the usb - fax pipe monitor daemon 34 , the process proceeds to step 202 in fig8 . if the cpu 11 determines that it is not transmitted from the usb - fax pipe monitor daemon 34 ( it is transmitted from the fax application 40 ), the process proceeds to step 502 . at step 502 , the cpu 11 reads data from the buffer 2 . at step 503 , the cpu 11 determines whether the data read from the buffer 2 is empty or not . if the cpu 11 determines that the data is not empty , the process proceeds to step 504 , and if the cpu 11 determines that the data is empty , the process proceeds to step 206 in fig8 . at step 504 , the cpu 11 determines whether the data read from the buffer 2 is ring . if the cpu 11 determines that the data is ring , the process proceeds to step 505 and if the cpu 11 determines that the data is not ring , the process proceeds to step 213 in fig8 . at step 505 , the cpu 11 counts the number of transmission times of the read ring . specifically , a series of ring is transmitted from the fax modem 22 a to the fax application 40 after the disconnection of the line , and the series of ring is transmitted again after a predetermined time , if no response ( ata command ) is transmitted from the fax application 40 . the number of transmission times of a series of ring is predetermined . every time the cpu 11 receives a series of ring , the cpu 11 increments a counter by one to count the number of transmission times of ring . the counter is reset to zero when the fax application 40 responds to the ring or in case of time out . if the ring is ignored without being responded by the fax application 40 for a predetermined time or more and the series of ring is transmitted from the fax modem 22 a , the counter counts from one again . at step 506 , the cpu 11 determines whether the number of transmission times of the ring is three or less . if the cpu 11 determines that the number of transmission times of the ring is three or less , the process proceeds to step 507 . if the cpu 11 determines that the number of transmission times of the ring is four or more , the process proceeds to step 510 . at step 507 , the cpu 11 determines whether the user ( who started the fax application 40 according to which the read request is transmitted ) who transmitted the read request ( that makes this process to be executed ) has a first priority . if the cpu 11 determines that the user has a first priority , the process proceeds to step 508 and if the cpu 11 determines that the user does not have a first priority , the process proceeds to step 512 . at step 508 , the cpu 11 transmit the ring to the fax application 40 that transmitted the read request . at step 509 , the cpu 11 deletes the ring from the buffer 2 . at step 510 , the cpu 11 determines whether a predetermined time has passed after the ring was written in the buffer 2 . if the cpu 11 determines that the predetermined time has not passed , the process proceeds to step 511 , and if determining that the predetermined time has passed , the cpu 11 determines to be time out and the process proceeds to step 513 . at step 511 , the cpu 11 performs permission determination of the user who transmitted the read request to determine whether the fax reception is allowed . if the cpu 11 determines that the fax reception is allowed , the process proceeds to step 508 and if the cpu 11 determines that the fax reception is not allowed , the process proceeds to step 512 . at step 512 , the cpu 11 transmits empty data to the fax application 40 that transmitted the read request and terminates the process . at step 513 , the cpu 11 deletes the ring from the buffer 2 . according to the fax driver 30 of the additional illustrative aspect , if a plurality of fax applications 40 ( client devices ) are allowed to perform communication with the fax modem 22 a , the cpu 11 determines to which one of the fax applications 40 the informing of incoming is transferred according to a predetermined priority order . therefore , if a plurality of fax applications 40 are allowed to perform communication with the fax modem 22 a , the fax application 40 to which the ring is transferred is appropriately determined . the present invention is not restricted to the aspects explained in the above description made with reference to the drawings . the following aspects may be included in the technical scope of the present invention , for example . ( 1 ) in the above illustrative aspects , when a connection request is received from an external facsimile device via a telephone line , the line is connected to receive fax data and the received fax data is stored in the fax data storing section 22 b . when a connection request is received from an external facsimile device , the ring may be transmitted to the fax application 40 and the line may be connected after an ata command is received . ( 2 ) in the above illustrative aspects , the client computer 10 functions as a client device and a computer . however , a computer and a client device may be configured independently of each other . ( 3 ) in the above illustrative aspects , the cpu 11 functions as a computer to execute the fax driver 30 , the fax application 40 , the driver r / w request processing program 31 , the at command monitor program 32 , the ring monitor program 33 , the usb - fax pipe monitor daemon 34 . however , an independent cpu may be provided for each of the programs .
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in accordance with the invention and with reference to fig2 - 4 a well capping system is described that provides an effective system for efficiently capping an abandoned well whilst also minimizing the risk to personnel on subsequent re - entry . as shown in fig2 and 3 , the well capping system 20 includes a production casing plate 22 having a production casing nipple 26 and coupling 24 mounted through an appropriate bore 24 a on the production casing plate 22 . the lower and upper outer edges of the production casing nipple 26 and inner surface of the coupling 24 may be provided with appropriate threads to enable threaded connection between the production casing nipple 26 , the coupling 24 and a valve 32 a . the coupling is welded to the production casing plate in such a manner that it will not effect the fillet weld around the circumference of the plate to the production casing . the system further includes a surface casing plate 28 having a surface casing nipple 30 attached to the surface casing plate 28 through an appropriate bore 30 a in the surface casing plate 28 . generally , the production casing plate 22 includes a threaded coupling to allow the production casing nipple 26 to be removed to allow welding around the circumference of the production casing plate and then re - installed . the surface casing plate 28 does not require as long a nipple and thus does not interfere with the weld around the circumference of the surface casing plate . the surface casing plate 28 is also provided with a second bore 30 b to allow the production casing nipple 26 to pass through the surface casing plate . the surface casing nipple 30 is provided with appropriate threads on the upper outer surface to enable threaded connection with a valve 32 b . each of valves 32 a and 32 b may be provided with a rubber stopper 34 a , 34 b that may be inserted within the valve as an indicator of gas release ( as may be required by regulators ). the system further includes a surface casing cap 36 dimensioned to fit over the surface casing 12 . the casing cap prevents unwanted soils and rocks coming into contact or damaging the valves 32 a , 32 b after installation . appropriate labeling 38 may also be provided on the casing cap 36 with information such as a unique well identifier , the licensee of the well , and the surface abandonment date as may be required or desired . in particular , this information may be particularly useful to re - entry personnel to confirm previous operation documentation and / or that the correct well has been identified , if and when an abandoned well is re - entered . the system is configured to an abandoned well having production 10 and surface 12 casing using the following procedure : a . the area around an abandoned well is excavated to an appropriate depth beneath the surface ; b . the surface casing is trimmed to a desired height beneath the surface ; c . the production casing is trimmed to a height approximately 8 - 12 inches beneath the trimmed height of the surface casing ; d . the production casing plate is tack - welded and then fully welded to the top of the production casing approximately 1 inch beneath the upper edge of the production casing . the production casing plate is preferably pre - manufactured to standard production casing dimensions with the coupling 24 pre - welded to the production casing plate . e . the production casing nipple 26 is threaded to the coupling 24 such that it projects upwardly ; f . the surface casing plate is preferably pre - manufactured to standard surface casing dimensions together with the surface casing nipple pre - welded through the surface casing plate . g . the bore 30 b may or may not be pre - cut in the surface casing plate . if not , service personnel with measure and cut bore 30 b at the site to allow production casing nipple 26 to pass through the surface casing plate . h . once bore 30 b has been located and / or cut , surface casing plate is placed over the top of the production casing nipple 26 such that it protrudes above the surface casing plate by 1 - 4 inches . i . the surface casing plate 28 is tack - welded and then fully welded to the surface casing . the surface casing nipple is fully welded to the surface casing plate . j . valves 32 a and 32 b are attached to the production casing and surface casing nipples 26 and 30 , respectively . k . rubber stoppers 34 a and 34 b may be configured to valves 32 a and 32 b respectively and may be color coded in accordance with regulations to indicate venting of either production casing or surface casing gas . the surface casing plate will preferably be stamped to mark the surface casing valve and production casing valve respectively or otherwise identified as the valve communicating with either the production casing or surface casing volume . l . casing cap 36 is placed over the surface casing . no permanent welding is required . m . appropriate labeling of the cap is completed . n . the abandoned well is back - filled and leveled . upon assembly , the system provides an effective system and method to both safely release leaking gas from the well and prevent ground water contamination to the well . the valves 32 a and 32 b may be pressure release valves ( such as a ball valve ), burst plates or no - release valves . in either case , personnel re - entering the well can safely release any pressure from within the well by opening both valves . ball valves having a pressure rating of approximately 2000 psi are preferred . pressure readings and / or gas composition can be obtained by configuring appropriate pressure reading or gas sampling equipment to the valves after removal of stoppers 34 a or 34 b . this is particularly important in the event that toxic h 2 s may be within the leaking gas . the system also allows the ready connection of a well kill line to allow fluids to be pumped into the well in advance of re - entry . the ability to kill the well through the system while maintaining well control is the most important safety characteristic of the system that is not possible using current oilfield capping systems . upon determining that there are no unsafe gases in the well , the service personnel can safely removing the capping system 20 by cutting the production and surface casings below the assembly and removing the assembly and casing stubs . importantly , the system allows service personnel to more clearly understand if leaking gases are arising from the production casing or surface casing which may assist in determining the most - appropriate re - entry plan . although the present invention has been described and illustrated with respect to preferred embodiments and preferred uses thereof , it is not to be so limited since modifications and changes can be made therein which are within the full , intended scope of the invention .
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the following detailed description refers to the accompanying drawings . the same reference numbers in different drawings may identify the same or similar elements . also , the following detailed description does not limit the invention . instead , the scope of the invention is defined by the appended claims and equivalents . employees may access servers over a network , such as a local - area network ( lan ) or the internet , for example , to request resources ( e . g ., services and applications ) provided by those servers . for example , an employee may want to access a document management database . the employee may also want to access benefits information from the corporate human resources web page . these two services may be hosted on separate servers within a corporate network and behind a firewall . access through the firewall for the employee may be provisioned . embodiments disclosed herein may allow for a user ( e . g ., a user name or user device ) to authenticate with a policy server ( e . g ., an identity provider ) that handles authentication for a number of network servers or other resources . when the user device requests resources from an application server ( e . g ., a service provider ), the firewall may initially redirect the user device to the policy server and request the provisioning of access through the firewall by the user device . in one embodiment , after access is provisioned , the policy server may redirect the user device back to the requested resource in the application server . fig1 is a block diagram of an exemplary environment 100 that may include a network 102 , user devices 104 - 1 through 104 - n ( individually “ user device 104 - x ,” collectively “ user devices 104 ”), a policy server 106 , application servers 108 - 1 through 108 - m ( individually “ application server 108 - x ,” collectively “ application servers 108 ”), and a firewall 110 . in practice , there may be more , different , or fewer devices or a different arrangement of devices than what is shown in fig1 . for example , environment 100 may include thousands or even millions of user devices 104 ( the number of which is denoted in fig1 by n ). environment 100 may also include dozens of application servers 108 ( the number of which is denoted in fig1 by m ). further , while fig1 shows user devices 104 , policy server 106 , application servers 108 , and firewall 110 in environment 100 , one or more of these devices may be remotely located from the others , e . g ., the devices may be geographically diverse . although arrows in fig1 may indicate communication between devices and network 102 , communication may be direct between devices or indirect through one or more networks . user devices 104 , policy server 106 , application servers 108 , and firewall 110 may be considered “ nodes ” or “ devices ” coupled to or located within network 102 . communication among user devices 104 , policy server 106 , application servers 108 , and firewall 110 may be accomplished via wired and / or wireless communication connections . network 102 may include a wide - area network ( wan ) ( e . g ., the internet ), a local - area network ( either wired or wireless ), a telephone network ( e . g ., the public switched telephone network ( pstn )), an intranet , a private corporate network , or a combination of networks . user devices 104 may include computers , telephones , personal digital assistants , or any other communication devices that may transmit or receive data . user devices 104 may include , for example , computers that send and / or receive data through network 102 . user devices 104 may also include , for example , telephones that send and / or receive voice conversations , video conferences , etc ., through network 102 . policy server 106 may receive requests , such as authentication , authorization , and / or access requests , from user devices 104 , application servers 108 , and / or firewall 110 . for example , policy server 106 may receive a request from user device 104 - x to be authenticated and to establish a session with policy server 106 . in response , policy server 106 may provision authorization and access for user device 104 - x after authenticating user device 104 - x and may establish a channel for communication between user device 104 - x and policy server 106 . policy server 106 may communicate with firewall 110 to provision access for user device 104 - x through firewall 110 . application servers 108 may provide application services to user devices 104 ( or other nodes ) in environment 100 . such services may include document management services , email services , calendar services , instant messaging services , etc . although application servers 108 are shown in fig1 as separate devices , in one embodiment , one or more application servers 108 may be configured as virtual machines running in one or more computers . in addition , although policy server 106 is shown separate from application servers 108 , in one embodiment , policy server 106 may also be configured as a virtual machine running in a computer that may also host other virtual machines , such as one or more application servers 108 implemented as virtual machines . in one embodiment , application servers 108 and policy server 106 may be part of a common corporate environment , for example . in other words , application servers 108 may provide applications to corporate employees who may be authenticated by policy server 106 . firewall 110 may prevent devices , e . g ., user devices 104 , from accessing application servers 108 without permission ( e . g ., authentication and authorization ). to do this , packets ( e . g ., data units ) going to and from application servers 108 may pass through firewall 110 . firewall 110 may enforce rules that define which packets may pass through firewall 110 — in one or both directions . for example , firewall 110 may compare a received packet to a criterion or criteria , which may define a rule , to determine whether the packet may be forwarded to its destination , forwarded to a different destination , and / or dropped . comparisons to criteria , for example , may include comparing a received packet &# 39 ; s source and destination address , source and destination port number , and / or protocol type to a table of allowed source and destination addresses , source and destination port numbers , and / or protocol types . by performing this comparison , firewall 110 may help protect application servers 108 from malicious traffic or from unauthorized and / or unauthenticated user devices 104 . besides forwarding or dropping packets , firewall 110 may perform other functions on packets , such as monitoring packets to police user bandwidth , etc . although device 110 is referred to as a “ firewall ,” it may perform any other networking functions , such as that of a switch , router , etc . fig2 is a block diagram of exemplary components of user device 104 - x . as illustrated , device 104 - x may include a bus 210 , processing logic 220 , an input device 230 , an output device 240 , a communication interface 250 , and a memory 260 . device 104 - x may include other components ( not shown ) that aid in receiving , transmitting , and / or processing data . moreover , other configurations of components in device 104 - x are possible . further , one or more components of device 104 - x may be remotely located from the other components . bus 210 may include a path that permits communication among the components of device 104 - x . processing logic 220 may include any type of processor or microprocessor ( or groups of processors or microprocessors ) that interprets and executes instructions . for example , processing logic 220 may include an application - specific integrated circuit ( asic ), a field - programmable gate array ( fpga ), or the like . input device 230 may include a device that permits a user to input information into device 104 - x , such as a keyboard , a keypad , a mouse , a pen , a microphone , a remote control , a touch - screen display , one or more biometric mechanisms , or the like . input device 230 may be used , for example , for receiving passwords ( or biometric data ) for authenticating a user of user device 104 - x . output device 240 may include a device that outputs information to the user , such as a display , a printer , a speaker , etc . output device 240 may include a vibrator to alert a user . input device 230 and output device 240 may allow the user of device 104 - x to receive a menu of options . the menu may allow the user to select various functions or services associated with applications executed by device 104 - x or other devices coupled to network 102 . input device 230 and output device 240 may allow the user to activate a particular service or application , such as a service or application provided by one of application servers 108 - 1 or policy server 106 . communication interface 250 may include any transceiver - like mechanism that enables device 104 - x to communicate with other devices and / or systems . communication interface 250 may include a transmitter that may convert baseband signals from processing logic 220 to radio frequency ( rf ) signals and / or a receiver that may convert rf signals to baseband signals . alternatively , communication interface 250 may include a transceiver to perform functions of both a transmitter and a receiver . communication interface 250 may be coupled to an antenna ( not shown ) for transmission and reception of the rf signals . communication interface 250 may include a network interface card , e . g ., ethernet card , for wired communications or a wireless network interface ( e . g ., wifi ) card for wireless communications . memory 260 may include a random access memory ( ram ) or another type of dynamic storage device that may store information and instructions , e . g ., an application , for execution by processing logic 220 ; a read - only memory ( rom ) device or another type of static storage device that may store static information and instructions for use by processing logic 220 ; and / or some other type of magnetic or optical recording medium and its corresponding drive , e . g ., a hard disk drive ( hdd ), for storing information and / or instructions . in accordance with embodiments described herein , memory 260 may include a network browser application 264 (“ browser 264 ”). browser 264 may include a web browser , such as the mozilla firefox browser , epiphany browser , opera browser , konquerer browser , safari browser , internet explorer browser , etc . browser 264 may be any application that may request a universal resource indicator ( uri ) or a universal resource locater ( url ). other examples of browsers may include a soft phone ( e . g ., x - lite or ekiga ), an e - mail reader or client ( e . g ., thunderbird or outlook ), or other programs ( e . g ., google earth ). device 104 - x may perform certain operations , as described in detail below . device 104 - x may perform these operations in response to processing logic 220 executing software instructions contained in a computer - readable medium , such as memory 260 . a computer - readable medium may be defined as a physical or logical memory device . the software instructions may be read into memory 260 from another computer - readable medium or from another device via communication interface 250 . the software instructions contained in memory 260 may cause processing logic 220 to perform processes that are described below . fig3 is a block diagram of exemplary components of a server computing module 300 (“ module 300 ”). policy server 106 , application servers 108 , and / or firewall 110 may each include one or more computing modules 300 . that is , policy server 106 , application servers 108 , and / or firewall 110 may each include a rack of one or more computing modules , such as computing module 300 . module 300 may include a bus 310 , processing logic 320 , a communication interface 330 , and a memory 340 . module 300 may include other components ( not shown ) that aid in receiving , transmitting , and / or processing data . moreover , other configurations of components in module 300 are possible . in addition , policy server 106 and application servers 108 may include other components ( not shown ) or configurations of components . bus 310 may include a path that permits communication among the components of module 300 . processing logic 320 may include any type of processor or microprocessor that interprets and executes instructions . in other embodiments , processing logic 320 may include an asic , fpga , or the like . communication interface 330 may include any transceiver - like mechanism ( e . g ., a receiver / transmitter combination ) that enables module 300 to communicate with other devices and / or systems . communication interface 330 may allow for wired or wireless communications . in one embodiment , communication interface 330 may allow for module 300 to be controlled and / or administered remotely by an operator or an administrator . memory 340 may include a ram or another type of dynamic storage device that may store information and instructions for execution by processing logic 320 ; a rom device or another type of static storage device that may store static information and instructions for use by processing logic 320 ; and / or some other type of magnetic or optical recording medium and its corresponding drive for storing information and / or instructions . according to embodiments described herein , memory 340 may store one or more server applications 342 (“ server application 342 ”) and database tables 344 . in the case of policy server 106 , for example , server application 342 may include an authorization , authentication , and / or access application for providing identity services to a network ( e . g ., network 102 ). in the case of application servers 108 , server application 342 may include applications such as a web - based document management system , a content management system , a human resources application , etc . server application 342 may include any other type of application . server application 342 may include instructions for causing module 300 to implement and provide services and processes described herein . database tables 344 may include data stored and used by server application 342 , for example , for providing the network services described herein . computing module 300 may perform certain operations , as described in detail below . computing module 300 may perform these operations in response to processing logic 320 executing software instructions contained in a computer - readable medium , such as memory 340 . the software instructions may be read into memory 340 from another computer - readable medium or from another device via communication interface 330 . the software instructions contained in memory 340 may cause processing logic 320 to perform processes that are described below . fig4 is an exemplary functional block diagram of policy server 106 . policy server 106 may include a firewall server 402 , a web server 404 , and bus 210 . policy server 106 may include other functional blocks not shown in fig4 . in one embodiment , each of web server 404 and firewall server 402 may be hosted on one or more separate computing modules , such as computing module 300 . in another embodiment , firewall server 402 and web server 404 may be hosted in the same computing module , such as computing module 300 . in yet another embodiment , firewall server 402 and web server 404 may be hosted in virtual machines in one or more computing modules , such as computing module 300 . although web server 404 and firewall server 402 are described as servers , each may be a program or lines of code being executed in policy server 106 . firewall server 402 may communicate with firewall 110 to provision access for user devices 104 . for example , firewall server 402 may communicate with firewall 110 so that firewall 110 may allow user device 104 - 1 to communicate with application server 108 - 1 , e . g ., so that firewall 110 will pass packets between user device 104 - 1 and application server 108 - 1 . more specifically , firewall server 402 may send a command to firewall 110 indicating to firewall 110 that packets that meet a rule , such as a packet with the source ip address , source port , source protocol , etc ., may be allowed to pass through firewall 110 . firewall server 402 may also receive communications from firewall 110 indicating the status of firewall 110 , e . g ., a list of current rules being enforced by firewall 110 . firewall server 404 may perform other functions . a rule may be said to open a pinhole in firewall 110 for packets that meet the rule to pass through the pinhole . web server 404 may interact with user devices 104 until web server 404 confirms with firewall server 402 that firewall 110 has appropriately provisioned access . for example , web server 404 may interact with user device 104 - 1 until web server 404 confirms with firewall server 402 that firewall 110 has provisioned access for user device 104 - 1 for user device 104 - 1 to reach an application server , such as application server 108 - 1 . web server 404 may perform other functions . as described above , bus 210 may include a path , either physical and / or logical , that permits communication among the components of policy server 106 , such as web server 404 and firewall server 402 . fig5 a and 5b are block diagrams of an exemplary rule table 500 representing different time periods . rule table 500 may store information regarding the rules established by firewall 110 for acting on packets passing through firewall 110 . rule table 500 may be stored , for example , in memory 340 as one of database tables 344 of computing module 300 in firewall 110 . in addition , rule table 500 or portions of rule table 500 may be stored in other devices coupled to network 102 . each entry , ( e . g ., row ) in rule table 500 may correspond to a different data stream allowed to pass through firewall 110 , e . g ., a different pinhole or rule . any number of rules may be found in rule table 500 . as illustrated , rule table 500 may include a destination address field 502 , a source address field 504 , a destination port number field 506 , and a source port number field 508 . rule table 500 may include additional , different , or fewer fields than illustrated in fig5 . for example , rule table 500 may include a field ( not shown ) for protocol type . as another example , rule table 500 may exclude source address field 504 , source port number field 508 , and / or acknowledgment field 510 . as yet another example , rule table 500 may include a field ( not shown ) for an action to be performed when a packet matches the rule . an action may include inspect if firewall 110 performs a policing function , such as monitoring a user &# 39 ; s bandwidth . destination address field 502 may identify the destination network address of packets that may pass through firewall 110 . source address field 504 may identify the source network address of packets that may pass through firewall 110 . destination port number field 506 may identify the destination port number of packets that may pass through firewall 110 . source port number field 508 may identify the source port number of packets that may pass through firewall 110 . in the exemplary rule table of fig5 a , rule table 500 may store information related to a rule , e . g ., rule 520 . rule 520 , for example , indicates that a packet with a destination address of 1 . 2 . 3 . 4 , a source address of 1 . 2 . 3 . 5 , a destination port of 80 , and a source port of 2222 may pass through firewall 110 . in the exemplary rule table of fig5 b , rule table 500 ′ may store an additional rule to that of rule table 500 of fig5 a , e . g ., rule 522 . rule 522 , for example , indicates that a packet with a destination address of 1 . 2 . 3 . 6 , a source address of 1 . 2 . 3 . 7 , a destination port of 80 , and a source port of 2323 may pass through firewall 110 . fig6 a , 6 b , and 6 c are block diagrams of an exemplary rule table 600 , each representing different time periods . like rule table 500 , rule table 600 may store information regarding the rules established by firewall 110 for acting on packets passing through firewall 110 . rule table 600 , however , may be stored in policy server 106 so that policy server 106 may keep track of the rules in firewall 110 and the rules that policy server 106 has requested that firewall 110 provision . thus , rule table 600 may be stored , for example , in memory 340 as one of database tables 344 of computing module 300 in web server 404 . in addition , rule table 600 or portions of rule table 600 may be stored in other devices coupled to network 102 . like rule table 500 , each entry , e . g ., row , in rule table 600 may correspond to a different data stream allowed to pass through firewall 110 . any number of rules may be found in rule table 600 . as illustrated , rule table 600 may include a destination address field 602 , a source address field 604 , a destination port number field 606 , a source port number field 608 , and an acknowledgment field 610 . like rule table 500 , rule table 600 may include additional , different , or fewer fields than illustrated in fig6 . the fields 602 through 608 in rule table 600 may have similar functions and purposes as the fields 502 through 508 in rule table 500 . specifically , destination address field 602 may identify the destination network address of packets that may pass through firewall 110 ; source address field 604 may identify the source network address of packets that may pass through firewall 110 ; destination port number field 606 may identify the destination port number of packets that may pass through firewall 110 ; source port number field 608 may identify the source port number of packets that may pass through firewall 110 . in one embodiment , acknowledgment field 610 is found in rule table 600 , but not in rule table 500 . acknowledgment field 610 may indicate whether an acknowledgment of the corresponding rule has been received . for example , firewall server 402 may use acknowledgment field 610 to indicate that an acknowledgment of the provisioning of the corresponding rule has been received from firewall 110 . in the exemplary rule table of fig6 a , rule table 600 may store information related to a rule , e . g ., rule 620 . rule 620 ( stored in firewall server 402 ) may correspond to rule 520 stored in firewall 110 . rule 620 , for example , indicates that a packet with a destination address of 1 . 2 . 3 . 4 , a source address of 1 . 2 . 3 . 5 , a destination port of 80 , and a source port of 2222 may pass through firewall 110 . acknowledgment field 610 in rule 620 (“ y ”) may indicate that an acknowledgment of the provisioning of rule 620 has been received from firewall 110 . in the exemplary rule table of fig6 b , rule table 600 ′ may store an additional rule to that of rule table 600 of fig6 a , e . g ., rule 622 . rule 620 ( stored in firewall server 402 ) may correspond to rule 520 stored in firewall 110 . rule 622 , for example , indicates that a packet with a destination address of 1 . 2 . 3 . 6 , a source address of 1 . 2 . 3 . 7 , a destination port of 80 , and a source port of 2323 may pass through firewall 110 . acknowledgment field 610 of rule 622 (“ n ”) indicates that an acknowledgment of the provisioning of rule 622 has not been received from firewall 110 . in the exemplary rule table of fig6 c , rule table 600 ″ may store the same two rules as rule table 600 ′ of fig6 b , e . g ., rules 622 and 624 . in rule table 600 ″, however , acknowledgment field 610 of rule 622 (“ y ”) indicates that an acknowledgment of the provisioning of rule 622 has been received from firewall 110 . fig7 is a block diagram of an exemplary privilege table 700 . privilege table 700 may store values representing privileges or access levels afforded to user devices , such as user device 104 - 1 . for example , privilege table 700 may include a record indicating that , after authentication , user device 104 - 1 may be authorized to access application server 108 - 1 , which may store benefits information . in one embodiment , privilege table 700 may include a device network address field 702 and a permission field 704 . privilege table 700 may include additional , different , or fewer fields than illustrated in fig7 . network address field 702 may include the network address of an authenticated user device . permissions field 704 may include the permissions afforded the user device having the network address in corresponding address field 702 . the exemplary privilege table 700 may include two records , e . g ., entries or rows , for the user devices authenticated at network addresses 1 . 2 . 3 . 5 and 1 . 2 . 3 . 6 . as shown in an exemplary record 720 , user device 104 - x authenticated at 1 . 2 . 3 . 5 may have permission ( defined in permission field 704 ) to access network address 1 . 2 . 3 . 4 ( e . g ., application server 108 - 2 ) using source port 2222 and destination port 80 . as shown in an exemplary record 722 , the user device authenticated at 1 . 2 . 3 . 6 ( e . g ., user device 104 - 1 ) may have permission ( defined in permission field 704 ) to access network address 1 . 2 . 3 . 7 ( e . g ., application server 108 - 1 ) using source port 2323 and destination port 80 . privilege table 700 is for exemplary purposes . other configurations of privilege tables are possible . for example , one configuration may include a separate user table that includes a user name field and a privilege group field . a corresponding privilege group table may define permissions afforded different privilege groups . fig8 is a flowchart of an exemplary process 800 for provisioning access through firewall 110 . process 800 is described with respect to fig9 . fig9 is a signal ( e . g ., message ) diagram of exemplary signals that may be sent between application server 108 - 1 , user device 104 - 1 , policy server 106 ( including firewall server 402 and web server 404 ), and firewall 110 . in the example of fig9 , user device 104 - 1 may have a network address of 1 . 2 . 3 . 7 and application server 108 - 1 may have a network address of 1 . 2 . 3 . 6 . process 800 may begin when a policy server receives a user request to authenticate a user device ( block 802 ). for example , user device 104 - 1 may be authenticated with policy server 106 for accessing application servers 108 protected by firewall 110 . as shown in fig9 , signals 902 may pass between user device 104 - 1 and policy server 106 for authentication . policy server 106 may authenticate user device 104 - 1 ( and may establish a session with user device 104 - 1 ) using any number of authentication protocols , including , for example , the transport layer security ( tls ) protocol , the secure sockets layer ( ssl ) protocol , etc . in one embodiment , a user of device 104 - 1 may be required to type ( using , e . g ., input device 230 ) a user name , password , and / or enter a pass code from a security fob or mobile phone . in one embodiment , user device 104 - 1 and policy server 106 may exchange secret keys . policy server 106 may create record 722 in permission table 700 indicating that the user device with the network address 1 . 2 . 3 . 7 ( e . g ., network device 104 - 1 ) may have permission to access the resources at network address 1 . 2 . 3 . 6 ( e . g ., application server 108 - 1 ) using a destination port of 80 and a source port of 2323 . a request for a server resource may be received ( block 804 ). as shown in fig9 , signal 904 may pass from user device 104 - 1 ( e . g ., using browser 264 ) to firewall 110 requesting a resource from application server 108 - 1 . signal 904 may include a tcp ( transmission control packet ) packet to establish a connection to application server 108 - 1 . signal 904 may include a packet with a destination address of 1 . 2 . 3 . 6 ( e . g ., network address of application server 108 - 1 ) and a source address of 1 . 2 . 3 . 7 ( e . g ., network address of user device 104 - 1 ). firewall 110 , however , may not have provisioned a rule for user device 104 - 1 to pass messages to application server 108 - 1 . for example , rule table 500 may be in the state as shown in fig5 a without any rule for a packet with a destination address of 1 . 2 . 3 . 6 and a source address of 1 . 2 . 3 . 7 . as such , firewall 110 may drop the packet or not let it pass through firewall 110 to its intended destination , e . g ., application server 108 - 1 . in one embodiment , firewall 110 may store the packet for later processing . an indication of no provision for a resource request in the firewall may be received ( block 806 ). because firewall 110 may not have provisioned a rule for user device 104 - 1 to access resources in application server 108 - 1 , firewall 110 may send a message 906 to firewall server 402 indicating that data , e . g ., a packet , has been dropped . message 906 may include the source address , destination address , source port , destination port , etc ., of the dropped packet . in the current example , message 906 may indicate that a packet from network address 1 . 2 . 3 . 7 ( user device 104 - 1 ) to network address 1 . 2 . 3 . 6 ( application server 108 - 1 ) has been dropped . armed with the information received from firewall 110 , firewall server 402 may access privilege table 700 to determine whether firewall 110 should or should not provision access for user device 104 - 1 and may take appropriate action as described below with respect to block 810 . the request for the server resource may be redirected to a web server in a policy server ( block 808 ). in addition to sending a message to firewall server 402 regarding the dropped packet , firewall 110 may redirect user device 104 - 1 ( e . g ., redirect browser 264 ) to web server 404 in policy server 106 . as shown in fig9 , signal 908 may be a redirection signal , which may be passed by user device 104 - 1 ( e . g ., by browser 264 ) to web server 404 in policy server 106 as signal 910 . in one embodiment , user device 104 - 1 may not recognize that redirection signal 908 is from firewall 110 and not application server 108 - 1 . as such , firewall 110 may be masquerading as application server 108 - 1 . redirection signal 908 may include query information ( that may pass , in turn , to web server 404 through signal 910 ) that may enable web server 404 to query firewall server 402 as to whether firewall 110 has provisioned a rule allowing user device 104 - 1 access to application server 108 - 1 . a request for the provisioning of a rule to allow the user device to access the application server may be sent ( block 810 ). after consulting privilege table 700 , firewall server 402 may determine that resource request 904 from user device 104 - 1 should have been allowed to pass through firewall 110 to application server 108 - 1 . firewall server 402 may send a message 912 to firewall 110 instructing firewall 110 to provision a rule in rule table 500 to allow messages from user device 104 - 1 to application server 108 - 1 to pass through firewall 110 . message 912 may include the source network address ( 1 . 2 . 3 . 7 ), the destination network address ( 1 . 2 . 3 . 6 ), the source port ( 2323 ), and the destination protocol ( 23 ) to afford user device 104 - 1 to access application server 108 - 1 . in another embodiment , message 912 may include a confirmation that firewall 110 may provision access in response to signal 906 to firewall server 402 . in addition to sending message 912 , firewall server 402 may add a rule to rule table 600 ′ stored in its memory 260 . for example , firewall server 402 may add rule 622 as shown in fig6 b . rule 622 may be for packets to destination address 1 . 2 . 3 . 6 , from source address 1 . 2 . 3 . 7 , with a destination port of 80 , and a source port of 2323 to pass through firewall 110 . as indicated in acknowledgment field 610 , however , firewall 110 has yet to acknowledge that it actually added the rule to its rule table . acknowledgment of provisioning of the rule in the firewall may be received ( block 812 ). firewall 110 may receive message 912 from firewall server 402 to provision a rule in rule table 500 such that user device 104 - 1 may access application server 108 - 1 . firewall 110 may send a message 916 to firewall server 402 to acknowledge that the rule provisioning access for user device 104 - 1 has been added to rule table 500 . firewall server 402 may receive message 916 acknowledging that the rule provisioning access for user device 104 - 1 to application server 108 - 1 . after receiving signal 916 , firewall server 402 may update acknowledgment field 610 of rule 622 to indicate that firewall server 402 has received acknowledgment from firewall 110 that rule 622 has been added ( e . g ., rule 622 ′, field 610 is changed from “ n ” to “ y ” as shown in rule table 600 ″). whether access has been provisioned in the firewall may be determined ( block 814 ). after firewall server 402 requests provisioning of the rule in firewall 110 in block 810 , it may take time before firewall 110 actually provisions access . in one embodiment , user device 104 - 1 may wait until access is actually provisioned in firewall 110 before reattempting to access application server 108 - 1 . in this embodiment , web server 404 may communicate over bus 406 ( using signals 914 and / or 918 ) to firewall server 402 to determine whether firewall server 402 has received acknowledgment from firewall 110 that a rule has been provisioned in firewall 110 for user device 104 - 1 . if firewall server 402 has received acknowledgment from firewall 110 , then firewall server 402 may indicate so to web server 404 . as shown in fig9 , at the time signals 914 were passed between web server 404 and firewall server 402 , firewall server 402 had yet to receive acknowledgment from firewall 110 that access was provisioned for user device 104 - 1 . at the time signals 916 were passed between web server 404 and firewall server 402 , however , firewall server 402 had received acknowledgment message 916 from firewall 110 that access was provisioned for user device 104 - 1 . the user device may be redirected to the requested resource ( block 816 ). for example , after web server 404 receives a message from firewall server 402 that firewall 110 has provisioned assess for user device 104 - 1 , web server 404 may redirect ( using signal 920 ) user device 104 - 1 ( e . g ., browser 264 ) back to application server 108 - 1 . in this embodiment , therefore , redirection signal 920 occurred after signals 918 were exchanged between web server 404 and firewall server 402 . as shown in fig9 , the redirect message ( signal 920 ) may include information regarding the requested resources of the original request ( e . g ., signal 904 ). through this redirection , browser 264 may re - request the resources of signal 904 in signal 922 . in one embodiment , web server 404 may choose not to wait for acknowledgment of the provision of the rule in firewall 110 before redirecting ( signal 920 ) to user device 104 - 1 to application server 108 - 1 . alternatively , user device 104 - 1 may re - request the resource ( signal 404 ) again without waiting for redirection signal 920 . the requested resources may be delivered or otherwise made available to the requesting user device ( block 818 ). because signal 922 may pass through firewall 110 , application server 108 - 1 may provide the resources requested in signal 922 ( which may be the same as the resources requested in signal 904 ). as shown in fig9 , the originally requested resources may be delivered in signal 924 . embodiments described herein may use the internet - protocol ( ip ), asynchronous transfer mode ( atm ) protocol , or any other type of network protocol . as such , embodiments described herein may use ip addresses , atm addresses , or any other type of network addresses . although some embodiments may be described in terms of packets , other embodiments may use any form of data ( packet or non - packet ). as used herein , the term “ data unit ” may include a packet , cell , or datagram ; a fragment of a packet , cell , or datagram ; a group of packets , cells , or datagrams ; or other types of data . it will be apparent that aspects , as described above , may be implemented in many different forms of software , firmware , and hardware in the embodiments illustrated in the figures . the actual software code or specialized control hardware used to implement these aspects is not limiting of the present invention . thus , the operation and behavior of the aspects were described without reference to the specific software code — it being understood that software or control hardware could be designed to implement the aspects based on the description herein . further , although the processes described above , including process 800 , may indicate a certain order of blocks , the blocks in these figures may be configured in any order . even though particular combinations of features are recited in the claims and / or disclosed in the specification , these combinations are not intended to limit the invention . in fact , many of these features may be combined in ways not specifically recited in the claims and / or disclosed in the specification . no element , act , or instruction used in the present application should be construed as critical or essential to the invention unless explicitly described as such . also , as used herein , the article “ a ” is intended to include one or more items . where only one item is intended , the term “ one ” or similar language is used . further , the phrase “ based on ” is intended to mean “ based , at least in part , on ” unless explicitly stated otherwise .
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in accordance with the present invention , there are provided methods of performing array - based comparative genomic hybridization ( cgh ) to detect a chromosomal abnormality in a test sample , or to diagnose a genetic abnormality in an individual . cgh is a molecular cytogenetics approach that can be used to detect regions in a genome undergoing quantitative changes , e . g ., gains or losses of sequence or copy numbers . cgh is especially useful in the analysis and diagnosis of cancer , and the analysis and diagnosis of genetic disorders , such as in prenatal diagnosis . cgh reactions are typically used to compare the genetic composition of an unknown test sample with a known normal reference sample . in one aspect , the methods of the present invention can be used to detect a chromosomal abnormality in a test sample . in a preferred embodiment , the test sample is obtained from a patient . in another preferred embodiment , the test sample contains cells , tissues or fluid obtained from a patient suspected of having a pathology or a condition associated with a chromosomal or genetic abnormality . the causality , diagnosis or prognosis of the pathology or condition may be associated with genetic defects , e . g ., with genomic nucleic acid base substitutions , amplifications , deletions and / or translocations . the test sample may be suspected of containing cancerous cells or nucleic from such cells . samples may include , but are not limited to , amniotic fluid , biopsies , blood , blood cells , bone marrow , cerebrospinal fluid , fecal samples , fine needle biopsy samples , peritoneal fluid , plasma , pleural fluid , saliva , semen , serum , sputum , tears , tissue or tissue homogenates , tissue culture media , urine , and the like . samples may also be processed , such as sectioning of tissues , fractionation , purification , or cellular organelle separation . methods of isolating cell , tissue or fluid samples are well known to those of skill in the art and include , but are not limited to , aspirations , tissue sections , drawing of blood or other fluids , surgical or needle biopsies , and the like . samples derived from a patient may include frozen sections or paraffin sections taken for histological purposes . the sample can also be derived from supernatants ( of cell cultures ), lysates of cells , cells from tissue culture in which it may be desirable to detect levels of mosaicisms , including chromosomal abnormalities and copy numbers . in a preferred embodiment , a sample suspected of containing cancerous cells is obtained from a human patient . samples can be derived from patients using well - known techniques such as venipuncture , lumbar puncture , fluid sample such as saliva or urine , tissue or needle biopsy , and the like . in a patient suspected of having a tumor containing cancerous cells , a sample may include a biopsy or surgical specimen of the tumor , including for example , a tumor biopsy , a fine needle aspirate , or a section from a resected tumor . a lavage specimen may be prepared from any region of interest with a saline wash , for example , cervix , bronchi , bladder , etc . a patient sample may also include exhaled air samples as taken with a breathalyzer or from a cough or sneeze . a biological sample may also be obtained from a cell or blood bank where tissue and / or blood are stored , or from an in vitro source , such as a culture of cells . techniques for establishing a culture of cells for use as a sample source are well known to those of skill in the art . in another aspect , the methods of the present invention can be used to detect a chromosomal or genetic abnormality in a fetus . prenatal diagnosis of a fetus may be indicated for women at increased risk of carrying a fetus with chromosomal or genetic abnormalities . risk factors are well known in the art , and include , for example , advanced maternal age , abnormal maternal serum markers in prenatal screening , chromosomal abnormalities in a previous child , a previous child with physical anomalies and unknown chromosomal status , parental chromosomal abnormality , and recurrent spontaneous abortions . the invention methods can be used to perform prenatal diagnosis using any type of embryonic or fetal cell . fetal cells can be obtained through the pregnant female , or from a sample of an embryo . thus , fetal cells are present in amniotic fluid obtained by amniocentesis , chorionic villi aspirated by syringe , percutaneous umbilical blood , a fetal skin biopsy , a blastomere from a four - cell to eight - cell stage embryo ( pre - implantation ), or a trophectoderm sample from a blastocyst ( pre - implantation or by uterine lavage ). body fluids with sufficient amounts of genomic nucleic acid also may be used . the method of the present invention utilizes a first population of genomic nucleic acids obtained from the test sample , and a second population of genomic nucleic acids obtained from a reference sample . the reference sample may be any cells , tissues or fluid as provided herein , obtained from an individual , or any cell culture or tissue culture , that does not contain any genetic abnormality , i . e ., that has a normal genetic complement of all chromosomes . the genomic nucleic acids of both the test sample and the reference sample are associated with the same detectable label , either prior to or subsequent to hybridization . in preferred embodiments , the label is detectable by optical means , and is most preferably a fluorescent label or fluorophore . the detectable label can be incorporated into , associated with or conjugated to a nucleic acid . the association between the nucleic acid and the detectable label can be covalent or non - covalent . according to the methods of the present invention , the same detectable label is used to label both the genomic nucleic acids of the test sample and the genomic nucleic acids of the reference sample . label can be attached by spacer arms of various lengths to reduce potential steric hindrance or impact on other useful or desired properties . see , e . g ., mansfield , mol . cell . probes 9 : 145 - 156 , 1995 . useful labels include , e . g ., fluorescent dyes ( e . g ., cy5 ™, cy3 ™, fitc , rhodamine , lanthamide phosphors , texas red ), 32 p , 35 s , 3 h , 14 c , 125 i , 131 i , electron - dense reagents ( e . g ., gold ), enzymes , e . g ., as commonly used in an elisa ( e . g ., horseradish peroxidase , beta - galactosidase , luciferase , alkaline phosphatase ), colorimetric labels ( e . g ., colloidal gold ), magnetic labels ( e . g ., dynabeads ™), biotin , dioxigenin , or haptens and proteins for which antisera or monoclonal antibodies are available . the label can be directly incorporated into the nucleic acid to be detected , or it can be attached to a probe ( e . g ., an oligonucleotide ) or antibody that hybridizes or binds to the nucleic acid to be detected . in preferred embodiments , the detectable label is a fluorophore . the term “ fluorophore ” as used herein refers to a molecule that absorbs a quantum of electromagnetic radiation at one wavelength , and emits one or more photons at a different , typically longer , wavelength in response . suitable fluorescent moieties include the following fluorophores known in the art : alexa fluor ® 350 , alexa fluor ® 488 , alexa fluor ® 546 , alexa fluor ® 555 , alexa fluor ® 568 , alexa fluor ® 594 , alexa fluor ® 647 ( molecular probes ) 5 -( 2 ′- aminoethyl ) aminonaphthalene - 1 - sulfonic acid ( edans ) 4 - amino - n -[ 3 - vinylsulfonyl ) phenyl ] naphthalimide - 3 , 5 disulfonate ( lucifer yellow vs ) n -( 4 - anilino - 1 - naphthyl ) maleimide anthranilamide black hole quencher ™ ( bhq ™) dyes ( biosearch technologies ) bodipy ® r - 6g , bopipy ® 530 / 550 , bodipy ® fl brilliant yellow coumarin and derivatives : 7 - amino - 4 - trifluoromethylcouluarin ( coumarin 151 ) cy2 ®, cy3 ®, cy3 . 5 ®, cy5 ®, cy5 . 5 ® cyanosine 4 ′, 6 - diaminidino - 2 - phenylindole ( dapi ) 5 ′, 5 ″- dibromopyrogallol - sulfonephthalein ( bromopyrogallol red ) 7 - diethylamino - 3 -( 4 ′- isothiocyanatophenyl )- 4 - methylcoumarin diethylenetriamine pentaacetate 4 , 4 ′- diisothiocyanatodihydro - stilbene - 2 , 2 ′- disulfonic acid 4 , 4 ′- diisothiocyanatostilbene - 2 , 2 ′- disulfonic acid 5 -[ dimethylamino ] naphthalene - 1 - sulfonyl chloride ( dns , dansyl chloride ) 4 -( 4 ′- dimethylaminophenylazo ) benzoic acid ( dabcyl ) 4 - dimethylaminophenylazophenyl - 4 ′- isothiocyanate ( dabitc ) eclipse ™ ( epoch biosciences inc .) eosin and derivatives : 5 - carboxyfluorescein ( fam ) 5 -( 4 , 6 - dichlorotriazin - 2 - yl ) aminofluorescein ( dtaf ) 2 ′, 7 ′- dimethoxy - 4 ′ 5 ′- dichloro - 6 - carboxyfluorescein ( joe ) fluorescein fluorescein isothiocyanate ( fitc ) hexachloro - 6 - carboxyfluorescein ( hex ) qfitc ( xritc ) tetrachlorofluorescein ( tet ) fluorescamine ir144 ir1446 malachite green isothiocyanate 4 - methylumbelliferone ortho cresolphthalein nitrotyrosine pararosaniline phenol red b - phycoerythrin , r - phycoerythrin o - phthaldialdehyde oregon green ® propidium iodide pyrene and derivatives : qsy ® 7 , qsy ® 9 , qsy ® 21 , qsy ® 35 ( molecular probes ) reactive red 4 ( cibacron brilliant red 3b - a ) rhodamine and derivatives : 6 - carboxy - x - rhodamine ( rox ) 6 - carboxyrhodamine ( r6g ) lissamine rhodamine b sulfonyl chloride rhodamine ( rhod ) rhodamine b rhodamine 123 rhodamine green rhodamine x isothiocyanate sulforhodamine b sulforhodamine 101 sulfonyl chloride derivative of sulforhodamine 101 ( texas red ) n , n , n ′, n ′- tetramethyl - 6 - carboxyrhodamine ( tamra ) tetramethyl rhodamine tetramethyl rhodamine isothiocyanate ( tritc ) riboflavin rosolic acid terbium chelate derivatives other fluorescent nucleotide analogs can be used , see , e . g ., jameson , meth . enzymol . 278 : 363 - 390 , 1997 ; zhu , nucl . acids res . 22 : 3418 - 3422 , 1994 . u . s . pat . nos . 5 , 652 , 099 and 6 , 268 , 132 also describe nucleoside analogs for incorporation into nucleic acids , e . g ., dna and / or rna , or oligonucleotides , via either enzymatic or chemical synthesis to produce fluorescent oligonucleotides . u . s . pat . no . 5 , 135 , 717 describes phthalocyanine and tetrabenztriazaporphyrin reagents for use as fluorescent labels . detectable labels can be incorporated into nucleic acids by covalent or non - covalent means , e . g ., by transcription , such as by random - primer labeling using klenow polymerase , or nick translation , or , amplification , or equivalent as is known in the art . for example , in one aspect , a nucleoside base is conjugated to a detectable moiety , such as a fluorescent dye , e . g ., cy3 ™ or cy5 ™, and then incorporated into genomic nucleic acids . nucleic acids can be incorporated with cy3 ™- or cy5 ™- dctp conjugates mixed with unlabeled dctp . in another aspect , when using pcr or nick translation to label nucleic acids , modified nucleotides synthesized by coupling allylamine - dutp to the succinimidyl - ester derivatives of the fluorescent dyes or haptens ( such as biotin or digoxigenin ) can be used ; this method allows custom preparation of most common fluorescent nucleotides , see , e . g ., henegariu , nat . biotechnol . 18 : 345 - 348 , 2000 . alternative non - covalent incorporation of label can be achieved using other methods known in the art . for example , kreatech biotechnology &# 39 ; s universal linkage system ® ( uls ®) provides a non - enzymatic labeling technology , wherein a platinum group forms a co - ordinative bond with dna , rna or nucleotides by binding to the n7 position of guanosine . this technology may also be used to label proteins by binding to nitrogen and sulphur containing side chains of amino acids . see , e . g ., u . s . pat . nos . 5 , 580 , 990 ; 5 , 714 , 327 ; and 5 , 985 , 566 ; and european patent no . 0539466 . thus , this system provides a method of associating any detectable label with members of a nucleic acid population , either directly into a nucleic acid or peptide molecule associated thereto , or indirectly via a complementary nucleic acid molecule or other partner molecule . labeling with a detectable label also can include a nucleic acid attached to another biological molecule , such as a nucleic acid , e . g ., an oligonucleotide , or a nucleic acid in the form of a stem - loop structure as a “ molecular beacon ” or an “ aptamer beacon ”. molecular beacons as detectable moieties are well known in the art ; for example , sokol ( proc . natl . acad . sci . usa 95 : 11538 - 11543 , 1998 ) synthesized “ molecular beacon ” reporter oligodeoxynucleotides with matched fluorescent donor and acceptor chromophores on their 5 ′ and 3 ′ ends . in the absence of a complementary nucleic acid strand , the molecular beacon remains in a stem - loop conformation where fluorescence resonance energy transfer prevents signal emission . on hybridization with a complementary sequence , the stem - loop structure opens increasing the physical distance between the donor and acceptor moieties thereby reducing fluorescence resonance energy transfer and allowing a detectable signal to be emitted when the beacon is excited by light of the appropriate wavelength . see also , e . g ., antony ( biochemistry 40 : 9387 - 9395 , 2001 ), describing a molecular beacon comprised of a g - rich 18 - mer triplex forming oligodeoxyribonucleotide . see also u . s . pat . nos . 6 , 277 , 581 and 6 , 235 , 504 . aptamer beacons are similar to molecular beacons ; see , e . g ., hamaguchi , anal . biochem . 294 : 126 - 131 , 2001 ; poddar , mol . cell . probes 15 : 161 - 167 , 2001 ; kaboev , nucl . acids res . 28 : e94 , 2000 . aptamer beacons can adopt two or more conformations , one of which allows ligand binding . a fluorescence - quenching pair is used to report changes in conformation induced by ligand binding . see also , e . g ., yamamoto , genes cells 5 : 389 - 396 , 2000 ; smimov , biochemistry 39 : 1462 - 1468 , 2000 . in a preferred embodiment , genomic nucleic acids are labeled using an oligonucleotide linkage . the genomic nucleic acids are first digested into fragments with a restriction enzyme ( e . g ., alui ); fragments are then associated with a unique capture sequence using a bridging oligonucleotide . when properly designed , the unique fragment is positioned directly adjoining the end of a nucleic acid such that ligation can be used to obtain covalent linkage . each fragment can then be labeled with a dendrimeric construct comprising an oligonucleotide which hybridizes to the unique capture sequence associated with each fragment . the fragments of two or more samples of nucleic acids can be labeled via a unique capture sequence associated with each respective sample . in an especially preferred embodiment , multiple copies of the detectable label are attached to a dendrimer to achieve signal amplification . preferably , the use of a dendrimer in the methods of the present invention allows more than 10 , 20 , 50 , 100 , or 200 fluorophore molecules to be attached to the genomic acids . labeling of the fragments can be prior to hybridization of two or more nucleic acid samples , or preferably following hybridization to maximize signal intensity . alternatively , the genomic nucleic acid may be labeled via a peptide . a peptide can be made detectable by incorporating predetermined polypeptide epitopes recognized by a secondary reporter ( e . g ., leucine zipper pair sequences , binding sites for secondary antibodies , transcriptional activator polypeptide , metal binding domains , epitope tags ). a label may also be attached via a second peptide ( such as on a dendrimer construct as above ) that interacts with the first peptide ( e . g ., s - s association ). in another embodiment , the genomic nucleic acid may be labeled via a peptide nucleic acid . the term “ peptide nucleic acid ” ( or pna ) as used herein refers to a molecule comprising bases or base analogs such as would be found in natural nucleic acid , but attached to a peptide backbone rather than the sugar - phosphate backbone typical of nucleic acids . the attachment of the bases to the peptide is such as to allow the bases to base pair with complementary bases of nucleic acid in a manner similar to that of an oligonucleotide . these small molecules , also designated anti gene agents , stop transcript elongation by binding to their complementary strand of nucleic acid ( nielsen et al ., anticancer drug des . 8 : 53 63 , 1993 ). indirect labeling may be performed prior to or preferably , after hybridization to maximize signal intensity . in a preferred embodiment , the hybridized surface is contacted with a first complex containing a detectable label and a first entity , wherein the first complex selectively reacts with the nucleic acids of either the test sample or the reference sample ; and either simultaneously or subsequently with a second complex containing the same detectable label and a second entity , wherein the second complex selectively reacts with the nucleic acids of the other sample . in one embodiment , the first complex or the second complex may comprise a differential linkage of the detectable label , such that one sample may be subjected to selective removal of the detectable label ( i . e ., a subtractive approach ). alternatively , in another embodiment , the first complex and the second complex do not comprise a differential linkage of the detectable label , but instead , are added one following the other ( i . e ., an additive approach ). in certain embodiments , isolated or purified molecules may be preferred . as used herein , the terms “ isolated ”, “ purified ” or “ substantially purified ” refer to molecules , either nucleic acid or amino acid sequences , that are removed from their natural environment , isolated or separated , and are at least 60 % free , preferably 75 % free , and most preferably 90 % free from other components with which they are naturally associated . an isolated molecule is therefore a substantially purified molecule . the methods of the present invention can incorporate all known methods and means and variations thereof for carrying out comparative genomic hybridization , see , e . g ., u . s . pat . nos . 6 , 197 , 501 ; 6 , 159 , 685 ; 5 , 976 , 790 ; 5 , 965 , 362 ; 5 , 856 , 097 ; 5 , 830 , 645 ; 5 , 721 , 098 ; 5 , 665 , 549 ; 5 , 635 , 351 ; diago , am . j . pathol . 158 : 1623 - 1631 , 2001 ; theillet , bull . cancer 88 : 261 - 268 , 2001 ; werner , pharmacogenomics 2 : 25 - 36 , 2001 ; jain , pharmacogenomics 1 : 289 - 307 , 2000 . generally , nucleic acid hybridizations comprise the following major steps : ( 1 ) immobilization of target nucleic acids ; ( 2 ) pre - hybridization treatment to increase accessibility of target dna , and to reduce nonspecific binding ; ( 3 ) hybridization of the mixture of nucleic acids to the nucleic acid on the solid surface ; ( 4 ) post - hybridization washes to remove nucleic acid fragments not bound in the hybridization and ( 5 ) detection of the hybridized nucleic acid fragments . if indirect detection is used , an additional step of hybridization with the labeled agent ( e . g . dendrimer ) and washing is needed . the reagent used in each of these steps and their conditions for use vary depending on the particular application . in some applications it is necessary to block the hybridization capacity of repetitive sequences . a number of methods for removing and / or disabling the hybridization capacity of repetitive sequences are known ( see , e . g ., wo 93 / 18186 ). for instance , bulk procedures can be used . in many genomes , including the human genome , a major portion of shared repetitive dna is contained within a few families of highly repeated sequences such as alu . these methods exploit the fact that hybridization rate of complementary sequences increases as their concentration increases . thus , repetitive sequences , which are generally present at high concentration will become double stranded more rapidly than others following denaturation and incubation under hybridization conditions . the double stranded nucleic acids are then removed and the remainder used in hybridizations . methods of separating single from double stranded sequences include using hydroxyapatite or immobilized complementary nucleic acids attached to a solid support , and the like . alternatively , the partially hybridized mixture can be used and the double stranded sequences will be unable to hybridize to the target . alternatively , unlabeled sequences which are complementary to the sequences whose hybridization capacity is to be inhibited can be added to the hybridization mixture . this method can be used to inhibit hybridization of repetitive sequences as well as other sequences . for example , cot - 1 dna can be used to selectively inhibit hybridization of repetitive sequences in a sample . to prepare cot - 1 dna , dna is extracted , sheared , denatured and renatured . because highly repetitive sequences reanneal more quickly , the resulting hybrids are highly enriched for these sequences . the remaining single stranded ( i . e ., single copy sequences ) is digested with s1 nuclease and the double stranded cot - 1 dna is purified and used to block hybridization of repetitive sequences in a sample . although cot - 1 dna can be prepared as described above , it is also commercially available ( brl ). hybridization conditions for nucleic acids in the methods of the present invention are well known in the art . hybridization conditions may be high , moderate or low stringency conditions . ideally , nucleic acids will hybridize only to complementary nucleic acids and will not hybridize to other non - complementary nucleic acids in the sample . the hybridization conditions can be varied to alter the degree of stringency in the hybridization and reduce background signals as is known in the art . for example , if the hybridization conditions are high stringency conditions , a nucleic acid will bind only to nucleic acid target sequences with a very high degree of complementarity . low stringency hybridization conditions will allow for hybridization of sequences with some degree of sequence divergence . the hybridization conditions will vary depending on the biological sample , and the type and sequence of nucleic acids . one skilled in the art will know how to optimize the hybridization conditions to practice the methods of the present invention . as used herein the term “ stringency ” is used in reference to the conditions of temperature , ionic strength , and the presence of other compounds , under which nucleic acid hybridizations are conducted . with high stringency conditions , nucleic acid base pairing will occur only between nucleic acids that have sufficiently long segment with a high frequency of complementary base sequences . exemplary hybridization conditions are as follows . high stringency generally refers to conditions that permit hybridization of only those nucleic acid sequences that form stable hybrids in 0 . 018m nacl at 65 ° c . high stringency conditions can be provided , for example , by hybridization in 50 % formamide , 5 × denhardt &# 39 ; s solution , 5 × ssc ( saline sodium citrate ) 0 . 2 % sds ( sodium dodecyl sulphate ) at 42 ° c ., followed by washing in 0 . 1 × ssc , and 0 . 1 % sds at 65 ° c . moderate stringency refers to conditions equivalent to hybridization in 50 % formamide , 5 × denhardt &# 39 ; s solution , 5 × ssc , 0 . 2 % sds at 42 ° c ., followed by washing in 0 . 2 × ssc , 0 . 2 % sds , at 65 ° c . low stringency refers to conditions equivalent to hybridization in 10 % formamide , 5 × denhardt &# 39 ; s solution , 6 × ssc , 0 . 2 % sds , followed by washing in 1 × ssc , 0 . 2 % sds , at 50 ° c . as used herein , the terms “ complementary ” or “ complementarity ” are used in reference to polynucleotides ( i . e ., a sequence of nucleotides such as an oligonucleotide or a target nucleic acid ) related by the base - pairing rules . the complement of a nucleic acid sequence as used herein refers to an oligonucleotide which , when aligned with the nucleic acid sequence such that the 5 ′ end of one sequence is paired with the 3 ′ end of the other , is in “ antiparallel association .” for example , the sequence “ 5 ′- a - g - t - 3 ′” is complementary to the sequence “ 3 ′- t - c - a - 5 ”. certain bases not commonly found in natural nucleic acids may be included in the nucleic acids of the present invention and include , for example , inosine and 7 - deazaguanine . complementarity need not be perfect ; stable duplexes may contain mismatched base pairs or unmatched bases . those skilled in the art of nucleic acid technology can determine duplex stability empirically considering a number of variables including , for example , the length of the oligonucleotide , base composition and sequence of the oligonucleotide , ionic strength and incidence of mismatched base pairs . complementarity may be “ partial ” in which only some of the nucleic acids &# 39 ; bases are matched according to the base pairing rules . or , there may be “ complete ” or “ total ” complementarity between the nucleic acids . the degree of complementarity between nucleic acid strands has significant effects on the efficiency and strength of hybridization between nucleic acid strands . this is of particular importance in amplification reactions , as well as detection methods that depend upon binding between nucleic acids . either term may also be used in reference to individual nucleotides , especially within the context of polynucleotides . for example , a particular nucleotide within an oligonucleotide may be noted for its complementarity , or lack thereof , to a nucleotide within another nucleic acid strand , in contrast or comparison to the complementarity between the rest of the oligonucleotide and the nucleic acid strand . the term “ homology ” and “ homologous ” refers to a degree of identity between two sequences . there may be partial homology or complete homology . a partially homologous sequence is one that is less than 100 % identical to another sequence . preferably , homologous sequences have an overall identity of at least 70 % or at least 75 %, more preferably at least 80 % or at least 85 %, most preferably at least 90 % or at least 95 %. as used herein , the term “ t m ” is used in reference to the “ melting temperature ”. the melting temperature is the temperature at which a sample of double - stranded nucleic acid molecules becomes half dissociated into single strands . several equations for calculating the t m of nucleic acids are well known in the art . as indicated by standard references , a simple estimate of the t m value may be calculated by the equation : t m = 81 . 5 + 0 . 41 (% g + c ), when a nucleic acid is in aqueous solution at 1 m nacl ( see , e . g ., anderson and young , quantitative filter hybridization , in nucleic acid hybridization , 1985 ). other references ( e . g ., allawi and santalucia , biochemistry 36 : 10581 - 94 , 1997 ) include more sophisticated computations which take structural and environmental , as well as sequence characteristics into account for the calculation of t m . nucleic acids used in the methods of the present invention can be immobilized to or applied to an array or “ biochip ”. the term “ array ” or “ microarray ” or “ biochip ” or “ chip ” as used herein refers to a plurality of elements arranged onto a defined area of a substrate surface . in practicing the methods of the invention , any known array and / or method of making and using arrays can be incorporated in whole or in part , or variations thereof , as disclosed , for example , in u . s . pat . nos . 6 , 277 , 628 ; 6 , 277 , 489 ; 6 , 261 , 776 ; 6 , 258 , 606 ; 6 , 054 , 270 ; 6 , 048 , 695 ; 6 , 045 , 996 ; 6 , 022 , 963 ; 6 , 013 , 440 ; 5 , 965 , 452 ; 5 , 959 , 098 ; 5 , 856 , 174 ; 5 , 830 , 645 ; 5 , 770 , 456 ; 5 , 632 , 957 ; 5 , 556 , 752 ; 5 , 143 , 854 ; 5 , 807 , 522 ; 5 , 800 , 992 ; 5 , 744 , 305 ; 5 , 700 , 637 ; 5 , 556 , 752 ; 5 , 434 , 049 ; see also , e . g ., wo 99 / 51773 ; wo 99 / 09217 ; wo 97 / 46313 ; wo 96 / 17958 ; see also , e . g ., johnston , curr . biol . 8 : r171 - r174 , 1998 ; schummer , biotechniques 23 : 1087 - 1092 , 1997 ; kern , biotechniques 23 : 120 - 124 , 1997 ; solinas - toldo , genes , chromosomes & amp ; cancer 20 : 399 - 407 , 1997 ; bowtell , nature genetics supp . 21 : 25 - 32 , 1999 . see also published u . s . patent applications nos . 20010018642 ; 20010019827 ; 20010016322 ; 20010014449 ; 20010014448 ; 20010012537 ; 20010008765 . arrays are generically a plurality of “ target elements ” or “ spots ,” each target element containing a defined amount of one or more biological molecules , e . g ., polypeptides , nucleic acid molecules , or probes , immobilized at discrete locations on a substrate surface . in preferred embodiments , the plurality of spots comprises nucleic acid segments , immobilized at preferably at least about 50 , at least about 100 , at least about 300 , or at least about 500 discrete locations on the surface . the plurality may comprise multiple repeats of the same nucleic acid segments to produce , e . g ., duplicate spots , triplicate spots , quadruplicate spots , quintuplicate spots , etc . the resolution of array - based cgh is primarily dependent upon the number , size and map positions of the nucleic acid elements within the array , which are capable of spanning the entire genome . each nucleic acid of interest to be immobilized may be contained within a nucleic acid vector ( e . g ., plasmids , cosmids , etc . ), or an artificial chromosome , such as a bacterial artificial chromosome ( bac ) or p - 1 derived artificial chromosome as is known in the art , which are capable of incorporating large inserts of nucleic acid . typically , bacterial artificial chromosomes , or bacs , which can each accommodate on average about 150 kilobases ( kb ) of cloned genomic dna , are used in the production of the array . preferably , each nucleic acid segment of interest is between about 1 , 000 ( 1 kb ) and about 1 , 000 , 000 ( 1 mb ) nucleotides in length , more preferably between about 100 , 000 ( 100 kb ) and 300 , 000 ( kb ) nucleotides in length . nucleic acid segments of interest may be chosen to span ( i . e . collectively represent ) the sequence of at least one chromosome , spaced at intervals along the chromosome ( i . e . containing segments of chromosomal sequence ) of about 3 - 4 megabases ( mb ), more preferably at intervals of about 2 - 3 megabases along the chromosome , most preferably at intervals of about 1 - 2 megabases along the chromosome . to represent the entire genomic complement , nucleic acid segments may be chosen to span all chromosomes at such intervals . alternatively , selected genomic regions of interest , e . g ., known mutational hotspots , may be selected from one or more chromosomes . such genomic regions of interest may be nucleic acid segments associated with a chromosomal abnormality , a contiguous gene abnormality , a genetically linked disease or syndrome . typically , the immobilized nucleic acid molecules are contacted with a sample for specific binding , e . g ., hybridization , between molecules in the sample and the array . immobilized nucleic acids segments can contain sequences from specific messages ( e . g ., as cdna libraries ) or genes ( e . g ., genomic libraries ), including , e . g ., substantially all or a subsection of a chromosome or substantially all of a genome , including a human genome . other target elements can contain reference sequences , such as positive and negative controls , and the like . the target elements of the arrays may be arranged on the substrate surface at different sizes and different densities . different target elements of the arrays can have the same molecular species , but , at different amounts , densities , sizes , labeled or unlabeled , and the like . the target element sizes and densities will depend upon a number of factors , such as the nature of the label ( the immobilized molecule can also be labeled ), the substrate support ( it is solid , semi - solid , fibrous , capillary or porous ), and the like . each target element may comprise substantially the same nucleic acid sequences , or , a mixture of nucleic acids of different lengths and / or sequences . thus , for example , a target element may contain more than one copy of a cloned piece of dna , and each copy may be broken into fragments of different lengths , as described herein . the length and complexity of the nucleic acid fixed onto the array surface is not critical to the invention . the array can comprise nucleic acids immobilized on any substrate , e . g ., a solid surface ( e . g ., nitrocellulose , glass , quartz , fused silica , plastics and the like ). see , e . g ., u . s . pat . no . 6 , 063 , 338 describing multi - well platforms containing cycloolefin polymers if fluorescence is to be measured . arrays used in the methods of the invention can comprise housing containing components for controlling humidity and temperature during the hybridization and wash reactions . the cgh methods of the invention can be performed using any type of array . commercially available cgh arrays or prepared slides for array printing include , for example , genechips ™ from affymetrix , santa clara , calif . ; spectral chip ™ mouse bac arrays and spectral chip ™ human bac arrays and other custom arrays from spectral genomics , houston , tex . ; codelink ™ human bioarrays from amersham biosciences ( ge healthcare ); and ultragap ™ from dow corning , elizabethtown , ky . ultragap ™ slides used in accordance with the manufacturer &# 39 ; s suggested protocol are preferred . in a preferred embodiment , the surface comprises an array containing one , several or all of the human genomic nucleic acid segments provided in a compendium of bacterial artificial chromosomes ( bacs ) compiled by the bac resource consortium , and referred to in the art by their rpi or ctb clone names , see cheung et al ., nature 409 : 953 - 958 , 2001 . this compendium contains 7 , 600 cytogenetically defined landmarks on the draft sequence of the human genome ( see mcpherson et al ., nature 409 : 934 - 41 , 2001 ). these landmarks are large - insert clones mapped to chromosome bands by fluorescence in situ hybridization , each containing a sequence tag that is positioned on the genomic sequence . these clones represent all 24 human chromosomes in about 1 mb resolution . sources of bac genomic collections include the bacpac resources center ( chori — children &# 39 ; s hospital oakland research institute ), resgen ( research genetics through invitrogen ) and the sanger center ( uk ). many methods for immobilizing nucleic acids on a variety of solid surfaces are known in the art . for instance , the solid surface may be a membrane , glass , plastic , or a bead . the desired component may be covalently bound or noncovalently attached through nonspecific binding . the immobilization of nucleic acids on solid surfaces is discussed more fully below . a wide variety of organic and inorganic polymers , as well as other materials , both natural and synthetic , may be employed as the material for the solid surface . illustrative solid surfaces include nitrocellulose , nylon , glass , diazotized membranes ( paper or nylon ), silicones , polyformaldehyde , cellulose , and cellulose acetate . in addition , plastics such as polyethylene , polypropylene , polystyrene , and the like can be used . other materials which may be employed include paper , ceramics , metals , metalloids , semiconductive materials , cermets or the like . in addition substances that form gels can be used . such materials include proteins ( e . g ., gelatins ), lipopolysaccharides , silicates , agarose and polyacrylamides . where the solid surface is porous , various pore sizes may be employed depending upon the nature of the system . in preparing the surface of a solid support for array printing , a plurality of different materials may be employed , particularly as laminates , to obtain various properties . for example , proteins ( e . g ., bovine serum albumin ) or mixtures of macromolecules ( e . g ., denhardt &# 39 ; s solution ) can be employed to avoid non - specific binding , simplify covalent conjugation , enhance signal detection or the like . if covalent bonding between a compound and the surface is desired , the surface may be polyfunctional or be capable of being polyfunctionalized . functional groups which may be present on the surface and used for linking can include carboxylic acids , aldehydes , amino groups , cyano groups , ethylenic groups , hydroxyl groups , mercapto groups and the like . the manner of linking a wide variety of compounds to various surfaces is well known and is amply illustrated in the literature . for example , methods for immobilizing nucleic acids by introduction of various functional groups to the molecules is known ( see , e . g ., bischoff et al ., anal . biochem . 164 : 336 - 344 , 1987 ); kremsky et al ., nucl . acids res . 15 : 2891 - 2910 , 1987 ). modified nucleotides can be placed on the target using pcr primers containing the modified nucleotide , or by enzymatic end labeling with modified nucleotides . alternative surfaces include derivatized surfaces such as chemically coated glass slides . on example , is the codelink ™ activated slide from amersham biosciences . these slides are coated with a novel 3 - d surface chemistry comprised of a long - chain , hydrophilic polymer containing amine - reactive groups , to react with and covalently immobilize amine - modified dna for microarrays . this polymer is covalently crosslinked to itself and to the surface of the slide and is designed to orient the immobilized dna away from the surface of the slide to improve hybridization . another such 3d slide is ultragap ™, sold by dow corning . use of membrane supports ( e . g ., nitrocellulose , nylon , polypropylene ) for the nucleic acid arrays of the invention is advantageous because of well developed technology employing manual and robotic methods of arraying targets at relatively high element densities ( e . g ., up to 30 - 40 / cm 2 ). in addition , such membranes are generally available and protocols and equipment for hybridization to membranes is well known . many membrane materials , however , have considerable fluorescence emission , where fluorescent labels are used to detect hybridization . to optimize a given assay format one of skill can determine sensitivity of fluorescence detection for different combinations of membrane type , fluorophore , excitation and emission bands , spot size and the like . in addition , low fluorescence background membranes have been described ( see , e . g ., chu et al ., electrophoresis 13 : 105 - 114 , 1992 ). the sensitivity for detection of spots of various diameters on the candidate membranes can be readily determined by , for example , spotting a dilution series of fluorescently end labeled dna fragments . these spots are then imaged using conventional fluorescence microscopy . the sensitivity , linearity , and dynamic range achievable from the various combinations of fluorophore and membranes can thus be determined . serial dilutions of pairs of fluorophore in known relative proportions can also be analyzed to determine the accuracy with which fluorescence ratio measurements reflect actual fluorophore ratios over the dynamic range permitted by the detectors and membrane fluorescence . arrays on substrates with much lower fluorescence than membranes , such as glass , quartz , or small beads , can achieve much better sensitivity . for example , elements of various sizes , ranging from about 1 mm diameter down to about 1 μm can be used with these materials . small array members containing small amounts of concentrated target dna are conveniently used for high complexity comparative hybridizations since the total amount of probe available for binding to each element will be limited . thus , it is advantageous to have small array members that contain a small amount of concentrated target dna so that the signal that is obtained is highly localized and bright . such small array members are typically used in arrays with densities greater than 10 4 / cm 2 . relatively simple approaches capable of quantitative fluorescent imaging of 1 cm 2 areas have been described that permit acquisition of data from a large number of members in a single image ( see , e . g ., wittrup et al ., cytometry 16 : 206 - 213 , 1994 ). covalent attachment of the target nucleic acids to glass or synthetic fused silica can be accomplished according to a number of known techniques . such substrates provide a very low fluorescence substrate , and a highly efficient hybridization environment . there are many possible approaches to coupling nucleic acids to glass that employ commercially available reagents . for instance , materials for preparation of silanized glass with a number of functional groups are commercially available or can be prepared using standard techniques . alternatively , quartz cover slips , which have at least 10 - fold lower auto fluorescence than glass , can be silanized . the targets can also be immobilized on commercially available coated beads or other surfaces . for instance , biotin end - labeled nucleic acids can be bound to commercially available avidin - coated beads . streptavidin or anti - digoxigenin antibody can also be attached to silanized glass slides by protein - mediated coupling , using e . g ., protein a following standard protocols ( see , e . g ., smith et al ., science 258 : 1122 - 1126 , 1992 ). biotin or digoxigenin end - labeled nucleic acids can be prepared according to standard techniques . hybridization to nucleic acids attached to beads is accomplished by suspending them in the hybridization mix , and then depositing them on the glass substrate for analysis after washing . alternatively , paramagnetic particles , such as ferric oxide particles , with or without avidin coating , can be used . the copy number of particular nucleic acid sequences in a test sample and a reference sample are compared by hybridizing the samples to one or more target nucleic acid segments . the hybridization signal intensity , and the ratio of intensities , produced by the detectable label associated with each sample is determined . typically , the greater the ratio of the signal intensities on a target nucleic acid segment , the greater the copy number ratio of sequences in the two samples that bind to that element . thus comparison of the signal intensity ratios among target nucleic acid segments permits comparison of copy number ratios of different sequences in the genomic nucleic acids of the two samples . in addition to labeling nucleic acids with fluorescent dyes , the invention can be practiced using any apparatus or methods to detect detectable labels associated with nucleic acids of a sample , an individual member of the nucleic acids of a sample , or an array - immobilized nucleic acid segment , or , any apparatus or methods to detect nucleic acids specifically hybridized to each other . devices and methods for the detection of multiple fluorophores are well known in the art , see , e . g ., u . s . pat . nos . 5 , 539 , 517 ; 6 , 049 , 380 ; 6 , 054 , 279 ; 6 , 055 , 325 ; and 6 , 294 , 331 . any known device or method , or variation thereof , can be used or adapted to practice the methods of the invention , including array reading or “ scanning ” devices , such as scanning and analyzing multicolor fluorescence images ; see , e . g ., u . s . pat . nos . 6 , 294 , 331 ; 6 , 261 , 776 ; 6 , 252 , 664 ; 6 , 191 , 425 ; 6 , 143 , 495 ; 6 , 140 , 044 ; 6 , 066 , 459 ; 5 , 943 , 129 ; 5 , 922 , 617 ; 5 , 880 , 473 ; 5 , 846 , 708 ; 5 , 790 , 727 ; and , the patents cited in the discussion of arrays , herein . see also published u . s . patent application nos . 20010018514 ; 20010007747 ; and published international patent applications nos . wo0146467 a ; wo9960163 a ; wo0009650 a ; wo0026412 a ; wo0042222 a ; wo0047600 a ; and wo0101144 a . for example a spectrograph can image an emission spectrum onto a two - dimensional array of light detectors ; a full spectrally resolved image of the array is thus obtained . photophysics of the fluorophore , e . g ., fluorescence quantum yield and photodestruction yield , and the sensitivity of the detector are read time parameters for an oligonucleotide array . with sufficient laser power and use of cy5 ™ or cy3 ™, which have lower photodestruction yields an array can be read in less than 5 seconds . charge - coupled devices , or ccds , are used in microarray scanning systems , including practicing the methods of the invention . color discrimination can also be based on 3 - color ccd video images ; these can be performed by measuring hue values . hue values are introduced to specify colors numerically . calculation is based on intensities of red , green and blue light ( rgb ) as recorded by the separate channels of the camera . the formulation used for transforming the rgb values into hue , however , simplifies the data and does not make reference to the true physical properties of light . alternatively , spectral imaging can be used ; it analyzes light as the intensity per wavelength , which is the only quantity by which to describe the color of light correctly . in addition , spectral imaging can provide spatial data , because it contains spectral information for every pixel in the image . alternatively , a spectral image can be made using brightfield microscopy , see , e . g ., u . s . pat . no . 6 , 294 , 331 . a specific advantage of the methods of the present invention is that a single detectable label may be used . this eliminates the need to read and co - ordinate multiple colored fluorophores . thus , signal intensity at the lower range is uniform and can readily be normalized , as opposed to having to account for differences in signal intensity amongst more than one fluorophore . other advantages of the present invention &# 39 ; s array - based cgh approach include the increased resolution by spanning across the entire genomic sequence of each chromosome and the increased sensitivity achieved as compared to traditional in situ chromosomal hybridization . the methods of the invention further comprise data analysis , which can include the steps of determining , e . g ., fluorescent intensity as a function of substrate position , removing “ outliers ” ( data deviating from a predetermined statistical distribution ), or calculating the relative binding affinity of the targets from the remaining data . the resulting data can be displayed as an image with color in each region varying according to the light emission or binding affinity between targets and probes . see , e . g ., u . s . pat . nos . 5 , 324 , 633 ; 5 , 863 , 504 ; and 6 , 045 , 996 . the invention can also incorporate a device for detecting a labeled marker on a sample located on a support , see , e . g ., u . s . pat . no . 5 , 578 , 832 . the invention will now be described in greater detail by reference to the following non - limiting examples . a variety of microarray equipment ( e . g ., biorobotics microgrid and others ; collectively “ arrayers ”) are available for printing the nucleic acid material onto a plurality of discrete locations of a solid surface . two specific surfaces were printed with native bac dna to establish a protocol for the specific application of large - insert clone microarray fabrication ( e . g ., bacs , pacs , cosmids ). typical prior art arrayer installation and validation protocols assess the printing performance of an arrayer using either dye - only solutions or dye - oligo dna solutions . these conditions do not reflect the fluid dynamics associated with large clone array manufacturing and hence are sub - optimal for generating printing parameters . the present example described herein establishes a simple and qualitative approach to validating arrayers and establishing printing parameters for large insert clone microarray fabrication . a sample collection of the large insert dna clones ( bacs , pacs , cosmids ) intended for printing was resuspended in a salt containing printing buffer ( e . g ., 50 - 150 mm sodium phosphate , ph 8 - 9 ) at a concentration of 75 - 100 ng / μl . the dna was briefly fragmented using an ultrasonic water - bath processor set at 100 a with 70 w output for 5 seconds . gel electrophoreses ( 0 . 8 - 1 . 0 % agarose ) was used to confirm that the size of the fragmented dna ranged homogenously within 500 base pairs and larger . to a 30 μl aliquot of the sonicated dna was added 1 μl of fluorescent nucleotide dye - conjugate ( 1 mm ) of choice . samples were mixed and transferred to a printing surface . upon completion of the printing process , the resulting image was evaluated by scanning with a laser scanner ( e . g ., axon 4000 , 4100 , 4200 ) set at the wavelength of fluorescent dye used . under these typical parameters , two surfaces were tested . the first surface was plain glass slides cleaned according to a standard base / acid protocol . fluorescent measurements on plain glass slides indicated a background reading of about 3000 , with a spot intensity of about 10 , 000 , and a spot size of approximately 290 μm . the second surface was the codelink ™ activated slide ( amersham biosciences ). fluorescent measurements on the codelink ™ activated slide indicated a background reading of about 15 , 000 , with a spot intensity of about 65 , 000 , and a spot size of approximately 180 μm . labeling . genomic dna may be labeled by any standard protocol to incorporate a detectable label . an exemplary random priming with a fluorophore is as follows . in a 100 μl reaction containing 1 ng to 1 μg dna , combine 1 × random primers solution ( bioprime dna labeling system , gibco brl ), 1 mm tris , ph 7 . 6 , 0 . 1 mm edta , 0 . 2 mm each of datp , dttp and dgtp , 0 . 1 mm dctp , 0 . 4 mm cy3 or cy5 - dctp ( amersham ) and 160 u klenow fragment ( bioprime dna labeling system , gibco brl ). the dna and random primers solution is incubated at 100 ° c . for 10 minutes in a total volume of 84 μl , prior to adding the other reagents , and then the final 100 μl reaction is incubated overnight at 37 ° c . unincorporated nucleotides are removed using a sephadex g - 50 column . dendrimeric labeling . genomic dna may contain a tag contained within a dendrimeric construct . a dendrimer is a highly branched molecule created to integrate multiple copies of the desired detectable label to amplify detection . kits for dendrimer labeling and construction are commercially available ( e . g ., genisphere inc .). briefly , genomic dna is digested with alui to yield digested fragments of about 256 bp on average . the genomic dna fragments are then treated with 3 ′ tdt to attach a poly - t tail to each fragment . a ligation containing ( i ) a bridging oligonucleotide with a poly - a tail , ( ii ) a capture sequence oligonucleotide ( with one end complementary to the bridging oligonucleotide ), and ( iii ) the t - tailed fragments is then performed , resulting in each genomic dna fragment having the same unique capture sequence at its 3 ′ end . each sample of genomic dna ( i . e ., the test and the reference samples of nucleic acids ) is coupled to a unique capture sequence prior to hybridization . following hybridization , the genomic dna fragments can then be labeled using a dendrimer that contains an oligonucleotide complementary to the unique capture sequence of a one sample and multiple copies of label , typically fluorescent dye molecules . alternatively , genomic mrna is first reverse transcribed with unlabelled datp , dttp , dgtp and dctp using a primer oligonucleotide that contains a unique capture sequence and a poly - t tail to hybridize to the poly - a tail of the mrna molecules . the reaction is then stopped and the mrna is degraded to yield genomic cdnas containing the unique capture sequence . these genomic cdnas can then be labeled using a dendrimer that contains an oligonucleotide complementary to the unique capture sequence and multiple copies of label , typically fluorescent dye molecules . genisphere , inc . offers a variety of dendrimers that vary in size and fluorescence intensity . the array 900 and 350 series kits contain four - layer dendrimers . a four layer dendrimer theoretically has 324 single stranded dna arms in the outer layer . the diameter of a four layer dendrimer is 182 - 190 nm and the molecular weight is 1 . 2 × 10 7 daltons . the array 50 series kit contains a two layer dendrimer . a two layer dendrimer theoretically has 45 single stranded dna arms in the outer layer . the diameter of a two layer dendrimer is 70 - 90 nm and the molecular weight is 1 . 3 × 10 6 daltons . genomic nucleic acids obtained from a test sample and a reference sample , each population containing a unique capture sequence , are combined ( about 1 - 2 μg each ) with cot - 1 dna ( 80 - 100 μg ) and precipitated with ethanol . precipitate is collected by centrifugation and allowed to air dry for 10 minutes before re - dissolving it in a 50 μl hybridization mixture containing 50 % formamide , 2 × ssc , 10 % dextran sulfate , 4 % sds and 500 μg yeast trna , ph 7 . the hybridization mixture is incubated at 70 ° c . for 10 - 15 minutes to denature the dna and subsequently at 37 ° c . for 60 minutes to allow blocking of repetitive sequences . to the array is added 50 μl of slide blocking solution containing 500 μg salmon sperm dna in 50 % formamide , 2 × ssc , 10 % dextran sulfate and 4 % sds , ph 7 . after a 30 minute incubation at room temperature , approximately three - quarters of the blocking solution is removed , and the denatured and re - annealed hybridization mixture is added and hybridized at 37 ° c . for 16 - 72 hours . after hybridization , excess hybridization fluid is rinsed off with 0 . 1 m sodium phosphate , 0 . 1 % np40 , ph 8 , then the array is washed once in 50 % formamide , 2 × ssc , ph 7 at 45 ° c . for 15 minutes , and finally with 0 . 1 m sodium phosphate , 0 . 1 % np40 , ph 8 at room temperature for 15 minutes . an exemplary selective removal can be achieved by making the label associated with either the genomic nucleic acids obtained from the test sample or the genomic nucleic acids obtained from the reference sample susceptible to removal with atmospheric ozone . certain fluorophores ( e . g ., cy5 ™ and alexa 647 ) are susceptible to ozone levels as low as about 5 - 10 ppm for periods as short as 10 - 30 seconds . following hybridization , arrays are placed in an enclosed chamber with an ozone generator to achieve at atmospheric ozone level of about 60 - 85 ppm for about 10 - 30 minutes . selective removal of the label from one population of genomic nucleic acids may be achieved by modifying the physical nature of the labeling process , such as increasing the distance of the label from the genomic dna to increase exposure to the atmospheric ozone . another exemplary selective removal can be achieved by making the label associated with either the genomic nucleic acids obtained from the test sample or the genomic nucleic acids obtained from the reference sample susceptible to removal by cleavage with a restriction endonuclease or a homing endonuclease . in this example , reference sample genomic nucleic acids are prepared with a first unique capture sequence to which is linked a dendrimer containing an oligonucleotide complementary to this first unique capture sequence and a fluorescent label . the test sample genomic nucleic acids are prepared with a second unique capture sequence containing a stretch of nucleotides representing the recognition sequence for an endonuclease to which is linked a dendrimer containing an oligonucleotide complementary to this second unique capture sequence and the same fluorescent label as used for the first sample . following hybridization of the test and reference genomic nucleic acids to an array containing a plurality of immobilized nucleic acid segments of interest , the fluorescence of the array is measured . the array is then contacted with the endonuclease recognizing the sequence contained within the second unique capture sequence under conditions allowing cleavage of the dendrimeric construct from the genomic nucleic acids to selectively remove the fluorescent label from the test sample nucleic acids . another exemplary selective removal can be achieved by making the label associated with either the genomic nucleic acids obtained from the test sample or the genomic nucleic acids obtained from the reference sample susceptible to removal by uv irradiation . the label is incorporated using a linker that is photocleavable , such as a linker containing a 2 - nitrobenzyl group ( see , e . g ., bai et al ., proc . natl . acad . sci . 100 : 409 - 413 , 2003 ). following hybridization , arrays are placed in a chamber with water and irradiated with a uv lamp at 340 nm ( light intensity of about 20 mw / cm 2 ) for about 5 - 10 minutes to selectively remove the label from one population of genomic nucleic acids only ( i . e ., the nucleic acids containing the photocleavable linker ). thus , in these examples of selective removal , data from the array is acquired at two time points , with the same fluorophore being read . the first acquisition is after the comparative genomic hybridization ( e . g ., before the selective removal of the label from the test sample genomic nucleic acids ), in part to determine the fluorescence of the combined nucleic acid samples ( f total ). the second acquisition is after the selective removal of the label , in part to determine the remaining fluorescence of the reference sample genomic nucleic acids ( f reference ). the fluorescence of the test sample genomic nucleic acids ( f test ) is then equal to ( f total − f reference ). thus , the same fluorophore can be used to achieve maximal uniformity between the two genomic nucleic acid samples , and between tests performed with different samples . if the selective removal is designed to remove nucleic acid associated with the reference genomic dna , then the second read would be f test and the difference between f test and f total would be f reference . as a quality control in single label cgh the two linkers for the test and reference labels are switched and comparative hybridization repeated . exemplary additive labeling for single label cgh can be achieved by performing a first comparative hybridization wherein the genomic nucleic acids obtained from the reference sample comprise a first unique oligonucleotide tag and the genomic nucleic acids obtained from the test sample comprise a second unique oligonucleotide tag . following hybridization of the test and reference genomic nucleic acids to an array containing a plurality of immobilized nucleic acid segments of interest , the array is exposed to a first dendrimeric complex containing an oligonucleotide complementary to the first unique oligonucleotide tag and a fluorescent label . this provides a selective labeling of the reference sample genomic nucleic acids . preferred conditions for dendrimer hybridization include use of pronto !™ hybridization buffer ( corning , inc .) with 50 μg of cot i dna and 50 - 100 μg of sst ( shredded ( sonicated ) salmon testis dna ). cot i dna may be replaced by any other non - mammalian genomic dna such as plant dna , fish dna , bacterial dna , and non - natural dna , e . g . dendrimeric dna . after 30 min . hybridization , the array is washed as follows : 1 . soak slide in 2 × ssc containing 0 . 01 % sds ( ph 7 . 5 - 8 . 0 ) at room temperature until coverslip is loosened (& lt ; 3 minutes ). 2 . incubate for 5 min . with gentle agitation at 50 c in 2 × ssc containing 0 . 01 % sds ( ph 7 . 5 - 8 . 0 ). 3 . incubate for 5 min . with gentle agitation at room temperature in 2 × ssc ( ph 7 . 5 - 8 . 0 ). 4 . incubate for 5 min . with gentle agitation at room temperature in 0 . 2 × ssc ( ph 7 . 5 - 8 . 0 ). sds : sodium doedecyl sulfate ( detergent ) 1 × ssc : 0 . 15 molar sodium chloride and 0 . 015 molar sodium citrate data from the array is then acquired , in part to determine the fluorescence of the first reference sample genomic nucleic acids ( f reference ). the array is then exposed to a second dendrimeric complex containing an oligonucleotide complementary to the second unique oligonucleotide tag and the same fluorescent label as used in the first dendrimeric complex . data from the array is then acquired for a second time , in part to determine the fluorescence of the combined nucleic acids ( f total ). the fluorescence of the test sample genomic nucleic acids ( f test ) is then equal to ( f total − f reference ). thus , the same fluorophore can be used to achieve maximal uniformity between the two genomic nucleic acid samples , and between tests performed with different samples . if the first dendrimeric complex binds to f test , then the difference between f test and f total would be f reference . this method is depicted schematically in fig3 . a variant of this method where one labeled dendrimer is hybridized together during the hybridization with the tag labeled genomic nucleic acids is shown in fig4 . as a quality control in single label cgh the unique tag sequences attached to the test and reference genomic nucleic acids are switched and comparative hybridization repeated . unless otherwise defined , all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs . the inventions illustratively described herein may suitably be practiced in the absence of any element or elements , limitation or limitations , not specifically disclosed herein . thus , for example , the terms “ comprising ”, “ including ,” containing ”, etc . shall be read expansively and without limitation . additionally , the terms and expressions employed herein have been used as terms of description and not of limitation , and there is no intention in the use of such terms and expressions of excluding any equivalents of the features shown and described or portions thereof , but it is recognized that various modifications are possible within the scope of the invention claimed . thus , it should be understood that although the present invention has been specifically disclosed by preferred embodiments and optional features , modification , improvement and variation of the inventions embodied therein herein disclosed may be resorted to by those skilled in the art , and that such modifications , improvements and variations are considered to be within the scope of this invention . the materials , methods , and examples provided here are representative of preferred embodiments , are exemplary , and are not intended as limitations on the scope of the invention . the invention has been described broadly and generically herein . each of the narrower species and subgeneric groupings falling within the generic disclosure also form part of the invention . this includes the generic description of the invention with a proviso or negative limitation removing any subject matter from the genus , regardless of whether or not the excised material is specifically recited herein . in addition , where features or aspects of the invention are described in terms of markush groups , those skilled in the art will recognize that the invention is also thereby described in terms of any individual member or subgroup of members of the markush group . all publications , patent applications , patents , and other references mentioned herein are expressly incorporated by reference in their entirety , to the same extent as if each were incorporated by reference individually . in case of conflict , the present specification , including definitions , will control .
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in the fig1 embodiment , an environmentally stable linear phase delay is provided between two interfering polarization directions of a kerr - type modelocked fiber laser . in the fig1 embodiment , a passively modelocked laser is generally designated 100 , and includes a means for generating laser energy generally designated as a laser cavity 200 . the laser energy generating means can be , for example , a fabry - perot cavity . the passively modelocked laser further includes a means for pumping the laser energy generating means , the pumping means being generally designated 300 . in the fig1 embodiment , the laser cavity 200 includes a gain medium 202 for amplifying energy in the cavity 200 . the gain medium can be any rare - earth - doped fiber capable of providing light amplification ( i . e ., gain ). for purposes of the following discussion , reference will be made to an optically pumped laser having an active fiber doped with erbium ions as the gain medium 202 . however , those skilled in the art will appreciate that other rare - earth - doped fibers , such as fibers doped with neodymium ions , can be used . further , the present invention is not limited to fiber lasers , but can also be used with other types of lasers such as bulk solid - state lasers comprising again medium of bulk solid - state materials , and semiconductor lasers . optical or electrical pumping can be used , although optical pumping is generally preferred for use with bulk solid - state lasers while electrical pumping is generally preferred for semiconductor lasers . the laser cavity 200 further includes means for reflecting energy along an axis which passes through the gain medium , the axis being generally designated by the arrow 204 . the energy reflecting means includes a first cavity mirror 206 located at a first end of the cavity 200 . the cavity mirror 206 reflects signal light within cavity 200 . the cavity mirror can be any standard laser mirror readily available and known to those skilled in the art . in an exemplary embodiment , the cavity mirror 206 also functions as a laser energy outputting means . in such an embodiment , the cavity mirror 206 serves two functions ; it reflects a fraction of energy impinging onto it back into the laser cavity 200 , and it allows the remaining fraction to leak through the cavity mirror 206 to provide output energy . alternately , the first cavity mirror 206 can be separate from an output coupler means if desired . the fig1 embodiment includes two interfering polarization directions of a kerr - type modelocked fiber laser . these interfering polarization directions include two linear polarized eigenmodes of a highly - birefringent fiber ( hbf ). in the exemplary fig1 embodiment , the erbium - doped fiber used as the gain medium 202 can be a highly - birefringent fiber . the interfering polarization directions can be better understood by reference to fig2 . fig2 , illustrates a cross - section 203 of the highly - birefringent , erbium - doped fiber in gain medium 202 . in the fig2 coordinate system , axes labelled x and y can be considered the two interfering polarization directions . in accordance with the present invention , the fig1 cavity 200 also can include low - birefringent fiber ( lbf ). in exemplary embodiments , the length of low - birefringent fiber 220 used in the cavity 200 is relatively short in comparison to the length of the highly - birefringent fiber ( e . g ., on the order of eight to ten times shorter ). the highly - birefringent fiber thereby dominates non - linear pulse - shaping , with such pulse - shaping being negligible in the low - birefringent fiber . by using both highly - birefringent fiber and low - birefringent fiber in the cavity , non - polarization maintaining couplers can be used for coupling light into and out of the laser cavity 200 . such a feature simplifies laser assembly and packaging , and significantly reduces overall costs . in accordance with the present invention , the laser cavity 200 further includes means for compensating linear phase drifts of the gain medium 202 . for example , a phase drift compensating means 210 includes at least one device to control polarized light generated within the cavity and thereby compensates for linear phase drifts of the gain medium 202 . for example , faraday rotator mirrors are known devices which , when properly chosen , reflect , in an orthogonal state , any polarization state which impinges them . the phase drift compensating means can therefore include at least one faraday rotator mirror to compensate for linear phase drifts between the polarization eigenmodes of a gain medium such as the erbium - doped fiber 202 . in an exemplary embodiment , the phase drift compensating means eliminates linear phase drifts between the two polarization eigenmodes of the laser cavity 200 by using a pigtailed faraday rotator mirror 210 as a second cavity mirror of the reflecting means . the faraday rotator mirror 210 can be a 45 ° rotator which rotates the polarization of reflected light by 90 ° relative to incoming light . reflected light therefore propagates back down the gain medium 202 in exactly an orthogonal polarization state . due to the faraday rotator mirror 210 , the total linear phase delay between the polarization eigenmodes of the fiber is exactly zero after one round - trip . non - linear phase changes remain uncompensated and accumulate along the polarization eigenmodes of the highly - birefringent fiber after reflection by the faraday rotator mirror 210 . because the highly - birefringent fiber eliminates random mode - coupling , and because the low - birefringent fiber is relatively short in length , the non - linear phase changes are governed by the relative power in the polarization eigenmodes and are not susceptible to environmental influence . the faraday rotator mirror 210 also eliminates spatial hole - burning in the laser cavity 200 to further improve initiation of pulse generation . the faraday rotator mirror provides a second polarization direction which is rotated by 90 °, thereby providing a relatively constant intensity along the cavity length . in addition , the faraday rotator mirror suppresses spurious back - reflections from intra - cavity fiber ends ( e . g ., fiber , including the gain medium 202 , included within cavity 200 ) and consistently eliminates continuous wave lasing background . for example , scattered light which is reflected back to the faraday rotator mirror 210 will be rotated therein and absorbed by a polarizer 216 . the faraday rotator mirror further compensates for group - velocity walk - off of the polarization eigenmodes which can be significant in a highly - birefringent fiber . those skilled in the art will appreciate that the differing refractive indices of polarization maintaining fiber cause light to propagate faster along one axis of the fiber ( e . g ., x - axis ) relative to another axis ( e . g ., y - axis ). within each round - trip of light within the cavity , pulses of the light signal continue to spread . however , the faraday rotator mirror 210 inhibits such group - velocity walk - off by rotating the light signal 90 ° with each reflection such that pulses of the light signal which spread during one round - trip come closer together during a subsequent round - trip . the faraday rotator mirror can be incorporated at a point in the laser cavity 200 at which walk - off between polarization eigenmodes is maximum . thus , non - linearity of fiber components in front of the faraday rotator mirror can be reduced to minimize unwanted non - linearity of the low - birefringent fiber . given these characteristics , environmentally stable operation in accordance with the present invention can be achieved using relatively long lengths of low - birefringent fiber . the phase drift compensating means can further include a second faraday rotator mirror 212 . the second faraday rotator 212 is also a 45 ° faraday rotator which , in an exemplary embodiment , can be centrally placed in the cavity to compensate for polarization rotation of the faraday rotator mirror 210 . although the phase drift compensating means provides environmental stability , a polarization transformation is necessary for non - linear polarization evolution to be optimized for modelocking . this action is performed by including a means for transforming linear polarization of energy , such as the incorporation of 1 or more bulk waveplates 214 within the laser cavity 200 for introducing a linear phase delay . the cavity of fig1 also includes the polarizer 216 . polarization eigenmodes interfere at the polarizer 216 in the cavity . the polarizer 216 can be any optical polarizing element . the polarization change induced by the waveplate 214 depends on the tilt and rotation of the waveplate or waveplates . although use of a single waveplate will minimize scattering of light , two waveplates can be used to provide independent control of the ellipticity and rotation angle of elliptically polarized light . the polarization change induced by the waveplate , or by any arbitrary number of such waveplates , or any arbitrary polarization transformer , is considered with respect to the polarization axis of the polarizer 216 . the erbium - doped fiber of gain medium 202 can be aligned at any axis with respect to the polarizer . polarization transformation is then uniquely defined by its overall result ; i . e ., the polarization transformation transforms the linearly polarized light emerging from the polarizer 216 into elliptically polarized light with an ellipticity ψ , where the ellipse is rotated by an angle α with respect to the x - axis of the fiber , and wherein the tangent of ψ is b / a ; where b and a are minor and major axes of the polarization ellipse . the representation of this polarization transformation on the poincaré sphere ( which is well known in the field ) is ( 0 , 0 )→( 2ψ , 2α ). in the presence of the two faraday rotators 210 and 212 , the nonlinear response r ( p ) as a function of intra - cavity power p in the cavity is completely defined by this polarization transformation ( i . e ., by the values for ψ and α ) and an effective non - linear reflectivity r ( p ) of the cavity mirror 206 can be defined as follows : where f ( α , ψ , φ nl ( α , ψ , p )) represents a function of α , ψ , φ nl ( α , ψ , p ) and φ nl ( α , ψ , p ) is the differential non - linear phase delay accumulated between the polarization eigenmodes of the highly - birefringent fiber as a function of intra - cavity power p . the range of r ( p ) is between 0 and 1 . passive modelocking is obtained when r ( p ) increases with an increase in p . the passively modelocked laser of the exemplary fig1 embodiment further includes a laser pumping means 300 . the pumping means includes an energy source ( e . g ., electrical or optical energy source , depending on laser type ) generally represented as a pump 302 . in the fig1 embodiment , wherein an erbium fiber is used as the gain medium 202 , the pump 302 can be an optical pump . a wavelength - division multiplexing coupler 304 is provided for coupling the pumping means to the cavity 200 . the wavelength division multiplexing coupler can be any multiplexer which allows pumping of the laser cavity 200 without loss of signal light ; i . e ., one which allows differential coupling between the pump 302 and the signal light . in an exemplary embodiment , the pump 302 can produce energy in the 980 nanometer wavelength range , and the wavelength division multiplexer coupler can be an aster wdm 1550 / 980 to accommodate a 980 nanometer pump and a 1550 nanometer signal . in accordance with an exemplary embodiment , the first faraday rotator mirror 210 and the wavelength division multiplexer coupler 304 include low - birefringent fiber . however , those skilled in the art will appreciate that such a configuration is by way of example only . it is only significant in the exemplary embodiments described herein that the total length of the highly - birefringent fiber in the cavity 200 be relatively long in comparison with the low - birefringent fiber sections . in accordance with the exemplary fig1 embodiment , the highly - birefringent fiber section starts at the intra - cavity fiber end of the gain medium 202 ( e . g ., adjacent to a first lens 228 ) or as close to it as possible , to ensure that an amount of power in the polarization eigenmodes of the highly - birefringent fiber stays absolutely constant . the first faraday rotator mirror 210 , the wavelength division multiplexer coupler 304 and the highly - birefringent fiber 218 can , in an exemplary embodiment , be interconnected using fusion splices . the exemplary embodiment of fig1 further includes means for focusing energy generated along the axis 204 . the fig1 energy focusing means includes at least the first lens 228 for focusing energy received from the gain medium 202 onto the first cavity mirror 206 , and for directing energy from the cavity mirror 206 onto the gain medium 202 . the lens can be any optical element available for focusing light from the gain medium . in exemplary embodiments , the focal point of the lens should be selected to coincide with the first cavity mirror 206 so that the power density on the cavity mirror 206 is maximized . similarly , the focal point of the lens should be selected to coincide with maximizing power density on the gain medium 202 . in an exemplary implementation of a cavity , 2 . 6 meters ( m ) of highly - birefringent fiber were used with 0 . 6 m of standard communications - type low - birefringent fiber . the highly - birefringent fiber had a polarization beat length of 10 centimeters ( cm ) at the lasing wavelength of 1 . 567 microns ( μm ). it had an effective core area of 28 μm and the numerical aperture was 0 . 19 . the highly - birefringent fiber was doped with ≈ 5 × 10 18 erbium ions / cm 3 . those skilled in the art will appreciate that the laser system configuration of the fig1 embodiment is by way of example only and that alternate embodiments can be used in accordance with the present invention . for example , the entire fig1 configuration can be reversed so that the faraday rotator mirror is to the left - hand side of the cavity and the cavity mirror 206 is to the right - hand side of the cavity . in accordance with the present invention , the exact locations of the faraday rotator mirror 210 and the faraday rotator 212 can readily be determined by those skilled in the art . however , in accordance with exemplary embodiments , the faraday rotator mirror 210 and the faraday rotator 212 define an intra - cavity portion of the cavity 200 wherein all fibers ( i . e ., highly - birefringent fiber and low - birefringent ) are located . further , those skilled in the art will appreciate that the non - polarization maintaining , low - birefringent fiber 220 can be located between the lens 228 and the gain medium 202 in an alternate embodiment . in such an embodiment , the erbium - doped , highly - birefringent fiber can be contained within the wavelength division multiplexer coupler 304 and / or the faraday rotator mirror 210 . once again , those skilled in the art will appreciate that further embodiments of the present invention can be readily implemented , with the significance being the relative lengths of low - birefringent fiber and highly - birefringent fiber within the intra - cavity portion of cavity 200 . equally , sections of fiber with different magnitudes of group - velocity dispersion can be concatenated to maximize the energy of the oscillating pulses . in accordance with an exemplary embodiment , an 80 % reflecting cavity mirror 206 , and an ar - coated prism polarizer 216 can be used . further , an ar - coated 45 ° faraday rotator 212 with a 4 mm aperture , and an ar - coated quartz zero - order waveplate 214 can be used . the waveplate 214 can be optically contacted with a thickness of 3 mm . the intra - cavity fiber end contacted with the highly - birefringent fiber 218 can be cleaved at an angle of 10 ° and need not be ar - coated . a movable cavity mirror 206 can be employed , in an exemplary embodiment , for translation along the axis 204 and to start the modelocking process . in accordance with an exemplary operation of the fig1 embodiment , pulses as short as 360 femptoseconds or less can be produced with an energy content of approximately 60 picojoules . pump power variations of , for example , plus or minus seven percent will not introduce instabilities such as the onset of a continuous wave lasing background ( i . e ., a laser output which is not completely modelocked ) or multiple pulsing . stable modelocking can be obtained with exemplary values of δ ≈ 130 ° and α ≈ 10 °. once the waveplate 214 and the polarizer 216 are set , additional adjustment is unnecessary and they can remain permanently fixed . in accordance with exemplary embodiments , the laser is insensitive to perturbations of the low - birefringent fiber and allowed perturbations of the highly - birefringent fiber , when the perturbation period is large compared to its beat length . even when a strong perturbation is applied ( e . g ., by applying a strong twist to the fiber ) and modelocking is lost , once released , the fiber springs back to its original position and modelocking characteristics . further , such exemplary embodiments are insensitive to remaining residual intra - cavity reflections . further , a modelocking threshold can be achieved which is , for example , fifty percent higher than the pump power level of 70 mw ( measured in front of the wavelength division multiplexer coupler ) at which clean continuous wave - free single pulses cap be obtained in the cavity . in an alternate embodiment , the modelocking threshold can be reduced by incorporating an ar - coated intra - cavity fiber end . exemplary pulse spectra at the edges of an exemplary stability range are shown in fig3 a and 3b . as the pump power is increased , the pulses get shorter and their spectral width broadens , leading to an increased number of soliton periods per cavity length and a corresponding increased shedding of energy into a dispersive wave ( as indicated by the increased height of the spectral resonances ). a typical autocorrelation trace of exemplary pulses is shown in fig4 . the generated pulses are shown to include a typical fwhm width of 360 fsec with a time - bandwidth product of ≈ 0 . 30 for an exponentially decaying ( e . g ., sech 2 ) pulse shape , and are completely free of pedestals . the repetition rate of the pulses is 27 mhz and the average pulse energy measured after the output coupler is 10 picojoules . note that a pulse energy of 60 picojoules or higher can be extracted when using the light rejected by the polarizer . these values translate into an exemplary average intra - cavity pulse energy of 55 picojoules , which gives a round - trip non - linear phase delay of about 1 . 1 π which is comparable to results obtained in standard non - polarization - maintaining kerr - type modelocked fiber lasers . those skilled in the art will appreciate that alternate embodiments of the present invention are possible . for example , alterations to the basic laser cavity design , in addition to those already mentioned , can be used in accordance with the present invention . for example , rather using bulk components for a polarizer , waveplate , faraday rotator , cavity mirror and lens , integrated or pigtailed components can be used to perform these same functions . further , alternate cavity designs can be used to output laser energy . in fig5 , an alternate cavity includes a readily available pigtailed , all - fiber polarizer or polarization beam splitter ( fpbs ) 502 and two readily available fiber collimators 504 ( fc ). output coupling can be obtained at the all - fiber polarizer or polarization beam splitter 502 and additional fiber isolators ( fi ) 506 can be used to suppress unwanted back - reflections from the fiber output . in fig6 , an alternate embodiment of a cavity includes an output coupler at the faraday rotator mirror 210 or an additional fiber output coupler via fiber isolator 602 instead of the output coupler at the polarizers . in fig7 , an alternate embodiment of a cavity includes a semiconductor saturable absorber 702 or a fiber stretcher 704 to start - up the modelocking process . such features eliminate need to move the cavity mirror 206 to start up the modelocking process . the saturable absorber 702 can be any semiconductor saturable absorber formed on a substrate and having its band edge located in a vicinity of the laser wavelengths produced by the cavity . however , for purposes of the following discussion , reference will be made to a multiple quantum well ( mqw ) saturable absorber which can , for example , be based on alinas barriers and gainas wells . the saturable absorber saturation energy can be matched to the soliton energy of the fiber laser , and the total cavity length can be matched to the soliton period to ensure high - quality pulse generation without pedestals ( e . g ., by trial - and - error ). in another alternate embodiment , the saturable absorber can be used as the principal modelocking element . in this case , there is no need for high - birefringent fiber and the cavity can be assembled completely with non - polarization - maintaining fiber . the faraday elements thus only serve to stabilize the polarization state in the cavity . while the foregoing embodiments illustrate significant features of the present invention , those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that alternate embodiments of the invention can readily be implemented . for example , the lens illustrated in the fig1 embodiment can focus the laser energy to a point with a beam diameter of less than approximately 10 micrometers . however , the desired accuracy for a given application can be selected by the designer . further , while lens 228 is illustrated for interconnecting various fig1 elements , those skilled in the art will appreciate that direct coupling to the fiber can be implemented such that this lens can be removed . alternately , additional lenses can be used if desired . further , while only a single saturable absorber is illustrated in the fig7 embodiment , more than one saturable absorber can be used if desired . in an exemplary embodiment , the power of the pump 302 can be up to 400 milliwatts or greater ( e . g ., typically less than 1 watt ). for example , the pump can be a 980 nanometer titanium sapphire source which produces a signal wavelength of 1 . 55 micrometers . input / output leads ( or ports ) of the wavelength division multiplexing coupler are labelled 1 - 4 , with the lead 1 being connected to the pump 302 , the lead 3 being directed to an output coupler via gain medium 202 , the output lead 2 being terminated with all fiber ends angle - cleaved to minimize spurious reflections , and the lead 4 being connected to the faraday rotator mirror 210 . the wavelength division multiplexing coupler can , for example , be an aster wavelength division multiplexer coupler having two input ports and two output ports , with light being directed from the first input port ( i . e ., from the pump ) to the output coupler via the gain medium . light which passes from the gain medium ( e . g ., erbium fiber ) to the faraday rotator mirror 210 is reflected back through the wavelength division multiplexing coupler to the third input port 3 of the wavelength division multiplexing coupler 304 . of course , alternate embodiments of the invention can include altered connections of the wavelength division multiplexer which will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art ( see , for example , fig6 wherein port 4 of the wavelength division multiplexer is connected to the output coupler ). the laser 100 of fig1 can be operated in a continuous mode or can be operated in a pulsed oscillation mode ( pom ). a typical fiber laser can produce an output power ranging from 1 to 50 milliwatts or greater ( e . g ., for less than 1 watt power input ). note that the cavity 200 can also include additional bandwidth - limiting elements such as etalons or birefringent tuning plates , which can be used for wavelength - tuning the laser output . the cavity can also optionally include soliton shaping or no soliton shaping , in the presence of group - velocity walk - off between the polarization eigenmodes of the fiber or in the presence of soliton - trapping between the polarization eigenmodes of the fiber . these processes can occur simultaneously or in any combination and can stabilize the pulse formation . thus , the foregoing has described exemplary embodiments of the present invention which relate to use of a kerr - type modelocked fiber laser that incorporates an environmentally stable phase delay between its interfering cavity modes . the cavity is of great practical and commercial value since it operates without any continuously adjustable “ knobs ” to provide phase adjustment . the laser can therefore be easily assembled in a completely enclosed and sealed box . it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the present invention can be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof . the presently disclosed embodiments are therefore considered in all respects to be illustrative and not restricted . the scope of the invention is indicated by the appended claims rather than the foregoing description and all changes that come within the meaning and range and equivalence thereof are intended to be embraced therein .
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referring to the figures , a cylindrical chuck body designated generally by reference numeral 10 includes a cylinder portion 11 , and outboard end plate 12 and an inboard end plate 14 . end plates 12 and 14 are threadably received by cylinder portion 11 or are otherwise suitably secured by means of a flange 16 and bolts 17 to the end plate 12 . it will be understood trunion 15 may be keyed , if desired , for connection to appropriate driving means for rotating the chuck such as gears , belts or other suitable means . cylinder portion 11 is provided with an outboard opening 20 and an inboard opening 21 each of which receive check valves 22 and 24 , respectively , such check valves being similar to check valves commonly employed for pneumatic tires of automobiles and which may cooperate with the type of air hose valve used for applying air pressure to pneumatic tires . conventional regulating valves may be employed to select an appropriate air pressure which is supplied from a conventional pressure tank for compressed air or other appropriate source for compressed air . it will be noted that each check valve 22 and 24 communicates with a chamber 25 in chuck body 10 which is defined by the interior of cylinder portion 11 and the two end plates 12 and 14 . chamber 25 is hermetically sealed , or substantially hermetically sealed , and for this purpose o - rings 28 and 29 or other suitable sealing material are provided . chamber 25 which is of cylindrical configuration , receives a piston 26 which hermetically divides chamber 25 and has rigidly connected at its center a piston rod 27 extending normally therefrom in an inboard direction through an aperture 30 which is located centrally in inboard end plate 14 . piston 26 together with piston rod 27 are adapted to be reciprocated horizontally in chamber 25 between end plates 12 and 14 . piston 26 is thus moved in an inboard direction by applying a charge of compressed air to check valve 22 and is returned , moving in an opposite outboard direction by the further application of compressed air to check valve 24 . to ensure air pressure applied on one side of chamber 25 to move piston 26 exceeds that in its opposite side , outboard and inboard needle valves 31 and 32 are provided in cylinder portion 11 . o - rings 34 and 35 , received in grooves in aperture 30 , prevent air leakage from chamber 25 outwardly between piston rod 27 and surfaces defining aperture 30 . the inboard end of piston rod 27 is a tapered arbor portion 36 which is provided with a plurality , three in this embodiment of inclined plane wedge surfaces 37 which are displaced by an equal angle relative to each other ( 120 °) about arbor portion 36 . bearing against each surface 37 is a radial gripping element 40 . the elements are retained against end plate 14 of chuck body 10 by interlocking keyways and shaft members comprising t - slots 41 and corresponding profiled t - formation end portions 42 of elements 40 which are snugly but slideably received within slots 41 . each gripping element 40 has on its inward side a planar surface 44 which mates with a wedge surface 37 . each gripping element 40 has an outward gripping surface 45 which , with the corresponding portion 42 received in slot 41 , extends perpeneicularly to the outboard surface of end plate 14 and parallel to the longitudinal centerline 46 of piston rod 27 . each surface 45 may , if desired , be provided with transverse grooves , as shown , or longitudinal grooves , or knurling or the like to increase its capacity frictionally to engage the interior of a core 54 . if desired , surfaces 37 may be curved , convex or concave , as seen in cross - section at a right angle to centerline 46 in which case the mating surfaces of gripping elements 40 are curved in a corresponding manner . t - slots 41 , which , as seen in fig3 are 120 ° apart , are defined by the outer surface 47 of end plate 14 and three identical segments 50 which are included in body 10 and are each affixed to end plate 14 by a plurality of bolts 51 or other suitable securing means . each segment 50 has an inset or channel portion 52 which , with an adjoining segment 50 , define t - slots 41 for receiving the t - portions 42 . surfaces 45 of each gripping element 40 engage in an gripping relationship the internal cylindrical surface of the core 54 as will be disclosed in more detail subsequently . it is to be noted from fig2 the external cylindrical surface of core 54 receives a roll 55 of webbing which may be paper , film , foil , metal sheet coil , textile web material , etc . the slidable fit of the t - portion 42 within each t - slot 41 is sufficiently snug , whereby gripping elements 40 do not fall therefrom by reason of gravity when they do not bear against the interior surface of core 54 or are otherwise disengaged from core 54 . alternate gripping elements are manufactured for different size cores and they may be readily removed and replaced manually . a chuck in accordance with the invention is caused to engage core 54 by applying a charge of compressed air to valve 22 moving piston 26 and piston rod 27 in an inboard direction . as rod 27 so moves , the inclined plane wedge surfaces 37 , which are mated with the planar surfaces 44 of each gripping element 40 , move each gripping element 40 radially outwardly to engage the interior surface of core 54 with a force as determined by the net pressure applied to piston 26 . the combination of forces developed by the air pressure in chamber 25 against piston 26 and the inclined mating surfaces thus result in a selected torque capacity as required for the engagement of the chuck to core 54 and to maintain the web of roll 55 in a desired predetermined tension caused by the braking action applied to the web . because the mating inclined surfaces are identical and equally spaced radially in three places at 120 ° relative to each other , gripping elements 40 are caused to engage core 54 concentrically . as indicated above , gripping elements 40 are retained by the chuck body 10 through the t - slots 41 defined in its inboard face by end plate 14 and segments 50 and the corresponding t - portions which are on the outboard ends of gripping elements 40 . to change core sizes from , for example , a three inch core to a six inch core , chuck body 10 need not be removed from the winding equipment by disengaging trunion 15 ; instead only gripping elements 40 need be replaced to accommodate the six inch core . thus , it will be appreciated gripping elements 40 may be manufactured to any core size which may be reasonably anticipated . to disengage gripping elements 40 from the interior surface of core 54 , a charge of compressed air is applied to valve 24 , air having previously been bled by needle valve 31 from the outboard side of chamber 25 ( or , optionally , by holding valve 22 open in the absence of a needle valve ). this releases the original engagement charge of air and drives the piston 26 together with piston rod 27 in an outboard direction thus disengaging the outward gripping surface 45 of each gripping element 40 from the interior of core 54 . fig5 through 8 are directed to a preferred embodiment wherein , in effect , segments 50 are integral with and constructed with the same piece of material as end plate 14 which , together , are similarly integral with cylindrical portion 11 of the first embodiment and wherein the grip elements have an outer surface which extends substantially through an arc of 120 °. in the further embodiment , the same reference numerals have been applied to a number of components which are the same or essentially the equivalent of elements in the first embodiment having the same reference numeral . in the further embodiment , the cylindrical chuck body is designated generally by reference numeral 10a . a cylinder part 61 and an end plate 62 of body 10a define the chamber 25 . end plate 62 is secured to cylinder part 61 by a plurality of shoulder screws 64 which extend through openings 65 into threaded aligned bores 66 of end portion 62 . piston 26 is secured to piston rod 27a by a flat head bolt 67 threadably received in a bore 68 which is threaded and has the same longitudinal axis 46 as the axis of piston rod 27a . an o - ring 70 surrounds the bore 68 and bolt 67 to ensure that chamber 25 is hermatically sealed . this result is also contributed to by o - ring 35 which surrounds the piston rod 27a and is received in a groove in the cylinder part 61 . also to contribute to the hermatic sealing of chamber 25 , portion 62 is provided adjacent chamber 25 with a seal plate 71 which is secured thereto by a plurality of flat head bolts 72 received in aligned bores 74 which are threaded and extend through plate 71 into end portion 62 . end portion 62 is secured to a trunion or bearing shaft by threaded openings 75 which extend completely through end portion 62 wherein they are terminated by plate 71 . surrounding the threaded openings 75 is an o - ring 76 received in a groove in end portion 62 and end portion 62 is further sealed relative to the cylinder part 61 by an o - ring 28a which is received in a circular slot provided for such purpose in end portion 62 . it will be noted that as with the previous embodiment the cylindrical part 61 is provided with an outboard opening 20 and an inboard opening 21 , each of such openings receiving check valves 22 and 24 respectively for connection to an air hose valve for applying air pressure in chamber 25 for moving piston 26 together with piston rod 27a , depending upon which side of piston 26 air pressure is applied . the inboard part of piston rod 27a is provided with three slots , only one slot 75 being shown in fig5 the three slots being disposed at 120 ° about centerline 46 in the inboard portion of piston rod 27a . each slot receives a wedge member 36a which has an inclined plane wedge surface 37a and is secured to rod 27a by a bolt 76 which is threadably received in a bore 78 which is threaded at least in part and is aligned with a bore 79 in wedge member 36a with the head of the bolt 76 being countersunk in bore 78 whereby it is below surface 37a . a gripping element 40a has on its inward side a planar surface 44a which mates with wedge surface 37a . in this embodiment it will be noted that the gripping element 40a , only one of which is shown in fig5 extends through an arc of about 120 ° whereby it is roughly pie - shaped as seen in cross section and includes an outer surface 45a which , in this embodiment , is provided with longitudinal grooves and has a profiled t - formation end portion 42a which is received in a slot 41 which is a t - slot . accordingly , it will be understood that end portions 42a of elements 40a are snugly but slidably received within slots 41 . although each wedge member 36a is provided with a bolt 76 for securing same to the rod 27a , it will be appreciated that the aligned bores 78 and 79 are off - set longitudinally relative to each other as shown in this embodiment to preclude interference with one another in the vicinity of the centerline 46 . each gripping element 40a includes a transverse slot 80 which receives an o - ring 81 which serves the purpose of acting as an elastic or resilient member to urge each gripping element 40a towards the centerline 46 , the o - ring 81 being , as conventional , composed of an elastic material such as rubber . each gripping elements 40a is provided with an internal shoulder 82 which assists in maintaining the position of gripping element 40a relative to wedge member 36a . it will be appreciated that t - slots 41 are 120 ° apart and are machined into the inboard end of the chuck body 10a to receive the t - portions 42a of gripping elements 40a . the surfaces 45a of each gripping element 40a engage in gripping relationship with the internal cylindrical surface of a core in a manner as shown in fig2 for the previous embodiment except that in this embodiment the gripping surface which engages the internal surface of the core 54 is much larger . a chuck as shown in the embodiment of fig5 through 8 is caused to engage a core such as core 54 by applying a charge of air to valve 22 , thus moving piston 26 and piston rod 27a in an inboard direction . with such movement of rod 27a , the inclined plane wedge surfaces 37a of each wedge member 36a are mated with the planar surfaces 44a of each gripping element 40a thus moving each of the latter elements radially outwardly to engage the interior surface of the core with a force as determined by the net pressure applied to piston 26 . the forces developed by air pressure in chamber 25 against piston 26 in combination with the forces resulting from the inclined mating surfaces provide a torque capacity as desired for engagement of the chuck to the core and as necessary to maintain a web on the roll carried by the core in a desired predetermined tension caused by the braking action applied to the web . with the mating inclined surfaces identical and equally spaced radially in three places 120 ° relative to each other , gripping elements 40a engage the core concentrically . when it is desired to disengage such core , air is applied to the valve 24 thus causing the rod 27a to move outboard and the resilient force of o - ring 81 keeps the mating surfaces 37a and 44a in contact whereby the effective diameter of the outer surfaces 45a is reduced thereby releasing the core . in the event that larger gripping elements 40a are desired , the o - ring 81 is removed whereby gripping elements 40a are easily pulled from the t - slots 41 and replaced by different sized gripping elements 40a which , if necessary , may be held together by a somewhat larger o ring 81 which is placed in tension in slot 80 . by having removable gripping elements 40a , all standard core sizes may be used with the same chuck body 10a and change - over time is reduced . with the concentric engagement provided as shown in this embodiment , the frictional engagement with the interior of the core is increased whereby maximum winding speeds are possible with minimum vibration . moreover , there is a high torque capacity with the equipment as disclosed herein which allows relatively rapid starts and emergency stops . the chuck assemblies are preferably constructed of heavy alloy steel and it will be noted that with only one internal moving part , wear and maintenance are reduced . the usual different size gripping elements 40a provided to be interchangeable are for 3 inch , 4 inch , 5 inch and 6 inch internal diameter core sizes . air pressure is generally available in a general range of 60 to 100 psi . with 3 inch gripping elements at 60 psi , a torque capacity of over 6000 inches / pounds is provided . with gripping elements for 6 inch cores used with air pressure at 100 psi , the torque capacity exceeds 20 thousand inches / pounds . also it will be understood that the size of the piston is such ( about 7 inches in diameter ) that up to 2000 pounds of force is provided to engage and disengage the gripping elements 40a . the positive air engagement together with the positive air disengagement reduces jamming and core hang - ups . it is also important to appreciate that the simplicity of the design provides a chuck assembly which is relatively inexpensive as an initial investment and various gripping elements of different sizes can be purchased as required . fig5 and 6 are proportionally closely correct . the overall diameter of the chuck body 10a is 81 / 2 inches . its overall length is 57 / 8 inches with the piston 26 having a thickness of 3 / 4 inches in a chamber which is 15 / 8 inches in width whereby movement of the piston is about 0 . 875 inches . each gripping element extends outwardly from chuck body 40a 33 / 4 inches . it is intended that the drawings , particularly fig5 and 6 , be considered more than merely for illustration and generally representing the relationship of the various elements , but drawn to scale with the gripping elements 40a shown in fig5 and 6 being disposed for cores having a 3 inch internal diameter . nevertheless , it will be understood that the claims of the invention are not restricted to the exact form of construction , dimensions and proportions as shown in the drawings unless specifically stated . in view of the foregoing it is to be understood , although preferred embodiments of the invention are described above , the invention is capable of other adaptations and modifications within the scope of the claims which follow . for example , a larger number of gripping elements such as six may be provided , in which case , for the second embodiment , the arc displaced by each gripping element is proportionately reduced . moreover , other inventive concepts which may be disclosed in the specification or drawings or both which , if not set forth in the claims of this instrument , may be subject matter in applications subsequently filed under appropriate rules and statutes .
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referring now to the drawings , wherein like reference numerals refer to like parts throughout , there is seen a lead frame for a chip package ( such as , for example , a qfn package ), designated generally by reference numeral 10 , comprising a central region ( commonly referred to in the industry as a “ die pad ”) 12 and a peripheral edge 14 extending in spaced relation to central region 12 , and upper and lower sets of conductive leads 16 , 18 , respectively , extending inwardly from peripheral edge 14 . as will be described in greater detail hereinafter , upper leads 16 are spaced from successively positioned ones of lower leads 18 in each of the three dimensions of a cartesian coordinate system ( x , y , and z ). lead frame 10 is manufactured using traditional etching processes , such as chemical etching , or equivalent chip package manufacturing processes , such as mechanical punching . referring to fig1 upper mask 20 includes a central region 24 of resist material that corresponds to central region ( die pad ) 12 of lead frame 10 , a peripheral edge region 26 of resist material that corresponds with the peripheral edge 14 of lead frame 10 , diagonally extending regions ( commonly referred to in the industry as “ tie bars ”) 28 of resist material diagonally extending fully between the corners of central region 24 and peripheral edge region 26 , and a series of laterally spaced apart , rectangular - shaped projections 30 extending inwardly from peripheral edge region 26 towards central region 24 a predetermined distance where they terminate at terminal ends 31 . it should be understood that the mask 20 is entirely symmetrical in that each side of mask 20 is identical to all other sides . projections 30 are of a generally uniform thickness , t , and extend along a longitudinal axis x - x . referring to fig2 lower mask 22 includes a central region 32 of resist material that corresponds to central region 12 of lead frame 10 , a peripheral edge region 34 of resist material that corresponds with peripheral edge 14 of lead frame 10 , a series of laterally spaced apart , rectangular - shaped projections 38 of resist material extending inwardly from peripheral edge region 34 towards central region 32 a predetermined distance where they terminate at terminal ends 40 , and a series of laterally spaced apart rectangular - shaped ( may be square - shaped ) projections 42 of resist material that are of the same thickness t as projections 30 , and positioned between central region 32 and peripheral edge region 34 and include terminal ends 44 nearest peripheral edge region 34 . the terminal ends 40 and terminal ends 44 positioned along any one side of mask 22 each extend along respective , common longitudinal axes a - a and b - b , respectively , that are substantially parallel to one another and spaced apart by a predetermined distance a . in addition , the side edges of projections 38 and the side edges of projections 42 that are successively positioned adjacent one another extend along respective longitudinal axes . c - c and d - d , respectively , that are substantially parallel to one another and spaced apart by a predetermined distance b . when manufacturing lead frame 10 , mask 20 is laid over the top surface of the metal lead frame ( preferably composed of copper ), and mask 22 is laid over the bottom surface of lead frame 10 , with the central regions 24 , 32 , and peripheral edge regions 26 , 34 , being vertically aligned with one another , thereby creating a lead frame having a masking that will produce an asymmetrical lead pattern . when aligned in this manner , projections 42 are vertically spaced from , but co - linearly aligned along axis x - x with corresponding ones of projections 30 , as illustrated in fig5 . when etching away material from the top surface of lead frame 10 and then away from the bottom surface of lead frame 10 , the material removed from the regions not covered with resist material leaves central region 12 , peripheral edge 14 , and leads 16 , 18 . due to the positioning of the resist material on masks 20 , 22 , and the amount of material removed during the etching ( or over - etching ) process ( the etching process removes material to a depth that is slightly greater than one half the thickness of the lead frame ), leads 16 take on an l - shape with the bottom surface 46 of the leg of the l extending in a first plane , and the upper surface 48 of leads 18 extending in a second plane that is parallel to and spaced from the first plane by a predetermined distance c , as illustrated in fig4 and 5 . although there are no currently known preferred distances for distances a , b , and c , because the spacing between the leads is in three dimensions , the combination of distances a , b and c preferably meet the following criteria : 1 . allow for minimum spacing between adjacent leads so as to maximize the effective lead pitch , and 2 . ensure that adjacent leads stay apart and no shorting occurs , especially due to solder bridging caused by the second level package chip attach process . both of these criteria are desirable goals to problems that are well understood in the art . also note that as illustrated in fig5 the distances a and c need not be the same . a chip package , designated generally by reference numeral 50 , as illustrated in fig6 includes a chip 52 attached to the central region ( die pad ) 12 and wire interconnects 54 extending between the chip &# 39 ; s i / os and leads 16 , 18 , all of which are encapsulated in an epoxy resin 56 . hence , once the partial etching process is completed , chip 52 may be attached to central region 12 of lead frame 10 , conductive wires 54 may interconnect the input and outputs of the chip to leads 16 , 18 , and epoxy 56 may be used to encapsulate the chip , lead frame , and conductive interconnects , while leaving the bottom surface of the central region 12 and leads 16 , 18 exposed , performed in a conventional manner that is well understood in the art . a conventional saw singulation process may then be used to cut away the peripheral edge 14 , thereby altering the package in order to expose the ends of leads 16 , 18 . the package may then be soldered to an integrated circuit board in a conventional manner . it should be understood that the lead frame described herein , and the process for manufacturing lead frame 10 , could be employed to manufacture a “ sheet ” of lead frames ( for instance a 4 × 4 sheet containing 16 lead frames ), a process that is well understood in the art . the present invention has been shown and described by way of a presently preferred embodiment , and many variations and modifications may be made therein without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention , as defined by the appended claims .
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while various aspects of the inventive subject matter are described with reference to a particular illustrative embodiment , the inventive subject matter is not limited to such embodiments , and additional modifications , applications , and embodiments may be implemented without departing from the inventive subject matter . in the figures , like reference numbers will be used to illustrate the same components . those skilled in the art will recognize that the various components set forth herein may be altered without varying from the scope of the inventive subject matter . the disclosed subject matter is directed to providing trailer backup assist functionality in a manner that is relatively low cost and that offers an intuitive user interface . in particular , such trailer backup assist functionality provides for controlling curvature of a path of travel of a trailer attached to a vehicle ( i . e ., trailer path curvature control by allowing a driver of the vehicle to specify a desired path of the trailer by inputting a desired trailer path curvature as the backup maneuver of the vehicle and trailer progresses ). the various systems and methods disclosed herein may provide audible and / or visual information to the operator of a trailer backup assist system . particularly , the methods described herein are directed to a method of utilizing a trailer backup assist system or various systems that may be operable to measure a hitch angle of a trailer relative to a vehicle to determine a maximum controllable hitch angle . the maximum controllable hitch angle may correspond to a maximum angle of a trailer relative to a vehicle undertaking a reverse or backup maneuver based on various dimensional and functional characteristics of the vehicle and the trailer . the maximum controllable hitch angle may be determined by the method while the vehicle and the trailer are operating in a forward direction by monitoring the hitch angle . as such , under steady state conditions , the measurement of the hitch angle of the trailer relative to the vehicle may be utilized to determine the maximum controllable hitch angle . the measurement of the hitch angle of the trailer relative to the vehicle may also be utilized to estimate a length of a trailer . in various embodiments , the method may provide for a trailer backup assist system to learn or correct a trailer length input by an operator of a vehicle or stored in a memory of a trailer backup assist system . in this way , the systems and methods disclosed provide for a method of setup for a trailer backup assist system that is operable to both learn a trailer length of a trailer utilized by the system , but also is operable to correct a trailer length inputted or stored in a trailer backup assist system . as such , the disclosure provides for improved safety and accuracy in setting up and operating a trailer backup assist system by safely and accurately determining a trailer length and a corresponding maximum hitch angle of a trailer relative to a vehicle . referring to fig1 , a schematic diagram illustrating a vehicle 2 coupled to a trailer 4 is shown in accordance with the disclosure . the vehicle 2 and the trailer 4 are coupled about a hitch point 6 and are shown in a turning configuration angled at a hitch angle γ . the hitch angle γ is defined by the difference between a vehicle heading 8 and a trailer heading 10 about the hitch point 6 . when the trailer 4 is angled relative to the vehicle 2 at the hitch angle γ , it may be challenging for the operator of the vehicle to determine if the hitch angle γ is approaching a jackknife condition and a corresponding maximum hitch angle γ max . the vehicle 2 may be equipped with a trailer backup assist system 12 configured to control the vehicle 2 during a reversing or backup operation of the trailer 4 . based on the particular dimensional and functional characteristics of each combination of vehicle and trailer , the trailer backup assist system 12 is operable to maneuver the trailer according to specific dimensional limitations , such as the maximum hitch angle γ max . as such , for the trailer backup assist system 12 to account for the specific dimensional and functional characteristics of the vehicle and the trailer , certain dimensions must be input and / or identified by alternative measure techniques . the disclosure provides for various methods and techniques that may be utilized to safely determine such dimensions and ensure efficient and safe operation of the trailer backup assist system 12 . the backup assist system 12 is controlled by the operator of the vehicle 2 via an interface configured to receive a directional input , for example a steering input apparatus 14 disposed in a passenger compartment 16 of the vehicle 2 . the steering input apparatus 14 may be configured to control a reversing operation of the vehicle 2 and the trailer 4 by receiving a rotational input corresponding to the hitch angle γ . as referred to herein , the trailer heading 10 may refer to a trailer heading that will result from a vehicle operator maintaining a current control input into the steering input apparatus 14 . the trailer heading 10 , the vehicle heading 8 , and additional heading information discussed herein may be updated by the trailer backup assist system 12 in response to a detected change in the steering input apparatus 14 . the vehicle 2 is further equipped with a display or screen 18 disposed in the passenger compartment 16 . the screen 18 is operably coupled to a display controller 20 . in response to the trailer hitch angle γ and other kinematic properties of the vehicle 2 and the trailer 4 , the display controller 20 may be operable to generate and display a graphical representation of the vehicle heading 8 , the trailer heading 10 , and in some implementations , may be operable to display a predicted heading on the screen 18 . the graphical representation provides a reference for the vehicle operator to utilize to ensure safe operation of the steering input apparatus to maneuver the vehicle 2 and the trailer 4 . referring to fig2 and 3 , a kinematic model 30 of the vehicle 2 coupled to the trailer 4 is shown . the kinematic model 30 is based on various parameters associated with the vehicle 2 and the trailer 4 . from the kinematic model 30 , a maximum trailer heading 32 is shown at a maximum hitch angle γ max relative to the vehicle 2 . the kinematic model 30 parameters include : δ : steering angle at front wheels 34 of the vehicle 2 ; γ : hitch angle between the vehicle 2 and the trailer 4 ; γ : maximum hitch angle of a particular vehicle 2 and trailer 4 ; l : length between a hitch point 6 and a rear axle center - line 36 of the vehicle 2 ; d : length between hitch point 6 and a trailer axle center - line 38 , wherein the position of the rear axle center - line 36 may be an effective , or equivalent , axle length for a trailer having a multiple axle configuration ; and the kinematic model 30 of fig2 relates the dimensions of the vehicle 2 and the trailer 4 to the steering angle δ and the hitch angle γ . the steering angle δ and the hitch angle γ may be measured by a plurality of sensors of the trailer backup assist system 12 as discussed further in reference to fig4 . from the kinematic model 30 , a maximum hitch angle γ max and a trailer length d may be determined for a particular vehicle 2 and trailer 4 combination . the maximum hitch angle γ max and trailer length d may be determined based on a relationship of the steering angle δ and the hitch angle γ in relation to the radius of curvature r of the vehicle 2 . a simplified diagram 40 demonstrating the relationship of the steering angle δ and the hitch angle γ in relation to the radius of curvature r of the vehicle 2 is shown in fig3 . based on the relationships shown in fig3 , the minimum radius of curvature r min for the vehicle 2 is dependent on a maximum steering angle δ max and the wheel base w of the vehicle 2 . the maximum hitch angle γ max for the vehicle 2 and the trailer 4 corresponds to the vehicle 2 and the trailer 4 turning at the minimum radius of curvature r min . as such , the trailer length d and the δ max may be determined based on the trigonometric relationship shown demonstrated in eq . 1 . the wheel base w , the maximum steering angle γ max , and length l correspond to static dimensions that may not change when changing from a first trailer to a different , second trailer . the static dimensions of the vehicle 2 may correspond to dimensions that are not generally subject to change based on many common hitching configurations . as such , a control module of the trailer backup assist system 12 may be configured to calculate the maximum hitch angle γ max using eq . 2 . it is noted that the methods and equations discussed may be utilized similarly for other common hitching configurations , such as fifth wheel hitching configurations . based on eq . 2 , it is shown that the maximum hitch angle γ max may be determined based on the trailer length d and the static dimensions of the vehicle 2 . in this way , the trailer length d may be input by an operator of the trailer backup assist system 12 in order to calculate the maximum hitch angle γ max . in operation , the trailer backup assist system 12 may be configured to underestimate the trailer length in order to ensure that safe operation of a trailer backup assist function may be accomplished even if the trailer length is unknown . for example , if the trailer length is unknown , the system 12 may be configured to assign a minimum trailer length as the trailer length d . by utilizing the minimum trailer length as the trailer length in eq . 2 , the maximum hitch angle γ max is underestimated for the vehicle 2 and trailer 4 . as such , the maximum hitch angle γ max calculated based on the minimum trailer length ensures that the controller of the trailer backup assist system 12 will control the hitch angle γ within an underestimated range . underestimating the safe operating range of the hitch angle 8 may ensure that the trailer 4 is not accidentally placed in a jackknife condition during a reversing operation . while underestimating the trailer length d and the corresponding maximum hitch angle γ max may ensure safe operation of the trailer backup assist system 12 , it may also limit the utility of the system 12 by limiting the maximum hitch angle γ max . to ensure that safe operation and maximum performance are achieved , the system 12 provides for improving the trailer length d programmed into the system 12 by estimating the trailer length by utilizing eq . 3 . eq . 3 may be used to update and improve the trailer length d during forward operation of the vehicle 2 while monitoring the hitch angle γ of the trailer 4 . the estimated trailer length as d calc is calculated by measuring and updating the maximum hitch angle γ max of the trailer 4 during forward motion of the vehicle 2 . by monitoring and updating the maximum hitch angle γ max the trailer length d corresponding to the actual dimensions of the trailer may be improved . according to eq . 2 , an increase in the trailer length d results in an increase in the maximum hitch angle γ max . by updating and calculating the max hitch angle γ max and the trailer length d , the system 12 is operable to improve the performance of a reverse or backup operation of the vehicle 2 and the trailer 4 . the performance is improved by accurately estimating the trailer length d and consequently increasing the maximum hitch angle γ max . in operation , this means that system 12 is operable to automatically configure the kinematic model 30 including the trailer length d and the maximum hitch angle γ max by operating the vehicle 2 in the forward direction through a range of steering angles and corresponding hitch angles . referring to fig4 , a block diagram of the trailer backup assist system 12 of the vehicle 2 is shown . the trailer backup assist system 12 is operable to control the curvature of path of the trailer 4 by adjusting the vehicle 2 in response to the steering input apparatus 14 . the backup assist system 12 operates by controlling the steering of the vehicle 2 via a power steering assist system 52 . the steering input apparatus 14 may comprise a touchscreen , knob or other various forms of input devices , and in some implementations may be in communication with a human machine interface ( hmi ) coupled to the screen 18 . the trailer backup assist system 12 includes a trailer backup assist control module 54 , the trailer backup steering input apparatus 14 , and a hitch angle detection apparatus 58 operable to monitor the hitch angle γ . the trailer backup assist control module 54 is in communication with the trailer backup steering input apparatus 14 and the hitch angle detection apparatus 58 . the control module 54 of the trailer backup assist system 12 is further in communication with a power steering assist control module 60 and may be indirectly in communication with a steering angle detection apparatus 62 of the power steering assist system 52 . the trailer backup assist system 12 may also in communication with a brake system control module 64 and a powertrain control module 66 for controlling motion of the vehicle 2 and the trailer 4 . the trailer backup assist control module 54 ( e . g ., a trailer curvature algorithm thereof ) is operable to generate vehicle steering information as a function of information received from the trailer backup steering input apparatus 14 , the hitch angle detection apparatus 58 , the power steering assist control module 60 , the brake system control module 64 , and the powertrain control module 66 . in operation , the trailer backup assist control module 54 is operable to maneuver the vehicle 2 to achieve a commanded curvature of a path for the trailer 4 . the path of travel and the hitch angle γ are adjusted in response to an operator input into the steering input apparatus 14 . the control module is further operable to adjust the hitch angle γ of the trailer 4 relative to the vehicle in response to a hitch angle γ received from the hitch angle detection apparatus 58 . further detailed implementations of a trailer backup assist module are described in further detail in u . s . patent application ser . no . 14 / 294 , 489 , which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety . the hitch angle detection apparatus 58 may operate in conjunction with a hitch angle detection component 68 which may be coupled to the vehicle 2 or the trailer 4 . the hitch angle detection apparatus 58 may be utilized in combination with the hitch angle detection component 68 to communicate information relating to the hitch angle γ to the trailer backup assist control module 54 . the hitch angle detection apparatus 58 may be implemented by proximity or distance sensors ( e . g . an ultrasonic sensor ), a camera - based sensor configured to visually monitor a target , or any angular measurement device . the hitch angle detection apparatus 58 may also be implemented as a device mounted proximate the hitch point 6 to measure the hitch angle γ . the trailer backup assist system 12 as discussed herein provides an intuitive system for maneuvering the vehicle 2 and the trailer 4 by monitoring and controlling the hitch angle γ during a reverse operation . referring now to fig5 , the steering input apparatus 14 is shown as a component of an interface 74 configured to receive a directional input to control the trailer backup assist system 12 . the steering input apparatus 14 may be disposed in a center console portion 76 of the passenger compartment 16 of the vehicle 2 as an input device in communication with an hmi 78 . the hmi 78 may further be in communication with the display controller 20 and the screen 18 to provide the operator of the vehicle 2 with reference information generated by the display controller 20 . the reference information may include a graphical representation 80 of the vehicle 2 and the trailer 4 including the maximum trailer heading 32 to assist the operator of the vehicle in utilizing the steering input apparatus 14 . in some implementations , the steering input apparatus 14 may comprise a rotatable control element in the form of a knob 82 . the knob 82 is further coupled to a movement sensing device 84 . the knob 82 may be biased ( e . g ., by a spring return ) to an at - rest position p ( ar ) between opposing rotational ranges of motion r ( r ), r ( l ). a force that biases the knob 82 toward the at - rest position p ( ar ) can increase ( e . g ., non - linearly ) as a function of the amount of rotation of the knob 82 with respect to the at - rest position p ( ar ). even in a spring biased configuration , an operator may have difficulty determining a relative position of the knob 82 and a corresponding trailer heading 10 in response to an input . the graphical representation 80 provides visual feedback to the operator to improve the intuitive nature of the steering input apparatus 14 . for example , as shown in fig5 , the knob 82 is rotated in the direction of the right rotational range r ( r ). in response to the rotation detected by the sensing device 84 of the steering input apparatus 14 , the trailer backup assist control module 54 has positioned the vehicle such that the trailer 4 is angled toward a passenger side of the vehicle 2 as shown in the graphical representation 80 . to assist the driver in operation of the vehicle 2 , the display controller 20 includes the vehicle heading 8 , the trailer heading 10 , and the maximum trailer heading 32 , as calculated from eq . 2 . the maximum trailer heading 32 may notify the operator of the vehicle 2 of a maximum hitch angle γ max that may be achieved to maneuver the trailer 4 . though the steering input apparatus 14 is discussed in detail in reference to the knob 82 and a corresponding rotating configuration , the steering input apparatus 14 may be implemented by any form of user input configured to direct the vehicle 2 and the trailer 4 . for example , in some implementations , the screen 18 may be configured as a touchscreen . the touchscreen may be of any type suited to a particular application and may be resistive , capacitive , surface acoustic wave , infrared , or optical . the touchscreen may utilize a plurality of soft keys in communication with the display controller 20 and the trailer backup assist system 12 to select a location or path for the vehicle 2 and the trailer 4 . the touchscreen may further provide options for the operator to select the vehicle 2 or the trailer 4 and control a direction of each via a plurality of directional inputs 86 . in some implementations , the hmi 78 may provide feedback to an operator of the vehicle 2 while the operator is waiting for the vehicle 2 to complete a command received by the trailer backup assist control module 54 . for example , the hmi 78 may provide feedback to the operator during control tasks and maneuvers of the vehicle 2 and the trailer 4 that may require an extended period to execute . in this way , the hmi 78 may provide a reassurance to the driver that the trailer backup assist control module 54 is functioning properly . the feedback may also serve to limit an operator from prematurely adjusting an input to the steering input apparatus 14 prior to the completion of a control task . the hmi 78 and the knob 82 may be configured to provide feedback to the operator of the vehicle 2 in a variety of ways . for example , a notification may be displayed on the screen 18 showing a remaining change in the trailer heading 10 based on an input received by the steering input apparatus . in some implementations , the remaining change in the trailer heading 10 may be displayed numerically on the screen 18 as an angle . the remaining change may also be displayed by updating the graphical representation 80 and / or the direction of the arrows denoting the trailer heading 10 . the graphical representation 80 may further be configured to flash on and off during the completion of a control task . one or more icons or symbols may also be overlaid on the screen notifying the operator that the trailer backup assist system 12 is active . the operator of the vehicle 2 may further be provided feedback for a turning operation of the trailer backup assist system 12 by audible or tactile feedback that may be provided by the hmi 78 and / or additional systems in the vehicle 2 . in some implementations , a steering wheel of the vehicle may vibrate or oscillate in response to conditions requiring that the steering angle δ be maintained at a maximum steering angle to complete a steering maneuver . also , periodic audible tones may be provided through one or more speakers in the vehicle 2 . the audible tones may increase in frequency as the vehicle heading 8 approaches the maximum hitch angle γ max with the trailer heading 10 ( e . g . a jack knife condition ). as the hitch angle γ decreases , the audible tone may change from continuous or high frequency tones to less frequent tones until the hitch angle γ is approximately zero and the tone stops . in some implementations , a steering warning may be displayed on the screen 18 alerting the operator of the vehicle 2 that the hitch angle γ is approaching the maximum hitch angle γ max . additionally , a steering error may be displayed on the screen 18 alerting the operator that the hitch angle γ has exceeded the maximum hitch angle γ max . the steering error displayed on the screen 18 may inform the operator that the vehicle 2 must be pulled forward to avoid a jackknife condition . in this way , the system 12 may alert the operator of the vehicle 2 that the steering angle γ as calculated by the method disclosed herein may be exceeded such that the operator may correct a current direction of the trailer 4 to avoid an error condition . referring now to fig6 , a method 90 for operating the trailer backup assist system 12 is shown . the method may begin by initializing the trailer backup assist system 12 ( 92 ). the trailer backup assist system 12 may be initialized in response to the connection of a trailer 4 to the hitch of the vehicle 2 . in response to the initialization of the trailer backup assist system 12 , the control module 54 may cause the display controller 20 to display a prompt on the screen 18 requesting that the operator input a trailer length d ( 94 ). in decision block 96 , if the trailer length d is not received , the trailer length d may be set to a minimum trailer length d min by proceeding to step 98 . in decision block 96 , if the trailer length d is received , the method 90 may complete an additional decision step 100 . in decision step 100 , the received trailer length d may be compared to an error threshold or the minimum trailer length d min . if the received trailer length d is less than the minimum trailer length d min , the method 90 may set the trailer length d to the minimum trailer length d min by proceeding to step 98 . if the received trailer length d is not less than the minimum trailer length d min , the method 90 may set the trailer length d to the received trailer length by proceeding to step 102 . steps 92 to 102 may serve as initialization or initial setup steps for the trailer length d . based on these steps it may be noted that the trailer length may initially set to a low estimate or minimum trailer length to ensure that the maximum hitch angle γ max is underestimated . in this configuration , the trailer backup assist system 12 can avoid approaching a jackknife condition even if the trailer length d is unknown . the minimum trailer length d min may correspond to a variety of lengths that may correspond to a particular style and / or type of vehicle 2 utilizing the trailer backup assist system 12 . in some embodiments , a minimum trailer length d min may correspond to a minimum length of trailer that is supported for backup assistance by the trailer backup assist system 12 . the minimum trailer length d min may also correspond to an average minimum trailer length based on customer surveys for a particular make and model of the vehicle 2 . in an exemplary embodiment , the minimum trailer length d min may be approximately 1 m . accordingly , the system is configured to underestimate the maximum hitch angle γ max to ensure safe operation . following steps 98 or 102 , the method 90 may continue to step 104 . in step 104 , the control module 54 may receive updated hitch angle data from the hitch angle detection apparatus 58 identifying an operating range of the hitch angle γ when the vehicle 2 is traveling in the forward direction . the maximum observed value of the hitch angle γ of the trailer 4 identified when the vehicle 2 is traveling in the forward direction may be set by the control module to update the maximum hitch angle γ max . the maximum hitch angle γ max may be changed in response to identifying an increased range or increased maximum hitch angle γ max . based on the updated maximum hitch angle γ max from step 104 , the system may further determine a calculated trailer length d calc by utilizing eq . 3 ( 106 ). in this way , the system is operable to improve an input or calculated trailer length d such that the operating range corresponding to the maximum hitch angle γ max may be improved and increased in response to observed hitch angles γ identified while the vehicle 2 is operating in the forward direction . as an additional safety precaution , the system 12 may continue to decision step 108 to determine if the calculated trailer length d calc is less than the error threshold or the minimum trailer length d min . if the calculated trailer length d calc is not less than the minimum trailer length d min , the method 90 may continue to step 110 to set the trailer length d to the calculated trailer length d calc . if the calculated trailer length d calc is less than the minimum trailer length d min , the method 90 may continue to decision step 112 to determine if the value of d calc converges toward a value less than the minimum trailer length d min . if the calculated trailer length d calc converges toward a value less than the minimum trailer length d min , for a plurality of cycles or calculations over time , the control module 54 may set the trailer length d to a value less than the minimum trailer length d min in step 114 . if in decision step 112 , the control module 54 does not identify that the calculated trailer length d calc is converging toward a value less than the minimum trailer length d min , the control module 54 may continue to step 104 to update and observe hitch angle γ while the vehicle is operating in the forward direction . over time the trailer length may converge toward an increased trailer length . the increased trailer length will allow the trailer backup assist system 12 to increase an operating range for maneuvering by estimating the maximum hitch angle γ max as discussed herein . in this way the system 12 may provide for an accurate estimation of a trailer length and improve a maneuvering range while avoid jackknife conditions . it is to be understood that variations and modifications can be made on the aforementioned structure without departing from the concepts of the present invention , and further it is to be understood that such concepts are intended to be covered by the following claims unless these claims by their language expressly state otherwise .
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two coaxial contact parts 8 a and 8 b for the positive pole and , contact parts 9 a and 9 b for the negative pole are provided in each case as contact elements in the switching mechanism 1 . the contact parts 8 a and 9 a are arranged on the operating slide 4 or connected thereto , and simultaneously also make the respective contact wiht the supply leads to the switching mechanism 1 . the contact parts 8 b and 9 b are located in the end face 10 , directed toward the tripping mechanism , or the switching mechanism 1 . however , they are separated from the coded magnet parts 5 a - 5 d . the embodiment represented is suitable , in particular , for the low - voltage range , for example 12 volts , and for direct current . of course , however , it is also suitable in principle for higher voltages and also for alternating current . with reference to their design principle and to the fact that they are switched via coded magnets , the switching mechanism 1 and the tripping mechanism 2 are designed in a similar way to the device described in ep 0 573 471 b1 . thus , the switching mechanism 1 has a closed assembly with a housing 3 . in the state of rest , that is to say when the tripping mechanism 2 is not mounted on the switching mechanism 1 , an operating slide 4 on which actuating magnets 5 in the form of coded magnet parts 5 a - 5 d are arranged is held on the base of the housing 3 by a ferromagnetic retaining plate 6 . as may be seen , in particular , from fig1 , the coded magnet parts 5 a - 5 d are arranged in the central or inner region of the switching mechanism 1 in such a way that north and south poles adjoin one another in each case on the side directed toward the tripping mechanism 2 . this provides a coded actuating magnet 5 with two north poles and two south poles in a specific arrangement which cooperate only in the sense of an attractive force with magnet parts which are of correspondingly opposite polarity . together with the ferromagnetic retaining plate 6 , resetting springs 7 ensure resetting of the operating slide 4 after separation of the tripping mechanism 2 from the switching mechanism 1 . two coaxially sequential contact parts 8 a and 8 b for the positive pole and , contact parts 9 a and 9 b for the negative pole are provided in each case as contact elements in the switching mechanism 1 . the contact parts 8 a and 9 a are arranged on the operating slide 4 or connected thereto , and simultaneously also make the respective contact with the supply leads to the switching mechanism 1 . the contact parts 8 b and 9 b are located in the end face 10 , directed toward the switching mechanism , of the switching mechanism 1 . however , they are separated from the coded magnet parts 5 a - 5 d . located in the outer circumferential region on the end face 10 , facing the tripping mechanism , of the switching mechanism 1 is a projection which can be constructed as a partial annular bead 11 . in this case , the partial annular bead 11 extends over 330 degrees , for example . this means that there remains a corresponding free space 12 of approximately 30 degrees . located diametrically opposite the free space 12 in the partial annular bead 11 is an elevation 13 which likewise extends over an angular range of approximately 30 degrees . the tripping mechanism 2 represented in fig4 and 5 is provided in the same circumferential region with a depression which is complementary or adapted to the partial annular bead 11 and can be constructed as a partial annular groove 14 . just like the partial annular bead 11 , the partial annular groove 14 extends over a range of approximately 330 degrees . likewise present is a free space 15 with a width , again , of approximately 30 degrees . located opposite the free space 15 in the partial annular groove 14 is a deeper trough 16 which likewise extends over an angular range of approximately 30 degrees . the tripping mechanism 2 also has coded tripping magnets 17 with tripping magnet parts 17 a to 17 d . the polarities of the tripping magnet parts 17 a to 17 d are selected such that when the tripping mechanism is mounted on the switching mechanism ( see fig6 ) north and south poles are respectively situated opposite one another so that an appropriate attractive force is exerted on the operating slide 4 . contact elements 18 and 19 separated from the tripping magnet parts 17 a - 17 d are likewise provided for introducing current into the tripping mechanism 2 so that a consumer ( not represented ) can be supplied appropriately with current or voltage . this purpose is served by cables 20 and 21 connected to the contact elements 18 and 19 . as may be seen from fig5 , the contact elements 18 and 19 are configured under the pretensioning of a spring device 22 in such a way that the correspondingly spring - mounted contact elements 18 and 19 project slightly from the end face 23 , directed toward the switching mechanism 1 , of the tripping mechanism 2 . a good current contact is created in this way when the switching mechanism 1 is connected to the tripping mechanism 2 . for reasons of assembly , the tripping mechanism 2 is provided in two parts with a cover 24 on the side averted from the end face 23 . when the cover 24 is removed , it is possible to access the cables 20 and 21 and the contact elements 18 and 19 , and likewise the tripping magnets 17 . this also provides the fastening of an earthing spring 25 whose front end projects in the form of a loop 26 in a resilient fashion beyond the front end face 23 in the region of a centering nose 27 of the tripping mechanism 2 . one or more earthing springs 25 arranged along the circumferential wall of the tripping mechanism cooperates in this way in the case of coupling of the switching mechanism 1 and the tripping mechanism 2 with an earthing ring 28 of the switching mechanism 1 ( see fig6 ). fig6 shows the switching mechanism 1 and the tripping mechanism 2 in the mutually connected state , current being transmitted from a current source ( not represented ) via the contact parts 8 a , 8 b and 9 a , 9 b onto the contact elements 18 and 19 . as soon as the tripping mechanism 2 is mounted on the switching mechanism 1 , the operating slide 4 is raised out of its rest position from the ferromagnetic retaining plate 6 by the magnetic force of the coded magnets 5 and 17 . because of the partial annular bead 11 with its elevation 13 , the tripping mechanism 2 can in this case be placed on the switching mechanism 1 only in a fashion so accurate to fit that the elevation 13 comes to lie in the deepened trough 16 of the partial annular groove 14 . this ensures that it is always only the two positive poles and the two negative poles of the contact parts 8 and 9 which come to one another . in this way , the current is transmitted from the contact parts 8 a and 9 a , which are connected to the power supply , onto the contact parts 8 b and 9 b , and thus onto the contact elements 18 and 19 of the tripping mechanism 2 . this position is to be seen in fig3 , while fig2 shows the operating slide 4 in the rest position . the earthing ring 28 is connected to an earthing line ( not represented ), thus providing the cooperation with the earthing spring 25 , and thus additional safety against short circuiting or other instances of malconduction of current . in order to separate the tripping mechanism 2 from the switching mechanism 1 , which is installed in any desired position in a part surrounding the switching mechanism 1 , for example a dashboard 29 , all that is required is to disengage the tripping mechanism 2 from the switching mechanism 1 through a slight rotation . in this case , the interruption of current is facilitated by the partial annular bead 11 with its elevation 13 in cooperation with the partial annular groove 14 and the trough 16 . as is to be seen from fig6 , specifically , in the switched state the elevation 13 of the switching mechanism 1 is situated in the trough 16 of the tripping mechanism 2 . the remaining region of the partial annular bead 11 is situated in the partial annular groove 14 . the two free spaces 12 and 15 are likewise situated one above another . if the tripping mechanism 2 is now rotated appropriately , the elevation 13 “ rises ” out of the trough 16 and at the same time a part of the partial annular bead 11 likewise passes out of the partial annular groove 14 into the region of the free space 15 . this means that during the rotation a spacing is necessarily created between the end face 10 of the switching mechanism and the end face 23 of the tripping mechanism 2 , the coded tripping magnets 17 distancing themselves from the actuating magnets 5 in such a way that the operating slide 4 cooperates with the resetting springs 7 to return into its rest position on the ferromagnetic plate 6 . this provides quick and reliable separation of the contact elements , and thus interruption of the current to the tripping mechanism 2 and thus to the consumer . the formation of sparks is avoided in this way . numerous applications are possible for the electromechanical connecting device according to the invention . computer engineering may be mentioned here purely by way of example . a further field of application is motor vehicles , it being possible for the switching mechanism 1 to be installed in the dashboard 29 , for example . as may be seen , the switching mechanism projects only slightly above the front of the dashboard , and the overall depth is also very shallow . further fields of application are , for example , consumer electronics such as , for example , video equipment and hi - fi towers with their controls . it is also possible for other controlling and monitoring devices to be provided with the electromechanical connecting device according to the invention .
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the present application is directed toward a portion of a wireless access system . additional disclosure of the wireless access system may be found in the following applications which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety : application ser . no . 10 / 261 , 933 , entitled “ rf channel linking method and system ” filed sep . 30 , 2002 ; application ser . no . 10 / 262 , 207 , entitled “ energy saving motor - driven locking subsystem ” filed sep . 30 , 2002 ; application ser . no . 10 / 262 , 509 , entitled “ cardholder interface for an access control system ” filed sep . 30 , 2002 ; application ser . no . 10 / 262 , 196 , entitled “ system management interface for radio frequency access control ” filed sep . 30 , 2002 ; application ser . no . 10 / 262 , 194 , entitled “ power management for locking system ” filed sep . 30 , 2002 ; application ser . no . 10 / 262 , 507 , entitled “ general access control features for a rf access control system ” filed sep . 30 , 2002 ; application ser . no . 10 / 262 , 077 , entitled “ rf wireless access control for locking system ” filed sep . 30 , 2002 ; application ser . no . 10 / 262 , 508 , entitled “ maintenance / trouble signals for a rf wireless locking system ” filed sep . 30 , 2002 ; and application ser . no . 10 / 262 , 249 , entitled “ rf dynamic channel switching method ” filed sep . 30 , 2002 . fig1 illustrates a block diagram of the components of a wireless access system 100 according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention . the wireless access system 100 includes several components installed at one of two generalized locations , an access control panel location 102 and an access point location 103 . the access control panel location 102 includes an access control panel ( acp ) 110 and a wireless panel interface module ( wpim ) 120 . the access point location 103 includes a wireless access point module ( wapm ) 130 and an access point 140 . the access control panel 110 communicates with the wpim 120 through a bi - directional wired communication link 115 . the wpim 120 communicates with the wapm 130 through a bi - directional rf communication link 125 . the wapm 130 communicates with the access point 140 through a bi - directional wired communication link 135 . the access point 140 is preferably a door or portal , but may be a container , secure location , or a device of some kind , for example . in operation , an access signal is read at the access point 140 . the access signal may be a signal from an access card , for example , a magnetic stripe or wiegand access card . alternatively , the access signal may be a biometric or a numeric sequence or some other access signal . the access signal is relayed from the access point 140 to the wapm 130 through the wired communication link 135 . as further described below , the access point 140 may be integrated into the wapm 130 to form a single component or may be a separate component wired to the wapm 130 . once the wapm 130 receives the access signal from the access point 140 , the wapm 130 transmits the access signal to the wpim 120 over the rf communication link 125 . the wpim 120 receives the access signal and relays the access signal to the acp 110 over the wired communication link 115 . fig2 illustrates a block diagram of the components of an expanded wireless access system 200 according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention . the expanded wireless access system 200 includes an acp 210 , multiple wired communication links 220 , 222 numbered 1 to n , multiple wpims 222 , 252 numbered 1 to n , multiple rf communication links 230 , 232 , 260 , 262 numbered 1 to k and 1 to j , and multiple wapms 240 , 242 , 270 , 272 numbered 1 to k and 1 to j . the expanded wireless access system 200 is similar to the access system 100 of fig1 , and includes the same components , but has been expanded to include multiple access points , wapms , and wpims . in the expanded wireless access system 200 , a single acp 210 communicates with a number n of wpims 222 , 252 over a number n of wired communication links 220 , 250 . that is , the acp supports communication with and provides access decisions for plurality of wpims 222 , 252 . each wpim 222 , 252 may in turn support a plurality of wapms 240 , 242 , 270 , 272 each wapm positioned at a single access point . for example , wpim # 1 communicates with a number k of wapms 240 , 242 over a number k of rf communication links 230 , 232 . additionally , wpim # n communicates with a number j of wapms 270 , 272 over a number j of rf communication links 260 , 262 . in a preferred embodiment , the acp 210 supports three wpims and each pim can support up to six wapms . however , as more advanced and configurable systems are developed , the total numbers of wpims and wapms supported is expected to rise . additionally , the n wired communication links 220 , 250 are illustrated as the preferred embodiment of rs486 communication links . alternatively , other well - known communication protocols may be employed . fig3 illustrates a wireless access point module ( wapm ) 300 for the wireless access system 100 of fig1 according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention . the wapm 300 includes a housing 310 , indicators 320 , a wired communication link 330 , a rf communication link 332 , and an antenna 325 . the housing 310 includes a locking control circuit 340 , an access / monitoring processor 350 , a transceiver 360 , a power supply 370 , an override port 380 , and an access reader 390 . the indicators 320 may include one or both of an audio indicator 322 and a visual indicator 324 . an access point 301 is also shown in fig3 . the power supply 370 provides power to all of the other systems of the housing 310 , including the transceiver 360 , the locking control circuit 340 , and the access / monitoring processor 350 . the power supply 370 may be an internal battery or other internal type of power supply . alternatively , an ac power supply may be employed . the transceiver 360 is coupled to the antenna 325 to allow signals to be sent and received from the housing 310 to an external point such as a wpim through the rf communication link 332 . the locking control circuit 340 is coupled to the access point 301 and provides locking control signals to the access point 301 through the wired communication link 330 . additionally , the locking control circuit 340 may receive feedback from the access point 301 through the wired communication link 330 , for example to verify that the access point is secured . the access reader 390 receives access signals such as from an integrated card reader or other access device , for example . the indicators 320 may provide a visual or audio indication , for example , of the state of the wapm 300 or that an access signal has been read by the access reader 390 . in operation , an access signal may be received from the access reader 390 . the access signal is then relayed to the access / monitoring processor 350 . the access / monitoring processor 350 then sends the access signal to the transceiver 360 . the transceiver 360 transmits the access signal to wpim 120 of fig1 that is interfaced to the acp 110 . as further explained below , the acp 110 includes a database of authorized access signals . if the access signal received from the wapm 300 is determined by the acp 110 to be a signal corresponding to an authorized user , a confirmation is transmitted from the acp 110 to the wpim 120 and then to the transceiver 360 of the wapm 300 . the confirmation is relayed from the transceiver 360 to the access / monitoring processor 350 . the access / monitoring processor 350 then sends a locking control signal to the locking control unit 340 . when the locking control unit 340 receives the locking control signal , the locking control unit 340 activates the access point 301 through the wired communication link 330 to allow access . the indicators 320 may be a visual or audible signal that the housing 310 has read an access signal , transmitted the access signal to the remote access control panel , received a confirmation , or activated the locking member , for example . the wapm 300 may include several variations . for example , the wapm may be an integrated reader lock ( irl ), a wireless reader interface ( wri ), a wireless integrated strike interface ( wisi ), a wireless universal strike interface ( wusi ), or a wireless portable reader ( wpr ). the irl includes an integrated access reader and lock . that is , the irl is similar to fig3 , but includes the access point as part of the housing . the wri is similar to the irl , but does not include an integrated access reader and instead receives signals from a third party access reader . the wisi includes an integrated reader and lock and is mounted directly into the strike of the access point , such as a door , for example . the wusi is similar to the wisi , but does not include an integrated reader and lock and may instead be connected to a third party reader and / or lock . the wpr is a portable reader that may be taken to a remote location and determine access decisions at the remote location , for example , for security checks or badging checks . fig4 illustrates a wpim 400 for the wireless access system 100 of fig1 according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention . the wpim 400 includes a housing 410 , an antenna 465 , and indicators 420 . the housing 410 includes a data port 430 , a control processor 450 , a transceiver 460 and an acp interface 470 . fig4 also shows an rf communication link 467 , a wired communication link 472 , and an acp 480 . power is typically supplied to the wpim via an ac power supply or through the wired communication 472 . the transceiver 460 is coupled to the antenna 465 to allow signals to be sent and received from the housing 410 to an external point such as a wapm through the rf communication link 467 . the acp 480 is coupled to the wpim 400 through the wired communication link 472 . the data port 430 is coupled to the control processor 450 to allow an external user such as a technician , for example , to interface with the control processor . the indicators 420 may provide a visual or audio indication , for example of the state of the wpim 400 or that an access signal has been passed to the acp 480 or an authorization passed to a wapm 300 . in operation , the wpim 400 receives access signals from the wapm 300 through the antenna 465 and transceiver 460 . the wpim relays the access signals to the acp 480 for decision making . once the access decision has been made , the acp 480 transmits the access decision through the wired communication link 472 to the wpum 400 . the wpim 400 then transmits the access decision to the wapm 300 . as mentioned above , the wpim 400 includes a data port 430 . the data port 430 is preferably an rs485 port . the data port 430 may be used , for example , by an operator to connect a computer to the wpim 400 to perform various tasks , such as configuring the wpim 400 , for example . some exemplary wpim items for configuration include the transmission frequency for the communication link with the wapm and the performance of the indicators 420 . additionally , configuration information may be received by the data port 430 of the wpim 400 and relayed to the wapm 300 via the transceiver 460 . the configuration information that is received by the wapm 300 may then by relayed to the access / monitoring processor 350 of the wapm 300 for implementation at the wapm 300 . the wpim may include several variations including a panel interface module ( pi ) and a panel interface module expander ( pime ). as mentioned above , a single pim may communicate with multiple wapms . additionally , the housing for the pim is preferably constructed to allow additional pim modules to be installed in the pim housing to form the pime . because the pime includes multiple pim modules , the pime may service more access points . the features of one of the preferred embodiments present a method and system for conserving battery life in an access control system . thus , one aspect of a preferred embodiment of the present invention is an access system that employs a piezo electronic locking subsystem as further described below . the exemplary discussion below focuses on the use of the wireless access system 100 of fig1 configured to provide access through a door . although the access point below is presented as a door , it is only one example of the possible access points . fig5 is a schematic block diagram of a piezo - electronic locking subsystem 500 according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention . the piezo - electronic locking subsystem 500 includes an electronic control processor 510 , a piezo - electric lock 520 , a dc power supply 530 , a bolt 535 , and a latch 540 . an authorizing unit signal 501 is also shown . the dc power supply is preferably a battery , but any device for supplying dc power may be substituted . in operation , the electronic control processor 510 of the piezo - electronic locking subsystem 500 receives an authorizing unit signal 501 . the authorizing unit signal 501 may be received from the locking control unit 340 of fig3 , for example , in response to a user access decision . the electronic control processor 510 then sends a command to the piezo - electric lock 520 in response to the received authorizing unit signal 501 . the piezo - electric lock 520 preferably includes an internal piezo - electric element as well as a positional displacement amplifier . the piezo - electric element may be any element having a physical dimension that varies when an electric voltage is applied across the element , such as a piezo - electric crystal , for example . the positional displacement amplifier is preferably in cooperation with the piezo - electric element and serves to increase the displacement arising when a voltage is applied cross the piezo - electric element . for example , the positional displacement amplifier may increase the displacement generated by the piezo - electric element by a factor of 10 . the positional displacement amplifier is preferably connected to and used to position the bolt 535 . the piezo - electric lock 520 is preferably configured so that the piezo - electric lock 520 is in a locked position when voltage is applied to the piezo - electric element . that is , voltage applied across the piezo - electric element causes the piezo - electric element &# 39 ; s shape to change and the change in shape is amplified by the positional displacement amplifier which drives the bolt 535 closed . when no voltage is applied to the piezo - electric element , the bolt 535 is not displaced . consequently , the piezo - electric lock is open when no voltage is applied . alternatively , the polarity of the piezo - electric lock may be reversed so that the piezo - electric lock is in an open configuration when a voltage is applied and transitions to a locked configuration when no voltage is applied . when the dc power supply 530 receives the command from the electronic control processor 510 to initiate a locking operation , the dc power supply 530 is enabled to apply a voltage across the piezo - electric element . the applied voltage causes the bolt 535 to be displaced into the latch 540 consequently locking the piezo - electric lock and securing the door . to unlock the door , an authorizing unit signal 501 is sent to the electronic control processor 510 . the electronic control processor 510 then removes the voltage applied to the piezo - electric element in the piezo - electric lock 520 . once the voltage is no longer supplied to the piezo - electric element , the piezo - electric element reverts to its original shape and the bolt 353 assumes an unlocked position . fig6 illustrates a flowchart 600 of the operation of the piezo - electronic locking subsystem 500 of fig5 . the flowchart begins at step 610 when the piezo - electronic locking subsystem 500 is turned on . the flowchart then proceeds to step 620 and queries whether the door is currently locked . as mentioned above , the piezo - electric lock is preferably configured to assume a locked configuration when a voltage is applied to the lock . if the door is locked , the flowchart then proceeds to step 630 . at step 630 , the process queries whether an authorizing signal has been received by the piezo - electronic locking subsystem 500 in order to unlock or open the door . if no authorizing signal has been received , the process then proceeds back to step 620 . conversely , if an authorization signal has been received , the process proceeds to step 640 and the voltage is removed from the piezo - electric element in order to unlock the bolt . the process then proceeds back to step 620 . returning to step 620 , if the process determines that the door is unlocked , the process proceeds to step 650 . at step 650 , the process determines whether a pre - determined time limit has elapsed . that is , the piezo - electric lock is preferably configured to remain open only for a certain pre - determined time . after the predetermined time has lapsed , the piezo - electric lock preferably re - locks to secure the door . if the pre - determined time limit has elapsed at step 650 , then the process proceeds to step 670 and a voltage is applied to the piezo - electric lock in order to lock the door . if the pre - determined time limit has not elapsed at step 650 , then the process proceeds to step 660 . at step 660 , the process queries whether an authorization signal has been received to lock the door . if no locking signal has been received , the process proceeds back to step 620 . conversely , if an authorization signal to lock the door has been received , the process proceeds to step 660 and the voltage is reapplied across the piezo - electric element in order to lock the door . the process then proceeds back to step 620 . while particular elements , embodiments and applications of the present invention have been shown and described , it is understood that the invention is not limited thereto since modifications may be made by those skilled in the art , particularly in light of the foregoing teaching . it is therefore contemplated by the appended claims to cover such modifications and incorporate those features that come within the spirit and scope of the invention .
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fig3 is a block diagram of the apparatus of the present invention employing an adaptive filter for polarity detection . for the sake of simplicity , many of the basic components in an auto - setup home theater system are not illustrated here . referring to fig3 , a noise source 41 may be used to generate a sound pattern or series of impulses or the like . as discussed above , this sound source could comprise a number of sound patterns generated from a stored sound pattern or generated spontaneously . in this embodiment , the output of noise source 41 may first be passed through a second order 400 hz low pass filter 42 to pass only those frequencies substantially below 400 hz . a digital to analog converter ( dac ) 43 converts this digital sound pattern into an analog signal , which is then driven through speaker 44 . the digital signal from noise source 41 may also be sent as an input to impulse response generator 46 , which in the preferred embodiment is an adaptive filter . microphone 45 , placed in the listening space , picks up the sound produced by speaker 44 , which is then converted to digital form in analog to digital converter ( adc ) 48 . the resultant digital signal is then transmitted to adaptive filter 46 , which then determines the impulse response of the system . a further description of this adaptive filtering technique is set forth in co - pending u . s . patent application ser . no . 11 / 038 , 577 , filed on jan . 21 , 2005 ( cirrus logic docket no . tune 1539 - dsp ), and incorporated herein by reference . in that application , system response was used to determine speaker distance from the microphone as well as the phase response of the system . the term “ phase ” may be used in the art two slightly different ways . first , the “ phase of the speaker ” is sometimes used to refer to the polarity of a loudspeaker , that is , which way the two wires are connected . this version of “ phase ” may take one of two values , either “ in - phase ” or “ out - of - phase ”. in the present application , to avoid confusion , the term “ speaker polarity ” will be used to describe the wiring connection to the loudspeaker . secondly , the “ phase response ” of the speaker in the room is a function of frequency . the magnitude response ( often inaccurately just called the “ frequency response ”) is the power level ( y - axis , usually in db ) plotted against frequency ( x - axis in hz ). also , the magnitude and phase responses are really two aspects of the overall “ frequency response ” of the system . sometimes this term “ frequency response ” may be referred to by the phrase “ the magnitude and phase response ”, which is a singular term instead of a plural term , as the response that contains both magnitude and phase information before they are separated into two responses fig4 is a block diagram of an alternative embodiment of the present invention employing an adaptive filter for polarity detection . for the sake of simplicity , many of the basic components in an auto - setup home theater system are not illustrated here . referring to fig4 , a noise source 51 may be used to generate a sound pattern or series of impulses or the like . as discussed above , this sound source could comprise a number of sound patterns generated from a stored sound pattern or generated spontaneously . in this embodiment , the output of noise source 51 may be sent to a digital to analog converter ( dac ) 53 , which converts this digital sound pattern into an analog signal , which is then driven through speaker 54 . the digital signal from noise source 51 may be sent as an input to impulse response generator 56 , which in the preferred embodiment is an adaptive filter . microphone 55 , placed in the listening space , picks up the sound produced by speaker 54 . the output of microphone 55 may be first converted to digital form in analog to digital converter 58 . the resultant digital signal may then be sent to adaptive filter 56 , which determines impulse response of the system . the impulse response may then be filtered in second order 400 hz low pass filter 52 , and from this filtered system response , the polarity of speaker 54 can then be determined as in fig3 . the polarity of the speaker may be determined from the impulse response of fig3 or 4 as follows . the fundamental concept behind both embodiments of fig3 and 4 is that instead of analyzing the impulse response for the entire frequency range , only a band - limited range is analyzed . when the frequency response is limited , the associated impulse response is different than that associated with the full spectrum . for a hypothetical ideal system with completely flat magnitude response and zero delay , the impulse response will be a perfect impulse . fig5 illustrates this hypothetical perfect response as a ( 0 , 1 ) followed by ( n , 0 ) for all n & gt ; 0 , when graphed on an x , y ordinate . given the same hypothetical “ perfect ” system , if the loudspeaker is hooked up backward , the impulse is inverted . fig6 illustrates this hypothetical response as a ( 0 ,− 1 ), followed by ( n , 0 ) for all n & gt ; 0 . if there is a delay in the system ( i . e ., the distance between the speaker and microphone ), then the impulse is delayed accordingly . fig7 illustrates this hypothetical response as m zeros followed by ( m , 1 ), followed by ( n , 0 ) for all n & gt ; m + 1 . the distance can be computed as ( speed_of_sound * m / samplerate ). fig6 - 8 illustrate the response for a hypothetical ideal system . however , for a system operating in real - world conditions , the impulse response may appear more like fig8 . not only is the impulse “ wider ” than it should be , it is not the only peak ; several other pulses appear in the response profile . to determine speaker wiring polarity ( for clarity the term “ phase ” is not used in this context ), the determination could be based off the first “ large ” peak shown in fig8 . the small dip prior to 100 in the graph of fig8 would be ignored . one problem may occur when the loudspeaker comprises a 2 - or 3 - way loudspeaker , and not all the drivers are wired with the same polarity . the reason some driver wiring may be reversed is to compensate for phase differences introduced by the speaker crossover filter , as noted previously . this wiring is especially common in 2 - way systems , where the tweeter is wired with inverse polarity , and the woofer is wired with correct polarity . for these cases , the impulse response of the full frequency range of the speaker may have a largest , first peak that is not indicative of the wiring of the loudspeaker . this scenario is covered in the present invention by analyzing the impulse response of just the low - frequency range of the loudspeaker . as the woofer is more likely to be wired with correct polarity ( inside the loudspeaker ), filtering out the higher frequency ranges yields an impulse response , which more faithfully indicates overall loudspeaker polarity . this filtering technique can be done two ways . first , as part of the test ( in the preferred embodiment of fig3 ), the noise source is passed through a low pass filter and the impulse response measured will reflect that filtering ( whether by direct , mls , lms , whatever ). a second - order 400 hz lpf filter is used on the noise source , which may already be band - limited to 12 khz in a second technique , as illustrated in fig4 , the filtering may be performed as part of the analysis . once the full - spectrum impulse response is determined , the impulse response can be filtered instead . the results are largely the same between the embodiments of fig4 and 5 . the filtering step may take place elsewhere in the process . for example , the output of microphone 55 in fig4 could be filtered , and the filtered response fed to adaptive filter 56 , instead of filtering the impulse response signal . only one speaker is needed for polarity determination in the present invention . thus , the present invention can determine whether each speaker in a system is properly connected , not just whether only one speaker is out of phase with respect to another speaker . as a result , the system can indicate to a user which speaker needs to have its speaker wires reversed to correct polarity problems . once the polarity has been corrected , the user can then re - run the test , and the system indicate which remaining speakers need correction , or if indeed the previous correction was performed properly . once all speakers have been properly connected , the system will indicate that the connections are indeed correct . as noted previously , the present invention may be provided alone or in combination with other audio system calibration and setup routines . since many techniques can also determine speaker distance ( location ), the present invention can be added to an existing system at little additional cost . a complete setup system with equalization , speaker distance measuring ( for delay calibration ) and polarity checking can be offered using many common hardware and software elements . to make the system completely automatic , the polarity of each speaker circuit may be made adjustable at the receiver unit , such that when polarity reversal is detected , the system will detect such reversal when the calibration routine is executed , and the polarity of the corresponding speaker circuits reversed to correct reversed wiring at the speaker . this polarity correction can take the form of a physical switching element , or may be achieved through hardware or software means , by adjusting phase or timing of the audio output signals . while described herein as being used in a home theater system , the present invention may also be used in other types of audio systems , including , but not limited to , commercial audio , home stereo , car audio , outdoor audio , and the like . in addition , while the method of detecting the impulse response of the system is illustrated here in the preferred embodiment as an adaptive filtering system , other types of systems for detecting impulse response may be used within the spirit and scope of the present invention . impulse response can be measured using one of a variety of known techniques in the art . impulse response can also be determined using one of the novel techniques developed in part by the inventor of the present application , as set forth in the co - pending parent patent applications previously incorporated by reference . while the preferred embodiment and various alternative embodiments of the invention have been disclosed and described in detail herein , it may be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes in form and detail may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope thereof .
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the gas solid mixture separator 10 , shown in fig2 includes a support frame 12 , a separator housing 14 supported by the support frame , a rotor support shaft 16 , a drive motor 18 and a separation rotor assembly 20 . dirty gas is supplied to the separator housing 14 by a supply pipe 22 . clean gas is discharged from the separation rotor assembly 20 through a discharge pipe 24 . the clean gas may be air or other gasses that need to be cleaned . solids separated from the gas are collected in a lower portion 26 of the separator housing 14 and discharged into a container 28 for use or disposal . dirty gas may be forced into the supply pipe 22 by a blower 30 . clean gas may be sucked from the discharge pipe 24 by a clean gas fan 32 . the clean gas fan 32 may be replaced by a stack if the gas to be separated is at an elevated temperature . the blower 30 may be eliminated thereby permitting the clean gas fan 32 to suck dirty gas from the supply pipe 22 and into the housing 14 . alternatively the clean gas fan 32 can be eliminated thereby permitting the blower 30 to force clean air through the clean gas discharge pipe 24 . the rotor support shaft 16 is journaled in two spaced apart bearings 34 and 36 that are attached to and supported by the support frame 12 . the motor 18 is mounted on the support frame 12 . the motor output shaft 38 is connected to the rotor support shaft 16 by a shaft coupler 40 . the rotor support shaft 16 passes into the separator housing 14 as explained below . the separator housing 14 includes a first side wall plate 42 that is fixed to the support frame 12 and perpendicular to the axis of rotation 44 of the rotor support shaft 16 . a second side wall plate 46 is parallel to the first side wall plate 42 and spaced from the first side wall plate . a wall 48 is connected to the first side wall plate 42 and the second side wall plate 46 and encloses the top and both ends of the separator housing 14 . the bottom of the separator housing 14 is closed by a hopper 50 that forms the lower portion 26 of the separator housing 14 . the hopper 50 is connected to the first side wall plate 42 the wall 48 , the second side wall plate 46 and forms a substantially sealed rotor chamber 52 . a valve assembly 54 closes the bottom of the hopper 50 . the rotor support shaft 16 passes through a shaft seal 56 and a passage through the first side wall plate 42 . a clean gas outlet pipe 58 with a flange 60 is coaxial with the axis of rotation 44 and fixed to the second side wall plate 46 . the discharge pipe 24 is connected to the flange 60 . the separation rotor assembly 20 includes a rotor hub 62 that is mounted on the rotor support shaft 16 . a first disk 64 is connected directly to the rotor hub 62 . the outer edge 66 of the disk 64 is a cylindrical surface that is concentric with the rotor axis 44 . a second disk 68 is parallel to and spaced from the first disk 64 . an outer edge 70 of the second disk 68 is a cylindrical surface that is concentric with the rotor axis 44 . the second disk 68 has a circular central passage 72 . a discharge pipe 74 , for clean gas is fixed to the second disk 68 . the pipe 74 rotates with the second disk 68 and extends from the second disk through a passage 76 in the second side wall plate and into the gas outlet pipe 58 . a seal 78 is provided to seal between the discharge pipe 74 and the second side wall plate 46 . a web 80 is secured to the first disk 64 and the second disk 68 . the web 80 has four radially extending portions 82 , 84 , 86 and 88 that extend radially inward from the outer edge 66 of the first disk 64 and the outer edge 70 of the second disk 68 . each radially extending portion 82 , 84 , 86 and 88 extends almost half the distance from the outer edges 66 and 70 to the rotor axis 44 . the radially extending portions 82 , 84 , 86 and 88 are spaced ninety degrees apart about the rotor axis 44 from each other as shown in fig1 . second web portions 90 extend from an inner end of each radially extending portion 82 , 84 86 and 88 in a clock wise direction as shown in fig1 . each web portion 90 is normal to the radially extending portion 82 , 84 , 86 or 88 it is integral with and extends from . a web portion 92 is integral with an end 94 of each web portion 90 and extends away from the rotor axis 44 at an angle of about thirty degrees from the web portion 88 , 84 , 86 or 88 which it is adjacent to . a fourth web portion 96 extends from an integral end 98 of the web portion 92 to an arc portion 100 of the web 80 . each arc portion 100 has a radius from the rotor axis 44 that is equal to the radius of the outer edges 66 and 70 of the first disk 64 and the second disk 68 . each of the four arc portions 100 extend about forty five degrees about the rotor axis 44 and have an end that is integral with an end 102 of the adjacent forth web portion 96 and an end 104 that is connected to the radially outer end of one of the web portions 82 , 84 , 86 and 88 . the web 80 is preferably made from one strip of material and has only one end joint . the continuous web 80 creates a clean gas chamber 106 in the center of the rotor 20 . the continuous web 80 could be fabricated from two or more separate parts if desired . the continuous web 80 also creates four suspension chambers 110 . each suspension chamber 110 has a radially facing open side 112 . the open side 112 is encircled by the one of the radially extending portions 82 , 84 , 86 or 88 , a first disk 64 , and end 102 of a forth web portion 96 and the second disk 68 . the suspension chambers 110 are defined by a forth web portion 96 , a web portion 92 a second web portion 90 , a radially extending portion 82 , 84 , 86 or 88 , a first disk 64 and a second disk 68 . each of the radially extending portions 82 , 84 , 86 and 88 of the web 80 has a central opening 114 . an orifice plate 116 is fixed to the side , of each radially extending portion 82 , 84 , 86 and 88 of the web 80 facing a suspension chamber 110 . the orifice plate 116 includes an orifice 118 that is smaller than the central opening 114 . the orifice 118 has beveled edges 120 . the beveled surfaces 120 provide a passage that increases in cross section area from the suspension chamber 110 side to the clean gas chamber 106 side . the beveled surfaces 120 form a sharp edge 122 encircling the orifice 118 and reduce flow restriction . the orifice plate 116 includes a flat surface 124 that faces the suspension chamber 110 . this surface 124 includes a surface portion 126 that extends from the second disk 68 to the orifice 118 , a surface portion 128 that extends from the first disk 64 to the orifice , a surface portion 130 that extends from outer edge 66 of the first disk and the outer edge 70 of the second disk to the orifice , and a surface portion 132 that extends radially outward from the second web portion 90 to the orifice . the orifice plate 116 is a separate member as described above . as a separate member , the orifice plate 116 can be replaced from time to time if there is excessive wear . however , the orifice 118 can be formed in the radially extending portions 82 , 84 , 86 and 88 of the web 80 . if the orifice 118 is formed directly in the web 80 , the orifice plate 116 and the central opening 114 are eliminated . passages 140 are provided in the first disk 64 for the passage of gas and solids into each suspension chamber 110 . the passages 140 are formed by making a radial cut 142 adjacent to each of the flat surface 124 around each orifice 118 . short cuts 144 and 146 that extend away from the flat surface 124 are made at each end of the radial cut 142 to form a flap 148 . the flap 148 is bent inwardly toward the second disk 68 to open the passage 140 and to direct gas and solids passing through the passage toward the surface portion 128 . the flap 148 is bent to an angle θ of about sixty degrees from the vertical first disk 64 . passages 150 are provided in the second disk 68 for the passage of gas and solids into each suspension chamber 110 . the passages 150 are formed by making a radial cut 152 adjacent to each of the flat surfaces 124 around each orifice 118 . short cuts 154 and 156 that extend away from the flat surface 124 are made at each end of the radial cut 152 to form a flap 158 . the flap 158 is bent inward toward the first disk 64 to open the passage 150 and to direct gas and solids passing through the passage toward the surface portion 126 . the flap 158 is bent to an angle θ of about sixty degrees from the vertical second disk 68 . fig5 shows flaps 160 that are adjustable to change the size of the passage 162 through the first disk 64 . adjustable flaps 160 are generally not needed . the separator housing 14 has an inside width between the first side wall plate 42 and the second side wall plate 46 that is about twice the outside width of the separation rotor assembly 20 . there are therefore substantial areas 166 and 168 between the rotor assembly 20 and both side wall plates 42 and 46 . a wall 48 of the separator housing 14 extends from plate 42 to plate 46 . the wall 48 is a substantial distance from the outer edges 66 and 70 of the first disk 64 and the second disk 68 of separation rotor assembly 20 . there is therefore a substantial gas and solids passage 170 and connected areas 166 and 168 which gas and solids can pass through . the separation rotor assembly 20 , shown in the drawing figures , works well between seven hundred and fourteen hundred revolutions per minute . the number of suspension chambers 110 can be increased or decreased if desired . increases in the number of suspension chambers 110 can be accommodated by reducing the length of arc portions 100 of the web 80 to provide additional space for the suspension chambers 110 . additional suspension chambers 110 can also be added by increasing the diameter of the separation rotor 20 . increasing the rotor diameter will change the dynamics and the forces on the solids . a larger diameter separation rotor assembly 20 may rotate slower . capacity can also be increased by adding additional rotor assemblies . during operation of the gas and solids mixture separator 10 , the separation rotor assembly 20 is driven in a counter clockwise direction , as shown in fig1 , by the motor 18 through the rotor support shaft 16 . a mixture of gas and solids enters the separator housing 14 through an inlet pipe 190 . the inlet pipe 190 receives the mixture of gas and solids from supply pipe 22 attached to a flange 192 on the inlet pipe 190 . the mixture of gas and solids enters the separator housing tangentially to an inside surface to an arcuate portion of the wall 48 secured to the first side wall plate 42 and the second side wall plate 46 . while moving through the passage 170 , solids mixed with gas tend to move radially outward toward the wall 48 and then into the lower portion 26 of the separator housing 14 . the solids collect in the lower portion 26 and are held until the valve assembly 54 is opened . the mixture of gas with a reduced quantity of solids moves radially toward the axis of rotation 44 and into areas 166 and 168 adjacent to outside surfaces of the first disk 64 and the second disk 68 . the mixture of gas and solids in engagement with the first disk 64 and the second disk 68 tends to move with the disks . the solids in the gas will be moving with the outer surfaces of the first disk 64 and the second disk 68 and will be moved radially outward due to centrifugal force . gas and some mixed solid in area 166 will move close to one of the passages 140 and will make a ninety degree change in direction of movement and pass through the passages and into a suspension chamber 110 . some solid particles will not make the ninety degree direction change and will be collected in the lower portion 26 of the housing 14 . gas and some mixed solids in area 168 will move close to one of the passages 150 and will make a ninety degree change in direction of movement and pass through the passages and into a suspension chamber 110 . some solid particles will not make the ninety degree direction change and will be collected in the lower portion 26 of the housing 14 . the gas and mixed solids that pass through the passage 140 are directed by the flap 148 toward the surface 128 of the orifice plate 116 . the gas and mixed solids that pass through the passage 150 are directed by the flap 158 toward the surface 126 of the orifice plate 116 . the passages 140 and 150 are offset radially toward the axis of rotation 44 of the separation rotor assembly 20 . the flow of gas and mixed solids through the passages 140 and 150 is fast . however , this flow is cancelled out when the two flows meet on the suspension chamber 110 near the orifice 118 in the orifice plate 116 . the passages 140 and 150 are offset , as explained above , so that the suspension zone where the gas flows from both passages meet is substantially centered over the orifice 118 . centrifugal force shifts the location of intersection of the gas flows from passages 140 and 150 radially outward from the location of the passages . the passages 140 and 150 are positioned radially inward toward the axis 44 relative to the orifice 118 to accommodate the shift . the floor of the suspension chamber 110 including the fourth web portion 96 tends to move gas out of the suspension chamber and away from the orifice 118 in the orifice plate 116 . the suction of gas through the orifice 118 by the clean gas fan 32 balances the force of the floor of the suspension chamber 110 and suspends gas directly over the orifice . when the fixed suspension zone is created in alignment with the orifice 118 indicating no flow relative to the rotor 20 , and spaced from the orifice , centrifugal force discharges solids through the radially facing open side and cleaned gas passes through the orifice plate 116 . the centrifugal force is relative strong due to the high density of solids relative to the density of air . the gas in the suspension zone adjacent to the orifice 118 appears to be stationary . it is believed that gas molecules may be moving in random directions . use of the clean gas fan 32 is preferred for changing the direction of flow of cleaned gas toward and through the orifice 118 .
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fig1 shows a typical point of sale ( pos ) touch screen for , as an example only , a pretzel store . there are touch keys for pretzels 11 and for drinks 12 . selecting these keys would typically bring up secondary screens displaying specific product keys for ordering different types of pretzels and drinks respectively . in addition , the screen in fig1 has some specific pretzel product keys 13 and specific pretzel topping keys 14 . currently in the prior art , a touch screen as shown in fig1 is manually configured by a programmer who knows the specific proprietary point of sale system used by a store or business . the fig1 screen design involves the specific key layout and size of keys . in addition , the fig1 screen keys must have corresponding hooks or references to product data such as item name , price , cost , group , taxable , and inventory as shown in fig4 . in this invention , this product data and the touch key structure is stored in relational databases in the back office which is stored on the web servers 36 shown in fig3 . as an example only , fig2 shows a touch screen for the drinks page of a pizza restaurant . again in the prior art , a specialized programmer had to design the layout and data for these pos touch keys . typically , the programmer is located remotely from the store or business . he or she must learn about the store &# 39 ; s pos requirements via phone calls , emails , and meetings with store operators . in addition , the programmer would need to iterate several passes of the touch screen design and allow the store operator to test the screens . with this invention , the store operator will be able to build his pos screens online over the internet . with input from the store operator , the pos builder can specify and display the number , shape and arrangement of selection keys or buttons on said pos screens . the store operator , who does not have to be technically trained , will be able to edit and test his screens until he is satisfied with the end results . the testing of said pos screens can be done iteratively by the store operator in real time while said pos terminals are simultaneously in use during store and business operation hours or after store hours . alternatively , the testing of said pos screens can be done iteratively by a remotely located person such as a store manager or director in real time while said pos terminals are simultaneously in use during store hours or after store hours . all backoffice changes which include screen changes , price changes , employee validation changes are submitted to a batch bucket or queue . these changes have to be submitted for final posting at a scheduled time . for example , the phasing in of new screens and / or new data such as prices and employee validation can be scheduled . the time schedule for uploading or posting these screen changes and / or new data can be specified as follows . only as examples , the changes can take place after the present transactions are completed . alternatively , the changes can take place at the end of the business day , during the night , at the start of the next day or at the next application restart for example . typically , screen changes will take place at the next application start at the beginning of a business day . this automatic online pos builder will reduce the development time for pos screens by weeks . in addition , the store operator will be able to edit the pos screens and its relational databases any time as often as desired . in addition , the store operator will be able to edit , change and test the screens within minutes in real time . the store operator can iterate these changes instantly until he gets the desired screen appearance . this real - time testing and iteration of screen designs is an important feature of this invention . this feature motivates the store operator to keep his screens up to date and accurate . previously , the store operator would avoid updating screens , since it involved the time and expense of working with programmers off line . fig3 shows a high level diagram of this invention . there are n pos terminals ( pos 1 , pos 2 . . . pos n ) in “ store ” 31 and in “ store n ” 32 . pos 31 is in store 1 and pos 2 ( 32 ) is in store 2 . each pos includes personal computer hardware and software . additional pos terminals beyond those shown , as well as additional stores beyond the two shown , are within the scope of the invention . each pos normally operates with a hardware / software connection 35 to the internet or web . however , if the web goes down , the pos terminal continues to operate . there is a “ loose coupling ” of the pos to the back office ( bo ): the pos to bo connection is not required for the basic business functions of the pos . all transaction data is stored in a relational database on the hard drive in the pos . a relational database stores all of its data inside tables . all operations on data are done on the tables themselves . some operation produce other tables as the result . a table is a set of rows and columns . each row is a set of columns with only one value for each . all rows from the same table have the same set of columns , although some columns may have null values . a null value is an “ unknown ” value . the rows from a relational table are analogous to a record , and the columns are analogous to a field . below is an example of a relational table . there are two basic operations one can perform on a relational table . the first one is retrieving a subset of its columns . the second is retrieving a subset of its rows . the field names such as company describe the content of the columns of the relational table . the rows delineate the individual records stored in the relational tables . as transactions are created at a pos a log entry for the newest transaction is also created , this log entry is used to flag if the transaction has been uploaded to the web server . part of the pos application , the bo interface is continuously running in the background . this component reads the log of transactions . if a transaction needs to be sent , it tries to send it . if the send fails ( for example , if the connection to , or the internet itself , is down ), it goes to sleep and tries again later . additionally , the bo interface requests update from the bo such as new items , price changes , employees , etc . the pos terminals communicate via http protocol ( hypertext transfer protocol ) 35 with back - office bo software , which is implemented on web servers 36 , which can be located anywhere in the world . in addition , the bo software and data can be viewed from any store employee at any pc 33 who has internet access 37 and a password . the pos such as 31 send transaction data to the bo in the form of an http post or communication . the packet 35 sent from the pos to the bo consists of transactions , employee clock , customer add / update , item add / update , promotions and more . promotions are configured in the back office and associated with items or customers or departments . for example , a promotion may be associated with a customer to implement customer loyalty points or a promotion may be associated with a certain item for a % discount . a client who is the store manager or owner selects a promotion type , associates it with an item , department , etc , then sets the parameters that control how that promotion works . these transaction transmissions between the pos and the bo can be encrypted to insure privacy and security . a typical encryption method is 128 bit ssl ( secure sockets layer ). a further element of security is that each bo client ( individual pos , store or multi - store owner ) gets their own instance of a database . when they log into the bo they are attached to their own relational database associated and validated via their user login and password . fig4 a and 4 b show a typical web - based pos builder interface . fig4 a shows a grid of boxes labeled with screen numbers 1 - 4 . typically , screens will have screen names such as in 21 , “ subs ”. under each screen box column are boxes labeled “ add item ”. these boxes allow the addition of different products such as small pizza , large pizza , etc . as shown in fig4 b . fig4 b shows the data interface which would appear when selecting the large pizza box . the store operator would be able to enter and / or modify item name , price , cost , group , taxable and inventory . the above illustrates the ease of building pos screens by store operators via the web . fig5 shows a flowchart of the point of sale builder methodology . the flow in fig5 also refers to fig4 a and 4 b . the begin pos build block 51 is entered when the builder program is initiated 50 from a web page action . when creating a new pos , block 51 brings up a screen such as that shown in fig4 a . the screens in fig4 a need to be defined . block 53 allows the store operator to select which screen number to define . fig4 b shows what appears on the web screen after the store operator selects screen # 1 ( 53 ) to work on . in fig5 , block 54 allows the store operator to enter / edit the screen name being worked on , such as pizza , as an example only , in fig4 b . in fig5 , block 54 allows the store operator to enter the number of touch keys planned for the pizza screen , as an example only . fig4 b shows the screen after a few touch screen buttons have been defined . screen 1 has been labeled pizza . the pizza screen in fig4 b currently has 1 touch screen button item defined on the screen , large pizza 22 . the large pizza item button was entered by hitting add item 20 in fig4 a . after hitting add item , fig4 b appears with the template 23 to be filled in . this step is shown in block 56 of fig5 . the template includes item name , price , cost , group , taxable , inventory . item name is large pizza . price is easily changeable , cost is the cost of making materials . group is the pizza group , taxable is as yes or no selection . inventory can be used to monitor the number of large pizza &# 39 ; s makeable with the dough , cheese and sauce on hand . other template items can be added to the template 23 in fig4 b . in fig5 , block 57 asks whether the screen being worked on i . e .) pizza screen is done . if the store operator answers yes 59 , the flowchart flows to node 52 in fig5 . this allows the store operator to select another screen # as shown in fig4 a . if the store operator answers no 58 , the flowchart flows to node 55 in fig5 . this allows the store operator to select , add , or edit another item on the pizza screen . the key advantages of the web - based pos builder are that it is completely built on the foundation of the web . the pos builder is accessible anywhere in the world . it can be used by a person of any skill level . the pos builder builds , edits , and tests new pos terminals in real time . in addition , all screen designs and changes are reflected real - time into the back office ( bo ) server &# 39 ; s screen database . for example , all screen designs inputted from any pc in the world appear instantly in the bo screen database , which is instantly viewable anywhere in the world via web browsers . another big advantage is that all screen design software is located and executed in the bo server . since all screen designs and changes are immediately visible from any manager &# 39 ; s pc at their home or at headquarters , there is always management oversight of these changes . therefore , this screen builder allows for local in - store flexibility by the individual store operator or manager , but also provides for corporate visibility of screens instantly for control and standardization . also , this screen builder does not require the need for any server to be located in the store . another advantage of this system is the use of standard pc and web architecture which offers both full - scalability without degrading system performance . this results in improved performance and lower cost of implementing these business systems . there is a lower cost associated with projects developed with the technology of this invention due to the flexibility of easy design changes and well - understood software . there is less training required for programmers and system testers . projects can draw on the huge talent pool in the open source development community . the invention allows configurable software modules for different types of businesses and sales promotions . the invention allows remote monitoring of screen designs from anywhere via the web . there is minimal time required for the implementation and installation of the pos builder system , since the pos builder setup is as basic as a home pc setup . another advantage is that the pos builder system can be provided as a service or deployed within a corporation . for example , software as a service ( saas ) is a software distribution model in which applications are hosted by a vendor or service provider and made available to customers over a network , typically the internet . another advantage of this invention is that the pos builder system is maintained in customer centric databases , making it impossible for customers to see other &# 39 ; s data . each pos builder system client gets their own instance of a database . when they log into the bo they are attached to their own relational database associated and validated via their user login and password . while this invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to the preferred embodiments thereof , it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of this invention .
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the polyphenylene ether component used in the present invention is homopolymer or copolymer composed of the following repeating unit ( i ) or ( i ) and ( ii ): ## str1 ## wherein r 1 , r 2 , r 3 , r 4 , r 5 and r 6 which may be identical or different , each represents a monovalent residue such as an alkyl group of 1 - 4 carbon atoms excluding tert - butyl group , an aryl group , a halogen atom or a hydrogen atom , and r 3 and r 5 cannot be simultaneously hydrogen atom . the polyphenylene ether may be a mixture of the said homopolymer and the said copolymer , or a graft copolymer of the said polymers with styrene . the copolymer of polyphenylene ether includes polyphenylene ether copolymers mainly composed of polyphenylene ether structure which is obtained by copolymerization with o - cresol or an alkyl - substituted phenol such as 2 , 3 , 6 - trimethylphenol which is represented by the formula ( iii ): ## str2 ## wherein r 3 r 4 r 5 and r 6 each represents a monovalent residue such as an alkyl group of 1 - 4 carbon atoms excluding tert - butyl group , an aryl group , a halogen atom or a hydrogen atom , and r 3 and r 5 cannot be simultaneously hydrogen atom . preferred polyphene ether resin is poly ( 2 , 6 ,- dimethyl - l , 4 - phenylene ) ether . the styrene resins are well known in the art and are polymers or copolymers of repeating unit derived from a vinyl aromatic compound of the formula : ## str3 ## wherein r is hydrogen , lower alkyl or halogen ; y is vinyl , halogen or lower alkyl ; and n is 0 or an integer of from 1 to 5 . the term &# 34 ; lower alkyl &# 34 ; means alkyl of from 1 to 6 carbon atoms . examples of styrene resins are homopolymers such as polystyrene and polychlorostyrene , poiystyrenes modified with natural or sythetic rubber , e . g ., polybutadiene , styrene butadiene rubber , ethylene propylene copolymer rubber , ethylene butene - 1 copolymer rubber , ethylene propylene polyene terpolymer rubber , urethane rubber , natural rubber and the like ; styrene copolymers such as styrene acrylonitrile copolymer , styrene acrylate copolymers such as styrene methylmethacrylate copolymer , styrene maleic anhydride copolymer , styrene methyl styrene copolymer and the like , and blends of homopolystyrenes and copolymers of the aforementioned type . the styrene resin may be present in any amount . examples of impact strength improving polymers that may be employed in the practice of the present invention are , d ) vinyl aromatic compound grafted olefin polymers of a ), b ), and c ), e ) functionalized aforementioned olefin polymers of a ), b ), and c ) by grafting at least one unsaturated functional compound alone or in combination with vinyl aromatic compound thereto , f ) copolymers or terpolymers of ethylene and at least one unsaturated functional compound , h ) hydrogenated or nonhydrogenated block copolymers of vinyl aromatic compound and diene . polyolefins suitable for use in the practice of the present invention include high density polyethylene , low density polyethylene , linear low density polyethylene , propylene / ethylene blockcopolymer , polybutene - 1 , polyisobutylene and the like . ethylene / alpha - olefin copolymer rubbers for use in the practice of the present invention include ehylene / propylene copolymer rubber , often called epr , ethylene / butene - 1 copolymer rubber , often called ebr , and the like . ethylene / alpha - olefin / polyene terpolymer rubbers for use in the practice of the present invention include ethylene / propylene / ethylidenenorbornene terpolymer rubber , ethylene / propylene / dicyclopentadiene terpolymer rubber , ethylene / propylene / 1 , 4 - hexadiene terpolymer rubber and the like , often called epdm . examples of vinyl aromatic compound grafted olefin polymers include styrene grafted epr , styrene grafted epdm , styrene grafted ebr , and the like . functionalized olefin polymers useful for the practice of the present invention include olefin polymers described in the above a ), b ), and c ) with at least one unsaturated functional compound alone or in combination with a vinyl aromatic compound grafted thereto . the illustrative examples of the unsaturated functional compounds are acrylic acid , methacrylic acid , alkylester derivatives thereof , such as methyl ( meth ) acrylate , ethyl ( meth ) acrylate , butyl ( meth ) acrylate and the like , dicarboxylic acid or acid anhydride such as fumaric acid , maleic acid , maleic anhydride , itaconic acid and the like , acrylamide , n -( hydroxyrnethyl ) acrylamide , glycidyl derivatives of ( meth ) acrylic acid such as glycidyl ( meth ) acrylate , vinyl acetate , acrylonitrile , and the like . the illustrative examples of vinyl aromatic compounds are styrene , alpha - methyl styrene and the like . method for the grafting of an unsaturated functional compound and / or vinyl aromatic compound to the olefin polymers is not critical in the practice of the present invention and any known method in the art may be employed . melt mixing of the olefin polymers and the unsaturated functional compound and / or vinyl aromatic compound with a suitable amount of a free radical initiator may be employed . grafting of an unsaturated functional compound and / or vinyl aromatic compound under an aqueous suspension of olefin polymers with a suitable amount of a free radical initiator and a dispersing agent may also be employed . copolymers or terpolymers of ethylene and at least one unsaturated functional compound useful for the practice of the present invention include ethylene /( meth ) acrylic acid copolymer , ethylene / alkyl ( meth ) acrylate copolymer , ethylene / vinylacetate copolymer , ethylene / alkyl ( meth ) acrylate / maleic anhydride termpolymer , ethylene / alkyl ( meth ) acrylate / glycidyl ( meth ) acrylate terpolymer and the like . diene rubbers useful for the practice of the present invention include polybutadiene , styrene butadiene random copolymer , often called sbr , natural rubber , polyisoprene , and the like . hydrogenated or nonhydrogenated block copolymers of vinyl aromatic compound and diene are well known in the art . illustrative examples of the block copolymers are styrene butadiene diblockcopolymer , styrene isoprene diblock copolymer , styrene butadiene styrene triblock copolymer , styrene isoprene styrene triblock copolymer , radial teleblock copolymers of styrene and butadiene , hydrogenated products of the foregoing block copolymers and the like . the foregoing impact strength improving polymer may be used alone or in any combination of one another . examples of preferred impact strength improving polymers are functionalized ethylene alpha - olefin ( polyene ) copolymer rubbers , styrene grafted ethylene alpha - olefin ( polyene ) copolymer rubbers , styrene / unsaturated functional monomer co - grafted ethylene alpha - olefin ( polyene ) copolymer rubbers , copolymers or terpolymers of ethylene and unsaturated functional monomers , hydrogenated styrene / conjugated diene block copolymers . although the aforementioned styrene / conjugated diene block copolymers of a - b - a or a - b type wherein a is polystyrene and b is a polymer of a conjugated diene , and hydrogenated derivetives thereof , and styrene grafted polymers such as high impmact polystyrene , styrene grafted epdm , styrene grafted epr , styrene grafted ebr , and styrene / unsaturated functional monomer co - grafted epdm have good compatibility with polyphenylene ether , impact strength improving polymers other than these polymers do not exhibit very good compatibility with polyphenylene ether . if these impact strength improving polymers having lower compatibility with polyphenylene ether are to be employed , it is desirable to use compatibilizing techniques to improve the compatibility of polyphenylene ether and impact strength improving polymers having lower compatibility with polyphenylene ether . compatibilization of polyphenylene ether resin and other thermoplastics incompatible therewith has long been known in numerous patents and patent applications . ueno et al u . s . pat . no . 4 , 315 , 086 , for example , discloses compatibilized polyphenylene ether / polyamide compositions wherein the compatibilization is achieved by chemical bonding of polyphenylene ether and polyamide using a compatibilizer such as unsaturated acids and epoxy compounds . lee u . s . pat . no . 4 , 166 , 055 , for example , discloses polyphenylene ether / polyolefin composition wherein the compatibility of polyphenylene ether and polyolefin is enhanced by adding a hydrogenated styrene - butadienestyrene blockcopolymer . the term &# 34 ; chemical compatibilization &# 34 ; herein used in the present invention means chemical bonding of polyphenylene ether and other thermoplastics or elastomers using a functional compound or compounds . examples of suitable impact strength improving polymers to be chemically compatibilized with polyphenylene ether are functionalized olefin polymers and copolymers or terpolymers of ethylene and at least one unsaturated functional monomer , herein described in e ) and f ) of impact strength improving polymers . the chemical compatibilization of polyphenylene ether and an olefin polymer has also been disclosed in numerous patents and patent applications . yamauchi et al . japanese kokai patent no . sho and 63 - 105022 discloses epoxy functionalized polyphenylene ether and carboxylated polyolefin . kitagawa et al . japanese kokai patent no . sho 63 - 130660 discloses a polymer composition comprising alcoholic hydroxy functionalized polyphenylene ether and maleated polyolefin . higashiyanagi et al . japanese kokai patent no . sho 63 - 221154 discloses a polymer composition comprising maleated polyphenylene ether and styrene / 2 - hydroxy ethylacrylate co - grafted polyolefin . okabe et al . japanese kokai patent no . hei 2 - 3442 discloses a polymer composition comprising maleated polyphyenylene ether , styrene / malelic anhydride co - grafted polyolefin and paraphenylene diamine . hirose japanese kokai patent no . hei 2 - 173137 discloses a polymer composition comprising amino group containing compound grafted polyolefin and carboxylated polyphenylene ether . suitable plasticizers that may be employed in the practice of the present invention include aromatic phosphate compounds such as triphenyl phosphate ( tpp ), mineral oil , wax , n , n &# 39 ;- diphenyl hexane diamide or adipic dianilide , and the like . the following examples are set forth as further illustration of the present invention and are not to be construed as limiting the invention . seven thermoplastic compositions are prepared by blending , using a tumbler mixer , poly ( 2 , 6 - dimethyl - 1 , 4 - phenylene ) ether having a reduced viscosity of 0 . 46 dl / g ( hereinafter referred to as ppe - a ) measured at 25 ° c in a chloroform solution of 0 . 5 g / dl concentration ; high impact polystyrene ( sumitomo kagaku &# 39 ; s sumibrite m - 566 , hereinafter referred to as hips ), adipic dianilide ( ada ) if employed , carbon black ( denki kagaku &# 39 ; s acetylene black , denka black bead ®), with talc ( micron white ® 5000s made by hayashi kasei ) the formulation recipe is shown in table i wherein the ratio of the ingredients is shown in parts by weight . the resulting samples are individually extruded at a product output rate of about 30 kg / hr , using toshiba kikai &# 39 ; s tem 50 twin screw extruder at a temperature of about 330 ° c . and pelletized , and injection molded at an injection temperature of about 320 ° c . and the mold temperature of about 120 ° c . to fabricate test plates . the molded test plates are tested for their comparative physical properties and electroresistivity at room temperature . as shown in table - i , the combined use of a carbon black and a mineral filler gives the polymer compositions a lower surface resistivity as opposed to the one without a mineral filler incorporated therein . table i______________________________________ ( composition , parts by weight ) a b c d e f g______________________________________ppe - a 62 58 58 58 65 58 65hips 26 25 25 25 25 35 28ada * 7 7 7 7 -- 7 7talc 5 10 -- -- 10 -- 10wollastonite -- -- 10 -- -- -- -- mica -- -- -- 10 -- -- -- acetylene black 18 18 18 18 18 18 1 ( physical properties3 . 2 mm test plate ) tensile strength 51 51 56 50 60 62 68 (× 10 kg / cm . sup . 2 ) flexural strength 97 81 99 83 95 90 100 (× 10 kg / cm . sup . 2 ) izod impact stength 17 15 19 14 16 22 62un - notched , kg · cm / cm . sup . 2 ) surface resistivity 12 5 3 5 6 90 . sup . 10 . sup . 11 (× 10 . sup . 5 ohm ) ______________________________________ * adipic dianilide graft rubbers used in the examples herein are prepared in the following manner ; in a 100 liter stainless steel autoclave , 10 kg of epdm ( esprene ® e 502 , ethylene / propylene / ethylidene norbornene terpolymer rubber , made by sumitomo kagaku ) and 45 kg of demineralized water are fed and intensively stirred by a stirrer . while stirring , a solution of 75 grams of benzoyl peroxide in 3 . 35 kg of styrene and 0 . 2 kg of acrylonitrile , and a solution of 400 grams of polyvinyl alcohol ( gosenol gl - 05 made by nihon gosei co ., ltd .) as a dispersion stabilizer in 10 kg of demineralized water are added , in order . the mixture is stirred for one hour at a room temperature to render the impregnation of styrene , acrylonitrile and benzoyl peroxide into the epdm . then , the grafting reaction is allowed at 90 degree centigrade for 2 hours . after the reaction is over , the resulting product is filtered , washed with water and dried to obtain about 13 . 3 kg of graft rubber ( graft rubber a ). graft rubber b is prepared in the same manner as in the preparation of graft rubber a except that epdm is substituted with epr ( sumitomo kagaku &# 39 ; s esprene e - 100 ). graft rubber c is prepared in the same manner as in the preparation of graft rubber b except that acrylonitrile is substituted with methylmethacrylate . graft rubber d is prepared in the same manner as in the preparation of graft rubber c except that epr is substituted with ethylene butene - 1 copolymer rubber ( hereinafter referred to as ebr ; ebr used herein is sumitomo kagaku &# 39 ; s ethylene butene - 1 copolymer rubber having mooney viscosity of 36 measured at 121 ° c . and ethylene content of about 82 wt % and butene - 1 content of about 18 wt %) graft rubber e is prepared in the same manner as in the preparation of graft rubber d except that ebr is substituted with epdm and the quantity of the rubber , styrene and methylmethacrylale charged are changed as shown in each column of table v , and that the quantity of benzoyl peroxide is adjusted in proportion to the total quantity of , the rubber , styrene , and the functional monomer . graft rubber f is prepared in the same manner as in the preparation of graft rubber e except that methyl methacrylate is substituted with acrylonitrile , and that the ratio of styrene and acrylonitrile is changed as shown in table v . graft rubber g is prepared in the same manner as in the preparation of graft rubber f except that acrylonitrile is substituted with styrene . nine thermoplastic compositions are prepared by blending , using a tumbler mixer , poly ( 2 , 6 - dimethyl - 1 , 4 - phenylene ) ether having a reduced viscosity of 0 . 38 dl / g ( hereinafter referred to as ppe - b ) measured at 25 ° c . in a chloroform solution of 0 . 5 g / dl concentration ; triphenylphosphate ( tpp ) and / or adipic dianilide ( ada ) and / or mineral oil if employed ; acetylene black ; either talc ( micro ace x500 made by nihon talc ) or mica , with graft rubber a ; graft rubber b ; graft rubber c ; graft rubber d ; graft rubber e ; graft rubber f , or graft rubber g . the formulation recipe is shown in table ii wherein the ratio of the ingredients is shown in parts by weight . the resulting samples are individually extruded , pelletized and injection molded in the same manner as in example i . the molded test plates are tested for their comparative physical properties and electroresistivity at room temperature . table ii______________________________________ ( composition , parts by weight ) a b c d e f g h i______________________________________ppe - b 80 80 80 80 75 85 80 85 85tpp 5 5 -- -- -- -- 5 -- -- ada * -- -- 5 5 5 -- -- -- -- mineral oil 5 5 5 5 5 -- -- -- -- talc 10 10 10 -- 10 10 10 -- 10mica -- -- -- 10 -- -- -- 10 -- graft rubber a 10 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- b -- 10 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- c -- -- 10 -- -- -- -- -- -- d -- -- -- 10 -- -- -- -- -- e -- -- -- -- 15 -- -- -- -- f -- -- -- -- -- 15 -- -- -- g -- -- -- -- -- -- 15 15 15acetylene black 25 25 25 25 25 25 25 25 25 ( physical properties3 . 2 mm test plate ) tensile strength 47 47 51 50 48 43 48 46 41 (× 10 kg / cm . sup . 2 ) flexural strength 67 64 69 69 63 60 65 67 62 (× 10 kg / cm . sup . 2 ) izod impact stength 25 27 26 23 24 23 24 22 23 ( un - notched , kg · cm / cm . sup . 2 ) surface resistivity 5 7 4 6 3 6 8 6 5 (× 10 . sup . 4 ohm ) ______________________________________ * adipic dianilide preparation of chemically conpatibilized polyphenylene ether / olefin polymer composition ( hereinafter referred to as ppe - po ). 85 parts by weight of ppe - b , 0 . 1 parts by weight of peroxide , 4 parts by weight of diallylamine and 1 parts by weight of styrene , are tumbled and fed to the first feed port of toshiba kikai &# 39 ; s tem 50 twin screw extruder and 15 parts by weight of maleated ethylene propylene rubber ( epr ) having a mooney viscosity of 15 measured at 121 ° c ., and containing about 60 weight % of ethylene and 40 weight % of propylene is fed to the second feed port of the extruder and extruded at a temperature of about 330 ° c . and pelletized to obtain compatibilized ppe - polyolefin composition a . ppe - po , b is prepared in the same manner as in the preparation of ppe - po , a , except that maleated epr is substituted with maleated ethylene butene - 1 rubber ( ebr ) having a mooney viscosity of about 15 measured at 121 ° c . and containing about 30 weight % of butene - 1 and 70 weight % of ethylene . ppe - po , c is prepared in the same manner as in the preparation of ppe - po , a , except that maleated epr is substituted with ethylene - ethylacrylate - maleic anhydride terpolymer ( ato chem &# 39 ; s lotader 4700 ). ppe - po , d is prepared in the same manner as in the preparation of ppe - po , a , except that diallyl amine is substituted with maleic anhydride , and maleated epr with glicidylmethacrylate grafted epr , having a money viscosity of 15 measured at 121 ° c ., and containing about 60 weight % of ethylene and 40 weight % of propylene . ppe - po , e is prepared in the same manner as in the preparation of ppe - po , d , except that glicidylmethacrylate grafted epr is substituted with ethylene - methylacrylate - glicidylmethacrylate terpolymer having melt index measured at 190 ° c . and at 2 . 16 kg / cm 2 load , of 15 g / 10 min ., containing about 65 weight % of ethylene , about 15 weight % of methylacrylate , and about 20 weight % of glicidylmethacrylate . 85 parts by weight of maleated ppe - b and 0 . 3 parts by weight of maleic anhydride are tumbled and fed to the first feed port of toshiba kikai &# 39 ; s tem 50 twin screw extruder , and 15 parts by weight of maleated epr containing about 0 . 5 % of maleicanhydride and 1 part by weight of diaminododecane are tumbled , and fed to the second feed port of the extruder , and extruded at a temperature of about 330 ° c . and pelletized , to obtain ppe - po , f . 85 parts by weight of ppe - b and 3 parts by weight of sumitomo kagaku &# 39 ; s sumiepoxy ® escn - 195x are tumbled and fed to the first feed port of the extruder and 15 parts by weight of maleated epr was fed to the second feed port of the extruder and extruded at a temperature of about 330 ° c . and pelletized to obtain ppe - po , g . in the preparation of the above described compatibilized polyphenylene ether / olefin polymer compositions , the feed rate of the raw materials to the extruder is so adjusted to maintain the product output at about 40 kg / hr . seven thermoplastic compositions are prepared by blending , using a tumbler mixer , 10 parts by weight of either talc ( micro ace x500 ) or mica , 5 parts by weight of mineral oil , 9 parts by weight of either tpp or ada , 25 parts by weight of acetylene black , with 76 parts by weight of ppe - po , a ; ppe - po , b ; ppe - po , c ; ppe - po , d ; ppe - po , e ; ppe - po , f ; or ppe - po , g . the resulting samples are individually extruded , pelletized , injection molded in the same manner as in example - i to obtain test plates . the molded test plates are tested for their comparative physical properties and surface resistivity at room temperature . the data obtained are shown in table iii . table iii______________________________________ ( composition , parts by weight ) a b c d e f g______________________________________ppe - po , a 76 -- -- -- -- -- -- b -- 76 -- -- -- -- -- c -- -- 76 -- -- -- -- d -- -- -- 76 -- -- -- e -- -- -- -- 76 -- -- f -- -- -- -- -- 76 -- g -- -- -- -- -- -- 76tpp 9 9 -- 9 9 9 -- ada * -- -- 9 -- -- -- 9mineral oil 5 5 5 5 5 5 5talc 10 -- 10 10 -- 10 10mica -- 10 -- -- 10 -- -- acetylene black 25 25 25 25 25 25 25 ( physical properties3 . 2 mm test plate ) tensile strength (× 10 kg / cm . sup . 2 ) 43 43 48 44 43 46 49flexural strength (× 10 kg / cm . sup . 2 ) 45 48 45 46 45 55 60izod impact stength 29 25 30 27 24 29 28 ( un - notched , kg · cm / cm . sup . 2 ) surface resistivity 7 4 8 6 5 8 6 (× 10 . sup . 3 ohm ) ______________________________________ * adipic dianilide four thermoplastic compositions are prepared by blending , using a tumbler mixer , 75 parts by weight of ppe - b , 5 parts by weight of tpp , 5 parts by weight of mineral oil , 5 parts by weight of either talc ( micron white 5000s ) or wollastonite , 8 parts by weight of ketjen black ec 600jd with 10 parts by weight of kraton g 1652 , or 10 parts by weight of kraton g 1701 or a combination of 5 parts by weight of kraton g 1701 and 5 parts by weight of epr . the resulting samples are individually extruded , pelletized and injection molded in the same manner as in example - i to obtain test plates . the injection molded test plates are tested for their comparative physical properties and surface resistivity at room temperature . table iv______________________________________ ( composition , parts by weight ) a b c d______________________________________ppe - b 75 75 75 75tpp 5 5 5 5mineral oil 5 5 5 5talc 5 -- 5 -- wollastonite -- 5 -- 5kraton g 1652 10 -- -- 10kraton g 1701 -- 10 5 -- epr -- -- 5 -- ketjen black 8 8 8 8 ( physical properties3 . 2 mm test plate ) tensile strength (× 10 kg / cm . sup . 2 ) 70 65 60 71flexural strength (× 10 kg / cm . sup . 2 ) 76 67 65 70izod impact stength 28 23 20 29 ( un - notched , kg . cm / cm . sup . 2 ) surface resistivity (× 10 . sup . 5 ohm ) 3 8 5 7______________________________________ table v__________________________________________________________________________ analytical result of graft rubbersmaterial charged ethyleneethylene - olefineolefinecopolymer copolymer an . sup . ( 1 ) mma . sup . ( 2 ) species weight ( kg ) styrene an . sup . ( 1 ) mma . sup . ( 2 ) wt % wt %. sup . ( 3 ) wt %. sup . ( 3 ) __________________________________________________________________________a epdm 10 3 . 35 0 . 20 -- 75 . 3 5 . 1 -- b epr 10 3 . 35 0 . 20 -- 76 . 0 4 . 8 -- c epr 10 3 . 35 -- 0 . 20 74 . 9 -- 5 . 6d ebr 10 3 . 35 -- 0 . 20 75 . 1 -- 5 . 2e epdm 5 5 . 3 -- 0 . 50 48 . 2 -- 7 . 5f epdm 5 5 . 5 0 . 30 -- 47 . 9 4 . 8 -- g epdm 5 5 . 8 -- -- 47 . 6 -- -- __________________________________________________________________________ . sup . ( 1 ) acrylonitrile . sup . ( 2 ) methylmethacrylate . sup . ( 3 ) calculated by the formula : 100 × an ( mma )/[ an ( mma ) + styren
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the following description is provided alongside all chapters of the present invention , so as to enable any person skilled in the art to make use of said invention and sets forth the best modes contemplated by the inventor of carrying out this invention . various modifications however , will remain apparent to those skilled in the art , since the generic principles of the present invention have been defined specifically to provide a wireless communication system for tracking assets and methods thereof . in accordance with the current invention , the preferred technical solution constitutes precisely tracking a plurality of gps smart tags affixed to the movable objects of interest . the gps smart tags are wirelessly linked to a service center via a plurality of ground stations covering a tracking area . additionally , a plurality of beacon devices is disposed in the aforesaid tracking area . the beacon devices are adapted to rf transmit their id data to the smart tags situated within the beacon service area . each smart tag situated in the coverage zone of the base station is initialized under command of a service center . one method for determining the location of the smart tag comprises the following steps : ( i ) determining an approximate location of the smart tag by identifying the nearest beacon device or by triangulating the smart tag position using beacon signal measurements and ( ii ) determining a precise location of the smart tag by means of an assisted gps ( agps ) technology . the system , which is known as assisted gps or agps , uses a wireless network to provide the gps receiver with data , thereby assisting it to acquire the satellite &# 39 ; s signal . in a preferred embodiment of the invention , the system provides ephemeris data to the gps receiver , which improves the time - to - first - fix ( ttff ). the data provided to the gps receiver can be either the ephemeris data for visible satellites or , more helpfully the code phase and doppler ranges over which the gps device has to search , i . e . ‘ acquisition assistance ’. this technique improves the ttff by many orders of magnitude , thus minimizing energy consumption . agps is also used to improve the sensitivity of the gps device , thus improving the performance within buildings . by providing so called ‘ sensitivity assistance ’ ( based roughly on the estimated position of the gps receiver ) to the gps device , it is able to better correlate the signal being received from the satellite when the signal is low in strength . being provided with assisted data , the smart tag receives satellite - broadcasted signals and calculates pseudo - ranges from the tag to the satellites . after transferring data , the smart tag is restored to a cold standby condition . the calculated pseudo - range data is transferred to the service center adapted to determine a smart tag location . the term ‘ assisted gps ’ ( agps ) relates to a configuration consisting of a gps server and plurality of simple mobile gps receivers connected via a communication link . the mobile gps receivers are assisted by the gps server providing data and processing power for position measurement . the term ‘ gps smart tag ’ relates to tags consisting of a gps receiver , limited processing power and an interface to a dedicated wireless communication link . the term ‘ almanac ’ relates to coarse time information and status information about the satellites included in the primary navigation signal broadcasted by a satellite . the term ‘ ephemeris ’ relates to information that allows the receiver to calculate the position of the satellite . the term ‘ assisted data ’ relates to data generated by the service center and provided to the gps smart tag for shortening time to first fix (“ acquisition assistance ”) and increasing sensitivity (“ sensitivity assistance ”). the aforesaid data comprises at least one element selected from the group consisting of almanac , ephemeris , code phase , and doppler ranges characterizing the satellite - broadcasted signal . the term ‘ pseudo - range ’ relates to the range of each of the satellites used by a gps receiver and is calculated by the time delay of signals received from each satellite . the pseudo - range values are further used to calculate the gps receiver position by triangulation . the term ‘ pseudo random ’ relates to numbers that are generated digitally and approximate the properties of random numbers . the term ‘ radio frequency ( rf ) beacon ’ relates to a radio transmitter transmitting identification data within an area of the transmitter antenna . the term ‘ central processing server ’ relates to a central processing platform recording location data obtained from all the system smart tags in the database . the term ‘ application interface ’ ( api ) relates to user interface software running on the central processing server and the application server . the term ‘ system console ’ relates to a terminal usable for operating the system . the term ‘ receive signal strength indicator ’ refers to a circuit to measure the strength of an incoming signal . the basic circuit is designed to pick an rf signal and to generate an output equivalent to the signal strength . reference is now made to fig1 , schematically illustrating a block diagram of an agps smart tag system 100 according to an exemplary embodiment of the invention . as seen in fig1 , the system 100 comprises a service center 16 , a ground base station 18 , a beacon 32 , and a smart tag 14 adapted to releasably affix to an object of interest 12 . the ground base station 18 is connected to the service center 16 via ip network 30 . the service center 16 further comprises a central processing server 24 , a customer application server 26 connected to the central processing server 24 via a application programming interface 25 , and stationary gps receiver 22 furnished with an antenna 20 . the receiver 22 and the smart tag 14 are adapted for to receive signals broadcasted by satellites 10 a . . . 10 d via wireless communication channels 40 and 42 , respectively . the ground base station 18 is adapted to wirelessly rf - communicate with the smart tag 14 via a channel 44 . the stationary gps receiver 22 furnished with the antenna 20 is adapted for search and receive signals broadcasted by the satellites available for receiving . as seen in fig1 , the beacon device 32 has a service zone 34 . in accordance with the current invention , the smart tag 14 affixed to an object of interest 12 is situated in the service zone 34 of the beacon device 32 . the smart tag 14 is woken up by either itself when sensing predefined events ( such as motion or time elapsed ) or a command sent from the service center 16 . being woken up , for example , by the service center 16 , the smart tag 14 receives a signal from the beacon device 32 via wireless communication channel 46 . the aforesaid signal carries id data of this specific beacon 32 . the smart tag 14 measures parameters of the beacon signal and derives the beacon id data . further the beacon 32 retransmits the received beacon id and signal measurement data to the service center 16 . the beacon id data enables the service center 16 to determine an approximate location of the smart tag 14 and provide the smart tag 14 with assisted data . the aforesaid data is generated according to satellite - broadcasted signals receivable by the stationary reference gps receiver 22 . as said above , providing the smart tag 14 with assisted data enables the system 100 to reduce energy consumption due to shortening ttff ( acquisition assistance ) and more reliable reception ( sensitivity assistance ) that is very important in indoor conditions . the smart tag 14 performs signal search according to the received assisted data , receives satellite - broadcasted signals and calculates pseudo - ranges from the tag 14 to the available satellites 10 a , 10 b , 10 c , and 10 d . the calculated pseudo - ranges are transmitted to the service center 16 for further processing . the central processing server 24 is adapted to calculate a location of the smart tag 14 by means of triangulating the obtained pseudo - ranges . reduced power consumption comes about because the smart tag 14 is in standby condition and is woken up for a short time on demand . reference is now is made to fig2 , presenting a block diagram of the agps smart tag 14 . the aforesaid smart tag comprises an agps receiver 50 , an rf - transceiver 52 , a data bus 54 , a microcontroller unit 56 , a motion sensor 58 , a battery 60 , and i / o port 62 . as said above , the agps smart tag 14 is in standby condition by default . the tag is woken up by either itself when sensing predefined events ( such as motion or time elapsed ) or a command sent from the service center 16 via the wireless rf - communication channel 44 . the transceiver 52 receives a signal from the beacon device 32 via wireless communication channel 46 . the aforesaid signal carries id data of the specific beacon 32 . the microcontroller 56 measures signal parameters and derives the beacon id data . optionally , a received signal strength indicator and a phase delay or any combination thereof are measured by microcontroller 56 . further , the transceiver 52 retransmits the received beacon id and signal measurement data to the service center 16 . the beacon id data enables the service center 16 ( not shown ) to determine an approximate location of the smart tag 14 , generate the assisted data , and provide the smart tag 14 with the approximate location and the assisted data . being provided with assisted data , the agps receiver 50 searches and receives the satellite - broadcasted signals . the pseudo - random waveform received by gps receiver 50 is compared with an internally generated version of the same code with delay control , until both waveforms are synchronized . the obtained delay of internal pseudo - random form corresponding to the waveform synchronization defines the travel time of the gps signal from the satellite to the receiver 50 . the obtained delay values are provided via the data bus 54 to the microcontroller unit 56 . the delay values ( pseudo - ranges ) further are transferred to the service center 16 via an rf - communication link 44 for calculating the smart tag location . thereafter , the smart tag 14 restores to the standby condition . the smart tag 14 is a mobile battery - powered device . therefore , it is important that the suggested mode of short - time sessions of pseudo - range measurements secures a long battery service life . the smart tag 14 further comprises a motion sensor 58 enabling the service center to assist tracking the smart tag 14 outside the service area . i / o port 62 provides a connection of peripheral devices ( not shown ) to the smart tag 14 and two - way data interchange between the aforesaid device and the service center 16 . reference is now made to fig3 , schematically illustrating a block diagram of the architecture of the ground base station 18 . the aforesaid base station 18 is a ground communication unit communicating with the plurality of mobile smart tags via wireless communication links . the base station 18 comprises four independent rf transceiver modules 70 a , 70 b , 70 e , and 70 d ( rack transceiver ) operating simultaneously . the rack transceiver is required for supporting the frequency diversity mode of operation , providing the required capabilities for withstanding external interferences . microcontroller units 72 a , 72 b , 72 c , and 72 d perform management of the data stream in transceivers 70 a , 70 b , 70 e , and 70 d , respectively . a central microcontroller unit 74 is responsible for activating and controlling internal operational logic of the base station 18 . a serial port 76 connects peripheral devices to the base station 18 . as seen in fig4 , the base station 18 further comprises ethernet chipset 78 for connecting to the ethernet 30 . the base station 18 is controlled by central processing server 24 via the ethernet connection 30 . reference is now made to fig4 , presenting a block diagram of the ac / dc ( 84 )- powered beacon device 32 comprising an rf - transceiver 80 capable of transmitting beacon device id data at the predetermined frequency and time . the beacon device 32 is furnished with an attenuator 82 and the serial or usb port 76 enabling the service center to change over the air a level of emitted power and configuring and maintaining the beacon device 32 , respectively . reference is now made to fig5 , showing a flowchart of a method 300 for using a preferred embodiment of an agps system for tracking an object of interest , according to the invention . in step 200 , an agps system is provided having a smart tag . the smart tag is woken up at step 210 . the aforesaid smart tag measures rf - signals of the nearest beacon devices in - view and derives signal id data of the nearest beacon device at step 220 . the smart tag then retransmits signal measurement and id data to the service center ( step 230 ). the service center determines an approximate location of the smart tag ( step 240 ) and generates and transmits the assisted data ( step 250 ). as stated above , the assisted data provides both acquisition and sensitivity assistance . stated another way , using the assisted data shortens ttff and increases reliability of the objects location in indoor conditions . the smart tag receives the satellite - broadcasted signals at the further step 260 according the assisted data . calculating the pseudo - ranges at step 270 is based on the obtained satellite signals . the calculated pseudo - ranges are transferred to the service center at the step 280 . restoring the smart tag to the cold standby condition at the step 290 secures reduced power consumption and enhances battery life . calculating the tag location at the step 310 ends the flowchart 300 . the obtained result provides coordinates characterizing the smart tag location . thus , in accordance with the current invention , the reduction of power consumption is attained due to initializing the smart tag by the service center during determining the smart tag location and restoring the aforesaid tag to the cold standby condition after transmitting the pseudo - ranges . the preliminary determination of the approximate tag location using the beacon devices enables the service center to provide improved gps assistance by means of transmitting more precise satellite data to the smart tag .
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in the following detailed description , reference is made to the accompanying drawings , which form a part hereof , and in which is shown by way of illustration specific embodiments in which the invention may be practiced . in this regard , directional terminology , such as “ top ,” “ bottom ,” “ front ,” “ back ,” “ leading ,” “ trailing ,” etc ., is used with reference to the orientation of the figure ( s ) being described . because components of embodiments can be positioned in a number of different orientations , the directional terminology is used for purposes of illustration and is in no way limiting . it is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized and structural or logical changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention . the following detailed description , therefore , is not to be taken in a limiting sense , and the scope of the present invention is defined by the appended claims . it is to be understood that the features of the various exemplary embodiments described herein may be combined with each other , unless specifically noted otherwise . the term “ proximal ” as employed in this application means that the referenced part is situated next to or near the point of attachment or origin or a central point : as located toward a center of the human body . the term “ distal ” as employed in this application means that the referenced part is situated away from the point of attachment or origin or the central point : as located away from the center of the human body . a distal end is the furthest endmost location of a distal portion of a thing being described , whereas a proximal end is the nearest endmost location of a proximal portion of the thing being described . for example , the glans penis is located distal , and of the crus of the penis is located proximal relative to the male body such that a distal end of a corpora cavernosum of the patient extends about midway into the glans penis . multiple different tools and instruments are employed in a typical penile prosthetic implantation procedure to form a recess sized to receive the implant . in general , the fewer tools employed during a body implant procedure , the better . embodiments provide an instrument configured to prepare a penis for implantation of a penile prosthetic , where the instrument includes a dilation head that is movable longitudinally along a shaft of the instrument . the dilation head is movable to a proximal end of the shaft such that the shaft has a substantially uniform diameter that is unobstructed and thus configured for measuring a length of the corpora cavernosum . the dilation head is configured to be reversibly movable along the length of the shaft to “ core out ” and / or dilate the corpora cavernosum . thus , a single one of the instruments as described herein provides improved dilation of the corpora with improved procedural efficiency by performing the tasks of the multiple different tools and instruments typically employed in a penile prosthetic implantation procedure . fig1 is an exploded perspective view of one embodiment of an instrument 20 that is configured to prepare a penis for implantation of a penile prosthetic . the instrument 20 includes a shaft 22 , a plunger 24 that couples with and moves relative to the shaft 22 , and a dilation head 26 that couples with the plunger 24 . in one embodiment , the plunger 24 is inserted within the shaft 22 and the dilation head 26 is attached to the plunger 24 around the shaft 22 . longitudinal movement of the plunger 24 relative to the shaft 22 moves the dilation head 26 longitudinally along the shaft 22 . during use , as describe below , the plunger 24 is retracted proximally to draw the dilation head 26 toward a proximal end of the shaft 22 , which configures the shaft 22 for unobstructed insertion into a corpora cavernosa of the penis to allow the shaft 22 to measure the length of the corpora cavemosa . after the length measurement is taken , and while the shaft 22 is inserted into the corpora cavemosa , the plunger 24 is pushed proximally into the shaft 22 to pass the dilation head 26 along the shaft 22 in the distal direction . the movement of the dilation head 26 along the shaft 22 dilates the tissue in the corpora cavernosa . the dilation head 26 is removable from the shaft 22 and the plunger to allow other differently sized dilation heads 26 to be attached to the plunger 24 for selective dilation of the corpora . fig2 a is a perspective view and fig2 b is a cross - sectional view of one embodiment of the shaft 22 . in one embodiment , the shaft 22 has an exterior surface 30 that extends between a distal end 32 and a proximal end 34 and includes a first channel 36 and a second channel 38 that are formed in the exterior surface 30 . the exterior surface 30 defines an outside diameter of the shaft 22 , and in one embodiment the shaft 22 has a constant outside diameter that is suited for insertion into and measurement of a length of each corpora cavernosum . in one embodiment , the channels 36 , 38 are open channels formed from a circular arc of greater than 180 degrees , where the first channel 36 is spaced a first distance h 1 apart from the second channel 38 . in one embodiment , the shaft 22 is formed as a single monolithic shaft molded as a unit between the distal end 32 and the proximal end 34 , and a handle 40 is attached to the proximal end 34 of the shaft 22 . in one embodiment , at least a portion of the exterior surface 30 of the shaft 22 is provided with indicia 42 placed at selected intervals , for example a series of markings spaced 1 cm apart , although other spacing is also acceptable . in one embodiment , the shaft 22 is fabricated from a circular rod to include the channels 36 , 38 and a flat surface on which the indicia 42 are marked . in one embodiment , the indicia 42 are marked on the flat surface of the shaft 22 and over the exterior surface 30 . marking the indicia 42 on the flat surface minimizes the deleterious effects of glare , which can occur in the typically brightly - lighted operating rooms . fig3 a is a perspective view and fig3 b and 3c are cross - sectional views of one embodiment of the plunger 24 . in one embodiment , the plunger 24 extends between a distal end 52 and a proximal end 54 and includes a first rod 56 and a second rod 58 spaced apart from the first rod 56 , where the rods 56 , 58 extend from a handle 60 . the rods 56 , 58 are sized to slide within the channels 36 , 38 ( fig2 b ). for example , the rods 56 , 58 are formed to have a diameter that is similar to or slightly less than the diameter of the channels 36 , 38 ( in order to allow for clearance between the rods 56 , 58 and the channels 36 , 38 ). in one embodiment , the first channel 36 and the second channel 38 are open channels such that at least a portion of the first rod 56 and the second rod 58 is visibly exposed through the exterior surface 30 of the shaft 22 ( fig2 b ) when the instrument 20 is assembled . in one embodiment , the rods 56 , 58 are flexible and pre - flexed or stressed such that the distal ends 52 deflect inwardly toward each other as illustrated by the distance h 2 in fig3 c showing the distal ends 52 are more narrowly spaced apart than the distance h 1 between the rods 56 , 58 near the handle 60 ( fig3 b ). in particular , in one embodiment the rods 56 , 58 are spaced by the first distance h 1 apart near the handle 60 as illustrated in the cross - sectional view of the proximal end portion of fig3 b and the distal ends 52 of the rods 56 , 58 are tensioned ( e . g ., bent ) to flex together such they are spaced apart by a distance h 2 that is less than the distance h 1 as illustrated in the cross - sectional view of the distal end portion of fig3 c . in this manner , when the rods 56 , 58 are engaged with the channels 36 , 38 ( fig2 b ) the shaft 22 maintains the rods 56 , 58 apart , one from the other , by the distance h 1 . alternatively , when the distal ends 52 of the rods 56 , 58 extend beyond the distal end 32 of the shaft 22 ( fig2 a ) the ends 52 are unconstrained and thus flex and pinch together a distance h 2 apart . in one embodiment , the rods 56 , 58 are formed to be substantially parallel with each other , for example as illustrated by the rods of plunger 134 in fig9 . fig4 a is a side view , fig4 b is an end view , and fig4 c is a cross - sectional view of the dilation head 26 . in one embodiment , the dilation head 26 includes an exterior surface 70 having an outside diameter of d 1 and an inside surface 72 that is formed to provide a recess 74 . the dilation head 26 is attachable to the distal ends 52 of the rods 56 , 58 and its annular conformation is configured to be disposed over the shaft 22 . in one embodiment , the recess 74 is provided as an annular groove formed around the inside surface 72 of the dilation head 26 . in one embodiment , the diameter d 1 is larger than the diameter of the shaft 22 ( fig2 b ) and the inside surface 72 of the dilation head 26 includes clearance notches 76 sized to move over the rods 56 , 58 ( fig3 b ) of the assembled instrument 20 . in one embodiment , the dilation head 26 is removably attachable and re - attachable to the plunger 24 ( fig3 a ). suitable examples of mechanisms that allow the dilation head to be removed from the plunger 24 include tension latches , threads , snap fits , friction fits , and quarter - turn quick attachment mechanisms ( e . g ., post - and - slot arrangements ). in one embodiment , the instrument 20 is configured to be reusable and is fabricated from a suitable material such as a polymer . suitable polymers include polysulfone , polyetherimide , or polyester , or blends or derivatives of polysulfone , polyetherimide , or polyester . in one example , the shaft 22 , the plunger 24 , and the dilation head 26 are each fabricated from polysulfone and thus configured for disposable single surgical use . fig5 a is a cross - sectional view of the dilation head 26 disengaged from the plunger 24 . in one embodiment , the plunger 24 is longer than the shaft 22 such that the distal ends 52 of the rods 56 , 58 extend beyond the distal end 32 of the shaft 22 when the handle 60 of the plunger 24 is in contact with a handle 40 of the shaft 22 . in one embodiment , the distal ends 52 of the rods 56 , 58 combine to provide a tension latch 80 . the tension latch 80 is flexible and compresses to release from the dilation head 26 ( fig5 a ) and expands to engage with the dilation at 26 ( fig5 b ). for example , in one embodiment the tension latch 80 includes a boss 82 that extends from an exterior surface of the each of the rods 56 , 58 . the tension latch 80 is characterized in that the distal ends 52 of the rods 56 , 58 deflect inwardly together when the ends 52 of the plunger 24 extend beyond the shaft 22 , which provides clearance for the bosses 82 to pass inside the interior surface 72 of the dilation at 26 for attachment / removal of head 26 from plunger 24 . for example , and with additional reference to fig3 c , the distal ends 52 of the rods 56 , 58 deflect inwardly to a spacing of approximately h 2 , which provides clearance for the bosses 82 to enter inside the interior surface 72 of the dilation head 26 . that is to say , the inside diameter of the inside surface 72 is about equal to the distance h 1 plus twice the diameter of one of the proximal portion of the rods 56 , 58 . fig5 b is a cross - sectional view of the dilation head 26 attached to and engaged with the plunger 24 . when the dilation head 26 is placed over the compressed distal ends 52 of the rods 56 , 58 ( fig5 a ) and the plunger 24 is retracted such that the ends 52 no longer extend beyond the shaft 22 , then the bosses 82 of the tension latch 80 are forced outward to engage with the recess 74 of the dilation head 26 . in this manner , a removable dilation head 26 is provided for the instrument 20 , which allows the surgeon to select differently sized dilation heads 26 to selectively dilate the corpora of the penis to a desired diameter , as described below . the plunger 24 is movable longitudinally relative to the shaft 22 . movement of the plunger 24 back and forth relative to the shaft 22 moves the dilation head 26 longitudinally back and forth along the shaft 22 . in one embodiment , the handle 40 attached to the shaft 22 is separated from the handle 60 attached to the plunger 24 when the distal ends 52 of the plunger 24 are located between the distal end 32 and a proximal end 30 of the shaft 22 . fig6 is an end view of the instrument 20 . the plunger 24 is engaged with the shaft and 22 such that the rods 56 , 58 are engaged with the channels 36 , 38 formed in the shaft 22 . the dilation head 26 is attached to the rods 56 , 58 of the plunger 24 such that the dilation head 26 is disposed around the shaft 22 . fig7 a is a schematic view of one embodiment of a penis p prepared for implantation of a penile prosthetic showing the instrument 20 a in a corpora measurement configuration and fig7 b is a cross - sectional view of the corpora c 1 and c 2 of the penis p . while the penile prosthetic is not shown , it would typically include a pair of inflatable cylinders , a reservoir , and a pump employed to transfer fluid to / from the reservoir , where the instrument 20 is employed to dilate the corpora for insertion of the cylinders . the penis p is reclined against the torso such that the urethra u , surrounded by corpus spongiosum tissue , is oriented upward . the penis p has been incised to expose the corpora cavernosa ( c 1 and c 2 ) and the instrument 20 a has the dilation head 26 fully retracted proximally to allow the shaft 22 to measure the length of each of the corpora cavernosum ( c 1 or c 2 ). in the corpora measurement configuration , the entire distal portion of the shaft 22 is unobstructed from the dilation head 26 . the groin area 100 of the patient is shaved , cleaned and suitably prepped with a surgical solution prior to draping with a sterile drape as directed by the healthcare provider &# 39 ; s procedures . a retraction device , such as a retractor 102 sold under the trademark lone star and available from lone star medical products of stafford , tex ., is placed around the penis p if so desired by the surgeon to establish a surgically clean field . a catheter 103 is inserted into the urethra u from the distal end 104 of the penis p . thereafter , the surgeon forms an incision to access the corpora cavernosa c 1 and c 2 of the penis . suitable examples of incisions include either an infrapubic incision or a transverse scrotal incision . the infrapubic incision is initiated between the umbilicus and the penis ( i . e ., above the penis ), whereas the transverse scrotal incision is made across an upper portion of the patient &# 39 ; s scrotum sc . as an example of the transverse scrotal approach , with reference to fig7 b , the surgeon forms a 2 - 3 cm transverse incision through the subcutaneous tissue of the median raphe of the upper scrotum sc and dissects down through the darto &# 39 ; s fascia df and buck &# 39 ; s fascia bf to expose the tunicae albuginea ta of the penis p . thereafter , each corpora cavernosum c 1 and c 2 is exposed in a corporotomy where a small ( approximately 1 . 5 cm ) incision is formed to allow the surgeon to access and subsequently dilate the corpora cavernosa c 1 and c 2 . with reference to both fig7 a and 7b , the surgeon typically will insert a blunt - ended scissors or other elongated tool to separate a portion of the spongiosum material to open a pathway for the instrument 20 a . the surgeon inserts the shaft 22 ( instrument 20 a ) into the corpora cavernosa c 1 and c 2 to measure the proximal and distal length of each corpora cavernosum c 1 and c 2 . for example , the shaft 22 is inserted into one of the corpora cavernosa c 1 or c 2 forward in the distal penis toward the glans penis , the distal measurement is recorded by reading the indicia 42 , and the shaft 22 is inserted into the same corpora cavernosa c 1 or c 2 rearward in the proximal penis toward the crus of the penis to record the proximal length of the corpora by reading the indicia 42 . the distal and proximal measurements would typically be made in reference to a “ stay stitch ” temporarily placed in the incision . the sum of the distal and the proximal measurements represent the length of the corpora into which the implant is placed . this procedure is repeated for the other of the corpora cavernosa c 1 or c 2 to measure the length of the companion corpora . thereafter , each corpora cavernosum c 1 and c 2 is dilated distally and proximally with the instrument 20 . fig8 a and 8b illustrate the instrument 20 in the dilation configurations with the dilation head 26 moved midway along the shaft 22 ( fig8 a ) and the dilation head 26 moved to the distal end of the shaft ( fig8 b ). in one exemplary approach , the surgeon begins dilation of the distal and proximal corpora cavernosum c 1 and c 2 by introducing a dilation head 26 having an 8 mm outside diameter ( d 1 in fig4 a ) into the spongy tissue of one of the corpora c 1 or c 2 . the plunger 24 is moved into the shaft 22 to move the dilation head 26 from a proximal location ( instrument 20 a in fig7 a ) to a distal location ( instrument 20 c ) to open the spongy tissue of the corpora along the length of the penis p . the plunger 24 is withdrawn proximally with the shaft 22 remaining in the penis p , and if the surgeon determines it to be desirable , once again advances the dilation head 26 distally and longitudinally along the shaft 22 to fully dilate the tissue of the corpora . thereafter , the surgeon may optionally remove the instrument 20 from the penis p , remove the 8 mm dilation head , for example , and attach a larger diameter dilation head 26 to the plunger 24 , and insert the newly configured tool 20 into the penis p to sequentially dilate the corpora cavernosum c 1 and c 2 to a width that accommodates the selected cylinder diameter of the implant . in another exemplary approach , the surgeon may choose to dilate the distal and proximal corpora by a single introduction of a dilation head having a 14 mm outside diameter . alternatively , the surgeon may choose to sequentially dilate the corpora with a series of dilation heads 26 having an outside diameter ranging from 8 mm to 10 mm to 12 mm and outward to 14 mm in diameter , in the manner described above . other dilation heads 26 wider than 14 mm are also within the scope of this disclosure . in any regard , the dilation head 26 is introduced and pushed distally toward the glans penis and proximally toward the crus of the penis to dilate each of the corpora cavernosum c 1 and c 2 along its length . after dilation of the corpora cavernosum c 1 and c 2 , the surgeon selects a proper length of implant and proceeds with placement of cylinders of the implant within the fully dilated corpora . fig9 is a cross - sectional view of an instrument system 120 including a set 122 of dilation heads 26 , each removably attachable to the tension latch 80 of the plunger 24 . in one embodiment , the set 122 of dilation heads includes multiple dilation heads 26 a , 26 b , 26 c each having a different diameter , where each dilation head 26 a , 26 b , 26 c is configured to couple to the distal ends 52 of the plunger 24 . in one embodiment , the instrument 20 ( fig1 ) and the set 122 of dilation heads are provided as a kit of parts . in one embodiment , dilation head 26 a is provided with an outside diameter d 1 , dilation head 26 b is provided with an outside diameter d 2 , and dilation head 26 c is provided with an outside diameter d 3 , where d 3 is greater than d 2 , and d 2 is greater than d 1 . as an example , in one embodiment the diameter d 1 is about 8 mm , the diameter d 2 is about 10 mm , and a diameter d 3 is about 12 mm . it is to be understood that the set 122 of dilation heads 26 could be provided with diameters ranging from 6 mm to 18 mm or more , in increments of about 2 mm , for example , depending upon the patient size or surgeon preference . each of the dilation heads 26 a , 26 b , 26 c is provided with a recess 74 that is configured to couple with the bosses 82 of the tension latch 80 . during use , the surgeon would initially measure the length of the corpora cavernosa c 1 and c 2 with the shaft 22 , dilate the distal and proximal corpora cavernosa c 1 and c 2 ( fig7 b ) in the range of d 1 with the dilation head 26 a , remove the dilation head 26 a and attach the larger diameter d 2 of the dilation head 26 b to the plunger 24 , dilate the distal and proximal corpora cavernosa c 1 and c 2 in the range of d 2 , and remove the dilation head 26 b and attach the even larger diameter of the dilation head 26 c to the plunger 24 to sequentially and fully dilate the distal and proximal corpora cavernosa c 1 and c 2 of the penis p in the range of d 3 . fig1 is a cross - sectional view of one embodiment of an instrument 130 that is configured to prepare a penis for implantation of a penile prosthetic and including a dilation head 136 threaded onto a distal end of a plunger 134 . the instrument 130 includes a shaft 132 that supports the plunger 134 in a manner similar to that described above for instrument 20 . in one embodiment , the distal end of the plunger 134 is threaded to receive threads formed on an inside surface of the dilation head 136 . in this manner , the dilation head 136 is removable from the distal end of the plunger 134 in a twist - on and twist - off approach . as described above in fig8 , one embodiment of instrument 130 includes a set of dilation heads , where each dilation head is removably attachable to the plunger 134 to allow the surgeon to sequentially dilate the corpora cavernosa to an increasingly larger diameter . embodiments provide an instrument that is configured to prepare a penis for implantation of a penile prosthetic , where the instrument includes a shaft suited for measuring a length of the corpora cavernosum and a dilation head that is movable longitudinally along the shaft of the instrument to dilate the corpora cavernosum . thus , a single instrument is provided that has improved cost effectiveness and procedural efficiency over the prior tools , and is suited to measure and dilate the corpora cavernosum of the penis . although specific embodiments have been illustrated and described herein , it will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art that a variety of alternate and / or equivalent implementations may be substituted for the specific embodiments shown and described without departing from the scope of the present invention . this application is intended to cover any adaptations or variations of medical devices as discussed herein . therefore , it is intended that this invention be limited only by the claims and the equivalents thereof .
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referring now to the figures , in which like reference numerals and names refer to structurally and / or functionally similar elements thereof , fig1 shows an isometric view of a cube - shaped dobie . referring now to fig1 , cube - shaped dobie 100 has a dimension a on all three sides that are essentially equal . the trays that have the cavities that produce cube - shaped dobies 100 are made with a slight draft ( slope ) from top to bottom ( larger at the top of the tray , and narrower at the bottom of the tray ) so that the trays will nest and stack for shipping and so that the cube - shaped dobies 100 will easily release from the tray once cured . the draft of the cavities is typical to all dobie types manufactured with this present approach . fig2 shows an isometric view of a pan or multi - use dobie . referring now to fig2 , the dimensions a , b , and c of pan or multi - use dobie 200 may all be different . fig3 a and 3b show a top and front view of a pool / euro dobie . referring now to fig3 a and 3b , pool / euro dobie 300 is similar to pan or multi - use dobie 200 ( fig2 ) in that it has three different side dimensions . it has concave sides on two sides and a central tapered hole for tie wire insertion . the central hole allows for pool / euro dobie 300 to be tie wired to the reinforcement that it is supporting while the concave sides help to insure that , once tied , pool / euro dobie 300 will not rotate about the tapered hole and allow the support dimension to change . the tapered tie wire hole may be utilized with any of the dobie types described herein . other types of securing appliances besides tie wire , such as metal or plastic clips , or springs , may be compatible with the central holes . in another embodiment , securing appliances such as steel tie wire , metal or plastic clips , or springs for securing the reinforcement to the dobie can be embedded into the devices by affixing the securing appliances to the tray cavities prior to filing the tray cavities with grout , with the top portion of the securing appliances extending above the top surface of the tray . thus , once cured , the securing appliances are securely embedded in each dobie , eliminating the step of securing the securing appliances to the dobies after they have cured . this approach may be utilized with any of the dobie styles described herein . a recess may be formed in the bottom of each cavity which supports the securing appliances in a vertical position while the grout is poured into the cavities . the securing appliances in one embodiment may be inserted from the bottom of the tray and then positioned to extend above the top surface of the tray . fig4 a , 4 b , and 4 c show a top , front , and right side view of a legged pool / euro dobie . referring now to fig4 a , 4 b , and 4 c , legged pool / euro dobie 400 is similar to pool / euro dobie 300 ( see fig3 a and 3b ) with the addition of four legs 402 on the bottom face . legs 402 allow legged pool / euro dobie 400 to be used on a surface that will be exposed to view after removal of the forms . legs 402 allow concrete , when it is being poured , to fill in under legged pool / euro dobie 400 and conceal it from view . only the contact points of legs 402 on the casting face are visible . if legged pool / euro dobie 400 is made out of grout similar in color and texture to the concrete ; the contact points of legs 402 would be nearly indistinguishable from the poured concrete . fig5 a , 5 b , and 5 c show a front , right , and isometric view of a dobie that is a frustum of a pyramid . referring now to fig5 a , 5 b , and 5 c , pyramid dobie 500 optimizes the use of material by eliminating unnecessary material and is therefore lighter in weight . pyramid dobie 500 can be made with or without slot 502 in the top , which positions and supports the reinforcement , such as rebar . pyramid dobie 500 may also have a central tapered hole for tie wire insertion . ( see fig3 a , 3 b , 4 a , 4 b , and 4 c ). fig6 a , 6 b , and 6 c show a front , top , and isometric view of a dobie that is a frustum of a right circular cone . referring now to fig6 a , 6 b , and 6 c , cone dobie 600 , like pyramid dobie 500 ( see fig5 a , 5 b , and 5 c ) also optimizes the use of material by eliminating unnecessary material and therefore is lighter in weight . cone dobie 600 may also be made with or without slot 602 in the top to position and support the reinforcement . cone dobie 600 may also have a central tapered hole for tie wire insertion . ( see fig3 a , 3 b , 4 a , 4 b , and 4 c ). fig7 a and 7b show a front and top view of a tri - legged dobie . referring now to fig7 a and 7b , tri - legged dobie 700 has three legs 702 and is similar to legged pool / euro dobie 400 . ( see fig4 a , 4 b , and 4 c ). the tri - legged shape optimizes the use of material . it also reduces the area under tri - legged dobie 700 that the poured concrete has to fill to conceal tri - legged dobie 700 on an exposed to view surface . the tri - legged shape also allows tri - legged dobie 700 to be stable on an irregular or uneven surface commonly encountered in the manufacture of architectural concrete products . fig8 a and 8b show a front and top view of a cube dobie having a reinforcement securing clip . referring now to fig8 a and 8b , cube dobie 800 has a pair of voids 802 that are shaped in a frustum of a pyramid . within voids 802 are interior offsets 804 in the outboard interior walls . interior offsets 804 provide anchorage for a steel , plastic or wire spring - clip 806 that is placed over the top of the reinforcement 808 ( not shown in fig8 b ), inserted into the top of voids 802 and allowed to spring outward against interior offsets 804 in the outboard walls of voids 802 . interior offsets 804 retain the bent ends 810 of spring - clip 806 , thus preventing it from coming out of voids 802 of cube dobie 800 . spring - clip 806 may be used with any of the dobie types described herein that are featured with voids and interior offsets similar to voids 802 and interior offsets 804 . fig9 shows an isometric view of a typical dobie tray . referring now to fig9 , dobie tray 900 has a plurality of cavities 902 formed into the tray that can be quickly and efficiently filled with grout to form a plurality of dobies . edges 904 of the tray have a vertical rise , and then slope down to a top surface of dobie tray 900 at an angle , typically 45 °, but the angle could be more or less than 45 °. when dobie tray 900 is placed into a box ( see fig1 ) for filling cavities 902 with grout , the edges 904 of dobie tray 900 form a seal against the sides of the box and substantially prevent the fluidic grout from running into the bottom of the box or into a lower tray already placed and filled in the box . dobie tray 900 has a first lip 906 adjacent to a second lip 908 , the function of which is explained in reference to fig1 a , 10 b , and 10 c . fig1 a , 10 b , and 10 c show a top view of a first dobie tray oriented in a first position , a top view of a second dobie tray oriented in a second position for stacking purposes , and a cross section view of several dobie trays stacked on top of each other in the alternating first and second positions . referring now to fig1 a , a first dobie tray 1000 has a plurality of cavities 1002 and a first lip 1006 adjacent to a second lip 1008 . first dobie tray 1000 is placed in the bottom of a box ( see fig1 ) and its cavities 1002 are filled with grout . referring now to fig1 b , a second dobie tray 1010 having a plurality of cavities 1012 and a first lip 1016 adjacent to a second lip 1018 is placed on top of first dobie tray 1000 in the box oriented in the position shown , which is rotated 180 ° in relation to that of first dobie tray 1000 . first dobie tray 1000 and second dobie tray 1010 are identical to each other , being made from the same form or mold in the manufacturing process . fig1 c shows a cross section view of several dobie trays stacked on top of each other when viewed along line 10 c in fig1 b . due to the first and second lips of each dobie tray , when the dobie trays are stacked in the 180 ° rotated position relative to each other , the cavities in each dobie tray are offset by a distance equal to one - half of the width and length of the cavities as shown in fig1 c . as successive dobie trays are put into the box for filling , they are rotated 180 ° so that the intersecting walls of a lower tray support the centers of the cavities of the dobie tray immediately above it . this helps to prevent marring or damage to the dobies in a lower tray during the filling of an upper tray . fig1 c shows another first dobie tray 1000 and another second dobie tray 1010 stacked on top of the first two dobie trays 1000 and 1010 . the stacking ( with alternating rotated positions ) and filling process is repeated until the box is filled with dobie trays . boxes may be designed to hold differing numbers of dobie trays based upon practical considerations , such as weight , size , and ease of handling . once the box is filled , the box is closed up and sealed , and the grout is allowed to cure for an appropriate period of time . though first dobie tray 1000 and second dobie tray 1010 are shown as being square , one skilled in the art will recognize that a rectangular shape , with two adjacent lips , would also accomplish the same functionality as the square shape when a first rectangular dobie tray is overlaid with a second rectangular dobie tray rotated 180 ° in respect to the first rectangular dobie tray . the cavities in each rectangular dobie tray are offset by a distance equal to one - half of the width and length of the cavities . the boxes for the rectangular dobie trays would therefore have to be rectangular as well and sized to fit the rectangular dobie trays snugly on all four sides . one skilled in the art will also recognize that a rectangular dobie tray with only one lip , and over laid with an identical rectangular dobie tray with one lip rotated 180 ° in respect to the lower tray , would result in an offset of the cavities only in one direction ( length only or width only depending upon what side the lip is located ), and not two , which is not as optimal as having two lips on the dobie trays . dobie trays 1000 / 1010 may also have a plurality of spacing pins 1014 located at the intersection of the walls of the plurality of cavities 1002 / 1012 of dobie trays 1000 / 1010 to support the plurality of cavities of an upper tray . spacing pins 1014 are formed into the trays . trays may or may not have spacing pins 1014 , and spacing pins 1014 may not be located on every intersection of the walls of the cavities , but separated from each other on every - other wall intersection , as shown in fig1 c , or a greater spacing as desired . spacing pins 1014 not only support an upper tray but may also help to insure that a set of dobie trays within a box ( see fig1 ) completely fill the inside height of the box . this allows for a given box depth to be utilized with a variety of dobie types . it is desirable for the dobie trays to fill the boxes to the top so that when boxes are stacked one atop the other , the lower boxes are not crushed or buckled by the weight of the upper boxes and made to look unsightly . if boxes do collapse or crush slightly , when stacked , it typically does not affect or damage the dobies within the boxes due to the structural support supplied by each individual dobie tray . fig1 shows a section view through a box with one dobie tray inserted inside . referring now to fig1 , dobie tray 1100 is placed in the bottom of box 1110 . edges 1104 , typically having a slope of 45 °, fit snugly against the interior walls 1106 of box 1110 forming a seal such that any grout that is sprayed on the interior walls 1106 will run down and be deflected by the 45 ° slope into one or more of the plurality of cavities 1102 that are located along the perimeter of dobie tray 1100 . as described above , dobie tray 1100 may also have a plurality of spacing pins 1108 located at the intersection of the walls of the plurality of cavities 1102 of dobie tray 1100 to support the plurality of cavities of an upper tray . fig1 shows a flow chart of a general method for manufacturing dobies according to the present invention . referring now to fig1 , the manufacturing process 1200 begins with step 1202 where a first empty dobie tray is placed in the bottom of a first box sized so that the angled edges of the dobie tray contact the interior walls of the box . the box is typically placed on a pallet at or near the work site or the point of sale so that after curing , the pallet with multiple boxes is where the dobies will be used , or can be conveniently moved closer to where the dobies will actually be used . in step 1204 the cavities in the first empty dobie tray are filled with grout utilizing a grout mixing and pumping machine . one example of a grout mixing and pumping machine is the utiform quattro continuous mixing grouting system available from chemgrout , inc ., 805 e . 31 st street , lagrange park , ill . 60526 . other grout mixing and pumping machines are available from other suppliers and may be suitably used for the method described herein . in step 1206 it is determined if the box has been filled to the top with dobie trays . if not , then the method returns to step 1202 where a next empty dobie tray is positioned on top of the already placed and filled dobie tray . as described above in relation to fig1 a , 10 b , and 10 c , the dobie tray currently being placed is rotated 180 ° in relation to the already placed and filled dobie tray so that the intersecting walls of the already placed and filled dobie tray support the centers of the cavities of the dobie tray currently being placed . steps 1202 and 1204 are repeated until the box is full , as determined in step 1206 . once the box is full of dobie trays that have been filled with grout , in step 1208 the box is closed up and sealed . step 1210 determines if there are more boxes on the pallet to be filled with dobie trays . if yes , then the method returns to step 1202 where a next empty dobie tray is positioned in the bottom of the next box . steps 1202 through 1208 are repeated until all the boxes on the pallet have been filled and sealed , as determined in step 1210 . after all the boxes on the pallet have been filled and sealed , the grout is allowed to cure in step 1212 . the cure time will vary depending upon the type of grout . a cure time of about seven days is required before the dobies can be shipped . approximately 28 days is required for full curing . after curing , in step 1214 the boxes are opened and the dobie trays are removed . the individual dobies are then removed from the cavities and are ready to be used . one skilled in the art will recognize that many modifications to the above described method may be employed . for example , all the boxes that will fit on the pallet in a first layer may be placed on the pallet , and then , an empty dobie tray may be placed in each empty box . the dobie trays are filled with grout , and then a next dobie tray is placed in each of the boxes on top of the filled dobie trays . these new empty dobie trays are filled , and next dobie trays are added . this process is repeated until the boxes are full . the boxes are then sealed , and a next layer of boxes , if desired , can be placed on top of the first layer of boxes . the entire process above is then repeated until this new layer of boxes are filled with grout - filled dobie trays and the boxes are sealed . the entire process repeats again if another layer of boxes is desired . there are many other possible dobie types , configurations , and appliances that may be developed in conjunction with the above described manufacturing method . the dobie types , dimensions , and methods described above are in no way intended to describe the full scope of the capabilities of the method nor limit this disclosure to the specific contents and embodiments shown . although the subject matter has been described in language specific to structural features and / or methodological acts , it is to be understood that the subject matter defined in the appended claims is not necessarily limited to the specific features or acts described above . rather , the specific features and acts described above are disclosed as example forms of implementing the claims . it will be understood by those skilled in the art that many changes in construction and widely differing embodiments and applications will suggest themselves without departing from the scope of the disclosed subject matter .
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the apparatus 10 shown in the drawings includes a carrier body 11 which may advantageously comprise a rear section 11a and a front section 11b joined together as by a fastener or fasteners 12 , or by a bonding agent at parting plane 13 . the two sections preferably consist of insulative material such as a suitable plastic . a row of needles 14 is carried by the body , the needles typically extending in a vertical row as shown , and defining a vertical plane 15 which is perpendicular to the sheet in fig2 . a photographic film strip 16 is shown being transported to the right in fig2 perpendicular to and through plane 15 . one means to support the film strip is shown to comprise rollers 17 , although other supports or holders for the transported film may be used , and associated with apparatus 10 . the tips 14a of the needles are exposed within a vertically elongated recess 18 sunk in body section 11b , the recess depth &# 34 ; t &# 34 ; from front face 19 being less than the thickness of section 11b . the recess width &# 34 ; w &# 34 ; is preferably sufficiently narrow that a user &# 39 ; s finger placed against the front face 19 and over the recess does not protrude into the recess far enough to contact any of the neeldes . this safety feature reduces electrical shocking by the needles , to which high voltage ( between 3 , 500 and 5 , 500 volts ) is normally applied . at the same time , no screen is then needed to cover the recess . such a screen would interfere with the outward flow of air ( or other gas ) and ions required to treat , i . e . electrically neutralize , the film 16 . the width &# 34 ; w &# 34 ; is less than 10 mm , for best results , and preferably about 7 mm . depth &# 34 ; t &# 34 ; may be about 2 to 3 mm . for simplicity , the needles are carried by the other body section 11a , and are typically embedded in the plastic material of that section as shown . structure on the carrier defines a line or row of orifices 20 through which the ends of the needles projects , and typically through thinned wall portion 21 of section 11b inwardly of recess 18 . note that the ends of the needles are very close to recess bottom wall 22 , i . e . they do not project deeply into recess 18 . the diameter of the orifices is typically less than 0 . 5 mm , and preferably about 0 . 2 to 0 . 4 mm . the needles also project within a cavity 25 sunk in the body section 11a , and a length greater than the length of recess 18 . accordingly , the metallic , electrically conductive needles can easily be joined to a bus wire 26 , as at locations 27 in the cavity . wire 26 , sheathed at 26a , extends through the wall of section 11a , and supplied with high voltage from a source 28 , via cable 29 and resistor 30 , which may be varied , as indicated . it has been observed that the use of resistor array 30 produces voltage spikes which enhance performance . in addition , means is provided to supply pressurized gas , such as air or nitrogen to cavity 25 . a source of such air flow is indicated at 32 , connected as via flexible tubing 33 to port 34 in body 11 . such pressurized air in the cavity jets from the orifices 20 in well defined streams which are vertically spaced apart , recess 18 also aiding this shaping of the sharp lateral air flow streams to have an &# 34 ; air knife &# 34 ; effect , thereby to sweep opposite sides of the film strip as is clear from fig1 . the high voltage applied to the needles results in the production of ions which are carried by the air streams to sweep against the opposite sides of the film , and also to zones 60 and 61 above and below the film strip , neutralizing static on the film and also sweeping dust off the film surfaces , the amount of air and quantity of ions being such as to achieve this purpose . in this regard , best results are achieved when the peak voltage above zero applied to the needles is between 3 , 500 and 5 , 500 volts . the voltage at the output of source 28 may be at a higher level ( as for example 12 , 000 volts ) which is then reduced by a resistor or staggered array of resistors 30 . the latter may be variable or varied to allow &# 34 ; tuning &# 34 ; of the voltage at the needles , for optimized performance . one usuable voltage source is described in u . s . pat . no . 3 , 308 , 344 although others may be used , including an ac source . the polarity of the voltage may also be changed or alternated between positive and negative as by appropriate circuitry , indicated for example at 28a . the polarity change may be at 60 cycles per second , for very good results . the location of the resistor or resistors should be close to the needles , for best results . power supply 28a may be remote from the body 11 and from the resistors . as is clear from fig1 if the film plane intersects the mid - portion of recess 18 , the down pressure of air jets above the film is balanced by the up - pressure of air jets below the film , whereby the film strip is not substantially deflected , and need not be supported near the zones 60 and 61 . for best results , the air of gas pressure supplied to the plenum cavity 25 is above 25 psi . positive or negative ions may be produced by the needles , as determined by the selected polarity of the voltage source output .
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first , the present invention will be described with reference to the embodiment shown in fig1 to 3 . indicated at 1 is the main body of a refrigerator having an inner case 2 and an outer case 3 , with an expanded heat insulator 4 filled in the space therebetween . the interior of the main body 1 is separated by a partition 5 to provide a freezer compartment 6 in the upper portion and a refrigerator compartment 7 in the lower portion . the freezer compartment 6 and the refrigerator compartment 7 have doors 8 and 9 , respectively , for openably closing their front openings . the refrigerator has a cooling device 10 disposed above a frost water receptacle 11 within the partition 5 , an electric fan 12 disposed in the rear of the cooling device for forcedly circulating cold air through the two compartments 6 and 7 , a compressor 13 disposed in a machine chamber 14 at a lower rear portion of the main body 1 , and an evaporator tray 15 provided above the compressor 13 for evaporating the water resulting from defrosting , utilizing the heat released from the compressor 13 . the compressor 13 , a condenser 17 , a capillary tube 18 serving as an expansion valve , the cooling device 10 serving as an evaporator and the compressor 13 are interconnected in a loop form in the order mentioned by a refrigerating cycle 16 incorporating a refrigerant . cold air is circulated through the refrigerator compartment 7 and the freezer compartment 6 through a cold air circulation channel 19 . the cooling device 10 has the following construction . tubes ( or pipes ) 11a , 12a of copper or like material having high thermal conductivity are provided , over the entire periphery thereof , with radial spine fins 11b , 12b of aluminum material to form spine fin tubes 10 &# 39 ;, 10 &# 34 ;, which are helically wound into a tubular form . the spine fin tube 10 &# 39 ; is positioned upstream ( the flow of cold air is indicated by arrows a in fig1 ) from the other spine fin tube 10 &# 34 ; in parallel therewith and in opposite relation thereto in respect of the direction of helix . the tubes 10 &# 39 ;, 10 &# 34 ; are interconnected by a pipe 13c of the same material as the tubes 11a , 12a . thus , the cold obtained by evaporation of the refrigerant is delivered to air through the spine fins on the entire peripheral surfaces of the tubes . moreover , since air flows through the cooling device 10 in bent streams as indicated by arrows b1 and b2 , air effectively comes into contact with the fin tubes to be fully cooled by the device . the pitch of helix p1 of the spine tube 10 &# 39 ; in the upstream position is larger than the pitch of helix p2 of the spine tube 10 &# 34 ; in the downstream position . ( for example , p1 = and p2 = 41 mm ). accordingly frosting occurs uniformly over the entire device to preclude uneven flow of cold air , whereby an increased cooling efficiency can be achieved by the device . the fins 11b , 12b are attached to the tubes 11a , 12a ( for example , 9 . 0 mm in outside diameter and 8 . 0 mm in inside diameter ) by the following method . first , a thin aluminum strip ( 24 . 0 mm in width and 0 . 2 mm in thickness ) is bent into a channel form having elongated opposed pieces ( 11 . 0 mm in length ) and an interconnecting portion ( 2 . 0 mm in length ) of the opposed pieces , and incisions are formed in the opposed pieces at a small spacing ( 0 . 8 mm ) to provide spines . the bent strip formed with the spine fins is then wound around the tube , with the outer surface of the interconnecting portion in intimate contact with the surface of the tube ( see , for example , u . s . pat . no . 3 , 134 , 166 ). the spine fin tube thus obtained is helically wound by the method to be described below with reference to fig4 ( a ) and ( b ). a jig 29 for helically bending a spine fin tube 26 has an outside diameter d2 ( 8 . 0 mm ) slightly smaller than the inside diameter d1 ( 9 . 0 mm ) of the tube 26 by an amount for forming a suitable clearance . the jig extends substantially straight and has a forward end 29a which has a curve ( indicated by an arrow a ) corresponding to the curve of the helix and a twist ( indicated by an arrow b ) corresponding to the pitch p of helix . the straight portion of the jig 29 is inserted through the tube 26 , and a fixing jig 30 is then secured to the exposed portion 29b of the jig 29 to thereby fixedly support the jig 29 . a feeding member 31 is thereafter sliding moved on the jig 29 in the direction of arrow c by a feeder ( not shown ). consequently the tube 26 is pushed forwardly of the jig 29 by the feeding member 31 . when the tube 26 passes over the forward end 29a of the jig 29 , the tube is helically bent in conformity with the curve ( of arrow a ) and , at the same time , bent inconformity with the twist ( of arrow b ) so as to have the pitch p . thus the tube is helically bent as desired . in this way , the spine fin tube can be easily formed into a helix without causing damage to the spine fins on its entire peripheral surface , by utilizing the internal space of the tube , i . e . by inserting the jig through the tube . when a spine fin tube is to be helically wound , it is usually necessary to apply an external force thereto , but the spine fins , which have very low rigidity , then inevitably become deformed , failing to perform the comtemplated function . to avoid this problem , it was therefore necessary to provided spine fins limitedly on a portion of the surface of the tube as is the case with the cooling device disclosed in the aforementioned u . s . pat . no . 3 , 766 , 976 . however , the problem has been overcome by the forming method of the invention wherein the internal space of the tube is utilized . the embodiment shown in fig5 and 6 will now be described . the cooling device 100 , like the one shown in fig1 to 3 , is provided in a suitable portion of the cold air circulation channel . however , the second embodiment differs from the first in that it has a defrosting electric pipe heater . a spine fin tube 120 is made of copper , aluminum or like metal having relatively high thermal conductivity and is in the form of a helix having a pitch p and an inside diameter d1 as specified . a pipe heater 123 comprises a heater wire 124 covered with an insulator and inserted in a metal pipe 125 , which is completely sealed off at its opposite ends with rubber or like elastic member 126 . the outside diameter d2 ( 9 . 0 mm ) of the heater is slightly larger than the inside diameter d1 ( 8 . 0 mm ) of the helix , i . e . through bore , of the spine fin tube 120 . the pipe heater 123 , as inserted in the interior of the helix of the tube 120 , is resiliently supported by spine fins 122 . the metal pipe 125 of the heater 123 is made of copper , aluminum or like material having high thermal conductivity . accordingly the heat of the metal pipe 125 rapidly diffuses through the spine fins 122 . the present embodiment has the same dimensions as the embodiment of fig1 . indicated at 127 in fig5 is a portion for interconnecting two opposed tubes . the connecting portion has no spine fins . this renders the metal pipe 125 easily insertable through the two tubes in the direction of arrow shown . indicated at 128 is a flat pipe portion which is suitable for mounting a defrosting sensor thermostat thereon . because the heat of the pipe heater rapidaly diffuses through a large number of spine fins in contact with the heater , the surface of the heater is maintained at a low temperature close to frost thawing temperature to prevent generation of steam and preclude undesired rise of the internal temperature of the refrigerator which is equipped with the present device . the pipe heater , which is supported by the spine fins , does not require a specific support or the like . this assures a simple construction . the cooling device 10 shown in fig1 to 3 can be provided with a pipe heater such as the one shown in fig5 and 6 ( in the position indicated in a broken line h in fig2 ). irrespective of the presence or absence of the pipe heater , the spine fin tubes of fig1 to 3 can be identical in the direction and pitch of the helix .
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the preferred embodiment herein described is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed . it is chosen and described to illustrate the principles of the invention and its application and practical use to enable others skilled in the art to practice its teachings . referring now to the drawings , reference numeral 10 generally designates the ic chip connector of this invention . reference numeral 12 generally designates the chip carrier shown in the drawings , which for illustrative purposes , is shown as a typical single piece quadpack carrier for leaded ic chip 14 . carrier 12 is shown in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 435 , 724 , incorporated herein by reference , and includes body 16 and tabs 18 which hold the ic 14 in place for testing . grooves ( not shown ) are defined in body 16 to accommodate ic leads 20 ( fig4 - 8 ). slots 22 are defined in body 16 to allow for firm connection to connector 10 . connector 10 includes a body 24 which is defined by side walls 26 , 27 , 28 , 29 and a central opening 30 . posts 32 extend upwardly from walls 27 , 29 to accommodate carrier slots 22 as shown in fig2 and 3 . body 24 defines grooves 34 facing center opening 80 as shown to accommodate leads 20 of chip 14 . leads 36 extend from grooves 84 to below the bottom surface 38 of body 24 for electrical connection to a pc board ( not shown ). leads 20 and leads 86 are in electrical contact when the ic 14 and carrier 12 are secured to the connector to insure proper testing conditions . it should be noted that the configuration of carrier 12 and the orientation of grooves 84 will depend on the configuration and leads of ic 14 . the configuration and orientation illustrated does not limit the invention to those designs but is shown for purposes of description only . side wall 28 of connector 10 includes a catch plate 40 which defines spaced slots 42 43 as shown . each slot 42 , 43 defines an upper lip 46 . opposite side wall 26 of connector 10 includes raised tabs 48 . a rod 50 extends through tabs 48 and is secured stationary relative to connector 10 . latching mechanism 52 shown in fig1 - 3 includes latch plate 54 which has ears 56 through which rod 50 extend as shown in fig1 . helical spring 58 acts to force the rotative movement of the plate 54 about rod 50 . plate 54 has a vent hole 60 aligned with connector center opening 30 when the plate is in a latched position ( fig3 ). plate 54 also includes raised side walls 62 , 63 and top lips 64 , 65 . lips 64 , 65 each include opposed extensions 66 , 67 which project towards the center of plate 54 , with an end of spring 58 housed in the space between the extension 67 and side wall 62 . a rod 68 is connected between and spans plate walls 62 , 63 . actuator plate 70 is rotatably connected to rod 68 as shown in fig2 . actuator 70 , as shown in fig2 includes legs 72 which have feet 73 through which rod 68 extends and oppositely located side flanges 74 , 75 which bear against extensions 66 , 67 to secure the actuator and plate 54 in the latched position of fig3 . actuator 70 also includes inclined handle part 76 to facilitate use and a vent hole 78 which is aligned with vent hole 60 of plate 54 . springs 80 force rotative movement of actuator 70 relative to plate 54 and connector 10 . latch hook part 82 is rotatably connected to actuator plate 70 through a rod 84 which spans actuator feet 73 and is secured thereto by retainer ring 86 . hook part 82 includes a one - piece upper portion 87 which overlies rod 84 and a depending lower hook portion 88 which includes side located peripheral hooks 90 ( one shown ). spring 92 which is connected to rod 84 and bears on rod 68 biases hook part 82 in a latched position . as actuator plate 70 rotates about rod 68 , projection 94 of hook part 82 contacts plate 54 which serves to urge hook part 82 into an unlatched or loading position as shown in fig5 . fig4 - 8 show the connector 10 through a series of sectional views of its securing operations . fig4 illustrates the connector 10 with latching mechanism 52 in a full open position which allows the carrier 12 ( with ic 14 ) to be placed in the connector such that ic leads 20 contact connector leads 36 as shown . latching mechanism 52 is then pivoted as shown in fig5 - 8 to secure the carrier 12 for testing . normally , connector 10 will be secured to a pc board ( not shown ) before latching mechanism 52 is closed . this will allow one handed operation of the latching mechanism 52 . in fig5 a user ( not shown ) grasps actuator handle 76 and pushes in the direction of arrow 96 . this action causes latch plate 54 to pivot about rod 50 . as hook part 82 is lowered , the projection 94 of hook portion 88 contacts plate 54 urging the hook part 90 to position in slots 42 , 43 of catch plate 40 . actuator 70 is then pivoted about rod 68 to properly position the hook part 82 as shown in fig6 . the user then pulls actuator handle 76 in the direction of arrow 100 ( fig7 ). this action pulls rod 84 and its connected hook part forward , towards rod 50 and over the center axis of the rod 68 . this over - center pivoting creates a moment which is related to the ratio of the distance between the centerline of rod 68 to the end of plate 70 over the diminishing angle x as shown in fig9 . in the embodiment shown this ratio is approximately 18 to 1 and the force transferred from handle 76 through rods 68 , 84 to hook part 82 is greater than 200 : 1 . any workable ratio greater than 1 : 1 may be used . as the user continues to pivot actuator 70 , the actuator is secured in a snap - fit manner between side wall 62 , 63 by extensions 66 , 67 . due to the over - center arrangement of rods 50 , 68 and 84 , a user need exert only about 4 ounces of force on actuator 70 to exert a clamping force of about 75 pounds on ic carrier 12 . to disengage latch mechanism 52 , the reverse of the above procedure is followed . with the latch 62 in the locked position of fig8 the user pulls up on actuator plate handle 76 . this causes rod 84 to shift away from rod 50 urging rod 84 over the center axis of rod 68 . projection 94 then rides on plate 54 forcing hook part 88 to move away from rod 50 . when hook portion 88 disengages from slots 42 , 43 the latching mechanism 52 may be pivoted into the open position . the carrier 14 may then be removed from connector 10 and a new carrier inserted for ic testing . it is understood that the above description does not limit the invention to the details given , but may be modified within the scope of the following claims .
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referring to fig1 , an embodiment of the invention is described which is a system for operating a plurality of loyalty programs for respective merchants who each supply goods and / or services ( collectively referred to here as “ products ”). the system of fig1 includes a payment network 1 for processing payment transactions using a plurality of payment cards , each of which is issued by an issuing bank . each payment card is associated with a respective customer . each card is to be used to make a purchase from one of a plurality of merchants who offer products . the area of fig1 marked 2 indicates schematically elements of a merchant system controlled by one of the merchants . the merchant system 2 includes one or more point - of - sale ( pos ) terminals 3 , 4 located in one or more retail premises . optionally , the merchant may also operate an e - commerce website controlled by an e - commerce server 5 within the merchant system 2 . the merchant furthermore operates a loyalty program , having a number of loyalty accounts associated with respective customers . although fig1 only illustrates only one merchant system 2 , in reality there are a plurality of merchants , and each merchant may have a respective system of the form of merchant system 2 . each merchant operates a respective loyalty program , which has a number of loyalty accounts associated with respective customers . the payment network 1 includes a payment engine 6 , which may be of conventional design , for processing authorization request messages from the merchants specifying a payment transaction made using one of the payment cards of the payment network . the payment network further includes a loyalty program engine 7 with an associated database 8 . the database 8 stores data specifying , for each of the payment cards , one or more of the loyalty programs with which the payment cards is registered . there may be payment cards operated by the payment network 1 which are not registered with any of the merchants &# 39 ; loyalty programs , and the database 8 either does not contain data about these payment cards , or stores data specifying that these cards are not registered with any loyalty program . the payment engine 6 and loyalty program engine 7 may be provided by a single server , or the work of running these two engines may be shared between a plurality of servers . turning now to fig2 , the method performed by the embodiment is shown . it begins with a customer using his or her payment card to make a purchase ( step 21 ) from the merchant who operates the system shown in area 2 . the purchase may be made by presenting the payment card to one of the pos terminals 3 , 4 . the pos terminal 3 , 4 sends an authorization request message detailing the payment transaction to a payment engine 6 of the payment network . the message includes card identity data identifying the payment card , such as a primary account number ( pan ) of the payment card , and further includes data specifying the identity of the merchant , and the money amount of the transaction . alternatively , the purchase may be made using the e - commerce server 5 . in this case , the user may use a computer device 9 operated by the customer to communicate with the e - commerce server 5 ( e . g . over the internet ) to make an online payment using the payment card . the computer device may be any computer system , such as a personal computer ( pc ), a laptop computer , or a mobile device , such as a smartphone . the e - commerce server 5 sends an authorization request message detailing the payment transaction to the payment engine 6 of the payment network 1 . this message too includes : card identity data identifying the payment card , e . g . the pan number ; data identifying the merchant ; and the money amount of the transaction . in step 22 , the payment engine 6 of the payment network 1 processes the authorization request messages it receives by determining whether to authorize the payment transaction ( this may include contacting the issuing bank 10 of the payment card to obtain information about whether a payment of the money amount can be authorized ), and if so sending a payment authorization message to the issuing bank 10 of the payment card , instructing it to make a payment to the receiving bank 11 ( also known as an acquirer or acquiring bank ) where the merchant holds an account , and a confirmation message to the merchant terminal / e - commerce server . in fig1 only a single issuing bank 10 is shown ( i . e . the one which issued the payment card which was used to make this particular payment transaction ). however , typically the payment network 1 will handle payment transactions for a large number of payment cards , each issued by one of a plurality of issuing banks , so , whichever payment card is used the payment network will send the message to the corresponding issuing bank . similarly , fig1 only shows the receiving bank 11 associated with the merchant system 2 , but typically the plurality of merchants will each hold a bank account with one of a plurality of receiving banks . the payment engine 6 also sends ( step 23 ; note that steps 22 and 23 may be performed in any order ) a message to the loyalty program engine 7 of the payment network 1 , containing the card identity data of the payment card and also merchant identity data indicating the identity of the merchant . upon the loyalty program engine 7 receiving the card identity data , the loyalty program engine uses it to looks up in database 8 whether the payment card is associated with a loyalty program operated by the same merchant identified by the merchant identity data ( step 24 ). if no match is found the method terminates . conversely , if such a match is found , then in step 25 the loyalty program engine 10 sends a message to a loyalty program server 12 operated by the same merchant where the payment transaction was made . the message specifies the amount of the purchase , and also contains data identifying a loyalty account associated with the customer . this data may just be the card identity data , or alternatively it may a loyalty account number associated with the payment card and which the loyalty program engine 7 has obtained from the database 8 . in step 26 , the loyalty program server 12 uses the message to update a database 13 which records how many loyalty points are in each of the loyalty accounts . the update increases the number of loyalty points by an amount which typically depends upon the size of the purchase . the method then ends . when the customer wishes to redeem the loyalty points in his or her loyalty account for a specific merchant ( e . g . at a time when the user is at one of the pos terminals 3 , 4 or is using the computing device 9 to communicate with the e - commerce server 5 ), the customer can instruct the merchant to interrogate the loyalty program server 12 , to obtain from the database 13 the number of available points . the merchant may then reward the customer . although in the explanation above , the loyalty program engine 7 and the loyalty program server 12 are shown as separate , in fact a given merchant may opt not to maintain its own loyalty program server 12 , but instead to use the loyalty program engine 7 to implement the functionality of the loyalty program server 12 also , i . e . to maintain each of the loyalty accounts , and record ( e . g . in the database 8 ) how many loyalty points are stored in each loyalty account ). in this case , when a user wishes to redeem the loyalty points in his or her loyalty account ( e . g . at a time when the user is at one of the pos terminals 3 , 4 or is using the computing device 9 to communicate with the e - commerce server 5 ), the customer can instruct the merchant to interrogate the loyalty program engine 7 , to obtain from the database 8 the number of available points . the merchant may then reward the customer . furthermore , although the example above refers to a single merchant , in fact a group of merchants ( i . e . a plurality of merchants ) may decide to operate a single common loyalty program . that is , the loyalty program may have a plurality of merchants associated it . the group of merchants may for example agree that when a payment is made to any of the merchants by a payment card registered with the loyalty program , points are credited into an account of the loyalty program associated with the payment card . the group of merchants would typically agree how the points are to be used , e . g . that the points may be spent in future transactions at any of the group of merchants . the group of merchants may together operate a single loyalty program server 12 which maintains the loyalty accounts and records how many points they contain , or the group of merchants may rely on the loyalty program engine 7 to play this role , as described in the preceding paragraph . in both cases , the database 8 of the loyalty program engine 7 would contain data to implement the scheme the group of merchants have agreed : specifically , when it receives information about a payment transaction at any of of the group of merchants , it would identify the loyalty program associated with the group of merchants , and credit the loyalty points to the loyalty account associated with the payment card . note that it is already known for use of a payment card to earn loyalty points , which may be stored in a respective loyalty account by a server of the issuing bank 10 . that is , in some conventional systems when the equivalent of the payment engine 6 instructs the issuing bank 10 to make a payment to a receiving bank 11 , the issuing bank also credits loyalty points to a loyalty account associated with the payment card and maintained in the issuing bank . in embodiments of the present invention , a certain merchant may decide not to run a loyalty program at all , but instead instruct the loyalty program engine 7 , when it is informed of a purchase involving the merchant , to credit loyalty points to the loyalty account at the issuing bank . in this case , the merchant does not need the server 12 or the database 13 , so , for such a merchant , neither of these may exist . a transfer of funds may be made to the issuing bank from the merchant to compensate for the transfer of loyalty points ( i . e . the issuing bank whose loyalty account now contains more loyalty points is financially compensated for the greater obligation to the customer which this implies ). furthermore , if the same payment card has been registered with the loyalty program of a second merchant , it is also possible for the merchant to arrange that the loyalty points are credited to the same customer &# 39 ; s loyalty account in the loyalty program of the second merchant . thus , for example , if a consumer uses a merchant which is bookshop , the bookshop may have instructed the loyalty program engine to deposit the loyalty points into a loyal program of a second merchant which is a coffee shop . we now turn to the initiation of the system of fig1 . initially , before the loyalty program begins to operate , the merchant ( or group of merchants ) who operates the system 2 needs to register with the payment network 1 . specifically , the loyalty program is recorded with the loyalty program engine 7 . the merchant provides the loyalty program engine 7 with information (“ rules data ”) describing loyalty program , and this information is stored in the database 8 . the rules data specifies which operation ( s ) the loyalty program engine should perform when the loyalty program engine 7 determines that a payment card has been used which is registered to one of the loyalty programs . if the loyalty program is one in which the loyalty accounts are maintained in a loyalty program server 12 ( as shown in fig1 ), the rules data would specify how to communicate with the loyalty program server 12 ( e . g . an internet address of the loyalty program server 12 ). alternatively , if no loyalty program server 12 exists ( as described above , this could be because the loyalty program engine 7 performs this role ; of because loyalty points are credited to a loyalty account maintained by an issuer bank ), the rules data would specify what the loyalty program engine 7 should do when loyalty points are to be awarded ( e . g . to credit the loyalty points to an account maintained by the loyalty program engine 7 , or to send a message to the issuer bank to instruct the issued bank to credit loyalty points to the loyalty account maintained by the issuer bank ). when a new customer signs up to a loyalty program , the database 8 is updated by entering into it the card identity data of the customer &# 39 ; s payment card together with associated data specifying the loyalty program to which the customer signs up ( and optionally also an account number of the customer &# 39 ; s loyalty account in the loyalty program , if that account number is different from the card identity data ). thus , the payment card is registered to the loyalty program . if this is not the first loyalty program for which the payment card is registered , then the database 8 stores for that payment card a list of all the multiple loyalty programs for which the payment card is registered . conveniently , the process of updating the database 8 can be carried out by an application installed on the computer device 9 operated by the customer . the application is downloadable from the payment network 1 , e . g . when the user obtains the payment card . the application makes contact with the loyalty program engine 7 . the customer then provides input to the computer device 9 to specify the payment card identity data , and to specify the loyalty program . for example , the loyalty program engine 7 may be able to supply to the application data giving details of all the loyalty programs which have been recorded with the loyalty program engine 7 , and the user may specify which of the programs he or she wishes to register the payment card with . alternatively , the customer may be able to control the application to do a search of all the loyalty programs recorded with the loyalty program based on customer - specified criteria ( e . g . seeking the loyalty programs of merchants who supply a particular category of product , or who have an outlet in a particular geographical region ), and the loyalty program engine 7 may download into the computing device 9 the details of all the loyalty programs matching these criteria . subsequently , the customer can use the same application to obtain information about the status of his or her loyalty account with a specific merchant , such as the number of loyalty points accumulated in the loyalty account and / or when these points will expire . the application obtains this information by communicating with the loyalty program engine 7 , which in turn requests the information from the loyalty program server 12 of the corresponding merchant . the loyalty program server 12 of the corresponding merchant obtains the data from the corresponding database 13 , and passes it to the loyal program engine 7 , which in turn transmits it to the application on the computer device 9 . note that the process above may be performed automatically , for example periodically or whenever the application is activated , so that the computer device 9 always has up - to - date information about the loyalty point of all the loyalty accounts associated with the payment card . a single customer may have multiple payment cards , each registered with a different set of one or more of the loyalty programs . in this case , the application may obtain information for each payment card , specifically about each of the loyalty program ( s ) for which the payment card is registered . further , is common for a group of customers ( e . g . two or more members of the same household or the same commercial organisation ) to have associated respective payment cards . in this case , registration of one of the payment cards with a loyalty program may have the effect that all the associated payment cards are registered with the loyalty program , either being associated with respective loyalty accounts ( so that the customers individually accumulate loyalty points in their own respective loyalty accounts ) or a single loyalty account ( so that the group of customers collectively accumulate loyalty cards in the same loyalty account ). using the application on the computing device 9 , the user may also be able to perform other control operations on the loyalty program engine 7 . for example , the loyalty program engine 7 may be controllable by the application to transfer points to / from a loyalty account of the issuing bank from / to a customer &# 39 ; s loyalty account with one of the merchants . a money payment may be made to / from the issuing bank from / to the merchant to compensate for the transfer of loyalty points ( i . e . the one of the merchant and issuing bank whose loyalty account now contains more loyalty points is financially compensated for the greater obligation to the customer which this implies ). in another example , in the case of a customer whose payment card is registered with the respective loyalty programs of two or more merchants , the application may be operative to control the loyalty program engine 7 to transfer loyalty points from the customer &# 39 ; s loyalty account at one of those merchants to a loyalty account at another of those merchants . again a money payment may be made between the merchants to compensate for the transfer of loyalty points . in this way , a customer who tends to earn points when purchasing products with one merchant can use them in a loyalty program of another merchant whose rewards the customer regards more highly for some reason . this makes the loyalty points earned at a certain merchant intrinsically more valuable , since there are more options for redeeming them . indeed , a certain merchant may cease to offer rewards at all , knowing its customers will still be able to benefit from by using the loyalty points in the reward programs of other merchants . there may be restrictions on which loyalty accounts customers are empowered to transfer loyalty points between , for example preventing them from transferring loyalty points between merchants which are competitors . the payment network 1 may be able to automatically suggest pairs of merchants for which transfers of loyalty points may be valuable . for example , the payment network may be operative to notice that statistically customers who tend to patronise a certain merchant in a first industry , tend to patronise a certain second merchant in a second industry . in this case , the possibility of transferring loyalty points earned from a purchase at one of those merchants to a loyalty program operated by the other of the two merchants may be attractive . so , the payment network may be operative to suggest to the two merchants that such a tie - up should be made possible . if the merchants agree , they may together instruct the loyalty program engine 7 accordingly , to make the loyalty program engine 7 operative to transfer points between the loyalty programs of the respective merchants in at least one direction . although in the explanation above , some of the control of the loyalty program engine 7 is by an application running on the user &# 39 ; s computer device 9 , the server implementing the loyalty program engine 7 may alternatively provide a web interface to which the computing device 9 can connect to issue these commands . that is , a browser on the computer device 9 can be used to interact with the web interface , to have some or all of the functionality of the application described above . although only a single embodiment of the invention has been explained in detail , many variations are possible within the scope and spirit of the invention , as will be clear to a skilled reader . for example , the loyalty program server 12 for a given merchant may be omitted , and instead its role can be played by functionality of the loyalty program engine 7 . that is , the loyalty program engine 7 may maintain the loyalty accounts for the each of one more of the merchant &# 39 ; s respective loyalty programs . in this case , the loyalty program engine 7 would store ( e . g . in the database 8 ) for each loyalty account , the number of loyalty points accumulated ( and optionally data specifying when they will expire ). when the user wishes to redeem the points ( e . g . at a time when the user is at one of the pos terminals 3 , 4 or using the computing device 9 to communicate with the e - commerce server 5 ), the user can provide the payment card and instruct the merchant to interrogate the loyalty program engine 7 to determine how many loyalty program points are available .
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with reference now to the drawings in general and to fig1 in particular , there is shown therein a 9 mm semi - automatic pistol , specifically a 1999 5900 series smith & amp ; wesson . the pistol is designated generally by the reference numeral 10 . as the structure and function of this type of pistol is well known , it will not be described in detail herein . generally , such a pistol 10 comprises a frame or receiver 12 which supports the other components . the other main components include a barrel 14 , a slide assembly 16 , a grip 18 , a trigger 20 , and a hammer 22 . a magazine 24 is received inside the handle 18 . in use of the pistol 10 , the hammer 22 first is cocked either by retracting the slide 16 or manually pulling back on the hammer . then , when the trigger 29 is pulled , it releases the hammer which impacts the firing pin , driving it forward . when the firing pin hits the primer on the back of the bullet cartridge , the propellant in the casing ignites , forcing the bullet out of the barrel and , at the same time , pushing the slide 16 back over the hammer 22 recocking it . simultaneously , the empty casing is ejected , and a new round is moved up from the magazine 24 into the firing chamber . shown in fig2 is a training firearm constructed in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention and designated generally by the reference numeral 30 . as the drawings illustrate , the appearance of the training firearm 30 is virtually identical to the actual weapon 10 it is intended to replace . indeed , as will be described hereafter , in the preferred practice of this invention , an actual firearm is merely modified in accordance with this invention by retrofitting it with the blow back assembly . while the present invention is illustrated as a smith & amp ; wesson 9 millimeter pistol particularly popular with law enforcement , the present invention is not so limited . as will become apparent , the invention is easily adapted to a wide range of firearms , including other types of semi - automatic pistols ( double and single action ). in addition , gas - operated weapons , such as ar 15 type weapons , mp - 5 &# 39 ; s and p - 90 &# 39 ; s may be modified in accordance with this invention . still further , pump shotguns , such as rem 870 pump riot guns , can be modified to incorporate the recoil system of this invention . with reference now also to fig3 , the preferred training firearm 30 will be described in more detail . like the original pistol , the training pistol 30 comprises a receiver 32 that forms the main structure of the weapon . a barrel 34 is supported on the receiver 32 , as in the authentic pistol . a slide 36 is slidably mounted on the receiver over the barrel 34 for bidirectional movement forwardly and rearwardly relative to the receiver 32 . in this preferred training pistol 30 , there is a firing pin 38 , but it is substantially shorter than in the comparable , unmodified pistol . the firing pin 38 is mounted in the receiver for movement between a retracted position and a firing position , which will be explained in more detail below . the pistol 30 also includes a firing assembly 40 , which may vary widely depending on the firearm . generally , the firing assembly comprises a driver and a trigger . the driver is movable between a cocked position and firing position . in the firing position , the driver is adapted to impact the firing pin propulsively . that is , the driver is designed to impact the firing pin with sufficient force and speed to activate the primer in the bullet cartridge . in the cocked position , the driver is held in biased condition in preparation for release by the trigger . the trigger is adapted to release the driver when pulled or activated in the normal fashion by the operator of the weapon . thus , provides a training firearm that looks , feels and functions like the unmodified firearm . where the firearm is a semi - automatic pistol , as shown and described herein , the firing assembly 40 comprising a hammer 42 and a trigger 44 , which function as the corresponding components do in the original weapon . accordingly , no detailed description will be provided herein . similarly , the slide 36 in this preferred embodiment is adapted to recock the hammer 42 , or other driver , when the slide is pushed back rearwardly either manually or automatically during repeated “ firing ” of the weapon . as used herein , “ slide ” denotes the corresponding component in any automatic or semi - automatic weapon , such as the bolt in a semi - automatic rifle . the firearm 30 preferably comprises a handle 46 depending from the receiver 32 . as mentioned above , training firearms typically are provided with a laser device of some sort that is interactive with other components in a larger system , such as a laser - sensitive screen and a computer for recording , analyzing and playing back the officer &# 39 ; s performance on the course . to that end , the training pistol 30 of the present invention , preferably is equipped with a suitable laser assembly 50 in a known manner . this laser assembly 50 may take a variety of forms , depending on the particular training system employed . some laser devices are activated by the vibration in the weapon when the trigger is pulled . others utilize an electronic switch . for purposes of illustrating this training firearm , a laser with a simple mechanical switch 52 is shown . activation of this switch may be accomplished by the blow black assembly , yet to be described . referring still to fig3 , the training firearm 30 is provided with a blow back assembly 60 interposed between the barrel 34 and the firing pin 38 . the blow back assembly 60 is adapted to cycle the slide 36 in response to activation of the trigger 44 , as in the unmodified weapon . preferably , the blow back assembly 60 comprises a tube 62 that defines an external pressure chamber 64 . in the embodiment illustrated herein , the tube is fixed inside the rear of the slide 36 . more preferably , the tube 62 has a closed rear end 66 with a firing pin passage 68 therethrough . when retrofitting an authentic pistol , a cylindrically shaped recess is reamed into the rear of the slide . a cylinder is fixed inside this recess with a suitable bedding compound , such as a two - part epoxy , although other fixation methods will be apparent . the firing pin is shortened to form the firing pin 38 with a forward end 70 . the firing pin 38 and passage 68 in the tube 62 are sized to permit reciprocal movement of the pin in the passage for a reason which will become apparent . it should be noted that , though the tube 62 is shown cylindrical in shape , this configuration is not essential and will vary with shape of other cooperating components . referring still to fig3 and now also to fig4 , the blow back assembly 60 may also include a housing 72 defining an internal pressure chamber 74 . the housing 72 is sized to be movable , preferably telescopically movable , in the tube 62 . in the preferred form , the housing 72 has a first or front end 76 and a second or rear end 78 . a valve opening 80 is formed in the rear end 78 . the valve opening 80 fluidly connects the internal pressure chamber 74 in the housing 72 with the external pressure chamber 64 in the tube 62 . in this embodiment , where the tube 62 is fixed to the moving slide 36 , the housing 72 preferably is fixed relative to the receiver 32 , and more preferably is fixed to the barrel 34 and aligned therewith . to that end , the housing 72 is provided with external threads 82 on its front end 76 to mate with internal threads 84 ( fig5 a and 5b ) on the breech end of the barrel 34 . it will be apparent now that the preferred placement of the valve housing 72 is generally aligned between the firing pin 38 and the barrel 34 generally in the position of what would be the firing chamber in the unmodified pistol . it will also be appreciated that there are other ways to mount the housing 72 in this position . for example , the housing 72 could be fixed to the top of the gas cartridge frame 94 , eliminating the need to thread the barrel breech of the forward end of the housing . these and other configurations are contemplated by the present invention . the housing 72 conveniently may be formed of brass tubing . preferably , the rear end 78 of the housing 72 is formed of nylon , and may take the form of a firing pin breech plug that is threadedly received in the brass tubing . with continuing reference to fig3 , the blow black assembly 60 includes a compartment contained somewhere within the weapon to contain a cartridge of compressed gas . the gas is used to drive the valve movement , as will be explained . preferably , the cartridges to be used with the present invention are commercially available cartridges of 12 gm carbon dioxide ( co 2 ), such as the cartridge 90 show in fig3 . these cartridges are widely available , inexpensive and disposable . where the firearm is a hand gun or pistol with a grip , such as the handle 46 , the gas cartridge compartment may be advantageously placed inside the handle . when retrofitting an existing weapon , the magazine well provides an ideal compartment 92 for the gas cartridge 90 . a frame 94 of some sort for supporting the cartridge may be installed in the magazine well after the magazine is removed . the grip panels of the handle 46 may be perforated to prevent ice build - up around the cartridge 90 . a conduit 98 is included to fluidly connect the internal chamber 74 in the housing 72 with the gas cartridge 90 . preferably , the conduit 98 is flexible and will be rated at 1000 p . s . i . or higher . the firearm 30 may be provided with quick connect or push fittings 100 and 102 for attaching the conduit to the housing and the cartridge , respectively . the fitting 100 may be fixed as by welding to the housing 72 over a passage 104 in the wall of the housing . the fitting 102 may be affixed to the cartridge frame 94 for convenient connection to the cartridge as it is inserted in the compartment 92 . where the housing 72 is fixed to the top of the cartridge frame 90 , the conduit could take the form of a passageway formed through a block of metal forming the upper portion of the frame 94 . referring still to fig4 , the blow back assembly 60 further comprises a closure member movable in the housing 72 between an open position and a closed position . in the open position , the valve opening 80 is open fluidly connecting the external pressure chamber 64 to the gas cartridge 90 . in the closed position , the valve opening 80 is closed . in addition , the closure member is adapted in some manner to move in response to advancement or forward movement of the firing pin 38 . in the preferred embodiment , the closure member comprises a rod 110 movable between a rearward position , illustrated in fig1 , and a forward position , shown in fig5 b . preferably , the rod includes a rear portion 112 comprising a rear end 114 and an enlarged portion , such as the conical section 116 . the rear end 114 is sized to be extendable through the valve opening 80 , and the tapered or conical section 116 is sized to seat in and thereby obstruct the forward end of the valve opening 80 . although the shape can vary , in this preferred embodiment a taper angle of 12 degrees per side , or 24 degrees included , works well . now it will be noted that the front end 70 of the firing pin 38 and the rear end 114 of the rod 110 are correspondingly formed so that forward movement of the firing pin causes the front end to impact the rear end of the rod , thereby pushing the rod forwardly towards the position shown in fig5 b . this opens the valve opening 80 and allows a rush of pressurize gas therethough . the forward end 70 of the firing pin 38 may be provided with an annular seal or check valve , such as the o - ring 120 . this seal will seat in the firing pin passage 68 when the gas pushes the pin 38 and tube 62 rearwardly , as shown in fig5 b . as shown in fig4 , 5 a and 5 b , it is advantageous to bias the rod 110 in the rearward position to maintain it in a closed position keeping the valve opening closed . to that end , the blow back assembly 60 may include a coil spring 122 around the rod 110 . thus , when the advancing firing pin 38 pushes the rod forward ( fig5 b ), the spring 122 will compress . however , upon withdrawal of the firing pin 38 , the spring 122 pulls the rod 110 back into the resting or closed position , shown in fig5 a . as indicated above , where the laser assembly 50 is activated by a simple mechanical switch 52 , it is desirable to have the blow back assembly 60 activate this switch at the same time it is recycling the weapon . to this end , the rod 110 is provided with a forward end 124 sized and positioned to impact the switch 52 when the rod is in the forward or open position , as shown in fig5 b . to support and align the forward end 124 of the rod 110 , the housing 72 may be equipped with a plug 126 threadedly received in the front end 76 of the housing . a compression spacer 128 may be included , immediately behind the plug 126 to contain the front end of the spring 122 . seals , such as o - rings 130 and 132 , may be included . now that the preferred structure of the training firearm 30 has been described , its operation will be explained . to the trainee , the weapon 30 will operate the same as the original , unmodified weapon . initially , the hammer 42 is cocked for the first shot . the weapon 30 is fired by pulling the trigger 44 . the trigger 44 releases the hammer 42 , which in turn impacts the firing pin 38 . the advancing firing pin 38 pushes forward the rear end 114 of the rod 110 , opening the valve opening 80 and advancing the forward end 124 of the rod to activate the laser switch 52 . thus , simultaneously , the laser “ shoots ” and the gas forces back the slide 36 to recock the firearm , readying the weapon for next shot . the weapon will cycle every time the trigger is pulled until the gas supply in the cartridge 90 is spent . the propulsive effect of the burst of gas through the valve assembly in the training pistol 30 closely simulates the feel of normal recoil in an actual weapon . however , all the components of this training weapon , including the source of compressed gas , are contained entirely within the weapon . thus , the trainee is not encumbered by a back pack or tethered to a remote supply of gas . it is almost as easy to replace a spent gas cartridge in this training weapon as it is to replace a magazine in an actual weapon . no spent shells are expelled , which have to be retrieved and recharged . the gas cartridges used by the training firearm are so inexpensive that the modified weapon can be used for dry - firing exercises . most importantly , the blow back assembly of this invention can be retro - fitted into an actual weapon of the same type that the trainee uses in the field . thus , the training exercise precisely duplicates the look , feel and function of the actual weapon , including its true - to - life lock time , recoil and heft . changes can be made in the combination and arrangement of the various parts and elements described herein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the following claims .
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fig1 is a top perspective view of an inventive damping mechanism . the inventive damping mechanism is utilized in a belt tensioner , see fig1 . the belt tensioner engages a belt through a pulley journaled to a lever arm . the tensioner is used to apply a preload to the belt and to damp oscillatory movements of the belt . the damping mechanism damps oscillatory movements of a tensioner lever arm . the lever arm generally experiences a bi - directional or oscillatory motion caused by changes in the operating status of a belt drive , for example by load changes . damping is necessary to remove energy from the belt system , thereby ensuring proper operation of the tensioner in order to maximize belt life and operational efficiency . more particularly , an inventive damping mechanism is shown in fig1 . damping mechanism 100 comprises damping band 102 . damping band 102 is connected to an outer arcuate surface 104 of damping shoe 101 . spring , or biasing member , receiving portion 103 comprises a slot in damping shoe 101 . receiving portion 103 receives an end tang ( not shown , see 500 in fig1 ) of a coil spring . surface 105 engages a coil of a spring to provide support during operation . damping band 102 comprises a lubricated plastic such as nylon , pa and ppa , and their equivalents . fig2 is a cross - section view of an inventive damping mechanism at line 2 - 2 in fig1 . ring cut 106 extends about an outer perimeter of outer arcuate surface 104 . rim or protrusion 107 extends about a partial circumference of damping shoe 101 . ring cut 106 in combination with protrusion 107 serve to mechanically attach damping band 102 to damping shoe 101 . fig3 is a top perspective view of an alternate damping mechanism . inventive damping mechanism 200 comprises a first arcuate member 210 and a second arcuate member 220 . first arcuate member 210 has a spring receiving portion 211 into which a spring end tang may be inserted , see fig1 . a wall of the spring receiving portion has maximum thickness 211 a at the spring contact area . wall 211 a may be tapered from the contact area in one direction or in both directions as it extends in both directions . by comparison , a like wall of the previous art has uniform thickness . first arcuate member 210 comprises a damping band 213 attached to a damping shoe 212 . second arcuate member 220 comprises a damping band 215 attached to a damping shoe 214 . first arcuate member 210 is in pivotal contact with the second arcuate member 220 at a point of contact 216 . point of contact 216 comprises end 228 of damping shoe 212 and end 219 of damping shoe 214 . point of contact 216 may vary from a minimum radius to a maximum radius across a width w of each damping shoe with respect to a lever arm axis of rotation r - r , see fig1 . in order to achieve the desired asymmetric damping factor , point of contact 216 is located at a predetermined radial distance from a lever arm axis of rotation r - r . a minimum radius location for point of contact 216 , shown in fig3 , results in the highest asymmetric damping factor for the damping mechanism in operation in a tensioner . point of contact 216 may be disposed at an outer radius 288 which produces a reduced asymmetric damping factor as compared to the foregoing minimum radius location . in an alternate arrangement , end 218 of first arcuate member 210 is in contact with the second arcuate member end 217 . in this alternate embodiment , a spring ( not shown ) having a coil direction opposite that used for the embodiment in fig3 is used . therefore , by switching the point of contact from one end of the first arcuate member and second arcuate member to another end , either a left hand or right hand spring can be used . damping band 213 , 215 are made of frictional material such as plastics , phenolics and metallics . a working surface 230 , 231 of damping band 213 , 215 respectively is slideably engaged under pressure with a tensioner base or arm by operation of a spring , see fig1 and fig1 . a frictional damping force is generated when the damping band slides on the base or arm . damping shoes 212 , 213 are each made of structural material such as steel , molded plastic or equivalents thereof . each damping shoe can be manufactured by utilizing a powder metal process , a die cast process , injection molding or similar processes . materials that can be used include steel , aluminum ( for low load parts ), thermoplastics with various fillers , and equivalents thereof . damping band 215 of the second arcuate member has a material thickness less than the damping band 213 of the second portion . this has two advantages , first , increased spring hook - up size can be realized therefore a larger spring can be used . second , due to the fact of that the second portion 220 of the damping mechanism has higher load than the first portion 210 , a reduced thickness of the first damping band 213 will equalize durability life of both parts . fig4 is a cross - section view of an alternate damping mechanism at line 4 - 4 in fig3 . ring cut 221 extends about an outer perimeter of damping shoe 212 . protrusion 222 extends about a partial circumference of damping shoe 212 . ring cut 223 extends about an outer perimeter of damping shoe 214 . protrusion 224 extends about a partial circumference of damping shoe 214 . each ring cut 221 , 223 in combination with each protrusion 222 , 224 serve to mechanically attached each damping band 213 , 215 to each damping shoe 212 , 214 respectively . fig5 is a top perspective view of a locking mechanism on the damping shoe of an inventive damping mechanism . locking mechanism 300 joins damping shoe 101 to damping band 102 , see fig6 . locking mechanism 300 comprises a plurality of vertical grooves 110 on an arcuate outer engaging surface 111 of damping shoe 101 . ring cut 112 is included to a top edge of the arcuate outer surface 111 to enhance the interconnection of the damping band 102 to the damping shoe 101 . accordingly , lip portion 227 on damping band 102 engages over ring cut 112 . the disclosed multiple groove locking mechanism provides an improved , strong and uniform connection between the damping shoe and damping band . the connection distributes a frictional load imparted to the damping band 102 during operation , thereby extending an operational life over the prior art . fig6 is a top perspective view of a locking mechanism on the damping band of an inventive damping mechanism . the damping band portion of locking mechanism 300 comprises a plurality of spaced vertical ribs 120 on an arcuate inner engaging surface 121 of damping band 102 . ribs 120 of damping band 102 cooperatively engage grooves 110 of damping shoe 101 . protrusions 228 extend from a lower portion 229 of damping band 102 . protrusions 228 engage cooperating recesses or dimples 231 in a base of damping shoe 101 to further affix damping band 102 . the inventive locking mechanism significantly reduces weakening of the damping shoe , therefore , the inventive damping mechanism is much stronger than those in prior art . loading conditions on the damping shoe / damping band are also much improved due to an improved load distribution across the damping shoe realized by the force distributive nature of the locking mechanism . fig7 is a top perspective view of a prior art damping mechanism . prior art damping band db is connected to prior art damping shoe ds . tabs t mechanically connect the damping band db , see fig9 , to the damping shoe ds , see fig8 . fig8 is a top perspective view of a prior art damping mechanism damping shoe . damping shoe ds comprises slots s . slots s receive tabs t in order to mechanically connect damping band db to damping shoe ds , see fig9 . fig9 is a top perspective view of a prior art damping mechanism damping band . damping band db comprises tabs t . each of tabs t mechanically cooperate with corresponding slots s in order to connect damping band db to damping shoe ds . fig1 is a diagram of forces acting on a damping mechanism . the damping mechanism depicted is the embodiment described in fig3 and fig4 . forces f 1 are spring contact reaction forces caused by contact of spring end 500 with the spring receiving portion 211 . spring end 500 contacts the spring receiving portion 211 at two points , creating a pair of reaction forces f 1 . f 2 is a normal reaction force on the damping surface 230 . f 3 is a tangent friction force on the damping surface 230 . f 8 is a normal reaction force on the damping surface 231 . f 9 is a tangent friction force on the damping surface 231 . f 4 is the normal reaction force on damping mechanism arcuate member 220 imparted by a contact of damping shoe 214 with a lever arm 1030 , see fig1 . the asymmetric damping factor is a function of a difference in frictional forces f 3 and f 9 for a movement of the lever arm 1030 . in operation , a normal reaction force f 8 on damping surface 231 is larger than normal reaction force f 2 on damping surface 230 . more particularly , when the lever arm 1030 moves in the + a direction the vectors for the friction forces , f 3 and f 9 operate as shown in fig1 . as the lever arm moves in a direction − a , friction force vectors f 3 and f 9 reverse direction . the change of direction of frictional force vectors f 3 and f 9 causes a resultant force on each damping surface 230 , 231 to change . as a result , when lever arm moves in the − a direction , a normal reaction force on damping mechanism f 4 is larger than when the lever arm moves in direction + a . proportionally , the torque generated on the lever arm in reference to the lever arm axis of rotation r - r by the force f 4 is larger when the lever arm moves in the − a direction than when the lever arm moves in the direction + a . the value of the torque on the lever arm when the arm moves in the direction − a is larger than the value of torque generated by the pair of forces f 1 . the difference between the two values of torque is defined as the damping torque in the direction − a . the value of the torque on the lever arm when the arm moves in the direction + a is smaller than the value of torque generated by the pair of forces f 1 . the difference between the two values of torque is defined as the damping torque in the direction + a . the ratio between the value of the damping torque in the direction − a and the value of the damping torque in the direction + a represents the asymmetric damping factor . the asymmetric damping factor is adjustable depending upon the radial location of point of contact 216 described in fig3 and fig4 . the asymmetric damping factor will be increased as the point of contact 216 is placed radially closer to an axis of rotation of the lever arm 1030 . in the alternative , the asymmetric damping factor will be decreased as the point of contact 216 is placed radially farther from an axis of rotation of the lever arm 1030 . by radially moving point of contact 216 the asymmetric damping factor can be varied in the range of approximately 1 . 5 to 5 . fig1 is a cross - sectional view of forces acting on a tensioner at line 11 - 11 in fig1 . force f 7 is a normal reaction force acting on the arm at the damping mechanism contact point . force f 7 has the same magnitude as force f 4 acting on the damping mechanism . f 6 is a pivot bushing reaction force acting at the interface between bushing 1040 and lever arm 1030 . f 5 is a hub load caused by a load on a belt b , see fig1 . fig1 is a plan view of forces acting on a tensioner . depicted in fig1 is a plan view of the forces described in fig1 . fig1 is a diagram of the forces acting on a damping mechanism . the damping mechanism is that depicted in fig1 and fig2 . forces f 11 are spring contact reaction forces caused by contact of the end 500 with the spring receiving portion 103 . one can see that spring end 500 contacts the spring receiving portion at two points creating a pair of reaction forces f 11 . f 12 is a normal reaction force on the damping surface 109 . f 13 is a tangent friction force on the damping surface 109 . f 14 is the reaction force on damping mechanism portion 102 imparted by a contact with a lever arm 2030 , see fig1 . the asymmetric damping factor is realized by a difference in frictional force f 13 for a movement of the lever arm 2030 . more particularly , when lever arm 2030 moves in the + a direction , f 13 operates as shown in fig1 . as the lever arm moves in the − a direction , f 13 operates in the reverse direction . the change in direction in f 13 causes a resultant force on damping surface 109 to change . as a result when lever arm 2030 moves in the + a direction , a force f 14 on the damping mechanism is larger than when the lever arm moves in direction − a . proportionally , the torque generated on the lever arm in reference to the lever arm axis of rotation r - r by the force f 14 is larger when the lever arm moves in the + a direction than when the lever arm moves in the direction − a . the value of the torque on the lever arm when the arm moves in the direction + a is larger than the value of torque generated by the pair of spring forces f 11 . the difference between the two values of torque is defined as the damping torque in the direction + a . the value of the torque on the lever arm when the arm moves in the direction − a is smaller than the value of torque generated by the pair of spring forces f 11 . the difference between the two values of torque is defined as the damping torque in the direction − a . the ratio between the value of the damping torque in the direction + a and the value of the damping torque in the direction − a represents the asymmetric damping factor . fig1 is a cross - sectional view of forces acting on a tensioner at line 14 - 14 in fig1 . force f 17 is a normal reaction force acting on the damping mechanism contact point . f 16 is a pivot bushing reaction force acting at the interface between bushing 1040 and lever arm 1030 . f 15 is a hub load caused by a load on a belt b . fig1 is a plan view of the forces acting on a tensioner . depicted in fig1 is a plan view of the forces described in fig1 . fig1 is an exploded view of a tensioner having a damping mechanism . damping mechanism 200 engages lever arm 1030 at tab 1031 . biasing member or spring 1020 has one end connected to base 1010 and the other end connected to damping mechanism spring receiving portion 211 as described elsewhere in this specification . lever arm 1030 is pivotably connected to base 1010 through bushing 1040 . dust seal 1050 prevents foreign material from entering the tensioner during operation . pulley 1060 is journaled to lever arm 1030 through bearing 1070 . a belt ( not shown ) engages pulley surface 1061 . bearing 1070 is connected by a fastener such as bolt 1080 . damping mechanism surfaces 230 , 231 are in sliding engagement with an inner surface 1011 of tensioner base 1010 . tab 1031 engages damping shoe 212 during operation , thereby causing a movement of base inner surface 1011 across damping mechanism surface 230 . fig1 is an exploded view of a tensioner having a damping mechanism . damping mechanism 100 is engaged with lever arm 2030 at tab 2031 . biasing member or spring 2020 has one end connected to base 2010 and the other end connected to damping mechanism spring receiving portion 103 as described elsewhere in this specification . lever arm 2030 is pivotably connected to base 2010 through bushing 2040 . dust seal 2050 prevents foreign material from entering the tensioner during operation . pulley 2060 is journaled to lever arm 2030 through bearing 2070 . a belt ( not shown ) engages pulley surface 2061 . bearing 2070 is connected by a fastener such as bolt 2080 . damping mechanism surface 109 is in sliding engagement with an inner surface 2011 of tensioner base 2010 . tab 2031 engages damping mechanism 100 during operation , thereby causing a movement of base inner surface 2011 across damping mechanism surface 109 . although a single form of the invention has been described herein , it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that variations may be made in the construction and relation of parts without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention described herein .
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a technical object to be achieved by the present invention is to provide a method for defining a maximum of 8 distinguishable drs patterns in a system supporting 8 transmission antennas . technical problems to be solved by the present invention are not limited to the above - mentioned technical problems , and other technical problems not mentioned above can be clearly understood by one skilled in the art from the following description . in an embodiment of the present invention to solve the above problems , a method for transmitting data demodulation reference signals in a radio mobile communication system includes generating a subframe including the data demodulation reference signals , and transmitting the generated subframe , wherein a first demodulation reference signal pattern group and a second demodulation reference signal pattern group which include a plurality of orthogonal demodulation reference signal patterns are distinguished from each other in a time - frequency resource , and if a rank is n , m ( m ≦ n ) orthogonal demodulation reference signal patterns out of the data demodulation reference signals are included in the first demodulation reference signal pattern group , and n − m orthogonal demodulation reference signal patterns are included in the second demodulation reference signal pattern group . each of n and m may correspond to any one integer of 1 to 8 . the m demodulation reference signal patterns included in the first demodulation reference signal group and the n − m reference signal patterns included in the second demodulation reference signal group may be multiplexed using code division multiplexing ( cdm ). in another aspect of the present invention , a method for demodulating data of a user equipment in a radio mobile communication system includes receiving a subframe including data and data demodulation reference signals , and demodulating the data using the data demodulation reference signals , wherein a first demodulation reference signal pattern group and a second demodulation reference signal pattern group which include a plurality of orthogonal demodulation reference signal patterns are distinguished from each other in a time - frequency resource , and if a rank is n , m ( m ≦ n ) orthogonal demodulation reference signal patterns out of the data demodulation reference signals are included in the first demodulation reference signal pattern group , and n − m orthogonal demodulation reference signal patterns are included in the second demodulation reference signal pattern group . each of n and m may correspond to any one integer of 1 to 8 . the m demodulation reference signal patterns included in the first demodulation reference signal group and the n − m reference signal patterns included in the second demodulation reference signal group may be multiplexed using code division multiplexing ( cdm ). in a further aspect of the present invention , an apparatus for transmitting data demodulation reference signals in a radio mobile communication system includes a processor for generating a subframe including data and including data demodulation reference signals for demodulating the data , and a transmitter for transmitting the generated subframe , wherein the processor is configured such that a first demodulation reference signal pattern group and a second demodulation reference signal pattern group which include a plurality of orthogonal demodulation reference signal patterns are distinguished from each other in a time - frequency resource , and if a rank is n , m ( m ≦ n ) orthogonal demodulation reference signal patterns out of the data demodulation reference signals are included in the first demodulation reference signal pattern group , and n − m orthogonal demodulation reference signal patterns are included in the second demodulation reference signal pattern group . each of n and m may correspond to any one integer of 1 to 8 . the m demodulation reference signal patterns included in the first demodulation reference signal group and the n − m reference signal patterns included in the second demodulation reference signal group may be multiplexed using code division multiplexing ( cdm ). in still another aspect of the present invention , an apparatus for demodulating data in a radio mobile communication system includes a receiver for receiving a subframe including data and data demodulation reference signals , and a processor for demodulating the data using the data demodulation reference signals , wherein a first demodulation reference signal pattern group and a second demodulation reference signal pattern group which include a plurality of orthogonal demodulation reference signal patterns are distinguished from each other in a time - frequency resource , and if a rank is n , m ( m ≦ n ) orthogonal demodulation reference signal patterns out of the data demodulation reference signals are included in the first demodulation reference signal pattern group , and n − m orthogonal demodulation reference signal patterns are included in the second demodulation reference signal pattern group . each of n and m may correspond to any one integer of 1 to 8 . the m demodulation reference signal patterns included in the first demodulation reference signal group and the n − m reference signal patterns included in the second demodulation reference signal group may be multiplexed using code division multiplexing ( cdm ). according to the present invention , it is possible to transmit a drs while maintaining compatibility with a legacy system even though the number of antennas increases in a radio communication system . the effects of the present invention are not limited to the above - mentioned effect , and other effects not mentioned above can be clearly understood by one skilled in the art from the following description . fig1 shows the structure of a type 1 radio frame ; fig2 shows the structure of a type 2 radio frame ; fig3 shows the structure of an lte downlink slot ; fig4 shows the structure of an lte uplink slot ; fig5 is a diagram showing drs patterns of type 1 - 0 - n and type 1 - 0 - e for supporting 8 transmission antennas according to a first embodiment of the present invention ; fig6 is a diagram showing drs patterns of type 1 - 0 - n and type 1 - 0 - e for supporting 8 transmission antennas according to the first embodiment of the present invention ; fig7 is a diagram showing drs patterns of type 1 - 2 - n and type 1 - 2 - e for supporting 8 transmission antennas according to the first embodiment of the present invention ; fig8 is a diagram showing drs patterns of type 1 - 3 - n and type 1 - 3 - e for supporting 8 transmission antennas according to the first embodiment of the present invention ; fig9 is a diagram showing drs patterns of type 2 - 0 - n and type 2 - 0 - e for supporting 8 transmission antennas according to a second embodiment of the present invention ; fig1 is a diagram showing drs patterns of type 2 - 1 - n and type 2 - 1 - e for supporting 8 transmission antennas according to the second embodiment of the present invention ; fig1 is a diagram showing drs patterns of type 2 - 2 - n and type 2 - 2 - e for supporting 8 transmission antennas according to the second embodiment of the present invention ; fig1 is a diagram showing drs patterns of type 2 - 3 - n and type 2 - 3 - e for supporting 8 transmission antennas according to the second embodiment of the present invention ; fig1 to 17 are diagrams explaining a multiplexing method within a drs pattern group using cdm or cdm / tdm according to a third embodiment of the present invention ; fig1 and 19 are diagrams showing drs patterns according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention ; fig2 to 23 are diagrams showing drs patterns according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention ; and fig2 a block diagram showing the configuration of a device which is applicable to a ue or a bs and through which the above embodiments can be implemented . hereinafter , embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings so that the present invention can be easily realized by those skilled in the art . the present invention can be practiced in various ways and is not limited to the embodiments described herein . in the drawings , parts which are not related to the description are omitted to clearly set forth the present invention and similar elements are denoted by similar reference symbols throughout the specification . throughout this specification , when an element is referred to as “ including ” a component , it does not preclude another component but may further include the other component unless the context clearly indicates otherwise . also , as used herein , the terms “. . . unit ”, “. . . device ”, “. . . module ”, etc ., denote a unit of processing at least one function or operation , and may be implemented as hardware , software , or a combination of hardware and software . a rank - adaptive drs may be used by defining , in units of rbs , a specific data dm - rs pattern which is precoded by a transmission pmi for each layer or stream according to a rank value in a transmission mode . here , a series of orthogonal or quasi - orthogonal code sequences , as well as a pattern in a time - frequency re , is included in a resource region in which the dm - rs pattern is defined . hereinbelow , the present invention proposes multiplexing methods for all dm - rs res considering patterns for individual layers and overhead for the total number of layers ( i . e . rank value ), as a detailed configuration method of a dm - rs for each rank . in the following description , the drs may be understood as the same term as the dm - rs . a drs pattern proposed in the present invention may include not only a drs pattern itself but also all types of patterns which can be configured through cyclic shift in a frequency domain for all patterns expressed through rb grids in all subframes . in addition , the drs pattern proposed in the present invention may include patterns configured through cyclic shift in an independent frequency domain in an individual ofdm symbol in patterns expressed through rb grids . to solve the problem mentioned in the above technical problems , the generation of another drs pattern which is distinguished in a time - frequency resource may be considered . at this time , an rs pattern which is distinguished in a time - frequency resource may be defined as an additional antenna port . a drs pattern of an antenna port 5 of a legacy system or a modified drs pattern is referred to as a drs pattern group # 0 and another drs pattern which is distinguishably defined in a time - frequency resource is referred to as a drs pattern group # 1 . assuming that the number of distinguishable drs patterns , which should be provided in correspondence to an arbitrary rank ( a maximum value of a rank is 8 ) or the number of virtual antenna ports , is n ( 1 ≦ n ≦ 8 ), m ( 1 ≦ m ≦ 8 ) distinguishable drs patterns may be multiplexed through a drs pattern group # 0 and ( n − m ) distinguishable drs patterns may be multiplexed through a drs pattern group . # 1 . here , n is greater than or equal to m . if there is no distinguishable drs pattern applicable to a system in an arbitrary drs pattern group , that is , if m is 0 , then the drs pattern group # 0 is not defined in an rb , and if m is equal to n , then the drs pattern group # 1 is not defined in an rb . individual layers in an arbitrary rank or virtual antenna ports may be mapped to drs patterns using a drs pattern group index first mapping scheme or may be first mapped to drs patterns of a drs pattern group # 0 and to drs patterns of a drs pattern group # 1 in the case where the drs patterns of the drs pattern group # 0 are not sufficient . a drs pattern may be adaptively defined by applying a precoding scheme according to rank , used layer , or the number of virtual antenna ports . the present invention provides detailed embodiments of a combination of all patterns located in res in a time - frequency rb of two groups in an environment in which a drs pattern group # 0 and a drs pattern group # 1 are simultaneously used . for optimization in terms of overhead of a drs pattern group # 0 , patterns which are modified from an antenna port 5 of a legacy system ( e . g . lte system ) having low rs density are proposed . in the present invention , these modified types of drs patterns may replace patterns corresponding to a drs pattern group # 0 . each drs pattern group may be defined as an antenna port . if a drs pattern group # 0 conforms to a drs pattern of an antenna port 5 of a legacy system , the drs pattern group # 0 may be set to the antenna port 5 and an rs of a drs pattern group # 1 may be set to another antenna port ( e . g . antenna port 6 ). hereinbelow , drs pattern groups are distinguished from each other by type x - y - z . in type x - y - z , x denotes a pattern design criterion , y denotes a cyclic shift frequency offset of a drs pattern group # 1 compared with a drs pattern group # 0 , and z denotes a type of cyclic prefix ( cp ) to which a proposed drs pattern is applied . z may be expressed as n which denotes a normal cp or e which denotes an extended cp . among types proposed below , type 1 series proposes a drs pattern group # 1 and a drs pattern group # 0 in which a drs pattern of an antenna port of a legacy system ( e . g . lte system ) is shifted by p ( p ≧ 1 ) ofdm symbols in a time domain and cyclically shifted in units of subcarriers of an arbitrary number in a frequency domain . in the following embodiments , p is set to 1 . type 2 proposes a drs pattern group # 1 and a drs pattern group # 0 when a modified pattern having the same rs density as in an antenna port 5 of a legacy system is applied . if collision occurs when all drs patterns including the proposed drs pattern group # 0 and drs pattern group # 1 and other types of rs patterns for other purposes defined in a system of the present invention are mapped to a time - frequency resource region , rs symbols colliding in the all drs patterns may be punctured or rs symbols colliding in other types of rs patterns may be punctured . first , a drs pattern of type 1 will now be described . type 1 has motivation to introduce another drs pattern group in addition to a drs pattern group based on an antenna port 5 of a legacy system ( e . g . lte system ) in a rank above a prescribed value , and a drs pattern group # 0 and a drs pattern group # 1 may have substantially the same structure as a pattern of the antenna port 5 . fig5 is a diagram showing drs patterns of type 1 - 0 - n and type 1 - 0 - e for supporting 8 transmission antennas according to a first embodiment of the present invention . as shown in fig5 , since type 1 corresponds to the cases where p = 1 and y = 0 , a drs pattern group # 1 is shifted from a drs pattern group # 0 by one symbol in an ofdm symbol axis and is not cyclically shifted in a subcarrier direction . fig6 is a diagram showing drs patterns of type 1 - 0 - n and type 1 - 0 - e for supporting 8 transmission antennas according to the first embodiment of the present invention . as shown in fig6 , since this type 1 corresponds to the case where p = 1 and y = 1 , a drs pattern group # 1 is shifted from a drs pattern group # 0 by one symbol in an ofdm symbol axis and is cyclically shifted by one subcarrier in a subcarrier direction . fig7 is a diagram showing drs patterns of type 1 - 2 - n and type 1 - 2 - e for supporting 8 transmission antennas according to the first embodiment of the present invention . as shown in fig7 , since this type 1 corresponds to the case where p = 1 and y = 2 , a drs pattern group # 1 is shifted from a drs pattern group # 0 by one symbol in an ofdm symbol axis and is cyclically shifted by two subcarriers in a subcarrier direction . fig8 is a diagram showing drs patterns of type 1 - 3 - n and type 1 - 3 - e for supporting 8 transmission antennas according to the first embodiment of the present invention . as shown in fig8 , since this type 1 corresponds to the case where p = 1 and y = 3 , a drs pattern group # 1 is shifted from a drs pattern group # 0 by one symbol in an ofdm symbol axis and is cyclically shifted by three subcarriers in a subcarrier direction . hereinafter , a drs pattern of type 2 will be described . in type 2 , drs patterns of the first two ofdm symbols are not shifted and drs patterns of the other one or two ofdm symbols are cyclically shifted by offset of 1 in a frequency domain in each of the drs pattern group # 0 and drs pattern group # 1 of type 1 . fig9 is a diagram showing drs patterns of type 2 - 0 - n and type 2 - 0 - e for supporting 8 transmission antennas according to a second embodiment of the present invention . each of a drs pattern group # 0 and a drs pattern group # 1 of type 2 of fig9 is configured such that the first two ofdm symbols are not shifted and the other two symbols are shifted by one subcarrier in a frequency axis in each of the drs pattern group # 0 and drs pattern group # 1 of type 1 of fig5 . fig1 is a diagram showing drs patterns of type 2 - 1 - n and type 2 - 1 - e for supporting 8 transmission antennas according to the second embodiment of the present invention . each of a drs pattern group # 0 and a drs pattern group # 1 of type 2 of fig1 is configured such that the first two ofdm symbols are not shifted and the other two symbols are shifted by one subcarrier in a frequency axis in each of the drs pattern group # 0 and drs pattern group # 1 of type 1 of fig6 . fig1 is a diagram showing drs patterns of type 2 - 2 - n and type 2 - 2 - e for supporting 8 transmission antennas according to the second embodiment of the present invention . each of a drs pattern group # 0 and a drs pattern group # 1 of type 2 of fig1 is configured such that the first two ofdm symbols are not shifted and the other two symbols are shifted by one subcarrier in a frequency axis in each of the drs pattern group # 0 and drs pattern group # 1 of type 1 of fig6 . fig1 is a diagram showing drs patterns of type 2 - 3 - n and type 2 - 3 - e for supporting 8 transmission antennas according to the second embodiment of the present invention . each of a drs pattern group # 0 and a drs pattern group # 1 of type 2 of fig1 is configured such that the first two ofdm symbols are not shifted and the other two symbols are shifted by one subcarrier in a frequency axis in each of the drs pattern group # 0 and drs pattern group # 1 of type 1 of fig6 . meanwhile , for multiplexing distinguishable drs patterns in an arbitrary drs pattern group ( e . g . drs pattern group # 0 or drs pattern group # 1 ), cdm may be used . fig1 to 17 are diagrams explaining a multiplexing method within a drs pattern group using cdm or cdm / tdm according to a third embodiment of the present invention . although examples shown in fig1 to fig1 have the same rs pattern as in an antenna port 5 of a legacy system , they may be applied to all the cases proposed in the present invention . in fig1 to fig1 , pn denotes pseudo noise and oc denotes an orthogonal code . fig1 shows , in a normal cp case , the generation distinguished in the unit of a slot of a cdm orthogonal resource code or scrambling code for a dm - rs defined in a specific prb in a specific resource region , that is , in an arbitrary downlink subframe . meanwhile , fig1 shows the same method as in fig1 wherein the method is applied to an extended cp case . meanwhile , fig1 shows , in a normal cp case , the generation distinguished by tdm in the unit of one or more symbols of a cdm orthogonal resource code or scrambling code for a dm - rs defined in a specific prb in a specific resource region , that is , in an arbitrary downlink subframe . fig1 shows the same method as in fig1 wherein the method is applied to an extended cp case . fig1 shows , in a normal cp case , the generation distinguished in the unit of one subframe of a cdm orthogonal resource code or scrambling code for a dm - rs defined in a specific prb in a specific resource region , that is , in an arbitrary downlink subframe . for rank - 1 to rank - 3 , 12 res may be used per rb for a drs pattern , and for rank - 4 to rank - 8 , 24 res may be used per rb for a drs pattern . in addition , one of tdm , fdm , and cdm or a combination thereof may be used as a multiplexing method . a pattern when l = 2 is a frequency - shifted version while maintaining the same patterns as all drs patterns proposed in the present invention when a rank is 1 . a method is proposed for allocating a drs pattern for 12 added res to the second layer of rank - 2 by additionally defining the drs pattern in a frequency domain in ofdm symbols in which a drs pattern when a rank is 1 is defined . the present invention includes cases of all possible values of a frequency shifting offset of the newly additionally defined drs pattern . a drs pattern for 12 added res may be defined as a drs pattern allocated for an added layer when a rank is 2 ( l = 2 ). moreover , a total aggregated pattern with respect to all methods proposed in the present invention when a rank is 1 may be divided and allocated according to each layer using one of tdm , fdm , and cdm , or a combination thereof up to rank - n . for layers which should be additionally defined when a rank value is greater than n , a drs pattern for 12 additional res proposed in the present invention may be set as the total aggregated pattern and may be divided and allocated according to each layer using one of tdm , fdm , and cdm , or a combination thereof with respect to corresponding layers . fig1 and fig1 are diagrams showing drs patterns according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention . meanwhile , when a rank proposed in the present invention is 1 , a multiplexing method using one of tdm , fdm , and cdm , or a combination thereof is described . when l = 2 , a method is proposed for dividing and allocating the same patterns as all drs patterns when a rank is 1 proposed in the present invention according to each layer using tdm , fdm , or cdm up to rank - l . in addition to the above three basic multiplexing methods , combinations of two or more multiplexing methods may be defined as total multiplexing methods . the method proposed in the present invention includes a normal cp case and an extended cp case . all proposals of drs patterns for each layer derived from a multiplexing method proposed in the present invention may be applied as a detailed multiplexing method in total or partial domains of a multiplexing method applied according to an individual pattern of the two drs patterns of embodiment 4 . fig2 to 23 are diagrams showing drs patterns according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention . in fig2 to 23 , drs patterns mapped according to each layer when l = 2 are proposed . indexes of the drs patterns mapped according to each layer may be mapped in a descending or ascending order . for the above proposed drs patterns , individual drs patterns depicted in the embodiments proposed in the present invention , and / or all drs patterns on an rb grid , a cdm method may be applied to res in an arbitrary drs pattern in a frequency , time , or frequency - time domain using an orthogonal code sequence , such as walsh , orthogonal variable spreading function ( ovsf ), cazac ( cyclic sequence ), zadoff - chu ( zc ) sequence , or zadoff - chu zero correlation zone ( zc - zcz ) sequence , or a quasi - orthogonal sequence , such as an m - sequence , gold code , or kasami sequence . at this time , the number of used code resources ( indicating cyclic shift in case of cazac sequence series ) is designated within a range which maintains orthogonality in a resource region to which cdm in a radio channel is applied , and the code resources may configure all multiplexing methods in conjunction with a multiplexing method of cdm , tdm , fdm , or tdm / fdm . mapping to specific drs patterns and / or code resources of l individual layers in rank - l may be performed by a time - first , frequency - first , or code - first scheme . in case of a multiplexing method in three resource regions , mapping may be performed in order of time - frequency - code , time - code - frequency , frequency - time - code , frequency - code - time , code - time - frequency , or code - frequency - time . a ue which receives a subframe including a drs generated by the above - described methods may demodulate received data using the drs . fig2 a block diagram showing the configuration of a device which is applicable to a ue or a bs and through which the above embodiments can be implemented . as shown in fig2 , a device 240 includes a processing unit 241 , a memory unit 242 , a radio frequency ( rf ) unit 243 , a display unit 244 , and a user interface unit 245 . a layer of a physical interface protocol is performed in the processing unit 241 . the processing unit 241 provides a control plane and a user plane . a function of each layer may be performed in the processing unit 241 . the memory unit 242 is electrically connected to the processing unit 241 and stores an operating system , applications , and general files . if the device 240 is a ue , the display unit 244 may display a variety of information and may be achieved using a known liquid crystal display ( lcd ), an organic light emitting diode ( oled ), etc . the user interface 245 may be configured by combination with a known user interface such as a keypad or a touchscreen . the rf unit 243 is electrically connected to the processing unit 241 and transmits or receives radio signals . in this specification , the bs means a terminal node of a network , which performs direct communication with a mobile terminal . a specific operation which has been described as being performed by the bs may be performed by an upper node of the bs as the case may be . in other words , various operations performed for communication with the mobile terminal in a network which includes a plurality of network nodes along with the bs may be performed by the bs , or network nodes other than the bs . the bs may be replaced with the terms such as evolved node b ( enb ), fixed station , node b , access point , and relay node as an uplink receiving subject . also , in the present invention , a mobile terminal corresponds to a user equipment ( ue ) and the mobile terminal may be replaced with terms such as mobile station ( ms ), subscriber station ( ss ), mobile subscriber station ( mss ), and relay node as an uplink transmitting subject . the embodiments according to the present invention can be implemented by various means , for example , hardware , firmware , software , or combination thereof . in a hardware configuration , a method in a radio communication system according to the embodiments of the present invention may be implemented by one or more application specific integrated circuits ( asics ), digital signal processors ( dsps ), digital signal processing devices ( dspds ), programmable logic devices ( plds ), field programmable gate arrays ( fpgas ), processors , controllers , microcontrollers , microprocessors , etc . in a firmware or software configuration , a method in a radio communication system according to the embodiments of the present invention can be implemented by a type of a module , a procedure , or a function , which performs functions or operations described above . software code may be stored in a memory unit and then may be executed by a processor . the memory unit may be located inside or outside the processor to transmit and receive data to and from the processor through various means which are well known . those skilled in the art will appreciate that the present invention may be embodied in other specific forms than those set forth herein without departing from the spirit and essential characteristics of the present invention . the above description is therefore to be construed in all aspects as illustrative and not restrictive . the scope of the invention should be determined by reasonable interpretation of the appended claims and all changes coming within the equivalency range of the invention are intended to be within the scope of the invention . claims which are not explicitly dependent on each other can be combined to provide an embodiment or new claims can be added through amendment after this application is filed . the present invention may be used for a ue , a bs , or other devices of a radio mobile communication system .
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the motor represented schematically in fig1 exhibits a structure which is derived from the symmetric structures of the traveling wave piezoelectric motors described in the u . s . pat . nos . 5 , 648 , 696 and 5 , 726 , 519 , the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference . the structure is here asymmetric , that is to say the motor has a single rotor 1 applied against a stator 2 associated with four electromechanical transducers 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 bearing on a rigid bedplate 7 . the rotor and the stator are annular in shape . the electromechanical transducers 3 to 6 are of the piezoelectric or magnetostrictive type or of any other type . in the description of the exemplary execution , it will be assumed that one is dealing with piezoelectric transducers in the form of cylindrical ceramic bars such as described in the u . s . pat . nos . 5 , 648 , 696 and 5 , 726 , 519 . these bars are identical and paired as 3 - 5 and 4 - 6 , the bars of each pair being diametrically opposed and symmetric relative to the axis of the motor . the bars are furthermore regularly distributed about the axis , in such a way that they are angularly offset mutually by 90 °. the bars of each pair are polarized in opposite directions as indicated by the arrows in the drawing . consequently , on going around the stator , one encounters in succession two bars 3 and 4 polarized in one direction , then two bars 5 and 6 polarized in the other direction . the transducers 3 to 6 bear against the stator 2 via conical articulation pieces 8 as described in the u . s . pat . no . 6 , 093 , 994 , which pieces limit the flexing of the bars . the stator 2 is pressed firmly by a central pillar , not represented , against the transducers 3 to 6 . the rotor 1 is itself pressed elastically against the stator 2 . the means of prestress and of pressure are , for example , embodied as described and represented in the u . s . pat . no . 5 , 726 , 519 . the central pillar can be hollowed out for the passage of a shaft on which the rotor 1 is mounted with slight radial play . the diametrically opposed transducers form a group supplied by the same signal . they therefore vibrate in phase opposition . the two groups are supplied via two phase quadrature signals , that is to say ones which are π / 2 out of phase . the supply is effected , for example , by means of the circuit described in patent u . s . pat . no . 6 , 072 , 265 , the content of which is incorporated by reference , by way of a connector placed on the bedplate 7 . the structure could of course be symmetric as described in the u . s . pat . nos . 5 , 648 , 696 and 5 , 726 , 519 with a connector according to the u . s . pat . no . 5 , 828 , 158 placed in the nodal plane , at the common base of the transducers . the stator 2 differs from the stators according to the prior art in that its contact with the rotor 1 spans only two diametrically opposed ring segments 9 and 10 of the same angular length . advantageously , but not necessarily , these segments 9 and 10 are themselves subdivided , for example into four teeth 9 a to 9 d and 10 a to 10 d as represented in fig2 . this makes it possible , as is known , to amplify the tangential speeds without giving rise to overly rigid stators . furthermore , the aggregate span of the segments 9 and 10 in the circumferential direction is chosen to be less than or equal to a wavelength of the traveling wave produced in the stator . in the example represented , the eight bearing teeth represent the teeth which remain out of the twenty - four teeth of a stator embodied according to the prior art . within the dimensional limit indicated hereinabove , and if one wishes to avoid having to grind the stator once assembled , this span will be further reduced until the static deformation produced by the prestress becomes less than the useful dynamic deformation . the segments 9 and 10 are situated either facing two transducers , or between two transducers . the effect obtained will be better understood through the simulation represented in fig5 representing a motor according to the prior art supplied in mode 3 . the figure shows the traveling wave with three wavelengths and the simulation portrays the radial deformation , highly exaggerated : the zones corresponding to a peak undergo a centripetal displacement , whereas the zones corresponding to a trough undergo a centrifugal displacement . if all the teeth are retained and the rotor is pressed against the stator , then three antagonist forces at 120 ° occur , localized on the peaks . the centripetal motions give rise to noise , heating and wear of the rotor . according to the invention only a third ( one wavelength ) of the available contact zone is kept . let us assume that at a given instant the segment 9 corresponds to a peak : then the segment 10 is on a trough . the two radial forces therefore have the same direction and no antagonist effect causes noise . the fact of keeping two diametrically opposed contact zones no longer affords any constraint to the radial motion . it is of prime importance to avoid contact over three 120 ° zones . the segments 9 and 10 , and their teeth 9 a to 9 d and 10 a to 10 d respectively , exhibit either a plane contact face perpendicular to the axis of the stator , that is to say of the motor , or a face inclined relative to this axis , more precisely a face situated on a conical surface whose vertex is situated on the axis of the motor . depending on whether the bearing faces of the segments are planar or conical , the rotor will exhibit a planar or conical surface of contact with the stator and its link with the shaft of the motor exhibits play compatible with radial motions . each rotor could consist of two concentric rotors , preferably elastically interlinked , of which one bears via a plane face on plane - faced segments and the other bears via a frustoconical face on conical - faced segments . in this case , the stator can exhibit two pairs of bearing segments offset by 90 °, one exhibiting plane faces and the other inclined , respectively , conical faces . on supplying the transducers , elliptical motions of the segments 9 and 10 appear both in the tangential and radial directions . there is considerable dynamic contact of the rotor with one of the segments during one half - period , then with the opposite segments during the other half - period . in each case , the contact is driving in the tangential direction . there is also radial motion of the rotor towards the opposite zone during one half - period , motion tolerated by the play with the shaft , and reverse motion during the following half - period . the structure lends itself equally well to operation in mode 3 as in mode 1 . in the latter case , the span of the contact segments is limited only by the amplitude of the static deformation warping of the stator , whose effects must be masked . apart from the fact that it makes it possible to eliminate the noise emitted and the energy dissipated by radial friction , the structure according to the invention exhibits the advantage of making it possible to extract , from the supply signals , information regarding the speed of the rotor . this is because the dynamic contact pressure directly influences the amplitudes and the relative phases of the currents absorbed on each supply pathway . fig3 illustrates an exemplary recording of the relative phase p between the current i of a pathway and the supply voltage u for a motor with two contact segments . the circuit used for this purpose is a circuit well known to the person skilled in the art and which is represented as a reminder in fig4 . a and b represent the two pairs of transducers supplied from a source s . the voltage u and the current i in a supply pathway are respectively measured , which voltage and current are shaped and applied to a phase comparator . the signal p is obtained at the filtered output of the comparator . depicted on the same recording is the logic signal f emanating from an angular sensor giving eight pulses per revolution . the periodicity of the signal p is noted . careful examination shows that a signal period has two very slightly different alternations : this involves two alternating contacts on the other two segments 9 and 10 which are not strictly identical . the person skilled in the art is able through this alone to reconstruct , from this signal p , a logic signal whose frequency is therefore twice the frequency of rotation of the motor , this giving a measure of the speed of the motor . in the case described previously , where two pairs of bearing segments , offset by 90 °, are used , one plane and the other inclined , the frequency of the signal resulting from the variations in the contact pressures becomes quadruple the frequency of rotation of the rotors . since it is of prime importance to avoid contact over three 120 ° zones , it is possible to envisage contact over four segments . it is possible , at best , to reduce the contact to four contact segments situated respectively facing each of the transducers and whose aggregate span is less than one wavelength . in this case , it is noted that there are four contact pressure maxima per complete period . the speed measurement is therefore twice as accurate . multiple variations and modifications are possible in the embodiments of the invention described here . although certain illustrative embodiments of the invention have been shown and described here , a wide range of modifications , changes , and substitutions is contemplated in the foregoing disclosure . in some instances , some features of the present invention may be employed without a corresponding use of the other features . accordingly , it is appropriate that the foregoing description be construed broadly and understood as being given by way of illustration and example only , the spirit and scope of the invention being limited only by the appended claims .
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referring to the drawings , and initially to fig1 to 3 , there is shown a sucker device 1 for use in securing to generally gas impermeable surfaces such as , for example , glazing panels , enabling lifting or attachment of other apparatus . the device 1 comprises a hard plastics mounting shell 2 , to the underside of which is secured a flexible rubber membrane having a body disc 3 and an integral peripherally extending flexible skirt 4 . an actuation lever 6 is pivotally mounted at pivot 7 , to the hard plastics mounting shell 2 , the primary purpose of the actuation lever being to energize or de - energize the sucker . such arrangements are known in the art and an exemplary such lever actuator arrangement is disclosed , for example , in de 20103755 , in which a lever having a cam is movable to urge a cam follower pin to push down the concave dish of the flexible sucker body 3 , so energizing or de - energizing the suction device . the present arrangement is designed to operate in this manner . the lever 6 includes an aperture 10 locating a cross pin 11 , to which is attached the proximal end of a flexible link tether 15 . flexible link tether 15 is connected at its distal end to a pull tab 17 which is formed integrally with the skirt 4 and projects upwardly therefrom . the purpose of the pull tab 17 is to enable the rim lip 18 of the flexible skirt to be selectively lifted in order to enable full release the suction applied by the device . the present invention enables the lip to be released by means of actuation remote from the rim lip 18 . alternative means may be provided for securing the distal end of the flexible link tether 15 to the portion of the skirt to be lifted . in the embodiment shown , the flexible linkage is received in a guide channel 19 formed in the hard plastics mounting shell 2 . referring to fig2 , the device 1 is shown in with the actuator lever 6 in a neutral position standing upright from the hard plastics mounting shell 2 . in this position the vacuum is not fully applied and the rim lip 18 is not being lifted . in the energized configuration , with the actuator lever 6 pivoted forward ( as shown in dashed line in fig2 ), the cam action causes push down of the flexible sucker body 3 , so energizing the suction . in this arrangement the underside of the flexible skirt 4 is pressed face down against the substrate surface . when seeking to release the applied suction , the lever 6 is returned to the neutral position and then pivoted forward over centre ( as shown in fig3 ). this has the effect of causing flexible link tether 15 to slide in the direction of arrow a in guide channel 19 , pulling upwardly on pull tab 17 and on so doing , lifting the rim lip 18 of skirt 4 . this permits air to pass under the skirt and body of the sucker membrane 3 , relieving the applied suction . the suction device can then easily be lifted from the substrate surface . the present invention enables a lever or other actuator to be used to lift the rim lip of the skirt . by making this the primary suction application actuator lever 6 , convenient and single handed release actuation may be achieved . the other hand may be used to support the device , for example by means of gripping a grip handle . such an arrangement is shown in fig5 , where a grip handle 21 extends between 2 suction devices 1 a , 1 b in accordance with the invention . as most clearly shown in fig4 , the sucker membrane is provided on its underside ( the side arranged to contact the substrate surface ) with a suction relieving groove 25 extending across the junction between the flexible skirt 4 and the flexible body 3 of the sucker membrane . the groove 25 provides a conduit enabling rapid pressure equalization when the rim lip 18 is sufficiently lifted . the pressure relieving groove 25 coincides substantially with the position of the lifting tab 17 . it has been found that the operation of the pressure relieving groove 25 is enhanced in configurations in which the groove 25 tapers from a relatively wider distal end 28 positioned toward the periphery of the sucker membrane to a relatively narrower proximal end 29 positioned toward the center of the sucker membrane . additionally , the arrangement of the invention provides enhanced operation when securing the device to a substrate surface . this is achieved by placing the sucker device on the substrate surface and , with downward pressure applied via the device , first moving the lever 6 to the over - center position ( as shown in fig3 ), with downward force applied via the device to the substrate , before moving the lever 6 all the way forward to the energized position ( shown by the dashed line in fig2 ). the initial over - center movement with downward force applied lifts the skirt 4 and expels air from under the body 3 of the sucker membrane . this results in a greater vacuum effect .
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an exemplary embodiment of the anti - theft device 100 of the present invention is shown in fig1 . the anti - theft device comprises a set of wheel cradles 110 attached by a central shaft 120 . a wheel cradle may comprise a support element 111 and a first and second tire bracket 112 extending perpendicular to the support element 111 . the first and second tire bracket are separated by a distance sufficient for a bottom portion of a tire to sit therein . in certain exemplary embodiments the tire brackets 112 are adjustable along the supporting bracket 111 to provide flexibility in accepting different vehicle tire sizes . the wheel cradle may optionally further comprise a mounting bracket 113 . the mounting bracket 113 may be positioned or integrated directly into the supporting bracket 111 . alternatively , the mounting bracket 113 may be attached at a point along the first and second tire brackets 112 parallel to the supporting element 111 . the mounting bracket is designed to allow the anti - theft device 100 to be securely fastened to a solid surface , such as an asphalt or concrete surface , a truck bed , or a trailer bed . the mounting bracket may be secured to the solid surface using any standard mounting means for attaching fixtures to such surfaces . in one exemplary embodiment , the mounting bracket 113 contains one or more holes for the insertion of bolts for securing the anti - theft device 100 to the solid surface . the wheel cradles 110 may be manufactured from any suitable material with sufficient strength and durability to allow a vehicle to be securely attached thereto . the second supporting bracket 115 may be attached to the opposite end of first and second tire brackets 112 from the first support bracket 112 . in certain exemplary embodiments , a plate 116 may be attached at a bottom end to either to the second support bracket 115 or directly to tire brackets 112 . the top end of the plate extends vertically and is of a sufficient height to block access to a tire &# 39 ; s lug nuts , thereby preventing tire removal . the plate may be a square plate , a rectangular shape , a half - round shape , or any shape sufficient to block access to a tire &# 39 ; s lug nuts or other means for securing the tire to the axle of the vehicle . in certain exemplary embodiments , the central shaft may comprise a fixed component 121 attached to one wheel cradle and an adjustable shaft component 122 attached to the other wheel cradle that inserts into and is movable relative to the fixed shaft component . the adjustable shaft further comprises an adjustable shaft lock 123 to secure the central shaft 120 in a fixed position . an adjustable shaft lock 123 may comprise a bolt insertable into a first hole on the fixed portion of the central shaft 120 and a second hole in the adjustable portion of the central shaft when the fixed portion and adjustable portion of the central shaft are properly aligned . in such an embodiment , the holes in the fixed and adjustable portions of the central shaft may be machined at multiple points to allow for adjustment of the shaft over a range of widths providing flexibility to secure vehicles with varying wheel bases . continuing in reference to the exemplary embodiment shown in fig1 , the device contains two locking slides 130 around the central shaft 120 wherein the sliding locks are moveable along the central shaft allowing for optimum positioning of the sliding locks relative to a given vehicle &# 39 ; s axle . the sliding locks of the present invention allow the locks to be positioned between any gearbox and transfer case arrangement for a given vehicle , while ensuring the device is secured to the vehicle in - line with the axle and the wheel . each locking slides comprises an axle attachment mechanism 131 for locking the device 100 to the axle of a vehicle . an exemplary axle attachment mechanism is a chain , however other suitable mechanisms that allow secure attachment of the device to the vehicles axle may be used . turning now to fig2 , a more detailed drawing of an exemplary sliding lock is provided . the sliding lock 200 comprises the slide body 210 , a central channel for receiving the device &# 39 ; s central shaft 120 , and a locking mechanism 220 . in the exemplary embodiment shown in fig2 , a chain 240 may be welded to one side of the sliding lock opposite the locking mechanism 220 . the chain is then looped over the vehicle axle and secured to the locking mechanism . an exemplary locking mechanism can comprise one or more chain notches 222 and lock pin 221 for locking the free end of the chain to the locking mechanism . in use , the device 100 is secured to an appropriate surface . the wheel cradles 110 are set to an appropriate width based on the wheel base of the vehicle to be secured . once the appropriate width is set the central shaft 120 may be locked into position . the vehicle is then driven onto the device so that the front or rear tires rest within the wheel cradle 110 . in those embodiments in which the tire brackets 112 are adjustable , said brackets may be adjusted to more securely engage the tire . the sliding locks 130 are then positioned along the axle . the optimum point along an axle at which the vehicle may be secured will vary by vehicle . one of ordinary skill in the art will recognize and be able to position the sliding locks in the appropriate positions . the axle attachment mechanisms 131 are then looped over the vehicle axle and secured to the locking mechanism 221 of the sliding locks 130 , thereby securing the vehicle to the device . components of the device may be manufactured of a variety of materials from metals to rigid plastic materials . exemplary materials suitable for use in the present invention include , but are not limited to , steel , stainless steel , high carbon steels , aluminum , or combinations thereof . design considerations to be considered when selecting suitable component materials include strength , durability , weight , and cost of manufacturing . although specific embodiments of the invention may have been described above in detail , the description is merely for purposes of illustration . various modifications can be made by those having ordinary skill in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention defined in the following claims , the scope of which is to be accorded the broadest interpretation so as to encompass such modifications and equivalent structure .
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fig1 - 1b show a power inserter connector 1 according to the present invention . the power inserter connector 1 comprises a body 10 , a first terminal 20 having a first seizure mechanism having a seizure screw 70 at a first end , a front insulator 40 , a rear insulator 30 and a second terminal 50 which includes a second seizure mechanism having a seizure screw 60 . in this embodiment the seizure mechanism includes a threaded bore 55 and a seizure screw 60 inserted within the threaded bore . other embodiments may include other seizure mechanisms as would be known by those of reasonable skill in the art . the connector accepts a pair of conductors , one at each of the respective first and second terminals . once the conductors have been installed and secured to their respective terminals , the end of the connector is wrapped with tape or covered with heat shrink tubing to insulate the terminals from unintended contact . fig2 - 2b show power inserter connector body 10 . body 10 is comprised of aluminum or other corrosion resistant material . a first end of the body 10 includes a threaded section 12 which is configured to mate with a cooperating catv power inserter housing ( not shown ). a center section 14 is hexagonally shaped in order to provide a surface that allows for sufficient tightening of first end 12 to the catv power inserter housing . a central bore 11 extends through body 10 . threaded section 18 is provided adjacent hexagonally shaped center section 14 and allows for removal of center section 14 . a semi - circular portion 16 having a flat upper surface comprises the second end of body 10 . the flat surface is useful for supporting the first terminal , the second terminal , and the rear insulator as will be described in detail below . fig3 - 3a show first terminal 20 , which is comprised of tin - plated brass or other conductive material . the terminal 20 has a rectangular shaped first end 21 which includes an opening 23 , in this embodiment a threaded bore , which is part of a first seizure mechanism . in other embodiments other seizure mechanisms which are known to those skilled in the art may be utilized . a second bore 24 extends centrally into the first end 21 and is configured to receive a first conductor ( not shown ) therein . the first conductor comprises copper or aluminum and is sized from awg # 14 to awg # 2 . if an aluminum conductor is used , an anti - oxidant compound should be applied to the conductor before it is secured within the terminal . the terminal 20 includes a long , solid cylindrical section 26 extending to the second end 22 . the cylindrical section 26 has an angular section 25 which offsets the remaining portion of the cylindrical section 26 with respect to the first end 21 . the terminal is configured to carry an electrical current of up to thirty amperes and a voltage of up to ninety volts . in this embodiment the second end of terminal 20 is rounded , however other embodiments could incorporate differently shaped ends . fig4 - 4a show front insulator 40 . front insulator 40 is comprised of nylon , delrin or other insulative material and includes a first bore 41 centrally disposed a predetermined distance within insulator 40 . second bore 42 , smaller in diameter than first bore 41 , extends from the end of first bore 41 through insulator 40 . first bore 41 and second bore 42 are configured such that terminal cylindrical section 26 including angled section 25 are received therein and insulates that portion of terminal 20 from the power inserter connector body 10 . fig5 - 5b show rear insulator 30 . rear insulator 30 is comprised of nylon , delrin or other insulative material and is configured to isolate the first end 21 of terminal 20 from the body 10 of the power inserter connector . rear insulator 30 has a first bore 31 which is configured to allow a section of the first seizure mechanism to pass through . a second bore 33 extends a predetermined distance within the insulator 30 and is configured to receive and secure the first end 21 of terminal 20 therein . third bore 32 extends from second bore 33 through the remaining section of the insulator and is configured to fit around a section of terminal 20 . a fourth bore 34 allows for a mounting screw to pass therethrough and to secure the rear insulator 30 to the flat surface 16 of connector body 10 . referring now to fig6 - 6b , second terminal 50 is shown . second terminal 50 is comprised of a tin plated aluminum alloy or other conductive material . second terminal 50 includes a flat section 51 having a hole 52 disposed therethrough for mounting the second terminal 50 within body 10 . the second terminal 50 further includes a rectangular section 54 having a first bore 55 for receiving a seizure screw 60 . a second bore 53 extends into section 54 and is configured to receive a second conductor ( not shown ) therein , the second conductor being secured within the second bore 53 by seizure screw 60 . the second conductor comprises copper or aluminum and is sized from awg # 14 to awg # 2 . if an aluminum conductor is used , an anti - oxidant compound should be applied to the conductor before it is secured within the terminal 50 . other embodiments may implement other seizure mechanisms as would be known by those skilled in the art . the power inserter connector 1 is assembled as follows . o - ring 80 is lubricated and installed adjacent the threaded section 12 of body 10 . front insulator 40 is installed within body 10 . anti - oxidant compound is applied to the threads of mounting screw 90 and the mounting portions of second terminal 50 . screw 90 is placed through second terminal 50 , through rear insulator 30 and into body 10 . terminal 20 is then inserted through the front and rear insulators . mounting screw 90 is tightened , securing first terminal 20 , second terminal 50 and rear insulator 30 to body 10 . seizure screws 70 and 60 are installed into terminals 20 and 50 respectively . the power inserter connector 1 is installed into the power inserter housing as follows . anti - oxidant joint compound is applied to the threaded section 12 of body 10 . the power inserter body 10 is installed onto the power inserter housing . nut section 14 is removed and placed over the conductors . approximately 1 / 2 inch of cable jacket is removed from the conductors . a conductor , typically the neutral conductor , is inserted into bore 53 of second terminal 50 . seizure screw 60 is tightened , securing the conductor to the second terminal 50 . another conductor , typically the hot conductor , is inserted into bore 24 of terminal 20 . seizure screw 70 is tightened , securing the hot conductor to the terminal 20 . nut section 140 is installed on body 10 and tightened . heat shrink tubing or insulative tape is installed over the exposed end of the connector body 10 . the power inserter connector 1 is disconnected as follows . the heat shrink tubing or tape is removed . the mounting screw 90 is loosened . the seizure screws 60 and 70 are loosened , and the conductors removed from the terminals . the power inserter connector 1 is then removed from the catv power inserter housing . a second embodiment of a power inserter connector is shown in fig7 - 7c . in this embodiment the power inserter connector 100 is waterproof . this embodiment 100 is similar to power inserter connector 1 with the addition of a subassembly insert 120 , a seal 130 , an o - ring 160 , a sealing ring 150 and a sealing nut 140 . fig8 - 8a show subassembly body 110 . subassembly body 110 is comprised of aluminum or other noncorrosive material and includes a central bore 111 extending therethrough . a first plurality of threads 112 are disposed about the interior surface of bore 111 adjacent a first end of the subassembly body 110 . a second plurality of threads 113 are disposed about the interior surface of bore 111 adjacent a second end of the subassembly body 110 . the second end of subassembly body 110 is configured to mate with a cooperating section of body 10 . referring now to fig9 the subassembly insert 120 is shown . insert 120 is comprised of aluminum or other corrosion resistant material . a bore 121 is centrally disposed through insert 120 . a first plurality of threads 122 are disposed about an external surface adjacent the first end of insert 120 . a second plurality of threads 123 are disposed about an external surface of the insert adjacent the second end . the first plurality of threads are configured to mate with the second end of sub - assembly body 110 . fig1 - 10a show seal 130 . seal 130 is comprised of neoprene or other material capable of providing a waterproof seal . seal 130 is cylindrical in shape and includes a bore 131 disposed therethrough which has an oval cross - sectional shape . seal 130 also includes a beveled edge 132 about the first end thereof . bore 131 is configured to securely receive a conductor pair therethrough and to provide a waterproof seal about the conductor pair . a first end of seal 130 is configured to fit inside the second end of insert 120 . sealing ring 150 is shown in fig1 . sealing ring 150 is comprised of aluminum or other corrosion resistant material . ring 150 includes a central bore 151 disposed therethrough . a first end of the central bore 151 includes a tapered end 152 . the tapered end 152 is configured to align with the tapered end of seal 130 when the ring is positioned abutting the second end of insert 120 . fig1 shows sealing nut 140 . nut 140 is comprised of die cast zinc or other corrosion resistant material . nut 140 includes a central bore 141 disposed therethrough and contains a plurality of threads 142 disposed along an interior surface adjacent the first end of nut 140 . nut 140 is configured to mate with the second end of insert 120 and to secure seal 130 and sealing ring 150 therein , thereby providing a waterproof interface at the entrance of the conductors to the power inserter connector . the power inserter connector 100 is assembled as follows . o - ring 80 is lubricated and installed adjacent the threaded section 12 of body 10 and o - ring 160 is lubricated and installed adjacent the threaded section 18 of body 10 . front insulator 40 is then installed within body 10 . anti - oxidant compound is applied to the threads of screw 90 and the mounting portions of second terminal 50 . screw 90 is placed through second terminal 50 , through rear insulator 30 and into body 10 . terminal 20 is then inserted through the front and rear insulators . mounting screw 90 is tightened , securing terminal 20 , terminal 50 and rear insulator 30 to body 10 . seizure screws 70 and 60 are installed into terminals 20 and 50 respectively . subassembly body 110 is mated with body 10 , subassembly insert 120 is mated with subassembly body 110 , seal 130 is installed into the end of subassembly insert 120 , sealing ring 150 is installed adjacent the end of seal 130 and sealing nut 140 is mated with insert 120 . the power inserter connector 100 is installed into the power inserter housing as follows . anti - oxidant joint compound is applied to the threaded section 12 of body 10 . the power inserter body 10 is installed onto the power inserter housing . the subassembly body 110 , including inset 120 , seal 130 , sealing ring 150 and sealing nut 140 are removed from the connector and placed over the conductors . approximately 1 / 2 inch of cable jacket is removed from the conductors . if aluminum conductors are used , anti - oxidant joint compound should be applied to the exposed conductors . a conductor , typically the neutral conductor , is inserted into bore 53 of second terminal 50 . seizure screw 60 is tightened , securing the conductor to the second terminal 50 . another conductor , typically the hot conductor , is inserted into bore 24 of terminal 20 . seizure screw 70 is tightened , securing the hot conductor to the terminal 20 . the subassembly body 110 , including the subassembly insert 120 , seal 130 , sealing ring 150 and sealing nut 140 are mated with the connector body 10 . subassembly body is tightened to connector body 10 . sealing nut 140 is tightened until the seal is fully compressed against the conductors jackets . the power inserter connector 110 is disconnected as follows . the sealing nut 140 is loosened , then the subassembly body 110 is loosened from the connector body 10 . the mounting screw 90 is loosened . the seizure screws 60 and 70 are loosened , and the conductors removed from the terminals 20 and 30 . the power inserter connector 110 is removed from the power inserter housing . fig1 - 13b show another embodiment of a power inserter connector 200 . the same style terminal 20 is used as is used with the other embodiments 1 and 100 described above . a single insulator 230 is utilized to isolate terminal 20 from body 210 . body 210 includes an integral seizure mechanism 260 for securing a second conductor to the body 210 , thus a second terminal is not required , reducing the parts count and making the connector lower in cost and assembly time . referring now to fig1 - 14a , the power inserter connector body 210 is shown . the body 210 is comprised of aluminum or other corrosion resistant material , and includes a threaded first end 211 for mating with a cooperating connector such as a catv power inserter housing . a second end of the connector body 210 includes a cavity 213 for receiving the first end of terminal 20 and is configured to allow access to the seizure mechanism of terminal 20 . a first central bore 212 extends from the cavity through the connector body . a second bore 214 is partially disposed within body 210 and is configured to receive a conductor therein . a seizure mechanism bore 261 is provided which allows the securement of the second conductor to the body when the conductor is inserted within bore 214 and seized by seizure mechanism 260 . fig1 and 15a show insulator 230 . insulator 230 is configured to fit within body 210 . a first end of insulator 230 includes a cavity 231 which aligns within the body 210 to allow access to the terminal seizure mechanism within terminal 20 . the insulator 230 isolates a section of the terminal 20 and the seizure mechanism from the body 210 . the power inserter connector 200 is assembled as follows . o - ring 80 is lubricated and installed adjacent the threaded section 211 of body 210 . insulator 230 is then installed within body 210 . terminal 20 is then inserted through insulator 230 . seizure screws 260 and 270 are installed into bore 261 and terminal 20 respectively . the power inserter connector 200 is installed into the power inserter housing as follows . anti - oxidant joint compound is applied to the threaded section 211 of body 210 . the power inserter body 210 is installed onto the power inserter housing . approximately 1 / 2 inch of cable jacket is removed from the conductors . if aluminum conductors are used , anti - oxidant joint compound should be applied to the exposed conductors . a conductor , typically the neutral conductor , is inserted into bore 214 of body 210 . seizure screw 60 is tightened , securing the conductor to the body 210 . another conductor , typically the hot conductor , is inserted into bore 24 of terminal 20 . seizure screw 70 is tightened , securing the hot conductor to the terminal 20 . heat shrink tubing or insulative tape is installed over the exposed end of the connector body 210 . the power inserter connector 200 is disconnected as follows . the heat shrink tubing or tape is removed . the seizure screws 60 and 70 are loosened and the conductors removed . the power inserter connector 200 is removed from the power inserter housing . the power inserter connector of this embodiment includes a one piece body , a one piece insulator and a one piece terminal , all of which make the connector easier to manufacture and assemble as well as being lower in cost . having described preferred embodiments of the invention it will now become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that other embodiments incorporating these concepts may be used . accordingly , it is submitted that the invention should not be limited to the described embodiments but rather should be limited only by the spirit and scope of the appended claims .
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fig1 is diagram of an exemplary computer network that serves to illustrate aspects of the invention . here computers 100 a - 100 e may host various ones of the computing objects such as games and other applications . although the physical environment shows the connected devices as computers , such illustration is merely exemplary and may comprise various digital devices such as pdas , game consoles , etc . moreover , communications network 160 may itself comprise a number of computers , servers and network devices such as routers and the like . there are a variety of systems , components , and network configurations that support distributed computing environments . for , example , computing systems may be connected together by wireline or wireless systems , by local networks or widely distributed networks . currently , many of the networks are coupled to the internet which provides the infrastructure for widely distributed computing and encompasses many different networks . aspects of the present invention could be usable to distribute computer - readable instructions , code fragments , applications and the like to various distributed computing devices . the network infrastructure enables a host of network topologies such as client / server , peer - to - peer , or hybrid architectures . the “ client ” is a member of a class or group that uses the services of another class or group to which it is not related . thus , in computing , a client is a process ( i . e ., roughly a set of instructions or tasks ) that requests a service provided by another program . the client process utilizes the requested service without having to “ know ” any working details about the other program or the service itself . in a client / server architecture , particularly a networked system , a client is usually a computer that accesses shared network resources provided by another computer ( i . e ., a server ). a server is typically a remote computer system accessible over a remote network such as the internet . the client process may be active in a first computer system , and the server process may be active in a second computer system , communicating with one another over a communications medium , thus providing distributed functionality and allowing multiple clients to take advantage of the information - gathering capabilities of the server . clients and servers communicate with one another utilizing the functionality provided by a protocol layer . for example , hypertext - transfer protocol ( http ) is a common protocol that is used in conjunction with the world wide web ( www ) or , simply , the “ web .” typically , a computer network address such as a uniform resource locator ( url ) or an internet protocol ( ip ) address is used to identify the server or client computers to each other . communication among computing devices is provided over a communications medium . in particular , the client and server may be coupled to one another via tcp / ip connections for high - capacity communication . in general , the computer network may comprise both server devices and client devices deployed in a network environment ( in a peer - to - peer environment devices may be both clients and servers ). communications network 160 may be a lan , wan , intranet or the internet , or a combination of any of these that facilitates communication among a number of computing devices 10 a - 10 e . moreover , communication network 160 may comprise wireless , wireline , or combination wireless and wireline connections . additionally , the computer network may comprises a distributed computing environment . in such an environment a computing task may be spread over a number of computing devices that are addressable elements in a computer network . according to an aspect of the invention , communication network 160 may host a service 150 that is accessible from the plurality of computers 100 a - 100 e . the service 150 gathers information and tracks users of computers 100 a - 100 e to provide computing services for all of the users of the service . fig2 illustrates the functional components of a multimedia / gaming console 100 that may be used as the computers 100 a - 100 e in the network of fig1 . the multimedia console 100 has a central processing unit ( cpu ) 101 having a level 1 cache 102 , a level 2 cache 104 , and a flash rom ( read only memory ) 106 . the level 1 cache 102 and a level 2 cache 104 temporarily store data and hence reduce the number of memory access cycles , thereby improving processing speed and throughput . the cpu 101 may be provided having more than one core , and thus , additional level 1 and level 2 caches 102 and 104 . the flash rom 106 may store executable code that is loaded during an initial phase of a boot process when the multimedia console 100 is powered on . a graphics processing unit ( gpu ) 108 and a video encoder / video codec ( coder / decoder ) 114 form a video processing pipeline for high speed and high resolution graphics processing . data is carried from the graphics processing unit 108 to the video encoder / video codec 114 via a bus . the video processing pipeline outputs data to an a / v ( audio / video ) port 140 for transmission to a television or other display . a memory controller 110 is connected to the gpu 108 to facilitate processor access to various types of memory 112 , such as , but not limited to , a ram ( random access memory ). the multimedia console 100 includes an i / o controller 120 , a system management controller 122 , an audio processing unit 123 , a network interface controller 124 , a first usb host controller 126 , a second usb controller 128 and a front panel i / o subassembly 130 that are preferably implemented on a module 118 . the usb controllers 126 and 128 serve as hosts for peripheral controllers 142 ( 1 )- 142 ( 2 ), a wireless adapter 148 , and an external memory device 146 ( e . g ., flash memory , external cd / dvd rom drive , removable media , etc .). the network interface 124 and / or wireless adapter 148 provide access to a network ( e . g ., the internet , home network , etc .) and may be any of a wide variety of various wired or wireless adapter components including an ethernet card , a modem , a bluetooth module , a cable modem , and the like . system memory 143 is provided to store application data that is loaded during the boot process . a media drive 144 is provided and may comprise a dvd / cd drive , hard drive , or other removable media drive , etc . the media drive 144 may be internal or external to the multimedia console 100 . application data may be accessed via the media drive 144 for execution , playback , etc . by the multimedia console 100 . the media drive 144 is connected to the i / o controller 120 via a bus , such as a serial ata bus or other high speed connection ( e . g ., ieee 1394 ). the system management controller 122 provides a variety of service functions related to assuring availability of the multimedia console 100 . the audio processing unit 123 and an audio codec 132 form a corresponding audio processing pipeline with high fidelity and stereo processing . audio data is carried between the audio processing unit 123 and the audio codec 132 via a communication link . the audio processing pipeline outputs data to the a / v port 140 for reproduction by an external audio player or device having audio capabilities . the front panel i / o subassembly 130 supports the functionality of the power button 150 and the eject button 152 , as well as any leds ( light emitting diodes ) or other indicators exposed on the outer surface of the multimedia console 100 . a system power supply module 136 provides power to the components of the multimedia console 100 . a fan 138 cools the circuitry within the multimedia console 100 . the cpu 101 , gpu 108 , memory controller 110 , and various other components within the multimedia console 100 are interconnected via one or more buses , including serial and parallel buses , a memory bus , a peripheral bus , and a processor or local bus using any of a variety of bus architectures . by way of example , such architectures can include a peripheral component interconnects ( pci ) bus , pci - express bus , etc . when the multimedia console 100 is powered on , application data may be loaded from the system memory 143 into memory 112 and / or caches 102 , 104 and executed on the cpu 101 . the application may present a graphical user interface that provides a consistent user experience when navigating to different media types available on the multimedia console 100 . in operation , applications and / or other media contained within the media drive 144 may be launched or played from the media drive 144 to provide additional functionalities to the multimedia console 100 . the multimedia console 100 may be operated as a standalone system by simply connecting the system to a television or other display . in this standalone mode , the multimedia console 100 allows one or more users to interact with the system , watch movies , or listen to music . however , with the integration of broadband connectivity made available through the network interface 124 or the wireless adapter 148 , the multimedia console 100 may further be operated as a participant in the larger network community as illustrated in fig1 . according to an aspect of the invention , when a game is executed on console 100 , it provides information to a service operating on communications network 160 . the service tracks the information for all of the users connected to the service to provide a rich user experience . the service tracks user information across games , consoles , computing devices , etc . by tracking the information for all users of the service , the service can aggregate statistics for all users and measure game playing ability , provide a richer user experience by providing information about friends ( e . g ., what game they are playing and what skill level they have attained ), track user achievements and generally measure statistics for a game aggregated over a large user community . in order to provide a consistent data set across games , the invention contemplates a schema driven process where each game generates a schema that defines the game data for a particular game . through a game configuration process , games use a service - defined schema to describe the data the game generates about each game player . by using the configuration process , the service will be able to understand the data as it flows from the game , and it will be able to integrate it in meaningful ways with the other data that the service understands to create a rich profile of each user of the service . the profile will follow the user wherever he goes on the service , i . e . it is game and location independent . some of the profile , in fact , will be viewable by every user of the service . fig3 illustrates the overall process that allows a game developer to configure a game for use with the service . a game developer 301 wants to create a game for use with the service by user 302 . to that end , the developer provides a set of game configuration data 304 that will be shared with the service using the tools described more fully below . the output from the use of the tool is a set of api header files 306 that are included with the game to communicate with the service and a set of xml files 308 that define the schema of the data to be shared with the service . game developer 301 then burns a game disk 310 or creates a game program that contains the game code instrumented with the apis 306 an the xml schema files 306 ( or an equivalent representation ). the xml files are also communicated to the service 312 so that the service can use the data output from the game to update the online user profile 312 for user 302 when user 302 uses the game 310 online . when user 302 uses game 310 without a network connection , information is collected and stored on the users offline profile in a hard drive or memory unit 316 . thereafter , when user 302 connects to the service , the online and offline profile is synchronized . user 302 can then view profile information locally 318 , i . e . on the console 100 or pc or log on to the service and view the user profile 314 . fig4 further illustrates the flow of configuration tool 400 used to generate the xml files 308 for use with the service . initially , game developer 301 selects the game genre 402 , e . g ., shooter , racing , etc . the genre selection is then used to generate a set of templates that have predefined types of data that would generally be collected by the service when such a game is being played . game developer 301 then reviews and edits the various session information and competition information generated by the templates at steps 404 , 406 , 408 . the edits are used to modify xml file 308 that underlies the tool . game developer 302 then edits the xml file ( via the tool ) with respect to the presence data to be generated by the game 410 , statistics 412 , trophy achievements 414 , game usage 416 and competition statistics 420 . after completing those edits , the system checks for unused genre tags and suggests alternative tag usage in order to enforce a certain level of cross game compliance with genre information ( step 422 ). thereafter , api header files are automatically generated ( step 424 ) based on the xml definition , and a list of tags is create for localized views of the information ( e . g ., japanese , spanish , and so on ) ( step 426 ). a set of identifiers are created that are specific to achievements defined for a specific game ( step 428 ) and the process is complete ( step 434 ). the pre - defined , genre - specific values , which will be extensible , will capture the key bits of stats , achievements , presence , and other data that the service will need to understand and show a user &# 39 ; s activity inside and outside of the game . the game developers do not have to interact directly with these values ; instead , they can adopt them using the configuration tool . the configuration tool allows game developers to input their game &# 39 ; s description using both values pre - defined in the tool and the game &# 39 ; s own extended set of trackable values . on the back end , the tool produces an xml configuration file that provides a formatted enumeration of all of the values entered in the tool . match session editor : here , the game tells the console the steps a user will need to go through to create a gameplay session for matchmaking . this definition makes sure that the console understands all of the key game permutations ( from map names to difficulty levels ) so that console can capture the starting point of a game session . view editor : view editors are the pieces of the tool that allow game developers to tell the service how particular bits of game data are to be used to construct key service features like stats and presence . the views allow the developer literally to specify the types of stats they want to track and which aggregations methods to use on the stats ( e . g . “ track total kills per map ” or “ track kills / deaths per map ”). the config toole will provide a number of default views to make sure that each game has a minimum set of required stats and presence fields defined . context , property , and achievements editor : the tool includes a mechanism for game developers to define an achievement and display it ( including description , title , and trophy image ), to create a context ( e . g . map and its enurerations ), and to create a new property ( e . g . kills stat ). rich presence mode editor : a game developer uses the rich presence mode editor to author a rich presence string that contains static text and variable tokens ( defined by contexts and properties that can be updated during the game ). outputs for developers : the tool outputs api header files , a list of strings to localize , the format of a “ start session ” message that games will receive from the service when gamers create a session outside of the game , and a config file that the game will need to include on the game disk ( so that the console client , even offline , can interpret the data flowing out of the game ). the game talks to the service with the setcontext , setproperty and session apis . since most of the complex structure of the game is captured in the configuration tool , the apis for writing data to the service are relatively simple . in fact , there are essentially only three things a game needs to tell the service for the service to be able to construct a user profile : setcontext : game “ contexts ” are sets of discrete , enumerate values like maps , vehicles , guns , and other game states that may change but that don &# 39 ; t have any aggregation methods associated with them . the setcontext api , then , tells the service when a context has changed ( and how it has changed ). setproperty : game “ properties ” are game elements or events that have an operation or aggregation methods that need to be applied to them . properties include such things as kills ( add ), bullets fired ( add ), wins ( add ), health ( subtract or add ), or time ( take lowest time , in a racing game ). the setproperty api , then , is a message to the service that a property is coming in and it needs to operate on it in the appropriate way . setachievement : game achievements are trophies earned during game play . the setachievement api is a message to the service ( or offline storage ) that a user has earned an achievement . session information : games must tell the service when a session has begun , when a user has been added ( or has left ) the session , and when the session has ended . the session information , coupled with context and property information and a view definition , allows the client software to know which properties need to be aggregated together in a game , who they belong to , and when the data set is complete for exporting . localization : to make stats , presence , and achievements visible on the console and on the web world wide , it is essential that games provided localized strings for all of the extensions xml values . the config tool includes a localization tool that will allow games to track which strings still need to be localized . pre - defined values will already have localized strings associated with them . read apis : user profile data feature that the service provides to games will have an associated api for reading data back for display or other purposes ( stats , achievements , matchmaking etc .). with this process completed , games are connected to the user profile data stream . this means that stats , presence , and achievement information for each gamer is advertised to the entire community even after the game disk is removed . it means that features built into the system that leverage the game &# 39 ; s user profile data will be improved over time after the game has shipped . it means that matchmaking players for a game will draw from a host of data that virtually insures a good fit for the players even if none of them have ever played the game before . in conjunction with fig5 , the paragraphs that follow detail the ways in which all of this user profile data being sent by games to the service will be consumed and reflected back to users , games , and the entire user community . as illustrated in fig5 , after use of configuration tool 400 , the game program 310 has configuration file 308 a that describes the information to be written during the use of the game and shared with service 150 . additionally service 150 has copies of the xml configuration file 308 b so that it understands the data points that it will collect from the game . thereafter , when console 100 is connected to service 150 , the game communicates typical game data for multiplayer online gaming . this communication happens via a console gateway component 502 which aggregates data on the client and communicates information about the user during game play that is collected in accordance with the configuration file 308 a . this console gateway component prevents the network from being flooded with overly frequent updates from the game program . that information is periodically routed to service 150 by way of game service gateway 504 . notably , the system contemplates that data about the game play can be collected even when a user is offline . various information and statistics are recorded to memory unit 146 and then shared with service 150 when the console 100 connects to service 150 . similarly , even when the user is online the information collected can be buffered in memory unit 146 so that it can be uploaded to the service in an efficient way ( i . e . not necessarily in real - time ). further , the service can , by parsing the game &# 39 ; s xml configuration file , determine the one or more service features that need to consume the game data ( for example , services such as 510 , 512 , 514 and 516 , representing game usage data , rich presence , achievements and statistics , respectively ). the following paragraphs further illustrate the use of the collected information . statistics service 516 assists in tracking and displaying a wide - variety of in - game stats , such as number of kills , best lap times or high scores . all stats have to be schematized in terms of properties , contexts and views . for example , a first - person shooter title may want to define a ‘ kills ’ property to be tracked independently for each ‘ map ’ context ( e . g . 5 kills on blood creek vs . 10 kills on battle range ). the last step needed to display these stats ( in - game or on the web or elsewhere ) is to define a view , e . g . : in the example above , the ‘ kills ’ property uses the sum aggregation method to combine the series of stats updates from every game session . in addition to sum , the system supports other aggregation methods , such as min , max , elo and last . by virtue of being captured in the game &# 39 ; s xml config file in a stats view , properties are aggregated on the client and set to the service where they are correctly stored and made available for formatting and display . each game should support a minimal set of properties , contexts and views that match the character of the game . achievements service 514 takes a different approach to tracking player stats by emphasizing individual progress and accomplishments ( e . g . a trophy case ) over global ranking against the entire population of players . achievements are intended to track check - point completion , advancing to a new skill level , hitting a career milestone , earning / unlocking new content , placing in live events , such as tournaments and / or any notable in - game events . achievements are explicitly called out in the xml config file and are written via the setachievement api . each game title should support several pre - defined achievements , such as “ ten hours played ” and “ 100 sessions played ”. additionally , each game should define a minimum of five game - specific achievements that are associated with points awards . rich presence service 512 compiles online presence / status information for all players . as a result , a user will not just be able to tell if his or her friend is online , and what title the friend is playing , but also where the friend is in the game , what the score is , and / or how much time is left in the game . for use with rich presence service 512 games should update the context and property associated with the current game state of a user . games have the ability to create a custom , localizable context based rich presence string / parser for their game . the rich presence strings can consist of the predefined , genre - specific properties or contexts or game customizable properties or contexts . some of the same contexts or properties used in rich presence ( e . g . map ) may also be used for setting the matchmaking session parameters . the rich presence string / parser can be thought of as a printf statement where properties or lookups can be substituted in . client software will manage the ui and presence requirements for friends , groups , and recent players . it will also provide a richer cross - title view of gamers who are online and offline . the game does not have to have code to deal with how the user defines their state , time online , idle etc . the game only needs to have code to deal with the context and properties that are most important for other people to broadcast from their game . fig6 - 8 further illustrates the tools used for generating the configuration files for communication between the console and the service . in general , the configuration tools make it easy for the game developer to standardize the communication process . fig6 illustrates the process for determining which statistics information will be shared between the game and the service . this figure illustrates the tool view 602 after the developer ( e . g ., 301 ) selects stats view at step 620 . thereafter , at step 624 the developer begins creating a statistics configuration . insert button 604 a allows the developer to specify one or more contexts from the insert context menu shown in box 604 b ( step 626 ) and gets back to the main screen 602 . boxes 608 allows a developer to set a number of properties to track . the example here shows that developer has selected four properties to track . box 610 allows a developer to add a label for the property . box 612 , allows the developer to select an aggregation method , e . g ., sum . box 616 lets the developer set a min and max ranges , e . g ., 2 to 100 . box 620 allows the developer to set a format for the property e . g ., number , time , percentage , etc . after the developer has entered all of the information for a particular context , button 618 saves the configuration and allows the developer to review and edit the data . fig7 further illustrates the rich presence editor . starting at step 704 , a user selects rich presence and determines whether to edit an existing string ( step 706 ), create a new string ( step 708 ), or choose an existing presence string to translate ( step 718 ). if step 706 is chosen , then the developer selects , e . g ., from a menu , a presence string to edit . as shown in box 702 a , the developer enters a string and inserts it into the configuration file using the insert button 716 . if step 708 is chosen , a presence id and a string id are generated at step 712 . thereafter at step 714 , the developer fills in the string name , description , etc . if step 718 is selected , the developer enters the translation for the text as shown in box 702 b . finally , in fig8 , the context and property editor is further illustrated . at step 808 , a developer desires to create a new context or property . if a context is selected , a unique id and string id is assigned . at step 816 , the developer fills in the name , description , enum type ( string or number ). if the enum type is set to string , the developer enters the enumeration in box 820 as shown in box 818 . for example , the developer can list the various map names that exist for a game . as each is defined , a unique id and string id is assigned . if the enum type is set to number , box 822 allows the developer to enter the number information in box 824 . at box 828 , the developer defines which enums are locked and which one is the default in a menu displayed to a user as shown in check box 826 . if at step 808 the developer selects a property , then a unique id and string id are assigned for the property ( step 810 ) and the developer fills in the property names , description and types . as a result of all of the information entered by the developer , an xml file is generated describing the various statistics , rich presence , etc . information for the game that describes the various contexts and properties . this information is used by gateway 502 to determine which information the console should aggregate before sending to the service , which information should be sent to the service raw , how the information should be formatted and how , what labels should be displayed for the information and so on . an example xml output file is as follows : of course , the xml is but one example of an output format . other output formats could also be used . moreover , the xml can be converted to a different form such as a binary file format . while the present invention has been described in connection with the preferred embodiments of the various figs ., it is to be understood that other similar embodiments may be used or modifications and additions may be made to the described embodiment for performing the same function of the present invention without deviating therefrom .
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fig1 illustrates a control element 1 , as is commonly used in motor vehicles , in a front view , that is , the side facing the operator . the control element 1 is comprised of a frame part 2 , which houses the control elements 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , and 8 . the frame part 2 can be inserted in the dashboard of a motor vehicle , for example . the control elements 3 to 8 can all be configured as freely programmable control elements . thus making it possible to display a different function with a different symbol on each of the control elements 3 to 8 . symbols are to be understood as alphanumerical characters , numeric characters , numbers , symbols , or even pictograms . it goes without saying , of course , that a combination of alphanumerical characters , numeric characters , numbers , symbols , or pictograms can also be displayed . a combination of several symbols or pictograms is conceivable as well . the exemplary illustration of control element 6 , which represents a seat air conditioning system , shows in more detail how the control element 6 of the present invention is displayed to the user . in an off - position , the control element 6 indicates to the operator of the motor vehicle that the seat air conditioning can be turned on by activating this control element 6 . not only can the function illumination of this common function be intensified , but an animated symbol can be displayed on the surface of the control element as well when the control element 6 is activated . it is hereby conceivable , for example , that with alternating symbols showing different positions of the fan blade 9 , it is suggested to the operator that the fan blade is in motion , that is , is oscillating . this provides the operator with a visual confirmation that the seat air conditioning is turned on . this can be of particular advantage when due to incident light , for example , sun light , a positive differentiation between search illumination and function illumination in the control elements is not possible . an additional advantage is that an animated symbol is always easier to recognize , which makes it substantially easier for the operator to monitor the often large array of control elements in the motor vehicle . control element 4 symbolizes a distance control , which can be activated when parking , for example . with such a control element 4 in particular , the use of an animated symbol can be of great importance and is a further benefit of the present invention . when various symbols not only indicate that the distance control is activated , but also indicate the actual distance by displaying different symbols , which , for example , can also show different distances between the displayed p and the obstacle 10 , a visual impression can be transmitted to the operator as to how close the vehicle is to the obstacle 10 . a further benefit of the present invention is realized when color - changing symbols are generated by a color - changeable display unit . for example , in the control element 4 described above , the space between the vehicle p to be parked and the obstacle 10 could be more clearly indicated by displaying the imaged radio signals 11 in different colors . it is thus conceivable , for example , to initially display the first strip of the radio signal in one color when approaching the obstacle 10 , and to color - code the second , and finally the third stripe of the radio signal 11 when closing in on the obstacle 10 . this would make it considerably easier for the operator to move his / her vehicle towards the obstacle 10 , or to maneuver the vehicle . with regard to the heating system , which is illustrated in control element 7 as a seat heating system , it is possible , for example , to show the temperature fluctuations during the warm - up period of the vehicle in color . for example , immediately after the motor vehicle is started and the seat heating system is directly actuated , the temperature of the air introduced into the seat could be visually indicated , whereby the arrows appear first in blue , for cold air , and subsequently in red , for warm air . this color - coded cold and hot identification can be of particular benefit when , as is commonplace in motor vehicles these days , the cooling vents are integrated in glove compartments or separate placement areas . it would then be very easy for the operator to see that the air conditioning was not functioning in this subarea because the blue symbol indicating cold air , for example , could appear in a different color . it is explicitly noted that the number of different symbols to be displayed on control elements 3 to 8 is not limited in any way . the movement of fan blade 9 in control element 6 , for example , can be displayed in a plurality of possible positions of the fan blade . the approach of obstacle 10 by the vehicle , as illustrated in control element 4 and explained in the description , is also not limited to a number of possible symbol images . rather , it is even conceivable to select a reasonable number of appropriate symbols to make it easy for the operator to observe the approach of the obstacle by the motor vehicle in a movie - like fashion . by using a black translucent material for the control element , either the symbol itself of the surface surrounding the symbol can be illuminated , in accordance with the present invention . in this way , and with a combination of animated and alternating images , it is very easy to alert the operator of the motor vehicle to a warning function , for example , or to clarify a menu sequence . fig2 illustrates a freely programmable symbolic system according to an example embodiment of the present invention . as shown in fig2 , the freely programmable symbolic system includes a controllable display unit 200 , a light amplifer / transferor 205 , a transmissive layer 210 and an operator 215 . the controllable display unit 200 may be , for example , a liquid crystal display ( lcd ) unit . the light amplifier / transferor 205 may be embodied in any number of ways , including but not limited to an illuminating device ( e . g ., a backlight ), optics and / or a light guide . the transmissive layer may be , for example , a glass or plastic screen on the control element 1 , as is illustrated in fig1 as control elements 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , etc . the operator 215 is simply indicative of a user ( e . g ., a driver of a motor vehicle ). accordingly , the controllable display unit 200 may generate a symbol ( e . g ., one or more graphic images ), which may be output and transferred / amplified by the light amplifier / transferor 205 . the light may pass through the transmissive layer 210 within the control element 1 , and may thereafter be output to the operator 215 , where the displayed image may be viewed . the invention being thus described , it will be obvious that the same may be varied in many ways . such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the spirit and scope of the invention , and all such modifications as would be obvious to one skilled in the art are to be included within the scope of the following claims .
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referring now to the drawings , wherein like reference numerals designate like or corresponding parts throughout the views , and particularly referring to fig1 - 3 there is shown the robot 10 incorporating the invention . the robot 10 includes a fixed base 12 and a statically - balanced , direct - drive arm 14 . the arm 14 includes a four bar linkage . the arm 14 is supported and driven by three actuators in a way which achieves static balance by elimination of gravity forces on the drive system without counterweights , large actuators , and / or amplifiers aswill be explained more fully hereinbelow . a first rotary actuator 16 , such as a motor , is mounted on the base 12 . in particular the housing of actuator 16 is fixed to the base 12 while its drive shaft 18 is connected to a clevis or yoke 1 on which the arm 14 is supported . it will thus be appreciated that the arm 14 is supported on yoke 1 for pivotal movement about a vertical axis 20 responsive to actuator 16 . yoke 1 also supports the arm 14 for pivotal movement about a horizontal axis 22 . in particular , a second rotary actuator 24 which can be a motor , is provided for this purpose . the housing of actuator 24 is fixed to the yoke 1 while its drive shaft 26 is connected to the arm 14 for effecting pivotal movement thereof about the horizontal axis 22 . it will thus be appreciated that arm 14 is mounted for independent pivotal movement about axes 20 and 22 responsive to actuators 16 and 24 , respectively . actuators 16 and 24 preferably comprise high torque , low speed , brush - less ac synchronous motors . for example , such motors are commercially availablefrom powertron of pittsburgh , pa ., as well as other sources . the arm 14 comprises a four - bar linkage including links 2 , 3 , 4 and 5 . the base link 2 is pivotally connected to the yoke 1 for pivotal movement about axis 22 responsive to actuator 24 . arm 14 is thus pivotal with respect to yoke 1 , which is pivotal / rotatable relative to the base 12 . theinput link 5 is coupled between one end of the base link 2 and the adjacentend of the connecting link 4 . the output link 3 is coupled between the other ends of links 2 and 4 . the output link 3 is pivotally supported in aclevis 28 at the other end of link 2 , but controlled by link 4 . pivotal movement of the output link 3 is a function of the positions of the input link 5 and connecting link 4 . links 2 , 3 and 4 are preferably tubular members of graphite epoxy composite material . a suitable end effector ( not shown ) is connected to the terminal end of output link 3 . for example , an active compliant end effector like that shown in my co - pending application ser . no . 031 , 679 filed mar . 30 , 1987 , can be used . pivotal movement of the input link 5 is controlled by another rotary actuator 30 which is mounted on one end of base link 2 . in particular , thehousing of actuator 30 is fixed to link 2 , while its drive shaft 32 is connected to one end of link 5 . actuator 30 preferably comprises an electric motor similar to that used for actuators 16 and 24 . the arm 14 is supported and driven in a way which eliminates the gravity terms of its components from the dynamic equations . axes 20 and 22 are positioned to intersect at the center of gravity of the arm 14 , which can be located by conventional analysis . the horizontal axis 22 lies generallyin the plane of arm 14 . the center of gravity of arm 14 lies along axis 20 within the plane of the arm and coaxial with the drive shaft 18 of motor 16 . as a result , the drive system of robot 10 does not experience any static loads . this comprises a critical feature of the invention . this balanced mechanismeliminates the need for extra counterbalance weights and provides the following advantages . since motors 16 , 24 and 30 are never affected by gravity factors of arm 14 , the static load will be zero with little or no overheating . this in turn means that smaller actuators or motors with lower torque ratings and thus smaller amplifiers can be used to achieve the desired acceleration . similarly , better accuracy can be obtained because the links of the arm 14 have a constant deflection . this also provides better repeatability for fine manipulation tasks . the anaylsis is as follows . the coordinate frame x 1 y 1 z 1 has been assigned to the yoke 1 of the robot for i = 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 and 5 . the center of the coordinate frame x 1 y 1 z 1 corresponding to yoke 16 is located at point 0 as shown in fig2 . the center of the inertial global coordinate frame ( not shown ) x 0 y 0 z 0 is also located at the arm &# 39 ; s center of gravity , point 0 . the joint angles arerepresented by the angles θ 1 , θ 2 and θ 3 . the angle θ 1 represents rotation of the yoke 1 and arm 14 aboutthe vertical axis 20 . the angle θ 2 represents the pitch angle ofthe arm 14 about the horizontal axis 22 . the angle θ 3 representsthe angle between links 2 and 3 . in the following analysis , yoke 1 corresponds to link 1 with links 2 - 5 corresponding to the numbered links of arm 14 . motor 3 corresponds to actuator 30 . the conditions under which the gravity terms are eliminated from the dynamic equations are as follows . fig4 and 5 show the four bar linkage of arm 14 with assigned coordinate frames . by inspection , the conditions under which the vector of gravity passes through point 0 , which is the origin or center of gravity , for all possible values of θ 1 and θ 3 are given by the following two equations . g [ mt . sub . 3 + m . sub . 5 ]- m . sub . 2 x . sub . 2 - m . sub . 3 [ l . sub . 2 - g ]- m . sub . 4 [ x . sub . 4 - g ]-[ m . sub . 3 x . sub . 3 - m . sub . 4 l . sub . 5 - m . sub . 5 x . sub . 5 ] cosθ . sub . 3 = 0 x i = the distance of center of mass from the origin of each coordinate frame , mt 3 = mass of motor 3 . if the last two equations are satisfied , then the center of gravity of the arm 14 passes through point 0 for all of the possible configurations of the arm . note that the gravity force still passes through 0 even if the plane of the arm 14 is pivoted by motor 24 about the horizontal axis 22 for all values of θ 2 . from the foregoing , it will thus be apparent that the present invention comprises a statically - balanced direct drive robot arm having several advantages over the prior art . the primary advantage is that the particular configuration , mounting and drive of the arm eliminates the gravity factor without counterweights in order to achieve better response . the mechanism herein results in closed - form solutions for dynamics and inverse kinematics . better accuracy and repeatability can be attained within a relatively large workspace . the arm herein lends itself well to adaptive electronic compliance / impedance control at the robot . other advantages will be evident to those skilled in the art . although particular embodiment of the invention have been illustrated in the accompanying drawings and described in the foregoing detailed description , it will be understood that the invention is not limited only to the embodiments disclosed , but is intended to embrace any alternatives , equivalents , modifications and / or rearrangements of elements falling withinthe scope of the invention as defined by the following claims .
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referring firstly to fig1 it should be understood that the sides of the illustrated cleaning machine 2 lying in planes parallel to the plane of the drawing have been omitted to illustrate internal details . the cleaning machine 2 has an entrance 4 shown at the left - hand side of the figure and an exit 6 shown at the right - hand side . an endless mesh belt transport conveyor 8 passes through various treatment zones in the machine from the entrance to the exit with the return loop 8 &# 39 ; of the conveyor being located outside the treatment zones . the conveyor 8 is carried on rollers , some of which are illustrated at 10 , which constrain the conveyor to a predetermined path and also provide the driving force for the conveyor . starting from the entrance 4 , the conveyor 8 passes along and down a sloping channel 11 which opens out into a tank 12 which contains a quantity of liquid cleaning solvent 14 through which the conveyor 8 passes . tank 12 thus defines an immersion wash stage for the workpieces 16 carried on the conveyor 8 . the liquid cleaning solvent in the tank is at room temperature or at some other temperature which is below the flash point of the solvent . this immersion wash stage can be described as a relatively quiet zone in the sense that there is little physical disturbance of the body of liquid solvent . this is enhanced by virtue of a vertical wall 18 extending down from the roof 20 of the tank into the liquid solvent 14 , the lower end 22 of the wall being below the surface of the liquid solvent 14 and thereby serving as a liquid seal . the left - hand side of tank 12 is sloped to conform to the slope of channel 11 and the right - hand side 24 of tank 12 is inclined in the opposite direction , terminating in a lip 26 at its upper end , this defining the uppermost level of the liquid solvent 14 . the conveyor 8 follows the contours of tank 12 into a central zone 28 defined between liquid seal 18 and another liquid seal 30 , described below , and comprising additionally a tray or tank 32 and a top 34 extending between liquid seals 18 and 30 . the central zone 28 should be understood to form a closed chamber formed by tank 32 , top 34 , liquid seals 18 and 30 and portions of the sides ( omitted from the drawing ) of the machine . at least one set of spray nozzles 36 is located above and below the conveyor in zone 28 , the nozzles being directed towards the conveyor for providing a spray 38 of low to ultra - high pressure of the solvent onto the workpiece to clean residue from the workpiece . the pump ( or pumps ) for providing the necessary pressure and the plumbing are omitted from the drawing as these features are not per se germane to the present invention . reference may be made to u . s . pat . no . 3 , 868 , 272 , the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference , for further details of specific novel arrangements which may be utilized with the present invention . the tank 32 in central zone 28 is shown dry but , in practice , there would be some liquid solvent in the tank which originated from the nozzles 36 . a drain and or recirculating system could be provided for the liquid solvent which collects in tank 32 . a valved inlet 40 is provided in the top 34 of tank 32 for introducing an inert gas ( or mixture of gases ) such as n 2 into the central zone 28 . this inert gas is retained in zone 28 by the liquid seals 18 and 30 and fills the entire spray zone including spaces between the droplets forming the spray . the exclusion of oxygen from this zone greatly reduces the risk of fire or explosion . preferably , the pumps ( and any other potentially fire producing components ) for producing the spray are located under top 34 within the inert gas environment . the right - hand side of the machine 2 is a mirror image of the left - hand side , comprising a tank 42 similar to tank 12 containing liquid cleaning solvent into which the liquid seal 30 extends from tank top 44 and an exit channel 46 sloping up to exit 6 . again the path of the conveyor 8 conforms to the slope of the sides and bottom of tank 42 . tank 42 is an immersion rinse stage which is functionally identical to the immersion wash stage provided by tank 12 except the solvent used in tank 42 is pure to ensure that any remaining contaminants are removed from the workpiece . as with tank 12 , tank 42 defines a relatively quiet zone separated from the central zone 28 by a liquid seal . although the greatest potential fire hazard is believed to be in the central zone 28 and this has been neutralized by the inert gas , potentially flammable vapours above tanks 12 and 42 may be extracted through ports 43 in the tank tops 20 and 44 . alternatively , instead of withdrawing vapours in the quiet zones , the same or different inert gas as is pumped into the central zone could be pumped into the quiet zones through inlets located , for example , where the ports 43 are located . as another alternative a blanket of a compatible liquid could be floated on top of the liquid solvent in the tanks 12 and 42 . such a compatible liquid preferably would be a freon based solvent less powerful and less dense than the potentially flammable solvent and immiscible therewith . of course , in tank 12 the liquid blanket would be confined to the left of liquid seal 18 and , in tank 42 , the liquid blanket would be confined to the right of liquid seal 30 . the need for such safety precautions in the quiet zones would depend on the vapour pressure and other characteristic properties of the solvent used . as a further safety feature the entrance 4 to the quiet zone 12 and the exit 6 from the quiet zone 42 could be in the form of a fluid barrier curtain system as described in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 696 , 226 , the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference . instead of the system described in that patent , the entrance 4 could consist of a double door arrangement to permit workpieces to enter via a first door which then closes before a second door opens to permit passage of the workpieces into the quiet zone 12 . a similar double door arrangement would be provided at exit 6 . it is envisioned that each of the three zones could be monitored by detectors which detect and control the ratio of oxygen to other gases or liquids or at least set off an alarm indicating a hazardous mixture . other cleaning stages or components could be added to the machine of the instant invention without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention . for example , ultrasonic transducers 48 are shown in the bottom of each tank 12 and 42 . such ultrasonic components are commonly used in the art to provide improved cleaning in the two immersion stages . furthermore , although in the embodiment described above two immersion stages are used , it is envisaged that under some circumstances one immersion stage would suffice . referring now to fig2 this shows a modified central zone in which a shallow tray 32 &# 39 ; replaces the relatively deep tank 32 . by reducing in this way the volume of the central zone the fire or explosion hazard is greatly reduced . the rest of the machine can be as illustrated in fig1 . however , fig2 shows the liquid solvent in tanks 12 and 42 not quite coming up to the lips 26 . in the further modification of fig3 the central zone lacks entirely a tank or tray , the run off from the nozzles 36 going directly into the tanks 12 and 42 . thus , the volume of the central zone has been reduced further . referring now to fig4 the cleaning machine 2 &# 39 ; is virtually identical to the cleaning machine 2 of fig1 except that the tank 32 of the central zone is not contiguous with the tanks 12 and 42 of the two immersion stages . in fact , two upper edges or lips 50 of tank 32 are connected to upper edges 52 of tanks 12 and 42 , respectively , by means of two inverted v shaped surfaces 54 forming a ridge 56 intermediate tank 32 and tank 12 or 42 . in contrast to the first machine 2 , cleaning machine 2 &# 39 ; uses a conventional non - flammable ( or low flammability ) solvent in tank 12 of the first immersion stage and uses water in tank 42 of the second immersion stage . only the spray stage uses the low flash point solvent . the v - shaped surfaces 54 allow run back of liquid to the proper tanks although there would be some carry - over of liquid from one tank to the next . this could be minimized by means of n 2 knives . it is noted that there would be no carry over of water to the tank 32 and so no foaming of the low flash point solvent would occur . make - up water for tank 42 could be provided by means of spray nozzles which would also operate as a final rinse . fig5 shows a further proposal for a machine designed to use low flash point solvent . in this case , the machine 2 &# 34 ; consists of a single stage , which is an immersion stage comprising a tank 12 &# 34 ; connected directly to an inlet channel &# 34 ; and an outlet channel 46 &# 34 ;. spray nozzles 36 &# 34 ; are located below the surface of the solvent in tank 12 &# 34 ; on either side of conveyor 8 . pump 58 is shown connected to nozzles 36 &# 34 ;. two liquid seals 60 are located near opposite ends of the tank 12 &# 34 ; to isolate the more turbulent portion of the liquid surface and an inert gas such as n 2 is introduced into the space between the two seals . n 2 could additionally be introduced into the entry and exit zones 62 and 64 . because the spray jets are beneath the liquid surface atomization of the potentially flammable solvent is reduced .
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with respect to solar energy absorbing panels or workpieces made from either a zincated aluminum substrate or a copper substrate , those are most preferred wherein solar absorptance ( α ) is at least 0 . 91 and solar emittance ( ε ) is less than about 0 . 07 . of the methods of making a solar energy absorbing panel from aluminum , that which is most preferred is that wherein the substrate is cleaned by the steps of : ( b ) soaking at 140 °- 180 ° f . for 5 - 10 minutes in an aqueous solution of an alkaline cleaner , ( c ) immersion in an agitated bright dip solution at 180 °- 200 ° f . for 5 - 10 minutes , ( d ) soaking at 140 °- 180 ° f . for 30 seconds in an aqueous solution of an alkaline cleaner , and ( e ) desmutting with aqueous acid at room temperature . and wherein the layer of nickel is electroplated from a basic nickel sulfamate bath at 110 °- 140 ° f . at a current density of 20 amperes / ft . 2 for 25 - 45 minutes , the thus - produced layer of nickel is 0 . 0004 - 0 . 0008 inch in thickness and is oxidized in air at 900 °- 950 ° f . for 3 - 5 minutes . among the methods for making a solar energy absorbing panel from copper , the most preferred is that wherein the copper substrate is cleaned by the steps of : ( b ) soaking at 140 °- 180 ° f . for 5 - 10 minutes in an aqueous solution of an alkaline cleaner , and ( c ) pickling at 140 °- 180 ° f . for 5 - 15 seconds in a copper cyanide bath , &# 34 ; metallic substrate ,&# 34 ; as used in the specification and claims , means aluminum and copper , both of which have good heat exchange properties and which can be fabricated into structures which can carry tubes or other means for subsequent heat exchange in a heating or cooling operation . other metal substrates which are platable with nickel and which are stable at the temperatures required for oxidation of the nickel can also be used . it will be appreciated that &# 34 ; aluminum ,&# 34 ; as used in the specification and claims , means essentially pure aluminum such as alloy type aa 1100 , which contains about 1 . 0 % of iron and silicon , 0 . 20 % of copper , 0 . 05 % of manganese , and 0 . 10 % of zinc . also included within the definition of aluminum are al - mn alloys , such as aa 3003 ; al - mg alloys , e . g ., aa 5005 ; al - mg - si alloys , for example , aa 6061 ; al - cu - mg alloys , e . g . aa 2014 and 2024 ; and al - mg - zn alloys such as aa 7075 . the compositional details of the foregoing types of aluminum alloys can be found in kirk - othmer , &# 34 ; encyclopedia of chemical technology ,&# 34 ; ii , volume 1 , interscience publishers , new york ( 1963 ), at 975 . aluminum alloys especially preferred for the practice of this invention include the al - cu - mg alloys , e . g . aa 3003 , and 5005 ; and essentially pure aluminum , as exemplified by aa 1100 . &# 34 ; copper ,&# 34 ; as used in the specification and claims , includes relatively pure copper and copper alloys . copper alloys which can be used in the practice of this invention include both single - phase and polyphase alloys . see , kirk - othmer , &# 34 ; encyclopedia of chemical tehnology ,&# 34 ; ii volume 6 , at 256 - 265 ( 1965 ). included within this group of alloys are brass , which are essentially alloys of cu and zn ; bronzes , which contain tin and a small amount of phosphorus ; nickel silvers , which are cu - zn - ni alloys ; and cupronickels , which are cu - ni alloys which can contain minor amounts of mn , fe and zn . of the foregoing , cupronickels are preferred as substrates for heat exchanger elements fabricated in accordance with the invention . unalloyed copper , i . e ., copper containing less than about 0 . 5 % by weight of impurities or alloying elements is also preferred for the practice of this invention . metallic substrates used in the practice of the invention are generally 10 - 125 mils in thickness . preferably , sheets 20 - 60 mils thick are selected . good heat transfer characteristics are obtained using oxide - coated sheets 20 mils thick . as the thickness of the sheet or other substrate increases , thermal conductivity becomes less efficient owing to an inertia effect . it will be understood that the substrates may be fabricated in any shape , including tubing of any selected diameter . in such a case , the thickness of the tube wall may need to be increased to avoid &# 34 ; hot spots &# 34 ; where solar energy is applied on one side . &# 34 ; a layer of zinc &# 34 ; on the aluminum substrate means a thin film or layer of zinc , of the order of 0 . 00015 - 0 . 0002 inch thickness , such as is obtained using a zincating bath , e . g . zn - 77 with catalyst sold by the diversey corp . of chicago , ill . typical conditions for the zincating of aluminum consists of immersing the clean aluminum surface into a bath containing about 13 ounces per gallon of zinc oxide and about 70 ounces per gallon of sodium hydroxide for 30 seconds to one minute at a bath temperature of around 70 °- 90 ° f . &# 34 ; a layer of nickel &# 34 ; on a zincated aluminum or on a copper substrate means a thin film or layer of 0 . 0004 - 0 . 0008 inch in thickness , as deposited by electroplating from a basic nickel sulfamate bath at a temperature of 110 °- 140 ° f . and a current density of 20 amperes / ft . 2 for 25 - 45 minutes . other heat - treatable nickel coatings such as the 700 series niklad electroless nickel plating by allied kelite can also be employed . preferably , the electroplating is done at 120 ° f . at a current density of 20 amperes / ft . 2 for 30 minutes . typically , a sulfamate nickel bath contains nickel metal at a concentration of 72 - 80 grams / liter , and boric acid at a concentration of 37 - 45 grams / liter . the thus - produced nickel coating is oxidized in an oxygen - containing gas , conveniently air , at a temperature of 800 ° to 1050 ° f . for 2 to 7 minutes , and preferably at 900 to 950 ° f . for 3 to 5 minutes . the required heating time depends upon the thickness of the substrate , a longer heating time being required for thicker substrates . the resulting exterior layer of nickel oxide is extremely thin , which characteristic is critical to attainment of a low emittance value , along with high absorptance . although accurate measurement is difficult because of surface roughness on the microscopic level , thickness of the oxide layer is believed to be in the range of 400 to 1000 angstroms . formation of the oxide layer can be observed visually , the outer surface turning dark blue in color when the reaction is complete . the solar panels , in accordance with this invention , have absorptance greater than about 0 . 89 , preferably as high as 0 . 93 or greater and emittance less than about 0 . 10 , preferably as low as 0 . 04 . it will be understood that the significance of the α / ε ratio , where α is solar absorptance and ε is emittance , is that a high α / ε ratio indicates a high efficiency in terms of collecting solar thermal radiation . when conventional black nickel coatings are prepared on aluminum , such coatings are dark black , relatively thick , and have a high solar absorptance as well as high emittance , so that the ratio approaches unity or less . thus , it is imperative that the nickel oxide solar absorber layer be very thin . in the foregoing cases , when α is 0 . 93 and ε is 0 . 04 , as measured , for example , by gier - dunkle instruments , the α / ε ratio is 0 . 93 / 0 . 04 or 23 . 25 . among instruments typically used to determine α and ε are the model db - 100 infrared reflectometer and the model ms - 250 solar reflectometer by gier - dunkle instruments of santa monica , calif . in the above case , a measured solar reflectance of 0 . 07 gives the absorptance of 0 . 93 , whereas the measured infrared reflectance is 0 . 96 and emittance 0 . 04 . aluminum substrates used for solar energy absorbing workpieces are cleaned prior to the zincating step . a preferred sequence of steps for the cleaning operation includes immersion of the workpiece in a bright dip solution , specifically the steps of : ( b ) soaking at 135 °- 145 ° f . for 5 - 10 minutes in an aqueous solution of an alkaline cleaner , ( c ) immersion in an agitated bright dip solution at 180 °- 200 ° f . for 5 - 10 minutes , ( d ) soaking at 140 °- 180 ° f . for 30 seconds in an aqueous solution of mild alkaline cleaner , and degreasing is preferably carried out by use of perchloroethylene vapor degreasing solvent at a temperature of 250 ° f . the degreased workpiece is soaked in a mild alkaline cleaner , e . g ., embond s - 64 ( enthone , inc ., new haven , conn .) or altrex ( wyandotte corp ., wyandotte , mich ). although the compositions of these materials are proprietary , they are thought to contain alkaline salts , e . g . naoh silicates or carbonates . this step is generally done at 140 °- 180 ° f . for 5 - 10 minutes at a concentration of 8 oz ./ gal . &# 34 ; immersion in a bright dip solution &# 34 ; means application of a solution which selectively etches the aluminum surface to cause a leveling effect of the surface and , therefore , increase specularity which in turn lowers infrared emissivity . a preferred technique for the practice of the present invention is a non - electrolytic technique using a bath which typically consists of 80 % of phosphoric acid , 2 - 2 . 5 % of nitric acid , 1 - 2 % of sulfuric acid and 100 p . p . m . ( parts per million ) of copper sulfate and 20 - 40 grams / liter of aluminum , particularly , as aluminum phosphate . generally , this step is done at 170 °- 220 ° f . preferably 180 °- 200 ° f . &# 34 ; desmutting &# 34 ; means contacting the metal workpiece with an acid to remove smut formed by reaction of aluminum with an alkaline reagent in a preceding step . this is conveniently done using 45 - 55 % nitric acid at room temperature . an alternative technique for cleaning and preparing an aluminum workpiece having a good surface finish consists of the following steps : ( b ) soaking at 135 °- 145 ° f ., for 5 - 10 minutes in an aqueous solution of an alkaline cleaner , ( d ) immersion in sodium hydroxide solution at 180 °- 200 ° f . for 10 seconds and then checking for uniform smut . the concentration of sodium hydroxide is preferably 12 ounces / gallon , but can range from 10 - 15 ounces / gallon . these steps are generally carried out at 190 ° f . &# 34 ; basic nickel sulfamate &# 34 ; solution means a solution of nickel sulfamate , sulfamic acid , boric acid and proprietary anti - pitting agents ( snap ). typical of the commercially available baths is barrett sulfamate nickel concentrate &# 34 ; snr &# 34 ; made by allied - kellite corp . which is thought to consist of sulfamic acid and nickel sulfamate . the electroplating operation is done at a temperature of 130 °- 150 ° f . and a current density of 20 - 25 amperes / ft . 2 for 20 - 25 minutes , preferably 20 amperes / ft . 2 at 140 ° f . for 20 - 40 minutes . it will be understood that in the cleaning and subsequent treatment of the copper or aluminum workpieces , washes with deionized water , either by spraying therewith or immersion therein , are customary and preferred between each of the steps specifically set forth above . in fig1 is represented the structure of an aluminum workpiece prepared in accordance with the invention . the aluminum substrate 1 is coated by a layer of zinc 2 , over which is coated a layer of nickel 3 , the surface of which is solar thermal energy absorbing nickel oxide 4 . in a copper workpiece prepared in accordance with this invention and represented by fig2 a copper substrate 11 is coated with a layer of nickel 12 , the surface of which is in the form of highly adherent nickel oxide 13 . without further elaboration , it is believed that one skilled in the art can , using the preceding description , utilize the present invention to its fullest extent . the following preferred specific embodiments are , therefore , to be construed as merely illustrative and not limitative of the remainder of the disclosure in any way whatsoever . in the following examples , the temperatures are set forth uncorrected in degrees fahrenheit ; unless otherwise indicated , all parts and percentages are by weight . substrates of aluminum ( 1100 or 3003 series alloys ) in the form of 0 . 042 inch thick sheet material are converted to selective absorbers for solar thermal energy by the following steps : ( 1 ) hand clean thoroughly at room temperature by wiping with a non - abrasive cloth moistened with acetone , ( 2 ) degrease at 250 ° f . by immersion until vapor ceases to condense in a stainless steel tank in perchloroethylene , ( 4 ) soak at 140 ° f . for 5 - 10 minutes in an alkaline bath ( altrex ) containing 8 oz ./ gal . of alkaline cleaner , ( 6 ) desmut with 50 % nitric acid solution in a stainless steel tank at room temperature ( optional step ), ( 8 ) immerse in an agitated bright dip solution of : 80 % phosphoric acid 2 - 2 . 5 % nitric acid 100 p . p . m . copper sulfate 20 - 40 g ./ liter of al +++ ( as aluminum phosphate ) 1 - 2 % sulfuric acid balance deionized water in a stainless steel tank at 180 °- 200 ° f . for 5 - 10 minutes , ( 9 ) rinse with deionized water in a stainless steel tank at room temperature for 5 minutes using a hydrospray at room temperature . ( 10 ) immerse in a stirred alkaline solution as in ( 4 ) above , at 140 °- 180 ° f . for 30 seconds , ( 11 ) rinse in deionized water , with agitation , at room temperature for 30 seconds , ( 12 ) desmut with 50 % nitric acid in a stainless steel tank for 30 seconds at room temperature , ( 13 ) rinse with deionized water at room temperature in a stainless steel tank , ( 14 ) zincate with zincating solution ( zn - 77 ) at a level of 4 - 4 . 5 pounds / gallon in a stainless steel tank at 70 °- 90 ° f . for 30 seconds , ( 16 ) treat with 50 % nitric acid and deionized water in a stainless steel tank at room temperature for 30 seconds , ( 17 ) rinse with deionized water in a stainless steel tank at room temperature for 5 minutes , ( 20 ) nickel plate immediately with sulfamate nickel bath of the following composition : the plating solution is in an agitated polypropylene lined tank with electrolyte nickel anode chips being utilized . the plating is done at 20 - 25 amperes / ft . 2 for 30 minutes at 120 ° f . ( 21 ) rinse with deionized water at room temperature as in ( 9 ), ( 22 ) dry at room temperature with air which is free of moisture , oils and particulates , the thus - produced coating is deep blue in color and is believed to be about 1000 a in thickness , as determined by scanning electron microscope ( sem ) and stylus profilometer . the absorptivity of the specimens is 0 . 85 - 0 . 92 and the emissivity is 0 . 04 to 0 . 08 . workpieces of 1100 or 3003 series aluminum with a good surface finish , i . e ., a no . 6 mil finish with an emissivity of 0 . 03 or less were processed as in example 1 , except for steps ( 8 ) - ( 11 ) which were replaced by : ( a ) etch with naoh at 12 ounces / gallon at 190 ° f . for 1 minute in a steel - lined tank , ( b ) rinse with deionized water in a steel - lined tank at room temperature for 1 minute , ( c ) desmut with 50 % nitric acid in a stainless steel - lined tank at room temperature for 1 minute , ( d ) rinse with deionized water in a stainless steel tank at room temperature for 1 minute , ( e ) check with naoh ( 12 ounces / gallon ) in a steel tank at 190 ° for 10 seconds . if the smut is not uniform , repeat steps ( a ) - ( f ), ( f ) rinse with deionized water in a stainless steel - lined tank at room temperature for 1 minute . the thus - obtained coatings are deep blue in color and are believed to be about 1000 a in thickness . the absorptivity of the specimens is 0 . 85 - 0 . 92 and the emissivity is 0 . 04 to 0 . 08 . substrates of copper in the form of 0 . 042 inch thick sheet material are converted to selective absorbers for solar energy by the following steps : ( 1 ) hand clean thoroughly at room temperature by wiping with a non - abrasive cloth moistened with acetone , ( 2 ) degrease at 250 ° f . by immersion in a stainless steel tank , in perchloroethylene , ( 4 ) soak at 140 ° f . for 5 - 10 minutes in an alkaline bath ( altrex ) containing 8 ounces / gallon of alkaline cleaner , ( 6 ) pickle by immersion in aqueous cucn at 160 ° f . for about 10 seconds , ( 8 ) electroplate with nickel sulfamate bath against a nickel anode as in example 1 , step ( 20 ), ( 9 ) rinse with deionized water in a stainless steel tank at room temperature for 5 minutes using a hydrospray at room temperature , ( 10 ) dry at room temperature with air free of moisture , oils and particulates , the thus - produced coatings are deep blue in color and are believed to be about 1000 a in thickness . the absorptivity of the specimens is 0 . 84 to 0 . 92 and the emissivity is 0 . 04 to 0 . 08 . the preceding examples can be repeated with similar success by substituting the generically or specifically described reactants and / or operationg conditions of this invention for those used in the preceding examples . from the foregoing description , one skilled in the art can easily ascertain the essential characteristics of this invention and , without departing from the spirit and scope thereof , can make various changes and modifications of the invention to adapt it to various usages and conditions .
| 2 |
the present invention provides polyoxymethylene polymers containing photosensitive , but thermally stabilizing groups . it is well known that polyoxymethylenes degrade thermally and under the influence of base by chain unzippering to give formaldehyde , and that such polymers can be stabilized by end - capping , especially with acetate groups and by the interposition of groups in the body of the chain derived from ethylene glycol or propylene glycol , which blocks the progress of the unzippering degradation . the polymers of the present invention contain such end caps and copolymerized groups which confer thermal stability , i . e . groups of the type : ## str6 ## wherein both ends are joined to oxygen . at least one of r 1 and r 2 is a phenyl ring containing an orthonitro substituent , preferably o - nitrophenyl , which confers photochemical instability on the polymer . the mechanism of the photolytic reaction is not known for certain , but is believed to involve reaction of the type : ## str7 ## the breaks in the polymer chain thus produced provide points at which degradation can proceed by chain unzippering . likewise end caps hoa - which contain o - nitrophenyl groups at the carbon adjoining the acetal chain can be removed photochemically to give unstable chains which can be further degraded by heating , preferably in the presence of base . the radiation sensitive polymers of the invention are prepared by intercalation of the corresponding 1 , 3 - dioxlolanes or 1 , 3 - dioxanes into preformed uncapped or acetate capped polyoxymethylene to obtain random incorporation of the dioxolane or dioxane units into the polymer chain . the resulting copolymer may contain dioxolane or dioxane end groups . the intercalated polymer number average molecular weight may range from ˜ 1000 - 100 , 000 i . e . from lower molecule weight oligomers to high molecular weight polymer , depending upon the molecular weight of the polyoxymethylene starting weight . in the intercalation process , the dioxolane or dioxane is incorporated randomly into the polymer chain . purified solvents and an anhydrous medium should be employed to prevent chain cleavage of the polymer from protonic impurities . intercalation is carried out by reaction of the polyoxymethylene polymer with an excess of a suitable dioxolane or dioxane in the presence of an acid catalyst . preferred catalysts for the process of the present invention are phosphorus pentafluoride , triethyl oxonium fluoborate and boron trifluoride . examples of other acids or acidreacting compounds that may be used as catalysts within the scope of this invention to provide a mildly acidic reaction medium include lewis acids usually of the friedel - crafts type , such as aluminum trichloride , titanium tetrachloride , boron trichloride , antimony trichloride , antimony pentachloride , antimony pentafluoride ; protonic or bronsted acids with a pka or less than 5 . 5 including organic acids such as hydroxyacetic , trichloroacetic and para - toluenesulfonic and inorganic acids such as sulfuric , hydrochloric and phosphoric acids and the like . the salts of strong acids ( pka less than 2 . 0 ) with weak bases may also be used . the acid catalyst should be compatible with the dioxolanes and dioxanes , i . e ., should not form insoluble complexes therewith or cause decomposition . strong acids and acids which are strong oxidizing or reducing agents are not preferred and , if used , should be used sparingly to prevent excessive degradation of the polymer by causing the reaction medium to be more than mildly acidic . excessive degradation may also be avoided by adding these acids in such a manner that the contact time of the acid with the polymer is held at a minimum . the preferred range of concentration of acid catalyst is from 0 . 001 - 0 . 10 part per part of polymer . the same range is preferred for their salts with weak bases . certain complexes of the aforementioned acid halides are operable in the present invention and may be preferred when it is desired to employ a liquid catalyst , e . g ., ether complexes , the preferred ether being diethyl ether . examples of other ethers are the dialkyl ethers , such as dimethyl ether , dibutyl ether , and dipropyl ether . the complexes of the lewis acids with ether may be prepared by mixing the respective materials in a suitable solvent . the catalyst complex may also be prepared by adding the lewis acid to the ether . the resultant product which is an ether complex is more easily manipulated than some of the aforementioned gases . intercalation can be accomplished in any compatible medium in which the polymer can be intimately contacted with the desired dioxolane or dioxane . a compatible medium should be an inert liquid hydrocarbon such as toluene , ether or an aliphatic hydrocarbon , but any material which does not react with the polymer or the dioxolane or dioxane and does not excessively deactivate the catalyst may be employed . aliphatic hydrocarbons are preferred solvents with heptane being particularly preferred . the time of reaction may be as long as is necessary to reach completion of the reaction without excessive decomposition of the unstabilized polymer . with long reaction times , temperatures as low as 25 ° c . may be employed and with short reaction times , temperatures as high as 200 ° c . may be employed . the temperature , time , concentration of reactants and strength of catalyst must be balanced , as in most other reactions , so as to cause an acceptable amount of reaction in a reasonable time . the chains of the polymer are susceptible to attack by acids and may be cleaved by such an attack : therefore , it is important to adjust the reaction temperature and time so that the cleavage and other side reactions that take place are slow enough and yet intercalation of the polymer is fast enough to obtain an acceptable product . generally , impurities which adversely affect the polymerization of anhydrous formaldehyde to high molecular weight polymers and oxygen should be avoided in this process . in a preferred embodiment of the process , intercalation is carried out with bf 3 . ( c 2 h 5 ) 2 0 catalyst in heptane at a temperature of 70 °- 100 ° c . for a reaction time of 0 . 5 - 3 hours . any unreacted dioxolane or dioxane may be recovered at the conclusion of the intercalation . the intercalated polymer may possess sufficient thermal stability to be molded without further refining ; however , it is desirable to neutralize the catalyst and to remove unreacted polyoxymethylene or uncapped polyoxymethylene end groups . a suitable method for such refining includes dissolving the polymer in the absence of oxygen in a solution containing an amine or caustic , and heating the solution to depolymerize unreacted polymer . solvents which may be used in the presnce of an amine include the aliphatic and aromatic hydroxy compounds , such as cyclohexanol , ethylene glycol , benzyl alcohol and phenol . the preferred solvents for caustic treatment are benzyl alcohol or cyclohexanol . amines and caustics which are useful in the purification step include triethylamine , tripropylamine , tributylamine , sodium hydroxide , and potassium hydroxide . another procedure which may be employed for removing the uneacted polyoxymethylene is thermal degradation of the polymer either solid , molten or in solution without addition of an amine or a caustic after removal or deactivation of the catalyst . intercalation of polyoxymethylene polymers with nonphotodegradable dioxolanes is discussed in u . s . pat . no . 3 , 477 , 994 , 3 , 437 , 640 and 3 , 183 , 211 . the intercalated polymers may have a number average molecular weight between 1000 and about 100 , 000 . the preferred polymers have an inherent viscosity , measured at 30 ° c . using a 0 . 5 % solution in hexafluoroisopropanol solvent , of 0 . 7 to 1 . 5 . this corresponds to a number average molecular weight of about 15 , 000 to about 40 , 000 . the radiation - sensitive - a - group should be present to the extent of from 1 unit for 20 -- ch 2 o -- units ( especially in low molecular weight polymers ) to 1 for 1000 -- ch 2 o -- units , preferably 1 unit per 100 - 500 formaldehyde units . the concentration of the - a - groups can be conveniently determined by ultraviolet spectroscopy using the molar extinction coefficient of the aromatic substituents , which can be obtained from the dioxane or dioxolane starting materials or their glycol antecedents . for o - nitrophenyl groups , a band at 267 nm is employed having an extinction coefficient ε = 4 , 500 . transparent films of the intercalated polymers can be obtained by melt pressing the polymer at elevated temperatures , preferably 170 °- 180 ° c ., at 300 - 2000 psi . precautions should be taken to prevent exposure of the polymer to air at these elevated temperatures to prevent oxidation and formation of bubbles . additions of known antioxidants or thermal stabilizers to prevent chemical or physical decomposition during the molding operation is sometimes desirable . films of the polymers may also be obtained by solution casting . the novel 1 , 3 - dioxolanes and 1 , 3 - dioxanes required as starting materials for the intercalated polymers are prepared from the corresponding glycols by procedures well known in the art . for example , reaction of the glycol with an aldehyde or ketone in the presence of an acid catalyst , preferably in an inert solvent , readily gives the corresponding 1 , 3 - dioxolane , or dioxane , i . e ., ## str8 ## excess aldehyde or ketone may be employed to force the reaction to completion . alternatively , the water formed in the reaction may be removed by azeotropic distillation and the product subsequently recovered . preferred catalysts include sulfuric acid , benzenesulfonic acid and particularly p - toluenesulfonic acid . reaction is conveniently carried out at the reflux temperature of the solvent . preferred solvents include aromatic hydrocarbons with benzene , toluene , and the xylenes being particularly preferred . alternatively , the dioxolanes and dioxanes may be prepared by an exchange reaction : ## str9 ## the group r 5 of the acetal reactant should preferably be lower alkyl . the exchange reaction is preferably carried out in the same inert solvents used in the process of equation 2 , and it is also catalyzed by an acid catalyst , preferably p - toluenesulfonic acid . this exchange process is preferably used for the preparation of dioxolanes and dioxanes in which both r 3 and r 4 are h . the 1 , 2 - glycols are prepared by hydroxylation of the corresponding styrenes and stilbenes using conventional oxidation procedures . for example , hydroxylation may be achieved with hydrogen peroxide or potassium chlorate , catalyzed by osmium tetraoxide . alternatively , oxidation of the olefin to the corresponding epoxide followed by alkaline or acid hydrolysis to the corresponding glycol may be employed . when potassium chlorate oxidation is employed , the reaction is preferably carried out in aqueous tetrahydrofuran solution in the presence of a catalytic amount of osmium tetraoxide . the oxidation is completed by either stirring at 25 ° or heating the reaction mixture under reflux for several hours . thus hydroxylation of the known substituted styrenes and stilbenes of column a , table i , can give the corresponding substituted 1 , 2 - glycols of column b . table i__________________________________________________________________________column a column b__________________________________________________________________________ ## str10 ## ## str11 ## ## str12 ## ## str13 ## ## str14 ## ## str15 ## ## str16 ## ## str17 ## ## str18 ## ## str19 ## ## str20 ## ## str21 ## ## str22 ## ## str23 ## ## str24 ## ## str25 ## ## str26 ## ## str27 ## ## str28 ## ## str29 ## ## str30 ## ## str31 ## ## str32 ## ## str33 ## ## str34 ## ## str35 ## ## str36 ## ## str37 ## ## str38 ## ## str39 ## ## str40 ## ## str41 ## ## str42 ## ## str43 ## ## str44 ## ## str45 ## ## str46 ## ## str47 ## ## str48 ## ## str49 ## ## str50 ## ## str51 ## ## str52 ## ## str53 ## ## str54 ## ## str55 ## ## str56 ## ## str57 ## ## str58 ## ## str59 ## ## str60 ## ## str61 ## __________________________________________________________________________ in a similar manner , hydroxylation of the following substituted styrenes and stilbenes will give the corresponding substituted glycols . __________________________________________________________________________column a column b__________________________________________________________________________ ## str62 ## ## str63 ## ## str64 ## ## str65 ## ## str66 ## ## str67 ## ## str68 ## ## str69 ## ## str70 ## ## str71 ## __________________________________________________________________________ 1 -( o - nitrophenyl )- 1 , 3 - dihydroxypropane can be made by the reaction of o - nitrobenzaldehyde with ethyl bromoacetate followed by lithium aluminum hydride reduction , cf . schaal , bull . soc . chem ., part 2 , 11 3083 ( 1973 ) for preparation of the isomeric 1 -( m - nitrophenyl )- 1 , 3 - dihydroxypropane . preparation of the dioxane of 1 -( o - nitrophenyl )- 1 , 3 - dihydroxypropane can also be made by the prins reaction of o - nitrostyrene with formaldehyde and dilute sulfuric acid ., cf . coussemant et . al ., bull . soc . chim . fr ., ( 12 ), 4355 ( 1970 ); ibid ., ( 3 ) 877 ( 1971 ), showing the preparation of the dioxane of 1 -( m - nitrophenyl )- 1 , 3 - dihydroxypropane by this method . 1 , 3 - di ( o - nitrophenyl )- 1 , 3 - dihydroxypropane can be prepared by forming vinyl o - nitrobenzoate by ester exchange of vinyl acetate with o - nitrobenzoic acid . self - condensation of vinyl o - nitrobenzoate in the presence of aluminum chloride gives 1 , 3 - di ( o - nitrophenyl ) propane - 1 , 3 - dione which can be reduced with lithium aluminum hydride to the desired 1 , 3 - diol . cf . rao and filler , j . org . chem ., 36 , 1447 ( 1971 ), disclosing the self - condensation of vinyl p - nitrobenzoate . in this specification and claims the term &# 34 ; lower alkyl &# 34 ; refers to an alkyl group of 1 to 4 carbon atoms . the imaging process of this invention may employ suitable sheet material having a radiation sensitive coating on one surface thereof . this sheet material is formed by coating or impregnating a suitable substrate with the radiation sensitive copolymer following known techniques . by &# 34 ; substrate &# 34 ; is meant any natural or synthetic support which is capable of existing in film or sheet form and can be flexible or rigid . for example , the substrate could be a metal sheet or foil , a sheet or film of synthetic organic resin , cellulose paper , fiberboard , and the like , or a composite of two or more of these materials . specific substrates include alumina - blasted aluminum , alumina - blasted polyester film , polyester film , polyvinyl alcohol - coated paper , crosslinked polyester - coated paper , nylon , glass , heavy paper such lithographic paper , and the like . when the copolymer compositions are coated on metal surfaces , they are useful for making lithographhic printing plates . for example , use of a grained aluminum base in combination with a radiation sensitive copolymer results in a developed lithographic plate . the plate , after radiation and image development , is first coated with an aqueous solution of age ( pitman co .) and is then contacted with a roller which wets only the photopolymer image with ink . the inked plate can then be used in lithographic printing in the usual way . the photodegradable copolymer compositions may optionally contain other materials inert to the photodepolymerization reaction . such materials include thermoplastic and nonthermoplastic binders useful for varying the physical properties of the resultant polymeric images . in addition , plasticizers may be added to lower the glass transition temperature and facilitate selective stripping . if desired the polymers may also contain immiscible polymeric or nonpolymeric organic or inorganic fillers or reinforcing agents which are essentially transparent , e . g ., the organophilic silicas , bentonites , silica , powdered glass , colloidal carbon , as well as various types of dyes and pigments . other useful additives which may be employed include sesitizers to improve the efficiency of the radiation and adhesion promoters . the radiation sensitive copolymer , as a solution in a carrier solvent , may be sprayed , brushed , applied by a roller or an immersion coater , flowed over the surface , picked up by immersion or applied to the substrate by other means . the solvent is then allowed to evaporate . useful solvents include those known in the art to dissolve polyoxymethylene , e . g ., hexafluoroisopropanol , phenol and substituted phenols including the halophenols , nitrophenols and cresols , benzyl alcohol and other fluorinated alcohols such as α , α - di ( trifluoromethyl ) benzyl alcohol . coating temperatures range from about 0 °- 150 ° c . depending upon the solvent employed . alternatively , substrate coating may be achieved by hot - pressing a film of the copolymer to the substrate or by melt - coating techniques . the radiation sensitive copolymers are exposed to radiation of wavelength in the 2000 - 8000a range , preferably 2000 - 5000a . suitable sources of such light , in addition to sunlight , include carbon arcs , mercury - vapor arcs , fluorescent lamps with ultraviolet radiation - emitting phosphors , electronic flash units , and photographic flood lamps . where artifical radiation sources are used , the distance between the photosensitive layer and the radiation source may be varied according to the radiation sensitivity of the copolymer . customarily , mercury - vapor arcs are used at a distance of 1 . 5 to 20 inches from the photosensitive layer . imagewise exposure , for example , in preparing printing plates , is conveniently carried out by exposing a layer of the photoactive copolymer to radiation through a process transparency ; that is , an image - bearing transparency consisting solely of areas substantially opaque and substantially transparent to the radiation being used where the opaque areas are substantially of the same optical density , for example , a so - called line or halftone negative or positive . variable depth images may also be obtained by exposure through a continuous tone transparency . process transparencies may be constructed of any suitable materials including cellulose acetate film and oriented polyester film . the length of time for which the compositions are exposed to radiation may vary upwards from a few seconds . exposure times will vary , in part , according to the nature of the copolymer and the concentration and types of o - nitrophenyl moieties present , and the type of radiation . image development is accomplished by depolymerization of the unstable polymer chains formed in the irradiated areas of the copolymer composition . the depolymerizations , which can be assisted by basic materials , are carried out at temperatures 25 °- 170 ° c . for times of a few minutes to several hours . the basic materials can be organic amines such as tributyl amine or inorganic bases such as potassium hydroxide , sodium hydroxide , or sodium carbonate dissolved in water , organic solvents , such as methanol , ethanol , propanol , iospropanol , butyl alcohols , benzyl alcohols , tetrahydrofuran , and dioxane , or in aqueous - organic mixtures thereof . when a basic material is not used , heating the composition at 120 °- 160 ° c . is preferred ,. when a basic organic material is used for more rapid development , the preferred method is to apply to the composition enough tributylamine to totally cover the surface and to heat the composition at 120 °- 160 ° c . when an inorganic basic solution is employed , lower development temperatures may be used , and the preferred method is to use 0 . 1 %- 20 % potassium hydroxide in isopropanol at 68 °- 100 ° c . after development , there results a positive image , i . e ., polymer remains under the opaque areas of the process transparency , that is the areas not struck by radiation passing through the transparency . this invention is further illustrated by the following specific embodiments , which should not , however , be construed as fully delineating the scope of this discovery . care was taken to exclude moisture during the intercalation procedures for the preparation of polymers . all apparatus for intercalation runs was dried in a vacuum over for several hours prior to the experiments and material transfers were done under a nitrogen atmosphere . o - nitrostyrene ( 42 . 15 g , 0 . 28 mole ) in 300 ml of tetrahydrofuran ( thf ) was added to a suspension of 43 . 0 g of potassium chlorate ( 0 . 35 mole ) in 300 ml of water . osmium tetroxide ( 0 . 25 g ) in 25 ml of thf was added to give immediately the brown color of osmate ester . the reaction mixture was heated at reflux for 48 hrs . under nitrogen with efficient stirring . the layers were separated and the lower , predominantly aqueous , layer was saturated with sodium chloride and extracted twice with 450 ml of thf . the thf extracts and original upper layer were combined , dried , and concentrated in vacuo to give 58 g of dark oil . this material was chromatographed on a silicic acid column ( 325 g ). elution with hexane and 25 % ether - hexane gave small amounts of the desired glycol and further elution with 50 % etherhexane gave 20 g of crystalline crude glycol . the product was purified by washing with ether to give 14 . 5 g of pure glycol . rechromatography of the other fractions and ether washing gave an additional 5 . 0 g of glycol for a total yield of 19 . 5 g of o - nitrophenylethylene glycol . recrystallization of the product from thf - hexane gave pale yellow crystals , mp 95 °- 96 °. ir ( nujol ): ( μ ) 3 . 0 - 3 . 1 , 6 . 55 , 7 . 50 , 9 . 4 - 9 . 5 , 9 . 82 , 11 . 03 , 11 . 70 , 12 . 05 , 12 . 65 , 13 . 50 . hnmr ( dmso - d 6 ): ( δ ) 7 . 40 - 7 . 96 ( 4h , mult ., arom . ); 5 . 57 ( 2h , doub . choh ); 5 . 18 ( 1h , quart ., choh ); 4 . 83 ( 1h , trip ., ch 2 oh ); 3 . 53 ( 2h , trip ., ch 2 oh ). uv ( ch 3 oh ): ( nm λ max 345 ( ε403 ); λ max 257 ( ε4410 ). anal . calcd for c 8 h 9 no 4 : c , 52 , 46 ; h , 4 . 95 ; n , 7 . 65 ; found : c , 52 . 30 ; h , 4 . 73 ; n , 7 . 51 . o , o &# 39 ;- dinitrostilbene , the starting material for 1 , 2 - di - o - nitrophenylethylene glycol , was prepared by the following procedure : addition of 50 ml of 58 % hi to 10 . 0 g of trans -( o , o &# 39 ;- dinitro ) stilbene oxide resulted in a mildly exothermic reaction , and the reaction mixture became partially homogeneous with concomitant iodine color formation . after being stirred at 25 ° for 17 hr ., the reaction mixture was filtered to leave a gummy solid . this material was washed with water and with saturated sodium bisulfite solution , and it was triturated with ether to leave 5 . 03 g ( 54 %) of o , o &# 39 ;- dinitrostilbene , mp 195 °- 197 ° c . when shorter reaction times were used or when the reaction was cooled in ice during the addition of hi , the corresponding iodohydrin was isolated . o , o &# 39 ;- dinitrostilbene ( 9 . 2 g ) in 270 ml of thf was added to a suspension of 9 . 0 g of potassium chlorate in 150 ml of water . osmium textroxide ( 0 . 25 g ) in 25 ml of thf was added , and the reaction mixture was heated at reflux for 48 hrs . under nitrogen with efficient stirring . the layers were separated and the lower , predominantly aqueous , layer was saturated with sodium chloride and extracted with thf . the thf extracts and original upper layer were combined , dried , and concentrated in vacuo to give 8 . 35 g of dark oil . this material was chromatographed on a silicic acid column . elution with 20 % ether - hexane gave o - nitrobenzaldehyde , and further elution with 50 % ether - hexane gave 4 . 22 g of crystalline glycol . recrystallization from thf - hexane gave pure 1 , 2 - di - o - nitrophenylethylene glycol , mp 129 °- 131 ° c . ir ( nujol ): ( μ ) 2 . 90 - 3 . 00 , 6 . 55 , 7 . 43 , 8 . 42 , 9 . 50 , 9 . 70 , 11 . 63 , 12 . 70 , 13 . 32 , 14 . 15 . hnmr ( dmso - d 6 ): ( δ ) 7 . 0 - 7 . 9 ( 8h , mult ., arom . ); 5 . 90 ( 2h , doub ., oh ); 5 . 60 ( 2h , doub ., ch ). anal . calcd for c 14 h 12 n 2 o 6 : c , 55 . 26 , h , 3 . 98 ; n , 9 . 21 o - nitrophenylethylene glycol ( 46 . 0 g , 0 . 25 mole ), diethoxymethane ( 28 . 0 g , 0 . 27 mole ), and 10 p - toluenesulfonic acid in 300 ml benzene were heated under reflux under nitrogen for 7 hrs . the reaction mixture was diluted with 200 ml of benzene and extracted three times with 5 % aqueos sodium hydroxide solution , and dried . the solution was concentrated in vacuo to give 39 . 7 g of yellow liquid . the product was purified by distillation to give 38 . 4 g of pure 4 - o - nitrophenyl - 1 , 3 - dioxolane , bp 85 ° ( 0 . 15 mm ), n d 25 1 . 5562 . ir ( neat ): ( μ ) 6 . 55 , 7 . 50 , 8 . 68 , 9 . 23 , 10 . 55 , 10 . 70 , 11 . 70 , 12 . 65 , 13 . 50 , 13 . 90 . hnmr ( cdcl 3 ): ( δ ) 7 . 25 - 8 . 17 ( 4h , mult ., arom . ); 5 . 50 ( 1h , ch ); 5 . 28 ( 1h , sing ., och 2 o ); 5 . 00 ( 1h , sing ., och 2 o ); 4 . 42 ( 1h , trip ., ch 2 ); 3 . 70 ( 1h , ch 2 ). uv ( ch 3 oh ): ( nm ) λ max 345 ( 369 ); λ max 260 ( 5870 ). anal . calcd . for c 9 h 9 no 4 : c , 55 . 39 ; h , 4 . 65 ; n , 7 . 18 ; found : c , 55 . 27 ; h , 4 . 73 ; n , 7 . 23 . a solution of o - nitrophenylethylene glycol ( 31 . 25 g , 0 . 17 mole ) and 2 g of p - toluenesulfonic acid in 120 ml of acetone was heated under reflux under nitrogen for 15 hrs . the reaction mixture was diluted with benzene , extracted twice with 5 % aqueous sodium hydroxide solution , and dried . the solution was concentrated in vacuo to give 17 . 9 g of yellow liquid . the product was purified by distillation to give 14 . 6 g of pure 2 , 2 - dimethyl - 4 - o - nitrophenyl - 1 , 3 - dioxolane , bp 93 ° ( 0 . 2 mm ), n d 24 1 . 5292 . ir ( neat ): ( μ ) 6 . 55 , 7 . 30 , 7 . 45 , 8 . 2 - 8 . 3 , 8 . 65 , 9 . 45 , 11 . 60 , 11 . 80 , 12 . 65 , 13 . 45 . hnmr ( cdcl 3 ): ( δ ) 7 . 2 - 8 . 1 ( 4h , mult ., arom . ); 5 . 57 ( 1h , trip ., ch ); 4 . 60 ( 1h , trip ., ch 2 ); 3 . 70 ( 1h , ch 2 ); 1 . 50 ( 6h , doub ., ch 3 ). uv ( ch 3 oh ); ( nm ) λ max 345 ( 390 ); λ max 260 ( 5420 ). anal . calcd for c 11 h 13 no 4 : c , 59 . 19 ; h , 5 . 87 ; n , 6 . 27 . found : c , 59 . 01 ; h , 5 . 94 ; n , 6 . 29 . a solution of 4 . 5 g of 1 , 2 - di - o - nitrophenylethylene glycol , 2 . 0 g of diethoxymethane , and 2 . 0 g of p - toluenesulfonic acid in 30 ml benzene was heated under reflux under nitrogen for 15 hrs . the reaction mixture was diluted with ether , extracted with 5 % aqueous sodium hydroxide solution , and dried . the solution was concentrated in vacuo to give 4 . 42 g of gummy solid . recrystallization from thf - hexane gave 3 . 7 g of pale yellow 4 , 5 - di - o - nitrophenyl - 1 , 3 - dioxolane , mp 137 °- 139 °. ir ( nujol ): ( μ ) 6 . 55 , 7 . 40 , 7 . 50 , 8 . 70 , 9 . 15 , 9 . 75 , 10 . 50 , 10 . 70 , 11 . 60 , 11 . 68 , 12 . 50 , 12 . 60 , 13 . 30 , 13 . 45 , 13 . 65 . hnmr ( dmso - d 6 ): ( δ ) 7 . 5 - 8 . 2 ( 8h , mult ., arom . ); 5 . 70 ( 2h , sing ., char ); 5 . 05 ( 2h , sing ., ch 2 ). anal . calcd for c 15 h 12 n 2 o 6 : c , 56 . 96 ; h , 3 . 82 ; n , 8 . 86 . found : c , 57 . 16 ; h , 4 . 00 ; n , 8 . 94 . uncapped polyoxymethylene ( 10 . 00 g , mw 25 , 000 - 30 , 000 ) was dried in vacuo in a 100 ml 2 - necked flask at 100 ° c . for 1 hr . the center neck had a stopcock adaptor to a vacuum pump , and the side arm was fitted with a serum cap . the weight of dried polymer was 9 . 47 g ( 5 . 3 % loss ). a nitrogen bubbler was substituted for the vacuum pump and 30 ml of heptane ( freshly distilled from calcium hydride ) and 2 . 0 ml of freshly distilled 4 - o - nitrophenyl - 1 , 3 - dioxolane were added via syringe through the serum cap under nitrogen . the nitrogen bubbler valve was closed , and the reaction mixture was immersed in a preheated 75 ° bath for 15 mins . with magnetic stirring . after the addition of 0 . 05 ml of fresh bf 3 . ( c 2 h 5 ) 2 o the slurry was maintained at 70 °- 75 ° for 1 hr . the reaction was quenched with 5 ml of tributylamine , and the product was cooled , filtered , and washed thoroughly with methanol and acetone . the weight of dried , light sensitive , intercalated polymer , obtained as a colorless or very pale yellow solid , was 9 . 97 g . to improve its thermal and base stability , the polymer was post - treated by suspension in 150 ml of benzyl alcohol and 10 ml of tributylamine followed by a 30 minute nitrogen purge . the polymer was dissolved by heating the suspension rapidly to 160 ° and the clear yellow solution was further heated at 160 ° for 30 minutes followed by rapid cooling with an ice bath . the swelled and voluminous reprecipitated polymer was filtered , washed extensively with methanol and acetone and dried in vacuo at 70 °. the weight of purified polymer was 4 . 63 g , η inh = 0 . 59 ( 30 ° c ., 0 . 5 % in hexafluoroisopropyl alcohol ( hfip ), mw ˜ 15 , 000 . ultraviolet analysis ( hfip ) showed the presence of 113 formaldehyde units / oxyethylene unit . when uncapped polyoxymethylene polymer of molecular weight ˜ 60 , 000 was intercalated as described , 9 . 97 g of intercalated polymer was obtained . after post - treatment as described , 4 . 15 g of polymer remained , η inh = 0 . 63 ( 30 ° c ., 0 . 5 % in hfip ). ultraviolet analysis showed the presence of 117 - 128 formaldehyde units / oxyethylene unit . unsupported flexible , transparent films , 2 mils in thickness , were pressed from the purified polymer at 175 °, 500 psig for 30 seconds . use of an aluminum panel gave a film supported on the panel . use of higher pressures , i . e . 20 , 000 psi , for 1 minute gave thin (& lt ; 0 . 5 mil ) films . acetate - capped polyoxymethylene ( 10 . 00 g , mw ˜ 60 , 000 ) was intercalated with 2 . 0 ml of 4 - o - nitrophenyl - 1 , 3 - dioxolane using the procedure described in example 6 . the weight of dried , light sensitive , intercalated polymer , obtained as a colorless or very pale yellow solid , was 9 . 85 g . the polymer was post - treated as described to give 6 . 64 g of thermal and base - stable polymer , η inh = 0 . 97 ( 30 ° c ., 0 . 5 % in hfip ), mw ˜ 25 , 000 . ultraviolet analysis ( hfip ) showed the presence of 200 - 250 formaldehyde units / oxyethylene unit . the intercalation experiment described in example 7 was repeated on a larger scale with 110 . 0 g of acetate - capped polyoxymethylene ( mw ˜ 60 , 000 ) and 23 ml of 4 - o - nitrophenyl - 1 , 3 - dioxolane in 240 ml of heptane in a 500 - ml flask . reaction was initiated with 0 . 5 ml of bf 3 . ( c 2 h 5 ) 2 o and it was quenched with 10 ml of tributylamine . the weight of dried , light sensitive intercalated polymer was 110 . 3 g . the polymer was post - treated as described in example 6 ( 600 ml of benzyl alcohol and 30 ml of tributylamine were used ; nitrogen purge of 2 hrs .) to give 61 . 2 g of stabilized polymer , η inh = 0 . 72 ( 30 ° c ., 0 . 5 % in hfip ), mw ˜ 18 , 000 . acetate capped polyoxymethylene ( 7 . 00 g , mw ˜ 60 , 000 ) was dried in vacuo in a 50 ml three - neck flask at 100 °- 105 ° for 1 hr . as the flask was allowed to cool to 70 °, the internal pressure was raised to one atmosphere with dry nitrogen gas . to the flask was added 21 . 0 ml heptane ( freshly distilled from cah 2 ) and 2 . 29 g of 4 , 5 - di ( o - nitrophenyl )- 1 , 3 - dioxolane . the reaction mixture was stirred well and then immersed in an oil bath preheated to 75 °. when the reaction mixture temperature reached 66 °, there was added 0 . 005 ml bf 3 . et 2 o . after the mixture was stirred 30 mins . at 66 °- 68 °, an additional 0 . 005 ml bf 3 . et 2 o was added . after the mixture was stirred a further 30 mins . at 68 °- 69 °, the reaction was quenched by adding 1 . 0 ml tri - n - butylamine . the solid polymer was collected on a filter and washed thoroughly , first with methanol and finally with acetone . there was obtained 6 . 37 g of dry white solid intercalated polymer . η inh 0 . 88 ( 30 ° c ., 0 . 5 % in hfip ), mw ˜ 21 , 000 . ultraviolet analysis ( hfip ) showed the presence of 2890 formaldehyde units / oxyethylene unit . acetate capped polyoxymethylene ( 7 . 00 g , mw ˜ 60 , 000 ) was dried in vacuo in a 50 ml three - neck flask at 100 °- 105 ° for 1 hr . as the flask was allowed to cool to 70 °, the internal pressure was raised to one atmosphere with dry nitrogen gas . to the flask was added 21 . 0 ml of heptane ( freshly distilled from cah 2 ) and 3 . 00 ml of 2 , 2 - dimethyl - 4 -( o - nitrophenyl )- 1 , 3 - dioxolane . the reaction mixture was stirred at 73 °- 78 ° for 15 mins ., then 0 . 005 ml bf 3 . et 2 o was added and the reaction mixture was stirred an additional 30 mins . at 75 °- 78 °. a second portion of 0 . 005 ml bf 3 . et 2 o was added followed by an additional 30 mins . of stirring at 75 °. the reaction was quenched by addition of 1 . 0 ml tri - n - butylamine . the solid polymer was collected on a filter and washed thoroughly with 2 - propanol , methanol and finally acetone . there was obtained 6 . 20 g of dry white solid intercalated polymer , η inh 1 . 21 ( 30 ° c ., 0 . 5 % in hfip ), mw ˜ 33 , 000 . ultraviolet analysis ( hfip ) showed the presence of 167 formadehyde units / oxyethylene unit . a 0 . 5 mil thick film of an intercalated polyoxymethylene polymer , prepared as described in example 6 , was pressed into an aluminum panel . the film was exposed through a process transparency held in place with a vacuum frame to provide good contact of the transparency with the film , to radiation from a 275 w sunlamp at a distance of 12 inches for 5 minutes . no visible latent image was observed . the plate was placed in a 140 ° oven ; after 3 minutes an image was clearly visible in the areas of the film not struck by radiation . heating was continued for 1 . 5 hours , and a positive relief image with good resolution was obtained . optionally , the use of an amine , e . g . tributylamine , may be employed to increase the rate of image development . a 0 . 25 - 0 . 50 mil thick film of an intercalated polyoxymethylene polymer , prepared as described in example 6 , was pressed into a grained aluminum panel . the film was exposed through a process transparency as described in example 11 . the exposed film was treated with tributylamine , and the plate was heated at 120 °- 156 ° for 2 . 5 hours . a positive relief image was observed after 19 minutes of development , and the further heating caused little further visible change . the plate was immersed in an hfip bath for a few seconds to dissolve a small amount of organic &# 34 ; scum &# 34 ; present in the radiation - struck areas , and the plate was quickly flushed with water to leave a hydrophilic aluminum surface in the exposed areas and residual oleophilic polymer in the non - radiation struck areas . the plate was treated with gum arabic , inked and the inked plate used to print the transparency image on paper . a thin (˜ 0 . 5 mil ) film , prepared by hot pressing the intercalated polymer of example 9 , was irradiated through a process transparency with a 275 watt sunlamp for 10 minutes at a distance of six inches . the irradiated film was developed by heating in air at 160 ° for 20 minutes . a good positive image with deep relief was obtained . this experiment was repeated with the intercalated polymer of example 10 . after image development for 30 minutes at 160 °, an excellent positive image with deep relief was obtained . a 5 . 7 % solution of the intercalated polyoxymethylene polymer of example 6 , in hexafluoroisopropanol , was bar - coated onto a grained aluminum panel to yield an air - dried coating weight of 0 . 05 g / dm 2 . the coated plate was next heated ( one hour ) at 125 °- 170 ° c . to improve adhesion , then exposed through a positive litho film . the positive transparency was positioned over the photosensitive coating and held in intimate contact with a 6 . 5 - mm - thick glass plate . the plate was exposed for 15 minutes to a fluorescent source producing 1 . 9 mj / cm 2 of radiant energy between 300 - 420 nm at the plane of the coated plate ( ca . 2 cm . from the ultraviolet lamps ). the exposed plate , minus transparency and glass plate , was next immersed in isopropanol saturated with potassium hydroxide for 5 minutes at room temperature . this development step left a positive image since the radiation - struck areas were soluble in the alcoholic - potassium hydroxide solution . after rinsing with water , the plate was used to print the positive litho film image on paper as described in example 12 . results substantially equivalent to examples 12 and 14 were obtained when repeated with the following changes : ( a ) grained aluminum was spin - coated using a solution containing the polymer of example 6 ( 4 . 5 g ) in a mixture of hexafluoroisopropanol ( 60 ml )/ α , α - di -( trifluoromethyl ) benzyl alcohol ( 60 ml ); air - drying left a coating & lt ; 0 . 0025 mm thick , a coating weight of ca . 0 . 2 mg / cm 2 . ( b ) the photosensitive layer was imagewise exposed ( 5 minutes ) in a commercial nuarc ® vacuum frame ( model ft 26l ) containing a 2000 - watt xenon source , 43 . 2 cm . from the sample . ( c ) the image was developed by immersion ( 5 minutes ) in basic isopropanol ( 2 % koh ) maintained at 70 ° c . the following two examples illustrate image formation resulting from the formaldehyde generated in the irradiated areas . the polymer of example 6 ( 0 . 6 g ), dissolved in hexafluoroisopropanol ( 10 ml ), was brush - coated onto biaxially oriented polyethylene terephthalate film ( 0 . 127 mm - thick ); air drying left a very thin (& lt ; 0 . 0025 mm ), transparent , photosensitive layer . the photosensitive layer was then overcoated with polyvinyl alcohol ( 1 g ), ( viscosity 28 - 32 cp ., 4 % aqueous solution , 20 ° c ., heoppler falling ball ) dissolved in water ( 20 ml ) using a doctor blade with a clearance of 0 . 127 mm . after drying at 120 ° c ., the sample was imagewise exposed ( 6 minutes ) to the nuarc ® source described in example 15 . a vesicular image was then obtained in the thermoplastic polyvinyl alcohol layer on brief (& lt ; 1 minute ) heating to 240 ° c . the formaldehyde , released imagewise , produced bubbles in the exposed areas . a relatively thick coating ( ca . 0 . 038 mm ) of the polymer of example 6 was applied onto a glass microscope slide . the photosensitive layer was then imagewise exposed ( 5 minutes ) through a transparency , bearing an electrical circuit design , using the ultraviolet source described in example 14 . the resulting latent image was developed by treating the surface with tollens &# 39 ; reagent ( an ammoniacal solution of silver hydroxide ), which is a test reagent for ( oxidizing ) aldehydes . that is , the exposed areas , which contain formaldehyde or aldehyde - containing polymer fragments , reduce silver ion to metallic silver , which precipitates onto the irradiated areas . the thin , finely - divided , black , metallic , image precipitated is readily visible against the colorless to pale - yellow background of the unexposed areas . the silvered , electrical circuit image was immersed ( 30 minutes ) in a conventional electroless copper plating bath at room temperature . upon removal from the bath and rinsing with water , a copper - plated circuit replica was obtained . the initially precipitated metallic silver catalyzed electroless copper deposition . the photosensitive polymers of this invention can be photodepolymerized to yield a gravure cell relief pattern on the polymer surface . a film of the intercalated polymer of example 6 , ˜ 0 . 07 mm thick , was pressed onto a grained aluminum plate . the film was imaged in a vacuum frame with a 275 w sunlamp at 15 . 2 cm for 10 minutes through a 30 step gray scale and a 175 line negative gravure screen . after exposure the imaged film was developed with a solution of 2 % koh in i - propyl alcohol at 70 ° for 45 minutes . the plates were inked with a black publication ink let down with hydrocarbon solvent ( 25 % aromatic , 75 % saturated ), hand doctored with a steel blade , and hand printed by rolling immediately with a paper - covered rubber roller . the first seven steps hand printed and the depth of the first 21 steps were determined . the results demonstrate a potentially useful continuous tone response for conventional gravure . ______________________________________ optical cellstep density depth ( μ ) ______________________________________1 . 06 26 . 72 . 15 22 . 93 . 25 16 . 54 . 32 13 . 35 . 43 9 . 526 . 53 6 . 987 . 63 4 . 838 . 75 2 . 799 . 84 2 . 0610 . 92 1 . 5311 1 . 02 1 . 0912 1 . 12 1 . 0213 1 . 19 0 . 7614 1 . 29 0 . 6915 1 . 38 0 . 4616 1 . 49 0 . 3817 1 . 59 0 . 2618 1 . 72 0 . 2519 1 . 82 0 . 1520 1 . 92 0 . 1321 2 . 00 0 . 05______________________________________
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referring now to fig2 to 9 , more specifically fig2 a preferred embodiment of a control system of the present invention is illustrated by the reference character c and forms part of an occupant restraint system r for protecting a vehicle occupant ( s ) from coming into direct contact with a steering wheel , a windshield and / or the like ( not shown ) upon a vehicle collision or the like . the control system c comprises a deceleration sensor 1 which is disposed , for example , at a floor tunnel section within a passenger compartment of an automotive vehicle ( not shown ), and adapted to detect a deceleration g of the automotive vehicle and output a signal representative of the deceleration g to a control circuit 2 . the control circuit 2 includes a microcomputer and its peripherals though not shown , and is adapted to carry out control programs discussed after thereby controlling operation of the occupant restraint system r . the control circuit 2 includes an operation necessary - unnecessary deciding section 2a electrically connected to the deceleration sensor 1 , an operation timing determining section 2b electrically connected to the deceleration sensor 1 , and an operation control section 2c electrically connected to the sections 2a , 2b . the operation necessary - unnecessary deciding section is adapted to decide as to whether the operation of the occupant restraint system r is necessary or unnecessary . the operation timing deciding section 2b is adapted to determine an operation timing of the occupant restraint system r . the operation control section 2c is electrically connected to a drive circuit 3 forming part of the occupant restraint system r and adapted to output an operation command signal ( commanding the operation of the occupant restraint system r ) to the drive circuit 3 at the operation timing decided by the operation timing decision section 2b when a decision of the operation of the occupant restraint system r being necessary is made by the operation necessary - unnecessary decision section 2a . the drive circuit 3 is electrically connected to an airbag module 5 forming part of the occupant restraint system r . in this embodiment , the airbag module 5 is stored in a central pad of a steering wheel of the automotive vehicle though not shown , so that the airbag module 5 protects a driver on a driver &# 39 ; s seat . the airbag module 5 includes an airbag ( not shown ) which can inflate and develop to protect the driver from coming into direct contact with the steering wheel , the windshield and / or the like upon a vehicle collision or the like . the airbag module 5 further includes an inflator ( not shown ) for causing the airbag to inflate , and an electrical firing device or squib 5a for the inflator . the squib 5a is electrically connected to the drive circuit 3 which is electrically connected to an electric source or battery 5 so that electric current is suppliable from the electric source 4 to the squib 5a . first , a method of deciding as to whether the occupant restraint system is necessary or unnecessary will be discussed with reference to fig3 and 4 . fig3 shows changes in deceleration g ( after intiation of a vehicle collision ) in three typical collision modes . one of the three modes is a light collision in which the deceleration g exhibits a characteristics indicated by a curve &# 34 ; a &# 34 ; similar to a sine curve having a low peak value . in case of such a light collision , it is unnecessary to operate the occupant restraint system r . accordingly , such a collision is also called an &# 34 ; operation unnecessary collision &# 34 ;. another one of the three modes is a strong or serious collision in which the deceleration g exhibits a characteristics indicated by a curve &# 34 ; b &# 34 ; similar to a sine curve having a high peak value . in case of such a strong collision , the occupant restraint system r is required to be securely operated to protect the driver . a further one of the three modes is a collision in which the deceleration g exhibits such a characteristics as to be relatively low and vibratory at a time immediately after intiation of the collision but thereafter suddenly increase , as indicated by a curve &# 34 ; c &# 34 ; in fig3 . in case of such a collision , the occupant restraint system is required to be securely operated to protect the driver . accordingly , such a collision is called a &# 34 ; low speed collision &# 34 ;. now , both the light collision &# 34 ; a &# 34 ; and the low speed collision &# 34 ; c &# 34 ; exhibit low values in deceleration g for a while after initiation of the collision , and therefore it is difficult to accurately distinguish them from each other only in accordance with the decelerations g . in view of this , a variance bu of deceleration g showing a deceleration condition of each collision mode is calculated by the following equation ( 1 ): where g ( n ) is a deceleration which is repeatedly detected , in which n = 1 to n ; n is the number of samples ( or sampling ) of the detected deceleration g ; σ is a sum obtained from n = 1 to n = n ; and l is a mean value of g ( n ). fig4 shows the variance bu of each of collisions a , b and c in fig3 . in case of the low speed collision c , a variation in deceleration g is considerably large at the initial stage of the collision as shown in fig3 and therefore the variance bu becomes large . in case of the light collision a , the variation in deceleration g is relatively small thereby minimizing the variance bu . in case of the high speed collision b , the deceleration g is large as compared with the above two collisions and exhibits a large value in variance bu . as apparent from fig4 the high and low speed collisions b , c requiring the operation of the occupant restraint system r can be accurately and clearly distinguished from the light collision which does not require the operation of the same . in this connection , a threshold value buo in the variance bu is set , in which the operation of the occupant restraint system r is decided when the variance bu exceeds the threshold value buo . fig5 shows a control program for accomplishing a decision as to whether the operation of the occupant restraint system r is necessary or unnecessary . the operation necessary - unnecessary deciding section 2a of the control circuit 2 operates according to the flow chart of this control program . the microcomputer makes the execution of the control program of fig5 for example , every 0 . 5 msec . at a step s101 , a signal representative of the deceleration g is input to the microcomputer from the deceleration sensor 1 . at a step s102 , the variance bu is calculated in accordance with the detected deceleration g , by using the above equation ( 1 ). at a step s103 , a decision is made as to whether the variance bu exceeds the set threshold value buo or not . in case that the variance bu exceeds the threshold value buo , a flow goes to a step s104 at which &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ; is set at an operation necessary - unnecessary flag f1 . in case that the variance bu is not higher than the threshold value buo , the execution of the control program of fig5 is terminated . the operation control section 2c judges that the operation of the occupant restraint system r is decided to be necessary or to be made in case that &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ; is set at the operation necessary - unnecessary flag f1 . in other words , &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ; at the flag f1 represents that a decision of operation of the occupant restraint system has been made . fig6 and 7 show a control program for determining the operation timing of the occupant restraint system r . the operation timing determining section 2b of the control circuit 2 operates according to the flowchart of this control program . the microcomputer makes the execution of this control program , for example , every 0 . 5 msec . at a step s201 , the signal representative of the deceleration g is input to the microcomputer from the deceleration sensor 1 . at a step s202 , the deceleration ( g ) signal is subject to a low pass filter treatment to remove unnecessary high frequency components contained in the deceleration signal thereby obtaining a signal representative of a deceleration g &# 39 ;. at a step s203 , a decision is made as to whether the deceleration g &# 39 ; exceeds a previously set threshold value g0 or not . in case that the deceleration g &# 39 ; is larger than the threshold value g0 , a flow goes to a step s204 . in case that the deceleration g &# 39 ; is not larger than the value g0 , the flow goes to a step s205 bypassing the step s204 . it will be understood that the threshold value g0 is used to distinguish a vehicle collision from normal vehicle movements , and therefore it is set as an optimum value under experiments . at the step s204 , &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ; is set at a collision anticipation flag f2 showing a high possibility of occurrence of a vehicle collision . at the step s205 , a decision is made as to whether &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ; is set at the collision anticipation flag f2 or not . in case that &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ; is set at the flag f2 , an operation timing calculation program at or downstream of a step s206 will be executed . in case that &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ; is not set at the flag f2 , the execution of the program is terminated . in other words , in case that the deceleration g &# 39 ; has once exceeded the threshold value g0 , the execution of the operation timing calculation program is continued even if the deceleration g &# 39 ; is thereafter lowered to or below the threshold value g0 , thus preventing unstable execution of the calculation program due to variation of the deceleration g &# 39 ;. in case that the possibility of vehicle collision occurrence is high upon &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ; being set at the collision anticipation flag f2 , an increment of time t is made in a timer ( not shown ) at a step s206 in fig7 . this timer is adapted to time a lapsed time from a timing at which the deceleration g &# 39 ; has exceeded the threshold value g0 . at a step s207 , the deceleration g &# 39 ; is integrated to obtain an integrated value s . the integrated value s is obtained by integrating the decelerations g &# 39 ; each of which is detected every execution of this control program from the timing at which the deceleration g &# 39 ; has exceeded the threshold value g0 . at a step s208 , a decision is made as to whether &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ; is set at an operation timing calculation flag f3 or not . the setting of &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ; represents that the operation timing of the occupant restraint system r has been calculated . in case that &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ; is set at the flag f3 , the flow goes to a step s212 since calculation of the operation timing is unnecessary . in case that &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ; is not set at the flag f3 , the flow goes to a step s209 at which calculation of the operation timing is made . at the step s209 , a decision is made as to whether the integrated value s exceeds a previously set threshold value s0 . in case that the integrated value s exceeds the threshold value s0 , the flow goes to a step s210 . in case that the integrated value s is not higher than the threshold value s0 , the execution of this control program is terminated . at a step s210 , the operation timing ft of the occupant restraint system r is calculated . as shown in fig8 the operation timing ft is calculated by the following equation ( 2 ), in which the starting point t0 for the operation timing ft is a timing at which the deceleration g &# 39 ; has exceeded the threshold value g0 : where t is a time or time duration ( timed by the timer ) from the timing t0 to the present time ; and c1 and offset are respectively constants decided by experiment or the like . when the operation timing ft has been calculated , the flow goes to a step s211 at which &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ; is set at the operation timing calculation flag f3 . at a step s212 , a decision is made as to whether the time t has reached the operation timing ft of the occupant restraint system r . in case that the the time t has reached the operation timing ft , the flow goes to a step s213 at which &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ; is set at an operation timing flag f4 , indicating the operation timing of the occupant restraint system has come or been reached . then , the execution of the control program is terminated . fig9 shows a control program of operational control of the occupant restraint system r . the operation control section 2c of the control circuit 2 operates according to the flowchart of this control program . the microcomputer initiates the execution for this control program when an ignition key or switch ( not shown ) is switched on . after initiation of the execution of this program , at a step s301 , an initialization is made in which the time t ( timed by the timer ), set values at the flags f1 to f4 and the likes are set at the respective initial values . at a step s302 , a decision is made as to whether the decision of operation of the occupant restraint system r is made or not according to setting of &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ; or not at the operation necessary - unnecessary flag f1 provided from the operation necessary - unnecessary decision section 2a . in case that the operation has been decided to be made , a flow goes to a step s303 . at the step s303 , a decision is made as to whether &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ; is set at the operation timing flag f4 according to setting of the operation timing decision section 2b , in which a stand - by is made until &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ; is set at the flag f4 . when &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ; is set at the operation timing flag f4 so that the operation timing ft has been reached , the flow goes to a step s304 at which the operation command signal is output from the operation control section 2c to the drive circuit 3 to operate the airbag module 5 . upon receiving the operation command signal , the drive circuit 3 causes electric current to flow from the electric source 4 to the squib 5a . thus , the squib 5a ignites the inflator thereby momentarily inflating the airbag of the airbag module 5 . while the operation timing ft of the occupant restraint system r has been shown and described as being calculated according to the equation ( 2 ) and in accordance with the time ( duration ) t from the timing at which the deceleration g &# 39 ; of the vehicle exceeds its threshold value to the timing at which the integrated value of the deceleration exceeds the threshold value in the above - discussed embodiment , it will be understood that the operation timing ft may be memorized as a tabulated data ( an operation timing table ) in the memory in the microcomputer upon determining the operation timings ft respectively corresponding to a variety of the times t or upon determining optimum values of the operation timing ft through experiments , in which a search is made on the operation timing table in the memory to read the operation timing ft according to the time t at the timing at which the integrated value of the deceleration exceeds the threshold value . it will be appreciated that the method of deciding as to whether operation of the occupant restraint system is necessary or unnecessary may not be limited to that of the above - discussed embodiment . although only the occupant restraint system r including the airbag for the driver has been shown and described as being controlled by the control system c of the present invention , it will be understood that the principle of the present invention may be applicable to other occupant restraint systems including airbag and / or seat belt and to those systems for protecting vehicle occupants on a front seat aside the driver &# 39 ; s seat and on a rear seat .
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referring now to the drawings in which like reference numerals designate like or corresponding parts throughout the several views , there is shown in fig1 a machine tool which is designated generally by the reference numeral 10 incorporating a height / angle adjustment mechanism for the cutting tool and motor carrier in accordance with the present invention . while the height / angle adjustment mechanism of the present invention is being illustrated for exemplary purposes as being used in conjunction with machine tool 10 in the form of a table saw , it is within the scope of the present invention to incorporate the height / angle adjustment mechanism of the present invention into any type of machine tool which utilizes a cutting tool . referring to fig1 machine tool 10 comprises a base 12 which supports a generally rectangular work table 14 defining a working surface 16 . work table 14 includes a throat plate 18 which includes an elongated slot 20 through which a circular saw blade 22 protrudes . saw blade 22 is capable to being adjusted for angularity with respect to working surface 16 by an angle or bevel adjustment mechanism 24 as well as being capable of being adjusted for depth of cut by a height adjustment mechanism 26 . machine tool 10 is illustrated as a portable table saw which is easily movable from one job site to another . table saw 10 can easily be picked up and carried utilizing work table 14 as the supporting locations when it becomes necessary to lift and carry table saw 10 from one job site to another . referring now to fig2 table saw 10 is illustrated with working surface 16 of work table 14 partially removed and a portion of base 12 cut away . circular saw blade 22 is rotated by a motor 28 which powers saw blade 22 through a gear case 30 . bevel adjustment mechanism 24 adjusts the angular position of saw blade 22 by pivoting saw blade 22 , motor 28 and gear case 30 . height adjustment mechanism 26 adjusts the cutting depth of saw blade 22 by longitudinal movement of saw blade 22 , motor 28 and gear case 30 . referring now to fig2 and 3 , bevel adjustment mechanism 24 comprises a pair of pivot quadrants 32 , a support plate 34 , and a locking system 36 . each pivot quadrant 32 is attached to a plurality of bosses 38 extending from the bottom of work table 14 using a plurality of bolts 40 . each pivot quadrant 32 is designed to pivot around a center which is located on working surface 16 of work table 14 coincident with the plane of saw blade 22 . thus , the axis for pivoting support plate 34 lies on working surface 16 and extends through the plane of saw blade 22 when saw blade 22 is generally perpendicular with working surface 16 . as shown in fig7 pivot quadrant 32 is comprised of a support bracket 42 , a pivot bracket 44 and a retaining strap 46 . support bracket 42 is an l - shaped bracket which defines a plurality of holes 48 to facilitate the attachment of pivot quadrant 32 to work table 14 on one leg of the l . the opposite leg of the l defines an arcuate slot 50 which controls the pivotal movement of pivot bracket 44 and locates the center of the pivoting at working surface 16 of work table 14 . pivot bracket 44 extends between support bracket 42 and support plate 34 and defines a plurality of holes 52 at one end to facilitate the attachment of support plate 34 . the opposite end of pivot bracket 44 defines a stamped arcuate protrusion 54 which mates with slot 50 to control the pivoting of pivot bracket 44 . protrusion 54 is formed out of the material of pivot bracket 44 and this forming operation defines an arcuate slot 56 once protrusion 54 has been formed . retaining strap 46 extends across pivot bracket 44 and is attached to support bracket 42 to maintain the engagement of protrusion 54 with slot 50 . retaining strap 46 defines a formed protrusion 58 which extends into slot 56 to both guide the pivotal movement of pivot bracket 44 and to act as a stop to limit the pivotal movement of pivot bracket 44 . referring now to fig3 and 4 , support plate 34 is a shallow drawn plate which is attached to pivot quadrants 32 . support plate 34 is designed to support both height adjustment mechanism 26 and locking system 36 . locking system 36 comprises a bearing block 60 , a locking rod 62 , a locking arm 64 , a bearing block cam 66 , a locking arm cam 68 and a return spring 70 . bearing block 60 is a curved member which is attached to a bracket 72 which is in turn attached to support plate 34 . bearing block 60 thus pivots with support plate 34 and bearing block 60 extends through an arcuate slot 74 in the front face of base 12 . while the pivotal movement of support plate 34 moves bearing block 60 within slot 74 , it should be understood that the movement of support plate 34 is controlled by pivot quadrants 32 and that a clearance will always exist between bearing block 60 and slot 74 . locking rod 62 extends across support plate 34 and through bracket 72 and bearing block 60 in the front of support plate 34 and through a bracket 76 and a bracket 78 located at the rear of support plate 34 . bracket 76 is attached to support plate 34 and defines an aperture for accepting and guiding locking rod 62 . bracket 78 is attached to work table 14 and it defines an arcuate slot 80 which accepts locking rod 62 and allows for the pivotal movement of support plate 34 . while the pivotal movement of support plate 34 moves locking rod 62 within slot 80 , it should be understood that the movement of support plate 34 is controlled by pivot quadrants 32 and that a clearance will always exist between locking rod 62 and slot 80 . once locking rod 62 has been inserted through brackets 76 and 78 , a washer 82 and a nut 84 are assembled to locking rod 62 to provide adjustment for locking system 34 . the front end of locking rod 62 extends through bearing block 60 and through a d - shaped embossment 86 which is an integral part of bearing block 60 . locking arm 64 is assembled over the end of locking rod 62 and secured to locking rod 62 using a hardened washer 88 , a thrust bearing 90 , a hardened washer 92 and a nut 94 threadingly received on locking rod 62 as shown in fig4 . bearing block cam 66 and locking arm cam 68 are disposed between locking arm 64 and bearing block 60 . d - shaped embossment 86 extends from bearing block 60 through slot 74 in the front face of base 12 . bearing block cam 66 includes a d - shaped aperture which mates with embossment 86 and cam 66 is positioned such that the front face of base 12 is sandwiched between bearing block 60 and bearing block cam 66 . the engagement of the d - shaped aperture of cam 66 with d - shaped embossment 86 prohibits the rotational movement of cam 66 with respect to bearing block 60 . the face of cam 66 opposite to the front surface of base 12 defines a camming surface 96 which reacts with locking arm cam 68 to activate locking system 34 . locking arm 64 defines a d - shaped embossment 98 which mates with a d - shaped aperture extending through locking arm cam 68 such that locking arm cam 68 pivots with locking arm 64 when locking arm 64 pivots on locking rod 62 . the face of cam 68 opposite to locking arm 64 defines a camming surface 100 which mates with camming surface 96 on cam 66 such that pivoting motion of locking arm 64 with respect to locking rod 62 will cause longitudinal movement of locking rod 62 to activate locking system 36 . return spring 70 is disposed on locking rod 62 between an ear 102 formed on locking rod 62 and bearing block 60 in order to urge locking rod 62 towards the rear of base 12 or towards bracket 78 . locking rod 62 is shown with an additional ear 102 on the opposite side of return spring 70 to capture spring 70 in the unassembled condition of locking rod 62 . the additional ear 102 requires that the aperture in bearing block 60 which accepts locking rod 62 be provided with a slot ( not shown ) to accept the additional ear 102 . in this arrangement , the engagement of the additional ear 102 with the slot in bearing block 60 will prohibit any rotational movement of locking rod 62 . when camming surface 96 is aligned with camming surface 100 , pivoting of support plate 34 and thus saw blade 22 and motor 28 is permitted . the biasing of locking rod 62 towards the rear of base 12 causes embossment 98 to bottom against embossment 86 . in this condition , there is a clearance created between camming surface 96 and camming surface 100 as well as a clearance created between bracket 76 and bracket 78 . these clearances allow for a smooth pivoting of support plate 34 and thus a smooth angular adjustment for saw blade 22 . the pivoting of support plate 34 is controlled by pivot quadrants 32 while bearing block 60 moves within slot 74 in the front face of base 12 and locking rod 62 moves within slot 80 in bracket 78 . when the desired angle of saw blade 22 is obtained , locking system 36 is activated by pivoting locking arm 64 on locking rod 62 which rotates cam 68 with respect to cam 66 . camming surface 100 is cammed away from camming surface 96 causing longitudinal movement of locking rod 62 . the longitudinal movement of locking rod 62 compresses support plate 34 between bracket 78 and the front face of base 12 due to washer 82 and nut 84 engaging bracket 78 and bearing block cam 66 engaging the front surface of base 12 . the flexibility of locking rod 62 due to a center off - set area 104 and the flexibility of bracket 78 permit the compression of support plate 34 . the adjustment for locking system 36 is provided for by nut 84 . referring now to fig2 , 6 and 9 , height adjustment mechanism 26 comprises a pivot link 110 , a biasing spring 112 , a follower nut 114 , a height adjustment screw 116 and a crank handle 118 which function to move saw blade 22 , motor 28 and gear case 30 longitudinally with respect to support plate 34 . support plate 34 defines a generally rectangular opening 120 within which gear case 30 is located . located adjacent to and extending generally the entire length of opening 120 are a pair of formed ribs 122 which provide stiffness to support plate 34 . gear case 30 includes a housing 124 disposed on one side of support plate 34 and a cover 126 disposed on the opposite side of support plate 34 . cover 126 is secured to housing 124 by a plurality of bolts 128 such that support plate 34 is sandwiched between cover 126 and housing 124 . gear case 30 includes a pair of longitudinally extending surfaces 130 which engage the opposing sides of opening 120 to guide the movement of gear case 30 within opening 120 . motor 28 is attached to housing 124 and includes an armature shaft 132 having a pinion 134 which meshes with an output gear 136 which is rotatably supported within gear case 30 . the output gear includes an arbor shaft 138 which provides for the attachment of saw blade 22 . thus , when motor 28 is powered , armature shaft 132 and pinion 134 rotate which rotates output gear 136 and arbor shaft 138 which in turn rotates saw blade 22 . referring now to fig8 the accurate positioning of saw blade 22 is required in order to provide accurate cuts . in order to accurately position saw blade 22 , the front face , or the face adjacent saw blade 22 , of support plate 34 is defined as a datum face . cover 126 is provided with a plurality of accurately machines pads 140 which accurately position cover 126 and thus saw blade 22 with respect to support plate 34 . machine pads 140 are biased against the datum face on support plate 34 by a plurality of elastomeric springs 142 each of which is disposed within an aperture 144 defined by housing 124 . a low friction wear pad 146 is disposed between each elastomeric spring 142 and support plate 34 to facilitate the movement of gear case 30 within opening 120 . thus , gear case 30 , motor 28 and saw blade 22 move longitudinally within opening 120 guided by surfaces 130 with gear case 30 being biased against the datum face of support plate 34 by elastomeric springs 142 . as shown in fig2 and 5 , cover 126 includes an extension 148 which can be utilized for supporting a splitter and / or guard mechanism for table saw 10 if desired the mounting of the splitter and / or guard mechanism on cover 126 allows the components to travel with saw blade 22 during cutting depth and / or angular adjustments . referring back to fig2 , 5 , 6 and 9 , pivot link 110 is pivotably secured to support plate 34 by an appropriate fastener 150 . one arm of pivot link 110 defines a slot 152 which engages a pin 154 attached to gear case 30 . the second arm of pivot link 110 defines a slot 156 which engages follower nut 114 . biasing spring 112 is a tension spring positioned around fastener 150 and is disposed between pivot link 110 and a retainer 158 . retainer 158 is attached to follower nut 114 and biasing spring 112 is positioned such that its spring force biases gear case 30 towards a downward position . by biasing pivot link 110 in this direction , the play between the various components of height adjustment mechanism 26 can be eliminated . in addition , the biasing load provided by biasing spring 112 is resisted by follower nut 114 and not by adjustment screw 116 as in many prior art table saws . height adjustment screw 116 is rotatably secured at one end by a bracket 160 which is a separate component or bracket 160 can be formed out of support plate 34 . a nylon bushing 162 is disposed between screw 116 and bracket 160 to facilitate the rotation of screw 116 and provide a smoothness of operation . the loading and thus the wear between screw 116 , bushing 162 and bracket 160 is significantly reduced due to the reaction of spring 112 occurring through follower nut 114 and not through screw 116 . the opposite end of adjustment screw 116 extends through and is rotatably supported by bearing block 60 . the portion of adjustment screw 116 which extends beyond bearing block 60 is adapted for securing crank handle 118 to adjustment screw 116 such that rotation of crank handle 118 causes rotation of adjustment screw 116 . disposed between bearing block 60 and bracket 72 of support plate 34 is a hardened washer 164 , a powdered metal washer 166 , a spring thrust washer 168 and a hardened washer 170 . powdered metal washer 166 is secured to adjustment screw 116 by press fitting or other means known in the art . the biasing of spring thrust washer 168 produces frictional resistance to the rotation of adjustment screw 116 allowing for the accurate positioning of saw blade 22 and the ability of height adjustment mechanism 26 to maintain the position of saw blade 22 during the cutting operation . the frictional resistance or drag produced by spring thrust washer 168 maintains the position of adjustment screw 116 and is not affected by the vibration produced by motor 28 and / or the cutting operation . in addition , the biasing porduced by spring thrust washer 168 removes any play which may exist between the various components of height adjustment 26 . follower nut 114 is threadingly received on a threaded portion 172 of screw 116 which is located between bracket 160 and bearing block 60 . follower nut 114 includes a cylindrical finger 174 which extends into retainer 158 , into slot 156 of pivot link 110 and into a slot 176 located in support plate 34 to cause the pivoting of pivot link 110 by follower nut 114 . slot 176 in support plate 34 prohibits rotation of follower nut 114 and tends to guide follower nut 114 as it moves along screw 116 . in addition , the contact between finger 174 and the edge of slot 176 provides the reaction point for spring 112 . thus , when crank handle 118 is rotated , adjustment screw 116 is rotated which causes follower nut 114 to move longitudinally along threaded portion 172 of adjustment screw 116 . the direction of movement of follower nut 114 will be determined by the design of threaded portion 172 and the direction of rotation of crank handle 118 . the longitudinal movement of follower nut 114 causes pivotal movement of pivot link 110 due to the engagement of finger 174 which engages slot 156 . the pivotal movement of pivot link 110 causes the longitudinal movement of gear case 30 , motor 28 and saw blade 22 due to the engagement of slot 152 with pin 154 . the longitudinal movement of gear case 30 , motor 28 and saw blade 22 sets the height of saw blade 22 extending through work table 14 and thus the depth of cut . referring to fig8 and 11 , cover 126 of gear case 30 supports another unique feature for machine tool 10 . one of the problems associated with machine tools is the changing of the cutting tool . saw blade 22 is assembled to arbor shaft 138 and is frictionally held in position by a pair of washers 180 , 182 and an arbor nut 184 . arbor shaft 138 includes a pair of flats 186 which accept a wrench ( not shown ) in order to stop arbor shaft 138 from rotating when arbor nut 184 is to be loosened or tightened during the changing of saw blade 22 . the wrench for engaging flats 186 is normally a separate piece which is easily misplaced which then leads to the wedging of a block of wood or other material against saw blade 22 to hold arbor shaft 138 . the wedging of the block against saw blade 22 is both dangerous and leads to unnecessary loading of the bearings supporting arbor shaft 138 . the present invention includes a lever 188 which is pivotably secured to cover 126 . a wrench 190 is pivotably secured to lever 188 and moves within a pocket 192 formed by a ridge 194 which is an integral part of cover 126 between an unlocked position shown in fig1 and a locked position shown in fig1 . a spring 196 biases wrench 190 into its unlocked position . the unlocked position of wrench 190 is shown in fig1 where wrench 190 is disconnected from flats 186 and arbor shaft 138 is free to rotate . the locked position is shown in fig1 where wrench 190 engages flats 186 to prohibit rotation of arbor shaft 138 . the end of wrench 190 engages ridge 194 at both the front of wrench 190 adjacent arbor shaft 138 to provide support for wrench 190 in the locked position and at the rear of wrench 190 adjacent to lever 188 to provide support to counteract the torque being allied to arbor nut 184 . lever 188 is accessible to the operator of table saw 10 through the opening in work table 14 which accepts throat plate 18 . lever 188 is designed to extend into the throat plate opening of work table 14 when wrench 190 is in the locked position and saw blade 22 is in its full upward position as shown in fig1 to prohibit the assembly of throat plate 18 with work table 14 while wrench 190 is in the locked position . once wrench 190 is moved to its unlocked position , lever 188 will be removed from the throat plate opening in work table 14 and throat plate 18 can be assembled to work table 14 . [ 0038 ] fig1 illustrates a bevel angle stop system for bevel adjustment mechanism 24 . an adjustment cam 200 is attached to the front panel of work table 14 at opposite ends of slot 74 . a protrusion 202 is formed at both ends of bearing block 60 . when saw blade 22 is positioned at a point perpendicular to working surface 16 , adjustment cam 200 at the zero degree position is rotated until it contacts the zero degree protrusion 202 on bearing block 60 . adjustment cam 200 is tightened in position using a bolt 204 to set the zero degree position of saw blade 22 . the tightening of bolt 204 has a tendency to rotate cam 200 in a clockwise direction . the rotation of cam 200 in a clockwise direction urges cam 200 into contact with protrusion 202 due to the external spiral shape of cam 200 to provide an accurate positioning of the bevel angle for saw blade 22 . the perpendicularity of saw blade 22 can be set by a square or other means known well in the art . in a similar manner , the 45 ° position of saw blade 22 with respect to working surface 16 can be set by a similar adjustment and locking of adjustment cam 200 located on the opposite side of slot 74 . while the above detailed description describes the preferred embodiment of the present invention , it should be understood that the present invention is susceptible to modification , variation and alteration without deviating from the scope and fair meaning of the subjoined claims .
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a preferred embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to fig1 . according to an embodiment of the present invention an electrospray ionisation (“ esi ”) ion source is provided together with a control system which includes a look - up table . the electrospray ionisation ion source includes a capillary and is preferably coupled to a liquid chromatography separator . the liquid chromatography separator preferably supplies an eluent to the electrospray ionisation ion source and the electrospray ionisation ion source preferably ionises the eluent which emerges from the liquid chromatography device . the look - up table preferably includes details of how the voltage applied to the capillary of the electrospray ionisation ion source should be varied , preferably increased , as a function of time in a coordinated manner with , for example , increasing the percentage of organic solvent in the mobile phase which is supplied to the liquid chromatography separator . the control system preferably utilises the look - up table to change or otherwise alter the capillary voltage applied to the electrospray ionisation ion source throughout or during the course of a single liquid chromatography run , separation or acquisition . alternatively , the capillary voltage look - up table may be created automatically based upon the liquid chromatography conditions . table 1 as shown below illustrates an embodiment of the present invention wherein the ratio of organic solvent to water (“% organic ”) of a liquid chromatography separator was pre - arranged to vary as a function of time and illustrates how the capillary voltage applied to the electrospray ionisation ion source may be arranged to vary as a function of time in close relationship to the pre - arranged variation in the concentration of the organic solvent . fig1 illustrates an embodiment of the present invention wherein the percentage of organic solvent and the applied capillary voltage were varied in a very similar manner to that illustrated by table 1 above . it will be apparent from fig1 that the change of the capillary voltage may be arranged so as to lag slightly behind the gradient change in order to take into account the time taken for the mixture of solvents to reach the ion source . according to an embodiment this delay may be incorporated automatically . however , it is not essential that the variation in the voltage applied to the electrospray ion source lags behind the change in the concentration of the organic solvent of the mobile phase . according to other embodiments the capillary voltage or another parameter of the ion source may be changed based on one or more of the following parameters : ( i ) mobile phase flow rate ; ( ii ) time ; ( iii ) mobile phase composition including percentage organic and percentage aqueous ; ( iv ) ph ; ( v ) viscosity ; ( vi ) surface tension ; and ( vii ) conductivity . although above preferred embodiment has been described in terms of varying a capillary voltage as a function of time in a coordinated manner with increasing the percentage of organic solvent in the mobile phase which is supplied to the liquid chromatography separator , according to a more preferred embodiment the back pressure of the liquid chromatography column is preferably monitored . according to a particularly preferred embodiment the capillary voltage is varied in dependence upon the monitored liquid chromatography back pressure . fig2 illustrates a liquid chromatography system in accordance with this preferred embodiment . the liquid chromatography system preferably comprises a solvent or fluid delivery system 1 , a pressure sensor 2 , a liquid chromatography ( lc ) column 3 and an electrospray ionisation source 4 . in use , the solvent delivery system 1 preferably delivers a sample liquid to the liquid chromatography column 3 . the sample liquid preferably comprises an aqueous solvent or solution , an organic solvent such as acetonitrile , methanol or propanol , and an analyte . the pressure sensor 2 is preferably arranged and adapted to monitor the back pressure of the liquid chromatography column 3 as the sample liquid is passed though the liquid chromatography column 3 . the sample liquid is preferably passed to the electrospray ionisation source 4 as it elutes from the liquid chromatography column 3 , and is preferably ionised by the electrospray ionisation source 4 . the monitored back pressure is preferably used to provide information regarding equilibrium , overpressure , etc . of the lc system and / or to facilitate the diagnosis of problems within the lc system . according to the preferred embodiment , the monitored back pressure is also used to determine the optimal voltage that should be applied to the capillary of the electrospray ionisation source 4 so as to maintain optimal ionization conditions , e . g . throughout a liquid chromatography separation experiment . for a simple tube , the back pressure or change in pressure δp of a liquid chromatography column can be calculated by the poiseuille equation : wherein η is the viscosity of the sample liquid , l is the length of the tube , q is the flow rate of the sample liquid and r is the radius of the tube . since the back pressure δp is related to the viscosity η of the sample liquid within the liquid chromatography column 3 , which is in turn related to the composition ( i . e . solvent ratio ) of the sample liquid , by varying the capillary voltage in dependence upon the monitored back pressure optimal ionisation conditions can be maintained throughout a liquid chromatography separation experiment . as will be appreciated from eqn . 1 , the relationship between the back pressure and the viscosity applies for any constant flow rate and thus the present invention is applicable over the entire range of liquid chromatography flow rates ( e . g . flow rates of nl / min , μl / min , ml / min , etc .). varying the capillary voltage in dependence upon the monitored back pressure is advantageous because the monitored back pressure effectively provides direct , real - time information about the conditions within the liquid chromatography column 3 during an lc run . furthermore , the back pressure will typically already be monitored in liquid chromatography systems , e . g . to provide information regarding equilibrium , overpressure , etc . of the system and / or to facilitate the diagnosis of problems within the system , so that it is not necessary to provide additional sensors ( e . g . over and above the pressure sensor 2 which is typically already present in a liquid chromatography system ) for the monitoring . in one embodiment , the relationship between the monitored back pressure and the applied capillary voltage is fixed e . g . by an initial calibration run , and used for all experimental runs . in another embodiment , the relationship between the monitored back pressure and the applied capillary voltage may be periodically updated e . g . by periodically performing a calibration run . according to a particularly preferred embodiment , the relationship is set based on a first lc run or a calibration or set - up run that is performed for or during a particular set of experiments ( the set of experiments may comprises , for example , a plurality of lc runs that are performed using the same or similar lc methods or conditions ). that is , the relationship between the monitored back pressure and the applied capillary voltage is preferably determined before or during each set of lc experiments , and the determined relationship is then preferably used for all lc experiments performed during that set of lc experiments . advantageously , this can avoid problems associated with the back pressure changing as the liquid chromatography column 3 ages . although the preferred embodiment relates to varying the voltage applied to a capillary of an electrospray ionisation ion source , e . g . in dependence upon the change in percentage solvent of the mobile phase which is pumped through a liquid chromatography column as a function of time , other embodiments are also contemplated wherein another parameter of the ion source may be varied such as the probe distance , the probe height , a liquid flow rate or a nebuliser gas flow rate . although the present invention has been described with reference to preferred embodiments , it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and detail may be made without departing from the scope of the invention as set forth in the accompanying claims .
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fig1 is a diagram illustrating the software components underlying the system 10 of the present invention . there are three basic components of the underlying software . these components are the user interface ( ui ) 20 , the file management ( fm ) component 30 , and the compression / extraction engine ( ce ) 40 . the lowest level component is the compression / extraction engine 40 . the compression / extraction component 40 consists of the actual compression , extraction , and crc - 32 algorithms . these are written as a set of portable c language routines , with higher level c ++ routines interfacing with the higher level file management component 30 . the file management component 30 consists of the central directory 32 which holds a cached tree - like structure of the archive independent of the actual archive type . actual archive implementation is used by the central directory 22 to read / write data to the archives 34 and the user interface 20 . the central directory 32 consists of folder objects and file objects 36 . a services object 38 is also part of the file management component 30 . the services object 38 acts as a helper interface between the user interface component 20 and the file management component 30 . the user interface 20 consists of a shell 22 , a graphical user interface ( gui ) 24 , and a call level interface ( cli ) 26 . the data object 36 supports one or more standard file formats ( explorer or file manager drag and drop ), and one or more custom formats ( zip compressed non - encrypted and zip compressed ). when files are dropped from explorer to the archive , the archive requests available standard data formats to compress the data . when files are dropped from archive to explorer , explorer requests available standard data formats . in this instance , the data object will need to uncompress the data . when files are dropped from one zip archive to another zip archive , the target archive will be able to detect the native data and copy it without modification . when files are dropped from an arj archive to a zip archive , the zip archive will be able to recognize only standard formats , as a result , the arj data object will uncompress the data and the zip archive will compress the data . so it is possible to convert data between different archives . fig2 a - 2 e illustrate the different compression and extraction used by the present invention . in fig2 a , regular compression and extraction chains are shown . in fig2 b , compression data chains are shown , including the use of a generic converter involving no compression . in fig2 c , data here compression chains are shown . in fig2 d , getdata extraction chains are shown . in fig2 e , getdatahere extraction chains are shown . the compression / extraction engine 40 and the file management component 30 form the data compression library that is used to build applications , such as the present invention , needing zip compatible compression and file management . the present invention provides a software utility program that is integrated into microsoft windows explorer for managing and manipulating archive files without leaving the explorer environment . the invention includes an archive manager which allows a user to open , view , modify ( add / delete ), and extract data from an existing archive , or create a new archive using modified windows explorer right - click context menus , pull - down menus , toolbars , copy and paste operators , or drag and drop operators . fig3 displays a right - click context menu 50 of the present invention which may be used to open , modify and extract files from an exiting zip file , or create a new zip file . in opening a zip file , a user may simply double - click the file to view the contents of the file . alternatively , the following is an example of the steps one might follow to open and view the contents of a zip file . first , the zip archive to be opened is located by using windows explorer . then , the user right - clicks on the zip file he wants to open . a context menu appears . pkzip / explore is selected . the contents of the zip file will be displayed in the right pane under the archive manager . as another alternative , a user may select pkzip / explore pkzip folder to create a folder shortcut under the current folder , and display the contents of the zip file via this folder . to extract individual files and / or folders archived in a zip file , a user opens the zip file in explorer as discussed above and invokes the extract dialog , by selecting the extract menu item in the right - click context menu . the extract dialog appears , fig7 , allowing the user to manually specify a destination directory . alternatively , a user may select pkzip / extract here to extract the contents of the archive into the directory where the zip archive resides . to create a directory ( e . g ., “ test ”) under the directory where the zip archive resides , and extract all files in that directory , the user selects the “ extract - to ” menu item . alternatively , files may be extracted using a drag and drop operation . the user highlights the files and / or folders he wishes to extract , drags the files to a destination , and drops the files in the enabled destination . the files and / or folders will be automatically extracted into the drop destination . as the extraction process proceeds , the progress is displayed in a progress dialog , as shown in fig4 . if there is an error encountered during the extraction process , the error is indicated in the progress dialog and a log dialog , shown in fig9 . the present invention also allows a user to create a new zip file . the following is an example of the steps one might follow to create a new zip file . first , the user highlights the files and / or folders he wishes to archive . the user then clicks his right mouse button to bring up the context menu . pkzip / compress is then selected . the “ save as ” dialog appears , fig5 . a name and destination are specified for the zip file , and the save button is clicked to proceed . the progress dialog appears to monitor completion and to indicate errors in the process . the new zip file should now reside in the specified destination directory . a user may alternatively create a new zip file by other means as well . a user may create a new folder in an archive by selecting the new folder menu toolbar item and specifying a folder name as desired . adding or deleting files in a zip file works somewhat differently than these same operations do in explorer . for example , in explorer , when a user highlights a file and clicks the delete key , that file is immediately deleted . the present invention includes an edit - before - saving function , so that when a user highlights a file and clicks the delete key , a graphic instruction cue icon is displayed directly to the left of the file icon , indicating that this file is to be deleted . similarly , when a file is added to an archive , the program will display an add icon directly to the left of the file icon indicating that this file is to be added . in other words , a zip file is not actually modified until the user specifically instructs the program to save the zip file . the following is an example of the steps one might follow to modify an existing zip file . a user first locates and opens the zip file he wishes to modify . next , the files and / or folders to add to the archive are specified by clicking the add toolbar button , thereby invoking the add dialog , or by dragging the files and / or folders from their source and dropping them at a destination . a user may alternately use the copy and past operation to specify files and / or folders to add to the archive . the program will display an add icon ( such as plus symbol ) indicating that these files and / or folders are to be added when the archive is saved . in a similar manner , a user may specify files and / or folders to delete in the archive by highlighting the files the user wishes to delete , and clicking the delete key , or by selecting the delete menu item . the program will display a delete icon ( such as a circle with a slash through it ) indicating that these files and / or folders are to be deleted when the archive is saved . after the user is finished modifying the zip file , the file may be saved by selecting the save menu item available under the file menu , or by use of the right - click context menu . a user may also click the save button on the toolbar . to save the modifications to another zip file , select the save as or save copy as menu items . fig6 a and 6 b display modifications and additions to the explorer toolbar buttons and menu items used in the present invention . the present invention may also include many options which may be configured in the options tab dialog accessible via the menu / tool bar or via the right - click context menu . one option is the compression method . under this option , a user may specify a compression algorithm other than the default algorithm . the compression algorithms to choose from may include store , dcl implode , and deflate . by default , all files are compressed using the deflate algorithm . as one example , a user may wish to use the store feature for all jpeg files , since the compression ratios on files of this type are typically negligible . a user may specify a default method or extension specific method under the extension column . depending on the compression method specified , a user may wish to configure one or more of the storage parameters , as described below . there are no available settings for the store method . the program simply archives the specified files without compression . since the program does not expend time compressing files , this is the fastest method of archival . under the dcl implode method of compression , the dictionary byte size ( i . e ., 1024 , 2048 , 4096 ) a user wishes to use when compressing files is configurable along with the data type . the binary setting should be selected to optimize compression of program files or other non - text files . the ascii setting should be selected to optimize compression of text files . most zip utilities use the deflate algorithm to compress files . under this algorithm , the compression level may be set using a slide bar to specify the level of compression you wish to apply when archiving files . moving the slide bar all the way left instructs the program to use the fastest method of compression . moving the slide bar right increases the time the program expends compressing the file which , as a result , improves compression . moving the slide bar all the way right instructs the program to apply maximum compression to files . this is the slowest method of file archival because the program must expend time maximizing compression on the files . typically , applying maximum compression results in the smallest zip file . in addition , the dictionary kilobyte size may be selected when using the deflate algorithm . the dictionary size is selectable between a 32k dictionary and a 64k dictionary . the 64k dictionary provides slightly better compression ratios , but may not be compatible with all zip utilities . the present invention also allows the user to digitally sign and encrypt the individual files archived in a zip file as well as the central end directory , and subsequently to authenticate and decrypt those files upon extraction . the signing and encrypting functionality is based on pkcs no . 7 , and related public key encryption standards and is therefore compatible with security functionality in other applications such as microsoft &# 39 ; s internet explorer . signing a zip file allows one to detect whether a zip file &# 39 ; s integrity has been compromised . encrypting a file denies access to the file &# 39 ; s contents by unauthorized users . before a user can sign or encrypt files , he must first have a digital certificate with which to sign or encrypt . a digital certificate may be obtained from verisign or thawte or from another certificate authority . the present invention also provides a software utility program that integrates the compression / extraction engine into microsoft outlook to compress , encrypt and authenticate email attachments without leaving the outlook environment . the invention includes a toolbar button and a tooltray menu that allows turning the compression of email attachments on or off . the compression of email attachments reduces the storage and transfer time of email messages and can reduce the spread of common email attachment viruses . the system of the present invention may further include a more generally applicable mail attachment compressor module . most email programs support sending file attachments along with the main body of the email message . most users can choose to send the attached file as it originally exists , or compress it prior to attachment to the mail message so it is smaller and more efficient to send and store . currently , the file to be attached must be manually compressed outside the email program and then attached using the attachment features of the email program . the mail attachment compressor module of the present invention integrates compression into the standard microsoft outlook mail message edit form so compressing attachments can be done automatically as the message is sent . the mail attachment compressor module also provides the ability to digitally sign attachments as they are sent for greater security . after installing the program of the present invention , the mail faun of microsoft outlook will have two additional buttons in its “ standard ” toolbar . these buttons include a toggle compression button and an options button . if the toggle compression button is not depressed ( the default state ), all mail attachments will be compressed automatically when the standard “ send ” button is used to send the message . attachments already compressed when attached will be left as is , while attachments that are not compressed will be compressed into a single . zip file that will replace the original uncompressed attachments . when the toggle compression button is depressed , the compression will not be done and the files will be sent as attached . the options button will display the options configuration dialogs from the compression / extraction engine so that the compression actions can be configured . the primary use of this button is to configure digital certificates , but any configurable parameters supported by the compression / extraction engine can be set . these parameters include digital certificates , passwords and compression method options . operation of the mail attachment compressor program is initiated by installing the mail attachment compressor module software onto the users system , and initiating microsoft outlook . if the mail attachment compression feature is enabled through the toggle button , the attachments will automatically be compressed when the message is sent using the send button . if the mail attachment compression feature is not enabled , then the attachments will be sent unaltered . the components of the mail attachment compressor module provide the functionality to be implemented within microsoft outlook and provide integration between this module and the underlying compression / extraction engine . when compressing an attachment , the files to be compressed will be passed off to the compression / extraction engine of the underlying software program . after compression , the compressed file will be reattached to the original message , the original copies of the attachments that are now compressed will be removed from the message , and any temporary files created during compression will be deleted . the mail attachments module uses the compression / extraction engine to hook directly into microsoft outlook to allow users to compress email attachments into zip files . this module provides an automation hook so that email attachments appended to outlook mail messages can be automatically compressed when the message is sent . the scan and add dialog of the archive manager is invoked via the scan and add toolbar button or the explorer file / right - click menu . once the user is finished specifying files to add to the archive manager list , the user clicks ok to add the selected file shortcuts to his list and return to explorer , or he clicks apply to add the selected files and remain in the scan and add dialog . the options available via this dialog include files and folders , multiple selection scan , and scan and add form . the archive manager allows the user to add unopened archives to the archive manager list , and to add multiple files using the multiple selection scan option under the archive manager . while the invention has been described with reference to preferred embodiments , those skilled in the art will appreciate that certain substitutions , alterations and omissions may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention . accordingly , the foregoing description is meant to be exemplary only , and should not limit the scope of the invention set forth in the following claims .
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referring to the drawings , and more particularly to fig1 , a watercraft having an engine cover constructed in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention is generally shown at 10 . the watercraft 10 has a bow b , a stern s , a port side p and a starboard side d . the watercraft 10 has two main parts , namely a hull 12 defining an underside of the watercraft 10 , and a deck 14 . the hull 12 buoyantly supports the watercraft 10 on the water . the deck 14 has a recessed passenger area 16 designed to accommodate passengers . an inner cavity ( not shown ) is defined between the hull 12 and the deck 14 , and the engine 18 of the watercraft 10 is received therein , at the stern s of the watercraft 10 , as well a propulsion system ( not shown ). the watercraft 10 is a jet - powered boat , and may have more than one engine . an engine cover 20 is positioned generally above the engine 18 , and between the passenger area 16 and the stern s of the watercraft 10 , so as to selectively provide access to the engine , for repair or maintenance . seating 19 is positioned at a rear end of the recessed passenger area 16 , adjacent and forward to the engine cover 20 . in fig1 , the engine cover 20 is in its closed position on the deck 14 . in this closed position , the engine cover 20 is sealingly positioned on the deck 14 so as to substantially prevent water from entering the inner cavity of the watercraft 10 . in the closed position , the engine cover 20 defines a sundeck 21 outside of normal passenger area 16 , whereupon passengers may sit or lie when the watercraft 10 is idle . referring to fig2 and 3 , the engine cover 20 is shown in its opened position . the engine cover 20 has a base structure 22 and a top panel 23 , fixed to a top end of the base structure 22 . the base structure 22 has a hollow body , for instance consisting of the same material as the deck 14 ( e . g ., fiberglass ) or other suitable material ( e . g ., plastic ). in fig2 , an underside of the top panel 23 is visible through the hollow body of the base structure 22 . the base structure 22 is pivotally mounted to the deck 14 by hinges 24 ( fig2 ). the rotation axis of the hinges is generally transverse to a central longitudinal axis of the watercraft 10 . although the base structure 22 is shown pivotally mounted at its rear end to the deck 14 , it is contemplated to pivotally connect the front end of the base structure 22 to the deck 14 , rather than the rear end . the engine cover 20 is latched to the deck 14 , by a latching mechanism ( not shown ) in the deck 14 cooperating with a latch stud 25 on an underside 31 of the base structure 22 . the latch mechanism of the deck 14 is , for instance , remotely triggered by a lever positioned at the driver &# 39 ; s seat of the watercraft 10 , or in a lockable compartment ( e . g ., glove compartment ). it is preferred that the latch mechanism be lockable to lock the engine cover 20 to the deck 14 . cylinders 26 d and 26 p ( fig2 ) are provided to maintain the engine cover 20 in its opened position , but retract under manual force for the engine cover 20 to be closed . it is pointed out that like elements positioned on opposed sides of the watercraft 10 will be affixed with letters “ d ” and “ p ” in the figures to indicate the starboard side or the port side ( e . g ., cylinders 26 d and 26 p ). grab handles 27 ( fig3 ) are conveniently positioned on a stern - facing portion of the base structure 22 , and on the deck 14 at the stern s of the watercraft 10 . an engine access opening 28 ( fig3 ) is defined in the deck 14 , and the inner cavity and the engine of the watercraft 10 may be accessed therethrough . a ledge 30 ( fig3 ) bounds the engine access opening 28 ( fig3 ). a storage tray panel , as illustrated at 29 in fig6 , is held onto the ledge 30 and a flange 30 a in the engine access opening 28 , so as to block the engine access opening 28 . a seal 29 a ( fragmented in fig6 ) may be provided to seal the contact surfaces between the storage tray panel 29 and the engine access opening 28 . an insulator layer 29 b ( fragmented in fig6 ) may be provided on an underside of the storage tray panel to form a heat barrier between the engine compartment and a tray 29 d of the storage tray panel . the storage tray panel is simply supported by gravity . the storage tray panel may alternatively have a pair of trays ( e . g ., a port tray and a starboard tray ). referring to fig2 and 3 , the underside 31 of the base structure 22 has a gasket 32 ( fig2 ) that will be seated onto the ledge 30 when the engine cover 20 is in its closed position . the ledge 30 and the gasket 32 cooperate to substantially prevent water from infiltrating the inner cavity of the watercraft 10 . referring to fig1 and 3 , the sundeck 21 has the top panel 23 and doors 36 d and 36 p supported by the top panel 23 . the doors 36 d and 36 p are separated from one another at a central longitudinal axis of the watercraft 10 . the doors 36 d and 36 p can be opened so as to access the storage trays supported in the engine access opening 28 ( fig3 ). however , in fig1 and 3 , the doors 36 d and 36 p are in their closed position . the doors 36 d and 36 p each typically consist of a rigid base ( e . g ., plastic ) supporting a cushion or cushions . referring to fig5 , the doors 36 d and 36 p are shown in their opened position with respect to the top panel 23 . the top panel 23 has openings 38 d and 38 p . the openings 38 d and 38 p provide access to the inside of the base structure 22 , and hence to the storage trays supported in the engine access opening 28 ( fig3 ) or to the inner cavity of the watercraft 10 in the absence of a storage tray panel . alternatively , the top panel 23 may have a single large opening ( not shown ) rather than the openings 38 d and 38 p , that would be partially covered by either one of the doors 36 d and 36 p . the doors 36 d and 36 p are pivotally mounted to the top panel 23 by hinges 40 d and 40 p , respectively . cylinders 42 d and 42 p are respectively provided for maintaining the doors 36 d and 36 p in their opened position , but retract under manual force for the doors 36 d and 36 p to be closed . gaskets 44 d and 44 p are provided on the undersides of the doors 36 d and 36 p , respectively . the gaskets 44 d and 44 p ensure a generally watertight relation between the doors 36 d and 36 p , respectively , and the top panel 23 , such that water is substantially prevented from entering the inner cavity of the watercraft 10 through the openings 38 d and 38 p , when the doors 36 are in their respective closed positions . in fig4 , the door 36 p is shown in its closed position with respect to the top panel 23 , whereas the door 36 d is in its opened position . the door 36 d has a pair of locking mechanisms . firstly , a latch mechanism 46 is positioned on the underside of the door 36 d and cooperates with a latch stud 48 on the top panel 23 . the latch stud 48 is positioned in a recess 49 in the top panel 23 , in which the latch mechanism 46 is accommodated when the door 36 d is in its closed position . the latch mechanism 46 can be released by a flexible handle 50 thereof . the handle 50 emerges from between the doors 36 d and 36 p when same are closed ( fig1 and 3 ) to be pulled for opening the door 36 d . the recess 49 is provided with drain holes to drain water out of the recess 49 , to substantially prevent accumulation of water therein . secondly , a slide bolt 52 is also positioned on the underside of the door 36 d . the slide bolt 52 cooperates with a catch 53 provided on the periphery of the opening 38 d in the top panel 23 . the slide bolt 52 can only be triggered to lock / unlock the door 36 d to / from the top panel 23 from an inside of the base structure 22 . accordingly , the slide bolt 52 can be used to lock the door 36 d to the top panel 23 . as the base structure 22 is preferably lockable onto the deck 14 , as mentioned previously , the door 36 d can be locked to the top panel 23 for restricted access to the storage trays through the door 36 d . referring to fig5 , the door 36 p has a tab 54 . the tab 54 extends planar with the underside of the door 36 p beyond an edge 55 of the door 36 p . the tab 54 has a groove 56 that is in register with the latch stud 48 of the top panel 23 when the door 36 p is in its closed position , so as not to interfere with the latch mechanism 46 . the tab 54 will extend partly under the door 36 d when both doors 36 are in their respective closed positions . accordingly , the door 36 p cannot be opened unless the door 36 d has been previously opened . as the door 36 d is lockable to the top panel 23 with the slide bolt 52 , the door 36 p is also locked to the top panel 23 . referring to fig5 , the top panel 23 has gutters 58 d and 58 p formed therein , so as to guide water off the top panel 23 . other gutters may be provided on the top panel 23 , to substantially prevent water from pooling thereon . it is contemplated to provide each of the doors 36 d and 36 p with its own latch mechanism 46 . in such an embodiment , both doors 36 d and 36 p could be opened separately , as opposed to the previously described embodiment . it is also contemplated to provide each of the doors 36 d and 36 p with its own slide bolt 52 . ultimately , each of the doors 36 d and 36 p may each have an own latch mechanism 46 and an own slide bolt 52 . each of the openings 38 d and 38 p may be provided with an individual storage tray panel ( not shown ). these individual storage tray panels could be hung on the periphery of the openings 38 d and 38 p , similarly to the positioning of the storage tray panel 29 in the engine access opening 28 in fig6 . it is appreciated that the above described preferred embodiment of the engine cover 20 is practical in that a person seated on the door 36 p can have access to one of the storage trays under the engine cover 20 . however , it is also contemplated to provide the hinges on other edges of the doors 36 d and 36 p . the above described configuration allows for a single latch mechanism ( i . e ., the latch mechanism 46 ) to be used while nonetheless having both doors 36 d and 36 p lockable onto the base structure 22 , by way of the tab 54 .
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a radial tire constructed in accordance with the present invention , as shown at 10 in fig1 is comprised of a tire body including a tread 11 , a carcass 14 located in the body and a liner 15 disposed peripherally over the carcass 14 . a first belt ply 12 is formed of an aramid fiber cord and arranged adjacent to the tread 11 . interposed between the belt ply 12 and the carcass 14 is a second belt ply 13 formed of a steel wire cord . importantly , each of the belt plies 12 and 13 has coated on both sides a rubber composition later described . while fig1 is taken to illustrate two belt plies , an additional ply or plies may be used . the belt plies 12 and 13 may be assembled in various ways as seen from fig2 a to 2c . in either case , the aramid fiber cord is preferred for the first ply 12 and the steel wire cord for the second ply 13 . the rubber composition used for the purpose of the invention is essentially comprised of : ( 3 ) 0 . 5 - 3 parts by weight of resorcinol , its precondensate or their combination ; ( 5 ) 0 . 05 - 0 . 5 part by weight of a cobalt compound derived from an organic acid . component ( 1 ) typically includes natural rubber ( nr ), isoprene rubber ( ir ), acrylonitrile - butadiene copolymer rubber ( nbr ), butyl rubber ( iir ), styrene - butadiene rubber ( sbr ), butadiene rubber ( br ), styrene - butadiene copolymer rubber ( sbr ) and their combinations . no particular restriction is imposed on these rubbers , and any rubbers known for tire belts may suitably be used . the amount of each of components ( 2 ) to ( 5 ) to be added with component ( 1 ) should not depart from the above specified range . greater amounts of component ( 2 ) would result in a rubber mix being physically poor . component ( 3 ) if smaller amounts would not be effective in improving mechanical strength and if larger amounts would mar destruction resistance . component ( 4 ) has an important role to impart sufficient adhesion to tire reinforcements such as steel cords , but excess hmmm would render the finished rubber mix physically deteriorative . specific examples of component ( 5 ) include cobalt naphthenate , cobalt octylate and complexes of boron and organic acid - derived cobalt compounds such as for example one tradenamed &# 34 ; manobond 680c &# 34 ; manufactured by manchem co ., ltd . smaller amounts would invite inadequate adhesiveness , whereas greater amounts would lead to fast deterioration and insufficient adhesion . the rubber composition according to the invention may be incorporated with various other additives such as carbon black , vulcanization accelerators , antioxidants and the like . carbon black of an haf type is preferred . the sequence of admixing components ( 2 ) to ( 5 ) with component ( 1 ) is not particularly limited . blending may be effected in known manner . the following examples are given to further illustrate the present invention , but should not be construed as limiting the invention . four different rubber mixes were prepared as shown in table 1 , followed by coating on aramid fiber cords and steel wire cords as given in table 2 , after which seven tires of a 205 / 50 vr15 size were provided . indoor running test was carried out as regards each of the tires as produced , after aging at 80 ° c . for 2 weeks and after disposition at 96 % rh and at 70 ° c . for 4 weeks with the results shown in terms of indices in table 2 . performance evaluation was made by the running distance required for tire destruction took place with a speedup of 8 km / hr at an interval of 30 minutes starting from 121 km / hr on fmvss &# 39 ; s no . 109 high - performance extension tester . the rubber mixes of inventive example 2 ( composition d ) and comparative example 5 ( composition a ) were coated respectively onto bias - plied kevlar cords of 1500 d / 2 , followed by vulcanization at 160 ° c . for 15 minutes . on dipping in water at room temperature for one day and for 3 days , the resulting samples were examined by peel test for water - resistant adhesion . in addition , the same mixes were coated onto parallel - plied kevlar cords of 1500 d / 2 , and measurement was made of peel strength at 100 ° c ., i . e . heat stability . the results of both tests were given in table 3 . as is apparent from tables 2 and 3 , the rubber compositions according to the invention are highly satisfactory in respect of all the physical characteristics tested . this is attributable to the fiber and steel cords being coatable with one and the same composition , physically identical between the belt plies and free from ply separation , whereby modulus and other important physical properties are uniformly attainable . the inventive composition is sufficiently adhesive to aramid fibers and to steel wires and highly resistant to water and to heat and hence immune from ply separation upon moisturing . although the invention has been shown and described with reference to certain preferred embodiments , it will be noted that many changes and modifications may be made within the scope of the appended claims . table 1______________________________________ rubber compositionsformulations a b c d______________________________________nr 100 . 0 100 . 0 100 . 0 100 . 0carbon black ( haf ) 60 . 0 60 . 0 60 . 0 60 . 0zinc oxide 10 . 0 10 . 0 10 . 0 10 . 0antioxidant ( 3c )* 1 . 0 1 . 0 1 . 0 1 . 0process oil 2 . 0 2 . 0 2 . 0 2 . 0vulcanization accelerator 0 . 5 0 . 5 0 . 5 0 . 5cobalt naphtherate 2 . 0 -- 2 . 0 2 . 0 ( co content : 10 %) insoluble sulfur ( 80 %) 8 . 0 4 . 0 8 . 0 4 . 0resorcinol condensate ** -- 2 . 0 2 . 0 2 . 0hmmm -- 3 . 5 3 . 5 3 . 5______________________________________ * nocrac 3c , nphenyl - n ( 1 , 3 - dimethylbutyl - p - phenylenediamine , ohuchi shinko kagaku kogyo k . k . ** b18s , koppers company , inc . table 2__________________________________________________________________________ standard comparative examples inventive standard comparative examplestires example 1 1 2 example 1 example 2 3 4__________________________________________________________________________rubber - coated a b c d b c daramid cordrubber - coated a b c d a a asteel cordtire as 100 88 106 107 107 102 107producedheat - aged tire 91 95 89 101 100 90 96moistened tire 83 65 90 95 80 88 92__________________________________________________________________________ table 3______________________________________ comparative inventivephysical properties example 5 example 2______________________________________water resistancebefore dipping 13 . 0 kg ( 4 . 5 ) 15 . 0 kg ( 5 . 0 ) 1 - day dipping 8 . 5 kg ( 1 . 0 ) 12 . 5 kg ( 2 . 5 ) 3 - day dipping 8 . 5 kg ( 1 . 0 ) 12 . 0 kg ( 2 . 5 ) heat resistancebefore heating 14 . 5 kg ( 3 . 5 ) 15 . 5 kg ( 4 . 5 ) after heating 9 . 0 kg ( 2 . 0 ) 16 . 5 kg ( 3 . 0 ) ______________________________________ parentheses : ratios of rubber covering 5 . 0 : release surface entirely covered with rubber 1 . 0 : sample cord fully exposed
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the polyolefins used in this invention are generally thermoplastic resins , which are crosslinkable . they can be homopolymers or copolymers produced from two or more comonomers , or a blend of two or more of these polymers , conventionally used in film , sheet , and tubing , and as jacketing and / or insulating materials in wire and cable applications . the monomers useful in the production of these homopolymers and copolymers can have 2 to 20 carbon atoms , and preferably have 2 to 12 carbon atoms . examples of these monomers are alpha - olefins such as ethylene , propylene , 1 - butene , 1 - hexene , 4 - methyl - 1 - pentene , and 1 - octene ; unsaturated esters such as vinyl acetate , ethyl acrylate , methyl acrylate , methyl methacrylate , t - butyl acrylate , n - butyl acrylate , n - butyl methacrylate , 2 - ethylhexyl acrylate , and other alkyl acrylates ; diolefins such as 1 , 4 - pentadiene , 1 , 3 - hexadiene , 1 , 5 - hexadiene , 1 , 4 - octadiene , and ethylidene norbornene , commonly the third monomer in a terpolymer ; other monomers such as styrene , p - methyl styrene , alpha - methyl styrene , p - chloro styrene , vinyl naphthalene , and similar aryl olefins ; nitriles such as acrylonitrile , methacrylonitrile , and alpha - chloroacrylonitrile ; vinyl methyl ketone , vinyl methyl ether , vinylidene chloride , maleic anhydride , vinyl chloride , vinylidene chloride , vinyl alcohol , tetrafiuoroethylene , and chlorotrifiuoroethylene ; and acrylic acid , methacrylic acid , and other similar unsaturated acids . the homopolymers and copolymers referred to can be nonhalogenated , or halogenated in a conventional manner , generally with chlorine or bromine . examples of halogenated polymers are polyvinyl chloride , polyvinylidene chloride , and polytetrafiuoroethylene . the homopolymers and copolymers of ethylene and propylene are preferred , both in the non - halogenated and halogenated form . included in this preferred group are terpolymers such as ethylene / propylene / diene monomer rubbers . other examples of ethylene polymers are as follows : a high pressure homopolymer of ethylene ; a copolymer of ethylene and one or more alpha - olefins having 3 to 12 carbon atoms ; a homopolymer or copolymer of ethylene having a hydrolyzable silane grafted to their backbones ; a copolymer of ethylene and a hydrolyzable silane ; or a copolymer of an alpha - olefin having 2 to 12 carbon atoms and an unsaturated ester having 4 to 20 carbon atoms , e . g ., an ethylene / ethyl acrylate or vinyl acetate copolymer ; an ethylene / ethyl acrylate or vinyl acetate / hydrolyzable silane terpolymer ; and ethylene / ethyl acrylate or vinyl acetate copolymers having a hydrolyzable silane grafted to their backbones . with respect to polypropylene : homopolymers and copolymers of propylene and one or more other alpha - olefins wherein the portion of the copolymer based on propylene is at least about 60 percent by weight based on the weight of the copolymer can be used to provide the polyolefin of the invention . the polypropylene can be prepared by conventional processes such as the process described in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 414 , 132 . the alpha - olefins in the copolymer are preferably those having 2 or 4 to 12 carbon atoms . the homopolymer or copolymers can be crosslinked or cured with an organic peroxide , or to make them hydrolyzable , they can be grafted with an alkenyl trialkoxy silane in the presence of an organic peroxide which acts as a free radical generator or catalyst . useful alkenyl trialkoxy silanes include the vinyl trialkoxy silanes such as vinyl trimethoxy silane , vinyl triethoxy silane , and vinyl triisopropoxy silane . the alkenyl and alkoxy radicals can have 1 to 30 carbon atoms and preferably have 1 to 12 carbon atoms . the homopolymers or copolymers of ethylene wherein ethylene is the primary comonomer and the homopolymers and copolymers of propylene wherein propylene is the primary comonomer may be referred to herein as polyethylene and polypropylene , respectively . hydrolyzable polymers can be cured with moisture in the presence of a conventional silanol condensation catalyst such as dibutyltin dilaurate , dioctyl tin maleate , stannous acetate , and stannous octoate . the polyethylenes can have a density in the range of about 0 . 850 to about 0 . 970 gram per cubic centimeter . the density is preferably in the range of about 0 . 926 to about 0 . 970 gram per cubic centimeter . medium and high density polyethylenes are preferred . hydrocarbon cable filler grease is a mixture of hydrocarbon compounds , which is semisolid at use temperatures . it is known industrially as &# 34 ; cable filling compound &# 34 ;. a typical requirement of cable filling compounds is that the grease has minimal leakage from the cut end of a cable at a 60 ° c . or higher temperature rating . another typical requirement is that the grease resist water leakage through a short length of cut cable when water pressure is applied at one end . among other typical requirements are cost competitiveness ; minimal detrimental effect on signal transmission ; minimal detrimental effect on the physical characteristics of the polymeric insulation and cable sheathing materials ; thermal and oxidative stability ; and cable fabrication processability . cable fabrication can be accomplished by heating the cable filling compound to a temperature of approximately 100 ° c . this liquefies the filling compound so that it can be pumped into the multiconductor cable core to fully impregnate the interstices and eliminate all air space . alternatively , thixotropic cable filling compounds using shear induced flow can be processed at reduced temperatures in the same manner . a cross section of a typical finished grease - filled cable transmission core is made up of about 52 percent insulated wire and about 48 percent interstices in terms of the areas of the total cross section . since the interstices are completely filled with cable filling compound , a filled cable core typically contains about 48 percent by volume of cable filler . the cable filling compound or one or more of its hydrocarbon constituents enter the insulation through absorption from the interstices . generally , the insulation absorbs about 3 to about 30 parts by weight of cable filling compound or one or more of its hydrocarbon constituents , in toto , based on 100 parts by weight of polyolefin . a typical absorption is in the range of a total of about 5 to about 25 parts by weight per 100 parts by weight of polyolefin . it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the combination of resin , cable filling compound constituents , and antioxidants in the insulation is more difficult to stabilize than an insulating layer containing only resin and antioxidant , and no cable filling compound constituent . examples of hydrocarbon cable filler greases are petrolatum ; petrolatum / polyolefin wax mixtures ; oil modified thermoplastic rubber ( etpr or extended thermoplastic rubber ); paraffin oil ; naphthenic oil ; mineral oil ; the aforementioned oils thickened with a residual oil , petrolatum , or wax ; polyethylene wax ; mineral oil / rubber block copolymer mixture ; lubricating grease ; and various mixtures thereof , all of which meet industrial requirements similar to those typified above . generally , cable filling compounds extract insulation antioxidants and , as noted above , are absorbed into the polymeric insulation . since each cable filling compound contains several hydrocarbons , both the absorption and the extraction behavior are preferential toward the lower molecular weight hydrocarbon wax and oil constituents . it is found that the insulation composition with its antioxidant not only has to resist extraction , but has to provide sufficient stabilization ( i ) to mediate against the copper conductor , which is a potential catalyst for insulation oxidative degradation , ( ii ) to counter the effect of residuals of chemical blowing agents present in cellular and cellular / solid ( foam / skin ) polymeric foamed insulation ; and ( iii ) to counter the effect of absorbed constituents from the cable filling compound . the first and second antioxidants are known antioxidants and the second antioxidant is a known metal deactivator . it is found that this mixture of antioxidants substantially resists the effects of extraction by grease as opposed to each alone , in particular , and other antioxidants in general . the amount of the mixture of first and second antioxidants typically used in the polyolefin is in the range of about 0 . 06 to about 2 parts by weight based on 100 parts by weight of polyolefin ; preferably , the amount of first antioxidant is in the range of about 0 . 01 to about 1 part by weight and the second antioxidant is in the range of about 0 . 05 to about 1 part by weight . optionally , about 0 . 05 to about 2 parts of conventional blowing agent can be included to provide foam rather than solid insulation . the mixture can be used in combination with disulfides , phosphites , hindered phenols , and hindered amines , as well as other conventional primary antioxidants in ratios of about 10 : 1 to about 1 : 10 for additional oxidative and thermal stability , but , of course , it must be determined to what extent these latter compounds are extracted by the grease since this could affect the efficacy of the combination . the following conventional additives can be added in conventional amounts if desired : ultraviolet absorbers , antistatic agents , pigments , dyes , fillers , slip agents , fire retardants , stabilizers , crosslinking agents , halogen scavengers , smoke inhibitors , crosslinking boosters , processing aids , e . g ., metal carboxylates , lubricants , plasticizers , viscosity control agents , and foaming or blowing agents such as azodicarbonamide . the fillers can include , among others , magnesium hydroxide and alumina trihydrate . as noted , other antioxidants and / or metal deactivators can also be used , but for these or any of the other additives , resistance to grease extraction must be considered . additional information concerning grease - filled cable can be found in eoll , the aging of filled cable with cellular insulation , international wire & amp ; cable symposium proceeding 1978 , pages 156 to 170 , and mitchell et al , development , characterization , and performance of an improved cable filling compound , international wire & amp ; cable symposium proceeding 1980 , pages 15 to 25 . the latter publication shows a typical cable construction on page 16 and gives additional examples of cable filling compounds . the patents and publications mentioned in this specification are incorporated by reference herein . 10 mil polyethylene plaques are prepared for testing . the polyethylene is a copolymer of ethylene and 1 - hexene . the density of the copolymer is 0 . 945 gram per cubic centimeter and the melt index is 0 . 75 gram per 10 minutes . a laboratory procedure simulating the grease filled cable application is used to demonstrate performance . polyethylene samples incorporating specified antioxidants are prepared using standard melt mixing techniques . in particular , there is a final melt mixing on a laboratory brabender ™ type mixer followed by preparation of the test plaques ( approximately 0 . 010 inch thick ) using a compression molding press at 150 ° c . with astm d - 1928 as a guideline . initial oxygen induction time ( oit ) is measured on these test plaques . a supply of hydrocarbon cable filler grease is heated to about 80 ° c . and well mixed to ensure uniformity . a supply of 30 millimeter dram vials are then each filled to approximately 25 millimeters with the cable filler grease . these vials are then cooled to room temperature for subsequent use . an oil extended thermoplastic rubber ( etpr ) type cable filler grease is the hydrocarbon cable filler grease used in these examples . it is a typical cable filling compound . each ten mil test plaque is then cut to provide about twenty approximately one - half inch square test specimens . before testing , each vial is reheated to about 70 ° c . to allow for the easy insertion of the test specimens . the specimens are inserted into the vial one at a time together with careful wetting of all surfaces with the cable filler grease . after all of the specimens have been inserted , the vials are loosely capped and placed in a 70 ° c . circulating air oven . specimens are removed after 4 weeks . the specimens are wiped dean with dry tissue for oxidation induction time ( oit ) testing . oit testing is accomplished in a differential scanning calorimeter with an oit test cell . the test conditions are : uncrimped aluminum pan ; no screen ; heat up to 200 ° c . under nitrogen , followed by a switch to a 50 milliliter flow of oxygen . oxidation induction time ( oit ) is the time interval between the start of oxygen flow and the exothermic decomposition of the test specimen . oit is reported in minutes ; the greater the number of minutes , the better the oit . oit is used as a measure of the oxidative stability of a sample as it proceeds through the cable filler grease exposure and the oxidative aging program . relative performance in the grease filled cable applications can be predicted by comparing initial sample oit to oit values after 70 ° c . cable filler grease exposure ( examples 1 to 11 ) followed by 90 ° c . oxidative aging ( in examples 12 to 14 ). the samples for examples 12 to 14 are prepared by extruding the polyethylene described above blended with the relevant antioxidants and 0 . 5 percent by weight ( based on the weight of the polyethylene ) of the blowing agent azodicarbonamide to provide a 0 . 008 inch foamed layer of insulation on 24 gauge copper wire . initial oit is measured at this time . the samples are then aged for 4 weeks in cable filler grease at 70 ° c . in the same manner as the above plaques . the samples are removed ; wiped clean ; and aged in air for 16 weeks at 90 ° c . the insulation is stripped from the copper wire and subjected to oit testing at the indicated intervals . as above , oit testing is accomplished in a differential scanning calorimeter with an oit test cell . the test conditions are : uncrimped aluminum pan ; no screen ; heat up to 200 ° c . under nitrogen , followed by a switch to a 50 milliliter flow of oxygen . oit is measured after 4 , 8 , and 20 weeks . antioxidant a is tetrakis methylene ( 3 , 5 - di - tert - butyl - 4 - hydroxyhydrocinnamate )! methane . this antioxidant is widely used commercially in grease filled cable . antioxidant c is the reaction product of diphenylamine and acetone ( cas registry number 9003 - 79 - 6 ) in the table , the amounts of the antioxidants are given in percent by weight based on the weight of the formulation . the balance of each formulation is polyethylene . the only components of the formulations are polyethylene and the antioxidant ( s ), and , in examples 12 to 14 , a blowing agent . the experimental results summarized in the table show the improved performance in examples 1 to 11 with the mixture of antioxidants b and c or d versus the mixture of antioxidants a and b ; antioxidant b alone ; and antioxidant d alone , after the exposure to 70 ° c . cable filler grease . the experimental results summarized in the table also show the improved performance in examples 12 to 14 with the mixture of antioxidants b and c or d versus the mixture of antioxidants a and b after the exposure to 70 ° c . cable filler grease , and oxidative aging at 90 ° c . the laboratory results are expected to correspond to improved performance in the commercial grease filled cable application . table______________________________________example 1 2 3 4 5 6 7______________________________________a 0 . 21 -- -- -- -- -- -- b 0 . 54 0 . 54 0 . 54 0 . 30 0 . 50 0 . 50 -- c -- 0 . 21 0 . 30 0 . 18 0 . 30 0 . 10 0 . 30initial oit 234 300 274 229 267 314 314 week oit 144 279 269 221 236 216 75______________________________________example 8 9 10 11 12 13 14______________________________________a -- -- -- -- 0 . 21 -- -- b -- 0 . 50 -- 0 . 50 0 . 54 0 . 54 0 . 54c 0 . 10 -- -- -- -- 0 . 30 -- d -- 0 . 30 0 . 30 -- -- -- 0 . 30initial oit 17 300 21 170 237 262 2804 week oit 64 237 18 127 124 239 2178 week oit -- -- -- -- 85 184 12120 week oit -- -- -- -- 37 128 83______________________________________
| 7 |
preferred reaction products include the products of one or more crosslinked polymers having the formulae set forth in the summary of the invention , above , and one or more alkylating agents . the polymers are crosslinked . the level of crosslinking makes the polymers completely insoluble and thus limits the activity of the alkylated reaction product to the gastrointestinal tract only . thus , the compositions are non - systemic in their activity and will lead to reduced side - effects in the patient . by “ non - toxic ” it is meant that when ingested in therapeutically effective amounts neither the reaction products nor any ions released into the body upon ion exchange are harmful . cross - linking the polymer renders the polymer substantially resistant to absorption . when the polymer is administered as a salt , the cationic counterions are preferably selected to minimize adverse effects on the patient , as is more particularly described below . by “ stable ” it is meant that when ingested in therapeutically effective amounts the reaction products do not dissolve or otherwise decompose in vivo to form potentially harmful by - products , and remain substantially intact so that they can transport material out of the body . by “ salt ” it is meant that the nitrogen group in the repeat unit is protonated to create a positively charged nitrogen atom associated with a negatively charged counterion . by “ alkylating agent ” it is meant a reactant which , when reacted with the crosslinked polymer , causes an alkyl group or derivative thereof ( e . g ., a substituted alkyl , such as an aralkyl , hydroxyalkyl , alkylammonium salt , alkylamide , or combination thereof ) to be covalently bound to one or more of the nitrogen atoms of the polymer . one example of preferred polymer is characterized by a repeat unit having the formula or a salt or copolymer thereof ; wherein x is zero or an integer between about 1 to 4 . a second example of a preferred polymer is characterized by a repeat unit having the formula a third example of a preferred polymer is characterized by a repeat unit having the formula the polymers are preferably crosslinked prior to alkylation . examples of suitable crosslinking agents include acryloyl chloride , epichlorohydrin , butanedioldiglycidyl ether , ethanedioldiglycidyl ether , and dimethyl succinate . the amount of crosslinking agent is typically between 0 . 5 and 25 weight %, based upon combined weight of crosslinking agent and monomer , with 2 . 5 – 20 %, or 1 – 10 %, being preferred . typically , the amount of crosslinking agent that is reacted with the amine polymer is sufficient to cause reaction of between about 0 . 5 and twenty percent of the amines . in a preferred embodiment , between about 0 . 5 and six percent of the amine groups react with the crosslinking agent . crosslinking of the polymer can be achieved by reacting the polymer with a suitable crosslinking agent in an aqueous caustic solution at about 25 ° c . for a period of time of about eighteen hours to thereby form a gel . the gel is then combined with water and blended to form a particulate solid . the particulate solid can then be washed with water and dried under suitable conditions , such as a temperature of about 50 ° c . for a period of time of about eighteen hours . alkylation involves reaction between the nitrogen atoms of the polymer and the alkylating agent ( which may contain additional nitrogen atoms , e . g ., in the form of amido or ammonium groups ). in addition , the nitrogen atoms which do react with the alkylating agent ( s ) resist multiple alkylation to form quaternary ammonium ions such that less than 10 mol % of the nitrogen atoms form quaternary ammonium ions at the conclusion of alkylation . preferred alkylating agents have the formula rx where r is a c 1 – c 20 alkyl ( preferably c 4 – c 20 ), c 1 – c 20 hydroxy - alkyl ( preferably c 4 – c 20 hydroxyalkyl ), c 7 – c 20 aralkyl , c 1 – c 20 alkylammonium ( preferably c 4 – c 20 alkyl ammonium ), or c 1 – c 20 alkylamido ( preferably c 4 – c 20 alkyl amido ) group and x includes one or more electrophilic leaving groups . by “ electrophilic leaving group ” it is meant a group which is displaced by a nitrogen atom in the crosslinked polymer during the alkylation reaction . examples of preferred leaving groups include halide , epoxy , tosylate , and mesylate group . in the case of , e . g ., epoxy groups , the alkylation reaction causes opening of the three - membered epoxy ring . examples of preferred alkylating agents include a c 1 – c 20 alkyl halide ( e . g ., an n - butyl halide , n - hexyl halide , n - octyl halide , n - decyl halide , n - dodecyl halide , n - tetradecyl halide , n - octadecyl halide , and combinations thereof ); a c 1 – c 20 dihaloalkane ( e . g ., a 1 , 10 - dihalodecane ); a c 1 – c 20 hydroxyalkyl halide ( e . g ., an 11 - halo - 1 - undecanol ); a c 1 – c 20 aralkyl halide ( e . g ., a benzyl halide ); a c 1 – c 20 alkyl halide ammonium salt ( e . g ., a ( 4 - halobutyl ) trimethylammonium salt , ( 6 - halohexyl ) trimethyl - ammonium salt , ( 8 - halooctyl ) trimethylammonium salt , ( 10 - halodecyl ) trimethylammonium salt , ( 12 - halododecyl )- trimethylammonium salts and combinations thereof ); a c 1 – c 20 alkyl epoxy ammonium salt ( e . g ., a ( glycidylpropyl )- trimethylammonium salt ); and a c 1 – c 20 epoxy alkylamide ( e . g ., an n -( 2 , 3 - eoxypropane ) butyramide , n -( 2 , 3 - epoxypropane ) hexanamide , and combinations thereof ). it is particularly preferred to react the polymer with at least two alkylating agents , added simultaneously or sequentially to the polymer . in one preferred example , one of the alkylating agents has the formula rx where r is a c 1 – c 20 alkyl group and x includes one or more electrophilic leaving groups ( e . g ., an alkyl halide ), and the other alkylating agent has the formula r ′ x where r ′ is a c 1 – c 20 alkyl ammonium group and x includes one or more electrophilic leaving groups ( e . g ., an alkyl halide ammonium salt ). in another preferred example , one of the alkylating agents has the formula rx where r is a c 1 – c 20 alkyl group and x includes one or more electrophilic leaving groups ( e . g ., an alkyl halide ), and the other alkylating agent has the formula r ′ x where r ′ is a c 1 – c 20 hydroxyalkyl group and x includes one or more electrophilic leaving groups ( e . g ., a hydroxy alkyl halide ). in another preferred example , one of the alkylating agents is a c 1 – c 20 dihaloalkane and the other alkylating agent is a c 1 – c 20 alkylammonium salt . the reaction products may have fixed positive charges , or may have the capability of becoming charged upon ingestion at physiological ph . in the latter case , the charged ions also pick up negatively charged counterions upon ingestion that can be exchanged with bile salts . in the case of reaction products having fixed positive charges , however , the reaction product may be provided with one or more exchangeable counterions . examples of suitable counterions include cl − , br − , ch 3 oso 3 − , hso 4 − , so 4 2 − , hco 3 − , co 3 − , acetate , lactate , succinate , propionate , butyrate , ascorbate , citrate , maleate , folate , an amino acid derivative , a nucleotide , a lipid , or a phospholipid . the counterions may be the same as , or different from , each other . for example , the reaction product may contain two different types of counterions , both of which are exchanged for the bile salts being removed . more than one reaction product , each having different counterions associated with the fixed charges , may be administered as well . the alkylating agent can be added to the cross - linked polymer at a molar ratio between about 0 . 05 : 1 to 4 : 1 , for example , the alkylating agents can be preferably selected to provide hydrophobic regions and hydrophilic regions . the amine polymer is typically alkylated by combining the polymer with the alkylating agents in an organic solvent . the amount of first alkylating agent combined with the amine polymer is generally sufficient to cause reaction of the first alkylating agent with between about 5 and 75 of the percent of amine groups on the amine polymer that are available for reaction . the amount of second alkylating agent combined with the amine polymer and solution is generally sufficient to cause reaction of the second alkylating agent with between about 5 and about 75 of the amine groups available for reaction on the amine polymer . examples of suitable organic solvents include methanol , ethanal , isopropanol , acetonitrile , dmf and dmso . a preferred organic solvent is methanol . in one embodiment , the reaction mixture is heated over a period of about forty minutes to a temperature of about 65 ° c ., with stirring . typically , an aqueous sodium hydroxide solution is continuously added during the reaction period . preferably , the reaction period at 65 ° c . is about eighteen hours , followed by gradual cooling to a room temperature of about 25 ° c . over a period of about four hours . the resulting reaction product is then filtered , resuspended in methanol , filtered again , and then washed with a suitable aqueous solution , such as two molar sodium chloride , and then with deionized water . the resultant solid product is then dried under suitable conditions , such as at a temperature of about 60 ° c . in an air - drying oven . the dried solid can then be subsequently processed . preferably , the solid is ground and passed through an 80 mesh sieve . in a particularly preferred embodiment of the invention , the amine polymer is a crosslinked poly ( allylamine ), wherein the first substituent includes a hydrophobic decyl moiety , and the second amine substituent includes a hexyltrimethylammonium . further , the particularly preferred crosslinked poly ( allylamine ) is crosslinked by epichlorohydrin that is present in a range of between about two and six percent of the amines available for reaction with the epichlorohydrin . the invention will now be described more specifically by the examples . the first step involved the preparation of ethylidenebisacetamide . acetamide ( 118 g ), acetaldehyde ( 44 . 06 g ), copper acetate ( 0 . 2 g ), and water ( 300 ml ) were placed in a 1 l three neck flask fitted with condenser , thermometer , and mechanical stirred . concentrated hcl ( 34 ml ) was added and the mixture was heated to 45 – 50 ° c . with stirring for 24 hours . the water was then removed in vacuo to leave a thick sludge which formed crystals on cooling to 5 ° c . acetone ( 200 ml ) was added and stirred for a few minutes , after which the solid was filtered off and discarded . the acetone was cooled to 0 ° c . and solid was filtered off . this solid was rinsed in 500 ml acetone and air dried 18 hours to yield 31 . 5 g of ethylidenebis - acetamide . the next step involved the preparation of vinylacetamide from ethylidenebisacetamide . ethylidenebisacetamide ( 31 . 05 g ), calcium carbonate ( 2 g ) and celite 541 ( 2 g ) were placed in a 500 ml three neck flask fitted with a thermometer , a mechanical stirred , and a distilling heat atop a vigroux column . the mixture was vacuum distilled at 24 mm hg by heating the pot to 180 – 225 ° c . only a single fraction was collected ( 10 . 8 g ) which contained a large portion of acetamide in addition to the product ( determined by nmr ). this solid product was dissolved in isopropanol ( 30 ml ) to form the crude vinylacetamide solution used for polymerization . crude vinylacetamide solution ( 15 ml ), divinylbenzene ( 1 g , technical grade , 55 % pure , mixed isomers ), and aibn ( 0 . 3 g ) were mixed and heated to reflux under a nitrogen atmosphere for 90 minutes , forming a solid precipitate . the solution was cooled , isopropanol ( 50 ml ) was added , and the solid was collected by centrifugation . the solid was rinsed twice in isopropanol , once in water , and dried in a vacuum oven to yield 0 . 8 g of poly ( vinylacetamide ), which was used to prepare poly ( vinylamine as follows ). poly ( vinylacetamide ) ( 0 . 79 g ) was placed in a 100 ml one neck flask containing water ( 25 ml ) and conc . hcl ( 25 ml ). the mixture was refluxed for 5 days , after which the solid was filtered off , rinsed once in water , twice in isopropanol , and dried in a vacuum oven to yield 0 . 77 g of product . infrared spectroscopy indicated that a significant amount of the amide ( 1656 cm − 1 ) remained and that not much amine ( 1606 cm − 1 ) was formed . the product of this reaction (˜ 0 . 84 g ) was suspended in naoh ( 46 g ) and water ( 46 g ) and heated to boiling (˜ 140 ° c .). due to foaming the temperature was reduced and maintained at ˜ 100 ° c . for 2 hours . water ( 100 ml ) was added and the solid collected by filtration . after rinsing once in water the solid was suspended in water ( 500 ml ) and adjusted to ph 5 with acetic acid . the solid was again filtered off , rinsed with water , then isopropanol , and dried in a vacuum oven to yield 0 . 51 g of product . infrared spectroscopy indicated that significant amine had been formed . polyethyleneimine ( 120 g of a 50 % aqueous solution ; scientific polymer products ) was dissolved in water ( 250 ml ). epichlorohydrin ( 22 . 1 ml ) was added dropwise . the solution was heated to 60 ° c . for 4 hours , after which it had gelled . the gel was removed , blended with water ( 1 . 5 l ) and the solid was filtered off , rinsed three times with water ( 3 l ) and twice with isopropanol ( 3 l ), and the resulting gel was dried in a vacuum oven to yield 81 . 2 g of the title polymer . to a 2 liter , water - jacketed reaction kettle equipped with ( 1 ) a condenser topped with a nitrogen gas inlet , ( 2 ) a thermometer , and ( 3 ) a mechanical stirrer was added concentrated hydrochloric acid ( 360 ml ). the acid was cooled to 5 ° c . using circulating water in the jacket of the reaction kettle ( water temperature = 0 ° c .). allylamine ( 328 . 5 ml , 250 g ) was added dropwise with stirring while maintaining the reaction temperature at 5 – 10 ° c . after addition was complete , the mixture was removed , placed in a 3 liter one - neck flask , and 206 g of liquid was removed by rotary vacuum evaporation at 60 ° c . water ( 20 ml ) was then added and the liquid was returned to the reaction kettle . azobis ( amidinopropane ) dihydrochloride ( 0 . 5 g ) suspended in 11 ml of water was then added . the resulting reaction mixture was heated to 50 ° c . under a nitrogen atmosphere with stirring for 24 hours . additional azobis ( amidinopropane ) dihydrochloride ( 5 ml ) suspended in 11 ml of water was then added , after which heating and stirring were continued for an additional 44 hours . at the end of this period , distilled water ( 100 ml ) was added to the reaction mixture and the liquid mixture allowed to cool with stirring . the mixture was then removed and placed in a 2 liter separatory funnel , after which it was added dropwise to a stirring solution of methanol ( 4 l ), causing a solid to form . the solid was removed by filtration , re - suspended in methanol ( 4 l ), stirred for 1 hour , and collected by filtration . the methanol rinse was then repeated one more time and the solid dried in a vacuum oven to afford 215 . 1 g of poly ( allylamine ) hydrochloride as a granular white solid . to a 5 gallon vessel was added poly ( allylamine ) hydrochloride prepared as described in example 3 ( 1 kg ) and water ( 4 l ). the mixture was stirred to dissolve the hydrochloride and the ph was adjusted by adding solid naoh ( 284 g ). the resulting solution was cooled to room temperature , after which epichlorohydrin crosslinking agent ( 50 ml ) was added all at once with stirring . the resulting mixture was stirred gently until it gelled ( about 35 minutes ). the crosslinking reaction was allowed to proceed for an additional 18 hours at room temperature , after which the polymer gel was removed and placed in portions in a blender with a total of 10 l of water . each portion was blended gently for about 3 minutes to form coarse particles which were then stirred for 1 hour and collected by filtration . the solid was rinsed three times by suspending it in water ( 10 l , 15 l , 20 l ), stirring each suspension for 1 hour , and collecting the solid each time by filtration . the resulting solid was then rinsed once by suspending it in isopropanol ( 17 l ), stirring the mixture for 1 hour , and then collecting the solid by filtration , after which the solid was dried in a vacuum oven at 50 ° c . for 18 hours to yield about 677 g of the cross linked polymer as a granular , brittle , white solid . to a 5 gallon plastic bucket was added poly ( allylamine ) hydrochloride prepared as described in example 3 ( 500 g ) and water ( 2 l ). the mixture was stirred to dissolve the hydrochloride and the ph was adjusted to 10 by adding solid naoh ( 134 . 6 g ). the resulting solution was cooled to room temperature in the bucket , after which 1 , 4 - butanedioldiglycidyl ether crosslinking agent ( 65 ml ) was added all at once with stirring . the resulting mixture was stirred gently until it gelled ( about 6 minutes ). the crosslinking reaction was allowed to proceed for an additional 18 hours at room temperature , after which the polymer gel was removed and dried in a vacuum oven at 75 ° c . for 24 hours . the dry solid was then ground and sieved to − 30 mesh , after which it was suspended in 6 gallons of water and stirred for 1 hour . the solid was then filtered off and the rinse process repeated two more times . the resulting solid was then air dried for 48 hours , followed by drying in a vacuum oven at 50 ° c . for 24 hours to yield about 415 g of the crosslinked polymer as a white solid . to a 100 ml beaker was added poly ( allylamine ) hydrochloride prepared as described in example 3 ( 10 g ) and water ( 40 ml ). the mixture was stirred to dissolve the hydrochloride and the ph was adjusted to 10 by adding solid naoh . the resulting solution was cooled to room temperature in the beaker , after which 1 , 2 - ethanedioldiglycidyl ether crosslinking agent ( 2 . 0 ml ) was added all at once with stirring . the resulting mixture was stirred gently until it gelled ( about 4 minutes ). the crosslinking reaction was allowed to proceed for an additional 18 hours at room temperature , after which the polymer gel was removed and blended in 500 ml of methanol . the solid was then filtered off and suspended in water ( 500 ml ). after stirring for 1 hour , the solid was filtered off and the rinse process repeated . the resulting solid was rinsed twice in isopropanol ( 400 ml ) and then dried in a vacuum oven at 50 ° c . for 24 hours to yield 8 . 7 g of the crosslinked polymer as a white solid . to a 500 ml round bottom flask was added poly ( allylamine ) hydrochloride prepared as described in example 3 ( 10 g ), methanol ( 100 ml ), and triethylamine ( 10 ml ). the mixture was stirred and dimethylsuccinate crosslinking agent ( 1 ml ) was added . the solution was heated to reflux and the stirring discontinued after 30 minutes . after 18 hours , the solution was cooled to room temperature , and the solid filtered off and blended in 400 ml of isopropanol . the solid was then filtered off and suspended in water ( 1 l ). after stirring for 1 hour , the solid was filtered off and the rinse process repeated two more times . the solid was then rinsed once in isopropanol ( 800 ml ) and dried in a vacuum oven at 50 ° c . for 24 hours to yield 5 . 9 g of the crosslinked polymer as a white solid . into a 5 l three neck flask equipped with a mechanical stirred , a thermometer , and an addition funnel was added poly ( ethyleneimine ) ( 510 g of a 50 % aqueous solution , equivalent to 255 g of dry polymer ) and isopropanol ( 2 . 5 l ). acryloyl chloride crosslinking agent ( 50 g ) was added dropwise through the addition funnel over a 35 minute period while maintaining the temperature below 29 ° c . the solution was then heated to 60 ° c . with stirring for 18 hours , after which the solution was cooled and the solid immediately filtered off . the solid was then washed three times by suspending it in water ( 2 gallons ), stirring for 1 hour , and filtering to recover the solid . next , the solid was rinsed once by suspending it in methanol ( 2 gallons ), stirring for 30 minutes , and filtering to recover the solid . finally , the solid was rinsed in isopropanol as in example 7 and dried in a vacuum oven at 50 ° c . for 18 hours to yield 206 g of the crosslinked polymer as a light orange granular solid . 9 . alkylation of poly ( allylamine ) crosslinked with butanedioldiglydicyl ether with 1 - iodooctane alkylating agent poly ( allylamine ) crosslinked with butanedioldiglycidyl ether prepared as described in example 5 ( 5 g ) was suspended in methanol ( 100 ml ) and sodium hydroxide ( 0 . 2 g ) was added . after stirring for 15 minutes , 1 - iodooctane ( 1 . 92 ml ) was added and the mixture stirred at 60 ° c . for 20 hours . the mixture was then cooled and the solid filtered off . next , the solid was washed by suspending it in isopropanol ( 500 ml ), after which it was stirred for 1 hour and then collected by filtration . the wash procedure was then repeated twice using aqueous sodium chloride ( 500 ml of a 1 m solution ), twice with water ( 500 ml ), and once with isopropanol ( 500 ml ) before drying in a vacuum oven at 50 ° c . for 24 hours to yield 4 . 65 g of alkylated product . the procedure was repeated using 2 . 88 ml of 1 - iodooctane to yield 4 . 68 g of alkylated product . poly ( allylamine ) crosslinked with epichlorohydrin prepared as described in example 4 ( 5 g ) was alkylated according to the procedure described in example 9 except that 3 . 84 ml of 1 - iodooctane was used . the procedure yielded 5 . 94 g of alkylated product . poly ( allylamine ) crosslinked with epichlorohydrin prepared as described in example 4 ( 10 g ) was suspended in methanol ( 100 ml ) and sodium hydroxide ( 0 . 2 g ) was added . after stirring for 15 minutes , 1 - iodooctadecane ( 8 . 1 g ) was added and the mixture stirred at 60 ° c . for 20 hours . the mixture was then cooled and the solid filtered off . next , the solid was washed by suspending it in isopropanol ( 500 ml ), after which it was stirred for 1 hour and then collected by filtration . the wash procedure was then repeated twice using aqueous sodium chloride ( 500 ml of a 1 m solution ), twice with water ( 500 ml ), and once with isopropanol ( 500 ml ) before drying in a vacuum oven at 50 ° c . for 24 hours to yield 9 . 6 g of alkylated product . 12 . alkylation of poly ( allylamine ) crosslinked with butanedioldiglycidyl ether with 1 - iodododecane alkylating agent poly ( allylamine ) crosslinked with butanedioldiglycidyl ether prepared as described in example 5 ( 5 g ) was alkylated according to the procedure described in example 11 except that 2 . 47 ml of 1 - iodododecane was used . the procedure yielded 4 . 7 g of alkylated product . 13 . alkylation of poly ( allylamine ) crosslinked with butanedioldiglycidyl ether with benzyl bromide alkylating agent poly ( allylamine ) crosslinked with butanedioldiglycidyl ether prepared as described in example 5 ( 5 g ) was alkylated according to the procedure described in example 11 except that 2 . 42 ml of benzyl bromide was used . the procedure yielded 6 . 4 g of alkylated product . 14 . alkylation of poly ( allylamine ) crosslinked with epichlorohydrin with benzyl bromide alkylating agent poly ( allylamine ) crosslinked with epichlorohydrin prepared as described in example 4 ( 5 g ) was alkylated according to the procedure described in example 11 except that 1 . 21 ml of benzyl bromide was used . the procedure yielded 6 . 6 g of alkylated product . poly ( allylamine ) crosslinked with epichlorohydrin prepared as described in example 4 ( 20 g ) was alkylated according to the procedure described in example 11 except that 7 . 15 g of 1 - iododecane and 2 . 1 g of naoh were used . the procedure yielded 20 . 67 g of alkylated product . poly ( allylamine ) crosslinked with epichlorohydrin prepared as described in example 4 ( 20 g ) was alkylated according to the procedure described in example 11 except that 22 . 03 g of 1 - iodobutane and 8 . 0 g of naoh were used . the procedure yielded 24 . 0 g of alkylated product . the procedure was also followed using 29 . 44 g and 14 . 72 g of 1 - iodobutane to yield 17 . 0 g and 21 . 0 g , respectively , of alkylated product . poly ( allylamine ) crosslinked with epichlorohydrin prepared as described in example 4 ( 5 g ) was alkylated according to the procedure described in example 11 except that 2 . 1 ml of 1 - iodotetradecane was used . the procedure yielded 5 . 2 g of alkylated product . the procedure was also followed using 6 . 4 ml of 1 - iodotetradecane to yield 7 . 15 g of alkylated product . poly ( allylamine ) crosslinked with epichlorohydrin prepared as described in example 8 ( 5 g ) was alkylated according to the procedure described in example 11 except that 1 . 92 ml of 1 - iodooctane was used . the procedure yielded 5 . 0 g of alkylated product . 19 . alkylation of a copolymer of diethylene triamine and epichlorohydrin with 1 - iodooctane alkylating agent a copolymer of diethylene triamine and epichlorohydrin ( 10 g ) was alkylated according to the procedure described in example 11 except that 1 . 92 ml of 1 - iodooctane was used . the procedure yielded 5 . 3 g of alkylated product . 20 . alkylation of poly ( allylamine ) crosslinked with epichlorohydrin with 1 - iodododecane and glycidyl - propyltrimethylammonium chloride alkylating agents poly ( allylamine ) crosslinked with epichlorohydrin prepared as described in example 4 ( 20 g ) was alkylated according to the procedure described in example 11 except that 23 . 66 g of 1 - iodododecane , 6 . 4 g of sodium hydroxide , and 500 ml of methanol were used . 24 grams of the alkylated product was then reacted with 50 g of 90 % glycidylpropyltrimethylammonium chloride in methanol ( 1 l ). the mixture was stirred at reflux for 24 hours , after which it was cooled to room temperature and washed successively with water ( three times using 2 . 5 l each time ). vacuum drying afforded 22 . 4 g of dialkylated product . dialkylated products were prepared in an analogous manner by replacing 1 - iodododecane with 1 - iododecane and 1 - iodooctadecane , respectively , followed by alkylation with glycidylpropyltrimethylammonium chloride . 21 . alkylation of poly ( allylamine ) crosslinked with epichlorohydrin with glycidylpropyltrimethylammonium chloride alkylating agent poly ( allylamine ) crosslinked with epichlorohydrin prepared as described in example 4 ( 5 g ) was reacted with 11 . 63 g of 90 % glycidylpropyltrimethylammonium chloride ( 1 mole equiv .) in methanol ( 100 ml ). the mixture was stirred at 60 ° c . for 20 hours , after which it was cooled to room temperature and washed successively with water ( three times using 400 ml each time ) and isopropanol ( one time using 400 ml ). vacuum drying afforded 6 . 93 g of alkylated product . alkylated products were prepared in an analogous manner using 50 %, 200 %, and 300 % mole equiv of 90 % glycidylpropyltrimethylammonium chloride . 22 . alkylation of poly ( allylamine ) crosslinked with epichlorohydrin with ( 10 - bromodecyl ) trimethylammonium bromide alkylating agent the first step is the preparation of ( 10 - bromodecyl ) trimethylammonium bromide as follows . 1 , 10 - dibromodecane ( 200 g ) was dissolved in methanol ( 3 l ) in a 5 liter three neck round bottom flask fitted with a cold condenser (− 5 ° c .). to this mixture was added aqueous trimethylamine ( 176 ml of a 24 % aqueous solution , w / w ). the mixture was stirred at room temperature for 4 hours , after which is was heated to reflux for an additional 18 hours . at the conclusion of the heating period , the flask was cooled to 50 ° c . and the solvent removed under vacuum to leave a solid mass . acetone ( 300 ml ) was added and the mixture stirred at 40 ° c . for 1 hour . the solid was filtered off , resuspended in an additional portion of acetone ( 1 l ), and stirred for 90 minutes . at the conclusion of the stirring period , the solid was filtered and discarded , and the acetone fractions were combined and evaporated to dryness under vacuum . hexanes ( about 1 . 5 l ) were added and the mixture then stirred for 1 hour , after which the solid was filtered off and then rinsed on the filtration funnel with fresh hexanes . the resulting solid was then dissolved in isopropanol ( 75 ml ) at 40 ° c . ethyl acetate ( 1500 ml ) was added and the temperature raised to about 50 ° c . to fully dissolve all solid material . the flask was then wrapped in towels and placed in a freezer for 24 hours , resulting in the formation of solid crystals . the crystals were filtered off , rinsed in cold ethyl acetate , and dried in a vacuum oven at 75 ° c . to yield 100 . 9 g of ( 10 - bromodecyl ) trimethyl - ammonium bromide as white crystals . poly ( allylamine ) crosslinked with epichlorohydrin prepared as described in example 4 ( 10 g ) was suspended in methanol ( 300 ml ). sodium hydroxide ( 3 . 3 g ) was added and the mixture stirred until it dissolved . ( 10 - bromodecyl ) trimethylammonium bromide ( 20 . 7 g ) was added and the mixture was refluxed with stirring for 20 hours . the mixture was then cooled to room temperature and washed successively with methanol ( two times using 1 l each time ), sodium chloride ) two times using 1 l of 1 m solution each time ), water ( three times using 1 l each time ), and isopropanol ( one time using 1 l ). vacuum drying yielded 14 . 3 g of alkylated product . 23 . alkylation of poly ( allylamine ) crosslinked with epichlorohydrin with ( 10 - bromodecyl ) trimethylammonium bromide and 1 , 10 - dibromodecane alkylating agents 1 , 10 - dibromodecane ( 200 g ) was dissolved in methanol ( 3 l ) in a 5 liter round bottom flask fitted with a cold condenser (− 5 ° c .). to this mixture was added aqueous trimethylamine ( 220 ml of a 24 % aqueous solution , w / w ). the mixture was stirred at room temperature for 4 hours , after which it was heated to reflux for an additional 24 hours . the flask was then cooled to room temperature and found to contain 3350 ml of clear liquid . poly ( allylamine ) crosslinked with epichlorohydrin prepared as described in example 4 ( 30 g ) was suspended in the clear liquid ( 2 l ) and stirred for 10 minutes . sodium hydroxide ( 20 g ) was then added and the mixture stirred until it had dissolved . next , the mixture was refluxed with stirring for 24 hours , cooled to room temperature , and the solid filtered off . the solid was then washed successively with methanol ( one time using 10 l ), sodium chloride ( two times using 10 l of a 1 m solution each time ), water ( three times using 10 l each time ), and isopropanol ( one time using 5 l ). vacuum drying afforded 35 . 3 g of dialkylated product . 24 . alkylation of poly ( allylamine ) crosslinked with epichlorohydrin with ( 10 - bromodecyl ) trimethylammonium bromide and 1 - bromodecane alkylating agents poly ( allylamine ) crosslinked with epichlorohydrin prepared as described in example 4 ( 10 g ) was suspended in methanol ( 300 ml ). sodium hydroxide ( 4 . 99 g ) was added and the mixture stirred until it dissolved . ( 10 - bromodecyl ) trimethylammonium bromide prepared as described in example 22 ( 20 . 7 g ) and 1 - bromodecane were added and the mixture was refluxed with stirring for 20 hours . the mixture was then cooled to room temperature and washed successively with methanol ( two times using 1 l each time ), sodium chloride ( two times using 1 l of a 1 m solution each time ), water ( three times using 1 l each time ), and isopropanol ( one time using 1 l ). vacuum drying yielded 10 . 8 g of dialkylated product . dialkylated products were also prepared in analogous fashion using different amounts of 1 - bromodecane as follows : ( a ) 3 . 19 g 1 - bromodecane and 4 . 14 g sodium hydroxide to yield 11 . 8 g of dialkylated product ; ( b ) 38 . 4 g 1 - bromodecane and 6 . 96 g sodium hydroxide to yield 19 . 1 g of dialkylated product . dialkylated products were also prepared in analogous fashion using the following combinations of alkylating agents : 1 - bromodecane and ( 4 - bromobutyl ) trimethylammonium bromide ; 1 - bromodecane and ( 6 - bromohexyl ) trimethylammonium bromide ; 1 - bromodecane and ( 8 - bromooctyl ) trimethylammonium bromide ; 1 - bromodecane and ( 2 - bromoethyl ) trimethylammonium bromide ; 1 - bromodecane and ( 3 - bromopropyl ) trimethylammonium bromide ; 1 - bromohexane and ( 6 - bromohexyl ) trimethylammonium bromide ; 1 - bromododecane and ( 12 - bromododecyl ) trimethyl - ammonium bromide ; and 1 - bromooctane and ( 6 - bromohexyl ) trimethylammonium bromide . poly ( allylamine ) crosslinked with epichlorohydrin prepared as described in example 4 ( 5 . 35 g ) was suspended in methanol ( 100 ml ). sodium hydroxide ( 1 . 10 g ) was added and the mixture stirred until it dissolved . 11 - bromo - 1 - undecanol ( 5 . 0 g ) was added and the mixture was refluxed with stirring for 20 hours , after which it was cooled to room temperature and washed successively with methanol ( one time using 3 l ), sodium chloride ( two times using 500 ml of a 1 m solution each time ), and water ( three times using 1 l each time ). vacuum drying yielded 6 . 47 g of alkylated product . the reaction was also performed using 1 . 05 g sodium hydroxide and 10 g 11 - bromo - 1 - undecanol to yield 8 . 86 g of alkylated product . the first step is the preparation of n - allyl butyramide as follows . butyroyl chloride ( 194 . 7 g , 1 . 83 mol ) in 1 l of tetrahydrofuran was added to a three neck round bottom flask equipped with a thermometer , stir bar , and dropping funnel . the contents of the flask were then cooled to 15 ° c . in an ice bath while stirring . allylamine ( 208 . 7 g , 3 . 65 mol ) in 50 ml of tetrahydrofuran was then added slowly through the dropping funnel while maintaining stirring . throughout the addition , the temperature was maintained at 15 ° c . after addition was complete , stirring continued for an additional 15 minutes , after which the solid allylamine chloride precipitate was filtered off . the filtrate was concentrated under vacuum to yield 236 . 4 g of n - allyl butyramide as a colorless viscous liquid . n - allyl butyramide ( 12 . 7 g , 0 . 1 mol ) was taken into a 1 l round bottom flask equipped with a stir bar and air condenser . methylene chloride ( 200 ml ) was added to the flask , followed by 3 - chloroperoxybenzoic acid ( 50 – 60 % strength , 200 g ) in five portions over the course of 30 minutes and the reaction allowed to proceed . after 16 hours , tlc analysis ( using 5 % methanol in dichloromethane ) showed complete formation of product . the reaction mixture was then cooled and filtered to remove solid benzoic acid precipitate . the filtrate was washed with saturated sodium sulfite solution ( two times using 100 ml each time ) and then with saturated dosium bicarbonate solution ( two times using 100 ml each time ). the dichloromethane layer was then dried with anhydrous sodium sulfate and concentrated under vacuum to yield 10 . 0 g of n -( 2 , 3 - epoxypropane ) butyramide as a light yellow viscous liquid . poly ( allylamine ) crosslinked with epichlorohydrin prepared as described in example 4 ( 10 g , − 80 sieved ) and methanol ( 250 ml ) were added to a 1 l round bottom flask , followed by n -( 2 , 3 - epoxypropane ) butyramide ( 0 . 97 g , 0 . 0067 mol , 5 mol %) and then sodium hydroxide pellets ( 0 . 55 g , 0 . 01375 mol ). the mixture was stirred overnight at room temperature . after 16 hours , the reaction mixture was filtered and the solid washed successively with methanol ( three times using 300 ml each time ), water ( two times using 300 ml each time ), and isopropanol ( three times using 300 ml each time . vacuum drying at 54 ° c . overnight yielded 9 . 0 g of the alkylated product as a light yellow powder . alkylated products based upon 10 mol %, 20 mol %, and 30 mol % n -( 2 , 3 - epoxypropane ) butyramide were prepared in analogous fashion except that ( a ) in the 10 mol % case , 1 . 93 g ( 0 . 013 mol ) n -( 2 , 3 - epoxypropane ) butyramide and 1 . 1 g ( 0 . 0275 mol ) sodium hydroxide pellets were used to yield 8 . 3 g of alkylated product , ( b ) in the 20 mol % case , 3 . 86 g ( 0 . 026 mol ) n -( 2 , 3 - epoxypropane ) butyramide and 2 . 1 g ( 0 . 053 mol ) sodium hydroxide pellets were used to yield 8 . 2 g of alkylated product , and ( c ) in the 30 mol % case , 5 . 72 g ( 0 . 04 mol ) n -( 2 , 3 - epoxypropane ) butyramide and 2 . 1 g ( 0 . 053 mol ) sodium hydroxide pellets were used to yield 8 . 32 g of alkylated product . the first step is the preparation of n - allyl hexanamide as follows . hexanoyl chloride ( 33 g , 0 . 25 mol ) in 250 ml of tetrahydrofuran was added to a three neck round bottom flask equipped with a thermometer , stir bar , and dropping funnel . the contents of the flask were then cooled to 15 ° c . in an ice bath while stirring . allylamine ( 28 . 6 g , 0 . 5 mol ) in 200 ml of tetrahydrofuran was then added slowly through the dropping funnel while maintaining stirring . throughout the addition , the temperature was maintained at 15 ° c . after addition was complete , stirring continued for an additional 15 minutes , after which the solid allylamine chloride precipitate was filtered off . the filtration was concentrated under vacuum to yield 37 g of n - allyl hexanamide as a colorless viscous liquid . n - allyl hexanamide ( 16 g , 0 . 1 mol ) was taken into a 1 l round bottom flask equipped with a stir bar and air condenser . methylene chloride ( 200 ml ) was added to the flask , followed by 3 - chloroperoxybenzoic acid ( 50 – 60 % strength , 200 g ) in five portions over the course of 30 minutes and the reaction allowed to proceed . after 16 hours , tlc analysis ( using 5 % methanol in dichloromethane ) showed complete formation of product . the reaction mixture was then cooled and filtered to remove solid enzoic acid precipitate . the filtrate was washed with saturated sodium sulfite solution ( two times using 100 ml each time ) and then with saturated sodium bicarbonate solution ( two times using 100 ml each time ). the dichloromethane layer was then dried with anhydrous sodium sulfate and concentrated under vacuum to yield 14 . 2 g of n -( 2 , 3 - epoxypropane ) hexanamide as a light yellow viscous liquid . poly ( allylamine ) crosslinked with epichlorohydrin prepared as described in example 4 ( 10 g , − 80 sieved ) and methanol ( 250 ml ) were added to a 1 l round bottom flask , followed by n -( 2 , 3 - epoxypropane ) hexanamide ( 4 . 46 g , 0 . 026 mol , 20 mol %) and then sodium hydroxide pellets ( 2 . 1 g , 0 . 053 mol ). the mixture was stirred overnight at room temperature . after 16 hours , the reaction mixture was filtered and the solid washed successively with methanol ( three times using 300 ml each time ), water ( two times using 300 ml each time ), and isopropanol ( three times using 300 ml each time . vacuum drying at 54 ° c . overnight yielded 9 . 59 g of the alkylated product as a light yellow powder . an alkylated product based upon 30 mol % n -( 2 , 3 - epoxypropane ) hexanamide was prepared in analogous fashion except that 6 . 84 g ( 0 . 04 mol ) n -( 2 , 3 - epoxypropane ) hexanamide was used to yield 9 . 83 g of alkylated product . 28 . alkylation of poly ( allylamine ) crosslinked with epichlorohydrin with ( 6 - bromohexyl ) trimethylammonium bromide and 1 - bromodecane alkylating agent to a 12 - 1 round bottom flask equipped with a mechanical stirrer , a thermometer , and a condenser is added methanol ( 5 l ) and sodium hydroxide ( 133 . 7 g ). the mixture is stirred until the solid has dissolved and crosslinked poly ( allylamine ) ( 297 g ; ground to − 80 mesh size ) is added along with additional methanol ( 3 l ). ( 6 – bromohexyl ) trimethylammonium bromide ( 522 . 1 g ) and 1 - bromodecane ( 311 . 7 g ) are added and the mixture heated to 65 ° c . with stirring . after 18 hours at 65 ° c . the mixture is allowed to cool to room temperature . the solid is filtered off and rinsed by suspending , stirring for 30 minutes , and filtering off the solid from : methanol , 12 l ; methanol , 12 l ; 2 m aqueous nacl , 22 l ; 2 m aqueous nacl , 22 l ; deionized water , 22 l ; deionized water , 22 l ; deionized water , 22 l and isopropanol , 22 l . the solid is dried in a vacuum oven at 50 ° c . to yield 505 . 1 g of off - white solid . the solid is then ground to pass through an 80 mesh sieve . sodium carbonate ( 1 . 27 g ) and sodium chloride ( 1 . 87 g ) were dissolved in 400 ml of distilled water . to this solution was added either glycocholic acid ( 1 . 95 g , 4 . 0 mmol ) or glycochenodeoxycholic acid ( 1 . 89 g , 4 . 0 mmol ) to make a 10 mm solution . the ph of the solution was adjusted to 6 . 8 with acetic acid . these solutions were used for the testing of the various polymers . to a 14 ml centrifuge tube was added 10 mg of polymer and 10 ml of a bile salt solution in concentrations ranging from 0 . 1 – 10 mm prepared from 10 mm stock solution ( prepared as previously described ) and buffer without bile salt , in the appropriate amount . the mixture was stirred in a water bath maintained at 37 ° c . for three hours . the mixture was then filtered . the filtrate was analyzed for total 3 - hydroxy steroid content by an enzymatic assay using 3a - hydroxy steroid dehydrogenase , as described below . solution 1 — tris - hcl buffer , containing 0 . 133 m tris , 0 . 666 mm edta at ph 9 . 5 . solution 2 — hydrazine hydrate solution , containing 1 m hydrazine hydrate at ph 9 . 5 . solution 4 — hsd solution , containing 2 units / ml in tris - hcl buffer ( 0 . 03 m tris , 1 mm edta ) at ph 7 . 2 . to a 3 ml cuvette was added 1 . 5 ml of solution 1 , 1 . 0 ml of solution 2 , 0 . 3 ml of solution 3 , 0 . 1 ml of solution 4 and 0 . 1 ml of supernatant / filtrate from a polymer test as described above . the solution was placed in a uv - vis spectrophotometer and the absorbance ( o . d .) of nadh at 350 nm was measured . the bile salt concentration was determined from a calibration curve prepared from dilutions of the artificial intestinal fluid prepared as described above . all of the polymers previously described were tested in the above manner and all were efficacious in removing bile salts from the artificial intestinal fluid . the polymers according to the invention may be administered orally to a patient in a dosage of about 1 mg / kg / day to about 10 g / kg / day ; the particular dosage will depend on the individual patient ( e . g ., the patient &# 39 ; s weight and the extent of bile salt removal required ). the polymer may be administrated either in hydrated or dehydrated form , and may be flavored or added to a food or drink , if desired to enhance patient acceptability . additional ingredients such as other bile acid sequestrants , drugs for treating hypercholesterolemia , atherosclerosis or other related indications , or inert ingredients , such as artificial coloring agents may be added as well . examples of suitable forms for administration include pills , tablets , capsules , and powders ( e . g ., for sprinkling on food ). the pill , tablet , capsule , or powder can be coated with a substance capable of protecting the composition from the gastric acid in the patient &# 39 ; s stomach for a period of time sufficient to allow the composition to pass undisintegrated into the patient &# 39 ; s small intestine . the polymer may be administered alone or in combination with a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier substance , e . g ., magnesium carbonate , lactose , or a phospholipid with which the polymer can form a micelle . while this invention has been particularly shown and described with references to preferred embodiments thereof , it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims .
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the following description is of the best mode presently contemplated for carrying out the invention . this description is not to be taken in a limiting sense , but is made merely for the purpose of describing the general principles of the invention . the scope of the invention should be determined with reference to the claims . it is noted that the present invention combines an ablative removal technique with a particular optical detection technique in order to remove one or more coatings from a substrate surface . ablative removal techniques using radiant energy , e . g ., a flashlamp , combined with a different type of detection system , are described in applicants &# 39 ; copending application entitled &# 34 ; method and system for control of a material removal process using spectral emission discrimination &# 34 ;, ser . no . 07 / 813 , 865 , filed concurrently herewith . referring first to fig1 there is shown a block diagram that diagrammatically illustrates the main components of a coating removal system 11 made in accordance with the present invention . advantageously , the system 11 removes coatings 24 and / or 26 from a substrate 28 without damaging the substrate . ( note , the coated substrate 28 may hereafter be referred to as the &# 34 ; work surface &# 34 ; or &# 34 ; structure &# 34 ; 22 .) further , the system 11 includes a digital control processor 200 that coordinates and controls the scan rate of optical energy 18 and particle stream 30 across the surface of substrate 22 . control is effected using feedback provided by an optical detecting circuit 100 that detects the optical character of the surface of the work surface 22 . referring to fig1 data processor 200 ( which may be an ibm at or at compatible personal computer , or equivalent ) generates output signal 5 to enable particle stream source 6 , output signal 7 to enable vacuum system 37 , output control signal 12 to control light control circuit 13 ( which may be of a type well known by those skilled in the art ), and output signal 202 to provide path and speed instructions to robotic controller 204 . particle stream source 6 , in turn , is coupled to nozzle 32 , which nozzle is adapted to direct a stream 30 of particles , explained more fully below , across the surface of the workpiece 22 . similarly , vacuum system 37 is coupled to exhaust nozzle 36 , which exhaust nozzle is positioned to receive the residue 45 of any materials that are ablated by radiant energy 18 generated by ablative light source 14 and / or the spent particle stream . light control circuit 13 generates a control signal 15 which establishes the repetition rate and pulse width of the output of ablative light source 14 . in some embodiments of the invention , light control circuit 13 also generates another control signal 17 which turns on auxiliary light 29 for a desired time period during the coating removal cycle , as explained more fully below in connection with fig5 . nozzle 32 , ablative light source 14 , auxiliary light source 29 ( when used ), and exhaust nozzle 36 are all housed within a scanning head assembly 10 that is adapted to move above the work surface 22 as controlled by robotic positioner 19 , as indicated by the arrow 21 . advantageously , electrical , optical , and other coupling to the elements within the scanning head assembly 10 is achieved through appropriate flexible cabling 31 , thereby facilitating movement of the scanning head assembly , including the elements housed therein , while allowing the control circuits for such elements , such as the particle stream source 6 , the light control circuit 13 , and the vacuum system 37 , to be stationary at a position remote from the scanning head assembly 10 . in order to provide a feedback signal to the system 11 that allows it to control the coating removal process , a photodetecting circuit 100 detects the optical condition at the work surface 22 by monitoring radiant energy 27 reflected from the work surface 22 . the photodetecting circuit 100 receives the optical signals and generates electrical feedback signal ( s ) 194 therefrom that are conveyed to the control processor 200 . the control processor 200 processes the feedback signals 194 and converts them into a composite output signal 202 . robotic controller 204 transforms signal 202 into control or instructional signals 206 that direct the path and speed of robotic positioner 19 . such instruction signal 206 directs robotic positioner 19 to move the scanning head assembly across the work surface 22 so as to effectively scan ablative energy source 14 and particle stream 30 across the surface of the structure 22 in accordance with a prescribed pattern . the path of robotic controller 204 is determined in accordance with a suitable path generating processing routine implemented by data processor 200 in accordance with techniques well known by those skilled in the art . photodetector circuit 100 is preferably located within or attached to the scanning assembly 10 , with the output signal 194 of the photodetector circuit 100 being coupled to the remotely positioned control processor 200 through appropriate flexible electrical cable . referring next to fig2 there is shown a schematic diagram of the scanning head assembly 10 used with the coating removal system 11 . as seen in fig9 the scanning head assembly 10 , comprising optical energy source 14 and reflector 16 , is supported by robotic positioner 13 at a predetermined standoff distance &# 34 ; d &# 34 ; from the surface of structure 22 . the optimum standoff distance &# 34 ; d &# 34 ; for ablative removal of coatings is a function of the amount of output power contained in the radiant energy 18 output by the ablative energy source 14 . in general , the closer the source 14 is positioned to the work surface 22 , the more power there is to ablate the upper coatings 24 and / or 26 covering the substrate 28 . however , care must be exercised to prevent too much ablative power from being delivered , else more than the desired coating ( s ) may be ablated . while the ablative power may be controlled by adjusting the repetition frequency and pulse width of the light 18 generated by the light source 14 , the intensity of optical energy 18 incident on the surface of structure 22 is preferably controlled by simply controlling the standoff distance &# 34 ; d &# 34 ; . initially , an approximate distance &# 34 ; d &# 34 ; for nominal output power levels of the light source 14 is determined experimentally . for example , where the ablative energy source is a flashlamp , as described in applicants &# 39 ; copending applications referenced above , and where such flashlamp provides an incident intensity at the surface of the structure of about 1 - 10 joules / cm 2 and has a pulse width that may range from about 1000 - 2400 microseconds ( μsec ) and a repetition rate of 4 - 5 hz , and further where a coating of paint having a nominal thickness of 4 - 8 mils overlays an aluminum substrate , the initial standoff distance &# 34 ; d &# 34 ; is on the order of 1 to 3 cm . robotic positioner 19 is controlled to move the assembly 10 along a predetermined path at a controlled scan speed over the surface of structure 22 so that ablative energy source 14 and particle stream 30 may be directed to scan and impinge , respectively , the coating or coatings formed on the surface of substrate 28 . the radiant energy ( light ) 18 from the source 14 ablates the coating to be removed in the immediate area of exposure to the radiant energy 18 . the particle stream 30 limits the temperature rise of structure 22 as a result of absorbing optical energy in the form of heat provided by light 18 . robotic positioner 19 may be implemented as a cimroc 4000 robot controller manufactured by cimcorp precision systems , inc ., shoreview , minn . the scan speed is functionally related to the output signal 194 by a function bounded by upper and lower limits , as described more fully in the referenced patent application . such function may be increasing or decreasing , depending on the particular application . material removed from the surface of substrate 28 and the expended particle stream 30 after it impinges structure 22 are collected by vacuum system 37 through nozzle 25 mounted to housing 12 . particle stream 30 is provided by particle stream source 6 which may provide gas , liquid , or solid particles , or any combination of particles . for example , particle stream source 6 may be a gas tank if particle stream 30 is a gas , or a carbon dioxide pellet source of the type commercially available from cold jet , inc ., of loveland , ohio . the particles which comprise particle stream 30 are delivered to nozzle 32 via duct 34 . note that as depicted in fig1 and 2 , the system 11 is configured to remove an upper layer 24 from the substrate 28 while leaving a lower layer 26 , e . g ., a primer paint coat . such removal is only exemplary , as the system 11 could just as easily be configured to remove both layers 24 and 26 , leaving the surface of the substrate 28 exposed . the mechanism by which the system 11 determines when the proper layer has been ablatively removed is to monitor light 27 reflected from the surface 22 for a specific color and intensity , i . e ., color intensity . such monitoring assumes , of course , that a distinguishing color intensity difference exists between the layer 26 to be removed and the layer 24 to remain , or between the layers 24 and 26 to be removed and the substrate surface . this assumption will almost always be true . the reflected light 27 is detected , collected , and analyzed by photodetector circuit 100 . the reflected light that is monitored may be either the trailing edge of the ablative light pulse 18 , as explained more fully below in connection with fig4 or light obtained from an auxiliary light source 29 , as explained more fully below in connection with fig5 . regardless of the source of the reflected light 27 , the reflected light is monitored by the photodetector circuit 100 for the presence of a specific wavelength , or a band of wavelengths , characteristic of the color of the layer or surface that is to remain . immediately upon detection of such characteristic wavelengths , the control processor 200 is notified via the signal 194 so that it knows that sufficient material has been removed at the present location of the incident radiant energy 18 . thus , the control processor 200 immediately generates the requisite control signals so as to move the scanning head 10 to a new location , adjust the scanning speed , and / or adjust the output power of the light source 14 , in order to assure that no further material is removed at the location where the characteristic wavelength was detected . in the preferred embodiment , as seen in fig2 photodetector circuit 100 is attached to the outside of a water cooled housing 12 wherein the light source 14 is housed . water , or other suitable coolant , enters and exits the housing 12 through parts 44 and 46 . photodetector circuit 100 is mounted to the exterior of housing 12 such that it is able to detect reflected light 27 from the surface of structure 22 . advantageously , the particle stream 30 , directed at the surface 22 at an approximate angle θ , helps to keep the lens cover 20 of the housing 12 clean from debris and other foreign matter that might otherwise accumulate thereon . the angle θ will typically range from 5 to 60 degrees , but is not felt to be critical for ablation as described herein . photodetector circuit 100 should be oriented to receive reflected light from immediately behind the same area impinged by the incident ablative light source 18 . in some embodiments , in order to monitor the status or condition of the surface 22 over a wide &# 34 ; footprint &# 34 ;, it is desirable that the reflected footprint area , i . e ., that area from which the reflected light 27 is received , actually be somewhat larger and behind the irradiated footprint . the irradiated footprint may be referred to as the &# 34 ; target area &# 34 ; because it is the area at which incident light 18 is directed . for such wide area monitoring to provide useful information , it is necessary that the photodetector circuit 100 have spatial distribution resolution capabilities so that it can detect not only the presence of a characteristic wavelength , but also a particular narrow area or region within the monitored area whereat the characteristic wavelength originated . such spatial distribution resolution is advantageously provided by using a plurality of photodetectors arranged in a suitable pattern within a photodetector array , as described more fully below in conjunction with fig6 and 7 . further details associated with the scanning head assembly 10 , and its manner of use , may be found in applicants &# 39 ; aforementioned patent applications . in particular , a preferred ablative light source 14 is a water - cooled flashlamp that is housed within a custom housing as described in the cited patent applications . a suitable flashlamp for use within such a housing is available from maxwell laboratories , inc ., of san diego , calif ., and is described in commonly assigned u . s . patent application ser . no . 07 / 645 , 372 , filed jan . 24 , 1991 u . s . pat . no . 5 , 126 , 621 , which patent application is also incorporated herein by reference . the photodetector circuit 100 will next be described . it is the function of the photodetecting circuit 100 to detect the optical character of the surface of structure 22 . in its simplest form , the photodetector circuit 100 simply includes a single photodiode selected to detect a particular characteristic wavelength . wavelength selection is made by choosing a particular photodiode / lens / filter combination ( which are commercially available components ), or by selecting a broadband photodiode and manually placing a removable or replaceable filter in the optical path leading to the photodiode . in this manner , only optical signals of the characteristic wavelength successfully pass through the filters and are detected by the photodiode . all other optical signals are blocked by the filter . thus , if it is known that the primer coat is blue , for example , and if it is desired that the primer coat remain , then a blue filter may be placed in front of the photodiode so that the photodiode only detects blue light . if a subsequent coating removal operation requires that all layers be removed down to the substrate , and if the substrate is , e . g ., yellow , then the blue filter may be removed and replaced with a yellow filter ., i . e ., a filter , or combination of filters , that only allows yellow light to pass therethrough . using a single photodiode as the photodetecting circuit 100 only provides limited resolution of the reflected light to be analyzed , and does not provide additional information , such as spatial distribution data , that may be detected . hence , it is preferred that more than one photodiode be used , and that an appropriately processed optical , digital output signal 194 be generated from all of such photodiodes . for example , a digital weighted sum average (&# 34 ; wsav &# 34 ;) signal may be generated from all of the output signals from the individual photodiodes in the array . a block diagram of one type of photodetector circuit 100 that achieves this function is shown in fig3 . as seen in fig3 the reflected light 27 from the surface 22 is received by filters 102 . as seen in fig3 at the heart of photodetecting circuit 100 is a processor 148 . such processor 148 may be realized using any suitable microprocessor circuit capable of operating at a modest clock speed , e . g ., 5 - 10 mhz . by way of example , processor 148 may be implemented using an intel 8x51fb imbedded processor . coupled to the microprocessor 148 is a conventional random access memory ( ram ) 151 , a conventional read only memory ( rom ) 150 , an analog - to - digital ( a / d ) converter 152 , and an analog multiplex circuit ( mux ) 144 . the incoming light signals are split into three optical data channels . each channel is designed to select a particular characteristic wavelength , or band of characteristic wavelengths . for example , the channels may be respectively designed to receive and process wavelengths characteristic of the color intensities associated with red , blue or yellow . in this manner , photodetecting system 100 is able to receive and analyze optical energy intensities from selected portions , or from all , of the entire optical portion of the electromagnetic spectrum . the optical data received in each data channel is filtered and continuously monitored by photodiodes contained in the photodiode arrays 106 , 118 or 130 , and is temporarily stored in response to receiving an appropriate clock or shift signal obtained from the processor 148 . each photodiode in the array , as explained more fully below , represents the filtered light intensity received from a defined area or &# 34 ; pixel &# 34 ; of the reflection footprint , i . e ., the monitored area from which the reflected light 27 is received . the data temporarily held in the photodiode arrays is then serially transferred , under control of the processor 148 , through appropriate channels , including the mux 144 and the a / d 152 , into the processor 148 . the processor 148 processes the data in a prescribed manner . for example , the processor may divide the signals received in each data channel by a corresponding normalization signal obtained from a sample optical energy 18 &# 39 ; of the light 18 . sample optical signal 18 &# 39 ; is provided to photodetecting circuit 100 through lens 23a and fiber optic bundle 25a . fiber optic bundle 25a may penetrate housing 12 as shown in fig2 . optical energy 18 &# 39 ; is filtered and provided to photodiode circuits 156 , 158 and 180 , and is used to normalize the amplitude of received signals so that each is independent of variations in the incident light intensity . as seen in fig3 each optical data channel includes an optical filter 102 i that attenuates all light except light of the characteristic wavelength that is received from the reflection footprint . preferably , at least a portion of the reflection footprint is located somewhat behind the area on structure 22 which is impinged by particle stream 30 . filters 102 i are available commercially from numerous vendors for any desired wavelengths . the light that passes through the filter 102 i is received and temporarily held in a photodiode array 106 , 118 , or 130 . by way of example , the photodiode array may be a 1 × n photodiode array , where n is a positive integer , as for example 1024 . the photodiode array receives and transforms any received light 104 transmitted through filter 102 i into a series of electrical pulses 108 having amplitudes corresponding to the intensity of the received light , as controlled by an appropriate clock signal 143 generated by the processor 148 . the rate of the clock signal 143 , by way of example , may range from 2 - 25 mhz . the electrical pulses 108 are amplified in amplifiers 110 , 122 or 134 . track - and - hold circuits 114 , 126 or 138 , receive signals 112 , 124 or 136 and generate a dc analog signal 116 , 128 or 140 that corresponds to the average peak pulse amplitude of electrical pulse train 112 , 124 or 136 in response to receiving a hold signal 142a from parallel interrupt timer ( pit ) 142 . analog signals 116 , 128 , and 140 are coupled through mux 144 to flash a / d converter 152 over signal line 145 . control of mux 144 is effected by signals 147 generated by processor 148 . the a / d converter 152 thus generates a digital data stream 154 corresponding to the signals 116 , 128 , or 140 that is directed as an input signal to processor 148 . processor 148 , operably coupled to ram 151 , stores the digitized optical data thus received in ram 151 . rom 150 has stored therein a suitable operating program that controls the operation of the processor 148 . photodetecting circuit 100 also includes a plurality of ablative light source reference channels . each such sample channel includes a photodiode circuit , 156 , 168 and 180 , with each receiving as an input a sample 18 &# 39 ; of optical energy 18 directed to the surface 22 through lens 23a ( fig2 ) attached to optical fiber 25a and splitter 101 ( fig3 ). each sample channel further includes an appropriate optical filter 102 1 &# 39 ;, 102 2 &# 39 ;, or 102 3 &# 39 ; that filters out all but a desired wavelength or band of wavelengths . the photodiode circuits 156 , 168 and 180 function similar to the photodiode arrays 106 , 118 , and 130 , transforming any light transmitted through the filter 102 1 &# 39 ;, 102 2 &# 39 ;, or 102 3 &# 39 ;, into a series of electrical pulses having amplitudes corresponding to the intensity of the transmitted light . electrical pulses 158 are provided to amplifiers 160 , 172 or 184 . the resulting amplified pulse train is directed to track - and - hold circuits 164 , 176 or 180 which generate dc analog output signals 166 , 178 , and 190 representing the peak pulse amplitude of the amplified pulse trains in response to receiving hold signal 142b from pit 142 . the signal thus generated for each sample channel is provided to mux 144 . the photodiodes 156 , 168 , and 180 , and their associated filters 102 1 &# 39 ;, 102 2 &# 39 ;, and 102 3 &# 39 ;, respectively , receive sample optical signal 18 &# 39 ;. in this way , the signals directed to the mux 144 through the respective sampled light data channels correspond to a sample of the light source used to provide the reflective light 27 to the photodetector circuit 14 . such sample of optical signal 18 &# 39 ; is used to normalize the light detected through photodiode arrays 106 , 118 , and 130 so that variations in the intensity of the incident light source do not adversely affect the processing of signals 116 , 128 , and 140 into an appropriate output control signal 194 . as also seen in fig3 a summing amplifier 181 sums the output of the respective sample channel amplifiers 160 , 172 and 184 . the resulting summed output signal is directed over signal line 183 to one input of a threshold detector 185 . the other input of the threshold detector 185 is a reference voltage that is generated by digital - to - analog ( d / a ) converter circuit 187 as a function of a digital reference signal 189 determined by the processor 148 and conveyed to d / a circuit 187 via signal line 186 . the signal 189 is provided only during a sample window . hence , the threshold circuit 185 receives the reference voltage that enables it to respond to the summed output signal 183 only during such sample window . if the summed output signal 183 exceeds the threshold reference voltage during the sample window , which only happens if there is incident light present during the sample window , then the output of the threshold detector 185 goes high and functions as an interrupt signal to the processor 148 causing it to enter a data sample mode . in the data sample mode , the processor 148 serially receives optical data from the photodiode arrays 106 , 118 and 132 through the optical input channels and stores such data upon receipt of a reset signal 198a generated by processor 148 . also during the data sample mode , sample optical data may be received from the photodiodes 156 , 168 and 180 through the sample channels . parallel interrupt timer ( pit ) 142 controls the timing of the particular data streams which are read by processor 148 and stored in ram 151 by hold signals 142a so that , for example , data originating from a first input channel including photodiode array 106 and photodiode 156 , are read together . pit 142 similarly controls when processor 148 reads data from the second input channel that includes photodiode array 118 and photodiode 180 , and from the third input channel , which includes photodiode array 118 and photodiode 168 . the processing routine stored in rom 150 and implemented in processor 148 causes processor 148 to determine the quotients of : signal 140 divided by signal 190 , signal 128 divided by signal 178 , and signal 116 divided by signal 166 , in order to normalize the outputs of the photodiode arrays for variations in the intensity of the output of light 14 . signals 166 , 178 , and 190 need be sampled only once every data sample cycle , e . g ., once every 100 clock signals 143 if photodiode arrays 106 , 118 , and 130 each have , for example , 100 diodes . such normalization allows photodetecting circuit 100 to evaluate the optical character of the surface of structure 22 as the output of light source 14 degrades over time . the processor 148 generates the output signal 194 and transmits such signal to the control processor 200 . if needed , such signal can be converted to an optical signal using an appropriate conversion circuit in order to allow the transmission of the signal to be done optically over a fiber optic transmission cable , thereby rendering the signal much more immune to electromagnetic noise . if so converted , an appropriate optical receiver circuit is used at the other end of the transmission line in order to convert the signal back to an electrical signal suitable for use by the control processor 200 . fiber optic transmitters and receivers suitable for such purpose may be implemented using , e . g ., a litton fiber optics transceiver , model e03675 - 2 . by way of example , signal 194 may represent a weighted sum average , &# 34 ; wsav color &# 34 ;, as determined by processor 148 in accordance with the equations below for each color channel , where &# 34 ; color &# 34 ; corresponds to the narrowband portion of reflected light 27 detected by a particular photodiode array : ## equ1 ## where i represents a particular photodiode in the photodiode arrays , m represents the number of photodiodes in photodiode arrays 106 , 118 , and 130 , and &# 34 ; r &# 34 ;, &# 34 ; y &# 34 ;, and &# 34 ; b &# 34 ; represent the red , yellow , and blue components , respectively , of signal 27 as detected by photodiode arrays 106 , 118 , and 130 , respectively . thus , the weighted sum average for each channel corresponds to the average intensity of a given set of light data detected by a particular photodiode array . the value of the weighted sum average (&# 34 ; wsav &# 34 ;) from the optical channel detecting the information of interest may be used to determine an appropriate scan speed for optical energy source 14 , or provide other suitable control functions . for example , if photodiode array 106 detects optical energy from the red portion of the visible portion of the electro - magnetic spectrum , and the reflected optical characteristic desired to be detected from the surface of a structure , such as structure 22 , are colored red , then the weighted sum average for the red channel may be used to determine the scan speed of the optical energy source 14 , as described in greater detail further herein . the processor 200 ( fig1 ) uses information contained in the signal 194 received from the photodetector circuit 100 as a feedback signal to generate an address for a look - up table stored in the processor 200 . the look - up table contains scan speeds corresponding to the particular address used . thus , when addressed , the contents of the addressed cell of the look - up table are retrieved and transformed into suitable scan speed control signals that comprise , in part , signal 202 , directed to the robotic controller 204 . the control signal 202 comprises a composite control signal that also includes &# 34 ; path &# 34 ; control instructions . thus , composite signal 202 provides both path and speed control instructions to robotic controller 204 . robotic controller 204 then generates command signals 206 that direct the operation of robotic positioner 19 , which may be implemented using a cimroc 4000 robot controller manufactured by cimcorp precision systems , inc ., shoreview , minn . a suitable robotic controller is typically included as part of any robotic system sold by vendors of commercial robotic positioners . thus , in summary , the purpose of robotic positioner 13 is to position the scanning head 10 so that the surface of structure 22 is scanned with optical energy 18 provided by ablative energy source 14 and particle stream 30 in a predetermined path at a scan speed dependent on the optical character of the surface of the structure 22 as determined by photodetecting circuit 100 . the scan speed is controlled so that substrate 28 of structure 22 is not damaged as a result of structure 22 absorbing excessive optical energy which is transformed into heat . the temperature gradient through structure 22 is controlled to prevent damaging substrate 28 while layers 24 and / or 26 are being removed to expose layer 26 or substrate 28 . two approaches may be used to achieve this purpose . in a first approach , the speed at which the scanning head is moved across the surface 22 is controlled by determining an appropriate scan speed , standoff distance &# 34 ; d &# 34 ;, mass flow rate and temperature of particle stream 30 . this approach is described in applicants &# 39 ; aforecited patent applications . in a second approach , the scanning head may be incrementally moved across the surface 22 in small discrete distances . also , the duty cycle of the ablative light pulses may be controlled to prevent excessive temperatures in the substrate . this incremental approach is described further below in conjunction with fig8 . turning next to fig4 there is shown a waveform timing diagram that illustrates one timing arrangement that may be used for operating the photodetector circuit in accordance with the present invention . as seen in fig4 an ablation light pulse 220 is generated beginning at a time t1 . such light pulse is emitted from the ablative light source 14 . during the trailing edge of the ablation light pulse 220 , i . e ., at a time t2 seconds after the start of the pulse 220 , interrupt signal 185a is generated by comparator 185 , as represented by sample pulse 222 . if , for example , the light pulse 220 has an approximate duration of 1000 microseconds , then the time t2 may lie in the range of 800 - 900 microseconds . such interrupt signal 185a defines the sample window referred to above that places the photodetector circuit 100 in its data sample mode . further , because the sample window occurs while the ablative light pulse is still present , the light from the light pulse 220 may be used to provide the source of the reflective light 27 used to examine the color of the surface 22 . the ablative removal cycle comprises the time , t4 , between ablative pulses 220 . such time t4 may be selected to be any suitable value to provide the necessary power output , but typically will range from about 10 to 5000 microseconds , corresponding to an ablative pulse rate of between 0 to 1000 hz , where a pulse rate of 0 hz corresponds to a single pulse . in applications where light source 14 is a gas filled flashlamp for generating pulsed light , the data sample mode may correspond to a period when the optical energy generated by the flashlamp is at or near a minimum , as for example , at a level corresponding to amplitude 220a , shown in fig4 . as is well known , the output of a flashlamp is at a minimum when the flashlamp is energized by a &# 34 ; simmer &# 34 ; current . the &# 34 ; simmer &# 34 ; current is that level of current sufficient to maintain the gas contained in the flashlamp tube in an ionized state . even when energized with a simmer current , a typical flashlamp would still generate sufficient optical energy to illuminate the surface of the structure being processed . in some applications of the present invention , it may be desirable for the data sample mode to correspond to an interval in the pulse period of the flashlamp when the flashlamp is energized by the simmer current . such interval would be established by selecting an appropriate sample window , as previously discussed . referring to fig5 a waveform timing diagram is shown that illustrates an alternative timing arrangement for operating the photodetector circuit 100 when an auxiliary light source 29 is used . as seen in fig5 ablative pulses 220 are generated at an appropriate rate defined by the ablative period t4 . at sometime after the control pulse 226 has gone low , the auxiliary light 29 is pulsed on by control pulse 17 , provided by light control circuit 13 in response to receiving signal 12 from control processor 200 . control processor 200 generates such signal 12 based on the value of signal 194 provided by photodetecting circuit 100 . while the auxiliary light is on , a photodetector sample pulse 230 is generated , corresponding to interrupt signal 185a , which effectively places the photodetection circuit in the data sample mode . in such mode , the photodetection circuit examines the reflected light 27 to determine the character of the surface 22 . thus , as seen for the approach shown in fig5 the ablative process comprises ablating the surface material and looking to see if sufficient material has been removed . fig6 shows a diagrammatic representation of one embodiment of the photodetector arrays 106 , 118 and 130 that may be used with the photodetector circuit 100 of the present invention . as seen in fig6 the reflective light 27 is received in parallel by filters , 102 1 , 102 2 , and 102 3 , also referred to in fig6 as filters f1 , f2 and f3 . each filter is selected to pass only a wavelength or band of wavelengths characteristic of a prescribed color to be detected at the surface 22 being ablated . the light passing through each filter is then focused to fall upon an m × n photodiode array 106 , 18 or 130 , where m and n are integers . using an m × n photodiode array in this manner offers the advantage of being able to detect the relative spatial position of the reflected light from the surface 22 of the material being ablated , as well as its color characteristics . for example , if the reflection footprint is optically focused to cover the entire surface area of the detector 106 , and if such reflection footprint is larger than the irradiated footprint , then an area 221 may appear on the surface of the detector 106 that represents the ablated area , as measured by the wavelength that passes through the filter f1 , while the area around the perimeter of the area 221 on the surface of the detector 106 would represent the non - ablated area . in other words , some of the individual photodiode elements that make up the surface of the diode array 106 would receive light of the passed wavelength , and others would not . in this manner the array 106 is able to provide a rough pixel - by - pixel resolution of the surface 22 of the material being ablated as seen through the particular wavelength that the array 106 is adapted to receive . when such information is combined with the other arrays 118 and 130 , a great deal of information can be learned about the character of the surface 22 being examined by the incident light 18 . as will be appreciated by those of skill in the art , when a photodiode array is used as described in fig6 a somewhat different data processing scheme may be employed than is described above in connection with fig3 in order to process and analyze the array data . however , such processing schemes are well known in the art , and are commonly used to process the data obtained from large diode arrays , such as ccd arrays , in imaging applications . with an array as shown in fig6 the present invention provides more than just an ablative coating removal system . this is because the photodetector circuit 100 may be used independent of a coating removal system to examine the character and quality of surfaces , e . g ., for quality control or damage control purposes . when used as a photodetector system in this manner , all that is required is to pulse on the auxiliary lamp 29 , or other non - ablative light source , and direct such light to the surface to be examined so that it is reflected therefrom to the photodetector circuit 100 . the photodetector circuit 100 then processes the received reflected light in the manner described above to determine the character ( color ) of the surface being examined . further , when used as part of an ablative coating removal system , the additional spatial distribution information provided by the individual diodes of each array provides a much more complete &# 34 ; picture &# 34 ; of the effectiveness of the coating removal process , and further helps the control processor 200 to better define an appropriate scan path . moreover , such additional spatial distribution data allows the control system 200 to level , or otherwise orient , the scanning head 10 relative to the scanned surface of the structure 22 . fig7 shows a diagrammatic representation of an alternative and simplified embodiment of a photodetector array of the present invention . as seen in fig7 a single m × n detector 106 &# 39 ; is utilized to receive reflected light 27 from the surface of structure 22 . an appropriate lens assembly 101 &# 39 ; focuses the light 27 through a replaceable filter assembly 102 i and onto the surface of the array 106 &# 39 ;. the replaceable filter assembly 102 &# 39 ; is selected to pass only those wavelengths characteristic of a particular known surface that is to remain after one or more over coats are removed using the ablation process of the present invention . the simplified embodiment of the detector array shown in fig7 may be used , for example , when the ablative removal process is being used to remove paint down to the primer coat from a large number of airplanes or automobiles , all of which have the same color of primer coat . should the need arise to ablate away coatings down to a different color undercoat or substrate surface than can be detected by filter assembly 102 &# 39 ;, then the filter assembly 102 &# 39 ; is simply replaced with an alternative filter assembly that can detect such different color . referring next to fig8 a flow chart is shown that depicts one method that may be used by the present invention to ablatively remove coatings from a substrate . as seen in fig8 a first step of the method , shown at block 302 , involves the setting of initial parameters used to get the process started . such initial parameters include , for example , the coordinates of a starting location for positioning the scan head , the scan path , an initial standoff distance &# 34 ; d &# 34 ;, an initial ablative pulse energy ( amplitude and pulse width ), and an initial ablative pulse duty cycle ( frequency ). the initial parameters also include setting an index control variable , &# 34 ; i &# 34 ;, to a starting value , such as 0 . once the initial parameters are set , the scanning head is moved to the starting location of the prescribed scan path , l : ( block 304 ). once moved to this position , the timing circuits within the processor 148 ( fig4 ) determine whether it is time to generate an ablation pulse ( block 306 ). an ablation pulse may be generated , for example , at a frequency of 4 - 5 hz . when it is time to generate the ablation pulse , such a pulse is generated ( block 308 ) having a pulse width and amplitude as controlled by the parameters previously set . after the ablation pulse has been generated , the incident light used to illuminate the area being ablated is summed for each light channel that is used ( block 310 ). as explained above , in one embodiment , such incident light may be derived from the trailing edge of the ablation pulse ( fig4 ). in another embodiment , such incident light may be derived from an auxiliary light that is pulsed on at an appropriate time ( fig5 ). in either event , if it is time to sample the reflected light , determined at block 312 , then a determination is made as to whether the sum of the incident light intensity , performed at block 310 , is greater than a prescribed threshold ( block 314 ). if not , then that means that there will be no reflected light of sufficient amplitude to provide any useful information . hence , the reflected light is not monitored , and control of the process returns to block 306 , waiting for the generation of the next ablation pulse . if the sum of the incident light intensity is greater than the prescribed threshold ( block 314 ), then the data collection mode of the photodetector circuit 100 is begun ( block 316 ). once the data collection mode has been initiated , the reflected light intensity from each channel is received and stored ( block 318 ) as digital data . as this is being done , a determination is made as to whether such data should be normalized ( block 320 ). if so , a normalization process is carried out ( blocks 322 , 324 ). the data from each channel is then analyzed to determine if it is characteristic of a prescribed wavelength , λ , representative of a prescribed color ( block 328 ). if not , then the ablation parameters are adjusted ( block 330 ), as required , and the next ablation pulse is generated ( blocks 306 , 308 ). if so , then a determination is made as to whether the scan path has been completed ( block 332 ). if not , the index is incremented ( block 334 ), the scanning head is moved to the next scan path location , l i ( block 304 ), and the process repeats . if the scan path has been completed , i . e ., if all locations along the designated scan path have been ablated , then the process is stopped . as thus described in fig8 the scanning head is incrementally moved along a desired scan path , with the scanning head being positioned at specified locations along the scan path only for so long as is required to ablate the desired layer ( s ) at that location . the desired ablation may require a single ablation pulse , or multiple ablation pulses , with the determination as to whether the layer has been removed being made by analyzing the reflected light from the ablated location for the presence of a prescribed color . not included in fig8 is the control for the particle stream 30 . it is contemplated that the particle stream 30 may be enabled at all times during the ablative removal process . if so , and if the stream is made up of co 2 pellets or cold gases , frost or condensation may form around the ablative site . advantageously , the photodetector circuit 100 , while performing its monitoring function , can ascertain if such frost or condensation has formed , and if so , an appropriate control signal can be generated to make appropriate adjustments , e . g ., turn off the particle stream for an appropriate time . as thus described , it is seen that the present invention provides a coating removal system and method wherein coatings may be selectively removed using a photodetector feedback system in conjunction with an ablation removal process . it is further seen that such coating removal system and method ascertains the reflected optical character or color intensity of the work surface from which the coatings are being removed , and uses such color intensity determination as an indicator of whether the desired coating has been removed . advantageously , such approach reduces the risk of damage to the substrate , particularly frangible substrates such as composites . it is further seen from the above description that the present invention provides a coating removal system and method that includes in a single scanning head : ( 1 ) radiant energy ablative removal means , such as a flashlamp , for removing coatings off of a work surface ; ( 2 ) photodetector means for optically detecting when a desired coating has been stripped from the work surface ; and ( 3 ) cooling and cleaning means for limiting the temperature depth profile of the ablated material from the structure and for cleaning the surface of the structure . advantageously , such scanning head may be scanned across the work surface , either continuously or in step - wise fashion , as a function of feedback signals sensed by the photodetector means . it is also seen from the above description that the invention provides a photodetector system that generates an output signal indicative of the presence or status of substrate surfaces or coating layers . advantageously , the photodetector output signal provides an indication of the reflected color intensity of the work surface , which color intensity indication in turn may be used for a wide variety of purposes . as described , for example , when the photodetector system is used as part of a coating removal system , the output signal may be used as a feedback signal . as a feedback signal it may be used to : ( 1 ) control the coating removal process , i . e ., to limit the exposure of the stripped surfaces or layers , thereby preventing damage to the work surface or coating layers ; ( 2 ) position and orient , e . g ., level , the ablative removal system above a desired location on the work surface relative to topological landmarks on the work surface ; ( 3 ) enable the safe and efficient operation of the ablative removal device , as by , e . g ., turning on the ablative removal device only when certain conditions are satisfied , and / or by controlling the output power of the radiated energy generated by the ablative removal device ; ( 4 ) provide real time feedback to a remote controller that controls the scan rate of the ablative removal device ; or ( 5 ) monitor the formation of frost and / or condensation on the work surface from the application of a particle stream , which particle stream may be used to cool and / or clean the work surface . finally , it is seen from the above description that when the photodetector system is not used directly as part a coating removal system , or in addition to being used as part of a coating removal system , its output signal may still be used , for example , to monitor a previously stripped section of the work surface for the purpose of quality control or surface anomaly detection . 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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fig7 shows an implementation according to the invention , comprising a 9 - stage shift register 702 and an early 722 , late 723 and a precise 724 branch for generating an early c e , precise c p and late c l code phase , respectively . a code c in , generated with a code generator 602 which is controlled by a clock signal clk gen and corresponds to the code generator shown in fig6 , is applied to the shirt register 702 , which comprises registers 703 to 711 and is controlled by a clock signal clk sr . branch 722 comprises four multipliers 712 to 715 and a 4 - input adder 720 , and branch 723 comprises four multipliers 716 to 719 and a 4 - input adder 721 . to the inputs of multipliers 712 to 715 of branch 722 are connected the outputs of registers 703 to 706 , respectively , and combination control signals ec 0 to ec 3 , which are used to set weighting coefficients for the outputs of registers 703 to 706 . the outputs of multipliers 712 to 715 are connected to the outputs of adder 720 , and the early code phase c e is obtained from the output of adder 720 . to the inputs of multipliers 716 to 719 of branch 723 are connected outputs of registers 708 to 711 , respectively , and combination control signals lc 0 to lc 3 , which are used to set weighting coefficients for the outputs of registers 708 to 711 . the outputs of multipliers 716 to 719 are connected to the inputs of adder 721 , and the late code phase c l is obtained from the output of adder 721 . the output of register 707 is connected to branch 724 , from whose output the precise code phase c p is obtained . the implementation of fig7 can be advantageously used also without the precise branch 724 in a correlator structure of the kind shown in fig5 . fig8 shows a one - bit implementation of the structure of fig7 , in which multipliers 712 to 719 and adders 720 and 721 are implemented with and components 812 to 819 and or components 820 and 821 , respectively . an 8 - bit control signal ctrl corresponds to the control signals ec 0 to ec 3 and lc 0 to lc 3 . this circuit is useful when one of the outputs of registers 703 to 706 is selected to branch 722 and one of the outputs of registers 708 to 711 is selected to branch 723 . fig9 a shows a second implementation according to the invention , which , corresponding to the implementation of fig7 , comprises a code generator 602 , a 9 - stage shift register 702 and branches 722 , 723 and 724 for generating an early c e , precise c p and late c l code phase , respectively . in this case branch 722 comprises nine multipliers 901 to 909 and a 9 - input adder 910 , branch 723 comprises nine multipliers 911 to 919 and a 9 - input adder 920 , and branch 724 comprises nine multipliers 921 to 929 and a 9 - input adder 930 . to the inputs of multipliers 901 to 909 of branch 722 are connected the outputs of registers 703 to 711 , respectively , and combination control signals ec 0 to ec 8 , which are used to set early branch weighting coefficients for the outputs of registers 703 to 711 . the outputs of multipliers 901 to 909 are connected to the inputs of adder 910 and the early code phase c e is obtained from the output of adder 910 . to the inputs of multipliers 911 to 919 of branch 723 are connected the outputs of registers 703 to 711 , and combination control signals lc 0 to lc 8 , which are used to set late branch weighting coefficients for the outputs of registers 703 to 711 . the outputs of multipliers 911 to 919 are connected to the inputs of adder 920 , and the late code phase c l is obtained from the output of adder 920 . to the inputs of multipliers 921 to 929 of branch 724 are connected the outputs of registers 703 to 711 , and combination control signals pc 0 to pc 8 , which are used to set precise branch weighting coefficients for the outputs of registers 703 to 711 . the outputs of multipliers 921 to 929 are connected to the inputs of adder 930 and the precise code phase c p is obtained from the output of adder 930 . fig9 b shows a third implementation according to the invention , in which two early c e1 and c e2 and two late c l1 and c l2 code phases are generated . the implementation comprises a code generator 602 and a 9 - stage shift register 702 , corresponding to the implementation of fig7 . in addition , the implementation comprises four logic branches 951 to 954 for generating said two early c e1 and c e2 and two late c l1 and c l2 code phases . a 16 - bit combination control signal ctrl controls the combination . logic branch 951 comprises four logic gates 931 to 934 and a four - input adder 947 , logic branch 952 comprises four logic gates 935 to 938 and a four - input adder 948 , logic branch 953 comprises four logic gates 939 to 942 and a four - input adder 949 and logic branch 954 comprises four logic gates 943 to 946 and a four - input adder 950 . logic gates 931 to 946 are three - level logic gates comprising a control input ctrl , a data input data_in and an output data_out , and which implement the truth table according to table 1 . to the data and control inputs of logic gates 931 to 934 of branch 951 are connected the outputs of registers 703 to 706 , respectively , and bits 0 to 3 of combination control signal ctrl , the bits being able to be used to select the outputs of registers 703 to 706 that are to be connected to this branch 951 . the outputs of logic gates 931 to 934 are connected to the inputs of adder 947 , and the first early code phase c e1 is obtained from the output of adder 947 . to the data and control inputs of logic gates 939 to 942 of branch 953 are connected the outputs of registers 704 to 707 , respectively , and bits 4 to 7 of combination control signal ctrl , the bits being able to be used to select the outputs of registers 704 to 707 that are to be connected to this branch 953 . the outputs of logic gates 939 to 942 are connected to the inputs of adder 949 , and the second early code phase c e2 is obtained from the output of adder 949 . to the data and control inputs of logic gates 935 to 938 of branch 952 are connected the outputs of registers 707 to 710 , respectively , and bits 8 to 11 of combination control signal ctrl , the bits being able to be used to select the outputs of registers 707 to 710 that are to be connected to this branch 952 . the outputs of logic gates 935 to 938 are connected to the inputs of adder 948 , and the first late code phase c l1 is obtained from the output of adder 948 . to the data and control inputs of logic gates 943 to 946 of branch 954 are connected the outputs of registers 708 to 711 , respectively , and bits 12 to 15 of combination control signal ctrl , the bits being able to be used to select the outputs of registers 708 to 711 that are to be connected to this branch 954 . the outputs of logic gates 943 to 946 are connected to the inputs of adder 950 , and the second late code phase c l2 is obtained from the output of adder 950 . fig1 a to 13d show discrimination functions generated from different code phases obtained by means of different combination control signals using the structure of fig7 . the graphs are normalized in the same way as the graph of fig3 , i . e . maximum amplitude is ± 1 . accordingly , the graphs are not directly comparable , but rather show the shape and width of a discrimination function in each particular case . the shape of a discrimination function depends on both the phasing of the shift register 702 and the function of the detector used to detect the correlation result . when linear detection is used , coherent reception has to be used , and the detection is carrier out at the i branch of the i / q signal . when quadratic detection is used , the detection is carried out at both the i and q branches , and the results obtained are summed up . discrimination functions have the general form : d ( τ )= re ( det ( c ( τ , d out — e , in )))− re ( det ( c ( τ , d out — l , in ))), for a linear detector : det ( i + jq )= i , and for a quadratic dectector : det ( i + jq )= i 2 = q 2 , fig1 a to 10d show discrimination functions of ‘ narrow ’ correlator , obtained by linear detection . one output of the shift register 702 is selected to the early 722 and late 723 branches . the clock frequency of the shift register 702 used is 8 * chip frequency (= 8 * clock frequency of code generator ), i . e . the phase difference between the outputs of two successive registers of the shift register 702 is ⅛ chip long . in fig1 a , the output of register 706 is selected to the early branch 722 , and the output of register 708 is selected to the late branch 723 . in fig1 b , 10 c and 10 d , the corresponding registers are 705 and 709 , 704 and 710 , 703 and 711 , respectively . fig1 a to 11d show discrimination functions of a ‘ wide ’ correlator , obtained by linear detection . the clock frequency of the shift register 702 used is the same as the chip frequency , i . e . the phase difference between two successive register outputs of the shift register 702 is 1 chip long . in fig1 a , the output of register 706 is selected to the early branch 722 , and the output of register 708 is selected to the late branch 723 . in fig1 b , the corresponding registers are 705 and 709 . in fig1 c , the outputs of registers 703 to 706 , summed up , are selected to the early branch , and the outputs of registers 708 to 711 , summed up , are selected to the late branch . in fig1 d , the sum of the outputs of registers 703 , 704 , 705 and 706 is selected to the early branch , the sum being weighted with weighting coefficients 4 , 3 , 2 and 1 , respectively , and the sum of the outputs of registers 708 , 709 , 710 and 711 is selected to the late branch , the sum being weighted with weighting coefficients 1 , 2 , 3 and 4 , respectively . fig1 a to 12d show discrimination functions of a ‘ narrow ’ correlator , obtained by quadratic detection . one output of the shift register 702 is selected to the early 722 and late 723 branches . the employed shift register 702 clock frequency is 8 * chip frequency , i . e . the phase difference between the outputs of two successive registers of the shift register 702 is ⅛ chip long . in fig1 a , the output of register 706 is selected to the early branch 722 , and the output of register 708 is selected to the late branch 723 . in fig1 b , 12 c and 12 d , the corresponding registers are 705 and 709 , 704 and 710 , 703 and 711 , respectively . fig1 a to 13d show discrimination functions of a ‘ wide ’ correlator , obtained by quadratic detection . the employed shift register 702 clock frequency is 2 * chip frequency , i . e . the phase difference between two successive register outputs of the shift register 702 is ½ chip long . in fig1 a , the output of register 706 is selected to the early branch 722 , and the output of register 708 is selected to the late branch 723 . in fig1 b , the corresponding registers are 705 and 709 . in fig1 c , the outputs of registers 703 to 706 , summed up , are selected to the early branch , and the outputs of registers 708 to 711 , summed up , are selected to the late branch . in fig1 d , the sum of the outputs of registers 703 , 704 , 705 and 706 is selected to the early branch , the sum being weighted with weighting coefficients 4 , 3 , 2 and 1 , respectively , and the sum of the outputs of registers 708 , 709 , 710 and 711 is selected to the late branch , the sum being weighted with weighting coefficients 1 , 2 , 3 and 4 , respectively . the structure of the invention is not limited to a three - branch implementation only . the precise code phase can be generated as a combination of the early and late code phases , allowing the use of the structure of the invention as two - branched . the structure of the invention can be used as single - branched for example in the correlator shown in fig5 , in which the early and late code phases are summed up before correlation , by replacing the generator 509 and the adder 506 by the single - branch structure and code generator of the invention . structures according to the invention including more than three branches are also feasible . the structure of the invention , combined with a code generator , is usable for example in the correlator shown in fig2 , 4 or 5 , by replacing the generator 209 , 407 or 509 , respectively , with the structure and code generator of an embodiment of the invention . in other respects , the structure and operation of the correlator are as shown in the figures . such a correlator can be used for example in the spread spectrum receiver 102 of fig1 . the invention thus relates also to a correlator and / or spread spectrum receiver , or the like device using the structure of the invention . it is obvious to a person skilled in the art that as technology advances , the basic idea of the invention can be implemented in a variety of ways . the invention and its embodiments are thus not limited to the above examples , but may vary within the scope of the claims .
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in situations where there is a need , due to stormwater regulations or otherwise , to treat stormwater running off paved or impervious surfaces , the present invention as illustrated in fig1 provides an apparatus and method of treatment that includes separation , sedimentation and filtration of polluted storm water . the invention can be applied to existing sedimentation and filtration basins by retrofitting the existing filtering system which may be less efficient and more expensive to maintain . additionally , the present invention can be applied to new construction allowing developments to reduce the area required for the treatment basin in addition to obtaining more efficient treatment and decreased maintenance costs . further , the invention can be applied to new construction through use of a module precast and preplumbed concrete chamber containing the preferred embodiment of the filtration system . in the preferred embodiment of the invention as shown in fig1 a concrete basin 160 is used to capture the first flush of runoff ( i . e ., 1 / 2 &# 34 ;, 3 / 4 &# 34 ; etc .) from the impervious area in a real estate development that contains the majority of all pollutants that have accumulated on the impervious surface since the last rainfall event . in the preferred embodiment of the invention as applied to existing basins , the separation portion of the basin 150 is no longer required , as separation takes place in the filtration basin 160 by means of the floating separator device 700 . tis allows an increase in total capture volume for first flush filtration due to the fact that the separation chamber becomes a holding chamber 150 for ultimate separation , sedimentation and filtration . when a rainfall event begins , the rain sensor 815 is activated which causes the digital controller to activate the shut off valve 300 to prevent stormwater from being discharged into the stormwater drainage until time has passed to allow for sedimentation to occur . as stormwater fills the basin the floating separator devices 700 rise around the filter canisters 200 to prevent pollutants on the water surface ( oils , hydrocarbons , floating matter , etc .) from coming in contact with the filter canisters 200 . if the water level in the basin rises above the top of the filter canister 200 the separation device 700 is held in place by bouancy at the top of the filter canister 200 by striking the rim of the cap 202 that is attached to the top of the canister unit 200 . once the basin has reached capacity , additional cleaner runoff is routed to the storm sewer bypassing the basin by use of a weir 191 or other suitable means . after the rain sensor 815 activates the digital controller fig8 and closes the shut off valve 300 , a digital timer is tripped after the rainfall event stops to allow a preset amount of time to pass thereby allowing sedimentation to occur before the filtering process begins . after the preset time has passed , the digital controller 413 opens the control valve 300 ( if the optional turbidity sensor 600 is used , the control unit 400 verifies the clarity of the water before opening the control valve 300 ). after the control valve 300 is opened , the stormwater is allowed to begin filtering through the filter canisters 200 . as the water level 170 in the basin drops , the separator devices 700 descend down the outside of the filter canisters 200 maintaining a physical barrier between the floating pollutants on water surface and the filter canister 200 . the stormwater entering the filter canister 200 passes through the filter cartridge 505 ( fig5 ) and into the drain pipe 120 which conveys the filtered stormwater through the open valve 300 to the storm sewer or receiving stream 195 . in the event the rain sensor 815 detects rainfall during the filtration cycle , or the turbidity sensor 600 detects turbidity in excess of a preset level , the digital controller 413 activates the compressor 408 ( fig4 ) and closes the flow valve 300 . the filtration cycle is allowed to resume after additional time has passed to allow reduction of the turbidity . in the preferred embodiment of the filter canister 200 as depicted in fig2 the canister 200 is a cylinder 201 made of pvc or other suitable material that is sized larger than the diameter of the filter cartridge 505 to be used . atop the cylinder 201 is a cap 202 that is designed to fit snugly around the outside surface of cylinder 201 eliminating bypass potential . in the preferred embodiment , a multiplicity of large inlet ports or holes 203 provide an opening for water to pass from outside cylinder 201 to the area between the filter cartridge 505 and the wall of the cylinder 503 as depicted in fig5 . the cylinder 201 as depicted in fig2 is seated in the base 204 . base 204 is used to reduce the diameter of the cylinder 201 portion of the filter canister . base 204 is equipped with a fastening mechanism 205 , which in the preferred embodiment is a threaded pipe section . the cylinder 201 portion of the filter canister as depicted in fig2 is covered in an external filter media such as a metal or fabric mesh or screen 206 that may be spaced away from the outer wall of cylinder 201 by means of a spacer ring 207 made of rubber or other suitable alternative material . as depicted in fig1 the fastener 205 is plumbed into a pipe adapter 218 that connects to the common drain line 120 . the stormwater passing though the filter canister 200 is piped by the common drain line 120 to the control valve 300 . control valve 300 , as depicted in fig3 consists of a pneumatic bladder 307 that is non - fouling and can be inserted into any straight section of pipe that is at least 24 &# 34 ; long with little or no plumbing modification being required for installation . the bladder 307 may be inflated with compressed air from the compressor 408 to cut off water flow from the drain line 120 and deflated to allow flow to continue as filtration occurs . air used to inflate or deflate the valve is conveyed using an air hose 409 that passes though a seal 302 located in the cap 303 of the control valve section 300 of the drain line . the pneumatic bladder 307 is attached to the air line 409 by means of a secure air tight connector 306 . the control unit 400 is comprised of a control box 401 with a water tight lid as depicted in fig4 . in the preferred embodiment of the invention the control box 401 and lid are made of rigid water proof plastic material . the control box contains a 12 volt power supply ( battery ) 801 , a digital controller board 413 mounted on the panel 402 by fastener , an air compressor 408 , an air release valve 407 , a pressure sensor 406 , and other components required to monitor and provide automatic operation of the filter process . the air supply line 409 leaving the controller box 401 provides air to the pneumatic control valve 300 that is depicted in fig3 . when conditions exist that cause the circuit board component 413 of the electronic controller ( more detailed description provided below ) to activate the air compressor 408 , air is forced through the supply line 409 into the bladder portion 307 of the control valve 300 until such time as the bladder portion 307 of the control valve 300 inflates to a position which seals the bladder 307 in a position against the inner diameter of the control valve section of pvc pipe 304 . after the bladder 307 has reached its inflated position against the inner wall of the pipe 307 the pressure switch 406 sends a signal to the logic board 413 to discontinue operation of the compressor 408 . after the bladder valve 307 has been fully pressurized , the logic board 413 continues to monitor the pressure in the inflated bladder 307 by use of the information obtained through the analog pressure switch 406 that is supplied to the controller logic board 413 . in the event the bladder pressure decreases , the logic board 413 activates the compressor 408 to send an increased volume of air through supply line 409 to maintain the inflated position of the bladder 307 . fig3 depicts a cross section of the control valve pipe 300 depicting the air supply hose 409 coming from the controller box 400 through the water tight seal 302 located in the top of the cap 303 . the air supply hose 409 is securely fastened by the seal 302 to prevent slippage of the portion of the line 305 located within the section of pipe containing the valve apparatus . the secured portion of the air hose 305 is fastened to the bladder 307 by use of a durable air tight fastener 306 that prevents the bladder 307 from traveling down stream within the drain pipe 120 when the bladder 307 is in its deflated and open valve position . fig4 depicts the various primary components located within the controller box 401 as originally designed for the preferred embodiment . a water tight connector 410 is fastened into the bottom of the controller box 401 to allow for passage of the wiring from the turbidity meter 600 , the rain sensor 815 and the solar panel 800 into the controller box 401 . the electronic components within the controller box 401 are mounted onto a removable service panel 402 . these components include the air compressor and motor 408 , the pressure release valve 407 , the pressure switch 406 , the cross adapter 405 and the check valve 404 . check valve 404 prevents the loss of air from the inflated bladder 307 feeding back throughout air compressor 408 . a terminal bus 403 is utilized for making connections to the various sensors and the logic board 413 . a 12 volt electric power supply ( battery ) 801 sits on the inner floor of the controller box 401 and is fastened to the removable service panel 402 by means of a bracket 411 . fig5 is the internal configuration of a filter canister 500 ( or 200 in fig1 ) of the present invention . cylinder 503 is provided with inlet ports 504 which allows unfiltered water to enter the inside 501 of the canister . an internal filter media cartridge 505 is held within the canister under spring tension as spring 509 urges against collar 510 which in turn presses against the filter media 505 of hollow filter cartridge 505 . the spring 509 and the collar are centered by pin 513 which is attached to cap 502 . cap 502 is thusly spring loaded . by pulling clip 508 out of the side of the cap 502 , the cap is easily released from the cylinder 503 . the clip , as seen in fig5 extends through small holes in the cap and the cylinder . spacer 507 enables the user to easily grasp the clip 508 . water passes through the filter media 505 into the hollow discharge channel 506 and out an outlet ( similar to outlet 213 shown in fig2 ) into the drain pipe 120 as is well known in the filtering art . cartridge 505 is replaceable by removing cap 502 and lifting the cartridge 505 from the cylinder 503 . while the canister 500 of fig5 is shown without an external filter screen as shown in fig2 it should be understood that canister 500 may be equipped with such a screen . fig7 illustrates the separator member 700 positioned floatingly between the canister input port 203 and impurities 706 ( oil ) and 704 ( particulate ). as the level of the water surface 707 rises and falls , separator 700 rises or falls accordingly . the space 705 between the outer wall of the canister 200 or the external filter media 206 ( fig2 ) and the inner wall of the separator is sufficient to allow for a non - binding slippage along the length of the canister , but not sufficient to allow larger particulate ( above 0 . 1 &# 34 ; diameter ) floating on the water surface to enter the ports 203 . separator 700 has a flanged shoulder 701 and a downwardly depending collar 709 . the shoulder 701 keeps floating particulate away from the canister . collar 709 is provided with a multiplicity of openings 702 on the end opposite the shoulder 701 . when the openings 702 align with the inlet ports 203 in the canister , unfiltered water is allowed to enter the canisters for filtration . canister 200 is further provided with a removable cap 202 which enables the user to remove the filter media inside the canister . a quick release clip 209 is attached through the cap 202 as discussed above with canister 500 . the release enables the user to easily remove the cap 202 and remove the entire filter cartridge as necessary . fig8 is a schematic drawing of the logic control board 413 and related components thereon . electronically , the 12 volt dc solar panel 800 is used to maintain a charge in the battery units 801 so that unit is independent of external power . the 12 volt dc battery 801 provides 4 . 5 amp hour capacity to power the unit for extended periods of time without any solar power . the preferred embodiment of this unit will operate approximately 30 days during several rainfall events without the 12 volt dc battery 801 being provided with additional charge from the solar panel unit 800 . a negative --( common voltage 802 ) is supplied to the logic control board 413 and all peripherals on a constant basis . a relay contact 803 ( normally closed position ) provides power to the air solenoid coil 804 . the air solenoid valve 407 is a normally closed solenoid type valve that maintains air pressure in the bladder 307 at a constant level when the bladder is used in its inflated position 307 . a solid state switch 805 is utilized to energize the air solenoid coil 804 for an approximate 10 second duration controlled by the digital timer 835 through the timer control line 837 to deflate the bladder 307 , thereby opening the control valve 300 . an led indicator light 806 is used to indicate that the air solenoid is energized allowing the user to know that the air bladder 307 is being deflated . a relay contact 807 is used to activate the air compressor motor 808 when the relay coil 828 that operates contacts 803 and 807 is made to be in its closed position . the air compressor motor 808 provides compressed air upon demand in various durations when activated by the relay 828 . a power diode 809 is utilized to prevent damage to the digital logic control board in the event the battery polarity is inadvertently reversed . a (+) plus voltage feed 810 is provided to the digital logic control board . a user is informed that the (+) plus voltage 810 to the logic control board has been activated by use of an led indicator light 811 to indicate that the voltage is present . a standard rain sensor circuit 812 is utilized to detect the presence of rain depending upon the status of the contacts located in the rain sensor 815 . the rain sensor circuit 812 detects the presence of rain and starts the sequence of events relevant to filtration by powering the digital logic control board 413 through solid state logic switch 819 , starting the air compressor motor 808 to inflate the bladder valve 307 and preventing the starting of the long duration ( i . e ., 20 hours , 30 hours , or the like ) timer 832 that maintains the pressure in the bladder 307 by inhibiting the air release solenoid valve 407 until the rain stops . any reoccurrence of rain event during the preset timing duration resets the timer 832 by removing the power provided to the solid state logic switch 825 to the timer . an led indicator light 813 is used to indicate to the user that the rain sensor 815 has been activated due to the rain fall event . the rain sensor input line 814 runs to the rain sensor circuit 812 from the rain sensor probe contacts 815 . the rain sensor probe contacts 815 are made of non - corroding stainless steel to provide fail - safe operation . the rain sensor output line 816 from rain sensor circuit 812 leads to a flip / flop one 817 . a logic high when rain is detected by the rain sensor probe contacts 815 and a logic low when no rain is present and the sensor probe contacts 815 are open . the flip / flop one 817 is used on the digital logic control board 413 to activate the solid state logic switch 819 that activates and maintains power to flip / flop 824 and timers 832 and 835 . a push button switch ( momentary normally open ) 818 is used to simulate rain to start the sequence of events produced by the digital logic control board in order to manually activate the control board for testing or other relevant purposes . the solid state logic switch 819 controlled by flip / flop one 817 is fed by output line 820 between flip / flop one 817 and the solid state logic switch 819 . a push button switch ( momentary normally open ) 821 is utilized to reset the logic to the standby or resting state within the logic system . logic switch 819 provides a switched plus voltage circuit 822 to power flip / flop two 824 , the led indicator light 823 indicating that the solid state logic switch 819 is active , and solid state logic switch 825 . the flip / flop two on the digital logic board that is fed from the switched plus voltage 822 activates relay 828 through the pressure switch normally closed contact 827 . the activated relay contact 807 closes causing the air compressor motor 808 to begin operation which inflates the bladder 307 to a predetermined pressure . when the predetermined pressure is reached , the pressure switch contact 827 opens and deactivates relay 828 which opens contact 807 , shutting off the air compressor motor 808 . if the pressure in the bladder 307 falls off , the pressure switch contact 827 will close and activate relay 828 , closing contact 807 which will start the air compressor motor 808 to reinflate the bladder 307 . when the pressure switch 827 is activated with the bladder pressure , the normally open contact 829 will close and activate indicator 830 which indicates the bladder valve 300 is in the closed position preventing stormwater from flowing through the drain pipe 120 to the discharge side of the pipe 195 ( fig1 ). solid state logic switch 825 is activated by voltage from solid state logic switch 819 in logic low ( rain has ceased ) from the rain sensor circuit 812 . the solid state logic switch 825 provides power to the timing circuits 832 and 835 . an output line 826 is used from the digital long term timer 832 to reset flip / flop two 824 at the end of the long duration ( i . e ., 20 hours , 30 hours , or the like ) time period and to start the solid state 10 second timer 835 . the resetting of flip / flop two 824 prevents the air compressor motor 808 from starting when the pressure is lost in the bladder valve 307 . the timer 835 activates the solid state logic switch 805 which , in turn , activates the air solenoid coil 804 for a 10 second period through the normally closed relay contact 803 . the activated open air solenoid deflates the bladder 307 in the bladder valve 300 and allows water to flow through the filter canisters 200 , drain pipe 120 then exiting drain pipe 195 . the pressure switch contact 827 is a normally closed contact , and the relay coil 828 operates contact 803 and 807 . the pressure switch contact 829 is a normally open contact switch . when the bladder valve 300 is closed the led indicator 830 is used to indicate the bladder is in its closed or pressurized condition . timers 832 and 835 are activated by solid state logic switch 825 through the switched (+) plus voltage 831 that runs from solid state logic switch 825 to timers 832 and 835 . the primary timer 832 is a digital long term timer on the logic control board 413 consisting of a solid state oscillator and a digital divider to produce an output 826 20 hours after being actuated . the output 826 resets flip / flop two 824 and starts solid state air solenoid timer 835 . the period ( time per cycle ) of the oscillator is controlled by the timing resistor 834 . an led indicator 833 is used to indicate the period of the oscillator in timer 832 . a timing resistor 834 is present for the oscillator in timer 832 . a solid state timer 835 is started by the output line from the digital long term timer 832 and times the energized time of the air solenoid coil 804 by activating solid state logic switch 805 through output line 837 . a timing resistor 836 is provided for the solid state timer 835 . solid state logic switch 805 is activated using the output line 837 from solid state timer 835 . when the output line 837 activates solid state logic switch 805 it also resets flip / flop one 817 which returns the digital logic controller to its resetting state and low current consumption . fig6 depicts a cross section of the turbidity meter ( option ) that would utilize a light emitting diode 601 and a receiver 604 to determine the level of particulate matter contained in the stormwater that would flow between the open space between the receiver and the light emitting diode . when used , the supply lines 603 to the light emitting diode and the lines forming the circuit in the sensor would be tied to the appropriate component on the logic board 413 and would travel between the logic board and the turbidity meter 606 through the water tight connector 410 at the bottom of the controller box 401 . the structural component of the turbidity meter 606 is made up of a pvc tee 605 inserted into a larger diameter pvc pipe 602 which has been beveled to allow for placement of the sensor 604 and light emitting diode 601 . picture of fig9 depicts an embodiment of the filtration , sedimentation and separation processing device with the controller box 400 and solar panel 800 and rain sensor 815 ( not shown ) constructed with a precast concrete structure 900 that contains a drain pipe 120 that is preplumbed beneath the floor of the concrete structure 900 passing through and on either side of support beams 910 that run the length of the concrete structure 900 to provide a space beneath the structure 900 for placement of the drain pipe 120 plumbing field . in this depiction of the preferred embodiment , the filter canisters 200 and related separator devices 700 are mounted in a compact arrangement through the floor of the concrete structure 900 into preset threaded inlets 920 that are evenly spaced throughout the floor of the structure 930 . when using the embodiment of fig9 sealing plugs 940 are placed into the preplumbed threaded inlets 920 depending upon the number of filter canisters 200 that are desired to be used based on the spacing of the receiving watershed area . one advantage of the embodiment contained in a precast concrete structure 900 is that the precast structure is a module unit that can be constructed off site and dropped in place . additionally , the precast units can be plumbed so that there are slip joints on the back end of the precast unit at location 950 so that several modular units could be placed in line with one joining the other using the slip joints 950 at the back end and front end of the middle modular units . the end modular units 900 would require an elbow and teed plumbing connection on the main drain line 120 to loop the line among the several drain pipes in drainage field located on the floor of the structure . the first module unit 900 in the series ( when more than one is used ) would contain the controller valve 300 and the control box 400 and other related apparatus . the use of this embodiment will allow off site construction of several modular units that could be precast off site and dropped in place very efficiently to either accept first flush flows directly from the surface area from which stormwater is to be treated or could be used as a single or multi modular filter unit system receiving flow from an additional rough cut basin in which water is stored and collected and then fed via a pipe inlet into the precast modular filtration unit ( s ) as depicted in fig9 . whether installed in a cast in place basin or a precast unit , grates or lids can be used , if desired , to cover and enclose the basin to allow use of the surface area above the basin for parking or other development . the following examples describe the manner and process of using the present invention and sets forth the best mode contemplated by the inventors of carrying out the invention , but is not to be confused as limiting the scope thereof . a combination above grade automatic stormwater separation and filtration system and method of separation of filtration is utilized at the low end of a parking lot of a real estate development . the system is plumbed into a pour in place basin that is designed to hold a capacity of 1 / 2 &# 34 ; to 1 &# 34 ; of the initial stormwater runoff ( first flush ) leaving the paved service . a weir or berm is put in place so that after the basin has reached its first flush capacity the remainder of the stormwater , which would be much cleaner due to the washing off of pollutants in the first flush , is diverted directly into the storm sewer or collection system . after the preset amount of time has occurred from the beginning of the rainfall event that caused the stormwater run off , the bladder valve would open allowing the filter cartridges contained within the filter canisters to begin filtration during time of filtration , after sedimentation had occurred , the separator devices would continue to separate free floating pollutants such as oils and floating particulate matter , located on the surface of the water in the basin from coming in contact with the filter cartridges or filter canister units . this separation insures that chemicals and other floating pollutants or materials do not decrease from the efficiency of the filtration process provided by this invention . an existing stormwater basin providing sedimentation , filtration and separation for a development that utilizes a sand , diatomaceous earth or other type of high maintenance filter medium that is subject to clogging due to sedimentation , is retrofitted by removal of the filtration medium ( i . e ., sand etc .) and installation of the collection lines and above grade automatic stormwater separation filtration system and method of separation and filtration . the automated shut off valve is plumbed into the portion of the main drain line closest to the headwall of the existing basin that contains the drain pipe to the stormwater sewer collection system or receiving stream . the basin is then backfilled with earthen material or preferably , with concrete to cover the pvc drain pipe with at least two inches of cover . utilization of the present invention in a retrofit situation such as in this example would increase the capacity of the first flush that can be contained in the basin enhancing total filtration capabilities and further protect against stormwater pollution . additionally , maintenance becomes much simpler after the retrofit in that the huge bed of filtered material that would ordinarily have to be handled , cleaned , raked and ultimately disposed of on a regular basis , will have been replaced with efficient cartridge typed filters located in the filter canisters that make up a part of the present invention . these filter cartridges can be removed and recycled , with replacement occurring as often as necessary depending on pollutant loads and rain fall . in both examples 1 and 2 above , the current invention would utilize the common element of timing the beginning of the filtration process so that maximum sedimentation could occur , dropping pollutants out of the contained stormwater and maximum separation could occur layering floating or light pollutants on the top of the water level prior to beginning filtration through opening of the controller valve . as filtration occurs and water levels decrease in the basin the pollutants that have sedimented on the bottom of the basin will eventually be merged with the floating pollutants on the water surface after total draining and filtration has occurred . a certain component of evaporation would be figured into the ultimate removal of water from the basin allowing the free floating pollutants ( oils , particulate matter ) to bond with the sediment in the bottom of the basin resulting in a slowly building sludge material which can be easily periodically cleaned and removed by ordinary maintenance protocol . yet another embodiment of the present invention may be seen in fig1 and 11 . this embodiment has been demonstrated to prolong the life of the cartridge filter media in certain circumstances . in this embodiment the collection and initial sedimentation of the stormwater runoff takes place in a separate compartment of the basin . basin 15 has two compartments 17 and 19 . the stormwater runoff is initially collected in catch basin 17 . after a set period of time during which sedimentation of impurities occurs , control valve 300 may be opened in the manner discussed above . settled , unfiltered runoff enters filtration compartment 19 from catch basin 17 . the location of the discharge port 21 in catch basin 17 may vary depending upon the sedimentation design perimeters . in fig1 the discharge port 21 is positioned in the bottom portion of compartment 17 along divider wall 16 . opening of valve 300 allows settled , unfiltered runoff water to flow into compartment 19 which is plumbed with above grade filter canisters 200 as shown in fig1 . the canister may be provided with separator rings 700 . the canisters 200 and separators 700 are identical in structure to those described in the other embodiments of this invention . unfiltered runoff passes through inlet opening 203 and out discharge opening 213 into discharge pipe 120 for further treatment if and as necessary . this invention is used for any situation in which it is desired to filter quantified amounts of stormwater run off . by use of a logic board , automated control valve , together with the unique filtration canisters and method of filtration , stormwater filtration can be performed on an efficient and economic scale . while the preferred embodiments have been fully described and depicted for the purpose of explaining the principles of the present invention , it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that modification , substitutions and changes may be made due to without departing from the scope of the invention set forth in the appended claims . the embodiments of the invention in which the exclusive property of privileges claimed are defined as follows : although the invention has been described with reference to specific embodiments , this description is not meant to be construed in a limited sense . various modifications of the disclosed embodiments , as well as alternative embodiments of the inventions will become apparent to persons skilled in the art upon the reference to the description of the invention . it is , therefore , contemplated that the appended claims will cover such modifications that fall within the scope of the invention .
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